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Misa	It's a cool afternoon outside of Great Forks, and this small dojo is almost idyllic- or would be, if it weren't old and run down. It's a converted shrine, a small building atop a raised stone platform- the part of the platform not taken up by the building walled on two of the other sides facing the river and the south- opening out to a well-worn natural ground training area below. Therein, there's a quiet woman, her hands swirling about as four flying blades follow her motions, gliding through the air and occasionally slicing through a makeshift training dummy as the woman practices... whatever htis is.
Amilar Ereyo	Sorcerers have a reputation for choosing rather... eccentric methods of travelling. This one certainly is no exception: The Dragon-Blooded arrives riding on the back of a massive wolfhound - almost the size of a horse, its shaggy pelt swirling with the blotched whites and muted grays of a cold winter gale. When the repurposed shrine come into sight, she reins the panting dog from full gallop into a considerably less alarming trot. A good dozen meters away from the entrance, the rider dismounts, reaches up to give the creature a pat on the head and generous scratches behind the ears. Then, after taking a moment to straighten her tossled hair, she walks up the remaining stretch of the path towards the entrance to the training grounds, leaving the wolfhound behind. The newcomer approaches with careful, measured steps. She's wearing a casual uniform in the style favored by Lookshyan soldiers. On the right side of her chest, a small golden crest gleams with the mons of Gens Amilar. A curved sword, most definitely a daiklave by its size alone, dangles sheathed on her left hip. While not at all eager to step too close towards the stranger surrounded by those floating blades, she stops within reasonable talking distance - assuming one raises their voice a litte - and just hangs back for a while, observing the dance of blades, before she clears her throat: "Uhm... good day. I hope I am not intruding...?"
Misa	The floating blades, on closer look, are themselves relatively small for the type but most certainly daiklaves. Gently curved, single edged- a pair of silvery ones and a seemingly-matching set of jade ones, one red and one blue. The four of them glide smoothly through the air to gather in a tidy line behind the woman's back. "I heard you coming- do not worry. I'd have said something if you were," she asserts, shaking her head a little as she turns to face the other woman, head tilted a little as she sizes up the newcomer. She's blatantly quiet by nature even at this first glance, arms crossing by habit and her stance guarded- not martially, just interpersonally. "What brings you to my small abode, if I might, stranger?" she questions after a moment.
Amilar Ereyo	Up close, Misa's visitor bears the markings of one of the Dragon's Chosen. The faint scent of lightning clinging to her, despite clear skies; raven-black hair stirring erratically in a constantly shifting light breeze, no matter if there's actual wind blowing... Upon Misa's approach, the stranger's gaze immediately flits toward the four daiklaves, a moth to the flame of sharp-edged artifice. Curiosity lights up her eyes as she sizes up the craftmanship, nodding appreciatively to herself. ...until she realizes with a jolt that she was asked a question. Quickly, she janks her gaze away from the weapons back towards their owner, and offers an awkward smile, combined with a nod of respect, in an attempt to smooth over her blunder. "Of course", she says with an unmistakably Lookshyan accent, standing straighter, some dignity restored. "Forgive me. I was just taking a moment to admire your weapons. I am Amilar Ereyo, sorcerer-engineer of the Seventh Legion. Am I speaking to the master of this school - the sword-wielder Misa, of tournament fame? If not, will you be so kind as to tell me where she can be found?"
Misa	There's a moment- however scant- where the blademaster can't quite keep a certain discomfort off her face as some aspect of Ereyo's approach strikes her. What it is specifically is perhaps harder to tell. "I am she- Hanase Misa, to most around here. Teresu, if you like," she offers a faint half-smile with that last part alongside a shrug. "It is a small place, as schools go, but I did in fact participate in the recent grand tournament- so I presume you are in the correct location." She reaches down to her side, drawing sword and sheath from her sashes together, holding it forth- indeed, the orchid-styled guard on the perfectly mundane katana matches certain accounts of what she wielded in the arena.
