(1311-06-21) The Protector and a Lady
Summary: A foreign Protector of House Baphinol saves a young lady and escorts her home.
RL Date: 2019-06-21
Related: None
sun inesse 

Market Promenade

Two massive promenades, separated by a narrow row of alternating planters and plinths supporting marble statues from all over the known world, make up a marketplace that extends in a narrow space far to the north of the grand plaza to the south. Each walkway is two two-meter marble slabs wide, one gleaming white, the other greyish-blue, and they alternate to and fro in coloration all the way down each promenade, their intersections marked with a series of equal-armed crosses in shimmering black stone. While there is plenty of space for vendors to set up ad-hoc establishments to hawk their wares, to each side of the double promenade are stoa of fluted marble, holding up a terra-cotta tiled roof over a shady, cool walkway, punctuated here and there with doorways and windows open to a long series of indoor shops, each marked with a hanging sign outside the door.%r%rEvery twenty meters or so, five stairs lift the level of the promenade as the marketplace works its way uphill, to a smaller plaza at the northern end where all the most exclusive and expensive shops are established. This smaller plaza also has an obelisk of red granite in the middle; it's shorter, and more slender, but when the change in elevation is taken into account, its tip is at the exact same height as the massive obelisk in the town square to the south.


A beautiful warm day. One would even say that a bit too warm. The sun is up above the heads of the crowd which mingles in the Market Promenade. There is no clouds to be found in the sky. Many people seek shadows in the shelter of the stalls. A perfect day to all merchants since even those who did not desire to buy anything are exposed to the beauty of silks, jewels and tasteful martial equipment on the counters upon their seek of a refreshing shadow. Between all those lords and ladies, Mademoiselles and Monsieurs a young Baphinol girl may be found as well. Her large dark orbs drink every glint of every beautiful necklace, ring or earring. She 'ohs' and 'aaahs' in admiration.

She has chosen to wear quite an open dress for the summer heat. This is a bit unusual for a timid Inesse, but one has to make some sacrifice for the sake of comfortability. A daring deep V-neckline is perfectly balanced by ladylike detachable bows at the shoulders. The gathered bodice is adorned with beaded lace appliques with a hint of metallic thread. And while a clueless young lady is enjoying a strall in the market, there are some sailors, who have recently laid their feet on the ground of Marsilikos and who can not turn their eyes away from all the beautiful women and their shimmering gowns away.

"How much for this?" Inesse asks one of the merchants pointing at the silver necklace adorned by the red gemstones.

Warm day is a beautiful day! Not attached to a specific noble for his duties today. Instead, He seems to have no sense of fashion! How cruel. He wears a simple black tunic and clothing that is of oriental fashion, with a sheathed blade on his back that also is NOT the norm around here. But, nonetheless, He still walks through the market and he spots Inesse.

She was truly a beauty that is rare in this world, but unlike others, he isn't craving her body or wanting to have sex with her. He's the kind of guy who wants to know somebody truly and then ask politely if she might be interested in that.

He's a gentleman, dontcha know.

But, what he does catch is the eyes of Sailors looking to go find a courtesan and thinking Inesse is it. His eyes narrow, and while he does not approach Inesse, he watches the sailors directly, amber eyes trailing their every move. Its the sailors who come back from months or years at sea that often go and do something foolish.

The price of a beautiful trinket pleases Inesse and she takes out these few coins from the pouch. She offers it to the merhcant who quickly packs a newly bought accessory and offers to the lady. Excited about the purchase, Inesse finally moves down the road to the leave market. Her feet carry a young lady toward the path which connects with the Port. Perhaps, she desires of some more cool breeze to refresh her after a long wandering in the market on this very hot day! Who knows! But that path leads also to a group of three young sailor boys.

Of course, Inesse does not notice them. Her fingers are trying to unpack that small envelope to get out the necklace and take one more peek at its beautiful gemstones.

