#fatesaligned

The door creaked open as Xiao Hua slipped inside, careful not to disturb the peace blanketing Puqi Shrine. Night had fully settled, shadows and a serene hush filled the room. Incense from earlier prayers hung faintly in the air, the sticks reduced to ash on the altar table. A bowl of persimmons had been offered some time during the day. The others must have retired hours ago, so she took quiet, deliberate steps, tidying away older offerings and setting out fresh incense stands. This way, there would be nothing left to tend to come morning.

Puqi Shrine had changed since its early days. What was once an open space split between shrine and living quarters, now served as the heart of the shrine itself, modestly partitioned and decorated in a style fitting to standard shrines. Anyone who knew it from before might not recognize the place, except in name. Towards the back of the room, hidden by a beautifully painted partition of white cascading flowers was the door leading to the rest of the living space.

Xiao Hua had spent all day within Puqi village, her mind undeniably weary. However, if Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had gone to bed already, her entering the room and readying for bed was bound to disturb them. Perhaps, tonight, she would take the spare room down the hall. She carefully walked down the hallway, thankful that the center was run with a carpet and thus muffled her footsteps. However, her quiet maneuvering had been in vain. The moment she reached the doors to the master bedroom, a warm, amber glow filtered through the gap. Candlelight flickered steadily, joined by the soft glow of lanterns. Those two, steadfast as ever, had waited up, making sure to fill the room with the tender light that would greet her home.

Xiao Hua sighed, casting a long look at both of their wide-eyed, overly 'innocent' faces. She had often told them to not wait up for her if she was out late. Her expression said it all: 'I’m too tired to lecture you tonight, but rest assured- it’s coming.' Resigning herself, she crossed to her small corner of the room, where she had claimed a simple space for her belongings and readying area with mirror and dresser.

A short while later, she reappeared, her modest hair ornaments tucked safely away, now wearing only a light sleeping robe. She dared to think she could make it to the bedside table without incident, but before she even registered the movement, arms wrapped securely around her waist, lifting her easily off her feet. In one smooth motion, she was nestled firmly between them on the large, welcoming bed they now shared- luxurious compared to the modest straw mat of before. Hua Cheng, ever insistent on providing nothing short of the finest furnishings, had insisted on outfitting their quarters with the best his generosity could offer, and she had to admit, she’d grown used to the softness, allowing her to easily drift to sleep.

Xiao Hua had learned, much to her disappointment, that the beautifully kept pond in Paradise Hall was no substitute for a traditional bath. Much to the chagrin of the chamber maids who, once again, stood at the waters edge beckoning her to come back out. To her, it was little different from dipping into a lake. But she was no longer merely a Guardian, a sprite of the forest; she was now Lady of the house, and with her elevated status came the expectation privilege of only the finest methods of cleanliness.

The palace’s bathing room was as lavish as one might have expected, grand stone stretching from floor to ceiling, adorned plants and elegant drapes. The bath itself, perhaps modest by palace standards, could comfortably seat seven or eight, with walls high enough to require a seat to keep one’s head above the water. To sit on the floor meant to be submerged, with a few inches to the surface overhead. Steam swirled thickly near the ceiling, mingling with the fragrant scents of bath oils and salts, so potent they made her head spin- or perhaps it was the heat. She’d come to realize she wasn’t the most adaptable to temperature extremes: fickle during winter, and quick to wilt in the desert heat. But the warmth of the water was soothing, relaxing her in all the right ways, and she knew she’d sleep deeply tonight.

Her attention drifted to the flower petals scattered on the water’s surface, they weren't there when she entered the bath, and she absentmindedly poked at them as her thoughts wandered. When someone entered, she looked up, her rosy face brightening as she recognized him. Seated at the opposite end of the bath, she drifted over to him, her head above water, hair trailing like a river of white behind. At that moment, she might have been mistaken for a water nymph rather than a goddess of flowers.

Though she felt little need for her own privacy, she respected Hua Cheng’s, waiting until he had settled before moving closer. Leaning in, she greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, her fingers sweeping his hair back from his forehead to save him from the irritation of it sticking.

Their last few days had been spent on the road, never lingering in one place for long. They weren’t fleeing exactly, but an unease seemed to follow them, nudging them forward. Even so, what awaited them ahead felt more unsettling, like they were walking out of a fry pot and into the fire. Despite the ache in her feet, Xiao Hua never complained. How could she? The struggles the others faced were far heavier than the soreness of a hoof.

By midmorning, they had covered a good distance, though it didn’t feel like they were any closer to their destination. Not that she was in a hurry to arrive. Her mind kept itself preoccupied with imagining what exactly a 'Mount Tonglu' would look like, but nothing she imagined felt at all inviting. When they arrived at a small hamlet, Xie Lian continued on to see if the meager market might offer something to eat, leaving Hua Cheng and Xiao Hua behind to wait in the cool shade of a large tree just off the path.

To say Xiao Hua hadn’t been quietly fascinated by Hua Cheng would be a bold faced lie. From the moment she laid eyes on the now smaller form of the Ghost King, she had been filled with an overwhelming urge, a desire, her mind alive with curiosity. More often than not, she had to clasp her hands behind her back, restraining herself from acting on these impulses. But today, as they sat beneath the tree, she let her curiosity win. She found herself preoccupied with the hands of the once-mighty Ghost King.

