The Bladekeeper (Zaku)

As another uneventful day of school went by, Lui found himself cheerfully strolling to the Sorority Hall, a duffel bag slung over his right shoulder. The club was planning to have a small tournament to determine who would battle the representative from the dojo soon, so the few members who were still in the club were sparring against each other. Instructor Kamizura judged the match between the newer members, Arthur and Bosco, while the older members, Erin and Gus, sparred with the standing dummies. Seeing Lui enter, Kamizura called the final match point, giving Bosco the win, and brought Lui aside to talk to him.
"Lui, good to see you. I wanted to ask about your friend Zaku. Is she coming today?"
"Perhaps. Let me just check up on her."
Stepping out of the club room, Lui flipped open his cell phone and texted the number Zaku had given him. A quick confirmation to see if she would be coming.
Zaku, it's Lui. Would you be able to swing by the Sorority Hall today? Kamizura wants to talk to you about handling our weapons.

Zaku was already on her way to the fencing clubs room with her almost ever present metal backpack on, after all she was expecting to have to transport the clubs weapons after today, she also took the time to look into a few other things regarding fencing techniques, it was all stuff she already knew, so she should be fine if she was asked to participate. after all she also taught fencing at her dojo, and many other styles of combat.

As she walked into the hall her phone made a beep and she took it out, she had actually gotten a model that looked much like a military radio and as she checked the text she looked around and pulled out the paper that had the room number on it and nodded before texting back Yes Zaku is coming, she is just getting into the hall now and looking for the room she will be there soon! Zaku and she put her phone away as she headed to the room.

It really didn't take to long for her to get there after all she was in a club here to and she knew her way around, and as she turned the corner she would see Lui, the massive metal backpack was only overtaken by the height of her cowlick as always, and as she walked up to Lui she smiled a bit "Z..zaku i....is here! Zaku" she announced, and of course her Cowlick did it's usual dance when she stuttered, and stood at attention at the mention of her name.

Though after a moment her Cowlick seemed to lean a bit past Lui and look into the room, making that Sniffing motion as it did so, as if checking to see if the room was safe to enter before Zaku even got close to the door.

After reading Zaku's response, Lui tucked his phone into his pocket as he noticed Zaku walking towards him, still lugging the enormous metal backpack with her surprisingly active cowlick dancing as it pleased. As the cowlick tried to apparently sniff out the room behind him, he gingerly held his hand up to it and pushed it back towards Zaku before addressing Zaku.

"Thanks for making it on short notice, Zaku. Ms. Kamizura was interested in meeting with you to discuss handling our weapons and such. Come on in."

Lui stepped back to open the door, inviting Zaku to enter in front of him. The other members, taking a short break from their activities, glanced at Zaku as she entered and started shooting Lui confused glances as Kamizura motioned for the two to enter one of the closet spaces. Opening the door, Zaku would be able to see weapon racks on both sides, extra suits folded on a wall shelf, and a set of weapons sitting unused against the wall. A few of the weapons appeared noticeably damaged, one saber even missing the hand guard.

"We've had a few troublesome sorts mishandling the last weapons, so we would love to make sure the new ones don't end up the same. Feel free to take a look around. Lui will be here for your questions, and I'll be handling things out here."

Leaving the two to their business, Kamizura got the other members back together as Lui got out a set of swords to show to Zaku.

"These are Kamizura's best. She takes pretty good care of them, so they should be in prime condition. Want to take a look at them?"

Zaku seemed to fully stop as her cowlick was touched, a look on her face of confusion as she had no clue what was going on as she stood there with him, the cowlick seemed to react in an almost pouting manner as it seemed to droop a little like it was pouting, Zaku though didn't seem to notice the action of the Cowlick, and finally as he started to thank her she nodded a bit and followed him into the club room.

She looked around at the other people noticing them all looking at her then to Lui and she felt a bit self conscious, she was however in her normal baggy body hiding clothing and as Lui headed to the side following another woman she followed after them, the huge Metal backpack not seeming to be hindering her at all. and as they got into the smaller room she looked around, the conditions of the weapons in there was almost enough to break her heart, but at least they had been used, she walked up to a shelf and took a few of the damaged ones down and handling it like she was handling a wounded bird.

Looking over the weapons she nodded to what the woman mentioned and she put the damaged weapons back, she would have to fully reforge those blades, but at least she could do the work. She then turned to Lui as he mentioned the weapons he had and she looked at them in his hands and nodded gently taking them from him when they were offered. she looked at them studying them and nodded a bit, they were taken care of but they had signs of wear but that was not uncommon. Taking them in each hand she couldn't help but feel the weight difference, before taking them and putting them back and weighing one at a time.

