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Qingque always loved strolling the quiet streets of the Starskiff Haven in the dead of night. Whenever she wasn’t able to get to sleep, walking through sites that had people bustling through just a few hours ago was a nice way to offset the energy spent playing games and socializing all day. Qingque’s favorite place to hang around, though, was the artificial landscape. She adored the arranged greenery grown around the rocky terrain, the constant, soothing sound of flowing water, and the bright pink flowers scattered around that looked even more beautiful mixing with the soft orange glow shone onto them from the nearby lanterns.
Normally, this area was empty this late at night, which is why Qingque was quite surprised to see someone sitting on a nearby bench inside. Of course, it made sense that someone else would be at this popular art piece, but what really surprised her was the person she saw was none other than Lady Fu Xuan, Master Diviner. Fu had a bit of a somber look about her, one Qingque’s never seen before. She’s always looked strong and prepared, unwavering no matter the situation. That, or she’s upset because of a certain subordinate’s tendency to slack off.
Qingque turned to let her boss be on her own, but she began to wonder, Did Fu have anyone to lean on? Qingque considered herself a decently close friend to the Master Diviner, but she didn’t know how many other people she had in her life. The General, Jing Yuan, seemed constantly busy, and she doubted that she got close to anyone else inside or outside the divination commission. Fu Xuan definitely seemed the type to try and handle everything on her own.
Before she knew it, Qingque had already moved herself to sit right next to Fu. There was a possibility that all the Master Diviner wanted was to be alone, but just in case she was feeling lonely Qingque decided she would be there for her. “Hey hey Boss, how’s it going?” she asked, keeping up a positive smile for her.
Fu Xuan’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at the other, but only for a moment. Obviously forcing a slight smile, she responded, “Oh, hello. Sorry, I was a bit deep in thought and didn’t notice you there.” Her voice was rough, yet lacking any strong emotion.
Qingque waved her hand in dismissal, “Don’t worry about it. What’s on your mind, if you’re ok with me asking?”
“I…” Fu’s mouth opened and closed a couple times before she went completely silent. Qingque didn’t want to pry too much, so she continued to sit next to her boss without a word. She admired the scenery of the artificial landscape while stealing glances at Fu Xuan’s somber, exhausted expression every now and then.
It took a few minutes of this soft silence for Fu to try and speak again. With her head still facing the ground, the Diviner asked, “Why is it that we see a future that cannot be changed?”
It took Qingque a short while to come up with a response, doing an exaggerated thinking pose while contemplating it. “If the future we saw could be changed, then our divinations would lose their purpose. We would try so hard to avoid bad outcomes that we wouldn’t be prepared when they inevitably do happen.”
A weak giggle escaped the Master Diviner. “That was a much more intelligent response than I expected from you,” she replied.
“Rude! I’m smart, I just happen to use my intelligence solely for my pleasure.” Qingque snapped back.
“Sorry. You’re right, though. That’s why I’m so ‘strong’, right? No matter the situation, I’m always prepared, ready to take the next step and move forward, but…” Qingque looked down and noticed Fu Xuan’s hands shaking. She’d never paid close attention before,but was it normal for her to tremble like this through her confident countenance? “What am I supposed to do if I see a future I don’t know how to prepare for?” Fu’s hands began to ball up on her trembling legs, pulling at her tights- she was trying to keep it in as best as she could.
Qingque never imagined how tough it was as the Master Diviner, and seeing the impact of it on the person in front of her tore at her from the inside. Slowly, Qingque scooted closer towards her boss- her friend- and gently placed her hand atop Fu Xuan’s, who turned to her with wide eyes. Qingque had no idea what words to use in this situation, but she hoped that her touch and smile were enough to help Fu in some way.
Diviner Fu quickly averted her gaze, face red with sudden embarrassment. “I-i’m sorry that you have to see me being so weak, Qingque.” The diviner tried to move away from the other, but Qingque promptly pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Lady Fu, I’m here for you if you need to let it out, okay?” Qingque could hardly process what she was doing before it was already done. She desperately hoped she didn’t push any boundaries too far, but she wanted to do anything that would help comfort her precious friend.
It seemed to be working, if only a little. Qingque could feel the diviner letting herself relax into the embrace slightly. “I’ve started to wonder if fate only becomes sealed once I see it, that if I had never performed the divination in the first place, I would be able to change the outcome.” With a small sniffle, Fu wrapped her arms around Qingque, leaning deeper into the embrace. “When I think like that, the divinations start to scare me. What happens if I witness a dreadful future? Once I see it, there’s no escaping it. I-it becomes my fault that it ends up happening. How can I bear that weight?”
Once again Fu Xuan attempted to hold it in, gripping tightly to the back of Qingque’s clothes, yet a couple tears still managed to stain her face. Fu’s face, currently being buried into her chest, meant Qingque could feel it as well, prompting her to tighten the embrace a little more. “I’m sure I sound ridiculous for thinking about it this way,” said Fu through her constant sniffles.
“Nah, it’s not ridiculous at all,” Qingque responded, and Fu just weakly hummed back. Qingque moved a hand to stroke Fu Xuan’s beautiful hair, taking care not to disturb her ornate coiffure too much. “In Celestial Jade, after all the tiles are shuffled and the game starts, the order you draw the tiles tiles is has already been set and can’t be changed. Of course, I end up drawing really bad tiles all the time, but is it my fault for drawing that tile? Even if someone else drew that tile for me, it’d still be the same tile. All that matters is how you play that tile. Even though I end up pulling a bunch of crappy tiles in a game, I can still end up the winner if I play them right.”
Fu Xuan looked up at the other with disbelief in her teary eyes. “Ridiculous, only you could manage to link this to Celestial Jade.” Despite the words, her voice carried fondness along with her smile.
Qingque gave a short giggle. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Hey, Qingque?” Diviner Fu started, leaning her head back into Qingque’s chest.
“Yes?” She replied, continuing to run her hands through the Fu’s soft, gorgeous hair.
“Do you mind If we stay like this for a little bit longer?”
“We can stay like this for as long as you need.”
“Hey, Qingque?”
“Yes?”
“Can we be together?”
Qingque tilted her head at the question. “We’re already together, right now-”
“That’s not what I mean. I want us to be together. Permanently, as… you know.” Fu Xuan was glad her face was not able to be seen, she didn’t expect this to be so embarrassing. She was sure her face was beginning to become closer in color to her hair.
As for Qingque, it took her a few seconds to process what the Master Diviner was asking. The moment she did, she felt the heat rush to her face in an instant. “W-wait, you’re saying you wanna-” Fu Xuan cut her off with an affirmatory hum. “W-with me…?” Another hum. Qingque couldn’t say she wasn’t secretly dreaming for the chance, but they didn’t think it was realistic, much less that Fu Xuan would come out and ask it. “I-if you don’t mind… I’d love to.”
“Hey, Qingque?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”