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 Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:21 pm
Quote: 
You find yourself standing in a precisely manicured field, pristine green grass stretching out in front of you for what seems like miles. A gaggle of large flightless birds stand in the shape of a horseshoe, a few of them already engaged by other Amityville students. A horseman of Conquest approaches you, her deep olive hair serving to help camouflage her in the surrounding foliage.
"Greetings. You may call me Rucha. Today you will be working with the adara." She sweeps an arm toward the birds, her long sleeves trailing through the grass at her feet. "On the whole, members of this species have a lot in common with humans as far as temperament and intelligence are concerned, so you should have no trouble getting them to tolerate you." She frowns and looks you up and down. "In theory." Rucha moves to one side, allowing you to step past her.
"Take this," She hands you a list of instructions. "Choose a bird, and make an effort to earn its trust."Instruction One First, you must bow to the adara to show it you mean no harm. Try to at least act sincere.Roll 1d4.1: Your bow is suitably impressive. The adara inclines its head and drops a feather. Perhaps it will be of some use later. 2: The bird screams in terror and pushes you to the ground before running away. You fail. 3: You don't make proper eye contact at first, but soon your adara is nuzzling up to you anyway. It seems you have a natural affinity for dealing with the beasts. A future as a DETH representative might be in the cards. You also obtain one feather. 4: You bow, but it's kind of a weak attempt. Still, your bird responds. It doesn't seem terribly enthusiastic about the whole situation though. You pass. Instruction Two Next you should offer the adara a refreshing drink of water or a salted cracker.Roll 1d6.1: The adara nibbles at your cracker, then turns away and starts to graze on the leaves near its feet. You pass, but not by much. 2: After you've fed your bird its snack, the adara puffs up and begins to gag. You've failed the challenge, but you do obtain a feather as a result of its misery! 3: Your adara drinks its water daintily, then allows you to pet it. You pass and you get a feather! 4: Sadly, after your bird eats your cracker, it quickly moves on to the next student, letting them pet it and collect one of its feathers. The two timer! You pass. Eventually your adara wanders back. 5: The adara in front of you ignores your cracker, but another animal wanders over to eat it instead, giving you one of its feathers in thanks! You pass. 6: You drop your water and crackers, watching in dismay as a passing bird tramples them. You fail. Instruction Three Ask the adara something about itself, listening attentively when it answers, even though you can't understand a word of its reply.Roll 1d6.1: You ask the bird to tell you where it was born and it responds with a happy trill and a long, drawn out bird story. After a while, you begin to get bored. The adara stops mid-chirp, gets up, and waddles away. You fail. 2: The adara looks on in confusion and dismay as you try to stutter out an interesting question. You fail. 3: Your bird is pleased by your question. It sits down and shares a tweety tale of intrigue that you manage to remain bright-eyed and alert for. You pass. 4: Your question frightens the adara and it leaves your vicinity with a shiver. Its shaking causes one of its feathers to fall nearby. You fail. 5: In an effort to seem like you care, you ask your adara a very personal question that it refuses to answer. You fail. 6: You've coincidentally hit on your adara's favorite topic of all time, and even if you can't understand what it's saying, it's still pretty entertaining. You listen as attentively as you can, and are awarded with a feather for your trouble. You pass. Instruction Four Lastly, tell the adara a secret. These animals love to think they're up on the latest gossip.Roll 1d4.1, 2: Your secret is a sad, boring one that nobody cares about. You fail. 3: The adara listens, rapt, as you tell it a little-known tale of intrigue and madness. When you're done, it drops a feather at your feet. You pass. 4: Everybody knows that secret! The adara shakes its head, accidentally dislodging a feather for you to keep. You fail. Horsemen Points For each feather you have (up to three) at the end of this test you may claim a Horsemen Point. Saiyukii (( DAY ONE, YAAAY. You can either choose to do this training that I've picked for Xiu, or you can choose your own from the options if you'd like! <33 As the rules say, if your group member (meee) is MIA for a day, feel free to just use this thread to solo a training activity! C: ))
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Kaiyumi rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:22 pm
In theory, since she had practically been brought up learning it from a young age, basic etiquette training should not be too difficult for the baku to pick up again. However, the fact that she was in a new place was taking a bit of a toll on her nerves. When Rucha stepped forward to hand her the list of instructions, she took it with a murmured word of thanks, giving it a careful read through before turning her attention to all the birds.
...Oh boy, this was...going to be interesting. To Lailah, who she had requested accompany her, she whispered a nervous, "Wish me luck!" before heading over towards the closest bird.
The first step was to bow to it. That was something that should have come easily to Xiu, but the fact that her chosen bird seemed to be looking at her with incredibly judging eyes unnerved her. Unaware of the fact that she was shaking, the ghoul bent forward in a shaky, clumsy bow. "H-hello! It's nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Xiu-Ying."
Fortunately, despite looking none-too-enthused, her chosen bird bowed its head back to her after a moment. Feeling relief flood her, the baku straightened up and offered the little creature a small smile. Phew!
