It is this worn room that Umeko claimed a day after the fierce battle as a place of solace to meditate and practice. She moved much of the old furniture to the sides of the worn chamber, clearing the center expanse so that her practicing would not damage the furnishings. She even spent some time and swept the floor clear. It is here that the Kiriga can be found when she is not resting or helping tend to the aftermath of their victory.

Or at least that is what Xander was told by one of the townsfolk that works in the castle after he awoke from his near twenty-four hour nap. It was a bit disconcerting for the Lapi to wake up, naked, in a large down-filled bed with no memory how he got there. Still, it wasn't as terrifying as a few of the practical jokes back in college were, like the one where he woke up naked in Spring-Meadow's bed after a night of too much drinking. Bad memories, that, he nearly lost some things very dear to him!

Anyway, it appears that the villager was right as Umeko is here. She sits cross-legged in the center of the room. If he didn't know better, she could almost be mistaken as being dead. She only seems to draw a breath once every few minutes.

The Lapi slips into the room as quietly as he can manage, and finds a spot to sit next to the moved furniture. He doesn't want to disturb Umeko… but doesn't really think for a moment that she won't notice his entrance.

"Did you know that you snore when you fall sleep due to complete exhaustion?" the Kiriga asks. Her voice carries an odd echo with it in this large and mostly empty room. "I was beginning to worry you would not awaken."

"Really?" Xander asks, sounding surprised. "I must have really been out of it not to wake myself up!" he notes. Then he asks, "Did that worry involve stripping me naked? Or were you just checking for wounds or afraid I'd inhale my clothes?"

"Checking for wounds and discovering that they truly needed to be washed. Please forgive me for saying this, but Lapi tend to develop an odd smell when they exert themselves," Umeko says as she bends backwards far more that should be comfortable. She ends up looking at Xander upside-down with her head upon the floor and her stomach arched upwards. "I hope you are not offended that I undressed you?"

"Oh no!" Xander says, waving his hands. "Just disappointed that I slept through it! How are you doing? Any bruises or overextended muscles?"

Umeko rolls and twists in ways that looks disturbingly unnatural as her golden shale seems to slither upright. Within moments she's back to her feet. "A bit of stiffness throughout my body, but otherwise I do not feel unwell. How are you feeling?" she asks.

"A bit more awake now!" Xander admits after watching that. "The fight is still a bit of a blur to me, but I'm glad we got through it with just one major injury. I really felt my limits as a mage though."

"No more so than I did, I imagine," Umeko admits, "I am a poor choice when it comes to dealing with threats of the supernatural. My training focused on the natural world and the lessons it teaches us every day. The strength of the earth, the fluidity of water, the speed and power of fire and the dance of the wind. Such simple lessons yet so difficult to master." Xander could swear she sounds almost upset with herself; he's been around her long enough to pick out the subtle undertones of her voice, even when she's trying to mask them.

"You still held your own," Xander points out. "Would many Jadaian warriors have stood their ground like that, to protect foreigners?"

"I do not consider you foreign," Umeko says, "But no, not many would defend foreigners." Her head bobs and rolls a bit as if thinking, then she asks, "Can I trust you to answer me truthfully on matters that involve me?"

"Of course," Xander says. "You might hurt me if you caught me in a lie after all. Err… you promise not to hurt me for telling the truth though, right? A lot of women would."

"I would never intentionally hurt you," Umeko answers, "Not for being honest with me. The question I wanted to ask was: Do you think I am capable of teaching someone else? Lilac has expressed concern on her abilities and I have been considering teaching her the basics of my arts … and I find myself doubting if I can explain their true essence well."

"Well, I've had a lot of combat instructors," Xander notes. "And not many of them seemed actually wise, but they did have experience – which means a lot when most Fire Mages tend to explode. Lilac already respects you, so the real challenge is overcoming her own innate feelings of inadequacy so she's free to really learn. You can teach her, once you can get her to accept that she's worthy of being taught by you."

"May I try to explain some of my style to you? To see if you understand what I am trying to convey?" Umeko asks. "I know that I do not always speak in a way that translates well to your language."

Xander points to his head, and says, "I'm all ears! Explain away."

