The Bonds of Honor (niki315 & Najdan)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Niki315 on 26-10-2009, 23:12:52</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>26-10-2009, 23:12:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi kept her eyes down. For a week she couldn't bear to see anything more than her own feet. Her defeat, and her continued life was just agonizing reminders of her worthlessness. She had nothing left, not even a graceful death. She was at the mercy of her captor. <br>&nbsp;<br>"Today's the day we say goodbye, Natsumi." She could only nod in response. When he grabbed her chin to pull her face up he continued, "You're going to learn a thing or two about life from here on. Your dedication is second to nothing I've seen, but you have your own worth in life. Today, I'll prove it to you. From here on you'll have someone new to call your master." <br>&nbsp;<br>When Natsumi looked up, she finally realized what this was. There were people of great wealth walking about eying people in chains. This honorable fighter was going to sell her into slavery? She couldn't believe it. He had defeated her, and spared her life. Her life was now devoted to him... was she so worthless that he would be rid of her at any cost? <br>&nbsp;<br>Natsumi's heart fell in defeat. She would do as he asked until she was allowed to die. She said a quick prayer that her time would come quick, and waited to be purchased. She noticed she was the only slave there without shackles or manacles. At least, her master had the decency to bring her here with some amount of dignity. She only hoped she could maintain it after her purpose was, once again, changed.&nbsp; She waited, in clothing still torn from their battle two weeks prior.&nbsp; For two weeks she refused to accept any items of worth from her master, for she was undeserving.&nbsp; She only ate when commanded, and even then, he had to hit her to make his point.&nbsp; Her tunic was torn just under her left breast, along the right side and just above her right thigh.&nbsp; Her orange ribbon holding her tunic closed behind her is tattered along the ends.&nbsp; Even her leggings are torn and stained with blood.&nbsp; She was a disgrace, and her clothes, her wounds, the sorry state she was in, made it perfectly clear.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>26-10-2009, 23:26:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Kamatsu was on his way to the market, he was tired of being pent up in his little house all the time, and he had to walk around. And going to the market was a long walk, so he thought it would be good. Kamatsu was the lord of these lands, but he never once thought about getting a slave, and even now as he passed through the slave market, he did not think about it. He saw a man with a rather attractive young lady with him, and she was wearing rags. He walked over to the man. "I think you need to get your wife some better clothes, and why are you bring her into a slave market?" A slave market was no place for a lady, and even if she was not looking around, he could tell that she was horrified about being there. "If you wish to buy a slave, then I insist that you take her to the other market and let her shop while you do your business here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 00:12:31</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The man chuckled at the Lord's words.&nbsp; Clearly he misunderstood the situation.&nbsp; "I believe you are mistaken.&nbsp; This young woman here is not my wife, but a slave for sale.&nbsp; You see, she has no choice to obey whomever holds her honor, which at this point, is I.&nbsp; Name your price, and she can be yours."<br>Natsumi couldn't lift her eyes to see who her master was speaking to.&nbsp; She knew her time was short.&nbsp; Before long, she would be sold to this new man, and thus brought even further from her honorable life she used to lead.&nbsp; What menial, trivial life would she be brought into?&nbsp; What would her skills be reduced to?&nbsp; A master of Shadow Arts sold to labor in a field?&nbsp; Clean a house?&nbsp; Tend animals?&nbsp; The very thought revolted her.&nbsp; She steeled herself by staring at her sandals hoping that the disgust on her face had not shown.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 00:27:07</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well then, I must say that I was mistaken, and sorry for saying some harsh things. But I really do not need a slave, but to entertain the idea, as payback for my rudeness, what skills does she have? Any ones other then a normal slave would? And I am rather interested how you are able to keep her here with out the chains." he looked over her in a new light, know that she was a slave. He no longer thought that she was looking down to not see the pain and revolting sights around them, but she was doing it out of shame. He could see her by his side, in a maids robe, and cleaning his house.&nbsp; He still did not want to buy her, no matter how she looked, not unless she was some kind of body guard that he would have around him at all times. Now that would be something he could live with having. He never knew when people would try and attack him, and having a body guard in his own bed would be something rather valued 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 17:01:28</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi's owner gave the Lord a smirk before removing a bag from his hip.&nbsp; "Within this bag you will find her most-used tools."&nbsp; Inside the bag is a set of arm-guards, a ninja-to, several other small blades and shuriken, caltrops, and various bags filled with dust and herbs.&nbsp; He waits for a moment for the Lord to look over the contents before continuing, "Natsumi here is from a Clan of exceptional warriors.&nbsp; Her skill is beyond several of the best fighters I know.&nbsp; She was, however, no match for a paragon such as I.&nbsp; I have defeated her in combat, and now her life belongs to me.&nbsp; The strict code of her Clan requires that she kill herself for her failure, but I commanded her not to do so.&nbsp; She stands before you, unchained and passive for she cannot disobey a command.&nbsp; Such is her dedication that she will not take a breath if I will her not to."