"A beautiful day for some shopping, Mademoiselle!" One of the sailors shouts out to Inesse. She makes a quick stop. Looks at the boys a bit startled but then sends them a broad smile. "Well, indeed! My trip to the market was quite successful!"

And that is when another sailor waves to her to come closer. "Oh, show us what you got. It's shinny!" Inesse chuckles and nods. She comes closer and extends it to one of those sailors who suggest. "You should wear it! Let me help you to put it on!"

"Oh, I am really excited to try it out! I was not sure if it matches well with my eyes…" Inesse turns around and gathers up her curls to move them from her neck and let the man put the necklace around her slim neck.

This girl is naive as all get at. They probably won't even put the necklace on her and just try to make her bend. But, Sun Liang is not a stranger to the evils of this world and as the sailors start to surround her, Sun Liang approaches, and takes the sheathed blade off of his back. He focuses, and he's still a very short distance away, but he's moving to a position where he's about ten paces from the group.

Because clearly no one else is going to help her if something goes wrong and the guards are too far away to put a stop to it before its too late. So, he watches…and he waits.

One of the boys takes the necklace and brings it in front of Inesse. He stands behind her and slowly lowers the necklace that the silver would touch her skin. His fingers accidently brush across her shoulder when he circles her neck with the jewelry. He leans forward a bit as if to whisper something in her ear but then he is suddenly shouldered by his fellow friend. That friend points to the direction of a foreigner who stares at the group. So, the man just buckles the necklace up and more coldly states, "Here you go. Looks good. You are good to go!"

Inesse turns around. "Am… Good to go? So, you don't like it? You don't think that the necklace fits well with my eyes? I knew I shouldn't have bought it. Why don't you like it?" Men roll their eyes, glance at the foreigner, then back at the lady. "Just go. We just wanted to see the piece. That's all. Go!"

"But… I thought…" One of the sailros waves with his hand and that is a clear sign that Inesse is no longer welcomed in the company. Her smiles fades, she lowers her head down and rushes away. Her hand grabs on a necklace and she tugs it firmly. The chord is broken and she drops the necklace to the ground. "Stupid thing!" She shouts out more to herself.

Sun Liang watches the sailors take off but not before slighting Inesse. Approaching her, Sun Liang watches as she runs away and seems to have a bit of a meltdown. But that does not mean that she is alone. She may feel a comforting hand on her shoulder even as she shouts to herself. "You do not need a necklace to be beautiful." says Sun Liang, the foreigner who likely saved her from something terrible.

"Those men had fowl intentions for you. They tried to seduce you, and it appears to have almost worked. Were anyone not watching, I fear it may have been successful." Sun Liang looks her in the eyes. "Do not place your worth in the hands of others. I can tell with a glance that you have a big heart." he compliments her, trying to hopefully make it better.

"Oh!" Inesse immediately smiles when she sees the man who came to offer some comfort. "It's you! Hi!" She straightens up and smoothes her skirts. "What… what are you doing here? Are you with my mother? Is my mother here? Or is my brother here? How are you here? What are you doing?" She blushes a bit. A quick glance is given to the necklace on the ground but then she just waves it off. "Sorry. For this. I mean… It's hard to find friends in such a big city. I do have Adrien, but I love Adrien. I have no friends, tho. I thought… Well… I don't know what I thought. I guess that nothing!" She rolls her eyes. "How are you? Better tell me more about yourself! How are you enjoying Marsilikos?"

Sun Liang gives a light nod as he leans down and picks up the broken necklace off the ground. "I think it compliments your complexion." he offers it back to Inesse, because who gives a damn what the sailors think, and then she asks him a MYRIAD of questions that he is silent to until she finishes her long speal.

"I am simply exploring the merchant square. Your mother and your brother saw no need for me this morning, so I am left to my own device." it was interesting, in a way. But he does smile lightly to her.

"I consider myself your friend and your protector. But that is just my opinion. I am well enough. I am enjoying Marsilikos, and…what do you want to know?"

