xavier_institute_logs | Opening Day [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Opening Day [OPEN]

WHO: EVERYONE
WHAT: Mingle/Figure out Room Assignments/Meet old friends again
WHERE: The whole campus.
WHEN: September 1st, 2018
WARNING(S): None. If anything goes into warning territory, please create a new log for it.

For all of the newcomers, welcome to Professor Xavier’s Institute of Higher Learning! For all of our returning students and staff, welcome back! Once Professor Xavier’s welcome speech wraps up, it’s time for everyone to get themselves situated in their dorms and, more importantly, get to know your fellow mutants! Even if you’re not sharing rooms, you’ll still be sharing the same campus with each other, so don’t be afraid to get used to all of those new faces! Or even catch up on old ones! You have options; don’t be afraid to use them.

[[ ooc: This is the general mingling post for all of our characters to get settled into their rooms, get to know each other, reminisce with old friends, all that jazz. The log will be split into multiple locations. ]]

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Whatever efforts Alric takes to keep it civil, Hijikata's fully capable of reading between the lines. He wonders if he's naturally a very circuitous person, slightly disingenuous, or just one of those respectful of authority types-- well, time will tell.

And the boy isn't wrong, certainly. At least not on all points. "Modern kendo is sport-oriented, largely. Even in the modern version, certain limitations present in Western fencing don't exist -- the target area is limited to the armored areas in a proper match, but there's no pausing after a hit or an off-target to reset the starting positions. Movement isn't limited to a thin strip. It's more forceful, and more physically demanding.

"And..." He shrugged, very slightly. "The sport version isn't typically my concern. I teach it largely as a style of self-defense." And in that, he was open to adapting it away from the proper competition rules, though naturally he was as strict about safe training as any of the combat teachers

"Ahh... it certainly sounds interesting. Most of my foundations, I learned from my grandfather, also oriented more to self-defense than sport... well, and from reading on the subject, of course, but as Munenori never fails to reiterate, reading is a poor substitute for training under a skilled teacher."

He smiles amusedly to himself, since, honestly, Munenori, we get it, you can't learn sword techniques just from reading, you don't have to say it again about every technique and principle individually.

The use of reiterate doesn't escape him, and, just faintly, he smiles. It's there for a moment and gone the next, an almost illusory flicker -- a twitch of the lips, but it's something. He's used to being underwhelmed not only by students, but by people in general, thanks to his own often unreasonably high standards. These sorts of pleasant surprises are... well, always surprises, as used as he is to disappointment.

He understands why Munenori was so insistent on the point. Even now, it's troublesome to have a student who thought they know what they're doing without any actual instruction; in the days when it was common to carry an actual sword, that obnoxiously repetitive advice probably bludgeoned its way into some stubborn heads and saved lives. But to a modern reader... Well, it can get rather tedious, stylistically.

"I'd be interested to see what your grandfather taught you, then." And if any of its principles could improve his own style, he would be welcoming of them -- Hijikata didn't believe in rigid adherence to one style, if he could cobble together something more efficient. "If you're interested, you should come to one of our practices and see what you think." He tended to have reservations about new recruits, and almost certainly still would, but he could see potential in the boy's apparent cleverness, and his willingness to think critically.

He paused for a moment, then bowed slightly. "Toshizou Hijikata. I teach world history, as well as instructing the kendo club."

Alric could tell the fellow doesn't exactly do a lot of smiling--he's met that sort, before--so he knows to appreciate what little he's rewarded with, and smiles, only reenforced with some pride at Hijikata's immediate response.

"It would be an honor, I'm certain, to take part, and a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ah.. Mr. Toshizou. ...unless there's another form of address more appropriate."

His smile grows just a bit sheepish at the acknowledgement that he's not quite sure how Hijikata would prefer to be addressed, but he returns a pretty near approximation of a proper bow; the bow itself isn't so much foreign to him, but the particular form isn't quite the same, and that attention to detail shows as the motion's not entirely natural.

He didn't comment on any unnaturalness he perceived in the bow -- if anything, the effort was appreciated, purely because it wasn't necessary, so much. He did shake his head a little bit, though.

"Family name's Hijikata. I use the Western name when I speak English.

