Xiu and the Sidekick of (a)Ether

===> COH <===> 3/23/2020, 2:50:25 PM <===
Gam Saan Mine - Xianyin(#17151RM)

	Welcome to Xianyin. The Grey Maze. The Necropolis of the Lost. Essentially, a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. This city of the dead is modeled on the Qin capital Xianyang, divided into inner and outer cities. The circumference of the inner city is 2.5 km (1.55 miles) and the outer is 6.3 km (3.9 miles). The central tomb is located in the southwest of the inner city and faces east. The main tomb chamber housing the coffin and burial artifacts of the Lost Emperor is the core of the architectural complex of the mausoleum.

	A garrison of terracotta figures stands silent sentinel at the entrance to the outer city, locked in precise military formation according to rank and duty, in eternal vigil facing east. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses.

	Standing similarly sentinel on the periphery of the inner city is a group of other terracotta non-military figures including officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.

	In the very center and heart of the inner city is the Lost Emperor's tomb itself, surrounded by a lifeless garden maze where two large Imperial Guardian Lions, or Shishi (a traditional Chinese architectural ornament typically made of stone), stand watch at the mouth of the maze that leads to the tomb. The lions are presented in pairs, a manifestation of yin and yang, the female representing yin and the male yang. The male lion has its right front paw on a type of cloth ball carved with a geometric pattern. The female is essentially identical, but has a cub under the left paw, representing the cycle of life. Symbolically, the female lion protects those dwelling inside (the living soul within), while the male guards the structure (the external material elements).

	*** PLACES CONFIGURED ***
Contents:
Xiu
Mr. Fu(#17798)

	*** Nightzone ***

Obvious Exits:
  Mine Shaft <MS>

	Mo was at the base camp, with Mr. Fu nearby. The chinese youth was fiddling around with his luopan while Mr. Fu napped. But then the dragon would stir, opening an eye. "We have company, Thomas," he would murmur.

	Over by the mineshaft, a lone figure climbs down the walls with practiced patience. Xiu is quietly glad for the workout, all told - and she is getting more familiar with the mineshaft's geometry. As her feet finally hit the ground next to the small pool, she loudly exhales - and then straightens, before she adjusts her leather pouches. Quietly, she makes her way from the shaft towards the entrance to the first yard, and on spotting Mo and Fu at the basecamp she lets out a soft whistle to annouce herself.

	Mo has a small fire going, and he looks up from repairing the luopan. A smile as he spies Xiu, and then he's waving her over. "OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE! Xiu! This way! Over here!"

	A hearty laugh is the reply to that, and Xiu patiently makes her way towards the camp. Once there, she smiles and politely bows to Mo..and then reaches down to scritch Mr. Fu behind the ears. Fins. Things. "Greetings, you two. How has this life been treating you both since we last saw each other?"

	Mo lets out a sound of exasperation, "Boy oh boy, did my life get interesting." He opens up a sack of some sort of animal jerky and offers it over. "Doc Arumi took me on as her Sidekick of (a)Ether - an' I'm only telling you because I understand you sit in the seat of Life so it should be ok, but if it isn't please don't tattle to Joel, that guy musta been bullied relentlessly as a kid 'cause he's so unnecessarily asshole, but like I grew up an orphan in the alleys of Hong Kong and I'm no asshole, but ..." He pauses, taking a breath and looking to Xiu.

	"I'm just tryna honor Captain al-Mirzam's memory by enlisting in the Society, y'know?" He looks down at his hands, sadness on his face. "The Doc, she's gonna help me repair the Nashira. his zeppelin aethership that I recovered."

	Xiu arches an eyebrow as soon as the 'Boy oh boy' comes...before she blinks, and lets out a soft chuckle. "Oh, she did? That's..interesting! I never figured you *for* an Etherite." she remarks, but then actually takes a silent moment. "Then again, you said sidekick. It makes sense." She warmly smiles. "Somebody like Arumi is probably a good person to work with on a regular basis. Certainly better than me. The forest life does not suit you." she remarks and chuckles before she scritches a bit more behind Fu's ears. "Eh, Joel is fine. He is a very paranoid person, but he is not a *bad* person, if you know what I'm trying to say. He is very careful, and quickly points it out if others are not." A grin moves her lips. "Of course not everybody can handle personalities like him."

	Mo will then suddenly lean over and give Xiu a thankful hug. "Thanks, I just. Man, I don't wanna get the Doc in trouble and I'm not used to being stressed and paranoid all the time, y'know? I mean, I lead a charmed life, but also an interesting one, and me and Mr. Fu have made out ok."

	The little dragon looks up at Xiu, leaning into her hand. "Thomas is decidedly an urban little thing, yes," he rumbles out in that thundery voice of his.

