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       #Post#: 366346--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Anneliese Date: July 15, 2014, 10:36 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The ice cold woman followed obediently behind White Fox, eyes
       unseeing and glazed over as if she were in a trance. Despite
       appearing as though she wasn’t listening, Chiara’s mind hung on
       every crescendo and decrescendo of Rujin’s voice; it fluttered
       through her ears like a song, assertive and masculine,
       reassuring and comforting, yet at the same time detached and
       cold as if he didn’t mean what he said. Her deathly pale pink
       lips curved up into an emotionless smile. “I’m curious, Rujin.
       What is your definition of perfect? I mean, if neither you nor I
       are considered perfect, I’m afraid I don’t know what perfect
       could possibly be.” Her head tilted to the side in
       mock-curiosity, eyes narrowing just slightly as she awaited his
       answer. It was clearly evident that her words were jest, but
       there was something in her tone, unnoticeable to untrained ears,
       that conveyed the seriousness with which she asked her question.
       Thin legs carried her into the doorway of the room, however her
       front remained facing him. “I think you misunderstand. I’m not
       disgusted with myself because of what I did; I’m disgusted with
       myself because of how much I liked it. It’s very much like a
       drug. You pick it up the first few times just to try it,
       believing that you’ll only do it those few times and put it back
       down before it sucks you in like a black hole; but it surprises
       you. It makes you feel so good, and once you come down from the
       high you realize what a huge mistake you’ve made but you still
       look forward to feeling that good again, so you do it a few more
       times. Before you know it, you’re addicted.” Chiara looked down
       at her hands. Despite not being able to see them very well in
       the poor lighting, she knew they were twitching with desire. Her
       head snapped up, pale eyes straining to see the outlines of his
       angular face. “It happened to me. That first time I woke up just
       in time to ride the last wave before I came down from it. That
       little taste was enough to make me curious. The experiments
       began then, but I did it solely out of curiosity. I figured that
       if I called it an experiment, I would feel less guilty about
       doing it. I purged all at once, but I eventually came to my
       senses. It was wrong, I shouldn’t be doing that, so I stopped.
       Or at least I thought I did…” The icy voice trailed off; despite
       the tremendous amount of weight her words carried, her tone
       somehow managed to remain light and airy as if she were
       reminiscing about fond memories.
       “That was how people started to notice me. The rational part of
       me wanted to blend in and live unnoticed amongst the people; but
       there’s another side of me, the one that killed. I’d show up to
       a new place in a rational frame of mind, but a few weeks later
       people would come up missing. Bodies would be found and all
       clues pointed to the one with hands stained red.” Chiara
       hesitantly took the clothes from his hands with a detached
       smile, almost as if she were afraid her hands would stain the
       fabric with the color of her sins, and took a step into the room
       he proffered to her.
       “I’m not telling you this to spite you—this isn’t some twisted
       game that I play. I’m just warning you out of respect. With
       withdrawal comes the most persuasive desire imaginable. I don’t
       want to and I know I shouldn't do it, but that other side still
       yearns for it.” With that she turned her back to him and moved
       deeper into the room. Capable hands slackened their grip on the
       towel and it dropped to the floor in an awkward ‘swish’. “If I
       need anything I’ll go to you, though I’ll try not to be a
       nuisance.” Chiara put her worn clothes in one of the corners of
       the room and slipped on the clean clothing the fox had given
       her. Despite having picked the smaller pieces to wear, the
       clothing still swallowed her petite being whole; the shirt
       itself reached down to her knees and the pants were too large to
       even stay on her narrow hips. She didn’t even bother putting the
       pants on before she crawled down onto the sleeping mat. Sleep
       would never come, she knew that much, but her body felt
       extremely fatigued. The rest she would gain from relaxing would
       replenish enough energy.
       #Post#: 366354--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Demonreach Date: July 16, 2014, 2:35 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The question surprised him, which was merely conveyed by a small
       raising of an eyebrow. What was perfection? He offered a small
       smile, "Who am I to speak of perfection? When all things are
       flawed? To be perfect is to be without flaws, yes? There is
       nothing perfect in this world, or the next, I imagine." He
       sighed softly. "But the definition of perfect... To have
       perfection... Physical or otherwise...
