Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Pt1

Summary:
November 15, 2014: Sho begins the first instruction of Nyx in the ways of Superheroes

Royville Textile Building in Gotham

The Royville Textile company was once a thriving business, but well now all that remains is a building. Thirty six stories of floors, most of which are occupied by small businesses. The top floor, well no it's occupied by a MOTHER FUCKING NINJA! It's a relatively large open floor, and it's sort of divided up into three sections. A mass of motorcycles, a repair bay and part storage off to one side. Racks and racks of weapons, from assault rifles to all manner of exotic ninja implements. The rest is what looks like a little Dojo, and really aside from a bathroom this place is pretty fucking sparse. It's also, alarmingly clean. There are operating rooms with more dust than this joint, despite how run down the building looks from the outside.


Characters

NPCs

  • None

Mood Music:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4]


The Royville Textile company was once a thriving business, but well now all that remains is a building. Thirty six stories of floors, most of which are occupied by small businesses. The top floor, well no it's occupied by a MOTHER FUCKING NINJA! It's a relatively large open floor, and it's sort of divided up into three sections. A mass of motorcycles, a repair bay and part storage off to one side. Racks and racks of weapons, from assault rifles to all manner of exotic ninja implements. The rest is what looks like a little Dojo, and really aside from a bathroom this place is pretty fucking sparse. It's also, alarmingly clean. There are operating rooms with more dust than this joint, despite how run down the building looks from the outside. It's here Nyx was to meet Sho, of course.

So of course he's present, fresh from the job it seems. A brilliantly tailored charcoal three piece suit, complete with a neat purple pocket square and matching tie. Even that undershirt is some flavor of purple, but lets be honest he pulls it off wonderfully. The bike he's pulled from the "boneyard" looks, well far less snazzy. It looks like it's been through the meat grinder, the body work is mostly missing and what is present has been broken. The front wheel is visibly bent, and there's wires hanging out of the poor poor thing like entrails.

Nyx picked up the ticket provided for her at will call on the mag-train line and pauses to look back at the train. First time she road that sucker and man oh man it is fast as hell. She makes her way through Gotham looking on the maps app on her really outdated smartphone until she gets to the Royville Textile company building "huh… well I suppose…." Nyx will intercom to get in, or pass security or whatever she has to do, and then ride up to the top floor in the elevator. "Ello?" she calls once off the elevator.

Sho reaches across to open the door, before offering a smile and a little bow. "How good you could make it, your right on time. The security code for this floor, is 11324. As you are my student, you may of course come here whenever you so desire. Today though, we will begin our work in earnest. I have a bike for you, and we will begin it's reconstruction immediately."Turning with a shrug, before heading to the ancient bike leaning somewhat precariously on it's kickstand. "It reminded me somewhat of you, actually."Pausing to take the keys from the ignition, before offering them towards Nyx. "It's yours now, and you're strong yes? How strong?"

Nyx steps inside past you once you offer up that info, she blinks and messes with her smartphone saving the security code until she can learn it. Tucking the phone away she smiles "cool." she quips looking around then following you to the ancient looking bike. She cocks her head to the right peering at it then at you now. "Uh.. very strong I guess." she accepts the keys "What did you want me to do?" she seems game.

Sho steps aside "Push it up onto the lift, and we'll get started. This is a 1985 Kawasaki GPZ-900R, yes Tom cruise rode one in top gun. It is heavy, very powerful and complicated. This one was stolen, and led police on a high speed chase for ninety miles before it ran out of gas. Then it sat in a police impound lot, from 1989 until today. Today, we will begin taking parts off. Then we will inspect them, figure out what can be saved and what must be replaced. Then we will find said parts, reassemble the bike and you will learn to ride it. Once you understand this, we will begin combat training. First comes the motorcycle, before anything else."Sho pauses there, doffing his jacket and tie before walking into the little mechanics bay and pointing to the bike lift on the floor. "The bike, is both your entry and escape plan. It allows you to decide when you are to fight, where you are to fight, whom you wish to fight and if necessary to flee. It can evade evil men, it can evade police, it can chase down bad guys, it can rush you to the side of an ally and when time comes it is ultimately disposable. You can park it, and walk away from it whenever is necessary to avoid entanglements. Once you know how they work, you can then replace the bike for pennies and keep it running for even less. Make sense so far?"

