Chapter 72: "Late for Late Brunch."

  Once Xio's pill was fully dissolved and the qi absorbed into her flesh, Shae left her meditation and startled at Hon seated across from her.

  "Snrk. Expecting someone else?" He said with a smirk.

  "Yes, obviously." She straightened up and began to adjust her robes.

  "Wait." He leaned forwards to point at the inner side of her arms, just above the elbow. "Merchant Xio said to be careful not to smear these dots. They'll help to see how easy the new skin will tan."

  She spotted the groups of three dots. One very fine, like a ballpoint pen, the other two larger and larger, up to a small beauty spot. Each group had been placed on a different type of skin, with two groups on her left arm.

  "I hope he explains it again, I only got about half of it. It's like a stain, not as permanent as a tattoo. If they go away right away then you might not be able to tan, otherwise they should tell you... something?" He scratched his chin. "He used a technical word that I've forgotten."

  Shae frowned briefly but continued to investigate her left arm. The pill had somewhat softened the edges of her tan, spreading it out to about two finger's width of gradient. Her eyebrows shot up before she looked at her face in the mirror, then she gasped.

  The thing that caught her attention was another group of three dots, placed like a beauty mark just to the side and below her left eye. Almost in the center of the large cleansed patch that was there. Drawing the eye to it.

  No other makeup had been applied, but the pill had a rather dramatic effect on her face. Seeming to have done more to blend the coloration than on her arm. The dots across her nose received the most dramatic change, disappearing almost entirely and simply lightening the area.

  "Don't touch that either. It will really smear and make a mess. Supposedly." Hon commented.

  She worked her jaw once, considering. "Well, I don't hate it. It could still use a bit more-?"

  The door clicked behind them and a bright feminine voice said, "Color? I thought so too, but the old man wouldn't let me start until you woke up." She swept into the room, cut between the pair and sat on the vanity table, facing Shae. "I was thinking we start with a full facial scrub and a thick layer of pasty white foundation." She smiled wide, showing pearly white teeth.

  Shae gawked at the woman, mostly for her suggestion. Yet, also because she matched the beauty of the other fairies, and had more color across her face. Turquoise lips surrounded those bright lips, but the face beyond that wasn't the pale white Shae expected. She had a naturally dark skin tone. Not quite Africans dark, but closer to Egyptian or Indian, Shae thought.

  "Oh, I'm Miss T'vall Rendi. I'm so excited to be helping the Heavenly Shae!" Her smile stretched wide again, revealing even more teeth and informing her previous expression with the contrast.

  Shae quickly glared at Hon when Heavenly was mentioned, but he had already vacated the chair. "Nice to meet you, Miss T'vall."

  "Oh please! Just call me Rendi."

  "Ah- alright, Rendi. Please call me Shae." She smiled back.

  Rendi tilted her head and pouted. "Just that? I don't get to learn your given name?"

  "We just met, Rendi. But you already know my chosen name. Formally, I am Heavenly Wise Zhi Shae. Though, I really do prefer casual forms of address."

  "Ah! So we were right! You are that same Heavenly Shae. Some of the ladies were expecting someone older." She rolled her eyes and waved a loose hand out of the room as she spoke.

  Shae gawked briefly at falling into that little trap. Then she remembered the woman's entrance. "You were joking about the white foundation, weren't you?"

  Her smile flashed wide again. "Yes! So glad you got that, we're going to get along splendidly. We'll also have to skip the scrub, unfortunately. Xio's little dots won't survive it." She casually slipped off the table and spun, smoothly transitioning into a reach under the table from which she produced a small case that popped open to reveal fairly normal looking makeup. "You have a wonderfully unique coloration to start with. So, we could be here all day running through options if you'd like." She paused to flourish a hand at the case's colorful interior.

  Shae looked up into the mirror to spot Hon, and asked him, "How long was I out? I can't imagine we have a ton of time to spare."

  He nodded. "You weren't out that long. Yet, we probably only have a quarter hour, maybe slightly more."

  "Tsk!" Rendi clicked her tongue loudly. "That's an absurd rush job. Why-oh-why didn't you come sooner?"

  Hon continued to answer, "We were exploring the city, seeing the sights. I'm not actually sure if we'll have much time to do so after. We might be back on the road today."

  "Tsk tsk tsk! What kind of fool leaves in the afternoon?"

  "Snrk!" Shae snorted. "Yeah, that does fit Master Long's description."

  "And you have to meet him soon? For lunch I assume. Well, we should get you looking your best. Enough to even impress the City Lord, at the least!" She said the latter with a smirk, then dropped it when neither of the two laughed. "You're not actually meeting him, are you?"

  Shae flashed her eyes to Hon, but he didn't seem to actually know either. "I hope not. We were just told we'd be having lunch with someone."

  "Hmm. Well if it's just lunch then you're probably in the clear. Not that he's a bad guy or anything." She paused her animated motion briefly. "Not that I really know first hand. Still, we'll have to do this the fast way. Do you trust me, dear Shae?" Rendi leaned forwards without waiting for an answer and intently scanned Shae's face.

