"It is our pleasure to introduce the three members of the Shen clan that will be staying with us until the completion or dissolution of the tasks," Lord Qiren proclaims to the room.
Mimi nods in appreciation at Lord Qiren but feels extremely uncomfortable with all the appraising eyes. The three Shen women stand up and bow to Lord Qiren, Lan Xichen, and finally to Lan Zhan.
"My lords," Mimi began, signaling to her sisters behind her with one hand.
"My sisters and I are grateful for the hospitality given to us by the Gusu clan. We wish to offer a couple of gifts as a show of our gratitude."
Chen is about to hand the large box to Mimi but is interrupted by Dumplin tugging at her skirts. Reading her intent, Mimi smiles and nods to Chen, who is more than happy to pass the box to Dumplin. Mimi had thought well and hard about the gifts she wanted to bring to the Gusu clan.
"It is well known throughout the realms that the Gusu clan is a collector of knowledge. Please accept this with the heartfelt thanks of the Shen clan."
Dumplin takes the box that is nearly her size. With careful steps and a serious expression focused entirely on the box, Dumplin holds up the box to the waiting Lan Xichen. The box is merely ornamental, made of dark wood and gold gilding.
Lan Xichen bows to the child and takes the box. Mimi smiles with pride as Dumplin slowly steps back to her sister's side.
"If you open the box, you will see it contains a spiritual device of sorts," Mimi explains as both Lord Qiren and Lan Xichen open the box to reveal the machine Mimi had stolen from the Shen library.
"This is a small, but nonetheless powerful printing press," Mimi grins inwardly, watching the stunned looks upon both Lord Qiren and the clan leader's face.
"If I may demonstrate?" Mimi offers.
"Please do," Lan Xichen excitedly exclaims, his eyes aglow at the new prospects the library could offer, "I have only ever seen one in the capital, and it was a mere prototype! Nothing like this."
Winding her way to the podium and tucking her sleeves back, Mimi pulls the small printing press out of the box, displaying it on the table in the middle of the room so that all could see.
"First, I will show you how a copy is made," Mimi pulls out a drawing from a pocket in her sleeve before holding it aloft for the whole room to see, "this is a beautiful drawing my sister the youngest Shen made for me during our long trip here."
The picture is an exquisite drawing of the black horses pulling a carriage with three figures riding in it. Mimi beckons for Dumplin to join her, while Chen looks on with amusement, having already gotten to play with it.
Dumplin quickly reaches her sister's side.
Mimi crouches before her and hands Dumplin the picture, "Can you make me another copy of your work, cub?" Mimi instructs, knowing how much Dumplin loves the machine.
Beaming, Dumplin reverently puts her picture, the image first on to the flat surface of the machine, "How many copies would you like, eldest sister?"
"How about one for each of the Gusu leaders, please." Mimi watches with pride as Dumplin carefully touches the red crystal on the side of the machine.
"This machine not only can produce multiple copies of the same image, but the image does not change in terms of quality with each copy," Mimi reports to her stunned audience, "The process is so simple and safe, my youngest sister can do it with ease. Merely siphon thought through intent into the machine by touching the crystal."
The machine whirs delicately like the sound of bells and instantly produces three copies. Dumplin takes the copies and moves to the podium. As Mimi had taught her, Dumplin bows to Lord Qiren, offering him the copy, bows to Lan Xichen, who is given a copy, and finally to Lan Zhan, who takes the document, giving the child the barest hint of a smile.
Mimi takes the original drawing off the machine and gives it to Lord Qiren with a bow, "As you can see, the copies are identical in terms of size, color, and quality."
"This is extraordinary," Lan Xichen says immediately, "and the artist is quite good as well."
Dumplin hides behind Mimi, but she is smiling.
"I will show you one more thing," Mimi says, beckoning once more to Dumplin to act as her assistant.
"Since I no longer have the drawing my sister gave me, I will, of course, need another. Cub, can you show me what we traveled in on our way here?" Mimi asks.
Needing no further coaxing, Dumplin walks up to the machine and touches the crystal. With a look of concentration on her face, Dumplin soon removes her hand as the machine began to whir.
A piece of paper with an image on the front pops out of the machine. Dumplin picks up the picture and hands it to Mimi.
A colorized photo of the real sedan and black horses is emblazoned on the paper.
"Can you make me two more copies, so the leaders do not have to share?" Mimi asks her sister.
Dumplin nods and puts the picture on the machine, producing two more identical copies of the photograph. Dumplin once again hands the original and the two documents to Lord Qiren, Lan Xichen, and Lan Zhan before standing beside Mimi.
"You have a fine carriage Lady Shen," Lord Qiren said after a moment of silence of staring in wonderment at the photo.
