Heavenly Shae

Epilogue 4: Fated Friends

Shae walked to the seating area in the administration building with half a cup of tea left. A couch and table caught her eye and she unceremoniously dropped her pack, set down the tea cup, sat on the soft furniture, and then exhaustion toppled her sideways. It was narrow for a couch, closer to a loveseat, yet her short stature let her fall across it without issue.

A blissful peace and comfort passed through her as she drifted towards sleep.

"You're in my spot," a young woman's voice declared as her shadow loomed over Shae. "Get up."

"Mmmmgggh, I don't wanna." Shae grumbled and cracked open an eye.

Her silhouette was larger than Shae expected. It pointed under the small table where a pack was neatly arranged. "My stuff's here, thus my spot." She set a fresh cup of tea and plate of cookies on the table.

"MMM!" Shae reached for the plate.

"Nope. Uu~up." The woman grabbed Shae's arm and the back of her robes and easily pulled her up into a seated position.

The smaller woman blinked sleep away and was surprised to find herself now sharing the small couch with the larger woman. A well defined shoulder stared back at her, the pale skin wrapped with bandages but unusually exposed for the chilly season. Leaning back, Shae took in the full picture of the other young woman.

A youthful face rightfully ignored Shae as she enjoyed her tea. Long black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and left to hang down her back. A second tie at the end made a loop from the hair and hung a bracelet size gold ring. Aside from a small bandage on her left cheekbone, she was unblemished and clean. Her robes had some wear to them, but looked good on her. They were cut in the martial style to allow for full movement and fully exposed her arms.

Shae was quite sure she hadn't seen her with the other recruits, yet couldn't shake a sense of familiarity. Even seated, the young woman was a full head taller than her, and considering she was a recruit and a teenager, she probably still had growing to do. What muscles showed were toned and defined: athletic, not bulky. A physical build Shae might have linked to Earth's rock climbers. "Wow, do they make them all so big where you're from?"

She got a smirk back. "They do actually. I'm from Gatewash, us kids grow fast there."

"Hah!" She rubbed the back of her neck. "And sorry, I shouldn't be so glib, since we just met. Oh, I'm Shae."

She got a smile in return. "Nice to meet you Junior Shae, I'll be your Senior, Shu Nalin."

"Shu!?" Shae clapped and pointed. "That's why you look familiar! You look like Guard Shu. Are you her sister?"

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"Cousin. And you're Shae? I think I heard the others asking about you when we were leaving."

"Oh? Hopefully you only heard good things?"

She shrugged. "Mostly they were wondering where you were. Cousin Mujie said you had to stay behind because you were injured in the battle. Hope it wasn't too bad?"

"Mujie? That's a good name for her." Shae chuckled. "No, I was mostly just knocked out, didn't lose any blood, but I heal fast anyway. Well, now I do. Cultivation is great for that." She smirked.

"Glad to see you made it, Junior Shae. I can't say I was so lucky during the trial." She tapped her bandages.

"Hmm. I suppose I should correct you. Unless you are in Meridian cleansing it should be Senior Shae, though I'd prefer Wise Shae if you must be formal." She smirked.

"You're kidding?" The larger woman looked her up and down.

Shae shrugged with her arms and then revealed the scattered white patches along her left arm. "This one's a bit rough, wasn't really supposed to be cleansed. My right arm is quite well-done, however. And I've been spreading it, when I can... Which isn't much, it should go much faster now that I'm here."

"But you're so small and adorable? How can I call you Senior?"

The lost soul sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm probably-" Definitely. "-older than you too, but I don't like titles that much, so just call me Shae, or Sister Shae and I'll call you Sister Nalin."

The other woman looked slightly shocked. "I don't get to use your given name? Where are the Shae's from anyway?"

"My family name is Zhi. They live some distance east of Minlin City."

"Town."

"Huh?"

"Minlin Town. Neither them nor Flame Well are cities. The Empress has to declare them so, and she hasn't." Nalin nodded sternly.

"Oh." Shae shrugged. "Didn't know that. What about Gatewash?"

"Nope. Us neither. Err, them." She sighed. "Guess I'm not part of the town anymore."

"Hmm, maybe not, but it'll always be a part of you." She smiled up at the taller woman.

She swayed her head and picked up her teacup. "Maybe for a while." She sipped. "We are supposed to forgo our mortal ties, right?"

"Pfffft," Shae blustered. "Only if you forget everyone you ever met and everything you've ever done. I think that's more of a metaphor, or..." She stopped and tilted her head and looked up slightly. "Hmm, I suppose it depends how cynical you want to be about it." She shrugged and shook her head. It felt like a very deep subject and she was too exhausted to contemplate it at the moment. "Ask me in a week and we can have an enlightenment about it." She picked up her own tea and frowned because it was almost empty and cold.

"Hah, you say that like you believe it."

Shae smirked at the taller woman. "Of course. They don't call me Wise and Heavenly Shae for nothing!"

Book 2 End!

Shae will continue her cultivation journey this summer in book 3: "title pending" ... :P