#hehua

[giant-bear-cat]

Hehua and her apples.

[safije]

"Support Palestinians against US imperialism and Zionism."

Oil pastel on paper, by me 林翡.

[gluevah]

I really love Chongker plush 😭 I recently got the large sitting weighted panda, who is designed to look like famous panda Hehua at 5 months old.

Just like Tao, my red panda, Hehua is handmade with excellent quality faux fur and silicone paw pads to be super lifelike! She has such a sweet face, and she is HEAVY. She weighs almost 5 pounds, and her rounded shape makes her so nice to hold in your lap! The price is amazing for a plush of her size that is made by hand. I got her off the tiktok shop (I swore I'd never but from tiktok but to be fair I saved like $40 with discounts >_>) but they also sell on Amazon and Etsy!

[carp-lore]

La flor más bonita!!! 🪷

[evolutionsbedingt]

WIP Wednesday (TGCF Edition)

This was born of me craving a very specific type of power play between HeHua. Yes it's pwp starting after this section xD

★★★

He Xuan swallows and drops his gaze. “Chengzhu is right, there are many lost souls in the seas. But I did not come here with the intention to-” his stomach rolls, cutting off his sentence as he fights against the nausea. “I beg for your esteemed forgiveness.”

“A-Xuan, why are you being so formal?” Hua Cheng pouts, sending another detestable shiver of longing through He Xuan. “You act as if I’ll devour you myself.”

Once again, He Xuan has to swallow and he wonders if the Reverend’s curse is responsible for this as well, misfortune befalling him even as a ghost. Hua Cheng’s fake kindness is not the first he has encountered, but it is far harder to bear, knowing that the man isn’t known for kindness. He’s known for ripping apart any ghost and god that displeases him and that makes it all the more confusing for He Xuan to find himself still alive - for a certain definition of living - after having gone on the fourth rampage through his ghost town in the past six months. 

Every time he is called into Hua Cheng’s palace or his favourite gambling den, and every time he finds himself on his knees in front of the ghost king, praying for both mercy and a swift end in equal measures. He still has a grudge to fulfil so his wish for death isn’t quite as pronounced as it used to be, but it still would be a relief to cease to be and He Xuan wonders whether Hua Cheng is waiting for him to beg for it.

“Look at me, A-Xuan,” Hua Cheng suddenly says and when He Xuan raises his gaze, he finds Hua Cheng’s eye searing through him. “Tell me how to satisfy your hunger once and for all.”

He Xuan scoffs before he can stop himself and then he throws himself to the ground. “Begging Chengzhu’s forgiveness, I meant no offence.”

But Hua Cheng only chuckles. “Yes, you did. But that’s why you’re interesting. So, tell me, what would satisfy your hunger, A-Xuan.”

Nothing, He Xuan thinks, slowly sitting up and daring to meet Hua Cheng’s eye again, but the taste of your skin might be a nice distraction. His eyes flicker to the side at the thought and he’s grateful for once that his dead body has no blood to give him away with. “I almost starved to death more than once. There’s nothing that will fill my stomach when my body remembers this.”

“Ah, what a difficult situation,” Hua Cheng says and then, suddenly, he stands, walking up to He Xuan and tilting his chin until their eyes meet once again. “A distraction then, perhaps?”

He Xuan wonders whether Hua Cheng can read minds. “This lowly one wouldn’t want to bother Hua-chengzhu any more than he already has. His debt is already great, adding more to it-”

Hua Cheng cuts him off by pressing his thumb to He Xuan’s lips before he can finish the sentence. “Then let’s consider this a clearing of your debt. Isn’t it customary to pay with one’s body when one has no more money? I’ll even let you keep all your limbs afterwards.”

