GoldenCat/Fids04

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Painful Lessons

The sun goes through your window, burning white-hot. First week of resplendent fire, the second-hottest month in the year. The light pours through the window of the Dragon-Blooded’s room on Starfall, one of ther few Manses owned by the All-Seeing Eye as a base of operations, and in some ways, training camp.

Since her unexpected Exaltation, life has been endless training on its halls, but not much different than that you lived as a slave, when being trained to know and to killl - only know, said knowledge, and techniques took a distinct supernatural edge. She impresses them, even if they do not show it, and only train you more harshly, pushing your abilities beyond those one would imagine looking at her body, or knowing your age. Of these, the harshest is her main teacher, the old Iselsi known as Sawin of Scarlet Tears.

She hears the door be pushed aside, and someone enter with light feet, It is Mirai, one of the servant girls in the house, a peasant, although her lot is better than most - trained by the Eye and enjoying one of the best treatments that can be afforded to servants. "Lady Lily? Are you awake?" She says as she enters Lily’s room...

• Lily blinks awake, feeling the warmth of the sun, her eyes adjusting to the light. She's still getting used to this whole 'Lady Lily' thing. "Just about," she turns her head to smile at Mirai.

Mirai: The girl, barely one year older than Lily, sets the tray with Lily's breakfast close to her bed, smiling an angelical smile back, "Good Morning, then! May Hesiesh watch over your today!" the breakfast, peach juice, milk, peaches, grapes, cheese and bread, is not just much more, and much finer, than she was used to have during her whole childhood, but it also looks... tasty! Very, very tasty, "Slept well?"

Lily: "Oh, thank you!" she sits up, taking the tray and setting it on her lap - it feels a bit decadent to be eating breakfast in bed, but in a delightfully sinful way. "Yes I did, thanks, and you? - Mmm, this is delicious!" as she starts eating.

Mirai: "Well enough!" She says, sitting on the bed, smiling as she watches Lily eat, "A little worried about you... you are fully recovered now, think Lord Swain will be rough on you again?" She says, pointing to an almost-completely bruise on Lily’s cheek from training a few days back.

• Lily smiles wryly. "I imagine he will. Don't worry, that was my fault; I should have blocked faster. I will next time! Lord Swain's a hard teacher, but I'd rather have a rough time in training now, than later on when I'm facing someone who's trying to kill me."

• Birds chirp happilly, and the sun still shines, apparently with little regard to the turmoil the world is in. Lily came of age just as the world began to go crazy. No memories of the dynasty aside from this uneasy state of backstabbings and aprehension as if everyone knew of a tragedy, had seen it, but all refused to believe it, just knowing that, sooner or later, the knowledge will catch up with them. Outside, Lily can hear the noises of the other, human, trainees, falling rom climbing lessons, screaming pain on escape lessons, groaning as they are hit in martial lessons, knowing that is where she has to go as soon as this brief moment of serenity and delicatecies ends.

Mirai: "But, but... it's still so dangerous! You are so beautiful, lady Lily, you shouldn't do such harsh things.... he's even harsher to you than to us...." Mirai was no stranger to martial lessons, but yet, mortals were trained for assassinations or self-defense, not the kind of harsh training Swain placed you through to learn the Air Dragon Style, knowing your Exalted constitution would pull you alive out of it. "Be careful..."

• Lily pops the last grape into her mouth, bites, savors the taste and swallows, brief thoughts of the broader future running through her head - then after a moment she thinks to herself, with a touch of black humor: . o O (Look on the bright side, girl - Lord Swain makes sure you don't have much attention to spare for fretting about the state of the Realm!) "Thank you, Mirai," she smiles, setting the tray aside and slipping out of bed. "I will be careful - he knows how much I can take, he's not going to do anything that would kill me... just make me wish it had, if I get sloppy," she grins!

