Welcome to Rosavelle!

[royaldecreemods]

INVITATION

You're going about your day when you notice an envelope that most certainly wasn't there before. It's beautiful, if a little old-fashioned: pale pink paper, sealed with a pressed flower instead of wax and your name written in looping cursive that shimmers faintly in the light.
Inside, the letter begins;

Dearest friend—
Goodness, I hope that isn't too forward. We've not met, after all. But I have been told that when one writes an invitation, it's important to sound sincere.

My name is Calanthe Rosabella Petalia de Amoré. I am the Crown Princess of Rosavelle. It's a little island kingdom far, far away - so far that it may not exist quite in the same world as yours.

I know this must sound terribly strange, but I'm writing because I need your help. You see, my coronation is approaching soon, and Rosavelle's magic - the Everbloom - responds to the strength of one's heart. It's said that a ruler must understand love to truly awaken it. Not just romance, mind you, but all kinds of love: friendship, kindness, care.

The trouble is… I'm not very good at it. I've read so many books about love, but real people don't seem to follow the same rules the novels do.

That is why I'm writing to you. The Everbloom - our most ancient and wondrous magic - has granted me the means to reach across worlds. I'm inviting a handful of remarkable individuals, like you, to Rosavelle to help me learn. Not only to teach me what love means to you, but to help me see how it can bloom between friends, companions, and strangers alike.

I promise you'll be treated as an honored guest.

... It goes on like that for a while, whole paragraphs assuring you that you can leave whenever you want, no time will pass back in your world, the Everbloom's magic will keep you safe, etc etc… honestly it gets to the point that it starts to sound less like an invitation and more like a contract. But then, mercifully, the writer finds their footing again:

If you'll come, I'd be so very grateful. I know this is a strange request, and you owe me nothing - but still, I hope you'll consider it. Rosavelle is beautiful this time of year, and it is my hope that seeing it alongside fresh eyes will allow me to see it more clearly as well.

With all my thanks (and my hopes!)—
Princess Calanthe Rosabella Petalia de Amoré

Maybe you accept right away or maybe you dismiss it as a prank or something equally unimportant. No matter what you think when you first read it, your mind eventually turns back to that invite and your find yourself thinking that it might not be a bad idea…

And once you do, you feel the world going soft and sweet around you, the scent of blooming flowers filling your nose - and before you can quite process what's happening, you realize you've accepted.

ARRIVAL

You arrive in a haze of soft, rosy light. For a moment, everything is weightless - the air around you hums faintly, thick with warmth and the heady scent of flowers. When the haze fades, you find yourself standing beneath a vast glass dome that stretches impossibly high overhead. The light filtering through its pink-tinted panes paints everything in gentle rose and gold and petals drift through the air like drifting snow.

You are standing in the Everbloom's Greenhouse. The walls curve upward in graceful arches, every pane glimmering faintly and the air is warm, fragrant, and shimmering with faint motes of magic. Flowering vines climb the supports, colorful blossoms of all kinds spill from hanging baskets, and everywhere you look there's flowers, flowers, flowers.

At its heart stands the Everbloom, a colossal tree the likes of which you've never seen before. Its smooth trunk is faintly luminous and the canopy stretches so high that you can't see where it ends, vanishing into a haze of golden light and drifting petals. The air around it hums softly with power and for a moment, all you can do is stare up at it in awe.

A moment later, movement stirs: castle attendants glide forward in elegant uniforms, carrying towels, refreshments, and generally doing their best to make sure everyone's arrived safely. After all, you're not alone. Around you, other figures begin to appear - some blinking in wonder, some already steady on their feet. Each seems as out of place as you, drawn from distant worlds and disparate lives but under the rosy light they all seem to come together like flowers gathered into the same bouquet.

Those who stumble are gently guided toward a bench cushioned with flowering moss. Cool towels and drinks infused with rose and mint are offered freely. Eventually, once it seems like everyone's arrived and mostly gotten their bearings, one of the attendants - a lady-in-waiting as you'll eventually find out - speaks up.

