The Travels Of Xiang, Episode 17

It had been a few days since Xiang started her journey to the next town or village.  The town was in sight.  It was business as usual, except for the fact that Chika was in tow.

As Xiang was staying at Chika's house in the last town, Chika made it known she was going on an adventure.  Xiang told her she was going to resume her own adventure, so Chika decided to tag along for a few days.  Part of the reason was to have some friendly conversation, but for the most part, they just happened to be headed in the same direction.

"My, my, this has been a rather exciting two days, has it not?" Chika asked.

It was nice to not be walking alone for a change.  "I guess it was," Xiang answered.

"Shall we spend some time together in town before parting ways?" Chika asked.

"That would be nice."

After about an hour or so, they entered the town.  What should they do now?  What would Chika want to do?

"We should go to the bathhouse and wash off all the grime of our long journey before we do anything else?" Chika suggested.

Xiang lifted her arms and took a quick sniff of each armpit.  "Yeah.  Good Idea."

They made there way to the bathhouse for a bath.  It was anything but relaxing as women swarmed Chika, trying to touch her and asking questions about her skin.  It got so bad, Xiang had to stand in between her and the handsy crowd.  Eventually, everyone left and they were able to get some quiet time in the bath.

Once they finished bathing and getting dressed, Chika suggested they get something to eat.  They wound up going to a food booth and getting beef skewers.  Xiang rarely ate meat, so she savored the taste.

After that, Chika wanted to go see a play.  So they went to a theatre to take in a show called The Dragon And Her Bodyguard.  The characters seemed familiar to them.

They did various things after that to cram the day with fun.  Eventually, night fell.  They knew what time it was.

"I must say, it has been a while since I have had so much fun," Chika said.  She bowed.  "I am glad I met you, Xiang Wenling."

Xiang bowed as well.  "Maybe we'll meet again someday."  Then, as she returned to an upright position, she saw a familiar person drunkenly staggering past about ten feet behind Chika.

It was a middle-aged man of Tzezhange origin, like Xiang herself.  He was average height, dressed in the loose, light blue garment of a Tzezhange monk.  He had graying facial hair, but despite not having any last time she saw him, there couldn't be any denying who he was.  "Master?"

"Hey now, there is no need to call me that," Chika said.  "We are friends and equals."

Xiang called out as if she hadn't heard her.  "Master!"

The man shook his head as if recovering from a strike to the head and looked her way.  If he was drunk, he immediately sobered up upon seeing her.

She hopped up and down, waving.  "It's me, master!  Xiang Wenling!"

He looked away and bolted.

"Huh?"  She hadn't expected that.

"Do you know that man?" Chika asked.

"He's my defense arts instructor, Master Tsu," Xiang answered.  "I haven't seen him in four years.  He clearly recognized me.  I wonder why he ran away."

Chika took a guess.  "Knowing what I know of you, I find it hard to believe, but perhaps he thought you were a bad student."

That couldn't be true.  Could it?  Xiang gave chase.  "Master!  Wait!"

They weaved their way through crowds.  Tsu would occasionally look back, a look of fear on his face each time he did.  What had she done to receive such looks from him.  "Why are you running away, master?"

Xiang was fast, but she couldn't catch up with him.  Despite this, he started throwing down obstacles.  A broom here, a trash can there, nothing that would cause damage to anything.  "Why are you acting like this?  Can you hear me?  Master?"

Apparently still feeling the effects of whatever he may or may not have been drinking, he would up tumbling head over heels, crashing to the ground.  Not wanting to let this opportunity pass her, she quickly caught up and pinned him to the ground.  "You're dead!" she shouted.  Tears started to well up in her eyes.  "You mysteriously vanish four years ago, leaving me with nothing but worries and a broken technique.  Then, you ran from me when I tried to greet you.  You are so dead."

"Get off of me, you stupid girl!" he said with slurred speech.

"No, because you're going to run," she said.  "I want answers..."  She softened.  "So please...promise you won't run.  That's the only way I'll let you up."

Some patrolmen came.  "Is everything alright over here?"

"It's okay," Xiang answered.  "We know each other."

"I don't know this trollop," Tsu barked, trying to wriggle free.

Xiang gasped.  "Master..."

