EBIIIIIII do you have any song recommendations for xiuheng or just xiulan in general???? i'm tryna brainstorm ideas for her playlist lol
i'm looking for songs with this kinda vibe yk --> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JHxjF0hv5LOCtyyl2ruex
tyty twin (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)
hi hii !! finally answering stuff again but i cant open the playlist (╥ヮ╥) as for a song that reminds me of xiuheng, i'd say The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns <33
summary ~ dan heng finds a young woman with no name on the outskirts of the xianzhou and decides to take her with him in hopes of finding a proper caretaker for her. but something tells him to keep travelling with her.
trigger warnings ~ blood, death, injuries, implications of abuse(?)
word count ~ 1525
Shing!
Cloud-Piercer embedded itself in the marastruck’s chest with a sharp crack. Dan Heng yanked it free from the monster, kicking its body without a trace of remorse.
He sliced his spear through the remaining creatures, ending their lives in a matter of swings.
As the last marastruck fell to the ground, the sounds of the Xianzhou’s outskirts returned. It was silent, save for the young man’s exhales as he returned his spear to his side.
And that’s that.
He scanned the area for any signs of someone lurking in the shadows, his eyes narrowing. He heard nothing, so the ravenette began walking away with a quiet huff.
A small sniffle cut through the air, and Dan Heng’s ears perked up at the sound.
What was that?
His gaze shifted to a clump of bushes nearby, his usually perceptive eyes spotting something he missed before.
A young woman that looked around the same age as him - perhaps a little bit younger - with whitish-purple hair and ruby red eyes stared up at him from the grass, a pair of fox ears sitting atop her head. Her ears flicked slightly as he approached her, her entire posture becoming defensive. It was then that he noticed her tail. Or rather, tails. The girl had three tails, which was quite unusual for a foxian.
A foxian with three tails.
Odd.
Dan Heng frowned at the girl.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
The albino didn’t respond, and her eyes scanned over the young man.
“Where are your parents?” He questioned.
“I don’t have any,” the girl responded quietly. “I only have a guardian.”
He gave her a curious look. “Then where are they?”
“I ran away,” she looked at Dan Heng as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Is that supposed to be helpful?
“You better get out of here,” Dan Heng said, then turned his back and started to walk away.
Before he could even take a step, the girl behind him stood up, her eyes shining slightly.
“Don’t follow me,” he scowls at her.
She simply blinked, trying to take a small step forward before tumbling onto the ground before her.
Dan Heng’s body moved reflexively, crouching beside the girl to see if she was hurt. He reached out a hand to check, but she flinched, something flashing in her eyes for a moment before it disappeared.
Was that... fear?
“My apologies,” he adds quietly. “Would you allow me to..?”
He gestures to the girl's leg, trying to not appear hostile or menacing. Hesitantly, the girl nodded, carefully watching Dan Heng as he checked her leg.
Her ankle was a bloodied mess, covered in cuts and bruises. It was a miracle she could even manage to stand. Luckily for her, Dan Heng had some extra gauze. He pulled it out from his pocket (does he even have pockets???) and tentatively wrapped it around the girl’s leg. She watched him with wide, curious eyes. It was like no one had ever done something like that for her before.
Once he was done, he pulled back, his expression as monotone as ever.
“You shouldn’t walk,” he states. “You’ll only worsen your leg.”
The young woman stared at Dan Heng as he stood up again. “..Then what do I do?”
The ravenette blinked at her, trying to form a solution in his mind.
There really is no other way, is there?
・・・・・
Dan Heng let out a small exhale, the young woman’s legs pressed tightly against his ribcage as he lifted her. She was currently on a piggyback on Dan Heng, who quickly came to the realization that he had to carry her. Her arms were firmly draped against his chest, as if she were afraid of falling off. His jacket was wrapped around the girl’s shoulders, offering just a bit of warmth and protection.
They had already been walking for quite a while, with no end in sight. Dan Heng’s goal was to board another ship as soon as possible, but that seemed unlikely when he had to find somewhere to leave the girl on his back.
“Name,” the girl blurted out quietly, snapping Dan Heng out of his thoughts.
