A lavish couple of rooms just for past Julie. They are decorated beautifully, with silk sheets hanging across corners and gold everything. Her bed is huge and soft, and the walls are adorned with exquisite weaponry of almost any kind you could imagine.

::Julie flies in through the window and lands neatly on a soft rug, on which she removes her shoes and curls her toes into the softness beneath her. Her eyes are closed and she meditates for a few minutes before opening them and taking in her gorgeous dwellings. She unsheathes her weapons and cleans and polishes them with reverence, putting them in their respective places while tucking a few daggers on her person in case of emergency. Deciding against going to see the emporer just now, the warrior takes off the main layers of her robes and sleeps in the undergarmet, which serves as a nightgown. Even when she is sleeping, though, there is a strange, tense awareness about her.::

::A female guard timidly enters the room, having pushed the silk curtains covering the door aside. She sees Julie sleeping and swallows before approaching the warrior and crouching down beside her. She reaches out to shake her awake.::

::Before she even knows what's going on, the young guard finds her protruding hand in a vice grip and a dagger pointing at her throat. Julie's face is close and she growls at the girl dangerously.::

"Do you know that if you were an enemy you would be strung up by your intestines by now?"

::Crying out, the girl looks fearfully into the warrior's eyes. She doesn't know what to say. What if she says the wrong thing and Julie kills her?::

::Julie pulls the girl in closer, then thrusts her back and gets up, walking over to her dressing table where she pulls a whalebone comb through her long, silky black hair. She puts it up using ebony sticks to hold it tightly to the back of her head, then looks at the girl who is still on the floor.::

"Well? What is it?"

::She washes her hands in a bucket of water and splashes some onto her face.::

::The guard gets up and bows to Julie respectfully.::

"The Emporer wishes to see you, ma'am."

::She stays in the bow, not looking up while the warrior washes.::

::Julie sighs, deciding against letting the girl stand up.::

"I dispatched Alloren; the guards must have the body by now. What more could he want so soon?"

::The guard only bows lower, sweat dripping from her face onto the rug she stands on.::

"Please, there is another."

::Julie rolls her eyes.::

"Of course. What else could it be? Would he invite me to anything else?"

::She looks disdainfully at the girl.::

"Get up. Go. Tell him I'll be there. And go to the kitchen and tell them I want meat and wine. Up here. Quickly."

::The guard stands up and bows again.::

"Yes. I depart."

::She bows again and scurries to the door, then turns and bows again before leaving.::

::Julie sits down on a stool for a while before getting up and slipping her various robes on. She tucks her jian into a sheath on her back, the straps of which she tightens across her breast. Calmly, she walks from her rooms into the palace to locate the Emperor.::

::Julie smiles. She loves this place lots. She sits on the bed and runs her hands over the silk sheets then she gets up and looks at her weapons.::

(These are the finest weapons I have ever seen.)

::Dropping the guard's sword she goes through the very wide selectiona nd picks out a katana and some throwing stars.::

(Why do I have Japanese weapons if I'm Chinese? They must really love me.)

::She puts her hair up with a very lovely hair comb and attaches the weapons to her. Woot for belts.::

(Now... if I were an enemy where would I attack from.)

::Julie walks over to the window and jumps up on the ledge before looking out and surveying the grounds until she spots a figure far out into the country.::

(Must be it.)

::She jumps out from the window and lands in the courtyard.::

::Julie blinks in with P.Prue and P. Carys.::

"If you'll excuse me just a second."

::She looks out the door to the hallway.::

"Guard, bring me plenty of of town's best food."

"Of course."

::The guard bows like a million times and runs off to do that.::

::Past Carys slowly wanders about, determined to remain unimpressed.::

"Ju Rong's quarters are impressive, are they not, Carys?"

::Carys screws up her face since she's looking the other way.::

"They are average."

::Prue smiles and rolls her eyes, walking up behind Carys and putting a hand on her shoulder.::

"How many times must I teach you of humility? Is it not better to make friends when an enemy is unnecessary?"

::Sucking in an annoyed breath, Carys tries to let her pride go. She really does want to be as incredible a warrior as Prudence so takes in everything she says. It's just that allowing the lessons to properly take effect is more difficult. She sighs.::

"They are quite wonderful."

::Prue gives Carys' shoulder a squeeze then suddenly looks towards the door and blinks them both out.::

::A woman enters pushing a table on small wheels, laden with food and wine. She bows to Julie deeply and waits to be dismissed, or possibly yelled at if the table is not satisfactory.::

::Julie looks pleased.::

"This pleases me. You may leave."

::The woman bows even lower and scurries out.::

::Prue and Carys blink back in exactly where they were before.::

"It is kind of you to extend such hospitality to us."

::She smiles.::

"Especially as it is not yours to give."

"If it were, I would do the same to you. But Carys and I don't get along where I come from either."

::Julie sits down and sips some wine.::

"It's easy for me to trust you because where I come from you are the one person I'd trust most."

(Even more than Andrea.)

::Prue frowns and takes some grapes, eating them thoughtfully. She nods to Carys.::

"Eat."

::Now she turns back to Julie.::

"Where is it that you come from? That you know us but not... me."

"San Francisco, California, United States of America year two thousand and seven."

::Past Carys pretends to ignore the two and eats whatever from the table, being polite since she has no place in this conversation.::

::Prue looks taken aback.::

"Now your clothing is explained... somewhat."

::She silences, thoughtful.::

"I suppose so."

::Julie nods.::

"I was sent here to die in place of Ju Rong... I guess I was a threat to the Source so they wanted to get rid of me. I'm sure you know about the Source and all of that since you've got powers. Right?"

"There have been prophecies of true, physical magic being divided into good and evil with each having its own source that can give and take away, but they are not come to be real. Is that the 'source' you mean?"

::Julie nods.::

"The Source of all evil. He's been defeated before, but everytime he is killed the power just posesses another being. So, he's basically indestructable, but I'm sure whoever is Source now doesn't want to lose his powers."

::Let's face it. Julie doesn't make much sense in any century what with her ability to presume the knowledge of others yet her cognition of when others talk crap is fantastic. Make sense of that. Anyway. Prue doesn't really know what the hell she means as this is a whole new concept to her and nods.::

"The future is no concern of mine, Ju..."

::She stops, unsure of what to call Julie.::

"I do not mean that to sound cold, but my purpose here and now is to defeat Ju Rong. It is a long passage of time between now and where you come from. I see your soul has had much time to grow."

"I'm Julie. And I'b be more than glad if you defeated her, but we have to get me back first in other for us to get her here."

"Ju Lee."

::Prue shrugs.::

"Very well. How do we do such a thing? How did you come to be here in the first place?"

"I was sent through a time portal. I have no idea how they are made but I had a though that if I could maybe find a witch and she could cast a spell to send me forward in time."

"Perhaps I can help you in that area. I am experienced. Where is this portal?"

"It's closed now. I was thrown a little way outside the town."

"It would be best to go to the original place. There may be residual magic."