       "It would be like a cloud, I imagine. Formless, small, or large;
       sometimes light and fluffy, other times dark and cruel. Unable
       to be held by human hands. To be able to just drift slowly,
       easily, with the wind. To be able to be feared and loved,
       sometimes at once and other times separately. To come and go as
       you please, perhaps. It'd probably take different shapes as
       well. And, like a cloud, unattainable.
       "Or perhaps the moment when you wake up and are still trying to
       remember who and what you are; or the moment when you are
       drifting off, the mind and soul at peace with each other.
       Although, perhaps one could even say perfect is the way the
       hunter feels before it pounces, that moment of clarity, of
       understanding and no longer feeling indecisive about what to do
       but kill. To live in that moment of clarity, to be able to
       understand what you are here for and why... That's perfection, I
       believe. Though I have envied clouds for the longest time, to
       come and go as they please; to not worry about anything; to be
       able to drift freely and then just... disappear. I would like
       that."
       He shook his head and watched her as she spoke at length,
       correcting his minor error of misunderstanding. He bowed his
       head in acquiesce, "I apologize, Chiara, for not understanding
       but you have enlightened me. A feeling I know all to well." When
       he looked up at her again, his face was neutral, as usual,
       though there was something slightly off about the expression;
       almost as if chaos was threatening to break through the
       carefully placed mask of neutrality that gave nothing away, but
       the smile was the only crack. "Well, we shall see in a few weeks
       then, yes?"
       Leaving the question in the air, he spoke as he slid the door
       closed, "Do not think of yourself as such. It is my pleasure to
       help. Have a good night." As the door clicked shut, he strode
       back to the main room, where it had a comfortable warmth to it
       and slid open the door of his own room, leaving it open slightly
       as he strode in.
       He lowered himself onto the mat, laying on his back as he stared
       up at the ceiling, letting his mind wander in hopes of catching
       a few hours.
       #Post#: 366363--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Anneliese Date: July 16, 2014, 8:29 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       With a distracted mind, time passed rather quickly. Hours
       floated by like the clouds Rujin described; lazily, coming and
       going as it chose, and completely unattainable. The time that
       passed could never be taken back, and, like the clouds, it
       disappeared after awhile, forgotten. Chiara spent the night
       thinking about the clouds, the hunters, the clarity, the
       confusion; perfection.
       With a tired sigh the woman drew herself up to her feet. Snap.
       Crackle. Pop. (Rice Crispies!) Sometime during the night she
       felt the ice settle in. Her body grew colder after that, more
       stiff and awkward, and she knew that the effects of Rujin’s mist
       had finally worn off. She wished that he would use it on her
       again, but she also feared the addiction of feeling the way he
       made her feel. She had felt so real, alive, like she could start
       all over again, make better choices, and be a better person—be
       one step closer to the perfection Rujin had described.
       Chiara’s movements were slow at first; like a baby deer, clumsy
       and awkward until it got the hang of it. Once she reached that
       stage she began to move with a pointless determination, leaving
       her room with the look of having somewhere to be when she really
       didn’t.  She walked slowly through his dojo, keeping her eyes
       trained on the floor to prevent herself from getting curious and
       wanting to snoop around. Her legs carried her to the main room,
       but she didn’t look around and see if he was there, instead she
       made her way outdoors, feeling a subtle warmth wash over her
       from the morning sun.
       Once she was outside she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
       The woman’s pale eyes locked on the willow tree, and her face
       took on a look of detached blankness, as if she were in a
       trance, while her legs thoughtlessly carried her closer and
       closer to her destination. Chiara ducked beneath the low hanging
       leaves, brushing them aside gently with a hand. In the midst of
       that motion her hand turned and grasped a single leaf; nimble
       fingers ran over the smooth texture of the leaf and traced the
       veins that ran through it. Chiara didn’t notice the twitch of
       her lips—the beginning of a smile.
