Finding One's Flame [Private/ Training] with Amarante Sakura and Rai Qing Long

Rai paced about the Training Room, pondering silently to himself as he made sure that everything was right for his 'student'. He had made his decision to help Amarante find out a way to use her Semblance to fight, but he really didn't know if he was truly ready to be a teacher as of now. Once more, Rai gave a look at his current setup, worrying that it might not be enough for Amarante. Currently, two violet cushions sat on either side of a low-mahogany table Rai had been able to buy in Bellmuse, with a tea set accompanying the setup. In addition, a stick of lavender incense slowly burned in a small jade holder, it's scent perfect for making any tense people to relax, and be at harmony with their inner nature. But what was the key part of this small peaceful setup, was the calligraphy set Rai had managed to procure at home. After looking into the student profile of 'Amarante Sakura', Rai saw that she was capable of utilizing glyphs as her Semblance. Not very hard to deal with, as glyphs were very wide ranged in abilities, but one thing puzzled him greatly.

Why didn't she just use attacking glyphs? So far, the only notable abilities she had shown were shielding and healing, but by all means, there shouldn't have been a problem with her utilizing damaging glyphs. So why did she not utilize them? By all means, Rai honestly believed that he, out of all of the people in that Combat Medicine class, was the least qualified to assist her, as his Semblance was more rigid in use, while hers was terrifyingly powerful. Actually, by all means, she had the potential to be stronger than even [i]himself[i], but she didn't seem to have the motivation to do so.

Or, it's something else entirely... Rai shook himself out of his thoughts, deciding that he should train to pass the time. Shrugging off his kimono sleeves, Rai allowed the top of his kimono to fall to his waist, showing off his bare torso to the air. He breathed deeply, slowly drawing out his odachi, before getting into a combat stance.

In one move, he gave a yell, bringing his sword down on an imaginary enemy's blade, before letting the tip of his sword to drop, before swinging upwards, scoring a deep wound on his imaginary enemy's torso. Spinning the odachi by the handle, Rai then swung his blade from his right side, now gutting the invisible foe. He then lashed out with a side kick, before bringing his sword in a full rotation, ending his attack then and there. With his nerves now calmed a little, Rai just stood in the middle of the room, steadying his breathing, before sheathing his blade.

He then settled to sit himself down into a lotus position, allowing himself to release the energy of his soul, the azure dragon coalescing itself from his Aura. Slowly, and ever so silently, the dragon started to circle the room's high ceiling, it's presence bringing about a certain sense of calm in the room, while being ever so watchful of it's creator. And with that, Rai began to wait.

The scent of tea greater her as she entered the room. It reminded her of happier days when she was much younger. After glancing up at the dragon she took a seat across from Rai, "Hello" She gracefully sat down with her legs under her as was proper and bowed to her...teacher? Mentor? She wasn't sure of their relationship quite yet but that meant there could be more to it than what currently was. She blushed furiously at the thought and then banished it from her mind, taking in the scent if tea and incense as she let her aura flow and her tails appeared. "Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Long." She said as she bowed.

"Hmm?" Rai noticed the fox girl bowing towards him, before he nodded his head. "It is no problem. And please, call me by my first name; I'm... not too used to being called a teacher... still." he gave her a sheepish look, before pouring a cup of tea for her, and one for himself. Setting her cup in front of her, Rai then dismissed the dragon, it's form now dissipating back into ether. He then put the top of his kimono back on, covering the tatoos on his right arm, before giving Amarante a serious look.

"I want to be clear on this: this is going to be strictly a teacher and student relationship. Right now, you are my student, and I am your teacher, understood? When all of this is over, we can go back to being friends." He then nodded, before continuing.

"Now, I was able to find out that your power circulates around glyphs, correct?" Rai calmly took a sip of his tea, before continuing. "From what I have learned, you've utilized your power specifically for either healing, or shielding. However, not once in your History of staying in Syne have you tried to utilize your Semblance to... well, attack. Why is that? And for that matter, why in the world do you wish to use your Semblance to fight? Healing is not an ability that should be perverted into a tool to harm someone. My Semblance is a form of Aura manipulation, it cannot specifically heal, but rather uses my Aura to feed a wounded person's Aura, thus boosting their own Aura's passive healing ability. Mine is only capable of attacking when I solidify my Aura construct, allowing me to inflict physical damage to foes. When I looked at how your Aura and Semblance worked, I was rather surprised. By all means, you have the power and ability to be stronger then even me! Yet, you don't use your power to harm. I'm not trying to say it's a bad thing, no! I just want to know, why do you wish to use your power to fight?

