As the story goes on, Nayu becomes quite fun to DM
An Acquaintance Alongside the Road
A few days later, the party broke away from the army. While Uncle Dian led the troops towards the north, where Quan-Shi’s force was hopefully still intact and blocking the Prince of Langya, Felonca and her friends trekked towards the goal of the invading army; the great metropolis of Liangxiang.
It was known as the City of the Emperors, the Place Where Heaven Met Earth. Within its sprawling outer walls lay a massive number of souls, so numerous that no one had attempted a true count in centuries. Divided into three sections, the outer, middle and inner cities, the normal part of Liangxiang would have dwarfed most any other city in the world.
Yet there was another part of the city, the Jade City. Built on one of the islands at the mouth of the great Hu Jiang river that flowed through Liangxiang, the Jade City, site of the Imperial Palace, Library, and seat of government was only connected to the mainland by three bridges. Its walls were adorned with tiny shavings of jade, making them glow an emerald green in the sunlight. Within its walls commoners spoke of streets paved in jade and gold, columns made of massive pearls, and silver being tossed about as if it were dirt.
For all its opulence, Liangxiang was a dangerous city as well, a fact that made Felonca chuckle when she looked at their new traveling companion. At her bemused gaze, her father frowned.
He said he wouldn’t let anyone get near me! Ha! Like I need help! she mentally laughed. Her father’s stern look told her immediately that he’d guessed her thought. A few seconds later, he confirmed it.
“Are you upset that an old man wants to protect you?” he asked haltingly, the stern look on his face breaking into a grin of its own. “I have only slight skills with a sword,” he started to fully grin at the gross understatement, “but...”
“Liangxiang is a large and dangerous city. I know, papa,” Felonca parroted his response the last two times she’d brought up his company in the week since they’d left her uncle’s army. She didn’t add what had been her previous responses to his obstinence.
Father is one of the most dangerous swordfighters in the Empire... but he’d be safer if he went with Uncle Dian... or back to Dai Province, maybe even home...
She’d tried to bring up those feelings the previous two times... and arguments had resulted both times. She’d inherited the family stubbornness from her father, and the elder Wa-Feng would not be dissuaded. He’d only just reunited with his daughter, and he wanted to spend as much time as possible making sure she was safe.
He wants to make up for not being there to stop Hsiu, Felonca thought, the same arguments snapping into her head that had come before.
Papa! Stop it! You didn’t cause Hsiu to be a sadistic bastard, you didn’t cause the White Wolves to come after me... so don’t try to apologize with stupid actions!
As the snapping thoughts flashed through her mind, at first she felt angry. Then, she started to giggle.
No doubt papa has much the same thoughts running through his mind. “Don’t be headstrong young woman! You don’t need to prove yourself!” I bet that’s what he’s thinking right now!
“Thank you for coming, papa,” she found herself saying finally. “I have no doubt we would be fine in Liangxiang, but extra protection is never a bad thing.” She smiled when the older man beamed at her acceptance.
“I am glad you’ve decided to accept my presence, daughter,” he said, his eyes beaming, “as an old man who wants to see his child more than he has over the last ten years. Besides,” his look became impish, “If there is combat, I wish to see the whirling dervish your friends say you have become. Your friend... the sorcerer...” her father stopped, frowning.
“Nayu,” she reminded him.
“Yes, Nayu. He said that you killed a spider changling by yourself, as well as slaying an undead dragon. Now, I do think your friend has embellished these stories somewhat, but...”
“Somewhat?!” Felonca gaped, and she heard Nayu’s bright cackle behind her. She turned and gave him an appropriate scowl, even as inside she laughed herself.
He’s trying to make me look good... For a second the frown held, until she realized that she wasn’t really frowning anymore, only looking into his brown eyes. Her mind slipped into a thought that suddenly made her face go bright red, and she turned away rather abruptly.
“Oh, come come!” Felonxi chimed in, misunderstanding the crimson, “there’s no reason to be embarrassed if you are truly that gifted! Friends who are willing to give such lavish support are priceless.”
Felonca’s face darkened more, the thoughts coming back to her mind again, running over what the rakshasa had hissed at her a little over a week before.
You are attracted to him...
“Bah! She’s humble, and doesn’t want to take her due credit!” Nayu laughed, and Felonca gave a sigh of relief.
He hasn’t figured it out. Any of it.
Good... he shouldn’t know until I know what the heck is going on with me, she thought.
I can’t be attracted to him... not like that! part of her complained.
I mean, he’s a good friend, and we’ve been through thick and thin together these past six months! Sure, I like his personality, he’s reliable, and he is rather good looking, but I... Dammit! She frowned again.
That is exactly why you are attracted to him, in THAT way....
Gah... Felonca! Make up your mind, silly girl! He’s a lovely boy, but do you really want to throw a rat into the duck soup that’s your friendship? Gah... you’re so loopy minded that you can’t think of any good metaphors!
“Hey...” she felt a hand on her shoulder, warm and relaxed. Instead of turning to talk to the now concerned Nayu, she felt herself tense up, and she shifted her shoulder away from his grip.
“It’s nothing. I...um...” she stumbled, trying to think of a way out of the predicament she was now in.
He thinks I’m mad! I’m not mad! Quick, say something so he knows you aren’t mad! “Thanks for the kind words, Nayu... and Papa.” The words took almost a minute to stumble out of her mouth, between uhs and ums. For a moment, awkward silence hung in the air, before Felonca finally blurted out, “I... I think I’m going to go scout ahead, make sure the road is clear.”
“You want any backup? I can...” Nayu started to offer, before she cut him off.
“No, I... um... its okay. Someone needs to...um... keep papa company. Besides,” she scratched behind her ear in nervousness, “it shouldn’t take that long. Heh, you know. Being I’m a very fast...um... ah... panther.”
