Mastodawn

NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Dec 16

Three Kings and a Princess

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #PIXIVCharitySanta

•──⋅☾.1 The Mad Frank☽⋅──•

Note: For those who have been following The Moon’s Hindmost Wound, this story takes place between chapters 11 and 12, before the debriefing.

When Mao got out of the carriage, she was exhausted. The events of the last two days had been draining. First, there was the Mushroom Princess, and then the attempted assassination of the Moon Prince. Everything turned out fine in the end, but Mao would rather live a peaceful life away from royalty and people with wind in their heads.

Speaking of people who were touched, she sighed. The Mad Frank was standing in front of a neighboring brothel, shouting about a guiding star, gifts, and three kings.

At least he wasn’t raving about the end of times. Some of the younger girls got worked up over that. They hadn’t learned yet that someone was always predicting the end of the world. Sometimes, their followers gathered to celebrate when the event was to occur. She had heard of one group that drank poisoned fruit juice when the world failed to end. They were either the Jonesites or the Seven Stars Approach.

Never mind. She was going to get some rest and enjoy her spoils.

“He’s at it again,” said Ukyou, Verdigris House’s bouncer, greeting her.

“Very,” she replied.

“You look tired. I’ll try to steer Madam away from you if she comes looking.”

She nodded in thanks, thinking, “A fool’s errand. Grams is unstoppable, especially if someone tries to deter her.”

She made her way to the shack she called home when she wasn’t at the palace. Luomen was out, which she was glad about. It meant she could do as she pleased.

Before going to sleep, she wanted to look over her treasures. First was the small pot of poison she had received from the assassin. Then came the mushrooms and herbs she had gathered. Of those, the best were the windhead mushrooms and bugbane berries. She carefully put the lemony deathcaps aside.

On second thought, though, she hid them. No point in risking someone eating them or a lecture from Luomen. She wouldn’t sample them, no matter how tempting. And finally, the three roasted #quail she had snagged coming back.

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi

Three Kings and a Princess

•─☾#2 Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew – Part I☽⋅─•

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366

“Wake up, lazybones.”

Mao opened her eyes. She felt sick, and the sight of the madam’s face didn’t help. The room spun as she sat up. She kept the thought “Grams leave me alone” to herself. Pleading with the old madam, Yarite Babaa, was worse than wasted breath.

“Hurry, there is someone to see you.” The madam jabbed Maomao.

“Jinshi?” Mao asked and nearly vomited. “I’m too sick for this,” she wailed silently.

Her stomach settled a bit, and her thoughts cleared slightly. “No, it wouldn’t be Jinshi,” she thought. “Maybe one of his messengers. What if he’d relapsed and died? That would mean an excruciatingly slow execution. Better poison, where did I put the Lemony Deathcaps.” Her thoughts whirled. If so, she shouldn’t expect any help from Grams.

“The Moon Prince?” The madam’s sneer was almost a relief after Mao’s thoughts. “You had your chance, girl, and wasted it. No, you’ll have to take what comes to you like the rest.”

It took a full three seconds for Mao to understand what the madam meant. Once she understood, her thoughts raced. “Haven’t I brought you enough wealthy clients?” If the sly old madam was killing the golden goose, someone must have offered a huge fee.

“Pairin, come help the princess get ready.” With those words, the madam left, replaced by the Pairin.

The first princess of Verdigris House looked at Mao with almond eyes, clouded with concern. Her long purple hair was disheveled, as if she too had been aroused from her sleep.

“You look sick, little one. I brought you some herbs. You left them with me when I was ill,” Pairin said, offering an earthen mug.

Mao gratefully drank what she was given. The warmth of ginger tea soothed her throat, and the slightly bitter tang of tangerine peel cut through the soapy taste of zǐsū.

“A good mixture,” she thought, as the urge to vomit ebbed, replaced by a gentle warmth spreading through her #chest.

She put down the mug and nodded thanks to Pairin.

“I don’t want to do this.” The grumble escaped her. She knew it was pointless, but she couldn’t help it, and Pairin wouldn’t hold it against her.