       After an unknown amount of time, Chiara let go of the leaf and
       moved quickly to the trunk. Her hand immediately shot out to
       feel the rough texture while the other rose to touch the soft
       skin of her cheek. Both were extremely different in comparison.
       While her cheek was soft and smooth, the trunk was rough and
       bumpy. It reminded her of scars, and soon she imagined that the
       tree was covered in scars. Both hands then rose to run over the
       rough bark, tracing the grooves slowly as if she were trying to
       memorize them. Another long while passed before she removed her
       hands from the bark , and Chiara unconsciously rubbed her arm.
       The feeling of bumps and grooves surprised her; she felt like
       the tree—felt like she had scars—but when she looked down at her
       arm it was as smooth and soft as before.
       Chiara moved to the lowest branch and began to pull herself up.
       She climbed up close to the top, where she found a decent sized
       branch to sit on. With her back against the thick trunk,
       Chiara’s legs stretched out before her, crossing at the ankles
       and resting near the end of the branch. From her spot she got a
       nice view of the sky, and she quickly found herself watching the
       clouds float by.
       #Post#: 367733--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Demonreach Date: September 17, 2014, 3:08 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       White Fox generally didn't sleep all that heavy, given his life
       experiences, and so found himself staring at the ceiling as
       Chiara walked out; the red hues blank as his thoughts turned
       inward, pondering if he should follow, to entertain his guest
       anymore than he already had. Perhaps she had left because of his
       lack of manners.
       Not that he had many visitors from outside the village... Most
       were already used to his rather strange ways of communicating
       and mannerisms.
       He allowed himself a small smile, though it was faint; just a
       faint twitch of his lips as he got up, pulling on some grey
       pants; leaving the rest of him naked. No point in being entirely
       inappropriate.
       The Shadow-Marked warrior made his way outside, his eyes finding
       the petite woman quickly as he brought his gift to awakening,
       letting his presence wash over the courtyard as to not alarm her
       overly much.
       "Do not be alarmed, please. I wish to show you something."
       The man knelt by a few bushes, fingers flowing through the
       blades of grass as red mist emitted from his body, though it
       seemed to twist around Chiara as the mist pervaded the
       courtyard. Soon, little lights could be seen from within the
       faint mist; a soft, barely audible sound much like crickets
       could be heard.
       "I have been here a long time and -from extensive exposure- the
       insects here have become mutated, if you will. Something I have
       created, I suppose."
       Soon moth's and butterflies fluttered along, some landing on the
       two beings. "They themselves emit this mist as well, though to a
       much lesser degree than what I can. The species of bird that
       frequents this little place have yet to adapt, though they have
       started to show signs of immunity." He shrugged. "Some of the
       animals in the trees that surround us have also become mutated.
       While I try to not wake up these creatures, as they are so very
       rare and fragile, they do come out once every so often to breed,
       and tonight is one of those nights; the mist helps make them
       visible. The village will be celebrating this special event
       tonight, as you'll soon hear. They enjoy these nights, as it's
       one of the few nights they get to celebrate something like
       history, like tradition. Not much happens in these parts, as you
       will find out, but we tend to keep track of the things that do."
       #Post#: 367799--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Anneliese Date: September 28, 2014, 7:28 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Her senses had dulled: eyesight, hearing, smelling, tasting,
       feeling. Reaction time slowed with the deterioration of her
       senses. Her mind was able to think of solutions, to acknowledge
       the problem and hypothesize any necessary changes that needed to
       be done, but the connection of her brain to her limbs was
       impaired - or maybe it was the ice that seemed to form between
       her bones every time she remained unmoving for periods of time.
       Either way, Chiara didn’t hear Rujin’s footsteps, couldn’t sense
       the subtle change in atmosphere as he neared her. Instead his
       presence was announced when he spoke, giving her a slight
       startle in the form of a slight jerk of her chest and tensing of
       her body.
       From her spot in the tree she was forced to look down at him,
       and with a squint of her eyes she was able to detect a slight
       reddening of the air; like a cloud that enveloped the whole
       courtyard. Breath caught in her throat, though that was the only
       sign of her mounting excitement, hoping he would be using his
       gift on her again.
