riverviewlogs | (no subject)

who: Elizabeth Bennet and you
what: Bits of every day life
when: Throughout the end of September
where: Various places mentioned in prompts
notes: Starting with prose, but will match formats for replies.

Training ground:

With many of those in patrol having gone through the portal home, Elizabeth had been taking more shifts at patrol duty, and looking to see how else she might help. She hoped that taking medical courses at university might let her lend aid in other branches of the guard, more than just taking on patrol duty.

Her training though, that was routine she would never break from. Her warm up always considered of kung-fu forms and combinations, before she moved to the more practical means of combat. Either training with the rifle gifted to her by Cable, with the sword or dagger, or with the training dummies in various spots.

Of course, she'd also welcome a sparing partner if anyone inquired.

Restaurant:

Once a week, Elizabeth liked to treat herself at one of the restaurants, preferably what the Moon considered chinese. Not the sort she was used to of course, but close enough for her to appreciate it.

She usually brought some books as well, a chance to get to in some reading while she ate. Meals by herself often felt like sad affairs, so any way to keep her mind busy without company was welcomed. Along with several dishes and a bowl of rice, she tried not to make a mess of things as she ate.

Her table was by the window, and so when she saw someone she knew, she waved them over. There was more than enough to share after all.

Wild Card: if there's a spefic prompt you want, PM this journal or send a plurk at

Rschwartz501

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The server gave him an odd look at the order, but nevertheless nodded and made the notes on their pad.

Elizabeth smirked as he sat down. "Well, the length of travel would take around thirty-forty days at a time, mostly on a ship, weather depending. Father had spent his youth there, so he would take the time to teach us the language before arrival. The ports we stopped to restock were in the countries of Africa and India, before arriving in China, though, thankfully most had gone that route before, so it wasn't entirely just with the native population."

The server arrived with some extra rice as well as a small cup and tea for Harry. Elizabeth allowed him a moment to pour himself a cup before continuing.

"Compared to India especially, China wasn't nearly so hot or overcrowded. The people there respected privacy and minded their own business so long as you returned the courtesy. Still, the hardest part of the travels was always getting to the actual temple, as even if you secured carriages, the path was always through the mountains and thus always rough. To stop by an inn, so long as it appeared clean, was always a relief as it meant a temporary rest from traveling."

"Temple?" Harry's interest is piqued. "What manner of temple? I cannot recall—is it Buddhism that is the chief religion there?"

"A sect of Buddhism, yes." She clarified. "It is, difficult to really explain, but the form of Buddhism they practice, called 'zen' is one focuses on meditation and mindful breathing. My sisters and I did not study the history or teachings, as we were not there to be nuns, but most mornings we were called to join in meditation, especially before exercises."

Which compared to the rest of their training, learning to meditate was a welcome respite indeed.

"You must have seen much that few from our land have seen—well, at least in my day and yours," Harry says. "I confess to a certain amount of envy. Though had our journey made it to the East, I don't know that we would have been able to stay so long as to stop over at a monastery."

He rather thinks that some of the crew would have been downright opposed, in any case—Irving, for instance. Thinking of Irving reminds him not only of the expedition, but also the visions that plagued him during the exploration of the abandoned compound; he tries to cover his sudden consternation by turning his attention to the tea.

"It is not uncommon," She answered. "As I have said earlier, most prefer to train in Japan. Traveling to the orient is seen..do men in your time still go on the Grand Tour? It is the same, but rather than exploration and leisure, it is to study the deadly arts."

She wondered if she might be an old, senile woman before she forgot the lessons of her masters-most in part to the physical pain at the end of each day. "You might have enjoyed it. There is a sort of serenity to the temple and the monks that live there."

"Those who can go abroad do, yes," Harry said. "My youngest brother wanted—wants to study on the continent. Though to study medicine, not combat. So that is where you learned ... your skills?"

She helped herself to some larger dishes, setting a few pieces in her rice bowl. "Yes, in the Henan province. The first few months were not about combat, but conditioning the body, and I can tell you the that as soon as one set of muscles was no longer hurting, they would have us work on building another part of us. All of this, and training in reflexes, before we even started learning the techniques."

Even now, after all this time, she could still remember how her muscles ached at night. "Nights were the worst, especially at the start of every lesson, for just how much we weren't used to it. My eldest sister, Jane, she was the only one who never cried, not outloud anyway, but then, that was always her nature to never attract attention to herself."

"It is never easy, training the body to do something to which it isn't accustomed," Harry said. He smiled a little. "I recall once on the expedition, I offered to help pull a sledge. 'There's nothing more natural than pulling weight', I was told. Well, I stumbled and fell after half a dozen steps, and that night felt as if I'd been rolled down a hill."