Shards of Awakening

[] "I offer thee a gift for today, that tomorrow may burn all the more brightly." (Boon provides an immediate bonus to some aspect within Lady Shifting Sands domain.)

Fingers trace across Quan Jia's face. A spark of the ineffable ignites within her soul. In fractal patterns, like the slow procession of ice covering a lake, it grows. Petals of deepest crimson blossoming from crystalline purity form around a core of fathomless azure. Dao flitters along the edges of those petals, vanishing at the slightest touch of awareness, pooling deep within the heart of a lotus consuming her soul.

Perhaps not quite yet . The words resonate in her head as though spoken from impossible distance. A sound, like the cracking of a whip, resonates in her ears as though from impossible closeness, and the lotus shatters. A thousand shards of Dream and Dao and Enlightenment drift like snowflakes down into her soul.


-[] Yeah, Quan Jia was trying to make her oldest friend super strong, but did that really excuse Xiao Lien from always wearing the same ugly, boring robe. Honestly, she'd put it off for long enough, but Quan Jia would see her friend wearing decent clothes if it killed her. It wouldn't really kill her though, would it?

A mirror shatters. A Dream fades. Quan Jia finds herself back on that windswept plateau and looks down. Her head tilts in consideration as she studies her sleeping friend. Naps were always good and Xiao Lien was a top ten pillow. And since she was already asleep, she really couldn't complain about being one. On the other hand, they did have a day of shopping planned. On the third hand, how often was a situation like this likely to occur.

A bucket, sloshing with, not quite cold, but definitely not warm, water materializes in her hands and she grins malevolently. Turn about was fair play, after all.

Wrists flick, water flies, collides with a swirl of feathers, and Quan Jia pouts. "Were you just pretending to sleep?"

Xiao Lien sits up with a groan, eyes blurred with sleep and confusion, "what did? Where are? Did you try to throw water on me?"

"In order," she helps her friend to her feet, offering a steadying arm around the waist as Xiao Lien lists precariously from side to side, "a spirit, probably elder, invited us to tea, but I think you got lost on the way there. We're still on the same plateau from before you fell asleep. Well, I tried to… stupid mirrors ruining my fun."

"I'll pretend any of that makes sense," her friend seems steadier on her feet, but that's no real reason to let go. "And I guess I can't complain too much about cold water wake ups, since, you know."

"Well, I certainly thought so," Quan Jia grins, "now let's go and get you some pretty dresses."

"Do you think it might be too late for that?" Xiao Lien glances unconvincingly up at the mid afternoon sun, "shouldn't we head back… there could also be some lingering effects from the spirit thing, right?"

"Hmmm, nope," she shifts her hold so that she's got a firm grip on her friend's wrist and starts dragging, "I made an appointment and everything… you wouldn't want to be rude and cancel on a poor innocent seamstress would you?"

"Yes," Quan Jia pretends not to hear the faint response, focusing instead on making sure her friend doesn't escape as she drags her toward her new destiny.


"Lady Quan Jia, this unworthy one is most humbly grateful for the patronage." Quan Jia's eyes drift past a middle aged woman in a simple, if well cut, black dress worked with silver threading. "As requested, the shop is empty for Lady Quan Jia and Lady Xiao Lien's perusal."

"We'll call if we need you," Quan Jia waves a dismissing hand, dismissing the lady an instant later. "So where should we start?"

Xiao Lien frowns at her briefly, but turns her gaze toward racks and displays full of cloth in a thousand different shades and patterns. "How should I know?"

"Do I get to decide then?" she tilts her head in amused curiosity, "Xiao Lien would look good in frills and lace, doesn't she think?"

"No, no lace," is the almost instantaneous response, "I've seen what you did to those poor kids, I don't know how anyone's supposed to do anything but sit there like a doll with all that on."

"But they're soo cute, and isn't that what matters?" she's too amused for her pout to look even the slightest genuine, but that's never really stopped her, "it seems that you have some preferences after all…"

"Fine," her friend sighs reluctantly and asks, "do you have any… not terrible suggestions?"

"Well…" she drifts toward one of the spools of silk, fingers trailing on a peach colored fabric, pale white blossoms embroidered into the edges, "this is a pretty color and the stitch-work is very well done... but I bet Xiao Lien doesn't think so…"

"It's too… bright," Quan Jia smiles, happy that her friend seems to be giving this serious consideration.

Her smile shifts a bit impishly, as she moves toward an eye-searingly bright shade of pink silk. "So no pink either? But it's such a lovely shade…"

"I think pink is more of a you thing than a me thing," the flat stare she gets from her friend makes her not-helpfulness all the more worthwhile. "Not terrible remember, Quan Jia?"

Quan Jia relents and drifts over toward a spool of pale silver silk worked in black thread. "Well, since I think Xiao Lien is cool, maybe she should wear cool colors, silver maybe… but not white, I don't think… you'd look a bit like a ghost."

"Is that really necessary?" her friend scowls a bit, "I can't help being pale…"

"Maybe if you spent less time in front of mirrors, and more outside with your best friend…" Quan Jia smiles to show she meant nothing but gentle mockery and continues drifting around the shop.

"Or perhaps black," she traces a sapphire sunburst pattern in a length of black silk, "something to bring out the blue in your eyes…"

"That's… do you..." her friend's cheeks turn a bit pink, a shade that would go really well with the black silk, before she accepts, "ok let's try it."

"Hmm," Quan Jia pulls a display piece off of where it had been hanging, "most display dresses have modest alteration enchantments woven into them, but we'll still need a final fitting."

She hands the dress to her friend, who takes it and lets it hang between limp hands, "normally the attendant would come back and help with getting dressed…"

"No," Xiao Lien shakes her head with something like disgust, "I can put on my own clothes at least."

When actions that suit her words aren't forthcoming, Quan Jia tilts her head curiously, "we will of course buy dresses that can be materialized on… most of mine are, but shops rarely go through the expense for a display piece."

"You mean here?" blue eyes widen with an incomprehension that shifts toward something like panic, highlighted by a rapidly reddening face. "But yo- I mean- could you wait outside?"

For a moment, a frisson of hurt sparks in her chest, but today had been one of the best of days, so she focuses past it with a forced sort of curiosity, "Is this a mortal thing? I wouldn't have thought mortals practiced such a high level of modesty…"

"Yes, that's exactly it, mortal thing, definitely," her friend's head nods furiously, "so could you…"

"Hmm," her eyes flitter around the shop for a moment and she points out a few other pieces, "in that case, try the silver and the forest green dresses as well… and any others you like… we're not leaving until Xiao Lien can wear a different dress every day of the week."

"So many," she whimpers, but dutifully begins collecting dresses as Quan Jia slips out to a nearby waiting room.


Unfortunately, Xiao Lien had declined the offer of providing a fashion show for her, and as a result she'd been entirely unable to stay awake while her friend had tried on dresses. Fortunately, Xiao Lien had managed to find more than a few dresses that fit her standards and the two girls had left the shop with a half dozen new dresses stored securely within her storage ring.


[Turn 5 Vote]

Quan Jia has 4 actions she may take for this turn, of which all 4 can be cultivation. She may cultivate any particular thing up to 4 times per week.

Actions are broken up into categories that use the same general rules.

While there aren't any trap options in the sense of "rocks fall, everyone dies", there are options that are sub-optimal.

Feel free to ping me and ask for clarification or whatever on the particular voting options, if you have any setting related questions, or if you're trying to put together one of the write-in options.

1 Hour Moratorium.