Reflections (open)

[Fu Sheng]

It was getting late, the sun had already begun to set in the village of Zhangji and Xian was sitting in a tavern reflecting over a mug of cool ale.
It had been one year since he enlisted in the province guard, but he had come to the conclusion that it was not an ideal job as it once seemed. As months passed, he grew tired of the monotonous job as a province guard. Ending brawls between local farming communities, fighting dumb and puny bandits, tracking down petty thieves, all that seemed pointless now. Not only did he find the job tedious but also underpaid. The only ones that could make a fortune out of that job were the corrupted guards harassing the local population or the useless commanders that did nothing but sitting on their post all day waiting for their paycheck.He knew the real fight was beyond that of province guard's puny service and he hoped someday he could become part of it.
Xian grabbed his mug and took another sip and he kept meditating as the light flowing trough the window by his table kept fading away.

((I apologise for my first post here, I was not aware that I had to redo my character due to this whole forum restart thing ))

[link]

Shou Chun.

It was an area very close to his army's headquarters situated in Wu, in the same Jiang Dong region. The land had no real boundaries at the moment, as long as they were within Han areas. Cheng Pu easily entered the city, accompanied only by a few elite guards, in order to put away the threat to the people by bringing in a larger army. Serpent Spear strapped to his back, horse put away in the best of stables, Cheng Demou walked down the streets of the city in a merry tone, looking left and right and inspecting what would soon be under the rule of Sun Jian.

But first, the tavern. Every new city he visited, Demou would hop into the tavern for a short drink. Pushing open the wooden door upon its creaking hinges, Demou stepped into the rather darker building, as all eyes turned to face him. Demou was used to this, actually, but to his surprise, there wasn't a single murmur as the eyes all turned away. Hmm... Were these people simply ignorant, or were they possibly used to such a figure entering the tavern? Walking up to the bartender, Demou was about to ask for a cup of wine when he noticed the man sitting in the corner.

He was garmented in armor, though not the richest of the pick, and his face showed a determination strong-willed and placed within all of the mightiest in the land. Surely, he was a man of the battlefield. And a man of the battlefield that he could meet upon peaceful terms, Demou attempted to acquaint.

Immediately walking up to the younger man, Demou stood before him and said:

"Greetings. You don't mind if I join you here, do you?"

[Fu Sheng]

Xian looked distant, his thoughts were wandering far away from that very same tavern. A sudden voice gets ahold of his attention. He faces the man in front of him and says:

"Sure, be my guest."

He takes a closer look at him as he takes a seat. His armour did not resemble to that of the common guard or any other soldiers he had encountered on the province, the markings of the Sun clan were recognisable upon it. Xian, surprised, asked the man:

"Mind if I ask sir?...But what would the Sun clan be doing in a village like Zhangji. Don't take me wrong...but I am not accustomed to see men of such dignity in the common grounds."

Xian knew the Sun clan was based in the nearby region and had came across some of their soldiers, but he never had the privilege of meeting one of their generals in person. He tried to geet a more proper sitting and faced the general, with a nervous look upon his face.

[link]

Cheng Pu smiled as a sign of reassurance as he sat down at the table, that he meant no harm or held any hostile feeling toward the man or the region, and that he was here on neutral, or at least not an enemy, business. Waving a waitress toward their table, Demou quickly and silently asked for a cup of warm wine before the girl ran off again to prepare the drink for the assumedly respected and high-ranking man before her. Demou then said to the man sitting in front of him:

"I see that you've noticed the markings of the Sun family upon my armor, or is there some other hint in my appearance that gives it away?" Demou said with a grin.

"I'm just here for the smallest of matters, simply to visit this city and take a look around, drop in at the tavern, and such. But first I must introduce myself. My name is Cheng Pu, styled Demou, and I am a loyal servant of my lord and liege Sun Jian, the famous Tiger of Jiang Dong.

"You look like a man of military position as well, am I not correct?"

The waitress came back as he said this, and Demou gently received the cup of wine before taking a sip and putting in on the table in front of him.

[Fu Sheng]

Xian sighed of relief, looked down in embarrassment for a few moments and then faced the general.
"If you'd call working under the Regional Guard a military position then yes I'm a man of a military position, though if I told you of my battles around the region you'd most likely laugh..." - he said in a gloomy tone.
"But where are my manners? I'm Zheng Xian of Jingzhou."

Xian's old rusty pike was leaned against the wall behind the table where both men were talking. The tavern's lightning shone uppon it's blade, revealing it's rust and the dents of past battles.

[link]

The dim light of the tavern's candles bounced off the steel head of whatever was behind Zheng Xian. Cheng Pu looked over Xian's shoulders and noticed the pike, rusty and heavily dented, most likely a well-experienced and old weapon, yet it would be useful in the hands of whoever could handle it as the most lethal item in the land. But then, Xian's answer... He was a regional guard? But his expressions and his appearance said otherwise. Demou quickly observed Xian one last time for a split second before speaking:

"The Han is, so far, a standing empire. But it is, unfortunately, crumbling, decaying from the inside from the court and its corrupt officials, and being assaulted from the outside by the Yellow Turbans. We cannot bear this much longer. If you truly are a man loyal to the Han, then I give you a chance to give up your post here and join us in crushing the rebels.

"I find potential in you, Zheng Xian. And I wish to let you awaken that potential."

[Fu Sheng]

He looked at the general surprised, as he said:

"You would have me join your ranks, out of all those present in this very same village? I am most honoured by such an invitation. If so, I would gladly plead my allegiance to the Sun clan"

As he finished saying this, he stood up and bowed before the general, with his left hand over his right fist, as in sign of respect. The people suddenly stared at the both of them and there was sudden mood change within the tavern, as silence interrupted the murmurs and common conversations between the village folk. Everyone now focused their attention on the scene happening within the tavern's hall.

[link]

Cheng Pu followed as he stood and showed the same sign of respect to Zheng Xian. The young man was now a fellow general in the ranks of the Sun army, and he would be treated with the utmost reverence and honor that he deserved. But, of course, the sudden movement and shows of military behavior aroused the people's attention, as men and women alike all turned, eyes fixed upon the two men, silence dominating the lot of them as they observed. Demou noticed this and, leaning forward on the table, he whispered to Xian:

"Shall we continue the discussion somewhere else, General Zheng Xian?"

Demou had addressed the other man by the title of General; giving him the assurance that he would be named and treated the same way that he was promised. Another man in the lines of the Wu army... Zheng Xian would be a great asset of potential in the company of Lord Sun Jian. Now then, they should prepare for the departure as soon as possible, in order to meet with the master without delay.

[Fu Sheng]

Xian was astonished, never he had thought of being named general by any other man.

"Lead on master Cheng, I trust there is much to do" - he said, rising up quickly as he gained awareness of the people's attention on them.

He followed the general out of the tavern into a more proper place to continue their discussion. Xian could not believe in what had just happened, he could now see the future he sought, right ahead of him. However he was unaware of the duties and responsibilities of being a general, the only experience he ever had as a commander was the leadership of a small group of guards. This day marked Xian's path to fight against the chaos that swarmed the land, a troubled path that would take him on a long journey throughout the land.