---

open for any tianlong dynasty members!

as the day wound into evening, yunxu found himself by the ocean.

this seaside wasn't the kind he was used to. there was little sand- it was swampy, choked with trees he had no name for, and lacked any of the shallows or clear tidepools he'd played in and learned to hunt as a child but the techniques were still the same. he'd found a collapsed tree leaning precariously over the water and, after a while spent testing to make sure it would hold his weight, ventured out to fish.

he wasn't having much success. it irritated him, but right now he could believe it was because his heart wasn't in it.

he was thinking.

there was some relief to be found in abandoning his search for a way back home. but of course, relief mixed with hopelessness (he was trapped here with no way back) and sorrow (he hadn't gotten to say goodbye) and anger (why was he here instead of dead?). it turned into something unpleasant in his belly. he'd given up, hadn't he? it still counted as surrender even if there was no way to win.

yunxu sighed. he dipped a paw in the water and watched tiny shapes dart for cover in the tangle of mud and roots.

now he faced the necessity of proving his worth to these people who had taken him in. he knew he had it in him, had taken to those challenges eagerly before. but now he just felt tired- even after a few days' recovery from the month's worth of travel.

it frustrated him. was this a flaw of his mind or his body? whichever it was, he needed to get rid of it.

---

Skill: Ghost

Slipping out from the watchful eyes of the Dynasty was a craft that Princess Fen had all but mastered. At least, that was what she told herself as her silhouette snuck past a cluster of trees beneath a darkened sky. The world was too fresh, too new, and far too interesting for Fen to find solace in the familiarity of sleep. And despite what others may think of her, she knew that there would be others out there—in the dawning breath of the evening—who also found their minds alight with questions and their soul yearning for answers.

Where were they? How had they come here? And what would happen to the rest of them next?

Fen couldn’t possibly sleep when those questions riddled her mind like ants on a log. And who better to uncover what no one else could but her?

And so she wandered into the depths of the forest, through the bubbling streams, and out toward a milky horizon kissed by the solidity of clouds, with a determination lingering in her step.

It wasn’t until the scent of another, brought forward by a subtle breeze, that Fen paused. Someone else was out here, she thought to herself, just as she had expected. With a carefully manicured breath, one to calm whatever lingering worries she might have held in the face of someone new, the princess stepped out from the dim shade of the shadows and into the dull, evening light.

你好呀, (“Hello there,) her voice was as soft as silk as she spoke, 你有没有在水面的倒影中发现什么有趣的东西? (“Have you found anything interesting in the water’s reflection?”)

there were no answers to be found in the water, not that he'd expected any. he was wound too tight to do any real thinking. it didn't escape him that he was here because he had nowhere else to go.

in times past he would have come to his sister. aimi knew how to shake him out of it when he started overthinking, even if the shaking was percussive. a small smile touched his lips at the thought, but the knowledge that she was gone stung even more sharply than it had.

a school of minnows shimmered under the water, growing bolder next to his stillness. cricket- and frog-song swum in his ears and drowned out the sea. yunxu blinked fog from his vision, and heard someone speak.

he stiffened and whipped his head around to catch sight of the girl, only managing to keep his balance since he was already sprawled atop his perch. his thoughts whirred. he was one of them now, wasn't he? was he supposed to be defending this swamp? perhaps. he didn't know her, and he lifted himself more cautiously to his paws, finding familiar footing now with some time to think.

she was taller than he was, with a coat in familiar sandy browns and creams and with a confidence to her stance that said she knew where she was and what she was doing. yunxu stood there, the fur at his nape bristling faintly. it was entirely possible that shēnléi knew who this was, if he was as free as he seemed in welcoming strangers- yunxu was too far to catch any scent, and the language was enough to keep him from striking immediately.

he'd come here to be alone, but couldn't very well leave. not least because she was blocking his exit.

"hello," he said warily, and glanced down at the water with an uneasy laugh. "...fish? i'm sorry, who are you?"

