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Salt spray filled the air, complementing the warm sun that shone down from above. The large wooden ship creaked underneath the feet of the crew, and the force of the waves. Working under the sun is hard, but they were ever grateful for the currently gentle sea, knowing how quickly this could change. She’s a rather bipolar mistress.
At the bow, basking in the pleasant weather, ragged blue cloak whipping in the wind around their shoulders, their orange skirts doing the same around their legs, stood a petite figure whose face was partially covered from their hood. Though several had been curious as to who this mystery passenger was, they kept their distance after getting a stern look from their captain, who then shouted commands at them to set sail.
Though the figure could feel eyes boring into their back, they didn’t mind. They were just fine being alone, but they also didn’t mind the attention. It provided them with a simple distraction from the chaos they’d escaped from.
Idly, their hand reached for the hairpin that was tucked safely in their waistband, before stopping. Right. They’d traded it for the jade cicada. They chuckled wryly. Why were they regretting it now? The cicada is beautiful. And besides, there was no way to get the hair stick back now.
A somber sigh escapes them. And of course, the only things they had to remind them of their green haired cat friend now, were the memories of all the times they’d lied to her, when they helped kidnap her, and when they spilled all of their secrets before practically manipulating the poor girl to save the children for them.
No. That’s not quite true. Maomao was clever. She had to know exactly what was happening and made her choice. They were just grateful that their magic act worked. They wouldn’t have gotten to watch the sunlight sparkling off the sea or taste salt on their lips if it hadn’t.
A rather strong gust of wind blew the hood back, exposing purple hair half tied up, their newly preferred hairstyle. With a sigh, they let their hood stay down, accepting the sunlight shining in their olive-green eyes.
The only downside to this four-month long trip was that there wouldn’t be any bugs. And they had to leave all of their sketches behind. It seemed they’d have to start over. Luckily, they remembered most of the bugs that they drew, though the thought of what new bugs they might find in this new land they were headed for filled them with excitement. How many sketch books would they need to draw them all?
They smiled, tucking a stray lock behind their ear. Maomao will continue to research medicine and poison as she does, and they’ll do the same with bugs. They really were two sides of the same coin.
“I’ll see you again someday, Maomao.”
It’s soft, but certain. With a final look back at the shore, Loulan, now Tamomo, says her final goodbye, before facing the bright possibilities before her. The other side of the world sounds exciting.