"I prefer this one," Lan Xichen said, holding up the copy of the child's drawing.
"As do I, clan leader," Mimi inclines her head and then nudges her sister forward.
"Thank you, clan leader!" Dumplin says, her small face a little red.
Mimi crouches down and hugs her little sister, "Thank you for your help. I can handle it from here. Can you get the second box ready?"
Dumplin nods and sits down next to Chen, who had already gotten the second gift-ready.
"To prove this is not some sort of a trick, I would like a volunteer," Mimi says, glancing around the room.
To her surprise, the black-cloaked cultivator rose to his feet and sauntered to the machine.
"Thank you, Master Wei," Mimi bows to the man gratefully. She notes that Lord Qiren looks uneasy, as does Lan Zhan.
"Happy to be of help, Lady Shen," Wei Wuxian says happily, returning her bow, "What would you like me to do?"
"Hold an image in your mind that you would like to capture," Mimi says, this close. She could tell the man had a curious aura around him as if he had been attacked by dark magic.
"Keeping this image firmly in your mind, place your hand on the gem inside the machine and siphon a little spiritual energy to the gem."
Still smiling, Master Wei did as she bid. The machine began to tinkle, and a sheet of paper pops out of the front of the device.
"You may remove your hand, Master Wei," Mimi says, picking up the paper.
She could not restrain the smile that fought on to her face as she presents the photo to Master Wei. The picture is of a lantern that had a bunny painted atop it. Lan Zhan is in the background staring at it with uncharacteristic tenderness.
Seeing her expression, Master Wei looks down at the photo with delight. He waves it at the imposing Gusu clan, "It really works! Look, Lan Zhan!"
The black-cloaked cultivator runs up to the jade twins as Mimi places the device inside the box and backs away to her table.
Lan Xichen takes the photo from Master Wei. His expression turns from surprise to outright joy as he shows Lan Zhan the image, the unreadable expression on the younger jade twin nearly the opposite of his brother.
"This is remarkable!" Lan Xichen's face looks like he wants to embrace Master Wei and his brother, but he doesn't.
Lan Xichen shows the photo to Lord Qiren, whose eyebrows rise to his hairline.
"I believe we can assuage that we appreciate this gift immensely, Lady Shen, and accept," the clan leader says as the young cultivators begin talking excitedly around them.
When Lord Qiren pounded a hand upon the table to silence the room, Mimi continues. She had not been nervous when presenting the machine, but this gift is more personal, and she did not know how the clan leader would react. Trying to hide her nervousness, she makes a gesture to Dumplin, who is carrying another gilded box.
"As . . . customary in our clan, it is tradition to bestow a courting gift," Mimi does not look at Lan Xichen and instead watches Dumplin slowly cross the floor toward the clan leader.
The clan leader gently takes the box from Dumplin and returns her bow.
"Would it be disrespectful to your clan to display the gift?" Lan Xichen asks, intrigued by what else the Shen clan had brought.
"Of course, not clan leader," Mimi stands beside Dumplin and very carefully removes the intricate box from within.
She puts the box on the table and watches it increase in size until it resembles a small trunk. The trunk held the landscape of an exquisite ink sketched forest and waterfall on fine parchment on all four sides. The only bit of color were the two red foxes that chase each other through the woods. This trunk took quite a bit of her spiritual power to construct.
The young cultivators and Gusu clan alike leaned forward in awe of the trunk's beauty.
"This, of course, is no ordinary trunk," Mimi says quietly, "if you look closely at the landscape, you will see that it perfectly emulates the current season. And . . ." Mimi lifts the trunk over to the window to allow the sunlight to fall on to it, "if exposed to direct sunlight, the images move of their own volition."
Lan Xichen follows Mimi to the window, along with Lord Qiren and Lan Zhan. The Gusu clan's leaders stare in wonderment as a light breeze seems to breathe through the trees and caress the grass. As if a master calligrapher had sat down and began to color in the stark details, light pink blossoms open upon the branches. Little nightingales appear in the trees. Grass becomes sprinkled with dew. You could almost hear the water hitting the small pond. What was even more wondrous is that the red foxes began to move, darting in and out of the trees. Playfully hiding and seeking each other. An endless game. She taps a finger on to one of the foxes, and the creatures instantly disappear. A second later, both foxes appear on the opposite of the box.
"I have heard you are a master painter, clan leader," Mimi says quietly, enjoying the awed expressions on the Gusu leaders' faces.
"The craftsmanship is exquisite," Lan Xichen face flushes, his fingers tracing the brushstrokes.
