Think Before You Speak (Kodi, Koty)

[Vincent Meian]

Though it had started off small, the self-defense program he'd picked up in the spring was going remarkably well. The students came and went as they wanted, and there were often new people who came by only for a visit and never returned, but the number of permanent student to the "club" was growing. Slowly, but surely.

The class today had been mostly repeating previously taught techniques for the benefit of newer students, and had wound down with some simple and effective touch-exercises. Basically, techniques done at half-speed with minimal contact, but engineered so that the students learned to see and react. No actual combat took place here, as everything was done under a very strict watch by the school board, but whenever students needed more guidance the Japanese man sent them to train with Josef Muller at a dojo in the city.

Now, the session had come to a close, and the training room was being cleaned up by one or two students and Vincent himself. He never liked sticking the people he administered with work he wouldn't do himself, but with this many hands the work would be done quickly. It was the taking of the boxes of supplies back to storage that would be time consuming. Still, it needed to be done, even if it took time that he could use training his more advanced students or completing his weekly reports.

As his students left with the storage room key to put away a particularly heavy box, the tall man glanced up from putting his own backpack aside to see someone enter the room. "Good evening," he greeted. "I apologize, however the class is over."

This was not uncommon, and just because he didn't know a student didn't mean that Vincent wasn't polite. Still, if he'd known who the blonde was that entered the room, he might have been a bit more wary. Or perhaps amused.

[Deleted]

Kodi was bored. And when he was bored, he had a habit of wandering. Today he was sticking his nose in on training sessions and club meetings, seeing if he could find anything interesting to mess around with before he went back and locked himself in the dorms for the night to read a new series he had (secretly) just purchased. No one could know about his secret hobby (well, except Chester, but there was no choice there), so he forced himself not to stay in his room ALL the time. And besides, he had Benny to torment now too, though the young boy had quickly learned that Kodi (usually) didn't bother him if he stayed in his own room.

But anyway. Back to messing with people. The Southerner eventually stumbled upon a room that seemed to be cleaning up from some sort of martial arts practice or something, and his interest was perked, though he didn't show it on his sneering face. His heavy-lidded, lined eyes scanned the room as he stepped inside, his shoes making hollow clicks against the floor.

It only took a moment for him to be noticed, and he gave the taller man an unimpressed look, not at all flattered by his politeness. Some of the most polite people he had known in his life had also been the most judgmental; he never trusted the fronts adults put up, even if they seemed genuine.

"What was goin' on in here?" he drawled without introduction, glancing around again. "Some sorta fight club?" That sounded fun, but he was fairly certain if the school had one, he would have signed up as soon as he knew about it. He wasn't into that fake self-defense bullshit. What use was that? He picked a finger in his teeth, flicking it absent-mindedly as he waited for an answer.

[Vincent Meian]

The politeness Vincent had given the student was simply something that he'd been ingrained with due to his culture and his lack of mastery in the English language. If he'd been speaking in Japanese, he likely would have just told the kid to check the bulletin board next time if he wanted to watch the class. He was blunt, but not terribly rude. It was just something unique to him, he supposed.

The accent that came from the Asian boy was surprising, but not startling - people from all over the country came to this school to study, and the United States was a far bigger place than Japan. There would be all sorts of accents floating around, as well as different dialects, and considering that the country was made up almost entirely of immigrants (of one sort or another), it would not be unheard of for someone of Asian ethnicity to be speaking with (what he thought was) a Southern drawl.

It was a fighting club, in a way - however, if Vincent had known the pop-culture reference, he would have denied it out of hand. As it was, he tilted his head slightly to one side; his own way of implying a yes/no answer. "This is a martial arts class of mixed styles," he clarified, not agreeing or disagreeing outright. "I teach aikido, kempo, and kendo in addition to basic techniques in karate and American kick-boxing."

