It was a little embarrassing, but Jia wasn’t really sure how to take a break. Her entire life had been spent fighting for every little scrap, while Eui had been hard at work trying to get into a prestigious college before her exile, and Kaede had been strictly raised to be a leader worthy of succeeding her father. Since growing into the cultivators they had become, they’d enjoyed the occasional luxury, but extended periods of leisure were not something any of Yoshika’s aspects were accustomed to.

Even Meili, with her lack of any real obligations, spent a lot of time either cultivating or tutoring Pan Jiaying. The biggest constant across Yoshika’s aspects was the desire to move forward, always advancing. The idea that if she let herself be content with what she had now, she’d starve in the future.

It was unreasonable, she knew. But it was how she’d always been. So it was that Jia and Eui did what they always did when faced with a problem they couldn’t solve on their own—they found help. In this case, they took their problem to the most hedonistic person they knew—the one person who they could consider an expert on luxury.

Yan Yue stared across her desk at the girls, unimpressed.

“I’m not sure whether I should be honored or insulted. You dump untold amounts of work on me by suddenly announcing that you’re taking some time off, then you come in here and make that my responsibility as well?”

Jia scratched her cheek sheepishly.

“Well, when you put it that way...yes?”

“Unbelievable. I would never have befriended you had I known you were so high-maintenance.”

Eui snorted.

“Oh please, you love it. We wouldn’t be asking if we didn’t know how much you love having people depend on you.”

“Tsk. And what makes you think I’m some kind of expert on relaxation? I’m as busy as you are most of the time.”

“Well, there’s the fact that you had your personal tailor make you an entire wardrobe of custom dress uniforms that matched the academy colors, or the fact that you planted your own personal garden so that you could keep a steady supply of your favorite tea, or the giant bag of gold you—”

“Yes, yes, I get it. You never did pay me back for all that gold.”

Jia shrugged.

“I think the ring more than makes up for that.”

Yue eyed her own hand, where the dimensional storage ring was invisibly secured to her finger.

“The one you stole from my brother? How generous. Alright, fine. Why not take each other out on a date or something? Wander through Qin Zhao’s park, or explore Mount Geumji?”

“We’ve already done all that. Meili’s even got plans to have dinner with Jiaying’s family tonight.”

“I thought you were supposed to be relieving stress.”

Eui chuckled and shook her head.

“We’ve got to at least attempt to get along with the in-laws.”

Yue raised an eyebrow.

“That’s quite a step forward—are things really going so well with Miss Pan?”

“Uh, I was just being figurative. It’s not really my place to say.”

“Ah, my apologies. It’s difficult to tell where your boundaries are sometimes.”

Jia grinned.

“That’s probably because we usually don’t have any.”

Yue furrowed her brows and rubbed her temple.

“Why do you sound so proud about that?”

“Anyway, we were just hoping you could give us some ideas about how to relax. We do miss the days when we’d gather at Eunae’s house and just chat over tea.”

“We literally did that yesterday.”

Jia puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

“But we talked about work!”

“As...opposed to school? I think you might be looking back at our time in the academy with rose-tinted glasses.”

“Maybe...but still, I don’t know what else to do!”

Yue shook her head incredulously.

“You don’t have to do anything! That’s the point! Sample some of the snacks you enjoy so much, take a nap. What do you want to do?”

Jia shrugged.

“There are a couple of new techniques I’ve been meaning to try out ever since Haeun’s breakthrough.”

“By the emperor, you’re a monster. Do that, then! It’s fine to do some cultivation if you’re insane enough to find that relaxing. What about you, Eui? What do you want to do?”

Eui glanced at Jia, then both of them blushed. Yue buried her face in her palms.

“I shouldn’t have asked. Then do that! What else do you want from me? Should I hold your hand while you—no, never mind. Don’t answer that.”

Eui snickered.

“I think we get it. Sorry if this all seemed kind of obvious, but we were starting to stress out about how to deal with stress.”

Yue sighed.

“No, I get it, I really do. Just...don’t overthink it, yes? And if you’d like, I’d be happy to join you for tea on a strictly social basis any time.”

“Thanks. We’d like that.”

“As would I. Now get out of my office and go relax while I finish all this work you’ve delegated to me.”

Jia bowed.

“You’re a good friend Yue—and a great prime minister.”

Yue waved her off.

“Of course I am, now get out of here already!”

 

---

 

Li Meili wasn’t exactly nervous about having dinner with the Pan family. They didn’t like her, and that was fine. The feeling was mutual, and it wasn’t as if Meili wasn’t used to getting along with people she didn’t like—that was how she’d met her best friend. She doubted that she’d ever be able to call Pan Zixin or Shi Jinghua friends, but she didn’t want to be a wedge driving Jiaying and her parents apart.

