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Raullaur	Here in the East Quarter, things are mostly more orderly than the rest of the city. Not that things are necessarily lawful or non-violent, just that things are orderly, open. Far less hidden than most of the rest of the city. One part of the quarter that is relatively new is that beastmen--lionmen--are part of the city patrols. The Lions' Pride they are, and fairly well skilled. And their compound in the quarter used to be warehouses, but is now barracks, as well as other buildings, a large courtyard for training, and a wall to surround, with guards watching from the corners. Today, Raullaur is out watching a new batch of patrollers from behind. Larger and broader than they are, he's also simply wearing unbleached linens with leather knees and elbows, walking unarmed and unarmored--either a fool or supremely conifident--compared to the others' leather armor and weapons they have on them.
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Mantra is here in the east quarter today- the larger-than-life woman standing half again as tall as a typical mortal, she is difficult to miss even amongst the burlier folks that make up the east quarters more militant populace. She's found herself a whole roasted bird of some stripe which she picks at as she wanders through. The clanging of arms seems to put her at ease, to some degree- it's no gladiator fight, but the sound of combat is still one she enjoys.
Raullaur	It isn't usual for Raullaur to have to look /up/ to anyone, and so she gets a second look. The other lions pass by--looking at her, of course, but looking around at everyone, to see any signs of combat--but he slows down, and hus muzzle crls back in an attempt at a human's grin. "Hello," he says in a rich, resonant, almost musical purring bass. "Is the bird tasty? Our cooks are getting bland again. And no soldier wants boring food."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	"Good enough. A bit overcooked." Mantra replies to the lion man, hew own voice is sonorous and slightly hoarse, like someone who spends a great deal of time shouting, or drinking, or smoking. She pauses to take a look at Aullaur, and the other beastmen nearby. Not that unusual a sight for great forks, given how it attracts all sorts, but notable enough to be memorable. She returns the grin, her own canines enlarged compared to the rest of her teeth, like those of a chimpanzee.
Raullaur	Raullaur chuffs. "Better overcooked than undercooked. Faw food, you get sick, and an army marches on its belly." He grins, his canines more prominant, and his tail flicks slowly behind him. "Day off today? Or just taking time for food?"
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	"Day off?" The giant woman questions that phrasing, but seems to have to think about it for a moment. "Suppose you could say that. More like, getting my bearings before I get started." she adds then. "Take it you're the boss?" she asks, and nods her head towards the other, smaller beastmen. "Looks like a decent gig, patrolling the city. Beats marching gods know where?" she wonders. "Seems to me it could get boring. Could be easy to get complacent, if your life's not on the line." she continues, offering her own opinion on the matter rather than waiting for an answer.
Raullaur	"We had our fill of marching. Took a while to come north past the Dreaming Sea. But we still do it--and go out hunting as we can--as for life being on the line..." He shrugs. "The best fight is one where my men get home alive. We face danger to win, but I spend them neither needlessly nor recklessly. As for my life being risked?" He gives a slow grin. "It's exhilirating. And then I train to make it harder...and then seek out greater rivals and foes."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Brazen smirks a bit, "Get strong enough and you don't need to seek out worthy foes, they'll find their way to you." she tells him then. "You ever get down to the arena?" she wonders, and tilts her head in the vague direction she had been wandering from. "Just came from there. Pitiful display, today. All fresh blood, criminals and slave fighters." she complains. She tears one of the legs off her chicken and sucks the meat from the bone in a single mouthful, before tossing the bone aside.
Raullaur	Raullaur shrugs. "A while ago. Haven't had anyone able to hurt me in....years." He shakes his head. "And the Three don't like anyone really letting loose in the city, so I can't really give a show. But when it is truly life or death..." He looks into the distance of memory. "You cannot truly live unless your life is at risk," he says.
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Brazen laughs at that, and shakes her head, "Not even to watch?" she wonders. "Combatants don't need to be all powerful to put on a good show." she adds a moment later. "But I suppose I understand what you mean. I prefer to join in, myself, than stand by the sidelines." she adds. "They should have built a sturdier arena." she adds a moment later.
Raullaur	Raullaur nods. "I would as well, but...it's either boring when we can't let loose, or too...distracting if we do. So...yeah, I prefer a stronger arena as well." He chuckles. "What's your name?"