"You are most welcome to Rosavelle," she says, dipping into a polite bow. "Their Princess will be hosting a banquet this evening to greet you all properly. Until then, please take your time to get settled and familiar with your surroundings. If you need anything at all, do not hesitate to ask."

For now, you're free to mingle. This is your chance to get your bearings, meet your fellow arrivals, and explore your surroundings. Beyond the main atrium, you can glimpse winding paths lined with blooming hedges and fat, colorful blossoms. Somewhere in the distance, you can faintly hear birdsong. You feel a little tug somewhere in your chest and if you follow it, you might just come across a flowerbed somewhere in the Greenhouse that you somehow know as your own.

After some time to mingle and acclimate, the attendants return, clapping their hands gently to draw attention.

"It's nearly time to prepare for the evening banquet! If you'll come with us, we'll see to your attire."

DRESS UP

You're led from the warmth of the greenhouse through a series of winding marble corridors until you're ushered through a set of grand double doors into a suite of guest rooms bustling with motion. Tailors, stylists, and attendants hurry between privacy screens, racks of lavish garments and trays piled high with glittering jewelry. Silks and satins gleam and lace and velvet catch the light in soft waves of color.

Tailors and stylists bustle about, armed with measuring tapes, pins, and brushes. The staff are cheerfully firm about making sure everyone looks their best for the banquet but nobody's forced into anything they don't want; the attendants listen to everyone's preferences and somehow find something flattering for even the most reluctant participant. Whether you comply with good humor or grumble through the process, it's impossible not to get swept up in the flurry of preparation. … of course, if you're determined to be a grump about the whole thing, you're welcome to wait outside until everyone's dressed up nicely.

The attendants encourage everyone to chatter as they work or even to lend a hand to another guest struggling with their ensemble. Maybe it's out of curiosity - the staff are polite, professional, but it's clear that dressing guests from other worlds is a novelty they want to enjoy.

As final adjustments are made and mirrors fill with transformed reflections, the bustle slowly quiets. Attendants exchange satisfied looks, then guide the group once more through the corridors. The faint strains of music drift down the corridors until at last, you find yourself before the towering double doors of the Azurite Banquet Hall, carved from the stone it takes its name from. The lady in waiting pauses just long enough to smooth a wrinkle here, adjust a collar there, and make sure everyone is present before pushing the doors open.

BANQUET

The Azurite Banquet Hall glows with warm candlelight reflected in polished marble floors and the air inside smells of wine and roses. Long tables stretch the length of the hall, each one dressed in embroidered runners and heaped with platters of food that look almost too beautiful to eat and in the corner, a string quartet plays a soft, lilting melody.

At the head of the room stands your host, Princess Calanthe Rosabella Petalia de Amoré. Draped in pale gold, they look every bit the part of a royal... though the slightly nervous way they adjust their posture speaks of someone not entirely at ease in the spotlight. When they catch sight of the assembled guests, though, they brighten a bit. Their hands are clasped too tightly around their wine glass, but their voice is bright and earnest.

"Ah - good evening, everyone! I - well, goodness, where does one even begin?

First of all, thank you. Truly, thank you all for coming here - to Rosavelle, and to me. I know this must all seem terribly strange - one moment you were in your own world, and the next you're here. It's strange to me too, you know. I've been imagining this for weeks, and yet somehow it still doesn't feel quite real.
Ah - oh! I suppose I should introduce myself properly. My name is Calanthe Rosabella Petalia de Amoré. I am the Crown Princess of Rosavelle, soon to be its sovereign, though I admit that still feels a little surreal to say aloud.

I invited you here because - well, I imagine all of you read your invitations. The Everbloom, our kingdom's oldest and most sacred magic, is bound to the heart and mine is… embarrassingly, quite uneducated in such matters. I couldn't imagine anyone in this world I could burden with such a problem and so I thought - perhaps - those who come from other worlds might help me."