He wasn't technically a master in any of these styles, as the majority of his training had taken place during the five years he attended Eisai and the following seven in the military. However, he knew more than enough to teach, and had long since gained true muscle memory in every technique he learned. Stacking twenty years of training on top of twelve years of learning seemed to compound things that way.

The blatant disregard for a place of learning aside (he'd learned not to expect much in that way from most students), this boy seemed to have a more bored air about him than someone looking for training. It was more like someone looking for a fight. "Are you interested in joining the roster?" Vincent asked, his tone aloof as he settled his hands behind his back in a rest position.

[Deleted]

Kodi had also grown up around an environment that told him to be polite; terribly so. To the point of even putting others before himself even when he didn't want to, in order to appease his parents' wishes. He hated it, and as soon as he was out of their grasp, he had broken out of that cage, using his years being forced to be someone he wasn't as an excuse to lash out at everything and everyone.

His drawl was something he couldn't get rid of, though. Not unless he slipped into his mother's native tongue, which he didn't really do on a regular basis unless he was trying to irritate people that couldn't understand Mandarin.

Kodi's gaze traveled around the room again as the older Asian man spoke, tapping a finger against his chin with his arms crossed over his chest. He had vaguely heard of each of the styles Vincent was mentioning, but the only martial art he had ever really learned a little bit about was Chinese Wushu, and he had never actually practiced it. "So... Do ya fight each other, or's it just a buncha punchin' and kickin' the air?" he asked with a lazy flick of the eyes back to the trainer.

No, he shouldn't be so obviously scornful about non-combative martial arts in front of someone who obviously had a lot of experience in fighting. Yes, he was aware of that. But there was something about getting under people's skin and trying to get a rise out of them, even adults, that gave Kodi a sense of triumph. He had no idea if he would succeed with the seemingly calm trainer, but he could try. Or maybe one of his students would overhear him.

Yes, he was someone looking for a fight. Though his reasons for it were a little more complex than many may think. "I dunno. I ain't too interested in learnin' useless self-defense shit, if that's what it's about," he huffed, tilting his chin up to the taller Asian man.

[Vincent Meian]

The joys of knowing multiple languages. If he was Kodi's age and the boy had tried to annoy him with speaking in Mandarin Chinese, a younger version of the trainer before him probably would have countered with a rather out-of-the-blue language from a Japanese student: Russian. Just to see the look on his face. Fortunately, Vincent was a slightly more mature individual and hadn't been a teenager for over twenty-five years. The odds of him trying out out-aggravate a student were very low.

Unless he was in a training session. But those were special cases.

The boredom was even more clear as the Chinese boy's eyes wandered the room, barely even hearing the explanation he'd almost directly asked for. The fact that the first question reverted back to was a combat inquiry made him suspicious. "There are times of live combat exercises," he answered truthfully. "However, only students that have shown proper levels of control may participate."

Students hurting each other in class was actually relatively common, but because of the restrictions and the heavy level of practice beforehand those injuries usually happened to be rather minor. This was a class for common self-defense tactics in a variety of situations, including defending against an opponent twice your size (which, considering Vincent's height, was an easy application once the basics of aikido were on a functioning level). Combat was rarely applied at full speed, as well - the goal was repetition and muscle memory, not beating the tar out of an opponent.

And if he was looking to get a rise out of the Japanese man, he was pretty much out of luck at this point; he was being watched too guardedly for that, once the older man had spotted that same air of disrespectful defiance he knew so well from being a teenager himself.

Still the arrogant response brought a light of amusement to the tall man's face. Defending oneself was the highest priority of any martial art; after all, incapacitating a violent opponent was the second thing most learned after basic blocking techniques. Can't continue a fight (or end one) if it's been ended for you. "Perhaps you should have checked the sign on the door before entering, then," he mused dryly. "You would know that this is not a class for you."

[Deleted]

There are times of live combat practice. This actually perked Kodi's interest enough for a moment that his lids lifted slightly from their heavy position until the trainer continued, and the look of boredom reappeared. "So basically, all yer favorite little teacher's pets get t'smack each other around a bit an' no one gets hurt," he replied drily. He wanted to see blood and bruises! Where was the fun in this useless shit?

