"...Well, chocolate is delicious so it's a good name. I go by Trys. Yes, Super Mario Odyssey! I have Breath of the Wild too, and Super Smash Ultimate - I used to play Melee but not for a long time, and a couple others. Took Ravenous Blade's advice and did a bit of a shopping spree. I'll need to do someone's errands for cash eventually but for now I have savings and I don't expect it to be a problem, so," Shrug.

"I think Ravenous Blade was expecting you to buy, like, a car. The whole chat group invested heavily in Bitcoin on the advice of Senior Starlight's lots. We made bank. Not, like, infinite money, but more than enough to spoil you a bit." He rubs his thumb against his ring and middle fingers, feeling the sharpness of his clawlike nails. "I'll play Ultimate with you though. Who's your main?"

"-Well, I have like ten grand in savings, not a hundred. More like seven now after those plane tickets and today's stuff. If I were rich I'd buy a boat. As for Ultimate, I literally haven't even tried it yet. I did buy extra controllers, though. I used Link and Samus and Falco back in Melee, but if you're expecting a tough match out of me you might be disappointed."

"I'll talk to Starlight, she manages the accounts. That should get you set up. I'll happily beat your pants off at Ultimate." He grins. "Battle King Body is pretty fucking unfair for things that take reflexes."

"We can play some, yeah. I'll get sick of losing after a while. I think there's a handicap feature?" Shrug. She steps back from the doorway. "I'm looking forward to the big leagues for sure, though. Gonna get cracking on the training again later today, go for number four and five."

"Oh, good for you. And sure, I'll play with a handicap. Only fair. Let's get to it!"

He flops onto the couch, still with that irrepressible grin.

She changes out the game cartridge, tosses him a pair of controllers. While Smash Ultimate loads she asks, "So mind telling me just - in general, what's waiting for me in the True Master and Battle Ki- Queen zones?"

"In True Master it's the eight Dragon Dantains. Each one takes an average of five years to break through with medicines and so on - you proceed upward from the groin to the head, each time forcing through a gate with a surge of True Qi. After the last one, there's a lightning tribulation - I took an injury there and have only just recovered, so I don't have much to say about the Battle King realm from experience. The minor realms are the Four Meridians, but I haven't infused the first yet."

He starts the game and picks Robin for his fighter.

"I guess everyone in the group is pretty exceptional, you did forty years of work by the time you're, what, 25? Do you know how to set up the handicap?"

Samus, why not. If she remembers right Samus is floaty and has ranged attacks.

"Yeah, I got it. One sec..."

Black Claw gets the handicaps sorted. 

"And yeah, most people in the group are quote unquote 'geniuses' except Black Cross. She's still learning though."

He starts the game. Looks like it's going to be a projectile fight.

She shuts up for the game. Her reflexes might not be great but... Actually, she's not that great at other aspects of the game either. But it's fun!

Cocoa beats her handily with his crazy reflexes. 

"That was fun. Not sure I want another round. Want to show me the Canadian Fist you've got down so far?"

"It's less fun when there's so much - gap, yeah. Sure? I'll try the kicks again too, at least once." She grimaces. "I don't know what else we have to talk about, honestly."

"Well, uh... I can tell you more about the group? And we could swim, there's a pool here."

"I do like swimming. And maybe we turn out to have like, shared interests beyond a bit of vidya. Fantasy novels, history stuff, for me..."

She walks towards the gym.

Black Claw follows. "I'm more of an outdoorsy type. Hiking, cycling. Fantasy novels are good but I prefer the real thing."

"Heh. Well, the real thing is more of an option now. -Do you want to go sailing?"

"I've never been, but I'd love to try it. You're a sailor?"

"I've worked on boats since I was 14. Usually the kind with motors and fishing nets but yeah, I know how to sail and navigate by the stars and all that." She's smiling kind of wistfully. "I'm going to go change and show you what I have so far of Canadian Fist now, though."

"I'd love to go sometime. And works for me."

"I'm sure we could rent a sailboat in town somewhere."

She's back in barely a minute in workout clothes, and starts running through the punching and mobility drills. She moves at a steady and slightly slow pace, somewhat unused to this but growing more comfortable with it. Though overall it's a bit mechanical and rote.

Black Claw gets out one of the punching bags and starts slamming combinations into it, hitting it with enough force to sometimes slide it across the floor a little. In between rounds he casts appreciative glances over at Trys. 

"You're doing pretty damn well for your second day. Still building up qi for the kicks?"

She doesn't notice the specific character of the glances. He's probably sizing up her technique, if anything. (Though she does get out a punching bag of her own for a target, she hadn't noticed those yesterday.)

"I did the kicks yesterday but they - kind of hurt a lot. I'm saving them for last."

"Good plan, if you use them without enough qi to burn you could fuck yourself up seriously. Say when and I'll break to watch."

Sharp nod.

About half an hour later, "When. Time for kicks."

She braces for the expected pain and aims for a punching bag. This is just barely beyond her limits. She can do it. Breathe in and-