Lord Qiren and Lan Zhan did not say anything, but their eyes track the ever-changing scenery with great interest. Holding the trunk in front of her. Mimi steps away from the men and sets it on the floor in front of the room. She beckons to Chen, who stands beside the trunk.
"This trunk is not just a decorative ornament. Above all, it is a spiritual object that is enchanted to protect the owner or clan member. Despite its size, it can contain a large amount of equipment or jewelry," she nods at Chen, raises her skirts, and steps into the box, completely disappearing from sight.
Outside the trunk, Chen closes the lid, "The owner of the trunk can stay within for a great deal of time."
Chen beckons to Dumplin, and the little girl slowly moves to her sister's side. Dumplin opens the lid and climbs into the trunk.
Picking up the trunk off the ground with one hand, Chen explains, "It will continue to be as light as a normal carrying trunk."
Chen opens the lid and shows the seemingly empty box to the now noticeably quiet room. Setting the trunk on the ground again, Chen steps aside. After a time, Mimi opens the chest from the inside and steps out with Dumplin in her arms. The room bursts in applause around the sisters.
Setting Dumplin on the ground, Mimi and her sisters' bow to the room. Mimi picks the trunk off the ground and places it on the table as Chen and Dumplin resume their seats.
"The trunk itself is also indestructible," Mimi smiles, looking at the varying looks of skepticism.
"Lord Qiren? Do you mind?" Mimi invites the former clan leader to the table and moves out of the way.
"It is such a unique object, Lady Shen," Lan Xichen interrupts, fearing the destruction of his gift.
A slow teasing smile creeps upon Mimi's face, "It will not break, clan leader. I can promise you that. Please, Lord Qiren. I challenge you to break the trunk."
"I apologize in advance, Lady Shen," Lord Qiren declares, removing his sword and slamming it down upon the trunk with such force the table broke. The box itself is unblemished.
Lord Qiren stares at the trunk dumbfounded before striking it again, again and again. Sweat built upon the former clan leader's brow.
Finally, after several minutes the former clan leader sheathes his sword and laughs, "Quite impressive!"
Mimi bows to the former clan leader and repairs the table before putting the trunk atop it; the box is spotless.
"Second master lan? Would you like to try?" Mimi asks, not realizing that the clan leader is standing beside her.
An eerie silence fills throughout the room. Mimi knew the second master lan is a formidable cultivator. She is unsure he had even heard her before a cold flash of steel struck the trunk with divine force. Again, the box is unharmed. Not perturbed, the cultivator summons a beautiful guqin and strikes it once again with the power of sound. Again, the trunk is not affected. Realizing he had been beat, Lan Zhan bows to Mimi before resuming his seat. His eyes calculatingly studying the chest.
"May I try?" Master Wei asks, eagerly staring at the trunk.
"Go ahead," Mimi says carefully. She wasn't sure what to make of this cultivator.
A flute appears in the man's hand, and Lord Qiren stands up, "None of your mischief!"
"He may try, Lord Qiren," Mimi defends, knowing with absolute certainty the chest would not break.
The former clan leader huffs and sits down. Nodding to Mimi in thanks, the cultivator put the flute to his lips and began to play. The tune is chilling, and Mimi immediately felt goosebumps rise on her skin. Dark shadows crept out from the sleeves of the cultivator and shaped like hands attack the box.
From across the room, Dumplin screams. Mimi is about to run past the shadows to reach her sister when a pair of strong arms reach around her waist to restrain her.
"Master Wei is a demonic cultivator," the clan leader whispers to her, and Mimi stops struggling. He is so warm, "Don't go near those shadows."
The shadow hands continue beating against the box, scratching and clawing. But the box continued to be unharmed. Chen is trying to comfort Dumplin, but Dumplin is having none of it. Her screams bounce off the walls of the dining hall. Chen also looked incredibly unnerved. The shadows got closer to the pair, and Chen began screaming, holding Dumplin close to her.
"But they are my sisters," growling with fury, Mimi breaks away from the clan leader, her talons cut through the shadows sparkling with foxfire. She pulls her sisters to her as the flute music suddenly stops. Both of her sisters were sobbing against her chest. Mimi pulls both girls close to her, Dumplin sandwiched in the middle. Mimi feels her tails reach out for her sisters, but she resists wrapping them around the trembling girls. She doesn't realize that the clan leader is standing in front of them with his sword out, defending them until the darkness fades.
"I'm truly sorry, Lady's Shen," Master Wei got down to his knees and kowtowed to the trembling sisters.
Mimi is not quite sure what to make of the smiling man. She nods coolly at him and continues to croon to her sisters. Stroking their hair. Personally, she wanted to yank the two girls into the shadows and return to their residence. But not after she beat the crap out of Wei Wuxian for scaring her sisters.
