The Apothecary

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While the clearly rich Waterbender continued to empty his stomach of its contents, Shtiya tidied the sick room and kept an eye on him. It seemed that the man might be busy throwing up for... a while. Shtiya still had things to do, and since this was a relatively simple case of food poisoning, he felt that it was all right to step out. The herbs would start to work in a little while. The young man could certainly throw up in peace — people did it at home all the time. The healer-apprentice had other things to do.
"I'll c-come check on you in a little while," he said. "Please call if you need anything. I will be r-r-r-right out in the shop."

He stepped out to sort through some herbs in the hall, just taken down from where he'd hung them to dry. The back rooms were used for many things, most importantly for seeing patients but also for keeping a catalog of inventory and for the drying and preparing of herbal remedies. Shtiya often hung his own for drying and kept up many of the stores with no cost to Mr. Choi. It was a handy arrangement and he enjoyed working with his hands.

A short and petite thing, Shtiya had to rely on a box behind the counter to help him string up and take down bundles of herbs. He had just fetched the box from the counter and gotten up to take a fragrant herb bundle down when he heard someone calling.

"Mr. Choi...I have a delivery for you!"

Oh, of all the rotten luck! He'd just gotten up on the box!

Carefully, the young man got down, blowing a piece of inky hair out of his eyes. Shtiya kept his hair pulled back neatly most of the time, but he had spent all day working already, and bits had pulled free. With a faint annoyance, he tucked the offending hair behind one ear as he stepped out from the back to see who was in the shop. A courier, no doubt. What was Mr. Choi expecting?

Shtiya hoped for glassware, personally.

"I'm s-———-orry," he said, the stammer he'd always had drawing out the 's' in sorry. "M-Mr. Choi is out t-t-today, I'm the only one here." He smiled, looking up.

This courier was an average height, but even at an average height, she was taller than the Waterbender. Shtiya was a very androgynous young man, slight and thin and pointed, lashes long. The blue of his sleeveless tunic matched his eyes. He rubbed idly at one of the bandages on his arms. If he noticed that the woman had only one arm, he gave not a single sign of it. "But I can s---ign for him, if you need. I have the authority." The Waterbender was always soft-spoken and quiet, saying only what he needed it. It was difficult to get him chatting.

Realizing he was still holding what looked like, no doubt, a bouquet of dried flowers, Shtiya flushed a little and put them behind his back. "Just c-c-come to the c-—-" he paused, the facial tic of closing the eyes to concentrate on getting the words out evenly making itself evident, "— counter, please." He walked over to it himself, gingerly setting the herbs down. It was a pale purple flowering plant, good for sleeping tonics and relaxation.

"Umm..." the ruddy-haired earthbender looked around for a moment and then shrugged. A strange gesture considering the missing arm. "...Are you Mr. Choi's..umm..." she wasn't sure if it was male or female and didn't want to insult. "...child?" she rooted around in her bag as she spoke. The package was of decent size and for some reason had been entrusted to her despite the fragile warning on it. Not that she'd ever managed to break anything on a delivery before, but there was always a first time.

She then reached down for a bit of parchment she kept for confirming her deliveries. No confirmation, no money. "Also, there's no need to be sorry." She ignored the stammer, for the most part, quirked a brow a bit at it but said nothing.

Ryari was still uncertain as to whether she was speaking to a boy or a girl. She allowed her gaze to wander over the form in an attempt to garner some information regarding the gender.

She pointed to the space where Shtiya could sign and then went back to working out what gender she had addressed.

The Apothecary

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Was he Mr. Choi's child indeed. Shtiya didn't think that was any of this woman's business, and his family was a bit of a touchy subject — so he opted to ignore the question in favour of taking care of why the woman had come to the shop in the first place.

Shtiya took the confirmation form and ran clear blue eyes over it, obviously reading before he'd sign. When he did sign, even his name revealed no information regarding his gender — Shtiya would easily make a name for a boy or a girl. He was so thin and small that it was possible he could have been a girl who hadn't developed many curves. At his size, that wouldn't be out of the ordinary by any means.

The young man signed carefully, his script dark and neat. He looked back up and smiled again, but didn't say anything. What could he say? Ah. Well, he did need to thank the courier.

He accepted the fragile box and gingerly placed it next to the flowering herbs. "Thank you," Shtiya said, and brushed that same annoying piece of hair back again.

