Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Alright, we'll catch you in a little while. Iris is probably eager for that sparring match." Iliana called from the door. Iris herself had already gone ahead, so her reaction was unseen by the green-haired girl.

After having layed down a minute or so longer, Yura did a recovery roll from her position, instantly up once more. Nina had managed to clear the table, but she couldn't prevent the weapon master from scrubbing most of the dishes. There was not all that much really, and they were done pretty fast. Wiping the table with a wet rag, the horned woman shushed Nina away to her room. "Get ready, we'll start in a bit. But still, no absolute hurry." she remarked.

At the room, she could find the two others waiting, Iris already set into her fighting clothes.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Without saying much, Nina readied herself as well for the sparring match, redressing herself in front of Iliana and Iris without too much fanfare. She made certain to wrap herself tightly to keep her bust from getting too much in the way and to keep her thighs feeling secure and taut. For the same reason she also wrapped a band tightly just below her knees. Then she donned her training pants and sleeveless tunic. She tied up her long flowing green hair and held it together with several clips so that it wouldn't get in the way as she moved around. When she was ready she nodded to Iris and Iliana, and then made her way out to the courtyard to begin the duel training.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Her equipment prepared, Nina moved out to the familiar courtyard. Her loved ones came with her, Iliana in a more spectating role, Iris as an upcoming sparring partner.

In the training area, Yura and Galeon both were waiting for them. They were both already at work doing the exercises, the veteran knight showing his condition by following in pace with the weapon master, his armor not seemingly slowing the bodyguard down at all. Somewhat surprisingly, both of her companions followed after Nina, following the lead and exercising at their respective rhythms. "Thought that... I should exercise... once in a while. I'll gain weight... if I just do the normal days." the mistress revealed her reasons for doing this as they did push-ups, managing to keep up a steady pace in her physical training.

After a training regimen that Nina had gotten used to in her past days, Yura went on to demonstrate further weapon-vs-weapon differences, adding into the maid-knight's pool of theoretical skills. They tested these out in practise as well, eventually moving onto the group defense part. This was something all of them could take part in, the rest of the team acting as bad guys so the practises could be tried out properly as well.

Eventually they finished, a few hours passing in the process. Now, it was time for the two companions to battle in the sparring duel that Nina had asked for earlier. Among the brief break they took, Yura's interest got caught in Iris' blade. The design was apparently somewhat unknown to her, for the horned woman was all over the cane-sword. The blind girl seemed to not mind, letting the teacher have a look. Partially unsheathing the blade, Yura took a brief look at the reflective edge before sticking it back in and moving away from the group. "This sword... I can see it now..." she talked out loud, soon unleashing into a series of very Iris-like attacks with it. The horned woman had the deal down right there, her quick-drawing attack patterns as masterful as the owner of the blade had. As a final touch, she scampered over to one of the courtyard trees, giving a swift kick to the trunk. As leaves fell out, the weapon master grabbed a firm grip on the handle once again, the first falling leaf getting cut with an insta-draw as soon as it came to eye level. All the rest followed suit, the razor-like blade reversing grip and spinning around in a whirl of precise cuts as Yura split all the leaves that fell.

"That is an interesting blade. I need to see if there is a similar one in my collection." the teacher said as she handed the blade back to Iris. After both combatants had wrapped their weapons in a thin cloth, Nina stood against her partner in the starting step of the mock duel. Iris herself took that familiar readiness pose, the blade at her side and a hand on the handle in preparation.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina did a little limbering up and stretching while Yura had a go at swinging Iris' blade around. She'd seen the way Yura took a keen interest in unusual weapons, and wasn't surprised to see the weapon master moving in a similar fashion to what Iris already did. The little warrior obviously knew how to utilize her blade, and with further master of spirit technique, would probably continue to grow more and more powerful. It was Nina's humble hope to keep up with the lovable pipsqueak in any way she could, even if she had to adopt a more blunt, sword and shield style. Though having Yura for a teacher was really making Nina think about branching out and learning how to use pole arms as well. The advantages of knowing two different styles could come in handy later on.

For the time being however, she still needed to master her current style, and she was honest enough to know that she was no where close to being even considered an adept.

She faced Iris in the center of the courtyard and nodded to her beloved opponent.

"Do your best Iris, I can take it," she said, and then settled into her own stance - light on the feet, athletic pose, body tensed to intercept a blow with either shield or sword, and then riposte or bash with the other.

At Yura's signal, Nina would start forward, anticipating the various quick draw methods she had seen from Iris and more recently Yura. There were certain popular methods of drawing and then attacking with the blade, and Nina made sure to have them all in mind, along with an appropriate counter as she charged towards the girl, intent upon drawing out a strike and then countering with a stab, block, stab, block, side-step, spin and strike combo that she had been working on.

