The evening bagua class was in full swing when David noticed they had a visitor?or at least a curious onlooker. It happened relatively often, so he didn't think a lot of it. The classes were becoming fairly well known in the martial arts circles here in RhyDin, and they got more and more applicants all the time. Sadly, he had to turn a lot of them down?there were only so many students he and his two assistants could reasonably handle. This guy looked to be one of the recent wave of Asian arrivals in the WestEnd. He seemed be to trying to memorize every move David and his students made, and judging by the way he held himself, it wasn't his first time in a martial arts studio. He'd talk to the guy after the class was over, but for right now, he had to take care of his students.
For the next hour, they went through forms, then sparring, and finally the closing exercises. Through it all, the man remained, watching them. The students bowed to David at the end of the class, then filed out of the studio, headed to the locker rooms to clean up and change. David stayed behind, as he normally did to clean up and also to spend a little time practicing on his own. The man who had been lurking near the door to the practice room entered slowly, respectfully nodding to the students as they filed out past him, and then approached David. He bowed a little and said, "Sifu Lo?" His voice carried a touch of an Asian accent but sounded mostly American.
He nodded back, folding up the cloth he'd been using to wipe down the heavy bag. "That's me," he confirmed.
He flashed David a smile and stuck his hand out in greeting. "I am Phan Long Chien. I heard you teach and wanted to come see for myself."
He took the proffered hand and shook it firmly. "Good to meet you, Chien," he said, correctly picking the young man's first name out. It sounded Vietnamese. "Are you interested in learning baguazhang? I can see you're not a novice," he added before Chien could answer the first question, "What style do you practice?"
"I learned Long Fist first, then Aikido, and then t'ai chi."
He nodded. "Good choices all. What brings you here, then?"
The young man?who looked all of maybe 20 years of age?shrugged and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "The only alternative is tae kwon do and it didn't look that challenging. I like the circle walking you did here. Reminds me of t'ai chi. Plus the circular movements look like they'd dovetail nicely with Long Fist."
"I've seen Long Fist performed before, and I'd agree. How long have you been studying?"
"Since I was eight. It was that or join the gangs in my neighborhood," he said, ducking his head with obvious embarrassment.
"Well. I'd say you made the right choice, then." He motioned towards the studio office. "Why don't you come have a seat, Chien, and you can tell me what you're looking for." Chien nodded and fell into step behind David, following him through the receptionist's area, giving the girl behind the desk a smile that was often on the faces of handsome boys when they see cute girls. "Evening, Padme," David said as they passed the girl. He noted Chien's smile, but didn't comment on it. Padme was a pretty girl, after all.
Once inside the small office, Chien took a seat on the couch opposite the desk and took a look around. It was crowded and covered with a strange mix of things?the obvious signs of a successful yoga, dance, and martial arts business were mixed with broken bits of plumbing pipe, boxes of screws and washers, an ancient tool box filled with equally ancient tools, and a formal photo of Riley and David on their wedding day, still dressed in their finery. David gave a little grin when he noticed the boy's look of bewilderment. "This office is multipurpose. All the instructors use it, and so does the building manager." He nodded to the tools, then looked over at the wedding picture, his grin shifting to a fond smile.
"That is your wife?" Chien asked, nodding to the picture. "She is Chinese, like you?"
He shook his head. "My wife yes, but she's not Chinese. Half-Japanese. You'll meet her soon if you're going to be studying here."
"I would very much like to study with you. Your class looked full, though. Do you have another I might join?"
"We are pretty full right now, but if you're really interested in learning, we'll find a way to fit you in."
He nodded emphatically. "I would appreciate it, Sifu. I need the workout."
"Call me David," he said. "When we're outside of class, at least. In class, stick with Sifu." He grinned. "Well, if I'm going to let you into my class, I'll need to know some more about you. You're from Earth, and America, that much is clear. Where?"
For the next hour, they went through forms, then sparring, and finally the closing exercises. Through it all, the man remained, watching them. The students bowed to David at the end of the class, then filed out of the studio, headed to the locker rooms to clean up and change. David stayed behind, as he normally did to clean up and also to spend a little time practicing on his own. The man who had been lurking near the door to the practice room entered slowly, respectfully nodding to the students as they filed out past him, and then approached David. He bowed a little and said, "Sifu Lo?" His voice carried a touch of an Asian accent but sounded mostly American.
He nodded back, folding up the cloth he'd been using to wipe down the heavy bag. "That's me," he confirmed.
He flashed David a smile and stuck his hand out in greeting. "I am Phan Long Chien. I heard you teach and wanted to come see for myself."
He took the proffered hand and shook it firmly. "Good to meet you, Chien," he said, correctly picking the young man's first name out. It sounded Vietnamese. "Are you interested in learning baguazhang? I can see you're not a novice," he added before Chien could answer the first question, "What style do you practice?"
"I learned Long Fist first, then Aikido, and then t'ai chi."
He nodded. "Good choices all. What brings you here, then?"
The young man?who looked all of maybe 20 years of age?shrugged and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "The only alternative is tae kwon do and it didn't look that challenging. I like the circle walking you did here. Reminds me of t'ai chi. Plus the circular movements look like they'd dovetail nicely with Long Fist."
"I've seen Long Fist performed before, and I'd agree. How long have you been studying?"
"Since I was eight. It was that or join the gangs in my neighborhood," he said, ducking his head with obvious embarrassment.
"Well. I'd say you made the right choice, then." He motioned towards the studio office. "Why don't you come have a seat, Chien, and you can tell me what you're looking for." Chien nodded and fell into step behind David, following him through the receptionist's area, giving the girl behind the desk a smile that was often on the faces of handsome boys when they see cute girls. "Evening, Padme," David said as they passed the girl. He noted Chien's smile, but didn't comment on it. Padme was a pretty girl, after all.
Once inside the small office, Chien took a seat on the couch opposite the desk and took a look around. It was crowded and covered with a strange mix of things?the obvious signs of a successful yoga, dance, and martial arts business were mixed with broken bits of plumbing pipe, boxes of screws and washers, an ancient tool box filled with equally ancient tools, and a formal photo of Riley and David on their wedding day, still dressed in their finery. David gave a little grin when he noticed the boy's look of bewilderment. "This office is multipurpose. All the instructors use it, and so does the building manager." He nodded to the tools, then looked over at the wedding picture, his grin shifting to a fond smile.
"That is your wife?" Chien asked, nodding to the picture. "She is Chinese, like you?"
He shook his head. "My wife yes, but she's not Chinese. Half-Japanese. You'll meet her soon if you're going to be studying here."
"I would very much like to study with you. Your class looked full, though. Do you have another I might join?"
"We are pretty full right now, but if you're really interested in learning, we'll find a way to fit you in."
He nodded emphatically. "I would appreciate it, Sifu. I need the workout."
"Call me David," he said. "When we're outside of class, at least. In class, stick with Sifu." He grinned. "Well, if I'm going to let you into my class, I'll need to know some more about you. You're from Earth, and America, that much is clear. Where?"