[numnumnummmmmm]

Ur my fave blog on tumblr bc u post Hua Hua content <3

omg idk how to react to this im happy it's just that I'm not making these hua hua posts I'm just reblogging them 😭😭 but I might start posting my own stuff about pandas tho!! might as well since I'm in china already lol

(help the hyperfixation's getting so bad there's panda merch everywhere everywhere i look there's a panda bookmark, panda tote bag, panda plush, bla bla bla)

( I already got a panda sketchbook and I'm filling it up with pandas)

[etorregoza-blogs]

#princess #hehua hit as the #numberonesearch all over #china https://www.instagram.com/p/CpsGQxCvac4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sassylightcycle]

joker evolution 1965 and 2023

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

hehua和花 asking her nanny to pet her

[giant-bear-cat]

和花冰淇淋 - Hehua Ice Cream

[woozvc]

NORA CONGRATS ON 500 MY LOVE!!! Here is a little Hehua spam becauss isn't she the cutest baby ever 😭😭 idk what happened to the formatting though :/

SHU 😭😭😭 THANK YOU FOR THE HEHUA SPAM THIS IS TRULY THE BEST GIFT ILY 😭😭

she IS the cutest baby ever like look at her :((

[dragonfly0808]

How did you find the last names for the gang or what inspired you to which one you want to use ?

I chose them based on what they mean/how they sounded

Eldred for Bloom means red hair and just felt more aesthetic; also means ‘wise druid’

Hanlon for Stella means ‘light radiance’ or ‘warrior’

Guthrie for Flora means windy place

Yijon/Hehua for Musa, Yijon, her dad’s surname means ‘melody’ and Hehua, her mom’s surname that she embraces post s3 means ‘water lily’

Nouvel for Tecna means ‘new’

Tasi for Aisha means ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’

Priam for Sky means ‘redeemed’, def one of the most thematically appropriate

Telfer for Brandon means ‘iron-piercer’/‘ferocious warrior’

Alarie for Helia means ‘all’ and ‘powerful’

Alcor/Suha for Riven, Alcor, his original last name means ‘forgotten’, ‘neglected’ and ‘the low ground’ Suha, which is the name he gets from his grandma during s3 means ‘young star’/‘young moon’ or… ‘a certain star of a constellation which is transparent, hidden or invisible, it is also called a star came from heaven’

Cadell for Timmy means ‘spirit of the battle’

Jyran for Nabu means… well uh… it means ‘Lost Love’ or ‘one who is an equivalent treasure like a lost love’

…don’t think too much about that last one…

[evolutionsbedingt]

What if He Xuan ascended though. What if, like the Scrap Collecting Immortal, he ascended into a less than favourable position. What if he became the other side of the coin to Shi Wudu's God of Riches. The god of poverty and hunger and revenge, the one you turn to when you know your luck won't ever let you become rich but you want to survive. And this god doesn't have much to offer to you, just a comforting hand and righteous fury at those who keep you in the gutter, but you're not alone anymore. He's a dark figure and too thin and sometimes the wounds on his body seep blood, but he's a comfort and steadies your blade when you decide to stand up for yourself.

He moves from being the laughing stock of the heavens to their dark secret, the one civil god who carries an old, jagged sword. Who eats ravenously at every banquet and who laughs for the first time in decades when Hua Cheng defeats those thirty-three martial gods.

So when Xie Lian ascends the gods are more cautious, thinking of He Xuan's anger, and are less than surprised when the two become friends. It's only when news about them hanging out with a red-clad youth sicker up into the heavenly gossip that they start to become worried though. Because He Xuan laughed when Hua Cheng defeated those gods. And the last time Xie Lian ascended he went on a rampage.

And then Shi Qingxuan goes missing right during Shi Wudu's Heavenly Calamity.

[maiden-of-the-waters]

Sparks and Showers Part 2

//Part 2 of the previous chapter that includes @tunadunanana ‘s OC, but from my OC’s POV.

Please read Part 1 here;

No warnings, this is a SFW Story : MOD//

Summary;

Bèiké sits within her cloud pavilion overlooking the world when she’s visited by someone she once was close to. Old quarrels and lost dreams rage to the surface. She soon sees the flames licking the mountain, and receives a guest that gives her more headaches than her first guest… and she reunites with her sister.

———————————————————

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

———————————————————

The wind was in a flurry this night. The night air refreshing and sweet smelling.

It was the perfect environment for Bèiké to enjoy some tea on her favorite Pavilion while overlooking the world.

The cloud pavilions were one of her favorite creations. And a gift she had shared with her family, that her family had exceedingly took pleasure in. The gentle rocking back and forth as though it were a boat on a mellow river.

Surrounded by her two attendants, HeHua and Tiao Shui and her dedicated guard, Hei Jin Ba Feng (黑金八峰) ((Black Gold Eight Peaks)). Who - ironically - was someone the Pearl Princess had punished back during the Journey. A man-eating Yaoguai who was the formerly Prideful and Insolent Bā tuófēng yěmán rén.

