Finally tired of arguing with a love struck fool, and having reached the relative safety of being behind Ayuka now, Yukarii turned and looked at Bai as she said, "You had your chance to let us pass, we'll try not to hurt you much." With that she began to chant and a pall of glittering dust burst in the faces of both Bai and Eclis. Her spell cast she then pulled out her crossbow just in case.
Eclis reels back in terror, but neither are blinded. 'I do not do this lightly, but this is a great evil that must be stopped."
Bai comes forward, striding deliberately (but deceptively quick), and swings his sword at Ayuka. He turns his blade though, as to avoid biting flesh or hurting the Samurai too badly.
The blow strikes home, but it does little damage, as Bai is obviously loathe to hurt anyone.
Chyou shrieks at him to stop saying, 'Eclis, make him stop. Someone could get hurt!"
The slender waynang shrugs, still wiping glitterdust off of himself, 'Sorry, his mind is made up, gentle flower of the greatest of houses." he doesn't look very concerned.
Well. This is less than great.
Zheng didn't know who this strange pair were, but he knew what they were: an obstacle. They had to be removed.
Or perhaps simply surmounted. The wayang didn't seem particularly interested in a fight and even the boisterous Bai was clearly holding back, apparently very much aware of his own strength and the damage his large frame could deal. The boy was not entirely dumb. It was too late to prevent a fight, but the party should at least repay his courtesy by not killing him. After all, it wouldn't do to harm an acquaintance of Lady Chyou's, no matter how distant. A shame that a fight couldn't have been avoided. Zheng had been very impressed by Yukarii's diplomatic display. The aasimar's tongue was every bit as beguiling as the rest of her.
The ninja dismounted from his horse but his feet never touched the ground. None of him did; he simply vanished in mid air.
"Please remain seated, my lady. We will subdue him as quickly as we can."
Of course, Zheng was still very much present. He was just not visible to the naked eye. Thusly invisible, Zheng moved past Yukarii, Ayuka and even Bai, positioning himself behind the larger man. At no point did he draw a weapon. No, he intended to deliver as devastating a bare-handed blow as he could manage so as to subdue Bai as quickly as possible.
Ayuka wasn't worried about whether she could handle this misguided youth. What she was worried about was whether she could do it without hurting him.
"Listen to the one you supposedly love and stop this nonsense. If I have to draw my sword, you will get hurt." Ayuka's presence was calm yet menacing and it was obvious that she meant what she said. "You had best reconsider who you challenge. I do not wear the armor of a samurai for no reason."
Xiaoyu effortlessly glides behind the sword wielding man, careful to avoid the back strokes. He seems to have gotten their unseen.
Bai takes in Ayuka's words but says, seriously, "I understand you are honor bound to defend the Lady. I do not begrudge you and in fact honor your dignity. But I must do this, for my own sake. This is a terrible wrong, committed on my very heart. I will not turn aside. Forgive me."
Again he attacks, sword swinging.
Her words seem to have affected him because he misses this time.
Lady Chyou yells out, 'Please, please don't hurt him! Bai stop!"
Yukarii knew this was going to end badly and, with her spell having failed to get the desired result looked at Visssh and said, "Get him, but let's avoid any undue her."
The serpentine creature sissed in delight and moved around slightly to be opposite Zheng and then struck. The protean's head snapped forward on it's long neck and bit at Bai.
As the protean's teeth got a hold of Bai the jaw locked in place. Sadly the area bitten was a smooth portion of the armor and his teeth couldn't find the purchase to hold on.
The two days that passed were mostly uneventful for the elf and his plant companion. The two of them kept mostly to themselves, except for making the slightest conversation with his companions, mostly to gauge their capabilities. He was, as he was well aware, a foreigner, and as such he didn't know what their clothing choices meant for their professions or their adventuring skills.
Otrov can't help but laugh at the wayang. He isn't used to seeing such diminutive folk attempting to be imposing. However, when the other one said something about transporting the young woman against her will and that her heart belongs elsewhere, Otrov can't help but bristle at such an implication. "Now is it true that your heart belongs to another Lady Chyou?" and he would have left it at that if not for the slash swung at his seemingly defenseless companion. Otrov focuses on the surrounding vegetation and calls it to welcome the combatants into its leafy embrace.
