ximilialog | ( ship catch-all ) its straight stem is hollow inside

⇢ FOOD STORAGE

❰ one of the biggest problems being aboard the ship is that it feels so hard to have any privacy. back home, she could walk through gardens, go out onto her beloved lotus lakes, have many rooms she could duck into to have some time by herself. jiang yanli didn't actually realize just how much she needed that sense of solitude before, when their available space for movement is so limited.

it's perhaps for the best, though, because when she has some time to spend with herself...a lot of feelings and memories come flooding in, becoming overwhelming. her typical temple of solitude is the food storage room — if she has a prior obligation, it's a good place to go to have an excuse to be, and she can come out with some kind of bulk food item and no one would be suspicious. she's sitting there now, atop a crate of vegetables.

it started out as just a moment of solitary contemplation, but after fifteen minutes of being alone with her thoughts, jiang yanli is weeping. she initially tried to be quiet with her tears, but it was a worthless effort. sometimes you need a good cry, but she didn't mean to be so loud as to be heard from the hallway. ❱

⇢ KITCHEN

❰ one of jiang yanli's viveca requests is a very large bowl — a cauldron, if you will. it took a while for her to figure out how she would be using it, but she's adapted: turned on all the burners and plopped the thing in the middle of the stove.

it's such an impressive vat that in order to stir the massive amount of soup, she has to stand precariously on a chair, looking at the progress from above. the long counter of the kitchen is covered in chopped vegetables, a whole chicken (cubed), lotus seeds, spices in piles. she already has quite a few stirred in, but she's waiting for the pot to come to boil before anything else gets added.

luckily for her, someone comes in just as the rolling bubbles become aggressive enough for her to be happy. ❱

Oh! ❰ she wipes her brow with the sleeve of her robe, then points it at one of the available ingredients. ❱ If you don't mind, could you bring those over to me?

❰ because getting up and down from the chair will be quite the workout. ❱

⇢ SIMULATION ROOM

❰ ~~let's pretend i fully know how the simulation room works~~

taking the advice of an acquaintance, jiang yanli has decided to relive some of her old past memories. the happier ones, hopefully keeping the more negative ones at bay after her nice crying jag. the comfort of home, her past home, is too alluring to pass up when it can so easily be replicated by the ship.

so she sends out a text to everyone. ❱

If you would like a nice, relaxing evening on the water, please come to the simulation room.

❰ once the door to the room is open, you step onto a long, flattened boat, in a vast lake system filled with lotus flowers. there are no buildings that can be seen, just mountains and water stretching in every direction. it's currently nighttime in the simulation, and the boats have accompanying lanterns that help to illuminate the sheen of the lotus bobbing so close that one can easily reach out and grab a few.

in her own boat, about 10 yards away, jiang yanli sits. her sleeves are rolled up, arms wet from dipping in and out of the lake. she's the happiest she's been in months, and she quickly paddles her boat over closer to the new arrivals. ❱

Do you like it? ❰ she asks with a childlike eagerness, face lit up despite the sun being down. ❱ Isn't it beautiful?

⇢ ITEM TELEPORTATION PLATFORM

❰ you are about to witness a very special milestone in jiang yanli's life.

she'd had a set of robes made in gyeongje, and then the ones she arrived in. that at least meant she could wear one set while washing the other now. but it's been almost two months since she arrived aboard the ship, and had been taking in the standard wear of everyone aboard. the way jiang yanli dresses is so significant to her culture...the ideas of modesty, showcasing allegiance and station in society. her body is extremely covered, and if — if! — she were to switch to clothing of another culture, they would have to fit that necessity as closely as possible.

the next supply drop, jiang yanli finds herself standing, surrounded by modern women's clothes. she's got one pile of options that are suitably long, but so many pieces just...confuse her.

for instance, in one hand she holds up a peach dress to her body trying to figure out how exactly it would fit on her. ❱ This...the chest... ❰ mumbling to herself, she switches it out for a strappy green number, even more distressed. ❱ Is this supposed to simply be fabric to use?

