milothatchspeaking:

“Juexizhen?” Milo repeated, speaking very slowly in the hopes of pronouncing the name correctly. Milo did notice the fact that the girl was staring at him as if she’d never seen the likes of him before, but Milo couldn’t blame her, as he was doing the same thing to her, looking her over. She looked as nervous as Milo felt, though Milo was positive he was making more of an idiot of himself than she was—he could definitely understand curiosity, especially if this girl hadn’t traveled far.

The girl asked where Milo’s group was, and color rose in his ears as Milo looked at the ground as if it were interesting, reaching up to rub the back of his neck at the same time. “Well…you see…” Milo began, looking up into the girl’s face with an embarrassed smile, “Like I said, I, uh…We were on an expedition, and I…” Milo sighed, “I’m lost. I have no idea where the others are—we were just staying near another village, and…I left a couple hours ago to look for…something, and then got kinda turned around.”

Milo looked away again, this time staring at the sky and adjusting his glasses. “So! Juexizhen? Where…exactly in China is this—I-I don’t think I’ve heard of it before. Do you…think you could maybe show me on a map or something, if you have one—if there’s one around?” Milo then realized something, and stiffened in embarrassment, “Oh—gosh—I should’ve introduced myself, uh…My name’s Milo—Milo Thatch.”

As she listened to him, Mulan’s eyebrows seemed to lift farther until she thought they might have disappeared into her hair.  What wasn’t completely unfamiliar nevertheless set her mind racing, and Mulan glanced to the side in thought as she puzzled over what to do with the lǎowài’s appearance.  She wasn’t sure she could help him, but she was equally sure that she was not ready to bid him farewell and run find her mother.  Mulan did her best to take the situation in hand.

“Milo Thatch,” she repeated.  It was her turn to mouth the words carefully.  "My name is Hua Mulan.  I - well, I’m not sure Juexizhen is on a map.“  She could feel her cheeks flushing, but it was probably true: the maps that brought the villagers to great cities like Chengdu never showed their starting point.  When Baba had occasion to go to the city he took roads that the farmers had learned by sight.  Besides (thought Mulan sheepishly, tracing a line in the dirt with the toe of her shoe) she was not sure that she would be able to borrow a map from anybody who would not simply tell her that Hua Li was looking for her.  And they would distrust the stranger with her.

Even the thought of such embarrassment made Mulan cringe!  If she was going to be able to help him, she would have to do it on her own.  Mulan racked her brain for the right words.  "Which direction did you come from?  Did you take the road or did you cross through forest or fields?” she wondered in quick succession, frowning at Milo as she tried to concentrate.  "Maybe I can help you figure out where you came from.“