Again this should have been accompanied
by several other vignettes, but I forgot
one sage piece of advice:
Never start playing, or even buy, Neverwinter
Nights.
Thus I might slow down my Internet addiction
but my other addiction is still going strong.
<sigh>
Anyway here it is.
Once again, please remember that in fighting
my Internet adiction I'm trying to cut down my
access, so plese forgive the delay.
BTW, Larry F has kindly given a home for
my fics here:
The Lost Library of Florestica
http://rakhal.com/florestica/
My stuff's here:
http://rakhal.com/florestica/elsa-bibat/index.html
Disclaimer:
Sailormoon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi. All
licenses belong to the proper people. This is
used without permission.
This disclaimer also applies to several
intellectual properties referred to in the text.
Please be guided accordingly.
This file can be freely distributed so long as
it appears in its complete form and proper credit
given. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain
without permission from the author.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hong Kong Tea
A Sailormoon Vignette
Set in the "Dances Set to the Music of Time" Sequence
by Elsa Bibat
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1992:
An amber teardrop, the dollop of honey fell into the
cup of dark tea. A spoon dipped into the brew to stir it.
A delicate hand held the spoon and its companion held
the tea plate that the cup was set on. Perfect balance and
serene perfection could be the only description of the
image of those two hands holding the plate and the spoon as
the tea was stirred. No wasted motion and not a drop was
spilled.
"Good day, great-grandmother." The words were in
Mandarin, though the voice hinted the accent of another
dialect.
The hands stopped and their owner looked up at the
one who had addressed her.
A perfect face as if carved from ivory peered down at
the one she had spoken to, a delicate smile playing on the
full lips. A waterfall of black hair that reached to her
waist completed the image. The only thing that was wrong
were the eyes. Old eyes that had seen much set into a face
that seemed to have seen only two or three decades.
"It is good to see you are alright, great-
granddaughter." The response was also in Mandarin, but this
time there was no accent. "Take a seat."
The woman who had been addressed as "great-
grandmother" was dressed in a conservative business suit,
but it did not detract from her beauty. She had an elegant
face framed by hair that reached to her waist. Reddish eyes
looked over the new arrival as she sat across her.
"I see you have kept the traditional white, little
dragon girl." Her well-manicured hands set the tea cup on
the table as she continued her appraisal. Her comment
refered to the fact that the woman she was talking to was
dressed in an all-white ensemble: a silvery jacket over a
long dress of white dress that almost reached the floor,
with the tips of lily-white leather shoes peeking from
beneaath the hem of the skirt. An ivory hat and a pair of
platinum gloves completed the look.
"I have always like the color, Great-grandmother."
"Tea?"
"Thank you." The white woman nodded her thanks as
the one she called 'Great-grandmother' gestured to a waiter
for a cup.
"How is your husband?"
"Oh, he is alright. He and I are finally getting
settled down. This age is so different you know."
"That is what you get for sleeping a hundred or
so years."
"We are not like you, Great-grandmother. We must
conserve our youth, you know."
Her conversation partner just arched an eyebrow. They
were both silent for awhile as the waiter finally arrived
with a teacup. Thanking him, the white-clad woman proceeded
to pour herself a cup of tea.
"Now, Honorable Great-grandmother, I would like to
know what you are doing here?"
"Is not visiting you enough? I was about to start
pestering you about having great-great-grandchildren, my
little dragon." Amusement tinged the woman's voice as
she gave the woman before her a wry smile.
"Very funny." The white-clad beauty said dryly. "I
would believe that if it weren't for the recent... news
reports."
"And why is that?"
"Masked hero, doing incredible feats of derring-do,
fighting evil, etcetera, etcetera, Greatgrandmother, this
'Blackmask' fellow has your mark all over him. The same
sort of thing you convinced my husband to do."
"Louis didn't mention that in the novel."
"You threatened to do rather bad things to him if
your name or Grand-uncle Ying Ko was ever mentioned."
"I couldn't exactly have my name bandied willy-nilly,
dear. Some people have long memories." Setting aside the
teaspoon, the woman with reddish eyes raised the teacup
for a sip.
"Well, I have long memories to great-grandmother and
I'm not exactly thrilled that you asked me for a meeting-"
It was over in a flash. No human eye could see the
swiftness of the strike. The only sign that the one called
'great-grandmother' had ever moved was the position of the
teaplate held in one hand. A split second ago, it was
several inches below the teacup. Now it supported the cup
in midair, the hand that had held it reaching for a
strike that would have hit the white-clad woman in the
area near her collarbone, had it not stopped a centimeter
away. There was no ripple in the teacup, indicating
superb balance and preternatural speed.
"You, young girl, are over ... I don't care to count
how many... millenia too young to challenge me." Retracting
her hand, she smiled. "Besides, I will not be dragging you
or your husband into any of more adventures. I'm just here
to ask of you favors."
"What favors?"
"Oh, a bit of teachingb here and there. You and your
husband are one of the few remaining masters of the Art.
With the destruction of the Jade Cliffs and several other
places where the old knowledge of the Art were stored, we
only have the pale reflections of what once were."
The white-clad woman nodded in understanding. "I
agree, though knowing you, I am betting that you already
have a student in mind."
"Yes, a relative of an old acquaintance of yours. Her
mother is a descendant of the house of Guo. She rather
reminds me of Guo Fu, but without the harder edges."
"And when will you be sending her?"
"Oh, when she's ready for it. Her skill in the
control of her internal energies is quite good but still a
bit lacking."
The white-clad woman just shook her head as she stood
up. "Well, greatgrandmother, it seems you have managed to
drag us back again."
"Was there any doubt?"
The two woman shared a smile as they bid each other
farewell.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Afterword:
Wuxia epics, especially those by Louis Cha, entered my life
when I started watching those cool Chinese dramas that often
got shown on Sunday mornings here in my country. And I just
ate them up. State of Divinity, Demi-gods and Semi-Devils
and quite a few others became favorites. I added to this
martial arts epic fever by being lucky enough to watch old
Shaw Brothers films that were being shown way back when.
'70s martial arts hoo-hah! ^_^
Anyway, this vignette brings Louis Cha's Condor Heroes
cycle (The Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes(my
favorite ^_^!!) and Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre) into the
Dance sequence. Yes, that is Xiao Long Nu (little dragon
girl), heroine of Shendiao Xialu, calling the Guardian of
Time Great-grandmother. "Louis" is Louis Cha or Jin Yong
as he is better known in most places here in the East.
Anyway, Xiao Long Nu, her husband, and quite a few other
"immortals" are going to show up in the Dance sequence.
So keep on watching! ^_^
BTW, if you're interested in learning about Jin Yong's
works, there's no place better than at:
http://www.jin-yong.net
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