"Alright. Now, since I know nothing about martial arts, you should walk me through what we are doing. I don't want to relay on whatever skills got uploaded to my brain along with the boob-job."

Make no comment on the boob job line. That way lies pain and death. "In that case, we can start with the basics; some beginners drills. Just watch my movements, and follow."

Remembering his own early lessons, Jiro starts to lead Alex through some basic punching drills, moving on to kicks and more complex moves when and if it looks like she's ready.

Alex hit's Jiro with question after question about what she is doing. Every time she seems to be getting the hang of something she stops, explains what she thinks she is doing, and goes through it again. Sometimes, she can't explain and so asks to begin farther back.

"I want to make sure I'm actually learning, not just using the auto-complete and wizards to get through the assignment."

Jiro does his best to answer Alex's questions, dipping occasionally into martial arts truisms. He picks his words with care, struggling occasionally with the english, to get his answers across as best he can. He watches closely for cues in Alex's fighting style, and her movements, to try and spot the 'auto-complete and wizards' kicking in. When it does, he gently lets her know.

[OOC: Skill Mastery'ing Sense Motive and Notice as we work, running 22s on both.]

A couple hours pass. Alex makes remarkable progress in that time, even ignoring the impressive skills that she seems to have gained from her transformation. The training seems to be working.

The pair take a short break for some water.

Alex kicked off her flipflops and sprawled on the grass.

"Well, this has been going better then I expected. I think I'm starting to actually understand all of this. What I'm still not sure on is Ki. I know, or think I know, what it is but I don't really get it. There are legends and movies about people being able to do what you do back home, but nobody can even come close to what you can do. Can you tell me a bit more about it?"

Oh, of course. A nice, simple, easy question. Kuso. "Ki is, well; it is a sort of spiritual energy that all living creatures generate. It permeates the air, and it flows through the body like... well, like oxygen in the bloodstream."

He paused a moment, trying to find the right words to explain himself. "It is... you can visualize it, you can manipulate it's flow, and in so doing put more energy or power into a maneuver. With great practice you can..." His brow furrowed and he muttered for a moment in Japanese. Then, "You can touch the ki that surrounds you, be it in the air or in another. You can manipulate it, like... dragging your fingers through sand; to leave a trail you can see. I can urge another to heal by guiding another's energy. That is how I project energy as well." A shrug. "There are any number of things that can be done with some creativity, energy, and meditation."

"All that said, there is a... knack to it. Everyone has ki, but not everyone has enough to really make use of it; especially some of the things I do. Like anything, you can learn, but one's inherent gifts can pose... issues." A moment. "Your skills are impressive, and I suspect you have a great deal of potential. There are some strange... eddies, I think is the phrase I want, in your ki. Perhaps a conflict between your mind and your, well, your new body. I know I had a great deal of trouble adapting to the differences between ki flow in my normal body and my cursed form."

"I am rambling again, gomen. Still, Alex-san, I hope some of it was useful."

Alex nods along with the explanation. "That's exactly what I was thinking it was. Glad to see my pop culture habit wasn't wasted time. If you're willing to teach, I'm willing to see what I can learn. Hell if girl ki flows differently, and it makes sense that it does, trying to teach me something might be useful to you."

She leans back, resting on outstretched arms. "That leads into another question that I've been wondering about. I already know more then enough that you don't owe me any kind of explanation about your past but... I am kinda curious. The girl with the grudge that was mentioned, and the Singapore thing. If you're willing to tell me, great. If not, it's nothing that I need to know. Again, don't feel that you have to tell me anything because of trouble that it's causing. You've already said enough to fulfill that debt."

"You have every right to ask, for if we do work together, my past may well impact you." Jiro sighed. "There is a story there, and it starts not in Singapore but in Tokyo. I beg your patience; I will be as brief as I can."

"My ability to manipulate ki became apparent early, and I have honed it from youth. In my home of Tokyo I also gained my... chronic hero syndrome, I suppose you could call it. I did not abide thieves or other scum. I defeated such a one who was trying to steal from some young girls, and left... an impression on them. One of them, Omiko Nakamura-" there is a hint of longing as he says the name "-developed a... what is the Western term... a 'crush' on me. I thought nothing of it at the time, and considered her simply a friend."

"I had few friends; when I was not in class or cram school, most of my time was spent in training. I have studied the martial arts since I could first walk.
Omiko was a friend when, frankly, I needed one, for while there was no doubt in my mind that my family cared for me, I had no siblings, no classmates I was close to. She was my friend, and I tried to be hers. But no more than her friend, for it would not be appropriate. Nor was I worthy of such; her father Takashi Nakamura owns a major manufacturing company in Japan, and is of high-class Samuria stock, including one of the Shoguns. My family is poor, and while we too trace our bloodline to the Samuria, it is not so honored or high class. He approved of me as a friend of his daughter because I knew my place and was an honorable youth."

