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Chuyao He      "This unrefined scholar offers his thanks to you," says Chuyao, offering a fist-in-palm bow to the assembled visitors.

    There is no carriage ride that's necessary today. The nearest warpgate to the Taoist Sword Sect is in Wudangshan Town (literally 'Wudang Mountain Town'), a small but thriving community at the foot of the mountain range upon which the sect's sprawling compound sits. The air here is humid, and the late summer heat hasn't yet set in thanks to the early hour. Much like Mount Mogan, which Lilian had visited hundreds of miles from here, the upper reaches of the mountain range are wreathed in mist. It is a study in earthy greys and browns contrasting with the rich emerald of abundant alpine trees, shrubs and grasses. Unlike Mount Mogain, the Wudang Mountains host a great number of peaks rising like earthen towers into the sky, not all of them wide enough to support structures.

     Even from where you stand in the small town, the swept roofs of many a building or wall are faintly visible in the mist, as are the sturdy stone railings set with presently-unlit lanterns, forming a winding yet orderly path up to the various peaks which disappear in the mist.

    The town itself has amenities for those in need--accomodations, food, stables, a small but respectable market selling makeup, produce, tea and wine (the latter two manned by a pair of lay disciples from the temple complex). After many years under the protection of the Taoists on the mountain, Wudangshan Town stands only to benefit from its newfound warpgate. The gate itself is under guard, just as Lin'an City and Lonqing Town--but the soldiers guarding it seem especially bored and giving your name is even more of a formality here than it was in Lin'an. It isn't hard to imagine why--this place is far from the border, a natural chokepoint and within spitting distance of a major sect. The Understanding may even parse the name of the mountain range itself as 'martial resistance.'

    "The Taoist Sword sect will be expecting us. They will receive us at the newly-built Purple Cloud Hall. Naturally, this lowly scholar is happy to answer any questions along the way--and, of course, to pass time with stories.
Chuyao He      The walkway isn't demanding in its steepness, at least not at first. It is certainly long enough that 'passing the time' is a serious consideration. Reaching the Purple Cloud Temple is a matter of hours even at a brisk walk, and along the walkway at semi-regular intervals there are rest stops. These stops serve food and drink, and are manned by disciples with their hair in tightly-bound buns, wearing roughspun dark blue cross-collar robes (really, more like jackets) and slacks tucked into white wraps. Their manner is so relaxed and cordial that the jian strapped to their backs seem almost an afterthought. The air grows thinner and cooler as you ascend. Purple Cloud Temple is ever present, seemingly always out of reach no matter how much closer it gets.

     Along the way, you pass by a number of other temples and courtyards, variously either looming over or sprawled out slightly below, nestled into cliff faces and wreathed in summer alpine greenery. One of them is made entirely of the same rock as Wudang itself, carved from the peak and nearly blending totally in, if not for the bronze statues of Taoist immortals and celestial officials glimmering in the steadily rising sun. It is a curious thing to stand amidst the clouds--the peaks that you slowly pass by break the curtain of mist, and all around, the sky spreads endlessly out like the most perfect blank canvas the universe could imagine.

     Langya Sword Pavilion is the oldest *contiguous* sect, but some of the temples you pass by are easily the elder by several centuries. Even these elder temples see visits from the public and receive care from the Sword Sect. Why wouldn't they? "The oldest temple in Wudang is the Five Dragons Temple--originally the Five Dragons Shrine," Chuyao explains. "It dates back to the Zhenguan era--which would be roughly five centuries ago. Taoist presence in Wudang predates even that, let alone the Sword Sect. Purple Cloud Temple was built by..." He frowns, as if recalling something unpleasant.

    "Imperial decree, scarcely ten years ago, as thanks for the sect's dedication to the common good. It was intended to be a headquarters of sorts, and indeed it serves that purpose, though, as you can see, they have not neglected the other temples."
Chuyao He      When you finally arrive at the Purple Cloud Temple, there is one final bastard set of stairs, and these last ones are spaced at twice the interval of an ordinary step. the sun quietly informs you that it must be noon or very close to it. This is plainly the newest of the various temples--the paint has not yet begun to fade from its red stone walls and the emerald shingles of its swept roofs don't yet know the gentle and insistent touch of rain.

     Unlike the Langya Sword Pavilion, entry isn't restricted--members of the general public come and go through the entryway, and only certain areas are off limits.The temple complex does not exist in opposition to the trees around it. It takes up only what space it needs, and much that would be empty space somewhere else is freely given over to the trees. In this way, it can truly be said to be 'nestled' between them.

     The courtyard into which the walkway opens up is especially alive with activity. Taoist disciples in formation practice swordplay--the most junior among them do so with bundles of willow branches, and the most senior with their jian unsheathed. The latter, in particular, aren't merely practicing in a row--the arrangement seems too deliberate. Lilian might draw comparison to a constellation. She and Chie, in particular, can see that it isn't just symbolism, either. Their arrangement would make it very easy for them to kettle an unsuspecting opponent, and to resist attempts by numerous opponents to do the same.
Lilian Rook     Lilian would normally be unbelievably excited to venture into another den of swordsmanship in the Rivers and Lakes of Chuyao's world. The Langya Sword Pavillion had stoked something in her that she didn't know she had. If the invitation had come a week ago, she would be over the moon.

    Here she is, with a broken arm in a sling, held rigid by a splint and wrist brace, hoping to feel less tired and depressed by the end of the day. Some resilient ember of hopefulness had compelled her to wear her sword at her side-- oversized for the culture and era, closing in on the length of a short spear-- and a modified version of her Sacae outfit-- split robe over tall boot-tucked pants with cuffed sleeves, more lightly layered than before for the hotter climate, but still in the same greys, greens, daffodil and subtle gold-- which somewhat more closely matches the place and time.

    Doing her makeup left-handed didn't seem to change much. She was completely unable to tie her hair in any way, though. Her Elibean leather travel bag is slung from the opposite shoulder, even though her scabbard is mounted on the left side of her waist. If she can make time, she intends to go shopping; wine and tea are things Tamamo will appreciate, and period appropriate makeup is mildly intriguing.

    The climb isn't hard on her, at least. Only the arm took a hit from the Binding Blade. The long exercise in the thin mountain air invigorates her enough to improve her mood somewhat. For whatever reason, she eats at every single rest stop.

    "It's gorgeous." she finally says, halfway up the climb. "Everything here. Living in a far-ahead age, it's easy to forget how clever and industrious people were even back then, and how the human eye for beauty hasn't changed much over time." She sighs, strangely forlorn, thinking about something very different. "It's been a little too long since I've had time to appreciate somewhere that cares for preservation of tradition."

    Chuyao's trivia puts her in an incrementally better mood too. Still not fantastic, but he's a charming and attractive man with a lot of interesting hobbies.

    'Imperial decree, scarcely ten years ago, as thanks for the sect's dedication to the common good.'

    "Common good?" Lilian raises an eyebrow. "How terribly uncommon for a government to recognize. Did they fight in a war?" She hardly seems to notice the miserable double steps, simply quadrupling the energy she puts into her gait and springing up them one by one. "I like that they've left the trees alone." she says, quietly, thinking of that same thing as before.
Regulus Maybe it is a surprise that Regulus is even showing up today. After all, she's not exactly on the greatest terms with Chuyao even if things have been pretty chill lately, but if you indicate that there is an 'alchemical pill' then the self proclaimed alchemical genius is bound to be interested. And even if the job is to return the mysterious recipe, this is an opportunity to for the alchemical genius to make more alchemical connections which is only going to help with making future alchemical concoctions. She's pretty sure Vertin would want her to reach out to these people anyway. If nothing else, maybe they and Gwen could exchange notes.

She gives her name--casually bored guards who don't want to look too deeply into anything are the perfect kind of guards.

Regulus stopped at every rest stop and got food and drink there. Every single time she acted like she was about to die from hunger, thirst, and exhaustion until she sprawled out somewhere shoving food and water into her gullet. It's a good thing Lilian also stopped at every rest stop because that meant that Regulus doesn't die trying to keep up and she cuts out her moaning whenever Lilian's near. Not really because she's worried Lilian would give her the business, but because she wants to be gentle to her right now. She's got a broken arm! And there's other shit going on. As Lilian's mood seems to improve, Regulus seems more at ease too. They've had their fights and disagreements and Regulus has whined and protested here and there, but Lilian is a friend. And a member of the team. And if there's anybody Regulus is willing to bite her tongue for it'll be a member of Team Timekeeper, and even technically speaking a fellow alchemist!

"Yeah.... it's... really... beautiful..." Regulus manages, grinning while bowled over and looking like she's doing everything in her power to not fall over and have to be dragged the rest of the way or left behind. "Air's fresh, view's fab, they even remember to provide snacks. Maybe the... kindness... gentlest... several hours of walking up a mountain in my life." She offers Lilian a thumbsup. "How high up are we right now..?"

''Taoist disciples in formation practice swordplay''

"Woah that dancing is out there." Regulus can only use weapons in an adventure game logic sort of way so that means guns are tools for knocking hanging things down and swords are for poking out of reach buttons. She doesn't see the combat mastery element at all.

She's practically crawling up the last steps, though, and once she's there actually just decides to flop over on the ground onto her back and lie there for a bit. "So pretty..." Regulus wheezes.
Meresankh     Meresankh arrives in Wudangshan Town unaccompanied, much like her previous visits to this world. "My greetings to you, humble scholar," she says to Chuyao. She spends the next few minutes asking after Chuyao's recent well-being and endeavors, while one of her scarab-drones hovers openly through the market above head-height, taking in the sights on the queen's behalf.

    When it comes time to exchange stories on the road, Meresankh starts out mostly quiet. The biggest 'story' in her life is still the departure of her (ex-?) wife from Oryx's sphere of influence, and even if Chuyao can be trusted, she doesn't want just anyone to hear about that. As the path turns steep, she decides to float alongside Chuyao rather than subject everyone to the clanging of heavy metal feet on stone steps. The temples on the way draw little 'ooh's and 'aah's from Meresankh, ever excited to dabble in a friendly world's culture. She comments fondly on the use of natural rock formations to guide construction, especially in the cliff-face structures.

    "There is such beauty here," she remarks, on passing out of the cloud layer and spying the other peaks sticking up like islands from the sea. "Both natural and cultivated!" She eyes a statue of a Taoist immortal hero, admiring its careful construction and lifelike depiction.

    Arriving at the Purple Cloud Temple, Meresankh floats up the steps, humming a little tune she heard from one of the temples she passed over an hour ago. She's clearly excited to be on this world again. And meeting some of its greatest martial artists, to boot! She silently wonders to herself how a purple temple can be red and green, before realizing it's so named for the *clouds'* color. "The views from here around sunset must be extraordinary!"

    Through the gate, her gaze turns to the squadron of sword disciples training in careful formation. Though more queen than general, she can readily appreciate the robust strategy hinted at by the trainees' arrangement. She bows gently in greeting to the disciples who turn to look at the strange gaggle of newcomers, then turns to Chuyao. "Do the Sword Sect face many battles?" she asks. "They appear amply prepared, even for a temple dedicated to the blade."
Lilian Rook     'Air's fresh, view's fab, they even remember to provide snacks. Maybe the... kindness... gentlest... several hours of walking up a mountain in my life.'

    "Good luck Regulus." Lilian says with the ghost of a smile. "Judging by the air, I'd estimate . . . perhaps thirteen hundred meters? Imprecisely."

    'Woah that dancing is out there.'

    "That's a formation drill." Lilian says. "These people aren't wandering knights. If they have to fight, it'll be as a group, to protect a village or a temple. That sort of thing is important." Her mood even improves enough to say "I wish Elites would do anything of the sort. If Team Timekeeper expands a little more, I'll want to organize a few drills with our combat personnel." Right now though, that's just Sonetto and Druvis, nobody else.
Hiromi     Hiromi is here together with Chie, as before. Chie had introduced herself as here to speak (translate? interpret?) for the Archwolf, and she does so again at the first opportunity of anyone asking. Thereafter, however, her attention is taken up by the path, the shops along it, and the temples, just as soon as she gets 'greeting' (getting close to) every other elite present out of the way.

    "You're hurt? That looks pretty bad. You were in a fight, right? But it got set... so, you're healing, but it's slow. But you have blessings, right? Did you get cursed, too?" She knows Lilian didn't have a broken arm last time she saw her, and has at least heard of her wife.

    "Ooh! They have food."

    Soon, "Ooh! They have different food!"

    "Ohh--!"

    . . .

    It goes on like that for a while. At each stop, Chie reaches into a side-pack and tries to pay for food with some out of a selection of shiny stones. They're a mixture of polished skipping stones, semi-precious, and raw gemstones, forming a wide spectrum of typical market values of which she appears unaware or uncaring. Hiromi pays only a little attention to this -- but even if her eyes aren't focused there, the giant wolf-woman has an ear turned each bartering interaction. She's judging... something.

    "Dug in stone." That might be the first thing she's said, herself, remarking on the temple in passing. Approving? Yes, definitely approving, though it's cut with curiosity. "Not-usual, here, yes? Wood-builders, brick-builders, more."

