Jiaoxi Provincial Roleplay

[Kakirot83]

Tai raised an eyebrow to what the man said. Rumors? She hadn't imagined that all that much should be known about her, least of all, anything rumor worthy. She hadn't done much of anything yet, though she had dabbled a little bit here and there.

"I do wonder what is said about me, as I don't remember doing all that much worthy of being repeated." She walked a little closer to the man, and began to circle him, slowly. "Perhaps it is those things we do, that people don't talk about, that are most interesting though. I wonder what Lord ogre here has done, that people don't talk about."

She was amused with herself, not at the man before her, but as if she was in her own world half of the time.

"So Lord Ogre loves to fight. Well I do not think I would be much of a challenge, nor much entertainment in that field. Has Lord Ogre come looking for Ju Li to perhaps, in respect to a different field? it would make more sense then me fighting."

She didn't know why he was here, or what she really had to offer, but she was enticed by the man being here. She continued to walk around the man, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, slowly getting closer to him with each pass she made, as she waited for his reply.

[Li Dao Wen]

The giant remained unmoving as the lady circled him like he was some statue on display, with only his discerning, observant eyes following her slow, lithe footwork. Yet even as his gait continued to stand erect and poised for anything that may come, deep inside he was confused and astounded at the same time. Adventurous and glory-seeking man that he was, women have been a very bland and uninteresting pursuit for him. Owing to Qian Yen and the Xiamo's constant whining and their overpowering intricacies, he has always seen women as the sort of trophy which would be more troublesome than not to keep. Because of their haphazard ways, he had all but forgotten how exalting it is to have a woman in his arms; danger and treasure have always been his mistresses.

The closest purpose he could remember which spurred him to come to her were rumors of her supposed beauty and wit, and wanting to try something different, he sought her. Perhaps she was a representation of that long-neglected ideal; she was something more altruistic than material for him. She is a beauty. A real, genuine beauty.

Now that his initial curiosity has been set aside, he was lost. Fighting was definitely the last thing on his mind right now. He could boast of his own achievements, why people indeed spoke his name with either awe or fear, but he was at a loss for words. Was she really speaking what she meant to say? Was she amused by him? He did not know which one to address.

Yet spontaneity came rolling to his tongue by its own will. "I came to see for myself if you truly are what they say you are. That you are a flower whose beauty could crush men's spirits or enlighten them altogether. So far... I have not been disappointed. However, now that I have seen you for myself, I... Do not know what comes next."

When he spoke, he averted his gaze, instead focusing it on anything which he could find inside the tent. The first thing that he noticed -the mirror- showed the soft and delicate skin of Lady Tai's back, along with a reflection of his own hard face. Even if it remained smug and confident in itself, there was an emotion in it which he could not place. Perhaps it was embarrassment, perhaps it was not.

Focusing his gaze on the mirror, on the pale, smooth skin that lined her body, he paused and asked her something else that confused him. "I am intrigued. What is this... Different field you speak of Lady Tai? You speak of it so willingly to an unexpected guest, as if it is something you are very proficient in."

He was a fairly simple creature; give him something to kill and that something was bound to get killed. Pay him good money and his loyalty would be yours -for a time, at least. But giving him an answer which confuses him would generate two possible scenarios: if you were someone with a man's face and bravado, you are more than likely to get punished; if you were someone of Tai Ju Li's exquisite beauty, you are bound for a lengthy discussion, or perhaps something else entirely.

[Kakirot83]

Tai stopped circling the man, and drew in closer to him, facing him, and looking up at him. She took him in with her eyes, and closed them, as she drew up against him, just barely touching him.

"Lord ogre is strong, he fights with weapons, with muscle. Tai is not so strong, so she fights with words, with mannerisms." Tai had not opened her eyes yet, but she traced very lightly her hands along the 'Ogre's' clothes, barely there, an odd delicate touch that seemed to not exist, even as there was resistance. "I have been told that I have a confusing way to me, that even when I try to make sense, I babble nonsense. The colors around you disagree, as they tell me I speak truths, that often people do not wish to hear. So much black permeates the air where you are, flecks of red dance and gloat, they taunt the blackness. So too, do you taunt the blackness, as an Lord would do, to something they use, to somethig they command. You fight in fields, with men ahead, with men behind, bodies eventually litter the ground, and mountains move aside. I fight in debates, in ideas, in talking, with my friends, with my enemies. I go with the flow, where it would take me, while you fight against the flow, seeking to forge your own course, and go where you will. We both get somewhere new, but we go about it different ways."

