𝔴 𝔞 𝔯 𝔯 𝔦 𝔬 𝔯 (desertscorn) wrote in crownplazaic, @ 2021-06-01 19:30:00 |
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The afterlife was not at all what she expected. When she had last closed her eyes, there had been an arrow lodged viciously in her chest. When she opened them next, she was no longer prone and dying in Mulan's arms. She was resting on a brightly-colored and heavily-cushioned couch inside a decorated palace. Everything around her was unusual and unfamiliar. There was a noise like a broken bell that rang without stop. The loud clock that had startled her into consciousness chimed a few more times, as if announcing her arrival. The large room was mostly empty, save for a few figures she could see coming in and out of the hallways. Light coming through the front doors behind her was soft and warm like morning, though she had a vague feeling that time was strange and held less meaning here than where she had come from. Though most in her situation might have preferred the cover of night, Xianniang was glad for the supposed early hour. A sleeping dog was easier to catch off guard. The longer she sat and watched, the more she started to believe that wherever she had been taken to was not the afterlife at all. Where she was exactly she did not know and until then, she would play the part of the river and flow silently where she could. But it was even easier to slip around undetected in another's body. Possessing the first suitable looking body she came across, Xiannang used the young woman to explore the 'palace' grounds. She expected many to stop her, to speak with the woman she had taken over. Going from one end to another, she waited for a neighbor or lover or friend. But the day went on and none approached. She was almost disappointed. By dusk, she still had too many questions about where she was. There was no one to trust. But she did have one possible ally. Finding a spot near the water underneath the dock, she waited until she was sure there was no one around before separating herself from her unwilling host. Spending any long length of time in another's body could be exhausting for them both and she was sure that the young woman would be upset at being used like cattle. Xianniang gave her room to gather herself and stood waiting. "You don't seem to have friends." |