Amilar Ereyo	The Air aspect's eyebrows shoot upwards as she takes a longer, more thorough look at the other woman. "A scion of Gens Teresu...? I confess, I had no idea..." She blinks a few times in rapid succession, surprise written all over her face. That expression stays in place for a while, even when she briefly focuses on the mundane sword on display. When she looks at Misa again, there's suddenly an air of caution about her. Something seems to has put her on guard, although she keeps her stance neutral. A quick glance around the run-down premises. "I only heard rumors about your prowress in the arena." She tries a tentative smile. "But I didn't know you were a Prince of the Earth yourself."
Misa	"To be fair, I don't often use the name," notes Misa, shrugging a little as she gestures for Ereyo to follow her to the raised stone platform where there are tables and seats. She takes a seat at a relatively large table on which a lingering tea set sits- fairly nicely made, though the hot water has long since cooled admittedly as she busied herself with other tasks. She looks at Ereyo for a longish moment, head tilted with a serious expression combined with a questioning raise of one eyebrow- though that brow is a little hard to see under the mass of hair that is her bangs. "Oh, well, set yourself at ease. My mother and father were, but I am not quickened to the dragons' blood."
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo hesitates only for a moment before falling into step behind Misa. A steady rhythm of whirrs and soft clicking accompanies every move of her left leg. After they're both seated - with the Air aspect sitting ramrod straight in the chair - she eyes the woman hiding behind her bangs with bewilderment. "And yet you are wielding no less than ~four~ daiklaves, seemingly with your will alone." Her tone is about equal parts suspicion and admiration. "I didn't come here to ask you that... but now I'm curious. What's the story behind that?"
Misa	Misa sits... relatively calmly. She's formal, stiff to some degree, certainly- but this is her home, ultimately. She reaches out, pouring cold water into tea leaves to let it sit for... a good long while as she considers Ereyo's demeanour for a few moments. "The floating of the blades is a rare and esoteric martial art, most anyone with the knack for Essence could, in theory, learn it with the correct teacher," she explains first off, folding her hands together on the table before her as she leans forward slightly. "And I care not for games or quietude- I have no battle with you, Amilar Ereyo, so I will politely request you remain calm when I say this- my knack derives instead from the Sun."
Amilar Ereyo	Strangely, Ereyo honors Misa's request - she does remain calm, except for a shudder, which Misa can still detect quite easily, despite the Dragon's best efforts to suppress it. Moments stretch into eternity while she stares Misa down, frowning with furious concentration. The recipient of her stare gets the unmistakable feeling of being thoroughly scrutinized... as if a complex machine had been set in motion in the Air aspect's forehead. Those invisible currents of wind around Ereyo pick up speed, ripping at her hair and clothes. Storm-cloud grey swirls into her eyes, drowning out the bright violet of her irises. A glow, vibrant blue with white streaks, softly crackling with static, outlines her body. The sharp ozone scent becomes much stronger and engulfs them both. In the end, Ereyo says in a quiet, flat voice, face going pale: "I... see. So that is what became of Teresu Hanase Ryota's offspring." Slowly, deliberately, the sorcerer-engineer puts both hands flat on the table without breaking eye contact - although not without blinking a few times. She swallows down a knot of what could be rising panic, or something else. "I am not a hunter of Anathema", she continues, choosing her words carefully. "Although I should probably be, with the alarming number of you turning up in the River Province." Here, a sarcastic tone creeps into her voice. "Answer me truthfully: Are you here to cause trouble for Lookshy?"
Misa	A quirk of the brow from Misa, and she tilts her head a little. The anima doesn't seem to perturb her much- another flash of that connection to something else, but beyond that she doesn't appear intimidated or such. "I did not think I was even known about in Lookshy. I was likely hardly a few days quickened when the hunt was over and my mother departed summarily for home. Unless I have unknown half-siblings you are confusing me for?" she muses aloud, glancing off to the river through a window in the wall that is stylized with slats of wood forming some sort of elaborate mandala. That sits with her a moment. She snaps her attention back to Ereyo a moment after, leaning back in her seat again as she considers the question. "My interest in causing 'trouble' for your home extend precisely as far as they continue hunting my kind. If a hunt comes for me, I would not shy away- if anything I would welcome the challenge to test my skills. But I have no travel to Lookshy so much as planned- I assure you, I know better than perhaps most Exalts the dangers of being one of -me- in the heart of a major seat of the Immaculate faith."