“Cheer up, little one,” Pairin said. “It’s not so bad. Besides paying Madam, your guest brought you expensive gifts: A #chest with as much gold as I receive for three nights.”

Maomao went still. Pairin did not exaggerate about such things. What good was gold if she were robbed of her freedom? If all she wanted was wealth, then she could have had Jinshi long ago.

[Continued in Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew – Part II]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 2

Three Kings and a Princess

Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew: Part IIA

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
2/12 #wss366 #regard #ScribesAndMakers #Vivid? #MastoPrompt #Continuous

[Continued from “Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew: Part I”]

"Your visitor brought you not only gold but a dress too. It's outlandish, but it's made of the finest material," Pairin said, as she laid out a blue dress.

Mao’s eyes widened. The dress was made of soft blue silk layered over cream-toned linen and cotton; every ruffle was cut and stitched with almost obsessive care. Red satin ribbons and a #vivid blue sapphire finished off the opulent dress. It was an absurdly costly foreign gown—clearly the work of someone with far more money than sense.

It tugged at her memory, although she couldn’t say why. No one from Li would ever dream of wearing something so impractical.

Had an eastern prince, with no #regard for common sense, decided to court her?

With Pairin's help, Mao was slowly encased in a monument of silk, linen, and layers of petticoats. Finished, Pairin stepped back and admired her achievement. “Just think what we could sell this for.”

The lack of a compliment would have insulted any other woman. Instead, Mao thought the same thing, picturing the mounds of herbs and medicine she could buy. She hoped she would have the chance to do so instead of being packed off to someone’s harem or taken to a barbarous land to the east.

“Hmm,” Mao wondered. “Or did she mean me?” It didn’t really matter; they were both practical women. Marriage for the inhabitants of Verdigris House was about money first, with love being an afterthought.

“Would you like something to help with your first time? New girls often do.” Pairin produced a small packet. “Just the first time. Any more is bad for you.”

“Poppy paste,” Mao thought. She took it and secreted it away. “But not for this. I’ll save it for when nothing else works,” picturing a maimed soldier. “Or for someone too important to feel pain.”

A smile touched Pairin’s lips as she watched Mao both accept her gift and refuse to use it. “Come, we mustn’t keep the client waiting any longer.”

[Continued in the next post “Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew: Part IIB”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 2

Three Kings and a Princess

Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew: Part IIB

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
2/12 #wss366 #ScribesAndMakers #MastoPrompt

[Continued from previous post “Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew: Part IIA”]

The two walked to the parlor in the main house, with Mao being careful not to trip on her new, awkward gown. Managing it was a #continuous nightmare. If people had to wear these things every day, they would be useless for anything but decoration. Just something for men to look at. The thought displeased her.

The first thing she noticed upon entering the building was the scent of sandalwood and agarwood with a touch of frankincense. “An expensive waste of precious resins,” she thought. But that was to be expected, given how important this guest seemed to be.

Upon entering the parlor, her eyes were drawn to a man dressed in a lavishly embroidered gown. His clothes were rich with gold and silver thread; no expense had been spared. A gold crown adorned his head.

He rose and called to her, “Niang Niang, at last I can reveal my true identity.”

Mao stopped. “No, no, it couldn’t be!” The thought whirled in her head.

“Tianyu,” she said in complete disbelief. The dissection-mad surgeon stood before her in regal robes, arms outstretched with a besotted look on his face. A less august person was hard to imagine.

[Continued tomorrow in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part I”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 3

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part I

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#wss366 #draw #MastoPrompt #Wobble

[Continued from “Gold I Bring to Crown You Anew”]

Seconds ticked by as Mao stared at Tianyu. Just before the incident with the Shaoh assassin, she had seen Tianyu fleeing Dr. Liu’s wrath. But now, Tainyu stood decked out like an Eastern noble.

Then relief flooded her. It was just Tianyu. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but if the imperial court hears about it, they’ll have your head.”

She turned to the madam. “You'd best see him out or you’ll #draw imperial ire. He is merely a surgeon in the royal court. I have no idea where he found these riches, but they are undoubtedly not his.”

The madam looked between them, concern etched in her wrinkles. A misjudgment could easily mean death.

