The Iron Fan [Sa'Flora]

by **Cachet** on October 5th, 2011, 12:41 pm

Her request seemed to fall on deaf ears, at first. There didn’t seem to be anyone here at all; her only company the gentle wind from across the lake. It was quiet…very quiet here. Bamboo style mats laid out on the floor for sparring seemed so lonely without students on them practicing. It was quiet…serene really. There was a set of stairs on the far side that led up to the pavilions second story, but even she knew that was where the masters were. That is where they practiced and meditated. She knew better than to try and go up there. That space was reserved for the masters of the pavilion…which she was not. The wind caressed her gently for a few moments and her words still seemed to hang in the void. Was anyone even here at all? Just as she was about to give up a lone figure same down the stairs.

She was an average height figure, although her features weren’t totally feminine or masculine. They were somewhere in between. But Sa’Flora would be able to tell she was indeed Konti by the shimmering of her scales. She had white blond hair that was a mess and not past her chin. But her lips and eyes were decorated with blue makeup against her pale white face. She wore white baggy pants with a matching robed top. At each of her sides was an ornate suvai in its custom made holster. She walked with a purpose, no feminine sway in her steps as she approached Sa’Flora.

Her eyes wondered over the figure before her. Who would come at this time and request such an odd thing? She saw the fan the woman held in her hand and it made her curious. Why would someone buy such a strange weapon? Then she thought back to her experience as a mercenary. There were plenty of times a fan would’ve been easy to get into places. And a steel fan, well that would’ve made plenty of jobs easier for her. She held out a hand and waited for the woman to give it to her. She then turned it over in her hands. It was heavy. The outside of the case made of a dense metal. She then opened it and examined it further. Each of the fan barbs were made of metal as well, but at first glance it wouldn’t appear so. The fan barbs were also pointed and sharpened at the ends and protruded a little from the fan material. Perfect for cutting someone while the fan was open. The material itself was a thick and canvas like with bright colors; this was to distract your enemy while you attacked them. She turned the weapon over in her hands and nodded somewhat.

“An elegant weapon. Interesting.” She said folding it up and handing it back. “You will have great trouble finding anyone skilled in this weapon, however I have heard of this weapon and seen its use in my travels. Very effective if you combine either two of these together or martial arts.” She said as she nodded again and looked the woman over again.

She seemed promising enough. Like she would be able to learn enough, and to tell the truth Val’mara had always wanted to learn of this ornate weapon. Not like she had the seduction or body to put it to real use. It was often a weapon used by prostitutes or courtesans because it was easy for them to hide. But when properly used this weapon was indeed something to be feared, it’s elegance was almost unmatched. “Yes I believe I can help you with this.”

by **Sa'Flora** on October 5th, 2011, 10:50 pm

Sa'Flora stood still, taking in the essence pavilion. Quiet, calm, and beautiful; it was really quite a wonderful place, Flora decided. She looked up to the stairs and greatly wished for someone to walk down them. She knew that she herself could not go up them, being it common knowledge that it was where the masters were. And the masters were not to be disrespected; it could end badly if you did. So Flora stood in the middle of the room, basking in the ocean breeze and enjoying the smell it brought with it.

When Flora spotted the fierce woman walking down the stairs, she became nervous. She was a warrior, Flora knew; you could tell by the way she carried herself. She was much tougher looking than the other Konti Flora had been raised by her whole life.
The contrast of the woman's blue makeup against her pale-white skin was eerie looking, an uncommon choice of cosmetics, even for the alien-like Konti. Sa'Flora stiffened when the woman took the fan from her hands. She made sure to try and not make skin contact with her, not wishing to see the woman's sorrows. It was an invasion of privacy, Flora felt, and did not wish to see anything she was not permitted to see. She stood quietly as the woman spoke of the fan and its elegance, and how she could combine it with another fan, or martial arts. Flora had never been trained in any sort of style of fighting, so she was not sure what it would be like.

But Flora trusted K'Sein's prophecy of her being talented with the fan, so she was determined to train and learn. Flora knew she needed to learn to defend herself, and what better weapon to use than one of beauty?