❰ her expression switches from baffled to embarrassed, imagining being so shameless as to show this much skin. she is very lost, please help her overcome this shame. ❱

⇢ SHARED BEDROOM

❰ continuing from earlier in the day, jiang yanli has hoisted her load of clothing into their shared living quarters. thankfully the closet came equipped with hangers — thus far, the space is so significantly bare, between their limited sets of robes available. they don't have a lot of wardrobe variety...well, she didn't, previously.

some of the clothes are unsorted still. the others hunting for supplies were very generous in letting her take most of the available clothing somewhere in her size range, taking pity on the girl who wears nothing but cumbersome robes all the time. it grew to be such an overwhelming undertaking that she combined her pile of possible clothes with ones she hadn't yet vetoed, running away to her room to sort and sigh in peace.

she didn't have the foresight to think through how she might feel if she were disturbed, and especially by someone who truly knew her, who might look at this choice as a slight or something shameful. when the door opens to the bedroom, she can only assume it's one person — wei wuxian would have made his presence known much earlier. ❱

Please don't mind the mess— My apologies. ❰ hangers in hand, she rushes to grab clothes from the floor and pile them onto her bed. she debates throwing them under the duvet, but what use would it be? what's known is known. ❱

[ After the past month and a half, and the months before her arrival on the ship where survival was the most pressing matter, and then finding her brother, having the time and the freedom to explore and think has been a blessing. As long as she doesn't stay too long with her own thoughts, everything is fine; and luckily, the ship is exciting enough that remaining distracted is easy.

But the distraction of clothing is not something she was expecting when she returns to her shared room, Jiang Yanli standing among an assortment of modern attire. She looks at the pile, now hastily scooped on the bed, then back to Jiang Yanli. ] Don't worry— [ She sounds downright amused at the situation, and rather than collapsing on her bed, or in one of the chairs, she hovers. ]

Do you need help sorting through those?

❰ after a few moments of questioning herself, jiang yanli finds that she's held her breath in — she's sure she looks like a startled forest animal. she lets it go, grounding herself in the moment. she should have known better than to suspect wen qing would be the one to judge her — if anything, she'd leave that to one of the men who may not understand such burdens, or hold them to the same level of importance.

collapsing into a seated position next to the pile, she looks at it with a tired expression. ❱

I had some of them parsed through...I just had to get out of the platform room quickly, so they've become a mess. ❰ which at least if wen qing could help, she has some idea of what criteria would need to be met in order to be acceptable dressing options, despite lacking in culture. ❱ If you see something you think is...indecent. Please don't think it's something I was truly going to keep.

[Dusty's problem is almost exactly the opposite. Back home, he'd never really had any privacy, and that was the way he liked it. It means he'd grown up to be the type of person who didn't bother to hide his feelings all that much and who doesn't really expect others to either. It hadn't been intentional, invading Jiang Yanli's privacy, but it also doesn't particularly register as any kind of invasion either.

Anyway, he was already on his way to food storage, planning to grab some dry rice to add to a giant vat of chicken soup he's been putting together to simmer. When he comes to the door and hears crying inside, he waffles for only a couple of moments before he pushes the door open and steps inside to see her there weeping. For a moment, he's awkwardly silent, and then he glances away, biting his lip before speaking, voice quiet and careful.]

Are you okay?

Edited 2021-08-26 22:20 (UTC)

[ Wen Qing's dressed in fairly masculine robes as often as she could, done her hair up in ways meant to commandeer respect, talked in ways that, had she not been her uncle's favorite and also Wen Ruohan's personal physician, would have gotten her reprimanded any number of ways.

