tushanshu | video;

[ There is a blast of static before the video feed clicks on. The only elaborate thing he owned that stood out against all the drab issued-on-arrival furniture that dotted his bare as bones suite was a cherry wood desk. Laid out on its surface was a gutted and dissected glove that looks to be made of metal and snaking cords of copper. Even behind that white wood mask he looked displeased with whatever project lay the electric glove in pieces. ]

While experimenting with finding alternate power sources for these devices in the wake of yet another series of tragedies and misfortunes, I decided to turn my attention elsewhere. Not to arsenal but to my fellow foreigners.

The divide between those who possess preternatural and even god-like abilities and those who do not is wide, and I find this distressing. While we are all unequal in the eyes of the Emperor I believe she does wish us to be capable of standing on our own two feet whenever the next cataclysmic event occurs, or whenever the supposed apocalypse fires start.

Taking time away from my free clinic in the Earth sector I will start offering to teach those with little to no formal training in the basics of martial arts: specifically, chi-blocking and hand to hand, closed quarters combat. Without demonstration I can best describe chi-blocking to the uninformed as a school of martial arts that places emphasis on temporarily rendering muscle function useless and even dampening chi or energy based powers. If nothing else, those who feel defenceless can take some initiative.

Kyle Rayner has agreed to supply rooms at EA-3B for training a small number of students at a time so I won't be far from my clinic. In the meantime I hope to attract a small student body and cooperate with anyone here who has experience in close-quarters combat and/or martial arts. It would be best to introduce something so demanding and exact as chi-blocking slowly. A sort of teacher-student arrangement.

I will be taking names of interested foreigners and answering any questions through my personal console, or in person at my clinic.

Standard encryption: private to M. Pontmercy

It's entirely up to you, but I must insist you take up these lessons.

[ ooc information here ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I do not see why; of course people should wish to learn to defend themselves, and if anyone with powers is so cowardly as to use them on people without, it seems to me perfectly natural that they get their just desserts.

I believe it is common in those with power to see others learning how to defend against unbridled, innate skill as a personal affront. A threat to what they perceive as the status quo.

Then I cannot think their opinion is worth very much, at all; nor can they possibly be suited for their present positions, if they are so afraid people will steal them.

I happy we agree. Perhaps when I find time between this and my work at the clinic when can discuss less grim topics such as the similarities in our worlds poetry.

Which reminds me, and only with Laurence's blessing, but I would like to go over the maneuvers of the flying contraptions of my world. They are about your size and I think you should benefit from it.

[poetry and the art of war you are a man after temeraire's own heart 8'|]

I should like that very much: for a land which sounds so similar to China, we must have a great many things in common.

And I should never pass up the chance to learn new manoeuvres, especially as they are from another world; and perhaps we might be able to build a flight-table as well, to study them by.

[ oh god does he try ]

The Earth Kingdom is closer to China than my native country, and fortunately for us both I spent most of my life there to intimately acquaint myself with its history and lore.

Fight plane manoeuvres are designed to work in a formation, but given that it is not uncommon not to mention expected for a dog fight to occur I believe we can knock our heads together to adapt flight plans for you.

Then I shall look forward to it.

I am used to formation-flying, at least; and we may be able to adapt your manoeuvres more easily with two dragons here--that is, if we can manage to get Iskierka to stay in formation, without Granby here.