notanautomaton
I've got 99 quests, I've finished one
I remember there being a mention of a rainbow something caste, and that they're priests, I think?
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- United States of America
So, the Coral's seem to be the same as the Violet:
Also, we have a lot more context for this discussion now with the "Serpent's Den" sidestory, and things seem not to be going smoothly for Suzhen. She's gotten one family on her side it seems, but hasn't been able to shift the Blue Cobras from who they were aligned with.
Hopefully, the Blue Cobras aren't aligned with Bai Zhilan and instead aligned with someone else, and as the field of contender's narrow the Blue will start supporting Suzhen.
Also, we have a lot more context for this discussion now with the "Serpent's Den" sidestory, and things seem not to be going smoothly for Suzhen. She's gotten one family on her side it seems, but hasn't been able to shift the Blue Cobras from who they were aligned with.
Hopefully, the Blue Cobras aren't aligned with Bai Zhilan and instead aligned with someone else, and as the field of contender's narrow the Blue will start supporting Suzhen.
- Location
- United States of America, Michigan
I wonder where us killing that Green Bai bandit fits into these politics if at all?
- Location
- United States of America
Well, the Green Bai trying to steal the Cai arts certainly fits into the politics here, but I don't think us killing them really made any impact. The fact that they failed, with Cai Renxiang there to stop them, matters a lot more than whoever killed that poor soul.
- Location
- the internet
If I recall correctly from the new commission, the Blues and the Violets are on Suzhen's side no?
- Location
- United States of America
The New commission seems to have taken place just after the tournament, while the section I quoted came from Month 6. So the most recent information we have seems to be that the Violet family is on Suzhen's side but the Blue family is supporting someone else.
- Location
- the internet
Ah I see. I forgot about when that took place lol.
Yeah. Main things to note there:
-Ling Qi did try, after Lakegate, she values Meizhen's friendship enough that, if she was able, she'd have reciprocated to ease tensions back then. She found that there was only friendship, no romance, it wasn't just her own hangups with romance after the heat of the moment.
--But how the aftermath settled out DID help Meizhen with her own issues, because previous to that she wouldn't have taken the risk to try pursuing Cai Renxiang(who was unfortunately for Meizhen, either asexual or otherwise not interested romantically even if she was fine with going through the motions) and then Bao Qingling.
---Jury's still out on whether Qingling's own issues would make a mess though. Apparently they're both poison otaku, so they do have a common interest.
-Meizhen's best bet for pursuing a relationship in that way was to be assigned as an ambassador to another ducal family, so she could operate with relative impunity.
--Cai Shenhua still has a husband for formality and procreative purposes, though he's the cousin of her actual lover. Her openly keeping a female lover around as the highest authority of Emerald Seas sets a bit of a tone, in that homosexual relationships cannot be faulted in her court, lest you wind up insulting her. But ALSO sets the expectation to still do your duty to your clan while doing so.
-The original handmaiden plan Meizhen had before she really got to know Ling Qi wasn't exactly well thought out, since she has an assigned handmaiden already, its an honored and highly privileged status within the Bai, and so her hereditary, personally devoted ninja maid would probably come into significantly motivated conflict with Ling Qi if that came to be, considering she was literally born and raised for that purpose. Rather than what we have now, a fairly fun junior who makes for great shenanigans.
--Furthermore, it was alluded to that the Bais with such interests usually resort to their personal handmaidens(dubious consent factors aside), but Meizhen was definitely not interested in going that way.
I suspect Meizhen wouldn't be dragged in yet, until Suzhen is heading into her final move. She'd do better if she left Meizhen's situation ambiguous until she's done the smiting, less association with any atrocities involved in pacification.
To think Meizhen did work so hard to be parked away from core Bai politics...
We don't have a name for it but the Bai Bandit had his big brown snake, and it seemed like some kind of anaconda based on the description
- Location
- The Void
I'm pretty sure the eighth clan is the commoner clan. Of the eight daughters if Yao and the White Serpent, six out of eight Ascended. Of the two who didn't I guess one family leveraged enough power/influence to keep some power while the descendants of the other got booted down to commoner status because they are descended from a loser (in them Bai's eyes) who couldn't Ascend.
