"Wife training…?" the rabbit-shifter repeated with wide eyes.
"Wife training…" the Goddess confirmed, this time rather dejectedly with her shoulders slumping.
Tuzi thought hard about the word. She had read about the word before from the books in the Goddess's study. "A 'wife' is the counterpart of a 'husband.' When humans are joined together by marriage in the Mortal Realm?"
Moon drew her lips into a line with her forehead furrowed. "Yep, that is what a wife is." She shook her head disapprovingly. "Unfortunately in 17th century China, and in other parts of the world, it is frowned upon for an unmarried woman to be living with a man who is not part of her immediate family. Other humans may give you a hard time if you are not Atlas's wife."
That was when Tuzi's hazel eyes grew really big, with her mouth nearly hanging open. "Atlas's wife?!" She gasped. "And does that mean… Atlas is my husband?" Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Yes, but only for appearances," Moon said reassuringly. "When other humans are around, you will tell them that you are his wife. In private, you can be whatever you want to be."
Recovering from her initial shock, Tuzi asked thoughtfully, "But why did you seem so disappointed about me training to be a wife? Is a wife a terrible being?"
The Goddess let out a sigh before responding, "No, she isn't. A wife… A sister, a mother, a daughter… Are some of the most respectable and noble roles in human society. Probably the most. They really are the pillars of civilization when it comes to building out their communities, instilling good values in their families, and raising the next generation of children. They create and uphold traditions that become cultures, and are responsible for teaching and passing on valuable education to others. They are emotionally some of the strongest creatures in existence."
Her friend tilted her head, not quite understanding her. "Then why do you not like wife training for me?"
Moon shook her head and patted Tuzi's cheeks. "Because being a wife is hard. It's very hard. As much as they have to offer the world, a wife is often taken for granted. Judged unfairly. Abused emotionally. It's also incredibly hard work. The Mortal Realm is a very patriarchical place, where men are valued more than women. I've been trying for centuries to eliminate that stupidity, and have made some progress, but it needs more work. My dear Tuzi, I wanted an easier life for you. One where you never have to wish for anything and that you are loved limitlessly, always."
Feeling incredibly touched by her master's words, Tuzi held her hands and kissed her palms. "My Lady Goddess, I will not let anyone pick on me. I will train hard to be a good wife, so that Atlas will appreciate me. And if he doesn't…"
The Goddess arched one of her eyebrows as she looked inquisitively at her friend. "...if he doesn't…?"
"If he doesn't… I will bite him," she said with a playful growl, flashing her white teeth.
Moon couldn't help but laugh at Tuzi's idea of a scary face. The lady was really so lovely, it was impossible for her not to be, even when she's trying her hardest to look terrifying.
"Oh, my silly Tuzi," she said, shaking her head in exasperation. "Okay then… Let's begin with wife training then."
The rabbit shifter sat up straight with her attention in full alertness. "Yes, My Lady! I am all ready!"
"Tuzi, tell me. How much do you know about cooking?" the Goddess asked, biting her lower lips.
Contemplating on the question, the lady responded, "I can make instant strawberries, instant brocolis, instant cookies. I can assemble fruit platters. Oh! And I can make instant potatoes. I found out, if you blast the potatoes with a little bit of fire, it smells and tastes very yummy!"
Moon was trying not to giggle. The deity wasn't sure any of that was considered cooking, but it was a good start she supposed. "Okay then… Having fire around is a good start for cooking. Let me show you a cookbook…"
After what felt like a short eternity, the Goddess was confident that she had relayed enough knowledge to her friend, for her to understand what a wife does. Perhaps even more information than she needed to use in the Mortal Realm. Moon was after all the mistress who ran the Sky God's massive estate for millions of years. If she could do it, surely Tuzi could too. It wasn't like Tuzi would be completely helpless once she wakes up. The deity can still visit her in her dreams and teach useful things to her friend.
"So what do you think, Tuzi? You think you can be a wife?" the Goddess asked with a gentle smile.
The rabbit shifter looked confused as heck. That was a whole lot of information that's going to need some time to ruminate with her. The lady couldn't believe how many mundane chores a poor wife has to do on a daily basis. Wouldn't they need to learn how to fight werebears? What about mos-qit-to monsters? She nodded her head and licked her lips nervously. "I– uh… I think I got it. I will make you proud."
"Good. Just let the information sink in a little longer," the Goddess said, standing up and patting any dirt off of her dress. "And take your time deciding whether you want to wake up. There really is no hurry."
"Yes, My Lady Goddess," Tuzi replied with conviction. "I will give it more thought before making a decision."
"And that is all anyone can ask for," Moon said, giving her friend a reassuring hug.
The two friends fussed over each other a bit more, before the Goddess waved her hands to Tuzi, taking her leave from the dream-scape.
Now that Tuzi was alone by herself, she had much to think about. If she remembered correctly from her learnings, when a man and a woman joined in union to become a husband and wife, it was considered a big deal because the gesture was a declaration that the couple would be starting their own family unit. Sometimes, marriages are joined because of financial reasons. Other reasons considered are for social status or life conveniences.
