Yushi sat at the table in the back room of Dr.Jingji’s shop, sipping the tea that the doctor had made to help him calm down. The shop was closed for the day with Lingyao spending time with her family and Dr.Jingji taking care of Qingkong, who was still resting upstairs. The doctor had set about gathering herbs for another remedy as Yushi was explaining his more recent concerns, eyes lingering on the snowdrop flowers growing from a small pot in the window. Their drooping white

Xinhua found herself pacing the library of Shizhe’s home in the early hours of the morning. Shizhe had just fallen back asleep after waking from a nightmare, but Xinhua could not fall asleep again. Her mind was wandering so she started turning over some of her own notes she'd started keeping hidden away in a hidden compartment amidst the shelves that Shizhe had shared. Yuliang had expressed that not even her own office was secure so Xinhua wasn't really keeping much of her pe

Jinse pinched his brow as he walked through the shadows of the streets, with Wuye radiating a smug energy quite close behind him. Jinse hadn’t felt so embarrassed in such a long time. It was just a few words but for some reason hearing Wuye stating aloud anything about Jinse’s affection towards Xueye made him panic more than hearing the news he had from Wuye weeks ago. Now Jinse was annoyed because he could tell Wuye knew just how those words were getting under his skin. “Car

The evening air of spring always tended to have a faint chill to it that seemed to go right through Xueye. Tonight though he was quite warm with alcohol in his system and the proximity of the body he clung to as they walked had him enjoying the cool night air for once. Even as he clung to Yushi he was stumbling but all he could do was giggle each time. “Careful,” Yushi warned with a gentle smile as he reached out to stabilize Xueye. “I might have to carry you at this rate.” “

The quickly cooling evening spring air did nothing to stave off the warmth that Xueye felt walking with Jinse and Yushi. He was quickly starting to regret agreeing to having them both come along at the same time. Even so he couldn’t help but feel complete when he was with them both. If only he could get his heart to stop racing so fast. “Are you alright, darling?” Jinse draped himself over Xueye’s shoulders. “You seem a little dazed.” “I’m fine!” Xueye said quickly, that heat

“It would seem the Styliani’s have returned to the city,” Riluo reported. It was one of the last few things on his list of subjects to update Yushi upon as they spoke in Yushi’s study. “Does she really think that will come without consequences?” Yushi practically growled. Recently, Riluo has noticed he sounded more beastly than he used to as he got irritated. Normally it only sounded like that when it rained but it was coming to the surface even on the clearest days. “Apparen

“Ah, how frustrating,” Xueye mumbled as he read the letter from Yahui. It was a report on how things were progressing with the growing of rarer herbs. Most of them seemed to be doing well after a bit of struggle, however some just weren’t taking very well no matter what she tried. She assured that it was still early so it could take time but Xueye couldn’t help but worry. The negotiation with Mingmai he’d put off scheduling the last few days was starting to sound like a nice

The springtime meant that Shizhe’s garden was very much in bloom. While typically it had flowers all year round, the ones that bloomed in spring were clearly her favorites. Xueye walked slowly as he admired them all.  “Xueye? You made it,” Yuliang rose from her seat in the pavilion and joined him. “Yes, I've still plenty of work to do but it's mellowed a bit,” Xueye smiled. “I'm glad,” Yuliang couldn't help but return the smile. “As of late, Shizhe and Xinhua seemed worried y

Xinhua hadn’t seen Yuliang’s office before. Anytime Yuliang asked Xinhua about any of her work as a guard in the comfort of Shizhe’s garden during their weekly breakfasts. Admittedly, Xinhua was a little nervous. She was still wrapping her head around her new position. “Are you alright?” Yuliang asked, picking up on Xinhua’s unease. “Yes, Lady Shanfeng!” Xinhua said far too quickly.  “You can call me Yuliang when it's just us,” Yuliang offered sweetly. “The upper court can be

Shizhe was used to the darkness. The starry night sky was her domain after all. However this darkness was different. Not a single glint...

“So you have nothing then?” Korina glared at her brother as he stepped into her cabin. His dour expression told her all she needed to...

Yushi started walking away from Xueye’s home. As he went he could still sense that he was being watched. Much to his relief that Jinse...

Jinse returned to the Fox’s Den in a bit of a sour mood. The idea of a dragon near Xueye was getting to him the more he thought about it....

Yushi hated that he had to leave so quickly in the morning to deal with matters regarding the Eilian spies. Riluo had left a sealed...

Xueye finished cleaning up their dishes. It was quick but the moment he stepped back out in the seating area he saw Yushi had laid down...

“Something has been weighing on you,” Xinhua voiced softly to Shizhe as they walked in the brisk night air. She could tell it was more...

Yushi finally felt normal again after drinking Dr. Jingji’s latest version of the remedy. The thrumming of unsettled energy beneath his...

“Xueye!” Xinhua yelled out the moment she spotted Xueye and Jinse enter the door. She bolted over and wrapped her arms around her...

Xueye felt an odd sense of relief being able to work again. It was rather nice having Xinhua’s help, despite his efforts to convince her...

Shizhe sighed as she paced the palace courtyard. She was starting to feel as restless as Yushi had been earlier. She had so much to...