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[ . . . well. Lili does try her best to learn by observing so she'll watch closely. The fact that he does it so slowly helps... and now she's actually observing to learn something instead of just accepting how her attendants would tie her ribbons for her all day without question.

A nod once he's through.....]

Ah.

I see.... How complicated.

[Just saying.

Not entirely her fault.]

There are definitely easier things to put on.

[A SIGH... But he'll do a last turn once he's finished and then nod in her direction.]

Once you do it right the first time, it gets way easier from there since you know how it's supposed to feel and what it looks like. D'you need to see it again or do you think you've got it now?

[And she'll shake her head at that, steeling herself as she goes over the steps again in her head.]

No.... I should have it by now.

[Should. More like she won't forgive herself if she doesn't. With that, she's going to retreat back into the dressing room and her hands move to copy Kashuu's movements to tie the hakama, although hers are considerably less experienced. Her ties aren't nearly as neat, but they also aren't the mess that she was trying to pass as acceptable earlier.

It means that she'll exist maybe a little bit over five minutes later, moving to flip her hair over her shoulder as she does, turning as if offering herself for inspection.]

There.

Do I look foolish?

[Be brutally honest, ok.]

[If he's brutally honest with a person like Lili, he'll get himself killed...

Not that that's ever stopped him before! He'll give her the due scrutinizing inspection that she seems to be asking for, and then:]

Nope! Your ties are messy, but I've seen some people walk in here looking way less put together on their first day. And like I said, you'll get better really quick with practice! That uniform's yours now, so you can take it home and practice as much as you want.

[But now that he feels secure in the knowledge that Lili's pants won't fall off in the middle of training or something, he'll gesture her over again and head toward the wall that the bokuto and shinai are kept on.]

We'll start off with these- [The shinai.] -since they're lighter weight and a little more forgiving if you end up getting hit. Hand-to-hand combat is something we can start once you've built up your strength and stamina a little. It's mostly about technique, but you'd probably just end up hurting your hands if you went for it at the very start.

[Thanks for your honesty, Kashuu, that’s why she figured she would be able to trust you. She knows that her ties are messy but… yeah, she’ll probably be working to improve once she gets back home because she doesn’t like being anything but pristine.

Once she’s gestured closer to the shinai and bokuto, she looks them over with an appraising glance. So this is what they used to train at the start… it’s a little funny to look them over when she’s already been so close to actual metal threatening her. Yet this is still almost preferable…. the weight of metal would probably be too much for her to handle emotionally.

So she just nods, having a renewed determination.]

Understood. I’ll work my way there then.

[CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP.]

[WHERE'S THE 70s MUSIC MONTAGE--

Kashuu glances at Lili again after that, offering a brief flicker of an encouraging smile.]

Good, good! That's the best thing to hear. [And then she gets ANOTHER SCRUTINIZING STARE he sure does seem to do that a lot-- But this time it's so he can estimate which size of shinai will suit her best. He eventually nods to himself and reaches up to pluck two different sizes from the wall, holding them out in her direction.]

Test these two out first. A good shinai should be about as long as your arm and as heavy in your hand as a real sword would be. [...] Eh-- You know how heavy that is, right?

[hITS PLAY.

The question manages to get her to blink though. Does she know how heavy that is...? It's not like she's ever even managed to hold a sword before -- aside from Mutsu but it's not like she was using him to fight? Her brow furrows then as she realizes that she has even more work ahead of her than she thought.]

I.... don't, actually. How am I supposed to know something like that?

[She's only had swords pointed at her...

But she's not going to say that?!]

[WE'RE READY TO GO NOW.

But Kashuu only shrugs in response to that, and then reaches for the sword at his hip.]

It's best not to assume what someone does or doesn't know, especially when it comes to things like this. That's another rule, y'know! Never make assumptions! Here—

[And then he slips the blade from his side, holding it out lengthwise for her to take.]

You can use me to get a feel for how it should be. A wakizashi is lighter, but uchigatana have a longer range so you don't have to get as close to your opponents.

[ . . . she hesitates to take the offered sword for a second, mostly because--]

Why are you all so casual about letting others hold you....?!

[THEY TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE but it's even weirder now knowing that he's a sword and he's just?? Offering himself to her? ISN'T THAT WEIRD.]

We're not.

