"It's the only way I see fit at the moment. If you find a more suitable way of trying to brush off ape then please do let me know when you come across such a solution," she said very seriously before she stood casually to make a simple stretch of her arms. She felt very stiff in the chair for all the reasons that the conversation was coupled with. With tense moments, hard to read sentences and both were withholding all the information they could from each other; even not contributing to the conversation it was of course affecting Taisie’s mood with Kanoe.

She briefly blinks as it seems it was time to move onto business, “Of course, Kanoe-chan. I never go back on my word. I remember… faintly that I had been interested in your tome before we parted sweet ways. And I believe that aside from offering my own studies in exchange for yours that we could practice together. Fortunately I can offer my physical training in exchange for… possibly helping to teach me some dark magic. I find I’m highly attuned to the art as well as other elements such as fire and ice.”

Now that they had some common ground it was easy for Taisie to explain and comment on her trouble and attributes when she knew almost fully well of the subject itself. She was highly attuned to learning of her magic capabilities. Vera had been so kind as to practice the art with her to help her better understand projectile magic. Using her body as a conduit was one thing, but forcing one’s mana onto objects outside had been somewhat of an incomplete understanding but the Head Girl was certainly helping in that area. Taisie wasn’t about to relinquish any information of Vera and her abilities, but some things she was teaching may fall into play if necessary.

“So you say you’ve gotten stronger?” she questions while pulling her hair back to let it slide out of her hands and gently fall behind her to give a short yet refreshing breeze to her neck, “So have I. Although magic is a good protector, having some form of agility will guarantee you won’t get caught on your first channeling.”

Now that the conversation hadn’t been so personal, it was easier for the woman to speak fully on matters without ‘withdrawing into her shell’. Business was business and it was something the kunoichi knew only too much about. She walks around the table to Kanoe and taps her on the shoulder to get her attention. It was brief to wonder of which to practice with first but seeing as how Taisie had no form of spell books on her hand, she could teach some physical defense and then Kanoe could teach her to understand dark magic better if the thought was alright to plan out.

“I would like to see how strong you’ve gotten in a very simple test if you do not mind, Kanoe-chan. What I suggest will in no way cause any harm or pain only just the simple test of strengths. Does that seem fair to you?”

The use of honorifics along with her name was a pleasant change. The move to business seemed better for them both as both had their own matters they wished to keep to themself. "Yes and I had interest in your own culture's magic and skills. It was unfortunate that I could not read them due to the language barrier," she replied with a faint smile, "I do believe that was our past agreement. I assist you in magic while you assist me in physical training. That is fine by me."

She watched the woman rise to her feet as the question was asked. The question was not necessarily hostile but the tone was much like a teacher or senpai would use for a student. But as this was the most emotion or intensity she had felt from the woman since they began speaking to each other today, Kanoe was more pleased than annoyed with the results.

The dark witch rose to her feet. Both being in their school uniforms, physical training was suitable for the rather short skirts. She slipped off her overcoat and hanged it over her chair before offering to do the same with Tai's. "Fair enough," she replied calmly, "I hope I do not disappoint you." Once the excess clothing was removed, Kanoe stood before the kunoichi and bowed gently. "So what is this test you wish me to take?"

She could only guess what sort of tests will be used. It was doubtful it would be anything complex unless there were secret ways that ninjas measured such things. Being physical tests, it may just be simple matters of endurance, strength, and flexibility. Thanks to her training as Natsuki's slave, she had plenty of all three to endure the being's sexual desires.

Taisie had decided against to take her outer clothing off just yet. Though the physical test would have her being involved the unnecessary clothing was more like a hindrance of which she could use all the weight on her as possible to strengthen her further. Not that it made much difference but the outer coat stretched over her flexing shoulder, tightening its hold over her breasts and made them all the more obvious that the shirt was a tad bit too small still for her girth. But she paid it no mind, although she briefly wondered if Kanoe would notice it at all before the woman stood before her.

“Whether one realizes it or not, this game is actually a very good test of one’s strength because it does not involve you going against muscle to muscle and skin to skin so your endurance is also tested. I’m sure that you have heard of the game ‘Mercy’. It is a simple game of having your hands clasped around another’s and trying to force the others hands back enough to where they would say the word ‘Mercy’ or else have the uncomfortable pain of finding out they’re not double-jointed. Now despite what it’s normally used for, I’m not going to try to hurt you to make an observation as that is far beyond my goal to teach if I injure at all. But this does test myself against you so that I can better teach techniques you need and discard ones you don’t.”

Gently she takes both of Kanoe’s hands as spoken and gently squeezes them to let her have the reassurance that she would not dare try to make this a battle of who’s stronger. Taisie knew the game might not sound very comforting, but in the right hands the game gave her some bigger perception then just endurance and strength.

