RP:Here Be Dragons

Summary: Jinfeng does not seem excited at the prospect of training with a dragon, even if he will not outright say so.

Scenic View of Hollow

Jinfeng had retreated back into seclusion after a short voyage into civilization to pick up food and entertainment in the form of a woman attempting to sell a unicorn like it was a cow. That was a good day. After that, though, back to training. He'd ascended back up into the mountains, and set about his normal routine of meditation, excercise, and form training, and today sat upon a cliff scarred by battle and overlooking seemingly all of the world. He sits there cross-legged, and he breathes, and as he breathes, the energy within him mingles with that of the world and returns to him, passing into his lungs, and from there, his blood, his muscles, and the whole of his body. His heart beats, and the energy he'd gathered flows through him, concentrating in his navel. He breathes out, and his qi flows out to the world once more. He breathes in, and it returns, the world coming with it. Other than this motion, he is almost completely, utterly still, each muscle in his body held in a relaxed state, free of any unnecessary motion. Here, he gathers his strength, so that it may be expended in training and, in doing so, strengthen his body and spirit.

Aoife was far more animated. Where Jinfeng was a still picture of tranquility, the pixie blurred dervish of controlled power. A small woman, but still in her larger form, Aoife was barely over four feet of motion and technique. Dancing from her toes to her heels in a skipping gait like something between a ballerina and the bouncing footwork of a bare-handed boxer. Only she was spinning a bell through the air by the red silk ribbon it was attached to. The only sound her feet lightly hitting the ground, the chime of the bell and her breathing as the small golden sphere spun through the air like an artistic rendition of a whole system of celestial bodies embodied by a single actor. It would've been breath taking in and of itself if it wasn't for the fact that she occasionally send the heavy bell flying at Jinfeng without warning as if to check if he was paying attention. Only with enough force to crack bone and bruise muscle. That may just make it captivating for entirely different reasons.

Caltarok ventures up the mountain path taking a break from his latest hunting excursion. As he does, his gait changes from making almost no noise as he human feet rolls over the lose stone to an almost thunderous noise in the near silence. This sudden change in his gait and the sound was due to the fact that he wearily had released his transmutation spells that altered everything about him from an human back into his natural form of a dragon and as he dropped down to his forepaws. He gives his body a shake as if releasing a tension that had been built up by the body being too still for far two long. Having not been able to perceive the two already on the cliff from his human form; he finds himself staring upon two figures. One sitting perfectly still and only the smell lifted from the wind and faint sound of breathing tells Caltarok that the human was alive. While the other creature… one he had not seen before… danced and throwing a bell of some fashion at the other figure. Pausing, he stares at the strangers trying to determine how to proceed.

Kailani was prone to wandering, there was no real accounting for the places that her feet ended up taking her. She usually did her best to make it back to Venturil when all was said and done but pull to travel was often too hard for the druid to ignore. It’s not curiosity or wanderlust that brings Kailani closer to the gathered group, the reclusive druid would have sooner turned heel to avoid socializing with mostly strangers. Aspen, a very young blue dragon, has other thoughts in mind. Aspen is still of a size where he can perch upon Kailani’s shoulder, and normally he does a pretty good job for remaining there. He and Kailani are buds, you see. Today he does not. Today he flies right off Kailani’s shoulder and towards the trio. Caltarok is the first member of the group that Kai’s blue dragon harasses shamelessly (but quite harmlessly). Caltarok will find that the baby dragon is clinging to his back, but does not remain stationary, he will be scurrying all over his fellow dragon to get an up close inspection that would last...until Aspen catches sight of Aoife, her dance, the ribbon and the chime of the bell where all quite intriguing to him. Aspen was just about to leap from Caltarok toward Aoife but would not actually be given the chance to, for the blue-haired druid that claims Aspen as a companion would soon be running up to try and take him back into her possession before he causes too much of a ruckus, greeting everyone with an exasperated, “Sorry! I don’t know what got into him.” Under different circumstances, Kailani might have thought twice about approaching a dragon but given the transformation she just witnessed...

Jinfeng had, at this point, learned to ignore the bell. It only gave a small amount of information, information that Aoife would happily use to mislead him as she brought the bell to bear, twisting it through all manner of contortions to make it seem like it's moving in a way that it wasn't, so as to make it harder on him. Instead, he used his Breath, the current of qi weaving in and out of his body, and felt the way the ribbon slices through the air, the wake of the bell's travel, and a thousand other subtle effects. When the bell is hurled at him, he moves only a little, his body weaving to the side just slightly, so that the bell passes harmlessly by, then again on the return, before finally breaking his meditative posture and rising, planting one hand on the ground and twisting his body so that he comes to his feet in one smooth motion. Doing so would fracture his awareness somewhat, reducing the clarity with which he could detect using his Breath, but given that he'd detected two titanic presences, one vastly moreso than the other, ascending toward their training ground, he figures that there was a good chance Aoife wouldn't continue attacking him until it's known whether the... three, his eyes confirm as they open... of them were not a threat, though he could not be sure, and as such doesn't turn his attention entirely away from his Breath, keeping focus on it just in the back of his mind. This... could be very bad. He identified the pair of dragons quite quickly, their collective store of life energy impossible to mistake for anything else, and the third, the more human of the trio, seemed... not quite a cultivator of natural energy, not in the same way as he knew, but... similar. Natural energy pooled within and around her, at least. He pauses for a moment, thinking, then clasps his hands together and bows, deciding that politeness was probably the better option here. "My warmest greetings to you all." He doesn't respond to the woman's apology, as the small dragon hadn't actually caused him any trouble.

Aoife was quicker to adapt than Jinfeng had been. It was like a natural part of the performance when sh e turned around and came to stand with her feet close together, the bell and the ribbon twisting around her waist like a decorative belt apparently without her paying any particular attention to the effort involved. Just like Jin, the girl brought her hands together and bowed. Mostly towards the larger dragon. If it wasn't for the glittering gossamer wings sprouting from her back, what exactly Aoife was could've been unclear at best. As pixies were usually about four inches tall, not feet. She looked more like a woman barely out of childhood in a dress of foreign make closely fit to a slim figure broken only by unusually wide hips and the legs of a martial artist. When she looked up to speak, her airy voice didn't quite fit the pouting expression on her face. “I didn't realize this place had some significance to dragon-kind.” Half an excuse, half a question. “We're not intruding, are we?”

Caltarok caught off guard by the little dragon turns to look at it. He drops his head in acknowledging before growling in a dragonic tongue with amusement, "Well met little brother. Thank you for scratching those places for me." Turning to the others, he speaks in a more common tongue though his words word seem a bit of a growl even though they were a greeting, "Well met. I see thee." He turns first to Kailani, "There is no apologies needed for the actions of the young dear lady. But I do thank you for caring for him." Then he turns his attention back to other two, "Intruding? No. I fear that I must have intruded on you as I was only passing through and decided to pass by to take in the sight and to rest." Having been in seclusion and living alone for a hundred years in the desert; Caltarok's curiosity of what the two was doing couldn't be denied, "Are you some kind of traveling performers or was this some form of training? If training, might I be of some assistance?" Caltarok was most interested in studying how the young man had dodge the bell and ribbon as agile as he did. He knew he could not have done such a thing himself in his other form but it seemed similar to how he had been hunting the local wildlife.

There was definitely a point to Kailani’s ear, which would betray the fact that she is a half-elf. This was a detail that was easy to miss, as her blue hair is worn down and there is plenty of information to take in at present. Namely the appearance of dragons. Aspen still has a lot of growing to do before he will be of much concern to anyone. With her dragon companion once more back in her possession and cradled to her chest so that he cannot easily leap from person to person, Kailani plays closer mind to the the gathered. Jinfeng and Aoife are bowing, but it is currently difficult for the druid to reciprocate this greeting with a bow of her own. The best she can manage is lowering her head in a mutual sign of respect. The much larger dragon seemed to do a more than sufficient job at answering Aoife’s question, so Kailani does not really feel inclined to add too much in the way of her own commentary. She just hitches a thumb in the general direction of the dragon as if to indicate ‘what he said.’ The temptation to turn and head back to her solitude is there, but Kai does not give into it yet. She is picking up on the same thing that Jinfeng was, he seemed to have some sort of connection to natural energies. Even more curious to Kailani was the winged-woman. She resembled a pixie, but was far too tall. Kailani was doing her best to not stare, trying to shift her gaze equally between Jinfeng and Aoife, but she is obviously favoring Aoife. “I suppose, in addition to knowing if you are performers, or if this is training, it might be nice to know your names. My own is Kailani. And my young friend is called Aspen.”

Jinfeng is alright with the questions... right up until the dragon asked to help. that... was a problem. On one hand, it would be incredibly rude to outright turn them down, and could likely lead to significant trouble of many sorts... but on the other hand, training with a dragon had an extremely high chance of ending... extremely badly. He would consider, for some time, what to say regarding these questions, before finally answering them, attempting to choose his words as carefully as he can. "I am Jinfeng, and this is my guardian, Aoife. I am a... martial artist, travelling here from abroad to train and learn about this part of the world, seeking knowledge. It is a pleasure to meet you all." He would turn to the large dragon, choosing his words even more carefully now. He could not refuse his request, obviously, or make it obvious that he did not want to, so great care would have to be taken. "It would be a great honor to receive wisdom and training from you, great one, however I am but a travelling student, and surely not worthy of such attention." That was... probably as far as he could go toward actually refusing, and if the dragon decided he was going to train him anyway... well, nothing to it then.

Aoife could introduce herself, thank you very much! The girl took a step not forwards but into the air, her wings turning into a sparkling blur of motion behind her as she put one hand on Jinfengs shoulder and came level with the man. The sour expression on her face remaining, perhaps she just looked like that naturally? “Hua Po Aoife of the Scattered Petals.” She elaborated, introducing herself in more detail and taking proverbial talking stick from Jinfeng in the same stroke. “Two dragons showing up at once by coincidence, then? This is going to be a day.” Something tugged at the corner of her mouth at that. “We're not performers. I was just practicing with my hammer and making sure Jin here was actually doing what he's supposed to at the same time. You could call it training if you're the generous sort.” She shot Kailani the tiniest conspiratory wink at that, as if the half elf was in on some joke. “You're welcome to join us? Though I'm not sure how, exactly, you could help us. It's not exactly exciting.” The last part was maybe a little more emphatic than it needed to be. Perhaps the pixie was growing bored of cultivation in the mountains.

Caltarok could not help but smile at the mention from Kailani that little Aspen was marked as a friend within her view of things. But the honor being given to him by Jinfeng stunned him briefly with shock; he knew the outlook of many of the lesser race was that dragons were hostile and not to be trusted. Even his own white scales when he was younger caused him trouble during daylight as people mistook him for one of his cousins, a white dragon. So the honor given was confusing a little coming out of this human before him. Caltarok twists his head slightly, "Forgive my rudeness… I forget it is customary with your kind to trade names. I am called, Caltarok of the first storm." Turning to the pixie, he bows again, "Lady Hua Po Aoife of the Scattered Petals. Training, you say? Perhaps, I can use my sprites and my own abilities to assist your young ward. It wouldn't be much…" A gentle mist seems to form around Caltarok's feet as gentle waves of power is exerted to collect the moisture in the air and pull it around him. "I could help obscure his natural senses and join in by assisting to attack as well. You need not worry of any permanent damage on my part." He turns to lady Kailani and young Aspen in thought, "Perhaps we can make it a game… Jinfeng would have to dodge your ribbon, my Pyra, myself, and if permissible, young Aspen can join in the game. Then later, Jinfeng, you may humor me by answering some questions for me." Caltarok was most interested in observing and following the energies around the human. He hoped that through the mist that he would be able to observe the man more closely as well for his own training for when he went to Vigilanti Semper to learn of the weapons from the lesser beings. At the mention of Pyra's name, a small hawk seems to spring to life all on it own on his head. The bird made purely of fire.

Kailani lowers her head in another nod, but this time it is less a sign of respect and more an indication that she has been listening to the others. Her features brighten and a smile pulls across the druid’s lips at the explanation that she is hearing. Were it possible, her smile might have widened at the wink she received from the pixie. There may not really have been a secret joke between them, but the druid found humor in it regardless. “It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. If that is your current goal, I would encourage you to seek out the Warrior’s Guild. They are always looking to add people to their ranks. And even if you do not join? There are plenty of individuals within the guild of all shades of experience who might make for useful training partners. I hear, the more styles of fighting one experiences, the better?” Kailani shrugs, but she does not continue to press the matter by prattling on with additional information. Jinfeng, Aoife, and Caltarok would have to express some amount of interest, otherwise the druid is more than content to fall silent again. It really is her preferred state of being, at least with most individuals in most scenarios. Talk of Aspen participating in any battle is met with a shake of the head from Kailani. “Oh no. He has not even aged a full three months. When he is old enough, I am sure Orion, Grimclaw and myself will orient him in such things before we even consider letting him engage with others, even if it is only just training. I would offer my own blade to this training game, but I think Jinfeng has enough obstacles to consider without my participation.” Should this game even proceed.

Jinfeng consigns himself to suffering, it seems. Not only was he likely to have to avoid attacks from Aoife, the dragon himself, but also two additional spirits and possibly a half-elf. This would be... difficult, especially since thus far he'd only been able to keep a full defensive awareness up when remaining entirely still and focused, and with so many attackers he would not be able to do so and still fend off the slew of attacks that were sure to come at him. He'd have eventually had to do something like it anyway, but so suddenly... yes, this would likely end badly. Still, he would endeavor to do his best, since it can't be avoided. "I thank you again for your offer, Great One, and would accept any help you would choose to give." The half-elf mentions the fighters guild, yes, he'd visited them once, quite some time ago. "I have visited the Guild before, and may return at some point for further experience, though as of yet it has not been in my plans. Thank you for reminding me, Miss Kailani."

Aoife took her hand of Jin's shoulder and drifted slightly backwards, folding her arms over her chest in a pantomime of someone thinking. Expressive body language, exaggerated even. “That could work.” She admitted, somewhat dourly. As if she didn't particularly want to agree to the proposition. “If we're doing that, though, let's not forget the point? Anything that seriously injures Jin or relies heavily on magic power would be bringing....” She paused, her small frown turning up-side-down. “Well. It'd be bringing a dragon to a fist fight.”

Caltarok's head snaps back to Lady Kailani with a bit more interest then he had given her previously. His gaze lingers a bit longer taking an account of her as he acknowledges that this may have been more than mere chance meeting. "Lady Kailani… I respect your desire to guard the young and will not push. I have heard of the Warrior Guild from passersby previously." Not wishing to acknowledge out loud his own plans, he sends a message via Sylphrena's wind magic to conceal some of his words so only Kailani would hear them. Dropping the wind veil, he addresses Aoife's fear, "But of course. I will not strike at him directly using my claws or my own tail." As if to iterate his meaning and calm their fears, he closes his eyes as the mist swallows him briefly. In his place stands a figure that is a cross between a dragon and human. Caltarok had shrunken himself and moved to standing on two-legs. Maintaining his dragon wings and tail at a quarter of their size. He stands on only two legs with a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. He lifts the arrow to show that instead of normal arrowhead there appears to be a sack instead. "I will use these arrows and shot the young man. The mist will cover the area and be used to confuse natural senses sight and sound. Beyond that I will use no magic. I can have Pyra fly at and near him, but Pyra will not actually strike him or set him aflame. May only singe what bare skin comes into contact."

Worry not! Kailani was not actually going to be attempting to join. If anything, it was quite the opposite. Her feet were beginning to carry her backwards and away from the trio. If this was a game to they wanted to play, the druid held no judgement...but she would not be added into this training mix. Not this time. Perhaps another day. A smile if flashed toward Caltarok, as the larger dragon seems to approve of her protectiveness of Aspen. The topic is left at that, instead letting the group return to their planning. “Good luck to you all,” Kailani says in way of goodbye. “And should any of you find yourselves in need of a healer? I am sure I will be in the area for a few more hours yet before I wander on home...” With a slight wave, the druid pivots about so that she can mosey on off and continue with her day.

Jinfeng nods, his expression remaining the same as always, generally nonexpressive, but not flat so much as... reserved. "Very well, then. Thank you again for your help." He would still need to change tactics, as merely sitting in place and dodging when necessary wouldn't quite work out for a situation like this even with limitations on what kinds of threats he'd face. Arrows, a firebird, and Aoife's ever-present bell would be a handful regardless... Arrows, however, would be the hardest. They could be fired from a long distance away, and their speed would mean that he would need to be aware of their firing almost as soon as they leave the bow for him to respond in time. Were this a normal situation, he could use his eyes and ears to detect the signs of an attack, but as it was, he would need to rely on his Breath, which would be... signficiantly more taxing. He would try, however. He could do no less. "Shall we begin, then?"

Aoife moved like she was floating in water. Her hand returned to Jin's shoulder as she pulled herself around and behind him, hovering behind and over his head while she looked to the dragon in his half-shape with slightly narrowed eyes. “Take care of yourself, girl.” She trilled at the leaving druid without actually looking her way. Instead, she went about business thoughtfully. “Not exactly better...” Arrows were just as dangerous as claws. And harder to avoid. People and animal alike died to arrows every day and there wasn't exactly any good way of blunting an arrow without dramatically changing how it behaved. “But screw it.” She piped up, suddenly, her voice trilling lighter like a merry child. “Should be alright!” Then she leaned in towards Jinfeng for some last minute coaching. “Don't be stupid and go closing your eyes or anything. But don't rely on them. Use your skin. Feel your surroundings.” He hands slid outwards over his shoulders as she said this, as if to demonstrate. “Stay on your feet. No getting caught in the air.” Chances were she was going to be the one to punish him if he was. Finally she whispered a word and kissed the man's cheek, the energies of life and primal power flowing from the pixie and into the human. Hardening his skin to a leathery middle-point between the tough bark of a elder tree and the hide of a beast. “Don't make me look bad.” She added, much more sourly as she floated backwards in the air and – with a sudden pop – shrunk into a small glowing mote of silvery light in the space of an blink.

Caltarok smirked as the mist flowed from him in gentle waves as if carried by an unfelt wind all of their own accord. He blinked his eyes as they changed to a different vision and to allow him to see body heat within the mist. As a hunter, he knew that that his small sand sacks would sting and carried enough weight to kill small prey like squirrels or injure a wing on small bird though they did not travel as far or fast. He didn't want to hurt the young man and was bound to his word that no serious injury would be inflicted purposely by his hands or abilities. Caltarok actually stowed the arrow and picked up a few small smooth stones making them click a few times to cause a distraction. Pyra immediately took to the air and let out an occasional shriek. Using the mist the disorienting senses of the mist and his natural vision within it, he waited for Jinfeng to get comfortable and aware of his surroundings before tossing a rock near Jinfeng to determine his reaction.

Jinfeng returns Aoife's smile very slightly after she subtly enchants him. Hopefully it would not be necessary, but were it to become so, he would be glad for its presence. He doesn't close his eyes, but takes a deep breath, bringing his awareness of his Breath back into focus, and immediately finds that the landscape is much different from before. In truth, while the mist limits his sense of sight and sound, blurring shapes and blunting noises, it also changes the character of the awareness granted through his Breath, its denser nature than normal, open air apparent, the eddies and currents of objects within it much more distinct. He lifts up his hands, assuming a ready stance, and rapidly thinks through his situation. Enhancement of sight and hearing wasn't important here. He had been training to fight blind anyway, and with two opponents it'd be hard to tell just where an attack is coming from with either of those senses in this thick fog. Touch would be more viable, and most useful of all would be the Breath, if properly refined. He would do what he can. The ground was important, but other than its boundaries, he didn't need to pay much attention to it. It could be safely shunted to the background of his awareness, his kinesthetic sense ensuring that he would not twist an ankle or otherwise stumble during the training. Distant things were entirely unimportant. The trees, the land beyond, the view from the cliff, these were picturesque, but ultimately unnecessary. Awareness of them was thus cast aside. He focused all the senses that he *was* able to muster through his Breath to the detection of motion and of the life energy of the Dragon, who, unlike Aoife, seemed untrained in hiding the ebb and flow of his power, and thus its sharpening in anticipation of an attack would warn him bare instants before his arrows flew, perhaps giving him just enough time to evade. Thus was his awareness formed. It was not perfect, it lacked detail and structure, and discarded much which could be useful in the name of what was necessary, but it would do the trick in a pinch. He didn't react to the stone, tracking its motion within the mist, within his Breath, and determining that it would not land anywhere near him, relegating it to another bit of background material to be avoided when maneuvering. "I am ready."

Aoife stayed off the ground. And stayed small. At least for the moment. Not making so much as a jingling sound from the bell-hammer still cinched around her waist like a belt. Rather, the dully glowing orb flitted through the mist in a lazy circle without any real pattern to the orbit other than the fact that it was an orbit. At least until it flickered out and vanished completely in a brief curtain of sparkling glitter spreading into the mist. And gone, for now.

Caltarok takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly. Though he wasn't trained formerly like Jinfeng to sense others in the same fashion; what is put out into the world around him slowly drains away without Caltarok's awareness. Having been hunting in Frostmaw for Ice Devils and other sort of creatures; he had inadvertently gained some meager ability to hide his presence. He tosses the remaining rock in his hand getting a feel for it before tossing it towards Jin's right shin. With the fluid motion, he grabs one of his half-prepared arrows from the quiver and throws it towards Jin's midsection. It is only after the arrow is thrown that Caltarok moves out of his natural throwing range and is forced to rely on his bow and begins to ready one of the blunted arrows. Pyra remains flying overhead giving out its presence via the gentle warmth from its flames.

Jinfeng shifts his stance, stepping to the side in a way that took his shin out of the path of the stone. The arrow that came after was sluggish, thrown instead of shot, but still coming in with some speed, and he stepped again, moving out of the way of its path. His movements were overlarge, moving him far further out of the way than he strictly had to, expending energy he didn't need to. Before, he'd merely swayed, avoiding attacks with little movement or wasted effort. Now. burdened with a greater amount of variables, he was less precise, likely having trouble keeping track of everything all at once, even when ignoring many factors. his head tilts to the side slightly, as if listening, as he waits for the next attack or attacks.

Aoife shot out of the mist as if launched out of a catapult. Not quite the size she'd been before but at least as large (and heavy) as a small child. Which was fairly appropriate, since children did have an uncanny skill for popping out of nowhere. They usually didn't catch themselves on their hands and twist into a sweeping over-head kick at the back of someone's knees though. Usually they lacked the training. Aoife hadn't so much as unwound her weapon from around her waist or touched the ground on her approach: Just waited for a mistake and immediately made a move to punish it.

Caltarok waits for Jinfeng to fend/avoid Aoife's attack and for Aoife to clear to avoid any accidental attack against her. After seeing the movements of Jinfeng from the individualize attacks based on a parallel attack line. Caltarok pushes his thoughts to Pyra through the link they share. The fire hawk screeches before folding its wings and diving to the lower right side of Jinfeng. At the same instant, Caltarok quickly fires three arrows. The first towards Jinfeng's chest. One a little to the left that would sail safely pass Jinfeng by a few inches. While the final arrow would follow closely in the path of the first arrow. The timing of the three arrows hopefully would be enough to make it difficult to be tracked or neatly dodged without some focus and trust of instinct on Jin's part with his senses.

Jinfeng was beginning to get used to this. True, keeping his awareness open like this was taxing, but it was growing less so over time. He'd been practicing keeping it open fully when in meditation, and while reducing the amount of factors he was tracking made it harder to see some things, it made it so that what he could see was able to be used on the move. And, with the mist, even when invisible the currents and eddies Aoife's movement gives off are visible to Jin, so she may as well have not bothered hiding at all. As she lands, he steps bacward and into her attack, robbing it of its force, and then pivots around her, further weakening the attack and placing her firmly between him and Caltarok and his Sprite. She would likely escape, but it'd give a moment of repreive. The storm of arrows would prove a greater threat should she do so, the lapse in between the attacks being short enough that evading it would be trouble. two at the chest, one to his left, while the firebird swoops down on the opposite side. Still facing side-on, he actually takes a step forward as the bird dives, hopefully breaking their pattern slightly, allowing him to weave forward and to the right past arrows and bird, slipping through the minute gap open to him. without thinking, he finds himself kicking off of the ground with a familiar shifting of his qi, the movement technique carrying him far further and much more swiftly than he normally would, a slight smile coming over his face, his muscles visibly relaxing.

Jinfeng said, "ooc actually going to made an edit to that and say that after doing the zoomies Jin loses his balance slightly and likely gets immediately owned by his fairy godmother."

Caltarok :: The mist dissipates around the party as Caltarok's strength gives out. He had never used it for such a long period and without a water sprite to help alleviate the energy requirements. He smiles and bows gently, "Thank you Lady Hu Pao Aoife for assisting in the training. Perhaps next time we can practice more traditionally as the humans do in hand-to-hand and close range weapons. But now, I must rest and find nourishment." He takes to the air and changes to his true form heading to the west with a new refound purpose to learn how these humans like Jinfeng fight.

Aoife vanished as quickly as she'd appeared as soon as Jin made an attempt to pin her. Pop! And the ball of light was there and then it was gone. She wouldn't make a move again until the apex of Jinfeng's jump, when a red ribbon appeared seemingly out of nowhere to twist around the monk's left leg. Unless he could break free, the pixie would arrest his momentum with a savage tug and then, merciful as ever, drop-kick the poor boy to the ground where she'd bee hovering above. “Thank you for your participation.” She called after the dragon taking flight. “It made for a good lesson after all!” Surely the boy she was sitting on would agree.

Jinfeng does not enjoy the end of this particular bout. I mean, he probably could have tried to get out of the grapple if he had full use of his qi at the moment, but... well. No dice today. The wind is driven out of his body, and it takes him a few seconds to recover while Aoife stands on top of him. Either way, it seemed like their little training bout is over. "Thank you... for the help." He finishes, still catching his breath.