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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 6, 2006 22:11:40 GMT -5
Figuring that he'd be lucky if Sze wasn't hostile, Naia was properly surprised that the general actually apologized as he ripped a makeshift bandage and tied it around Xue's neck. The kid looked like he was in shock - his breathing was labored and he was quite pale - but Naia figured that if he had hit something vital, Xue would already be dead, and as that didn't seem to be the case, it was likely there would be no lasting damage.
Biting the inside of his lip and barely managing not to break into a cold sweat, Naia finally made eye contact with Sze - as defiant as he dared be in the current situation - still unable to think of any good explanation that wouldn't get him killed and might by some miracle get him back to Japan. He wondered how long he could stall.
"Then my reason for being here must be pretty compelling," he suggested, for once losing himself and saying the first evasive comeback that came to his mind and hiding a wince when the possible consequences of his words came to mind. Well, damn, now he's going to press the issue... time to come up with a good excuse if you want to get out of here intact.
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Post by Huang Jiaming on Sept 6, 2006 22:22:28 GMT -5
The loud cry had Jiaming falling out of bed in a horridly literal sense; it was quite fortunate she chose to sleep a little closer to the ground that particular night. In any case, landing back-first onto the brittle ground from any height was more than enough of an excuse to send her into an unpleasant mood. Yet, shortly after glaring darkly up at the branches she'd spilled from, she began to ponder exactly what she'd heard; it was quite close. As she got up, she patted her sides to ensure her weapons, leaving a hand on her blacksnake as she trotted towards where she assumed the commotion came from.
Having only heard it half-awake, it took her a bit longer to actually pinpoint the source, but when she did, she witnessed multiple figures in a bit of a situation. Whether she was supposed to have stumbled across it, she wasn't sure, so she carefully hovered from cover to cover until she recognized the little shape of Xue slouched on the ground, and the General. The other was still too far out of sight to tell. Well, then...!
"Is there trouble?" she called carefully, finally deciding to announce her presence. She took a few pensive steps and noticed that the other figure was that bug-flicking fellow she had been introduced to earlier. Huh. Then she glanced down at Xue and acknowledged his posture a bit closer.
"There is trouble," she answered herself, going over and kneeling next to the boy while glancing up at the General. With a bit of an asking expression and a nod, she said, "Here to help, sir."
Then, looking down at Xue, cocking an eyebrow in a vague teasing way, she purred, "There are easier ways to get attention, y'know."
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 6, 2006 22:34:42 GMT -5
"Oh it must be," Sze echoed, eyes fixed on the spy. If Naia needed time to gather his thoughts, then he could have it. They both knew he was as good as cornered, and rushing things wouldn't be helpful now.
Jiaming's arrival came as a relief. Up until then he had been worrying about how to deal with both crises simultaneously, but this took half the load off his shoulders.
It was actually quite impressive that she managed to assess the situation and still act with such composure. He would have to keep that in mind, if the situation ever once again called for a levelheaded individual. "Take him to the medic quickly, please," he told her, nodding gratefully without taking his eyes off Naia. "Be sure not to jar him too roughly, he's still unsteady. Ah, and afterwards, please inform the other two generals I will be there...shortly. Something came up."
"Before you tell me about your objectives, however," he continued, turning the conversation back on Naia. "You can begin by telling me who you really are, and what you were doing with the Japanese Prince, because I am guessing your business dealt with him."
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 6, 2006 23:05:58 GMT -5
Following suit, Naia didn't break eye contact even as the other soldier came, apparently curious as to what the commotion was about. He thought - though he wasn't sure, as the young man was only in the corner of his vision - that it was the soldier he'd accidentally hit with a beetle that morning before they'd all left for the northern border.
Sze Kamlong, do you ever blink? Not getting any more comfortable, the shinobi exhaled slowly and tensely. His track record was bad enough that even if he told the truth, he couldn't have expected Sze to trust him... he mulled things over as quickly and carefully as possible. Talking about Akiyama would get him killed in ways he didn't care to address, but he couldn't just make up an employer... the general must have had connections, he would try to verify whatever Naia said and find that it was false... but at Sze's words, an idea came to him, and he considered it no longer than necessary. It was risky, but if he was lucky, Akihito would be sharp enough to play along.
