3909/What is Black Sky to Elektra

What is Black Sky to Elektra
Date of Scene:	23 October 2020
Location:	Chikara Dojo
Synopsis:	Bakuto pays Colleen a visit to mess with her head and try to keep her out of his way.
Cast of Characters:	Colleen Wing, Elektra Natchios

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Colleen Wing has posed:
Blue shorts, an old grey gym shirt. Colleen was done for the day. A quick shower after tidying up the dojo. The last of the teenagers was gone. It had been a good class, lots of new kids coming in. Word of mouth does wonders for her business. There's never a high retention rate though in this neighbourhood, some kids need to know how to defend themselves.

A distant flash of light from lightning, the thunder rumbles nearer. Colleen was content to pace around the dojo, almost mindlessly practicing her footwork, making it smaller, more subtle, faster. There's a time and a place for big movements but most of the time you want to conceal your intent.

An only partly finished bottle of water sits in the corner, it's hers. She picks it up and drinks it empty, puts the lid back on and tosses it up in the air. A quick spinning back kick and she sends it flying across the room. It bounces off the far wall and in to a waste basket. The ozone smell of rain in the air feels electrifying. She should be tired after such a long day but instead she still has all this pent up energy and it needs to go somewhere - probably the practice dummy.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Steps are heard approaching the dojo door. Contrasting with the rain felt outside, each slowly deliberate in it's intent, aimed towards the door. At first one could perhaps wonder if it's a student that forgot something, but there's something different to the feeling of it. A familiarity to a past that was gone from Colleen's present. Or maybe not so gone afterall.

A particularly bright flash of light illuminates the sillhouette of the man standing outside the dojo door, dressed in a suit, tall. Clearly armed as well with some kind of blade. He knocks on the door and waits. Patiently..

Is he truly alone though? At least for now he seems to be ... But if it's really Bakuto Colleen knows he is never alone.

Colleen Wing has posed:
That almost supernatural sense, mundane but highly tuned. She's been jumped too many times by the Hand not to have developed an oversized sense of self preservation. She expects the worst and hopes for the best. Best case scenario, it's a student who forgot something.. worst case scenario, the Hand have finally decided there's no off-limits locations anymore.

She does a role to the front of her dojo and picks up and draws her blade in the same motion. The lightning cracks across the sky and illuminates a silhouette she knows all too well. "Bakuto," she says like spitting out a bad taste.

Her once teacher and in many ways confidant but secretly a murderer and criminal elite. The pain of revelation is still not forgotten in her heart. The trust and bond between teacher and student is sacred. Her grandfather first, Bakuto second, and now the streets of New York. She stares daggers at the man.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The door opens up to reveal Bakuto there. Tall and imposing, the light beard, intelligent eyes and in a dark gray suit. All very stylish really, but he always knew how to dress well. He carries a sheathed blade on one hand. Casually. As if he didn't expect to draw it at all today. But he's always been the type to not reveal his true intentions until it was too late.

"Hello, Colleen." He replies in that smooth voice of his, not particularly minding the drawn blade, that confidence of a sensei visible on his gait.

"Is that any way to receive your master?" He then inquires, sliding the door close behind him. He even dares to offer her a faint smile though he does bring up one hand. "I am not here to fight you." yet the hardening of his eyes as he finishes those words seem to be telling that he will if she presses him to.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen presses her lips together as she watches his motions, his movements. She can see it now - the thing Danny was talking about. Bakuto does it. She needs to do it. She needs to get better at that. It needs to become instinct. Before she didn't even know she had already lost, now she knows it. Plan B, fight to survive, not fight to win.

"You're not my master anymore," she says in serious tones, "And that's far enough." She'd love to counter that he's no master, but even she can't convince herself of that conclusion. He might be a master of evil, but he's still easily one of the best martial artists she has ever trained under.

Colleen reminds herself - it's important - don't let him see how much she has improved with exposure to Elektra, Daredevil and The Iron Fist. Three wildly different fighting styles combined with her own. One day she'll be good at them all, that is a promise she made to herself.

"Why are you here?," she asks tersely. It's plain as day he still has a strong influence over her, just not in the way anymore that he'd like. She can't help but wonder how many of the Hand are nearby, their foot falls masked by the patter of rain and the gusts of wind.. which means Bakuto wanted to be heard.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The Hand can be quite the terrible thing. Not just due to what we can see, but also the unseen. Those shadows that just appear a touch darker. Where one of their operatives may be lurking. Or even the pattern of the rain outside that sometimes just appears to have a footstep in the midst. Or is it just imagination? Yet that is the way of these ninjas, work through fear and paranoia.

"Yet you are still learning from me." Is the man's smooth reply, his hands shifting to rest on his front, sheathed blade between them. He doesn't walk any further than what Colleen told him to. "I knew you would not die last time we met. Another lesson that you appear to have been learning well at last. Surviving."

