Tavern

[alexoren]

"Indeed I could, but I would almost surely have an army after my head if I decided to 'jump the border'," replied Zhao to Meili.

As the roaring of them men returned as it did before Zhao's entrance, he could not help but feel the urge to decapitate these people. They stood before the expansion of the Hegemon King. But something held him back, and it wasn't the fact that he was outnumbered and an obviously inferior combatant compared to Weiqi. Zhao decided that is was most definitely not the foreigner so-called "Weiqi" for his speech was lacking polish and... well, overall intelligence. But perhaps it was the girl who, while sided with the brute, demonstrated an ability to soothe the hostile nature of the foreigner and reach out to Zhao's soul like no other could do now.

Zhao rose his cup of ale.

"May your ruler and his kingdom enjoy great prosperity, and as officers may we find glory on the battlefield."

Silence. It had overcome the men as they looked over at Zhao then looked over at Weiqi. Weiqi began to chew on the inside of his cheek for a moment as he looked at Zhao. He then gained a huge grin upon his face and grasped his mug and raised it into the air and cheered. With that the rest of the men did the same. Even the young girl, Meili, grabbed a cup of alcohol which she was yet to touch and raised it into the air. "May we all find peace in this time of chaos!" she added.

[Kuai Wei]

"Indeed," agreed Zhao, "but we must remain ever vigilante in our duty to ensure the prosperity of the people. Our lives, currency in the battles to be waged. Our steel, tools for carving out unity. Always remember this. Never take for granted the promise of tranquility with every war."

The warmth of the alcohol began settling in Zhao's flowing blood. His face turned cherry, and his facial expression slowly grew into a slight grin.

[yoshi]

(OOC: It's okay, don't sweat it.)

Hearing the sounds of feet plodding around the table she was currently lying restfully underneath, Li Xianglan sat up to see what all the ruckus was about. Seeing Di Wan sitting at the table, she frowned at him.

Li Xianglan: "Well? I answered your questions. Aren't you going to go make my clothes for me now?"

Narrowing her eyes at the center of the table, she stared suspiciously at the package Di Wan had set down earlier.

Li Xianglan: "Hold on. Is that *my* clothes? How could you make them so... wait, what day is this? Come to think of it, it feels like I've been here forever! But I can assure you that I've certainly not been drunk all this time and the fact that I've been lying on the floor of a busy tavern for gods alone know how long does not attest to my sobriety or lack thereof. Look! I'm clearly neither slurring my words comically or swaying clumsily and my face remains completely unreddened. In fact, the only thing that might even suggest that I could be drunk is that I keep protesting that I'm not."

She considered this for a moment.

Li Xianglan: "Er. Let us examine your craftsmanship."

Di Wan chuckled quietly, shrugging. "If you say so - I will raise no argument."

He unfolded the bundle on the table, spreading out the cloth before picking up the revealed garment. A grey fur wolf pelt was attached to the shoulders, making up the trim of the upper end of the robe and hanging down the back as a short mantle, while the robe itself was made of a mixture of red silk and reddish-brown strips of leather, placed mostly on the sides against the legs and down the back of each sleeve. The front of the robe was also decorated with a very simple orange embroidery.

"How does this look? Would it be.. decent for your courtly dealings?"

(OOC: Sorry. Somehow I completely missed this...)

The young woman looked amused.

Li Xianglan: "Well, it's strange, exotic, unlikely to get me mistaken for a prostitute and clearly inspired... by what exactly I'm not quite sure. It's magnificent."

[Aleksandr]

"Silk... is not something that is terribly common to a nomadic people. It lacks durability and protection, and is suitable only for a protected environment. Combining it with more sturdy materials seemed a way to make it more useful, while being decorative." He paused a moment, before pushing the bundle across the table toward her.

"Here, it's yours. Perhaps with it you can sway some warrior's heart in the southern court."

He chuckled quietly at his joke, before the bottle of wine was put down on the table by a server. "I do not suppose you know much of wine, given that you were certainly not drunk on the floor when I got here?"

Li Xianglan gets a +3 robe, with whatever name she wants

[yoshi]

Li Xianglan: "I have as extensive a knowledge of wines as I have been able to develop in the past year or so that I've started drinking."

[Ashikaga]

Luanti Maodun, Bao, and Gongxu made the ride to the local tavern. They had become somewhat familiar in the place. They drank hard and often. They were a hard looking lot who spoke a strange language amongst themselves and eyed others suspiciously. They seemed to always pay for their drinks though so they were usually welcome. They tied their pathetic looking horses to posts and went inside. They went to their usual table, saw that it was occupied and stood staring daggers at the tiny men sitting in their spot. The intruders quickly vacated the area and the three sat down and ordered a round of drinks. They looked around the room waiting for the men they were supposed to meet. If all went according to plan, they would soon be in business. They took huge gulps of their wine and waited. It was bad form to make deals without a drink or two.

