June Action in "Imperial Snake Touch"

     KUN: "Yield and overcome."

June Action raises her blade to catch a hard thrust by the intruder Qui's sword. Her arm falls back as the energy of the blow is diffused and skimmed away, and raises it again violently, seeking to knock the sword from her adversary's hands. It is of no avail as he counters with retreat.

The two strike and parry in a frenzy of motion, each attacking movement countered, first by June, now by Qui, both engaged in an almost playful repetition of strokes. It is an illusion of form: Qui proves himself again and again to be the superior swordsman, as June quickly finds herself drawn into a defensive position in the face of his increasingly strident motions and aggressive style.

Grown quick to tire of the student play, and with simple strokes, Qui disarms June of her sword, and marks her hard across the cheek, the chest, and the left shoulder. He pauses his pursuit to bow most elegantly as she falls and stumbles backward from him.

     QUI: "I will spare us the burden of this one, Kun. She is hardly worthy to witness your end."

June draws away slowly, heavily, her colour turning to red as the wounds allow her blood to run free. She turns her head to either side as she moves, inhaling and exhaling deeply, flicking her tongue out as if parched but offering no noise of pain. She crosses her arms in an X formation and winds them over each other, the leathery rubbing like a rustle in the grass.

Qui shakes his head as he approaches June, holding the tip of his sword up to her face.

     QUI: "I will make this quick, little sister."

She says nothing in reply. Her coiling arms quickly snap forward, first the left in distraction as the right launches at his neck, two fingers pounding lightly to an exposed vein. Qui recoils backward in a shock, slapping his hand over the marked spot, but feels nothing: no needle, no blood, no injury, not even the impression of her fingernail.

June laughs harshly as she draws back once more, one, two, three, four, and five paces. She does not retake her stance, nor does she seek to flee; she simply folds her arms lightly over her chest, laughing all the more as Qui recovers his sense.

     QUI: "Why do you laugh? Your death is at hand!"

Qui steps forward once pace, his sword held high to make the killing stroke, his ruthless certainty radiant on his face. Another step, his balance begins faltering as muscles twitch and strain, confusion washing over his features. Another step, the sword falls from his grasp, and, his face red, eyes rolling up, Qui collapses to the floor.

June turns and bows to Kun in silence.