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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 7, 2006 23:01:32 GMT -5
Naia couldn't quite read the general's expression. He wondered too late if he had offended him by not handing him the weapon, but he didn't exactly want to approach Sze with a weapon in his hand when Naia knew he wasn't trusted at all, and whether or not the blade was sheathed. This is just one long day of mistakes, isn't it, he berated himself, and took a slow breath to steady his nerves.
Akihito's tent was in front of them, and Naia did not hesitate, more to beat his own anxiety than to seem confident or truthful or what-have-you to Sze. Before he could let any fears stop him, he approached the tent flap, spoke in clear Chinese, "Prince Akihito... please excuse us," and entered with a silent plea for some shred of good luck to whatever deity might have been listening.
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Post by Huang Jiaming on Sept 7, 2006 23:41:28 GMT -5
"Sure."
Jiaming halted a moment before a line of tents near the medic's, shrugging her shoulders a bit under the weight of Xue's arm. Her expression lost its luster as she pulled him along in front of the medic's.
"Hey," she said in a lower tone, "don't be so heroic next time. Honor doesn't do you much good if you're dead."
She ducked under his arm and steadied his shoulders from behind, pushing him forward a bit. Her voice was cheerful again; her expression hadn't shifted to suit it.
"Go, go--and bring back my cloth clean. I can tell if you don't clean it!"
Stupid boys...going off to get themselves in dumb situations where they'll be killed...
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Post by Zhong Xue on Sept 8, 2006 0:24:22 GMT -5
"Thanks," Xue whispered, not sure if she heard him or not as she turned and left. I'll make it up to him later... Clutching the tent pole firmly, he shakily walked inside the tent, and found his legs collapsing under him of their own volition. Shakily, he lowered himself to the cold ground, gazing blankly at the empty tent. Tanrui appeared to be out, but Xue was sure he'd be back in a matter of minutes; the medic never left for too long.
Pressing Jiaming's cloth to his neck, Xue curled up in the dirt, a slight smile crossing his face. Xiao... you're going to be so happy that you were right, huh?
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Sept 8, 2006 22:29:00 GMT -5
Akihito had heard the yell, and he very well made out the word 'spy'. Minutes made out to be a painfully long while he paced the tent, feeling anxious to know what happened. He could try and peek his head out but he was pretty sure the guards were standing right there. Finally, he ducked his face into his open palms and mumbled something about danger. Until he heard a familiar voice and his head lifted, pace coming to a stop. It was Naia.. who was also accompanied by General Sze.
His eyes widened slightly in concern, gaze never leaving Naia's face. But the thing was, Naia was speaking Chinese and not Japanese - so was he still presumed under the name of Xie Jun or was he found out and since Sze was here he wanted to make sure there was no private conversing in a second language? Blinking finally his gaze shifted towards Sze and back to Naia again. Sighing, the lids of his eyes lowered as his gaze rested towards the ground.
"He knows?" he asked Naia, Chinese as well.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 9, 2006 0:21:42 GMT -5
"I know enough, but not everything," Sze answered for Naia. It was indication enough of their purpose at the tent. He reached out, taking the canvas flap and pulling it open wider, following after Naia after dismissing the guards. He did not want any of them overhearing - they had already begun throwing suspicious glances at 'Xie Jun' when he had arrived, and with their current state of affairs, even more rumours born out of paranoia were things the army could do without.
"Do you trust this man?" he asked, turning around once he confirmed that there were no eavesdroppers and skipping all pretense of small talk. "And is he here to damage China in any way?" The questions were simple and vague, but specific enough to suit his purposes. He didn't care whether the bodyguard story was true. If there was no reason to kill the man, that would be the end of that.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 9, 2006 5:29:30 GMT -5
Naia didn't even have time to nod before Sze answered for him, more than clear enough to settle the prince's doubt. His throat had closed, so he swallowed furtively, not wanting to advertise how nervous he was about the whole situation. He could feel Akihito watching him, and he sent the prince a quick look, not daring to make eye contact for too long for fear that Sze would think they were conspiring somehow; still, for the moment they looked at each other, Naia willed that however the prince answered, it would at least correlate with Naia's story, even if it didn't directly match up... he had to trust that Akihito would speak in his favor. Turning his eyes to the ground, he waited to hear Akihito's answer.
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Sept 9, 2006 13:38:04 GMT -5
When General Sze spoke up his eyes quickly shifted towards the direction of the voice. He felt provoked by the questions, and even though he just met Naia he would of course speak in the other's favor. "Yes, I trust him," he said although it didn't sound good enough, "with my life." Akihito wanted to usher Naia away from Sze, seeing that their diversity labeled them both as enemies. "Heavens no! He isn't here to harm anyone, it's his job! It's not like he asked to be here," his words sounded somewhat furious with the question. It was because of that horrid Akiyama that Naia was here, and that very fact angered him now that he was found out.
