[Satyata]

The moment the Master spoke the word "begin" Satyata's heart skipped a beat and continued to quicken itself. Until that moment he had not been entirely sure if the Master had decided to be his guide or not. With torrents of joy washing away all uncertainty, all he could do was fight to keep his emotions in check. The battle lasted only short moments, but he was certain that the master would be able to puzzle out what had caused his hesitation.

As if to make up for time lost to his foolishness, the youth half-jumped into position before his instructor. Now I look the fool! He scolded himself silently, but kept calm on the surface, as always. Calm.....calm within. Patience... calm. His meditative practices surfaced on his mind as a solution to the situation in which he had found himself. His focus shifted from worry of the Master's view of him to the steady rhythm of his breathing. Deep breaths slowed his heart and calmed a wild mind.

"Apologies, Master. I do not possess your control." Red bloomed on his dark cheeks and he bowed deeply to keep Kimsan's eyes from catching that little detail.

Without giving his Master any chance to further solidify negative thoughts of him, Satyata immediately copied Kimsan's stance to perfection, making minor adjustments to the position of each appendage until he was a near mirror of the monk. He hesitated for a short moment before allowing the pads of his fingers to touch his Master's. It was the first real human contact he had had in the months since the death of his parents. Sadness glanced off the cool void of his mind, but he gave it no opportunity to return again.

He inhaled sharply as the pure, brilliant energy burned through his being. New sensations were coming faster than he could adapt to them. First the viewing of the Rasha'shing and now this rejuvenating flame to throw him off his stride. Satyata could only assume adaptation was part of the testing and training. However, he hadn't the time to contemplate these things, as he soon found that his Master had continued on as his own mind wandered. It didn't take long to recall the few things which had passed him by, but those seconds still made it appear as if he hadn't been listening as closely as he believed necessary.

Rather than attempt to cover his slip, the boy simply moved into the basic stance. No one needed to remind him how sacred these teachings were. Even the most hardened individual in the monastery would be hard pressed to instill more respect in him for what he was learning here. With this in mind he shifted his basic stance into 'The Frog'. He did his best to will the 'Ra' to shift and coil as the Master had explained. The desire to release the coiled energy pressed on him, but he let it bounce off his hardened shell and continued into the next stance.

The kemite shifted feet to best mimic the master, then moved his body until the position felt most natural and balanced. After following the practice 'attacks' on the air, he returned to the basic, then went straight to 'Crane'. The weight shift on this one took somewhat better balance and he stumbled for a moment before catching himself and setting himself back on it. "May I ask why these particular stances must be known well, Master?" He spoke as he finished his balancing on the last stance. Satyata had no intention of disobeying or doubting the master - he was simply curious.