Looking for something lost, (Rainbow towers, Hsin, invite only)

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

Second Cycle Of, Immanis, Spring, XIV Era

Spring was coming along quite nicely, the birds were singing the air was fresh and everything to be so new. However one person was not quite as content as the rest of creation on this day. Perhaps coming to this city was not such a good idea. Tsai pondered her situation as yet to find the exactly who she was looking for at the place where he said he would be. The letter he had sent her specifically said he was here and she had asked around. Not much luck. Perhaps it was the way she was asking?

She sighed dejectedly and continued, she was on not int the mood to bother another person with her trivial matters at the current moment. Her mind was more about how the city looked, she had not been in such a place ever in her life and it was quite daunting. She knew she lacked courage a normal person had and this place seemed to want to swarm you and every time she tried to ask someone about anything it came out more as a fool. She mentally kicked herself , no wonder no one knew where Hsin was she could never give a good description or even hold a conversation long enough to get a good answer. Blasted stutter she had tried to kick it long ago but but never could and now was perhaps the only reason why she could not find her lost brother, at least it was a nice day perhaps this was a fools errand? Then again he had to be here...

She lay in wait outside he would eventually come from this place, and when he did she would get him, get him good for making her run blindly around asking silly questions and making herself look like a complete fool, one person had even asked if she knew where her parents were, babbling fool did not even let her go till she could prove she was older then she looked. What was it with people and trying to protect other people's children? It was not their responsibility.

Hours past and nothing happened, perhaps she had the wrong place, would not be a surprise some local joke played on her by some lonely man who thought her stupid enough to fall for anything. It was true she may have been naive but she was not dumb and being played a fool, she would probably have to beat the man senseless to teach him a lesson if this was just some joke. She waited still hopping that surly he would come out soon.

[Hsin]

Mystics, rightfully, possessed a reputation for intellect and cunning even amongst their infamously intellectual and paranoid brethren. Whist other spheres reveled in showy destruction, the Disciplines of the Psionic Plane conducted their conflicts with far greater subtly and caution. The masters of illusion and the very mind preferred trickery to outright confrontation; smoldering proxy wars to Empire-destroying campaigns. Characteristically their spells dealt in similar currency: invisibility, mind reading, illusions, and the like. There was even a spell for the ambushes of pesky (but still loveable) younger siblings. Hsin Zhou cast Astral Transcendence every brightening before departing the Rainbow Towers lest his enemies plot an abduction, or worse. It was a middling matter to spot the characteristic curly black hair and glistening emerald eyes of Tsai. Without further ado, Hsin pulled the long grey formal coat over his plain grey garments. The eldest Zhou son had changed greatly since his last encounter with Tsai. His face still possessed the same balance between sharp lines and gentle curves, but strangely more feminine. Long, silky hair as black as midnight had been carefully fastened into a bun on the back of the mystic’s head by a pair of bo shuriken. It took a mere moment to re-cast the weak illusion disguising his scarred and burned eyes beneath a façade of normalcy. As precious as family was, they hardly needed to know everything.

Hsin took two slow steps beyond the heavy oaken doors of the Rainbow Towers before inexplicably stopping to produce a deck of tarot cards from a coat pocket. The exquisitely crafted cards began to flow from one palm into the other; the familiar shuffling of cards filling the Kemite with an unexplainable calm. ”Tsai Yuzhu Zhou,” called the mage in a soft, gentle voice. His expression was utterly neutral, as if meeting one’s sister after three eras of separation was an utterly normal occurrence. The next sentence was spoken in the family’s native Kemite. ”Where are you, dearest sister?”

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

Almost jumped as Hsin stepped out from the towers, he had changed, maybe staying away from home to long would do that to people who knew. That was not the problem though it was time for hsin to pay for making her wait and she quickly jumped over to her brother poking him. She did not know if he has seen her or was just talking to himself wondering if he would see her today, it had been quite some time before he had sent the letter.

“Your harder to find then you think you know that? Sure come to the rainbow towers I will be waiting for you.” She put her hands on her waist and gave him a roguish smile that she only gave to her brother speaking in their language, she felt more comfortable speaking it then the common speech.

She normally did not act this way preferring to be in the background not noticed and easily looked over, but this was family and she was comfortable with family, though she would rather pull out his spine at the moment for not being hard to find. “So Hsin Zhou” She said with more evenly looking over her brother and making a point by saying his full name. “You look good.”

