AGG: DSS: A Dhamphir's Courtship

A Dhamphir’s Courtship

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Commissioned by Blue Flaming Wings

Word Count: 2594

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The Jade Empire lived.

The knowledge had taken Shizi’s breath away at the first mention. Actually arriving to see the community, hidden and underground, had made her heartbeat cease. If she ignored the smooth, cavern rooftop, she looked upon a sight that she thought she’d never see again.

Clan symbols dotted district lines, proclaiming where one domain ended and another began, which serfs observed with great care and consideration. Doors were adored by an emerald tint, diligently gilded with golden colorings for speedy identification, and there was a square filled with stalls of vendors. The noise that permeated the whole cavern was a low, subtle chatter of the Jade Dialect, that filled her ears with a dull noise which she never expected to hear again.

Not only that, but Meihui Quin stood by her side.

No longer a crone, but the legend that she once was. 

“This feels like a dream,” Shizi admitted. The whisper drew the attention of the armored, ruby-eyed Vampire Elder she stood next to. The scarlet-haired, suited Dhamphir searched for words to describe the trembling ache in her heart, a silencing composition of joy and sorrow, but found none among the written tongue capable of aiding her. She could hope that what she sees is not a mind-addled fantasy. “Please, tell me it is not.”

“Nay, venerable warrior, you do not dream. This is all that remains of the Jade Empire.” Meihui Quin last spoke to Shizi with a voice like the crinkling of paper. Now, the reborn legend’s voice made the Dhamphir’s spine shake. “CORE hid us away decades ago, just a few years after a few of our brethren attempted to conquer the land northwest. We expected to be slain. Instead, we were given a place to call our own.” A hand planted in enchanted steel placed itself on her should. Shizi knew that her shoulder could easily break in the woman’s grip. “This is no dream, child. It is only a fragment of the peace we once had, and that peace shall never be again.”

Intellectually, Shizi knew that Quin spoke the truth. The Jade Empire was shattered, broken, and would never be reborn. To many died, too much history was lost, and the throne had been broken into an innumerable number of pieces. The Jade Empire, that which nearly reached the might of Heaven, Hell, and the Fallen, is no more, due to the machinations of Ouroboros. In the coming years, it will become mere words on a page, a myth to be passed on, or structures to be uncovered by generations who have decided to study the past.

Yet, looking upon the small shard that became of the Jewel of Asia, Shizi couldn’t help herself. A burden lifted itself from her shoulders, one which she’d unwittingly since her charge’s end, and she chose to believe in a lie. Despite all of the dangers the world now faced, from the Chimera, the End, and the Silver Maiden, she chose to believe in a lie, instead of clinging to the truth. 

“It’s enough. More than enough. One day, the Jade Empire will rise again, and I can think of no better leader for them, than you.” It never will. The Empire which once spanned the whole of Asia, while Europe squabbled, and Russia isolated itself, would never be. However… however, it had never been about power for her, even if that had been true for those of nobility. “Our way of life will continue. That’s all that matters.” Though she only looked upon a fragment, it was an earnest one. A genuine piece of what she’d devoted centuries of life to. And, that was enough. “This is enough.”

“Oh? Truly? What a strange thought for one who has sworn herself to Conflict.” Quin’s words threaten to halt Shizi’s thoughts. No, they do. The Dhamphir stares at Vampire who, once upon a time, could’ve asked the Emperor for her head, and he’d have allowed it without hesitation. Eyes, which shone like the most vibrant rubies, met scarlet orbs that so dark they were nearly black. “Or, should I say, for one who partakes in the blood of an Aspect, who would never grow old or weaken, and will surely become greater than all of her kin?”

“I have done no such thing,” Shizi shook her head. The Dhamphir broke her gaze away from the Vampire’s own. However, a plated hand remained upon her shoulder. It’s grip elicited a measure of pain, but she bore it without the slightest sign of agony. When the silent stretched onward, and she felt the gaze upon her features continue unabated, she took a breath. “I partook in his blood when he’d offered it to me as a man. When we’d traveled together across the wastes. Since his ascension—

“Don’t think me a fool, child. I’ve had many decades wasted spying for tricks like yours.” Quin’s words were accompanied with a snap of power. Then, suddenly, the glamour was lifted. The window she’d been looking through reflected two harsh pinpoints of light back at her. Twin, scarlet stars glowed, through the windows of her soul, from the very depths of her being. A faint, red hue replaced the shadow that her glove cast upon her wrist. “So, what if Li Song was merely a man when you’d partaken in him? His is power beyond that of gods. It has changed you. It will continue to change you. You have become a Dhamphir that surpasses all your kin. Yet, you do nothing of your own volition.”

