The Butterfly Arrives in Wu

[Nohime]

It had been a long while since Nohime had left Nanhai. At least a month or so. It was quite a hassle to travel on foot by herself. Though luckily, she hadn't encountered any major enemies that could possibly harm her yet. She was heading to Wu, the supposed power center of Sun Jian, a powerful warlord in this country. She wanted to see just what sort of country he planned on running if he ever got the idea to try and spread his territory.

Upon her arrival in Wu, she was taken away by it's natural beauty. It greatly surpassed that of Nanhai by a long shot. The land was virtually untouched, much to her surprise. She was walking along the coastline, taking in the beautiful sunset and the exquisite sea air. She smiled a bit to herself. Surely someone who allowed their land to become so fruitful and enjoyable would be a good ruler.

She was disappointed that she had to leave this lovely beach, but she knew she had to find someone that she could ally herself with, but this wasn't the only place she would go to. She had heard of several others that held promising futures, such as Liu Bei and Cao Cao. She wondered just who would be willing and able to take her into their kingdom and grant her a good home.

[link]

Wu.

As always, Han Dang was spending his spare time in idleness. Well, not too idle today, seeing as he had actually gone further than getting up and moving around; actually mounting his horse and riding out from the city of Wu. He had honestly no idea at all were he was going or heading, nor did he know where he wanted to go... if he wanted a set destination at all, that was. He was basically riding toward nowhere when the beach came in view a distance ahead of him.

The seaside was always nice to be at and look at, especially for spending time or even for meeting and talking to people. And what a pleasant surprise; a lone traveler walked before him as Han Yigong looked on. Hmm, a female? Interesting. There were few women who traveled alone, and few women dressed in such... different clothing at that. In fact, the dress was completely unique and unlike any other.

Yigong dismounted from his steed and approached the lady.

"Greetings. May I ask what brings a lady such as you to be out here alone?"

[Nohime]

The sheer fact that the young man used the word 'alone' was enough to make Nohime a little apprehensive. However, she wasn't about to let this man have the upper hand in this little meeting. She smiled and giggled slightly as she walked towards him a bit. She made sure to use graceful, delicate steps to make her seem like she was nervous, yet somewhat straightforward.

"Well, I have traveled here to meet with a representative of Wu," she stated, her voice sounding dangerously sultry. "Do you happen to work for the brave Sun Jian?"

She sort of wanted to seem like she was playing hard-to-get...in a way. She assumed that she wouldn't have a problem attracting this man. However, there could always be some little detail that could turn him away from her. Anything was possible.

[link]

"I do indeed serve my Lord Sun Jian most faithfully. And I believe that I can act as that representative of Wu that you mentioned," Han Dang said as he quickly stroked his moustache.

Now that he looked up close, Yigong noticed very clearly that the woman was very... beautiful. Hot, many men would describe her as. Yet at the same time she also looked somewhat cold, maybe? Or even foreign, from the tone of her skin and her fine facial features... Hmm, well everybody looked different and originated from different areas of the land. But then, back to serious business. Was the woman looking for a way to join Sun Jian? Or was she going question the Lord's abilities, maybe?

"Do you wish to ask anything about my lord?"

[Nohime]

She was a little taken back. He didn't seem to have any sort of reaction to her advances. She sighed. She was disappointed that her charms didn't work, but she would simply have to be more formal, but she still tried to seem alluring, just more subtle than usual. She listened to what he had to say before replying.

"Well, I am simply looking for some powerful warlord to join," she said bluntly. "I just arrived here and I heard about several different lords in this country. The closest one was Sun Jian, so I figured I may as well try and ask him first. I don't want any trouble."

[link]

"No trouble will come to you as long as you don't start it first, haha. And as for a lord that is powerful, well, I can assure you that Lord Sun Jian and his land of Wu so far has the most men and power, as well as extreme potential for further conquest. If you are seeking to join Wu by any chance, Lord Sun will very much welcome you.

"Though may I ask... You said you just arrived, and you've heard of several lords in this country. Do you happen to be from... a different land? Across the seas?"

And all this while, Yigong couldn't take his eyes off of the woman's beauty. He hoped that he would have the chance to get to know her more, but then duty was above all else; he would have to take care of business first and quickly, then get to what else.

[Nohime]

Nohime couldn't help but smile a bit. "My, my, the way you speak of Sun Jian, you make him seem like a kind lord. That's practically unheard of where I'm from," she began, then continued after he spoke again. "Well, yes. I am from Japan, though I have been able to escape from my former lord's grasp."

She was glad that she could now speak more freely about her former husband. By now, he was most likely gone from the Earth. After all, the one who had led the rebellion was a highly influential and powerful man. Much like this Sun Jian seemed to be. Hopefully he would be the kind of man she was looking for. Of course, if he wasn't interested in her, perhaps there would be some other man in his forces. Well, she would have to get to the main camp in order to find that out.

"So, would you mind telling me more about Wu?" she asked. "I'm quite interested."