Amilar Ereyo	For the moment, Ereyo leaves her hands where she just placed them, in plain sight. Now, she rotates them until her palms are facing upward. An attempt to not appear threatening, despite her flaring anima. "Pragmatic, reasonable... although I am guessing the stakes are a bit higher for you. You have ties to Prasad, haven't you? I heard tales of the Hunt that claimed your father, back then when I still had the leisure to listen to gossip." Her eyes loose focus for a few seconds, then she sighs deeply and looks at Misa again... not without empathy. The glow of her anima casts her face in an eerie blueish tint. "In any case... I won't stir up all that dirt about your past. Not that I would even know how much of that is actually true." After a quick glance at the steeping tea leaves, Ereyo shakes her head, barely fighting back a grimace of frustration. "And here I thought you would be able to help. But why would you? Not that I should ask, now that I know who you truly are. It would get us both into trouble."
Misa	"What am I meant to be helping with?" questions Misa, eyebrows raising under that cover of hair curiously. She stands with that comment, stepping over to that window now as she ponders. The wind blows past her loose clothing and hair for a few moments. "A fair amount of that is true. Missing an entire life lived in the meantime and stories of how I came to be what I am, but I would wager you know more about my Lookshyan relations than I do, for all that I let people assume I'm from there." "If you are here for the school, I have no qualms. I am a strange woman in the eyes of most. If a student comes back to take my life and poses a threat- then I did a fine job, and now have a challenge to test myself against. If you are curious about the blades- they were taken from the tomb of one like me from ages past- whom people insist was a predecessor of mine in some fashion, though I have never had these glimpses of other lives they attest to."
Amilar Ereyo	With the imminent danger of a deadly standoff no longer looming over them, Ereyos hands retreat as she crosses her arms. Now, the Dragon's gaze follows Misa, with a contemplative expression plastered all over her face. But at the offer of taking up training at the dojo, she firmely shakes her head. A bitter, brief smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. Below the table, her right leg fidgets. "Some of them do look quite old", she acknowledges with a nod. "I believe you... and I appreciate the offer, but - no, I didn't came here to become a martial artist. My interest in your expertise is more... academical, so to speak." She rises, too - maybe to stop the fidgeting, who knows - and faces Misa, still visibly guarded. "In truth, your dojo is only the beginning of my search. Those who know and teach Thousand Blades Style are the ones I seek... again, not to learn it myself, but to learn about its origins, and its most notorious practicioners." A brief pause, in which she presses her lips together, before she hesitantly offers another, more crucial bit of information: "I am looking for Sublime Danger."
Misa	"Well then you are fortunate," says Misa, turning to look at Ereyo sidelong. Her wrist rests idly over the sheathed mundane blade at her hip, and a faint hint of a smirk plays about her lips. "Sublime Danger is the only reason I am alive."
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo's eyes go wide, and she tenses even more, if such a thing is possible. "Are you implying that... not only did you actually meet her in person, she also saved your life...?" The Dragon-Blooded manages to sound simultaneously awed, incredulous, and scared. She pauses long enough to collect her thoughts - giving Misa a chance to respond before she - probably - starts peppering her with more questions.
Misa	"I have met her many times- we meet regularly, to spar and train and practice. My knowing this esoteric martial art that caught your eye- I gleaned its secrets and peculiarities in these duels with her," Misa explains, nodding slightly. "When I Exalted, it was... let us say it was in the middle of a large power base of an immaculate faith. I am quite certain I would not have escaped the city had she not taken some steps to ensure it- as a personal challenge for herself, as she puts it. Happy accident that she found me an interesting sparring partner, I suppose."
