song of iron

perhaps it would be considered too soon by conventional standards to tell, but hana felt a sense of connection when it came to huayan. she admired her in a way she never had before; she was an only child, but she knew that if she did have an older sister, it would feel quite similar to the manner in which she looked up to yanyan. her heart ached to think about the possibility of the older woman leaving the valley if she grew bored of the quaint town. " no, i’m ready, yanyan ! as ready as i will ever be anyways, " hana mused out - loud, nodding her head decidedly.

as stubborn, too.

riding side-saddle was a bore. an obvious way to keep the women slow upon the back of a horse, to have the only attainable freedom taken away from them. huayan nodded, then mounted xiaohei, sliding to the very back of the saddle. extending a hand to hana, she instructed in a gentle tone ;

"put your left foot in the stirrup and hang onto me for balance as you slide the right leg over the saddle. I won't let you fall, so don't panic."

Tea rooms were not much of his liking most of the day, but sometimes it was a good place to hide. From work, from life or himself, it depended on the day. Still, André had gone there on that day to run from work responsabilities. He usually was good at not having to do that, but sometimes he needed to get his head out of the papers and responsability.

Sitting in a room and just being a guy sometimes just... felt right. Maybe sitting around and listening to other's people chatter and problems just helped him forget about his own, even if just for a couple hours.

André stared at the stranger that adressed him and took a seat. While he wasn't unopposed, he didn't want to have to come back another time. Fine, he would chat with this stranger.

chitter chatter spoke volumes, but not every information was gathered through the words.

"I don't think you have, either. I've only just recently move in." huayan spoke with a friendly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm zhang huayan. commissioned here with the stables for... three weeks now, I believe." though time was an elusive concept sometimes. when enroute with xiaohei, it seemed like centuries had passed upon his back. time was both fast and slow. in this place though? it felt like she'd been here for years, and yet it still felt unfamiliar and odd.

she wondered if she'd ever adjust to it.

"do you come to the tearoom often?" she asked.

he hadn't been in prism falls for long, but the valley had truly captured his heart. whatever it was that drew him there was stronger than ever now; as was the man's desires to take up permanent residence in this oh - so charming little town. perhaps this could be a place that was more than just another stop on his road map — perhaps he could find a home in prism falls.

talk about smelling like christmas itself.

"maybe the intensity of the spices oozing through the lid overpowering the brisk chill of the air is what makes it so... festive." huayan retorted with a shrug, though after a moment of adjustment, she had to agree the marmelade smelled rather appealing. she gotta get herself one of those. "I have a feeling there's more cinnamon in that marmelade than there is pine needles in evergreen forest." but, it should go rather well with mint or chamomile tea and with salted toast bread."

"oh, there is something in their eyes all right. it's called intelligence. though not many people posses it these days, I'm afraid, so I can understand why it spooks you." she lightly teased, then shrugged.

he smiled and let out a little sigh of relief. "and here i was starting to think i would have to walk out in shame, shunned by the valley's elite," freddie explained dramatically with a chuckle as he moved to occupy the seat across from her.

"have you been here before today?" he asked curiously. "i've been meaning to come for some time, but it's just never worked out." though there was no one to blame for that except himself. there had been other opportunities to stop in, moments when the shop was far less crowded, but something else always seemed to come up. something—someone, who interested him far more than any tea could ever. "suppose i should ask what you have in here," freddie stated as he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup. but in truth, he wasn't sure he'd even be able to tell the difference, no matter how bad he wanted to pretend he could.

she left her family behind to escape it, she ain't going to succumb to it here.

"the elite will shun you for some other reason, I'm sure." huayan lightly chuckled, remembering all too well how prone to shunning the elite was. "you can do absolutely everything by the book and yet they'll still find a hair out of place to annoy you about." like that matchmaker did in her hometown. gods, what an odious woman. she wondered if huayi secured herself a good match -- she was more lovable than huayan in the eyes of many, after all. "but, to answer your question, it's my third time here. try making time to get here around three in the afternoon. it's basically empty at the hour."

huayan lightly smiled, folding her hands in front of her.

"I believe that's called tea. this one is the new thing on the menu, the winter edition that went a little too hard on cinnamon and ginger. it takes a moment to get used to the taste, but it's very delicate in taste and does warm up the body in no time." liquid heater. though they could've gone a bit easier on the whole gingerbread inspiration. why not just serve gingerbread and honey cakes with common tea brands, instead?

" huayan ... are you sure this is a good idea ? " there was a prominent pout on her lips, her tone cautious and skeptical as she stood with her new friend in the pastures. a soft squeak emitted from rose - tinted lips as huayan's beloved steed leaned down and nudged her in a way that almost felt encouraging and hana giggled, soft and bright and delicate, as if she knew barking laughter was unbecoming of a lady such as herself. hana felt like a bit of a coward at present — after all, it had been her who prompted the idea of huayan teaching her how to properly ride horseback. backing out now felt downright silly and burdensome. " it might be difficult, you know ? teaching me ... the closest i get to horses is on carriages or when i stop by the stables. "

perhaps she ought to have considered it better.

but, xiao hei seemed amused and rather fond of the newly acquainted brunette, so she pivoted once more. "I won't pressure you if you're not ready, but... I've quite literally been in your shoes before. I wasn't really encouraged to learn horseback riding, but I used it as a bargaining chip with my mother for the stuff she had wanted me to do and I was unwilling to do them of my own volition." like attending the seemingly never-ending balls and... matchmaking soirees.

the latter had been the worst.