She glanced quickly down at the sheet and had to stifle a bit of a grimace. Of course he/she would have a name that was in no way helpful. She once more dropped her eyes to the petite figure in front of her and took a stab in the dark.

"Thank you Miss." The tone was more than a little hopeful that she had gotten it correct. "Does Mr. Choi often leave one so young in charge?" She noted that her question regarding parentage had either gone unnoticed or ignored. "I guess I could understand that if you were his daughted though." She reached up and slid the cloth headband a little further up her head. Today it was olive to match her outfit.

"Oh!" She exclaimed suddenly, as she turned about. "Do you have anything here that you can use to help headaches from the sun?" The runner's skin was obviously darkened from spending fhe majority of her time in the outdoors.

The Apothecary

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Shtiya laughed a little. He had a musical laugh, low and quiet. "I'm male," he said, "but it's a c-c-common mistake. And Mr. Choi and I are rel-—--ated only by business."

"Do you have anything here that you can use to help headaches from the sun?"

"Yes, of course." Shtiya stepped out from behind the counter, walking quietly over to some of the jars, peering at labels. He knew he had feverfew in here somewhere, he'd just harvested some a few weeks prior. Feverfew was excellent for many types of headaches.

The cost of the herb was middling — it was a little more difficult to find than others, and while Shtiya wildharvested for the Apothecary stores himself, he still had to make up for the time it took to find the herbs. He quoted the price per ounce to the woman to see if it were acceptable.

As he sifted through the herbs, Shtiya smiled a little. Not only did this woman think he was a girl, she also undoubtedly thought that he was very young indeed. While he was still nineteen, it was a far cry from the likely twelve or thirteen she thought he was. "I'm n-n-not that young," Shtiya said, rolling the herbs up into a small packet for her. "I'm n---ineteen."

Taking a slip of paper, he began to neatly print instructions for use of the herb. Make a tea with near-boiling water, steep five minutes, then consume. He included how often the herb could safely be used and what amount not to exceed. Folding it, Shtiya slipped it into under the twine he tied around the herbs. "P-please make sure to return if you have questions," he said. "I'm h-—-appy to advise you in taking medications. The headaches will also d-d-d-decrease if you start dri-—-nking more water." He smiled.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" She had neatly stuck her foot directly into her mouth. "If I had known..." she spluttered and tripped over her words, pure gibberish uttered forth.

She found that the package, wrapped neatly, was far more interesting than if she were to meet the boy's eyes. "Umm..." she said queitly. She wasn't fond of making such mistakes and her face had flushed over. "...Can the elderly take this medicine?" she asked, still careful to avoid his eyes. "And would the dosage change if they were to do so?"

As Ryari awaited the answer she dug into a small beltpouch hanging over her left thigh. As she pulled out the payment she sighed. That price was the majority of her extra spending cash for the next day or two. Not that it mattered, she would take it anyhow.

Then everything she had said actually registered. Nineteen? Surely not. "Oh great." she muttered as she dropped her forehead into the palm of her hand. "I seem to be doing wonderfully today. First I get your gender wrong, and then I act as if you're just a kid." A somewhat defeated sigh slipped from between barely parted lips.

"I'll be more than happy to make up this social faux pas, if you'll allow me." A brief flash of white teeth was the only attempt at a cover for her ineptitude. "Would you mind if I took you to lunch?" She held up her hands. "Obviously not today, I wouldn't ask you to close up shop just for that. What you do here is great! Helping people, making sure that those that need the help and healing have it. I mean, the only other people I've really heard of doing that is the waterbending healers."

She rambled out of nervousness and likely anxiety. "I've only ever met one of those, though. When I was younger. Younger than you even. She was one of the nicest ladies I've ever met." She lifted her hand, index finger extended, and tapped her lip with it in thought. "Hmmm... I wonder if she's still around, I should..." At that moment she caught herself.

"Avatar's knees..." she exhaled in embarrasment. "...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ramble!"

The Apothecary

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"That's all right," said Shtiya. His feelings weren't hurt at all. He knew he was effeminate. She was hardly the first person to mistake him for a girl, and she wouldn't be the last, either. It wasn't worth getting upset about.

"The dosage is the s---ame," he answered, "for an older adult." Tilting his head, he regarded her curiously through clear light blue eyes. "Are you intending this for someone else?" Not that it would be a problem if she were, but Shtiya would like to know if that were the case.