Frivolous indulgences like clothes and dainty slippers and charming hair-pieces, finding time to apply the make-up and jewelry her cousins' wives did wasn't a part of Wen Qing's life. She dared not think about it, beyond the need to make her uncle look good, and it was easy to ignore any part of her that wanted it. But now, surrounded by clothes, even if they are more shocking than anything she's ever seen before, in a place that feels safe, it's—

Not something she can think too much about right now, but she can help Jiang Yanli with this. ]

Many of the modern clothes I have seen are quite indecent. Did you know many people only wear one layer? [ As she speaks, she reaches out to pick up a hanger and dress from the pile, a gauzy, layered thing in a color that she suspects will suit her roommate, even if it looks almost too short, compared to their robes. ] This will show your ankles but it's cute.

[ Zelda doesn't really intend to involve herself in the cooking. It's more a product of unfortunate timing than anything else. But for all many would claim it, she isn't outright rude without reason. Intentionally, at least. Maybe she doesn't do it with great enthusiasm or offer an entirely unnecessary friendly smile as she does, but she does do as she's asked, gathering up the vegetables and handing them to the vaguely familiar woman balancing on a chair at the stove. ]

Are you planning to feed the entire station?

❰ it's true...most of them are indecent, by their own standards. but how indecent has she been here already? if her mother could see how many people she had spoke casually to, how many hands and arms she'd touched to mimic the norms of others...she would certainly look at her daughter with scorn; jiang yanli was not raised to be someone who didn't always instinctively know her place, and how to act accordingly.

the question is thus, as she looks at the cascade of fabric falling from the hanger: what is the line of indecency that she won't cross? ❱

I think there won't be getting around that with most clothes. It's already not so typical to wear dresses that cover so much of your leg, among the refugees. ❰ there are people who do wear long dresses, but jiang yanli has had to hide her embarrassment at many a woman in shorts or skirts that go to her knee. ❱ It does have a nice colour. I'll have to sacrifice showing some of my feet, just as long as other things are covered.

❰ an obvious example — there's a green dress sitting close, whose bodice is nothing more than two thick straps to cover the chest in an 'x'. with a flick of her wrist, it's tossed to the side. that is obviously crossing the line. ❱

❰ despite the less-than-warm aura the woman gives off, jiang yanli still offers a bow of her head and a smile as she grabs her vegetables, dropping them in one by one, slowly, close to the water so as to avoid splashing. ❱

It's somewhat the point — if everyone wants some, they're welcome to it. If not, no one would be disallowed extra servings.

❰ this is embarrassing. she jumps, choking on the sob she'd had to suck back in, mid-jag. jiang yanli stands up with a clatter of the crate beneath her, making sure to collect her robes around her quickly. she suddenly wants to take up as little space as possible. ❱

Y-Yes, I— Hm. ❰ her hands wipe at her face, make sure her hair is placed correctly. there's no getting rid of the redness in her eyes or cheeks, or the dampness of her bangs, and her quick bows don't make her look any more put-together than before. ❱ It's my fault for being in a publicly accessible space, my apologies. Please feel free to get what you've come for.

[ Wen Qing is familiar with the human body, both male and female, seen in every possible state of undress, but some of the clothes people here wear are shocking. Short dresses and mid-riff baring clothes, tight outfits that leave little to the imagination. If that's acceptable, in some places and times, then who is she to judge? Some of it looks so freeing, besides.

With Jiang Yanli's verbal acceptance, she puts the dress on a hanger and looks toward the green dress dismissed, with the intent to use that as an example. The bodice— it makes her flush, even. ] I see.

[ People design clothes like that? Even just on a practical level, it seems absurd, baring too much skin. Cheeks still pink, she reaches for another article of clothing, only to pick up a pair of jeans. Shaking them out, she holds them up. ] Have you tried these on?

