The Travellers Part 2: Travel On An Empty Stomach

The morning had dawned with a cold coastline fog, it rolled slowly and quietly over the cliffs. The rain had subsided through the night, and only quietly dripped from ledges and leaves. It was early, but James was already up. He stoked the fire to a low burning ember, and started his morning calisthenics. He kept quiet hoping not to disturb his sleeping friend.


Ming had migrated during his sleep from sitting against the stone wall to laying sprawled awkwardly about the dirty floor. His orange robe seemed like it would not keep him sufficiently warm in the cold morning air, but the fat monk appeared to not be bothered at all. He snored like a lion with a sinus cold, which led all the small animals in the area to flee in terror.


James continued to do his calisthenics, push-ups mostly. He placed one arm behind his back, and did them with one hand, switching arms every ten. After about 15 minutes of this, he crouched to his haunches, lost balance a bit and smacked his shield, tossing it loudly to the ground. The sound of the bronze rumbled through the small cave. "Ah." He muttered as he turned towards Ming.


Ming awoke with a start, the loud clang of metal on stone disturbing his peaceful slumber. Casually he readjusted himself into a sitting position. "Good morning, James. Sleep well?" He said before yawning dramatically, stretching his arms up to the sky. He smiled and rubbed his bald head momentarily. "What was that noise?" He looked mildly confused.


James sighed and sat down too, "Sorry about that, I knocked over my shield, bronze likes to resonate loudly." He picked up his shield and laid it on his lap. He rubbed his hand over its subtle scratches and pockmarks. "Served me well the last couple years. A soldier I trained with had it made for me, he taught me a good amount of symmetric warfare." He smiled a bit remembering his past.


"I wonder what metal they use to make those huge bells at the temples that resonate so loudly?" Ming wondered aloud, his mind trailing off in another direction. "Probably something like bronze..." He stared off into the foggy morning, "Probably not iron..." His hands habitually folded together inside his sleeves.


"Probably brass, I'm not sure though." He smiled a bit as he stoked up the fire to push off the morning chill. "Quite a heavy fog, it will be horrible to walk through, where are you going after this?" James asked, as he poked the fire with a stick. "I mean, I think I'm just going to the next village, I really dont have a destination."


Ming returned to the conversation quickly. "I do not have a specific destination either. There's a small temple just beyond the next town. I figured I would stop by there and pay a few respects." Ming shuffled through his pack, "Breakfast? It's not healthy to travel on an empty stomach."


"I would love some, and don't mind me saying, it looks like you never travel on an empty stomach." He laughed a bit, before placing his shield to his side. He grabbed his pelts and wrapped it around his waist and tightened his robes. "What kind of breakfast did you have in mind?" James asked as he began to grab his pack to look around for things.




Ming pulled out a small package wrapped in brown paper and twine. He untied the twine string and unfolded the paper to reveal a bundle of vegetables ranging from leeks to cabbage leaves. "I think I'll use some of this." Ming set up his pot once again, put in rice and vegetables and lots of water. He dug through his bag some more until he found a glass jar full of seasonings.

James ruffled through his bag, and pulled out a small bag. "I have a bag of a little spices, you can use some of this if you'd like." He offered the bag kindly to Ming. "You love to cook don't you? What is it about cooking that you like so much, if you don't mind me asking?" He leaned forward to see the stew forming.

Ming eagerly accepted the spices from James. He opened the package and took a sniff. "Ooh, I think I will use some of that." As he sprinkled in the powder, Ming stirred the contents of the pot and thought about James' question. He answered slowly, as if still in thought. "I think, what I enjoy most about cooking, is the part where I get to eat the food." Ming smiled cheekily. "Good food warms the soul. Bad food insults the stomach." Ming held his spoon up as if he were reciting some important teaching.

"You are lucky that food can give you such peace, it's harder for some to find just a small amount of peace. I will admit, you have given me some peace, with your food of course." He smiled again, smelling the cooking vegetables and spices. "Was it hard to find peace, or are you still looking? I know I am." He asked again, trying to find more words of wisdom.

