Relaxing

[yelena]

A breeze from the sea, the smell of salt. The smells of meat and bread filled the air. It was early morning and the town was just getting up, preparing for another busy day. She looked at the stone ground and smiled softly as her shoes hit the ground, making soft clicking sounds.

She was at peace. She thought of her husband and her family, and oddly didn't feel any regret for not having the with her. She enjoyed being on her own and meeting new people. Yelena was too wild and was constantly getting in trouble. Even with her daughter. She almost winced at the thought of Yelena's daughter Mizuki.

Da had never actually been close to Yelena. But now she was getting close, watching as Yelena juggled the life of a princess, a regular girl, and being a mother. The way she did it was surprisingly amazing. She sighed softly. She would never think of having a child at Yelena's age... But she still adored children. She moved so she was close enough to see the harbor and looked out, smiling to herself.

[Xian Ye]

Xian snorted as He saw the waves crashing out farther, He hated the sea. Wet, Salty, Utterly useless, And He could do nothing about it. He'd gone south with his men, searching out small clusters of Turban rebellion, yet He'd had little luck. His men were camped for the few days they'd be in the area, and He was scouting the terrain.

Xian's eyes widened a bit when He neared the town, It was surprisingly active for this time of day. Riding slowly into the twon, Xian just settled for discreetly searching the town and enjoying the day, Away from the sea itself.

[yelena]

She heard the sounds of children and turned to look. About five to six children were running around, carefree. Her smile widened and her eyes got gentle. She smoothed her hands down her red and pink off the shoulder dress and watched. One of the children, a girl about maybe six years old giggled and threw what seemed to be a small rock. "Oppsies! Horsey!!" The little girl yelled loudly.

Da couldn't help but move to get a closer look. a man on a horse. She watched as another child threw a rock at him, and wince at where it had hit. Oh dear. She put one hand over her mouth, and then looked at the children. They were having fun...

[Xian Ye]

Xian looked over as He heard someone yell "Horsey" and saw a child throw a rock, Unfortunately He wasn't quite quick enough to move out of the way when it struck him just under the waist, in the most sensitive spot any man had. Tumbling from His horse, He cursed loudly before dragging himself to his feet, using his horse to hold himself up as He glared at the child, before noticing a bit past them a rather beautiful woman. Suppressing a smirk, He guided his horse past the kids, Lightly pushing the one who'd hit him with the rock with his foot when he did, before approaching the beauty. Bowing slightly, He smiled at her. "Enjoying the show, beautiful? allow me to introduce myself, I'm Zong Xian Liang, an officer of Lord Gongsun Zan. May I ask your name?"

[yelena]

Da Qiao tried not to laugh as she let her hand fall. At least he didn't respond violently to the children. He did however, have a loud mouth and an interesting vocabulary. She met the eyes of the little girl and shook her head softly as if to say "bad girl".

She then looked at the man and bowed politely. "I'm so sorry, it's just well... they're children." Da said it with an irrestiable smile, that made most stare. "Are you okay, sir? I'm Lady Da Qiao. I well... I'm part of Lord Sun Jian's forces." She wasn't an officer. She disliked fighting greatly. But she was still part of it.

[Xian Ye]

He almost laughed when She apologised, It's not like she could have done anything right? "Yeah, I'm allright, Bit winded but otherwise fine. That kid's got some good aim, Or just some bad luck. So what's a beautiful Lady like yourself doing all alone in a place like this?" Her smile was beautiful, and Xian was an admittedly lustful man, Always finding beautiful women alluring and going out of his way to try and please them.

[yelena]

She nodded softly, her smile going down slightly but still there. A breeze messed up her hair, pushing it back and she slowly tucked it behind her hair, distracted for a bit. She listened to him talk. "Good aim on her part. Bad luck on yours." She couldn't stop the small giggle. It was light and carefree. Sweet and soft. Not overly loud, yet not quiet.

She blushed at being called beautiful. Most thought of her that way. She however, didn't see. Sure Da knew she was pretty but wasn't beauty a little bit of an over exaggeration? "Ah... I'm enjoying the calm. It's better than being in a busy city where you are expected to know the correct answer for everything. And why are you here, sir?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, in an innocent way that seemed provocative.

