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"This is. A horrible idea, boss."
In the dimly lit cavern, a pair of young thieves follow down a narrow stream to venture deeper into the depths of darkness in search of treasure. After voicing his discontentment, the youngest of them, clearly no older than 20, tugs at the sleeves of his "boss". Though really, it was just a title granted after much persuasion of the other party.
The "boss" scoffs and holds out his lamp higher.
"Oh please, how bad can it be? If we find nothing, we can just head back home."
The younger one shoots a frightened glare at him, "That is if we make back home in one piece, Bolin! Legend has it, the river dragon who lives in the lake above us is known to devour any foolish traveller who steps upon his territory-!"
Shaking his head, Bolin counters him, "You can't seriously believe that do you? What are the chances we come across a Yaoguai here of all places? And a powerful one at that? The last spirit I ever saw was nothing more than an annoying crow who used to steal my mother's jewellery!"
"But-"
Frustrated, Bolin brings his hand down on him to karate chop the young fella on the head. "If you were so scared, Hao, then why did you follow me in the first place!?"
Hao falls silent and wordlessly raises his hands to the spot where he had been hit in an attempt to quell the pain by rubbing the sore spot with his hands. After a few silent moments, he mutters;
"...a lady."
Did he hear that right? He came down all the way down here for a lady?
Absolutely flabbergasted, Bolin has to ask him again to make sure his ears are still working right, "Let me get this straight. You followed me here, to this dark, dingy, and mossy cave where not a single living soul has ever set foot here for probably a decade, for a lady?"
Hao nods his head and as if realising how strange he sounds he adds, "And for treasure too."
A few seconds of utter silence pass and Bolin turns his back towards him, no longer caring about his subordinate's strange reason for coming here or if he was still following at all. But after only taking a step or a two, he stops right in his tracks after the both of them hear a low rumble from the depths of the cavern.
"T-there it is, boss! I told that the dragon Yaoguai is-!"
Hao doesn't so much as finish his sentence when a pair of piercing blue eyes stare at them from the end of the cave. Petrified, they can only stare in fear as those eyes grow bigger, and the figure of a large river dragon gradually makes it's appearance before them. Unlike the many other Yaoguai known to the local folk, whom all mostly consisted of foxes and crows, the dragon spirit before them is full of majesty, with shimmering aquamarine scales and brilliant horns of sapphire hue. The dragon fixes its rueful stare at them and asks;
"What are the both of you doing here?"
The deep tremor of it's voice roots the both of them in place, and Bolin starts praying fervently on the inside while swearing to the heavens that he would not steal ever again so long as they help him make it out alive from this predicament. And when he means himself, he means only himself, completely forgetting about his partner who followed him here.
When neither of them responds, the dragon narrows it's eyes at them and slithers closer even further. With the added proximity, the men gasp and one of them falls down on his rear. But the stinging pain on his butt makes Bolin come to his senses and he takes the opportunity to grab Hao by the shoulders and pushes him forward to use him as a shield.
"Oh, great dragon of the heavens! I, a humble peasant of the mortal world, have come to offer you-"
The dragon eyes fixate themselves directly on to Bolin and his words start to die down. All he can do now is stammer out incoherent words, as Hao remains frozen in place.
The dragon starts to speak, "And what sort of offering is this? To sacrifice the blood of a friend for your own selfish needs?"
It's tone of voice leaves no room for doubt that the dragon Yaoguai is angry, but before the both of them could respond in kind, it continues.
"Leave this place. Traversing the dark cavern is bound to leave one of you-!"
The Yaoguai's words are suddenly cut off mid-sentence as if interrupted by something. That's when the men notice it. A tiny little figure hangs by the horns of the dragon and starts tugging at the dragon's ear.
"Don't be too hard on them, Clarence."
...It's a tiny bamboo rat.
They watch in horror as the little creature speaks, assuming that the smaller Yaoguai may get eaten up in a single snap by the dragon after having interrupted its sentence. But strangely enough, the dragon goes silent and slightly tilts his head to the side to prevent the bamboo rat from falling off, after having gone too close to the edge of his head in an attempt to pinch his ears.
"The mortals won't understand you if you speak like that. To show them that you're worried, you need to make it sound kinder!"
"How do I do that?"
This large, mighty, and magnificent dragon whose large body practically fills up the entire cavern....is paying attention to the tiny bamboo rat like an obedient husband.
