[b]November![/b]

Someone needs to see about the hotel rooms, so it may as well be her. She's curious in her own right; this is a chance for the building to tell its story. She stopped for a while to watch the snakegirl though - there's something about idea of hypnotism that speaks to her dreams of effective communication, and entirely unrelatedly Pink had tipped her off that Fiona was into that sort of thing.

The firefighting course also draws very intense interest from Red, Blue and White. The original NASA gang they internalized the virtues of OH&S on an extremely deep level and they still go through annual refresher training to this day. They'll never pass up an opportunity to learn how to manage a crisis.

Meanwhile, a dazed and unsteady Black along with Green and Yellow made their way to the Sun Wukong showcase. Yellow was wearing a long flowing transparent silk dress with a bejewelled veil - attention grabbing, revealing and concealing all at once. That was her own form of compromise with a space so full of vision that she was not yet fully a part of, but already her mind was turning towards the words 'next year'.

[b]Yellow![/b]

"Burn, my swords," said Yellow as she sent her blades into the fire.

There is no more chance for her than Kitsuro had against the wasting sickness. Death was inevitable before she even stepped onto this battlefield. Even so she can't hold back a shiver of fear as she sees Euna Kim start to move. This is a warrior so peerless that she aches to give away her secret techniques in the hopes of creating a peer. Snake had been built for macroengineering, but Nova was being rebuilt for glorious battle. She had accepted this destiny of endless battle - she had chosen it - but despite her destiny of defeat she yearned for the win.

Blades clashed.

Euna is all colours in a single prism. When Pink engages as a shielding angel, Euna is Red - chaos, strength, powering through blocks and making limited, bruising strikes to knees and hands. When Green engages with cunning and power, Euna is White - durability, discipline, accepting a heavy blow without flinching so she can power everything into the counterattack. When Cinders capitalizes on the opportunity, exactly on the cue of her perfect instincts, Euna is Blue - fundamental technique, basic blocks and strikes, done better and faster than Cinders can match. The clash of blades breaks and the combatants whirl away. Without a second's hesitation Euna falls into her next stance, colours realigning into new patterns. She has time to smile an encouraging little smile. She's pleased, in that condescending way of a mistress who thinks her students might get there some day. But now it's time to show them what they'll need to do to get there.

She catches Green's leg in the air, mid-jump kick. She spins her, turning her momentum into a whirling throw that carries her out into the foam pit outside the ring. She catches Pink's deflecting hand, twists and sweeps, putting her face into the ground and arm into an extended joint lock. She uses her spare hand to deflect a series of kicks and strikes from Cinders before tucking, rolling, pulling Pink on top of her and then extending both legs to launch Pink out of the ring and propel herself into a somersault that brings her back to her feet in the same motion. It takes several more minutes to bring down Cinders, who fights like the weight of destiny is upon her, but in the end she too goes over the side. She'd made it look close for a moment.

Yellow had broken all three blades without putting a cut on Euna Kim. Euna looks over at Yellow with concern and curiosity, already starting to come down from the high. She knew Yellow avoided touch so she didn't know if that meant the fight was over -

The lights go out.

Euna drops to the floor as the lasers slash overhead.

Yellow stands tall, arms spread, eyes and limb joints glowing in the dark as the gym's laser line array activates. The lines slash and arc and Euna is already moving. They cut and wind in accordance with Yellow's pattern and Euna moves through the gaps in it. Her movements are unreal. Through unbelievable precision and practice Euna can outpace light itself. She whirls and weaves, untouched, untouchable.

And therein lay her flaw.

Yellow had not burned her swords aimlessly. She had done it to coax Euna into this mood, this mindset. The perfect, sublime sense of focus that let her outrun light itself. The genius that let her master an unfamiliar laser pattern, to see the shape of the forest even inside the trees. She was one with her artificial limbs; the card of the Chariot in its most glorious manifestation.

But Yellow was The World.

And there were two forests.

Euna freezes on the edge of the arena, teetering on the brink, boxed in by the lasers. The lights emanate from behind Yellow like a halo, leaving nothing between Euna, the pit and the wall. They bind her pose in place like ribbons.

"This is your flaw, mistress," said Yellow sweetly, walking close to stand a breath behind the cage of laser lights. The secret sword beams hold still, one of them running right under Euna's chin, so close the sweat drop forming there almost touches it. "Your pursuit of perfection. These lasers are meaningless as far as the battle with me is concerned, you could reach through them and end this battle right now. But instead you could test yourself against my pattern, even though its shape takes you outside of the arena. The second path is far harder, without thanks or glory, and condemns you to a destiny of defeat the moment you take your very first step along it. And yet, don't you yearn to test yourself against it even so? Doesn't your heart tell you that losing to my secret sword is worthwhile so long as you at least get to fight it?"