For the benefit of Mr. Kite [open]

[daughterofchump]

Characters: Hwang Bu-ling, Kurt Wagner, Sophie Hatter, Zeetha aaand whoever else stops by
Content: Entertainer meet 'n' greet!
Time: The afternoon, some time after this post
Setting: On the deck of the Amestris
Warnings: I give thee a standard warning, though I can't imagine anything too mind scarring will occur

Comments

[daughterofchump]

"You think so?" Zeetha asked amiably. She turned to face the speaker, keeping her blades in motion. She wasn't showing off so much as continuing to practice. Depending on the act it was good to be able to interact with the crowd, joke and chat with them as she selected her mostly planted assistants and so forth. Being able to divide your attention was a useful skill.

"I think I'm a little rusty...I've been wondering who will be a tougher crowd when it comes to sword tricks, Bandlanders or Ivonians."

In fact, she had not been wondering that at all, but now that she was no longer an authority, she could fall back into her circus habits of being friendlier. It was useful to make friends and connections, and this ship, of all ships should hold the people most likely to have connections to foreign places and political intrigue.

She smiled at him, and continued.

"Badlanders are much less sophisticated of course, but they take their blades very seriously. Where do you come from?" she asked.

His voice sounded familiar, but the journals didn't always preserve voice quality perfectly, and she couldn't be certain he was the military gentleman who had claimed he wasn't an artist over the journal.

[wavesandthunder]

"Melior, originally," Ukitake replied cheerfully. "Though when I'm not on active duty, Bellcius has been my home for the last decade or so." It was a little strange to realize it had been that long, but they had been a good ten years. He leaned up against the deck rail a little, relaxing, but still watching Zeetha. "As to you question - I'd have to say Badlanders. We Ivonians may be a little more selective in our tastes - and I know I'm one to take blade-work seriously, myself - but we're a lot less likely to start a fight if we don't like the act."

[daughterofchump]

"I see," Zeetha replied, keeping the blades moving through the air. "I think I'd have to agree with you."

Generally, city folk had plenty of other things to keep themselves occupied and entertained. On the other hand, little nowhere places who's only other regular entertainment was telling stories after the latest monster attack really suffered from an entertainment lack. Couple that with an inclination towards personal violence and a lack of social order, and the results weren't surprising.

She glanced to his swords. She knew she was supposed to be playing friendly, but she couldn't help think about a friendly match. There hadn't been many bladed fighters aboard the Winding Way, after all.

"That sword of yours," she started. "Just what can you do with it?"

[wavesandthunder]

Jyuushirou's hand went to Sougyo no Kotowari's hilt. "A fair bit," he replied with a grin. "I take it those are more than just show?" He had guessed as much, but confirmation was always nice. And someone else with a dual-blade technique, too - he could feel his swords twin spirits stir in the back of his mind at the prospect of an interesting fight.

[daughterofchump]

The blades ended their dance.

"Yes," she said. "Though once I collect some pay I'm hoping to get some that are good'n useless except as trick blades." Well, perhaps that was a slight exaggeration, but because her blades were punching blades, they did not have the long handles in line with the blade as most swords did. The handle was at a right angle to the blade and sink within a guard. That made them much harder to work with for throwing tricks, and limited the sorts of things she could do. I still have my dagger set, but..." She shrugged. She had left a fair amount of stuff with Master Payne's Circus, figuring it would pass to the next performer to take over her act. She hadn't thought she'd be needing them again.

She walked closer, keeping the point of her blade down but extending the handle towards him so that he could have a look. She didn't offer it up, though. Perhaps it was silly, but she really didn't like other people touching her blade. Then again, she was hardly the only person to get possessive over their weapon.

[wavesandthunder]

"Some nice flashy ones to draw the crowds, eh?" Ukitake took a step closer, to examine the blade with a swordsman's eye. "These are a fighter's blades, for certain - excellent work, too." He drew his own sword, laying the flat of the blade across his free hand so she could inspect it. It was clearly old - well-used, and well-maintained, with a rectangular crossguard decorated with a wave pattern, and a plain crimson red hilt-wrapping. "This is Sougyo no Kotowari."

[daughterofchump]

"Thank you," Zeetha said, inspecting his. Like many of the swords made on the mainland of Reial, it seemed to be of the katana type.