The bamboo rat beams at the dragon, "Let me try!" And taps on the horns of the dragon as if it signal it. Following her request, the dragon tilts his head downwards so that she can slide down on his head to get a better view of them. The bamboo rat then clears her throat.
"The cave is dangerous, and the waves are likely to rise and fill the cavern if you don't get out of here soon before nightfall."
"...."
The dragon sighs internally, thinking that her words had sounded much more ominous than the friendly warning she was trying to go for. Still, the men take heed of her words and scramble out of the cave as fast as they can. Though probably because of the dragon, not the warning.
Once they make sure that both men are out of sight, the bamboo rat slides off the dragon's head and transforms into her human form, clumsily landing on her feet as Clarence follows suit. After his transformation is done, he holds out his arm and catches his wife by the waist to steady her before she loses her footing, worried that the slippery, wet floor of the cave may make her slip and fall.
"Are you alright?"
Clarence is ever the gentleman when he is with her, even after having scared off two fully grown men out of their wits. Thinking about it, she giggles and pats her husband by the arm, "How protective of you, but I'm alright."
He holds her upright and promptly lets her go once he's sure that she can stay on her feet, "I hadn't expected that there would be humans venturing here of all places, I hope you weren't you startled."
She shakes her head, "Nope, not at all. If anything, they were the ones who were startled. But I do recall them saying that they were looking for treasure here, so maybe that's why."
"There is no treasure here, at least from what I can remember after I left this place. Do you still want to continue going deeper?"
"You're asking a lot of questions today," the bamboo rat spirit says in an amused voice, but she finds him endearing all the same and huddles closer to him to hold his hand. "Of course."
The both of them continue hand-in-hand towards the direction of their initial destination, leading them straight into the river, the same place where they first met. By looking for a small entrance on the surface, one can make their way down the cavern and find themselves in an opening submerged in water, leading to the depths of the lake where Clarence used to reside before he moved into the mountains with the girl by his side.
As they continue their descent, the water level does indeed grow higher, but such a thing is not a problem with Clarence's powers, as he parts the waters to create a clear path of dry sand and stone, because while he doesn't mind getting wet, he does not want to dampen the hems of her dress. Taking note of his courtesy, his wife tightens her hold on his hand in silent affection.
After several minutes of walking, they finally find themselves by a large gaping hole which leads them into the river. Even though the both of them would have been completely submerged from water by now, Clarence creates a bubble of air in which the both of them can look into the river in peace.
She's still holding onto his hand, as she moves her fingers to tug at his thumb, "Was this the place you said you'd watch me from during all those Qixi festivals?"
He nods and responds to her gesture by curling his thumb around hers even tighter, "Yes."
He think back to the time where he would gaze at her from the water, watching her wait on the bank ashore all alone, holding that lotus lantern.
In his eyes, she had shone far brighter than the lantern she had been holding.
"At that time, I had always thought....that you were waiting for someone else," he murmurs. "There were times where I had considered coming up to you, to ask you how have you been, and if you were enjoying the festivities. And maybe, perhaps, ask who exactly it was you were waiting for."
She leans her head on his shoulder as he continues talking.
"I always thought that whoever this person was, he must have been the luckiest man on earth."
Smiling, she asks him, "Do you still think that?"
"Yes."
There is no hesitation in his answer, and he finally breaks out of his memories to look at her face, as if trying to compare the past to his present.
"You look far less lonelier than I remembered you to be, as well."
Of course, because he's finally here with her. She will never spend another night of Qixi alone again.
She laughs at him gently, "Still, I really do wonder how is it that I could not see you from the water at all? I'm rather ashamed of that I have to say."
"It couldn't be helped," the water breaks out into small ripples as Clarence touches the surface of their bubble with the fingertips of his free hand. "My scales were a darker blue at the time."
"That's true, I wonder why they changed colour."
He smiles inwardly, "Yes, indeed. I wonder why as well."
Clarence knows why, he changed them on purpose after all, but he won't be telling her until much later. He holds up their joined hands together and raises her fingertips to his lips.
His kiss is as light as a feather, gently pressing against the pads of her fingers.
"Shall we head on up and enjoy the festivities? Qixi has begun once again."
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Like every other festival, the festivities won't feel complete without the occasional argumentive outburst disrupting the festive mood. A crowd of people have formed a circle around two squabbling men fighting over alcohol and upon closer inspection, she realizes that both parties are neither human.
"Do you know them?" Clarence questions.
