The Way of the Iridescent Fist

[Knight Errant]

Swish, rasp, swish, rasp, swish, rasp. So the motions and the sounds go, over and over as Charlotte brushes her hair. It is oddly soothing, the gentle pull at her roots, the feel of the silky soft locks becoming straighter and neater. She does feel oddly calm... maybe it is just a meditative technique. But the Master keeps talking, loud enough to be heard, but softly enough to not break the trance.

"Do you know the classic tale of the knight, the dragon, and the princess? The wicked dragon kidnaps the princess, but the brave knight rides out to slay it and rescue the princess, to whom he is eventually wed. Who do you think is the most powerful character in the story? Some would say the dragon, as he can burn down cities with a breath and wears scales that can turn most any weapon. But in the end, he is slain by the knight, so is the knight the strongest? No, for he is just a man in the end. His might extends to where is blade can reach and where his horse can take him."

The truth is that the princess is the most powerful figure in the tale. She is at the center of events, all the way through the tale. Though she weds the knight, it is through her noble name that he becomes king. Though she is kidnapped by the dragon, it is not because she is powerless, but because she is powerful. There were many girls he could have taken, but it is for her that the dragon risked bloody retribution, for her that the knight risked life and limb. For she wields power, power to lead and inspire a kingdom, to pass on her royal lineage. There is power in a princess, but it is through my training and through embracing with a princess is that you learn to use it."

The Oni... Charlotte... shifts a bit as she combs her hair... listening to Ling's soft words winding into her ears. Princesses... are powerful...? But... the only power she had known or recognized were so far apart from what a princess was. That couldn't be so... could it...? But yet... she had lost to Ling. But she wasn't overpowered! It was just a trick. Wasn't it...? Was it...

She wants to speak up, to ask questions or contradict. But... the steady pull of the hairbrush just feels too soothing. Her gloved hands almost moving on automatic as she listens... eyes half closed in a strange sedate trance.

[Blaze]

Jade isn't entirely sure how many precautions are too many, but doesn't try to argue the point. "Okay..." She closes her eyes, and tries to think of cute things. With the speed her mind runs at, it takes barely a second to get thousands of mental images together, everything from kittens and puppies to big-eyed cartoon characters to babies (when they're not being terrible) and so on and so forth. Even at this rate, "all the cute things you can think of" might still take a while. There are a lot of permutations of cute things, after all.

Ling watches at Jade lets the images build in her head. "Okay! Once you've hit your limit, visualize the images flowing out of your mind and filling your body. That's probably more vague than you would like, but I'll give you a hand. You might feel something strange as you do this, but don't stop. I'll help if it gets out of hand."

She reaches out a hand and places it on Jade's shoulder. As the wolfgirl follows the instruction, the master's hand starts to fill warm. The cute images fill her body entirely, and that warmth from the hand spreads to Jade's stomach. Something there, something dormant begins to awaken and burn, filling her! Should she look at herself, she would see her body awash in a Red glow.

"Well..just what I said earlier about the lack of technique." Fox waves her hand slightly, and the Crimson spills out from her slightly, moving like a fire surrounding her. It doesn't appear to take much effort to do this; if anything, it seems like she was expending some small amount of effort preventing it from doing this before. Anyone who came into contact with this glow would immediately be overwhelmed with the color (though, if Ling's still holding on to her shoulders it's possible she has some way of keeping that from flooding out all the others). "Trust me, I have a lot of experience with all kinds of fighting styles from my old life. But there's a difference between knowing mentally how to fight a certain way and having the correct muscle memory, reflexes, and other kinds of automatic, instinctive actions so your body fights the way you want it to. This form's first instinct in defending itself is to hit whatever's annoying it into next year, but you said not to do that--and I wouldn't want to anyway. Adjusting that instinct will take some practice I just haven't had yet. In my default form, even unarmed, I probably wouldn't have been touched once, and could end up with a collection of those weird staff things."

