Shizhe struggled to focus on what she was reading for a while as she waited for Dr. Jingji to stop by. Her mind was reeling. She hadn't predicted their impromptu confession in the slightest. Granted she was a little more concerned about Xinhua's safety in her last peer into the future than to snoop into their interactions. She wanted nothing more than to melt into her plush seat and soak it in.
She was flipping through the pages of one of her new books a bit absentmindedly. She turned her attention back to the book, trying to shake the hazy daydream and focus again.
This book was quite old but in remarkable condition. Quite a bit of information she already knew but the page she just flipped to was a little different. The images painted on the old parchment were of two dragons intertwined. It was an older dialect so it wasn't the easiest to read but it wasn't the first time coming across a similar script.
As she read, it quickly pulled her interest. It was something entirely new about dragons she'd yet to read about. The more she read it became more apparent that Yushi might be a little more draconic in nature than they first thought. Especially given the way he's been acting the moment he realized his affection towards Xueye.
She was pulled out of the delight of her new discovery by the return of Yazhu. Dr. Jingji entered before she slipped away.
"Wonderful timing!" Shizhe hopped up from her seat and brought her book with her. "I just found a passage in my latest find! It might help shed some light on the current quandary." Shizhe held it out for Dr. Jingji to read.
"Wonderful," the doctor smiled at her before shifting to read. "Is he well?"
"As well as he can be, given the circumstances. I told him to rest until you and I were able to help him. So far his behavior matches up quite closely to this new information."
"Hmm, strikingly similar to what we've experienced thus far," Dr. Jingji hummed thoughtfully as he read.
"I know! I'm glad I went out shopping yesterday," Shizhe giggled. "I'll have to ask where this was sourced. It's so pristine for such an old text. I look forward to what else it can illuminate, given his increase in draconic nature as of late."
"Has he exhibited an increase in some of these traits since I left?" The doctor's brow furrowed. He'd always wanted to be informed of such changes, even if he wasn't residing in the palace. He was only the physician privy to Yushi's true nature after all.
"It's very recent, I assure you," Shizhe could tell he was worried that they kept him out of the loop. "The change came about this last rainfall when I visited you."
"We knew the rain tends to bring his draconic traits to the surface a bit more, coinciding with the fact we knew dragons are the height of their power with the rainfall." Dr. Jingji mused aloud. "Perhaps the timing of the recent attack on Xueye triggered a bigger rise in his draconic nature as the storm was likely already affecting him before it even arrived as it had before. He doesn't covet material wealth but rather connections. As such he must be exhibiting territorial tendencies by not wanting to leave his side. His affection for Xueye that's been blossoming to desire has only exacerbated the possessiveness. If this is true then it's likely his fixation on Xueye could get a little dangerous given the nature of His Highness's strength." Dr. Jingji sighed heavily. "Perhaps we should discuss your finds here with him. It'll be much easier to ask him questions to clarify just how much of this text relates."
"I agree," Shizhe nodded. She went over and snatched up a larger moon crystal than the one she keeps tucked away on her person. This one was the size of her palm and much more powerful. She figured she might need a little more clarity in her readings given Xueye was involved. This was yet another thing to look into for more detail on the new moon. She suspected she wasn't getting any sleep when that night came around.
After a brief glance into the crystal she saw Yushi had returned to his room to rest, much to her surprise. She expected him to attempt to distract himself with work. She guided Dr. Jingji as he continued to read the passages to absorb the new information.
Shizhe knocked lightly on the door to Yushi's room, keeping her voice soft she called out, "Your Highness, I brought Dr, Jingji."
"Come in," Yushi grumbled rather low, Shizhe almost couldn't hear it.
The two of them entered to see that the room was a disaster. Cloth and paper were shredded and strewn about the room. Various vases, trinkets and furniture that decorated the room were shattered or broken making it almost dangerous to traverse. Sitting at the center of it all Yushi sat on the ground, wearing nothing but a shredded robe barely tied around his waist. His hair was a mess and from what either of them could tell, Yushi looked way beyond haggard as he held his head in his hands.
"Y-Yushi!" In Shizhe's panicked concern she didn't even bother with formalities. It was the three of them anyways, no one present would care. She deftly navigated the disaster zone to get closer, but before she could get too close, Yushi held a hand up to stop her.
"Not too close," Yushi's voice was barely above a whisper. There was a faint beastly rumble to it and it was clear to Shizhe that he was trying to not scare her with the sound of it by talking softly. "I'm afraid I might hurt you."
"This is getting worse," Shizhe looked to Dr. Jingji with desperation.
"It feels worse than that ambush during the storm," Yushi breathed out.
