jhic 6-30

[09:18] <~Earthflame> Following the path to the west, Xiaozhi finds herself amidst a stand of pale barked trees, their leaves a deep red and their scent fragrant and tranquil. Within the trees is a pool, the surface of the water perfectly still... Save for the ripples issuing forth every time the toe of one of the duelling Xia touches it, their footfalls so soft they don't even make a splash, a pair of bright swords
[09:18] <~Earthflame> dancing above and below, the perfect reflection barely distorted...
[09:30] <Blessed_Blade> 
ACTION is…pretty. Well, very pretty. She’s slight. Short. Maybe five feet tall. Not busty, certainly not. But she does have a chest. Some curves. Hips. Crimson eyes that lack pupils. A cute face. Small pouty lips. Pale skin the color of spruce, covered smooth and without any blemishes. Her hair is long and bright pink, set into a pair of intricate braids like ponytails but more…silver wire mixed in, giving her an almost artificial loo
[09:32] <Blessed_Blade> look. A set of long spiraling tattoos running up her arms and into her blue dress, a qipao, decorated with a phoenix motif. It’s clear that it doesn’t fit her well. Well, it’s more that it’s designed for a girl probably a bit younger than her appearance. She’s wielding a sword. A jian. Made of the same silvery metal in her air. It’s a delicate blade. Long yet slender and quick.
[09:32] <Blessed_Blade> The hilt is the same color of white spruce as her skin, the design at the pomel, a rising dragon, is set with crimson gems the same color as her eyes. And if you squint, the tattoos on her arms almost look like the design of the sword itself. She’s fighting with it like it’s an extension of her body.
[09:42] <~Earthflame> The girl across from her is a foreigner, obvious from her larger physique and her long, bright blonde hair. Her sword is a strange cousin of the Jian, a basket hilted rapier that lunges and darts with effortless precision as the pair dance across the still water. She wears a red and gold martial arts uniform, the tunic a little open to let her rather prodigious bust fit comfortably.
[09:42] <~Earthflame> Even as Xiaozhi watches, the pink haired girl finally forces the blonde back, and her heel touches the ground on the edge of the pond... She submits with a sign, flitting back land on solid earth and bowing to her. "You win again, Blessed Blade."
[09:45] * Blessed_Blade beams. "You did good Miss Blossom!" bowing and giving teh bigger girl a hug. "But you need to trust your sword more. He's a very nice boy and loves how you do take care of him. But he's not..." She thinks for a moment. "You and him are still keeping secrets from each other."
[09:46] <Blessed_Blade> She gives the sword a look of amused admonishment, one that she transfers to Blossom.
[09:46] * Xiaozhi clears her throat gently to draw their attention.
[09:47] <Blessed_Blade> "And you" She points at the rapier, "need to let yourself, ah! Hello!" The girl turns, her sword seeming to ripple and flow back into her being.
[09:48] <~Earthflame> Blossom turns towards Xiaozhi, her deep blue eyes inquisitive. "Hello. What brings you to the grove?" She raises her rapier for a moment, smiling and running a finger down the flat of the blade before sheathing him at her side.
[09:49] <Xiaozhi> "Hi, I...uh..." Her greeting dies on her lips as she watches the short girl's sword subsume into her body. After a second she recovers. "Actually not the strangest thing I've seen. Uhm. The Matron said I should come this way, actually. I'm looking for volunteers from your...society."
[09:53] <Blessed_Blade> "Oh! I'm not a member!" brightly. "I"m Eighth Blessed Blade!"
[09:53] <Blessed_Blade> "But I can help however you want!"
[09:54] <~Earthflame> The tall foreigner bows slightly. "I am. You may call me Blade Blossom. Who are you, and what do you need our assistance for?"
[09:59] * Xiaozhi bows in return. "My name is Xiaozhi. My boss and I are gathering who we can for a fight with the Black Lotus. They're nesting in the subway tunnels beneath our new home and we intend to destroy them." Her face has gone hard by the last few words.
[10:00] <Xiaozhi> "I spoke with some of the women being kept there. They're being leashed, kept on Lotus Dust. I can break the addiction but we need more force to rescue them."
[10:01] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom nods, frowning a bit. "The Black Lotus..." Her accent is odd, as if she's still not entirely comfortable with the language. "...Right. Drug dealers. Yeah, I'm up for trashing them."
[10:01] * Blessed_Blade looks confused. "Uh, what's the Black Lotus?" The girl's face is open, innocent. "But leashed doesn't sound godo."
[10:02] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom squeezes her shoulder. "From what I've been told, bad people. They get given this... Stuff, which addicts them and corrupts them... Really bad people."
[10:03] <Xiaozhi> "And then some," she agrees. "Black Lotus Pills are their main stuff. It's really bad, and really hard to break off the addiction to it. Most people die."
[10:04] <Xiaozhi> "The Dust is kind of watered-down. Still awful, just slightly less so." She shivers.
[10:09] <Blessed_Blade> "...Oh." softly. "Can we help them?"
