Outclassed, but never outfoxed

    It all started with a scrap of paper left nailed to a tree by a dagger, a blade that had last been seen in the hand of a certain Spriggan near Shibuya. It contained a proposal - no, not that kind, just a request for a meeting. To be held on mutually-agreed neutral ground, both parties to disarm in sight of the other, a trusted attendant to hold the weapons just outside of easy 'toss me a sword' range.

    One way or another, the Fox and the Bard managed to arrange the meeting, and as the sun stands high on the day, two small parties approach each other across a wide expanse of grassy field and flowers.

    On one side of the field, the Spriggan lifts a hand, waving casually to her opposite number. She then pauses her approach, removing several weapons from her person, displaying each in turn as she hands them to her partner. Her collection includes a warfan that will be quite familiar to the vixen, and it is matched by a very close twin. Just to further demonstrate she has no further weapons on her person, she doffs her outer coat, revealing herself clad in a short yukata and strappy sandals, not even jewelry visible.

    Her disarmament completed, Miyako pats her friend's hand and leaves them behind as she once again resumes her approach. Fortunately, it's a lovely day and the weather is mild and pleasant.

"Are you sure this is wise, Lady Daiyu?" asks the wirey looking scout, doing his best to not look intimidating and to not sound like he's specifically questioning his superior. Not that the first is hard, it's likely the very reason of non-threatening appearances that he's the one brought with.
"Nothing is gained without taking chances," replies the foxwoman as she sets her folded tessen in his hands. Her parasol is stuck point-down in the ground next to him, after briefly pulling the handle out just enough to show it is indeed the one concealing her sword she is leaving. "We will not win this war without better understanding our opposition." She takes a step back, turns neatly on a heel that sways her tails behind her, and starts walking towards the other woman with her usual dignified stride.

    Miyako does her best to time her approach so that the two meet at the midpoint between their respective seconds, slowing her pace slightly as she realizes she's overstepped a bit. She stops about six feet from Daiyu, and a slight smile crosses her face.

    "I thank you for agreeing to meet, m'lady vixen. I hope that we can both come away from this having profited from our discussions." As before, she clasps one fist in the opposite hand and makes a brief bow.

    "I believe we both know each other's names, but we have never been properly introduced, so." Her smile widens as she continues, eyes a-gleam. "I am Miyako Blacklily, musician, explorer, and - unfortunately - reluctant soldier."

    "Yes, there is rarely time for such full pleasantries on fields of conflict. And our last meeting was... hastily short." The hulijing returns the bow with a graceful one of her own. "I am Daiyu, the Black Jade Fox of Kallamore. Strategist, Stalker, and Enchanter." After which she gives a nod towards where Miyako left her companion with her weapons as she rights herself. "Speaking of, I see you procured yourself a proper match for you... previous aquisition."

    "It was, yes. I hope that none of your followers were irreperably injured?" Even though her friends were doing their best to injure them, at the time. "I had hoped we would have the chance to talk then, but circumstances contrived against us. As for the fans, yes. I found them quite impressive, the elegance of your dance..."

    She trails off before she might say anything - inappropriate - and simply explains. "The enchantments were not greatly complex, and the war-fan is not unknown in Yamato. So I sought out one of the better weaponsmiths, and commissioned a duplicate."

    A slightly nervous chuckle ensues, and she reaches behind herself to scratch at the back of her neck. "I do hope you aren't offended?"

"There were no Landers in that squad, if that is your concern." The response is a soft snort, though it doesn't sound all that upset. Slightly bemused, prehaps. "Of course the enchantments were fairly simple." Daiyu paused to nudge her spectacles back into place on the bridge of her muzzle. "I apply what I need as I need it. It would be a tactical travesty to be caught with a weapon holding the wrong elemental embuement at the wrong time." So that trick she does with fire and ice at the same time is more her own effort than an aspect of her weapons, then.

Fingertips tap briefly against her cheek, almost as if thinking to herself a bit. "Mayhaps you will be able to master the style some day. Mayhaps not. But there is no gain if there is no attempt."

