"You mean this time and the time we met in the club," Daiyu says. "Of course, as we always do when other Immortals are close by. And the sword, well that depended on who was coming and why they were here."

”Wait, Immortals. I thought—“ From the back of his mind, Tom hears power rock chords. Here we are, born to be kings. We’re the princes of the universe.

Immortals. Swords. That weird feeling, sometimes pain, other times laughter or cold. It’s all starting to make sense now. ”So Connor McLeod—that was real? Or at least based on something real?” Tom has a friend named Luis who loves fantasy of all kinds, and Tom remembers sitting through part of the first <i>Highlander movie with him.

”Are you telling me that you and I are like on Highlander? I was thinking I was like Buffy or Van Helsing or something.” This is amazing! And probably scarier, too. If what Tom is thinking is correct, anyway.

”I’m sorry, Daiyu. A week ago I was just a normal college student, and this is totally blowing my mind.” He looks at her helplessly. ”I—so you just wanted to meet me? Is that why you invited me to come by?”

"The movie was pretty accurate in concept," Daiyu says. "But not in all the details, obviously. And yes, Highlander is based on people like you and I. Much cooler than Buffy or Van Helsing in my opinion."

"I figured you were new and untrained when we talked at the club, so that was why I invited you. But you were talking about vampires and fae. Tell me more about them."

"Yeah, uh, about that." Tom looks apologetically at the person who seems to be most like his own kind. But he has been told stories about Hunters, and he doesn't want to put his new friends in danger.

"Vampires and fae are real," he says. "As are werewolves and apparently angels and demons. My friends and I found ourselves in the middle of a battle between wolves and vamps, and that's where I died. Or at least, I thought I died."

Tom looks searchingly at Daiyu. Can he trust her? Sparrow apparently does, although the Fae doesn't know Daiyu's identity. "I've been told our kind actively hunts other supernatural creatures. The Mediterranean guy in town--do you know him? He's apparently killing vampires. Is that a thing that you and are I supposed to do? Some tradition, or maybe as part of our nature or something?"

"Until you told me about them, I didn't even know vampires existed," Daiyu says. "Or any other supernatural creature. We call those Immortals that actively search for other Immortals to take their Quickening for hunters. Most of us try to live our lives and defend ourselves when we have to. And as soon as they know you are out there, the less discerning of them will come after you too."

"I'm pretty sure the Mediterranean guy you've described is Caius. He is old, skilled, and ruthless. I was lucky to get away from him. He most definitely is a hunter and I'm certain he has killed many of us."

She must have sensed Caius, too, the way Tom had. "Is that why you went into the Arcane Lux, then?" he asks. In the movie, he remembers the main character, Connor MacLeod, fighting an evil Immortal, the Kurgan, or something like that. Sean Connery had been in the movie, too.

"So all Hunters are Immortals, but not all Immortals are Hunters," Tom says, musingly. "That's good to know, actually. I was worried I was going to be forced to attack my friends or something."

And Daiyu said she got away from Caius, so she didn't choose to confront him. Does that mean Caius is more powerful than Daiyu? If an experienced Immortal is worried about him, and the man managed to kill vampires so easily, then he'd no doubt kill Tom in about half a second.

"So if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I know it's bad manners to ask a lady her age, but were you born here, or in China? And do you have any advice for me? Do I need to start training with a sword? Is it off-limits to use a gun? Are there any rules or codes I need to follow?"

"I went to Arcane Lux to relax," Daiyu says. "I haven't met him in a very long time. I didn't know he was in town."


"Yes. At least with our definition of Hunter. I don't know about their definition."


"I'm over 600 years old. And yes, I was born in China. You should start training with a sword. And guns are banned by tradition. And while some shun the traditions, they are then shunned in return."

"Yes, there are rules. The most important rule is 'In the end, there can be only one.' When an Immortal takes another Immortal's head, they also take their Quickening or power. In the end, there will be one Immortal with all power. Other rules, like the rule on guns, are more like traditions."

"We don't fight on holy ground, folklore teaches us that Pompeii was destroyed because a head was taken on holy ground and I'm pretty sure it was the reason for the Three Mile Island incident."

"We fight one on one. There are several reasons for that. When you take someone's Quickening, you are fatigued and an easy target. If there are two of them, whoever still lives can easily take your head. And even if you only want to watch, some of your Quickening will be lost in the transfer to the quick from the dead. Just as a storm takes a tree or a house if it's strong enough. And when it comes to the Quickening, it's always strong enough."

"We fight face to face without trickery. That includes guns and other ranged weapons. And whatever dirty tricks a clever mind can invent."

