The Heavens Shall Fall

After exiting their room, Arya suddenly pulled herself up and marched ahead of him, wrapped in Siu’s robes like a cloak. It dragged right behind her because she was still too small in her daytime form to wear it properly, yet when she threw the doors open, it was like royalty walking into the throne room wearing their dress, dragging a cape behind her. Watching her from behind, Siu rubbed his face, feeling very tired again, but kept moving without saying anything, smelling breakfast as he followed Arya into the room.

Looking a bit surprised, Quillian sat at the table with tea, in the middle of eating a boiled egg with toast, pickled vegetables, and some ham. Marly's face immediately focused on the food, while Arya also looked a bit taken aback, sniffing the air, slightly drooling.

“You are up already?” Quillian asked with a snort, shaking his head. “I told you to rest until midday.”

“I am not up because I feel rested.”

“No, you are not, that much is clear.” He added, furrowing his brows, looking at Arya, thinking Siu brought her in from somewhere for some weird reason, but then... His thoughts caught up with reality. The ears, the tail, and the mismatched gold-silver eyes were the giveaways, helping him catch on. “Ah. I see... Arya, hm?” he said, biting into his egg.

"Tsk, he knows..." Arya pouted, throwing a look at Siu, "Can't prank him now..."

"You are talking out loud now, you know that, don't you?" Siu answered, making Arya hiss, because she was too used to saying whatever came to mind, without anyone else understanding her, that she didn't even think about it.

"Hmph!" Quillian took a sip of tea, shaking his head. “Of course, I knew. Girl, I'm older than all three of you put together... You are not the first transformed spirit beast I know of, and won't be the last either.”

Arya’s mouth opened to argue, but in the end, she just closed it.

"It wasn't a simple transformation," Siu began as he sat down next to Quillian. “Senior, she transformed last night.”

“I gathered. And?”

"I wasn't like this when the moon was out!" Arya pointed at herself with one small finger, huffing and puffing, beginning to stroke the air, trying to show how she looked when she first transformed. “Then the sun ruined me!”

"Hm?" Quillian glanced at Siu, raising one thick, bushy eyebrow.

"She was taller and fuller. Um... More... Mature." Siu nodded slowly, putting it into words with a shrug. “The opposite of how she is now.”

"Master! Betrayal! Unfair!" Arya cried out, while Quillian set his toast down, rubbing his chin, but he was not shocked.

He did not jump up or shout for his notebook, meaning this was nothing serious or unique, like Siu's affinity. He simply looked at her properly, flipping the second pair of glasses down from his forehead, examining Arya for a few more seconds.

“Come here, and show me your hands,” he said in the end.

Hurriedly, clearly trusting him, she stepped forward and held them out while Quillian took one gently, turned it over, and looked at the palm. He traced some of the lines, then examined her fingers, checking her nails, and then did the same with the other. Then he checked her ears without touching them, and her tail, while Arya began swinging her hips. Right until Siu reached out, knocking on her head to stop it, as she managed to slap the old man in the face with her tail.

"Hm."

"Senior?" Siu asked, seeing his thoughtful expression.

"Tell me what happened."

Siu started from the beginning, and now, thinking about it, he finally realized that what he saw while drying her with a towel last night was probably the first signs of her coming transformation. While speaking, Quillian listened through all of it, not once interrupting, barely even blinking his eyes.

“Human transformation after advancement is not strange by itself,” he said at last, glancing at Arya, "Rare at your level of experience, but not strange. Some take decades, maybe even centuries, to achieve it, so being so quick about it is unique... Hm. But your change doesn't seem like something that went wrong with the transformation. If it held for hours, never reverting to your fox-form, and only dissipated to give you this version when the sun came out, it means it's more likely related to your affinity than a defect.”

"It is a sickness!" Arya said, pouting. “I looked great, so to ruin that... Hmph! I must be sick!”

"Also," Quillian ignored her, talking to Siu. “Sometimes, their human form is not always the final variant after the first change. Certain creatures continue changing throughout their lives. I knew some who had seasonal bodies or battle forms. Many still retain their own hunting forms and mating forms, depending on their needs."

"Well, it was night, it could be my hunting-mating form!" Arya offered, but the two men kept ignoring her, making her pout even harder.

"She sounds like she has a Lunar-Solar variant of a Celestial Affinity, a Celestial Form, in a beast's case," Quillian concluded in the end.

"It has a name, then?” Siu asked, making the old man nod.

