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“…you want me to teach you?” The girl standing next to Yanqing asked—March still didn’t know her name, but she knew her swordsmanship was absolutely incredible—hesitantly, snapping her knuckles. She glanced over to Yanqing, who smiled and nodded. The girl wrinkled her nose at Yanqing, stepping away from him, and March swore his smile lost a bit of its charm.
“Alright…” Her eyes lit up after a second. “But. You have to do me a favour.”
March perked up, Yanqing looking at the girl suspiciously. “What? I'll do anything! please?”
“Convince that Nameless that’s always following you around to let me spar with him.” Yanqing huffs a laugh. After a beat, she quickly added, “And I want to take a look at Cloud Piercer!”
March grinned. “Done!”
Easier said than done, March has come to realise.
Partially due to the fact that both Yunli—that’s her name, and March is sure she won’t forget it for a good while—and Yanqing’s training regimens are nigh impossible for each other and March, since they insist on her doing both, but partially because they cannot seem to agree on a single damn thing—even outside of training! They can’t agree what snack shops to visit after March’s training, since Yunli seems to not care what she eats but Yanqing advocates for a healthy diet. (Yunli eventually groans and settles it with a stick of bing tanghulu. It’s good, and March watches Yunli slowly convince Yanqing to hand his stick over. He sighs and puts it in her hand.)
March can’t really think of any other examples, but they’re both very argumentative!
However, that is what they seem to the naked eye. March has figurative sunglasses in this situation.
March, as the wonderfully experienced adult she is, knows that this is very much flirting she is seeing in front of her! Flirting! Stelle says she shouldn’t be this invested in a child’s love life, but it’s different because she and Yanqing are friends so she has the Aeon given right to be invested!
She also very much hopes that she and Yunli are friends, but she doesn’t seem like the type to express it—like Stelle, almost, if Stelle had a semblance of elegance. (That’s a lie, but you do get the idea, no?)
However, she needs to get a feel for their relationship before she endeavours to do anything, hence why she is now chatting with Yanqing about this! March is very respectful. She needs to know how he feels about this before engaging with Yunli about it.
“So… whaddya think of Yunli?” March smiles, nursing a cup of tea in her hands. Yanqing looks up at her from the floor, squinting a bit, whether out of suspicion or because the lights of the screens behind her are too bright.
He shifts so that he can lean his head against the front of her bed. “I mean… she’s a good swordsman, I guess? Or would swordswoman be a better descriptor…”
“Nothing else? Really?” March raises an eyebrow.
Yanqing huffs a laugh. “Are you saying I have a shallow view of her?” He shrugs. “Well, I can’t say she’s nice or anything. I just met her a while before you did, so… not much of an opinion to be had.”
March hums in agreement. “I don’t think you’re shallow! You two seem like friends, so I figured you had something to say about her.”
Yanqing sips at his cup of tea, swirling pale pink. “The General told me we’d be friends before I met her.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, at some… party or something. He tried to get me to talk to her, but I really, really didn’t want to talk to basically anyone that day so I just hung out in her…” He twirls a finger in the air. “General vicinity.”
“Ohhh! So, you knew who she was before?”
“Kind of!” The two laugh slightly.
The door to March’s room creaks open. “March, I—oh, hi Yanqing.” Stelle waves a little, holding a little beige box in her hands. A very familiar box. A box that is definitely in her shopping cart.
March gasps in delight. “Are those cookies?” She hops off her bed, setting the teacup on her bedside table and striding over to Stelle, taking the box from her.
“Yeah, Asta gave me them. Wait, where’s Yunli?” Stelle aims her question at Yanqing, glancing around. March tilts her head at her.
“Uh… I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, right, cookies, Asta got those ‘cause apparently… Arlan? Yeah, Arlan wanted some, but she had extra, so she gave them out, and I know you like these ones, so I brought you them.”
March’s heart bursts. “That’s so sweet, thank you!” She hugs Stelle tightly, who snorts at the sudden action.
“Wait, why’d you think Yunli would be here?”
March presses a little kiss to Stelle’s cheek, letting her go after and grabbing her hand instead, guiding her to sit down next to her on her bed. Yanqing’s probably miffed about not getting promoted to bed status, but he’ll live.
