"Alright, cubs, I have something I need to do, but I will be back after your lesson," Mimi nuzzles Chen's nose and then Dumplin's.
"You're not going to see Qiaolian and Daiyu without us, are you?" Dumplin tugs on Mimi's skirts.
Mimi crouches down on to her level and ruffles her hair, "No, this is just something I have to do on my own."
Her eyes slide over the clan leader on reflex, and forces herself to look away. She didn't understand how one man could possibly be so radiant. His dark blue tunic embroidered intricately with the Gusu clan sect symbol made his skin glow. If Mimi didn't need to complete the second task, she would be sorely tempted to sneak a bottle of Emperors Smile into her residence.
Rising to her feet, she kisses the girls on the cheek before departing.
"Lady Shen," the clan leader calls, and Mimi bites her lip as she slowly turns around.
"Good morning, clan leader," Mimi could feel her tails swaying beneath her skirts, probably forming little dorky hearts.
He smiles, and Mimi wonders if it is at all possible for one's heart to break through the ribcage and gently punch his gorgeous face with her love.
"Good morning, are you well?" he asks, looking her over.
"I'm well. You look very well. Umm, just . . . going to study, for the exam, you know, responsibilities," Mimi babbles almost incoherently, as his eyes twinkle merrily, causing her face to flush.
The clan leader puts a hand on her forehead, looking uncertain, "Is it possible you are unwell?"
She bats his hand away, playfully and says, "Now, if you will excuse me, clan leader."
"If you feel unwell, please do not hesitate to let me know," he says seriously.
"I will," Mimi promises, all the while retreating backward, as he follows with his hands behind his back.
Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi bow to Lady Shen as she crosses the grass, knowingly watching the clan leader with amusement.
"Lady Shen, Zewu-Jun has a special sense when it comes to those who are ill. He once followed Lan Sizhui three miles into the mountains over a cold," Lan Jingyi crosses his arms and grins at Lan Sizhui, who rolls his eyes.
"I was night hunting by myself, and suddenly I hear a voice behind me clear as a bell."
Lan Sizhui folds one hand behind his back and holds his sword over his heart in an almost perfect imitation of the clan leader, "Sizhui return to Cloud Recesses and report to the infirmary. You are unwell."
"I care about the health of all our disciples," Lan Xichen says, regally, not impressed by the imitation.
"But did you have to bring HanGuang Jun, Master Wei, and Uncle Wen Ning?" Lan Jingyi snickers at Lan Sizhui, who looks betrayed.
"That is where you are mistaken," Lan Xichen has subtly cornered the Lady Shen between the children and the stands, "Like most things concerning my brother, Master Wei, and Master Ning, they often appear where. . . they are least expected."
"Begin your lesson, clan leader," Mimi says, realizing she had been cornered, "I am fine, truly."
The clan leader looks her over, "If you are sure."
Seeing her opportunity, Mimi uses the stands for a bit more height as she flips over the top of the clan leader in a flurry of skirts. She lands without a sound, nearly a foot behind him. Mimi tosses her hair back, bows to the stunned clan leader, and laughing cultivators kisses her sisters one more time and saunters off. She is giggling when she returns to the residence.
Mameki drops whatever he is reading at her presence, "Cub okay?"
"Fine," Mimi quiets her giggles and tries to center herself, "Mameki, can you keep watch, please?"
Large eye-rolling about, Mameki finally looks at her directly, "Casket?"
"Yeah, casket," Mimi steps into her room and pulls the red casket from under the floorboard.
"Same thing Mameki, if I am not out of there in three hours, then do whatever it takes to wake me up."
Feeling nothing but dread, Mimi removed the second stick of incense from the casket and held it aloft. The smell curdles her blood. Lighting it with her foxfire, Mimi sets it on the incense burner and lays down on the bedroll. Mameki hovers awkwardly, torn between watching the incense and watching Mimi. A burning sensation creeps up her leg. Starting to feel dizzy from the fragrance, Mimi wobbles, trying to get a look at it. Lurching to the side, Mimi is awkwardly caught by Mameki's purple arms. He lowers her back to the mat and tucks her hair back.
"Thank you, Mameki," Mimi murmurs as the parasol begins to spin around in circles.
