Fantasy Yuheng's Art of Love

[SomebodyElse]

It was a great festival. Most of the kingdom knew that sooner or later one of the two princes of Jianyu would be crowned soon. It was well known that Emperor Yao's health had been deteriorating despite the long prosperous rule that his reign had brought. Many of the women in Jianyu had dressed up in an attempt to win the hearts of one of the two princes.

That wasn't really what Yuheng had been here for. Perhaps it was the celebration, the tradition, the games and the food. Or the people interacting happily. Shops being set up throughout the streets. Many were participating in the festivities. Supposedly there would be performances and music too later. This was undoubtedly the perfect place to find inspiration to complete her novel. She still didn't know what to call the novel yet. It was largely in the works. But that dream that she'd meet people and be part of something grand had her creativity running nonstop lately. It had costed the young girl abit of money but a dress had been bought. Not for anyone but herself. She could care less about forming a reputation here. She was simply here to have fun, and observe the festival.

Running through the street she was on she could see many kids dashing by with laughter. There was a shopkeeper selling all sorts of trinkets too. Lanterns lit the street as people talked and gathered together in groups.
Nobody would think much of her right now, she tended to keep a lower profile although she had heard words spoken of her journey throughout the years.

Her previous master had been a elderly yokai who had passed away. Yuheng wasn't really sure where to go now. Her travels often led her all over the countries. Still perhaps it would be best to find someone to call home permanently for once. She wasn't a child anymore. She was practical an adult now. She had wandered into the shop and noticed the shopkeeper was a old man who was sweeping the shop.

"Everything is half off today." How much Tael did Yuheng have? Not enough to really do too much she sighed.
"Have you heard? The Queen of Wei is arriving on a diplomatic mission to Jiangyu." The old man said.
Now that was something. Wei was very militaristic. She had heard that the country had been in many wars in the last decade and had crushed all opposition. She didn't particularly want Jianyu to ever have to go to war with Wei but it didn't seem likely currently as the countries traded often.
"No I haven't. Do you have any Red Eye Cat's Gems?" A red eye's cat's gem wasn't actual a gem but a plant that had medicinal value. They had to be grown very attentively but were useful for someone practicing medical skills like yuheng.

 

[Mianigh]

Shi YingJie 士英杰

The sun shone brightly on the festive streets of Jianyu's crowded capital. Everywhere the chatter of voices drowned out any comprehensible language. Circus performers, actors, and shopkeepers yelled into the din hoping to catch some susceptible ears for which to draw their way, and in a dark alley somewhere between a fanciful boutique and a greasy inn five men sat around a partially rotten wooden crate leaned in to await the finalé of their game. The man at the head of the crate had everyone's attention and he was glancing furtively back and forth from the game to his clients. His skin was a blur of dirt and flesh tones as his fingers wove seamlessly through the air over three identical porcelain cups. A small red ball was bouncing quickly in and out of sight from underneath the fragile dishware. As time dragged on and the speed of his movements increased, the ruffians sitting around the crate were getting more and more antsy. They debated quietly among themselves over which cup would be the correct one as the need for them to choose grew nearer and nearer. Only one of them sat serenely away from the others, his eyes never leaving the cup-wielder's, his posture, even while cross-legged, impeccable. The cup slammed down, seeming to echo through the alley despite the noise of the streets. An argument broke out between the three players as to who would have the final say on which cup to pick. Nobody could agree, the violence escalated... Then suddenly a hand reached out, grabbing the cup-wielding dealer's sleeve and shaking it free. The dealer yelped, reeling back, but it was too late. A small red ball shot out of his crumpled clothing and sailed into an open hand poised to grab it as if it had always been there. The calm figure, was now standing and grinning widely as he held his trophy aloft.