"May I escort my sisters back to the residence, clan leader? I will return momentarily," Mimi promises. Lan Xichen startles as he sees the fierce glowing green eyes.
But he also sees how her sisters clung to her for protection, rely on her for strength.
"Of course," Lan Xichen tries to smile, but the tear-stained faces of the two sisters prevent him.
"Thank you, clan leader. I will be back in a moment," Mimi's voice is tired as she tugs Chen to her feet and holds Dumplin in her arms.
"I will be back in a moment, Lord Qiren," Mimi regally holds her head high as she walks out the door.
Looking around quickly, she pulls her sisters into the shadows.
When the three sisters appear inside the residence, Mimi turns to Chen and Dumplin in confusion.
"Are you guys, alright? What happened?"
"Ghosts," Dumplin sobs into her chest, "don't let them take me!"
Chen's face is colder than Mimi had ever seen it. Her eyes were dark as if facing old demons.
"I won't let them do anything to either of you. I won't let anything happen to either of you. I promise," Mimi stares at Chen over Dumplin's head.
"But you won't be here all the time, will you!" Chen growls, her tails lashing out behind her.
"Chen, I promised I would keep you safe, and I will continue to do so," Mimi makes an old kitsune symbol over her chest, sealing the promise.
"You didn't have to swear on your magic," Chen says, her face falling.
"I think you needed something that wasn't just words," Mimi says quietly, "words can only do so much."
Mameki springs out of the hallway and takes Dumplin from Mimi's arms, hushing the child as Dumplin burrows her face into the delicate parchment, his single eye murderous.
"We just had a run-in with a demonic cultivator," Mimi growls, thinking of her brother Yuanjun who had undoubtedly been resurrected by such a person.
"You win, cub?" Mameki asks expectantly, and Mimi runs a hand over her hair.
"He is a member of the Gusu sect. The cultivation partner of the clan leader's brother."
Mameki rocks Dumplin in his arms, and Chen sits close to Mimi, who wraps an arm around her.
"He was trying to destroy the chest I made for the clan leader, you know, testing to see how durable it was, and he began using spirits," Mimi looks over at Chen, who avoids her gaze.
"Cub," Mimi begins, "why did you and Dumplin react so negatively to the ghosts?"
Shaking her head Chen buries her face in Mimi's neck.
"Mameki?" Mimi questions the parasol expectantly.
They both look down at Dumplin, who had cried herself to sleep, her face still red and covered with tears.
The parasol sighs, "Big fox sent spirits to little cubs' rooms every night. To test powers."
Restraining the growl Mimi knew is trying to dig its way out of her throat, Mimi exclaims, "He will feel my claws one of these days!"
"You would fight him?" Chen says with a sniffle.
"If it is to keep you safe? Of course, I would," but Mimi is thinking more along the lines of restitution in blood.
When Chen finally calms, Mimi turns to Mameki, "I will have to return to the welcome feast."
Clutching her arm with a surprisingly firm grip, Chen stares at her wildly.
Hugging her close, Mimi says, "I have already set a powerful barrier on the residence, and your necklaces will protect you from all harm. Nothing will come through. I will be back soon."
"I will deal with this," Mimi promises, using the sleeve of her gown to wipe the tears from her sister's face.
"Why are you so mom-like?" Chen gripes, her voice nearly back to normal. Mimi squeezes Chen a little before releasing her.
"I almost was one once," Mimi answers, tucking Chen's hair back away from her face before standing up.
"Make sure they don't stay up too late," Mimi tells Mameki, who seemed to be contemplating her with a new eye.
Tiredly Mimi casts a refreshing spell on herself and steps out the door, nearly colliding with the clan leader.
"Oh, clan leader. I was just returning to the welcome feast," Mimi didn't feel like apologizing anymore tonight.
"We already sent the young cultivators to their dormitories," the clan leader reports, he is holding the trunk.
He isn't going to give it back, was he?
"I was hoping perhaps we could talk privately," Lan Xichen said. Mimi wants to return to her sisters, but . . .
"Can we make it quick? My sisters had a scare, and I don't want to leave them for too long," Mimi steps out on to the grass.
The clan leader nods and easily keeps in step with her.
"I must apologize for Master Wei's behavior. He is quite beside himself for scaring the young Shens'," Lan Xichen confesses, "particularly the smallest one. How are they doing?"
"I want to duel him," Mimi says, ignoring his questions.
Lan Xichen stares at her. He shouldn't have been surprised. This is the daughter of a warlord, after all, but still.
"I can arrange it," Lan Xichen says, his voice full of resignations.
