The following day, a throbbing headache wakes me up. What is this feeling? It feels like I banged my head against a cement wall, except I don't remember doing it. Where am I?
Chefs rush in, screaming as they see me sprawled over the kitchen bench. Food's everywhere. Flour covers my face. They run out, screaming,
"Demon! Demon! Help!"
Parched, I spot a jar nearby. Water. I drink it and spit it out. It's so sour — it's vinegar.
I think I'm going to hurl. Just like the time when the baby white seals bounced me around like a beach ball. Uh, I feel so groggy.
I'm stumbling around the kitchen, making more mess. I knock over bowls and plates, then trip over sacks of potatoes. It's a spiraling disaster that I can't control. I don't feel too good. What is happening?
Suddenly, I float in the air and spin around.
The Crown Prince and my master are standing at the door.
His Highness covers his mouth with a fist to stifle laughter, glancing at his friend.
Long Fei's nose is flaring, and his eyes harden. He flicks his fingers towards them, and the air drags me closer to them.
Blurgh! He suspends my vomit in mid-air before it reaches them. With a huff, he storms out of the kitchen with me floating behind him. The puke splashes on me. He takes me to the Royal Lake, suspending me over it.
"Sober up."
He releases his power.
Splash! I plummet into the lake.
I flail in the water, gasping for air.
"Help! I can't swim!" It sounds odd, coming from my mouth.
"Of course you can. You're a whale."
Why is he being so mean first thing in the morning? Was he always like this? All these emotions — anger, frustration, confusion, fatigue — are boiling inside me, and I don't understand them.
I continued flailing in the water, trying to comprehend that I was supposedly a whale.
The flour, grime, and vomit are cleansed off me and my soft blue skin is shimmering again. After all that effort, trying to keep afloat, I sink to the bottom, able to breathe underwater effortlessly. Well, I must have looked pathetic back there. Maybe he's right. I'm a drunken whale stuck in a human guise. He must be so disappointed in me. He did tell me that I was supposed to be a gracious guest. I don't know all the rules here, but I probably broke most of them yesterday.
To be honest, being underwater is second nature to me. And slowly and surely, I do sober up. There's probably a lot of damage I have to pay for. I guess I'll have to be prepared to work extra hard. What transpired yesterday? All I remember is running after them, and then everything was hazy. Uh-oh. This is not a good sign. If I can't remember what I did, who knows what I did? It could be anything.
Maybe I shouldn't have drunk the wine after all. That must be why they didn't offer it to me.
My master gave me the same look he had when I tried my spitting technique on him. At least this time, he only dumped me in water, which is what I needed anyway. Water was what I'd been searching for, after all.
I guess I'm lucky that I didn't experience his maelstrom.
I think it's time I jump out of this lake and face the music.
I can't hide forever. I'm Ling Yue. I'm not a coward. Bracing myself, I fly out from the lake and land beside him.
"Have you remembered what you've done yet?"
I laugh nervously, then shake my head, water flicking off my hair.
"Sorry, Master. I can't remember. The last thing I remember was running after you."
He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. He summons an air tendril to tie me up. I am in serious trouble now.
"It's quicker just to show you."
I follow him as though I'm walking to the gallows. He shows me my path of destruction.
A cherry blossom tree split in half. I don't know what move I was trialing, or I might have thought it was a foe.
The library is a complete mess. It would be the last place you'd find me. It looks like a hurricane rushed through it, some bookcases have toppled over and broken, and scrolls are scattered everywhere.
"We don't need to go to the kitchen. You've already seen the damage you've done there."
The archery field has arrows everywhere, none even close to the bullseye. I guess the liquid courage affected my aim.
The stables are shocking. White horses are patched in all sorts of colors. I don't know where I got those colors from but I must've been inspired to paint.
The weapons area is worse than the archery field. The weapon rack is on the floor. Weapons are scattered everywhere. Some are still embedded in the cracked floor and on the walls of the surrounding buildings. Oh, tides! How many foes was I fighting with yesterday?
I'm starting to feel like I've racked up a mammoth bill. I'll need to complete a lot of quests to pay for this.
Then he shows me the wine cellar, where many empty wine jugs are toppled over. Some pottery vessels lie broken on the floor. Did I drink that much? I must be very thirsty.
"Now, do you remember?" He crossed his arms, nose flaring.
I cover my face in shame. This is so humiliating. I want to bury myself in the sand. I want to go back to the Ocean Realm. I don't think I can face His Highness after this.
Long Fei clears his throat.
"You're apologizing to His Highness after this."
Did he just read my mind?
He turns on his heel and tugs on the air tendril, forcing me to follow him.
The Crown Prince was still directing his servants to clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.
My master releases the air tendril and tilts his head towards his royal friend, his eyes urging me to apologize.
I drag my feet towards the royal, my head dipping in shame, shoulders slumping, and body wet from head to toe.
The Crown Prince turns around, likely alerted by the squeak of my shoes.
"Your Highness, I am so sorry."
He awkwardly rubs the back of his head and takes a deep breath.
"Ling Yue, you really crossed the line this time. Even I can't overlook how unacceptable your behavior was. If you were one of my subjects, you'd be in serious trouble. But since you're Long Fei's guardian, and considering our friendship, you'll clean up the mess and pay for the damages."
I wince as my heart clenches. I've brought shame upon my master and myself. I've also offended my second favorite person in the world.
Long Fei steps forward, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Your Highness, may I suggest you send her on quests to pay for all the damage she's done. She's old and strong enough to fulfill your requests alone now."
"Very well. Come back to me tomorrow and I'll have a list for you. For now, please clean up the mess you've made across my palace."
"You'll start at the stables. Scrub down all those horses you painted."
I groan.
"Then, move on to the library. Every scroll. Categorical order."
I think I might cry.
"Clean up the archery field and weapons station. And patch up the cracks with mortar."
I will cry after this.
"And—"
"Alright, alright! I get the point! I'll retrace my steps and make it as though I was never there."
"And this is to teach you manners. Do not interrupt your elders while they're speaking. To make sure you know what it feels like for others to clean up after you, I have no choice but to do this."
Long Fei swiftly presses a few acupressure points along my neck and spine. A surge of heat sears through my meridians, like boiling water beneath my skin. My air and water elemental powers snap shut, sealed in an instant.
"Wait, please. Don't tell me you sealed my magic?!"
With a flick of his wrist, a gust of wind whisks me away, then drops me in the stables in front of a painted horse. The creature stares at me, kicks its front leg, and lets out a sharp neigh.
How am I going to clean him with my bare hands? How am I going to fix all the damage I caused during my drunken rampage with no elemental powers?