Mixed Robes [FengQing]

Girl Crush pt. 2

The cook brought out the osmanthus wine first, to serve the two gu-niang's.

Lian poured a cup for Yulan, then for herself. She lightly sipped at the cup, wine burning down her throat. The aftertaste was floral and reminded her of a forest of flowering trees, which was why she liked it so much. She couldn't be considered an alcoholic, though. Yulan and Lian felt like two women and acted like two women. Yulan tucked her bangs behind her ear and also sipped at the wine. 

"Spicy," Yulan said. Lian looked at her blankly.

"...spicy?" Lian echoed, genuinely confused. 

"Just joking. It burns, that's all," Yulan shrugged. She continued to sip at the wine.

"Osmanthus wine... I haven't tasted this in a while. Tastes the same as I remember," Yulan mumbled, fiddling with the porcelain wine cup. Lian smiled. 

"I'll buy more if you like it," Lian said with a smile. Yuan giggled and shook her head.

"No, no, you don't have to. Meimei doesn't have to," Yulan replied. "It does taste nice, though." 

Lian nodded and shook out her bangs. She averted her gaze as she sipped her cup of wine, self-conscious and insecure. Not only did that make her feel a little more self-conscious, but Yulan braced herself against the edge of the table and stared at Lian's face. Lian glanced at her, only to blush.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?! It's scary!" Lian exclaimed, nearly leaping out of her seat. Yulan propped up her chin with one hand as she smirked and stared at Lian.

"Your nose and lips. I like your nose and lips," Yulan said, her eyes slightly narrowing. At this point, she looked a little too much like her A-Die, Hua Cheng. Her deep black phoenix eyes, fair and pale skin, beautiful hair... Lian secretly loved all of it. She nearly choked on the burning wine as Yulan continued to stare intently at Lian as Hua Cheng stared at Xie Lian. 

"Hua Yulan, you..." Lian forced out through coughs. She wiped the edges of her mouth. 

"Mm, Feng Lian, you?" Yulan teased. Lian rolled her eyes and placed her porcelain cup back on the table. The cook soon brought out the rest of the dishes, and steamy food was arranged in front of them. The aroma was heavenly, much higher than the Nine Heavens. The young girls then picked up their chopsticks and began to pick out their favored foods. Lian took a bowl and scooped in some lotus root and rib soup, while Yulan picked the deep-fried stuffed lotus root. They began to eat, each eating a different dish. Lian took a solid bite out of a ginger that was in her soup and chomped happily.

"..." Yulan commented, a look of disbelief on her face. Lian looked up at her.

"...what is it? Do I have ginger stuck somewhere on my mouth?" Lian asked, wiping the sides of her mouth. Yulan shook her head.

"It's not that... How can you just take a bite out of ginger like that..?" Yulan muttered, staring at Lian as she took another bite out of her food. Lian raised an eyebrow.

"It's not that hard. You just deal with the strong taste for a little while, and eventually, you get used to it. I grew up eating a lot of food with strong flavors. A-Die makes a lot of spicy things," Lian said, trying to explain herself. Yulan breathed a silent sigh. And she thought she knew her best friend well. They ate, and soon, they paid the bill and left. They wandered through the markets and town, looking at all the varieties of items that people were selling. 

The girls soon came upon an entertainment house. Surely, the two of them would be way too young to enter? No, they were tall. They passed for young women already, and they pulled cloaks with hoods over their faces. Lian was just shorter than Yulan, that was all. Other than that, they grew up with tall fathers [Xie Lian was a little short, but Yulan inherited most of her physical characteristics from Hua Cheng] and passed for young women if you didn't look at their faces. The two girls strode through the entrance, arriving upon the sounds of a pipa player singing and playing. Strange thumping sounds were coming from upstairs, but they didn't give too much thought to it. They sat down at a table, waiting for people to approach them. Soon enough, a few pretty-looking prostitutes strode towards them, smiling. 

"Wah, such tall gongzi's! How can we entertain you today?" A prostitute asked, voice cheery and sweet. Lian and Yulan shot a glance at each other and came to a silent agreement. They quietly switched into their male forms with deeper voices and every characteristic of a man. Their fathers had taught them how to change their appearance like that. They took off their hoods, revealing handsome features. They looked not too different from when they were in their original forms, just with sharper features and more masculine. 

"We don't need any entertainment for now, gu-niang's. Thanks, though," Yulan said, a clear, deep voice coming from his...her? throat. The prostitutes pouted, seductively sitting on Lian and Yulan's laps.

"But gongziii... please, just for a little bit?" they cajoled. Lian shot a look at Yulan but sat stiffly. 

"Our cultivation methods require us to abstain from..." Lian started. Of course, that was a lie, as she and Yulan had been happily drinking osmanthus wine earlier. A prostitute wrapped her arms around Lian's neck, caressing her strong and textured neck.

"Aww, then why don't you tell us what you two gongzi are? You look like strong men, and you aren't cut-sleeves for each other, are you?" The prostitute said with an experienced air. Lian's ears slightly reddened at that comment. The prostitute wasn't wrong... she did like Yulan, but she wasn't technically a cut-sleeve...

"We're generals from a far post, and we're just stopping by. Gu-niang's, you don't have to trouble yourselves with us. We're sure that you have other clients waiting," Yulan said, each word coming cleanly from her mouth. She smirked and flicked a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Yes, we are cut-sleeves for each other. Now, Why don't you go off and get to all the other customers? You're very beautiful, and I'm sure that many clients and customers are waiting," Yulan said, nearly laughing. The prostitute faked a pout and got off of Yulan. She signaled to her other coworkers to follow her. She flashed a smile towards Lian and Yulan and covered her mouth as she giggled.

"Well, gongzi, have fun with each other~," She said. She sauntered off with her other prostitute mates, probably gossiping. Yulan chuckled and looked at Lian. Who knew that with one glance, she [he?] would feel like lightning struck her straight from the nine heavens.

Lian's masculine face was an impossible shade of red as she gripped her robes. Her eyes were slightly red and her breathing was labored. Gay panic, much.

"A- A-Lian, are you alright?" Yulan asked after a heartbeat. Lian snapped back to reality and violently shook her head for a moment.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Lian asked. Her [his?] face was a shade lighter than the tomato-redness it was earlier, but she was still blushing. Yulan didn't put too much thought into it, so she smiled.

"All right. If you're okay, why don't we head back? It's been a little while, and I'm sure your Baba and A-Die are a little worried," Yulan suggested with a smile on her face. Lian's eyes swept over the sharp contours of Yulan's male face, from eyes to nose, nose to lips. Her eyes relaxed.

"All right. That's a good idea," Lian replied with a smile. Yulan grabbed Lian's hand and ran out of the brothel. Yulan ran, leading Lian as the sun obscured Yulan's figure. Tears unconsciously gathered in Lian's eyes due to how bright the sun was. Or was it from an unknown emotion?

"A-Lian, let's go home," Yulan said. Lian had a smile of acceptance on her face.

Yes, Lian thought. Home.

*It's been a while, but I'm not dead! My time of preparation is almost over, but I couldn't help but release a new chapter! I felt a little bad that I couldn't release them soon enough, but here is this one! ~Lotus^^*