“I promise you I’m not going to hurt you. The whole goal is to make it so the other finds their hand going too far back and yells the word. I’m not even going to try to push back and I’ll simply be on the defensive to see how long your endurance and determination lasts. I won’t even attempt to fight back in the game. I hope this all sound agreeable. I understand the uncomfortable position, but this is very helpful to me and to you.

You can use your legs to push forward, and you can sue your arms to try and get a better angle. You can try all you want which I encourage because it will give me better perception on what’s strong and what needs to be worked on. Since this test is on your terms, take all the time you need to get ready and just say when and begin so I can brace myself, Kanoe-chan.”

Kanoe was not much better as far as uniforms went. She missed her black and red uniform that actually fits. But in order to avoid breaking the rules and keep her and Claire safe, she had to wear the standard issue. The 'improvements' Natsuki and other monsters have made to her chest were not taken in account when they provided her new uniforms. They were just as tight around her chest making the firm orbs seem even larger than they already are.

It was hard not to notice the other woman's features as Tai came closer. The explanation was rather detailed for a simple game of Mercy. She was at least right in figuring that a simple game would decide her level of strength and skill. But what did shock her was the gentle touch of the woman taking her hands in her own. After their talk, she half expected the woman's touch to be frigid. The warmth was a pleasant surprise.

Tai continued to reassure her of the reason for this game and to not worry about coming to harm. Even through the tone of the woman's voice, she found the careful concern warming. A pity such warmth only came from a game of Mercy.

"It is fine," she replied, "I trust you and will try my best to show how I have improved." With her hands already held, she could only take a stance that would work best for pushing something forward. There were only a few techniques that would benefit her in a game such as this. Keeping her hands close but not too close to keep from over extending and keeping her strength spread through her upper and fore arms. Her legs act as a brace as she bends her knees and uses them both to try and push forward, taking steps forward if necessary to avoid overextending. The last was her breathing which she tried her best to avoid holding her breath, keeping her breath as steady as she could as she tried to force Taisie's arms back. She did not want to disappoint her trainer afterall.

And it seemed the game was on. Taisie held her promise to not try and make this a brainless act of who was stronger, although she did have to assume she was in the aspect of brute strength at least. If they had decided to use magic on one another, Tai was unsure who the victor might be in that case. What Kanoe lacked in force she made up for in mana and Taisie was almost the opposite if she had a weak understanding of the magic itself. But even thinking she was more powerful then Kanoe was not something she grew fond to be prideful of or else she would under-estimate her opponent completely.

Kanoe reminded her of herself to some point, but thoughts were quickly put aside as she felt Kanoe’s strength push against her arms. Kanoe had been right to brag a little that she had gotten stronger physically for it showed. But years and years and years of bone breaking practice had Taisie un-moved or rather she simply held her place in Kanoe’s stance of physical strength. She saw Kanoe try desperately to prove her worth when Taisie had said to not make this a personal trial. But it was hard to considering they both were in a fix to fight and push as hard as they could to meet some invisible goal.

Taisie’s eyes traveled over the woman’s stance as she tried to push her hands back as seemingly hard as she could. All her muscles had tightened and it showed in her arms and even in the dark witches’ calves and thighs. The woman had potential to be a big threat by not even using magic to defeat a human opponent but on this island there was a bigger ring of strong enemies… ones the two may never be able to beat with the inhibitors active. But… it was worth a shot to say the least.

“You’re slipping a little,” she said fully calm and moved their pushing hands a little down between them so Kanoe’s feet had better grip in a different stance then slipping on the floor before, “Mm, you have gotten stronger since I last saw you. But I see you’re struggling a little. Don’t lock your elbows in place or you could hurt yourself. Good, good… if you start feeling burning sensations in your body then please do say the word. I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard.”

Guess it was a bit much to expect any movement from a highly trained ninja. But Kanoe did persist pushing with what strength she had. She did take Tai's advice and adjusted her stance so she would not slip on the floor. It was a bit discouraging to push and it was her body moving back and not the stationary woman before her.

The dark witch continued to control her breathing as best as she could. This was not a competition so over straining herself would accomplish nothing. She could feel her muscles tightening but she decided to push onward for now. At least the woman gave her a compliment to her strength though it did not seem like much before Tai's strength.

The struggle went on for several minutes. Exertion was apparent on Kanoe's form as heat rose in her body. She took brief rests to reset her grip before continuing from time to time. But the witch was not about to stop until she had showed her limits stamina wise. She may not be strong enough to even move the woman an inch but she could at least persist until they were both satisfied.

