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Bright Journey	Early evening, deep underground in the frankly excellent dojo buried in the manse beneath Silk Moon Lotus' mansion. She's not in evidence--yet--but her not-so-partner in crime, Bright Journey, is here leading Amethyst and Ignis down through the ancient passageways and to this special room. Torchlit stone surrounds an expansive space, decoreated with sigils along the walls--some match the symbols on everyone's brows, others a bit more mysterious. As usual, there's a table of snacks and drinks, including wine this time, and towels, a bucket of water, all the sundries. Bright is getting a bit better at knowing what's needed down here. "All right! Welcome, once again, to the dojo. It's kind of nice we're making real use of this place. I feel like we're going to need our skills honed sooner rather than later. "You both know the magic in this place helps to keep us alive through lethal combat. As Amethyst and I discovered last week...it's not perfect. I think I'll be avoiding what I'd used last time. It's funny, though...the ancients surely had far stronger strikes than that one. I wonder if the magic hasn't faded some." She shrugs. "A question for another time."
Ignis	"Maybe.." offers Ignis, sounding thoughtful and then blinking abit and adding quickly to clarify, "I mean..maybe to the magic fading. There's no question that more powerful and experienced past incarnations would have wielded stunts that far outstrip our own abilities... Although I do wonder if there's a ways to strengthen the magic down here? If there's an understanding of the source of the magic and how it works and it conveys its functions..perhaps it can be improved on to avoid any more unhappy accidents?" A flick of the hand resting on his sword-belt loosens up the daiklaive from its scabbard as he turns, "At anyrate..It's far to useful to not make use of in secret."
Amethyst	Amethyst walks down the hall, looking more sure of herself this time. As they enter the room, she looks up and out at the symbols. "You know, I wonder why it is that you folks have sigils that form on your foreheads while us dragons just simply /look/ different." She muses aloud, looking over the various symbols. Turning back to Bright and Ignis, "Hopefully this time won't end so poorly..." She rubs her head, "As for fading magic, perhaps after I have a chance to establish a workspace in the wyld, I can warp its nature to function similarly. Sorcery for me is significantly easier when not working within creation's boundries. But I wouldn't know where to start with figuring out the magic to this place." "In any event, I'm sure one day I will need my technique to be honed and we will face enemies that will strike us down without mercy should we faltered. So training is a wise idea, and hopefully today I can make good use of my practice." She delicately takes her ritual blade and makes a cut. And as the blood drips, her essence darkens and everyone can feel the pressure of the room change as she shapes her blood into her chosen weapon.
Bright Journey	All Bright can do is shrug helplessly at the sigil question. "I really have no idea. But you're right, the Dragon-Blooded do still wear your sigils of a sort--skin, hair, that kind of thing. That's the sort of question the books in the library don't answer, I've found. There's not a lot about just -what- the Second Breath even is." With a flicker of pseudomotion and a glimmering moonlit flash, Bright's powerbow, Nightbane, appears in her hand. She grins and flips her long, pink hair back behind her. "Well, practice makes perfect, and we are going to need perfect, I think. I'd like to talk to you about a workshop, though--I haven't really found something like that here in the manse yet, though I don't pretend to have been everywhere. The place is a veritable maze." t "Anything else before we begin?"
Silk Moon Lotus	"I believe I shall join you as well" Silk says as she melts out of a shadow on the far side of the dojo. "I heard you from the library and thought I would come over and join in on the fun." She removes the fur lined robe she had on to reveil the gray silk Kimono she normally wears. A smile grows across her face. "I don't think I've ever sparred with more of you before."
Ignis	"The more the merrier." says Ignis after a brief moment of his eyes widening in surprise at Silk's mysterious arrival. He fully removes his daiklaive now, letting Ein Solus seemingly drink in the light within the dojo as he brings it around with a flourish and then shoulders the blade to beckon at the others. "Another free for all, then? I'll try to not be quite as embaressinga nd caught off guard as I was the last time. As fun as that was, it occured to me that in reality it'd mean I'd be dead and I can't afford a mishap like that to happen out there." He inclines his head and then grins slowly, "I've a few unfinished dreams to piece together still."