The memory was a bitter one for all of them. It took both Riluo and the General to stop Yushi from lashing out at their allies following the slaughter of their assailants. He had hurt both of them as well as Yuliang. Shizhe had been away at the time, too late to warn them. Even after he was subdued and sedated by Dr. Jingji, Yushi was still wreaking havoc throughout their camp until the storm cleared. Afterwards he was so exhausted and vulnerable for the week that followed, it nearly cost them when they were attacked again if Shizhe hadn't returned with a little help from their benefactor before the second assault.
"Please tell me you have something," Yushi groaned almost in pain, trying to not let his innate need to lash out win over. He felt like a cornered beast, ready to fight back at some unseen threat. This wasn't where he wanted to be but it took everything in him to stay put and not hurt others.
"Shizhe found a book with some new information on dragons, especially their behavior in surprising detail that so far has lined up with that which you are exhibiting." The doctor explained. "I can try what we had in the past with some alterations to hopefully mellow this out if this doesn't outline something else, we are still going through it but we wanted to check in on you first."
"I think I'll take you up on that draft of yours," Yushi hung his head, clutching it once more. There was such pain thrumming beneath the surface, like his body was struggling to contain the shere energy and power coursing through him. Some of the first bit of damage he'd done to his surroundings wasn't intentional. He'd suddenly just lost control of his strength. The more he tried to reign himself in the more irritated he became which only made things worse. He felt his sanity slipping.
"I will work on it right away. First, I want to ask a few questions first so we know the extent of what we are dealing with," Dr. Jingji requested. "I'll alter it the best I can with our current knowledge."
"Ask away," Yushi sighed, glancing over at him. "Whatever you need."
"If I were to ask you what you valued most would it be sufficient to say that at this moment it would be Xueye, correct?" The doctor was trying to be professional about it but he still couldn't hide a little smile, already knowing the answer.
"I… Yes…" Yushi couldn't deny it. What had him most riled up was that he was stuck here while Xueye was being sought after by some enemy. His rage he was struggling to contain was the desire to kill Jianhong, even Lord Meigui for all the wrongs against Xueye. He closed his eyes and sat back, clenching his fists tightly to maintain his composure, to refrain from letting an outburst take him while they were present.
"And what would be your next most valuable?" The doctor felt he knew the answer to this as well but he wanted to confirm.
"You two, the rest of the upper court." Yushi stated without hesitation. "All of you are very dear to me. Why do you even need to ask?"
"Dragons are territorial over what they value most," Dr. Jingji explained. "Typically it's a treasure horde, land, but if they aren't solitary then they are overly protective of those they hold dear, enough to get violent to anything that they perceive as a threat."
"Then, not only has being away from Xueye but the ordeal with the Eilians is what's causing this spike in dragon behavior," Shizhe picked up on the doctor's train of thought.
"Eilians? What happened?" Dr. Jingji tilted his head.
"I got upset, they've been bothering the upper court enough." Yushi growled fiercely. "I also made the stupid fucking mistake of letting it slip I was interested in someone else so that petty woman would stop her continuous advances. I refuse to entertain that bitch any longer."
"Are they still here?" The doctor knit his brows with concern.
"Riluo escorted them to the harbor this morning," Shizhe chimed in.
"That won't stop her. I should have just ripped her throat out," Yushi said with a deathly terrifying rumble.
"Well it makes sense why you are so agitated today," Dr. Jingji sighed. "This recent change started with the last storm. This is just conjecture, I think something about being with Xueye unleashed more of that side of you than we first thought was even present. Not just desire per say but you are slowly becoming more dragon as a result."
"Like his calming presence granted by the moon made all of his usual defenses of suppressing instinct fall away." Shizhe commented quietly, shocked that she even thought of it.
"It's a possibility," Dr. Jingji nodded.
"I did let my guard down with him that night…" Yushi took a deep breath. "I'd hate to be so guarded around him now. He'll just worry."
"I'm not saying you necessarily need to as long as you don't end up being a danger to him." The doctor hated the idea of prying them apart when it was clear they helped each other in more ways than one. "Be mindful of your strength with him most of all. After all, you find his presence soothing and it eases your rage."
"Changing it to a deep desire and infatuation," Yushi grumbled. "One could argue that could be worse."
"I have an idea to reign that in as well," Dr. Jingji opened the book to the initial page that Shizhe had shown him. "Likely to ease your instincts if you really intend to court him, do so as dragons do."
"What?" Yushi was flabbergasted. It was the last thing he expected to hear from the doctor, given Dr. Jingji's fatherly nature towards Xueye. As the idea sunk in, it was oddly appealing, like a soothing balm to the raw anger and over protective nature that had been stirring in him the last few hours. "How exactly would that go?"
"To start, it's not unlike that of Meihua's traditional courting rituals, after all this empire started with dragons on the throne." Dr. Jingji had a faint smile on his lips as he spoke. "There are more details in this book, Shizhe and I can go over it and formulate a proper guideline. Just stick to gifts until then."
