Complete Eastern Brisshal Blade Dance

[Crimson Ruby]

Taking a deep breath, Ruby prepared herself for another choreography. Her blade slashed the air as she moved, twirling and dancing along with the wind that whistled in her ears and brushed her hair. As her body moved swiftly in a dangerous dance, with the bells attached to her outfit ringing gently with every movement she did, with the sparkles of harmonic magic escaping from every magical note that escaped from her body.

Her dance was both music and magic, movement and sound, steps and notes.

But it was also a fight, with her blade piercing in a sharp way, giving those who watched her form a lot of material to imagine how it would be to see someone being attacked by her.

Eventually, her movements became more acrobatic, and the arcs of the blade showed an unexpected reach at every movement.

The wind blew stronger, making one, two, three leaves pluck out of it.

Ruby took the opportunity, and with a twirl, she flexed her legs and released herself in a jump that almost felt like she was flying, swinging the sword down along with the gravity before finally landing on the grass, with the three leaves now parted in the middle.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Weather in the Eastern Brisshal seemed always to be nice. So much so that Fina had opted to just lay in the grass and gaze up at the blue skies, fixating on the occasional cloud that passed by. So much has happened in the past few days that she felt she had to relax a bit. Especially considering most of what had happened ended with her unnecessarily angry and frustrated, straining ties with other players that weren't that strong, to begin with. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes for just a moment.

It was the wind picking up that finally woke her up some good hour later. Well, that was a strange experience… her physical body was already sleeping for a while, so now that she fell asleep in the game as well, it must have been a real sleep? Shaking her head, she tried to groggily get up on her feet, spotting something… or perhaps someone in the distance. Rubbing her eyes, the blurry image didn't get any better for a while. It was definitely a person, moving around quite a bit.

"The heck…" This area had basically no enemies spawning, which was why she let her guard down so much. But the feline did not think she would be meeting anyone here, especially doing something strange.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby's ears twitched at the voice, with her tail swaying and letting her bells ring once again as she lifted her posture and twirled to face the source of the voice. Her nose twitched and she tilted her head slightly, looking at the cat figure from afar.

"Hello." Ruby waved with a hand, still holding her Jian in her hand, gripping it while watching the other girl attentively, wishing to understand why she was looking at her.

If she were to guess, it was probably because she has been blade dancing and practicing by slashing the air.

Truth was that Ruby had problems with crowds, but when she was dancing or singing, she didn't reabothered about it. Especially when the crowd was actually just one person. "Do you need any help? Are you lost?" She asked, eventually letting go of her sword, wrapping her tail around its grip and sheathing it quickly.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

As Fina's vision finally returned to what it was usually, her sharp eyes took in the other girl's features almost instantly. Another beastkin, another feline, even. Definitely a player, by the looks of it. Was that a good or a bad thing? She was about to find out, probably.

"Fue— ah-!" Freezing in place for a moment, the still partially dazed girl brought one of her hands to her face, quickly wiping away the small bit of drool that managed to get down her cheek while she was asleep. Hopefully that wasn't visible until now. Quickly shaking her head to regain her senses, Fina would cough into her fist before answering. "Hello. No, I'm quite familiar with this area, actually."

She could probably navigate it half-blind at this point, honestly. Though she never met anyone who looked quite like her new company here until today. "I was… ehm… taking a bit of a nap. Something woke me up, assuming it was you?" A brief moment later, Fina suddenly raised her hands and waved them in front of her. "Ah— that's not to say I'm mad or anything!"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

It seemed like she had caught the other beastkin by surprise, and Ruby widened her eyes at the mention of her waking up the other.

"Oh, my bad then. Did I make too much noise?" Ruby asked, lowering her ears regretfully. She got so excited about the whole deal of dancing that she didn't notice the woman before it was too late to do something about it.

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish about her mistake even though the woman told her she wasn't mad.

"Next time I will be more careful, I was trying to practice my blade dancing, so I didn't notice you around here." She admitted, pursing her lips and looking around.

"How about... if I sing and play you a lullaby? Maybe you can go back to sleep if I do, and I can be quieter so you won't need to interrupt your sleep again." It was the best offer Ruby could think of to compensate or fix her mistake.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Er- no, it's—" A bit unsure how to react, Fina only stumbled over her words. It wasn't like she owned this plot of the land, nor would anyone sane actually nap out in the wilds where they could get attacked by just about anything. Not that the feline was sleeping here intentionally. It just sort of happened when she was relaxing, and now it got her into more trouble than she could have imagined when she first laid down in the tall grass.