Amethyst	Amethyst looks up at her hair and the strip of blue-green that runs through it, and down at her skin which has a dark violet tinge to it that it lacked before her exaltation. She chuckles, "The second breath is truly mysterious. I still remember the day that I drew mine. And I almost can't believe I did." And she looks to Bright, "Come to think you knew me before I exalted, didn't you?" She shrugs. And she's startled as Silk steps out. "Oh uh, hey there Silk. I've never had the pleasure of crossing blades with you, no" And then she addresses Ignis, "As for a free for all? I'm okie with that."
Bright Journey	"Oho!" Bright grins as Silk appears out of nowhere--by now, though, she's learned how to not jump in shock every damn time that happens. "Well! I'm sorry, I thought you were busy this evening. But I'm more than glad to cross a blade with you." She grins again. "Or an arrow. We've fought side by side before, but I can't shake the feeling we've never actually fought against each other. Might be valuable if we come across someone else half as sneaky as you." "So, without further ado. "Three. "Two. "One. "Begin!"
Silk Moon Lotus	At the last word Silk become a blur and vanishes. The next moment she is standing next to Bright, plants a light kiss on the back of a gloved hand and whispers "I'm just going to borrow that." She grabs the bow in a clear disarm attempt.
Silk Moon Lotus	The shadow that is Silk deftly pulls the bow out of Bright's hand. The glow of the box winks out and Silk tosses it away to slide into one of the small barriers in the dojo. She then moves away from Bright quickly attacks Ignis with her razor claws.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk brings her claws in for a glancing strike against Ignis's armored body only to be sent flying across the room by his powerful lightning fast sword blow. Silk curls into a ball to soften the blow.
Bright Journey	Okay, yeah. That was...not what Bright was expecting. At all. She's quick on the draw, but compared to Silk? She said it herself. She's a -slowpoke- next to Silk. It costs her big time as Silk almost -teleports- to her side and with a flick of the wrist strips her of her weapon before she can blink. She tries to dodge but is hopelessly outclassed, despite all the practice she's been putting in lately. Food for thought? Sure. Later, as she watches Nightbane flung across the room, skidding across the floor, and fetching up against one stone wall right up underneath the sigil of the open golden circle. This is about as gobsmacked as anyone has ever seen Bright, poised as she usually is. She grins good-naturedly, though, at Silk even as Silk turns away to strike at Ignis. The Night Caste girl is poetry in motion, as usual, but Bright is not yet weaponless... Instead of diving for her bow, Bright inhales with a huge gasping breath, then clenches her fists, leans forward, and SHOUTS at Silk with as much force as she can muster. The sound is like a cannon going off, an eardrum-ripper that no normal human could hope to make.
Ignis	This is a little crazy nwo isn't it. First that insanely fast manuever by Silk which sends Bright's bow fliying and then there is a sudden flash and clash of sparks and a flare of roiling billowing essence as Ignis is illuminated into a corona of light and Silk is sent sprawling backwards from the whiplash strike of his blade as it counters her attack on her. Barely has this finished is the sound of Bright's voice filling the air and IGnis, wordlessly, locks his attention onto her and then dashes in, a blur of movement that trails gold behind him to bring his weapon up in sunlight trailing arc against her. His assault pushes her back even as it scores across her armor and magically enhanced defenses, sending more motes of essence and sparks flying into the air.
Amethyst	Again the Dragon has hung back, readied herself, studied her enemies to see their strategies and attacks. And here she thought that Bright would be helpless without her bow, but the Dragon was wrong. But as Ignis attacks and strikes at Bright, it's clear to her who the real threat is. And so, she holds out her whip, and leaps into action, her anima igniting in a steamy cloud of bubbling blue and green like the turbulant ocean roaring against a rock in its path. And some part of her hopes he dares strike her like he did Silk, for the true power of her whip lies in wait for the moment she is struck and stays standing.