A proud warrior whose pride continually led him to more and more ruinous situations. Which eventually climaxed in his undoing by the Yín zhēnzhū gōngzhǔ is her assist in rescuing the Great Monk. However, she found she was unable to truly let him fade into oblivion, as one of the denizens of her domain. So she gave him a second chance… and he hadn’t disappointed her.

She sighed as her thoughts turned away from the Past. And turned to her two favorite attendants - an impressive achievement considering the number her Royal father had gifted her when she was given the offical Title as Princess. Two sweet, pretty and soft spoken maidens who were as secretly devious as she was. Many a scheme had been plotted between the 3 women over the years.

“HeHua, Tiao Shui, what do you suppose the illusion of control is?”

“Madam?” HeHua questions from her position to her left as Tiao Shui simply waited patiently for Bèiké to elaborate.

“My royal mother, the eloquent Lady Mazu, can command the seas and oceans, even past my influence… however she can’t command the Rivers and lakes… Furthermore, the Moon can also effect the water from afar by encouraging tides and effecting the Coastal Environments. And this is done Without the allowance of my royal Mother. Yet, I am water, and nothing is truly done to my domain without my permission, unconscious or otherwise. Everything is done for the sake of balance. Yet, if everything is reliant on Balance, who cares who’s in charge or not? When it comes to Control, who would really be in charge?”

There was a bit of silence as the girls thought for a bit before Tiao Shui, the younger of the two women, spoke. “If one is speaking of Balance, the Buddha is the Ultimate enlightened one, he is one with the universe correct? So one could infer that the one truly in control would be him.”

Bèiké smiles. “But if Balance must be maintained no matter what, is the merciful Buddha in control of it? Or is the Buddha being controlled by the Balance that must be maintained? Who’s truly in control?”

A bit more silence as they think.

“I…” HeHua starts before she stops, causing Bèiké to raise a brow at her attendant. “Speak freely HeHua, you’ve earned it a hundred times over in my presence.”

“I believe… that it doesn’t matter..” She speaks as she refills her lady’s cup.

Bèiké smiles wider. “Elaborate.”

“The world will continue to spin, the currents will continue to flow, the Moon will always change, the fires that destroy a forest will also allow it to come back stronger. Balance will always find its way back to equilibrium even when it is knocked out of balance… it doesn’t matter who’s in control of the balance, because eventually, balance will find a way to fix itself.” HeHua leans against a pillow in a casualness she allows herself to only indulge in when it’s just the three of them.

Bèiké applauds her Attendant before pouring the woman her own cup of Tea. “Well Done HeHua. You’ve solved my riddle.”

HeHua accepts the drink and toasts her Lady. “Your humble servant thanks the Lady for her praise.” She raises an eyebrow, giving a sly and cheeky grin only Bèiké, Tiao Shui and Ba Feng have had the pleasure of seeing. “Can my victory be traded for anything of monetary value?”

Tiao Shui gasps at her fellow attendee’s brazen boldness in front of their lady while Bèiké is shocked into laughter. Ba feng chuckling from his position in the princess’s blind spot. Bèiké waves her hand, “I’ll reward your cleverness once we return back at the palace my witty HeHua.”

HeHua nodded, satisfied. “I’ll be sure to remind you should recollection fail my Lady.”

“HeHua!?” “Oh I’m sure you will.”

“What is the cause of such Merriment I wonder?” A new voice asks with a clear smile in his Tone.

The sudden appearance of a stranger causing the women to gasp and rush to cover their lady and Ba Feng to spin around with a Snarl, weapon drawn.

Only for it to clash in a spark of Lighting with an infamous and - for Bèiké - painfully familiar, three-headed Spear, the San Jian (三尖刀). The growls and snarls of Xiao Tianshi (小天师) fill the air as his black fur materializes next to the Spear’s wielder.

Her Attendants speak first before Ba Feng can, though the vibrations of his deep chest grumbles still resonate through the pavilion as he locks his gaze on the Battle Deity, Erlang Shen.

“Our Lady has requested privacy this evening, Lord Shen you must leave!” Tiao Shui sternly calls out.

“You have no men with you, please Recall the Jade Emporor has strictly forbade you to be in the Lady’s presence without a chaperone.” HeHua glared.