    If one expected either figure to mind a brisk mountain climb -- obviously, no one here would be so foolish. Hiromi is as unbothered as she is unhurried, taking long, slow strides to match Chie's short (yet high) start-stop energy by averages.

    "Oh, they're doing forms." That's normal. "Group forms? That looks like..." Chie tilts her head around, like that will give her a better perspective to understand the purpose. Following that thought, she promptly finds a tree to climb, demonstrating both a good grip and the importance of maintained, unhesitating momentum in any act that defies gravity.
Regulus "Thanks... You too.." Regulus says, despite Lilian looking like she barely broke a sweat. "Though you look like you're about ready to do a whole other mountain still. And Hiromi looks like she's thinking about benchpressing it heh..." She smiles, exhausted, but her mood is undampened at least.

Though that might also be partly thanks to Chie who has naturally infectious energy that readily keeps the dj pirate's spirits up. And look, Chie hasn't headbutted her in the gut during the climb so that was nice.

''That's a formation drill.''
''Oh, they're doing forms.''

"Ahah... Chie's not done climbing..." Regulus musters all her strength and will to live to get up into a seated position. it's less relaxing than face down with her face in the dirt but if she gets too comfortable in that position she's going to be stuck there.

"Sonetto's already doing Drills with Trideag too right?" Regulus adds, peering over to the forms. "Does look a bit like dancing though."
Penelope Usher     The newest comer, probably unfamiliar to everyone here for her presence in person, is a blonde girl with vivid red eyes, completely aesthetically dissonant with everything beyond the warpgate. She's wearing nearly all white, with leather equestrian boots and a stuffed fannypack for the hike, and a green ribbon tying up her hair. The whole environment delights her from a standstill, and, like, the task isn't *so* urgent that she can't stroll from the warpgate to the adorable little makeup stall and find some assuredly lead-laced blush powder.

"The Taoist Sword sect will be expecting us."

    "Hi! You're Chuyao, aren't you?"" Her greeting's with a bounce in her step and a wrist-twisting wave, after re-buckling her fannypack shut. "*Gorgeous* place to take a walk, gosh."

    The call for generally-altruistic sorts would naturally apply to the noblest and sweetest heiress to the House of Usher, of course, but in addition, organization to organization-- wouldn't it just be so sweet to have some kind of tie with the Taoist sect? A group of benevolent old Chinese alchemists? Isn't that just the best thing ever? Penelope doesn't really feel the need to envision what kind of productive value could be generated from this union of hearts and minds, but it just *feels* right, and it's Paladins stuff besides.

    Her only real aesthetic signal, though, as someone headed to a sword sect, is the unnervingly misshapen dagger in a sling on her hip, polished to an opal shine and hooked like a seam ripper. It swings back and forth and she hikes, like it's excited too.

"Living in a far-ahead age, it's easy to forget how clever and industrious people were even back then, and how the human eye for beauty hasn't changed much over time."

    "Right?? You just forget all about how every person before you lived a whole full life, and how beauty, and civilization, and everything, are just all the products of that collective work! But look at it here!"

    Penelope holds a hand up to her chest in sheer delight, turning towards Lilian to share in it. Her expression flickers and falls a bit in sympathetic dismay at seeing Lilian's broken arm. "Oh, no! Is that new? How'd that happen?"

    It's only now that Penelope finally decides to dabble in introductions, but only obliquely. First, she says, "Lilian, right?" then she hinges down at her waist and pokes a finger mock-accusingly towards Night Mist. "You better be, or else *you've* got some explaining to do, young lady." Then she giggles maniacally to herself, hand curled over her mouth.

"Taoist presence in Wudang predates even that, let alone the Sword Sect."

    "That's so cool...." Oh she can be such a tourist here!!! As long as they're just walking, this is like a beautiful tourism trip! Her head's on a constant swivel looking around at all the temples and statues to drink them in.

    "So what do the Taoists usually do, huh? Do people travel from all over to their temples to get healing?"
Xion Xion had recently gone on an expedition with Chuyao and so had thought to join in on one of his adventures when he sends out some general invites. Visiting a new place with good food's always a good offer, and the particular sort of town that it is simply breathes new quest zone to Xion when she arrives.

Having gotten some street food in Wudangshan Town, trading in a mix of munny and barter as the shops demand it. She has plenty of things to offer in barter!

Joining the walk with Chuyao with her hood down and her coat open over a grey t-shirt with a rainbow pattern on it over a pair of shorts, Xion snacks on a grilled skewer while walking, enjoying something slow roasted over woodsmoke a probably cancerous but certainly delicious amount.

"So is this your place, Chuyao?" Xion asks, interested in the wandering frontline monk much more broadly now that she could see him in the wind-through-trees backdrop he was more native to.

"It's a pretty place. You're painted like you belong here." She asides, before returning to skewer and walk up the mountain.

Evil for her ability to do stairs up and down and up again to make sure they got all the treasure chests hanging out in hard to reach areas but for wallrunning, Xion is as sprightly after the last bogus stair as up the first.

"More than five centuries... People have been on the mountain for a long time, wow." Xion admits, having finished snack and turned to twirling stick around fingers. "It's all very pretty. Was there fear that there would be neglect?" Xion asks, of the temples, but means the Imperial action Chuyao describes. 'Common good' seemed a fine reason to benefit the place, but decree seemed to come darkly.

Seeing everyone training makes Xion stop and pause at the entrance for a moment, blinking, then shakes her head and continues in. "What sort of help do they need? Do you know? The amount of *stuff* here is incredible, but it might be a thousand years of touching." She appreciates like a gravity in the place.
Lilian Rook     'You're hurt? That looks pretty bad. You were in a fight, right? But it got set... so, you're healing, but it's slow. But you have blessings, right? Did you get cursed, too?'

    "Christ, calm down." Lilian says, laughing through her nose slightly. "I soakedup too many hits shielding someone else from a divine sword of promised victory." She says it like this is a bland matter of fact. She kind of has to, for her own emotional stability. "It'll be fine. The worst of it is already treated. Give it a week or two." Marginally insane, given it should be four months normally.

    'Though you look like you're about ready to do a whole other mountain still.'

    A strange mood seizes her. "Believe it or not, I was pretty frail, once upon a time. I never exercised except for long walks. I'd huff and puff to lift a bowling ball, and I'd bruise at the slightest thing." Even though she can remember just fine, it feels surreal to reminisce on. It may have been her career changed that forced her to begin working out, but a certain amount of newfound love for her own body had eventually become what compelled her to be so serious about it. "I might get a bit tired if we did another one." she says.

    'Sonetto's already doing Drills with Trideag too right?'

    "Here and there. She's such a diligent student it's almost intimidating. She sent me a tape of her holding a stance for two solid hours because an offhanded comment I made."

    'Does look a bit like dancing though.'

    "I suppose it does."

    'Hi! You're Chuyao, aren't you?'

    Lilian has to wrack her brains only for a little bit to place the voice (she mostly remembers it for hooting 'Gayyyyy!' at her and Tamamo being sappy.) "Penelope Morgana Usher, if I'm correct." she says, eyeballing how weirdly tall she is, first.

    'Oh, no! Is that new? How'd that happen?'

    "You can't avoid an injury forever. Especially when you're covering for someone less experienced." Remembering each impact on her arm, just to block her head, while Roy hesitated through all of them, makes her a little upset.

    'Lilian, right?'

    "Lilian Isabelle Rook. A pleasure to meet in person." she says, unable to help a giggle at the silly joke. She swings her hip on purpose to bop the tip of Penelope's finger with the hilt. "And I see Velvet." she says, glancing over at the bouncing dagger. "It's more striking in person."
Ember Ember arrives at the warp gate and plainly gives his name as 'Ember'; he does not need to give anything else, not like these people would know him as a political dissident.  Well, not one of /their/dissidents anyway.  Once through the gate, he immediately spots Chuyao, and he raises a hand in greeting.  "Hello, I'm Ember.  Nice to finally be able to put a face to a name."

Ember is dressed in his summer leathers, tan leather enhanced with special crystals to keep him cool in the summer heat, especially with their climbing of a bunch of stairs.  He also has a leather sack on his back as well as a skin of water for the trip.  

He also looks somewhat... disappointed that there is a walking skeleton here.  Not because she's a walking cybernetic skeleton, but because she's a /monarchist/.  He doesn't feel the need to start trouble so early in their journey, so he leaves it alone for now, but she is on thin ice with him.

Once they are on the trail, Ember actually has one important question when it's brought up.  

'Taoist presence in Wudang predates even that, let alone the Sword Sect.'

"Oh, so the name of the sword sect isn't just that... so what is Taoism?  I am unfamiliar with it." Ember asks Chuyao.  He's more curious about the culture of these people, but that might also be because his people have lost a lot of their own culture.  Finding ways to mend that might help rebuild.  

'Imperial decree, scarcely ten years ago, as thanks for the sect's dedication to the common good.'
'Did they fight in a war?'

"I have to wonder a similar thing.  Governments rarely do anything 'for the common good' without an ulterior motive.  Either someone greased a wheel, or someone served in a way like Mrs. Rook said." Ember, distrustful of government systems not created by the people, wonders aloud.

While he travels up the stairs, he makes sure to pace himself.  He does look at Regulus, concerned during this, wondering if the young woman was going to make it.  He is impressed when she finally does, though concerned about her getting heat exhaustion when she lies on the ground.  "Drink some water.  Slowly, sip it."

The courtyard is very beautiful, but his eyes go to the practicing swordsmen.  He's trained members of his organization in fighting with knives, but they work in small cells, not like an organized army.  He /has/ caught glimpses of the police of his city training in lines, but this is something different.  

'I wish Elites would do anything of the sort.'

Ember shrugs and responds, "I'm not a soldier; I'm a revolutionary.  We don't fight the same, and I won't pretend to do so.  If I fight like a soldier, I'd die," he says it so plainly.  He doesn't seem to mind Chie as she climbs up the tree to get a better view.  

'What sort of help do they need?'

"That is also a good question," Ember states.  
Lilian Rook     'I'm not a soldier; I'm a revolutionary. We don't fight the same, and I won't pretend to do so. If I fight like a soldier, I'd die,'

    "Soldiers fight like soldiers because a lot of people spent a very long time learning how to fight as well as possible." Lilian says. "Well, at least as well as you can train a large number of people to fight in a reasonable amount of time. By which I mean that you'd still benefit from training. I don't know what it is that you do, but you can't always have a perfect surprise attack, or an ideal in-and-out skirmish." She eyeballs the crystals, thinks about asking, and loses steam.

    'It's a pretty place. You're painted like you belong here.'

    "That's a lovely way of putting it. I'll have to steal that one."
Hiromi     Chie does not, in fact, headbutt Regulus this time. That's a different sort of greeting, and anyway, she has so many things to look at apart from fulfilling her sacred duties (whatever they are).

    Between the two of them, it's Hiromi who's far more period appropriate, with neither having tried. Chie's shrine maiden type clothing would fit in for some neighboring country, perhaps, whereas Hiromi's the one with a gi, cloth and fur bound in thin ropes, and bronze ornaments of plausibly religious significance. What parts of it don't resemble a martial sect instead resemble a mountain bandit.

    Of course, in both cases, there are the ears... and Chie's tail is clearly not an accessory, by its frequent motion.

    'It's all very pretty. Was there fear that there would be neglect?'

    "Oh, yeah! That happens all the time. It's because people forget. They forget spirits, and people, but they forget what they believed in, too. If you have this many people on the road you'll probably get some stuff remembered." Chie engages in side-chatter over skewers. The way she opens her mouth makes her teeth look bigger than they are. She is spiritually toothy. "But maybe not. Maybe this is seasonal? Sometimes people are good with yearly traditions, but those are easier to forget, too."

    Xion is an unknown to Chie, which means the latter creates an opportunity to get in close to get some kind of read. It's more human-social than the way Hiromi noses people, but not dramatically so. Being a smaller wolf, there's a larger variety of context prompts available.

    And then Penelope. Again, as a new meeting -- this one to Chie and Hiromi both -- creates the need for introductions. Chie accomplishes this by holding both arms spread high in the air. "I! Am Chie!" That's not a proper posture of greeting. Even for wolf-miko, it's not. They have a whole thing -- Hiromi makes a soft huff, Chie's left ear twitches, and she drops her arms to snap into a fist-to-palm salute. Her heels would click if she were wearing shoes. "I'm here as the Archwolf's miko." She says that like it should make several other things obvious. Without using that True Speech bit, it probably doesn't.

    Ember and Meresankh Chie has met before, however briefly. She, naturally, assumes she's remembered.

    'Christ, calm down.'

    Chie's tail goes still for about a moment, but her energy is already back by the time Lilian laughs. "A week? That's long, right?" The wolf cult might have enough super-regenerators to give some strange standards for healing time. "A divine sword... ohh, so it was an artifact like that!" 'Artifact' sounds specific. "No wonder it's like that, then."
Swords of Justice      While Shirou thinks his own swordsmanship is okay, many people on the radio seem to disagree for some reason, and while he could simply ask them to show him some pointers... He's pretty sure if King Arthur were still around, she'd weep after seeing how is style developed, and he doesn't want to do that to a second person who will actually be around to witness him. So when Chuyao He put out an inventation to visit a swordsect as part of of some sort of business exchange, Shirou takes that as an oppurtunity to quietly learn.

