RP:Yoshika & Kanna Series

Roleplays about Yoshika and Kanna.

Yuletide Wishes

Kanna sat sideways on one of the armchairs of the grand library today, her eyes wide with fascination as she looked over another book about the strange Yuletide holiday. This was a tradition she hadn't seen before in all her travels, and she was smitten! A story of a human that spent his life going town to town and delivered hand-carved wooden toys to unfortunate children, how fascinating! There were so many stories about the holiday that she could make songs from, maybe one of them would be the song that made her magic strengthen, too... Kanna looked up at her companion, her eyes bright like a kid on Christmas morning. "Did you know--" Several other patrons of the library shushed her, and she shrunk back a little, forgetting how loud her voice could be in an echoing room like this. Leaning back over, she whispered excitedly, "Did you know that you can write a letter to this Nicholas, even though he's supposedly passed, and what you ask for will actually appear the morning after the winter solstice? You could ask him for some kind of super weapon that would let you win in any duel!" If she were a puppy, surely there would be a tail wagging right about now.

Yoshika ‘s eyes darted over to Kanna as she got so excited about what she was reading. Not realizing the level of her voice she brought down the might of a library’s golden rule SILENCE. As some of the patrons began to shush her Yoshika turn with eyebrows scrunched and hands out waving slightly at them to signify “ok ok calm down people. Turning back around he squints his eyes and looks at the book she is holding. “Uh I think that might be fiction” he says with a bit of uncertainty. Yosh looks over at Kannas hand. It had healed nicely. Reaching in a slot on the inside of his armor he pulled out the rest of the scarf that he had ripped to wrap her hand with, he had it stitched so it wasn’t looking like a torn rag anymore. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you but I haven’t seen you for a short while so…here I want you to have this, think of it as a gift for the holiday that you are reading about” he says.

Kanna shook her head at the absurd suggestion. "No, it's real, there's even going to be a dance at the Frostmaw castle tomorrow just to celebrate it." She smiled, putting it down and rubbing a thumb over where she had been struck before. The wounds were little more than faint red lines along her hand now. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the gesture, taking the scarf with both hands. "Is that okay? Won't your wing get cold without this?" She carefully put the scarf around her own neck, giving a soft hum in contentment. "Thank you, Yoshika."

Yoshika watched as Kanna put the scarf around her neck. She looked a little shocked that he would give that to her but he still felt some grief about what happened “ No my wing will be fine” he says with a soothing tone. “You keep this as a symbol of the promise I made to you at the fountain. Yosh places his hand on the scarf while Kanna has it on. Rubbing the material between his index finger and thumb. He sighs a sigh of relief that she had it on. Looking at her and then scarf and back at her again. That might seem a bit suspicious but he followed it up with “ The dark red color suits you well though better than it did me. The katana at his hip rattles a bit before saying” Maybe you should ask that Nicholas guy for a new katana since i'm obviously not good enough”. Glancing down he gives the sheath a flick “ That's not what she meant and you know that.” Yosh says in a DAD tone voice. Patrons start shushing him now. He turn to them nodding his head “Yeah yeah”.

Kanna lowered her head slightly in embarrassment as he touched the scarf. She let out a quiet laugh, holding one of the giant books close. "I'll hold you to it, you know. My fragile human form can only take so much." She teased, putting a hand against her head for dramatic effect. When the katana speaks, Kanna let out a quiet gasp. "No, it's not, I-I meant something like..." The freckled girl stammered a bit, trying to think, and lowering her head a bit when the patrons shushed at Yoshika. "--like a rig that would make it so she couldn't do that teleporting thing. If it was JUST a test of power, I know you'd win, hands down!" She whispered loudly, looking up at Yoshika and back at the sword. "Both of you." She corrected quietly.

Yoshika’s sword rattled on the chair that he was sitting on. It didn’t speak but its bumps felt enthusiastic. Yoshika looked down and patted its tsuba.” Its much more than a test a power, and shes not teleporting. She is legit jumping from place to place. It’s a technique that I haven’t got down yet. It involves a transfer of energy between our wings and the area that were trying to move to and it lets us shrink the space in between us and our target which makes it look like we teleport.” Yoshika had become so focused on explaining he didn’t realize that he ventured into technical territory and was probably boring Kanna.

Kanna watched him as he spoke about the ability. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit; she barely knew the technicalities of her own magic, yet something caught her attention. "If you need to use your wings, then didn't they purposely put you at a disadvantage?" Her eyes widened a bit in worry. No, not worry, it was just curiosity, the bardess rationalized in the back of her mind. "...Yosh. What happens to warriors that lose twice?"

Yoshika places his hands on the table and stands up. He takes a deep breath and looks down at Kanna. Picking up his katana he holds out his hand to her. “I can show you if you want. Just take my hand”. . Kanna put the book down slowly when he stood. His expression was unreadable; it couldn't... Possibly be that bad, could it.. The bard rose from the table and moved to take his hand before pausing. 'No, you've seen all the worst things already, haven't you, what could possibly be worse?' With that thought, Kanna took his hand.

Yoshika holding Kanna’s hand in one and the katana in the other he began to mutter -RAH FUS-DOH-DAH as he does the katana starts to glow purple and the room in the library grows dark around them. Standing in front of the two of them is Yoshika and his mother at the time of his training. He was much smaller at that time,and the look of malice on his mother's face that was present at their meeting wasn’t there. She was showing him stances, legs separated and katanas held up with elbows out, the blade pointed straight at each other with the sharp edge facing up towards the sky. “Again” she shouts. The they leap at each other and lock swords with a clank that rings throughout the empty space therein. “This was us preparing for the combat trial the day before” Yosh says. The grip on Kannas hand was tight and he involuntarily squeezed it a bit tighter upon this scene. Turning around another scene formed out of the darkness. Again it was Yosh and his mother. This time it wasn’t so friendly She was thrashing him with her katana. As he fought the scene seemed to slow down as if to emphasise to Yosh his failure. It was clear that he wasn't a match for his mother. She was faster and more cunning than he was. With each blow of her sword against his he was pushed back , knocked down and had small cuts due to the battle. The scene comes to end as Yosh holds up his katana to block her blade from striking his shoulder and that's when it happened. A loud crack and metal clang his katana had broken a piece off. “This is where I failed says” the sword. As Yosh is still holding her hand he takes a step forward as if he sees something turning to look at Kanna the scene changes for the once and final time. Yosh is kneeling down in front of his mother with two more avains one on each side of him and they are holding him down. “ IN accordance with our laws set forth by the first Observer the punishment for loss of the combat trial is the sacrifice of a wing the loss of the name of your katana and banishment from our land. Only after you take the wing of the one who defeated you and offer it to the Observer may you learn the name of your weapon and be welcome here again” His mother says this with no emotion no caring for what is about to happen. With that she swings and removes his wing, he screams and whimpers. The room fades from black to the library. Still holding her hand he looks at her and says” If I can’t defeat her then she’ll kill me”.. Setting the katana back on the table in front of them he says “Hmm maybe that Nicholas guy can just make her disappear he says with a playful grin.

Kanna watches the scenes unfold before her in silence, her grip in his hand just as tight. During the fight, she winces at each swing of the sword brought down on the younger image of Yoshika, her other hand wrapping around the other side of the one she held. By the time the scene fades back to the familiar library, both hands are trembling in his. The light-hearted comment barely registers with her as she processes the last statement. After what seems like an eternity for the two, the bardess finally speaks. "I don't understand..." It comes out almost as quiet as a whisper. Ah, her cheeks felt wet, how long had she been shedding tears? Really, how long had it been since she felt enough to cry for something...Unable to look up at him, she manages to even out her voice to ask, "Is being part of a family that hurts you really worth dying for? Wouldn't it be better to live life in a way that you don't have to worry about being rejected again?"

Yoshika Looked down at Kanna to see her with tears in her eyes. Placing his arms around her shoulders he held her tight and gave her a hug. “It’s not just about going back to family. I am at best half an avian. I am at worst a failed warrior, and until I defeat her i’ll never know my swords true name. It's not easy coming from the clan that I did. What you saw my mother do she did out of duty not because she wanted to. I know why most wouldn’t understand and I don’t expect them too. That's why when I do confront her again I will be ready.” He tells Kanna. Placing his hand on her cheek to wipe the trail of tears away he says ”Taking a risk of rejection is always worth it, if you don’t then you’ll never know and you will always be left with “What if”.

Kanna let out a shaky breath and turned her head away to speak. Before she could apologize for the slight outburst, an arm was around her and pulling her against him. One cheek rested against Yoshika's cold armor. It took a moment for her to realize that of all things, she was being held. The bardess shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around him after a pause. In that moment, she quietly thanked his magic that they had reappeared somewhere between two large shelves, out of sight from the other patrons. "Then, promise me.." She swallowed thickly, pressing her cheek into his hand. Were others always this warm? "Promise me you won't die before me. I know you're gonna leave one day, so I want you to leave by going home. You're gonna live a millennia and be the strongest samurai, aren't you..." Kanna shook her head and pulled away, furiously wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I-I don't know why I'm still crying..."