[Hsin]

Tsai’s impromptu leap-attack caused Hsin to stagger. His second sister had grown far taller during their long absence, and certainly somewhat heavier. Memories of the shy girl dutifully weeding the garden and tossing weeds at the neighbors bubbled to the forefront of his conscience; indistinct and alien after an era’s absence. The Kemite mystic laughed and patted the (still!) shorter sibling on her head. His voice seemed somewhat more natural now, or at least lacking the enforced restraint so necessary in academia and Aelyria Prime. ”You only found me because I let you,” he suggested playfully before poking gently at her belly. ”Some of my more…irritating acquaintances from Aelyria Prime are still looking for me.”

”You’ve grown too. My beautiful little sister.” There was a hint of uncharacteristic pride in the normally morose Master’s voice. ”But still thin. We’ll never marry you off unless you fill out." Hsin shuffled away for a moment to evade any retorting blow. "What have you been up to?”

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

She blinked several times as Hsin patted her on the head, “I could have found you if I wanted to, I can be quite persistent about these things.” she laughed slightly and jumped back as hsin poked her, there was no protest about this he was her older brother after all and these sort of playful affections were normal. “More interesting acquaintances? Do not tell me the whole time you have been away you have been making enemies.” She looked concerned over her brother shifting slightly in discomfort, what was it he did again?

Blushing slightly at the approval of her brother on she had grown she could not help but have her smile grow somewhat. “I am not that thin, I am perfect weight, besides its not like I have not tried, and why would you want to marry me off, then I would not be able to come all the way here to bug you, and that would be a shame would it not? But come come, no use standing here lets find someplace nicer and more private.” She looked about nervously she would not like it if someone else showed up likely she would start stuttering and making a fool of herself again.

“You can tell me all about what you have been doing, and if there is a lady in your life or not. We have to marry you off too you know.”

[Hsin]

“Enough enemies to justify a little caution,” murmured the eldest Zhou brother in the sibilant tongue of the children of Keme. Suspicion had initially inspired the regular casting Astral Transcendence to evade would-be assassins—or troublesome siblings. There were goals in his life transcending the demands of families, and beyond those principles eclipsing even the faith in Torek-Aslan. Hana still possessed the entirety of his mortal devotion, and her ultimate safety was paramount. It would take a brightening or two to convince his shy lover to interact properly with Tsai. The alternate was a particularly painful session of mutual silence.

“There’s a little Kemite store nearby,” suggested Hsin with a half-smile. A portion of mana crafted into a dome of altered Invisibility already enshrouded the siblings. For all practical purposes, the pair had simply disappeared.

~~++====++~~

The Broken Katana catered to the small community of Kemite expatriates. It took only a few moments to secure a low table for Hsin and Tsai. Hsin untied his boots before kneeling on the bamboo mats. Two cups of steaming green tea were duly poured from an earthenware teapot. [color=crimson]“Their rice noodles are excellent, and the fish caught fresh in the North Sea.” The Kemite mystic took a long sip of his amber liquid before proceeding carefully. It was a well-rehearsed lie; but still largely untouched and unneeded. Few caught sight of the diminutive girl, and her generally frigid character prevented most serious inquiries. “I’ve a lover. She worked with druids for a while, but there was an unfortunate accident. She’s been a little shy ever since.” A good lie was like good wine; best used when rationed carefully. He quickly changed the subject. “So why did you come to Nexus, Tsai? As much as you love your older brother, it’s a long trip for a small girl.”

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

Entering the Broken Katana she quickly hid as best as she could behind Hsin, her small frame being completely eclipsed the girl and no one really took notice of her her small quiet steps masked over the talking of the rest of the place as they found their way to the small table. Tsai slid out of her small cloth shoes as she knelt don her side of the table her head looking down at the small cup of tea, her long curly bangs obscuring any onlooker a good view of her face.

She smiled slightly as Hsin spoke of in the way he has always explaining that he did have someone to share his life with, but he quickly changed the subject, she noted it but did not care it was his business and if he wanted her to know he would tell her soon enough anyway. “Do I need a reason to come and visit my brother?” She figited with the tea for a moment pausing taking small sip enjoying it for the brief reprieve before continuing.

