jikan_rpg | [Closed to Four Seasons Manor residents + Ye Baiyi]

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[Closed to Four Seasons Manor residents + Ye Baiyi]

⌛ Who: Ye Baiyi and residents of the Four Seasons Manor
⌛ What: Missing arachnida (scorpion)
⌛ When: August 30
⌛ Where: Four Seasons Manor
⌛ Warnings:

He'd woken up to a strange but minor pain he couldn't identify. It lingers and he's not used to feeling something like this, but there are more important things to deal with. Namely, he can't find Xie Wang. It was odd given how the young man had been as glued to his side as a loyal hound the last week or so. It was also annoying, since that meant no breakfast. Fortunately, he knew where he could go that also had good food.

Like he has since he arrived, he shows up at the Four Seasons Manor and walks through the door like he owns the place. "Zhou Zishu? Brat?" He calls, making his way to the kitchen.

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It's been a while since anyone's addressed him in such a way, but the sad fact is that he's used to it (even if it makes him bristle deep down inside). He always presumed that waking a man was the domain of his mothers, his spouses, or his servants. And this man has far too much self-importance to be a servant. But if he's some guest of the lord of the Manor, Ouyang has no place to treat him rudely.

So he bows.

"I am Ouyang, General of the Prince of Henan's armies." Though it means nothing here, falling back into old habits caused it to roll off his tongue as naturally as he breathed. It was a moment before he straightened, which would give Ye Baiyi a clear view of the elaborate braiding throughout the General's hair.

Ouyang forgot one more person- a man's impatient ancestor!

It's belated, but he appreciates the small man's manners either way. Some degree of his prickliness calms, though not nearly enough of it. He's just.. he's feeling worn and uncomfortable. The greeting he's received here has done little to make him feel well either.

"I'm Ye Baiyi," he answers, though he doesn't bow. His eyes stray to the braids and somehow they make his chest hurt even worse. "Who are you to Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing?"

"I am no one to the lords of the manor. I live here with the Immortal dragon, Runyu." He wasn't going to advertise Runyu's status as the Heavenly Emperor since Runyu himself didn't boast of it. "I earn my keep by caring for the stables," he added.

Edited (typo, ofc) 2022-09-02 19:30 (UTC)

His eyes light with recognition at the name. He immediately concludes this former general is now the dragon's servant. He'd be even more insulted if Ouyang hadn't changed his tone so easily.

"I've not been to the stables here yet. How many horses do they keep?" He asks curiously. His gaze drifts toward the general direction the small man had come from. "Is it out that way?"

"Just one, so far. No doubt that will change." Because Ouyang is used to having half a dozen horses from which to choose. But having his warhorse here was a nice thing. "There is also an aviary for hunting birds."

He shook his head to inidicate the negative. "The training field is that way. Would you like to see it?"

It's been quite a while since he had a horse, but he briefly enjoyed the one Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing used with their carriage. It had been a rather docile creature. He doesn't even remember the name of the one he'd had before he went to the mountains, but it was white, large, and hair around its feet.

He considers the offer for a moment, before nodding. A smile finally graces his face, even if it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Who here is trained with birds?"

Ouyang easily changes course, heading back toward the Manor's training field. He spent much of his time there or out on the hunt to provide for his small household within the Four Seasons Manor. He's spoken with Zhou Zishu only a handful of times, mostly when they were building the stables and aviary, and Wen Kexing, not at all -- though he's seen the man watching his husband train, yet never joined him in the practice.

"I am," he stated as they walked. "Where I come from, hunting with birds is common. It's an honor to tend to the animals."

His eyebrows rise and he nods, visibly impressed. "There are some where I'm from who are skilled at such things. There was a brief time I considered learning the skill." Unfortunately, a hawk's lifespan was a deterrent as was a dog, horse, or most other things including humans.

"Do you find there's enough wilderness here to enjoy these pursuits? The cities around here are quite suffocating."

"There is enough," he assured. "It may be a long ride out of the city and the ayakashi can be dangerous, but I have yet to return without a down of hares or a stag." Something that could be mistaken for a smile flashes over his face, gone as soon as it was seen. "I have two 'helpless' nobles to feed."

He chuckles, remembering how Runyu had explained he and the other Immortals were lazy. It had been highly amusing and helped soften his opinion of the strange dragon man.