What concerned her was the fact that Jiaying seemed strangely determined to make her that wedge.

“You don’t have to dress up so nicely, Meili. My parents already hate you, so it’s not like you’re going to improve their impression with a bit of makeup.”

“Yue put so much effort into teaching us how to look good, it would be a waste not to put those skills to use now. Besides, it’s not for them—how do I look?”

Meili did a little spin for Jiaying, her skirt flaring beneath her. She’d opted for a Qin-style attire, stolen—or rather, borrowed—straight from Yue’s wardrobe. It was one of her old academy uniforms—a green dress accented with gold which matched well with Meili’s brown hair and eyes. Her usual twin buns were adorned with a few loose green ribbons and a decorative gold comb.

Never one for makeup, she stuck with a minimal approach, slightly darkening the area around her eyes to make them stand out better against the light tan of her skin while applying just a touch of pink to her lips.

Jiaying blushed slightly as she looked Meili over.

“Y-you look lovely, of course. I just think the effort is wasted.”

Meili giggled. Jiaying was even more of a late bloomer than Jia had been, and though she was still struggling with the idea of being attracted to another woman it was pretty clear that she was attracted. She wouldn’t say as much out loud—the two still lived apart and they hadn’t gone any further than simply holding hands on occasion—but that was fine by Meili.

It was kind of fun just teasing her.

“I couldn’t disagree more. I got exactly the effect I was looking for—and I think your parents will be impressed too.”

“The ones who still call you ‘that girl,’ refuse to acknowledge our relationship, and constantly obstruct everything you try to do in court?”

“And yet, they’ve kept my identity to themselves, they accepted the invitation to dinner, and no matter how much they disapprove of your choices they still keep in touch with you.”

Jiaying rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, to constantly judge me. There’s a reason I barely visited them back when I was still in Lushan.”

“But you did visit them. Your parents aren’t bad people. They care about you, they’re just...”

“Self-centered? Bigoted? Unsupportive, judgemental jerks?”

Meili pursed her lips.

“I was going to say ‘adjusting.’ They haven’t tried to cut you out or force you to change, even if they are pretty vocal about disagreeing with you. That’s got to count for something, hasn’t it?”

“Why?”

That was a fair question. Family was something very important to Meili—to the point that it was part of her cultivation, at the core of her very being—but blood had very little to do with her understanding of it. Lee Jia didn’t know if she had any blood relatives, and she didn’t particularly care—she had her sisters, Eui’s parents, Eunae, Rika, and even Jiaying. Who said one couldn’t choose their family?

Jiaying didn’t owe her parents anything, and they’d done a great deal to push her away with their constant judgements and lack of support. She’d be well within her right to simply cut them off entirely and be done with it.

But she didn’t. And neither did they. Jiaying still loved her parents, and they loved her. They were just all incredibly bad at showing it.

To Meili, that mattered, but she wasn’t sure how to put that into words, so instead she just shrugged.

“They’re family.”

Jiaying sighed dramatically, but didn’t argue.

“Unfortunately. We’d better get going soon, or we’re going to be late.”

Meili shook her head, brandishing her makeup kit.

“Nuh-uh! I haven’t gotten to do yours yet!”

“W-wait—”

“Nope! I want my date to look as nice as I do! Now sit down—you don’t want us to be late, do you?”

 

---

 

Jiaying felt self conscious as she walked arm-in-arm with Meili through the streets of Jiaguo’s commercial district. The city was still quite small, even as immigrants and refugees slowly filtered in from Goryeo and Yamato, but that part of the city was always busy and the glamorous pair stood out like a sore thumb among the bustling crowds.

She didn’t know where Meili had gotten the dress she’d given her, but it was a tight-fitting blue and white piece with a long slit up the side of the skirt that made her very conscious of the stares she was getting whenever she felt the evening breeze on her exposed leg.

Why had Meili chosen such a traditional and conservative dress for herself, only to give Jiaying such a bold and scandalous outfit? She’d never get away with wearing something like that back in the empire.

As embarrassing as the dress was, Jiaying did kind of look forward to seeing her parents’ reactions to it, and it obviously made Meili happy too, so that was another win.

Still, she worried that the tight fit might be unflattering, especially after a meal, but Meili insisted that she had nothing to worry about.

Jiaying wished she could summon more than an ounce of self-confidence without Meili’s help. She loved her girlfriend—that still felt so strange to say—but hated how dependent she’d become lately.

Hopefully once she graduated from the academy, she’d be able to find her own true calling. It wasn’t adventure—that was for certain. She’d learned her lesson about that. But she was practically an expert on immortal horticulture, and if alchemy became the standard method for spiritual awakenings, then Jiaguo was going to have plenty of demand for high quality herbs.

After all that, was she really going to go back to tending ginseng gardens?

