Getting A Good Look Around (Tag Anyone)

It seemed like Mulan was always off exploring off on her own these days, which Ping had no problem with. He was usually busy with body-guarding duties anyway. But he actually had some time off for once, so he decided to make good use of it and explore the town. He wasn't sure where Mulan was, so he went off on his own this time. Of course, he was impressed. His place back at home was set in the middle of a tiny village, not a bustling town like this one. Ping wondered if he should have brought his sword with him. It seemed awkward to have it strapped to his waist as he meandered through the crowd. Then again, he was a soldier. He had a good excuse. At least, that's what he told himself.

Ariella was practical and worldy, she'd been to the town many times. She'd never been confused by the bustling streets and sharp turns. Until today.

She was far lost and frustrated at herslelf for allowing it to happen. Ariella simply wanted to find Twin Thorne, but no such luck. Ariella was ready to set someone on fire when she saw a man who appeared to be a soldier.

"Excuse me sir, but could you point the way to the inn?" Ariella asked him politely.

"Hmm?" Ping turned around at hearing someone address him. It turned out to be a woman, with hair that was an eye-popping shade of red. Thinking that she was an ordinary woman who just happened to be lost, Ping didn't hesitate to try and help her. "Oh, the inn. Um...I think it may be down this street and to the left, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm kinda new to the area and I'm just finding my way around myself. Sorry I can't be of more help." He gave a shrug and a bashful smile.

"Oh, I thought you were a soldier." Ariella said dryly. "My mistake." she muttered under her breath while glancing down he street and knowing just by looking that it was not the way to the inn.

"So your new to this town, where did you come from?" Ariella asked curtly.

"Oh, well, I am. I'm just new," Ping explained. "My sister and I got recruited not too long ago. Got some pretty sweet rooms at the castle over there." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the big stone building. "I'm from a village, kind of a distance aways. My father was a solder too, so I guess it was only a matter of time before my sister and I took up his trade." He gave a little shrug. "It's in our blood, I suppose."

Ariella just watched him silently, amazed that he had said so much in such a short amount of time.

"Hmmm, well that's, interesting." Ariella said.

"So, what did you say your sister's name was again?" Ariela asked, knowing he hadn't said her name yet.

"Mulan," Ping replied with a little smile. It wasn't unlike him to be perfectly chatty with strangers when the circumstances were right. It was only when he met with someone awkwardly that he got all red-faced and tongue-tied. "She's my twin, actually. I'm the older one by two minutes. How about you, miss? What's your family like, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't wanna talk about my family if you don't mind." Ariella said coldly, remembering the way her husband had twisted her wrist just a few short nights ago. She stood with her hands behind her back and her spine straight, as if she was speaking to a king.

"Oh, sorry, miss. Didn't mean to pry." Ping cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed. Figured that something like that would happen when he asked a personal question. "So, um, is there anything interesting to do around town? I guess the tavern must be a pretty hopping place. Most taverns are."

Ariella smiled a bit at his words, the human youth was funny to her, little did he know that she was a 60 year old woman trapped in a 30 year olds body.
"Yes the tavern is pretty popular. I stay there often. A bit dangerous too, you never know when your having a drink with a vamp." Ariella said absentmindedly while fixing her dress.

Ping just blinked at that statement. He had heard rumors that different species flocked to the tavern every now and then, but he wasn't sure if it was true or not. But from what Ariella said, it sounded like it was. "Oh. I guess it is popular if it has a little bit of something for everyone," he said, his fingers tapping against the hilt of his sword. He wondered if Ariella was human for a moment, but then he shrugged it off. He figured that Korso didn't want him killing every non-human person in sight, especially someplace so public. At least, that was his reasoning. Besides, even if she wasn't human, she had made no threat to him, didn't put his life in danger or anything. Until he felt uneasy, he was going to keep attacking out of his mind.

"Oh it does." ariella said absentmindedly. "I've met some strange people at that bar." Ariella confirmed and smiled.

"So if your a guard... Why are you wandering the streets with nothing but a sword to protect you?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh well, I have a little more than that," Ping replied. "Just...give me a second...to find it..." Ping dug around in his pockets for a moment before finding what he was looking for. "Aha! Here it is." He brandished the new pistol Korso had just distributed to him and the other soldiers, twirling it in his hand like a gunslinger. "We just got these. One of the newest models. And they're even more accurate than ever. Can't wait to test it out during a battle sometime."

