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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2351167" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>Back online! Tonights update will be very short. Hopefully tomorrow night I can post another!</p><p></p><p><strong>Father Meets Daughter</strong></p><p></p><p>Felonca shivered.</p><p></p><p>The temperature outside the tent was warm, even balmy for the early fall. Also outside, the wailing, rising cry of grief made her bones run cold.</p><p></p><p>“Still he mourns,” she heard her father say quietly as he opened the tent flap, his great head shaking slowly in his own sadness. “It has been years since Dian cried... not since Yaoi died.”</p><p></p><p>Felonca shook her head in remembrance, the memories of fifteen years before when her aunt had died of the plague coming back. Dian had been haunted by her memory for years, and Felonca hoped that the same wouldn’t happen this time.</p><p></p><p>“Do you think your friend’s scheme will work?” the older panther asked, sitting before his daughter. The wails grew louder for a moment, causing father and daughter to both look outside in pity. “I have never heard of taking someone from the hold of the gods and ancestors, and bringing them back. It sounds... unnatural,” Felonxi finished with shaking his head.</p><p></p><p>“Yari Ai said it was a dangerous journey, but that she was willing to go,” Felonca said. The cleric, like everyone else around Dian when he saw the broken form of his son, had been deeply moved. In years of life, Meiji’s ears had not heard praise or cheer from his father, and even now, his long dead ears where filled with the grief and remorse of a father who wished he had done more. The memory of Dian’s crying words made Felonca look towards her father. Felonxi awkwardly looked back.</p><p></p><p>“I...” he started to say, before stopping. For a moment, Felonca was surprised to see her father’s eyes not glaring at her imperiously, or shining with confidence, but instead searching, hoping to find something. </p><p></p><p>Forgiveness.</p><p></p><p>“Father, you could not help what happened at the Academy,” Felonca said just as Felonxi opened his mouth to speak. “Master Hsiu...”</p><p></p><p>“Is what they say true?” her father asked, his eyes looking down towards the ground.</p><p></p><p>“What do they say?” </p><p></p><p>“They say... that you were chased out for sleeping with an instructor...” Felonxi began uncertainly.</p><p></p><p>“No! Of course not!” Felonca snapped. <em>If Nayu or any of the others told him that... I...I...</em> The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at the thought. “I left because Master Hsiu persecuted me specifically, and the school was full of utter...”</p><p></p><p>Felonca stopped herself. Before, she would have never talked of Master Hsiu, or any elder and respected warrior in such a disgraceful manner. She wasn’t sure how her father would react, and she cringed inwardly when she saw <em>his</em> hairs start to stand on end in anger. His eyes flashed yet again, and even though he was sitting on the ground, she could tell an explosion was coming.</p><p></p><p>“Damn Hsiu Lin!” Felonxi blasted, jumping to his feet. “Damn him, his mother, his entire family! He hurt you, didn’t he!” Felonca’s father snapped. “If he so much as touched a hair on you, by the gods and ancestors as witnesses, I will...”</p><p></p><p>For a moment, Felonca remembered all the times when Hsiu had singled her out, had made her run extra hours, had made her skip all her meals in a day, had tried to break her with excrutiating exercises far longer and harder than the others.</p><p></p><p><em>He tried to hurt me.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He failed.</em></p><p></p><p>“He never touched me, father,” Felonca said, ignoring the slappings or the beatings. <em>He never broke me. He never hurt me. He made me stronger.</em> “His ire only made me stronger and wiser.”</p><p></p><p>“Wise enough to know when to sneak into his room and steal his belongings?” Felonxi asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice quieter.</p><p></p><p>Felonca winced again. Honor was the trait, the trademark of the Wa-Feng clan, and one could rarely make the case that stealing from another was an honorable act. Felonca’s eyes flashed to the ground, expecting the long-overdue lecture on family honor, and how she’d dishonored her ancestors and her name.</p><p></p><p>Instead of a shout, she heard a sigh, and she felt herself pulled into her father’s arms.</p><p></p><p>“Whatever dishonor that brought,” he whispered in her ear, “it is clear to me that your actions since have more than cleaned that stain.” When he pulled back, she saw tears in his eyes. “You have instead brought honor to our name, through your words and deeds since you left the Academy.”</p><p></p><p><em>What? He’s... he’s thanking me? Wa-Feng Felonxi, the Honorable Warrior, the Gentle Soldier, is overlooking dishonor?</em> As she looked on stunned, her father pulled away from her, suddenly knelt on one knee.</p><p></p><p>“The clan is fortunate to have such a warrior. And I...” he stopped, clearing his voice, “I am lucky to be able to call her my daughter.”