[ It's not that she doesn't know what trousers are, and she's seen enough men and women in them that it's not surprising to see them among Jiang Yanli's haul. They just do not seem to suit her, considering the rest of the clothing. ]

❰ despite wen qing's seemingly immediate understanding of this jumping over traditional boundaries, they do have some common ground. to show off any of one's upper body as a woman, outside of the tight v-neck of a robe, is saved only for intimacy. she can't imagine she would ever be so bold as to toss away that gospel truth.

the pants that her roommate shows off bring up another struggle. robes leave room for the imagination. everyone knows that legs are a born part of human anatomy, but to see the shape of them so blatantly? it's so...the concept is almost baffling. ❱

Oh no — really, I haven't tried any of them on. It's just sorting for now, but. I don't think I could ever— ❰ she waves her hand in denial. maybe eventually, but for now she's sticking to as many pieces of clothing without form as she can possibly find. ❱

[ Even the tight v of their robes reveals only traces of skin, everything hidden beneath the multiple layers of robes and undergarments. Oh, therr are women who wear things that reveal more, but that's unheard of among the daughters of the gentry. It's scandalous to imagine revealing more, or to reveal their stomachs, and for all that she is intensely curious about the possibility of wearing trousers, she can't imagine anything revealing more. ]

Would you mind then, if I tried them? [ She doesn't expect much from them. But she's been wearing cumbersome robes for as long as she can remember, and sometimes she wishes she didn't have to deal with them, when trying to deal with patients. ] Where did you get all these clothes?

❰ at the question, jiang yanli immediately hopes that wen qing didn't take her own quick denial with offense. after all, she has no right to question how others may bend their own commitments to tradition. she certainly has always seen the gray within the black and white. ❱

By all means. If there are more, they are yours to do with as you wish. ❰ she's not sure if there may be more options in the large pile, so she digs a hand in to thumb through fabrics and outlines. regardless of trousers being available, she can already tell some of these will have to go. ❱ There was a supply drop earlier. I believe they regularly offer up selections of clothing, but I've never gotten curious enough to inspect them before now.

It's a large platform, and based on the amount, I'm sure that not all of them are taken every time. You are bound to find more if you were to look.

[ All this good will. Pizza parties, soup kitchens... What is it with these people and their need for bonding? They're just strangers meant to do a job together. Several jobs.

Maybe they have the right idea. They are, after all, stuck in this mess together. They've all agreed to the same terms. ]

That's very thoughtful of you.

❰ jiang yanli gives her pot a curious sniff, only somewhat happy with where it all is right now. it definitely needs more spices. she pulls from the pocket of her robe both a small handkerchief and a silken pouch.

the contents of the pouch go into the pot, and the handkerchief dabs at her brow, right in the thick of the rising heat. ❱

Thank you. The gratitude is much appreciated. I also know not everyone is well versed in preparing meals, for themselves or for others. ❰ she twists a bit to examine what all she has left to add, mentally timing when it should be tossed in. ❱ Let alone those who don't quite know how to operate technology such as this. It takes some practice when you're used to an open flame.

[It's probably obvious to both of them that she's really not okay, or so Dusty thinks. It's something he doesn't really understand, this need for people to pretend that they aren't affected by things, that they don't have feelings or at least the total aversion to showing those feelings. As he sees it, if someone is hurting this way it's just as important to help as it would be if she were injured and bleeding.

But even if he doesn't understand it, he does know about it. Ches and Jasha and a few others he's grown up knowing have this same reaction, the immediate instinct to pretend that any moment of weakness had never happened, that they weren't affected by whatever bad things had happened to them either recently or in the past. He figures it's probably some difference in how people were raised - Ches had never punished him for feeling things, had never made him feel stupid for it or like it was wrong, had just comforted him.]

No no, hey, no need to apologize. If you need a moment to yourself, then take it. I'll grab the rice and be right out of your hair.

[For a moment, he chews on his lower lip, just looking at her with a sort of soft expression on his face.]

Or...look, I don't mind if you cry. I won't think less of you or anything. If you need to talk we can talk about whatever's bothering you, or if you'd rather a bit of a distraction, we could look at the stove and you can ask any questions about it?

