[MillietheWarrior]

(Ling Yao ref) ----- (Lan Fan Mask ref)
(Lan Fan is wearing the same thing sans mouth cover, with green beads, but with the mask above)

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“Lan Fan, don’t dawdle. Keep up.”

Lan Fan quickened her pace, moving with ease through the trees, leaping from branch to branch behind her mistress. The long tails of Ling Yao’s sash fluttered in front of her, marking the passage of the senior ninja. Lan Fan pushed herself further, finally keeping pace with the faster woman. Ling Yao turned her head, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement at her young subordinate. Beneath her mask, Lan Fan gritted her teeth, trying valiantly not to blush at the woman’s intense gaze. It was all she could see of Ling Yao’s face; no one had ever seen what the mysterious captain and commander of the Shadow Squadron truly looked like, but it was often assumed she was either amazingly beautiful, or horrendously hideous. Lan Fan vehemently believed it was the former, and she was sticking to her belief (she even went so far as to defend her mistress’s honor when her appearance was questions, although she didn’t think Ling Yao would appreciate it if she found out).

“What’s the matter, Lan-chan?” Ling Yao questioned slyly as she leapt to another branch, pausing only momentarily before her muscles bunched beneath her and she sprang again. She was tireless, Lan Fan decided, and she was difficult to keep up with. “Do you need a break?” Ling Yao’s teasing question made Lan Fan blush furiously beneath her mask in embarrassment. She grunted as she pushed off another branch, keeping pace with her faster superior.

“N-no, Ling Yao-sama! I can keep going! I don’t need a break!” she stuttered, half desperate to prove herself, and half determined not to appear weak in front of her mistress. Ling Yao’s strength and endurance were amazing and legendary; she fought under the style of the Tiger, a tireless but graceful, silent and vicious way of fighting that left no room for ‘incapacitation.’ Ling Yao’s fighting style was created to kill, quietly but quickly. Lan fan fought under the Dragon; her style was equally tireless, but it was created for defense rather than destruction. While the Dragon style acknowledged the need to fight back, and incorporated a number of easy movements that would take an opponent out quite easily, it’s main goal was to protect those around the user. Both Ling Yao and Lan Fan fought under the styles that meant most to them, though there was more hiding beneath their masks than this simple fighting ability.

Lan Fan glanced across at her mistress, catching the glimmering amusement in her sparkling blue eyes as she suddenly ground to a halt. Lan fan realized a moment too late that the tree line had abruptly ended and a wide meadow stretched out in front of them. With a muffled squeak, she toppled from her tree and landed in a crouch on the ground, gritting her teeth in anger; not at her captain, but at herself. What an idiot! Why hadn’t she noticed the trees had stopped?! What kind of ninja was she?! Ling Yao’s lyrical laughter floated down for her, and a second later, there was a flicker of movement beside her as Ling Yao flopped down on the grass in the shadow. “You’ve got the right idea, I think,” she said conversationally, acting as though Lan Fan hadn’t just made a stupid error in judgment. “Maybe a nice nap is in order. I’m a little tired myself.”

Lan Fan’s cheeks flushed red beneath her mask, and she scooted back to tentatively rest against the base of the tree beside her mistress, hugging her knees to her chest carefully as she quietly watched Ling Yao’s rising and falling chest. The woman’s eyes were closed, but Lan Fan knew she was more alert than ever, her senses reaching out around them to detect even the tiniest of movements. “Lan-chan,” she said slowly, her eyes still closed. “It looks as though we have company. Keep alert.” Lan fan felt her body tense of it’s own accord, her hand sliding slowly down her side to grip the sword across her back. “Who-” she began, but Ling Yao waved her hand vaguely, and Lan Fan saw she held a blade of long stemmed grass between her delicate fingers.

“Shhh. Let’s wait and see what he does.”

[Thunder]

(My Asian heritage feels appreciated xD <3)

Lan's intuition was correct. Not too far away from the two women was a hulking, scaly, spike-covered figure with wide, bat-like wings- a Battleheart. Victor was the dragon's name, and presently he was crossing the meadow slowly, enjoying the fresh and and taking in the beauty of the lush grass and blue sky. Such tranquility seemed strange for a vicious looking beast like him, but Victor was not like others of his kind, having been raised by a much more gracious and honorable species, the Kuchi Nagi. They had taught him much about maintaining a healthy, peaceful state of mind.

