Just Another Day at the Pavilion (Solo)

[Blythe]

Summer 15, 511 AV Kariha stood proudly at the front of the class, holding her katana in her left hand. All her students stood in front of her, the seniors in the front, the juniors in the back. Blythe stood towards the back of the class, with her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, and her long white dress fluttering lightly about her ankles, courtesy of the subtle breeze which made its way through the door that led inside. She too, like the rest of the students, held her wooden practice sword in her left hand; only Kariha carrying a true blade. When Kariha bowed her head to the class, each of her students bowed to her, before they transferred their swords from their left hand, to their right hand. After they had done so, each student delicately lowered herself onto her knees, showing their teacher, and the place in which they practiced that they meant no harm; that they respected them and the order of all things. They placed their swords on the ground before them, before sitting back up and resting their hands on their knees; Kariha simply watching over them, proudly. When she nodded once more, each student placed their hands together, palm on the matt, in front of them. They waited another moment, before each lowered their head onto their hands, bowing again to their teacher. When they were done, they eased themselves back up, resting their hands on their laps as they knelt, waiting. Simply waiting, always waiting; learning to be patient and polite. When Kariha sheathed her sword, each of the girls delicately plucked their own practice sword from the ground, and sheathed it. When their teacher nodded again, each of them rose to their feet. "You may now begin sparring with one another," Kariha instructed with a small smile. "Yes Kariha," came many Konti voices, in unison. When the beginning ceremony had finished, each of the girls paired off, so that they may begin sparring with one another. "Would you like to have a rematch?" Fleur, a younger Konti, asked. "Sure," Blythe replied with a smile, her eyes glimmering pleasantly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Why don't we find an open section of the matt and get started?" she asked, receiving only a slight nod from the younger woman. Each of them glanced around the room, looking for an unoccupied area. Finally, they found one close to the middle of the matt, nestled between several pairs of Kontis brandishing wooden blades. Slowly, they moved to the space, and squared off, each woman pulling her sword from its sheath, as they locked eyes with one another. Slowly, each woman lifted her sword over her head, so that the sword was perfectly horizontal, and she was peering out of the space between her arms. Blythe's fingers curled into the hilt, all twisting towards her palm, with the exception of her thumbs, which were pointed towards the wooden blade. The right hand led, only a few inches above the left upon the hilt. She was facing Fleur directly, neither foot truly in front of the other, although, she did keep her knees slightly bent, so that her body would not be quite so rigid. "Ready when you are," Blythe called, as Fleur nodded, indicating that she was indeed ready. Instantly, Blythe leapt forward, her initial step somewhat shaky due to her starting position. As she moved, she cast her sword out, towards the younger Konti's right shoulder by pulling on the sword with her left hand. As the blade inched closer and closer to Fleur's flesh, the younger Konti sprung into action, bringing her left foot back as she twisted the sword to the side, so that it ran from left to right over her head. Click! The two wooden swords met, Blythe not getting very far in her attack before Fleur blocked her, leaving the majority of her body wide open for the girl's advance. Fleur's eyes began to scrunch shut as she grit her teeth a bit, her arm trembling ever so slightly from having to halt the force of Blythe's blade. A simple mistake on Blythe's part, for one is not supposed to put all that much force behind that strike. Instead, they are supposed to allow gravity to do most of the work. "Careful Blythe," Fleur muttered, as she pushed upwards on her sword, pushing Blythe's blade back just enough where she could back up a few steps, before lunging forward again, towards her opponent. As she did so, she lowered the blade ever so slightly, so that it was held closer to her chest. At the very last moment, she swiped her sword diagonally, upwards, and to the right, trying to rake the tip across Blythe's chest. While Fleur's body was still in motion, Blythe stepped back with her right foot, placing all of her weight upon it, before stepping back with the left, and leaning back ever so slightly, only narrowly missing the tip of the blade. Blythe's heart began to pound in her tiny rib cage, as a single bead of sweat trickled down her brow. As Fleur's blade swept past, carrying a gentle burst of air, Blythe eased her body up, straightening it out a little more. Fleur's blade stopped as soon as it had twisted to the side of her body, above her shoulder, leaving the girl's chest wide open. Deciding to try and take advantage of the situation, Blythe strode forward, bringing her blade upwards slightly, before pushing it inwards, so that she may strike the side of Fleur's body, just above her left hip.

