Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Dhi on 05-07-2015, 00:47:29</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 00:47:29</strong>
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				Headers<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img height=200]&lt; URL for your avatar image, if desired &gt;[/img][/floatleft]<br>[b]Name :[/b]<br>[b]Element :[/b]<br>[b]Location &amp; Time :[/b]<br>[b]Tagging :[/b]<br></code></pre><br><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/35/Bamboo_river.jpg)</div><br>On the first eve of the annual Paper Boat Festival, Lord Chiang hosted a private banquet in the courtyard of the palace gardens. The lord's closest courtiers were invited to share a table with the visitor from across the river, who had arrived ahead of the paper boats drenched in black silk.<br><br>The pear trees were in full creamy bloom. Lord Chiang's gentle gardeners stood on ladders in the corners of the garden, pollinating each tree's ten thousand blooms by brush. At the foot of the shrine, a string musician in flowing silk skirts played softly while the servants arrived with courses of rare meat, lovingly grown vegetables, and flavorful sticky rice. But through it all, the elegant pillow beside Lord Chiang remained unoccupied.<br><br>Finally, a concubine came to whisper in the lord's ear. The stony way he listened said volumes. He spoke with regret, "It seems my daughter will not be joining us. She sends her well wishes."<br>"Is she ill, lord?" the woman from across the river asked. It was not the first time she'd pressed the lord for information where others would show decorum, and her smile was not wholly sympathy. "Wudang medicine has miraculous properties. I would be remiss as your guest if I did not offer my services." The slightest bow made the feathers at Gao Kuan Jiang's collar shimmer and her multiple piercings stir like tiny wind chimes.<br>"No. Her duties have merely left her weary. I must refuse your offer."<br>Kuan Jiang's eyes twinkled.<br><br>Soon the final bowl of plain rice was served. It was understood by most, this final rice was not to be touched, or risk insult to the lord's feast. Kuan Jiang rose from the banquet, to tour the garden and to be entertained. Her dark eyes were often curious, and Lord Chiang could not leave while she remained. From the pagoda, he looked out over the wall to the bright paper lanterns of the festival. He did not see the shadow creep into the garden, or the lantern snuffed by a silent dart.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 00:48:20</strong>
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				Down the polished steps from the lord's palace, brightly lit by the licking flames of stone lanterns, Judge Fu Li Shin led six of the lord's Wardens. Behind her twisting serpentine sashay, the men followed with polearms high into the unfolding chaos of the market. "In any festival, there will be thieves. Any man who does not find me one is unobservant."<br><br>"Finest silk patterns," a merchant cried from a stall curtained by reams upon reams of soft fabric. "Perfect Bamboo River pearls, pride of Pai Sun," cried another, nacre as uncountable as the stars arranged in poorly watched dishes.<br>"Peerless jade sculpture, relic of Emei people!"<br>"Magic Wudang stone, wards away tigers!"<br>Gold flowed like the rippling waters of the high river, jangling heavy into drawers, flying haphazard through the air across market crowds. The fine silk gowns of the village's best dressed ladies did not come with pockets, and everywhere there was a fat, trusting purse, oft stretched at the seams.<br><br>"You will split up and patrol the market," Li Shin told the Wardens, "and I will be watching to ensure you stay alert." Her finger darted up under the chin of a taller man, and an adam's apple bobbed. "Because my eyes are twice as sharp." Li Shin's severity as a Judge, it was said, left far deeper marks than the pierce of a spear. The temptation of her was a cruel jest by the gods. "And the lord has seen fit to have me test you men from Jeju."<br><br>Li Shin was not the only one watching the Wardens. From her table in the tea house, Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung counted the polearms raised like flags over the crowd. A sip of her sweet tea, a shift of her curves in the unfamiliar tea house seat which was not her own desk, and she peneed clean hanzi into her report how thieves could spot guards from afar, how stiffly they handled those long weapons. But, where had the Judge gone? For a silvery-haired woman, she was surprisingly slippery.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 00:50:11</strong>
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				Out the back of the tea house slipped a dark-hooded young woman, moving briskly but in small and delicate steps. The market and its fabulous treasures held no interest for she with a comb made of gold and ruby. Away from the fiery lights of the market and the patrolling Wardens she moved, to the crowds gathering on the edge of the Bamboo River. In the distance, the paper boats were slowly drifting from An Yung with mysterious gifts, and a crowd awaited them. The young could not resist removing their shoes and wading out into the summer water, to be the first to receive. An old woman with a wooden box clutched to her heart watched a single boat with a blue ribbon tied to its aft. The splashing, and the laughter, and the games started in earnest.<br><br>A single gold sycee splashed into the water off the docks, and a dozen farmer's sons and daughters dove in to discover it among the kelp and reeds and freshwater oysters. Farther still, and a shrewd man was introducing the great stone disc balanced artfully on a single spire over the river's water. "Many fanciful tales I have heard about Pai Sun as the birthplace of kung fu! To all comers, let such claims weigh upon the scales of truth, for whosoever is last standing is surely the greatest of all schools."<br><br>Before the steps could be laid, a nimble woman began hopping across the posts which measured the river's depth, one to the next, with perfect balance. With one final great leap, she landed in the center of the carefully balanced slab.<br>"Xiang Xiao comes representing the Kongtong school." The man was proud to introduce her. "Who among you is skilled enough to challenge Kongtong?"<br>Several tried to follow her across the posts, but each slipped and fell into the water. A narrow post splintered apart under a man's weight. At the sound of the crowd's laughter, Xiang Xiao began to remove her trailing silk to reveal an oiled body. bands of linen went threadbare pinning down her bosom. Vigilant wives covered their husband's eyes.<br>"Well?"<br><br>The steps were laid for all comers to approach. Li Ling, representing Emei, Fen Fang, representing Shaolin, Hui An, representing Beggar Sect, Chan Pao, representing Imperial Kunlun, and many more. The stone shifted slow, back and forth, as the players arrived.<br>"With the settling of old debts, the festival may truly begin."<br><br>The hooded young woman smiled brightly. She hurried to approach the steps, while there was still room on the disc.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 02:34:39</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> open<br><br>Wu Cai stood regally at a street corner, her calm eyes slowly taking in a panoramic of the little market. Her eyes were not entertained, but far from dull or inattentive. She took in what she saw, the hustle and bustle of the traders and buyers, the haggling, the raised voices, the bravado, and passed over it all without much in the way of reaction. One hand idly sat on the hilt of her sword, not because she needed any extra time to draw it, but to alert the less attentive would-be-troublemakers that an emei sword saint watched over this little village.<br><br>Her father Shang would have been greatly offended to not be invited to Lord Chiang's private dinner that evening, but Cai was rather relieved. She took part in the Court's functions and intrigues due to loyalty to her father and truth be told no other reason, there was little she enjoyed about it. It all seemed so unworthy to her, so mundane and dull after her time training in emei style.<br><br>She passed the Lord's Wardens with a polite nod. They were known to her, stout men all who would not shirk their duty, at least while somebody who might report them to the Lord. They were proficient in the most basic sense with their weapons, but no match for any who had trained at one of the four schools. <br><br>She eyed the stone disc with a greater interest, although it did not show itself in her careful eyes. She eyed the woman who bounded across the poles moreso. It was not her skill that was impressive, such maneuvers required some skill to be sure, but it was elementary for any true martial artist, no it was the way that she disrobed that caught the sword saint's eye. Something burned inside of her as her eyes drank in the oiled body barely covered in threadbare linen. The display was offensive to Cai, such things should be kept to private eyes she believed, the public exhibition caused her calm demeanor to become one of distaste as she attempted to concentrate on the other participants. She concentrated hard to remove the image of the beautiful young body from her mind. Surely one of them would put the brazen novice in her place.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 02:52:54</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br>Ta Mei Huai did what she always did at festivals like these - smile and fade into the scenery. As the other concubines did likewise, she slowly walked to and fro, filling cups, serving plates, greeting guests with a simple nod. Usually, Lord Chiang had servants for such things, but, even though the servants were still quite active, the very act of service itself fell to the women of the household. Not the wife, of course, but the concubines. Such was the way of things, and Mei had grown accustomed to it. After years of training and experience, it came naturally to her, almost as naturally as... But there was no time to think about that now.<br><br>Yet think of it she did. Her gaze passed occasionally across the water to the spectacle about to unfold on the poles therein. Was she... wistful? Jealous? It was hard to say, but whichever it may have been if any, she chose not to show it, hiding behind the mask of decorum she had developed - she had to develop - in her time at the castle. It was&nbsp; a good life. Mei had no regrets. <br><br>None she would admit to anyway.<br><br>&nbsp;<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 03:23:16</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/c9/4f/76c94f176269a526fd43dde480c243ba.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Entering the village as the boats begin their journey<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br>Only the slight sway of hips and the tiny mounds in the simple tunic she wore, things no amount of training alone could hide, told an onlooker that the simply-dressed newcomer was in fact a young woman rather than a young man. Save for her rich hair, uncut and tied back with a leather cord, she might have been a&nbsp; monk-apprentice on an errand for his Master, or the younger child of a family of respected beggars. Or, perhaps, an apprentice Apothecary, come to trade herbs and oils in town?<br><br>Naturally, Wǔ Shé was none of these; neither beggar nor monk, on no specific errand- and <em>certainly</em> not male.<br><br>She hadn't actually intended to reach Pai Shun during a Festival time, but clearly Divine Will had other plans for her.&nbsp; At the Temple, later, she might ask what those plans were, so she might make plans of her own to meet them- but she had no expectation of receiving any answer. Nothing useful, at any rate.<br><br>For now, she simply moved through the crowds, bowing politely, smiling at all she met, but keeping a hand firmly on the satchel over her shoulder. Once, as a girl, she might have thought the Divines would smite anyone who dared to resort to thievery on a Festival day, but that illusion, like so many others, had perished in her some time ago. Now she dealt in realities, and the immediate reality, for her, is that she wished for a bowl of spicy noodles, a mug of beer, and a place to bathe and rest. It had been a long and exceptionally uneventful (not to say boring) walk from her last stopping point; this seemed as good a place as any to spend some of the coin she had earned from her last bounty, and a better time than most.<br><br>Perhaps there might be dancing, or even fireworks, to round off the evening?&nbsp; Those would be good things, indeed.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>05-07-2015, 13:51:45</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place about the same time.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin &amp; The Wardens (Sounds like a good name for a 60s band).<br><br><hr><br>"Hey You!" Heini looked around, but the cry was not, for a change, directed at her. It was, however the only name she had ever known, and so she tended to react if anyone called it. She shrugged inwardly and moved on, making her way through the crowded market place. A middle aged man waddled in front of her, his purse tied securely to his belt, chinking a little as it moved on his hip. She turned away. The impact of the purse on the hip was not being noticed, but it's sudden absence would be. A man stood at a baker's stall, haggling over a purchase. He picked his purse from his belt, tipped some coins out and handed them to the merchant, thente tied the string that held the small leather bag in place. <br><br>Heini's small sharp blade was in her hand instantly. The movement was swift, and indiscernible to the eye as she slipped up to the stall beside the man who was accepting his purchase and turning away. The blade severed the chord as though it wasn't there, and the purse dropped into heini's hand, disappeared into a pocket sewn into the inside of her cloak. She eyed the baker's wares hungrily. <br><br>"Hey, you!" <br><br>She looked up into the baker's eyes, "Yes sir?"<br><br>"You have coin? If not, bugger off!" <br><br>She shrugged, staggered slightly as someone shoved against her from behind. "Sorry Sir." She walked away slowly, mingling with the crowd. Only when she was well out of sight of the baker's stall did her hand slip back out of the sleeve of her robe, with a small, crusty roll in it. She smiled and began eating the roll. It was warm and tasted divine. She had just finished it when movement caught her eye. Polearms, weaving their way into the crowd, splitting up, spreading out. Where the wardens were, there would be... <br><br>Ah yes. The young thief caught sight of the silver-white hair of the judge. Just a glimpse and she was gone, lost in the crowd. Heini grinned. So, the game was afoot! She giggled softly and pretended to be interested in a bolt of cloth as one of the wardens walked past. A pocket on his tunic bulged, and the young woman allowed herself a smirk. Never one to refuse a challenge she casually walked up behind the warden, making sure that Li Shin was not in sight. Her hand slipped into the pocket so delicately, took a hold of the leather purse there and removed it as the man turned away to look towards a possible disturbance on the other side of the market. <br><br>She suppressed a laugh as the slim purse vanished into her own robe. Wardens were not well paid, apparently.<br><br>She moved away through the crowd. Another warden was in front of her, this one had a glitteringly bejewelled dagger poking out of a sheath on his left thigh. Heini brushed past him and his weapon vanished into her cloak, into a leather pouch she had made especially to hold sharper objects. Again she vanoshed into the crowd before the theft was noticed. <br><br>And then, suddenly, right in front of her, but facing the other way, was Li Shin herself. Heini blinked. Could she? Dare she? It would be the ultimate coup, to cut the purse of the judge! Heini sighed softly. She had to at least try. She began weaving through the crowd, following the white haired figure, working her way closer.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>06-07-2015, 00:24:45</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee (pronounced Sin Mihn Hee)<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Participants<br><br>Min-hee had followed the paper boats from Au Yung, along the Bamboo River, to the village of Pai-Sun.&nbsp; The pale ships and their accompanying lanterns her travelling companions along the winding river like blessed spirits of the water.&nbsp; It was a good omen.&nbsp; Min-hee swam with the boats during the day and watched them bob along the slow moving river when falling asleep at night.&nbsp; She did nothing to disturb their travels.&nbsp; That would anger the spirits of sisterhood and harmony that the ceremony honored and Min-hee would never seek to dishonor the spirits.<br><br>It was morning when she arrived at the edge of Pai-Sun where the stone bridges crossed from one shore to the other and a crowd had gathered to see the coming of the paper boats.&nbsp; Min-hee’s bamboo douli shaded her delicate looking features from morning rays and a smile spread along shadowed lips as the children began to wade out to meet the coming boats.&nbsp; They would learn the benefits of discipline in time, but that time was not today.&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee moved deftly through the crowd of onlookers dressed in their favorite habook and hanfu, her own immodest crimson and black silks hidden by a drab monk’s robe.&nbsp; Normally she would forgo the outer layer so she could test her body against the elements, but she was not advertising her presence as a master of Seonjo Wudang, not yet.&nbsp; Like many of the gathered Min-hee attention was drawn to the great stone disk above the swirling river waters and the contestants that were quickly ascending the step after the agile display of Xiang Xiao.&nbsp; Like many men in the gathered townsfolk the sight of Xiao’s oiled flesh glistening in the morning sun drew Min-hee’s eye and the yin within her.&nbsp; It had been many months since she had released her yin to balance her desires, but she was a Seonjo master and could go many more months if necessary. <br><br>The challenge was laid before the masters of all schools and as much as Min-hee had journeyed to Pai-Sun on a personal quest to avenge her ancestors, she was honor-bound to defend her schools among the other masters.&nbsp; Min-hee stepped forward and ascended the steps unhurried to reach the stone disk balanced delicately among the competitors.&nbsp; She had heard of some of the masters by reputation of others she had heard nothing at all.&nbsp; It mattered little.&nbsp; As a Seonjo Master you learned to master yourself first.&nbsp; When you mastered yourself none could defeat you. Upon reaching the stone she gave the man her name and school and stepped lightly upon the stone making no disturbance to the weight of the disk.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br>“Shin Min-hee comes representing Seonjo School of Wudang!” He called to the crowd who murmured in response.&nbsp; Seonjo was a myth to the people of Pai-Sun, alchemists from the haunted forest of Jeju.&nbsp; It was said that a true master of Seonjo as much ghost as man, or in this case woman.&nbsp; Min-hee removed her drab robe to reveal the silken half habook that served as the dress of the Seonjo monastery.&nbsp; Ribbons of Idu script fluttered on the morning breeze as did the hem of silk that caressed sun-kissed thighs supple and full from hard work and the occasional pastry.&nbsp; Min-hee tossed her robe onto one of the poles near to the stone disk and centered took a slow deep breath causing her bosom to rise alluringly.&nbsp; <br><br>She breathed in the scent of the air and the solidity of the stone.&nbsp; She could feel the flow of the water in her veins match the water of the river and the flicking of the paper lanterns in her movements.&nbsp; The golden crucible within stoked by her breath and her eyes alight with the chi that flowed within her body.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>06-07-2015, 01:26:49</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> open<br><br>Wu Cai lingered to watch too long. A few of the locals had noticed her. What had began as expectant nodding towards the direction of the challenging disk became a bit of a clamor for her to participate. And as she took it in Cai realized she had to. She spent so much of her time attempting to look intimidating and skilled as she walked through the public areas that she could not afford to have the people say she was afraid of challenges.<br><br>Yes, that was the reason she approached the stone disc. It had nothing to do with Xiao's oiled flesh glistening in the lights, or the newcomer whose graceful movements seemed almost ethereal. It had nothing to do with thoughts of standing amongst such beauties. Nothing at all, Cai told herself for the umpteenth time.<br><br>As she approached the disc the operator nodded in deference to her. He could tell she was somebody respected locally by the way the crowds parted to let her through. He desperately looked for a name, and the crowd as it was wont to do bailed out the entertainer. From the various shouts he gathered her introduction, and got it almost right. <br><br>"Wu Cai of the Jade Star School of Emei!" The crowd cheered as Cai gracefully landed on the stone disc. She landed with just enough force to unbalance it slightly, and she did so deliberately, watching with just a hint of a smirk as several of the competitors reacted to the movements, rather than having already anticipated them as a true master should.&nbsp; 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>07-07-2015, 03:40:36</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee (pronounced Sin Mihn Hee)<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Participants, Wu Cai<br><br>Shin Min-hee bowed to her competitors, eyes shaded by her douli but alight with chi. Those eyes followed Wu Cai as she was introduced.&nbsp; From the cheers of those gathered around the river it was obvious that the Emei master was known to the people of Pai-Sun. Where Xiang Xiao exuded a predatory strength Wu Cai was a vision of grace and beauty in her golden yellow hanfu cinched waist.&nbsp; It would be such a shame to see such a pretty piece of cloth dunked in river water. <br>&nbsp; &nbsp;<br>The heavy bounce onto the disk did nothing to unsettle Min-hee, she was earth and one with the stone that swayed to the concern of others less balanced.&nbsp; A tiny smile tugged at the edge of her lips, one that nearly matched the rose bud smirk of the beautiful swordswoman.&nbsp; This one had a sense of humor.<br><br>“Good morning Wucai-ssi,” she greeted Cai, honoring her as an equal.&nbsp; “A beautiful day for a contest.”<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>07-07-2015, 15:17:03</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/15/Lian_Xue.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong>Lian Xue<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br>Stark white hair flitted gently in the breeze as the black-clad figure it belonged to, made her way about the village of Pai Sun. Sharp eyes glanced about, taking in the people attending the festival, particularly the participants, though she made no move to become one herself. Instead she just watched, observing them and seeing what they would do. Such contests were rarely the sort of thing she liked to participate in. She wasn't fond of showing off her kung fu to crowds. She preferred more private duels, when she found an opponent worthy of sparring with. To her, the martial arts weren't a sport to be displayed for bragging rights. The perfection of martial arts was about fostering one's own strength, both inner strength and physical power. It was never about glory to her.<br><br>Still, she wasn't without any sense of joy. She enjoyed the spectacle, she enjoyed watching others compete. There was always the chance she'd find someone worthy of interest. Even if there wasn't, there was something about the atmosphere that was simply enjoyable. Not to mention the fact that festivals like this often meant there was a large stock of good wine and good food nearby.<br><br>Her attention was caught by Wu Cai and Shin Min-hee, glancing between the two. A small smile crept on to her lips, even as she heard a rumble in her stomach. She turned away without saying a thing, deciding form just a glance that those two would prove interesting. Regardless, she'd seen all she needed to see. For now, she decided it was time to find something to eat and some wine to wash it down with.<br><br>Coming to this village seemed a decision that would most certainly be rewarded.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>vin26m</strong> on <strong>08-07-2015, 03:13:07</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/d8/Kitana_by_hybridmink-d54prez.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Toy Kitana<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Starting at the tea house, ending on the great stone disc<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung, Wu Cai, Shin Min-hee <br><br>It was early evening when Toy Kitana was working at the Toy Tea House.&nbsp; It was the establishment that was owned by her adoptive parents who took her in after she ran away from a lord - a lord who bought her from her poor merchant parents to settle their debt to him, a lord who wanted to use her as his own personal courtesan.<br><br>Those days were long past.&nbsp; Now she was offering pleasant conversations and exotic dances to customers.&nbsp; <br><br>One such customer was Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung, who seemed focused on looking outside and making notes, notes that Kitana managed to sneak a peek at.&nbsp; The scholar seemed to ignore Kitana, or perhaps the scholar was distracted with her own tasks if not Kitana's appearance.&nbsp; The information Kitana gleaned about thieves noticing guards who handled polearms clumsily could somehow be useful later.<br><br>With the tea house not particularly busy and with plenty of servers working, Kitana's presence seemed unnecessary.&nbsp; With her adoptive parents' reluctant permission, she was allowed to participate in the competition.<br><br>Still wearing the outfit she wore for dancing at the tea house, she stood on the edge of the shore, watching the contestants make their entrances to the contest.&nbsp; Standing at 5'10" and wearing high heels, Kitana stood a head taller than a man of average height, and she had no trouble observing the contest.<br><br><em>"Xiang Xiao comes representing the Kongtong school."</em><br><br>First, there was a fellow member of her school.&nbsp; Xiang Xiao made hopping across the posts look easy.&nbsp; As if that wasn't attention-grabbing enough, she then removed her silks and revealed her athletic body, the curves and muscles accentuated by the light of the flickering lanterns and setting sun and rising moon glistening off her oiled skin.&nbsp; All eyes, at least the uncovered ones, were on her, and Kitana felt a twinge of jealousy.<br><br>Others attempted to join her on the disc, some of whom Kitana did not know by face, name or reputation.<br><br><em>"Shin Min-hee comes representing Seonjo School of Wudang!"</em><br><br>Kitana raised an eyebrow.&nbsp; Seonjo?&nbsp; That was a myth, a legend, and yet, here was a practicioner, or at least one who claimed to be one-<br><br>Then Kitana's eyes widened.&nbsp; She removed her robe and displayed her ample assets.&nbsp; Shin Min-hee was curvier than expected.&nbsp; Under her blue mask, Kitana licked her lips, like she was looking at a sweet cake.<br><br><em>"Wu Cai of the Jade Star School of Emei!"</em><br><br>Another beauty, more conservative in dress but as impressive in skill.&nbsp; Kitana thought she sensed something... conflicted about her.<br><br>It was time for her own entrance.&nbsp; Kitana decided not to show off yet.&nbsp; There would be time for that soon enough once the competition started.&nbsp; She strutted up the steps to the disc.&nbsp; She walked tall, one foot in front of another, like she was modeling the outfit she was wearing.&nbsp; The announcer already knew her name.&nbsp; <br><br><em><strong>"Toy Kitana also comes representing the Kongtong school... and the Toy Tea House!</strong></em><br><br>She smiled under her mask.&nbsp; Even if she didn't win, she was sure to give the crowd a show that would draw them to the tea house.<br><br>After stepping onto the disc, she bowed to the other competitors, each and every one of them, then waited for the event to begin.