Victor paused at the top of a hill. Beyond, he could see small, fluffy white dots grazing in distant pastures. He supposed that they were Yingshee owned by some farmer. Even if he was hungry- which he wasn't right now- Victor would probably not attempt to devour one of the puffy creatures. For one thing, all that wool was rather uncomfortable in his mouth, and also he'd likely have an angry farmer chasing after him. Of course he could probably beat the farmer easily, but unlike other Battlehearts, Victor did not enjoy harming humans, and the thought of eating one was even more appalling. He would only do so if he was in a near-death state. Needless to say, Victor greatly preferred hunting wild creatures.

He continued to walk across the hills and spotted a tree up ahead. Underneath the tree's branches there were two human figures cloaked in black. Their clothes intrigued Victor; they had a rather warrior-like aura that reminded him of his days in the Kuchi Nagi tribe. He was urged to go and investigate, though he knew he had to be careful in case the people were antagonistic. Slowly, he advanced towards the tree, and when he thought he was within shouting distance, he raised his voice and called out:

"Hail! I am Viktorey Teiro, Battleheart warrior of the Teiro Kuchi Nagi clan! I come here in peace!" Then he lowered his head and waited for the two to respond.

[MillietheWarrior]

((I appreciate it! <33 -Hugs Asian heritage-))

Ling Yao hadn’t so much as twitched a muscle. Lan Fan looked frantically from her mistress to the hulking figure that loomed just across the clearing, heading towards them with each step of it’s massive claws. As a dragon herself, Lan Fan should’ve felt some sort of kinship with this creature, but all she felt was a white hot lance of fear and worry. Ling Yao still hadn’t moved, and her eyes were shut, a placid expression on her face (or rather, what part of it Lan Fan could see). The beast was getting closer, and Lan Fan’s hand twitched towards the sword at her back, her body rigid in anticipation of a fight.

“Ling Yao-sama,” she said quietly, her gaze riveted on the beast even as it drew nearer towards them. “What should we do? It looks dangerous. What if it attacks?” It looked as though Ling Yao was smiling lazily beneath her mask, still twirling the long blade of grass between her delicate fingers. “Relax, Lan-chan. I have a feeling that creature means us no harm. For now. But if you feel like chasing it off, then by all means, have at it.” Lan Fan nodded haltingly, before she leapt to her feet, leaving her pack beside her mistress and dropping into a crouch as she drew the sword from her back. The creature approached, and stopped, calling out to them and saying it ‘came in peace.’ The strange words he said in the beginning…perhaps that was what he was.

A ‘Viktorey Teiro,’ whatever that meant. “Come no further, creature,” Lan Fan called out sharply, holding her sword aloft in front of her. “Or I will be forced to kill you.” She could hear Ling Yao’s soft chuckling from behind her. Lan Fan carefully watched the strange beast, circling slowly towards it, still holding her sword defensively in front of her. “Leave, beast. Your foul presence taints the air.” Ling Yao blinked open one eye to gaze amusedly at her apprentice. Oh, Lan Fan was certainly dramatic, wasn’t she? The girl really needed to learn to relax.

[Thunder]

Well, Victor's call had certainly gotten a mixed reaction from the two. He thought he could see one of the figures reach behind her back for something, perhaps not the most auspicious of movements. The other person sat as still as a statue. The two seemed to have a small exchange of sorts, perhaps wondering what they should do about Victor, and then the person who had moved earlier jumped up onto his or her feet, brandishing a sword. The sight of the weapon startled the Battleheart. Hadn't he just said that he came in peace? Perhaps they were just overly wary.

Then the sword-wielding figure responded. It was a girl, judging by her voice, surprising Victor yet again. He recalled his time living with the Teiro clan, remembering how much more timid the female Kuchi Nagi were than the males. And throughout all of Victor's wanderings in Evelon, he had not battled many challenging female opponents. A fight with this lady might be interesting, but Victor certainly did not want it to be a battle of life and death, as the girl seemed to be anticipating.

He pondered what he should do. If he approached, he had the feeling that the girl would come charging at him with the sword, mistaking his advance as hostile. And then there was that other person, who had not reacted to him. Victor raised his voice again. "I repeat, I do not come as an enemy! If I am to battle you, I would only want it to be a contest of skill, not a confrontation."

