A Retooling of Dragons Gate Baronial Manor.

[Aya Hayashibara]

Quietly she walked throughout the Baronial Manor of Dragons Gate. The Pale woman glanced about with sharp, slanted eyes, taking in the details of every inch of wall space. Her expression, never changing, examined the portraits of the Museum neither impressed nor unimpressed. She simply made her way through the darkened halls with her hands clasped behind her back.

She had done this several times in the last week, having finally moved into the Baronial Manor. She had felt no need to do so earlier and therefore had not had much of a chance to examine the insides of the building that came with her victory over the former Baroness.

At first glance, the double doors she approached this night appeared to lead no where in particular. She had not yet examined this wing of the two storied building and through these doors was the mentally scheduled route she would take. Placing her hand on the polished brass knob, she turned it with a flick of a slender wrist, pushing the door open into the room beyond.

She raised a brow as she examined the inside. Here was a room that was covered with a thin film of dust. Furniture had been covered with cloth, and it was giving the impression of a severe lack of use.

"Curious. This room has not been used where the rest of the Manor has been. I wonder why." She stepped inside and moved towards one of the windows in order to open the blinds and allow light to shine through.

When this was completed, and a trio of windows were free from their shades, she turned and looked upon the details. This room had clearly been designed as a sparring chamber. Aya pursed her lips and furrowed her brows as she gazed intently around. There were three dust covered rings painted on the floorboards, where a student was not to step out of during lessons. Encouragement and instructions could be given from outside those rings.

As she moved about the room, she pulled back the cloth protecting the furniture and found items used in sparring. Practice dummies, empty weapon racks, even equipment designed to improve strength and fitness of a fighter. Making her way to a closet and pulling the doors open, she found ring poles and ropes that were to be placed along the edges of the ring, to keep the duelists encircled as well as an old, aged sign that read "Dragon’s Gate Dueling Sword."

"This, clearly, was once a facility where lessons in armed combat took place. Yet the rest of the Manor had been turned into a museum and not used as it originally was." Looking over her shoulder into the darker hall beyond.

"This may yet be of use. The girls at the dojo would make fine additions to the Arena. There is no reason they should not train at the Manor of a Baroness of the Dueling Arena." She smirked as she turned to exit the room, closing the doors behind her and stepping into the hall. "I think that I can condense these items of artistic value and return this building into what it once was, as well as keeping the newer Museum motif."