"Uuuuummyyyy!" The familiar Sylvanian-accented voice of Umeko's human companion echos down the halls, and as it nears, the flapping of wings can be heard with it. A flier indoors, the woman travels fast and within moments the bardess's head peaks around the western entrance. She raises her brows, asking, "Oh, did I interrupt anything? I know I'm late, I was well … sick. I can leave?"

"All the motions, strikes, and defenses I know may at time seem complex; like a grand dance, but in truth they are not. All of them derive from the four most basic elements of the ancient world; Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Void. And no, not the void we fought, when I use the term Void here, I mean the essence that accompanies all; the great sky under which we all live," Umeko begins to explain. Her hands roll and glide as she goes, movements emphasizing certain words. "Each represent certain aspects of life itself. One you are most familiar with, Fire. To us, it represents energy, movement and the washing away of obstacles in our path. It represents ferocity and raw power. For exam … " There Umeko stops and turns her head towards the Lilac. "Oh, no, you are not interrupting. I am just … trying to explain my art to Xander … to see if I am capable of explaining it to you."

Lilac slips into the room, the young woman wearing a ankle-length black dress with a high neck, over a gray blouse. A simple affair, although cut to expose the human's raven wings. "Do you mean, can Lisandra learn to swing a sword without dropping it? I don't know Ummy, my village had a poor view of my ability to do anything well," she says with a smile, then she folds her hands in front of her and bows to Umeko and Xander, like a serving girl. "I do appreciate your helping me with this, though; Klaudia has also agreed to teach me when she has recovered."

"Swords are heavy," Xander notes. "You might have to work up to that."

"You need to learn how to not get hurt and have an innate understanding of your body before you use any real weapons," Umeko says. "Did what I say about the basics of the martial arts being derived from the basic elements of the world make any sense to you at all?"

"When you break it down by symbolism, I think so. Air for fast, flowing movements, fire for powerful ones, earth for defensive, rooted stances, water for… uh… fluid movements?" Xander suggests.

The bardess turns to Xander, eyes widening. "Oh, I'm not weak, Xander! I may look small, but I still grew up in the same wilds we crossed to get here; I'm every bit as much a villager as everyone outside!" She grins at the man, then bows a little more to him. "And, please forgive my rudeness these last months. With the curse having left my heart, I can see plainly how crude I've been. I let my emotions speak for me and over my sense,and I have been very forgetful of my respect due people – including a mage of your worth. Again, I am sorry." She then turns to Umeko and bows lower to her, as well, "And I apologize to you, too, Ummy – I mean, Lady Umeko, although I think you'll say I'm being silly." She nods after. "And, I think that makes sense to me, regarding weapons."

The Lapi seems a bit stunned by the apology, wondering just how much the curse did alter Lilac's personality now.

Umeko nods to Xander. "In essence, yes. The movements are based on the style of the element. I will get to explaining them more in just a moment," she says. To Lilac the Kiriga now asks, "What does combat mean to you? Your own words, thoughts, and expectations?"

"Well … ," the bardess tilts her head, biting her lip as she thinks, "I suppose combat means protection. Now, I know that's not all there is, but to me and the people I have known, it has always been about protecting something: ourselves, the countryside and others." She then flicks her gaze to Xander and grins a little more. "Oh, don't look at me like I've gone strange! I'm feeling better after some rest and things are clearer me now than they were."

"A fair answer," Umeko says with a bob of her head. "Now, what does winning mean to you?"

Lilac opens her mouth to answer, then pauses, glancing at the side of her face with a perplexed narrow of her brow. "It's a strange thing, to try and move an appendage that's no longer there," she murmurs, shaking her head. Looking back, she smiles and bows again. "Please excuse me, Lady, it's just been very strange for me, to be so different, once again." She keeps her eyes down as she seems to think, gaze searching the floor as she digs through her thoughts. "Hm, I suppose winning at its simplest is not dying. Isn't that why we fight, so we don't die, nor do the people we care about?" She looks up, brows raised.

Xander looks to Umeko to see what her answer will be.

