The extra activity that day lead to a deep sleep for me. I woke at 6 am local time and didn't feel jet lagged at all. After doing a simple morning set of calisthenics, I showered and dressed for the day. My clothes were simple – a set of stretchy jeans that hugged my legs but allowed free movement and a dark green t-shirt with the picture of a cat's face on the front. I gathered my hair into a loose braid because I could see vegetation swaying outside so I knew it was a windy day. Getting tangles out of curly hair is a nightmare so a braid was my best option. After all that, I sent a text to Sensei that I was going out for breakfast.
I was worried about waking him but knew if I didn't leave a message for him that there would be hell to pay later. Probably he'd get my parents involved too. To my surprise, he was waiting just outside his door when I opened my door to leave.
"Thought you'd ditch me, did you?" He grinned as if he had caught me sneaking out for a forbidden date.
"I thought you might still be sleeping," I countered. A sly grin crept on my lips as I continued, "After all, you're an old man now and –"
I broke off my words and sprinted for the elevator when his hand lifted as if he was going to smack my butt. He chuckled and followed right behind me.
"I'm going to take you to Sensei Chen's house for breakfast. We'll be joining them for today's competitions after we eat," he explained when he caught up.
The look in his eye warned me that there was more to this morning's activities than he was telling me but I couldn't imagine what.
When we reached Sensei Chen's house I immediately loved it. It was obviously a newer building but in the older style. The three sides were connected, unlike the ancient buildings, but they still formed a horseshoe shape with a large space in the middle. That space had a small water feature up by the top of the "horseshoe" and an open, sandy area for the bottom half. One side of this space had wooden pillars of various heights so I knew this area was usually reserved for martial arts practice. At the moment, however, it was occupied by three long tables, each of which was full of various dishes and surrounded by people. They were set up in the same "horseshoe" shape as the building.
The people varied wildly in age but most of them were in their late teens and early twenties and most of them were male. Of the thirty or so people in the courtyard, only five were female including me.
I stopped short just inside the door because I was feeling slightly overwhelmed to be meeting so many strangers. Sensei Matthews pushed gently on my shoulder blades and guided me to the head table. There was a man and woman seated next to each other right in the middle of that table. They were the oldest individuals in the courtyard but both were noticeably fit and active individuals. The woman had a very kind face with obvious laugh lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth. I liked her immediately.
The man had more of a stern face but like a soldier rather than like someone harsh. The two of them were clearly a pair.
"Senior Brother Chen, this is my student – Ophelia," Sensei said solemnly when we were close to them.
I controlled my irritation at his use of my full name and bowed slightly to the two of them.
"Pleased to meet you," I said politely. Behind me, I heard murmuring – some of it with hostile undertones.
"So you are Younger Brother West's daughter," Sensei Chen murmured. His gaze was assessing. "He has trained you?"
"Yes, Sir," my tone remained polite but my expression was growing puzzled.
"Would you be willing to demonstrate your skills?"
My stomach growled audibly before I could answer. My cheeks flushed as the people around chuckled. His wife gave the one-eyebrow-raised look that many mothers have perfected for silently scolding offenders to the group and then gently suggested that we sit and enjoy some breakfast first. Sensei Matthews sat next to Sensei Chen and I sat next to Sensei Chen's wife.
"I am Li Xin Yu," she introduced herself as I sat.
"I go by "Lia"," I told her firmly.
She chuckled slightly at my tone.
"Of course, Lia," she agreed.
She pointed out the foods on the table and helped me pick out what I liked. I ate well but I didn't eat too much. If I was going to have a workout after breakfast, it would be better if my stomach wasn't too full.
While eating I noticed curious looks from most of the younger people but they were mostly just curious, not malicious. The only exception was a very pretty young woman sitting next to the handsomest young man around. In addition to having strong features, a high nose, and ridiculously large brown eyes with lashes the average woman would die for, he also exuded a confident air. The combination was definitely appealing and the cranky girl obviously knew it. He had only glanced at me and returned to his meal but she sat there and stared daggers at me.
This made the meal awkward but I was almost finished anyway. I simply ate the rest of my porridge and sipped on the tea offered.
"Don't mind Jin Mei Ying. She has long considered our son to be her person. He has no such idea, however." Xin Yu sighed, "That boy is entirely lacking in enlightenment about heart matters."
I didn't have anything to say, as romance was the farthest thing from my mind as well.
"Ai ya! Look!"
One of the young men pointed to the sky and everyone watched in amazement as a green ball of flame the shade of emperor jade streaked across the sky.
"Didn't they say that comet would arrive in two days?"
We watched in shock as the object tore through the upper atmosphere and disappeared beyond sight. Sensei Chen whispered something to his wife and then stood up, clapping his hands sharply.
"Everyone, help clean up. When the area is clear Ophelia and Xiao Dan will spar for us."
The handsome young man hurried to finish his porridge and stood a moment later. I realized this was Sensei Chen and Xin Yu's son. He approached me and asked me to follow him. We walked to a garden shed against the wall as Mei Ying glared even harder at me.
"You use swords, correct?" He asked as he pulled open the double doors on the shed to reveal a rack of wooden practice swords and protective gear hanging on hooks on the wall.
"I do."
I examined the protective gear first. It was a bit bulky but the padding would prevent nasty bruises. I debated which was more important and decided against the padding. I wanted the flexibility more. Xiao Dan also chose not to use protective gear and we each chose a wooden sword. I inhaled and exhaled slowly a few times to center myself and then began a simple taolu. By the time I finished I was comfortable with the weight and feel of the wooden sword.
While I familiarized myself with the sword, Xiao Dan was warming up with a series of stretches. We finished at the same time and just as the other students were carting away the tables. Then we walked to the center of the sandy area and the students surrounded us in a loose circle.
We faced each other and did a modified salute with the right hand holding the sword pointing downward and the left hand cupping the right. As soon as we began sparring, a smile blossomed on my face.
Almost no one cared about the sword back home. I had to spar against my father or Sensei Matthews to get any sort of workout but my father was afraid of hurting me, so he held back, and Sensei Matthews was so much stronger than I was that I could rarely last long. Xiao Dan, however, was the perfect sparring partner.
He had a longer reach than I did which was what I expected since he was 6 inches taller than I. He was also stronger than I was. In my favor, I had speed and flexibility – and the fact that I didn't force myself to stay within the formal moves. In the first ten minutes, I landed fatal touches – once by sliding under his lifted leg when he tried to kick me and touching the back of his neck and the second time by leaning back under a thrust he made and landing a touch directly between the third and fourth ribs. It would have been a direct thrust to the heart if I had been using force and a metal sword.
After that, we sparred for another twenty minutes before I tired from all the dodging I was doing and he managed a fatal touch on me. Sensei Chen called a halt at that point.
"Good, good, good!" He declared with glee as he patted us both on the shoulder. "Xiao Dan, you must spar with her more while she is here! She needs to work on her endurance and you need to work on your flexibility. It is truly coal in the snow that she is visiting at this moment."
I took the towel Sensei Matthews tossed me and dried the sweat I had worked up while we sparred. I was still smiling but Xiao Dan could have been a statue for all the expression he showed. I had the impression he was highly irritated.
"Husband, you all should see this," Xin Yu called from the door to the main building. She looked a little shaken and worried.
A/N "taolu" is what the Chinese use rather than "kata" which is Japanese. It means "form" and is a set of movements that are used to train muscle memory in attack and defense.