#centered chaos

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow

Yelena figured it must be nice to not have a dependency on technology. Perhaps it made it easier to be present, to have a clearer mind. He wasn’t plagued by the toxicity, didn’t have to witness the horrors caused by mankind. Well, she couldn’t be fully certain. She was sure Davos has lived quite an interesting life. The way he spoke, he sounded as though he was a man with plenty of life experience and advice to give from said experiences. “A computer phone. I have one of those too.” Several, actually, but it was a detail she could leave out. “Ah, well.. google is all you need sometimes if you want to search for someone. Or something. Anything, really.” The search engine had come in handy more than once when on missions. She could accept the shrug as a form of consent but she figured it just meant he didn’t mind. She wondered what might come up if she typed the name Davos into a search engine. Was that even his real name? Was it a name he used to conceal his identity? It was possible. She nodded, agreeing to his conditions. “I can agree to that,” she said. “Though, I don’t think you have to worry. If I ask questions, I’ll ask you. You seem like an honest person, yeah?”  She couldn’t say the same for herself but she knew how to dodge a question if she felt it was slightly too personal.

Despite Davos brushing away his questions, they still lingered in Yelena’s mind. She wondered if anyone under the dome’s control woke up and had a full understanding of their powers. Or did everyone wake up feeling lost and as though they had no idea what was happening? The latter was a bit more likely than the former. Yelena wanted to believe she had a good grasp on her powers but even when she was distracted, things still happened; flowers still bloomed, vines still moved. It was as though she took one step forward and two steps back.

Now it was her turn to shrug. “Well, I try my best. I feel like I’ve been all over the city now trying to revive all the withering plants. Trust me, I’m trying to add a bit more life into this place.” So far, she feels as though she’s done a decent job. “Do you want to take some flowers home with you? I can always send some to you.” She offered. “The flowers are good for adding a bit of color.” She knew from experience. Her apartment was now as lively as can be with all sorts of flowers of all different shades and hues.

Her lips quirked up into a slight grin as Davos promised not to judge her. It was all she could ask for. After all, she would only be trying her best. “Please, I’m sure you’re a great teacher.” She assured him. “And I know teachers, I’ve dealt with some.. mean, mean teachers. So far, you’re doing pretty good.”

Yelena tried her best not to fidget with the flowers as she sat straight on the grass, listening to Davo’s instructions. She focused on her breathing, following the exercises as he spoke the instructions out loud. Funny enough, it was working. She felt.. relaxed. Centered. “Um, fine.” She said softly. “Calm. That was supposed to happen, right?”

Davos appreciated that Yelena was willing to ask him questions about what she found. He was unsure what would be recorded about him or what it would mean to someone of their society. He’d had his fair share of cultural misunderstandings with everyone of seemingly every economical level of their society and he had only begun to understand the structural differences between his people and those that now surrounded him. 

“I endeavor to be and honest man, yes,” Davos agreed. “I am a straightforward person. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. If I make a promise, I will do all I can to keep it. If I make an oath, I would sooner die than break it,” he told her simply. When driven by grief and the the pain of betrayal, he had strayed but no more. He would no longer let such things change or control him. When Yelena offered her flowers to him, Davos hesitated. “I mean no disrespect when I tell you that I am hesitant with offerings I do not feel bound to accept. Your flowers are beautiful and in truth I have been gifted several which I keep and care for where I stay. My worry is that I do not know how many of them, or if any of them, are giving from their own free will or if it is the power in me that causes such thoughts and actions. Since I can see no reason I would be noticed, much less offered anything by them before this began, I can only assume it is because they have no choice. I do not want to take from you in the same manner,” he explained, unsure how she would feel at his gentle rejection. 

“There is a time for strict teaching and even what feels like cruelty to those learning, but this is not one of those times,” Davos assured Yelena. She could not be expected to find her calm center if she was being barked at by a novice instructor. “Though I am pleased you approve so far,” he offered.