Curiosity shown like a flame behind her eyes as she stepped forward, paired with an inquisitive tilt to her head as she stared. Though she did not recognize the man from the court of her past or any of the denizens she had spied in her world before, the unfamiliarity did not deter her. Instead, it intrigued her. Her father had made it seem that beyond those that they knew, there were more that the Celestial Dragon had guided to them—this man must’ve been one of them.

And so she similarly approached him as she would have had he been a citizen of their empire who had requested an audience with the royal family. Carefully and with poise. Just as her tradition had taught her.

A smile, gentle and soft beneath the clouded evening, parted across her lips as she lowered her head into a minor bow. My apologies if I startled you, She countered as her attention swiftly caught the rising of his guard hairs. Perhaps it had not been the wisest decision to sneak up on others in the dark, but alas, Fen had never been good at keeping her nose where it shouldn’t be.

This was just a prime example of one of those times.

A velveteen laugh parted behind her lips, following in the shadows of his own, as her eyes glimmered with quiet amusement. It had been a long time since someone had not recognized her, and oddly enough, the informality of his question was relieving.

I’m Princess Fen, daughter of the Emperor Shēnléi of the Tianlong Dynasty, She introduced herself with a sense of nonchalance, as her tail swayed quietly behind her. And you? What is your name, stranger?

Sometimes, when she really thought long and hard about it, the titles and propriety of her royal lineage almost felt like she was playing dress-up in a role that she shouldn’t. Alas, she shook the title from her mind easily as her gaze flashed toward the surface of the water behind him.

Have the fish given you any positive news? She inquired. 


the girl came towards him, and then yunxu recognized her bearing- it had an echo of shenlei's stance, the same he'd seen on royals before. a calm, careful poise and confidence. the stance of someone who had power, knew it, and expected to be obeyed.

shenlei hadn't mentioned family, had he? certainly yunxu would have remembered that.

the same way you remember the last month? said a little voice in his head.

he hastily quieted it and dipped into a low bow.

"my apologies, princess fen. i wasn't aware that- that the emperor had found others of the royal family." but something hopeful kindled in his chest. could that mean he might not be alone? what if his sister had washed up on that beach after him? what if he just hadn't waited long enough-

he swallowed. no, he could think about that later.

"i am jiang yunxu. i came upon the emperor some few days ago...he told me he was rebuilding tianlong, and offered me a place here." he smiled, faintly. "...i'm pleased to know he was able to find his children as well."

he straightened up, carefully picking his way onto solid ground.

"they...aren't the most talkative." a little laugh. "back where i'm from, some of the wiser men and women could use them to predict the weather, but i was never... too skilled in that area. i was better at catching them..."

then he remembered who he was speaking to, and his jaw clicked shut. this was far beyond what he had a script for, and he was no master of small talk even among others of similar status. was he being too casual? he had nothing to draw on here- whenever he had seen the imperial family in the past it had been from a distance. shenlei hadn't cared, but yunxu hadn't bristled at him.

maybe she wouldn't mind. he tried not to appear too anxious.

A smile pulled at the corner of her lips. No apologies necessary, she chimed with a gentle sway of her muzzle, signaling the man to rise from his lowered bow. My family might expect the formalities, but between you and me, she lowered her voice to a fragile whisper, When the moon is high in the sky and the rest of the empire sleeps, I want nothing more than to be addressed as I am—Fen. Just Fen.

Her tail swayed in the gentle breeze as her emerald gaze considered Yunxu. He was shorter than she was, slender too, but composed of the duality of night and day, light and dark. And his eyes, they appeared to be of the purest shade of blue.

Fen dipped her chin into a subtle nod, The Celestial Dragon has certainly blessed my family. Her eyes glimmered with something different—amusement perhaps, or possibly mischief. And you as well, now that you are among us. It was her time now to address the man with a careful bow, a dip of her head as her gaze rose to his, A formal welcome then, Jiang Yunxu. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

At the mention of fish, however, that smile of hers only seemed to grow. Her ears straightened, perking forward as her body all but rolled to the tips of her toes as she stood eagerly awaiting more information. Predict the weather? She echoed, as her green gaze twinkled with curiosity. Truly?