Ling does indeed keep her hands planted there. Even as the color washes over her, she vents it from her back where it takes the image of draconian wings before fading into the air. "Hm. I had thought that the Color was not flowing within you properly. Most would just have those instincts as a result of exposure. But I suppose it works different for Avatars. That in and of itself is worthy information." She releases Fox and rubs her chin, pondering how best to do this.

"You mentioned that you had multiple forms... which would you say had the best instincts for combat?"

As one of Bones' lackeys, the Chibi ninja was indeed aware of orange girl's ability to summon weapons from seemingly nowhere. This knowledge did little to prepare the diminutive assassin for the Ganguro's hidden Ace.

His eyes widened as the blade turned into a whip sword. Whip sword! In her hands? This match was going south fast!

"Green bimbo.... Orange psycho.... Just what in the Thousand Hells are you, Tall One?" he shouts, attempting to roll out of the way, but not fast enough. The edge of the whip sword nicked him on the back.

'Burning One.... preserve me!'

"I'm Kazuko, Chartreuse ganguro extraordinaire!" the finally named girl says. The coils of the whip sword cut shallow, but they also try to wrap around the Chibi. If that works, the owner gives it a sharp yank to pull him over and plant one heel on him.

"You're done! Now spill it, what are you doing here?!" In this position, with one foot raised, the ninja would get another peek at those panties!

There is a long silence as Waffle Iron considers the photograph. His face is unreadable. His eyes wander to the school, watching the other students training in the courtyard. Eventually his gaze settles on a yellow butterfly flickering through the grounds.

".... .... Your words have touched, Master Ling" he concedes after a while. "I have grown weary of the way of Smoke. I have grown weary of Flames.... And in my years at the Black Temple, despite my antics, I have grown.... weary with time."

He sighs, pulling out a long tobacco pipe and lighting it, taking a long puff before offering it to Ling as a friendly gesture.

"I see this as a sign that it is perhaps time to move beyond the shadowy ways of the Black Temple, Master Ling. To retire from Chibi ninjutsu. Indeed, I had long considered leaving but my stubborn devotion to my order kept me from following my heart."

He nods.

"I will take you up on your offer, Master Ling. I only ask for two things in return."

The redhead raises a hand in refusal of the pipe, but seems pleased with the acceptance of her offer. She's smiling at least.

"Ask anything you like. This is a big step, you need to be sure that your old life is properly sorted away. Loose threads can before ropes around your neck as you let the Way carry you."

The Oni... Charlotte... shifts a bit as she combs her hair... listening to Ling's soft words winding into her ears. Princesses... are powerful...? But... the only power she had known or recognized were so far apart from what a princess was. That couldn't be so... could it...? But yet... she had lost to Ling. But she wasn't overpowered! It was just a trick. Wasn't it...? Was it...

She wants to speak up, to ask questions or contradict. But... the steady pull of the hairbrush just feels too soothing. Her gloved hands almost moving on automatic as she listens... eyes half closed in a strange sedate trance.

"This seems counter intuitive, I know," Ling says, as if addressing Charlotte's unspoken thoughts. "But this power dwells within you now. In this short time, I've taught you to drink tea and brush your hair. Now... come out of it, and see what these mere efforts have borne."

That Ling acknowledges that the princess was in any kind of altered state is enough to snap her out of it. She now realizes that she had been surrounded by Ling's students... and they had been attacking her! What had she been doing?

At that moment, two of them rush at her, one striking high and the other low. She's still waking up... but her arms move on instinct, one making the motion of drinking tea to deflect the high attack, and the other making a hair brushing motion to deflect low. Neither attack hits!

[Feng]

Given his tiny body, the Chibi ninja is quickly tied up. He grumbled audibly, displeased by the result of the contest and grunted as the heel was pressed against his body.

"Obnoxious airhead more like it" he muttered, squirming a bit. Even the sight of Kazuko's panties don't seem to raise the pervert's spirits.

The ninja was in quite a pickle. Company policy dictated that Chibiwanbanshu operatives ingest a cyanide pill (grape flavored) in the event of being captured by enemy forces. Nuts to that!