Otrov was not about to have his first mission in this new continent end in an unnecessary combat from his perspective. As it was, Yukarii seemed to be only wearing simple servant's clothing and as such she couldn't handle a blow from such an imposing blade. However, his new companions seemed to be doing a pretty spectacular job of diffusing the situation, though Otrov couldn't help but step in, with the most non-damaging magics he could muster.
Zheng had only just managed to maneuver himself behind Bai when he found himself stuck to the ground. Plant matter was growing rapidly out of the earth, entangling him. The ninja felt a slight moment of panic. His all-important agility was severely hampered with one foot anchored.
He grunted in frustration. The vines holding his invisible feet would not budge. Now what? Attack the younger man whilst badly hamstrung and thus revealing his vulnerable position, or just concentrate on getting free first?
Xiaoyu considered himself a proactive man.
Suddenly the ninja was visible again but Bai felt him before he saw him. Specifically, he felt Zheng's fist deliver a rather nasty kidney punch. The ninja was no master at unarmed combat but his training had taught him how to make his strikes hurt.
Sighing, Zheng had to wonder if he was about to have that pain repaid. He was now fully visible and his agility could not protect him, stuck as he was. He was a sitting duck.
Bai grunts a laugh as the snake fails to hold him or gain purchase on his slightly shabby armor. When the ginseng and grass of the roadway come to life and start to grapple him, a worried looks passes over his face.
Planting his feet, he strives to rip the plants out by sheer force.
He fails and remains rooted to the ground, struggling to break free. Suddenly, he gets a huge blow from the back as Xiaoyu struck him from behind, forcefully.
The blow lands hard and Bai wheezes through his armor. He grits his teeth but he easily manages to stay upright. He turns to face the ninja, bringing his sword down hard on the suddenly exposed man.
The blow goes wide and Bia shouts, 'Eclis, use your magic!"
The wayang looks over, still wiping off the last remains of the glitterdust. He is far enough away to avoid the entanglement, "I advised you against this, Bai. You'll only hurt someone."
Bai shouts, still wrapped in vines, 'Do something. You owe me that much."
Elcis shakes his head and suddenly the small, scrawny figure vanishes into invisibility.
Yukarii looked in the direction of the now invisible wayang and said, that dust outlines you so don't try anything, I'm watching you."[/b]
Visssh, aggravated by the man not staying held, slithered up and bit at him again and then attempted to keep hold of him once more but again can't find purchase on the man's armor.
When the plants began to grow unnaturally from the ground, Ayuka attempted to avoid their grasp.
Finding herself caught tight in their grip, she uses her strength to remove the vegetation.
The plants are harder to break than she was expecting but she manages to get both her feet free which allows her to continue her defense of Lady Chyou. Reluctantly, Ayuka draws her katana and prepares to deal non-lethal damage to Bai should he try to approach Lady Chyou.
Otrov smiled seeing his spell had worked to bind the attacker. His grin faltered slightly when he saw that he had also bound one of his party members. When the young man kept attacking, despite the binding plants Otrov's smile vanished into a full frown. He wasn't used to people continuing to fight after being entangled, he had honestly expected that to be the end of the fight.
It seemed that the small spell caster was going to be joining in the fight though, which prompted Otrov to bring in his own companion. The elf reached down and touched Zubi, casting a spell that caused the flower to sprout with small mushrooms. He sent the hungry plant after the invisible spell caster, thankfully still outlined in the sparkling dust.
The two opponents flanking Bai were an odd pair to be sure. On one side he had a bizarre snake-like being, very possibly otherworldly, and on the other a seemingly mundane commoner. Said "commoner" was trying his darnedest to keep his face as impassive as possible, ultimately failing. Zheng felt enormous relief when the young man's sword only just narrowly missed him due to Bai's understandably unsteady footwork. The two men were still stuck in Otrov's spell. The ninja didn't like having to rely on luck in combat; he had to break free of the overeager plant matter.