Mimi wakes to laughter. Groaning and stretching out her sore muscles, Mimi realizes extremely quickly that something most definitely is not right. Mimi looks down at her clawed hands and then compares it to the watercolor landscape in front of her. The water in the lake is thick paint that moved sluggishly along the bank. Watercolor ducks led their fluffy watercolor young ones along the bank. Blinking her eyes repeatedly to clear the blurriness from her eyes, Mimi gradually accepts that she is in a painting. Uneasily getting to her feet, Mimi winces as pain lances up her left leg. Yanking up her skirts to get a look at her leg. Mimi once again feels the world around her spin about. Once again, there is a tattoo. Twisting up and around her calve up past her knee, there is a strange watercolor image of an apple tree. Faces emerge creepily from the skin of every apple hanging from the twisting branches. If this is not creepy enough, intricate screaming faces are carved within the roots of the tree. This tattoo is terrifying, but what horrifies Mimi the most is that the sword from the last task is sheathed within her leg, the hilt poking out from beneath the skin. The pain gradually decreases as Mimi struggles to her feet. She can feel the sword move within her. Deciding to leave it for now, Mimi brandishes her claws and decides to cautiously follow the maniacal laughter.
The ground squishes beneath her feet. Making sure she has not accidentally stepped on something, Mimi looks down and realizes her boots are covered in green paint. In fact, most of her is covered in green paint. Irritated, Mimi decides just to suck it up and continue following the strange laughter. Mimi is led along a squishy pathway that winds its way through a forest of aspen trees. The white trees carved with black eyes wink at her as the strange light filters through the woods. Feeling more unsettled with every passing minute, Mimi begins to run. She slips a couple of times in the wet paint but does not fall. The trail eventually winds down to a little town. The laughter is louder now, but Mimi could not see the individuals responsible.
Deciding the town might be better than wandering through the woods, Mimi steps on to the brilliantly painted dirt road. She realizes it must be market day. At first, the people in town seem lifeless. A watercolor man and woman kiss passionately beside a wooden cart full of flowers. But as Mimi watches in horrified fascination, the woman slowly slaps the man. The couple looks uncomfortably similar. A man takes an apple from a cart and puts it in his pocket. A coach hits a man, but the coach does not stop. Vendor carts are overturned. Store windows are broken into. As Mimi watches the town slowly, very slowly descends into chaos. Deciding to stick to her original plan, Mimi sprints towards the sound of the laughs. As she runs, Mimi now realizes why she had been so unsettled earlier in the forest. There were no sounds but the laughter: no sounds but her squishing footsteps and the beat of her heart.
Mimi slips upon the paint and crashes into a man threatening an older woman reaching into his coat to steal his money pouch. Rolling upon the ground, Mimi lands roughly on her back. Slipping and sliding on the paint, Mimi finally gets to her feet. In doing so, she looks down at herself. She is covered in the flesh-toned paint. Screaming, Mimi casts a refreshing spell on herself, causing the paint to disappear. But she could still feel it on her skin. Backing away, Mimi runs through the village. Watercolor fire incrementally pops up in different buildings.
Fueled by adrenaline, Mimi reaches the outskirts. The laughs were so strong here that it nearly hurt her sensitive ears. She realizes belatedly that she is in an orchard. Is there some sort of celestial rave going on, Mimi wonders, now able to hear individual laughter? She passes several apple trees until she comes across the match of her tattoo. As Mimi stares, the tree's apples slowly revolve until she is staring at numerous wrinkled faces. The laughing stops.
"Help us," the shriveled faces rasp before dissolving into laughs.
"What can I do?" Mimi wonders if she is even on the same sound frequency as these strange creatures.
"Re-plant," one voice says softly.
"Soil of the dead," another voice says.
"Why is the town like this?" Mimi unnecessarily points her thumb back towards the village.
"Mad. Our laughter at their deeds, to drive them out," a dry, quiet voice murmur.
"They hide their murders in our home, at our roots."
The laughter begins again, and Mimi does not want to, but she has no choice. Using her claws, Mimi strikes at the "earth," the paint surges upward. Roots appear out of the ground, and within them tangle the skeletons of the victims. The creatures were telling the truth.
"Watch out," a dry voice says from the bough next to her.
Mimi looks to her right just in time to see . . . a blob of paint ready to strike at her. This time. The movements were not slow. Summoning a ball of foxfire, Mimi strikes the creature with it. A hole in the paint could be seen where she hit the middle of the . . . thing. But as she watches, the townsfolk's conjoined faces appear within the beast, clumping together to form it once more. Blood racing, Mimi fires at the creature repeatedly, but each time the creature puts itself back together with the townspeople's flesh. Shrinking away, Mimi suddenly remembers the sword. Why else would it have been sent with her otherwise? Leaping out of the way at the creature's next blow, Mimi fumbles with her messy skirts. The skirts clung together with the drying paint. Tearing at them with her claws. This gives the creature time to wrap a clumping hand around her shoulder. Mimi hisses at the monster's grip. Her fox fire erupting from her claws, immediately causing the paint to bubble and hiss. Mimi could smell burning flesh, but it is not her own. With a scream, Mimi pulls the sword from her leg. It is covered in her blood and torn skin. Her claws burn her as she strikes down with the sword upon the creature's formless body. The blade effectively rips the creature in half, but it does not stop the beast, only slowing it down.