Yoshika was jolted as she pulled away and he had felt a connection with her as he held her for that brief moment. She was genuinely concerned for him ? That was something that no one ever showed him. Not even his mother. Weather it was because she had to keep a leaders composure or she just couldn’t feel for him this was something new. Leave, or die he thought. He hadn’t even thought about going back home. Home was small and far away his quest to take his mother's wing was never about returning there. “ I’m not going to die.” he says to her “ And i’m not going back either. This was never about getting back home” he tells her. Taking a step towards her. “ It’s going to sound selfish but all that has consumed my mind until I met you was gaining my status as a complete Samurai , learning my katanas name and having it ascend to the next form.” he tells her “ But meeting you” he says raising his hand to the bottom of his chin…

Kanna wiped the last of the tears with the back of her sleeve, tilting her head some as he thought. Somehow, it made her relieved to hear that he had no intention of going back. Her brows furrowed just a bit. Was it selfish of her to be happy at such a declaration, though, just because it meant she would get to stay with him longer...? With a playful smile, despite the redness around her eyes, she joked, "But meeting me has given you a newfound appreciation of music, right?" She lifted her hands behind her head and undid a yellow silk ribbon that already was barely visible under her curls. "You're going to win, and that's that. Now, you gave me something of yours, so it's only fair that I give you something too, right? Katana, please." Through one of the openings in the crossguard, she tied the ribbon into a knot, a simple adornment that only hung an inch down from each side. The bardess tilted her head the other way to admire her work. "What a handsome sword." She flirted to the silent third-party

Yoshika stood with a smile as he watched Kanna tie the ribbon to his armor. It was a yellow silk. “Yes I most certainly have a new appreciation” he says as he looks at Kanna. His sword rattles at her remark about a handsome sword. Yosh looks down at it and then back up at her. “Your confidence in me is reassuring” he says as he places his hand on the back of his head in nervous fashion. Breathing in a big sigh he leans up against a shelf and fold his wing in to not knock any books over. There’s a look of concern, the katana rattles along the shelve. Ringing in low tone it says “Look for a strategy she must have a weakness”. Looking down and nodding yes in agreement Yosh says “Yeah in time but now for now I need to clear my mind”. Looking over at Kanna shall we browse more books or would you like to get out of here ?” Yosh asks.

With a sniff and another dab at her eyes, she resumes her cheerful personality. "Let's go, I've read up on Yuletide enough." After putting away the mountain of books collected at their table, much to the relief of the staff, the two emerged onto the stone street. Kanna shivered slightly in the cold, pulling Yoshika's scarf over her mouth and nose to keep warm. From the view to the back of the Bard's College, she let out a low whistle. "Amazing, it's well below freezing up here, but the hot springs are still steaming. That would be a nice way to clear the mind... Even though..." She thought for a moment. "If someone was to get in the water now, wouldn't they freeze the second they tried to climb out?" In her imagination, she could see someone being in the hot spring and just about to get out at the unfortunate moment the spring decided to freeze over for the winter. Without anyone to use fire magic, they would be left glued to the spot by the ice at their waist. No one had ever mentioned the springs becoming frozen, but the thought of it being a possibility still made her shiver. "I guess that'll have to wait until spring." She lamented, more to herself than to him. One of her mittened hands found their way to Yoshika's hand, and she tugged lightly, looking up at him. "Come on. The college is putting up Yule decorations today, that should be fun to watch." Thinking back on his comment about the risk of rejection, she hesitantly added, "And, I never did let you hear the song you said I'd get to write about you."

Yoshika feeling kannas hand slip into his, he lightly wrapped his hand around hers and as she tugged at it looking up at him, he looked down at her. Going to see the decorations would be a nice way to bring down the mood to a reasonable level. The illusion in the library that was projected by his sword wasn’t something that he shared with just anyone and he hated seeing it himself. When they started to walk the cold breeze came through and was nipping at his wing which caused it to poof out a bit. His katana wobbled then stuck to his leg to try to keep it self from frosting over. With a shiver. Turning back to Kanna his lips are pulled to side with a grin “ No I don’t believe you have played it for me yet ” he says as he wraps his gray colored wing across his chest to keep himself warm. “ I’d love to hear it”. he tells her eyes wide and smiling. This was a first for him in both a song being sung to him and also being

Kanna was thankful that the scarf obscured the blush on her face as they made their way back to the college. Her and her big mouth. After being shown something so painful, so personal, now she was going to play it? When they entered the grounds, it was surprising how quickly the campus had been covered in Yuletide spirit. Every tree had been covered in silver or golden garland to make the illusion of the tree still having foliage on it, and most branches had brightly colored ornaments hung from them. A bit off to the side, an avian was holding a dwarf over their head to allow them to place pebbles along the top of the decorative snow sculptures. Of course, no reasonable avian would let their wings out in such cold weather if it was not necessary. From the inside of the college, one of the musical classes could be heard rehearsing Yuletide songs as well. Kanna's eyes stayed wide in adoration, looking around at the decorations. It was over soon enough with a cold thump on the back of her head, followed by another to the exposed wing. The bard passed a mitten over the back of her head. Snow? "I missed!" Yelled one of the dancing students to a group hidden behind a topiary, appearing to have been aiming for another student hanging ornaments nearby. This caused the group to collapse into laughter at the practical joke gone wrong. The gnome on the ladder gave an annoyed glare in his direction. "What are you, hatchlings? You guys are supposed to be hanging mistletoe." Kanna nudged Yoshika, and motioned to the building. It would be best to make their escape now before it turned into a snowball fight

Yoshika walked with Kanna through college looking at the Yule decorations in the college. It was quite a sight to be seen! The festive nature in the air with people everywhere putting things up he’d never had the pleasure of looking at. Shiny things of all sorts. Some of the decorations even had a smell he’d never encountered before. It was a bit strong of a smell and burned a bit if he inhaled to deep but everyone there looked like they were having a good time. There was a faint sound of others singing. Musical classes no doubt. Yoshika while looking at the sights around kept finding himself looking over at Kanna and grinning softly as she had the most adorable expressions on her face. Hearing a thump and the look on Kannas face changed. She began to wipe snow off the back of her head. Yosh’s focus had been on watching her he completely lost all semblance of what else was going on around them. Turning his head with eyebrows creased in a stern look he shot a look at the one in question that was colder than the snowball ever could be. Realizing it was only a student he looked down at her extended his one wing so that she would be covered should a student think to throw another. He followed her in the direction that she motioned and the made it through just as more snowballs started soaring, as the door you could hear the small dwarf yelling at them to stop. Standing in the doorway out the cold Yoshika pulled his wing from around Kanna. He was chucking as they had just ran from students as if they were the worst monster in the world. Flapping his one wing to get the snow accumulated off he flung it everywhere. “ Oh my i’m sorry” he says. Taking his hand and wiping off the snow from her shoulder and carefully using his fingers to pick the small pieces of ice out her hair he was looking into her eyes and forgot what he was doing, accidently letting his hand linger near her cheek where the warmth of his hand would be felt.

Once the pair were inside, Kanna laughed along with him, moving out of the way as some of the more juvenile students rushed out the door to get in on the fight. Inside the university was just as colorfully decorated, with a sheet of color over every light-bulb in the room and shining garland along all the pillars. She sighed softly while admiring the new scenery, just starting to catch her breath, when she let out a surprised yelp at the sudden onslaught of snow. "Hey!" She laughed, shielding her eyes with one arm. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" The bardess teased, batting the wing with a playful swat before looking up at him. "Wowie, I think that's the first time I actually hear you laugh... too..." The playful tone dissipate into something more serious as the pair looked at one another. "Yoshika...?" She asked quietly, unconsciously resting her head against his hand. So warm. When had she allowed herself this degree of intimacy with someone else? This scene was something out of one of many novels she had read, but what really happened after moments like these... The conscious awareness of her contentment broke the spell, causing a sobering flicker of fear and doubt to shadow her face. She opened her mouth to speak as she took a step back, not realizing that there was two steps down in the floor to lead to the lobby just behind her. "Oh!" Kanna held out her arms for balance, instinctively grabbing onto Yoshika's armor to steady herself.

Yoshika and Kanna stood just looking at each other. He hadn’t felt a light moment in years much less with anyone. Looking at Kanna just after he covered her in snow everything that plagued his mind, his wing, mother and Katana had been pushed to the back and he was able to really relax. He wasn’t sure what this emotion was that sat in him. It was a feeling that he never had before and he didn’t know what the human word was for it. He could hear her whisper his name and rest her head up against his hand. His heartbeat would pick up speed when this happened. The look he saw on her face was that of one who looked like she had been through a lot to get to where she was and that not all of it was pleasant. As she looked like she was going to say something when she stepped backward unaware that there were a couple of steps leading down. Suddenly to catch herself she had reached out and grabbed his armor. It was fastened tight to his chest and wouldn’t be pulled free by anyone. Knowing this he stood strong and still unmoved. Placing his hand around her at the lower to mid part of her back and the other hand on her hand that was clutched so tightly to his chest plate. He pulled her back up from the near fall and closer to him as reflex as to protect her. Yoshika leaning over to comfort her. At this point they were just mere inches away from each other.

