#marshalprotector

"L-Lord Liu Bei??  I must admit my surprise at seeing you here and asking such things, but I shall do my best to answer!

"Gongxu is quite honestly my most cherished friend.  We grew up and defined our dreams together, and I hope for us to bring our strengths to the aid of Wu.  In a more personal light, I wish for us to share the weight of our successes and failures until we are quite old."

Fifteen: My muse removes one article of your muse’s clothing

Of course they got caught in the rain.  They had been warned about the weather before heading out, and the skies certainly didn’t look promising, accented by a moist feeling hovering in the air.  It had been three years since the two boys — now young men — had seen each other, however, and the opportunity could not be passed up to relive their formative days.

So they made their way to a clearing near Lu Kang’s current residence, moderately nostalgic of the field they used to play in near his childhood home, swords sheathed at their sides.  Before long they were transported back to their earlier days, though both had grown significantly in skill over the years.

This welcome rush of memories and adrenaline was cut short when a light drizzle began and a heavy downpour followed not ten minutes later.  Resigning themselves and filing their fun away for a more opportune time, they sheathed their weapons and ran for shelter in Youjie’s quarters.

"It really has been too long," the young lord of the Lu clan laughed, shedding himself of the outermost layers of his clothing.  He noted that they really hadn’t planned for the weather.  So eager to beat the rain, they didn’t change into anything more suitable for their endeavours or the not-so-eventual change in weather.  ”You have always bettered me at offensive swordplay, but it really is wonderful seeing how far the both of us have come.”

"W-With Princess Quan...????  But I-- hm...?"

…and two young boys are found in each other’s company under the midday sun. One, hunched over in the golden grass, toiling over a young, flexible tree branch and some horse hairs, a sturdier-looking stick to his side; the other rests underneath a tree, a tired look on his boyish features. A scroll sits in his lap, his right hand resting on the reading material. His eyes are focused elsewhere, however, as he watches his friend attentively, small fingers fiddling with a similarly-sized stick to the one by his companion.

"Ji, you’ve been working on that for so long," the latter observes. "You don’t really suppose you’ll be able to use it, do you?"

Occupied with his project, the other boy hardly looks up, a great grin upon his lips. ”Of course I do! Well, not well, anyway, but it’s a start!” His brows furrow, facial features twisting in a look of deep concentration as he carefully attempts to fasten the hairs to the top of the stick, using one foot to hold down the middle and cradling the wood between his arms, keeping it at a bend. ”I’m gonna…” Zhu Ji trails off slowly, voice tight with determination as the hairs are wound around the wood, attempting to loop and tie them in a strong knot. ”I’m gonna be a great archer like my father— Ahh!!”

The stick snaps out of his arms and to the ground, his efforts foiled. He lets out an exasperated groan, falling back into the grass dramatically and placing an arm over his eyes as a shield from the bright sun. ”That’s the fifth time! Why can’t I get it, Kang?”

The boy under the tree shakes his head and chuckles. ”You can’t make a proper bow out of something like that. The stick is too thin to even make notches in to hold the hairs in place. Besides, where did you get those from?”

Zhu Ji cranes his head backwards to look at his friend, expression lightening up. ”Nowhere special. The people at the stables were doing a mass grooming of the horses, so there were hairs everywhere. Why not use them for something useful? Or at least…” he sits up and looks at his failed work, legs sprawled. ”It would be useful, if I could just get it right. Ah, well.” The would-be mini-weaponsmith stands and pats stray dirt and grass off of himself, then places one hand on his hip as he turns to look at his companion under the tree. “‘You feeling any better?”

Lu Kang beams at the boy standing a few feet away. ”Much. Sorry, I didn’t mean to put a halt in our sparring… I suppose I’m not quite as recovered as I thought. I think I’ve rested enough, though.” A mischievous grin flashes across his face momentarily as he gently slides the scroll off of his lap and folds it up, his left hand returning to the stick at his side.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should head back and— Hey!" Ji’s words are cut short as his friend rises quickly and brandishes the stick, running forward and stopping in a neutral combative stance within arm’s length of him. Zhu Ji backs up and dips a hand to the ground fluidly, picking up the match to Lu Kang’s makeshift weapon and turning to meet him in challenge, a wide smile upon his face.

Within moments, they’re on each other, darting nimbly through the grass as the sound of wood hitting wood echoes across the field. Ji strikes forward with practiced aim, his attack deflected instinctively. He takes no time to recover, stepping forward and driving another well-aimed slash at the young Lu boy. Kang, too close to employ a similar tactic, stumbles in his footing and wobbles out of the line of attack, meekly hitting the opposing weapon on his way as he steadies himself to adopt a more defensive stance. The attacker continues, all the while honing his technique as Lu Kang defends, laughter occasionally breaking through the air.

"Someday, I’ll be the best general in the world, and you can be the master strategist, and we’ll work together to support the Emperor!" Zhu Ji declares proudly. His compeer absorbs another strike, then whirls out of the way and motions for a cease, free hand raising to wipe away the moisture on his forehead and readjust his hair.

"It’s a promise, then," Kang grins. "We shall both rise to the top, and we’ll defend and protect Wu with all of our hearts!"

Ji nods in agreement, dropping his offensive stance and stepping forward, arm moving to raise his would-be sword in the air. ”The two of us, for Wu!”