“Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya,” she replied. “My dad says it’s the best.”
“No, t’ai chi is the best. My Quasing invented it. It’s the Grand Supreme Fist.”
“You’re just waving your arms and walking funny.”
“That wasn’t t’ai chi. That was Ba Gua, and I bet it’s better than Samoz… samsoz…”
The known name for it is Sambo.
Their squabble degenerated into a shouting match on the front lawn until Jill and Vladimir appeared from the kitchen. Both of them just stood there and watched as Alex kept making fun of Tao’s style. Why did his mom look amused? This girl was a Genjix! What was she doing here, anyway?
Things are a little different these days. It seems not all Genjix are bad anymore.
“That’s not what you always tell me.”
I do not agree with that assessment either, but it does seem the lines between the two factions have blurred somewhat.
“I’m going to go finish my training elsewhere,” he said lamely, his ears burning. This wasn’t how he imagined his first conversation with her would turn out. For some reason, since those Genjix came, he had been thinking about her a lot. He hadn’t had a chance yet to talk to her, because the Genjix refugees had stayed locked up in the safe house until this morning. Mom had decided that it was time to trust the refugees and let them upstairs to the farmhouse.
Now with his dad gone with Uncle Marco, and his mom always running ops, this girl had no one to bother but him. Ten minutes after he had stomped off, he caught sight of her still watching him while he tried to rerun his form. Something about the way she looked at him made him squirm.
Cameron eventually called it quits and climbed the large tree in the middle of the open field. This was his favorite reading spot. It reminded him of his father. Roen had tried to build a tree house when Cameron first moved here. Cameron had had to remind him that he was no longer eight years old. Still, it made him feel a little better that his old man had made the effort. His father was like that guy whose aim was always a few centimeters off the mark, no matter how hard he tried. But the thing was, he never stopped trying. Cameron appreciated that, even if Roen embarrassed him to no end.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cameron saw her walking back to the house, and his blood boiled. The worst part was, he didn’t know why he was so mad. For as long as he could remember, Tao had always emphasized being calm and in control. When they were constantly on the run, Tao was there to soothe his many crying nights. When he got pulled out of school, Tao had assured him things were going to be okay. When he was lonely with no one to play with, Tao was there. He had learned to just be calm. His training demanded it. Tao demanded it. And he was good at it. But somehow, this girl – this Genjix – made him so mad just by saying a few words.
Cameron, it is all right. Perfectly natural, even.
“I don’t like feeling like this, Tao.”
Maybe that is what has been missing in our training. I have spent so many years suppressing you. Maybe it is time I try another approach. Stand up and do your form.
“I’m on top of a tree branch!”
No kidding. Just do it. Old-frame-Chen. This time, I do not want you to push your emotions down. I want you to keep them close to you. Lift them to your head and let those emotions flow with your qi. Be here but also find the calm in the storm.
Cameron had no idea what Tao was talking about; he had just proposed Cameron do exactly the opposite of their training. Still, he had been with Tao long enough to know to just follow directions, or at least try to. Standing on the tree branch that was barely wider than his two feet side by side, Cameron began to run through the old form, stumbling a few times on the rough and uneven surface. His form was awful, since he was distracted by his still simmering anger, and the fact that he had to try to maintain his balance high up off the ground.
After nearly falling off the branch a couple of times, he settled down and worked through the movements. Three-quarters of the way through the form, something unexpected happened; Cameron reached out and grabbed a small branch adjacent to him, except he wasn’t the one to do it. Cameron stopped and stared at his hand.
“Tao, was that you?”
Yes, Cameron.
“How is that possible? I’m totally awake.”
I think you and I might have found something out, something significant in human and Quasing relationships. This could be a breakthrough. We will need to experiment more. However, this is enough training today. I have another lesson to teach you, something possibly even more important.
“Yeah? What is it?”
I want you to climb down and talk to Alex. We are going to practice talking to girls.
“I don’t -”
Just go.
Cameron found her in the living room a few minutes later. She sat on the floor with the pieces of his father’s sniper rifle scattered all around her. She was using a washcloth and a bottle of gun oil to methodically wipe down each of the components. She obviously knew her way around that rifle. He felt a tinge of jealousy when he saw that. That sniper rifle was strictly off-limits to him.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing?”
Alex didn’t bother looking up. “It’s filthy. You should take better care of your guns.”
“I…”
Go ahead. Just like we talked about.
“Hey, I mean, I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
Alex stopped what she was doing and looked up. There was a long pause. She grimaced, much in the same way Cameron did when Tao told him to do something he didn’t want to do. Finally, she spoke. “Tabs wants me to…” She stopped again. “I’m sorry, too, for calling you a betrayer.”
He sat down next to her. “Do you know how to put the rifle back together when you’re done?”
Alex held up the barrel piece. “Your bore is filthy. You have copper fouling.” She held up a rag. “The dagwood sandwich here is bad.”
For the rest of the morning, Alex helped him clean the family’s entire rifle cabinet. He learned right away that it was one of her pet peeves. She had this urge to always keep guns clean. Cameron thought it was a strange habit, since he always considered gun-cleaning a chore he had to do when he got into trouble.
“Tell me about your t’ai chi and Ba Gua thing,” she asked after they had finished taking apart and cleaning the last gun. “Tabs says it’s really hard.”
Cameron’s chest puffed out a little. “It is. Tao says I learned it faster -”
Easy there. That will not get you anywhere with her.
“Cameron, lunch,” his mom called from the kitchen. “Get Alex, too.”
“I mean I can show you after lunch. Maybe we can spar a bit.”
“I would like that,” she said.
The two got off the living room floor and moved their conversation to the kitchen. Jill, Rin, Ohr, and Vladimir were already there. His mom was setting out a plate of meatloaf and potatoes while Ohr and Rin were setting the plates.
Pull the chair out for her.
Tao flashed an image of a Victorian formal dinner party. He pulled out a gold trimmed chair for a lady wearing a funny white wig and made a grandiose gesture to her. She flashed him a smile and sat down.
Cameron dutifully complied and tried to imitate that same gesture. He caught his mom looking at him funny and he blushed. He waited until Alex sat down before he took the seat across from her.
Good. I think this is a good time to teach you a new game. It is called how to act like a gentleman and impress the girl…
11 Two Peas in a Pod
Timestamp: 2666