“I did it for you,” Tianya's voice #wobbled, falling to his knees, trembling hands outstretched toward Mao.

She clicked her tongue in irritation, but said nothing.

“Out with him,” the madam said, turning to their bouncer. “And beat him soundly so no one thinks we're in league with him. Pairin, help Mao take the dress off. If the rightful owner shows up, they’ll want it. I’ll hold on to the gifts until we know for sure.”

Mao clicked her tongue again. That was money she would never see.

[Continued tomorrow in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part II”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 4

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part II

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
1/4/26 #wss366 #Turn #MastoPrompt #Fall

[Continued from “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part I”]

Mao was #falling into darkness. The ground neared, sprinkled with red warty wind-head mushrooms. “If you hit bottom, you die,” she thought and woke with a start.

“Ugh,” she was clammy with sweat and her stomach twisted. “Bile,” she labeled the taste in her mouth.

Like déjà vu; she saw Gram's face in the fog surrounding her bed. “Wake up, lazybones,” the wraith said.

“Tsk,” Gram clicked her tongue. “Sleeping in that dress. If you’ve spoiled it, you’ll deal with Lady Ah-Duo.”

That made no sense to Mao. “Had Tianya stolen it from Lady Ah-due? Why would she have such a monstrosity?” Her thoughts tumbled chaotically.

Mao sat up to the sounds of crickets and cicadas. When she #turned her head to look for them, the world whirled by like a kaleidoscope with the madam’s face distorted and looking like an evil cicada at the center.

[Continued Tuesday in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part III”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 6

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part III

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #Lap

[Continued from “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part II”]

The world settled, and the madam’s face was as it should be, wrinkled and sardonic.

“A trick of light,” Mao thought. “And there are no crickets, only the dress crinkling.”

“He brought you this,” the madam said, tossing an elaborate Frankish crown of silver and rubies into Mao’s #lap.

Then she disappeared into the fog, replaced by Pairin.

Pairin smiled uneasily. “Come on, you can’t look bad in front of your guest. Drink this.”

Mao was grateful for the ginger tea, but the sense of déjà vu returned. Hadn’t she already done this?

“Feel better?” Pairin took the cup from her and then smoothed her hair, a half-mocking smile on her face. “Then let’s get ready; we must look to your autumn. The jasmine flower loses its fragrance in summer.”

“Who would sniff wormwood and expect jasmine?” Mao’s voice was sharp.

“The night-blooming jasmine longs to entwine you. He arrived with his entourage. He’s livid about your last caller.”

“Jinshi, the Moon Prince,” the name instantly sprang to Mao’s mind. “And he should be livid!”

"I wish he’d warned me so I could have prepared. Doesn't he understand how lotuses bloom?"

“Wait!” A thought occurred to her. “What is he doing out of bed?” Just yesterday, he was recovering from a near brush with death. There was no way he should be up and around—let alone feeling amorous.

"I don't know, but we’d better hurry." Pairin shrugged and stepped back to assess the situation. The sight was less than pleasing, and she grimaced.

[Continued Thursday in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part IV”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 8

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part IV

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #MastoPrompt

[Continued from “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part III”]

“I should slap you,” Pairin scowled. “Look at that dress! The cat #shed, and you slept in it. Even you should have more sense!”

Mao remained silent and let Pairin scold her. Pairin didn't often slap Mao, but there had been times when she'd deserved it as a child. This was like one of those times. It wasn't like Mao to potentially spoil a valuable item that she could trade for rare medicinal herbs. No matter how tired or sick she was.

Pairin fell silent soon and touched Mao’s face. “I’ll help you get ready, child.”

When Pairin finished straightening the dress, she began on Mao’s makeup, carefully hiding the dark circles under her eyes. Then finally, she moved on to styling Mao’s hair.

All the while, #distant sounds echoed from outside the room. Several times, Mao thought she heard someone calling out things like: “Baneberries—they’re poisonous; don’t eat them,” “These will have the most wonderful flavor of mild lemon or vanilla,” and other nonsense. She even imagined replying: “If you must destroy yourself, continue consuming wind-heads” and “When they reduce your brain to congee,” along with other caustic comments. The words were familiar, but from where?

