Dawn - July 6, 2009
Le Silve Apartments – Middleton,
WI
The first thing Ran noticed as he regained consciousness is that
the world was fuzzy. This in itself was not unusual. It was also damn early,
which was. However, his body was telling him that he wasn’t going back to sleep
anytime soon. Damn, I thought that tea
was decaf.
He closed his eyes and did his usual blind groping with his
left hand out to where his nightstand should be, trying to find where his
glasses on the stand.
This is where he came to two realizations.
One, his nightstand wasn’t there. This was because he had
apparently passed out crosswise on his bed, and his feet were on the floor.
Two, his glasses were on his face.
The hell??? Ran
sat up and shook his head. Things were still fuzzy. He quickly removed them and
grabbed a corner of the sheet to wipe the lenses.
That’s when he realized that the world was now clear - absolutely
crystal clear, for the first time in years. This was puzzling. Ran had been myopic
since he was seven, and even his current lenses didn’t clear every thing up.
But he could see every detail, every nuance of his room, without his glasses
on.
He also realized he was swimming in the T-Shirt and jeans he
had on. They were several sizes too large.
“What….the…fuck??”
Then he realized that the voice he just heard wasn’t his.
He threw off the clothes and ran into his bathroom. As soon
as he lights came on, he saw the difference.
There, standing in the mirror was a young Asian man in his
late teens. However, he had dark brown hair swept back into a long ponytail and
piercing blue eyes. He was clean shaven and had a wiry muscular tone of someone
who worked out a lot. As he moved, the man in the mirror moved…and that face….Ran
knew that face. He had seen it a hundred times in his head.
Ran was staring at Namoru Hayataki, his favorite creation.
“How the HELL did this happen?”
[I’d like to know
that myself.]
“Wha?” Ran jumped and looked around his bathroom. Whoever
that was just spoke…in his new voice.
[Whoa…easy there. You
can’t see me. I’m in your head. You should know, you created me, apparently.]
Ran froze. “Nam?”
[Yo!]
“You’re talking to me. In my head.”
[Hai. Last thing I
remember was taking on a council Arch Villian, then I blacked out. When I came
to, I was in here.]
“You’re taking this rather well.”
[Well, compared to
hell, this is a picnic. I miss Aiko, though. Apparently, she’s fictional, too.]
Ran heard a touch of bitterness in his voice. “I’m sorry.
Wait, how did you know?”
[It’s a nice place
you keep in here. Lots of masks. I found one of me, put in on for laughs, and
it apparently “broke my fourth wall”. I learned everything about myself.]
Ran thought about that. It made sense in a Freudian way. As
a Role Player he has assume the personalities of a lot of people, including
Namoru. He has to think and feel as that character. Like an actor, he has to
don the “mask” of that persona. In the transliteral world of his consciousness,
the masks would be real.
“I’m so sorry.”
[Don’t be. You’re an
author, telling a story. Without conflict and suffering, there’s no story. At
least I know you intended to give me my “happily ever after”.]
“Good. I was afraid you were going to kick my ass.”
[How could I,
Jackass! I’m you now. In a way, I
always was.]
“So I’m talking to myself.”
[Yeah….uh better not tell
anyone. They’ll lock you away.]
“Heh. So what happens now?”
[Well, I’ll be around
for bit, and eventually I assume I’ll fade into your subconscious, become one
with you…again. ‘Till then, I better show the ropes. It’s my body you’re in…and
you’re going to take care of this one, or I will
find some way to kick your ass. Got it?]
Ran sweatdropped. “Got it.”
[Good. Now getcher
ass outside. We got training katas to do.]
“Uh. I’m kind of naked.”
[Riiight. Put that
bathrobe on.]
“I could fit a family of five in that robe”
[Heh. Just put it
on.]
Ran slipped into the bathrobe. It was a gift from his mom
for his last birthday and now….he had exaggerated when he said he could fit a
family of five in it….but not by much. He looked like a kid in his parents
clothes.
[Close your eyes a
moment. Concentrate. Feel that energy? It’s your ki. Now…feel that ki along
your left arm? That huge grouping? That’s your personal storage space. Stick
your hand up your sleeve and reach into that spot…just like that.]
Ran was speechless. This was impossible…unbelievable…this
was awesome!
[Now, find the
clothing…there you go. And pull it out.]
Ran pulled out and looked down to see a pair of black
drawstring pants, a black T-Shirt, a green overtunic, a black belt and a pair
of black tabi boots. The overshirt had a logo, that of the Taoist Taijitu “yin-yang” symbols with a long asian
dragon stretched along the “S” of the symbol it’s arms and legs holding onto
the “pearls” on each side. The back had kanji out it, which to his surprise he could now read. It said “Hayataki School of
Martial Arts.”
Ran smiled. He
remembered designing that logo years ago when he first “made” Nam for Base’s NCH game. Quickly, he got dressed, and then
went out into the living room. On a whim, he walked out on the patio, and then leaped
over the rail and out into the grass. “Uh, what do I do now? And how can I read
Japanese?”