"All clues point towards it." Quillian shrugged, finishing his breakfast, "Affinities and bodies that are tied to the heavenly objects, where the Gods dwell, are not common, but there are plenty of known cultivators with them around the world. Since we have records of time and the first opening of the Heavens, bodies linked to the Cosmos, where the Gods dwell, have become part of our world. Usually, they are a sign of being blessed."

"Oh, I was, I mean, I am blessed!" Arya said proudly, puffing out her now flat chest.

"What are you doing?" Marly asked, trying to decide why she was striking that pose, making her shrug and just roll her eyes.

"Nothing..." She scoffed in her head, dejected that nobody was paying attention to her.

"A daytime and nighttime split tied to sun and moon influence is intriguing.” Quillian continued, "Usually it's either one or the two, but we know of people and beasts who have dual affinities. Very rare, but it happens. Having different reactive bodies to Celestial objects is pretty much the same thing."

"So... Arya has... not just one affinity?"

"That's a very simplistic view of it, but yeah." Quilian smiled, "Being a Spirit Beast, it is not exactly like that, but it can cause her affinity to manifest differently based on the dominating Celestial object in our sky. There are beasts whose power changes by time of day, too. Beasts that get much stronger under sunlight or develop skills only usable under moonlight. So, the changes she experiences are most likely linked to that...” He muttered as he trailed off, then reached for his notes.

"Senior," Siu caught his wrist, as his stomach began rumbling, “Breakfast first?”

"Oh yes!" Marly gasped softly, hearing him say that, already up on the table.

"Heh," Quillian stared at him for a moment, smiling, “Fine, fine. Breakfast first, research after.”

"Well, I am hungry, too, so... "Arya grumbled as she climbed onto a chair with difficulty because the loose robes trapped one of her feet. She pretended the stumble she recovered from had not happened, while Marly looked at Arya with suspicious pride for being so clumsy.

“Little Sis needs help?”

"You are smaller than me even now!" Arya’s head snapped toward her. “Do not call me that. I was here first.”

“You are little as a human.”

“I am older than you!”

“Little Big Sis?”

“No!”

“Small Big Sis?”

“Master! Tell her off! She is bullying me now! Marly became rabid or infected or something!”

“Tiny Sis?”

Arya almost lunged at her, but Siu caught the back of the robes before she could reach Marly, pulling her back.

"Knock it off, both of you." He shrugged while Quillian calmly pushed a bowl toward them all.

“Eat.”

"..." Arya looked at the bowl that appeared before her, seeing the porridge, and wrinkled her nose. “Ew! No. I require meat.”

“You require clothes.” Quillian shot back, because once again, Arya was now no longer speaking in 'tongues' but out loud, in a way that everyone could understand.

“Well, I don't. I'm fine like this!"

"Absolutely not." Siu turned to her seriously, "You need proper sect clothes, and we will have to do some kind of registration, I assume. My guess is that you will get your own sash, too."

"She will," Quillian nodded, pouring a second cup of tea for himself, "Despite being your Spirit Beast, the sect counts her as one of its own disciples. An Inner Disciple, now that she has a human form."

"Well... Then I need better clothes,” she declared proudly, "Sexy ones, that I can wear at night, in my true form!"

“Yes,” Quillian said, thinking to himself. “That's true... She needs transformation-proof clothes...”

"Those exist?" Siu blinked, feeling curious, halfway through his own porridge by then.

“Unless you intend to drag her around wrapped in bedding,” Quillian said, pointing his teaspoon at her. “You cannot go to the Companions dressed like a laundry pile.”

"Why do I need to go there?" Arya’s ears perked up, throwing a look at Siu, but he let Quillian explain, despite already guessing the answer.

"They keep the records for spirit beasts. This includes their advancement cases, bloodlines, transformation notes, and anything else you may need to start getting stronger, girl. If anyone has useful advice on your situation, it will be them.”

“We go there,” Arya said at once, "Now! Then I can be boing-boing again!"

Quillian looked at her, his mouth slightly falling open, and then he snorted, glancing at Siu, speaking in a bit of a hurry.

“Before that, clothing. There are shops for this, specifically for spirit beast cultivators and disciples with transformation arts. Otherwise, you will always rip your clothes when it happens, and soon, you will find yourself naked and poor. But, as I said!" He stood up to get ready, "Eat! And, no, this is what breakfast you have, meat comes if you behave!" He snorted, stomping out any complaint Arya was about to have.

