and remember, no matter where you go, there you are

[patration]

Spring had started to fall upon Eastern Wu again, rain showers washing away the dark soot of war, weighing down clouds of smoke until they rinsed away from the banks. In its wake, grass grew tall again, stretching toward the sky above, pleasant underneath Zhuge's feet as he walked toward Zhou Yu's land, no longer a stranger. When the soft whistle

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[a_royal_bastard]

Alistair had come to understand the box often gave people fairly strange clothing. Even knowing that, however, the man he came across certainly stood out, to say the least. Head tilting, he decided there was no harm in saying hello and approached.

"Greetings," he spoke, offering the stranger a friendly smile. Duncan sat beside him when he came to a stop, though he seemed more interested in the horse than the man.

[patration]

The caramel-colored foal had never seen the likes of a dog before, pampered as the creature was, kept under close watch at the order of the Grand Viceroy's wife, and so Meng Meng protested with a light whinny, nose nestling in Zhuge's sleeve. Immediately, Zhuge reached out to comfort the young horse, running a palm along the side of her neck, although his gaze rested curiously on the man who had appeared in front of him. Zhuge had yet to determine the cause for the sudden change in scenery, and having a foreigner appear in front of him was only an added point of confusion, his head canting and eyes watchful.

"I don't think there's a need to worry," he assured Meng Meng, giving her neck one last gentle pat.

And, as he was unable to recognize the language which the other man used, Zhuge could only think of one proper course of action. Smiling, he held both hands in front of him, then offered a polite bow.

[a_royal_bastard]

The words he spoke to his horse was nothing Alistair had ever heard before. Still, he bowed in response to the one directed at him. It dawned on him only after, when he didn't say anything, that maybe that language he didn't recognize was the only one he knew.

"Do you understand me?" he asked, slowly, gesturing toward himself as he did. If he didn't, well, the question wasn't going to be answered, period. But at least he'd still know.

[patration]

Zhuge watched closely, respectfully, as his hands came to rest in front of him, folded there and empty save for Meng Meng's reins. In his country, it was a sign for detente, an almost aggressive way of showing that one had no ill intentions at hand. Normally, most people kept their hands hidden under their long sleeves, but Zhuge decided that with a foreigner, and one that did not speak his language, it was best to behave practically. Behaving as though he had a weapon concealed somewhere- which he did not- only stood a chance of inviting conflict. His lips, too, turned up in a smile, amused as Zhuge was by the language barrier that stood between himself and the other man.

It was like trying to solve a puzzle, perhaps even blindfolded.

His eyes rested on the hands of that golden-haired man, brow knit slightly in consideration. Next, Zhuge looked up to meet his gaze, and slowly shook his head, his smile widening.

"If you're asking me if I speak your tongue, I'm afraid I do not," he replied lightly, more to mimic spoken conversation

[poison_lipstick]

Xander was doing work with the building crew, and Saffron was all caught up on the books, so she decided to head over to the waterfall and take a dip, something she hadn't done in a while on account of her recent long recovery. Her bikini on, white sarong tied around her waist, she grabbed her wide-brimmed straw hat and beach towel and headed over there, anticipating the wonderful feel of the water on her skin.

What she wasn't expecting was a strangely dressed man with what had to be the most precious foal she'd seen in a long time. She walked up just in time to hear him speak - Chinese, a much older dialect than what she spoke, but Saffron wasn't concerned about her ability to communicate with him. "Ni hao," she said, giving the man a friendly smile.

[patration]

Although the footfalls were quiet, Zhuge had heard the approach of the other person, one that immediately caused him to tense about the shoulders. They said that the war was over, but the problem with war was that it left further skirmishes more likely in its wake. War destroyed, it resulted in loss, and the void that it thus left behind needed to be filled somehow. There weren't many people in the world who would have harmed Zhuge as he was then, too valuable, too knowledgeable, but there were times when the man felt that capture would have been worse than death. He slowly turned his gaze, brow furrowing at the unfamiliar accent, before his eyes widened upon seeing the woman there

[poison_lipstick]

The term he used in greeting served to immediately put him on Saffron's good side, and her smile deepened briefly. He was definitely an interesting guy, she could tell that right away, and not just because he was accompanied by a strange menagerie of birds and a horse. She glanced upward as David swooped in; he perched on a nearby branch with a soft squawk when she held up a hand.