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Kaiyumi rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:09 pm
Hmmm, perhaps the adara was hungry! Picking up one of the crackers that had been provided for that very reason, Xiu placed it in the palm of her hand and held it out to the creature. "Would you like a snack?" She offered politely, careful to keep her voice level and soft so as to not startle the poor thing.
Of course, the baku was probably being needlessly careful with this bird. In fact, she probably should have gone and picked a different bird altogether--it seemed that out of all of them, she had picked the one that was the hardest to impress. After eying the cracker warily, it took a few nibbles before turning away to snack on some grass instead.
Sighing, Xiu shot a sheepish grin over in Lailah's direction. Hopefully she was having better luck than Xiu was.
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Kaiyumi rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:10 pm
The next thing on the instruction list was...ask the adara a question? Xiu blinked at the instruction blankly before slowly lowering the list and setting it in her lap. So uh...make conversation with the bird, huh? What...what could she say to it? Maybe about...minipets?
"S-so. Do you like...cats?"
In hindsight, a very stupid question, but it was the first that came to mind since all three of Xiu's minis were felines. The adara gave her an alarmed look at her inquiry, and with a shudder, it immediately rushed away, leaving a feather in its wake.
"...Oops." Picking up the feather, Xiu twirled it between her fingers with a little grimace. Maybe she needed to brush up on etiquette after all. Her parents would be most disappointed if they learned that she had forgotten everything she learned since attending Amity.
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Saiyukii rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:43 pm
As Xiu accepted the paper, "Good luck!" Lailah whispered back. No matter what happened, Xiu could do it!While she was confident in her new found friend, Lailah wasn't as confident in herself. Following Xiu's example, Lailah stepped forward to accept Rucha's instructions. She murmured a nervous thank you, before turning to the side to carefully read over the sheet of paper.
Etiquette was not one of her best points, although she would certainly make an attempt to try.
Uncertain of how to treat a bird, she wondered what would be appropriate to say. "U-um. My name is Lailah. Please treat me well." She said, as she kneeled before it. She attempted a graceful bow, but her sleeves and skirts had her fumbling around to rearrange it in what she hoped to be an neat fashion.
Obviously, it was not impressed with the ghost. Perhaps it took pity on her, but it allowed her to pass.
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Saiyukii rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:59 pm
Next on the list, "You should offer the adara a refreshing drink of water or a salted cracker." She glanced uncertainly at the bird, wondering what it would like better. "What do you feel like, Mr. Adara?" She was greeted by silence, which left her wondering what to do next. She had no idea, but she supposed that she would have to try.
If she was a bird, what would she like?
Which was impossible to ask really, because as a ghost, she did not need any food nor water.
"I guess.. Water?" She offered, hesitantly reaching a hand out to the Adara. It reached out to take a sip of water, before it turned away. Though it was not the most encouraging of actions, it wasn't as terrible as she expected it to be. Xiu seemed to be having the same reaction with her bird as well.
Who knows, maybe it was twins?
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Saiyukii rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:17 am
She was curious to know more about the bird, in hope of befriending it. The next instruction, was to ask it a question. It was debatable whether it could understand it or not, but like Rucha said, it had the intelligence of a human. Perhaps, it would be more inclined to be friends, if only she made the effort to know it better. The thought encouraged her. Friendship overcame all obstacles, despite their relationship as ghost and bird.
"So. Um. Mr. Adara." She said, pausing awkwardly in her sentence. What would be appropriate. Following Xiu's example, it appeared it would be would not be best to talk of cats.
"A-ah, do you enjoy it here?"
It lit up, as if it appeared to be pleased with her question. it chirped excitedly, as if to share a tweety-tale. It didn't hate her after all! Her eyes sparkled in delight, as she settled into a comfortable position. Head resting on her knees, she was content to listen to it chatter on.
Maybe they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but there was no doubt that they would get along after all.
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Saiyukii rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:30 am
After the bird had shared a tale of it's own, Lailah had felt an immediate kinship with the bird. Leaning in close to the Adara, "Let me tell you a secret of my own. But you can't tell anyone else." She murmured. "You have to promise, okay?" Though they had no pinkies to pinky-promise, she felt as if she could trust it to keep her secret.
She hesitated for a moment, before she whispered in a quick jumble of words.
"This Isle, is the first place I've ever traveled to. I've never been outside of my home." She admitted, with a glance up towards the sky. "Sad, huh?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:01 pm
Dragain
Those who had taken Week 1 of the Clan of Conquest's class might recognize the female seated on the chair in the room; in front of her was a Guzheng. Standing on her left was a horsewoman who was dressed like a servant ghoul holding a Pipa, and on her right stood a horsewoman who looked like she was of the same age as the servant ghoul, but was dressed in clothing that looked more colorful and decorative.