"Well, at its simplest 'Not dying' is mostly accurate, though there are times winning may involve your own death," Umeko says with another bob of her head. "The connotation, then, of death would imply what about combat? That it is something that should never be entered into lightly. Too many people think fighting 'fun', but those are people who do not understand its essence. A true warrior does not enter a fight to just best someone. A true warrior enters into a fight to settle something decisively. To make sure the person they protect will not be threatened by that individual again. When combat ends, all conflict related to it should end. Sometimes this means the death of the opponent. Sometimes this means finding respect for each other and you mutually agree that it is over. Winning then can be defined as simply as: ending of the threat."

"I … I think I understand, Lady," replies Lilac after a moment. "If I understand you, then what you're saying is that we fight as a … last choice? A last resort, and that we do so to end some danger to ourselves or those we care about?" The bardess bows her head again, looking down at her hands. "There are other reasons for me, Lady, to fight and to hold a weapon. I don't wish to fail Rookery as I failed my own village and having a weapon will help me feel more … human, if that makes sense to you. I've also decided to follow the hunter's path, which demands I learn to fight."

Xander hmmms.

"Are you committed to it? In your heart? In your soul? You cannot second guess yourself in combat. You cannot hesitate. You must commit all that you are. Holding back, hesitating, all give your opponent opportunities to strike you down," Umeko says firmly. "If you fight out of obligation, but not because you believe in what you fight for, then you will fail. Such may sound cruel, but it is the truth."

The other woman shakes her head slowly, still looking at her hands, her lips twisted in a frown as though her hands reminded her of an unpleasant memory; neither Xander nor Umeko would have a hard time guessing just what memory, or memories, they might be. After a moment of silence, she nods without looking up. "I won't tell you I'm fond of this need; I spilt blood with my hands – my claws – and have felt bone between my teeth. The taste of blood still lingers on my mind, and it … It disgusts me," she says, quietly. Looking up now, she spreads her hands a little and pleads, "But I can't be weak, Lady! I can't refuse to fight, or all that I care about – you both, Anisa, all our allies, and most importantly my child – will be in danger for my weakness! I know I am not a brave woman, but I mean to be!"

"Do not confuse bravery and fear, Lilac. Everyone feels fear, Anisa and myself included. It is not fear that matters, but how you act on it. Either it rules you or you rule it," Umeko says. "Which do you chose? Do you fight because of fear, or do you fight in spite of it? Look inside yourself and find the answer."

"The honest answer is both, Lady," Lilac admits, frowning a little more for it. "I am afraid; afraid I'll lose you, or Xander, or anyone I have met and who's lives become a part of mine. I … " The human woman closes her eyes, inhales, then breathes out as she further admits, "I was terrified of Kantemir, and I felt my will breaking. I'm so ashamed of that, I can't put it to words. But, but you asked me a question, didn't you, and I haven't fully answered it. The other truth is, I also fight in spite of it, for even though I'm afraid, and nearly faltered, I am still here, aren't I? I still want to fight, and get better, even though I am afraid – because there are things I can't do as I am, unable to fight."

"I think you need to stop being afraid of losing people, Lilac," Xander says quietly. "That fear can crush you."

Umeko nods at that. "As long as you are honest with yourself, then I can help you," the Kiriga says, "For to conquer your opponents outside, you must understand your weaknesses inside. Now stand. Today your first lesson will be the most basic one, and from which all things derive. You will learn how not to be hit." The Kiriga's head tilts a bit and she looks towards Xander as she adds, "And you too. I think this is one lesson both of you should learn."

"Does this mean you're going to try and hit me?" Xander asks as he gets to his feet.

"I wouldn't need to try, I would hit you," Umeko points out. The corners of her lips curl up into a bemused, if a bit draconic, grin. "But no, you are not ready to try and avoid real attempts at injury. Right now you will learn about your body."

Lilac's eyes widen, her mouth parting with surprise. "Y-you'll teach me then, Lady? I, I was sure you were going to … to … No, never mind me, Lady. Coming." The human woman steps forward and at this distance the two can see how different she really is now. The harsh and sporadic light didn't do the change justice, as it is a subtle thing. She looks less pale now, with a flush in her cheeks, no longer like a doll Umeko might have found in Jadai. Her lips have a natural faint pinkish-purple rather than the black of the beast. Even the way she stands is different; there's modesty to Lilac now and a degree of difference that Umeko remembers seeing a token of when they first started journeying together. This must be the original Lisandra, or at least what's left of her. "I'm ready, I think, Lady."

