I'll Tell You A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue (Open)

HONOR TO US ALL

[attr="class","next"] She always found herself running. What was it about running through the forest that made her feel alive? Mulan dug the balls of her feet into the grassy leaf-lined forest soil as she jumped over the roots left above ground by the trees. She had pissed off Hook with asking too many questions — he and pulled a knife and she had pulled…well, she had pulled a sword that she had stolen from the castle which only led to more questions. Where’d you learn to wield something like that, love? Been stealing from the castle, eh? So she had run because she couldn’t explain it. She couldn’t explain that she knew exactly how to wield the weapon because she had once been the most feared of challengers in ancient China.

Her feet hit the sand, alerting her to a terrain change. She ran toward the dock, her feet padding against the wood as she went. There was a boat a few yards out — she could make it. Mulan turned to look behind her, no one was following but she couldn’t be too careful.

She braced herself for the impact as her feet left the dock and she went hurtling toward the water. It was freezing for the summer months. Using all of her remaining strength, she swam toward the small rowboat that was near the dock’s edge. She grabbed the side and began pulling herself up but that was when she saw it. The giant dog looming over the boat, “AH.” She growled, recoiling from the side. of the boat and glaring at the canine.

Certainly larger than Little Brother, she thought as she stared up at the husky with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. It hadn’t tried to eat her yet, had it. Tentatively, she grabbed the side of the boat again and this time the dog licked her salt-tainted fingertips as she pulled herself over the side of the boat. Mulan had hardly realized the other human in the boat until she was lying on her back, staring up at the blue sky, still trying to catch her breath.

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HONOR TO US ALL

[attr="class","next"] Mulan’s face fell as she realized that it wasn’t just a dog that was in the boat, there was also a man. Eyes wide, she pushed herself to the side using her feet and stared at him, trying to figure out what to do. She could jump into the water, or she could stay. The choice was hers.

“Hello….” Mulan returned as she looked toward the beach that she had just left behind. Hook was nowhere in sight, meaning that she had officially made it out of his grasp and avoided all the tedious questions that he had been firing at her. “Good to meet you, sir.” She said, finally pulling her eyes back to the man that she was now boat-mates with. He seemed pleasant enough. She knew that he wasn’t from her past life — she would have remembered a face like that.

He was handsome, prince-like. Mulan wondered where exactly he had come from. Probably one of the more subtropical countries. She shook her head. There was no way for her to know and no way for him to know either. That was a part of the curse. Sighing ever so slightly she realized that he had asked her a question. She assumed that it had been something regarding her running off the dock like a mad-woman.

“I’m…I’m good, thanks. Good.” She said, reaching up and pulling her dark hair into a pony-tail using a bit of twine that she had located on the boat’s floor. It felt better that way — shorter and off her neck. It let her breathe. “Ran into a man back there. Nasty run-in.” She explained before shrugging her shoulders. “I’m Mulan.” She thrust out her hand in introduction, trying to play up her masculine features. She wasn’t entirely sure if he could be trusted yet and it was easier that way…acting like Ping. "I've got an idea..." She grabbed one of the oars and threw it in his direction before picking up the other and raising her eyebrows. "Row."

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HONOR TO US ALL

[attr="class","next"] Mulan reached up and ran her hand against her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat and salt-water mixture that had settled there. They were going — far away from the beach and far away from Hook. That was the last time that she decided to press him for answers. He was a nasty man. She was glad that she had grown up in China where she had avoided pirates like him.

She caught Eric’s eye and realized that he was going to ask her what they were doing. Briefly she considered jumping out of the boat — talking wasn’t her strong suit lately, not when she remembered and everyone else thought they were just regular people, but they were already too far from shore and Hook was still out there waiting for her. “We’re making an escape.” Mulan said, her eyes scanning the horizon. She couldn’t see him any more, so her strokes slowed to a gentle lapping.

The boat moved against the waves, but the lateral motion was all but halted. She at least owed him some sort of explanation. “I ask too many questions. A trait it seems we both share.” Mulan said with a small smile in his direction. “Have you met Hook?”

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