❰ it would be incorrect to say she's never been punished for emoting. yu-furen of the yunmeng jiang clan was very much a cold woman, and her first child was quickly delegated the role of third parent, a dutiful daughter who was seen but not heard unless caring for her brothers.

it doesn't occur to her that this is at all the root of the issue. instead, it makes sense, logically, that she should only bother direct family with emotional outburst in dire circumstances, where it would be basically impossible to not let the emotion leak out.

after bowing, she takes a bit more time to straighten herself out, hiding her sniffing as much as she can. ❱

Thank you for your kindness in accepting such a scene — I just couldn't possibly...my problems are truly my burden to bear, not a stranger's.

❰ letting go of her robes, she twists to look around at the food supplies around, happy to be distracted with something task oriented. ❱ What have you come in to collect? I'll gladly help carry it out and you can show me how to work the dials again.

I'm not sure if I want that many pairs. Something to try for now. [ Because it is bucking tradition, and for all that she wants to escape it tradition sometimes, it's hard to ignore entirely. Her robes are familiar and remind her of home; more importantly, a connection to her brother, whereabouts still unknown, even if she has confirmation he's okay.

She folds the trousers carefully, setting them aside to try them on later and see how they fit and how they feel. That done, she reaches for another dress, examining it to make sure the bodice is one piece and provides adequate coverage. ] I haven't paid too much attention to the supply drops; they seem mystifying. These things, appearing out of nowhere?

[ The last days she remembers from home involved begging on the streets of Lanling, hiding as much as possible from the cultivators and soldiers on the streets while still trying to find word of Wen Ning and her family. ] A supply drop such as this would have been useful. Clothes, food, other necessities— [ She cuts off, shaking her head and slipping the dress on the hanger. ]

I look for new things to use in the kitchen when they come in — the week before, a large iron pot was brought in and I've found it to be very useful. ❰ it's how she knew to go look for clothing there, once she got the itch. otherwise, she hasn't investigated much. perhaps she'll find time now, since she's becoming a modern woman of the world and all.

jiang yanli turns to better sit on the bed, folding over a few choices of clothing on their hangers. there's a light purple dress she already knew was going to be a winning option — it was slightly sheer, but had a slip of fabric underneath the outer fabric for the sake of modesty. she planned to still wear her lotus charm, but wearing other colors still feels like something of a betrayal. she was happy to wear yellows and whites once she married into the jin clan, but she can admit that the purples and pinks of yunmeng jiang are what her heart will always be loyal to.

the thought comes to her as wen qing also falls into nostalgia, which makes her spirit suddenly feel heavy. she wonders again how much her roommate remembers from back home, if she knows what her fate was. ❱

I thought the other day...I'm glad that we were chosen. To be aboard this ship. ❰ there's ruching on the dress in her hands that she fiddles with, focusing hard. ❱ To be given the chance to right wrongs, away from the rigidity...I miss the comfort of being home, where I know the procedures and proper way to do things. And still, I wonder if this kind of freedom isn't sometimes better.

Oh, it's not really kindness. I guess I'm just not the sort of person who gets bothered by other people having feelings. I've never really understood why people react that way or think poorly of it.

[But he's also not going to push if she's obviously uncomfortable with people seeing her cry. Pushing it is never good, it just makes people miserable and more upset, and he doesn't want to be that guy forcing her to be vulnerable with him. When she chooses to help him get the stuff he's looking for and go back to look at the stove, he nods and smiles at her, a sort of fond smile.]

Sure! I was getting some rice to put into the chicken soup I'm making. Have you ever had chicken soup? I mean, I'm sure your culture probably has a version of it, most do, but the one I'm making is North American.

❰ she herself isn't one to judge the emotions of others either — it's an internalized hypocrisy. 'my low standards for others and my high standards for myself.' it's quite a hill to climb, and certainly won't be scaled in one session of feelings discussion. ❱

Yes, yes — I've made a chicken soup before. ❰ ginseng, mushroom, lotus, chicken of course...it's not beyond her that people make things differently based on where they're from, so jiang yanli doesn't even offer her ideas of what one may look like. wherever north america is, she'll be learning how they make their own.

she turns to step on the crate she was previously using as a stool, quick to grab a medium-sized back of rice from a shelf above. with a hop down, she smiles as genuinely as she can. things will feel less embarrassing when there's a task to focus on. ❱ I'm excited to see how you cook this...I'm never without need for new ways to make soup.

