As You Are [Monkey King]

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 26: Impaired

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Xiu paced back and forth outside the door, keeping it cool wasn't gonna cut out right now that Wukong's involved. She was truly lucky that the Lady Bone Demon made that wager on her, but does he have anything to save him like that? The longer she waited, the more anxious she's becoming. At some point, the woman was about ready to bring an army of herself barrelling through the door, but she hesitated due to her lack of confidence as a Ying, and more so because the Lian in her had just sailed through the dangerous storm. 'Walking back in would only spell trouble for us, won't it? No no, maybe I should say something— I should've said something!' Xiu chewed on her nails impatiently.

Before she knew it, it's already been an hour since she left. Xiu finally came to a decision to open the door, her fingers drawn towards the handle in haste. But before she can enter, it opens on the other side and came face to face with the golden furred simian himself. They're stunned speechless, him looking like he hadn't slept in ages, down to his fingers that continuously trembled.

Her eyes lingered at them before slowly bringing her gaze up to his face, "... Are... you okay?" Her hand barely reached up to cup his face when she stopped, retracting it back to her side. He probably doesn't want that gesture. "What happened in there?"

Wukong stared at her motionless, as if trying to make sense of the words that hung in the air. But then he smiled, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. He didn't need to say anything to convey that things went quite well on his side, as good as it could considering that he's still alive.

"Now then,—" Dianmu and the others stepped out of the room and the door dissipated behind them, "—perhaps now's the time for our guest to be on his way. Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, wasn't it?"

She glanced back at him, but he didn't say anything against the idea, as if Wukong is still in a daze to whatever unfathomable thing that happened with them in that room. They were planning on it before they were caught earlier, so maybe they're truly off the hook now. "Yeah... That's the place."

"Yun Tong?"

"If you insist, sister," the Cloud Youth bows at them and roughly grabs the monkey's arm.

"Wait!" Xiu got in between them, their stares digging to her like a thin needle. She gulped and gently pried the God's arm off of him, "Please, let me handle it. He's my guest after all." Maybe guest was the right term to use here now, if they can already shrug the fact that he entered here with a foolish intent, uninvited and unprepared. "It shouldn't be long."

Dianmu raises her brows with a knowing look, though she still glanced at her husband to seek his approval. Leigong flinched and looked between his wife and the two, and he sighs, gesturing for them to go, "Make it quick. We still have a matter to discuss with you."

Xiu nodded and turns to leave, but when Wukong only stared at her as she retreated, the woman internally groans and comes back to push him from behind the shoulders. They passed a couple more steps down the stairs before she turned to him. He was simply staring curiously at her, and the bags under his eyes didn't go unnoticed. So far as she'd glimpsed at his entire figure, there's not a single scratch on him, nor did any blood spill on his clothes and armor so he had to be fine. The amount of care that swirled into her mind was making her feel a bit awful, but no matter all that occured in that room, she wasn't about to burst the bubble by changing her mind, she's determined to still be herself as only Ying Xiu in her own destiny.

"I'll be back. I don't know when, and I don't expect you to care at all, but—" she pauses, trying to see if it triggered any emotion from him, but when it didn't, it simply made her flush for bubbling nonsense to his face, "I feel bad leaving all things behind, s-so you better be on tip top shape as well once we meet again. Or not. And you better be a good mentor to MK, he's your successor. Maybe don't influence him too much."