"Peace is a tricky salesman. I thought I knew peace and happiness many years ago, but I was blind then. For years I found myself chasing the idea tirelessly, obsessed. It wasn't until I settled down and watched the world around me, I was at once part of the world and disconnected from it, that was how I learned happiness. I am not entirely at peace, but I have discovered that the little things, each and every morning and meal and so on, should be celebrated and cherished." As he spoke, his eyes were closed, and he continued to stir the pot. The smell of a pleasant stew wafted into the air. "I try my best to enjoy every moment, forget all those troublesome bothers that get you all in a rut... I just sit back and..." Ming took a deep breath of air, "What a beautiful morning. And that stew sure does smell good." Ming smiled. "But I'm babbling aren't I? Sometimes I can't tell when I start talking too much."

"Sometimes words are what people need to hear. I mean I try to find peace in things, but where you found food and the small things, I found combat, battle, and the sword. I get joy and contentedness from a morning meal with a friend. The crossing of swords, however, is where I find peace. What does that mean, what does that make me?" He asked after listening intently to every word.

Ming thought for a long while. It was a tough question and he was unsure of how to answer it. "I will not judge another man on his actions or his character. All I can say is that each man chooses his path, your path can be changed at any time but if you change too late it will be difficult to change at all. The universe then provides to each man accordingly to his path chosen."

James listened to the words carefully, he thought some time before speaking again. "I used to fight for glory, for fame, for power. Imagine though, is it possible for someone to find peace through conflict, doesn't that go against nature's way? Do the spirits find blastphemy in it? Time slows down for me, the world stops spinning, everything is calm in my mind and in my body. Is that peace?"

Ming took his bowl from his pack and held out his hand to take the bowl he had given James just the night before. "Well, does it make you truly happy? You don't feel a shred of guilt or sorrow for the poor man you have slain? The shaolin monks trained their bodies and found peace in their martial art. Perhaps that is what you feel?"

"Do shaolin monks believe that their lives will end within the next ten years? Do they feel a sense of mortality in their lives." He shook his head a bit, trying to shake the nervousness from his words. "I am dying man my friend. I have only a few years in me to live, but i am taken. I am looking for peace before it is shoved into me." He looked down a bit. "I'm sorry for being emotional."

Ming continued to hold his hand out for James' bowl. "The stew will be overcooked if you do not give me your bowl soon." Ming said pleasantly. "You fret because you are afraid of death, or perhaps death before you are ready. What do you want out of life, James Constantine?"

James sat and pondered a bit, he handed Ming his bowl solemnly. "I think... I think it's to die by the sword. To die on my own field of battle, of my own accord and reasons. Not to be taken against my will by something I cannot fight. I want someone who is honorable and stronger than I, to defeat me in the heart of battle. I think that is where I might find peace in death, I do not fear it."

Ming chuckled and filled the bowls with the stew, steaming in the cold morning air. "That is what you want in death. What do you want while you still live?" He handed the warrior his full bowl then sat back against the cold stone wall.

James began to eat again, now completely lost for his thoughts and words. "I don't know, maybe to find out how my life as a warrior will give me peace. What it is about combat that gives me that peace, maybe to find out what peace is. I want my calm before the storm, perhaps that is what I'm looking for." He reasoned through his speech, "This food is wonderful, it truly is peaceful." He smiled again.

"Spoken like a Master." Ming chuckled and took a bite of stew. "Mmm, you're right!" He hungrily gobbled much of his bowl before he paused to trade more wisdom with his friend. "While you live, be more concerned with your quality of life. Put death in the second priority, you will find more peace when you worry less about it. Seek wisdom and cherish the life you have."

"I think however, this evening and morning with you, has helped me settle myself down, and watch the world around me. Figuring out what I need in life, not finding my death. I'd like to thank you, perhaps we can walk a bit to that temple, I would love to see it myself. If that is fine with you that is." He spoke sincerely as he ate his soup. 