     Shirou reviews and repeats his reason for being here a few times in his own head, like some sort of narration, partly because he's just like that, but also to keep his mind off of how many stairs he's just climbed, only to finally snap out of it once he processes other people talking.

     "What sort of help do they need? Do you know?"

     "That's a good question. They seem to be doing pretty good for themselves. Though I wouldn't be surprised if food and water is on a list of requests. I don't think that's something you can ever have enough of, especially in a place this high up."
Lilian Rook     'A week? That's long, right?'

    "Longer than I'd like." Lilian says. She's not going to say that it's already been a week now. "No wonder indeed. It'd have been permanent nerve damage from bone shards if I hadn't been ready for it, much less if I hadn't been wearing armour."

    'Though I wouldn't be surprised if food and water is on a list of requests.'

    "If they've called us just for that, I'm going to kick their asses." Lilian says, then impulsively adds, "And yours. For manifesting it."
Regulus ''I'm a revolutionary. We don't fight the same, and I won't pretend to do so.''

"Don't think anybody's saying there's only one strategy out there, mate, but wouldn't learning how soldiers fight help you when fighting soldiers?" Regulus then realizes she's talking about soldiers and war and wrinkles her nose. "Like I get you don't got the same resources to have a nice fair fight on a featureless plane but it's not like these folk will be doing that either. Anybody comes up here they're gonna have to go up a ''mountain''."

She seems disinterested in adding anything else, but she considers it her personal responsibility to discourage Ember from being so stubborn. It's for the good of the Watch and, thus, Team Timekeeper.

Regulus is oblivious to her position as regards to wolf mountain because even if it was explained to her, she'd probably assume it was a little bit fake, but she'll still do whatever Chie would want because she's the fucking cutest and Regulus doesn't have the POWER OF THE WILL to deny her. So it all works out in the end.

Regulus might try to headbutt her at some point in the future because she just thinks that's the sort of thing Chie does though.

''Believe it or not, I was pretty frail, once upon a time.''

"I think you said so before." Regulus says. "But that just makes it more impressive, doesn't it, love? I'm--"

She pauses. This is normally the point where Florin kidnaps her and she quickly hoips to her feet and spins around in a circle. She doesn't see the ratbot, and she exhales a relieved breath. There's decent odds that Florin will end up chasing Regulus all the way back down the mountain though later on.

"It's easier to keep on once you've already been keeping on yeah?"

She must have not been as out of energy as she thought she was because of how quickly she moved to defend herself against potential Florins.

"Two hours?? Sonetto might be doing ''four'' mountains by the time you're done with her."

''Xion''

"Oh! You're Xion! Hey Xion!" Regulus waves a hand. "How's Candyland? Wait--"

''Penelope''

"That's Penelope right?? Wow, lots of radio voices today."
Penelope Usher     Tall floating robot woman! Taller earthbound wolf woman! A Regulus! All very fascinating tourist stops, for Penelope. She shields her eyes with one hand while watching the marvelous mechanical scarab buzz through the air, other hand toying with a lollipop between her teeth. Her skyfaring gaze tracks over to Hiromi's ears, at just about the same height.

    Chie is given a chance to herald Hiromi's presence! After doing so-- any instance of Hiromi's speech sends Penelope's eyebrows rocketing up behind her hair and biting down on her lollipop to crunch it in half-- she withdraws the remaining stick to wave hello.

    "Hi, Miss Archwolf, wow. *I'm* Penelope, Arch-nothing besides the fiends being friends-of-friends."

    Treating Hiromi as a giant wolf-demon is, really, probably a safe bet, so it's with a politely deferential bow of her head that Penelope concludes her introduction. "Hieress to the House of Usher and Sign-bearer of the 66th. It's nice to meet you! And you too, Chie."

    Later, in chatty aside, she says to Chie, "Sooooo...? How do you knowwww her?"

"Penelope Morgana Usher, if I'm correct."

    "Got it in one~"

    Penelope confirms in slight sing-song, then giggles with a finger to her lips when Lilian matches the tempo of the introduction. There's a little 'oooo~' at the 'Isabelle' coming out in return, like it's both scandalous and endearingly formal, despite her starting it. On Velvet, enthusiastically, "Isn't it pretty? Yours is too-- is that obsidian? No, magnetite?"

    A little more seriously, but still upbeat, Penelope caught Lilian's explanation as to the mechanics of getting her arm broken earlier. "Aw, that really sucks. I'm sorry." Her lips tuck into a pout, and then just as quickly open wide again. "Hey, can I sign it? Your sling? I've never gotten to do that before."

"Soldiers fight like soldiers because a lot of people spent a very long time learning how to fight as well as possible."

    Penelope sucks at the rubber tip of a white girl department store water bottle for a bit, spectating the back and forth between Ember and Lilian, and the Taoists training. She is certainly, absolutely not a soldier, a self-described occultist, with a knife that seems objectively bad in swordfighting. She decides to give her own two cents anyways.

    "'As well as possible'... what's that really mean? You need to be strong, and not get scared too easily, and be able to cooperate, but does a guerilla fighter need to know formation fighting? And assassins... well, if the assassination fails, now it's just a fight. *Then* you've got to be able to fight back too."
Ember 'By which I mean that you'd still benefit from training.'
'Don't think anybody's saying there's only one strategy out there, mate, but wouldn't learning how soldiers fight help you when fighting soldiers?'

Ember shrugs at these good points.  "Fair.  Knowing how an enemy fights matters for knowing where and how to hit them... and having other forms of fighting experience is good when your primary means is a wash," Ember relents to the two women.  Though to Lilian he adds, "Work for a rebel group.  Which consists of hurting our oligarch-style government where it hurts, and beating up the military-run police that work for them."

Ember turns his head to Penelope.  "Guerrilla fighting is about what we do.  But you are right about assassinations... you're only fighting if you've failed."
Meresankh     "I'm not a soldier; I'm a revolutionary."

    Meresankh perks up slightly.

    "Work for a rebel group. Which consists of hurting our oligarch-style government where it hurts, and beating up the military-run police that work for them."

    "Ah-HAH!" The queen whirls around in the air and points an accusing finger at Ember. "I knew it was you!" She did not, in fact, know it was him, not until just a second ago. "How fares your little upstart 'movement', anyway? Nyehahahaha!" She waggles her fingers when she says 'movement', like it's something terribly quaint.
Xion 'That's a lovely way of putting it. I'll have to steal that one.'

Xion gives a bright beam of a smile to Lilian. "Thanks! And, please, by all means. But doesn't he particularly seem painted here? Like he moves with the same brushstrokes as the wind, here. It's pleasant to see someone in their native place, and this place already seems painted in these broad and beautiful strokes of color and motion. It's no wonder he uses a brush!" Xion idly chatters in warm praise of Chuyao, quite taken with the spirit of the place.

'I! Am Chie!'

"Oh! Hi, I'm Xion." She flashes another smile and wave of hand to the introduction, dropping into the salute when the wolf-girl does. It's an easy thing. "You're one of Hiromi's, then. I will thank her through you, for borrowing a bit of power. The weight of the world has been... useful!"

'How's Candyland? Wait--'

"Oh, hey Regulus." The voice gives it away immediately. "Candyland's fine, except for the regular issues it has. But it's more fine than it's not. I'm chasing my own issues currently. What're you chasing today? Helping out?"

It sure wasn't stairs!
Chuyao He      Hi! You're Chuyao, aren't you?

    "Indeed, junior sister," says Chuyao, offering Penelope a firm fist-in-palm salute. "I, Chuyao He, scholar of the late generation, greet you respectfully."

>Chie attempting to pay with rare gemstones

    This has mixed results. Where the stones seem more or less as valuable as what Chie wants to pay for, she can get what she wants. When they seem less valuable, she can also get what she wants, and with no questions asked. Seemingly too valuable, however, and the Taoists serving her insist on offering up coins to meet the difference, or extra food to offset what she paid. None of them look at what she offers in the way a merchant typically would--eyes don't light up with glee at the sight of a precious stone, but rather, surprise, and the impulse seems to be how to make Chie whole rather than how to make money.
Chuyao He It's been a little too long since I've had time to appreciate somewhere that cares for preservation of tradition.

    "If there were to be a list compiled, of all those things which might be called the treasures of the Central Plains, Mount Wudang would assuredly be on such a list," Chuyao smiles. He obviously enjoys it, too.

Did they fight in a war?

    "The Dame Commander is astute to ask," Chuyao nods. "Though the Jin rarely venture this far beyond the border, the Taoist Sword Sect has assisted in repelling the rare advance. They have also cared for those displaced by the Jin's conquest of the north, bringing medicine and food down the mountain to the various refugee communities. Moreover, the Taoist Sword Sect has a history of repelling bandits and generally fighting for the interests of the common people. The imperial decree was not undeserved," he says, "But neither is the Dame Commander wrong to note how unusual this is. Some believe the decree was a gesture of political convenience meant to counterbalance failures and unpopular decisions."

So is this your place, Chuyao?

    Chuyao laughs and shakes his head. "In fact, sister Xion, this unrefined scholar is not a Taoist, but a Confucian. My 'place' would have been the Five Virtues School, though I have a home not far from a Warpgate if you care to visit."

    Was there fear that there would be neglect?

    "Hmm... it is doubtful Master Yang would allow it, truthfully. This lowly scholar merely admires the Taoists' dedication."

How high up are we right now..?

    "The Dame Commander has a talent for judging distance, it would seem," Chuyao notes, clearly impressed. "Mount Wudang's highest peak is roughly one li, which would be..." He does the math on an abacus, diligently moving beads across tracks. "Slightly over sixteen hundred of your modern 'meters.' Therefore, the Dame Commander's assessment is likely correct."

The views from here around sunset must be extraordinary

    Chuyao smiles and nods. "So, her majesty has grasped the reason for this temple's name."

Do the Sword Sect face many battles?

    Chuyao nods. "For the virtuous, there is no shortage of work within the rivers and lakes. They are not embattled constantly, but neither do they spend every idle moment here."

Dug in stone. Not-usual, here, yes?

    "Indeed, Archwolf," Chuyao nods. "The South Cliff Shrine is unique not only among the temples here on Wudang, but our state of Song, broadly, for such a reason."

    Chie, observing from the tree, spots something interesting about the sword formation. It almost looks like a constellation. From her vantage point, she can also see the sprawl of the temple complex more easily. It looks as though there's a platform reserved for the Taoists, supported by a cliff and facing the open sky. It would be a great place to stargaze at night.
Chuyao He So what do the Taoists usually do, huh? Do people travel from all over to their temples to get healing?

    "Ah... perhaps our hosts may answer," says Chuyao. "Here they come, now..."

    Approaching you are two taoists not in the daily navy-blue robes. One of them looks Chuyao's age, and is every bit as well-kept. He's instead wearing a longer, more flowing version of the robe beneath a breathable white tabard, held fast by a golden cinch. A jian is strapped to his back, though Lilian and Shirou both can tell that it's clearly not something given to a fresh-faced initiate. It may have even been wrought by the Langya Pavilion. His face is soft and square, though in his eyes there seems a predisposition to worry not quite the same as Chuyao's. Like Chuyao, his long black hair is held up in a bun with a pin, although only with a cloth tie rather than a familial crown.

    "The poor Taoist priest Haoyu Lu humbly greets Chuyao He and the visitors from the many worlds." He offers a fist-in-palm salute which Chuyao returns. "With me is--"

If they've called us just for that, I'm going to kick their asses.

    "HAH! And the young master would be right to. At least someone around here has a pulse. That sword... it's unlike anything this Taoist has seen. A shame about your arm. This Taoist would have liked to see you at one hundred percent of your power." Standing beside him is his utter opposite. A man in his fifties, yet dressed like he's trying to pull a woman (or man) twenty years his junior. Or maybe he just doesn't care that his robes reveal his broad, cut pectorals all the way down to his equally sculpted abdomen. He doesn't carry a jian, but he *does* have a gourd, and before anyone can wonder what's in it, the redness of his cheeks and nose tell the tale. He strokes the salt-and-pepper goatee framing his mouth with clear interest. "What novel guests the wayward scholar brings to us." His lopsided grin turns Chuyao's way, before he motions backwards with his head. "Come on, the chief wants to see you all about this recipe. Let's get going before nephew Haoyu bores us all to sleep." The streak of grey in his long, bound black hair is only a sign of seasoning, it seems--his stride is as spirited as anyone's.

    "May I introduce uncle Lei Fan," the younger Taoist flatly intones after a sigh, following behind him.

     The question about what the Taoists do is fielded by the younger of the two, after Chuyao asks again on Penelope's behalf. "It's true that many seek us for medicine," he says. "We also keep a close eye on matters affecting the public, using our connections in the rivers and lakes. Some disciples, like myself and uncle Fan, are sent out into the world to investigate and intervene in such matters on behalf of the common people. Sometimes, this merely involves bringing medicine to those too infirm to reach Mount Wudang, and sometimes this may mean physical confrontation with those harboring ill intent."

     "To be as water, to seek the lowest places and nurture, this is our mission. Water takes the shape of the container it is in; it may thrash forcefully, and it may also rest peacefully. To know which to do and when, this is what we are taught."
Ember 'How fares your little upstart 'movement', anyway? Nyehahahaha!'

