Yin and Jin waited outside while the girls spent a few hours getting pampered. The guys took a quick bath, dipped in the hot springs, and played ping pong.
"What is taking em' so long!? They should've been done a while ago!" said Jin, tapping his foot impatiently.
"You know, girls, Jin. They like to pamper themselves with face masks and seaweed wraps and have their little fashion show trying on clothes."
"It's probably taking a long time because of Aizhen. She probably doesn't know which sleeve goes where when trying to put on a shirt," he scoffed.
"Heh-you're one to talk. Remember one time you accidentally tried to put on your pants when you thought it was your shirt, and you couldn't get your head through? You were stumbling all over the place and hit your noggin on the wall." Yin snickered at his brother.
"How's about a fist to that noggin of yours if you ever spout that ag-"
Camille's laugh cut him off as the brothers turned to her standing by the door, Scorpion Queen in tow.
"No way! You thought your pants were a shirt and tried to wear it?! I don't think I heard that one before!" Camille let out rounds of chuckles.
"You are so getting it later," Jin snarked at his brother.
"Sooo~How was your spa day?" Yin asked.
"And where's Scaley?"
Camille and Scorpion Queen nodded; each stood opposite the door with a smile.
"Gentlemen, allow us to introduce to you the new and improved Aizhen.", Scorpion Queen exclaimed.
The girls parted as Aizhen stepped out into the open, brushing a few bangs back and glancing away momentarily. The boys took one look at Aizhen, cheeks flaring up at her new look.
"Oh wow...." said Yin.
"This is...the same Dragon Lady from before, right? She looks so....so..."
"Chique? Cool? Stylish. Yes, yes she does, Jin." Camille slid by his side with a big grin.
"Wow...Aizhen....You look um...You look..."
Aizhen turned to Yin, tilting her head to the side, wondering what he was muttering.
"I look what?"
"You look...Pretty cool. Especially the jean jacket."
"Thank you?"
"Jin, what do you think of Ai-Ai's outfit?" Camille nudged his arm
Jin rubbed his arm, turning to Aizhen. He looked her up and down, taking in her entire outfit.
"I say...she looks nice...Ponytail's a nice touchup. Plus, the jacket does make you semi-cool."
"What does semi-cool mean"?, asked Aizhen.
"That you're edgy, but not too edgy.", explained Camille.
"I guess I can take that as some sort of compliment?"
"So, how was your bath, boys?" asked the Scorpion Queen.
"Eh-it was fine.", shrugged Jin.
"Same ole, same ole scrub behind the ears and scrub-a-dub.", replied Yin.
"So now that we've refreshed ourselves, how do we get to Pigsy's Noodles?", asked Aizhen.
"Patience, your Dragonesty, we'll get there soon, but for now, there's so much of Megapolis to show you!" Camille gestured to their surroundings with a sparkling grin.
"We've only scratched the surface, darling. Come on!" Scorpion Queen grasped Aizhen's hand, pulling her down the street.
Her cheeks flustered at the sudden grasp of Scorpion Queen's hand as she let out a startled yelp being dragged down the block.
"S-s-slow down, Queenie! You're going too fast!"
"Wait for us, Scorpie!" said Camille, following close behind with the brothers tailing her.
So began their journey into the city. Camille settled on showing Aizhen the market. It was bustling with vendors selling produce, antiques, and books galore! Aizhen's eyes sparkled as she zipped toward the booth stocked with books. She picked up a book, examining it like an appraiser praising an old trinket. Funny, she could hold a book with both hands before she picked up a parchment between her claw tip or used a spell to open its contents. She cracked it open, speeding through a few pages before plopping it down and grabbing another, then another, as the books piled beside her. Camille was over at Mrs. Cheung's booth chatting about ways to prepare the oval watermelon she had bought from her earlier. Scorpion Queen was trying on different accessories over at the accessory booth. Yin and Jin snatched a few tomatoes from a booth and mischievously eyed Aizhen, distracted by the wonder of literature.
