Empress (A Tickle Commission)

Giving Shelter

“How long did it take you to get good at the Qigong styles?” Lee asked. Meiling chuckled.

“Not sure if I could be considered good,” Meiling said. “Also, it’s not a competition. As long as you have the passion to practice and understand them, you’re ‘good’ at them, I suppose. I guess if you focus on the combat of it all…”

“You don’t?” 

“Not really,” Meiling said. “Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun kicking my brother’s ass when we were younger, but I haven’t thought of it like that since he left. Probably because it's just me, so it became more about meditation and connecting with my qi.”

“Maybe I can help,” Lee said.

“How’s that?” Meiling asked. Lee jumped out in front of her and took a basic and comically flawed fighting stance, facing Meiling.

“I’ll take you on!” Lee said. Meiling giggled and watched her try to emulate a novice fighting style. 

“And I’m sure you would destroy me,” Meiling said. 

“Because I’m so good already,” Lee said, laughing and throwing little punches in the air in front of Meiling. Meiling caught one and pulled Lee close, holding her against her chest. Meiling looked down at Lee and smiled warmly.

“Because I could never hurt you,” Meiling whispered. Lee’s heart fluttered. Her face darkened. Flushed, she pulled away, grinning and averting her eyes. She stroked a strand of her obsidian hair.

“I, hehe, I’m sure… you could,” Lee said. Meiling chuckled and took Lee’s hand in hers, walking her all the way to the village square. 

From down the path, farther than usual, Meiling could hear the bustling rabble of the Xian marketplace. A booming murmur flowed through the trees. It was unusual for Xian to be so loud without Meiling being the one to cause the commotion. Meiling thought that she could hear yelling and crying in the mix of it all. She picked up her pace, forcing Lee to catch up. Lee looked up to her as they walked briskly toward the village.

“What’s wrong, Meiling?” Lee asked. Meiling’s eyes fixed on their destination. 

“I’m not sure,” Meiling said. “Something sounds off though.”

The pair entered the marketplace, seeing the square overrun with people. Meiling caught a glimpse of everyone as she weaved in and out of crowds, holding Lee’s hand so as to not lose her again. Many of the faces she saw were ones of which she had no memory. The village would occasionally welcome new people, weary travelers or tradesmen or abandoned youth mostly. But the amount of new faces came off as disconcerting to Meiling. She welcomed a few dryly as she walked past. Many of the new townsfolk were in rough condition.Their clothes were torn. Their faces dirty, their arms and legs muddy. Their bodies were weak and many were shaking. Haunting expressions rested across their faces. Many were crying, mostly children, but several adults as well, clutching children’s belongings with none around them to be seen. They came plagued with the pungent scent of smoke and ash. Meiling thought she saw a few of them severely wounded, wearing blood stained rags. The faces she did recognize, shopkeepers and local farmers, were too busy attending to the flock of newcomers to keep their stalls properly running. Meiling almost got herself lost in the shuffle and nearly failed to hear Lee calling her name.

“Meiling!” Lee cried. Meiling turned into a relatively open corner of the square. She had not recognized how loud the cacophony of noise had become until hearing Lee having to shout to get her attention. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Meiling said, having to shout back. She looked around. In every direction there was a sea of people, rushing from place to place and huddled together. She could barely see anyone she recognized, let alone anyone not actively engaged with tending to new scared or wounded newcomers. “Something's wrong. Here. Hold onto me.” Meiling held onto Lee’s hand as she darted off into the current of travelers. Lee kept her head low and focused on simply holding Meiling’s hand, her heart racing slightly. She witnessed older men and women sobbing in each other’s arms. She saw wayward children looking for their parents. Lee caught a glimpse of a young man shivering as he wailed and clutched onto a torn strip of silk robe and a floral charm, often used as a bridal gift.