Chapter 4: A Long Way from Home

[TetNak]

Being a city that relies on the sea, most things that are eaten here are clearly from the sea or river. Fish, crab, shrimp, and scallops are all plentiful. Seaweed is also in almost every dish, including that sitting before the xia now. The ale smells of fermented rice, and looks thick, but no one tries it as of yet.

Seated there, talking, Mei-Li begins to feel something strange. A heat begins to radiate from one of the pouches on her person. She notices it is the pouch where she conceals the Dragon's Eye ...

[Hayabusa]

"Sometimes though not a lot. The river at the vale is not occupied by a lot of them. Though Stern He has an odd like of it," Xun-Wen replies with a look at the food. "But it's mostly noodles and vegetables. However, my father says that it is unfriendly to shun a man's work." The young man begins to eat after a short prayer.

OOC

Sorry, I don't know much about buddhism and food. How about a small lecture from someone who knows?

[Muskrat]

"What the ... ?" says Mei-Li. She fumbled into her pockets where the Eye is, touching it gingerly in case it burns. She leans forward and whispers to the others, "Something's going on. The Dragon's Eye in my pocket ... I can feel it burning." She looks surreptitiously around the room for signs of, well, anything odd. If she doesn't see anything, she suggests, "Maybe we should take a step outside and look for ... I don't know. But this can't be good." If they do step out, she remembers to leave coin on the table for their barely eaten meal.

Buddhism, vegetarianism, and alcohol

Buddhist attitudes towards eating meat and vegetarianism vary pretty widely depending on circumstances. In East Asian Buddhism, including Zen, monks and nuns have generally been expected to keep a vegetarian diet. I think the rules for were often much looser for non-devout laypeople. In Tibet, because of limited resources, and the fact that herding is easier than agriculture, meat is a normal part of everyone's diet. In South and Southeast Asia, monks go begging for food and will accept whatever they are given, including meat. The only restriction was you could not take meat that you knew was specifically killed for you. This is actually what was done in the Buddha's day--he died from food poisoning after eating pork, believe it or not. Devout Buddhists are also not supposed to drink alcohol, but, as in Islam, this is often honored in the breach, including by some monastics.

[Shurijo]

Anming looks confused at Mei-Li and wonders what sort of magics the item possesses. He nods as he prepares to step outside alongside her and the others. Having no money to leave on the table, he waits for the others before heading out.

[Hayabusa]

"Burning?" Xun-Wen says, dropping the chopsticks. "Let us step outside," he nods.

OOC

Cool, thanks. ^_^

[TetNak]

The xia rise to go outside, but they never get that far. Stepping into the door way is a man in a red robe. This robe is the same for all the men that came to kill them, or capture them, before.

This man is different. He looks more like Anming that the hardened killers that came before. This man is bald, with no facial hair, but he has a tattoo an eye set on the middle of his forehead. He says nothing.

[Shurijo]

Anming notices the robed man and turns away. He still feels the pain caused by the last assassin and although his wounds had magically healed, the scars still exist in the monk's mind. The monk turns and looks for another way out of the establishment.

[Muskrat]

Mei-Li pauses trying to judge what they should do. She wants to avoid seeing any of the bystanders being harmed, but she suspects the man in red has no such compunctions. She studies the tattoo on the presumed assassin's forehead, trying to to dredge her memory for anything the tattoo might tell her about who her foe is or what his abilities might be.

Display

Lore--Theology, Magic and/or Cult of the Dragon's Eye checks.

[Hayabusa]

"Is there something we can do for you?" Xun-Wen says, stepping a bit ahead of Mei-Li who's carrying the ruby. "We are just on our way outside and are not looking for any trouble."

[Muskrat]

Mei-Li appreciates Xun-Wen's gesture and steps back behind him, covertly looking for a back way out if need be.