Ming finished slurping down his first bowl of stew. He set the bowl down and wiped his face on his orange sleeve. He smiled widely at James, "I would enjoy that very much. You are good company that is rare to find on lesser travelled roads." He began pouring himself a second bowl, "Would you like any more for the road?"

"I'll take a page out of your book, and have another one for the road my friend." He smiled extending his  bowl for some more. "A wise man once told me that It's not healthy to travel on an empty stomach." He laughed a bit as he began to gather his things.

"Very wise indeed..." Ming filled James' bowl, then poured the meager leftovers into his bowl. "This meal should carry us to dinner. Hmm, what will I have for dinner? Perhaps I will buy something in the next town." Ming spoke mostly to himself. He finished his second bowl nearly as quickly as he had finished his first before he set about packing his things.

The Travellers Part 1: Good Luck Seldom Comes In Pairs

So my friend Marek and I got together and whipped up this little tale late last night. It's the story of the meeting of our two Dungeons and Dragons characters:
Ming Yue Ning (my character), the jolly fat old Taoist monk who has travelled the world in search of greater spiritual realization, or "the way", or enlightenment.
James Constantine (Marek's character), a warrior who has contracted a fatal disease that is slowly killing him, so he travels the world learning many different fighting styles and hoping that someday soon he would find an honorable death in battle.
I thought it was very good, the characters are distinct and intriguing, and they discuss some many interesting topics. I'm sure there will be a second installment, but for now this is all you get.
Yes there are a few misspellings and grammatical errors. I'm not perfect, that's what editors are for.


The night was very dark, not a star in the heavens. This could most probably be attributed to the heavy clouds that blanketed the sky. Droplets of rain fell sparsely, preparing for a downpour in the near future. Ming sat on the cold stone floor of a cave tucked into a cliffside. The two nearest towns were miles away, and with the oncoming rain Ming found sufficient reason to stop and build a cozy little fire to cook his dinner. He hummed a simple tune from his childhood and poked at the fire with a stick. "Nice and warm, rice is better served on heat." He set up a ceramic pot over the fire and poured in a cup of rice and some water. He hummed to himself as he leaned back against the stone wall behind him. "Weary traveller far from hearth, lays his bed upon the earth..." The song lyrics were familiar to him, he was no stranger to sleeping on dirt and stone. He looked back up at the sky. "What a magnificent night."


James walked slowly by the cliffs, making his way through damp brush and moist air. The sky was darkening for the oncoming storm. "Ah, its going to be one of those nights." He spoke to himself as he stood upon the ridge over looking the cliff's. "The spirits seem restless." He spoke up as he scanned the horizon. His eyes glanced at a flicker of light that illuminated from the dark grey cliffs. A bit more focus showed that it came from a cave in the cliff face. "Hmmm... Looks like I'm not the only one needing shelter." He smiled, as he made his way down the path towards the cave. On his way, he tightened his pelts around his shoulders, making sure to cover up the shield strapped to his back. He also placed his katana closer to his body to be hidden in his robes. He shook the residual water off of himself as he slowly walked towards the cave entrance, where the sound of a fire resonated in the air. He poked his head in, seeing the little fire, and a portly robed man cooking some rice. "Lo, Traveller, would you have room for one more?" He asked politely, no need to be the cause of hostility. "My name's James Constantine." He spoke kindly as he stood at the entrance.


Ming looked up, his face full of surprise and delight. "Please, I would be honored to share my shelter and supper with a fellow traveller. I am Ming Yue Ning, but we are friends in this place so you may call me Ming." He gestured across the fire, "Have a seat, James Constantine. I was afraid I'd have to spend this cold night alone without the warmth of pleasant company."


"Heh, thank you, you are very kind." James spoke softly as he walked closer to the fire, sitting down and crossing his legs. He let his pack fall to his side and removed his pelts and laid them close to the fire so they could dry. The Shield on his back became visible, as its bronze finish glistened in the fire light. "I have some salted meats, I would be happy to share some if you would like."