"Sougyo no Kotowari...?" Zeetha questioned. Traveling around, she had learned snatches of other languages besides the standard one, but most of her efforts had been to refine her use of the common tongue, which had been enough of a challange.

"What does that mean?"

[wavesandthunder]

"'Truth of Pisces' - although 'truth' in the sense of a guiding reason of principle," Ukitake replied. "Something of a pretentious name, I know, but it's an old sword." And the spirits it housed were plenty eccentric in their own right, so it suited them, somehow.

[daughterofchump]

"Pisces..." Zeetha tried to remember. "I learned a little bit about that stuff for the Madam Olga Fortune Telling act," she said. "But not much. It means a fish, doesn't it?"

It didn't sound pretentious to her, but then she found the names people gave their blades interesting. Skifandrian weapons name were very functional as opposed to poetic or philosophical.

[wavesandthunder]

"Twin fish, actually, but yes," Ukitake replied. He had often wondered if the sword took it's name from the form of it's two inhabitants, or vice-versa - Sougyo no Kotowari was not inclined to give much in the way of answers, on that point. He glanced back at Zeetha's pair of swords. "You use a dual-blade style?"

[daughterofchump]

"Yes, a punching blade and a catching blade," she replied.

While her choice wasn't the most standard, she hadn't thought that the configuration, one long blade and a second, shorter forked blade was that unusual until she had traveled the rest of Reial. There, it seemed single blades dominated, and on Erelia especially, shields were used to take the place of a catching blade.

Her brow furrowed as she thought of something. "Twin fishes?" she asked. Is there any particular reason for that name?"

[wavesandthunder]

"Interesting - a style I'm not familiar with, I'm afraid," Jyuushirou replied. His smile widened a little at the question - she was a sharp one, no doubt about it. He could feel Sougyo no Kotowari's agreement, in the back of his mind. Zeetha was intriguing, to both of them. "There is, actually - a little trick of my own, perhaps. Want to see?"

[daughterofchump]

Zeetha's own smile widened a little bit in response. She wondered what sort of trick he had in mind. The offer could be dangerous from the wrong person, but they were crewmates so she was not likely to be in too much danger.

"By all means, show me," she replied.

[wavesandthunder]

Ukitake smiled in reply, and then took a step back, holding the hilt of his sword in both hands, point down. This wasn't something he did lightly - but his energy levels were higher than they had been in the last few months, and he could sense Zeetha was an equal, when it came to the blade. "All waves rise and become my shield, lightning, strike and become my blade." He didn't raise his voice all, but there was a clear sense of command in his words. He could feel the surge of energy in both himself and Sougyo no Kotowari as the blade began to shimmer slightly, growing an angled back hook, and began to peel away from itself, until he was standing, holding the grip of a sword in each hand, a heavy crimson cord dangling with charms connecting them. He released his concentration, and looked back over at Zeetha with a smile.

[daughterofchump]

Zeetha on the other hand, felt no magical energy at all. She was as non-magical as they came, the waves of energy were to her what color would be to a blind woman. Despite her best efforts to hone her senses, she was only ever able to sense what all animals can, an uneasy prickling in the face of a truly overwhelming concentration of magic.

However, like most non-magical fighters, she was versed in how to deal with magical opponents (technique number one being to avoid them entirely, technique number two being to acquire magical artifacts yourself). So she watched carefully as he began his incantation and the blade begin to split within the shining event horizon of the spell. So that was the meaning of 'twins'. The blades were thin, almost rod-like in their thinness. And each blade was forked, but the fork bent back up and toward his own hand instead of down towards the tip as she was accustomed, making them look a little bit like the top fin of a fish.

No wonder it had a name, then. Depending on what its other magical properties were, the sword could cost a small fortune. She wondered exactly how he used those blades. He probably wouldn't use any other magic in a friendly sparring session, unless she pressed him really hard. But why was she even thinking about sparring? He had only said show, not spar. Still...

"Very nice," she said, in genuine appreciation. "What else can they do?"

[wavesandthunder]

"They can absorb and redirect magical attacks, on top of being a pair of rather fine blades," Ukitake replied with a smile. "That's what the connection is for - to channel the energy." He lifted both swords up so the red cord connecting them was clearer, the silver charms jangling slightly as he did so.

"They're old swords, though, and I'm fairly certain they've not taught me all their secrets yet," he added, chuckling slightly. Trying to get answers out of the twins was a bit like dealing with very contrary children, sometimes - and they treated half of life like a game.