Opening Up the Dojo (Slader)

Slader began to switch his body jumping to land with his right foot first then switch moving it back and forward each time step, while doing so he thought about what james had said he wondered what it would be like to have to leave a place and sell it what if somebody built over the place once the bought it. Slade stopped what he was doing then walked over to his coffee cup and drank the remaining liquid. He moved his head to look outside and noticed it was about mid day he was suppose to open the dojo in a few hours, he pulled out his cell phone and texted his grandfather telling him he would have to open to day something came up.

So what is the second lesson james

Slader was eager to learn more you could almost see it on his face as he looked over towards james waiting for him to respond. He was giving slader good life and battle tips and it was only the beginning he knew sooner or later he would have to put these abilitys to the test so he wanted to learn as much from the man as he could before it was needed.

James took another drink of his coffee to finish off the cup, setting the cup aside he rose to his feet examining Slader with a practiced eye. Boxing...a messy style one that relies on brute force; messy but effective. When the young man asked about a second lesson he could only chuckle, “You ask so quickly for me to teach you another lesson, when you have yet to really understand the first one.” He held up a hand to stop the young man from talking before he even started. “To know the lesson and to understand the lesson are two different matters entirely. So I ask you can you tell me what you yourself are?” James' face was serious, “You know me to be a dragon, and yet you don't really understand what that means...but to understand someone else you must first understand yourself.”

James laughed, he had caught himself using some corner drugstore philosophy. He knew it probably came from some wise mortal philosopher, but at the moment he didn’t care. “Don't answer my previous questions...I only want one answer...and I want you to think about it carefully. What are you?” James spoke calmly with a small smile on his lips before he turned to get a broom to start cleaning his dojo. Turning back he added, “I want you to answer my question in three words, if you can't do it leave because I cant teach you.”

After getting the broom from his office James started to sweep up the remains of the practice bag he had split earlier. He remembered when his teacher had posed this same question, it had taken him three days to realize the answer, but that answer was the very foundation for everything. The boy's answer had to be absolute, for without a strong foundation he would crumble.

Slader walked forward a few steps listening to artemis closely he thougbt for a moment. This answer was simple but slader could not be wrong he looked at the man for a me moment trying to read him any tell tell to see if it was a trick question or just some sort off mental test. Im only human Slader said standing tall looking the man straight in his eyes he could live with being wrong, but he would seek the answer to no end after seeing all he had seen this man was the only thing keeping him their he needed to had to learn more.

James watched the young man think long and hard on his question; when Slader finally answered a frown crossed the old dragon's face. “Wrong...” James held up his to stop any reply from him so he could explain. “You are not entirely human; you are so much more than just any other human. If I were to go out there on the street and ask anyone else if they could do what you just did what would they say?” James grinned as he let his question sink in. “They would lock me up first and you...you would follow me to the asylum but only so they could experiment on you away from the eyes of the public.” James rocked back on his heels a little then he grinned. “You are unique, but then every creature that calls this reality home can be called so when you think about it.”

Placing his hands behind his head James smiled like he didn't have a care in the world, “I will give you another chance...What are you, Slader?”

"i am unique" Slader would say after thinking off what artemis told him he did not know for sure if it was the right answer but could not afford to be wrong he needed to learn more and it would crush him to be rejected because he could not answer a simple question. Everything was silent the man seemed to not have a care in the world but slader would begin to sweat moving his hand over his forehead to wipe the sweat he would watch the man in order to hear his reply. But in all reality if slader failed the question he could deal with having to leave and train himself although he did not want to be alone like before if it was needed he would learn the secrets off the world on his own.

A small grin spread across James' face, sure it wasn't the exact answer he was looking for but, it was close enough.  “Very good...”  James turned and walked back towards his office motioning for Slader to follow.  “You are unique, even more so than most and that is why I can't tell you what your next lesson is, to do so I would have to know who you are.  How can I be expected to be able to do that when you yourself barely know?”  James smiled as he walked to a picture on his wall that was nearly as tall as he was and sliding it out of the way he revealed a staircase that led down under the dojo, before he turned around and faced Slader once more a sly grin on his face.

“The best way to get to know someone is to spar all out, however if we do that up here it will most likely wreck all of my equipment and not to mention the dojo itself.”  James grinned as he remembered all the times he had to close down for weeks as he repaired the dojo after going all out against someone.  “So I built this special arena for anyone who really wished to push their limits against me.  My friend Anthony told me that its indestructible from the inside.”

James' face never lost its amused look as he addressed Slader as one would a student for the first time “So are you ready to know yourself, because I promise you I will push you to the very cusp of death if that is what it takes?”