       With half of her attention on him and the other on the lights
       and soft chirping, Chiara let Rujin speak, undisturbed. Had she
       been truly interested with his little tidbit of information, she
       would’ve found it more fascinating - as fascinating as it
       rightfully was. Instead his voice passed through one ear and out
       the other; the only thing her mind took note of were the sounds.
       The beautiful tones that trickled freely from his lips, accented
       by the soft chirping. It was quite comforting to her ears - what
       little of it she caught. His words did, however, catch her
       attention at the mention of a special celebration, the corners
       of her lips raising in a faint smirk, pales eyes openly running
       over the expanse of revealed skin before reaching his eyes. “If
       I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re trying to seduce
       me.” Once more her eyes lingered on his chest, catching the
       slight silvery tint of the scars on his already pale skin.
       Exquisite. He was truly a work of art; beautiful and deadly all
       at the same time.
       It took quite some effort, but Chiara finally managed to plant
       her feet back on the ground, cotton clad legs bringing her
       closer to the beast of a man. She told herself it was so she
       could admire what he did, but deep down she knew it was because
       she was hoping she could feel something like she had the past
       night.
       “If this is your way of asking me to accompany you to the
       celebration, I accept.” Another smirk, another tease. Pale eyes
       fell on him once more, though this time they strayed no lower
       than his eyes, catching them with an amused twinkle. “But if you
       try anything, my sweet, I will not hesitate to eat you.” Her
       eyes dashed away, the amusement twinkling even brighter and she
       found herself letting out a soft hum of glee. Despite how dour
       and glum she became after divulging her little tale to him, she
       seemed to have gotten over it quickly, bringing the darkest
       details of her past up to the surface without so much as batting
       an eye. Besides, she decided that if she was going to die one
       day, what better way to go than by the hand of some
       dysfunctional yet devilishly handsome man with daddy issues and
       a split personality? “I bet you’ll taste as delicious as you
       look.” She purred, tongue running over her bottom lip as if she
       were looking forward to the prospect of cleaning her teeth with
       his bones. Testing the limits she was, unafraid if he were to
       get mad and unleash his ability on her. To be ended by this man
       would be a gift in and of itself.
       #Post#: 368097--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Demonreach Date: October 25, 2014, 5:40 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       He felt the change in her as she stared at him in silence, as
       she spoke, though he was taken aback at her accusation of
       seduction; his brows furrowed, his mouth opening to defend
       himself and his honor, but the lower clicked shut as he realized
       she had been jerking his chain. "It's not that you aren't
       beautiful, Chiara. My life is boring and I just as, so I would
       not want to strap you down. You have a long way to go before you
       find your place.
       "But I am trying to ask you, yes. It is not often I am allowed
       to join with another, or even go."
       Having noted the way her body seemed to reach for the mist that
       surrounded them, he offered her his arm; the naked flesh
       offering no resistance to his ability, like cloth would.
       [center]---------------------------------------------------[/cen
       ter]
       The village, unlike during the daytime, was something to behold
       this night. A faint fog hung over Harniraia, the torches and
       streetlamps flickering with life as people passed by; as
       children ran by, faces painted, clad in costumes of various
       animals and people that held major influence in this village. A
       common theme of the face paint on the children, and on some
       mothers, were black in twisting and swirling patterns that
       almost resembled his own.
       Grown men, some huge with muscle and height; others lean and
       skinny wore loose fitting clothing much like the clothes Rujin
       kept at the dojo; some even carried wooden swords of various
       styles: katana's, swordswords, daggers, knives, etc. There were
       a few staves here and there. On their feet, they wore nothing;
       though a pair of shoes hung around their necks with metal toes
       and heels.
       Huge, elaborate stages had been erected with dancers and singers
       and musicians adorning them; fire-eaters and magicians littered
       the crowd, some of those stages or in the streets. But all wore
       masks or had their faces painted, obscuring any real defining
       features.
       Food carts were posted at every block, and even shops had taken
       residence along the buildings that were otherwise closed.
