A gentle flute melody wove around her, followed by the smell of mint. Mimi opens one eye and immediately shuts her eyes once again at the bright light. Where was the music coming from? She could swear she heard it before. When Mimi tries again, she is immediately greeted with a beautiful face with mandibles.
"I told you I saw her eyelids move," Daiyu's voice softly hums.
"Mimi! You okay?" Chen says worriedly.
The flute stops immediately. Knowing the voice of her cubs anywhere, Mimi struggles to keep her eyes open. This time succeeding.
Raising her hand to Chen's face, she cups her cheek, "Hey, cub, I'm fine. You haven't been up all night, have you?"
Seeing her sister is now fully conscious, Chen throws herself at Mimi as Daiyu says, "Please be careful, Chen, your sister is probably still sore."
Spoken a little too late, Mimi thinks as Chen manages to smack into her side.
"Where is Dumplin? Who is watching her?" Mimi looks around but is impaired by her wound and, of course, her sister.
"Wanji and Master Wei took her in for the night," the clan leader smiles at the slight panic on the Lady Shen's face.
"My brother has experience with taking care of small children, Lady Shen," the clan leader reminds her with a smile.
"I think I am more worried on behalf of your brother and Master Wei," Mimi says, before turning to Chen.
Gritting her teeth at the pain in her side, Mimi tries to comfort the frantic cub, "Shh, it's alright, it's alright. It really isn't that bad," Mimi strokes her hair, "We're fine. Do you think I would leave you that easily?"
Snuffling, Chen looks up at her, "But Qiaolian said you broke a rib, and the arrow had gone through a couple of organs."
She would have to have a talking to with her eldest sister. Mimi shares a look with Daiyu, who says, "I know I have already given her a suitable punishment."
An indignant bark sounds from the floor.
Ignoring her eldest sister, Mimi says, "I'm sorry for worrying you," Mimi nuzzles her sister's nose, "I'm fine, but I do think you need to catch up on some sleep."
"But Mimi," Chen sticks her lip out, sulking.
"No ifs and or buts," Mimi wishes she could sit up and maybe appear stricter, but it is useless.
"I will take care of it," Daiyu strokes Chen's hair as Chen refuses to let her sister go.
"She is more than welcome to stay here," the clan leader suddenly interjects, "it will keep her nearby."
"Can I, uncle?" Chen asks, her question punctuated with a yawn.
"Of course," the clan leader points over his shoulder at the small hallway, "feel free to use my room."
"You'll still be here when I wake up?" Chen asks her sister, worriedly.
"Of course, I will," Mimi steals a glance at the clan leader, "I have a feeling I'm not going to be going anywhere anytime soon."
"Really?"
Chuckling, Mimi gently raises Chen's chin so that she can meet her eyes, "Cub, I have difficulty sitting up. I am not going anywhere."
This finally convinces Chen to give her sister one last hug and venture down the hallway to the clan leader's bedroom. The clan leader follows giving Chen instructions on where to find the bathroom and extra blankets.
"So, how much trouble are we in?" Mimi asks Daiyu, who grins mischievously.
"Believe it, or not your sister has proposed a treaty and has smoothed things over," Daiyu says as the eldest kitsune shoves her large head on to Daiyu's lap.
"Nothing has been decided as of yet," the clan leader steps into the room, "but I believe it will be profitable for both our clans."
"We should give them a minute, dear," Daiyu says calmly.
There is a low huff. Before the enormous white fox lifts off the floor by the bed—her hundreds of tails fluttering behind her.
The kitsune bends over Mimi and licks her cheek fondly before turning to the clan leader. Being of great age and power, the kitsune stood nearly at eye level with Lan Xichen. Mimi is about to say something when the unthinkable happens. Lan Xichen bowed low to the kitsune. Letting out a satisfied bark, her sister shook her tails, and little balls of white fox fire playfully bounced about the room before leaving the building entirely. When the clan leader rose, the kitsune also bows her head. She barks once at Daiyu and leaves the building.
"I should make sure she leaves your chickens alone, clan leader. Old habits die hard, you know," Daiyu says, bowing before the clan leader and quickly leaving the room.
"Well, that explains the chicken conundrum," the clan leader raises his eyebrow at the jorogumo before watching the spiderly features disappear as she meanders next to the large fox.
"Umm, actually, Chen was doing that," Mimi places a hand on her face before struggling to get up.
Lan Xichen darts to her side and nearly spills the water pitcher sitting on the bedside table.
"Please do not try and move. Your wounds were quite extensive. Your sister's healing magic is quite remarkable. I have never seen anything quite like it. Except when," he looks down at her tenderly, "you healed me."
"I am staying away from archery. Perhaps you should do the same," Mimi teases as he checks over her wound.
He hums at her and replaces the bandage. The wound had become a little irritated from Chen's bouncing on her.
"What were you saying about the chickens?"
"Erm, when fox spirit's approach a certain age, they get stressed, and that manifests in stealing chickens," Mimi confesses quietly, looking away from the clan leader.
He laughs, "And you were the one to bring them back?"
"To be fair, I did try to make her do it, but she would come back with more chickens," Mimi sighs tiredly, "I swear, she never touched your brother's rabbits."
Eyes sparkling with humor, he says, "I had a feeling."
"You are taking this remarkably well," Mimi remarks, as he takes over Daiyu's chair.
"I tend to believe in the best of people. You and your siblings merely have extra appendages," he puts his hands on his knees and stares at her.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mimi asks quietly.
"It does not change anything," the clan leader sits upon the bed, "How are you feeling? Would you like tea?"
"Tea would be lovely," Mimi sighs as he presents her with the familiar green tea tray.
"Will you tell more of your kind?" he asks, curiously, "Will the youngest Shen develop a fox form?"
Staring at the clan leader in slight awe over her cup, Mimi smiles, "We are unsure. I have seen glimpses. But Dumplin also did not spend much time with our mother to develop a magical core. We would love her even if she did not exhibit power."
"I have been reading texts in the library that have been heavily annotated. I am assuming that has been you?" the clan leader looks especially irritated at this.
"Did you want the information to be correct?" Mimi raises an eyebrow.
"You know for a fact that information is correct?" the clan leader stares her down.
"Yes."
Annoyed with being unable to face him properly, Mimi tries to sit up.
"Here, allow me," the clan leader fetches a pillow and wraps a careful arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her up. He expertly slides the pillow behind her.
Still, in her personal space, Mimi can't help but ask, "Let me get this straight, you are more concerned that the information in the books that I have updated with real information is false, rather than the fact that I have eleven tails? That my sisters and I are foxes?"
Arm still around her shoulders, the annoyance in his eyes ebbing, "Yes. I am disappointed that you would think otherwise."