Her brain refused to settle on a rational answer; instead, it buzzed with energy. It ran in circuits through her body, rising from her toes and blooming in her head like a lotus. She wanted to dash out of the building and escape to anywhere: away from the voices, the suitors, and the illness that threatened to overwhelm her.

Periodically, Pairin scolded her, saying, “Don’t twitch,” “Calm yourself,” or “Stop muttering nonsense.”

Each time, Mao took slow, deep breaths and reminded herself: “I'm ready for this,” “It won’t be so bad being his concubine,” and “He’ll give me lots of ingredients.”

This last thought reminded her of something important, and she asked, “Besides the crown, did he give me anything else?”

“I think he wanted to surprise you with two handfuls of frankincense.”

The thought of two handfuls of the rare resin sent her pulse racing—no, being the prince’s concubine wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she could even make him rest when he was ill if she had that position.

[Continued tomorrow in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part V”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 9

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part V

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 bug (Implied) #MastoPrompt

[Continued from “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part IV”]

Finally, Pairin looked over Mao with satisfaction. “There, all ready to go. I doubt the prince will notice a few wrinkles. But that face—what crawled into your mouth?”

Mao did her best to smooth her face out. If Jinshi wished to pick wormwood there was nothing she could do about it except profit as best she could. If worse came to worst, there were ways of dealing with problems after the fact.

Outside, the shadows performed a queasy dance. If only she didn’t feel so ill, it would all be easier.

Just before entering the house, Pairin stopped her. “Here, let me #lend you this.” Pairin handed a loop of silk thread tied with elaborate notes. “I know you don’t fancy such things, but it has brought me luck.”

Entering the main house, she could feel the tension and excitement in the air. An open visit from someone in the imperial family could bring untold prosperity or ruin to an establishment. Some might say it was up to the gods, but neither Mao nor the Madam believed that. Luck played a role, but work and preparation were more important.

The incense blend had changed from the last time Mao was in the main house. Now the mixture leaned more heavily toward frankincense. “I hope they aren’t burning my share,” Mao grumbled and then put on what she believed was a happy face.

[Continued in next post]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 9

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part V

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#wss366 #MastoPrompt

[Continued from previous post]

The room they entered looked like it had when Tianyu had been here, except Jinshi rested on the best cushion. His skin was a healthy pink, not what Mao had expected. He was as beautiful as ever. Mao was sure that if he even hinted he was interested in another girl, that girl would happily knife Mao in her sleep. Wars were fought and nations ruined over women less lovely. Only the scar on his face marred his comeliness.

He rose as she dropped to her knees. The room was a public place, and proper reverence was due someone so august.

“That won’t do,” he said. “I have come to raise you up.” His smile lingered too long. “Sit. No matter the cost, I intend to have you.”

Mao crossed the room as Joka began playing a romantic piece on the erhu, then lowered herself onto the cushion.

Jinshi clapped once. “Rice wine, from my consort-to-be.” He gestured to a tray bearing steamed buns, a bowl of salty pickled plums, and another of salt-roasted chestnuts. “Have a bun while we wait.”

His overly jocular manner struck Mao as odd. It was unlike him.

When she didn’t reach for the food, he took a bun between his fingers and lifted it to her lips. The sight and smell turned her stomach, but refusal was unthinkable. She bit down.

The mild sweetness of lotus paste and pounded rice, the faint nuttiness of sesame, spread across her tongue. Under other circumstances, she would have savored it. This time, she swallowed with effort, willing her body not to betray her.

“When had Jinshi become so careless with his power?” Mao wondered. Even someone as obtuse as he should have noticed how unwell she felt. Yet his smile never wavered. There was not a flicker of concern, as if her condition were beneath his notice.

[Continued tomorrow in “Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part VI”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 10

Three Kings and a Princess

Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part VI

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #flourish

[Continued from [Frankincense to Offer Have I: Part V”]

Mao’s face turned green when she tried a sip of the wine. There was nothing for it. One way or the other, she was going to ruin the occasion, and it was better to trust Jinshi’s regard for her than peoples’s ire if she was ill. In a low voice she began, “I’m going to be ill. Can we do this later?”