Spoiler

Fancy words for Nina's gonna attack.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Spoiler

7 vs 18 miss | 9 vs 17 miss
13 vs 10 hit | 11 vs 11 hit
15 vs 17 miss | 21 vs 10 hit
22 vs 8 critical | 8 vs 9 miss

Iris agreed to Nina's request with a nod, indicating that she would not have any restraints in this mock duel.

The duel began shortly thereafter, with rather unconventional methods employed by the blind warrior. As soon as Nina took her first faster step, Iris swung towards her. But instead of her usual strikes, she tugged the sheath of the blade open somewhat, sending it flying towards the knight-maid with a swift cut. Despite the unexpected method of attack, the girl's shield catched the hurled sheath and deflected it to the side. The return stab by Nina was easily evaded as the smaller girl rolled under her blade and quickly got her sheath back, even managing a smack against the green-haired girl's side along the way. Still, her retrieval was a bit slow, resulting in a poke from Nina scoring a hit as well.

The next round went more according to the servant girl's plans, her second stab and block routine being a success. But when it came to the sidestepping, her sweep went astray by a long shot, and this was instantly punished by Iris. The wrapped blade struck surprisingly harshly at Nina's back, after which the blind girl hopped back, assuming a readiness position as her blade was sheathed once more.

Nina 3/6 FP Iris 2/4 FP

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina stood upright in a tower stance, gathering herself and taking a moment to read the situation. She knew Iris was waiting with her sword sheathed again behind her. Nina kept her back to the swordswoman with her shield and sword gripped tightly in each hand. It was almost goading the blind warrior into coming in on the attack.

If Iris took the bait, Nina would spin leading with her shield, aiming it in a chopping movement towards the woman's sword arm to bludgeon aside the weapon before she attacked with her own blade.

If Iris kept her defensive pose, Nina would simply turn about, take a deep breath, and weigh into the girl once more with her shield held up and her sword searching for an opening.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Spoiler

9 vs 9 miss | 9 vs 6 hit
8 vs 22 miss | 15 vs 7 hit

It looked like the training and exercises had left their mark on Nina, who could actually now make a spot-on estimate on the situation. Even better, she had anticipated Iris' maneuvering attempts and blunted her attack off with a perfectly-timed shield spin thingy. Another attempt at offense was made by the blind girl, but she was still a bit taken by surprise with the whole thing and this opened a spot to the maid-knight. Capitalizing on her chance, the green-haired girl managed to land a suitable hit on the opposition, pushing the smaller girl down and knocking away her armanents.

It was over with that, and Nina had managed a win against her companion in their second more serious practise bout. This still seemed to not bother Iris too much, who showed no sign of dissappointent or shame at her first loss between the two. For the most part, the girl remained neutral, even smiled.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Still breathing heavily, Nina sheathed her sword and then gripped Iris' arm to pull her up to her feet. When she was upright, Nina gave the little warrior a tight hug before going to pick up Iris' blade and giving it back to her. She didn't say anything, but she was proud at least that she was as good a bodyguard now as Iris was, in her own separate style. She didn't feel useless, and that in and of itself was a relief.

"What will we do now, Sensei Yura?" the green-haired swordswoman asked.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Iris seemed to apriciate the help, taking all of it when offered. the hug especially seemed to liked, though when she got her blade sheathed, the blind girl took a chance that she had to spank Nina in the butt with it. They were cool, it seemed like.

When asked, Yura scratched her head. "Weeeell, nothing right now at least. I think I'll hold another training period at the evening, but that is still some hours away." the weapon master replied, still casting a look at Iris' blade here and there.

Having looked at the duel from the side, Iliana had a suitably proud look on her face. Having taken part in the exercises, the mistress had worked up a sweat. "Pretty good, though Iris did not go all the way through. She didn't use that aura power that she and Kagura practised in the Lord's castle. That seemed to boost her abilities significantly."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina put on pouty look that was obviously faked. However it was quickly replaced by a knowing smile.

"I'm learning a few other tricks myself, my lady, but I'm glad to hear that Iris has been picking up new skills with Kagura. Iris' spiritual strength is undeniable and her potential is vast. We're so lucky to have her."

Nina sighed wistfully, and looked at Iris with a sidelong glance, sad that the girl hadn't been feeling as frisky as Nina and Iliana had been last night. There was something just so undeniably cute about the blind warrior and ever since the three of them had been reunited after that near disaster, she had been displaying a new level of cheekiness that Nina found quite endearing.

Turning back to the mistress, Nina raised a brow. "What about you, my lady? If you enjoyed spiritual concentration, I'm sure it would help you with your bow as well. I could certainly see you as being the perfect vision of a legendary bow woman~."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Upon hearing the suggestion, Iliana turned on her skeptical look. "Not sure how that would work, but I suppose it never hurt anyone to try these things. Maybe I'll give it a go sometime." the woman said, not agreeing fully but not outright blocking the suggestion either. She seemed open to the possibility of such training.

During this particular exchange, Iris had gathered herself and joined the two, not making any hassle of her entry. The blind girl did like always did, silently remaining in the vicinity of her companions

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"What would you care to do now that we have some time off from training, my lady?" Nina asked, slipping easily back into her role as a faithful servant with Iliana being in the lead.

