Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

While a sizable amount of the Palace Land forces had moved on to deal with Mac Anu they had not abandoned Shibuya, as it still needed to be occupied as well so it's previous Adventurers couldn't come take it back without issue. Sure, standing watch over the smaller settlement and it's surrounding land was to some the more boring assignment. But Daiyu didn't mind too much. She had mixed feelings over how the war was becoming a protracted affair, and kept more to herself in recent times when not out doing her duties as a scout.

Like now, where she was reclining in one of the nearby forest trees, away from all the guards scurrying about doing solider things, with one of the books she had taken from the other fox's library to entertain herself with.

    Finding out just how many of the Palace Lands forces had moved on to their latest ... acquisition... was the job Miyako had set for herself and Kotono. The two spriggans are getting plenty of stealth practice, if nothing else. They've already bypassed (and made note of) more than one patrol, and getting rather close to the old city. Maybe they might even make it in, this time?

    A small part of her is actually hoping they'll run into the fox again. She's not quite sure why she finds the woman so interesting, maybe it's just the challenge of matching her in stealth and sneakiness, or simply her first encounter with the Crowned's intransigence.

    One thing's for certain, though: She liked the fox's fan technique so much she decided to appropriate it for herself. With her old naginata shattered in battle, it was only obvious she'd look for a new weapon, and she was finding the twin daggers her partner wielded to not really be her best style.

    And so the Fan-Fox has a Fan.

It seems Kotono's rubbed off well on Miyako, which is a good thing since being stealthy can be helpful at times. Especially when you're trying to avoid being spotted by patrols. Although unlike Miyako, Kotono's a little uneasy about encountering Daiyu again.

Nevertheless, she's going along with it, trying to keep a stiff upper lip about things since she knows that this could be beneficial. Although whether or not that actually holds true is anyone's guess.

As for the fan, that's Miyako's choice. To each their own.

Daiyu licks her thumb lightly and uses it to turn a page. After a few moments does so again. A long ear twitchs occasionally. As does the tip of a tail hanging off the branch, while the others are being used to cushion her back and head against the tree trunk.

"You're not going to find much of interest out here." Another page is turned nonchalantly. "Though props on sneaking past the patrols to get this far out. Definite improvement over your little foray near the hunting grounds." At least they're far enough away from anything important that the hulijing doesn't seem compelled to jump down and start attacking them. Not that it would be her style to be so aggressive.

    Well, if anyone was going to pick up on the pair, it would be the fox. So of course that's exactly who does.

    Miyako pauses in her tracks, looking up towards the sound of the voice, and smiles lightly. "It's good to see you as well, milady vixen," she says, her smile widening as she takes in the sight of the fox.

    She flicks her hands to produce the war-fans she's been learning to use, rather expecting that if confrontation is not imminent, it won't be long in coming. "I do hope you haven't been bored, waiting for us?"

Well, it seems that the attempt at stealth has failed. But Daiyu doesn't seem to be acting in a hostile manner... for now anyway.

Kotono looks up and smiles a little as well. "We've picked up some new tricks on being stealthy over time," Kotono comments as she sheathes her blades and clasps her hands behind her back as if standing at parade rest. "What happened in the hunting grounds was a bit of a fluke, I will admit that."

The Spriggan brushes a strand of hair out of her face before looking to face Miyako, listening intently to her words. The question about being bored puzzles Kotono, since it could be easily interpreted as sarcastic. Hopefully it's not.

"You act as if I was specifically waiting for you."

The book is closed after tucking a mark inbetween the pages and tucked away in her inventory. Daiyu pauses to adjust her glasses, then leans over a bit to look down at the pair. One brow raises a bit. "Still trying to mimic my style are you?" Tails unfurl as she sits up, shifting to keep her balance on the branch bough while looking down.

    "What can I say?" Miyako asks, flicking the fans open to gesture dramatically, then flicking them closed. "I suppose I'm a bit of a magpie. I was thiiiiis close," she says, holding two fingers only a tiny bit apart, "to being a Tengu Werefang, but Spriggan won out because Spriggan." There's something very wrong with that logic, isn't there?