"Lord Bones sent me" the Chibi said. "Not to spy on the school, particularly, although he has been trying to keep a close eye on the Exorcists. He seems to have a strange fascination for the group."

He squirmed a bit more.

"I'm in the area looking for a weapon that got loose from the Black Temple. We have reason that it might be in the area, given the proximity of the Chibi Ninja Tunnels."

He looks at the crowd of girls.

"I thought I saw it earlier, but it seems to have fled now.... For the best. That thing's kind wiped out the Northern School, or so I heard."

How embarrassing. Hopefully the Black Temple Elder hadn't seen this defeat.

---

Waffle Iron.

"Precisely that" he nods, before summoning a pigeon, one of the few not eaten by a certain feline. He ties a scroll to its leg and sends it flying. "I'm sending word to the Black Temple. I wasn't sure if I would survive this mission so I prepared a message to be delivered ahead of time. It details instructions regarding the selection of my successor and the distribution of my earthly possessions."

The pigeon scurries off towards the South.

"That covers my first request..."

[Whatevr89532]

The wolf-girl slowly opens her eyes and takes a look. "Well..this is different..."

--

"I don't know about it working differently.." Fox gets a thoughtful look. "It's been a while but back when the other avatars were more active, I recall them acting just the way the colors describe. If I don't have quite the behavior you're expecting from Crimson, it may be because my mind is so used to restraining some less...savory instincts from what the color started out as. I wonder if sharing its more full history with you would help make sense of things.

"But, as far as combat goes--this one's instincts for it aren't bad, they're just tuned for a very specific way of fighting that relies on how much of a tank this body is and the physical strength it has. You want me to be able to do things like dodge and counter attacks, my default form's way better at that. I'm not in the habit of picking fights so I haven't really tested the other ones all that thoroughly, but I know the 'domestic' form is a total non-combatant, over on the other end of the spectrum."

[Knight Errant]

"This seems counter intuitive, I know," Ling says, as if addressing Charlotte's unspoken thoughts. "But this power dwells within you now. In this short time, I've taught you to drink tea and brush your hair. Now... come out of it, and see what these mere efforts have borne."

That Ling acknowledges that the princess was in any kind of altered state is enough to snap her out of it. She now realizes that she had been surrounded by Ling's students... and they had been attacking her! What had she been doing?

At that moment, two of them rush at her, one striking high and the other low. She's still waking up... but her arms move on instinct, one making the motion of drinking tea to deflect the high attack, and the other making a hair brushing motion to deflect low. Neither attack hits!

Charlotte blinks... looking around surprised as she slowly, gracefully deflects the attacks! She had... when had she... she'd moved on her own? Those dainty movements... powerful enough to deflect the barrage of blows. "Wha? This... how did..."

[AmbushCat]

The baseball player looks to Ling, who only inclines her head respectfully. "Right... well, good luck with that. Martial arts huh? Maybe a bit of those would help me..."

She begins to down her water bottle, and Ling takes the chance to raise an eyebrow at Joni. This would certainly be an opportune time to bring it up!

"But I get the feeling you didn't come here just to catch up. Get to the point," Hannah adds once her bottle is empty.

Joni: Well... I guess the long and short of it is that I need your help. Part of what she's been teaching involves me reaching out to everyone who's a part of me. And... well, you know as well as I do that when a team's firing on all cylinders, that's when they're at their best. *smiles, expressing confidence* Feeling up to it, #1?

[Blaze]

Given his tiny body, the Chibi ninja is quickly tied up. He grumbled audibly, displeased by the result of the contest and grunted as the heel was pressed against his body.

"Obnoxious airhead more like it" he muttered, squirming a bit. Even the sight of Kazuko's panties don't seem to raise the pervert's spirits.

The ninja was in quite a pickle. Company policy dictated that Chibiwanbanshu operatives ingest a cyanide pill (grape flavored) in the event of being captured by enemy forces. Nuts to that!