It had been a long while since he had meditated with another and even longer since he had taught them the basics. If he’d ever considered a path besides that of the Iron Fist, it would be as a teacher. He enjoyed sharing knowledge and watching people become better for themselves and others. “It is,” he assured her, his tone calm and low, not wanting to break the quiet more than required. “We shall continue then. If your thoughts or feelings find something that demands your attention, I will not judge you for your reaction,” he promised her before falling quiet again.

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow

Yelena raised an eyebrow, curious by what he meant. “Oh, c’mon, you’re not that old. Do you own a computer? That’s the first step.” She wasn’t judging him but she just wasn’t used to the concept of not being dependent on technology. As a spy, it was all she had. She wouldn’t be able to do her job if it wasn’t for the treasure that was high-tech technology. She wouldn’t have her bracelets, her computer, or.. anything really. “I can teach you how to use google if you need me to.” She was teasing him, the grin on her lips making it apparent. Again, she wouldn’t judge him. It would only add to her list of questions about him.

“Well, tell me, Davos. Would I find anything on you?” She asked him, wondering if he was as known as Stark or perhaps liked to hang in the shadows like her. “Do you actually want me to see if I can find anything on you?” She wanted to get his consent first before she went digging into his personal life.

Despite having known the man for a short amount of time, she could see forming a genuine friendship. He didn’t appear to have any sort of malicious intent towards her. Though, Yelena knew she couldn’t ever fully place her trust in someone. She couldn’t allow herself to get too comfortable, to bring her walls down. At least not any time soon. If he did have a secret agenda, he would know just when to strike.

Though, Yelena wasn’t going to let her thoughts take over. Not when she was having a pleasant time so far. “Thank you.” She grinned softly. “I, uh, have to admit, sometimes I don’t even realize I’m making the flowers move. I’m pretty sure this all happened by itself.” If she did make the flowers form a makeshift throne then she wasn’t quite sure how she did it. Maybe that would be something for her to explore another day. “Lucky for you, though, I plan to add some life to this place. Half of the flowers here are desperate for sunlight.” She was sure so were the people. The never-ending darkness would drive them crazy soon enough.

Sitting on the grass, she crossed her legs figuring it was the proper position for meditation. She nodded at his words. “I’m comfortable. Are you?” While he was more advanced than her, she figured it would also be important for him to feel equally as comfortable. “So that being said, you’re not going to judge me if I do horribly today? Because it’s likely to happen, I’m warning you now.” She quipped before nodding. “Ready.”

Davos tilted his head in question when Yelena mentioned his age. He always found it interesting that when he admitted his incompetence with technology, his age was questioned before his origins. It was becoming standard now, but still a point of interest to him. “I had a computer phone for a bit,” he remembered. “I used Google once,” he assured her. His subject had been easy to find by typing in his name. He’d been splashed all over the newspapers at that point. 

After a moment of consideration, Davos shrugged. He had no idea if she would find anything, especially not since they had insisted on trying to call him ‘John’ for a good long while at the facility that held him. He was unsure how common his name was here and he simply had no idea how much of his information, riddled with inaccuracies as it would be, would be available for her to find. “I am not sure what, if anything, there is to find. I do ask that if you look and find something that I am allowed to explain,” he requested. He hoped he would give her the same curtesy. 

Looking at the flowers with Yelena, Davos nodded. “It seems that many of us are only partially in control of the power we have been given. I wonder if that means we simply lack that control required to contain it or if we embody it, causing it to emanate from us. Questions for a later time,” he waved his thoughts away with a gesture. “I do believe that your flowers would put many at ease in this city. Not only now, but always. This city feels the constant crush of the stone and steel surrounding them. Having something alive might do them some good.”

Davos took his usual meditation position and made sure he could be at ease. “I am,” he assured her. “I will not judge you. I asked for a willing student and thus far you have obliged. Now it is my turn to teach in a way you understand. If I cannot teach a willing student the shortcoming is mine, not theirs,” he told her softly. “We’ll begin with breathing,” Davos told Yelena. He lead her through some breathing exercise, making sure she felt comfortable with them before he told her to close her eyes and focus on her breath and how it felt. “If thoughts or emotions attempt to distract you, acknowledge them and then return your mind to your breath,” he told her before closing his own eyes and joining her. After a few moments, he asked softly, “How do you feel?”