Ember turns his gaze towards Meresankh; the look is a frigid one.  He almost rolls his eyes in annoyance at her, but instead manages to hold his tone... evenish.  It's disdainful, but in a way that's hard to pin down exactly.  "I'm not here to feud with you today, so keep it professional.  Also, floating up here?  Tsk..." Ember says without explaining /why/.  He moves along to greet the two from the sect itself.  

'Moreover, the Taoist Sword Sect has a history of repelling bandits and generally fighting for the interests of the common people.'

Ember considers this for a moment. "Well, good on them for working for the common people, rather than strictly staying in a comfortable arm of the government."  Working for the common good is a good way to be, in Ember's eyes.  He's looking forward to looking more into these Taoists.

Eventually, the two from the sect come to meet them.  This man is about as humble as Chuyao is... and seemingly more boring, somehow.  Well, that's probably a little mean, but when the uncle speaks up, it takes a considerable amount of willpower not to burst into laughter, though the amusement is clearly visible on his face.  

"Nice to meet you Haoyu and Lei Fan.  You can call me Ember." Though the way the elder talks, he seems to be a fan of martial arts.  Mm... maybe Regulus and Lilian are on to something with this.  For now, he keeps his expectations grounded.  

"You mentioned a recipe?  What is it for?"
Meresankh     "*I'm* Penelope, Arch-nothing besides the fiends being friends-of-friends."

    "Ah, yes! I have heard you on the interplanetary broadband. Though I do not believe I have given my name, yet! I am Meresankh, Queen of Oryx and lover of life. You traffic with fiends, you say?"

    Briefly distracted from matters with Ember by her introduction to Penelope, Meresankh rises a few meters into the air, turning in full circle to take in the sights of the temple complex. Settling back to the ground, she looks to the scholar again just in time for the temple's representatives to come forth.

    "Ah! Queen Meresankh of Oryx, at your service," she says with a slight, but somehow still ostentatious bow (probably on account of the arm swept to one side, grasping royal scepter) to the duo.

    "Come on, the chief wants to see you all about this recipe."

    "Yes, yes! The recipe. I have heard only a little of this world's alchemical tradition, and am more tinkerer than doctor myself - what is it that you use these pills for?" Then, a pause. "Unless that is not a topic for public discussion. I am sure your Sect has knowledge worth guarding."

    "Some disciples, like myself and uncle Fan, are sent out into the world to investigate and intervene in such matters on behalf of the common people."

    "Fine governance! Or stewardship, if you do not wish to think yourselves governors. Wise is the mighty one who looks after their people with true benevolence." A meaningful glare in Ember's direction.
Ember 'Wise is the mighty one who looks after their people with true benevolence.'

"Monarchy is a failure of a political system," Ember immediately says to Meresankh.
Hiromi     'Sonetto might be doing ''four'' mountains by the time you're done with her.'

    "Who's Sonetto? Is she strong?" Chie's the one asking, but Hiromi's listening, too.

    'Hi, Miss Archwolf, wow.'

    Approached, the archwolf leans in. "'Usher.' 'Sign-bearer.'" It only sounds more foreign, the way she repeats it, like sounds that haven't yet acquired meaning. "Penelope." Intonation exact, however.

    "I am Hiromi." The pre-lingual understanding hits together with the ordinarily audible portion of the name. <The Final Huntress.> <The Terrible and Beautiful Tyrant.> The list doesn't 'go on' so much as it is instantaneously overlaid as a concept that can only be understood by its intersections and edges. It's over as quickly as it's said, but remembering it to process it into words makes it feel far longer.

    She's already speaking. "What do you bear?"

    'Sooooo...? How do you knowwww her?'

    Chie's speaking, too. "The Archwolf? Me? I'm of the pack!" She doesn't quite say 'you silly' out loud but it's implied. "Do you mean, how did I join? Big Sister Yuki was the one who found me, and then a few months after that -- but I can't tell you about initiation! That's a secret! Actually it's a lot of secrets, and each one's more secret than the last, so you can't ask about that." Arms crossed to emphasize the degree to which she's not spilling occult secrets.

    'I will thank her through you, for borrowing a bit of power. The weight of the world has been... useful!'

    "Ooh! You've felt it, then. That's amazing!" It's not clear whether Chie has any idea how Xion's power-borrowing works, but she's certainly guessed something. "How did it feel...?"
Hiromi     ...and the Taoists serving her insist on offering up coins to meet the difference, or extra food to offset what she paid.

    Hiromi's attention toward the bartering wanes after the reactions begin to prove consistent, and Chie comes away with more food than she can -- or, perhaps, 'should' -- eat, as well as a pile of coins that take the place of some of her spent stones. She's happy with either, simply accepting the explanation that she needs to be given something rather than making any attempt to find a lower-denomination gemstone.

    Thereafter, she tries to press the extra food on literally every other person on the climb. Even Meresankh, though she won't insist if told that necrons don't eat.

    'They have also cared for those displaced by the...

    "'Conquest,' when?" One clawed hand half-tenses.

    Reacting to something only she can hear, and fulfilling her stated duty, Chie straightens up to expand on the question, "When did the Jin's conquest start, and for how long? Is it actively moving now, or did they settle there?" But soon after that, she's up a tree. Soon after that, she's back.

    "Stargazers... what could it mean...?"

    Haoyu Lu and Lei Fan.

    These get the same salute from Chie, and a longer verbal greeting, while skipping the banzai portion. "I am Chie, here to speak for the Archwolf, ruler of all between the Celestial Mountain and the Sea of Death." Hiromi, as before, leaves that to her, like a hovering wolf-demon merely accompanying the group. Or like a hovering parent.

    '...sent out into the world... intervene... bringing medicine... physical confrontation...'

    "Oh, I see! You're like my sisters." Chie nods, considering this to be perfectly clear, now.
Lilian Rook     'Like I get you don't got the same resources to have a nice fair fight on a featureless plane but it's not like these folk will be doing that either. Anybody comes up here they're gonna have to go up a ''mountain''.'

    "She's right you know." Lilian says, immediately forming a tag team party with Regulus. "The sensible way for guerillas to fight is to lead a detachment on a merry chase and kettle them into a dead-end killbox where all your men pop up out of the rocks and shoot them to death with guns. The only other situation in which they'd have to stand and fight is being discovered and cornered, in which case they had better be prepared to fight their way out with a spear. Or at least a hatchet."

    'doesn't it, love? I'm--'

    "Jumpy, aren't we?" Lilian says, lightly teasing, but she does totally get it. "Habit really is the bedrock of everything, though; you're right. Hence why I'd like to get some of you into one." Really, Lilian can imagine Bunny Bunny, Bette, Leilani, maybe Sonetto, and no one else but Regulus (if she can pressure her into it), but that's still a cast. Sort of a girl's gossip period. And also, running with Bunny Bunny? Hello?

    'Sonetto might be doing ''four'' mountains by the time you're done with her.

    "And I couldn't be prouder of her if she did."

    'Yours is too-- is that obsidian? No, magnetite?'

    "Got it in two. Not bad at all." Lilian says, ever easily pleased by 'show me yours' attitude. "The shine on Velvet is surprising, to say the least. How did you get it like that?"

    'Hey, can I sign it? Your sling? I've never gotten to do that before.'

    That takes her aback. Lilian had refused a cast because the thought of her skin going unwashed for weeks had been viscerally upsetting to think about, so she'd thought of signing something as right out. Frankly, she wouldn't have expected anyone to sign it even if she had one; which would have looked really really sad. Which was really her other main reason. "Is it that interesting?" she says. "As long as you don't put any cursed runes on it."

    ''As well as possible'... what's that really mean? You need to be strong, and not get scared too easily, and be able to cooperate, but does a guerilla fighter need to know formation fighting?'

    "Fit and disciplined, certainly, but, very saliently, able to understand an unfolding combat situation and react accordingly, to adapt to changing conditions, knowing when an enemy can shoot you accurately and when they can't, how to defeat their armour, the best strategies for spotting or evading strike teams, or how to counter their formations, and repetitious practice in the nitty gritty. Not to mention the all-important trait of being able to immediately follow orders, even without the big picture."

    "Soldier is less about formations than you might think. Those come into play on a battlefield, where there are so many people running about that it's impossible to coordinate anything if you don't divide people into groups. That's not likely to occur with guerilla fighters, but it's useful to know for when you have to hold a location, like this temple, or cope with an enemy strike when you're in an urban area. Guerilla or not, it's always a death sentence to get scattered and confused."
Regulus Is Sonetto strong?

"Yeah," Regulus says. "She's got a strong heart, is really dedicated to anything she puts her mind to, and she kicks butt like nobody's business." Regulus assures Chie and, accidentally, Hiromi. "The soul of a poet and the heart of a warrior and the brain of uh... someone at the top of their class. She's one of my closest friends and, gosh, he's so beautiful she looks good in anything it's insane. You should see her hair. And she's hella loyal too."

What is she chasing today?

"Mostly hoping to meet other alchemists, exchange tips and tricks, maybe bring back a souvenir for Gwen, make some friends."

Over sixteen hundred meters???

"Oh crumpets." Regulus manages thinking of doing this again downhill.

As for Meresankh, she is about to smile at the back and forth and then remembers her sad feelings about space lately and just gets mopey instead.

"Eheh...yeah a bit jumpy... I really don't want Florin to catch me when I'm already exhausted again... I gotta be ready for it next time!" If it's a group deal Regulus thinks she can manage consistent workouts.
Lilian Rook     "Really though, if your men can fight in five to ten person teams, that's more than enough. You shouldn't be sending smaller units than that into live steel scenarios anyways, and an equal-sized group of soldiers won't be too eager to attack that many people who can competently use their spears. They'll try to tackle them two or three to one, or maneuver to superior terrain. Nobody wants to commit to a fight they'll likely win but lose a third of their men. It's really just about not being a pathetically soft target that anyone can confidently rout and pick off."

    'Work for a rebel group. Which consists of hurting our oligarch-style government where it hurts, and beating up the military-run police that work for them.'

    "Police tend to be morons." Lilian says, knowing-condescending. "But you won't make a dent in anything expecting your enemies to line up in their bedrooms with their windows open. Garrisons, security teams, strike groups, intel that leads to an ambush; you can't avoid a scuffle with trained soldiers forever. And if you're caught alone by someone with a real weapon, you can't afford to not know how to fight them." Being a Paladin doesn't necessitate automatically being loyal to 'the state'. Lilian got taught lots about how to dismantle a regime! For reasons! Surely innocent ones!

    There's an odd tone to her pause. She leans over a little, to study Ember with a tilted head. "So . . ." Hm. "Is the leather, like, 'it lets me feel sexy' thing? It's absolutely alright if it is. Who among us hasn't gone to work in our 'exciting' underwear once or twice, right?"

    'But doesn't he particularly seem painted here? Like he moves with the same brushstrokes as the wind, here.'

    "No, I absolutely see it." For an instant, Lilian thinks about the lady in the painting, and gets a tiny bit wistful.

    'Candyland's fine'

    Lilian quietly murmurs "Ontological guillotine Earth . . ." for some reason.

    'Though the Jin rarely venture this far beyond the border, the Taoist Sword Sect has assisted in repelling the rare advance.'

    "The 'barbarians', right?" she says, somewhat familiar with the word. Despite her cynical assumption being correct, and partially responsible for the entirety of the result, she doesn't seem especially given to ill will about it. "Well, if they're beloved by the people for tangibly protection them in-person, I suppose that's a good a reason as any. Pandering or not, deserving is deserving."

    'Therefore, the Dame Commander's assessment is likely correct.'

    Lilian puffs out her chest. It was a bit of a shot in the dark, so she wouldn't have been surprised if she were off by one or two hundred meters. "Lucky guess." she says, first, pleased with herself nonetheless. "I've dabbled with high-altitude training on and off. I'd make more of a habit of it if it were more convenient. The breathing exercise really isn't to be underestimated."

    'Who's Sonetto? Is she strong?'

    "She's a little green, but she has a ton of potential." Lilian says, proudly. "She's serious, disciplined, has phenomenal focus, and I'd estimate quite a respectable arcane lineage. She's strong, tough, adaptable, cool under pressure, and unusually gifted at tactics. I'd like her to work on the speed and accuracy of her spells at the moment, and I'm training up her sword arm to go with it. She'll be truly excellent, given a few years."

    'The poor Taoist priest Haoyu Lu humbly greets Chuyao He and the visitors from the many worlds.'

    It'd feel tacky to repeat the same salute, especially if he knows about the Multiverse, so Lilian settles for a partial bow with her hand over her heart. "A pleasure to meet you." she says, reserving her questions about 'poor' with a glance at Chuyao.
Lilian Rook     'HAH! And the young master would be right to. At least someone around here has a pulse.'

    But that makes her smile immediately. She can't help it. "I'm glad to see that the swordsmen here are the energetic sort. I get tired of the sluggishly formal sorts quickly."

    'This Taoist would have liked to see you at one hundred percent of your power.'

