𝐆𝐞𝐠𝐞ʳᵃᵖᵘⁿᶻᵉˡ ˣ ᵗᵍᶜᶠ

孤立 - 𝟎𝟏

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Slipping through the slightly ajar wooden shutter, a little green chameleon scrambled over the windowsill, camouflaging behind a plant pot. He released a sign of relief.

"Ha!" The shutters were thrown open by our own, Xie Lian. His eyes shifted around the window until he spotted his little companion. He smiled and said in a tone. "Hmm. Well, I guess Mu Qing is not hiding out here." He turned on his feet and slowly withdrew from the window.

Mu Qing peaked from behind the pot and sniggered, feeling achieved. He let his guard down, only to be yanked into the air by a dusky strand of hair.

"Gotcha!" Xie Lian who was dangling from the window top yelled. Mu Qing yelped in surprise, his colour shifting back to green while he breathed heavily from adrenaline.

"That's twenty-two for me." The lost prince flicked his hair proudly, releasing Mu Qing from his hair onto the window sill. "How about twenty-three out of forty-five?" This made the little chameleon furrow his brows, unnerved.

"Okay, well, what do you want to do?" He sat on the window sill beside Mu Qing, slightly tilting his head to the side, thoughtfully.

Mu Qing squeaks excitedly and points his tail towards the outside. Xie Lian breathed out an amused laugh, swinging his legs over the windowsill. He placed Mu Qing on his lap. "I don't think so...I like it in here. And I think you do too!" He poked Mu Qing lightly on the chest. Mu Qing pulled a sour face at Dianxia, blowing a short raspberry at him.

Xie Lian sighed, softly smiling. "Oh, come on, Mu Qing. It's not so bad in there." He cupped Mu Qing in his hands and swivelled back around into the tower. He dashed across the room with his long hair flowing behind him.

Climbing onto one of the wooden beams, Xie Lian took a clump of his hair and threw it over a hook that held the window closed. He pulled on it, and it opened, allowing the lines of the sun to flood in.

He slid down his hair, landing on the ground.

"Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores and sweep till the floor's all clean."

Xie lian kicked up his hair, catching it in his hand skilfully, and sweeping underneath it. However, he missed the dustpan and accidentally covered Little Mu Qing's face with dust.

"Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up. Sweep again and by then it's, like, 7:15."

Xie Lian rested against the wall beside the clock. Mu Qing rested on his head, noticing how slowly time was going. Dianxia studied the room until his eyes landed on three books sitting on a shelf. He smiled and rushed to the shelf.

"And so I'll read a book or maybe two or three, I'll add a few new things to my gallery. I'll play guitar and knit and cook and basically just wonder when will my life begin?"

Xie Lian inhaled the sweet scent of the pie as he made his way to the small dining table. Briefly glancing at the fireplace, he stopped. Just above it was a blank wall that he could experiment on. He poked his thumb out, measuring the length and width of his potential canvas.

He felt a nudge on his cheek and glanced down at his little companion. Mu Qing held an angsty look on his face, his stomach grumbling. Xie Lian chuckled. "OK, don't get hangry now. We'll eat and then paint."

"Then, after lunch, it's puzzles and darts and baking. Papier mâché, a bit of ballet, and chess. Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making. Then I'll sketch, maybe stretch, Take a climb, sew a dress."

Xie Lian sat on a stool close by, pondering what he could do to entertain himself next. He had done all that was possible, unless...

"And I'll reread the books If I have time to spare, I'll paint the walls some more, I'm sure there's room somewhere.
Then I'll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair. Stuck in the same place I've always been."

Xie Lian leaned tiredly against a beam; his arms were aching from the amount of hair he owned. Mu Qing tried helping but gave up quite early because his mini arms couldn't take much.

"And I'll keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering, When will my life begin?"

Xie Lian leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the blue sky with a few clouds. He wondered what life would be like out of the tower; he wanted to experience it.

"Tomorrow night, the lights will appear. Just like they do on my birthday each year. What is it like? Out there where they glow. Now that I'm older..."

Later, Xie Lian would paint the last details of his painting. It portrayed himself sitting on top of a tree, his locks flowing down as he gazed up at the mysterious lights.

"Father might just let me go..."

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That took longer than I anticipated, but hey! It's done. And the chapter seems short 😭 I'll try to make the next chap longer.

880 words

Oh, and the thing about the pie...em..let's imagine Xie lian can cook alr...