IC: Hogo Akone- The Yards- SadoAkone continued circling.Suddenly, she rushed forward, stopping just inside her maximum range, swinging the Naginata to drive the Fursic back. Her weapon was a long-range melee weapon, so she had to keep a distance from Aki's Claws.
IC: Hogo Noshima
"Indeed," said the Toroshu.
IC:
:Oki? It is absolutely magnificent. The rolling hills, the flowing streams with the purest of waters. Sado has the Imperial Palace, a crystal jewel that reaches into the sky, but it's nothing like the uncontaminated jungles of Oki. Extraordinary trees and vibrant plants grow everywhere, the true rulers of the land. We Dasaka have a few structures, like Castle Vilda, but even they are subservient to the flora - creeping vines devour the castle, letting us all know to whom the earth belong.
:And the sounds! You never hear birdsong in the rest of the Empire, except maybe in the gardens, but on Oki you need only listen and you can hear the melodious tones of Janu or Sakl, singing the most eloquent of songs. The rustle of wind through the treetops, the buzz of the bees as they search for honey - it is invigorating in a way you can never imagine. The feel of the ground beneath your bare feet make you feel like you are part of the land itself, and the symphony of smells replenish the spirit. You should visit it sometime and get away from Sado for once. I'm sure you would appreciate it's beauty. Oki is a magical place.
It is what the Vilda protect.:
As Soraph spoke across the mental plane she projected images of Oki, memories of the island from her youth. More than memories. They were altered by time, idealized by the longings Soraph had felt to return home. She was more than happy to present the mental portraits to the Daikura First Son, eager to share the glamour and splendour of Oki.
Then the outpour of images slowed down, becoming a small trickle before it finally stopped up completely. Soraph had finished eating, and now her attention rested solely on First Son Koga.
:Tell me of your clan, Daikura Koga, if you please. Things that I don't already know from having lived on Sado for some time now. Have you enjoyed your life as a Daikura?
IC:Rano regarded the newcomer with all the tact of a cactus. One didn't see a male everyday, after all- and this one was red, too. A mix between self-conciousness and straight up embarassment dictated her capacity to think clearly."Oh, you saw that?" she sputtered, grinning, "it's just something I've been working on..." ...Since I was a child..."I opted for an unconventional weapon early on. You know, for the combat edge," she continued, "but anyway, what brings a man of your Clan to our village?"
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"It can sometimes be very healthy for a mind to just let your intellectual chips fall where they may. To gamble with knowledge, to place your bets on the unproven and uncertain, to parttake in the lottery of good reasoning"
Ankora's mischievous grin grew even wider as she awaited Reiko's response
OOC: Yes, when Ankora's profile says "extremely cheesy puns", I MEAN IT
IC: Daikura Reiko
"Er, that is to say, if others don't mind where the chips fall, lest they, um, spring on you. And they will, I,er, bet?" Reiko was unsure on how to answer this senile old woman.
OOC: I love cheesy puns. They're so bad, it's good.
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"Bravo," Ankora cheered with a short applause, "truly excellent"
"I don't think anyone has managed to hold a grip of my nonsense as well as you did"
"No need to worry, young one," she continUed, "I'm not crazy, I just enjoy exploiting my social standing for my personal amusement once in a while
IC Nortti and Tutkee
(Obaida, fields):
"Nortti!" Tutkee shouted repeatedly as she entered her friend's dwelling once again. There was now a giant hole in the ceiling and the floor. The great light beam was shining from the machine downstairs, through the floor and the roof, up in the sky as far as eyes could see.
Tutkee found Nortti lying on the floor of his laboratory, half-conscious. Things were thrown about by the explosion, but most things seemed to be intact, including Nortti's body. Tutkee could see the "time machine" of Nortti shining brightly, keeping the light beam glowing.
"What did you do?!" Tutkee raged. "I told you not to touch it!"
"I'm... sorry...", Nortti said weakly. Tutkee sighed and took Nortti in her arms.
"Now what do we do?" Tutkee asked. "That light beam must be visible all over the archipelago!"
Nortti kept silent. Tutkee decided to take her away from the scene quietly and try to hide her.
And the beam shone bright, visible from all parts of the Kentoku Archipelago.
