Sword Maiden

[Malkavian Riddler]

"I would not explain the Anarch viewpoint at all, Jake," Bao said before turning and twisting to strike twice in quick succession. His silence and stillness had less than a second before it was set upon. After she thrust the point of her sword at his belly, she leapt backwards, anticipating a follow through attack. When she had some distance she spoke again. "It is your opinion that I am lacking."

She knew how her kin felt - they'd been very forthcoming in their opinion on Jake McCloud but she'd held steady, biding her time until she'd recollected her strength. She didn't want to jeopardise her position here and be driven out before the Kuei Jin had a foothold in this city.

[Black Philip]

Jake found the response to be as good a deflection as any Lan Bao made with her sword, and it irked him that he was being set up in this conversation. It softened the fun, and his theory of being in a trap of sorts increased. What did she want? What was the point of this whole affair; the sparing, the tour, and now these questions about past events? Was it is a simple as she wanted him to explain the Anarch side to her? That could hardly be it. It was too simple. Then there was the contest of blades. Was it a distraction, or was this questioning designed to throw him off balance?

He angrily knocked back her two strikes, following up with an uppercut style swipe. Had it hit outside her magic, the cut would've began at her belly button, and ended in the middle of her neck. Instead, she jumped out of range. He took his silence this time, determined to have it, and for her to see him have it, his face still a curious and pleasant mask.

"I remember a deal that was struck in good faith, one that made historic enemies allies against a common threat, the Camarilla. I remember that deal being broken by one side, and that the violence started from within their ranks. I remember a leader who put his needs above the collective interest of the Kuei Jin, and for that he failed. I remember too much death on both sides. I remember Kuei Jin killing savagely, and I remember doing the same to them. But it was a different time, and if we only made peace with our friends, then we'd never make peace at all."

He lowered his blade to the side, staring at Lan Bao for a reply. He'd been candid with her, and hadn't tried to hide from his past.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Looking at the way he lowered his sword but not tempted to do the same, Bao returned to her full defensive position so she could speak.

"My kin did not assign blame to you," she divulged. "But their experience with you led to my silence. It is better to be a leaf fluttering on the wind than a strong, majestic tree facing a woodsman."

She'd thought her sister had led a strong branch from that tree but it had been lopped off without much trouble. Lan Bao was surprised she'd not been sent for to help but was also grateful for it. She would have mourned for eternity if any of her families met their demise in someone else's battle. Not to mention the upset it would have on her chi.

"Did you doubt your allies at all?"

[Black Philip]

"That's a lesson I've been trying to learn lately," Jake replied, thinking of Damien's words from the night before. He was tempered by her admission that he personally was not blamed. He so often was, but her next statement cut more than any blade she held. He resumed a defensive stance as well, matching her in stance. He moved towards her slowly this time, making her truly guess where his strike would come from. Taking a note from her book, he focused exclusively on trying to disarm her, shoving the edge of his blade between her wrist and the pommel of her blade. He was curious how she'd respond to him learning from her, and as the exchange ended no points had yet been scored. Jake didn't think that would last for much longer.

"At the time I didn't," he said honestly. "We'd had so little for so long and that was threatened, and I wasn't leading then. I was a solider following orders. That's not an excuse for the death I caused though. Now that I'm leader, I have to consider everyone's motives, including friends, allies, lovers, and anyone with the potential to betray me. If this event happened today, I would've doubted my allies on principle."

It might be a paranoid answer, but it wasn't too different from her phrasing of seeing things from all sides. It was another lesson Damien had been trying to teach him, and now Lan Bao seemed to be suggesting the same. He was a stubborn boy, but Jake did listen, sometimes. 

[Malkavian Riddler]

"How curious," Lan Bao said, though she didn't think it was curious at all. She'd heard Jake McCloud was passionate and she was seeing and hearing it right now, confirming the rumours. She liked that her information was correct and had thought that whispers of his rashness and spontaneity might have been exaggerated, but she could see it in him - in glimpses. She had no idea why he'd taken the West - he'd apologised for it being a rash move but she didn't think it was. Perhaps not considered as much as it should have been but he'd certainly put thought into it.