"And I will gladly share my rice." Ming stirred the rice in the ceramic pot. He noticed the shield glinting in the firelight. "A traveller and a warrior. You are trained?" Ming looked curious. He did not look down upon warriors for he had once been one as well, but he was always intrigued by their training. "Your clothes say you have travelled far but they do not speak of your homeland." It was spoken as a statement, but the question was obvious enough.


James rumaged through his pack and grabbed a makeshift package of salted meats wrapped in cured leathers. He opened it and took out a few large pieces and laid them near the fire. He smiled a bit at Ming's question, "Yes, I am trained, and yes I am traveled. My homeland is something that is just a footnote in my life, I am from everywhere." He spoke openly as he grabbed a piece of meat to warm it by the fire.


"Ah, yes. Home is the place the traveller rests his feet. I have met many who speak little of home." He stopped stirring the rice and leaned back against the stone wall. Ming took a slow deep breath of the night air mixed with the scents of boiling rice and sizzling meat. "It is a good night. The rain will bring water to these trees and animals and the river will grow wild once again. And in the morning..." The monk paused, "I will have a bath." He bent back over the rice. "Do you have a bowl, friend?"


"I might." James rummaged though his pack once again, pulling out a small wooden tablet, and roll of parchment tied together with small thread. "Hmmm, I don't suppose I do, may I borrow one?" He asked politely. He grabbed the wooden tablet and brought it to his lap, he also brought the rolled up parchment and opened it up. "I hope you don't mind, I like to practice in my free time." He rolled out the parchment, and a small vial and a pen rested inside. The parchment was blank except for the 1/2 inch border that ran around its edge. He opened up the vial and dipped the pen inside, soaking it in ink. He grabbed his wrist with his left hand and slowly moved his right hand to begin creating a character on the parchment. "I learned Caligraphy from a school of swordsmen. This character is a seal they use."


Ming rummaged through his own pack to find his bowl, "You are very lucky tonight." He commented to James, "Normally I only have one bowl, but at the last town I was in a lady gave me this bowl as payment for a chore I helped her with." Ming held an ornate green bowl out to James. "You may keep it. I have no need for two bowls besides giving the extra bowls to kind strangers." He began serving up the rice into James' bowl first. "I'm sorry about my poor cooking. All these years traveling alone, one would think I would learn to cook rice decently. Unfortunately it's always overcooked or undercooked and it never sticks together." He chuckled as he served up his own bowl. Once he got to eating his portion of rice and meats, Ming finally made comment on the calligraphy. "It is a fine art, yes, few men have such skill with a pen. I myself know very few words in the written language. The scripts of my ancestors were always read to me, and I only thought to learn what I found was important to me. Phrases of wisdom and words of power mostly..." Ming took some chopsticks from his pack and proceeded to feast upon the meal.


"I haven't had rice in a very long time." James commented, "The art of the pen uses the same fluid motions as the art of the sword. Thats what the master would say, as he taught it to me." He continued to let his hand flow, stopping once or  twice to to rub his wrist, "I still get achy. I know a few languages, but its the old ones that cause the most trouble. I like to write my diary entries with calligraphy."


"Hmm." Ming responded, his mouth full of rice. He took his time chewing, then swallowed. "Perhaps you could write something for me, then I will keep it and remember our night here in this cave." He went back to finishing his bowl off quite hungrily. His portly stomach was a testament to his eating habits.


"I would love to, friend." James smiled as he focused back onto his work. He was transfixed by his calligraphy that he had forgotten about his food. He wrote with fluidity, but with the strain of being an apprentice. "It's an old proverb I heard, it will fit for this evening I believe." He wrote one last character to represent his name and then showed it to Ming. "If you can't read it, it says ... Good luck seldom comes in pairs but bad things never walk alone. At least, thats what I think it says." He said with a chuckle as he finally made his way to his food.


