Ashley
Hotaru had left instructions at the gate that day for Shiba Terumi to be directed to the clan's dojo upon arrival. One of the ashigaru guards would have directed Terumi towards a building off to the left of the courtyard the man had feasted in a few days prior. The building was square and its doors had been propped open that day to allow for the cool breeze to circulate through the building. 

There were daisho racks as one entered, for blades to rest upon so they did not get in the way during practice. Hotaru's own daisho would be noted set down in one, identifiable by the mismatched tsuba, that of her wakizashi being far more elaborate than her katana's. 

Racks of bokken took up one of the square building's wall's, the weapons they imitated covering a wide range of polearms and blades. 

Hotaru was in the centre of the room, moving through a kata with a wooden bokken in hand and a shorter, wakizashi length one stowed in her obi. Soft thaps could be heard where her feet danced across the flooring. She was simply dressed in black hakama and kimono, blazoned in gold across her back lay the Lion mon and over her right shoulder lay her family's. It seemed that no matter the occasion this base was a staple for Hotaru, whome terumi had only really ever seen wearing the aforementioned attire with the occasional addition of a golden yellow haori. 

A first for Terumi though would be seeing the Matsu's hair down. It was cropped short near her fringe and as the woman twirled mid kata it was easy to see why, as no hair moved to obscure her vision. The length that did run over her shoulders though span around her neck, flowing with the movement. The faded ribbon she had worn in her hair though, the last two times Terumi would have seen Hotaru, was around her left shoulder and tied similarly to a tasuki, though it did not hold her sleeve up. The yellow ribbon was clearly an item of import to the Matsu.

Upon hearing footsteps enter, Hotaru's gaze would flick to Terumi and she would cease the motion of her bokken to turn and face them, bowing to the Shiba as she greeted him. 

"Shiba-san, I am glad to welcome you to the Lion Embassy's dojo." She intoned.
Myrtle
As Terumi entered the premises of the Lion, he was struck with the realization that he has been in the company of Lions quite a lot since he arrived in this city. It was not a distressing thought but something that might paint a picture that could be misinterpreted ... Or interpreted better than even his own thoughts could fathom. Briefly, his smile dimmed just a bit. It was one of the things that he'll have to be more mindful of now that he was not in his own clan's provinces.

Such thoughts fled from his mind as soon as he saw the woman who invited him in the embassy's dojo however. Offering a courteous smile and a polite thank you to the ashigaru who escorted him, he entered the dojo. The young bushi wore a crimson hakama under a black haori and his hakama was white. His obi was as black as his haori and his simple and unadorned daisho was clear to see.

He bowed in return to her greeting. When he arose, the smile on his face was a patently happy one.

"And I am glad to be here, Matsu-san." He said, warmth clear in his voice.

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Ashley
"Please, help yourself to a bokken and set your blades down." Hotaru gestured to the wall. 

"Do you spar outside your clan often or have much experience with the summer wars?" She inquired. Beginning the questions. Hotaru always thought it important to get an understanding of the experience her sparring partners had. If one had not sparred often outside their clan, then they could be expected to fight how their clan fought and they would likely anticipate their opponents to fight how gossip indicated they did. 

Her second question would tell her more. Courtly duels and the chaos of war were two very different things and Hotaru had learned those with experience in the latter were often more adaptable and unpredictable. This was not to say that those who had only fought for courtly honor could not be, just that the traits were not as like from her experience.
Myrtle
He wordlessly obliged, moving to the rack and carefully setting his katana and wakizashi there. As he did so, his eyes wandered to what he assumed was his sparring partner's own daisho. They were mismatched and the wakizashi looked quite ornate compared to the katana. The difference was interesting, one that he will ask about later.

"My first spar out of clan was with your clanmate, Ikoma Miho-san." Terumi said, smile widening as he remembered that match they had in his first week in this city. He grabbed a bokken and slowly walked towards the Lioness. "And I am a duelist, Matsu-san. War is not my duty."

He settled in front of her, just outside of the range of her swings. The smile on his face was wide, filled with anticipation.

"Rules, Matsu-san?"

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Ashley
A sly grin unabashedly snaked widely across Hotaru's face as amusement lit her eyes. "You are smart enough to actually ask for them. I tend to play by no headshots, no permanent injury and no broken bones for sparring and no live edges. I doubt either of us want to spend time recovering over anything to severe. But, I will acquiesce to negotiation if there is anything you want to add." 

