Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Chao was about to suggest something, but another person entering stopped her. "Chao, let me ask them first." the tinkly voice of Kagura said as she shifted the servant aside and assumed a leading position over her. "I wanted to ask if some of your group wanted to humor my request and have a little sparring with me? We can use the training hall and I might be able to teach you something. Or you might teach me. Each different training partner is a new opportunity to learn after all." the elegant daughter asked them, looking through them to see if there was interest towards such an activity.

Iliana looked at the two servants. "I'm not sure if I'll fight, but I'll come along to witness it if you two want to." she said, getting a nod from Iris.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina nodded. "I will be honored to train with you, Kagura, though I am not an advanced warrior just yet."

With permission from Iliana, and a nod from Iris, Nina went to grab her equipment and the three of them followed the lord's daughter to the training area. Nina hoped that this would be a pleasant sparring session, and prayed silently that Mei, wherever she was, would be staying on guard duty. She didn't want to have to perform under that girl's watchful eye.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Upon hearing Nina's remark about her abilities, Kagura smiled but quickly hid it behind her sleeve. "And you think I am? No, I'm not. If my skill eye is not entirely bad, I believe you guys are the closest to my level at the moment, and I'm tired of training with Chao all the time. Got to get some variety." she replied, waiting for the trio to get their equipment before leading them through the corridors.

The training hall was a wide-open area with tatami paneling on the entire floor. The walls were lined with rows of both real and practise weapons, only one of the wall remaining clean of them. After picking a curved, one-handed practise blade for herself, Kagura asked all who wanted to fight to pick weapons for themselves so they could get started.

As she was looking through the selection, Nina saw that her wish was not to be. Mei was indeed there in the hall with them, leaning against the wall in a darkened corner with her arms crossed. The guard was looking at them with a dead-serious look, but it was not sure if her attention was entirely on Nina. A few beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead and arms, a possible indication that she was just training before they arrived.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina tries not to show her disappointment. The last thing she needs is more contempt from some bully guard. But she decided to ignore Mei as best she could, picking up a practice sword and a smaller shield than she was used to, perhaps no more than a buckler. She looked to Iris. "Would you prefer to go first?" She offered to the blind warrior. She didn't have any preference really.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Not yet, a little stretching first." Kagura intercepted Nina, urging them for a quick workout before the main thing. The four women began to practise in earnest once everyone had picked up their practise weapons. Despite her earlier words about not fighting in the sparring matches, Iliana still stretched and practised like the other three did. Surely the mistress wanted to stay fighting fit, there could be fighting imminent in any given moment. After a while, even Mei moved closer to the team, joining the light routines that Kagura was leading them through.

Once some 15 minutes had been spent on exercises, it was time to have a few sparring bouts. Iris was eager to step forward as the first "challenger" to Kagura. There was no similar blade than the blind girl's usual one in the collection, so she had to settle on a more traditional-looking practise katana and sheath. Still, as the two began to exchange attacks, the fact that she had a foreign, differently-weighted blade didn't seem to slow Iris down at all. Kagura fought with a simple short-bladed, curved sword. If Nina recalled correctly about the things she had seen in the past, it was a Chinese weapon. With the blade in one hand, the elegant daughter utilized her long sleeves alongside the blade, deflecting some blows from Iris with them as her graceful, circular style showed what it could do. Not one step was misplaced in Kagura's dance-like movements, every slight shift in pose or position bearing a purpose. Near the end of their mock duel, the girl managed to strip Iris' scabbard from her as a swiftly-moving sleeve tangled around it and sent it flying to the corner after a quick tug. Still, it was not enough to defeat the blind girl and she soon had this princess at her mercy.

Once their bout had finished, Kagura took a breather before urging Nina to fight her. "You seem more skilled than I expected. Let's see if this will help little old me...." she said as they faced off. Holding the sword in front of her face and the other arm straightened out to the side, the girl took a few strong breaths. A visible aura of white energy soon erupted from within Kagura's body, enveloping her in a soft glow. It was a technique Nina had seen before. The white knight Haku had used this very same power when the two of them battled the first of the invading ogres way back. "Maybe I can win this time..." the would-be princess said as she assumed a ready position, moving the empty hand to her front and the sword to the side. These slight movements shoved that the girl was leaving behind after-images with her activated power. These might be a potent distraction if one didn't pay careful attention.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Hey..." Nina said half-jokingly, "You wait for me to face you before using that fancy technique?"