"They are slightly off balance....but they have been well taken care of, but wear is evident on them, the binding is lose on the grips but it's clear they are taken care of. Zaku" she nodded a bit her mind focused on her job now and her stuttering had stopped for the moment, while her Cowlick seemed to be looking at the other weapons and gear, and slipping out to look out the door at the goings ons in the main room.

After looking at the damaged weapons as if they were a pile of whimpering puppies, Zaku took her time to examine Kamizura's swords. Lui was leaning against the back wall, attempting to keep his eyes on both the club members and Zaku, who analyzed the weapon's wear and constitution. Surprisingly, her nervous stutter had dropped as she spoke, serving to reinforce Lui's notion that Zaku knew what she was doing.  
"They are slightly off balance....but they have been well taken care of, but wear is evident on them, the binding is lose on the grips but it's clear they are taken care of. Zaku"
"Right, Kamizura did mention a certain unique factor of her weapons. So, about the more damaged weapons... I assume the more damaged ones need to be melted down. But these over here seem put together. Maybe just need a little touch-up. So, how did you get into weapon metalworking? A little innate talent you figured out, or maybe you met a pretty wicked master to learn from?"

As Zaku's cowlick glanced out into the club, it would likely react as Lui did when a suited member appeared to be slowly approaching the room, moving aside to glance at what Zaku was doing. Seeing this, Lui excused himself as he slipped out of the room to speak to the member, the door opened a crack to allow curious ears to potentially hear their conversation.

"So, Lui, is she a new member of something? Heh, how'd you coerce her into coming around?"
"Why is it you always assume I trick people into coming here, Gus? I mentioned how our weapons needed some care, and she was onboard to take a look."
"Because that's how you deal with people! Admit it; you're desperate to bring this club back from the brink, no matter who you have to fit into this room. Why can't you just be open with people about this?"
*sigh* "Because nobody would be in this club if I didn't stretch the truth a bit. You were only here because you were frustrated with your last club's scheduling and regulations, right? And you're still here today."
"Can she even fence? I don't know about letting her handle our stuff if she doesn't get how we use 'em, you know?"
"I can ask later. Right now, Zaku's busy. Just get back to practice or something."
"Fine. You owe a match when you're done, though."

As the student walked back towards the matted floor, Lui slipped back into the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

"If you need to borrow Sensei's weapons, I think she'll be fine with it. Just let me know when they can be returned."

Zaku looked to Lui as he mentioned the weapons and she nodded a bit, she was about to answer his questions but then he was called aside or rather someone appeared that he seemed to want to talk to, but it made sense as she put down her backpack and opened it unfolding it to show that it had compartments and slots in it, and she started to slip the swords into them she had a lot of work to do it would seem and that was fine with her, these swords needed the care and as she could see from the two best ones, they hadn't seen an experienced weaponsmith in a long long time, then again given the rarity of the trade it wasn't a surprise.

As she packed up the swords and other gear that needed repairing she couldn't help but over hear the conversation going on just outside the door to the clubs storage room, her Cowlick peaking out the door as Zaku worked, as she heard the comment about if she knew how to fence her hand clenched tightly on one of the weapons she was packing up, questioning her reason was fine, questioning her skills? she hated that, people always did that...and she let out a quite sigh as she wanted to go out there and tell him she could, but at the same time, she didn't have the courage to do that.

Looking at the slightly damaged armor and weapons, she could see how they handled them, how they used them wrong, looking at one of the weapons she could see chips in the blade and even cracks. It was about then that Lui returned to the room just as Zaku was studying a blade, her back to him though her cowlick was "looking" right at him, her hand was gently going down the blade as some light trailed in from the small vent window.

"Blades and equipment tell a story you know?...they can tell if people have been using them right...and taking care of them...Zaku" her hand gently trailed the blade feeling every crack and chip, before she slipped the blade into her bag, the thing was open and looked like a portable armory with all the gear inside it now, and she started to close it, even the teachers swords were in there "Zaku will return all these in peak condition by the next meeting. Zaku" she said as the cowlick seemed to continue to look at Lui.

"Does.....Does your friend always question people's Skill? Zaku?" she asked as she picked up a fencing mask in good condition, and slipping it on, already she was feeling more confident with the mask on, her mind imagining she was some knight who's skill had been questioned, the fact the room was basically an armory helped that image in her mind, as she picked up a sword as well "Should I face him in combat to show him what skill I do posses?" she asked her tone changing quite a bit and even her verbal tick vanishing "If so please allow me a few moments in private to change into more....fitting attire for a match with the Knave" she said as the cowlick seemed to look back at Zaku with a "worried" body language before scooting back to her head and nodding to Lui. all the while Zaku was now looking through the fencing armor for one that would fit her size.