“Uh, cause you two are like, glued to the hip. I haven’t seen either of you separately in weeks.”
“Really?”
“Did you not notice?” Stelle’s voice is as monotone as ever, but that’s how March likes it, honestly—hold on, is she hearing tea right now? Unrelated to the cups she and Yanqing were sipping on?
March pops a cookie in her mouth, acting as if she was completely oblivious to the conversation. The very important one. Good thing there’s probably a camera recording somewhere in here.
Aeons, these cookies are good.
“Not really? I mean, we’re together for March’s training, and sometimes we go and get snacks afterwards or just walk around, but I don’t think I spend that much time around her?”
Stelle looks at him blankly. “Dude.”
“What? Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“…nevermind.”
“Stelle!”
(On the Luofu, while lying alone in her hotel room, a certain princess’ right ear starts ringing, much to her discomfort.)
So, try number one was a bust. That’s fine! She can always interrogate Yunli! And interrogate she… won’t.
March convinced Dan Heng to do her dirty work, much like how Stelle accidentally did it for her with Yanqing, and thanks to some miracle and a fondness for a girl who looks like she could be his ex-husband’s daughter, he agreed.
However, his means are not… something March would think of? That’s putting it nicely, Dan Heng told Yunli he’d spar with her, which wasn’t really her intention, but it makes up for that impossible sounding part of her bargain with Yunli herself, so March lets him continue. She sits down on the sidelines with Stelle, Yanqing nowhere in sight. Perfect.
Yunli summons Ol’ Mettle, leaning her weight against it, looking over Dan Heng. Her eyes light up when he draws out Cloud Piercer, star-filled orange and blue.
They’d caught her at a somewhat inopportune time for her, but she took the chance at a spar immediately. Her hair isn’t done up in messy pigtails and a crown anymore—rather, she has princess curls tied up into an equally messy high ponytail, glittering dewdrops on deep blue, coalescing into silvery lights. She wears a simple sundress, turning orange in the setting sunlight.
While they walked over to the sparring grounds, she’d mentioned she was going to meet a few friends in Aurum Alley, but they’d wait for her. March half-wonders who exactly, but the notion of asking quickly slips her mind.
Stelle blows a whistle for them to start—unnecessary, but it works.
Yunli takes the initiative, picking Ol’ Mettle up by the handle and swinging it around. Dan Heng steps backward, out of the way. The corner slams down into the sand. She digs it up as she pulls it out, spraying sand upwards.
Dan Heng charges, stabbing his polearm forward. Yunli quickly whirls around, blocking it with the front of her blade. She twists it, slamming it against the point of Dan Heng’s polearm.
The two continue trading blows—a heavy smack of Yunli’s claymore, a swipe of Dan Heng’s polearm, and it’s over in a flash, with Yunli leaning heavily against Ol’ Mettle and a line of red seeping from a tear in her skirt. March winces.
“Do you want to go to three?” Dan Heng asks, stabbing Cloud Piercer into the sand. Yunli huffs and shakes her head.
“I just wanted to see how you fought. I’m not dirtying my dress again.” Her eyes flick over Dan Heng, dispelling Ol’ Mettle. She puts her hands on her hips. “Can I see Cloud Piercer?”
Dan Heng’s eyes narrow. “Why?”
“Yingxing made it, right? My grandfather is always talking about him. I’m just curious about his metalwork.” Her voice grows a bit endearing. Dan Heng blinks.
“What do you know about Yingxing?” Stelle sits up, putting her hand on March’s before she can interrupt.
“Ah?” Yunli tilts her head. “Well, he was a member of the High Cloud Quintet, but everyone knows that. My grandfather told me that he once learned under him—on the Zhuming, we call him the Flying Comet.”
Dan Heng looks at her for a long moment. Yunli stands up a bit straighter, meeting his gaze head-on.
The moment is broken when Dan Heng steps forward, pulling Cloud Piercer out the sand as he walks. He tilts it sideways, putting the handle and the staff into Yunli’s hands. She perks up, eyes glittering.
She sits down promptly on the sand, shifting Cloud Piercer so its blade was in the palm of her hand. Dan Heng sits down next to her, criss-cross. Stelle removes her hand from March’s. Dan Heng is talking quietly with Yunli about whatever-the-hell-forging-something-something. Judging from how Yunli is pointing to little things on Cloud Piercer that, from here, looked like nothing special.