Concentrating on the creeping foliage, Zheng noticed that when it tried to grow further up his leg the plants' grip slackened ever so slightly. Waiting for just the right moment the ninja suddenly made a short jump, lifting both feet from the ground and slipping out of the greenery's grip.
Yes! Take that, you chlorophyll fueled creepers!
Of course, the second his feet touched the ground again those creepers set to work entrapping him again, so Zheng was very eager to finish this fight as quickly as possible.
Let's see if Yukarii's snake creature can get me the distraction I need... Visssh, was it?
The serpent bobbed back and forth, evidently trying to entangle Bai not just in plant matter but in its own ophidian form too. It wasn't having too much success, unfortunately. However, if he just waited for the riiight moment... then Zheng could use that diversion to Bai's attention... to... Now!
The young warrior abruptly felt the ninja's knee striking into his rib cage, hard. He felt that one, of this Zheng was certain. He made sure to not let any gratification slip into his expression, again striving to keep on a stoic mask in combat. This was a practice his instructors at the Hei-Lóng had tried to drill into him. Derived from their impassive interpretation of sangpotshi, the idea was in part an intimidation tactic. An opponent emotionally detached even from a life and death battle could certainly be unnerving. But mostly, it acted as a morale booster for the Hei-Lóng ninja themselves. Their utterly stoic manners in combat were a reminder that death was nothing to fear. Sangpotshi would ensure that they would rise again.
Zheng was young though, and very glad that this fight was not to the death. Still, he tried to maintain a detached face and glared at Bai with eyes as empty as he could manage.
Xiaoyu is rewarded with a deep grunt as Bai folds over from the latest blow. His breath seems to catch for a few moments, as he holds his chest. Finally, the man straightens although he looks a little bleary. The ninja's powerful blows are clearly catching up to him.
"You are skilled, my friend." Bai says, a bit of blood dribbling from his mouth.
With a deep bellow though, he rips the plants free from his feet. Free to move, the bulky man turns and tries to run Aykua down (to get to the Lady Chyou).
Ayuka's blade goes wild but the razor blade is enough to make Bai falter. He fails to knock his opponents aside, and is soon entangled again.
Meanwhile Zubi runs at the indistinct wayang. As the plant hurtles toward him, Otrov can see the glittered figure run to the edge of the bridge and...jump off? A splash soon proves that point. The water is deep enough to make the jump a safe one, assuming the wayang can swim.
Ayuka stands her ground with her drawn sword, observing Bai become grappled by the plants again. "Stop this madness, Bai-san. If you continue on this fruitless path, you will shame yourself and the one you say that you love. Put her wishes above your own."
With the Wayang out of the way now Yukarii simply stayed back and let the rest deal with the problem. Visssh continued to bite and hold the foolish Bai, getting very aggravated at the man's unwillingness to cooperate.
Bai takes in Ayuka's words but says, straight backed, "Her wishes are corrupted by a mis-placed sense of duty to a house that ignores her own needs. Someone needs to do what must be done. I respect your need to stop me, and don't take it personally." he adds, breaking into a wry grin, despite his wheezing at the ninja's attacks.
Just after he says this though, Vissh lands a bite, although it does little damage. It does startle Bai though, enough the snake is able to grapple him, entangling him even farther. The man is now entangled by vines, flanked by the ninja and grappled by the snake. His movements become frantic and feeble.
Lady Chyou, hovering near the back, pushes her horse a few strides forward adding, 'Please, do not kill him. He is mis-guided, not evil, no mater what mood has fallen on him"
Ayuka had no intention of killing a helpless warrior. She fished out some rope from their supplies and proceeded to tie him up, maybe a little tighter than necessary. "Don't worry Mistress Bo-san, he will not be killed. However, the question of what to do with him must be asked. If we let him go free then he will keep coming after you. If we leave him tied up then he is vulnerable to predators, both human and non-human alike. He's already shown that we can't reason with him so what do we do with him?"
tag everyone
"Hmm..."
Zheng loomed over the bound Bai. He was trying to answer Ayuka's query but was honestly too miffed at the young warrior's earlier comment to focus. How dare he? How dare he? Lady Chyou 'corrupted'? And House Zeng ignorant of their daughter's needs? How dare this commoner, this plebeian, question their noble house? By what right? Zheng was well aware that his own philosophy on nobility was not shared by everyone, but the young paladin's disrespect bordered on impudence.