</p><p></p><p>Felonca dropped to embrace him, full tears coursing down her cheeks.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“I don’t believe this hocus-pocus will work,” Zhen Ren said quietly. Nayu turned and glared at the scholar, the bloody bandages covering his body glowing orange in the firelight. From beyond, within Meiji’s old tent, came the noise of hurried, mystical chanting.</p><p></p><p>“I have no doubt in Yari Ai’s abilities,” Nayu replied stiffly. <em>She said that she could journey to the after-world, and bring Meiji’s soul back to his body. She knows far more about anything having to do with the afterworld than Zhen Ren’s fat behind!</em></p><p></p><p>“Sir, with all due respect, a pretty lass does not necessarily make a magical one,” Zhen added with a tinge of disdain.</p><p></p><p>“And a fat head doesn’t necessarily separate a man from a jackass,” Nayu shot back coolly. To his satisfaction, Zhen Ren didn’t speak for the rest of the night.</p><p></p><p>As it were, the vigil outside lasted only a few more moments before there was a slight squeak, and the chanting fell into silence. Muffled voices then arose, followed by the noise of something striking flesh. A minute or so later, the tent flap flipped open, and a sweat-drenched Yari Ai appeared, her pretty face ruined by a furious scowl, her skin paler than the moon above.</p><p></p><p>“The bastard is the same,” she growled to no one in particular, stumbling forward, before her eyes found Nayu, and she gave a sigh. “It is done. He’s back.” She started to stumble as she rose, and Nayu grabbed her arm, propping her up till she had regained her feet.</p><p></p><p>“Are you alright?” <em>She looks as if every single fiber of her being has been drained...</em></p><p></p><p>“No one else has the privilege of dying on me,” she said quietly, looking in Nayu’s eyes. “Its... its too much work to go to the afterlife and bring someone back. And there is still one more to go...” she sighed.</p><p></p><p>“You really think you can bring back Liu, even though all that’s left are his ashes?” Nayu questioned. No sooner had the words left his mouth that he saw Yari Ai’s tired eyes flash a look of defiance.</p><p></p><p>“Despite all he spoke about the truth of the gods and ancestors, you still doubt?” she said with a tired huff. “Shenyang taught us that it is the soul that matters, not the measly trappings it travels within. I shall bring him back, new and whole, tomorrow...” </p><p></p><p>Nayu froze as the tent flap opened once again, and the perfumed ringlets of Meiji’s hair, followed shortly by his head, shot out of the tent. He looked none the worse for wear, save a growing red mark on his cheek.</p><p></p><p>“Hey Yari Ai!” the bard called out, “I have no clothes on, you just left my tent, and there’s a good bit of time I can’t remember! Did I just get laid?”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 2351167, member: 15043"] Back online! Tonights update will be very short. Hopefully tomorrow night I can post another! [b]Father Meets Daughter[/b] Felonca shivered. The temperature outside the tent was warm, even balmy for the early fall. Also outside, the wailing, rising cry of grief made her bones run cold. “Still he mourns,” she heard her father say quietly as he opened the tent flap, his great head shaking slowly in his own sadness. “It has been years since Dian cried... not since Yaoi died.” Felonca shook her head in remembrance, the memories of fifteen years before when her aunt had died of the plague coming back. Dian had been haunted by her memory for years, and Felonca hoped that the same wouldn’t happen this time. “Do you think your friend’s scheme will work?” the older panther asked, sitting before his daughter. The wails grew louder for a moment, causing father and daughter to both look outside in pity. “I have never heard of taking someone from the hold of the gods and ancestors, and bringing them back. It sounds... unnatural,” Felonxi finished with shaking his head. “Yari Ai said it was a dangerous journey, but that she was willing to go,” Felonca said. The cleric, like everyone else around Dian when he saw the broken form of his son, had been deeply moved. In years of life, Meiji’s ears had not heard praise or cheer from his father, and even now, his long dead ears where filled with the grief and remorse of a father who wished he had done more. The memory of Dian’s crying words made Felonca look towards her father. Felonxi awkwardly looked back. “I...” he started to say, before stopping. For a moment, Felonca was surprised to see her father’s eyes not glaring at her imperiously, or shining with confidence, but instead searching, hoping to find something. Forgiveness. “Father, you could not help what happened at the Academy,” Felonca said just as Felonxi opened his mouth to speak. “Master Hsiu...” “Is what they say true?” her father asked, his eyes looking down towards the ground. “What do they say?” “They say... that you were chased out for sleeping with an instructor...” Felonxi began uncertainly. “No! Of course not!” Felonca snapped. [i]If Nayu or any of the others told him that... I...I...