Tai had not stopped moving her hands, and now she wandered around the man, her hand still moving along his side, and then to his back.

"Would that qualify as a different field to you Lord Ogre? or perhaps your mind was on a different topic?"

She said it so casually, so laced with innuendo, it would be hard to miss. She smiled, somewhere between innocent and wicked, if the man turned to look and see. She was often going on whatever tangent she wanted, often distracted by whatever came to her, at any given moment. it did make things interesting, as well as make her impossible to figure out.

[Li Dao Wen]

Confusing. It was becoming more and more of an understatement by the second. But even then she continued to lure him in, frustrate his nerves, and grate at his modest comprehension skills. That light, ghostly touch of hers seemed to add a luster to his polished black and gold armor, and the reflection of her image upon the steel of his body seemed like an apparition against a wall of night.

He could feel himself becoming more and more helpless by every passing moment, by each smooth word that escaped her lips, by each circle she made around him. The giant grunted with dissatisfaction when she stopped her movements, and could barely contain the tightening quake in his body when she pressed up against him and looked up at him. Those sultry eyes of hers bored holes into his mind; he looked down and tried to stare her back with his usual stoicism, but he quickly found to his silent dismay that she was overpowering enough to render him hollow and dumb. He could barely even look at her and not have his attention span flicker like a dying light; she was mesmerizing, truly mesmerizing.

He found his mouth dry and his voice somewhat cracked when she spoke her last, innuendo laced words, and for a dozen or so seconds he remained still. Her statements about the black and red flecks in his soul fit in like puzzle pieces in the enigma that was formerly him. Yet again, she astounded him. "It... Qualifies. You certainly are talented, Lady Tai."

A semblance of coherence returned to him as he desperately tried to digest her words. She was making bit passes at him, obvious ones hidden behind a perfect smile that shook his roots and tore at his self-control. It made him want to flee, but somehow he could not stand the thought; he had barely been there for five damn minutes and she had already conquered him. "You state so many enticing words, milady, that I cannot deny. Perhaps my mind truly was on that different topic." His tone was somewhat defeated, as if he could not hide the intense desire he was feeling. Surely she had already felt it by then, or perhaps it was what she wanted him to feel? A surge of fear gripped him, the kind of fear that he would never experience on the battlefield, or in any other situation with any other person.

What if he was wrong?

"Since you say so many things to me, and you say that you fight with your words, perhaps you consider me as an enemy? This blackness you see in me, do you find it repulsive?"

Deep inside, he was shocked to realize that he was hoping it wasn't the case.

[Kakirot83]

Tai liked the warrior in front of her, but the question seemed to disturb her a little. she looked away at seemingly nothing for a few moments, either daydreaming, or lost in thought.

"That seems a silly question. Colors are just a part of the flow, of the whole. I do not think I would bother to dislike a part, when there is so much more to look at." She paused for a moment, reflecting further. she turned back to the man before her, her expression not really changing. "I do suppose that I favor some colors over others. the truth is, that often, they mix, and play off one another. Though I often wear red, as red is a color I do like, I would say I like purple more than any other. It mixes opposing forces, causing so much more order and chaos in one swift stroke. I once spoke to a man, who wondered if he would make a good ruler, one who could conquer others, and unite lands under him. He held no red, but he had black in him."

She looked up at the man, staring him in the eyes.

"When I say something like black, you immediately think death, battle, plague, evil. But that is too small a window. This man was not evil, he was physically weak, because sickness had come to him at a young age. He knew of suffering, of pain, of loss. It was a lesson, and so it was part of him. He had blues and greens of course, because it reflected more of him, but he could never lose such a thing, because it was very much a part of him." She moved back to him, placing her hand, much more forcibly then before. "Now you are made of black, but for different reasons, with diffrent implications. You know of death, because you bring death. You relish the fight, but not so much as those that are red relish love, laughter, slaughter, and passion. You relish it in a cold region, one where you do not feel pain, where you do not feel fear, but where you understand it, where you drink it in, because it is there to be taken. Red flickers, because you are not stone, and sometimes you do let loose. You know of blood, of danger, of lust. It is as if you are a dam unto yourself, both straining to be free, and restricting yourself out of need. No, to say I dislike the black in you would be too narrow, too finite a way to look at it. Easier to say it serves purpose, has uses, and can be something to watch, both with interest and fear."

