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He didn't have any plans for his paid leave, but somehow Serval must have found a way to Supreme Guardian Bronya's desk. Last week he received a letter from her informing him of his confirmed paid absence along with a notification from the Astral Express that they were stopping by Jarilo-IV and would be happy to pick him up for his 'planned trip to visit other planets'.
When he knocked on the door to Serval's workshop, he was greeted by three familiar faces: Serval, Lynx, and March 7th. Lynx even had a semblance of glee on her face as she handed him a packed suitcase. The Astral Express must've been in on the scheme as well, any other member and Gepard might have been able to fend them off with a firm rejection. March pleaded, Serval strongarmed him, and Lynx stared him down stonily when he looked elsewhere during the conversation.
He boarded the Astral Express in less than an hour. Serval pushed his phone into his hands—where did he forget that? —and Lynx promised to look after his flowers with Pela. They waved goodbye from the ground as the train took flight. Gepard stared through the windows of the Express until Jarilo-IV became a pinprick in the distance.
When he finally turned his head away, the lobby was nearly empty save for one person who was sitting across from him, reading quietly. Taking notice of his mood, Welt raised his eyes from the book in his hand and rumbled softly, "Interesting, isn't it? The way distance shrinks in the Express."
"It certainly is." Gepard mumbled. "I doubt Belobog has anything like it." He suddenly came to his senses, shifting to face the other man. "Apologies for making you wait out here. I was a little distracted."
Welt looked confused for a moment, then chuckled. "Oh, it's nothing- I had the same reaction my first time on the Express." He closed the book he was reading and got up. "How about I show you to our guest rooms?"
Gepard got up from the sofa, stretching his limbs. "Please do."
Before Welt opened the door to the Express rooms, he turned to face Gepard. "I forgot to mention that we have a couple other passengers on the Express who are also here for the tour. I suspect your sister might have left that detail out."
"Serval didn't tell me anything," Gepard replied.
Welt's brow furrowed. "Is that so? Well, it's not much. Caelus invited the companions he's met through the Express on a tour of the Xianzhou, and a few accepted." As he spoke, Welt opened the door and headed down a hallway, Gepard following. "I have to admit I was surprised to hear that you agreed to join."
Gepard jostled the suitcase free from the odd dent in the floor that it caught on. "That was Serval again. She somehow got me on paid absence for a week."
Welt didn't outwardly react, but there was a slight pause as he unlocked one of the spare rooms. "Seeing as you're already here, I assume that you don't hate the idea. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
Gepard set his suitcase against one of the walls and looked around the room. A week away from everyone he knew, on a completely new planet? He hoped he enjoyed it as well.
When they finally arrived at the Xianzhou Luofu, Gepard couldn't be happier to see solid ground, even if his mind reminded him that he was still floating in space. The jump into high speeds was disorienting, to say the least, though the other two passengers of the Express didn't seem to share the same problems. The metal gunslinger, Boothill, whose name he discovered after stumbling out of his rooms in search of a better place to ride out the nausea, looked out at their surroundings with relish, while the other, a gentler looking, almost ethereal figure walking and talking with Dan Heng about a topic he couldn't quite hear.
"You look green, Mr. Knight. Spacesick?" Gepard raised his eyes from where he was dry heaving, squinting at where the sunlight bounced off Boothill's metal frame.
"It'll heal," he gasped out. Steadying himself with a hand on his knees, Gepard caught a glimpse of the weapons around Boothill's waist. "Shouldn't you take those off? S-" Gepard fought off a bout of nausea. "Security?"
"Eh? Nah, these are for MY security." Boothill flashed him a grin that he couldn't see. "Though you have a point. From now on, call me... Shootbill."
Gepard elected to ignore the second half of his statement as he felt the dizziness return ten-fold.
Once he overcame his disorientation, the tour was actually quite pleasant. The sights, sounds, and smells of the Luofu were so different from those of Belobog's, and Gepard found himself snapping multiple pictures to share with his sisters once he returned. Caelus was able to take them to many tourist spots and even some that Gepard was sure were not usually open to outsider tourists. It appeared that the Trailblazer's talent for sneaking in dangerous areas had not peaked in Belobog. A couple times they were even attacked by vegetative enemies or glowing wolf-like monsters.