[/i] The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at the thought. “I left because Master Hsiu persecuted me specifically, and the school was full of utter...” Felonca stopped herself. Before, she would have never talked of Master Hsiu, or any elder and respected warrior in such a disgraceful manner. She wasn’t sure how her father would react, and she cringed inwardly when she saw [i]his[/i] hairs start to stand on end in anger. His eyes flashed yet again, and even though he was sitting on the ground, she could tell an explosion was coming. “Damn Hsiu Lin!” Felonxi blasted, jumping to his feet. “Damn him, his mother, his entire family! He hurt you, didn’t he!” Felonca’s father snapped. “If he so much as touched a hair on you, by the gods and ancestors as witnesses, I will...” For a moment, Felonca remembered all the times when Hsiu had singled her out, had made her run extra hours, had made her skip all her meals in a day, had tried to break her with excrutiating exercises far longer and harder than the others. [i]He tried to hurt me. He failed.[/i] “He never touched me, father,” Felonca said, ignoring the slappings or the beatings. [i]He never broke me. He never hurt me. He made me stronger.[/i] “His ire only made me stronger and wiser.” “Wise enough to know when to sneak into his room and steal his belongings?” Felonxi asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice quieter. Felonca winced again. Honor was the trait, the trademark of the Wa-Feng clan, and one could rarely make the case that stealing from another was an honorable act. Felonca’s eyes flashed to the ground, expecting the long-overdue lecture on family honor, and how she’d dishonored her ancestors and her name. Instead of a shout, she heard a sigh, and she felt herself pulled into her father’s arms. “Whatever dishonor that brought,” he whispered in her ear, “it is clear to me that your actions since have more than cleaned that stain.” When he pulled back, she saw tears in his eyes. “You have instead brought honor to our name, through your words and deeds since you left the Academy.” [i]What? He’s... he’s thanking me? Wa-Feng Felonxi, the Honorable Warrior, the Gentle Soldier, is overlooking dishonor?[/i] As she looked on stunned, her father pulled away from her, suddenly knelt on one knee. “The clan is fortunate to have such a warrior. And I...” he stopped, clearing his voice, “I am lucky to be able to call her my daughter.” Felonca dropped to embrace him, full tears coursing down her cheeks. “I don’t believe this hocus-pocus will work,” Zhen Ren said quietly. Nayu turned and glared at the scholar, the bloody bandages covering his body glowing orange in the firelight. From beyond, within Meiji’s old tent, came the noise of hurried, mystical chanting. “I have no doubt in Yari Ai’s abilities,” Nayu replied stiffly. [i]She said that she could journey to the after-world, and bring Meiji’s soul back to his body. She knows far more about anything having to do with the afterworld than Zhen Ren’s fat behind![/i] “Sir, with all due respect, a pretty lass does not necessarily make a magical one,” Zhen added with a tinge of disdain. “And a fat head doesn’t necessarily separate a man from a jackass,” Nayu shot back coolly. To his satisfaction, Zhen Ren didn’t speak for the rest of the night. As it were, the vigil outside lasted only a few more moments before there was a slight squeak, and the chanting fell into silence. Muffled voices then arose, followed by the noise of something striking flesh. A minute or so later, the tent flap flipped open, and a sweat-drenched Yari Ai appeared, her pretty face ruined by a furious scowl, her skin paler than the moon above. “The bastard is the same,” she growled to no one in particular, stumbling forward, before her eyes found Nayu, and she gave a sigh. “It is done. He’s back.” She started to stumble as she rose, and Nayu grabbed her arm, propping her up till she had regained her feet. “Are you alright?” [i]She looks as if every single fiber of her being has been drained...[/i] “No one else has the privilege of dying on me,” she said quietly, looking in Nayu’s eyes. “Its... its too much work to go to the afterlife and bring someone back. And there is still one more to go...” she sighed. “You really think you can bring back Liu, even though all that’s left are his ashes?” Nayu questioned. No sooner had the words left his mouth that he saw Yari Ai’s tired eyes flash a look of defiance. “Despite all he spoke about the truth of the gods and ancestors, you still doubt?” she said with a tired huff. “Shenyang taught us that it is the soul that matters, not the measly trappings it travels within. I shall bring him back, new and whole, tomorrow...” Nayu froze as the tent flap opened once again, and the perfumed ringlets of Meiji’s hair, followed shortly by his head, shot out of the tent. He looked none the worse for wear, save a growing red mark on his cheek. “Hey Yari Ai!” the bard called out, “I have no clothes on, you just left my tent, and there’s a good bit of time I can’t remember! Did I just get laid?” [/QUOTE]
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