Catharsis in Swordplay. ( for 8D )

"HUP!" came her cry as she swung a practice sword forward.

"HUP!" came her cry again.

She liked to borrow the track field when she got an opportunity to herself. With so much space, it was one of the safest places to practice her swordsmanship. The classes had been paying off. Now she found that it was natural how she wielded her practice katana.

It was also a great opportunity to get her thoughts in order.

Hmmm... I'm nearby... the sororities are nearby as well... I should consider looking into them. There should be no problem joining multiple, right? Perhaps I could join a few and schedule how I participate. That would require speaking with the members, of course, to make arrangements. There should be a kendo sorority, right? And I still need to find out more about the Tea and Crumpets Sorority. I'll do that when I get another free moment.

For a minute, she considered practicing her stances and other swings. She felt rather confident in her swordplay, however. It couldn't hurt to try a little self teaching, could it? Experimentation could bring about results.

With that, she decided to try a sword play trick. She started out simple, spinning her practice sword by it's hilt with her two hands. Then she switched to one hand. She tried to spin it, one handed, over her head and back down.

She learned two things from this exercise. One, such a fancy spin would need an impressive level of practice before it could be combat practical. Two, from the fact that it flew out of her hands and somehow got stuck, blade end down, into the ground, this would be an interesting means to improve sword handling.

For now, she reclaimed her blade and decided to try again.

The shrill yell of pure unadulterated horror would come from a ways away from where Masako stood. If one were to make an metaphor to describe the tone of the shout, that metaphor would probably be something along the lines of "it sounded like the yell of Mexican sushi chef after realizing his tuna was two months expired,"... Though that metaphor only serves to confuse further and as such a better one would be it sounded like the scream of a man who's RC helicopter you just destroyed with your training Katana while you were training to be a better Cadet. Then again that metaphor is actually what happened so it's not a very good metaphor in the sense of what a metaphor is. So instead we'll go with the first one.

Masako would not have to wait very long to find out from whom the Hispanic fish flinger like voice would come from as a rather oddly dressed clown would rush past her to where her sword fell. Slowly he would kneel down next to it and grab the busted tiny RC helicopter next to it and weep for a moment before holding it aloft to the heavens."Alas, poor Mr.Spinny... I knew him random lady I don't know... An RC helicopter of something something something I've never seen Hamlet, Ehehehe."

How Masako handled this was up to her, for now the weird man seemed content spouting broken Shakespearian references. Look at em go! He's butchering Henry the 8th right now!

There was only one phrase that could fit this scene so perfectly well.

That man is deranged and needs to be admitted...

Opinion of the Clown: considerably low.

W-wait... is he butchering Henry the 8th?!

Opinion of the Clown: considerably lower than before.

Bizarrely enough, a mental image of Henry laughing maniacally as this clown raised a butcher knife came to mind.

Opinion of Clown: In the negatives now that he indirectly made her think of a very nightmare inducing thought.

She should at least try to be civil.

"M-my apologies," she replied, maintaining her professional aura. "That was careless of me. I had assumed that I was on my own here. If you'd like, I could try to cover the cost of repairing, or if it should come to it, replacing the model."

"Hm? Oh it's fine," The odd clown's tears seemed to dry in record time as Masako addressed him. He would snicker and toss the broken remains of the copter behind him where it seemed to slip on reality and fall into the void. "I was only REMOTEly interested in flying it today! Ehehehehe! Ya see in all honesty I can't really CONTROLE this copter very well anyway. Ehehehe!" the clown would laugh long and hard at his own jokes for a moment before sighing and turning his attention to the sword in the ground.

"After all I can just make another one, what I'm far more interested in is what YOU were doing Ms.IDon'tKnowYourName. Cus even though you have BOKEN my toy, you're still a CUT above the rest when it comes to sword play! Ehehehehe!" 8D would flash a warm smile before taking a close look at Masako's training sword.

... those puns...

Opinion of Clown: has risen back into the positive.

The puns actually made her smile, somewhat.

"Alright, first of all, I would prefer Ms. Mitsurugi," she expressed, "Second of all, I wasn't really doing much. I'm just practicing my swordsmanship." By now, she reclaimed her sword. "If anything, I'm still am amateur. No where near the skill of a true samurai or even a professional swordsman. Now, if I may ask a very obvious question... what are you doing here?" After all, it was rather rare to run into a clown of all things at Seven Stars Academy.

Wait, did that toy just disappear suddenly? Perhaps this clown is also a magician? He did state that he could make more toys... a magician and toy maker, perhaps?

