In Defiance Of Transience (Tenshi Quest)

[Tom]

> Add "Since we're trying to lay low and whatever gossip gets out brings prying eyes here..."

> Though, we did hint to the Shinigami about the whole going to the moon thing, perhaps running into her wouldn't be as unproductive as we think?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>  "I guess I should head out soon, will Yukari be able to notice that I'm in this area? You probably already know that it's best for us to avoid an encounter."

> Add "Since we're trying to lay low and whatever gossip gets out brings prying eyes here..."

> Though, we did hint to the Shinigami about the whole going to the moon thing, perhaps running into her wouldn't be as unproductive as we think?

>"Oh, definitely, you should leave. I would not be surprised if she were discreetly watching you since you came here, or even once you started your journey. If she somehow knows you were here then I will vouch for you. I cannot allow a cute Celestial like you to suffer her grudges."

>Maybe you could convince her that you both have a common enemy in the moon? Or at least convince her that going along with the lie is a good idea. But if she's been watching you for long...

> How did Shinyoumaru react to the comments made by Yuyuko?

>Shinmyoumaru gave you a sly smirk. You feel like you know what she means by it but you do not want to admit.

>Youmu walks in from a different room. Dressed in the same clothes that you regularly see her in.
>"Tenshi, I am ready for our training."
>"Are your friends joining in? I could accommodate them but it would take more precious time. Or they can just watch."
>It is going to be a very funny sight. You in your gardening clothing duelling Youmu in her regular clothing.
>_?

[Tom]

> Ask "Want to join in?"

> What would be the best way to determine if we're being watched? Since we know miss Yakumo's weather effect could we use our ability in an unconventional way to perceive/sense her presence?  Thinking back on the weather incident her weather effect remained active even when she was hidden... Perhaps we could try going somewhere isolated and changing the weather based on the nearest person's influence and seeing what it changes to?

[degradingwindow]

//Should we change ourselves back into our nornal clothes? It wouldn't be respectful of us to go around Hakugyokurou in farmers clothes.

> Where did we leave our original change of clothes?

[Tom]

// Certainly! It wouldn't be befitting of a celestial to be seen as we are now! I was just too focused on the prospect of being eavesdropped on to think about it.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Ask "Want to join in?"

>"Nah, I don't think I'll be very good at sparring in my current size."
>"I don't use any bladed weapons, let alone Katana. I wouldn't gain anything from participating."

> What would be the best way to determine if we're being watched? Since we know miss Yakumo's weather effect could we use our ability in an unconventional way to perceive/sense her presence?  Thinking back on the weather incident her weather effect remained active even when she was hidden... Perhaps we could try going somewhere isolated and changing the weather based on the nearest person's influence and seeing what it changes to?

>That would work. Generally, the more exposed and obvious someone's Qi or Spiritual Energy is, the easier it is to lock onto their Weather. If Yukari is watching you, then she has to be doing it from an extension of her ability meaning her Qi is all over the place. Either that, or she's using her Shikigami, and they're also easy to track.

> Where did we leave our original change of clothes?

>A side room. More of a very large closet, really. Your regular clothes are covered in sweat but arguably more formal than the gardening wear you currently have on.
>_?

[degradingwindow]

> "Then I guess you guys can just watch from the sidelines."
> Stand up from our seat politely.
>"Now if you will excuse me, I must change into more appropriate clothes before I begin the sparring."

[Tom]

> Can we notice anything odd about the neaby Qi or Spiritual Energy? If there's too much energy to individually identify someone then make a mental note to find an isolated location to try again.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> "Then I guess you guys can just watch from the sidelines."
> Stand up from our seat politely.
>"Now if you will excuse me, I must change into more appropriate clothes before I begin the sparring."

>"Huh, alright."
>"Aww, you look cute in those clothes."
>"My lady, please not in front of other guests."

> Can we notice anything odd about the neaby Qi or Spiritual Energy? If there's too much energy to individually identify someone then make a mental note to find an isolated location to try again.