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-07-2015, 21:46:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Festival market, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini, open<br><br><hr><br>The wealthy merchants could afford real estate in the well lit plaza, but not all were so lucky. In the dim back alleys and with wagon wheels rutted in the mud, poor farmers and basket weavers plied a less extravagant trade. Judge Fu Li Shin paused at the roadside to regard a hand-pushed wagon laid careful with painted pottery. Pulling her silk half cape tight to her slender body let a little of the festival lights spill over these humble wares. "What are you selling, here?" she asked the small woman dressed in nettle cloth. "These look like Gong ceramics. You should be displaying these proudly in the plaza." She savored making the merchant squirm.<br><br>Li Shin leaned over the wagon to claim a little bowl. How audacious a thief would have to be to disturb the purse just barely peeking under the hem of her half cape, snug against a backside tense as steel, nestled between the fangs of daggers. Li Shin turned the bowl in her hands. "No mark? How curious." Her hands positioned on the ceramic curve as though she might close it like a book. "The custom of the Emperor's kilns is to mark each piece. Do you know why?"<br>The seller shook her head quickly. Li Shin moved closer.<br>"To prevent inferior castings poisoning the people of Pai Sun." In Li Shin's grasp, the bowl split down the middle and sent chalky dust and porous fragments raining into the wagon. The merchant coughed.<br><br>"As I thought. Selling counterfeit pottery is a crime." Li Shin stole the merchant's wrist before she could run, and she drew the small woman close. "Do you know what the punishment is for forgery of Imperial goods?" But before they could go anywhere,&nbsp; Judge Fu Li Shin paused. Her silvery hair danced in the fragrant breeze and she didn't seem to breathe. Was someone there?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-07-2015, 22:26:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7e/Namseon.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Definitely not Chiang Nam Seon<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Stone of Judgement, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, Wu Cai, Toy Kitana<br><br><hr><br>A shoulder pushed past Nam Seon to climb the steps. How hasty! She redoubled her efforts, and found an opening to climb atop the stone. So many bodies preceded her that her weight did nothing to displace it now. As she surveyed the other contestants from the shadow of her hood, the betting started. A little money was put forward on Chan Pao, a little on Shin Min-hee, a lot on Wu Cai. Nobody at all bet on the unknown girl who insisted on wearing a cloak to a grappling match. But if she were to take off the hood, yes, that might change their minds. Nam Seon was delighted by the thought. The hood remained, however.<br><br>"What is Seonjo?" she asked no one in particular on her side of the stone, accustomed to being heeded.<br>Xiang Xiao looked her over. "You must be very brave to wear that cumbersome thing. Let's hope it doesn't drown you, when you fall into the water... but I didn't catch your name."<br>Nam Seon stood straighter. "It is my right as a woman to modesty. My name is... it's Zu Zen! I come representing Emei, too." Nam Seon glanced over her shoulder to see if there would be any bets in her made up name. The silence only strengthened her resolve.<br>"Zu? A scholar's name."<br><br>Nam Seon moved aside to let Toy Kitana in. The circle was nearly full. Her heart pounded, her breath slipped from lips too soft to ever have been struck. This would be her chance to prove to her father that she could care for herself, and hold the Chiang family estate without submitting to a Lim husband. She would definitely, definitely win. The steps were taken away, and as Nam Seon bowed to her opponents, she became aware that her cloak was trapped under someone's heel.<br><br>The contest began.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>08-07-2015, 23:02:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place about the same time.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin &amp; The Wardens (Sounds like a good name for a 60s band).<br><br><hr><br>The young thief moved carefully. The Judge was concentrating on various stalls and had gone into a back ally. Heini didn't creep closer, she simply moved. Like a leaf blown by the wind among other leaves, she flowed with the moving crowd. Paying attention to the stalls to either side of the path she walked as she weaved her way through the throng. Just one more anonymous figure among hundreds of others. The slight chill in the air meant her cloak was not conspicuous, plenty of others wore them, and it was designed to look loose and baggy,thus disguising the filled pockets within. <br><br>No-one paid her any attention and she closed quickly on her quarry.<br><br>Fu Li Shin stopped, and began haranguing a stall holder. There! There was the purse that would contain gold of a certainty! Heini moved with the wind. One moment she was standing with her back to the Judge, at a leather goods stall, examining a cheap looking belt, the next she was directly behind the Judge. It was the perfect moment. The Judge reached out to arrest the hapless potter and Heini's blade reached out for the chord holding the purse in place. And froze!<br><br>There was a moment of time in which nothing moved, nothing stirred, The smoke from the incense sticks stopped rising, an insect buzzing around a pie stall stopped in mid-flight.<br><br>Heini knew in that frozen instant of time, that she had just been caught in the act.<br><br>She finished the move, cut the purse, and stepped up to the stall as innocently as she could. "I need a new rice bowl for my Mistress... Oh, is there a problem?" Inside her robe the blade and purse left her hand into a pocket, the hjand pulling out a different purse.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>09-07-2015, 02:00:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> stone disc crew<br><br>Two others joined the little party, one of whom Cai recognized the other she did not. It was not too surprising, the festivals always brought no small number of transients and wanderers. Many of them left their money behind and her father's house profited a great deal from it.<br><br>"Kitana." Cai said with a formal nod to the tea house entertainer. She did not disguise her disapproval of the woman's profession, nor did she disguise her respect for the woman herself. It was a curious thing to look down on what someone did but still treat them as a worthy acquaintance. It was one of Cai's many social talents that she did such things constantly. Still, entertainment was a demand that somebody would take advantage of, and Cai supposed Kitana's style was one of the least of all the potential evils such desires could bring to her little town.<br><br>None of that rationalization had anything to do with what an incredible body Kitana had. Nope, not at all!<br><br>"Welcome to Pai Sun." She said to the stranger she did not recognize. "It is good to see that there are still some schools other than the Jade Star that accept recruits talented enough to compete while clothed." <br><br>She glanced to the others with a dry smile. "I suppose only Emei still holds that distinction." It was a goad, of course, but whether it was done with good spirits or vindictive aggression was entirely in the eye of the beholder, the sword saint's eyes betrayed nothing. <br><br>She could tell there were bets being placed on her. She knew she must win to keep the townsfolk from losing their pitiful savings on stupid gambling. But then again saving people from their own stupidity had become her forte of late, and she half suspected was the main reason her father had insisted she spend so much time in Lord Chiang's court. That thought was buried for the time being as she prepared herself to win this contest. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>vin26m</strong> on <strong>09-07-2015, 12:30:04</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/d/d8/Kitana_by_hybridmink-d54prez.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Toy Kitana<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Starting at the tea house, ending on the great stone disc<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Xiang Xiao, "Zu Zen," Wu Cai <br><br>Toy Kitana looked over her fellow competitors as she waited for the contest to start.&nbsp; She was already feeling limber and stretched out having been prepared to provide dances moments ago at the tea house, so she did not crack her joints or stretch her legs.<br><br>Kitana looked at her Kongtong classmate, Xiang Xiao, from head to breasts to hips to toe and back up.&nbsp; She felt her core starting to warm as she admired Xiao's oily skin.&nbsp; She remembered the days back at the school, when Kitana and Xiao were paired up in exercises.&nbsp; Xiao would be a slippery opponent, but while she may be hard to hang onto, she might have problems of her own grabbing someone.&nbsp; Her potent defense may lead to a poor offense.<br><br>The tea house dancer and hostess gave Xiao a wink, then briefly raised both of her eyebrows at her.&nbsp; Kitana's smile showed in her twinkling eyes.<br><br><em>"You must be very brave to wear that cumbersome thing. Let's hope it doesn't drown you, when you fall into the water... but I didn't catch your name."</em><br><br>Xiao was starting the smack talk.&nbsp; She seemed to like being the first - first on the disc, first to disrobe, first to talk.&nbsp; If Xiao picked up on and accepted Kitana's silent offer to work together until the end, Xiao would not be first into the water, too... just the last one, with Kitana still standing on the disc!<br><br><em>"It is my right as a woman to modesty. My name is... it's Zu Zen! I come representing Emei, too."</em><br><br>Kitana joined in.&nbsp; <strong>"It is your right to modesty, Zu Zen, just as it is your right to lose spectacularly.&nbsp; After all, if I don't rip that cloak off your nubile young body when I grab it, I will just use my grip on that cloak to swing you around and throw you off!&nbsp; If it is your face you wish to conceal, perhaps you should invest in one of these."</strong><br><br>Kitana traced her lips through the blue mask covering the lower half of her face.&nbsp; She glanced over at Xiao, repeating a knowing look at an alliance.&nbsp; If Kitana were willing to back up her fellow Kongtong student in a bit of mockery, she would be willing to support Xiao when the competition started, too.<br><br><strong>"Either way, Zu Zen, that cloak is coming off, and you're ending up in the water.&nbsp; Perhaps it would be wise for you to remove the cloak on your own now so that you may have a chance once we begin.&nbsp; As for modesty, there is a time and place for it.&nbsp; You don't wear that thing with your lovers, do you?"</strong><br><br>It was true that Zu Zen's cloak could prove her downfall.&nbsp; Kitana hoped that someone would get the bright idea using her own advice against her.&nbsp; Kitana's outfit was designed to be ripped off her body, partly so she could do it to herself for a particularly generous customer she was dancing for, but also partly so that grabby customers would not be able to pull her toward them by her clothing.<br><br>As for the taunting itself - mmm, Kitana loved to talk.&nbsp; Already, she felt her heart start pounding, the hairs on the back of her neck start standing, the peaks of her swells start stiffening.&nbsp; It was the competition itself, along with having such gorgeous competitors as well as an audience to watch them, to watch herself.<br><br>She imagined the crowd chanting her name.&nbsp; "Kitana!&nbsp; Kitana!&nbsp; Kitana!..."<br><br><em>"Kitana."</em><br><br>Kitana straightened up her stance when she her name called in such a lovely, melodious voice.&nbsp; She turned her head to Cai, still providing Cai with a side-view of her statuesque figure.&nbsp; Kitana's full breasts rose and fell as she took a breath, her flat tummy looked so narrow from the side, and the space between the waistband of her loincloth and the tops of her thigh-high boots provided a view of plenty of hip and bottom.<br><br>The tea house hostess looked at Cai in the eyes, then tilted her head away from her, showing off her neck and drawing her attention more.&nbsp; Kitana looked at Cai out of the corner of her eye before she turned away from her.&nbsp; <br><br>Kitana's back was to Cai now.&nbsp; It could have been a sign of disrespect, but it was obvious that Kitana was providing Cai with a view.&nbsp; Her hips ever so slowly shifted from one side to the other as she bent at the waist a bit and arched her back.<br><br>With Cai looking at Kitana from behind, Kitana opened up a fan and gave it a flap toward the disc.&nbsp; The small gust of wind bounced off the stone and up between her legs.&nbsp; The blue pieces of fabric hanging down between her legs both got blown upwards, revealing Kitana's bare bottom to Cai for a moment, the firm, round rear cheeks split by the thin blue fabric running up between them.<br><br>Kitana continued her slow turn, giving Cai a view of her other side, until she faced Cai head on.<br><br>She bent at the waist to return the bow, looking up into Cai's eyes, treating her conflicted competitor with an even better sight of her ample cleavage.<br><br><strong>"Cai."</strong><br><br>Whether her targets were tea house customers or kung fu competitors, Kitana loved to tease and distract.<br><br>And with that little show obvious to the audience, they started showing their support by placing bets on Kitana, too.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lady Kitsune</strong> on <strong>11-07-2015, 07:38:50</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/T8LACDL.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ki Chun-hyang<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival <br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br>Chun-hyang stepped from the inn and onto the bustling street of one of Pai Sun's pricier inns. She was put out by the amount of coin she had to spend but the bath alone had been worth it. Refreshed and eager to join in the high energy the festival was creating, she made her way down toward the center of the city. The colorful silks of her hanbok did not seem out of place amid so many visitors of varying provinces. Even the daring display of her bosom was far more modest than others. This only added to her confidence as she glided down the street toward the enticing scent of food vendors.<br><br>The glitter of fine jeweled hair pieces caught her eye and she paused. A simple golden filigree butterfly caught her attention and she had to have it. She picked it up, examining it with sparkling eyes. The man behind the cart smiled at her choice and he proudly gave her a price.<br>Chun-hyang smiled coyly, the charm of her smile taking the man off guard. “Such a high price, perhaps two-fifty?”<br><br>“I worked very hard on that one, miss. See the fine detail. I can't go lower than three hundred,” he replied.<br><br>“Oh, you are good. I see your expertise. Two twenty-five.”<br><br>“Uh, miss, I am not sure you understand, this is excellent quality. I may be able to go to two seventy-five,” he said, a little exasperated.<br><br>“Oh dear, maybe my trade speech not good? You drive such a hard bargain. Two hundred,” she asked, leaning forward, her cleavage making an indisputable debut. His face suddenly flushed crimson and a trickle of red appeared at the corner of his nose.<br><br>“Uh...okay,” he said dumbfounded as he took her coin. She beamed at him happily as she pushed the pin into one of the circlets of braids wrapped about her head like a crown. She blew him a kiss and winked and he abruptly sat on his stool, stunned. She sashayed away, suppressing the giggle that wanted to bubble up. No need to mock the man when she had not only out bargained him but used the silliest tricks of her trade to do it.<br><br>She stopped at a food vendor and bought sweet breads on a stick practically dripping with syrupy goodness, the warm red bean filling making her happy as she nibbled. She couldn't help but jump in place a little, it was so good. Normally she would act like the mysterious woman of culture and appeal but this was the first time she had been out on her own and be herself, just like any other young girl. <br><br>As Chun-hyang moved closer to the water and the cheers and roars from the gathering crowd grew louder, she pushed closer to see what it was all about. Her eyes widened in delight. Even at this distance she could see that it was a contest of martial prowess, no doubt. The three women would be fighting on a disc floating in the water. In front of her, people were placing bets and since she was too much of a prude to participate, she would make a bet.<br><br>Tapping the shoulder of the bookie, she placed her own bet. Before someone could jostle her out of the way, she put a hand out stopping the man cold in his chest with a mere fingertip. She turned her head and gave him a stern look that made his blood run cold, his face pinched in pain. He was going to sport a mighty bruise in the morning. She turned back to the bookie, who gave pause at what he had just seen. <br><br>“I want to place a bet on the girl in yellow. One hundred,” she said as she passed him her money. She looked around and spotted a restaurant that had a veranda overlooking the water. “I'll be up there and you had better come up there if I win or you will be eating roast nuts, if you get my meaning.”<br><br>Chun-hyang spoke in a sweet tone but her eyes burned with meaning. The man nodded vigorously and repeated the location to her. It did not go unnoticed that she still had her fingertip on the other man who was now slowly moving downward, She held him in place by her fingertip until his knees hit the ground and his eyes were tearing in pain. <br><br>“Excellant!” She turned to the kneeling man, the crowd shifting to give them breathing space. She placed her hand under his chin gently and spoke softly. “It is rude to push a lady, remember that next time.”<br><br>Chun-hyang left and slipped through the crowd, making her way to the restaurant where, for an extra coin, she was given a table with a lovely view of the contest. She let the woman pour her wine and leave her little delicacies to nibble. Her attention was on the combatants, the restaurant just close enough to carry their words. She absently took a sip, eager for them to begin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>13-07-2015, 02:14:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/c9/4f/76c94f176269a526fd43dde480c243ba.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Toy Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br><br>Twice, miscreants tried to get a hand into her satchel; twice withdrew with small sounds of pain as her fingertips flicked hard against the pulse point in the offending wrist, numbing the hand and sending tremors up the attached arm. Once a hand pressed&nbsp; on her rear, patted, retreated, but at that place, the crowd was very thick, people gathering to watch the stone-dance competition, and she could not see who had trespassed. While offensive in principle, it had been a gentle, respectful touch- and it was Festival. To grow angry over such a small thing would be foolish.<br><br>It did decide Shé to get off the street as soon as possible. As it happened, she was just arriving at a place that called itself the Tea House of Toy and, gratefully, she ducked inside.&nbsp; <br><br>Finding a place off to one side, from which she could watch the entry, she ordered rice with greens and warm saki, removing her purse form her satchel and jingling it once at the server's wary, questioning look. "Do you have many who try to eat and not pay, friend?" she asked the young man. Still slightly distrustful, he nodded, and soShé took out a coin and set it on the table's edge, as a good faith gesture. "You need not fear such dishonor from me, young man."&nbsp; In truth, the purse was only one of several she kept carefully divided and hidden, lest some thief cleverer than his fellows manage to relive her of one. Far from wealthy, still, she had enough from her bounty to get by. And she would dance or wash dishes in the nude before she would lower herself so far as to steal from a hard-working tea house owner.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>13-07-2015, 04:12:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee (pronounced Sin Mihn Hee)<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Participants<br><br>Shin Min-hee ignored the banter among the other contestants.&nbsp; She felt no need to insult the others and took no offense at the slight against her clothing.&nbsp; Seonjo practitioners tested themselves against the elements and true masters could walk naked in a blizzard with little ill effects to their body.&nbsp; To wrap yourself in layers of cloth separated you from nature, from the kiss of splashing rain, the warm breath of summer winds and the burning sting of winter’s nails.&nbsp; A wudang master was one with the world not separate from it.&nbsp; That and long skirts were difficult to kick in and frustratingly binding at the most inopportune times.<br><br>While the others flung words at one another Min-hee closed her eyes and let the vibration of the stone disk fill her.&nbsp; She was earth and let her connection to the element flow into her.&nbsp; She could sense the nervous excitement of the contestants in the subtle vibrations of the stone, the gentle listing of the disk as groups of contestants began to form.&nbsp; A simple step right or left was like the ringing of a bell to Min-hee giving away position and intent.<br><br>Talk faded away and a dull hum settled deep into the disk.&nbsp; The battle had begun.&nbsp; A shift to the left and the pull of gravity on her shoulders and the small of her back gave away the sudden rush of competitors towards her.&nbsp; It wasn’t unexpected.&nbsp; She was an unknown. Those masters of Pai-Sun would stick together against outsiders like her.&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee flowed with the disk, her languid movements deceptively effective.&nbsp; Tiger strikes the moon slide off her shoulder his momentum taking him well beyond the new center of gravity and into the water below. Another scattered to the winds from barely imperceptible movements and spiraled along behind his fellow.&nbsp; The beggar, Hui An, rolled low unlike her fellow masters, but The Crane That Flies Through Heaven stepped lightly onto An’s back and pushed herself gracefully into the air sending An into the drink too.&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee floated gently to the stone disk now tipping precariously away from her with the dismissal of three difference masters, her silken mini hanbok fluttered around her toned thighs flashing a glimpse of silken delights immodest by traditional standards.&nbsp; When her toes touched the stone she opened her eyes to the display of fighting prowess and supple flesh that surrounded her zone of calm. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>13-07-2015, 06:27:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Festival market, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini, open<br><br><hr><br>Li Shin released the merchant, and the woman quickly abandoned her wagon. Such a shrewd and merciless judge would not normally allow a suspect to flee- not unless bigger prey demanded her attention. "Such a domestic task, on a night of grand festivities." She turned to drink in Heini from top to bottom, but the cut had been clean and her purse was already snatched. Li Shin just hadn't realized it yet. "What a dutiful servant you are." The judge turned up her nose, and circled the wagon to view Heini from a slightly different angle. "But there is a problem. These rice bowls are counterfeit."<br><br>The courts of law did not function across the river from Imperial power. A judge must have peerless instinct for guilt and innocence. Her kung fu must be righteous, too, since only the righteous could sling accusation. Judge Li Shin's instincts were good, and her kung fu was better, but she was young. She was too eager to punish and carve her mark on the world. "Those who trade with counterfeiters share their guilt. Prepare yourself for the Buddha's stone-scattering palm."<br><br>Li Shin's striking palm went steely to unearthed the wagon from its muddy mire in a single blow. Cheap pottery spun through the air as the rickety wood conveyance sailed from under it like a pulled tablecloth, on a crash course for Heini. It met the road rolling, juddering violently and shedding nails, before the pottery even fell again.<br>"Wardens!"<br>Polearms stamped in unison as the judge's separated men came to attention. The crowd pulled back.<br>"The one to bring me this woman alive may consider his debt repaid."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>14-07-2015, 02:49:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br><br>Mei watched the proceedings on the stone disk with interest, but tried her best to focus her attention on the guests. The fact that they, too, were more interested in the battle made this easier. She could refill wine cups without being propositioned or so much as noticed, which suited her mood at the moment. For right now, her goal was to make the day's events as pleasant as possible for all concerned, and the actions of the girls in the middle of the pond made that all too easy. Later, once the competition was done, the work would be a little more arduous, but even then, it would take little more than a smile here, a glance there, a kind word every so often...<br><br>Mei took the moment to readjust her hair and her robe, and give another glance back at the stone disk to see who would be the winner. She herself did not bet on such matters, but even if she did, she would be hard-pressed to predict a victor. Though... perhaps... just a little more able to do so than many gathered around her lord.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>14-07-2015, 03:06:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Crash<br><br>Cai watched as several people swarmed on Min-hee at once. How unfair. Her lips turned slightly downwards but she found her hands full before she could say anything about it. The oiled up beauty moved to place herself between Cai and the fracas around Min-hee. She had a smug look on her face that showed what she thought about her chances of defeating the local girl. Cai smiled back, she was glad this was her first opponent. Time to teach a badly needed lesson in humility. <br><br>Xiao was fast and certainly skilled, but she was no mistress of her art. Cai's body bent like a reed in the wind as fists and feet moved just barely to the left and right of her. It was intentionally infuriating, she did not fight back at all, merely dodged just in time to throw her opponent off. The insidious part of it was that Xiao could not back off, if she relented for even a moment it would be wide open to counter attack. And so she did the only thing she could in the face of this defense, she amped up her attack.<br><br>Cai quickly moved from bending to whirling, bending her knees leaping up to avoid the now rapidly coming blows. She moved slightly back with each pivot and twirl, closer and closer to the edge. It was only a matter of time before ... there. She reached out quickly, grabbed Xiao's arm and threw her behind Cai, directly off the surface into the water below. "Well." She said. "At least your clothes aren't getting wet. Wherever they are..." She bowed to her foe and then turned and saw that in the time she had eliminated one, Min-hee had thrown three out. She cocked her head to the side, impressed and a bit surprised.<br><br>"You were hard pressed there." She said with her confident, calm smile. "Would you like a break? I am sure whoever is left from the others will face me." No true competitor would ever back down from such a challenge. Cai could tell from Min-hee's eyes that the woman would not disappoint. <br><br>Moments later the two were standing as close as the most intimate lovers, arms and legs beating a constant tempo against each other as Cai enjoyed the thrill of fighting an equal. Seconds that seemed like minutes passed as the two women engaged fiercely. Neither had unleashed a true technique, there was an art to the timing of it that both seemed to understand. "Your school trained you well." Cai said, with no irony or mockery in her voice at all before they disengaged and reassessed each other. The smile on her face was a truly joyous one, not the mocking smirk that had been there before. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>14-07-2015, 08:54:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/15/Lian_Xue.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong>Lian Xue<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Toy Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><br>Lian Xue's search for a place to relax and get something into her belly met its end at the sight of a tea house. She would be happy to get out of these crowds, get off of her feet and get something to quiet her stomach, and perhaps relax for a spell. She made her way to the building and stepped inside, glancing about with attentive eyes, quickly catching the attention of the staff. Walking in, she caught the eye of a woman sitting strategically in a far corner, watching the entrance, and a small smile curled into her lips.<br><br>Instead of approaching the woman, however, she simply headed over to the other corner, letting her eyes linger on the woman's for just a few moments before taking a seat and looking up at the person working there, stating calmly, "I'll have some wine and pork buns." Settling in to her seat, she glanced back at the woman in the corner before noticing the suspicious look she was getting from the tea house employee. She reached to her purse and jangled it in the air, saying, "You'll get paid, I assure you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>15-07-2015, 01:05:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/c9/4f/76c94f176269a526fd43dde480c243ba.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Toy Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Lian Xue, open<br><br><br><br>Wǔ noticed the white-haired woman when she entered. Naturally- many of the people eating there did. Lovely as it was, the color was unusual, to say the least. Shé had seen a young man, once with hair like that- but his skin, also, had been fine and paper-pale, his eyes a faint shade of pink. He suffered from the falling sickness and a host of other ills; some of the people of his village had thought him cursed, and wished him driven out or even killed.&nbsp; The gentle words of a local priest, backed by the less-gentle but unspoken threat of Shé's fists and feet had finally convinced them that the boy was touched by the Divine, and so not to be molested.<br><br>The newcomer, though, stood straight and tall, clearly strong and self-assured.&nbsp; While her eyes could not be seen at that distacne, her skin was a normal color- which made her long hair, reminiscent of a winter mountaintop, stand out all the more.<br><br>These were secondary concerns, of course, and fled Wǔ Shé's mind quickly. More important was the fact that the young fighter did not recognize the woman as belonging to Bǎi bìng xié. That was, of course, no assurance; she had no way of knowing who might have joined the clan since her departure, and many in the past had dishonorably used the name to cover their own criminal exploits.&nbsp; That struck her as darkly humorous, since that was exactly what her clan had been themselves doing- pretending to be what they were supposed to be, in order to do what they should not, and the tiniest of smiles flickered across her lips in recognition of the conflict.<br><br>Since the newcomer seemed to have no more than a passing interest in Shé, however, there seemed to be no immediate threat. So, with a polite nod towards the snow-haired one, the former assassin returned to her meal.&nbsp; Her curiosity, though, would not let her resist the urge to steal the occasional glance in the woman's direction, to see what she might do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-07-2015, 23:33:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7e/Namseon.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Definitely not Chiang Nam Seon<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Stone disc, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, Wu Cai, Toy Kitana<br><br><hr><br>"I am mistress of the celestial winds, whose long hair has eluded every cut. I will keep my cloak," Nam Seon boasted. Kitana's teasing had made her tense, her fingers clutched the edges of her poor choice in fighting apparel. "In fact, I will snatch that mask from you, and steal a-"<br><br>The match began before she could finish. The equilibrium of the stone shifted with Min-hee's attack and doubled back tenfold as three bodies left the stone. Nam Seon slipped down to the tipping edge, in richly embroidered cloth shoes unsuitable for finding purchase in grit. There was a moment when she and Min-hee were forced to observe one another, as she waited for her side to rise again. "I have respect for the healers of Wudang, but here I must triumph."<br><br>Min-hee and Wu Cai together were enough to compensate. A slope her shoes were unfit to grip eased slowly back to balance. But, without her own weight, the stone would surely sink further still against the two. Nam Seon played damsel to lure another combatant down to her. The aggressive jabs of Fen Feng took the bait. A well trained kick swept low down the slope to knock her loose, and the moment her weight would leave the stone was decided for her. She leapt. Her heel flung high over her head at the apex of her leap, and a second jump pounced like a mountain goat down on Fen Fang's shoulders. "As the Ice Princess climbs the avalanche, so am I."<br><br>This hop was even higher. Fen Fang made an excellent springboard. The water rippled below her with the splash of bodies, the stone shifted, but she flowed above it. Breeze filled her cloak as she grasped the corners, and her fall became tranquil. Only for a few seconds could she rob Min-hee and Wu Cai of her counterweight, but perhaps that was enough to make them acknowledge her. Nam Seon would not stand for being ignored!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>16-07-2015, 23:55:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place, heading for the river.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin &amp; The Wardens (performing their latest hit, Yakkity Sax!), also, everyone on the Rolling Stone...<br><br>"Uh...!" Heini wasn't exactly sure of the legality of arresting her simply for attempting to buy something. She was reasonably sure that she would be more than able to talk her way out of such a trumped up charge. However, that wasn't really the issue. The fact that her arrest would almost certainly result in a search, and that would result in the discovery of the various stolen items on her person, was the real problem here.<br><br>And then the Judge announced her intent to use a stone scattering palm? Whatever that was! Heini had already taken three steps back even as the Judge was talking. Her reaction to the sudden strike was instinctive rather than planned. The shock wave raced toward her, followed by the rickety wooden cart. Heini&nbsp; planted her right hand on the suddenly solid wave of air and somersaulted over the wave. She rose about six feet into the air, then descended feet first.<br><br>Whether it was good fortune or bad, but it was certainly not by design, she landed directly on the cart as it raced past beneath her. Balance was something else instinctive and she grinned as she sped away from the furious judge (at least, Heini assumed the woman would be furious). The thief gave her Nemesis a cheery wave, then turned to see where she was going and yelped. <br><br>The polearm swung at her and she leapt over it. The cart was falling apart as it raced down the cobbled street, scattering the crowds before it and leaving a trail of debris in it's wake. Heini wasn't exactly sure whether she was enjoying the ride or not. It was exhilarating, but terrifying at the same time.<br><br>A group of women wearing brightly coloured dresses scattered from her path to reveal a small child, toddling out directly into her path to retrieve a dropped doll. Heini threw all her weight on to one side of the cart, managed to make it turn. She was now heading directly for a carefully piled stack of fruit. The fruit flew in all directions and of couirse one found its way into Heini's hand. She took a bite from the peach and smiled. This wasn't so bad after....<br><br><br>AAAAAH!<br><br><br>The side of a warehouse down by the river loomed in front of her. Heini grabbed the fruit with her teeth, unwilling to relinquish it and just before the cart smashed itself to smithereens on the wall, she leapt, high into the air and her forward momentum carried her in an arcing somersault through the open loft window high in the wall.<br><br>On the other side of the window, Heini was again both lucky and unlucky. Lucky because the metal chains hanging there gave her something to grasp and arrest her fall. Unlucky because they clanged against each other, a cacophony of sound that alerted every warden in the vicinity to where she was.<br><br>She scrambled down quickly, making even more noise, then peaked out through the door of the warehouse. Sure enough three burly men with big sticks topped with metal blades were advancing on her. One spotted her and pointed, yelled "Hey, You! Stop!" <br><br>Heini slammed the door and sprinted the length of the warehouse, finishing the peach as she did so. There was another door that let out onto a wharf in the river. Heini ducked out through it and sprinted along the wharf. In front of her was a stone disc in the middle of the river with people fighting on it, and a large crowd watching. If she could get into the crowd she could get away - and have some pretty rich pickings as well.<br><br>She reached the end of the wharf and skidded to a halt. Between her and safety was the Captain of the Wardens. "Oh shit". Heini risked a glance over her shoulder. That way was cut off too, by the two wardens she had seen earlier.<br><br>The side of the warehouse was sheer and far too high for her to jump. The river was deep at this point and Heini couldn't swim. There seemed to be only one route open. She leapt for the nearest of the wooden poles that stuck out of the surface of the river, just as the Captain grabbed for her. Light as a feather, now, she bounced from foot to foot along the marker poles, looking for a way back to the river bank. It seemed the only one available was via the stone disk. <br><br>With a shrug, Heini jumped from the last pole onto the platform, changing it's centre of balance and causing someone who was fighting desperately on the edge near her to fall backwards into the water.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>20-07-2015, 07:13:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee (pronounced Sin Mihn Hee)<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Stone Disk<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Nam Seon, Heini<br><br><em>"I have respect for the healers of Wudang, but here I must triumph." </em><br><br>Min-hee tipped her head to one side at the young brazen woman in what might have been amusement as the stone settled.&nbsp; It was quite the declaration for someone that seemed to be in clothing unfitting for a surface such as this.&nbsp; Min-hee observed the cloak she wore to hide her appearance and the fact that while plain was made of a quality much more expensive than your average citizen, not to mention the beautifully embroidered cloth shoes and clothing that peeked from under the cloak.<br><br>“We all do what we must.” Min-hee replied sagely. “She who conquers others is strong; she who conquers herself is mighty.”&nbsp; She would have enjoyed continuing the conversation with the young woman, but this was neither the time nor the place and her attention was taken by another facing off with her.<br><br><em>"Would you like a break? I am sure whoever is left from the others will face me."</em><br><br>“That is very kind of you, but it will not be necessary.” Min-hee said with a slight bow before settling into her Taming the Tiger Fist Stance, her legs bowed and center of gravity low to the stone disk.&nbsp; With a polite smile her extended fingers curled as if to say, “join me.”<br><br>The flurry of blows that follower were a blur to onlookers as the two masters tested one another's fundamental knowledge of the martial arts.&nbsp; Neither pulling out any special forms, it was a dance of clashing wrists, forearms, elbows and ankles.&nbsp; Holds became embraces became twisting and spiraling escapes.&nbsp; When one would step to closely towards an edge a flurry of lightning kicks or artful counter attacks would push them back towards the center of the stone near enough that they could feel their exhaled breath against one another.<br><br>“As has your own,” Min-hee said as they circled one another around the pivot point of the stone disk.&nbsp; Around them others battled and the occasional splash of another fallen competitor was greeted with an enthusiastic roar from the crowd.&nbsp; “You honor your Suseung-nim.”&nbsp; Min-hee bowed a little deeper this time in recognition of Wu Cai’s compliment and her skill.&nbsp; She was an equal and deserved as much.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><br>“Not let’s see what else your master taught you.” She added with a smile matching Cai’s and leaped into the air.&nbsp; She unleashed a series of aerial kicks from her Thousand Ancestor Stride that Cai blocked deftly, but was forced to give ground.&nbsp; Cai returned with a sweep that knocked Min-hee to the stone, but she kip-up’ed her way back into the battle until Nom Seon deprived them of her counterweight suddenly, shifting Min-hee's momentum forward and directly into Wu Cai, knocking them both to the platform. Min-hee landed on top of Wu Cai with an emphatic “oomp.”<br><br>Spidery tendrils of black silk spilled around Wu Cai’s face.&nbsp; Min-hee could feel Cai’s heavy breath against her cheek and smell the chrysanthemum oil in her air.&nbsp; Her face blushed a rosy red as their bodies pressed together and almond eyes widened in surprise when she felt a foot placed against her stomach and she was launched off of the golden clad beauty.&nbsp; Min-hee landed lightly on her feet countering the weight of Nom Seon.&nbsp; She shared a strange glance with Wu Cai before they whiped their heads around in an icy glare at the source of their aggravation.&nbsp; If Nom Seon wanted their attention she had it.<br><br>The three martial artists began a whirling, flowing dance of combat around the center of the disk.&nbsp; The young interloper proved to be a surprisingly adept opponent for Min-hee.&nbsp; She fought in the same style as Wu Cai, but with an aggression that Min-hee found difficult to counter.&nbsp; If Min-hee had to take the young woman on her own she was not entirely sure she could have adapted in time to remain on the platform, but where Min-hee struggled with her Wu Cai did not.&nbsp; It seemed likely that she had trained longer and was more disciplined than the young fighter pressing her advantage.&nbsp; For now the three masters appeared to cancel one another out unless something unexpected were to happen, something like a crazed onlooker jumping onto the disk and completely upsetting the balance of the stone.&nbsp; <br><br>Heini’s graceful leap tipped towards Min-hee’s location and a swift kick from Nom-Seon pushed her towards the very brink of elimination, but Min-hee’s chi flowed with the stone and centered her balance.&nbsp; She hung at the edge of the stone a single toe keeping her in place as her other foot hovered over the water, her arms flung out from her body with the grace and beauty of a crane.&nbsp; <br><br>A glint from the crowd momentarily blinded her, a reflection of the morning sun that caused motes of crane shaped colors to dance in her vision, breaking her balance and her connection to the chi that anchored her.&nbsp; She was vulnerable.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>20-07-2015, 18:44:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> disc crew<br><br>Cai was truly enjoying herself for the first time in ages. She loved the frantic mental and physical challenge of a skilled opponent. It reminded her of her happy times in the Jade Star school, truly feeling proud of herself when she earned the praise of her Mistress. It was challenges like this that had done it. Keeping track of multiple opponents at once, an unsteady footing, and the odd assortment of interlopers was Cai's first chance to really cut loose in weeks.<br><br>Her open palms were a blur as they wove chi forces around her body, keeping herself firmly planted on the ground as she forced the world to move around her. Zu Zen's intervention was an added twist, but it didn't bother Cai as it seemed the woman was equally determined to be a detriment to both Min-hee and herself. Her concentration was undisturbed until.<br><br>Until that treacherous movement that sent Min-hee flying on top of her. Cai felt the curvier woman's body pressed against her own. For a moment she wished she was pinned down, helplessly, like her Mistress used to do. First as a punishment and then later as a reward. She wished for a moment she was helpless under this skilled and beautiful opponent. But alas...a well placed foot sent her flying off and Cai was on her feet again in a matter of no time. It was only a brief lapse in concentration, but it was enough for Cai to miss that something had greatly distracted Min-hee.<br><br>Cai didn't want to hold anything back, but she didn't have any desire to truly harm Min-hee either. So when Cai's sudden flying kick actually caught the woman full in the chest she was shocked, and felt rather guilty for a moment as Min-hee fell off of the disc. It was a very hard blow, and Cai hoped momentarily that she hadn't seriously injured the woman. It was a strong attack, easily dodged, much more easily than many of the more complex maneuvers Min-hee had easily avoided previously in the fight. Sensing that something was wrong, Cai lingered for a moment at the edge of the disc, and when she saw that Min-hee was relatively unharmed gave her an apologetic smile and then returned her attention to the disc.<br><br>She saw Zu Zen (who was certainly not Nam Seon!), Kitana, and the newcomer squaring off. Cai glared momentarily at the newcomer. Had this been the distraction responsible for eliminating her favorite opponent? If so she had to pay!<br><br>"It is time to end this!" Cai announced melodramatically, after waiting for just the right moment. when all three of them were engaged near the middle of the disc. Cai then executed one of her signature maneuvers. It was a closely guarded Jade Star secret, and it relied on channeling the inner essence of the martial artist into a devastating attack. <br><br>Rising off of the platform and spinning like a tornado, Cai lept from her position on the edge of the disc to land directly in the center of the three fighters. Her whirling continued at a faster pace now, the wind picking up around her and attempting to lift the others off of the ground below them. But it wasn't just air, no the essence of the artist came into this attack. Some saw rings of fire appear, others chunks of earth or singing birds. And as for Cai, her essence was soon apparent in the glittering golden dust that was suddenly whirling all about the disc.<br><br>It was a very difficult technique to control, and as the whirlwind and blinding dust threatened to rage out of control Cai drew her sword, still sheathed of course, and used it as a focal point for the energy created by the attack. As it concentrated into her sword she slammed it down onto the disc, dispersing the winds and dust but creating a shockwave of absorbed energy that would do its best to send all three of the combatants flying off in opposite directions.<br><br>Cai caught her breath and glanced about. She did not see anyone at first. Then she noticed a pair of fingers holding onto the edge of the stone. She walked to it slowly and saw Zu Zen (not Nam Seon!) clinging to the edge as if for dear life.<br><br>"You fought well sister." Cai said. "Please, maintain your dignity." She did not want to have to do anything crass as step on the girl's fingers. <br><br>As she spoke she glanced about to see if she could spot Kitana or the newcomer. <br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>20-07-2015, 23:39:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Stone, then the river bank.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin &amp; The Wardens, also, everyone on the Rolling Stone (Performing "You can't always get what you want").<br><br>"Don't mind me, just passing throu-oof!"<br><br>The thief clearly was not going to be permitted to just "pass through". She staggered back and looked around at the three others on the stone. "Uh... Shit!"<br><br>Someone attacked her and she fended them off this time, then circled, trying to get to the other side of the disc where another set of stakes rose from the water. She risked a glance at the shore and saw a number of polearms weaving through the crowd towards the riverbank. "Look, if you could just let me -" She sidled towards the possible exit only to retreat from a lunge by one of the women. She sighed. "Seriously, I just want to -" <br><br><em>"It is time to end this!"</em> The woman in the gold dress announced<br><br>"Couldn't agree more..." Heini muttered and then ducked as the woman converted herself into a golden whirlwind. "Wooo. Serious stuff!" Heini watched with interest, learning everything she could from just watching - the way she had always learned. She was so intent that she almost missed the sword strike and the shockwave blasting towards her. With a yelp she leapt into the air, just too late to somersault over the shockwave the way she had with the Judge's attack. Instead she found herself standing on it, being propelled rapidly backwards - out over the deepest part of the river! With a yelp she began to run as fast as she could around the ring of solidified air. She almost made if back to the riverbank when the shockwave dissipated, refused to support her weight any further. She dropped like a large and very animated stone into the water with a shriek.<br><br>Heini surfaced without her cloak. It was tucked under a log on the river bed and she would try and get it back later. She spat water from her face and coughed, rubbed her eyes and tried to scramble out of the water. The thick mud on the river bed at this point sucked on her bare feet, impeding her progress. Willing hands from the bank offered to help her and she gripped them, was hauled out of the water. She looked up, smiling, at her benefactors, and her smile faded, when she saw the grins of the two wardens, who did not release her arms, but instead bent them behind her and secured her wrists with a length of rope.<br><br>"Oh crap!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Florence</strong> on <strong>23-07-2015, 02:07:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/15/Lian_Xue.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong>Lian Xue<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Toy Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><br>Lian Xue focused on her own business for a time once her food and drink had been served to her, offering payment as it did to hopefully sate the wary looks she was being given, so perhaps she could enjoy her meal in peace. Still, she couldn't help but notice the other woman was stealing glances at her, and as she ate the subtle beginnings of a grin grew onto her lips. Still, for a time, she seemed focused on her meal, seeming to enjoy it, offering the man who had delivered it a grateful nod. The white haired woman seemed content to keep to herself, at least until she had sated the growling in her stomach.<br><br>Eventually, however, she turned her eyes, but not her face, to look at the other woman, speaking to her finally, "If you continue to peep at me from the corner, I may get the impression you plan to court me." A slight chuckle escaped her lips then as she took a quiet drink, almost seeming as though she was going back to her own business, before she spoke up again, "Experience tells me that you're more likely simply staring at my hair, however. Yes, it is real."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>23-07-2015, 03:35:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/c9/4f/76c94f176269a526fd43dde480c243ba.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wǔ Shé<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Toy Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Lian Xue, open<br><br>The snow-haired woman's forwardness startled the young assassin...buuuuut, she supposed, she <strong>had</strong> rather been staring. An apology was certainly in order- but there was the question of proper address. The woman was certainly older than Shé, but not that much; nothing in her dress or manner of speech gave any clue to her clan or rank.<br><br>Still, one could be polite in the vaguest possible terms. Turning a bit to face the speaker, Shé pressed one fist into her other palm, centered them, bowed over them, still seated. "My apologies, Elder Sister, if I disturbed your meal. It is true- your hair is magnificent."&nbsp; grinning a bit, she couldn't help but make a joke. "Though some may fear an early winter will interrupt the festival."<br><br>From outside, as if summoned by her words, came another splash. "Hopefully the competition will end before the river freezes over..." But now there were angry words, and a sound like thunder. Frowning, Wǔ Shé half-rose from her seat, trying to see past the people packing the tea house what was going on.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-07-2015, 20:06:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> River bank, heading to the palace; evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br><hr><br>"How many of you recruits does it take to apprehend one woman?"<br><br>Li Shin stood firm at the edge of the river path, surrendering her half-cape to the eastern winds with a fierce cock of her hip. There she waited, anxious like a caged tiger, for the Wardens to bring her prize. Better that these men should venture into the mud; the Judge's golden waxed legs were for leadership, not for labor. "No matter. We have our woman, now." The trailing rope passed into Li Shin's hands, and she gave it a punitive yank to bring the slighter thief flush to her. "I <em>always </em>get my woman." Though her voice was too close to Heini's ear to see her tight, giddy smile, it was there in her voice. Few things pleased her more.<br><br>The paper boats were just arriving. Li Shin cared little for any of that. There may have been some river pirate blood in the Fu line, the way she savored a feisty captive. "But you've misplaced your cloak. You could catch a cold without it, on an evening like this." With unnecessary force, brooking no argument from the mud, she pulled Heini along for one Warden to escort at spear-point. "Find it," she hissed to the other.<br><br>There were no proven accounts of the Judge's interrogations, but there were legends. Tall tales. The mischief makers who returned from questioning, who had gone in rowdy sinners and come back sitting in quiet contemplation watching the leaves change color and turning equal shades of pink, did not recount their experiences at the hands of Fu Li Shin. The cries from the palace dungeon said enough. She wrangled Heini like an unruly animal for the long walk of shame back to captivity.<br><br>"I have not seen your face around here before, girl. I am Judge Fu Li Shin, and here in Pai Sun, I am law." She flipped her joyless silvery hair back over a hard Shaolin shoulder, gave a glance back to Heini's body language. "Lord Chiang, in his wisdom, subscribes to Legalist law. Only an iron fist can keep the peace here. Tell me, are you prepared to confess your crimes? Or would you rather receive the fist?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-07-2015, 21:04:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The lights of the first paper boats washed up at the festival's shore, into waiting hands like the first fireflies of summer. Gentle ladies with trailing silk waited at the water's edge for the final push of the tide as the younger generation scooped their brightly-colored choices from the water like giants, eager for the presents within. An Yung, the Silver Garden, always set the prettiest, the sweetest, the most elegant of gifts adrift on their paper boats.<br><br>"There are so many, this year," a farmer's wife spoke. Her hanfu had been handed down from a wisened old seamstress of a grandmother, a part of her dowry of cotton, and her fondest duty was to care for it now, on those twice a year occasions when it was worn. She dared not venture into the mud. "Should we take another?"<br>"It would be an insult to let boats go unclaimed."<br>"How prosperous An Yung must be, to send twice as many as the year before."