At least, that’s what she intended to say when Ukyou bowed into the room. His eyes darted around the room and finally settled on the Madam. His flustered hands fluttered indicating she should follow him.

Before she could move, four body guards swept into the room, accompanying none other than the emperor of Li himself. “Ah, Jinshi, I see you are already here.”

A sour note in Joka’s playing sounded in the suddenly silent room. Then there was a clatter as people fell to their knees.

“Rise, I’m incognito today,” the Sun Prince announced with a #flourish.

“You definitely aren’t,” Mao thought and began patting the wine she had spilled on Jinshi. “But I suppose he has to say that if he is going to leave the palace complex. There is no way he should be here.”

The Empire flashed Jinshi an evil smile. “If you weren’t my brother, I would have your head for touching the future Empress.”

[Continued tomorrow in “Myrrh is Mine; Its Bitter Perfume: Part I”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 11

Three Kings and a Princess

Myrrh is Mine; Its Bitter Perfume: Part I

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 Age (implied) Coming of Age Day

[Continued from “Frankincense to Offer Have I”]

Mao awoke to the sharp sting of crushed camphor held too close to her nose. Above her, Pairin’s pale face floated. She felt a hand holding hers and clutched it tightly, as though her life depended on it.

“The wind demons?” Mao whispered. “I’m sick. The wind’s lost its way—beating against my mind.”

She swallowed. “Artemisia. Sanshishi. Scutellaria root. Kanzō. Have Luomen or Kokuyou mix it.”

“Hush, you’ve had a shock. They are divine winds, not demon ones. The sun itself has descended and selected you. But we have no time to talk; I need to get you ready. Kokuyou is mixing something he #judges will help with the heat. You need to be ready when he comes; you mustn’t keep the Sun Prince waiting.

Mao stared at her.

“He brought these for you.” Pairin held out two ornate gold hair ornaments shaped like crowns.

“And this, a chest. He said that he knew you liked rare medicines, and he filled the chest with myrrh. Enough to buy all our freedom.”

Mao found her voice. “What of the Moon Prince?”

“The moon waned, surrendering the sky to the sun. Come now, let me fix your hair. Tonight, you will no longer be a child.

[Continued tomorrow in “Myrrh is Mine; Its Bitter Perfume: Part II”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 12

Three Kings and a Princess

Myrrh is Mine; Its Bitter Perfume: Part II

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #MastoPrompt

“Why would I care about how the Jinshi reacted?” Mao wondered. She had a #bond of loyalty and friendship with him, and he was useful if trying, but was there something more? Mao, seldom self-reflective, was puzzled.

It was strange; her alarm at the Emperor’s interest in her was mixed with sadness. “It’s like when I find out I missed a good meal or the herb shop just sold a rare medicine I had been looking for.”

She turned the thoughts over in her mind, like a riddle. Somewhere they must be a clue. Then she let go of it, reminding herself of something Loumen had #educated her on: “Don’t speculate. It is worse to say the wrong thing than to remain silent.”

The fragrance of myrrh drifted into the room, pungently bitter. A gift from another suitor. It was hard to picture there being a fourth.

The futility of speculation was instantly revealed when words echoing her dread and sense of loss drifted in through the door. It was a familiar singsong voice:

          Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
          breathes a life of gathering gloom;
          sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
          sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

“But of who was it?”

[Continued in “O Star of Wonder”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 13

Three Kings and a Princess

O Star of Wonder

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #set

[Continued from “Myrrh is Mine; Its Bitter Perfume”]

A woman wearing an identical dress to Mao’s stepped through the door. Her blonde hair shone, her blue eyes sparkled, and her pale, Frankish skin glowed. Mao couldn’t remember her name, but she thought of the woman as the Wind-head Princess.

"O’ho, ho. It is I, the Mushroom Princess, come to visit."

Mao could only gawk. She reached for Pairin, but she had vanished. The hairbrush she had been using hung in the air for a moment, then fell soundlessly to the floor.

“And who has wind in their head today?” the princess continued.