Because of his anger he slowly took in a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly. "I apologize.. I am just.. " no he couldn't explain how he felt, no words were good enough. "Again, I am sorry," he was apologizing for many things.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 9, 2006 14:25:15 GMT -5
It wasn't difficult to sense the prince's apprehension at the door, let alone when they were all in the same room. It was obvious Akihito was worried for the wellbeing of the spy, so he didn't doubt it once when his first question was answered. It seemed as though the prince put every fiber of his being into that reply - Naia should've been flattered, to have such utter faith placed in him.
"He didn't want to come? ...A reluctant bodyguard, then?" he asked, trying to piece the story together in his head. He didn't want to ask them for a story flat-out, it would be all too easy to just weave together some imaginary facts.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 9, 2006 19:14:02 GMT -5
"I had hoped to stay in Japan," Naia explained to Sze, looking down at the ground as he spoke. Akihito's steadfast defense filled him with relief, and its sincerity threatened to bring a blush to his cheeks, but the sense of danger returned full-force. He couldn't risk the off-chance that Akihito didn't catch what Sze believed was the truth. He looked up, caught the prince's eye, and gave him a brief, purposeful look. "But for the safety of my prince, no place is too far a journey."
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Sept 9, 2006 20:23:10 GMT -5
Bodyguard? Naia must have told him that.. Ah, I see, Akihito had wanted to smile at the cunning idea Naia had in mind. Finally, his eyes opened and his gaze lifted. He didn't really focus on anything until he felt Naia's gaze, which drew him to watch his eyes. "It's custom to not leave the country, because if one does it leaves it defenseless. Akiyama, leader of Japan's military, was supposed to come here instead. But now it's too late," Akihito explained, letting his attention rest towards the General.
"There's always another story hidden behind the main plot," the words were eerie and could send a chill down anyone's spine if they put too much thought in it.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 9, 2006 20:44:21 GMT -5
Sze didn't respond, instead remaining where he stood and looking from one man to the other. It was hard to believe the story he was given, considering there were large gaps in the information that neither of them were succeeding in filling. He could gather, however, that Naia was not a dire problem, if a problem at all. He sighed, finally, feeling his headache returning. "Very well. I won't press the issue. Are there any more spies hidden in my army that you haven't told me about, though? I would like to be informed of them rather than be surprised with a situation like this again."
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 9, 2006 22:47:34 GMT -5
Too late, indeed, Naia thought as he glanced between Akihito and Sze. Goodness knows what Akiyama's got in mind for the country, and considering all the events so far... by the looks of things, he was quick to assume Akihito had been killed. An idea occurred to him. I should ask Akihito about the people who attacked him...
"To my knowledge, there are no others," Naia replied, hoping very much that he was right. His brows furrowed slightly. "Though Akiyama has been known to... act of his own accord, at times."
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Sept 9, 2006 23:10:57 GMT -5
Akihito's eyes darted from left to right, almost glad that Akiyama assumed he was dead. However, what had Naia been reporting back to the Shogunate leader? Suddenly his right hand raised to his cheek and his gaze wavered over Sze and Naia. Something about his demeanor seemed frantic. "Akiyama knows nothing of this military or where they are stationed...at least, he shouldn't," he spoke up, his thoughts dripping from his tongue. If Naia gave him any information on the people here..they're all doomed..
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Sept 10, 2006 3:54:09 GMT -5
Naia frowned very faintly. How long had he been with the army, a month? Longer? He'd done as Akiyama asked, sent a report every week, so the shogun would know some things. Mostly names, the army's size, very general facts that (he hoped) any idiot could find out with enough research. Still, the thought that he was so close to condemning all of these men - if he hadn't already - made him feel almost as distraught as Akihito was looking.
On the other hand, he hadn't yet reported when or where the army was moving. Akiyama couldn't know where they were, then, could he? He must still believe that the army was waiting on the coast for an order to move, right? It was very strange to be worrying about the enemy of his country, but Sze was willing to excuse what Naia had done, and if the general were to lose his life because Naia had let himself be bullied into this job...
Acting as if he was a loyal servant instead of - what was he, exactly, to the prince? Well, that riddle would have to wait - whatever he was, Naia approached the prince with his eyes respectfully tilted to the ground, and put a reassuring hand on Akihito's shoulder. "I don't know how much information Akiyama has, but if we are his only contacts within the army, then he can't know the location..."
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Sept 10, 2006 13:43:54 GMT -5
"So you have been leaking information after all?" interrupted Sze, face hardening. "I don't know what your definitions are, but to me that has the potential to be rather damaging to us." He was beginning to get the impression that they were running circles around him, with facts that barely crossed the line of truth. He grew tired of waiting, of being patient, and being lenient. Surely he had been understanding enough?
"Why don't the two of you tell me everything, from the beginning," he ordered finally - and it was a command, definitely, because even as he added the, "please" at the end, his eyes were demanding and narrowed. "And this time, I really mean 'everything'."
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