"Lord Bones sent me" the Chibi said. "Not to spy on the school, particularly, although he has been trying to keep a close eye on the Exorcists. He seems to have a strange fascination for the group."

He squirmed a bit more.

"I'm in the area looking for a weapon that got loose from the Black Temple. We have reason that it might be in the area, given the proximity of the Chibi Ninja Tunnels."

He looks at the crowd of girls.

"I thought I saw it earlier, but it seems to have fled now.... For the best. That thing's kind wiped out the Northern School, or so I heard."

How embarrassing. Hopefully the Black Temple Elder hadn't seen this defeat.

The trainees who gather around the beaten Chibi begin muttering among themselves. "The Exorcists?" "Yeah those paranormal guys, remember?" "Didn't they break up?" "Well, I thought so. Maybe this Bones guy's not been paying attention."

Kazuko rolls her eyes and digs the heel in deeper. "Oh whatever. Point is, if this weapon of yours is around, we'll deal with it. If it's come here to learn, it will learn."

She smirks, and raises the heel again. "But I'm sick of your cracks about me being an airhead, so let's see how you like it!"

The point of her stilettos burns Green and she stomps again!

Waffle Iron.

"Precisely that" he nods, before summoning a pigeon, one of the few not eaten by a certain feline. He ties a scroll to its leg and sends it flying. "I'm sending word to the Black Temple. I wasn't sure if I would survive this mission so I prepared a message to be delivered ahead of time. It details instructions regarding the selection of my successor and the distribution of my earthly possessions."

The pigeon scurries off towards the South.

"That covers my first request..."

Ling watches the pigeon go, before turning her attention to the Chibi. "That was not much of a request. I said I would give you time to settle affairs. If the second is something more involving, I will do my best to help."

The wolf-girl slowly opens her eyes and takes a look. "Well..this is different..."

Ling's hand on Jade's shoulder siphons the excess Red from the wolfgirl, ensuring it doesn't build to the point where it might start causing issues. "Very well done. Now, the next step is learning to vent it from your body as you generate it. Generally, a beginner like you won't be able to produce a lot, but this is important. Before, you visualized cute as images, I assume. Now you need to visualize it as scents. Try to bring to mind the cutest smells you can imagine, and envision your body wafting off the most pleasant combination of those scents as possible. Again, I'll help you."

As Jade follows the advice, the Red aura begins to flare again before fading into the air. The tinge to her words and the overall glow starts to dim!

"I don't know about it working differently.." Fox gets a thoughtful look. "It's been a while but back when the other avatars were more active, I recall them acting just the way the colors describe. If I don't have quite the behavior you're expecting from Crimson, it may be because my mind is so used to restraining some less...savory instincts from what the color started out as. I wonder if sharing its more full history with you would help make sense of things.

"But, as far as combat goes--this one's instincts for it aren't bad, they're just tuned for a very specific way of fighting that relies on how much of a tank this body is and the physical strength it has. You want me to be able to do things like dodge and counter attacks, my default form's way better at that. I'm not in the habit of picking fights so I haven't really tested the other ones all that thoroughly, but I know the 'domestic' form is a total non-combatant, over on the other end of the spectrum."

Ling nods now, something in Fox's speech finally making it clear to her. "You represent all manner of creatures, and your many forms match the ways they have evolved to deal with conflict. Creatures whose primary survival mechanic is being merely tough do exist... I suppose the majority of animals traits those touched by Crimson show here are the likes of felines and canines, creatures more suited for agility, not endurance. This makes sense... another valuable insight."

She crosses her arms and looks to the sky. "If this is the case, then Bloody Fang Style may need to diversify into several subschools all on its own to properly encompass the Color... that will take quite a bit of work. May I request your aid in this?"

Charlotte blinks... looking around surprised as she slowly, gracefully deflects the attacks! She had... when had she... she'd moved on her own? Those dainty movements... powerful enough to deflect the barrage of blows. "Wha? This... how did..."

Ling smiles and pats Charlotte's shoulder. "The merest expression of the power you now wield, molded by the graceful motions suited for one bearing your station. Imagine what you could do when you fully mastered it."