<br>At the Lord's words, Natsumi began to believe that perhaps he was uninterested and she would remain with the one who defeated her.&nbsp; To do otherwise, and become a slave, would undo all of what she had worked for in her life.&nbsp; Her years of training and the hundreds of enemies she had killed would be for naught should she become someone's property. In her mind she chanted over and over <em>"Please do not offer to buy me.&nbsp; Please do not offer to buy me,"</em> as if it were a mantra.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 18:57:18</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He took the bag form the man, thinking it would just be cooking tools or something like that. He almost dropped the bag when he saw weapons. He looked them over and found them to be in good shape but they have been used. He was rather surprised to the hear the mans story about them women by him. "I hope you forgive me, but I am not one to believe words right away. Do you think you can have her give me a demonstration of her skills? If she is what you say she is, then I would be very interested, and we could talk about a price. And, if I do buy her, would she follow me and do as I say like she does you?" <br><br>If this women was a skilled fighter, then he would have that bodyguard around him at all times. He would make sure to have her work out every morning to keep her body and mind in shape, and to have her in his bed so that if assassins try to kill him in his most venerable state, she could be there to stop it. <em>And she is rather attractive, she might have other uses as well.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 19:22:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Natsumi," he said sternly.&nbsp; She looked up at him impulsively, her eyes filling with concern.&nbsp; "Practice your form for a bit."&nbsp; She swallowed hard and then stepped into a more open area.&nbsp; With her feet together she took a deep breath and began a martial arts kata.&nbsp; Step back, block.&nbsp; Step aside, block.&nbsp; Step forward, punch, counter punch.&nbsp; Spin, step, and knife-hand.&nbsp; She continues slowly going through her techniques gracefully flowing from one step to the next.&nbsp; <br>While she steps through her hand to hand techniques, the man addresses the lord again.&nbsp; "She will do whatever I command, and if I command her to obey your commands, she will do so.&nbsp; At first, I needed to use a little force to get her to break out of her depression, but afterwards, her honor took over."&nbsp; He pulls the blade from the bag and tosses it to Natsumi, who spins to catch it out of the air, though she was facing away at the time.<br>"Attack me."<br>Natsumi looked at her current master with confusion twisting through her thoughts.&nbsp; It didn't make sense.&nbsp; She was not supposed to make any further attempts on his life, but this new order of his conflicted with that.&nbsp; She chose to obey the newest command and removed the scabbard from her ninja-to.&nbsp; In an instant, she was slashing at her target, the man she was supposed to kill two weeks ago.&nbsp; Her opponent unsheathed his sword and defended himself, only a instant away from losing his hand.&nbsp; His swordplay was exemplary, unmatched by any foe she had faced previously.&nbsp; Her precise strikes were always parried at just the last moment.&nbsp; If only she had trained herself a little more before this mission.&nbsp; That fraction of a second made all the difference, and her Shadow techniques did little to protect her from his counter strikes.&nbsp; After a few seconds of fighting, he called an end to the fight and Natsumi stepped back panting from the exertion. As she began to sheathe her blade she noticed there was a bead of blood running down the edge.&nbsp; She managed a cut along his forearm.&nbsp; She flicked the blood from her sword and then replaced the scabbard.<br>The man looked at the cut on his arm with surprise and then sheathed his own sword.&nbsp; "She may not be a match for the best swordsman in the land, but certainly there is no other warrior that could withstand such a skilled attack.&nbsp; And she didn't even use her techniques.&nbsp; Now I say again, name your price, and she can be yours."<br>Natsumi was holding the blade in her hands.&nbsp; She could easily pull her blade and strike him through the heart before he could retaliate, however, instead she offered her blade to her master who plucked it from her hands and slid it back into the bag with her other affects.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 19:38:56</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He watched her practice her moves, and he was about to say that anyone could learn that, and not be able to apply it to battle. But as soon as he parted his lips to speak, they started to spar. He was amazed at the skill of both of them. He was sure that each and ever attack they both made where aimed to be killing blows, and yet they both still lived after the spar. "I see, and now I am very interested." Kamatsu pulled up a bag of gold. He knew the normal price for a slave, and he pulled out more gold for her skills, and he knew that if a slave was a virgin you had to pay more, that was the law. "Is this woman a virgin? You know the laws, that's the only reason i ask." He did not care if she was or was not. But if she did, he was going to pay a good deal for her, on top of her very amazing skills, she was a woman, and a virgin would make the whole bag of gold his offer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 20:29:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The swordsman looked over Natsumi, admiring her figure.&nbsp; If she were untrained, she almost certainly would no longer be a virgin, but she could easily fend off any would-be rapists.&nbsp; He hadn't made any advances toward her himself, but that didn't mean she was a virgin.&nbsp; If he had to guess, with her level of dedication to her art, she was probably still untouched.&nbsp; She didn't seem the type to let a romance affect her work.&nbsp; And certainly, had she chosen to consummate, it would not have been a one time thing.&nbsp; Not with her level of honor and dedication.<br>"Honestly, I couldn't tell you if she were a virgin or not.&nbsp; We can assume that with a body like hers, she probably isn't, but if she is, you can consider it a bonus."