>You don't notice anything odd. You feel your own Aurora, Yuyuko's Snow, Youmu's Blue Sky, Shion's Acid Rain, and Shinmyoumaru's Dust Devil, but not anything else unusual. Though maybe the amount of unique people around you is making it hard to find anything subtle, so you should probably do this when a bit more isolated.

>You leave the room and go to the closet.
>You see your regular change of clothes, they're sweaty, but they're still your clothes and fairly formal. You change into them, and bring the gardening clothes with you back into the main chamber.
>"I'll be holding those clothes for you."
>Just as you wonder how she's going to do that, your gardening clothes shrink in your hands and she takes them.
>"Are you ready?"
>_?

[degradingwindow]

> "I'm all set now."
> "What will be the rules for our spar?"

[Tom]

> Alright that's somewhat reassuring, make a mental note to try again later in a more isolated area but for now we're clear. At least there were no Shinigami neaby!  Let's focus on the duel and enjoying our time here.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Alright that's somewhat reassuring, make a mental note to try again later in a more isolated area but for now we're clear. At least there were no Shinigami neaby!  Let's focus on the duel and enjoying our time here.

>Alright, all clear. Now to spar with Youmu and finally kick off this training.

> "I'm all set now."
> "What will be the rules for our spar?"

>"We will spar with our regular weapons. I will use Roukanken and you will use your Sword of Hisou." Huh, you honestly thought you would both use bokken or something.
>"We will fight until one of us either get three strikes on the other's body, or two strikes to the wrist. Danmaku is allowed, however special abilities are not. Myon won't be on my side, and you will not use your Weather Effects. You can use your Keystones, however. They can be used as danmaku or as a shield for attacks."
>"Yuyuko will be judging whether or not hits count or if we break the rules." You see Yuyuko waving at you.
>"I might as well judge too. Yuyuko might be biased and give Youmu a win."
>Yuyuko gasps in faux shock. "Oh my! I wouldn't want to spoil a fair game like that! Besides, I would likely be more biased towards Tenshi's favour." She gives you a wink.
>"Yeah, yeah, you want her, we get it." Shinmyoumaru says in exasperation.
>"I'll watch and judge as well. I'll be cheering for you, but otherwise I will try to not be biased"
>_?

[Tom]

> Assume a stance that enhances our range and summon the Sword of Hisou.

[degradingwindow]

> Take a look at our surroundings. What type of floor are we fighting on? Is there a ceiling?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Assume a stance that enhances our range and summon the Sword of Hisou.

>You and Youmu walk over to the front entrance of Hakugyokurou, a wide open area.
>You raise your hands over your head and summon the Sword of Hisou. (Thank goodness it practically doesn't take any space)
>Youmu goes into a low guard, her Roukanken facing towards you.

> Take a look at our surroundings. What type of floor are we fighting on? Is there a ceiling?

>The floor is an array of Stone Tiles. Smoothed and cleaned, probably by Youmu herself. There is no ceiling. Yuyuko, Shinmyoumaru, and Shion are watching in bated breath, probably wondering who will make the first move.
>_?

[Tom]

> Youmu is certainlt trying to impress miss Yuyuko, let's draw out the first strike by appearing vulnerable. Leave a semi obvious opening in our stance only to pre-emptively strike when she goes for it and aim for the wrist!

> Summon a line of low scattered keystones on the ground behind her as we follow through with our strike so that she trips upon retreating.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Youmu is certainlt trying to impress miss Yuyuko, let's draw out the first strike by appearing vulnerable. Leave a semi obvious opening in our stance only to pre-emptively strike when she goes for it and aim for the wrist!

> Summon a line of low scattered keystones on the ground behind her as we follow through with our strike so that she trips upon retreating.

>You lean forward in your stance. It already leaves you wide open, so there aren't many adjustments that need to be made.
>Youmu circles around you, keeping her blade between you and her.

