75. Mirror [Mushu] [ENG]

“So how are you coming along?“
“Stop grouching!” it answered, “A woman just needs her time…”
“Because you are such a woman!” Mushu laughed, his eyes still kept covered.
The reaction he had gotten was quite a different than he had expected. Actually, the little dragon had thought, that Mulan would hate it to be compared with a woman, just because she was a heroine for fighting for her own will and disobeying the rules. Since the very first moment in the battlefield Mushu hadn’t seen a woman in Mulan anymore. Of course he knew that she wasn’t a man. To him she was neither of both. To him she was simply a good friend.

And just by the way…
“No one takes that long!” Mushu shouted at the door, “What are you doing in there?”
“Good things don’t come easy!” it sounded out of the room, but the tune was muted by the door.
The dragon only shook his head. It was way too often he had to listen to this sentence by now.
“How about some news for a change?”
“Well, the Great Wall wasn’t built in a day!”
“Then I’m just glad that, unlike you, I don’t have to grapple with bricks,” Mushu joked and scratched his chest with a sassy grin, “Besides, that was Rome honey.”
“Just show a little bit more patience, okay?”
The guardian rolled his eyes, shook his head and turned his back on the door.
“If it takes any longer, I’m coming in,” the dragon admonished into the wrong direction.
“Don’t you dare!”
The sound of furniture being moved around could be heard and provoked Mushu to at least rise one of his ears into the direction of the door.

“I’m ready,” it sounded, for a change now un-muted.
“Finally!” the dragon kept bickering and carefully removed the remaining ear from his eyelid, as he turned to face Mulan.
A brash whistle echoed within the room. Mushu was flabbergasted at the sight of his little girl.
“Well, Bonjour Madame. Let’s disappear around the house before my girl shows up.”
Mulan tilted her head in a threatening manner combined with a look that spoke volumes.
“Just kidding, just kidding!” the dragon laughed, “It’s just… you’re… beautiful!”, he then finished rakishly and fast – as if trying to get it over with.
“Did you expect something else?”, Mulan questioned sceptically.
“No, I… Yes!”, Mushu confirmed and nodded, “You’re out of all recognition.”
After all the time she’d spent in that little chamber he actually should have been prepared for something like that.  

A smile grew on Mulan’s feature and slowly, almost timidly she made her way over to the mirror.
“If you say so.”
And truth be told, the little dragon did not joke for a change. Even Mulan could barely recognize herself. But that was something she should be able to do at all times, now that she finally knew. A sigh escaped her throat.

A celebration in honor of the Chinese army. It was an important festival and Mulan wanted her new friends to accept them no matter what gender she might be now. After all… she had been a so much better man than she could have ever been a woman – and that worried her a bit. Furthermore, her Mother had been generous with the Make-Up. Not to mention that it had been her idea in first place…
“She just wants the best for me,” Mulan sighed as though afraid her own mother could be wrong.
“Who doesn’t?” Mushu laughed and jumped up out of a sudden, “That’s it! Gimme a sec!” And there he had already disappeared out of the window.
At first surprised, then rather concerned she gazed after the dragon, but as he didn’t return the next instant she turned to the mirror again and played around with the actually finished hairdo. She didn’t like that figure staring back at her. She once had, but that time was long ago.

Mulan’s thoughts had been interrupted by a sudden weight on her shoulder.
“One thing was missing!”, an all too familiar voice explained and in the mirror she recognized her little guardian, as he jumped from her shoulder. Left behind was a young magnolia flower behind Mulan’s right ear that woke so many memories.

Was this what she wanted? She bit her lip in a fainthearted manner, just to realize that she was ruining the lipstick and curbed herself to do so. Still a little unsure, the girl nodded.
“You’re right.”