What a skill to be able to have, she thought, a necessary one too. And one, now, that she wanted to learn.

Her silhouette drifted towards his own, eyes alight against the murky bark of the tree that lay in the water behind him. What potential uncertainties Yunxu may have been feeling were lost on the Princess as she sauntered toward him. Instead, her attention was fixated on the shadowed depths of the pool. So much so that Fen barely noticed when her side brushed against his own, as a single paw of hers tested the rough bark of the log.

Sturdy, she thought, just barely.

Can you teach me? She asked abruptly, swinging a passing glance over her shoulder and back towards Yunxu.

with a moment's hesitation, yunxu rose. in her place, he frankly imagined he'd be leveraging such a title to get himself out of these sorts of conversations and focus on studying. but the surprise had worn off, and- just maybe- it could be nice to talk to someone without anything being expected of him. he'd kept out of the way of everyone but the emperor and his healer other than in the form of brief greetings.

"all right." a quick smile. "fen."

even if it would feel a bit like a minefield. ...that likely had nothing to do with her and more to do with him.

"likewise. i didn't know what to do with myself when i first landed here. it's been a relief to meet all of you." he laughed softly. "the first wolf i met after i woke here suggested it was the gods' doing...i'll admit, i didn't believe her at the time. my people worshipped different gods, and none of them have joined me. but perhaps it was the celestial dragon's will all along."

he didn't think himself particularly religious among his people. it was hard to believe in things whose impact you couldn't see, concretely. but he could accept there was magic here and it had to be a very particular magic to pull so may of shenlei's people to this world. maybe that was what a god did.

luckily, he was spared from having to think further on it. he even returned fen's interest with his own. this was something he could be confident in.

"truly. i know their behavior changes with the rain...i've found it easier to catch them then. but that's not particularly helpful...by then you're already wet." not that, it was much of an issue for wolves who lived on the sea; he was damp more often than he was dry. "still, my grandfather used to swear by it. he'd go for a walk in the evening and come back telling us a storm was on the way, and i'd wake up to thunder in the night."

"but, ah, if you wanted to know how to do it, you'd have to speak to him." he glanced away, back over the still ocean. "unfortunately, i'm.. not aware of any of my people making the trip."

he'd turned his eyes away for only a moment, and when he looked back fen was at his side, stepping around him to peer into the water. her side brushed against his. yunxu went very still.

commoners were not permitted to touch royalty. he couldn't imagine that rule differing here- but nor were they ever allowed to speak to a princess so casually. and he couldn't not think of her as the princess, because that was only going to lead to a misstep later, but now- maybe that was another formality she wanted to put aside?
he didn't jolt away, but he did turn to follow her as she set one paw on the log and let the movement carry them apart.

she looked at him. yunxu met sage green eyes and glanced hastily back into the water.

"now?" he asked, without thinking, but in the following silence he was... not as surprised by the question as he'd expected to be. he squinted into the shallows, at the darting shapes of minnows. "...yes, i could, if you'd like." he offered another smile. "have you ever tried it before?"

The sound of her name, and the informality of it, brought a smile to her face as her chin dipped into a welcome nod. Her family members —her father or even her grandmother —might have had some choice words for Fen had they known. However, in the growing darkness of the evening, Fen did not see the harm.

She listened with a curved ear attentively perked in Yunxu’s direction, and alongside his laugh, she grinned. Though she was not sure how the world might work in the absence of the Celestial Dragon, she was aware of the other faiths that existed. Perhaps, they worked in tandem? Or maybe it was their Gods that were false…Although that was a thought she wouldn’t verbally raise.

