(JING YUAN. JING YUAN. IT'S JING YUAN. JING YUAN IS COMING TO PENACONY)

"Behold, Aventurine, a core part of my youth...!"

Aventurine blinked, glancing back at y/n as she approached him, leaving a rather haggard looking Dr. Edward behind as she held something behind her back.

"Oh?" Aventurine perked up a little, "What is it?"

Y/n beamed with pride, seeming to puff up a little before she presented Aventurine with...! A memory bubble?

Aventurine stared at the bubble, then looked at y/n... before glancing back down at the bubble once more.

"So, uh... how exactly?"

The h/c haired woman blinked, glancing at the bubble before her cheeks heated up slightly, "Ahem, it's kinda embarrassing... erm," she shuffled around a bit before holding it out to him "Here! Take a peek!"

Aventurine raised a brow, glancing back and forth between y/n and the dream bubble. He began to move forward to press his forehead against it, but y/n got impatient and hit him in the face with it instead.

In an instant, the two were thrust into the dream within the bubble. Their glimmering surroundings were replaced with the bright and bustling Artisanship Commission, the two of them standing amongst the crowd.

Y/n looked immensely proud of herself while Aventurine had a mild look of awe on his face as he turned around and gave their surroundings a look of amazement, "Which ship did you say you were from again?"

"The Xianzhou Luofu!" y/n chirped, "This here is the Artisanship Commission! When I was just a little Cloud Knight in training, and still required to attend classes at the lyceum, I'd skip out on those pesky classes and come here instead!"

"Oh? Not fond of academics, eh?" Aventurine hummed as the two began to wander, giving the h/c haired woman an amused little look.

"Hated classes, my classmates hated me, eventually the tension just popped. Didn't end well for me, or my classmates, but at least I was booted out for good!" y/n exclaimed as she strode on ahead, "My master couldn't handle me on his own when it came to academics, so he asked a friend of his for help!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE 💩!!!"
"MASTER! M-MASTER, HELP ME!!!"

"Oh, speak of the devil." y/n turned away, crossing her arms, and Aventurine peered over her shoulder curiously.

A distance away, amongst a bunch of confused craftsmen, was a much younger y/n. Aventurine's eyes sparkled at the sight of her little rounded cheeks and there was a soft, "aww..." that slipped from him.

The younger y/n looked just like her older self, just smaller. Her cloud knight uniform looked a little too big on her, and she was clutching a great sword bigger than her as she shook her head furiously and cried.

A young man with dark hair and light mauve eyes was holding her by the back of her clothes as she struggled to get away, a furious look on his face. He gave the younger y/n a yank, causing her to squeal as he held her off the ground by the back of her uniform.

"That's not yours."

"So what? The General won't mind!"

"Give it here!"

"No way, you crazy gorilla!"

The two started shouting back and forth, the little y/n practically wrapping herself around the greatsword as the man fought to take it away from her.

Aventurine looked back and forth between y/n and the little girl with a cheeky look, "So that's you, eh?"

"Mm... that's me." y/n murmured with a whimsical smile as the man manage to tear the young h/c haired girl away from the sword, grabbing her by the ear and beginning to storm off as she stumbled after him while sobbing, "And that jerk dragging me was my tutor of sorts. My master refused to train me so long as I wasn't receiving an education, so I made up for everything I'd be missing in school with learning from the Furnace Master himself! Gorilla!"

"Gorilla...?"

"That's what I called him, you'll see why." y/n grabbed Aventurine's sleeve and dragged him along, "Come, quickly! You'll miss out!"

Aventurine followed after her, allowing her to guide him as the two of them followed the angry craftsman and the young cloud knight he'd grabbed by the ear.

They followed the pair along until the man released the young cloud knight, allowing her to turn to face him with a pout, "Jerk! You didn't have to grab me like that—OWW!!!"

She crouched, clutching the top of her head where the man hand smacked her with his fist while he glared down at her, "You're disrespectful and loud, pipe down and learn to respect your elders, yeah?"

"Sure, you old gorilla... OUCH!" she was smacked on the head once more, leaving her glaring up at the man with teary eyes, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"

"Hmph." the man lowered his hand and rested it on his hip instead as the younger y/n rubbed the top of her head with a pout, "Come on. Now that you've wasted my time, you'll be cleaning up the mess you left behind. Got it?"