"You're more out of your way than you realize, I'm afraid," she replied. "This is an island, where people are brought without warning from all places and times. We call it Tabula Rasa - the blank slate."

[patration]

Dark brown eyes briefly looked over toward the new bird swooping in, Zhuge brushing a hand off his shoulder, under his pigeons settled more readily on his person- one on each shoulder, and another on the headdress. To others, it probably looked comical. To Zhuge, it was the only way he could properly look after them. The birds were trained to be docile, readily handled by people, even strangers, in case the chancellor didn't have the opportunity to introduce the recipients to his feathered friends first. On a practical level, Zhuge already had enough reason to protect them. But he had come to care for them as well, as he did any of his animals, as companions rather than servants or even pets

[endlessdel]

She tilted her head, closing her eyes as she let the words wash over her. The mortals here mostly spoke English but Delight was made before language was ever created, she came into being before time had begun and it seemed like such a long time since she had heard that precise language. Delirium had come later but they were both constructs of humanity, they both understood him perfectly.

"Hello, you are far from home." Del replied greeting the man cheerily. Del looked at him with a smile before clasping her fingers tightly together. "Oh, oh birds. Hello."

[patration]

Listening for sounds through the steady splash of a waterfall was no easy task. Indeed, Zhuge hadn't even tried at first, too preoccupied with staring at the scene that was laid in front of him, the foliage looking unfamiliar, even the hue of the sky different to his eyes. He glanced at the clouds above, tracking their movement, wetting the tip of a finger and testing the direction of the winds; all of that told him that this was no trick, that unless he was caught in a dream with imagery as sharp as reality itself, he was far from Hebei. It was marvelous, if also frightening to the bone, dark brown eyes only momentarily distracted by the flapping of wings about his head as the birds, at least, decided to make themselves at home. They'd never been as shy as Meng Meng- carrier pigeons couldn't be

[endlessdel]

In the outside world whenever she met a human, whenever the Endless met a human their bodies would adjust to their idea of who they should be. This body was what someone, somewhere had thought her to be combined with who she actually was. Every day she expected to change and everyday it remained the same. Unchanging.

"Yes, I have an idea. Hmm... My sister likes birds. She feeds them sometimes with my brother but never me." Del said extending her hand out gently. Del wondered if they would come to her, their gentle feathers like the air on her skin. That would be nice. "There are two paths, they are the same path and you are on both of them. Here and there at the same time."

Del hummed a soft tune, unfocused and quiet for a moment before she turned her attention back to home. "You're on an island called Tabula Rasa. That means Blank Slate. And you are also at your home. Two paths... I am Del."

[patration]

Her words were strangely beautiful. Not in an intellectual way, not so much with purpose, but in that the thoughts seemed to flow naturally. She wasn't weighed down by niceties, honorifics, all of that which they were taught to use as officials, members of the upper class. And while Zhuge wouldn't have followed in her footsteps, fond of the language as he was, he could admire her words for what they were. Open. Unprotected. Honest, but without any skein of logic that he could yet find.

Almost like a riddle.

Zhuge, on his part, was rather fond of riddles. His hand stroked at his beard thoughtfully as he ran through her words again. Birds didn't seem to have much to do with the core of what she had to say. Two paths, though, that was important. Here and there, all at once. An impossibility.

"But there is only one of me," he said then, tapping his thumb against his chin. "Thus, unless Tabula Rasa is now to become my home, that shouldn't be possible. I've walked many paths, but until my feet are capable of separating, I can only walk

[goingtodorking]

ShorHor was staring at the horse. The horse was quite little, but ShorHor was considerably smaller still, even though he was fully grown. Even though he was wearing trainers. ShorHor stood his ground, and started at the small-big horse.

If he'd had eyebrows, he'd have raised them.

