The lissom frame of Bai-Suzhen's upper body rested upon her own serpentine tail coiled comfortably underneath like a makeshift stool, maintaining her sophisticated upright posture by a low table carved from oak with a ceramic teapot set in its centre, a wisp of steam rising from the spout as its contents cooled within, with two small, handleless cups made from matching material positioned equal distance from one another on either side of the glossy surface. The governor's hands were crossed over her lap as she patiently awaited for her present guest, Prince Gyllen of Snjórland, to finish changing into a provided article of certain traditional Yanchun formal wear at her request behind a folding screen printed with the image of a tiger prowling through a forest, of which he was all too keen to fulfil. In his eagerness, the naïve visitant failed to realise the true purpose of a lit candle, scented like pomegranates, strategically placed on his side of the panel, allowing for his slim silhouette to be plainly visible from the nüwa's point of view as he obliviously undressed from his blue coat, black boots, beige jodhpurs and white shirt in that order, causing the corners of Suzhen's thin lips to raise slightly as she observed the defined outline of his stripping figure
Once the prince had finished reclothing himself in the imparted attire, he emerged from behind the screen, exhibiting a smile to shew his appreciation to the governor in bestowing upon him the stately dress of her country. The apparel in question consisted of a short-sleeved gown woven from red silk and further embroidered with elaborate patterns of tree branches in bloom using golden thread. The material hugged tightly against his body from his neck to his thighs, where it then split on either side to leave two long, loose strips of cloth, one in front and one at the back, flowing downwards close to his ankles. The design led to his legs being visible but covered by a pair of white, cotton hosiery from his waist to his toes, while his dainty feet were nestled neatly into slippers of colours and motif corresponding to that of the gown.
"Thank you once again for lending me this raiment, Lady Suzhen! You know, I had always read this sort of dress was
exclusively
worn by the women of Yanchu. A 'qipao' I believe was the name of it..." Gyllen said, looking down both in front and behind himself to admire his appearance in the ceremonial garb. "I'm glad you corrected me on the matter! Clearly, there is still much I have yet to learn about your culture."
"Yes...you would be surprised at how common of a misconception it is." Suzhen responded, reinforcing the bluff she had told the boy prior to his changing in order to have him wear the feminine ensemble in the first place. "Trust me, darling, you look...phenomenal." She added, her smile genuine, though for different reasons than what the Snjórlandic prince was led to believe.
Returning the smile with one of his own, Gyllen then took his place at the table opposite of Bai-Suzhen upon a square, blue cushion with yellow tassels at its corners. The serpent-woman then took the pot of tea by its handle using one dainty white hand while the other balanced the container steady underneath, employing a folded cloth to avoid singing the tips of her fingers. The hostess tipped the pot and the golden-brown brew was poured first into Gyllen's cup and then her own, filling the vessels about midway full before setting the receptacle to the side, quietly waiting for her guest to take the first sip, as was customary for a Yanchun host to do during civil encounters. The prince, versed in the manners of this foreign nation, did so with gusto, though perhaps overdoing such as it led to his bright eyes widening from feeling the steaming drink scald his tongue and palate from forgoing waiting for it to cool first.
Gyllen pulled the rim of the cup away from his lips just as snappily as he had brought it to them, holding the boiled tea in his cheeks for less than second, though felt more like an embarrassing minute from his perspective, before forcing himself to gulp it all down at once, mildly burning his throat as it travelled to his stomach, all while never producing a single peep in complaint, conscious that doing so may offend his honoured company, going so far as to shew her yet another warm smile once the mouthful of the brew had been fully ingested to suggest nothing was amiss. Bai-Suzhen smirked similarly, though the prince was unsure whether it was in response to his own bearing or amusement derived from his hasty consumption. In either case, the nüwa next brought her own cup to her mouth, first gently blowing on its surface before taking a minor sip.
In spite of the awkward first impression, discussions commenced shortly thereafter and progressed naturally over the course of the next short while, though from an outward outlook, it appeared more like an interview from the one-sided stream of constant questions Gyllen was barraging the governor with, though Bai-Suzhen was all too happy to answer each and every one that was put forth. Topics ranged from how the serpent-woman got her start in such a human-orientated political landscape, to the policies she aims to fulfil during her time in office, to the complex infrastructure of Yanchu's parliament, with even one or two jokes exchanged intermittently over the course of the conversation. During this discourse, the prince could not help but find himself partially transfixed on the peculiar beauty which the half-snake possessed, especially now that he was up close in a more comfortable environment compared to when her two bodyguards were nearly breathing down his neck outside.
The Snjórlander had been brought to the third floor of the nine-tiered pagoda upon his admittance, following Bai-Suzhen up several smooth slopes of stone winding along the walls in place of where stairs would have been to better accommodate the nüwa's lack of legs. The wide interior of the chamber he now sat in was of striking antique opulence with all manner of traditional art hanging from its rondure walls depicting romantic scenes between androgynous lovers or of weird creatures wandering through wilderness, all splendidly captured within stylistically simple brushstrokes upon a scroll, with no two images being alike, further enhanced by the prominent display of ornaments crafted from ivory, jade and lapis lazuli representing oriental variants of dragons, unicorns and a few forms of more abstract conformation prominently on shelves or tables, further supplemented by the sporadic vases expertly crafted from bone china and embellished with blue illustrations which were masterpieces in their own right.
However, for all the splendour of the pagoda's luxurious décor, it was completely overshadowed by the presence of the hostess herself as she casually exuded an air of nobility just from the proud and lofty manner in which she poised herself while seated, further enhanced by the tonality with which she carried her words, flawlessly articulated and as smooth as the very silk she wore. Bai-Suzhen possessed a narrow profile blessed with a set of features arranged so perfectly symmetrical in relation to one another, one may have fancied they were consciously and painstakingly arrayed as such by the hand of a higher power. Even her eyes, like two shimmering voids of solid darkness set in almond-shaped orbits, Gyllen found to be oddly alluring in spite of how unsettling such optics devoid of readability would have appeared on most anybody else, human or otherwise.
However, far and away the most striking aspect of the serpent woman's form, as was glossed over prior, was the absence of any kind of colouration in her flesh, tresses or the scales on her tail, an extremely rare kind of colouration even amongst the governor's own exotic species. Her milk-white image made her seem almost ethereal in form, like a ghost which had drifted forth from a portal leading to the afterlife, especially from how she radiated spectacularly in the limited sunlight streaming through the latticed windows. The nüwa was not just pale; there was not a single blemish marring her porcelain-like skin which the prince could perceive, and not a single strand of her long, snowy hair cascading from her crown was a tint discoloured nor strayed in the slightest from all the rest, finely combed to both fall straight behind and spill over her shoulders, surmounted by a golden clasp adorned with strands of beads dangling on needles extending from either end, keeping the excess tresses bunched neatly into an ovoid bun. Lady Suzhen's attributes were of such breathtaking refinement and otherworldly magnetism, that the application of cosmetics to her visage even in the minutest of ways would have
