Klipyl’s PoV - East Wind’s Court

  The others had gone their own way after the audience and hadn’t returned to the townhouse with her. With her guide’s arrival rapidly approaching, Klipyl tapped on Kadaklan’s door. “Please, Kadaklan, I need a hand.”

  The door slid open a short time later, and Kadaklan blinked at Klipyl, dressed only in the inner layer of her Kimono. “What do you need at this hour?”

  “I’ve got to get ready, and I can’t get the outer layer settled properly,” huffed Klipyl. “I need you to help me get dressed.”

  “Don’t you have spells for that?”

  Klipyl clutched at his hand. “My spell lists don’t include putting on a fancy dress. I could cover myself with an illusion or Shapeshift, but that would be pointless. Jinfeng is already off at the Martial Pavilion, Sarah went to the enchanters, and Am headed straight for the library. I don’t know where Master Cyrus is, so you're the only person I can ask.”

  “I’m not sure if it’s a compliment or an insult that you’d come to me last,” Kadaklan murmured as he looked at her sheepishly. “I know nothing about helping a lady with a kimono.”

  “I can tell you what to do, but it gets unbalanced when I try to do it all myself,”

  A faint smile warmed his face. “I’m sure there is a life lesson in that statement.”

  Klipyl giggled. “That it’s better to have someone else’s hands over you than your own?”

  A glint of amusement betrayed his serene expression. “Very well, I’ll assist you. While you get dressed, perhaps you can tell me how Am’s audience went.”

  “I didn’t realise immortals gossiped so much,” said Klipyl before she headed for her room. “The east wind knew about my origins.”

  Kadaklan hummed in understanding. “Lady Livia and Master Cyrus discussed measures to hold off any demonic attacks against the Outpost with some other masters. Someone asked if they could refine a Soul, and that brought up your situation.”

  “I don’t think that would go well,” advised Klipyl. “Though I bet someone eventually tries.”

  “I’m surprised no one ever asked you. What is your view on it?”

  “The demons from Di Yu follow set rules and customs, even if they’re always looking for loopholes. It makes them more like our devils than demons,” explained Klipyl. “Am helped me change, but she gave me a choice and immediately offered something that benefited me. Binding a Demon with your third eye will end badly because a Demon from the Abyss isn’t looking for enlightenment. When bound to someone, they form a pact, which feeds corruption into the Soul at the other end. That seldom ends well unless you end up with Am feeding you Ki instead. That happened when she was still a succubus.”

  “What happened to them? I will assume that since it’s Am, we’re discussing that it wasn’t subtle.”

  “She broke Moke’s curse and activated a Celestial bloodline. It’s well known among her old faithful as one of her miracles, so a Priestess I rescued told me all about it.”

  Klipyl opened her door, revealing a single mannequin in the room bearing a kimono with various folding fans depicted across it, each with a distinct border pattern.

  “How many kimonos has Am made?”

  “I don’t know. She’s made so many I lost track. I think she’s having fun dressing me up,” said Klipyl.

  Kadaklan winked. “I feel she’s having fun because you’re having fun. Has she told you the meaning of this one?”

  “I know the flowers have meanings, but these are just fans, aren’t they?” asked Klipyl.

  A mysterious smile played on his lips. “The fan itself is a symbol of prosperity and growth.”

  “Has Am been putting positive symbols on all my clothes?!”

  “All the ones I’ve seen have been,” allowed Kadaklan. “The messages certainly match her feelings for you.”

  With a bright grin, she retrieved the outer kimono. “I can wrap myself up but can’t tie everything off without things going wrong.”

  Kadaklan followed her directions and tied each bow off with precise care. As he finished helping with the obi around her waist, Klipyl gave the broad sash a pleased pat. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

  “What do you have in mind for your favour, Klipyl?”

  She shook her head and protested. “I’ve not won yet.”

  “You won’t even hint at the trouble I’ve let myself in for? You’re doing much better with etiquette than I had expected and far better than my attempts to control my unease.”

  “Nope. I will not doom flag myself by thinking I’ve got it in the bag.”

  Kadaklan frowned.

  “I promise not to torment you or take undue liberties,” Klipyl smiled and gently patted his arm. “Don’t worry so much.”

  “What? Who says I’m worrying at all?” spluttered Kadaklan.

  “Then why ask in advance?” With that, Klipyl playfully winked and headed downstairs to wait.

  “Curiosity,” Kadaklan called after her, only for Klipyl’s warm laughter to ring back to him.

  “My pussy is alive and well.”

  Kadaklan groaned.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  The pre-dawn gloom still sat across the East Court when the guide knocked on the front door. The female practitioner waiting beyond the door was only one hundred and fifty centimetres tall, and Klipyl almost got caught out by looking over her head but adjusted rapidly. Her attire matched the same white-blue heron theme she’d seen in various places.

