Seeker
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Another D8 10-II/12]
[Parameters: "Doubt"]
For CG, who made me consider what Bai would be like in the canon universe in the first place.
Bai Cuì Jú could admit without hesitation that she didn't know what to do with her life. It wasn't even just because she was a free spirit, either, though maybe that had a little bit to do with it. The idea that you had to figure out what you wanted to do for the rest of your life by the time you were twenty was a whole pile of nonsense, anyway! Half the time, Cuì Jú wasn't even sure what she wanted to eat for lunch, let alone everything after that.
But Cuì Jú at least knew whenever something excited her enough to check it out, so whenever she heard the story of a doctor south of Guizhou that used an original type of herbal medicine, she booked the travel tickets, asked her fellow garden club members at school to cover her shifts in taking care of the greenhouses, packed her bags, and took off.
Though she was a spontaneous person, Cuì Jú had never traveled so far on her own before, let alone on her own. Complicating the situation further was that her final destination was pretty far off into the mountains, and not the sort of place major transport went to often. She'd almost gotten lost when her cell phone lost its service, but she'd had the great luck of running into some locals who were able to point her in the right direction once she mentioned where she was trying to get.
This genius doctor seemed to have quite the fan club. That fact alone just made it even more impressive that there were no pictures or records of just who they were out on the internet. Whoever this herbalist was seemed to value their privacy very much, and those around them seemed to respect that. The mystery just made the whole situation seem even more exciting!
You haven't died out in the wilderness have you? Yating messaged her just about every other day. Cuì Jú's friends had a flair for the dramatic at times, but maybe that was why they got along so well. She always was able to send back reports of her survival, and it had almost become a routine by the time she made it to her final destination and started following the backup screenshot of the map from her hotel to the clinic she was seeking out, just in case data failed her.
Having grown up and lived in the cities her whole life, this little town was a very different atmosphere. Most of the architecture was still traditional, and there didn't seem to be a building in sight that was over two stories. People walked everywhere, filling the streets with energy, but it wasn't a cluster like the city roads she was so used to. Even the ever-present aroma of tobacco smoke was less oppressive and more of an accent to the mountain air than a thick fog that blotted out everything else. And, of course, there were plenty of trees and flowers thriving everywhere to the point that it almost felt like a fairy tale.
Cuì Jú had fallen in love in a mere instant.
The chance to experience something like this was so incredible that it would be worth it, even if the visit to the herbalist turned out to be a dud. But Cuì Jú wasn't going to just give up after coming this far, so, after a day of enjoying the local sights and cuisine, she set her sights on the little clinic in the afternoon.
She almost didn't make it inside the place, thanks to the signs of a garden beside the building. Even with the fence blocking most of the view, there were plenty of trees and vines visible over the top, and Cuì Jú tried in vain to hop up high enough to get a closer look inside before remembering that she'd packed her selfie stick and could use that to snap a few pics.
"Mind telling me why you're trying to spy into my garden?"
Cuì Jú jumped at the voice, almost fumbling her phone in the process. She managed to catch it without sustaining any major damage at least, though her relief didn't last long when she realized there was someone regarding her with a suspicious look. It was a woman, no more than a few years older than Cuì Jú she'd guess. The woman was dressed in traditional clothing, which suited her well, even with her somewhat more western features, and she'd pulled her long dark brown hair into a ponytail. She also seemed to be more than willing to wait for an answer, no matter how long it took.
"Sorry, sorry!" Cuì Jú dipped into a bow, not wanting to cause any trouble. Maybe she was stereotyping, but weren't smaller towns like this close-knit communities? Having to cut her adventure short because of a bad first impression would suck a lot. "I got so excited whenever I noticed there was this super cool garden here, and I wanted to look at the plants. I kinda manage to get way too caught up in my own head whenever that happens, so I just went ahead and did the first thing that came to mind, ahaha…" Sounding as awkward as she felt, Cuì Jú's laughter faded out under the woman's unchanging expression.
"You wanted to look at the plants," she said, raising a hand to her temple. There was a pause, as if she were listening to something, and then she sighed. "Well, if that's all you want, you can come in and look around. You should appreciate these things up close, anyways." Cuì Jú perked up, bouncing on her heels at the prospect. All the nature in this town was great as it was, but there was always something incredible about a well-loved garden that lifted her spirits even further. "I will ask that you don't touch anything, though." Without even waiting for a response, the woman walked over to the wall and opened a gate that blended in so well with the stonework that Cuì Jú hadn't even realized it was there.
But her surprise at that soon faded away at just how incredible the garden itself was.
It was a small-ish place, seeing as it was between two buildings. It did seem to curve around the back of the clinic, though, but the square footage was still not much more than one of the smaller greenhouses on Cuì Jú's campus. Even so, the plants there were thriving, all of them vibrant in their leaves and flowers, and Cuì Jú sucked in a breath of fresh air with a grin on her face.
"Don't you all have a good home here," she said, not caring that she had an observer as she crouched down by flowerbed. "Yes you do. I can tell whoever takes care of you all loves you very much."
The woman who'd let Cuì Jú in laughed under her breath, though she looked embarrassed by the fact. "Sorry. I'm just not used to seeing someone else talk to the plants like I do. Lián tries to tease me for it."
"Lián?"
"Ah, my husband." The blush on the woman's cheeks grew darker, and Cuì Jú grinned. "In any event, you'll have to excuse me; I have an appointment coming in soon, and I don't want to be late for that. So long as you're just looking, you're free to stay as long as you like."
Cuì Jú was so excited by the prospect that it was a miracle that she remembered that her true objective wasn't to check out the garden (no matter how awesome it was). She stood up fast enough to almost lose her balance, calling, "Hold on a moment!" The woman, halfway to a door that looked to lead inside, paused and glanced over her shoulder. "When you say 'appointment,' does that mean you're the herbalist that runs this clinic?"
The woman raised a challenging brow, not looking like she appreciated the doubt in the slightest. "I am. What of it?" And then the stern expression on the herbalist's face shifted to one of surprise when Cuì Jú stepped forward, fist clenched as she asked:
"Please make me your apprentice!"
[Author's Notes]
Bai is such a hecking delight that it seemed like a shame that she wasn't part of the canon universe. The equally delightful Chronic Guardian asked some questions that made me think about canon her, so here we are. Since her Xiān Kè Lái story line has her connecting with Ren as helping her get on track, the differing timelines means she's had a lot more time to roam about and not land on a decision of what to do. Dropping everything to go investigate Ivy's eventual medical practice (accented by her shamanic abilities) is totally in Bai's wheelhouse.
I'll likely eventually expand on this dynamic in a later story that my brain says would probably tie in with Red Crimson stuff, but that's all up in the air. For now, if you like Bai here, she has two AU fics dedicated to her, Xiān Kè Lái and Yěhuā, both of which I think are pretty fun, so there's my shameless self promo for this week.
Also the next two prompts ended up inspiring one shots for other fandoms instead, so you won't see an update here next week. Instead, I'll catch you in two weeks for the final piece of this collection with the prompt "Dissonance." Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[08.07.2021]