Wheeling Gull Isle nothing, nothing

this reply came later than promised, my apologies :'D let's start the next round on the 13th, if that works for everyone?

As the day was dwindling to a close, Huā wasn't surprised that only a few still had the energy to come- but she was greatful for the ones that did, and noted their presence as a little boost to their reputation in her eyes. They each greeted her in their own ways, and then settled down as she did. Huā smiled. 

My last pro-posal for our night, is that we share story. Huā's voice was gentle, seeing no point in being loud with such a small audience. Her gaze flickered between them. Maybe, you think story is something for a child. But I think on day of celebration, we can be children again, She grinned mischievously, And, also... adults can learn something from story, too. 

I will begin, by telling you a story about constant deter-mination, even when that goal is so far away. Once there is a young girl call Nüwa. A similar name to her own daughter, but this was simply how the story went- how her mother had told it, and how she would tell it now. Nüwa always wants to go play by the sea, which she has never seen, but her father is such a busy hunter and guardian, that he never can. He always tells her, 'tomorrow, Nüwa. Maybe tomorrow.' Huā sighed.

Eventually, Nüwa is tired of waiting. She wishes her father will come, but must go without him, to see the ocean. She is just a child who wants to play. When she finds the shore, she plays in the water- happy, to see what she longed for- but a storm comes, and she does not know what to do. Before she can save herself, a great wave swallows her into the ocean. And Nüwa drowns. Huā lowered her head as if mourning the character momentarily, before continuing.

Her father is heart-broken, when his daughter never comes home. And the world pities Nüwa. By magic, the pup is risen from the sea, as a bird- called Jingwei, because of the noise she makes. Jingwei, Jingwei! She sung it in a high note like a crowing seagull.

You can imagine, Jingwei is not happy. She is a bird! And she can never return to her happy life as Nüwa. She does not want others to meet her fate at the hands of the sea; she despises it, for what it has done. But a child has no limit to her imagination, nor her per-sev-er-ance. She gathers rocks and sticks and takes them, dropping them one by one into the ocean, always flying to bring more. She wants to fill up the ocean with it, so no other girl will ever drown. She works forever... if you see a bird fly over the sea now, dropping in a stone, maybe that is Jingwei, hoping to fill the waters.

Huā smiled lightly. Her story did not necessarily have a happy ending- Jingwei's mission was futile, but she would spend eternity on it anyways. If anything, the empress hoped her story simply provoked thought or entertained. She bowed her head to the little audience, and then let her gaze move over the group. Who is next?

Story modified from 精衛填海