Teaching Respect.
By C S Sinclair.
Chapter Thirteen.
"Jinny? Are you okay back there? Do you need a hand with it?" Xu called, trying to balance her concern with a desire not to be too pushy.
"MUST NOT COME YET!" Fujin replied, her voice a little flustered. "AM... FINE! FIRST TIME... WEARING..."
Xu nodded mutely, clutching hold of the curtain tightly in both hands. Jinny would be fine – her partner could do this easy, she told herself. She was worrying over nothing she decided; it was probably just because she couldn't see her girl, right now.
"Oh, did you put your clothes together - we don't want them getting lost" she reminded her partner, kneading the curtain fabric between her fingers, burning up inside with excited expectation. She couldn't wait...
A soft thump suddenly sounded out nearby and... what was going on? Was that...?
"Ahhh!"
Her cry of alarm rang out in the air, as Fujin suddenly poked her head out from behind the shop curtain. Regaining her senses mid-scream, she found her partner's arm sticking out also and squeezed it in a gentle but chastising way, looking away as she felt herself blush red.
"Oh my... don't do that! Just give me a moment!" she giggled with embarrassment.
Looking up, she saw Fujin had a look of complete horror on her face; her hands were half cupped to her mouth, half reaching out for her. Xu recognised this as the prelude to one of her partner's avalanches of guilt-ridden apologies...
"GAVE NO WARNING... ALARM NOT INTENDED... SINCERE REGRET!" Fujin stammered, pawing pathetically at her.
"Ohh, baby; it's okay! I..."
Her sing-songing voice trailed off as her senses fully returned and she saw her partner properly.
"... What's... Jinny! What's all this... your hair's soaking wet!" she cried.
Bewildered, she moved forward to inspect further, but Fujin slid back nervously. Utterly confused, but wanting to put her girl at ease, Xu smiled with tender concern and gently tried again. Fujin appeared pacified at this and inched forward, leaning her head to allow Xu to examine her hair. It was indeed drenched with water and she was dripping everywhere on the curtain and floor.
"Oh... baby, what have you been up to?" she tutted. "Come out here so I can... what's wrong?"
Fujin had pulled back stubbornly: "NOT YET READY! BROUGHT CLOTHES AS ASKED" she replied, reaching back and producing a plastic bag from behind the curtain.
"Not ready...? 'Jin, have you got anything on back there?!" Xu gasped, looking around the shop in shock – mercifully, it was still empty.
Fujin shrugged: "WAS INTERUPPTED... HAVE SOMETHING ON!" she assured her with a grin.
Fujin still refused to come fully into the room, staying with only her head and hands visible... It was no wonder she hadn't heard her girl approaching if she was... Blinking, she banished that thought quickly... fairly quickly anyway. They were partners after all – it was okay to think such things...
"Well... okay, but that doesn't explain this!" she managed at last, feeling Fujin's soaking hair and forcing herself to concentrate. "What have you been doing – you're only supposed to be trying on a new outfit!"
"ATTENDANT GAVE PERMISSION. WANTED FULL EFFECT... TAKING TOO LONG? XU CROSS?" Fujin asked, her head dropping in disgrace.
Xu set the bag down and lifted her partner's head up, tapping a kiss on her forehead and lips.
"No, no, no, I'm sorry!" she soothed. "You go right ahead – take all the time you want, alright? We're in no hurry. Really, go on, it's okay... scoot!"
Fujin smiled in relief and rubbed gently against Xu's hands where she was stroking her face. "WILL HURRY – XU WILL NOT EVEN MISS!" she assured her.
And with that, she made as if to withdraw, but stopped suddenly as if lost in thought. Xu frowned with concern and moved to ask her what was the matter...
"Hey!"
She cried out again, but in surprised delight this time, as Fujin suddenly flicked her head at her, sending a shower of droplets from her hair flying all over her. With mock outrage, Xu swatted her impishly grinning partner back behind the curtain and heard her scamper away to the dressing rooms.
"DO NOT FOLLOW! WILL SPOIL SURPRISE!" Fujin called happily.
"Well just you dry that hair!" Xu called after her. "You'll catch your death of cold!" she clucked, astonished at how good it felt to be so concerned over even such trivial matters where her partner was concerned.