"Hey, Book Worm, head's up!" yelled Yin.
The boys threw the tomatoes at Aizhen. Without looking, she tilted her head to the side, dodging each tomato.
"What the!? You see that!? How did she-"
"You boys will have to try harder than that if you wanna get the drop on me."
"But how did you know it was coming your way!?"
"Guess my dragon senses were tingling, but I saw em' coming from the corner of my eye when I was reading a fascinating passage about the Terracotta Warriors sculpted to reflect the armies that the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, had under his command during the Qin Dynasty."
"Dragon senses my butt..." whispered Jin crossing his arms.
"Gotta admit, she dodged em' without even looking. Wonder if she can teach me to do that."
"While you're at it, how's about asking her on a date?", teased Jin only to get punched in the arm, "Ow!"
Their next stop on the trip was the Anti-Gravity Arcade. The sound of music blasted from the speakers, and rows upon rows of machines filled every inch of the floor. In the back was a giant claw machine and a sound stage where visitors could jam out and sing karaoke. Camille pulled Aizhen into her favorite video game, Monkey Mech. Since Aizhen was new to video games, Camille taught her the basics: how to use the controls, execute basic moves and special attacks, and hold down specific buttons to unlock secret abilities.
After a few practice rounds, Aizhen began to get the hang of the game's rules. Camille plopped another token into the machine. Now was the time to put her skills to use. She and Aizhen began to spare, Yin cheering on Aizhen while Jin cheered Camille. Aizhen's avatar was a dragon mech, while Camille's was a cute lizard demonic mech. Aizhen's avatar delivered a roundhouse punch to Camille's avatar, but on the third punch, she blocked it with her tail and swiped her legs, causing her to fall.
"Ha-ha! Not bad for a newbie, but let's see how you handle the 'Scale Spinner!"
Camille pressed the buttons, and her avatar flipped onto its hands, beginning to spin and charge quickly at Aizhen's avatar. To her surprise, Aizhen leaped over at the last moment after recovering from the swipe.
"Seems like your 'Scale Spinner' has failed you, Camille. Now witness as I perform one of my familiar's special abilities!" expressed Aizhen as she rapidly pressed certain buttons.
Aizhen's avatar unsheathed her sword, raising it high as she gathered energy around the blade. A golden aura radiated from the steel as she brought it down toward the ground. A wave of golden light surged forward, crashing into Camille's avatar and dealing a heavy blow, cutting her HP in half!
"Noooo~! You unlocked the Celestial Wave! I'm finished!", she dramatically placed the back of her palm against her head.
"But, it's just the first round. You still have 'HP' left to get the edge on me."
"I know! I was just being 'dramatic'", she giggled toward Aizhen, "But sometimes it can be to your advantage-Like right NOW!"
She sneered as she pressed a combination of buttons. Her avatar charged forth and delivered a triple tail slap at Aizhen's avatar-her HP nearly matching Camille's. Aizhen returned her attention to the screen, seeing her avatar struck by Camille's surprise attack.
"What the!? My HP!... Camille, how dare you lower my guard only to attack me from behind!" Aizhen growled at her friend, hair spiking up as she tightened her grip on the controller.
"Like I said-Sometimes you gotta improvise to allow one's guard to lower only to take advantage of that moment to take the shot. Like I did just now", Camille giggled, sticking out her curly tongue.
"I won't fall for that trick again! You may be my friend, Camille, but your familiar has become my enemy in this magic box!"
"Let us see if you can defeat Camille, The Lizard Queen!"
Camille and Aizhen kept sparring in the game. They played a few rounds, only for Camille to win four to two. Aizhen wasn't bothered by the loss but was impressed by her friend's gaming skills. She held out her hand to Camille, who stared at it blankly.
"Good game, Camille."
Camille blinked for a moment until she recognized the kind of hand that Aizhen held out. A smile stretched ear to ear as she grasped Aizhen's hand tightly and shook it with vigor.
