"Little fuzzy brain stem in my soup, little fickle herrings loop a loop!"
Mimi stares in a mixture of amusement and horror as Chen and Dumplin sway their heads to the rhythm of Mameki's song as he cooks. Dumplin begins to bounce around on one leg.
"Mameki glad cubs away from Shen Castle! Such healthy mountains for two healthy cubs!"
The umbrella creature leapt off the footstool Mimi had conjured and gave her a plate heaping with bacon. Still feeling somewhat skeptical, Mimi took a hesitant bite and then nearly devours the whole dish.
"Okay, you can cook. But no human remains, and we are going to discuss wages," Mimi distributes the bacon to the girl's plates as well as the hash browns and eggs that the parasol hands to her next.
"Mameki would not give cubs moldy parts," Mameki crosses its purple arms over its umbrella-shaped body, its single eye staring in adoration at Chen and Dumplin, who dug into the breakfast with gusto.
"Okay, I don't feel comfortable not paying you anything for your work," Mimi began holding out a gold coin.
"Mameki is spirit. Does not need money! Mameki is paid thrice fold watching cubs be guarded in way I could not!"
Feeling her heart warm towards the creature, Mimi watches it fill a plate to hand to her, "I guard little cubs when little cubs cry and scream at night! I could scare little spirits, but big spirits," the umbrella shook, and the one leg wriggles from side to side.
"Little cubs were not frightened of Mameki and did not hurt Mameki like big foxes," Mameki seems to contemplate her thoughtfully for a moment, its large purple tongue hanging down to the floor.
Mimi is about to ask for more information on this when there is a knock at the door. Mameki tucks its head to the side and exclaims, "Cultivator!" before disappearing.
"Ugh, keep eating ladies, I'll be right back. Dumplin, make sure you eat those tomatoes. You need a veggie other than starch."
Wondering who exactly could be knocking at the door this early, Mimi opens the door to see a young cultivator standing there.
"Lady Shen, I wanted to welcome you and your clan to Cloud Recesses personally," he bows to her and smiles, proudly handing her three bouquets of white and blue flowers.
Surprised, Mimi accepts the bouquets, "Thank you very much. These are beautiful. Did you pick them yourself?"
The young man's face lit up with pride, "Yes, I did!"
"What is your name?"
"Lan Sizhui," he bows to her again with a smile.
"Why don't you come in? My sisters and I just started breakfast," Mimi opens the door a little wider.
"I really shouldn't. I have my studies," Lan Sizhui protests weakly.
"I insist," Mimi guides the young man into the residence.
Chen and Dumplin stare at the young cultivator with disbelief before nodding politely at him.
"Ladies, this is Lan Sizhui. He brought us flowers this morning. I invited him to breakfast with us," Mimi sets the bouquets on the counter and fills a plate with bacon, eggs, and hash browns, before setting the plate down in front of the chair next to Dumplin.
She does not see how the young cultivator practically salivates looking at the plate before digging in politely and with small bites. Mimi fills a vase full of water and arranges all the bouquets within it. Not accustomed to teenage boys' hunger, Mimi watches in amazement as Lan Sizhui clears his plate in record time.
"Would you like some more?" Mimi asks Lan Sizhui as Chen sneaks around Mimi to grab a couple more bacon pieces out of the pan.
"Umm, yes, please, Lady Shen," the young cultivator holds his plate up in a slightly worshipful manner.
Mimi refills the plate and Dumplin's before asking with some amusement, "Do they not give you breakfast?"
"We eat breakfast at five am and do not eat lunch until noon," Mimi gives Chen a warning stare as Chen looked ready to gag at the idea of breakfast at five am.
"What do you eat?" Dumplin asks politely, looking up at Mimi for approval.
"Usually rice or porridge with a little fruit. It is quite good," the cultivator did not sound so convincing.
"I'll stick with my sister's table," Chen gripes, staring at the cultivator territorially.
"I also bear a message from Zewu-Jun; he was wondering if you and your sisters would like a tour before the welcome feast?"
Mimi already felt quite familiar with Cloud Recesses from her combined night wanderings and movements with the clan leader as a fox. But perhaps her sisters would benefit.
"That sounds wonderful, Lan Sizhui. What time?"
Lan Sizhui blushes, "I was actually supposed to bring you after my arrival here."