<br>Natsumi took offense to them discussing and contemplating her affairs.&nbsp; Though her life was no longer her own, it still seemed repulsive on some level. She grit her teeth in annoyance, and added no counsel on the matter.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 21:08:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Kamatsu nodded at the mans words. Since he did not know for himself, and they could not ask her, he handed him the gold for the girl. "You will see that is the right amount for such a slave, and extra for the, ability to not have her in chains." He waited for the man to look over the gold and see if his offer was taken or not. He was willing to pay more for her, because having such a slave would be worth it. He looked over at her now, she was still looking down, he would have her change that once he gets home. He would clothe her in the best clothing, and have new weapons made for her. He would talk to her about what she would need to be able to guard his life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 21:42:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The swordsman accepted the gold and held the bag out to Natsumi.&nbsp; "This is quite a large sum of gold, much more than I would have gotten for just any woman.&nbsp; You have value, my dear."&nbsp; Natsumi looked away in contempt.&nbsp; This I-told-you-so attitude was unbecoming.&nbsp; <br>"Now, Natsumi," he never used her name unless issuing a command, "you will obey this man's commands as if they were my own.&nbsp; Your honor is in his possession, the true sale that has been made today.&nbsp; From here on, disobeying him is like a slight on my name, which is more deserving of punishment than slighting your own."&nbsp; He ties off the bag of gold and begins to walk away, over his shoulder he calls back, "I hope your new slave is to your liking, good sir.&nbsp; Good bye."&nbsp; And with that, the swordsman was gone.<br>Natsumi still didn't look to the man who had just purchased her, and instead clenched her fist at the thought.&nbsp; Now she was just a slave.&nbsp; She was no longer a warrior, no longer the swordsman's adversary, she was just a slave.&nbsp; It was heart-wrenching.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 22:05:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Natsumi, that is a wonderful name, follow me home, we are going to get you washed up and into something a little better then those rags." He started to walk back the way he came, he would wait until she had a good meal in her and a wash and some new clothes before he told her what she wanted from her. He did not even think about sex at all at that point in time, he was just thinking about how he had just made a steal on this wonderful bodyguard.<br><br>"How old are you, and do you have anything that you are allergic to?" This was things he needed to know.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 22:44:49</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Her depression turned into loathing as soon as he opened his mouth.&nbsp; She didn't appreciate the way he treated her like a child.&nbsp; She had no desire to follow his commands but she would grudgingly.&nbsp; However, his charade of playing nice and asking about her was not going to fool her.&nbsp; She refused to look at him, much less speak to him, so while she walked, she simply fumed in silence.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 23:21:17</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				When he did not hear her answering him, he stopped. "I asked you a question, and you will answer me, and look at me when i am talking to you, you understand, slave!" He had gotten a slave, and he would not have her disrespecting him. "Do you understand that? Or am I going to have to teach you something?" He was looking at her right now, just staring at her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 23:43:15</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi looked away instead of toward her master, her long straight hair slipping from her shoulder to her bust.&nbsp; Despite his commands, Natsumi was still reluctant to talk to him, or look at him.&nbsp; The shame of her lost honor still overcame her need to obey her master.&nbsp; Coupled with the loathing she felt for him she couldn't even consider pleasantly chatting with him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>27-10-2009, 23:57:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				At her looking away from him, he walked over to her and slapped her across the face. "You will listen to me, does your honor mean so little to you that you are willing to throw it to the gutter?" He looked at her face starting to turn red, and he started to feel his anger get more at her. He did not want a slave that would not answer him, or do as he told her to do. "Now look at me or i will make sure the next one hurt by far more."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 21:35:36</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The blow to her face hurt less than the blow to her honor.&nbsp; She felt disgust within her for needing to answer to someone who had not proven his honor, yet still held hers by transference.&nbsp; She finally looked up to him, not out of fear, but out of duty.&nbsp; Her face showed no signs of remorse, no signs of fear, but worst, no signs of respect. There was a slight tinge of red around where her master's hand had hit, but even with it, her face was beautiful even if it was staring through him.&nbsp; She would obey him, but she did not need to respect him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 21:40:45</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good, now you better answer my questions, or you will get more of a beating later." He looked at her, and the red mark from his slap was focused around her cheek, and it made her look beautiful. If she got her home and washed up, he would see if she really was or not. "Now speak your answers, or I will beat you like a common dog."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 22:12:28</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				His words still meant nothing to her.&nbsp; There was nothing he could do to truly intimidate her.