"What's wrong with me, Momma...?"
GuanYin glanced over at the blonde child that had sat next to her with her head tilted downward as she kept staring at her two tails.
"Am I really a defect...?"
GunaYin's eyes momentarily widened as she heard the outrageous question, "Defect...? Honey, who told you such a thing... Because I don't see a defect anywhere in my vision.." She pulled the child onto her lap and started stroking through her gold locks.
Jinhua could hold the tips of her tails with a longing gaze, "But... most of my clan say that a nekomata demon is supposed to have fire at the end of its tails.... Where's my fire, momma?"
"That's a simple question with a simple answer.." GuanYin chuckled lightly as she saw her child look up at her with her beautiful purple eyes.
The goddess reaches out with a delicate hand and points to the child's chest, "Everyone has a fire in them... For others, it's different. But if your clan can't see how special you are then they aren't even worthy of you."
"Aren't worthy of me... But I have fire.. So I can do the snap and flames things appear thingy..??" Jinhua turned around to be facing the Goddess with an excited expression.
GuanYin wrapped her arms around the demon with a soft smile, as if she was holding back a squeal at how cute she was, "You could do so much more, and be the most strongest Nekomata there is...."
Violet orbs awed at the thought, "I can be... the strongest..?"
"If you so wish desire it. You will have to train. You will have to contain those fiery emotions... And be at peace to reach your full potential."
Jinhua gasped at the wise words spoken and looked down at her tiny hands compared to the Goddess', "Will I be as strong as you Momma...?"
"Stronger..."
Jinhua couldn't help but let out a cheeky grin, "If I become stronger than you, then I can protect momma and my siblings...!"
GuanYin chuckled at the thought process, "Yes, keep those thoughts close to your heart and keep thinking of protecting the weak."
"Protect the weak and strive to become strong...." Jinhua muttered out like it was going to disappear the moment her tongue couldn't say anymore words.
GuanYin placed her chin on top of the girl's head comfortably, "Yes, just like that." She muttered softly.
—
The bells to Jinhua's tea shop rang across the store, waking the demoness from her daze. Her eyes scanned the room and noticed a fairly tall and muscle built water spirit. His hair spiked in an orange tint as he wore some Buddha beads around his neck.
Chuckling to herself at the similarities of an old friend, Jinhua smiled up at the figure with a softened gaze, "Hello sir, how may I help you?" She muttered out, as she started to organize the jars of tea leaves on the different shelves behind the counter.
"Uhhh... I wanted to check things out and see what you have in stock, I heard this place was new..." The water spirit rubbed the back of his head nervously as if he wasn't used to talking to new people much.
Jinhua just chuckled silently and motioned to her shelves with a kind smile, "From here we have Jasmine tea leaves, to lavender tea leaves. Over there is the marigold tea leaves and mint tea leaves. In the far corner we have wisteria tea leaves dried just recently."
The water spirit awed at the collection and started searching for a specific type, "Do you have Magnolia and Valerian tea leaves in stock...? I have a friend whose having trouble with sleeping lately."
Jinhua just smiled and hurried to the back and searched through her shelves in a quick fluid motion, "Val... Val... Val... Valerian..!" She grabbed the jar and placed it in her apron pocket securely. She then moved on to wards the 'M' labeled tea leaves.
"Ma.... Ma.... Ma... Magnolia, got ya." She grabbed the jar and hurried back to the counter, "Will that be all?" She grabbed some small tongs and started to grab a few leaves from the jar and into a paper bag.
The water spirit awed at the tiny bags with cute decorations, his large hands grasping the handles with a hint of fragility, "Yes, thank you... I'll probably come back another time just to sip tea and chat, if you don't mind."
Jinhua shook her head as she smiled up at the kind giant, "I wouldn't mind. I can tell your a nice man. Come by anytime and try to new tea leaves I order. I'm sure our chats will be fun."
"I'm Sandy." He held out his free hand towards her softly, "And I hope next time you don't have to hide your true self behind magic and feel relaxed when talking.