“Yari Ai, Meiji, Liu and Chou are all here. They can stay with Felonxi, if you do not mind, Shang,” Nayu said respectfully.
“I don’t mind at all, young Nayu. Go on ahead.” Felonca could tell her father was smiling. The last time he’d smiled like that was when he assumed she and the heir of another warrior clan were an item. Felonca mentally growled.
“No... no. It’ll go...um... faster, if I go by myself, okay?” The tone was slightly too sharp, slightly too angry. She kicked herself as she turned and walked away, leaving her father and Nayu to look at her, confused.
“What’s gotten into her?” she heard Nayu ask quietly, and her face grew bright red yet again.
“Stupid girl,” Felonca hissed to herself some ten minutes later as she slinked along the road. “Can’t make up your mind, can you?” She’d felt Nayu’s eyes seemingly burning into her as she left...
“What if he likes you back, but he’s too shy?” she muttered to herself, her nose sniffing the air for any scent. She shook her head. “No, Nayu is most definitely not shy. I have never seen anyone so capable of fast-talking and selling anything before. So no, he’s not hiding it.”
“Or is he?” she asked herself again, her eyes locking on a shifting group of bushes, before dismissing the movement as the wind. “He’s a good talker, which means he hides things from others well. But would he hide something like that?” Mentally she shrugged, and not knowing was the worse feeling of all.
“I should just go back and talk...” she started to mutter, until her nose caught something in the air. It was faint and distant, but something distinctly familiar. She frowned, and within moments she had changed to her full panther form. The smell was now stronger, and while she could place which direction is was coming from, she still couldn’t place it within her mind.
There’s the smell of a city we’ve been in. Minzghong was by the sea, and there was a tinge of salt to all of those smells. I smell no salt, she thought, slinking low to the ground through the tall grass.
It smells decidedly of earth, and crops.... Xianfung was surrounded by farmland... that’s why the smell is familiar! Its someone hailing from Xianfung!
By why would someone from Dai be this far south, knowing there’s a war going on? She tensed, all possible scenarios running through her mind, from White Wolves setting up an ambush to survivors of the Governor’s personal unit hoping to waylay her. Slowly, carefully, she slipped forward, the smell growing stronger and stronger, until she could tell the person was only tens of feet away, beyond the edge of the grass.
“Whoever you are, you can stop stalking me. I can hear your breathing,” a familiar voice grunted, and Felonca froze.
What the hell would he be doing down here? she asked herself, confused.
He has no reason to be attached to us, no reason to be down here... unless he serves himself! She paused.
Oh great... Quietly, she shifted back to hybrid, allowing her vocal chords to once again form words.
“Selim, why are you here?” she hissed from within the grass, her eyes now catching sight of the tall, scarred man with missing front teeth and an eyepatch. “I thought you decided to stay in Xianfung!”
“Ah, Mistress Wa-Feng!” the rogue said, even as his eyes scanned the opposite direction, looking for where her voice originated. “Selim the Magnificent was hoping to find you!”
Don’t tell me. Someone, probably a White Wolf, offered you a great sum of money to dispose of me! Well, I don’t intend to make it that easy! She crouched lower to the ground, pressing herself almost flat as the tall grass waved above her head.
“Why do you look for me?”
“Because it’s rumored that you were headed south, looking for adventure. And the way the other thieves of Xianfung speak of your name, wherever you find adventure, you find loot. Tons of loot. So,” he turned, so he was facing to the left of where she really was, “I was hoping I could tag along... offer my rare services, in exchange for a cut of your future profits...”
“What can you do that I can’t?” Felonca asked.
Get him to tip his secrets... “I assume something special, since they call you Selim the Magnificent.”
“But of course. I can, obviously, pilfer the odd jewel, artifact, or other item when needed, but my specialty is opening doors for others. Selim the Magnificent leaves no door locked, no vault unopened...”
“I can pick locks too, thank you very much,” Felonca hissed. She was too focused to be pleased when the confused rogue turned, and once again faced completely opposite to her.
“No, young one. I mean that Selim can talk to the right people in the right places to have
them open doors
for you. It takes time, but I can likely get you anywhere within any of the large cities to the south.” He gave huff of pride. “Selim the Magnificent could even get you into the Jade City itself!”
“Now I know you’re bluffing,” she hissed.
“Why would I bluff, one who has been hiding in the grass all this time?” The rogue turned his craggy face around, his good eye looking directly at Felonca. He winked. “Come now. No reason to stay hidden.”
“Bah,” Felonca grunted in frustration, before standing up.
“Now that we can discuss this face to face,” Selim gave a smirk, “what say you to my idea? I tag along, cause no trouble unless you say start it, make things happen for you and your friends, and I get a cut of the loot.”
“You want to do this without even knowing where we’re headed?” Felonca asked guardedly.
“Well, I can surmise that since you are on this road, you are heading towards Liangxiang. Between here and the capital are only tiny farming towns, nothing large enough to draw your attention to have come this far. I’m guessing,” a ragged, wrinkled hand stroked his scarred chin, “that you’re off to collect on a huge haul of some kind.”
Huge haul indeed. Nayu needs to go to the Scholar’s Academy inside the Jade City... and I...
She paused for a second, refusing to deny the obvious reason she was accompanying Nayu. Finally, her mind settled on something useful to do in the city.
And I need to see if the scholars know how to get rid of this damn dagger!
“Yes... we are heading for a haul, of sorts,” Felonca admitted. “Beyond the fact that we need entrance into the Jade City itself, I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore.”
“Ah... a legendary haul then,” Selim smirked. “From the way you handled Governor Ho, you’re a clever girl. Very well then. When we reach the city, I’ll see what I can do.”