Hotaru set her terms. She always made a point to just outline the rules of injury. If she never even mentioned that the spar was to stick to bokken or one or two 'blades', her opponents could hardly whine if and when she started playing fast and loose with traditional sparring conventions. Afterall.. It was never agreed upon beforehand. All was fair in war, even if this was only a play at it.
Myrtle
If anything, her words just made Terumi's amusement more apparent. 

"And how shall we consider who is the victor?" He coyly asked, eyes lidded as he considered this warrior in front of him. The edge to her was far more prominent now that they're in the dojo and not in tea parties or other social occasions. 

And he liked it.

"First blood or ..." His smile was filled with a certain kind of hunger, sharpening as he lets the anticipation and the eagerness bleed to his voice, "... Until one of us yields?"

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Ashley
"Depends. You really want me beating blood out of you with a stick? Because its a very hard thing to do unless we're aiming for skulls" Hotaru joked, clearly she found humor in the thought as she gestured with her bokken to emphasize the lack of cutting edge. "Until one of us yields is probably the wiser end condition that avoids any grand diplomatic faux pax." 

"We could accommodate first blood next we spar though. It would be poor of me to allow my draw to slow before next winter." Hotaru was certainly not against the use of live blades during sparring, but she much preferred being in fighting form. Injuring herself in an all-out melee would be a dereliction of her duty to the clan. The cuts of iaijutsu though were far easier to acquiesce to though, as they could typically be kept light.
Michael
Adohiro heard about the spar which he was interested in. He remembered he was able to spectate and maybe even be the referee? How cool would that be? He goes to sit close to the area so he and a good view. He wondered who would win among the two. He felt he would place a bet on Matsu since she seemed more experienced looking in fights.
Myrtle
"First to yield, then." He said already drawing his bokken in a ready position. He held it low but the tip was aimed at the opponent's throat, smile sharp and filled with palpable excitement. Ikoma Miho-san said that this Lion was a better swordsman and he believes her. 

"Well, Matsu-san ..."

He centered himself, tightening his stance and readyng his mind. His will focused on the bout that was bound to begin in a few moments. He barely even noticed the little Crane joining them in the dojo with how focused he was.

"... Shall we?"

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Ashley
"I find I am only left waiting on you Shiba-san." The woman grinned, not moving an inch, her katana held loosely before her. "I find I am quite comfortable where I stand." She taunted.

Hotaru was fond of playing defense in war. It was always a very contentious methodology amongst her aggressive siblings and a few of her younger brothers and sisters would blow up at her in spars because Hotaru just refused to attack first at times. In truth.. When she could afford it, Hotaru favored a reactionary approach to fighting. She trusted her instincts and her skill well enough to avoid or block most things, and the position allowed her to get an idea of how her opponent fought. This was not to say, that Hotaru was incapable of going on the offensive, she just very much enjoyed playing with her food.

Her passivity left the ball in Terumi's park, the Lioness content to stand there, her watchful gaze on the Shiba for as long as it would take. It was perhaps, not far off the stare-downs of iaijutsu for Terumi.
Myrtle
Her words made him chuckle in genuine joy. Slowly he approached her, steps languid and sure, bokken wielded firmly in both hands.

The smile on his face was serene and yet his eyes were sharp, unclouded by anything. Closer and closer he approached and then, when their bokken was separated by mere inches, the young Phoenix burst into motion. 

Swiftly, he thrusted his bokken right at her throat, bringing up his blade to eye level as he did so.

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Ashley
She twisted. The movement looking awkward but it was evidently a pure reflex as she twisted back, down and to the left. Her hands leveled her bokken horizontal under his and in a fluid movment she pushed UP as she straitened, elevating the angle of his bokken upwards above her head. Then she twisted her angle, letting his bokken fall down to catch on the wooden tsuba where she wrenched his bokken away from her with a powerful thrust down and away from her in an arc over her body. A wide grin split her face as she did so.

Then Hotaru took two quick steps back to avoid any counter swipe before stepping forwards into a backhanded sweep at and upwards angle from her left to her right, aimed at Terumi's middrif.
Myrtle
Their first exchange was informative. The first thing he noticed was that she was not a very orthodox fighter. The second was that her defense was solid even if it didn't look like anything he learned or observed from other duelist. The third was something he suspected; she was definitely stronger than him.

With a grin that threatened to split his face, Terumi pursued her as she took a step back and when she swung her bokken his own defensive instinct made him take a swiftly take a thunderous step back, the tip of her blade catching his kimono but not his body.