&nbsp; She couldn't expect a soft noble type like him to understand the duties she had taken on as a warrior.&nbsp; While staring past him, she spoke, without inflection or emotion, "I am 20 years, and have no allergies."&nbsp; She sounded almost robotic, with only the slightest hint of disinterest.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 22:21:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good, now follow me." He walked faster to his house now. He could see it 5 minuets away from it. He walked into the gates, and nodded to the gate men. "I want you to memorize the land scape around my house, but that will be for later. Now its going to be off to a bath and new clothes and a good meal in you. He walked into the house, making sure that she was following him. He came to the bath chamber, and then called one of his maids. "Can you please make sure she washes properly and does not do anything stupid." The maid nodded and pulled her into the bath camber, and then closed the door behind her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 23:40:49</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The hastened pace and reduced conversation made the rest of the walk bearable.&nbsp; It was a short walk, but the destination was eye catching.&nbsp; A gated manor, clearly visible for the better part of their walk, was where they ended up.&nbsp; Natsumi contemplated her new master's status wondering how he acquired his status.&nbsp; Perhaps he was a worthy noble who had accomplished some deed for the Lord of the land, but more likely he simply inherited it and expected the name of his forefathers to carry him through life.<br>The maid ushered the new slave into the bath chambers.&nbsp; Natsumi rolled her eyes and disrobed to clean herself.&nbsp; Every now and again her master's maid would attempt to assist, but with a stern look and rigid stance, she backed off.&nbsp; Once scrubbed clean, she stood nude and glared at her accompanying maid. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>28-10-2009, 23:44:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The maid looked up at her. "What color would you like to dress in tonight? Before I go fetch your clothing I would like the know the primary color." She was an old maid, probably been here for many years. Just working her fingers to the bone, and not even stepping out of the house for anything other then to go to the market. She was shorter then the other lady, it might have been her age that ate away at her height.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 20:17:32</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				When her master's maid asked Natsumi what color she would like to where, Natsumi considered ignoring her.&nbsp; The following antics would probably be more effort than just answering her so without much thought, she responded, "Cadmium."&nbsp; One word, an unusual request, hopefully one that would take some time to recover.<br>During the tie that the maid left to obtain the clothing, Natsumi soaked in hot bath water.&nbsp; Her long, dark hair was tied up to allow it to begin drying.&nbsp; She closed her eyes listening to the sounds around her wondering how long this would go on for.&nbsp; She would go through anything to recover her honor, but being sold into slavery seemed far too great a punishment.&nbsp; What travesty had she committed to skew her karma so?&nbsp; Surely, this must be a divine punishment.&nbsp; Surely, if she overcame it, she would be better, wiser, and stronger for it.&nbsp; Though honestly, she was having trouble believing it.&nbsp; It was almost certainly simply, the end of her life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 20:46:49</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The maid looked at her when she said her choice. But thinking that there was something that she had to match that or close, she nodded to her and walked out of the bath chamber, and shut the door behind her.<br><br>Kamatsu was in his study, finishing up the paper work that he went to the market to avoid. There was a rather few important ones that he got done before he left, it was just all this, common arguments that reached his ears that he had to take care of. He hated it, and he was going to need to get someone to short out all of this stuff. So he could focus on the bigger things, like there lands harvus was down this year, so he was going to need to buy more rice for the land, and send out more helpers to the smaller farms, to bring up there output. But he did not want to have someone else making choice for this land, when he took it over, he told himself he would see over everything that happened in the land, because he cared for it.<br><br>He remembered being a child on the street, begging for money, for food, for a job. He got beat up many times, until he learned to fight back. He was not a master, but he was hard, and tough now. He slowly started to get followers on the street, and he lead a revolution that over throw the lord of the land, and he took his place. The last lord was a man that just hogged all of the money of the land and made his people starve.<br><br>Soon the made came back with a robe with the colors, much time had passed, about 20 minutes had. She opened the door and came in. "Here you go, now lets get you all dry and into this."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 21:01:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Several minutes passed and the heat of her bathwater began to color her skin a soft rose.&nbsp; The oils and fragrances in the bath were more extravagant than she had ever used before and helped sooth her bruises and scabs.&nbsp; Just as her master's maid had returned, she was stepping out of the water to begin to dry off.&nbsp; Her selection of clothes was apparently limited, though her choice of color probably was truly at fault.&nbsp; The color was, of course, a little off from what she had imagined, but the deep red silk was a very close approximation.&nbsp; She slid her robe on, without any help from the maid, and tied it closed finding it quite tight around her breasts and far too short.&nbsp; What tiny human was this robe made for?&nbsp; She pulled and adjusted the robe until finally, she was as satisfied as she would be.