Kanna let out a quick exhale when she was pulled upright, leaning against the avian. It took her a few beats to register how close they were. Her eyes trailed from his hand holding hers up to his face. Her mind raced with thousands of possible excuses to pull away, reasons to flee Schezerade and never have to deal with these emotions again, anything to escape what her anxieties were screaming at her. She didn't want to do any of it, though. Her free hand moved up from his armor and onto his cheek, similar to how he held hers just a few moments before. Even though they had just been in the cold, he was still warm to the touch. 'Taking the risk of rejection is always worth it.' his words from before repeated in her mind. Before she lost her nerve, she pushed herself up to stand on her toes and closed the distance, planting a soft kiss on his lips. And the nerve was gone. She pulled away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Ah-- I-I-- Sorry..." She stuttered, though she made no move to pull away.

Yoshika stood still as Kanna pressed her lips to his. The outside had made them cold but her embrace was warm and his heart raced when she held her hand to his face as she kissed him and then it was over. He was still holding her close and he noticed she made no effort to move away from him. Yosh could see Kannas face become red and she started talk. It sounded like she was trying to apologize. Raising his hand back to her cheek while she could be heard “ah—I I—sorry” Yosh’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Sorry? What did she have to be sorry for he wondered. Before she could continue he kissed her back and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that he couldn’t find words to describe, his hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. Pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. As he held her so many thoughts came to his mind. What did this mean for him? What did this mean for her ? What dangers did this put her in? So many thoughts, so many concerns. But just for now he wanted to enjoy the moment and allowed those thoughts to be pushed to the back of his mind.

Interlude

Yuletide Authority takes place. Kanna confides in Bastion her feelings about Yoshika. Queen Hildegarde has some advice for her as well.

Yuletide Wishes, Part 2

Yoshika had decided to stay at the Bards college after the day that him and Kanna had spent at the library. The ended up their at the college when they left the library, admiring the Yule decorations. The two had grown to be fond of each other over the past few days. So much had happened in such a short amount of time but Yosh had found it to be meaningful. He shared so much with Kanna, more than he shared with most. Even his family who he still had light contact with since his exile didn’t know everything that transpired. His brother who he was very close with hadn’t been made aware of all the details and truthfully he was happy about that. Yoshika looked up to his older brother and felt that he might look down on him so he went out of his way to hide most of the details from him. Kanna was different though She didn’t know his past when they met. She didn’t look down on him for only having one wing and when it was clear that there might be some kind of danger she seemed more concerned with him than herself. Yoshika held his hands to his lips and kept reliving the moment in his head. He was sitting upright in his bed with just the under armour on. A shirt that can only be described as rags for an undershirt. It at one point might have been considered nice but had so many cuts and tears from fights with monsters, thieves and had seen its share of combat. The front had a particular tear that opened the front view of his chest and three giant claw marks had left a scar on him. Aside from that for a warrior he surprisingly untouched in terms of markings. She kissed him and he kissed her back! The two felt something for each other. There was so much to talk about. Here in the confines of the castle they were safe, but out there… They would have to be carefull more so than before. With a rumble in his stomach he made his way out the dorms and down to the kitchen and dining area passing many of the student who stared at him as he walked by. He was looking for Kanna unaware if she stayed here or at least was coming back to talk to him about what happened.

Kanna stayed lost in thought the entirety that the two were separated, from the moment they awkwardly parted for the night. Her mind was shuffling thoughts and memories faster than any card dealer could ever hope to imitate. She had kissed him. She was so bold, she had never been as daring as to kiss a man first-- no, it was downright foolish, to be taken advantage of time and time again, and she let herself fall for the same trap, it was always some kind of cruel joke-- but he had kissed her back, what did that mean? Much of the night was spent this way, in an oscillation of elation and self-depreciation, only broken by brief periods of sleep. At some point, sunlight passed through an opening in the curtained window and into her eyes, forcing her to finally roll over. Her fingers pressed against her lips softly, replaying the moment in her head. He was so warm. In that moment, she had felt like she actually belonged somewhere. At some point... she would have to leave the room, wouldn't she? They were going to have to talk... But there was nothing to talk about, was there? He was an avian, and she wasn't. Whatever this was, it could only be temporary. It was only a kiss, she repeated in her head as she haphazardly dressed herself in neutral colors, a rare sight for the colorful girl. Her hand lingered on the crimson scarf given to her, and the makeshift stitching on the side that had been ripped off just to treat a skin wound. After a few moments, she put on the scarf, letting the splash of red be enough color for her. When she stepped into the dining area, she looked around the room, lacing and unlacing her fingers nervously as she looked out for Yoshika's telltale armor. What if he just didn't come back to the Bard College? What if he did and he told her that it had been a mistake, or--"Oh." Her cheeks gave way to an involuntary blush when she spotted him. Come to think of it, she had never seen him without the armor on, had she... the same could be said for her as well, as for once, she wasn't bundled in layers of winter clothes. Just seeing him, though, made her sigh in relief. When he looked her way, she paused, unsure of what to do or what to say. Her smile was hidden by his scarf, but she managed to lift up a hand in greeting

Yoshika finally saw Kanna waving her hand at him. He sighed a breath of relief. The thought had entered his mind that she might not be here or come back after last night. There was something that she said to him. “Everyone leaves” There was clearly some kind of trauma that happened to her. A lost lover, abandonment ? He wondered what happened but she was right. Ultimately death separates us all. As she walked closer to him though he couldn’t help but smile. She was wearing the red scarf that he gave her. Raising his hand to the back of his head as a nervous habit “ Hi, I was hoping that you were still here” he says nervously. “ Oh uh um here” he says to Kanna as he pulls out a seat at the nearest table. Sitting down and looking across where she was he leaned over the table resting his elbows on it with his hands together. They were a bit shaky but her presence helped soothe him.. “We need to talk about yesterday” he tells her.

Kanna sat across from him, folding her hands in her lap. He looked nervous. Her eyes trailed down to his hands, noting just how tense they were. 'We need to talk.' The ultimate foreshadow of something unpleasant about to be said, she realized as her smile faltered just a bit. Though, this was fine. She was never going to let herself be attached to anyone, so it was better like this, wasn't it... "Okay." Came her response, soft and with the usual intonation of cheerfulness in it, just enough to mask the resignation in her voice.

Yoshika knew he had to be careful with his words. Looking her in the eyes he felt his heart flutter. “ That day at the fountain when my mother showed up”…. He pauses for just a moment taking a deep breath.---” I --I … I didn’t mean to get you involved with what i’m trying to accomplish. It’s dangerous and i’m stupid for involving you in it all.” he says to her as he leans back and runs his hand down his face stopping at his chin. “ Yesterday though” he whispers. “Yesterday was one of the best days i’ve had in a very long time and then it ended in way that I could have only dreamed of, and i’m happy that it did.” he says as he starts to smile. A serious look starts to take effect on his face and his green eyes stay fixed on Kanna. “ Yesterday means a lot to me. I am not entirely sure how you feel about it though” he says hoping that it just wasn’t a one off for her. Looking down at the table out of nervousness he starts to realize that this might just turn into the first meaningful relationship outside of his clan.

Kanna lowered her head a bit when he started, nodding to silently indicate that she understood. Her eyes flickered away from him and onto the table, mentally tracing the nearly gossamer lines of wood under the painted table. A simple distraction to keep her from becoming too crestfallen-- best days...? With a few blinks, she looked up at him again, listening to every word. Even though the dining area of the university was crowded with musical students of every volume, the focus between them made it feel like he was the only other person in the room. Her heart pounded in her chest with a sudden rush of elation. There was a beat of silence between the two as she struggled to find her voice. "I...Even though you showed me something so painful to you... I would watch it a thousand times over if it meant that I got to see you as happy as you were yesterday again. Just being around you is more than enough to make me happy. That's... how I feel." She flexed and fidgeted with her fingers nervously, a blush rising to her face again. "I haven't told you a thing about myself, but you've shared so much with me already, it seems almost unfair to you in a way." She trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.

Yoshika knew that he didn’t know much about her or her past. He reached out and put his hand on the table in as reassuring gesture. Leaning closer to her with his head slightly down but still looking at her with those clear green eyes. Hearing her tell him that being around him made her happy brought a smirk to his face. At the same time he knew what this would mean moving forward. Reaching out he placed his hand on hers.”You took a risk showing me how you felt and i'm happy that you did. I am not sure where to go from here but I'm happy when you’re around too” he says sliding over a sweet purified water to her. “I don’t really know much about you do I though” he says tilting his head to the side.

Kanna rested her hands around the water with a quiet thanks. "I-I don't really know where to start." She admitted with a nervous laugh. "I don't think... I've ever told anyone much." Her eyes looked from his eyes, back down to the water, then to his hand on hers. Her fingers tapped against the glass, falling into a soft rhythm like a miniature drum."...I've been travelling since I was 8 years old. I remember my birthday, but I don't remember my surname. It's weird what your mind decides to remember and what to forget." Her lip quirked upwards at that statement.

Yoshika’s eyes widened even more than they already were. Did she says 8 years old? He thought to himself. As she talked he couldn’t help but be drawn in to her. She had all of his attention and even though they were in a area with many students his concentration on her wouldn’t be broken. Seeing her lips raise upward made him wonder what she was referring to. What did she forget? “We’ll start small then. I’ll share something then you” he says keeping his eyes lock on her. “ I have a brother that i was best friends before…..” He pauses turning to look at his missing wing. Turning back to her and giving her hand a slight squeeze

Kanna lifted her head to meet his gaze. "A brother? That must have been fun. I was the only, so I wouldn't know. Let's see... Oh, the 'enchanted' tambourine I usually have on me--" She motioned to the absence of the overstuffed rucksack on her. "Is actually the only instrument that can't cast a spell. I just call it that so just in case, thieves go for that one and not the others." She grinned with a hint of mischief, as if it was some ingenious foolproof plan.