“Pardon?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to look at the girl.
“Do you... have a name?” She questioned, her eyes wide and round again.
The young man paused for a second, clearly hesitant to respond.
“Dan Heng,” he replied. “Yours?”
“I don’t... have a name,” she added.
Dan Heng should’ve assumed so. Maybe someone would give her a name. He was going to find someone to take care of her, after all. He didn’t have time for travelling companions. It would’ve just put her in more danger than she already was in.
“I see,” he noted.
The girl rested her chin on his shoulder, and a pout began to form on her face.
“Give me a name,” she demanded.
“What?” Dan Heng said, nearly choking on his own spit. “Uh... I’ll try to think of one?”
His answer seemed to satisfy the girl, and she remained silent for the rest of the journey.
She’s a peculiar one.
・・・・・
Dan Heng’s promise to find the young woman a caretaker quickly started to look like an excuse.
They had jumped from ship to ship, each one shadier than the next, and he had deemed every single person he saw unfit for the girl. It seemed like there was no one fit to take care of her, at least in Dan Heng’s eyes.
After about three days of just searching, they had come across a small village filled with people. But no one had been willing to take in another child. So they continued looking.
Over time, the girl’s leg healed. She began walking with Dan Heng and no longer needed his help to stand.
Within this time period, Dan Heng started thinking of names for the girl. Although he wanted to leave it up to whoever took her in, that possibility became slimmer and slimmer with each ship they boarded, so he simply took the responsibility upon himself. But every name he could think of never felt right. The girl didn’t really care about her name, so the ravenette felt he had all the time in the world.
Dan Heng was constantly fighting. When he was awake, when he was asleep, it was all the same. The ghosts from his past haunted him, and he would often wake up in the middle of the night. The girl was curious about what was wrong with him, but he never told her anything. He seemed fine, so she left it alone.
Until that man began chasing after him again. Only this time, Dan Heng felt a stronger will to live with the young woman around him. Whenever they had a moment of peace, he appeared.
And every time he appeared and attacked the duo, Dan Heng killed him. But he always came back.
The girl would always ask Dan Heng who the man was, and he would never give her an honest answer. He always said that it was nobody, but the girl knew better. She could see the fear and hatred in his eyes. That man clearly had something against Dan Heng, so she decided to hate him. Dan Heng was the only person in the world who actually cared about her, and she couldn’t let him get hurt.
So she learned how to fight.
She was terrible at first, but she improved quickly. She started by using a spear, but transitioned to using a sword. She found that it was easier to handle.
Dan Heng didn’t want her going near a weapon, but it was her choice, so he let her. He was fascinated by her rapid improvement and saw the potential within her.
She started fighting alongside him, her desire to protect him and help others stronger than ever.
・・・・・
Blood dripped from the tip of Cloud-Piercer. Dan Heng shook it off, his eyes wandering to the girl.
She was crouched beside the fallen marastruck, her scarlet eyes scanning them.
At first, Dan Heng thought she was looking at the bodies. But her eyes had wandered from the marastruck to something in the grass beside them.
A cluster of pale purple orchids had begun growing, fluttering slightly in the breeze. The young woman’s eyes lit up with bliss as she gently plucked a few of them and ran towards Dan Heng.
He gave her a look of slight confusion, but before she could ask what she was doing, her fingers brushed against his hair, and an orchid nestled comfortably in his hair. She placed a few more, then stepped back to admire her work.
“Orchids are pretty,” she smiled. “I like them.”
Dan Heng looked at her, then at the orchids in her hands. Something clicked in his mind.
“Xiulan,” he said, catching the girl off-guard. “Your name. If you like it, that is.”
The albino didn’t even think for a second. Her eyes brightened instantly, and she nodded.
- She isn’t good at photography but would like to improve.
- Dan Heng often gives her things to put in her notebook. Most of the time it’s more pressed flowers or stickers.
- She likes it when others brush her ears and tails.
welcome to xiulan's trivia! i'll be posting a few facts and lore about xiulan every day when i wake up, and today is day seven! feel free to ask anything about xiulan in my main inbox (@ochamametchi) and maybe i'll add it to her trivia :P