She took her more western-style sword and practice buckler and assumed a comfortable stance that she had decided worked for her in combat. Nina was all energy and little technique, improvised combat. Some things she did well without being told, but as Nina had never had a teacher like Haku to show her proper movements or special techniques, she'd certainly be lagging behind all of these properly trained warriors. And she really did fear getting pummeled in front of that Mei girl.

She took a deep breath, then tried to put everything else out of her mind. She took a small step forward, then hopped a little with the next, then with the third practically bounded, but at an angle that brought her body sideways.

She feinted with a cross body swing, then led with her buckler to intercept Kagura's inevitable counter-strike, and then would lash with a stabbing riposte aimed at the girl's shoulder on her non sword arm.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Oh please. Your friend is strong, and I assume no less from yourself. Besides, she left me a bit winded, so I have to even it out with something." Kagura replied from her stance. It was apparent that longer bouts of combat were not the usual deal to her, even if the girl had enough training to be able to use a power boosting ability. Her lack of real combat experience showed plain as day.

With Nina stepping in to swipe at her, Kagura took a few steps back to foil the first feint and Nina's apparent plan. Before the green-haired girl realized it, the would-be princess had moved into her flank, completely stepping out from her defensive area to bonk her on the shoulder. Coming back with a spinning backwards shield bash, Nina was deflected and her incoming sword attack sidestepped as Kagura kept moving to her shield side, maintaining a smooth circular motion to prevent the visiting knight-maid from bringing her sword to bear. Even as Nina turned against the flow and struck out the opposite way she got no success as Kagura switched direction as well, and before she knew it, the daughter had grabbed the wrist of her swordarm and pulled forward and down, making the visitor flip on the mat. Before Nina could recover, Kagura's training blade was on her neck. "Too slow" she remarked.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina rolled her eyes. "Suggestions are welcome." She rolled and slowly got up to retake her stance. "It's not like anyone's ever trained me."

She readied herself for another bout, but if Kagura was in a more talkative mood after having so effortlessly defeating Nina, then the "knight" would settle back into conversation mode. Nina desperately wanted to be included among these skilled women. She didn't want to be so weak, but she wouldn't show it in front of Mei. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Oh, don't be such a grump about it." Kagura replied as she heard Nina's words, shutting away her aura. "But if you want my mediocre suggestion, I'd say find a teacher. I could recommend a few individuals." she continued as they did some not-so-serious attacks at each other, combining discussion and light practise. "One of Father's original group members lives in the nearby mountains. She is a true master of weapons, from what I've seen. Also, there's one potential teacher here in the room with us."

Upon saying that, the almost-princess turned her gaze on Mei, who had been following them from the side, not too far away. The guard hadn't missed the discussion, and her dislike towards the idea showed clear as day on her beautiful yet cruel face. "Oh please. Don't go thinking that I'm a good person to do that, young mistress. I'm just an unsocial guard, not some shining example of a fighter." Mei chimed in. But Kagura was not so easily swayed from her opinion. "Oh please. I've seen how you handle yourself in a fight. Your experience could be a valuable thing to anyone wanting to learn combat. If they just don't have your temper they should do alright." she replied, verbally poking at the guard with the last remark.

Having finished their practise, Kagura started a final, brief exercise to finish off the session. "But seriously, Nina. If you want to get taught, there should be time during this visit, surely the ride to the mountains can be arranged if you opt to go that way. If Father and Lady Einzbern are going to go over all those things he mentioned, it could get mighty boring for you. Though I think the first planned meeting tomorrow should be attended by all of you."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina looked over to Iliana. "I would only leave the Lady Einzbern's side if she wished it, but I would not say no to finding someone who could properly train me in fighting."

In a moment of clarity Nina nodded to herself and then looked at Mei. "Your guard may not have meant it as such, but she does have a point, I should not feel comfortable sitting at my lady's side, calling myself a bodyguard, if I have not trained as such. Simply having the desire to protect her is not enough. I might just as easily become a liability to her."

She rested her chin on her hand, in a thinking pose. "My lady, will you give me permission to seek out this weapons master in the mountains and train with her during this trip? I would only leave after tomorrow morning's planned meeting of course."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

It was clear from the look on Iliana's face that she had been paying careful thought to the idea since Kagura had mentioned the possibility. "Of course you can go. I've noticed your desire to improve durig the last few days. This place is a safe haven among all the possible dangers in these lands, so you need not worry about my safety for the time being. If the young miss here is this strong, I dare not think about what lofty heights of power the Lady and Lord of the house hold. Plus, like she says, all the political and related issues are truly a boring thing if you don't fancy them." was the mistress' reply. She seemed confident about her newest household member and her willingness to learn.