    God. She's kind of always wanted to hear that. "The climb isn't bad. I wouldn't mind coming back in a week." she says. "Rest assured, I could handle the rest of this lot one-handed." says Lilian, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Well, as long as Hiromi stayed out of it." Even then, she thinks it'd certainly be touch and go, but there's no need to be modest here. With another little bow, she says, "Dame Commander Lilian Rook. 'The Winter Bloom', if you care for that sort of thing." Her elbow settles comfortably in the cross of her sword out of habit. "Your people seem to know what they're doing, if you'll forgive me for saying after just a glimpse."

    'May I introduce uncle Lei Fan,'

    Only once the man has turned away does Lilian whisper "Lord he's cut."

    'To be as water, to seek the lowest places and nurture, this is our mission. Water takes the shape of the container it is in; it may thrash forcefully, and it may also rest peacefully. To know which to do and when, this is what we are taught.'

    "Oh this is superb. I love these guys already." It's reminding her of her favourite books.
Ember "The point of the revolutionaries is to fight the police in this case.  The difference is keeping them off their game long enough to be devastating to their goals.  Counter crowd suppression techniques and fight with concealed weapons.  In this scenario, that is too many people; you might have half that number, but have the rest in pockets that they don't know about somewhere else until it's too late."

Ember comments on the tactics that it takes to win in urban fighting police environments.  Of course, he's also speaking about people who commonly use magic in their fighting as well.  So your mileage may vary.  

'Is the leather, like, 'it lets me feel sexy' thing?'

Ember just kind of stares at Lilian for a minute.  "It's because I'm a leather worker.  I wear what I make; it's not about 'being sexy' or whatever.  It's functional."
Lilian Rook     'The point of the revolutionaries is to fight the police in this case. '

    "Regardless, they will employ the military once the police fail to contain the situation. Five man squads with firearms are obviously ideal, but even shortbows are better than nothing. You don't need a hide a weapon inside your clothes; it only needs to be deniable. Hatchets, sickles, clubs, hunting bows; people have those on them all the time."

    't's because I'm a leather worker. I wear what I make; it's not about 'being sexy' or whatever. It's functional.'

    "Tch. Boring." Lilian rolls her eyes a little. "Get a wife who can sew."
Meresankh     "Monarchy is a failure of a political system,"

    "Tell that to the mighty emperor of this fine and beautiful land, ungrateful *yeoman*. You should have greater respect for our hosts, who owe the construction of this place to such a 'failure'. Look around you! The people thrive!" Meresankh makes an expansive gesture, taking in once again the temple surrounds.
Lilian Rook     'Tell that to the mighty emperor of this fine and beautiful land, ungrateful *yeoman*.'

    Lilian really doesn't have a horse in this ongoing feud, but spitting 'yeoman' with this much venom takes her breath away. "Oh my god. Peasant sweve." she says, then laughs incredulously.
Ember 'Regardless, they will employ the military once the police fail to contain the situation.'

"In my home, the police and the military are sort of the same thing.  Mythril isn't exactly much bigger than what you'd call a city-state.  Also, there are no firearms in my world.  Well, at least none that are native," Ember shrugs.

'Get a wife who can sew.'

"Huh???  Excuse me?"
Hiromi     Chie listens intently to Regulus hyping up Sonetto, but doesn't say, "Wow!" until the very end. Loyalty ties it together into a package of virtue. She listens even more intently as Lilian opens with something less glowing, nodding along, but then asks, as if unsure she heard correctly, "What's a... 'arcane lineage'? Is that like a tradition?"

    'Well, as long as Hiromi stayed out of it.'

    "It's good to have <mountains>, to climb. I've told you this." She did. She was talking about just that. Over the radio, that overlaid meaning of 'a challenge,' 'something greater and above yourself but within your reach,' and 'an opponent to overcome' had been less clear.
Lilian Rook     'In my home, the police and the military are sort of the same thing. Mythril isn't exactly much bigger than what you'd call a city-state.'

    Lilian sighs. "A bumfuck garrison in the town of podunk won't hit you as hard as the private guard of the nobles in power. Believe me, they do have private military personnel, and there are upper echelons of military police who are experienced counterterrorists. If your people are being oppressed by beat cops I'll lose it." After a pause, she says "Bows it is, then. Or crossbows. If five men can put five bolts in five soldiers by surprise then you're in a much better position."

    'Huh??? Excuse me?'

    "If it's not a kink and it's not a subculture then you should leave it to the real ones." Lilian huffs.

    'What's a... 'arcane lineage'? Is that like a tradition?'

    "Somewhat like a Tradition with a capital T." Lilian says, invoking her own world's terms. "It means her parentage is relatively pure with arcane blood. She's inherited quite a bit of power."

    'It's good to have <mountains>, to climb. I've told you this.'

    "Just you wait." Lilian huffs good-naturedly. "It's just a fact I can't take everyone else and you with only my left hand. I'm not going to lie."
Regulus "Leather is easy to make sexy you should just do some sexy stuff, Ember." Regulus says, because she's pretty proud of her own growing wardrobe. Now that she has real jobs she can rebuild her collection and start adding local-wear. Her eyes get the steven universe stars for a moment as she dreams happily for a moment.

"If everyone trying to teach everybody how to read wears the sexy leathers I bet it'll be more effective." Regulus adds cheerfully.

As Lilian gives her own Sonetto feedback, Regulus admits, "And that's the Lilian standard," smugly as if she gets to claim some credit for how awesome Sonetto is but really she just likes it when people brag about her friends.
Penelope Usher "What do you bear?"

    "The sign of the 66th Goetic demon of truths and wastes, Kimaris." Penelope doesn't wilt from being loomed over, but Hiromi's particular style of greeting does squeeze her into being more deferentially formal and appropriately awed. Her eyes are wide to look as-straight-up as possible at Hiromi's face. Just a little jokingly, she adds, "So I'm taken, sorry~"

    "Hiromi of 'Strength'..." She rolls the name around in her mouth a second time, not too dissimilarly-- maybe on purpose-- to how Hiromi repeated fragments of her own name. "Our family's been bound to Kimaris for generations. That's part of why we get along so well!"

"Me? I'm of the pack!"

    "So there's a *pack* of you!" To Chie, Penelope can brightly take this in stride. That's a demon or a goddess, and this is her cult! Of course! "So how many of you are there to worship her? And don't worry, I won't pry about your secrets right now."

"You traffic with fiends, you say?"

    "Righto, your majesty, but mostly just the one. And it's a pleasure for both of us to meet!" That 'nyahahahaha' towards Ember was so exciting! Hopefully they won't get into a fight though, that'd be so stressful.

"Like I get you don't got the same resources to have a nice fair fight on a featureless plane but it's not like these folk will be doing that either."

    "Fox only," Penelope babbles for her own amusement, garbled by talking around the water bottle nipple in her mouth. "Final destination."

"That's Penelope right?? Wow, lots of radio voices today."

    Penelope snaps the lid of her bottle shut and claps against the heel of her palm. "Yeah! That's right! You're all really good at this! Nice to meet you properly, Regulus!"

"But you are right about assassinations... you're only fighting if you've failed."

    "Yup! But if you work hard and keep your spirits up, you can still turn fighting into a success." Ember is really funny to her for some reason, so she keeps poking around at his conversational threads, since he said a bunch of stuff that sounds serious. "Guerilla-style versus the police, huh? What'd they do to you?"

"Some believe the decree was a gesture of political convenience meant to counterbalance failures and unpopular decisions."

    Penelope, really, doesn't mind the big hike. It's nice weather, nice company, beautiful surroundings! Several hours is a sturdy hike, sure, but it's not beyond the pale or anything. She's fanning herself with a hand when they stop, but being high up in elevation just means there's more vista to admire.

    "Would that really be so awful, though? The Taoists sound wonderful, and if the imperial government's not doing so hot, the way they do better is a little quid pro quo with whoever's helping the people. Improving their reputation's a natural side effect of the deal."

"For the virtuous, there is no shortage of work within the rivers and lakes."

    "'For the virtuous'..." Penelope sighs, admiring the swordfighting drills below. It's just so *enchanting* to be watching heroic martial artists training to travel and do good as wandering swordsmen?
Penelope Usher "Got it in two. Not bad at all."

    "It's got that deeper gray to it, and the weight, see." Penelope nods smugly, hand on her hip. When Lilian indicates it, that hand's right there to slip Velvet from its strap, twirling it around between the two hooked blades on her finger in a way that gets *alarmingly* close to slicing her finger off.

    "Polished antler! I treat and sanctify it regularly, so it always stays perfectly pristine. It's only polite."

"As long as you don't put any cursed runes on it."

    Oh hell yes. Of course she's gonna follow through. Penelope digs around in her fannypack before uncovering a sharpie, and pulls the cap off with her teeth since her other hand's full with Velvet. She mumbles, speech nearly unintelligible with the cap in her mouth, the words out loud while she writes them.

    "ffHeawl... fffashht...! Heawt, Penellpe. There!" In girlish handwriting, with extremely steady and neat lines like a printer, is 'Heal Fast!' with a heart and her name. Yay!

"Fit and disciplined, certainly, but, very saliently, . . ."

    Penelope's mood doesn't change much between signing the sling and gossiping about war tactics. No one's dying right now or anything, and every hypothetical battle being discussed is some super cute wandering hero type situation. She tidies up the supplies she's taken out while waiting, packing them back into her fannypack and sheathing Velvet.

    "Ooooh, I see, I see. 'Soldiers' have to train to adapting to any situation that could happen to them with their enemies, that's right. I didn't think about that, since I only ever need to track one prey at a time; usually, at least."

"The poor Taoist priest Haoyu Lu humbly greets Chuyao He and the visitors from the many worlds."

    "Hii~"

    There's just a *little* splash of sauce on that. Penelope waves, then dips her head politely, leaning forwards and elbow on a bannister to inspect the merchandise. "Penelope Usher, pleased to enrich you."

"May I introduce uncle Lei Fan,"

    Penelope quirks her eyebrows up with a smile at Haoyu Lu to wordlessly nudge him sympathetically about his sigh. Only when they're both turned away does she remove her hand from where it was propping her chin up, with the little indents of her two front teeth pressed into the knuckle of her pointer finger.

"Sometimes, this merely involves bringing medicine to those too infirm to reach Mount Wudang, and sometimes this may mean physical confrontation with those harboring ill intent."

    "Awwwwh, so you guys really *are* like that! The 'rivers and lakes', that's traveling martial artists like you, isn't it? Because you're flowing from place to place and bringing whatever you can to make them better?"
Swords of Justice     "If they've called us just for that, I'm going to kick their asses."

     Shirou opens his mouth to say something.

     "And yours. For manifesting it."

     He then closes it, closing his eyes and massaging his temple. It's either bait to make him squirm or just an offhand comment. He doesn't need to give it a response, even though it makes him feel as if he lost the conversation even though it never began.

     With his amazing willpower, he drops the urge, opening his eyes and immediately locking onto Haoyu's jian with his gaze, his mind immediately doing what it loves to do. Analyze.

     "Haoyu Lu-san. Lei Fan-san. A pleasure to meet you."

     Shirou gives a polite bow. It'd be weird to ask someone you just met about their weapon as if you had any familiarity with it. At least, Shirou thinks so, but seeing what he's seen, it's really hard. His brow twitches a bit as he holds back his question for what feels like forever in his mind, but is only a couple of seconds after his initial greeting before finally giving in.

     "If you don't mind me asking, Haoyu Lu, have you found the 'why' to the question?" His eyes visibly dart back down to Haoyu Lu's jian, as if to give a bit of context to his seemingly out of nowhere question.
Ember 'Tell that to the mighty emperor of this fine and beautiful land, ungrateful *yeoman*.'

"I would, if he were here," Ember says abruptly to Meresankh.  He isn't afraid of her, or any emperor.  "I show respect for the hosts by not lying to them.  Also, the land we are in now is more due to the efforts and integrity of the Taoist Sword Sect than any ruler.  Without the emperor, I am sure they'd still be here and still doing good."

He turns to her, eyes cold. "Unlike what you might think, the people hold the morality, not the person in a large golden chair.  Now stop this stupid conversation; we are here for a purpose, not to salve your wounded pride, 'queen' of no one."

'What'd they do to you?'

"To me personally?  They support the oligarchs in our city, those who live off the working class and refuse to give them an equal voice without force of arms.  There is no other reason needed to take arms against a corrupt system."

Ember also just pointedly ignores Lilian's comments about it being 'fetish shit'.  He works hard on his wares.  He is proud of his business and his craft.
Xion 'Ooh! You've felt it, then. That's amazing!'

"In my way, I have." Xion agrees, nodding and smiling. The inevitable followup is allowed before Xion crosses arms and dips chin, dropping into consideration.

"Lifting stone is a clean sort of weight, and the weight of 'the world' is mostly stony, heavy, something resting on neck and shoulders. Lifting it is a drawing-up of weight, of storing energy in the heave? Swinging it, drawing it as a 'blade of my own', it fell heavily. Physical."

It takes her a while to noodle through that so by the time she's back paying attention they're heading along after meeting the Taoists.

'Sometimes, this merely involves bringing medicine to those too infirm to reach Mount Wudang, and sometimes this may mean physical confrontation with those harboring ill intent.'

