Here she was again... Ever since discovering this little Dojo Alisa strove to end most of her training sessions there, topping them all off with a little sword practice. Very rarely, she'd run into others there, yet none of those times had she run into one actually claiming to have learned from the Dojo's own master. Had all of them gone with the wind once their teacher was defeated? Or did they no longer admit to having once been a part of it? What she did know was, people still went there: Despite looking abandoned from the outside, the inside had obviously been tended to recently, with fresh tatami mats indoors and and intact test cutting posts in the courtyard...
At least that's what it looked like two days ago, who knew whether anybody might have turned the whole thing upside down in the meantime... No matter, Alisa could see for herself soon enough.
"Ara... Rain again?", she thought out loud, turning her hand face up, then quickening her pace as she felt lone droplets falling on her bare skin, washing away the thin sweaty film resulting from the light jog between the city and the hills surrounding it.
It didn't bother her at all, judging by any lack of motion to zip up her jacket or pull the hood over her head, with the zipper yet hanging low enough for any onlooker to identify the partially visible stamp on her midriff. And perhaps think to themselves if this woman was immune to cold or something of the sort... Indeed the chilly breeze flicked at her long hair and bit away at her bare skin - enough to numb nose and fingertips, not nearly enough to bother a norther woman - yet she already kept her left hand resting casually on the hilt of her katana, strapped to her hip.
Despite a calm, relaxed stance, that subconscious gesture made it clear she was obviously thinking about drawing it soon. And considering she was now climbing up the stairs into a Kendo academy, what she planned on doing there was anybody's guess...
For all her training, Alisa knew that alone wouldn't do... At one point she had hoped Finn would teach her more: Merely the small bit he did teach, made it clear she'd never get truly strong simply from learning techniques. With unarmed combat, she'd gotten by on sheer merit of her copious training. Alisa not only practiced it longer, but had several skilled masters to guide her way. When it came to weapons though, experience with one's chosen tool reigned supreme, and one could only acquire that experience by facing others, as strong opponents as she could find.
Perhaps she came to this place so regularly out of a misguided hope of finding one such sparring partner, or at least the swordfighting master she never had... And if she didn't, well, a solo training session never hurt anybody... Well, anybody competent at least. With that in mind, the sculptress opened the door to the dojo, looked around curiously, then walked in; the soft creaking of floorboards announcing her entrance.