”Now, that’s not to say,” Kit said with a smile, drawing the discussion back to the topic at hand, “that there’s anything inherently wrong with good karate. I’ve got a black in Sho Shin Ri and another in… Well, I have several and they’re all useful now and again. But Aikido which is what happened to you, by the way is probably the perfect defensive art.”
Margo did another beautifully executed stationary female flounce and glared at him-although less murderously than in the gym. “That was humiliating.”
”So’s dying,” Sven said laconically.
Margo flushed. “Okay, so I have a lot to learn. That’s why I came looking for a teacher. At least it’ll be more interesting than math.”
Sven grinned. “You don’t know math, you’ll kill yourself just as dead as a back-street punk with a dirk would. Now, if you really want to kill, Korean Hap Ki Do or Hwarangdo are interesting forms to get into. If you have six or eight years. Of course,” Sven rubbed his hands together and grinned, “Kit will tell you the years spent studying Hap Ki Do’s art of invisibility would be far more useful to a scout than its fighting style.”
Kit ignored the gambit to reopen a favorite discussion. “Unfortunately,” Kit told Margo, “you don’t have years because you’ll be spending most of your time studying, not sparring. So what we’ll do is set you up with an Aikido instructor to give you a good grounding in basics and a few specific moves, things that maybe could get you out of tight spots.”
Sven punched Margo good-naturedly in the shoulder, causing her to wince. `That’s right. Stuff to let you use those damned attractive legs of yours to run like hell.”