>Youmu seems to have tired of waiting and advances towards you. Interestingly, she runs instead of floating.
>You immediately spring your trap, swinging downwards at her while simultaneously summoning Keystones to block her escape!
>She stands her ground and her attack deflects yours, and she follows up with a thrust that targets your wrists-
>Youmu's Roukanken slams the Sword of Hisou out of your hands!
>Youmu walks back a bit. "Baiting me is not going to work. It may work on an unskilled enemy who doesn't know how to provoke a counter that's sure to fail, but it will not work on someone like me."
>"Youmu, that attack scores no points."
>"Yeah, I'm not counting that either."
>"What? Why not?"
>"Although that attack would be the end of a fight against an opponent with a regular weapon, Tenshi can just summon the Sword of Hisou right back into her hands. Disarming her is actually the most pointless thing to do."

>Youmu walks always from you, but not too far. The Keystones have essentially halved the amount of space either of you can move without flying.
>_?

[Tom]

> She's right, let's reserve that trick for our lesser skilled opponents ...but what if we did something totally unexpected?

> Can we shoot a giant laser from the Sword of Hisou? // Referring to that old flash game Megaton Shot where you'd draw a sigil and spin it to shoot a master spark like beam to score points.  Tenshi spins the Sword of Hisou only for the spark to comically backfire!

[degradingwindow]

> Can we identify the stance that Youmu is in?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> She's right, let's reserve that trick for our lesser skilled opponents ...but what if we did something totally unexpected?

> Can we shoot a giant laser from the Sword of Hisou? // Referring to that old flash game Megaton Shot where you'd draw a sigil and spin it to shoot a master spark like beam to score points.  Tenshi spins the Sword of Hisou only for the spark to comically backfire!

>Of course, you can. It's the most basic technique you could use the Sword of Hisou for. Although Scarlet Weather Rapture and its alternatives are not lasers, but rather an extremely condesed barrage of Bullets, lasers are a step down in difficulty.

> Can we identify the stance that Youmu is in?

>Youmu is in a low guard again, her sword between you and her.

>Youmu decides to advance towards you, keeping her guard.
>_?

Tenshi Hinanawi

Body:     Wrist:

VS

Body:     Wrist:

Youmu Konpaku

[Tom]

> Sidestep and adopt the Hidari-Jodan-Gamae stance while maintaining distance without breaking eye contact.

> Reach for a strike while simultaneously dispelling the keystones, hopefully giving us that split second opening by taking her eyes off us.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Sidestep and adopt the Hidari-Jodan-Gamae stance while maintaining distance without breaking eye contact.

> Reach for a strike while simultaneously dispelling the keystones, hopefully giving us that split second opening by taking her eyes off us.

>You raise your Sword upwards and lean forward, trying to look as imposing as possible.
>Youmu answers by lunging forward.

>You dispel the keystones and perform a vertical slash with your Sword, but Youmu looks directly into your eyes before thrusting her blade at your chest.
>Both of your attacks hit each other at the same time. Your attack strikes Youmu near her sternum, while she thrusts directly where your heart would be.
>"Both Tenshi and Youmu lose one point on their chests!"
>"Not that they had much to begin with."
>"Shinmy, are you sure you should be saying that? Of all people?"

>Youmu speeds backwards, going the full length of the "Arena" this time.
>"A good job of taking advantage of the speed the stance gives you. However you have to remember that anyone who faces you in combat like this is likely to take hits from you if it means striking you down. You should learn to Attack while Defending. It's entirely possible to attack in a way that intercepts some angles I could attack from."
>_?

Tenshi Hinanawi

Body:     Wrist:

VS

Body:     Wrist:

Youmu Konpaku

[Tom]

> Complement Youmu on her focus and swiftness.

> Comment "You're not the only one who can't keep their eyes off me!" while glancing at our spectators.

> Take note of the angle which Youmu used to attack us and think of an attacking motion that would obstruct such strikes.

> From what we remember from Youmu's strike were there any openings from which we could've counterattacked from?

> Sidestep to give ourselves room to assume our previous stance. If Youmu makes the first move, expect a variation of her last move and try to take advantage of the openings we saw, otherwise go for a variation of our own, striking while taking into account the angles we need to obstruct.

[degradingwindow]

//Yomu hit us directly where the heart should be, and her other strike was aiming to hit our wrists. She's probably trained to always hit our most fatal points so we should make sure to have extra caution there.

> Make sure to also expect a move that will hit any important fatal points.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Complement Youmu on her focus and swiftness.