"A good proverb indeed. I thank you very much, friend. And even if it's a little wrong, I can't read it anyways, so it means exactly what you say it does." Ming took the parchment with much reverence and looked it over for a long while. Finally he nodded, a wide smile on his face, and set the parchment aside atop his pack and picked his bowl up once again to refill its contents.


"I don't know much else in the older languages, I really should learn." He worked slowly through his food. "I don't know though, it takes time to learn a language." He trailed off slowly to himself. "You have to learn characters, symbols, phrases and meanings. Just so much, and so little time to learn it." James finished his bowl and sat back, taking his shield off his back and resting it behind him.


"I suppose it's important to some folk. But I never really saw the point. I never use writing. When I want to talk to someone, I walk to them and tell them what I wanted to say. I need no writing, it is a curiosity to me to learn the strange symbols that make up words of importance to me. But I do not wish to go through the trouble of learning so much. Language is difficult enough when spoken." Ming finished his second bowl and bent over the ceramic cooking bowl once again to finish off the last of the rice. "I hope you do not mind if I finish this?" Ming looked over at James. James' bowl was empty and he showed no interest in eating more, so Ming continued to fill his bowl and empty the pot.


"Not at all, I don't require too much food to sustain myself. I'm pretty hearty, I've learned to go for days without too much food."  He grabbed his katana from his waist, and untied it from his robes and laid it against his shield. James sighed as he relaxed finally, "I've learned how survive. Haha, hahaha." He laughed heartily to himself, "Forgive me, but it requires a bit more understanding."


Ming finished his third bowl as James spoke. Once it was empty he set it aside. James began laughing heartily and Ming couldn't help but smile. "I do not understand, but I will not deny you a good laugh. Sometimes, that is all we have, a laugh to keep us going." He set about cleaning his bowl and removed the ceramic pot from the fire to let it cool elsewhere.


"Surviving is harder for me than you might think." James smiled as the last bits of his laugh ended, "Surviving for me is like cutting off the branch I'm sitting on." He grabbed his pelts again, and wrapped it around himself. "I love these pelts, I picked them up in the north, the spirits of these animals empower me, as well as keep me warm." He chuckled before leaning back again.


Ming watched James carefully. He saw a desperation in him different from most weary travelers. For a long while he found he had nothing to say, so he sat quietly staring at the man across the fire. "You need not fear, James Constantine. You will be born again in a more free and honest form in your next life. I know you are on your way to finding the path." His words were quiet but full of awe.


"I've got one last step my friend, and only so long before the path is grown over by brush." James smiled recognizing the sincerity in Ming's voice. "You however, shall live to see great drink, great food, and great times." He smiled, and bowed his head in respect. "I fear though, that I grow tired, and more steps to take before the end. I think it is time I rest these eyes of mine."


"Then let us sleep." Ming said quietly. Just then a booming echo of thunder streaked across the sky followed by a sudden blanket of rain pouring down. Ming leaned against the stone wall and stared out into the woodland and the rain. Slowly the fire died, first to flickers, then to embers. Ming sat in meditation, admiring the beauty and power of the thunderstorm. "Good night friend."

Long Time

It's been a while. I don't really have anything to say as of late. I've been very busy lately, what with semester finals and all.


Just checkin' in to let you all know I'm not dead.


Oh yeah, and you should all go to Patrick Rothfuss' blog and donate to Worldbuilders for some really cool prizes.
http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/blog.html
Do it!

Thanksgiving Week

Important news to all you folk who want to hang out Thanksgiving week. I will be watching my aunt's house in Ramona for the week, so all plans are going to have to be made before Thanksgiving week or I won't be able to hang out.


It's going to be very cool. I love that house, plus she has a freakin' zoo! I just really hope everything's gonna end up scheduling out okay. I will have internet access, so I won't be completely cut off from the world but don't expect me to be at your beck and call. So remember, make plans before Thanksgiving week.