The cheers of the crowd only grow in fervor and she has to raise her voice a little to make sure he can hear her. "Uh, sort of? If you count the fact that one is a thief and the other an annoying bastard."
Maybe she just wanted them to hear her.
He shakes his head at her vulgar language but simply draws her closer to him, as if to protect her from the now violent tussle that the fox and crow Yaoguai have gotten themselves into. His hold on her doesn't loosen until the both of them make sure that the entire fight is no longer within earshot.
"I'm assuming that crow Yaoguai is the same one that almost stole your lotus lantern?"
Getting frustrated by just thinking about it, she kicks the ground with her foot, "Yes."
He is slightly amused by how perturbed she still feels towards an incident long gone by and gestures to a stall in an attempt to comfort her, "They should be selling those lotus cakes you like so much over there. And if you're still hungry, we could simply walk around for more food."
"Yes, please!"
He can sense a new spring in her steps, as well as his heart growing in size.
She does her best not to drag him in her excitement and takes her time walking over to the stall. As she bargains with the lotus cake seller, the both of them hear a distinctive shout, it's true volume hidden beneath the sounds of the crowd;
"Get your deep-fried bamboo rats today! Extra crispy, and extra seasoned! Don't miss out on Qixi's best offerings!"
Her hand hangs in mid-air, still reaching for the bag of lotus cakes, having frozen up after hearing the horrific advertisement. Clarence is quick to the rescue thankfully, and swiftly grabs the paper bag and places it into her arms before steering her out of the way so as not to hold up the line. Coming to her senses, she angrily takes out a lotus cake and stuffs it into her mouth.
"How dare he! He speaks as if he didn't illegally capture them for food!"
While Clarence can barely hear her words over her stuffed mouth, he can still understand what she's trying to say.
"It must be a different vendor and not the one from the last time, otherwise he wouldn't be so bold as to do it again." Because even if Clarence did nothing, someone else would be bound to report him to the authorities.
The bamboo rat spirit has quickly finished most of her pastry, angrily nibbling on the remaining piece she holds between her fingers. Seeing her munch on it like a...bamboo rat, he can't help but laugh fondly as he takes out his handkerchief and starts dabbing away the crumbs on the corner of her mouth.
"Would you like to report him yourself?"
She shakes her head, "I think it's fine if we just make sure no other Yaoguai get cooked up." She nuzzles her head closer to his collarbone, "I still want to enjoy the night with you, first and foremost."
He wants that too, but instead of saying it aloud, he takes away the bag of lotus cakes to free her of her burden and uses his free hand to hold hers, the same way he did before.
"Alright then, where would you like to go next?"
"...."
She remains quiet and simply continues to stare at their joined hands. Her silence starts to worry him.
"Are you alright?"
Her head then jolts up and he sees a fire shining in her eyes, "Yes, but rather than that, is there anything that you would like to do?"
He gives her a slow blink, "What I...would like to do?"
"Yes, well its just that..." she glances at the bag of lotus cakes in his arms, "...you're always accommodating me so well, I just want to do something you would like for a change."
She murmurs, "I want to spoil you too..."
He is utterly speechless.
Clarence feels copious amounts of heat rush to his face and the dizzying rush of affection makes him squeeze her hand even tighter. Despite his composure being thrown into disarray, he manages to keep his voice steady as he speaks to her.
"I never once thought of my actions as spoiling you, I did them simply because I love you."
She feels her heart swelling at his words.
"Before I met you, I had neither much want or need of the things the mortal world could offer. The things that I used to give no more than a glance, I cherish now, because you are what makes them shining, happy memories."
He closes his eyes and recalls the day they first met. Remembers how he saved her from the bamboo rat vendor, and recalls the slight disappointment he felt when he realised he couldn't afford the lotus lantern. But that was just that, slight disappointment, and nothing more.
And he remembers the bursting fireworks, filling his skies with colour, as he gazed at her from the water.
He opens his eyes to smile back at her.
"But if you would do me the honours, would you like to purchase some fireworks with me?"
Through his keen ears, he hears her heartbeat beat in a tune of love. She laughs.
"Of course!"
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Among the streets and lights of the Qixi festival, the sound of the erhu can be heard mingling among the songs of celebration. Hearing the beautiful song, the bamboo rat spirit relaxes her gait as she makes her way back to Clarence, who is waiting by the banks of the river to play with the fireworks they had bought earlier.