She removed her hand, and turned away from the man, walking slowly back towards the mirror.

"I know people do not see colors, but they can still see, in their own way. you view the world through your own looking glass, in a way more clearly, and yet more shrouded than I do. A gift and a curse, I suppose, as what I see, I can see around everyone, but not the one person it would often interest me to see." She reached the mirror, and reached out to it, as if she were touching herself, as if she were in the mirror, and not in this place with the Ogre. "it is often something to pity, but to laugh at, that I will know so much, so generally and so specific, about others, but even my own life can still bring me great suprise. I wonder what it is you can see? not in others, but in yourself? does having a mask over your eyes, let you see inwardly a little bit easier? or is that something others struggle with too?"

She was still caressing someone that was not there, but she wished would be. Of all the things she could rely on, often, it was herself she had the least faith in. Even if that was true though, a smile crept up to find her face, as if the joke were so funny, you couldn't help but smile at it.

[Li Dao Wen]

"I know of death..."

He mumbled the words as he fell into a complete and utter silence, letting her caress her own image in the mirror for a good long while. In the flurry of words from her that graced his ears, this is the line which struck him the most, one which brought a most unforeseen thought careening into his mind. Indeed he knew of death; he knew of suffering, of hatred, of sickness, of brutality. His blackness was the blackness of a chilling winter night, the coldness of the quiet battlefield after a fresh bath of snow had fallen over the blood littering it. He knew these, that one could be seen right from the start, as she had demonstrated in such a succinctly confusing way. What struck his was the thought that came afterwards.

It was the first time that he realized... He did not know himself as well as he should. After all the death he had brought, the pains he had inflicted on both himself and his enemies, the service for pay he had rendered over the years, what did he know about himself?

He has always viewed the world as his own stage for glory, a world which lied prostate at his feet, ready for him to conquer through the strength of his arm and the sweat of his brow. For more than a dozen years he had wielded his unusual gifts for the sole purpose of finding satisfaction with himself, a satisfaction which could be brought on him only by fame and prestige. He wanted to be known as the greatest warrior to ever roam the lands, and he knew of the path which he should take to be the only one left standing in the end. Xiang Yu... The Hegemon King was the ultimate and final road to achieving this.

But it bothered him completely, tugging at the cold strings of his heart--or whatever he had beating inside of him. Did he actually have one anyway? He has a mind, that much is sure. But a heart? Was there actually more to him than a coldblooded killing machine? He did not know how to answer her final question, as that hypothetical mask which she implied indeed covered him, more from himself than for others.

He approached her, then knelt down behind her, his eyes lowered to the ground. In a way, he felt that he had to speak these next few words. "I am Xun Jiang from Chu, called the Black Ogre by my enemies, the Twilight General by those under my command, and bringer of death to all who have faced me. I have always been a hand for hire, one who has never had a heart for mercy. For as long as I can remember I have been alone, without the benefit of any good emotion for companionship."

What did she care about his story? Would she listen, or is she too immersed in the beauty reflected in the mirror? He knew that all people had to find their own way, but she had enlightened him. He felt as if he needed this woman to find more colors within himself. Or was black and red all that he could ever hope to offer? He felt desperate to find out, and an urgency could be felt in his gruff, steel voice.

"There is... Nothing else to me. I am alive, yet I am hollow, black and red with a purpose that drips with the stench of death. I need someone to imbue... Other colors into me, teach me to be something more. Perhaps... You might..." He looked up at her, thinking that perhaps she'd be kind enough to turn around and look into the eyes of a mere ogre yet again. "...Or perhaps, your different talents are vying for another's companionship?"

[OneEyedDrgn]

In a village near Jiaoxi, it seemed a small commotion was about. Apparently, some man by the name of Liang Zhuwen was going around sleeping around with wives and the village women. Apparently some of the husbands were angry and a few had tried to fight with the man but were beaten up in the process.

