[Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:47 am

"Thank you."

Dewang falls in step behind his guide and follows quietly.

After a few more steps, it hits him that he is being terribly rude. He'll have to say something.

"Er, what is your name?"
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Last edited by Kivutar on Sun May 20, 2018 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby CarrieVS » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:03 am

"Oh! I'm sorry." He hadn't thought to introduce himself. "I am Mao Xu."
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:17 am

"My name is Du Zhiteng Dewang."

He stops, trying desperately to think of something polite to say.

"Have you served the Governor for long?"
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Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby CarrieVS » Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:53 am

"Only for six months." Baozi is the youngest and most junior of Governor Liu's secretaries.

Du (or should it be Dewang? Would that be presumptuous? Probably not, when they are of the same rank, more or less) seems very polite to him. Maybe he didn't offend him after all. Of course, now he has to make conversation.

"It is a good position. But I imagine it must be very interesting to be in General Lu's army. Have you fought the Yellow Scarves yet?"
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:04 am

Dewang grimaces involuntarily, a shudder going through his body. Flames flicker behind his eyes and he feels the great gale rushing again through his fingers.

"Yes. No. Please, speak of something else."
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Last edited by Kivutar on Sun May 20, 2018 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby CarrieVS » Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:45 pm

Oh no. "I- I am so sorry." Even Baozi can tell that the poor man is deeply distressed.

He scarcely dares to try again. He has done everything wrong. Why must this task have fallen to him? He is very good with the Governor's correspondence and the archives, but he is not good at this, not at all. Fortunately, the conversation has proceeded so slowly that they are nearly there. He lets the silence drag on for a few more painful moments.

"Here is the library." He hesitates. If it were him, he would like to be left quite alone, especially after a tiring journey, and then being so painfully upset by a fool of a secretary. He would wish himself to just leave. But he had better try to make amends first.

"Would you like me to help you find anything? I read a great deal myself, so I know this library quite well by now. But perhaps you would rather be left in peace?"
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:21 pm

Dewang feels yet another pang of guilt go through him. Frightening this poor young man needlessly, how typical of him.

He'll try to be more friendly.

"No, please stay." He pauses and breathes deeply. "Earlier... it wasn't your fault. Please forget it. Can you show me where the religious texts are kept?"
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Last edited by Kivutar on Sun May 20, 2018 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Ladki96 » Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:27 pm

Wenchang is so distracted that he doesn't even notice when the Governor's secretary had shown them to the apartments and left as well. He is full of thought as he washes his face. The more he sees of General Lu Bu, the less he likes. He had been inspired by his speeches in Jinyang, and had eagerly volunteered his blade in battle against the rebels, not caring if it means his death. He is still firmly loyal to the Emperor, but has lately started having troubled thoughts over the man who will lead him in said battles. Try as he might, he can't get the General's enthusiastic permission and then delight at the dishonourable way in which they took - or rather, razed - a city, out of his mind. And even now, the way he rode like a man possessed, as if they were urging their horses toward a rebel raid on a village instead of a simple palace meeting, in a crowded city where any civilian may easily fall under the hooves... It is good fortune that no one did, as he proudly recalls his troops' prompt actions that ensured the people's safety.

Wenchang wipes his face with a cloth. He has never been able to hold back from expressing his honest opinion out loud, and it has gotten him in sticky situations before. But he will have to at least try and suppress this one. Though he would dearly like to do the opposite, it would be most shameful and wrong to criticise one's superiors. The best he could do for now would be to advise General Lu as best he could to take the better course in strategic meetings. Wenchang thinks of Junyou, newly made Captain instead of being stripped of what little rank he has for his actions, and now assigned alongside him under Colonel Hou Chen. He frowns. Setting Bei Ye on fire will definitely not be the last reprehensible plan Junyou would tempt the General with. Well, if he does try, he will certainly not have a smooth time of it as long as Wenchang is in the same room.

Wenchang steps outside the apartment, and realises he doesn't know the building at all. He looks in Dewang's rooms but the man is nowhere to be seen. The secretary too having disappeared, Wenchang makes his way to the dining area relying on the directions of the servants he meets.
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Last edited by Ladki96 on Sun May 20, 2018 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby CarrieVS » Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:28 pm

"Of course. Over here."

The conversation turning to literature, Baozi is rather better able to hold up his end of it, and begins to relax. Soon the library's texts are relegated to infrequent reference in their discussion, which turns from religious writings to spiritualism. Baozi mentions cautiously that an ancestor of his was a shaman of the Di people, who - his grandmother used to tell him - could use a kind of spirit magic to take the forms of animals.

He carefully leaves out any suggestion of knowing any more about his ancestor than family stories. But Du is enthusiastic about the topic of magic, and Baozi listens to him talk about it with great interest, albeit also with care not to let slip any hint of his own abilities in that respect. It is his secret, he does not like people to know.

By the time he remembers that it will soon be time to bring the four officers to dine with the Governor and the General he has lost by far the greater part of his nervousness and the two are, if not quite firm friends, at least warmly enough acquainted that without question they are De Wang and Baozi to one another.
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:24 am

Dewang's heart begins to feel lighter as time passes. It is not often, especially since he joined with the military, that he finds a kindred spirit.

Then, when dinner is mentioned, he returns to reality with a jolt. It will not be very long until Baozi finds out what he has done, and the man will hate him as anyone would.
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Last edited by Kivutar on Sun May 20, 2018 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Cpt._Funkotron » Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:58 am

Junyou retires to his room.

