A Scripta

"Mase, Why don't you take up a martial art?"

"Can you see a big guy like me kicking things across the room?"

"There's other kinds of things. Ninjutsu. Kempo. Akido."

"A ninja, Daisuke? Do I look sneaky to you?"

"Okay, maybe not that. Go see Elysia, I bet she can help you."

Which explained why he was leaning against a wall watching some women perform basic exercise moves, while Elysia led them. Then she brought out some wooden swords. They performed more exercise with the swords.

Masonry watched, slightly confused, as they then packed up and left. He watched as Elysia came over to him. "Hello, Masonry-san."

"Oh, don't start with the honorifics. If you're going to teach me, call me Nate."

She smiled, "All right, Nate. What do you know about karate?"

"Not a damn thing."

"Here then," and she tossed the wooden sword at him. He deftly plucked it from the air. He stared at her. "Swing it at me." He twirled it in his hand as if it was second nature and swung it toward her head. She tilted back to avoid it.

She nodded. "You have the basics."

"It's a lot lighter than a mace."

"It's not meant to use your body mass to make it stronger." She took up another wooden sword. "While your mace is a bull, the katana is a bee."

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee?" He chuckled, then got whacked in the side of the head with Elysia's wooden sword. "Hey!"

She smiled at him. "There's some padding in the other room if you need to put it on."

"You're starting now?"

"You're always going to be learning, Nate, might as well start now." She swung again, still keeping her eyes on his, and he blocked it with his arm, also keeping his eyes on hers. "If that was a real sword, I would have slashed that arm in half."

He nodded, took his arm down. "I have a lot to learn."

"Let's start with some basic katas so you become centered. Follow what I do..."

"One thing, Elysia?"

She smiled back at him. "I won't tell Hisagi, unless he asks me."

He sighed, and began to mirror Elysia's movements.