[link]

"More about Wu? Well... it is currently aligned to the Han empire, as almost every area of China is. Of course, it is obvious that none wish to stay under bondage for too long... other than the corrupt officials of the Han, maybe. And as for war, we've successfully crushed many bandits and the infamous Yellow Turbans with the assistance of other lords, and have risen to a high position in the land, unrivalled in strength."

Han Dang may have been speaking of such matters, but at the same time his mind was set on the woman and her entrancing beauty only. The irresistible sexiness that she held, her extremely attractive nature... Every part of her was so beautiful, made Yigong smile in awe. Her skin, her body, the finely shape of her figure, made Yigong want to reach out and touch her. But the only physical response that he showed was a slight twitch of his fingers, once.

[Nohime]

Nohime listened to his words intently. Joining with Wu definetely sounded like a great idea, especially after hearing about some of their amazing feats. She was about to respond when suddenly she noticed something a little different about the man. He seemed to be looking her over with anxious eyes. She even noticed his fingers twitch a bit. This was just too funny.

"My goodness, kind sir, you look at me with such an intensity, and yet I don't even know your name," she teased. "So, why don't tell me your name? Also, what exactly are you to your Lord Sun Jian?" She was curious if he had any sort of position of power.

[link]

"Oh, sorry about that, does it make you uncomfortable?" Han Dang said all of sudden as he snapped out of his dreamy gaze. "I apologize for my lack of manners. I am Han Dang, styled Yigong, of Wu, and I am a high-ranking and close general to Lord Sun, being with him from the start of the city's establishment upon his governing. May I ask, if you don't mind, of your own name, seeing as I have given you mine?"

Damn, I've got to break out of this, Yigong thought as he tried not to notice the woman's sexy appeal. It was just too... difficult to do so, however. Even turning his gaze away or down every few seconds, hoping to go unnoticed. For most women it was just a straight-forward dash for her, but this one was... different. And, of course, there was the fact that she was primarily here for more important purposes. Han Dang might have been a man full of passion of war and, well, hot women, but he still knew what came first.

[Nohime]

Nohime giggled to herself as Han Dang tried to apologize for his actions. She wasn't insulted. If anything, she was flattered. She then listened to what he had to say before continuing. "There's no need to apologize, Yigong," she replied, hoping she didn't offend him by referring to him by his stylized name. "Most men can hardly contain themselves around me."

Of course, she wasn't being too serious, though it was true that some men had been known to stare at her in awe. She then took what he said into consideration. "My name is Nohime, and if I may be so bold, would you mind showing me where you boys have made camp? I'd like to speak with this Sun Jian."

[link]

"Of course... right this way. Please mount my horse, I can follow on foot. We've set up our headquarters right outside the walls of the city, just up ahead. It'll come into view once we start walking for a few minutes."

Nodding and smiling to Nohime, Han Dang wheeled around and pulled the horse closer to Nohime, allowing her to mount it if she wished. Yigong was much a gentleman, at least up to the point where he could try to be, and giving the lady better and more comfortable means of transport was one of the basics of chivalry that he tried to follow. Beckoning to the direction of the city, Yigong waited until Nohime would get on the horse and ready for the short trip ahead.

[Nohime]

Nohime smiled at him and nodded as he nodded to her. She waited for the horse to be closer to her before she attempted to climb on. However, as soon as she realized just how tall the horse was, she knew she would have to put in a bit more effort than she truly wanted. She grinned as this suddenly gave her an opportunity to be a bit more flirty. Innocently, she turned toward Yigong once again.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't get up there by myself. Do you think you could...you know, help me up?" she asked. She wasn't sure if that would be convincing, so she quickly added "I've never ridden a horse before. I've always been forced to ride in carriages and whatnot, but it always looked like fun."

Suddenly, she began to feel guilty. It almost seemed to her like this man was nervous around her. She hoped that all he was feeling was physical attraction and not love. Her advances weren't meant to be taken too seriously. If he did feel like she was in love with him, she didn't know just how bad she would feel when she finally broke the truth to him. Surely he wouldn't feel that way, after all they had just met. All guilt seemed to slip away at that moment. If anything, he was merely infatuated with her.

[link]

"Of course, my lady," Han Dang replied as he walked up to Nohime. Gently stepping up behind her, he said, "I'll lift you, and you can grab the horse. Don't worry, it's steady." Slowly placing his two hands around Nohime's thin waist, Yigong took a quick breath before lifting her up. She was very light, not an effort was needed to lift her up, other than the feeling that Yigong was getting as he made first contact with Nohime. Damn, that's hot...

[Nohime]

Nohime smiled as Yigong quickly helped her up onto the horse. After she was quite situated, she looked down to him and nodded. "Now that we have that out of the way, thank you," she said as she began to pet the back of the horse's neck. "So, just out of curiosity, has Sun Jian ever been married?"

Now was the time to see if there was any possible way she could find some way to charm her way to the top. If she could find any sort of avenue, she would most likely take it...well, she wasn't that shallow. There would be some exceptions, but for now, she was mostly just curious. There was no telling if she would actually join this kingdom or not...one would simply have to wait and see.