"The weapon chose me, so it seems," Flora replied, referring to K'Sein's words. "I'm not quite sure how to use it. Not sure at all, actually. I've never learned any kind of combat.

"But I would be ever-grateful if you would take me as your student, if only for the day; I need someone to teach me the ways of combat." Sa'Flora then bowed to the Konti-warrior, showing her respects.

"I am Sa'Flora, but I often go by Flora." She then hesitated. "I must warn you, Mistress, if you chose to spar with me, I would like you to know that my Gift might cause me to see something very personal to you ... I am known as the Seer of Sorrows, for when I make contact with another being, I see their greatest sorrows. I feel it is only fair that I warn you, for I do not want to intrude into your private memories without you knowing."

Flora looked at the woman in the eyes, not veering away. She wanted to be strong, and make a good impression.

by **Cachet** on October 7th, 2011, 4:25 pm

Val’Mara nodded understanding well what Sa’Flora said. She knew many Konti had very special gifts. And that Sa’Flora was no exception. These gifts were many times curses like Sa’Flora’s was. But she knew that she could work around this. She could still train this woman if she would work with her. But she wouldn’t waste her time on nonsense or pleasantries. Not with anyone, she was cut to the point with everything.

“Then I don’t see how you will ever defend yourself with this fan if everyone you have to use it on causes you to have horrid visions. Perhaps this fan wasn’t the best choice of weapon?” She questioned as she walked backing away from Sa’Flora some before she then posed another question.

“Does your ability work through clothing Sa’Flora?” This pricked her interest, because if she couldn’t touch anyone then how could she fight them with a weapon like this warfan? The only way she knew of using it was like a blunt weapon that usually involved skillfull movements in an elegant mashing of fan with martial arts. IF the woman couldn’t touch her then how could they train? She did have a bodysuit she could wear while training Sa’Flora but she would only wear it if her abilities were hindered through clothing. IF they weren’t…well then this training session was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

It was obvious Val’Mara was a very blunt Konti. Likely had seen more than her share of weapons and such used all over. She was exact, to the point and didn’t have time to waste on people who didn’t want to learn what she had to teach. She had plenty of things to do. And dealing with people who didn’t have drive was far from one of them. This woman however looked promising, young but promising. She didn’t smile as she looked her over; trying to decide what she would do with this Flora.

by **Sa'Flora** on October 9th, 2011, 4:12 am

Sa'Flora was shocked by the woman's words. Was this the wrong weapon for her? Surely not ... K'Sein had told her that it was perfect for her! That, or throwing weapons .. Should she have gotten a different weapon? Flora was nervous now, feeling unsure about the entire situation.

"Um, no, I have to have skin-to-skin contact to have my visions." Flora answered quickly. "I really should wear clothing that covers my whole body. I've survived this long by just keeping my distance from others and never touching them, but I think that might not be enough." Flora decided that she would soon go clothes shopping and buy something that covered her skin more.

Flora stood awkwardly as the woman examined her. Flora was anything but threatening looking. Small, weak and frail, she looked like a frightened bunny rabbit caught in a trap. Could this small Konti learn the ways of the warfan? She wasn't sure herself, but she was determined to try.

by **Cachet** on October 10th, 2011, 7:32 pm

Linkage :

Val’Mara nodded and then spoke. “I will return wait here.” She said as she disappeared into the above levels. When she came back only a few minutes later she was wearing a black silken bodysuit trimmed in a dark wonderful blue. She also had on matching gloves trimmed in the same blue. It then became clear that the woman who would train her was anything but your average tame Konti.

She had been in the real world and made her way through being a mercenary. But what drove her from that world of violence to this world of peace among the Konti? It didn’t make a whole lot of sense but it was clear, she knew what she was talking about. While she was gone some of the other students came into the pavilion some of them picking up wooden practice swords and others picked up no weapons and practiced rather docile hand to hand combat. This brought a pathetic smile to Val’Mara’s face. It was obvious she didn’t prize weakness at all. Sa’Flora was in for more than she thought. But this was about to become very very clear.