  “I’m Sachie, court attendant, here to see Klipyl, the Sword of Light, to a tea ceremony hosted by Lady Omiyanome-no-Okami this morning. Is she ready to accompany me?”

  “I am,” replied Klipyl.

  Sachie bowed with apologetic haste. “Excuse my mistake.”

  “It’s alright, we travel lightly and it's only the five of us,” explained Klipyl. “Do you earn contribution points from helping guests in such a fashion?”

  “Indeed.”

  Klipyl stepped out and slid the door closed with a soft click.

  “Will you transport us, or shall we fly or walk?”

  “It will take but a moment, Klipyl,” said Sachie, bowing to Klipyl.

  When she straightened, there was a similar burst of light to what Klipyl had experience before, and they reappeared outside a modest single-story teahouse on the east side of the central ring road. Its roof was a mix of bright yellow and red tiles, the brilliance of colour spilled through the building’s red frame and the supports of its surrounding porch, bordered with rice paper screens. The brightness poured into a garden that was populated by dozens of flowers in cheerful hues.

  A man kneeling on the front porch thanked the guide for her service and exchanged a respectful bow before she vanished.

  He swivelled to one side and opened the screen beside him. Within the plain room behind him was a greying man wearing an unadorned dark grey kimono, whose face bore the wrinkles and spots of advanced age.

  “Klipyl, guest of Omiyanome-no-Okami, has arrived.”

  Though Master Cyrus had warned her that no titles were used at a teahouse, Klipyl had to restrain a start of surprise.

  A smile deepened the wrinkles around the man’s eyes, and he motioned to a spot beside him. “Klipyl, please call me Kagutsuchi. For a tea ceremony, all are equals. Would you sit beside me while we wait for the other guest? Uzume is rechecking everything in the tearoom.”

  “Of course, Kagutsuchi,” Klipyl moved beside Kagutsuchi and knelt in time with him. From beyond the wall behind them came a burble of water and the rich fragrance of soft loom and lily flowers.

  “I’m pleased you arrived so early, Klipyl. It is important to take the time to relax and let the world’s issues slide away.”

  “I was ready when the escort arrived.” Klipyl tried to relax back onto her heels and shifted her feet slightly.

  “Is this your first tea ceremony?”

  “It is.” Klipyl nodded. “Although Cyrus explained the steps of the ceremony.”

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  “This is a waiting room.” Kagutsuchi tilted his head to the screen behind them. “When Uzume is ready, she’ll open the end door. Then we’ll go through the courtyard behind us and wash before entering the tearoom. Some find the ceremony complex and daunting, so relaxing into the flow the first time is best. You can copy what I do, as Kuzuryū might accidentally lead you astray. He can get distracted.”

  Klipyl spent a few minutes letting her jitters at that news slip away before the screen opened again.

  “Kuzuryū, guest of Omiyanome-no-Okami, has arrived.”

  A young man with a carefully groomed goatee, black hair tied up in a topknot with shaved sides. He wore a blue and white heron-themed kimono with two blades of different lengths secured through his obi. There wasn’t an escort in sight when he stepped onto the porch. Kuzuryū placed his two curved blades onto the rack beside the door, giving the blade a bow before entering. His gaze was distant as he nodded to them and knelt on Kagutsuchi’s other side.

  A relaxed silence settled over the three, and Klipyl tried for the meditative state she’d heard Am discuss but had never managed herself. It tickled just out of reach when a screen in the wall to Klipyl’s right slid open. Klipyl could see a mature woman in a pink kimono adorned with bright flowers kneeling on the outer porch of the building, positioned where she could make eye contact with all three guests through the doorway. Silver combs with cherry blooms hanging from them secured her black braids, and her amber gaze warmed as it settled on Klipyl.

  “Thank you all for coming this morning. I am the host of this morning’s ceremony. Klipyl, please call me Uzume. It’s less of a mouthful.” Uzume bowed deeply, her hands touching the floor before her. When she straightened, she regarded them with a cheerful smile that suited her ample lips. “If you would come through to the tearoom,” she said.

  So Uzume is a nickname for Omiyanome-no-Okami?

  Klipyl remained silent and let Kagutsuchi move first, following behind him to ensure she could see his actions. Another modest building of the same style was further back on the property, and between them was a pond with surrounding channels. Gold and white fish the length of her arm swam between the flowering lily pads. A bamboo pipe fed water into a stone bowl near the steps to the next building, and its overflow ran into the channels. She watched while Kagutsuchi used a scoop to draw water from the bowl and washed, being was careful to duplicate his actions upon his turn.