March sighs and leans down, resting her head against her knees. Stelle pats her shoulder. They’re gonna be here all day.
Stelle leans in, towards March’s ear. The quiet sound of Yunli and Dan Heng’s murmurs fill the air, paired with chirping birds. So pretty a day. Just to yap about forgery? Really? March doesn’t even think he knows forgery. This is so stupid.
“Wasn’t she going to meet someone? Remind her.” She whispers.
March gasps. “Thank you.” She whispers back, sitting up then raising her voice. “Hey, Yunli?”
“Hm?” She doesn’t lift her gaze.
“Weren’t you gonna meet up with some friends? You might wanna get a hurry on!” March pours as much charm as she can into the words.
“Yanqing can wait, it’s fine. He’ll understand.”
March is full of despair. This is simply awful. She stifles a groan and looks at Stelle desperately. She can’t sit out here in the heat.
Stelle’s eyes are wide.
“What?”
“She just said she was gonna meet up with Yanqing.”
March gasps again. Her eyes snap to Yunli. “Did you just say Yanqing?”
Yunli does not grace her with an answer, seemingly distracted. Dan Heng looks up at March and shrugs.
“I tried.”
March groans and buries her head in her knees again. Stelle pats her back again.
(Across the Luofu, at the mouth of Aurum Alley, a certain lieutenant sneezes twice in a row. He frowns, wiping at his nose.)
“And maybe this appeals—to someone not in he—heels?”
Yanqing’s singing is beautiful. Gorgeous. Marred by the little confused face he makes when he spots the word heels, but beautiful nonetheless. Stelle decides she has taught her protege well.
He crosses the little makeshift stage they’ve made, glowing microphone in hand. Getting into character, she supposes. His approach? Flawless. Yunli gracefully takes his hand and whirls him around, covering the microphone so her laughter wouldn’t echo around Yanqing’s singing.
“Or to any gi—guy!—who feels, there’s some chance of romance—stop laughing! My god!”
Thanks to the wonders of blind karaoke, Yanqing and Yunli have accidentally switched the roles for A Lovely Night—Yanqing, Mia, and Yunli as Sebastian. They seem to only just be realising it, judging from the little blush that's creeping up onto the two’s ears. Though, you could attribute that to the sheer stupidity of karaoke.
“But, I’m frankly feeling nothing.”
“Is that so?” Yunli snickers.
They stumble around to the end of the song, laughing their damn asses off all the while.
“What a waste of a lovely—haha!”
“Stop laughing! Oh my god!”
“This is so scuffed, oh my aeons—” Yanqing moves to jump off the wannabe stage after Yunli when March pushes him back onto the stage.
“Huh—?”
“You’re singing with me! Why didn’t you tell me you had such a beautiful voice?!” Yunli hands her microphone off to March, deftly turning and sitting promptly next to Sunday.
Third time's the charm for March. She swears on the Trailblaze that she’s going to figure it out this time. And—not to mention, she has a new trick up her sleeve! Sunday!
Sunday only recently joined the Express, and March will admit, she did think that he was going to install some sort of totalitarian regime, especially when she saw Stelle carrying a bag of his. However, after walking into the two of them doubled over in laughter over a stupid video of Aventurine running into a door frame at about 3 in the morning in the middle of the parlour car, March has decided that he’s nice. Ish. He just very desperately needs a chill pill, which seems to only come in the form of not sleeping.
(And, yes, she tried alcohol. She managed to stress him out more.)
So, why not get information out the old fashioned way? March plans to have Sunday corner Yunli and ask her. Genius, right? She knows. No need for praise!
…well, that was a bust.
Sunday and March sit in the bathroom with Yunli, slowly snipping at her hair. Yunli, in some stroke of genius, decided to spar with Sunday. Sunday, in some other stroke of genius, agreed and ended up chopping half her hair off.
What a waste of a lovely night, truly.
“...I apologise again, Miss Yunli.”
“I said it was fine. I was gonna get a haircut anyways. This saved me some credits, honestly.” Yunli shrugs. March bats at her head.
“Stop moving!”