She felt such a huge rush of affection at her partner's mischief, she found herself having to fight mightily to restrain herself from racing after her in playful pursuit. Feeling hot and bothered with desire, she swung about and pressed her hands to her face, trying to calm down.
It was hard though – she couldn't believe the... joy she felt right now. Seeing Fujin so relaxed and happy, being here with her at the start of a new era of peace between the nations... it was all too perfect. Maybe that's why she felt such a need to keep her in sight – to be sure it was real. Things like this happened in books and plays, not real-life...
Taking deep breaths, she tried to contain the wild ecstasy coursing through her. Her whole body was tingling; she felt somewhere between soaring into the air and collapsing into a shivering heap, out of that sheer need to be with her partner, to hold her and fuss over her...
Unable to contain herself, she took up the bag with Fujin's clothes and danced merrily about the shop, twirling in extravagant, blissful turns, recalling how wonderful their dance had been earlier. She never wanted this feeling to go away, and it was only going to get better, just as soon as Jin came through that curtain... Quis had been right – the anticipation was the sweetest form of torture...
She let out a huge, satisfied sigh, clutching Fujin's bag to her chest; a poor substitute for her girl, but better than being completely apart from her – such a thing was unthinkable now.
"A night of miracles..."
The sudden voice caused her to cry out in surprise once again, almost tipping the contents of the bag all over the floor. Seized with a sudden fear, she frantically adjusted her grip on the bag to stop anything from falling out, as if in that instant, it actually was her girl in her arms.
This accomplished and holding the bag firmly against her, she looked over at the counter. The voice had come from behind the counter, she was sure... but there was no-one there. And now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen a single attendant since they came in...
Cautiously, she walked up to inspect the counter. It was constructed of an old dark wood, polished to a magnificent sheen. In its lustrous surface, the light from the overhead lamps glowed magically, as if sunk into the wood. It gave off a certain ethereal, otherworldly feeling... Seeing herself darkly reflected, she was struck again by how lonely she felt without her girl...
Pushing such thoughts away, she stood up on her toes, trying to see if anyone was hiding behind the counter. Satisfied there was no-one there, she looked about the rest of the store - the voice must have come from somewhere!
As she investigated however, she found herself fascinated by this quaint little shop. Everything seemed so old in here: the furnishings and carpets etc. Many of the clothes horses sported fashions that had gone out decades ago at least – who would have use for such old relics? Still, the idea of her and Jin in such old getup wasn't entirely without appeal...
There were barely any examples of anything modern, and it was so quiet compared to the bustle outside. The windows were intricately frosted, making the passersby seem ghostlike, their voices distant. It was a strange atmosphere to be sure... and rather unnerving, now she thought about it - perhaps a little too isolated...
She realised she'd never seen this place before today or even heard anyone mention it, but then she hadn't visited the city proper all that much so... And yet, it was strange that there was no-one in here shopping or even browsing, no attendants on duty... but then again, Jin had seen one, hadn't she? Yes, that was probably it – they must be in the back, helping her. She was just being silly... but maybe she would just check.
Opening her mouth to call out, she suddenly heard a shuffling and a series of clunks and bumps coming from a door standing ajar some way along the counter. Someone was back there... odd that she'd missed the door before though...
Straining her ears, it sounded like just one person, sorting through something perhaps? With relief she also caught the nearby splash of water and her girl's voice humming merrily to herself in the back. She was okay...
Feeling a little foolish and over-protective, she walked back over to the counter and peering through the door, saw what looked like a dusty old storeroom. All she could see from this angle was a few shelves stacked with fabrics and boxes, however.
The noises sounded like they were coming from somewhere just behind the door; a view supported by shadows flitting across the crack where the door met the frame. It sounded like whoever it was, was in the process of stocking the shelves.
Deciding to take the initiative, Xu cleared her throat: "Er... hello?"
The sounds stopped and the shadows moved slightly, indicating the figure had turned in her direction. As the seconds rolled on, Xu wondered if she should say something further when a female voice of surprising clarity and warmth suddenly replied.
"Can I help you, Miss? Don't you have everything you need already?"