&nbsp; Though she was showing far more cleavage than she would have liked, it was necessary to lower the bottom edge enough to be presentable.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 21:21:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The maid looked over her, and she thought that she looked rather beautiful for a young woman, not that she would approve of the cleavage or the shortness, but her master told her to get her the outfit of her choice, and that was it. The older woman looked up at her. "Sit down on this pillow, I am going to do your hair, Gods know when it was last taken care of." As soon as the younger lady sat down, she let down her hair from the tie that it was in, and found once that it had all the dirt and dried blood out of it, it was soft. He started to comb it and get out any tangles that the washing did not do before. "I will be the one taking care of you, but that does not mean I will be your maid, we are equals you understand that, so I will not call you anything but your name, and you will do the same, you understand that? So what is your name?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 21:30:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi's hair was sort of a mess.&nbsp; For two weeks she hadn't really properly cleaned and brushed it.&nbsp; For several minutes the maid worked diligently on straightening and untangling the hair.&nbsp; She could have been a bit more gentle about her task, but in the end the job got done, and that was all that mattered.<br>Eventually the maid showed that she wanted some form of dominance over Natsumi.&nbsp; Equals? Hardly.&nbsp; The two women may have an equal social standing to the rest of the world, heck, it was entirely possible that Natsumi's standings were even lower than the maid's, but Natsumi was in no way, equal to her master's maid.&nbsp; One instant, the maid was combing through Natsumi's hair, the next, the ninja was behind her with her belt wrapped around the maid's neck.&nbsp; Without the belt to hold her robe closed, she was once again exposed, but to make a point she would deal with it.<br>"Where I come from, when you ask for someone's name, you offer your own first.&nbsp; My name is Natsumi.&nbsp; What is your name?"&nbsp; The belt looped around the maid's neck was just short of choking off her air supply.&nbsp; It was evident that only a slight squeeze would be required to end this life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 21:45:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The old maid sat there, and he smiled. "Well, I see that you are going to have to learn to use your words, more then your actions here. The lord was once a man of action too, he used to try and use power to get his point across, but now he knows that a word, can be more powerful then all the power that an army can hold. My name is Rei, now come back over here a let me finish your hair. And if you think you can frighten me with threatening my life, your wrong. Please kill me, it would be a release. I have lived a long life, and now, my days are filled wondering if I will die today, or tomorrow." The older lady did nothing to more, or try and removed the belt.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 22:08:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"When it is words I need, then I shall use words.&nbsp; And if your request is truly to die," Natsumi pressed her fingers into the dip above the sternum and slowly applied more pressure, "I can grant that request."&nbsp; The lack of emotion was haunting, her voice seemed dissonant with itself through the echoing in the quiet bath chamber.<br>If Rei didn't respond, in seconds, she would pass out, then only another few seconds after, she would be dead.&nbsp; There would be no marks, no indication that she was killed, just a dead body.&nbsp; "Make your last words count," Natsumi whispered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 22:20:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A smile bigger then anything was now on her lips. "Goodbye." that was all she said. She did not move, did not try and stop her, nothing. She was not a women afraid of death, she was afraid of waiting for it. He was old, worked her whole life, but she was happy. She was an old lady on the street until her lord came by, and offered her a job. "But, there is one more thing, you know that the lord is a great man, and you better do as he says."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 22:46:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi said nothing as the woman passed out.&nbsp; After she was certain her master's useless maid was dead, she dropped her to the ground.&nbsp; Natsumi had not asked for advice.&nbsp; Rei's dying words were a complete waste.&nbsp; It was akin to a woman saying, "I forgot to finish washing the clothes," as she passed onto death.&nbsp; What a waste of a life.<br>Natsumi finished brushing her own hair and tied it back into a bun over her head.&nbsp; After retying her robe she walked out of the bath chamber, looking for anyone that she might report the maid's death to.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 23:23:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A young boy, maybe about six years old was walking down the hall way and ran into her. "Sorry lady." He said right away, before he eve say who it was. "I have not seen you around here, are you new? Did you get taken in from the streets too?" He looked up at her with a grin that was missing a tooth. "Do you know that the Lord is in his study right now, there is talk that he got a body guard today, I bet its the strongest man alive. Because I hear that the Lord has fought off many attacks on his life, but he cant fight them all off." He smiled again, and started to walk off. "Come on, everyone was called to meet the body guard, we cant miss it."<br><br>Kamatsu was just finished with his paper work, and he pushed it all of out his mind. He got up and found his head of staff. "Call everyone to the grand hall, I am going to introduce them to Natsumi, and then after I will get a list of stuff that she will be needing and everything like that. When i get the list, i would like you to send a few people into town and get it all." The older man nodded and then sent someone to get everyone gathered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>29-10-2009, 23:40:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her master's place was not empty, but it was not bristling with people either.