PCs: Cynis Chu, Peleps Maruko

The sun is low in the sky, soft blues and purples running swiftly east to the bloody-hued west, and few, grey clouds streak the air. The roar of the waterfall, churning at the bottom of the twenty foot drop, muffles most sound. Chu is at a small, rough-cut shrine, set in the center of a grove of bamboo, praying. His eyes closed, facing out, towards the west and the setting sun. At his feet are a simple bow and quiver of arrows. It's the middle of Resplendent Fire, and the evening is wonderfully warm- balmy, with a breeze blowing from the river, carrying some cool. A few bright stars twinkle faintly in the coming night.

It isn't chance that brings Maruko to the waterfall tonight, under the peaceful stars. After the events of the past week, she's decided that action is needed, and so she arrives quietly at the small shrine. Her armored coat is conspicuously absent, and she wears a simpler shirt than usual, lacking the enormous sleeves that usually conceal her weapon - a last attempt at the possibility of talking this out. She makes no attempt to hide her footsteps as she approaches the bamboo grove.

Cynis Chu mms, an ear twitching. "Good evening," he says, his voice not loud, but cutting through the waterfall roll. Still largely affectless. His face is still- not peaceful, save as a mask is peaceful. The flower that normally grows behind his ear is missing, a thin stream of amber blood hardened like sap in a line running down his cheek. His eyes do not open.

Peleps Maruko steps into the clearing, seating herself cross-legged before him. "And to you too, brother." She seems to struggle with choosing her words for a moment, then sighs. "It seems you have not been well lately."

"On the contrary," Chu replies. "I have been quite well, Maruko. Only troubled, by the depths of corruption that lurk in Greyfalls, and my own weakness in being unable to properly teach the city the true Perfected Hierarchy."

Peleps Maruko continues, almost as if reading from an internal script. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, and had circumstances been different, I might have been willing to simply let you slip away...but it has become clear this is not something I can ignore, and I am loathe to let it continue until someone who feels less for you takes more drastic action."

Cynis Chu snorts, and stands, opening his eyes, which shine a bright, emerald green. "Very well then." He sketches a brief bow, and stretches his legs into a wider stand. Not a Form, not yet. But clearly ready. "Then let us shake hands, and bow. There are formalities to be obeyed, after all," he says. "Of course, Sadako isn't here this time. Are you certain you wish to try and persuade me?"

Peleps Maruko stands, stepping back and sliding open palms from her sleeves. "If you insist on being my enemy in this, then I will obey the formalities. If I must open your eyes this way, then I suppose I have I no choice." She holds out one hand, her face a mask.

Cynis Chu mms, reaching out to grip Maruko's hand firmly, bowing as he reaches out. And as he does so, his own mask breaks, into an animal grin, hungry and full of teeth. He squeezes briefly, as a short sharp pain briefly touches your head. "You don't," he replies, starting to let go.

Peleps Maruko pulls her hand back and spins, one heel sliding out to scythe at Chu's knees as she falls back into a defensive posture. "I'd have thought tricks above you," she murmurs.

Cynis Chu blocks the kick, walking back, arms weaving in front of him. "The righteous can engage in no tricks," he replies. "And the heretic cannot be dealt with in truth, for they do not know it." His pupils fade out, consumed entirely by green essence, as he begins leaving emerald contrails behind him.

Peleps Maruko abandons words, sensing the futility of that tack - at least for now - and studies her foe carefully before spinning with another high snap kick towards the ribs.

Cynis Chu grunts, the kick to the rib sending him staggering back for a moment. His grin grows a little broader. "Almost takes you back to the Cloister, doesn't it?" he asks, resuming his stance. His steps become even broader, more steady. Certain. His skin starts to flush a deeper green.

"Yes," says Maruko, her face tightening slightly. "I remember the intolerant fools there too, a large part of why I left it. That and the poor /training/." She punctuates her final word with a leap, striking out twice in swift succession as she bounces off her foe to land lightly again.

Cynis Chu manages to catch the first kick, slowing it marginally, but the 'crack' in his wrist is audible. The second, he nearly twists away from, the force of the blow sending him into a spin. He grunts, and his smile is gone. "Impressive," he says. "But still. I see you..." With which, he throws himself towards Maruko, two fingers thrusting forward, like he's aiming at that damn tree in the courtyard, again. His anima is exploding around him, withering less resilient life in it's choking wake, and striking her lightly .