Sa’Flora got mixed looks, who was this woman standing here holding a fan? It was almost like it was a joke. But one that was about to be proven to be anything but. Val’Mara saw these smug looks and took it upon herself to wipe it off of all their faces. She walked approaching Sa’Flora further puzzling the students. A fan? She held out her hand and she had a stern expression on her face. That stone cold emotionless look that Sa’Flora was sure was her business face. Oh what had she gotten herself into? When she handed it over Val’Mara would whisper to her.

“Come I have a lesson to teach you.” She then walked over and pointed to a random student. “You come here.” The Konti nodded and walked over immediately.

The sparring stopped, they wanted to see this methodology. A fan was anything but a weapon in their minds. A Katana, a Suvai those were weapons. But a fan? That puzzled them and they watched with mixed looks. What was going to happen here? Val’Mara’s sparring ‘partner’ had a wooden practice Katana. Surely the iron fan was no match for this weapon. “All weapons disserve the upmost respect. Especially that which does not appear to be a weapon.”

She flipped the fan open with a graceful motion and then smiled looking to the now somewhat stunned pupil who stood before her whom she had picked out of the crows. Sa’Flora was going to get a lesson indeed it seemed. Val’Mara bowed low as did her opponent. Then the round started.

The pupil made the first move and came at Val’Mara with a downward strike as if to lob off her shoulder. Val’Mara seemed to wait until the last minute when she folded up the fan with another flick of her wrist. She gripped the other end of the fan and blocked the fan. Then with a sudden movement she stepped forward pivoted around and delivered what could only be called a powerful backwards kick into the students shoulder sending her spinning onto the ground with a powerful thump. Her sword was flung from her hand and she was on the ground stunned. But the lesson didn’t stop there Val’Mara then dropped ontop of the student straddling her fallen body and gripped the warfan like a dagger and plummeted it toward the students face. She stopped only inches before the cold iron ribbing met the woman’s face. She then smiled and stood.

“NEVER underestimate what you see. It may cost you your life. Go back to your sparring.” She then walked back to Sa’Flora who was only a few steps away and handed her back her fan.

“Looks like I still remember.” She said with a smile. “So are you ready to begin, I will not be that rough on you. They needed to learn a lesson.” She said as she nodded a little.

by **Sa'Flora** on December 16th, 2011, 4:04 am

Flora nodded quickly as the woman mentioned that she would returned, and watched as she disappeared upstairs. Nervous was the only word that could describe Flora at that moment in time. She was scared of Val'Mara, scared of fighting--which she knew she had to get over--and scared of being embarrassed. But she tried to put all of those thoughts behind her, knowing that she was here to learn and that Val'Mara was the best teacher she could have hoped for.

Flora managed not to gasp as Val'Mara returned down the stairs. The woman was, in a strange way, breathtaking. Everything about her: the way she walked, the way she held herself...the very air around her was strange and beautiful. And she emitted an air of power. She was a force to be reckoned with, and it was an apparent fact.

She noticed the odd looks that she was receiving from the other Konti standing and sparring around the pavilion. Could she really blame theme? The sight must have been somewhat humorous. It took a bit of effort of Flora to keep herself from laughing at herself. It surprised her when Val'Mara called over one of the Konti standing among the crowd. And what Val'Mara did next surprised Flora even more. After bowing to each other, the two Konti took part in what seemed to be a very short-lived duel. The stranger Konti stuck with what looked like to Flora quite a bit of force, but she was no match for the terrifying Val'Mara. To Flora, Val'Mara's movement with the fan seemed more like dancing than it did fighting; she was like a graceful bird displaying her feathers for all of the world to see.

Sa'Flora was taken back in awe, and struggled to keep her mouth from hanging open in shock. She held back a small laugh as she saw the Konti tumbled to the ground with a dumbfounded look on her face.

She watched as the other Konti were dismissed and Val'Mara walked over to her. "You're an artist with weapons, Mistress Val'Mara," Sa'Flora said as she bowed in utmost respect. "I am honored to be your student. I am ready to begin at any time, and I promise to do my very best."

by **Cachet** on January 2nd, 2012, 6:23 pm

Val’mera smiled and nodded “I wouldn’t expect anything less from any of my pupils.”

