Sink or Swim [Grey]

[Asclas Papadios]

The evening sun was beautiful this time of day, blazing in all it's glory. Only to be accompanied by the cold chill of winter - along with patches of ice and snow. It cast a magnificent glow amongst the warships otherwise eerie appearance. Asclas was anxious, this was his first time on the warship, he wasn't sure what he'd find or how he'd find it, or what he would do in the event of a crisis. All in all it made this spot perfect for one simple thing: Training. One thing that Asclas needed to do today was train and train hard. Ever since his last scouting expedition he felt as though he had become sluggish. He figured that if he was forced into action or put to the test in his current state he wouldn't make it back alive if something where to happen. In order to do that however he needed to find a spot where he would be free of interference and surrounded by obstacles. Asclas sighed his clothes still damp from swimming to the ship earlier, it seemed it took him forever just to found a latter onto the ship itself. The rusting metal of the warship creaked and ached as Asclas stepped atop of it. He didn't really know how to get inside other than the big gaping holes but leaping into those with no earthly idea of where he'd fall didn't seem like such a smart plan. Who knows what type of jagged objects could impale you on the fall down. His goal was to go down, as far as possible and then come back up, hopefully not getting lost and doing so before the day was up. Thanks to his new ability Asclas could since a small amount of things around him, however in terms of putting the skills to actual use without overloading himself proved to be a difficult task at the time. Usually when he stomped or smacked part of his body against something he'd get a form of feedback, similar to a bats sonar. Though the first time his ability activated he got so much feedback that he couldn't process the information and ended up passing out. In order to keep that from happening he was doing his best to resist his abilities as best he could. It made running and his scouting an even harder task. Thus why he held off on it as much as he could without neglecting his duties as a Scout - which led him to feel more sluggish. He felt as though he was circling the drain and it was time to change that. He walked across the metallic platforms of the warship that appeared to have to most sturdiness and even that proved difficult for things weren't always what they seemed. Which happened to be proven by some of the warship breaking apart as he stepped along it. Eventually he found a latter, it seemed to be in good shape but he pressed his fought against it a couple times just to make sure. Not clear of what he would he would find he began to go down it. The area around it was dark and damp accompanied by the sound of the ocean and creaking of the rusting metal. Creepy. Eventually he made it to solid ground, inside the ship. Thanks to the multiple holes in the ship he was able to see vaguely via the light casting through.

[grey]

The samurai of legend practiced meditation as an extension of their combat skills. It was something Grey had also been taught, during his first year at the Academy. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Despite the extensive stretch of time between now and his freshman year, he still practiced the same disciplines he had been taught, including meditation. He sought out the most inhospitable environment available to him; the deserted and half-rotted warship that still loomed in the harbor. The journey was always unpleasant, albeit a good exercise, through the cold, tossing waves. It was another endeavor to haul himself aboard the vessel and then delve down into the dark bowels of the beast. He came at least once a week to practice his meditation, usually toward the end of it, in order to cleanse his mind. 

He had been taught zazen to a degree, although not to the same extremity as a Buddhist monk would have. The Imperium had manipulated the practice in order to suit their needs more properly. Shikantaza was his favored practice, being that the translation literally meant "just sitting". Grey had found a more stable portion of the inner ship, allowing him to kneel with his hands against his thighs. His posture was without flaw, although the darkness did little to illuminate that fact. He hated the moment in which he first sat, when his mind remained a whirlwind of thoughts and images behind closed-lids. He was constantly concerned with the state of the Ring, although not for the reasons that he thought many of the Carna members would have suspected. He did not feel as though he were in control of them--it was Jocelyn that gave him his orders and it was her he could not fail. It was more complicated. It was a duty, an obligation, to enforce order and ensure that prejudice did not abound, that the laws were fair, that punishment was equal... 

Focus, Stein. He told himself sharply, and then grimaced as he referred to himself by his actual name. It had been a very long time since he had thought of it... It brought back memories, an astounding number, the first and foremost being the one that revolved around his current attempt to meditate. 

"Historically, at the Rinzai school, students were given a "koan" to solve. A koan was a paradox, often without a solution, that was meant to encourage the student to abandon their hold upon logic in order to solve problems and, instead, gain something beyond knowledge." 