[GENERALLY SPEAKING... Some are definitely much more guarded than others. Kashuu himself is on the opposite side of the spectrum, but all the same--]

Usually it's only if we think it's necessary or if it feels safe. I won't let people touch me if I don't think they'll take good care of me, anyway. [It's too dangerous, considering how vulnerable his true body is. Even he knows that!! Despite his penchant for just letting people pick him up... Someone help him.]

But you will, right?

You and Mutsu both are......

[ . . . but. Oh. That's... that's an embarrassing question, excuse you?! You shouldn't think that she'd take care of you, there's been no proof! She's never even held a sword before so why is he so casual about letting her hold onto him?!

But it's.... it's not like she's going to set out to prove him wrong or anything....

So she'll reach out to accept the sword, mumbling a bit.]

Of course I will [sorry what was that] but still... you could stand to be more cautious...!

It's fine! Besides, even if you tried anything funny, it's not like you could outrun me or beat me in a fight. [HE'LL BEAT UP A PRINCESS HE DOESN'T CARE.

But he clearly also 100% doesn't expect that'll happen... An overly trusting moron, it's him.]

A-ny-way, that guy probably thought the same thing, if he let you hold him. [Mutsu is even more wary than he is sometimes when it comes to stuff like that, so surely that's the case...! But, more importantly--]

Once you get a feel for the weight in both hands, unsheathe it so you know how heavy it'll be with just one. You'll be wielding your sword with two, but you'll need to be comfortable enough with its weight to draw and sheathe it with one hand without much fuss, too.

[ . . . guh.]

You don't need to say it so bluntly....

[DON'T REMIND HER THAT YOU CAN BEAT HER UP, KASHUU?? She trusts you.......

But she's just going to shake her head to get that thought out, instead opting for focusing on what he's saying. It's... different to have a hold in her hands and she's rather obviously uncertain about that. She turns him over once, twice, and her brow furrows a bit to think that he's seen battle however many times in this form as well....

She's careful when she moves to unsheathe the sword, holding on perhaps tighter than she needs to since she's especially concerned about dropping him?? But at least it doesn't feel too heavy for her....

She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.]

It's... not even as heavy as I imagined.

[The emotional weight is still kinda there, tho.]

[He won't beat her up unless she tries to run away with him or something, okay!! But he trusts her not to do that, too... Mutual trust that they won't heck up each others day, basically.

Anyway, he'll wisely leave that remark without any return commentary of his own, just watching instead as she gets used to what it feels like to hold a weapon like this. Just don't cut off his circulation Lili, gosh...]

Most of our weight's in the tsuba and hilt. Blades have to be pretty thin to cut through things efficiently, yeah? Mm - except some European swords, I guess, but they're made more for hacking than slicing. Oodachi are pretty heavy, too... But most people used tachi or uchigatana since most of the super popular styles rely on speed and cutting, not brute force.

[ . . . . god. Her brow furrows and she's quiet - for once - as she tries to process all that information.

In her home, she was never allowed close to things like this. Just as the former King didn't allow Yona to wield weapons, Joon-gi saw no need for his daughter to learn anything except the most delicate things. Swordplay definitely didn't count. Yet she's trying to commit everything Kashuu's saying to memory, even as she sighs.]

Will there be a written test....?

[ . . . like.

Real talk though.

Is that part of training.]

[That gets a laugh out of him, mostly because he thinks she's just joking...]

No way! You only need to memorize your forms and stuff like that. The names of things aren't as important, but they'll probably stick the longer you're around us.

[Though some basic basics might be good before they actually start...]

I can't really help when it comes to Western-style combat or weapons, but I can tell you a little about the ones from my home first. There are tooons of different types of swords, but you'll mostly see tantou, wakizashi, uchigatana and tachi - from smallest to biggest! [And as he lists the names off, he'll be showing with his hands about how big each blade is.] Oodachi can be seven feet tall, so like I said, not super common. Then there are naginata, which are basically like, a combi between spears and swords. The blade's on the end of a long shaft, so it gives the wielder even more distance, but it's weightier and harder to get accurate strikes in.

Make sense so far?

[She's been tutored all her life, she's not joking?! Why is he laughing.... She's definitely not going to be pouting even as he continues with his explanation.

Definitely not.]

It... does. [She gives a nod even as she goes over the information once more in her head, trying to keep them all straight in her head.] How complicated... So much thought goes into war, doesn't it?