    "But, seriously, I liked the image. Elegant, graceful, more like a dance than a battle. That's what I was after with the naginata, originally..." And it was working, before she broke it.

    "So I decided to challenge myself. Pick up a new one. And you came along at the perfect time...."

Kotono really doesn't have much to say, although she is cocking an eyebrow at how Miyako is talking. This is supposed to be a serious matter and here is Miyako making a joke out of everything? Kotono turns away so that nobody sees her rolling her eyes at this. Trying not to shake her head, Kotono faces forwards again.

When Miyako mentions challenging herself and having Daiyu coming along at the right time, she narrows her eyes. Was Miyako really looking to start a fight all along? The Spriggan's teeth grit, but she doesn't reach for her blades just yet for fear of possibly misinterpreting a situation.

Balancing tails flick again as Daiyu shifts her legs under herself to stand atop the branch, looking down at the pair for a moment. "I do hope you don't think you can simply take up a similar weapon and be good with it." The foxlady drops down from the tree to the ground, barely making a noise with the landing. Her own tessen are drawn and snapped open, one held down in front of her while her stance is shifted to an angle to be less of a direct target, the other arm held behind her to keep what she may do with it out of view admist her tails. "While all you say is true of the style, those also make it more than a simple matter to master."

A side glance is given in Kotono's direction. "And you at least brought a friend to make sure I don't needlessly kill you if this thing decides to compel me to."

    Miyako nods, grinning even wider. Her fans snap open once again only a moment after Daiyu's do, and she sets herself into her own stance, one hand held near her head, the other lower, by her waist. "And so," she answers, acknowledging the fox's point. "Why not seek out the Inspiring Young Mistress, hmm? Who better to learn from?"

    She turns her hands, flourishing her fans for a moment before settling back into stance. "I'm hoping that won't be necessary. After all, the better fighter I am, the better asset I'll be when you do convince me to sign up, hmm?" Well, it has the virtue of being -true-, at least.

This time, Kotono doesn't roll her eyes. Instead, she gives a sharp glare at the fox. "Miyako is not dying on my watch, not at all!" The Spriggan still doesn't go for her blades, but if the need should arise, she's ready to draw them at a moment's notice. "If we're going to fight, let's keep things clean, shall we?"

"That's the spirit." Followed by a soft chuckle as she turns her attention back to Miyako. "You have friends willing to assist you no matter how daring or lacking in common sense your action is, that is good. But we are not here to discuss aquaintenances." Daiyu tilts her head forward a bit, a gleam shimmering across the lenses of her spectacles. "Come then, if you are so willing to show me what you've learned." The edge of her own warfan sparkles a bit. "The longer you allow me to stand unaccousted, the more I can prepare."

    "It's a basic principal of warfare to never do what your enemy expects," Miyako begins. "So one might say that I should wait anyway, because you'd be expecting me to attack right away to deny you that prep time. But, well, I learned my pre-battle banter from 'The Princess Bride', and you're not a Sicilian, so," and before she can continue that line of thought, she's in motion, twisting herself to launch forward with her left hand leading, coming from the lower stance to launch a quick slash.

"Be careful, Miyako," Kotono says to encourage her friend before looking to Daiyu. "Don't try anything funny!" The Spriggan still hasn't gone for her blades yet, rather more intent on letting Miyako and Daiyu battle it out. If things get too difficult, she'll join the fray.

"You at least have taste in resource materials." As Miyako comes at her with the slash Daiyu twists as well, catching the fan with her own and rather than try to stop the attack redirect it away from herself. And the two standing side by side almost, briefly. "Not bad... but your first lesson..." The vixen steps away and twists, bringing the arm that had been behind her into play. But rather than slashing, she still has the fan collapsed, swinging it more like a club at the back of Miyako's head. "It is not -just- a blade."

    Miyako might have done quite well with the fans against standard monsters. But it's quite true, she has little real experience with the weapon. She's depended on the system assist to help her get the basic maneuvers down, but strategizing with it is still new to her.