Xu frowned – that was a rather odd thing to say, or an odd way of saying it anyway. She noticed that in the far corner of the storeroom, an old dress mirror stood, cloth draped over most of its surface. That was a shame – if the cloth was moved, she could have seen the figure... which seemed strangely important to her for some reason, she realised.
"I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment" the voice continued. "Can you manage by yourself for a bit, whilst I see to this...?"
Xu glanced over – had the figure seen her looking at the mirror; guessed somehow? Superficially this was all quite ordinary, but still... she couldn't help but feel there was more than met the eye here – or refused to meet the eye...
"Er... yes, yes I'm fine, thank you. Um... I... look, I just wanted to say, to apologise really..." she began, not really knowing what she was saying. She just felt she shouldn't let this conversation end yet... she wasn't exactly sure why.
"Apologise? For what?" asked the voice with a definite note of interest.
Xu found she was scrutinising the room, mirror and door intently now. She wasn't sure if she was worried or just curious. She felt sort of like she had in Quis' classroom – on her best behaviour...
"For us, me and my partner, I mean. I guess you saw me leaping around just then. And my girl... well, she assured me that you gave her permission to use the water? I mean, we're both a little... er, excited at the moment, with the celebrations and all, so if we've caused any commotion or acted improperly..."
The figure slotted something into a shelf nearby and sighed lightly, but with an obvious note of affection. "Are you happy?" she asked suddenly.
Xu was caught off guard somewhat by this: "Am I... how do you mean?"
The figure turned to face her again: "Happy? Here, now, with her?"
"I... we're very happy – very happy indeed..." Xu replied, confused by the question, but a smile of contentment forming on her face as she pondered this incredible fact.
"Then there's nothing to apologise for" the figure commented warmly. "You're entitled to this happiness – I know how much you care for people, but it doesn't always have to be about others. Take your own advice and 'go right ahead!'" she finished merrily.
Xu's mouth dropped open – who was this woman? Did she really know as much as she seemed to about them? And why did she care so much about them (and Xu was absolutely sure now that this figure did care - and very strongly at that). Under the circumstances, she decided to try a direct approach.
"Please, I... I don't mean to sound rude, really I don't" she began. "But can I ask... do you know my girl... or me? You seem to know quite a bit about us... and Jinny seems so free and relaxed here... Are you two friends or something?"
Realising how that sounded, she added quickly "Oh, not that I think... well, it'd be none of my business anyway if you are, were, at one time or... ah, what I... what I meant was..."
"I only met her the once" the voice replied with calm bemusement. If she had taken offence at Xu's clumsy enquiries, she gave no sign of it. "About a year ago, she came in, during the time of Sorceress Edea."
Xu swallowed hard and checked Fujin hadn't returned. She didn't want to give the appearance of gossiping. This was of great interest to her however: "Really? Why would she have needed to come into this kind of dress shop back then? How did she seem - was she okay?" The concern was plainly evident in her voice.
She had the distinct impression the figure was beaming at her: "She needed a replacement for her eye patch; the strap had snapped on hers. I think she thought this was the best chance to replace it without people staring at her. It was fortunate she was nearby when it happened, wasn't it?"
The woman was speaking politely and respectfully, but Xu felt a hot wave of guilt at speaking about this. The patch was a major source of embarrassment, humiliation and inferiority to her partner – it was something Xu hoped fervently that she would eventually be able to help her partner with, make her see that she wasn't broken or faulty...
"I could see she needed far more than just the patch though. She was lonely, unhappy with what her friends were doing, I think..."
Xu clutched the bag still closer as the figure recalled these unhappy memories. She closed her eyes, smiling with joy to hear her girl singing to herself in the back. At least she was here for her now – she'd make it all up to her.
"I asked her if there was anything I could do and she gave me the design right there on the spot. Just the basics, you understand – I fleshed it out for her. But she didn't come back for it... not until now" the figure continued, a note of pride entering her voice – pride directed at her, it seemed.
Xu opened the bag and looked at the familiar clothes – Fujin had needed to be this person back then. But now...
"You do understand, don't you?" asked the figure politely. "The clothes, this side of her... they've always been inside her, waiting. Now she's found the person she wants to wear them for. She may not have understood it, but inside, she's always had you giving her hope, felt you were out there waiting for her..."
