15[20:32] The sun rises late on Lord's Crossing, sitting as it does in the shadow of the Imperial Mountain. Proud stone walls that have stood since the era of the warring shoguns run north-south and split the city in two. To the west, away from the mountain and rolling into the misty vales of reverie, the mortal side of the city rises for work. Farmers brush the dew from their cattle and take 15[20:32] up the fullness of the season's harvest before winter comes. Bells toll for morning prayers in the Immaculate temples. 15[20:34] To the east, silence. Tepet barracks, walls etched with frescoes depicting their glories and the glories of their forebears, stand empty. Manses are tended by listless servants whose masters fell with their legions. Even the great pagoda of the Immaculate grandmaster in residence tolls its bells for few and none. 15[20:35] It is these bells echoing in stillness that awaken Zhangyu. How does the new day find him? [20:41] 6He's out of bed within moments of waking, automatically falling into the routine he's had since childhood. He's not in the infirmary, which means he doesn't have to check for injuries, so it's just a simple look over himself to see if any new scars have made their way onto him. None have. (Good.) What's his schedule for the day? Bathing, breakfast, then...? 15[20:44] That's... a good question. Since he returned to the city a week ago he's been mostly sitting on his hands. As a scion of his house unbound by marriage or military service, he is rare indeed among the shattered house. His remaining elders debate how best to make use of their remaining assets. Assets such as he. 15[20:44] Some might find this relaxing. Does he? [20:47] 6Time off after returning from a mission is important, but a week is right around when he starts getting... not nervous, never nervous, but uncomfortable. Itching to do something, to have a direction. Much longer and, well. Best not to think about it. 15[20:51] Then he's in luck. A summons arrives by courier (he seems spooked, perhaps by Zhangyu and his reputation but perhaps by the sheer tomblike vacancy of the place). He's been called in to counsel with those very elders, this very day. He's to visit the Pagoda of Blood and Pearls, at the heart of Tepet's network of compounds, the former manse of its matriarch. Zhangyu has about three hours 15[20:51] to prepare himself. [21:00] 6Well, there's the morning exercises to do, probably some meditation - if he had more time he'd like to find out what the meeting was to be about, because going unprepared is unwise, but there's nothing to be done. He reads over a copy of his report from the week before just to verify he didn't commit any errors worth reprimanding, and finally puts a shirt on just before he heads over. Strictly speaking, he doesn't need one, but [21:00] people appreciate the effort. 15[21:07] The same courtier returns to usher Zhangyu into the Pagoda. He can feel the weight of its Essence as he crosses the threshold. Crystal lanterns throw off pearl-white light against walls stained deep crimson. They pass silent guards and silent courtiers. The only sound that accompanies their footsteps is the soft rustling and hooting from the hundreds and hundreds of owls that have 15[21:07] taken roost in the high places and dark corners of the manse. Dozens of heads, eyes reflecting the lantern-light, swivel to watch Zhangyu pass. [21:08] 6He pays them no mind. It's not the first time he's been watched like this. 15[21:09] They stop at a double door emblazoned with the seal of House Tepet, wrought in blue jade. Guards cross their spears to block passage, but when they see who it is they let him pass, standing a little more at attention. [21:11] 6Good alertness. Even better respect. 15[21:12] The seal splits in two as the doors swing inward, revealing three women and a man standing around a table flanked by a dozen or more courtiers. All but one of those assembled look up when he enters. 15[21:15] "Zhangyu. Thank you for your punctuality," comes the sonorous voice of Tepet Corino, the closest thing the house has to a matriarch nowadays. One of the few Dynasts to survive the doomed campaign against the Bull. Beside her is Tepet Sachin, who took Immaculate vows but returned to the fold after the legions fell. Zhangyu doesn't know him, and Sachin in turn regards him with suspicion. 15[21:16] Third is an aquamarine-haired woman Zhangyu remembers from his school days. This is Peleps Ratel, one of the naval masters of the House of Bells. She taught Zhangyu at least half of what he knows about sailing. 15[21:16] Fourth, not looking up, is the unimaginably craggy and ruined face of Grandmaster Mushi. He studies the map spread across the table with his lips pursed. [21:23] 6He hides his reaction very well, he is sure. He can speak with Grandmaster later. Zhangyu inclines his head slightly, and says: "Elder." 6Unspoken, but clear: Why am I here? 15[21:26] Sachin: "We don't have time for pleasantries." 15[21:28] Corino: "Zhangyu, word has reached us of a dire crisis." 15[21:29] Ratel: "There's no call for alarmism." 