"Well," Mimi stares at the youth with amusement, "We should not keep him waiting."
Looking down at Lan Sizhui's empty plate, Mimi says, "If you could wait here, my sister's and I will be with you shortly."
As if on cue, Chen and Dumplin get off their chairs and meander off to their sister's room to be made ready.
"You may help yourself to any leftover bacon or hash browns," Mimi says motherly as she follows her sisters into her room.
"Will we see the library today?" Chen asks, her eyes sparkling as Mimi quickly magics her hair into a neat braid.
"It is a tour, cub. I am sure we will see it," Mimi looks down at Dumplin, who is still wearing her dressing robe, "What would you like to wear?"
"The purple dress?" Dumplin offers; Mimi smiles; her little sister had worn the dress often at the hotel, it was obviously a favorite.
Mimi magics her into the dress and puts her hair into a neat bun.
"That's not too tight, is it, cub?"
Dumplin shook her head and patted the bun on top of her head like a button.
Mimi shook out her irritatingly long hair and decided to hell with it; she left it down.
"Alright," Mimi looks down at her sisters, "Are you wearing shoes?"
"Yes, but you aren't," Chen says with a little snark.
Mimi looks down, and sure enough, she is not wearing shoes; how did I lose control, Mimi thinks, magically putting some footwear on.
They meet Lan Sizhui at the door in a flurry of ribbons and skirts. He is somewhat reminded of a bird of prey looking at the eldest Lady Shen. He opens the door for all three of the ladies, and friendly holds his arm out for the Lady Shen, who towers over him.
Mimi smiles at the young cultivator and takes his arm as her sisters flank her other side.
"How was your first night in Cloud Recesses?" Lan Sizhui asks politely.
"It is tranquil up here in the mountains," Mimi says, not wanting to tell the young man that she had slept very little.
Images of her brother's death by her hand still penetrated her dreams and her wife's bandaged arms haunted her like a shade.
"Have you lived here your whole life?" Mimi asks, pointedly changing the subject.
"Yes!" Lan Sizhui beams at her happily, "HanGuang Jun brought me here as a child. He raised me."
The clan leader's brother? She could not picture him raising a child. But Mimi reasons, she had never thought she would be raising two of her sisters simultaneously, so who was she to judge.
"Do you like it here?" Dumplin asks suddenly, and Mimi beams down at her happily.
Lan Sizhui smiles down at the child, "Yes, I do. My family is here, and it is so peaceful."
A couple of young cultivators' stare as they go by, Lan Sizhui waves at them.
"How many students are there?" Mimi asks; even as a fox, it was almost impossible to honestly tell how many kids were running around in the white cultivator robes.
"It depends," Lan Sizhui contemplates this, "many families send their children here to learn for a year. Oftentimes there can be as few as three. We are in the slow season now, so there are not very many. Mainly me," Mimi finds it adorable how he begins counting on his hands, "and Lan Jingyi, and sometimes Jin Ling."
"So, few," Mimi says in surprise.
"No wonder it's quiet," Chen says, looking at Lan Sizhui from around her sister.
The group finally arrives in front of the offices where Mimi could see the clan leader and his uncle talking. Lord Qiren paces impatiently, and Lan Xichen seemed to be listening attentively until he caught sight of the group approach. Seeing his nephew's attention effectively diverted, Lord Qiren looks up to see them. Mimi gently extricates her arm from Lan Sizhui's grip and bows to the clan leader. Her sisters quickly following suit.
"Uncle, this is Lady Minori Shen, her sister Lady Chen Shen, and her youngest sister the Lady Dandan Shen," Lan Xichen said fondly, his eyes were on the eldest sister's long hair; it nearly shone blue in the light.
Lord Qiren bows to the women, "It is an honor. I apologize for not greeting you yesterday and your rather uncouth delivery to us. We will, of course, have a welcome feast for you and your family this evening. And of course, there will also be the reading of the tasks. But all that will be done at the feast."
"It is quite alright," Mimi smiles warmly at the older man, "I hear a fine skirmish prevented the escort."
The young man beside her quivers under his uncle's stern gaze, but Lan Xichen says, "Sizhui, you have studying to do."
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Lan Sizhui bows to the ladies and his uncles before walking quickly across the field.
