Work Text:
Bored. Bored. Bored bored boredboredbored…
Bailu sighs and swings her legs against the stone wall she’s sitting atop. Managing to sneak out of the Alchemy Commission’s grounds was difficult, and making it as far as Aurum Alley without getting caught was a stroke of pure luck, but now that she’s here, she can’t think of anything to do.
As if answering her prayers, Bailu’s stomach growls. Hmm. She could really go for some grilled Shantak Moa wings right now.
Bailu hops down from the wall and makes her way towards Spices Supreme. Regretfully, she didn’t grab her wallet before leaving, but Yancui’s sure to let her keep a tab. One of the many benefits of being a regular customer.
As she’s rounding the corner Bailu spots an obstacle- Dr. Jiaoqiu, sitting peacefully at a table right on the restaurant’s front patio. Yikes.
She’s really not sure if Jiaoqiu is the type to snitch or not, but she’s not planning on risking it. If she wants to order, she’ll have to walk right by him. He’s facing slightly away from her, out towards the foot traffic, so maaaybe Bailu can sneak by without him noticing… Yeah, okay, if she goes down the side path and hops over the wall onto the patio, she can make it to Yancui without him seeing her.
Bailu sneaks through the bushes for good measure, then hastily crosses the stone pathway before hopping up the short wall and hoisting herself up. Turns out channeling electricity into a stopped heart is great for building upper arm strength.
Yancui smiles at her. “Hey there! What’ll it be today?”
Bailu glances over at Jiaoqiu and says in a hushed tone, “Some Shantak wings, please.”
Yancui follows her gaze and nods. “Gotcha. It’ll be right up in a few.”
That’s one thing Bailu loves about Yancui. She’s definitely no snitch.
“Here ya go.”
“I left my wallet, can I owe you one?”
Yancui waves a hand. “It’s on the house.”
“Yesss thank you Miss Yancui I love you Miss Yancui!!!!”
She laughs. “Love you too, kiddo.”
Bailu happily digs into her wings, so preoccupied with good food that she’s maybe not super careful about leaving just as quietly as she entered.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bailu notices Jiaoqiu looking her direction.
“Lady Bailu,” he says, somewhat hesitantly.
Aww, blast it…
Bailu smiles brightly and turns towards him. “Hi, Dr. Jiaoqiu! I’m just on my break right now haha, don’t mind me. I didn’t know you were back on the Luofu!”
Jiaoqiu squints at her, expression unreadable. “Ah, yes. A diplomatic excursion has brought General Feixiao and I here. Just some financial matters between her and General Jing Yuan, nothing to concern the Alchemy Commission. But worry not, I’m on my break too. Would you like to join me for lunch? I have plenty to spare.”
Bailu glances down at his plate, which is covered in a thick purple sludge. The sludge bubbles menacingly, making a gross splat! sound as it pops. Bailu recognizes it as Sugarball-fried Viscorpi, one of the few Spices Supreme meals she’s afraid to try. Suddenly she’s missing the inexplicably burnt-tasting candy he usually gives her.
“That looks disgusting,” Bailu remarks plainly. Usually she’d come up with some sort of excuse about how, ‘it’s not balanced with the harmony of the five elements’ or, ‘eating an endangered species is a level of ethical ambiguity I’m not willing to experience firsthand’, but this nasty sludge looks completely unworthy of one of her nutritional fauxplanations.
“Does it? Well, you can never judge a meal by its cover, you know.”
Bailu is at least 90% sure that’s not how that saying goes. But she decides to let it slide and says, “Ah, I think I’ll just stick to my wings. Maybe next time. And uhhh I’m gonna go… walk while I eat…”
“Would you like me to accompany you?” Jiaoqiu asks.
Bailu’s first instinct is to decline his offer, but she weighs her options for a moment. Jiaoqiu is friends with the Cauldron Master, isn’t he? Having an adult who was understanding of her as a chaperone might be a good move. If Lingsha catches up, she might go easy on the two of them, and it’ll stave off the Divine Foresight officials who’ll think she’s out on legitimate business.
“Sure! It could be fun.”
Jiaoqiu stands up with some effort, bracing himself against the table and pushing the chair back with his leg. He slowly moves into a more upright position. Ah…
“Um, how’s your recovery coming along?” Bailu asks.
