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 Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 8:26 pm
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Weeks had passed since she met Lifen with Guowei at her side. Like promised all that time ago, Bao Yu had finished writing what she could gather about the Four Clans and their plight and hopes for the future from Lifen. She'd written down what Lifen had told her about insanity and even had hand drawn blue prints of the conquest tents and the horseman living within.
Sighing slowly, she stopped in front of Guowei's tent and cleared her throat. She hadn't planned ahead to let him know she was coming, and she worried about interrupting him. Ah, well, she was already here. Pushing her hair down with her free hand, adjusting her glasses as well, she cleared her throat a little to see if she could get his attention that way. However, she realized he probably wouldn't be able to hear that through the thick cloth.
"Guowei, sir?" She called out her. She raised her voice enough to where it would be heard, but low enough where she wasn't screaming and disturbing those around his tent. "It is Hua Bao Yu.. I've brought those notes I promised a while ago.. Are you in?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 8:00 pm
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Guowei had already settled into his new home, and even had time to decorate it with a few calligraphy scrolls and ink wash paintings; sure, it was not the same - not the same place, not the same environment, not the same faces - but this was no time to be overwhelmed with emotions. That was dealt with during his first week here. Right now, there are things to do, places to visit, knowledge to be acquired.
He did not hear his visitor at first, too absorbed in reading - it was a book on "exotic" fruits, and it was fascinating that durian can be found outside of the Isles of the Four Clans - to pay much attention to his surroundings. However, he did hear her when she asked if he was in, prompting him to look up from the desk he was seated in front of, and towards the entrance of his tent.
"Yes, I am," He called out, raising from the floor as he pushed his glasses up, "Please enter."
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:29 am
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When she got the okay to enter, she put a smile on her painted lips as she moved into the tent, looking around lightly. Of course Bao Yu would examine his tent first, she knew what Guowei looked like, but she'd never seen anything of personal belonging to the man except maybe a boot that had graced him upon their meetings. Red eyes took everything in and then nodded. It fit him, honestly. If she were picturing his bedroom, it would be this. However, she hadn't done that.
Finally those eyes settled on him. A hand raised with the notebook she'd brought and her eyes had a certain gleam to them. "I've taken the notes, drawn a map and gathered information on certain people for you," she said, going to put them carefully on his desk, away from the inks. Bao Yu was proud of herself for her notes. She'd used her best handwriting. "I did promise you, that time ago, didn't I?"
Pushing her glasses up with one of her knuckles, her eyes went about the room once more before settling on him. "You seem to have settled right in... I hope I'm not interrupting anything important...?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 9:41 pm
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"You did... Though rather than doing it for me, isn't it better to think of it as doing a service for the masses?" Guowei replied, gesturing for Bao Yu to take a seat at the table whenever she was ready before walking over to where he had left his kettle; the water had cooled down a little, so it was perfect for green tea.
"Nothing of importance," He assured, carrying over a tray with a pot of hot water and two teacups, each holding a small bag of green tea leaves that he had prepared earlier. Setting the tray down on the table, he poured the hot water into each cup, and placed one of the cups in front of his friend, "I found an old scroll containing information about the type of fruits that can be found in Halloween - there is a wider variety than I had imagined, due to there being a range of different climates across the continent."
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:08 pm
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"...Maybe, but I didn't promise the masses a map and locations, did I?" She arched a brow and offered him a little chuckle before she leaned froward a bit, examining her own work. That is until Guowei rustled about with his kettle.
A scroll on fruits? Interesting. She didn't think there were any aside from the few pieces she's had here and there. Come to think of it, she had lost a bit of her appetite coming here. Ah, well. Sighing lightly, she took the cup when it was slid to her and smiled a little more. Humming slowly, she brought it to her nose and smelled. Tea was a wonderful thing. Bao Yu couldn't see her life without it. "Interesting indeed. What kind of fruits can be found here? Your special one, I'm thinking?" The cup was set down to steep a little longer, toying with the bag. Honestly, Guowei's obsession with fruit was quit ...interesting, to say the least.
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Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:52 am
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"You did not," Guowei agreed with a laugh, taking a sip of his tea before setting it down on the table. The notebook was then carefully flipped open, and he went through the pages one by one. As expected of Bao Yu, her work was meticulous. He was especially impressed with the map; that must had taken her ages to draw up, especially with her attention to detail. Looking up, he smiled, keeping the book away in a drawer for safekeeping before returning to his seat, "Thank you. This will come in very handy, I am sure!"
Reaching for his tea again, he took another sip before chuckling at the mare's comment, "Is that how you remember the durian? As my special fruit?" He lowered the cup, offering his friend an amused smile, "But you are right. The durian can indeed be found in Halloween, although only in a few locations... There are many other wonderful fruits, although I found a couple that had particularly interesting names - longan, known as dragon's eyes in Mandarin, and dragonfruit, known as dragon's pearl in Mandarin."
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Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:05 am
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When she saw Guowei's eyebrows raise in praise and his eyes look over her work, Bao Yu couldn't help but feel a bit of pride swell in her chest. She'd spent a long time on the map, the details, gather intelligence on what she could from who she talked to. "I'm afraid I couldn't get everyone's name on the map, but I've made it so you can add to it without botching the map up too badly. The only time it would be botched is if they've got a very long name and you simply do not know them well enough to add a nickname to it."
Her red eyes watched the stallion after that, her eyes on his hands, looking them over for a moment before listening to his words about his fruit. "Yes, I remember you enjoy them quite fondly, so it was easy to make the connection that is is your fruit." The tone she took made it seem like it made sense. It did to her. People remembered her for her legs, so she remembered him for his love of the strange fruit.