Still, even as he continued staring down the other man, his furrowed brows rose into a particular sort of interest once he started eyeing the older man more closely. He had nice, pleasing features, a tall, strong build, which presumably hid something equally as large... He didn't even look all that old, but Kodi knew that, for some reason, it seemed like Asian men and women just didn't age the same as the whites he had mostly grown up around.

His disinterested scowl turned up into a small, coy smirk. Kodi may not be able to get a rise out of Vin, but maybe he could make him uncomfortable in different ways while also continuing to criticize his club.

Kodi's head tilted to the side, listening vacantly as the older man spoke again. Yes, he was still interested immensely in trying to find a fight, but he was distracted for the moment. "Oh, I don't know," he drawled, gaze dropping down to a very obvious location that he spent a moment staring at before looking up again. "I think you are very right for me," he smirked devilishly. "How much do I gotta pay for a... Training session with you?" The older guy, with his foreign nature, might or might not get his come-ons, Kodi didn't know. But it would still be amusing to see his reaction.

[Vincent Meian]

How perceptive. The words in his mind were dry and sarcastic, and the countenance of the trainer's features mimicked it subtly with a slightly upraised eyebrow. "That is not entirely accurate," he replied instead. "However, this class is a beginner course - it is not focused on the finer aspects of martial combat. If you would prefer a more advanced course, there is a dojo in town that provides classes of all levels."

And if Kodi wanted to see blood and bruises, there was a recently graduated hemokinetic he'd be more than happy to send his way.

While he'd been paying attention for disrespect and a generally aggressive attitude, the sudden shift in tactics brought Vincent up short a bit. Considering that a number of people were easily shorter than he (Kodi was no exception), he'd been sized up before, and so thought very little of the glance downward or the smirk. Both of which were easily misinterpreted as simply that; a sizing up, which almost all young men did on meeting other men. It was simply a gender thing. If he'd been paying less attention (oddly enough) or if the Southern teen had been his student already, the tall man might have noticed the transition right away and been more suspicious.

Instead, a slight frown creased his covered brow as he tried to track where the conversation was suddenly going. "I am frequently available for private sessions after school hours," he replied, wary. "As I am employed by the school, these are also a courtesy to students; you need not pay for a lesson."

Going from direct and straightforward to coy and subtle was not the easiest transition for the Japanese man, despite his native language alone being full of double-meanings and hidden messages. Nevermind the cultural aspect. He'd always been a blunt person, to the point of being rude in his own country, and being forced to speak in another language strangely made his words more polite and formal despite his intentions. If they'd been speaking Japanese or even Russian, the transition in phrasing would have been caught easily. As it was, Kodi was simply misunderstood due to a lack of mastery in the language they shared.

[Deleted]

This older guy was proving far less explosive than Kodi would have liked. It was going to take a lot to get anything out of him, Kodi realized; he wondered if he could even manage it. Maybe the flirtations would hit him at a different angle, if the guy actually got them. "Ahhh, beginners, right. Wouldn't want the poor little babes t'beat each other t'pulp." He rubbed his chin at the mention of a dojo; that sounded fun. "Thanks for the tip, sir. I might look into it."

Ahh... There was a little bit of a reaction, but not enough, not enough! Kodi realized he would have to be much more obvious with his glances and (perhaps later) touches in order to get across what he was thinking. He could only imagine the delight the taaaall man was hiding. His teeth peeked in a snarky, silent grin.

"Oh, I'm suuure you're available," he replied smoothly, lids lowering as he focused his gaze more obviously on a certain location. "I think we're on different pages now though, sir. I ain't thinkin' 'bout fightin' anymore." His tongue slid over his teeth and he peeked back up at what he hoped would be a bewildered expression. "How much'd it cost me t'see you in a less... Formal situation?"