With the final stretches done, Kagura collected the training weapons and set them back to their respective places to wait for the next time they would be used. "So, bath to clean away the sweat of the training? I'l join you if that is your desire." the daughter asked them as she set down the final piece, her own practise blade.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina was fine with Kagura joining them as long as Iliana was. It was the young princess' house and she could surely bathe whenever she pleased. Nina would be quick in washing the sweat of her brief labors off of her body, then she would concentrate on cleaning Iliana, and later she would see to Iris if the warrior had not already cleaned herself. She lifted Iliana's arms, using a soft scrubbing sponge to rinse along the length of her limbs. She kept everything looking very professional in front of Kagura. This was a political visit, not a place to show off public displays of her affection for the mistress. As far as anyone should be concerned, she was just a dedicated and loyal servant.

As she worked, Nina began to feel good and hopeful about training in the mountains. She mentally prepared herself for hard work. But she would accept any brutal treatment in the name of dedicating herself to the Einzbern household. It was her family here... in this world.

Funny. Nina had barely thought of her real life for some time now... She pushed those thoughts away however and regained her focus on the important things at hand.

Yes, she would go out tomorrow to the mountains and train as best she could. Maybe the training would take quite a while. She wondered what Iliana would say if Nina was required to train longer than the expected visit? Well... there was time for those considerations later.

She finished cleaning Iliana and quickly dabbed at herself again. If Kagura had any questions or desired to be cleaned or massaged, Nina would be happy to oblige and share her skill.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

The entire group, with the exception of Mei who stayed behind, went along with Kagura. The changing areas were larger than the ones back at their own estate, but the bath itself was remarkably similar, almost identical. Once she did sit down in there though, Nina noticed that there was a flow in the water. Still, the water was clear and perpetually warm as they set about cleaning themselves. While the green-haired girl was busy cleaning up the mistress, she could hear a small whimper and some splashing from the side. "I win, at least in this department. Still some room left here for improvement." she heard Kagura say as there was more splashing.

The daughter of the house was a slim-figured girl underneath her robes, slightly bigger than Iris in most aspects despite being younger than the blind girl. Somehow her hair managed to stay almost perfectly in shape even after they had spent time in the bath, taking care of their cleanliness. Iris did not need help, for after the slight bout of chest-testing, she and Kagura had taken turns to help each other wash while Nina and Iliana were doing their own thing.

Afterwards, Chao and the other servant had arrived into the changing room. With brushes at the ready, they took 2 ladies each and set upon their hair with the brushes to help them relax and prepare for other things or possibly bed.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina stood aside during the process of the two ladies being attended to by the servants with the brushes. Nina had smirked a little at the chest comparisons, and used the downtime to get closer to Iris.

"So, do you like Kagura? You both seemed to be getting along well," Nina said. "She seems a bit more carefree than her parents, but I suppose she has less responsibility on her shoulders. Speaking of her parents... the Lord Grimhorn, he said stuff about you earlier. It sounded pretty heavy. Just know you can always count on me and Iliana. If ever there was a way to share whatever burden you carry, you know we'd help you."

Nina squeezed the blind girl's hand.

Later on, Nina would be ready to go back to Iliana's room with Iris. She wasn't going to be bold enough to suggest anything, but would not refuse an 'order' from her mistress.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

As Kagura and Iliana were getting brushed, Nina and Iris had some time between themselves. The blind girl was used to hearing all these questions from Nina, and agreed when Kagura was mentioned. She had possibly taken a liking to the daughter, if for nothing else then it would be respect towards the younger girl's skill with a blade and her friendly mannerisms. Despite Grimhorn's words earlier, Iris had managed to hold her emotions in check, and did the same now as she showed her understanding with another one of those nods she always did.

The two servant girls soon switched over to Nina and Iris, having completed their brushings with the two other ladies first. Chao was the one to do the green lenght that grew on Nina's hair, and she did a good job on it. Once they were finished, light robes for sleeping were assigned to each of he guests, sharing the same color designs as the previous ones, but without the decorations. Instead, they had the decoration color along the trims.

