Among the Peach Blossoms ❀ Yin x Wanwan

❀ Chapter 3 ❀

It was yet another dull and boring morning. Wanwan stands among her fellow Oriental Fighters, embarrassingly short and unable to stay put as always. As the Great Dragon lays out their plans for another potential ambush or sudden invasion, she imitates the serious expression of the towering men standing around her, to make it seem like she's listening even though she's not.

Zilong steps forward and proposes a battle plan, and the Great Dragon promptly gives him feedback. Their voices echo and bounce off the vast halls and wide walls of emerald marble within the Dragon Altar. Ling and Baxia stands behind her like a pair of statues, stony-faced and looking dutiful as ever.

It took every ounce of self-control she has to hold back a sigh. She hates early morning meetings. Forcing herself to wake up from a long and comfy tiger-nap, just to listen to the others drone on about battle plans and enemies they might face off and extra weapons to bring with them for hours just doesn't sit well with her. Not to mention the stuffy atmosphere. Everybody's so serious, and while she knows why, she doesn't like it.

Shuffling around and unable to stay put, she glances at her comrades over her shoulder, and her eyes land on the look of distaste on Ling's face as he stares at Zilong. He was stiff as a board and brimming with an irked aura. He was scary, to say the least. But she had gotten used to seeing the Cyan Finch so serious.

For some reason, he has always looked at Zilong like that. When the both of them are in the same room, the tension is palpable and the silence is unbearable. It's as if Ling is always on the verge of pushing Zilong off a cliff. Is it because of some sort of rivalry going on between them? Or maybe it's because Zilong prolongs the meetings more than it should? He's always brimming with battle ideas, and when he talks, it's like the meeting goes on for hours or days. From possible opponents to the right weapons, Zilong knows it all.

She holds back a snicker and giggle. Zilong is always so talkative. But he's the nicest, so she doesn't mind.

Baxia glances down at her, and the look he gave her quieted her in an instant.

And, once again, it was quiet. A little too quiet. A suffocating kind of quiet that bores her to the core.

She whines in her head.

When will it end...? I want to get out of here!

It's boring. So boring. Every word they say enters her ear and leaves the other. She can only wonder how they can bear such long and dreadful meetings. Maybe it's because they're adults or something, and they don't care about fun - but she does, and her legs are itching to dash around and her hands to throw darts. Her energy is boiling over and she wants to fight now.

She knows she should be listening because her work is important, but her thoughts of Yin's whereabouts are running wild in her head. Yin's probably out there, maybe trying not to get himself killed like the idiot he is, lost and searching for his way back home. She wants to help him get back, safe and sound. Though fighting and protecting the Cadia Riverlands is top priority, it's hard to focus when all she could think about is him.

Who is she kidding? It's not like she took any of their meetings seriously, anyway. It's far too boring, and most of the plans weren't even executed. She prefers to fight in the moment and think up strategies in the middle of battle, but Zilong, Ling, and Baxia had always chose to go it the safe way. No wonder they're such downers to be around.

She frowns and huffs, crossing her arms.

Like any other teenager, sometimes she just wants to laze around and play with Yin like they used to. Maybe fight only when it seems fun. If there's one thing she dislikes, it's taking herself too seriously. A fun and adventurous life is what she wants and Yin can give her that. He can just crack a lame joke and her day will brighten in an instant. Her heart longs for her friend and she just wants him back.