> Comment "You're not the only one who can't keep their eyes off me!" while glancing at our spectators.

>"Oho, she's definitely right about that."
>"Make sure to be as focused as her!"
>"My focus and swiftness is nothing praiseworthy. The Tengu have me beat on swiftness especially." Youmu's mouth curls into a smile. "But still, thank you."
>With that, she moves towards you carefully.

> Take note of the angle which Youmu used to attack us and think of an attacking motion that would obstruct such strikes.

> From what we remember from Youmu's strike were there any openings from which we could've counterattacked from?

>Her attack was a fast thrust. If you had a less open or lower guard then you could have countered it easily, but this is one of the noted downsides of the stance you took: How open it is.

> Sidestep to give ourselves room to assume our previous stance. If Youmu makes the first move, expect a variation of her last move and try to take advantage of the openings we saw, otherwise go for a variation of our own, striking while taking into account the angles we need to obstruct.

>You adopt your previous stance, and Youmu dives in.
>You see her hands move for a swing rather than a thrust, it's aiming high-

> Make sure to also expect a move that will hit any important fatal points.

>Right! Fatal spots!
>You move your hands into a low guard, then swing upwards. The target was Youmu's body, but your Sword is (coincidentally?) in the path of her Roukanken, leading to a clash.
>You two are stuck in a bind. You take a moment to extrapolate what Youmu's target was. And realise it was your neck, as you thought.
>This girl really has no mercy, does she?
>_?

Tenshi Hinanawi

Body:     Wrist:

VS

Body:     Wrist:

Youmu Konpaku

[degradingwindow]

> Keep pushing more with our sword, in terms of raw strength and stamina we probably out power her so she should eventually break.

[Tom]

> Be ready in case she tries to slide the sword away to break out of the stalemate.

> Push both with our feet and magically as if we were trying to fly forward.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

> Keep pushing more with our sword, in terms of raw strength and stamina we probably out power her so she should eventually break.

> Push both with our feet and magically as if we were trying to fly forward.

>You decide to use your greatest advantage: Your raw endurance.
>You keep pushing forward, but even with you pushing your strength into your movement, Youmu is surprisingly strong despite her lithe frame.
>You get a bright idea. You tilt and manipulate your Sword in the bind until it's above Youmu's Roukanken, then push down as if pulverising her into the ground.
>Youmu immediately realises that this is a losing battle and attempts to slide away, but her footing becomes uneven-

> Be ready in case she tries to slide the sword away to break out of the stalemate.

>And you're ready.
>You launch a kick, magically-enhanced, at her exposed leg and destroy her balance. As Youmu falls to the floor, you grab her Roukanken as she instinctively tries to catch herself, then lean over and impale (read: poke) your Sword into her wrist.

>"That's one hit to Youmu's wrist! Beautifully done by our graceful Celestial!"
>"I would use a lot of words to describe Tenshi, but graceful definitely is not one of them."
Shion chuckles nervously. "Y-yes. Tenshi is definitely not the picture of grace. But she gets the job done and rushes headfirst into danger without fear! That's what I like about her."
>"Hmhm, me too~."

>Youmu performs a kip-up and distances herself from you.
>She then smiles brightly, with genuine joy. As if she was happy to have lost that clash.
>"Good job in that bind! It seems that you mainly go for defensive behaviour when up against a skilled opponent. Originally, I was planned on keeping Roukanken above your Sword of Hisou to give me the advantage of gravity, but you beat me to that. Breaking someone's footing may not be very feasible while in-flight, but a close equivalent would be destroying their orientation and sense of direction."

>You throw the Roukanken back to its proper owner, and you both have a stand off.
>_?

Tenshi Hinanawi

Body:     Wrist:

VS

Body:     Wrist:

Youmu Konpaku

[degradingwindow]

> First the wrists, then the heart and now the neck. What other fatal spots could she hit next? Assuming she won't attack in the same spot again.

> Maintain our guard up and keep our eyes on Youmu.

[Tom]

> Perhaps she decides to dual wield to guard or hit two points at once?
> Does Youmu have another blade sheathed?
> Can we summon a second blade? (Like a magical copy of the Sword of Hisou)