"How exciting," Shizhe wiggled in place with the uncontainable excitement. It would be rather helpful to monitor and control the pacing of it all with Jinse in the mix of Xueye's emotions. "I'll be sure to advise you. Having the perk of being Xueye's new best friend, I'll easily be able to judge how to proceed on that front."
"It feels a little rigged," Yushi let out a soft huff but it was comforting to have her help.
"I don't plan to influence him, if that's what you're worried about," Shizhe smiled sweetly. "It might take him time and I know you'd rather not scare him away before he's ready."
"You're right," Yushi nodded. "He's become my treasure after all."
Shizhe felt delighted to hear him say those words. She wanted to tease him or let him know that she knew about the little term of endearment but she didn't want to provoke the dragon, even if there was an obvious improvement in his mood. Yushi's intimidating aura was drastically lessening over the course of their conversation. The doctor really knew just how to direct this conversation to calm him down. He did know Yushi the longest of all of them.
"Would you permit me to do a contact reading?" Shizhe asked tenderly. "I would like to see if there is a solution we may not have foreseen."
"It would be for the best," Dr. Jingji agreed.
"I know…" Yushi sighed. He didn't feel like lashing out anymore, he was still leery about having any of them close by. "Go ahead, but if it looks as though I'm slipping again, please leave the room."
"I trust you," Shizhe nodded as she slowly approached and swept any shards away to sit across from him. "I am one of your most cherished after all, even your dragon side must recognize that, right?" She held her hand out to him with her crystal in her lap.
"You're right," Yushi couldn't help but smile at her sweet and calming demeanor. Her proximity did appease the dragon a little as she was important to him. He placed his hand in hers and her tender smile brightened even more.
"Think about what you want to get for Xueye next, nothing else, okay?" Shizhe urged, knowing it was a pleasant distraction that was mellowing him out.
"Very well," Yushi let out an amused breath.
Shizhe closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her thoughts on manifesting the events surrounding the emergence of Yushi's dragon. She gazed down at the large crystal in her lap. The perk of the larger crystal was that she didn't have to gaze up like she did with her smaller one.
Quickly her vision was filled with the night sky. Yushi's stars were always so bright and dazzling. The golden light they emitted was always so warm, it was like resting under a tree on a sunny day. Lately the moonlight began to creep in to obscure it since Xueye appeared in his life. It just gave it a more gentle glow.
As she focused her thoughts in search of specifically a solution to ease the effects, two stars stood out. One was obscured in moonlight, she didn't have to perceive it to know that it was in regards to Xueye's calming effect. The other one was quite bright, a different golden light mixed in that wasn't Yushi's but still familiar. She hesitated to look, she knew Jinse could peek in. She hoped he wasn't paying attention like her last reading. Regardless, if Jinse was involved in the solution she had to find out more.
Bathed in the golden light she came upon the sight of a golden dragon and a mass of golden flame but unlike when she saw him in Xueye's readings the flame took the shape of that of a massive fox. She realized this was the closest she would come to seeing his true form in a vision. She wondered if she ever would in person.
Shizhe couldn't tell the environment or hear any sound which told her it was a long way out, often details were most hazy the further in the future she peered. As she watched the guarded nature of the dragon quickly calmed and laid down, coiled up. Jinse joined him, laying down next to him.
"How odd…" Jinse's voice came from behind her once more, accompanied by the sense she wasn't alone, even if she didn't see him. "Last thing I expected was to be chummy with a dragon." His voice held a lingering air of disdain and she could tell there was unspoken history there.
"He needs help. While searching for the solution, this is what the stars showed me," Shizhe explained. "Xueye's safety depends on this."
"I figured," Jinse sounded exasperated. "I could smell the dragon on him."
"Will you help?" Shizhe asked, with worry filling her voice. "Not just for Xueye. I know it's a bit much but they both mean a lot to me, I'm begging."
"Fine, fine. But it will be on my terms, whether you like the outcome or not." Jinse relented, yet there was a softness to his tone.
"If this is how it ends then it's fine," Shizhe let out a breath in relief. "Do as you please." She knew Jinse would be much better at handling the ins and outs of this. Dragons were also a divine beast after all. If it got them to bond through the ordeal then she hoped that Xueye would only benefit from it. Perhaps this would ease whatever outcome she feared the worst of.
She returned to her senses to see Yushi's brows knit in concern. She started worrying she had spoken aloud. "I wasn't speaking just now was I?!"
"No, but I could tell something was bothering you," Yushi stated. "Is everything okay?"
"It will be," Shizhe smiled softly.
"Any advice?" Yushi sighed.
"Patience," Shizhe wasn't going to bother with any poetry for this. Nothing she said with flowery words would likely make sense in his agitated state, especially since he knew nothing of Jinse. "You may find the solution unexpectedly in time. Don't be afraid to accept help."