<br><br>Some boats were marked with bits of flair, lovers' gifts intended for a special someone downriver. But many, many more were random acts of kindness, a gesture between strangers. Young men compared their prizes.<br>"There were candies and a good luck prayer in mine."<br>"A peony bulb, wrapped in perfumed lace."<br>"Mine is a paper fan, painted with a dragon."<br>A fourth boy puzzled over a tightly sealed black envelope, gilded with the silver seal of a crane. After several plucks, the crisp origami tuck of the envelope open to reveal a neatly folded page torn from a book. The page was burgundy, the ink gold.<br>"What is it?"<br>Disbelieving, he read. <em>"The wangliang ogres ruled the holy mountain before us, but already were in decline prior to the birth of our race. For a century their revenge was devised, in a curse so vile that its sound will cause a man to shamble straight to the water and willingly drown. Its full pronunciation is as follows." </em><br><br>A woman screamed nearby. There were more black envelopes, more gold-lettered pages than this, dozens more finding their way into the hands of bright-eyed celebrants. The boy tucked the page away in his pocket, and fled from the river. Already it was too late to turn back this evil visited on Pai Sun.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>26-07-2015, 06:22:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> paper festival<br><br>Cai watched her Emei sister fall into the water below. She glanced at where Kitana had landed, giving the tea house hostess just a little bit of a superior smile, and glanced about until she found Heini already at the shore? Cai blinked. That would only be possible if she ran on the wave of air itself. Cai arched an eyebrow, impressed at the woman's skill yet again. She would be one to watch if she stayed in the little town.<br><br>Cai gracefully dismounted the disc and acknowledged the cheers of the many who had won money betting on her. She bowed gracefully to ceremony master and then to the crowd, and then smiled as the crowd's attention turned to the paper boats arriving. She smiled and reached down and plucked up one herself, admiring the sweet flowers that decorated it. But her peaceful admiration did not last long as a scream from her side showed a middle aged woman breaking out in a rather nasty looking rash and the boy behind her running off with a black paper. <br><br>Cai's eyes narrowed and her hand found her sword at her hip, but she couldn't see anything to fight. There were far too many people running off with black papers, looks of greed and lust shining in an ugly way on their faces. She tried to mark them to know them for later but too many were strangers in town only for the festival. She almost swore. She looked around for someone who she could trust in this sort of situation, before realizing with a panic there weren't many such people. <br><br>Behind her suddenly there was a inhuman screech. She whirled about and saw red-skinned horned evil with a mouth the size of her torso looming above her. In a flash her sword was out and slicing through the beast, only to have it vanish in a whiff of smoke. An illusion? Or an easily dispatched beast of less substance than smoke? Feeling a bit foolish she sheathed her sword, and then quickly launched herself into the crowd to land with her hand on the neck of a young boy who looked far too eager to read the scroll he was holding. She snatched it from his hand and ripped it into pieces without even bothering to see what it was. Giving the boy a disappointed glare she let him go. <br><br>"Anyone who reads from the black papers will answer to me." She stated at the top of her voice. It caused less of a fearful putting down of the evil marks than she had hoped for. Sighing, she started running for her father's market stands, thinking she could at least keep them safe. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>26-07-2015, 18:50:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>Mei noticed the dark envelopes and how they changed the festivals as well. Suddenly, what was once a celebration became a horror. Vainly, she tried to calm the participants, and secure and destroy as many of the black envelopes as possible, but chaos was too great. It was as if she were bailing out a sinking ship with a thimble. However, she was able to slowly herd some of the crowd away from the river to safer places inland. <br><br>Still, somehow through it all she was still all grace and poise. Crisis did not bring out the worst in her the way it did in so many others, especially those in her circumstances. Almost as if she knew something far different and as if all of this might be, while not familiar, not completely alien either. Something harder lay behind the silk and lace, something stronger. But that being said, she also knew that she alone would not be enough. So she gravitated to the swordswoman promising severe consequences if the papers were read. The voice as soft as silk and sweet as honey, but the words were surprisingly brusque for a concubine usually so steeped in etiquette. "I know little of tactics, just that these people need to be elsewhere. Perhaps you know where elsewhere may be, and how to get there without too much incident?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>27-07-2015, 05:01:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Stone Disk ---&gt; River ---&gt; Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Yu Fan-fay, Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><hr><br>Wu Cai’s kick struck her square in the chest and completely unseen through the dazzling light that temporarily blinded her.&nbsp; Speckles of moisture left a temporary silhouette behind before following Shin Min-hee into the water below.&nbsp; It all happened very slowly for Min-hee, the sudden compression of foot to chest, the sense of weightlessness before gravity took hold.&nbsp; Even the apologetic look in Wu Cai’s mahogany eyes felt like a frozen moment until she hit the water and time slammed back into place.&nbsp; Her impact sent paper boats wobbling in all directions.&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee sputtered to the surface seeking the cause of her distraction.&nbsp; It was impossible to miss the midnight black hair surrounding porceline skin, the delicate cheekbones and crimson bow of her lips.&nbsp; Those lips held a mocking smile and her silken tresses were pin with a golden crane. Yu Fan-fay shrugged her perfect shoulders before disappearing from the rail of the Teahouse.<br><br>The paper boats had not reached shore before Min-hee reached the piers that held up the balcony of the tea house.&nbsp; She climbed out of the water, her silk hanfu clinging to her body as she leapt from pier to pier bounding up to the balcony with ease.&nbsp; Min-hee perched on the rail startling onlookers as she popped into view and dripping river water onto others.&nbsp; Some were shouting at her trying to get one of the contestant’s attention or yelling for her to get out of the way, but she peered over their heads searching the crowd for any sign of Yu Fan-fay.&nbsp; A glint of gold caught her eye and Min-hee looked for a way through the crowd that had pushed in around her. Seeing no other option she stepped lightly onto the crown of a spice merchant and ran across the head and shoulders of the onlookers.<br><br>“My apologies!” she called to the cries of dismay and anger. “So sorry!”<br><br>The sudden uphew that followed in her wake must have alerted Yu Fan-fay of her pursuit.&nbsp; The elegant Fan-fay paused to look over her shoulder.&nbsp; She brought her fingers to her lips and blew her former lover a kiss.&nbsp; The force of the kiss kicked up dusk from the street and knocked hats from the finely dressed festival goers.&nbsp; By the time it reached Min-hee it was enough to knock her from the bystanders and sent her flopping heavily onto a nearby chair jostling the table and teacup of the scribbling scholar Qiguan Lin Sung.<br><br>"Deepest apologies." she added trying to detach her soaking wet self from the chair so she could continue her pursuit.<br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>27-07-2015, 22:45:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The river bank<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin &amp; The Wardens<br><br>Heini giggled. She couldn't help&nbsp; it. "I bet you rarely get your man, though." The insult was subtle and calculated. She had heard rumours of what the Judge did to prisoners, but they were only rumours. And anyway Heini was not afraid, she clutched the rope in her hands to prevent it slipping and giving away the fact that she was already free. The wardens were the worst knot tiers in the world!<br><br>She blinked innocently&nbsp; at the Judge. "I do beg your pardon, miss, but I have no cloak. I am simply a poor beggar, who chanced to be sleeping in yonder warehouse, when your ruffians startled me. Thinking them to be bandits I ran for my life, somehow ended up in the river from whence they have pulled me. And I have yet to see any evidence that they are <em>not</em> bandits!" <em>And I'd like to see you prove otherwise!</em><br><br>The judge seemed to take offence at this, declaring that she was the law and asking if Heini would confess her crimes. Heini shrugged. A hand slipped unnoticed into the pocket of a passerby she stumbled close to, retrieving a purse that she instantly dropped. "Oh, sir, Sir, you have dropped your purse." She called out. The man looked at her and looked down as she pointed with her once again (apparently) bound hands.<br><br>"Oh, thank you..." He said, stooping to retrieve it. <br><br>Heini hid a smirk. "Your thanks, my lord would be to rescue me from these kidnappers!"<br><br>Her plan backfired a little when the man took in the warden and judge and paled, turning away quickly. <em>Oh well, worth a shot.</em><br><br>She turned back to Li Shin. "My lady, and I use the term advisedly, The fact that you have not seen my face is down more to your own lack of observation, than anything, for I was raised hereabouts and have lived here for a number of years." This was true and could be proven. In fact Heini was generally adept at keeping herself hidden. Today, she did not know what had come over her. She had been careless, that was true, but more, she had deliberately overreached herself, thinking to cut the purse of the judge. <br><br>Why had she done such a foolish thing?<br><br>"As for my crimes, if being poor and hungry and homeless are crimes, then I am guilty as charged. But I fear you would need to arrest all the beggars in the world and there would not be a gaol big enough to hold them!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>29-07-2015, 07:03:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, open<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=232252.msg11488227#msg11488227">Quote from: Idlewyld on 26-07-2015, 18:50:16</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I know little of tactics, just that these people need to be elsewhere. Perhaps you know where elsewhere may be, and how to get there without too much incident?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Cai bowed to Mei as she appeared and spoke. "My friend I am afraid elsewhere is too many places." Cai said with concern. Even now she could see black pieces of paper being tucked away and scurried off with. "And I am afraid..." She didn't finish her sentence, it would be unseemly to voice her doubts about the effectiveness of Lord Chiang in public. "...well, I am afraid what may happen in the future." She said diplomatically. <br><br>"I was going to ensure my father's merchants are not being harassed, but if you would like an escort someplace safe I am happy to oblige." Cai said, happy to have some sort of purpose and goal she could recognize in this chaotic scene. <br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>30-07-2015, 19:05:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>Mei thought for a moment, then nodded. "The market is as good a place as any - as long as it is far from the river. And since it already aligns with your needs, all the better. As for the future, well, this does not bode well, but perhaps wiser heads than mine already have an answer."<br><br>And then it was back to the formalities that the role she had given required her to follow with fidelity, even in dire situations such as these. With a bow, she softly intoned, "I am Ta Mei Huai, Seventh Concubine to Lord Chiang. I humbly thank you for your gracious assistance. If at some time I may be of service to you, you need merely ask."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-08-2015, 12:34:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br><hr><br>A Judge oughtn't let anger cloud her sense. When she found herself casting embers through her gaze at Heini, she corrected herself. Cold, unaffected, that was the way of the Judge. "That there is an incurable amount of laziness and vagabonding in the world is no excuse to do nothing." The tiny lights out on the dark riverbank caught her eye as she turned away. "Look, the paper boats arrive on the shore. You could be out there turning your luck around with good fortune, if you hadn't tried to cheat Pai Sun's hard-working potters. Take responsibility."<br><br>It was a march Li Shin made proudly, between the blazing stone lanterns of the long palace approach. The heat she found purifying on a night like this. "The Legalists of old knew how to combat a problem like counterfeiting. Catch one criminal, and make example of her such that a hundred more will give up their misdeeds. Matching crime for punishment, that's foolishness. An endless struggle. But those were more severe times, when Judges were far fewer." Her smiling eyes rest on the east gate of the palace, where it faced the moon flanked by Wardens and an alarm gong greened with age. “Luckily for Pai Sun, there are more Judges than ever now. And more Wardens, as well.” As the guards opened the gates, she considered the Warden accompanying Heini. As a man from the forest villages, he may well have been a bandit, before the ranks swallowed him for the festival. Li Shin did not utter a word to him.<br><br>“I warn you not to run. The Buddha’s stone-scattering palm pierces to the heart of what it seeks, unshaken by obstacle.” Her hands went for Heini’s. A moment of infuriating realization: they were not tied correctly. Or, wait... they had been untied. This girl was more than she seemed.<br><br>It was then that the bong of a deep bell sounded within the palace. The Honorable Judge Fu Li Shin hurried inside, explaining the meaning of the old bell to Heini’s escort. “The walls have been breached, Warden! The enemy is within our midst.” But it was a dead man she was speaking to- the fresh young Warden’s body slouched off the path and into eternal sleep, tagged by a poison dart. An assassin in black moved among the pear trees, seeking to slip by Li Shin and Heini and escape back into the night.<br><br>“Hey, you,” she addressed Heini, “If you value your life, take responsibility and help defend the palace!”<br><br>A second dart zipped out to snuff a life. Judge Fu Li Shin's strike turned it aside into the bark of a tree. The Buddha's stone-scattering palm was true.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-08-2015, 19:12:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, open<br><br>"I thought that you looked familiar." Cai finally placed the woman as the concubine she had sometimes caught a glimpse of at Lord Chiang's Court. Cai gave a curtsy appropriate for introducing herself to royalty. "Wu Cai, daughter of Wu Sheng." She paused as if wondering whether she should introduce herself further. Speaking her father's name gave her a flicker of doubt as to if she should be running off to him. But no, his estate was on the very outskirts of the area and had very good private guards. She would only be running to him for her own safety, not his. And beyond that, stubborn man that he was, he would probably not take the need to be protected by his daughter gracefully even if that were the case. No, best to help here where she could.<br><br>The two women set off towards Lord Chiang's palace, Cai keeping the concubine as sheltered from the chaos around them as she could. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-08-2015, 01:39:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fe/Linsung.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea house, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><br><hr><br>Tiny, precise calligraphy lined the reports at Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung's table from top to bottom, right to left. Her handwriting would speak for her work ethic, when her records passed through the Imperial halls and their author was known only as a notarization. Perfection was the standard each scholar was held to, as even a small mistake could ripple into big waves through history. Lin Sung's brush twisted a quarter-turn to put a sharp taper on her hanzi for <em>disorganized. </em><br><br>Min-hee hit the table like a ship run aground.<br><br>"Young lady! Please, be more careful!" The scholar scooped up reports from the path of the searching tea. Even a single sepia bloom would be unforgivable. Lin Sung's brush went into her teeth, and she thrust the first handful into the first pair of arms she encountered- Min-hee's- to collect the rest. For good measure, she heaped the second handful too into Min-hee's care and pushed the whole of her workstation to a yielding chest. "I was told this would be a peaceful place to file my report, but so far it is anything but. It's noisy, it's crowded." The last bundles of scrolls stacked into Min-hee's arms. Whew- it was all safe from the tea. "A fight nearly broke out earlier, and as I told the last young lady, I have no interest in being entertained right now."<br><br>Over the rims of her glasses, the scholar took in Min-hee. Her hair was wet. Her limbs, Lin Sung noted, were plastered with sagging hanfu, and a puddle of river water pooled under her. "Were it not... necessary... to..." Tentatively she began to reclaim her work. Rice paper clung to silk, leaving imprints of the fresh ink as she peeled it away. She stared in disbelief at the inverted hanzi for <em>undisciplined </em>and <em>reckless </em>and <em>disorganized </em>upon Min-hee's breast.<br><br>"Why are you dripping wet? Never mind." Lin Sung unrolled the first scroll over a dry table to salvage the evening's impeccable work. Already the first sheet was illegibly smeared. "Help me to lay them flat."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-08-2015, 08:35:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7e/Namseon.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Chiang Nam Seon<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Riverbank, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Nam Seon had already lost, but her stubborn heart would not yield. Though her fingers slipped from the stone, true, it was only to catch the wind in her cloak. It was a zephyr as fierce as her refusal to submit, taking her out over the water, vanishing, gone. Away from the lights of the festival, under the silvery moon, the breeze skated her across the surface of the water, and her cloth shoes left little ripples, one, two, three. Maybe she would fly all the way to the Dragon Wall and join the Legion- it was preferable to admitting defeat, and returning home to her father.<br><br>Maybe she would have traveled the whole length of the river, were it not for a lost little paper boat, far separated from those already arrived in Pai Sun. It was a hopeless case, its light burning low, when she glided alongside it. Try as she might, she could not spare a hand to pluck it from the water. The long branches stretching out from the riverbank offered her a place to perch and await the paper boat. Here, on a mossy bough, she hung from her knees until her cloak tickled the surface of the water and her gown followed halfway up her body. The first firework of the night burst gold in the sky over the river. It wasn't such a bad place, Pai Sun. It had a beauty, at times. In places.<br><br>Reaching until her muscles burned and her knees started to slip, she stopped the fading lantern of the boat with her fingertip. "Mh." Carefully, she pinched it into her grasp and pulled herself back atop the branch. An elegant black envelope lay nestled within, fat with some folded letter. She let it be for now- it was too dark to read, except by the flashes of rocket pyrotechnics. <em>Pop. Pop. Pop-pop-pop. </em><br><br>There on the riverbank she settled to watch. There was no need for concealing hoods now that she seemed to be alone, so the embroidered cloth pulled back from shiny black hair. It had never been cut by an opponent's sword, and she had never broken the surface of the water, and she had never admitted defeat. And she never would.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>05-08-2015, 04:25:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>As they moved, Mei noted that the destination had changed. That was neither surprising nor disappointing. Considering who she was, anyone would have chosen to escort her back towards Lord Chiang's keep rather than anywhere else. And it was defensible. And if the people followed, there would be more professionals available to handle the situation. In the meantime, since Cai was taking the lead, Mei merely had to keep her eyes out for specific trouble, as opposed to general trouble, of which there was more than enough.<br><br>Somehow, in between all the crisis actions, she did manage to note a few more things. "You were in the competition," Mei noted, though left it there, adding only, "You are quite skilled."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>07-08-2015, 05:56:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, open<br><br>Cai had her hand on her sword as the two walked quickly towards the palace. After some time she let it go with a frustrated sigh. She was seeing very little in the way of manageable threats and seeing far too much of secretive glances and quickly moving mischievous shadows. She had no idea how many of the black papers had vanished into secret nooks and crannies or had been used to some awful effect that couldn't be seen, and it bothered her to think of what might become of her little home town. <br><br>"Do you have any idea who could be responsible for such a thing?" She asked Mei Huai as the palace came into sight. "It would seem wise to ensure this does not happen again."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>08-08-2015, 12:04:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin, The Black Clad Assassins.<br><br><hr><br>Having her hands already free probably saved Heini's life. The Judge's command to help defend the palace was totally unnecessary. The young thief was only doing what she must to survive, and thieving was something that came easily to her, but it was not in her soul. She only stole from those who could afford to loose what she took, never from those who could not.<br><br>And defending what was good against some dark evil came as naturally to her as breathing. <br><br>The first dart had killed the warden before she had even realised that there was a danger. The second dart was aimed at the judge and turned aside by Fu Li Shin's palm strike. The third dart came at Heini. This was a mistake on the part of the assassin. They underestimated the young thief, as did most. If the assassin had taken out the Judge first, there would have been little warning, but Heini would probably have survived. But taking the warden first, then the judge, and the girl third...<br><br>Heini's hands whipped up, the ropes falling away, the dart that was aimed at her neck seemed to slow in her perception, like the insects she had seen the girls at the school trying to catch with chopsticks. Heini had watched them practising after class, back when she was employed at the school, had seen them trying to capture the flies and moths, and mostly failing. She had gone into the classroom they had just left and looked at the instructions written for them, had realised what they were doing wrong. She had pulled her own chopsticks from her sleeve, seen the mosquito that was buzzing around ....<br><br>The dart sped toward her. She had no chopsticks to catch it with. The point gleamed with poison. Heini knew she would die if she touched that. Her palms came together a mere six inches from her face, trapping the lethal projectile by the fletching, holding it.<br><br>A dark shadow moved in the periphery of her vision and without even knowing she did so, Heini hurled the dart back in that direction.<br><br>Everything slowed down again to normal speed and she grinned at the Judge. "Pay me a day's wages, and I'll do as you ask", she said with a laugh. She didn't mean it. Someone had attacked her and her instinct was to take the side of the good guys, pay or no, but it didn't hurt to ask... She followed the judge into the palace, both of them moving in a blur that defeated the attackers who tried to stop them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>09-08-2015, 19:11:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>Mei looked upward and pondered for a moment. "Unfortunately, Lord Chiang has many enemies." It was truly ironic. Her father had sent her to court - effectively sold her to court - in order to keep her safe, but that very court was a pit of vipers. Besides the enemies without, who were probably more likely to have sent the black notes, there were plenty of enemies within as well, both enemies of Chiang, and enemies of Mei herself. Concubines jockeyed and jostled for position, and as such, Mei was another adversary to be dealt with through means both fair and foul, though she supposed that the other women of the court probably didn't plan to kill her - so there was that anyway. But it did mean that political acumen was very much a survival skill all the same.<br><br>"The real question is which of those enemies have the ability to do this. These are powerful magics at play, and that requires a powerful sorcerer." Mei sighed. "And magic is not something I am particularly familiar with. It does mean that who we are dealing with is not someone to be taken lightly. But I suppose you already knew that. My apologies that I cannot be of more assistance here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>09-08-2015, 20:19:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung (Mentioning Wu Cai)<br><hr><br>Min-hee made to continue her pursuit of Yu Fan-fay, only half hearing the scholarly woman she had inconvenienced.&nbsp; She had almost detached herself when the first pile of scrolls was shoved into her arms, pushing her back into the chair. <br><br>“But…”&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee tried to explain that she really needed to be going, but the woman prattled on about fights and quiet and entertainment.&nbsp; The woman was probably a decade Min-hee’s senior and therefore worthy of Min-hee’s respect like any older female would be.&nbsp; Min-hee craned her neck looking for a glint of gold that would give away Yu Fan-fay’s position in the crowd.<br><br>“I apologize honorable scholar, but…”<br><br>Another pile of scrolls was heaped onto the first once again forcing her back into the chair she was trying to extricate herself from.&nbsp; Min-hee believed in respecting her elders, even one not so elder as the scholar, but Yu Fan-fay was getting away.&nbsp; The soaked martial artist resisted the urge to toss the scrolls into the air and continue the pursuit of her former lover.&nbsp; <br><br>“I am sorry but I must…”<br><br>Why was the scholar looking at her that way?&nbsp; What was wrong?&nbsp; Lin Sung began removing the scrolls tentatively, much to slow for Min-hee’s liking to be sure, but she endured it for honor’s sake.&nbsp; The last scroll peeled away from her skin leaving perfectly mirrored hanzi scrawled across her breasts.&nbsp; &nbsp;She glanced down and back up to meat Lin Sung’s gaze only Lin Sung’s gaze was lingering over the goose-pimpled flesh of her tanned breasts.&nbsp; The wet silks clung to Min-hee’s wet skin, the cold water and adrenaline of combat pressed against the veil of fabric revealing the promise of dark areola puckered with the thrill of the chase.<br><br>“I am sorry honorable scholar, but I am chasing a sorceress, a necro…man…ce…” Min-hee stood and whipped her arm around to point in the direction of Yu Fan-fay sending droplets of water sprinkling Lin Sung, her scrolls and others with river water.&nbsp; Yu Fan-fay was nowhere to be seen.&nbsp; She gave a little sigh.<br><br>“And she is gone.”&nbsp; Min-hee looked back to see a droplet run down Lin Sung’s spectacles and drop into cleavage that spoke to the youth still present in the scholarly woman.