Yoshika watched as Kanna talked about her musical instrument with a grin. A fakeout huh thats actually a good idea he thought to himself. But not what he meant when he wanted her to share something, “ Okay thats a start” he says. “When I was introduced to my katana it actually hated me because I was the runt of my family” he says realizing that he had left his weapon in his room next to the door. With a shrug he figures if there’s an issue it would just chime for him. Letting go of her hand he takes a bite of the bread available.

Kanna smiled, despite her slick attempt to divert the conversation foiled. At least she tried. When he spoke, she leaned forward, surprised. "It did? How did you get it to work with you, then?" After he told her, she looked out the window to the gardens around the university. "I actually know... another kind of magic. It was gifted to me by a dryad, but I can't exactly use it right. See that lavender bunch over there?" She pointed with one finger. "Watch." Kanna pursed her lips and let out a quiet whistle of two notes before the plant seemed to be forcefully yanked bank into the ground where it disappeared. With another two notes whistled, the plant shot up in the middle of the dining hall, effectively scaring the daylights out of anyone nearby. "HEY! No spellcasting in the dining room!" A security guard pointed at a dryad sitting at a table of elves, who shot back a bewildered look before turning in her chair and sending the plant back to the field. Kanna giggled and leaned over, plucking one of the stems before it was sent back. "It's uh... a very violent ability, as you see. It was actually really messed up how I got it."

Yoshika sat back and watched as Kanna showed him her hidden power. Making plants grow and controlling them was amazing. He watched as they shot up in the middle of the dining hall and scared a few students. Hearing someone yell “ No spells in the dining room” Yosh looked around to see who was yelling and had found it was one of the security detail. Shooting out of his chair he shouted “THAT'S AMAzing”. Only realizing how loud he was after he shouted he sat back down. Leaning in close to her he says at a lower volume but with more awareness of himself “That's amazing, How did you learn something like this ?” he asks. The others in the hall were now watching their table. Looks and glances were being shot in there direction and Yosh turned to them waving his hand as if to say ok ok thats enough. Looking back at Kanna his eyes could not be pulled from her. Taking the sight of her in, Blue eyes , brown hair and that smile hidden behind the scarf he gave her. There was so much more to her than what she lets on

Kanna clapped a hand over her mouth, trying not to break out into laughing to reveal her as the culprit. "It's just herbomancy, have you never seen that magic before?" She asked incredulously. Seeing the reserved man get excited about something like that was strangely... adorable. Lowering her head to stifle any laughter from the thought, she added, "You'll get a kick out of the mage's school, then." When she looked up, his face was close to hers from leaning in. At the question, her smile faltered, and she sat back. "Usually in the winter-time, the inns on my travels tended to be full. I learned my song of rest at a young age, so I used it to my advantage. I'd put people to sleep in their own homes, then I would just take a free bed and leave before they woke. In this case, I had really messed up... I followed a creep back to his cabin thinking I could just do the same thing and be done with it, but it turned out that there were... friends inside. I only knew how to cast it one at a time. When I couldn't run anymore, a dryad took pity on me and gifted me a touch of magic to be able to shield myself." She winced slightly, breaking her gaze from his eyes and looking back down at the cup of water. "As soon as it happened, they found me. I was scared, so the magic adapted to that feeling and became... that." She said, motioning to the area of destroyed marble.

Yoshika took in all Kanna had to say. They both seemed to have it tough at such a young age. Looking at the broken marble on the floor it looked like a very violent eruption. Yoshika looked at the students around and they were murmuring about the display of magic that just happened. Taking a drink of the sweet cold water on the table while leaning back on his chair. “ No i’ve never seen magic like that, what happens if you your emotions change, would that change how the magic work?” he asks.

Kanna shook her head. "It doesn't. Because I'm a bard, it's activated by song. Doesn't need an instrument or anything. There's only two songs that use the magic because they were the songs I was thinking of at the moment it was gifted. That's why I don't use it. It's almost always fatal, and far too gruesome for my liking." The silence hung for a moment before she spoke again, trying to clear the serious mood. "H-hey, you didn't tell me how you got your sword to work with you."

Yoshika turned and looked up in the direction that his room was. The katana rested on the inside next to the door. Leaning back in he folded his hands together and closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. “Well it wasn’t easy. It was gifted to me when i was very young. Its a hand me down from my father….” as Yosh says this he looks down and away his eyebrows scrunch and his eyes seem to get a little teary. “ It was suppose to go to my older brother but in our customs the youngest gets the sword of their father passed to them. My brother had the sword for a few years before I was born. After I was born it was taken from him and put aside for me. From what I was told he tried to take it back a few times but…..” His eyes trailed back up to Kannas.” Years later when I was the appropriate age we were out me my brother with our katanas. He bonded with his and I was still trying to get gain my katana affinity. We went into an area that we shouldn’t have and he was in danger. I Jumped to his aid. My compassion for him bled into the sword and it must have seen how all want to do is protect the ones I care about. Ever since then It's gone along with me>” as the story progressed on and Yosh told Kanna of what happened the students started to clear out. They must have been going back to class. “ We get along now though and we’ve become close friends.” he says.

Kanna listened intently, reaching out hesitantly, as if unsure, and resting her hand on his when his expression changed. He really loved his family, she realized. She wondered then, if she could remember feeling that way towards the remnant memories of her own. She smiled softly, absentmindedly running her thumb across his knuckles in a display of affection. "Your brother must be very lucky, then. He didn't get the sword, but he got you." Turning her head to watch the last of the students go, she commented softly, "I don't remember my father much. Just that he was always in a bad mood, and that I was supposedly his biggest mistake. He just left before I could even understand what that meant. I don't even know what he looks like. If you can remember your father, then I really am jealous." The human suddenly let out a nervous laugh, running her fingers through her curls. "Sorry, was that too dark?" She asked lightly, trying to deflect.

Yoshika returned her nervous chuckle. Looking down Kanna was holding his hand and running her thumb over the top of it. It was comforting and brought him some peace. There wasn’t really anyone he told about his family, no one cared.Looking at Kanna after she mentioned that she has really no memory of her father his eyes softened. “Somethings are better left forgotten “ he says in low tone looking at the floor. Placing his palm onto his cheek. His eyes looked dejected as if the thought of his father made him upset. Blinking his eyes hard he cracks a smile. “Our childhoods are pretty messed up” he says. Pulling in his wing to let by some straggling students get by he overhears one of them make mention of rumors about a bone white monster seen somewhere outside of the town. He reaches up to his chest where tear was in his clothing and pulls it shut hiding a scar that was three claw marks.

Kanna looked at him and her eyes widened. Perhaps... that was the wrong thing to say. "Ah, I'm sorry..." She started. At his comment, she returned the half-hearted smile. "That's not even the half of it." A quiet statement before she withdrew her hand as to not draw attention to them as a pair. A bone white monster, why did that sound familiar... "I think I've heard about that monster too, supposedly no one can get to Craughmoyle from the mountain pass becuase of it." Her eyes were fixed on how he tried to nonchalantly hold the shirt closed, then focused up to eyes that wouldn't meet hers. After a few beats, it was as if a gong had gone off in her head. "No way!" She started, before whipping her head both ways to check that no one was eavesdropping. Leaning in as if it was some sort of conspiracy, she asked,"I thought that scar looked old when I first saw it, but-- did you try to fight that thing?!"

Yoshika turned his head to the left away from Kanna when she asked him he tried to fight the monster. Pulling on the opening of the shirt more his knuckles began to turn white. Looking back to her he had a anxious look on his face.” It wasn’t much of I went looking for it...It found me” he says to her. “It was when I was on my way up. It was on its way down.The creature looked maybe 8 or no 10 feet tall. It had a white boney looking exoskeleton with long wiry limbs and fur that looked like it had be pulled and twisted to points all over its body.” he tells Kanna while glancing back down to his hands. “ We didn’t see it coming and well…..” His voice trailed off. Opening his shirt to show her, There were 3 long claw marks that left scars from his collarbone past his chest and into his upper abdomen.” Although I can’t think about that right now, they’re more important things to worry about. My mother for one and…” looking back up into Kannas eyes “us ?!?”

Kanna watched him, her stern expression slowly changing into one of fear as he described the nightmarish thing, then-- "Us?!" Her expression went blank, though her quickly reddening blush was a clear indication that she was embarrassed by the thought. Pressing her lips together in a flustered manner, she managed to stammer out, "Wha-what about us... " She blinked a few times, looking back out to the gardens and trying to keep from showing how upset the thought made her. "You're an avian, I'm going to live, what-- a tenth of your life-span, if that? I would think that puts my companionship at little more than 'pet' status." After a pause, she swallowed thickly and stated quietly. "There's no 'us'."