Gepard almost feared for the safety of his companions, but Boothill proved to be a lethal menace to any enemy on the wrong side of his gun barrel, laying any foes that leapt toward him on the ground with impressive speed. The other, whose name he now knew to be Sunday, was not as physically powerful, but the blessings he gave revitalized Gepard and sent new power flowing through his body, which he used to quickly freeze the fragmentum monsters for Boothill to gun down. Any stragglers were swiftly cut down by Dan Heng's blade.
They were catching a ride on a starskiff, a miraculous form of transportation that was quite enjoyable if Gepard didn't think about the fact that they were flying above eons of empty space, when Caelus suddenly made an "Oh!" sound.
"Want to visit Fyxestroll Garden as a last minute stop?" The gray haired youth suggested. "I can't believe I forgot it! I mean, it used to be haunted, so they wouldn't let anyone in, but it should be fine now."
"I'm not sure Caelus," started Dan Heng. "The Express can't be late- you know that."
"It's not far if we take a detour," Caelus added. "And it'll just be a short walk. I won't do any speeches, just let everyone roam around."
Dan Heng sighed and turned to face Gepard and the others. "I suppose the choice should be left to you all to decide. What are your thoughts?"
Sunday folded his hands on his lap. "I have no objections."
Boothill shrugged. "If you're goin' brother, I don't see why not."
They turned to look at Gepard. He cleared his throat and said, "As long as it's as quick as you say."
Caelus smiled and reached over to the starskiff pilot. "Detour to Fyxestroll Garden, please."
For a formerly haunted garden, Fyxestroll Garden didn't look the part at all. Gepard could've sworn he saw some ghostly outline walking towards the stone mountains left of the garden, and the fire from the lanterns almost seemed alive with voices that could talk.
Instead of heading off by himself, Gepard stuck with Dan Heng and the others. They settled in a recently dust off and refurbished section of the garden, the dim garden lit up with a few lanterns to allow for enough light to read the books on the shelves. Caelus disappeared to talk to the wardens standing guard nearby, and Dan Heng settled into conversation with Boothill and Sunday. Gepard picked up a scroll from the desk to read, but something else caught his attention: a mournful voice singing in a foreign language nearby.
He looked around and saw a platform not far from them that must have been decorated finely in its time but clearly deteriorated with age. As he came closer, the sound only grew louder. Gepard lingered near the wooden frame, a golden curtain of high quality, faded with age, draped over it. Reaching out a hand to touch it, he was suddenly startled by a voice appearing next to him.
"Ahoy esteemed guest! This is the stage, not a place for the audience!" Gepard turned to see a flickering, illuminated silhouette standing near him. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a Xianzhou Vidyaharan female, wearing an intricate outfit and wearing heavy makeup, not dissimilar from the theater makeup he saw on the Belobogian actors and actresses.
The—ghost? —woman crossed her arms, clearly upset by his continued presence on the 'stage'. Gepard nodded mutely and stepped off the platform. She stepped forward, appeased now that he was no longer intruding.
"Well, I won't scold you any longer. I barely get any other listeners- It's such a difference from what I remember."
Gepard asked out of curiosity, "So, the voice I heard earlier was you?"
The woman seemed to brighten up as he spoke. "Indeed. I sing Zhuming flower-drum opera. You don't seem to be a native here. What did you think of it?"
He paused as she turned her strangely bright eyes on him. From what he could guess, this woman had been singing a forgotten form of music here in this gloomy garden for years, and based on what he learned of Xianzhou lifespans, that could mean centuries.
Gepard thought of his answer before responding. "I think it's very nice, but perhaps a different stage would fit you better."
She fell silent. For a second Gepard wondered if he had offended her, but then she let out a laugh like chiming bells. "Haha! You really are an outsider. I'm a heliobus, I can't go anywhere but here to perform."
Heliobus?... The confusion must have shown on his face because she was quick to explain. "I'm an immortal spirit who possesses and feeds on human emotions and thoughts. Don't worry," she added quickly at Gepard's alarmed expression, "I've already been sealed by the Ten Lords' Commission- I can only appear in a form like this." She let out a sigh that echoed a sense of ageless lethargy.
"I have an idea," she said suddenly, bright eyes flashing to his. "Why don't I teach you a little bit of opera? Think of it as a gift to you, my sole audience."
"I..." Gepard still felt a little wariness, but he didn't sense any malice from her. It sounded like a lonely existence, singing to no one in particular. He was reminded briefly of Serval and her earliest attempts to form a rock n' roll band. "Alright. What do I need to do?"