Grey had sat without moving, attempting to clear his thoughts of everything. Of all sound, thought, sensation. It was impossible with the instructor speaking so loud, distracting the very pupils that he had just told to focus.

"You will find this religion to be outdated. The logical is all you need in this life and "zen" is merely another tool to utilize. Meditation clears your thoughts, focuses your energies... and if you do not believe in those, so be it. Learn to control yourself regardless. It takes a tremendous amount of self discipline to sit still without stimuli for hours on end, aware only of your surroundings, clearing your thoughts... abandon any belief of something beyond knowledge, of some deity. You are alone here. You have no god, spiritual or otherwise. Abandon your belief of souls, of right and wrong. I am going to introduce you to the concept of duty." 

He began to ignore the idle sound of the waves against the hull, the slosh of water somewhere in the distance, the smell of rust and metal and salt... He ignored the cold chill of his wet clothes, the frantic thud of his heart, and instead focused utterly on the rhythmic pattern of his breathing. He began to fall into it, into the steadiness, into the absence of thought, feeling--

Gnnnnnrrrrrkkkkk. He was jarred from the state by the sudden sound. Grey's eyes snapped open and took a moment to focus, catching sight only of a few vague silhouettes. It was the distinctive creak of the rusted later as weight descended it--Grey was familiar with the sound, for he had caused it in the past. It meant that there was an intruder on his privacy, which momentarily ignited his anger. He came here specifically to be alone, with no stimuli. He began to heard heavy footsteps. Grey was positioned far from the opening, down a corridor to the right. 

He stood lithely, rolling the stiffness from his limbs. He had been sitting for at least thirty minutes at that point, just on the verge of being at the mental state he needed. Now, whatever progress he had made was eradicated by his abounding irritation. He turned down the corridor and identified the man who stood in the light near the ladder, perhaps looking a little hesitant. 

"Asclas, isn't it?" Grey's tone was neutral. He recognized the man due to the fact that he was a sore thumb in a Ring of gaunt and starved shapeshifters. Most lost whatever excess weight that they entered with within the first few months of being in the Menagerie, although this man had more to spare than most. Grey in contrast was a minimalist. Minimal fat, excessively lean, what remained on his body powerful and effective. "I believe your interruption on my meditation can be forgiven, if only because now I have the opportunity to train you." 

Grey introduced the concept so quickly because he knew that it would take most people aback, perhaps even reeling. He liked to surprise individuals and test their mental reflexes, particularly when they belonged to Carna and were therefor his responsibility to keep well. A man who could thick quick had a better chance of surviving, in his opinion. Just as quickly as Grey had spoken he transformed into his shift form. He had just recently been taken into the labs, mutated, and released. The result was a rather horrific creature that was conveniently half in and half out of the light. 

On first glance, he would seem very lupine. Perhaps he did not immediately appear to be anything aside from a wolf. Then Grey stood on his hind legs in a fashion that was almost stumbling, at first inelegant. He reached out a hand to steady himself on the wall and straightened out his spine. He stood close to six feet, shy by just a few inches. His light eyes were set into his dark face and reflected the dim light. He curled his lips away from his teeth in an expression that was akin to a snarl, albeit without the accompanying sound of aggression. "A game of tag?" Grey suggested casually, in shiftertongue.

ooc: omg i am so sorry to give you this monster post >> i normally make them shorter but i had a ridiculous amount of grey muse

WORDS: 1113 | TAGS: Asclas Papadios | IRONCHILD@THEMENAGERIE

[Asclas Papadios]