"Ha-ha-ha! You weren't bad yourself, Ai-Ai! Sure, you got me a few times, but I was the victor in the end. Keep practicing, and someday, you'll be the one with four wins, and I will be the one with two."
"I'll have to put down 'video game training' on my list then. Playing on metallic boxes housing magical familiars to spare and sometimes defeating many an enemy is quite...fun? Am I saying that right?", she turned to her with a small smile.
Camille gave her two thumbs up as tiny sparkles surrounded her.
"Yes! That's it! You're saying it perfectly! It is fun!"
"If you want fun, I know a machine that may interest you!" yelled the Scorpion Queen, pointing toward the dancing machine in the far right corner.
"Aw yeah! Dance Battle!" expressed Camille, pulling Aizhen toward the dance machine.
Camille and Scorpion Queen had a friendly dance battle on the machine. Ongoing customers cheered them on as they ranked up scores while keeping with the beat. Aizhen studied their movements for a while until they finished their match. Scorpion Queen won the round with a high score.
Scorpion Queen pulled Aizhen onto the dance floor, plopped a token into the machine, and chose a song to dance to. The arrows began to appear as the music played. Aizhen tapped on the front and side arrows while Scorpion Queen's feet were on fire, striking each panel.
"Come on, Ai-Ai! You're tapping like a snail! Go with the beat!" yelled Camille.
"Yeah! It's a dancing game, not a tap-tap game, Scaley!" yelled Jin.
Aizhen glared for a moment and turned to the screen. she was missing a lot of ongoing arrows while Scorpion Queen was striking each one to perfection. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes until they shot open. Keeping her eyes on the screen, her feet began to strike each arrow panel at an alarming but steady pace. Slowly, her score began to rise with each arrow executed to the beat. Legs crisscrossed to get the opposite arrows, sidestepped and spun about to tap the arrow on the far left side. Scorpion Queen stared in awe at her friend's fancy feet as she kept pace. She couldn't let her stride slip, and now she saw her friend getting into the game's rhythm.
A crowd gathered, watching the two ladies dance it out until the final set of arrows, which they rapidly tapped the top arrow, leaped up and struck the side arrows simultaneously! Cheers roared as Aizhen and Scorpion Queen caught their breaths, sweat beating down their face as they glanced toward one another.
"Didn't know the Yellow Dragon of the Cosmos was quite the dancer."
"Neither did I...Who knew this body was capable of executing such footwork...My heart's still racing...," she said, placing a palm on her heart.
"Your heart's not the only thing racing. Your smile seems to have raced its way nearly to your ears." Scorpion Queen pointed out Aizhen's wide smile.
Aizhen rose and patted her cheeks. She felt a curve from her tips touch the tip of her fingers. Scorpion Queen was right: She was smiling. Smiling! Was this caused by the thrill of the dancing duel she and Scorpion Queen had? Did this newfound sense of 'fun cause it' she was experiencing?
It felt good... excelerating! This 'fun' she was experiencing was incredible!
"You're right...I am smiling. I'm smiling...Hahaha! I'm smiling!"
"And it's a lovely smile. This is the first time I've ever seen a genuine smile today."
"No way! She's smiling!" Camille zipped over to look at Aizhen's face and gasped at the sight of her smile, "OMG! You're right! And it is cute!"
She took out her phone, pushed the brothers toward Aizhen and Scorpion Queen, and held her phone up.
"We have to immortalize this with a group photo~! Everyone says, 'Cheese tea'!"
"Cheese tea~!"
Snap! Snap! Camille brought the phone down to show her friends the group photo. Upon close inspection, Aizhen saw herself in the group picture, smile still plastered on her face with the edges slowly beginning to shrink at the surprise group photo shoot.
"You're right....I do have a lovely smile."
"And now it is immortalized. When we get ya a phone of your own, I am sending you this pic. Hey! Speaking of cheese tea, who here wants to get some after we take down the claw machine!?"
"Aw yeah! I've been craving one all day!" Yin expressed, throwing his fists in the air.
