Yan Provincial Roleplay

[Aisha]

The warrior staggered from the sudden kiss but managed a couple more steps to stand beside the horse and braced the back of his arm which supported the scholar's back against the steed's flank. His hold on Kang tightened too and hugged him close in his arms as he more received the kiss than returned it. After what felt like a long time, Ping drew back from his oath-brother, he grinned at him and shook his head to make his short hair whip around before settling back to hang partially over his eyes.

"You're asking for it now. Maybe they didn't bruise you up enough?" He grinned wider and grabbed Kang's behind firmly with one hand before hefting him up onto the back of the horse with his legs over one side. "No time for that now, though, gotta get away from this place." He jumped up behind the scholar with practised ease and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist as the other hand took up the reigns. "Some ruler dude said he has work for me in Linzi. I told him I'd go there after I found you. We'll get to a place to rest up on the way, though." He kicked the horse into a slow trot, allowing the poor creature a rest from the frantic pace they were keeping before, and he hugged Kang close in a seemingly protective way.

[Meia]

"It's alright, it's alright, come on."

He moved close to Ding Yi and placed a hand on her head, gently stroking it. Given the warrior's personality, some would think the man held base motives, but Zhuwen had no such inclination to take advantage of the lady. For now he just wanted to comfort a friend and get her to safety before Shi Tong would fine her.

"Look, I'm not gonna lie. Some of the officers may have been captured, some may have escaped. The best thing to do right now is for you to get to safety and then search for your friends. You need to take this calmly, I know it might be hard seeing the circumstances but you must know from reading military texts that one needs to stay composed even when the situation turns to crap. I don't think staying in this city is the best choice, I have a small camp outside with a few of my followers. You'll be safe there and I'll help you search for your friends once this take over dies out."

Ding Yi eased a little, her eyes searching Zhuwen's while she absorbed what he was saying. Still nervously shaky and breathing deeply, she struggled to focus and think. Eventually she concurred that Zhuwen had provided the best option for the situation. Anything else could be discussed in a safer place and time. "..Yes, you are right. We have to get away of here." She nodded weakly, then gathered herself to stand, quickly wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve. She followed Zhuwen closely to escape the city for the latter's camp.

[Kayfen]

The warrior staggered from the sudden kiss but managed a couple more steps to stand beside the horse and braced the back of his arm which supported the scholar's back against the steed's flank. His hold on Kang tightened too and hugged him close in his arms as he more received the kiss than returned it. After what felt like a long time, Ping drew back from his oath-brother, he grinned at him and shook his head to make his short hair whip around before settling back to hang partially over his eyes.

"You're asking for it now. Maybe they didn't bruise you up enough?" He grinned wider and grabbed Kang's behind firmly with one hand before hefting him up onto the back of the horse with his legs over one side. "No time for that now, though, gotta get away from this place." He jumped up behind the scholar with practised ease and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist as the other hand took up the reigns. "Some ruler dude said he has work for me in Linzi. I told him I'd go there after I found you. We'll get to a place to rest up on the way, though." He kicked the horse into a slow trot, allowing the poor creature a rest from the frantic pace they were keeping before, and he hugged Kang close in a seemingly protective way.

Kang gasped and gave him a scolding look when he grabbed his rear, but the expression was cracked piece by piece by a grin. He wobbled awkwardly on the horse as he found his balance. Once situated, he let out a great sigh of relief. "Ah, Zhiyou Xiao Ma, the only thing in the world harder to tolerate than yourself is being apart from you. That continues to be the one thing I have yet to make sense of." The grin softened into a smile, though Ping wouldn't see it. "Thank you for finding me, my love."

[Aisha]

The warrior chuckled and rested his chin lightly against the shoulder of his taller companion. "It'll never happen again, I swear. We can make it a con, c-ca, what's that thing? A comtition...? Make the next boss say you never have to go into battle. Make 'em swear it! Yeah, that'd do it. Maybe sign something, that makes it like they have to do it, right? Otherwise people don't trust 'em any more if they break their oath. Yeah, it'll work out." Ping closed his eyes and hugged Kang closer before whispering into his ear. "I had to come find you, Kang...I was about ready to burst." He kissed the side of the scholar's neck and let the well trained horse follow the road they were on.

~

"Ahhh! That feels better." He flopped onto his back on the bed, dressed in his spare cotton shirt and hemp pants, and laced his fingers behind his head. His cheeks were still a bit rosy from the hot bath he had just taken and he relaxed with his eyes closed for a long few moments. "I couldn't find your book when I was pack-" He lifted a hand up to his mouth as he was interrupted by a yawn before continuing: "-ing. I kinda thought maybe ya had it with you." He smacked his lips and slipped his hand behind his head again before sighing lazily. "Man, riding so hard really takes it out of me." He sat up on his elbows and opened his eyes slightly to see if Kang had followed him into the room yet. "I was gonna ah-" A loud growling noise made him stop mid-sentence, closely followed by a gurgling sound, then he rolled over onto his side and curled up clutching his stomach. "Aaaaoooow...!" He moaned into the bed as he buried his face in the covers. "Ka'g! Foooood!" There was a thud as he rolled onto the floor, still clutching his stomach, and groaned in pain weakly.

[OneEyedDrgn]

Ding Yi eased a little, her eyes searching Zhuwen's while she absorbed what he was saying. Still nervously shaky and breathing deeply, she struggled to focus and think. Eventually she concurred that Zhuwen had provided the best option for the situation. Anything else could be discussed in a safer place and time. "..Yes, you are right. We have to get away of here." She nodded weakly, then gathered herself to stand, quickly wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve. She followed Zhuwen closely to escape the city for the latter's camp.

