Lukas and Sorcha

“Hmm, you think me so dishonorable not to give you an even chance, Lukas?” Sorcha replied, not using her little title for him for whatever reason. The dragon chuckled softly, shaking her head in a very nonchalant manner. It was clear she thought she knew the outcome of this little duel already. Hopefully though, that wouldn’t stop Lukas from trying. It would be rather disappointing otherwise.

That, and if he impressed her regardless whether he won or not, she’ rescind her command anyways, even if she wasn’t able to use her natural talents.

“I won’t be using my lightning or flying. Didn’t intend too.” She waved away his blade as well. If she had one of those, there was a good chance she’d likely kill the boy on accident since she intended to be completely serious in this fight, and not holding back like she was last night.

“ And I appreciate the offer, Lukas, but if I had one of those you’d already be dead.” With a confident smirk, the dragon took a relaxed, but obviously defensive posture. With a breath, she motioned for Lukas to attack first.

“Shall you start, then?”

Lukas stood there, a statue to the wind as she responded. His lively eyes almost seemed despondent, almost as if he gave up before this whole spiel began. "I do not; I only wish to reinstate the rules so neither of us makes a blunder; precaution if you will it." Looking at the dragon who was paced away from him, he stood there, unwavering, only responding on a moments notice.

He nodded as she agreed to not to use any of her abilities, however... "Lightning dragon, eh? Well then, thank you for that little tidbit, at least I have a better idea of what you did last night," he said, locking the contents of her words away in his mind as she brushed his sword off to the side. Noticing this, he gave her a nod, his gaze unwavering as the sword immediately turned to attention and impaled the tree once more with the steel.

"Hmph, alright then." It seemed he wasn't as perturbed any more, even with the woman's claims that she would downright destroy him with the blade. Once more it was time to fight. "No more analytical bs then, no more acting like a jester," he muttered as he glared at the woman. Lukas was completely fixated on Sorcha - nothing bedazzled him about her, nothing distracted him from the battle ahead. Regardless...

"Time to fight then... Let's start." Suddenly, Lukas dashed forward at the dragon, headstrong in his advance. His pace was sped up as he continued, before attempting to slice downward on Sorcha with a quick overhead strike.

"She'll either... or... maybe..."

Ah.

Such a rookie move, heading headlong into an attack recklessly. She had made many attacks like that in quite the similar situation ages ago. How nostalgic, one might say. It would be, if the thought also didn’t feel her with a slowly boiling rage, at least. Still, this boy had nothing to do with that and taking out any anger on him would be wrong.

Brushing the thought aside, Sorcha made her move.

A simple overhead strike. Easy enough to take care of, since there was an overwhelming difference in physical strength here. Using her left hand, she grabbing Lukas’ wrist, using his forward momentum against him. She pulled him, placing her right hand on his back, shoving him forwards and tripping him in the process.

“Now, you’re going to have to do better than that, Lukas.”

As he began the descent, he felt his left wrist being gripped. Before he knew it, his own body was being used against him. His headstrong abaddon caused the woman to swiftly shove him forward, tripping him in the process. Despite this, he looked mildly surprised for the most part before returning to the former state he was in. He wasn't smiling, however, he was hoping for one thing.

At this stage, it was difficult to perform a dive roll of some sort, but he could manage something as his body was about to eat the pavement. Keeping an eye on the dragon, Lukas jammed his other arm forward with his palm outward. As soon as his hands hit the ground, he used the rest of the momentum that threw him forward to lead him into a roll. While he ended up further than intended, he finished by springing up and swinging his sword to throw his speed in the same direction, twisting him around.

Jamming his left foot back to decrease the knock back, Lukas noted he was a few meters away from the dragon, his target not even close to where he intended to strike. Still, it was better than slamming is rib cage onto the ground, because god knows it is still a bit tender.

"Hmph," he snorted, as he jumped back a foot, gazing at Sorcha, before diving into it again. As he ran, he signaled his next attack by holding his sword close to his body, preparing to thrust forward. As he approached at a fleeting rate, Lukas shifted the sword forward slightly before swiftly pivoting around, switching to a sideways slice as the sword in the opposite direction.

Well, he certainly knew how to regain his footing, but if it was against more than one opponent, he’d be a dead man. Still, it was good enough for now. His following movements though….she had to sigh. Slow and cumbersome. It couldn’t really even be called a proper feint. His movements were too easy to read, not to mention that pivot was completely unnecessary. If he hadn’t have done that, she might have actually had to dodge. He added such unnecessary movements.

Once again, she grabbed his sword wrist, completely unmoved by his feint. She simply smiled, before squeezing. hard.

“If that’s the best you have, Lukas, then I’m disappointed.” She sighed. “I was expecting more from a fool who walked right into a dragons den, then had the audacity to challenge an order from them.” With her free hand, the dragon grabbed Lukas’ on the same side as his sword arm, and pulled him, spinning once as she made sure to keep a firm grip on his sword wrist. As soon as she had completed one full spin, she released her grip on the boy.