"Hey Aizhen, since you lost against Camille, you can buy the drinks!", snickered Jin.
"Jin. Ai-Ai doesn't have any cash. First day as a 'demi-human,' remember?" said Scorpion Queen.
"It's cool. I'll pay for the drinks, and Ai-Ai can buy once she gets herself some yuan." Camille wrapped her arm around Aizhen's neck.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
After winning a handful of stuffed toys from the claw machine, Camille and her friends headed to the Cheese Tea stand to grab a cup of cheese tea.
Aizhen took a small sip from her cup, and her eyes began to twinkle as the silk liquid passed through her tips and dripped down her throat. Sweet and creamy mixed with a floral after taste. She sipped faster to guzzle down the drink but pulled away when some of the liquid went down the wrong pipe and began to cough violently.
"Woah, woah, woah! Easy there, Ai-Ai! I know cheese tea is the bomb, but you don't have to let it explode into the wrong pipe!", Camille said as she stroked her friend's back.
"S--ss-sorry...It's just so good. It's nothing I've ever had before. How is it you can combine tea with a frothy cream on top that makes it sweet?"
"Who knows, but that's the best part of cheese tea~The foam part is the best part!"
"Hey Camille, remember the time you took the lid off, drunk the froth, and had that foam-stache, pretending you were a 'wise old monk'?" Yin said.
"Oh yeah! I even pretended to curl the side of the foam-stache when I was in 'deep thought'", she chuckled to Yin.
"Why were you pretending to be a wise old monk when you had a 'foam-stache'?"
"Just goofing off. Ya know it's just friend stuff. When you're with pals, sometimes you do silly stuff like have a foam stache and act like a 'wise old monk.'"
"I see. Do you find it enjoyable when doing silly stuff?"
"Yeah, I mean, don't you and your pals do silly stuff?" asked Camille.
"When we gather for special occassions, we would hold a feast and share pleasantries. Kui once ate a bowl of century eggs in one gulp. He clunked when he tried rolling on his sides."
"And Kui is Genbu's snake buddy?"
"Yep. Kui is a part of Genbu. Where she goes, he goes."
She glanced down at her cup as worry washed over her. Her friends... She had spent half the day exploring the city, enjoying a spa day with the girls, and savoring a cup of cheese tea. In all the excitement, she almost forgot about searching for her friends and getting to Pigsy's Noodles to meet up with Camille's friend, Mei.
"My friends...We've been having so much fun that I nearly forgot the mission: Get to Pigsy's, find Mei, and find out what has become of my friends and if they're here somewhere in the city."
Scorpion Queen turned toward the sky. The sun had begun to set as darkness engulfed the illuminating citrus-berry sky.
"Hopefully, we'll make it before night falls. Pigsy's is still a little ways off from where we are."
"Oh well. Guess we'll catch a bus and head back to our place and call it a day.", said Jin.
"Yep. We could try again tomorrow after some breakfast."
"Ohhh no~! We've come too far now to turn back! Ai-Ai is getting to Pigsy's one way or another!" Camille said as she tapped her straw, thinking until her eyes lit up, "And I know the quickest way to get there."
"Oh no. Camille, you're not suggesting we take a shortcut through the 'Yaoguai Market'." Yin's voice cracked as he clung to his brother.
"Especially at this time of day! We'll be killed!", Jin expressed as he clung to his brother.
"Oh, come on! It's the fastest route to getting to Pigsy's quicker! Plus, as long as we stick together and not get on any demon's bad side, we'll be solid.", she said confidently, giving the brothers a thumbs up.
"I must admit, it is scary to have to go through there, but if it's for Aizhen, I'd bravely go through any creepy market for my friend.", said the Scorpion Queen as she gave Aizhen a warm, assuring smile.
"Good! We agree!"
"No! Not agreed!", the brothers said in unison.
"Okay, let's finish our tea and head to the 'Yaoguai Market' post haste!", Camille began to sip her drink faster.
"I don't get it. Just how scary can this 'Yaoguai Market' be?" asked Aizhen.