- Location
- United Kingdom
Nah, there's two commoner clans.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
...is there a reason to believe that a ducal family has any commoner clans? That doesn't seem reasonable to me; why would they be considered Bai on the one hand, but have non-noble status on the other? I'm gonna have to ask for a source on that one, I am very skeptical.
Like, I am perfectly willing to believe that there are higher and lower-ranked sub-clans -- we know that, we know there's a caste system and that White is at the top -- but saying that some of them are considered commoners seems, uh, unlikely to me.
Like, I am perfectly willing to believe that there are higher and lower-ranked sub-clans -- we know that, we know there's a caste system and that White is at the top -- but saying that some of them are considered commoners seems, uh, unlikely to me.
I am pretty sure he was part of the Green Asp:
We know from an yrsillar Discord comment, and from the other Bai we've seen in quest, that Bai caste tends to be apparent from physiognomy:
So I'm gonna guess that the dude with green hair was part of the green team that we know is hostile to Suzhen's ambitions.yrsillar on Discord said:
- Location
- The Void
Whimp-womp, my bad. I don't know why I forgot that.
Well the Bai is kinda special due to having a caste system. So two of the eight families fall into the commoner caste. Remember the Bai is an ethnicity in size rather then what we would see as clan sized.
IIRC because those families' founder didn't ascend to Great Spirit.
I'm referring to his snake, who might not exactly need to be from the same branch?
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
It seems that a lot of people have heard this "two of the Bai sub-clans are 'commoner' in rank because their founders did not ascend" story, but I have been through Forge, Threads, and the Discord with the search function and been unable to find a QM source for it. Just people repeating each others' words.
By all means, correct me if it is in fact Word of QM -- it's possible this is something from the old Discord that didn't get repeated on the new, or something.
By all means, correct me if it is in fact Word of QM -- it's possible this is something from the old Discord that didn't get repeated on the new, or something.
It's plausible that "commoner" is being used as slang, wherein the two "commoner" clans are known as such among snobby higher-class Bais due to a propensity for adopting talented commoners into their ranks. This is also kinda backed up by the way that the Black clan is essentially a one to one mirror of the White clan raised from birth to support the White clan member - neither the ruling nor supporting focus of a clan meshes very well with adopting fresh blood into their structure and potentially unbalancing things*.
*Which would be bad because Bai infighting would be a heck of a lot worse with randomized power swings from new members supporting one faction or another.
- Location
- Canada
This is CrimsonOddball coming to you live once again with special guest abandoned Discord Server!
You could take it to mean "commoners" as in only in comparison to the other branches
@picklepikkl
This is the only reference to Bai commoners from Yrs directly that I could find, and there is some ambiguityOld Discord said:
You could take it to mean "commoners" as in only in comparison to the other branches
@picklepikkl
Arc 8: 3-2
"I'll speak to him," Ling Qi said. Making a request would cost her some in the negotiations, but she doubted it would be too bad. Although she could not say she knew Bao Qian well, taking advantage too much would run counter to his goals. Self interest at least she could trust in.
Hanyi grinned hopping to her feet to wrap her arms around Ling Qi. "Yeah! Thanks so much Big Sis."
Ling Qi patted her awkwardly on the back. She really didn't know how to handle physical affection.
"Don't blame yourself too much, you humans are almost all weird like that," Sixiang commisserated.
Ling Qi wondered if she should be insulted for the sake of her species. Probably not, it wasn't like Sixiang was wrong. "Your welcome Hanyi, now let up. We need to get ourselves cleaned up before we go to meet him." While her gown was fine, her hands and face had gotten smudged with ash and dirt, and her hair could probably use a little touch up, crinkly strands were starting to escape. Hanyi wasn't better.
"What should Gui do then Big Sister?" Gui asked curiously.
Hanyi sprang from her lap as she stood up and glanced over at Zhengui. "...A little clean up might not go amiss for you either," she said dryly. He was covered in dirt ash and dried glass.
"Hmph, leave it to slovenly Gui to forget that," Zhen harrumphed. "We must make our scales shine!"