As her bokken veered upwards, Terumi slashed horizontally at her exposed belly.

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Ashley
As Terumi's bokken came for her left, Hotaru moved her left foot, pivoting back on her right foot as she redirected her bokken into a downwards swing that carried between her and Terumi's bodies to clash into the bokken close to the tsuba. Hotaru's bokken pointed down at the floor and her hands held high in an awkward twist to have even made the block to begin with. This left Hotaru's right side parallel to Terumi's body. 

The block was certainly very awkward though and it had only been her carried momentum from her swing that had allowed her to interrupt his movement but not stop it. Terumi could have continued and pushed through the block to sweep around into Hotaru but Hotaru moved quick to shift her feet closer to Terumi in a sidestep. She proceeded to shouldercheck into the man, shoving him backwards and giving her enough space to form back across from him into the same stance she started.
Myrtle
His arms felt the force of her bokken through his own as they collided instead of his wooden blade striking her exposed midriff. The Phoenix only had moments to feel her strength before her shoulder slammed into his chest. Air escaped his surprised yet still smiling lips as he was forcefully pushed back a few steps. It was confirmation, she truly was stronger and was certainly not shy with applying her strength in all manner of creative ways. 

The Phoenix took the opportunity to break off, creating some distance between the two of them as he regained his composure and his breath. Through it all, his eyes never left hers. If she expected him to be disgruntled by being struck first, she would be disappointed. 

Excitement was writ clear in his expression. From the wideness of his smile to the clarity in his eyes, Shiba Terumi was a man whose expectations were fulfilled.

"Is this how you fought in wars, Matsu-san?" He asked, languidly approaching her again in his ready stance.

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Ashley
"You speak as though I no longer fight in them Shiba-san. I have been with Akodo-sama's legion since my gempukku. I don't intend to leave it until retirement." Hotaru informed, content to allow the Shiba his distance. There was an easy grin set on her face, one that indicated enjoyment. It reached her eyes, the orb's gaze watchful.

The Lion rolled out her shoulders in the space, though a keen eye would note she favored her left in the action. The block had twinged her bad shoulder and Hotaru was doing her best to try and relieve some of the discomfort but hide that it was being a problem by also rolling her right.

She would begin to slowly pace soon after though, circling him wide at first but slowly inching towards him as she spoke. "But yes, this is how I fight. It is a way forged from the chaos of war. Those that do not adapt rarely live long. I wonder Shiba-san... How well can you adjust?" As the final words left her lips the Lion lunged into a flurry of shallow feints and blade taps, testing his defences and leaving him guessing where the real blows would come from.
Myrtle
"We shall see!" He retorted with obvious glee right as she lunged to start her own offensive.

Terumi deftly stepped back as she advanced, observing the very first feints and obliging the ringing blade taps if he could not avoid them entirely before steadily getting into the flow. His eyes were sharp, eyeing the movement of her blade and her footwork and slowly but steadily blocking them. The rhythm was difficult to parse and the feints were something he took care to note. Feints have purpose, though. This he knows. She was setting him up for a blow that he would not expect.

_Clever and with years of experience_, Terumi thought, not letting his admiration show just yet, instead he grinned joyously, relishing the bout.

Then he suddenly shifted into the offensive. As he stepped back, he quickly stepped to the side, dodging a blade tap, bokken held high and then swiftly swinging downwards towards her wrists.

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Ashley
The Lion's hands parted as she dropped one from the tsuka, allowing her to pull the freed hand closer to the threatening bokken sharply into her stomach, out of harms way. During the same motion, she swung her other hand wide, away from her body and the reach of his bokken's tip. 

The move left her core very exposed though and Hotaru would make a quick series of steps back to gain the distance needed to bring her bokken back into the grip of both her hands. 

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Michael
Adohiro watched on as the two fought. It was interesting to see them fight among each other. They seemed equally skilled in their expertise and he felt that they were doing a good job of handling the sword. He still thought that Matsu would win based on her appearance alone.
Myrtle
The effeminate man laughs briefly in obvious delight as he pursued her, swallowing the distance she created with long yet measured strides. Every step she took backwards was another step he takes forward, grinning widely the whole time.

His hand bursts into motion but Terumi did not take the obvious opening that was presented to him. Instead, he used the momentum of his movement to powerfully slam his bokken against hers with all of his might, producing a cacophonous sound of bokken striking against bokken.