"I don't think you really have to worry about something like this repeating… ever, really…" Looking to the side, the girl felt a bit embarrassed herself. If everyone were walking all careful-like when outside of a city, in case they were about to step on some stupid traveler taking a nap in the middle of nowhere, no one would ever get anywhere.

Nevertheless, Fina would relax a bit and sit back down on the ground while she continued observing the other cat. "You really don't have to. It's not like I should be sleeping here anyway. Nor do you owe me anything, so just perish the thought." Hopefully, the two of them could just forget this whole thing ever happened and walk their separate ways. Though the mention of 'blade dancing' did intrigue Fina a bit.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The way the other girl acted made Ruby have a small smile on her lips. The embarrassment was completely understandable, but honestly, that part of the forest was meant to be isolated from everything. Who would expect to be found by someone that was blade dancing around?

"Yeah, sleeping in the middle of the forest isn't a good idea. But also, if you want to continue sleeping, it is fine. I can keep an eye out for wolves." She said, twitching her ears and glancing around, knowing there was no sign of the beasts anywhere nearby anyway.

"You don't mind if I just continue my practice in here then, do you?" Ruby asked, with her tail already reaching for her Jian's grip, unsheathing the blade and tossing it upwards so she could grab it. As long as she wasn't being a bother for the other cat girl, she could just continue to practice.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Y-yeah, go right ahead." Fina didn't exactly have any right to stop this person to begin with, so not like she could demand that the red-haired cat goes and does her thing somewhere else. But, of course, there was also that part where Fina was mighty interested in what this blade dancing was supposed to be. The idea quickly became much more apparent when the other cat's tail wrapped itself around the hilt of a sword.

It even made the silver feline glance over her shoulder briefly, observing her own tail. For a cat, it was pretty fluffy and plentiful, perhaps even more reminiscent of what one could see on a dog or maybe a fox. Either way, it was not very suitable to mimic whatever it was that her company was about to do. Looking back, Fina's golden eyes fixated on Ruby. Would the other girl appreciate being stared at like that? Should it be Fina who ought to get up and walk away from here to give her some peace? She decided to wait a bit longer and see.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Thanks for that!" Ruby smiled brightly, happy that she wouldn't need to go and find another spot for it. This one was perfect after all, silent and wide enough.

As she stepped away, Ruby's ear twitched, noticing that the other woman was still staring at her. Did she want to watch it? That would be the only explanation, enough to make Ruby's face feel a bit warm, but far from being enough to make her flee. After all, when it came to music and dance, there was no timidness in Ruby.

Getting onto a stance, Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath before opening them and starting her practice.

Her whole body moved along with the blade, making it hard to know what was following or leading what. Her tail swayed, ringing the bells tied on it just as the blade slashed the air in a beautiful arc, provided by Ruby's dexterous swing with her wrist.

At a moment, she pulled back her blade, with her body followed the motion as she twirled moving backwards, slashing widely just before she got her feet off the ground in a backflip, landing still on a combative stance that kept the same elegance as the other moves.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Watching the girl begin, it quickly became apparent what exactly it was that woke Fina up before. Those bells managed to mesmerize the feline for a brief moment, the golden eyes trying to fixate on them as they flew all over the place when the red-haired girl moved. It was indeed quite a spectacle. Granted, the only thing Fina could even remotely compare it to was oriental belly dancing. Of course, this girl had far more in terms of clothes and also weaponry.

"Hey… what is that good for?" Suddenly, the silver-maned girl spoke up, breaking the silence. "Can you actually do something like that when fighting?" The weapon clearly indicated that this wasn't some kind of dance she'd do for others when up on a stage. However, Fina figured that if someone tried to do something like that in actual combat, they would be so focused on the dancing part to fight properly.

"Doesn't seem all that practical." Of course, that was just the girl's opinion. Seeing how her own fighting style was to smack things harder than they smacked her and hope for the best, she sure wasn't one to talk.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

When the other girl spoke up, Ruby turned to her, twirling in a swift and smooth movement that seemed as artistic as her blade dancing choreography until now. She was still in the mood, and her cheeks grew slightly rosy when she noticed the way she instinctively approached the other cat.

"A lot of things. It is pretty, but it is also actually very technical and precise." Ruby said with a nod, swaying her tail and resting the blade of her Jian on her hand, with its starry blade brimming. "I do use it in fighting all the time. Learning how to dance and fight gives you a wide variety of maneuvers, both defensive and offensive... And in my case, it is also useful for me to catalyze Harmonic magic." Which meant it was extra useful for her, albeit anyone could just do it and gain the benefits of the technical aspect of it.