"But Gui doesn't like the water," his other half complained a childish whine touch his deep, rumbling voice.
Ling Qi chuckled to herself. It was as she had thought, no matter how it seemed, they were still children at heart.
The meeting place they had decided on when correspondance was out near the quarry site that they had investigated together shortly after Bao Qian's arrival. When Ling Qi arrived, she found Bao Qian, and his wagon, parked about half a kilometer from the work site. As she descended from the sky, he was standing before a collection of stone blocks, half a dozen in all of various shades and textures. As she alit on the ground, Bao Qian looked up and grinned, abandoning his geological contemplations.
"Miss Ling, you're early I see. Eager to conduct our business then?" he said cheerfully, turning to face her.
"It's better to be early than late," Ling Qi replied politely. If only to get a better chance to scope out the venue. "I hope you do not mind if I let my spirits out, they will be part of the negotiation as well."
"Of course, of course, "Bao Qian said, gesturing for her to foollow him to the other side of the wagon. "I hope you'll excuse me if Yinshi isn't about, she's taking care of some ah, blunt discussions with the local spirits of earth and stone regarding her diet and the quarry here."
"I don't take offense," Ling Qi replied. A silent thought went out and behind her two shapes, one large and one small began to materialize as she followed bao Qian to the other side, where a polished wooden table and a pair of field chairs had been set up and a tea pot was steaming merrily away. "How have things been going out here?"
"Well enough, well enough," Bao Qian said agreeably. "It seems that the that the hah, seams of valuable material are ready for a bit of careful harvesting." Arriving at the table, he turned back to face Ling Qi and her spirits. "In any case, welcome guests! I hope you will forgive the humble accomodations and lack of refreshment."
"That is also fine," Ling Qi replied dryly. "Thank you for not trying to overwhelm me with wealth and finery."
"Tch, Big Sister is way too humble," Hanyi grumbled, eyeing their surroundings and Bao Qian with a devious gleam.
"Hanyi is just greedy," Zhen said with a haughty flick of his tongue. "Big Sister knows that she does not need to show off."
Bao Qian just chuckled at the interplay, and gestured for her to take a seat as he did so himself.
Ling Qi eyed the table, where there were only two seats. That was well enough for Zhengui but it left Hanyi out. Was it an oversight or an expectation? Well she supposed it didn't matter. He had asked that she be blunt and open, so that was what he would get. Pulling out her seat she gestured for Hanyi and the young spirit grinned brightly, jumping up into her lap. For once, her height did her some good in allowing it, despite Hanyi's growth.
She met Bao Qian's eyes as Zhengui settled down beside the table, his head still level with theirs despite lying down on his belly. He chuckled and offered a brief bow of apology.
"Well, since we are all here, why do we not begin by laying out our starting positions," Bao Qian continued smoothly, moving to pour himself a cup of tea. It was a very dark blend, nearly black and had a rich fragrance.
Ling Qi eyed him curiously. "What exactly do you mean?"
"This is a friendly negotiation, so it would be well if we both stated our goals for negotation, would it not?" He asked. "I can go first if you…"
"Gui wants to contribute to his Sister so that she can have as many shiny stones as she likes," Gui announced bluntly, looming over the table.
"I, Zhen concur," his other half announced proudly. "But will not allow the Sparkly Man to tread on either my or Big Sister's pride either."
There was a moment of awkward silence, Ling Qi coughed into her hand to hide the slight darkening of her cheeks. "...Thank you very much Zhengui." Maybe they should have rehearsed this a little.
"Nah, you'd just muck it up and get all stiff, remember what you've learned and just go with the flow," Sixiang whispered.
"That is certainly a clear declaration of intent," Bao Qian laughed. "Very well then. I wish make a profit as the go between for a unique spirit and his lovely sister to fund my other business in the region."
"Other business?" Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Prospecting, and the business with the recordings," he replied. "Recent developments have significantly reduced the cost of high fidelity spiritual recordings. I was not just flattering you, Miss Ling. I smell a genuine opportunity for a new market venue."