Amarante accepted the tea and sipped daintily as she thought of how best to answer the question. "A common misconception about my glyphs is that they are one dimensional. I have the potential to use the inverted glyph, what I lack is the ability to do so at will.." She nodded a bit, "Most of my life I have been told, sometimes politely sometimes not so much, that as an individual I am worthless. I've only used an inverted healing glyph once. Right before I came here. And that was more of an accident." She set her cup down and collected her thoughts again. She wasn't sure what to say next since it would delve into something she really wanted to avoid, but he had said it was strictly a teacher-student relationship so more information would only help...right? "My parents have betrothed me to a...prominent businessman whose reputation is well protected by money and hired hands. I want to be able to take care of myself so I can tell him to go screw himself and not worry too much afterwards." She said this softly as she pulled out one of her fans and set it on the table.


https://i.imgur.com/rcr8rcj.jpg


"As you can see, my physical combat ability is pitiful which only leaves me with either creating shields or dodging. If I can't prove myself able then I'll end up in a guided cage once again ." Her voice trailed off at the thought.

Rai was silent for a while, not being able to understand what he was hearing for a few moments. Then, it fell on him. This girl was in a similar situation that he was in... except she had not been condemned to her own fate yet. Meanwhile, his fate had already been decided a long time ago, when Meng Zhang had died fighting Hydra...

He was now resolved more than ever to help this girl avoid a situation which would decide the rest of her life. To be honest with himself, Rai could not believe the gall Amarante's parents had when making her betrothed to some stranger she never knew. From the way that she had told him about her... arranged marriage, she had looked absolutely disgusted when mentioning the "businessman". Without help, she would be forced into a life she never wanted, only being treated like a doll by her parents.

That was why, he was determined to ensure that she never turned out to be like himself.

"You remind me of myself....when I was a child...." Rai paused, allowing Amarante to let the words sink. He gave her a look of weariness, while he thought of a future which would never come true. "Allow me to tell you a story of my childhood, and how I even obtained the name, 'Qing Long'."

"There is a belief in the kingdom of my birth, that 4 Sacred Beasts defended the people from any invader wishing harm to the people. When these beasts had died, they passed on their power to 4 warriors of my village, in order for them to become their legacy. Every generation or so, any child in their 3rd year of age is brought to the elders, who would determine if one of the children was compatible with the power of one of the beasts. When that child was found, their family name would be stripped from them, and their last name would be replaced with the chosen Beast's name. I was one of those unlucky children."

He sipped his tea, now completely lost in the past.

"I was torn from my family, and then was forced to watch their execution, from their attempts to stop me from being doomed to my fate. No one was spared, everyone who had protested simply... died. All because I had this cursed power."

Rai gave a bitter laugh, his eyes steely glaring at his teacup.

"I was then brought to my predecessor, Meng Qing Long, someone who I would respect for the rest of my life. He understood how I had felt, as he was conscripted to this duty as well. He became my second father, a figure who showed me that hatred and anger against others would not solve anything. He showed how I could use my abilities to heal others, and encouraged me to also utilize it as a sword to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. He is the reason why I am the person I am right now. But...he eventually died, killed while trying to defend the kingdom from a Grimm called 'Hydra'. And that was when my fate was sealed: in the age of 15, I was now the official wielder of the Azure Dragon."

He shook his head.

"I was forced to kill Grimm and humans alike. People started to idolize my title, not for the person who I was. Again and again, I have tainted my blade with the blood of monsters and criminals, stretching my morals to the point I started to no longer believe in them. It was then, the previous elders had died, and a new generation replaced them, one with more humane policies... except for one."

Rai gulped all of his tea, before setting the cup on the table, and giving Amarante a haunted look.

"They hated Faunus, to the point they ordered me and my peers to execute all of them, regardless if they were innocent or not. Then, me and my fellow Beasts all agreed to desert our duty, and start our lives anew in the other kingdoms. We managed to procure scrolls and Lien from the Kingdom's treasury, before we all escaped to Vacuo. It was here where we all parted ways, with me heading here to Bellmuse, and joining Syne...

I dreamed that I would be able to go back home, and live with my family, Meng Zhang, and all of my fellow Beasts in peace. But... now that dream is impossible for me. However, you have not fallen yet; your dream is still possible. That is why, I swear, by the end of this day, you will be able to control the power of your inverted Glyphs, and prove to your family, that YOU are capable of defending yourself."

He then stood up and picked up his odachi, before making his way to an empty part of the training hall.

Tears fell as she listened to Rai tell his story. Of all the inhumane things to have happened, she couldn't think of anything worse than making a child into a weapon. She finished her tea and followed him, "I'm. ..I'm sorry...I didn't realize such things still happened in the world." Compared to him, her reasoning seemed childish and profane, "you said there were four of you...you have a dragon, what were the other three beasts?" She didn't know why she asked. She wasn't even sure what she was doing. He was terrifying and yet she felt like she was safe around him. She put her fans back in her sleeves and folded her hands together as she studied him. Committing every detail she could process into her memory.