Part of health care was the art of listening. Shtiya was very good at listening. He had heard many stories and was no stranger to the truth of how much just being heard could help a person. He smiled sweetly. "I am a Waterbender," he said. He didn't mind telling because he didn't mind who knew. As for her invitation, he didn't want the woman to feel as if she had to make up for something. Shtiya wasn't upset about anything, so there was no need. But to be truthful, Shtiya didn't have many friends. Most people found him difficult to talk to or hard to understand, and he was painfully shy. Most people only knew him professionally.

"I don't m-mind having lunch with you," he said, "but we'll split the bill, okay?" He had noticed how carefully she had counted out her money. The young man certainly didn't wish to burden her! And he could well afford to feed himself. Depending on where they went, he might even be able to eat at half price. Some of the food merchants and restaurant owners had taken a liking to him and his skills, and they had worked out a small barter system between them.

"Please don't think my f-—-eelings are hurt," he said. "As I said, it's a c-c-common mistake." He placed the parcel into her hand and smiled again. "When is good for you? I can m-m-make time in the afternoon if you give me a day."

A smile spread across her face. "Yeah. I help out an elderly lady from time to time. She doesn't get along well and often complains of headaches. I told her I'd stop by somewhere and get something." She patted the bundle carefully as she placed it into her satchel. "When I got to work I was told that Mr. Choi had a delivery. I didn't know that he was an herbalist. I honestly don't get in very many of the shops here when I'm working."

She left out the part about not often being able to afford a lot of extraneous spending. "It worked out pretty well I would think. Except for the whole..." she blushed again, a little less red this time. "...ya know. Mistaken identity thing. I really am sorry about that."

Dual-toned eyes popped a bit when she heard 'waterbender' and she smiled. "Neat! I don't know a lot of waterbenders. The only healer I've ever met..." the ruddy-headed earthbender cut off as her left arm trailed almost absently to her right shoulder. "...yeah." she managed, no longer entirely comfortable with the sentence.

Somewhat disheartened by the reminder of her physical lack, she smiled wanly. "How about two days from now? We can meet for lunch wherever you'd like. I'm pretty open to wherever. I like trying new things." The left arm dropped away from her shoulder and she checked her bag and the herbs again.

The Apothecary

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"Don't be sorry," said Shtiya. "It's fine." After a moment of thought, he pressed half the woman's money back into her hand, smiling. "Think of it as a gift," he said. "I'm the one who h---arvests the herbs, so it's fine for me to g-give some to you." To save her pride, he would keep half the cost. But if she was picking up medicine for an elder she helped with, Shtiya couldn't in good conscience keep all the money. He would have treated the woman free of charge himself.

Truthfully, Mr. Choi rarely wildharvested any more, his advancing age having taken its toll. That was one of Shtiya's jobs. He also kept the inventory, and Mr. Choi would likely never notice a difference. If he did, all Shtiya had to do was go find more feverfew. Annoying, and time-consuming, but possible.

As she almost absently touched the shoulder of the missing right arm, the slim healer's eyes flicked to it — but immediately turned back to her face. "They must have been very s-——--skilled," Shtiya said, "and you must be very s-strong to have lived." It was truly very impressive from a professional standpoint. Not for the first time, Shtiya wished people weren't so touchy about such things. He'd love to examine the woman's shoulder to observe for any signs of technique, but such a request would be unspeakably rude.

And the Waterbender knew plenty about people being unspeakably rude.

He nodded. "Two days," he said. "M-m-m-meet me here. We'll choose together."

She shook her head slightly and pushed the money back across the counter. "Thank you, very much so, for the offer. However I would feel guilty if I didn't pay you what it was worth." She inwardly winced, but her pride wouldn't allow her to take the charity. She didn't need the money. It was what she considered her extra spending cash. "It speaks a lot about your character though."

Several thoughts passed through her head on just that subject. Very kind, very soft spoken. She wanted to ask him if he had been bullied. The mannerisms seemed to speak of it. Sometimes people were just quiet and soft-spoken though. She couldn't possibly ask such a rude question, especially to somebody who was this kind to her.

As her gaze wandered about the shop again she missed the smaller man's eyes on her shoulder, her thoughts raced as they put several things together. A young man, working a shop alone, a bit a stammer or stutter, so soft spoken. She thought that one of the best things he needed was a friend. She would try and stop in to just say hello in the future.