As he climbed down the ladder, Asclas tried to to focus on keeping his breathing steady. Most would think it was a silly or unnecessary thing to do when focusing on climbing down something, especially something as simple as a ladder. Though ever since he had been experimented on being able to breath steady was a task that Asclas had to focus on constantly now. It slowed his heart rate and that was good - because if his heart rate sped up that would be bad. He had trouble grasping the use of his ability as it was. He didn't need to be able to literally feel everything around him. It was so overwhelming that it gave him splitting headaches: His mind couldn't grasp what was happening usually, and everything became mixed. Being able to feel everything from the rustling of the trees, and the insects that crawled in it - that was frightening. The darkness of the ship began to envelope him as he began to go deeper into the ships interior. The air felt stale, and the smell of rust was so strong that Asclas could taste it. He thought that was funny, how something could smell so strong that it not only effected one sense but two. The rusty smell was only accompanied by the feel of the ladder - the whole ladder. As he gripped his hands around it he could feel every part of it, all its shape, the rust in every groove. It was enough to not only let him now how far it went down but also where the weakest areas were in some of the handles. He made sure not to misplace his foot on the weaker parts. With his weight it would undoubtedly break and he had no intention of falling on his face. He liked his face: He liked to think it was a rather handsome one. He finally reached the bottom a ray of light had beamed through the holes of the ship, right into his eye. It made it hard for him to see, until his eyes adjusted. This unsteady mix of darkness and bright light was a real nuisance. Asclas already hated this ship and hadn't even begun to do his training. Though there was a sinking feeling in his gut, like something was near. Like he was being watched. It was often one he had came to unknowingly hone in time as an Carna Scout. It was enough to make him a bit nervous. "Just what or who else was on this ship?" It was a thought that passed his mind. He heard a voice and as he did he turned toward it a hiss escaped his breath, similar to one a sneak would make. He didn't like surprises: his eyes had narrowed and though he had no fangs to bare, he did so anyway revealing his row of formerly pearly teeth. As he turned he saw a man, lean, rather easy on the eyes. He was half hidden by the darkness but his appearance was familiar. He spoke and was a voice, Asclas had come to hear before. The man was a part of Carna a man of rather high rank as well. "Grey" was what he was called from, Asclas knowledge of other Carna members. Just what was he doing here? Did he have the same intentions as Asclas, maybe he was here to train as well? Asclas body was tensed without him realizing it, his breathing for the most part was still steady as was his heartbeat. His time in the Menagerie was good for something at least, most things no longer surprised him, not enough for him to lose his cool or train of though anyway. What happened next though, that was something that was. The man had offered to train Asclas which gave him a slight ping of happiness before it was ripped away by what unfolded next. The man began to shift, and fast. He was experienced at it, it took his body little to no time to fully change and adjust to it's new anatomy and features. At first glance hidden by the darkness he looked just like a wolf but then he began to stand on two legs. It reminded Asclas of an old story he heard of creatures called by many names the most common being 'Werewolf' and 'Lycan'. Is this what the man was? Asclas had no time to think about. Though without him releasing it at first he found himself starring, taken by fear. It had been a long time since he had felt like this, not fear of the unknown, but fear of the known. No in this forsaken hell hole he knew all to well about the things that go bump in the night. The other people that could kill you within seconds if you weren't careful, the keepers, and their cluster of experiments and creative monstrosities. Though at the time there were two things that Asclas did know that scared the crap out of him. One: This man was named Grey, and from his knowledge of him it was known that he was a very dangerous man. Two: He was now a large hulking wolf on two legs that looked like Asclas had just became his next meal. His heart began to beat - rapidly - he could feel it: Grey's size, his heartbeat the strength of his muscles that tightened as he stood. He could see his teeth within the snarl, the gleam in his eyes. Though he couldn't hear anything it was as if all sound had left the room, was this fear? Shock maybe? Asclas did hear one thing though. "A game of tag" His mind began to race into action, he offered to train him but with a game of tag, though considering he just shifted it meant that he had planed to be it, maybe? His body language screamed that he was ready and roaring to go, which meant one thing to Asclas. Run! So he did, without giving it another thought. As he turned to run the darkened corridor. He mumbled the words "You're it." He wasn't sure if he ran because knew he what the principles of the game "tag" was, or if he was just scared of Grey but either way he put his calf muscles to good use and made way through the ship. His heart was racing so fast that his ability was going haywire, every step he took he could feel everything within 5 meters around him. It helped him navigate the ship as the darkness enveloped him. It also helped him feel the large hulking beast he turned his back too. It was a bit of a crude mood starting the game off to a running start, but with what he was playing against, he didn't want to take any chances. WORDS: 1116 TAGS: grey