Darkness, fear, panic. She could her the yelling as she ran through the woods away from her home...no...not her home...Her prison. She felt dirty and wrong for having used an inverted glyph, but she had no choice. The huntress who had saved her on the train looked strong and confident...Amarante simply felt twisted and confused. She found the road easily enough and a place not to far where she could safely change from her nightgown to traveling clothes. Her parents had no idea that she had planned this since Onyx died to protect her...poor, kind Onyx who was like a brother to her and Lavender...She hadn't heard from her former lady in waiting since she quit afterwards. Perhaps she had fallen to grimm, or was simply grieving the death of someone she cared deeply about. Amarante could still feel the pain of realization that Onyx was gone

She snapped back to the present, "perhaps one day, when Bellmuse becomes a great kingdom, people can know peace and beauty...A kingdom with no grimm sounds like a wonderful kingdom and with such strong people here like you, and tunaboy, I believe it may happen within our lives." She smiled and closed her eyes...and then tripped since she didn't see where she was going.

Oh dear, can't let that happen... Rai noticed that Amarante had somehow tripped herself, her face now starting to make a one-way trip to the ground. By reflex, he snagged the back of her kimono with his left hand, stopping all her forward momentum. He couldn't help but give a small smile, remembering her question regarding his fellow Beasts.

"Do you remember that question you asked me a few moments ago? Well, the other beasts were the Vermilion Falcon of the South, the Black Turtle of the North, and the White Tiger of the West. Specifically, the White Tiger was always the clumsiest of us all. Heh... Bai Hu would always make a mess out of everything for me, except I couldn't get mad at him. He was too apologetic for his own good, going as far to keep on apologising to us, even when he made the decision to move into Vale."

He then pulled back, allowing her to regain her balance. Unfortunately, he misjudged the amount of strength he had put in his action, making her small form to crash into the front of his back. Hard.

"Ah, are you all right?!" Rai gave her a quick look over to ensure that she was not harmed, before determining that the damage could have been internal. I guess it wouldn't hurt to heal her... just in case. Plus, I can probably boost her Semblance with my power...

Stepping away from her, Rai made no movements to draw his sword, instead closing his eyes, before the familiar figure of the Azure Dragon appeared.

"Qing Long! Nasda!

The dragon gave a roar, before encircling Amarante with its calming, healing aura, any damage done to her now fading away.

---

Rai Qing Long utilizes his Semblance to heal an ally. [color=#3300ff]-10 Aura]

HP: 170 AP:130-10= 120

It took a couple seconds to process what had happened. One moment she was about to face plant and the next she was being held by him...by the back of her kimono. She watched as the dragon circled her, eyes wide. "Thank you,  and I'm sorry about that." She blushed furiously as she tried to regain her composure "so the four of you were like family then?" She asked almost timidly. Rai reminded her a lot like Onyx, strong, kind, patient...Onyx may have been her bodyguard but he was also like a big brother to her looking out for her in ways beyond the simple duties being a guard entailed. She wiped a tear away hopefully before he noticed, "I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be here to learn to control my d-mn glyphs,  I didn't mean to pry or anything." She blushed again and looked away, "gods, I'm such an idiot." She muttered under her breath.

Rai shook his head, before giving her a small smile, while dismissing his Semblance.

"It's no problem. After all, the bast way of understanding someone is by learning about their past, no? But, I'm getting to ahead of myself."

Rai then took a step away from her, before giving her a serious look. It was now time to get to the problem at hand.

"Now, Ms. Sakura, I would like to know: how well can your glyphs heal damage? I first need to judge your skill level, in regards to your proficiency in your Semblance." He drew out his odachi, before lifting up his left arm, making sure that his forearm was completely bare. "Please give your all in this test. I need to see where your limits are, in regards to your Semblance."

Then, he gave a silent apology to Amarante, before dragging his blade across his forearm. The pain momentarily made his Semblance stir, before he forcibly quashed that temptation to heal himself.

I know that this is supposed to be a test... but ouch! Never trying this again.... He gave a momentary wince at a flash of pain, before resetting it to a stoic expression.

---

Actions Taken: Rai Qing Long takes 20 damage, from self-inflicted injury.
Recovers +5 Aura.

HP: 150/170
Aura: 125/130

Amarante blanched when she saw Rai cut himself. Almost as soon as the blade was removed her healing and Shielding glyphs overlay each other and set on his wound, pulsing a bit before fading and leaving not even a scar, "I um...I'm not sure why my shielding glyph appears when my healing glyph does that.... my glyphs tend to appear almost of their own accord most of the time." She cautiously touched where the cut and glyphs had been. Rai's skin was slightly warmer to the touch, "I...I think the shielding glyph protects the wound until it's fully healed...that...th - that must be it." She couldn't believe that someone would willingly injure themselves so casually.

Actions :
Healing Glyph on Rai: -30 ap +20 Hp to Rai
Shielding glyph: -1 AP blocks 1 damage on Rai

Aura recovery : + 5 AP