[Blythe]

Fleur, obviously not wanting to be hit by Blythe's sword, began to push back against her own weapon, fighting the momentum she had built up in her attack. This did little if anything to halt the movement of her blade, any faster than it would have done so on its own, but it did manage to bring the sword in the opposite direction. From where Blythe stood, it appeared as though the younger Konti were swinging her sword like one would swing a baseball bat, wildly, and out of control. As though her desire to not lose the spar had created such a deep sense of desperation within her, that Fleur was willing to try any sort of movement, in order to remain out of the wooden blade's way. As the blade inched closer and closer to the other side of Fleur's body, it twisted ever so slightly, so that it was running across her hip, blocking a larger portion of it. Thus, by the time Blythe's blade had neared its mark, Fleur's blade had come to a position by which it could effectively block the attack, and push the older Konti's sword away with the momentum it had built up with its movement in the opposite direction of its original attack. Thwack! The blades clanked angrily against each other for a moment, before Blythe's was sent wildly off course, leaving the majority of her body wide open to another one of Fleur's advances. After Blythe's sword had been sent away, Fleur began to bring hers to a halt, so that she may strike before Blythe had time to regain her footing, and return to a more defensive position. As Fleur stepped forward, closer to her opponent, she brought her sword back up, so that she may slice the air from just below her left hip, to her right shoulder. In doing so, she also hoped to rake her sword across Blythe's chest. Blythe, still struggling to recover from Fleur's wild defense, didn't have time to move out of the way, and soon felt the tip of Fleur's wooden blade on the center of her chest. Her breath caught for a moment, as she followed the projection of the blade, towards her right shoulder, before Fleur pulled away. "Good match," Blythe commented rather politely, for she was certain that each of them knew that Fleur had simply gotten lucky that round. Not that Blythe was a particularly skilled fighter, and could easily defeat Fleur; but more or less because Fleur's form had simply been tossed out the window for that one. The younger Konti simply nodded in response, as the two women dragged the tips of their blades along the floor, circling each other once so that they may catch their breath, before returning to their starting positions. Once they had reached the place where their fight had begun, the girls lifted the tips of their swords off the ground, and struck a defensive position. Blythe chose to hold her sword approximately seven inches in front of her body. It was held straight, the blade slicing her body in half. She led with her right foot, placing all of her weight upon it, as she bent lightly into the position. Her left foot, however, trailed no more than a foot behind. Fleur, on the other hand, returned to the position she had held just before their first round of fighting. "Ready when you are," Blythe whispered when she had gotten into position, ignoring the clattering of several wooden blades all around her; the sound of shuffling feet upon bamboo matts, as several trickles of salty sweat made their way down her brow. OOCI am trying to rp Fleur as being a) lucky, b) at a high level novice/low level competent katana wielding Konti. Sorry I am not doing the best job.

[Blythe]

Fleur simply nodded in response as she sprang forward a moment later, sweeping her blade down, and towards Blythe's left shoulder as she moved. As Fleur made her move, Blythe lifted her wooden practice sword, turning her right hand to the left, while the left was brought upwards, towards the right, effectively turning her sword so that it ran horizontally, as opposed to vertically. As she lifted the blade even higher, the older Konti ignored the whooshing sound the blades made as they sliced through the air; the flash of brown as they rapidly pushed everything aside so that they may reach their destination. Clack! Blythe's wooden sword met with Fleur's once more, the two of them locked in midair, just above the Konti's shoulder. The two women locked eyes, before forcefully pushing their swords inward, towards each other, before pushing themselves apart so that they may circle each other; regaining their composure as they looked for a weak spot in their opponent's defenses. Each of the women was drawing in ragged breaths, growing tired from all the energy they were using in order to fight one another. Their hearts were beating faster and faster as they eyed each other, both anticipating an attack from their opponent. Finally, Blythe noticed a small opening, and lunged for Fleur. Blythe pulled her left hand off the blade, just before she thrust her right arm outward, cutting through the thick air that hung in the pavilion. As soon as she had extended her arm and the blade, Blythe raised the tip of her right foot, and then shot it forward, the movement having been propelled by a slight straightening in her left leg. Having raised the tip of her foot too high however, and not having propelled herself forward quickly enough, Blythe's left leg tripped over the back of her right, and her body wobbled forward. Her right arm shook as the blade inched closer and closer to Fleur, who easily side-stepped to the left, dodging Blythe's attack. The Konti's lavender-colored eyes grew wide as she reached forward with her left hand, trying to grasp the blade as her body continued to wobble, despite her attempts at righting herself. And before Blythe had time to react, Fleur had taken advantage of her misstep, and brought her blade down on Blythe's arms. Well aren't you doing well today? Blythe's mind whispered as she finally got her body under control, and straightened herself out so that she may face her opponent once more. If this were a real fight, you would have just lost your limbs. You've got to try better darling; watch your step. If you ever want to gain the grace of your teacher; the strength to get off this island; at least for a little while. Just so you could see another part of this world, and serve the goddess as best you can. Blythe sighed inwardly as she returned to her starting position, readying herself for another of Fleur's attacks, as Fleur readied herself for another one of Blythe's. This time, the older Konti was determined to land a hit. Blythe's eyes narrowed as she took a deep breath in through her nose, and out through her mouth. It was as though she were trying to concentrate on some tiny detail, a loose thread in the stitching of Fleur's dress, a small stain that had been left ages ago, something that simply could not be washed out of the cloth, no mater how much one scrubbed. But the Konti wasn't concentrating on that at all, she was simply trying to clear her mind, and steady her breathing, calm her rapidly beating heart so that she could think clearly. So that she could remember every single word her teacher had once said to her, so that this time, she could emerge victorious. Watch your opponent's first step, and try to anticipate where they will go from there, how they will move. How they will twist the blade before they strike, where they will strike... remember Blythe, only use the blade in defense, to harm when there is no way to keep yourself from their desire to harm you. Never wield the blade to harm another, to destroy the life which the goddess has given another, the words played over and over in the elder Konti's mind as she waited, willing her body to relax, her aching muscles to loosen. Finally, when Fleur had realized that Blythe wasn't going to attack, she stepped forward with her right foot, before dragging her left behind. As she did so, she swung the sword from high over her head, in a diagonal line, downwards and to the left, so that by the time it had stopped moving, the tip would rest a few inches to the side of her left leg; the tip not so far away from her ankle. Her hands, which held the hilt, would only be a few inches off of her left hip, if she managed to complete her attack.

