War Fans

Moe grunted, swiping her war fans at the straw dummy, slicing into it.

She panted softly, wiping sweat from her forehead.

Instead of either a decorative Yukata or a lolita dress, she wore a plain white haori and black hakama; hair pulled up into a tight bun.

The fan in her hand was decorative, painted with black and white and red swirling patterns. But it was razor sharp, as the strands of straw fluttering in the wind suggested.

It was a deadly weapon in the right hands.

Taylor had been lounging around in a tree, seeming to do that a lot recently, and was just simply watching the world go by for the first time in a very long while

she was relaxed and smiling softly as she smoked, her arms crossed behind her head

that was when she saw her imouto out in the gardens and slicing at a straw dummy

looking closer, she saw that the dummy now had large and deep gashes appearing each time that Moe sliced at it with her fans

she raised an eyebrow in intregue

jumping down from her place in the tree, she quietly walked up to moe, but made a rookie mistake of approaching form behind way to silently before speaking to the person training with weaponry

heya imouto

however, as soon as she spoke, she realised and already had an arm up to protect herself

damnit Taylor! that was so rookie it was painful!

The woman gasped, turning and swiping her fans in a large arc.

When she caught a glimpse of her target, she gasped again, jumping back to stop the fans from touching her sister.

She bowed deeply, flicking her fans shut.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she apologised quickly.

Taylor smiled

amazing reflexes there Imouto. also, it was my fault. i shouldn't have come up right behind and startled you. she chuckled, lowering her arm again so you know how to use fans as a weapon? the Monks i used to stay with in japan once taught me about it. it wasn't a skill i could master...i'm not all that graceful in that sence. just in others according to them *shrug* any ways, where'd ya learn to do that? you're very good at it.

Taylor saw potential in her imouto, and how she could be useful

but she quickly banished the thought.

no, she wouldn't drag her into something that dangerous and put her through the kind of training she'd have to go through.

Taylor idly wondered how much word about her being a Bounty Hunter, and a very good one at that, got 'round.

"I, um... Yes. Yes, I use them as weapons." She turned her head to glimpse at the half destroyed dummy behind her.

She blushed. "Thank you."

The hybrid began fiddling with the red tassels on the end of her fan, looking down at it. "The clan taught me; it was one thing that I truly enjoyed."

Taylor smiled

learning to fight is always a useful skill, and i guess that's one good thing that came from your old Clan.

she tilted her head to the side and looked between the fans and the dummy

hmm

neh, it's been such a long time since i practiced with the fans, would you mind if i had a quick go?

she would like to see how rusty she was with these weapons, and also to compare her skill to Moe's.

if the difference in marginal, and that Moe was much better, she'd be unable to not consider talking to Moe about Bounty Hunting

"Yes, definitely. I enjoyed learning; fans are beautiful as weapons or in a dance."

She loved fan dancing. It made her feel graceful.

"Yes, of course." She held the closed fans up to her 'sister', bowing low. "Be careful with them, please."

She didn't want them destroyed.

Taylor accepted the weapons with a bow of her head and a grin as she felt the somewhat familiar weight of the fans in her hands

still grinning, she walked over to the dummy and flicked her wrists, making the fan unfold and spread out with a quiet 'chink'

she chuckled low, and then fell into a fighting stance used with the fans

realxing, she then began moving and slicing at the dummy

she moved with a sort of grace that wasn't often seen in Taylor, but she wouldn't be as graceful as Moe

however, there was a bit more power and certainty in her aim as she sliced at all the vitals that would be on a human, vampire, or elf

her arms and legs moved in harmony as she came as close to dancing as she ever would, but there was still a kind of hardness to her movements

yes, Moe was better than her at this

slowing to a stop, she flicked her wrists again and closed the fans

well, i can safely say that you're much better with this weapon than i...and i've never said that before to anyone.

taylor handed the fans back with another small bow, and huffed as she straightened up, running through the pros and cons about getting Moe to join

are you aware that i'm a bounty hunter m'dear? and if so, how much do you know about me as the Bounty Hunter 'Blue Sparrow'?

her reputation in the Bounty Hunter world was a brutal and ruthelss one. 'Blue Sparrow' didn't show remorce when killing her bounties in the slightest, borderlining sadistic, only taking on the hardiest of Apprentacies and even then, it took a lot to catch her eye and even more for her to train you up.

She watched the woman, eyes taking in every movement silently for moment before shaking her head softly.

"Your movements are far too stiff. You use them as weapons instead of extensions of your arm," she muttered, accepting the fans and sliding them into her Obi. "Fans are delicate things. They're not suited for brute attacks."

Blue Sparrow...

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I've heard enough."

The Clan's Bounty Hunters complained about that woman constantly. They always went after the same bounties and the Sparrow always came out on top.

The woman had quite a name for herself in the Takahashi Clan.

"I've heard of you...But have you heard of the Red Bud?" She wasn't too well known outside of Asia, but she still had quite a name for herself. She wasn't an overly violent Hunter, but she got her jobs done quickly. In out, collect the bounty.

Moe didn't mess around when she had a job.

Taylor smiled a little mischeviously

i'm guessing from your eyes narrowing that you have heard of 'Blue Sparrow'. well, i must have cause d alot of hassle for such a look *chuckle* i'm glad. i like irritating competition. it keeps them on their toes and it makes my life fun. actually, if i remember correctly, i think i nabbed a fair few bounties from a Clan called Takahashi. they were often too slow. such a shame she sighed with false sympathy and care

yes, i've heard of Red Bud, mainly when i was in japane near the Kobe area. if you're bringing her up, i can only asume that you are Red Bud *smile* so you're not.....new to the Bounty Hunter world i'm guessing then. Red Bud was reputed to be a very swift killer that you wouldn't see until it was too late. she grinned i would try to seek her out on occasions when i got a new lead, but Red Bud was illusive to me. quite the achievement. well done imouto *chuckle*

"I agree that annoying the Clan was amusing, but only until they started using me as a punching bag to relieve their frustrations on." She had received many beatings as a result of the Blue Sparrow taking the Clans bounties.

She shook her head softly. "No, I'm certainly not new to the Hunter World."

In that instant, she looked older, more mature. She wasn't a childish kid with a bright smile, she was a fierce Hunter with a reputation for silent kills.

"I stayed illusive because I was a Solo Hunter." She tucked her fringe behind her ear. "Having a partner mean splitting the Bounty and couldn't do that with the Clan breathing down my neck."

Taylor doublue took

wait what!? i caused some of the beatings!? oh my Gaia i'm so sorry!!

didn't really know what to say to that, and hugged the girl befor stepping back

she saw the serious and much more mature look in the girl and isntantly recognised the girl as Red Bud

she wouldn't say this, but she had seen the girl several times...not clearly, but enough that she could recignis her

she had an inkling about Moe....but her childishness before threw her off

a wise choice m'dear. i wouldn't share at time either really. i had just wanted to meet you and see what you were like. she then took a deep braeth and sighed of course...i'm actually willing to split money now on bounties....especially if it means i have a big share of the money. the more people i have in my Bounty Group, which i'm currently forming, the bigger the bounties we could hunt. i have my eyes set on a Cold Bounty and already training some up.....you hold a very big potential, and the skill i saw with your fans prooves it, as well as your reputation as Red Bud....i could use someone like you to help me train someone who would be very new to the scene, but would easily pick up your style of fighting. i'm training a Vampire called Jenevieve Gladstone up into an Assassin and Scout....it would be useful to have more than one. she's charming and lady like, like you, so getting intel should be easy, but i need some help on training her on such a specialised art....which is where you would come in.

she crossed her arms and leaned back against the dummy

would you concider joining my Bounty Group? i need as many people as i can get in all honesty....but i only really have room for one more...and you could take that slot. with you in it, i would have two assassins a heavy hitter, a healer, an elemental, and myself as the weapons expert and Transformationist.

she looked at Moe dead in they eye, all jovialness fading into her 'Blue Sparrow' moder

She returned the hug with a soft sigh. "You were just a catalyst; they would have happened one way or another. I don't blame you," she assured.

Her tongue ran over her lower lip. A Cold Bounty...? She could feel a shiver of excitement running down her spine.

Moe was a thrill seeker, a little bit of an adrenaline junkie at times. She liked dangerous situations that some people were too scared to take on.

She nodded along with what the woman was saying, thinking over options and little details.

"I don't know if I'll work well in a Hunter Group," she warned, staring up at the other woman. "But I'm willing to try."

maybe it would help if i told you who's in it. there's Jenevieve, the other i want you to train into an Assassin, there's Dr Raoul to be our Healer...he's not looking for money, only something to entertain him. and then there's Hellsing. he'll be our Elemental....and finally.....there's our heavy hitter...*takes a deep deep braeth and braces herself for any possible reaction* Zeke Leon....

she hunched her shoulders slightly and waited for a raection of some sort

She sighed softly at the last name to slip the elf's lips.

"It'll take a lot of effort to convince him I'm going to be killed out in the field."

Her mind passed over numerous ways she could try to convince the Lycan that she was more than capable of taking care of herself on a Bounty.

She wasn't worried about her boyfriend becoming a Bounty Hunter. He was an intimidating man and he held himself in a way that suggested he was a good fighter.

And he had gone toe-to-toe with Aodh. Not many people did that.

Taylor relaxed, slightly shocked at the lack of an outburst, but shrugged it off

my thoughts exactly.....it was why i was a tiny bit hesitant to ask you about joining......you do realise i'm going to die right? when i tell him, going going to be covered in silver armor for protection and life insurance....

shadows fell over her eyes as she sweatdropped at the thought of telling Zeke, shuddering a little

do you wanna know the Bounty Detail now or later? or would you rather go over what i want you to do with Jen? i've already got Zeke to go over some training with her, but i need you to go over refinement with the girl.

"He won't kill you." Her eyes slid closed. "If he were to be angry at anyone, it would be myself for joining the Group. And I suggest we both be there when he's told. Between the two of us, we should be able to calm him down before anyone gets hurt."

She thought over it for a minute. "Brief me on the Bounty. We can arrange teaching Jene later."

Taylor nodded and puffed on her smoke for a bit, ordering her thoughts

color=royalblue] it's a 'sign up for details' one. however, that just adds to the interest. none the less, i managed to dig up a few minor things about the 'Cold Bounty'. apparently it's here in Italy, part of the reason i came here besides getting some rest and gathering myself. its something to do with a village a few thousand miles south, heading onto the island of Malta. folks from the village disappear...and that there are strange noises and smells coming from the mountains bordering the village. they say it smells like burnt flesh and hair. the Villagers would also find scorched bodies. they would check the bodies and dental records. most of the time it was other villagers...sometimes it was the bodies of the Bounty Hunters that fancied their chance at succeeding. nasty ends....but deserved for their fool-hardyness. Taylor grinned wide, already anticipating the Challeng of it all

the money is insane. we're talking 158,000,000 euro here, or at least, it used to be. it's no longer just effecting that little village. that mountain range is impossible to pass, killing trade routes to many other villages and causing famine and poverty in many places now. hell, it's even beginning to effect the main tourist sights as the rumours and stuff are spreading about all of this to the main cities. it's killing the island....and the price for dealing with this is ever increasing.[/color]

she huffed, flicking her fringe out of her eyes

i've even done a little more digging recently, looking around the internet and digging in places people wouldn't think to look. i found out a few more details......such as a fire that burned way to hot to be natural, and had melted the weapons of Bounty Hunters that had tried and failed to kill the Bounty. the Bounty has increased another few hundred thousand and now hits the 158,792,000 euro mark. that's a hefty sum now. and a fainal snipit i found was an image...a shitty photo, but it's something...i'm guessing its something that isn't fought very often and isn't often seen in this area....but judging by the size, and what i think it is, it's only a new born...and without a mother teaching it to stay away from humans and their settlements, it's become a great danger

she pulled out an image showing a silloette of some large creature with bright yellow eyes, and a ridge along its back right down to a long tail and handed the image to Moe

this is big game...raelly big game....*dark grin* and i can't wait to take up the challeng

She listened to the woman's explanation silently.

"What do you think it could be? A Dragon?" Her tongue ran over her lower lip thoughtfully. "It could be a Demon or an Ifrit... Eldjötnar? Phoenix?"

"Khalkotauroi...No, they wouldn't venture far from Greece..."

She pressed her knuckles against her lips as she thought. "Possibly a Leviathan from Hell."

Taylor tapped her chin and chewed her fag

i'm thinking either Phoenix or Dragon...more likely Dragon....i can't really see a phoenix hanging out in Malta. it's big enough that it can cut of the trading links and stuff......but i can't really confirm anything until i get more information....it's getting harder to dig out facts.....the ones holding out the bounty are clamping down on loose ends. my whiles are wearing thin.

she huffed, crossing her arms again

she hated not knowing, but she had already learnt more than any other bounty hunter had on this

i'll have to scout out an area near the centre of the attacks soon.....interview a few people, and scout the area

She nodded slowly.

A Dragon. Most probably Western.

"Assuming that it is a Dragon - a Western Dragon - what type would it be? A Wyrm? Cockatrice...? I wouldn't put much thought into that one, though," she muttered after a moment.

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I'll have to look into types of Western Dragons. I know more about Eastern Dragons."

Moe didn't usually take on animalistic Mythical Creatures. She chose humanoid men most of the time; people that she could get close to (through any means necessary) and kill off quickly.