"We grew to be close friends, and Omiko's crush... did not go away, though we thought it had. Three years ago, Takashi presented her to the son of another powerful industrialist. The two families had arranged a marriage for them, as preparation for a merger of their financial empires. Omiko... Omiko refused, saying she wanted me only."

A long pause as Jiro struggled to find the right words. "Omiko is my best friend, but I have no illusion of being worthy of her. No illusion that we could ever be more than friends. But she did not heed that, and Takashi did not care. He flew into a rage and it was decided that... I would leave the country for a while while things... cooled down."

"My father and my Uncle Tetsuhara went with me on a training journey around southeast Asia. We studied with distant masters, fought in a number of old training grounds... Eventually we found our way to Singapore. While we were there, we stumbled into the middle of a Triad drug ring."

A sigh. "They were bleeding a village dry, abusing its people to manufacture their drugs. We... decided we could not let this remain, and invaded their production facilities. It... did not go smoothly. Many of them had guns, and there are many volatile chemicals involved in the production of drugs. A fire broke out and hastened the destruction beyond our control. I had thought we managed to get all the workers out before it, well, exploded, but recent events lead me to believe otherwise." He paused, expression clouded.

"Their thugs escaped, as did the workers. Thus the Triads learned of who attacked them. They had a sorcerer in their ranks, whose retaliation you have seen on me; father and Uncle Tetsuhara were able to resist its effects."

"We tried to avenge ourselves upon the Triads, to force them to give a cure... but that failed. As weakened as my ki abilities are now while I am in my cursed form, I was much, much weaker then, and they had more men than we could overcome simply with strength. We returned to Japan in shame."

Another sigh, and he took a moment to gather himself. "As to the rest, the girl who attacked was named Wei the Lotus Blossom. She told me her father died because of what we did. I... cannot fault her for her rage at myself and my father and uncle. But I would hope for a chance to speak with her again. My family has done hers wrong. I do not know if it could be made right, but I must try for the sake of my honor. I do not need more enemies."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Wed 16 Mar 2011.

Alex is silent throughout the story, and for some time after. "Right. I'm going to refrain from calling bull on the whole worthy thing and arranged marriages as that's a cultural thing that I'm not going to win."

"For the drug den thing... I think you did the right thing. If her father died, Wei does have reason to be angry but she's directing her anger in the wrong direction. If her dad was there either he was one of the thugs and so should have known dying the price he might pay for his dark ways. If he was one the workers, he was someone you were doing your damnedest to save and just weren't perfect enough. When trying to stop evil, the innocent and evil both suffer. It happens and there is nothing that can be done about it. You just have to remember that your actions caused a net decrease in suffering. Sadly, some people just don't get that."

"There was this one guy who I had after me, can't remember his name. He came after me hard after I staked his... brother I think it was, not long after he was turned. He blamed me, for not saving his brother in the first place and for killing him later. Didn't want to accept that I couldn't be in two places at once, and protecting ten people was more important that protecting one person. He refused to believe that his brother was already dead, and what I turned to dust was nothing by a demon wearing his skin. A monster that was going to kill and kill until it was stopped."

Alex sighs, and looks down "Goddess grant that Wei isn't so stubborn, so blinded by hate and rage. I did everything I could to convince him, but nothing go through. He tried to kill me and my friends on more then one occasion. Finally he went to far and made a pact with a demon and..." she trails off.

A moment later Alex goes pale. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Jiro gripped her shoulder. "You did. But I think... so long as we know what is and is not you, you will not lose yourself to this."

He took a moment in thought. "You have every reason to be uneasy, Alex-san. More reason than I, even. And you are coping much better than I did at first. You are strong, Alex-san. Strong enough to overcome this; to make these memories simply... an asset. All knowledge is power, Alex-san. You can use this. And I will help you as much as you let me."

Jiro stood. "For now, let us go back to our practice. We can face but one problem at a time; and mastering your skills, I think, may help master the memories."

Alex just bites her lip and nods before standing. "Right. I can do this. I just pray to god that there isn't a very confused vampire slayer running around in a COBOL coder's body back home."

Jiro coughed. "Ah, I wasn't going to say it... but I would be lying if I said  I had not had the same thought."

A pause. "If nothing else, from what you have told me, at least she will not have to confront any vampires in a programmer's body."

"For now, let us practice. After that, and lunch, we have vampires of our own to hunt."

Practice continues, and moves into some basic lessons on Ki. Here, Alex doesn't seem to have the massive head start that her new memories but at least Jiro thinks she has some potential. It's hard to tell though. He doesn't have the same ability to sense Ki flows that some he has trained with do. When he heals, he has some sense of it but not enough to be useful for this purpose.

"Well, for what it is worth, I think you have the potential to make practical use of your ki. It would be harder to teach, however."

