Welcome to Gaia! ::

Honehime took a seat at the same table as Echidna, and watched as the woman used a linen napkin to try to wipe the blood off of her buckler. She didn't think that would do the job too well, it'd just smear it around a bit. Now, she needed some water, or better yet, an actual cleanser. But she didn't have any idea of where to get such. Instead, she just decided to save the matter for later, and beckoned to the staff for some service. One of the waiters, apparently nervous at having to wait on such unusual looking types, brought them a pair of menus. She accepted one, and opened the stiff, thin booklet, letting her eyes skim over the various dishes that were a far cry from the sort of stuff she ate while living in the wilderness. Probably the same for Echidna, she assumed.
(18196 words + 151 words = 18347 words)


"You're very welcome! I told you I could do it right!" Actually, she hadn't, but nobody would ever accuse Mei of having a good memory. With that, she got up, and let the array fade into nothingness, having served it's purpose. She followed Shuku back to camp, licking her lips again, before wondering aloud if that bowl of water was still there. For the moment, at least, she had forgotten all about that small sphere that had caused such a commotion only a few short moments ago. As well, she didn't even seem to notice the dissolution of Shuku's Genjutsu, though it had obviously affected her. Just one more example of her stunning mental acumen.
(21358 words + 120 words = 21478 words)


Melona tried to force herself to listen to the instructor, but he certainly wasn't making the lesson very interesting. Several of the other students would seem to agree, at various stages of yawning, daydreaming, or outright napping. She looked back at Menace, just as the Imhotep whispered her comment about the instructor. Melona grinned and nodded, adding in a not particularly polite aside herself. "Yeah, is he an instructor or a historian?" Actually, a historian likely wouldn't be as boring as he was. At the very least, probably not to Menace, due to her lineage. But regardless, the instructor was very boring.
(3752 words + 104 words = 3856 words)


"I guess that does make sense. It certainly... seems to have worked. I wodner if... I should give it a try? You know, for training?" Alice tried picturing herself in a maid's outfit, but it wasn't easy. For one, the only example was noticeably more busty than her, so she didn't know how the outfit would look on someone as undeveloped as her. As well, since they were more or less lying in the middle of the street next to each other, even if she were to crane her head over, she wouldn't be able to see very much of it. Even when they had been fighting, she hadn't taken a really close look at Airi's uniform, aside from that first glance when she first saw her.
(4111 words + 133 words = 4244 words)

Honehime looked over the menu for a moment longer, before perking her head up at Echidna's order. Fish? She didn't know about Echidna, but having lived in the wilds for as long as she had, fish was something she had eaten a lot of. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to try something that she wouldn't have had the opportunity to have out in the solitude of nature. Scanning the list once more, she made her decision, and turned to look at the waiter. "And I will have the... um, let's see... yes, the black risotto and a glass of fruit juice, if I may?" They handed the menus back to the waiter, who hustled off, seemingly eager not to dally with the unusual duo.
(18347 words + 131 words = 18478 words)


Mei grinned, oblivious to the mild sarcasm on Shuku's reply, instead accepting it at face value. Once the two returned to camp, she set about trying to find the bowl of water. She frowned in confusion when it wasn't where she had last seen it, though, and licked her lips again. Although she wasn't desperately thirsty, the promise of water being taken away made her more aware of her thirst, which seemed to make her much thirstier. She hoped they could find it soon, or she didn't know what she might do! She began to look around the campsite, not making an organized effort, just looking at anyplace that she thought the bowl could have conceivably gone. Then again, the places that she thought of weren't exactly the most sensible. Like hiding in the branch of a tree, or under one of the stumps turned benches, or other impossible places like that. But at least she was trying!
(21478 words +163 words = 21641 words)


Melona had no idea her comment on historians being boring would have had quite such an impact on her new girlfriend. She did find out a moment later when she felt a sharp kick to the leg. Of course, it didn't really hurt, the blow just pressed into her gelatinous leg and bounced off, but it got her attention. She turned her head back to look at Menace again, and nearly burst out laughing at the funny face that she was making. She put two and two together quickly enough, though, and thought she had figured out just why Menace had tried to kick her. "Sorry, I meant as boring as, um, a weatherman?" She should have been able to figure that much out, even without knowing all that much about Menace. That was a slip-up on her part, hopefully one she wouldn't make again. She didn't know just how mad Menace had gotten, though, so she'd try to think of some way to make it up to her.
(3856 words + 195 words = 4051 words)