When he spoke again she flashed her eyes back to his face. "She was, well..." she still wondered if the woman was still alive. She hadn't been old, but she wasn't exactly young either. "...I should say is, but I'm not really sure if she's still around." She shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Sometimes it bothers me. Itches, or worse feels like it's still there. I've had one or two spills because of it. Reaching out to grab something with an arm that isn't there kinda makes for a rough landing." She smiled, goodnaturedly, but inside she was frustrated at just how often that happened. It showed in her eyes, that particular pain.

"Other than that, I don't really suffer from it too much, and not many people do what I can with two arms, let alone one." The compliment was something she wasn't particularly ready for. "Well, I suppose strength had something to do with it...I didn't feel very strong when..." The image erupted into her conscious mind unbidden, her desperate flailing to remove herself from the gearwork. The sound, the feeling. Her face blanched and she physically shook her head in an attempt to remove it.

"W-when it happened..."

The chain of Tsubaki's new weapon jingled as she ran behind Bao Yu. It was more than a little awkward carrying it along with her wet sun dress draped over her shoulder while keeping her hands in the pockets of her new red trench coat to keep her underwear from being overexposed.

She stifled a laugh when Bao Yu mentioned the four other gang members which came out like a series of short chicken pig grunts. Her usual snort/laugh was embarrassing enough but stifling one made a sound that made Tsubaki want to open up the earth, crawl inside and close it up after her. Idly, she wondered if earth benders ever did that to escape shame.

The run to the laundry mat was a great deal of fun. Running with a purpose always made it more entertaining. It was one of the joys of running late. Bao Yu seemed equally excited judging by her voice. Tsubaki assumed it was the battle rush. It was fun and profitable as far as she was concerned. When her mother taught her to fight she also taught her to take something as a trophy or leave something as a calling card. Tsubaki never understood the leaving part, but traditions didn't always make sense. She had a tradition inked across her entire back and half of her limbs but at least she liked the way they looked.

Tsubaki intentionally pulled ahead of Bao Yu every so often to spur her on while smiling. It made her forget about modestly pulling her new coat over her half-naked body. When she opened the door the reaction from men she knew was predictable.
"Wooooo! I didn't know it was my birthday." "Squeeze 'em together, Tsubaki!" "Hey, where do I put the Yuans?"

When Bao Yu mentioned being late Tsubaki snort-laughed.
"I think I distracted them from the late thing."
“So, I hope it’s not too much in asking, but maybe you could ask someone about possibly getting me an awesome attire.”
"Follow me to the dressing room."
Before Tsubaki could open the wooden door to the makeshift changing room which the laundry mat also used to store cleaning chemicals her shoulder was grabbed by a short and slim man with a braided mohawk hanging down to his waist.
The normally boisterous woman visibly deflated.
"Bao Yu, Fat Cobra. Fat Cobra, this is Bao Yu." She redirected her attention to her friend and couldn't hide her worry behind a smile. "Go on in, I'll be a few minutes. There should be something to change into."

Tsubaki trudged into the changing room hanging her head as she stripped off her overcoat and left it on the floor. She hung her weapon belts and wet dress on the bench she sat on and spent nearly a full minute staring into her locker with her tattooed back facing Bao Yu.
"I got bad news and...bad news." She turned toward Bao Yu despite being in the middle of stripping, she was too distracted for modesty.
"The bad news is I have to evaluate you since apparently all the big guys are busy with some super secret preparation. The other bad news is that my own evaluation is coming up. I could have my own team of chi blockers. I'm super, hyper, mega nervous about that."

After changing into some loose fitting black pants and an old tank top advertising Flameo Instant Noodles. In order to break the tension she might have created Tsubaki tilted her head to the side as she looked at Bao Yu.
"Fat Cobra was right...you do have a nice ass." With that, Tsubaki's smile and laugh had returned.

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Shtiya raised an eyebrow. "If you leave this here," he said, gesturing to the money, "it will s-stay on the counter." He wasn't going to take it back. Besides, he wasn't really offering the charity to her, was he? He was giving the herbs to her for an elderly woman. There was a big difference.