Xu paced a few steps towards the break in the counter. "How did you... who are you?" she breathed.
"Someone who has seen so much sorrow, they delight to see true love, because it is so very rare - you will both always have a friend here" the voice replied simply.
Before Xu could reply, a loud knocking sounded at the door. Startled, she looked over and saw Quistis waving merrily though the glass and beckoning her outside! Frantically motioning for her friend to be quiet, she looked back to apologise - but found that the storeroom seemed to be empty...
She must have moved off further back into the shop, Xu mused. And yet, she couldn't help but feel that if she went back there... ah, what was she saying? Confused and distracted at this bizarre encounter, she crossed over to the door. Of all the times for Quis to come checking up on her!
As she moved, she glanced over at the curtain. Was it safe to leave her girl in here, after what she had just seen? The figure didn't seem at all dangerous – quite the opposite, in fact. But it was so odd. Maybe she should go and get her now...
'No , she's having a good time - leave her alone to finish getting ready!' she told herself firmly. She'd already interrupted her once; she was worrying over nothing. Forcing herself to accept this decision, she strode forward and grabbed the door handle.
As the door swung open however, she froze on the threshold as a chaotic din erupted about her. It was as if she had spent years in near total silence, such was the disorienting effect of the city as it clamoured and carried on in front of her. The shop seemed so safe and comforting in contrast... like a different world.
"Xuse? Xuse, are you alright?"
Looking over, she saw Quistis peering at her with concern. Her friend (who was dressed in a rather subdued lime green evening dress, rather than her usual vivid colours, Xu noted), paced over to stand in front of her and looked down with a bemused expression. Xu followed her gaze and saw her toes were pressed up to the threshold.
"In or out?" Quistis asked cheerfully.
"I'm... waiting for Jin..." she explained, motioning distractedly over her shoulder. It was stupid but she couldn't help thinking if she left the shop, it might... it was ridiculous. She decided to keep such thoughts to herself.
"Oh right" Quistis nodded. "Well, we were just passing..." She pointed to where Raijin and Jeanette were standing with a crowd watching a street magician. Gasping and laughing, they seemed to be getting on surprisingly well, considering what Fujin had told her of their feuding.
"Adorable aren't they?" beamed Quistis with a look of genuine pride and affection, like a mother surveying her brood...
Xu smiled and nodded rather absent-mindedly. Hopping foot to foot, she was eager to get back inside to be with Fujin. She didn't like being away from her for this long.
However, something in Quis' voice dragged her from the dream world she was currently in. She looked closer at her friend. Something was definitely up - she'd known Quis too long to be fooled, no matter how well her friend tried to mask.
Xu fancied she knew what it was too. Watching her friend now, it became clear that her date wasn't really a date at all – it was more a mother taking her kids out to watch them play. She began to feel rather guilty at how happy she felt. Quis deserved so much more than this, but she was still stuck on him, still hung up on Squall...
Clearing her throat, Quistis turned to face her, putting on a brave face: "So anyway, I don't mean to pry, but word reached me about an incident earlier. I just wanted to make sure you were both okay."
Xu sighed – the Trepeies were everywhere! "Oh... that was nothing. It was just... it's all sorted now" she replied hesitantly.
Quistis was clearly hoping for a little more reassurance than that, but Xu didn't feel it was really any of her business. She did seem genuinely concerned, rather than simply being nosy however and given the circumstances, Xu decided to oblige her more than she would perhaps normally have done.
"We're alright, Quis, really" she explained. "She got a little spooked because of all the people earlier, but I got her calmed down. I can't really say anything else without her here though..."
Quistis held up her hands: "Hey, that's fine! As long as you're both safe and sound, that's all I needed to hear..."
Xu smiled gratefully, wondering if she should confide some of the stranger aspects of the evening. Fujin's comments about music, the strange conversation from before...
"So what's all this, anyway?" Quistis asked, stepping back and looking up at the shop.
"Oh, Jin remembered she'd ordered something a while back. She won't let me back there – it's a surprise!" she replied.
"Surprises are nice, exciting too" Quistis agreed. "You might want to ask the attendants to put your wake-up call back in the morning – it might be a very exciting surprise!"