"As for why I am here." A pause, "I thought we had a deal, Colleen. You would help taking care of the trash in this city and in return we would leave your dojo be. It was all very simple. But you have always been stubborn." his smile then deepening. "Of course I never expected you would be dealing with her. You refuse me, but then you accept that woman." he is amused, the tone implying that she is even worse than he is.

Colleen Wing has posed:
It's all the things he didn't teach her that worry her the most. Every now and then she'd see glimpses of a man with a depth of martial arts knowledge she had barely comprehended. Now she can see it in his small movements, in the subtle shifts of his posture, in the calm of his demeanor.

And here she is, letting him put thoughts in her head as the burning warehouse becomes sharply in her mind once more. The man he Roxxon man murdered.. and the dragon. But especially all her friends. "What woman?," she says playing dumb, "You're going to have to be more specific, I know a lot of women."

She can try his patience too, every student eventually finds their teachers buttons, "I've been holding up my end of the deal, I can't help it if The Hand are utter trash too. Perhaps if you all laid down your swords and became monks things would turn out for the best for everyone."

Elektra Natchios has posed:
"Do you truly want me to utter her name?" For a moment it almost seems as if Bakuto fears her, as if she was too evil even for him, or at least her reputation. Of course that it could all be mindgames too. Who knows! With Bakuto it could be all of that and more. "Elektra." his smile slowly vanishing. "Do you even know what she is trying to do here in Hell's Kitchen? Or who she truly is?"

He lets her process those questions for a moment, his demeanor continuing perfectly still, couple of fingertips slowly drumming on the hilt of his blade, contemplating her. Another flash of light from the outside makes those eyes shine brighter, staring unblinkingly towards her former student.

"Maybe we should all visit Kun'Lun one day and see if they will accept us as monks." Is his casual reply, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "There is much you do not yet understand about our world Colleen. It is a shame you left your training in such an earlier stage..." some regret entering his tone.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen does not have a poker face. She is no chi master or super spy. The moment he says Elektra her body shifts just a touch. There's lingering questions she has about Elektra, so many questions. She's not the easiest person to get answers out of and she has a tendency to go missing at the worst times. But, still, she likes her. May be that should be a warning sign. She liked Bakuto too.

"Why don't you enlighten me," she says in response to the question posed about Elektra. May be Bakuto has some insights, biased insights but still may be useful. The last thing she wants is to find out she's being played.. again.. by The Hand. "I agree, it's such a shame The Hand turned out to be a bunch of ruthless drug peddling, kidnapping, murdering, cult psychopaths turning down on their luck teenagers in to monsters."

Colleen has not exactly been one to hide her disdain for The Hand. "Just what is it you want, another gang muscling in on your turf you want gone? fine." She's done it once already, once you step over that line and justify it, it's hard to say no the second time. Besides, this two pronged approach works for her - take out the gang, take out the hand that fills their void. Win win.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
"Perhaps you should ask her yourself." Bakuto swiftly replies, one of his hands moving up and making a gesture as if to say it's all in her hands to seek for those answers or not. "About why she truly wants to find Black Sky. Because where it comes to death ..., her hands are even dirtier than mine." contrary to Colleen, Bakuto does have quite the poker face, but right now he has the corner of his mouth curled up in faint, sad smile. Almost as if he pitied his former student. From the frying pan out onto the fire!

But that's also what he does. Seed doubts, leave just that insidious influence of his that he knows he still has on Colleen to plant discord. Of course that it could all be true as well. Bakuto is a man that enjoys weaving the truth with his own twists.

"I don't want you to handle another gang, no. We have decided we will be taking care of our problems more directly this time." He then finally adds with a direct, harder tone to him. "For too long certain elements have twarted our operations here. That will change. I don't want your involvement in it." almost as if he is trying to keep her safe.

He takes a step back to the door, opening it. "All I want.., is for you to ask her about it. And see for yourself."

Colleen Wing has posed:
Again, another shift.. 'Black Sky'. She definitely knows that name. It's getting to her how much Bakuto knows. She shouldn't be surprised but she is none the less. She hates how he gets so easily under her skin. "Let me guess, you want her dead too? this jealousy looks bad on you Bakuto."

It was a weak attempt, she knows that, but she needs to get something back. Still.. it's not like she doesn't know instinctually how dangerous Elektra is. May be it is all an act, but if it is may be she deserves to be made the fool again, because she's convinced by Elektra.

'Oh great, gang warfare on the streets,' she thinks to herself as he tells her they're going to handle things themselves. She wonders whose sons are going to die for them this time. As he opens the door and steps through it, she half sheathes her sword.. enough to almost put it away but also enough to deflect anything thrown at her in surprise. Paranoia strikes deep. "Have a nice death Bakuto," she says bitterly, reminded of his good bye from the warehouse.

With him gone she takes in a deep breath, puts her family sword down. She picks up a bokken and proceeds to hit the practice dummy with fast blows, taking out her frustration on it that she couldn't on Bakuto. Panting and furious she drops the sword and turns back to her office. She grabs the phone and sends a message, 'The Hand is on the move, they're taking out certain elements personally. We should meet.'