He leads her to a small black pagoda on the lawn—the clan leader gestures for her to sit on the dark blue cushion.
"I wanted to ask you about this," Lan Xichen awkwardly holds up the trunk.
"Is there a problem with it?" Mimi asks, her eyebrows scrunching up.
The clan leader sets the trunk down on the small table between them, "No. Oh no! It is the most beautiful spiritual device I have ever seen. I wanted to know how the ink is enchanted for movement."
Mimi smiles to herself. Most individuals would be curious about the trunk's bottomless quality or that it is indestructible, but not her mate. She adjusts herself so that she can keep watch of the residence, "It is a combination of the parchment, the ink and the trunk itself."
"How does it work?"
"How do you know I didn't snatch it from one of my family vaults?" Mimi challenges.
"You had a look of supreme pride and smugness about you as Uncle Qiren and Wanji tried and failed to break it," Lan Xichen leans back, contemplating the woman before him, "it is possible that you could have taken a priceless artifact from your family vaults, but the way you put it under the light struck me more as an artist wanting to receive praise for her work."
"You caught me," Mimi smirks and picks up the trunk, watching the light play on the ink.
"A close friend of mine produced a design like this, and I merely traced it. I am not much of an artist," Mimi admits, thinking of her illustrator friend who has not even been born yet.
The clan leader is not disappointed, merely curious, "Could you show me?"
"Possibly," Mimi smiles, forgetting for a moment all her problems, "Will you show me your paintings?"
"Possibly," the clan leader glances down at the trunk and caresses it gently.
"I'm glad you like it," Mimi couldn't help whispering.
"No one has given me such a wonder before," the clan leader replies, head cocking to the side, watching one of the foxes disappear into the little pond.
Mimi pulls a small satchel from her sleeve. She had stashed it there before making off with her sisters.
"You haven't even seen what I made for your brother and uncle yet. You may be quite jealous."
"You made individual things for my family?" Lan Xichen asks, surprised.
"It is tradition," Mimi smirks and opens the satchel, "besides, if I marry you, I am marrying your family, right?"
There is silence, and Mimi felt that she had tripped over her own feet and landed in a ditch.
"You must forgive me. I have never been courted before."
Mimi looks up, her arm halfway into the tiny satchel. If she had less self-control, her mouth would be hanging open. He looks so vulnerable, "I can't believe that."
He looks up, obviously battling something before changing the subject, "My brother is very particular. I am curious about what you created."
She feels around and pulls out a clear cube from her satchel, "I heard on the wind that your brother is a fine cultivator that is often seen with a guqin. So, I figured out how to instill a guqin case with protective properties and store residual spiritual energy while in use! I did not know how fond he was of the color of the guqin, so I made it clear."
The clan leader stares at the clear cube skeptically. Mimi felt enormously proud of herself for this one. Certain spells rebounded with the other or had strange aftereffects that left the device a peculiar color. In this instance, the case is somewhat sentient due to the amount of magic she had practically stuffed into it.
"The cube is temporary. It will change form for whomever it serves," Mimi pokes it in the side, and the cube jiggles sassily before shifting into the shape of a temple dog.
"I may have put too much spiritual energy into it," Mimi winces as the temple dog struts across the table in front of her.
Glaring at the temple dog, she does not notice Lan Xichen waving his hand and summoning his own guqin, "May I try it?"
Mimi pushes the pint-size temple dog over to the guqin. The temple dog wags its stubby tail and immediately merges with the guqin, hugging the instrument until it is entirely covered.
"I wouldn't try and destroy anything. I wanted to store a lot of spiritual energy in there in case of emergencies," Mimi bit her lip, already envisioning the possible crater in the middle of Cloud Recesses.
"You stored your own spiritual energy for my brother to use?" Lan Xichen is touched. He had certainly not expected the Lady Shen to care for and protect his brother this way.
"I just know that if he is battling certain powerful spirits and other beings, it's best to have an emergency supply," Mimi glances at the case jiggling impatiently around the guqin.
"Why don't you play something?" Mimi suggests, confused as to why he is looking at her strangely.
Lan Xichen strums the guqin experimentally. The sound is almost richer, he thinks. He figures a simple nature song wouldn't hurt. He lays his hands on the instrument and begins to play. He knows this song by heart, but suddenly he feels awkward, having her watch him like this. Lan Xichen picks at the strings gently, trying to lose himself in the music. He plays for several minutes until he feels tugging on his sleeve. He opens his eyes without realizing he had closed them. Her eyes were shining.
Lan Xichen realizes he could get lost in those eyes before she says, "Look around. Look what you did."
Glancing around, he realizes the ground is covered in little white flowers. It was challenging producing a flower through music due to the strictness of when plants can grow. He had just created a near field of flowers in the middle of summer. This is relatively unheard of.