       Rujin and Chiara would quickly become apart of the hub-bub of
       the celebration, a small smile found its place on the face of
       the otherwise neutral expression of White Fox.
       The night was rather cool, the moon half-full as it stared upon
       the party-goers.
       #Post#: 368534--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Anneliese Date: November 16, 2014, 12:04 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]Chiara listened to him with a slight quirk of her lips.
       Amusement shone clear in her eyes though she said not a word. At
       the offer of his arm hers easily slipped through his; ice cold
       flesh pressing against the warm, soft flesh of his. As he led
       her back to the dojo her thoughts lingered on just that; warmth.
       Chi trusted him enough to slide her eyes shut, allowing him to
       lead her blindly to the building with her lungs taking the
       deepest of breaths.
       -----
       The fog put a damper on the night, only intensifying the fog in
       her natural eyesight as she followed close behind the towering
       man. People passed by, faces obscured by masks or facepaint. In
       Chiara’s eyes they were a blur of color; monsters on either side
       of her, which made her body move even closer to Rujin’s in
       search of firm guidance. The irony of the situation proved to be
       quite dramatic; the only real monster in the area was her. There
       wasn’t a way Rujin could be a monster, especially in her eyes.
       Perhaps her eyesight was truly failing her.
       His movement were quick. The slight turn of his lips were
       indistinguishable to Chiara, but his eagerness was clear in the
       pace at which he cut through the crowd. After a while of
       following she had to reach out, hand clasping his forearm in a
       tight, almost desperate hold. “You need to slow down..” Her
       breath wasn’t labored and her muscles weren’t fatigued, but she
       was having trouble keeping up with him; the ice forming in her
       bones slowing her down significantly in the cool night. However
       it didn’t stop her eyes from gaining a dull glow of excitement.
       Curious the woman was about the festivities, even more curious
       as to what he would do. Would he enjoy one of the street side
       performances? Or take to one of the many games set up alongside
       the street?
       “What should we do?”
       [/center]
       #Post#: 371160--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Demonreach Date: December 1, 2014, 11:39 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       He laughed at her question, a full-throated, merry laugh at
       that. "What should we do? Why! What can't we do?! The night is
       ours, or yours more specifically, my beautiful creature. I have
       other engagements, though you are more than welcome to watch."
       Heeding her earlier comment about his needing to slow down, he
       hefted her up and switched her to his back as he set off again
       through the crowd, not allowing her to protest the movement.
       "In truth, this is one of the few nights out of the year that I
       can... unmask myself. Everyone looks the same, more or less.
       They don't notice my face nor do they realize who I am. I am a
       ghost to them, on any other day, but today..." He breathed in
       and let it out slowly, as if content. "But today, I am the
       storm. I can be me. I do not have to hide. I shall show you what
       I mean.
       "For months, all leading up to this night, most men and women
       train -some kids as well. I train these people in this... dance,
       though that is wrong, but you will understand why I call it that
       once we start. There are only four of us, however, which isn't a
       bad thing. It is a long process. You shall see."
       After a few seconds went by, he spoke again, "Let me know if you
       are hungry or thirsty or something."
       In relative silence he walked, packing the cold woman around as
       if she was a small child; it was rather soothing to feel the
       coldness of her own body spread over his. Perhaps he had been a
       bit too bold in picking her up... He felt his face flush as he
       thought about it but didn't dare put her down.
       Your grave, lie in it...
       As they neared a rather large stage, it was surrounded by
       people; which was saying something given the small stature of
       the village. "This is it."
       He nodded over to the stage, where another man, a woman, and a
       boy were standing. The man was large in build, rough around the
       edges with a seemingly permanent scowl, though a small smile was
       fixed upon his face; bald and bare-chested. The woman, while
       pretty, had a homely feel to her though she was lithe; long
       brown hair hung over her shoulders, and when she smiled, there
       was a few teeth missing. The boy was small, as was expected,
       though tall for his age; limbs too long for his frame, a few
       teeth missing as well and one was loose, as was evident by his
       constant poking it with his tongue.
       "They are waiting for me, so I must put you down. If you must
       watch, then stand here, but you do not have to."