    "Not quite the question I was asking, but I do appreciate knowing that. Given what we have learned about how death works for us 'adventurers'," she twists the word mockingly as she says it, as if she finds it somehow distasteful. "Every death and rebirth is a form of torture. And I decline to visit such upon even those who are my enemies, unless they give me no choice."

    She sighs, seeming to sink into herself, before straightening. "But life is not always so considerate of our desires, is it?" she asks.

    "As for the fans, I had thought that would be the case. It adapts as easily to my own magics as it did to yours, and I found it quite useful. Under better circumstances, I would ask if you could be persuaded to teach, but..." She spreads her hands, a helpless gesture of resignation. "Under the circumstances..."

    Daiyu briefly makes an expression of discomfort that suggests she is familiar with situation of one 'dying' in this world, though she says little on the matter directly. "Death, even temporary, is a last resort. Some fear more what they have to endure living through. And no, it is not. It never has been, or will be, regardless of the world it is being applied to."

The foxwoman gives a brief shake of her head, for conformation if nothing else. "We both know that is not possible under current situations." One of her tails flicks idly behind her. "... But it is good to see someone is willing to learn for themself, and not just accept what this former game gives them to function with."

    Miyako nods, somewhat saddened. "True. I... well. My life on the outside was unpleasant enough that, even with the current situation, I find myself much improved. But I did not mislike it enough that I wish to forget it entire."

    She smiles a little at the compliment, despite the unfortunate denial of a collaboration. "Indeed," she agrees. "I started the game as an explorer, not a raid-hound, to see new sites, to learn a new world's past. Even if I knew it was simply crafted from fiction by another, it was still a joy to delve into it."

    Her eye is drawn to the flickering tail for a moment, but turns swiftly back to the vixen's face. "So I cannot turn down the opportunity to learn, now that this world is as real as it is. I have also turned myself to mastering the biwa, I've been a guitarist since I was young and it seemed an interesting next step."

"To forget one's problems is to forget why one strives to improve."

After a moment Daiyu lowers her arms to clasps her hands behind her back. It's almost like she's not entirely sure what to do with them without her fans or the parasol to hold. That's how use she's gotten to the impliments of her... current trade, one could say.

"I have no shortage of experience with fictional worlds, as you put it. But this was an oppritunity to live the adventure myself, rather than crafting the story for someone else to enjoy."

    Miyako cannot help but agree. "Indeed, and those who do choose to forget.... well." She shrugs, considering the rest obvious.

    Miyako tends to shift her weight from foot to foot as she stands, her hands tending to hang by her hips and hook thumbs into her belt when she isn't gesticulating. She's much more comfortable with a book in her hands, or her guitar.

    "So more of the game-master type? Or an author?" Miyako smiles lightly. "I tried my hand at it, now and again. Bit of fanfic was the best I accomplished. Not something I'm terribly proud of, these days."

"I have ensured your library is seen after while we occupy your former settlement. That should be answer enough." Daiyu replies with a faint curl of her lips. "Though I do suppose the other applies as well, though in a different manner." She withdraws one hand from behind her back and flicks her fingers, to now hold a queen chesspiece between them. "And long before they had visuals on a screen or device strapped to one's head."

    "It is most appreciated, m'lady Vixen. I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy perusing a few volumes during your stay, as well. The least I can do in exchange for such caretakership is to take no offense at your use of it, after all."

    Miyako's own smile is still slight, but visible. "Pencil, paper, dice, and imagination? I was more of a hex-and-chit type, myself, or little pewter men. At least it kept me busy, hmm?"

"Your 'little pewter men' and my chesspiece have more in common than one might imagine," Daiyu replies, even as she palms the piece and tucks it back into whatever subtly she'd drawn it from. "Strategy and war games, so men did not need be put at risk... but we've fallen away from that, haven't we now, and the games have become all too real." The foxlady shakes her head briefly. "Neither side is willing to give, of course. It will be a matter of attrition, and who can last longer than the other... And before you ask, no. I may be held in high regard as a strategist, but I do not have the power to sway the Nobles of our land from their intentions."