He knew it would never happen. He really did. But it was too fun to mess with people like this. Kodi brought a hand up to run through his dyed, mussy hair, kohl-lined eyes practically smoldering. "How old're you? Thirties? It's so hard for me t'tell. Y'married or anythin'?" Now he was just getting nosy and even more off-topic. "Name's Kodi, by the way," he added very belatedly, offering a crooked hand along with a similarly crooked smile.

[Vincent Meian]

In truth, the trainer had quite a temper. He was also easy to insult, if caught off-guard, but given that his unpredictable ability activated more erratically under moments of panic or rage, he had trained himself to be wary of situations that would cause such a response. When alerted to that form of danger, he became guarded and calm (as he was now), and made a point not to be bothered by trivial things.

When blindsided though... well, things became a little more unbalanced.

With the blonde's lowered gaze and rather pointed tone, it became clear even as the words were spoken that this conversation had changed course. Dramatically. The confusion on the older male's face became slightly more pronounced as things began to process, and out of instinct he shifted his left foot back slightly and dropped his hands to his side. From an open and relaxed posture to something more defensive. What was probably supposed to be bewildered ended up looking something more along the lines of mischievous. No, not something so innocent... salacious.

Vincent's wariness, of course, silenced him as he picked apart what was being said and trying to equate it with what was intended. The question of his age seemed, of course, like another attempt at a different tack, but the Japanese man had finally clicked everything into place. Gold eyes widened slightly in understanding and surprise, then narrowed again in aggravation. Did he not just deal with a situation similar to this less than a year ago? "My age nor my marital status are of any concern to you," he answered, his voice soft and cold. "I would ask that you leave before you degrade yourself further with such suppositions. Kodi."

And yes, the proffered hand was pointedly ignored. While he wasn't angry, neither was the trainer amused with the teenager's antics. He had narrowly escaped being fired once for inappropriate contact with a student, and only because the force of it had caught him completely by surprise. Now he was on his guard and more than aware of the situation.

A fool he may have been in his youth, but Vincent was not a man to fall for the same trap twice.

[Koty Hura]

One of those people helping to tear down and repurpose the space the class had taken place in had been standing just outside the door for the duration of Kodi and Vincent's conversation.... He'd held himself back from intervening this far because he was sure that Vincent would be less than pleased if he would have walked up and slugged the kid just for being an obnoxious and rude little shit...

But now it was worth it. Vincent was pissed, Koty had been pissed from the get-go, and Kodi was all but begging to be thrown across a room.. Perhaps Koty wouldn't have been quite as upset if he didn't, by some cruel twist of fate, share a name phonetically with this asshat.. but since he did, it would be hard to know otherwise. Koty did not like this person, and Vincent couldn't touch him without repercussions. Enter one faithful student to the rescue.

So fast that perhaps even Vincent would have trouble seeing it, Koty rounded the corner, planted one foot behind Kodi and one next to him, and swung his entire weight around counterclockwise to catch Kodi's throat in his right hand.. Koty would then let hit weight carry around. Unless Kodi was a ninja or had superhuman hearing or reactions, the dentokinetic boy was bound to end up gagging, falling backwards into a stiff leg, tumbling over said leg, and landing very hard on his back with the weight of a 5ft 8 asian bearing down on his neck.

Suffice it to say that barring a fantastically timed block, Kodi had just gotten himself chokeslammed. Koty himself would then rotate around slightly further to end with his knee resting heavily on Kodi's diaphragm, giving the boy a look that could kill. Honestly, it was a good thing Koty was wearing his gloves because otherwise Kodi would be getting a mindful of himself being ripped to pieces and beaten to a pulp.

What one would imagine to be several seconds later, about the time Kodi was able to get his bearing and consider reacting, Koty stood, took a step back, and fell into what was undoubtedly a fighting stance. "That was from the advanced class, Kodi. Had you taken the beginner's class you may have had some chance of avoiding it."

