Eku of the Serpent

[Azazel Serpico]

Azazel walked to the dance hall with purpose, his inky black hair draped over his pale brow, a velvet cloth case containing an Eku, an Okinawan weapon, was held in his arms. Azazel walked into the dance hall, surrounded by mirrors, just what he was looking for. Azazel walked to the edge of the room and carefully pulled off the cloth like a loose fitting sock to reveal what the untrained eye would call a long paddle. The Eku was based off of an Okinawan oar and its techniques took advantage of its shape, techniques that swept sand into an opponent’s eyes, other techniques that hacked at an opponent with the edge of the weapon and still others that gave a concussive shock with the flat side and some moves that struck with the ends of the weapon.

Azazel didn’t particularly care who was watching he was here for himself; he looked himself in the mirror, his black Gi with the Japanese Kanji for Snake (ヘビ) embroidered over his heart, was crisp, clean and lose fitting allowing unrestricted movement. Azazel brushed his hair out of his eyes and took his ready stance and took a deep breath, his ears not able to pick up the more quiet noises of the gym. He found his center, rooted himself to the floor and exploded, scooping sand into an opponent’s face, then reversing the blow to chop down on the neck, then pulling back and striking directly for the throat, next bringing the handle end between the legs then pull back and strike with the handle end to the solar plexus, then striking with the flat side of the paddle in a concussive slam into bent over back and blow the opponent to the ground. Next Azazel spun the Eku in a circle ending with the paddle down and grabbing with both hands bringing the paddle end down on the back of the opponent’s neck breaking it.

Azazel spun the Eku to the holding stance the paddle end pointed down his left arm crossed over holding the handle under his armpit and the right holding farther down where the paddle met the handle. Azazel bowed to the mirror whispering in Japanese “私に教えていただき、ありがとうございます.”Azazel walked over and put the Eku back in its velvet cloth case, wrapping it tightly. Azazel took a moment to look around and see if anyone had seen his little practice.

[Azure Rossi]

x

The sunlight warmed Azure's skin, and her heart. The intense rays never did bother her. Azure was in a good mood today in particular. She opened the gym doors, expecting herself to be alone as usual. So she was surprised to see that someone was already there.

This early in the morning? Azure thought to herself. Not many people went to the gym on the weekends, and if they did it was later in the day. That's why she always went early, so she'd be alone. Azure couldn't help but feel a little dissatisfied that someone else was here. As she closed the heavy doors, she could hear him whisper something that she did not catch. The hair on the back of her neck rose at the sound of his voice. She quickly shook off the feeling, and walked over to the mirrors. Azure set down her yoga mat and stereo on the ground, making sure she was far away from the stranger.

Azure took in a deep breath, looking at her reflection. She secretly hoped the stranger would leave soon. There was something about him that she didn't trust. Perhaps it was the fact that he held a familiar weapon, and no one else was around. Azure slipped off her sandals and tied back her hair.

She began stretching, trying to get her mind to focus again. The gym was just as hot as it was outside, if not hotter. That was nice. Azure spent a lot of time in the gym, most of her time in fact.

Standing, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Relax Azure told herself. She concentrated on her breathing, and let her mind wander. Feeling as if she was being watched, she opened her blue eyes and looked around. With a shrug, Azure continued to stretch. It had been a couple days since she last practiced Martial Arts, since she had just recovered from caffeine poisoning. Her roommate, Amy, was making sure that Azure wouldn't get her hands on any more tea for a long time. In a way, Azure was thankful for it, but also irritated that she can't enjoy the luxury.

Azure turned her stereo on after she moved it against the wall, not caring about what the stranger thought. Immediately, the song "I like it" by Enrique Iglesia turned on. The world around her faded then as she was looking into that mirror. She bowed to the mirror, and taking in another deep breath, she began. Her movements were fluid and quick as the snake part of her took over. Azure loved the feeling, it was when she felt most connected with her shift. It was one of the reasons she was addicted to Martial Arts, it allowed her security she couldn't find anywhere else. Here she felt like a different person. I wonder if I felt like this all the time before the kidnap, Azure thought to herself. Her family had always talked about how she had turned into a completely different person practically overnight after the kidnap. Azure had always tried to find her old, lost self.

As she practiced, Azure looked at her form in the mirror. Her reflection could have well been a stranger, for it reflected confidence. Confidence that, outside the gym, was not present with Azure. It reflected a person who's life had not yet been broken.

Notes: Song->www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMzX0OT8xk

[Zuri Watson]

Rather bored that morning and with a lot of thinking to do she sauntered into the gym. She wore a pair of pink gym pants that hugged her body and a matching top. Looking closley someone could tell they were a little thread bare but still fairly decent. She eyed the room and noticed the two other people. She snorted in distaste. She had wanted to be alone dammit.

Between Killian and Theo she had a lot to think about, well that and her own reactions around this place. She had the distinct urge to walk out and go back to sleep, but no she could tell she had been noticed and she didnt want either one of them thinking that they could scare her away. If she left now she would seem weak and the weak were prey.

She sauntered to the middle of the room and began stretching out a bit. She wasn't in a mood to talk to anyone though the guy did look rather cute, after her work out she'd think about flirting with him some. The girl wasnt bad looking either. She idly wondered what there animals were. She wasn't good at telling someones animal and didnt think she'd ever figure out a way of doing it.

She went through a few streches at first then began a series of crunches. For three minutes that was all she did. She did 350 inside that time and was sweating profusley at hte end of it. She walked around a bit cooling down a bit. If she had had the room to herself she would have begun walking around the entire room but of course it was occupied. She made small circles for a bit cooling down before she started seriously excersicing again. She pulled out a small knife and began doing some excersices with it mixing it with some punches and kicks.

There was no artistry to her movements just swift brutality and a mix of styles. Had she been fighting someone they would have been bleeding from a series of shallow wounds and on the ground from a leg sweep. She kept up the routine going through another mix of moves.

She did it as a way of clearing her mind and focusing soley on her body rather than thinking about all her problems and the fact that classes were going to be starting shortly.