  Uzume had to clear her throat to draw Kuzuryū’s attention from the koi gliding through the channels.

  When they stepped on the next porch, she slid the door open and with a bow ushered them inside.

  Segmented tatami mats covered the tearoom floor except for a section cut out in the middle where an iron pot sat; steam and a pleasant incense drifted up around it.

  A long banner with delicately scribed calligraphy hung on one wall, beneath it was a vase that contained a single rose. The stem still bore its long thorns and small stems that jutted out randomly instead of being neatly trimmed and arranged with others as Klipyl had seen in other households.

  Master Cyrus’ advice had given her some idea of what to expect so Klipyl didn’t get lost, but more went on than she’d expected. Klipyl found the ceremony complex yet strangely simple, with small steps methodically repeated. Each step contained frequent bowing that at first felt excessive until she relaxed into the flow properly, as Kagutsuchi had advised. The ceremony struck her as more of a multi-part small meal than tea alone, with sake cups passed to clean the palate in preparation and between the segments that contained the bitter, warm tea and cool, sweet cakes.

  The warmth of the liquor drew a line down her throat with each sip, and Klipyl found its heat beckoned her thoughts to linger in unexpected directions.

  During different parts of the ceremony, light conversation was exchanged between Uzume, Kagutsuchi, Kuzuryū, and Klipyl, covering only what Master Cyrus had advised would be safe topics. Though Klipyl contributed stories about places they’d travelled through before the Di Yu gate, she realised how little she knew about the Mortal’s perspective of the seasons.

  As the last discussion wound down, Kagutsuchi smiled at her.

  “I can taste the fires of passion surrounding you, Klipyl,” Kagutsuchi stated. “You did well for someone at a tea ceremony for the first time. I hope we meet again.”

  Kuzuryū nodded in agreement. “The Dragon who travels with you. Is her mother really from the beginning of this realm?”

  “That is my understanding. Aitherlar’s mind feels like staring into a starless sky, ready to sweep you up and take you to places you can’t imagine. There is such strength about her, yet a gentleness when she’s near Sarah. Very maternal and fiercely protective, all at once.”

  “She sounds intriguing,” Kuzuryū murmured.

  As they readied themselves to leave, Uzume turned to Klipyl. “Would you stay to walk and converse in the garden for a time, Klipyl-san?”

  “I would. Thank you, Lady Uzume.”

  “Please continue to call me Uzume. You are still my guest here.”

  When the other guests left, Uzume led them out the back door of the tearoom. Stepping off the porch put them on a path that led between flowering trees and bushes growing at the back of the property.

  After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, Uzume spoke. “How did you find your first tea ceremony?”

  “Initially, I was frequently lost. I’m sure Master Jinfeng would have understood it better.”

  Uzume’s smile shone with a gentle warmth. “Jinfeng will be hosted by those who align with her Dao. Would you share your thoughts?”

  “Confusing at first. I didn’t understand why you’d even drink tea, and then I realised the primary focus wasn’t the tea. It was the conducting of the ceremony. With steady movements and small, repetitious actions, it’s a meditation style. The ceremony helps you to focus on the moment and put other concerns aside,” said Klipyl with a wry smile. “There was also so much bowing that I didn’t understand it at first. Wouldn’t a Mortal be bowing more than they need breath?”

  Mirth salted Uzume’s gaze. “They need to breathe a touch more frequently. You said at first it confused you? What conclusion did you come to later?”

  I hope I don’t offend. I better keep the puns at bay. Isn’t that a plant with a leaf? Maybe I’m steeping my humour today.

  Klipyl tucked her hands into her sleeves as she considered her words. “I hope I didn’t misunderstand. Please let me know if I need to consider it further. Is it to show equal respect for each piece and person?”

  “Go on. Why did that strike you?”

  “The exact ceremony wouldn’t have been possible without everything and everyone present, so they played a part in how it came about. For that reason, you bow the same to a bamboo scoop, an expensive cup, or a guest,” said Klipyl.

  “There are other lessons in the ceremony. Yet why might those lessons you picked up on be among those critical to us?”

  Klipyl smiled. “Someone once told Am that it’s hard to maintain a relationship with a Mortal. Treating each interaction with the same respect gives each person a chance to play their part. Yet the tea was bitter, and the cake was sweet. Even interactions with a bitter person can bring warmth to other pieces of the world through the part they play. Am encountered a self-interested woman who was nasty to her, and when she and Jinfeng investigated the woman’s dealings, they ended up helping hundreds of families.”

  “Insights come in the moment, but are not of that moment,” Uzume brushed a cluster of tiny blue flowers hanging from a tree they passed. The scent tickled the back of Klipyl’s nose, and a trickle of pollen drifted downwards.