"You are the reason my people have returned to my territory," she said, but didn't elaborate because she had to defend his attempt to disarm her. She saw it coming but was flattered by his change of tactic. She thought he might appreciate her response in adapting his initial tactic, for she shifted position and went through a series of aggressive moves that she'd practised for centuries; a sequence of attacks that forced her opponent to defend for over a minute. There had to be focus and there couldn't be an inconsequential attack in the middle of it, though she would leave herself open to a few attacks it would come at sacrifice. She wondered if Jake would do that, if he would allow a blow to his arm in order to deliver a fatal blow. The stakes weren't as high in here and he might decide to sacrifice today what he wouldn't tomorrow, but she was interested all the same.

[Black Philip]

Jake was caught off guard by the fury and skill before him, and could barley keep up. He was overwhelmed and it was clear that Lan Bao was getting closer to striking him. He did not attempt to strike in those misleading openings. It was an irony that Jake could know something so absolutely in one way, and be ignorant to it in other forms. Politically, Jake made this very mistake all the time. He often let himself be cut to score a point on an enemy, and the scene with his phone and Charon played out again. What if he had stared the other down instead? It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but perhaps he would've been protected from further actions. How would that meeting ended if Jake's phone hadn't been destroyed?

Yet, as a soldier it was just something he knew not to do. He wouldn't give a blow to get a blow in a real fight, and so he didn't do it here. He walked away without a hit, but alert in a new way. The adrenaline moved the blood to his limbs.  "You're more skilled than I am," he admitted. "If it helps, I never doubted that would be the case." He gave her a winning smile.

It wasn't self deprecation, it was humility and honesty. She was better. It didn't mean he wasn't better than almost every other person he met. "As to your other comment, I assume my taking of the west didn't exactly make them feel safe. I apologize if I startled them with my actions."

He bowed slightly, but didn't lower his eyes from her's. He wouldn't be caught out in this fight.

[Malkavian Riddler]

She smiled, pleased with his admission and respecting that he could recognise it and announce it.

"If I held a different weapon, you would be better," she replied - and not just to return the compliment but because it was the truth. "I have trained with this sword and others just like it since I was a child. What I did just now was my Seishi-Sanchin, a combination I have practiced for centuries. I use it when I suspect I will be cut," she said. When she bowed in return, she lowered her eyes, displaying to Jake that she trusted him and his honour. She was not insulted by his lack of doing the same, rather she believed he was wary of her as an opponent and it made her feel important.

When she straightened, her sword was low at her side, not in any position except to carry.

"We did not know you, and we bridge the gap between your people and those of Chtazus'aak." She shifted her weight, putting herself off balance though her stance was now relaxed. "Some of mine like to wear leather jackets with dragons, making them look like thugs from a gang," she said, obviously displeased with their choices. "I assure you I keep them in line."

[Black Philip]

He felt respected, seen, and listened to. If Lan Bao was playing a game, then it was an excellent one. She didn't seem to hold the same prejudgments as everyone else in this city. Jake wondered if something about her presence was making him behave differently, and he ended up understanding he respected her too, not for her position or abject power, but for her personality and wisdom. He liked her, and he didn't mind understanding it. It didn't make him fully trust her, his words from before being true ones. However, it did make him want to trust her, which was often the beginning. He nodded slightly in thanks to her remarks about his skill.

"Your people are safe, and I understand their apprehension about me, based on my wider history and how I came to this city."

He was being purposefully vague, letting Lan Bao fill in those events as she saw them. It was a delicate balance between wanting to be honest, but not giving away too much information. He smiled again, and lowered his own blade. "And I know you do," he said mysteriously.     

[Malkavian Riddler]

His last comment was not a mystery to Lan Bao but a simple acknowledgement of the fact her people never got themselves into trouble.

"May we swap swords before I return mine to the case? I would enjoy putting yours through some of my moves," she said, "to the mirror, not against your self."

There was no mirror until she moved to one of the walls and then pushed on it. A latch sounded with a click and then she slid the giant panel across, revealing the floor to ceiling mirror behind. It ran three quarters of the protective mat area.

She returned to Jake and held out her own sword, while her other hand reached out for his.

[Black Philip]

"Of course," he said, holding out his own sword in the proper fashion for such a weapon. Both hands extended it upward. He would take her own weapon with a similar degree of reverence, curious about it's weight and handling. He took her blade, attempting to get a handle for a weapon of it's nature. He treated it like a short sword, feeling a missing partner. He re-centered and treated it more like a rapier. That went better, but still didn't translate fully. It was a fascinating weapon.