[And her brows furrow at the thought.

It sits so poorly with her.]

Thought always goes into life-and-death matters, right? If you're on the battlefield and you have a weapon that doesn't suit you, it could be the last mistake you make.

[But war and battle are some of the only things Kashuu's known in his life, so it doesn't seem very complex or unusual to him. These are the areas where the difference between Kashuu and actual human beings is most pronounced, too; fighting is just part of life, and one he has no qualms with.]

[It catches her off-guard. Everything about how he casually talks about it manages to catch her off-guard and sets her on edge as she recalls almost too vividly the way that soldiers would be so content to swing their swords even at girls as young and defenseless as herself. She doesn't want to be that weak ever again but--

Sometimes weapons could be used for things like that too, couldn't they?

Her hands start to shake and she recognizes this and she moves to offer the blade back to Kashuu almost immediately, her gaze fixated toward the floor.]

I....

You're right.

[So this is the difference between them?]

[He hears that hesitance, sees her hands shaking as he takes his vessel back, feels the shift that comes with lighthearted things turning down more serious paths - but he isn't sure how to handle it, really. He doesn't even know how to pinpoint which part Lili's been upset over, though he gives it his best shot.]

...Once you find a good weapon, it'll do its best to protect you, though.

[Because Lili has sure hands and a good heart, so even if she has to shed blood, he's sure that any blade would be proud to call her an owner.]

[It is his best shot and Lili looks up then, her expression a little befuddled.]

Are you... trying to reassure me?

[Is that what's happening her? Still though, she's admittedly a bit afraid. It's strange to think that she's already been on a battlefield and thrown herself into danger and none of those times did she have a weapon. And now to think that these weapons could have spirits of their own....

She shakes her head then, trying to calm her own nerves as she forces herself to be stronger than she is right now.]

I need to be worthy of that weapon first.

[It's a question he doesn't answer, though that's probably an answer in and of itself, honestly. Instead, he's quiet for a second, trying to figure out how best to tackle this. It's no good if they start off while she's on a shaky foot - a sword can feel hesitation in the hearts and hands of its wielder as well as any person can.]

Saying something like that is a good start already. There are a looot of people who think they can just pick a blade up and that's that, but some of the most successful fighters out there are the ones that know it's a partnership. You have to be sure of yourself, or your sword will falter. Your sword needs to trust in you, or it won't perform well. An opponent with a keen enough eye can pick out insecurities in a wielder through their swordwork, you know?

[Of course, sometimes there are just... unavoidable circumstances, where even talented swordsmen and impressive blades working together well can fail, but--]

Eh... That's how it is in a lot of cases, anyway.

[A partnership.... Well, it's not like she's ever had much of a partner before, but she finds herself nodding regardless. It means something different when it comes from the sword himself, doesn't it? So she tries to think back to why she wants to learn swordplay in the first place. She's tired of being weak and needing someone to defend her. She's tired of just being in distress all the time...

So she lets out a quiet breath, some tenseness releasing from her shoulders before she meets his gaze more evenly.]

I understand. Then... I won't rest until I can earn that trust!

[She needed something new to throw all of herself into anyway.]

[He'd compared Lili's eyes to the ocean once, but sometimes - like now - he can see the familiar flash of steel instead. He's seen it before, of course. As a sword, he's seen that look in the eyes of plenty of people, from those who could wield a difficult blade expertly to those who had absolutely no physical way to defend the things they loved, but every desire to do so anyway. He understands what it means, and the strength that it represents.

She really doesn't give herself enough credit.]

Good! Then test these two out and we'll get started.

[With his vessel back at his side, he holds both of the shinai out again, ready for her to test their weight out now that she has an idea of what to look for.]

[She makes a small noise of affirmation then, stepping forward to claim one of the shinai to get a feel for it. She focuses -- trying to make sure that it meets all the qualifications that Kashuu had mentioned earlier now that she's gotten a chance to hold an actual sword. (Her father would faint at the very thought, she thinks.)

But he'd really.... been trying to reassure her earlier, hadn't he? Even when her hands were shaking as she held his vessel and he still didn't seem to show any concern that she might drop him...

Even as she keeps her eyes resolutely on the blade-]

I thought that you were just a difficult person.... and you would go out of your way to be troublesome and embarrassing. You act so careless all the time, you know.

[Lili?!]

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