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow:

Yelena was a bit relieved when Davos agreed with her point of view. Any other person would’ve started lecturing her about how peace was needed in the world, how violence was never the answer. And sure, peace was important to the world but she knew it would only be found after enduring a war, after experiencing brutality. Or, at least, that’s what she’s been taught.

From the second she stepped foot inside the Red Room, she was told she was going to be shaped into the weapon that would ultimately end up bringing peace to the world. It was quite the chip to carry on her shoulders. It only intensified the pressure by a thousand. However, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to delve into details. Well, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to speak further about her past. So, maybe, it would be best to leave her comments vague and hope Davos won’t ask questions that were too complicated.

Perhaps it was his gaze making her hesitant a bit more than usual. Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t thrown a slow punch a single day of her life. However, it did make her curious. If she were to spar with Davos, one on one, who would win? He seemed to have more experience but would she be able to outsmart him? Would he be able to anticipate her every move? She didn’t want to count herself out just yet so maybe she might ask him to spar in the future.

One thing at a time, though. Her lips quirked up into a grin as she could tell he was making an attempt at a joke. “Well, good luck with that. Bet you money you won’t find anything on me, though.” She’d made sure her internet history had been wiped a long time ago. Still, she would be interested to see if Davos was able to find anything on her.

Yelena could only interpret his words to mean meditation could help assist in making sure her mind was clear before making any decision. Meditation will assist you in your usual path. Lately, Yelena has felt as though she doesn’t have a clear path. She just allows her intuition to guide her. However, she is known to run into an usual character or two. Perhaps meditation will also help in making sure she listens to her gut, to make sure she’s in a better state of mind. She just hoped she could actually clear her mind.

She hadn’t expected for Davos to open up but she did appreciate it. It helped in trusting him a bit more. She appreciated his honesty. The way he spoke, it was similar to how a teacher would speak in front of a class. It was nice to know they shared similar life experiences. While she hadn’t been fighting her entire life, it sure as hell felt like it sometimes. “You’ve got the stubborn part right.” She spoke softly. She took his hand and led them back to where the vines and flowers had set up a little area for them. “I hope the flowers don’t bother you.”

“You would more than likely win that bet if I had money to accept it. I am not very good with your technologies,” Davos admitted freely. Danny had told him a little bit about the internet when they were younger, but he made it sound like something much smaller than it was, though from his understanding it had grown considerably while his brother was with him in his homeland. He had never needed the internet or a computer or anything such as that. When the dome went up and suddenly their fancy contraptions became as useful as stones, he found himself to be the only one unbothered by the concept. 

“Though I do wonder what, if anything, you would find about me,” he mused. To their little contraptions, he didn’t exist until only a few months before the dome appeared.

When Yelena accepted his hand, Davos lead her back to the area she’d thoughtfully made from their meditation. He gave her an amused glance when she mentioned being stubborn. “I expected little else,” he told her. To be a warrior, one could not be easily swayed. He took his place and let her go as he sat down beside her. 

“I do not mind at all,” Davos assured Yelena. “I was about to commend you for it. This place is barren with only enough life to remind you how little it has besides noise and putrid air.” He stopped himself there, not wanting to dwell on how miserable he felt here. It was like a layer of grime had become permanently absorbed into his skin now and no amount of bathing could rid him of it. He missed his home in the mountains. These were things for him to feel later. 

Davos shook his head at himself and after a moment, his tone softer, he told Yelena, “They are beautiful. It is important to be comfortable. While you are learning, being in a place that helps you feel relaxed and at calm will assist you a great deal. No matter how well you do today, know that it is a beginning and there are years of work between novice and mastery, even if it only looks as though we will both be sitting here and listening to the grass grow. Shall we begin?”