"how about I take you for a ride and then you decide if that's something you'd like to learn? I promise I won't let you fall to your nose." she lightly chuckled, then motioned her chin at the saddle. "do you want to try mounting him yourself or shall I pull you up myself?" she did not mind either way.

freddie had to admit he felt out of place. he looked around the pristinely decorated shop for a moment, the fine porcelain china in the dainty hands of the most well-to-do ladies in town. the brown pants he wore had remnants of soot, which was clearly visible, and if one got close enough, they would surely smell the smoke that clung to him still. but all that aside, he couldn't resist the opportunity to stop in and try a cup. especially after the night he'd had. he'd heard from more than one person that the blends were unmatched, and it more than piqued his interest.

although tea had never been a beverage of choice in his youth, he had taken tea with his mother nearly every day while she was alive. after her passing, he came to develop an appreciation for it, even if he knew his taste buds would never be as refined as hers. he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he searched for an empty table. freddie realized in that moment his mistake; all the ladies were here taking morning tea, and there appeared to be no room left for him.

he turned on his heels for the door without even bothering to greet the host at the stand, resigning to return another day when he hadn't been on shift. but as he did so, freddie saw a table in the corner beside a window surrounded by empty chairs. "excuse me, but are you expecting any guests?" he asked looking over his shoulder for a brief moment, happy to see the host still hadn't felt the need to bother with him. "or would you mind if i borrow one of your seats?"

nothing felt like home, not really.

sitting in the corner of the tearoom, a sole figure occupying a table in a room full of vivacious chatter and jovial company. friends chatting with friends. she only had the headrests of the accompanying chairs to keep her company, until one of those familiar strangers fluttered in. yanyan smiled to freddie and shook her head, motioning with a hand for him to join her, should he wish to do so. "no, as you can see I am currently keeping the company of three useless chairs and the air around them." she softly chuckled, before adding, "you can sit here, if you want." she wasn't sure if he had friends at other tables and he merely required an extra chair or not.

𝐙𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐔𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐍 is 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 to prism falls & is a 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑 at main street firehouse who lives at 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐍. she is 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 years of age

she is portrayed by zhang huayan

about

— BEFORE THE PRISM. Born the oldest of two daughters, Zhang Huayan found the role of the spoiled princess to be too much of a burden. Smile like this, fan yourself like that, bat your lashes at this lord, softly chuckle at that one -- the games were not of the intellect but of prestige and beauty. She despised those, but swallowed her discontent in order to please her family, her ancestors. Her younger sister, Huayi, certainly didn't seem to mind the abhorring smirks and dances. Yanyan was never born to dance and to smile at men who saw her as nothing more than a prized mare. She hated attending the matchmaking, feared the match the old woman would make just by glancing at her -- a holy kind of prejudice for a holy kind of marriage. but, things change. One night -- a stormy night, as such things usually go -- she had had it. A match was made to the most unholy of men in town, the eldest son of a prominent family, the whore philandering, womanizing buffoon. She had had it. Realized that it was either honor and an eternity shacked to an unsuitable man, or her own life. Her own life! The idea seared itself into her brain and the same night she packed her bags, wrote her parents and sister a letter and took her father's black steed, Xiaohei, and left. Gone. Leaving behind nothing more than hoof prints in the mud, long washed off before dawn, before they even noticed she had gone. — INSIDE THE PRISM. She doesn't really remember how it was that she came into Prism. She wandered the world ( or well, what seemed to her to be the vastness of the world could have just been a blade of grass in the neighboring village ) and found herself wandering into the cozy little town, on horseback -- the only thing she lacked was a sword strapped to her back to appear as a lost, wide-eyed deity, but the twin daggers at her thighs did it instead. She took Xiaohei to the local stables and finding the manpower in decline, she offered to care for the horses -- earning her steed a free place in the stables and herself a decent wage. It is enough for now, enough until she sees whether or not this town will give her the freedom she craves -- or if it will be yet another place that wants to smother her.

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇꜱ: brave, altruistic, quick-thinking ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ɴᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴠᴇꜱ: self-sacrificing, closed-off, persistent ᴍᴏʀᴀʟ ᴀʟɪɢɴᴍᴇɴᴛ: chaotic good

connections

• jim hawkins → you've heard the stories he's told, the wild tales of grand adventure and all the remarkable sights he's seen. the only problem is you've actually seen for yourself some of these places, and you know for a fact not everything he says is the truth. for all you know, everything could be a lie, but you have no intention to expose him. not without finding out the real reason behind his facade first • megara → had it not been for the carriage ride you shared when you first arrived, you're not sure your paths would have ever crossed. you don't often run in any of the same circles, but you were both pleased to learn how much you have in common. you don't mind her cynicism, sometimes even finding it amusing • drizella & anastasia → there is one sister you like far more than the other and something tells you that you're not the only one who feels this way when it comes to the pair. the only problem is where one seems to go the other follows. it makes it hard to form a real connection and you can't help but feel bad and wonder how the younger sister has managed it all this time • clayton → you're not often given the opportunity to check a man's ego, especially when they're that cocky. so when you are, you're more than happy to take it. in his mind, he'd all but won the bet before the challenge had even begun. but he didn't know you and hadn't the faintest idea of what to expect. but he does now and he won't make the same mistake twice of underestimating you