Lukas was up close and personal and he felt the need to make this quick if he wanted to end the battle. He heralded no care for the dragons personal comments, nor the rising disappointment in her voice, instead, focusing on the mere milliseconds he had. Swiftly, he seized her arm with his left hand, holding on to her wrist with an iron grip as Sorcha let go of his sword hand. Using that grip, Lukas swiftly tugged himself forward, utilizing the speed himself and his sword, Lukas shoved his sword forward, making it look like he was thrusting... before letting go of the blade, causing the weapon to be launched towards Sorcha's torso.

"Checkmate," Lukas mumbled as his face returned to its nonchalant self. As the sword was released, he threw a fist towards the arm Lukas was grappling onto, intending to force an ultimatum on her - stop his fist from smashing her arm, or block the steel from making contact with her body. As he did this, Lukas swung the rest of his weight downwards, attempting to settle down on the ground once again.

Well. That was not something Sorcha had expected. Turns out he wasn’t hopeless after all, then. Still, a move like that wasn’t going to be the end of it. The dragon had been impressed, though. She hadn’t expected something like that from the human. She’d have to dodge the blade, and block the fist. Or at least dodge in a fashion that meant she could avoid getting hit.

So, the dragon jumped, putting as much strength into her legs as she could. Even without the help of her wings, she was able to get a good few feet off the ground, enough to angle her body horizontally to avoid the blade.

In the same instant, she used her free hand to grab not his wrist, but his shoulder. Using her upward momentum, the sudden act changed her trajectory as her momentum carried her over the boy. His little blow would probably miss. There wasn’t much he could do to account for such a sudden change.

“Checkmate?” She laughed as she passed the boy. The next instant the hand on his shoulder tightened, and as she landed gracefully the dragon once again tossed the boy over her head in the opposite direction of his sword.

“I’ll admit, that was a fairly good strategy, but such a half-baked scheme is only going to get you killed. Now you don’t even have a weapon.”

Before he knew it, Lukas was flying over the woman's head with his arm still firmly attached to her wrist. Weighing the options, it would either lead Sorcha to slamming him into the ground or him arcing his body in an attempt to smash into her. Either way, one thing was for certain - he was going to have a difficult time obtaining his sword. Deciding not to give in to the low odds, he went with option C and let go as soon as Sorcha finished the action. He flew some distance, but still was within her sights and she to him.

Bending his knees and leaning over slightly, he skid on the ground as soon as he landed, keeping balance, somewhat difficultly with him stumbling a bit, but he managed. Dusting himself up, he looked over at Sorcha who commented on him lacking a weapon. "Lady Sorcha, I still can use my weapon you know." Eyeing the blade, he formulated a quick idea as he sprinted shortly after that light comment. Sorcha was going to probably be guarding his sword vehemently, dissuading him from any attempts with grapples and tosses.

Once he neared the dragon Lukas put his eyes all on her, launching his fist at the woman in the most rookie-like manner he could. This was one hell of a gamble, but from the looks of it, it was a much higher chance than seeing if he could swing into her or get a couple of broken bones. At this point, Lukas felt he had an idea over how she would react - grasp at his wrist when the time came.

"Come one, try snatching me again, see where it gets you this time Sorcha..."

Another attack like that, then? He was seriously attacking her head on? Had he not learned his lesson? No…something was wrong here. She could feel it. Lukas wasn’t as much of an idiot as he tried to make himself out to be. This was going to be a feint or something, she was fairly sure. So…she should dodge here, and not attempt to grapple him.

…still, she was curious as to what exactly he was going to do. So she humored him, and grabbed his wrist once again.

As Sorcha attempted to grapple him, Lukas quickly set his plan into motion, quickly turning the tides by opening up his fist and grasping at her wrist. Using the momentum from his acceleration forward, Lukas quickly pulled himself closer to the dragon. As he did that, he went into an uppercut with his free fist, forcibly moving it at a swift rate. If everything went as planned... Lukas kept his poker face as he underwent this endeavor.

Well, that was not quite what the dragon had been expecting. Good, he was learning just a little then. Chances were, this was simply a feint, and she should counter instead of dodging. But well, now where would the fun in that be? He was doing fairly well, too, after a little warm up. It’d be a shame not to see what exactly he was capable of.

So, the dragon dodged, sidestepping far enough to put just enough distance between her and Lukas’ uppercut.

Excellent! It seemed to go off with a hitch... somehow. After this whole spiel, Lukas wasn't exactly sure whether or not this little feint would work, but had some confidence that he could pull off the rest of the technique. As Sorcha shifted to the side to divert herself from Lukas, he squeezed her wrist temporarily, before letting go. Using the combined momentum of his dash and her sidestep, Lukas then followed up by grabbing her wrist once more before she could fully land on the ground.

He had fractions to overcome, knowing that once her other foot landed, it would be much more difficult to get her off balance. Lukas swiftly put the leg that was closest to Sorcha's unfixed leg, Lukas quickly swept his own foot, knocking it away from where she was going to land. Making sure it would render her unstable, he shifted his weight in the same direction as her, attempting to pull her wrist back so her stride would get an unneeded oomph that could knock her off balance.