Ling Qi kept her expression blank, she had paid him a green stone for a single recording device, and that was reduced? Instead, she simply nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I see. Well I wish to ensure that my cultivation funds remain steady, and that I have savings remaining after I take leave of the Sect. I also wish to have a friendly relation to the Bao family," she paused, and she could feel Hanyi vibrating in her lap, clearly eager to break in. "...And I would like to arrange matters so that Hanyi can begin to make use of your services to distribute her songs."
Bao Qian's eyebrows had begun to rise as she made her addition, and had climbed to his hairline by the time she had finished. "That is an unexpected request," Bao Qian said with a hint of doubt. "Is she…"
"I'm not as good as Big Sis, but I am a reallllly good singer," Hanyi announced proudly, crossing her arms and looking haughty.
"... Her Mother was a mentor of mine," Ling Qi replied more calmly. "She has a lot to learn but I can vouch for her talents."
"I see," Bao Qian said with a considering frown. "Mm, there will be stigma to deal with in the northern markets. Not what I would have wanted for my launch piece," he thought aloud. He fell silent, studying Ling Qi for a moment. She could not easily read his face or thoughts on the matter.
"I would consider it a personal favor," Ling Qi replied bluntly.
Bao Qian let out a huff of laughter. "Well, how can I refuse then?" He scrubbed a hand through his short hair in consternation. "I suppose I can attempt to spin it as promoting a local fashion to the regional level and go from there. Yes, that might work…" He shook his head. "In any case, let us discuss our main business, and then we can discuss the logistics of Miss… Hanyi's performances. How much ash can Sir Zhengui produce in a week?"
"Many, many wheelbarrows when the food is good," Gui announced proudly. Ling Qi wondered how he knew that.
"Is that so?" Bao Qian asked, recovering his grin.
They continued to speak for several hours as the sun crawled toward the horizon, hashing out the many, many details of delivering the product, and sales percentages and other things that left Ling Qi feeling tired out. Even then it paled in comparison to the needs of setting things up for hanyi. How many songs she would compose for the initial run, and by what deadline, and the subject matter of the melodies and on and on.
In the end, they worked out what Ling Qi thought was a fairly good deal. Bao Qian would pay her five green stones for one months worth of Zhengui's ash, to be collected at her expense. Bao Qian would keep the profits from the first month's sale. For each month following he would provide one green stone for the ash, but also split the profits of the sale with her, fifty five parts to forty five in her favor.
Hanyi's situation was a less clear cut. It would take some time for him to 'promote' her and receive significant sales. She would give him two green stones, taken from Zhengui's end of the deal to help cover the material costs of the first run, and they would split the initial sales, sixty to forty in Hanyi's favor. They would renegotiate at the end of the year when the situation became more clear.
She could end either contract without penalty, but there would be a three month grace period from the point of cancelation.
+3 Green Stones.
Ling Qi leaned back in her seat with a sigh as they finally hashed out the last of the contract language. It all looked fair to Ling Qi, but all the same she was going to ask Cai Renxiang to review it before she signed her name. A slight advantage in cultivation he might have, but she trusted her liege to cut through any legal deception like a sword through paper.
Hanyi and Zhengui had made a valiant effort to stay interested and engaged, but after the second hour she had excused them to go have a little ramble through the local woods.
"Best get used to this sort of thing," Bao Qian chuckled, carefully folding his copy of the contract before vanishing it into storage with a flick of his wrist. "Such is life for those of us who choose to remain engaged with the world."
"Never before have I heard such a strong argument for going hermit," Ling Qi replied dryly, her eyes on the darkening sky. "We'll reconvene in two days to sign things then?"
"As the lady wishes," Bao Qian agreed. He stood up and bent backwards, eliciting a sharp crack from his spine as he stretched. Ling Qi kept her eyes fixed upward. "You know there was a more personal matter I wanted to question you about."
Ling Qi tilted her head back down slightly. "And what might that be?"
"It is my cousin," Bao Qian said with a frown. "She approached me the other day to acquire some seafoam jade, and wouldn't tell me what sort of project she was working on."
"Is that really strange? Your cousin is very private," Ling Qi asked carefully. An idea germinated in her mind.
Sixiang giggled girlishly in her head. Ling Qi kept her expression straight.