Zhuwen nodded, contended to know she was able to compose herself and go through with his suggestion. He was considerate enough to ask Ding Yi if she needed help in walking while they made their way through the town. The warrior made sure to be weary of any of Shi Tong's men, who seemed not to have entered the city yet. In due time, they were at the gate of the city to the north and two men with horses were waiting for their leader to arrive.

"Chief! You're back I see, and umm..." The short, fat, and bald man looked at Ding Yi.

"Another woman? You sure work hard Chief..." said the other follower, tall and lanky, almost as if he was the opposite of the other soldier.

"It's nothing like that," Zhuwen said with a smile as he got on his steed. He looked over to Ding Yi. "Yi, take one of the horses. The camp isn't too far, we'll be there pretty quickly."

"Eh? Chief we only have three." The bald man, obviously not the brightest, looked around in confusion.

"That's why you're riding with Pang. Now hurry up."

"B-But that's..."

"Shut up. I'm not hearing any complaints, get on your damn horses."

The two subordinates looked at each other, and begrudgingly, the tall soldier know as Pang got on his horse while the fat one got on from behind. Zhuwen seemed not to care for the dissatisfaction of these two men, as he looked back at Ding Yi.

"Are you alright so far?"

[Meia]

"Another woman? You sure work hard Chief..." Yi shot a look of surprise at the taller guard who spoke those words. She took the chance to look away when Zhuwen stepped forward and moved towards his steed, her feet shifted slightly in discomfort, but otherwise she pretended not to have heard it.

"I'm fine.." the response she muttered to Zhuwen was not very convincing, especially when her sights turned toward the remaining free horse.

She was cautiously reaching out for the reins when the beast suddenly stirred, its hooves pounding the ground as its dark muscular body swerved about. Ding Yi inhaled sharply and pulled herself back a couple of steps, wishing Bai Guan was around to secure and ride the steed with her as he often did. "I..uh..I'm not a good rider. I can't ride it on my own." she looked to Zhuwen, her apprehension was clear in her face.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience..!" Turning a little red-faced, she gave them an apologetic bow for taking up precious time.

[Kayfen]

"Ahhh! That feels better." He flopped onto his back on the bed, dressed in his spare cotton shirt and hemp pants, and laced his fingers behind his head. His cheeks were still a bit rosy from the hot bath he had just taken and he relaxed with his eyes closed for a long few moments. "I couldn't find your book when I was pack-" He lifted a hand up to his mouth as he was interrupted by a yawn before continuing: "-ing. I kinda thought maybe ya had it with you." He smacked his lips and slipped his hand behind his head again before sighing lazily. "Man, riding so hard really takes it out of me." He sat up on his elbows and opened his eyes slightly to see if Kang had followed him into the room yet. "I was gonna ah-" A loud growling noise made him stop mid-sentence, closely followed by a gurgling sound, then he rolled over onto his side and curled up clutching his stomach. "Aaaaoooow...!" He moaned into the bed as he buried his face in the covers. "Ka'g! Foooood!" There was a thud as he rolled onto the floor, still clutching his stomach, and groaned in pain weakly.

Kang followed Ping into the room after he had flopped onto the bed, though he heard what he had said. When Ping finally remembered he did in fact need to eat food, the scholar shook his head and sighed. "You will have to feed yourself, Ping. Every muscle in my body is still screaming from the campaign." Forgoing his usual grace, he too flopped onto the bed, not bothering to look at his oath brother. "You will never learn if I feed you every time. What will you do if we are separated again?"

[Aisha]

He rolled onto his back and was strangely quiet for a moment. "Probably die." He answered, frankly, then he jumped to his feet with a grunt of effort. "Hrmmm...where's that bag...? A-ha!" He pounced on the saddle bag beside the door and pulled it open. The first thing he found that felt edible he pulled out of the bag and bit into. It turned out to be an apple. "Ew...huh?" He took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "Sorta sour. I like!" He ate his way through the apple, which he had actually packed for his horse, and devoured it core and all. Once he was done he snatched the other one from the bag and brought it over to the bed. He knelt beside the bed and rested his chin on the edge. "Kaaaang?" He lifted his hand with the apple in it in offering. "You want? I'll go get us real food after. Rice? Chicken? You like chicken...I promise I'll try to get it without any seasoning." He smiled at the scholar and hoped that his mood would improve. He'd been through a lot lately so it was important to be extra nice to him.

[Kayfen]

"Urgh, no. No thank you, Ping. You are too kind, however, my stomach is none too kind to me." He rested a hand limply over his belly and shut his eyes, though a long groan soon passed his lips. "Let me lie here for a while. A long while. Wake me in three days."

[Aisha]

Ping looked worried, as worried as one could while chewing their way through an apple, and he nodded as he climbed onto the bed to kneel besides his oath brother. "You just wanna rest? Don't need anything else? Prolly water would be a good idea, you always tell me to have water when I don't feel well, and you're a doctor so I'll get you some soon." He reached over and very gently rubbed Kang's stomach, in a little circle, if he would allow it. "I remember one time I ate some weird looking mushrooms in the forest, cos my friend said I didn't have the balls to do it, heh, proved him wrong!" He grinned in a silly way and then continued: "It was cool at first cos I could see all blurry rainbow outlines when people moved and the leaves in the trees and stuff but then I threw up a whole lot. Felt better after, though." He gave a hopeful smile and watched Kang as though his words warranted some type of response.