All true statements, though not ones acknowledged by the rebellious Shen, who simply angels his head to look past them and speaks to Bèiké directly.

“Have I not been ignored long enough Shuǐ shàonǚ (水少女) ((Water Maiden))? We used to be so close. I’ve paid for my wrongs. Must you still shun Me?” His voice, smooth as ever, called directly to her.

Her loyal attendants - Oh how she treasured them, she needed to reward their dedication more often - went to rally to her defense once more when she set her tea cup on a plate just hard enough to make the plate and cup rattle.

Everyone froze.

“My dear girls, head back to the palace. Ba Feng, make sure they get back to their rooms safe. I shall return to you in the morning.” Bèiké spoke clearly, still not turning around, looking straight ahead.

“My lady?” “My lady, are you sure?” Oh her sweet girls… she really didn’t deserve them. She smiles while summoning from the clouds around her, shaping them into sparkling Ice Flowers that adorned their hair.

She smiles, reassuring them. “I am sure. Ba Feng.”

“Madam?”

“If anyone asks where I am, you are to report that I’m attending my Earthly duties.”

“Yes Madam.”

Her attendants, though clearly displeased with the situation, still dutifully followed her orders. Soon they were gone, and it was just her and her Cousin, the man whom she had banished from her presence Hundreds of years ago.

The silence was thick for a couple beats, before it was broken by Xiao Tianshi - she’d always had a soft spot for the damn dog, curse her - who let out a whine and pushed his head onto her lap. Demanding attention.

“Oh you horrid mutt.” She spoke affectionately as she tangled her fingers in his fur, much to the hound’s joy.

“So, you easily forgive a beast but not your own cousin and former betrothed?” Erlang’s voice sounded a mix between Miffed and Amused.

“Erlang, willful ignorance is beneath you, do not perceive to insult my intelligence with it. You know as well as I that you knew the risks and consequences of your actions and Choose to act on them anyway.” Bèiké felt her anger rise before she swallowed it, taking an another sip of her Tea.

“I won’t apologize for the choices I made with the Monkey. You know as well as I that what the Celestial Court was doing was wrong. I couldn’t allow things to continue as they were, but I didn’t mean for it to affect the peace we had created… I miss the trust we shared, the camaraderie we had.” Erlang spoke with a sincerity that Bèiké couldn’t ignore. But it did nothing to sooth her anger.

“What you did was a stupid gamble and Erlang, you are so, so lucky the gamble paid off. Both you and that Furred Menace I unfortunately call my Sworn Brother. How you two even conspired such a foolish venture is beyond me. When I think of the possibilities, all I get is a headache.” She sighs and shakes her head.

Erlang contemplates stepping closer to her, before favoring leaning on the wall instead. “That Monkey and I came to an understanding even after my actions against him. We met on common grounds and he granted me forgiveness… Can you not grant me the same benevolence? Or at the very least, give me a chance to earn it?”

Bèiké took another sip of tea to calm her growing temper as she pet Xiao Tianshi again. Yes, she did enjoy the dog’s company for all he wasn’t a creature of her domain. It was something she regretted when she banished his Master. “Dear Cousin, you seem to continue to Misunderstand. It’s not My forgiveness you need to earn.”

“Bèiké?” He started.

“You have Lost the right to use that name.” Comes a whiplash of escaped anger before it’s strangled once more and she forces her shoulders to relax.

“Zhēnzhū, please, I hate the turmoil I’ve caused. Let me know the steps I can take to end it.” It was - again - the sincerity in his tone that made her grit her teeth. Still she refused to look at him.

“These past hundreds of years… I willingly went out of my way to protect the innocent lives that the two of you shattered. I witnessed first hand the destruction the absence of Sun Wukong left. The predators saw the opportunity to ravage the hole that was created, and by the gods did they come. But you two fools didn’t think about that did you? You didn’t think about those consequences.” The calm in her tone made the growing dark cloud on which the pavilion sat even more unnerving.

“You didn’t think of the effects that his sudden death, that your sudden aggression, would have on the heart of one so gentle as my Sister… How her world had shattered, the misplaced guilt that plagued her… why would you? You two only cared about your plan… your “freedom”, your precious illusion of control.” The wind began to pick up, and her tone was still calm and gentle.