[I’m you and you’re me, remember? You can do everything I
can. Now! Hayataki school first kata! Begin!]
Muscle memory is a beautiful thing. Before Ran even knew he
was doing it, he was halfway through the first kata.
Again, Ran took a moment to bask in the sheer level of
awesomeness of being able to do this. He had always dreamed of being a martial
artist, but an accident he had suffered before high school that caused him to
spend two months flat on his back and gained a hundred pounds pretty much put
the kibosh on that. Plus, he just wan’t BUILT for it. Now, he was. Now he can.
It was wonderful. Sheer bliss.
[See? You know what I
do. All the forms and techniques.]
“So, why-“
[Don’t talk…think.
One mind, remember?]
So, why didn’t you
just take over. You’re certainly capable of it?
[This isn’t my world,
Ran. This is yours. You didn’t ask for this. It’s YOUR life and you deserve to
live it. I’m just your creation. You’re like a father to me, in a way, and I
couldn’t do that to family.]
Hey! I ain’t nothin’
like your old man!
Ran could hear snickering in his head. [No….no you ain’t. You’re like me. That’s another reason I couldn’t do
it. We’re just too much alike.]
Punch, block, kick, jump, sweep, dodge.
Thanks.
[No problem.]
Kick, lunge, duck, kick, sweep.
[So what are you
going to do with all this.]
Dunno yet. Fight
crime, maybe. Just live for the day.
[Good thinking. Just
take care of yourself.]
You got it.
Block, kick, dodge, punchpunchpunchpunch.
Small cracks sounded out as Ran’s hands lashed out like
whipcracks, breaking the sound barrier. Then he took the air in a leaping crane
kick, bouncing off a tree at the end of the kick, He paused a moment to look
around, and saw several of the lawn care people staring at him, jaws gaping
open in shock.
Of course, it was Monday. Lawn day. And he was in the way.
And judging by the time of day, he had been out there for hours already. Thing
is, he didn’t really feel tired.
Ran smiled, a moment of self consciousness catching up with
him. He scratched the base of his ponytail. “Uh…sorry. I’ll get out of your way
now,”
Ran thought about it a moment, then bent his knees low. He
felt the ki gather under him and he leapt…right to the top of the four story
building. He paused a moment, exhilarated by the jump, then looked over the
Middleton skyline.
Greenway Center,
formerly the Wisconsin Trade
Center, was the largest building in
the area, at around 30 stories. In a few moments, Nam
stood at the top of it, looking down.
He could really grow to like this.
Le Silve Apartments – Middleton,
WI
The first thing Ran noticed as he regained consciousness is that
the world was fuzzy. This in itself was not unusual. It was also damn early,
which was. However, his body was telling him that he wasn’t going back to sleep
anytime soon. Damn, I thought that tea
was decaf.
He closed his eyes and did his usual blind groping with his
left hand out to where his nightstand should be, trying to find where his
glasses on the stand.
This is where he came to two realizations.
One, his nightstand wasn’t there. This was because he had
apparently passed out crosswise on his bed, and his feet were on the floor.
Two, his glasses were on his face.
The hell??? Ran
sat up and shook his head. Things were still fuzzy. He quickly removed them and
grabbed a corner of the sheet to wipe the lenses.
That’s when he realized that the world was now clear - absolutely
crystal clear, for the first time in years. This was puzzling. Ran had been myopic
since he was seven, and even his current lenses didn’t clear every thing up.
But he could see every detail, every nuance of his room, without his glasses
on.
He also realized he was swimming in the T-Shirt and jeans he
had on. They were several sizes too large.
“What….the…fuck??”
Then he realized that the voice he just heard wasn’t his.
He threw off the clothes and ran into his bathroom. As soon
as he lights came on, he saw the difference.
There, standing in the mirror was a young Asian man in his
late teens. However, he had dark brown hair swept back into a long ponytail and
piercing blue eyes. He was clean shaven and had a wiry muscular tone of someone
who worked out a lot. As he moved, the man in the mirror moved…and that face….Ran
knew that face. He had seen it a hundred times in his head.
Ran was staring at Namoru Hayataki, his favorite creation.
“How the HELL did this happen?”
[I’d like to know
that myself.]
“Wha?” Ran jumped and looked around his bathroom. Whoever
that was just spoke…in his new voice.
[Whoa…easy there. You
can’t see me. I’m in your head. You should know, you created me, apparently.]
Ran froze. “Nam?”
[Yo!]
“You’re talking to me. In my head.”
[Hai. Last thing I
remember was taking on a council Arch Villian, then I blacked out. When I came
to, I was in here.]
“You’re taking this rather well.”
[Well, compared to
hell, this is a picnic. I miss Aiko, though. Apparently, she’s fictional, too.]
Ran heard a touch of bitterness in his voice. “I’m sorry.
Wait, how did you know?”
[It’s a nice place
you keep in here. Lots of masks. I found one of me, put in on for laughs, and
it apparently “broke my fourth wall”. I learned everything about myself.]