Arya, now had hands, was a bit stumped about how to... eat. In the end, she insisted on using them. Holding utensils was only a secondary thought, as she just sank her fingers into the porridge, scooping it out and throwing it into her mouth, uncaring as to wherever else the food landed. Of course, Siu quickly stepped in, cleaning her up and forcing her to hold a spoon, but she grabbed onto it too strongly, bending the metal into a mess.

"Ah..." She stared at it, avoiding the others' looks, “It was weak. I mean, I'm very strong!”

“You owe me a spoon.” Quillian snorted while Siu took the ruined one from Arya and gave her another.

“Gently,” he whispered, "Try not to bankrupt me."

“I was gentle...” She whispered back, "I am very gentle, Master, you could have experienced it last night! What if I don't turn back? I can't be gentle if there is nothing squishy on me!"

“Let's focus on eating, okay? If I need to deal with your shenanigans on an empty stomach, I will go mad.”

"You can eat me if you want." Arya offered, making Siu just glare at her, but she wasn't even sorry, grinning back at him with a porridge-stained face.

Once breakfast ended, Quillian brought over old stock cloth from the shop below, mostly pale gray, dark blue, and faded green, and a long piece of soft brown fabric that had probably once been used to wrap fragile goods. They looked exactly how Siu remembered people dressing back in his childhood village.

“No,” Arya said immediately when she saw them, starting to grimace. "No way."

"Sorry, but," Quillian did not look at her, “you have no choices in this matter.”

"I am not wearing those! They will make me itchy and spotty and blochy and nasty! Nu-uh! Nope! Na-ah!"

"Shut it and change!" He tossed the brown fabric aside and held up the dark blue for her. “Go on, take this. It is only temporary anyway."

"..." Arya inspected it, sniffing and grimacing, “It is anything but... acceptable. I am beautiful, I need beautiful clothes... It needs gold.”

“It needs to keep you covered until we reach a shop.” Siu shrugged, stepping behind her, "Take off my robes and—"

"Finally!" She yelled, interrupting him, and was already naked, kicking Siu's robes away. "This is the best! Although it is weird not having fur." She added, puffing up her face, concentrating hard enough, almost turning red, but... nothing happened. "Nope. Can't summon it."

Siu ignored her and took the blue cloth, quickly wrapping it around her like a simple robe, crossing it in front and tying it at the waist with the green one. Lastly, he arranged the grey one over her shoulders as an outer cloak, finishing the look. It was not elegant, but it covered her properly and let her walk without stumbling.

"Well," Arya turned in place, checking the movement, "It isn't as good as being naked, but... Eh, I can understand if you are jealous, Master. Don't worry, I may swing my butt, but I wouldn't let others tap it!”

“Your hands will be full with this one,” Quillian said under his breath, "This is why I never bothered with foxes. Only the beasts with bunny-like blood are worse than them. Many young cultivators love the idea, but believe me... Many of them die of exhaustion."

"Let's not encourage her, Senior. She has a good set of ears." Siu answered tiredly, because Arya was already grinning.

As the group was leaving the Red Leaf, when Quillian opened the door leading outside, he spoke solemnly to the group.

“If anyone asks, she is your contracted companion who achieved a partial human form after advancement. Say nothing else.”

"Mhm," Siu nodded. “I understand.”

"What about my proper form?" Arya frowned. “This one is the faulty, wrong one!”

“Exactly why we say nothing,” Quillian said, looking at her. “People do not need to know every interesting thing about you.”

That made Arya pause, as she was seriously in a pinch for a moment. Siu could feel it through their bond, too. On the one hand, Arya wanted to flaunt her abilities to everyone; on the other, becoming a mysterious woman was also an enticing option. She wanted to do both.

“Fine,” she said in the end. “Only trusted people may know how magnificent I am. Is that good?”

“Will do,” Quillian muttered, shaking his head.

In the meantime, Marly climbed onto Siu’s head, then looked at Arya, whose mouth hung open all of a sudden, pointing at her.

“No. That's my spot!”

“But Big Sis can't sit on Master's head anymore."

“Oh, I can! That's my spot!”

“No, you can't.” Siu interrupted her, "You are human... ish. Act like it."

“Betrayal..." She sniffled, acting hurt, "On all fronts! Just because I'm beautiful!"

It was how they left the shop, unaware that the day would be much more tiring than the previous one had been.