Mirai: "I-I guess..." She says, the mention to him making Lily wish she had leaving her a bit... uneasy. Picking up the tray, she asks, "Are you done already?"

Lily: "Just my poor attempt at humor," she adds, with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, I'll be okay, even though I'm sure that's not the last bruise I'll pick up - Yes, I'd better get ready for the day."

Mirai: "Oh! I see!" If Mirai was a cat, you could just see her ears perking up as her face brightens. Then she takes one of the grapes in the tray, popping it in mouth with a somewhat guilty face, "Anything I can help you with?"

Himitsu: *Ahem* Lily can hear it as a figure appear on the door. Himitsu. One could also call him 'cocky little bastard', but one never would, as he is never rough on those older than himself to receive such title. Another Dragon-Blooded studying under Swain, though one that has considerably more...trouble... learning what the old Dragon has to teach. "Master wants to talk to you on the garden, Lily. He didn't seem pleased in the least...Did you do anything funny last night? If it was for me to hear him being grumpy like that, should have done it with me..." He doesn't seem very embarassed by seeing Lily in such an state... actually, he seems to be quite enjoying the view!

Lily: "I'll be fine, thanks," she replies to Mirai, then jumps a bit as Himitsu shows up, blushing slightly and adjusting her position to show a little less of her legs...

Mirai: "L-lord Himitsu!" Mirai says, even in fear of naysaying a Prince of the Earth, "This is a lady's room, have you no sha..." His look at her would be enough to make her stop speaking at once.

• Lily frowns indignantly at Himitsu. "Not unless you regard sleeping as 'funny', but I shall be down directly to see what the problem is - now, if you will excuse me?" she says coolly.

Himitsu: "It was urgent, you know. When Swain is angry, we can't do much more than *obey*!" He says, then blinks, as if wondering why the hell did I just explain myself to a.... mortal? then he'd shake his head, "Hey, deny all you want, won't change much when you go meet him, might as well tell me..." his tone is sympathetic, if curious - makes you remember he was also there soothing injuries and helping the boy's training, even with his somewhat rash manners, "Ok, ok... I will be right outside!"

• Lily waits for him to step out, "Thanks Mirai," she says with a smile, and quickly starts getting dressed.

Mirai: "Just couldn't be silent when he barges in like that... he is a man, enlightened or not..." Mirai looks at Lily with admiration as she dresses, seeing the winds arond her form, or the azure-pale tinge of her skin, "Think... he will be angry, though?"

• Lily grins at the first part. "He shouldn't be," she adds, "you didn't say anything improper - but if he is, let me know; as far as I'm concerned, if he has a problem with you, it's a problem with me."

Lily: Once dressed, she'll head out to go and see why the master is angry.

Mirai: "Thank you, lady Lily!" Mirai nods, happilly, even if still a bit aprehensive, looking at the door, seeing Himitsu's feet tapping on the floor, "Sometimes, I think he likes you..." She'd giggle

• Lily giggles too, blushing a little. "Here we go," she opens the door and steps out.

Himitsu: Arms folded, waiting on the hall, Himitsu picks up, walking behind Lily, not keeping up with her urgent pace, "You sure sleep is the only thing you did?"

Lily: "Unless I was sleepwalking."

Himitsu: "Well, not like I could have seen it, I was dead tired last night, don't even remember dreaming!", he says, still trying to catch up, "I will be there, though, if you need any help... I guess I could talk to master..." The prospect visibly makes him shiver.

• Lily smiles, rather pleasantly surprised by this, since it's clearly not something he'd enjoy doing. "Thank you, Himitsu - I'd better talk to him myself, but I appreciate the offer."

