First Day (Vahn/Invite)

[Leon DeHay]

The wind blew through the top of the mountain, though it was warm, and fair, as it was just past the last days of summer. It had not reached the biting chill of winter yet, and so Leon sat upon the edge of a cliff in a simple shirt, complete with sweatpants. He wore no shoes, preferring the feel of the earth under his feet, and all he had brought with him was his duel disc and his newly-made deck.

He stretched and shook his head, his hair being held in a large pony-tail behind his head, letting out a yawn as he waited for his teacher to show. He had come fairly early, but enjoyed the view from the mountain, and so he had just decided to wait for Vahn Gale, the Red Dragon, to show for Leon's first day of training under him.

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[Vahn Gale]

"You're early. I half expected you to not show up at all, kid."

Vahn was sitting up on a small plateau several feet higher then where Leon was standing, looking down at him and taking a sip from a cup. Was it tea? Sake? Dr.Pepper? No one would ever know. Vahn had been there since daybreak, as he usually spent his time either wandering aimlessly around the island looking dramatic, or locking himself up in his room. It was amusing to see that Leon has actually came all the way up here. Vahn didn't expect someone of his character to have the principles to follow through with their words. Still, he was far from safe. Hopefully today he would show more potential then he did at their last encounter.

[Leon DeHay]

Leon stood up, facing Vahn and looking up at him. "Better to be early than to be late." He continued looking up at him, then folded his arms, removing his sunglasses and slipping them into his pocket. "I was thinking about this lesson since we talked...and it dawned on me that this isn't only going to be about cards, is it? You're not that kind of person. You're going to instill in me philosophical virtues, lessons, much more than just talk about cardboard pieces of paper." Leon could be intelligent. Sometimes.

[Vahn Gale]

Two long hours had passed in which Vahn subjected Leon to numerous mental exercises. Before they could proceed, Leon's mind clearly needed some cultivating. Along the way Vahn had forbidden Leon to use his duel disk in training and therefore they regressed to the ultimate form of old school - simply using cards.

"The first principle is based on intuition. Without it all of your other skills are sorely diminished, even useless. However I must admit, you are not as slow a learner as I thought. Compared to the other day, you are now infinitely better. Still, you are only just a beginner. We have a long way to go."

Vahn said as he shuffled his cards, putting his deck back into his coat then raises his cup of sake and taking a sip from it. Throughout their exercises Vahn had already gone through about two jugs of sake, but that wasn't unusual for him.

"Your deck is sub par, and even though it is your deck you don't fully understand it."

He said drinking yet again then putting the cup down.

"But that's something for another time."

[Leon DeHay]

It was intense mental training. He had attempted to predict Vahn's moves in every way, some of the time succeeding, others being completely wrong, and suffering for it. After what seemed days to him, but was only a couple of hours, they were done. He sighed and picked up his deck, looking through the cards. It was true, he had just started using it, and still hadn't caught the swing of it yet. He sighed and slipped the deck into his case at his belt, contemplating on it for a second.

He was thinking of some new modifications he might add to it, but for now he would just stick with it as he could. He looked up at his teacher, frowning and unfolding his arms."So, you gonna pour me some of that?"

[Vahn Gale]

Vahn chuckled at Leon's request as he raised his sake tray to drink once again. This boy was certainly thick headed, though everyone has been at some point in their life. Hopefully Leon would make for a worthy successor someday, but for now he was still just a fledgling. It seemed like he was already under a lot of mental strain, they were however only getting started for the day.

"Spring brings cherry blossoms to comfort you. The summer stars, the harvest moon in fall, and the powdered snow in winter - all of these things, and the promise of them, is what makes sake taste so good."

He mused and then finished off what was left in the tray and put it back down

"One day you will understand this and then I shall pour sake for the both of us."

[Leon DeHay]

Leon watched as his teacher finished the last of the sake in his tray and frowned slightly. But, it was better not to argue, so he only listened and nodded. Why did he have to be so philisophical? It was confusing sometimes. But it only made him more resolved. If he could be like Vahn Gale...well, that was a dream worth working for. He just shrugged and nodded, folding his arms and looking up at the sky. The sun was starting to lower, and he watched as it slowly dropped down the sky, gracefully and slowly.

[Vahn Gale]

"We're finished for now. You may leave to rest and get something to eat. We will resume in three hours."

Leon seemed to show a lot more promise then Vahn had initially thought. perhaps he wasn't such a buffoon after all. Vahn has fully expected him to have broken under the pressure by now and left, but the errant student persisted. An investment was beginning to come into view.

"Leave your duel disk before you go. You won't be needing it."

[Leon DeHay]

Leon blinked. Then shrugged. It was just a duel disc. He set it on the ground, then stood up, stretching. Maybe he'd head to the cafe and get some food. Nodding at his teacher, he departed down the mountain path, hands in his pockets. Damn, he was hungry. His stomach growled to emphasize his thoughts as he rubbed it. Training was hard work so far...