The Bird and The Tiger

[Tori Yomi]

Tori Yomi sighed as he started to move towards the walls of Lu Jiang where inside he hoped to find the Lord of the city, Sun Ce. He wished to join the army and help out the people in their time of need. He was still young but he had a vast knowledge of the world around him so he hoped that would get him the position as an officer under Sun Ce's rule. He left his troops at a safe distance which would also show that he wished no harm to come between the small army and the city.

Tori stood outside the gate and bowed respectfully to the guards that lurked at the gate and on the wall. "My name is Tori and I come from the Yomi family. I wish to speak with your leader to discuss a placement within the army. I mean no harm, I only wish to offer my services." Tori boldly spoke aloud to get the attention of the men and to make his intentions clear to them. He was nervous but he tried to be bold in front of them whilst showing respect towards them.

Tori's armour glinted a little in the sunlight and he stood with his spear at his side but he was mainly using it as a walking stick rather than a threatening weapon. He couldn't bare to part with his spear, Rui meant a lot to him unlike his long bow that had been left with his steed. Also having his spear gave him a little encouragement and made him stand his ground, it drove his fears away and gave him a warm feeling within his chest.

[Sun Ce]

Yang Daiyan had not been out much, but after Zhang Zhao informed him where he would be, then told him his responsibilities, he decided he better make an appearance which was why he wandered around the city.

As he walked, he looked towards the city gates and noticed someone near the gates, but they did not look hostile, but still, Daiyan made his way there to make an appearance.

The guards turned to the man who had introduced himself as Tori and said, "Welcome to Lu Jiang sir. You may enter", as he pulled aside, and was about to speak but Daiyan had arrived infront of them, before pulling aside to let Tori pass.

[Tori Yomi]

Tori nervously moved through the gates, his gaze shifting between the people who were the guards. He remained silent and kept his spear lowered to show that he wasn't going to cause any trouble. The last thing he wanted was to be ripped apart by over-excited guards. He made sure to swiftly thank the guards for giving him access. "Thank you for allowing me to enter the city. I have troops... they are outside the walls and I wish to know if there is anywhere they can stay in the mean time." Tori spoke, pointing back out the gate so the guards knew exactly where the men were lurking.

Tori noticed someone who stood out in the crowd, he was different to the other guards due to the different armour and the aura of greater importance. He bowed towards the stranger, showing respect towards Yang Daiyan. Tori over all would appear very unlikely to be a threat of any kind, after all he looked like a young girl rather than a man and he was usually the type to stand out in a crowd due to his bright colour scheme.

[Sun Ce]

Yang Daiyan stood aside until the stranger bowed to him in respect. He remembered when he was new and first came to know Sun Ce, after roaming over the land. It was Huo Qubing that had invited him to join the Yellow Turbans and for awhiloe, he was under their spell until he defected after seeing the might of the tiger of jiangdong, but could not seek an audience with him, and many considered him an outcast after serving the Yellow Turbans but soon proved his worth when he fought against the remnants of the Yellow Turbans.

He indeed had a long history till he reached Sun Ce, like many new officers that he see come into the city, so he was curious what brought this officer to come here. He walked upto him, to answer his question for the guards, "If you are seeking to join Sun Ce. You can send your troops to the Barracks and you can come walk with me".

[Tori Yomi]

Tori listened to Yan Daiyan carefully when the man spoke to him, he nodded and turned towards the open gate. He lifted his spear up and used the light from the sun to make a coded series of glints to his men. It would save him time travelling towards them. He watched the distant group carefully as the troops started to make their way towards the gate. "They'll get here in a few minutes." Tori spoke, smiling softly and lowering his spear before returning his full attention to Yan Daiyan.

"I most certainly wish to join Sun Ce's army. If you could show me to him I would be most grateful." Tori spoke, bowing as he spoke. He felt calmer than before and could see things turning in his favour. He was technically an ex-bandit though he was a forced member of the group before they were slaughter. He still remembered his whole experience; the pain, the torture, but most of all his first love.

[Sun Ce]

Yang Daiyan smiled, as he scanned the officer infront of him, who had geniously used the sun to relay a message back to his troops, who were seen coming towards the ciy by the guards who signalled with a nod to Daiyan that his troops were coming. Someone as smart as this was definitely worth having around, and it made the situation much better when he had said he wanted to join Sun Ce.

Daiyan was not sure if Sun Ce had returned from his travels yet, but he was answered when he saw Zhang Zhao exit the Palace and mounted a horse. He replied with a wider smile knowing he was now here, "Sure, he will be in the Palace. He has just arrived from his travels so may be a bit tired, but knowing Sun Ce, he'll keep strong and be awake", then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to know Sun Ce?"

[Tori Yomi]

Tori smiled seeing that his troops were moving towards the gate. He knew they wouldn't be a threat either, he had picked his men wisely by trusting only the friendliest and obedient men from the surrounding areas he had visited. He then turned to Yan Daiyan again and smiled seeing that things were turning out nicely for the both of them.

"I will keep my meeting short if Lord Sun Ce needs rest, I do not wish to upset him." Tori replied, he was hoping things would be short and quick anyway but did take into account that sometimes these sorts of things do extend over time. "I heard of Sun Ce from the people in the neighbouring regions. I worked with the peasants after I became homeless a few years ago and learned much from both the young and old. I heard of how the people looked up to a young Lord who was rapidly rising up in the world so I decided to seek him out and offer my services. I know how to fight and I have studied strategy."