IC | Aki ducked when her opponent rushed forwards with her spear. She jumped over the blade, landing just below the blade. She was now standing on top of her foe's weapon.
IC:
"I was bored, and often when I'm bored I wander, getting acquainted with those who might help me in my duties," The Giant explained, "But I must ask for your forgiveness, I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Herupa Jiyu."
IC: Hogo Akone
Akone saw Aki leap up onto the glaive. She twisted it to unseat Aki and stabbed forward at where she would land.
IC: Daikura Reiko
"Of course, wise one. As is your right," Reiko agreed.
IC:
"I'm Rano Taishalo," she said, biting her lip as she forsake her last name for her middle. Like the large Menti she stood opposite of, her name carried...unfortunate connotations.
"Well...how can I be of assistance, then?"
IC | Aki's opponent was quick-thinking; She was now on her back. She got up in seconds, but not before taking a hit to the shoulder.
Utilize whatever tactic you need to, and do so without shame.
Indeed, the most useful thing Akimatai had learned during her life. She knew the tactic that needed to be utilized; a weapon with more reach. Arranging her hands above one another, in 'O' shapes, she began to concentrate.
"Deepest apologies..." She muttered.
A long grip came into being between her fingers. Below it, the pommel, above, the hilt. And above that, a long, one-edged blade spanning four feet, easily. Aki noticed she was vulnerable to attack, but once her sword was out, she went full offense. Leaping to her right, she swung at Akone's legs.
IC: Hogo Akone
Akone saw the glaive's blade strike Aki's shoulder.
Then she was on her feet and glowing, moving energy formed into a four-foot long sword.
Akone flippped backward to avoid the swipe, but her long glaive caused her to lose her balance. She avoided the swipe but fell onto her back.
IC (Vilda Tara, Mount Koshiki, Odaiba): "Goodbye, Ageru Kilanya" Tara replied. "May Zuto Nui watch over you and all your clan."
Soon, the Menti was gone in a swishing of red cloth and a clinking of crystal, and Tara was left alone in the bright sunlight. There was only her, the mountain path, the plants, the wide open sky and a tiny brown lizard sitting on a leaf. The Dashi smiled. This was how the world should be.
IC (Dastana Tapui, Arohi School, Sado): "With" Tapui decided. It wasn't often she got the chance to spar with another kakama-user. A duel with both of them at super-speed would be quite something, she felt sure. She waited for Sokuratesu to make the first move.
IC (Kore, The Wards, Sado): It was a couple of minutes after Soraph left before Kore shakily got to her feet and shiffled away, back to her watering can and cart of other equipment. In those minutes, however, she had been thinking hard. She replayed every word the Vilda had said over and over in her mind, and finally came to her conclusion. She quietly watered the plants on the balcony and then slipped away.
IC | Once Akone was on the ground Aki did a frontflip over her. She then jabbed at her torso.
IC:
Jiyu started to chuckle, "Heh, well then Rano Taishalo, I am often the one who is supposed to say that to others, not vice-versa. And you may 'help me' by conversing with me. I've grown quite bored, and I found by traveling I often meet strangers who are as interesting, if not moreso, than myself."
IC: Daikura Reiko
"Of course, wise one. As is your right," Reiko agreed.
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"True, true," Ankora agreed with a nod, "although, I've often wondered about the idea of "wisdom" in an of itself. What is true wisdom? A very wise Datsue, an Eiyu herself, said long ago "I know only one thing: that I know nothing". She argued that the only true path to wisdom was to never consider yourself as such, and only to always strive to learn more, and to be willing to be proven wrong, even about the most fundamental of teachings"
Ankora took a long look on the family crest embroidered on her cane, lost in thought.
"What am I, but a purveyor of the old order when I'm almost universally considered wise, both by my peers and in some part by myself? Is it wisdom merely to amass a breadth of knowledge without knowing how to apply it in real life?"
The family crest, a pair of crossed quill pens, seemed to stand out in sharp silhouette from the cane, Ankora sighed.