An idea suddenly occurs to her. Limping, Mimi strikes once more. Her hands burned in excruciating pain. But this time, as she pulls away, Mimi hits the exact spot she had cut with her foxfire, effectively cauterizing the location, ceasing the growth. Trying to ignore the mind-numbing pain, Mimi strikes again and again with both the sword and foxfire. Finally, there was nothing left but a pile of burning paint and flesh. Mimi knew she is running out of time. Dropping the sword, Mimi turns to the tree.
"I have an idea," says tiredly to the apples, "Will you be alright if I plant you somewhere far from here?"
"As long as the soil is pure," the apples say in unison.
Mimi grabs onto the tree, and using all her strength, pulls it towards a painted shadow. Seeing no other choice, she dives into it.
Emerging next to the pond of her last task, Mimi is completely drenched in the paint. Mimi looks at the tree, and the shivering apples worriedly. Mimi digs a large hole in the ground next to the pond using her claws and puts the tree into it with a heavy thud. Mimi carefully picks the bones from the roots and quickly covers the roots with dirt. Not knowing what else to do, Mimi looks at the apples. As if in shock, the tree begins to shake uncontrollably. The paint drips steadily from branches and the bark. Soon a real tree is revealed from beneath watercolor farce.
"Will this do?" Mimi asks, realizing the tree had somehow tapped into her energy to transform, draining her.
"Yes, this will be perfect," laughs an apple swinging merrily from a branch.
"Take from us the old ones," another apple says.
Feeling her body move of its own volition, Mimi watches herself use her claws to cut the stems of five apples from the tree.
"Use them for your next task," an apple says merrily.
Mameki is shaking her, Mimi realizes as she blinks slowly into consciously. She cannot move.
"Cub! Cub! So much blood. Cub!" he sounded frantic.
"I'm here," Mimi coughs and leans over, struggling to remain conscious.
"Mameki. Rip apart my dress to bind my leg, please," Mimi blinks repeatedly and tries to slow her panicked breathing.
He does as she bid, crying out as he sees the large hole the sword had made in her leg.
"Does not look good. Does not look good," Mameki mutters reassuringly to her.
"Mameki, if I disguise you as myself, could you get the girls? I don't want them to freak out if they see me now," Mimi hates the pleading sound of her voice.
"Yes. Mameki help. If cub has strength," the parasol shivers, watching her anxiously.
Mimi casts her illusion over the parasol. It is not good. Illusion had never been her strong suit, but Dumplin and Chen would realize it is Mameki at first glance. But it would work on humans.
"I want you," Mimi struggles with her breathing, "I want you to tell the clan leader that I need help. I can't heal myself right now. Tell him . . . to go to the infirmary, but don't tell Chen or Dumplin. Just take them to lunch and then home. Tell them it was a surprise," Mimi struggles to sit up.
Mameki pulls her to a shadow. Mimi feels her eyes go blurry.
"Mameki, go now," using what is left of her strength, Mimi melts into the shadows, appearing on the floor in the infirmary.
Doing her best to cover her tails, Mimi can't find it in herself to try to stand. Heart pounding, Mimi tries to sit up. She could not just die here in this world. Her girls needed her. Breathing hard, Mimi lays her face against the cold floor. He would be here soon, Mimi hopes. Mameki is clever. Mimi attempts to summon her foxfire, but her hands are raw and bleeding from using the sword.
Mimi must have lost consciousness, but she comes to at the sound of a door slam. Confused, Mimi blearily looks up to a shape in blue, rushing across the floor. More watercolors, she thinks? Strong fingers brush over her forehead, and she feels a rush of spiritual energy flowing through her. Trying to clear her vision, Mimi looks up to see a furious looking clan leader. When he realizes she is staring at him, his face immediately softens, but there is rage in his eyes.
"You got my message," Mimi rasps jokingly.
"Who or what did this to you?" he demands, his voice struggling to tamp down on his anger.
"Can I explain later?" Mimi asks, his handsome face blurring and duplicating.
He lets out a breath, "Yes, yes, of course, do you know where you are injured?"
"Hands," Mimi weakly raises her hands to show him, "and my left leg. The leg wound is bad."