... suddenly, they look sheepish.

"That said, ah - there is a small complication. It is. Um. Frowned upon by most scholars to interfere with the affairs of other worlds, even with the best of intentions and I fear it would cause quite a stir if word got out. So for the time being, we'll need to keep your origins a secret. Please don't worry, though - we've arranged everything you'll need. Over the next month, we'll be teaching you about Rosavelle and all its customs so that when you venture out for the Wilting festival, you'll feel quite at home.

I realize that's rather a lot to ask, and I'm - well, I'm deeply grateful for your patience. I promise to do my best to make this worth your while.

So, once again, thank you. For answering my invitation. For being here, together, tonight.

Now then-"

They raise their glass, cheeks pink but eyes bright.

"To new beginnings, and to the bonds we have yet to form. May they bloom as beautifully as the flowers of Rosavelle... oh, that sounded quite good, didn't it? A toast - to all of you!"

As the toast echoes through the hall, the music swells again - a graceful waltz this time - and attendants sweep forward to usher guests toward the buffet tables.

There's something for every palate: platters of lemon-butter shrimp and rosemary-crusted fish, seared scallops on saffron rice and fillets of calendula-cured salmon alongside oysters resting in crushed ice and lobsters cracked open beside dishes of herb butter. It's not all seafood, either - whole roasted ducks glazed in something fruity dot the table, alongside lamb, chicken and a mouthwatering roast beef.

Between the platters, bowls of vegetables offer roasted root vegetables glistening with sweet glaze, delicate salads strewn with edible petals, caramelized carrots, blistered cherry tomatoes and crisp greens grown. And, of course, baskets of warm, golden bread wait beside whipped butter and creamy sauces.

If you're in the mood for sweets, there's desserts in dizzying abundance: sugared fruit tarts, meringues shaped like blossoms, chocolate soufflés dusted with candied violet, and pastries of all kinds filled with custard, chocolate and all manner of fruity, flowery fillings.

A side table gleams with crystal decanters and goblets: bottles of wine, deeply colored mead and delicate floral liqueurs seem to be the alcoholic offerings but there's carafes of chilled fruit water steeped with mint for anyone who's not inclined towards spirits.

If you're feeling bold, the cleared space near the musicians makes a perfect dance floor. Perhaps you find yourself drawn into a dance, or perhaps you linger at the buffet, trading stories with a stranger over a shared plate of sugared pastries. Or maybe you'll take the opportunity to introduce yourself to your host now they've made an appearance.

Eventually, as the night wears thin, the quartet's melody softens to a gentle hum. Candlelight flickers low. The attendants appear once more, smiling as they begin to guide everyone toward the final stop of the evening.

HOUSEWARMING

The banquet winds to a gentle close and ne by one, the guests are gathered once more by the castle attendants who lead the way through dimly glowing corridors. The halls are quieter now, the rosy light of evening filtering through stained glass in sleepy shades of pink and gold. Everyone is lead through the castles and out into the grounds, their splendor only a little dulled by the darkness starting to settle over the castle.

"Your lodgings are just ahead," the lady in waiting says, her voice hushed out of respect for the hour. "You've each been assigned to a house - named for the flowers that chose you."

Slowly but surely, everyone's names are called and each person is supplied a heavy brass key to a house named for a flower you may have seen blooming somewhere today. When they speak the name of your house, something in you stirs with faint, inexplicable recognition, like you know it already - or maybe it knows you.

In any case, the barracks themselves are nothing like the name implies: warm, inviting, and softly lit by enchanted lanterns. Each house has its own cozy common area where low couches and plush chairs are gathered around softly glowing hearths. A long table in the center has been set with some late-night comforts, in case you somehow have any room left in your belly - plates of fruit and pastries, steaming pots of tea, and rich cocoa dusted with rose sugar.