[MillietheWarrior]

Lan Fan froze, her eyes briefly straying towards her shoulder. She didn’t dare turn or give the creature any indication that she didn’t have her full attention on him. What was she supposed to do? Ling Yao gave no indication that she’d even heard the beast speak, and still reclined lazily in the grass beside the tree, the shadows making her appear even darker than she was in the shade. Lan Fan quickly reverted her attention back to the creature, taking a step forward. Her pose did not relax, but her grip on her sword did.

“I don’t-” she began, her voice loud enough to carry. But she never got past the first few words. Ling Yao’s voice suddenly sounded right beside her, low and commanding. Lan Fan froze again, muscles and breath seizing, and she turned to see her mistress standing quietly beside her, arms folded over her chest. Lan fan hadn’t even sensed her movement. “Greetings,” Ling Yao called out, unfolding her arms to press her fist to her open palm as she bowed to the creature. "You said your name was Teiro, correct? It is a pleasure to meet you, Teiro-san. I am Ling Yao, and this is my subordinate, Lan Fan. Forgive her brash nature; she is still young.” She smiled beneath her mask, eyes crinkled and narrowed in good humor.

“A contest of skill is just what she needs to test out her abilities, if you wouldn’t mind, Teiro-san. I’ve been meaning to test her myself, but she knows quite a bit about my own techniques and style, so battling an unknown opponent would be quite lovely.” Lan fan was staring hard at her mistress beneath her mask, dumbfounded and a little insulted, though she didn’t let it show. From the way Ling Yao’s eyes crinkled when she glanced her way, Lan Fan knew the older woman had sensed her feelings on the matter.

“You would be happy to spar with him, would you not, Lan-chan?” Lan fan stood up a little straighter, her back going rigid at the tone of her mistress’s voice. She quickly turned to Teiro, bowing quickly as Ling Yao had done, but remaining in the bowed position as she awaited Teiro’s response. “It would be an honor, Teiro-san, to battle you,” she breathed, her voice sounding rushed as she hurried to comply with Ling Yao’s wishes.

[Thunder]

(OOC: Eep! Sorry for being so late >_<; October has been a busy school month for me DX)

It seemed that Victor's words had caused the sword-wielder to half her aggression, which he supposed was a good thing. Suddenly, the other figure rose and bowed to Victor, a gesture that surprised the Battleheart. The figure appeared to be another woman for her voice was feminine, yet her speech also had an air of authority about it that would certainly not have been found in the words a Teiro clan female. Lan Fan and Ling Yao, eh? Victor thought to himself, intrigued.

And now Ling Yao seemed to be directing her subordinate's brashness into a friendly challenge rather than an attack. Victor paused to consider what such a fight would be like. He certainly felt that he could always use some practice himself, and as he Lan Fan bow he felt more inclined to accept. After a moment of deliberation, Victor straightened his back and returned the bow, spreading his wings out slightly as he lowered himself. "And it would be an honor to battle you, Lan Fan-san," he replied, smiling. "Shall we simply fight where we stand?" Although currently their surroundings were void of other people and creatures, the Battleheart did not want a farmer to come across their duel and possibly interfere, or for any passersby to get hurt.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Yes,” Ling Yao agreed, looking vaguely amused. “Don’t worry about anyone stumbling upon your battle. There are no other life forms of interest within the area.” She waved a hand dismissively, her blue eyes glinting up a the large, dragon-like creature with vague intrigue. She did not know what he was, nor had she, in her life, ever encountered such an animal. He spoke the language of humans, yet his body resembled a rather large, bulky dragon. If Lan Fan had sensed any kinship with this creature, she had not hinted at it yet. Ling Yao’s eyes slid over to her subordinate as Lan Fan straightened from her bow; would she feel any hesitation about attacking something that could potentially be like her?

Lan Fan was of the dragon, and her spirit resembled and channeled the power of such creature, possibly top the point of a transformation herself; it was rumored that especially powerful animal wielders could do such a thing (Ling Yao included, though no one had ever seen said transformation), so perhaps this would allow Lan Fan a glimpse of her true self. “You may begin,” she said faintly, and disappeared from beside her female subordinate.

Lan Fan didn’t bat an eye as her mentor flickered out of existence to reappear beside the tree from earlier. In fact, she didn’t have eyes for anyone other than the giant creature. “Prepare yourself,” -was the only warning she gave, before she leapt into the air and disappeared; she reappeared only a few feet away and to the right of the dragon, sword drawn and aimed for a slash to his thick hide.

((Feel free to powerplay Lan Fan however you like; I'm open for anything.))