"My name is Shizukiri Naia," he intoned after one final moment of consideration. "I came in advance of Prince Akihito's journey, as a safeguard in case something went wrong. That is," and he had to pause and swallow as his throat closed from stress, "I'm his bodyguard."
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Post by Huang Jiaming on Sept 6, 2006 23:17:50 GMT -5
"Yessir. Alrighty now..work with me here, boy!"
Jiaming wrapped Xue's free arm over her shoulders and hoisted him to his feet slowly, carefully watching the situation developing between the others when she could spare the moment to.
"Aw, c'mon, he didn't chop your feet off," she mused gently, with a bit of a smirk as she grabbed Xue's belt to keep him from slouching so much. As carefully and as quickly as she could, she moved him away from the General and the now-called Naia, not really looking back. General Sze could handle it.
Speaking of handling.
"Hey, heeyyy, I am not gonna drag you the whole way; move your feet some, okay?"
She glanced down at the wound and shook her head some. "Man...Your buddies're gonna kill you. Gettin' scars and whatnot, and we haven't even seen a fight yet; don't be such an overachiever."
She kept a reassuring smile on her face for his sake, but whether or not it was at all comforting didn't really convey to her. She wasn't too keen on having to address the other generals, now...That was a bit too much attention for her situation. Sheesh.
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Post by Zhong Xue on Sept 6, 2006 23:46:24 GMT -5
"Stop... making fun of me," Xue whispered almost inaudibly, nearly clinging to Jiaming in an effort to stay upright. He glanced up at her hazily, his stomach doing a small flip as he laid eyes on her expression.
"And don't smile like that," he gasped, stumbling a little. The only way Jiaming would be that nice was if he were really dying.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 6, 2006 23:56:31 GMT -5
With Xue taken care of, Kamlong no longer felt the obligation to stay rooted to the spot. He let his attention drop from Naia's face, ending their staring contest, and looked towards the Prince's tent. Had Akihito heard anything at all? They had caused a bit of a ruckus, not to mention Xue's yell had been loud enough to carry across half the camp. "Was your prince not informed about you?" he asked, clearly skeptical. "He didn't mention a word about you."
It wouldn't have surprised him if they had been withholding information, of course, but something as important as this should've somehow found its way into the conversation, considering how seemingly sincere the Japanese royal had been earlier. Kamlong frowned, fighting the urge to sigh. He was already worn out from that little exchange; this was just icing on the cake.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 7, 2006 0:23:00 GMT -5
The general's eyes dropped, and Naia followed his gaze. He, too, wondered if the prince had heard the noise, though perhaps it could work in his favor. It hadn't been long since he'd left the tent, and Akihito knew who he was and why he was here. Perhaps he'd rightly assume Naia had been discovered, assuming Xue's shout had been intelligible from such a distance. Maybe, with some luck, he'd already be thinking of some way to help Naia, to get them both back to Japan.
"My prince would not have mentioned that I was here," Naia replied as darkly as he could manage, though he kept his next statement as respectful as he could. "Advertising my presence would have put both of our lives in jeopardy, especially since we are now enemies in your eyes."
He could sense that this was rapidly going downhill (not that it hadn't already been doing so five minutes ago), and he groped for something with which to placate the general. "I did not intend to harm any of your men. When Zhong Xue cornered me, I panicked, and for that I beg your forgiveness. His wound will cause him some discomfort, but it is not serious."
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Post by Huang Jiaming on Sept 7, 2006 9:45:17 GMT -5
"Hmph, how's this, then?" Jiaming stuck her tongue out at him and then smirked. "Man, I try to be nice..."
It wasn't so hard to move the boy; he wasn't as heavy as she'd anticipated, and she'd been able to drag her brothers around--they were a lot bigger than he was. Still, it was slow going.
"Here, wait a minute," she said with a huff, setting him down carefully, propped against a tree. She rolled her shoulders till they made a satisfactory crack and then knelt down in front of him, peering at his wound, his expression.
"Aa-here, gimme that for a second." Without even waiting for any sort of response, she moved his hand and carefully removed the now-drenched cloth, careful to avert it from Xue's line of sight. She used what little area of it that was clean to wipe at the trickle of blood.
"S'not too bad," she murmured, then adding with a quirked eyebrow, "honest."