[10:12] <Xiaozhi> "That's what we want to do," she says. "Boss brings us and the pack, we go in, storm the Black Lotus, get the innocents out of there. The Lotus are gone from that area, the girls are free, we get our home secured...bunch of wins all around."
[10:13] * Blessed_Blade nods, "Alright! I'd like to help! I'm Eighth Blessed Blade!" we know. You told her already.
[10:14] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom pauses. And then grins. "...But first, you-" She points towards Xiaozhi. "I want to see how good you are."
[10:15] * Xiaozhi blinks. Twice. Then points a finger at herself. "...Me? Why?"
[10:15] <Blessed_Blade> "Oh! Can I spar you?"
[10:16] <~Earthflame> "You're asking us to go into battle. But I'm not in the mood to follow someone weak." She turns to the smaller girl. "Think you can give her a proper test, Blessed Blade?"
[10:16] * Blessed_Blade nods, "Yes Miss Blossom!"
[10:20] * Xiaozhi swallows slightly. "...Alright. But go easy on me; I haven't really practiced in a while. Too busy at Ma Sin's." Her excuse laid out, she nonetheless draws her saber from its green, lacquered sheath; the weapon gleams in reflected sunlight, the red tassel falling from the hilt as long as her forearm. In spite of her proclamations of disuse, the stance she slides into is solid.
[10:21] * Blessed_Blade walks up to the blade and looks at it. "Hi! What's your name?" to the sword.
[10:22] * Blessed_Blade seems to be ignoring Xiaozhi's excuses, smiling big at the sword.
[10:22] <Xiaozhi> "He's Kan Rou Dao. A...gift...from my former master."
[10:23] <Blessed_Blade> "Hi Kan Rou Dao! I'm Eighth Blessed Blade. It's nice to meet you. I'm going to be sparring with you now, is that okay?" a moment. "He says he's eager to test his skills against me."
[10:24] * Blessed_Blade stands up and steps back, the blade emerging from where her heart would be, getting into a quick looking stance and looking ready to fight.
[10:24] <Xiaozhi> "Go easy on him, too, then? He's kind of all I have left from before."
[10:24] <Blessed_Blade> "I will. You take good care of him!"
[10:24] <Blessed_Blade> "And you go easy on me! I"m new!"
[10:24] <Blessed_Blade> "Well, I'm new awake. I think I'm old." she shrugs a bit, as if this makes perfect sense.
[10:25] <Xiaozhi> Given what she's seen in the last month, Xiaozhi lets the comment slide.
[10:41] * Blessed_Blade is quick, she's on Xiaozhi in a flash of pink and white lightning, slicing out with the jian in a single slash, meaning to cut the catgirl's clothes lightly and little else. The slice is swift, rapid, barely visible.
[10:41] * Xiaozhi reacts as though trapped in mud.
[10:48] <Xiaozhi> She winces as Blade's strike lands, but with a brief flare of wood chi--and a possible, brief flash of a serpentine dragon coiled about her body--she manages to ignore, for now, the effects of the blow.
[10:57] <Xiaozhi> In retaliation, she aims for a strike at Blade's legs, using the dull edge of Kan Rou Dao to strike at a pressure point there before moving up, whether she hits or not, to strike with his pommel at Blade's solar plexus, using the momentary paralysis to give her a shove back toward the pond!
[11:00] * Blessed_Blade is suddenly under the blow, as if the sword himself told her where the strike would be. The second blow does catch her in the stomach but Xiaozhi can feel that she...doesn't feel like a person. No heart. Minimal heat. She's soft but doesn't have the proper organs.
[11:13] * Xiaozhi tries to twist away from Blade's next effort but once again only manages to put herself right smack in the path of the strike.
[11:13] * Blessed_Blade takes a step back and is suddenly behind Xiaozhi, quicker than sight almost. She slices forward with a cut towards the girl's back, managing to slice at her!
[11:18] <Xiaozhi> Once again, a brief visual image of a dragon about Xiaozhi's body softens the blow, and the catgirl keeps on fighting!
[11:19] <~Earthflame> Yep
[11:21] * Xiaozhi spins about, balanced on the edge of the path around the pool, driving the edge of her saber home to try and score a hit on Blessed Blade.
[11:22] * Blessed_Blade again, seems to have been told by the sword, ducking under it to roll up and dodge!
[11:30] * Blessed_Blade takes the change to deliver a low slash, before thrusting forward with the blade's point.
[11:37] * Blessed_Blade strikes forward, slicing at the girl, another clothing cut, before moving forward and smiling at the sword, knocking it slightly out of balance, enough to make holding it awkward.
[11:44] <Xiaozhi> Xiaozhi tries to use her saber to block the attack, but the awkward grip foils her efforts, allowing the slice home; however, the failed block knocks Kan Rou Dao back into focus, and she flows up and over the rest of it, leaping into a roll while recovering.
[11:48] <Xiaozhi> This time, a thin red line appears under a new cut in her clothing, and she glares over at Blade. "You're *damn* lucky I'm not in my uniform. Ma Sin would eat you alive."
[11:49] <Xiaozhi> She drops her guard. "I'm done. Are you satisfied, Blossom?"
[11:50] <Blessed_Blade> "Um...sorry...I...I din't want to hurt you." She bows apologetically, the blade returning to her being.