Xiao Tianshi whined and returned to his masters side. Erlang laid his weapon on the ground as a peace offering.

“Zhēnzhū, Cousin, please. You speak so calm yet the clouds get darker. You are angry yes? I accept it if so. Please, look at me.”

The flash of lightning and the sudden booming thunder was so unexpected he instinctively flinched back. When he looked up, he was greeted with the glowing eyes of an enraged woman. He swallowed.

“No Erlang… I’m not angry… I am Furious. And since you seem to continue to be Oblivious as to the reasons why. I shall be merciful and explain to you why I am furious.” She stands up. “It is because the people - the Family - I trusted are stupider than I could’ve possibly predicted.”

Another lightning crash

“Because Gambling is such a disgusting habit and I am disappointed to have been so close with people who so willing to engage in it.”

Rain begins to blow sideways, freezing and then melting again.

“Because while I have already acknowledged and come to terms with the fact that Sun Wukong is an impulsive fool, I had at least trusted You to think your actions through before you acted and never have I been more disappointed to be so blatantly proven wrong.”

The sudden stillness that surrounded them, the sudden quiet, made the hair on Erlang Shen’s body stand up in warning.

“All of that I could’ve forgiven… but Erlang.” She took a step closer, her eyes wide and unblinking, Erlang instinctively took a step back. “You weren’t there to see what you did to that Sweet Bird.”

She shook her head, taking another step closer, Erlang didn’t move this time. Holding his ground.

“You two weren’t there to see how that poor bird crumpled… you didn’t hear her screams, you didn’t go through the scares. You didn’t see how that light of hers just… disappeared.” Erlang felt his chest tighten as he saw the tears begin to form in Bèiké’s eyes. “You. Weren’t. There.”

She shook her head as the first tear fell. “You… You didn’t even come and check on her. Not that I would’ve allowed you near her anyways after what you had done, but the fact she saw you as a brother and you didn’t even Try…” her voice cracked.

She turned away for a second as she took a deep breath to steady herself, wiping those traitorous tears away from her face.

“It was me… I was the one who stood by her, I was the one who ran to her side when the nightmares came, I was the one who held it together.”

She turned around and glared at him again.

“You have No Right, you hear me? No Right, to come asking for My forgiveness when I wasn’t the one you have hurt.”

She tilts her head at him, a look of genuine interest crossing her face.

“Are you satisfied, Erlang Shen? Has the wool the two of you pulled over the Celestial Court’s eyes Everything you had hoped for? Was the taste of victory over my Royal Father, the Jade Emperor as sweet as you imagined?” Disgust fills her face. “Because I sincerely hope it is.”

She turns back around and goes to sit at her Tea table once more. Pouring herself a new cup and taking a sip before taking a deep breath and getting her emotions back under control.

“I’m sorry Zhēnzhū… I didn’t realize…” Came Erlang’s soft voice, having been thoroughly chided.

Bèiké let out a sour sounding laugh. “No, no I’m sure you didn’t…” She shakes her head, taking another sip before carefully setting her tea cup back on its plate. Her hands wrapped around the delicate cup to warm them.

“I hope you realize, just how merciful I have been… Banishing you from my presence was the kindest thing I could’ve done. Because that first night, when those screams pierced the veil, and I had to hold a sobbing woman until well after the sun had risen… and I couldn’t do anything to ease her pain… Erlang, I had half a mind to come and report both of you fools to the court.”

She sighed and stared up at the stars as she wiped away the tears that were forming again.

“But I didn’t… Because it would’ve only succeeded in hurting the Phoenix Maiden more…. And despite your foolishness, despite your awful choices… you were still my cousin, and Sun Wukong was still my brother, and I still love you both…”

Erlang’s shoulders slump as he took a hesitant step forward. “Bèiké?” It was a soft request to join her.

She breathed out an angry breath as she raised a hand to the clouds around her, summoning water and forming it into an extra Chair, tea cup and plate.

He carefully comes and joins her, and Bèiké takes a second to find amusement in how he’s acting.

Brash, proud and stubborn. That was Erlang Shen’s usual temperament. Oh sure he played the part of dutiful nephew well enough, especially at court, but he, himself was just as stubborn as the infamous Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Though he’d be fast to deny such a comparison, Bèiké knew there was a reason those two got along just as often as they clashed.