Her eyes crinkled as he accepted. "Wonderful. We're now master and apprentice." She stretched out a hand and Gepard realized after a second that she was inviting him onstage. He stepped back on hesitantly, the wood creaking beneath his boots.
"Let's start with a simple one. The story this song is about is the romance between an ordinary man and a heliobus." She placed a hand on her chest as she spoke. "The female lead is a charming but deadly heliobus, luring men to her before feasting on their bodies." He resisted the urge to shudder, the wind blowing across his back not helping. "The true horror are the human characters- each has their own agenda darker than last."
"Well, the song is from the scene where the female lead possesses her husband. Although there is only one actor on stage, there are two voices- a human and heliobus, singing until dawn breaks."
Gepard listened attentively. The play sounded similar to a story they used to tell to Belobog children; he supposed tales of romance were the same regardless.
The heliobus looked at him, calling his attention.
"Here is how it goes:
In devotion, my heart does yearn. To be known by you, my love, in return.
Candles flicker, casting shadows on the wall. My bones the wick, my flesh the fragrance's call.
Robes fall away, revealing my desire. In hibiscus tent, our passions shall transpire.
At night we'll embrace as one, so tight. Come tomorrow, you'll take your flight."
After reciting the lyrics, she smiled and looked at Gepard. "Now, practice singing them back to me, so I know that you know the words."
Gepard cleared his throat, preparing to start when he realized what she said. "Wait, sing?"
She tilted her head at him, nonplussed. "Yes, sing. What good would repeating them plainly be?" She put her hand to her chin, seemingly understanding something. "Oh, worry not. I will not ask you to sing Zhuming flower-drum opera. Just use your natural voice to sing out the lyrics."
He looked away, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. "...I understand."
Drawing in a deep breath, Gepard prepared once again, only to be cut off by the sound of a chair scraping behind him. He quickly spun around to be greeted by Boothill's teethy grin. Behind him, resetting a chair gently on the platform, was Sunday. Dan Heng was also resting against the low wooden fences. "Wha- What are you guys doing here?"
"We got worried when you disappeared, Mr. Knight." Boothill drawled. "But you didn't run far. Makin' friends?" He asked, gesturing to the heliobus.
"An audience! How wonderful, such a huge crowd for your first performance, my apprentice!" Said the heliobus, clapping her hands. "Let us begin at once!"
"You two are going to perform?" Questioned Sunday. "How exciting. Pray allow us to stay and listen."
Gepard's eyes widened. "Wait!" He hissed in a low tone. "I haven't practiced yet-"
The heliobus placed a hand near his mouth with a serene smile. "One must grasp opportunities when they come- You never know when the next one is." Her tone had an element of melancholy that Gepard couldn't retort. "Besides," she said, "I trust that you have the talent to see this one through."
Gepard closed his mouth, teeth grinding against each other. "Alright," he conceded. Turning to face the crowd of three, he glanced sideways at the heliobus. She lifted her head, staring confidently out, and Gepard felt the sense of confidence and ease of a veteran actor settle on his shoulders.
They bowed slightly as a greeting, and then she opened her mouth and began to sing.
"Well! Who would've guessed, you sure can hold a tune." Boothill said cheerfully as they walked toward the starskiff. Gepard felt a blush creep up his neck, and hurriedly covered his face to the best of his efforts.
"I agree as well," Sunday chimed in. "The other was a master of Zhuming flower-drum opera, definitely a legend of her own right, but you did well to complement her voice. The only thing that would add to the performance would be the implement of a few instruments. Alas," he sighed, shaking his head slightly, "Fyxestroll Garden is bereft of such wonders."
The two strode on ahead, thankfully giving Gepard time to regain his composure.
"I think you made her very happy," said Dan Heng quietly. Gepard turned his gaze to the dark haired man. "You must have been the first in a while to discover that she was there."
"I... I see." He wondered what to say. Dan Heng was also silent, then he pulled out his phone and tapped on it a couple times. After a few seconds a chime sounded in his pocket, and Gepard pulled out his phone to see that Dan Heng had sent him a message.
"I took the liberties of recording the duet," Dan Heng clarified. "I thought it might be something you would want to remember. I hope you don't mind."
Gepard looked at the video. The still picture of the video showed the two of them during the final chorus of the song. The expression on the heliobus's face was serene, content, and with the happiness of an artist finally given the chance to show their talents.
"I don't mind," he replied, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "Thanks. I'll have to show this to my sisters."