	Xiu blinks as she suddenly gets hugged! She even lets out a short, high sound that is somewhat uncharacteristic, and she lets out a soft laugh, before she turns towards mo and wraps an arm around him. "Well, you're certainly not shy of hugging a naked girl." she remarks, and then softly laughs. "And yes, definitely an urban little thing." She softly inhales, and then slowly exhales. "Well, I certainly hope that your work as a sidekick will keep you on a good path. I don't know much about the Doctor, but she seems friendly enough. If a bit...shy?" she wonders, narrowing her eyes. "But that might be just a feeling."

	Mo looks to Xiu, "Is she? She's so confident when it comes to Society things, like when I took her to see the aethership. Or when I told her the story of how Captain al-Mirzam and me and Mr. Fu met and became family." Mo pauses, then looks to Xiu with hope. "Will you help me figure out how to not annoy Joel? Or at least fly under his radar? I mean, maybe I should just keep to the Doc's projects for a while and keep a low profile."

	Xiu softly laughs. "Oh, I am quite sure she is quite confident among her peers." she says and lightly rolls her shoulders. "It might simply be a wrong assumption of mine, really. I don't know her too well, mind." she explains, before she lets out a soft hum. "Well. Yes. Keeping a low profile in *public* is pretty much how to not annoy Joel. In Tradition places, I guess you can go all out. But not outside of them. That's how he rolls."

	Mo perks up at that and smiles, "Yasssss! So you'll help me then?" He looks to the fragin. "See, Mr. Fu? I knew Xiu would know what to do!" The sidekick looks to Xiu again, "I'm glad we're friends. I need wise friends /other/ than dragons, who are sometimes too wise for me to grok."

	Xiu blinks. "Wait. Help how, exactly?" Xiu says, seeming confused for just a moment. "I..told you what to do!" She grins, as she finally settles down, next to Fu - if anything so he is in easy reach and can continue to enjoy pettings. "But if you ever have questions, sure, approach me. But essentially, don't be dumb in public. Don't talk about sensitive thins in bars, don't show off..that kind of stuff."

	Mo makes an "ooof" sound at not showing off. "That's gonna be a hard one, what with my joss an' all. But I don't really go in public outside of chinatown or barrio chino, and the folk of the middle kingdom, they're real good at discretion. But I promise to work extra hard at it as best I can."

	"Hah!" the witch lets out. "I mean it in terms of 'Do not show off what you are around those that do not know. Especially mortals.'" she remarks. In safe spaces, or around only people that know? Well, that's a non-issue of course." she remarks, before she hmms. "China town. Been a while since I've been there. I need to visit it again."

	Mo stands up and offers Xiu his hands, "Dance with me a bit? And let's go together with my pals. I promised to treat them to a night out, on my fortune. I gotta go and visit the Crimson Lotus - it used to be el Fenix, from which I was banned 'cause I did too much winning, but now I have a clean slate and am allowed back in an' wanna make the most of it, 'cause I'll prolly only get the one time back," he concludes breathlessly.

	The witch tilts her head, the scritching of Fu's back stopping. "...dance?" It seems to be the unexpectedness of the offer that has her so confused, but then she pushes herself up onto her feet, and...does not take Mo's hands. Nope, first she takes all her braids and tosses them behind her shoulders, rolling them a bit a moment later to make sure they stay there. And then she takes Mo's hands. "I'll let you know, I don't know too many classic dances. That said, dance is part of my worship so I'm sure it won't be hard.."

	Mr. Fu smiles at his companions, and then the little dragon opens his mouth and ... sings. The sounds that escape are almost lute-like, the melody old and primal.

	Mo smiles as Xiu makes ready. "I dunno how to dance either - but Orson's paramour, Fatima? The chakravanti? She taught me a little bit. Said it was good for the humours." And then Mo does his best to move to the tune spilling forth from Mr. Fu's mouth.

	"The one with the pretty teeth?" Xiu sounds serious about it. She has *seen* those teeth up close. Just in ghost form. A moment later she tries to follow along, slowly and...maybe surprisingly elegantly. The girl is muscular, but she also can move like a proverbial and literal wildcat.

	Mo dances with the abandon of the innocent - not self-conscious at all, whether he's good at it or not. He's just happy to be here in the moment with his pals. "Yeah, her." A pause as he considers, "She's another wise one, but maybe not as friendly as you or Mr. Fu. Or friendly in her own way, I guess."

	Xiu isn't exactly the type of person to be too self-conscious in a negative way about what she does in front of others. She follows along and stays relaxed, lightly smiling at Mo while they turn and move with silent steps. "If I recall right.." she softly says.. "..you mentioned it was not exactly a seekable experience to be dragged into her room..."

	Mo nods. "She was a master of yin magics. From the darkest places in subcontinent. But the Fenhuang, Orson? He loved her. Always loved her, incarnation after incarnation. They had a beautiful story between them, time and time again." He brings the dance to a close when Mr. Fu's dragonsong grows quiet.