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Ashley
The move elicited a clearly irritated grunt from Hotaru as Terumi's blade crashed into her own just as she'd layed her other hand back on the tsuka. The result was a poor grip and it was all Hotaru could do to spin to the right to avoid the momentum pushing both bokken into her. 

His bokken pushed her own forward still though, forcing hotaru to drop her left hand leaving the poorer gripping right still holding the blade as she moved to swing it back to herself. Hotaru wasnt about to take chances on being forced to block again with a poor grip against Terumi's two handed blows.

As she spun around him, letting her momentum whirl her around him to his back, Hotaru withdrew from her obi the shorter bokken in a move that revealed it was not on her person for decoration. Instead of jabbing at him though, she took two steps back, the wakizashi-length bokken held defensively in front of her as she used the moments it would take Terumi to turn and face her to readjust her grip on the katana-length bokken. By the time he had fully turned she was stepping towards him, the 'katana' swinging down coming for his left side. 

Hotaru hoped he would be forced to block the larger bokken, while she could continue to step forward and thrust at his sword arm with the smaller bokken.
Myrtle
Terumi grinned, pleased that his attack jostled his foe. He was even more pleased at how quick she was to adjust. He followed the momentum as she spun, turning around as quickly as he could. He does not expect her to strike at his unguarded back but he was well-aware that even the slightest of reprieves can be taken advantage of.

She has been very defensive. Every attack they exchange was caught in ringing blocks or dodged.

As soon as he reoriented, he saw her bokken swinging down at him. He instinctively took a step to the side and immediately moved to thrust at her chest.

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Ashley
The smaller, lighter blade was more easily withdrawn, coming up not to block Terumi's blow, but to redirect it, catching the blade on the tsuba and pushing his grip wide. Hotaru saught to busy his blade. And she would keep the smaller bokken low over his own, making it awkward to pull back up as shepursuedd his retreat, her larger blade coming in for another swing at his exposed left side.
Myrtle
Terumi's instincts were sharp and as soon as his blade was being redirected by the sudden usage of a smaller bokken, Terumi flowed with his redirected blade to an awkward step away from her bigger bokken. The swing at his exposed side was dodged but he felt her bokken graze him. It was not that painful but the young bushi was already trying to make some space, reevaluating his foe's fighting style now that she was making of use of a smaller bokken.

_Certainly a wakizashi,_ he thought as he wrested his bokken free from it.

He licked his grinning lips.

_I want to test it._

With that thought, Terumi swiftly swung at the Lioness in a way that only the hand wielding her smaller wooden sword could block.

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Ashley
Hotaru blocked well enough with it. It was clear the Matsu had not pulled the thing out on a whim, she was familiar with maneuvering it and was perhaps just as swift with it as her right. As she blocked with it though, she seemed to be keeping his bokken closer to the tsuba at contact than was perhaps wiser. The reasoning was easy to deduce though as she would act to swiftly catch his bokken along the tsuba again to maneuver it away.

More testing strikes between dodging the length of her other blade would prove she never tried to completely block with the smaller blade, always redirecting. Similar tests against her longer blade though proved that Hotaru was more than happy to straight-up block with her right arm, though she would do so lower than one might with two hands. Her methodology proved an understanding of leverage and perhaps hinted at a weakness on her left side.

Terumi was being put through his paces though to learn all of this. The second his bokken was occupied, Hotaru's free blade would follow him, constantly keeping the man on his toes. It was easy to see why Hotaru might favor such a style, it allowed her to mostly control her opponent as she kept mobile. It didnt matter if one blade didnt hit because she always had another spinning, slashing or thrusting back at him.
Myrtle
Sweat started to form on his skin, a droplet forming on his cheek and sliding down his jawlime. The two-sword style she fashioned against him was not done out of whimsy. It was backed by genuine skill and proven experience. It was potent and Terumi was starting to fray from the pressure of such a solid technique.

It was worthy of admiration.

He wrenched his blade free from the wakizashi and then his shoulder was struck by a powerful blow from her longer bokken.

Yet his grin only widened.

Suddenly, his own bokken was a blur striking at her exposed side away from her wakizashi, an opening made from her katana finally landing a clean hit.

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Ashley
Hotaru's smile did not drop as the bokken hit, but rather her eyes lit up further with mirth even as she grunted slightly with the impact knocking wind out of her.

Terumi's blow, much like Hotaru's own, did little to stop the Matsu from swinging their own bokken.

