"Haha… I forgot to ask your name!" Yunmei laughs softly as she guided Hang through the bustling streets, expecting him to respond.
Hang followed behind Yunmei. His eyes glanced around towards the different stalls and buildings.
Yunmei turned her head around to face Hang, asking her question again. "So… what's your name?" She looked slightly annoyed, probably because she had to ask twice.
"Diào Rén. I prefer Hang," he replied, his eyes moving to finally meet her own. "Magic seems to intertwine with technology here."
Yunmei nodded. "Yes, you'd be right. Are you sure you haven't come here before?"
"Mm."
"You… you don't talk much, do you?"
Hang looked directly into her eyes before he nodded very subtly.
"It's fine I suppose," Yunmei replied, trying to keep the atmosphere warm. "I'll talk enough for the both of us!"
"Or none at all," Hang said with a tone of voice as plain as dishwater.
The two walked together in relative silence, the chatter around the streets filling in for them. Hang had been glancing around, his eyes narrowing on objects that flew through the skies.
"Looking at Starskiffs?" Yunmei had suddenly appeared beside Hang, her eyes following his own.
"Flying ships," Hang replied, his eyes leaving the retreating Starskiff to glance slightly towards Yunmei. "Spaceships, perhaps."
"Well, some people do like to call Starskiffs, 'spaceships'. We use them here for our daily lives and transportation~"
"... they're alive."
"Hm?" Yunmei looked back towards the Starskiffs passing below the bridges. "I suppose in a sense? They're grown from seeds."
"Here? There's no room," Hang pointed out, looking towards the infrastructure around. "If it's being grown it needs a larger area."
Yunmei lets out a small chuckle, moving away from Hang to continue walking. Her tail beckons him to follow as she walked. "Well, we're in Central Starskiff Haven. It's a different area from where the Starskiffs are grown. Those are grown in Stargazer Navalia."
"Cities? You said this place was a city," Hang commented, his eyes narrowing in slight suspicion. Maybe this 'Foxian' was a Demi-Human.
"Well," Yunmei replied casually, her steps light as she walks up stairs. "The Luofu is technically a ship... but we natives call it a planet~"
"This entire thing? A ship?"
Before Hang could say anything else, Yunmei lets out a triumphant gasp. "Aha! We're here~"
Looking towards where Yunmei was eyeing, Hang sees a small establishment. Tables were setup on the outside. Flowers adorned the sills and the beams of the second floor, a welcoming entrance stood tall, present and appealing.
A sign sitting atop the entrance read, 'The Sleepless Earl.'
"Immortal's delight," Hang repeated, remembering the name Yunmei gave to him prior. "A type of hallucinogen?"
Yunmei pauses. "Why would you think that?"
"Because for a few minutes, you forget you can die."
"Not a bad slogan for them, in all honestly," she chuckles.
His eyes sift through the building. He had saw people exiting and entering the building, so all he could assume was it was popular. "Then what is it?"
"A drink!" Yunmei replied cheerfully. "A sugary drink, actually. Oh, right!"
She turned to face Hang, a finger outstretched and wagging at him. "Don't drink too much of it. It has a lot of calories."
"... so it's delightful... because immortals don't have to worry about their lifespan?" Hang inquires, trying to piece together the meaning behind the name.
"Heh. Maybe! Although... people do say when you drink it, you will have a mysterious smile on your face."
"Hm."
Yunmei tilted her head. "Is something the matter?"
"I can't pay," Hang said casually. He came from another world, after all. Why would he have the currency here?
"Oh, that's fine. I was paying for you anyway~ Just wait here."
Yunmei gave Hang a light pat on the shoulder. She walked over to the Sleepless Earl and entered the building.
Seeing as there was nothing to do but wait, Hang decided to continue his observations. Knowing the architecture would allow for quick escapes if needed. He had a sinking feeling anyway.
The citizens of this ship had differing appearances than what Hang was used to. They had diverse colors of hair. Some had blue hair, others brown, some even green. Others had pointed ears, while some were short like kids.
Mentally, Hang was putting things together. He had pieced together species, humans and 'Foxians.' Since Yunmei wasn't suspicious of his species, it seemed that humans were something of this world.
Hang would have to observe more and inquire later. For now, he needed to stay lowkey, lowering the chances of being caught in a struggle.
"I'm back~" Hang turned back around. Yunmei walked towards him, drinks in hand. "Did you miss me?"
The only response she gets is a small tilt of the head, Hang's eyes observing the drink. "That's Immortal's Delight?"
"Yep! Here you are," she purred, holding a drink out to him. Her tail swayed back and forth, waiting for Hang to accept it.
Grabbing the drink, Hang takes a good look at it. He raises the cup to his face. Small balls were at the bottom of the cup, black and squishy-looking. The drink was pale ivory, with black sugar smeared on the sides of the cup.
The drink was topped off with a swirl of cream, capped by a clear dome covering, a hole in the top middle where a red straw was poked through.
Hang looked back to Yunmei. She had already started sipping on her own drink, a pleased expression present on her face.
Slowly, tentatively, Hang raised the straw to his mouth before taking a sip of the drink.
"Well?" Yunmei questions, her eyes scanning Hang's face for a sign of any smile.
"It's really sweet," Hang answered, his monotone face not budging an inch.
"Aw, I've never seen anyone not smile after drinking this! Well, first time for everything I suppose, yes?"
"Mm," Hang responded dryly. "There are kids running around everywhere. Do parents not take care of them here?"
"Kids?" Yunmei pauses, looking around. "Their parents should take care of them. What do you mean?"
"Them," Hang replied, his hand outstretched towards kids with pointed ears, before pointing back to the Sleepless Earl. "Or over there."
Yunmei turned to look at the first area. "Ah, the Vidyadhara? They're not 'kids', per se, it's rebirth. I never really paid attention, heh."
She sighed, turning over to where Hang was pointing now. "And over there is..."
She paused, before her eyes widened.
Standing near the Sleepless Earl, Immortal's Delight in hand was a petite woman with long pink hair pinned up into a ponytail by two pink tassels and crescent moon ornaments.
The woman wore a dark brown and white open-back dress with gold constellation designs, white tights with cloud patterns, and black heeled shoes.
"Lady Fu Xuan?!"
Fu Xuan turned her head to Yunmei when the exclamation left her mouth.
Yunmei hurriedly turned her head towards Hang. "Did he just call Lady Fu Xuan a kid?!"