Well.

That was certainly amusing. The dragon stumbled, though didn’t fight it. She fell right to the ground, landing flat on her stomach as she was unable to regain her balance. If Lukas hurried, he could get that hit in he wanted too so badly.

Probably.

Alright, now this is getting to be a bit fishy the more he thought on it, though he kept to himself for the most part. This was waaaay too easy, along with the facet that she didn't bother fighting back, despite the chance of possible response in resistance. Something was up the more he swiftly pondered on it as Sorcha came crashing to the ground. It was almost as if she was attempting to goad him into "finishing the job" as she lied there. Sure, in a way that sweep did count as a blow, but... hum... try for a second hit out of curiosity or just let it lie.

Lukas swiftly turned around and bolted for his steel after letting go of her wrists, deciding on what he considered the safer option. There were too many hazards in play, ranging from her own tail, to wings, and even hand. Sorcha by all means was still a threat, even lying on the ground, and haphazardly throwing a punch in an attempt to "end" the spar was... not something he felt content with... because implications. Immediately, he snatched his sword, and quickly lurched forward, attempting to accomplish one last thing.

As he got close, he briskly did a lunge with his sword, adding a spin attack afterwords. Either way, this task had reached the apex of completion. As he went through with this procedure, Lukas did his best to keep a devout eye on the dragon, not knowing what simple or complex trick she might pull from her stark scales.

So, a feint to trip her so he could retrieve his sword in an attempt to finish her off? Well. It was certainly a good strategy. Against any other opponent, it could have very well worked. Unfortunately for Lukas, she wasn’t such an easy opponent even in her currently weakened condition.

Before he could even get his lunge attack off, she moved. She pressed her hands to the ground, and in a rather impressive acrobatic display she pushed herself into a handstand, spinning her body she pushed off the ground and landed on her feet facing Lukas. Both his lunge and his spin attack missed completely.

“Stumble me, and then go for the kill when I was down, hmm?” The dragon smiled. “That was quite a good strategy. Would have probably worked on a much less skilled opponent.” She gave a flap of her wings, creating quite the gust of wind.

“I will give you this one chance to surrender, Lukas. You have sufficiently impressed me.” She continued with a nod of approval. “But your skill is nowhere near enough to best me. If you wish to continue, then I will show you just how outclassed you are here, Lukas.”

Being pushed back by the flurry, Lukas attempted his best to hold his ground, using his steel blade as a somewhat ineffective shield as he held the smooth part to his hand. Looks like he got his answer with the failed blow... regardless. Returning back to the way he was before the start of the battle, his eyes were livelier as they were before, reducing all traces of seriousness to ashes. He knew this battle was over long before either of them attempted to strike back. "Apologies Lady Sorcha, but this battle had already ended..."

Standing his ground, he continued stating his piece of the argument as she flapped on. "The terms were I had to land a blow on you - with what, was never specified," he sounded displeased, but with what matter exactly? "I struck your leg with my foot, tripping you over..." Lukas finished his sentiment, gazing over the woman as he started up again, once more with something else.

It could be interpreted that tripping her counted as a blow, though Sorcha didn’t count it. Perhaps she should have specified the terms just a bit more, but it seemed it didn’t matter. Lukas was already beating himself up over losing, which made the dragon sigh. She wasn’t going to bash his interpretation of what a ‘hit’ was at the moment. She’d save that for a later date.

"Regardless on if you choose to respect that as a blow or not, it seems this battle has met its end," Lukas let out a solemn sigh, keeping his eyes firmly placed on Sorcha. "In the time we shared, you gave me a second reminder of how much more I have to go." Swiftly nodding, he kept speaking. "This demonstration is over for both of us, whether I met your demands or not; I abscond from this spar," he declared, implying that he had in fact, surrendered, giving victory to Sorcha.

“Lukas,” She quietly said. “While it is true that you have much more to learn, you are already quite skilled. I have walked upon this earth for nearly two thousand years. I was taught swordsmanship by King Arthur when I was but a child. Since then I have only perfected and mastered my physical abilities. Consider things…You did very well, did you not?” She smiled, walking over to Lukas and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Both last night and right now, you displayed some excellent swordsmanship and adaptability in combat.”

Bring his head to level with Sorcha's, he was quite surprised to see her very appreciative of the way he handled himself, all things considered. It made him feel a bit better, despite his own harsh criticism over how he inadequately reacted in battle. Lukas gave the dragon a slight smile at the encouragement induced from her. "That means a lot coming from you Lady Sorcha; thank you," he spoke softly as she put an hand on him. A bit more tranquil, he let the blade in his hand go, letting it defy gravity as he pleased.

"... but to be fair, even if i did display those things, I'm not the type to easily be that satisfied with myself," he spoke, chuckling a bit. "I have my own reasons for that, but above all, I won't be happy with my skills nor my strength until they reach the what I consider an acceptable standard... which may or may not seem a bit unrealistic currently." He could feel his heart beating somewhat strongly for the most part, albeit harder and harder as the boy gave a wide smile to Sorcha.