Ariella smiled innocently and eyed the pistol. Hardly threatening, Ariella could disarm him with just a bit of gravitational magic. She leaned forward and smacked the gun right out of his hand, where it slid away in the crowd.

"I see you can handle yourself." Ariella said in a confident voice.

Ping may have been young, but his instincts had been honed early on to react fast when danger popped up. He didn't immediately run for his gun as it skidded across the pavement. But he did reach for his sword, which felt more familiar to him than a gun anyway. "Aren't you observant?" he said, playing cool for the moment, not sure how much of a threat this woman was. "You trying to start a brawl out here, in the middle of a crowded town square? Not sure how wise that is."

Ariella laughed a bit and smiled.

"I'm not trying to fight you I was just proving a point." Ariella explained, her eyes becoming bluer in the way they did when she laughed.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Ariella apologized, trying not to laugh at him. She wished she could just conjure the gun back into her hand but he'd probably figure out she was a witch.

"Here I'll go get it." Ariella said, ducking into the crowd and picking up the gun, then returning to Ping with the pistol outstretched toward him for him to grab.

"Yeah...sure." Ping still kept his guard up though. He wasn't sure if Ariella was entirely human or not. Both he and Mulan were still shaky on identifying species. But whatever this woman was, it looked like she didn't want to do him harm, for right now. Was she playing with him? Or evaluating Korso's new recruits? These thoughts ran through Ping's mind, but he didn't say anything as he pocketed his gun.

Ariella smiled because she could clearly see that Ping was suspicious of her. She hoped he could't see the strange tatoo on her face and turned that side of her face away from the sun.

"I truly am sorry, I was just showing you that your a little too, loose? Tense up, or you'll be a vampire's dinner by sundown." Ariella advised while smiling.

"Anyone can be dangerous around here, even the pretty ones." she said absentmindedly, gazing up at the sun.

"Some consider that looseness just a big amount of optimism," Ping said. "Not sure how appropriate it is for a soldier to be all cheerful, but hey, that's who I am." He gave a little shrug. "Pretty ones, right. I'll keep that in mind." He wasn't sure if Ariella fit into that category or not, but he didn't say anything about it.

"You should," Ariella said, still laughing at him silently. She looked at his sword, wondering if she could still hold one, its been years since she'd tried.

"May I?" she asked, gesturing to the sword.


(i thought i had allready replied earlier... oopsies)

Ping tensed for a moment, his hand automatically closing over the hilt. He wondered if it might be dangerous to give her his weapon, especially one that he was pretty proficient at. But, he figured that if she wanted to hurt him, she would have done it by now. And she certainly didn't need a sword to do it. Hoping he wouldn't regret it, he unsheathed his sword and placed it in her hand.

Ariella smiled as she took the sword and swung it around a bit, smiling. She was pleased she could still hold it. "At least something in my life hasn't changed," she thought. After a moment she handed it back to Ping.

I'm sorry, I just wanted to see if I could still hold one, its been almost thirty years," Ariella said, then wanted to strangle herself. Thirty years.... She looked thirty, and thirty years ago would make her an infant, holding a sword.
She prayed he wouldn't catch her mistake.

"Looks like you're still pretty good with one," Ping said, watching her approvingly. She had a firm grip, which his father had always said was one of the most important things about swordsmanship. He sheathed his sword, but looked up at her comment. Thirty years? How old was this lady? Ping just blinked, then pushed his curiosity into the back of his mind. He wasn't going to say anything and make this situation take a down-hill turn.

Ariella saw a flash of shock on his face but it disappeared and she pretended she hadn't noticed.

"So Korso," Ariella began, "Whats he like?"

"Um...like any other leader, I guess?" Ping replied with a shrug. "It's not exactly a vacation, but it is the army, after all. It's not like I expected to get manicures every week." He chuckled. "He's protective of his daughter, Charlotte, although I guess everyone knows that. She's not like him much, though. Smiles a little bit more than he does. And she doesn't give a vibe of 'Make a joke and I"ll strangle you.'"