5I am planning to try to get out a chapter of something a week, but knowing how well the last few times I actually decided to do that went, don't get your hopes up.
A/N: Usually you see taichi open-handed, but there are also sword forms and fan forms. And a form developed for the walking stick in case someone tries to steal granny's handbag.
Just about to get fun. You will know it once you see it.
Zoe Part 3: The Bund
The sun rose over the Bund, over the Shanghai TV tower as it had the morning before, and had every morning since before it had been a tiny fishing village on the Asia's East coast, greeted by the smog of the post industrial world.
Zoe had taken her taichi sword to the Bund to practise the sword form she had been taught. The sword was her mother's, a hand-me-down, but still served its purpose well. It was blunt, like all tai chi swords were: no point in having it sharp, unless you really wanted to cut yourself on it while learning the form.
She had seen the strange foreigner out of the corner of her eye, playing taichi with a sword as well; but badly, awkwardly, like he had never done the form before. It took her a minute to realise that he was copying whoever he was standing behind.
She felt sorry for him, but after yesterday she wasn't about to offer to teach him. Not that she would normally dare offer to teach a near stranger anything.
Zoe had just finished and was packing her sword away when another taichi sword blocked her path, shoulder to pavement.
"I know who you are," the Doctor said, quite reasonably. "And I know what you're hiding."
She wasn't sure whether to just ignore him, put her sword in her bag and leave, or just stay there and hope he would go away eventually. Option number two won out, being easier for her fear-addled brain to handle.
"Who am I?" she asked, her voice quivering, "And what am I hiding?"
"You don't know?" he said, removing his sword and gently pulling her to her feet. She clung to the hilt of her sword like a starfish to a rock, pulling it up with her. "Then I might have to enlighten you."
Zoe waited for him to make the next move.
"You are the leader of the invasion of Seogfh in the museum, and as you let me deactivate them without putting up a fight, I assume you have another lot hiding somewhere else." His tone had changed, challenging and unforgiving.
He twisted his sword so swiftly that it was resting on Zoe shoulder before she could back away, cold against her neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered, backing off. She was caught against the railing, the fence between the concreted river bank and the dirty river. She cowered like a cornered puppy. "Please don't hurt me."
"Where are they?" he demanded, eyes boring into her like twin steel blades.
She pulled herself as far away from him as the railing would allow. Suddenly, something in her snapped, and she looked straight at him, staring him down.
"Who the hell do you think you are, threatening me here in front of all these people!" she shouted. "Can't I juist come here like I have every other morning and play taiji in peace!"
He saw the fear in her eyes, the frustration, and backed away from the railing.
"I'm sorry," he said simply. He let her go, and she stood up cautiously, believing him, but not entirely sure.
A police car pulled up to the gutter. The Doctor turned to look, and left without a word.
Zoe sort of wished he hadn't. She wanted to sort the whole lot out, tell the police it was a mistake and sort it out with them too. But they wouldn't listen when she said not to worry about it, that it must have been a mistake, that she didn't want him arrested.
All she could do was hope, and wait.
Don't ask me how you pronounce the aliens' name, I don't know myself…
People are looking, but no one's reviewing… Am I doing good? Bad? Boring? Finally getting good? Please tell me! Even if you just want to say that my starting every paragraph with 'she' is getting on your nerves! Or Zoe is getting on your nerves (I hope not but still…)