Xiao and Song

As Xiao set her eyes upon Song, a smile bloomed upon her face; Song was lovelier than she could have imagined. She took a step forward, stumbling as she adjusted to walking on two legs. Had she not done this before, Xiao wondered, but as she took another step, she fell over; luckily, Song caught her before falling face first.

Song was calm as he helped Xiao steady herself; the initial transformation was always a shaky one. Song could still remember the first time he took mortal form; his senses were all over the place even the colors of the flowers seemed dueled in contrast to what he'd known.

Xiao reached a slender hand towards Song's chiseled face; her slender fingers traced his jawline, eyes, nose, and lips to make sure Song was real and not a figment of her imagination. Song's face reminded her of someone she had known a long time ago; when she slumbered in her sweet dreams, his face had accompanied her. But that was long ago before her people fell, and she flew across the ocean in search of something she did not know.

"You are ever so pretty," Xiao giggled, not realizing she had spoken her thoughts out loud, "like a dream come true."

Song could only smile, afraid if he spoke, he would no longer be able to hear Xiao's voice. It wasn't until Xiao rested her head against Song's chest that she realized it was not a dream. Xiao also became aware she stood naked in Song's arms and began to panic. Sensing Xiao's uneasiness, Song realized the issue and took off his outer robe, wrapping it around Xiao's slender shoulders.

Xiao took a step back and looked to the ground as she thanked Song. How long had she slept that her mind had become clouded?

Song extended his hand towards Xiao but did not dare move any further instead; he asked, "would you like to rest in my burrow or visit the town at the foot of the mountain?"

Xiao tried to recall how she'd gotten this high up, but that seemed like ages ago. Looking into Song's ruby eyes, Xiao smiled; he had been a beautiful dream before the nightmares flooded her mind; how could he be before her.

"I would like to visit the town," Xiao proclaimed, "but I need clothes." If she thought about it, there was no way she could walk into town with only Song's outer robe.

Song rushed into his burrow and back; each time he visited the mortal world, he would have a different dress made. He may not have known who slumbered within the cocoon, but Song knew whoever it was would need clothes. Song had a dress made in the style of the black and orange markings with white spots he had seen on the iridescent cocoon. This was the first dress he had commissioned, followed by many others until the pattern was just right.

Xiao hid behind a tree as she put on the layers of clothes Song had handed her. The dress reminded Xiao of her beautiful wings, and so she wore it with great contentment. By the time they made it down the mountain, nightfall had arrived. Colorful lanterns lit the town as merchants set out shops for what the locals called the night market.

A child with twisted horns ran past Xiao and Song, followed by shouting children. The horned child tossed a ball to the side before throwing himself on the ground and bursting into laughter. The other children followed suit with cries of joy as they took the ball and restarted their game.

The smell of sweet nectar filled Xiao's nostrils as she spotted a stall filled with glistening peaches, droplets of nectar escaping its crown. Xiao took the peach and bit into it without a thought, its sweet nectar dripping down her chin. Before the merchant could complain, Song shoved a piece of silver into the man's hand. Mortals were always such a hassle.

Xiao ran all over the market, taking food as she pleased, while Song ran behind her paying each merchant. Soon word spread a new immortal had come down the mountain, and many, ever curious, decided to see what this immortal looked like.

"She looks like the people of the Sun Kingdom," a man with cat eyes proclaimed, "I've never seen one this far out."

"Where is the Sun Kingdom?" a female with emerald hair and fish-like eyes asked, "I don't think I've heard of it."

The cat man shook his head in disappointment, "how can you live in the sea and not know the Sun Kingdom across the ocean?"

The fish lady follows behind him as the cat-man walks away, shouting, "I live in the sea, not the ocean."

The fish lady returned to Xiao and Song, who sat, eating osmanthus cakes. Xiao ignored the fish lady as she ate. Song had bought her lots of delicious food; she couldn't let it waste.

The fish lady pointed a crooked finger at Xiao with an arrogant tone and asked, "Hey, you foreigner, how can someone from the Sun Kingdom come down the Mountain of Immortals?"

Xiao lifted her hand before Song could respond, took a sip of her tea, and said, "how can a person who's never heard of the Sun Kingdom protest? Are you a Deity to ask me such questions? Are you not a foreigner with what arrogance do you dare question me?"

"Yara has gone too far," one of the onlookers proclaims, "if the Lady were to go back home and tell her people of this encounter, they would probably think we are all a bunch of uneducated imbeciles."

"That's right," the tea merchant interjects, "have you not heard the current Empress has been making deals with foreign nations to expand trade further. What if this lady were to be one of their emissaries?"

"Yara should apologize to the lady," another onlooker exclaimed, "just look at the lady's clothes clearly; she is a revered immortal."

Xiao looked down at her clothes. Had Song given her clothes fit for an aristocrat based on his smug smile, it seemed the case. As Xiao looked Song over, she realized even his robes were made of the finest silks. So, these people were only siding with them because they appeared influential. If that got rid of this Yara, then so be it.

Yara realized she could not win, so she stormed off a saltwater trail marking her path. Many onlookers scattered while some of the remaining immortals threw curious looks at Xiao. Was this lady someone important enough for the Fox King to act as her escort? There wasn't a soul in town that didn't know crossing the Fox King was never a good thing. Odds where Yara would not live to see the sunrise.