Jiaoqiu pauses. “Well, I’ve been better, but it’s nothing to worry about. Thanks to you and Lingsha, I’ve been managing fine.”
Bailu recalls what bad shape Jiaoqiu had been in after the Borisin raid. “I’m glad to hear you’re doing well,” she says, trying to push the mental image away.
“Thank you,” Jiaoqiu replies.
They walk in silence for a moment.
“Umm… Have you seen Guinaifen’s routine? It gets pretty crazy. I’m always having to heal those too. Oh, uh, Guinaifen and her girlfriend I mean. At least, I think they’re dating?”
Jiaoqiu nods. “I’ve seen her show, yes. It’d be quite nice to see it again.”
“Okay, um, let’s head over there then.”
Jiaoqiu follows her. He moves slowly. Bailu usually doesn’t mind, she’s used to having to walk with elderly and disabled folks. But she’s a little worried about being too visible. She’s betting on Jiaoqiu’s presence defusing Lingsha’s anger, but it’s a risky gamble. She’d rather not be caught at all.
As if on cue, Jiaoqiu says, “Hm. I think I smell Lingsha.”
Bailu can picture the floral incense so clearly in her mind that for a second she thinks it might really be up her nose. “Ah! Has she found us?”“I’m not sure.”
“Well, do you see her coming this way??”
“Of course not. I don’t see anything,” Jiaoqiu replies with a smile caught somewhere between a smirk and a grimace.
“This is no time for jokes!” Bailu cranes her neck back and forth wildly, searching for Lingsha.
“I’m not joking. I thought you knew?”
“Knew what? That you don’t see… Ohh…” It hits Bailu all of a sudden. His squinted eyes. The hesitancy which he called her out with. Identifying Lingsha by smell. He’s blind.
Bailu stares at him, at those squinted eyes that she now knows aren’t staring back. “You… Nobody ever told me.”
Someone clears their throat behind them.
Bailu turns to see the older Vidyadhara staring her down with a polite smile. Many would be fooled by the expression, but Bailu knows that expression well enough to see the rage behind Lingsha’s eyes.
Without thinking, Bailu blurts out. “Miss Lingsha! You knew that Dr. Jiaoqiu is blind!”
Lingsha quirks an eyebrow up, clearly still upset. “Yes?”
“Why didn’t you tell me???”
Lingsha exchanges glances with Jiaoqiu- or at least tries to. He doesn’t notice her expression, of course, so she turns back to Bailu and says, “Well, I’m not quite sure it was my place too.”
“But- Isn’t there anything more we can do to heal him?”
Jiaoqiu shakes his head sadly. “Dragon Lady, I’m afraid you don’t understand. This was my healing.”
A knot forms at the pit of Bailu’s stomach as she remembers again that bandaged and listless figure Lingsha had brought her to months ago. She swallows dryly. “Wh- what do you mean?”
“I suppose Lingsha never described to you the full extent of my wounds. I was heavily poisoned, to such an extent that I thought I would’ve died. Being blinded was the price for keeping my life.”
“Oh,” is all Bailu can say.
Death, sacrifice, failure—these are things Bailu knows, of course, but they’re always so distant. As a healer, she’s seen people at their worst, but she’s helped them recover from that. A patient has never died under Bailu’s protection. She’s thankful, of course, but she realizes now with a heartwrenching sorrow just how much can go wrong. To think that there’s a world out there where Jiaoqiu isn’t standing in front of her now, where she and Lingsha failed to help him recover… It hurts.
How many other people are out there, who weren’t fully healed, couldn’t be- that she just didn’t know about? That the adults just didn’t let her find out about? This whole time, how many people has she let down without even realizing?
“Please don’t feel sad, Dragon Lady. General Feixiao and Mo– many people are helping me in my daily life. They’re searching relentlessly for a cure. But… it’s alright, I’ve made my peace with it already.” Jiaoqiu smiles. “I made my choice to protect someone, and I stand by it.”
How sentimental, a voice seems to drift on the wind. But Bailu isn’t quite sure if it was really there.
“I… I wish I could’ve done more for you, though,” she says quietly.
Jiaoqiu shakes his head. “No, you did what you could. I’m proud of you.”
“I’m sorry. This is a heavy discussion for you, especially during what’s meant to be your break time.”