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	The redheaded woman dips her head when asked her name, and then stands up a bit straighter. "My name is Imperfect Brazen Mantra." she offers by way of introduction. "And perhaps I'll build one. A stronger arena, that is. I've never turned my hands to making anything, before. Always been more for tearing things down." she admits with a chuckle. "And what of you? What are you called?" she asks.
Raullaur	"Raullaur," he says, the name a rumbling purr, almost an inhuman sound. "Or the Golden Lion," he says. "And I'm similar: tearing things down...but also defending against others trying to do the same." A grin, "It's been a good year, but more and more of the Pride are wanting to march elsewhere and have a true home."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Mantra looks back towards the nearby beastmen when Raullaur mentions them and nods her head, "Times been a bit too boring here of late?" she wonders. "Ever considered heading out further east, into the hundred kingdoms? I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting times to be had there." she muses.
Raullaur	"A bit...got to have a good fight in one of the shadowlands recently, but...yes, the Hundred Kingdoms sound interesting. And who knows? Perhaps I can take one over--or parts of several, to be the tribe's new homeland." He shrugs, casually speaking of changing the fates of many as though it were nothing.
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Imperfect Brazen Mantra chuckles at that, "Good fight sounds like what I need about now. Got to starting one the other day, but we were interrupted. Had to postpone the conclusion for a while." she says then, and picks at her teeth to dislodge a bit of the meat she was consuming not long ago. "Heard of the Mountain?" she wonders. "Giant guy, even taller than me. Not a fan of clothes." she gives a description incase the name wasn't familiar.
Fudou the Mountain	"Well, well. It seems that someone out there is conspiring to keep me running into interesting people!" The voice is unmistakably Fudou. Familiar to both no doubt given recent interactions with Brazen and a history with Raullaur. Plus...it's hard for anyone else to have a rumbling voice like that. It descends downward from a low roofed but, fortunantely, sturdy looking building adjacent to the other two bruisers. Fudou sitting there, legs dangling nearly to the ground below despite the height of the structure, muscled arms leaning forward and resting against his knees. His vast physique there where it was surely not there before but where a mangy fat cat had been..surely minding its own business. An instant later and he's dropped to the ground. The very earth shaking slightly and a plume of dust kicking up around his sandled feet. "Raullaur. It's been awhile. You wouldn't happen to know something about..oh..I dunno..the sun coming to rest in the shadowlands recently..mm..?" He then twists his attention to Brazen, head swivelling on his barrel thick neck to beam that big grin at her. "And you...I've some questions for you, luv..."
Raullaur	Raullaur nods. "Yeah, met him...probably the only one around who could last as long as I can in a fight," he says with a grin. "At least if we're careful from the beginning." He tilts his head slightly, and is about to say something more, when he hears a familiar voice. "Annnnd here he is," he says with a laugh. "Hello, Mountain. And...Sun in the shadowlands?" He questions, "Not really sure..."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	The giantess nods her head, "He seems pretty tough. Like I say, we got cut short before we could really get into it." she replies to the lion man. Mantra's eyes flash when she hears a familiar baritone, and her attention snaps around to Fudou. There's an almost imperceptible shift in her stance, relaxation giving way to readiness in an instant. She stares at him for a moment, and it seems as though she might launch herself at him- but the moment passes and she cracks a smirk. "You still owe me the rest of that fight." she tells Fudou. She finds something to lean back against, then, since she's here and chatting recently. "And what are they?" she asks him plainly in response to the questions. If she caught on to Raullanaur's act, she doesn't show it.
Fudou the Mountain	"Last as long as you can?" epeats Fudou as he looks to Raullaur with that affable amusement and a look of mischief in his gaze, "..Why Raullaur...that is sound praise!" His eyes then narrow slightly, gaze seeming to bore into the lion man as if attempting to see right through him. Then he makes a broad sweeping gesture towards overall direction of the nearby shadowlands, "Many bore witness to the sight of the sun itself seeming to touchdown in that dark place. I was interested and so was going to investigate but some others who I discussed the matter with had some thoughts which gave me some reason to simply..ask around." He then fully turns to Brazen once more, "..and you. You will have your fight! But not there. I was fighting with one arm tied behind my back. For the fight you want..I need to be a little less restrained." As he speaks, the sigil of the Full Moon ripples to visiblity on his brow. He seems quite comfortable revealing this here and now though to be certain the average mortal onlooker is keeping a wide berth from the trio.