"Who do you serve besides Runyu?" He asks curiously. He might've pointed out that to earn his keep better, he should be helping at least one more helpless noble- Zhou Zishu. Though would the little brat allow anyone to take care of his husband? He doubts it.

If he still had such a person in his life, he'd be jealous of their care just as much.

"Yu Mingye, a cultivator."

"What's a cultivator?" He frowns, unfamiliar with that term. It's not a word they use where he's from and wonders if that means his friend is a gardener. That's not a very noble-y pursuit.

Ouyang pressed his lips together in thought. "They are people who nurture their spirits in pursuit of what I consider magical power and immortality."

He blinks in surprise, almost stopping. "We call those Martial Artists where I'm from. It's what Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing, and I are back home. Whether the little brats are still doing that now, I have no idea. This place is very strange."

He certainly was still training and meditating. However, he was also eating which was slowly making his hair more gray.

"Has this cultivator achieved immortality?"

"Not yet." But he's confident. Mingye is very good at what he does and his magic still awes Ouyang whenever he bares witness to it. "But he will. I have no doubt."

That kind of confidence in Ouyang's leader is heartwarming. He approves of this little man.

"Very few are able to achieve immortality. I'll have to speak with him and see how close he is." Even though he speaks with authority, he feels that pain in his chest again. His hand slides to rest over his heart chakra and it takes effort not to let any other discomfort show. What was this that has been plaguing him?

Fortunately, he can see the training area not far ahead of them.

If Ouyang noticed anything amiss, he didn't say. Instead, he escorts Ye Baiyi to the training grounds of the Manor.

"Many of us use these grounds to train."

It's a nice space, clearly something that has taken time and care to develop. He can sense the energy here too and knows Zishu, at least, does spend time here- or at least his sword. He nods approvingly, checking over things like a teacher with a new classroom might.

He turns and looks at the young man thoughtfully. "Let me see what you can do."

He didn't hesitate. Ouyang drew his sword and went through the fluid motions of his warm-up routine, before genuinely showing off. While his skill may be little compared to those of Immortals and cultivators, among mere mortals he was one of the most skilled warriors of his day. He certainly hadn't become a General of Mongolian armies by being weak or commonplace.

The young man has great form and there's impressive power behind his sword thrusts. It's remarkable for someone outside of the Martial Arts community who hasn't harnessed their qi.

"Jiangjun, there are Martial Artists who would be put to shame by your form," he says, giving a rare compliment. He's glad no one else is around to hear him say that. If it ever got back to Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, they luckily wouldn't believe it for a second anyway.

"How long have you been training?"

It's probably also a good thing for Ye Baiyi that Ouyang wasn't the sort to brag when compliments were paid to him. The secret lives and dies between them.

"As long as I can remember," he replied. "After..." there's a slight, unnatural pause. "After I turned ten, there was nothing else for me to do but hone my skills." After the slaughter of his family and his own castration, he had to do anything he could to survive. Even with all his accomplishments, the shame of his status always followed... but not here. He doesn't go around bragging that he's a eunuch.

Baiyi can sense a bit of what is going unsaid. He's been through enough tragedy to recognize the signs. However, as he looks more carefully at the small man, his senses start picking up on something else. With a slight frown, he doesn't look directly at Ouyang, but around him. What exactly is he sensing?

"You have a strange presence around you," he remarks. If he was feeling better and could concentrate more clearly, he might've been able to figure it out on his own.

Ouyang had no idea about the ghosts that followed him. But the way Ye Baiyi looked beyond him reminded him of others doing the same. But this was different. This man made no indication that he thought himself better than Ouyang, that he wasn't worth even looking at as so many had thought before.

"How do you mean?"

Well, Ouyang is partially right. Ye Baiyi does, in fact, think he's better than Ouyang and everyone else in the world, but that doesn't mean Ouyang isn't worth giving respect to. This general was clearly a good soldier and he was now a servant of a god. That's quite an impressive feat for a mortal to accomplish.

Baiyi doesn't answer immediately, taking his time to get an understanding of what kind of energy he feels. "There are souls that cling to you. Many of them." His gaze moves from where the spirits are to Ouyang directly. "Are they your people?"

His people? It took a moment for Ouyang to compile the facts that were being presented to him. Many souls clinging... Something dark filled his eyes and his expression went sour.

"... My family." He lets that hang between them before continuing to explain. "Zuzhu."

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cw: mention of mutilation

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