    That's why she sought out the expert in the first place.

    "I thank you for the advice," Miyako says as she stumbles past the vixen, wincing as the blow takes a small chunk of her HP off. And thanking whoever has been keeping the pain limiters turned on.

    She twists around to face the fox once more, settling briefly before launching herself back. "I'll have to keep that in mind," she adds as she slaps one fan closed to feint towards Daiyu's hand, bringing up the second to strike at an attempt to parry the first.

Kotono winces a little as well as she sees Miyako lose some of her HP, and then she starts to scowl. Her hands move to her blades, ready to draw them at a moment's notice. "Hang in there Miyako! If things don't get better, I'll back you up!" She glares at the fox but doesn't say anything, as sometimes all you need is someone who can glare daggers. (Pun intended!)

With equal quickness Daiyu clicks both her fans shut, holding them in a X position to catch Miyako's arm and keep her strike at bay. Only to get wacked across the wrist by the Spriggan's follow up, forcing her to break apart from her defensive hold before she could take advantage of it. Gives her wrist a few wiggles, she at least felt that through her arm coverings. "Is it as powerful as a sword? No. That is not the point. Precision and versatility are it's strengths. Especially when one also has the elements close at hand." She flicks the warfan back open, enchanter scripts briefly flickering along it's supports. Followed by an elegant spinning motion that sweeps the fan to 'fire' a wave of air at Miyako. Mayhaps a little cliche for a fan, but the swift shockwave is enough to knock someone unprepared off their feet to keep them at a distance. Her rotating motion does the same with the second fan, at a slightly upward angle, daring her opponent to find a way past the wind blasts.

    Miyako smiles, seeing her strike catch Daiyu's arm, but it's not enough to do real damage. She needs a better way to capitalize on it. "Precision, versatility, elegance, and grace," she answers, and then the elements enter play. The blasts of wind catch the Spriggan as she was lifting one leg for a kick, sending her flying across the little clearing and into the air. She spreads her wings to ride the blast, guiding herself to a feet-first impact with a tree that lets her launch herself back to the ground and back onto the attack. Though she still has to find a way to get at the witch.

    Her solution is one she's managed before: Counter an element with its opposite. In this case, she flicks one fan open, gesturing 'up' with it, twisting the ground into a wall that rises to about waist-height. It lets her keep an eye on the fox as she approaches, to spot any further attacks, while deflecting just enough of the wind that she can still close in. Even better, it moves with her as she closes!

    "Indeed," she agrees, "The elements are our allies." Okay, okay, she might have been on a kick for a certain American animated series dealing with elemental controllers when she chose Druid for her class. Might.

Now Kotono's starting to get nervous baout this whole thing. Her blades do come out and the Spriggan gets into a fighting stance. She doesn't strike yet, though; Rather she's waiting to see what happens next. If Miyako isn't faring any better, Kotono will join the fight. Of course, seeing how well the fox is faring against Miyako, there's little to say that Kotono will improve the odds.

The stone barricades do their job, dispersing the bursts of air. Their placement and lack of height don't escape the vixen's notice either. "You didn't obstruct your vision with your defense. Already a step up from some I have dealt with in the past." A burst of motion has Daiyu charging towards Miyako's position, holding both her fans together and bringing them down in a overhead slash, channeling her own geokinetics through her weapons to cut into and break down the barrier.

Followed by her tails whipping around what remains of the formation to lash at the Spriggan, their tips igniting in flames. Like she intentionlly drove her main attack with the weapons into the defense to weaken it, before using her Were Fang physique to strike past. Though it's clear she's toying with her opponent, attacking in ways to force her to stay on her toes more than anything -too- vicious. Just enough that the threat of bodily harm is real enough to be.. motivating.

    Miyako's stone wall has served its purpose, letting her get close, but she did have other plans for it. It would seem those plans are going to have to be put on hold, however, as the fox's magic meets her own and this time, hers is the one to crumble. Quite literally. The Spriggan braces herself against the expected wind...