“…I think a break would be good, yes.” Lingsha pipes up after standing quietly for so long. All the anger in her expression has been completely quelled by now. “It was not exactly… authorized, but it would be a disservice to bring you back to the Alchemy Commission like this.”
“Miss Lingsha…” Bailu says, stunned. “Thank you.”
Linsha nods once, curt yet amiable. “Of course. We would be in quite the predicament if the Dragon Lady were unwell. To heal others is to heal yourself first, and that of course includes emotional unrest.”
“Ah…” Jiaoqiu mumbles. “So she really was playing hooky.”
“You knew??”
“Well, I suspected, yes. Especially after your reaction to Lingsha. But isn’t sitting back and letting things play out more fun?”
“Jiaoqiu,” Linghsa chides lightly. “You’re supposed to let me know if Lady Bailu goes missing.”
“But I would hate to embarrass the poor Dragon Lady if I were wrong. Imagine traveling to treat a patient and having some doddering fellow interrupt your efforts.”
“It’s worth it for the safety of our Dragon Lady, you know.”
The three of them walk down the street aimlessly. Bailu keeps glancing back at Jiaoqiu, to make sure he’s still following well. It’s silly, she knows, because he managed to follow her just fine before she knew he couldn’t actually see where they were going. But it still worries her.
Don’t worry, I’ve got him, that same wispy voice from before echoes. Bailu still isn’t sure if it’s just in her head or not, but somehow she trusts it.
“So, um, would anyone like a snack?” Bailu asks.
“Sounds good. What were you thinking?” Jiaoqiu replies.
“How about a Tuskpir wrap? They’re really good!”
-
The three of them approach the food stall. Bailu stands on her tip-toes and looks over the counter. “Hi. I’d like a Tuskpir wrap, please.”
Tall Auntie nods. “Sure. And the rest of you?”
“I’ll try one too. How about you, Lingsha?”
Lingsha shakes her head. “I couldn’t eat it. Tuskpirs are just too cute, it’s not right…”
“It’s not actually made of Tuskpirs, right…?” Bailu asks.
Both Jiaoqiu and Lingsha are silent. You know what, Bailu has had enough tough thinking for today. She’s not going to unpack this right now. It’s not made of Tuskpirs, nope, she’ll just keep believing that. It’s fine.
Tall Auntie breaks the awkward silence. “So, two Tuskpir wraps. I’ll get those started for you.”
Bailu glances up at Lingsha. “I uhh, don’t have money…”
Lingsha sighs and pulls out her wallet. “I suppose technically I am your boss, and I don’t pay you a wage. I am fine with supplying your snacks.”
“You really mean it??” Bailu asks excitedly.
“Please go easy on me. They’re not paying me either.”
“Here you go!” Tall Auntie hands them the wraps and smiles, still not confirming or denying any possible traces of Tuskpir meat.
Bailu observes the soft pink cake. It’s round and speckled with traces of red across the surface. It does look a bit like the skin of a Tuskpir. But Bailu’s decided she won’t think about that. “Wow… It really is so cute…”
Jiaoqiu nods. “I’m sure it is.”
Bailu feels her heart lurch. She’d forgotten, on some level, that he’s blind. And here she was, talking about how cute it is when he can’t even see it. It’ll take some getting used to.
Jiaoqiu takes a bite and smiles. “It tastes cute, somehow.”
Huh. Bailu can’t really wrap her head around it. Jiaoqiu can’t see it, but it still “tastes cute” to him…
She thinks back to that Viscorpus. Did it taste cute too?
“...I think I wanna go to Spices Supreme next.”
-
The three of them cross the street together to reach the patio. Yancui is standing there, conversing with a suspicious looking man in sunglasses. Clearly it’s not going well.
“For the last time. Jade Marrow is not safe for consumption. Lingling is literally right down the street if you need a buyer.”
“Listen, Yancui, I’ll cut you a really good deal. You’re my trusted business partner right? We’ve been through thick and thin together. You remember when-”
Yancui’s gaze shifts away from the man and towards the party approaching her. “Welcome back!” she replies with a smile.
“Hi!” Bailu says.
“You said you’re selling Jade Marrow?” Lingsha questions.
“Yup, got it right here.” The man reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a handkerchief filled with dense green powder. “Fine quality, advised for topical use but I’m sure it makes for a lovely garnish ,” he accents, leading Yancui to roll her eyes.