I have smelled some of your soup cooking. [ She's even had some of it; the pot has been useful. The food they end up with otherwise, while fine, doesn't satisfy the same way as properly cooked food does.

Wen Qing is quiet for a few minutes, concentrating on the clothes, occasionally holding up a dress or skirt for Jiang Yanli's approval, those words running through her head. ] This is better than what I last remember. The freedom that comes with a new place, unburdened with our rules, is a relief.

[ She misses home with a fierce ache but it's less missing home and more missing her family and the reassurance that they are okay. For all that she's been told Wen Ning lives and a-Yuan live, it's not the same as seeing them, as knowing the truth of their situation.

With a quick glance at Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing shakes her head, redirecting her thoughts. There is no use on idle speculation, not now, when there's still too much she doesn't know. ] We can see what other customs people bring and see what suits.

❰ there is one major thing that jiang yanli misses from home — the fact she and wei wuxian are here and yet jiang cheng isn't with them is a wound that will be incapable of healing. if he was here, jiang yanli wonders if she would have any aches of home at all. there will always be regrets, pains of nostalgia...the complicated feelings will fade once her regret is undone, but in the meantime they won't be going anywhere.

this will never be discussed. to open up about such a fact will only lead to an unmannerly scene.

instead, she nods and grabs another dress. this one is a beige colour, which doesn't naturally appeal to her, but it's one of the only options that actually hits the floor. she holds it up to herself, happy that the dress falls down her lap and to the floor at the same length as her robes. jiang yanli has taken to keeping her shoes off on the ship; the cobbling isn't suited for the metal and materials of the floor. her socked toe raises and peeks out from beneath the fabric. ❱

I should have taken a look at the shoe options...I don't know if they will suit, but they would make walking much easier. But perhaps trying on a dress or two would be enough for now.

❰ she stands up, as if leaving a sitting position will remove her from her stifling thoughts. with a small smile, jiang yanli turns with the dress still pressed to her form. ❱ Is this a complimenting colour? I think I may be too accustomed to wearing brighter shades.

I suppose it would.

[ It's been awhile since she had to make that adjustment, and everyone had been in the same position.

She makes a faint sound of amusement. ] It's hard to believe we're in space and what might be most difficult to navigate are the kitchen appliances.

[ It truly highlights how different they all are. ]

[What emotional problems could be? Dusty's got his own hang-ups, mostly around being slow to process what he's feeling and acting out before he really understands why, but it's a long, slow slope of learning.]

I thought you might've. It's one of those things that's pretty universal among most cultures, at least in my experience. You should show me how to make yours sometime.

[He watches as she hops up on the stool and once she's down and ready to head back to the kitchen, then smiles when she says she's excited to learn a new way to make soup.]

Oh? You a big soup fan? I mean, it's one of those dishes you can't really go wrong with, right? I started mine by making chicken stock...

[The explanation of how he's made the soup up to the point he's at manages to get them back to the kitchen, and he heads right over to check the pot.]

Where were you from? Some part of Earth? Maybe I'll recognize it.

❰ it will be a while before she has to maintain anything in the pot, so jiang yanli moves to step down back onto the floor. the heat isn't unbearable, but an unnecessary burden at the moment. ❱

I'm still surprised every day by the depths of knowledge some have. How to work all the amenities, what strange foods are, the way they speak about their cultures...I would have never imagined anything like this before I was brought aboard.

❰ she gathers her robes about herself, looking at how they just barely brush across the metallic surface of the floor. ❱ No matter how much our floor was scrubbed, it would never reach this level of shine.

I adore soup. It's something of my area of expertise. My home's specialty soup requires certain things that don't come in the average supply drops, so I'll have to ask Viveca for the proper ingredients again.