He watched her taking him in, how small and slim he was, how feminine. Shtiya had seen those wheels turning before. But it was hard for him to accept a friendship based out of that kind of pity. Even then as he saw her putting two and two together, he recoiled a little. He'd rather be alone than only know people who felt sorry for him. The young man pushed the money back across the counter, lifting his chin a little. "I'm not taking it back."

Shtiya tried to avoid feeling sorry for other people because he hated it so much when people did it to him. So, as the woman told him about her arm, he just smiled. She really must be strong to come so far. That was admirable. "P-part of strength is underst---anding our weaknesses," he said. "You don't have to explain anything to me." He felt confident about that, very confident. It showed in the lack of stammer.

So, two days. Shtiya had a patient in the back and inventory to take care of, so he hopped back down off the box behind the counter. "I should get back to work," he said. "I'll s-see you in two days." And possibly not again, depending on how it went. He could feel the sharp burn of her pity already.


((Sorry it's short, but you can time-skip us.))

Ryari grimaced and then sighed reservedly as she tucked the money back into her belt pouch. "Thanks." Her eyes caught the small recoil and wondered if she had done something to frighten him. She certainly hadn't meant to do so! Then the jaw set and the chin came up. She'd offended him!

"I guess so..." she acquiesced. "...But I still didn't feel particularly strong." As she rolled her head a couple of vertabrae in her neck popped and she sighed with the release of pressure. "Maybe over lunch we can talk more. Hopefully I won't do something stupid again to upset you."

With a wave she turned and made her way out of the store; all the while she wondered what she had done to offend...

(Will link you in PM.)

((This would sound homophobic in England))



Oh, she misread that. While she did need something to wear, she wasn’t talking about a training garb, she was talking about one of those really cool-looking Chi blocker uniforms with the goggles and that thingy that tells time. Yeah, that’s what she was talking about. Either way, she needed some training clothes, after all, it would suck if her current attire were horribly stained by sweat. As such, when she was told to follow, Bao Yu didn’t hesitate to follow her fellow Equalist to the dressing room.

With her black eyes wide open, Bao Yu took notice of the many Equalists in training. As usual, their skills and talents were varied. She took note of a handsome young man literally dancing his way around his sparring partner. A little shamed by her long glancing, she blushed just as Tsubaki introduced her to the man that just interrupted them, Fat Cobra.

Bao Yu knew him, not well, but she knew him. As such, she courteously replied back, “Yes, hello.” Thankfully, that red that jumped on her face from her eye candy watching had faded away by then. Otherwise, that would have been quite hilarious.

“Oh, okay,” said the young Equalist as she headed into the room. Quickly, the young woman closed the door and headed straight to a pile of garments. Hmm, what to choose? She wasn’t particularly the preppy young woman, but even while training she at least wanted to look presentable. The only probably arose from the fact that all of these training outfits were far from presentable. They had holes, and smelled terribly bad. Yuck, oh well, what choice did she have. With a defeated sigh, she picked up a dark gray tee with a few holes and immediately replaced her brown top with it. Following that change, she unbuckled her pants and removed them, remaining almost nude were it not for her white underwear. Thankfully, this was a unisex room, and nobody else was there…

Too late. Bao Yu blushed a little as Tsubaki entered, just as she removed her pants. Why was she embarrassed, she had literally seen this woman fight a thug off in her underpants. Honestly, how prudish was this Galgori? She listened intently as her friend described the situation. Yup, that was her luck. Hopefully, she would pass though…here’s hoping, she thought, just a little defeated.

With a quick head shake, Bao Yu picked up a thin pair of tattered, brown pants and stepped into them. Just as she finished lifting them up to her waist and fastening them in place, she heard the funniest comment form her friend. Her ass…really?! Yes, she had a nice body, but still it was a little weird to hear it.

The young Equalist chuckled embarrassingly before replying with, “Oh, thank you. And you, too. I sort of snuck a peak back in the ally.” She added a little laugh after she finished and then began, “Say, why do they call him Fat Cobra, I mean, he’s kind of skinny?”

She waited a bit to let her friend finish and then headed right back out into the training room. Still, there was a flush of movement as chi blockers wove their way across the room, some practicing their acrobatic skills and others moving across the floor bent all out of shape just in case the situation ever demanded they do that. Her black eyes then picked up that cute guy, again…well she was kind of looking for him. While she tied her hair into a bun on her head, she watched him practice his acrobatic skills, he was good, but still a little stiff. He could definitely use the practice.

