Submission (#49) Approved

705 words = 7 shards
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It had been a while since Meilin had left the safety of her home, and set out to adventure, but she still remembered the lessons her relatives had taught her. Chief amongst them came from her older sister, whom had one day looked her straight in the eye, and told her that sometimes... it was simply better to ask for forgiveness instead of asking for permission.

It wasn't exactly a sentiment Lin found she could get behind at first, and it had taken her a long time to realize what her sister had meant. However, she had grown in years, and noticed that it was folly to stay to one side and simply wait for things to happen to you. If one wanted something, the smart idea was usually to reach out for it, or at least put oneself out there and offer a medium of interest. It had dawned on her, almost like an epiphany when she'd been a dance of sort once. She firmly remembered staying to the side, waiting for someone, anyone, to show an interest and ask her out to dance.

It swiftly dawned on her that she had no real idea why she had to sit there and wait for someone to ask her out to dance when she could be doing the asking, right? Why had she pigeonholed herself into that niche? No one had ever told her to do it like that. Still, fortune favored the bold, and that thought firm in mind, she had spent the remainder of the evening in very pleasant company.

The same could not be said of the present.

The Hallowoolyne feast that had been prepared when she'd arrived had been most impressive, but Meilin found that she knew no one, and had thus, remain in the fringes of the feast, for the most part. It wasn't until she had noticed two Woolyne discussing the three legged race that she'd perked her ears and walked closer to them.

There were two of them; a tall, large, green mazri, and his dark hued, smaller companion, who looked like he would have rather be anywhere but there.

Minty Fresh seemed to be commenting on how the differences in their height and physique would make them participating in the three legged race... awkward at best, and a hazard at worst, and the Dark Lord was looking at him with a serious case of what Meilin could only describe as resting bitch face.

She was unsure of what it was that had caused her to peep up at that point, but she found herself opening her mouth, "I was looking for a race partner myself," she looked up at the mazri and grinned, "Sorry, big guy, I think we're incompatible, but your friend here seems to be just my size!" she wasn't exactly what it was she'd said that was so strange, because both males had turned to flat out stare at her. She figured that if they were bothered, and wanted her gone, she would surely pick up on it, and make herself scarce, but it never happened.

Minty Fresh recovered before his companion, and after only a couple of blinks, offered her a hearty chuckle, "You can keep him, sweetheart. I'll go look for someone for the race," and that said, turned around and left her along with Dark Lord, whom looked beyond flabbergast at being abandoned. Up close though, Lin could also see that despite his looked, the dark hued male looked... unconfident. He didn't appear to be comfortable in his own skin, for some reason, almost as if he expected her to pull away and just leave. So she did the opposite; she offered her hand out at him and smiled, "Meilin, by the way, would you like to be my three legged partner? I think we have a good chance," his hand slipped into hers, and as he closed his fingers around hers, he nodded.

"Weisheng," his voice was not soft, or low. Nor was it gurgled from the lyss that dropped perpetually down his nose and mouth, which was... interesting. Grinning, she shook his hand, and they both began to make their way towards the place the game would take place.