Work Text:
Luo Fumeng found peace in ritual. The repetition of simple tasks soothed her troubled thoughts, made the memories sit less bitter and insistent on her mind. She dismissed the women that helped her undress, then lit the candles near her dressing table on her own. Examining her reflection in the mirror, she waited, as she did every week.
“Master,” Liu Qianqiao greeted at her door with a slight bow. Her elegant face with its intricate knot of scars was endlessly fascinating in the candlelight.
“Qianqiao,” Luo Fumeng responded warmly. With small wave of her hand she indicated she was ready to begin. “How have you been? I missed you last week.”
“Busy, but well,” Qianqiao responded as she began removing her hair ornaments and lining them up on the dressing table, one by one.
“Tell me,” Luo Fumeng suggested, as she did every week, when Liu Qianqiao began to untie her hair.
Liu Qianqiao smiled beautifully behind her in the mirror, as she always did.
[ID A digital pencil drawing with deep shadows overlays a bright red with accents of soft pink. Luo Fumeng sits before a mirror, two candles glowing at the bottom right, while Liu Qianqiao stands behind her taking a pin from her hair. Both women smile softly. End ID]
