Yang-Kien
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  "May the Unicorn's hoof bring you good luck." Yang-kien murmers as his  saurian head turns to meet your gaze, polished red-golden scales glittering  along his armoured neck with the motion. His fierce, bright golden eyes assess,  and move away, it is not polite for a warrior to stare. Broad shoulders are  shrouded snugly with blocky bamboo armour, and beneath rests a flowing white  robe engraved with pictographs in silver dyed silk.
   The glossy feathers of wings folded across his back catch the light and  reflect it back towards you, plumage to shame even the haughtiest peacock,  gleaming emerald green, tapering towards sea-blue at the tips. A long, straight  golden horn, angled slightly backwards emerges from the bright scales of his  forehead. His long mane is fiery orange, and dances like the flames it  resembles whenever he moves, catching the eye, holding it there, enraptured.
   Kien's powerful, solid arms are finely scaled along the bicep, finally  fading to brown-red stag's fur near his broad-palmed hand. Long slender fingers  each with a finely manicured half centimeter talon, flex occasionally, as  though eager to be about some task. From the tip of his ear-ridge to the bottom  of his soft leather laced-up boots where you catch a glimpse of supple equine  ankles, the Qi-lin stands perhaps a few inches beyond six feet in height.
   Kept in it's protective leather case on Kien's back is his self made  composite bow, horn, wood and sinew delicately blended to provide him with a  weapon that serves his livelihood as a wandering warrior. Beside it rests a  slender, curved blade, it's bound cloth grip showing the wear of overuse.  Clipped in a quiver at his waist are a dozen finely fletched arrows. =======================================================================
 
 

Yang-Kien's Siheyuan - Courtyard =====================================================================
  This is a broad courtyard, fifty paces by fifty paces, bounded to the  north by a sprawling Chinese manor house, with a bright red tile steepled roof  and wooden walls, built on a platform slightly raised above the ground.
  To the south east is the main gate, which stands closed at this moment  denying both entrance and exit, the palisade walls are stained wooden stakes  about ten feet in height, designed to keep out intruders and prying eyes both.
  Smaller buildings, none more than a single level and far less fancy  than the main manor all open inwards upon the courtyard, and a brick walkway  runs in a square just inside the boundaries of the open space, past each door.
  Inside of the path lie narrow garden beds, in bloom with the coming of  spring with flowers, and carefully shaped bushes. The images of dragons, stags  and horses predominate. The center of the courtyard consists of well scuffled  soft earth. An exercise area, perhaps. =======================================================================Obvious exits:
Out  Servant's Quarters  Manor House

NightAngel pads out quietly after putting up her things. She looks around the  courtyard, watching the servants do their chores.

Yang-Kien is out practicing in the sand ring, bared to his waist, wearing what  seems to be a very baggy pair of pants from the waist down, his sword flashing  in front of him as he focuses on his kata.

Yang-Kien executes a few cuts and lunges, then does a cartwheel and lands  spryly close to you, "Would you like to get some practice in?" He inquires.

NightAngel watches you practice, keeping quiet so not to disturb you. She  blinks, then smiles as she nods, "Aye, that would be nice. I have practiced  what you have shown me so far when I've had a chance."

Yang-Kien nods, looking thoughtful, "Fetch a bo-kin then." He instructs, eyes  flicking over your clothing, making sure it's suitable to get sweaty in.

NightAngel looks down at her dress for a moment, deciding quickly to shrug out  of it. Folding it, she lays it on the steps then pads to get the bo-kin.

Yang-Kien smiles slightly, eyes gliding across your naked form... no, he  doesn't object to that at all. When you return with the bo-kin he gets down to  business though. He holds out his sword, blade down, towards you, bowing, and  indicating that you should do the same.

NightAngel bows then copies your stance, holding the bo-kin out before her.  Tail flicks out behind her as her footclaws dig into the dirt.

Yang-Kien nods, "Today we'll do side cut, light cut, larger stance and rooster  stance." He instructs you firmly, "Now, lets start with straight cuts...  Drawing your sword, haito-HAH!" He lets his sword slip from it's sheath and  drops into stance. Your bo-kin doesn't have a sheath naturally, but you are  intended to make the same motion anyway.

NightAngel nods once, then watches you intently. She copies your movement,  though not with quite the grace that you display, only because of her not  knowing the movement.

Yang-Kien announces, "Straight cuts . . . HA!" He lifts his sword and begins on  the straight cuts, counting, "One ... Two ... Three ..." He continues watching,  and approving of how you handle the wooden blade.

NightAngel nods, going into the moves fluidly, the wooden blade cutting through  the air.

Yang-Kien does one hundred of the straight cuts, noticing that it doesn't tire  you nearly so much as it did the first time, "... Ninety nine, HA!" He  finishes, "Center ready." He instructs, telling you to bring the sword up  centered in front of you in the ready position again, "Left and right cuts,  HA!" He begins doing the left and right cuts, "One! Two! Three!" Again he  watches you closely.

