# 287
Chapter 287: The Peculiar Bragi
“What’s wrong with him?” Lin Qiye asked.
“He, he…” Li Yifei hemmed and hawed for ages, then waved it off. “Forget it, come see for yourself.”
Lin Qiye followed Li Yifei through the asylum and into the deserted courtyard. By now it was night in the Asylum of the Gods; under the pitch-black sky the whole psychiatric hospital lay in darkness, with only a few rooms still lit.
The two crouched behind a big tree. Li Yifei pointed at a row of wards not far away and whispered:
“Look.”
Lin Qiye lifted his gaze. In the dim two-story building the first two rooms were already dark; only a faint glimmer leaked from beneath the door of the third.
“That’s Bragi’s room,” Lin Qiye said.
“Right.” Li Yifei nodded. “Usually by now Grandma Nyx is asleep, and Uncle Merlin’s been into wellness lately—he turns in even earlier. So when I got up to use the bathroom and saw the light, I crept up for a peek…”
“What did you see?”
Li Yifei pointed to the branches overhead. “Climb up and you’ll understand.”
Lin Qiye rolled his eyes, sprang lightly onto the bough. From the ground they’d only been able to tell the lamp was on; from here the whole room lay open to view.
Inside dim Ward Three the ceiling light was off; only a white candle on the table cast a pale glow. A man draped in white silk sat before it—apparently staring into a mirror.
Lin Qiye’s brows drew together.
Bragi, up in the middle of the night admiring himself? With that face maybe it wasn’t impossible, but something felt off…
A moment later Lin Qiye’s eyes sharpened.
His posture!
Bragi sat strangely: knees slightly together, legs angled to one side, the smooth fabric half-hiding them. He perched there quietly, less like a man than a delicate young lady.
Lin Qiye recalled meeting Bragi by daylight—yes, the god was soft-featured, but in bearing he was no sissy; he’d never sit like this.
Some hidden hobby?
While Lin Qiye puzzled, Bragi moved again.
Seated primly, he extended slender white hands, opened a small box beside the table. Inside seemed to be some red liquid. He dipped a fingertip, then brushed it across his lips…
They blazed scarlet.
The candle-flame flickered in the ancient bronze mirror, lighting Bragi’s stunning, bewitching face. He pursed his lips, the vivid curves lifting slightly, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
Lin Qiye’s scalp prickled.
That wasn’t Bragi—definitely not! No man could manage such a coy, seductive expression—at least Bragi couldn’t.
He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. Whatever illness Bragi had, it must tie to this behavior.
Possession?
He’d heard rural ghost stories: spirits hijacking people, making them do bizarre things—“struck by evil.”
But Bragi wasn’t human. In myth he might be low-profile, weak in combat, yet he was still a god—Odin’s son. What could possess him?
If not possession, how to explain the scene?
Sleep-walking?
Lin Qiye hesitated. Should he step in and ask what was happening? If it was sleep-walking, waking him abruptly might backfire.
While he debated, Bragi before the mirror slowly stood, glanced outside, disappointment surfacing. He wiped his face—make-up vanished, features returning to normal.
He slipped off the white silk, changed back into his usual clothes, lay quietly on the bed and closed his eyes…
As if asleep.
Lin Qiye dropped from the tree, landing soundlessly on the grass. Li Yifei scurried over, whispering, “Did you see?”
“Saw.”
“Is he a pervert?”
“…Probably not.” Lin Qiye pondered. “Not sure. Tomorrow morning I’ll sound him out—see how he reacts. Remember, be subtle; don’t bruise his ego.”
Li Yifei nodded. “Got it!”
……
Next morning.
“Bragi, about you cross-dressing last night—do you know?”
Bragi had just ambled sleepy-eyed to the dining table when Li Yifei bounded up and blurted.
“Pfft—”
Merlin nearly sprayed out his goji-berry tea. He swallowed hard, coughed with forced dignity, shooting astonished glances at Bragi.
Across the table Nyx lifted her gaze, cradling her coffee with a faint, amused smile.
“Cross-dress?” Bragi blinked blankly. “What cross-dress?”
“White stockings, braided hair, lipstick!” Li Yifei said, puzzled. “No memory at all?”
Merlin’s eyes widened further.
Bragi shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I slept fine. I’m a man—why would I braid hair or paint my lips? And what are ‘white stockings’?”
Li Yifei scratched his head, studying Bragi’s eyes; they showed no deceit. Just then Lin Qiye walked in wearing a white coat.
“Qiye, Bragi doesn’t remember cross-dressing.”
Lin Qiye: …
The corner of his mouth twitched; he glared at Li Yifei, cleared his throat, turned to Bragi.
“You really remember nothing about last night?”
Bragi shook, still bewildered. “What happened last night?”
“N-nothing…” Lin Qiye sighed. Spotting Li Yifei about to add something, he clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Mmph-mmph—”
“You all eat; Li Yifei and I are stepping out for a bit.” Smiling, Lin Qiye dragged the struggling Li Yifei from the day-room.