She gestures for the attacking students to back away, leaving the two alone. "Now. Strictly between us, with nothing relating to honor or oaths on the line. Knowing this, do you wish to continue? Or would you rather revert to being an oni?"

Joni: Well... I guess the long and short of it is that I need your help. Part of what she's been teaching involves me reaching out to everyone who's a part of me. And... well, you know as well as I do that when a team's firing on all cylinders, that's when they're at their best. *smiles, expressing confidence* Feeling up to it, #1?

Hannah cackles, a full-on throwing her head back and laughing from the gut. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Joni," she says, before assuming her icy expression once more.

"So you propose teamwork... okay, what's in it for me. Sell me on what I could get from you."

[Whatevr89532]

Cute smells are a little harder to immediately come up with, but the difference isn't noticeable to an outside observer since Jade just dedicates slightly more of her brain's runtime to the task. "It seems to be working," she notes after a moment.

--

"Well, sure." Fox nods. "Lyra's been saying I could use a hobby anyway. Just don't try to do anything with Original Crimson. That doesn't have anything to do with animal-people, it's..." She looks absolutely disgusted. "..just brainwashing. I don't know if you have an Aquamarine style here, but its effects are worse than that color's."

[Feng]

"Do your worse!" growls the chibi, fiercely attempting to squirm free of the blade rope (no doubt getting even more scratches for his trouble). "You haven't one. When the emissaries of the Serpent come for you in your sleep, you'll regret not heeding this information wisely."

He winced as the heel glows Green. As it slams into his body he tries his best not to show pain although he did squirm at the sensation of the energy working through him.

"So is this your game? Turn me into a brainless Tall One? Is this how your kind breeds?" he scowled. Even in defeat the ninja was preparing one last trick. It wouldn't save him, certainly not, but at least it would give him one last laugh before his 'immersion'.

Now if only the bubbly pyscho could come a little bit closer....

---

"It is better this way than returning to the Black Temple in person" said Waffle Iron. "The counsel will not take my intentions to retire so kindly, especially if I mention my intentions to join your school. They would see it as heresy, or at the very least, defecting to a rival power. By suggesting to them I have fallen in battle, I have assured that the Black Temple will bring trouble neither to me or to your school. All I ask is that you go along with this scheme."

He nods.

"As for the second favor, I merely ask for your understanding and forgiveness" he says, holding up the deed to the Northern School and setting it aflame with his pipe. "It would be for the best that you leave that place to the devils who dwell within."

[AmbushCat]

Hannah cackles, a full-on throwing her head back and laughing from the gut. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Joni," she says, before assuming her icy expression once more.

"So you propose teamwork... okay, what's in it for me. Sell me on what I could get from you."

Joni: Hmm... well, aside from the obvious bit involving perfecting your curveball... I have to believe that it should be possible to... *looks frustrated* ...What's the name of that one pitch, I know I heard Claire complaining about it recently... ah, right. *smirks* You ever have the urge to mess with batters' minds?

[Knight Errant]

Ling smiles and pats Charlotte's shoulder. "The merest expression of the power you now wield, molded by the graceful motions suited for one bearing your station. Imagine what you could do when you fully mastered it."

She gestures for the attacking students to back away, leaving the two alone. "Now. Strictly between us, with nothing relating to honor or oaths on the line. Knowing this, do you wish to continue? Or would you rather revert to being an oni?"

She frowns... giving a look to Ling. "That silly question. Oni is what oni is. Or isn't." She taps her chin with a gloved hand. "If me go back now... then this not change anything. Me be going back to being what was. Was fine with that." She mmms. "Not fine now. Me lost. You strong. Go back now? Me will be weak. Me thought you made Charlotte weak girl to grind face into dishonor." She tilts her head. "Not sure anymore." She leans closer. "If girl thinks she can make Charlotte stronger than Oni... then Charlotte want to be Charlotte."