Hmph. "Miss-guided" indeed, Lady Chyou. But your will be done. Of course he shall not be harmed. And on that matter...
The ninja peered behind him. The wayang was still nowhere to be seen, but then again, he had the power of invisibility. Zheng knew all too well the convenience of such an ability; the little man could be standing among them right now. Which they could exploit.
"Tell me," he said, addressing Bai. "Your wayang companion, is he loyal to you?"
Bai, with some blood trickling out of his nose, looks defiantly at Xaioyu. He is beaten, but not broken.
Lady Chyou speaks up, saying, 'Eclis is a long time personal friend. he usually stops Bai from making a fool of himself. He has obviously failed this time." She turns to Bai then and says in a low voice, 'I am sorry my love, but it can never be. You must give this up."
Bai remains silent, but looks heart-broken. It seems those words hurt worse then the ninja's strongest blows.
With the fighting over Yukarii felt sympathy for the lady Chyou. These two obviously loved each other but duty was forcing her to give up what she wanted in exchange for what family honor demanded. This wasn't something she was unfamiliar with, having been engaged for a time, and she hadn't had the love component to deal with in her situation. Yukarii looked at Visssh and said, "Once he's been restrained I'd appreciate it if you let him go my friend." The serpentine creature seemed to roll his eyes but gave an approximation of a head bob in acknowledgement. She moved over to Lady Chyou and quietly asked, "Do you love him as he loves you and does your father know of this?"
The Lady Chyou eyes Yukarii coldly, the warmth she just held Bai in gone in an instant. 'You forget yourself, slave." She unthaws slightly and says, "My heart is not my own to bestow. I have duty and honor to a higher calling them myself. Bai shames me with this petulant act of a child. As for my father, he is aware Bai would be trouble, but I dobut even he expected such blatant violence."
Yukarii returned the glare and said, "I forget nothing Lady Chyou and that's former slave. Meanwhile you should keep in mind that an honorable person respects their elders and though I look nearly your age I am likely nearly as old as your father is." She took a calming breath then and continued, "I know full well that you're duty bound to follow your father's wished and that Bai shames you with his actions, your very words confirm that for me. Did you ever tell your father? Might he have considered your wishes if you had?"
The ninja's gaze deferred to the party's precious cargo, as Lady Chyou stepped in when Bai refused to answer his question.
Lady Chyou speaks up, saying, 'Eclis is a long time personal friend. he usually stops Bai from making a fool of himself. He has obviously failed this time." She turns to Bai then and says in a low voice, 'I am sorry my love, but it can never be. You must give this up."
I see. Good. In that case, the matter isWAIT WHAT?!
Zheng went from human to troglodyte in a second as his eyes bulged. So much for the Hei-Lóng principle of masking one's emotions. Lady Chyou loved this man? This... changed everything. He had been ready to smack the young man unconscious and let the wayang deal with him as the party rode off on their horses, but now he questioned if he shouldn't be cutting Bai free and beg his forgiveness. Is that what Lady Chyou would want of him? Did what she wanted even matter anymore? The Lady herself seemed set on reaching Hwanggot and her arranged marriage, despite loving another.
Xiaoyu's features calmed even while his mind raced. The ninja was conflicted, to say the least. Who did he serve, Lady Chyou or House Zeng? Ultimately, he served the principle of Sangpotshi, the betterment of oneself through noble actions. Certainly, there could be fewer deeds more selfless than sacrificing one's own happiness for the sake of your family and yet... This didn't sit right with the still young ninja.
Deeply unhappy at this newest development and his inability to sort this out, Zheng went for correcting that which he could: the aasimar's impertinence.
"Yukarii. Enough. Our mistress owes us no answers," he said despite being desperately curious for answers himself.
The noblewoman eye's flashed at Yukarri then cooled, and when Xiaoyu spoke she nodded to him, gratefully. She took on a pitying look and replied to Yukarii, 'You do not understand. I am the child of a noble house, one of the finest in Goka. I have no wishes and desires beyond that of serving my House, despite what my heart may treacherously try to tell me. There is nothing to consider except the wishes of my family and those of my elders."
