Have you ever had a moment in your life when you wish you had a little bit less than what you did? Like... I dunno, maybe your friends found a miniature golf course in some old ruins, and you show up with a putter your parents gave you when you were six? And a yellow ball you found a while back and kept because it was pretty? But you haven't, like... like... [i]played[/i] in half a decade, but everyone's looking at you like wow, she didn't have to scavenge or borrow anything, she must be really good? And then when you miss every shot, they all make fun of you for a month? Two months? It comes up for basically the rest of your life any time anybody's reminded of it even a little bit? Like, even if you go back later and crush the whole stupid thing, they just spin it back to how you fell on your silly little butt before? 

Just a... random example. 

It's not like that's a perfect analogy, exactly. But if Yue's here thinkin' about putters and laughter and wonderin' if maybe it wouldn't have been better for her if she'd discovered the Demon Swordswoman's shrine at the [i]end[/i] of this here story instead of way at the beginning? Like, yeah, she wouldn't have gotten this far without Her lessons carrying her through all the trials and tribblamations, but at the same time doesn't this flowing sunset robe and these astonishing glass sandals and this glittering silver sword and, heck, even the fact that her first instructor was a dead woman out of super legend imply she's... a lot more ready than she feels right now? These nice knights were so polite to line up for her just like she asked, and here's silly ol' Yue about to disappoint 'em. 

The polite, sweet little smile on Yue's face freezes into diamond hard determination. She lifts her sword above her shoulder with the blade held parallel to the ground. She plants her feet for the length of a single tiny breath. She jumps forward with the speed of a poumcing fox, blade tilted in front of her like deadly blade and invincible shield at the same time, with full intent to end this first fight in a single stroke. She has four more to go, and a lot to say and do when they're done, after all. 

And... maybe she'll manage that after all? 'Cause her blow never falls. When she leans in to start her big finisher swing, that's the same moment she takes a shield slam to the face and goes scrambling, spinning, tumble-flipping end over end until she has to plant her sword in the ground just to keep from flopping on her knees straight away. A little trickle of weirdly sexy-looking blood trickles from her lip. She shakes her head like a bell, whipping all that floofy milk-tea hair into a frenzy so that it flops over her eyes and makes pause to reach into her bag and grab a tie so she can braid it real super quick, hold on a moment. 

"Owie. That was, nnnf, ok, ow. Ow ow ow. You're, eesh, pretty good! I'm, uh, mmmm. This is, uh, my... first time fighting someone with a shield. Believe it or not."

She tries to laugh as she picks up her sword, but even a complete dummy could see how rattled she is. Her next lunge is slower, more cautious, and 40% more battered by the slam that she at least pivots into taking to the ribs. Her third is slower still, and the gasp she makes when her attempt to pivot into a leg sweep gets countered with a leap that darn near turns her into a pancake is... oh, sweetie. 

And. Look. I'm gonna zoom out here for a minute, if you don't mind. Don't underestimate my Yue. Don't you dare. Just because she's fallin' apart in the face of her first time fightin' a Guard doesn't mean you get to laugh at her! Don't you dare make her regret dressin' her best and tryin' to treat herself seriously for once! Don't you [i]dare.[/i]

It isn't that her form is suddenly bad, or like she's forgotten everything she's been taught. Not her lessons from the Demon Swordswoman, not from Tianic, not from Keron, not from Hyra. Certainly not from Chen. And it's not that these knights and their extremely attractive, face obscuring helmets have her so thrown that she can't read their emotions and fit into the flow of their story the way she's used to. Well, it's not [i]just[/i] that. It's not even that she's historically always been awful beyond reason whenever she tries anything new, no matter how similar it might be to something she got good at in the past. 

No, she's gettin' knocked about right now because this means more to her than anything in her entire life. It's the first time, ever, she's let something that she wants be on the other side of a duel. She's fought plenty of times by now where she's wanted to win, but this is the first time where losin's [i]not okay[/i]. So don't you dare laugh. Don't even snigger, less you want the chormping of a lifetime, pal. You can't know what that kinda pressure does to someone less you've lived it, and if you have you wouldn't laugh for a second. Besides, my girl always starts out slow. 

See, look? Now she's giving up on the single-strike strategy! High slash, low thrust, bait and leap! Get 'em, girlie! And you can tell, you can tell, you can [i]tell[/i] that Yue's got greatness in her, because the longer she goes? The more this drags out, while four Radiant Knights stand politely but aggressively in a series of power stances waiting for their turn to fight, the more Yue's face lights up. The more she grins, the more she laughs, the more she tries silly stuff like kick-flipping off of her opponent's shield so her braid will do that mermaid-flick thing like she's breaching out of the water with her back arched rainbow smooth before she snaps straight and falls to earth blade first like the world's prettiest arrow. Hey! Hey! Stop laughing! That was a perfectly fine turn of... whaddya [i]mean[/i] she's "shaped like an arrow too"?! Rrrrrrgh!

The Radiant Knights are gorgeous, elegant, and extremely well trained. You can give some credit to Yue for bein' enough of those things herself to keep on her feet the entire time she's warmed into herself, but I think it's the chivalry of knights that really saves the day here. I'm pretty sure there's an ancient law that says she owes 'em each a kiss now? I'm not sure. Judges? Hey, judges! Anyway, they don't fight to injure or disarm. No, these knights have a hard, powerful style that's all about dazzling, about humiliation and capture of the target before they try to accomplish anything else. If it takes two of 'em to beat someone who asked for one then that's a crime, and if they can't take her and bend her over their knees for spankies with her sword still glued to her hand then they're failing their mistress. The path of the knight is to make her [i]yield[/i] that sword in submission, and the way they try? Well, Yue can laugh and blush and squeak at the same time, ok? She's skilled!

"Oh hey, I know that move! I bet I know who taught you, that's so fun!!"

It's dangerous to let Yue figure you out. If you give her enough time, she'll find an opening. Most of her life that wouldn't've mattered for beans, because she'd've been too timid or slow or any number of other things to actually take that opening, or make it to the weak point if she did. How unlucky, to have met her now! We clash, blade on blade! Shield to shoulder, step then step then step then step! We move! Like this! Then like this! And then this! Finishing like...

For the briefest of instants, Yue moves like Chen might. The blade comes thrusting at her in a way that is not remotely suggestive, please and thank you, and Yue smiles. It reaches her, at last. Only she isn't there. A helmeted head turns up in confusion, and a sword arm dips with effort when they realize there is a girl in glass sandals standing on their sword. Yue grins, half-bobbles, almost tumbles face-first straight into the dirt, and recovers by reaching forward and snatching a knight's helmet straight off of their head with a poke of her sword, releasing a vision of loveliness that should never have been hidden for all the world to see, which is exactly what she meant to do the whole time.

Yue hops to the ground and tosses the helmet behind her with a casual giggle. She smirks as she straightens up, tapping her legendary sword off her shoulder as she reaches forward with uncharacteristic boldness to brush her fingers under her opponent's chin. Call this her Shadow Sword: Visions of a Rose. 

"Hey there, cutie," Yue, goshies, where did you learn how to purr like that? "Are you gonna be good for me, or do I have to peel the rest off of you, too?"

They say a swordwoman's words are as important in a duel as her sword. And Yue's might have slayed five knights in a stroke. But if it hasn't, her sword is swift and confident, and her teachers have all been far too talented for there to be any doubt left who the winner will be. Besides, s'far as I know? She's never lost a strip duel in her life.

[Fight: [b]7[/b]. Yue flirts with her opponents to gain a String, and seizes their helmets (and possibly their armor, if they're a bunch of good girls). She takes a move in response]