"And we don't share our secrets with outsiders. Or in other words, if you're not an Immortal, we're not going to tell you about us."

"Some live a stricter code and don't attack fledglings or involve outsiders in Immortal disputes. And they fight fairly and honorably."

"It's fairly straight forward really."

"600..." Tom lets that sink in for a moment. Daiyu must be incredibly skilled to have lived that long. Either that or she has avoided confrontation with other Immortals, which also implies a great deal of skill. "Holy ground. So like churches, sacred sites? How do you know if a place is holy ground?"

He was going to have to learn how to fight. So far, AFROTC has been mostly about things like leadership, Air Force history, and PT, but he knew he'll be covering some combat training this summer, or at least he is supposed to be. He'll have have to double check, but he doesn't think that combat training includes sword fighting.

The rules actually seem fairly simple. Fight one on one, don't fight on holy ground, no tricks, keep their secrets. And then of course there are those who break the rules.

"I--this is a lot to ask, I know, but--could you train me? Or if not you, do you know someone who would be willing ot?" Tom isn't sure how this whole training thing can work, not if there can be only one. Daiyu wouldn't be gaining anything by training him since he apparently isn't allowed to help her if she's attacked, and it's possible that they might have to fight each other one day. He's sure he could learn fencing from a non-Immortal, though, and probably stage sword fighting. There are probably schools that teach sword-fighting, too, although probably not back in North Carolina.

"I haven't found any consistent definition of holy ground," Daiyu says. "So it can be a little difficult to know. Hence, Three Mile Island. Most take the widest possible interpretation possible. Just to be safe. Any site, sacred or sanctified to any religion or religion like entity. In my experience, that isn't an accurate definition, but I don't have a narrower one that works."



"Yes, I can teach you how to fight. With heart, faith, and steel."

And in that moment, your phone rings.

[It's Abe. If you choose to answer the call, you can take the call in his thread. And in either case, make a post here to let us know what you do with the call.]

Daiyu's explanation is interesting but unsatisfying. Probably Native American sites would fit in that broad category, but how many of them have disappeared over the centuries?

However, she agrees to train him, something Tom knows he will desperately need if he is to survive in this brave new world. And then his phone rings. He slides it out of his pocket and sees that it's Abe.

"It's Abe, the guy from the club," he tells her, and he slides his phone open.

"Hey, Abe. What's up?"

Tom speaks with Abe on the phone for a moment, and then says to Daiyu, ”Excuse me for a bit. My friend Abe wants to drive by and have me check someone.”

"Certainly," Daiyu says. "We can start the training afterward."
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:57, Thu 12 Dec 2019.

After Tom had left Daiyu, he had gotten into his borrowed car and driven down to a cafe to wait for Abe. Tom wanted to put at least a thin barrier between Daiyu and the rest of Shadowland if possible. She seemed entirely unaware of non-Hunters/Immortals, and Sparrow had not realized that Daiyu was someone like Tom. The college student knew he might have to tell the others in time, but for now, he didn't want to enmesh Daiyu in everything else. While at the cafe, he orders an Earl Grey tea and a coffee and some cream and sugar.

After Abe drove away, Tom returned to Ming Antiques and Design. Ming. Wasn't there a Ming dynasty? Tom's pretty sure there's such a thing as Ming vases, and he regrets now neglecting world history.

Back at Ming's, Tom looks for a place to put the coffees down where they won't damage a three-hundred-year-old table. "I wasn't sure if you liked coffee or tea, so I brought both. Your choice." The idea of training is a little exciting to Tom. He doesn't exactly enjoy PT, but he loves that feeling of pushing himself and getting stronger. "So is this going to be like The Karate Kid? I wash your car and mow the lawn, and after all that, I'll know kung fu?"

OOC: Where is Daiyu's place in relation to the rest of La Jolla? Is it more like this? https://goo.gl/maps/rMdRAcMwZerzDygL7

Or this? https://goo.gl/maps/DxMsphG5f7geWCn47

Daiyu took both the offered cups and placed the coffee on

"Thank you," Daiyu said and took both the offered cups. She placed the coffee on a desk and took a sip of the tea before placing that cup on the desk too. "I appreciate the gesture. I prefer Jie tea, but it's difficult to get here."




"If it was that easy, everyone would do it. No, you have to train. Pick a sword." She made a gesture with her arm to indicate that he could pick any of them.


[OOC: As to where she lives, for ease of reference, let's assume her place replaces ksdo-fm San Diego on Via Capri.

There are a number of swords on display, feel free to make your own choice on the matter.]

Tom examines the swords Daiyu has on the wall. They look expensive. He imagines someone thinking these were just props, or a set piece to hang on a wall as some kind of cool trophy.

