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Misa	It's nearing sunset , and one couldn't find a less conspicuous time for glowing golden glorified knives. The sun is coming down to the west, and the ony thing west of Misa's hole in the world is a river, really. Hard to approach from there, so if anything is going to disguise her weapon... It's really a layered sort of strange sight she does cut if one happens to get close enough to make it out. A glowing, gently curved blade with a florally stylized guard, in gold and pink and violet... floats before her. It drifts side to side as she swishes her left hand the same way, then a sharper flick of the wrist sends it in a loose circle around her. A few more twirls and shifts before it flips up over her head, settling in a position behind her back not dissimilar to where it would sit in a back-mounted travelling sheath. There's an air of... almost feline self-satisfaction about the woman, smirking to herself in a rare private emotive moment. It's a rare form of the martial, to be certain, and while she hardly seems a master of it as she might of other things she practices, one might wonder idly where one even finds a tutor for that sort of thing.
Nine Roads Alani	Well, now, this is different. No pounding hooves, no absurdly dramatic kicked-up wave of dust in the distance. Just a traveler walking right in the middle of the road, briskly but by no means running outright. Her hood is up, her body wrapped in a beige and black traveler's robe, though just as dusty and worn as if she'd been, say, in a chariot pulled by galloping horses. She's got a small smile on her face and a walking stick in hand, and at the distant glimmer of light moving in the distance, she squints curiously. Interesting. While she's not being stealthy, per se, she's certainly not making the ruckus she did last time. 'Elena' seems more than content to be patient today, though her serenity is broken up a bit by her attempts to crane her neck just a bit more as she comes around the final bend. Maybe the moving light is just the reflection off the water.
Misa	At this point... Misa's less than careful, as a person. Almost, perhaps, as though she has an influence in her life encouraging her to live her life with more risk and lack of care. As Elena approaches, the sword swings back over her left shoulder to meet her left hand, and then she makes a motion as though sheathing it in a scabbard in her right- but the blade seems to dissipate into a swirl of that same gold, pink, and violet encircling her arm, suggestions of a blade forming in the swirls periodically. "Hello... again, traveller," she offers as Elena rounds the corner- she's raising her voice to be heard, but even then her natural softness maybe makes it not the easiest catch of words. Some sense of her surroundings on her, catching the approach from around the corner while occupied, but it's hardly anything new from the investigator. "What brings you back my way?" she questions, lifting her right hand and looking at her own trick of magic swirling about the wrist and forearm.
Nine Roads Alani	That small smile on 'Elena's' face hasn't gone away; if anything, it's widened just a bit. It's not haughty or smarmy, though...a friendly sort of look that still conveys a sense of knowing. She brushes her hood back, and under the road dust on her hood, her long, loose blonde hair ruffles in the sunset breeze, while her yellow eyes look steadily at Misa. Unlike Misa, she waits until she's in speaking range to reply. "Hello again..." She pauses, chuckling self-deprecatingly. "How would you like me to call you again? Is just Misa all right? While you're clearly a martial artist, and a sifu at that, I call only one person sifu." She slowly pulls her hair back with a leather strip as she talks, a long, high pony tail that catches the wind like a golden streamer. "The sunset reflects off of you in interesting ways."
Misa	Misa considers the woman, hand still lifted up before her as she stands at ninety degrees to the approaching traveller. "Misa is perfectly acceptable- Hanase, if you would like a family name to work with. I expect little in the way of honorifics," she explains, shaking her head a little. It's not terribly emphatic, but certainly earnest. Almost dismissive of the idea of treating her as on some pedestal. "Would you rather I used Elena, or Alani?" she questions in turn, turning to face the other woman with her head tilting questioningly. Her hand drops, but the light remains, and she glances down. "And, well. Not much reflection, here. I have stopped making so much secret of my... state of being, I think."
Nine Roads Alani	"Family names are..." 'Elena' sighs. "They're not something I'm in a position to ask, and I really don't have one anymore myself. Misa it is." She looks just about ready to speak again when Misa replies with the wham line. Despite her every attempt to be polite, calm, and collected, the question draws a sharp gasp from her, and her yellow eyes widen perceptibly before she schools herself back into calmness. To her credit, she does a good job of that--but the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. Her response is subdued as she visibly considers the ramifications. "....So," she murmurs. "That was quick. That was -very- quick. I only met you once before today, right?" She chuckles in self-deprecation again. "The auguries were auspicious for travel on foot today. The Key rises high above. Auspicious for both of us, apparently." 'Elena' thinks for a brief moment more. "You'll know when I'm Elena, and when I'm Nine Roads Alani. Be kind to Elena, though. For someone who doesn't exist, she's been through a lot. For now, though...I suppose this is in order." There is no visible change, but just like last time, it feels as if she doffs a cloak of identity. Elena is nowhere to be found, and only Alani stands here. "Anyway. I'm sure you've guessed, but I have plenty of reason to not tell the Wyld Hunt about you. That was true before and even more so now."