    Miyako nods, "I had to at least consider it, but naturally you have seen through that intention." She waves a hand dismissively. "I shall deem it asked and answered, then. Which leaves us to seek someone they -will- listen to. Or to keep killing each other until they drown in the blood we spill." She sighs, deeply, and slumps once again, clasping her hands behind her back. "Exactly the sort of catastrophe you say you are trying to prevent. And then the world ends, your lords with it."

Daiyu raises a hand to her brow as she sighs softly. "If I had known it would be full out war..." she utters in a voice so low even Miyako would have difficulty hearing it. Then shakes her head and looks up. "But as we said, fate is not always kind to one's desires. My masters care not if there is a different between you and the Adventurers that nearly ruined our realm with their avarice and recklessness. They will not sway from the object they've chosen. I may of one time been a queen, but now I am no more a pawn than any other." Fingers are cupped to her chin. "Well, mayhaps a bishop or a knight."

    The interesting part about the chess metaphor is the directions it can wander in. "It's kind of odd that the Knight is the sneaky one, isn't it? Going off at angles and bypassing defenders." She manages a little smile. "And yeah, I've made the point with others, and gotten the same answer. The ones at the top just don't care. This isn't about the danger to them, it's about their ambition and hunger for conquest. They're falling into exactly the same madness they fought against in your..." She takes a moment to find a word that doesn't accuse Daiyu of being 'part of the problem'. "... countrymen. Just somewhat indirectly, with their control of you as their weapon." She takes a deep breath, stretching her legs, and sighs, shaking her head. She daren't mention other possibilities, assuming Daiyu would be bound to act to prevent them, and that would be ... messy.

Daiyu snorts softly. "Countrymen who had no experience with such freedom. Unknowing how to handle it, and thus squandered. Order had to be reinforced... But when order itself becomes..." She trails off into a grunt, flinching briefly. Like there was more that could be said but she wasn't able to do so. After a moment she shakes it off, tails giving a few agitated twitches. "But at this point we have little to gain from such a conversation, only to continue the circles it has already spun."

    Miyako doesn't like it, not one bit, but she has to concede the point. "Truth," she admits, letting the not quite admitted possibility stand as it is, trying not to push too hard at Daiyu's bindings. "I think both sides have made their points on that topic. Which leaves finding a solution that doesn't involve a bloodbath. I think there is no problem in agreeing that we both desire such a solution, and that it would be best for all if we -could- find one, as improbable as it may seem right now?"

"A prolonged conflict will only ruin both sides.... especially when neither is willing," pause, "or able to back down." That is as much as an agreement one is probably going to get from the vixen. Daiyu brushes her clawed fingertips through her hair to keep some of it out of her face, tucking it behind an ear. "I had hoped a 'denial of resources' approach would limit how long the fighting could go on... but you and yours have proven to be more resourceful than anticipated." And that is probably as close as a compliment one can get, as well. "... For a businessman, that raptor can hit obnoxiously hard."

    Miyako has to laugh again as she acknowledges the point. "Yeah, he's got... well. Plenty of nerd fantasies around, I guess. We all had to adapt, not a lot of use for an MBA here. Or a database wonk, either." She seems to find the gesture fascinating, her eyes following the movement as Daiyu deals with her hair. Then she blinks and stretches out her arms, swinging them behind her and forward again. "It would've been nice to meet under more peaceful circumstances. Things could've been... interesting." She pauses for a moment, then adds, "Missed you at Carmina Gadelica. Busy keeping watch for me trying to sneak past and steal my library back?"

"I do not think the kitsune would approve of you claiming it is yours." Daiyu readjusts her glasses. "But yes, after the previous reports of activity and our encounter with one of your own patrols, tightening of our own security measures was paramount. And truth be told, I am not one for the blunt frontlines of combat." She is a stealthy strategist after all.

    "Neither am I," Miyako asserts, "But I'll stand for my friends anyway. Lander and Adventurer alike." Indeed, she spent as much of the battle shielding the Landers as she did attacking the invaders. "And, hey, there's more than one bibliophile in our group. And you did say you were keeping it safe." She actually grins at that, teasing the fox a little more. "Now, if you were a musician yourself, it'd be perfect. A match made in ... okay, not heaven, but definitely somewhere special. I keep trying to get Ko-chan to learn, but she never seems to find the time. Likes to listen when I play, though."