Nyx listens to all of that, walking around the bike and checking it out as you talk. She steps up and grabs it, one hand on the seat and the other to steer "It looks really fast. Isn't Tom Cruise the guy in the mission impossible movies?" she pushes the bike, effortlessly from the look of it, despite her relative shortness. "That makes sense I guess, not sure why it comes first but the bike makes a ton of sense for a hero."

Sho nods softly "because at first you will make mistakes, and you may need to flee. Also yes he was in that as well, and he's somewhat of a crazy Scientology. In any case, the bike is also means to spiritual enlightenment. Your brain generates Delta waves when riding, the same sorts of brain patterns you generate under meditation. It helps calm the heart, makes it easier to think under stress. Also they're totally cool."Slowly rolling up his sleeves, and well there's ink. Vibrant, wild ink no less. Full sleeves it looks like, done in that lovely Japanese style. "There is more to being a hero than fighting, there is stalking and chasing as well. So, use the six millimeter socket and begin removing the body panels and you can just set them aside whilst we talk. They are all garbage anyway."

Nyx nods "Don't really get why anyone buys into religion, especially crazy ones like Scientology when we know there are aliens and they aren't gods yah know." she steps over to the tools and puzzles for a little bit until she manages to find the one labelled six millimeter and then moves to crouch down and start to worry at the panels, never having done this before there is a bit of a learning curve. "Riding a bike is probably a lot easier to get around on in traffic too right."

Sho nods softly "Like a leaf on a fast flowing stream, traffic jams are no matter. Whilst you work though, let us speak seriously. This life is hard, and you will be tested. You must build yourself, before you can focus on aiding others. As the saying goes, when you find someone in a hole you should not jump down there with them. You must be stalwart, brave and unyielding. You must accept that you may die for this."

Nyx settles onto one her knees instead of crouching, and works on getting better angles for the panel she is working on "I'm told a lot that I am really stubborn." she is trying to be very careful and not strip the bolt she is working on wrenching. "As for dangerous… I can live in my parents house and work a fry cook.. wasting this gift.. or I could go into construction and demolish buildings… or I could rip off ATMs.. or I could try to help out and try to be a hero." she looks over to you "I've watched the battles on the net and television, I know villains are mostly evil psychos, but my life isn't that great right now either."

Sho nods softly "Well, there are plus sides. You'd be surprised how much money evil man carry about their person, because they don't trust the banks. These men use this money to forward their schemes, so is it not in the communities best interest that they are deprived of it? This is a delicate issue with many, but I take cash and give it to my temple all the time."

Nyx somehow manages to get the first one off now, without stripping anything or breaking the panel "Crap this thing is on there good." she starts on the next panel "Huh I didn't think about that.. I guess they don't really trust anyone… do you think that is how batman got his awesome tech?" she looks over to you.

Sho shrugs "lots of money in this, from many places. Government, private fans, the money you take from your enemies, some teams pay their members. As I serve a religious order, the Lord Fujin. I send money back, but it takes all kinds. I've never met Batman, or most really. I'm sort of a Ninja, so I usually go to great lengths to meet as few people as possible. My reputation, my mask, my sword. Many believe I am something, which I am not."

Nyx taps the wrench and the bolt "I think this one is totally rusted on… I think forcing it may strip it or snap the bolt?" she eyes it. "Your reputation is you've killed dozens and speculate you are some form of Japanese demon spirit." she grins to you "I like the ink, what does it mean?"

"I know what they say, and skip that bolt I will attend to it." As Sho produces an impact wrench, and a mallet. One, two blows and poof it comes right out. "It is a mark of sacrifice, for the life I would have held had I not been chosen. It is also a mark of armor, it protects my soul from curses and ensures the Lord Fujin can see my deeds. I never had any choice, in being what I am."

To her credit, Nyx does watch what Sho does so she can see how to handle those bolts when she runs into the next one. She does seem to be acting very carefully with the wrench on the next bit of paneling. "Yeah I kind of have a growing appreciation to being chosen and just being this way now." she sets the next panel aside and is making better time as she moves to the next. "Curses, so it is magic like spirit stuff. Who is Lord Fujin?"