[Xian Ye]

He enjoyed her laugh, It was pleasant to listen to, unlike the loud guffaws of his men, It was nice for a change. The way she tilted her head while questioning him was undescribably cute, So innocent in these times. "I've been taking my men south, Trying to find any of the Yellow Turbans we've been following, but it appears they've lost us, since they're quite obviously not here. I ended up here while trying to avoid the sea as much as possible." Xian leaned against his horse, unconciously petting it's mane while He watched this odd, innocent Lady of the South.

[yelena]

The Yellow Turbans. She frowned. They fought over beliefs from what she had heard. She wanted nothing to do with it. She was caught up in her thoughts on how corrupt the world had become, but snapped out of it. "Ah... Well, that makes sense." She didn't sound too enthusiastic but then she shouldn't have to.

Avoid the sea. "Why would you want to avoid the sea? It is like someone's heart or emotions. It can be calm at times. At others, however, it can be chaotic, uncontrollable. It is like everyone, yet is unique to suit yourself. It can relate to you or can't. Day like this, it is at peace." She smiled softly, thinking about it. Just like her.

[Xian Ye]

He couldn't help it, He snickered as She described the Sea. The useless, violent body of water that had no purpose other then to annoy him, in his mind, was described as if it was an amazing thing. He could tell She enjoyed the Sea, but really, There was nothing amazing about it. "I've never liked the sea, It's something that exists to mock us. You cannot drink from it, It's a risk at any time to sail on it, It's too unpredictable to really enjoy, It annoys me. Maybe I see it different because I was raised elsewhere, far from the sea." He didn't want to upset her with his views, He was enjoying talking to her.

[yelena]

She gave him a look as if to try to think of the sea like he did. She couldn't. Da loved it. She moved her hand slowly to her long hair and twisted it, pulling it over her left shoulder. "The sea... It's like one of us." One of us as in a living being. She tugged on her hair, her eyes going unfocused as she thought of it.

"You see the sea like that. But think of it as a challenge. Sailors... They learn to tame the sea. Let the sea wrap around it... Yet they control it. The sea can put obstacles in the way but it can not break them." She realized halfway through her little speech she was talking to the wrong person. He wouldn't see it as she would unless she put it in his point of view.

Da ran her fingers through her hair, and old habit to distract herself. "You are a warrior, am i correct?" She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. Her eyes were enough to distract anyone. "The sea is an enemy. Sometimes the best way to fight an enemy, is to go on their territory, and learn how to gain control. It may take a while, but you will succeed. You haven't faced the sea yet. It's why your opinion is the way it is..." She shrugged at him.

[Xian Ye]

He couldn't look away from here eyes when she said that. She'd brought up a perspective He'd never considered, That the sea was a enemy to be subjugated, and it intrigued him. The idea of facing an enemy infinitely larger then him, and defeating it appealed to his pride. "That's....incredibly insightful, To look at it like that. I'll definitly have to consider it, but I doubt I'll ever have to face it, since I live in the North. You should come see it sometime, It's a beautiful land." Perhaps, If she came to the North, He could make her see why the sea was so....limiting compared to his home.

[yelena]

She smiled knowing that what she had said had made sense to him. It filled her with a sense of enjoyment and pride, knowing that what she had said had had an effect. "So you'd pass up a challenge? Sooner or later, sir, you're going to have to face it. And if it's in battle, you can't make a mistake. Face it when you have the chance, so in the future you will be able to control it." Da said it so it made perfect sense to a warrior. "I... Well i usually stay where I'm 'Protected' or close to my little sister." She talked about Yelena as if that was her real sister.

[Xian Ye]

He almost laughed at the idea of her being "protected" here, After all, He could have kidnapped or killed her and been gone by now. So much for "Protected". "Forgive me, but You don't seem all that protected now, I mean your talking to a man from the North, and I don't see anyone watching you. Perhaps you just don't want to leave your sister, and I can understand that, but Why not bring her with you? The more the merrier!" He would not be dissuaded that easily, She'd piqued his interest and it would last.

[yelena]

She raised her eyebrows. "Unlike other woman, i do know how to defend myself. Trust me, most will come to aid a lady. I'm supposed to have my sister with me, my 'protection'. " She was almost tempted to roll her eyes. Yelena was stubborn but was pretty good in a fight. "My sister, though she is careless, would give her life for anyone in the family. As long as her daughter would be taken care of. The reason she doesn't travel as much as she used to." Da shrugged

((sorry bout the short post)