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It was a cold sort of evening, one in which the snow was falling and starting to slowly pile up making it so that people wanted to be indoors where it was warm, preferable with company, and the large man that was walking down the street toward the brightly colored, lit up, sweet smelling brothel was no different. He was covered in a thick, warm cloak and under it simple robes that were worn by those who didn't really care to be noticed. The only thing that really stood out was from time to time one could see the hilt of a ornate, Chinese broadsword under his cloak that hung at his side which marked him as a warrior of some sort. It was a sword that had tasted a lot of blood in its time, normally able to drink deep enough of a man's blood that it could steal their very life. There was only one time where his sword hadn't stolen the soul of the one it had bitten and that was a part of the reason he was here tonight, because one of the people within this brothel knew more then anyone else about the one he sought after. The other reason being a rather strange flower he'd picked up recently, one that smelled far different then it appeared, and seemed to be surrounded by some sort of strange aura. It was a special bloom and from what he'd seen of his time around this particular town it wasn't the only flower or its nature, in fact the very person he was going to meet tonight was a similar flower.

As he reached the front doors he pushed back his hood revealing a handsome face that had a few scars here and there, a hazard of a job like his. Glancing around he approached a nearby woman, flirting with her a bit before he began to describe the one he was looking to spend a bit of time with, wanting to warm himself, have some tea, and a light conversation before moving onto someone older and softer to have more pleasant... conversation with. There were a lot of beauties in this place and as such many who he would like to spend his time with, he would decide upon which woman that was after he'd warmed himself he told the woman, rather enjoying the sound of her voice. She was high on the list of who he might chose to spend his time with, depending of course all upon whether or not he should run across someone more interesting to start with.

"My thanks, Love." He said, watching as the woman started away from him to find the one he'd requested. It was quite interesting to him that the dragon he was hunting down would find himself attracted to a flower of this nature. Then again given who his Master was it only made sense, the Master was also attracted to the sort that could only ply their trade at night, why would his heir be any different? The answer was that he wouldn't be any different, one learned from those around them which was likely also why the little beast were able to survive one of his attacks, some sort of supernatural power given to him by the sorcerer that the dragon's Master employed. The inner circle that the Master had was one that always intrigued him, more so after he'd found himself a dragon. There was a woman of the night, a sorcerer, and a dragon... really the man did know how to pick them, then add in all of the loyal miscreants that made up his gang and you had one Hell of a strange party. It was no wonder they ruled over this area, having even some of the guards under their heel from what he'd seen.

Crossing his arms over his chest he leaned against the wall and waited, eyes moving from person to person, taking in the details, which ones seemed to be more into their work, those that could better fake their enjoyment of being with strangers, and those that wanted to be anywhere but here... not that they had a choice, likely the Master or Mistress of this place owned their contracts so they weren't going anywhere... not that he could really say he cared. Money was what made the world move, those with the money could have whatever they wanted be it land, luxury, or even other human lives. He let his dark eyes sink half shut as he thought about that and about the life he would have been living had he not been so forcefully ejected from the group he'd once been a part of due to... well what he would describe as a misunderstanding and what the Master of the group would describe as a betrayal. It was his blood alone that made it so the man hadn't killed him outright for what he'd done and instead threw him out, something he would make sure that the guy regretted later.

First and foremost though, before he went after his old Master, he meant to finish off the dragon and to do that he would need to learn more about him, learn his routines, and find a weakness in him that was worth exploiting... though he was almost certain that he might already know what it was. He would see soon enough if he were correct in his guess once he met with the little flower.

Upon being led to the room in which he would be meeting with the young 'entertainer' and he really couldn't explain how excited he was to meet him... and it wasn't for the reasons he was sure that others would wish to meet with the kid. The way he saw it the easiest way to get what he wanted was to have a spy in the bathhouse and given that it would be difficult to do given how loyal most people were to Qiang Di, be it due to love or fear, this boy was the best way to get what he wanted. Not to mention that the expensive brat was tied closely to Qiang Di's pet dragon from all that he'd seen. He would be quite useful so long as he was careful in the way that he interrogated him, he didn't want him to grow suspicious after all or worse warn those that he was currently stalking after. He wasn't to worried though, he had a trump card after all.

