Xiao was even more shocked as she realised that this was Heihachi's grandson. Well the looks had most definitely not come from Heihachi. She stood and watched as he closed the door behind him.
He looked slightly flustered and he was not wearing the traditional Gi he had at the dojo. Well Duh. She thought to herself. Why the hell would he wear his Gi everywhere? Now he was clad in a smart white shirt and a pair of black trousers. He nodded to her politely and approached her, almost towering above her. She stood rooted to the spot unable to speak when he bowed shortly. She shook herself mentally and mimicked the gesture.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, my name is Kazama Jin, you must be Ling," he said. His voice was deep but inviting. He seemed like an alright person. His eyes however looked odd. Xiao got the odd impression that he didn't speak much. He was clinical as he spoke and oddly distracted.
"Ah, hai, hajime mashite Kazama-san…I thought you were a Mishima?" she said finally shaking herself back to the moment.
"Erm no, I take my mother's name, long story." He shrugged.
"Hai." She said awkwardly and struggled to think of what else she knew she could say. He smiled warmly and sat down. She swore in her own tongue and cursed at her lack of knowledge of Japanese.
"Would you find it more comfortable if I spoke in Mandarin?" he retaliated in her tongue with a smile. She was once again shocked to find that he also could speak Mandarin.
"How do…??? Your grandfather right?" she said only just realising that he probably knew many different languages; with a rich family like his, it was only to be expected that he'd be richly cultured.
"No, my mother taught me when I was a child. She spent a long time of her childhood in China." He said and pulled out a number of papers and books from his bag. "I can see that you already know how to greet people so we'll expand on that for now…" Xiao smiled and listened intently as he continued to talk. This was going to be interesting.
***
Lucky for Jin, Xiao was a quick learner and by the end of the evening she'd gotten through greetings, introductions and general conversation.
"You're a very good learner Ling-chan." He said genuinely and closed his book. "I also think it'd be better if we used Nihongo while talking in public. It'll help you get to grips with your conversation. Is that alright with you?" he asked. She nodded. "But for now while you're still learning, you can speak with me in Mandarin, just until you know enough." He said. She smiled gratefully.
"So are you entering this tournament thing too?" she asked relaxing a little. He snapped his head up in shock and looked at her worriedly.
"You're entering the tournament?"
"Er, yes. Didn't you know?" she said hesitantly.
"No, I was told of your arrival yesterday, not why you were here. Are you serious about this?" he asked.
"Yes." She assured.
"It's tough you know." He warned.
"So am I." She retaliated through her teeth. If there was one thing that got her, it was people assuming she couldn't cope. "Size matters in more ways than the obvious one." She said. Jin shook his head and backed away.
"It's your choice I suppose, and I shouldn't judge you." he said respectfully. She appreciated that. Not many people would have given her the credit.
"So Kazama-san, what do you do in your spare time?" she asked curiously and partially to change the subject. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.
"I study mostly, train occasionally." He said. Xiao stared blankly and watched him with an unimpressed expression. "What?" he asked. "Alright fine!" he surrendered under her piercing stare. "I don't know, I like to take walks." He supplied. "Mostly down by the forest paths." He said. "They don't compare to the Yakushima paths though." He noted absently. "I enjoy philosophy and simulative discussions and debates. I also love to read." He finished. "Happy?" he asked.
"You're an interesting person." She said mildly and looked up at him as if he were a slug. He raised a brow inquisitively and stared. She laughed and shook her head. "Just kidding. You're intellectual." She said firmly. "As to be expected, seeing as you grew up in this place."
"Actually I didn't…"
"Oh, well then do you do anything that counts as normal then Kazama?" she asked and leaned forward inquisitively.
"What does your idea of normal consist of Ling?" he said equally and mimicked her actions.
"Something that doesn't involve thinking…" she laughed.
At first impression, Jin had seemed like an all work no play kind of guy, serious and hard working. But as they chatted through the day Xiao found he was quite inviting and though he never would have admitted it, he was very glad of her company.