After a quick sway of sword and tail, Ruby looked Fina up and down, having a sheepish smile on her lips.

"I can understand how it doesn't seem practical for some people... What is your fighting style?" She asked, curious while leaning in.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Heeeh… is that so?" Fina even leaned in a bit as she listened, her ears twitching a few times as they listened to the girl's sweet voice. "I suppose even regular dancing can be pretty technical, so that makes sense." She briefly glanced to the side, remembering her encounter with @Vina Skysong, who tried to teach her dancing, and how poorly that went at the time. Not really something she was cut out for, it seemed.

That said, she did enjoy observing the other feline. It really was quite mesmerizing. The fact that she was another user of the Harmonics mastery also explained a great deal. Apparently, this very illegal game attracted some very talented people. "My style? Um… ahaha…" Laughing nervously, Fina moved one hand behind her head as she tried to think of an answer that would not immediately embarrass her. "I, uh… I guess I don't really have a set style, just doing what works at the moment. I guess it would be called 'a whole lot of improv'."

There, that sounded much better than taking a giant hammer and bonking a mob until it died with no real strategy or fineness. Or a huge ax… or a greatsword… or two. 'Maybe I shouldn't use so many weapons, huh…'

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded attentively at Fina's words, trying to imagine the way she probably fought-- And honestly, it was probably just the same thing. Maybe the only exception was that Fina brute-forced her way through some things, while Ruby swayed her way through things.

Same objectives, different methods.

"Just doing what works at the moment sounds just like blade dancing, to be fair." Ruby nodded, approaching the girl while swaying her tail, and tilting her head. "You dance on the battlefield, avoiding attacks and using all the movement of your body to turn a dodge into an attack right after. Or you gently swing your weapon to cut someone, but quickly dance your blade in their body for maximum damage potential." She said, maybe romanticizing it a bit too much before leaning in and offering a hand to the sitting girl.

"Blade dancing is all about improvising, but it is well thought improvising. So why don't I show it to you so we can dance together?" Ruby asked, perking her ears up. If there was one thing she had learned, was that teaching was the best learning method. She would be able to improve herself while teaching someone the art she loved so much.

Besides, it would be more fun, as long as it was only the two of them and maybe about two others, instead of a big group.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina listened to everything the other cat was saying but just couldn't help herself and think that she was making things more straightforward than they really were. "Yeah, I don't think my method of fighting could be even remotely compared to something elegant like dancing. Probably aren't giving yourself as much credit as you should be."

Still, she accepted the hand and got back up on her feet with its help. However, she was still more hesitant than not. "That's… I've tried dancing under someone else's guidance before, and it didn't turn out so well. Dancing might just not be for me." That said, she didn't want to just shoot down someone's offer when it was given. "I guess… maybe I could pick up some specific moves, rather than just the general concept?"

The more she spoke, the more the girl also realized that she never quite introduced herself. The two have been chatting for a bit already, yet didn't even know each other's names. Funny how that worked. "Err, right, and my name's Fina. A pleasure to meet you."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby's cheeks turned rosy at the compliment of her dancing blade method, averting her face momentarily as she smiled sheepishly. "Even if you say that, there is at least one thing in common with us, and that is combative flexibility-" She said, peeking back at Fina when she took her hand, making the girl stay firm on her feet before listening to her words.

"Oh, so you tried to dance before, hmm?" Ruby crossed her arms, pondering. "You see, dancing isn't something you learn right away, you need a lot of practice... Just like almost anything that needs a learning method." She said, twitching her ears and nodding eagerly.

"I can teach you the basics though, they should be enough to at least give you a broader range of maneuvers and add to your attacks." She said, even though she wasn't quite sure what kind of weapon Fina used.

When the other girl introduced herself, Ruby blinked surprised, not realizing she had completely forgotten about it.

"A-Ah right, it is nice to meet you too, Fina. My name is Crimson Ruby." She offered a curtsy before gesturing to the middle of the clearing, silently asking the girl to follow.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Flexibility was indeed something that this body had, unlike what she was stuck with in the physical world. And while she was unable to make full use of it at the start, those days have been long since gone. Fina had gotten used to just how nimble her feline body was and what all she could do with fully working legs. It was nothing short of amazing and opened up a whole new world for her. Dancing, though, still wasn't on the menu.