She deliberately turns her back on Bai (and the group) but some of them catch the hint of tears in her eyes.
Bai, whose own eyes are red now, says in a harsh voice, "So what is the sentence for my great crime?"
Ayuka watches impassively as the follies of young love are played out at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
'You do not understand. I am the child of a noble house, one of the finest in Goka. I have no wishes and desires beyond that of serving my House, despite what my heart may treacherously try to tell me. There is nothing to consider except the wishes of my family and those of my elders."
Ayuka looks meaningfully at Bai. "So it is settled then. We continue on to Hwanggot as our Lady has expressed."
Bai, whose own eyes are red now, says in a harsh voice, "So what is the sentence for my great crime?"
"There is no sentence for youthful indiscretion. Nothing we do will punish you more than you already have been. As long as you do not try this again or mention it to anyone else, thus endangering the Lady, I am willing to release you to go on your way."
Yukarii thought about snapping something back at Lady Chyou but the young woman's sudden turn from the group and her tears brought a look of sympathy from the exotic ex-slave. She turned and moved back to Bai and said, "Take these words of wisdom to heart young man, sometimes when you love someone, you have to let them go. If you pursued this you would bring dishonor to the woman you love and yourself, you would be hunted, and have no where to go. What kind of life would that give her, or you for that matter, what skills could you bring to bear to support the both of you." She gestured to Visssh and the serpent released his grip on Bai, "I've never known love yet, but I've seen enough to know that trying to steal someone away against their will, even if they love you, will never end well for either of you." She laid a gentle hand on the man's arm, "I've also seen that young love is not always the best person for someone, it's happened many times that the strongest love is that which you work for as opposed to what you just find."
Her expression lightened then as she said, "As for punishment for your crimes you forget that no one was really harmed, nothing permanent anyway, and as such we simply met on the road and amused ourselves by mock fighting. If nothing else you've helped us learn to better fight beside each other and that is something that is of immense value." She grinned then, "When you get down to it you've done us a favor, I simply ask that you return home and not follow us again."
Bai hangs his head, keeping his eye on Ayuka. 'And I refuse this generous offer?" the conquered man says, bound hand and foot.
Bai hangs his head, keeping his eye on Ayuka. 'And I refuse this generous offer?" the conquered man says, bound hand and foot.
Ayuka felt sorry for the man but her concern was Lady Chyou and not him. "There is no honour in your death. I would highly caution you against refusing this offer. However, if you did refuse then we would have no choice but to take you bound to the nearest town as someone who attacked unsuspecting travellers and turn you over to the authorities. If you continue in your plan and I see you again after that, things may not be so pleasant."
The man turns to Yukarii, "Your words are wise and well meant. They are nothing I have not told myself or been told by others, more wise then me. If I was truly stealing my love away, against her will, against her true wishes, I would be scum unworthy of life. But the Lady Chyou has never been given a chance to share her true wishes, her true feelings. It is my role, as self-appointed protector and friend in this life, to do that."
He nods formally to Ayuka, 'I cannot give you my word of honor, samurai. My word is my bond and I will not give it, even tied and threatened in false way. Even if death was my reward, I would answer the same. I will try to save Lady Chyou of a death of the heart and mind. I place myself in your judgement." He looks regal, for a brief flash, then it vanishes and he is a battered man half-kneeling in the mud.
A tiny, barely audible sob escapes from Lady Chyou but then she turns and her eyes are steel. 'Shall we transport this bandit to the nearest town? There will a way station along the road I'd imagine."
Ayuka sighed. "I appreciate your honesty. I consider myself warned as you yourself have been warned."
'Shall we transport this bandit to the nearest town? There will a way station along the road I'd imagine."
Ayuka gave her a slight bow to show her respect for the maturity shown. "It will be as it needs to be, Lady Chyou-san. I truly regret that there is not another choice."
Yukarii consider what Dai had to say and gestured for her compatriots to join her a short distance away. She looked at Visssh and nodded in the prisoner's direction getting a reply nod from the protean who coiled around Dai to make sure he didn't get up to anything.