Swain of Scarlet Tears: Through the house, Lily sees others training, and simply cleaning, working to keep the Manse clean or changing bits and pieces of it, delivering important documents and trinkets in a workspace that fervered like an ant colony, and never quite slept - the night is, after all, when the Eye does most of its work. Lily gets to the garden where she can see... him. Dressed in robes like that of an Immaculate Monk, only in black and blue hues, abstract designs seeming like monsters in the shadows of the night, his black hair tied in a ponytail as he sits in a position of lotus, meditating with his back to Lily... what doesn't seem to make much of a difference when he utters, her name, drily, as soon as she gets to his presence.

Lily: "You wished to see me, Master?" she walks around in front of him (bowing if that's the custom?) - it seems polite to stand where he can see her, even though he doesn't strictly need it.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "We will be going for a little walk, little one. Meet me in the front gate - one hour from now. You won't need to take anything but your bracelet." His voice is matter-of-factly, a voice of ultimate authority. Then when he speaks again, Lily just knows he is not talking to her, "You were supposed to be cleaning the glass panel on my room, after you delivered the message. As many times to the left as to the right as I told you do, with circular movements. What are you doing here?"

Himitsu: "... I-I.... I just..." Himitsu is speechless, his knees bending slightly, uncertain of what to say...

Swain of Scarlet Tears: ...But, before he can say anything, Swain waves back with his arm in a lazy, if carefully studied and precise, gesture, and a gust of almost-visible magical wind sends the boy against one of the lionine statues on the garden, out of breath, "Go. Both of you."

• Lily was formulating something to say in Himitsu's defense, but for good or bad didn't get a chance to say it "Yes, Master," and she retires, giving Himitsu a sympathetic/grateful look as we retreat.

Himitsu: "A-and I thought you would need help... " the boy says, getting up painfully, walking back into the Manse with Lily...

• Lily smiles, "I appreciate the thought though, thank you."

Himitsu: "You are *quite* welcome... shouldn't have bothered, though. Don't know what I was thinkin... ouch." The boy cluches his shoulder, then walks opposite ways from Lily once in the Manse.... "Well then, see you later... see if you are not late, you know Swain... doesn't really like to wait."

• Lily nod-nods, "Take care!" she waves and goes to fetch her bracelet - the master wants her to not look Exalted for this? Why? Are we going somewhere special? And why did Himitsu add the 'shouldn't have bothered' bit... does he just like seeming grumpier than he is? She contemplates these questions as she walks.

• All around Lily, the Manse is still bursting forth with activity, people she knows at least from sight in these last 3 years coming and going with documents, food, or just running around the inner garden exercising....

• Lily gets prepared right away. She wants to make sure to not be late, and preparing in advance is good for that! Afterwards she'll do some miscellaneous stuff before going out to the front gate a little early.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: As Lily gets early to the gates, her master is already there, still with his dark robe. He seems to be meditating even standing up, feeling the currents of the air he philosophies so much about. When Lily gets there he addresses her, his voice not as terse as before. "Great timing; I was about to go, with or without you." He'd say, walking foward.... "You know of the current state of the realm, of course?"

Lily: . o O (Hey, I was early!) She confines her reply to, "Yes, master," falling into step beside him.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: The streets on the Imperial City aren’t be very different from her home-school - bursting with activity, and more people than Lily has imagined existed, before, going about a thousand different bussiness in a thousand different directions - people that seem about to crush the little girl in their mass at times, even if her own beauty, and the feel about her added by the bracelet, brings about many pleasant looks. Conversely, no one seems to look at Swain twice- but all seem to preternaturally avoid his way as he walks, his pace a little too fast for Lily to follow with ease, "And do you think anything of it?"

Lily: To her, the streets of the Imperial City are a little like climbing a mountain, albeit in a very different way - tiring after awhile, but with a magnificence and beauty not quite like anything else in the world. She slips deftly through the mass of people, staying close to Swain, as she replies: "I don't have any profound insights, I'm afraid - I hope the Empress returns, of course, but I fear that may not happen... in which case, I suppose I hope a strong replacement takes the throne and restores order."