But rarely, the lady thought with a sigh, were marriages founded on the idea of love.
Would Atlas love her…? Tuzi's heart was skipping as she was thinking about this. A warm tingly feeling began to form from within.
Would Atlas want her to be his wife…? Does he even need a wife? She honestly didn't have the answer to these conflicting questions. They were going to bother her for a very long time.
As she stood up from her spot in the picnic, she dusted her robes off. The rabbit shifter was deep in thought, when she suddenly felt a force surge into the dream-scape.
Startled, Tuzi began to look in all directions surrounding her. This was an energy that was familiar to her. Where was it coming from? If the lady wasn't wrong, it belonged to…
"My Lord Sky…!!" The rabbit shifter spotted him in the distance and ran across the pink sakura fields, throwing herself into the arms of the silver-haired god.
"My Lord Sky," she cried, eyes glazing over with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I haven't seen you for so long. I've missed you so terribly!"
The Sky God patted the lady ever so gently on her head, while cradling her in his arms. "Now now. Don't cry, my dear. It will make me sad to think that my presence here caused you to shed tears."
"But they're happy tears!" Tuzi responded, hiccuping now.
"Well, if they're happy tears, then I'll permit it," he said easily, flashing a handsome smile. "How have you been, my friend? It has been far too long. Nothing has been the same without you."
He tried to wipe away some of the tears on her cheeks, but the lady brushed his hands aside and chose to blow her nose noisily on her sleeves instead.
She hiccuped again. "I am doing well, my Lord Sky. I just didn't think I would be able to see you again. It has been years."
The Sky God nodded his head empathetically. Because Tuzi's physical form was in the Mortal Realm, time worked differently for her. For him, it was a few months that had passed in the Realm of Gods. But for the rabbit-shifter, it had been well over 18 long years.
"My dear, it would seem that we have a lot to catch up on today," he said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. He then nodded to the large picnic spread, "How about we sit down and catch up a little?"
Tuzi's face brightened up immediately with one of her best smiles. "Yes please! The Goddess left behind so many snacks and tea. We can talk and eat at the same time."
The Sky God gave her a half-smile, noting the dozen or so teapots that were laid out among the spread. Definitely the Goddess's handiwork. If he wasn't wrong, the tea should all still be hot as it was part of her magic; The Goddess never drank a cold cup of tea. The Underworld might very well freeze over first.
"Alright then," the elegant deity started, positioning himself comfortably on the satin picnic blanket. "Where shall we begin?"
The lady was busy arranging some fruit tarts onto a plate for the Sky God. She glanced up at him, her expression looking rather sheepish. "My Lady Goddess was just here. She was training me to be a wife for Atlas."
Hearing this, the God of Sky who was in the midst of taking a sip from the cup in his hands, began to cough on the tea. Even while choking, this man managed to look graceful doing so.
It took a few seconds for Sky to get himself together again. He dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief. "Wife training, you say? What does the Goddess know about wife training?"
He was pretty dang curious at what his Lady Goddess's thoughts are on the topic of being a wife. Sky remembered that she has such strong opinions about it, when governing her human children.
Taking a deep breath, Tuzi began to re-iterate all the information that the Goddess had just so graciously related to her a short moment ago. The deity listened patiently, nodding his head and answering at the appropriate moments. But even after the lady was done, the god couldn't help but feel perplexed by everything he had just heard.
"So… You are going to be Atlas's wife in the Mortal Realm," the Sky God said with some finality.
"Yes. My Lady said it is frowned upon by other humans for an unwed man and unwed woman to live together. She believed that keeping appearances as Atlas– I mean Feng's wife may be an easier route for us both."
"I see," Sky said quietly. It couldn't be helped, he supposed. While the Goddess did indeed give the rabbit-shifter some helpful tips to be a good wife, there was definitely some highly questionable advice in there as well. The Sky God also noted some rather important details were left out of the training.
"My Lady Tuzi, you do know that if you wake up in the Mortal Realm and announce that you are Atlas's wife, he would uh… have other thoughts in mind."
Tuzi sat back, tilting her head curiously at the deity. "What type of thoughts, My Lord?"
Ahhhh… Oh boy… "Urm…" he cleared his throat. "Other expectations…"
"Different from the ones that my Lady Goddess just taught me?" The Lady looked surprised.
"Definitely different," he affirmed, popping a fruit tart into his mouth.
The Sky God thought about what to say, as he contemplated how he got into this position. It hadn't occurred to him to use divine dreams as a method to communicate with Lady Tuzi. Not till it was mentioned by the God of Humanities, anyway.
The silver-haired deity hadn't used divine dreams as a method of communication in so long, he wasn't even sure he could do it properly. But just as suddenly as he was attempting it, he ended up here with his long-lost friend.
He supposed he should guide her properly on her wifey journey. Atlas could thank him later.
"My Lady Tuzi," he started very seriously. "Have you heard of this phrase– The birds and the bees…?"