❰ she made it once before for those who come from her same world, but only kept it for them. it seemed most fair, after all. most other people got familiar foods from home all the time.

they discuss the intricacies of dusty's soup until they reach the kitchen, and jiang yanli hefts the bag of rice onto the counter before moving to the sink area to roll up her sleeves, beginning to wash her hands. ❱

Our encompassing territories are referred to as China, but I'm specifically of the Yunmeng Jiang clan. I married into another clan, but I'll always be a first daughter of Yunmeng Jiang. Our world makes pots of soup over an open flame, not a stove.

[ The sound Zelda makes isn't quite a laugh. ]

No. Ours either.

I've watched places change, technology evolve, but I never expected to see the day I'd travel into space.

[ Even if she doesn't exactly recall the traveling part. ]

❰ it's a sentiment that makes her smile with nostalgia. she thinks for a moment as she examines the quantity of carrots that she's cut up — perhaps not enough. hmm. ❱

I'd frequently stare at the stars when I was a young girl. To think we're sailing past them right now is something my mind can barely comprehend.

❰ after studying the carrots some more, jiang yanli pulls a knife from its stand, preparing to retrieve more vegetables to add. ❱ Though you seem the kind of person to at least know what a 'stove' is, before coming aboard. It feels silly to be so captivated by things others find so simple.

[ Almost immediately, Wen Qing shakes her head. Beige is a perfectly acceptable color and it doesn't wash Jiang Yanli out, but it is ill-suited for her. At least to Wen Qing, who lived in a place where bold, vivid colors were the norm: stark whites, blood reds, the deepest blacks. ] Perhaps when you mean to cook, it would serve you well then. Nothing nice to get in your way.

[ As she speaks, she looks around the pile, finally pulling out something that is almost as long as the beige dress, with a respectable neckline, but in a pink ombre color. ] This one.

[ It's a lovely color, not something Wen Qing would seek out, but suitable for the other woman, and Wen Qing rocks back on her heels after placing it on the bed and smoothing out the skirts. It's good to feel useful for once, after drifting aimlessly for so long on the ship. Even during their previous mission, she'd felt like an encumberment, weighed down by worry, unsure of the very reality of this place. ]

❰ this is certainly a good point. they have different robes and dressing for different activities and events back home...why wouldn't this also apply to modern clothing? it's decided — this shall be the dress that she wears when doing chores, or when she means to be as out of sight as possible.

she does like the colour of the offered dress, and the material and cut aren't so new that she would compromise her receding boundaries. the beige garment is placed flat on the other side of the bed while jiang yanli leans to touch the fabric of the pink one. ❱

It is lovely — as lovely as these can be. It's my luck that you have such a good eye for these things. ❰ which she finds surprising — should she? being able to see into the depths of her roommate's true person is a treat jiang yanli didn't expect to find in space. ❱

Yes. Our kitchen had progressed at least that far into the modern world.

But I remember the days of preparing our meals over an open flame.

❰ it makes her wonder how it would feel to apparently age long enough to see technology like that pass you by. certainly cultivators existed who would probably see electricity, water running from the tap...it's not such a far-fetched idea, though one that was always out of her grasp. ❱

Is it hard to adjust? Or does the gradual passing of time make it feel more natural?

[ She's never given it much thought, really. Unlike her niece, Zelda was raised among witches, always knew her life would span centuries. And she's lived within something of a bubble, unbothered by the passage of time. She gives a faint shrug. ]

Change is natural. One adapts.

[ It may be argued Zelda hasn't done as much adapting as she could. One need only look at the way she dresses, the manner in which she carries herself. She probably can't even tell you which year she's arrived from. ]

No one likes change when it first comes to our doorstep, but we endure. And when it makes our lives easier, better, we learn to appreciate those new conveniences.

( ship catch-all ) its straight stem is hollow inside

( OPEN )

( OPEN )

( OPEN )

( OPEN )

( CLOSED ⇢ WEN QING )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject