RP:Lesson Nine in Vailkrin's Skies
Part of the Requiem Nocturnus Arc
Part of the The Key to Open the Skies Arc
Vailkrin Council Room
From the topmost room in the castle one might expect a grand view of the dead lands, but the sight is somewhat obscured by the choice of deep red leadlights in place of windows. Still, the amount of light, aided by the soft glow emitted by several pillars of carved ice which jut from the floor, is enough to make this room brighter than the rest of the castle; bright enough to read, at least, for this room serves as the Vailkrin council chambers, where the rulers of the land might meet to plan city development or wartime strategies. It also serves as an office in which to meet foreign dignitaries and ambassadors, and as such houses at its centre a great circular table at which to discuss political matters. From the table a pathway of ever-solid ice leads across the dark stone to an elevated section of floor upon which rests another table, this one more akin to a writing desk complete with a plush velvet chair and surrounded by many bookshelves, cupboards and files, presumably containing various contracts and treaties relevant to the state.
Satoshi is totally judging the craftsmanship of the ice architecture. Harshly. Very, very harshly, because she's an Ice Elitist.
Kasyr oocly supposes it should come as no surprise that when it comes to sympathy for those who partake in that craft, Satoshis heart is frozen over.
Satoshi sighs. She'll just let it go.
Kasyr totally meanders into the room with a small dossier that's full to the brim with papers in tow. Overly full would likely be a more accurate description, really, since it's occasionally shedding sheafs of paper that require retrieving. His antics, however, come to a brief end when he takes note of his wifes presence, something which coaxes him into offering her a cheerful wave- and thus coaxing the dossier he's still clutching to explode in a small cascade of parchment. Okay, so antics being done is totally a lie, given that he's now busy furiously grabbing documents out of the air.
Satoshi is mid scowl--one of this ice pillars has minor fissures in it, shoddy work--when a flicker of movement at the corner of her eye catches her attention. ...Promptly followed by an explosion of papers, one of which drifts in the kit's direction to slap itself over her face like a wayward, drunken, overgrown butterfly. With the hesitant slowness of one not certain of what's going on, Satoshi peels the page away, only to leave it dangling by her fingertips as she lofts a brow at Kasyr's antics. "I'd suggest giving some of the paperwork to Deadman, but I imagine he just eats the stuff. If... swallowing things into that cloak qualifies as 'eating'." Either way, the magus is hardpressed to imagine Redhale hunkered over a desk, dutifully scribbling away at documents. Not that the lightning-happy swordsman is any better at reports, unless one counts converting reports into improvised cigarettes.
Kasyr s' arms briefly cease in their haphazard flailings- a mess of papers still clutched tightly between his fingers as a peculiar and pensive look crosses his features, "...Engulf? Engulf would work." And then he's right back to flail grabbing, the gathered mass then promptly slammed down onto the table in front of him- with the one carried by Satoshi acquired as an afterthought, "Bon soir, mon amour. How fare tu, et tout cela?"
Satoshi perches on the edge of the table, sparing the stack of papers a passing glance before amber-flecked eyes fixate on Kasyr. "I was in the mood to wander, and see you. Those are generally the only two reasons I stick my whiskers outside of Frostmaw's borders these days." As she speaks, the magus' voice grows flinty and her tails take on a peevish twitching. Every inch of Satoshi emanates 'restless', a cat that's been cooped up in the house far too long and is yearning for the chance to run wild once more. Unable to keep her hands still, the kit begins rifling through the revenant's paperwork as she adds, "I need to... just -do- something. Anything. A change. Y'know?"
Kasyr makes a faint gesture towards the documents stacked on the desk, then casually shrugs, "Well, there is that gala I have planned for Vailkrin soon. It has been a little bit since we've done something so festive... et tu can even consider this as moi inviting you to dance." The revenant get's a little bit of a peculiar look then, his eyes drifting up even as his brows knit together, "Et there's going to be the whole...hush hush thing I'm going to hopefully have started soon. I think you might find the premise entertaining." A pause, and then the Kensai casually leans over towards Satoshi, a wry grin on his face, "But that doesn't really help you in the here et now, does it? So, how about sparring lessons. I'll even let you pick your own reward~"
Satoshi is all too familiar about the lethality of making deals with devils, but when you're married to one and he's grinning in that peculiar way of his... caution is worth ignoring. Thus it's with a fanged smirk that the magus brings her face on level with the kensai, eyes bright with an eagerness not common when lessons are in store. "You're on~," glee is clear in Satoshi's voice as she slips off the table to land lightly on the balls of her feet, already prepared. She'll ask him about this 'hush hush' business later, when her restlessness has been sated.