Mao struggled to understand what was happening. “Three kings and a princess have visited me.” Her memories stirred. “That song the Mad Frank sang. ‘We three kings of Orient are…’ Frankincense and myrrh…”

“O’ho, ho, I see you’re remembering,” the princess said as she began singing:

O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,

“That’s me, a royal beauty.” The woman spun.

She stopped and smiled. “But you mustn’t get mad. That leads to the Serpents whispering in your ear. And the next thing you know, the guillotine is chasing you. I came to warn you. Like a good friend. An ally, you might say.”

With a rustle of skirts, she appeared beside Mao's worktable and pointed at the neatly cut wind-head mushrooms set next to a cup. "A little feast."

With all the skill of a Waning Aurelia, she continued, without a trace of sarcasm, "I don't need to tell you. You're the apothecary. You said it yourself: 'They will turn your brain to congee.''"

Mao remembered, “I made a distillation of....”

She slumped. “Mushrooms. Mushrooms! Of course, I tried the mushrooms.”

[Continued in “Her Sagely Majesties’ Diary”]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 20

Three Kings and a Princess

Her Sagely Majesties’ Diary

#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries #TearmoonEmpire
#wss366 #woke #MastoPrompt #Frame

[Continued from “O Star of Wonder”]

The Tenth Day of the 11th Month – Mia Tearmoon’s Diary

I #woke in the morning from the strangest dream, which I am going to record. Unfortunately, there wasn't any food in it, so I don't think this entry will mention food. No food ratings today! I can do that!

The Mushroom Woman was in it. She's the one I saved from eating squished mushrooms. I must remember to warn the chef never to use them. Maybe I should #frame it as a suggestion. I wouldn't want him to think that I don't respect his abilities. O'no, that would be bad. One whisper from the Serpents, and there'd be poison in my cake.

Anyway, the Mushroom Woman had been eating those red mushrooms with white warts. I warned her about them, but she must have forgotten.

I introduced myself and sang her a song to cheer her up:

O star of wonder; star of light,
the star with royal beauty bright—meaning me, of course.

Before giving her a stern lecture, I made sure she knew it was for her own good. I explained how the Serpents would love it if she became my enemy and how that would lead to the guillotine.

Then, I gave her credit for the idea. I wasn’t scolding her. O’no, I was merely reminding her of her own words: “They will turn your brain to congee.'”

O’ho ho, there’s an idea: mushroom congee, with tender chunks of rabbit in it. I must xxxxxxx suggest that the chef make it.

Today, I'll go gather the mushrooms. What a brilliant idea! ⭐ X5

[Continued Saturday in Mao’s Epiolog]

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NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 24

Three Kings and a Princess

Marshal: Mao’s Epiolog

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries

#Wss366 marshal

Mao marshaled her choicest medicine. After the incident with “someone” stealing the Gān she wanted to see if it was all there. Then she smiled remembering the steam buns the thief had bought as compensation for her troubles.

Powdered dragon bone.
A vial of musk.
The bezoar Jinshi gave her.

Her hand paused when she reached the frankincense and myrrh. Had there been this much before? She shuddered despite herself, remembering the “dream” she’d had. It was especially troubling to have pictured Tianya as a king.

Then she clicked her tongue and shrugged. She knew what to expect from wind-head mushrooms now.

Opium.
Some forbidden realgar.
Agarwood.

[Finis]

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic

@NaraMoore Champignon des Vacances: Worst Trip Ever.

NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 14

You're probably one of the few people here who get all the references, not just the mushroom ones. I know you dropped "Tearmoon Empire," but I don't think I've referenced anything from later volumes.

@NaraMoore I spent part of my youth in a crack house, before they were called crack houses. I've never done drugs that my father didn't feed me, hell torment his soul. I had many people describe their trips while they were happening. I think the worst I was fed was cocaine. I was 10. Anyway, I've never done psychedelics.

There are some stories you write that I don't read because I didn't read the original books, and I get lost quickly.

NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 14

I try to make them work stand alone, but it's hard to tell from the inside.

Asakiyume Jan 9

@NaraMoore Oooh, something is NOT RIGHT here!

NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi Jan 9

You noticed. There def something wrong here.

Asakiyume Jan 3

@NaraMoore Mao is sharp! Well played.