Xander twitches a bit. "Umeko… can you tell her to call you Ummy again?" he whispers to the Kiriga.

"To learn to avoid injury, you need go no further than a tree. Take a simple leaf or the fallen feature from a bird. When it is falling through the air, is it easy to grab … " Umeko starts to ask. Xander's whisper causes her to shake her head slowly. "Xander wishes that you call me Ummy again, Lilac. I do not mind if you do."

The human woman blinks at the request, wings fluttering in a nervous motion. "He … You … You do? Oh, well, are you sure- … No, of course you are, you aren't the sort to say what you don't mean … Um, Ummy," the woman says, bowing her head a little again. "I must admit, it's strange for me either way. Since the curse has lifted I've felt my restraint return, and with it, all the weight of what I've said and done without it. It's, well, mortifying, in hindsight." Lilac takes another breath, breathing a sigh before she continues. "I suppose I'll be overcompensating for the last year or so for many, many years. I just thought I should start now, with you, my friends."

"You shouldn't feel guilty about anything, not with us," Xander assures the woman.

"Indeed. I am sure Xander has many times desired to call me something with the words scaly and butt in them and I do not take offense," Umeko notes with a wry smile. "Now, back to my lesson … Leaves and feathers. Is it easy to snatch one from the air quickly? Or does it seem the faster you try to grab it, the harder it is?"

"Well, if you grab at it quickly, you push it away with the force of the air from the motion, don't you?" Xander asks.

The bardess blushes, but she makes no further protest on the matter of guilt, simply ducking her head again. "I suppose it is the slow motion, to guide your hand as the leaf or feather falls. The fast motion might cause you to miss, because if your guess as to where the feather or lead is, is wrong, then you won't have time to correct yourself," she ventures after a moment to gather her thoughts.

"In this Xander is correct. The act of fast grabbing causes the air around it to push it away," Umeko says, "And this is where the simplest lesson begins. To not be injured is to not be there when a strike is thrown. You need to learn how to flow your body away from a strike. Now, this sounds simple, but in truth it is not. It requires you to know your body well. Do either of you know where your center of gravity is?"

"My tummy," Xander offers.

"It's … here, Ummy," the young human woman answers, pointing at a place upwards and towards her back. "I know it wasn't always, but here is where it has moved, since I gained my wings."

"But, those wings aren't… uh… real," Xander notes, scratching at an ear.

"They … They're not?" Lilac shoots a wide-eyed look at Xander, head tilting. One can almost imagine her ears flattening and tail tucking. "But, they feel quite real, Mage?"

"They're magical, I mean," Xander explains. "You should be able to make them vanish if you don't need them. See, they're demonic manifestations and not… hmm." He rubs his chin, and asks, "Have you plucked out a feather yet to see what happens to it?"

"Good. You need to move that along with your limbs. Do not lean, do not tilt. Not only does that throw you off-balance, you often leave part of yourself in harm's way. For example … Xander … "Umeko starts to say, then shrugs and walks off towards a table while the two talk.

Lilac seemed to 'pluck' a single word from Xander's explanation, at least: "Demonic?!" The young woman's eyes are like saucers, her hands gripping the length of her skirt. She turns and looks at Umeko, then Xander, then back to Umeko, "W-wait, Ummy!"

"I am getting something. You two talk out your condition. If you aren't focused on what I am trying to teach, there is little point in me continuing," Umeko says.

"Oops," Xander mutters. "Ahem, I guess this is something that can be looked into another time, Lilac. Just be careful in case your center of gravity changes again, since… uh… you have to move around it. Or with it… "

"Bu-but, he said I'm demonic! Or my wings are, or … " The human trails off, turning back to stare at Xander as if he had just announced she would die within a week. When the man doesn't explain further, she turns to slowly look between him at Umeko, again. "I, um … Well … ?"

"Your wings are real so long as… they're… real," Xander offers. "So that's what counts, as far as training goes."

Umeko returns carrying a straight, if a bit crude, stick. She looks expectantly at the pair while tapping it upon her shoulder.

Xander instinctively… hides his knuckles?

"May I continue?" Umeko asks bluntly.

"Yes mistress… er… Umeko," Xander mutters apologetically.

