Falling Lotus: The butterfly flaps.
 

The village of Quiamo was a pastel of swirling yellows, blues, and greens. Unfortunately enough, the village was the first village that wasn't a military garrison at the intersecting borders of Mikalo's lands, and the Ogre Kingdoms. As such, it was razed roughly once a year.

Horribly enough, the people had adapted to it. The reason they kept coming back was because the great Blue Dragon river ran through the village. According to legend, that river granted healing unto whoever desired peace. Whether or not this was true didn't matter. It was a sign of hope and promise for the besieged people.

Because of the need to keep spirits high as crops failed, or people died, the people of Quiamo held monthly festivals full of games and activities for children and adults alike. Amazingly enough, the festivals had never been destroyed during an attack, so it had become a sign of safety for its people.

However, one man in a blue robe was fully intending to change that. Silently, he looked over the people, and slipped into actual nothingness. A small breeze accompanied this...

Yenchin strode into the village. No breeze followed him, but the clamour of people making merry and having a good time filled the air around him like a cloud.

It was so rare to find mirth and gaiety in the kingdom these days. The oppressive rule of King Mikalo had seen to that. Yet these people tried. And even though most of them might simply have taken it as a brief distraction from the drudgery of life, he saw true joy in the eyes of the children.

They would learn in time. She was a harsh mistress. But for now, Time and reality were content to let these young ones be...

Yun Sung Kim had hired a room at the local inn the night before, having become weary from travel. She was nomadic, walked were ever the winds took her, letting the pull of destiny lead her along her path. She had never actually been to the Village before, but had heard of the monthly festivals it held and this had attracted her here. It was a rarity that celebrations went unmolested, and the tale of Quaimo had spread from mouth to ear, to mouth - finally resting in Yun's own ears and of course, her interest.

She had spent the day mainly watching the preparations, even lending a hand. The atmosphere was fresh, alive - hope dancing around in it's graceful, peaceful essence. It gave Yun much joy. Black hair, tied in bunches, caught a slight breeze, sending shivers down the young woman's spine, and in reaction to this Yun turned to look in a seemingly random direction - her dark, almond-shaped eyes glancing around. She was currently in the village square, already in the clothes she had chosen to wear for the festival... her usual, since she didn't actually have anything fancy. Thinking little for the breeze that whispered to her, Yun continued helping an old woman out with hanging ribbons, tying her end onto a long, vertical pole.

Xu drank his fill as he watched the activities. He liked this place, but hated the history. Still, a place such as this, where despair and hope shared equal parts of the same estate, was a symbol for...something. This mindset seemed to breed nice looking girls though.

"Excuse me maam, but might I intrude on your times to participate in a dance?" Xu bowed, holding an expectant hand. His tessen jangled on his hips.

The girl accepted the offer to dance with a giggle.

Lee was overwatching the entire situation. It was...calming. Suddenly, all the war, hate, and turmoil that had engulfed what seemed to be the world were meaningless. When it came down to it...this. This was what mattered. This was what was desired.

Lee balanced his masamune against a log and went over to get himself some rice. Say what you will, but everyone needs to eat.

Yenchin adjusted his cap and its accompanying pigtail as he walked amongst the villagers. He hadn't been to a village in a long time; his duties at the court had seen to that.

There was no way to compare the two. The palace, with its stone floors, lush gardens, and omnipresent handmaidens... and its treachery, scheming and politicking. THen you had the village, which stank of burning smoke and dung, which had dirt and mud everywhere. But the people were a simple one, without guile or deception. What they knew was work. They had to fight the land with every ounce of their strength to press the crops from it, and they had no time to lie and deceive like their wealthier brethren.

Somehow, Yenchin preferred the village more.

He noticed a striking young lady help an older woman with tying a ribbon onto a tall pole. He glanced down at his not-inconsiderable height and walked over.

"Hello, ladies. Do you need a hand?"

Yun finished with the bow, testing it's strength before smiling at the old woman who she had helped, before turning to confront the male voice. She bowed politely before replying, noting his finer clothing and clean smell. This meant little to her, she couldn't tell if he was a stranger, like her to the village - or something else. It wasn't her business anyway and she didn't want to invite trouble by asking.

"No, thank you sir - although if the woman I am helping wishes for more assistance...?"

She turned to glance at the old woman, her question trying to motivate her to respond. Yun was happy to help further, although - it seemed like most of the preparations were done with. The biggest clue being, people were beginning to dance and drink.

Sato tried to dance. It just didn't feel right. First, he wasn't trying to kill the one he was dancing with. Second, he wasn't dancing with swords. He told the girl he was with, "Excuse me, I'll be just a second."

Overall, the festival was a great time. This village reminded him of a town he was once in. He didn't quite remember what happened to it, but it probably didn't matter much if he forgot. Sato realized that he wasn't having a good enough time if he wasn't focused on the party. He realized that he wasn't having a good enough time if he was at a festival and came to realizations about things.

The girl he was dancing with was pretty cute. He got another drink and gave dancing another shot.

Lee was smiling and chuckling under his breath as he ate his small bowlful of rice. Seeing this...happiness was a shocking reminder of what he wanted to save. It seemed to re-energize his spirit, and give him new direction.

Suddenly, the music died off and a few people gasped. There was a single horse running into the village. On it's back were two people.

One was obviously dead, as several axes and swords were driven clean through him, like they had just been sprayed. The other was panting frantically and missing an arm.

"THE OGRES! THEY'RE PREPARING! We were just tending our fields...a-a-and one of their scouts used those cannons loaded with weapons to try to kill us! Th-th-th-they seem to b-b-be waiting for someone to give them a sign to-to-to attack. Oh gods, please s-s-save us!"

Weary from bloodloss, the man fell off of his horse, which was shaking with exhaustion.

Silently, Lee grabbed his masamune. Ogres? He could deal with that. It was who was giving them the order that worried him.

Yenchin wiped the amiable expression off his face. He stalked up to the man, pulling up his sleeves and turning him over, onto his back. The stump was leaking blood like a fountain, bathing Yenchin's hands in crimson. With expert precision, his fingers went into Sipping Tea, and he pinched the subclavian artery shut.

"Where did they come from? Talk to me, man!"