"I personally, merely remember to tell myself that there is always something new to learn. Nobody can know everything, but you're never too old to learn"
"Listen to me prattle on. Either I make no sense, or I'm just an old woman who doesn't know what she's talking about. Oh well, I still have couple tens of thousands of years to spare, maybe someday I'll achieve the true meaning of wisdom"
IC: Koga
:You already know a great deal of my clan, having found your discipline as willhammer. We teach the menti about their powers. At Tarakona, our clan home on Odaiba, there are rooms of knowledge and sacred spaces of learning, but we also have fields and crops.:
The images fluttered by, less majestic than Soraph's, but available for pondering nonetheless. There were crystal spires and woven mat floors, swaying fields of long stemmed plants and long covered porches lined with meditating menti. The hint of a face slipped through, but dissolved into a haze before Soraph could readily identify Koga's mistake, leaving only the presence of the anomaly.
:I spent most of my years at Tarakona, until manhood that is. Since my ceremony I've been in the Imperial Court doing my duty to clan and empire.: His words fell silent on the plane as the stars peeked from beyond the edge of the clouds. They twinkled, capturing his gaze. A sliver of a moon waited in the eaves, leaving its shadow up to the meandering guesswork of the first son on the veranda below. Zuto-Nui's ruby glimmered ever prominent in the black heavens. Realizing his attention had wavered, Koga looked back at the star crashed to earth and smiled faintly.
:Forgive me, I was studying your relatives in the sky.:
OOC: Sorry Fanixe, I edited this a tad because it was just too short.
IC: Hogo Akone
Akone rolled over and the energy of the sword plunged into the ground.
Thr Soulsword Menti rolled and swung the glaive at where Aki was. With her sword in the ground, Aki was stuck. Of course, she could simply de-spawn the Soulsword, but Akone hoped it would take too long to do that.
IC: Daikura Reiko
"But maybe that isn't necessarily bad. Not knowing what you're talking about, at least you have the courage to talk, discuss, and learn it. After all, like you said, you are wise to know you don't know anything. So of course I would be happy to listen," Reiko truthfully replied. She was, honestly, delighted she could talk to someone who was smart enough to understand that.
IC | Aki ducked, just in time to avoid getting sliced in the face by Akone's spear. Tugging a couple times, she pulled her weapon from the ground and attempted a slide-tackle.
IC:
"Well, let's walk and talk," she said, "because I was just about to set off on a bit of a journey."
IC Sokuratesu
Likewise, Sokuratesu waited. However, she didn't stand still. She was constantly moving, making sure not to stay in one spot for a time. She analyzed her opponent carefully, but wasn't able to find out much. So she continued to keep moving, ready to trigger her kakama at a moment's notice.
IC:
Soraph watched the images of the Daikura homeland pass by, spires of crystal sprouting from the fertile lands of Odaiba. The clanspeople were awfully peaceful, reminding her of the tranquility of the Vilda on Oki. The shadow of... something passed through the mental plane... a pair of eyes, perhaps? Soraph wondered if there was any meaning to it, or if it was just the residue of a long faded thought in Koga's mind. No matter, it was impossible to tell anyways.
:Forgive me, I was studying your relatives in the sky.:
The Vilda woman reddened subtly, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile and the mental plane experiencing a flash of warmth. Soraph looked away, toward the inky ocean in the distance. The heaving of its waves upon the shore was a low rumble, washing away sounds from the Imperial palace and all its' workings. Staring into the fluid abyss and listening to its cries let Soraph's mind wander, consider the conversation she was having.
Daikura Koga was intruiging, quite unlike the other males that had crooned over her. He was well educated in the histories of the Archipalego and he had an appetite for both art and fine dining. That alone was enough to garner Soraph's attention - it was a rare occurrence for her to meet someone that shared her tastes. Yet, Koga was also a trained warrior and poet, as sharp with his sword as was delicate with her words. Soraph focused her gaze back on Koga, inspecting her dinner parter.
:Would you like to fly?: Soraph asked the First Son. :Usually only a Vilda can enter and direct the mind of a bird, a skill that requires specific training and a...woman's touch. But i think that if my mind was there alongside yours... tempering your actions, you could manage it this once.:
Soraph called over Hane and the bird landed on her shoulder. The Janu was familiar with Koga's presence, which would make their feat that much easier.She stroked the bird, Hane cawing softly.
:So, would you like to try?:
"Enough!"