The other woman blushes again, ducking her head in guilt. "I-I'm sorry, Ummy. I just wasn't prepared to hear I may be … demonic. I suppose I … No, never mind. I'll work my troubles out later, when I'm not wasting your time, Ummy."

"Xander has nominated himself to be the uki," Umeko declares, "A brave man. Lean to the side a bit, uki."

The Lapi blinks, and then… leans to his right a bit, so that his weight is over that foot.

Lilac watches the two curiously, biting her lip.

"A bit more so I can demonstrate a point," Umeko says as she nudges him a bit further with the stick. If you lean to dodge a strike, you risk two things The first is your center of gravity is no longer positioned above your feet, this makes you very unstable and easy to knock over. The second issue is you are still in harms way. For example a downward strike will miss your torso, yes … but if it continues, it still gets your leg." To accentuate this point she sweeps the stick down lightly as if it were a sword. It does not hit Xander's upper body, but it does still hit him right around the knee. Well, tap him, there is no force behind it. "So, when dodging, move your whole body out of the line of a strike. Do not just lean. This means you must be conscious of your feet, weight, and the landscape around you."

"This is also true of avoiding punches, kicks, spear thrusts, swords, and other slash and thrust style weapons," Umeko concludes.

"Does that mean avoid jumping too?" Xander asks. "Because… you can't dodge in the air as well?"

"Jumping away is also fine. You just need to be mindful of if it leaves you exposed or not," Umeko says. "The key point is to flow around the attack with your entire body."

"Think of it like dancing," Umeko offers.

"Oh," Lilac says, sounding a little distracted. Umeko can spot her squeezing her hands a little tighter, which must be a motion to get herself to focus, because she says, "I … I think I see," with some confidence after. "I don't mean to sound immodest or boyish, but I used to climb and enjoy other sorts of things. My time as a cursed beast has at least been good for me in that way, too, Ummy. I feel as quick as I was."

"Like ballet dancing, or ballroom… that is, dancing with a partner?" Xander asks for clarification. "And can I stop leaning yet?"

"Indeed," Umeko seems to comment to both of them. "Lilac," she now says and holds her right arm and the stick straight out, "I were to strike at you with my sword, held in my right hand, which side would you flow to?"

The bardess tilts her head and asks, tentatively, "Would that be a slashing, or more of a thrusting? Or, is that not important, Ummy?"

"In this case it is not as important. Think about how your arms, and mine, work. Which side would be the safest to move to," Umeko prompts, "Which side can I generate the least amount of strength in that direction?"

"Would that be … Towards your body, Ummy? I mean, step towards the bulk of your opponent's body, because that puts his own body in the way, and reduces both his speed and reach?" Lilac tilts her head the other way, brows raising hopefully.

Xander grins at that answer.

"Do not forget my other hand," Umeko says and lifts it. "Towards my body puts you directly in its path. Also, I can generate more strength in a strike if it comes out to in. So the place you want to move is outside. It prevents me from striking you with my left hand, in addition to putting me in a weak position to strike outward. Striking outward is not as strong and exposes me." She offers the stick to Xander now, saying, "I will demonstrate on the uki."

"Oh, I thought inside as well… eep?" Xander squeaks.

"Simple attack. Hold the stick up as if it were a sword and slash down slowly at me," Umeko prompts.

Lilac nods as Umeko speaks, not seeming discouraged by her wrong answer. She follows when Umeko turns to Xander and watches intently without even a frown. "In my village, there was no one who knew the sword so well as you, Ummy. Even the sheriff, although he – and did I, the others probably still do – thought him as big as he thought himself. Your instruction, I can't help but think how valuable it is," she remarks.

Xander holds the stick in his right hand, and makes the slow slash, stepping forward as he does it.

"Oh, but we didn't have swords," Lilac adds as she watches the swing and the subsequent dodge. "No one in Pyrewood has a sword except the mayor. The thought was that they're the weapons of soldiers and nobles, too good and too rich for people like us. My father would call it putting on airs."