"Blades and equipment tell a story you know?...they can tell if people have been using them right...and taking care of them...Zaku"
Zaku certainly had the eyes of an artisan, reading the life of an item simply by what they saw. Lui considered this similar to the eyes of a swordsman, who could read his opponent's thoughts based on how they moved. However, Zaku spoke with the confidence of a smith with the skill to back up her works; Lui felt he was fairly experienced, yet he could never feel like a "master" of anything. He was just good enough to each others...
"Many thanks for your help, Zaku. Both the club and I greatly appreciate taking the time to help us out. Feel free to contact me when they're done so I can take them back to the clubroom."

Lui realized that Zaku might have heard his conversation with Gus by her slipping on a mask and looking for a properly sized suit. Lui instinctively rubbed the back of his head as he spoke, hoping that all Zaku gleaned from the conversation was an unspoken challenge to battle.

"Who, Gus? Well, he's just the suspicious sort. He doesn't think this club is quite worth keeping open with such few members, but I'd hate to lose it. I feel like I've really refined my talents thanks to being able to teach others. But yeah, he's getting a touch cocky. So, if you'd want to..."

Before his next line, Lui quietly slipped through the door and pulled out his saber, pointing it to Zaku as he spoke in a bellowing, confident voice.

"...Show this troubling knave the strength and skill of a true Knight!"

As he closed the door to let Zaku get vested, he motioned over to Gus and informed him of Zaku's challenge. Giving off a wicked smile and brushing his light brown hair out of his face, Gus would get Zaku's attention, toss on his mask, and grab his foil as he stepped onto the matt.

"Alright, Zaku. Ready?"

Zaku listened to him and nodded slowly as she found the vest and other gear, even a clean unitard to wear under it, but that was because she had one in her backpack for her own armor fittings and such, and as Lui stepped out she closed the door and hopped into her back pack to change, closing it up and then in a few moments she opened it and stepped out of her backpack in the body hugging unitard, she then grabbed the fencing pads and armor and slipped them on. This was a far departure from what she wore walking in, since she had been wearing things that hid her body and how well developed it was.

Now she was in the body hugging unitard and though she was wearing the fencing padding her body was rather well outlined now, showing off the curves her previously baggy clothing was hiding, but To Zaku it was all just the uniform for Fencing which it was.

She finally walked out in her fencing gear her weapon ready and she walked to the Matt, the cowlick poking out a bit from the back of the mask as if wanting to watch, she dropped into a ready stance as she nodded "Ready when ever you are...I hope you are graceful in defeat" she readied herself for the battle watching the boys movements.

As Lui turned to the sound of the storeroom door opening, he had to stop himself from noticeably gagging on his drink as he got a look at Zaku in the more form-fitting outfit. It had occurred to him that Zaku's outfits, based on the two he saw so far, were fairly baggy or long. Whether she was nervous about her body or just didn't want people ogling at her over it, it was clear that her appearance seemed more... mature than others her age. While the other members ended up taking long looks at Zaku as she approached the mat, Lui played it cool and did his best to not embarrass her. He kept his eyes on either her face or cowlick, a technique he had learned from his time with Bat at the maid café.

As the members surrounded the mat, Gus readied his stance. After receiving the confirmation from both fencers, Lui started the opening.

"En garde, Pret, Allez!"

Gus would begin with the right of way as he attempted to shuffle closer to Zaku and delivering a quick lunge to Zaku's torso as she got closer. Would she attempt to parry and go for a counter right after? Would it be wiser to disengage and try to catch Gus by surprise? Lui kept his eyes on both of them, expecting Zaku to surprise him with a quick touch.

Zaku didn't even seem to notice the people staring at her, to her there was only the match at the moment, in her mind she was walking out to a duel, and she was going to prove she was better then the rather offish Gus had assumed she was, Being lost in this little fantasy was what allowed the incredibly shy and awkward Girl from even being out here dressed like this, in her mind it was just another cosplay, another fantasy to have fun with.

As she stood at the ready and the call to begin was given she waited, as the other lunged at her she moved her body rolling in a smooth motion to the left a bit his foil missing by inches, while hers shot out and slapped his aside with almost enough power to knock it from his grip, the motion so slight that she was still able to stab at him aiming for a touch to his shoulder which was a far closer target now that he extended himself for the lunge "You left yourself far to open..." she said as she aimed for the touch.

the ass whooping begins:

Lui was decently surprised; while Gus had been too bold in his approach by giving a large lunge, Zaku responded appropriately by moving to avoid the tip and striking with a parry strong enough to knock Gus's foil clear to the side. She followed up with a riposte, attempting to strike Gus's shoulder. With an angry grunt, Gus would disengage from Zaku, putting some distance between them as he whipped his foil back into position and return to approaching Zaku.

"Watch what you say, Zaku. It might just work to my advantage!"

This time, he made quick jabs that fell short of reaching Zaku, trying to get her to react. Whether she would react or not, he would sway to the side as he made an attempt to touch around Zaku's belly.

