A Pretense of Spring {Open}

A leaf fell, and calm if icy eyes fallowed it's meandering decent and watched as it was whisked by a sudden and not so unexpected breeze. Still his eyes fallowed that leaf as it floated through the palace grounds. Past trees around and over bushes and most impressively, it managed to avoid one of an army of groundskeepers necessary to keep the massive grounds tame and civilized. It was a shame that was needed, he personally thought that this center of civilization could use a touch of the wilder, natural world. But he had a feeling that asking the groundskeepers to let everything just grow would not go over well, and he didn't want to alienate any of the staff just yet. In fact he was trying his to make some sort of positive relation with any that he could... For now most rejected his advances of friendship in the most gracious and curtius ways they could manage. With a sighs he spread his bare toes wide and felt the damp ground beneath him. It felt good, different then home for sure, but the ground still had the same feeling of life even if it was deeper down then he was used to. But he guessed he would grow used to this eventually, but there was no telling how many years would pass tell that happened.

He looked back around the tamed wilderness around him and smiled before letting him self sink to the ground beneath the branches of a near by tree. Autumn was upon them, yet the air smelled of spring and birds still roosted in the branches about him. IT was a pretense he knew, soon enough the leafs would turn and the birds would flee to warmer climates. The snow would come sooner after and the world would sleep tell the true spring came again.It was all a pretense but he thanked what ever gods and goddesses watched over the land for everyday of warmth that was given them. His people needed it, so many homes had been lost and so many fields had been razed that Qin feared for the people of this ancient land. How would some bare the winter? How would some be fed? He would help where he could but Xing was no longer the rich nation it had once been and its coffers where stretched thin as it was. But food needed to be imported, and homes needed to be rebuilt and he gave as much to those projects as he could.

He sighed and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree with out a care for his clothing or the state of his being. No he would not be held by the constrictions of the court when alone, and if others had problems with that well, they could whine but it wouldn't change his mind, nor would it cause him to change his actions. He would walk bare chested in storms, he would walk bare footed through the grounds and when necessary he would play the part of the exalted emperor. But only when necessary would he uphold that pomp and ceremony willingly. he reached into his pocket and closed his oddly blue eyes and pulled out a cigarette and lite it quickly before puffing on it in contentment. IT was odd how relaxing that simple action was, inhaling and exhaling over and over again. He knew it had to do more with the chemicals that where released then anything else, but he found tremendous comfort in the simple action that accompanied that. It was a short escape, and it helped him collect his thoughts.

He opened his eyes and watched as the puffs of smoke escaped his lips and floated forever upward into the clear blue sky, he watched them and as fast as they had come they disappeared into the wind. He finished smoking a little while later and gently flicked out what remained of the heat before dropping the burnt up stub back into his pocket. He stood then and stretched, his back arching back his arms raised to the sky. "Back to the world now." He let his face fall back into the small smile that was his norm and made his way back to the palace proper, his steps carrying him swiftly through the trees, his bare feet making his gait almost noiseless .His day had started hours ago, so why did it feel like he had only just begun?

Nothing like a new job title to mix things up in a guy's life. Xiao was no longer the Imperial Guard, made to stand watch over the throne room for an 8-hour day. With a new Emperor came new rules. The Imperial Guard was no more... the Dragon Blooded was his new position. A person of great support and necessity to the new Emperor. Xiao was sure the time would come for him to actually do something with the new position. But for right now, he really had no idea what to do. It was still new into the new ruling regime, so everyone wasn't exactly sure what was happening. Ace had had his particular ways, which weren't always traditional but had Xing's best interests at heart. Wasn't that one of the reasons why he stepped down in the first place? But it was still early in Emperor Qin's rule to know what good or bad he would bring to his huge country.

In the meantime, Xiao was trying to settle in. But damnit all, habits were hard to break. Xiao was in the throne room, standing to the side of the throne. It was empty at the moment, and there were few people in the throne room. It was going to fill up soon, once the Emperor arrived. So Xiao decided that until he knew WHAT he needed to do, he would settle for what he knew how to do. He would stand in his uniform, hookpak in his right hand and his left tucked behind his back. A stoic figure, protecting the Emperor's given right... the throne of Xing.

Dressing for state occasions back home had always been a thing Qin dreaded, the fancy cloths just didn't feel right to the man who spent his days walking about his land bare foot and in cloths more befitting the conman man. Now that he resided in a residence that made his home look like the lowest hovel with responsibility's that made the management of his own little piece of the world something trivial in comparison. Qin was disturbed by that thought, but was disturbed him more was that he understood how insignificant he and most other people had been in the grand scheme of things. Life had always taken new and interesting turns for him, from the day he had left home to the day he had returned nothing had gone as he had expected. He had left home a boy, bitter and angry at what he was forced to do(No matter how much he had come to enjoy it). He had joined the army thinking to make him self something more then what he was and in the end he had, just not in a way he had expected.In the end, when he finally managed to return home, so many things had changed and he had grown into something no one would have ever suspected. Yet he remained deep at his core, the young boy that loved to walk barefoot through the forest as it stormed over head.

