The Wandering God

14 Strange Dress Unusual Clothes 2/3

奇裝異服
qízhuāng-yìfú
Strange dress unusual clothes
Exotic costume; bizarre dress; outlandish clothes.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Less than an hour later, we were sailing across the bay of Zhanghai.

It had turned into another beautifully sunny day, and already it was hot, the sun beating down on the wood of the small ship and sending heat shimmering up off the deck and railings. The sea breeze that had chilled me at dawn that morning was now a welcome release from the heat, and the spray it blew up from the waves and onto my cheeks a blessing.

The 'Serendipity', as Ermi's ship was called, was a small junk, no more than 10 lengths long, with a single cabin in the aft and a shallow hold that could be used for storing cargo. Ideally, it was a pleasure boat, used for day trips and quick jaunts across the bay, and its brightly patterned sails, covered with swirls of color and shards of shells that sparkled in the sunlight and rattled in the wind like chimes, reflected such.

Ermi has initially wanted to sail us across the bay herself, but I had talked her out of it, knowing it would take us three times as long to reach the north city, and so some of the servants had come aboard with us to crew the ship. Two stood at the sails and the boom, and one in the aft manning the tiller, under Ermi's watchful eye.

I had come to the fore, knowing Ermi would not follow, and leaned upon the rail, enjoying the peace of the ocean around me. I stood just above the figurehead of snarling kirin, watching the sunlight reflecting off the beasts gold painted horns.

Kirin were often underestimated by other mu'ren, many seeing them as little more than glorified deer, but in actuality, they could be just as ferocious as any. They were after all, cousin to dragons.

I thought of Lu, his bumbling, easy going nature, until something he loved was threatened. Yes, kirin were not to be underestimated.

My hair flew wildly in the wind, so I twisted it and pinned it back with a long pin decorated with golden fish, but in the strong wind tendrils immeadiatley started to come loose, again. As I was trying in vain to tuck my hair behind my ears, I heard the wood of the railing creak as Zakhar came and leaned his bulk beside me.

"It's... I'm surprised to see you again," Zakhar said, glancing at me and then away.

"Just surprised? Not glad?" I teased, peering up at him through my wildlywaving hair. Zakhar avoided my eyes and mumbled something about how of course he was glad.

Clearing his throat, he asked. "You'll be attending Sanli at the Midsummer Banquet, then?" Zakhar rested his head in his hands and rubbed his temples, presumably trying to assuage a drink induced headache.

"No," I said, and Zakhar sighed with relief. "You seem as though you do not want me to go with the Third Prince?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Zakhar fold his hands together, unfold them and place them on the smooth wood of the railing, then fold them again. "No, that's not it at all. Just curious," he said.

"I was asked to attend the Second Prince at the banquet, actually," I added.

Zakhar's semblance of composure disappeared, and he slammed a hand on the wooden rail, then looked at it, as though surprised by his own action. He turned to me. "Ao, listen. Sanli is one thing, but Zhangyu..... the Second Prince has no one's interests in mind but his own. He'll take from you what he wants and leave you behind once he has it."

"He'll leave me behind, will he? Much how you all left me behind, injured and alone, at that herb woman's house?" I asked pointedly. To be honest I didn't really care that they had left me behind. I was more irritated that the decision had been made for me.