Kasyr smiles a bit broader then, his posture growing all the more relaxed- what tension was tied to his work easing from his frame. With a casual sweep of his hand, the dossier is nudged towards the center of the table, before he brings his arms up into a shrug, "So, would you rather fight here, or outdoors? The towers have a fairly nice view of the surrounding lands, et all. It's fairly sturdy too." Kasyr would know. He broke it's predecessor. "That said, here es also fine- maybe you can renovate a little bit." Even as the Kensai speaks, he's meandering over towards a different portion of the table- if only so that he can hook his foot around the backpack underneath and casually nudge it clear.
Satoshi's response is not an immediate one as she considers the question with all that it is due. While the offer of renovating the ice architecture on the fly is tempting, the magus has other ideas in mind that would unfold poorly in a confining space. It's this fact that prompts her to shrug and say, "Outdoors, the towers sound fine. ...Er, lead the way?" She hasn't had the chance to fully explore the castle's winding pathways, and would rather not walk into that dragon pit. Again. Nearly lost a few tails from that last mishap.
Kasyr glances over towards Satoshi with a bit of unconcealed curiosity, before he simply shrugs and redirects his attention towards his pack. With a relative lack of fanfare, the revenant simply takes hold of the pair of hilts protruding from its less-than-fathomable depths, pulling free the pilfered silver Katanas he'd acquired a while back, if only so that he can casually slip them into their place at his hip. This is made slightly more complicated by the manner in which his cat, Casper, was clinging to the length of one- but all this means is the kensai has acquired himself a furry paperweight to plunk down onto his documents. "Look after these, d'accord?" A few seconds later, the answer is made clear, as the papers go spilling out in all directions. "...Er. I'll go...find you something special to nibble on?" And just like that, Casper simply stops, and gives the Kensai a fixed look. It's really sort of uncanny. "...Right. Just.." ...Wait. The kensai isn't quite so overworked as to thoughtlessly ask a cat to clean everything up. "Just don't get into any trouble." And like that, the Revenant turns on his heels, makes a beckoning motion to Satoshi, and then promptly steps out of the room- with every intent of leading her towards one of the Castle's towers, and up its winding steps.
Satoshi has to trot to catch up with Kasyr, having delayed in following to engage in a brief staring contest with Casper. Once the magus is on her husband's heels, she tails him at an easier pace, all the while glancing at their surroundings, curious and calculating in one. "It's come together rather nicely, hasn't it?" her comment is the only sound that comes from Satoshi, footfalls and even Ko'tar's characteristic ringing silent. Within what should be a reverberating stony staircase, Kasyr might as well be haunted by a ghost for all the noise Satoshi's movements produce.
Kasyr can't help but perk up at that, his ears briefly wiggling at the compliment, "I'd like to think so. I mean, this place was in ruins after the war... et then the following conflict - but, I'd like to think it's finally been restored. Really, it's sort of nostalgic- like back when I was regent...before I tossed it over to Ginger." Political shenanigans, good times. "...The way that played out still bothers me, enfin. But I suppose that's just because of all the unknowns surrounding it." Things that were said, that still linger at the back of his mind. With a vague waving motion, the revenant simply falls quiet, save for the sound of his footfalls echoing about as he continues to ascend the staircase. Only a few more flights left, really.
Satoshi offers only a nod in response, her attention seeming to be elsewhere. Specifically, the stairs ahead, where fingers of fog have begun coiling down from the flights above, only to pool about the magus and weave themselves into her cloak. In Frostmaw, the cloak is an elegant piece of glittering snowdust, but in Vailkrin, it is ethereal and ragged with the twilight city's eternal fog. Drawing the bewitched material closer and up over her face like a concealing scarf, the magus sighs, the sound contented. Vailkrin's fogs are like an old friend, to be shrouded in them is a reassurance when she's about to face off against the revenant on his home turf. Thusly attired in the writhing threads of mist, Satoshi picks up her pace to draw even with Kasyr, eager to reach the rooftop.