He had his own reasons for wanting to get strong? Curious. He reminded her a bit of herself when she was younger, though her goal of becoming a ‘Grand Dragon’ probably wasn’t the same at all as whatever Lukas was wanting. Sorcha fell silent for only a moment when the boy smiled at her. He certainly seemed like he wanted something.

Well.

Perhaps she could finally make that offer she was thinking about making.

“Lukas. I have been debating something since you challenged me last night.” The dragon began, looking over to where some of his swords had been placed. “It is not often I get challenged by a human. The last to do it, was Headmistress Livia some twenty odd years ago.” The dragon spoke, walking over to Lukas as she gave him a friendly smile.

“You are skilled with a blade and you have a goal to work towards. You are far from a master, however, and your current skill would never allow you entry into the gates of Valhalla. So I will do something for you very few people in this world have had a chance too.” Sorcha then extended a hand to him. “If thou wish it, I will train you and turn you into a fine warrior capable of slaying even the mightiest dragon.”

Lukas was a bit taken back by the dragons offer of training him, as a sort of master and apprentice sort of way from what he identified. While he did appreciate the offer (and would most likely take it up), he felt that it was inordinate for him to make the request... especially with some of her previous reactions to him. That seemed to erase most of the doubt and disappointment over himself, easing him into a much more comfortable position. Lukas' smile became more genuine, a streak of determination was in his eyes, willing, unrelenting, wanting.

"I would have to truly be a foolish person to deny such an offer, Lady Sorcha," Lukas spoke boldly, nodding his head, displaying his agreement to the task. Stepping up to the plate, he further gave his willingness to learn by grabbing her extended hand, firmly grasping it as he looked at Sorcha. "You're someone who has lived through countless battles and have knowledge that extends beyond my years, so..."

Lukas almost looked somewhat giddy with excitement, making it difficult to keep his jubilant feelings in check as he accepted her proposal. "I accept your proposal Lady Sorcha; maybe once I become strong enough, I might be able to pierce your lustrous heart." Lukas gave her a mischievous wink with a short chortle as he gazed over her. "Regardless, I look forward to these training sessions where I hone my skill, body, and mind under you; thank you for giving me such a privilege m'lady." His tender smile, nor good mood would have a difficult time fading, especially after this whole spiel. After all, flesh will always be stronger than steel.

The comment about ‘piercing her heart’ made the dragon laugh loudly. Her grip on Lukas’ own hand tightened considerably, probably enough to make the human very uncomfortable.

“Wow that was terrible.” She replied, her laughing dying down quickly after making the statement. “Piercing my heart is gonna take a lot more work than you’re capable of, Lukas.” He had impressed her so far though, so who knows? Maybe he could, but it would be difficult for him to at best. She gave him a mischievous smile, and suddenly pulled him closer to her, placing one of his hands on her shoulder and her free hand on his, giving him a very tight hug.

“Besides,” She quietly spoke. “I’d say I’m the one who pierced your heart, hmm?” She released the boy from her grasp after speaking, a small smile still on her lips as she turned and started walking back towards the town.

“Ahh, I’m starving!” She said. “Come on Lukas, let’s go so you can buy me some delicious food already.”

This was a different laugh from last time as hid his winces of pain from her grip with a returning chuckle of his own. "Trust me... it gets worse; wanted to call Katherine a doll," he remarked as his own laughter faded too. Lukas knew some of his quips were horribly laughable, but hey, it sometimes garnered him a new friend!... or a slap to the face... or just awkward silence... But it was the former to say the least. His smile was softer and less wide... and more or less, the look on his face was different as he was pulled in.

Lukas noticed a teasing twinkle within her eyes; he expected some sort of prank, and quite frankly he was happily denounced of this. Suddenly, Sorcha pulled Lukas in, embracing him. His eyes widened and his face was slightly flushed as he was brought closer to her. As she hugged him, he opted to hug her back, that shocked expression of his transforming; he was now beaming. As she began whispering, Lukas laughed softly, allowing only the duo to hear it.

"Guess I made it too obvious, huh," he whispered back after her comment over "piercing his heart," before they let go of each other. Lukas quickly retrieved all of his items with his mind, bringing them all to him as he began walking to catch up with the opulent woman. Lukas held that same smiling lip, unrelenting, and unchangeable. "Ugh, you seem way too eager to plunder me Lady Sorcha," Lukas responded with feigned annoyance as he pouted for a few seconds. As the blades, sheathes, and satchel fell into place, he broke back into the same smile of liveliness, of happiness, of determination.

"Maybe I might satiate that ravenous hunger of yours with one of these?" Lukas pulled out one of the few remaining sushi rolls in his bag as they traversed towards town, putting his hand forward as he offered the wrap to her.

"Sushi roll, m'lady?"

It was a pleasant meet and greet from this morning onwards as the Arachne met her new roommates, smiling brightly at the scene. As the introductions finish going underway, they eventually departed to head to classes from what she deducted... but her? She was heading to Headmistress Livia's office, recalling she made an offer for familiars to procure a job if they wished not to study. As much as Yume wished to partake in education, maybe taking a job for this year would give her experience in this world if... no one wanted her. At least she could provide for herself.