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "Simple wishes. I wish I could see the situation like you do. But unfortunately, everything changes when you understand how many corpses and interests are involved. Especially when you go beyond the Dynasty." He muses, though his last sentence is heard directly on your mind, and not spoken aloud. Then he stops in a fruit stand, and pays for an apple, offering it to Lily, "Want one?" Inside her mind, she hears more, "Now, let's take our mind of such matters. Answer me, though... I could ask you to shround your body and mind, right here, right now. Now, what would be wrong with it? "

Lily: "Thank you," she smiles, taking the apple and biting into it. Mentally she replies: It would be unwise to do it in the middle of a crowded street - I might be noticed doing it, and in any case it would be difficult to avoid someone bumping into me when they couldn't see me.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "The best moment to vanish is when you are not there to begin with. Only then can you be truly inconspicuous. " He gets an apple himself, and continue on, "How does it taste?" He asks, his voice sweeter than his usual.... ever. Like he, like, really cared, or something.

Lily: Although when one has to be there to accomplish something, one must surely compromise on conspicuousness? "It tastes delicious, thank you!"

Swain of Scarlet Tears: We use whatever we can, whenever we can, to accomplish our objective. The important it to do it, not how. Nothing shall be more important. Though, when that objective involves not being seen, never assume that just shrounding yourself is a guarantee - you have to not be there to begin with... "Why, you are welcome! So, what have you thought of your last few years, young lady?" ... He hardly ever calls her Lily, he hardly ever calls her anything but, so even this 'young lady'... stands out.

Lily: I understand. Are we being spied on at the moment? "They've been interesting! I've been learning a lot; and the Imperial City is magnificent." She tries to get a sense of whether anyone except random bypassers is around, without actually visibly looking behind her or anything.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: No, we aren't. Why would you think so? "Good, good. Don't you resent how I have acted on your training?" As he says so, he cuts through a narrower alley, then stops there, between two tall stone buildings.

Lily: Oh, I didn't see any indication that we were or anything, just had a feeling you might be trying to avoid notice, from the way we're talking mentally for example. "Honestly?" she comes to a stop beside him. "At times I have; when I'm not actually hurting I can understand the training needs to be hard."

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "Well, some things it wouldn't do well to just let a passerby hear, now, would it?" Then, he looks at both sides of the alley, and, swifly, jump to the roof of the building, "Come on."

Lily: "True," she smiles, jumping up after him.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: Without waiting for Lily, Swain goes on, jumping from rooftop to rooftop acrros the street, then stopping at the last of the buildings before a First Age building that towers before both, and looks down, carefully watching something on the area betwee the buildings a somewhat large one that narrows to an alley to get to an street.

• Lily follows, jumping from one rooftop to the next until she quietly scoots up beside him, following his gaze and trying to discern what the object of interest is.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: Below, on an small yard between the buildings, a group of people seems to be preparing something - something with steel glistening on their hands. Four of them, in ivory-colored robes checking knives and speaking in hushed voices. Her master keeps looking at them, and ask her, "Do you know who lives in this building?"

• Lily looks curiously at them. "I'm afraid not."

Iselsi Kian: "Nellens Arian and Peleps Marianna" Comes a voice to her left. a black-coated man, unkempt black hair moving in the wind; Lily barely noticed when he got close, hands on his pockets, a face of handsome lines, only slightly tinged by a sea-green that seems to emanate from his eyes, smiling as he regards her master, "He is an unexatlted senator for the lesser chamber."

• Lily blinks at the new arrival - he's good at not being noticed! "An assassination, then?" She thinks quickly - has she heard of either of the people mentioned? Does she have any idea who'd want to assassinate them, or why?

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "Yes, an assassination. Members of House Peleps decided Marianna is too much of a marriage asset fto remain with poor Arian, so they will kill him and just marry her to someone else, then. Maybe someone from Mnemon, this time." Swain nods to the new arrival, then extend his hand, "May I have your bracelet for a moment, young lady?" his face is more friendly than usual, his request almost nicely.

