They lay there for a while, and no one said a word.
The small cubicle was quiet; the only sounds were the soft patter of water outside and the occasional tinkling of the wind chimes by the door.
Bai You nestled comfortably in Varesa's arms, her eyelids beginning to droop again.
In a daze, his fingers were still hooked on Varesa's clothes.
"Don't sleep." Varesa noticed first and pinched her cheek.
"If I go to sleep now, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight; the outside hasn't been tidied up yet."
"Just one more minute... just one minute." Bai You snuggled into her arms.
"You said the same thing last time you stayed in bed, and ended up lying there for half an hour."
Varesa smiled and decided to let her linger a little longer.
Judging that it was about time, I propped myself up and sat up, then scooped the person up with me. "Let's go, you can sleep whenever you want after we're done."
Bai You was reluctantly pulled off the bed and placed on the soft, round blanket. She shook her head a couple of times before she finally woke up a bit.
The two lifted the curtain and left the small cubicle, returning to the outer room.
The inner part of the outer floor was a shallow pool of water, and the few pillars that made the sound echoed stood in the water, with a small section of their base submerged.
The dust mainly settled outside the water's surface. Varesa took a broom and swept the dust and withered leaves from the shore and stone platform into a pile.
He then squatted down by the shallow water and scooped out a few rotten leaves that were floating on the surface and sunk at the base of the pillar.
Bai You rolled up her trouser legs and tentatively put her feet into the water. The water was a bit cold. She took a rag and wiped the part of the Ying Sheng Zhu that wasn't submerged in water.
"Is it cold?" Varesa looked up at her.
"It's not cold, it's quite comfortable." Bai You splashed through the water, rubbing against one pillar after another.
After wiping the dust off, she didn't rush ashore. Her gaze fell on the basket of seashells, and suddenly an idea came to her.
" Varesa, let's not just put the seashells in the water."
She scooped up a handful.
"How about using them for decoration? Look, if you line them up along the waterline in this shallow area, the seashells will reflect the water when it rises; it will definitely look beautiful."
Varesa thought about it for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Okay, that sounds good."
The two then squatted by the water's edge, picking out the fruits one by one.
Select seashells with uniform color and beautiful patterns, and arrange them in a circle, half-buried and half-exposed, along the waterfront line at the foot of the Echo Pillar.
Varesa arranged them carefully, even placing a few with light colors directly facing the small cubicle.
Bai You squatted down next to her, occasionally handing her one.
Varesa also held her wrist and gently pressed her hand holding the seashell into the right spot.
The seashells shimmered in the water, like a glowing rim around the pillars that made the sound echo.
"So beautiful." Bai You took two steps back, splashing water lightly as she stood with her hands on her hips, admiring her work with a smug look on her face.
"Don't be too smug," Varesa smiled and nodded, looking towards the center of the cave, "The big one hasn't been dealt with yet."
In the center of the cave is a large seashell containing a pool of clear water, which is quite deep, with water slowly seeping up from the bottom.
It then seeped shallowly into the shallow water along the edge of the shell; the inside and outside were connected.
While wiping, Bai You picked out dozens of the prettiest little seashells and arranged them into a curved lace pattern along the outside of the large seashell.
After she arranged the seashells and stepped back, the two of them looked at the large seashell together—the inner wall had a light tint, and the outer wall was edged with seashell lace.
The clear water ripples gently beneath the giant seashell, and from a distance, it's even more magnificent than those 5A scenic spots.
"It's done." Varesa looked around.
As she watched, her heart softened. She turned to Bai You, raising an eyebrow, and said, "You've been working so hard, how about I treat you?"
How to reward him?
"Come down, I'll sing you a song."
The two stepped into the water using the shallow steps inside the large seashell. As soon as the water reached their waists, they each transformed into fish tails: Bai You's was bluish-white, and Varesa's was bluish-green.
It stretched out inside the spacious shell, its tail fin occasionally brushing against it.
Varesa swam to the center of the shell, pulled Bai You in front of her, and pressed her against her.
She didn't rush to sing; she closed her eyes and took a breath, while Bai You nestled close to her chest.
Then the singing started.
Each sound, carried by the water, softly dispersed, striking the echoing pillars outside, the echoes swirling back in circles.
She had already finished singing that line, but the lingering resonance was still slowly lingering in my ears.
When I listened to Varesa sing in the rehearsal hall, she was poised and formal. Here, it's different; she sings very relaxed.
Bai You rested her head on her pillow, listening intently, forgetting even to blink.
After finishing that serious song, Varesa didn't stop. She paused, then softly hummed another verse.
The melody was slower and softer. Halfway through, Varesa suddenly spoke, her voice very low:
"This piece is something I recently wrote myself; it doesn't have a name yet, and I've never sung it to anyone."
"What is it that you wrote?" Bai You asked.
There was a moment of silence behind me, followed by the soft sound of water.
"Write a Water Nymph," Varesa said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully.
"I spent a long time alone, and I thought things would just stay that way. Then, I found another Water Nymph."
Her chin rested on the top of Bai You; "The sound in the cave was no longer just one person's."
Bai You understood immediately, her throat tightened a little, but she didn't turn around. She just stayed close to her, staring at the fish tail beneath the water's surface, and said after a while:
"It needs a name," she whispered.
What comes to mind?
" Bai You and Varesa "
There was silence behind me, then after two seconds, a suppressed laugh came from behind.
Hahahahahahahaha
"Who uses a person's name as a song title? How stupid!"
"Just use it."
Bai You stiffened her neck, but her ears turned red. "Don't think I don't know it's about the two of us. Why can't it be called that?"
"Fine, you decide." Varesa didn't argue with her, and tightened her arms to hold her steady.
He hummed that little tune again from the beginning, as if he were officially naming it.
Bai You listened with her eyes closed, her tail quietly wrapping around her waist underwater, but this time she didn't dodge.
"From now on, you're not allowed to sing this song to anyone else." Bai You said suddenly with her eyes closed, her tone carrying a domineering air that she herself didn't realize.
"The rehearsal hall won't do, the stage won't do, this is the only place, where I'll sing for just me."
"Quite a few demands." Varesa smiled, her fingertips tracing patterns on Voyanisa's shoulder.
"Okay, I promise. This song is for both of us, we won't take it out."
Bai You was finally satisfied and snuggled closer to her. She reached out and darted wildly across the water, her fingertips creating ripples wherever they touched.
She scribbled a couple of times, then remembered something. "Then later, I'll add the lyrics to this poem for you too. It's a shame to only have the melody."
"You can also write lyrics?"
"You can learn if you don't know how," Bai You said confidently. "Even if you don't write well, you still have to sing."
"I'll sing it no matter how you write it."
The two chatted idly for an unknown amount of time while soaking in the water.
Varesa snapped out of her daze first, glancing sideways at the figure. "It's time to go up. Let's go have lunch, let's go."
Bai You hummed in agreement, but didn't move. Varesa didn't urge her, letting her linger for another half minute before patting her waist.
"Come on, it's not like we're not coming back. I'll bring you again after the show the day after tomorrow."
"It feels so good to be in your arms. I don't want to leave you, not this cave."