Misa	Misa considers the other woman's reaction and subsequent words... fairly calmly. It helps when you have your favourite sword summonable to hand at a moment's notice, and a far more powerful one currently swirling in potentia around your off-arm, perhaps. "I know relatively little about what I believe you are suggesting your sort to be. Though, if you say you have no cause to render trouble for me, then I suppose I have no cause for concern. Even if I might welcome a small hunt at some point, on some levels, from the right source." She shrugs that off, head shaking as she gestures to the raised platform part of the yard here, and more specifically a pair of benches along the short wall on the far end from the building. "I suppose I did have some gaps there, indeed. You say those will no longer bother me, after this?" she questions, sounding perhaps more curious than affronted or alarmed.
Nine Roads Alani	Alani lets out a dark, wry chuckle as she joins Misa on one of the benches. "Heh. No, Misa, that's not how it works, and before you ask it's not my choice. It might become somewhat easier to remember me over time, perhaps? But it's never, ever a guarantee. There's a lot I'm not going to say, and why that is is firmly on that list. As for who I am, I'm not going to sit here and be a 'supernatural being primer' for you any more than you would for me." She chuckles again. "I'm really Alani, and for what little it's worth, what I told you before is true. I love to explore, I love a good spar, and I think you're interesting. You have no idea how much I wanted to ride my chariot here, breakneck speed, just like last time. But the auguries were crystal clear, and more importantly, correct! If you'd have heard me coming, would you still be using that weapon of yours--sorry, I didn't really see what it was--when I arrived? Of course not. And I have no idea if you'd have seen through to the real me."
Misa	"Well, from what I do recall now that we are having this conversation, some of the lack of information is intentional and self-perpetuating, so perhaps you will excuse the disadvantage you have me at," says Misa, with her own wryness in her tone. She shakes her head as she sits. She pauses a moment, then, and brings her hands together- drawing as though she had a scabbard in her right, the blade of solid dawn-light comes into being again- before floating clear of her hand to swirl in a lazy circle before the two women in the air, without any touch from Misa at this point. "Besides, I am not without my own secrets, even with this plainly visible. I cannot begrudge another person theirs, or take them at much more than what they tell me."
Nine Roads Alani	"Mmm..." Alani pauses, thinking. "Intentional, sure. Self-perpetuating...kind of. I see what you're saying, but there's factors at play for me that you don't have to worry about. I -really- can't get into the details. What I can promise is if you ask me something directly, and I can't talk about it, I'll -say- I can't talk about it. I'm kind of a crap liar anyway, so it's just as well. But believe me, there's consequences for me if I say too much." She smiles fondly, thinking. "And I think the stuff I have to shut up about the least is the stuff you probably think is the most secret. I'm weird in all -sorts- of ways, I guess. "Still. Look at -that-." She's inspecting the magical sword closely. "She's beautiful. Orichalcum, I guess, if that even applies. Sorry if I sound stupid, I'm not an alchemist. You've already seen my little toy, of course."
Misa	Misa nods along with the explanations of Alani's situation, quiet and more thoughtful than anything as she idly flicks her fingers this way and that- as much practicing the hands-free control of the blade as anything. "Orichalcum would be a more... permanent, and genuinely physical item. This you might think of more as... my will for swordplay, put forth into the world outside of myself, and then controlled via an esoteric art I have more or less pieced together from a regular practice opponent," she explains, eyes following the pink and violet trailing after the golden edge. "I suppose, in the end, the dancing around secrecy does not interest me as much. Let us focus perhaps on shared interest- where did you learn your form?"
Nine Roads Alani	"Heh," Alani replies. "There's always going to be some secrecy, no matter how annoying it is. Trust me, it doesn't thrill me either. Just doesn't come natural to me, you know?" She shrugs helplessly. "But you said to work around that. Fine by me. My sifu is..." She gets a faraway smile. "I can't name her, I'm afraid. But I owe her a lot, including my skill in Falcon Style. I picked that one mainly because it works perfectly with the wheel you saw me using before, and I had that just before I knew I was anything more than a towheaded little rock climbing cookie monster from the North." She gets a cheesy grin. "I love my sifu dearly. She taught me how to be a fine lady, even if she couldn't teach me to -want- to be one. We did a lot of practice out East, though. Falcon dives on her prey, and I didn't start out being able to leap ten meters in the air, after all. Tree limbs and poisonous critters all helped me practice." Alani looks up from the saber to Misa's face. "What about yourself? Your skill goes far beyond just creating this blade, after all."