[11:51] * Xiaozhi waves off the apology. "If we didn't want to risk it, we should have used wooden toys. I'll be fine. It'll patch up in no time."
[11:51] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom chuckles. "Yeah. You went blow for blow with her. It's good enough for me. How about you, Blessed Blade?"
[11:52] <Blessed_Blade> "Um...the...clothes I mean..." the girl fidgets a little. "Oh! Yes! She's very tough!"
[11:55] <Xiaozhi> "Good. We strike tonight. You can follow me now, or meet us near the central bridge on this side of the river. If you see wolves, you'll know you made it."
[11:56] <Blessed_Blade> "Well um...is it okay if I leave?"
[11:56] <Blessed_Blade> "Miss um..." She looks at Xiaozhi. "...I didn't get your name."
[11:56] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom nods to Blessed Blade. "Of course. It's not like you're trapped here. I'll come with you, see just who we'll be fighting with."
[11:57] <Xiaozhi> She smiles slightly. "Yes you did, but the way you were spinning around so much I suppose I can't blame you for being dizzy and forgetting. I'm Xiaozhi."
[11:57] <Blessed_Blade> "Hello Miss Xiaozhi!"
[11:57] * Blessed_Blade bows.
[11:57] <Xiaozhi> She licks her thumb and slides it against the shallow cut. "There. See? Not even bleeding anymore."
[11:57] <Blessed_Blade> "Are those real?" She looks at teh girl's cat ears and reaches forward to touch one.
[11:57] * Xiaozhi allows the touch. "Very much so. So's the tail."
[11:58] <Blessed_Blade> "Wow, they're soft!" she looks over at Blossom. "Are you also a human?" her voice somewhat innocent.
[12:03] * Blessed_Blade looks back at Xiaozhi, after looking at Blossom*
[12:15] <Xiaozhi> "...Me? Oh, yes. Completely."
[12:15] <Blessed_Blade> "Oh. But why do you have cat ears?"
[12:16] <Xiaozhi> "Probably for the same reason you can pull a sword out of your chest. Or that any of us are in Hell."
[12:17] <Blessed_Blade> "Oh. But um...I am the sword though." She trails off.
[12:19] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom chuckles at that. "She is. I don't really understand it, but eh."
[12:19] * Blessed_Blade nods, "I'm a sword!"
[12:19] <Xiaozhi> "Ah. Well, never mind. These"--she flicks her ears at Blade--"are from an accident a little bit ago. Among other things."
[12:19] <Blessed_Blade> She pulls her blade out and gingerly hands it to Xiaozhi. "Please be careful?"
[12:20] <Xiaozhi> "O...kay?" She accepts the weapon, inspecting it gingerly for a moment.
[12:23] <Blessed_Blade> There's no sheath on the blade but the girl smiles. "Okay!" And then...she seems to vanish, a pure white wooden sheath, chased in red colored jade with lines similar to those on Blades arms forming on it. The blade feels warm, alive.
[12:24] <Xiaozhi> "...Yeah, alright, this might officially be the strangest thing I've seen since I got here."
[12:26] * Blessed_Blade says nothing, she's a sheath after all, but pulses nicely. It feels...good to hold. A perfectly balanced sword.
[12:28] <Xiaozhi> She marvels at it for a moment more, almost reluctant to let it go...but eventually does. "So...do I just...drop her? Give her to you?" she asks Blossom. "Throw her into the air?"
[12:28] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom grins. "It'd be pretty funny if you threw her in the pond." Her tone is teasing, obviously not serious.
[12:28] * Blessed_Blade reforms a moment later, the blade flying in the air into her body's hand. "No! I can do it myself" brightly.
[12:29] <Blessed_Blade> "But um...I'm a sword and this" she hugs herself, and the sword too. "Is my sheath!"
[12:30] <Xiaozhi> She pouts for a second at losing the chance to get some of her own back, but nods. "That's certainly...unique. But enough of that--time's wasting, and we've got a ways to travel. I need to stop by Ma Sin's, too."
[12:31] <~Earthflame> "I've heard of that place. Not been, though. What's it like?" Blade Blossom asks.
[12:32] <Blessed_Blade> "Who's Ma Sin?"
[12:32] <Xiaozhi> "Fancy," she says with a grin. "C'mon and you can find out. Can you two think of anyone else I might ask, though, before we go?"
[12:32] <Blessed_Blade> "I've only been here two days!"
[12:32] <Xiaozhi> "You'll meet her," she assures Blade. "That's...any method I have of describing Ma Sin would just fall short."
[12:33] <~Earthflame> Blade Blossom shrugs, before walking over to Xiaozhi and leaning down to whisper in her ear. "...But if we ask anyone else they might say Blessed Blade shouldn't leave yet. The girl needs a chance to get out on the town, y'know?"
[12:34] <Xiaozhi> Comprehension dawns and she nods. "Alright. Let's head out, then. The matron promised guards to escort any of the girls we find, anyway. That should be more than sufficient."
[12:35] <Blessed_Blade> "Okay! I'd like to meet Miss Sin!"