The attendants leave you to settle in for the night, with a promise that the barracks staff will prepare meals from tomorrow onwards but mostly, you'll be left to your own devices. You could just track down your room and crash for the night but now seems as good a time as any to get to know your new housemates.

(CODE)

Comments

Akane Tendou | Ranma 1/2 | colecanassis

[mahjongheart]

When she had first received the invitation, it had fallen out of her striking dummy after she'd broken the poor thing. But... She paid it no mind. It was part of a bunch of other waste-paper she'd stuffed the dummy with, surely it wasn't anything important, right?

Even if it did look a bit like a love-letter. She stowed it in her desk. Just in case.

It wasn't until over a year later, when they'd had a third trip to the ocean and had to deal with Kuno's ridiculous method to train and impress girls, that she opened it, read it, and decided that, given everything else that happened, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to be swept away on the blossoms.

And so, she is...

i. Here Comes Akane?

Akane does take the time to follow the pull of her heart. And among the beds, surrounded by brambles and a thick, vicious, thorny wall, sits a small plot of absolutely glowing wild roses and chrysanthemum.

She pauses, looks up. "Oh-- have you come by to see yours, too? I tend to like taking runs, so... might as well see, right?"

ii. Dress-up
Unfortunately, the very first attempt-- indeed, it appears, the natural inclination of the tailors and dress-makers-- is to do her up in a very princely set of clothes. As the stuff begins to take shape--

"Hold it. Hold it hold it hold it--" She is not going to embarrass herself in front of the entire banquet by showing up like this. It's-- it's fine for a stage play, but--

"This seems much more suited to your interests, miss--" one of the various apprentices running crowd control attempts to placate Akane.

This, however, simply puts the fire in her eyes and a brewing storm in her heart. "What was that?"

"Well, you described your current wear as training gear, so something easier to move around in seemed apropos..."

This cannot end well. Placate her or make things EVEN WORSE, the choices are yours, and yours alone!

iii: Housewarming
The Hyacinth courtyard feels... surprisingly peaceful. Despite whatever mess she makes at the Banquet, and whatever horrible things result from her explosion in the wardrobe department, there's something here that...

Well, no. No, it doesn't feel like home at all, does it?

She'd be more suspicious, but this IS a nice little place, overall. Even if she is looking over her shoulder for the catch.

iv: Wildcard

((as usual, hit me up in the discord or at Fabricati for a separate closed plot.))

ii

[thirdmonthoftheyear]

Awww... but you look so pretty in that outfit.

[Says March, who's giving Callie a run for their money in the princess department.]

The detailing is so nice, too... it'd suck if all that work went to waste...

Re: ii

[mahjongheart]

I-- Look, it's not a matter of it being pretty, it's that...

[It's obviously a boy's outfit? It's an embarrassment just by showing up in it! But pointing it out would be rude.]

[She takes the time to look over at March, and--]

[... Dangit. That outfit is so nice, too! A little short but that seems to be the order of the day, and March likes it, so it's fine, clearly--]

[Say something idiot.]

This might be a news flash but I am a girl, and not interested in cross-dressing.

[Smooth.]

[thirdmonthoftheyear]

Well, no duh you're a girl. You're gorgeous, too! The outfit does look great on you, I swear.

[Slow, confused headtilt.]

Sorry, I'm just confused... why would a girl wearing a suit be cross-dressing? I mean, guys can wear dresses too and still be dressed as guys. Why wouldn't it work the other way around?

ii

[soaringspear]

[ Kanade couldn't help but notice the commotion over here, and considering that the tailors actually did a pretty damn good job with her outfit, she had to see what's going on and... ]

Hohhhh... that's fine, isn't it? You look good!

[ Heck, Kanade's outfit seems to be some kind of cross between a dress and a suit herself. ]

Re: ii

[mahjongheart]

[Well. Uh.]

[That sure is a girl cross-dressing.]

... Do you know how many others here are...?

[soaringspear]

Hm? Here are... what?