While Jiaying let that sobering thought sink in, they arrived at the restaurant. There weren’t many in Jiaguo, but the Fiery Boar was quite popular for its menu which catered to the palates of all three neighboring nations. It was particularly famous for its spicy and fragrant Goryeon dishes, though, and rumor had it that Prime Minister Yan Yue refused to even walk on the same street.

The proprietor, Gang Moon, was a half-spirit with a stubby nose and prominent lower teeth reminiscent of the tavern’s namesake. They weren’t the most attractive features, but he carried them with grace and had an exuberant and jolly personality that was almost impossible to dislike, and he personally greeted most of his clientele.

“Ah! Miss Li, Miss Pan! Welcome, welcome! I have your seats ready—right this way!”

Gang Moon led them to a quiet, but brightly lit private room separated from the main dining area by a simple screen door. Within, Jiaying’s parents were already waiting, and they rose to bow in greeting. Jiaying and Meili returned the bow.

“Good evening Mom, Dad. Thanks for coming out tonight.”

Her mother waved her off as they returned to their seats—comfortable kneeling cushions set around a large low table with plenty of room for side dishes.

“Nonsense—thank you for inviting us. Though, ah, I was starting to worry that I’d mistaken the time—were we too early?”

A server was already preparing tea for them as Jiaying and Meili took their seats across from her parents. Meili smiled politely and shook her head.

“Sorry, that was my fault! I insisted on making sure Jiaying looked perfect—well worth the effort, don’t you think?”

Jiaying tried not to wince as her mother looked her over appraisingly. She’d preferred the stares she’d gotten from strangers on the street.

“I suppose so. You do look lovely, dear.”

Jiaying blinked. Was that an unqualified compliment from her mother? How had Meili done it?!

“The dress is a bit much, though.”

Never mind, there it was. Jiaying knew there had to be something. Her father didn’t miss a beat, though.

“It’s a rather unusual style, isn’t it? Looks imperial, but the fashion back home isn’t usually so, er, bold.”

Meili nodded enthusiastically.

“It is! My mother designed it—she’s started an entire trend around fusing design elements from all around. A few other designers have started copying her, but she’s always ahead of the curve. Just between us, she’s even got a few new designs based on Long Ruiling’s clothing.”

Jiaying’s mother raised her eyebrows appreciatively.

“Really? The...lizard woman? With the wings?”

“Dragon. Her people live across the southern ocean, so we’re the only place on the continent with access to their knowledge.”

Her father nodded along.

“She’s one of the other city councilors. A little bit standoffish, but nice. We align on quite a few issues, so I’ve worked with her often.”

Jiaying looked around the table confused. What was happening? No arguments, no fighting? Sure, her mother had started the conversation off with a snippy comment about her dress, but Meili had somehow managed to turn that into a conversation about fashion trends and the minor fiend population.

Meili caught her eye and winked, reaching over to give her hand a gentle squeeze. Jiaying relaxed slightly. Maybe with Meili leading the way, things wouldn’t be so bad.

Just as Gang Moon arrived with the first course, however, Meili’s grip on Jiaying’s hand suddenly tightened, and she sat up perfectly straight, her eyes wide with panic.

“Oh no. Mister Pan, Miss Shi, I am so sorry, but I have to go. Right now.”

Jiaying’s heart dropped.

“Meili? What’s wrong? Can’t the others—”

“I am—we are. I...they need me too.”

Jiaying’s mother raised an eyebrow.

“What’s all this about? Are we not important enough for you to set aside prior engagements?”

Meili’s hands were trembling. She was normally so unflappable, yet even with her aura so carefully restrained, Jiaying could feel her distress. Jiaying shook her head.

“This is something else, Mom. I’ll explain later. Meili—go do what you have to. I love you.”

The trembling stopped, and Meili blinked, a small smile forming as she took a deep breath, ignoring the scandalized gasp from Jiaying’s mother.

“I love you too. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

With that, she simply vanished without a trace, as if she’d never even been there. The proprietor glanced around and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Will er, the rest of you be staying for dinner, then?”

Jiaying chuckled.

“Yes, please—I’m starving!”

Her mother rolled her eyes.

“As usual.”

She bit back her retort, taking a deep breath. Meili had shown her it was possible to get along. Jiaying could handle an evening with her parents alone. Meili had been there for her, and she’d been there for Meili. They could depend on each other, but they didn’t need to.

Jiaying shook her head and shrugged.

“It’s too bad she had to deal with that emergency—if you thought I was a big eater, Meili would have blown you away.”

Her mother blinked, then furrowed her brows.

“But she’s so small...”

“I know! It’s crazy. I don’t even know where she puts it all!”

The date might have been ruined, but Jiaying was determined to enjoy her evening anyway. For both their sakes.