Yoshika sat there in an awkward silence. Had he made the wrong assumption ? Yoshikas face turned a little red with embarrassment and he looked away eyebrows drawn in and he brought his hand to his face. Looking back at her from across the table he began to smile slightly. “ I understand how you would feel that way I really do..However” he pauses to take a deep breath in. “ Just because my lifespan is suppose to be longer than yours wouldn’t change the affection that I feel for you. Life is something that you never know how long it's going to be. I could have died at the fountain or the beast that left this could have killed me.” he says with his hand on his chest looking at her. “You are a person a human. Yes we are different but no animal or “Pet” has ever has ever stirred this much of my emotions um what is it you humans call it ….’ He he says this to her now as the room has become empty and they are the only ones left. Leaning into the table “ You kissed me for a reason, I kissed you back for a reason too. Don’t think it trivial unless that's how you really feel.”

Kanna lowered her head as she listened. That's right, there was a real chance he would get himself killed in battle, sooner than later at this rate. She finally willed herself to meet his gaze. Pale sapphires searched his for any sign of doubt, for any reason that she could explain this away. Unsurprisingly, she found none. Looking down at the table again, her eyes widened a bit, realizing just now that she had never taken her hand off of his, even when she tried to deny it. Even though she had said all that, everything else said otherwise. Covering her face with her other hand, she laughed lightly, her blush still bright. Before he could pull away, she leaned back in, pecking him on the lips. "Fine. Maybe there's a bit of an 'us'. " She smiled, her usual playful demeanor back in place.

Yoshika smiled and had a slight red hue to his face as well after Kanna lightly kissed him again. He himself took a risk in saying what he just did now. Looking around at the now empty room they were alone. “I’m happy that you told me the truth” he says to her with a smile. “But listen we must..we must be careful.” he tells her as he is leaned in with his clear green eyes fixed on her.” You remember the day at the fountain ?” he asks her. “ I won’t let something like to happen again” he says with a look of determination on his face. Standing up and finishing up the water that he had he puts his hand out towards her. “Lets go , I've got to get ready and get back to the katana its probably freaking out by now” he says as he rolls his eyes.

Kanna nodded at his warning, still smiling. "I know you won't." She said, standing up as well. At the extended hand, she looked up at him, fixing the crimson scarf to stay secure on her. "Are we going to tell it, or is it going to already know?" She mused as she took his hand, amused at the thought of the katana trying to scold them the second it got within reach. The pair left the dining hall, unaware of the eyes fixed on them from the shadows of the garden.

Training Day

Kanna fell back onto her rear what seemed like for the fifth time in five minutes. The walnut curls usually loose around her head were pulled back into a ponytail today for her training. Around the training grounds, multiple posters advertising the Titans of War tournament were pasted onto the walls and doors. Over most, the initial poster looking for entrants was now replaced by a list of dates and times. One that hung haphazardly from the training dummy in front of her had a painted rendering of what was very clearly Kanna, and what looked like a felyne.

An avian sitting overhead sighed and closed his outstretched hand. The dummy fell on the ground in a heap. It only had one dent in it, from where a blow landed only from when she tripped and fell in front of it. The bardess, in contrast, was blooming with fresh bruises. It was not that unsettling for those that knew she had healing magic; it was the bruises on her ego that were worse.

"Aaaaahhhhh!! I'm going to be cat food!" She lamented, throwing herself back dramatically so her head hung back over the edge of the ring.

Yoshika watched as she kept on fighting and training with the dummy. She seemed to struggle a bit with physical combat and Yosh had just the the training to teach her. He approached her after she threw herself back in a dramatic show that he couldn’t help but smile at with a soft chuckle. Leaning over as she had her head hung over the ring with her ponytail dangling. “ I can can help you ya know” he says. Sitting on the edge of the ring he looked at the annoyed expression on her face from the frustration she felt. Looking down at his katana after it dinged at him his expression lite up as if he had the most brilliant idea. “ I’ll show you the basics of CQC ( close quarters combat) with that you can at least use it to make openings for other attacks” he says.

Kanna lifted her head a bit to look up at Yoshika. "You think I am still trainable? Did you not just watch me get bruised from a sack of hay?" She rolled onto her stomach as the dummy's puppetmaster above called down to correct, "It's cotton." With a huff, she forced herself up onto her knees and sat back on her heels, looking up at the avian. "I should know how to fight, I've read the warriors study guides at Frostmaw, I've seen other people fight-- My music should be enough to win it, but just in case felynes turn out to be unaffected by musical magic, close quarters combat should be effective." She mused, letting down her hair, which only served to make the curly mop bigger than usual.

Yoshika may have blushed a bit at the sight of Kanna letting her hair down. He hadn’t really noticed it before because she mostly had her hair pulled back or they were occupied by a life and death situation. He found the combination of her curly brown hair and bright blue eyes quite breathtaking and he stopped for just a second. “ I- Ah- Um” he stuttered out. Raising his hand to the bridge if his nose and squinting his eyes he had a little chuckle. He was a trained warrior who had faced monsters, thieves and others train in combat and this woman was the one who caused him to hesitate. Not out of fear but out of nervousness. He hadn’t been nervous around her before. Perhaps it was because they kissed each other, or maybe it was because it could be that they were now something to one another ? He wasn’t sure but tried to shrug it off, there was nothing wrong so there was no reason to be nervous right ? Approaching her he held his hands up palms out. “ Let's start with this, throw a punch at my left hand with your right and the reverse for the other. While you do this use your foot and push off towards me. So if you use your right punch push off your right foot and same for the left” he tells to her.

Kanna leaned in a bit when he stuttered, her eyebrows raised in question. When he chuckled to himself, she asked, "What is it?" She could have sworn his face had gone pink, but he covered his face with his hand before she could really tell. Her eyes followed him as he got into the ring and approached her, when it (incorrectly) clicked. No way, was the thought of her competing *that* amusing? Her own face flushed in embarrassment, and once her her hair was pulled back again for practice, she made a fist-- "Don't let your thumb stick out." --she made a proper fist and swung from the right, pushing her heel off as she did so. The force of the punch may have at least caught another human off-guard, but to virtually any other race, it hurt about as much as a glove being thrown across the room. That is to say, nowhere near stunning enough to even make an opponent flinch. She knew this was the case too, yet she continued with the exercise, alternating punches at a steady pace.

Yoshika stood with his hands out catching every punch as Kanna threw them each seemingly more forceful than the last. “One two- one two” he could be heard counting. Watching her she looked exuberantly focused. Eyebrows pulled together hair pulled back and faint grunts as she did what Yosh said. After a few minutes he started to move while she was throwing her fists. A little to the left then a little to the right and then they both were moving as if it was some sort of dance. Catching her left hand he held onto it and the same with the right. They stood for a brief moment with her fists in his hands and then the realization if it landed on him and he lower his hands. “ That's not bad for a beginner” He says to her. “ You land at least one of those and you’ll make an opening that you need, you’ll more than likely catch them off guard” he while looking at her. He then suddenly sees that she looks a bit unpleasant. A change from just a few moments ago. “ what's wrong are you unhappy with what I have you doing ?” he asks her.

Kanna relaxed her shoulders to catch her breath when Yoshika caught her fists. She breathed out a laugh, noticing the way they moved was like dancing as well. At the comment, she looked up at him with a quick “No!” Faltering a bit, she added, “It’s just…” Her eyes trailed off to the side. “I heard people are making bets on the duels already.” She looked up at him, a mixture of mortification and humor in her smile. “For mine, there is no betting on a winner or loser, it's one betting pool on whether I will be maimed or if I will forfeit first. No one takes a bard seriously unless it is to entertain.” Her cheeks turned pink. “At least I get to train with the best, though, and for that, I can be content.”

Yoshika listened when she told him what people were saying about her. Betting that she would either be maimed or forfeit ? “Really” he thought to himself. Just as he was about to talk his katana began to have a slight hum-” Yes those types of contests are nothing but barbaric, parading people and their weapons as if we are some kind of show animal” said the sword to both Kanna and Yosh. Looking down at his sword he acknowledged its words and how it felt. “ Yeah the Katana doesn’t like fighting tournaments as you can now tell” Yosh says to Kanna. Leaning over and placing his hand on her shoulder he applies just a small amount of pressure to show some reassurance. “You’re going to do great” he says as his cheeks start to get that pink hue and he has that same smile as he did before. Was it from her comment about training with the best ? Unhooking the Katana from his hip he set it down next to the area that he was teaching Kanna in. “Ok -ahem-mmh” he started to stutter again. “ Let’s try something new. You put your hands out and i'm going to throw slow punches, when I do grab my arm here-(he hold his arm out and points to the middle of his forearm) press here with your thumb and pull down while pushing away with you feet. If done right I should be laying on the floor when it's all said and done” he tells her.

Her lips pressed into a line, her cheeks flushing more from the katana’s comment. It was certainly true, these types of tournaments were little more than entertainment for the bloodthirsty, but… “The prize is too good to pass up. I-I’m not sure if my instruments are sentient like you are, but if I could rank high enough for any of the prizes, I’d never have to sleep outside again.” She added meekly. The weight of his hand was surprisingly pleasant, she noted as he encouraged her again. Once they were back at the center of the ring, she tilted her head a bit at the display of nerves. “Ah-- that’s not going to hurt you, right?” She fretted before relenting to the exercise. Once he extended a fist, she gripped his forearm with her left hand and pushed down with her right, pushing herself back as she did. Whether successful or not, the bard had not anticipated what came after throwing herself back, and gave a small gasp as she hit the ground again. “Ah… Except for that last part, did I do it right?” Kanna asked, looking back for the avian.

Yoshika turned his head at the comment of sleeping outside she made. He knew that she said that she was alone since she was 8 and the story of how she got her powers. Holding out his arm he smiles and shakes his head no to her question about the move hurting him. With a slight involuntary yelp as she pulled him down Yosh landed on his butt armor clanking with the light impact. Resting on the floor after Kanna executed the move he showed her, It hit him suddenly. It was more than just about sleeping outside she wanted the prize money so she could use it to get a place. She wanted to have somewhere to belong to. Looking at Kanna with his green eyes he felt nothing but empathy for her. He had been out on his own for so long and had been sleeping under trees in caves and at the occasional inn that he knew how she felt. He had been staying at the bards college as of late. Brennia had told him that he could stay as long as he wanted and he was going to take her up on that. Standing back up and dusting himself off he held his hand out to help her up “You did great! Just next time try to keep up on your feet “ he says with a smile ear to ear. “You keep this up and you’ll catch them so off guard you should win a few rounds if not the tourney just on the element of surprise.

Kanna sat upright, looking at Yoshika. With her mind focused only on the training, she thought nothing of the offhand comment she had let slip. A smile broke out on her face as she exclaimed in disbelief, “I actually flipped you!” When he was up, she took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. At the praise, her eyes lit up. For the first time, she actually considered that she could be the winner of the whole tournament. Perhaps… she would find a place to reside in Schezerade. She was happy here, after all. This was something that she had not felt in, how long had it been now, years? As she stepped down from the ring to grab her shamisen, something across the training hall caught her eye. She lowered herself down and watched curiously as a group of students in identical violet robes followed around an avian instructor, who was seeming to give a tour of the facility. “How cute, are those magic school students? They’re so small!” She fawned, clasping her hands together in adoration. One of the students looked rather annoyed with the whole thing if only from the ticked-off tail-swishing of a feline coming from under the cloak. Kanna looked at Yoshika as she set the instrument on her lap. “I’m going to do a song of healing, are you going to be training too, today?”

Yoshika watched as Kanna fawned over the students passing by after his little instructional combat intro. Yosh paid close attention to Kanna and could see that ever since their time spent at the college she seemed to be a lot happier. Picking up the katana and latching on his hip he turned to her. With a metal hum the sword gave off he put his hand on the sheath and nodded at it. No words were spoken but they had both agreed on something. Looking at Kanna with the smile she had was something that Yosh wanted to remember. They both had some tragedy in their past and he knew what was laid out a head of him. He studied her smile the way her hair dangled from her pony tail and the color off her eyes and the way she looked back at him. He raised a finger to his lips remembering the kiss they shared and the emotion that he felt when they did. He was in such deep thought he almost missed the question she asked “Am I going to be training” he said aloud “ UH no not today but i’ll stay for the song if you’d have me “ he says to her. As he stood waiting for his response the Katana began to have a faint light engulf the sheath. It was red at first but began to fade to pink as he looked at her unaware of what was happening.

Kanna blushed slightly as she watched him reach up and press a finger to his lips. She looked down shyly before the katana glowed, the embarrassed smile on her face evident. Come to think of it, he had been smiling a lot more since the then-detached pair had sat out on the cliffs of Xalious. Even his katana had pointed it out to her that day at the fountain as well. ‘Everyone leaves.’ A grim reminder scratched at the back of her mind, but she knew it was not true. Not everyone, at least not yet. That was enough for her. Playing a sweet melody that made the visiting class, and even the most disciplined avian soldiers pause to listen to the song, Kanna sang. “All my life so many times, I have dreamed that I could fly, to feel the breeze as so light and free, when the world was fast asleep. Close your eyes and with your hand in mine, we could soar the endless blue, if dreams came true...” As she strummed the shamisen, the bruises on her arms and legs from training gave off a soft green light before fading away to reveal unblemished skin in its’ place.

Yoshika sat and listened as Kanna played her melody on the shamisen. Allowing the sound to fill his soul. The scar on his chest began to burn slightly and he stump of his missing wing had a slight twitch to it. Turning his head suddenly out of surprise he watched as it continued. After a few moments passed and Kannas bruises faded away she ended her tune and the twitching of Yosh’s missing wing stopped suddenly. No one had seem notice but him. “What could have caused this was it her healing song ?” he wondered to himself. “ The song was lovely “ he tells Kanna with lips pulled to the right smiling. Standing up the hue had faded from his sword and he latched it back to his hip. “ I think that's probably enough training for today, we can come back another day soon and we’ll practice so you can get those movements down” Taking Kanna by the hand he held it tight. As they walked through exit the avain with the combat dummy could be heard saying “ HEY Hey whos going to clean this up….His voice faded as they continued to walk out hand in hand.

The Man With One Wing

Yoshika could not get the feeling of what happened at the training ground with Kanna out of his mind. Was it a trick? Did he hallucinate what happened? No he definitely felt his wing react to her song. It wasn’t much but something she was doing caused what was left of his missing wing to twitch. If she continued would it have started to regenerate or grow back ? Resting with his hand on the stone wall in front of the Aviation School he watched as the young ones practiced their flight. Up a few feet then back down again. Yosh watched as he pondered over his own missing wing. With the other free hand he had it up to his face stroking his chin. Remembering back what it was like to fly. The freedom he felt soaring above the cities and dancing with the clouds. Kanna's song was certainly something that he kept repeating in his head

“All my life so many times, I have dreamed that I could fly, to feel the breeze as so light and free, when the world was fast asleep. Close your eyes and with your hand in mine, we could soar the endless blue, if dreams came true...”

Was she singing about him or both of them? Turning to see Kanna next to him he looks back at the kids then back to her. “Hey there, you found me." he says a bit embarrassed, hoping he didn’t look too jealous.

Kanna gave the avian a soft smile as she approached, two steaming cups in her mittened hand. “I saw you come this way from the library. Thought you might be cold.” She said with a hint of a blush as she held out one of the cups to him. As the pair stood by the stone wall, the bardess looked from him, then to the trainees. It was evident why he was watching them, but she opted not to speak of it. How could she know how much pain there was in truly being able to fly, a concept that had filled her with such excitement when she first stowed away on the ships bound for Hollow, and no longer be able to do so? It would be no more agonizing as her not being able to play her music anymore. At the thought of that, her eyes traced down to the covered hand that held the cup. Since the day at the fountain, the marks on the back of her hand had healed to little more than dark lines. Still, had her hand been lifted any higher, the force of it could have sliced her fingers. Kanna knew that his wing would not grow back on its own, she had already scoured the imperial library for anything suggesting otherwise. “Hey.” She started, hesitating a bit before she asked, “What… is flying like? Is it really that difficult enough to warrant all these classes?” Her eyes did not meet his when she spoke, her gaze also fixed on the older children practicing keeping themselves up in the air.

Yoshika turned and accepted the cup that Kanna brought. He took a sip of the warm beverage and let out a deep sigh that he held. The two stood and watched as the students hovered then fell the hovered and fell again. Glancing at his missing wing out of corner of his eye he then heard Kanna ask him “ What is flying like ?” She didn’t look at him but he turned to look at her anyway. Looking down he rested his hand on her shoulder. “When I was able to fly…. Its was exhilarating, feeling the wind rush past and the feeling of weightlessness , the ground moving beneath you..it was almost like I wasn’t moving but the ground was. The speed would scare me sometimes..mostly just because I had trouble slowing to a stop. Take off was always tough. You had to use your wings to make a big enough updraft but once you got up high enough all you had to do was ride the wind currents.” while he explained his face expressed the wonder that the students had while just floating. A sound of “-HHHHHMMMM-” could be heard coming from the Katana. It too was remembering when he could fly.--” It was awfully frightening, I was never secured properly and felt like I could drop at any time--” said the katana. Looking back up at the students Yosh reached over and scratched at his cut wing. Ever since Kanna's song his wing or lack thereof it itched as if it was a fresh wound healing.

A soft weight rested on the singer’s shoulder. Kanna turned her head a bit to see his armoured hand on it as he began to describe what it was like to soar through the skies. Despite the biting cold, she lifted her shoulder a bit and tilted her head to the side, letting her cheek rest on the back of his hand. “Wow…” She started before the katana chimed in. Lifting her head, she pressed her lips into a mock pout, eyeing Yoshika from the side with a teasing tone. “How terrible, what kind of irresponsible owner would do such a thing?” Her eyes fell on the stump of a wing when he reached over to scratch it, and noticed something strange. At the very end was a feather a bit larger than the others coming out of the scar tissue. Had that always been there? She was curious, but found it rude to ask outright, and said nothing of it. Another sip of the warm drink was taken. “When I was little, my mom would tell me stories about a lonely princess with wings that lived on the other side of the sky. I always wanted to have wings of my own so I could meet her, but as it turns out, the chances of growing wings on a human without killing them are about as likely as me growing a half-foot taller. Even then, the wings wouldn’t be operational.” Kanna glanced up and saw him looking down at her, and looked back forward, lowering her head. “I guess it's selfish to lament that when your own wing is gone. If you-- When you defeat her, will you get your wing back?”

