Maybe Yue didn't understand enough about prisons.

It didn't look like the kind've thing she'd imagined a prison would look like. There weren't any bars or chains or hard stone floors or, or uh... racks? Prisons had racks, right? She's pretty sure. And whatever those are, this room didn't have them. So that's a knock against it right there. In terms of its Prison Score, you see. Anyway she wasn't [i]sure[/i] about this? But it did seem like from the way people wrote and talked about prison cells that they'd be... y'know, smaller? With no soft beds covered in super fluffy pillows and the coziest blankets you ever did see?

Then again maybe not. But they definitely didn't have bubbling jacuzzi baths or room service where they brought you delicious dumplings and soba and a frankly astonishing array of traybakes too numerous to even try to name. Oh, and they definitely [i]definitely[/i] didn't let you bring pets and girlfriends (meep!) in with you. Unless they did? Maybe she just hadn't seen any good prisons. Or any prisons. Or... y'know. It had to be something. There had to be an explanation. 

'Cause for as nice as everything was? She still felt trapped here.

"Ohhhh, what am I gonna do, Hyra? I can't fight my way up an entire castle's worth of rankings! I don't even know if I can fight in the first place! The duel is supposed to be about the duel but now I'm supposed to be stealing strength from someone? And a lot of someones, at that? Goshies, Hyra, this is too much! What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here!"

And Hyra did not answer her, because Yue did not give her time to take a breath.

"No I know, I know! If I go I'm leaving all my friends just when I got finished meeting them. I shouldn't. I should stay. They'll be so upset. Maybe duels, like... leak extra strength into the air or something? And I just breathe it in? Is, is that how it works? That wouldn't be so bad, but I, augh! Ohhh, I can't I can't I can't, I can't [i]do[/i] it, Hyra! They won't even let me make tea! All my leaves are gonna go bad and it's been sooooo long since I've got to harvest any, and, and my good sun spots are probably all taken up by lizards now, and I bet all the animals are just [i]freaking out[/i] without me, and, and I... I miss home, ok? I do! Is that so wrong?"

And Hyra did not answer her, because the full moon did not shine in the night sky. 

"Yeah I know they don't want me to leave, but they've all gotta go to sleep sooner or later, right? I'll just... sneak out, and, and uh... I dunno, there's probably a rope ladder somewhere I can climb down on and, oh what do you mean it's not going to be long enough to reach? Of course it... oh wait no, you're supposed to fly up aren't you? Ok new plan, I climb the rope ladder part way down and then I wait there until I can ask a big enough bird to carry me the rest of the-- oh, but that would leave you behind, wouldn't it? Ok no, we'll steal a basket, right? And then... Hyra, are you even listening to me?"

And Hyra did not answer her. Because she is a wolf. Are you stupid?

"Look. No, you're right. I'm sorry. But I can't do this. I don't wanna, and I can't. I can't, ok? I'm just gonna apologize and tell them there's been a mistake, would you mind flying closeish to home please? And I'll go back to my cabin and that'll be that, and Yi-- PRINCESS Yin'll uncurse you 'cause I'm not there anymore, and you can be happy again too. So, so just... move, please, so I can go find someone to tell and we'll get all of this-- h-hey! Give that back!"

Yue reaches, but too slow. Her fingers close on empty air, as Hyra plants all four feet firmly on the ground between Yue and the door to ordinary freedom. Her red eyes shine with fierce determination against the ceiling lights and the evening air. In her mouth, clenched between her sharp and gleaming teeth, is Yue's wooden sword. 

"Hyra, this isn't funny. I made that sword myself, give it back! What're you... h-hey, don't point that at me! What do you think I've been trying to... NO I can't do this! I told you why! I don't care if you believe in me, I'm getting out of here and that's, ow! Ow! Owies!!"

Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! Three times, with perfect lupine form no less, does Hyra bring the, er, "blade" down on Yue's thighs and fill the room with frightened and pained yips. There's more of fox in ya girl than she realizes, don'tcha think? But Hyra's snarl cuts through all the philosophical quand... uh... thinkies of the evening, and she gestures sharply toward Yue with the tip. And then over to her bag. To Yue. To her bag. Yue. The bag. Yue.

"...Huh?"

Did you know it was possible for wolves to make frustrated snorts while holding swords in their mouths! I didn't! But now I do, which is neat. She rolls her eyes and pads softly over to the bag, sure to pause and gesture sharply with the sword several times in case Yue gets any bright ideas. She doesn't, she's too busy sniffling and rubbing the welt on her leg, but it's good to be prepared, y'know? She paws at the bag, and kicks it across the floor with a thumpafwoppafwippaclank. Wait, clank? Yue gasps as the pristine, glittering blade of the Demon Swordswoman clatters on the floor at her feet. She's so surprised she picks it up without thinking. 

"Wait a second... no, Hyra. Absolutely not! This isn't fair to you, come on!"

Undaunted, Hyra brings the wooden sword up into the air and taps it on the side of Yue's proper one. She settles into a dueling stance, or what passes for a wolfish version of one at any rate. She's at least six... no, seven times more sure and graceful than Yue's panicked and half-remembered reply. 

"That's a wooden sword, dummy! This one's real! I'm gonna hurt you and I don't want... I know you're way better than me Hyra, but you're a [i]wolf![/i] You don't have [i]hands![/i] There's no way for you to-- ow! There's no way you can, OW! Owies! St-stop th-- owwwwww!"

Yue leaps a full foot away from the next strike and parries it with a sweeping circle motion. She doesn't quite disarm her opponen, maybe 'cause she's got no arms, but it's close enough to get an appreciative wag from the veteran. Yue's stance is just how she remembers it from the shrine, which is to say she's bobbled it and she's too narrow by half a foot. But her bow is perfect. And the little smirk that plays across her lips? Oh, divine!

First Opponent: Hyra of the Wolves
Technique: Wolf Holding a Sword Style
Special Moves: ???
Secret Weapon: Is Literally Yue's Girlfriend (...Meeeeep!)

Fighters ready? The wheel of fate is... hm?

Come again? What of widdle Kat, you ask? Whither Katherine Isabella Fluffybiscuits, our bright and shining superheroine? 

Well. Not to brag or anything, but while these two sillyheads went at it? A certain darling cutiemittens went and stole the best spot on the good pillows. And now [i]she's[/i] good and comfy and chewing on a feather that doesn't belong to her and nobody's stopping her or even noticing her doing it, so honestly? Whatever happens here, there's your real winner. 

Anyway, fighters ready! Beginify!