"I won't ask you to say more," Yushi quickly held his hand up. "Even that seems a little too straightforward for you to be fine."
"I assure you it's plenty obscure," Shizhe snickered.
"Ah, that's comforting," Yushi stated sarcastically. If something so straightforward had her like this then he knew he really was in for a surprise.
"I can't risk incapacitation until he's safe, otherwise I might have told you more," Shizhe sighed.
"I'd still rather you didn't," Yushi grumbled. "You know I hate when you cause yourself pain to give me clarity on the future. Even your cryptic advice is plenty of an advantage."
"He's right," Dr. Jingji finally chimed back in. As she was doing her reading he continued to skim the book, searching for anything else that might influence his calming remedy. "You should avoid causing yourself harm, Lady Guangming. As much as I enjoy visiting you, I prefer it to be when you are well."
"Awe, you saw right through me," Shizhe joked. She received a pointed glare from both of them. "I jest! Heavens, I'm just trying to lighten the mood." She let out a sigh, "This situation is complicated but the sun still rises after the darkest night. Don't forget that, Yushi."
"I'll try. You may have to remind me," Yushi let out an amused huff.
"That's what I'm here for," Shizhe beamed.
"Wait, this…" Dr. Jingji voiced softly, having stopped his skimming over the book upon finding a particular page. It initially mentioned something that was poisonous to dragons but what interested him was mention of an herb that they were fond of and was found to be particularly calming in larger quantities. He imagined he could condense it into a draught of sorts once they got their hands on it. He recalled seeing it in the list Xueye had brought him.
"What did you find?" Shizhe asked eagerly, seeing his gears turning, knowing it was absolutely something that could help.
"There is an herb known as Black Drip Nettle that according to this can be soothing for dragons if prepared correctly," The doctor explained. "If this is right then it will help, even when you are like this."
"Can't say I've heard of it before. What does it do normally?" Shizhe tilted her head curious.
"Not surprised you haven't because it's not easy to come by anymore," Dr. Jingji sighed. "Just like the nettle we are used to, it was used in a lot of things, tea, food, even textiles. The differences are subtle so I think it ended up getting over used when nettle became popular to use in linen production. Regular nettle wasn't as finicky to grow as the Black Drip variety, as far as I'm aware, so it's no wonder it practically died out."
"Does it happen to be one of the ones they found in the East?" Yushi asked, figuring the doctor would remember more clearly what was on the manifest since he knew Xueye had given him a copy.
"Fortunately, yes," Dr. Jingji nodded with a relieved smile. "We just need to wait for it to arrive."
"Oh, it should have already!" Shizhe piped up. "Apparently it was escorted back by Xi-," Shizhe quickly corrected herself, "Corporal Meigui as it so happens, I spoke with her this morning…" Shizhe could feel her cheeks heat up again thinking about their conversation. She did her best to will it away.
"That's relieving," Dr. Jingji let out a breath as tension eased a bit from his shoulders. "I'll go now to see if they happened to stock enough to work with in the palace stores." The doctor bowed and then left.
"I'll be going to visit Xueye this evening so if there is something you want me to tell him…" Shizhe trailed off expectantly.
"I think it depends on the remedy and the doctor's verdict," Yushi sighed. "He didn't exactly elaborate how long it would take."
"It's new so he probably didn't want to say for certain," Shizhe smiled sympathetically. "At the very least it'll be another night here for observation, though perhaps it may be best to get this place cleaned up." Shizhe stood up and immediately started picking up some of the nearby scraps.
"Don't bother, it's likely to get worse," Yushi sighed frustratedly.
"All the more reason to," Shizhe giggled. "Just let us take care of you for now. I know you would much rather someone else be the one to take care of you though." She teased with a smirk.
"Part of me would but I don't want him to see me like this," Yushi looked rather depressed. "I'm a fucking disaster."
"I assure you he couldn't care less about that," Shizhe offered a sad smile. "Not with all he's been through."
"I know… I just don't want to risk anything…" Yushi took in a sharp breath. "I'm scared of what I might do."
"I can't pretend to understand," Shizhe paused her cleaning and closed her eyes. She was tempted to bring Jinse now but she knew it wouldn't go over well in his current state. She had to trust Jinse's judgement on the matter. She could arrange for them to meet another time, when Yushi was a little more in control and Jinse was less likely to set him off so easily with his incessant teasing. "Patience…" Shizhe said as much a reminder for herself as it was for Yushi.
"Thank you, Shizhe. For everything." Yushi voiced softly. "I feel much better with everything you've said, everything you've reminded me of, even just being here now."
"Of course," Shizhe beamed. "I'll always be here for you, not just as your subject but as your friend."
"I want nothing more," Yushi smiled sweetly.