Bright Journey	Bright's intense magically enhanced shout is almost -visible- in the air as she lets loose towards Silk. Despite Silk's amazing speed and evasiveness, Bright manages to barely catch her--and sends Silk tumbling end over end. She doesn't have time to celebrate, though, when Ignis rushes in with a vicious slash. Bright just is not fast enough to dodge, but she is armored both in orichalcum and in Essence, and the blade skitters across her lamellar and pushes her back. She starts hunting for her bow.
Amethyst	Even as the Dawn tries to attack her, Amethyst is too fast for him. She lands a solid blow against his blade, sending him off balance while stepping back and readying another attack. However, instead of simply striking, her anima bleeds into her whip, igniting it with flames. And the blood-laden whip and its wielder dance as she comes in for another blistering attack.
Ignis	There's another blurring of movements as Ignis twists away from Bright to see Amethyst whirling an attack on him. Instinct sends his blade wielding around to blast against her incoming strike but the force of his blow is misjudged even with essence guiding him and he's sent sliding backwards from the crack of her whip and then once again when he flourishes his weapon around in a counter assault against her follow up. This second attack actually wends its way through his defenses, his counter striking a grazing blow against her but it's not enough to keep him from becoming unbalanced and losing what little control remained of the match. So much so that his follow up strike is a complete and utter failure in terms of posing any danger to her. He dances backwards, attempting to regain his sense of momentum, looking disheveled and speaking for the first time. I do believe you might be an Immaculate Monk in disguise, Amethyst." he quips while bouncing on his feet a few times to try and gain a better sense of how to turn this around.
Amethyst	Amethyst grins as her whip is absolutely radiant with energy, glowing even brighter than she is, the iconography of her tattoos throughout it. "Mayhaps I am. I was raised with the Immaculate Philosophy and taught the wicked ways of the Anathema-" She notes, and interrupts herself as she goes for one more flurry of blows. She starts with what looks like an attack on the right, but instead of striking him, her blood starts to form a loose wrap around his weapon.
Amethyst	"-But I've since learned better." The Dragon finishes as the blade goes flying off to the side, and her blood stands very close to his neck. "I think I've one this one." She grins and chuckles. "I never imagined I'd actually win against you lot." She considers, letting her blood return to her. "Everything I've read speaks of the terrifying power you all have. Or maybe I'm just exceptional for my kind..." She shrugs a little, and offers a hand.
Ignis	"You -are- exceptional.." confirms Ignis, eyes widening slightly as he grins while looking at the blood thorns. "As are many of those trained in the Immaculate arts which is why they're so dangerous..but.." Ignis gestures, extending his hand out to the side as and in the space of a hearbeat his sword flashes to his hand with a sudden surge of light. "The power of the Solars -is- terrifying and to add a little additional context..usually you wouldn't be facing three Solars who are -also- fighting each other at the same time.. But the fact that you can not only keep up and be the last person standing means you've more then earned your place."
Amethyst	"To be fair, most Dragons would go around in Hearths." Amethyst notes, "Each as deadly as the last. Maybe that's why the wyld hunts are so feared." She considers. And then her expression softens, "Not that I know too many of my own kind. And given what I am, I'm sure I'd be considered anathema all the same to them now."
Ignis	"Yes - but - those hearths would normally not be facing a circle of prepared solars but attacking us as individuals and dividing and conquering." notes Ignis. "To some degree the fact that we were working against each other and not together against a common threat is kind of symbolic of alot of the troubles and isuses plaguing the world and the celestial exalted. As to how you'd be looked at..well you're probably right. If for no other reason then who you associate with and the things you've learned."
Amethyst	"You've not seen that I have a means of shapeshifting." Amethyst says with a little bit of pride, "Not to the same extent as the Lunars certainly, but provided an animal is larger than I and I have a chance to skin and prepare it, I can become it by donnings it skin. It's the greatest work of sorcery I've ever managed and goes beyond the bonds of what Dragons are typically capable of!" "...But more likely it would be for my association and beliefs, as in spite of my dedication to the five elemental dragons, I do not believe in the inherit wickedness they like to prescribe." The alchemist concludes. "As for us all trying to kill each other instead of focusing on the greater flows of events? It does sound about typical. Just wait until the turn to open war..." She sighs.