She could see the woman straining with much difficulty. But even Taisie was feeling a little exertion after several minutes of Kanoe pushing with all her strength against her, but her stamina was holding pretty well. The kunoichi could see and feel the heat exuding from her ‘student’ as Kanoe took breathers here and there and then began again. Taisie had been surprised she was lasting so long without very much training, but it was something to keep mindful of. It gave her plenty of time to pinpoint weak areas of the woman’s body and the strong suits. Sadly she saw a lot of bad motions, but fortunately they could all be improved as well.

“Mm, just tell when you’ve reached your limit.”

It was all she could say in the position while Kanoe sought to do her best for her at the cost of becoming exhausted. She could see the improvements already in the future, but it would take a lot of time for her to get close to her level of physical brutality. But contradicting compliments won’t help the woman very much if she spoke them out loud. Positive reinforcement wasn’t going to be a very big part in Kanoe’s training… maybe that was because the teacher wasn’t one to give compliments when it wasn’t deserved.

She would continue until Kanoe would say the words of exertion and might just sit for awhile to let the woman regain her stamina back. She was assuming Kanoe’s arms and hands were pulsing with mild throbs. But the strain would tear the woman’s muscles and rebuild them to a better fix. She may not be able to make her as she was perfectly, but she could get her pretty close.

Eyes continued to narrow at the woman as she concentrates fully on being a wall to the dark witch. The task was exerting a little on Taisie’s part; after all her arms being in an up position would begin to throb a little on anyone. Thankfully, Kanoe’s forced pushes kept helping that pain from coming at all. She could see this test was coming to a close very soon.

The witch eventually stopped pushing and pulled back slightly. There was little more she could actually do and pushing against a wall was quickly losing its amusement if there was any in the first place. She loosened her grip on Tai's hands as blood flowed back to her white knuckles. "I have had enough," she said softly, "I do hope that was enough to measure."

She shook her hands a little before moving the kitchen. The dark witch returned with some water for them both and sipped lightly as she remained standing. Her arms ached all the way from her shoulders down to between the knuckles of her hand. She could not exactly call the game a workout and she was uncertain she gained much of anything out of it. But this was just a test afterall and she was certain the woman had seen enough.

"So do you have a general idea on where to begin?" she asked, "I do hope I am not slowing you down." The witch knew that talking about training came naturally to the woman so she doubts that this was too troublesome for the kunoichi. Kanoe opened and closed her hands a few times to get the kinks out for holding onto Tai's hands for so long and so tightly.

Whether or not Kanoe was anywhere near Taisie's point of view, she found it mildly amusing that the woman was so quick to obey commands and directions that might not make much sense to her. Not that her directions were just for amusement and that they didn't have some form of meaning to them, it would be easy for a teacher to mislead just for some entertainment.

"You did fine, Kanoe-chan. Thank-you," she spoke softly while thankfully taking a glass of water herself from the woman, "I saw everything I needed to see but I must say that your stamina is impressive considering you've probably never done any form defensive moves I'm going to teach you. That will serve you well."

Taisie even went so far as to gently pat her shoulder on a job well done. But maybe she was getting too far ahead by getting so comfortable with the woman. She gently kneads the woman's muscle that seemed to throb, giving a soft smile before she waits for the woman to gather her energy back. She was very tender and gentle as always, but even the business woman felt a little something from physical contact.

"You didn't have very good footing so it seems you may need some good lower body strength first. Everyone can throw a punch, but kicks are a bit more of a... surprise.

I'll let you get your strength back before we continue on. You gave me plenty to know where your strengths are and what needs to be improved."

She always found that she had better time talking when it came straight to business. Kanoe, although some time rough edged like herself, she was easy to get along with.

"Thank you.." she replied to the compliment. Kanoe decided not to reveal what exactly she did to get so much stamina. Yes stamina would allow her to run away longer. But once caught, stamina would only prolong the bliss she would be forced to feel at the hands of the monsters. At least in this lesson, her stamina would come to use for a different reason.

The witch was a bit shocked by the gentle pat on her shoulder. She found the gesture odd which only shocked her further as the hand remained there. Fingers slowly knead the aching muscles causing her body to tense suddenly only to relax. A soft sigh fell from Kanoe's lips as she returned the smile with her own.

The witch nodded and stretched a bit. "I should be fine," she said finally, "What is it you wish me to do next? Its not another game is it?" Kanoe smiled knowing that their training was now underway. Tai was very focused when it came to training and work but the woman was not necessarily strict so things went at a comfortable pace.

"Don't very much care for playing?"

It was a comment that could be considered a teasing joke, but Taisie less then fully emotional tone made it sound even more humorous because she sounded perhaps a little serious about it. The playful comment could be a little beyond Kanoe's scope of understanding Taisie's emotions, but at least she had a playful nature to her colder state.

"You shouldn't be as tense as you are. It's not like I'm going to bite you."