I’ve heard that Gods work in mysterious ways, she offered up instead. But I like to believe that everything is as it should be, she tacked on through a gentle murmur, what is meant to be shall be. Her gaze drifted to the serene surface of the water, catching a brief, gentle ripple in her peripheral vision. Even when times are tough, there is always a lesson or a reason for such things.

Like showing up here, she thought quietly to herself.

Perhaps you were meant to join us all along.

Her tail shifted into an idle sway behind her as their conversation moved from the mystical to the physical. Fen had never learned that a fish’s behavior would change with the weather, and such enlightenment brought a curious glint to her eye. Your grandfather must’ve been blessed, she added as her attention flickered between the water and Yunxu.

Fen’s ears reeled back for a moment, drawing closer to her crown, as she allowed a moment of silence to fill the air. It must’ve been hard, she thought, to be alone in a foreign world. How did Yunxu manage?

She flashed him a glance.

Perhaps we can teach ourselves. Maybe some would think of it as a wild notion, but Fen thought otherwise. Together, they could collect the data, observe differences in both the fish and the weather, and begin learning on their own. And by the time your grandfather makes his journey to Mythris, too, you’ll be an expert just like him. She added hopefully.

The princess wouldn’t know whether such a fate was possible or whether the Celestial Dragon would bring another of Yunxu’s kin to this world, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to hope.

At least for now.

But with such somber topics now out of the way, she redirected her attention to the surface of the water.

When she had moved, brushing her side against Yunxu’s, Fen hadn’t quite noticed the delicate touch. But if she had, she didn’t think she would’ve minded. Instead, her attention was fixated on something moving just beneath the surface. Why of course, silly, she said with a light-hearted giggle as her body bowed to draw closer toward the rippling water.

Never, the princess admitted, is it hard?

---

i love fen sm shes so sweet ;-;

yunxu exhaled and looked back into the water.

he had believed in the gods, for a time. then he'd started to believe he was deluding himself, and if he did now, it was only as something watching what it had created without enough care to intervene.

everything had an explanation behind it, an answer he could find if he listened to the people who cared about those things. an astronomer could tell you the tides were the doing of the moon. a naturalist could tell you why the fish were scarce in one season and plentiful in another.

he didn't like answers he couldn't understand.

but it was no longer the sore point it had been when he'd first washed up, so yunxu only nodded. fen meant well by it, he could tell- which was saying something, since he knew he had a tendency to take everything much more personally and with much more aggression than it was intended.

"grandfather was," he said. "blessed, or very dedicated. i did ask him to tell me how he did it once, but it was the sort of thing that, hm...he was very cryptic about. perhaps i would have learned in time, but...i ended up here instead."

but- and the thought felt awkward, oddly-shaped even in his head after this month, which he knew had only been about a month but felt like it had been a year or more- somehow, right now, the thought of family didn't have the same sting that it used to.

yunxu smiled. it felt genuine, this time.

"i'm not sure he'd like being yanked away from home in his old age," he said, with a laugh. "but...i hope so. and i wouldn't be opposed to learning for ourselves."

he didn't imagine his family was so well-favored as fen's. shenlei's people were chosen of the dragon for a reason, whether luck or twist of fate or indeed some god watching out for them. he was...jealous, certainly. but not resentful. fen was already kinder than he would have been in her place and...he couldn't be an asshole in the face of that. she'd still been torn away from her home, even if many of them had ended up here. less brutal than his awakening, probably, but not less disorienting.

so any objection he might have had to the teaching died on his tongue.

"well...it's hard in the same way hunting is, i suppose?" he couldn't really remember- just that he'd been doing it his entire life and by now it was second nature, a built-in instinct like baring your teeth. "they're different skills, but we're made for both."

"the main difference is, we can't swim. they'd outpace us easily, so they can't be chased like you would a rabbit, unless you're very lucky, or it's the middle of spawning season. but it's a little late in the year for that, so we just have to be patient, i'm afraid. it, ah, isn't for everyone." the impatient least of all. many children learned that the hard way- he had, once upon a time. patient had stopped being a word used to describe him a while ago, but he thought he still did a fair job when it came to fish.

