Mao Mao's Valentine's 2020 ♡

Star Gazing

Word Count: 936

Warning: None

It burned as it went down but no matter how many times she resented it, Zu slugged the last bit of her drink back just to sigh and sit the sake glass down next to her. Such a clear night. Days like this she could see the mountain range surrounding Pure Heart was visible under the twinkling stars. Up here on one of the upper most spires of the castle normally meant solitude. That was until a few weeks ago when the nosey sheriff found her sacred spot. And had a bad habit of inviting himself up when there was no trace of the queen.

Tonight was no different. Save for the full moon hanging low in the sky. Zu heard Mao scratch his way up the ledge and his string of curses as he always forgot to watch his step traversing the narrow lip of the spire. But always he made it to the platform unharmed and uninvited.

Zu hadn't had enough to drink for this already, "What are you doing up here?"

Mao pushed his cape heroically out took his seat beside the queen with an exasperated huff, "Why, coming to see you of course my queen!"

"Did I invite you?" Zu's brow shot up.

"Well um- I no- But up here and-" Tongue tied like always Mao didn't have a good excuse to give the clever lion.

Instead of throwing a fit and banishing him, Zu shook her head and poured the small cup full of sake and shoved it in front of the black cat, "Drink."

Hesitant over the ripe smell of alcohol in the little opaque cup. Mao knew better than to turn down the queen's offer and took the cup just to slosh it back in one gulp. Zu knew it burned going down but Mao really did over exaggerate.

Wiping his mouth Mao smacked his lips hating the lingering taste but was glad when the next glass she poured went to her own gullet and not his. Out of the ordinary to have been here even five minutes and not have the queen yell at him. Actually she was sitting a little slumped over with a glazed overlook up at the sky. Braving the consequences Mao bit the bullet and asked what was wrong, "...so, a full moon...is that why your up here?"

Had the sigh when he came up been any bigger, Zu topped that with an exhale and pinching the bridge of her nose as she rubbed her weary eyes, "I just...The moon this time of year reminds me of my parents ok. So I come up here to look at it and the stars."

Oh! So this was a family thing, Mao knew how to handle that for sure, "Why not invite your brother then? He's family."

"If I wanted to listen to someone cry and talk all evening then I'd of brought both of you," Zu's retort curt and to the point.

Taking that as the biggest hint to shut his mouth. Mao took his eyes off the queen and instead directed them up at the glowing dish taking up so much of the night sky. Really taking a moment and Mao realized it was the largest full moon he'd ever seen. But he'd been to the tops of mountains on his journey, how was lowly Pure Heart Valley able to witness such a feat.

Like the twisted internal monologue was obvious on his face, Zu's voice broke through the cover of night, "It's because of the pure heart crystal." Zu held her paw up when Mao was about to open his mouth in rebuttal, "No I don't know how it works or what it does. I just know that something in the crystal brings the moon closer it seems and the stars and moon this time of year take over the sky. It's why we have such an extensive library on astronomical knowledge and farming right now is at its peak."

"The Pure Heart Crystal huh..." Mao craned his neck around behind them to see the pink relic behind them purely just bathing in the moon light as though it enjoyed the show as much as the little sweetie pies living under it, "...this place has a lot of mystical things to it. Things I've never even seen."

Zu sighed and leaned back on her hands as she looked up at the night sky. Now she'd finally had enough to drink and her limbs were warming as was the tight grip waning from her anxiety, "Yeah, it does. That's why my parents worked so hard to make sure we knew all we could about it, every generation something new. And every generation meant something to come." Zu's tone dropped as did her eyes, "...looks like this generation isn't going to add anything though."

Realizing that her trip up here wasn't for her dead parents but really for herself. Mao never thought of the burden she must hold knowing this kingdom rest on her family's shoulders and Mao may have put a kink in that, "...That's not true." Mao reached out to lay his paw on hers, "They've never been exposed to the outside and look how well everything is thriving. Your ancestors didn't have that now did they?"

Zu didn't move her hand. Only tearing her eyes from the starry sky to the hopeful green eyed idiot beside her. As much as she liked looking up at the stars, there was just something that filled her with more hope when she looked at the sheriff, "...my parents would have loved you sheriff."