"What should I do with the children, Junyou?" asks Kongzhi.
"Entertain them or something."
"If you think I'm going to get them singing in rounds, you have another thing coming. I'm not good with children, I'm certainly not your nursemaid."
"Then just keep an eye on them, alright? I dine with the governor tonight, I'll proffer him their case when I get the chance. Luck willing they'll be off your chest by tomorrow morning."
"They'll hunt us down when they're grown, you know. You could have just set fire to the barracks, but of course you had to make a grand gesture and destroy the entire town. People will not forget what Liang Ju and his 'gentlemen of the hills and streams' did, you can be damn sure of that."
"Best hope they don't all get the same idea at the same time, eh?" chuckles Junyou. He lies down on his bed and closes his eyes. "Send someone to wake me up before dinner."
"By 'someone' do you mean your valet, or a courtesan?"
He yawns. "Surprise me."
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Scarik » Mon Jan 22, 2018 10:21 pm

An hour before the sun goes down officials are dispatched to inform the guests that dinner will begin shortly. It isn't a state dinner nor a feast but it is still hardly a casual event. Thus all the guests are subtly reminded to wear their very best robes and mind their courtesies.

The governor's private dining room has a large, round table set up for thirty people though from the size of the room (and Baozi's experience) the table can be enlarged to seat as many as 50. The table itself is a large ring so that servants can move about within to ensure the food dishes are filled and that the guests never have to pass heavy bowls among themselves.

Around the outsides more servants, primarily young women, ferry hot water for the tea pots, carafes of wine and smaller bottles of baijiu.

Each place is set with a large plate containing an empty bowl into which the guests rice will be spooned, as well as a finely crafted porcelain spoon and a pair of chopsticks whose material denotes the rank of the guest. The decorations of the porcelain similarly denote rank though they are naturally harder to see from afar.

Captains and ranking Clerks are the lowest rank of the guests and receive bronze chopsticks etched with growing bamboo. Colonels are given silver worked to show towering trees while General Lu Bu's chopsticks are gold and made especially for him with cavalry designs. The Governor's are of rare rose gold and display a dragon with four claws to show his proximity to the Imperial line.

Liu Yan of course sits at the place of honor facing the entrance to the room with Lu Bu immediately to his left and then a second general unknown by sight to the men from Bingzhou. Then the colonels sit with Hou Chen first and then several other colonels from Youzhou including one who is clearly a close relation of the unknown general. The last of them is a man of almost regal bearing.

Due to Lu Bu's favor, Junyou sits as the highest of the captains despite being the newest and so he sits beside the regal gentleman with Wenchang to his left and Dewang to his. Baozi is seated beside Dewang in what is a clear slight to the next two men. After all Baozi is not a guest so normally precedence would be given to those guests of his own rank.

The man immediately to Baozi's left is a giant of a man in a rich green robe. He is not particularly wide but he must nearly eight chi in height when standing full. He seems to be taking the insult in stride unlike his companion whom the tall man frequently speaks to in an attempt to calm him. The second man is of more average height and barrel chested like Wenchang. His manners seem poor but he handles his chopsticks with the deftness of a master painter in stark contrast to his loud voice which even in whisper carries three or four place settings.

It takes several minutes to seat everyone. Once that is done the serving women come around and pour each officers a cup of strong baijiu. When everyone has a drink the governor stands.

"Welcome to this humble home," Liu Yan says with practiced grace, "Among us are officers of exceptional skill and fame as well as those whose promise is great despite their origins. Let us give voice to our common cause as we join together to honor our great and divine lord, Emperor Ling of Han. Ganbei*!"

As he must have done thousands of times before the governor lifts his bowl and drains it completely at his own command. As he finishes the guests are expected to drink theirs in a similar fashion.

*Literally: upend your bowl
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Kivutar » Tue Jan 23, 2018 12:06 am

After the toast is over, Dewang turns to Baozi and speaks in an undertone.

"I'm very glad to have you beside me," he says, "but -"
He glances over at the two men on Baozi's left.

"Do you know the reason for this arrangement?"
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Last edited by Kivutar on Sun May 20, 2018 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby CarrieVS » Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:30 am

Baozi loathes the taste of baijiu, but has had enough practice at this to get it down gracefully. No sooner is the toast finished than De Wang is whispering to him.

Baozi glances at Guan Yu, and looks away quickly, not wanting to risk meeting the eyes of the man he is being made to slight. But at least he has that solid barrier between him and the irate Zhang Fei - with whom he would gladly exchange places if it were possible. How can De Wang expect him to answer such a question right here next to those concerned? But it would be too rude to ignore him completely.

"It is because of their elder," he breathes, as quietly as he can, with a slight nod towards the man who has been placed lowest amongst the Colonels. He daren't say more, even in a whisper.
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Last edited by CarrieVS on Wed May 23, 2018 3:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [Fate RP] Romance of the Three Kingdoms: CE184

Postby Ladki96 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:19 am

Wenchang glares at the man to his right as he sits, then as they settle down the governor mercifully calls for a toast, and he downs the wine in one swift motion, almost grateful for the warmth that provides as a distraction.

Wenchang looks to his left to see Dewang whispering with the careless secretary that led them to the apartments. He seems to avoid his eyes, and does not speak with him. Wenchang wonders if his friend - if he is that anymore - had taken serious offence at his reproach the other week. The man certainly hadn't gone near him after that night, seeming rather busy. Wenchang can't help but feel a slight disquiet. What Dewang did was grievously wrong but perhaps he should have considered the man's seniority before recklessly taking liberties with him.

When Dewang seems free for a moment Wenchang looks towards him. "Where did you go after we settled in? I looked but you were not in your rooms."
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Last edited by Ladki96 on Sun May 20, 2018 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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