"Oh very Well Ms.Mitsurugi, is that a Japanese name? It must be... Ya know now that I think about it there are a bunch of Japanese people living in Endymion! What a weird thought, though I suppose it's just one of those weird things, Ehehehe!" 8D grabbed his gut as he chuckled, the laughs were getting to be a bit much for the poor bot! He would cast a knowing glace to the side-If you ask me it's almost like the powers that be are a bunch of Weebs! Then again, no one ever asks me, Ehehehehe- He would perk up at Mitsurigi's question and smile widely at her.

"Me? Oh I was just here to try and fly my Mr.Spinny, but we both know how that went, Ehehe. If you're asking why I am here specifically it is because you always run into the MOST interesting people at the Seven Stars Academy. Ehehe, Truly you lot are the STARS of Endymion! Ehehe... Have ya heard that one before? Wouldn't surprise me if you had... It's kinda an obvious one..." 8D would pause for a moment before turning his attention back to the sword in his new acquaintance's hands."Though, back on point, it isn't every day you meet a swords woman, why is it that you train with that Miss?

Don't laugh... she thought to herself, Yes, the joke was obvious, but it's still good... but don't laugh, you have a professional image to maintain...

It took a considerable amount of effort to get herself from laughing. In the end, she had to swallow hard.

It was painful.

"Oh, my skill with a sword?" Masako partially paraphrased, "Well, in all honesty, it's because I intend to use these skills to protect the people of Endymion. My aim is to become a top tier Cadet one day, so that the people of Endymion can be safe and secure from all threats. Or at least as many as I'm able to manage. To that end, I have to keep my wits and my skills... sharp." That last line she said rather purposefully. Normally, she reserves punning for dire and stressful situations, but a part of her wanted to see if she could compete with what seemed to be a professional Pungeon Master.

"Sh-Sharp?...PFt..." 8D made no attempt to contain his laughter. Almost instantly after Masako's pun was dropped 8D fell to the ground clutching his sides with laughter. He howled and gafawed with jubilation until he started coughing and panting to catch his breath."K-Keep y-your skills... Skill sharp! EHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! Oh that's good! That's really good!" Grins did his best to sit up and wipe a tear from his eye. Oh it was hard, but he had to regain his composure. This girl had JOKES! Oh he liked that, even if she WAS a murderer (Mr.Spinny... Missed but not forgotten!) He had to admire anyone who clearly had a love for puns as he did.

"Oh... Oh Miss.Masako! Be still my heart! That was wonderful! Truly, oh my... I'm gunna have to remember that one Ehehehe!" was he over reacting?... Probably... But if 8D had a weakness... it was jokes. Slowly 8D would regain his composure and regain his footing. With light chuckling he would dust himself off and try to not lose his shit all over again.

"Wheo! Sorry about that, anyway... You want to be a Cadet?" he would ask as if he WASN'T just rolling on the grass losing his mind"My my my that is quite admirable! A proud warrior of the Queen! Fighting the good fight for the people of our fair city against the creeping darkness! I must say it is the most DEMONding job in all of Endymion! Ehehe, For your service, I thank you!" 8D would bow deeply, hiding the smirk he currently wore.

Was it... really that good? Well, at least he enjoyed it, and that was all that matters.

Though, his next comment about her being a cadet... was that a subtle jab? It was hard to tell, at this rate.

Personal opinion of him... he is strangely carefree and does not seem to take anything seriously. I imagine that children would love him, but adults would have issue with him. I'll have to take care to keep my temper in check...

Still... he loves jokes... so obviously he's not a bad person.

"I can't tell if that was sincere or not," She replied, "But I can assure you, I intend to perform to the best of my ability. I'm a student of Seven Stars, after all. Only the best will do."

"Oh hoho! Please do not take me the wrong way Miss. I am as sincere as I can be when I thank you for your service. You and yours make the streets so much safer!" 8D snickered slightly for a second before composing himself and taking a deep breath "I understand your questioning of my sincerity however, I do have an odd way of speaking that may very well come off as constant joking, Ehehe. I am a clown after all."

8D would back peddle slightly and smile widely at the girl, a little... to wide for what the physical confines of his face should have been able to allow. "I've never actually met a cadet before if you believe it. More often then not when I see them I'm ether preforming or they're working... This is quite the opportunity! May I ask you a few questions? In return I'll be more then happy to tell you more about myself! Ehehe"

Well, I won't fault him his devotion to the ar- whoa! That, ahem, that does not seem normal... uncanny, even... Inwardly, she wanted to cringe at the sight of the uncanny smile. Perhaps it was the clown set up that gave that illusion? It was rather creepy.

