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Yue had spent much of her time getting to know the area that the dynasty inhabited, and the places just surrounding it. It was perfectly suitable, she admitted to herself after a particularly long jaunt amongst the weeping wisteria, had it already not been so well inhabited by a myriad of animals, both large and small.

It made for interesting times, but Yue found that she could not settle herself here, with so many things still up in the air.

She took much comfort in being entirely surrounded by those she knew and loved, those who had crossed worlds alongside her. The Empress had begun to rejoice in the idea of projects anew – a new world, new groups to greet, a new body. It invigorated her as almost nothing could, except perhaps war strategy and council.

and, clearly, this was infinitely better as there was far less suffering as a result.

Yue heard the soft summons from behind, returning from one such jaunt under the trees, to visit the shoreline, and then quickly return. The Empress, pleasantly surprised with yet another stone to turn over, quickened her pace and chuffed to herald her own arrival.

It wasn’t customary for her to answer a call, nonetheless answer without a single attendant in her retinue, but here the Empress was, and answer she was wont to do – and she did it with a glimmer of gaiety and appreciation. Strange times called for stranger solutions, and Yue was slowly opening towards the idea of possibility.

Greetings, the empress tested in Mandarin, before fluidly switching to common. "You have summoned the great dynasty of Tianlong." Her words were a miasma, brief but saccharine. The Orchid then turned her crown askew, awaiting the woman's purpose. For she had known they were here, had sought them out.

There was a reason.

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