  “They’re from everything we’ve experienced before,” said Klipyl.

  Uzume smiled. “You are especially unique. What insights might you have that no one else will ever gain?”

  “Might I ask why you invited me?”

  “Lady Am was the one who started your change, was she not? She reached inside you.”

  Sarah would say something about answering a question with a question. Yet she didn’t really answer my question, it was more to change the subject slightly. Yet is she not answering my question so I’ll think about it?

  “Yes.”

  One hand still brushing the flowers, Uzume extended the other with a seed atop it. “That is a seed for this species of tree. No matter where I plant it, the tree produced will never be the same. Yet if it grows to maturity, it will still produce beautiful flowers.”

  “Uzume, how did you know what Am did?”

  Pinching the seed between her fingers, Uzume lifted it higher. “When she reached inside you, she compressed you into a seed and pushed you to where the light could touch you, allowing you to decide your growth. Her touch and nature are clear to those with adjoining natures from your existence. She created a path this realm hadn’t allowed in the aeons we’re told that the demons of the Abyss existed. I can look back down that path into your original species' beginnings and know you alone have walked it.”

  Klipyl blanched. “I’m sorry.”

  The seed disappeared, and Uzume patted her shoulder. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for, Klipyl. I say this so you have more context of your accomplishment.”

  “I’ve done things.” Klipyl dropped her gaze.

  “Child, not all lessons are pleasant. The tea is bitter, but it contributes to warmth and health. You are a flower collected from the darkness, and I’ve had experience with such matters. I once had to fetch my lady from the darkness, dragging her back from the depths of a vile cave. Lady Am only showed you a path, but you walked its rough journey.”

  “She offered me a way to fill an empty void inside me.”

  “Some fill their voids by endlessly consuming. You could have stopped and ignored the light she offered by worshipping a dark Power,” observed Uzume.

  Klipyl shook her head. “No, it wasn’t just the craving but the trapped feeling of the emptiness. I knew more of the same wouldn’t improve my existence.”

  “That an individual from your beginnings took and treasured that choice says much about how your seed will grow,” said Uzume. “Thank you for stopping to speak with me after the ceremony.”

  “It was an honour, Uzume,” said Klipyl.

  “Some find the ceremony lengthy, but I hope you’ll have time to accept future invitations.”

  “I’m sure there is more I can learn.”

  Uzume exchanged bows with Klipyl, thanking her again before she teleported back to their townhouse.

  When she reached the top of the stairs, she found Kadaklan seated in the main room, his gaze fixed on the barrier, ignoring the scrolls before him. Klipyl strode past, slid the screens shut, and knelt before him.

  Kadaklan, his focus still distracted, murmured. “How did you find the ceremony?”

  Klipyl hummed for a moment. “Slow yet busy, lots of little pieces. I felt welcome yet out of place. There was a time when the other guests and Uzume spoke about seasons and flowers that I’m sure had more meaning than I understood. While they didn’t grill me and answered every question, I felt I lacked things to discuss from my own experiences.”

  “Your views might have more value than you credit them.”

  “They spoke about different coastal regions at one point, and I talked about those we travelled along,”

  “There you go. You have experienced unique landscapes different from those in Nippon across the extremes of different seasons.”

  “Would you go for a walk with me?” blurted Klipyl.

  “Where would you like to go?”

  Klipyl twitched her fingers towards the door. “You mean I don’t have to use a favour to get you to walk with me?”

  “Why would you think that? Though, why are you asking me to walk with you?”

  “Because I like you, Kadaklan.” Klipyl leaned forward and planted a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek. She drew back just enough that her lips still caressed his cheek as she spoke. “You are more than just someone needing intimacy to soothe the loneliness from their Soul.”

  “Is that why you tease me?”

  “I’m new to all this. Boys are dumb, so throw rocks at them,” said Klipyl; as she sat back on her heels, she met his gaze. “Today, I learnt the importance of appreciating and showing respect to the surrounding beauty and existing in the moment.”

  Kadaklan didn’t look away. “Beauty?”

  “Would you prefer cute? You have lots of beautiful lights surrounding you from all those you’ve healed over the years.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have a secret superpower. Would you prefer to go for a walk or worry yourself by gloomily staring at the water? I know you weren’t focused on the thermal vents.”

  Kadaklan stood and offered Klipyl a hand. “It would be an honour to walk beside you, Klipyl.”

  “Will you tell me about the beauty of phoenix flames?”

  “I’ll try.” Kadaklan smiled. “I had never considered them beautiful. They’ve just always been there.”

  “It’s a matter of perspective. By the way, I’m immune to fire.”

  “I would never burn you.”

  A coy smile danced on Klipyl’s lips.