Ladyship

Min wakes up in a wonderful bed in a very dark room. She digs herself from the soft, fluffy blankets, swings her feet off the bed and hits a wall.

She's found a wall; this is good.

Min navigates to the other wide of the bed, feels around and finds nothing, assumes it’s safe, and climbs off onto very soft carpet. Her fingertips find a wall, and then a seam, and then her foot hits something hard and she gets tangled and down she goes and the carpet is as soft on her hands and face as on her feet.

Min extricates herself from what she believes is a chair, rediscovers the wall, and stands anew. She leads herself to a door which slides open and has what feels like clothes; it’s most likely a closet, so not terribly useful. Moving around, Min runs into heavy fabric. Curtains? She drags them towards her. Very bright light. Min really regrets that move. And then the phosphenes clear and she gets a better look at the greenery rushing by impossibly fast through the very big picture window.

Probably a train, then.

She looks around.

Bed built into a nook against the far wall, chair and panel which could swing down into a desk, closet immediately to her left, another door opposite the closet, a dressing gown on a hook, a painting, and then the bed.

Okay.

Min wraps herself tightly in the dressing gown and peers into a gloomy, somewhat larger sitting room. She tiptoes through to a far door and peers out.

A hallway.

She takes a deep breath and closes the door softly as she leaves—

「Would your ladyship care to get dressed?」 asks an aide.

「S-sure,」 says Min.

The aide leads her back to the suite, into the bedroom. 「If your ladyship would have a seat.」 Pulls the desk chair into the corner with the door.

「Could I—」 Glances at the door. 「—shower? Maybe?」

「Of course.」 The aide gets the door. 「This way, please.」

Min steps out.

The aide closes the door, leads Min across the sitting room, and touches a panel.

It slides open.

「Your ladyship.」

「Thank you.」 Min slips in to a surprisingly spacious ballroom, though maybe not so much surprising since the aide follows and fiddles with the shower.

Min, feeling awkward, looks anywhere but.

「My apologies, your ladyship,」 says the aide.

「That’s fine.」

「If I may…?」

Wha? 「Oh.」 Min stops clutching her dressing gown.

The aide takes it off, hangs it on a hook, moves behind Min, and starts on her nightdress which, as it turns out, is a two-layer traditional monstrosity. 「If your ladyship would excuse me,」 they say, eyes averted and draping Min's clothes over an arm.

「G-go ahead.」

The aide leaves and Min steps into the spray which is the perfect temperature.

That's a little unnerving.

Possibility one: she's the spare clone of some noble.

Possibility two: this is an alternate universe where she's a noble.

Possibility three: they've mistaken her for a noble.

[where did I put this paaart]

「May I use the Internet?」

「Of course, your Ladyship.」 The attendant goes to a side table, unfolds a key from flush against the lock, and turns it, and retrieves a tablet. 「Your Ladyship.」

「Thank you.」

It boots up(1).

「If you would excuse me, I will return shortly with tea.」

「Yes, of course, thank you.」

The attendant bows, leaves.

Min opens a browser, navigate to a public chat room, finds she has no other option than 'anonymous' for a username, sighs, and logs on to a new chat room.

anon: I am here

Within a minute,

QB: praise thee, yellow emperor, [progenitor(2)] of civilization!

Min covers her face, takes a deep breath, forces her eyes open.

anon: they're treating me like a princess and I'm scared what's going to happen when they find out I'm not

QB: they no :)

Min deflates into the couch, stares at the far for a minute.

QB: make a scene. you'll know when :)

anon: thank you

QB: you're welcome!

QB: I love you <3

anon: love you too

QB has left the building

anon has left the building

Min exhales and looks heaven-ward.

A knock.

「「Your Ladyship?」」

「Come in.」

The attendant opens the door for a waiter with a trolley.

They set up the tray, places it before Min, bows to the attendant, bows deeply to Min, leaves with the trolley.

「If you need anything,」 the attendant indicates a button case on the tray.

Min nods.

「I will return in half an hour for your treatment.」

What?

「Thank you,」 says Min.

The attendant bows and leaves.

Min takes a deep breath, investigates her tea.

Hot chocolate, thank heaven. A small bowl of soup(3), a scone, and what is possibly real butter.

Min prays briefly (4) and tucks in.

Mere moments after she finishes, the attendant returns along with a nurse. 「Your treatment, your Ladyship.」>not sure how to phrase it so it's not Dollhouse-y<

They bow.

Min bobs her head.

The attendant asks Min to her room.

"Of course." Min stands, smooths her trousers(1), heads to her room.

The attendant helps her into different PJs(1) and a new dressing gown a size too big.
They return to the sitting room where the nurse has unpacked a huge makeup kit.

Min sits on the couch(1), and minutes later, before the attendant covers the mirror, Min catches a glimpse of her reflection and her sickly grey skin, the bruised (half(5)) circles under her eyes, her dull, limp hair, and understands why the nurse presses vein paper(6) to her skin and pokes in an IV.

The IV stand goes up next by Min's feet, followed by the drip.

The nurse bustles around as Min tries to temper her panic, and then the nurse knocks the stand, apologizes.

Min smiles weakly—

Saline.

It's a saline drip.

Min exhales quietly and leans slowly back into the couch(1).

The nurse smooths a 'chemo' sticker over the label and tucks the backing away in a pocket, picks up the kit, bows to the attendant, bows deeply to Min, and leaves.

## Reminders

* a character who's a picky eater

1: which word? (British, direct translation from Cantonese, other)

2: not 'uniter', grander than 'founder', less 'save-y' than 'saviour'

3: something that is brunch-ish in Hong Kong

4: like in Japan (itadakimasu!)--is this a thing?

5: how does one describe these?

6: what's the actual name?