[ Does it really count as crossdressing? It's still a dress from the waist down, it's just that above that it starts to resemble a suit. Plus, how the heck did they make the hat so quickly? ]

iii

[shadowfrost]

[ Fresh air. Finally. The cool air of the night is a relief after dealing with hours of bodies crammed into an enclosed space. She feels so much more at ease out here.

Even if the barracks aren't exactly what she'd call "home." But then, there's no place she would call by such a name.

Seems she isn't the only one taking refuse in the night air, either. ]

You look like you're trying to hide from someone.

Re: iii

[mahjongheart]

Not so much that I'm trying to hide from someone, as...

[She pauses. Sighs.]

I was getting away from someone when I got here.

[Multiple someones, really, if she's being honest, but...]

[shadowfrost]

So this is a sort of escape for you too, then?

[ No judgment. Instead, she folds her arms behind her back and keeps her eyes skyward. ]

Guess I'm not the only one.

ii

[steel_over_blood]

"Hey, that's not too bad! I wouldn't mind wearing clothes like that."

He sounds, and is, 100% sincere. Akane probably does not want to hear that sentiment from a guy who has, according to the impressed tailor measuring him right now, an upper arm width over fifty centimeters around.

Re: ii

[mahjongheart]

"... Yes. That's exactly the problem." Look at this guy. He's huge. Huger, even. The kind of image the fiance invokes when he's trying to get a rise out of her.

[steel_over_blood]

"Ha! Don't worry about it; I'm handsome enough. I won't try to upstage you."

He's actually... not entirely sure if Akane is a tough girl or a delicate boy, and has decided that looking closely is the weird option. The normal option is to keep talking and be on the lookout for hints.

Post…. Whatever she’s doing in Ranma’s prompt

[okanetendo]

After witnessing that round of uncivilized behavior between Akane and her fiancé, Nabiki - a very tastefully attired Nabiki - walks up to Akane with a smile that does not reach her eyes and speaks in a slightly strained voice.

“Why, sister, you’re very animated today. Getting on well with Ranma? All in good fun, I hope?”

When she gets a bit closer, her tone goes sotto voce.

“If we play this right, not a one of us will have to lift a finger to live like this all the time, or at least as long as the princess ‘needs our advice.’ Are you two going to blow it for us, or can you get along for the length of a damn dinner party?”

he was eyeing the desserts she was trying! to be NICE!

[mahjongheart]

Honestly, she's much more surprised that Nabiki's here than Ranma. Ranma showing up somewhere is like a cat showing up somewhere-- always a distinct possibility, never to be ruled out, generally welcome. Nabiki showing up for something like this is like a cat riding its own bicycle-- technically possible, but you wouldn't ever expect it.

"Ah-- yes, of course!"

Unsurprisingly it comes down to the matter of not screwing what, in hindsight, is an amazing opportunity. At least Akane has the decency to look embarrassed. "Okay, escalating was a bad idea, but..."

[okanetendo]

"Oh don't worry, I'm going to chew him out, too. I'm very glad they're going to do lessons on this stuff later," she says, squeezing Akane's shoulder in a way she hopes is encouraging.

She steps back and twirls a champagne flute in her offhand. Out loud, she puts on her drollest voice and says, "If it reassures him at all, have him step back and people-watch. That gentleman seems to be confident about the petit-fours."

Which appear to tiny cakes covered in pink frosting with white roses piped on, about as 'girly' and 'frilly' a dessert as Ranma might find.

Re: Akane Tendou | Ranma 1/2 | colecanassis

[loveschasinglost]

"Correct."

Camila pauses in her walk through the flowerbeds, letting the faint ache in her heart guide her path aimlessly.

Turning, she approaches Akane with a tilt of her head.

Thorns and brambles around a shining core. She may not have been much of a poet, but even she could see a metaphor being smacked between her eyes.

"I have not seen wild roses so vibrant in some time."