Chika finally caught up.  Hunched over, she panted, "My nose does not lie...but that man does.  I do not know the cause of this disturbance...but it is true that they know each other."

"A dragon lady," one of the patrolmen said.  "A dragon of knowledge hybrid if I'm not mistaken.  If your nose is the one speaking, we can trust you.  Still, we can't let people get into brawls in the street."

"I just want to talk to him," Xiang said.  "I have so many questions I want to ask.  I'm just making sure he doesn't run."

"I smell no lies coming from her," Chika said.

"Well...isn't this quite the predicament I find myself in?" Tsu said.  "Pinned to the ground by a crying girl and exposed by a dragon girl.  Fine, we can talk.  Just give me a chance to sober up.  I won't run."

Xiang looked to Chika, who nodded her confirmation.

"It seems we're not needed, then," a patrolman said.  "Carry on."

Xiang got off of Tsu.

He got up and dusted himself off.  "Let's go somewhere a little more private.  From there, I'll answer any questions you have."

"That's fine," Xiang said.  "I'd like you to come along for obvious reasons, Chika."

Chika nodded.  "Yes.  I'll do it."

The Travels Of Xiang, Episode 16

After Xiang dropped off her clothes at the cloth cleaner, she and Chika went to a restaurant for a meal.  All eyes were on them as soon as they stepped in.  Perhaps because of who Chika was, they did not have to wait to be seated as a greeter welcomed them the moment they stepped in and guided them to a table.

A waiter arrived within seconds.  "Welcome back, milady," the waiter said to Chika.  "Will you have your usual?"

Chika nodded.  "I would like that very much."

"And you, young lady?" he asked her.

Xiang flipped through the menu until she saw it.  "Vegetable soup and a biscuit, please."

"Very well."  Then off he went.

Looking at Chika, she saw her giving her the biggest smile.  "Seeing me must really make your day.  Am I someone important and haven't realized it yet?"

"No," Chika answered.  "I would not say you're important or special, per se.  If I had to use a word to describe you, it would be...refreshing."

"Refreshing?"

Chika nodded.  "You see, I have been on a number of adventures.  No matter where I went or who I talked to, there was always...a smell.  The stench of lies.  Merchants lied while attempting to sell me products.  Adventurers lied while talking about their exploits.  People lied to their spouses about what they had been doing on a particular.  There was always at least a faint smell.  But you are different.  You smell nice."

Xiang was curious.  "Can you really smell lies?"

"You doubt me?" Chika asked.  "Surely you do not think this purple skin is just for show, do you?  In my veins pumps the blood of a dragon.  A dragon of knowledge, to be precise."

She had heard of those.  They were docile dragons with vast knowledge and the abiltity to speak the human language.  It's said that they're fiery breath doesn't burn, but fill the target with knowledge instead.  They are rare, but easily identified by they're purple scales.  "I see.  So you know all kinds of stuff."

Chika shook her head.  "Not necessarily.  I do have the experience of many adventure and have acquired a vast amount of knowledge through books, but I am no more intelligent than a well-educated human.  The only things I have inherited from my dragon parent is my skin and my sense of smell.  My ability to smell is quite a bit more limited than that of a dragon of knowledge, however.  I cannot tell exactly what a person is lying about without doing a little prying.  Depending on the strength of the smell, though, I can judge how great the atrocity they are lying about, how recently the lie was told, and whether or not the person feels regret for the lie."  She clasped her hands and flashed Xiang that same smile from earlier.  "That is where you come in.  You smell so pure, it is almost as if you have never told a lie.  As I said before, your smell is refreshing."

Xiang was starting to get embarrassed.  "It's not like I've never lied.  I'm only human, after all.  But growing up, the only thing lying got me was a good whuppin'.  I guess I learned to just stop doing it.  I think it's been...maybe ten years since I've told a lie.  My legs twitch in anticipation of being hit with a switch every time I even think about it."

Chika sighed.  "The sweet, sweet smell of the truth.  What a wonderful thing."  There was a brief silence before she continued.  "You seem to be new in town.  If you are just passing through, I would be glad to provide you with lodgings at my home for a night or two.  No charge, of course."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you're a good person," Chika answered.  "Good people deserve to be rewarded.  At least that's what I think.  Having been on a number of adventures, I can say that not enough people have that mindset.  I am striving to be one of them."

