(Video)

[pupp3t]

[Li is reluctant to do this. Starting social interactions is not her forte even in the best of times, and this is very assuredly not that. Regardless, she turns on the video, takes a breath, and steels herself to try to communicate clearly and concisely.]

Hello. My name is Ya-Jing Li. Li, if you want to be formal. I'm new here and I... [what's a way to put this that doesn't make her sound dim-witted?] I'm a bit lost on what to do. Usually I operate with more of a plan than this. I think it would be wise to develop some kind of training regime so I can maintain my combat capabilities, but I'm unsure what to do with the rest of my time here. Suggestions would be appreciated.

And if anyone remembers me from the, um, dream, from before? I would like to hear from you, just to know you made it out alright.

Comments

[video]

[pupp3t]

[She nods appreciatively.] Ah, thank you very much. Do you have knives? I seem to have lost mine when I was taken here, and they were primarily what I was trained in. I also know how to use things to strangle people and how to improvise shanks, but I was never trained with firearms, so that's an issue. My hand-to-hand combat unarmed is fine, but I don't think 'fine' is the correct level to aim for when dealing with a threat on this scale.

[Li has many faults, but the one thing no one can fault her on is taking this whole thing seriously.]

[video]

[morganknight]

Pretty sure we all lost our weapons, which I guess isn't a surprise considering what we were taken for, but there's plenty available around here. I'm guessing your combat style relies on extreme pragmatism and immediate results, then?

[That isn't wrong and he's not making a judgment. The opposite, really -- if you are really in a fight, you have an obligation to end it as quickly and efficiently as possible. But at the same time, explicit training for that and nothing else comes with its own burdens and baggage.]

[video]

[pupp3t]

I was trained for immediate results, pragmatism, close-range combat and urban environments. So I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge I know I need to fill in order to help people here and fight the people who took us effectively.

[But she's willing to learn, as evidenced by the solemnity of her words. Li knows she has failings and she wants to work to start addressing them. She wants to help, and in that desire there will be an openness to corrections, instructions and improvement.]

[morganknight]

Gotcha. [She almost certainly has a leg up no matter what she learns, which is all to the good.] I teach martial arts, which ultimately will cover any gaps you have if you work on it, and you probably understand the core component of it in practice if not in theory, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to grasp. If that's what you want to learn. And before you ask, yes, it covers literally everything, because everything is martial arts.

[pupp3t]

I see. When will you be available to start teaching me? I admittedly don't know much of the theory or non-physical aspects of fighting, and I am aware martial arts usually includes some non-physical teachings, but I'm not opposed to starting soon and just continually practicing until I get it down. That's how I learned everything else in life.

[Li's entire learning strategy is just to repeatedly do something until it is perfected and is second nature. It requires a lot of forcing herself to continually do things even when she's exhausted, but it's a handy shortcut to get something down in a fraction of the time it takes people who aren't devoting their entire attention and focus to something.]

[morganknight]

My schedule's pretty open. [Outside of missions, they hardly had much to keep themselves occupied with -- and though Morgan excels at finding things to do, none of them really matter compared to teaching.] Any time you're free, I can meet you down at the training field.

[pupp3t]

My schedule is pretty open too, now. I should probably figure out where exactly I want to stay, but perhaps later today, if some time works best for you? Just let me know and I'll meet you there.

[There's so little structure to her day here that she's honestly kind of lost on how to proceed. How do people live like this, witch no regular events or daily errands to do or training sessions? It's a baffling thought, honestly.]

[morganknight]

[You fill your life with whatever you want, of course! She might be getting a crash course in that, too.]

Sounds good! Hit you up in an hour then?

[pupp3t]

An hour it is. I'll see you soon.

[Planning her own schedule is a very new, strange thing to her. Still, some time killed exploring is nice. The idea of having control over where she'll settle down is odd to her, and the lack of crowded streets and teeny-tiny apartments makes this more alien than anything else does. But it's not an unpleasant kind of bad, and she finds herself surprisingly calm despite the strange circumstances.

She still hasn't figured out where she wants to live by the end of that hour, but that's alright. Li can figure it out later. Maybe some training will clear her head.]

[morganknight]

[Morgan's hanging out at the sparring grounds just like he said, easy to see because he's tall and has that sort of quality that makes people stand out in a crowd. Conversely, he isn't even bothering to look for Li, because he knows perfectly well she could be standing directly in front of him and he wouldn't notice till something called his attention to her. C'est la vie, though.]