The Great Qing Qing

I swirled my drink with my new wooden arm, watching the amber liquid create a tiny whirlpool. The bar looked like it had gone through a war which, technically, it had. Half the place was missing chunks from where Lung had tried to kill me with, while the other half still had scaffolding from my fight with Fang.

"And then-" Qing Qing wheezed between laughs, slapping the counter hard enough to make our glasses jump. "And then he'd go on these hour-long rants about how plants were 'beneath' the Corps! Remember that time someone left a succulent in the logistics room?"

"No?"

"He made Fang throw it off the ravine! A succulent!" Qing Qing dissolved into another fit of giggles, nearly falling off her stool. "And you- you beat him with a tree!"

Her laughter filled the bar, but my smile felt stiff. The drink in my glass spun faster as I worked up the nerve to ask what came next. Now that we took down Lung, where did that leave us?

"Kuroha!" Qing Qing grabbed my wooden arm. "Your face is all scrunchy again! Here-" She shoved her own glass at me, sloshing more liquid onto the counter. "Have some of mine! It's sweeter!"

"You're drunk."

"And you're too serious!" She poked my cheek. "We won! Lung's in jail! His stupid plant-hating face went splat! We should celebrate!"

My chest tightened. She reminded me so much of Inorin in that moment with the way she rambles after a few drinks, complete with sound effects and spot-on impressions.

Inorin... I owe her everything. She was the first person to see past my anger, to actually want me around. And I still hadn't found her.

My gaze drifted to Peng, who sat across the table watching me swirl my drink.

What would you do, huh? Stay here with our new friend or...

Peng's blank stare bore into me. Those eyes that somehow always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. The penguin tilted its head, raised one flipper-

SMACK!

"Ow! Again?" I rubbed my stinging cheek where Peng had slapped me. The penguin just blinked at me, flipper still raised.

"Did... did your companion just bitchslap you?" Qing Qing squinted at Peng, then at me, slowly connecting the dots.

"Oh. You're planning to leave, aren't you?"

I stared into my drink, avoiding Qing Qing's eyes. "What? No, I'm not-"

"Liar! You've got that... that look!"

"What?"

"Like this-" Qing Qing scrunched up her face in an exaggerated grimace.

"That looks nothing like me!" I smacked her shoulder, but she just cackled and nearly toppled off her stool.

"Come onnnn," she whined, now sprawling herself across the counter. "Just tell meeeee."

I glanced at the yellow progress bar hovering at the edge of my vision, completely full after all those Black Legs we killed. One word and I could ascend whenever I wanted.

"Fine. I... need to find someone. Someone important to me."

"Ohoho? A lover perhaps?" 

"My aunt, you idiot!" I shoved her face away as she made kissy noises. "Want to come with? We could-"

"Nah." Qing Qing's smile turned soft. "Someone's gotta keep these idiots safe from Black Legs now that McGrumpy Robes is gone. Plus..." She glanced toward the door where her sister waited. "Got some catching up to do."

My stomach twisted. "Will I... even be able to come back?"

"Who cares!" Qing Qing shot to her feet, wings materializing in a flash of light. "The great Qing Qing says go find your aunt! That's an order!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes ma'am."

"And if you can't come back, I'll just have to find my way up there to visit! Now go!"

"Okay, okay." I stood, grinning.

I'll be coming to get you soon, Inorin.