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow:

Yelena made sure now to step on any of the vines surrounding her as she stood up. She took a small step forward, leaving her makeshift thrown behind her. She’d fully intended to make one for him as soon as he sat down next to her but she could wait, it was clear he had a different plan in mind as to how to get Yelena to quiet her mind and meditate properly.

However, she didn’t know this plan would include making correct assumptions about her past. It was almost unsettling how on the nose Davos was when he spoke about her. Was she that easy to read? She didn’t think so to the average person and Davos surely was anything but average. She just stayed quiet neither confirming nor denying his claims. Though, she didn’t have to. She’s already spoken about entering hand-to-hand combat with a hypothetical enemy. She just didn’t want to delve into why and how she learned to fight. The Red Room was still a sensitive topic, so if she could avoid having to speak on it she would.

“I didn’t think you were a wizard,” she clarified her comment. “Though, if you were, I’m sure I would’ve realized by now.”  From what she’s seen so far, the gods or goddesses with magical abilities sure weren’t afraid to show it.

It took Yelena a second to realize she was still holding his hand and slowly, without making it seem as though she was repulsed by him or something of the sort, she pulled her hand away and placed it by her side. “Well,” she let out a breath, “if my way ends up blocked by something or the other, fighting seems like the only reasonable answer.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best nor the healthiest answer but the people placed in her way usually wouldn’t want to stop to talk out their problems.

As willing as Yelena was to listen and learn from Davos, she hadn’t been expecting for him to ask her to punch him. She raised an eyebrow, hesitating for a moment as she wasn’t too sure if she heard him right. Though, she figured he was completely serious when he placed his hand up. “Alright, you’re the teacher here.” Brushing her back over her shoulders, she shifted so her right foot was in front of the left. Pulling her arm back, she slowly connected her fit to Davos’ hand. She tried her best to listen to Davos all while paying attention to the punches she was throwing at him.

Wide eyed, she looked at him as he gripped her knuckles in his hand. She watched him carefully as she clung to his every word. He spoke as though he was a poet. It was almost distracting. However, he was very different to her teachers in the past. He wasn’t insulting her, calling her worthless. He was.. patient. He was giving her plenty of good advice, though she was a bit distracted by him.

It took a second for her to answer, pulling her hand away again. “No, you’re correct.” She assured him. “Almost too correct. Have you been researching me or something?” She was teasing again as none of what he mentioned would show up on a simple Google search. “All I know is force, Davos.” She shrugged a single shoulder. “I’ve been fighting since I was fifteen. I don’t fight much nowadays, I guess these powers have made me more calm. More relaxed. But will that last once this is over? I don’t think so.”

When Yelena offered nothing in return of Davos’s assumptions at first, he did not press her for information. Her past was her own, just as his was. Why she learned to fight was not his business and it would not alter what he planned to show her. He learned that very few grew as he did with the desire to fight already at their core. Many needed to adapt or die and chose not to waste away under the negligence of others. 

“It would be beyond all bounds of hypocrisy for me to speak to you as if I were a man of peace,” Davos assured Yelena. “Violence is, at times, the only reasonable answer. I prefer when we face such problems here that can be solved with physical conflict. I know my place in such chaos. The current...” he struggled for a word to adequately describe how much he hated and was confused by the current turn of events and sighed, “calamity is vexing to say the least.” 

Yelena seemed hesitant to strike at him at first, but when she obliged, Davos watched her, making sure she understood. She seemed intent on his words and he hoped that meant she was eager to learn, even if she was doubtful of her capabilities.

At Yelena’s question Davos shook his head. “I would not know who to ask for such information. No, I understand what I know of you from what I have learned from others here and from my own past. That and I would now know how to find you on the internet had I access to it,” he offered, attempting at a jest. He’d been able to find his brother, but he was very rich and therefore very well known here. 