Yeah, at this point Koty was looking for a fight and hoping that Kodi got up swinging. Why? ...Well why not? This kid hadn't only insulted his Sensei, he'd targeted and then tried to set up his Sensei. That shit was approximately zero kinds of cool and Koty didn't appreciate it in the slightest.

[Deleted]

Kodi watched Vincent's features closely, gauging when, exactly, his intentions would click in the older man's mind. He eventually saw confusion lead to a shocked sort of surprise, then, of course, the expected narrowing eyes and coldness he'd known would come. Like hell his flirting would actually get him anywhere - he'd just done it for shits and giggles. And the reaction from the trainer was enough to make him give a big, broad, toothy grin.

He did, however, keep an eye on his hands in case they clenched and showed any signs of actually fighting. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against someone as experienced as Vin - even he wasn't that stupid - but it didn't mean he wouldn't go down without a fight if it came to that. "Leave?" he asked, raising his brows. "Oh, but I'm just startin' t'have fun!" No, he wasn't planning on being done with Vin just yet - he hadn't even gotten detention out of this ordeal yet!

Yet.

Kodi wasn't expecting what came next. He went from grinning and chuckling to gasping and choking on the floor within the span of a few seconds, not knowing what had hit him and where they'd come from. He made a strangled noise on the way down, his sharpened teeth biting into his lower lip and ripping a good portion of skin, making blood trickle down onto his chin and into his mouth, filling his tongue with the taste of copper.

He sputtering up at the boy who had knocked him down, not recognizing his face, nor caring who he was - Kodi was stunned, which was hard to do. Still, he wasn't necessarily angry - hell, he'd come here looking for a fight. It just came in a way he wasn't expecting.

As the other guy finally got up off of him and let Kodi catch his breath, he started letting out a little wheezing laugh, droplets of blood spraying up as he continued to gasp for breath. "You kiddin'? That was one'a the cheapest moves I've ever seen. Who the hell has pride in attackin' someone behind their back?"

He continued to giggle manically, reaching up to massage his throat. That'd hurt! Not as much as what Oriel had done to him, but still. Leering up at his attacker, he hackled up and spit a glob of reddish saliva in his direction, hoping to land somewhere on Koty. "Pretty cowardly if y'ask me," he growled, wiping at his chin and slowly sitting up. His lip was still dripping crimson.

[Vincent Meian]

If Kodi wasn't expecting it, Vincent was more than willing to state that he hadn't been either. In less than a few steps, his former student had whipped around the doorframe and brought the blonde to the floor. Hard. It was actually somewhat surprising how viciously effective the maneuver was, too, but considering than Koty had the advantages of stealth, surprised, and better training... well, it went to show what happened when a martial artist was serious.

Apparently, the younger Japanese transplant was very serious. And upset.

Considering that Kodi has not been struck in the mouth, the blood dripping from the orifice was concerning before the trainer saw the razor sharp edging to the teen's teeth. Mystery solved, the tall man simply moved forward a couple steps and tapped the telepath's shoulder lightly before moving his hand away. When Koty was in a mood like this, it was best not to grab him and pull limbs away quickly if touch was necessary. "Hura-san," he stated, his voice soft and firm.

Unless Kodi swung back at the boy, there would be no need to tell them to stand down.

Turning that calm gaze to the still floored teen, Vincent sighed slightly, though it was almost more of an aggravated huff. "Martial arts is not meant to engage in direct combat," he explained. "What we learn here is how to end a conflict before it can become uncontrolled. The method you have experienced is a common tactic when defending an ally from a potential threat. Though my student is correct; had you been trained to combat this, it is unlikely he would have succeeded so admirably."

That was the closest thing to a taunt he'd throw at a student that wasn't fighting him. And the closest thing to approval he'd openly show for Koty, despite the fact that he was very amused with the turn of events.

"If you would like to leave now, neither of us will stop you."