Then her eyes lit up as he went on to state that dragonfruit was around. "Dragonfruit, really? I never would have guessed.." A smile curled on her lips as she leaned back in her seat, taking her tea between delicately painted fingers. She tapped her nails against the side of the cup before bringing it to her lips. Halloween was getting more and more interesting. "I wonder if I can get some to make a chilled dessert. I've been craving dragonfruit things. Tell me, do you know where it's located? We could go out tomorrow, or when you're free, and gather some fruits." She was being quite serious right now. Bao Yu wanted to go pick fruits because she wanted something sweet and cold. It wouldn't be hard to make. She'd just need some juice, sugar and a mold of sorts. Then she could chill it.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:18 am
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"That is fine," Guowei replied with a chuckle, "I would learn more and at a faster pace by getting out there, and personally getting acquainted with my neighbors and fellow horsemen."
It would be exciting to get to know horsemen from the other clans, since he hadn't had much contact with them back on the Isles... He knew about their culture, having read about the other clans in books, but learning about their way of life, and observing it for himself would no doubt be two very different experiences.
"That I do not know," He shook his head, looking a little disappointed as he paused to think; he had gotten so excited about the existence of these fruits that he did not realize that he did not know where to get them... Maybe he could try to find other books on fruits that might hold more information regarding the location of those fruits. He was sure that he would be able to find out in due time, "However, in exchange for the data that you helped me collect, why don't I acquire the fruit for you? I'm also looking to acquire a durian, so I could get both fruits at the same time."
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Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:57 pm
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"Indeed. I only jotted down names and what they do, but it's up to you to get to know them and see if they're useful for anything aside their jobs. Such as friendship, or future information, hm?" She hummed a little bit with the cup against her lips as she watched him carefully, red eyes studying his face as it shifted to disappointment.
When he wanted to collect the fruit for her, she thought about protesting. She would need to know where they were, herself, so she did not have to continue to ask him for the fruits when it ran out. Her cup was placed down again and her finger tips ran over the edge with a thoughtful expression. Her glasses slid to the edge of her nose as she got lost in thought. With the fruits she could make many dishes, even teas, and help Lifen out in that way. She could teach her sister to make dried fruits, teas, spices.. That is if she didn't already know how to do it.
With a little sigh, she came back to the present and shook her head, a finger coming to push her glasses back up properly. "It's very sweet of you to offer, but it would be better if we both went out and found them. After all, if one or the other of us did it by ourselves, the other would be fairly dependant on the other to get the fruits. This way, neither of us have to bother the other every time we wish to get a new piece. Unless, of course," she arched a brow with a soft smirk, "you want to bother me, or have me continue to bother you? If that's the case, then by all means. It gives me an excuse to come see you."
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:52 pm
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She kind of stretched herself out, raising her arms above her head, arching her back so it would pop before Bao Yu seemed to collapse on herself. She watched him, listened and then let herself giggle at hid words before shrugging. She was being coy. One of her fingers pushed her glasses up and then traced the rim of her teacup with the same finger.
"Who knows?" She murmured with a soft tone. "But thank you for bringing me to the market. I'm sure I can pick up a few other things while we are out. I want to attempt to cook for Lifen, sort of a thank you for.. well, letting me stay with her, helping me get situated." Her eyes got soft as she spoke and her body seemed to relax. She enjoyed her sister greatly. Enjoyed the company, the stories she shared, the talks late into the night. Slowly, Bao Yu's attention narrowed to her finger on the rip of that cup as she thought.
She had Lifen, but she missed her other sisters. Though, Lifen was more family than most had now. There should be a sense of happiness, and she was happy. So happy with her sister. Blinking after a moment, those painted lips quirked again. "...I may need a reason to visit. It would seem as if we're a lot closer than we are."
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:17 am
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"You are most welcome," Guowei replied, smiling as he listened to Bao Yu talk about her sister. It was obvious how much they cared for each other, and he caught himself wondering what it would be like to have siblings. His life would probably have been different, since his parents would not be relying solely on him to "do the family proud". Such thoughts were quickly dismissed, however; they could only lead to heartache.
Redirecting his attention to the conversation, he let out a thoughtful "Hmm" before stroking his chin, "Perhaps I should prepare a small basket of fruits for her as well, as thanks." He was grateful to Lifen too, for answering his questions and giving a brief orientation when they first arrived, and it would be rude not to show some appreciation now that he was settled in.
"Since you insist on seeking a reason to visit, I am sure you will find one when the time comes," He chuckled softly, "I look forward to hearing what you might come up with."
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:31 pm
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She just gave him a very sassy look with his last words and a casual shrug of her shoulders. "Who knows," she murmured as she watched the stallion's movements. He seemed like he wanted time to himself. Maybe she would give that to him.
Standing up slowly, she dusted off her skirt and just pushed her glasses back up on her nose. "I'll leave you wondering what excuse I could possibly come up with. Mystery is a woman's greatest gift, after all." With that, she headed back towards the flap of the tent she entered through. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a bit of a smile and a careful look. "Until next time, Guowei, do not fret too much about things. Life will settle here, and we'll rebuild. You will find your happiness again." Bao Yu sauntered out of the tent after that, leaving him to ponder his own thoughts, her words and the great mysteries of where and how the fruit grew on this island.
Guowei was a interesting stallion and she felt she was going to value his friendship greatly.
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