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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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yrsillar said:
She also broached her plans for tomorrow, just in case Wang Chao forgot,
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Oh boy, what a casual slam on our beloved thickheaded unstoppable force. Wang Chao does seem like a guy who can both forget things and "forget" things, definitely.

yrsillar said:
"I am not going alone," her liege replied stiffly, fingers tightening around her cup.
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One could almost take that as a quip if Renxiang weren't so tense.

But actually, I'm not sure whether Renxiang means that she requested not to go alone or if she was invited not to go alone or what.

yrsillar said:
Renxiang nodded faintly. "The Fields are ambivalent of course, but the Capital and Sands have signalled some disapproval. I believe we may need to accommodate an Imperial observer in our plans."

Ling Qi blinked and then frowned. That was unexpected. "The throne does not consider this provincial business?"
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Typically an Empire reserves for itself the right to diplomatic dealings with foreign states, so in a way this is a good sign. If the White Sky Federation is just a bunch of barbarians then dealing with them is a purely provincial matter. If they are a state worthy being treated as an (of course lesser) peer, then the Empire must speak with one voice. The Imperial observer is there among other things to determine what truth would serve the Celestial Peaks best.

[] Xia Anxi, since they had some shared interests.

I think it would actually be very entertaining and useful to talk with Xia Anxi about Meizhen and give him a different perspective on her. Perhaps informative to hear what other Bai say about White Serpents when they aren't around as well.
 
Well well well, a most interesting and entertaining chapter. The Zheng moves starts to make some ripples on the politics of the Emerald Sea and that conversation between the three BFF while deeply entertaining was also flush with a lot of snippets towards what the future will entail.

I wonder what will happen when we see Teifeng. I don't know if CRX is tense because oppressionmom will be here in a private setting or because of simply seeing her baby sister. Honestly, I don't even know what will be the most interesting character wise.

Meizhen having a fight? Hmm, we will have to wait for another S&S interlude to know more, but I'm as nosy as LQ on that.

Did CRX and Meizhen just purposely set us up on a not!adate ? What with the whole "a match with the Bai could be useful" awkward topic ahah. Even if I would have trouble picturing CRX doing that to LQ since it was more or less implied that it was one of her nope-condition of being her retainer.

I'm leaning toward Xia boyo too, just to even what we could learn about Meizhen's retainers.
 
Orkus Majorkus said:
Him getting killed on a diplomatic mission Renxiang is leading would really shit all over what we're trying to build by stepping out of the kiddy pool. Meizhen understands patience.
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Dude was spitting shit and lies about Meizhen, but more importantly he was also doing that about her dead mother. Everyone expects him to die for this. Non-Bai people challenge each other to duels to the death over these kinds of insults all the time. No one will bat an eye when Meizhen kills him dead. If the Imperials send him it will be an insult of the highest degree (the kind that would get everyone looking at them like they're crazy), and Kang will be splattered all over the ground by noon if he's lucky.
 
[] Xia Anxi, since they had some shared interests.
[] Lao Keung, who seemed more down to earth.

I strongly suspect that Lao Keung has information on the faction opposed to Bai Suzhen that would be very useful to Meizhen if we can win his trust and get him to open up.
 
yrsillar said:
"-So of course, I had to just smile through and pretend I hadn't just been backhandedly called a savage," Ling Qi grumbled curling up in the plush armchair, that had been set out for her. She cradled a cup of watered wine, so cold it was nearly slush.

"How terrible, you've marked the miscreants name in your mind then?" Meizhen said idly. She was stretched out on a dark divan, across from Ling Qi.

"Spirits no, I've already forgotten his face," Ling Qi replied, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "Uh… brown hair, kind of twiggy. Oh, he had a kind of piggy nose."

"You are too lax with your foes," Xiao Fen sniffed. She sat on the arm of the divan by Meizhen's feet. Unlike her mistress she was incredibly stiff, and the drink in her hands, some kind of northern fruit juice was completely untouched. Meizhen had to prod her just to get her to take it.

"It's okay, I remember, if it ever becomes relevant again. Third grandson of a viscount- uh," Sixiang paused in thought, their illusory figure rubbing their chin from their own perch on the arm of Ling Qi's chair. "Qiao, yeah that was it."

