16.ii The Jade Pool

~ Bodhi ~

While the monkey and the spider went off to play games, Bodhi snuck into the Garden of Immortal Peaches and made their way to the Jade Pool. They walked past a crowd of idling sun clones, that absurdly long pool, and a forest full of fake pear trees to get to the spot where they had hidden the barrel of rice wine.

Bodhi blamed their ability to sneak in and out of the Jade Pool on all the Luck the pig granted them earlier. Far from the commotion of the festival, they uncovered the barrel, fished out a shallow cup from inside their robe and helped themself to a few shots.

“That feels,” Bodhi sighed, “so much better.”

They rested their arm on the top of the barrel and leaned their forehead against the wood.

“Great Sage, that was all that I needed.”

The monk took a few moments to let the wine take its course. That familiar burn brought both comfort and an oiled sense of clarity.

“Now. Time to clean up this mess.”

The last thing Bodhi wanted was to drag the pig into this. But it was too late to dwell on the past. They had to do something about this before something happened to Ham Song. They hid the barrel, which was mostly full, and popped to their feet.

As Bodhi made their way back to the other side of the enclosure, they saw Anari and Sun Ritsu kneeling at the end of the pool.

So they found a way inside afterall. Clever little spirits.

By the time Bodhi approached, the spirits were back on their feet. Bodhi hadn’t failed to notice the critical way the spider assessed them whenever she could. The only way Bodhi could mask how much it unnerved them was to affect more arrogance than they truly felt. The behavior seemed to throw the spider off. A little.

Bodhi would have to ask Sun Ritsu later if this was how he felt when he first met Anari. But that would have to wait.

It was time to save the pig.