"Hnngh..." she remained knelt on the ground as the man walked past her, not moving even when he budged. All of a sudden, he landed a swift kick to her butt and she let out a yelp.

"MOVE IT, BRAT!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BRAT, YOU STUPID GORILLA?! THAT'S IT, FIGHT ME!"

WHAM!

Aventurine burst into hysterical laughter as the younger y/n was dragged away by the foot, the h/c haired woman beside him crossing her arms with a quiet chuckle.

"Seems like the two of you weren't very fond of each other. And all that rage in that itty bitty body..! You were a total riot!" Aventurine exclaimed as y/n pursed her lips with a bashful look, rubbing the back of her neck with a little chuckle.

"I was a pain in the 🍑 when I was younger," y/n snickered with a cheeky grin, "The gorilla acted like he hated me, but he was just as much of a worry wart as my master. And now..." her voice trailed off.

Oh, that couldn't be a good sign.

"And now...?" Aventurine murmured carefully.

"Eh, we've all gone are separate ways. Well— almost all of us. Come on," y/n strolled on ahead and Aventurine followed, their surroundings blurring at the dream shifted.

The surroundings of the Alchemy Commission faded away, replaced by Exalting Sanctum.

"Pass!"

"Damn it, Jing Yuan!"

"Hehe~! Four of a kind!"

"No, no! Stop it, damn it, stop!"

A younger Jing Yuan crossed his arms, turning away with a proud grin as y/n fell to her hands and knees, "And victory is mine! You owe me dinner!"

"Urgh... you cruel bastard..." y/n grumbled before pointing a finger at her friend with a teary eyed look, "You fiend! Jerk! I'll rip your hair out!"

"Yikes... no need to be such a sore loser." Jing Yuan murmured as he helped his friend back to her feet, "Let's play another game, okay? Like... star chess!"

"Yes! Let's go!" the younger y/n's eyes were suddenly blazing with excitement as she grabbed her friend's hand and dragged him along while y/n and Aventurine watched on.

"Is that...?"

"Yep! General Jing Yuan."

The pair watched as the two younger versions of y/n and her friend began to play star chess, both of them looking equally excited to play.

"Oh? Xianzhou Star Chess." Aventurine murmured a she approached, giving the board a curious look.

"Are you a fan?" y/n inquired with a tilt of her head and the man shook his head with a small chuckle.

"No, no. I've heard of it, and I figured it'd be interesting, but I haven't had the opportunity to play. If the General enjoys it, perhaps you can teach me in case we encounter one another in the future." Aventurine remarked with a little smile to which y/n's lips quirked up ever so slightly.

"I'm sure Jing Yuan would love that, I'd be glad to teach you sometime." y/n crossed her arms and looked back the dream with a little grimace, "Careful though,"

"Jing Yuan!" "Whoops!"

The white haired boy held up his hands in surrender with a nervous giggle, y/n having lunged across the board to grab him by the front of his clothes and yank him close.

"He likes to steal pieces." y/n hummed, watching on in amusement as her younger self started yelling at her white haired friend while the boy simply sat there and laughed it off, careful not to make any sudden movements lest y/n suddenly decide to punch him.

"That's it! We're settling this with a sparring match!"

"Do we have to? One will turn into two and two will turn into twenty, then we won't get the chance to eat!"

The younger y/n huffed, "You cheated, you pay the price! Prepare yourself, Jing Yuan, you're dead!"

"Enough, y/n, let the boy go home."

The young duo froze and the girl let go of her friend, turning to glare at the newcomer. A familiar face, just a little different with the vidyadhara features.

"Ah! Master!" y/n exclaimed before pointing an accusing finger at Jing Yuan, "Jing Yuan cheated again, I've gotta teach him a lesson!"

"What you need to do is go home and rest. If you fall asleep during your lessons again, Yingxing is probably going to refuse to teach you anymore." Dan Heng— no, damn it, Dan Feng remarked and the young y/n crossed her arms and turned away with pursed lips, "Y/n."

"Hm..."

"Go home."

"Fine!"

"Can I come?" Jing Yuan chirped as y/n turned and began to storm away, following before the girl could give him a definite answer, "What's for dinner, hm?"

"My fist in your mouth."

"Sounds... appetizing?"