&nbsp; The Scholar though severe in demeanor and controlled in practice was not unattractive.&nbsp; Her maturity spoke of experience more than age, her beauty one of carefully planned perfection waiting to be mussed and exasperated.<br><br>Slightly embarrassed at the damaged she had caused to the scholar’s work she quieted and began to spread the scrolls out to dry.&nbsp; Ever curious Min-hee caught bits and pieces of the perfectly structured hanzi, taking particular note of the mention of wardens in her report.&nbsp; Min-hee had been following rumors of the soldiers who burned her village as had Yu Fan-fay.&nbsp; The fact that she and Fan were here meant it was likely the soldiers were as well.<br><br>“I am wet because I fell from the stone in the river.” She answered as they rolled out scrolls in an effort to salvage some of Lin Sung’s work.&nbsp; It was an embarrassment to have lost, but there was no denying it.&nbsp; She would have to seek out the winner and explain the circumstances of her defeat.&nbsp; Perhaps she would give Min-hee the honor of a rematch.<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>12-08-2015, 04:07:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Paper Boat Festival<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, open<br><br>The two ladies arrived at Lord Chiang's estate without any further incident, much to Cai's regret. She had hoped for another confrontation not only to test her skills but the more of the black papers that came out in the open the more she could be sure weren't in some desperate man's hands someplace. She was trying in her head to calculate how many papers could be missing, but she realized with a sigh she didn't know how many of the boats had been legitimate and how many had been corrupt in the first place. She shook her head realizing that she could never really be sure they were all destroyed even if she had caught dozens of them. Which she hadn't. And she was very sure at least that many had made it out of the river and into greedy or angry hands.<br><br>"Perhaps his Lordship has some insight." Cai said. "I am sure he knows his people and his enemies with great precision." From anyone else it might have sounded sarcastic, but Cai was just the sort of loyal daughter who wouldn't dream of saying a word against her Lord in public, especially not to one of his concubines. "Would you take me to him?" She asked Mei, "Could I impose that upon you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>12-08-2015, 21:25:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini, Open<br><br><hr><br>The Black Crane's silk-drenched emissary stopped short as Heini's dart pierced her. A murderous dagger slipped from her fingers, and she slouched to the garden stones, cursing the rival schools with her last remaining breath. <em>"The feathers of the Black Crane... are... countless~" </em>was all she managed to say. Her accomplice, the masked assassin, remained silent. A needle-thin sai was drawn to deal with the judge and the thief.<br><br>At the foot of the ancestral shrine, there was Lord Chiang burdened in his ceremonial garb, laboring to breathe. The blue veins of his face were visible under the lantern light, and the assassin stood over him. "You'll have no use for gold in a prison cell," Judge Li Shin answered. "Instead, I'll give you a chance to clear your reputation. If the gods favor you here tonight, I'll name you innocent." The judge's grasping fingers went for the fang dagger at her backside, feeling the oddly reassuring shape of Heini behind her. The fingers searched a moment. Her purse was not there. Silently, she cursed herself, but she'd given her word to name Heini innocent.<br><br>Li Shin's dagger lunged for the assassin's shoulder, and became trapped in the sai's prongs. With weapons locked, the judge's dominant hand reared back for her signature technique. "Buddha's stone-" she began to say, but the sai gave a surprisingly strong twist. Li Shin performed a half-flip that was clearly involuntary from the way that she landed, prostrate and a stepping stone for the assassin's bounding leap. "Pleh!"<br><br>Heini still impeded the assassin's escape route. Sharp, efficient knife-hand strikes swooped for the thief's vitals with cold precision, one, two, three. She was testing Heini's technique. <em>"A student of many arts, I see. You would do well with the Black Crane, girl. True kung fu is living and breathing, not enslaved in dusty scrolls and guarded by old men." </em><br><br>Li Shin rose as the blows were traded. A moment's concession to her vanity to dust the shoulders of her cape, and she attended to Lord Chiang. "Our benevolent lord is poisoned! You must interrogate her- make her surrender the antidote!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>13-08-2015, 22:48:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin, The Black Clad Assassin, Open<br><br><hr><br>The assassin appearing from the shadows made Heini step behind the Judge, who was surely better equipped and trained for this. The woman's words almost made her laugh. "If the gods favoured me, I would not be called "Hey You!", but I will accept your challen..." She stopped speaking as she felt, rather than saw, the judge flipped effortlessly onto her back and the assassin step over her. <br><br>The blade shot out and three times Heini blocked it with her own lesser blade. Not designed for fighting, it was woefully inadequate, but it was all she had. The blows continued and Heini was forced backwards, getting in the occasional attack of her own. None seemed to land on the assailant, but several got close, cutting the fabric that swathed the assassin's form.<br><br>The assassin, too, seemed unable to land a killing blow on Heini, and instead attempted to distract her with an offer. "Oh yes? And what would be in it for me if I changed sides?" she asked softly, genuinely interested.<br><br><em>"The finest training we can offer, untold wealth, and a place on the side of the victors. Also, your life..."</em> <br><br>Heini giggled softly. "Hmm, tempting. Can I think about it?" She asked as she blocked another blow and struck again herself, her blade making a cut in the assassin's sleeve. And at that point, Li Shin called out to her.<br><br>"A- Antid-OOF!" Distracted a moment, Heini dropped her guard a moment and a kick landed square on her chest, sending her flying backwards into a wall, which of course collapsed on top of her. She pulled herself from the rubble,&nbsp; and looked for the assassin, but the black clad woman was nowhere to be seen. "Ah, poot! Just as it was getting interesting too..."<br><br>She walked as quickly as her rather bruised body would allow top where Li Shin was standing by the Lord. "Hmm.... Not sure if any of these will help?" She began producing things - a blow pipe, a black leather pouch with black fletched metal darts in side it and a crane embossed on the outside, several sheets of black paper, a folded map, a scroll, a bottle with a black liquid in, and a woman's underwear made from black silk.<br><br>"She'll be back, if only to get this back!" Heini indicated the garment with a chuckle. She did not hand over the assassin's purse that was heavy with gold. She figured she'd earned that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>14-08-2015, 00:33:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>"Of course," Mei added with a brief nod. Soon they were through the castle and in Lord Chiang's chamber. There, however, the concubine's composure left her. "Lord Chiang!" She ran up to his prostrate body, her eyes red with tears and now on the Judge, and then around at everyone as if to ask how something like this could have happened. Given, she was only Seventh Concubine, and as such little more than an afterthought, but he was kind to her. Perhaps he had even loved her in his way. As Mei was now learning that perhaps she had loved him in hers. If only she had been there, she could have...<br><br>There was no time to think about that now. Instead she looked to the others. "Get the physician. Or someone. Anyone. Someone must be able to do <em>something</em>."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>14-08-2015, 06:56:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's pad<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Heini, Judge Fu Li Shin<br><br>Cai's hand flew to her sword again as she saw the scene the two came across. She glanced around wildly, and saw only one suspicious character. The alarm had been raised and no doubt one of the many loyal servants was going to find the physician, who she would have no idea where to hunt for, so she did not think of doing that.<br><br>"You!" She snapped, pointing at Heini, her sword coming out for the first time that day. "What have you done to Lord Chiang?" She cautious stepped towards the thief. "Be careful honorable judge." Cai said, moving carefully towards Heni. "This one is more than she appears." She remembered the skillful way the thief had arrived on the rock, and the impressive way she had stayed on it until Cai had unleashed her inner golden whirlwind. And now seeing her here she had no doubt the stranger was the assassin who had come to kill the Lord. Perhaps she had been running from this crime when she ran onto the rock in the first place? Thankfully the honorable Judge Fu Li Shin had tracked her down so ruthlessly. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>20-08-2015, 06:33:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fe/Linsung.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea house, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, open<br><br><hr><br>"Eighteen years," she groaned. "Eighteen years as a scribe, and not an error to my name. Then you come along, you..." Her tiny reading glasses needed adjustment to read the fading ink from Min-hee's breast, already running with water. "Undisciplined, reckless, disorganized, breasts. Student, rather." The pages she'd penned sprawled across two tables, asking tea house guests to raise their cups to accommodate. "Ruined. There is some truth after all to the bad luck Pai Sun brings officials. Indeed, it does not want to be governed!"<br><br>A fresh section of rice paper unraveled beneath the slow nudge of the scholar's hand. "Wait. You say you are pursuing a practitioner of the forbidden arts? And in such a mercenary manner, unaided by the local authorities." This was, perhaps, better than what she'd lost. How the Wardens failed to defend against a legitimate threat would certainly make the point better than mere breaches in form. "Though not a soldier myself, in An Yung even the humble scholar feels a compulsion to help her fellow woman," she claimed, putting aside the magnificent vaults of knowledge where she worked, forbidden to ninety-nine out of one hundred citizens.<br><br>"Please, sit and dry your wet, clinging clothes under the lanterns. Tell me all about this necromancer you're chasing, and I'll make it worth your tits. Your time, I mean." How she ought to make it worth Min-hee's while, Lin Sung could be seen debating as she looked around the tea house. There were those pretty entertainer girls providing giggles and hospitality, and for the first time Lin Sung showed an interest in their comfort. Her eyes went out pleading for one of these ladies to come and sit with her new friend, whose name she hadn't even been offered. "I hear good things about the native massage."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>22-08-2015, 03:30:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini, Wu Cai, Mei Huai<br><br><hr><br>"He is holding on. Lord Chiang is strong," Li Shin insisted for all the house staff to hear. She would brook no argument. "We will not allow our lord to die."<br><br>Heini had done well, as far as the judge was concerned. She handled each of the pilfered trinkets to measure their craftsmanship. "The Black Crane are surely responsible for this. Only such a decadent sect would resort to poison, assassination, and panties like these." One hand was folding up the silk garment while the other was unfolding the map. "If you say she will return for this, it would be better for it to remain with me." Li Shin meant to place the garment in her satchel, but now she remembered it had gone missing. Missing like all of these things from the assassin's person. A stare fixed on Heini.<br><br>But, she had given her word. Li Shin stood in Heini's corner when blades were drawn. "This woman is not responsible, I know this for a fact. She arrived with me, just now. Had we been a moment late, there would be no saving Lord Chiang." The judge took it upon herself to provide the lord of Pai Sun comfort, but there was no sign he heard what was being said. The poison had knocked him into a restless, nightmare-filled sleep. "I'm confident if the horn of Xiezhi were laid across her brow, she would be guilty of many things, but not of this. She has fought bravely and been exonerated."<br><br>Water was brought for the poisoned lord, but from the whispers coming to Judge Fu Li Shin's ear, a physician was not so easily found. "Lord Chiang has often called upon the healers of the Wudang school, who practice a secret alchemical medicine. There must be some merit to it, for a man to survive a poison such as this." She held up the black ichor to the moonlight, and offered it for someone else to take. Li Shin would not be accompanying them. "You must find a Wudang master here at the festival. They will know how what to do for him."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>22-08-2015, 06:38:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Judge Fu Li Shin<br><hr><br>Mei rose, gracefully as always, but her grace was now tinged with purpose as she took the vial from the Judge's hand. "If Lord Chiang requires a Wudang master, then we shall find one." She turned to the others in the room, notably Heini. "It seems I owe you a debt for your service to my Lord. Unfortunately, the time to repay it is not at hand. In fact, I would now ask another boon of the both of you. I fear I will need assistance in locating the master, and certainly protection. Given the trouble to which these miscreants have gone to murder Lord Chiang, it is quite probable that now they will do their utmost to ensure he does not get the antidote, so though I am but his Seventh Concubine, I humbly ask you to accompany me on his behalf."<br><br>She bowed, again, low to the two women. And then again to Li Shin. "And judge, I leave Lord Chiang to your capable care. There are no better hands than yours." <br><br>With that, and not another word, she waited at the door for the others to give their answer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>29-08-2015, 01:21:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung, Tea Girls<br><hr><br>Eyes widened in surprise, but it would be rude of Min-hee to question a scholar on her stumbling words, however, her amused brow raised questioningly anyway.&nbsp; It appeared the illustrious scholar was a breast woman and really who could blame her.&nbsp; Min-hee thought highly of them herself.&nbsp; Large, small, slopped, round, perky or heavy they were a blessing from heaven to enjoy and the scholar was not without an alluring pair of her own of which she was apparently proud enough to present in a pleasing wrapper of her own.<br><br>“It is a manner of honor.” Min-hee replied, thinking she had said quite enough about it already, but it appeared the learned one did not feel the same way.&nbsp; “And I doubt the wardens know she is here.&nbsp; She is not one to reveal herself until she is ready.&nbsp; I am sorry Honorable Scholar, but I could not ask you to help.&nbsp; She is dangerous and I would not wish such a treasured mind and body be marred by one such as her.”&nbsp; <br><br>It was obvious that Lin Sung was not really listening to her.&nbsp; Be it the thought of unveiling corruption within Pai Sung or unveiling Min-hee’s water dappled globes, the scholar’s mind was already zooming ahead if itself.&nbsp; &nbsp;Two girls seemed to appear one with a cloth the color of jade to gently pat at the beaded water that sparkled against tan skin and the other dutifully placing practiced hands on her back, kneading taught flesh expertly.&nbsp; Damn if Min-hee didn’t suddenly wish to ooze into her chair. Apparently the rumors were true.<br><br>“I really should be…Oo.” The young woman hit a knot and dug in to the muscle in both a pleasing and painful way.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sensing that their customer might be getting away the other tea girl dropped into her lap and looked to the scholar who had requested their attendance.&nbsp; <br><br>“Perhaps the Honorable Scholar from An Yung would like to move inside of the tea house where they might continue their conversation in relaxation?” Talk of necromancy was not good for business and these women had already caused quite a stir among the discrete clientele.&nbsp; Lost amid the paper walls there conversation would be lost among the other sounds of relaxation.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>29-08-2015, 11:37:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Li Shin, Wu Cai, Mei Huai<br><br><hr><br>The young thief met the judge's stare guilelessly. She didn't even blush. She knew what the judge was thinking, that these items had been removed from the assassin's person without her even noticing they were taken, that someone with such a talent would surely be responsible for the many missing purses and other items in the market place. Including Li Shin's own purse. Exactly how she had removed the assassin's underwear was a trick that Heini had learned from watching a fake magician when she was but a child. She'd always wanted a chance to try it out, and had actually been amazed that it had worked...<br><br>The judge seemed especially pleased with that particular acquisition, which made Heini grin. <em>Soooo, the good judge has a panty fetish? She might even pay for a regular supply! I'll have to suggest that when we're alone.</em><br><br>Just then some others came rushing up and one of them accused Heini of the attack. She was about to defend herself, when the judge did so for her. "The horn of what?" She asked, puzzled. "Hey, Guilt is an emotion! To feel guilt, one must first be convinced that one has done wrong. I have done no wrong, therefore I am not guilty of anything!" She declared it proudly, believing it to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.<br><br>Then the pink clad lady spoke, requesting her and the woman who Heini recognised as the one who had turned herself into a tornado, to accompany her in fetching a physician. "Payment of a debt can wait, my lady. Or can be taken at such time as pleases the one owed." The thief smirked. This one was loaded. Heck even her underwear would fetch a decent price. Probably a higher one from the judge!<br><br>But that would wait until Li Shin's eyes and the eyes of the other woman were not on her. "Let's go!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>30-08-2015, 05:55:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's pad<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Heini, Judge Fu Li Shin<br><br>Cai slowly lowered her sword, gazing in surprise at Judge Fu Li Shin's vote of support for Heini. She glanced at the bandit, then at the judge again and finally grimaced and sheathed her weapon. "On your word be it." She said to the judge, a phrase she hadn't realized she'd adopted from her father, his old way of saying 'I trust you, I just don't believe you.'<br><br>She did not interfere with the treatment of Lord Chaing, she knew some basic healing techniques but nothing that would help with recovery from an attack by a trained assassin. The concubine seemed to know more than she did, and certainly so did the judge. She opened her mouth to comment on the judge's er, judgment of the panties the assassin was wearing, a million questions springing to her mind but she quickly shut her mouth and shook it off. There would be time for that later. Or actually hopefully there wouldn't.<br><br>"Of course I will accompany you." Cai said, turning to leave with Mei Huai. "I think I know someone who might be able to help." Her memory flickered back to the many advanced techniques that Min-hee had used during their too brief sparring on top of the boulder. Surely one who knew those techniques would have a grasp of Wudang medicine, or at the least know where one could be found.<br><br>Cai strode out the door, not waiting to see if Heini would follow or not. Truth me told she didn't trust the bandit one bit and would be relieved to not have to look over her shoulder during this important assignment. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>31-08-2015, 06:46:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Judge Fu Li Shin<br><hr><br>Pleased to see that both thief and warrior had taken her up on her offer, Mei walked in short but sure steps towards the castle gate. "Once again, I thank you for your assistance. I am Ta Mei Huai," she stated for Heini's benefit, "and though I am but Seventh Concubine to Lord Chiang..." Her voice faltered a bit, "still... I intend to return the favor you give me today." Once they had reached the outer gate, she gave another glance back to Heini. It had not escaped her attention that their new acquaintance had not made the best of impressions on Wu Cai, and that was hardly surprising given the Judge's own opinion on what the thief may answer for when her time came. But the Judge had been equally insistent that poisoning Lord Chiang was not one of those things, and right now, Mei suspected that she would be needing her help before the task was done, and probably more than once. She turned back and faced the others.<br><br>"Miss Wu Cai, you said that you may know one of the Wudang. This is welcome news indeed, as it at least gives us a direction in which to go." Which was Mei's way of admitting that she herself did not have much information on which to go on.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>31-08-2015, 12:40:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Leaving the Palace on a quest of sorts<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai, Mei Huai<br><br><hr><br>"I am pleased to meet you, Mei Huai, seventh concubine to Lord Chiang. I would give my name, but I don't really have one. People just call me 'Hey You', which is what I answer to. I am an orphan child, raised by the monks at the school, until they caught me ... ah ... fending for myself, at which they decided I shopuld do so on a permanent basis, and here I am!"<br><br>She stumbled and brushed into Mei Huai, bent and appeared to pick something up. "Oh, my lady, is this your purse? You should be more careful. There are thieves about, you know?" She handed the purse back, less a small 'finder's fee', a single small silver coin that the grand lady would not miss.<br><br>She turned to the golden lady with the sword. "Greetings honoured warrior. Your trick with the sword was most impressive. I would love to see it again from a position where I could observe rather than jump out of the way!" She giggled. "So where do we go?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>31-08-2015, 15:27:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Bandit Den, afternoon &gt; Market Place, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> open<br><br>"Elder sister, please let us come along!" The voice of one of the younger men rang out as he bowed, right fist in hand. Zhao Ping, a man with long braids running down his back, who would be handsome if not for the ugly scar running along the right side of his face, from brow to chin. <br><br>"Please, elder sister!" echoed his brother, Qiang. Smaller, slightly pudgy but a hard worker nonetheless. Both were dressed in plain leather and carried curved swords at their side.<br><br>In Dào​sǒu, the Bandit's Den, this was far from an unusual occurrence. <br><br><em>Surrounded by thick trees to one side and up against a small mountain to the other, the 'Bandit Den' was quite the miniature fortress. Upon a stone wall foundation stood a large wooden palisade that surrounded their claimed area, usually patrolled by three archers. <br><br>Inside stood a few sturdy buildings crafted from stone, mainly the chief's quarters, the kitchen, the smithy and the large dining area -- and many smaller housings from wood, where most of the bandits slept. <br><br>Finally, there was the cave. Originally, it had been the hiding hole used by their clan founders, but with time, increasing numbers and success, they had built around it. Now it was mainly used for storage and safety in case of an assault. A mountain river ran through it, providing plenty of cool and fresh water.</em><br><br>In front of the two pleading brothers stood the current chief of the Dào​sǒu clan, Liem. Beautiful, fiery, but very down to Earth, the woman clearly didn't care to indulge their begging. She wore a dismayed expression on her face, her weapon slung over her shoulder as she was prone to do out of boredom. "I told you, you can't! The guards get nervous when too many of us are about in the city! And you're too rowdy! Last time I took either of you, you ended up in jail! No, no and no!"<br><br>She glanced upwards towards the heavens, sighed, rolled her eyes and then added. "I'll bring back some good wine and then we'll have a little 'festival' of our own! So quit it and go make yourselves useful before I have to beat some discipline into you!"<br><br>"But sister, you're more rowdy than any o--" Stopped by a well-meaning elbow in his side, Zhao finally gave in and bowed apologetically. "Of course, elder sister. We're sorry." <br><br>"You better be!" she exclaimed, threw the bundle she had prepared over shoulder and began to walk towards the gate. Liem had no intention to do much there but make use of the convenient assembly of merchants to get some shopping done, maybe find some odd jobs to take care of and listen for rumors, so she had not bothered to dust out any of the few formal dresses she owned. She would probably stand out, but there was no law that dictated what a proper swordswoman could wear and she didn't think of her origins and lifestyle as something to be ashamed of.<br><br>At the gate, she briefly paused to hand the horse waiting there for her a treat and in turn was happily nuzzled by the animal in response. They only had two horses, but the trip to Pai Sun would take too long on foot and as chief it was Liem's right to claim one as hers.<br><br>She tied her bundle to the saddle and quickly leapt right on top, took the reigns and started into a quick sprint out of the den. <br><br><hr><br>Both her arms crossed beneath her chest, the bandit eyed the large gourd in front of her with careful uncertainty. "It looks kinda small. Are you sure this is the biggest one you have?" She briefly scratched the scalp beneath her long mane of hair to let the merchant stew a bit more and hopefully make a better offer, but she had already decided that she'd take it.<br><br>"Come on," she whispered, leaning closer. "You're from out of town, right? Tell you what. You give me a good price -- say, 1 silver tael -- and some wine to fill it with and I'll see that you won't have to pay any taxes passing through the forest." She gave the man a wide smile that somehow didn't seem very reassuring.<br><br>"You lot already fleeced me on the way here," the bald merchant returned unhappily, but knew all too well that the profits he'd return with would outweigh the loss made here. "Grrch … fine, take the damn thing. But you better keep your word, Dào​sǒu Liem."<br><br>"Always," she quickly replied, now genuinely beaming as she grabbed the large container with both hands. "Fill 'er up!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>04-09-2015, 08:22:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's pad<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Heini, Daosou Liem<br><br>Cai strode forward trying to seem confident. Her peaceful little town had gone to shambles rather quickly and she was feeling a great sense of responsibility and was starting to become stressed. Her Mistress had always told her that it was one of her greatest faults, feeling upset and angry at herself when she couldn't control everything. But things would be so peaceful and relaxing if she was in charge ... or if she had a Mistress who could force her to focus on something else the way that ... no, no time for those thoughts now.