While martial arts training in the Golden Mountain Dojo was usually hand-to-hand combat, there are a few rooms that were for weapon-based fighting. It was important to have enough space as someone could get hurt with the weapons being used.
Liao needed plenty of room to practice with her urumi. Like a whip or a flail, the urumi had a possible chance of hitting its wielder. But since the flexible part was made out of sharp steel, the injuries that would be given would be much more severe. As such, it requires a lot of training and studying to learn how to wield. The steel whip needed to be mastered before the urumi could be wielded. It was for these reasons that the urumi is always taught last in Indian martial arts.
Liao was striking several dummies made of straw, the flexible blade chopping through them with ease. Though with something more substantial like wood or flesh, it could take several strikes to sever anything. Still, the tiger girl slashed until the dummies were all in pieces.
Then she heard a knock on the door before it opened. Tuxing walked into the room and raised an eyebrow at all the dismembered dummies. "You're not preparing for war, are you?" she asked.
"I have to maintain my edge," said Liao, wrapping the urami around her waist, "You never know who may strike."
"Like who?" asked Tuxing. However, Liao didn't reply, but she looked trouble. "Is this about what happened to your family?" asked Tuxing. From what Tuxing had heard, Liao didn't get sold into human trafficking just because of her body. Her family was apparently the victim of sort of gang war, but Liao was still unable to talk about it yet. All Tuxing knew was that before Liao was orphaned, her family were well-known for their martial arts training, which would explain Liao's proficiency.
"The world is not a safe place," said Liao, "You know that Animalia is constantly under attack."
"Political attack, not physical attack," said Tuxing, "But we're still safe. It helps that those who want to take our rights are always tripping over themselves."
Liao shook her head and said, "Enemies don't always use politics. Sometimes they strike directly and without warning."
"With our police force and the Rhino Guard, I don't think we're in any danger," said Tuxing, "Trust me, you're safe here." Liao didn't look completely reassured. Tuxing had been trying to comfort her for a while, ever since she was converted.
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When Liao had been brought to Lyre, she was a bit on the malnourished side. Considering she was rescued from human trafficking in Thailand, it wasn't a surprise. Though Liao didn't seem like a Thai girl, a language barrier and shock was keeping her from telling how she ended up in slavery.
Thankfully, Project Cameron was there to help Liao recover and that included a conversion to help her recover from her ordeal. Though one dosage was more proper as she was in too shocked a state for a double dose. When the Five Elements heard about Liao's predicament, they offered to help convert her. Of the five of them, Liao seemed to prefer Tuxing. It took a while for them to talk to each other about, seeing as English was the only common language they had and they weren't quite fluent with it yet.
Eventually, Liao was able to understand what they were proposing for her and she readily accepted, even if it was only one dose. Tuxing went to Liao's room with the glass of freshly-extracted milk in hand. Liao was such a small girl compared to the tigress. Her underfed physique and short stature made it easy for to be mistaken for someone no older than 14 even though she was 16. But Tuxing wasn't one to judge. She was younger than she looked thanks to the double-dosing. It's quite possible that Liao was older than she.
"Are you ready for your change?" asked Tuxing.
"Ready as can be," said Liao, "Be much safer as tiger." Liao's insecurity reminded Tuxing a lot of Muxing. But unlike Muxing, Liao seemed convinced that she was in constant danger of attack.
"This will make you feel better," said Tuxing, handing the glass of milk over. It was...strange to milk herself. But Liao was uncomfortable with needles and it would feel awkward to have her suckle from Tuxing. They could have done a dermal patch, but a glass of milk seemed less threatening.
Liao took the glass and drank it. If she found the taste odd, she didn't comment on it. But she kicked off her shoes and waited for the changes to start. It didn't take long. Patches of fur started appearing on her body, alternating between orange, black, and white before distinct patterns started to appear. Her bare feet clenched a bit as they started forming into paws. Liao watched her hands with fascination as they became paw-like. As her fingernails became claws, she tested their ability to retract and extend. Her tail was able to weave its way out without trouble and her face was becoming more and more feline.
Though Liao had only taken a single dose didn't mean her body wasn't getting bigger. Her bones were creaking a little as she grew bigger. Her larger body was also putting on a little more muscle, losing the underfed thinness. It was also gaining more curves than a typical 16-year-old Asian girl had. Her shorts were creaking as her hips got noticeably wider and her butt filled up more space. Her shirt had been forced upwards by her lengthening torso and was revealing even more skin as her Liao's breasts grew to C-cups. So when the changes stopped, Liao had gone from a smaller-than-average girl in a normal t-shirt and shorts to a curvy young tiger woman that looked like she was wearing a halter top and short shorts.
"How are you feeling?" asked Tuxing.
"Good, but not comfy," said Liao, tugging a bit at her shirt, "Not expect to get big."
"We're you're eventually going to grow up to be like this," said Tuxing, indicating her own amazonian adult body, "You look good."
"Clothes tight," said Liao.
"We can help you with that," said Tuxing, leading Liao out of the room.
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Liao had progressed since then, with both her comfort in her new body and her English. Though she was still hesitant to talk about her past. "Liao, you know that vacation me and the other Elements are going to take this weekend?" asked Tuxing.
"Yes, to the Asian colony," said Liao.
"Well, we can each bring a guest if we want to and I think you'd like to see the island too," said Liao.
"I would," said Liao, "Who else is invited?"
"I think Shuixing is inviting that dairy farmer guy, but I'm not sure if he's coming or not," said Tuxing, "But you can come, right?"
"Of course," said Liao, "I'll go pack." As Liao hurried off, Tuxing hoped this trip will help her open up more. Maybe she'll finally be comfortable enough to tell what happened to her family.