&nbsp; Before long, a young child turned a corner too swiftly and Natsumi watched him walk right into her.&nbsp; She eyed him as he spoke, talking too quickly and enthusiastically to be a slave.&nbsp; It appeared the master was intending on introducing her to the rest of his servants.&nbsp; She followed slowly behind the young child that was, for some reason impressed with the arrangement.&nbsp; <em>That&nbsp; child will never know what it's like to be his own person.&nbsp; He will forever be a servant, until he's old and begging for death, just like that old woman.&nbsp; It is shameful to live such a life.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>30-10-2009, 00:18:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The little boy was jumping around and humming a tone curly. He finally came to a set of polished wooden doors, that the fait sound of people talking could be herd from behind it. The boy started to push open the door, and the sound became much more. He walked in, and waited for her to walk in as well before he closed the door behind them. He had to speak up for her to hear him fine over all the talking. "Everyone is wondering what this bodyguard guy will look like. No one knows, do you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>30-10-2009, 07:54:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The child's enthusiasm was certainly stirring.&nbsp; It almost threatened to take Natsumi out of her gloom mood.&nbsp; But whether that was simply due to his cheeriness of how incorrect his image of a bodyguard was, could not easily be determined in her mind.&nbsp; She considered taking the opportunity to mess with him a little, but she wasn't feeling that good.&nbsp; She was till a slave, and still held on a short leash by her honor.&nbsp; Without saying a word, she followed the boy into the crowded room, waiting for their lord to make his presence known, and dispel any stray thoughts of what a bodyguard should be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>30-10-2009, 08:21:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kamatsu walked into the room from the other set of door on the other side of it. He looked around, and just about saw everyone here, even Natsumi, and smiled to everyone. "First off, I called this little meeting to let everyone know that the rice harvest was way below the needed numbers. So we are going to have to tighten out belts this up coming winter, and deal with it. Next year I would like to have more of your work out at the little farms to help them. It was some of them that could not produce what was needed, only because they did not have enough hands helping them." He was happy to see many of them men around the room nod there heads in agreement. That was good, he should have lots of people wanting to help them, so he would have to order anyone, just ask. "Now to the second thing, I now have a personal bodyguard. You will see this person around a lot, and around me mostly. So I wanted you all to see her so you did not question it at all." At the word her, many of the people started to mutter and question if that was a slip up or not. "Now would you over here Natsumi, so they could get a good look at you?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>30-10-2009, 09:47:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Apparently her master had other business he was addressing before unveiling his new slave.&nbsp; She didn't mind; it was actually rather fortunate for her.&nbsp; The longer this was delayed out, the longer she could go without being his slave.&nbsp; It was hazardous to think that she would ever actually be capable of leaving this arrangement, so hope of freedom to come was simply folly.&nbsp; She would be a slave until she died.&nbsp; She only hoped it could at least be in a battle defending her owner from death.&nbsp; At least then she may regain some semblance of her past self.<br>After addressing his concerns about the food shortage, Natsumi was introduced.&nbsp; The people of her master's seemed bewildered by the slight girl that walked gracefully up to his side.&nbsp; Her clothing didn't help her image much, but she stood silently by his side scanning about his servants to see just how many he had.&nbsp; Certainly enough to care for his manor.&nbsp; Now he had a body guard in addition.&nbsp; Natsumi wondered just how much money her master had, and just how severe this shortage might be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>31-10-2009, 00:33:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He watched her come to his side. "I want you all to understand, she is not a servant, she is not a helper, she is my body guard. I will not have her partake in any of the daily needs of the house. You shall treat her as my right hand, second only to me." He looked around the room, watching everyone looking at her. She did have on a rather appealing outfit, and it made him want to use her not only as a body guard, but as his own little toy. "Now, I want you to all go back to work, but we have an early day today, everyone will be able to go back to there rooms two hours early tonight." A cheer swapped across the room, and everyone started to fall out of the room. He turned to her and looked at her. "Where is the little maid that I asked to be with you?" He asked, just wondering where she was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 15:37:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The little ceremony was short and sweet, and if the servants were not happy with their master's decision, they didn't show it.&nbsp; The cheers for their services being ended two hours early that day showed they were in a good mood in any case.&nbsp; <br>After the servants had left, her master inquired about his maid.&nbsp; Natsumi had figured on something like this happening, so she was prepared to give him a simple and sweet answer.&nbsp; "She died."