<br><br>She had to take charge. She knew that she couldn't let a concubine and a ... whatever sort of troublemaker Heini was ... think that she was any less than someone to be respected and followed. "We will head for the marketplace." She said, striding confidently as if there was no room for dissent. "The lady I am looking for may be there, or someone may have seen her." <br><br>It did not take long for the little group to get there, and Cai was pleased to see that things were back to almost normal. The terrifying illusions no longer ran amuck, but worse there were no signs of black pages anywhere. They had all been snatched up or used. A frantic effort to put out a fire looked to have succeeded just as the group approached the market and Cai was sad to see one of her favorite curiosity shops had been ravaged by the flames conjured by the curse that these devils had spread throughout town.<br><br>A thought suddenly occurred to her. Whoever had sent these boats and whoever had attempted to assassinate Lord Chaing were likely one and the same. While the town and the guard trying to quell the chaos of dozens of curses distributed to greedy, needy, angry peasants it would be the ideal time for an attempt on his life. Her eyes narrowed as she once again wondered if Heini was somehow involved. It would be the perfect cover after all, she tried to subtly spare the thief a sideward glance as they walked.<br><br>"Miss Wu!" An eager merchant called out from his wine stand. Cai saw a man she recognized as a frequent guest of her father, who appeared to have just finished serving a full gourd to a rough looking woman wearing the clothing of the northern lands. He seemed very eager to have her observe the transaction. <br><br>Cai decided it was as good a place to start as any. Ignoring the stranger she stepped up to the merchant. "Mister Fen." She nodded to him. "Pardon me but there is a matter of utmost importance that I need help with. I am searching for a woman who could be of great help to me and I will remember any who are able to assist me." She noticed the merchant's eyes light up. "The woman I seek calls herself Shin Min-hee. She was wearing a silken habook, decorated with ribbons of Izu, a rather short habook at that. I'm sure a man less virtuous than you Mr. Fen would have noticed her instantly." She knew the man would have drooled over Min-hee if he had seen her. "She may be in a somewhat damp condition." Cai tried not to smile at the memory of her victory. "Please Mr. Fen, have you seen this woman?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>04-09-2015, 12:52:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Bandit Den, afternoon &gt; Market Place, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Mr. Fen (?), Cai Wu, Heini, Ta Mei Huai, Shin Min-Hee<br><br>Sadly, by arriving so late, Liem had missed the spectacle -- yes, she could see the fire, but had seen no particular reason to assume that any villainous activities were involved. It was a festival, accidents happened. <br><br>The bandit put the now-heavy gourd back onto the stall with a light grunt, then pulled a tael from the leather bag at her hip and, leaning on the table with her left elbow,&nbsp; placed it in front of the man. "There y'go, Fen, all in order. By the way, what's with all the--" she began to ask, brushing through her black mane with her free hand, only to be interrupted by the arrival of another woman the merchant had called over, who addressed him at a quick, measured pace.<br><br>Liem eyed her from the side, irritated at what she perceived as rudeness and already had an insult on the tip of her tongue when she actually took in the intruder's appearance and paused: the woman looked pretty as a picture. Golden silk draped over porcelain skin, a beauty as immaculate as the bandit herself was lively. Her delicate features lacked the impression of frailty that many a courtly young maiden actually cultivated -- combined with the expensive looking sword at her side, she seemed some sort of warrior princess.<br><br>Still, few had ever accused Liem of maintaining proper manners. She was about to speak up when she realized that the description Cai presented actually matched someone she had passed earlier -- she certainly remembered that woman. "I've seen her," she interjected before Fen could speak up, in a casual, almost bored tone. She was still annoyed at the interruption, so she figured annoying the woman a little was a small payback.<br><br>She turned, now leaning her back against the stall to inspect Cai with a raised brow. Her face drew into a frown when she noticed the entourage Wu Cai had arrived with -- a courtesan and … a beggar? An odd assembly, that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>06-09-2015, 19:02:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Daosou Liem, Mr. Feng, Shin Min-Hee (mentioned)<br><hr><br>At this point, the courtesan stepped forward and bowed low. It was clear that her manners were intended for everyone, even bandits. Of course, she was arriving with Heini, so any idea that she might be too good for bandits was already dead on arrival anyway. "I am Ta Mei Huai, Seventh Concubine to Lord Chiang. These are my traveling companions, Wu Cai and Heini." She glanced back at the other two and nodded, even as she remained in her supplicant's position.<br><br>"It is good to hear that you have seen the esteemed Shin Min-Hee. We are in desperate need of her and were you to be so kind as to bring us to her, I would be truly indebted to you." She rose back up and dusted her off. "And although I regret to be so brusque in my manner, I must also ask that you should assist us as quickly as you can. Time does happen to be of the essence." She bowed again, not quite as low this time, but bowed all the same. And then she retreated back and allowed Wu to take the lead again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>06-09-2015, 19:47:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place, some time in the afternoon.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai, Mei Huai, Dào​sǒu Liem<br><br><hr><br>Heini regarded the Northern Barbarian with some suspicion. This was not one she would choose to trust under any circumstances. The woman's appearance shrieked "outlander", and outlanders had never been high on her list of people to trust. Add to that a nagging feeling that this one was on some way like herself, just a feeling, insubstantial, but Heini always trusted her instincts, even when they appeared to be leading her astray (As indeed they had today when she cut the Judge's purse - had she not done so, she would not have been there, and nor would the judge, when Lord Chiang was attacked). <br><br>As Ta Mei Huai stepped forward, she slid close to Wu Cai, and murmured, "Do you trust me?"<br><br>If she received the answer <em>yes</em>, then she would reply that her instincts were telling her not to trust the&nbsp; stranger. However in the more likely event that she received a negative answer, she would reply "Then I sincerely hope that you are not planning to trust her?"<br><br>Heini stepped away again, resisting the temptation to lighten Wu Cai's heavy burden as she did so. She would slip away once this was over and recover her cloak from the riverbed, head back to her cosy nook in the back of the Livery Stable and get some sleep... But first she needed to make certain that no-one else robbed this fine lady who was so trusting and so confident of her position as seventh concubine.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>08-09-2015, 03:49:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's pad<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Heini, Daosou Liem<br><br>Cai would have laughed at Heini's question had the situation been more light-hearted. Instead she just gave a glare which spoke volumes. When the thief cautioned her not to trust the bandit Cai simply said. "Why would I?" Although she spoke publicly of the virtues of loyalty and duty it was not the whole of her, trust was earned, not owned to Wu Cai.<br><br>Speaking out loud now, and a bit irritated that Mei Huai had introduced her (not that she was sneaky enough to come up with an alias on the spot, or that it would have worked at all, most of the town knew her), she addressed the northerner. "Then I must ask that you take us to her at once. It is a very urgent matter and you will have our profound thanks."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>09-09-2015, 17:16:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fe/Linsung.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea house, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, open<br><br><hr><br>"If you can find no other measure of diligence in Pai Sun, follow that of the humble worker. Mind and body are our tools, and a worker must care for her tools. You must take tea, to hone your senses." A scholar's gaze was leaden, anchored to tracts of information and blocking out the distractions of the archives. She followed the hands upon Min-hee with the same attention. "You must take massage, to restore your body." Something beneath the table touched her. It moved with languorous intention. Lin Sung tensed- was this the vulgar touch of a desperate entertainer, crossing the bounds of professional conduct? Or was it the flirting, uncertain touch of a stranger overcome by desire to extend a simple human touch?<br><br>"Oblige my humble request, and we both will work wetter for it. <em>Better." </em>There were three pairs of legs opposite hers. She could find Min-hee's with the open toes of her geta sandals, because the toned lines of her legs were wet and the thin material of a scholar's sock was no protection at all against river water. Even a touch might stain. Careful, discreet against observation, her toes drew in behind the massaged woman's calf to hold her like a dipped dance partner. The sister geta slipped off, surrendered with a barely perceptible tap, audible only to the awakened senses of a woman kneaded into bliss. But even though her terms were certain, she was not at all resolved to her actions. Lin Sung did not take such risks. Her touch was flighty, wanting to retreat.<br><br>"Will you refuse a room?" A generous tip awaited the woman reducing Min-hee to relaxation, since relaxation was needed for this intimate touch. She could feel through the damp fabric that Min-hee was immodest with the length of her silk, but dared venture no higher than the knee, since a creak of her chair would betray their secret. So slowly and delicately, the tips of her toes traced a firm line of skin. Inarticulate but wanting toes grasped at the gradual curve, and caressed back down along the private inner curve. "And if you'll have it, a masseuse to oil... that is, the tool of your body... never mind." Her toes discovered the hump of Min-hee's ankle, and circled. The tea house entertainer rose off the young woman's lap, and Lin Sung was forced to stop.<br><br>Flustered, Lin Sung searched out her abandoned geta and stood with the three of them. Always before it had been an annoyance to watch the tea house girls coming and going from the paper-walled rooms. Now that she was a part of it, there was nothing more thrilling than discovering where they would end up. Two hired entertainers led away from the front and into the halls with long shadows. Lin Sung followed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>12-09-2015, 20:37:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung, Tea Girls<br><hr><br>The briefest of tension stiffened achilles, calf and loin at the faint question…offering touch of soft stockinged toes.&nbsp; It was a natural reaction quickly relieved by the pressure of an experienced thumb against a blocked meridian.&nbsp; Chi began to trickle while her yang imbalance tugged her mind towards the shaded touch of yin flowing south of her river.&nbsp; She ached for balance that had so clearly illuded her during her competition.&nbsp; It was her yang that called her to be distracted like it was distracting her with the delightful touch of the mature scholar so gracefully offering yin to fill her.&nbsp; <br><br>The only acknowledge of Min-hee’s approval was the surrender of her supple calf and languid exchange of digits along the xunlun meridian where heel met leg.&nbsp; “I humbly accept your offer, generous scholar.” Min-hee replied with a bow of her head.&nbsp; “It is expected in my order to anoint the body with scents and oil to help clear the mind while aiding in the clearing of meridians.&nbsp; I have performed the healing massage many times myself on the sisters of my order,” Min-hee explained quietly, following the tea house girls into the cool interior of the house.&nbsp; The alchemist walked closely with the scholar her head dipped so that their conversation was their own, but never touching as would have been improper amid strangers.<br><br>“I have found that forgoing the wrap and applying the massage directly to the skin offers the best results.” Min-hee added as they lost themselves in the maze of sliding rice paper screens that only did so much to keep out the soft grunts and sighs of others enjoying the release that the Tea House provided.&nbsp; She knew full well what she had implied with that statement. The house girls slide a final screen away to reveal two comfortable looking raised couches and a simple table on which rested delicate bowls and vials for oils and healing scents.&nbsp; The workers bowed their heads modestly and motioned towards the tables.<br><br>“We have robes if you wish them and will attend to your clothing.” One of the girls said with a smile.&nbsp; <br><br>Min-hee removed her most favorite straw hat and set it aside.&nbsp; Her raven hair was starting to dry, but still clung to her face in places.&nbsp; She gathered it in her hands and pulled it over her right shoulder to reveal the tan skin beneath.&nbsp; While she did so her eyes did not leave the humble scholar who so graciously offered this respite.&nbsp; <br><br>“Do you have a towel?&nbsp; I need to dry myself.” She asked the tea house girl.&nbsp; Strong arms lifted to untie the clasp around her neck that held the upper portion of her hanbok in place and drew it down to reveal the swell of her breasts while the tea house girl began to dab at the skin about her neck and shoulders. Dark eyes sought out bespectacled ones curious as to what she would see reflected there.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>14-09-2015, 12:52:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Bandit Den, afternoon &gt; Market Place, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Mr. Fen (?), Cai Wu, Heini, Ta Mei Huai, Shin Min-Hee<br><br>Liem kept leaning back against the wooden stall, her expression somewhere between annoyance and confusion when Ta Mei Huai approached her, though the former quickly vanished in favor of the latter. She idly scratched her cheek while the woman was making introductions -- while the outlaw generally didn't care much about manners, it didn't mean she was about to interrupt someone making such an earnest introduction.<br><br>By the end of it, the brunette gave Mei a blank look. She would never understand those who wasted so much time on manners when things had to be done in a hurry. Not that she felt the urgency of the matter just yet.<br><br>Of all three, Wu Cai's name was the one she recognized. She hadn't really had any dealings with those circles except when they just so happened to travel through their woods, but she'd heard it before. Daughter of the wealthy merchant Wu Sheng and, if she wasn't mistaken, an Emei student. That certainly explained the sword and prim attitude. The name of Mei's lord Liem knew, but not hers, though with her looks that probably would have changed sooner or later. <br><br>"A princess, a prostitute and … what're you, shorty? Beggar? Thief?" she chuckled, flashing a set of white teeth, as she examined each in turn. There was no bashfulness there, as the bandit looked straight at their faces. Her gaze lingered the longest on Heini at the end, as if to mock her -- she hadn't heard what they had whispered to each other before, but things whispered when encountering someone were rarely nice. "Then it must be urgent indeed. And since you don't seem to know who I am: you're addressing Liem, leader of the righteous Dào​sǒu."<br><br>She raised her hand -- perhaps intending to bow in some manner the barbarians the Dào​sǒu descended from practiced -- but only ended up pointing towards the general direction of the establishment she had seen Shin Min-Hee enter. "Saw her heading to the Tea House."<br><br>She pulled her hat off, ran a hand through the long strands beneath and gave the merchant, who had wisely chosen to remain silent while the dangerous women spoke, a sidelong glance. "You won't mind if I tag along? Been meaning to ask what's going on and you lot have an air of purpose about you." She sighed, returned her hat back where it belonged and then continued, this time addressing Fen: "Keep that for me, will you? I'll be back. And have this for the trouble."&nbsp; She put three regular coins on the table for him -- about the cost of a cheap meal, but probably adequate for him to store and keep an eye on already bought goods.<br><br>The merchant bowed and quickly snatched them up, his palms sweaty. He was visibly nervous, his smile forced. It wasn't even because of the bandit or the thief standing so close to his wares -- rather, that his stall was surrounded by so many beautiful youxia. In him warred the desire to look more closely and the self-preservative instinct that told him not to raise their ire. "O-of course, Miss. May the gods smile on your endeavour."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>15-09-2015, 09:21:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's pad<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Heini, Daosou Liem<br><br>Liem's introduction caused a visible stiffening in Cai's posture and her fingers involuntarily flexed themselves to make sure they will quick and nimble enough to grab her sword in a heartbeat if necessary. The bandit queen? Here?!? Cai had heard of the not-at-all righteous Daosou and never in the context of anything other damnable thieves, extortionists and murderers. Although she did not know how much of it was true, she had no problem believing the rather dangerous looking woman in front of her was capable of all three before breakfast. <br><br>"Why yes, please do accompany us." She said through gritted teeth, thinking of an old saying about keeping your enemies closer than your friends. If the bandit queen indeed had plans for mayhem in her little town, Cai would be in a prime place to stop it if the woman was next to her. But then her eyes flickered to Heini. What if the two were in league? What if this was all an elaborate plot to deceive her? What if the Daosou were behind the poisoning of Lord Chiang and this was all just to throw them off the track? What a fool she would be if that were the case. <br><br>She glanced at Mei Haui, wondering how the woman would react to being called a prostitute. It was hardly an untrue accusation from the way Cai saw it, but would never say outloud. Of course the concubine's role in all this might complicate things. If the two disreputable woman were to turn on Cai, would the sword saint be forced to protect the concubine as well as herself? Oh what a wonderful epitaph that would be. Here lies Wu Cai, stabbed in the back in an obvious attack from two low lives while failing to save Lord Chiang and getting his favorite concubine killed as well. Oh this day was turning out lovely.<br><br>As for herself, Cai did not delude herself into thinking that 'princess' was a compliment, but she refused to let a bandit think she had gotten the better of a verbal exchange and tried not to let her ruffled feathers show. <br><br>"The honorable Daosou?" Cai asked sweetly and politely. "I do not suppose the honorable Daosou have taken to writing secrets on festival boats lately perhaps?" If they were involved in that, they were surely involved in the attack on Lord Chiang, but when it came to dealing with anyone other than the well born Cai had all the subtlety of a charging bull and the lack of tact she could show when feeling threatened was on full display as she took a step back so that she could see Heini or Liem's first movement if they went for a weapon or attempted some technique against her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-09-2015, 20:50:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fe/Linsung.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea house, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, open<br><br><hr><br>Lin Sung's eyes were retreating backward, slipping onto a couch, a voyeur. Her lips forgot to close as she observed Min-hee being laid bare on the table, sitting above her on a pedestal, a spectacle. Tea House lights foggy through the paper wall cast Min-hee in silhouette for her, a tantalizing suggestion of nudity and every small motion a form of minimalist art. This was what her glasses reflected, black lines on white light like hanzi on parchment. The anticipation made her far more tense than the woman being massaged.<br><br>A soft roll was placed for Min-hee's comfort, so she might watch the scholar as she submitted to touch. Oiled hands found the narrowest curve of the small of her back, and decided to work... upward. The masseuse's grazing, slippery fingers boxed in the tension and a press of her thumbs grazed off the heat. At first, the touch was explicit, but the first pass of the oil robbed the fine hairs of the body of sensation. Her fingers became gentle pressure incarnate, adoring the hills and valleys of Min-hee's narrow back more patiently than a lover expecting pleasure in return.<br>"Do you work in the field?" Lin Sung asked, out of academic curiosity. "You have a... thrillingly ignoble tan."<br><br>The masseuse with oil on her hands took this as a cue to work down Min-hee's body and leave the glistening expanse of her back for Ling Sung to admire. Massage did not stop at the hidden recess of Min-hee's seat, though the touch became faint as a whisper as the skin became more intimate. A small kiss with the fingers to remind one of Pai Sun's unfulfilled that she was sexual and beautiful.<br><br>The second masseuse, her hands dry of oil, wielded the dragon cups.<br><br>A little glass bowl resided in the palm of her hand, too round to sit upright. She held a stick of incense within the glass until the embers glowed and the cup filled with fragrant smoke. The flame came away, and the warm ring of glass sucked to the skin of Min-hee's back. Like a dragon's suckle it raised a little hump of skin and teased it with roiling smoke. The masseuse moved it, sliding, sucking, almost to the very nape of her neck like a bite from a lover. Lin Sung rose to stand at the tableside, her imagination sparked. "This must be the famous dragon cup technique." Her fingers rang the glass bell, given away by how they sought to elicit a reaction rather than relaxation. "It lifts impurities right out of the skin. What if... one were to have... ink stain, in a very supple place?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>16-09-2015, 00:04:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place, some time in the afternoon.<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai, Mei Huai, Dào​sǒu Liem<br><br><hr><br>Heini smirked. Being called "shorty" was probably the least original. As for beggar and thief, she was both, and proud to be. "I prefer to think of myself as a lightener of loads". She staggered a little as a passer by bumped into her seemingly at random. As she straightened up she revealed that not only was the man quite wealthy, but that he had a taste for wearing women's undergarments. "EWWW!" She pulled a face and dropped the garment on the floor, then tucked the lifted purse out of sight into her own clothing. <br><br>"Hey a girl's gotta eat..." She shrugged. "So, we gonna find this person who might know what to do about the poison?"<br><br>Heini was not big on tact either. Moreover, she didn't see any problem in just blurting out what it was they were after, even to someone she trusted about as far as she could throw a mountain. "Come on, time's wasting. You don't want the man to die, do you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>16-09-2015, 07:10:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Daosou Liem, Mr. Feng, Shin Min-Hee (mentioned)<br><hr><br>Mei's eye curled up a bit at the utterance of the word 'prostitute', but she was nothing if not tactful, and the dire situation warranted that she leave petty squabbles aside, so she left it at that. Instead, she turned to the bandit and said, "Then let us go, Liem of the Righteous Daosou. You are certainly more than welcome to join. I have a feeling extra manpower, or womanpower in our case, may become necessary before our task is through."<br><br>And with that, she strode with confident strides to the teahouse. If she had misgivings about having her back turned to the others, she kept them to herself. And soon they had arrived, at which point she cornered the first attendant she could find, and with her usual finesse, asked, "Is it true that the legendary Shin Min-Hee is here. We have great need of her talents. Right away."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>16-09-2015, 10:43:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Market Place, evening &gt; Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Cai Wu, Heini, Ta Mei Huai, Shin Min-Hee, Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><br>Liem's face scrunched into a frown as she tried to figure out if that was another one of those fancy metaphors the scholars liked to throw around when they tried to be subtle. <br><br>After a moment she decided that wasn't the case, recalled the words again and broke out into a huge grin, even laughed and shook her head as if Cai had made a great joke. When she calmed down, she produced a sly smile and stepped over to close the distance with the small group, stopping right in front of Cai. "Most of them can't read, never mind write. But it's cute that you think otherwise." The wild-looking woman seemed to have taken it more as the naiveté of a noble rather than any maliciousness. For a moment, Liem even felt the impulse to put an arm around the silk-clad swordswoman, to tease a little, but her instincts told her not to. Especially when Cai backed away -- it felt like if she followed along, she would be cut. <br><br>So instead she made a 'hmmm' sort of sound, frowned and raised her open hands in a peaceable gesture. "No worry, princess, not planning to carry you off for ransom. We don't do that anymore, not unless they ask nicely." She paused, considered, then added: "Be surprised how many are into that…"<br><br>Interrupting her strain of thought, she gave Heini a sudden look of concern, face blanching as what she had meant to say was quickly forgotten. "Poison? The more it circulates, the more difficult it gets. Why didn't you say so right away?" Liem was terrible at the alchemical aspects of Wudang, but she knew at least this much. So when Mei began to move, the bandit leader immediately stepped along, moving at a fast pace.<br><br>When they entered the establishment, her eyes darted from side to side in order to locate the Wudang massage master Shin Min-Hee. Whatever finesse the courtesan exhibited as she addressed the attendant was lost on Liem, who gave the employee an evil glare, plain in meaning: don't even try to divert us. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>17-09-2015, 09:03:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Everyone<br><br>Cai fell into step behind the others as they walked. She was relieved to bringing up the rear, it let her keep an eye on everyone. She strode next to Liem and glanced to her and opened her mouth, normally delicate eyes flashing with anger as she spoke. "I am not a princess and you could not capture me on your best day, bandit." She felt better having let that out, but instantly regretted showing that the uncivilized woman had gotten under her skin with her jabs.<br><br>Itching to reestablish her gravitas, the slender swordswoman strode into the Tea House confidently. When one of the attendants pointed towards where Min-hee could be found, she pushed through the paper screens with purpose and confidence and....<br><br>Stopped in her tracks, clasping a hand over her mouth in embarrassment as she managed to stifle a very surprised gasp. She had been told what happened behind such screens but her heart had not been prepared for this. The sights and the sounds of interrupted relaxation, fingers gently touching the most intimate places, glistening flesh everywhere she looked and...her eyes fell on Min-hee. She would recognize the woman who had just fought her so well anywhere. Not that her clothing had covered all that much before, but this was much worse. Cai found her throat constricting and her pulse racing. She was torn between the urge to apologize and the very inappropriate feelings stirring inside of her. Her lips began to quiver as she tried to look away, but found her eyes locked with the woman she had fought with not so long ago.