“I did not feel at home anymore, something is tugging me somewhere and I am going to follow it. I thought coming here would be a good start. See my old brother.” she was speaking of something more perhaps she had already decided what to do and there was no changing her mind but this was her fist step in her new life.

[Hsin]

Hsin chuckled softly before taking a long, slow sip from his ceramic cup. The delicate flavors of the tea intermingled with the pleasant smell of cooking food. Mysticism required an equal measure of grit and intellect; a constant conflict to master the flood of emotions unleashed from even a reasonably normal human being. Teaching, however, required an entirely different sort of strength. The sort of inner discipline that kept the diminutive Kemite from strangling a recalcitrant elf. ”Oh, but you do,” retorted Hsin playfully. ”You’re not the sort to walk across half an Empire to merely visit. Playful, yes, but foolish? Not particularly.”

He quickly ordered an appetizer of steamed dumplings to quiet his rumbling stomach. Despite his constant ribbing, the Mystic usually ate somewhat less food than his younger siblings. ”Well, Nexus Prime’s known for its diversity. There’s the Rainbow Towers for arcana, an enormous number of craftsmen, and a good number of fighters and the such.” It had been years since the mage had inquired into his sister’s interest. Now, he figured, was as good as ever. ”So what have you been studying at home? Last I saw you, you were falling head over heels for John Watercoop. Or some little Medonian boy.”

Hsin was, after all, the eldest son. With all the rights and responsibilities thereof.

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

“Ok you got me, I was thinking about... the towers, and arcana...” She stopped there and smiled to hsin as the dumplings arrived and she hunger bit into her as if she had not eaten for days as she took one and hungerly she looked at the thing and bit into it, ah it was good to have food that looked like food and tasted like food for a change then some of the other things she had been forced to eat along the way. She never really liked the food other made always not as, well satisfying or made her feel bloated.

“what have I been studying at home?” she choked down the rest of the dumpling and smiled satisfied once more taking another small sip of tea, “I was just taking care of myself and helping mother with her work nothing to special. And looking up these rainbow towers.” She looked at another dumpling and was about to snatch it but restrained herself as her manners were already bad enough for this nice day.

Her skin turned a slight pink color she did not like talking about her previous relationships even if nothing ever happened with them and her stutter turned to incoherent babble, ”oh you know they all found someone else, not like I had much of a chance, not at pretty as most of the taller girls and most just think me as a tiny girl... no older then 12 years old.”

“You havn't told me what you do. What do you do I wanna hear more about that.” She grinned again skipping to another topic not really wanna talk about home any longer.

[Hsin]

The innocent mention of a twelve-ordination old girl startled Hsin; causing the Kemite mystic to fumble his chopsticks and drop a dumpling back onto the glazed china plate. Visions of Hana’s wrath flashed briefly in front of the mystic. The eldest brother carefully produced a mental note to carefully drop further hints regarding his lover’s unusual form. On an entirely related note, her pink blush caused an entirely illogical happiness. The heartless Imperial Exchequer, disregarding the cruel dictates of logic, truly did care for her sister. ”Oh, I dabble in this and that. Finances and some other sundry studies.” The two scars on his gloved palms marked the Kemite as, at the least, a Journeyman of decent skill. Beyond that, it was more likely safer for Tsai to simply remain ignorant.

”I dabble a little in the martial arts,” admitted Hsin with a wan smile. Every Kemite youth dreamed of honorable warfare. Her older brother had long ago traded the honor of Torek for the nightmares of Kaimelea-as-Risthal. ”I’ve been away for…four eras? It’s been a long time.” It was as much as Hsin was willing to admit in a single sentence. The waiter presently returned with two bowls of noodle soup and a roasted, sliced duck. Any further comments were quickly retired in favor of fooding.

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

The drop of his food gave Tsai some insight on Hsin, the first really true one she had gotten sense the start of there conversation. Though what it was she had said to cause hsin to loose his calm must have been quite on the mark. ”Martial arts? What kind?” She asked excitedly she herself wanted to be a great honorable warrior when she was young and perhaps she still craved such things still. “I am sure you masted an art already.”