She could live with that.  "Thank you."

Then, the waiter brought their food.

"Now, shall we enjoy our meal?" Chika asked.

The Travels Of Xiang, Episode 15

It had been a few days since she left had left Jerik's village.  She would always remember the fond memories and friendships she had built during her time there.  They even sent her off with food and a spare set of clothes.  There were plenty of tears on both sides.

Now, those memories seemed so far away as she ran through the gates of a large city, soaked with rain.  It started coming hard and heavy a mere half hour from town, forcing her to run for what felt like her life.  She could handle cold and even a little rain.  But when it came down in buckets, she felt disgusting.

She look to the patrolmen on either side of the gate.  "Bathhouse please."

One of them pointed down the road.  "Go down fifteen buildings, then turn left.  It's eight buildings down that road, on the left."

She thanked him and made her way there.  It was right where he said it would be.  She couldn't wait to get out of the rain, out of those wet clothes, and into a warm bath.  She bolted in quickly.

There stood a smiling greeter just on the other side of the door.  Bowing, she asked, "Enjoying sunshine today?"

Xiang half-laughed to hide the fact that she wasn't really in a joking mood.  "Very much so," she said, playing along to keep up appearances.  "Anyway, what are your rates?"

After some talking with the staff, she was able to get in the bath.  She was alone completely alone.  It was relaxing.

She spent an hour in the bath before heading to the locker room.  Her regular clothes were still quite wet.  She'd have to take them to a cloth washer to make them wearable again.  This was a great opportunity for her to see the outfit Gwen gave her.  She reached into her bag and pulled out another bag which contained the clothes.  It would be her first time laying eyes on it.  With that in mind, she reached in grabbed some cloth, and carefully pulled it out.  Then, she unfolded it.

It was a white pair of pants with a dark blue dragon design stitched into the right leg.  The design wrapped around the leg like a snake and rose from the ankle all the way to the hip.  "It must have taken forever to make this."  It almost brought her to tears thinking about the effort Gwen must have put in.

It felt like there was still more.  It must have been a shirt to go with the pants.  Reaching in and pulling it out, she saw it was, in fact, a shirt.  Like the pants, it was white with a dragon motif.  This time it was a pair of dragons, starting at the back of the hip on each side and wrapping around, stopping at the top of the shoulder.  Gwen really was talented with a sewing needle.

When she finally put the outfit on, she was even more impressed.  It was a perfect fit.  She didn't remember being measured at any point during her stay in the village.  Had Gwen been able to tailor her an outfit using only her eyes?  She should open her own business.

After looking herself over in the mirror, she packed up her usual outfit, stepped into her boots, and headed out.  The rain had let up a great deal, but it was still falling at a steady clip.  "No.  Gwen's outfit could get dirty."  She whipped out the bag the outfit came in, ripped out some holes for her head and arms, and put it on.  Then, she rolled up her pant legs to just below the knees.  Now she was ready to head out.

She walked a few blocked before she came across a man in tatters sitting in front of a shop.  He was holding out a cup, possibly begging for change without actually begging.  She couldn't look away from him, but not because she felt sympathy.  It was because she couldn't shake the fact that he looked familiar.  Where had she seen him before?

Then, he looked up at her and squinted, almost as if he knew her, too.  He stood and leaned in, giving her a closer look.  A look of anger gradually came across his face as he reared back the arm with the cup.  "You!  You ruined my life!"  He flung the cup at her.

She dodged the cup with a side step.  She then blocked an incoming punched from the man, grabbed his arm, and flipped him to the ground.  She sat on his chest, keeping his arms down by kneeling on them, and threatened to rain down punches.  "Explain yourself.  What is this madness?"

"Don't pretend like you don't remember me, you piece of crap!" he exclaimed.  "I lost everything because of you!  Musciani kicked me out of the gang and I had to leave town!"

Musciani?  She knew that name.  Rosalie's parents kept talking about him when she rescued her.  She remembered who he was now.  "You're that thug who dragged that girl into the ally.  It seems as if you've fallen on hard times.  It serves you right.  She was just a kid.  She didn't deserve the things you were going to do to her."