Re: Akane Tendou | Ranma 1/2 | colecanassis

[mahjongheart]

"Ah-- is that what those ones are? I know a chrysanthemum when I see one, but wild roses are pretty rare back home." She's not sure what a wild rose would even mean in this situation, given it's supposed to represent her own bonds. She's even less sure what several mean.

"Have you gotten to yours yet?" She won't ask to come along, since that... seems a bit personal, even if everyone can kinda guess their own.

ii

[goldship]

Eh? It suits ya though.

[ Says the girl dressed like some kind of cavalry officer. What's worse, the men's clothing or the horse ears sticking out from the hat? Or the horse tail that's wagging lazily behind her? ]

Course you look like you could pull off either kinda look. [ A thoughtful pause, her ears twitch. ] You could always wear half of that and half of a dress.

[ This is a Perfect Solution! ]

Re: ii

[mahjongheart]

[If anything, that's an even worse idea. Half a dress is still a dress, it's just a weird dress.]

If it's a choice between half-suit, half-dress, and this, I think I'd rather take this.

[... Wait, suits her? Her look turns suspicious.]

... What did you mean, 'suits me'?

Part 2: Shining Lights And A Full Dance Card

[mahjongheart]

A: The Next Morning (11/2) (Hyacinth/Ranma)

It had been a long night for Akane, but, even a bit sore from both her usual exercise and running around sparring and talking all night, habit woke her well before first light. A brief stop in the restroom to wash her face and wake up made her stop and consider. It wasn't some dream, or a hallucination brought on by getting knocked unconscious.

She was here. And she had family to not let down. And that was certainly no excuse to slack off on her training, either.

With a feeling like she wasn't fully there, she shut off the faucet of a place she barely remembered from the night before, even despite a long soak after a wonderfully hellish sparring session, and hung the brass key from her neck with the benefit of some ribbon.

There was still some food from last night. It was hardly the best, but it was better than nothing, and she boiled some tisane and ate, and proceeded to the door for her habitual morning run. Might as well see the gardens, maybe find that Orobon guy for the training she promised him.

She passed by someone on the way out. Ah, yes, just like routine. A trained reflex, she waved, like of course "Mornin', Ranma." was the typical reaction.

She walked to the door. Clicked it open.

stopped cold.

B: Etiquette (Open)
Akane... Was struggling.

Not in the sense that she wasn't paying attention to the etiquette lessons. Quite the opposite. When it came to listening to the lectures and reciting the rules, and understanding how everything worked, Akane was quite willing and able to respond, as a normal high school student would.

When it came to practical examination, however, her temper tends to get the better of her.

I: Punishment
Akane gently tapped a wood-block with her hand, and watched it split, casually. Wood-chopping wasn't bad. It helped her get her mind together. Nadeshiko might have insisted she use the hatchet, but it had been a long time since she had first casually done things like this.

Idly, she broke open a stump with her bare hands, and continued working. Despite everything, it was nice to sweat in the middle of something difficult, you know?

... Of course, she's not the only one who's been having trouble.

II: Crime (Cram School?)
Despite that, the one who exiled her is herself. Nadeshiko's largely been... Strict, but also surprisingly gentle. No mockery, just a plain statement of the correct rule and a blank "Again."

It would be foolish to say that she doesn't need help, though, even if she's probably by far not the worst offender.

And so, here she is, approaching one of the less 'poor just-landed gentry' and more 'actually a hereditary noble' types. "... I'm sure you've seen me bombing. So..."

C: Let's Dance, Twinkletoes (Semi-open) (Training) (Pick a day) (Date?)
While early mornings were taken up in her habitual morning warmups and run, and the morning was fully devoted to the ettiquette lessons Nadeshiko was running and taking notes like she was back at Furinkan...

Her afternoons and evenings, however, were beautifully, fantastically her own, and despite occasional corporal punishment, Akane was quite ready to both test her mettle and look into how bloomcraft and manipulating battle aura were different.