"Oh, yeah, just point us at those with 'ill intent', actually. Most of us are best pointed at ill intent by trade, you'll find, if you're asking for help from outside. Not to speak for anyone else specifically, of course." Xion explains, clapping hands together and bowing over them with a little smile, dropping the walking pose after a second.

'Awwwwh, so you guys really *are* like that!'

"It's kind of incredible, isn't it?" Xion finds herself agreeing openly with Penelope, nodding sagely at the great wisdom on display. "Sometimes, things just all fit together, don't they? It'd be nice if it worked that wall all the time."

The leather debate gets a dead-eyed resilience out of Xion with a faint dissociative smile.

"Sometimes the pants are nice." She deadly adds.

'If you don't mind me asking, Haoyu Lu, have you found the 'why' to the question?'

"Wait. Is that allowed?" Xion asks, looking at Shirou sidelong. "Just asking what the answer is instead of going on the quest to understand? I mean, usually I know you can read a book but is it allowed here?"
Meresankh     Meresankh watches Penelope sign Lilian's cast, with visible interest. "Dame Commander, is this a custom of yours? An accumulation of well-wishes? I would like to participate, if my support could help your recovery."

    If Lilian assents, Meresankh steps close to hold her scepter over the sling and a small plasma arc flash-singes a cartouche and several hieroglyphs onto the material. Despite the current involved it's so finely calibrated an operation as to go completely unfelt on the arm, even with that little bright flash. "It's a touch anitquated, since we Necrons have little need for wishing another bodily health these days," she says, light-heartedly, "but I hope it will do the trick."

    "It's just a fact I can't take everyone else and you with only my left hand. I'm not going to lie."

    Meresankh titters, a shockingly bubbly laugh for an evil robot skeleton. "It is good that your injury leaves your spirit undiminished, Commander." Gang, she doesn't know.
Chuyao He I'm glad to see that the swordsmen here are the energetic sort. I get tired of the sluggishly formal sorts quickly.

    "Haha. This Taoist is sorry to disappoint the young master, but the sword forms were never my forte."

    "Uncle Fan is better with the jian than he lets on, being a sect elder. However, he is not untruthful, as the senior instructor of tai chi and drunken boxing, he is the sect's authorty on empty hand styles," Haoyu offers.

Your people seem to know what they're doing, if you'll forgive me for saying after just a glimpse.

    "All of the frauds and washouts stay at the *bottom* of the mountain," says Lei Fan with a snort. A potentially daily hours-long hike, depending on chores, is a compelling deterrent against people with half-assed determination.

Oh, so the name of the sword sect isn't just that... so what is Taoism? I am unfamiliar with it.

    Although Ember had asked Chuyao, he redirects the question to the two Taoists, once in their presence. Surprisingly, given his demeanor, it's the elder of the two that answers.

    "Nephew... Ember wasn't it? you know when it is time to sleep, and when it is time to rise, without 'knowing,' yes? When you tire, you feel the heaviness and you seek rest--and, if you try to fight it, the body aches, the vision blurs, and it reminds you, the following day. Perhaps you or your fellows have seen a symbol like this?" He taps on his gourd. It's probably completely alien to Ember and Meresankh. But to Lilian, Penelope and maybe Shirou, it looks like it could be the ancestor of what we'd now call the 'yin-yang.' Rather than the distinctive teardrop swirl, it's a series of black and white hemispheres, with an empty core. Above it, there is an empty circle. Below it, there is an interconnected web of five smaller circles, below that a third circle and below that a fourth.

    "The Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate," Chuyao notes.

    Fan nods. "The Confucians have named it so, but it is merely that--a diagram of something much older than written language. All of creation exists in cycles of stillness and motion. Confucians, Buddhists, Taoists... Hah, even one of the idiots at the foot of the mountain measuring bones and selling watered-down manuals knows not to farm against the season, and that 'rest' and 'work' are not opposing forces, they are not sides of a scale that must be balanced against one another, but parts of the same whole. Do night and day oppose each other? Nature and man? Of course not. Kingdoms rise and fall, the wilderness swells and retreats." In what may be the most stunning development yet, he casually drops: "To quote the scholar's Book of Changes - 'when the sun reaches noon, it begins to set. When the moon becomes full, it begins to wane.' To follow the Tao means to fully accept one's place within this cycle, in order to become closer to the mysterious and ineffable force which gives rise to all things and returns all things back to itself--Tao--and to cultivate it within oneself." He points at the topmost empty circle on his gourd.

    "By emulating its ultimate, indiscriminate virtue, we nurture the world and the people in it, exactly as nephew Haoyu described."
Lilian Rook     'Leather is easy to make sexy you should just do some sexy stuff, Ember.'

    Lilian points emphatically in Regulus' direction and nods. "Sister. You understand me."

    'And that's the Lilian standard,'

    "And that's by my standards!"

    'Fox only, Final destination.'

    "Oh god." Lilian murmurs. She gets that one. Thanks Nika.

    'Polished antler! I treat and sanctify it regularly, so it always stays perfectly pristine. It's only polite.'

    "Sanctify?" Lilian says, eyebrow up in evident pervert interest. "But it's demon antler, right? The sort of nacre shine on it is fascinating." She watches the sick kickflip trixx with a look of fond approval. "I see you two are good friends." She tries not to snicker at her mouth-full enunciation.

    'I didn't think about that, since I only ever need to track one prey at a time; usually, at least.'

    "'Prey'? My my."

    She side-eyes Penelope biting her finger. Kinda cute. Enough to smile teasingly about.

    At Shirou's silence, though, she only says "He's learning."

    'Now stop this stupid conversation; we are here for a purpose, not to salve your wounded pride, 'queen' of no one.'

    "Cowed by her imperial majesty's overwhelming charisma . . ." Lilian don't antagonize this on purpose. Don't do this for your own entertainment.

    'Dame Commander, is this a custom of yours? An accumulation of well-wishes? I would like to participate, if my support could help your recovery.'

    "I'm not really certain where it started, honestly." she says, suddenly thoughtful about it. "It's widespread, though. Sort of a gesture of letting the injured know that the community is there to support her." She seems mildly interested-dazed at the . . . hierogylphs?

    'It is good that your injury leaves your spirit undiminished, Commander.'

    "No reason not to have your spirit if you don't have your arm." she says, in overwhelmingly better spirits than when she arrived.
Chuyao He You mentioned a recipe? What is it for?

     Chuyao procures the recipe and offers it to Lei Fan for explanation, only to have it gently batted aside. "Bah! Stinky scholar. Save that for the chief. I don't want to catch an earful. For Her Majesty's edification, it is likely an internal refinement pill, based on the scholar's description. They typically enhance the efficacy of the user's breathing, the potential for energy stored or dispelled by the muscles, the strength of the bones, the functioning of the circulatory system... they are sought-after by outsiders because even an oaf can use one and see marginal improvement in his kung fu. There are diminishing returns, however, and to truly make the most of them requires an education in the martial arts."

     It isn't quite vehement enough to be convincing. Either way, he'd apparently rather let the grandmaster see it.

When did the Jin's conquest start, and for how long? Is it actively moving now, or did they settle there?

     "To be specific, the loss of the northern territories was four years ago, though tensions with the Jin and border skirmishes had gone on for much longer. They have settled the old capital, the former emperor and the territories north of the Huai River," says Chuyao with a frown. "As for whether they are moving now, this unrefined scholar can say that they are not, but that border disputes remain a common occurrence, and an air of tension has been felt in the time since the capture of those territories."
Chuyao He Because you're flowing from place to place and bringing whatever you can to make them better?

    "It is the term for the martial world," says the junior Taoist with a slight smile. "The characters for 'martial world' are also the characters for 'river' and 'lake.'"

Haoyu Lu, have you found the 'why' to the question?

    He has. Shirou can tell by the warmth in his eyes, to be asked that question, that he has. It's only his conscious mind that questions it, at first. "The why..." Then, his gaze follows Shirou's. "Brother Shirou, there is no sword which was forged to drive a nail or to repair a cart. The jian is flexible, like the willow," he continues, "It can be gentle," he says, dragging his index and middle across Shirou's arm, "Or forceful," he says, flicking his wrist to make a soft whipping strike with his fingers, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to be felt. "Even at its gentlest, the willow's branches can still scratch. Before the 'why' can be answered, the wielder of any sword must make peace with this. That to wield a sword is to put one's force at issue, however gently, to to say that it is greater than what should oppose it."

     "The answer this poor Taoist found, as to 'why,' was simple, though finding the answer does not mean it is always easy to abide." He stops, and looks Shirou in the eye. "Everything in the world comes from and returns to Tao. When the tide rises highest, it begins to recede. Good and evil are like this, too. There are times when I feel it is hopeless--that I am writing in the sand, and waiting for the sea to wash it all away. But, I remind myself that the sea doesn't destroy the sand; it only changes it. In light of this, should I curse the sea, or drag the sand far from the shore? Or... should I write what I may, *while* I may, and trust that just as the sea has changed the sand, what I have written has changed the traveling observer, and myself?"

    "Reminded of this, my jian is lighter in the hand. I hope that this answer has touched you, like the sea touches the sand. For what it is worth, this poor Taoist feels touched by the question."
Chuyao He Look around you! The people thrive!

    Chuyao clears his throat, after several minutes of attempting to politely ignore the back and forth. "Your majesty, brother Ember, perhaps Mount Wudang is not the most appropriate forum for this exchange of ideas?"

    Little by little, as you walk, the public crowds thin out, replaced by a larger and larger ratio of Taoists until the blue robes are all you see. The main hall is gorgeous, keeping up the theme of harmony, ebb and flow with towering open windows that open into a breathtaking view of the countryside. A shrine at the back of the room holds a polearm that Shirou recognizes immediately as the Green Crescent Blade. In the center of the room, a man not much older than Lei Fan sits, his demeanor stately without at all venturing into unapproachable.

    Master Fu of the Sword Pavilion seemed almost supernatural in his intimidating silence, but there is a casual, teacherly ease about this man. At the sight of you, he smiles. His orderly robes are purple with slight yellow accents, bearing the 'Supreme Ultimate' diagram in short at a golden sash around his waist. A sheathed jian rests in his lap, no doubt every bit the masterwork that Haoyu's is, despite the unassuming lacquer scabbard. Though it looks askew, Lilian and Shirou both can tell that the hilt is positioned perfectly for a seated hip-to-shoulder slash. His seat, too, by the way he sits in it, and the way the legs make contact with the floor, could easily be thrust across the floor to generate space. "This office greets you warmly. I, the Taoist chief Lijun Yang, have been expecting the heroes. Golden Furnace Haoyu, who do we have here?"

    "Presenting Soaring Pen He, Winter Bloom Lilian Rook, Meresankh, Queen of Oryx, brother Ember, Archwolf Hiromi, sister Chie of the Pack, brother Shirou Emiya, junior sister Regulus, and sister Xion."
Chuyao He      "Grandmaster Yang, I, Chuyao He, scholar of the late generation, humbly greet you." He looks a little embarrassed that someone remembered his sobriquet.

    "Soaring Pen He..." Master Yang strokes his white-streaked goatee. "I received your missive. Your handwriting is exquisite," he smiles, much to Chuyao's flusterment. "You believe someone within this sect has disseminated our secrets?"

    "This lowly scholar is unsure, only that what was received appears to be the work of your sect, and, as it was unsigned, I did not wish to act rashly."

    "Hm..." Yang furrows his brow after being given the recipe. "This is indeed a recipe for a refinement pill." There's something that he leaves out, perhaps, judging by the delay--and the once-over he gives Chuyao. "This office thanks you for its return. You mentioned that the other heroes would appreciate an audience, and I am prepared to give it. There is a matter which could do with the assistance of the heroes, but this office will hear your requests first."
Lilian Rook     'Haha. This Taoist is sorry to disappoint the young master, but the sword forms were never my forte.'
    'Uncle Fan is better with the jian than he lets on, being a sect elder. However, he is not untruthful, as the senior instructor of tai chi and drunken boxing, he is the sect's authorty on empty hand styles'

    Oh god that's so cool. Lilian is trying really hard not to embarrassingly bounce up and down on the balls of her feet. "Regardless, the spirit of a warrior should be stronger than that of a bureaucrat, even a warrior who only fights when needed." she says, barely repressed head-over-heels.

    'All of the frauds and washouts stay at the *bottom* of the mountain'

    Lilian snorts too, as is her habit. "I'll hope to see my students match yours in a few more years then." she says.

    'Bah! Stinky scholar.'

    She snorts again. Louder.

    'To be specific, the loss of the northern territories was four years ago, though tensions with the Jin and border skirmishes had gone on for much longer.'

    "That's something to imagine." Lilian says, not wanting to say 'interesting'. "I've never lived in a time of international fighting like that." Before long, though, she's distracted by the man dragging his fingers along Shirou's arm. Jesus.

    'This office greets you warmly. I, the Taoist chief Lijun Yang, have been expecting the heroes. Golden Furnace Haoyu, who do we have here?'

    The gorgeous interior temple can't help but put Lilian's mood almost fully back to normal. It could be effusively positive, at the absolutely breathtaking scenery, but being excited and somewhat content is something she'll absolutely take right now. "Oh. That guy has an aura." she whispers, only really audible to those close nearby. "Ah . . . Now I really do wish I could use both hands. I'm bizarrely tempted to see what he can do, for some reason." she says, as if nobody has ever had this thought before.