[Blaze]

Cute smells are a little harder to immediately come up with, but the difference isn't noticeable to an outside observer since Jade just dedicates slightly more of her brain's runtime to the task. "It seems to be working," she notes after a moment.[/color]
"Excellent!" Ling says pridefully. "The act of generating and expelling Colors from your own qi is vital to any of the styles I teach. However, previous exposure to the color is vital. I'm still not sure if your spirit needs to feel the touch of it to make more, or if it's just because knowing the 'feel' of it makes it easier..."

She shakes her head and grins at the foxgirl. [color=red]"That's more for the likes of you to figure out! Now, the next part involves funneling the color to where it needs to be! Imagine the 'cute' thoughts flowing back up from your gut into your hand and collecting there! But at the same time, imagine the 'cute' smells emanating harder from the same hand, but not too hard!"

"Well, sure." Fox nods. "Lyra's been saying I could use a hobby anyway. Just don't try to do anything with Original Crimson. That doesn't have anything to do with animal-people, it's..." She looks absolutely disgusted. "..just brainwashing. I don't know if you have an Aquamarine style here, but its effects are worse than that color's."

"Hmm... I suppose I developed these styles after the 'New Crimson' then. I confess, I find myself curious. But as the Avatar of the Color, I shall cede to your authority on it." She also smirks at the mention of an 'Aquamarine style.' "Oh, it exists. But I've yet to meet the individual I would teach it to."

She starts bouncing on the spot, getting herself limber. "To understand how this form fights, and what kind of style can develop from it, I'd like to face you myself. Are you prepared and willing to do that?"

"Do your worse!" growls the chibi, fiercely attempting to squirm free of the blade rope (no doubt getting even more scratches for his trouble). "You haven't one. When the emissaries of the Serpent come for you in your sleep, you'll regret not heeding this information wisely."

He winced as the heel glows Green. As it slams into his body he tries his best not to show pain although he did squirm at the sensation of the energy working through him.

"So is this your game? Turn me into a brainless Tall One? Is this how your kind breeds?" he scowled. Even in defeat the ninja was preparing one last trick. It wouldn't save him, certainly not, but at least it would give him one last laugh before his 'immersion'.

Now if only the bubbly pyscho could come a little bit closer....

"Oh no, we breed in other ways. I'm sure you'll become very familiar with them shortly~" Kazuko croons. The Orange dissipates from her box cutter, making the bindings on the Chibi vanish. Now they enact their revenge on their own!

But they better do it quick, because long locks of white hair are starting to spill out from under their hood, while their limbs seem further and further away as they begin to grow! Getting taller, more willowy in build... and his skin is darkening too!

"It is better this way than returning to the Black Temple in person" said Waffle Iron. "The counsel will not take my intentions to retire so kindly, especially if I mention my intentions to join your school. They would see it as heresy, or at the very least, defecting to a rival power. By suggesting to them I have fallen in battle, I have assured that the Black Temple will bring trouble neither to me or to your school. All I ask is that you go along with this scheme."

He nods.

"As for the second favor, I merely ask for your understanding and forgiveness" he says, holding up the deed to the Northern School and setting it aflame with his pipe. "It would be for the best that you leave that place to the devils who dwell within."

Ling nods. "Then I shall. If they come asking for specifics, what shall I tell them? That I bested you after a lengthy battle? That I thwarted an assassination scheme? If your Way is to change course here, the official story should go as you like"

She also chuckles as the deed goes up in smoke. "I don't mind in the slightest. If I truly wanted hot springs, I would make my students dig for them."

Joni: Hmm... well, aside from the obvious bit involving perfecting your curveball... I have to believe that it should be possible to... *looks frustrated* ...What's the name of that one pitch, I know I heard Claire complaining about it recently... ah, right. *smirks* You ever have the urge to mess with batters' minds?

Hannah's eyes narrow as Joni mentions fixing her curveball. "How could you do that? I don't really see how dish hands help in throwing curveballs. No offence, but explain your reasoning."

She looks a bit uncomfortable at the smirk. It seems so out of place on the maid. "Well, yeah. Playing mindgames on the batter is a core part of pitching. What are you getting at?"