Val’mera watched her new pupil with a nod. She could see that her newest pupil was going to have a good amount of training. She feared fighting, many Konti did. Violence was not something that most Konti learned to embrace. She would have to come over these fears…and more. Konti weren’t violent by nature. Having traveled the world outside the Isle she knew that there were certain inherit natural thoughts and feelings that a Konti would have to overcome to even have a hope of surviving outside this Isle. Flora would have to learn to defend herself, she would have to become comfortable with the thought that she may have to take a life to save her own. That the rest of the world outside Mura was anything but kind, and there were many that would sell off a Konti if it would benefit them. And a Konti slave would indeed benefit any slaver.

Even a non broken Konti slave went for the price of a small fortune. Mostly because Konti were so kind by nature, even when they were abused again and again. Many of these slaves were heart broken and helpless for years of their lives. She wouldn’t send this woman out into the world to be another slave. When it was her time she knew that Flora would be called outside of Mura…most Konti were; she wouldn’t send another unprepared Konti out into the world.

“Flora, I have much to teach you and little time. So, I will train you meld you into what you will need to be. So when you get called away you will be prepared for the world outside Mura.”

by **Sa'Flora** on January 7th, 2012, 3:43 am

"Of course," She said. It shocked Flora to think of her Call. She hadn't yet received one; she was still so young in comparison to the other Konti. She was still a baby. It would most likely be many years until her Call came, but nonetheless, Flora wanted to be ready for when it did.

With that, Flora awkwardly handled the warfan in her hand. She opened it and closed it--to the best of her ability--and looked at it with awe. It was an instrument and a weapon, all at the same time. She smiled, and then brought the fan up with her left hand above her head, planted her feet close together, as if she were about to dance, and then held her right hand, palm forwards, outwards from her body. The stance was awkward and unprepared, but it was what Flora felt would be the best starting position.

"I am starting now, Mistress," She told Val'Mara, giving her little time to prepare. Soon after, Flora lunged towards the Konti woman, belting out an ear-splitting war cry. She twisted around quickly, kicking straight towards Val'Mara with her left foot, in hopes to land a blow to her torso.

Flora knew that, most likely, Val'Mara would easily avert her attack, but she had to start somewhere, and with no training, Sa'Flora simply went with her gut feeling.

by **Cachet** on January 29th, 2012, 9:57 pm

Sa’Flora’s attack was a little unexpected by Val’mera. But at the same time she had betrayed herself with her battle cry. Val’mera wasn’t known as the ‘blue lightening’ for no reason among mercenary circles. With almost unmatched grace Val’Mera merely jumped back staying just out of Sa’Flora’s strike as she then flashed a somewhat devious smile. It seemed her student was indeed ready and anxious to start learning. A good sign but the woman didn’t even have down the basics yet. Sometimes though; the basics were best learned on the fly. And Val’mera wasn’t completely turned off by that thought.

So she figured this woman could learn on the fly as well. She readied herself no visible weapon except for her fists and feet. “Right then, anxious to start.”

She smiled and nodded. “Well continue on then.”

She said begging her student to continue on. This would be an interesting little spar between them. Wasn’t Sa’flora the one with the weapon here? But then again it would be foolish to underestimate Val’mera.

by **Sa'Flora** on June 20th, 2012, 8:57 pm

Flora awkwardly tripped over her own footing as Val'mera dodged her attack completely. She regained her balance and stood back into her fighting position.

"Oh--okay," Flora replied with wide eyes. She gripped the fan tightly and adjusted her stance. She spread her feet more widely apart and opened the fan. She thought back to her childhood watching different women throughout Mura dance at different festivals. She thought of their languid movements, their grace. She decided that, since the fan was such an elegant weapon, she would fight with grace. She would fight as if she were dancing.

Sa'Flora brought the fan up to her face, where it was covering everything below her eyes. She then began to move the fan quickly, as if she were fanning herself on a warm summer day. Sa'Flora then began to walk, circling Val'Mera continuously, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Flora then waved the fan across the air, closer to Val'Mera's face than her own, hoping to distract her. If the distraction was successful, Sa'Flora quickly brought her knee to her chest and let out a power kick that landed on Val'Mera's chest. The kick wasn't very strong compared to some of the other warriors, due to the fact that Sa'Flora was extremely weak. But the kick was enough to knock the wind out of her teacher.