Shrugging out of his thick cloak he shook it off before he hung it up and out of the way, the next thing that he did was take his sword from where it was resting on his hip, tied a peace knot around the hilt, then leaned it against the wall with his cloak, before settling down to await the one he'd paid for. He really was sure that it would be some painted up, floozy sort, but when the boy appeared in the room he found himself pleasantly surprised. Not at all like some of the men that ended up in these places, he'd met a few that were painted up in a manner that seemed to be trying to make them 'one of the ladies' but then again they also did other things to achieve those same results... the differences between a eunuch and a woman were quite significant which made him wonder why some places thought that their customers would let it slide. That was neither here nor there, was it? Not when he seemed to have stumbled across what he would consider to be rather pleasant company. And here he'd thought that this meeting might almost be a painful one.

Watching the boy come to sit before him the man couldn't help but to give a bit of a smile, yes, even if he didn't get all of what he wanted from him tonight it wouldn't be to much of a loss since at least the company during tea was pleasant enough he thought to himself then said, "How? So long as you can pour tea and carry conversation that is more then enough for me." He said, giving a smile as he leaned forward slightly, taking in every detail about the boy from his coloration to his mode of dress to the scent that clung to him. It was quite interesting to him, that these 'children' were born from lotuses like the one he'd procured and yet not a single one of them thus far even smell of lotus blossoms from what he'd seen, "Given you live in this world you are likely aware that the women are good at one thing and while I appreciate that one thing it can take away from the tea." The way that they try to wiggle and jiggle, trying too hard to help their customer get their money's worth could take away from the experience of just relaxing and warming up, it's why he would never share tea with one of them. That and because he didn't trust them not to try to poison him, they were better trained at hiding what they were thinking, someone this boy's age... he doubted his armor was in place enough to protect his thoughts.

"I am called Dao Ye Shou, please take good care of me while we are together, little flower." He said, giving Qiu Shui a smile then a polite bow of his head, as though the other boy were more then important enough that he should deserve to be bowed to.

The handsome man with the scars didn't even seem to blink when the child came in with the tray, setting it between them. He noticed the child, sized her up, and then she was forgotten. She wasn't anything dangerous, or notable given her able, and it was this flower before him that he was here for so he saw no reason to even look toward the little one given all she did was deliver the tea that the little flower was to pour, "I am sure that you will be fine at what I require of you." He said in a reassuring enough manner, leaning forward to watch as the boy produced a piece of candy that was given over to the girl that had delivered the tea to them, likely a sort of payment that the child would be allowed to keep since he was sure that if any of them got any tips they would likely go to whoever was in charge.

"It is alright, little flower, I don't mind you being kind to your fellow workers." He murmured quietly, giving a smile. So the boy tried to spoil the little ones, did he? That was kind of him if a bit of a waste of time given all of those in this place were bound for only one of two things, either to live out their days in this place or their contract would be sold off to another. Though he supposed there was that unspoken third option that involved them running off but that normally just ended with them getting dragged back and beaten into submission, or to death depending on the on in charge. He hope that this one didn't attempt that last option any time soon.

Soon enough the little child was gone, leaving the two of them along and he found himself studying everything about this one once more. He really was a pretty one, wasn't he? It was no wonder he attracted the attention of a dragon though it really did make him curious about how they might have met... not that it was terribly important, all that mattered to him was how important this one was to that dragon. He needed good, decent bait, one that would bring the dragon straight to him the day that he decided to strike so that he could be sure to kill him. That Qiang Di's dragon had survived that night was vexing and Dao Ye Shou's sword called out for that little bluenette's life. It was rare that he drew his blade and failed to kill the one that his sharp blade bit into, "My thanks." He said, reaching out to pick up one of the delicate looking cups in one of his strong, battle roughened hand, and lifted it up so he could take a slow sip from it.

"Better suited to listening, huh? Well we will see if we can change that just for tonight, you can make me feel special by talking to me even if it's just a bit of play acting on your part, little flower." He said, giving a wink. This one really was cute, a shame he had already told him that he only wanted tea. He would do his best to play the part of the kindly patron instead of a dirty old man, that could be saved for later after he had made friends with his little target.

He was to lead the conversation, was he? Wonderful, it would allow him to get the information that he needed a lot easier, "A nudge, eh? Alright, I am sure we can figure out a topic of conversation that is one we will both find to our liking." He said, looking for a moment thoughtful, then his lips turned up into a bit of a smile, "Ahhh, I know. How about we speak of flowers? He said, setting his cup down so that he could reach towards his cloak, digging into an inner pocket and he took out something that was cloth wrapped, "Recently I came into possession of a rather interesting blossom though from what I hear this town seems to find such unique beauties to be more plentiful then one would think." He said as he unwrapped the strange lotus that smelled of peonies and placed it before them.