"Lord Fujin is the God of wind, Lord Rajin the god of storms is his great friend. The village where I am from worships Fujin, and our historic rivals worship Rajin. So they raise Ninja, to see who's village can produce the best Ninja. I fight in his name, and I am granted power."Stepping aside to lean back against his table. "Magic is very real, and all around you. It can be harnessed as a weapon, in Japan the curse is the most powerful of these and they are not to be trifled with."

Nyx looks to you once more, then pivots around to the other side of the bike to work on the last panel now. She wiggles and worries things apart now. "Magic is pretty cool, curse proofing seems really useful. A couple of the Titans use magic. Hell one of Bobby's teammates is named Magik and has a magic sword, not sure what that deal is… some people speculate mutants are different than others genetically… but meta is pretty meta I think. So you service the god of the wind, why are you in Gotham"

"Because my reputation got in front of my work in Tokyo. Fans would dress up as me, villains would think I was them. Others would become villains, if only to get close to me. Many more would just intervene, and spoil things. It became very shameful, and it could not be permitted to continue."Shrugging softly, before Sho steps away to source Sodas! Offering one to Nyx, before opening his own. "Lord Fujin, he likes to be referred to by name and title."

Nyx sets the last panel aside now and then shifts up to her feet and accepts the soda with a grin. "Thanks." she pauses a beat "Sorry, Lord Fujin got it. Fans have to be a mixed blessing. Though I think Batman has the same problem.. maybe not people copying his style.. though there is a batgirl.. and a lot of others… but villains appearing out of the wood work. So you may not escape it here for long."

Sho shrugs "I am permitted to kill, just not easily or lightly. If this problem returns, I will be forced to slay opponents rather than merely breaking their bones. I sometimes think perhaps the Punisher, does more work than the batman at the end of the day. In this regard, I surely wont influence you. Being lethal or not is a decision for you, not me."

Nyx considers "Well.. I guess it depends. The Punisher is pretty much wanted by the law, thoguh he has alot of blogs dedicated to him." she sips her soda now. "I imagine most criminals should probably be locked up. I'm pretty sure even Captain America would kill those Hydra guys though in the middle of a war right?" she muses "Why is it supervillains escape prison so much?"

"The Partisan, The Punisher, Captain America, many seem to be lethal. As to why, well it's simple really. These men often play are on an entirely different level from the police, so why should we expect prison to hold them? If they did not return, it would be another, and another. There is no stopping, just resisting."Sho shrugs some. "Hydra aren't criminals, they're soldiers. Important distinction."

Nyx finishes her soda and sets the can aside now and eyes the bike. "Good point, I suppose there is a big distinction between bank robbers and paramilitary forces and terrorists?" she looks back to you "Aren't there super prisons… and I wonder why out of that list Captain America is like the greatest hero to the press and the other two are murdering vigilantes…"

Sho smiles broadly "Now your asking the good questions. Cap, because he's America's soldier. The Partisan, is some flavor of terrorist who seems to be on our side. The Punisher, some random vigilante. They all do very similar things, but their personas cast them very differently don't they?"

Nyx huhs and nods lightly "Well that makes sense, cap is a war hero and the other two have no claim to fame other than killing people… hopefully bad guys but yeah." she looks to the bike "So what now?" not tired, though she does pull a protein bar out of her pocket and starts to nibble.

Sho nods "Seat, then you can just rip all that wiring out of there. Battery box, headlight, turn signals. All the little stuff, then we will remove wheels, brakes, swingarm, fork, handlebars and finally engine and transmission. Then we will clean, study and construct a list."gesturing for Nyx to proceed, no he doesnt expect her to have any idea how to put it together. Taking things apart though, that's easier. "You should meet those you can, and ask them perhaps."

Nyx checks out the bike closer, looking under it and around it, then grabbing an additional tool she may need. She heads back and goes to work with the socket wrench. Yeah she is definitely making faster time now that she has a feel for the bolt and how much force is safe to apply. She is just ripping through those bolts and fastenings, very strong but also pretty precise it seems, fine motor skills. "Meet people who can what ans ask them what?" not following.

"Why, why do they fight. Why do they use as much force as they do, why their costume looks the way it does. Some will answer, some will be flippant and some will not answer but it costs nothing to ask. Knowing, is important. You must equip yourself with every tool at your disposal Sam, knowing Why can be a very powerful weapon. It can explain so much, and requires so little from you in return."Sho watches passively, offering no advise beyond what is requested.