  The young woman pulled back slightly, then forced herself to relax. "About my makeup? Uhm... sure... Yes." She trailed off as Rendi's eyes started shifting colors. The subtle pink irises darkened to a deep red then shifted to purple. The color even pushed beyond her iris to tint the whites of her eyes.

  "Good." Was all she said as her eyes chuckled through the whole rainbow, then back again.

  Shae didn't blush as her eyes went green. Though, it's likely that's because she was blushing already from the close proximity of the beautiful fairy.

  "Alright! I have a plan!" Rendi declared and got to work.

  In the end they settled on a very minimalistic approach. The two most glaring features were the white around Shae's eyes and the paleness of her lips. Both easily fought back with eyeshadow and lipstick. Cho's letter hadn't included a supply of the makeup used so the young woman had to dip into her own purse to carry more out of the shop. The prices showed just how Xio could afford to keep so many fairies on staff.

  Rendi advised against eyeliner, as it was expensive and would create too much contrast with the paleness around it. Mascara was a similar story. Unless Shae wanted to do both of those, eyeshadow, and more makeup under her eyes, she shouldn't bother. The expert demonstrated how a carefully applied powder could act as all three. However, Shae felt she was at a high risk of getting the powder in her eyes.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  For today, Rendi mixed up a perfect mid-tone to further blend Shae's dramatic coloration together. Then she cleaned most of it off and started over. She went a little too far with the second try as well, but only needed to clean up one side of the young woman's face.

  After that she discouraged Shae from buying or even trying to use the mid-tone. She quickly agreed that she couldn't replicate what Rendi had done, and that she could probably fix the cleansing mistake faster than developing such a deft hand at applying the makeup.

  For the makeup that Shae purchased, they selected more natural tones that she could wear daily, if she wished. The colors Rendi chose for today, however, were a bit more dramatic. A dark eyeshadow with gold metallic flecks and just a hint of blue, and for her lips, a deep red pushing into purple. Shae thought it was a bit excessive for someone as young as she looked to be wearing, but felt that it fit her mental maturity much more.

  Shae asked for Rendi's help in re-piercing her ears. The colorful woman wasn't particularly impressed by Shae's choice of earring, even after learning they were spiritual tools. Claiming that Shae should have something more dazzling and bejeweled. Shae didn't agree and insisted on the rustic wires, which Rendi could only shrug at. Professional though she was, the phrase the client was always correct, still held sway in this world.

  On their way out Xio clarified Hon's lapse in vocabulary. The three dots were intended to show the rate of melanin propagation and dermis regeneration. Which, Xio admitted, he had said mostly because he guessed Hon wouldn't understand. Even for Shae, the words were complex enough that she had to have him write them down for her to puzzle them out, and even then she was guessing based on the hints of intent she picked up from him.

  Like any good salesperson, Rendi gave them a friendly sendoff and made Shae promise to stop by next time she was in town.

  Once outside again, they rushed away from Xio's shop as they suspected they would be late to meet Long. Shae had to call for Hon to slow down several times, and they quickly drew the attention of the guard. This time, while they were clearly annoyed they seemed less interested in delaying the pair, and the fourth to stop them even helped them along by giving them specific directions to their destination.

  The City Lord's Plateau-Court turned out to be a public space. Though, it was the kind where you had to go through several security checkpoints and provide identification and a good reason for being there. Shae could only use the invitation letter from Master Long, whereas Guard Hon had his sect identification and was hardly looked at.

  The court itself wasn't just on the top level of Gatewash, but was on the plateau above the canyon. Instead of taking the slightly longer scenic route up and over the lip of the canyon, they cut through the canyon's broad interior tunnels and emerged at the center of the court. This was the shortcut provided when one of the guards overheard that they were running late. Though, she did insist that they return via the scenic route. "No one should miss that marvel of a sight," the guard said with a look of distracted nostalgia as she gazed past them.

  Featured inside the court, in addition to two cafes that likely served late brunch, the court was a mix of public gardens and museum. Intricate displays of greenery and flowers were spaced out by display pedestals showing artifacts under glass. Small sections of architecture that provided shade and the dense greenery were enough to break up the open space. Unfortunately the pair didn't have time to browse the collection as they were still concerned about being tardy.

  Asking around got them gossip that they should stay away from one particular corner as it had been closed for a special function. The pair exchanged a look and headed off in the indicated direction. Though, they did take a bit of a detour, just in case the gossip monger was still watching.

  Hon paused at one of the museum pedestals, fairly near to the rumored location.

  "Are we not going closer?" Shae asked.

  He frowned and rolled his shoulders. "Master Long's instructions were more of a 'I'll find you.'"

  "Ah." She walked up to the side with the plaque. "So, what's this then?"

  They both peered at the two objects on show. The first was a cloudy blue sphere set on a black cloth. The other was the tip of a spear crafted from a steel that bore thin black lines in an oscillating pattern.

  "Sky steel spear head, probably in the boar-spear style, and some kind of beast core," Hon answered.