Decisions Decisions

So, things are better now. I know that seems like a rather abrupt thing to start a post with, but it's true. Andy's passed his kidney stone and he's back to his normal goofy self, I'm not so lonely anymore with Andy to keep me company, and generally I'm in a rather chipper mood. I could say that I don't know what it is but my mood has just improved greatly. But that would be a lie. For one of the few times in my teenage years, I can actually explain why I'm so happy.


I'm happy because I've decided that I'm going to be happy.


It started Monday afternoon. I was feeling kinda icky. I didn't like it at all. Andy and I had an hour long break during school and we spent some of that time just sitting on the grass and cuddling. After just a few moments all the ickiness went away and I was filled with a warm fuzzy happiness. I thought then that I never wanted this feeling to go away. So, I decided I was going to stay happy, even in class, even when I'm all by myself, even when I should be worrying.


I took a test in my math class on Monday after I had made my decision. Even when I didn't know how to do the question or got stuck on something, I couldn't help but just giggle at it and say, "It doesn't really matter."


Today's my long day of school, I usually get frustrated and tired and angry on these long days. But today I'm just taking it step by step and really enjoying myself.


In my Philosophy class today we tackled the problem of "What is human nature"? My teacher told us that the Existentialists believe that human nature is simply the freedom of choice. We have no human nature because we have the freedom to choose our personal nature. This makes the power of choice very powerful. It strongly enforced my decision to be happy no matter what.


I hope I can stay happy for quite a long time. I really hate being a downer, it even annoys myself. Happiness is just so much more pleasant.

Kidney Stones and Social Distortion

I know I haven't posted in a long while. Trust me, I've looked at this page every day and wondered what the hell should I say? Then I ended up not saying anything at all. But today I finally mustered up enough boredom to actually write something.


Andy's been bed-ridden for the past three days with a painful case of kidney stones. Which means lots of worry and distress for me. I've been forced to go to school, without him, and it's certainly been an enlightening experience. More importantly, he should pass them within' the next couple days. In the meantime he has to drink enough water to drown a horse and just keep peeing. But that's not a subject anyone really wants too hear too much about, when it's not painful it's a little gross.


So today and Monday I've been at school all on my lonesome. Well sure there's Alex and Pedro, but I only see them for about an hour then it's more waiting, then more boring class. My life drudges by, slow as molasses. As I sat in a mostly empty cafeteria, I watched and listened, and felt increasingly more lonely by the second. A group of students at the table beside me spoke awfully loud about their classes and how much they hated and loved certain teachers of theirs. Across the room, I watched a table of boys with long hair and t-shirts playing a game of Magic: The Gathering on the dirty cafeteria table. And another table had a gathering of adults, possibly teachers, all sipping their coffee and chuckling. I, a lonely in-betweener, with no group, much less a single friend to converse with, sat in the back corner and ate my Subway sandwich in silence. In conclusion, I need more friends.

A week has passed and, surprisingly, I can't seem to think of something to talk about for this week's blog update. I mean, plenty has happened. But it feels like extended cable. Five hundred channels and nothing to watch.


I got depressing news. I interviewed for a job last Thursday, they waited until this afternoon to finally call me and tell me I didn't have a job. More depressing news. No job means I won't have the money to buy a new trombone anytime soon. So I guess I'll have to stick to my old boring hobbies.


On a lighter note, I've started working on my Christmas list (because I heard that family members were already asking for one). Like last year, my X-mas list will be on www.amazon.com. Just go to the Wishlists tab in the upper right corner, click wishlists, and type my name in the provided bar. I know I have some odd things on there, but what else do you expect from an odd girl like me.


For those of you who don't want to bother with my list, I suppose I could put a few favorites down here for ya to use as a sort of reference.


Favorite Bands
Rush
The Seatbelts (and Yoko Kanno)
Motion City Soundtrack


Favorite Movies
Fight Club
Inglorious Basterds
Hot Fuzz


Favorite Books
The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss
The Zombie Survival Guide- Max Brooks
Howl's Moving Castle- Diana Wynne Jones


Favorite TV Shows
Batman: The Animated Series
Excel Saga
Read or Dream