[Selway]

When entering a tavern there was always a distinct smell about the place. It was of equal, if not greater importance, than what was to be seen and heard. It answered a simple question. Was the food good? Someone knew what they were doing here, yes indeed that was clear. Scanning the room was as much a matter of finding his host as gleaming from the dishes of others what he'd be greedily cramming down his gullet. The former being settled rather quickly, after all he had been given fairly detailed instructions, he wandered about a touch just the same to tend to the latter issue at hand.

Once Yun felt he had properly perused the tavern's menu with his little sight seeing tour he meandered over to Luanti Maodun and company. That Yun was a deceptive fellow, not in character no but by the look of him. A short, scrawny bastard he was and yet he touted around a pack full of medicine, personal supplies and a fierce, despite having seen better days, looking axe. The slightest of bows offered, perhaps to avoid toppling over should he risk going any lower than needed, as he stood before the three. “Ah, General Luanti I have your order here. Some Gé Gēn root to counter act all the spirits you've been and are presently consuming. No charge of course, doctor Xiang does not charge friends new or old.” Yun took a good deal of care in setting down his load, then reaching within to produce a small bag tied off with a red ribbon that was summarily placed on the table before Luanti.

[Rebel]

Zhang Gus appears somewhere nearby the tavern and approaches the entrance. He stands there staring at the door for a few moments before shrugging. Then he kicks the door in.

"Outta my way dead wooden obstacle thingy!"

He walks in proudly before the pain from kicking the door begins to surge through his right leg. He grabs his shin trying hard not to scream from the pain. He wobbles around and takes an empty seat. After a brief moment of regaining his composure, he calls on a waiter/wench.

"Hello. I am the great Tio..Zhang Gus. Do you happen to know any customers by the name of Luanti Maodu around here? I am supposed to meet him."

He takes out a green ribbon and hands it to over.

[Ashikaga]

Maodun saw a scrawny fellow enter the tavern he seemed to be like any other of the patrons of this establishment. He was taking in the establishment, perhaps meaning he had never been their before. Maodun took no notice of him after he had entered the room, he didn't appear to be anyone Maodun would be concerned about. But the man soon began to approach the table. Maodun was about to protest when the man began talking about medicine or something. Maodun suspected who he was dealing with and then the red ribbon confirmed it. He smiled revealing a set of poor quality teeth. Maodun had learned not to judge a man by his looks, this small man could be the skilled warrior and doctor he had heard about. Even if his fighting skills were exaggerated, he should still have some medical ability which would be needed in the line of work Maodun was pursuing. They were bound to get wounded and having a doctor nearby would save many lives.

Maodun said slyly, "Ah yes doctor, thank you. I am glad to count myself amongst your friends."

He looked around to ensure none were listening to them. "Doctor, you are aware why I asked you to come here. I know you are skeptical about my "condition" but I assure you, you will reap the rewards for "treating" me regularly. You will be paid handsomely. You have two sets of skills which would be of great benefit, your surgical precision in cutting up your patients and your excellent skill in stitching them back up. Though your main contribution will really be the additional hands you can bring to our team. You will make more gold based not really on you individually, but your ability to amass a significant staff of helpers. I intend on creating a coalition of skilled men such as yourself to take contracts from the many "sick" people throughout the land. You will have a great deal of individual freedom and be entitled to a share of our profits. Now tell me, what are your concerns doctor? Also, we should be expecting another who is similarly concerned such as yourself."

The waiter points to a table in the back corner with four men speaking in hushed tones. "I believe Master Luanti usually sits over there."

(Sorry it took so long, my post kept getting deleted one way or another. This is my third time posting it.)

[Selway]

The diminutive fellow took a seat once formalities were out of the way. Willowy hands were brought up in front of him and folded allowing his chin to rest upon them. “Your condition?” Yun's head titled to one side with a look of curiosity like a mangy dog with a treat dangling just out of reach. “Oh yes, your condition is terribly, terribly common, friend. Have no fear you will no doubt see improvement soon, yes? Still I wonder if there is truly a part for me to play in this.” A toothy grin served up to assure his host he hadn't dismissed the idea with those words. “There is a great deal of sickness in the land, no doubt to be had of that. Detractors might argue there's no remedy for it all. That's just as well. Small triumphs friend, small triumphs are what I'm after.”

Attentions stolen away for a moment as a piping hot soup of some sort came rushing passed, an assault on the senses in the best possible way. Unconsciously Yun pressed the index finger of his right hand to his lips. The slightest mouthing of the tip began to abate his greatly exaggerated hunger. “My reservations are simple enough. People I find prefer those who set up shop, become part of the community. Traveling about, well there's trust issues you see? Not to mention that while there is a demand for the services we might provide, supply is not so short these days. Though it may be too forward I must wonder aloud if there are prospects lined up for this enterprise of yet?”