It was a simple word that succeeded in freezing Seigyo in place, her Soulsword not moving an inch. Kulrik released his grasp of psionic energies, his own Soulsword vanishing into nothingness as the energies that bound it were removed. First Son and aide had done all he'd wanted to accomplish for the afternoon, sharpening his skills after weeks of no practice. The sun was starting to set, so Kulrik and Seigyo would be returning to Castle Vilda in darkness even if they hurried.
"Come along then Seigyo, we have so much preparing to do for our honeymoon, you know."
IC: Hogo Akone
As Aki slid across the dirt, Akone whirled and stabbed the ground at where Aki would be sliding to block her slide.
Akone put her hands together. Blue-Green Psychophysical energy took form around her hands and extended into a trapezium-shaped shield with a handle on the lonver parallel side. The other three sides were sharl blade edges. She readied to strike the Fursic when she got up.
IC:
"A journey?" Jiyu asked, pausing before placing his spare hand upon his chest as if to give a speech. He cleared his throat, then launched into what would be his most glorious monologue ever, "Well, if you intend to go upon a journey, there is no better guide than I! I have met several important members of other clans, and I have traveled far and wide across these islands! I have trained my entire life to describe not just my home island of Oki, but all the islands in vivid imagery and with glorious speeches. Moreso than that, I am one of the most skilled fighters in my clan, as well as one of the most persuasive members to boot. Not choosing me to aid you as a guide in your journey would be equatable to madness!"
Jiyu forgot to mention it would be the shortest most glorious monologue ever.
"Yes Kulrik," Seigyo said, her soulsword flashing out of existence as she went to retrieve her spear.
IC | Akimatai knew that she was now falling into predictability. Akone would know to avoid falling over, so it was time to change strategy. Using her Kanohi, she appeared behind her opponent to slice her back.
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"And I would gladly listen to you?" Ankora replied.
"So. Menti, tell me: what is the guardian of Karakona palace doing so far from the Daikura grounds?"
IC:
Ayiwah allowed herself another small smile. "As much as I love the Yukanna, duty must come first."
As of to underline the statement, the boatswains whistle called out, while the ships bell struck the beginning of the afternoon watch. If everything went according to plan - and the commodore and first mate would make sure it did - they would pull into port by the end of that watch.
Ayiwah nodded at Tazera. "Time to go topside again."
IC: Hogo Akone
As soon as the Fursic disappeared, Akone went on full alert. Either she had turned invisible or teleported away. She lunged at her weapon to throw off any attack the Fursic was planning.
Rolling across the ground, she sprung up and saw Aki behind where she was. With a war cry, she charged forward with her blade.
IC: Daikura Reiko
Whoop. She was recognised.
"I was bored and decided to take a walk on this beautiful morning," Reiko gestured at her surroundings.
"All the defences are in place and guards ready, so if you are planning anything fishy..." Reiko suddenly turned serious.
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"...then obviously I'd want a fishing rod. Do you know where I can get one?"
IC: Daikura Reiko
What...
Fine. I'll just humour her.
Outwardly, Reiko said, "Not at Tarakona, obviously. I think there are some Saihoko down the beach selling some. Um, if you don't mind mingling with the lower classes," Reiko hastily corrected herself. Ankora seemed casual enough, but caste hierarchy had to be maintained, as much as, on a personal level, Reiko disliked it.
IC: Eiyu Ankora (Odaiba)
"Pfft. At least Saihoko fishers can point to food as the procude of their work" Ankora replied
"Still, though, I have to be going. There's business elsewhere I want to attend to"
And with that, Ankora walked on, crossing the bridge to Sado.
IC (Tazera)
"Yes ma'am," Tazera replied, returning the commodore's nod, and strode briskly to the door and out onto the ship's deck. Taking a quick look around to make sure everything was running smoothly (it was), she swung herself onto the rigging and clambered nimbly up the criss-crossed ropes.
Not so much as batting an eyelid to the considerable amount of air between her and the deck, she pulled herself up into the crow's nest. The lookouts were changing shifts, so the perch was empty, and Tazera took the time to pull out her small crystal spyglass and see if she could catch sight of port. The sparkling spires of Sado were hard to miss.
IC: (Jahagir Renavysh Angavur)
It was Rena's favorite time of year. The time the Taajars paid their annual tribute to the crown. It was one of the few times she left her village, away from the ho-drum routine of settling disputes over cattle and inspecting caravans for contraband. She was going to the glitter and glamor of the capital, the gleaming Imperial lords, the hundreds upon hundreds of smallfolk, the majestic temples to Zuto-Nui. She loved it.