Kasyr pushes open the door to the towers roof, before he casually winds his way over towards the center of the roof. For a few moments, the Kensai does little other than glance about the darkened expanse of his twilit 'kingdom', the darkened sea of shadowed residences which sprawl out before him, drowned in the depths of Vailkrins frigid fog. "...Tch." When he turns, his expression, though still distracted, does seem a bit more focused- and it's with all due courtesy that he offers a bow to Satoshi, "Whenever you're ready, mon amour." And then he's straightening back up once more, his right hand hanging loosely about one of the sheathes, even as his left hand rests atop the katanas' pommel.
Satoshi's hands spread from within the depths of her cloak, the gesture almost seeming an invitation for Kasyr to take initiative. Except that with the movement a portion of the magus' foggy shroud tears free to puddle at her feet before abruptly freezing into a sheet of ice, from the center of which sprouts a thin, considerable length of frost. Satoshi's spread hands dart forward then, taking hold of the ice even as it bursts in a rain of glittering shards, leaving the black zanbato form of Asorial in her grasp. Without slowing in her movements, Satoshi turns the grab into a fluid forward dip of her body, pulling herself into a headlong dash with the lengthy blade settling into place along her right side. The kit doesn't usually make a habit of charging straight at Kasyr as the opening move of their spars, but neither does she tend to opt for Asorial over Ko'tar in choice of swords--admittedly, she's putting some hope in catching him briefly off guard, at least enough so to allow her a few second's head start. It's all she really needs, after all, to close the gap between them and continue past him, Asorial at her side poised to slash at the kensai without Satoshi having to slow her footsteps.
Kasyr s' fingers briefly tense upon the blade, the supposed invitation nearly enough to coax the Kensai into moving- until he takes note of the quiet crackle of ice that ripples into the air, and espies the rapid conjuration of Asorial. Even in it's alternate form, the Kensai's readily able to identify the malign weapon- it's uncanny and deranged nature practically announcing itself to him, and coaxing him to exercise caution. Still, Kasyr holds his ground, waiting until that monstrous blade is all but poised to carve into him before he abruptly drops into a crouch, the motion accompanying the all too swift and simultaneous unsheathing of one of the blades at his hip, so that he can impact the weapon into the Nodachi near it's tip- and hence redirect the length of the blade away from himself. Whilst such a tactic is in and oftself defensive, it also provides the Kensai the means to exert his considerable force into -shoving- his blade against hers once it's properly positioned, something which threatens to leave her open to a quick slash to her lower stomach if she allows herself to be thrown askew.
Satoshi's grip on Asorial is neither rigid nor unrelenting, the blade and kit alike answering Kasyr's shove with a fluid lack of resistance. It's easy to overcompensate when you expect to push against solid ice, and instead find water, which is what leads Satoshi into using the revenant's push to effortlessly redirection herself. Momentum is lost with the change as she pivots elegantly around, but it is a small thing to pay to neatly evade the blade that swipes past her stomach. And yet the foxkin's dancer-esque whirl doesn't end with evasion, as once she's fully turned and facing Kasyr, her wayward sword is brought keening hilt-first toward his face. If he's not going to let her dart past him as she had intended to restore distance, she'll drive him away with hilt-bashing. Or try to, at least--revenant's are funny creatures that way.
Kasyr blinks for just a moment, a cross between surprise and amusement flickering across his features when the full scale of the fox-kins' counter becomes apparent. Without a second thought, the kensai draws his sword wielding arm higher- interposing a trenchcoat covered limb into the path of the intended hilt-bash so that it's the combination of leather, mithril mesh and preklek plating that absorbs the impact, instead of his face. From there, his right hand dips down to the as of yet unsheathed katana- grasping it by the middle, if only so he can slam it forward towards her knee. "Aggressive. Unpredictable, I like it."
