Jun Tzo
Jun Tzo[edit]
Background:[edit]
Jun Tzo was born in the Chinese District of New Venice, to his first-generation, immigrant parents who owned and operated a local, Chinese grocery. Growing up, he favored his uncle Wan Tzo, who by his own accounts was a "famed, martial arts master in China". To Jun's father, Wan was a free-loading drunk that filled his son's head with irresponsible sentiments for Chinese tradition, counter-progressive to their integration into new life as American businessmen. Despite whatever warnings or punishments threatened, his father could not stop Jun from skipping school to learn Tai Chi from his Uncle Wan in whatever bar he was boozing in that day. Jun's high energy and short attention span made him a poor student, but a martial arts prodigy. He made a mantra of his Uncle Wan's romantic notion to "preserve China's rich, ancestral roots in his new, American home for future generations of Chinese children".
After failing out of secondary school, much to the disappointment of his parents, who'd hoped he would inherit the family grocery, he took out a business loan with his uncle, Wan Tzo, and opened "Dynasty Dojo". The business struggled for years, during which time Jun supplemented his income as a plantation laborer, which kept him "fit for fighting anyway". During that time he continued to perfect his art under the tutelage of his Uncle.
Seeing his dream fading, and the promise of a legacy in his nephew, Wan Tzo took on a high-paying, contractor job with a government agency called Viper Security Consultants, training their employees in his mastered arts. Jun was sad to see his Uncle go to "places I can't tell you", but managed to keep Dynasty Dojo alive with the near, full, monthly checks mailed from his absent uncle.
Seeing his uncle's sacrifice, Jun quit his side job, and fully committed, began instructing during the days. His first students were his sister, Min Tzo, at the bequest of his father, and her young friend Benson Reed, neither of which he received payment for. Both proved able students, though neither was very aggressive, and Jun was able to hone his instruction skills as well as develop a reputation for himself. Before long, he was being solicited for private instruction for New Venice's upper-class youth, by their parents. As such, he forged strong relationships with many up and coming businessmen and bureaucrats, whom later supported him with their efforts. One such bureaucrat married his sister, Min. Jun reached a point of success that saw his and his uncle's dream living and breathing.
Jun continued to receive checks long after he needed them. He put them in a side account for his uncle Wan, looking forward to the day he might return and see what their hands had wrought. Due to the busyness of his schedule, Jun's social life suffers. He remains unmarried and maintains friendship only with shy, Benson Reed, his sister's childhood friend. Benson continues to trade landscaping labor for lessons in Tai Chi and their friendship flourishes.
Appearance:[edit]
Jun Tzo is incredibly, physically fit which he attributes to "not having a real job". His youthful features and charisma portray him as much younger than he is. He almost always wears an orange, traditional, silk robe with "Dynasty Dojo" embroidered on the back as a "banner of Chinese heritage". According to Jun, "if you ever see me without fresh training sweat, bury me. I'm dead."