Letting her do the work indeed. "The most powerful warrior I ever met was a, well sometimes hero who called himself Aces Wild. He was handsome, articulate, fast, powerful, agile, supernaturally durable and gifted in combat almost as much as I am. He was a supreme combatant, and those days we fought alongside one another I counted myself fortunate indeed. The days we fought, it was always amongst the most violent, brutal and difficult fights I have ever had. He was the one man in this world I have met, who came close to matching me in skill. I asked him why, and he always declined to say. Once, we fought when he robbed a bank. I broke his arm with a sacred sword technique, he broke my sword. I dislocated his shoulder, and he broke all the ribs on my right side. It was a knock down drag out fight, too closely matched for a single blow to end it on either side. We both knew too well how to avoid a fight ending connection, and so we just broke each other apart. I was all but rescued by a then compatriot of mine, A very powerful witch known as The Reckoning. She also had this enormous crush on me, and it hurts my heart that I was unable to return these feelings."Sho pauses there with a clap."Anyway, she took my beating very personal. She dragged me from the battlefield, and she tended to my wounds without removing my mask. Then she set out, and tracked down him down intent on murdering him. He was a Literature teacher, who grew up a destitute Orphan. The school dealt with orphaned and the poorest of children, and was always in danger of closing. Yet at the last minute, the school always had just enough money to stay open. Of course I could not defeat this man, he fought for a cause greater than my own. I fought for the glory of another, he fought for the livelihood of three hundred children."

Nyx continues to work, but she is listening very carefully as she piles up all of the parts. She is making piles of nuts, bolts, parts, as she methodically peels the bike apart now. She pauses at the battery and then moves onto the wiring and inner parts, making a pile of it next. "Huh, so did the witch lay off when she saw he was just doing it to protect and save those children?" she eyes a wire that seems to be attached in a way she can't see, then she starts to remove the headlight. "That is a really good point there. I wonder how many of them will talk and why the ones that talk will talk… but no risk .. well unless they take offense and hulk smash…. hey do you know if hulk actually says hulk smash?"

Sho just shrugs "Miyamoto Musashi instructs us to know ten thousand things, from one thing. Ask and wonder, if they take offense then they're fools and you've learned not to associate with them. The point is, ask. When you see something you don't understand, ask. Questions like "Hey is that a landmine" or "How do I seal a gunshot wound", should be asked immediately. As for the hulk, I've never met him but it's possible."

Nyx eyes the motorcycle now once more, checking both tires there. She leans in and flips the bike down onto it's side now, effortlessly and starts to remove the two wheels now. "And.. there we go… " she sets them aside "well I got no problem asking lots of questions.. I don't know a lot so it'll come easy I guess right?" she grins over to you.

Sho nods sagely "You're learning already. See last night you told me you were too stupid to know anything, now you're stripping a motorcycle and following the inner thread of our discussion. We're discussing deep wisdom here, and you have no problems following along. Ignorance, is not stupidity. We both know stupid people who know very much, and very clever people who dont know anything."

Nyx snorts lightly eyeing all the parts "I'll be the first to admit Im not following everything you are saying…. but unscrewing bolts.. not to hard.. not sure this thing will ever go back together though… or what any of it does." she is being bluntly honest there. "Thanks though." for the pep talk maybe.

Sho smiles "My parents run a Honda dealership back in Japan, I grew up riding and wrenching. We'll get everything put back together no problem, trust in me Sam. You've put all these limitations on yourself about what you can and can not do, this is false thinking. Today you are in the secret lair of a Ninja, working on a motorcycle, and you are his student. Is this not wild enough already?"

Nyx grins at you "I guess you are right… though if you teach me how to use a sword or stuff.. we will need a really strong sword so it doesn't snap" doesn't really know how swords work that well. She looks at all the parts "I think I got it all apart now though…. wasn't so bad once I figured out I just had to undo everything.. unbolt unscrew unclasp… un… um there have to be more un words… undo… un.. hm"

"Unfasten. Anyway, no it isn't very hard. As for swords, no. Hand to hand, of course. Well and some dirty ninja tricks. Now come on up here, and lets get down to the nitty gritty. Also, should I order a Pizza?"


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