[Blythe]

Realizing that Fleur was making a similar attack to the one she had attempted before, Blythe stepped back a few paces, and out of reach of the younger Konti's sword. As soon as Fleur's sword had been brought to a halt, she stepped forward, and brought it back in the direction from which it had come. Although, instead of bringing her sword to a halt above her head, she ended the movement by her shoulder; silently hoping that her advance would rake across Blythe's flesh, as opposed to thin air. Unfortunately for Fleur, the older Konti was ready for such an attack, and by bringing her left hand upwards and towards the right, and the right downwards and towards the left, she managed to turn her blade so that it ran horizontally, blocking the attack. When their blades met with another satisfying clack, the women pushed their blades towards each other, before rapidly pulling back and away from each other, so that they may return to simply staring; circling their prey. You are going to have to try harder than that, Blythe's mind whispered, as her eyes settled on the wooden sword Fleur was holding in her hands, only a few inches in front of her body, the same as Blythe. The two stepped in unison, crossing one foot over the other before uncrossing them as they moved in a circle, slowly. Waiting, always waiting for the other to make a move, or an opening to present itself, so that they, themselves, may strike. Finally, growing sick of simply staring and having sweat drip down her face, Blythe strode forward, towards Fleur. As she did so, she brought her blade from its central guard position, in front of her body, upwards and to the right, so that the tip ended just above Fleur's right shoulder. When it had reached that point, Blythe dragged the blade inwards, towards Fleur's neck, as though she were trying to decapitate her. The younger Konti had little time to respond, but even so, she took a few steps back, before raising her blade, so that it may guard her neck as opposed to the center of her chest. Clack! Once again, Blythe had failed to strike her opponent, and was forced to retract her blade; to start over again. The two Konti women had just begun circling each other once more when the sound of hands clapping firmly together reached their ears; over the sound of shuffling footsteps, and Kontis trying to drag in another ragged breath. "Very good work class," Kariha called, as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. "Very good work indeed, but it is time to wrap up now, for we must make room for the next group to practice." The women nodded as they bowed to each other, out of respect. "Perhaps we can finish this next time," Fleur whispered. Blythe nodded, "perhaps," she said with a small smile, her lavender-colored eyes sparkling as they walked over to the far side of the matt and dropped off their swords. "Until next time," Blythe called, as she gathered her things and headed out of the pavilion, and in the direction of her family's cottage.

[Cachet]

Blythe SKILLS Katana- 5 Meditation-2 LORE Becoming graceful with the Katana Learning from a younger Konti Sparring above your skill level Sparring aggressively...for a Konti Misc Notes: I love it when I see the Konti culture brought out in every aspect of Mura. Even in sparring and weapon training the culture is brought out and put on display so well by your writing. I really enjoyed reading this thread for that and other reasons. I loved how you played Blythe, I can see her getting slightly more aggressive; like when she moved to decapitate her opponent. She is learning and evolving just like a good character should. Solo threads are hard to do and keep interesting; especially training ones. I applaud your hard work Blythe. Anything seem out of place? Any questions please feel free to contact me ASAP.