A short distance away where neither Dai or Lady Chyou could hear them Yukarii said, "You realize that, if we leave him as a bandit, he's simply going to get away and come after us again. It might be better if we just took him with us. He may be obnoxious but at least we could keep an eye on him that way."
A short distance away where neither Dai or Lady Chyou could hear them Yukarii said, "You realize that, if we leave him as a bandit, he's simply going to get away and come after us again. It might be better if we just took him with us. He may be obnoxious but at least we could keep an eye on him that way."
Ayuka considered Yukarii's words while keeping her eyes on Lady Chyou and Bai. "I agree with you if it was just myself that I was considering. However after witnessing Lady Chyou's reactions to Bai, I think keeping him with us will be an unnecessary hardship on her. That and it may be hard to explain why we're traveling with a bound person. Now that we're aware of him, we can be much more careful about covering our tracks moving forward."
tag ?
Otrov watched the exchanges between his travel companions pretty passively. He had no real cares for what happened to their attackers, or what happened with their cargo, other than making sure he still gets paid. The wayang apparently being involved also caused him no real concern. It wasn't until Lady Chyou admitted her feelings for Bai that the elf finally gained interest in the proceedings again, at least enough to pay attention. He checked in with Zubi who had managed to stay out of harms way, which was important to Otrov, as he cared more about that plant than his companions.
When Yukarii made her comment about age, Otrov was forced to suppress a chuckle. She may have been as old as their employer, but he was fairly certain that he was the eldest of them all.
The plan to dump their attacker at the next acceptable place seemed fine with him. He did intend to keep a close eye on Lady Chyou. Love made people do stupid things, and while he trusted her devotion to her house, he did not trust Bai's devotion to not getting attacked again, especially after he last words. Their watches at night would have to be very strict indeed.
Yukarii gave Ayuka an innocent look and said, "Who said about keeping him chained up? If we proposed this as a chance for him to convince her to change her mind he might well behave himself." Her expression turned a bit cranky as she finished, "As for causing Lady Chyuo unnecessary hardship, well, I find myself not empathizing much with her just now."
Xiaoyu let himself be roped into the huddle, despite being against the notion of hiding any discussion from their mistress. He listened to the argumentation of the two women, Otrov remaining silent, until he felt he had to break in.
Yukarii gave Ayuka an innocent look and said, "Who said about keeping him chained up? If we proposed this as a chance for him to convince her to change her mind he might well behave himself." Her expression turned a bit cranky as she finished, "As for causing Lady Chyuo unnecessary hardship, well, I find myself not empathizing much with her just now."
"You are not paid for 'empathizing', Yukarii," he said, a somewhat cold edge bleeding into his voice. Zheng's admiration for the noblewoman was such that he couldn't suppress it.
"You are paid to bring her safely to Hwanggot, not to meddle with her... 'love life'. Ayuka is correct. Bringing Bai along would cause our Lady undue stress, something we should be trying to avoid as her guardians. The man cannot be a part of our journey. But..."
The ninja sighed.
"But turning him in as a criminal is also not an option. What would we tell the authorities? I see no way to divulge Bai's crime without also revealing our own group's purpose, something we are to avoid at all cost."
"I say we knock him out and leave him here. He will need time to recuperate and won't be in any immediate danger as his wayang companion will be back for him, sooner or later. By that time we will be long gone, as the two are without horses. Of course, they will be back. The man is love-struck and young. He will not give up. But he won't find us again anytime soon, and when it happens we do our jobs. We stop him again."
"But turning him in as a criminal is also not an option. What would we tell the authorities? I see no way to divulge Bai's crime without also revealing our own group's purpose, something we are to avoid at all cost."
"I say we knock him out and leave him here. He will need time to recuperate and won't be in any immediate danger as his wayang companion will be back for him, sooner or later. By that time we will be long gone, as the two are without horses. Of course, they will be back. The man is love-struck and young. He will not give up. But he won't find us again anytime soon, and when it happens we do our jobs. We stop him again."