"Is it magic," he asked, assuming she already knew his blade was. He watched as she handled the heavier sword. They needed to talk about the meeting still, and Jake felt their time bonding was coming to and end.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Lan Bao took his katana which felt well-balanced and a little longer than she'd expected. Holding it carefully along her body, she answered Jake's questions about her weapon.

"There is a great deal of magic in it. That is the original Sword of Goujian," she said, "of which there are two copies, both without magic but still blessed. I believe one of the copies is in the Hubei Provincial Museum. The sword is not rusted or decayed because of its blessings, which delights them, but it is not the original Goujian - which you hold. See the script on the blade," she said. "Only a Kuei Jin may activate the blessings so in your hands it is a simple blade. It was a gift for the mighty King, who must have been a Kuei Jin. It is a teaching sword, I use it for many of my kin because the sword guides them and they learn swordplay quickly. It is also blessed with bird-worm blessings, so that the lowest and highest cuts create excruciating pain even if just a small nick. So you see my need for a training area like this one, when this sword is in the hands of students."

Many of them would be without hands, feet, arms or legs otherwise.

After explaining some of Goujian's background, she stepped away and wielded the katana, looking a little uncomfortable and awkward for the first few swings as she adjusted her hold each time until finally it became smooth.

"I am not a fan of two-handed swords but this has impeccable balance," she said, swishing it downward and rolling it next into an uppercut.

[Black Philip]

He thought about her sword's tale, riveted by every word of it. He'd heard of blades that only worked for vampires, or demons, and so that part wasn't too surprising. He decided he did not wish to face this blade in a real battle, as he was sure not many wished to face his own weapon. He then heard her comments about his own weapon, and responded as he continued to study her elegant sword.

"The weight can take some getting used to," Jake admitted, but you're correct that the balance of this sword is impeccable. I know it's either late 14th or early 15th century, forged sometime around the war of feuding states. It too doesn't show any wear and tear, and never needs to be sharpened. It also... exists somehow. I wouldn't say it's true sentience, but.. it has a personality. It's most frightening ability is the one I showed earlier on my chest. It is... a responsibility to own it."

He extended her weapon, measuring the length of his arm with it. "This is an exquisite blade," he complimented. He of course preferred his own weapon, but he imagined the same was true of Lan Bao.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Her blade was ancient, using Jake's calendar she knew it was a 650BC made weapon. When he spoke of his much newer blade - but no less impressive - and couldn't identify its century, Lan Bao took that to mean he didn't have all the information about it. When he spoke of it's personality, she'd felt it initially. It hadn't liked how she'd held it initially and she'd felt her clumsiness enhanced, like it was telling her off somehow. She enjoyed that it had character. Goujian certainly didn't have a personality or character. Jake's sword was all the more interesting to her now.

"Would you like my clairvoyant to touch this blade?" she offered. "He might sense a few more things for you. It is how I identify most of my collection, to see if they are true or counterfeit. I have picked up a few false deals in my time. An unavoidable risk," she swing the katana again, slowly building a bond with it as she improved. It was more forgiving of her moves now.

[Black Philip]

Jake did like the idea of learning more about the blade. It has always been a goal of his, but how much did he want Lan Bao to know about his sword? She clearly knew more than he did about collecting such things. It made him wary. He decided to strike a middle balance as opposed to making a rash decision.

"What would that entail," he asked, extending her own prized sword in a trade back. "I'm open to the idea though," he clarified. 

[Malkavian Riddler]

Lan Bao was surprised by his caution. After so much sharing, his vague response was irksome and insulting. Her smile didn't falter and her face was the same practised expression it had been throughout their time together. There were many times her own people had disappointed her or tested her patience, and she hadn't let it show then either. Bao was the type to think about how their failures affected her before dealing with them. It was better to be gentler than harsh, which was why Shan's failure had stood out to everyone in her immediate circle.

Bao stopped swinging and observed that Jake had not done much with her own sword other than to heft it. As last time, she switched swords back in the same manner.

"I cannot speak for what my clairvoyant will find," she said once their own swords were back in their hands. After her comment, she moved past him to place Goujian back on its stand and set its glass box over the top. As she did this, she listened keenly to his reply.