Satoshi answers Kasyr's comment with a bare fanged grin, from behind which comes the touch of a snarl. The sound isn't for the kensai, however, but rather a reflexive command to her cloak, willing the fogs to condense and coalesce into a solid sheet between her knee and the katana, a makeshift barrier of frigid water vapors. Although the hardened mists aren't sturdy enough to outright stop a blow from the revenant, it's enough of a deflection to prevent Satoshi from being crippled, while simultaneously allowing her to use the force to skip backwards and out of Kasyr's immediate range. She can hope the small cloud of fragmented ice her breaking shield leaves behind is enough to deter him from giving instant chase, if only to avoid the slicing bite the shards would inflict upon skin and cloth. Whether Kasyr follows or not, he's going to find Satoshi in his face anew seconds after her feigned retreat, this time with Asorial being swung low and horizontal to prevent another crouch beneath the blade's path. "I had a good teacher~."
Kasyr grimaces, his eyes reflexively shutting as the spray of frigid debris spatters forward- only for him to sharply gesture his right arm outwards to clear that debris. From there, his eyes open anew, if only to focus sharply on Asorial as it hurtles straight towards him- something which coaxes him to reflexively slam the blade he'd initially used to counter her in it's path. And to a degree it works, the blades colliding and that dreadful Nodachi losing some of it's momentum- and yet, not without that causing grievous damage to his Katana, the durability of the enchanted silver ceding beneath Asorials uncanny, honed edge. Without a second thought, the revenant hops back, even as his blade finishes snapping- and then promptly hurls the half-a-blade-plus-hilt towards Satoshis face. "..I probably should have stuck with Vesper."
Satoshi's weapon may be weightless in her hands, but she's hardly used to its additional length in comparison to the much shorter Ko'tar, a fact that leaves her with a dangerous opening after her initial swing at Kasyr. As such, the magus is still half-extended in the end of her swing when the revenant's counter is flung toward her, leaving her with little in the way of defensive options. The best Satoshi can muster is an awkward stumble and twist, trying to follow Asorial's momentum into a dive toward the ground. For a breath, the dive seems successful, until Satoshi pushes herself up to fix a blazing glower on Kasyr--her left cheek sports a long, clean slice that bleeds a sluggish midnight, two of her whiskers are neatly cut short, and to top it all off a portion of her long hair has been cropped to give her a lopsided style. The icing on the cake is when her goggles topple off her head, their strap having been sheered by the passing katana as well. Before the accessory hits the rooftop, Satoshi is on her feet and closing the distance with Kasyr with an onsalught of swipes, swings, hilt bashes, and feints--although how successful the barrage is is questionable, as Asorial's length makes it poorly suited to close quarters.
Kasyr s' at least not caught flat-footed, if only because he'd managed to get himself back up to his feet, and with a bit of distance to spare. Nonetheless, he's not exactly 'pleased' with his small victory, given that he now has to contend with his wife's vanity induced ire- and a weapon that's not all that well suited to endure it. Still, the revenant does not have much else on hand- and so he lunges forward to meet the Eidolons wrath head on, painting a silver streak in the air with his Katana as he moves to intercept what blows he can, and weave between those he can't- an endeavour he makes a bit easier through a minute invocation of his electrical affinity, using it to at once increase the speed at which he can parry and counter the magus, whilst also creating what is essentially a small 'barrier' of electrical energy- a sort of limited discharge based on contact meant to limit the amount of force being exerted on his weapon. "Et bien, madamoiselle. Calm yourself, en fait. You've proven you can make short hair look good in the past." Shut up, Kas.
Satoshi, by all means, should be reacting to the remark with renew wrath, and yet with a shove of blade against blade, the magus dances back some paces instead. No malice or anger radiates from her, save for a small undercurrent of irritation, and in fact she offers the kensai a grin and a laugh. "I can make -any- style look good," she retorts, momentarily lowering Asorial with a one-handed grip. Her free hand is then lifted to grasp the severed portion of hair and tug, so that even as her fingers trace through it, the locks glisten and grow, returning to their former length--albeit a hint 'whiter' than the rest, as if newer than their brethren. "And these days, those looks are only as permanent as I want them to be~." As the conjured 'hair' settles into place, Satoshi darts forward again, crouched low and with Asorial trailing along her side. Her aim isn't to collide or clash with Kasyr again, but to race past him with her blade pressing the gap between them, before making for the edge of the rooftop without signs of slowing.