At Airi's offer of a maid outfit, Alice tried imagining herself in it once more. trying to ignore the whole lack of a notable bust issue, she tried to focus on the rest of the idea. In the end, she had a bit of an epiphany of sorts. A maid outfit wasn't too horribly far off from a fashion style that could work for her. The Gothic Lolita look! With that in mind, maybe she could make a maid outfit look good on herself, too? She looked up, and saw that Airi had gotten to her feet, and was now offering her a hand up. She gratefully accepted, and slowly went about the task of standing up, several aches and pains in her back and sides making her wince a little. But nothing was seriously damaged, she should be alright given a little rest.
(4244 words + 146 words = 4390 words)

Honehime watched the waiter rush off, then turned back to watch as Echidna removed her buckler. A wise choice, leaving something like that on during a meal would make things complicated at best. Not to mention messy. She glanced down at her own outfit and accessories, nothing that really even resembled a weapon in sight. Yet at some point, she didn't really need weapons. Even so, it made her feel even more inexperienced than what she was just by comparing herself to the level headed and prepared Echidna. She shook off those feelings easily enough, but the idea behind them lingered, that she just wasn't ready for much of life's many surprises.
(18478 words + 115 words = 18593 words)


Mei perked up her head at Shuku's request, revealing her latest spot of searching. In the middle of a bush. Which meant that she had stuck her head and much of her upper torso inside of said bush. Now that she had pulled free, there were various leaves and twigs and such stuck in her hair and clothes, and even one or two uncomfortable looking scratches from where the bush's thorns had voiced their displeasure at being bothered. None the less, she still rushed over to Shuku, coming to a halt a few feet away, to see what Shuku wanted help with. A moment later, her chest stopped moving, too.
(21641 words + 112 words = 21753 words)


Melona smiled easily once she saw Menace's frown ease up. Thankfully, the Imhotep had stopped making that silly face. She hadn't known how much longer she could have went without bursting out laughing at the young woman. Thankfully she hadn't had to find out. When Menace asked if they could just leave, her gaze went back to the instructor. Still boring as hell. Luckily, she had heard a few pieces of the lecture that sounded like they could be valuable. Perhaps they could figure out the rest on their own. Leaping to her feet, she decided to mess with the class once more. Reaching out to grab Menace's hand again, she made an announcement. "Sorry, but we have to get going. Time for our honeymoon!"
(4051 words + 129 words = 4180 words)


For a moment, Alice didn't answer Airi's question. She had heard it, she was just a bit preoccupied. At one level, just running through a basic inventory of her body, making sure that everything worked more or less as it was supposed to. Painful, but working, that was good enough for now. As well, some of her thoughts were almost mirrors of Airi's own. She, too, was looking on what was technically a loss, and the vision galled her. She had had such high hopes, but to already be beaten even before getting to the Queen's Blade tournament? That was just sad. She had to become stronger! Straightening up a bit, she looked back at Airi and finally answered her. "Well, I hadn't put too much -ouch- thought into it. I was probably just going to stay here for a day or two, then continue searching for a worthy opponent or the other thing. But I've already found an -ouch- opponent worthy of fighting, so now I don't know."
(4390 words + 176 words = 4566 words)

Honehime had been absentmindedly admiring the work on Echidna's bracer when she heard the older woman's question. Taking a moment to return to where she was, she managed to piece together what Echidna had said. Thinking over how best to phrase the answer, she finally made her reply. "Well, the short version is I'm gathering herbs. The long version," at this she glanced at Echidna, wondering if she should go into it. At a slight nod, she continued. "The long version, I, and a few other almost students at the Academy left the classroom out of boredom, and to find one of my companions some Mandrake. We hadn't gotten very far, and many obstacles and delays seem to be popping up one right after the other." She blushed a little once she had finished, not really used to talking quite so much. at least not all at once, at any rate.
(18953 words + 155 words = 19108 words)