There were more words to be said, Shizi knew.

There would be entreaties regarding her status, as a Dhamphir who has surpassed what she is meant to be, and who now stands beside the Aspect of Conflict. There would be confrontations, regarding how she refuses to be more than just a Preserver, and how the Remnants could use her. Even before the End came, she’d chosen for exceptional talent and ability, to guard the heir apparent to the Throne. Though the teachings she’d undergone were decades and decades in the past, she knew of governance, politics, and tradition. Those of lesser houses quaked in fear in her presence, while those of middling nobility hated their equal status. Now, she was beyond that individual, treading a new path, and growing stronger. 

Shizi knew what Quin desired.

But, she couldn’t be what Quin hoped.

If she’d come here by her own volition…

If the power she now had was her own… 

If she wasn’t herself…

Then, perhaps, the Jade Empire could’ve been reborn this day.

That wasn’t the case.

Because, the only reason she was present here and now was to go on a date.

Telling the Vampire Matriarch as much, Shizi found, ended the conversation quite conclusively, because there was no ignoring the fact she wouldn’t know about the Remnants, or be asked to take the position, if not for Li Song’s desire to “get to know her better.” Quite literally, Shizi had only expected a dinner and a movie, but had it revealed to her that her that her Fatherland wasn’t dead.

In all honesty, Shizi didn’t know whether to be relieved, or depressed, by her admittance and the ensuing silence.

The latter was an old friend, but she was finding the former quite a refreshing companion.

“To be frank, Dhamphir, I do not know whether to be disappointed, or laugh at what you’ve just told me”

Well, until someone took note of its ridiculousness.

Then, Shizi could only be embarrassed.

…

The meal they shared was composed of freshly steamed rice, crisp vegetables with a heavily-spiced sauce, and a large fish steamed on a bed of ginger, parsley, and other herbs. It was a nutritious meal, but was a delicacy when prepared correctly. The rice carried a sweetish aroma, the vegetables were crisp and heated, and the spiced, flaky flesh of the fish fell apart on the tongue and carried the flavors of the sauce made of its own steaming. Shizi had consumed it many times over with her fellow Guards, but she merely picked at her meal, despite all the memories and fondness it elicited, as she need to eat demurely was paramount above all else.

Because, much to Shizi’s horror, Song wanted to converse with her!

“Oh, this is delicious! I can see why it’s your favorite meal, Shizi!” Without a doubt, Li Song wanted to get to know her better. Naturally, Shizi understood the reasoning. He’d confessed to her, and wished to be with her, so he wanted to know more about her. It was the prerogative of a man, who intended to have relations with meaning, to comment and offer their date the opportunity to speak. However, even as he gave her the most brilliant smiles, showed no aggression, and exuded warmth, acceptance, and comfort, Shizi was at a complete and utter loss. “Can you tell me about it?”

Because, Shizi was inept!

At socializing!

That clarification must be noted!

Shizi, naturally, was capable at handling social situations that pertained to royalty, nobility, and the masses. As part of the guard of the future Empress, she was expected to be capable of controlling any and all who approached her liege. However, while her talents translated well to being a guard, they were worthless in the current situation! 

In a hostage situation, she can easily negotiate.

Should there be disagreements in trade, she can mediate impartially.

During a riot, the masses can be quelled by her voice alone!

Being asked about her favorite meal, by a young man who was courting her?

Disaster! 

Shizi could only silently, quietly eat, while her mind screamed at her to do something. Anything! There was a question posited to her! Why wasn’t she answering it? Just say it tastes good, her common sense begged. No, interceded her training as a spy, stay quiet and talk only when needed. Establish boundaries, her warrior-side agreed, the tune of this battle is yours, so long as you don’t relinquish a single inch of ground! But, what if he takes it badly, her pessimistic side crowed, what if he becomes more aggressive? Then, an unnamed and nonexistent side of her stated, the only way forward would be to be gloriously defeated—

“Ah, Shizi, are you supposed to eat the herbs? I find them to be quite bitter.” Shizi found herself abruptly returned back to reality, freed from her tumultuous mind, and still incapable of speaking. This time, however, it was because she had a whole sprig of herbs nearing her mouth. She let it fall from her chopsticks without mention, but looked away as Song chuckled. No, she had not been caught off guard. She’d simply been mindless for a moment. And, she was looking away in embarrassment, not to avoid the winning smile sent her way. Wait? Winning? For a smile? When did that start making its way into her vernacular, exactly? “Ah, I see. You were just lost in thought. I apologize for making you lose it.”