    She has to get another traditional salute out of the way, then "Thank you very much for the opportunity to see your temple and your work, grandmaster Yang." It fills her head with dreams of being called grandmaster herself one day; like she has every four months.

    'You believe someone within this sect has disseminated our secrets?'

    Oh. Now that's a spicy matter.
Hiromi     'So I'm taken, sorry~'

    "Your path will take you in one direction, alone, even with many mates." That sounded a little like an 'okay.' Maybe? Hiromi's looming presence withdraws.

    'So how many of you are there to worship her?'

    "Many! There are the monks and the villages, but oh, you mean like me, right? You want to hear about my sisters!" Even if nothing else could be discerned, the tail-wag makes Chie's willingness to talk about this (and not about initiation rites) clear. "The most of us who've been in one place is, um, hm... is it... sixty? But there's lots more, you know, because it's like these guys said, about water! We have to flow over the whole land, and where there aren't rivers it takes a long time. I didn't see big sister Sumi for so long, but now she's around a lot because she's working near the gates like me and Hisako do -- oh, but Hisako disappeared somewhere saying she had an important mission. She was around every day but then she was gone for a week and only came back for a few hours! I know she's fine, though." What was the question again?

    Chie looks, curious but not comprehending, as Penelope writes on Lilian's cast.

    'Lifting it is a drawing-up of weight, of storing energy in the heave? Swinging it, drawing it as a 'blade of my own', it fell heavily. Physical.'

    Here, again, is another point where it's Chie animatedly paying attention, and Hiromi subtly, but still noticeably, turning an ear. Chie nods and nods. "That's right. The weight of the world, the strength of land -- of stone, it's gotta be like that, right? I haven't really-really felt it, but I had a feeling about it when I was fresh." 'Freshly what she now is.' "It's like, freedom, but also inevitability, right? It's inevitable for things with weight to fall. But being able to lift it in the first place means you're someone who's free."

    '...the loss of the northern territories was four years ago...'

    "Too soon, to know, to settle." Hiromi takes that in. "Long enough for farmers, for fishers, for hunters, to only begin. Long enough for soldiers to rest. Short, enough, to remember, to thirst again."

    Having paused what she was doing to hear, to the point of going completely still, Chie follows up immediately with, "If you're concerned about those tensions, you should be."

    'Good and evil are like this, too.'

    "Your 'good' is like the tide. Is it?" Picking at words in the way she does, like someone in whose voice their meaning either fades or sharpens, it's unclear whether Hiromi's looking for the taoist to define 'good and evil' or preparing a harsh opinion over cycles. Either way, it sounds intently interested, yet without approval.

    'Presenting...'

    Chie again salutes, though she doesn't loudly introduce herself this time, since it was handled for her.
Ember 'Cowed by her imperial majesty's overwhelming charisma . . .'

Ember makes a dismissive noise, shaking his head.  "Hardly."

'Leather is easy to make sexy you should just do some sexy stuff, Ember.'

"...Really?  I'm not against the idea, but I'm not going to cater just towards those who want it either.  There are plenty of good uses for leather clothing in the harsh lands where I come from."

'Nephew... Ember wasn't it?'

"That is correct. Ember is my name," Not his true name, to be sure, but a name he goes by for the moment.  

Ember pays attention as the two explain Taoist beliefs.  Though the symbol is a mystery to him, with some explanation of it, he gets the idea of its symbolism.  It's a lot to take in, but he's respectfully silent during the explanation.  He's genuinely interested in their beliefs too, because it does sound most interesting to picture himself in the cycles of the world.  

"The idea isn't foreign to me.  We have our own seasons and such too.  It is said some far-off land pays homage to a goddess of balance, though I do not put stock in beings like that." This is mostly because he tends to take those gods and use them as his own power.  "But I like the idea of what you are saying.  Cycles, and one's place in them, right?"

'...it is likely an internal refinement pill, based on the scholar's description.'

Ember listens to the explanation of what he assumes is this world's magic.  Strange that it's tied to martial arts specifically; usually it's tied to a martial skill in his world.  Though not in every case, there are those who can channel magic more directly, as he can.  

'Your majesty, brother Ember, perhaps Mount Wudang is not the most appropriate forum for this exchange of ideas?'

"My apologies, I should have stuck to my words when she first addressed me.  Won't happen again."

'...but this office will hear your requests first.'

"Actually, my comrades could use training outside their normal training.  I would be grateful for an exchange of ideas, either someone to come to my home or to be allowed to bring some of my comrades here for instruction.  We would be willing to teach what we can of our own styles," Ember asks politely of the grandmaster.  

Though he is deeply curious about this quest he may have for them.  There is also apparently someone selling their secrets... which makes this entire exchange much more interesting, and important.  
Lilian Rook     'Hardly.'

    Oh she looks smug. Far too smug. "Mhm." goes the Lilian. (Fight fight fight fight fight fight fight fight fight!)

    '...Really? I'm not against the idea, but'--

    "Too late now." she sniffs. "You just don't have that dog in you. I'd wear it better."

    'they are sought-after by outsiders because even an oaf can use one and see marginal improvement in his kung fu.'

    "God, don't I know it." Lilian sighs. "I do happen to use my doctorate for things similar to that, and people are utterly insane about the idea of purchasing the fruits of hard work. and dedication."
Chuyao He I mean, usually I know you can read a book but is it allowed here?

    That seems to amuse Lei Fan enough to have him quietly aside an answer for Xion. "'Allowed,'" he rumbles. "Nephew Haoyu obviously took a liking to nephew Shirou."

    The younger Taoist promptly responds to the teasing by batting the air around himself with a horsehair whisk.

    "Where questions are concerned, here, it's rarely what is 'allowed,' and more often, whether you'll understand the right question to ask, much less whether you'll understand the answer. Nephew Shirou arrived at a good question, at least. Whether he understands the answer--indeed, whether the answer can be his, too, that's up to him."

    He pauses. "Why? Niece Xion wants to ask a question of her own?"
Regulus ''I wear what I make;it's not about being sexy or whateer.''

"Sexiness is a function." Regulus points out. "And it's not mutually exclusive to other kinds of functionality either." But then she admits, "Besides, like, haven't you ever heard stories about really attractive spies loosening the lips of the oligarchy and getting up all the secrets for the rebellion? It's all part of the groove!"

''Huh??? Excuse me?''

"It's a useful skill." Regulus, stonefaced, adds.

''It's just a fact I can't take everyone else and you with only my left hand.''

"Yeah she needs two hands for that come on." Regulus jokes.

''Nice to meet you properly, Regulus!''

"You too, good to put a face to the voice! Guess the charm doesn't wear off as you get closer." She thinks Penelope is pretty cool actually and even if she isn't in Team Timekeeper there's no reason to NOT talk her up a little when she's got this much pep. At this point she has mostly recovered from the walk up and her heart's just still pumping strong, the achiness has dulled.

''Save that for the chief.''

"Fair, I don't like getting an earful either. My ears need to be nice and open for all the great music in the world."

''Sister. You understand me.''

"Hey I might not be a professional, but looking good does open doors and, more importantly, feels good. People really underestimate how important it is to feel good about your style when it comes to doing literally anything else. If you're dressed as a down on your luck middle manager you're gonna start feeling like a bureaucrat in no time, and not the kind that actually dig the work of moving the wheels."

She thinks about the internal refinement pill. "Wow, that does sound incredible." Regulus says. "I'd love to talk alchemy sometime, though I'm not at kung fu yet, I'm at 'working on doing a run in the morning every day'."



''Penelope writes on Lilian's cast.''

"Oh that's a great idea!" Regulus says. "May I give it a go too? I am actually pretty dang proud of my signature. Any rockstar worth their sault works on making their signature has rockstar style."
Meresankh     "Unlike what you might think, the people hold the morality, not the person in a large golden chair."

    "How many times must I tell you, it isn't *about* the chair! I am the will of my people given voice, their interest becomes my own! So too with any virtuous monarch! Your *oligarchs* are beholden to none, each able to pass responsibility along to the next. A single hand, that could have spared your people from oppression!"

    "Now stop this stupid conversation; we are here for a purpose, not to salve your wounded pride, 'queen' of no one."

    Meresankh hisses like a cook touching a hot pan. "You dare insult my *people*!? You--"

    "Your majesty, brother Ember, perhaps Mount Wudang is not the most appropriate forum for this exchange of ideas?"

    A deep synthesized breath, for effect. "You are right. There will yet be a proper reckoning, but not here or today. I would not wish to insult the hospitality of our hosts."

    "Cowed by her imperial majesty's overwhelming charisma . . ."

    Meresankh still does make a smug noise as Lilian voices her support. It sounds a little like 'humu humu'. Convergent evolution.

    Now that the conflict with Ember is quieted, Meresankh listens with rapt attention at the account of the Tao. A natural cycle of birth and death, rise and fall and rise... one that the Necrons are, in many ways, severed from. She keeps that to herself, quietly absorbing the information.

    For Her Majesty's edification, it is likely an internal refinement pill, based on the scholar's description.

    "I see," Meresankh says, nodding along to the account of a pill's effects. "Like an edible nanoscarab casket..." A pause as she no doubt draws a few strange looks. "A-ahem. Nanoscarabs are vanishingly fine machines that serve to repair and reinforce Necron bodies, when the natural regeneration of necrodermis will not suffice. The difference is one of the chemical versus the mechanical, though they both rely on esoteric techniques for their manufacture." She briefly ponders getting into the meat of nanoscarab production, but elects not to take up the next four hours with ramblings impractical to most or all of the others present.

    When introduced to Grandmaster Yang, Meresankh bows a little more deeply but no less ostentatiously. Although her interested is piqued by Chuyao's old title of 'Soaring Pen He', she first regards the jian in Yang's lap. Perhaps, were some excuse made to see the blade, she could perform a full analysis of the materials and structure... although it may possess some form of enchantment as well, a matter beyond her personal expertise.

    Of course a fine blade is no substitute for the skilled hand to wield it, but if she is to continue helping Chuyao rebuild his connection and reputations she will need to be prepared to get in more armed scraps herself. With martial artists of unpredictable caliber, if the sudden appearance of the beggar-sect fighter during her last visit was any indication.
Meresankh     She's been looking just long enough at the sword, she realizes, to seem perhaps a bit avaricious or jealous of the grandmaster's prized possession. "A-er, forgive my staring, Grandmaster. I am a metalworker myself, and was pondering the craftsmanship of your jian."

    As to the matter of the recipe, Meresankh immediately has theories to pose. "Do pills of this variety have medicinal use? Or would there be no reason for the recipe to leave this mountain-top? If it is plausible that the recipe left the temple legitimately, then someone is waylaying or buying off your messengers. Otherwise..." she leaves as implication the chance of internal treachery or loose lips.

    When Grandmaster Yang offers to hear requests, she knows precisely what she is after. "I would seek your Sect's tutelage in arms. You see, I possess a blade--" she waggles her scepter, and the glaive-like hyperphase blade flickers in and out of existence atop its orb, "--but am only passingly familiar with the styles of this world. If I am to be of especial assistance to you I must learn how to wield it properly not only when surrounded by my royal guard, but in single combat against skilled martial artists. The fine weapon behind you, there--" she points to the Green Crescent Blade, "--suggests you may know something of more weapons than just the jian, after all."
Lilian Rook     'Besides, like, haven't you ever heard stories about really attractive spies loosening the lips of the oligarchy and getting up all the secrets for the rebellion?'

    Lilian snickers. "That takes chemistry and charisma, though. Not everyone can put the moves on an 'oligarch'. I'd even venture to say 'few.'."

    'Yeah she needs two hands for that come on.'

    Lilian subvocally giggles, evilly.

    'People really underestimate how important it is to feel good about your style when it comes to doing literally anything else.'

    "Christ do they ever. I meet a ton of attractive people in this line of work and almost none of them are Elites."

    'May I give it a go too? I am actually pretty dang proud of my signature. Any rockstar worth their sault works on making their signature has rockstar style.'

    "Well, if we're already at this point . . ." Lilian says, as if she isn't quietly elated, "You may as well."

    'Like an edible nanoscarab casket...'

    "Nanoquad basket." Lilian blinks. "Nika is rubbing off on me."

    'I am a metalworker myself, and was pondering the craftsmanship of your jian.'

    "Oh. So you actually do have an eye for it." she says, oddly neutral.

    'I would seek your Sect's tutelage in arms. You see...'

    "Wait seriously?" Actually blinking and turning her head like that in front of the Grandmaster probably isn't terribly polite, but Lilian can't help but being baffled that the 'synaptic obliterator' lady wants to study martial arts under a gorgeous Chinese master.
Xion 'That to wield a sword is to put one's force at issue, however gently, to say that it is greater than what should oppose it.'

Xion's crossed arms return, a thoughtful cast to eyes while the Taoist gets up on Shirou to... stroke his arm? Smiling broadly, Xion leans forward a bit. "It's true. You put your force at issue, and press it into the world. To turn the wind, too, you can use a blade." She straightens after her comments, but doesn't uncross her arms.

'Why? Niece Xion wants to ask a question of her own?'