“Sorry. But, seriously, I don’t mind.”
“If you say so.” Sunday responds.
A little bit of glee fills March’s heart. A bust, sure, but at least someone got something out of it.
(Ten minutes later, Yanqing walks into the bathroom, blinks at the scene in front of him—Sunday perched on the sink counter, March sitting on the floor, and Yunli balancing on the edge of the bathtub—asks what sort of haircut she’s doing—a wolf cut—then promptly leaves. Yunli starts cackling with laughter. Aeons, they’re stupid.)
March sighs, pulling her legs up and sitting criss-cross on the ledge. The view is wonderful—a night-sky-dyed Scalegorge Waterscape, the dredges of the sunset lingering in the sky as pink streaks. But she just can’t bring herself to admire anything properly, to pull her camera out to take a photo. She sets her face into her hands, watching the stars draw lines across the Blue.
She didn’t manage to figure anything out. She bets her little stunt made it back to Jing Yuan—or, worse, Yanqing and Yunli themselves.
Why did she even try? Taking a moment to think, she realises how odd it sounds. Yanqing and Yunli don’t really seem to have anything there. They’re friends, really good ones! March is happy Yanqing has a friend like her, considering his irrationality without her. Imagining they had something wasn’t the best move, nor was interrogating them about it.
In a wave of rare regret, March sighs.
“Jasmine? Really? He called me that? Why?” A whisper sounds, carried over by the warm wind. A twinkle follows it, along with a little gasp and laugh.
March glances around, moving her body to face behind her. A twig cracks under her hand—how cliche.
“Who’s there?” A familiar voice asks. A figure rises from the bench behind March, a sword in their hand. In the dim moonlight, March can make out a messy wolf cut and a golden charm at their waist.
“Yunli?” March asks, turning completely.
“Ah—March? What—what’re you doing here?” An uncharacteristic stutter fills her words.
March is almost about to apologise, until the light of pale blue catches her eye.
“Is that Yanqing’s sword?”
“...no.” Yunli lies. Liar. Her nose is growing as they speak.
March stands up, stepping around the brush she was sitting in and instead sitting down on Yunli’s bench. The lighting is darker here, but March is grateful for it anyway—masks her embarrassment.
“I need to apologise to you.”
“You do?” Yunli tilts her head.
March cringes a bit. “Remember when me, Dan Heng, and Stelle were, like, basically interrogating you?”
“No?”
“Huh? I mean the—when you sparred with Dan Heng.”
“You didn’t interrogate shit? If anything, I interrogated Dan Heng.”
“Wait, you aren’t mad? But—the hair thing, at least be mad about that!”
Yunli looks at her incredulously. “No! I don’t have the energy to spare on being mad. And I honestly like my hair shorter.”
March is confused. So confused.
“What—you’re constantly mad at Yanqing though? And—not really what I meant? I meant because I was being weird about you and him!”
“First off, that’s different, and second off, neither of us really cared.”
“I’ve been stressing over this for a week. How did you not tell me earlier?! I’m gonna get wrinkles at this rate, and cute girls don’t get wrinkles!”
“I didn’t know you were worried about it! And you were right, so just… chill out, maybe?”
“I am very chill, thank you very—hold on, what do you mean, ‘you were right?’”
“I guess he’s kind of cute? It doesn’t really mean anything though—”
“What.”
“...I sense I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“Yes, you should have! Even if you are my teacher, I’m still your big sister March! So… if you need advice~ You know where to go!” March smiles brightly, all her previous worries forgotten. She was right. She was right. And! Neither of them were mad!
Yunli jumps a bit. “It isn’t like that!”
“You just said he was cute. I’ll go out on a limb and say the jasmine thing was about him. Yunli, he calls you jasmine, that’s so lovey-dovey.”
Yunli rolls her eyes. “Okay, are you not gonna be weird about it?”
“I won’t! Crew’s honour!”
“That… isn’t a thing.” Yunli blinks, then deigns to let it go and looks skyward. “So, like, he’s cute, I guess. We’re friends. I would platonically make out with him, I think. Key word, platonically! You know what I’m talking about, right?” She shifts her gaze back to March.
“…Yunli, you can’t make out with someone platonically.”
An indignant gasp. “Says who?!”
“Says making out!”