"Impressive reaction. She may just rival your skill as well."
"Indeed. I seem to be a magnet for promising folks."
"...And women of excellent figure, apparently."

Lui would nod in recognition of Zaku's technique and continued to watch the match, the students around him getting riled up over her attempt to touch him.

Zaku watched the boy move back and evade her strike, and as she watched him move her eyes fell to his feet, she barely noted the remark he made as he got ready to strike and she simply watched his movements, and just before he started to move she could see him shifting his weight, fencing was a style about foot work and fast reaction, the boys footwork was obvious and she was seeing exactly what his plan was simply by seeing that he wasn't getting ready for a proper thrust.

Just before he made his move she spoke just a few simple words as he moved but she was calling his moves a moment before he made them "feint...side step to the left...stomach thrust..." she said as she simply back stepped his last strike, not giving ground on the feints, the back step would take her just out of his reach, but once again due to his strike he was over extended "Your leaving yourself open..." she said again as she flicked her wrist and aimed for the lower part of his arm that was outstretched, a much closer target then before.

Lui couldn't help but smile as he noticed Zaku calling out Gus's strike as he was making it, almost as Lui did for inexperienced members. Were her comments meant to be instructing or insulting? Either way, Gus was obviously getting pretty tired of taking it easy on her. Realizing that his arm was exposed, he attempted a parry to whirl her blade to the side. Another disengagement gave the two the space to move as Gus spat out his last words.

"Damn it, you brat! Stop trying to act all cocky. You wanna see what I'm really capable of?! I'll use the technique our own captain taught us."

Gus seemed to relax his position as he held his blade seemingly parallel to Zaku's. With a quick shuffle, he would twirl his blade from a safe distance around Zaku's before suddenly forcing it aside. Thinking his technique would block any parry or thrust she attempts in defense, he ducked to the right, attempting to strike under her extended forearm.

"I got you now! Fear the doublee technique!"

Zaku continued to watch him staying silent when he got mad at her, he was running his mouth yes, but hse wasn't acting cocky she was simply focusing on the match, though as he moved back she did say something in reply after he was done yelling "You should try to stay calm during a match...or you will..." before she could finish he announced he was going to use a technique the teacher taught them and she shook her head "Do something foolish...." she finished as she watched his advance.

The whirl was a decent defensive flourish but it left very little room to go from there, as she seen him move in and slap her blade to the side she didn't try to thrust, she needed to get to the right moment...timing and patience...and as he suddenly gave up his defense for the sudden duck she sidestepped along with him, with him so low she had a good shot at his back and so she gently lowered the foil in her hand and used it to slap his aside so it would miss her before spinning her wrist and trying to land the touch on his back. "your still open..." she said as her point neared his back and finally rested upon it "And you shouldn't announce that your going to use a certain strike...nor should you use a technique you haven't mastered..." she said as she looked at him.

It was impossible to deny her foil was resting on his back, a fully legal touch and she had landed first "By the way...I do know how to fence...I teach it at my Dojo..." she said to him no smile on her face, this wasn't about arrogance, this was simply about proving her time earned skill.

As Lui expected, announcing a technique to the opponent only provided Zaku the opportunity to recognize what to do next. Sure, Gus wasn't one to think defensively, but if he could keep the right of way, Gus was an offensive threat indeed. Unfortunately, his attempt at replicating the doublee technique gave way to a simply lunge that made striking his back simple. Recognizing the touch, Lui shouted "Touch. Stop!" to halt the match and moved onto the mat to greet Zaku.

"Well played, Zaku. Your defense was well coordinated, and you struck with excellent speed. Heh, it's almost like you were somebody else in there. Congrats on the win."

Lui broke his speech to see Gus punching the mat, a growl emanating from under the mask. He tossed his mask across the room and knock his foil away, letting it roll lightly along the floor. With a quick push, he threw himself onto his feet and glared at Lui with clear frustration.

"Hey, captain! What the hell happened? You told me that the doublee was able to defend against the opponent's next move, no matter the direction! But she broke it off with no problem. Some help that was!"
*sigh* First of all, YOU were the one to break off your doublee trying for some exaggerated attack. You need to think defensively sometimes. Second, the doublee is effective for counterparries. If you would have used it after her first parry, you may have had a chance. Didn't you notice how she was never the first to strike? You can't go fully on the offensive. Next time, watch how she would make her attack. Analyzing your opponent's moves can provide insight into their weak points."

As Gus grumbled out a "good game", Sensei Kamizura announced that the club meeting would be over shortly. As the students packed away their tools, Lui would bring Zaku aside to speak with her for a moment.

"So, you actually have your own dojo? That's pretty awesome. No wonder you were a natural at this. You have so many talents, Zaku. I'm hoping you can at least teach you what I have learned as well. So, what did you think? It's not the most attended club, but I do my best to keep it afloat."