The trio soon departed from the changing area, escorted by Chao as Kagura left for her own things. Despite a few suggestive looks, Iliana didn't feel like getting intimate in another ruler's house, at least for now. She and Iris both prepared for sleep, soon doing a little moving of furniture as they pressed all three beds into one big sleeping spot. Soon, all three were sleeping in a pile of love and friendship.

When the morning came, Nina noticed she was the second one to wake up. Iris had gotten up before them, and there was an open door at the outer side of the room, leading to a small garden. The blind girl was there, sitting in what seemed like a meditative pose with her blade in lap. The knight/maid could hear Iris taking heavy breaths, and soon there was an aura of blue surrounding her.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina was thankful for the blissful, calm sleep she was able to share with her mistress and friend, and cuddled with Iliana for the first part of the night before rolling onto her back and falling asleep with just an arm flopped across the Lady Einzbern's belly.

When the morning came, Nina arose to see the door to the garden open, and observed silently as the blue aura continued to rise above and surround her companion. Iris looked calm, and perhaps had done this before. Nina did not wish to disturb her, so she merely knelt by the door panel and watched. She admired those who could meditate. Nina was a bit too energetic for it, but she could still appreciate the practice.

After a while of watching Nina would ready herself for the day and then prepare for Iliana's eventual waking and help her with her morning ritual. Today would be a big day and the Lady must look her best. There would be that meeting this morning and after that... well... Nina would begin her journey to the mountains.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

With Nina looking still, Iris got up from her position of meditation, picking up the blade she had with her and taking up a stance of preparedness. The aura was still there as the blind girl took a firm grip on the handle of her blade, soon lunging forward in an attack that was a familiar sight to Nina from most battles they had been in together. But with the blue light there, Iris' already considerable speed was kicked up several levels, the attack covering a vast lenght of the courtyard in a blink of an eye. Also, there was a few after-images left behind in the attack, mirroring the technique Kagura had used against the green-haired girl yesterday. Looks like Iris had somehow learned how to do it after having witnessed the power in action. The spirit inside might also be a cause to have helped her achieve such feats in ridiculously brief time. Doing a few strikes with unbelievable speed, the eastern warrior dispersed her aura, stopping briefly to focus and take some of those methodical breaths again. A few seconds later, the aura was there again, with the same effects. After a few repeats, Iris stopped and headed back inside, finding Nina waiting for her.

Since Nina was not going to wake the mistress up, Iris took the task upon herself. Setting aside her sword for a while, the small girl vanished under the combined blankets, moving towards Iliana. Soon, a frantic bout of flailing and giggling followed as the Lady was cuddled and tickled awake, the swordgirl clinging into her body. "Aaah, I'm awake! Awake!" the usually composed woman almost yelled, and was let go after that.

"Right, as if I needed that..." Iliana semi-grumbled at the girl, who had an unusally devious look on her features. But the expression soon melted away into the normal calm look, signalling the start of preparing for the coming day.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I'm sorry, Iliana, I was thinking you could have used a few more minutes of sleeping in before starting this long day of yours. I guess Iris is just feeling frisky."

Nina giggled and then went about the usual routine of helping Iliana get ready for the day.

"That's an interesting new technique you've learned Iris," she said to the blind girl, "And in nearly no time at all. I can't help but feeling a bit envious."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I guess it's not a bad thing to wake up a bit early. But still, I think there are better ways to doing it." the mistress said in reply, tapping Iris' head lightly with her hand. The blind girl didn't seem to mind, knowing that Iliana wasn't completely serious with her statement. All three females started tidying themselves up, looking quite good after a while spent on the whole thing.

Chao was there shortly to give the guests new, clean robes to wear before breakfast time. The servant girl waited patiently for them to prepare, taking the group to the dining area once more after they finished. There was a suitably large selection of different things one might expect from a noble breakfast waiting for them, enabling pretty much any kind of breakfast Nina imagined to be eaten. The owners of the estate had already started, along with Mei and Mori who were sitting on the other side of the table.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina waited for Iliana to sit before taking her own seat beside her. Nina realized she was quite hungry and happily dug into the meal, though she took care to savor the taste of the food and chew slowly despite her hunger. She chose sweet things to munch on, and drank citrus juice. She was feeling good this morning, so good that she even gave Iliana's thigh a playful squeeze beneath the table to let her mistress know that she was thinking of her.

Nina did her best to appear content to the Lord of the castle so that yesterday's minor incident seemed to have been resolved.