Work Text:
Cathay, End Times
Zhao Ming struggled with the idea of his mother not being there. Dragons did not die of natural causes, though at times they slept for so long a mortal might mistake it for death. He always thought that, even asleep, she'd still be there in some way. Indeed as Mistress of the Moon Winds that was always a comfort but…
Now she is gone. Even if they retook the land, even if Father’s plan worked… that could never be undone. The others could wear masks just as well as he could, he could try and restrain his grief but even his Father was failing in that. Yuan Bo’s alone was the strongest, like always. He might have issues with his free spirit, but Zhao knew even when they were opposed there was a reason he was the regent.
His Eldest Sister (well, that still lived.) Was not taking their journey any easier. She tried, always having her own mask of stoicism and poise but she was tired, ashamed really, the sorry state the Great Bastion was in now…
Li Dao was much the same, though of course he would never admit it. Zhao interacted with him often enough… though his temper was something else. Honestly it was his best and worst trait. Yin-Yin and her wandering eyes…
Even the Monkey King… Never so serious. Never so… oddly helpful. Usually he was Li Dao’s problem, only becoming everyone’s problem when he decided to go bother the snakes, or him, or when the Monkey King decided it or-
He lost his train of thought, which was odd as only those funny dwarfs had actual trains. They had all lost so much in these days… they were starting to say it was the end times. Which, to Zhao, was a bit odd. Death wasn’t an end to anything; he knew alchemy, and he knew that change was natural. Not in the sense that Chian’Chi tried to teach. Life was about steady, predictable changes. Natural; the seasons changed, but always in the same cycle. Death was like that too. Tragic thought it was, they had to accept the change, grow with it… He just wished it didn’t hurt.
The journey was all the same, for him. His images were just flashes of his mother’s corpse. Of the Moon destroyed, defiled by Chaos.
It didn’t matter anymore.
—-
Remnant
Zhao dealt with grief by doing work. Oh sure, Miao Ying didn’t think of it as work, but he knew what he was doing; experimenting. As that television show mentioned, ‘Chemistry’ is the study of change, refinement and improvement, or decay. That was why the Enemy tried to corrupt it to their ends, why it was so easy to confuse… no, he just wanted to do the best he could.
They were given places to live in the city of the Vale, kept close by that Oz fellow he supposed. He was already making his own plans of course; hoping to set up his own Dust Shop… how hard could it be?
He just needed to make connections after all. So he sent letters to the Man in Atlas, apparently an expert on Dust and having his own little company, while he worked with locals and others. A few contracts with the outline villages and workcamps, just like the one he was visiting today. The community looked at him wearily, though his main point of contact smiled at him. She was tall, muscular too from the work she put in. Long blonde hair and lilac eyes… a real beauty.
“Well, Mister Ming it’s always a pleasure when you come by but truth be told I'm not sure we can give you much… family’s been considering selling the mine to the Schnees at this rate.”
“Really? I thought they were up in Solitas.”
“That’s business for you. World’s changed a lot since the war, and the Schnee’s are strambling for it. Nick’s not a businessman.” She sighed As she led Zhao to her own tent and “But every other Dust company is being left in the…, well, dust trying to catch up to him.”
She took out a chest, and Zhao could hear the sublest hints of magic. Almost like the Winds of Magic from his homeland. “Here’s your cut… mostly just some Green and Lightning Dust. Got luck with some Fire Dust too.”
“I see…”
“The way the mine’s going, we’ll probably be stuck with the more primal varieties until it’s used up.” She added. “And you’ll need some new suppliers.”
“Quite a shame.” He noted, looking at her a bit more closely. ‘What was your name?”
“ Jia. Jia Xiao Long.”
Zhao smiled. “Interesting name… Mayhaps when you get a chance you could visit my shop? See the fruits of your labor?”
She smiled and coughed a bit. “Eh, why not? Might as well do something with the Lien… just uh… take care. I hear you get up to weird stuff but Dust isn’t something you can just toy with.”
“Oh no need to worry about me! Besides, the demonstrations are very fun. As you said; it’s a new age… and what better way to show that then with this.” he handed her the lien with a card with his personal number.
—-
“... Dust Lung?”
Jia tried not to show fear, especially because their young son was sleeping in the other room. “Incurable…”
“Nonsense.”
“Zhao, it’s just… It happens with Dust Miners, or people who work with Dust. Humans aren’t like you…” She paused. He was a dragon… he’d shown her himself. It only took a few years before he actually spoke about his past… then demonstrated just what he was. It was earth-shattering in many ways, and yet…
Well, he was human enough where it counted. He did love her, he actually liked people and his studies. Sometimes she even forgot he wasn’t really her perfectly normal, if eccentric, husband. “I mean… I have to die eventually, right? Your sister told me that much.”
Zhao brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure to find something.”
Jia just looked down at the pamphlet the doctor had given her which told her it could be slowed down, but never reversed or put on pause. Something about small particles of Dust being stuck in the lungs. Breathing would be harder and harder until…
“Zhao, I… I just want to enjoy the next few months, or however long. It’s-”
“I’ll be back.” He called.