"I guess it can't hurt, but… don't laugh if I fall because my legs got stuck together or something." Obediently following the dancer to where she wanted them to be, the silver-maned girl could only imagine all the possible ways she could fail what was to come. At least it wouldn't feel as embarrassing now that she knew the other girl's name. It was a bit odd, but Crimson Ruby just sounded like an actual avatar name someone would have in an MMO if they didn't care about roleplaying all that much. Being in the presence of something like that, Fina somehow felt like she could take this without being too serious.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"It can never hurt." Ruby said, swaying her tail, guiding Fina to the clearing she had prepared and gesturing to its center where they could start their work.

A brief giggle escaped from Ruby's lips, and she shook her head immediately. "I won't laugh, I promise. Falling is part of learning, and well... If you want to, I can catch you before you fall. I'm fast enough for that." She said, maybe sounding a bit absurd, but it was the perks of having dynamism that could make her speed up at an incredibly high speed.

Holding her sword, Ruby turned to Fina and gently handed it to her, giving the other cat girl a moment for her to get used to the grip and the weight of the Jian.

"Okay, so first of all... Posture and stance. You need to have a good stance so everything can work smoothly. This stance is something you will always want to be when you are starting a maneuver, and where you want to be by the end of it. It makes you have a solid balance and positioning to fight and defend yourself." Ruby explained, getting on the stance herself so Fina could try to mimic.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"It probably can hurt if I do actually fall over." The girl joked a bit, though Ruby reassured her that the other feline would be able to catch her if something like that were to occur. Knowing how people were in this world, she was probably way stronger than Fina, too. Never mind that, they agree to practice some fight-dancing, not measure their power level.

The girl was quite surprised when the weapon suddenly ended in Fina's hands. Most folks were rather possessive of their hard-earned equipment. It was also a fair bit different from what she would typically use when combat was on the table. She was no expert in weaponry, but it looked fairly similar to a straight sword, in a way. "This is pretty different. Normally I end up using something like this." Saying that, the silver-maned girl would point behind herself where a giant double-sided war-ax suddenly fell from the sky as she materialized it with her arcanamancy. The size was perhaps even larger than Fina herself, and its weight made it sink pretty deep into the dirt.

Still, she would keep the sword for now as she observed the other feline and her movement. "Posture… that kind of thing would vary from style to style, though... right? Guess I'll have to figure out my own later." Even if this was something that she'd be unlikely to use, she did her best to do just as the other girl.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"But like I said, I won't let you." Ruby giggled, swaying her tail and waiting Fina to get used to the weapon before she suddenly showed some tricks and pulled a giant war ax out of nowhere. Ruby jumped like a startled cat, with her fur, ears and tail perking up as she widened her eyes. "MEAOWH-! Wh-What was that?!" Ruby blinked once, twice, then her cheeks grew red when she realized she once again had meowed by accident. Damn it, how many times it would continue happening in front of people?!

Finally calming down and analyzing the weapon further, Ruby nodded. "That's... A pretty big weapon. Looks very strong too, blade dancing with it is probably so destructive." Her tail swayed, kinda wanting to try it, but it wasn't time to play around.

"You are right, posture varies with fighting style. But don't worry, this one is a very generic stance, with time you will get your own. Just like in blade dancing, every dance has a stance, and since you use an ax, you will probably use your own at your time." Ruby said, humming and then gently adjusting Fina's posture as long as she didn't mind the touch, nodding while looking around her and then giving a firm nod.

"Perfect. Now..." Ruby blinked twice, with her shape flickering for a moment before an illusory crimson copy of her silhouette appeared detaching from her.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Perhaps there were more subtle ways of summoning a giant weapon of war, but Fina wasn't exactly one to hold back when it came to these things. That said, when she suddenly heard the other girl meow out loud, she'd stare at Ruby for a while before a giant smile would suddenly appear on her face, as if she had just saw the greatest thing a mortal could possibly witness. She didn't say anything, hoping to not make the other feline too embarrassed. She merely basked it the cuteness.

"Y-yeah. This body is far stronger and more fit than what I could possibly accomplish out in the physical world. Maybe it's because of the masteries as well, but, how to say this… I guess I just figured I'd make most of it?" There weren't many other weapons that required that level of strength in one's body while still remaining practical. Thus, the war-ax became Fina's weapon of choice.

"Basic sounds good. I'll probably have to branch out into many different ones since that is hardly the only weapon I can create and use." As she admitted to her fighting style, the girl's face blushed a bit as she did her best to not react negatively to Ruby adjusting her body. She still haven't managed to get herself used to the touch of others, so the occasional shiver would be apparent, but at least she did not fully lash out.

Then, the crimson cat showcased one of her abilities, making Fina's golden eyes fixate on the newly created shadow clone. "W-woah."

@Crimson Ruby