"the best places to catch them are like this," a nod to the rotting tree splayed out over the water. "they like to gather beneath the branches. safety from predators. or you can find someplace shallow to stand- river rapids are good- and wait for them to come by. if they aren't showing up, you can use berries or scraps of meat as bait. food is a good motivator, even if they know there's danger." he smiled wryly. it had worked well enough on him to get him here. "or leaves, twigs- anything they might think is an insect long enough for you to strike."

...he was talking too much. yunxu laughed nervously, scraping one paw along his leg.

"dawn and dusk are the best times for fishing. i could...demonstrate first, if you like? i doubt we'll both be able to fit, but you could watch from the shore. less chance of someone falling in that way."

Fen could feel the ache in her heart reverberate against her chest cavity at the mention of Yunxu’s grandfather. However, it had not been for the loss of what had been; instead, it was the shared understanding that what had been would never come again. Fen hoped, for Yunxu’s sake, that his grandfather would be blessed by the Celestial Dragon as his grandchild was and be brought here just as they were.

That would be ideal.

However, not even she could change the will of the Gods, and for whatever reason, Yunxu was brought here. Alone. And perhaps that was what fate had planned for him, and there would be nothing that she or they could do to change it.

A sobering thought, and one that left Fen silent for a few passing beats.

I will keep an eye out, She murmured in the wake of his words. Even if she did not know what Yunxu’s grandfather looked like, she was sure it would not be hard to spot him. She just needed to follow the scent of the sea and look for a grumpier-looking Yunxu.

However, even as she thought of it, Fen’s mind trailed elsewhere. Briefly, and no longer than a passing beat of her heart, but she wondered what Yunxu remembered. Had he been like her? Carried here through the sandy waves of sleep? Or had his awakening been…more abrupt than her own? What had that been like?

Some thoughts, she knew, were better to be thought than voiced. And so the princess remained quiet, keeping those questions under lock and key, as her smile returned to her features.

Then it is a deal, Jiang Yunxu, she exclaimed through an air of formality, but lathered in the tone of someone who was having fun, We will learn how to read the fish together. It was said as though Fen had just signed the pair of them to some large and drawn-out adventure; even if Yunxu was unwilling, he was undoubtedly a part of it now.

When the topic of hunting fish had flourished past their teeth, Fen smiled in the shadow of his words as she stared at the rippling surface of the water. Though she had never tried before, she grew curious about the way the fish swam beneath the surface—swiftly within the current and agile within the stream—Yunxu’s words made sense.

She would never be able to swim as fast as a fish.

But ah—he spoke of patience, and for a moment, she flashed him a quick, disheartened look. Fen’s patience was as short as a struck match, in the sheer fact that she rarely had one. Patience, She echoed beneath her breath, as her attention returned to the water. Patience is bitter, but its fruit can be sweet, She whispered beneath her breath, as if those words could be her steady reminder.

Patience was far from one of her aforementioned skills or specialities; however, if she could find restraint within her secret sparring lessons, surely, she could find the time and will to sit and watch the fish.

Right?

She twisted her gaze back toward the fish, toward the rotting tree beneath her feet, and the water that now swayed in the distance. Her ears turned toward the sound of Yunxu’s voice, and where she could, Fen absorbed what knowledge she could consume.

Fish could be found in branches. Scared of predators. Shallows are good, and rapids are good. Bait them with food, fish like food, and things that look like bugs.

She could remember all of that.

Fen threw a glance in his direction, a smile written like wine across her lips as she all but squealed with unfettered excitement. She didn’t. But she wanted to.

Oh, yes, please. She agreed, as her head dipped in quick succession. She moved like the water this time as she squeezed around him, this time careful not to graze her side along his own, as she situated herself by the shallows.

She didn’t mind when the water touched her toes; instead, she welcomed it as she stood, green gaze thrown toward Yunxu. Good luck, She offered with a smile.