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>17-09-2015, 10:34:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai, Mei Huai, Dào​sǒu Liem, Qiguan Lin Sung, Shin Min-hee, <br><br><hr><br>Heini followed the others, unable to avoid admiring Wu Cai's backside as ir rolled deliciously in front of her. Entering the tea-house she was somehow in front of the other two, and managed to lift a bread roll from a plate without anyone noticing as she followed the swords-woman into the back room. And bumped into her totallu by accident as the woman stopped suddenly. <br><br>Heini was so startled that she totally failed to take advantage of the opportunity, instead letting out a squeak and moving quickly to one side. As her eyes fell on the site they lit up in delight, her mouth cracked into a massive grin. "OOOOOH! This looks like fun. Can I play?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>18-09-2015, 06:27:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Daosou Liem, Mr. Feng, Shin Min-Hee, Qiguan Li Sung<br><hr><br>If Cai was embarrassed and Heini excited, Mei was in turn unperturbed. But, naturally, she had seen this sort of thing. A lot. More mannered of course - entertainment worthy of nobility. But still, once the shades were drawn and the preliminaries dispensed with, one night of ecstasy was not all that different from another. And if there was a time to be skittish about pleasures of the flesh or titillated by them... This. Was. Not. It.<br><br>So with a sigh, she asked the obvious question. "I take it you are Shin Min-hee? I hope that you are, for we have desperate need of your services..." At this point, she paused and gave Heini a withering glance. "Not <em>those</em> services. I am Ta Mei Huai, Seventh Concubine to Lord Chiang. And as much as I regret having to interrupt your current leisure activities, Lord Chiang's life itself is on the line, and we believe that you may be the best chance of saving it."&nbsp; And she was back again to the deep bowing. "Please, could you render us your services? Time itself is of the essence."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>21-09-2015, 13:26:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> All The Tags<br><br>A lazy grin appeared on Liem's lips as the prim and proper Cai made her assertion, but in face of the seriousness of the situation she decided to skip a flirtatious response. For now. She had already decided that teasing this Wu Cai was quite the fun way to spend her time, but her hatred for cowards who would use poison rather than face another in combat currently had priority.<br><br><hr><br>The bandit queen strode right after Wu Cai, though her gaze was not as focused, again and again sidetracked by the sweet sounds that filtered in from behind the other paper screens. If they weren't here for something else, she certainly wouldn't have minded dragging one or two of her new acquaintances behind one of them.<br><br>She shook her head to dismiss the wanton thoughts and looked forward again, only for her gaze to fall on two voluptuous women, both of whom were in the progress of receiving a sensual massage -- well, not currently, since the attendants were staring at the sudden intruders with wide eyes, but the intimacy of it all was on plain display.<br><br>"Don't be shy, princess," she grinned, this time actually placing her hand on the woman's shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze while she was still stunned. "Just a massage."<br><br>Heini's enthusiasm was interesting -- perhaps, Liem thought,&nbsp; she should extend an invitation, after all, as she had planned earlier. The den could certainly make use of someone with extensive skills in thievery and if her eagerness was any indication, bedding her should prove quite the exercise.<br><br>Mei spoke again, unfazed by the view, not that Liem had expected anything else from the polite concubine. After she was finished speaking, the bandit felt the need to helpfully add: "You may want to put on some clothes."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>22-09-2015, 04:23:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Everyone<br><br>Cai let out an audible gasp as Liem's hand clapped down on her shoulder. Cai was so distracted as she watched the displays here. She cursed herself for obeying her father's insistence on a proper appearance. She could still remember him telling her that she lowered her stock as a potential bride if she was seen in such places, and that a shred merchant must always make sure his assets are at their highest, it was a lesson she wished he had kept for himself sometimes. She didn't want a husband, no matter how rich or powerful, no, she wanted....her eyes trailed around her companions and the masseuses in the room.<br><br>"Excuse me." She said primly and rushed outside. <br><br>She took several deep breaths as soon as she was in the open air, bending over and placing her hands on her knees as she suffered from her inner balance being so off between her desires and her actions. She tried to meditate and calm herself but with all of the distractions from the chaos in the town to Lord Chiang being poisoned to coming face to face with her hidden desires it was just too much for her. After a minute or so of breathing heavily she stood up straight, adjusted her dress and a mask of calm appeared on her face as if all was well again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>27-09-2015, 21:26:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai<br><br><hr><br>The golden swordswoman raced past her quite suddenly, and Heini was hard put to get out of the way. Pausing only to remove something that might possibly be of value from one of the piles of discarded clothing, the young thief cast one last look of longing towards the activity in the room and turned to follow the departing Wu Cai.<br><br>Catching up to her outside, Heini stood back and watched as the woman bent over and breathed hard, made some obvious meditation moves that clearly had little effect, and finally straightened up. At which point the younger woman felt it would be appropriate to step forward and place a careful hand on the woman's elbow.<br><br>"Excuse me, but, are you alright? I feel from you that you are torn between a desire to return to the massage room and a revulsion of the same. Would it help if I were to try and ease your muscles? I am not trained as such, but I do know some of the Kongtong massage techniques that ease the flow of the Tao." She blushed a little. "The moves tend to come in handy in my, ah... line of work". Even as she spoke her hands were pressing firmly into the tight muscles of Cai's back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>27-09-2015, 21:47:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br>She was concentrating on her breathing, trying to stabilize it and enjoy some small sense of calm as Heini snuck up on her. Although Wu Cai's senses were very accurate the thief was extremely light footed and that, coupled with her distraction caused the hand on her elbow to be a bit of a surprise. The sword saint recognized the touch as friendly though, and did not flinch away. Truthfully she was quite glad someone had cared enough to come after her.<br><br>"Nnnn" She started to say no but Heini's fingers were magical. The word went the opposite direction along the alphabet and turned from an o to an m sound as Cai let out a soft exhaling moan of satisfaction as the thief's application of pressure to the right places caused Cai's muscles to go from feeling like her folded steel sword to something closer to just a normal level of tense. <br><br>"Thank you." She said softly after a few moments, eyes downcast, unable to look up at Heini and feeling a bit ashamed at her display and her need to be comforted afterwards. She was also starting to feel guilty for being so harsh towards the thief earlier, someone who cared enough to offer this to a soul in distress couldn't be entirely bad.<br><br>But then again, she had seen how talented the woman was and this could still just be a technique. Her knowledge of pressure points was truly something. There was a light pause before Cai added, eyes still closed, still trying to relax. "If you try to steal my bra I will gut you." It didn't come off as a real threat, more of a pouty reaction to someone being nice to her when she hadn't wanted anyone to realize she needed a friend. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>27-09-2015, 22:00:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai<br><br><hr><br>Heini had never really done this before, it was pure instinct. The moves to touch the pressure points and ease the tension were so similar to those she used to remove items from concealed places on people without them noticing that they seemed to come naturally. And in the same way she could <em>see</em> a person's concealed wealth, so Heini found she could <em>see</em> the tense places in Wu Cai. <br><br>The woman relaxed and almost sagged into Heini's arms, and the thief giggled softly at the threat. "Oh... Well I wasn't trying to steal it, just loosen it a bit, it was restricting your breathing?" She blushed and handed the garment in question back, along with another item of Wu Cai's clothing. "Um, I suppose that goes for your panties too?" <br><br>In truth, Heini had never actually been this close to another woman, and she felt an incredible and irresistible urge to touch in places other than those where the woman's muscles were knotted up. Out here in the street where they could be watched by anyone this was not necessarily a good idea but was unable to resist reaching around and placing her hands gently under Wu Cai's liberated breasts, cupping and lifting them gently, her own body pressed against the swordswoman's back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>28-09-2015, 00:44:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Everyone!<br><hr>The tea house girls kneaded her bronze flesh, coaxing her chi to flow, slowly opening her from neck downward along her spine.&nbsp; The draw and press of fingers faded from individual endeavors to precise pressure points of relief guiding her chi towards the center of her being.&nbsp; Min-hee gave herself over to the expert hands of the girls and watched her benefactor through lazy lids warm with appreciation.&nbsp; She met Lin Sung’s gaze reflecting a tawdry image of feminine delight back at herself within its wired frame.&nbsp; <br><br>“I have worked in the fields when needed, but the sun has graced me in my travels and left its kisses on my skin.&nbsp; My order enjoys the touch of nature upon the flesh to test us.” She replied ending in a delighted sigh when light fingers probed the intimate recesses of Min-hee’s seat.&nbsp; As much as she delighted in the circling pressure and coaxing motions of the tea girls fingers she channeled pleasure to the golden crucible within her a light by the fire of pleasure the tea girls fingers offered her.&nbsp; Sexual energy could heal if one knew how to withhold release.&nbsp; Min-hee’s thighs parted ever so slightly to allow the massage to continue un-abated. All the while she watched the scholar’s hungry eyes follow those fingers until the disappeared from her sight. The sliding suction of the dragon cups elicited a moan of pleasure. Her nerves tingling from the massage were set afire by the breath of the dragon along her back, the sensations were overwhelming and wonderfully exhausting.&nbsp; <br><br>Lin Sun would not see the smile that spread across her lips.&nbsp; Her question was hopeful and far from simply studious in nature.&nbsp; Languidly Min-hee rolled over onto her back allowing the scholar a clear view of her naked body.&nbsp; She was not embarrassed to be so revealed in front of the scholar or the tea house girls, one of whom massaged her from foot to thigh continue the flow of chi towards the heat burning within and the other placed a dragon cup just above her breasts puckering flesh and slowing drawing it closer and closer to the sensitive ink stained skin…<br><br>When the rice paper door flew aside and a group of women burst in.&nbsp; Min-Hee sat up quickly at the intrusion and locked eyes with the woman she had fought so honorably against not an hour or so before.&nbsp; With a light popping sound the forgotten dragon cup popped off of her breast and onto the floor shattering the silence as the two women looked into one another’s eyes and Wu Cai rejected what she saw.&nbsp; Pain clouded Min-hee’s eyes as the woman bolted from the room, she hadn’t expected to be hurt by a woman she had barely met, but the pain lingered like a needle in her eye and a hole in her stomach.&nbsp; Only after the woman had bolted did she comprehend the words of the young concubine and the emergency of the situation.&nbsp; She ignored the commentary of the others as it did not bare any importance to the fact that there was a man dying and in need of her help.<br><br>“I am sorry Honorable Scholar, but I have to cut the massage short, as I am needed elsewhere.”&nbsp; Min-hee said, her breasts still puckered from the suction of the dragon glass.&nbsp; “Feel free to take my place here if you wish.&nbsp; The massage is quite invigorating.” Still smarting from the rejection Min-hee broke all propriety and planted a lingering kiss on the scholar’s rosebud lips before gathering her clothing.&nbsp; If you ladies would leave us for a moment, so that I can dress, we can be on our way.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>28-09-2015, 01:08:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Wu Cai, Heini, Daosou Liem, Mr. Feng, Shin Min-Hee, Qiguan Li Sung<br><hr><br>Mei gave a small glance back out the door where the two women had left. An inconvenient turn of events, though, as things quickly turned out, hardly an impediment. She then snapped back to the healer, a small smile of relief crossing her lips. "Of course," she replied with another courtly bow before walking away to give Min-hee her privacy, though, to be fair, certain sayings about closing barn doors after the event of the horses' escape came to mind. <br><br>That being arranged, she took a moment to arrange herself, commenting to the bandit queen that, "It certainly has been an eventful day. And now, I can pursue it in the hopes that it will not be entirely tragic."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>VonDoom</strong> on <strong>28-09-2015, 16:05:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/thumb/5/50/Liem.jpg/445px-Liem.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> 倒藪 林&nbsp; Dào​sǒu Liem<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> All The Tags<br><br>Liem's hands were rough for a woman, strong -- but as Cai gasped at her touch and excused herself a moment later, the bandit could only stare in confusion, her hand still up in the air before she slowly lowered it, a little embarrassed. For a moment, as she rubbed her fingertips together to keep the specter of soft silk in her memory, she considered going after her, but quickly came to the conclusion that she would likely only make it worse.<br><br>And Heini was moving after her already -- perhaps using the opportunity to disappear, it occurred to Liem for a moment, but she quickly dismissed the thought -- perhaps that was for the best. She briefly nodded to the thief in gratitude as their gaze met, but didn't linger as the shorter woman rushed outside.<br><br>A sigh exhaled, Liem scratched the back of her head for a moment after Min-Hee requested privacy, but then turned around. This woman who apparently held the secrets to curing poison had drawn her attention in passing earlier and despite the nonchalance she had put on, the sight before her -- that of the tanned beauty, in many ways as lively as Liem herself, placing a single kiss on the scholar's lovely lips had caused her to freeze for a moment. <br><br>It had been simple, quick, but beautiful. If she was more artistically inclined, Liem might well have been tempted to immortalize this moment with a brush, in painting. Blinking, she shook those uncharacteristic thoughts away, realized that she had turned away already and then turned her attention towards Mei. She had just spoken and, by the way the concubine was looking at her, to Liem.<br><br>"Uhh," she stammered intelligently, not having heard a word, "Uh-huh. Give me a minute, I'm going out after them. Hope I didn't startle her too badly."<br><br>Pensive, she stepped outside to the door -- only to be witness to a sight that, on a scale of expectation between one and ten, where one was the sun rising tomorrow and ten pigs falling from the sky, was about a nine. Her eyes widened as she saw Heini standing right there in the street, with her hands shamelessly on Wu Cai's breasts.<br><br>"I, uh -- " she began, haltingly, her tone somewhat shifting between embarrassment and dejection, "sorry, didn't mean to offe-- I mean, didn't mean to intrude. Didn't realize you two were <em>together</em>."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>07-10-2015, 05:54:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br>Cai stared at her panties in Heini's hands incredulously. "How...when..." She reached out and took them. She had meant to snatch them up angrily, but she was just so relaxed it couldn't happen. In fact, she meant to be snapping angrily but instead it just came out as a very mellow astonishment. "How did?" She began again but then she closed her eyes and purred softly as Heini began to cup her breasts. They weren't much as far as breasts went but they had been neglected for a very long time and the skilled fingers of the dextrous thief felt heavenly. <br><br>It was only a matter of chance that Heini's eyes happened to flicker open as Mei walked out. She registered alarm in the back of her brain, but she was still just so de-stressed at the moment that she couldn't act on it. No matter, Heini would surely remove her hands now that they had company. Oh, she sure wasn't. Oh but it felt so good just a few more seconds...maybe minutes...an hour at most....<br><br>Only when Liem came out too do Cai find the willpower to raise her hands forcefully lower Heini's she gave her an adoring smile and whispered "thank you." To the thief, almost wanting to lean in and kiss her. In fact she hesitated for a moment obviously pondering doing just that. She then turned back to Liem with a shy smile. "Oh, we uh, we aren't, I mean." She glanced back at Heini. They weren't together, were they?<br><br>She then realized she was still holding her underwear in her hand and blushed furiously as she quickly stashed it in one of her pockets (taking the chance to pat down the rest of them to make sure she still had her other things). There would be time to put them back on later. <br><br>"Is uh, is our Wudan healer coming?" She asked, changing the subject. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-10-2015, 00:18:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fe/Linsung.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Scholar Qiguan Lin Sung<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea house, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><br><hr><br>She understood the regret in Min-hee's kiss. Half a dozen times the woman had apologized to her, but those were just words she heard every day, sandwiching every request. Lin Sung watched the last traces of their uninvited guests vanishing, the tea house girls sweeping up a handful of broken glass and ushering it away, until just the two of them remained. She held the silk for Min-hee to slip easily into to lighten the burden of her leaving. "You're a brave young woman. When the expectations on me are unreasonable, I at least have the solidarity of the Emperor in my corner. You can only do what you feel is right, and suffer the consequences."<br><br>Mei Huai had said much in their brief introduction. Too much, perhaps. Scholar Lin Sung laid her hands on Min-Hee, and her voice dropped to an intimate whisper. "The Emperor has seen Lord Chiang losing his command of the region. Instead of bandits and cultists and fighting in the streets, you could have the solidarity of the Emperor. You would not need to do this alone." Her cheek pressed to Min-hee's as she fastened the clasp at the woman's back; her eyes closed when her glasses tipped askew, and a longing breath escaped her. "I would become scholar to the new magistrate, away from all the politics of the Silver Garden, and who knows how I might spend my days here in Pai Sun?" <br><br>The cloth pulled in from the flanks to trap Min-hee's breasts, but she was not ready to surrender them completely. A teasing had been started by gifted fingers and dragon cups, and with the knowledge that the dutiful woman's breast would now be left yearning, she dipped forward, between the folds of the fabric, to test the pampered softness of her lips against the tender mark left by a dragon cup. Her wine-dark hair was a veil drawn over where her tongue played privately, the way it only could when not a soul was watching. Wet lips drew over the red mark, and they'd been too slippery for satisfaction, so she repeated the kiss a little firmer the second time, achingly firm the third. Min-hee's kiss had been an apology, but this one was naked ambition Lin Sung could never take back.<br><br>Qiguan Lin Sung's dexterous fingers stumbled with righting her glasses back onto her refined nose, and then with drawing the fabric across Min-hee's chest. "You must hurry on and do what you can for the lord. Just remember- it is our duty to truthfully report his suitability to govern."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-10-2015, 06:45:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>It was not her hand there to catch the lord's when he reached from his bedside in a state of confusion. Judge Fu Li Shin was expected to stand watch and leave the comforting to the courtesans. The most important task of all, she had left to a thief. Her eyes sank down again to the black pages freshly handed to her. "Wangliang are boogeymen who do not exist. A scam by mountain bandits to scare away the superstitious. The Black Crane try to frighten us away from pursuit across the river." With no reverence for the gilded pages, she passed them back to her warden. "If the thief has not returned by the time the grounds are searched, send two wardens out to bring her in." Before he could leave, Li Shin grabbed him by the lamellar sleeve. "Six. Make it six wardens."<br><br>Eighty-seven paper lanterns glowed in the boughs of the pear trees in a splendor to outshine the stars. The celebration had been abandoned with the first poison dart, but as Li Shin stepped out into the evening to join the search, all she could see was the one lantern that had gone dark. Her hand wielded the polearm which hooked that cold eighty-eighth lantern, and she held it steady for a servant to light.<br><br>There was no sign of the lord's disobedient daughter, the elegant Chiang Nam Seon, she was told.<br><br>Li Shin carefully replaced the eighty-eighth lantern up in the boughs with her sisters. The reports came to her one by one, from servants, from wardens, from a gossipy concubine. Lord Chiang had been cryptic about her absence from dinner. Nam Seon had been cold toward her father all that day of the festival's eve. And now, her cloak and Emei sword were missing from her chambers. One last time, Li Shin inspected the lanterns to ensure each was guiding Lord Chiang's fighting spirit back to his body.<br><br>If Heini had not returned by the time she finished counting, Judge Fu Li Shin resolved to drag the thief back trussed to a polearm.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>09-10-2015, 04:56:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Everyone!<br><hr>Time was of the essence, but the lips of the honorable scholar were soft and her tongue smooth with the dew of her lingering kisses. Min-hee’s fingers played in the Merlot hair, a light gasp with the sudden slip of the tongue.&nbsp; Lin Sung spoke whispers of the grand game, her desires intimate and political revealed in her words and kisses.<br><br>“The mandate of heaven is given to those wise enough to govern well and fair.&nbsp; Those who govern unwisely are no longer blessed by the gods and it is the people’s duty to see that they are removed.”&nbsp; Min-hee quoted the Scrolls of Heaven, though whether she meant the Lord or the Emperor she gave no indication.&nbsp; Min-hee was a monk and lived outside of societies boundaries.&nbsp; If Lin Sung felt reporting incidents to the Emperor was necessary it was not Min-hee’s place to interfere.&nbsp; Sung was right about the need for expediency though and bowed to the scholar knowing that they would see each other again.<br><br>Min-hee hurried to the door, just in time to the urchin and Wu Cai in an intimate embrace.&nbsp; The street woman cupping Wu Cai’s beasts in front of the gods and the whole world.&nbsp; Was she being accosted?&nbsp; Min-hee was about to leap to Wu Cai’s defense until she saw the look of abject want and need in her eyes and the way she whispered to the street woman.<br><br>It wasn’t what the merchant woman had seen that had detested her so much she had to leave the tea house it was who.&nbsp; The pain of rejection returned with a vengeance and along with it hurt and anger.&nbsp; <em>‘If she had not wished to see me naked then she should not have burst in to a private room,'</em> she thought miffed beyond what she probably should have been. <em>‘At least I had the decency to get a room.’</em><br><br>"Is uh, is our Wudan healer coming?"<br><br>“She is here.” Min-hee said just loud enough to be heard and pointedly kept her eyes on Ta Mei Huai.&nbsp; “Please lead the way to your Lord,” she said folding her arms into her billowing sleeves and fell into step with the concubine not glancing or acknowledging the others.&nbsp; “Tell me what are his symptoms,” she asked as they walked.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>10-10-2015, 02:42:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-Hee, Open<br><hr><br>For once pretense was dropped, much to the consternation of the women lined by Chiang's bed. One of the trials of being Sixth Concubine was the constant suspicion of aspiring to become the Fifth, or Fourth, or Third, Second, or even First, displacing those currently in and jealously holding the position. But none of that mattered now. "His breathing is belabored. His veins are quite visible. And... of course... it is clear that he has been poisoned. Fortunately for us, Miss Heini was successful in... liberating the poison from the assassin, though the assassin herself escaped. The Good Judge has been ministering over Lord Chiang, and as such, probably has more current and accurate information than I."<br><br>Then her voice went low, soft. Vulnerable. She took Shin's hands.<br><br>"Just... save him... Please... He doesn't deserve to die. Not like this..." Fight it as she could, she could not hold a tear as it rolled from her right eye. More fodder for her fellow concubines, no doubt, but unavoidable considering the torment in her heart.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>20-10-2015, 21:42:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The Tea House<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Wu Cai, the others, Fu Li Shin.<br><br><hr><br>Caught in the act, Heini blushed and reluctantly removed her hands. "There, I ... I hope that feels better? It should have relieved some of the ... uh... tension.<br><br>Heini sighed. Things were seriously not going to plan today. But with her duty done and the healer on her way to help Lord Chiang, maybe the evening could be salvaged after all. She hung back frrom the party as they made their way towards the palace. Totally unaware of the Judge's desire to see her dangling hogtied from a pole if she did not return, the young thief slipped away. <br><br>Of course, the chances are that if she had known of Li Shin's desires, she might still have slipped away, and might even have made herself easier to catch...<br><br>She made her way to the river bank and watched in some amusement as one of the city guards was wading in the water still, desperately trying to find her cloak.<br><br>Out of sight, Heini quickly undressed. and slipped naked into the water. It was COLD! "I will become like as to a fish!"<br><br>She'd heard one of the students up at the college say that and dive into the swimming pool, only to emerge, coughing and spluttering a few yards away. Heini had no illusions that she would become a fish, but it couldn't hurt to try. She took a deep, hot breath that seemed to burn her lungs and vanished under the water. She swam seemingly effortlessly to where she remembered the log was, only to find her way blocked by a pair of booted feet that were stirring up the mud. Something in her head told her that she needed to take a breath, but her lungs were not burning, her sight was not blurring, except by the silt. She swam around the blundering oaf, found her cloak, and pulled it free, swam back the way she had come.