In fact, she was so eager, that even now, her afternoons are packed with sparring sessions and note-comparison, exercise and intensive adjustments.

Given that she gets plenty of repeats for training, she's liable to grow quite happy as the month, if not the season, wears on.

Sure, she's wearing bandages, and she always has a bruise or two, but that's the cost of admission. She's here for figuring out Bloomcraft and advancing her martial arts, both.

In fact, even now, she's picking herself up off the floor of the training area and smiling a grin like an axe murderer. "Hold on, that was incredible! Let me see it again, so I can figure out how to deal with it--"

D: The Disaster Area (11/3) (Open)
Akane, of course, is fascinated by the various cuisine experiences, though she's arguably just as fascinated by how it all works, leaning in to the kitchens to try and keep track of the workings of the place as they go.

... And while at least one cook might invite her...

It's not long before one of the line cooks takes her aside. "Did no one teach you?"

Akane looks ashamed and says nothing.

"... Someone needs to teach you. Properly."

Oh please just kill her now.

Here Comes Ranma!!! (1/2)

[catsgothistongue]

Last night had been a long one for them both. Ranma thought he would've hit the hay and crash the minute he finished up his back. It took taking a midnight stroll - er, midnight rooftop hopping to wear him out enough to slink back to bed, conking out before his head hit the pillow. Sleep was... sleep, undisturbed for the most part outside of the night terrors. Again with that annoying nightmare that's been plaguing him since that day...

Whatever, it won't keep him from getting up. Even without his "ever reliant" panda-shaped alarm clock kicking him out of bed and into the dojo's koi pond, his internal clock's accurate as always in Pop's absence. Before he goes out to do his standard bout of morning training, Ranma visits the house's kitchen to whip up a tasty traditional breakfast. Steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and some pickled veggies on the side.

Able to eat at a slower, normal pace thanks to having nobody trying to pilfer his plate, he digs in happily. Ranma's so engrossed with his breakfast, and his own musings about his decision to come here, he hears somebody getting up from their room. Then greeting him as they wander by, catching a glimpse of their blue cut.

"Mornin', 'kane." Instinctively, he responds in kind off-handedly, now getting to the tsukemono. Putting the garnish up to his lips.

And goes stock-still once his brain processes his surroundings.

Wait a tick...

B - II

[asagami]

"I haven't, much less even heard anything if it helps...?"

Mostly because Fujino herself was so focused on the lessons, she kind of tuned out everything else happening around her. It's a step up from what she's had to learn back home, yet pretty similar in regards. Like a duck to water, she took to them without little trouble. And even as she stops to look at Akane, there isn't even a hint of a bothered expression; hands clasped together in a firm manner, Fujino leans forward in a slight bow as she asks with a small smile,

"What is it you need help with, miss?"

B:I.

[monsterdaddy]

[If there are any positives to having a broken leg and orders not to rely on healing magic, one of them is that it gets him out of dance lessons. Yoojin wanders out on his crutches for some fresh air, sighing.]

Pheeewww, this is rough...

[Then he spots the martial artist shredding wood with her bare hands. If he finds anything strange about that, his bright smile and greeting betray nothing of the sort.]

Akane! Hey, lucky me, I was hoping for a chance to catch up!

[Over he comes, making decent speed on those crutches.]

How's it going? Uh, besides classes.

C

[steel_over_blood]

Akane might not be the strongest martial artist around, or even the strongest one here from her own household, but she's trying to improve! ...And so is Bulat, even otherworldly healing powers don't get one out of physical rehabilitation. He concentrates on his balance when he goes through the kick again, slowly so she can see.

"It's not a special technique; that flash was all Meramancy!"

He's still working on getting a consistent effect, but a flicker of light in the middle of a tense match is a distraction no matter how consistent it is.

"You know where to focus this time, right?"

The moment she gives a positive answer, he'll attack immediately, a lunge with a glowing palm (why is it blue this time?) coupled with a trip and a spinning kick that knocked her halfway across the yard the first time.