11841/A Question of Zen

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A Question of Zen
Date of Scene: 01 July 2022
Location: Chikara Dojo
Synopsis: Vic Sage goes looking for help with his Chi, finds Danny Rand.
Cast of Characters: Vic Sage, Danny Rand




Vic Sage has posed:
Manhattan, The Big Apple, Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of, etc.

Vic Sage, The Question, is in town for a few days following a few leads on a high-profile murder. It's through a bit of luck that the man tracked a contact to Chinatown and, therefor, Chikara Dojo. Something pulled him here. Something he once knew, but has forgotten in time. Still, Vic's never been one to ignore a gut feeling, so he's stepping into the building, currently wearing his guise as the Faceless Detective.

Quietly, he begins to have a look around. There's something here for him, but he'll be damned if he knows just what it is yet.

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny's penthouse had a very nice training area, but it didn't make a lot of sense for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to take such a focused interest in eastern martial arts. So, when he wanted to train himself - hone his abilities, so to speak - he came to the Dojo. He's eschewed his costume, instead wearing white han fu with his longish blonde hair held back from his eyes by a yellow bandana tied about his forehead. He stands before a mu ren zhuang - a wooden post with arms jutting in various directions - in a Wing Chun stance.

His eyes closed, his head nevertheless cants to the side as though he senses the sudden and unfamiliar presence.

"We're closed for the evening."

Vic Sage has posed:
"Hrmm..." is The Question's first response. Something about the man training in front of him is deeply familiar to him.

"Closed," he monotones, taking a few steps forward to get a better look at the training area. "Looks more like this place is condemned," he notes, sniffing at the air. The smell of sweat and tatami mats always takes him back to a...difficult time in his life.

"Wing Chun," he observes, voice gravelly and laboring under the affect he puts on while in costume.

Danny Rand has posed:
"Wing Chun," Danny agrees with a vague nod of his head, pointing the toes of his feet inwards and then outwards before drawing his fists close to his sides and slipping out of it. He turns completely now, regarding the Faceless Detective with a quirked eyebrow.

"I'm an advocate for the healing powers of martial arts," he begins, gesturing, "But I'm not sure there's much I can do for ... that. Though speaking without a mouth is a neat trick."

Vic Sage has posed:
"Lots of things speak without mouths. Plenty more use their mouths to speak things that aren't worth the effort," Question says, studying Danny a touch closer now that he's got a better look at him.

"Not here for healing, though. Not physically, at least," Vic remarks, hands slipping out of his pockets and hanging by his sides. He sniffs again, eyes squinting a touch under his mask. The blank mass bends into something resembling a frown.

"I want you to hit me."

Danny Rand has posed:
Danny's brow raises at the request, drawing his hands together to clasp his palms before his stomach. The flow of chi is something he understands intuitively, like the way others feel hot or cold. He smiles that charming, matinee idol smile that is equal parts easy going and mysterious.

"You don't want that, friend."

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic pops his neck and regards the man for a time longer before he's reaching up to lift his fedora from his head, hanging it on a nearby hook. His coat is slid off and deposited next to it.

"Don't think I can take it?" he asks, jaw popping softly under his mask as his face turns back to land on Danny once more. "I could hit you first," he suggests, moving to step closer to the man.

Danny Rand has posed:
There's prolonged silence from Danny. He doesn't appear to take up a stance, nor does he move to prepare himself in any way. He simply stands there, regarding the strange and faceless man who just strolled into the dojo. The smile returns when Vic speaks, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a self-ingratiating little smile.

"You could try."

Vic Sage has posed:
"Could. Might do," Vic says, gloved hands flexing open and closed as he stares at the man.

"Hrmm..."

In a flash, Vic is rushing towards Danny, bounding into the air and snapping out a straight kick towards the man. This is Dragon Style Kung Fu. It's incredibly sloppy, but in the movements Vic takes, the history of the form can be read all the way back to Tai Yuk Sim See atop the mountain of Luofu. Question is more than some weird mook off of the street.

But...he's also very out of practice.