Raullaur	"Definitely meant as praise! For the Shadowlands, if you want to go there, I'm game to. Would be good to let loose a little bit." The lion nods, and flicks his ears then. "And...who did you discuss? Maybe I should have a talk with them as well." His eyes widen a bit at the full moon sigil, and then he turns to Mantra. "Be interesting to see the fight, if you want an audience..."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Mantra does not reciprocate, although Fudou has already seen her own castemark during their for-now postponed fight. She folds her arms across her chest, leaning back against the stone wall she had found to rest against. "You said you had questions for me. What are they?" she asks Fudou, with a hint of impatience. She does consider Raullaur's words for a moment, though. "I suppose few would complain at spending our energies crushing the unliving monsters to be found there."
Fudou the Mountain	"Relax, nobody is going to bother us over this. Not here." says Fudou to Raullaur, noting the lion mans eyes widening..presuming concern about his revelation of his nature out here in the open. Though he does pause abit and look Raullaur over more closely, "Hmm..didn't you know, though?" He looks thoughtful..considering that for a second before looking away back to Brazen, "Yes. There is a dojo..a relic from the ancient world whose magicks would enable us to..not be concerned about truly..stretching our muscles, so to speak. It the workings there will ensure that we leave the dojo sustained and refreshed. A great boon for those like..'us'..who wish to test our limits. However..it does not belong to me. I respect those who own it and so would ask permission before using it but I'd like to know -what- you are..before I bring you to it." He gestures at her, lifting his hand to indicate her whole form. "The green flame..the strange mark. Are you gifted with exigence of some god? Or something else...?"
Raullaur	Raullaur nods gravely. "No, I knew. Just...I am surprised you would offer to show this in the open, even with the others leaving us alone." He shrugs slightly. And then the question makes him look at Mantra with interest. "Hmmm? It would make sense," he says to himself.
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	Mantra scoffs at Fudou's suggestion, "The gods that abandon their post? That forget their masters?" she asks him, incredulous. "No. They offer me nothing, and I would take nothing from them." she asserts. "My strength comes from something older and greater than any god." she asserts without hesitation, but she does not elaborate further, instead saying- "Perhaps I will show you what I am capable of, at this Dojo you mention." she smirks. "Words are flimsy."
Fudou the Mountain	"Oh, it's nothing." suggess Fudou to Raullaur, "We will not be attacked or accousted after all. We play nice with the city! Plus we're being left alone here and now but..some wisdom is to be used yes. That is why I did continue in the arena with this one?" Brazen's reply just draws a raised eyebrow from Fudou and for the first time that friendly grin of his softens abit and then ultimately drops away as he ponders her words and grows more serious. Reflective. Thoughtful. "You offer riddles." he rumbles finally, bass voice less jovial at first though it rises again. "Well keep your secrets if you'd rather not say and be more direct. But I won't risk my relationships by bringing something that they'd prefer not be there into their sanctuary. That said dojo or no..I will give you your fight. Perhaps now I've good reason to see for myself just -what- and -who- you are..."
Raullaur	"Of course, it's prudent. As are riddles," Raullaur says. "But riddles are also for solving, and this one sounds interesting..." He thinks a moment, but shakes his head. "But all we know is our own history, and not the tales of what went before."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	"Not a riddle, a simple truth." Brazen retorts then. "But as I said, I prefer to show than tell... but if you insist." she stands up straighter and looks between the two of them. "The flames of Ligier stoke my soul, the vitriol of Kimberry runs in my veins, the silent wind of Adorjan guides my steps." she informs them- and as she does, she seems to become... greater. Not larger, she is already large enough, but /more/. She becomes difficult to look directly at, like staring into the sun. "I am Imperfect Brazen Mantra, I am the tyrant and the beast." she finishes, her eyes flashing green and a glimpse of her terrible, magnificent nature can be seen in them.
Fudou the Mountain	"Enough." Fudou's voice breaks in with more then a hint of cautious concern though if it's for himself and Raullaur or for being noticed by the mortals around them one cannot say for certain. "I used to think that -I- toed the line in being overt and visible but you're showing me a thing or two. I know those names and I know that some I know treat with demons others have no interest in unfettered hell influence in their sanctums.." His expression is serious though not dour. There is a clear curiousity and draw but also he becomes guarded and soon notes, "You speak so proudly of this power but I'll remind you that they are imprisoned..the gods are not. Luna flies free and glorious, casting silver over green flames... I once had some interest in the Black Boar though. Perhaps I should look into my research again." He makes a big gesture with his arms, "Very well. We will fight so that I may know you and your power. Dojo or no dojo. I will tell you when and where to meet me. Fair enough?"
