The Phoenix Who Rides Upon the Wind

Chapter 2: The Foreign Land

Fu Hua awoke with a jolt. She was laying on a soft cushion in a room that seemed to be filled with antiques and funeral decorations. Although the concept was seemingly eerie, the room gave off a gentle heat that warmed her skin and her heart.
Snap out of it! She told herself. She needed to figure out where she was, and more importantly: find Kiana. She got up from the cushion only to discover she had on traditional Chinese garments-- a Hanfu. They reminded her of something she knew, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Fu Hua again snapped back to the situation at hand, and quietly tested the door knob.
The door slid open without a sound, and Fu Hua stepped out of the room. As she neared the end of the hall, she began to hear two voices in another room.
"Master Hu, I advise that you do not disturb our guest. She seemed to be exhausted, let her rest."
"But Zhongli, we found her in some random field! Don't you want to know where she came from?"
The man named Zhongli spoke again. "And we will wait for questions the same as we will wait for our tea."
Fu Hua had enough of listening to this conversation. She emerged from the hallway, deciding to reveal herself. She posed her tired body with as much confidence as possible. "Excuse me," she asked. "Where am I?"
Hu opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Zhongli. "Greetings. I am Zhongli, and this is Hu Tao." He gestured to the brown-haired girl sitting beside him. "You are currently in Liyue, Wangsheng Funeral Parlour."
Fu Hua took a deep breath. This was clearly a trick. She had never heard of a place called Liyue, let alone the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour.
As Fu Hua worked to process this information, Hu Tao chimed in. "What's your name?"
Gathering herself, Hua told her, "You may call me Fu Hua."
"Welcome to Liyue, Fu Hua. Where did you come from? Perhaps we can assist you in your journey back to your home," Zhongli questioned.
"I need to find Kiana." Fu Hua said this with confidence. She knew one thing for certain, at least.
"Ah, well if you would like to find someone, The Qixing would be the best place to go. Someone at the adventurers guild will be able to lead you there. I could accompany you there if you would like."
"Thank you, but I can figure it out myself." At an abrupt end to this meeting, Fu Hua strode out the door.
As soon as she found the adventurer's guild, the person there had already confused her. "Would you like to post a commission for this request?"
"Ah- um.. yes? Yes, thank you."
The person behind the counter gave her a slip of paper to fill out, then promptly took it back as soon as she was finished.
"You may wait for someone to accept your commission, we will contact you then. Fu Hua opted to settle herself on a nearby bench instead.
•••
"Traveler! Look, new commissions!" A squeaky, childlike voice pierced the quiet atmosphere of Liyue. Traveler? Could they help me? Fu Hua pondered, watching the floating creature and it's companion walk by and talk to the adventurer's guild person. She handed the traveler a slip of paper, then pointed to Fu Hua.
Fu Hua immediately stood up. The traveler girl walked over to her and asked, "What do you need? I'm assuming I need to kill some hilichurls."
"No. I need help finding someone." This seemed to resonate with the traveler, and the mood dimmed ever so slightly. Fu Hua spoke again. "Someone told me I should go to the Qixing for help. Could you take me there?"
"Yeah! Paimon and the Traveler were actually going to go there soon anyway, so of course you can come!" The creature named Paimon chirped in her child-like voice.
Fu Hua nodded and breathed a sigh of relief as she began to follow the Traveler along the stone brick path. I'll find you soon, Kiana. I promise.

Author's Note: Please feel free to leave your feedback and suggestions in the comments! I love hearing your opinions, so be sure to tell me what you think!