Daiyu shakes her head. "I can work magic with words, but music escapes me. When I was performing on stage in Kallamore, it was an escape artist alongside one of the magicians." Well that would explain the slight of hand she did earlier, or how she keeps those things hidden up her arm coverings, now wouldn't it. Though afterwards she gives Miyako a flat look. "Do not make this more awkward than it already is. We are not alone after all." Though her companion is spending more time staring across the way at Miyako's warily than actually pay attention to the two women talking.

    The spriggan nods, somewhat reluctantly. "There will be time for such things later," she has to agree. "But if we both make it through this..." Her own companion is equally focused on Daiyu's, watching for any treachery on the part of their counterpart. "Eh. When this is over, I owe you a drink, and I mean to be sure we're both there for you to collect, eh? It'll be nice to be able to talk without..." She waggles a hand, as if to indicate something, and her wings flicker. "... things, hanging overhead."

    She takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. "Meantime... this one you might be able to do. The Waves of Calamity. It's... a lot more serious than you may know. I mentioned 'end of the world' before, well, that's what they're after. So... if a breach comes up in territory you're holding? Fight it. Fight it -hard-."

"That is one way of putting it." Daiyu picks up the impression behind the phrase pretty easily. As for the mention of the Wave of Calamity, she can only nod. "We were fortunate for such disasters to not come to our land before the isolation barrier was removed by your people. Let us... hope no one provokes another. Neither side has the resources to readly spare to dealing with that in addition to the warfronts." She doesn't say what happened to the one that did occur in the Palace Lands after the Yamato adventurers were chased away, but she somehow gives the impression it was not pretty. "To think you have faced so many such situations in the span of a year..."

    "Mmm. Yeah, it's been a heck of a year. And still so many unanswered questions..." Miyako trails off, dropping the point. It's not like she's going to get answers to them from Daiyu, who probably wouldn't be allowed to share them even if she did know them.

    "Sometimes I wish we'd get one, right on the frontier, so you could all see what we're really up against... but it's stupid. Just a danger we don't need to deal with." She shakes her head. "Dumb ideas. Better to keep seeking the third path. How'd the old poem go?" Her voice softens, her eyes going distant as she recites the verse.

    "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I? I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference."

"While I am certain some of your comrades would have no qualm about one ravaging our ranks, we can at least agree it is a problem neither side needs to see right now." At least the Palace Land forces have shown an attempt in maintaining what they take control over. The same can't be said for those operating out of the Waves, can it? "If only the path was so easy to see... Or clear to see what lay ahead. But that is neither here or there." Daiyu gave a short shake of her head. "It has been... pleasant to speak to someone else but it is perhaps time to part ways again. Before we broach topics neither of us wishes to contront right now."

    Miyako nods. "Or one of our seconds gets twitchy and decides we're being too friendly, there must be shenanigans afoot." The Spriggan -had- given her second specific instructions that if she accepted -anything- handed to her by Daiyu or -her- second, to subdue her and retreat immediately.

    "We should do this again sometime, though. It's good to remember that it's not all blood and blades and screaming." She would extend a hand to shake, but that would be a bit too provocative, so instead she repeats the bow she offered at the beginning of the talk. "Thank you, Lady Daiyu, for your consideration. I wish you good health, and happiness."

Daiyu clasps her hands together as she leans forward to bow in return. "That is true. But for now we must contend with the lots in the greater scheme of things we have been given. Mayhaps, another time, until then, it has been nice to have an almost normal conversation for a chance. Thank you."

After which she stands, turns, and begins back towards where her scout has been left with her weapons. And still making dirty looks at his counterpart. It's likely they didn't even listen to much of the conversation going on, for better or for worse.

    As Daiyu turns, Miyako matches her, stepping away to her second. Tempted, but refusing, to look back. There will be other times. Other battles. Other talks.

    And maybe, with a little luck, they'll both get their wish.

    Who knows? Stranger things have happened.