Kasyr s' immediate reaction to Satoshis' dash is to hop backwards, his blade already flickering out in front of himself in a ready position. And yet, when she shows no signs of showing he can only gather that some form of shenanigan is in the making- something which coaxes him into flinging his left (and now unarmed) hand outwards, coaxing one of the myriad scalpels he has squirreled away on his person into his hand, if only so he can fling it towards the Magus intended destination. Which...seems to be the edge. It's enough to coax him to glance behind himself for any patches of ice, just in case she had remembered that idea he'd had about the applications of her 'snow-step'.
Satoshi's steps don't falter, even when a scalpel sprouts up in front of her path. Her answer comes in the form of jutting Asorial's hilt forward to knock the smaller weapon aside before she promptly ....runs right off the edge of the roof. And doesn't fall to her death, as should be the case. Instead, the magus' boots are firmly planted to the side of the tower, for all the world clinging as easily as a spider. That is, if spiders had a means of manipulating ice so that the soles of boots froze themselves to the waters within the stone wall, and the vapors of Vailkrin's fog served to embrace the rest of her form to deny gravity its hold on her. As it stands, Satoshi is poised comfortably in a very sideways world while the mists around the tower sprout 'platforms' of ice among their tendrils. Asorial is held at the ready for whenever Kasyr chooses to investigate her seeming suicide leap, but the longer he waits, the more ice pockets Satoshi'll be able to construct in the air until the battlefield is to her liking.
Kasyr is fairly aware this is a trap, given that Satoshi is about as liable to fling herself to her death, as Vuryal is to suddenly appear and prostrate himself before the Kensai begging for forgiveness. Moreover, the Kensai is certain that Satoshi is aware that he's aware- which makes it all the more stupid when he does begin to amble over towards her relative position. That said, the Kensai's not entirely willing to do so without preperation, and so as he makes his way towards her, he simply shrugs off his trenchcoat and clutches it in his left hand. Really, the idea's simple enough- poke his nose over the edge, with the trenchcoat to be interposed towards the immediate retaliation if there is one- the Kensai intending on using the combination of preklek plating and mithril mesh to -guide- Satoshis weapon away from his body. From there, he 'll simply drop the damn thing on her, count on it's weight to dislodge her from the wall. With any luck, that will force her to initiate whatever part of her plan that was supposed to come next a bit early. Which, should, ideally, simply leave the Kensai to fumble into his pocket for a gold coin.
Satoshi, with her attention moreso on conjuring further patches of floating ice, reacts from reflex rather than thought. Because if she was properly thinking, she wouldn't have moved to -catch- a trenchcoat that weighs twice as much as she does. The sudden addition of weight is too much for her iced boots to handle, the element screeching as it's repeatedly torn from the stone and refrozen as Satoshi goes sliding further down the tower's side. It takes a frantic moment for the magus to disentangle herself from the coat enough to focus, one moment rooted to the tower's side and the next Blinking into sight on one of the nearby sprouts of ice. Kasyr's coat is left without anything to drag to earth with it, thus leaving it to descend and likely land on some unfortunate soul below while Satoshi beckons with Asorial at her husband. "C'mon~. You've got wings, put 'em to use~." As further 'incentive' to drive the kensai off the roof, that patch of ice he'd been eyeing earlier is invoked into action, shattering into numerous 'knives' before they're hurled at his now unarmored back.
Kasyr s' already moving when Satoshi remateralizes, the hand that's clutching the gold coin snapping out from his pocket- with an addition of electrical energy added to the action to send it hurtling towards her- though not quite at her. In all truth, it will go flashing past her whiskers on her unscathed side- the Kensai hoping to briefly startle her so as to mitigate the amount of funny business that she's currently capable of. And given the ensuing crackle of ice that bubbles into existance behind him, that's likely wise. Thus, without further ado, the revenant simply steps off the edge. That said, with his wings not immediately out to catch him, he's forced into more mundane means of slowing his fall, hands moving to tentatively snag at any possible handheld- be it ledge or otherwise, something which both garners him time, as well as makes him a more erratic target to antagonize. And so it goes, as the revenants back begins to bubble and twist, and the familiar contortions of muscle and bone begin to emerge through flesh and cloth.