This man on a day was eating at a restaurant and wrapped on one side of his body was the arms of a young lady. Having rather grown infamous some of the patrons looked at the man in disdain but could do nothing about it. It didn't help that the man was being quite loud, bragging of his exploits of having fought under Xiang Yu to the woman he was with who seemed happily amused.

RP for Li Dao Wen

[Li Dao Wen]

@ OED

OOC: Thanks a lot for replying!

With an annoyed expression, Xun Jiang snorted to himself as he rode down the road towards some nondescript village deep in the heart of Jiaoxi. With his eyes of ebony roving around the lonely grasslands in search of some unfortunate soul that could be branded as a 'danger', he caught sight of their destination after what had been a long and tiring ride. On his back were a dozen or so riders, all well-trained and strong and wearing heavy armor, yet for the duration of their journey he had all but neglected them.

The ruler of Jiaoxi, his employer Ma Dieu had charged him with the safety and security of the rural villages, thus he was compelled to go roaming around with a hefty baggage of men to make sure there was nothing to be feared (except him). He found little joy in his current undertaking, other than having a very convenient license to kill whoever dared cross his path -under the pretext of 'obstruction of justice.' He was a bandit, a man of chaos, and to think that he was being ordered to eradicate it seemed quite ironic and agitating for him. Nonetheless, he was bound by his contractual obligations to comply.

Dismounting from his tired steed and dismissing his men for some rest, the so-called Twilight General walked into a busy crowd of people in one of the villages under Ma Dieu's control, dividing it as he passed by. Everyone who beheld his presence were immediately awe-struck by his enormity and the ferocious appearance of his infamous weapon; there were many rumors circulating around about him as well, and most people found them to be justified --except for the ones which portrayed him as some real monster with flaming eyes and fire breath.

Passing by a tavern in the downtown section -which had several wounded and bruised men grumbling and shaking their fists outside- Xun Jiang paused and started to listen to what they were saying. They were saying that there was some arrogant warrior inside who had been playing around with their wives and girlfriends, and judging by the assortment of broken bottles and wooden beams they had collected outside, they were waiting for Liang Zhuwen to become drunk enough to kill. Upon catching sight of the giant man in black and gold armor staring at them, however, they immediately abandoned their plans and scampered home.

Curious about the warrior, Xun Jiang entered the rich establishment, upon which everyone else grew quiet in fright and intimidation. All stopped eating and chatting, except one brash and confident voice which proudly proclaimed something which made his eyes flicker with some unseen fire. Liang's laughs became more pronounced as he continued his stories about his exploits, but what truly caught Xun Jiang's attention was his boast about being one of Xiang Yu's soldiers.

With huge ominous strides he approached Liang Zhuwen and the girl he was with, staring down at the seated man with a dangerous expression lining his face. "You say you are one of Xiang Yu's men? What is your name warrior?"

[osiris]

Lai smiled.

"Nothing too exciting, while I am a battle field man, your father always was more of a management man, organizing the troops and instructing them. To this day, I doubt I have led a better prepared army, I miss that kind of discipline in my ranks. Anyway, I think the exact moment was me being a pompous young arrogant fool and he setting me straight on the proper way of using well prepared men. The discussion was quite heated as I recall it and the arguments continued for a while."

Lai took a moment to enjoy the memory.

"In the end, I recalled something he had argued with me over and came to realize in battle I might be wrong, tried it his way and it saved my life and so there was less arguing between us afterward."

Lai bowed his head to the old memory, his thanks still apparent in his eyes.

((Super sorry for the late reply!))

Xuan laughed a little in embarrassed pride. "Ah I am not deserving of such high regard, but its appreciated nonetheless. I do remember the old days though. I thought I'd never get through to you. Still, you always performed beyond expectation."

Xinrichu seemed to grow a little more interested at the tale. Or perhaps it was seeing a more casual and relaxed version of his adopted father. "Is that so? Well that is interesting enough to me. Master Fei do you still serve in the military today?"

[Kakirot83]

@ Li Dao Wen

Tai was lost in thought, as she heard the man move towards her, and kneel. She looked into the mirror now, at him, rather than the herself, slowly coming back to reality. It was funny to think, that at seven feet tall, him kneeling was probably very near her normal height. She was a good foot and half smaller, and it would bring him much nearer to eye level for her, besides the difference in their body make up.