Following the directions given to her, Yume weaved and bobbed her way throughout the town, passing many a student or patron, earning her a couple of long lived stares or a simple glance. After traversing for a while, she finally located the tailor. Quickly entering inside, she noticed the wide variety of clothing, ranging from casual to formal attire, Yume browsed the place for a few minutes before meeting up with the owner of the store; a slightly flamboyant man who seemed to teleport all over the place in the blink of an eye. After his shenanigans, the girl promptly delivered him a piece of paper, signed by the headmaster. Reading it over, he nodded, before quizzing her skills.

Giving her a couple of minutes, she eventually displayed a beautiful, flowing dress that showed an elegant purple with a composition at the bottom which made it partially translucent in a smooth, wave-like pattern. The man gave her a hug, along with a pat on the back, exclaiming she was hired, before explaining that these next few days would be a bit busy, seeing as everyone would most likely be searching for an extravagant dress or suit for the upcoming party. Nodding, she gave the man a patient smile, replying she would do her best before creating a few more dresses and suits before departing for the day.

Eventually, the woman donned her birthday suit and departed to the land of sleep, knowing full well that she awakened when she slumbered. Soon enough, one of her roommates would discover that the dream version of Yume conceived a landing pad for them to jump on. Of course, it was more of a cushion to sponge their fall more than anything, and would make for a useless trampoline if jumped on constantly.

---

After Mugi agreed to go with her, Lyssa immediately hopped into the shower since she didn’t want to waste any time getting started. Change her clothes, dry hair, grab her laptop case and in about fifteen minutes, the demon was ready to get going into town. And as soon as they both were ready to go, they left their dorm for the day. Iravis left soon after as well, and Katie would probably leave later.

But for now, the Yuki-Onna and demon headed out of the dorm towards town.

As the Arachne awoke from her slumber within the early recesses of the morning, she yawned softly as the dust settled from her eyes. Gazing outside the window of the silk stored room, she smiled as the sun rose up to new heights. Pushing herself off the side of the bed, she traversed over to the closet which housed myriads of her dresses she wore every day. As she looked over each of them, the woman tapped the air, as if trying to decipher a hidden meaning behind them all... before procuring a dress with an orange, blue, and white hue. Obscuring her unclad body, she fetched her bag and dumped a few bundles of silk into her bag before going out into the main foyer, and outside. The view over the campus was gorgeous... and there was now a huge spider web near the bottom...

Pretending that it was nothing of interest, she descended the tree steadily before eventually making it to the earthen below. "Now... where was the bath," she murmured mutely as she stared at each passageway, recalling that they lead to certain places. After a while, she tried her luck and randomly chose one of the paths. Thankfully, that guess absconded any lingering doubts with the hot spring in sight. Chirping happily, Yume daintily made her way into the bath. The shower she couldn't fit in had nothing on this secluded place as she exhaled a few "aaahs," easing herself in, and before Yume knew it, her abdomen was submerged in the warmth, the water barely reaching above her midriff.

This was bliss. After completely cleaning and drying herself off, Yume attended to the garments that were near the springs. After performing other tasks that her caretaker displayed, she began to stretch all while heralding a huge grin on her face. The Arachne felt refreshed and ready for the day as she headed off to the cafeteria to procure a quick breakfast before going to town, ready for the rush of life and her skills of conceiving dresses to be put to good use.

It didn’t take long for Mugi and Lyssa to reach the town. Lyssa was skipping classes, but that was perfectly fine in her opinion. She wasn’t going to be learning anything new anyways. Well, not anything that she would like to learn. Like, how to make infinite chocolate or what rare things were alchemically made from. Like…dragon scales! They couldn’t be just made from any normal stuff, could they? She’d love to get her mitts on one so she could study it. Alas, there were no classes like that, though. Such a shame, really.

But now wasn’t the time for that.

She needed a suit or something. Not a frilly dress, no. She hated those. Something that was easy to move in and wouldn’t hinder movement a whole lot, but was equally fashionable and would look great at a party.

“Hmm…where do you think we should look, Mugi? I want something that’s easy to move in. I don’t like dresses.”

With Lyssa's resignation from wearing a dress, Mugi sighed a little. "But you'd look great in a dress. You're so cute as is, I'm sure a nice dress would look wonderful on you." Really, aside from dresses there was little that the Yuki-Onna knew about western wear. Dresses were so very close the Kimono that she wore all the time that there was not as much a difference as Kimonos and pants. Pants felt weird and really just did not keep her as cool as her normal outfit of a Kimono and Scarf. "I guess anything would really look good on you though."

“Ehe, really? I wouldn’t look anywhere as good as you would in a dress!” Lyssa giggled, doing a little twirl as she walked, taking note of any clothing stores in the area that she might find something dressy to wear to the party. “Dresses don’t work for me. They don’t move very well, and for a martial artist wearing restrictive clothing isn’t very good.”She replied with a hum. Even if she didn’t entirely like her martial arts, she still…well, used them. Without them, her magic would be almost useless.