Even now, when he had achieved something he had never even dreamed of, Qin was much the same as he had ever been. Which was obvious by the state of his dress as he entered his own private chambers. With a haste that only showed when he was alone he cleaned and changed into a more imperial outfit who's colors reminded him of his own lands. Rich greens and reds that almost seemed to blend together. The outfit was richer then anything he had ever cared to wear back in his day as a minor clan leader, in fact it would have cost more then the total of all his cloths he thought. the outer robe alone could have cost as much if not more then a months food for the average household. The sheer ostentation was nearly enough to make the man sick, but he had excepted the position and all that came with it, he had no right to complain.

With a slight roll of his shoulders he finally settled the stiff material into place about him and stepped out of his chambers and made his unhurried way to the audience chamber that might as well have been a home away from home. As he neared he nodded to who ever happened to meet his eyes, a small if pleasant smile on his face. For their part, the staff did their duty and offered stiff if formal bows and moved on about their business. He could only shake his head at that, they still didn't know him and whats more they didn't trust him which was by far more important. Truth be told he had contemplated bringing his own people into the palace, to surround him self with people he had grown to trust and know over the years. But in the end he had decided against it, displacing the natives would have caused unnecessary hardships and it would have looked like he didn't trust the people who had worked in the palace from before his sudden and unexpected rise to power.

He entered to throne room with out an once of fan fair and made his way to the seat that he had to fill. It felt odd even thinking about the line of rulers who had sat in that grandiose chair before him, so he often tried to forget it was anything but a big seat. He failed to do so most days, it was as if the past rulers where looking on him when he sat their and he could feel the combined weight of their gazes. He glanced to the side of the throne and noticed one of the men he had inherited from his predecessor. He knew vary little about Xiao Yu, and what he did know was mostly here say and rumor he had picked up. But one thing was for certain, he had devoted him self to Ace and Qin could not be sure if he didn't resent him for taking over where Ace had let off. Regardless the man had been admitted to the order of the Dragons Blood, and as such he deserved his respect."Spectacular day today don't you think?" He addressed Xiao as he would any old friend, but he kept his voice low so that few besides Xiao could hear him. He didn't want his alkehestry running a muck.

Xiao was right to expect that the Emperor would be arriving, because there he was. And looking extremely regal at that. It was strange to see an Emperor who dressed the part, even though he did not appear happy about that fact. Ace had made no qualms pointing out his dislike of certain traditions, but maybe Qin wanted to make sure the people of Xing liked him. Everyone had been taken aback when Ace had stepped down. Xiao, especially. When Ace had first presented him with the news, Xiao had been angry. In some roundabout way, he had failed in his duty. He was supposed to protect the Emperor from all things... apparently the one thing he could not protect him from was the Emperor himself. Sure, Xiao still felt a little bitter about everything. But it wasn't Qin's fault. As Qin approached, Xiao dropped into a formal, low bow. He raised himself up after Qin had passed him and taken up the throne. He turned towards Qin shortly, waiting for a possible order to vacate or... something.

"Spectacular day today, don't you think?" Qin's voice was low in the large room, but it managed to reach Xiao's ears with little trouble. Xiao vaguely remembered hearing something about an alkahestry the Emperor used. He didn't know much about it exactly, but he recalled that it related to his voice. Maybe that was why he kept his voice low. It wouldn't trigger it? Xiao remembered that Ace had to wear special glasses because of his own alkahestry. That science was something Xiao never fully comprehended, but he could respect its power. Xiao managed a slight smile, trying to push away his sarcastic answer for something a little more polite. “I'll take your word for it, sir. I'm indoors for work, most days.”

“I'll take your word for it, sir. I'm indoors for work, most days.” Well that was a shame considering how often Qin was absent from this chamber. "Well there really isn't a need for you to be cooped up inside the audiance chamber if im not here... I doubt anyone will steal the chair while im away" A gentle laugh fallowed that and he took a seat in the throne. His throne. That still felt odd, saying that, thinking that. But soon enough he would grow used to it he figured, other wise his life would be one filled with uncomfortable feelings and that just wouldn't do. One would think thrones would be comfortable affairs, considering the money spent creating them could feed a village. But Qin could never manage to sit right in it and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Maybe it was just him, or maybe the chair had been made so that no one could sit at ease in it. Ether or it tended to annoy the hell out of Qin, so he spent as little time as he could manage in the seat.