       As he set her down, carefully and rather prudishly, he pushed
       through the crowd to stand upon the stage with the rest of the
       contestants. He grinned at Chiara before his usual neutral
       expression took hold; the others took a step to the side almost
       subconsciously.
       While he stood almost a head taller than the large man, the
       woman almost matched him for height; the kid barely reaching
       their waists.
       A fat, balding man dressed in extravagant clothing walked upon
       the stage and addressed the crowd, "Tonight we will be having
       our annual Dance of Blades, a tradition set down by our
       ancestors who learned this from The White Fox. To this day, we
       pass this dance on to our younger generations; we hold these
       competitions, not just for fun; not for honor or glory, nor for
       the women, or men. No, this is a tradition that has seen us
       through tough times and harder times. Through the darkness when
       no light was to be had, we made that light. When The White Fox
       built this village, he gave us this; and though he never asked
       for worship or for us to call him our master and god, we have.
       In this Dance, we open our souls to him so that when he chooses
       to call upon us once again, we will be ready; our best and
       strongest will be there. But let not these Dancer's be the only
       ones to open their souls, but may we each open ours as well. Let
       us join together in this Dance, though not as Dancer's as these
       four, but as brothers and sisters.
       "Now! Let our Dancer's take up their shoes and may The White Fox
       judge you worthy."
       In this Dance, the Dancer's take up metal-shod shoes and perform
       the Dance of Blades. This Dance was created by White Fox himself
       to quickly and effectively take down his targets, or large
       groups of enemies. The Dancer's must recreate this Dance to the
       best of their skill without faltering or missing a step. There
       is no end to the Dance, as such, but a series of movements that
       blend in together to make a pattern of death. The ending is when
       the opponent dies.
       "First, we will let the boy compete and then the woman. The two
       men will face off against each other. There are medics, but do
       try to keep the damage to a minimum." With that, the portly man
       exited the stage as did the three adults, leaving the kid to his
       own.
       [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center]
       At first, there was a subtle hit of a drum; steadily picking up
       tempo. While most couldn't hear the first hit, the child was
       trained to do so, as was most others, and immediately the boy
       went into the motions of the Dance, shoes slowly, but steadily
       picking up pace with the drum, tapping loudly against the wooden
       stage as he Danced.
       The kid twisted and turned, jumping to criss-cross his shoes
       together, creating a shower of sparks that lent a few
       appreciative noises from the crowd. Within thirty minutes, steam
       was rolling of the kid as his body heated up, colliding with the
       coolness of the air.
       An hour into it, he started to breath heavy, and his steps were
       slightly off pace with the drum.
       Not too much longer than that, the kid missed a step, tripped
       over his own feet and fell onto the stage with a dull thud. The
       crowd clapped and cheered, offering praise. He was quickly
       rushed off the stage to present the woman.
       [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center]
       While the kid's movements were good, the woman made his seem
       slow as she Danced, sending showers of sparks and echoing her
       shoes off the wood; you could almost see the people she was
       Dancing against, each drop of a foot, each clasp of shoes,
       brought a small grunt from her lips, though subdued as to not
       distract the crowd. However, she only lasted thirty minutes
       before collapsing from exhaustion, face and body covered in
       sweat; hair matted to her face and her clothes clung to her
       body.
       [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center]
       With the two men, their shoes were different; blades had been
       attached to the ends of them and there were no drums. They bowed
       to each other and began.
       At first, they were slow; as if feeling each other. While it
       seemed they were an even match, Rujin started to move faster;
       though the bigger man caught up after taking a couple of slashes
       on his legs and arms. While the cold, calculated look was
       plastered on his face, Rujin was grinning; a small sheen of
       sweat covered the larger man.
       Soon enough, both men were covered with small red lines that
       oozed blood, Rujin seeming the worst of the two.
       As they tattooed out their Dance against each other, the two men
       started to differ in techniques. Or, the difference was starting
       to finally show.