Though Hua Cheng still bore his title, it was hard to say it without a smile tugging at her lips. Who had ever heard of a Calamity who barely reached her hip, wore slightly oversized clothes, and whose hand fit so easily in her palm? This was the object of her attention, not just in that moment but from the days prior. Ever since his small hand had found its way into hers during their journey, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Her hand lowered slightly, the small, square roof-tile piece caught between her fingers. Across the room, soft music filled the air as the performers played on, providing a gentle backdrop to the evening's entertainment. Xiao Hua, stretched along the cushioned seat, had been idly contributing to the careful construction of a miniature palace that Hua Cheng had painstakingly assembled. A tray of tiny, intricate pieces lay beside her, and she enjoyed plucking the bits and pieces, toying with them before passing them over without much thought. Gods knew if she tried putting together the palace herself, a hundred years would pass before the first floor was ever finished.

Their conversation had started as idle chatter, and before she realized it, the tone had shifted. The lighthearted banter had given way to something more serious, without her even noticing. The forgotten piece slipped from her fingers as she pushed herself into a sitting position, the soft jingle of the bell around her ankle breaking the stillness. Her relaxed demeanor had sharpened, her gaze now fixed on him with an intensity that wasn’t there before.

Granted, the situation had been far from ideal. Then again, when was there ever an ideal moment to reveal something as vulnerable as one's true form? In a sensible world, one would flee from such a sight, not because it was hideous ( it wasn't ) but from a simple instinct for self-preservation. It was common sense to avoid creatures with horns and tails. A deer runs from a wolf; that was the way of things, and always would be. Yet this particular "deer" seemed far from sensible, with a history of ignoring nature’s rules.

Xiao Hua circled him first with cautious curiosity, then gradually shifting into an observant gaze. Horns, tail, flashes of scales along his arms--he certainly painted a fearsome image, befitting a Ghost King. Yet, instead of fear, she found herself more intrigued than anything else. When she reached his back, she paused, standing quietly behind him. Every creature she had encountered, from deer to Guardians, some ghouls and now Ghost Kings, had two horns atop their heads. What strange, skewed luck had brought her to be the only one with a single horn set square in the middle of her forehead?

Pale fingers traced the reddish lines encircling her wrists, remnants of her binding. Her heart had calmed, no longer thudding loudly in her ears, but adrenaline still ran through her veins, ready to give flight if only she could discern whether the situation warranted it. In the past, she would have dashed away at the first hint of freedom, but now she felt frozen. Where could she run? Since being pulled into this city, she had been enveloped by a twisted, malignant qi that clung to her like a miasma. Even in this new place, a palace of open hallways and grand rooms, nothing had changed. She felt cornered, now more likely to encounter a dead end than any chance of escape.

The man before her spoke in a tone she had seldom heard lately, especially not directed at her. The past few days had been dominated by the cackles and caws of bird-like imps that had ensnared her, bound her wrists, and yanked her along by a rope around her neck. Decades of solitude only to be met with such swift cruelty at her first outside contact. Yet now, this man’s demeanor and the cadence of his words contradicted her fractured perceptions of him. Was he the feared Ghost King revered in the Gambler’s Den, or a kinder soul lurking beneath the surface? Cruel... or considerate? The flicker of red she had envisioned earlier faded into a more somber hue, and the adrenaline ebbed away. One person could embody both, but her mind remained wary. Not again.

Surely, the Ghost King expected a response. His gambling prize stood awkwardly in the spacious room where she had been escorted. She had been pacing back and forth, torn between the impulse to flee since no one was watching and the inclination to stay. Assess her situation, find where she was and more importantly-- how to get out. Finally, she shook her head briskly, steeling herself, and turned to sit at the corner of the bed.

The grand hall was filled with people, an overwhelming sea of officials all gathered in one place. The sheer number of voices created a rush that blurred together, punctuated only by the occasional burst of laughter or snippets of conversation. It was reminiscent of her forest, filled with the vibrant sounds of root-speak, but this chaos was anything but soothing. Xiao Hua had been anxious since her arrival, having been convinced to attend as making an appearance was essential for her "image." She wished, instead, that people could forget her name, let alone put a face to it.

Dinner and pleasantries had passed, leaving ample time for mingling, yet she found herself tucked away in a corner near one of the large marble columns, thinking of an escape. Just as she was about to slip away, she was approached by Earth Master. Though they had shared only a few brief encounters, she understood the importance of being polite, even as a question lingered in her mind: was he somehow akin to Ying Yue--her superior?

She wasn’t truly asleep, though she could hardly claim she was awake, either. Sleep had long been elusive and frustrating, and continued to be so. Every creak, every whisper of the wind, sent her heart racing and had her sitting upright, wide-eyed and restless. Even now, surrounded by the serene splendor of the Heavenly Capital, in a palace built for her alone, there was no peace to be found. Her mind could not seem to refuse the thought of remaining alert at all times. Rather than drown in her stagnant thoughts, perhaps she needed the distraction of another's; the burdensome thoughts of Shi Qingxuan.