Davos nodded in understanding at Yelena’s admission. He was correct that she had been fighting for several years and that it was how she handled her life. “I mean to degrade nothing you do in your tactics. To have a goal, to see victory in your mind, to desire it and refuse to let obstacles block your path in pursuit is commendable,” he encouraged her. “Such a path will simply not assist you with meditation, though you will find that meditation will assist you with your usual path,” he assured.

After a long pause, Davos decided to exchange a piece of his own past with her. “I grew up learning how to fight. Training is all I knew before I came here so I learned both in tandem. It is much easier to learn as I did. It is difficult to master an opposite. You know how to be unyielding as stone and as untamed as fire. I offer to teach you how to flow with the stubborn tranquility of water and shift direction as quickly as the winds,” He held out his hand to Yelena again and gestured to the vines and blossoms, ready to follow her and have a seat.

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow​:

Yelena wasn’t quite sure why her feelings suddenly felt all over the place whenever Davos was in her presence. She knew the change of emotions came from his powers, something out of his control. Just as she couldn’t control the fact that nature called out to her, whispering in her ear constantly, he had no say in how people felt around him. Yelena just needed to remind herself not to get caught up in her sudden sense of affection. She would have to pop her bubble before it expanded. It would be easier said than done, though.

Still, Davos’s powers was not enough to keep Yelena from meeting up with him. She knew meditation was a useful skill so why not learn from an expert? Perhaps if she learned how to quiet down her mind and center her body, she’ll be able to get more sleep at night and not feel quite as paranoid throughout the day. Though, Yelena didn’t have her hopes up too high. She had already accepted the possibility of failure. She just hoped Davos wouldn’t consider their meeting a waste of time if she were to fail.

She was pleased to hear Davos was accepting of her chosen location. Then again, the park seemed as though it was the only appropriate location for them to try meditation. Besides, she didn’t want to say couped up in her apartment, not when the park was almost literally calling out her name.

She hesitated for a moment before reaching to take his hand. Would she consider herself a warrior? Maybe. A soldier would be more accurate. However, she didn’t have time to get into specifics. She couldn’t get into her life story just yet. Instead, Yelena nodded and used his assistance to get herself back up on her feet. “I guess so, yes.” She murmured in her heavy Russian accent. “What are you trying to show me?” She asked, curious. “Are you going to put on a magic show or something?”

Davos noticed the hesitation from Yelena, but he was a patient man. When she took his hand, he helped her step out from the carpet of vines she’d made so they would have firm ground for him to show his meaning.

“You have the confidence and awareness of someone who has trained for combat,” Davos explained. Growing up around fighters, he could quickly pick up on the traits needed for survival by those who stood against others for a living. Yelena had shown no hesitation when she discussed entering a fight, but she did show modesty. There was always someone better and if there was not someone better then there was a group.

“No magic,” Davos waved away the suggestion, knowing that most people found magic unbelievable before the dome and downright terrifying now. “At least not for the moment. I am no wizard,” he clarified.

“What I want to show you is how you will need to change your thinking for meditation. I’ve found that those who are used to fighting to make their way struggle when that is not the way to follow their path,” Davos tapped his chest with his fingertips and then realized she had no context for the gesture from him. “Throw three slow punches at me,” he clarified. “With meditation, you want to clear your mind,” he put up his hand to block the first punch. His hand brushed her arm to the side far enough that the blow would fall on the empty space just beyond his shoulder. “Thoughts will flow. You goal is to touch them, to feel their intensity,” he pushed her second punch so it would land similarly beside his other shoulder, “and let them pass you by.”

“I’m assuming your approach,” Davos caught Yelena’s third punch in his fist, “has been one of force. You want to control them,” he stepped into her guard, but made no motion to strike at her, “force them to behave,” he brought up his arm as if to strike, but there was no malice or intention in the movement and his arm did not leave his side, “stop them in their tracks,” he guessed as he returned to center. His grip hadn’t been tight enough to attempt to hold her, but he let her go completely now.

“Am I correct or have I misjudged you?” Davos wondered honestly. There were many thing he didn’t know about these people or their culture, but he was doing his best to navigate what he could.