Work Text:
The rain outside the Ghost Valley smelled different. Smoother, earthier, like it might be good for Gu Xiang to open her mouth and catch it on her tongue when she was thirsty, though she dared not try. At home, the rain used to carry a metallic sting into her nose and in her throat as it wetted dried filth along the paths between the houses. No one ever cleaned up after themselves in the Valley in those days. One of her first memories from when she was very small was of clutching Aunt Luo’s hand, as the rain poured down suddenly on a body that had been sitting too long in the lower boughs of a tree. Rivulets of brown liquid streamed down along the bark. Gu Xiang didn’t remember anything else about that day.
Gu Xiang walked out into the rain, heart in her throat as she watched Cao Weining catch some water in his hand and slurp it into his mouth with satisfaction. She put her hand out in imitation and licked the drops off her palm, finding nothing but the sensation of clean water on her tongue and the taste of her own skin as Weining turned to meet her surprised grin.
[ID A soft blue digital drawing of Gu Xiang and Cao Weining in the rain. Gu Xiang stands in the foreground, highlighted in soft pink and lavender. She smiles up at the sky holding out her cupped hands. The light rain collects in her palms. Cao Weining is rendered in soft blues and stands on the left, slightly farther back, smiling at her while also collecting water in his hands. End ID]