Perchance to Dream

32. Cold Reception

Author's Note: I couldn't quite find a dance video I liked, so take the sample I provided in-text as a close aesthetic instead! (Her shoulder movements aren't the best but....use your imagination to prettify it, okay?) ^-^ The full version of the song in the video is 《知否知否》by Yisa Yu (郁可唯) from Legend of Minglan.

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A year ago at the dance academy, Mei Yanran and her best friend had teamed up to choreograph a two-person dance for one of their class assignments. Their inspiration came after Mei Yanran watched a bunch of MeTube videos and came upon kids doing a "Snow Day Dance." Apparently, some schools would cancel classes if it snowed enough, so this was a dance that magically summoned snowstorms. (Disclaimer: Success rates lower than advertised.)

Calling it a dance was a bit of a stretch, since all the kids did was mime snow falling down, making snowmen, and throwing snowballs to induce a storm. But the idea was good for inspiration, so Mei Yanran and her bestie had created a classical Chinese dance version for their personal project. Mei Yanran had taken on the role of a little girl, while her friend danced was the snowflake she charmed to call down the rest of its brethren.

Because "Snowflake Dance" was already taken as a title by one of the other groups, Mei Yanran and her friend had called their work the "Flurry Dance" instead. Thankfully, they were graded on the creativity of their choreography, not their naming sense. (Spoiler: They also got an A.)

Present day Mei Yanran was currently standing in the middle of the clearing, exhaling soft puffs of air. She gestured at Ling Fengxiao to back up a little further ("For the best view, stay at least 10 feet back!") and glanced up at the clouds, where more errant snowflakes were drifting lazily down.

"Do you know if it'll snow for good later?" she asked haphazardly.

Ling Fengxiao kept his eyes on her before shaking his head. "It's supposed to stop before nightfall."

"Heh." Mei Yanran lowered her gaze to look at him squarely. "What if I ask the snowflakes to indulge us instead?"

"Has Miss Mei found a way to command the winds and clouds?" Ling Fengxiao asked, folding his arms with a quirked brow.

"You don't order favors, you ask for them!" Mei Yanran grinned and got into position.

One foot behind the other, eyes gazing past the left arm.

Shoulders down, tummy in, take a breath and sigh.

This is the story of a little girl who danced for her guest, wishing with all her might for a snowy night.

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Unlike her grand performance in the imperial palace, this dance was more muted; less extravagant. Only the soft crunch of snow beneath Mei Yanran's boots accompanied her performance. Ling Fengxiao expected her fur-lined cloak to get in the way, but it was especially well-behaved. Or rather, Mei Yanran was skilled enough to let the cloak accompany her dance, its rippling folds making beautiful afterimages in the wake of her movements.

She stepped softly and she spun; she looked to the skies often, expectant in entreaty, waiting for a sign. The very snowflakes seem to drift in echoing rhythms of her lingering arms; her joyful twirls. This moment she was simply a girl in respectful reverence, praying for a frozen miracle.

Ling Fengxiao had watched quietly at first, then with closer attention. It was true that Mei Yanran was far more skilled than any dancer he'd seen, imbibing grace into the simplest of moves. The way she moved was refreshing, a soothing salve for tired minds. His eyes glimmered with curiosity as he thought back to their interactions.