  Shae read the plaque. "Right, you're a smith so you would recognize the weapon. It claims to be the first beast core claimed by the city lord, and the spear he killed it with. Oh, and it was for the protection of the city." She altered her voice slightly to sound haughty.

  "Heh. You can't do an impression of the guy if you've never met him." Hon chuckled.

  "It's not me, it's italicised on the plaque."

  "Ha!" Hon laughed. "Still, you never know who's listening."

  "Indeed, Guard Hon. Excellent instincts." Master Long's voice called from behind them. "Miss- Wise Shae, good to see you up and about." His tone wavered ever so slightly as Shae turned to see him.

  "Master Long," the pair echoed, Shae just slightly behind. She nodded and he bowed, causing her to pause briefly and match his bow. She looked up to see long was still staring at her, so she raised an eyebrow which seemed to be enough to snap him out of it.

  "Once again, Wise Shae. You startle me with a dramatic change in your appearance. Given what appears to be erratic cleansing, who should I thank for encouraging your use of cosmetics?"

  She flashed half a frown while he was speaking, then tilted her head slightly at the question. "Merchant Xio's shop can be thanked for the work itself, and it was Doctor Cho that pushed me towards it. Though, if his clinic had more mirrors in it, I likely would have sought something out on my own."

  "And the cause? It surely wasn't another cleansing accident. You told me yourself that you were past such mistakes." He showed a restrained smirk.

  She sighed. "I was preoccupied while contemplating enlightenment. Making significant progress in my comprehension of tribulation qi, but neglecting the enlightenment qi. Doctor Cho's wonderful shielding formation was instrumental in preventing it from going to waste, but failing to absorb it fast enough had some minor side effects." She swept a wide gesture across her left side.

  The smirk dropped off his stony mask at her first sentence. The rest of her words only enhanced the concerned expression he was trying to resist. "But that would mean..." he trailed off with his mouth half open.

  Guard Hon was less restrained in expressing his confusion. "Huh?"

  Shae continued, "It is unfortunate that I was unable to embrace the full benefits of that situation. However, I'd rather not take steps into the unknown without the full details of how that process is supposed to work. Perhaps I'll try again when I'm at a more appropriate cultivation stage." She smirked at Long's clear distress.

  "It was that large, and you-" he started, then blinked and visibly reset his mental state by looking away and smoothing down his robes. "That is a very mature and conservative perspective."

  She shrugged. "They don't call me Wise Shae for nothing."

  Hon snorted a laugh and turned away to cover his snickering.

  "Heh." Long forced a shallow laugh. "True enough. Though, I understand that you've embraced your other title more recently."

  She gave him her own confused look.

  "A Cultivator Chang reported encountering one Heavenly Shae during the city defense battle. Said that she identified that the beast was using a domain, and gave appropriate warnings to stay clear of my own domain."

  "Oh," she mouthed silently. "I suppose I did. My apologies for that, Master Long." She dipped her head.

  "Whatever for!? You possibly saved a few lives- well-" Long tilted his head and wobbled a hand. "Saved a few cultivators some minor pain and injury, at least. Some domains are much worse, however. Those in a proper fight can't always warn their allies appropriately."

  Shae shifted her weight side to side. Conflicted between the urge to call Long out for saying 'proper fight' and accepting his compliment. She settled on silence and just nodded at him.

  Long matched her silence for a breath then shrugged. "I was somewhat surprised. I first assumed it was Apollo that Cultivator Chang encountered. Yet, given your behaviour during the fight itself, I had to admit it was a possibility."

  She nodded again, unsure of where this was going.

  "You were quite lucky that the spirit beasts were so passive. I'd berate you for interfering with the fight at all, but I'm guessing you'll not simply let me."

  She blinked, then nodded again. "No. You're correct. My presence on the front lines was largely tertiary and I shouldn't have been there."

  "Oh? Even after I suggested that your words to Cultivator Chang were helpful?"

  "That wasn't the front lines, we were quite far back. I don't regret interfering, at all. Overall I can easily say that my actions were for the better. What about you, Master Long?"

  She heard Hon suck in a sharp breath just before qi pressure slammed into her. The sudden impact was almost enough to drop her, even her being a little prepared for it didn't soften the impact. Her vision blurred, her pulse pounded in her ears and blocked out other sounds. She reflexively reached for her qi, then changed her mind and didn't draw it out. The sensitive skin on her forehead suggested she was deep underwater. She swayed on her feet and almost smirked at the nostalgic feeling of the suffocating qi pressure, it had been a while since she had been this close to pain and unconsciousness from qi pressure alone.

  If Long said something she missed it. Too overwhelmed darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision.

  I kinda intended to post this a few days ago, yet I wasn't happy with how it cuts off mid-scene. So, I wanted to have the next chapter ready to post soon after. Yadda-yadda-yadda, it's here now!

  Luckily my procrastination made for a fairly productive writing weekend. Had a lot of fun with the part of the story I'm currently working on and got about 7k words down.

  Thanks for reading!