	Xiu almost seems a bit sad as their motion slowly stops - but then she lets go of Mo's hands, and continues to dance. A different dance. A bit more exotic. Nothing like a solo club dance or the like. No, twisting limbs, turning body, her eyes closing as she slowly, gracefully moves. "She mentioned she was Euthanatos. Some people are scared by that type." She softly laughs. "But many people cannot handle the topic of death on principle."

	Mo settles down next to Fu and watches as Xiu moves, happy to bear silent witness to the witch's dance. "She can be very scary, yes. But especially to her enemies. She was a sight to see in battle - her naraka form was terrifying. All those arms. With hands and claws."

	Xiu continues to dance as she talks. It seems very practiced, very automatic - and that makes it smooth and elegant, her bare, predatory body moving with a fluid grace. "Naraka form?" she wonders, though a light, subtle grin moves her lips as she hears a bit of the details. "Well, I am no stranger to those attributes from time to time, as you know. It is quite an experience to have more than two arms. It...it can't be really described, because trying so would be like trying to explain the color blue to a blind person. It needs experiencing. Imagining it is just a rough approximation."

	Mo nods. "We should have her over for tea sometime. I bet you and she would have interesting discussions."

	"Gladly." Xiu says, as she continues to slowly move. Her steps are taking her closer to the two again, though without much making it apparent that she is actively looking. "Although it is a bid sad that she is past enjoying a good tea." Finally her body slowly moves into a simple upright stand, and she smiles, opening her eyes a bit. "She sought unlike, and I can't quite understand the reasonings."

	Mo looks up to Xiu, "true, but ... There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip." His eyes sparkle with hope and mischief.

	Xiu tilts her head to the side and she blinks. As she does, she's already in the process of settling down cross-legged in front of them. "I am not quite sure what you mean by that."

	"The Fenghuang and the Ouroboros, Orson and Fatima, they come back, again and again, and find each other. It's one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever seen," offers Mo as he opens his little golden luopan, checking the compass.

	Xiu smiles, leaning forward, staying in the cross-legged sit but almost leaning onto her legs as she reaches forward and scritches Mr. Fu beneath his chin. "Someday reincarnation will find them, and they will be joined again." she says. "Goddess willing." Her eyes then find the luopan. "...what happened to that?"

	Mo looks up to Xiu, "Just needs a re-calibration after my most recent journey into the yomi wan." He smacks it against his palm. "There - see?" Then he looks over a shoulder into the darkness that leads towards the heart of the necropolis. "I think it's almost auspicious timing to make our way to the center of the maze."

	"Annnd you are going to play Mr. Miyagi by not telling me why...?" Xiu wonders, amused, though her eyes glance into the same direction as Mo's. "I presume you very much have something in mind for there."

	"I'm hoping we can re-kindle a dragon nest. Or, alternately, maybe I can enact a permanent shallowing," offers Mo with a smile. "Did I tell you I'm going to Hollow Earth? After another of the Captain's artefacts. Wanna come with?"

	"You did, you did!" Xiu says. "And I am still not sure what to even make of a place called 'Hollow Earth' but...it is time that I sometime get experience in the Umbral realms. And.." she says, smiling at him. "All told that is best done through learning from a guide. I am not covered in strange false pride that would prevent that."

	Mr. Fu perks up then, "Hollow Earth - one of Captain al-Mirzam's favorite places to visit. Ancient civilizations that were left to develop unmolested by the forces of modernity. The rarest flora and fauna. And ... the place where one of his artefacts rests. One that we need."

	The witch's eyes narrow just a bit...and she lifts her chin. "Civilizations without a touch of modernity. Flora and fauna, you say..?" That..all those things..seem to have gotten her interest, as she straightens a bit in her cross-legged seat. Sadly this also means her hand has to withdraw from Mr. Fu's chin. Poor little dragon. "What kind of artifact?"

	Mo looks over at Xiu with a smile, "Well, not his omni-gun. That - that we have no clue as to where it is. Not yet, anyway. But in Hollow Earth? The Captain's favorite puzzle box. It was an aid with meditation, and navigation through uncharted spaces."

	"I...have no idea what an omni-gun is." Xiu remarks to Mo and chuckles. "But it sounds *very* Etherite." SHe then lightly frowns. "A..puzzle box? I presume it was an item to show him the path to things?" she takes a wild guess that might be not that wild, all told. "Interesting. Have you ever been-" She pauses..and then chuckles. "Of course you have been to the Hollow Earth, haven't you?"

	Mo gives Xiu a smile, "Just the one time, when I was still a kid. I saw a dinosaur!" He pantomimes T-rex arms and makes a rar type sound. "We met with King Volosar of one of the city-states. He and the Captain were old pals."

===> Log ended by user <===> 3/23/2020, 9:01:08 PM <===