“Ah…but I don’t really know the first thing about clothes….” She sighed. “Well, dressy clothes anyways. Any suggestions, Mugi?”

Mugi chuckled a little. They say you learn something new everyday and Mugi was definitely learning new things. She couldn't remember anything about Lyssa saying she was a martial artist. It wasn't pertinent now, so she continued with her thoughts. "Well, I already said I'm not too knowledgable on western-wear. I also don't think you need to worry about martial arts either. If a ball is just some big party or social gathering then I don't think you need to dress with consideration to the restriction of the outfit." She didn't really understand what the ball was suppose to be really so she just assumed it was a big party. "You're always going around saying you're adorable. . . I agree. Now prove it with the cutest dress!"

As the Arachne clambered down the forlorn streets, she noticed two other women walking ahead of her. They both looked predominantly around her age, and she couldn't help but hear what they were speaking about. While the pretty one with the horns commented on getting a suit, the much shorter girl in a kimono spoke about how the horny girl would appear good in almost anything she procured. Taking a closer glance at the outfit displayed her in rather tight fitting clothes - not something that fit Yumes style, especially since they were rather a pain to get in.

Yume truly wanted to interject, but where would her manners be? After all, these two may of been students who were out on the town as friends, trying to discern what to wear for the ball. Reaching out then retracting her arm back to her face, she worriedly pondered on how the duo might react to such a sudden lady who dwarfed them both with her size...

'Oh my, should I, or should I not," Yume whispered in her indecisiveness. In her state, she began to shuffle forward at a swifter rate, her thoughts scattered between choosing to talk or stay silent.

"Inaction is the biggest crime," she recalled, "do not speak to strangers," hmph... why was life so difficult. In a way, these two people could be some valued friends, as well as customers for the store, The Enigmatic Emporium. Yume was fairly certain Mr. E, the owner of the store, would appreciate it if more came in. He did comment that this was one of the few highlights of each passing year, seeing as there were people who came in to be measured for the size of dress or tux they would adorn.

Eventually, she accidentally bumped into one of the two as they spoke, causing her to ricochet back in surprise. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was agape, albeit shrouded by both of her hands. That expression she gave almost looked like she walked in on a loved one being murdered in front of her. Yume's face was flushed as she resonated with a weak comment.

"Oh my goodness... I... I am so sorry, please forgive me..."

Lyssa’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, her tail swishing back and forth in mild annoyance. Mugi did have a point, but…she just really didn’t like dresses.

“Eeeh, Well if you say it like that I can’t refuse.” Lyssa replied. “Mind helping me out, then? I don’t really know the first thing it comes to-” The demons sentence was cut off as something or someone bumped into her. A small squee of surprise escaped the demons mouth as she stumbled forward, nearly tripping but managing to catch herself before falling face first onto the ground.

“Ehe, its fine!” Lyssa replied turning around to face who had just ran into her.

"A giant spider." Mugi mentioned without a spot of worry. Spiders were rather cool things. Eight legs and eyes, able to climb on walls and their own webs. . . Mugi wasn't exactly jealous or anything, but that was cool. And this one had a human body! "Isn't she cool Lyssa? Isn't she a Jorougumo? Oh, I guess I could just ask you couldn't I miss?" The girl chuckled a little bit before asking the actual party, "Would you be a Jorougumo?" The Yuki-Onna had a smile across her face as she asked, trying to stay friendly to counteract the Spider-Girl's worry.

Lyssa certainly wasn’t expecting an adorable little spider to be the person that had bumped into her. Without regard for what Mugi was saying, or whatever the spider might be doing, Lyssa reacted on the first instinct she always had when she met something adorable.

“Ah, she’s so cute! I must hug her!” That one sentence was the only warning Yume had. The next instant, Lyssa had jumped onto the spider and wrapped her arms around her human torso, giving her a full body hug.

Yume bowed in an apologetic manner, posthaste, seeing as she almost knocked over the pretty pink-haired girl in tight clothing. Regardless of her answer stating it was fine, when she came back up, Yume almost looked ready to cry over spilled milk due to getting lost in her train of thoughts. Looking off to the side, she could only wonder how her caretaker was cringing back in... what was it, America? over her inordinate actions which lead to another beings harm. Regardless, the smaller one seemed a bit eager to learn of what she was, voicing her reasoning out.

"Jorougumo?" Yume seemed befuddled over this question, tilting her head sideways as she looked up to her forehead. She did recall her caretaker explicitly mentioning Jorougumo, and how they were like Arachnes, but with a differentiating culture. Putting a finger on her lip, she occasionally tapped it for a bit before returning to her calm and collected position, after all, it wasn't at all ladylike to stare into space, especially with a question directed at her. "Uhm, I'm sorry, but I'm not a-huh?"

The inability to react quick enough left the girl reeling when Lyssa glomped Yume. Even if the warning came off, Yume was rather startled as the girl the kimono-lady referred to as Lyssa announced her intentions. The Dreamer couldn't exactly hold the girl up due to her lacking upper body strength. In seconds, she plummeted down with Lyssa, bent over into a slightly uncomfortable position. This felt a bit... awkward to Yume. "Was she incorrect the whole time? Is this what being a lady is like?"