"The case is pretty much unbreakable like the trunk. I used the same measure of protective spells," Mimi is saying kindly.
"I think this may be too powerful for Wanji. I may keep it for myself," Lan Xichen says teasingly.
"As you will, clan leader," Mimi taps the guqin three times, and the case oozed off into its cube form, leaving no trace on the instrument.
The two sat in silence for a moment before Lan Xichen says, "I will make sure Wanji receives it."
Mimi nods and places the cube in his hand. It is warmer than he expects. As he stares at it, the cube seems to stare back at him, assessing.
"It already knows that you are not its intended master," Mimi quips.
"How do you know?" Lord Xichen asks, shaking his hands a little to watch it jiggle.
"It is not changing form for you," Mimi chuckles as the cube seems to be sulking.
He set it down on the table and watches in fascination as the cube began to shrink into the form of a butterfly.
It flutters up to sit on the Lady Shen's shoulder, "I trust him. Stay with the clan leader until he gives you to the second master lan."
The butterfly twitches a little as if debating if this were true before dramatically pushing off Mimi's shoulder and lands upon Lan Xichen's shoulder. The cube sits there, assessing the man for a moment before it shifts into the form of a fox.
Seeing this, Lan Xichen beams at the silvery creature, "You look just like Firefly!"
"Firefly?" Mimi quips with confusion, staring at the clan leader as if he had begun convulsing.
"I hope you do not find me impertinent," Lan Xichen confesses, not looking her in the eye, "I did not know the name of your fox messenger. So, I . . ."
Mimi wants to hug this odd man, "You named the fox Firefly?"
At the happy croon in her tone Lan Xichen looks up at her, "It felt appropriate."
"It is," Mimi resists the urge to touch him, not wanting to spook the clan leader, "I like it."
They sat in a sort of heavy silence before Mimi asks, "Would you like to see what I made for Lord Qiren?"
"Yes. You could not convince me otherwise," Lan Xichen sat excitedly as Mimi dug through the tiny satchel.
"I have heard that Lord Qiren is given to health problems of late due to old injuries," Mimi pulls a white and blue robe from the satchel.
"When you put this on, the area of the injury will become a scarlet red. It will produce a symbol of what the treatment should be. The robe will lend itself to treatment by becoming warm or chilled. I have put protection spells upon this as well," Mimi pauses and turns the robe inside out to reveal regal teaching robes.
"I know that…. teaching is stressful. The sleeves contain extra pockets on the inside. Any teaching materials lost will appear in the pockets. Notes on lesson plans for the day appear on the inside of the left sleeve. And names of mischief makers and their deeds will appear inside the right sleeve. The robes are impervious to all manners of inks. "
Biting her lip Mimi looks up at the clan leader whose eyes are glittering with amusement.
"I believe you wrought peril on future students with this gift," Lan Xichen laughs loudly. The fox on his shoulder fluffs out its tail irritably.
"He will like it?" Mimi asks nervously, folding the robe and setting it within the trunk.
"Yes. I believe he will, not as much as your printing press, but I do believe he will cherish this."
Lan Xichen pauses for a moment, the image of Wanji smiling upon the page comes to his mind, "Thank you again for that."
Mimi is about to tease him once more when she sees the vulnerability once more in his eyes, "Your very welcome."
There is a comfortable silence between the two as the night draws in closer.
"Has Lord Qiren decided on all the tasks he will have me perform?"
The clan leader sat silently for a moment, holding the trunk between his hands, "Yes. It is a tradition in the Gusu Clan for clan leaders' potential partners to adhere to certain predictability. I did not necessarily believe in this when I became clan leader. Nor did I have an interest in marriage back then. I created the tasks to be unwinnable, and they have been put into law."
Mimi feels dread churn her spine and her crippled heart limped about in her chest.
"What are they?"
Petting the fox on his shoulder, he stares at the woman he had just so recently met with tenderness.
"You have already completed the spiritual magic compatibility test," the clan leader smiles, remembering the blinding beauty of their combined magic.
"My uncle will then give you a month to familiarize yourself with our rules and history. When the month is concluded, my uncle will quiz you on the rules and history of our clan," Lan Xichen says quietly.
"There are 4000 Rules!" Mimi cries.
"There are 4250," the clan leader corrects, looking downcast.
"I will figure something out," Mimi rubs her nose, "what else?"
"You must exorcise the water demon in the lake at the equinox," Lan Xichen runs a hand over his hair.
"What is the last task?" Mimi watches the clan leader in hesitation.
"Music is an essential part of our clan. A performance of one's skills must be presented to the clan. A month will be given to prepare."