• Lily takes off her bracelet and hands it over, nodding to herself at the description of the scheme; it makes unpleasant sense... and she is also beginning to see what her master is up to and why he brought her here.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "Why, thank you." He says, friendly. Then, he pats on Lily's back. A sudden, powerful gust of wind comes from his palm, pushing Lily off the roof, and down to the trash piles of the alley below....

Lily: She stifles the urge to scream as she plummets off the roof, twisting like a cat in mid-air to land feet-first on a soft pile of vegetable scraps, bending her knees to take the impact. She was definitely not expecting that!

• She falls over the bunch of trash and boxes on the alley, right in the mouth of the yard where the men are getting ready, but only get some superficial cuts and burns from the fall, nothing that translates in a real health level.... only scraping some vegetables, and a box, making littlesound, but still... enough to be noticed.
  
  Up on the building, the newcomer picks Swain by the neck of his robes, narrowing his eyes, "Just what you think you are doing, Swain?!? Are you out of your fucking mind??" The answer is just a glare, and a piece of paper raised to the newcomer's face, "Shut up and read. And know I will kill you if you try to go down there."
  
  Startled, the ivory-caped men turn, steel glistening on their hands as they look upon Lily, surprised. "Just what....?" One asks, as two others are already coming close, "Well, we will just have to ask... nicely, won't we? Come on, sweetie..." the closest, a southern, large man says, a knife that could be called a shortsword on his hands as he smirks and leers at Lily...
  
  The slim one to your left moves like a little snake, sinously sneaking to your back to cut her escape - bony-thin, wrapped in a dark-blue cape and cloth, he has a dagger in his hand, though it is handled backwards and back on him, so as to not make him seem threatening to her....
  
  The southerner comes closer, his long knife glinting menacingly in the alley, sensing the scent of her hearthstone on the sweat of Lily’s adrenaline rush, "Hmmm, you smell nice, honey. Ready for the party already, I see..."

• Lily lands, for a moment her legs hurt and the breath knocked out of her lungs; her opponents are fast to react even though they have no idea who she is - but her method of arrival would be remarkable in any event - she absorbs the situation in a glance, thinking, then turns gracefully left to the thin man, obviously more dangerous than he looks. "Um, excuse me gentlemen," she says meekly, in the same breath putting thought aside. No mind. Her left hand reaches, soft and casual, closer to his knife hand, as she steps in, her right a knife-hand blow to the throat.

• He tries to react, you got to hand him some for reflexes, but he is not fast enough to avoid the blow as he falls back, clutching his throat, wide-eyed in his pain...

• Lily steps forward, sideways. What are you? Her left hand comes up in a feint as she circles around the apparent boss. The air Right hand closing to intercept the wrist if he attacks, she spins to slam him with a kick in the head!

Assassins: The large southerner tries to dodge her attack clumsly stepping to one side, surprised at the speed and strength of such a little girl....

Through the alley and the yard, a loud crack can be heard as Lily hits his face with such violence, sending the man falling to the well-paved stone floor, with but a grunt of pain and a face of momentaneous confusion followed by inconscience...

Not taking any chances now, the man to her left grips his knife and darts at Lily with it, intending to cut through Lily, pretty thing or not, raging alight on hsi eyes.

• Lily lands daintily on her right foot. What does a man who attacks the air do? She spins, flowing right and past - He wastes his energy.

Assassins: The attack flows past Lily without so much as her feeling its wind as she flows out of its way. The third one, a nondescript man of ordinary stock in a dark-blue cape and face shroud in a hood, pushes a throwing a knife, its handle ornately carved in a languid maiden with her arms outstretched, and throws it at the Air Aspect....

• Lily puts her other foot on the ground; Where does Air go? for a moment using her body to draw the enemy's attention Back here and sliding sideways.