"We are to have a tour?" Mimi asks, trying to fill the silence.
"I have classes to teach," Lord Qiren nods to the dormitories, "But I will see you at the welcome feast."
Mimi nods in acceptance, "My sisters and I will look forward to it."
He looks between her and Lan Xichen with an odd look in his eyes before retreating towards the offices.
Lan Xichen feels a little nervous as three pairs of emerald eyes suddenly fall on him expectantly, "Let's start at the beginning," he points at the buildings behind him. "These are the main offices in Cloud Recesses where I typically spend most of my time," he looks down at Chen and Dumplin, "doing boring things like paperwork."
Mimi feels Dumplin grab hold of her dress, and she leans down to pick her up, "My feet still hurt from yesterday," Dumplin whispers, nuzzling her sister's nose with her own, and Mimi nuzzles her back.
"I would like to take you to the front entranceway of the Gusu sect if that is alright," Lan Xichen smiles at the sisters before leading them in a direction Mimi had not explored yet.
"My feet hurt too, Mimi," Chen softly whines, and Mimi takes pity on her, waving her hand, healing the pain.
"I am certainly not carrying you too," Mimi whispers back.
The clan leader leads them to a large stone face and looks upon it with great respect. Mimi feels the slow dread rise in her stomach as she looks over the long list of rules.
Chen whispers, "I am going back to the hotel."
Sore from the hike, Mimi also heals her littlest sister's feet and sets her down.
"This is the Wall of Discipline," Lan Xichen, "or the rules in which we live here at Cloud Recesses."
"How many rules are there?" Mimi tries to count them but soon loses track.
"4250," the clan leader continues as Dumplin touches the elegant engravings.
"The Gusu lan sect was founded many years ago by the famous cultivator Lan An. When he met his fated one, and she became his cultivation partner, they formed the Gusu lan sect where we are standing. His famed use of musical instruments has become a staple of our clan."
"Is it merely the guqin and the flute that are studied here?" Mimi asks curiously, she had seen the clan leader's guqin in his room, and Wei Wuxian had been carrying about a flute.
"Yes," Lan Xichen immediately summons his jade flute Liebing and begins to play a few notes before launching into a song.
Taken aback, Mimi finds herself unexpectedly charmed by this. Her wife rarely played for her. When the clan leader finishes his face flushes, Mimi, and her sister's clap.
"That was wonderful, clan leader," Mimi praises, he nods his head, and the flute disappears.
Lan Xichen offers her his arm, and Mimi hesitantly takes it. Making sure her siblings are keeping up, Mimi allows him to lead her back where they had come, toward more of a grassy area that held multiple gardens.
"Cloud Recesses grows its own supply of food and has large gardens." Lan Xichen says proudly, waving to a couple of servants working the grounds.
"We keep numerous chickens and other fowl on the grounds."
At the word chicken, Mimi turns her head slowly around to see both Dumplin and Chen glued to the chicken coop. Oh, dear.
"Oh, my sister's love farm animals," Mimi says, hoping her voice does not carry the worry she felt at bringing in a couple of young foxes to a hen coop.
"Really?" Lan Xichen brightens up, "Then I must show you my brother's rabbit warren."
Mimi gulps, thinking of the possible repercussions.
Gently releasing the clan leader's arm, Mimi walks over to her sisters. Dumplin thankfully only seemed intrigued as a young child would, seeing a large bird for the first time. Putting herself in front of her sister, blocking the clan leader's view, Mimi struggles to pull Chen away; her long fox tongue dangles crudely from her lips. Not knowing what else to do, Mimi zaps her little sister with her claws. Just enough to knock some sense into the young fox spirit's head.
"Oww," Chen yelps, her long tongue suctioning back into her mouth.
"Oh, did they bite, cub?" Mimi fibs, high fiving with Dumplin, who is watching in interest.
"Those naughty chickens," Mimi croons, holding a confused Chen to her chest.
"Perhaps we should skip the warren," Mimi says, looking up at the clan leader who had come over immediately at Chen's yelp.
"Of course. Did you stick your hand in? Let me see."
Mimi adds to this by saying, "Where did the chicken bite you, cub?"
Chen narrows her eyes at Mimi and says, "It pecked me in the side, but I'm fine now."
"At least it wasn't a peacock," Dumplin says solemnly, looking up at the clan leader.