"Quis! She's not buying... she's not buying that sort of clothes!" Xu hissed in outrage, brought suddenly back to the real world, as if her friend had poured a bucket of water over her. Irritably, she opened the bag to show her the contents.
"See? She's buying a new outfit... not..." Lost for words, she simply snorted in scandalised rage.
"Oh, that's a shame..." Quistis said ruefully, before stepping closer, her palms together in sincere apology, as Xu continued to look at her sternly. "Come on, cheer up Xuse – I was only teasing you, you know that - I think it's great that you two are getting along so well. You know I only want you to be happy."
Calming down, Xu accepted her apology and they hugged each other warmly – she never liked to fight with Quis for long.
"It's like you said it would be, Quis" she murmured, "I've never felt this way - I hate being apart from her for even this long!"
Quistis squeezed her with sisterly affection: "Then what are doing talking to me? Get back in there and be with your girl. I don't want to keep you two lovebirds apart any longer!"
Pulling back, Quistis smoothed her dress down and fussed over her before declaring her fit to travel. She reached down for the bag: "I'll make sure this gets back to the Garden – you go on and enjoy yourself."
Kissing her goodbye on the cheek, Qustis made a 'shoo!' gesture and turned to face the street before Xu could say anything further. She felt torn –her friend was clearly feeling a bit down, but this was her chance to get back and make sure Jin was okay.
She stepped back slowly and closed the door, turning it over in her mind. She could feel the comforting aura of the shop welcoming her back and was glad to shut the door on the cold night air. But Quis was her friend; her best friend... She looked up at her through the pane.
She hadn't moved - she was still standing watching Raijin and Jeanette, her arms folded in front of her. She looked so lonely and lost... hurting. Xu slumped against the wall, heart pounding with anxiety. Her friend needed her; she had to go out to her, or what kind of friend would she be?
And yet... she looked over at the curtain, aching to be with her girl. She just couldn't stand to be away from her girl any longer. She hated not knowing where she was, if she was okay...
Reaching into her purse, she produced the tracking device. She knew if she asked, Fujin would accept it into her new outfit without question... but she just couldn't. They deserved this happiness, the figure had said. That was basically asking her to trust fate, trust that nothing bad would happen to her lover. She wanted to believe it.
But could she really trust fate not to betray them? She couldn't be with her girl all the time, no matter how much she wanted to. There would be times like this... She rolled the tracker about between her fingers... No.
She had to believe it; that they were meant to be. She had to believe that life wasn't just waiting to take Jinny away from her. Dropping the tracker to the floor, she gritted her teeth, lifted her foot and after a brief hesitation, smashed the device under her heel.
This done, she felt a wave of relaxation flow through her, the tension just falling away. Taking a deep, determined breath, she opened the door and without pausing, stepped out into the street. It was going to be fine... the shop would still be there when she turned round...
Walking over to her friend, she slid her arm gently and comfortingly around her, resting her head on her shoulder. Quistis started in surprise at this, but seeing it was her, whimpered in gratitude and lent her head against hers.
"Oh Xuse, you don't know how lucky you are" she said sadly, her voice cracking with pain. "I am happy for you, really. But I'd give anything to be in love... to feel loved."
Xu hugged her tightly, saddened beyond words for her friend. "You'll find someone Quis; you will!" she encouraged.
"Not like him..." Quistis replied miserably.
They stood for a moment in silence before Quistis pulled away, wiping her face for tears. "I... I'll be alright. You go back in... Go on, I'm fine!" she ordered, forcing a smile, giving her another hug before walking over to where Raijin and Jeanette were watching the magician.
"Come on gang – let's go!" she called. The pair pulled faces at being torn from the magician but jogged happily over to meet her.
Xu stayed a second watching them as they competed to be the one to tell Quistis all about the tricks they'd seen. She did look happy with them... she hid her pain well. Xu had no idea what she'd have done if Fujin had turned her down... she just couldn't even imagine.
It was time to get back in there. With a great effort, she turned around, chanting over and over that there was nothing to worry about, that her girl would be waiting for her. And sure enough the shop was still there, door slightly ajar, lights twinkling inside, beckoning her to return.