He looks at the sun, now close to directly overhead. "That said, I think now would be a good time to break for lunch, then start looking into the vampire problem. Your choice of restaurant again."

"Cool. I'd love to be able to fire energy bolts or even better, heal with a touch. That is just to damn useful. Still, it can wait." She says.

"I saw a place called Starbase Coffee on the way over here. Looked like they have free wi-fi. I don't know anything about the food, but I doubt it will kill us and I could try to learn something while we're eating. Sure it won't measure up to the Shrine of Saint Timothy's for coffee, but then what possibly could?"

"I will never understand the north-american obsession with coffee. Still, lead on."

I can always get tea. Most of these sorts of places make at least passable tea.

Starbase Coffee is a home to decent coffee, mediocre tea, and overpriced food. In Alex's mind this is forgiven by virtue of free wifi. Really, really good wifi. It's clear they didn't cheap out on the internet here.

Alex sat down with her extra-large triple-triple, large ham sandwich, and apple fritter. Her computer appeared on the table as if by magic, and it doesn't take long for her to become utterly enthralled with what was on the screen.

Jiro is treated to the sight of someone who can type one handed at better then the speed most people can type two handed. The other is busy with her food... at least for the little time it takes to vanish.

[OOC: 13:12, Today: Alex rolled 27 using 1d20+12. Computers Check.
Looking for anything that might hint at strange things happening in the city.]

Okay, my few lingering doubts about Alex's story are vanishing. I couldn't type half that fast with a gun to my head. Suffering from some dismal tea and looking around, he took in the crowd. I do believe this is a Gathering of the Weird. This should be as good a place as any to start asking around. Putting the tea out of its misery, he decided to start his information search here.

Walking up to a group of chatting folks, he politely introduced himself. "Good afternoon. I'm newly arrived in town, and wonder if you might be able to tell me a bit about things?"

10:27, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 26 using 1d20+7. gather info on vampires.

Jiro ends up getting locked in conversation with a couple of young men who seemed to have an impressive knowledge about potentially supernatural things that could be going on in the city. The world 'otaku' springs to mind.

The most useful sounding information is as follows - A week ago someone was found completely drained of blood. The cops were refusing to confirm that it was a vampire attack, and are claiming it seems to be an isolated incident. However, rumors have been floating around that people have been dropping out of sight for the last week or so as well. Calling in sick to work, not being around during the day, only being seen at night. The otaku are convinced that it's a vampire plague getting started.

Furthermore two street gangs have been getting more aggressive and a gang war may be in the offing. The otaku are convinced that this is because two rival master vampires are building armies in preparation to battling for control of the city.

They express the wish that the city had a proper super team. The city was quite lacking in one, not like those jerks over in Freedom City. They had what? 5 teams that were based there and a bunch of independents? Sure the Freedom League spent most of it's time dealing with the bigger picture, and the Atoms were always going off to other dimensions or something but they still looked after their home town. Then there were the Freedom Knights, the Next-Gen, and even those tame super-villains in Project Freedom. It just wasn't fair.

"I've discovered that the impossible is in fact possible. There is something stranger then the internet. THIS world's internet. Good god... Still, I like to think I've gotten good at picking out the BS from the good stuff." Alex paused a moment to take a bite from her second sandwich.

"I spent a lot of time researching every damn thing about weird stuff that I could. I just don't know the world well enough to tell at a glance like I did at home. I swear, the laws of physics must have been repealed some time ago because... well, not important. Let's just say I know a lot more about supers then I did an hour ago. About all I managed to learn was that someone was drained dry last week, and the tubes are filled with people guessing about a vampire attack. If it's one of the famous ones or some new no-name freak. So you learn anything good? "

"Mostly the same; though there are rumors of several other people dropping out of sight and others suddenly only appearing at night." Jiro shrugged. "They also believe a gang war is brewing, and that it is being instigated by one or more vampires, but I am not sure how much creedence to give that one."

A pause. "As far as the Internet is concerned... well, I can see that it might seem abnormally strange. I live in this world, and I find it abnormally strange, but I am a simple martial artist, not a techie or otaku." A grin had won past his discipline.

"All that said, were you able to get a location for any of these attacks? Narrowing a search area could be quite useful."

EDIT: fething tags
This message was last edited by the player at 06:21, Sat 19 Mar 2011.

Alex looked back at her computer, and her hands flew. "Uhh... Here we go, got a location for the first body. Looks like it wasn't far from her actually."

She clicks a few more times, then blood drained from her face. "Isn't that where we met?"

She turns her laptop to reveal a Google Streetview showing that very alley.

"What?" He sat forward and looked closer at the display. It was, indeed, that alley. "Kuso."

A moment of thought. "Unless you can find some other locations, it makes as good a place as any to start looking. If a bit... unnervingly close to our hotel."