Ayuka frowned. "I find no honor in knocking out a bound person and leaving him vulnerable. If that is what is to be done then that job will fall on your shoulders. Personally I think that knocking Bai out and leaving him will cause Lady Chyou distress and undo worry about his well-being. At least she knows he is safe if we turn him over to the authorities. I can go by myself to hand him over to the authorities and that way they won't know about the rest of you and our purpose isn't revealed."
tag everyone
"I hate to throw dissent into the group, but is leaving him to rot in jail the best course of action?" Otrov offered. He didn't really hate to cause dissent. He did realize that he had to travel across a continent with these people, but where was the fun if everyone got along the entire time? "I mean, its clear that the princess or whatever she is would be upset about us leaving him in the middle of the road unconscious, but I bet she'd also be upset about turning him in as a criminal, since she has "feelings" for him." Otrov had been spending most of his time trying to formulate a plan of action for getting them rid of Bai for the time being, but he was really wanting to find an opportunity to speak with Lady Chyou about her real feelings on the situation. That, it appeared, would have to wait for the time being.
"What if we just took him with us into the next town or what have you, and let it slip that we were headed to some other location in a different direction. He might be able to follow us for a bit, but then when we headed towards that Wangrot place or was it Hwangit? Anyways, we would lose him when the paths diverted, right?" Otrov wasn't necessarily the best strategist, but when he came up with an idea he made sure to get it out as fast as he could without people interrupting him.
"What if we just took him with us into the next town or what have you, and let it slip that we were headed to some other location in a different direction. He might be able to follow us for a bit, but then when we headed towards that Wangrot place or was it Hwangit? Anyways, we would lose him when the paths diverted, right?" Otrov wasn't necessarily the best strategist, but when he came up with an idea he made sure to get it out as fast as he could without people interrupting him.
The ninja mulled this over.
"That line of thought assumes that the man doesn't already know where we are headed. He seems well informed about the affairs of House Zeng and could already be aware of the location of the wedding. Which is 'Hwanggot," he added. "Furthermore, while we may be able to deceive Bai we shouldn't forget the wayang. His kind tend to be cunning and we saw that he wielded spells. In all likelihood he has a better head on his shoulders than his... simple friend here, cowardice aside."
"I find no honor in knocking out a bound person and leaving him vulnerable. If that is what is to be done then that job will fall on your shoulders. Personally I think that knocking Bai out and leaving him will cause Lady Chyou distress and undo worry about his well-being. At least she knows he is safe if we turn him over to the authorities. I can go by myself to hand him over to the authorities and that way they won't know about the rest of you and our purpose isn't revealed."
"I would not burden others with committing such a shameful act; of course I would take that responsibility upon myself. But very well. I concede to your proposal. If you can manage to get the man to play along with his own arrest, then do so. That would be the ideal outcome."
"You are not paid for 'empathizing', Yukarii," he said, a somewhat cold edge bleeding into his voice. Zheng's admiration for the noblewoman was such that he couldn't suppress it.
"You are paid to bring her safely to Hwanggot, not to meddle with her... 'love life'. Ayuka is correct. Bringing Bai along would cause our Lady undue stress, something we should be trying to avoid as her guardians. The man cannot be a part of our journey. But..."
The ninja sighed.
"But turning him in as a criminal is also not an option. What would we tell the authorities? I see no way to divulge Bai's crime without also revealing our own group's purpose, something we are to avoid at all cost."
"I say we knock him out and leave him here. He will need time to recuperate and won't be in any immediate danger as his wayang companion will be back for him, sooner or later. By that time we will be long gone, as the two are without horses. Of course, they will be back. The man is love-struck and young. He will not give up. But he won't find us again anytime soon, and when it happens we do our jobs. We stop him again."
Yukari bristled at the ninja's tone and snapped back, "You're not paid to empathize with her either, we're being paid to keep her safe. What's safer, leaving this lout behind us where he can continue to follow us or keeping him close where we can watch him?" She calmed then and considered the idea of leaving him and taking a different path before she replied, "It could work, and I don't want him branded a criminal either. I just don't see how to deal with him in a way that won't either involve killing him or turning him in as a bandit that will keep him out of our hair."