Hotaru stepped closer to him, sliding her side along his bokken as she quickstepped closer , thrusting her 'wazakashi' up and under between his arms where it came to rest by one of his elbows. As she'd stepped closer, Hotaru had brought her 'katana' around to hug at the back of his neck.

The Lion leaned in to the Shiba's ear, grin on her face as she did so.
"Perhaps Shiba-san, you should yield before this becomes a test of who can take the most hits... Because i can assure you... It is a contest i will *Win*."

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Michael
Adohiro saw the multitude of moves the two did. It was interesting in how the Shiba did his moves. He glanced over at Hotaru still thinking she has the upper hand. She definitely played the part of some legendary warrior. He still would continue to cheer on the two present in the spar! It was fun to see their different styles of fighting, he definitely would use those as his own
Myrtle
In a battle of muscle, Terumi loses quite easily. He honed his body for speed and flexibility. The power of his blows come from near his maximum effort and through striking his opponent right where it hurts. Perhaps it was the spar or perhaps Matsu Hotaru could withstand blows, nevertheless he was pleasantly surprised by the Lioness' reaction to a clean hit from his bokken.

His grin was wide, briefly dimming in more surprise as he suddenly feels her smaller bokken locked his elbow. Then the longer bokken slid around his neck and, for once, Terumi realized that he was locked in a position with very little control—

The Phoenix stifled a gasp as she lowered her grinning mouth to his ear and whispered.

He also suddenly felt the inexplicable urge to shudder, but he wrestled that instinct down and quashed it.

"How bold, Matsu-san ..." He replied, voice low. "However ..."

The smile on his face was ... Softer. Silkier, even. This close, Hotaru would see the way his lashes accentuate his beautiful eyes, akin to polished obsidian. The softness of his pale skin and the effeminate shape of his face.

"We appear to be in a ... Compromising position."

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Ashley
"Ha." The Lion exclaimed clearly amused. It was cute, she decided, that the Shiba now desired a test of will. 

"Perhaps... But I note that none of the pretty words out of your mouth Shiba-san, are a surrender." Hotaru all but purred his name, the grin on her face making clear she was prepared to match him in this game. 

"And I do believe this bout was to go on until one of us submitted..." The Lion let her words trail off purposefully, her amber-brown eyes never leaving his obsidian, mirth and perhaps... Appreciation twinkling in their depths.
Myrtle
His smile turned quite sultry, purpsefully taking in the bold Lioness' features in a manner too obvious for anyone to miss. 

"Do you desire that, then, Matsu Hotaru?" Terumi asked, his face getting closer and closer to the Matsu's own face. 

"Do you desire ..."

Close that their breathes mingle if he speaks.

" ...My submission?"

Then, abruptly, Terumi moved. A hand pushed her 'wakizashi' away. He ducked and took several steps away from the Lioness, giggling away as he did so. He settled two sword-lengths away from his sparring opponent and settling in a ready stance yet again.

"Well, Matsu-san? Shall we continue?" He cheekily asked, smile showing both his joy and his amusement. If asked, he would deny that he relished the improper closeness he had with the Lion, and that there was no red dusting his pale cheeks.

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Ashley
Hotaru let Terumi out her grip with a bemused grin, allowing the man to reset them. 

The Lion used the gap to purposefully slip the shorter bokken back into her belt. The way she held Terumi's gaze though clearly indicated that the move was not one of derision but rather.. Perhaps promised a worse danger for the Shiba. 

"We will have to properly duel sometime Shiba-san. I should think your will would provide an interesting challenge." Hotaru grinned sharply, meaning every word.

She began pacing around him, wanting to set him on his guard as she took languid steps around the man, not unlike a predator circling prey. Zher gaze was alight with excitement but sharp in its focus as she watched him move.
Myrtle
The Phoenix chuckled loudly once more, though he eyed the prowling Lion with clarity and focus. Her words were provocations, promises of harm and danger, but Terumi was not off-put. No, the young Shiba found himself excited instead.

It seemed she was content to wait for what he will do next.

He lets out a short, quiet breath.

He sank deep into his mind, welcoming the serenity of focus and the cessation of unnecessary thoughts.

There was only him.

There was only the blade grasped between his hands.

And the patient Lioness waiting to pounce.

In the span of a breath, Terumi advanced towards her. He attacked with measured strikes that revealed precious few openings for his foe to exploit, defensive-minded even as he commenced his assault. Through it all, a joyous but eeriely serene smile rests upon his lips.