Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Ah, thanks. That'll make it easier to understand. Pretty soon, though, they'll probably be doing regular swordplay once Nuiko gets really into it.))

Nuiko instantly saw the attack coming, and cringed. It was as though he was using every trick from the academy she had hated, bringing back old uncomfortable memories.

As his foot came at her, she purposely crossed her feet, stumbling, falling, and rolling down on her shoulder. If she was going to fall, it would be on her terms.

All she had to wait for was this Ryder to come close enough for the final attack, since he seemed to do only close range fighting, and she would have him for sure...

Seeing that her bluff had not worked, Nuiko twisted away and leapt to her feet, feeling hot rage burning within her. With a deep breath, she held out her hands, summoning two matching swords of fire to deflect the kunai.

"And that is precisely why you do not know honor," she snapped. "I have told you already, this is a false Agnikai. Tradition states that no weapons other than firebending may be used."

She spun and hit both her blades on the ground, sending fiery waves billowing through the air, swiftly covering the short distance toward them, shouting as she did so.

"This? This is nothing more than a petty fight from a foreign thug."

Incensed, Nuiko brought up her swords, catching his hooks and forcing them aside, bringing herself face to face with Ryder.

"Then you shall die sad and alone, foreigner," she snarled. "For those things which make up honor are what prevent such fates."

Nuiko felt the air rush out of her, and her control on the fireswords weakening. She half wanted to cry out some profane thing, but couldn't.

Unwilling to go down entirely, she swung her now frenzied swords against his head, wishing to sever it but knowing she would achieve little more than a bad burn, and fell back, gasping for air.

Nuiko stared up at him breathing heavily. She was pleased that she had marked him, though she wished she could have given him a scar as bad as one of her own. Of course, her inability to summon large flames with total ease would have prevented it anyway.

Once she had caught her breath, she sat up, glancing around to notice the orphans poorly hiding themselves around the windows.

Did you kids like that? Well, if only you'd seen a real one. That would have been something.

"It seems we've come to a stalemate," she remarked. "You bruised me, I burned you. How many coppers would you say that merits?"

Nuiko pulled the bag close to find it pleasantly full of copper coins, as well as a glimmer of promise of some money more. She swallowed, surprised. This would be more than enough to comfortably support the children for some time.

"You must have some other terms for this," she said, not yet standing. "For now, though, your generosity has earned you room and meal for the night. Here, would you like to meet some of the young ones you've recently helped?"

Nuiko nodded and led him out of the courtyard, to the Senior section of the orphanage, where residents such as herself typically resided.

"This one's empty," she said, indicating the small room. "They aren't much, but these rooms have always been enough. I'll come and fetch you when it comes time for dinner. And don't be surprised if some of the children wander in; they do that from time to time."

She bowed politely and strode off toward her room, eager for a change and a chance to clean up after the fight.

After washing up a bit using the wash basin that had been in the room, Ryder felt something, an unknown presence. Could be dangerous he thought. He wrote a note to Nuiko saying that he had to be somewhere. Taking one last glance at the room, he jumped out the window and bounded towards home...