Assassins: The knife goes through the man's outstretched bony wrist, the one holding the knife that almost hit Lily, spilling blood on the alley, making the slim man drop his knife and fall back, the loss of air from the blow to his throat and that of blood right now making his eyes vanish into uncounsciousness.....

• Lily turns towards the third man, gliding in. She lets him commit, then flows around the attack to drop him.

Assassins: The third man steps foward, whirling about in a kick to Lily's belly, his face still encased in shadow, moving deftly, with some degree of grace...

• Lily hops. From what direction does the air flow? And slams her feet down at his head as she lands. All directions

Assassins: As her heel hits the hooded man hard, his face falls straight on the almost sand-covered cobblestone floor, Lily's foot landing over his fallen head, the fourh man - the one in a Ivory cloak - looks at her under the darkness of his shrouded face. "Impressive"

The newcomer takes the paper, narrow his eyes, and throw it away, staring at Swain angrily, "Look, I just don't care!! To begin with, it doesn't say 'throw her in the midst of trouble' here! Being harsh is one thing, now thi..." the newcomer is be silenced by a punch to his stomach, breath seized out of him, choking for air as he goes to his knees...

"If she cannot survive down there, she will be an easy prey in the threshold, imbecile. And furthermore, she is not one of your ladies." Swain tells the man before kicking him in the chin, sending him away on the roof..."She is one of my soldiers."

The Ivory-cloaked man looks at Lily up and down, and she could just imagine his smile as he spoke, "Hmm... impressive, indeed! What is that, Five-Dragon style? Lighting-on-rain style? Or... is that the famous Immaculate Air style?"

Lily: "It is Immaculate Air style, though I am but a student," she replies politely, stepping over the unconscious third man to face her final opponent.

Assassins: "I wouldn't think you to be a master, no, my dear, unless your appearance is even more terribly deceiving. But, you see... just for seeing me here, I will have to kill you. Nothing personal, I really dislike to kill cute girls, but... nothing I can do." He says, shrugging and outstretching his arms.

Lily: "Since we must fight, may I know your name? I am Lily."

Ivory: "Lily... beautiful name! Makes me regret this even more... I am Ivory. A pleasure to meet you."

Lily: "Ivory," she bows - a formal bow, before a duel. "Likewise. I sense you will be an interesting opponent."

Ivory: Ivory bows as well, adepting a rigid stance. "As I do you. This shall be interesting, indeed... if quick."

• Lily approaches slowly, letting him make the first move; she doesn't know what fighting style he uses, and wants to get some feel for what he's going to do.

Ivory: His feet digging on the ground, he adopts a hard, rigid stance, then be covered with a pale, strong white light... almost as if you could touch the light, as solid as a block of marble... then, the stones from the earth , covering him like a carapace, with spikes and the like, yet marking the design of his ivory cape and hood, making it even darker. flexing fingers covered by a thin layer of earth, he turns the darkness under the hood to Lily, "Come."

Lily: Where is the air? She hops, feet first, right foot striking at his wrist then left at the hood-covered head, using the momentum transfer to bounce sideways, dodging the expected riposte. All places.

Ivory: Little chunks of stone and earth come from where she hits, but he just cocks his head to the side, "Just a gust of wind. Barely scratched me."

"It's supposed to be. I am not just some mortal you can take down with a couple of kicks." He says, Lily’s winds and the tinge of her skin already showing, and he chuckles, "How could you be anything else...

Lily: Which is stronger, wind or stone? She spins into a straight-line kick to the ribs, putting her weight behind it. In time, wind can turn the hardest stone to dust.

Ivory: With a loud CRACK, pieces of his earthly armor fall to the ground, and he turns, his head, gritting his teeth... "You... little..." roaring in fury, though not enough so the people on the buildings really hear, he shoots towards lily with his earthly hands, intending to get her under his grasp....

Lily: What does a man who attacks the air do? the words come to her again as she bounces back from the recoil of her kick and does a hop sideways to put her out of reach of his hands. He wastes his energy.