From playing Dark Souls and Skyrim, he's seen plenty of swords in games before, but he's never handled one in person. He recognizes a katana, a large two-handed sword, and a sword with a serrated blade. He finally selects a broadsword that looks as if a Viking might have carried it once.

The sword in his hand, he says, "Okay. What next?"

"Your sword is your life," Daiyu says as she puts a closed sign in the door. "Let's teach you how to use it." She indicates for you to follow her and she walks through a glass corridor to the next building in which there was a gym and a dojo.

"This used to be a fire station, built a century ago, sold a few decades ago instead of updating it to their current needs. But it was easy enough to update for my needs. Though it still only has one locker room and one sauna."

She turns to face you, places her right arm behind her back, and when she brings it out again, she's holding an old Chinese straight double-edged sword. That hadn't been behind her back when she turned.

She then started showing you how to stand, how to hold the sword, and the basics of defending yourself. "To be among the top 100 swordsmen, you need an excellent offense. But to be among the top ten, you need an excellent defense."


You were standing on a one-inch diameter steel cylinder fastened a yard above the floor.
"B - A - L - A - N - C - E. Balance. If you can't stand, you can't fight. She struck the cylinder, causing it to move side to side, and you fell.


There were a lot of calisthenics, way beyond anything you'd done in ROTC. It felt worse than you thought SEAL or Delta training felt like. If nothing else then there was nowhere to hide. One student. One trainer. Relentless, unceasing focus.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:18, Thu 09 Jan 2020.

"Thank you for taking the time to train me," Tom says. Frankly, he is surprised she is willing to drop whatever she had planned for the day to spend time teaching someone she doesn't know.

Again with the sleight of hand. Daiyu is quite the magician.

He does his best to follow along with her as she walks him through the stances and swordplay. "Got it," he says, nodding. "It's all about the defense." Offense wins games, so the saying goes, but defense wins championships.

The balancing part is difficult. How is he supposed to maintain his balance on a one-inch cylinder? Olympic gymnasts make it look easy, but Tom's no Olympian. He follows her through the exercises, and soon, he is sweating and out of breath. If nothing else, he is going to be in excellent shape for his camp in August.

"Of course," Daiyu says. "You are going to need a lot of it."

And at the end of the session.

"It would be best for your training if you moved in. There is a lot of room here."

It continues to take Tom by surprise when people offer to be so hospitable to him. De La Vega allowed him to join the vampire's newest cohort, Sparrow had let Tom stay at her place for a week, and now Daiyu is offering him a place to stay.

He thinks about the offer for a moment. It was good to be near Abe in case either needs the other, but Tom had always felt like he was freeloading at Sparrow's place, especially after he turned her down that night. "I'm fine with that, I guess," he says slowly, still thinking. "Maybe you could put me to work so I'm not completely mooching off of you? I could do deliveries, move stuff around for you, cover things here at your shop when you need to go out."

"I will put you to work," Daiyu says. "Don't you worry about that."

The first place she put you to work was in the kitchen. And it was a Masterchef level kitchen. With everything you might ever need or want. She then verbaly gave you the recipe. Ingredients, measurements, and how to prepare them, in steps that were long enough to strain your memory. Some of the ingredients you have never heard of. And some of the methods of preparation were new to you too.

And while you were doing that, she was running about doing other things. Such as preparing the flavored water you would drink with the meal.

After the meal, the training continued. Hundreds of push ups, hundreds of sit ups, and a lot of pull ups too. She gave you directions on how to run a five mile course through La Jolla. All of which you had to memorize beforehand. When you ran the course together, she gave you positive feedback everytime you made the correct choice in an intersection. And no feedback when you made the wrong choice.

Back at the firestation, there was more sword work. More work on your balance. More flavored water to replenish your fluids. And more training. Time wasn't on your mind, until training came to an end.

It was 6.00 AM Saturday morning. Your body was tired from exercising, but it was not sleepy, despite being awake for over 20 hours. It was time to get your things and you were meeting with Abe at the airport at 7.55. You were given strict instructions to get back to the firestation as soon as you had run you errand.



[OOC: Do you ask her for additional information in regards to the ingredients you don't know and how to prepare them?


Your meeting with Abe is in his thread. And we'll keep going here in regards to any questions you might have during this training session.]

Daiyu's idea of work isn't what Tom had in mind. His cooking skills were limited to frying eggs and making oatmeal, though he tried his best to follow her instructions, asking for clarification when needed, but trying to commit everything to memory.

When he sees her mixing flavored water, he says, "Just plain water for me, thanks."

He pushes his body farther than it has ever gone before, even with AFROTC PT. If he had not already been in shape, he realizes, there would be no way for him to keep up.