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 17:47:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When he got the answer from her, there was no emotion in it, like it was a lie or something. "What do you mean that she died? I really don't like jokes like this, and if she did die, then why have I not been told?" He looked at her, wanting to know what was going on. He knew that the maid was old, and her time was coming. He had told her many times to just live out the remaining days in her room, since she had no family, and all of her friends are long gone. But she was a stubborn old lady, and she said that she must work, she had worked all her life, and she would work to the day that she died.<br><br>That old lady was here when he took over the land, about five years ago, and she was the one that showed him around the house. "Now, explane yourself."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 18:00:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi gave a slight shrug at first, but then spoke quietly, "While she was brushing my hair, she spoke to me.&nbsp; In her voice, she was tired, seconds later, she was dead.&nbsp; I had been meaning to tell someone, but I had not had the chance until now."&nbsp; Natsumi was a trained fighter, and had taken many lives, both secretly and publicly.&nbsp; Breaking the news was easy for her.&nbsp; She was never happy about it though.&nbsp; Killing never gave her satisfaction or enjoyment.&nbsp; She had met killers that enjoyed that feeling, and she had defeated each and every one of them.&nbsp; The thrill of the fight, the rush of that near-death feeling was different.&nbsp; Even Natsumi found herself enjoying a challenge from time to time.&nbsp; But the killing blow was never made with excitement. This distance she had created from death made her seem cold on the outside, but she was as feeling and emotional as others could be.&nbsp; Just as most find killing distasteful, she found many other things distasteful that others might not think twice about.&nbsp; Some people made their living through lies and deceit or toiling all day in the fields.&nbsp; Natsumi could never see that as her life.&nbsp; Her honor meant more to her than her life.&nbsp; She would gladly die before she would besmirch her honor like a commoner.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 18:10:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He looked at her, and he did not like how she said that so easily. Like it was just as easy as that, but he did not see anything about her that said she was lieing. But then again, she was a trained warrior, and lieing would be easy for her. "Did you have a hand in her death at all?" He was going to make sure of that, he could not have his body guard walking around killing his staff. All of them where like family to him, each one here had no where else to go, or he had given them a job.<br><br>He looked over her, while waiting for her to reply to his question. He was going to look for any signs that she was lieing or anything at all. No matter how well you are trained, you can hide everything, there was always something that would give you away.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 20:08:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It was her acceptance of death that had killed her."&nbsp; Natsumi's words were still cold, still unfeeling as she spoke.&nbsp; The words were true, though maybe not the clearest possible answer to his question.&nbsp; "Death is not an easy thing... but for the elderly, they wish for it.&nbsp; It was her time to pass on."&nbsp; Maybe her words were a little purposely cryptic, but they explained what had happened, without incriminating herself.&nbsp; Natsumi had nothing to hide when speaking the right words.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 21:18:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He looked at her, he was angry at her for having a hand in the death of his little maid. He liked that woman very much, and he devotion to her job and her title was unlike anyone else. But he knew deep down that she wanted to pass on, so he was not as mad as he wanted to be. "Take a seat, we have many things to talk about. First of them will be the rules that I will want you to follow." He motioned to a chair that was across from the chair that he sat down in. He looked up at her, clearly waiting for her to sit down to continue the conversation.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>02-11-2009, 23:59:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi rolled her eyes.&nbsp; She grudgingly took a seat to listen to her master's following rant.&nbsp; What exactly did he buy a killer for if he didn't expect her to kill? The maid asked for death, and Natsumi gave it to her.&nbsp; It was apparent that her master didn't quite understand the whole situation.&nbsp; His maid considered Natsumi her equal, and proceeded to tell her that death was welcome.&nbsp; Who wouldn't consider that a death wish.&nbsp; Other than sitting down, there was no visible response to his request.&nbsp; She would follow his orders when he issued them, but she still, wouldn't have to like them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>03-11-2009, 04:09:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He watched her as she sat down. He could tell that she did not like him giving her orders, but she would just have to learn to live with them. He was not going to give up too many orders, but when he does, he wants them followed to the teeth. "Now, I know that you are a person that has been trained to kill. But killing is not always what i want. I want protection, and that is it. If it helps you more to be able to follow my orders, see yourself as my body guard and I am just your lord. Will that help? And also, I am going to keep to know what kind of weapons you will need. Or anything else you will need, alright?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>03-11-2009, 20:33:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I mean no disrespect, but those that are ready to die, must die.&nbsp; If there is hesitation, it creates weakness, and you cannot afford weakness in one you expect to protect your life."<br>Natsumi's way was rather harsh.&nbsp; In order to control the power necessary to utilize techniques of her clan, there needed to be no weakness, otherwise, the power may begin to consume the user.&nbsp; <br>Her master's questions on equipment was a nice change of pace.&nbsp; "I will need my short blade, and a small amount of throwing knives and disks.