She was completely serious in her statements as her hand gently kneads the woman's muscles to try and make her relax more. Tense muscles lead to energy exhaust, and energy exhaust lead to throbbing and aching pains. At least she was trying to steer Kanoe away from the soreness she had experienced when she had no teacher at the time.

"You can't rush into things and expect to not have repercussions from it. Give yourself time to recuperate and then we will begin soon after. I see you’re body is still trying to regain its stamina back.”

She was pleased the woman wanted to learn and get stronger so quickly. Determination like that would only help the woman further in her studies of being strong physically and magically.

“Normally, I would start with defensive moves, but in your case you seem to be more of the offensive type. Though I will teach defensive techniques, you are a different case altogether. Unique if I can say so…”

"Only if its a game I could win," she smirked back.

"It is difficult not to be tense on this island," she replied with a soft coo as Tai continued to work the kinks out of her muscles, "You are really good at this.." The witch leaned into the woman's touch as she did her best to relax. She was certain this was only business for the kunoichi but this type of business she may learn to enjoy.

Kanoe nodded gently to the woman's lecture. "Very well," she said softly, "I will rest until my body is fully recovered. I suppose it makes sense to start with offense. My magic is not very defensive either." Dark magic tended to be very volatile when she used it. There were obvious shielding spells one could do with a shadow but most attempts have failed. Perhaps it was just her mindset.

The witch let her eyes fall half lidded as she found herself resting against Taisie. The gentle massage continued to soothe and calm her down as her breathing grew longer and deeper. Stay like this for too long and she may even forget about the training completely though that would not be such a bad thing she thought.

"My, my, how very selfish of you," she replies, although it was completely none serious and not meant for any insult. If that were true, then Clarice must not be having a fun time losing to Kanoe in all the games. But all thoughts were in a joking nature and nothing more.

"Very true, but if you stay tense and don't approach a problem calmly, then it would be as if your foes have already won. A stable mind keeps the body focused... even under stress. You should take a moment to take a step back and relax for a few moments before doing your daily routine. It helps amazingly to clear my head and give me better perception of the day and its troubles.

And I do thank-you for the compliment, Kanoe -chan. It isn't often I have to use my hands to mend another's aches and pains, but it is flattering to know I'm doing a good job."

She listens to the woman's short statement of her magic and nods while continuing to gently knead the woman's relaxing muscles. She continues to do so until she felt the woman was ready to be left to decide if her readiness is at hand.

"You seem to have enjoyed my touch and that will certainly come in handy. How else are you going to have some comfort in my hands when they're throwing you over me?" she says very gently and gives a very distinguished smirk at her joke. She never really gave herself much room to show prideful confidence with words.

"I may want to take a look at Clarice-san's offensive and defensive attacks as well. I can assume your lover shares some similar passions of wanting to be stronger, no?"

"Hmph," she huffed in response, "That is not to say I would still be comforted by being slammed against the floor by you. But your hands do feel good for now."

"You will have to ask Claire yourself about her strengths and weaknesses," she continued softly, "She knows multiple elements of magic but is supposedly more focused on fire magic. But we have had little time to study or train together recently. We tend to try and one up each other in our little games and duels. Our rivalry helps motivate us to keep trying to grow stronger than the other." She smiled faintly. Claire did not like to lose either. Sometimes the games go too far as they struggle and push their magic and their bodies to the limits refusing to give up no matter what. Those moments grew shorter and less frequent as they were slowly broken down and rebuilt as loyal servants to a much stronger force.

"Thank you," she said finally, "I think I am ready to continue now. You mentioned starting with offense for now? I suppose using physical attacks would save me mana in the long run." The witch sat up and turned to face Taisie. As much fun as being massaged by the kunoichi, she doubts that was the reason the woman came here. The ninja woman was afterall more focused on business than pleasure or so Kanoe thought.

"Very well then my friend. I'm not one to keep long conversation of petty matters, so now that things are resolved let us begin."

She clears her throat and runs her shoulder in circles as she backs away from the woman who now seemed as rested as she could be for the time. A soft breath escapes her lips as she begins to channel her magic immediately. Very few words were spoken, inaudible for those she did utter. Her hands moved gracefully in front of her, dark wisps began to string out from where were just moments ago.

"Tell me, Kanoe-chan. Have you given thought to physical magic before? I have found very few who use it with fighting styles... but I think I could teach you. You probably prefer projecting magic don't you? Well, forgive me if I take you out of your comfort zone."

With a quick hand motion, the dark manipulations become less and less obvious. It wasn't until she showed the woman the palm of her hand that the dark wisps had formed a surface over her hand.

"Using this... you can penetrate opponent’s nerves and render them temporarily paralyzed. And if you go for my style... you can strike agony in as well. What say you, Kanoe-chan? Would you like to learn this magic?"