Awesome, I get to do something for you! Here you go:
There was a certain special thing about having tea with one's superior - well, ex-superior, Mulan supposed. Shang had technically dismissed her from service when he'd found out she was a woman, and honestly, she was surprised he hadn't killed her on the spot.
But then again, Shang was as loyal to his people as they were to him, so she shouldn't have been so surprised. Mulan saving his life could only have helped.
Still, it was odd to have him sitting at the family table, sipping at tea and steadfastly ignoring her grandmother's attempts to get him to pay attention to anybody but Mulan. Which could have been flattering - after all, he was handsome and eligible - but Mulan wasn't quite sure she could split Shang-the-person from Shang-her-commanding-officer.
Her grandmother didn't seem to mind, to be sure. She was wearing a smile of unmitigated bliss as she watched Shang. Her mother was seemingly in her element, every move graceful and unperturbed. Her father had tried to converse, military veteran to military veteran, but Shang only gave distracted answers.
After a while, Shang seemed to have remembered why he was visiting, and fumbled a scroll out of his bag. "Here," he said, looking between Mulan's father and Mulan herself. "The Emperor. Erm. Has reinstated Fa Mulan as a full member of the Imperial Army." He cleared his throat. "In recognition of her service towards the Emperor."
"Mulan?" her father asked, though less to nudge her than to nudge Shang. Habit was hard to break, but breaking that habit had to start somewhere.
Shang seemed to have caught the hint and offered the scroll to Mulan for her to read. It was as he said; she had provided extraordinary service as a warrior, and the Emperor had changed the rules to let her rejoin her colleagues.
It wasn't a fate that Mulan had planned, but she'd take it. "Thank you," she said, bowing as one should to a superior officer.
"I'll... um. You won't be expected to come back immediately," he replied, looking away for the first time since he'd sat down at the table. "But I would like it if you could accompany me."
"Of course," Mulan told him warmly. It was sudden, yes, but it was her duty. And she did her duty.
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winterfish
Tea and orders (Mulan, slight Mulan/Shang)
Date: 2024-10-31 03:49 am (UTC)There was a certain special thing about having tea with one's superior - well, ex-superior, Mulan supposed. Shang had technically dismissed her from service when he'd found out she was a woman, and honestly, she was surprised he hadn't killed her on the spot.
But then again, Shang was as loyal to his people as they were to him, so she shouldn't have been so surprised. Mulan saving his life could only have helped.
Still, it was odd to have him sitting at the family table, sipping at tea and steadfastly ignoring her grandmother's attempts to get him to pay attention to anybody but Mulan. Which could have been flattering - after all, he was handsome and eligible - but Mulan wasn't quite sure she could split Shang-the-person from Shang-her-commanding-officer.
Her grandmother didn't seem to mind, to be sure. She was wearing a smile of unmitigated bliss as she watched Shang. Her mother was seemingly in her element, every move graceful and unperturbed. Her father had tried to converse, military veteran to military veteran, but Shang only gave distracted answers.
After a while, Shang seemed to have remembered why he was visiting, and fumbled a scroll out of his bag. "Here," he said, looking between Mulan's father and Mulan herself. "The Emperor. Erm. Has reinstated Fa Mulan as a full member of the Imperial Army." He cleared his throat. "In recognition of her service towards the Emperor."
"Mulan?" her father asked, though less to nudge her than to nudge Shang. Habit was hard to break, but breaking that habit had to start somewhere.
Shang seemed to have caught the hint and offered the scroll to Mulan for her to read. It was as he said; she had provided extraordinary service as a warrior, and the Emperor had changed the rules to let her rejoin her colleagues.
It wasn't a fate that Mulan had planned, but she'd take it. "Thank you," she said, bowing as one should to a superior officer.
"I'll... um. You won't be expected to come back immediately," he replied, looking away for the first time since he'd sat down at the table. "But I would like it if you could accompany me."
"Of course," Mulan told him warmly. It was sudden, yes, but it was her duty. And she did her duty.