15[21:31] Corino's lips go thin, as does her patience. "Commodore Ratel has come seeking aid from our house, to put down a rebellion in the Navy." [21:32] 6Anger flares up briefly before he smooths out his expression again. Flatly: "A rebellion." [21:33] 6A dire crisis sounds closer to the truth than alarmism. 15[21:36] Sachin, almost giddy with spite: "They lost half their fleet!" 15[21:39] Ratel: "Why did you even let him in the room, Corino?" 15[21:40] Sachin: "Excuse me, Commodore, but as your favorite sister has fallen to the predations of Anathema, our blessed elder has seen fit to call on the counsel of the only man to have faced down a true Anathema in single combat and lived to tell the tale!" [21:42] 6Ah, petty arguments in times of crisis. Perfect. Zhangyu does not bother to hide the unimpressed look on his face as he crosses his arms, glaring. 15[21:42] Ratel: "...I mean no disrespect, Sachin. I've heard the tale many times. Though, I've never heard of any witnesses." 15[21:43] Corino slams her hands down on the table. The beautiful stone atlas of Creation, a great oblong tile held aloft by a spire running through the heart of the Imperial Mountain, wobbles and almost falls. 15[21:44] "We do not." 15[21:44] "Bicker." 15[21:44] "Apologyacceptedletsmoveon," says Sachin breezily. 15[21:45] Zhangyu notices that Mushi's face has risen. His old master is watching him now, ignoring the feuding entirely. 15[21:47] Corino: "The Commodore has told us that Peleps Furia, Vice-Admiral in the Water Fleet, has not returned with her command to its customary routes and patrols in two months. There are rumors -- wild rumors --" she adds, with a glare at Sachin, "that she has fallen prey to some madness or corruption. Peleps itself professes ignorance as to her motives." 15[21:48] "It's a mystery," Peleps Ratel agrees. 15[21:48] "But a serious one. So I'm reaching out for the best and brightest people I can find from every House to join me on a clandestine expedition to find her and her fleet." 15[21:50] Sachin: "That means you, Zhangyu. And your cousin, Daizo, if we can ever find the boy." A pause. "Well? This is a great honor, boy, show some pride!" [21:54] 6Surprise flickers across his face before quickly returning to barely-concealed anger. He does manage to reply: "I am honored. This has been going on for two months?" 15[22:02] Ratel: "Roughly. You understand that the loss of so many ships puts the Navy in a precarious position. We can't afford to divert our already stretched-thin deep sea fleet to chance after itself. A small, swift vessel, staffed by a small, elite force. That's the plan." [22:03] 6He nods. "Daizo was mentioned. Do you know who else will be there?" 6Pure business, now. Take out the anger later. 15[22:05] Ratel: "The rest of our team is already en route. Some have accompanied me this far. Dryas the Younger and Caxi of House Cynis, Piu of House V'Neef. Cathak Tsuka will be meeting us in Bittern." 15[22:06] Corino: "Mnemon sent no one?" 15[22:06] Ratel: "...the Admiralty Board thought it best not to trouble Her Grace while she still mourns the Empress so deeply." [22:14] 6His already low opinion of Mnemon lowers even more. Still, he thinks back on what he knows, and deadpans: "I would have thought they'd be keeping Cathak Tsuka away from ships, these days." 15[22:15] Ratel: "Oh, his reputation is very overstated. He just needs a calming influence. A mature, calming influence. I expect him to serve ably and well." 15[22:18] Corino: "I see." [22:19] 6Zhangyu: "Understood, Commodore." 6He successfully manages to look impassive but still sound slightly disbelieving. [22:21] 6He'll have to talk to this V'neef Piu, when they meet. Formidable fighter. The others... less so. 15[22:22] Corino: "That is the brief. We have time for more questions once we've tracked down Daizo, but he seems to have gone walkabout again." 15[22:23] "He can't go," says Grandmaster Mushi softly. His voice barely above a whisper, the sound like rough stones grinding together makes it impossible to ignore. "Zhangyu is not fit for this expedition. His training is incomplete." [22:23] 6He bristles, suddenly. "Grandmaster?" 15[22:25] Zhangyu: "You attempt to hide it, but it's in your stance, your voice, the tilt of your head. You are consumed with pride. A battlefield as treacherous as this would swallow you as surely as if you'd leapt into the see yourself." 15[22:25] "You are not ready." 15[22:25] *the sea [22:35] 6Zhangyu: "This is what I've trained for. This is what I have worked for. I am ready," 6he grits out. "How do you want me to prove it?" 15[22:37] Sachin: "I was an exemplary student of Grandmaster Mushi in my younger days. Perhaps if you'd like I could give young Zhangyu some pointers...?" 15[22:37] Mushi: "Hh." 15[22:37] "Yes." 15[22:38] "You two come with me." To Corino and Ratel: "We'll return in an hour. Hopefully your large sad boy comes out of the trees by then." [22:38] 6He smiles too-politely. It's all he can do to stop from laughing in Sachin's face, which would only prove Grandmaster correct. 15[22:39] Sachin: "Happily." 