Umeko's whole body rolls to the side and when Xander's step is complete and he's forward's standing next to him with her right left hand resting on the back of his right. "Okay, I am out of harms way with a simple side-step. Furthermore, if you look at how I've positioned myself, I can now counter," Umeko explains. If he tries to strike outward, I can deflect his arm with mine and his blade won't reach me. See how my forearm is against his here? Furthermore… " Her hand tightens a bit and Umeko rotates herself a bit more. Xander suddenly finds himself leaning in a very undignified way over Umeko's hip. "I can take him to the ground just by continuing my rotation while hanging on to his arm. And she does just that, though it is slow and gentle. Xander ends up face down with Umeko kneeling with one knee at his side and one on the back of his right shoulder. "And with him here I can now attack his entire arm. I could break his wrist and elbow, along with dislocating his shoulder… " She thankfully does not demonstrate this.

"This move seems familiar for some reason," Xander mutters.

As the example continues, Lilac's eyes widen more and more. "Oh my, Ummy, that's very skilled, if I may say so!" She steps in and leans forward, looking at how Xander is disabled, but pauses. A flash of emotion crosses Lilac's face: a twist of her lips and then she steps back again. "I … I don't feel at all comfortable with using m-my hands for violence," she admits, leaning back, "But, what you have done there, motions like that – with weapons – are something I am interested in. I mean to ask Klaudia about her tools, for the same reasons."

"The important weapon is your own body," Xander claims. "Everything else is just an extension… right Umeko?"

"A weapon is nothing more than an extension," Umeko agrees with Xander. She pats his butt, then helps him back to his feet. "And something you need to understand. You are never without a weapon. Your body and mind are the two weapons no one can ever take from you, and the two most critical to understand."

"That … That makes sense to me. It's why I sought Klaudia, because I respect her cleverness so much; it's also a way to show I have risen above the beast that held my soul in check," says Lilac, bobbing her head. She takes a breath, looking between her friends as her expression turns sober, not quite looking them in the eye. "D-did you … ever taste your prey's blood? F-feel their heart slow, and stop, beneath your hands … And in your jaws? I'm s-so, I just need time. Time to … accept what I have done, before I can … do some of what you ask. Please?"

"Hakuu I killed with my fangs, Lilac. Along with that, I have looked everyone I have killed with my blade in the eyes. I have watches their life fade and leave them," Umeko says quietly. "This is something I believe everyone who takes up this sort of life must do. You need to understand what it is to kill, what it means to take a life. It is never something that should be done lightly. Death is personal. It should always be personal; any other path leads you to becoming a monster. One who kills without thought, concern, or empathy."

The bardess's eyes widen a little again at Umeko's speech, her mouth parting long before she has the words. Lilac looks down at her hands, her lips twisting, eyes darting as she sorts through the deeds that torment her. When Umeko finishes, the raven haired and raven winged woman suddenly looks up. "Ummy," her voice a whisper, her tone that of quiet understanding, "I think I understand that. It had never occured to me to think of what I had done in such a way, but I know you're right. I know, because it is Dragonfly's blood, and Dragonfly's life, that has haunted me ever since. I do not greatly remember the ones who came before, but I remember everything about when I … I murdered her."

"Remember that lesson and let it guide your actions," Umeko says as she reaches out to pat Lilac lightly on her shoulder, "Never let it be easy to kill. Now, I am not here to try and teach you all things about fighting today. My goal is to teach you how to dodge and avoid injury. I think I have lectured enough and it is time that both of you practice. You two will alternate being the aggressor and defender. Slow and simple strikes from the aggressor, slow dodging from defender. Be mindful of your footing and how your body feels. When you have completed your step, think about what you could do next. I will observe and correct each of you as needed. As each of you improve, we will adapt it and add in variant strikes and ways to move."

"I promise not to be too scary," Xander tells Lilac, giving her a smile. "If you'll promise not to make me feel guilty for dodging."

After listening again, Lilac folds her hands in front of herself and gives the golden Kiriga a deep bow. "Before we start, please allow me to say that I am so very sorry for my shortsightedness and lack of understanding. I was so caught in my own monstrocity, what I had done, that I failed to see that you, Ummy, we're suffering right beside me." The bardess dips deeper, then, as she rises, she turns to Xander says, "There's no need to be gentle with me, Mage Xan- … Xander. But, thank you for your kindness. You have mine in return." The young woman steps before Xander and bows to him. In the following hours, Lilac earned her first bruise as trained fighter – the first of many to come in her arduous task to become a Hunter.