Yoshika squinted his eyes in confusion when Kanna called herself selfish. “ I don’t find it selfish at all” he says to her. Her head resting on his hand that he placed on her shoulder brought a smile to his face. In all the worlds with all the different types of people and creatures in it. Kanna was the one who he met in the most odd of circumstances and over the time he spent with her he grew to have such strong feelings for her. Putting his arm around her he held her with one arm and his mug with the other. Bringing it up and letting the steam float up around his mouth and nose before taking a sip. “Yes it should return but I don’t know how that will happen. The katana that they use to cut me with is enchanted. Once I defeat her by cutting her wing with the sword that took mine the spell is broken and then…..” His voice fades off. “Then it somehow is returned. I don’t know if grows back or just is magically restored..” he says to Kanna. Leaning over he places a kiss on the top of her head while he still holds her with his arm. Taking a gulp realizing what he just said.

Kanna’s heart may or may not have skipped a beat when he pulled her to him in such a casual display of affection. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her head against his side with a content hum. The feeling of being close to someone, anyone really, was still foreign to her, but at the same time, it was a feeling she savored every second of. Across the field, two older students were holding a smaller one up in the air while he practiced flapping his wings. “It will still happen, though. I’m glad.” The freckled girl commented before taking a sip of her own obscenely sugary drink. “I could get used to this.” She murmured to herself. Feeling his lips on her head, she tilted her head up to look at him, her cheeks pink for a moment before she piped up. “What about afterwards? After you’ve gotten your wing back, are… you going to stay here?” Her eyes averted his at the last part.

Yoshika had a small smile tugging at his face when Kanna looked up at him. He could see the pink hue still on her cheeks. Hearing the kids across the way cheering on their fellow student while helping them learn to fly. Yosh was reminded of one his first lessons. His brothers voice rang in his ears at the sight of this… "Yosh, jump and extend!” ...he had been so taken by this memory that he almost missed Kanna's question. “Am I going to stay” Looking down at her and giving her a light squeeze with his arm he could see the small bit of fear on her face as she looked away.” I most certainly have a good reason to” he tells her. They stood and watched as the little fledglings kept on with their lessons trying to master what Yosh had forgotten a long time ago. “I’ll tell you what...Once I Get my wing back and uh have some practice--he points over at the students-I’ll take you flying as much as you’d like to.” tells her while he itched at his missing again. Flaring out his one wing he gives it a flap sending over to the students a gust of air taking one of them up higher as the little birdie was about to land. The others looked over at Yosh and Kanna and the one in the air cheered when coming down. He didn’t tell Kanna what had happened when she played her song. He still did not really know himself.

Kanna’s expression softened when he said this. He would stay…! The smile on her face widened as the children tested taking their hands off of the fledgling’s little torso to see if he would stay up in the air. It took her a moment to process the offer. “You will?” She finally asked in disbelief, looking up at him with wide eyes. A small sound of excitement escapes her lips before she wraps her arm around his armor, nearly dropping her mug with the impulse to hug him with both arms. Now that the fledgling was on the ground, the others were trying to compete to see if any of them could lift themselves as high as the draft from Yoshika’s wing had taken the little one. She laughed lightly as she watched how competitive they got as other students took notice and joined in. When her eyes trailed to the missing wing again, her eyebrows went down slightly. Her fingers lightly rested on the stump, pushing a few down feathers aside. “Hey, isn’t the cold hurting this? It looks like its irritated here.” She commented worriedly. “My shamisen is back at the college if you need a bit of healing magic here.”

Yoshika turned to look at his own wing at Kannas comment. Generally the cold does bother it but he had not noticed anything yet. It was red as if it was irritated but other than an annoying itch he didn’t feel anything. Upon Yoshs closer inspection he could see what looked like a new feather growing out of it. That puzzled him. Looking down at the katana he took his hand and poked at the sheath..”Hey...HEY..Hello!” he said while he poked at his sword. With a frustrated sigh he threw his arms and hands up. Unhooking the katana from his hip he pulled the sword out of its sheath with a aggravated swip.The sound of metal scraping against the wood that it was made out of rang loud and startled some of the students still practicing their flight. Yosh took the sword and drove it into the ground where they were standing. Leaning down as if he was a parent scolding a child he points at his back “ Do you know what's going on with this” he asks the katana. After a few seconds of silence the metal of the blade says “Yes” Yosh standing with eyes wide turns his head as if to insinuate -Go on!- “When your wing was removed you were told the only way to restore it was by defeating the one who took your wing in combat and taking their wing. This is not entirely truthful. While the spell or curse will be broken once that is achieved, we had anticipated that other ways to restore your wing would arise. After all we can’t account for every form of healing or magic.” says the sword. Yosh stood both angry and surprised. His hands were trembling at his sides. Looking at the katana the expression on his face was indescribable. He had a smile that was pulling at his face that was interrupted by a look of sadness and anger. “You knew..? All this time you knew..” he said as he fell to his knees. Looking up to Kanna his eyes shined with adoration. “Your song..that day at the training ground did this. Pulling the sword out of the ground he shoved it back into the sheath just as it was about to says something else, he closed it with a hard push causing another loud clak. Standing with Kanna he embraced her with a hug…”Thank you” he said.

Kanna nonchalantly steps to the side when Yoshika throws his arms in the air, at first finding it amusing when he tries to get a response from the sentient weapon. It was not until the katana revealed the hole in the spell that the air around them darkened. She keeps her eyes on Yoshika when he stands, reflexively gripping the now-empty mug tighter. The students around them seem to pay no attention to the scene at the entrance to the field, resuming their roughhousing and excited screams. In the moment of silence, her eyes trail to that of the sword sticking out from the grass. Had they said… ‘we’? Who else would have known about this? When Yoshika falls to his knees, she gives a small sound of alarm as she kneels next to him and gently takes the empty cup from his other hand before it falls, setting it with hers in the grass, a simple act done from being unsure of what else to do to help. “My song… The song of healing…?” She asks slowly, thinking back to that day. It sounded unreal, her magic, her untrained magic was regrowing an entire limb! Though, the magic took a drain on her energy for that spell, it would usually leave her out cold if she tried to heal anything more than a hairline fracture; she wonders if its still using her energy now even though she is not playing. Perhaps it explains the sugary coffee drinks she has now taken to drinking every day… Before she can say anything, she is pulled to her feet and into the embrace. “Oof!” The metal of the armor is cold against her cheek as she wraps her arms around him. Her eyes fall onto the bit of the katana’s hilt she can see from her angle, and for a moment, she feels sorry for the sword; it must have withheld that for a reason... Of course, now the children react, giving loud exclamations of disgust at the public display of affection. Kanna laughed shyly at the tiny audience and gently pulled away, though her mittened hands stayed on either side of his torso. “If that’s the case, it could have been anyone with a healing spell. I didn’t do anything that different.” Kanna commented, looking up at those green eyes.

Yoshika closed his eyes as Kanna kept her hands at his side. He could feel his katana shaking in its sheath trying to get his attention. Taking the yellow ribbon that she had tied to his armor a few days ago he wrapped it around the katana and said “silence” when he did and as if he stole the life from it, and it stopped moving. Turning away from the direction of the students Yosh looked at Kanna with his green eyes so focused on her. She was trying to play it off as if anyone could have done this but Yosh wasn’t convinced of that. “ No…” he said as he continued to keep his eyes locked to her. “I don’t believe that just anyone could have done this. Let me see the hand that my mother struck you on.” he says to her.

Kanna looked down as the sword rattled for attention, tempted to try to ask it for more information, though it seemed as though Yoshika’s patience had run out. She gave an involuntary wince when he wrapped the ribbon around the sheath. There had to be more to this, she was sure. At the request, she raises an eyebrow in question. The mitten comes off with Kanna giving a slight shiver at the sudden cold on her skin. “My hand is just about done healing, those were never too bad.” She comments, looking back up at him to see where he was going with this as she held her hand up, fingers extended and palm facing downwards.

Yosh held her hand in his and kept staring at it, looking at it as if he expected something to jump out at him. He turned her hand over..then back..and over again. “ I’ve looked into many ways to either get my wing back or have it replaced. I’ve sat through healing songs, spells and uh a few questionable injections from uh” Yosh pauses for a moment “doctors”.”Nothing has worked” he tells her. Looking over at his stump of a wing he tries to wiggle what is left and much to his surprise some small movement can be seen. He has not been able to move it for a long time at this point. Nerves must have been cut or damaged causing this. That was not the case anymore though as he could make small movements now. “This is going to sound crazy but….I think she enchanted your hand when she cut you ?” I don’t know this was on purpose or by accident but there is definitely something happening here” he says to Kanna with a smile and pink hue on his face. Yosh is now holding Kannas hand with both of his. In his own mind he thinks “If my mother gave her magic by chance or accident she must have an incredible will to wield it”.