15[22:41] The three of them depart, double doors opening to reveal a gaggle of eavesdropping servants who hurriedly endeavor to make themselves look busy, as if there was enough work for the five of them at this end of this foyer at this time of the morning. Sachin sneers at them as the trio passes. [22:42] 6Good instincts, though they need to be better at hiding themselves. Probably too old for any lessons to stick. Pity. 15[22:43] Mushi glides by them, paying them no attention for good or ill. The only thing that stops him is when a delicate-looking crystal tree laden with owls all turn to look at the three of them at once as they make for the exit. Mushi stops, turns his head slowly towards them, and every owl averts its eyes. [22:45] 6...wise birds. 15[22:47] Outside the air has cooled from where it was this morning. A faint drizzle falls, the fish-ponds gracing the manses' courtyards shuddering beneath the rain. As they walk, alone in the rain, Mushi says: "You have both been schooled in the way of hand and foot. You, Sachin, a student of the Air Dragon, swift and shapeless." 15[22:49] Mushi falls suddenly into a wide, steady stance, projecting left and right arm forward with an exhalation of breath. A mighty gout of flame emerges, igniting a fruit tree and sending the nesting birds screaming into the air. 15[22:50] "Behold!" he says, "the unfettered divinity od our blood. The limitless power of the holy dragons." 15[22:50] "Observe how it used for the same purpose a man might use an especially sharp rock." 15[22:51] "In this way, the gutter style Zhangyu favors is purer of form. He has made of himself an especially sharp rock." 15[22:52] Sachin's face goes from pleased to confused to irritated and back to confused. [22:53] 6Zhangyu simply watches and listens. He takes "especially sharp rock" as praise and also a chastisement - one must be more than simply a sharp rock. 15[22:56] One of the birds disturbed from the burning tree, a fat sparrow, has alighted on a flower pot just across the street. Zhangyu sees it, creeping in the shadows, sheltered from the rain by the hanging eve of the empty building. A cat, gray and white, fat on the mice that breed and thrive in the ignored corners of the palace complex. 15[22:56] It approaches the sparrow with light gleaming in its eyes... [22:59] 6The way of things. The sparrow grows complacent while the cat remains hungry. A solveable problem. 15[22:59] There's a leap, and a pounce, and a brief but frantic chirping. The problem is solved. 15[22:59] Mushi: "Ah! Perfect." 15[23:00] The cat shakes the bird apart in its tiny jaws. Feathers go flying, only to drift lazily to the ground like maple seeds. [23:00] 6Zhangyu makes a mental note to find that cat later. A warrior. 15[23:00] Mushi: "The two of you see this cat?" [23:01] 6Zhangyu: "Yes, Grandmaster." 15[23:01] Sachin: "Yes, master. A potent meditation on the warrior spirit." 15[23:01] Mushi: "Kill it." [23:01] 6...or now. 15[23:02] Tired of its toy, the cat looks up at Zhangup with big eyes. "14mow" 15[23:02] *Zhangyu [23:04] 6He frowns. And he's missing something. Grandmaster's lessons aren't without purpose, but... 15[23:05] Sachin, meanwhile, produces a chakram from within his flowing robe. "Gladly." 15[23:07] He doesn't hesitate. The cat's falls to the ground, blood dripping between the rain-slick stones of the street. 15[23:08] Mushi watches without a trace of emotion on his face. [23:08] 6Well. 15[23:09] To the both of them: "Who has won this exchange?" 15[23:11] Sachin, easily: "I have." [23:13] 6Zhangyu: "You have, Grandmaster. An order was carried out without question and accomplished swiftly." 15[23:14] Mushi: "Two different answers, each with their truth." 15[23:14] "Now, the more important question: who has lost? It is not the animals." [23:16] 6Zhangyu: "I have. I did not want the cat to die, not without hearing a reason." 6I was too slow, is left unsaid. 15[23:18] Sachin: "Perhaps you can meditate on this after waving Daizo goodbye--" 15[23:18] Mushi: "Get out of my sight, worm." 15[23:20] Sachin's eyes flash with indignation. "Master, I venerate your position, but I am an elder of House Tepet and you cannot speak to me that w--" 15[23:20] Mushi: "GO. NOW." [23:20] 6Tepet Zhangyu blinks. 15[23:20] "Or the rain will wash away your memory too." 15[23:21] Sachin doesn't *scurry* away, exactly. He walks with the air of a man who absolutely refuses to scurry. 15[23:22] Mushi kneels down, whispers a prayer, and ignites the corpses of cat and bird both. They burn quickly. The rain, heavier now, scours away the ash. 15[23:22] He rises. "Do you understand your failure?" [23:25] 6Zhangyu pauses, counts to three in his head. "...I hesitated. I should have anticipated his attack, and stopped it. If I wanted the cat to survive." 15[23:26] Mushi: "Close." 15[23:26] "If you wanted the cat to live," Mushi says, "you should have been prepared to strike Sachin down on the spot. With all of your might." [23:29] 6Zhangyu: "I will remember that." 6He's using his words this time. This is an improvement! 15[23:31] Mushi: "The field of war exists to flesh our will. Every moment we do not commit ourself to the utmost is a moment of defeat. This is the one commandment: know your heart, and kill with it." 15[23:31] "Go. Prepare for your voyage. I will tell them you are ready. I have nothing more to teach you." [23:32] 6Zhangyu bows. "Thank you, Grandmaster."