Mei looked down at the gourd when Shuku pointed it out to her. It didn't look like anything that would be difficult to figure out. She could do it! She smiled and nodded, before moving closer to the large hollowed out rind, and grasped the neck of it with one hand, and grasped a hold of the cork plugging it's spout with the other. She tried lightly pulling on it, but it did seem well and goodly stuck. Bracing herself, she tried a little harder, but it barely gave at all. Finally, she snorted, in what seemed purely a bovine reaction, and prepared to give it her best shot. Pushing the gourd down with one hand, she pulled up with the other hand. Finally, with a loud 'POP!' the cork came free. So did Mei, the sudden release enough to knock her sprawling on her tush.
(21753 words + 148 words = 21901 words)


Melona hadn't been expecting Menace to react quite as strongly, potentially eagerly, as she did. Her hand was firmly grasped, and she was pulled bodily out of the room, in an almost perfect reversal of how they had entered. She couldn't resist giving a bawdy wink and wave to the class as she vanished through the open door, which closed with a slam a second later. Picking herself up, she turned to face Menace, her hair hands adjusting their grip on her chest from where they had gotten knocked around a little. When Menace asked her if she had had to say their excuse in such a way, she paused to consider it. Did she? "Well, I suppose not. Sorry. Next time I'll make sure to say instead that we are looking for an empty supply closet were we can make sweet love." And this was all said with a completely straight face. Was she serious?
(4180 words + 159 words = 4399 words)


Alice glanced over at Airi when she heard the muttered hiss of pain, and realized that Airi was in at least as bad a shape as she was. They both would definitely need t spend some time recovering their strength and healing up. It was just as she had that thought when Airi seemingly read her mind and invited her to stay at her place. She nodded eagerly, she had been trying to think of where she was going to stay in this village! She smiled happily, although it faltered as she put a little too much weight on the wrong foot, sending a brief but insistent spasm of pain up her spine. "That'd be great! Thank you so much! Was there anything you needed to do before heading home?" Alice already seemed to have completely set aside the temporary hostility that the two had viewed each other with during the battle. Whether it was the nature of being young, or her own outlook, it seemed she was now one hundred percent a friend of Airi's.
(4566 words + 178 words = 4744 words)

Buroku runs through the halls at a dead sprint, desperate to be on time for
class. He walks swiftly into the class room and takes a seat. The teacher,
Amida Saruba, noticing that everyone was now present, began the lesson.
Buroku began to silently tap his foot as the teacher demonstrated the
jutsu, and then brought out diagrams for the class to see. The teacher
began to the lecture then, explaining the complexity of the jutsu. As the
teacher continued Buroku started to write down the important key points of
the lecture. It was a simple matter of just taking down every thing, word
for word. He quickly wrote until his pencil snapped. He thought to himself,
Got dang it. This happens every time." So he stuck his hand into his pack
to fish out another pencil. This being rather difficult because his pack was
so cluttered. After, finding one he tried to catch up. But, was unable to as
the teacher announced that today they would now be trying to perform the
Henge No Jutsu. So, as they formed a line, Buroku read through his notes
and tried to think of what he should transform his image into. But, before
he chose the form he wanted to appear to be, he watched the others
perform the jutsu to see if he could get any ideas. One student became the
teacher. The next turned into a tree. Then, another became the teacher.
He finally decide on trying to turn into a bush, just as it became his turn to
try out the technique. He stepped forward forming a hand sign and began
to concentrate his chakra. As he did so he felt the energy pulse through his
body, building and building. The energy grew more powerful by the second
until finally he shouted, “Henge!”
(304 words + 0points = 304 chakra points. Henge Tech. Achieved.)

With the shout, the chakra burst forth and with a little glimmer of air and a poof of smoke Buroku transformed from his one self; into a large bush, sprouting buds, and sporting healthy green leaves.
"Excellent. You pass," the teacher announced to Buroku.
Buroku then made his way back over to his desk and began to study the Bushin No Jutsu. He notices that the book covers far less of this. However, it did not cover as much as the other jutsu in diagrams. After he read through the practicing technique, class ended. So, he decide to practice, and finish learning this tech. at home.
"See you tomorrow Saruba-sensia," he said as he walked over to the hall. He then made a quick run over to Nokasaki-sama's house.
After arriving, he made a quick greeting to Nokasaki. He then went into the garden and began to concentrate on chakra control for the jutsu. He made a hand sign and began to focus. The same pressure from the chakra before began to rise within him. He then began trying a little bit of physical training to see if it might help. He began going up and down with a few hundred push ups. Then he made a few laps around the neighborhood. Looking around him, to appreciate his surroundings. Like the stream, and the cliff off to the south of his home. After performing his last bits of training, he went back into the garden and began to focus; as he made a hand sign, and took a strong stance. The chakra began to build, more powerful every second. A few beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He continued to focus as the pressure continued to build, until he couldn’t stand it anymore and he finally, quietly said, “Bushin No Jutsu.”