Jinhua's eyes widened a bit at the sudden statement of calling her out. But instead of reacting in utmost violence, she knew by how sincere he spoke, he only meant good. So with a soft sigh and chuckle, she grabbed his hand and shook it, "As do I. My name is Jinhua."
With that Sandy smiled and went on his merry way, a happy skip in his step. Jinhua watched with a smile as she turned around and continued to wipe the counters.
It's been a couple of months since reawakening in the future. Her mind was abuzz with curiosity at how such a magnificent city could build itself up like this without any demons disrupting the peace and process. But only one monkey could be thought of doing the bare minimum and thinking himself of some sort of hero amongst the heavens.
So she did some research on the city and found out that in the beginning it was the Monkey king, no figure, that had sealed away the Demon Bill along under a mountain and all was at peace. So a village was firstly formed around the staff that had trapped the Bull King. And the Village soon evolved as time went by. Which soon built this city.
So really. She standing on top of the Bull King's imprisonment. And the last of the Great Monkey King's adventures before disappearing.
That was the last she's heard of the monkey before it shifted onto other legends.
A soft sigh let her lips as she had gotten a headache over thinking about the last time she met the monkey.
Let's just say it didn't end well for the both of them.
She noticed her gloves showed a sliver of her tattooed skin, grabbing the ends of the gloves, she fixed it so it didn't.
Her tattoos had been becoming a slight distaste for her as she had slowly been looking at them constantly when she would look in the mirror. Her eyes would constantly trail over them as if they were the most dreadful thing that had ever happened to her.
Which they were.
Because they were a constant reminder of what happened to her and who did it to her in the first place. And the reason why they were placed on her.
The feeling of the seals being branded on her always sent a slight shiver down her spine at the thought. Which is exactly why she tries to cover them up.
Hearing her door bells jingle at the sign of a newcomer. Jinhua looked up to see her two favorite children.
"Uugck-! The smells are so strong here...!?"
"MEI-! Be nice..! This is Jinhua's new shop...!" MK tried to whisper but ended up shouting it in panic.
Jinhua just chuckled at their amusing shenanigans, she raised a hand and waved them over with a smirk, "Tea leaves do have a strong scent in a sense, so I don't mind if you point out a fact."
Mei and MK beamed at the woman before hurrying over with wide childish grins as they practically started blabbering about their day and what happened.
Mei shoved MK to the side at one point, "Mrs. Jinhua! Guess what this boy is making!?" She said in an almost annoyed tone.
Jinhua leaned over the counter with her elbow propped up. She leaned into the palm of her hand with a slight amused grin, "What would that be, exactly...?" Sending a quick glance to MK who started flushing in different shades.
MK waved his hands frantically, "I-It's nothing bad, I swear! And it's not even finished!!" He tried to cover Mei's mouth but she jumped out of the way and managed to swipe a book out from his bag that was sitting comfortably over his shoulder and waist, "Hey..!"
Mei placed the book on the counter with a smug grin, like she was showing the most embarrassing diary entries their sibling had to their parents.
"He's such a fanboy that he's writing an autobiography of the Monkey King...! Can you believe it??" Mei started cackling, which ended up with her falling out of her seat.
Jinhua glanced over at MK who was curled up in the corner of her shop as he cried in pure embarrassment, while she began scanning through the book and it's little jotted down notes.
Her brows raised when she saw an incorrect fact, "This is note about Wukong being brave and courageous all his life is wrong..."
MK and Mei hurried over and stood excitedly at the counter, "YOU KNOW THE MONKEY KING!?"
"Correction, I was friends with him once." Jinhua smiled tauntingly at the the two sunshine filled kids, "And besides being brave... he was reckless and utterly foolish in every aspect..."
MK watched how the older woman would go into a small trance of remembering something and a small frown was formed on her face as her fingers unconsciously tapped on her gloved hand.
MK slowly placed a hand over Jinhua's with a soft smile, "Can you tell me, how you guys met...?"
Jinhua blinked for a moment and had a small tug of her lips as she glanced out the window. She turned back to the children with a slight smirk, "Sure. An Immortal tale never hurt anyone...." She snapped her fingers and golden flames danced around them, forming into a some sort of beautiful flickering show.