    ... only to meet fire, instead. Instead, she has to resort to her own wind, to hurl the flame away from her.

    Undeterred, she presses onwards, meeting each of Daiyu's attacks, returning her own in kind. Never really making a serious hit, but edging closer and closer to it with each exchange. (Well, not quite -every- exchange. She does try a few dumb tricks that don't work, and suffers the consequences thereof accordingly.)

    At the very least, she's enjoying the match, even knowing the chance of more than minor injury (or worse, capture) is quite real.

Meanwhile, Kotono's ready to join in at the drop of a hat. She's bouncing back and forth in her fighting stance, ready to strike if need be to protect Miyako. "Don't try anything funny!" If the fox does try anything, Kotono's going in fast!

The two cross weapons and trade blows repeatedly through the exchange. The fans are dangerous, but you also have Daiyu mixing in her elemental enchantments to keep anything from getting too predictable, while avoiding using the ones of dark and shadow. Because who tries to beat a Spriggan with darkness? That's nonsense.

The whirling motion of her trademark move leaves a wake of fire and ice combined behind her, giving Daiyu a chance to back off again. "You have potential. But still need refinement. Save those big sweeping strikes for when you know you have an opening. Short and precise is what you pick your quarry's defense apart with."

She stomps the ground, kicking several large pebbles into the air. Which are launched rapidly at Miyako with the fans, in a manner not unlike how one would paddle the ball in ping pong. That was her favorite game after chess.

    Miyako carries on gamely, determined to learn as much as she can before they have to treat the Fox as an enemy once more. (And quietly hoping that that won't be today.) And she /likes/ those 'big, sweeping strikes'. But... Daiyu has a point. She remembers it well from her work with the naginata. Make an opening, /then/ get fancy.

    "I'll keep that in mind," she answers, setting up a short series of jabs before leaping back as the fox starts launching pebbles at her.

    With an amused smile, she tries batting some back to see how Daiyu responds. She's far from an expert player at ping-pong, but she remembers enjoying it, back in the other world.

    "Ko-chan, make a note? I need to talk to one of the crafters about an air-hockey table."

"Right, I'll remember that," Kotono says, committing it to memory, but at the same time starting to grow a bit impatient. "Of course we do have more important things to worry about right now!" She seems a bit impatient.

Daiyu smirks a little, even as she has to bat some of her own pebbles away again. While moving closer as she does so, using the combination of motions to step forward, tails swaying in time with the swings. Not every strike has to be with the fans directly. They are just as well utilized to defend, or like times like this as a component to a larger strategy. Sparks arc along one warfan as it's used to swat into a high ark, the motion also allowing her to raise her arm high without looking of place, and then strike down with it again!

.. Only to stop, held midair. Her ears stand upright atop her head, and with a sigh she steps back and withdraws her attack. "The patrols have begun returning for the evening. It is best you not be nearby.... I will not be able to hold back if they spot you."

    Miyako enjoys the exchange, paying as much attention to Daiyu's maneuvers as she does to her own actions. She's here to learn, after all, not just to try to defend against the expert. Still, time does pass, and sometimes faster than one would like.

    The Spriggan nods and backs off, making a respectful bow. "Then I will not put you into such an uncomfortable position. There will be other times, to discuss our... future opportunities."

Seems they're breaking off, and all the better for Kotono honestly. She looks to Miyako and says, "Come on, let's get outta here before the patrols show up!" She looks around to make sure none of them are waiting to ambush them. Most likely just paranoia, but you can't be too sure...

"Until then." As the two depart Daiyu walks back to the tree, retrieving her parasol from where she left it against the trunk after stowing her warfans. If she meets the patrols back at Shibuya no one will think anything odd of her being off on her own. She did tend to be a solo operator most of the time after all.

    And while the fox returns to Shibuya, the two Spriggans make their way back towards Fort Ouph, confident in their frenemy's ability to handle any difficulty she might encounter with the patrols. They're on her side, after all. Aren't they?