Peleps Maruko falls back a step, the brush barely touching her- but even so, the light touch at the vital point sends a wave of pain reeling through her head.  She grunts, and suddenly lashes out with an impossible torrent of kicks.

Cynis Chu reels back- his hands at first deflecting some of the kicks. But they keep coming- a strike to the temple, a blow to the side, a crack to his knee. He stumbles, falling to his unhurt knee, breathing heavily. For a moment, he totters, as if falling- then lunges again. A two finger strike, aimed for the base of Maruko's throat. His eyes are wild as he does so, launched off one leg, roaring wordlessly, filled with frustration and anger.

Peleps Maruko pushes back off Chu, unable to avoid the attack but not trying, snaking out one in a mirror of Chu's movement to strike back.

Cynis Chu is too focused, too invested in this one strike. "HA!" he shouts, his touch lightly brushing Maruko's throat, disrupting the flow of Essence through her body.

He never saw her own hand, curled into a fist, falling like a comet towards his own throat. They strike as one, Chu's collarbone audibly cracking at the force of the blow. He falls, groaning, barely concious.

Chu staggers away and Maruko hangs- the one bruised and beaten, the other enthralled by essence. For nearly half a minute the only sound in the clearing is that of the falls and the insects, as the two martial arts struggle back towards consciousness. Maruko pulls herself together a second early, and as she leaps forwards and /tackles/ the Monk, bearing him to the ground.

The two martial artists struggle briefly, with Maruko briefly on top, stradling Chu's chest. "Please," she says, "See /reason/. Deled's a terrible monster- look what he's done to you! Would the Dragons have-"

The rest of the plea for sanity is broken by a brief darkness, as Chu's good leg snaps up, catching Maruko in the back of the head. She rolls off, groaning briefly. Chu stands, rolling his shoulders, the bones knitting themselves back together from the sheer vitality of the Wood Dragon. He sneers at the woman on the ground.

"The Dragons would have justice," he replies, snapping off a piece of bamboo. The end is jagged, and sharp. His bruises fade rapidly. "The Dragons assumed flesh in an unclean world, and led us to victory in the Great Uprising." He kicks Maruko, forcing her to roll on her back, and steps on her thigh. "The Dragons did this to lead us to enlightenment. No matter the pain to themselves, or others."

With those words, he stabs the bamboo spear into Maruko's ankle, piercing straight through, driving the wood barb into the ground.

Cynis Chu leans down, bringing his face level to Maruko's own, flushed deep emerald with the power of his Essence. Even the early bruises from the fight have faded, by now. "Well, blasphemer? What do you have to say, now?" he asks, looking her dead in the eyes. After all. He /won/. That means he was /right/.

Peleps Maruko looks up at Chu, her eyes clouded with pain as she lets a gasp escape even as the splintered wood drives through her leg. As she meets Chu's gaze, a look of profound sadness falls over her face, and she whispers softly. "And Sextes Jyles' heart was made soft by the cries, for always did his compassion flow towards life. And he spoke, saying, 'You cry for bread, but I will give you wisdom instead.'" She hisses and winces again, her voice growing weaker. "But it seems I have fallen far from the Dragons, for I cannot give you wisdom. I...I am sorry."

Cynis Chu hesitates, looking down. "You..." he says softly. Then licks his lips, an altogether undignified thing for a winner to do.

(Memories rise, out of darkness.  Of calloused hands and black eyes.  Of needles and cups of clear water.  Of spears and arrows.)

He straightens up, staggering back a few steps, as if struck. "You... you don't understand..." he says, hard and trembling. "I was /wrong/ before, and you're from before. Deled was right. Is right. The... the city is broken, like a bone, ill set, poisioning the body... I..."

(Of arguing.  Of scripture.  Of being dragged to the edge of death, and being born anew in red, raw pain over, and over, and over.  Of a woman's hands, taking away his injury just so it can be inflicted again.  Of cold laughter.  Of seeing light in the darkness, of a hope, any hope...)