Seeing how timid he was towards her now would be amusing if she wasn’t still in her temper.

Together, they watched the world in silence for a bit. The gentle rocking of the Pavilion on the cloud swallowing the last of the ugly rage Bèiké held in her heart.

——————————————

Bèiké would’ve enjoyed the silence for the rest of the night, but it seemed her Cousin still had woes on his heart.

“How much different do you think things would’ve been had our engagement not been annulled, had the Jade Emperor not changed his mind and ordered it to be called off?” He looked over at her.

Bèiké looks at him from the corner of his eye for a moment before she sighs and fills his tea cup. “Erlang Shen… you are a fool.”

Erlang gaffs, “How So?”

“Well for one,” She starts, “Had I been your wife, and you went ahead and pulled something like this, I’d be even more upset with you. You’d probably be at the bottom of the ocean right now.”

He laughs heartily as he crosses his legs and gets into a more comfortable position. “Unfortunate indeed that our Engagement was annulled, Bèiké, you would’ve made a fine wife.”

Bèiké sends him a confused look and shakes her head. “I just told you that I would happily drown you had I been your wife and you still wish I was? You have Weird Taste my cousin… perhaps that is why you still find yourself single.”

Erlang - who had been taking a sip of tea - chokes as he falls backwards in laughter. “How dare you?!”

Bèiké chuckles softly a bit before they both fall back into a more comfortable silence.

It is Bèiké who breaks that silence next. “Sometimes… I think about what we could’ve become, had my heart not been sealed, had your anger and pride not ruled you, had our parents not made the choices they did…” She looks at him with a rueful smile

“What would our family have looked like? Whose eyes would they have? Whose temperament would they’d take after?…And then my heart gets so tight I feel as though my chest would cave in… But then it stops, and I realize that too much has happened, too much time has passed. I have changed too much…. And I understand that there’s no point in wishing for a past - or a future - that is never going to happen… You will always listen to your heart and your fire… and given what I’ve become, I can no longer be the wife you need… It’s too late for us.”

Xiao Tianshi comes once again to lay inbetween them, and Bèiké gives him a small cake as a treat, causing his tail to wag.

“I think we would’ve butted heads a bit had we been wed… perhaps it was for the best… but we will never know… and that’s okay.” She gives him a smile.

Erlang stares at her for a moment before he nodded and sighed, his own hand absently petting his hound. “Actions and reactions… causes and effects… that path really is gone isn’t it?”

Bèiké nods. “You are still my Cousin Erlang. Despite my anger at your foolish actions, that doesn’t change…”

The repentant war deity sighs as something tight in his chest unfurls. It wasn’t forgiveness… but it was a step forward.

They continued to talk about various things, the two cousins catching the other up on life, Bèiké even showing her tolerance at suggesting some ways Erlang may properly beg for her Sworn Sister’s forgiveness. Though Bèiké secretly suspected that Birdie had already begun to forgive him, the Phoenix Maiden was a merciful soul.

—————————————

When an abrupt arrival of light and the distinct smell of woodsmoke filled the air, it caught both of their attentions.

Looking down upon the world, the pair saw in the distance the established sign on a forest fire. And a Quick Look into the area told Bèiké that the forest was still too fertile and thriving to need such a reset.

She gave a hum, finished the tea she currently had in her cup and began to pour water into a larger disk.

She gently blew on it before taking a tiny sip and dumping the rest off the pavilion and onto the fires below. The water quickly growing and becoming a giant storm cloud in seconds, bringing an all encompassing rain that quickly begins to smother the flames.

Curious as to what the origin of such a Blaze could’ve been, she stands up, her hair and the ends of her clothes already dissolving into a cloud as she turns to Erlang. “I’ll be right back.”

Erlang, who was about to get up when she shook her head and raised a hand to stop his movements, sat back down and nodded. “If you need assistance you know how to call for me.”

Bèiké nodded as her form dissolved fully into mist, her body reforming within the storm cloud below as it wrapped around her and she takes in her surroundings when she sees a sight that makes her eyes widen.

Her sister, and next to her, her brother who had his head down and was rubbing his eyes. It seems as though there was a confrontation if the sign of the giant Cudgel sticking out of the earth was anything to go by. But neither seemed harmed…. Good.