"No, I suppose that is not particularly strange, though she is usually proud enough to brag with a bit of prodding," Bao Qian mused. "No, her demeanor was just… strange. She seemed very pleased, but not in the usual sort of vindictive or superior way, if you understand."
Ling Qi pressed her lips together in a thin line and definitely didn't blush. "I can't say."
He eyed her suspiciously, and she looked blandly back. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't pry," he grumbled. "In any case. Could I interest you in accompanying me to dinner tonight Miss Ling?"
Ling Qi blinked, suddenly off balance in an entirely different way. On the one hand she didn't want to outright refuse given their recent negotiation, but on the other hand, she still wasn't sure she wanted to do something like that. Despite having spoken with him for some time now she still wasn't entirely sure she had a handle on Bao Qian.
Ling Qi opened her mouth to respond and…
[] Carefully accepted. She had to begin dialing down her discomfort somewhere. [Potentially, Information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi uncomfortable, potentially negative outcome.]
[] Blurted out a request to spar instead, that helped cultivators understand each other, right?! [Lesser information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi spared a bad time]
Hanyi grinned hopping to her feet to wrap her arms around Ling Qi. "Yeah! Thanks so much Big Sis."
Ling Qi patted her awkwardly on the back. She really didn't know how to handle physical affection.
"Don't blame yourself too much, you humans are almost all weird like that," Sixiang commisserated.
Ling Qi wondered if she should be insulted for the sake of her species. Probably not, it wasn't like Sixiang was wrong. "Your welcome Hanyi, now let up. We need to get ourselves cleaned up before we go to meet him." While her gown was fine, her hands and face had gotten smudged with ash and dirt, and her hair could probably use a little touch up, crinkly strands were starting to escape. Hanyi wasn't better.
"What should Gui do then Big Sister?" Gui asked curiously.
Hanyi sprang from her lap as she stood up and glanced over at Zhengui. "...A little clean up might not go amiss for you either," she said dryly. He was covered in dirt ash and dried glass.
"Hmph, leave it to slovenly Gui to forget that," Zhen harrumphed. "We must make our scales shine!"
"But Gui doesn't like the water," his other half complained a childish whine touch his deep, rumbling voice.
Ling Qi chuckled to herself. It was as she had thought, no matter how it seemed, they were still children at heart.
***
The meeting place they had decided on when correspondance was out near the quarry site that they had investigated together shortly after Bao Qian's arrival. When Ling Qi arrived, she found Bao Qian, and his wagon, parked about half a kilometer from the work site. As she descended from the sky, he was standing before a collection of stone blocks, half a dozen in all of various shades and textures. As she alit on the ground, Bao Qian looked up and grinned, abandoning his geological contemplations.
"Miss Ling, you're early I see. Eager to conduct our business then?" he said cheerfully, turning to face her.
"It's better to be early than late," Ling Qi replied politely. If only to get a better chance to scope out the venue. "I hope you do not mind if I let my spirits out, they will be part of the negotiation as well."
"Of course, of course, "Bao Qian said, gesturing for her to foollow him to the other side of the wagon. "I hope you'll excuse me if Yinshi isn't about, she's taking care of some ah, blunt discussions with the local spirits of earth and stone regarding her diet and the quarry here."
"I don't take offense," Ling Qi replied. A silent thought went out and behind her two shapes, one large and one small began to materialize as she followed bao Qian to the other side, where a polished wooden table and a pair of field chairs had been set up and a tea pot was steaming merrily away. "How have things been going out here?"
"Well enough, well enough," Bao Qian said agreeably. "It seems that the that the hah, seams of valuable material are ready for a bit of careful harvesting." Arriving at the table, he turned back to face Ling Qi and her spirits. "In any case, welcome guests! I hope you will forgive the humble accomodations and lack of refreshment."
"That is also fine," Ling Qi replied dryly. "Thank you for not trying to overwhelm me with wealth and finery."
"Tch, Big Sister is way too humble," Hanyi grumbled, eyeing their surroundings and Bao Qian with a devious gleam.
"Hanyi is just greedy," Zhen said with a haughty flick of his tongue. "Big Sister knows that she does not need to show off."