Amilar Ereyo	The Dragon sorcerer's unsteady, skittish gaze flits away from the Solar for a few moments, to the western horizon - then quickly returns to Misa's face and stays locked there for a while, searching, scrutinizing. Ereyo frowns. "So the stories about her are true... she is always looking for a challenge, pitting herself against the mightiest foes she can possibly find, while dismissing those she thinks weak?" Now curiosity is starting to assert herself as the dominant emotion in her voice. "You know... I've met other Anathema, but you're the first who didn't hesitate to reveal her true nature to me. Are you looking for a challenge, too? You said you wouldn't shy away from meeting a Wyld Hunt head-on. Was that, too, part of her teachings?"
Misa	"Her influence, perhaps, but I'm no formal student of hers," says Misa, shrugging a little. She walks back to the table, taking a seat again for the moment. "The sort of sun-touched I became- we are warriors. And I know there are targets on my head and back. I think I ought to be as capable as possible, in case there is something worse than your standard wyld hunt with similar thoughts. But truth be told... I have been this for some time now. I am yet to go mad and begin ravaging the lands. I tire of playing games and being coy. I am what I am, and I am still Hanase Misa, once called Ophris Azmiye, and I would rather the thought that I am a horrible monster because of Sol be the problem of those who hold the opinion, not mine."
Amilar Ereyo	Although she follows Misa back to the table, Ereyo makes no move to sit down at first, instead gripping the chair's back with both hands. Misa's blades reflect the crackling blue-white glow of her anima. Upon hearing the Solar's words, Ereyo's eyes narrow. "You are one of the Forsaken", she concludes after a long pause. "I've heard tales of entire hearths breaking against one of your kind." Despite the warmth of the afternoon sun, she has to suppress a shiver. "Those same tales also claim that it often takes years for the madness to manifest, but sometimes only months. May I ask... how long have you been Exalted?"
Misa	"Remind me what year it is by Realm reckoning? I have been so many places with so many calendars of late, I am no longer sure. Certainly some time, now," Misa answers earnestly, shrugging slightly as she looks over Ereyo for a longish moment. "Many things have 'broken' against me, but I do not seek to cause harm. Live my own life, be safe, and explore ever deeper into this seemingly limitless ocean we often call the martial arts."
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo raises an eyebrow, having to think about the current Realm year herself for a bit. Lookshy's Shogunate calendar is certainly different. But she remembers quickly and tells Misa. While she does so, she slowly pulls back the chair and gets seated herself, still very obviously on edge - albeit less so than before. "So..." Her eyes dance over Misa's face, somehow uncertain on what to focus on. "All right. Let's say I believe you. Sublime Danger trained you, but you weren't part of her inner circle - is that right?"
Misa	There's certainly a curious mishmash of features to go over- her calm demeanour, her voluminous and slightly wavy dark hair, her grey eyes, a mouth that reads more southern than eastern and the curious mid-tone of her skin. "An occasional sparring partner, largely. I did learn a fair bit, fighting her, but well. I am no Lunar exalt. Their circles are not my space. We remain in touch to this day- though I suspect that on some level, to her I am an aid in preparing for some other topic she has yet to divulge. I haven't seen fit to pry."
Amilar Ereyo	The Dragon-Blooded doesn't hide her disappointment. With a heavy sigh, she leans back, crosses her arms, and pouts at her teacup, whose contents are probably only lukewarm by now. "Do you ~know~ them, at least - or where to find them?" Color has begun to flow back into her eyes, slowly draining the thunderhead gray and replacing it with bright violet. She leans forward again, gaze suddenly intent, meeting Misa's eyes. "Do you know of one who can turn into a swarm of antlered centipides?" For this question, she lowers her voice.
Misa	"Antlered centipedes? Certainly not. I do not believe I know any lunars who have any sort of insect form. Certainly would not be my... preferred company," Misa admits, face screwing up a little. "Danger herself is a form of bird, I know a man who I believe takes a yeddim form? A strange hybrid of things as well, but no insects. Rumours here and there of a wolf-woman mercenary-ing about the scavenger lands, I suppose."