"Likewise, though. Caelegart, was it?" God, but he was glad he hadn't encountered that name in his first few years out of Japan.

"Ahh, apologies, then, Mr. Hijikata."

He smiles contritely with a nod of his head, although with no loss of his amiable, confident bearing--although he does pick up a trace of awkwardness at the question.

"..ah.. yes, that's right."

The name may or may not have any particular meaning, depending on Hijikata's attention to European politics, particularly the small monarchy of Kaitheny.

He does pay attention, rather closely, to world politics -- and to the more prominent of the arrivals at the school. The trace of discomfort in his bearing is enough to remind him of what the name connects to.

There doesn't seem to be any reason to bring it up directly -- he will if it seems the boy is just coasting on his pedigree, to remind him he's not getting any special treatment, but he doesn't seem the sort, in all honesty. His sheepishness about the name doesn't line up with that type, so much.

"And you've just arrived, is that right?"

He pauses briefly, gauging the reaction to that, but nods when the following question is posted.

"Mm, that's right--yesterday, actually. I felt it was best to get a head start, as much as possible." He smiles, a touch sheepishly. "And, I suppose, I prefer to be doing something, rather than simply waiting about for an appointed time."

"There's something to be said for keeping busy."

It's something of a necessity, for him. Keeps his mind from thinking too hard on certain things.

"I'll be announcing the meeting times when I've taken class schedules and other clubs' meeting times into account. If you're interested, as I said..."

"Nn, absolutely, Mr. Hijikata."

He smiles to himself, just a touch sheepishly.

"I confess, I have some hopes of taking part in the good works of the X-Men. As a matter of principle, and to fulfill... certain obligations, at home."

"Considering my own obligations to the X-men, I can safely say kendo won't be conflicting."

He takes in that smile, those words, and tries to decide what he thinks of them. It isn't something that should be done on a whim, he thinks, or for half-baked notions of glory and adventure. But it isn't as if they'll throw him immediately into being a full-fledged X-man, if he expresses interest. There'll be plenty of time to see if he has what it takes, so there's no need to push too hard just yet.

Still... It doesn't hurt to know, if he can without a struggle.

"A matter of what principle?"

Edited 2014-09-06 14:24 (UTC)

Alric pauses at that, with something more of a pensive expression--not so much self-consciously, as though he has spoken impetuously, but rather considering how best to explain himself--although he does flash a polite smile, as well.

"...by birth, I am in a... perhaps not quite a unique, but... an unusual position to work to protect those unable to protect themselves, to resist cruelty and injustice, to improve, hopefully, in some way, the condition of the world in which we live."

He smiles a little more--with a hint of a playful curl to it, since he's being deliberately ambiguous as to whether "by birth" refers to his status, or his mutant abilities.

"As I was raised, it would be... shameful, perhaps bordering on unconscionable, to ignore that potential, or to spurn an opportunity to realize it, and from what I've heard, seen, and read, the X-men strike me as such an opportunity."

Well, that was a better answer than the cynic in him (which was to say, most of him) had expected. He gave a quiet hum in response.

"I am aware of your... 'unusual position', as you said."

He doesn't disagree with anything in particular, but time will tell about his sincerity and his dedication.

"And we're certainly in a unique position to give you guidance on the matter, if that's your goal."

Alric smiles a touch more sincerely. That's at least one more person about whose reaction to his status he doesn't have to worry.

"Mm. It is. In addition to the ethical imperatives of my station, I have duties to fulfill, in order to complete my Errancy with the Order of the Dragon. ...in principle, I could have thrown my family's money at some problem and called it 'good works,' but, in light of my position in Kaitheny, I felt it would be necessary that I seek a quest involving a more... personal investment."

His smile grows a bit playfully lopsided.

"...and, as there are, to my knowledge, no actual dragons available to be slain..."

"Not so far as we're presently aware."

Was that a joke or not? It really can be frustratingly hard to tell.

"Please be sure to let me know, if that changes. Anyway, I'll let you get back to what you're doing. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, however, Mr. Hijikata."

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Opening Day [OPEN]

These are odd tags to write, since I'm a fencer. /facepalm

Ooh cool!

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