Bao Qian just chuckled at the interplay, and gestured for her to take a seat as he did so himself.
Ling Qi eyed the table, where there were only two seats. That was well enough for Zhengui but it left Hanyi out. Was it an oversight or an expectation? Well she supposed it didn't matter. He had asked that she be blunt and open, so that was what he would get. Pulling out her seat she gestured for Hanyi and the young spirit grinned brightly, jumping up into her lap. For once, her height did her some good in allowing it, despite Hanyi's growth.
She met Bao Qian's eyes as Zhengui settled down beside the table, his head still level with theirs despite lying down on his belly. He chuckled and offered a brief bow of apology.
"Well, since we are all here, why do we not begin by laying out our starting positions," Bao Qian continued smoothly, moving to pour himself a cup of tea. It was a very dark blend, nearly black and had a rich fragrance.
Ling Qi eyed him curiously. "What exactly do you mean?"
"This is a friendly negotiation, so it would be well if we both stated our goals for negotation, would it not?" He asked. "I can go first if you…"
"Gui wants to contribute to his Sister so that she can have as many shiny stones as she likes," Gui announced bluntly, looming over the table.
"I, Zhen concur," his other half announced proudly. "But will not allow the Sparkly Man to tread on either my or Big Sister's pride either."
There was a moment of awkward silence, Ling Qi coughed into her hand to hide the slight darkening of her cheeks. "...Thank you very much Zhengui." Maybe they should have rehearsed this a little.
"Nah, you'd just muck it up and get all stiff, remember what you've learned and just go with the flow," Sixiang whispered.
"That is certainly a clear declaration of intent," Bao Qian laughed. "Very well then. I wish make a profit as the go between for a unique spirit and his lovely sister to fund my other business in the region."
"Other business?" Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Prospecting, and the business with the recordings," he replied. "Recent developments have significantly reduced the cost of high fidelity spiritual recordings. I was not just flattering you, Miss Ling. I smell a genuine opportunity for a new market venue."
Ling Qi kept her expression blank, she had paid him a green stone for a single recording device, and that was reduced? Instead, she simply nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I see. Well I wish to ensure that my cultivation funds remain steady, and that I have savings remaining after I take leave of the Sect. I also wish to have a friendly relation to the Bao family," she paused, and she could feel Hanyi vibrating in her lap, clearly eager to break in. "...And I would like to arrange matters so that Hanyi can begin to make use of your services to distribute her songs."
Bao Qian's eyebrows had begun to rise as she made her addition, and had climbed to his hairline by the time she had finished. "That is an unexpected request," Bao Qian said with a hint of doubt. "Is she…"
"I'm not as good as Big Sis, but I am a reallllly good singer," Hanyi announced proudly, crossing her arms and looking haughty.
"... Her Mother was a mentor of mine," Ling Qi replied more calmly. "She has a lot to learn but I can vouch for her talents."
"I see," Bao Qian said with a considering frown. "Mm, there will be stigma to deal with in the northern markets. Not what I would have wanted for my launch piece," he thought aloud. He fell silent, studying Ling Qi for a moment. She could not easily read his face or thoughts on the matter.
"I would consider it a personal favor," Ling Qi replied bluntly.
Bao Qian let out a huff of laughter. "Well, how can I refuse then?" He scrubbed a hand through his short hair in consternation. "I suppose I can attempt to spin it as promoting a local fashion to the regional level and go from there. Yes, that might work…" He shook his head. "In any case, let us discuss our main business, and then we can discuss the logistics of Miss… Hanyi's performances. How much ash can Sir Zhengui produce in a week?"
"Many, many wheelbarrows when the food is good," Gui announced proudly. Ling Qi wondered how he knew that.
"Is that so?" Bao Qian asked, recovering his grin.
***
They continued to speak for several hours as the sun crawled toward the horizon, hashing out the many, many details of delivering the product, and sales percentages and other things that left Ling Qi feeling tired out. Even then it paled in comparison to the needs of setting things up for hanyi. How many songs she would compose for the initial run, and by what deadline, and the subject matter of the melodies and on and on.
