From Dusk til Dawn

Fate

It was late evening by the time Bai Qian left Mo Yuans study having left him lightly chuckling at her exit.  Now in the Grand Hall, she stopped to look around.

Dimly lit, the Hall was empty though the table next to the podium, which she assumed was Mo Yuans, held an array of refreshments and hot tea, having only been placed a few minutes prior by Chang Shan, instinctively knowing the meeting would soon come to an end.

Taking up a small cake, she took a bite.  It had been some time since she last ate and not expecting the food to be anything worth jumping for joy over, she was pleasantly surprised.  Snatching up two more, she turned away from the table to look around. 

The Grand Hall seemed to also hold tables of learning, and as she walked about the many pillars that surrounded each low table while taking in the softly illuminated scene before her, she couldn't help but feel as if she were in some kind of dream.  The whole mountain, though quiet, seemed to be screaming out for attention. 

 Everywhere she looked, there was a carved motif that begged to be touched, a candle that had died and needed to be replaced, a desk with an open scroll that looked to contain the writers unfinished punishment lines, an incense stick that needed lighting, a bright yellow petal that had been caught by the wind and blown in to land soundlessly at her feet. 

Bending down to pick it up, she frowned.  Yellow was her mothers favorite color, but the sight of the innocent petal only had her eyes tearing sadly.  It was never a colour she liked as a child, but the memory of the multitude of dresses her mother brought back for her from her many trips away, forgetting every time that she hated the color came back to her.  Crushing it between her fingers, she let the remains fall heavily before turning to once again go in search of the wine cellar.   The last thing she wanted to do, was replay a time that only upset her.

 From memory, the tall Disciple had taken her through the same short corridor Mo Yuans study was on, to a door on the left which led to a small stairwell which led to the wine cellar.

Deciding to test her memory, she immediately returned to the short hallway stopping briefly to look back into the study where Mo Yuan was now seated at his desk, writing.  Ignoring him, she continued past and finding the right door, she made her way down the low steps and into the cellar.  

Also deciding to read the labels on the bottles this time, she chose 3 of her own wines, and though strong, they would not leave her in the same comatose position as Mo Yuans much stronger one.

Taking a seat at the low table, she giggled at the vague memory of Mo Yuans tall Disciple who had tried to take the bottle from her.  "Silly child.  Never mess with a woman and her wine." she giggled to herself as her eyes began to roam the small room.

Standing she began to browse the many wines in Mo Yuans vintage section.  The large vats on the low shelves seemed to contain a selection of ingredients that he added to flavour his wines and the smaller vats contained trial wines that he was in the process of making before they were eventually bottled and sealed.

It interested her to know that Mo Yuan also made wine, Zhe Yan being the only other person she knew to do so.  At least there was something else that could keep her entertained, she thought as the idea of creating her own wine began to take shape, something she had never considered until then. 

Though, having returned from browsing many of his wines, some of which she tasted, she soon became bored and returned to the low table.  Taking another sip of wine, she began to wonder what a life on Kunlun Mountain would be like.  So far, she had found a liking for the Learning Halls, and the idea of perhaps making her own wine, but compared to the Mortal Realm which was always busy and fun, she just couldn't imagine settling into a life of solitude and overseeing a bunch of little boys, though the thought of getting them all drunk on her home made wine had her giggling.