Satoshi isn't given a chance to pester and harass Kasyr, his coin trick having proved successful in startling her enough that she's concentrating on maintaining her balance instead of antagonizing. Once she manages to right herself, the magus chooses to take the moment to watch the last seconds of the revenant's wings materializing, a wistful look on Satoshi's face all the while. "Despite how painful that looks, I still wish I could do that," the remark is given in conversational tones, as if hanging off of clouds and buildings is an every day occurence for an Azakhaer. In response to Satoshi's envious thoughts, the cloak around her coils in on itself, to mold and form its shape from mantle to the ghostly outline of feathered wings. Pretty enough to look out in their ethereal construct, but hardly effective despite Satoshi's prior attempts. Sighing again, Satoshi rises to stand and hefts Asorial so that its point is fixed in Kasyr's direction before a twitch of the blade is offered in invitation to resume. She can admire his functioning wings later.
Kasyr s' wings expand outwards as the flesh finishes forming around it, the wind swiftly catching beneath the newly formed appendages and coaxing the revenant out of the freefall he'd formerly been engaged in. From there, he begins to ascend up towards her position, his velocity rapidly gathering with every passing moment, and soon pushing past his normal thresholds of speed, courtesy of another minute invocation of electrical energy. It's only once he's reached these speeds that he deviates from his headlong rush, abruptly arcing off to one side, seguing into another rush, and then repeating the effort, feint upon feint- with an occasional genuine attempt at aiming a shallow cut towards her position- the Kensai attempting to map out just how far she can freely move amongst the mist or if there's any limitation at all.
Satoshi is likewise engaged in the task of mapping, eyes watching Kasyr's every shift, turn, dive, and swoop to calculate the extent of what his wings can do. As such, the magus isn't moving from her present position, instead taking shelter behind Asorial's length as a means to block what strikes are sent her way, or deflect the others into glancing blows against her protected arms. It's only when the revenant is coming in for another attack that Satoshi abruptly changes tactics, shifting from defending to evading by dropping off the ice she's stood upon toward another foothold below. Save that the moment the kit's boot toe touches ice, she vanishes in a flurry of snow only to reappear from the perch she'd held originally--this time her unaltered momentum carrying her upward and into Kasyr's approach, with Asorial brought forward in a screaming arc at the kensai. ...She hasn't thought out the follow through on this, however.
Kasyr is already in the process of shifting his momentum to follow Satoshi downwards when he realizes his mistake- an awareness that is only brought into existance by the dangerous haste in which Asorial promptly comes surging towards his face. For a brief moment, a flicker of fear traces it's way across his features- some facet of his innate understanding of weapons coaxing his innards into a roiling anxious mess as Asorials gleaming edge hurtles towards his face. Even as Satoshi hurtles towards him, his own movements begin to slow, his flight losing that energetic vigour - a necessary side effect as the electrical energy that was being used to enhance that is promptly shunted into the motion necessary to collide with that dreadful weapon. From there, the revenant invokes a secondary facet of his gifts, a palm sized portion of flesh on the back of his weapon bearing limb abruptly converted into electrical energy- and used to empower the sudden mix of kinetic and electrical energy that is pushed into the contact. The impact is deafening, akin to a thunderclap exploding around them at point blank, and with a proportional amount of force that causes a series of fractures to emerge in the silver Katana that yet remains to the Kensai.
Satoshi's turn to wear a look of fear comes at the moment of impact. It is never a wise or safe thing to go head to head with the kensai, even if he's armed with a mundane blade, and that's precisely what Satoshi's managed to do. With no other means of defense than to wrap her wing-ish cloak around her form, the magus is hurled backwards to skid and tumble among the half frozen clouds of fog. Somewhere amid her unwanted 'journey', Satoshi's cloak unfurls and stretches out, catching the air to slow her momentum and leave her briefly dangling some distance away from the revenant. Unlike the revenant, however, Satoshi's "wings" can only keep her suspended for a handful of seconds, the mists too frail to support her weight and thus dropping her without ceremony onto an icy foothold directly below. Satoshi lands half-crouched, Asorial extended behind her alongside her swarm of tails as the ragged remnants of her cloak drift down to settle into place. And there she waits, both to gather her shaken wits, wait out the ringing of her poor ears, and consider a new course of action after that failed collision with Kasyr.