From under the leather guard on one of her arms, she pulled out a long, red cloth that was tied around her wrist. She stuck it in Xue's hand and pressed it against his neck.
"Press down a bit after you inhale, kay? Then ease up some."
With that said, she grabbed his other arm and hoisted him back up, giving him a bit of a shake. "Stay awake, too, alright? Try to, at least. Now, come on, we're gonna move again; there you go. Keep that cloth there--we're almost there. I'm not gonna shut up if you start dozing off, so if you don't like hearin' me talk, you better just keep yourself awake!"
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Post by Zhong Xue on Sept 7, 2006 10:12:24 GMT -5
"Am awake," Xue murmured, though it couldn't be further from the truth. He was finding it difficult to walk and keep the pressure on his neck at the same time, but he stayed upright the best he could; Jiaming wouldn't let him live it down if he passed out. He knew it was a cavalier thing to think in a situation like this, but he couldn't work up the energy to be scared anymore.
"... y'think... they'll be mad?" he asked. He meant to add Xiao and Shikang's names to the question, but couldn't get enough air to do so. But he was fairly sure Jiaming got the point, anyway.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 7, 2006 14:47:41 GMT -5
"Not telling me is more foolhardy," Sze responded, frowning at Naia. It seemed a little strange - for a Prince who had been so eager to spill out his feelings and loyalties, to not have mentioned this one small, but still important detail was more than a bit absent-minded. He held out his hand, beckoning the man to come over. His weapons were not drawn, so it was as peaceful a gesture as the spy was going to get.
"Come. I have no reason to doubt the story you claim, but I have no reason to trust you either, Shizukiri Naia." It was a little difficult, saying the foreign name with the limited phonetics of his own language. He had to admit, 'Xie Jun' had been much easier. "I would like for you to disarm yourself, first, and then we will see your Prince. I will decide what to do with you then."
"Thank you," he added, "for not killing Zhong Xue." Whatever reason the Japanese man had for his mercy was not of relevance, but it was a mercy nonetheless, and it would be properly acknowledged.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 7, 2006 18:21:26 GMT -5
Having sheathed his dagger and set it on the ground in slow and deliberate motions, Naia stepped forwards cautiously. From what he'd seen, he didn't think Sze would harm him without provocation, but he couldn't help but be on alert for any quick movements or signs of some ulterior motive. He didn't want to get too close - appearing threatening, even inadvertently, definitely seemed like a bad idea, nor did he want to open himself up to an attack - so he paused at about five feet from the general and watched him peripherally, waiting for the next cue.
At Sze's expression of gratitude, Naia blinked, quite unsure of how to respond. "I... it was the least I could do," he said with a brief stammer.
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Post by Huang Jiaming on Sept 7, 2006 19:19:53 GMT -5
Jiaming raised an eyebrow. "Why the heck're you askin' me that? They're your friends; shouldn't you know?"
She sighed. "Mmm, well, I guess they'll be pretty mad in their own way. I don't know. Like I said, you should know better than I do."
Bleah. Replying to that made her feel weird. It's not like she was their friend or anything; she just met them a whole day ago. She was always too preoccupied with trying to fit in to think about actually establishing comradery.
Then again, if that was the case, she wouldn't be lugging Xue around. Intuition dragged her over to the situation, and...some sort of desire to help got her into dragging the guy back to the medic.
She chose to ignore her thought processes and get back to paying attention to Xue. "You should say you were fighting that guy for like three hours, and you chopped his fingers off before he railed at you in a murderous rage--knife in teeth."
Jiaming grinned down at him. "It won't make them any less mad, but it might impress 'em!"
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Post by Zhong Xue on Sept 7, 2006 20:01:56 GMT -5
Xue's laugh sounded more like a cough, and he took a shaky breath. "After... after you get the generals... could you... could y' tell 'em?" Knowing the camp, he was sure that rumors would be flying around in no time. He didn't want either of them to hear something sensationalized first.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 7, 2006 22:37:58 GMT -5
Sze watched Naia proceed and briefly wondered if it was also demeaning in Japanese culture to have someone pick up an item from the floor. He allowed the spy the benefit of the doubt, nevertheles, crossing the distance and using the toe of his foot, he kicked the weapons high enough into the air so that he could catch them without bending over.
"Thank you," he said routinely, before sidestepping, clearing the path to Akihito's tent. "After you."
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