As she pondered, Yume had no clue how to properly respond to such an "assault" save for her trembling lips and a raised eyebrow. This was all too surreal to her. "Uhm... why thank you Miss Lyssa? You look rather beautiful yourself," Yume responded in a calm manner after being slightly shaken up. As she said this, the Arachne wrapped her arms around the horny girl, blushing a bit lightly from this unexpected scenario... well... at least they weren't offended?

As the two of them fell over, Lyssa only gave a small oomph in reply, still holding onto Yume. As the Spider returned the hug, Lyssa simply giggled in reply.

“Beautiful? Well, Heh, I’ve never been called that before. Mostly shades of adorable~” She giggled again, releasing her grip on the Arachne so she could stand up if she wanted too. “And uhm, as much as I love having another person on top of me, you can get up if ya want.” She chuckled rather mischievously, either ignorant of what that statement might imply, or not caring.

Mugi was a little disappointed that she wasn't right about the other girl's species, but can't win them all or so they say. For now she stayed back slighty and enjoyed the sight of a demon and a spider toppled over on each other. It was a little silly to watch.

Oh, well... ok then! As Yume came face to face with the horny girl, Lyssa, she began laughing, which was a bit irresistible in an infectious sort of way... along with her noting it as a social cue. The Arachne begin giggling for a short period of time with the young lady, until she released her grip on Yume, prompting her to stop hugging the girl back too. At this point, the girl had a mischievous streak from her resonating chortle, making Yume ponder on why she made such a peculiar comment, save that she was tipped over on top of her.

"Having another person on top of her... oh! Oooooh..." It seems Yume was slightly coming to realize what Lyssa meant by "having another on top of her." Giving her a rather anxious look, the Arachne quickly pushed herself off the ground, dusting herself off. Of course, this also made it look like she made a newfound discovery! Something proper about this new woman in front of her, along with community indications from the way she reacted to her standing!

"So that means she must love this thing called a 'doggy pile!' Wow, another person similar to my previous roommate! Except cuter and probably less clingy." As soon as Yume brushed herself on, she put on a similar collected smile as she usually did. Bowing in respect, she continued on, giving the two what she denoted as the way her caretaker taught her. "Thank you again for your forgiveness; we never made it to introducing ourselves now that I think about it."

Yume extended a hand to help the horny girl up as she continued. "My name is Yume Asikiba, weaver of dreams and dresses alike; it's a pleasure to meet you both." She gave the two an affectionate smile as she awaited for the duo to maybe establish themselves... if they gave her the opportunity.

Mugi was confused by the naming convention of this Yume girl. A japanese name and not a Jorougumo. Still, if the girl claimed she was not one, then she must not be one. Now she needed to introduce herself. "Greetings, my name is Mugi. I suppose if you want a full name it would be Mugi Yukimura, but that much is unnecessary so feel free to just call me Mugi." No matter, she'd be happy to make another friend, Jorougumo or not. And this here is my dear friend--"

Lyssa took Yume’s hand, and quickly pulled herself up as Mugi started to introduce the two of them. Well, that wouldn’t do! She could definitely introduce herself!

“Yep, Lyssa Nemorienne!” Lyssa interrupted Mugi. “Don’t bother pronouncing it, just call me Lyssa!~” She offered the Arachne a bright smile. “Nice to meet ya, Yume.”

Giving the duo a cheery smile, Yume, once more repeated a bow as she stayed in that polite and stoic demeanor, before returning to the former once more. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Mugi Yukimura," she said, nodding in respect, before adjusting herself to taller one. "Lyssa Nemorienne," following after the other and performing the same action as earlier. "It's an honor to meet you both!" As with that introduction, now lead into a proper... what was it... "ice breaker?" Yes, that's what she called it when you try to start up a conversation after a completely awkward moment!

"Hum..."

So how would she wrought destruction to the ice? Tapping her lip, before stopping conditionally, she thought of the perfect idea to start up a conversation! It was something that transpired not merely moments ago! Truly, it was a spark that would ultimately lead them and her to forgetting about this embarrassing situation! Addressing the issue, she kept her upright and lax demeanor as she started up a conversation. "Say, Lyssa, it seems you enjoying performing this action know as 'doggy pile' by jumping onto other people, do you not?"

Ok, maybe that might of made the conversation a tinge more... dicey.

“Doggie pile?” Lyssa questioned, tilting her head slightly, seeming a bit confused before a look of realization crossed her face. “Oh, yeah! As long as I get to snuggle someone, I don’t really care. I do prefer being on top most of the time though.” The demon giggled, a slight smirk forming on her face. It was obvious she was enjoying the Arachne’s ignorance that the fact her words could be taken to mean something else entirely.

“Why? Want me to be on top this time?” Lyssa’s smirk only widened at the statement.

