Immortal Mortals

Construction

The girls arrival with the midday meal created quite a stir among his young crew.  Many of the young girls were unmarried and because it was looking as if his own crew were the youngest of the lot, the excitement from them was just as obvious.  Standing apart from the youthful group, he watched the flirtatious looks from the young girls and sideways glances from the young men, and it took Mo Yuans mind back to his own youth, which suddenly made him feel very old, but their youthful exuberance had him smiling softly regardless.

"Here, eat it while it's still hot." one of them said to him as she handed him a large bowl of soup and a freshly baked slice of bread.

Taking the proffered food, he turned his head towards the voice.  "Thank you." he said before he almost dropped the bowl while spilling some and burning his hand.  The bowl was too hot, and his Mortal body which could not regulate the differing temperatures with ease, was suddenly feeling a lot of pain.

"You're hurt!" she cried out, taking the bowl quickly from his grasp and placing it to the side.  Then before he could stop her, she was leading him to a bucket of cold water that was nearby, before pulling a small piece of cloth from inside her gown, and wetting it.  Then cleaning his hand thoroughly of the soup that was still burning his hand, she removed a small bottle of fluid from her pocket and dabbed it's contents gently on his now searing burns, which had already begun to blister.

"T'm fine, really." he told her trying to disengage his hand from her tight grasp.  Mortal Realm medicines tended to contain nothing more than useless herbs that had been infused in either hot water or inferior wine.  He wasn't expecting any relief or healing from her little potion bottle, in fact the moment the potion hit his skin, he automatically tensed waiting for the pain to increase, but he was pleasantly surprised to feel the pain ease almost immediately.  

Bringing his hand up to his face, he was even more surprised to smell Red Bean and a very subtle hint of aloe, a rare plant in the Mortal Realm. But what really caught his attention was the scent of something else.  It was soft and fragrant, but not a herb, he couldn't quite place it, but it was familiar.   Raising his eyebrows at her, she merely smiled, before wetting the cloth once more.   It was then, he noticed she was blushing. Had she been studying him, he thought to himself smiling himself.

 "I grow the herbs in my own garden." she told him with the most softest of voices, raising her own brows at him, before wrapping is hand securely, but he did not miss the sudden flicker across her eyes before she quickly lowered them. 

Her smile was enchanting, and her features were lovely.  A small woman, lithe of build but with an inner strength that he could feel, he began to wonder if this was the woman his young apprentices were talking about.  Though she looked older than the other girls, it was difficult to gauge her age.  Her size, full youthful figure and her flawless skin spoke of youth, but the calm unwavering depth of her eyes, spoke of a timeless, ageless soul, that he found himself staring at her intently, that she felt it.  Looking up at him, she held his gaze for a moment, before blushing and lowering her gaze once again.

"Thank you for your kindness miss.  May I know your name?" he suddenly asked.

"Liu Ai." she smiled up at him.  "I have not seen you before, are you new to town?" she asked politely. 

Nodding, he smiled back.  "Yes, I am a traveler.  I stopped to offer my services before I move on." he told her.  

"Ahhh, I see."  Then turning back towards the other girls, she chuckled lightly.  A bell like sound that immediately saw him smiling and hoping to hear it again.  "I think I had better keep moving, if they stay any longer, I may have to deliver this soup on my own." she laughed, as he turned his attention in the direction that she was looking.