In the end, they worked out what Ling Qi thought was a fairly good deal. Bao Qian would pay her five green stones for one months worth of Zhengui's ash, to be collected at her expense. Bao Qian would keep the profits from the first month's sale. For each month following he would provide one green stone for the ash, but also split the profits of the sale with her, fifty five parts to forty five in her favor.
Hanyi's situation was a less clear cut. It would take some time for him to 'promote' her and receive significant sales. She would give him two green stones, taken from Zhengui's end of the deal to help cover the material costs of the first run, and they would split the initial sales, sixty to forty in Hanyi's favor. They would renegotiate at the end of the year when the situation became more clear.
She could end either contract without penalty, but there would be a three month grace period from the point of cancelation.
+3 Green Stones.
Ling Qi leaned back in her seat with a sigh as they finally hashed out the last of the contract language. It all looked fair to Ling Qi, but all the same she was going to ask Cai Renxiang to review it before she signed her name. A slight advantage in cultivation he might have, but she trusted her liege to cut through any legal deception like a sword through paper.
Hanyi and Zhengui had made a valiant effort to stay interested and engaged, but after the second hour she had excused them to go have a little ramble through the local woods.
"Best get used to this sort of thing," Bao Qian chuckled, carefully folding his copy of the contract before vanishing it into storage with a flick of his wrist. "Such is life for those of us who choose to remain engaged with the world."
"Never before have I heard such a strong argument for going hermit," Ling Qi replied dryly, her eyes on the darkening sky. "We'll reconvene in two days to sign things then?"
"As the lady wishes," Bao Qian agreed. He stood up and bent backwards, eliciting a sharp crack from his spine as he stretched. Ling Qi kept her eyes fixed upward. "You know there was a more personal matter I wanted to question you about."
Ling Qi tilted her head back down slightly. "And what might that be?"
"It is my cousin," Bao Qian said with a frown. "She approached me the other day to acquire some seafoam jade, and wouldn't tell me what sort of project she was working on."
"Is that really strange? Your cousin is very private," Ling Qi asked carefully. An idea germinated in her mind.
Sixiang giggled girlishly in her head. Ling Qi kept her expression straight.
"No, I suppose that is not particularly strange, though she is usually proud enough to brag with a bit of prodding," Bao Qian mused. "No, her demeanor was just… strange. She seemed very pleased, but not in the usual sort of vindictive or superior way, if you understand."
Ling Qi pressed her lips together in a thin line and definitely didn't blush. "I can't say."
He eyed her suspiciously, and she looked blandly back. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't pry," he grumbled. "In any case. Could I interest you in accompanying me to dinner tonight Miss Ling?"
Ling Qi blinked, suddenly off balance in an entirely different way. On the one hand she didn't want to outright refuse given their recent negotiation, but on the other hand, she still wasn't sure she wanted to do something like that. Despite having spoken with him for some time now she still wasn't entirely sure she had a handle on Bao Qian.
Ling Qi opened her mouth to respond and…
[] Carefully accepted. She had to begin dialing down her discomfort somewhere. [Potentially, Information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi uncomfortable, potentially negative outcome.]
[] Blurted out a request to spar instead, that helped cultivators understand each other, right?! [Lesser information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi spared a bad time]
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
yes yes yes, itshappening.gif
[] Carefully accepted. She had to begin dialing down her discomfort somewhere. [Potentially, Information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi uncomfortable, potentially negative outcome.]
This is more interesting, whichever way it goes.
wow, the Bao Qian NegaQuesters must have had some sort of civil war.
[] Blurted out a request to spar instead, that helped cultivators understand each other, right?! [Lesser information and improved relationship with Bao Qian, Ling Qi spared a bad time]
I think this is more in character right now. We can take it slow and stuff. Besides already ate this week. Don't want to be one of those people that eat frequently.
I think this is more in character right now. We can take it slow and stuff. Besides already ate this week. Don't want to be one of those people that eat frequently.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
Way to go Meizhen!
On the subject of the definitely-a-date, both options sound kinda hilarious. For us. Poor Ling Qi. Hard to pick what I want here.
On the subject of the definitely-a-date, both options sound kinda hilarious. For us. Poor Ling Qi. Hard to pick what I want here.