Ran thought about that. It made sense in a Freudian way. As
a Role Player he has assume the personalities of a lot of people, including
Namoru. He has to think and feel as that character. Like an actor, he has to
don the “mask” of that persona. In the transliteral world of his consciousness,
the masks would be real.
“I’m so sorry.”
[Don’t be. You’re an
author, telling a story. Without conflict and suffering, there’s no story. At
least I know you intended to give me my “happily ever after”.]
“Good. I was afraid you were going to kick my ass.”
[How could I,
Jackass! I’m you now. In a way, I
always was.]
“So I’m talking to myself.”
[Yeah….uh better not tell
anyone. They’ll lock you away.]
“Heh. So what happens now?”
[Well, I’ll be around
for bit, and eventually I assume I’ll fade into your subconscious, become one
with you…again. ‘Till then, I better show the ropes. It’s my body you’re in…and
you’re going to take care of this one, or I will
find some way to kick your ass. Got it?]
Ran sweatdropped. “Got it.”
[Good. Now getcher
ass outside. We got training katas to do.]
“Uh. I’m kind of naked.”
[Riiight. Put that
bathrobe on.]
“I could fit a family of five in that robe”
[Heh. Just put it
on.]
Ran slipped into the bathrobe. It was a gift from his mom
for his last birthday and now….he had exaggerated when he said he could fit a
family of five in it….but not by much. He looked like a kid in his parents
clothes.
[Close your eyes a
moment. Concentrate. Feel that energy? It’s your ki. Now…feel that ki along
your left arm? That huge grouping? That’s your personal storage space. Stick
your hand up your sleeve and reach into that spot…just like that.]
Ran was speechless. This was impossible…unbelievable…this
was awesome!
[Now, find the
clothing…there you go. And pull it out.]
Ran pulled out and looked down to see a pair of black
drawstring pants, a black T-Shirt, a green overtunic, a black belt and a pair
of black tabi boots. The overshirt had a logo, that of the Taoist Taijitu “yin-yang” symbols with a long asian
dragon stretched along the “S” of the symbol it’s arms and legs holding onto
the “pearls” on each side. The back had kanji out it, which to his surprise he could now read. It said “Hayataki School of
Martial Arts.”
Ran smiled. He
remembered designing that logo years ago when he first “made” Nam for Base’s NCH game. Quickly, he got dressed, and then
went out into the living room. On a whim, he walked out on the patio, and then leaped
over the rail and out into the grass. “Uh, what do I do now? And how can I read
Japanese?”
[I’m you and you’re me, remember? You can do everything I
can. Now! Hayataki school first kata! Begin!]
Muscle memory is a beautiful thing. Before Ran even knew he
was doing it, he was halfway through the first kata.
Again, Ran took a moment to bask in the sheer level of
awesomeness of being able to do this. He had always dreamed of being a martial
artist, but an accident he had suffered before high school that caused him to
spend two months flat on his back and gained a hundred pounds pretty much put
the kibosh on that. Plus, he just wan’t BUILT for it. Now, he was. Now he can.
It was wonderful. Sheer bliss.
[See? You know what I
do. All the forms and techniques.]
“So, why-“
[Don’t talk…think.
One mind, remember?]
So, why didn’t you
just take over. You’re certainly capable of it?
[This isn’t my world,
Ran. This is yours. You didn’t ask for this. It’s YOUR life and you deserve to
live it. I’m just your creation. You’re like a father to me, in a way, and I
couldn’t do that to family.]
Hey! I ain’t nothin’
like your old man!
Ran could hear snickering in his head. [No….no you ain’t. You’re like me. That’s another reason I couldn’t do
it. We’re just too much alike.]
Punch, block, kick, jump, sweep, dodge.
Thanks.
[No problem.]
Kick, lunge, duck, kick, sweep.
[So what are you
going to do with all this.]
Dunno yet. Fight
crime, maybe. Just live for the day.
[Good thinking. Just
take care of yourself.]
You got it.
Block, kick, dodge, punchpunchpunchpunch.
Small cracks sounded out as Ran’s hands lashed out like
whipcracks, breaking the sound barrier. Then he took the air in a leaping crane
kick, bouncing off a tree at the end of the kick, He paused a moment to look
around, and saw several of the lawn care people staring at him, jaws gaping
open in shock.
Of course, it was Monday. Lawn day. And he was in the way.
And judging by the time of day, he had been out there for hours already. Thing
is, he didn’t really feel tired.
Ran smiled, a moment of self consciousness catching up with
him. He scratched the base of his ponytail. “Uh…sorry. I’ll get out of your way
now,”
Ran thought about it a moment, then bent his knees low. He
felt the ki gather under him and he leapt…right to the top of the four story
building. He paused a moment, exhilarated by the jump, then looked over the
Middleton skyline.
Greenway Center,
formerly the Wisconsin Trade
Center, was the largest building in
the area, at around 30 stories. In a few moments, Nam
stood at the top of it, looking down.
He could really grow to like this.