Stepping back inside, she looked over at the counter. She recalled what the figure had said about it being okay to be happy, that she shouldn't feel ashamed about it. Seeing Quis so sad was making that hard, but she held stubbornly to those words. There was enough sadness in the world – she and Jinny deserved this happiness.
As she was contemplating this, she caught a sudden flash of white disappearing back behind the curtain and heard an embarrassed cry. Jinny was ready! A huge smile breaking over her face, she rushed up to the curtain – she could hear her girl behind it, feel her there.
"Jin? Is that you?" she whispered quietly, so as not to frighten her. Jin was obviously a bit shy at letting her see in her new outfit.
"Y...YES. READY" Fujin stammered, a rustling sound indicating she was fidgeting nervously.
"Baby, I want you to take my hands, can you do that for me?" Xu asked, sliding her hands slowly through the curtain. "I promise I won't come through or pull you – just so I know you're okay back there, alright?"
Her heart in her mouth, she forced herself to remain calm and not jump as Fujin took her hands. Softly she stroked them, waiting patiently. And gradually she felt her girl get closer and closer until finally she emerged, the fabric flowing around her shoulders like liquid. She was...
"LOOK RIDICULOUS!" Fujin cried, trying to flee, but Xu kept hold of her gently until her partner's initial panic had subsided.
"Look... oh Jinny - are you kidding me?! Baby, you look gorgeous!" she cried, half reaching out just to touch her, half holding her hands to her mouth in an effort to stifle an extremely embarrassing squeal of pleasure.
The transformation was extraordinary. The usual blacks and blues that Fujin sported had been replaced with a shimmering white dress, a silky shawl twining about her arms and shoulders. Her eye-patch had been removed and in its place, a fold of hardened velvety material crossed the upper portion of that side of her head, traced through with silvery patterns. This was connected to a kind of circlet worn under the hair that also sported several small offshoots which curved down behind the ears.
Xu couldn't stop herself from smiling in wonder, running her hands slowly through her partner's hair, stroking her face and feeling chills of excited desire as she brushed her fingers against her dress, smoothing her hands down her girl's sides to cradle her at her waist.
"LOOKS OKAY? REALLY?" Fujin asked earnestly. Xu almost choked with deepest affection – she was so serious and rigid in posture still!
"Come over here" she instructed firmly, leading her girl by the shoulders to a dress mirror.
Fujin squirmed somewhat at this, but allowed herself to be placed in front of it. Even so she looked away, refusing to look at herself. Xu embraced her gently from behind, cuddling her softly, kissing her hair and making no demands. Fujin rubbed and nuzzled against her, shaking nervously. But eventually, she shifted to catch a glimpse of herself, out of the corner of her eye at first, then more directly.
"You see?" Xu breathed. "You look wonderful!"
Fujin smiled a functional smile of 'Well it'll do, I guess', pressing back against Xu, apparently afraid of being left alone with this stranger in the mirror. Xu could see that at the corners of her mouth however, a truly contented smile wasn't far off.
"LIKE SWANS... WANTED..." she managed at last, biting her lip. She was shaking again, but more out of excitement than fear now.
"Well you know... I think I'm starting to like them too!" Xu whispered in her ear.
Breaking out in a very brief but contented smile, Fujin hung her head, blushing bright red and clasping Xu's arms around her. Enveloping her thus, Xu leant round and hunted down a tender kiss, feeling her partner relax completely beneath her. She never wanted it to end, this kiss, this night... this happiness. Happiness was so rare...
"So..." she asked finally, turning to face her partner after mentally forcing herself to get them moving. "Is my lady swan ready to dine?"
She politely offered Fujin her arm to escort her to the restaurant, which she accepted as they both stifled giggles.
"I just have to pay for this and we'll be off. I... what's wrong?"
Fujin was shaking her head in protest, and trying to get at her wallet that Xu had been keeping safe in her purse.
"Jin, don't be silly, I'll get this!" she scolded. "I'm the head of this relationship, remember? I pay for things like this."
Walking up to the counter however, there was still no sign of the attendant. Perhaps she was still in the back. What should they do? They could call out but... she wanted to see that back room, satisfy her curiosity.
Fujin was still protesting, rifling through her wallet that she had insisted on retrieving. Unsurprisingly for a newly released prisoner however, she didn't seem to have much money on her. Her shoulders slumped and Xu could tell she was deeply ashamed of herself. She leant over and consoled her.