"What do you think? Would such flowers be a conversation that you would enjoy my pretty flower?" He asked of Qiu Shui, knowing full well that he might know what this flower was as well as who the other flowers in this city were. Not that he had a vast interest in all of them, no... his interest was only in a set pair of them, that being Qiu Shui and the blue dragon that served Qiang Di. Well, he supposed he should also hold interest in his own flower as well, it would be quite useful to him once it ceased being a simple flower he thought to himself before he was once more lifting his tea to his lips, watching the one before him for a reaction.

Dao Ye Shou gave a little smile as he watched Qiu Shui as he scooted closer to get a look at the flower that he had placed between them. It would appear as though it were a perfect sort of bait, wasn't it? It completely threw the boy off his game and caused him nothing but delight, "Where did I get it? From a rather strange sort of person while I was in town, at first I thought him a little strange to give a man like me a flower like this but it must be destiny." He murmured to the boy, "I learned from what conversation we had that this blossom, while quite unique, wasn't the only one around so I decided to see if I might learn more about these strange flowers."

Taking a sip of tea he thought on his next move very carefully, the boy had taken the bait and now was the time to pull him in like one might do a hooked fish, "You say it is familiar? How so?" he asked in a curious sort of way. Ah, but this boy was too cute for his own good. He would need to see that he wasn't harmed in the coming days, it would be a waste of a beautiful flower after all and he could think of better things to do with Qiu Shui then hurt him. The thought was one that was a touch unexpected, finding himself interested in his bait hadn't been a part of the plan, but he would do his best to keep such ideas to himself. He was walking a dangerous path after all and straying due to this one mixing him up wasn't something he could allow. Too much was riding on what Dao Ye Shou did in the future after all.

"If I didn't know better I might say the flower seems as though it is blooming more brightly being so close to you." He commented before he lowered his empty tea cup to set it down once more. It was mostly a ploy to distract the boy and get him to talk more openly but the flower's scent did seem to get a little stronger, as though being near another lotus were feeding it somehow.

Taking it as a good sign when the flower boy rose to his feet and walked across the room to close the door Dao Ye Shou couldn't keep the smile from appearing on his lips. What a sweet boy though one that was just asking to be eaten up he thought to himself, another thought that he shoved aside since that was far from why he was here today. When Qiu Shui settled down along side him, surprisingly close if you asked him but he wasn't about to complain, the man lifted one hand to sooth it against his hair in a manner that was friendly but not overly so. He meant to keep this civil and above the belt, else he'd end up having to pay extra or something he thought to himself for an amused moment. Remaining quiet as the boy scooped up the flower, not at all worried since nothing about the boy's stance said that he meant the flower harm. Instead the boy seemed as though he were fascinated by the flower, wanting nothing more then to hold it and coo over it as though it were a baby. From what he gathered about these flowers though it likely was the closest thing they had to a baby stage, wasn't it?

"Dendrobium, huh?" He asked, then nodded. Well that explained a lot, didn't it? Why such thoughts kept coming to him despite how he wanted to remained well behaved around his new friend of sorts. Or at least as friendly as someone his age could be with a boy Qiu Shui's age that was, perhaps friends that shared tea he thought to himself before deciding not to think too hard on it at the moment, "Well no matter what it would appear as though the two of you should are linked somehow, even if only through the fact that you are both lotus born." He said after he got the right words put together in his mind before adding, "And because I wish for this lotus to be able to know its own after it blooms, though only if you are alright with it, I would like to think that you and the one born of this flower might be friends." After saying those words he gave Qiu Shui a smile, hoping that this would cement the two of them together. Sure he was using some devious means to do so but it was important that he capture this one's attention and more important that he do so in a manner that wouldn't leave the flower boy hating him. Not yet at least, that would likely come later were he to learn of all he was plotting.

When he was told that the lotus was a blessed one and, to his surprise, asked him to keep it safe and happy, he gave a nod of his head, "I will do just that, as well as do what I can to allow for him to thrive by meeting with more of his own kinsmen." Surely having the lotus meet with others would be good for the one that was born of it he thought to himself, "Perhaps, once this one is older, you might help me with that task? Though only if it's no burden and, more importantly, if you might know of others like this one and yourself." He murmured, looking at the flower in a manner that would look thoughtful, as if he were trying to think of the best ways for the lotus within the king flower to meet with the others like it. If nothing else he Dao Ye Shou was a damn good actor, he had to be to get close to his targets after all.