By the end of the training, he is aching all over. Why haven't they stopped to sleep? "While I have this breather, I'm going to take Sparrow's car back to her and pick up my stuff. I'll be back in a few hours, Daiyu."

With this, he leaves and heads for Sparrow's place to pick up his few possessions, leave the car, and go to the airport.

When asked, Daiyu gave clarifications. But they were so quick and detailed that again they strained Tom's memory to follow them

And at his request, she provided plain water for the both of them instead of the brew she had started making.


And when he was leaving, "Don't fall asleep behind the wheel."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Fri 27 Dec 2019.

You drive to Sparrow's place, Harbor Tower West, one of twin 52 story residential buildings in the Marina District. With the official address of 100 Harbor Drive, even though Harbor Drive was on the other side of the tracks and the Martin Luther King Promenade with public art celebrating the dreams of Dr. King. But that's what money can buy. And you had asked yourself why Sparrow didn't know where to run when people jogged on the promenade every day.

You park her car in the underground garage and don't see the large pool between the two towers or Morton's Steakhouse located in the Harbor Club, which is the name given to this half-block circumscribed by J Street, 3rd Avenue, and the tracks.

You take one of the private elevators, using the RFID tag Sparrow has given you to get access to it and the key to get it to start moving to her floor. The garage, lobby, and 6th-floor levels don't need the key, but penthouse access does.

You don't see the lobby or the signs there to the fitness center or the spa, and you have asked yourself why Sparrow has a fitness center in her apartment when there was one in the building. You don't see the 60-foot lap pool, jacuzzi, sun deck, or BBQ area on the 6th-floor outdoor terrace either.

The doors of the high-speed elevator soon open in the private elevator lobby of Sparrow's 52nd-floor penthouse apartment. And you use the key again to get access to the apartment proper.

No one seems to be home.


[OOC: I made a post earlier about you going to her apartment, apparently it didn't stick. Obviously, this post takes place before you went to the airport, but you can do whatever you need to do here and then skip ahead to after the airport. Among other things covering how you're traveling now that you don't have a car.]

”Sparrow? Are you around?” When Tom gets to the penthouse, he looks around for Sparrow, but doesn’t see her anywhere, so he grabs his bag with his few personal items in it and leaves the key on the kitchen counter. Sparrow’s apartment seems like a self-contained oasis in the city, and perhaps she doesn’t venture out using conventional means very often.

It feels a little strange to be leaving Sparrow’s place, even though a couple of weeks ago it would have been downright unbelievable to think that he had been the house guest of a dazzlingly beautiful supernatural being. He wonders if Sparrow is ever lonely living in this place by herself, although she still has Abe. Daiyu for that matter, too.

Truthfully, Tom is going to miss not living with Abe. The other three guys are lifelines connecting Tom’s old and new lives, and Tom is still trying to wrap his head around all these changes. He wishes he could adapt like the other guys seemed to.

He also feels the need to have a sword on him, especially with that other Immortal out there. Daiyu had explained the Immortal code to Tom, and he accepts it, but he knows not every Immortal will follow the no killing fledglings rule. He figures if he runs into the Mediterranean, the best thing he can do is run at this point.

Going back downstairs, he checks the best bus route to the airport on Google Maps and heads off to meet Abe.

OOC: When Tom doesn’t notice the pool, lobby, etc., does that mean they are present and he just isn’t paying attention, or are they not there?

Tom will rely on Google Maps and public transportation to get around. From experience, this will likely take 2-3x as long to get to where he’s going. Dean’s motorcycle is an excellent idea, and Tom will see if he can find a used one that he can purchase. Maybe Daiyu has some ideas. After the airport, he’ll return to the firehouse.

Sparrow's apartment is quiet. Tom looks for a bit, but no one is there. And you leave the key and the RFID tag (or so I'm assuming) on the kitchen counter.

After the airport, Google maps lead Tom to bus 992, the Sycuan Green Line trolley, bus 150, bus 30, and a 1.5-mile walk before you arrived at the old fire station that is Daiyu's home and place of business.

Inside, Daiyu is with two customers. An older couple, both of them in their 80s. About ten minutes later they finish up.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs for your confidence. I will make something that you can be proud of."

"That's why we chose you," Mr. Jacobs says. "We expect to hear from you soon."

As they left, the older man gave you a polite nod.

"That was Joan and Irwin Jacobs," Daiyu says. "They have given 100s of millions of dollars in donations in the past 20 years. They're giving another $50 million to Salk Institute for Biological Studies this year and $1,000,000 of that for me to spend on interior decoration."


[OOC: Are you keeping the tag or returning that too?]