Hello everyone! This is my first story I wrote for the Night At The Museum and I don't own anything except my OC based on the legendary heroine of China, whom you will be meeting shortly as this story takes place two years after the 'Secret of The Tomb'. I've researched the history of China, both myths and legends, so for the readers who are chinese here, if there's any error I must have made something to piss you off, just send a private message so that you will correct my wrongings, alright.
Disclaimer: I do not own Night At The Museum.
Anyway enjoy this story!
Wax figures were truly the great texture of art. For each detail has to be precise perfectly on the human figure by giving them their unique features that only a specific set of people could have, but can still be their own individual person; like a person having a green circle around their dark ocean blue eyes or having two moles in certain places that makes them look like they are connected. It was sometimes easy when the sculptors know what kind of person they wanted for the figure, always using different portraits of famous people or celebrities for an inspiration. They always had an idea to the type of person they wanted to make and that lifted a few weights off their shoulders in some way.
But when Dr. McPhee, the president of the Museum of the National History, had come to them with the idea of a very well-known young Chinese female warrior for the new exhibit at the museum, they had hit an analysis paralysis.
The one thing to make a wax figure of a historical figure because they had to get every exact detail completely right to make someone feel like they're in the same room with their iconic heroes or villains. But the person that Dr. McPhee has asked them to make didn't even exist. A whole new life was to be created and that responsibility has been dropped into their unprepared hands. What were they supposed to do to create a character that's never existed before? They had pictures of young, Chinese women – thank god – and they know what type of clothes she should wear since Dr. McPhee asked it to be child appropriate and that was a good lead for them.
But doing the actual features and body figure is another story.
For it took nearly two years to finally finish her.
Dr. McPhee was walking with one of the lead sculptors for the new attractions, taking in the sight around him. Many professional artists were busy painting the final touches for the new exhibits that were to come to the museum. But those attractions were on the last part of his mind since he was mostly focused on the one exhibit he's been waiting for a very long time.
"And you're sure you have nearly completed it?" he asked the lead sculptor.
The older man nodded. "To be fair, it wasn't easy. And it was not just because were creating a new face, but had thousands of professional to give her the endoskeleton that would work very well with her wax outer layer. Wax is a very delicate thing, Dr. McPhee, you really can't just spread it all over a moving skeleton and expect it not to crack. Which is why we made sure the stillness from the endoskeleton would not only keep the wax from cracking but making sure that the entire thing would make her look like she's in her fighting stance."
To exaggerate his point further, the man began to move his arm and hand in the air like he was actually swinging an invisible sword causing Dr. McPhee to give him a strange look.
"Sorry." He coughed once he caught the Chinese Consul staring at him. "I was the one who worked on making her features look realistic. Spent most of my time indoors that I didn't get enough air for my lungs. Sometimes I might get a little loopy while at other times I lack coordination." He said that before he ended up walking right into the doorframe.
Somehow McPhee was beginning to wonder why he hired these people.
"I'm okay!" The man reassured with a hand on his forehead. "I am okay! Didn't see that stature there."
Really, he wondered how they even got these jobs in the first place.
"Where are you on the Legendary Chinese Heroine?" The Chinese Consul asked after he made sure the sculptor was sober.
"Oh, we're on the makeup stage now." He replied, the two of them continued their walk. "We have already done all of her hair inserted and her costume has been put on. We just need to color her skin and give her those unique feature that you won't just find on your average woman."
McPhee nodded, satisfied that exhibit idea he's been pitching for years was so close to getting finished. "May I see it, then?"
The man nodded as he turned towards the door where he hits its frame by his head. "Right this way." He turned the doorknob and allowed McPhee to go through first then the Consul before he followed behind—not without hitting his head against the frame once again.
When McPhee entered the room, the first thing he saw were dozens of people crowding what he believed to be the Museum's new exhibit. The mechanical wax figure looked almost ready to him; the way her silky ebony long hair was inserted to make her look like she's spent most of her time outdoors and was tied up in a ponytail almost on top with the rest flowing down pass her shoulders, her detailed glass eyes were already put into make it look like she was in a complete battle stance facing her opponent, her clothes in armor were a perfect design of an imperial ancient garb. She looked completely finished but it looks like the artist were just trying to add the finishing touches in small forms.
"Is this her?" McPhee gestured towards the figure. The man nodded.
"Yes. I say, even after years of drafts and remaking the clay sculpture she turned out to be quite a beauty for such a legendary female warrior like herself. Let's hope the fine gentlemen can contain themselves."
McPhee didn't even bother to chuckle at the man's attempted jokes as the awkwardness was highly evident in the air.
"What do you think, Sir?" He turned to face the Chinese Consul who is observing each detail of the figure then suddenly nodded in approval.
"I must say, quite excellent work of art you manage to do."
"Thank you very much, Sir Consul." The sculptor bowed in respect with a wisp of jolly in him.