Stranger: His eathly fist hits only... air. Above, the newcomer raises his face, seeing what goes on below on the corner of his eyes. "That... is Ivory, isn't he?" He'd say, getting to his feet, eyeing Swain angrily, "You threw the girl on IVORY?!? You want her dead even before she has a chance to live?"

Swain looks down, stern-faced, "Shadow of fate and stars, this... is really none of your concern, how I treat my students. You came to avert an assassination - it will be averted. You watch, you make your report. You shall not interfere."

Crimson light encircles the newcomer's hands, "Let's go over this again, Swain. You move so I can go down help her, or, Danaa'd help me, I will kill you."

"Hmmm." Swain says, as Ivory grits his teeth below, your feet still aching from the blow, but his face in clear pain, "You move like a leaf, little bitch. But sooner or later I will get you, and plain you like a leaf flute before breaking you in pieces..."

• Lily thinks Ivory lacks the spirit of a gentleman, but the thought is somewhere outside the world, along with pain and fatigue and the possibility of death; she's fighting like she's never fought before, her soul and body notes in a tune on the breeze. Without the need for thought, she takes advantage of her offset position to seize a grasping hand by the wrist, turning in to slam her other hand up under the elbow, a blow that can break an arm many times stronger than those of the one executing the technique.

Ivory: "I have been hit harder." He says, cocking his head to the side and charging towards Lily, both hands intending to get her on the ground...

• Lily floats sideways with no more conscious effort than the breeze exerts to get out of the way of a charging bull.

Lily: Stone is the heaviest of the elements. The heavier a thing is, the harder it falls. As she floats aside from the bull-rush of her opponent, she trips him while simultaneously giving him a helping hand with a pull on his arm and a push on his shoulder - a judo-style throw, using his own weight and strength against him.

Ivory: The push suceeds completely - under Lily's masterful touches, Ivory is sent flying through the courtyard, and into an bank and arrangement of pots on the little street-turned-garden... shattering them. As he is sent, Lily can hear a snapping noise of sepparartion... and, before her eyes, his earthly covering disappears - it required contact to the ground that being thrown through the air and falling on a bank made him lose.

Lily: The sounds of fighting up on the roof float somewhere in the firmament of her mind; she has her task. What is faster than an arrow? She accelerates to a sprint, leaping into a flying kick, slamming down on her opponent with both feet before he can reorient himself. The air that flows around the arrow in its path.

Ivory: The kick hits his face hard, making him fall down, coughing blood. At this moment, guards from the great first age skyscrapper coming out, two guards asking what is going on there as he lays, defeated to your feet, only a trickle of sweat coming from her unscathed body....

Lily: "Ivory," she pants, finding speech again. "He was plotting to assassinate (insert name of target). Make sure he does not escape," the sounds of fighting from above now register. "I must assist my master." And she runs for the nearest vantage point to start hopping to the roof.

• Light as a feather, Lily lands on the roof, leaving a pair of a confused guards, three unconscious assassins and a Prince of the Earth spitting his teeth behind her. On the roof, she can see essence pouring from the stranger's hands and her master's eyes, as a trickle of blood runs down his forehead, he turns to Lily, and smiles.

Lily: She blinks. "May I assist, master?" This looks very strange to her, but then, this isn't the last very strange twist to this situation this morning, so she's learned to refrain from assumptions by now

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "You see, Shadow of Stars? She is not one of your companies. She is a soldier of the eye. She is the air. The air can't be hurt. The air flows through its obstacles, and blows them away." Swain says, his usual tone, as he walks towards you, caressing your face, and looking back at the black-coated stranger with contempt, "She is more than ready. She is the air." Then he retreats the hand, walking away with his back to you. "If a slow, clumsy and merciful air. The Shadow may be impressed with you surviving it, but I am just disappointed with your performance." And with it, he simply... disappears, shrounding his form in air.