As if she had heard Bèiké’s thoughts, Birdie looked up and made eye contact with her. She saw Birdie freeze as she saw her, and simply gives her a reassuring smile before she turns away and heads back to her pavilion. Encouraging the rain to continue smothering the flames.

Part of her wanted to go to her sister, but Birdie had made her promise to not interfere unless she directly called for help. And Bèiké assumed she needed time to reunite properly with Sun Wukong. So she respect that promise and turned away.

The Sisters would have time later…

—————————————

Upon arriving back to the Pavillion, she begins to reform back into her solid form and Erlang greets her with an outstretched hand, helping her back onto the pavilion.

She fills him in on what she saw and he responds in kind before they go back to drinking their tea and overlooking the world, absentmindedly spoiling the mutt that lay happily between them.

Once again, Erlang breaks the silence. “I had a thought while you were down there and I, here. Cousin, tell me, how are you satisfied with the chains of the court?”

Bèiké gives him a funny look before she shakes her head again. “Oh sweet Erlang, you don’t know me at all… I’m not satisfied.” She chuckles when he shoots her a confused look and she decides to elaborate.

“Unlike you and Wukong, I am smart you see?” She giggles. “I know it’s the Well-Behaved Children who aren’t watched as closely, it’s the Well-Behaved Children who don’t have the restrictions that the Naughty Children have.”

She grins. “The child who is constantly Lashing Out tends to draw more attention than the child who isn’t.” She raises and eyebrow at her Cousin. “You boys didn’t learn tact until it was too late. You didn’t appreciate patience and by the time you learned, it was too late. You were deemed a troublemaker and thus a being that needed to be brought to heel.”

She refills their tea cup and begins to brew a new pot. Before she’s overcome by laughter and Erlang shoots her a curious look, wondering what could’ve caused her such jovial amusement.

She lays a hand on his shoulder as she explains her thoughts. “Can you imagine how much of a menace Wukong would be if he learned a bit of tact while he was the royal “Pi Máo Wén" (皮毛文), and worked his way up the ranking of heaven instead of throwing a temper tantrum?”

Erlang laughs hard enough his shoulders shake, agreeing with her sentiment and tells her she didn’t even exist when that happened.

Bèiké chuckles and agrees, but says her attendants were and they had plenty of stories and they both mourn that the fur of the heavenly beasts has never looked as good since. Plus she was there for when the peach festival fiasco and the furnace incident happened.

“The palace has been so quiet since.” She reminisces. 

“DEAR SISTER!!” A sudden disruption of a familiar and enthusiastic welcome that made the both of them jump shattered the otherwise calm air of the pavilion.

Bèiké knew that voice, and immediately she groaned. Her headache already forming. “Speaking of quiet….”

Erlang, who was already standing up, looked at the Monkey King with a bit of confusion and more than a little concern. “Wukong? What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be Laying Lo-“

Bèiké let out a shriek as she suddenly found herself being picked up and thrown over Wukong’s shoulder even as Wukong spins to Erlang. “Hey! Brother! Indeed I am being careful! Once I’m back on my Mountain of Flowers and Fruit I shall have to throw a banquet to honor our success! I beseech you to come! We shall make merry with the Best of my peach wines! But for now!” He readjusts his hold on the squirming princess in his arms. “I will be borrowing this!”

“Wha-HEY! WUKONG!” Erlang goes to try and grab him but the Great Sage, in his greater dexterity, easily somersaulted away and was gone. “KIDNAPPING ROYALTY IS NOT LYING LOW!”

His only answer was a cackling laughter.

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“You savage, infuriating oaf! Unhand me!” Bèiké pushes against him with no luck, the Stone Menace refusing to release her.

“Such unrefined words leaving your virtuous lips Princess! Did you lose your royal refinery in my absence Bèiké?” He snickered at her.

“Awful creature! I will leave you at the bottom of the ocean for another hundred years. Maybe that will teach you some manners.” She growled, trying - and failing - to kick him. His shoulder digging uncomfortably into her stomach, a move she had no doubt he was doing on purpose.

“Is that how you greet your elder brother who’s been gone for so long! What a disrespectful sister I have!” He laughs out loud, taking amusement in her temper when she rewards his prodding with another slew of insults. Yes, she hadn’t changed either! He was happy.

Such a joy indeed.