McPhee took a one last look at the Chinese Warrior before he turned back to the sculptor. "How about the rest of Chinese soldiers? Are they done as well?"
The man's face immediately brightens. "Oh yes, it is completely done! We just got the armors added in for their looks. Come!" The gestured them to follow and he did. The two left the room as the artists finally finished painting the final touches on the wax.
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When McPhee said they were getting new exhibits soon, Tilly didn't expect this "soon" would be the morning after he told her the exhibits were coming.
The female nightguard watched as the delivery guys began to unload large boxes off the loading deck and into the museum to be put on display. Tilly, unfortunately, had no idea what these new exhibits are and it left her feeling uneasy. She still had a slight progress on getting used to the deal with the exhibits that she already knows.
That was when she decided to look for the President of the Museum after she saw a crate with a stamped sign 'FRAGILE' engraved on it that said: Monkey King.
"Dr. McPhee!" Tilly called out when she saw the President talking to what looks to be a construction worker near the Museum's entrance, where the other workers seemed to be working on something that he didn't have time to focus on. "Dr. McPhee, I need to talk to you about something!"
McPhee looked a bit tired when he stole a glance towards the approaching nightguard before he nodded to the worker that they will continue their conversation later on. "Yes, Miss Tilly. What is it that you want?"
"Oh yeah, listen." Tilly started off nervously, unsure of how she should say it without actually saying something that could give him away. "I just saw one of the crates with this silly looking message on it. Do you mind telling me what's that all about?"
"Well, it depends on what crate was," McPhee pointed out with a shrug. "We have a lot of crates that say something."
"That just the thing, one of them says "Monkey King" and I thought; that's weird to have something like that in a museum of history because if I remember correctly, a Monkey King was something out from a fairy tale." Tilly let out a nervous laugh. "Right? Isn't that strange?"
McPhee, however, did not look amused. "Actually, the Monkey King also known as 'Sun Wukong' was one of the most famous legendary beings of China. Famous for great intelligence, diplomatic arts but also a bit foolish behavior. He is a bit rebellious and doesn't obey much the authorities. The board thought it would be a good idea to educate the people on that Chinese Folklore, where people can get to know some of the legendary figures that used to roam the lands before colonies came. Like the Monkey King, the Hou, the Qilin, or even the Pixiu."
Okay, Tilly has no idea what those last three were. This was slightly far from good.
"And, what is this exhibit gonna be called once it's open?" She asked quickly.
"The Legendary Figures and Mythical Creatures of Ancient China."
"Oh." The nightguard's widen with a mixture of fascination and surprised look on her face.
"Don't worry, I understand the whole magic tablet fiasco thingy. I'm sure our 'new guests' will be welcomed into this museum and getting used to this." He reassures her.
Tilly nodded in a quick response. "So, do you have something that I need to go over? You know, just to make sure I know everything is in place and nothing goes missing?"
McPhee gave her an annoyed look before he took a clipboard from the reception desk and hand it over to the nightguard.
"These are all the human figures and creatures that are to be put on display." The President said as he tapped the list of names on the clipboard. "Make sure they're at their stations and try to not let anything happened to them, alright."
She adjusted the clipboard in her hands after taking a quick scan of the names – there weren't that many, so that was good. "Thanks, Mr. President." Tilly was about to walk away to see if there's anything else she should do around here before she could prepare for the night when she finally noticed what the construction workers were working on and stopped dead in her tracks.
Near the grand staircase was a young ancient female warrior, she could feel her eyes widening once she took the sight of a woman in a perfect battle stance. Which, she would have believed that's what she was if she didn't look so lifelike.
"Hey, who's this woman?" Tilly asked when she turned her attention back to McPhee as he pointed at the figure. "Seriously, is that an actual woman?"
"Of course not, Miss Tilly." McPhee gave her a look that made Tilly feel like she was the one who was crazy – well, maybe she did end up going crazy some time ago in the British museum back then. "That's just a new attraction for the museum. The only reason why it looks so lifelike, because it's made with a special wax."
It took a second for Tilly to fully process what the President was saying. "W-wait, special wax? Are you saying that she's similar to like Michelangelo's sculptures?"
"If you put it that way, then yes." McPhee nodded then proceeds to walk away.
"I see, so who is this cool yet gorgeous looking female figure? Because I'm not that much of an expert in those whole Chinese history kind of thing?" Tilly asked curiously.
The president stopped in his tracks and gave the British nightguard a small smirk over his shoulder.
"Oh I'm sure you must have known her. She's actually very well-known almost through histories and legends or so."
"As I said, not an expert." Tilly pointed out.
It took a moment of silence as he suddenly spoke out. "Well, she is a legendary woman from the Northern and Southerm dynasties period of Chinese History, originally described in Ballads. Or if you would prefer to have known her in Disney movies."
Her eyebrows raised and blurted. "W-wait a minute, you mean she's-"
"Yes Miss Tilly." He cut her off sentence as he continued.
"That female warrior right there is Mulan, the legendary heroine of China."
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