-"Well, how do I look?"
Tsung Yue asked, right after she gently landed on the ground, fully clothed. Her expression was neutral, but it had a tinge of anticipation.
-"You look…nice? Nice. It fits your personality..."
Hairong spoke up first, but the lack of excitement was because of the shock, not from disappointment.
-"Ohohoho! How delightful! You look fabulous, my dear! I've done such a splendid job at my creation, as always…"
Yun Meeren clapped her hands in giddiness, extremely happy and proud of her choice of style. Even if she can't see Tsung Yue, she can still visualize her outfit and her appearance without problems.
-"But you, Hairong, I expected much more emotion from you, don't you like the style?"
The lady suddenly asked, but did not turn to look at Hairong.
-"In all honesty, of course, it looks great. I was just shocked, in a pleasant way."
While the 2 were conversing, Tsung Yue took a look at herself. She was wearing knee-high boots, and white pants to go with it. On the upper part, she was wearing a black turtleneck tank top that had elegant gold patterns all over it. Over the outfit, her body was loosely wrapped and draped with white silk, making it look like she was a dancer. On her left forearm, she was wearing a loose sleeve, and on the right, she had a black glove. The colors of the said outfit were mainly black, white and gold, and all of them complemented each other.
Realizing Tsung Yue's befuddlement, Yun Meeren came closer to her with a knowing expression. It was certain that the odd look Yun Meeren had chosen for her was more than strange. For example, there were 2 different sleeves, then there was a silk wrapped all over her outfit, especially around her lower parts of the body. Yun Meeren was there to clear all the confusion.
-"You don't like it?"
She asked innocently, almost as if she was trying to lure the dragon into changing her mind about the outfit.
-"Well, I like how covered this is…but I have to admit that it's quite strange. I've never seen anything like this before…"
-"Oh, that's because you don't know why I specifically imagined this style, my dear! I shall explain in great detail."
Yun Meeren mused in a matter-of-fact tone, as she placed her hand on Tsung Yue's shoulder with an empathetic smile.
-"I've mentioned more than once, I know so many things about you, almost everything to be exact. Your mind is full of your past life, and yet so empty, yearning for a new start. I created this look from your memories and experiences, each part is designed with a deep sense of purpose. Your left hand represents your future, but your right will show your history. All these silks around your body show your freedom of learning while holding a dear memory that you cannot recall. Do you understand now? Your look was created to make you remember who you are. And once you do…I'm sure you'll sing about the genius idea my mind made for you…"
Yun Meeren said the last sentence with a hint of pride, she seemed to be more than satisfied with her variety of creative ideas and knowledge when it comes to something she's disgustingly informed about.
-"Ah…"
Tsung Yue responded weakly as if she understood the reason, but in reality, she had little to no idea of why Yun Meeren created such an exaggerated outfit. But, who is she to judge?
-"I see you're still very much confused, dear. But that is the least of your concerns at the moment. It's time to fulfill the reason why you're here in the first place."
-"Ah, you're right…"
Now that Yun Meeren's guests were comfortable, it was finally time to fulfill the sole reason of coming into an unfamiliar valley of flowers. Yun Meeren took a step back, allowing Tsung Yue to look around and choose.
As if in sync, the flowers seemed to beam up at Tsung Yue, their presence inviting her in. Every single one of them looked different, in color and size, even their petals flowed against the wind differently. Taung Yue took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, and started to step forward without looking at her surroundings.
-"Eeny meany miney moe…catch a tiger by the toe-"
Tsung Yue's humming was cut short by Hairong, who smacked her in the back of her head.
-"Quit joking, this is serious."
Hairong spoke in a mildly annoyed tone, but the trio knew the smack was completely unnecessary, yet the reason why remains unclear. Was it because she was bored, or did she do it out of reflex? We don't know.
Yun Meeren laughed again in a lighthearted attitude as if she was amused by the duo's antics. She barely experienced such dynamics, let alone think of one. Second, she had all the time in the world, there was no rush. But there should always be a limited amount of time whenever you visit someone. You can't stay there forever.
-"Oh, you're just as funny and clever as you used to be, dear…but Hairong is correct. You mustn't joke in a situation that will decide your fate. Try again."
The last part sounded like a small warning, as if not to cross any invisible boundaries and Tsung Yue quickly understood that. She glanced back at the two, then looked around more closely. Despite the colorful mess the garden has created, they all had the same hues in a different setting. She could tell that these flowers were not for her to take, that she needed to look deeper if she needed to find the one that could be helpful.
In a land full of yellows, pinks and blues, there was a single orange flower hiding between its peers, its hues almost impossible to find from a distance. Its petals were asymmetrical, while all of them had a unique shape that one could almost mistake if someone had cut some parts off it.
While Tsung Yue was looking around, she finally saw the orange flower flowing against the wind. Its strange appearance was enough to interest the dragon, and in a matter of seconds, Tsung Yue was already looking down at it. She then whispered:
-"This one's familiar…like I've seen it somewhere."
-"I see you've chosen your flower."
Someone whispered against Tsung Yue's ear, its sudden presence causing the dragon to yelp in shock. It was no other than Yun Meeren. She could feel Yue's startled expression, but she found it quite humorous rather than concerning.
-"You sound so adorable when you get scared like that…"
If only Yun Meeren could see Tsung Yue's visible confusion, she would've laughed even more. But she could already visualize it, so that makes up for her lack of sight.
-"Don't make that silly expression, my dear. I was only joking…you know?"
-"No, I don't know."
Tsung Yue muttered to herself, a useless attempt to calm her nerves, but Yun Meeren acted as if she didn't hear it.
-"What an interesting choice you've made, my dear…what made you choose it?"
-"Well, it's much more unique, isn't it? Color and shape-wise, it stands out."
-"Like you."
Tsung Yue had finally decided to just let Yun Meeren be, her gaze lost at the vast land before her, as her shoulders slowly slumped down in acceptance.
***