"It's okay! I can cover it..." she soothed, but Fujin shook her head miserably. "I tell you what - we'll go halves on it. Anything you can't pay now, I'll take out of your wages, hmm?" she offered. Fujin seemed to cheer up slightly at this and brushed up to her in gratitude.
There was still nobody about... She made up her mind to go.
"Jin, I'm going back there to see if I can find the attendant. Now I want you to stay here and..." she began, but was cut off sharply.
"UNACCEPTABLE! GIRLFRIEND'S ACCOMPANIMENT MANDATORY!" Fujin insisted, hooking her arm round hers.
Further attempts to get her to stay met with similar failure. Xu shook her head in bemusement: "It's not like it's dangerous or anything! And what happened to you doing as you were told, eh?" she grinned lightly, showing she was just teasing.
Fujin appeared to think seriously about this before replying: "RELATIONSHIP LIKE CONTRACT – HAS LOOPHOLES. XU'S SAFETY – MANY EXCEPTIONS!"
She grinned broadly at this: "I don't suppose I can get a copy of these 'special exceptions', can I?" she asked.
Fujin shook her head happily: "MUST LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE!"
Defeated by her girl's superior legal knowledge, Xu held out her hand in delight and led the way behind the counter towards the stockroom. As they slipped through the break in the counter, it felt... exhilarating, like they were embarking on a kind of adventure. She looked over at Fujin – she was grinning with excitement also.
Reaching the door, she motioned for Fujin to be quiet and listened intently – nothing. It seemed the room ahead was empty, but they should check. After all, they couldn't very well leave without paying for the dress...
But it was more than that... That attendant had seemed to know so much... She turned to Fujin: "She was in here before. We'll just take a quick look – you keep hold of my hand, okay?"
Fujin nodded obediently, swinging her hand happily in Xu's. She seemed enraptured by this little escapade. She really did look so beautiful in this dress, but it was more the freedom in her movements, the sense of release... it was intoxicating. Pressing her head lightly to her partner's, she turned and swung the door open.
The room before them was small and dusty. It was hard to believe anyone had been standing in here recently, let alone working. The shelves were filled with old mouldy boxes and assorted bric a brac, the mirror... was broken. When had that happened? And also, she confirmed, there were indeed no other exits from the room...
Tensing up as she noticed this, she felt her partner circle her arm protectively round her waist. Fujin came up beside her, also peering at the mirror and frowning. She looked questioningly at Xu.
"It's nothing" she assured her. She didn't want to scare her or alarm her – there had to be some explanation for all this, after all... "I thought I remembered this mirror being covered here. And it definitely wasn't broken like that before... I guess it could have happened when I spoke to Quis..."
Muttering to herself, she was brought out of this reverie as Fujin's face leant in front of hers. She looked curious, confused and rather on edge. In an effort to calm both their nerves, Xu managed a smile and touched a hand to her partner's cheek.
"I'm sorry – I'm rambling! I guess it doesn't matter..." she reassured her. "Well anyway, there's no-one here - I suppose we'll just have to go back into the shop and call out until someone comes. Come on..."
As they turned to leave, Xu thought it all over. She was unsure whether to elaborate on her reasons for coming in here, seeing as how her partner seemed so comfortable here. It was no good though - her curiosity got the better of her: "Jin, when you said you got permission from the attendant... did you actually see...
Her voice tailed off suddenly as she caught something in the corner of her eye. She could have sworn she'd seen something in the mirror... a shadow. It was the figure from before, she was positive! It had been pointing...
Whipping around, she noticed a box protruding out from the shelf behind the door – the very spot where the attendant had been stacking the shelves earlier!
Staring open-mouthed, she felt the hairs standing up on her neck. Feeling Fujin clutching with concern at her, she turned to explain and felt a hand touch her forehead – Fujin was trying to take her temperature!
Trying to look past her partner at the box, she tried to explain: "I... baby, did you just see..."
"SEE WHAT?! XU UNWELL?" Fujin asked, shaking her head in obvious confusion and distress. "PLEASE SPEAK – SCARED!"