She smiled again to her brother he must have been homesick he kept pestering her about home and she was not being helpful at all. She slapped herself mentally for being selfish he had so far showed her nothing but kindness and probably was protecting her from something she did not even know about. Indeed hsin had grown quite a lot sense he left the small home. “Well, you know father and mother have been doing their best to make a living as always, they both send their love, though they told me not to go.” She again sighed shading her face with her hair as the serving woman brought more food. She waited for her to leave again before reveling herself once more.

“Maybe you can teach me some arts?” She again turned her attention back to the food her manners returning to her she ate slowly and steadily it was a sudden change perhaps she had not eaten as well as she thought as her stomach gave a loud growl even though she was eating and again her cheeks become a bright crimson.

[Hsin]

No wonder the children of Keme earned a reputation for finesse and excellence in martial and arcane pursuits. The simple act of consuming the evening meal required the skillful manipulation of a pair of wooden chopsticks. Hsin consumed his meal with a slow elegance refined during an era and a half spent amidst the elite of Aelyria Prime. His parents still seemed happy enough, and little bothered by her children’s sudden coming of age. It was as much as the Kemite could ask for. They’d refused his offer of funds and assistance; relying instead on their age-old ethics. [color=crimson]”I’d be glad to,”[color] replied Hsin with a distinct lack of conviction. K’tesh was not a traditional form taught amongst the honorable offspring of Torek-Aslan. ”But only if you promise not to tell mother. She’ll wring my neck if she hears I’ve taught you such unladylike things.”

Practice and mastery, however, were entirely different things. The Kemite was confident enough in his abilities to practice, in one terrible case, his skills upon a manticore. It would not hurt to try teaching the very basics to his sibling. His mind, however, had already turned to the entirely more practical matter of his sister’s situation. ”Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? Hana a bit shy; she won’t like you moving in so unexpectedly. It’s unfortunate, but could you stay in an inn for a few days?” Another slow hint about his undead consort’s existence. ”But what next? Are you going to stay around Nexus Prime? You’ll need a job, and a home too…”

[Tsai Yuzhu Zhou]

“Oh I wont, and whats wrong with learning to protect oneself?” she did not think to much on this, what could hsin teach her that would disgrace her? She smiled softly as she continued and finished. She could eat a lot, a lot more then one of her size should be able to eat without becoming inflated like a balloon, but she never did.

She did not have a place to stay and she would not impose on her brother, no not if his lady would be shy about it. She could understand, she would probably be just the same way if she had a young man and suddenly his sister just decided to pop in on an unexpected visit. She took another sip of tea before responding. ”I can stay at an inn, I have a small amount of money I brought with me. And yes I was thinking about hanging around for some time I am sure I can find a job somewhere... even if it were to make some cloths or some sort of cooking, or sort out someones else's paper work, I am not bad at writing and keeping quiet.” She turned red at the thought of working, she had tried it once but it had not turned out to well being to shy to explain the offered products and making a mess of it in general, but perhaps she should give it another chance.

“Oh yes, I was wondering, how does one go about learning about the arcana?” She brought this up with passion in her eyes, she always found the arcane per-suites interesting and also save herself from that of public appearances.

[Hsin]

Traditional Kemite values emphasized heavily the responsibility of the host to provide the very best for their honored guests. Hsin reached across the table and poured another cup of fragrant amber tea for his little sister whist attempting to quench the gentle sting of guilt. Years of governmental service provided the Kemite with a comfortable cushion of liquid assets. The temptation to shower his little sister with gifts was strong. Reason and experience, however, provided a heavy counterweight to his more familial tendency. His own education extended far beyond the four walls of the classroom. It encompassed many eras of trials and tribulations; of blood spilt and tears shed. ”The Rainbow Towers provides training in mysticism and sorcery,” began Hsin slowly. The choice of a Discipline, after all, was a decision not to be taken lightly. ”It’s merely a question of filling out a form and arranging an interview with a teaching Master.”

Wooden chopsticks picked listlessly at the last few scraps of meat attached to the duck. Hsin’s own bowl of noodles was long depleted, and the Kemite had begun turning the entirety of his attention back to Tsai’s future. ”I’ll pay for your lodgings for a week. We’ll look for a home on the morrow. I’ll pay on the condition you find a proper job by the end of the month.” Hsin set his chopsticks down and took a sip of his own tea before inquiring in an entirely innocent, offhand manner, ”What sphere do you wish to study?”