Bertha has a minion!

Dru the Chortle

With a smile and a song

LIFE IS JUST A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY

It’s tough living the life of a princess said no one ever.

Bertha lived a sheltered life within the confines of her royal home in the kingdom of Shengui Guo.

Bertha was a descendent of an imperial bloodline. While no longer ruling the kingdom, instead enjoying more of a figurehead role, Emperor Lin, Bertha’s father, was a stickler for traditions. Caught between the past and the present, Shengui Guo law was also strict and enforced with an iron fist much like Emperor Lin’s rules at home.

Bertha would rather be anything but a princess.

A free spirt, Bertha longed to see more of the kingdom and experience life outside of being a sheltered princess feeling suffocated by the archaic laws of her kingdom which restricted her from socialising with anyone outside of her home or handpicked by her family. She often daydreamed about enjoying the bathhouses of Shengui Guo and the floating markets.

Waking up under a cherry blossom tree from a daydream where she was egged on by the spirit of her deceased grandmother, Bertha followed a legecia over the tea hills and into the central district.

Mesmerised by the vast number of different people and species, Bertha, disorientated, got swept up in the crowd and ended up at the one place she hoped she would visit on her outing. Entering the Bathhouse Lobby, Bertha met Ying.

"Are my old eyes deceiving me, or is this a new face I see in my bathhouse?"

Immediately taken by the older women, a feeling that appeared to be mutual, Bertha explored the vast bathhouse. An ever inquisitive mind, Bertha carefully took in all the details and intricacies of the wood paneling and sculptures.

Bertha followed a torrent worker as he meticulously swept up and found herself outside in another bath area. This area, unlike the last, was exquisite, tranquil and full of other zentu. Excited, Bertha made her way into the pool.

After relaxing, blowing thousands of bubbles, and splashing around in the pool for hours, little lanterns starting floating in the baths and moved towards her. Taking this as her cue to leave knowing she had to slip back into her home before her missing presence was noted, Bertha made her out of the bathhouse and back across Shengui Guo.

Having made it back into her room without anyone catching her, Bertha decided she deserved a pre-dinner nap to celebrate. And then, just as she closed her eyes, she heard it.

"BERTHA ..."

Art

Credits

Profile Art and Overlay by the incredible Rachel.
Other art by CORE.
Zentu, Shengui Guo and Ujin icons by Subeta.
Title quote by Larry Morey.
Profile, character and story by Jen.