“So, what shall we do this fine evening?” Bao Yu asked Tsubaki with a coy, little smile. Honestly, after that fight she was eager to get some more action this evening.

If anything helped Tsubaki Ito forget her troubles it was a compliment.
"Why thank you, Bao Yu. Maybe I should start parading it around the meetings in some short shorts. Or maybe not. I think I've exposed enough of myself this night."

Any time someone asked about Fat Cobra Tsubaki felt the need to laugh. She gestured for Bao Yu to come closer in "this is a secret" range and whispered.
"He swears up and down that it's because he's soooo" Tsubaki rolled her eyes at her elongated soooo "well endowed, but I've seen childhood photos. It's more likely that it was a cruel nickname that he took as a badge of honor. Good guy, but then we're all good guys here."

While trying to pull back her wiry hair into an awkward looking top knot Tsubaki noticed Bao Yu adjusting her hair but with a gaze that made Tsubaki's normal smile widen to an almost painful degree.
"Well, I'd suggest training but you look like your favorite piece of cake just rolled by on the dessert cart. Don't be shy. Point him out. I'm sure the main reason people come is to check out eachother sweating and grunting. Come on, I promise I won't embarrass you...much."

Tsubaki took a position behind Bao Yu to adopt her meat-seeking vantage point. She spied a man in his early twenties with chin length brown hair stretching his hamstrings by touching his forehead to his knees. Another likely prospect was looked a little younger with silky black hair hanging to the middle of his back sitting on the ground next to his sparring partner catching his breath.
"The stretcher is Mo Gong and the one resting is Shuo Wang. So...which one do you want to sweat with?"

What?! Really, was it that easy to tell. With rosy cheeks clearly displaying her embarrassment, Bao Yu coyly touched her left palm to her face. She just had to be sure, so after a few daps around her jaw she remained satisfied that she wasn’t drooling over the dark-haired man, who she now knew was named Shuo Wang. Seriously, she needed to keep her eye candy in thought and not in sight. Oh how she was a failure at this. Still, despite how much she liked Shuo that still wasn’t enough to get this girl out there. It was just a physical attraction, nothing more and nothing less. At least, that was all it currently was.

“No, honestly, I’m good,” began the young Equalist as she snuck in one last peek at her eye candy. “Really, I heard he was a bit stuck up, anyways.” Please let that be the end of it. Honestly, after that fight all she really wanted to do was get in some more physical sparring or anything to just keep that rush going.

Oh, please, please, please, just let it go Tsubaki, worried the young, black-haired Equalist as she noted that her slice of “meat” was now taking notice of the two new arrivals. Oh, great, this wasn’t going to go well, for some reason Boa Yu could just imagine her friend calling over Shuo and asking him to do something. No, don’t just come over, please, no!

Worried, she turned to Tsubaki and grabbed her friends left hand, and tried her best to drag her away, “Let’s go and do something in that direction, yeah.”

Tsubaki rolled her yellow eyes and sighed.
"Fine, fine, fine. Never let it be said that I don't know when to make a graceful exit when it comes to the romances of other people. Hold on, let me adjust your shirt."
Tsubaki took the collar of Bao Yu's tee shirt and swiftly ripped it to just enough to draw a little more attention.
"Don't worry...you'll have plenty of opportunities to get me back during practice." She stuck out her recently grabbed left hand for Bao Yu to drag her around with. It looked like any more teasing would cause bursting blood vessels in her new friend.

"Seriously, Bao...his chi blocking is even below mine. He could do with some private tutoring." As much as she wanted to Tsubaki did not change the inflection of her voice to mean anything other than teaching secluded from others.
"It wasn't until someone took me aside and said 'I'm going to have to personally pull your head from yous ass, aren't I?'" Tsubaki closed her eyes and flashed a slightly wistful smile.
"If something big is going down we're going to need all the soldiers we can get our hands on."

Tsubaki gently but purposely redirected Bao Yu to a corner of the basement where both of their movements would be restricted by the walls.
"I was taught the importance of using my surroundings so the one place I'm fully confident in my chi blocking is in tight spaces. How about you?"

Tsubaki threw a feint at Bao Yu's left side with her right hand and then her true blow with her left hand all while trying to push her sparring partner further into the corner of the room to impede her movements.