She frowns... giving a look to Ling. "That silly question. Oni is what oni is. Or isn't." She taps her chin with a gloved hand. "If me go back now... then this not change anything. Me be going back to being what was. Was fine with that." She mmms. "Not fine now. Me lost. You strong. Go back now? Me will be weak. Me thought you made Charlotte weak girl to grind face into dishonor." She tilts her head. "Not sure anymore." She leans closer. "If girl thinks she can make Charlotte stronger than Oni... then Charlotte want to be Charlotte."

Ling seems very pleased with that answer. "A refreshingly simple answer to the identity dilemma. Very good Charlotte, though we still need to hone your eloquence in presenting your point."

She reaches down and grasps the train of her coat. "Now, I believe that curtsying was up next. Watch closely, and repeat after me." She dips, crossing her legs and raising the train as if it were a dress, bowing her head in the meantime. A perfect curtsy!

[Whatevr89532]

Jade gives the latest thought exercise a try. She isn't entirely sure how hard is too hard or not, and fluctuates it up and down briefly in an attempt to figure it out. Her hand's pointed downward, though, so if this fires something off it probably just hits the ground.

--

"As a brief summary--one might say Aquamarine has redeeming qualities. The aquamarine man sees the best in a person and brings it out as physical beauty, or something like that. The 'Original' crimson was a form of magic native to exclusively male beings called the Crimson race that simply changed the victim into a brainwashed woman with the intent of making her an object to be used as the 'owner' saw fit." Fox has a serious, dark expression. "That race died out, and seeing that part of them revived is among the worst things I could imagine. I'll tell you anything else about them you like to satisfy that curiosity if it helps prevent that."

She takes a deep breath, seeming to calm those thoughts, and then nods. "Alright. Let's give it a try--just some sparring, yeah? I haven't really fought much in this form so I may be in for a few surprises myself."

[AmbushCat]

Hannah's eyes narrow as Joni mentions fixing her curveball. "How could you do that? I don't really see how dish hands help in throwing curveballs. No offence, but explain your reasoning."

She looks a bit uncomfortable at the smirk. It seems so out of place on the maid. "Well, yeah. Playing mindgames on the batter is a core part of pitching. What are you getting at?"

Joni: To answer the first part: in order to get a handle on martial arts, as I'm trying to do, one has to learn proper control. And what's the key to mastering the curveball?
And to answer the second question: one of my fellow employees at the manor was an aspiring pitcher herself before she ended up getting on Lady Circe's bad side at some point. This doesn't seem important at first, except for one thing: the ever-loving knuckleball's part of her arsenal, and since she isn't likely to be playing professionally anytime soon... *gives an absolutely beatific smile* I assume you understand what I'm offering, Miss Hannah?

[Feng]

The Chibi ninja groans as his body grows taller, slender... He knows the brainless psycho's sorcery is making him one of them; a horrid thought! He gazes down at his darker skin, his slender arms, all so very alien....

However he requires no need for limbs to enact revenge on Kazuro! As soon as the girl is within range he fires a tiny mouth dart, aiming for the girl's neck. The white hair cascading in front of his face makes aiming uncertain, and it is possible that he may miss.....

But if it hits? Well, Kazuro had best buckle her seat belt because she was due for quite a trip.

---

""You ought to consider the prospect," chuckled Waffle Iron. "The Chibi ninja find the springs a great place to not only relax after a rigorous day of training, but a great place to socialize."

He rolled his shoulders.

"As for my brethren, if they do ask questions simply tell them you best me in one-on-one combat. Technically it wasn't an assassination attempt by-the-by. I can't speak for that other ninja, the one who probably works for Bones' crew, but the Black Temple only see you as a small threat. So long as you don't attack the Black Temple or invade the Chibi district, they'll be content to leave you to your "Tall-One sorcery".

He taps his chin. "They may ask about the deed though. You could simply say you refused the gift. They'll probably find someone else to handle the North School's... special problem. Perhaps the CTC?"