Dao Ye Shou watched as the lifted the flower up to give the petals of it a kiss, something that caused him to give a little bit of a smile. It was something that only amused him that much more when the boy sudden started to apologize for being 'inappropriate'. Given where they were he couldn't help but to think on how innocent a little kiss was, especially when it was given to a little flower, "Yes, you do need to be careful. What happens if this one is born with a crush on you because you are giving it kisses." He said in a manner that seemed to be teasing. He really didn't seem to mind though he couldn't help but to add, "I will admit though you are also making me a little jealous." The man's dark eyes were glittering in a manner that said that he was teasing, he couldn't quite resist though, this boy was so serious about his work after all.

Leaning back a bit to get more comfortable, he looked at the flower that was balanced on his knee, reaching out so that he could scoop it up, lifting it up so that he could breath in the scent of it, "This one, it should be most interesting to see. From what I was told it is both a dragon and the king of flowers, it must be something special." This one smelled nice, a strong and sweet scent, but the dark haired boy smelled even nicer. It was a dangerous sort of scent that might be able to cause anyone to fall before him if he knew how to use what power he had. He doubted that this one knew the sort of power someone beautiful and trained had though. Reaching his free hand out to ruffle the boy's silky hair, "I don't mind you holding the flower, giving your love and affections to it, I am not well versed in giving such things so as the first friend of this flower I give you permission." He said, holding the flower out to Qiu Shui, allowing him to take it if he so wished to do so.

When the dark haired boy said that he would love nothing more then to introduce the peony scented lotus to those that he had met to this point caused him to smile, "You would do that for this child? That is very good of you." He murmured, it pleased him like nothing else, it would cause this little unborn dragon to meet with the blue dragon that belonged to his brother. It was what he wanted most, to let the dragons face off with one another while he dealt with Qiang Di himself... and when the dust settled and the battle was over he would claim this one as his own. His dragon would need a friend after all. It was a thought that he kept himself though, not about to share any of what he was thinking with anyone else other then the little dragon that was yet to be born from the flower that he and Qiu Shui were sharing.

Dao Ye Shou smiled as the young boy once more took the flower from him, seeming to dote on it, probably because they were of the same sort heritage perhaps? He gave a little chuckle when the other offered his services freely, saying that he would do so gladly, "Well now, as tempting as that is, I have already promised it was just tea. I will be more then sure to come and take you up on your offer though when you are a little bit older." He murmured, he had to remember himself, remember why he was here, and make friends with Qiu Shui though he sure did make that difficult, didn't he? He really was a boy who was too sweet for his own good and far to good at what he did as well, it made him dangerous since Dao Ye Shou felt as though he might get swayed from his present course by him. It was something he couldn't allow, he had far to much to prove to allow that to happen, even if Qiu Shui was as tempting as he was at the moment.

Sliding an arm around his tea drinking companion he pulled his slight form over so that Qiu Shui could sit alongside him, giving the pretty boy full reign over playing with the flower since he seemed so taken with it, and when there was mention of another dragon he couldn't help but to perk up. So he was finally speaking of Qiang Di's dragon, was he? Wonderful, he had hoped that they would get along to speaking of such things tonight, he would never have guessed that the boy would take the initiative and tell him more about the other dragon without anymore prompting then he'd already given, "It is difficult to say what might happen when two dragons meet, I suppose that depends on what sorts of dragons they are, if they were enemies before they were reborn, and the like. Perhaps if they are both Heavenly Dragons they may actually get along wonderfully." He suggested, wondering if that would be the case. Would the two of them actually get along because of similar background? Or would they end up warring with each other and causing a terrible mess? He had no idea but he had to admit that he was a bit curious. If they got along too well it might ruin his plans to have his dragon win out against that of Qiang Di but there was no way to tell what could happen without visiting someone who might be able to see such things... and he had to admit he didn't those sorts that much.

Giving a chuckle he finally added, "I guess the only way for us to really know for sure is to have the two of them meet one day." He said at last, giving a sage nod of his head. He knew only so much about the dragons of legend, not spending as much time on stories as he did at other things, but everyone knew that they were force to be reckoned with, "I would suggest that you take this little dragon to meet with your dragon though, a meeting between lotus born without an old man getting in the way." He couldn't let the blue dragon see him after all, not when he was sure his face was branded into the brat's mind after Dao Ye Shou took one of his eyes.