"Truly, you are in disarray if your muse must take up your responsibilities," Meizhen chuckled. "You must find it appalling, yes Renxiang?"
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"I'm sorry. I don't remember any of it."

"You don't remember!?"

"My dear Meizhen. For you, the day some ignorant trash insulted your blood was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."
 
[X] Lao Keung, who seemed more down to earth.

Seems more useful building closer rapport with him, as he likely to reveal more of stuff Meizhen probally want to know and he get along better with Qi.
 
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I think Xia Anxi is the better choice if it's in the matter of business. Meizhen is more familiar with his personality and his fear of Meizhen makes it easy for her to rein him in if he makes some trouble.

Lao Keung however....his negatives are also his positives. He wouldn't fear Meizhen so having him close to be watched is logical and him being open would make Meizhen know him better, the problem however would be if that side of him is worth it as in what if he is someone who loaths Meizhen yet managed to rein himself in because he is dedicated to the completition of Bai-Cai-White Sky Alliance? Letting him handle his business then is more beneficial than breaking that potential self control that would just disrupt the group cohesivness.
 
yrsillar said:
Ling Qi pondered that, teasing aside, this was for the purpose of giving Meizhen a better handle on the people assigned to her, which did she think she could handle better?
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[X] Lao Keung, who seemed more down to earth.

Going by the actual question posed, we're better poised to handle Lao Keung with his relationship rank already at 1 than Xia Anxi at 0. He was also the one LQ seems to relate with easier since he's the lower caste individual. He's less on a high horse about being Bai.

However, I'm not going to be disappointed if Anxi wins since it'll balance the votes we've spent on them and he's still an interesting character.
 
yrsillar said:
"-So of course, I had to just smile through and pretend I hadn't just been backhandedly called a savage," Ling Qi grumbled curling up in the plush armchair, that had been set out for her. She cradled a cup of watered wine, so cold it was nearly slush.

"How terrible, you've marked the miscreants name in your mind then?" Meizhen said idly. She was stretched out on a dark divan, across from Ling Qi.

"Spirits no, I've already forgotten his face," Ling Qi replied, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "Uh… brown hair, kind of twiggy. Oh, he had a kind of piggy nose."

"You are too lax with your foes," Xiao Fen sniffed. She sat on the arm of the divan by Meizhen's feet. Unlike her mistress she was incredibly stiff, and the drink in her hands, some kind of northern fruit juice was completely untouched. Meizhen had to prod her just to get her to take it.

"It's okay, I remember, if it ever becomes relevant again.
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The Bai are Alphas, but LQ is a Sigma.

[X] Xia Anxi, since they had some shared interests.
 
yrsillar said:
"Ling Qi and I will visit my sister tomorrow," Renxiang said. "The Sun delegation will also arrive tomorrow."

"Wait, what, go back to that first thing," Ling Qi said. She was going to be allowed to do that?

"I am not going alone," her liege replied stiffly, fingers tightening around her cup.
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Hm. So I think the issue is part Renxiang has no clue how to interact with family that isn't fear of failure motivated formal interactions, and the other is fear of getting attached only to be powerless to prevent something similar to what Shenhua did to Renxiang happening to Tienli.
 
[X] Lao Keung, who seemed more down to earth.

Bai Suzhen sponsored Lao Keung and put him in charge of Meizhen's security. Nevertheless he's fatalistic and at least a little bitter. Furthermore as a disgruntled Red I don't doubt that he's heard the sales pitch Bai Zhilan's supporters are using to build up support and stir up unrest against Suzhen among the Red and Green snakes. I get the feeling he thinks he and the other Reds are going to get crushed regardless of which White ends up on top in the end. His service also seems more a matter of obligation and duty than anything else. I bet he has quite a bit of valuable intel that no Bai of import asks him for simply because he's a lowly Red. I'd like to find out why he's so bitter, ensure his loyalty to Meizhen as her chief bodyguard, as well as discover what he knows about Red support for Suzhen's rival and put that info in Bai Mezhein's hands.
 
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Not expecting we'll delve deep into either's motivations or histories yet but we can at least ensure neither's being ignored
[X] Xia Anxi, since they had some shared interests.
 
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