Danny Rand has posed:
One of the things Danny has a habit for is recognizing fighting styles. Not only recognizing them, but replicating them. It's why he was so quick to pick up on what he learned in K'un L'un - and how he continues to grow in skill. As the kick spears through the air, one hand rises up catch it at the ankle. The back of his hand strikes like it were made of the hardest steel, and Vic's momentum is turned aside to send him tumbling past the man. He turns, his unused hand tucked neatly behind his back.

"You want to tell me what you're looking for here? That's no watered-down mall kung-fu ... and your chi is ... out of balance."

Vic Sage has posed:
Smacked to the side, Question goes flipping through the air to land on his back. He's not down for long, though, and he's striking up a defensive stance once he's made it back to his feet.

"Out of balance," Vic says, nodding softly to himself. He'd thought as much, but hadn't had the time or ability to confirm it.

"I'm looking for...I don't know. Felt like I needed to be here. I don't fight a hunch."

Danny Rand has posed:
"Instinct is the nose of the mind," Danny answers, quoting some obscure philosophy he picked up here or there - certainly not Chinese, "Can't argue with a gut feeling."

He doesn't seem as though he's going to attack, turning sidelong towards Vic to watch him as he remains standing with one hand nestled behind his back.

"Whatever it is, that imbalance is what throws you off. Telegraphs your intentions. Like water sloshing in a glass jug. You can see the direction it's flowing, and the way it's going to pull you."

Vic Sage has posed:
"Richard used to tell me the same thing," Vic admits, fists clinching overhard, nearly popping a few of the seams of his gloves. "Always spouting that zen bullshit." He slows his breathing a touch and ruminates on something.

"I just want-" he cuts himself off, swooping down low with a feigned leg sweep that culminates it both of his fists jutting upwards towards Danny's torso. Hey, that trick works on thugs all of the time.

Danny Rand has posed:
As both fists lance out at his torso, Danny does not make a move to dodge or deflect. Instead, his entire form seems to take on a momentary aura of serenity and strength. Whatever was drawing Vic to the Dojo, he would feel it now for certain. His abdomen takes on an unnatural durability as chi is redirected to strengthen him, and though he feels the pain he does not show it on his face.

Only now does he attack, once more channeling chi through his body. His fist glows yellow before he stretches his fingers out, making something like a blunted blade with the side of his hand that he brings down into the muscle where neck and shoulder meet on his assailant. He's not gentle, and it's not like being struck by a human being - unless that human being had a Mack truck for an arm.

"I can help you with it. You'll probably want to stop hitting me, though."

Vic Sage has posed:
Good going, Vic. You got a hit in.

Danny's reprisal absolutely rocks The Question, though, folding him into a lump on the floor. What did he expect? Groaning on the tatami beneath him, Vic's hand reaches up to press in on his shoulder. He lays like this for quite some time before he summons the will to push himself up into a seated position, looking up at Rand.

"That really took me back," he admits, clearly still in pain and suffering from a shortness of breath.

"You think that this-" he gestures to the aura around him that he can't see but knows is there, "Can be mended?"

Danny Rand has posed:
"This is where Lei Kung might say something philosophical," Danny points out, reaching out a hand to try and help Vic to his feet, "But I'm not really that kind of guy. What I will say, though, is that what is there is noble ... in it's own way. It just needs to be harnessed, balanced. It's like your at war with yourself ... and everything else."

He pauses, keeping that hand outstretched: "But yeah, it can be. But it's gonna suck for you."

Vic Sage has posed:
Reaching up to take the offered hand, Vic pulls himself up with Danny's assistance, but is quickly reaching up to rest that hand back over his shoulder, again. His blank face stares seemingly impassively at Danny as he rolls something around in his mind for a time.

He chews at the inside of his cheek as he thinks, but eventually he offers a nod to Rand in response.

"Fine. I'm big enough to admit that I'm getting sloppy. I will accept your teachings," Vic relents.

Danny Rand has posed:
"See, that wasn't so hard," Danny replies with a smile, "Let's get some ice on that shoulder, though. You're gonna feel that in the morning."

That said, he moves towards the little kitchenette. On his way, he glances back to add: "I'm Danny, by the way. You're gonna need a name if we're gonna do this ... "