Mugi didn't understand "Doggy pile" until after Yume explained it. Then she seemed to remember something so very similar that happened to her, "Oh! That's like what we did with Iravis and Katie." The Yuki-Onna mentioned with little other thought. She thought it would have included more than just two people but perhaps not? For now she was content with just being a cute background decoration with a big smile, though not beyond joining in on whatever local traditions there would be.

"Oh, why thank you for the offer, but I have..." There was a slight look of horror on her face as she stared absentmindedly forward. The life in her eyes was drained completely as she recalled what she was doing this morning. "... work, uhm, what time is it as of now?" It seemed she was really worried over missing her shift, seeing as the manager was impressed with her style. Being a latecomer would do no justice in his books, none at all. As she asked this, she fidgeted uncomfortably as she did her best to stay calm in this impending situation.

“Yes, that’s exactly what we did with Iravis and Katie, Mugi.” Lyssa giggled, before giving Yume a somewhat troubled look. It seemed like she was late for something. “Uhm…daytime?” Lyssa chuckled before deciding to give out a more serious answer.

“I dunno,” She hummed. “I don’t really keep up with the time unless it’s the release date for a new game. So uh, sorry. Maybe sometime around…ten? I’m not good with time unless it involves cake.” She gave a friendly smile to Yume.

“But hey, if you got some place to be, I gotta find something to wear for the ball anyways. I have nothing, and Mugi wants me to wear a dress…” She sighed at the end of her sentence, still not convinced she would be comfortable in one of those contraptions.

Mugi giggled giddily, "But you'll look just downright cute in a dress." She felt it was a necessary add in for Lyssa. She really just wanted to see the girl in a dress so if she decided on something else later it was all worth it in the end. "But if you must go Yume, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors." She ended with a light bow to the Spider.

Around 10, around 10, alright, so she was... thirty minutes early, how insightful! Yume gave a huff of relief as her wide eyes returned to her prim and proper state. However, these girls were a bit more interested in wearing something for the upcoming ball... oh, right, that... was supposed to be the thing she quizzed Lyssa and Mugi over. "Crap, I knew I was missing something," she ponder, keeping her own unconscious thoughts hidden while focusing on the hear and now.

"Oh, thank goodness! I was afraid that I almost missed work!~" She giggled to herself over such a small inconvenience of not measuring the time; took it as a calamity. AS she calmed down, Yume decided to move on to her next step - inviting these two to the store she worked at to bring in customers and design a nice dress. Tapping her lip, the spider began to move around Lyssa, eyeing her from head to toe as if she was assessing the threat level of her. Finally, she snapped one of her fingers, having a good idea of what she might like.

"Lyssa, Mugi, you two are searching for a dress Lyssa can wear to the ball in a couple of days, no? Well, I think I might be able to work and assist in your endeavors." Giving a confident beam, she turned her head to one of the stores near the end of the street, she pointed at that building. "I'm a seamstress of sorts; I recently procured a job from an eccentric man known as Mr. E down the street! It's a clothing store and for one, they're working hard on designing all manner of clothing!"

She gave a giddy smile as she swiftly walked ahead of the two. It seems that other side was coming out just a tinge as she continued to explain more. "Explicitly dresses and suits as of late for the upcoming ball." Pivoting around, she gave them a gentle invite as she beckoned them to come forth. "I'm sure I could weave a wondrous dress for your taste... or maybe that suit you mentioned."

Yume put a thumb up, and pointed it at herself, gradually boasting about herself. "I'm an expert on clothing, so if you need any help on finding your style, you know the gal... uhm..." Pausing briefly before she got a bit wild for her tastes, Yume waited a few moments before continuing on. "I mean, I'm the girl you can rely on, if you wish... so would you both like to join me at the Enigmatic Emporium?" Her hands were at her sides, her thumb no longer jabbing towards her as she kept herself under control. The girl gave a patient smile as she awaited their answer.

"This is a good chance since neither of us really know the most about dresses." Mugi mentioned to Lyssa while looking between Yume and the demon. It was most likely a good thing to have someone knowledgeable in the field of dresses help. "It'll be fun. Probably."

The demon giggled, giving the Arachne a bright smile. That certainly was a good offer! One the demon wasn’t about to turn down. She didn’t know the first thing when it came to dresses, so having some professional help form someone like a seamstress would be good. She did hope she could not get a dress, though. Or at least, if it was a dress it was something she could move easily in.

“Sure!” Lyssa said. “That sounds fun. I don’t even know where to begin with dresses anyways.”

As the two agreed to come along, she did her best to refrain from acting too excited... but wait, didn't this mean they were friends? That means she was nailing her social cues! Yume, you genius, you!.. Uhm, either way, she was ecstatic the duo wanted to tag along with her, allowing her to assist whilst spending time with her newfound acquaintances. The Arachne turned around, beckoning the two to follow after with a simple shaft head tilt and a reoccurring, affable smile...

Maybe then, she would get to do more friend things with them!... If she wasn't tired, that is.

"Let us get going then! I'll create the perfect dress for you two!... or suit; whatever fits your style," Yume chuckled mutely to herself as she beginning to walk once again once the duo behind her continued strolling also. This was a very quaint and fortunate day for both parties!