"Get off me, turd!" he grumbled.

"Not until you give me one good reason I shouldn't punch your face in," she shot back.  "I still owe you the thrashing of a lifetime."

A couple of patrolmen wandered over.  "Okay, what's the problem here?"

"This maggot ruined my life!" the thug shouted.

She wasn't going to take responsibility for that.  "When you do bad things, these are the results you get.  You made the decision to get involved with that shady character.  You also made the decision to take advantage of that little girl.  You deserve at least this much, scum."

The patrolmen looked at each other, confused.  "Okay, young lady, get off him," one of them said.  "We're going to settle this with facts, logic, intellect, and common sense."

She grumbled, but complied.

Once the thug got to his feet he started for her, but calmed down when one of the patrolmen stood between them.

"Are there any witnesses to this dispute?" one of the patrolmen asked out loud to no one in particular.

A person came forward.  "I don't know what led up to it, but that man stood up, shouted at that young lady, and threw a cup at her.  Then she turn the tables on him and took him to the ground.  That's all I know."  Other people corroborated the story.

"So what's all this about ruining someone's life," a patrolmen asked, looking at the thug.  Then, looking at Xiang, he asked, "And what a little girl and a shady character have to do with it?"

"It's quite simple, Xiang said.  "I was in another city when I caught him abusing a little girl, so I did what any sane person would and made him stop.  Apparently his boss didn't like it and chased him out of town."

The thug grumbled but couldn't come up with a good rebuttal.  Eventually, he decided to say, "You and your lies!  Shut up!"

"No," she retorted.  "You shut up."

Suddenly, a soothing female voice said, "Silence, everyone."

The patrolmen turn to where the voice came from and stood at attention.  "Milady," the both said.

Xiang looked to see who it was.  Sauntering toward them was a woman wearing a cloak with a hood covering her head.  Aside from that cloak, the woman was almost stark naked, with an outfit that amounted to little more than a bra, panties, and knee-high boots, all made of leather.  Despite her near-nudity, she had an air of dignity about her, like royalty.

Her most striking feature, however, was her light purple skin.  It didn't appear to be paint or some other trick.  It was alluring.  Xiang couldn't take her eyes off of her.

It wasn't just her.  Everyone was entranced by her.

The woman met her eyes with a smile.  "Do you see something you like?"

Was she talking to her?  Xiang shook her head to pull herself out of whatever came over her.  "No..."

The woman turned to the patrolmen.  "I take it there is a dispute of some kind."

"Yes, milady," they said.

"I figured as much," she said.  Then she sniffed the air.  "The foul stench of lies is in the air."  She looked at the thug.  "It's coming from you.  The odor is so foul...what atrocities are you trying to hide to generate such a smell?"

Xiang raised her hand.  "He's an idiot who tried to abuse a little girl."

"That's crud!" the thug barked.

"Ugh..." the woman moaned, dropping to her knees.  "The stench is so strong.  Please, stop lying.  Try as you might, you can't fool my nose.  And my nose does not lie."

He raised his fist and walked toward the lady.  "This is a load of-"

The patrolmen blocked his path with their spears.  "If you think you're going to get away with that, you're sorely mistake, insect," one of them said.

"Take him away," the woman said with a dismissive wave, not looking at him.

"Yes, milady," the patrolmen said.

After a short scuffle, they dragged him away and disappeared into an alley as he swore the whole time.  Cursing turned to screams of pain and pleas for mercy as Xiang could only assume he was taking a thrashing.  She didn't feel sorry for him.  Judging from what she knew of him, he had it coming.

The woman shook her head as if recovering from a devastating blow.  Then she stood and looked at Xiang.  "You there, young lady."

She didn't know what to expect.  "Yes?"

"You interest me.  I'd like you to join me for a meal."

This probably wasn't the time for a joke, but she couldn't resist.  "I'm not going to get dragged into an alley and beaten if I refuse, am I?"

The woman laughed.  "Of course not.  I suppose it would put you at ease if I introduced myself."  She bowed.  "My name is Chika Tsukihara, daughter of this city's mayor.  And you are?"

Xiang decided to bow as well.  "Xiang Wenling of Shao Village."

"Now that introductions are over, shall we go enjoy that meal?"