&nbsp; In addition, I may need access to specific alchemical reagents and herbs as well as foci for some of my techniques.&nbsp; In the past I have used poison, but I can extract and create that myself should the need arise."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>03-11-2009, 20:43:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He knew that it was her way of life to kill the ones that where ready to die. "Where is her body at?" He asked, the question had not emotion in it, because if he let even a little in, he would seem very upset at her. He was not overly upset, but he could not have her going around killing the people in his own house, unless they where trying to harm him or the other people around them. He just looked at her, waiting for her to reply to what he said, but then her talk about the weapons made him lighten up a little bit and he focused on them.<br><br>"I will take you to the blacksmith after we are done here, as for herbs and everything, you can look around in the market for them, we don't have many things around these parts that can be made into a poison, but maybe you can find something." He started to remember about the blacksmith. "Don't worry, our blacksmith is a old master of making katanas and the sort. So you will have a fine sword and throwing knifes."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>03-11-2009, 21:06:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Her body remains in the bath chamber as I have yet to speak to anyone about removing it.&nbsp; And your blacksmith sounds satisfactory.&nbsp; I need not the finest blade to remove another."&nbsp; Often Natsumi would disarm her opponent in a fight.&nbsp; It was the quickest means to an end.&nbsp; <br>"The herbs are not crucial at this moment, but over time I will need to collect some.&nbsp; It is rather unlikely I would need to use poison unless you had an assassination in mind."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>03-11-2009, 23:42:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He nodded at her about the body. "I will have someone take her and have her ready for a the next life tomorrow evening." He looked pasted her and he started to think about it. "You might not need the finest blade, but it sure will help. If your opponent is skilled, and your normal means are not able to dispatch him as quickly as you want, then a better blade would be needed. As for the herbs, I could have someone pick them up from another land, so that you may need them. And I am not for for killing, unless it is needed." He got up, and waited for her to stand as well. "We will be on our way to the market now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>06-11-2009, 18:53:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Natsumi nods in agreement to her mater's words.&nbsp; Truthfully, she found that extravagant weapons were often too heavily relied on.&nbsp; For weak fighters it became a crutch.&nbsp; Perhaps, if she still had her old blade and she received the new one, she could reserve the better blade for truly dire situations.&nbsp; The herbs were not her top priority, simply a matter that would need to be taken care of at some point. Most often, when combined with specific reagents, they were used to create a smoke screen to aid her escape or hinder her opponent's sight.&nbsp; She used it very rarely, but it was always useful to have.<br>Her master decided that a trip to the market would be necessary presently, and so Natsumi stepped beside him to follow along.&nbsp; She found it a little strange that she should be specifying to her master what to buy.&nbsp; She followed along wordlessly anyway.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenAngelNajdan</strong> on <strong>08-11-2009, 05:10:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He walked down to the market with her, not saying a word the whole way. He was thinking of just how much her outfit was showing off of her body. He did not mind it, but he would make sure that she had some clothes that fit right. He walked over to the blacksmith and then looked at her. "Tell him what you would like, and dont leave out any details at all. You will see that all of them are matched perfectly." He smiled and then stepped aside for her to talk to him. he watched her back side now, finding that he liked this side of her just as much.<br><br>He waited for her to be done with the blacksmith, and then looked at her. "Whats next that you want to look for?" He asked, but it was more like a statement then a question.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bonds of Honor (niki315 &amp; Najdan)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Niki315</strong> on <strong>11-11-2009, 20:00:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Natsumi and her master entered the blacksmith's shop, she wondered just why he would not simply produce only weapons and armor.&nbsp; Certainly the quality of the few items he had on display were enough to prove his services valuable to a lord who needed an army.&nbsp; Perhaps it was just the trade itself that called to him.&nbsp; As Natsumi was called to a life of fighting, he was called to a life of hammering.&nbsp; <br>The requirements for the proper sword for her trade were rather daunting, but her master had commanded her to not leave out any details.&nbsp; The skill of the smith was not quite the issue, it was tying up the smith for the better part of a month that could pose problems.&nbsp; "Smith, I need a blade, one shaku and six sun in length, and quenched to form a cutting curve.&nbsp; The blade must be polished for three weeks with stones, each day finer than the last.&nbsp; The metal must be able to sharpen to the finest point and withstand great impact.&nbsp; Only one edge of the blade needs a sharpened edge.&nbsp; The handle must be 8 sun long with a circular handguard.&nbsp; In addition, the scabbard should be made to accommodate a blade two shaku and four sun in length."&nbsp; <br>After she specified the measurements for the sword her master was already beckoning her along to the marketplace.&nbsp; "I currently have no needs at the moment, but if I find items that are useful in the marketplace I may request that you purchase them."
			</dd>
		</dl>
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