Mimi bit her lip; this would pose a challenge. She did not know how to exorcise a demon. Would she inadvertently exorcise herself? The equinox is when the demon would be the most aggressive.
"I will figure it out," Mimi says, already contemplating the bits and pieces.
"Why did you space out the tasks out in such a way?" Mimi suddenly asks curiously.
"Civility mostly. I had originally wanted to get the tasks over within a single month, but Lord Qiren put it to a year. It takes a year to properly get to know someone was his words," Lan Xichen stares off into space over her head.
"Thank you for your time, clan leader. I should make sure my sisters are alright," Mimi does not like the sudden shift in the mood of the clan leader and wants to formulate a plan.
This seems to snap the clan leader out of whatever thoughts he had sunk into.
"I have kept you up. I apologize. Please express my apologies to your sisters. And thank you again for these extraordinary gifts," the clan leader unsteadily gets to his feet, clutching the trunk to his chest.
Mimi bows to the clan leader and slips out of the pagoda. She is about to return to the residence when she turns around to look at the retreating clan leader.
"Clan leader?" Mimi calls.
Surprised, the clan leader immediately turns around and walks toward her, his expression is curious, "What is it?"
Mimi opens her mouth and closes it, "Have you changed your mind regarding the spacing of the tasks?"
There is brief confusion on the clan leader's face as if he is slowly processing what she had just said.
A slow smile crosses his face as he holds up the trunk, "What do you think?"
"Goodnight, clan leader," Mimi smiles, picks up her skirts, and moves through the door.
The first thing she notices upon entering is the silence, "Alright, little ladies, I see you."
Chen pops out from behind a chair with Dumplin sitting next to her.
"Well, while your awake, I want to talk to you about something," Mimi settles into a chair and is amused when Chen and Dumplin flank her.
Dumplin slides up next to her in the chair, and Chen sits on the ground beside her.
"I just got done chatting with the clan leader, and he told me that the tasks are going to take about a year to complete. So, if either of you has any issues with staying in Cloud Recesses, then we can try to make other arrangements," Mimi says, but Dumplin is hugging her around the waist.
"I will take that as a no," Mimi smiles at Dumplin and strokes her hair.
"How about you, Chen?"
"I don't think it will be as bad as staying at home," Chen shivers, turning her massive emerald eyes at Mimi.
Her eyes said, "please don't make me leave."
"If either of you changes your mind. Just let me know," Mimi leans back in the chair and rubs her eyes, exhaustion slowly catching up with her.
"I also think it would be a good idea if you guys learn to defend yourselves without magic."
"You're going to teach us to fight with a sword?" Chen asks in delight.
"If you are willing," Mimi snorts in amusement.
"Now I am not an expert in swordplay or weapons because of these," Mimi holds up the claws, "but if I asked Lord Qiren, would either of you like lessons in swordplay or any weaponry?"
Chen purses her lips in thought before nodding excitedly. Dumplin also looks excited.
"I will ask him tomorrow after our run," Mimi says with a chuckle, watching Chen's grin turned into a frown.
"Why are we running?" Chen complains.
"If you want to be light on your feet, you have to learn how to run from your enemies if you can't outright defend yourself," Mimi tugs Dumplin upright, finding herself face to face with terrifying bunches of red tangles.
"We'll start small," Mimi promises. She glances outside and sees that darkness has finally fallen.
"Have you brushed out your hair and your tails?" Mimi asks Chen, summoning a brush to her hand to start brushing through Dumplin's tangled mess.
Chen shakes her head slowly, "Why should I do that? You can just teach me how to cast a refreshing spell, and everything smooths out."
"Hhm," Mimi gives up using the brush and begins using her claws, gently tugging at the many knots, "You could do that, but the magical buildup creates static. It messes with your magic."
She hands Chen the brush, "Start from the top and work your way down."
Chen lifts up her robe and begins running the brush over her first foxtail.
"When will I get my tails?" Dumplin asks, staring at Chen's tails with undeniable envy.
Mimi and Chen look at each other.
"I don't know, cub," Mimi says, running her hands soothingly through her mane.
"Father said I would never be a kitsune," Dumplin says.
"He is wrong about many things," Mimi sighs, "even if you weren't a fox spirit, it doesn't mean you are not part of this family. We will still love you."
"But father said I would amount to nothing!" Dumplin cries.
Mimi watches Chen wince as she continues to brush out her foxtails. Her eyes becoming haunted.
"Lord Shen is a dick," Mimi growls, then realizes what she has just said.
Chen's eyes were practically glowing with mirth.
"What's a dick?" Dumplin asks innocently.