"So, who is first on today's docket? If you tell me its another land dispute i may just have to fool arrested fir wasting my time" IT was human nature to expand and it seemed that in the wake of the war that drive had started to flourish. Boundaries that had marked the end of one mans land and the start of another had been destroyed or out right moved for one reason or another.
Humanity it seemed was to greedy for its own good.

"Well there really isn't a need for you to be cooped up inside the audience chamber if I'm not here... I doubt anyone will steal the chair while I'm away" Xiao shrugged his shoulders lightly. “Habit, I guess.” What else was he supposed to say? That he had no idea what to do in his new position so he felt best doing his old job? No way, that would definitely sound dumb. Maybe he'd casually suggest soon that he needed a bit more direction in his position. But that was definitely for later. He wondered if the other Dragon Blooded were having the same trouble figuring things out. A few casual questions wouldn't go amiss. In the meantime, he decided to remain where he was. Qin had that open audience thing going on today. It would be wise to stand around here in case there were any people wishing to cause a ruckus.


"So, who is first on today's docket? If you tell me it's another land dispute I may just have to fool arrested for wasting my time." Xiao managed a small smirk at the comment. “I don't think it's that easy, sir.” Xiao mused for a moment. He didn't exactly have the list of people waiting to see the Emperor on him. Obviously. There was some secretary-type-person with that. But Xiao had taken the liberty of looking the form over. “There might be a few of those in there. But I think the first person was... a doctor?” Xiao thought it over a moment more and then nodded. “Requesting funds to rebuild a hospital outside Xi'an.” Xiao gestured down the end of the hall to the guards who stood down there. His old troops were still as faithful as ever. One exited, while the other made sure others did not enter as the guard brought in the first person to lay his troubles before the throne.

Well at least he managed to extract a small smirk from this overly dower man which was something of a small victory in and of its self. Though Qin had to wonder if he was trying to hard to be liked, and emperor did not need to be liked. He just needed to be obeyed and respected. But he was more then that wasn't he? More then a title that he had just recently received. He was a man who enjoyed the company of others, he was also a man who enjoyed having other like and enjoy his company, so maybe it was just in his nature to try and draw out others like this. “I don't think it's that easy, sir.” He laughed some at that and shook his head. No of course it wasn't, just because one had power did not mean you had free reign to use it as you wished. In fact it seemed like the more power one had the more constrains one had placed on them. It really wasn't fair, but life often wasn't. “There might be a few of those in there. But I think the first person was... a doctor?” Well then today might not be as pointless and boring as a few of those in his past, which was good thing because he wasn't sure how he would react.

“Requesting funds to rebuild a hospital outside Xi'an.” Blink. Well now that was more then a worthy cause, which would make his tedious day something to remember and to enjoy. Which was always a good thing. "Well this may not be a waste of time then" He smiled some as the man approached the throne and was relived to see that he did not seem to be scared in the slightest. It always unnerved him to see people kowtowing and cringing, he wasn't any sort of wrathful overlord so why this sort of diffidence? "Sir, we need a hospital. People are dying and there is vary little we can do about it right now." With out waiting for him to finish his speech he raised a hand and motioned for secretary to step over to him."See to it this man gets what he needs, we cant have our people dying in the streets now can we?" Sadly the next few appointments where no where near as interesting or important and Qin could feel his patience wearing thin with every passing moment. So with a sighs he stood and stretched, letting out a little grown."I think ill take a break for now, would you care to walk with me Xiao? I think i need to move a little, maybe get something to drink or snake on. But what ever i do i need a break."

Well, this new Emperor didn't need to hear much about good causes. The doctor had barely spoken up and Qin was already promising him the necessary funds to build a hospital. It was good for Qin to be able to make swift decisions, but he had to learn to listen a little bit more first. Not all people would have such noble intentions as the doctor. People would come in, asking for funds for a great gesture but in reality it would go to shady dealings. Definitely not a good thing. Xiao stood stoically through the next few petitions, not really doing much besides observing. The people today were keeping their tempers cool and not causing a ruckus, so all he needed to do was stand there and be a security presence.

He did observe that Qin was starting to have a slightly shorter attitude towards the last set of petitioners, so Xiao wasn't all that surprised when Qin mentioned he wanted a break in the petitions. Xiao was a little bit surprised, however, when Qin requested that Xiao join him on a little stroll. Xiao managed a polite nod, waiting as Qin stepped down from the throne. Xiao gestured down the hall at his guards, indicating that they refrain from letting anyone else in. Once Qin had stepped down, he directed Qin towards the door in the back. “This way, sir. Less chance of being mobbed by the rest waiting to see you.”