NightAngel smiles, the weight and number of the cuts not making her as tired as  they used to since she's been practicing. She moves from center to ready then  starts on the left and right cuts. Concentrating on doing the moves without  fault, she doesn't notice you watching her.

Yang-Kien stops cutting, but keeps counting, "Twenty two! twenty three!" He  sheaths his sword and walks up beside you, putting his hand on your arms gently  to guide your motion, "Swing wider, open it up, use your reach to your  advantage. Make sure you stop your sword dead every time."

Yang-Kien says, "Twenty eight, twenty nine..." in common.

NightAngel nods her head, changing her swings in those ways. She also counts,  her voice low.

Yang-Kien shakes his head slightly at your counting, "Just ky-yaw with each  hit, blow out, it will give you more strength and more force. Ha. Ha. Ha.  Thirty four! Thirty five!" He moves back to his position a short distance in  front of you and begins cutting again.

NightAngel nods, wooden blade swinging through the air. The only thing heard  now from her is the loud, Ha! with each swing.

Yang-Kien continues until seventy, "Sixty nine... HAH! Center ready. Triple  cuts. Ha! One! Two!" He moves on to triple cuts, doing three cuts for every  count, one center cut, then a left and right cut. He does these up to thirty.  "Now." He says, after we're finished, "Side cuts. Your sword goes up over your  head, as though you are doing a straight cut." He shows you, "Then it drops  sideways left to your side, pointed straight backwards. Then, cut horizontally  in front of you. When your sword is almost across rotate it, the other way,  then rest it in the same manner, straight back, then cut sideways back to the  starting position." He demonstrates in slow motion, as he talks.

NightAngel pants softly from the workout, nodding as she watches the slow  demostration.

Yang-Kien says, "Ready for horizontal cuts... Ha! One! Two!" He does them with  you, one cut at a time, "Straighten your cut a little... Make sure you don't  reverse your sword until the last moment - otherwise you will hit your opponent  with the side of your blade. If he is parrying the blow, hitting his sword  sideways may cause yours to shatter."

NightAngel nods, straightening her cuts. All the suggestions are filed away, to  go over when practicing.

Yang-Kien finishes the straight cuts... he chuckles, "Ready for a rest?" He  asks mildly.

NightAngel pants softly, though not too badly. Her practice has helped her in  many ways it seems besides the other things she's taken up lately. "Only if you  wish so. I am ok for now."

Yang-Kien chuckles softly, "We'll finish off, then. Center ready. Now, larger  stance is like this." he shows you, right leg in front of the left, right knee  bent until your calve is at a right angle to the ground, back left stretched  far out behind you, sword held in front of you in the same manner as before.  "Straight cuts in larger stance are the same." He does a few, to demonstrate.

NightAngel moves into the larger stance easily, center low to the ground. She  does a few straight cuts, then nods, "ok.."

Yang-Kien nods, "From here, rooster stance." He does a two handed backswing  with his sword to the left... like half a horizontal cut to one side, but with  the sword still facing forward, then he brings the sword across to his right  side, right elbow up by his ear, left elbow aligned with his left knee which  lifts off so he's standing on one leg, toe pointed down, leaning forward  slightly.

NightAngel blinks, watching you closely, then shakes her head, "Please, could  you do that one again?"

Yang-Kien nods, "Certainly." He returns to larger stance, and repeats the  motions... sword swings horizontally back, he tranfers weight to his right  foot, straightening he lifts his left so his toe is pointing down, his thigh is  at a right angle to his chest, calve at a right angle to his thigh and pointed  downwards, sword moving from horizontal to vertical to be held fairly close to  his right shoulder, his right elbow up at his ear, left elbow in line with his  left knee.

NightAngel nods, watching again. This time when you finish, she attempts the  move. She ends with a very slight wobble, but almost perfectly copied.

Yang-Kien smiles, "Very good. From here, we can do a straight cut, like this."  He shows you the straight cut, the same as before, except he pushes his weight  forward and behind the blade, putting his left foot down in the process. Then  he turns, doing a horizontal cut, "Always look before you cut." He instructs as  he does this, rotating so he is facing away from you in the process of the cut,  "Now, rooster stance facing the other direction." His sword is still held to  his right, but this time his right leg lifts instead of his left.

NightAngel nods, eyes watching your ever move carefully. She too turns and does  the next movements, her tail flicking from side to side behind her.

Yang-Kien hops back and to one side of you, staying on one leg so he can watch  your stance, "Very good. And from here. Natural stance." He simply pushes his  right leg forward and to the ground, standing more or less straight with one  leg in front of the other, sword in center ready in front of him.

NightAngel smiles, nodding once more as she comes to rest in natural stance.  Still, her tail flicks behind her.

Yang-Kien smiles, sheathing his sword, indicating you should do the same, then  turns and bows in your direction, "A good warm up." He comments, smiling.

NightAngel smiles, going through the motions of sheathing her bo-kin, then bows  to you. "Thank you Yang-Kien."