#apologies it's so long--clearly i've had thoughts for the before-the-beginning scene 💕

[belovedstill]

Hi B! How about Before the Beginning for the ask game? ^^

BEFORE THE BEGINNING — three sentences (or more) about something that happened before the plot of my current project thank you, Linky 🥺💕 let me see what i can cook up. it's what happens before my "i don't know who you are, but i feel like i can trust you" wip c: (svsss, qijiu). Shen Qingqiu is reminded of a traumatic past event and loses his memories in his sleep 😌

Late into the night, there's a fire in the disciples' dormitories on Qing Jing Peak.

It's not a big fire, not by any means, but the dark, tear-wrenching smoke it creates as it catches on an abandoned blanket or another piece of fabric alarms Shen Qingqiu right out of his bamboo house. No disciple has ever seen their shifu move in such hurry, with seemingly no regard for his outermost layer missing - he must have been preparing for bed.

It's gone by the time he runs inside, paler than ever, taking in the state of the rooms.

"Shizun," Ming Fan mumbles and immediately drops in a bow. "Shizun, there was an accident, but it's all under control!"

Nobody's hurt. Nobody's unconscious. Except for Ming Fan, all the other boys are outside, still blinking sleep out of their eyes. Ning Yingying should be alright, too—the rooms the female disciples are staying in are on the other side of the peak.

"Who."

"Shizun...?"

Shen Qingqiu hates repeating himself. "Who started it?"

Ming Fan stays silent.

"In the morning," Shen Qingqiu says in a forcefully even voice, "all male disciples will kneel before the learning hall. If nobody confesses, all will face punishment."

He doesn't stay to watch the boy fumbling.

Sleep never comes easy, but it knocks him off that night—and it knocks something else out of place, too.