She smiled fondly at Iris when the blind girl came to stand next to them.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Hmph, not entirely sure. Maybe get this workout sweat off from my form. Surely there are some sort of facilities to clean up around here? This place seems well-planned enough." the mistress thought of one thing hey could do. Despite her usual leadership and all that stuff, she was seemingly not sure enough what to do in such a foreign and distant enviroment as the mountain temple was.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Ah, the pool! Sure we can go there to get cleaned up. It's fed into by a natural mountain spring. Very clean water. This way!"

Nina takes Iliana and Iris each by one hand and leads them off in the direction of the pool where she had already cleansed herself more than once during this trip. If Galeon made to follow them she would smirk and then shake her head at him, as if to indicate no boys allowed - though he was such an honorable sort that he probably would realize that on his own.

When they got to the pool, Nina gestured to it and said "Ta da!"

Nina was her usualy cheery self as she began to strip off her sweaty training clothes near the edge of the pool, commenting on how nice the water would feel and how refreshing it was to bathe after a good workout.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Under Nina's tugging guidance, her companions found the pool easily. The girl's concerns towards Galeon were unnecessary, since the older knight had made his exit once the pool and washing off sweat had been mentioned by Iliana. By the time the trio had gotten to the pool, he had already vanished back inside the living quarters on the west wing.

The green-haired girl's companions were much more restrained in their approach towards stripping, both of them taking care to fold their clothes neatly before entering the pool at their respective times. Despite never saying anything about it, Yura too had decided to join them, showing way less care towards her appearance and almost jumping into the water. Eventually, the four ladies were having their bath in the peace of the mountain temple, one smaller girl with a trio of more generously endowed ladies.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina hopped into the pool with a light-hearted splash and dunked herself beneath the surface, re-emerging in a spray of water with her long green hair matted and soaked, clinging against her back. She shook her body to get acclimated to the water temperature, and quickly dove beneath it again to start swimming around.

Resurfacing she turned in the water to glance at her friends. Then she turned and began to do some backstrokes around the far edge of the pool.

"I used to swim all the time," Nina mentioned casually as she paddled. "It's excellent training for the body, and the water feels so good. Mmmm~"

She started to hum a wordless melody to herself as she swam about the pool, even though it was shallow she still had some room to maneuver without touching the bottom.

"Oh hi, Sensei. Nice to see you too," she said when she had to change course to avoid bumping into the weapons master. Nina observed Yura's nice figure with a glance but then continued swimming, turning her course and heading back towards where Iliana and Iris had settled into the pool.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"That I know. Elise recommended it to me one time as a form of exercise, but water is not as plentiful near the desert, so I didn't make any efforts to get myself something like a pool at the expense of the town's water supply. That girl is pretty good with health-related things, despite her own figure." Iliana shared some of her thoughts about swimming as Nina talked about it.

The weapon master nodded upon being acknowledged, but was not seemingly willing to let the student get the best of her and began to swim after her like a shark on bloodlust. Despite her sealing weights, Yura passed Nina halfway, showing off that whatever athletics were concerned, she would not be outdone. Eventually, all of them were sitting in one spot, taking a brief lazy time until it was time to get out.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Yura would easily have passed Nina, even if Nina had been trying to swim at her fastest, which she wasn't. Eventually the foursome were lounging out together near the edge of the pool.

Nina agreed with Iliana's decision to not build a pool at the expense of the town's water. She suggested laughingly that the lady consider investing in a summer home in a more temperate climate.

Then Nina tapped her lips thoughtfully with her fingers and wondered out loud.

"Sensei Yura, are there any adventuring spots nearby the temple? Places that perhaps have not been cleared out in years and would be a good place to practice what I will have learned here? Sparring simulation is good and all, but exploring a little might be a fun training activity don't you think?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Weeell, I do have a smaller home at the northern lands. It's been a while since I was visiting there though, though the people who live there keep the place in good condition." the mistress shared the information about her properties that had previously gone unheard. Maybe they would go there one day if there was a need for vacation.

When she was asked about the surrounding areas, Yura looked mildly surprised at the thought. "To be honest, I've hardly inspected the surroundings of the complex despite having lived here for years. The only areas I really know are the immidiate surroundings of the temple. The forests might have caves which go downward since we are pretty high up the mountainside, thought you have to be careful in those. There might be alternate entrances to Big Bad's chamber, and I think you'd prefer having as least as possible interaction with that thing..." she answered, offering one possibility of such adventuring. "Though, I heard there is something else hidden underneath the mountains as well. It was one thing we had planned when the group was still together, but the split came before we got to it..."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina shivered involuntarily at the thought of meeting the Big Bad or any of its servants again, but managed to overcome the gloomy memory quickly enough.

"Something else? Like treasure of some sort?" She grinned. "Maybe we could have a peek? We wouldn't have to go too far."