Misa	Misa pauses a moment, considering the returned question for a longish moment. "My mother taught me swordplay from a young age. Not entirely her- she was a busy woman, so I had tutors and instructors as well. But the first style I learned was hers. I've since learned others- I have just begun to learn the one you see me using here, even. But the one she favoured was my first, and in my mind the one with which I perform at my best. Which is not to say I will disregard the others." She shrugs at that, looking skyward for a moment. "And then I became what I am, in perhaps one of the worst possible places to do so, and ironically survived less on blade prowess and more on quick feet and the good fortune to catch the eye of a powerful and friendly person whom I shall not name."
Nine Roads Alani	"I know -that- feeling," Alani replies, smiling vaguely. "I didn't really start learning to fight until I was...what? Sixteen? Eighteen? Not sure. But not 'all my life' like you did. I'm still trying to master the Falcon in flight, but believe me, I plan on learning other styles as well! I'm good at it and I love it and the martial arts aren't just...I don't know, a -tool- to me. They're a lifestyle, I guess, and one that shows I'm not wasting my time." She grins wickedly. "And it's something else to be the best in, someday. If I can manage to -live- that long, I'll make it." Alani pauses to listen to Misa's story. She slowly nods. "I hadn't really thought about it this way, but for us, it's a little different. You can imagine the Wyld Hunt has the most comically -bad- time trying to find us, so taking the Second Breath isn't usually a -fight- for us, per se. But, well..." She sighs and leans back, looking skyward. "When the Wyld Hunt forgets what you look like or that you even exist, that's well and good...but what about your family? You wake up one morning and your wife starts screaming bloody murder because she thinks a stranger crawled into bed with her. Or in my case, my family abandons me one early dawn because they didn't -know- they had three children. They had two, they packed the wagon and off they damn well went." The bitterness in her voice creeps out, leavened with just enough resignation.
Misa	Another slow response from Misa- thoughtful, or in her own world, or something to that effect. "Perhaps not quite the same, but by similar tokens, I am not entirely convinced that same mother would not be after my head were we to meet again," she says, somewhat ruefully. She shakes her head as if to clear the thought off of herself. "Though at the very least you might have some competition- in a different region of martial prowess- in terms of attempting to be the best one can be," she adds with a faint smile, shrugging. "But, well, much to learn along the way, and it will hopefully be many years coming, yet."
Nine Roads Alani	"Your own mother?" Alani looks taken aback, but soon sighs and nods. "I can only imagine. I'm sorry to hear it. But...even if my family could ever recognize me--and they cannot--what could I do but bring trouble to their doorstep? It's one of those times where if we love them, we have to let them go." She sighs deeply. "I -hate- that line. But it's true. I guess if it weren't, I wouldn't hate it at all." She looks back at Misa, expression wry. "It's at times like these I remain convinced Serenity smirks at us all." She pauses, and nods at the many years comment. "If we manage to live that long," Alani replies, but there's a sad, genuine smile on her face. "We have all the time we could beg for, if we manage to not be cut down by then. I think we both intend to use the time wisely." She grins, and stretches, fingers laced, palms stretched out and far away from her. "Nnnngh. Needed that. Anyway, using time wisely reminds me I kind of want to try my skills against yours again, if you'll have me."
Misa	A quirk of the brow from Misa- perhaps gleaned more contextually than any ability to see her eyebrows all that well, or forehead at large. The phantom blade sails in an arc over her head to return to that place behind her back as she considers. "Well, I cannot say I am opposed to the idea- though perhaps you'd indulge my exercising this new method somewhat, at least for a few exchanges. I do not think myself up to your level with it, as of yet, but only one way to feel out the flaws and work the skillset properly. Using the blunt end of this blade, of course. I'd not want to do harm to you or any such."
Nine Roads Alani	"Well, I appreciate the sentiment! I hope I'd not do so bad as to get myself skewered in any event, but you know how it is. Things happen, even in training." Alani gets a wide grin, and casually (but not really casually) leans against one of the walls of the ancient shrine, just by a corner leading out of sight. "Oh. By the way. If you really want to clog your noggin, ask yourself this: Did I, or did I not, stop by before I stopped by to drop this off...just in case?" That question makes no sense at all until she pulls out, from behind that corner, a well-appointed (and well-recognized) chariot wheel, with almost invisible glimmers of stardust around the dark wood spokes. She pauses a moment, thinking. "Actually, come to think of it, maybe I should go on without this tonight, to even things up a bit. Or we can try it both ways. Whatever. Shall we?" And with that, Alani stands without her wheel, almost in a half-crouch, hands high, ready to pounce forward, grab, or leap skyward. Let the match begin!