Oddly enough, the subtle insinuation that Song would stay silent, and leave her to her thoughts, had Shizi speak for the first time, since they’d sat down for their meal.

“It’s… just all a bit much, Song.” That wasn’t even entirely a lie. The whole revelation of the Remnants, the continued survival of the Jade Empire, and the continued survival of even simple, childhood recipes, they all bore down on her shoulders. However, it was only a partial truth. Shizi never expected to be courted. To be the Royal Guard of the True Vampire, one which would lead the Jade Empire to become the Fourth, meant a life of utter commitment to a cause. After, when she was lost, she merely spent the decades waxing and waning. Here and now, not even half a year since she’d left her post as a shamed guardswoman, she was being courted. Of all the weights on her shoulders, that weighed the heaviest, as mad as it seemed. “All of… this is too much.”

Shizi nearly chocked on air when her words elicited the worst of reactions from Li Song.

The tilting of the head!

She’d learned of when they’d first met. It was a savage, unknowing countryman’s method of stating he was a savage, unknowing man of the country. Even in the most dire of situations, when Song found himself confused and confounded, his first reaction was the innocuous tilting of his head. It must have been a habit ingrained in him due to being raised amongst the Tuzi. Inadvertently, that tribe doomed a great many serious situations to ignoble deaths, as Song’s features, combined with the sheer, innocent quality of the gesture, was a weapon that even Shizi’s long-dormant girlish tendencies reacted to.

It was simply too pure, and too good, to bear witness to. Song had no annoyance at his own lack of knowledge, or that others were more knowledgeable than him. He simply, truly, only wanted more information. Compared to the nobility and royalty, which Shizi had become accustomed to after decades of service, the blatant lack of ill intent, arrogance, and pride struck at her with the force of unimpeded sledgehammer.

In short, Shizi’s heart couldn’t take the sight for too long.

And, neither could she not answer the question that inevitably answer it.

“Did I do something wrong, Shizi?”

Yes, despite her own wish to not answer, even that.

“There is some fault on your part, but you couldn’t have expected my reaction to these current circumstances.” However, that didn’t mean Shizi needed to provide the complete truth! Years spent plying the games of nobility, supporting her mistress from the shadows, and her recent acceptance of her better capabilities as a spy than a warrior, allowed the red-haired, suited Dhamphir a measure of defense against the monstrous innocence sent her way. She could sate it with a sacrifice, saving what she needed to save, costing her much less than she would lose upon telling the truth. “I am simply… shaken by my surroundings. I can’t believe that all of this remains, even if it is beneath the earth and longer covers the whole of Asia, the Jade Empire remains.”

In the end, Shizi had to lie, simply because the truth was far too unappealing to say aloud.

“Oh, I see! I’ll be sure to be more considerate next time, Shizi.” Song’s words, perhaps, were the swift karmic retribution that her lies cost her. Shizi could barely maintain her composed features at the earnest words, and the firm acknowledgement of perceived failure, that her date exuded. “I’ll be sure to find someplace more comfortable for you, at our next date, Shizi!”

And, with that, Song continued to eat, studiously giving her space.

And, for some reason, despite how that calmed her, Shizi found her current situation far more unpleasant than her last.

Shizi, without a doubt, knew that, if nothing changed, the situation she was now it would repeat itself. Song wouldn’t ask her of anything, simply continuously attempting to do better with each next attempt, even if all the fault was her own. 

Quietly, the Dhamphir admonished herself.

Even if she was the one being courted, that itself required some effort on her part, if only to acknowledge Song’s own efforts. Though she couldn’t say such things aloud, Shizi promised herself that she wouldn’t falter the next time. Relations, even ones that might not come to be, required two individuals.

The least she can do is attempt to meet him halfway.

A/N: I tried to capture a sort of "general awkwardness" to Shizi's thought process, while also capturing Song's efforts to properly court Shizi, as well as providing some comedy.

Overall, I feel this is a mess.

@Blue Flaming Wings: Should you want a rewrite on this, I'll do so. I apologize, but it will have to be after the next Commission is finished, should you want it.