Querencia

S1 E2: Home*

[M/n] lounged on the engawa, back against the railing as he faced the inner courtyard, silently flipping a throwing knife. Technically he was supervising the ninja, having already completed his own training for the day in the early morn, before the sun even rose, since Wu was still meditating in his own room. After two months of barely any training, Wu didn't trust them to be on their own any longer.

"Ugh, come on!" Kai yelled, stumbling out of his Spinjitzu. Again. He'd been getting better, holding it longer and longer, but he kept losing focus.

"Work on your balance," [M/n] said, breaking his silence.

"What."

"Stop just trying to do Spinjitzu and work on your balance. That is why you keep falling."

Kai scowled, reluctant to follow his advice.

"Oh you want a lot more, huh?" Cole taunted, swinging a practice scythe at the dummy. The dulled blade dragged across its form, Cole celebrating since it hit the target.

Jay was on the opposite side of the courtyard, practicing his agility, "Watch me beat this!" When the arrows were shot, Jay lept, high enough that the arrows passed under him harmlessly. Landing in a crouch, the teen cheered, hopping up to do a little jig.

"Do not leave the arrows on the ground," [M/n] warned, eyeing said arrows. It would be all too easy to slip on one.

Zane was the only one working on meditation, sitting in the corner, out of the way. He seemed completely zen, even surrounded by his teammates' chaos.

The door slid open, soundless on the well oiled track, Wu joining his student on the engawa. Wu's room connected directly to the main courtyard through a sliding shoji door, making it easier for him to keep an eye on their training, but he'd been distracted this morning. His blue eyes shone with pride at the dedication his other students were working with. "You have already finished your training?"

"Earlier this morning. Now I am supervising, offering advice."

"You did not wish to join them? Perhaps spar?"

"No. They wished to practice solo. And I always win our spars. It gets boring to always know your opponent's moves before they do."

"They will learn."

"One day. Though I doubt it will be soon."

Kai tried Spinjitzu again, having chosen to ignore the advice offered, "Ninja, go!"

Like a switch had been flipped, Zane leapt into action.

Jumping to his feet, Zane unsheathed the Golden Shurikens then activated the arrow launcher before Jay was ready. Forced to hit the deck so he wasn't hit, Zane spun the shurikens to break the arrows.

"What the heck man!" Jay shrieked, hands over his head.

Ignoring him, Zane sheathed the shurikens to dart towards Cole, taking the practice scythe from him. Cole had no time to react, not prepared for his weapon to be stolen. "Wha-Give that back!" Zane ran the course Cole had been working on, cutting the dummies across the chest. Finished, he dropped the scythe to the cobblestone.

With a cry of, 'Ninja, go!', he used Spinjitzu, activating the Golden Shuriken and freezing over half the courtyard. He came to a stop and calmly retreated to an unfrozen area, beginning to work on his aikido drills.

[M/n] raised a brow, wondering if the ice had happened on command or if Zane had lost focus. Perhaps the shurikens were simply reacting.

Kai yelped, slipping and sliding all across the ice in panic. [M/n] watched the others try to make their way to the engawa, which remained blissfully unfrozen. Unable to find traction in their training boots, since they had chosen not to wear the jika-tabi, finding the footwear uncomfortable.