<br><br>Something was strange. She had never been under water this long before. She found her way back to the bank where she thought she had left her clothes and surfaced. Air burned her mouth for a moment, making her want to go back under, then suddenly it was sweet, cool and fresh again, and the water around her was cold again. She pulled herself from the water as stealthily as she could, and looked to where she had left her clothing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-11-2015, 19:27:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/93/Lishin.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin<br><strong>Element :</strong> Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-hee, Ta Mei Huai<br><br><hr><br>Lamellar-armored wardens lined the walls of the palace in number, after the attempt on Lord Chiang's life. An armed escort opened the gate for Ta Mei Huai and Shin Min-hee to allow them into the gardens surrounding the main house. Though they were anticipated, naked blades gleamed under the fiery lantern-light of a palace holding its breath. The breath of the jealous Fifth Concubine was enough sound to give her away at the second story window, watching Ta Mei Huai's resourcefulness play out. She retreated from sight.<br><br>Judge Fu Li Shin stepped fiercely around the dragon shrine to greet them personally. The momentum still billowed through her half-cape as she gave a perfunctory bow with a clear beginning and end. She was, for the time being, in charge. "Master," she called Min-hee. "Come, there is no time for formalities. Our lord has been poisoned- by this, I suspect." In thrust fingers she held the ampule of poison Heini had lifted from the assassin's body, still stained with the soot of Jeju Forest's charcoal kilns. "The room is ready. Anything more you need to treat him, it will be yours."<br><br>Smoky haze clouded the atmosphere of the lord's quarters, sweet with superstitious herbal cures. A chant, <em>Jiu mo gwai gwaai faai di zau, </em>died down as Li Shin entered. Lord Chiang lay in a stupor on his bed, not unconscious, but unaware. Servants and concubines peeled from his well-honed body, laid low by vile poison. The Second Concubine's fingers left his hand last.<br><br>"You must stay alert." Li Shin was watching the servants go, scrutinizing each of them. "It was a traitor who did this. Another may linger in the boughs to finish the job- the Black Crane." Her breath traveled down Min-hee's neck as she examined for the old sewing pin in the collar- an Emei trick. Ta Mei Huai she left unmolested, not because she was so trusted, but because all knew her timid heart.<br><br>The thief was not with them. To exert control over a situation slipping from her control, Judge Fu Li Shin gave the order. "Find the girl who recovered the poison. Bring her to me. I will thank her... personally."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-11-2015, 20:27:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/e2/Bao_er_myau_mug.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Warden Bao Er Myau<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> River, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br><hr><br>A bundle of clothing draped gingerly over the uniformed arm of Warden Bao Er Myau. "This was what the thief wore." A finger wriggled through a hole in the fabric, worsening the flaw in a garment already in need of replacing. "And this was from the fight. She was here."<br><br>White gold lamellar, cerulean satin, coal black leather. Each warden wore the untarnished colors of House Chiang with pride. A gleaming polearm pierced the tranquil waters and combed the silt. Judge Fu Li Shin had sent six of them, this time. <em>"Changing her clothes to blend in?" </em><br>Er Myau considered the intimates at her fingertips, and then the water of the Bamboo River. "No. I don't think so." She uprooted her polearm, spined along the trailing end and punctuated by a branching fork for pinning limbs- the sasumata, by name. "We may have caught her being cocky."<br><br><em>"Movement here!" </em><br><br>The wardens responded as one, giving chase like a pack of hounds. On instinct they knew to keep their prey from returning to the water, where she would be lost. Losing her would be the worst possible thing. Accidentally killing the thief would be forgivable.<br><br><em>"She's cornered, bring up the mancatchers-" </em><br><br>Warden Bao Er Myau's heart thudded in her chest. Not even death would have been able to pry the specialized tool from her hands. A glimpse of a nude body, still glistening wet, and she pursued. There was something obscene and dehumanizing about using the sasumata against a naked woman. Her blood ran hot at the knowledge of how humiliating it would prove, how she might plead and squirm. Was this how it felt to be a Judge? She wanted it.<br><br>Er Myau's shadow blocked out the moonlight as the other wardens surrounded. A lantern spotlight shone brightly on their prey. "Don't struggle." Her prongs darted out at the lissome bend of a knee to trap Heini. "It will only be worse for you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>01-11-2015, 22:13:27</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The river bank<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Warden Bao Er Myau.<br><br><hr><br>How had she not seen them? Heini had only one real explanation: she was thinking to much about how she had swum underwater, held her breath for far too long. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen too, although she didn't feel at all light headed or dizzy. Just the distraction then. <br><br>But suddenly she was surrounded by wardens, caught like a fly in a web. This was NOT supposed to have happened.<br><br>She turned, looking for an escape, the moonlight glistening of her wet, naked skin, the cloak still bundled under one arm. A metal fork encompassed her left knee, bending it, causing her to stagger and fall, pinning her leg to the ground. <br><br>"Well fuck!" She swore, quite justifiably she felt, dropping the cloak to the ground and crouching on her hands and knees, her cute pale behind with it's virgin entrances waving enticingly towards her captor. She considered various strategies for escape but only one course of action seemed worth trying. That thing the Judge did. "Buddha's stone scattering palm?" She tried hopefully and slapped the ground. <br><br>Well, it worked, to an extent... in so far as a small ripple of energy travelled outward from where her hand struck, shaking the ground under her other hand and causing her elbows to give, planting her face firmly in the dirt and making her behind poke even more invitingly into the air. And beyond that, it just scattered a few stones towards the feet of the ring of wardens.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-11-2015, 04:19:17</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's Mansion<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Nobody, Open<br><br>Cai hung her head as they walked back to Lord Chiang. She felt miserable after being 'caught' with Heini by several people who she hadn't realized she felt like a traitor for letting her see like that, especially the woman she had come here to find. The one who had fought with such skill and spirit and had the dedicated and nobility to help others. The one who she hadn't realized how much she had wanted to be close with until the possibility of losing it had come up like that.<br><br>She wanted to say something, but the Lord's life was more important. She stood with her head bowed, watching the Wudan woman work her techniques with the poisoned body of the Lord of Pai Sun. There would be time later, hopefully, to speak to her, assuming the lady did not leave. No, she couldn't let that happen. She would think of a way to keep her around. One way or another. But that would have to wait until the Lord was safe. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>04-11-2015, 16:59:34</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Judge Fu Li Shin, Lord Chiang<br><hr>Fu Li Shin needn’t have worried about Min-hee.&nbsp; She was all business when she entered Lord Chiang’s chambers.&nbsp; She didn’t bother acknowledging the scattering concubines and gave a cursory glance at the remedies laid about him.&nbsp; Some of them had healing qualities and may have done something to help keep the Lord alive long enough for Min-hee to be brought before him, but they would not cure him.&nbsp; Lord Chiang’s breath was shallow and his body was covered in a sheen of fever sweat as he tried to fight off the poison in his veins.&nbsp; He was strong, which was good.&nbsp; He would need that strength.<br><br>Min-hee took the ampule from Judge Fu and examined it carefully, sniffing at the container and wrinkling her nose.&nbsp; She recognized the scent, burnt ghost cap.&nbsp; A deadly enough fungus in the wild, but concentrated and mixed with golden dart frog venom it produced one of the deadliest poisons known to man and located together in only one place.&nbsp; The Jeju Forest.<br><br>“You were right to find me,” Min-hee said feeling the warm breath on the back of her neck.&nbsp; If not for the dire situation presenting itself she might have shivered at the sensation given the nature of the recreation she had so recently been deprived of.&nbsp; “This poison originated from the Jeju Forest and has only one known antidote, the bloom of the Earth Demon Lotus.”&nbsp; The petals of the Earth Demon Lotus grew amid the hanging graves of Liu Shen.&nbsp; It was a cursed place of restless spirits were the Jeju Forest met the Peaks of the Forgotten Ancestors.&nbsp; One touch of the petals could kill a grown man, burning him from the inside with wracking fever and hemorrhaging.&nbsp; <br><br>“I need gloves from the Lord’s blacksmith and a pair of his tongs. Fetch me some hot water as well.” Min-hee instructed and glanced at the Judge breathing down her neck. “And some room to work, unless you wish to draw this poison from his body,” she cared little that she was ordering those well above her station around like servants.<br><br>Min-hee removed the pack she carried with her and from it drew a lacquered case that held the few unguents and poultices she carried with her.&nbsp; Within this case rested a much smaller case of dark cherry wood, locked and sealed with wax.&nbsp; She removed this case and set it carefully on a cloth covered table next to her.&nbsp; <br><br>When the items were brought to her she tugged the gloves on carefully before breaking the seal of the cherry box that contained the petal of a flower, so deep crimson as to be almost black.&nbsp; It glistened with some sort of oily substance.&nbsp; Min-hee took the blacksmiths tongs and with then removed the leaf from its container placing it in the cup of hot water, letting it soak for a time before removing it and placing it back in the cherry wood box with and the tongs down next to it.&nbsp; Min-hee withdrew a thin hollow tube of bamboo and dipped it barely into the now crimson tea.&nbsp; She placed her finger over the end of the tube holding a drop of water in place.<br><br>“Open his mouth.” She instructed and very carefully removed the tube and brought it to Lord Chiang’s open mouth letting only one drop touch his tongue.&nbsp; The reaction was sudden and violent.&nbsp; Lord Chiang’s body convulsed once going completely rigged, every muscle shown taught against his skin as if they were trying to burst from his body, then went limp, but his breathing deepened and steadied.&nbsp; Min-hee placed the tube alongside the tongs and carefully removed her gloves.&nbsp; She folded the cloth around the cherry wood box, tongs, tube and gloves and tied the ends together.&nbsp; <br><br>“Burn them.” She said handing the bundle to Fu Li Shin. “Somewhere the fumes will not reach people or animals.&nbsp; Once the water clears it can be thrown out safely.”&nbsp; Min-hee placed the larger wooden box back into her pack and turned to regard Ta Mei Huai and Wu Cai.&nbsp; &nbsp;“I have done all that I can do.&nbsp; The rest will be up to Lord Chiang, but he appears strong and survived the Earth Demon’s Kiss, which bodes well.&nbsp; If he wakes by this evening he will recover.”&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>05-11-2015, 01:25:07</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-Hee, Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>Once matters were in Shin's hands, Mei was left with little to do. She had not been unaware of the sounds above her and what that might mean for later, or the fact that the Judge didn't bother to search her, as she was seen as essentially harmless. Both facts had their hidden meanings, and Mei stored them away for later use. Such was the viper pit that was the concubines' chambers. In the meanwhile, she did what she could, which meant she was out of the room, and then back in after a short while holding a tray with a pot and several porcelain cups. "Tea, honored Wu Cai?" The question was simple, the gesture simpler. The gratitude underneath profound. Once Shin Min-hee had returned from her task, she too was offered a cup, presented with the grace that only Ta Mei Huai could provide.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>08-11-2015, 04:17:27</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/0mrETnd.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Wu Cai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Metal<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Lord Chiang's Mansion<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Nobody, Open<br><br>Cai watched with a quiet respect while Min-hee did her work. She was ready to assist if she could be of any use, but the opportunity never arose. Cai was somewhat glad for that, with the imbalances in her own chi and her lack of aptitude towards healing in the first place things were more likely to go poorly than well if she had been called on. When Min-hee announced that the Lord would recover Cai let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she had been holding.<br><br>"No, thank you." She said, dipping slightly to Mei as she was offered tea. "I should be getting home." She turned and looked at Shin Min-hee, wondering if she had the right to approach the woman after her display with Heini earlier. Putting her fears aside she walked up to her and bowed respectfully. "Miss Shin." She said politely. "If I am correct that you are a stranger in this town I would like to offer you my home while you are here. It is the very least that I can do." She raised her head and waited the answer, hoping that Min-hee would forgive her earlier faux pas, very much wanting the kindred spirit of a fighter to come and stay with her. "My father's estate is quite large and comfortable." She added quickly, sensing some resistance, real or imagined, in Min-hee. "You will find it a most relaxing and luxurious home while you are here." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Crash</strong> on <strong>11-11-2015, 18:17:08</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/66/ShinMinAvi.png)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Shin Min-hee<br><strong>Element :</strong> Earth<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Ta Mei Huai, Wu Cai<br><hr>Min-hee drooped a bit while exiting the room containing the wounded Lord.&nbsp; What she had done required little physical exertion and yet she felt tired.&nbsp; Earth Demon Lotus was deadly in its own right and had to be handled with great care.&nbsp; Thankfully it was rare and her monastery guarded its location with great vigilance.&nbsp; Still mental fatigue could be just as exhausting as the battle on the stone this morning.<br><br>Min-hee gratefully accepted the offered tea with a bow taking the cup in both hands as she did so and bringing it up to her lips.&nbsp; The scent was refreshing and the tea of a quality she had never had the pleasure to sample before. “Thank you.” She replied simply.&nbsp; “He has strong Chi.&nbsp; While nothing is ever certain, I believe he will recover.&nbsp; He will be weak for a time, but his strength will return,” Min-hee offered the obviously concerned concubine the most reassurance she could.<br><br>Surprise registered at the corners of her eyes when Wu Cai offered a room in her father’s home, surprise and confusion.&nbsp; The woman had appeared repulsed finding Min-hee in the tea house and yet the smile she gave at the fondling of the beggar girl confused and perplexed Min-hee to no end.&nbsp; So yes there was a hesitation there, an inclination to reject as she felt she had been. Yet it would be an affront to Wu Cai’s family honor for a mere monk to refuse the offer of hospitality.&nbsp; Duty dictated that she accepts.&nbsp; <br><br>“You are most kind Wu Cai.&nbsp; I will accept your generous offer.<br><br>Yes duty was the only reason. It had nothing to do with the image of firm hands cupping the merchant daughter’s breasts and the pleasure in her eyes and on her lips.&nbsp; No it had nothing to do with that, nothing at all.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Idlewyld</strong> on <strong>12-11-2015, 02:14:19</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l530/WyldeSK/lin%20mei%20huai_zpskndhd2im.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Ta Mei Huai<br><strong>Element :</strong> Water<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> Palace<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Shin Min-Hee, Wu Cai, Open<br><hr><br>For a moment, Mei reacted as if struck as Wu Cai refused the tea. She regained composure soon enough, but the damage had been done. Every gesture at court had its meaning; every act had its consequence. For all the concubine understood that her ally did not mean disrespect, nonetheless it would hurt her standing. Fortunately, thanks largely to Wu and the others, Mei's standing had a good deal of cushion in which to fall right now. Someday she would have to explain the vagaries of court life. Now was not the time. A bow back and a quiet, "Of course," was the reply for the moment.<br><br>When Shin Min-Hee announced her success, Mei did not bother to hide her relief. She handed over the tea with a soft, "You're welcome," as she bowed again. "And thank you for all you have done. I owe you a debt of gratitude." It wouldn't be wrong to say the whole house owed Min one, but that was not for Ta Mei Huai to say. She was a bit surprised at the merchant's daughter's offer, but on the whole, she approved. It would be awkward for the pair to stay at the castle, though not unwarranted. Mei looked on both with a smile and said, "Then I believe I should wish you both a pleasant evening. It has been an upsetting day, and much needs to be addressed, but it would have been infinitely worse were it not for the two of you, Miss Dou, and Heini." She stopped and fretted for a moment. "I hope she has not gotten into too much trouble. The Judge seemed most affronted."<br><br>To herself, Mei had to admit that trouble seemed to be inherent in Heini's nature - more the pity considering the great service she had rendered today.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>12-11-2015, 20:49:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/e2/Bao_er_myau_mug.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Warden Bao Er Myau<br><strong>Element :</strong> Wood<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> River, evening<br><strong>Tagging :</strong> Heini<br><br><hr><br>"Watch out for that technique!" Uttering its name bought Heini some personal space. She had a vacuum in which to perform it, and a captive audience of wardens anticipating something amazing- a wuxia miracle. But when nothing happened, the audience turned on her. The vacuum closed back in. "Never mind." Er Myau's mancatcher pinned down, not against the joint of a knee or an elbow, but around the nape of Heini's neck. Her leather shoe wrapped the branch of the fork and weighted it down. "You almost had me there. I thought you were a true master. But, you're only a thief."<br><br>The tines stayed tight and oppressive as chains jingled. The restraints were coming out. "This one has slipped free at least once, so take no chances." Clack, a thick slave's manacle closed around one wrist and part of the cushion of her palm. Heini was asked to bring her arms up from any hope of protecting her face, and excessively up, straight up behind her shoulderblades. Warden Bao Er Myau was comfortable letting the wardens do this. Heini had proven herself nimble enough to take it in stride. The chain looped around the weapon's shaft, and clack, the opposite wrist was entrapped. If the position made Heini's shoulders burn, Er Myau showed no sympathy. She was breathing hard where she had not been before.<br><br>With a careful, slow pivot that was an extension of her own balance, Er Myau scooped Heini from the riverbank with the sasumata's fork, at first by her neck, but once the cool metal found the divot of her backside, her thighs and the soles of her feet could just barely enter the equation. The spines high on the weapon instructed Heini to keep her back arched like a trained concubine, lest they prick.<br><em>"What happened to her clothes?" </em><br>"In all the confusion, I must have misplaced them."<br><br>The way back to the palace climbed many broad and shallow steps splayed like a deck of cards, well lit to the village below by proud stone lanterns. Since she had not come back as asked, this was the way she would be delivered to Judge Fu Li Shin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chrystal</strong> on <strong>14-11-2015, 21:02:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Ibuki_eyes.jpg)</div><strong>Name :</strong> Heini (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=231826.msg11399165#msg11399165)<br><strong>Element :</strong> 火 Fire<br><strong>Location &amp; Time :</strong> The river bank<br><strong>Tagging :</strong>&nbsp; Warden Bao Er Myau, Judge Fu Li Shin<br><br><hr><br>The reaction to the Buddha's stone scattering palm was disappointing to say the least. Sure it had worked, and from a scholar's perspective the fact that Heini, who had never used it before and had only seen it performed twice, was able to get it to do <em>anything</em> was actually worthy of some note. But from Heini's perspective it had done absolutely nothing. She realised her mistake instantly, of course. She had not fully believed in it. But before she could rectify the mistake and try again, her captors were all over her. The metal tines pinned her neck, forcing her face onto the dirt, even as the chief warden declared Heini to be nothing more than a thief.<br><br>"Hey, everyone's gotta make a living. If I'd let some lord fuck me up the arse I could've been a warden too!" The taunt was rewarded with additional brutality. Her arms were dragged behind her back painfully and manacled together. The strain on her shoulders was intense and Heini breathed out hard, allowing her shoulders to rotate that little bit further. Suddenly she was lifted from the ground by her neck. Her hands grasped the slick pole behind her, below the spikes, and helped take the weight off her neck, but it was still painful. But as the top of the weapon lifted, so the lower end came down and she felt it touch her arse crack as she straightened her legs, bent forward as she was. <br><br>The sadistic bitch was clearly intending to lift Heini off the ground. "Damn, I wish I was fat, that way I'd give you a hernia!" She gasped out. As her toes left the ground, she quickly lifted her feet backwards, wrapping her legs tight around the wooden shaft.<br><br>Thus secured, she dangled precariously as Er Myau marched triumphant at the head of her troop of wardens, parading the young thief like an obscene banner. Heini was struck by a sudden fit of giggles. "Hey, look at me! I'm a flag! I'm famous at last!" she cried out as she was carried. Her hands worked on the manacles on her wrists, but after a while she gave up. Not that she couldn't get out of them - well, it was debatable. Maybe she could have, maybe she couldn't. But suddenly she was actually rather enjoying the ride, as uncomfortable and humiliating as it was. "Hey you!" She called to a spectator, "I'm a thief, just a simple cut purse, yet they send an entire army after me. They're not very good, are they? OW!" The sasumata was jerked suddenly, causing her hands and legs to slip and put pressure on her neck.<br><br>Soon enough they arrived at the palace and Heini grinned at whom she saw standing their waiting for her. "Well, hello, Judge. Nice to see you again. Sorry, I left my panties by the river and your incompetent wardens seem to have lost them. The golden warrior has has a very nice set though..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Jade Dragons &amp; Hungry Ghosts - Village of Pai Sun</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-12-2015, 11:34:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Night settled on the far side of the Bamboo River with the scent of fireworks still acrid in the air. Even on a night such as the Paper Boat Festival, the prudent people of Pai Sun were drawn to their beds at this hour. Those who roamed the untamed bank now, they were wicked as beasts. Evil things resided in Jeju Forest since its villages had disappeared, and its charcoal kilns had shrouded its twisted trees in sooty fog. Which of the low boats adrift in the waters of the Bamboo River belonged to pirates and smugglers and which were honest fishermen was on the Wardens to discern, but either were far from picky about their passengers. Any young woman could bribe passage across, and tonight, a young woman had.<br><br>Within Jeju Forest, a jiangshi moaned. Pulled to stiff obedience like a tangled marionette, she hopped to her mistress' bidding, bringing a bowl of heated milk from the campfire for their guest to sip. As wooden as the creature moved, there was little left of it once it arrived in Nam Seon's waiting hands.<br><br>"I have so many questions, I don't think I could sleep at all!" The princess sipped. The stars were in her eyes as she regarded the women sharing this unassuming camp with her.<br>"Then you came to the right place, girl," spoke Ringing Bell's Shadow. She was as severe and proud as a first concubine, but near as Nam Seon could tell, her only paramour was the black arts. She had festooned herself with gold and silk ribbon and little else, unafraid of the dangers of the forest. "The Black Crane fights for knowledge. Freedom of knowledge, for all the peoples of the Empire."<br><br>Recalling her father's account of the Black Crane as demon-lovers, Nam Seon's eyes snapped to the sorceress' other unwholesome companion, the predatory T'uifen. Everything about her rose the hackles on Nam Seon's Neck, from the lean tiger muscle of her slinking body to the pornographic timbre of her voice to the hunger on her lips. At the sorceress' insistence, she had covered her savage nudity in a tattered, moth-eaten silk dress coat probably pulled from the jiangshi's coffin.<br>"May I?" the demon purred. "May I taste this one? Just a little."<br>The warmth of the milk brought pink to Nam Seon's cheeks.<br><br>"Save your appetite, T'uifen. First the curious will come to us from across the river. They will bring the black pages of the Egui Sutra home, and we will let them pass. Then the holy will come to try to steal away our flock. Of them, you can have your pick."<br>T'uifen's fingers crept up her long throat, each capped with a steely dragon's claw of a nail. "Mmm, it's been too long since I've tasted a holy woman."<br><br>And then there was the jiangshi, a hopping vampire of the sorceress' creation. Without fear, without pain, as strong as a strong yak, and most importantly, fully clothed and not writhing. Nam Seon rest her eyes there.<br>"I see you take an interest in my creation," Ringing Bell's Shadow beamed.<br>"You are a powerful sorcerer indeed. Will you teach me your methods?"<br>"My dear, I will show you e v e r y t h i n g. But what shall be your Black Crane name?"<br>"Call me... Celestial Wind."<br>T'uifen licked her lips with a pointed pink tongue. The thirst was greater than ever.<br><br><div align="center">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7e/Namseon.jpg)(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/1d/Ringing_bells_shadow.jpg)(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/21/Tuifen.jpg)(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/e8/Jiangshi.jpg)</div>
			</dd>
		</dl>
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