He starts sweating suddenly, and licks his lip again, trembling hard. "You- you just... the drink, the drink made everything clear, pure water, clean, sweet..." He shakes his head once, closing his eyes. "And it was right to suffer- pain purifies. We cannot enter the forge and return unburnt, but the smelting turns iron to hard steel." He stumbles into a bamboo stalk, and chops it in half, screaming suddenly, wordlessly.

Peleps Maruko takes Chu's hand, pulling herself up and placing her other hand on his cheek. "The Dragons have it within their hearts to forgive all sin...how could I do any less?"

Cynis Chu's mouth presses into a thin line at that, turning to face away from Maruko. "Can you walk?" he asks thickly. "I would undo that, but fear my breath has left me..."

Peleps Maruko hisses again as she tries to put weight on her right foot. "If you will lend me your shoulder, I think I can make it. She reaches out to try to turn Chu's face back to her. "Do not lose yourself again, brother. Remember that you are a good person. To bring you back I would have taken wounds twice as great, if it had been necessary."

Cynis Chu nods, starting to offer Maruko his shoulder. "I... I will try... there were such... such dreams." He shudders. "Such nightmares. Black eyes and needles..." He swallows, then looks down as they walk. As they walk, he shakes his head again. "And Cathak Aoi. I dreamt I did... a terrible thing to her." He gives Maruko a haunted look. "I dreamt," he says, with great force.

Peleps Maruko tightens her grip on Chu's hand firmly. "The man who did those things was not you, for all he woke your face. I know the true face of the man who did that, for he is of my own house."

Cynis Chu begins shaking again. "I was... You can't understand. It all felt so... right. I knew what I needed to do. And when I..." he pauses, swallowing again, his anima beginning to subside as they travel down the cliff-face, towards Greyfalls. "I can't go back to the temple. Not now. I will not disgrace the Immaculate Order with my actions," he says softly, guilt and bitterness mixing into his voice.

Peleps Maruko laughs, brightly some of the weight seeming to leave her face as she smiles warmly at Chu. "Would that all the monks with one tenth your decency and true goodness might feel the same way."

"Lady Maruko," Chu asks softly. "I suspect you see what you want to see. If I were a decent man, I would have stood up sooner. And if I were a stronger one, I would have simply held out..." He shakes his head. "I wanted to ride a Wyld Hunt, and couldn't even resist what Deled could do. We're all just lucky my folly never led us down a ruinious path."

Peleps Maruko shakes her head firmly. "I see a man, not the Paragon of Sextes Jylis, Chu. We are none of us perfect as the Dragons, or we would not be here, but that we may still have faith, and live our lives."

Cynis Chu sighs, shaking his head. "Good men don't maim innocents. They don't leave others... to suffer..." His eyes suddenly go wide. "Oh. Oh, no..." he says, aboslute horror flooding his eyes, his voice. He regains his composure, and grabs Maruko's shoulders. "I... I have to go," he says. "I have to get back to the city, as fast as possible. Something terrible is happening, even now."

Peleps Maruko places her hand on Chu's shoulders. "Be reasonable," she cautions, "neither of us is in good condition to do battle, tell me what is amiss and maybe we can find aid."

Cynis Chu shakes his head vigerously, a determined look coming over his face. "I've left Sister Cloud Hands in that same room that broke me," he says softly. "I'm sorry, Maruko, but this isn't up for discussion." With which he does his best to put Maruko down on something that looks comfy, and starts to sprint to the city.

Peleps Maruko tightens her grip, a note of iron creeping into her voice. "Then I'm coming with you, and that's not up for discussion either. You can either help me make it there, or you can pray to Sextes Jylis you can take me a second time because you aren't leaving otherwise."

Cynis Chu grunts, trying to shake Maruko off his arm, then shakes his head. "You're in worse shape than I am," he retorts. "I'm perfectly well, you're unable to walk..." He starts to fade, then rallies. "Look, we don't have /time/ for this."

Peleps Maruko nods. "We don't, so let's get moving." Summoning up reserves of will acquired from years of training Maruko takes a deep breath and starts walking, working up speed even as her face lines with pain again.

Cynis Chu mms, and walks beside Maruko, face tight at the delay, as night falls. To Greyfalls, and the Temple. And a small, quiet room in the back.