[Koty Hura]

"There is no pride to be had in kicking a dog that is a danger to your family, and there is no pride in showing you your place." Okay, so the asian-looking kid with the bloody lip and southern drawl probably wasn't as offended as an actual asian would have been at being called a dog, but so be it. Koty's words were obviously meant in insult.

Then Vincent was tapping his shoulder. Cautious, careful.. Yeah, Vincent remembered how volatile Koty could be when he hadn't slept in days and had painful or horrible memories that weren't his own bouncing around inside his head. His efforts were appreciated but unnecessary. Koty was completely in control of himself and he wanted Kodi to get back up swinging. He wanted a chance to defend his Sensei's honor and for the first time he could remember, he truly wanted to beat the crap out of someone. This vile, disrespectful little shit would make a wonderful outlet.

"Meian-san, I intend to follow this through with or without your approval or intervention." Now.. both san and sensei were respectable enough suffixes, sure.. but when Vincent was trying to do Koty a favor or protect him and he didn't get sensei out of it, he would know beyond a doubt that Koty was speaking to him as a fellow man rather than a teacher.. and that he really, honestly, and truly had plans to beat the shit out of Kodi if the boy did anything but leave. The fact that Koty had spoken in Japanese would also tell Vincent that he meant business. No possible way that Vincent could misunderstand him. Shit was gonna go down.

"A coward walks away from the fight that he begged for with blatant disrespect. Get up, Kodi."

[Deleted]

"I'm a dog, huh?" Kodi snickered, still laying sort of crumpled on the floor, his chest rising and falling quickly with painful breaths; his throat hurt quite a lot, and for obvious reasons. "I prefer wolf myself, but whatever floats yer boat." He wasn't offended in the least - it would take a lot more to get to that.

His attention turned back to the trainer, who was obviously doing his best to speak his disapproval and disdain for Kodi's behavior without outright saying it. "Oh, shut it with the pretty speeches, Mr. Miyagi," he drawled, what little politeness he'd been showing the adult earlier completely gone. "I ain't interested in yer praise for yer little pet."

The interaction between the two gave Kodi enough time to get to his feet, and finally catch his breath. He ignored any remaining blood on his chin and lips, instead sneering red-stained teeth at both of them as Koty spoke in Japanese, something he obviously wasn't supposed to hear. "If y'wanna say somethin', say it t'both of us," he snarled. "Kiss-ass."

He muttered a few more choice words in his mother's tongue before shaking his head and glaring at Vincent as he spoke again. "I ain't leavin' like a fuckin' coward," he growled. "I ain't afraid'a takin' a few hits." He was aware he was definitelyprobably outranked here, so he'd definitely be taking the brunt of the punches, but he'd taken worse, he was sure. He lifted his fists up to protect his face, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Vincent. Even though he wanted this fight to happen, surely a trainer wouldn't allow it? Whatever the case, he prepared for the worst, ready to dodge and respond with whatever might come.

[Vincent Meian]

Though the insult made the trainer shoot a sharp glance at his former student, the oblivious counter-statement almost made him roll his eyes. This was getting petty. Fortunately, he resisted the urge and stayed silent at the implied insult (though he didn't know who this "Mr. Miyagi" was). If he wanted to think that it was merely a commendation to his student, he was entitled to that opinion.

The Japanese phrasing was noticed, understood, and Vincent huffed a slight sigh. He understood the reasoning easily enough, though he couldn't condone that level of violence openly if Kodi chose to walk away. Given his nature, though, and the fact that he'd come into a self-defense class looking for a fight, that outcome was unlikely at best. Especially given Kodi's response to the spurt of non-English. ["As you will,"] the tall man shrugged, looking to the blonde as well.

"If you wish to fight, that is your prerogative," he stated clearly in English. "After all, you have asked for a lesson, and Hura-san is one of my most advanced students."

No, this wasn't breaking school rules at all. Technically.

At least it might instill a sense of understanding in the Southern teen that running one's mouth could lead to a fist being implanted in it.