       The Dance of Blades isn't a set technique. It's any number of
       limb combinations that can be used the most effectively against
       your opponent; but, in Harniraia, the people had made a Dance
       that was more for beginners, as warm up exercises for the young
       and old; something easy to grasp. But for the more advanced,
       such as Rujin and the large man and the woman, they could add
       their own combinations in there. For Rujin, he taught the
       traditional style of Dance that the village had set; though he
       did offer other lessons to further the Dance. The large man had
       mastered the more common Dance and set to making it his own
       after a couple of years of doing these competitions.
       While said competitions usually only had one set style, it
       wasn't uncommon for the Dancer's to change it up a bit; or fall
       into the habit of making new combo's to take down their
       opponent, such as what Rujin and the man were doing. And that's
       also a reason why these Dance's go unjudged.
       So, while it seemed they were matching each other movements at
       first, they quickly began to tear down each other's defenses;
       slowly, steadily. Blood covered the stage, as well as some of
       the villagers standing a bit too close.
       It was beautiful to watch the two men go at it; both fluid and
       quick. Not a wasted movement or moment. Their legs quickly
       becoming twisted blurs of action as they fought to end the bout.
       Clothing became torn, flesh eaten alive by the razor sharp
       blades.
       After two hours, they came apart; both bloody and sweaty, the
       breathing of both men slightly labored.
       Rujin sighed contently, catching his breath and launched himself
       at the large man; sending a flurry of kicks that scored deep
       cuts along his ribs and stomach, before jumping up and away,
       though twisting his body into a deadly spin that scissored the
       two blades that the large man barely avoided with his own flurry
       of kicks that managed to bite into Rujin.
       Once his feet touched the ground once more, White Fox launched
       himself into the Dance again; letting his body and legs move
       faster and faster, letting go of thought and reaching into a
       place deep in his mind that allowed nothing but total focus; no
       energy wasted as he brought the large man down.
       Said large man was able to keep the worst of it at bay and aimed
       a careful kick the back of Rujin's thigh, cutting up the muscle
       as the large man just ducked beneath a kick.
       Rujin carefully landed on his feet as to not fall over from the
       wound, and bowed his head in defeat. The bald man accepted with
       a nod of his own and they both limped off stage, the
       Shadow-Marked assassin holding a hand up to let Chiara know to
       stay, allowing the medics to look at them. As he limped away
       from the medics after they sewed his leg up, he walked over
       towards Chiara and gave her a small smile.
       "What'd you think?"
       #Post#: 380178--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Anneliese Date: December 22, 2014, 1:39 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]He was dynamic; constantly evolving into something
       greater. Just when she thought she understood him he did
       something completely out of character.
       His laugh was like broken glass. It didn’t sound right coming
       from the emotionless man - but from the look of things he didn’t
       seem all that emotionless and detached. His eyes were no longer
       empty, rather they were glittering with a childish glee Chiara
       both loathed and adored. And that laugh. While it didn’t sound
       right it was utterly beautiful and had her swooning.
       The night was hers, or that was what he told her. She was given
       the option to do whatever she pleased yet he proceeded to scoop
       her up onto his back and carry her to his destination - not
       hers. Chiara made no protest other than a smile that didn’t
       reach her eyes.
       His words were lies. Thy angered Chiara though she made no
       attempt to rebuke his claims, not wanting to break that
       disgustingly beautiful and warm mask he now cloaked himself
       with. It was so innocent and sincere. Why did he shut himself
       off. There was nothing special about this night other than the
       festival going on, though she could only assume it meant far
       more to him than it did to her - another thing that made her
       want to tear out her eyes so she couldn’t look at him. Good
       thing it was dark and she was having difficulty seeing anyways.
       The stage was small, the village was small, but Rujin was large
       - their passion was large. It penetrated the ice cold shell of
       the woman that rest against the warm man’s back. They were no
       longer the same. Rujin was complete now; he was warm inside and
       out if only for the night. But Chiara was still cold and slowly
       dying on the inside. Jealousy was a bitch. She felt left behind,
       abandoned, and those feelings only intensified when he dropped
       her down unceremoniously and sliced his way through the crowd up
       to the stage. Alone was what she always felt and it’s what she
       will always feel. What made her think Rujin could change that?