Amilar Ereyo	A black eyebrow arches up at Misa's aversion towards creatures with more than four legs, but Ereyo doesn't comment on it. Her shoulders slump in disappointment. Despite that, she still manages to throw another frown at the Solar. Suddenly, the Air Aspect's dissatisfaction morphs into suspicion. "Wait. Why are you telling me all of this? Do you ~want~ me to know, or are you just making random Lunars up to set me onto the wrong trail?"
Misa	"I am having a conversation with a woman who clearly needs to be put at ease," says Misa bluntly- albeit without the open inflection that would make it anything resembling endearing. "I have no desire to hide myself, and clearly you are already familiar with the world of which we speak to *some* degree. Would you rather I told you less?"
Amilar Ereyo	"No!", Ereyo shoots back, a little too quickly. Color flushes into her cheeks. For a moment, she clearly looks angry... but that anger isn't directed at Misa, and it fades away quickly. "No", she tries again, more subdued. "I am... grateful for your assistance." A long, telling pause, in which she eyes the Solar up and down carefully. "I think. I suspect said centipede Lunar to be a close associate, maybe an adherent, of Sublime Danger - as you might have guessed. Asking her directly would be the easiest way to find out, but I don't have a death wish, so..." She laughs nervously and attempts to tuck a strand of hair behind her ears, irritated at its constant movement in the short, but persistent burst of wind that spring into existence from her anima. "Do you still speak to her sometimes? Would you... ask her on my behalf?" She presses her lips into a thin line, signaling that she doesn't exactly like the way things are going.
Misa	"I suppose it might come up," says Misa with a shrug, head tilting a little. After a moment, she smiles somewhat wider, almost chuckling. "In fact, she might find it quite the interesting thing- I get the sense you do not have positive intentions for this Lunar. She might find the idea of someone like you coming for one of her students a fine challenge for them," she muses aloud, leaning back in her chair in some amusement.
Amilar Ereyo	A shiver runs down the Dragon's spine, easily noticeable for Misa. Again, her eyes begin to fill with that darker color. "Maybe. We will see", she says without much confidence, looking away. "You have been open about your intentions, so I will do the same: Yes, I intend to hunt them down, that one Lunar." Now she looks at Misa again, and grim determination settles on her features. "Who knows? It might well become my first and last Wyld Hunt." Again, that shiver, less pronounced this time. "But I do know that I have to strike back. They have killed many of my closest friends, and tormented me for many months. I am a Prince of the Earth. If they want to make me their enemy, then so be it." Another long pause. "Will you help me, then? And if so, what do you ask in return?"
Misa	"I do not ask for much- I find it an interesting situation. Amusing, even. Blame the Ophris blood," Misa answers, chuckling faintly and shaking her head- more emotion than she's expressed in just about the entire conversation so far combined. "Though if I know one thing about wyld hunts, and the moon-chosen... you may want to bring allies and the like. Not to be demeaning, but... Luna's blessing is powerful, comparatively."
Amilar Ereyo	"Yes, I'm aware", says Ereyo, sighing heavily. "Such a hunt always runs the risk of costing even more lives. If there was a peaceful resolution, I would try for that instead." She fusses with her hair again, frowning. "But they were the one who struck the first blow, and if they really are with Sublime Danger, or were influenced by her teachings, then violence will be the only language they understand." Perhaps out of courtesy, she drains the rest of her cold tea, then sets the cup back down with a gentle hand and rises. "Once again, your... cooperation is appreciated." The ghost of a smile briefly touches her lips, then - gone. "How long will it take for you to contact her? A rough estimate will suffice, so that I know when to come here again."
Misa	"You know, she was a bandit once," notes MIsa regarding Sublime Danger, shaking her head. "She knows much about survival, and stealth, and safety, and more. She may not be so bad as you're assuming." With that she stands to see Ereyo out. "Perhaps a couple of weeks, I intend to meet her relatively soon."
Amilar Ereyo	"Very well. I will find you again after that time has passed." Ereyo nods at the Dawn Caste. Although she carefully avoids to smile again, her eyes aren't unkind. "Thank you. I am glad we could resolve this conversation in such a peaceful manner." With that, she returns to her mount, and lets the great wolfhound carry her away.