Lily: "Gomen-nasai, master. I will strive to do better. But should I have slain him immediately? I did not know whether he was needed for questioning."

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "Yes, you should have. He has seen too much of you. The air is invisible. You don't see it as it blows through your air, into your mouth, caressing your throat. You have exposed yourself too much." Says the voice of Swain in the wind....

Lily: "I should rectify the situation now, then?" If there's no objection, she'll head down to do that.

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "No need to." With that, four shuriken jump from thin air and down into the yard. If Lily looks back, she can see them deep in Ivory's body, in the heart, throat and eyes. "I am responsible for your mistakes, after all. You still need to learn how to shed blood properly."

• Lily nods, "I am sorry, master. I will do better next time. - The other three, they saw my face also; all three may still be alive."

Swain of Scarlet Tears: "That they did, even if they did not know your name. Go back down, then - finish what you started."

Stranger: "She has already stopped the assassination!" The stranger says, "She doesn't need to do that, damn you, Swain!"

Lily: "I thank you," she bows to the stranger, "but I must complete my duty." And she hops lightly down, landing in the yard. This is more unpleasant - these three are pawns, they didn't personally promise to kill her. She pushes the unpleasantness out to nowhere as she kills each man with an edge-foot blow to the neck. It can be dealt with later. She then returns to the rooftop.

Stranger: "Are you ok?" The stranger asks, striding towards Lily, the glow on his hands ceasing.

Lily: "Yes, thank you."

Stranger: He looks at Lily somewhat warily now, part of him visibly not believing on what she just did.... not for what Lily did, that is common in their line of work, but by what couldn't be guessed by looking at the girl's face. He then looks around, wondering if Swain is still around, before returning to her, "Did he tell you why he threw you in there?"

• Lily shakes her head. "I assume it was to test me, and show me where I still need to improve."

Stranger: "Well, not that I think he wouldn't do it anyway, sooner or later... but it was more than that. Seems like they are assigning you to a mission on the threashold."

• Lily blinks in surprise. "I am not worthy, but I shall serve as I am able."

Stranger: "Well, the higher-ups think you are, so, good luck." He says, walking with you through the rooftops. "You did quite well back there, so there shouldn't be any problem, really... Swain does demand too much, sometimes."

Lily: "He demands much," she agrees. "That is the only way to obtain much. But thank you."

Stranger: "You truly are Swain's student...." The man says, smiling, "Well, they will certainly give you the details later on... want me to go with you back to Starfall?"

• Lily smiles back, "Thank you. If I may, I would appreciate the company."

Lily: "May I ask your name? I'm Lily."

Stranger: "Iselsi Kian." He says the name of the marked house with little ceremony - pehaps because he thinks Lily wouldn't do much with the information. Underestimating her, in a way. "I knew yours, you have been talked to quite a bit... they say you have as much raw power as Swain does, and for anyone to walk in the paths at suc han early age... you are quite something."

• Lily blushes modestly. "Thank you. But I have far to walk yet."

Iselsi Kian: "Well, don't we all? I am still a child for the dragons... you, then, should be a toddler. Even if that's not quite the case, as you proved Ivory..." Kian says, jumping down from the roof, waiting for Lily on the ground, hands on the pockets of his coat.

• Lily hops down beside him. "Then I am a child? Thank you," she smiles, "I appreciate the compliment."

Iselsi Kian: "Well, a beautiful child, indeed." He says, stealing a quick glance without much decor at Lily, then turning with some embarassment, "... And deadly, too..."

• Lily blushes prettily

Iselsi Kian: Kian smiles at her again, beggining to talk about amenities then, as both walk back to Starfall... to a couple more days of drilling before the big day, when Lily will be sent on her assignament on the Threshold.... quite a great assignament indeed....

• Lily chats happily... absorbing what happened there, and what's going to happen...

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