Y/n watched the young pair head off together, letting out a quiet exhale, "Ah, right... home."

"Your childhood home?" Aventurine questioned.

"Yep..." y/n murmured before waving a hand.

The two were yanked right out of the dream, y/n tucking the bubble away as Aventurine gave it a curious little look. Well, that was rather abrupt.

"What was that about?"

"I'm more interested in milkshakes than I am a dream right now." y/n replied simply with a shrug, "Shall we?"

"Mm..." Aventurine stood there for a moment, processing her words and her behavior before speaking up again. "Do you have any more?"

"More?"

Aventurine pointed to where she'd tucked away her dream bubble, "More dreams. I hope you don't mind me being nosy, but I find the mini version of my Xianzhou friend quite amusing."

Y/n scowled at him, "Yeah? So I'm a source of entertainment now, is that it? 🚚 you too."

"So it's a no, then?"

"I'll agree to it if you show me one of your dreams."

Aventurine went still, his brows furrowing slightly. His mouth opened as he prepared to answer, but he was interrupted by Caelus's voice, "I'm telling Jing Yuan."

Y/n raised a brow, glancing over her shoulder at Caelus and a silver haired girl by his side. Her little side eye somehow managed to get even more judgmental, but the expression went away as quickly as it came as y/n turned to face Caelus.

"Tell Jing Yuan what?" y/n questioned with a raised brow, tilting her head curiously, "What did I do?"

"YOU'RE CHE—!" Y/n punched Caelus in the gut, causing him to keel over while the silver haired girl gawked at him. The h/c haired woman slung an arm around his neck and snatched him closer, whispering something to him that made him jolt before nodding frantically.

He was promptly released, rubbing his stomach with a pout as y/n stepped away from him with a shrug.

"Aventurine, you've already met Caelus. Don't worry about him and his schemes, he's promised Miss Himeko and Mr. Yang that he'll behave." y/n announced before glancing at the silver haired girl with a curious look, "Are you a friend of Caelus?"

"Huh? O-Oh, no, we just met." the girl replied with a nervous smile, "My name is Firefly, and you must be y/n! Caelus's friend, right?"

"Yep, that's me! This guy over here is Aventurine," y/n briefly gestured to the blond, "Firefly is such a cute name, it's nice to meet you!" y/n exclaimed with a look of delight while the silver haired girl blushed, "Are you a local? You must be a local considering you approached Caelus. Here's a word of advice, run while you still can, he's crazy."

"You're one to talk, you stabbed me! Twice!" Caelus shouted at her as she pointedly ignored him, smiling sweetly at Firefly.

"You're a local, right?"

"Mhm... I'm from the Iris Family."

"Iris Family... Iris Family... oh! Then you can show us around then! I'm gonna be completely honest with you, I have no clue where I'm going!" y/n exclaimed and Firefly nodded, a little bright look in her eyes.

"I was just planning on giving Caelus a tour, so we can all go together!" she turned away before she could see the absolutely devastated look on the h/c haired woman's face, "Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect." Caelus hummed and y/n grumbled.

"I've got some time before my meeting, so I suppose I could tag along for a bit." Aventurine hummed before glancing at y/n, noticing her expression. He gave her a little nudge, drawing her attention back to him, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Guh... fine."

Firefly beamed, "Great! It looks like you two have already hung out over here, so let's head to the plaza! We can all enjoy a nice meal together there, alright?"

Y/n immediately perked up, "Yeah!"

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"We're here!" Firefly chirped as they all stopped outside of a little restaurant of some kind, turning to face the trio with a smile, "Hey, have you all ever heard of the saying that goes, in a dream, hunger is the most precious spice?"

Y/n and Caelus exchanged a oook before glancing back at the girl with a simultaneous, "Nuh-uh."

"O-Oh, well, you can find all kinds of local delicacies here! Clockwise Pizza, Oak Cake Rolls, Alfalfa Salad, and the classic SoulGlad! Feel free to pick anything you'd like!" Firefly exclaimed with a warm little nod, "Today, it's my treat!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Caelus immediately took to browsing the food options while y/n frowned, giving Firefly a worried look.

"I've got quite the appetite on me, I'd hate to have you spend so much of your money on me. Especially when everything looks so expensive..." y/n murmured and the girl shook her head with a laugh.