"Something I don't want either of you to be around for a very long time," Mimi instructs quickly, "What I meant to say is that Lord Shen is not behaving as a father should. So, you shouldn't believe what he says. Both of you are very special in your own unique ways. I have only known you both for a month, but I would tear this place apart if it meant guaranteeing your safety."
Mimi nuzzles Dumplin's nose and then reaches down to nuzzles Chen's.
"Would you like me to braid your hair?" Mimi distracts, gently tugging on the waist length red curls.
"Yes, please!"
Mimi deftly braids the curls, ensuring every strand is in place before tying it off.
"How about you, Chen?" Mimi asks.
Chen doesn't answer but quickly sits in front of her.
"Watch closely, Dumplin, so you can do it yourself one of these days," Mimi says, summoning another brush.
She notes similar tangles in Chen's long straight black hair, so similar to her own.
Truth be told, Mimi is soothed by brushing the girl's hair. Chen's hair is exceptionally long, nearly approaching her ankles.
"My hair used to be this long," Mimi said conversationally, "I cut it just above my shoulders. I cried for weeks before I got used to it."
"Is that why you're so bitter now?" Chen asks seriously.
Why did I want to be a parent, Mimi asks herself, giving the child's hair a slight tug.
Once Mimi is done brushing out and braiding Chen's hair, she carries Dumplin to bed.
"I don't like the dark," Dumplin grabs on to her sleeve, her eyes filled with terror.
"How about I give you some stars?"
Without waiting for a reply, Mimi forms a medium-sized ball of foxfire and tosses it into the air. The foxfire floats to the top of the ceiling and reflects the night sky around the room. A soft lullaby radiates from the ball of fire.
"How is that?" Mimi asks, the little girl is staring around the room in wonderment, "can you do this every night?"
"Of course, love," Mimi tucks the blankets around Dumplin and kisses her on the forehead.
"Good night," Mimi gets off the bed and leaves the room.
Mimi knocks on the door of Chen's room and hears a low "come in."
Chen is bundled up in her bed and lying on her side.
"You alright?" Mimi asks, leaning on the door frame.
"Why?"
"It was a crazy day," Mimi says, "I thought maybe you would like to talk about it."
"Like how? Like I can't even defend my little sister in front of a bunch of cultivators?" Chen pulls the covers past her chin.
"The difference between them and us is that we are immortal. You will learn and get better than any of those cultivators," Mimi holds up her own hands," you'll be better than me one day."
"Really?" Chen tugs the blankets away from her face.
"Of course, it is only natural for the student to surpass the teacher," Mimi tucks her sister in, "besides, I know your power is growing. I have been feeling it for the last couple of months. I think you are absorbing some of my magic into your magical core."
"Really?" Chen repeats, watching her sister trustingly.
"It would explain why I am tired all of the time," Mimi teases, "but seriously, you are only nine. You have all of the time in the world."
"Thanks, Mimi," Chen says softly.
"Goodnight," Mimi kisses her forehead and gently closes the door.
Mimi peeks in on Dumplin one more time and finds Dumplin fast asleep.
She sneaks back to her own room and falls face-first onto the mattress.
"Sara, you were the maternal one, not me," Mimi whispers into the darkness, "I have no idea what I am doing."
A light knock on her door pulls Mimi's thoughts away from her wife.
Sitting up, Mimi tugs her claws through her hair and says, "come in."
Mameki hops into the room and sits beside Mimi.
"Cub, okay?"
"Yeah, I am just tired," Mimi smiles comfortingly at the strange parasol.
"Cub sad. Cub sad for awhile. Hide from little cubs. Mameki, see."
"It's not noticeable, is it?" Mimi asks.
"No. Little cubs happy. Happier than Mameki ever see cubs. Mameki want ask about Big cub's cub."
"Ahh," Mimi blinks the tears away, "I lost him."
Trying to ignore the single large eye contemplating her. Mimi sighs, "I guess you should know. My wife may have hurt herself. And we . . .lost the baby. I am not trying to replace him with Chen and Dumplin. But it helps."
The parasol awkwardly pats her back, "Mameki, sorry. Not want big cub hurt."
Shoving back her tears, Mimi tries to smile, "I'm fine."
"Brooch help?"
"I think," Mimi holds herself, "I want it to help. But . . .if she wanted to die. Should I let her go?"
"Big cub, Mameki, think wife loved you."
"Is it wrong that I am trying to marry her reincarnation? That I want to keep him close?"
"Mameki think love is odd. But Mameki with you."
"Thank you," Mimi tries not to flinch as the parasol wraps an arm around her.
"If cub want to talk."
"Thank you, Mameki," Mimi smiles, "I appreciate it."