With her nod of permission, the clan leader removes his hand and lifts her skirts to reveal the wound in her leg. Gently removing the makeshift bandages, he hisses at the size of the injury.
"I will need assistance," Lan Xichen gently strokes her forehead as he runs to the window to fire a symbol from his fingertips.
He races back to her and continues to siphon spiritual energy to her forehead. Gently caressing her hair. Mimi feels her eyes slip closed. Maybe she should have had Mameki somehow drag her to the boundary line and summon Qiaolian. The thought makes her very tired, and her head lulls forward.
"Lady Shen?"
Registering the worry in his voice, she struggles to open her eyes as he continues stroking her hair and siphoning her spiritual energy.
"You know. I guess Lan Jingyi is right about your second sense," Mimi leans her head into his touch.
He does not laugh as his brother and Master Wei barrel through the infirmary door, nearly breaking it down in the process. Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian stare at the couple on the floor in disbelief before Lan Zhan snaps out of it and begins cleaning the wound on her leg.
Mimi realizes belatedly that her head is practically in the clan leader's lap.
"What was it that did this? The Lady Shen is very skilled at fighting," Master Wei says, finally snapping out of his shock, runs to the cabinets, grabbing antiseptic, bandages, needles, and thread.
He places a pile near the clan leader and then for himself and Lan Zhan. He smiles sympathetically at Mimi, who tries to return his smile.
"I don't think I want to meet whatever did this," Master Wei threads the needle for his cultivation partner, he grins at Mimi, "You are going to have one hell of a scar."
With the practicality of a nurse, he assists Lan Zhan as best as he can. Mimi suddenly wishes for unconsciousness. There would be no painkillers here. Seeing she would at least stay conscious, the clan leader swipes antiseptic and bandages from Master Wei and studies her hands. He winces at the damage the sword had done.
"That's what happens when I try to handle other weapons," Mimi laughs hollowly.
"There is no way to take these off?" the clan leader reaffirms as he begins cleaning the wounds on her left hand, deeming these wounds worse off."
Mimi shakes her head, gritting her teeth, "Once my energy is back, I can heal anything you might miss."
"You were holding it wrong, but I can see the clear shape of a sword hilt, here in your palms. The burn is a nearly perfect shape. You were burning yourself on purpose," Lan Xichen raises an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"My fire didn't work on it, and I . . ." Mimi's stomach rolls with nausea thinking of getting anywhere close to that thing enough to use her claws, "I was greatly outmatched."
Lan Xichen mentally agrees with Master Wei on not wanting to meet such a creature. He had seen the woman before him in a fight, especially in defense of her siblings. He had fought against her and felt the strength in her blows. It would be no ordinary being that could match her. He gently wraps a couple of bandages around her hand, then begins on the next one.
"It was one of Lord Shen's creations," Mimi winces as she feels a needle inserted into her skin, looking down. She could see Master Wei holding her skin together as his partner sewed.
"Your father attacked you?" the clan leader meets her eyes, confused.
"I . . . haven't been honest," Mimi confesses, and all eyes lurch to her face, "I kidnapped my sisters from a difficult environment. My eldest sister and I plan to overthrow Lord Shen to protect my remaining siblings. As long as he is alive, my sisters are not safe. For their safety, I am joining my sister's clan and cutting off all ties with him."
Mimi bites her cheek as the needle once again punctures her skin.
The clan leader strokes her face tenderly, his eyes warm, "I understand," he looks towards his brother and Master Wei, "sometimes our family takes all precedence. You have mentioned the previous conditions of your sisters, but why did you conceal your eldest sister or plans?"
Mimi bites back the scream as Master Wei struggles to keep her skin together, "I honestly didn't know of her existence until recently."
"Empathy," Lan Zhan says softly.
"Wanji," Lan Xichen scolds.
"You would be able to verify everything she has just said," Master Wei says, continuing to hold the skin together as Lan Zhan is forced to thread a new needle.
"What is Empathy?" Mimi asks nervously.
"It is an invasive trick that allows a bond of sorts to be formed between two parties. Allowing memories to be shared. I trust what you have said. Merely seeing you dote on your siblings is enough evidence to validify your claims," the clan leader says with conviction.
Gritting her teeth as the second master lan punctures her skin once more, she asks, "Can I control what I can show you?"
"You would be able to show me anything you like," the clan leader smiles, "but let us at least finish with you first."
Watching him gently bandage her hand and every so often, when he didn't think she was looking, her hair or arm, Mimi wants to embrace him.
"If it eases your mind and that of your brother's, I will do it."