Leading the Mukau caravan in the plains of Odaiba, she had been walking for over an hour now. The fields glittered in the sun, wrippled with the winds, as always they did. The weather was mild, perfect for walking. It seemed normal, as most days on the isle were. Then, she saw something that utterly frightened her. It was a vast, shining beam of light, towering in the air but a mile or so away. It seemed to her rather unholy. Something that must not be good.
Two Menti accompanied her in the caravan, her cousins. "Come with me, we are perhaps the closest to this...thing. We need to investigate this."
As the Toroshu of her Clan, she felt it was a duty to do this sort of thing.
IC:
"That's...excellent, actually," she said, nodding. "I just need to find my Soul Twin, and another Soulsword, and we can set off."
IC:
"Sadly, I know not of a Soulsword (besides myself) who would be willing to journey with you," Jiyu said, frowning as he said this, "However, surely it would not be difficult to find one."
IC: Reiko
Reiko was stunned at the Datsue's sudden departure. Unsure if she should pursue, Reiko simply bowed.
"Have a nice day, Datsue Ankora."
I must return to my duties, anyway, she thought.
Some important Vilda guy is coming around Odaiba to meet the clans here, or so my carrier Janu says. Since I am pretty much the only Daikura on Daikura grounds...
Reiko smiled a little as she walked back to Tarakona Palace, imagining the reactions of the next Dasaka who had the mis/fortune of hearing Ankora's lessons.
IC: Daikura Koga
Soraph found herself abandoned on the mental plane, the Daikura’s connection severed with shocking silence. He was present one moment, then vanished the next as if the man before her never existed. Koga’s chopsticks went to their rest, time lengthening as he emaciated the final bite of a tart seaweed salad. Could he really slip into the janu’s mind with the aid of Soraph, becoming the first Daikura to fly with wings? Even Icarus, the ringti from lore, who made a pair of wings from wax and string, had been unable to see the heavens as they truly were without plunging to her death in the ocean. Koga sighed, feeling like a young man presented to his first bride to be.
Rising from the table, legs tingling with needle pains from sitting too long, shawl slipping from the shoulders to fall on the black upholstered cushion, Koga crossed to the rail and looking out over the capital, its lights, like stars, flickering across the cityscape as ringti and menti returned to their quarters for sleep. Looking up Koga wondered if the stars above were nothing more than a world reversed, and flight the bridge between sky and the earth. Lacing his fingers together into a support he continued to look out at the distant lights reflected on the ocean from Odaiba. Through Hane Koga would be free to see the rest of the world, feel the hunt, skip across the sea, and never leave his courtly prison.
:Your offer is tempting.: His words were soft in Soraph’s mind, a gentle salvation after so long a separation. :No willhamer could resist the temptation of flight through the mind of another being, but in taking your offer I would share my mind not only with Hane...:
Koga turned to look at the princess in a white dress. His eyes flickered across her face, reading what subtle expressions could be found. :Many women have sought entry into my mind. Forced or offered freely they have come in lines. They have proven themselves in war and politics, more than just pretty faces. But you also have more than a pretty face, don’t you? You have a past, and power draws you like a bee to the flower. Power for what purpose, though? Do you wish to return to your home on Oki, sweep aside your aunt and toroshu, seize the throne of Vilda for yourself? It would have been your mother’s if that power-craven cousin hadn’t been born, wouldn’t it? We are will hammers, Soraph, subjugation is in our blood.: Leaving the veranda’s edge Koga stepped toward the table, each foot like an erupting volcano of power, the heat of the plane rising in a terrifying display of force until his face pressed dangerously close to Soraph’s, the azure fire blinding and reflected in his very eyes. There, lust mingled with jealousy, fury with contempt, and joy vanished into cold fact.
:Do you wish to use me as a tool? By opening my mind fully to fly with Hane the opportunity would arise. I will be blunt, for you are entitled to truth if nothing else from my lips–
“Are you arrogant or worthy Soraph, daughter of Robalta?”
OOC: Sorry that took so long, Fanixe. He's testing Soraph, if nothing else.
ALSO: Thanks to Reqiuem for the art of Koga!