[Sun Ce]

Yang Daiyan as he scanned Tori. For what he had already saw and what he had just said to him, he knew he would be a valuable asset to the army. He smiled, "I am sure Sun Ce will be impressed, and don't worry about keeping it short, as he may want it longer, so just go with the flow", as they entered the Palace. The guards didn't need to ask as Daiyan was one of Sun Ce's officers, but once they were inside, he nodded towards the Inner Palace Guards, who confirmed he was ready, then they both moved forward.

"Mylord, a warrior, and a clever one I must add, has arrived to join you by the name of Tori Yomi. Can you spare some time to meet him?"

Sun Ce smiled, "You don't need to worry about me Daiyan. Let him in".

Daiyan smiled, as he told the guards to open to allow him entrance, before he left the chamber.

[Tori Yomi]

Tori nodded and followed Yang Daiyan into the palace, he stuck close behind the other man and looked at the guards. He bowed his head as he passed by them. He could hear what could be Sun Ce's voice as he spoke to Yang Daiyan. He tilted his head a little as he heard the word 'her' used in the sentence. He looked down at himself though he couldn't really blame anyone for calling him a female.

Tori stepped into the chamber after gaining permission to enter and immediately he picked out the young Lord. Tori lowered himself onto his knees and bowed to Sun Ce. "It is a great pleasure to have been allowed to meet with you, Lord Sun Ce." Tori spoke, addressing him in the best manner he could think of. His face became a little red since he was nervous about meeting a ruler for the first time. He slowly rose up from the floor and stood in a tense manner.

[Sun Ce]

Sun Ce smiled, "From what Daiyan tells me, you are smart warrior. Well, we definitely could use those. I am glad to see you have visited me, though just curious why you have came to me, rather than the other Regional Lords?", he asked.

[Tori Yomi]

Tori looked at Sun Ce in a soft manner and smiled gently at him. "I thank you. The reason why I came to you rather than anyone else was because I listened to the opinion of the people of the surrounding cities, towns and villages. They told me of you and even recommended that I should join you and help to create a safe haven for everyone to live within." Tori replied, being honest about his reasons for picking Sun Ce above all the rest. As he looked at the young Lord he suddenly remembered Rui, the glint in his eye showed pain from the distant memories of his past but he dared not express or share his history.

[Sun Ce]

Sun Ce smiled, as he heard from Tori that the people recommended him, "Well I am glad I'm doing something right", as a little smirk appeared on his face, before returning to normal, "But anyway, it is great to have you come here to join me. Your talents will not be wasted, and you will be an asset to my army who all wish to unite the land, beginning with Jiangdong. Your advice is welcome in our War Council", he paused, "Anything you would like to say for your initial thoughts so far and any advice you want to mention?", to see how good this warrior was.

[Tori Yomi]

Tori started to calm further and he forgot about Rui and now focused upon his new task in life, and that was to aid Sun Ce's army and help it remove the threats of the world. "I must thank you again for giving me this chance within your ranks. I can certainly suggest maybe a training program among the people of the towns and cities, that way they can help defend themselves when the time comes." Tori first suggested, he gave a slight chuckle before adding some more. "Also maybe traps within the walls of cities to make it difficult for the enemy to figure an easy way into the cities whilst also giving us added time to strike back." Tori wasn't sure if the ideas were any good but he was sure to make better ones in the near future.

"I hope to learn more about you and to explore the region in further detail, whilst also creating friends with the other officers. An army is nothing without having friends to watch your back, otherwise an army will crumble like dry bread." Tori began to feel nervous again, he didn't know many people except Lord Sun Ce and Yang Daiyan. He would have to seek out other people and interact with them.

[Sun Ce]

Sun Ce smiled. He was definitely lucky to have a smart officer with him. He now didn't only have the wisdom of Zhang Zhao, but also the talent of Tori Yomi to help them. "We are privileged indeed to have both you and Master Zhao. We can feel rest assured, we will be okay. Maybe you two could meet, as you are right, we do need friends to watch our backs", he paused, "The ideas you have given are wonderful. What sorts of traps do you mean and would you be okay to set them up?", he asked.

[Tori Yomi]

Tori smiled with extreme joy as Sun Ce took interest within his ideas, even to see him as something of value. Tori finally felt that he actually belonged. He grew curious of the man called Zhang Zhao and would probably track him down to see who he was going to be spending time with in future. "I will most certainly try to become friends with Master Zhang Zhao so I can further your step upon ruling this land." Tori bowed his head a little and his face became flushed and he even felt light headed.

"The sorts of traps I would recommend are trap doors, classic yet still useful if used correctly. Also the tactic of the 'moving walls' to generate the evolving maze to hinder enemy units from escaping the walls around the cities. I can probably help design them but I will need help to create better traps. Two minds are better than a lone thought." Tori spoke, he was eager to meet everyone. He placed a hand over his chest and gripped tightly at his clothing before dropping onto his knees, he was breathing a little heavily and had gone a very dark red. The excitement was getting to him and he really needed to relax himself.