Kasyr doesn't even wait to begin pursuing Satoshi, allowing what ambient electrical energy remains to course through himself and once more return to empowering his flight. By this point, the current which is running through his form is vividly apparent, dancing along his wings in vibrant web of light, and leaving small splinters of arcing energy stranded in his wake- A detail that is more readily able to be focused upon then the rapidly escalating speed of the Kensai. This time, the revenants intent is rather clear, as he barrels directly towards Satoshi- and yet no feint comes. Rather, the Kensai simply moves to dip down, and send himself careening -through- the frigid platform she's supporting herself on, to see if it might be dispelled in this manner.
Satoshi's gaze tracks Kasyr, the speedy approach enough to put the magus on edge. And when you're balanced on a small platform of frozen water, there's very little edge to spare, doubly so when some revenant has decided to careen straight into it. Satoshi has time enough only to Blink from her perch to the next nearest, narrowly missing being sent plummeting with the ice's destruction. But narrow misses and hasty scrambles aren't enough to stop the kit, as becomes apparent when she begins a running amid a rapid-fire series of Blinks, each bootfall resulting in her appearing on a subsequent platform on either side of the kensai. Between Blinks and strides, the magus plays a game of flanking Kasyr's flight path while striving to keep pace with him rather than strike. The foxkin is challenging the kensai to a skyward race, it'd seem.
Kasyr can't help but tense up when he first notices the Magus' appearance, and yet, when her presence does not serve to herald any attack, he can't help but ease up- a process which is further enabled by the manner in which she instead chooses to continue focusing strictly on evasion. Noting the foxy Eidolens agile endeavours, the Kensai simply smirks, before he draws his goggles down over his eyes and begins to pick up the pace. That said, the revenant isn't exactly keeping a straight forward route, choosing to occasionally veer down and upwards to test out what, if anything, occurs when she shifts height- if there's any sort of alteration in her mobility, or she maintains a steady route and rythym despite the path of the person she's stalking.
Satoshi is in her element by this point. Fighting among the clouds? That takes concentration on a variety of levels, too much room for a misstep when you have to mentally hold numerous footholds frozen in place at once while tuning out Asorial's voice. But racing? She's done this numerous times, testing the agility of her arctic boots against the might of Trebel or grace of Emielle in a contest in the sky. The only concentration needed for this is knowing where her next step will fall, and then following the ice's ethereal path to that location, all of which makes tailing Kasyr a breeze for the magus. The revenant may be fast, but his wife is no sloth either and has relied on her agility throughout her life, up to and including walking upon clouds. The magus' elation is palpable and about to be a whole lot closer to the Empath as, between one step and the next, Satoshi Blinks into existence directly above Kasyr. Asorial is dispelled in favor of the kit attempting a gravity-born tackle. Hug. Pounce. Something of that variety. Affectionate, yes, but likewise dangerous at high altitudes.
Kasyr is normally pretty good about picking up on surprise attacks, but when it's literally lacking in malign intent, and more a side effect of mischievous and affectionate glee- suffice to say it gives off a bit of a mixed message for the revenant. Which is why the hug is essentially super effective, the eidolon's embrace managing to press the revenants wings against his back and force them into a state of freefall. And more than that, one which briefly sents them hurtling at the same absurd speed that he was initially moving. Even when the energy he was using to travel is removed from the equation, the fact still remains that they're plunging at a fairly high speed- though there's still a good distance yet to fall, "So. Is this where you try et put me in check for a victory, or just saying hello?" Of course, if it is a playful attempt to put him into such a position that he'd hit the ground, or have to cede- the Kensai could note he could try to muddle with her ability to concentrate and safely teleport, what with direct contact allowing him to cook her a bit easier than normal. He's just not that likely to.