(304 words + 304 points = 608 skill points. Bushin No Jutsu Achieved.)

Honehime set down her glass, after having another sip of juice. A giant snake? She tried thinking back, if that had been that monstrous sensation that she had felt the night before. She hadn't seen a snake, but when Lieselotte and Sakazuki had returned to camp carrying a large chunk of meat, the hurriedly fashioned satchel for it had looked like it was made of snake skin. Perhaps? So she nodded, slowly, uncertainly, but still a nod. "I believe so, though I did not see it. From the little I was able to gather, it had attacked my companions and they fought it off, with final results. Did you see it?" She wasn't sure if the snake being killed would have been a good thing or a bad thing to Echidna, after all, the older woman seemed to give off an almost snake-like atmosphere.
(19234 words + 147 words = 19381 words)


Mei finished straightening up just as Shuku did a perfect spit take at the brief flash of the cow girl's panties. She didn't realize the droplets of water that fell on her were from the Mayonaka, though. Instead, she looked up to the sky, and asked aloud if it was raining. It certainly didn't look like rain, the skies were clear. But there were rain storms that could happen even when there were no clouds in the sky. Maybe this was one of those? She had never seen one before, how lucky! Of course, it wasn't actually one of those, but she didn't know that. She didn't even know it hadn't been rain at all, but the water Shuku had been trying to drink.
(22024 words + 131 words = 22155 words)


Melona considered grumbling when Menace seemed to adopt a regal persona that seemed almost second nature to the young woman. She bit back the urge, though, and instead started moving deeper into the Academy's infrastructure, trying to see if there might be something that could work, and still be good enough to meet Menace's likely rather high standards. As she walked, an idea came to her, one that could be a lot of fun. But to pull it off, she would have t find a more or less empty room, and go in for a few moments before Menace would enter. Could she pull it off? She started looking at some of the rooms as they passed them by, hoping that one would seem to fit their needs. Maybe an empty classroom, or an extra instructor's office?
(4529 words + 140 words = 4669 words)


Alice was still annoyed at herself for losing her bag, but knew that getting herself worked up over it wouldn't help anything. So she tried to force herself to calm down, and let out a loud sigh. "No, it's fine. I think I lost my bag somewhere, but we're in no shape to go get it now. Maybe it'll still be wherever I left it in the morning." She still looked mildly put out, but not nearly as upset as you might imagine a child her her age acting. She seemed a bit more mature than her age would seem to signify, but then again, the spar with Airi had already proven that, hadn't it? She could still get annoyed, and rather easily, but she didn't let it consume her. She winced as her wounds flared up a little, protesting even this lower level of aggravation.
(4954 words + 152 words = 5106 words)

"So you're telling me that this school hepls you become a ninja?" Oro asked. She just starting shinobi academy and she wanted to get every peace of infomation out of all the old students. "Yeah, I mean I'm a chuunin, and it took me a whole year to become one." Luki said. She is her best freind and started Shinobi academy a year before her. "I hope I can become a chuunin." Oro said with worrysome. "You are, you're strong and sensitive, and persistent." Luki felt the effect the words had on Oro, she felt she was talking about herself.

As they approached the academy, Oro saw students with scars and bruises all over their body. "It's like a military school in here." "Yeah, except when you leave, you can kill people." Luki said with a slight chuckle. Oro got worried she wasn't going to survive the day. People already looked insecure. She didn't want to be like that by her self. Luckily she had Luki. But she bet other hade friends, too. They just were killed by their friends. Oro felt she was already getting insecure. She hates that. She already insecure over men. Her fathers used sexually abuse her until she slit his throat and ran off to live with her freind Luki, who had left a year earlier for shinobi academy.