Outwardly, stoic. Stoic and unfazed, and perhaps a little to stern. The way the two were set up, it almost looked like some kind of strange modern interpretation of Drama and Comedy.

"Very well," she replied, "Though I should warn you, I've only been recently recruited, so my answers might be limited. Even so, I'll answer to the best of my ability." She couldn't fault him his interest in the Cadets either. Who knows, maybe he might want to join? She wasn't sure that a clown such as himself would be well received based on his behavior, but he clearly has strange abilities that could prove useful.

Then again, he seemed more the type to entertain and bring smiles. A Cadet's life may not be for him. Still, it would be best not to stand in the way of whatever decisions he may make, so long as they aren't against the order that must be maintained.

"Oh Joy! I've always wanted to get this question answered and no amount of googeling has ever given me a straight answer! Ehehehe!" 8D snickered and bounced happily while he clapped. This was going to be fun fun fun! But then again this question was probably a little personal so it might be a bit touchy and might make her turn her fancy swords on our poor defenseless Clown! Oh that would be terrible! -The more you say it the more likely it is to happen ya know... I'd rather not get my face beaten in-

"So! How is it you guys fight the demons? I've heard everything from you challenge them to trading card games, to you fight them off with these like... Weird Ghost things that you pull out of your head! What were they called again?... Stands?" -...Seriously?...- "Anyway I've never seen a REAL fight like that so I was just curious!"

This rather childish behavior was getting harder and harder to stomach.

Just hang in there, just a little longer, she thought to herself, You have patience. You have professionalism. You can handle this. No more clowning around... oh goodness, he's got me doing it unconsciously now!

She gave a brief thought about this, and decided to give a calculated answer.

"I suppose it depends on the Cadet, actually," she replied, "Commonly, it does seem like there is a phantom presence that most Cadets can call upon for power, but it seems to be different for each one. I've seen such presences that command fire, and I've seen presences that... may give you nightmares if you aren't careful." Henry's more morbid nature replayed in her memory at just the mere mention of it. She quickly shook the thought out of her head.

"My own ability seems to be... not fully tapped into, in all honesty. I feel like there is more to draw out, but it's just out of my reach." No need to tell him about her ability to analyze on the fly, if only for one target per encounter.

Now that she thought about it, could it be used on a non-hostile such at this clown? No, that would be rude and invasive. Best to let him keep his privacy.

"I've also seen stranger abilities, such as taking something inanimate and bringing it to life to fight on your behalf." She thought of Ava as she mentioned that, and her rather versatile weapon seemingly crafted onto herself. It was quite the blessing, though she wonders as to the costs of such a blessing.

"And, on a much more minor not, it seems that all active Cadets can summon... well, let me demonstrate." Gently placing her practice sword on the ground, she stands back to keep a safe distance from her strange guest. She then took a standard sword stance, and from this simple stance, a new sword suddenly appeared to her hands. "I'm not sure as to the nature of how it works, but each Cadet has a weapon that they can summon." She got the feeling that she had something else she could summon, but she seemed to be... very adverse to it somehow. It was as though her gut instinct was telling her not to use it... ever...

"MY word!" Grins's eyes went wide at the blade that Masako summoned. It was quite the feat! The blade itself seemed to be rather ornate as well! -Though a Katana? Hm... I was getting a medieval knight vibe from this chick. Would have thought a Short Sword and Kite Shield before a Katana... Wait.. Can soul bounds be two items? Callie has two daggers... Huh...- Grins would listen intently to Masako's explanation, nodding simply and doing his best not to get lost.

"My my my! You cadets are FULL of surprises! I would have never guess the ghost theory to be the correct one, yet you say that you have not fully accessed all your power? That is a shame if I've ever seen one... SAY! Is there any way I can help you achieve your full power? I'd love to be able to help my fair city in any way I could!" 8D's grin was wide and his heart open as he struck a jolly pose and saluted the Cadet.

-Tch... Could be fun ya know? Lets see where little Miss.Workaholic's ideals get her... Ehehehehe-

I... don't know for sure I'd be able to manage dealing with his apparent default behavior for very long.  Short bursts, perhaps, but long term periods with someone like this?  Likely to grate on my nerves greatly...

Huh, pun...

"I appreciate the concern, but I doubt you'd be able to fully draw out my full ability, at least not at this point and time.  The only thing that seems to work seems to involve battle against a specific kind of foe."

Besides, I'd rather not drag a civilian into a hunt for demons and similar foes.  In fact, I'd rather not have to hunt down said demons.

She unsummoned her sword at that point, reclaiming her practice sword.

"Unless you happen to know an effective combat training method, I doubt there's much that could be offered."