[patration]

In all of Zhuge's life, he was pretty sure that he'd never seen a horse quite so small. The way that the creature ambled along seemed to suggest age, and the proportions of the horse weren't those of a newborn foal like Meng Meng had been, so he could only assume that this was a vastly different breed of horse, perhaps one indigenous to their new surroundings. While not a naturalist, Zhuge was still curious enough about the newcomer that he folded his fan, tucking it into his sleeve, and approached the small creature. Meng Meng was a little more hesitant.

"It looks like a new friend has come to greet us," he said to his foal, although his smile was reserved for the smaller animal. "Hello there, noble horse. What fine footwear you have. You must have a master that cares for you very deeply."

Made nervous by the sight of her master's back retreating, Meng Meng hurried behind, poking her head out from behind Zhuge, and giving a small whinny in greeting.

[goingtodorking]

Karen watched from a few feet away and ShorHor watched the man. He wasn't smiling, ShorHor wasn't but, even if he could have, he probably wouldn't have. It was hard being ShorHor.

"He's a very small horse," said Karen, quietly. "He's even smaller than your horse."

[patration]

It was a child. Zhuge felt the smile gradually fade from his face. He had no aversion to children, and in fact had always gotten along well with the younger generation back in his home village, the home he returned to whenever war was at bay. But children were never far from their parents or the fences around their home, never left unattended, for the fear that anything should happen to them. Not everyone in the country was kind, nor could everyone afford to be, and children on their own were a valuable asset to hold hostage.

Perhaps such was not the same for foreigners, but Zhuge could hardly imagine a parent who did not care for his or her child. Even the emperor, with his dozens of children, still cared for them more than he did any other of his subjects.

He crouched then, his hands only folding together briefly- in case the girl's parents should arrive at any moment and mistake him for a man without manners- before he met her gaze directly, from roughly eye-level.

"Xian mei," he said quietly, properly addressing the young girl

[lastof_five]

Of things Helen had seen on the island both common and uncommon, the man in formal Chinese dress leading a foal was among the stranger. Still, people came to the island in all shapes, sizes and nationalities and Helen gave him a wide smile, catching just a few words of what he spoke. Chinese, it seemed, but older and more formal.

"Ni hao," she greeted, tilting her head a little at the horse. "Are you new here?"

[patration]

Most of what Zhuge had accomplished in his life was simply by listening. He had learned, over the years, that at times what one could learn from even more than debate, than standing one's ground in an altercation, was falling silent. Keeping one's senses attuned. They were traits that would have made for a poor soldier, indeed, but for someone who stood well behind the front line to advise, such a skill was crucial. Zhuge could estimate the strength of an army simply by holding his ear close to the ground, closing his eyes, feeling how great the shudders of the earth were under his feet. He could sense how long a wind would last, simply by its howl

[lastof_five]

"I'm afraid you're far from there," Helen said gently, wondering how to explain to this man about the island and the way it operated. It was overwhelming even to someone with knowledge of technology and an open mind to believe in the unbelievable but she'd never had to explain it to someone seemingly-normal.

There was nothing for it, though, and if he spoke nothing other than his native language, it was her duty to explain this place to him as best she could before he encountered others who wouldn't be able to communicate.

"You are on an island. Magic, some say. Do you have magic where you're from?"

[patration]

Having walked a fairly long way, Zhuge saw fit now to approach the side of the waterfall, where there were a number of large boulders, smoothed down on the surface. He assumed that the place was a common meeting ground for the people of the area; the water did not quite fall far enough to erode the surface of the rocks to such a smooth state. People could, however. People could take down entire mountains if they saw fit, could stem the flow of rivers- for all that Zhuge respected nature, he knew that not all others did. For the moment, it simply served to make a decent seat.

"Pardon me," he said with a good-natured smile, "the weary traveler needs to rest."

But rest he didn't quite, not holistically, still having a question of hers that he needed to answer. His fan closed with a snap, was slipped into his sleeve. "Does magic not exist in all places? Do miracles not happen when we least expect them? The inexplicable, forces beyond our understanding, these occur everywhere, with startling regularity."