Mimi held on to Chen's arm until they were a reasonable distance away from the chicken coops,
"I want you to stay away from the chickens and the bunnies, Chen," Mimi orders quietly so that the clan leader could not hear, "I have been very lenient with you and Dumplin until now. I have spoiled you even. But hear me now when I say stay away from the chickens and the bunnies. Especially the bunnies! I do not want to find you skinned and hanging on a hook!"
Chen nods, her lips jutting out in a pout, "Yes, Mimi."
"Yes, Mimi what," Mimi stops her sister.
Chen looks down, "Yes, Mimi, I will not touch the chickens or bunnies if I can control it."
"That's better, cub," Mimi hugs her sister, and they quickly catch up to the clan leader, who seemed to be in a debate with Dumplin about what paintbrushes are the best.
"Do you prefer using fine brushes or thick brushes when painting trees?" Lan Xichen questions the child, his face fond.
"I like the ones that fluff out at the bottom," Dumplin says, and Mimi realizes that the clan leader is taking great pains to match his stride to Dumplin's.
"Even for making intricate details?" Lan Xichen asks, genuinely curious.
"Well, why use a brush when you can have your sister sharpen a stick for you?"
Mimi looks over at Chen in horror, "You are giving our five-year-old sister sharp sticks?"
Chen shrugs, "Have you seen her pout?"
"Perhaps I can get my brother to do that for me," Lan Xichen laughs, and Mimi relaxes a little until she sees said brother turning the corner.
His eyes immediately settle on Lan Xichen, "You wish for me to sharpen a stick? For what purpose?"
The clan leader covers his mouth as the laugh that escapes him, and Dumplin runs back to Mimi when she realizes her oldest sister isn't directly behind her.
Mimi almost misses the tender expression that quickly flashes across the younger brother's face.
"The youngest Lady Shen was revealing to me her artistic secrets," Lan Xichen says sagely, looking back to see said artist clinging to her sister's skirts.
Nudging her littlest sister forward, Mimi smiles at the clan leader before bowing to his brother.
Lan Zhan regards the three sisters curiously before continuing with whatever errand he had been running.
"These are our temple dogs," Lan Xichen strokes the head of the temple dog with its mouth closed, and Mimi feels her tails tremble.
Chen also appeared a little unnerved, grabbing on to her sister's hand for support.
"I am pretty sure I noted on the Wall of Discipline that no dogs were allowed in Cloud Recesses," Mimi feels a shiver run up her back as she remembers how this beast had thrown her out of Cloud Recesses by the scruff of the neck.
"You have nothing to fear," Lan Xichen notes Chen is clutching her sister's hand, "they are merely decorative."
Mimi almost dares argue before a voice above them says, "Your wrong there, Zewu-Jun! I have seen them!"
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Lan Xichen looks up at the black-cloaked cultivator who is hanging upside down with a long stick in his hand. Poking the golden temple dogs.
"No tomfoolery is allowed in Cloud Recesses, Master Wei," Lan Xichen says, watching the man do a backflip off the tree branch and landing in front of him with a grin.
"Besides," the clan leader smiles at Mimi and her sisters, "I have never seen them move."
"When you walk alone at night," Wei Wuxian wriggles his fingers scarily, and Dumplin sticks her face in her sister's skirts, "the temple dogs will chase you down and tear you to shreds!"
Wei Wuxian catches sight of Mimi's stony expression and backs into Lan Xichen, who matches her glare.
"I believe Wanji is looking for you, Master Wei," Lan Xichen says dryly.
Wei Wuxian grins, "Then I will be looking for him!"
He waves at Mimi and her sisters before dashing off in the opposite direction they had seen Lan Zhan walk in. The clan leader seems to think about this for a moment before turning back to Mimi, "Master Wei is a delightful miscreant nothing more."
When the group finally arrives at the library, Chen immediately disappears through the doors. Half expecting never to see her sister again, Mimi follows suit, holding Dumplin in her arms. When she enters, Mimi is immediately delighted by the loveliness of the library. However, out of the corner of her eye, she sees something even more intriguing. Mimi sees three young cultivators doing handstands against the wall and copying lines.
"Clan leader, what are they doing?" Mimi asks, studying the children.