"No, no, don't worry about it!" Firefly assured her.

"Mm... I dunno..." y/n mumbled only for someone to tap her on the shoulder. She gave Aventurine a questioning look and gawked at the sight of all the food options crammed into his arms, "What the?!"

"Haha... I wanted to try them all but I haven't got the appetite for it. We can share," Aventurine offered and y/n nodded eagerly, her eyes full of stars.

"Yes! Thank you!" y/n exclaimed as she happily received and milkshake and began drinking it.

"Thanks for the food." Caelus spoke as he was chowing down on a burger, "Sorry, though. I used all your money."

"All my—" the silver haired girl's jaw dropped and she looked absolutely baffled as Caelus offered her his oak cake rolls. "Want some?"

"Mhm! I love oak cake rolls!" Firefly exclaimed as she took one and the two began to walk ahead as she gestured for Aventurine and y/n to follow, "Come on, we can eat while we head to our next destination!"

The walk to their next was spent with Firefly yapping about something, but y/n wasn't really listening. She paused while the others kept walking, squinting at a very blue kid. Hmmm... oh whatever, she should mind her own business.

"Y/nnnn!" the woman peered over to where the others had moved on beyond the Clockie Statue and to the edge of the city overlooking the rest of the silly Dreamscape and a floating theater in the sky where a chorus of voices sang.

She hurried to catch up, slowing her pace to a walk as she gazed at the theater in the sky with round eyes. Something within her tingled and she immediately looked away with a small grumble.

"See that building in the distance? That's the famous Grand Theater, another great landmark of Penacony!" Firefly was saying, "Pretty unique in shape, right? In the real world, it used to be the central prison of Addams. The Family renovated it within the Dreamscapes and transformed it into the glorious Penacony Grand Theater!"

The more this girl talked, the more incessant the static in her brain got. It wasn't even about her being bored or uninterested, it was just happening the longer they stood staring at that floating theater. Completely not her fault.

Seeming to notice her slight discomfort, Caelus was quick to divert with a, "I hear a lot of noise coming from that way... where exactly is that?"

"Oh?" Firefly glanced in the direction he'd pointed to and her gaze lit up, "Ah! That's Aideen Park! Let's head over there now, yeah?"

They headed over there next, Firefly continuing to yap about stuff that y/n didn't necessarily care for. It wasn't until Aventurine disappeared for a moment and returned with tokens for her to play games with that she was REALLY interested.

Caelus bought some for himself and Firefly as well and the two gambling addicts immediately went for it. Oh? You thought I meant Caelus and Aventurine?

Nah. Caelus and the Abundance tweakster.

"Crank it!!!" Caelus exclaimed as y/n yanked the lever on Dreamy Slots, the two of them watching eagerly as the wheels turned.

A seven... another seven...!
Another one!

"HELL YEAHHHH!" the pair exclaimed, giving one another a high five while Aventurine and Firefly watched the two gremlins celebrate.

"Let's play that one over there too!" Caelus declared, grabbing Firefly by the wrist and dragging her off to the next game. Y/n began to leave too but halted when Aventurine held her back.

"Hm? Something wrong?" she inquired.

A couple steps away, Caelus was all bubbly and excited as he started up another game, at least until he noticed that y/n was no longer with him. Curious, he looked back to where he'd last spotted her and found her with Aventurine.

Y/n didn't look furious in the slightest about her hand being grabbed, though the close proximity to the blond dude seemed to have her a little frazzled. He was whispering something in her ear.

Caelus immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a picture because if he's learned anything from March, photo evidence is the best kind of black mail material.

Y/n's expression was pretty unreadable for the most part, at least until her brows raised and she looked at Aventurine in disbelief as he pulled away.

They discussed something briefly before both of them returned to the group, clearly having something to say.

"The little tour was great, but I really must get going. It's only a matter of time before my meeting begins, so I can't stay here." Aventurine announced with a friendly smile, "Still! I had a great time! Thanks for showing me around!"

"Of course!" Firefly chimed.

As the pair were chattering back and forth, Caelus glanced at y/n who was still munching on Oak Cake Rolls. Her gaze was fixed on her phone, and her eyes were sparkling with delight.

Now who could that be, huh?

Aventurine said his farewells to the group before heading off, and y/n looked up curiously when Caelus punched