… He was right.
The days following were difficult. Tai was a good boy, but it was hard to know that she wouldn’t be a part of his life for very long… it was hard to know that Zhao Ming was spending more and more time at the shop, in his laboratory, trying to do something that probably wouldn’t work. Miao Ying, who always seemed to be off doing something or the other would come to her house… but told her that there wasn’t much she could do. The truth of the matter was that she could only give her borrowed time.
They both did the best with it. Zhao just grew more consumed, especially after hearing word of Nicholas’s condition. Eventually even Tai noticed his mother just not being able to do much around the house, needing his help and he tried but no one seemed willing to tell him what was going on. Zhao Ming would fix it. The Iron Dragon would not be bested by mere Dust… Even on the last few days she had, he felt like he was getting closer and closer, because he HAD to be.
—-
Dragons weren’t supposed to fail.
He had unraveled mysteries. He had seen the end of his own world… He had lived for agesand yet, somehow, he failed.
“... What am I to do?”
He had a small little shrine behind him, recently installed. Her pictures were there, with crafted images of his Father and Mother… he wasn’t sure which one he was talking to. Maybe it was another one of the voices in his head from long ago but silence is so loud.
She was just a mortal… So why did it hurt so much?
He felt sick just being here. It was as much her work as his at this point… What right did he have to do this really… it was theirs and without the other half then…
He heard Miao Ying enter, and he knew it was her because he knew that she wouldn’t care about his very clearly illustrated “Closed” Sign. She made her way to his office and opened the door to see her brother.
He knew what they all thought of him. He wondered just what Tai thought of his failure as a father… “What do you want?”
“... I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not. I’ve known you long enough Sister. You’re here to tell me to get over it… that I failed.”
Miao seemed to actually be taken aback, but Zhao didn’t notice. “... Now, I look back at my life and I am supposed to see that yes, I got over the others eventually, their names long forgotten, my children and my children’s children and so on through the generations… and every single one of them gone, erased by my own forgetfulness…”
“I am-”
“But I remember now. I was there, they felt something. They were as Dian was, irreplaceable… all of them.. And we squandered it. All of us. We… should have been responsible. We treated mortals like amusements! Tools! And it’s only now that I see that.”
The dragons remained quiet for a moment. “... I have seen countless warriors under my command die, brother. I still remember their names, or try to.”
That caught her brother’s attention. “Shinyama I trusted to watch over them afterwards, I told myself Father was worth it, the safety of Cathay was worth it. I didn’t like it, I had to… I simply wanted to offer my condolences and aid my little brother.”
“You were always quick to correct us… before Yuan Bo got his high position. I must admit I’ve… changed.”
“Somewhat,” She agreed. “But I thought it was very unlike you, to be so… silent. At your heart you’re still yourself.”
“You were worried about me?”
“You and I are not the only things we have to lose. Your son, Taiyang? How is he doing?”
“Better than me.” Zhao said after a pause. “I should go see him, it’s been too long.”
Right, he still had something, a responsibility Jia needed him to do. He failed many of his children before, he couldn’t fail Taiyang. “Oh, and thank you sister. I… I need that.”
Miao Ying didn’t smile, but she just nodded, looking at the small shrines behind Zhao’s office, looking at her own reflection in the glass for a moment.
—-
“Huntsmen training?”
Taiyang nervously put his hand behind his head. “Y-yeah. I thought it would be good. You know? Great power, great responsibility…”
Zhao chuckled. “Well good. I’m sure the Headmaster will accept you. And it’s not too far away from home…”
“I’m Seventeen dad.” Taiyang grumbled a bit. “But yeah, it works out right? I just… you think mom would approve?”
“Approve? She’d be more eager than anyone else.” Zhao smiled, ruffling his son’s golden hair. “Besides, Grimm cannot stand against you… if you have kept up on your training.”
He looked up from the counter; just to be sure none of his customers could overhear. The shop has grown after all; he might need to hire some more help eventually now that he thought about it. Huntsmen who wanted some more experimental Dust or hobbyists using it to power something or to better understand Dust itself came in. Of course, he would give them the Dust for Dummies pamphlet (proud some of his own experiments had entered) and offered free Dust Workmen masks: better to be safe than sorry. Luckily being so close to when he closed for lunch there weren’t a lot of people here.
“What else is there to learn?”
“Hehe, oh in this house of secrets there’s always something more to learn. The best tricks need time after all… but I’m always behind you. Never forget that.”
He took out his scroll. “I think Miao Ying should be available if she’s not on her business. She knows the headmaster so… let’s see if she wishes to have a chat?”
Taiyang nodded and as lunch time came, both went to some restaurant Miao Ying would find acceptable. Talking to each other about what his weapon should be, or if he’d be team leader, or just… about how Mom would have loved to see it. But they both knew that, right besides his dad, she’d be there too.