Satoshi pretends not to notice they're in freefall, folding her arms across where she clings to Kasyr's back while she thoughtfully ponders his question. Her answer comes a second later in the form of a smirk as she leans forward to deliver a fleeting bite to one of the revenant's calico ears. "Hello~." It's all the kit offers before pressing closer with arms moving to coil about his neck, the better to allow Kasyr to free his trapped wings--and to, you know, be a cheating little beast, considering one of those arms of the kit's is that false and mutable ice, oh so eager to be reformed into an elegant dagger that's uncomfortably close to a certain someone's throat.
Satoshi will probably regret this. Probably meaning "most likely".
Kasyr uses the respite Satoshi grants him to begin to level them out, despite what brief bit of turbulence may have been provoked by ear nibblings. That said, when her affectionate greeting turns into a victorious 'check', with a dagger all but pricking into his neck, he can't help but sigh, "The worst part es I was sort of expecting that. Quand meme." Nonetheless, the revenant continues to fly, relatively casual. Sure, there's a thin tendril of darkness slowly slithering along his pant leg and creeping over towards her, but it's nothing malign- just solid enough to give her a nudge in her side, "You've been practicing want I wanted you to, so, I will accept your victory." Likely, by the time she's turned to look at that shadowy tendril, it's gone- hopefully before she get's fidgety and gives him a flesh wound, due to potential imminent attack induced anxiety.
Satoshi twitches at the light jab to her side, uncertain if she should look and thus be conned into a trap, or ignore a potential new threat conjured by the kensai. It's unpleasant enough a predicament that the magus withdraws the frigid dagger and reverts it back to a slender hand, conceding in turn to Kasyr. At his remark, Satoshi sticks her tongue out impishly at the back of the revenant's head. "If you expected that from me, it's only because I learned it from you. However~," she leans nearer again, after a furtive and anxious glance to her side, "I'd call it a draw not a victory, considering the options you had in response. Well. Actually. Should make this properly even, first~." A claw is drawn along Kasyr's jawline then, tracing the bone structure beneath in a blatantly unabashed manner, before Satoshi makes a swift movement meant to inflict a thin, shallow slice in the flesh--equal to the cut she's bearing. The revenant probably won't drop her for this. Probably.
Kasyr might not -drop- her for it, but it doesn't mean he's against taking hold of her hand and promptly engaging in a series of barrel rolls meant to frazzle her. "Really, ma chere. You might want to wait until you cash in your reward for winning before testing your luck." There's a -very- impish tone to his voice there, though considering that he's currently playing nice, there's probably not any more mischief in tow. Maybe. It's plausible.
Satoshi is thoroughly frazzled. And Kasyr is likely thankful vampires don't need to breathe, considering the magus' arm has his neck in a stranglehold as a result of her clinging to him. Eventually she recovers, however, or at least enough that when she props her chin on Kasyr's shoulder, Satoshi doesn't look -completely- cross-eyed. "But I haven't even picked a reward yet. It could be anythin', y'said." Shuffling follows, trying to get a bit more comfortable without further strangling the revenant. "Maybe this is what I pick, hmm? I don't exactly have wings like everyone else, so maybe I'd like one of these flights exactly so~. What's it like, anyway?" Whether it be cloud-walking or on mount-back, Satoshi is fairly certain there is a real difference compared to flying for yourself.
Kasyr gradually becomes more at ease, the more apparent it becomes that the mutual antagonism is at an end. It's only then that the Kensai actually devotes some thought to the Magus' question, with the only bit of attentiveness on the revenants part coming in actually directing them in such a manner so that they are lazily flying -towards- Vailkrin, as opposed to the middle of nowhere. "Sort of like the feeling of running really fast, et falling. So, sort of like falling with style- except, there's this dizzying sense of escape when you're actually flying up, where everythings rushing past tu et falling away." The revenant knits his brows together, then simply shrugs, "...It was pretty uneasy at first, vraiment, but it got to be fun." His lightning trick, and the myriad times he'd fallen from vast heights likely helped with his rapid adjustment to -not- falling from massive heights.
Satoshi is content merely to listen while watching Vailkrin unfold from within the dark fog below. Between the cold air, steady wingbeats, and pleasant company, the earlier adrenaline rush of combat has subsided in favor of relaxation, something that has the kit nuzzling against Kasyr's scarf with a sigh. "It sounds lovely. I'd like to see for myself, one day." Satoshi: never satisfied, ever grasping for new levels.