Kanna allows her hand to be inspected, flipped over and back as though there was some grand secret in it. At the mention of what he had already been through to fix the damage, her eyes widen a bit. “If that is so, then what makes my magic different?” She asks as he turns her hand over again. Enchanted her hand… Kanna blinks once, then twice as she tries to understand that. Such an unusual method for a transfer of magic was unheard of, at least from the texts read in the past. Pale sapphires trail back down to her hand enveloped in his and she thinks for a moment. “But this was already weeks ago. If I really do have that kind of power, then it must only be a matter of time before it wears out.” A smile spreads on her face, determination gleaming in her eyes. “Okay, then I’ll use the song until it runs out. With both wings, you’ll be able to keep up with her in speed, right?” She suddenly looks excited to help. “Come on, let’s get back to the rooms, then; I need an instrument to do this.” With a glance back at the katana, she wonders if it had sensed the enchantment, and why it had not said anything to him. She makes a note to somehow get it to speak to her again later so she can find out what else it was going to say.

Yosh turns with Kanna as they walk from the practice field to head back to the college. Kanna seemed to be bursting with excitement the closer that they got. Yosh started to get nervous as they approached. Walking past the gardens and up to the doors his heart started pound even harder. Having his wing back would change a lot. It had been years since he last had both. He would probably have to relearn how to fly, use both wing in combat and just general balance. When they reached the door to enter the college a strange sensation came over Yosh. He wasn’t sure what it was and just chalked it up to being nervous about regrowing a wing. It would probably hurt and who knows how long it would take. Putting his hand on the door to open it and let Kanna go in before him he turned looking backward. Squinting his eyes he looked off into the distance atop the trees that surrounded the school . He wasn’t sure but it looked as if a giant bird with wings extended out was sitting and watching them. As Yosh began to walk through the doorway it it stood up and flew off. “Spies no doubt” he whispered to himself, “we’re safe in here though”.

The bardess follows along, unaware of Yoshika’s increasingly nervous state as they approach the dormitory. She was elated; Yoshika would have his wing back, and surely that meant that there would be no trouble at all winning his duel! At the same time, a pit of self-doubt started to settle in. What if she had not been enchanted at all, and it was a mere coincidence that his wing had started to grow again, or some other magic not of hers was involved? What if she had actually gotten his hopes up for nothing? Seeing him open the door, she tilts her head up and gives him a playful wink and a quick mock-pout, identical to how she did when she had first teased him and his serious expression in the mountains. “Thank you, sir.” She chirps, stepping inside. It occurs to her that he hadn’t taken notice of her attempt to be cute when she turns to see him still at the door, focused on something outside. “What is it?” Stepping back towards the door, she only sees the figure of the large bird flying out of the tree and away. “Your mother brought spies with her....?” Her eyes widen a bit in alarm before asking, “Are they dangerous? I still have to travel to Frostmaw for the duel.” While waiting for his reply, she takes the inside handle of the door and pulls it shut, glancing back out through a window to make sure there are no others.

Yoshika had a look of concern but knew that they would be safe in the college walls. When Kanna pulled in the door and it shut with force and it slammed shut the echo fell through the halls. Yosh joined her at the window in looking for others. He could hear the worry in voice when asking if she would be safe traveling. He knew that she would be as long as she wore the scarf. He hadn’t mentioned to her that it had a “special” function. After the attack at the fountain he had appeared to give it to her to help stop the bleeding on her hand and he had, but there was also another reason and it was to help keep her safe. He had a feeling that if Kanna knew about what else it did she would not take it from him out of worry for his safety. “I think you’ll be ok when you travel, they dare not attack plus i’ll be going with you.” he says while standing next to her. The window was cold due to air outside and Yosh had a bit of a chill from it. Looking at Kanna he reached over and adjusted the red scarf pulling more over her shoulders.

Kanna gave a nod to acknowledge the answer, though it felt to her like there was something still out of place. This meant that any interloper could have overheard the conversation at the training school about Yoshika’s wing growing back. That meant if Gjyshe hadn’t known about her magic being caught in Kanna’s mana before, she surely knew now. The assurance from him did relieve her worries somewhat. “Ha, I’m going to have to show up to the duel wearing all my sweaters at once, aren’t I?” She joked to relieve the serious tone. A tug here and there was felt from her scarf and she looked down at Yoshika’s armored hands as he adjusted the fabric. A shy grin broke out on her face and she leaned up, kissing his cheek before he could pull away. “Come on.” She motioned for him to follow as they travelled down to the dormitories. Across the main hall of the Bardic College of Arts, a cloaked figure roughly bumped shoulders-- or at least, a shoulder and an elbow-- with Yoshika. The violet hood from the Xalious mage school fell, and its owner turned to glare at the avian. It would have been an otherwise unremarkable event if the child’s face did not look alarmingly similar to the bardess, freckles and all. In place of sweet, cornflower blue eyes were annoyed ambers with vertical slits for pupils. It would likely take a moment to register the rounded feline ears coming out from the mop of curls striped in different shades from black to brown, with some unusual white and grey strands here and there. “Watch it.” The humanoid feline barked at him before continuing off with a wad of brochures for the school in her fist. Once she was gone, Kanna turned back to see why Yoshika had stopped; having missed the display entirely. In the borrowed room, most of her things remained in or around the worn rucksack. Kanna sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for Yoshika to sit. “This spell usually, ah, puts me to sleep if I use it too much, so… please do not panic if I do.” She warned with an embarrassed huff as she set out the zither from its’ case.

Yoshika listened to kannas waring about the songs effect on her. She might fall asleep? He wonders to himself, is that from the song or from the energy and effort that was put into the magic ? As he stands in the room with her sitting on the bed he reaches behind himself on his lower back and with his two pointer finger pushes them into his armor causing a click and snap. His plated armor splits vertically from the armpit down and he reaches under his neck and does the same making it open horizontally from shoulder to shoulder. Separating it into four pieces he placed it on the floor next to the bed. Pulling his torn under shirt together covering the scars across his chest, he wiped his brow to clear it of sweat beads gathering due to his nerves. Unhooking the Katana from his waistband he placed it propped up against the bed next to him. They had just had a argument but he had been to accustomed to having it nearby and thought it foolish not to keep it within arms reach. It was still silent after having the ribbon tied to the sheath. Not sure what else to do he sat at the end of the bed while Kanna got her instrument ready. Turning his head to her “ I don’t know what will happen when we do this. It’s probably going to hurt so whatever I say or do…. “His voice has a slight tremble in it “Don’t stop until your song is finished… but don’t over do it I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.

Kanna locked the halves of the instrument into place and adjusted the bridges as Yoshika took off his armor. It was not until she looked up that she realized how badly he was sweating. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when he looked up at her and spoke. It was going to hurt. That possibility hadn’t occurred to her before. For him, it was regrowing an entire limb under the strain of an enchantment, it was much more than healing training bruises and sprained ankles. Yet, he still wanted to go ahead with it. “I understand. Falling asleep would not hurt me, using the healing magic just takes a lot out of me.” She says softly before starting to play the soft melody from the training grounds again, singing the song in its entirety this time. At the last verse, she took a deep breath, already feeling herself get lightheaded. Just a few more stanzas. “Far above the world I'd fly, feel my wings against the sky. Where the air is fresh and sweet, and at last we're free.” She paused for a moment, trying to focus on playing and not to what was happening just feet away from her. “Oh, how gracefully we'd climb, through the clouds, into the light, to a place that's bright and new... if dreams came true…” With the last chord, she took a deep breath and placed the instrument on the floor in front of her before laying back on the bed. “It’s okay… just... let me… sleep it off…” The last few words were barely intelligible before her eyes closed and her breathing evened out, indicating she had really fallen asleep.

Yosh sat and listened to Kannas healing song. It filled his mind body and soul. At first there was nothing. Just the melody and her voice. As she continued Yosh started to see an orange aura. It filled the room and flowed around as if it was water floating on air. It started to make it was towards him and her. His eyebrows moving inwards in confusion not sure what to expect. He was at a loss. Not sure if they were in danger, not sure what magic in Kannas hand had summoned. As it slowly Yosh reached out to touch it and it formed to a point to meet his hand. Just as he touched the floating orange colored aura he looked back to see Kanna sleeping. She had used so much of her power all she could do was sleep. Looking back to this glowing floating anomaly it then began to swirl itself around Yoshs hand making it way up to his shoulder and where ther missing wing was. Suddenly it started to rush into the stump and Yosh fell from the end of the bed and onto the floor. It was hot pouring in and burned more than anything he had felt before. Fists and teeth clenched together with moans of pain he lay on the floor and convulsed as the orange aura burned in the stump. Just as he was about to cry out, the stump of his wing that had been removed split and a dark black ink began to run from it. With a shocked look his jaw fell open, his eyes wide he gasped. Had this substance been in his wing all this time ? Is this what caused his attempts of having it fixed to fail ? It ran from his body and formed a small pool by the door of the room. Watching it started to take the form of a small imp creature. Quickly rising to his feet Yosh grabbed his sword and quickly unsheathed it. With a downward thrust of the blade he pierced the glob and a tiny whine could be heard coming from it. After returning the blade to the sheath the black ink shrunk into itself until it was gone. Yosh watched and looked over at Kanna on the bed. “She would never believe this,” he thought to himself. Wiping the sweat from his brow he sat on the floor with his back to the bed. Closing his eyes he sat the Katana on his lap. “I’ll just rest… Just for a moment”. Yosh floated off into sleep on the floor. Things were about to change...His wing was about to return.

---