New Beginning 22: Once Upon a New Beginning...

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 "Dang." The Penultimate grins, "Marv got you good. Guess it's back to training or you."

Brutus crosses his arms, with a frown, "I could have taken him."

"If not for the Kaleido-Quartz Graveyard." The Penultimate replied, "Gotta admit, that's new. Now, how bout you hush up, and join me back in the stands? Thinks have gotten interesting since you took that wallop."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Suzu walks over to Brutus and taps him on the shoulder, "Nice to meet you. So then your Brutus? My name's Suzu."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Brutus blinks, and then reaches over for a handshake, "Indeed. Brutus Bonaparte. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Suzu accepts the handshake looking straight at Brutus as she squeezed his hand with just the right amount of firmness and pumped his hand once as she responded, "So then I hear that you're the Butler of that Penultimate guy. I have pretty much the same job as you only I'm Head Maid for my mistress. Want to talk business?"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Brutus cocks an eyebrow, half intrigued, half suspicious, "...What sort did you have in mind? Knowing my master, I would assume nothing like ordinary servant work."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"I was thinking maybe stuff like combat or making sure that our subordinates are ready for all possibilities. Nothing much."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Mhm. I figured as much." Brutus puts a hand on his chin, "So, ready for any possibility, eh? I'm pretty sure I know what you're getting at, but before I get ahead of myself, why not come out with it? I'd hate to jump the gun, and presume your motives wrongly."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Suzu smiles broadly, "At least you can understand that I'm trying to get information out of you as to the defenses around your master. I can count the number of good servants I've met who could understand that on one hand, including you and me."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Well, he didn't hire simply anyone to his staff, that much is for sure." Brutus crosses his arms, "I was selected from an elite class of servants specifically trained to double as bodyguards, or for that matter, for any purpose the Penultimate could want. And having neither magic nor superhuman abilities, I and a few fellow students had to more than make up for the handicap. You could easily say that I and my fellow servants are a few of those defenses you seek to locate."

[Zaleramancer]

A disembodied voice says, "Go easy on the furniture!"

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"I see. That's always good to know. From what I could see, you were drawing upon divine powers though even if you don't have magic, or was that the sword you wield, doing those techniques itself?"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Brutus looks down and pats Babaraina's sheath with a growing grin, "The Greatsword Babaraina is full of surprises. With that, I wholly admit that I'm only a humble vessel for it's vast supernatural capabilities. Without it, I have only human capabilities, and my weapons and fighting training."

"Oh, Brutus, I do love humility on you. It's a good look." The Penultimate chuckles, "I arranged so that numerous martial arts could be taught to him, when he more than mastered all the training given to the other students. His masters said the extra work would keep him from being bored, so when the basic stuff was all accomplished, I moved him on to more unorthodox training...exotic weapons, alien fighting styles. Hehe, I bet he'll never forget learning Equus Bellum, or the Eight-Finger Half-Past-Dead technique."

A gasp escaped Brutus' mouth, and the Penultimate looked over. Indeed, the Eight-Finger Half-Past-Dead technique must have been still fresh in the butler's memory.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"Martial Arts, eh? Do you know any supernatural ones?"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"I learn what my body allows." is Brutus' coy reply, "And what others' bodies allow. Harnessing my chi for power, and centering chakras and things of that sort are the closest I get to supernatural, without Babaraina. Or any other object the Penultimate allows me to use."

[Zaleramancer]

"Doubtful." Mumbled the disembodied voice.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"Using chi or 'ki' as my Mistress' people call it, is exactly what I'm talking about. That's how Combat tech works for the most part. There's a single part of it that our people lost knowledge of and have been desperately tring to regain, but to no avail. From what we can tell, it doesn't use ki, but is nonetheless a part of Combat Tech anyway."

[Zaleramancer]

"My shadow's getting restless. Can it join your scuffle? It'll make things entertaining, I assure you."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"We've gained a bit of lost knowledge here and there." The Penultimate volunteers, "Though, a great deal, I've based off of my own improvisation. Like the previously-mentioned Eight-Finger Half-Past-Dead technique. I would explain it, and similar training I've given old Brutus here, but I doubt he would be a willing guinea pig for a repeat performance of last time. Perhaps, some other day, I can pass the tip on to your Mistress, and she can pass it on to you."

Brutus turns to face (face?) the disembodied voice, his face twisting up in confusion, "Your shadow? Wants to fight?"

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Suzu grimaces, "That doesn't sound so fun. I think that Mistress doesn't need to learn about that. Lost arts are so hard to find and almost never what one's looking for though unfortunately. Based on what you said, other than improvisation, how'd you manage to find so many?"

[Zaleramancer]

"My damn shadow always wants to fight. Ask your boss."