"I asked a question earlier, and I got different answers. I think I'll ask it to you, too, but add a bit: As someone who holds a sword in hand, how many chances are to be offered?"

Dropping out of officious speech after a moment, she slouches and looses her arms. "In light of it, don't curse the seas, because you forgot the part that remembers, which is you - and your arm. You draw in the sand because your eyes and arm remember."

'It's like, freedom, but also inevitability, right? It's inevitable for things with weight to fall. But being able to lift it in the first place means you're someone who's free.'

Xion engages Chie on her question about the sharing of power, and gets a wonderful animated series of attention. The question back gets her asiding with the miko again. "There's a directness to it, the ability to lift things up stores so much power, and then dropping releases so much energy. There's an honesty to it? For all the same reasons. A mountain stores power the same way lifting a stone does with the hand, and so there is a great well of 'inevitable' all around to appreciate and reach for, with it."

Talking about powers and greebles does get Xion going herself, having had Hiromi's medallion for quite some time.
Penelope Usher "It's a touch anitquated, since we Necrons have little need for wishing another bodily health these days,"

    "Oooh~ what is that?" Penelope lingers around Lilian's sling in order to snoop at the hieroglyphics, pursing her lips in curiosity. If they were actually Egyptian, she'd have a tiny bit of occult familiarity, but with aliens....

    "Is that a spell brand?"

"Sort of a gesture of letting the injured know that the community is there to support her."

    Penelope hadn't put that much thought into it! But now that Lilian has, it's suddenly so so so cute! She presses her hands together, held up near her mouth, and then beckons to Regulus to encourage her in coming over to sign too. "Awww! That's such a cute way to say it! That's exactly what it is, right?"

"Leather is easy to make sexy you should just do some sexy stuff, Ember."

    Penelope's contribution to the discussion about leather is to tap the toes of her big squeaky equestrian boots against the ground, swiveling side to side thoughtfully while re-eyeing everyone's outfits with her lip bit. "So it's like that, huh? You know, I'm sure I've got some leather pants somewhere."

"But it's demon antler, right? The sort of nacre shine on it is fascinating."

    "Oh, yeah. Regular old deer antlers don't get this color even when you polish them down. Velvet's one of a kind." Penelope flips the knife around in her hand, so that the hooked blade can tap lightly on Lilian's forehead. "And if you're *that* curious, stop by for a show sometime!"

"Sometimes, things just all fit together, don't they? It'd be nice if it worked that wall all the time."

    Xion gives off a particular *vibe*, even without knowing her before now. The artistic slant of her comments, her admiration of the Taoists, the fact that statistically, like, most Elites are at least a little bit similar to the 'rivers and lakes' talked about here, and also, the leather pants and keyblade. She's got that traveling adventurer vibe!

    "Just all fit together...? So you're that same type too? That traveling hero type? It's so, so, so sweet; I think that kind of thing is just the *best*." It is known among the wise! And Penelope, surely, is wise, and in the company of such, so she can freely fawn. "It really does sound so nice, gosh. Just being free of anything besides helping people all over the place, however you can. It's so... fundamentally kind."
Penelope Usher "I, the Taoist chief Lijun Yang, have been expecting the heroes."

    Penelope responds to the introduction with her own, and with filtered enthusiasm for the whole environment. "Thank you for welcoming us in, Grandmaster. Your temple is beautiful, and we've been very well welcomed."

"You believe someone within this sect has disseminated our secrets?"

    "Do you have any enemies who would try to sabotage your standing in the community of the Central Plains? Whoever the thief is, they're someone capable of stealing and diverting even your closely held secrets from where they're intended to go, and with that threat, it's impossible to be confident that *anything* will reach its destination properly."

    Penelope does want to help! She doesn't really have much to do with, like, a sword training pavilion, besides the free-to-enter entertainment of watching them while they work. Which she may ask about later. But, the grand Usher serpent is bigger than just the girl herself, so she adds with a glint of half-lidded crimson eyes, "As two like-minded supporters of our respective communities, I'm not too interested in counting out requests. I'm happy to give you my help, and hopefully it'll lead to a long partnership down the road~"
Lilian Rook 'Is that a spell brand?'

    "Don't call it a brand." Lilian frowns.

    'Awww! That's such a cute way to say it! That's exactly what it is, right?'

    Open and shut mouth. Of all things, Lilian, clearly isn't used to hearing 'awww' and being informed that she's cute. "Yes. It is."

    'So it's like that, huh? You know, I'm sure I've got some leather pants somewhere.'

    Oh god. What level of bit is she on now? What has Lilian done? Anything at all? Staring at the boots was possibly a bad idea, but what else do you do? "I'm trying to dress respectfully." she says, wary.

    'And if you're *that* curious, stop by for a show sometime!'

    "Be careful with that." Lilian twists her lip. She knows that Penelope is clearly skilled enough with it for the gesture to be safe, but it's still a bit inappropriate. "Now. What sort of show?" Alas. She's interested. And said it saucy-style.
Meresankh     "Is that a spell brand?"

    "It is my royal seal! One permutation, at least" Meresankh says, proudly. She leans in to point at individual symbols. "That glyph there is my dynastic sigil, and this one symbolizes Oryx, the world I govern. This is one of my titles, 'her benignity', and that one's me! Or my name, haha. To fit all of my titles and accomplishments I'd, well, she'd need a few more arms." Someone's in a good mood.

    "Oh. So you actually do have an eye for it."

    "Indeed! As the Necrontyr my people advanced in practice from one highly specialized metal to the next, until coming to the ultimate catchall of necrodermis - but it's fascinating to see for myself what other worlds can do with even base metals, let alone high-quality steel or other alloys!" A pause. "I should think about retooling my scepter to print metal, perhaps..."

    "Wait seriously?"

    Lilian's exclamation of surprise turns Meresankh's attention away from Grandmaster Yang andthe Green Crescent Blade. "Yes! I am adroit with the weapons of my own devising, but they are largely designed to be applied from safe distance. Something the skilled fighters of these sects can be quick to deny, when it gets down to it! I had to rely substantially on the hyperphase blade in Longqing town."
Lilian Rook     'To fit all of my titles and accomplishments I'd, well, she'd need a few more arms.'

    "It'll tell you when they grow in."

    'the ultimate catchall of necrodermis'

    "Necro-fucking-what?"

    'I had to rely substantially on the hyperphase blade in Longqing town'

    Lilian stairs misgivingly at the glowy bullshit blade. "Are you certain it isn't a hyperdeath doomguillotine?"
Swords of Justice     "Wait. Is that allowed?"

     "I mean, I don't see why it wouldn't be. I think in this case it's just kind of like skipping ahead to the final episode of a TV show. You know how it ends, but you don't have the rest of the context to fully understand it. Though, I guess that does create the scenario of someone trying to reach the same answer but now in reverse, though whether that's actually a problem or not is something I couldn't say."

     Xion's question seems easy enough to theorize an answer at first, but he gives pause at his own words. Another good question, actually.

     "That to wield a sword is to put one's force at issue, however gently, to say that it is greater than what should oppose it."

     Shirou doesn't seem that phased by Haoyu Lu hitting his arm. Honestly, he's used to physical demonstrations when things like this are explained to him. Usually the physical demonstration is a lot more painful too, so really, it's a refreshing change of pace. That aside though, while he's never really thought of what he had said before, he almost instantly gets it. Maybe because he's just intuited it? Or maybe because it somewhat relates to his philosophy on killing.

     "There are times when I feel it is hopeless--that I am writing in the sand, and waiting for the sea to wash it all away. But, I remind myself that the sea doesn't destroy the sand; it only changes it."

     This actually gives Shirou a bit of pause as he rubs his chin in thought. Again he gets it, even more than before, actually, albeit still through a slightly different lens. Maybe he's wiser than he thought? Or his Origin of sword grants him the ability to instinctively understand this sort of philosophy???

     He mulls over both of these possibilities, before realizing he doesn't like either of them. No, clearly he's just had good teachers in his life.


     "Thank you, Haoyu Lu-sa... Brother Haoyu Lu."
Chuyao He As someone who holds a sword in hand, how many chances are to be offered?

    Lei Fan hadn't expected that question. Or maybe he just hadn't expected for his mind to associate the immediate answer. She can feel it before he speaks it--that he stopped giving chances to someone, and that it bothers him. "Niece Xion is asking, so she knows that 'as many as it takes' isn't a real answer as surely as this Taoist does. When the chance is not taken, the sword is drawn. That may mean a slap on the wrist, a broken bone, even imprisonment or death. How the sword strikes is as important as when it is drawn--this Taoist would have you understand his feelings, before he gives your answer." He pauses, to let it sink in, and then, "'One' is my answer, niece Xion."

    'Golden Furnace' Haoyu seems to shy away from Chuyao after Master Yang accepts the recipe. Nothing so overt as a step, but not quite as subtle as looking away, either. Master Yang had to have seen it.

    Compared to the master's sitting room in the Langya Pavilion, Golden Cloud Temple's is... 'sparse' isn't the right word, but the master is only the focal point in the sense that he's the first thing the eyes are drawn to. He shares the room not just with the panorama of nature outside, with the shrine behind him which towers over him (even if one leaves out the fabled Guan Yu's weapon interred above it), and with polished iron statues of eight Taoist immortals, each with a pillow for prayers and meditations. He isn't above them, or prostrate below them, he's simply part of the full picture they paint.

I would be grateful for an exchange of ideas, either someone to come to my home or to be allowed to bring some of my comrades here for instruction.

    "An exchange of ideas! Offered a request from this office, you still seek to make a trade." That seems to surprise Master Yang. It must be novel in the martial world. "Your comrades will share some of their own styles... hmm." He considers it, frowning thoughtfully. "Soaring Pen He, what was the motto of the Five Virtues School?"

    Chuyao smiles wanly. "'The stones from other hills may polish the jade of this one,'" he intones.

    "Just so," nods Master Yang. "While our style is not built on such a premise, it is built on adaptability, change and transformation. Therefore, this office will look forward to what your comrades have to offer. As for our end, there are a number of things this school could teach. Medicine, astronomy, alchemy, and of course the martial arts. We will convene later to discern what your comrades need most."
Chuyao He      "Naturally," he says, with a glance towards Regulus, "We would be happy to allow the use of certain facilities and texts, as well."

The fine weapon behind you, there--suggests you may know something of more weapons than just the jian, after all.

    Master Yang smiles and nods his eyes closed as if he's just been reminded of an old and cherished relative. "Ah... the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Your majesty, this office must disappoint you--that weapon is largely a relic, kept here to honor the legendary Yu Guan more than it is indicative of our sect's focus on the guan dao. Not to mention," he says, his smile now more amused than fond, "It is purportedly over seventy catties."

    "Forty-four kilograms, your majesty," says Chuyao after some impressively quick abacus work.

    "Alas," agrees Master Yang, "It is rare that someone has the sheer brute strength of such a legendary warrior--Yu Guan is said to have wielded such a thing deftly with but one hand, where our strongest would struggle to use it with two. This is not to say that this office is unable to help you. Her majesty is familiar with General Gao's manor. Not all the emperor's soldiers are ill-mannered and unscrupulus--the Xu Battalion have the respect of the people and of this office alike, and there are no better teachers of the spear or the guan dao than General Xu's family. It is a trivial matter to write a letter of recommendation. This office shall do so, following her majesty's assistance."
Chuyao He      "Now, onto the matter of assistance," he says, nodding towards Lilian, Meresankh, and Penelope. "It is true, Soaring Pen He should never have received this recipe. It would appear to be interrelated to another issue, which this office would have the heroes investigate alongside Golden Furnace Haoyu."

     "There is a concern regarding a shortage on certain varieties of medicinal herbs. Our attempts to resupply are not going well, in the first case because these herbs are currently undergoing a spike in demand from various merchants and nobles, and in the second, because a good deal have already been committed to the refugee encampments in the areas surrounding the foot of the mountain."

    Master Yang frowns. "As niece Penelope mentioned, our ability to ensure these herbs reach their proper destination is also in jeopardy at this time. Whether it is an enemy of our sect or simple opportunists, the fact remains that a caravan taking these supplies to the refugee camp was attacked, and the disciples guarding it severely injured. The recipe..."

     "This makes me certain that outside eyes are necessary. Please make yourselves at home. When you have rested, take Golden Furnace Haoyu with you and investigate this matter, starting with the refugee camps. They are not far from Wudangshan Town--Golden Furnace Haoyu knows the way."

Thank you, Haoyu Lu-sa... Brother Haoyu Lu.

    "It would not disappoint this poor Taoist to see brother Shirou again, after our business is concluded."
Regulus ''Awww! That's such a cute way to say it!''

"Yeah!" Regulus agrees, rushing over to collect the sharpy and scribble a REGULUS~* on the cast, complete with an upward shooting star at the end. "Pretty cool sig, right?" Regulus grins widely. "Getting the cast arted up is the best part of having a cast." She's pretty proud of Penelope for starting the process, honestly.

"A style's gotta be fluid, otherwise it'll get all stiff on dull! Love that you dig change~" She's starts engaging in a the cultural exchange by just kind of dancing in place a little bit, hips wiggling in a sort of half-Twist dance because she's not really intending to show off the whole dance, she's just a bit hyperactive here.

"Very generous of you!" She adds.