Raullaur	Raullaur's eyes narrow as she mentions those names. "Does a city in the desert, I think of brass, where the voice of its ruler comes from any of the denizens mean something to you? If so..." His voice trails off, "It would be interesting to know, for I have heard rumors of such...and surely that would be a worthy foe to truly test one's self." Eyes gleam golden as he grins just a bit. "But...let there be peace among us for now. Our patrons may disagree. That does not require that we oppose each other. Yet."
Imperfect Brazen Mantra	"True, true." Brazen admits at Fudou's retort about her patrons being imprisoned. "They are, that's right. But I am not." she adds, cracking a smirk of her own. "Nor am I beholden. I have their strength, but my own will." she adds. "I suppose we will see which prevails, in the end. The light of the green sun, or the moon's pale reflection." she says to Fudou. "I will wait, then, for now. But not forever." she tells Fudou and pushes away from where she had been standing. Casting a glance to Raul, she shrugs, "You will have to wait your turn." she offers, and then continues on her way.
Fudou the Mountain	Fudou the Mountain looks on as Brazen makes her final statement and then departs from the area. He rests both of his balled up fists onto his waist and then looks to Raullaur and raises an eyebrow to him. "Well..she's interesting, no? I"d say we should warn our friends about her but I think it'll be much more fun and funnier to let them encounter her on their own. Still..there are strange happenings going on. More then just this. You should be careful, mm? Even when going into and brightening up shadowlands...."
Raullaur	Raullaur mmms. "I will. Bright Journey helped with the illumination, and we were beset with....hundreds of hungry spirits trying to kills us at the time. And the light drove them away," he says, shaking his head ruefully.
Fudou the Mountain	"I had guessed..well...not at the reason but at those who might have been involved. You should know that others like us are about and not all may have our best interests in mind. I don't suggest that you hide yourself but just to be ready." offers Fudou, "There is something strange going on. A friend told me about an encounter with an individual who she later could not remember anything about. Just that she met 'someeone'. I think we are being ..observed." Fudou's affable demeanor dims once again and he looks seriously at Raullaur. "Watch your back..."
Raullaur	Raullaur nods. "I will. It's a price to pay of survival. I would much rather have brought attention and need to deal with people coming at me, than no attention due to falling. But I understand. Like combat, it's a tradeoff: what do you spend and why..."
Fudou the Mountain	"Yes...but you have more at stake then I. Your people." Fudou nods his head once again but adds, "So..a grave danger to you is a grave danger to them. But I am just speculating. It may be nothing at all but it's still worth being self aware of. If nothing else, we just learned today that the demon kings have sent power into the world. That's worth something."
Raullaur	"This is not the only one...met another called Raga who also claims a demon king as patron..." He shakes his head. "And yes, I heard about the person forgotten. Apparently the Wandering Stars have their own champions that make this happen. Or so the Ardent Vagabond toldme."
Fudou the Mountain	"Is that so... Raga.. I think that may be familiar to me as well. Strange..." Fudou quiets and then nods his head to Raullaur as he turns to begin to take his leave. "I will...let you know when I plan to see what this Brazen is capablle of. But I dont' think that SIlk Moon Lotus would want her in her mansion so for now I'll have to settle for soething outdoors. I heal fast though. We'll see if she can say the same.."
Raullaur	"Indeed. If you need to, well...I'm not sure if the Shadowlands would be a good idea since there ahve been fights there already...or not, for the same reason. And...what would the Three think about Demon Kings and their champions? Possibly live and let live, same as with us..."
Fudou the Mountain	"..I don't now.." says Fudou, pausing to consider that. "I don't think that is something I want to get involved in. If they are smart and learn of her..they would likely try and exact oaths or promises of good behavior when in the city and otherwise leave her be. I would imagine that is true of anyone that could seen as dangerous to the city. At the same time they want all the allies they can get. She's already exposed her ablities in public in the Arena when she was testing herself against me." Fudou grins, "She is very powerful but I did not have all of my tools handy because I didn't want to utilixze my warform. I suspect she has great power though." With that, he turns and begins to wlk away..giving Raullaur a quick wave as he makes his way further down the street.