Lighting Firecrackers

"Times may have changed." Was what Xue'er said to him amongst their conversation, and that sentence left him pondering.

His gaze landed on the loud noises of people that were dressed in elaborate dragon costumes. The loud noises of drums that echoed in loud beats the sounds seemingly drilling itself into his heart he could only imagine how much had evolved, as the music became a ritual to drive the fabled creature into a place where it ceased to exist for good. As he stood there and listened, he knew that the times had truly changed.

"I will take your words to mind." He said as the smile on his lips straightened out. With an outstretched hand, he faced her. Like a gentleman who was helping his darling when the streets were getting too crowded to walk through.

Xue'er took his hand with all willingness, she felt the warmth radiating from his palm. It was the warmth that did not belong to anything she knew. Fires were warm, but they warmed merely the surface of the skin, and once it burned out there was no longer any warmth, but the touch of his hand made her feel as though her soul was being embraced by a strange feeling that kept the cold away.

"Xue'er, you're very cold." Gan Tian Chi commented as he grasped her small palm. It was not that he did not know anything about her, this girl was never of living human temperature in the first place, but touching her hand made him think of the lifeless limbs of corpses sitting in a morgue waiting to be reclaimed. But he still felt that it was a little unsettling as he touched her calmy skin for the first time.

She did not say a word, merely keeping quiet as she allowed him to hold onto her hand, guiding her past the many stalls. It looked somewhat like the perfect picture of a father and daughter as he held onto her hand to prevent her from getting lost in the crowd, while her other hand held a colorful fish lantern whose tail moved from side to side as she walked, giving it the appearance of a live fish dancing around as its pearl-like eyes reflected light from the surrounding red lanterns that lit the streets.

She walked as though she was in a hazy dream, blankly following Gan Tian Chi as he gently pulled her hand in a certain direction. Her cloak trailing behind her as she walked out of the city gates.

Gan Tian Chi brought her back to his hunter's shed a place that was far away from all society. The loud noises of firecrackers could be heard to some extent if one wished to listen, but they were drowned out by the sounds of crickets and cicadas chirping.

The moon was a new moon. It was a dark night as there were clouds that obscured the moon from watching over. When looking up, Xue'er could not help but think of the silhouette of a rabbit. The said beloved companion of Chang He who resided on the moon.

With her clear eyes, Xue'er was able to see the decorative silk ball and string of firecrackers hanging at the entrance of the shed. A cheerful smile appeared on her lips as she looked at the small additions to this simple place.

"I thought that you did not celebrate this holiday."

"I don't, but I try to get into the mood of the season."

"Really?" Xue'er asked as she walked to the hanging firecrackers, and started to hold them, it was her first time seeing this up close. There was a hint of childish fascination in her eyes.

"What? Do you want to light them up?" Gan Tian Chi was intrigued by the way Xue'er was holding onto the small individual barrels that were filled a small amount of explosive powder.

"Why not?" There was a hint of excitement that lit up in her dark eyes, that seemed to glimmer in the dark.

"If you wish." He said as he went to look for a match.

"Cover your ears." Gan Tian Chi said gently as the bottom of the candle met the wick that ran through the entirety of the calendrical barrels.

At first, the flame was small, converging into a thin stream of sparks that made its way up. Soon, there were loud popping noises that rang out, like a continuation of countless miniature explosions the popping noises were loud and deafening, especially to Xue'er who had much better hearing. Her hands held her ears as she stayed back a good distance away from the firecrackers.

Gan Tian Chi did the same as he could hear Xue'er's unrestrained laughter and watched her as she covered her ears and watched the fire slowly made its way up the firecrackers slowly leaving nothing but a charred string in its wake.

Slowly, the popping sounds died down, that was when one knew that this entertaining scene was near its end with a pop every once in a while. Xue'er slowly stopped covering her ears as she continued to look on in amazement.

By the time everything stopped, that atmosphere had gotten very quiet, the sounds of crickets and cicadas had stopped as though they had been frightened away from the loud noises, which were, for the most part, true.

By then, Xue'er's sight had shifted to a thing that was hidden close to the wall of the hunter's shed.

"What's that?" She asked with curiosity as she went in for a closer look. The hunter's shed was quite run down as it was only a temporary residence when the season came, and Gan Tian Chi, being someone who allowed his own cottage to be covered in dust and not lending a hand to Xue'er who was stuck cleaning it herself would not even bother patching it up as well.

A few bits of frayed wood had to be moved before Xue'er could get a closer look. It was in the shape of a human, nearly as tall as the shed itself, wearing a leaf hat and cape, it looked alive, even its bright eyes that were like diamonds could be seen in the darkness.

Before she could get any closer, she was pulled back by Gan Tian Chi. "Something I made in my spare time, nothing important." He said as he guided her away from the giant figure and into the shed.

"If you say so." Xue'er said as she allowed herself to be guided away. This matter, she would not bring it up again.