Regaining her composure, Xu looked over at her desperately worried partner – she had to get it together; she was scaring her girl, acting like this. She took hold of her hands, kissed them and gestured towards the box.
"I'm okay – it's just this place... I'll tell you everything in just a second, I promise" she assured her, massaging her hands slowly and lovingly. "I just need to look in that box over there first..."
Fujin still looked utterly confused, but swallowing down an objection, nodded mutely, deferring to her judgement. Xu stroked her hair in gratitude and tapped a kiss on her forehead. She didn't think there was any real danger here, but she didn't really know what this was, full stop. Better that her girl stay back until...
As she moved forward, she felt a hand close around hers. Turning about in exasperation, she saw Fujin wearing a determined look.
"REQUESTED TO HOLD HANDS – ORDER NOT RESCINDED. FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS!" she insisted stubbornly, lifting her hand which was laced with Xu's and kissing it defiantly.
Her frustration melted away instantly at this act of romantic rebellion; indeed she could feel her apprehension at this whole bizarre situation starting to ease. Without thinking, she beckoned her girl into her arms.
"I'm sorry - you're perfectly right" she said, rocking her gently. "I could have used you during the negotiations... Miss legal eagle!" she teased.
"SWAN..." Fujin insisted, nuzzling against her.
So hand in hand they approached the box, which was jutting out conspicuously from the shelf. It was a simple, small thing, not much bigger than a shoe box. Made of sturdy cardboard, it was frayed at the edges and obviously very old.
Xu reached over and pulled it towards them slightly, so the light could catch it. Meanwhile, Fujin moved slightly to the side, so as not to obscure the contents with her shadow. She was still confused over why they were doing this, but she seemed to be very curious about the box too – perhaps she could sense it was important?
Peering inside, they saw the box contained a small pile of framed pictures. Some were paintings, some sketches and some were photographs. Xu eyes fell on one in particular – Fujin gasped as she also noticed it. The topmost picture was a photograph of them!
Taking hold of a cloth on the shelf next to it, Xu gingerly reached in and retrieved the photo. They moved back a few paces to inspect it in the light. Fujin huddled close peering in amazement, looking to her for an explanation – but she had none.
For whilst it was definitely them in the photo, this photo looked very old. Indeed the frame and photo both bore signs of having been carefully maintained and looked after. Moreover, both she and Fujin were older in the picture – in their 40's or 50's she would guess.
They were standing in some kind of grassy valley, with a house in the background. Dressed in summery dresses, they were embracing happily and waving at the camera. And as she looked... Xu couldn't help but feel that it was... familiar... like it definitely would happen.
Looking over, she saw Fujin was frowning however.
"Jinny, what's the matter?" she asked in a rather nervous voice. This was a wondrous find – why was her girl upset?
"GREEN" Fujin stated simply, pointing at her dress in the photo and shaking her head. "DISLIKE..."
Xu grinned in relief and was about to nuzzle her in comfort when Fujin stiffened and looked up in awe. The photo was swirling and shifting before their eyes. Slowly, the green of Fujin's dress shimmered and changed into a light, airy blue.
All they could do was stand there, mouths open and clutching at each other in mute amazement. It was... this was... what was this?! And perhaps it was just her imagination, but in the photo now, both of them seemed to have even broader grins than before... like they remembered when they had stood here...
Eventually, Xu gathered herself enough to look up. The shop around them was silent and still, as if not wanting to disturb them.
"What… why have you shown us this?" she asked aloud. "Is it even okay for us to know this?"
Seeing Fujin look up in confusion, she quickly put her hand up against her partner's mouth. Kissing her forehead and making an apologetic face, she was about to whisper a quick explanation when a voice echoed through the silence.
"No-one is permitted to know their fate – there are rules and rules must be adhered to" stated the voice.
Fujin's eyes widened. Xu lowered her hand, but motioned for her to stay quiet as a mouse.
"Then why do this? If this is true, then why do we get to know? Why do we get special treatment?" she asked aloud, pressing close to Fujin for support – this was all rather unnerving after all!
The voice seemed much closer, just outside the door as it replied. The voice was hard to read, possessed of warmth, but also a trace of sadness perhaps.
"Because sometimes there are exceptional people. And for exceptional people, exceptions can sometimes be made…"