When they finally got to the forest, she squirmed more, expecting to be put down now that they landed, but he stubbornly kept his hold on her. Knowing so long as he kept his hold tight enough, his stone and fire nature would stop her from easily escaping as a mist. She snarled much to his joy. “What are you doing, bringing me here? The fire is already out.”

Wukong shrugs as he starts walking. “Birdie misses you.” As if that was all the reason he needed to go and kidnap a princess of the celestial court… clearly to him, it was.

Bèiké tries again to get out of his hold but he still refuses to release her. “You bearish savage! She has my pearl, if she wanted to see me she could easily”

“There’s no river for her to dunk your pearl, stop whining. You’re too old for that”

“I can’t stand you.” She gasps out as his shoulder digs into her stomach again, causing Wukong to laugh. “You should’ve stayed in hibernation.”

Wukong uses his free hand to dramatically throw it over his heart. “Ouch! You wound me!”

When they finally arrive at the campsite, Wukong - to his credit - sets her down carefully. And Bèiké sighs and straightens her clothes as she hears Birdie starts admonishing Wukong for clearly kidnapping a royal princess and Wukong defending himself.

“Sister!” She turns as the Phoenix Maiden comes up to her, those rainbow eyes of hers wide. “I’m so sorry I had no idea that’s what he had planned, I know you’re busy. If you need to head back I can wait until we are back at the Moun-“

Bèiké gives her Sister a hug, cutting off her ramblings. “Offer me a seat Sister, apparently you’ve missed me bad enough that your furry menace saw it fit to steal me. Come, tell me your stories, it’s been too long.”

Birdie’s lip trembles before she rushes and gives her a tighter hug which Bèiké returns. Before they go and sit at their own little area by a fire.

They sit and talk while Wukong lounges in a tree and adds his version of events when he’s asked. Though mostly - uncharacteristically - he lets the sisters reunite.

Hours pass and the sky begins to grow pale with the oncoming dawn when Erlang shows up to collect the Princess before too many people begin to notice her absence.

He looks towards Birdie and there’s a tense hello between him and the Phoenix Maiden. But there was also an air of a chance that spoke of a more casual greeting in the future. Xiao Tianshi’s greeting - however - is much friendlier. The black hound demanding affection.

“You never cease to impress me with your recklessness Monkey.” He glares up at Wukong even as he takes Bèiké by the hand and pulls her close.

“That is your own sorry fault Lord Shen. Its not my fault you never learn!” He grins all teeth from his lazy position in the tree.

“You’d think one that just woke up from the ordeal that you’d gone through would be less reckless.”

“My sworn sister, alone and unguarded on a floating pavilion, obscured from the eyes of heaven, and I’m the reckless one? You insult me Erlang!”

“You say unguarded as though I wasn’t right there.”

“Oh, this Great and Handsome Monkey King knows exactly what he said.”

“Brave Monkey! I’ve helped you the way I have and yet you insult me so?”

“Esteemed and respected Erlang Shen! I have confidence you will have the perseverance and fortitude to get passed my humble words!”

“You-“

“Enough.” “Will you two knock it off?” The women speak at the same time, admonishing the men before it becomes an actual fight.

Erlang scowls as Wukong grins but looks away.

The Lord Shen sighs as he gently pulls the Princess closer, whistles for his dog to come to heel and nods a farewell to Birdie.

Bèiké smiles back at Birdie and reaches out a hand for her to squeeze one last time. “I shall make sure that the Denizens of Mount Huaguo prepare for your arrival… it was so good to see you.” They share one last smile before she turns to Erlang and the celestial trio form into Erlang’s whirling ash. Taking them back up to the heavens.

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🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜🐒🦜

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It was the early hours of the morning, the sky tuning pink when Wukong and Birdie cuddle in a tree, deciding they would rest and have a late morning.

“You were sad earlier… are you happier now?” Wukong rubs a gentle thumb over her tear scars before capturing her hand in his, and brings her hand to his lips as he rubs a hand up her back.

Birdie leans into him entangling her body with his as she nods. “Much, Truly the great Monkey King… thank you Wukong.”

His fur puffs in happiness under her praise as he welcomes her tangle with ease. “I am a Great King indeed. My Birdie’s happiness is a top priority.”

She chuckles against him as she reaches up and she kisses him in thanks.

Things seemed to be falling a bit more into place. Her… no, their balance a bit more restored

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🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

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