Looking down in her arms, she cradles two delicate lotus lanterns, both glowing brightly in the moonlight. She had excused herself earlier, claiming she wished to buy some more food before they set the fireworks off, while in reality, she had secretly snuck off to buy a lotus lantern for Clarence to write his wishes on. It was expensive, of course. But she thinks any price is worth seeing him smile, and had saved up in advance.
She looks up and meets the eyes of her beloved, who must have been keenly watching the trees, waiting for her arrival. The both of them smile when they see each other and she hides the lotus lantern in her arms as obscure as she can, hoping to give him a surprise.
"What are you holding?"
The bulk itself is still noticably however, and Clarence is perceptive enough to recognize that what she holds is not another bag of food.
"Why not take a guess?" Her voice is playful as she gives him a coy smile, this makes the corners of his mouth quirk up, and he tries his best to guess the answer.
"Fried bamboo rat."
"No!"
She knows he's just joking, but she still draws a small frown of indignation on her face. A part of her is glad that he's learned how to joke now, but this is supposed to be a touching moment!
"Guess again."
He chuckles, "Could you come over here first?"
She does as he asks, and sits beside while still concealing the hidden item. He gives her a gentle smile.
"Is it a lotus lantern?"
A smile returns to her face, as she removes her arm to ravels reveal the lotus lantern she had just bought, slowly glowing amidst the night.
"Aw, I had hoped I could surprise you still."
He places a hand over the lotus lantern, "You have already surprised me plenty." It is not a lie told to placate her, because from the moment he saw her carrying the hidden treasure trove of memories in her arms, he felt compelled to laugh at the surprise the heavens have granted him.
She takes his other hand to help him hold up the lantern, "Well, why not make a wish?"
Several minutes later, she sees him write his wish around the edges of the lantern, before submerging half of his hand in the water to set the lotus lantern off on its way, carrying his wish to the river's end.
As the both of them watch it float away, he feels her pressing her cheek into his collarbones, resting on him and savouring the last moments of today's Qixi. But come daybreak, the both of them will return to the mountains, ready to start another day with each other in hand.
"Do you want to know what wish I made?"
Her eyes shift upwards in surprise, "But isn't the point of not sharing a wish is so that the gods would make it come true?"
He shakes his head gently, careful to not lend the ends of his long hair disturb her. "While I won't deny the heavens exist, I believe that some wishes can only be achieved within our own means, rather than simply leaving it up to the gods. And as such, I believe that this particular superstition does not apply."
"And your wish is?"
He goes silent. Despite offering to tell her his wish, it seems that he has become unusually nervous as he delays the inevitable, something that is rather out-of-character for someone like him. His wife is patient with him however, and simply closes her eyes to take in the scent of him while he gathers the courage to give her his answer.
Had her eyes remained open, she would have seen the furious blush of red dusting across his ears.
It's not when she notices that his heartbeat has sped up beneath her own ears, that she opens her eyes to stare at him, and finds him looking at her with an expression filled with both affection and...embarrassment?
She doesn't push him away, as he brings up his hand to cup her face.
"I wrote a wish that...I could kiss you once more."
What a simple wish, but a sweet one at that.
Sweeter than anything else in the world.
"You could have wished for more," she murmured, her face already drawing closer to his, and hears him hum nervously in his chest. He's cute, she thinks, the dragon who once almost became a demigod, now seems to be having quite a bit of trouble in expressing himself to a mere bamboo rat.
"This is more. I..."
He stutters over his words, finding difficulty in having to express the intense longing brewing from within himself, "Physical intimacy between us is not uncommon but I..." He trails off as he feels her intertwining their hands together through her own initiative, and can't help but feel a sense of defeat as she takes over.
"...I believe that kisses, between us, are uncommon."
My dearest and most precious, your words can make me reach the stars.
She simply needs to lean forward slightly, to have her lips meet his.
A single firework is not enough to decorate the sky in brilliance, there must be a true myriad of colours and shapes, to arouse awe and happiness.
The new firework that blooms in their sky is an auspicious scarlet, a sign of prosperity and love.
So later on, as their lips part for the final time and uneven breaths become balanced once more, they shall cross the sparklers of starlight in union, signifying the arrival of the new fireworks blooming above their heads, and the many more that shall burst in their future together.
On the night of tonight's Qixi, the bamboo rat and the dragon shall rest on the shores of the riverbank peacefully in slumber, with the bamboo rat sleeping atop the dragon's head in contentment, where no one else shall find them.
The dragon does not mind this arrangement one bit.
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"I never thought that you would be in my future."