Inesse takes the necklace and slides it back inside the envelope. "Thank you. You are very kind!" She lingers for a moment in thoughts. She considers the man's words. But then she beams broadly. "Would you mind escorting me home? Not like a protector but as a friend. We did not have a chance to speak much about you. I think I was pretty impolite by not making effort to learn more about you. I know nothing about the lands you are coming from. Are they similar to ours? I think I heard or read somewhere that strange creatures exist in the West. Some flying lizards and incredibly huge octopus! I think your people pray to them. No? Yes! That's what I heard!"

Sun Liang gives a bow of his head. "I would be honored." He turns on his heel and offers the young woman his arm if she wishes to take it. Though it may seem odd to many, for a Lady and a Noble to be walking arm and arm with a 'lowly' foreigner. But, the offer is made nonetheless. "I believe it is partially my own wrongdoing. I find that I am poor at social interactions." his Chi'in accent is very apparent. "I hail from the Chi'in lands far to the west. It is different…there, we serve an Emperor who rules all the land. Much like nobles here, family is important. Most marriages are arranged and honor is most important above all. I belonged to a family who served the emperor directly, and it was for the emperor that I honed my blade." clearly, his duty means a lot to him.

Inesse wraps her arm around Sun's. She happily walks beside him and doesn't mind at all of what others might be thinking. "Emperor? It's like a King? If you served to someone so high, why did you leave your country if I may ask? You were respected and honored, and probably very important. But now you are with our family…" She shrugs but then quickly adds, "We are not overly important in Marsilikos but we are a nice family and I am very happy to have you around. But if I could serve an Emperior! Like you did! Why would I want to go down the stairs if I can stand at the top?"

Sun Liang is then quiet for a moment as Inesse asks him why he 'stooped low' when he was so high on the food chain? "A rival family sent assassins to kill my family and I. They succeeded in wiping most of us out, all but me. I fought them off, but was forced to flee. I do not know why they were kiled but I understand only that jealousy and greed reign in those courts." He seems to shake his head for a moment. "My arrival is a product of betrayal, and I am very fortunate to have been brought into your family even as a guard."

Inesse stops. A smile fades from her features and she stares at the man for a few moments with some pity in her gaze. Then if he will allow, she would spring forward and hug Sun. "I am so sorry! I should have not asked. I am really sorry for what happened to your family. If the same fate would fall on my family, I would go insane! It must be so hard for you. We will be your family! I know we can not replace it but I will try. I will try to be the best sister to you one can be! I am so sorry!"

It was a sudden thing, to be hugged so forcefully and tightly. Sun Liang has suffered the ultimate loss, sure, but…the world will go on. Though as she hugs him, he wraps an arm around her and strokes her hair lightly, letting her know its all okay. "They stand in the field of cherry blossoms." an adelage for the afterlife. "My heart aches at their loss, but I will go on. You need not apologize to me, really." Though he seems to smile at the idea of having a friend like Inesse.

"Cherry blossoms?" She wraps her arm around Sun's one more time and guides him to walk back to Baphinol's Estate. She is quick to change subject to something more cheerful such as food! "I love cherries! They are usually so sweet! What do you love? Do you miss any home-meal? Like is there something you used to eat what you can not get here? Tell me, what you miss the most!"

Walking now with Inesse, he seems to be liking her energetic nature. Sun looks her in the eyes. "A beautiful tree that has pink petals, and an intricate design of branches. Its a beautiful sight to behold." Though she asks him what he misses most, and he seems to ponder for a minute. "I'm not sure. I miss having the noodles from there. Lo Mein, we call it. I don't think the meal is sold from any restaurants, but…with the write ingredients, it could be made.

"I'll have it in mind!" Inesse winks right before they come to the walls of Baphinol estate. "Thank you for taking a walk with me. I will go now and rest a little bit. I think my feet hurt mildly. And you were released of your duties. So, I am sure you want to go out there and spend some time away from us! Have a beautiful day, my friend!" The young woman smiles. She would offer him one more brief hug if Sun would allow before rushing inside the house.

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