"It is a punishment for sneaking liquor into Cloud Recesses," Lan Xichen smiles, "they must stay like that until they have written that rule over 1000 times. If you'll excuse me for one moment, I will check their progress."
Seeing the clan leader approach, the boys awkwardly got back on their feet and handed the parchment to Lan Xichen.
Peeking over her shoulder at Chen and Dumplin, who looked at the boys with intrigue, Mimi whispers, "If you are going to get in trouble, don't get caught!"
While Chen looks personally injured at the slightest idea of her getting caught. Let along being punished, Dumplin merely stares past her towards the boys.
"Can I do that, Mimi?" Dumplin asks.
"What? Get in trouble?"
"No! Stand on my head," Dumplin watches curiously as the boys once again resumed their handstand position.
"I can show you when we get back to the residence," Mimi offers.
"Can I be of assistance?" Lan Xichen walks back to the sisters, his eyes shining.
"I was just offering to show my sister a handstand when we return to the residence," Mimi said, affectionately combing her hand through Dumplin's red curls before setting her on the ground.
"I could do a demonstration for the Lady's Shen if that is satisfactory," the clan leader also crouches down to Dumplin's level, and she hides behind Mimi's skirts.
"What would you like, cub?" Mimi asks the shrinking figure.
"I would most certainly like to see the clan leader do a handstand," Chen suggests, "Or better yet see if my eldest sister can perform a better one."
Freezing a little, Mimi looks at Chen in betrayal before seeing the clan leader's reaction. He rose from his crouch and smiles," I am more than happy to accept such a challenge if the eldest Lady Shen is amiable?"
"But of course, clan leader," Mimi feels as if she is dying on the inside.
"Would you like me to go first?"
Nodding in acquiesce, Mimi subtly pinches Chen in the side for proposing the idea. Chen's eyes were practically sparkling with mischief. Mimi blames the influence of the chickens. Leaning against the wall, the clan leader quickly pushed off the ground and did a handstand. Mimi tries not to gawk at the man's perfect lines. His posture is perfectly straight.
Stretching her arms above her head and doing a couple of arm circles to warm up her shoulders, Mimi also does a handstand, but not against the wall. Before the clan leader can politely acknowledge his defeat, Mimi tries again and walks on her hands. Being an aerialist for so many years, she has no issue doing a handstand. She flips over, landing on her feet, and stares pleasantly at the clan leader whose mouth is slightly open.
But he recovers quickly, "I should have known such a prolific warrior would have no problem with a simple handstand."
Lan Xichen mimics her easily, even taking a few steps on his hands before standing up.
Dumplin immediately says, "You should race Mimi."
Picking this up immediately, Chen begins chanting, "Race, race, race!"
It was at this time that she realizes that the young cultivators were subtly gathering around them.
Forgetting where she is for a moment, Mimi carelessly says over her shoulder to Lan Xichen, "Want to race?"
He grins, "On our hands?"
"Are you scared, Zewu-Jun?" a young cultivator asks from the side.
"Perhaps this activity would be better suited outside," Lan Xichen finally states, his eyes full of mischief.
The small group leaves the library, and Chen runs off to about ten feet, "How about a race to here?"
"Does this meet your expectations?" the clan leader asks with a boyish grin.
Mimi winces but does not back down. They assume their handstand positions, and someone waves a white handkerchief for a flag.
Mimi sprints across the grass on her hands, internally thanking Rick for forcing her to do this in training. However, the clan leader is just as quick and matches her stride. Mimi is a foot away when she feels her arm savagely cramp up from not stretching beforehand. Uttering a silent curse, Mimi loses her balance, and before she knows it lands directly on the clan leader. Mortified, she realizes the clan leader is laughing, her chin directly on top of his stomach. She had unintentionally dragged him down with her to the grass.
Chen calls out to the small crowd, "And I think that was a draw!"
Pulling herself to her feet as her rambunctious sisters tackle her, Mimi nervously laughs. It had been less than twenty-four hours, and she had already fallen on the clan leader.
"I apologize, clan leader," Mimi bows to his him as he slowly gets up, his eyes shining merrily.
"Nonsense, this has been more fun than I have had in a long time," Lan Xichen returns her bow and shoos away the young cultivators.
"Me too," Mimi lets her mischievous sister's huddle against her as she smiles at the clan leader, "Me too."