"Welcome. I am Zhang Liulian, but you may address me as Professor Zhang. Traditionally, dancing is an art form reserved for females, but in recent years, even males had taken up this art," She explained, giving you a small smile, "It requires flexibility, a quick reflex... It is not as easy as you think it might be. In fact, it requires years of practice to get dancing down. Here, let my disciple show you." She turned to the ghoul on her right and gave her a nod; immediately, the young ghoul brightened up, moving to the space in front. When Professor Zhang started to play the Guzheng, accompanied by her servant's Pipa, the young ghoul performed a dance so entrancing, it probably kept you captivated.
"Same say that dancing may even lift your spirits and heal your soul... Why don't you find that out for yourself, child?"Quote: Time to dance!-> Roll these in separate posts and RP it out! -> It's more fun with friends. >_> Step 1: Costume : Just describe/post/draw it!-> Keep it CHINESE. -> Not Asian... CHINESE. >| Google it! -> It can be from the Huns as well. As long as CHINA. Step 2: Picking a prop from a "blind box" : 1d41 : Paper fan 2 : Streamers 3 : Nothing 4 : A long strip of thin fabric...? -> Remember to use what you got with the prompt below! Step 3: Now you dance : 1d201 - 6 : You tripped over your costume/foot/flat ground/etc and failed. 7 - 11 : You were a little out of pace with the music, but at least you tried! (1 Horsemen Point!) 12 - 15 : You were one with the music, but... Your dance wasn't exactly that graceful or captivating. In fact, are the Horsewomen giggling at you?! (2 Horsemen Points!) 16 - 20 : You did well for a beginner! It seemed like you had earned a genuine smile from the Horsewomen! (You obtain 3 Horsemen Points!) Horsemen Points - You win 3 horsemen points for completing step 3/ rolling 16 - 20 (after finishing all other steps fully)!
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:53 pm
Next Activity, Performing Arts.
Lailah's eyes sparkled in fascination at the ghoul's movement, utterly captivated by her dance. Long after the dance was over, her eyes remained fixed to the floor where the dancer had been. Utterly awed by the sight before her, it took the teacher a few tries before she finally got through to the ghoul.
It took her few minutes to realize when it was over.
"THAT WAS AMAZINNNNGGGG~ We can do that too, right?!"
Her excitement was endearingly obvious, as she seemed to flutter about the room. "Yayayayay!" When a couple of maids arrived to provide her with a change of clothes, her enthusiastic cries could be heard from the other side of the room. Behind the screen, there was a few low murmurs, and the sound of rustling before the ghost popped back out again dressed in traditional garments.
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:09 pm
...Oh boy. Dancing. This was one thing that her parents hadn't put too much emphasis on as she was growing up, and so Xiu had little to no training when it came to the performing arts. Needless to say, she didn't have much faith that she would do well in this training.
Especially not after seeing just how beautiful the young ghoul's dancing was. Although Xiu had been very much captivated by the beauty and grace of the fluid movements, watching it made her feel all the more anxious. There was no way that she could come anywhere close to that ghoul's dancing! The delicate steps, the sweeping arms movements--just how was she supposed to learn how to do all these in such a short amount of time?
She considered sitting out of this training when her gaze suddenly fell onto Lailah, who was clearly very eager to get started. Seeing her new friend so excited made the baku reconsider. It...would be kind of fun to give it a go together, wouldn't it? Even if she failed, at least she had tried. Leaning over towards one of the maids, she whispered to her softly to request a costume.
Within a few minutes, Xiu was dressed in a long, traditional Chinese dress. She lifted her arms up on either side, wriggling them and staring at her long sleeves. "I think I'm going to trip over these," She confessed turning to shoot Lailah a sheepish grin, "But let's go get a prop, shall we?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:31 pm
In awe at the beautiful garments, "It suits you perfectly, Xiu!" She enthusiastically exclaimed with a clap of her hands. Despite what Xiu thought of herself, the traditional garments served to enhance her kind, refined, and graceful nature.
Secretly, Lailah wondered if she was not a princess herself.
Distracted by her fantasies, it took her a few moments to understand what Xiu had said. "Yes!" She replied, as she followed after the baku. She reached into the blind box to grab a small object.
A paper fan~
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:32 pm
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Saiyukii rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:33 pm
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Kaiyumi rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:38 pm
The baku looked somewhat embarrassed, lifting a hand to her cheek when she felt her face heat up. She was doubtlessly starting to look a little red now. "O-oh, um...thank you! You look really pretty in your outfit!" She relaxed slightly then, beaming as she took in Lailah's new clothing. Something about the other ghoul just seemed so...lovely and elegant.
Xiu moved towards the props, eying each type thoughtfully as she tried to decide which to take. While she examined them, she posed a question to Lailah: "Have you ever tried this kind of dance before? Or, um--any dancing?"
And then she finally settled on a prop. It was one of the odder ones, to be sure--all it was was a long, red strip of fabric. Xiu wasn't entirely sure what she was going to use it for, but something about it...hmm. She was sure that she would be able to figure out something! With both of them having chosen what they wanted to use, she took a deep breath and turned around to face the ghost ghoul again.
"I, uh...I guess this is it! We jump...right into performing in front of the horsewomen."
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