"Now how much did you say this pot was worth?" Jie asked, unable to keep the smug satisfaction from his voice. The other three players who had been fighting among themselves quickly turned their attentions to the upstart interrupter. "Oi!" the biggest, meanest looking one, who was probably their boss, shouted. "Stop tat! Give him the ball back. Ya just ruined ta game fer everyone!" And then just as suddenly as the brute had aimed his words at Jie, he turned on the dealer whose arm was still being grappled in the air. "Is thisn some kinder trick? Did the two of yous stage thisn to cheat us o' our money?" The two lackeys behind him echoed their encouragement to the idea. The dealer struggled fruitlessly, trying to wrench his arm away but Jie was not letting go.
"No, no, I swear! Please, somebody help! I'm being framed!"


Cong DaLing 聪大领

DaLing was wandering through the market today, eyeing trinkets laid out on silken throws by the shopkeepers who had planned their day around this evenings festivities. There weren't too many accessories or gadgets for men in these sorts of conventions, surprisingly enough. Though many men toured through the streets laughing and bantering, perusing wares they would otherwise not see, not many actually stopped to purchase anything, as would be expected. Much of what the martial arts master had passed so far today were fancy shoes, women's hair pins, and frilly foreign knick-knacks that had held his attention for no longer than a second. Despite that, he had a mission in coming to the market today. DaLing's hair was long and grey at this point and he often tangled pins and sticks into its locks. It was time to buy a new hair piece, preferably something of a more regal craftsman or design.

"Please, somebody help!"

DaLing turned at a voice cutting through the din of festive street noise and honed his ancient ears to the spot it was coming from. The sound of a person crying for help always met his attention even in the most cacophonous of environments. Sure enough, In the blink of an eye, he appeared in the alley somewhere between a boutique and an old, grimy inn and stopped dead in his tracks. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to find Shi YingJie... his prized pupil and burden to his aging heart, stood there holding a man's arm aloft while heavy-set thugs squared to kick his teeth in at a moment's notice. What a pain in my arthritic buttocks, DaLing groaned internally, his face forming into a masterful sneer. A second passed as Jie's eyes widened in recognition.

"SHI YINGJIE, YOU FOOL!"


Ooc: First post ^^! Will start to interact more in the next one.

 

[SomebodyElse]

Lu was tired of meeting and conversing with women he didn't care about at all. He was more concerned with his father's health. The idea that his father could die was more important than a future wife.
Still he was far away from where his father was being taken care of. It was supposed to be a celebration, a festival but it really didn't feel like a good day. He was hoping his brother would be named Emperor but somehow he doubted it with his obsession with women. Lu was always a more mature and serious individual and it was well known. Still he didn't want to be Emperor. He also had heard news of The Queen of Wei arriving on a diplomatic mission. He knew that Wei was a very militarized country. He doubted a war against Wei would ever be a good thing, he always hoped Wei would remain on peaceful terms with Jianyu but he knew that if Wei ever attacked Jianyu, his country would surely fall. He heard the stories of the treaty of the two lovers many times from his father. Two individuals from Wei and Jianyu fell in love and eventually got the two rulers to form a peace treaty between two hostile countries hundreds of years ago.
But what about him. He would likely be forced to marry someone he didn't care for...

He had needed to get away from it all. He wandered through the streets, saw plenty of happy children and booming merchants. He was glad to see the citizens of Jianyu happy but it didn't really help him feel better about the future. Yet something about a shop he noticed caught his eye. He never had seen a store selling such various items. Medical supplies, toys, spices, and more.
He popped inside to take a closer look and noticed a young woman was conversing with the shopkeeper. He never had seen her before which left him to believe that she likely was from either the countryside or another country. He heard her ask for Red Eye Cat Gems.

That was something only doctors ever sought to buy. She seemed quite young to be the level of professional that would be able to work with such a rare plant.
As if to interrupt his thoughts the shopkeeper spoke up noticing him.
"Ah your highness. I am most humble to have you here!"
He didn't really intend to draw attention and even the women turned around to look at him. Although she didn't look at him with admiration. She had an empty look on her face that made him feel like that she had other important things on her mind. It was tough to tell what she could have possibly been thinking about.