       She didn’t need romantic intimacy; hot hands running over her
       cold skin, making her feel alive in more ways than one. No. She
       just needed the comradeship - the feeling that she wasn’t alone
       in her endless fight to seek her destiny, or at least that
       someone understood and had an idea of what she was possibly
       going through.
       White Fox was gone and Rujin finally made his appearance.
       -----
       Chiara found herself coming out of her thoughts just as Rujin
       was stepping on stage with the other man. He as large compared
       to the foxish man Chi came to know, but even with the twinkle in
       his eyes and his signature neutral expression Rujin still looked
       deadly.
       In no time their tempo succeeded that of the woman’s before.
       Their movements were a blur to Chiara but that didn’t take away
       from the beauty of their lethal actions. They were moving so
       fast she couldn’t pinpoint the blows that made the others bleed,
       she only knew they were injured from the blood that splattered
       those in the front of the crowd.
       It drew her in.
       The dance was all but forgotten. Slim legs carried the petite
       woman through the crowd and towards the blood; its delectable
       color a deadly siren. The song would be Chiara’s undoing had she
       not caught herself. Realization struck her when blood splattered
       across her forehead. Just from the smell alone she could tell it
       wasn’t Rujin’s, though she retreated anyways, making her way
       back to the exact spot he left her.
       Ruby red blood remained on her forehead through the rest of the
       match. Once more Chiara succumbed to the relentless chatter in
       her head, standing stiff as a board, unmoving, and utterly empty
       as the fight went on. If it wasn’t for the loud cheer that
       erupted from the crowd she wouldn’t have known it even ended.
       Her pale eyes immediately sought her guide out, finding him with
       medics who took pride in dressing his wounds. A few minutes
       later he was back at her side, limping all the way. Chiara
       turned to him. She expected his question but didn’t know how to
       answer it. Did he want the truth? Or the real truth?
       The truth? “It was beautiful.”
       The real truth? She hated it.
       Round eyes looked up to him. A sheen of sweat still covered his
       body and she greedily drunk in the image without any hesitation.
       Even after the medics patched up the larger of the wounds, the
       small ones were still oozing that beautiful crimson liquid. A
       certain knick on his jaw caught her attention, a bead of red
       threatening to trickle down his neck. A pale finger ran over the
       skin, scooping up the blood before it could make an even bigger
       mess - or was the mess already made? She waited for his eyes to
       turn somewhere else before dragging her finger on her tongue.
       His blood wasn’t as sweet and delectable as she was expecting.
       It crush all fantasies she conjured up in her head.
       It was bitter, cold, utterly disgusting. And she wanted more.
       [/center]
       #Post#: 380344--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Village of Harniraia: Home of White Fox
       By: Demonreach Date: December 23, 2014, 5:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       He frowned ever so slightly as she answered his question. White
       Fox sighed, feeling the slightest bit ashamed. "I do apologize.
       I know it's not something one would usually find enjoyable..."
       He allowed the quiet to reign as he watched her from his
       peripherals, the frown deepening upon his face as he felt her
       finger upon his flesh, fighting instincts to brush her away;
       almost scared that he would startle her. He watched as she took
       the blood into her mouth, watched her face as she tasted it,
       savored it. Even though her touch was something of lust, he
       enjoyed it; that brief moment of contact. Just as he had enjoyed
       having her upon his arm, as he carried her through the crowd.
       White Fox held little doubt before that the woman was serious
       about her... condition, but within this moment, everything
       solidified.
       Offering a faint smile, he spoke, "Is that why you disliked the
       performance? I had not meant to disrupt your peace, however
       fragile it had been. Please, forgive my offense." He bowed his
       head in apology. "I shall take you back if that is what you
       wish, but the night is yours now; any fear you may have for the
       night put aside."
       Something inside of him twinged, a sort of want that he had all
       but forgotten. He felt himself growing distant again, mentally
       at least, though allowed whatever contact their bodies made to
       be lest he put her off.
       He offered his arm to Chiara, "Shall we, mo fuar áilleacht?
       Wherever your feet will take you, I shall follow."
       *****************************************************
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