“The Cauldron Master of the Alchemy Commission should always have a surplus of Jade Marrow. What’s your price?”
The man’s eyes widen noticeably behind his sunglasses. “Alchemy Commi…” he trails off. “Ah- Aha, deary me! I’ve made a grave mistake! I just remembered that I actually have a customer who preordered some Jade Marrow, and unfortunately this is my last batch. So I unfortunately cannot sell to you at this time. Apologies for such unprofessionalism. Well, I better go contact them now!”
The man hurries off faster than the rate he was rambling on at.
Yancui chuckles. “Don’t mind Huo. He’s a good man, I swear.”
Lingsha frowns. “I wasn’t going to rat him out to my superiors. I did genuinely want the Jade Marrow.”
“You sure teased him about it, though,” Jiaoqiu says.
“Hmm. Yes, I did.”
The conversation lulls slightly. Yancui claps her hands together. “So! What would you folks like to order?” She glances back and forth between the three of them.
Bailu swallows and takes her leap of faith. “One Sugarball-fried Viscorpus, please!”
“Oh! How bold,” Jiaoqiu remarks. “I liked it earlier. I hope you will too.”
“Why thank you,” Yancui replies. “I’m always searching for unorthodox ingredients. Not to the point of being dangerous, mind you… But I hunt these things myself. It’s nice to hear when someone appreciates a meal.”
“Viscorpi… They’re endangered, aren’t they? Are you farming them too, or hunting wild ones?” Lingsha asks.
“Definitely wild ones, and don’t worry, you want these things to go extinct. Nasty little parasites. Crawls up into your sinuses and makes you trip ba- uhh, bonkers.”
Lingsha and Bailu stare at Yancui in horror. Jiaoqiu seems unfazed, but whether it’s because he’s blind or also a connoisseur of unorthodox ingredients is up to interpretation.
“Um… Should we be eating this?” Bailu asks.
“Relax. Like I said, I’d never serve a customer something dangerous. These things are totally dead, and any hallucinogenic substances have been completely boiled out.”
“Okay. I trust Miss Yancui’s judgement.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Yancui smiles at them one last time before heading off to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, she returns.
Yancui sets the plate on the table and bows slightly. “Enjoy.”
Bailu stares down the dish. It looks just as unappetizing as before. The purple goop is steaming, still hot off the stovetop, and- Oh my god, are those eyes? Underneath the Viscorpus is a pad of lettuce dotted with strips of pork belly. Well, at least that looks good, but hardly any is left untouched by the nefarious sludge.
It jiggles slightly when she pokes it with her fork. Just as she’s starting to regret doing this, Bailu focuses her mind on Jiaoqiu. Without his sight, he’s not burdened by the preconceived notion of how gross it looks. To him, it’s just taste and texture. How does it feel, isolated from sight? How does he “see” this dish?
Bailu takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and brings the fork to her mouth.
It’s… sweet?
Bailu opens her eyes and chews. It’s good, kinda like a mild fruit jello. She takes another bite. Then she gets a forkful with lettuce and tastes it. The slight bitterness of the lettuce offsets the sweetness of the Viscorpi in a way that pairs surprisingly well. Like a salad that has strawberries in it.
She takes one of the pork belly strips next. It’s tangy and salty, cooked to perfection, and once again the perfect contrast to the other two ingredients. It’s sorta like pork with sweet glaze, actually.
“I like it,” Bailu declares.
Jiaoqiu claps excitedly. “That’s wonderful! I’m glad to hear you’ve opened your heart to cooking.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still not fond of burnt candy…”
Paying the comment no mind, Jiaoqiu says, “Ah, I should return to the hotel. I believe General Feixiao will be done with her meeting soon.”
“Take care. It was nice seeing you,” Lingsha tells him.
“Same to you,” he says.
Bailu’s tempted to ask him how he’ll possibly get back on his own, but she remembers that voice from before, and feels her worry melt away. As Jiaoqiu walks away, Bailu notices his hand clenched in an oddly-shaped fist. She could swear he’s holding hands with thin air.
Lingsha sighs. “Well, it’s certainly been a long day. I have a Starskiff down this road here. Shall we head back, Lady Bailu?”
Bailu nods and starts to follow her, glancing back at the bustling alley once last time before boarding the Starskiff.
Maybe she’ll get that Viscorpi again the next time she sneaks out.