Monday afternoon, Kylun and Kurt out on the grounds

[x-kylun.livejournal.com]

The two resident calm, contemplative, fuzzy swordsmen run into each other and, surprise surprise, find common ground.  Kylun figures out why he's felt restless lately, and Kurt gives him some very useful advice.  Then they climb trees.



It would have been easy to blame his self-isolation on the New York summer weather, Kylun thought as he walked along one of the tended paths, but in truth he had simply been overwhelmed.  The monastery, even at its most hectic, had always been--well, a monastery; quiet contemplation was never more than a few rooms away.  Here, however, crisis after crisis seemed to be the standard, and he had largely taken to going from his room, to his classroom, to the gym, to the kitchen and back, an unobtrusive presence below the radar of the various flareups of temper.

He had begun to grow lonely, however, and the change in the weather offered him the chance to reverse his excuse and go out, in the hope that someone else would also be marveling at the turning leaves.

He was in luck - Kurt had, indeed, had the same idea, and was hanging idly from a tree by his tail for no particular reason except he'd felt like it, enjoying the late autumn sun.  Hearing Kylun approach, he pulled himself up onto the branch and smiled.  "Hello."

"Hello," Kylun replied, smiling.  "I . . . don't believe we've met before?"

Kurt thought for a moment, then nodded an agreement.  "I don't believe we have", he answered, teleporting to the ground to offer Kylun his hand.  "I am Kurt Wagner."

Kylun took a surprised step back at the teleportation, but recovered quickly, accepting Kurt's handshake.  "I am glad to meet you; my name is Kylun."  He made a thoughtful noise.  "I think . . . perhaps I have heard Clarice mention your name?"

Kurt smiled.  "Yes, very probably.  I help her with her fencing training, on occasion, and I also teach dance and gymnastics here."

"Ah, yes, now I recall."  He smiled, a bit ruefully.  "She is very enthusiastic about swordsmanship; I gave her some practice with her katana, while Shiro was visiting his family.  Not my usual weapon, but I managed."

Kurt tilted his head, interested.  "You are also a swordsman?"

"Since I was first old enough to hold one."  This was familiar ground, and Kylun relaxed slightly.  "The monastery in which I grew up had a strong martial tradition, and I led the warriors for several years."

Kurt nodded.  "For myself, I was raised in a circus.  Not a martial tradition, but I was taught to use a sword when I was a little younger than Clarice, for staged fights in the ring.  I am sure you are far more proficient than I, having learned for so much longer."

"A circus?"  Kylun tested the unfamiliar term on his tongue, then brightened.  "Oh!  With acrobats and clowns, yes?  I have read of such things."  He shrugged at Kurt's self-deprecation.  "It was . . . it is . . . a form of meditation, as well as being necessary for our survival.  I am skilled, but I think perhaps you might take more joy in it than I do."

"Acrobats and clowns, yes", Kurt answered, smiling.  "I was an acrobat.  And as for the other, I do find it an enjoyable way to relax."  He finished with a mischievous grin, "Certainly more so now than when I was fourteen, and my mother was enforcing the practice."

Kylun laughed.  "For the first several weeks of my training, I was not allowed to actually unsheath my swords, and was made to do extra chores if I tried."  He nodded solemnly.  "It was a sore trial for such an accomplished slayer of cobwebs and haystacks, as I am sure you can imagine."

Kurt looked curious.  "What did they have you do, then, in those weeks?  If you were not allowed to practise with the swords?"

"How to wear them correctly--how to stand properly, and the first lessons of balance and movement.  How to make my body do what I asked of it, so that when I did begin with the swords, they would do what I asked of them.  These lessons continued all through the training, of course, but my teachers felt that they were best begun without distraction."  Kylun smiled reminiscently.  "I declared the whole process unfair and tiresome beyond belief, but when the time came for me to teach, I began in the same way.  Thus is the circle formed."

Kurt grinned.  "It is the way it always works.  I also helped with the training of the circus's children, when I was of age."

"I have always loved the teaching.  Much of my former life was destructive, if for the right reasons, and I cherished the times when I could build, instead."

Kurt nodded.  "I imagine you are enjoying your time here, then."

"It has been an adjustment."  Kylun shook his head ruefully.  "This school is a great deal busier and noisier than I am used to, and I still expect Zz'ria to walk into my classroom and correct me on a point of philosophy.  And I am . . ."  He paused, wondering.  "I am bored.  I had not quite thought of it in that way, but I am.  So many of my pursuits are intellectual, these days . . . I maintain my skills, but they have no purpose anymore."  He smiled wryly. "I think the term is . . . 'stir-crazy?'  A sword is not meant to lie idle."

Kurt tilted his head and asked, "Has the Professor told you anything about the other purpose of this place?"

"The, ah, 'X-Men?'"  Kylun shook his head.  "I have heard the name, but little more.  I have been, perhaps, less attentive than I should be, of late."

Kurt nodded.  "It might be of interest to you, since you are in need of an outlet for your skills.  We do a variety of things, from helping new manifests when they have difficulty, to rescue missions."

Kylun looked intrigued.  "I served in a similar way, I think, at the monastery, though we were not concerned with mutants specifically.  Would Professor Xavier mind, do you think, if I asked to learn more?"

Kurt smiled.  "I am sure he would not mind at all.  Since you are here, and plan to stay, and are in need of something to do besides teach, he would be pleased to take you on the teams if you choose."

"Then I will ask him."  Kylun grinned, and bowed formally.  "Thank you for the advice.  And now I was hoping you might counsel me on another matter . . ."

Kurt's smile turned questioning.  "Oh?  I will be happy to, if I can.  How can I help?"

The grin widened.  "Which of these trees is the best to climb?  You would seem to be the local expert."

Kurt laughed.  "A man after my own heart, I see."  He indicated the tree behind him.  "That one is a particular favourite of mine.  But I have an unfair advantage, as you saw - I do not need to worry about whether or not the lower branches will bear my weight.  Or even the higher, really - if one does not, I can be on another that will before I finish falling."

"Ah, but therein lies the challenge.  And what good is a childhood spent in the Alps, if one never learns to climb?"  Kylun raised a challenging eyebrow.  "See you at the top?"

Kurt grinned, accepting the challenge.  "Yes, you will."