She listened to the name,to the titles, that were so appropriate to him, to his past. She listened intently, as he talked of what he wanted, what he hoped, what he was asking. It all just rattled around, not hitting home, until he spoke of companionship. she turned to face the man, looking at him, as the word echoed within her. Companionship. She was at a loss for words on it, because the notion was almost foreign to her, as odd as that fact was. Did he speak of some greater connection? Was it more akin to what Zhuwen often did, finding someone to spend a night with? did he mean it as love, or merely physically being there?

It was true, Tai was what she imagined many men would want, oddities aside, but truth be told, she did not know anything of companionship. perhaps in any definition of the word. She did not remember much of her past, at least, she chose not to. She drew blanks often whenever someone brought the idea of parents to the forefront, as if she didn't have any, as if she just started being one day. Friends? She was odd, she was different, and not in a generally accepted way. Almost as hard as it was for someone to understand her, she often had problems understanding them. Looking at who they were, past, present, future, those were easy. Understanding why, or what made them truly tick, why they thought the way they did, that always lost her.

As far as physically.........Tai had never been enthralled enough, interested enough, to give in, or explore such things. People were puzzling enough as they were, and she didn't have much of a concept in practical use. She knew how children were made, hell, she'd delivered many children herself, but that was it. It was mechanical to her, just some action people took occasionally.

The concept of her finding companionship, of any kind, with someone, almost shut down her mind. The people outside, perhaps a friend of sorts, were more worth just telling what to do, or just travelling with. Zhuwen, was different as well, because he intrigued her, but as soon as she seemed a challenge to him, he almost resigned himself to a friend. He always seemed respectful of Tai, which was good, and confusing, considering she often travelled with a wild untamed womanizer, who most often did not try to womanize her.

She snapped back to reality, not sure if mere moments had passed, or perhaps more. Silence still hung in the room, and her eyes refocused, onto the man in front of her, asking her for guidance, perhaps for companionship, as if she could answer such a thing. She looked into the eyes of the ogre, not sure how to answer, or what to say, but looking for words to find.

"Imbue.......I would say colors are a life of their own, I am not sure they are things that can be forced. They are past, they are present, they are futures, yet to be discovered. they change, they flux, all of their own, perhaps sometimes by the will of those that they come from." She trailed off again, trying to connect with something in her head. "Life is colors, colors define life. Colors ceom from everything, so the world can teach, imbue, I suppose. companionship......" She was still trying to remember what that word meant. It was as if it were not real, but just a fantasy someone had cooked up, to entertain, to delight. It seemed as if it was more tangible then that though, as if you knew it was real, but you couldn't see it. "Lord Ogre....I.....another? I do not think I am vying for another, though I do not know if another would be vying for me."

Despite the fact that he was strong, and could fight off many people, perhaps any number of men, he had found a way to take the words from her. They were locked away in her throat, seemingly unable to escape. She leaned back against the desk, the mirror, putting a hand up to her forehead, as if trying to steady herself. Her lips began to move, as if words were there, but slowly, they began to come. They weren't aimed at him, or anyone, as if they were on their own, only coming cause they bid themselves to.

"Lost, confused. It is different, it is foreign. Is it meaningless? Perhaps too meaningful? It is not there, but it can feel. Why does it dance outside our vision, when we try to look at it?"

Her hand was alive in the air above her, almost not a part of her, trying to trace, or draw something, something she was even looking at. it was as if it were her mind, trying to untangle itself from a mess, or a trap.

Then she stopped. Her apparent confusion ceased, and her hand came down, to rest next to the Ogre's face, assuming he had not raised himself up from kneeling, despite that it might be uncomfortable by now. she looked back into the large man's eyes, and seemed content with the answer she'd found, to a question that had never been asked.

"Answer Tai a question, and she will help Lord Ogre to see other colors, not only in the world around himself, but perhaps to see the other colors inside of himself as well. What is companionship? If Tai can learn this, than Ogre can learn colors."

It wasn't a question aimed at what his 'definition' of it was, but almost existential, as to what exactly companionship was, as if it were easily measured, and laid before you. Tai almost looked eager, to know what it was that she was missing, and hopeful the Ogre had the answer that could unravel the mess in her head.