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(Lies! Lies and slander!)

Shen Yuan would have been happy to keep the banter going (for what better way to acclimitize oneself to the frankly horrifying oddities of Trench than to make silly and minimizing jokes about them?) but then Lan Xichen drops the bomb that his home was destroyed, razed is the word he used, and...yeah. Shen Yuan can't make jokes about that.

"I'm...I'm sorry," he says, caught on the backfoot. He quickly bows his head, a gesture of condolensce. "Lan-gongzi must have suffered greatly, during that time. How fortunate that he had a friend like Jin-gongzi to help him pull through."

(Unfortunately Lan Xichen is painfully honest.)

"There is nothing to apologize for. Those responsible were dealt with."

Perhaps, in retrospect, excessively. He really should have said something about that.

(Another regret for the pile.)

He smiles, serene and calm as can be as he buries the past.

"Though this one is grateful for the sentiment. And he is very fortunate to have made such a friend."

In spite of everything, he still felt that way. He wonders what it says about it that he can forgive the death of his sword brother...?

"He is also very glad for the help Shen-gongzi has given him. He has been very patient with this one's questions."

Despite himself, despite the fact that he and Lan Xichen are still near-strangers with only a single, month-long mutual connection between them, Shen Yuan can't help but internally sigh a little with platonic admiration at the elder cultivator's serenity. Lan Xichen's face is like a still mountain pool, calm and serene. Truly a model to aspire to. He waves off the compliment, responding, "It's truly been no trouble. This one enjoys answering questions, and I must return Lan-gongzi's kindness somehow."

He smiles hopefully. "Though this one cannot match the length of Lan-gongzi's friendship to Jin Guangyao, he hopes nonetheless that in time Lan-gongzi might consider this one someone to rely upon in adversity as well."

"I am sure I will. Shen-gongzi has a way of putting one's mind at ease."

Probably a better compliment than voicing that he finds the other man rather adorable. For starters, it summed his feelings up far more concisely. Moreso, he liked Shen Yuan's easy-going nature. His own mind and heart has been such a minefield of unbidden thoughts and feelings, it felt good just to speak frankly with someone.

"I only hope I can repay your kindness in the future."

Shen Yuan actually beams at the compliment (so much better than that nonsense about him being cute!) for a moment, before remembering his dignity and taking his fan out to cover the lower part of his face. (But his eyes keep smiling at Lan Xichen over the fan's edge, and he really, genuinely has no idea just how alluring that sort of look really is...)

"Who's counting?" he says easily. "I'm sure there will be many more opportunities for us to pay and repay each other with kindness in the future; I would rather devote my attention to enjoying Lan Xichen's company. And Jin Guangyao's," he adds. "It might take both of us to keep him from straining himself in the immediate future."

Speaking of unbidden thoughts, the one currently zipping through Xichen's brain is that Shen Yuan really is quite fetching.

He hides a smile behind his sleeve. Oh they are both so coy.

"We may have to also employ the aid of Huaisang. A-Yao is a diligent man. And stubborn."

Spoken with a warm and familiar fondness, and only a touch of frustration. That man has worked endlessly with a cracked rib and a head injury that luckily only left him with a mild concussion and a scar.

"If you know of anything that might help entertain him without having to do anything too strenuous, it would be appreciated."

He's long given up the battle of keeping Jin Guangyao bed-bound, but he's not going to let the man run off on a night hunt either. An unstimulated A-Yao was an A-Yao bound to make his injuries worse.

The flirting (because that's totally what it is) goes right over Shen Yuan's head. He's just pleased to have made such an advantageous connection with such an admirable man. You know, in a hetero way.

He nods; it's a fair question. "In my homeworld, there were games that could be played on devices similar to the omnis, which might keep him entertained. I'll see whether there are any such things on the network." (Concept: Shen Yuan accidentally gets Jin Guangyao addicted to Candy Crush. Or Angry Birds, shudder)

"And of course I'd be happy to bring him any book he likes. Trench has an extensive library."

"Games would be good; the more intellectually stimulating, the more he'll enjoy them."

And the more likely he'll sit quietly and let his body recover. There was never a conundrum Jin Guangyao didn't feel compelled to worry at, after all.

"I have seen the library," he breathes, almost reverent. "The one in the Cloud Recesses seems sparse in comparison."

"Oh, isn't it amazing?" Shen Yuan says enthusiastically. "The moving shelves take some getting used to at first, but the selection -- I've found books that hadn't even been published yet, when I left my homeworld! And it has all of the classics, perfectly bound!"

Look out world: these two gay idiots just found out they have something more than Jin Guangyao in common, and that something is BOOKS.

"I imagine the classics from our respective worlds and times would be quite different."

What better way to glimpse another person's way of life than by reading about it? After all, Shen Yuan seems to be a man walking a very strange line, both comfortable with these appliances and machines, but also more than familiar with a lifestyle not dissimilar to Lan Xichen's.

"Have you any recommendations...?"

"Oh, I think there's a bigger overlap than Lan-gongzi might believe," Shen Yuan says, allowing him a little air of mysterious knowledge. You know, as a treat. "But this one would be happy to share his favorites," he continues, tucking his fan away and pulling out his omni in its place...

At some point the two of them remember the deliver the tea to Jin Guangyao's bedroom, this time with a warming talisman that works as intended, and they check on his temperature and meridians (both of them weak but stable). After that the two of them set themselves up in the courtyard where they'll overhear Jin Guangyao if he stirs, and go right back to talking about books. Books they've read, books they'd like to read, books they thought were overrated...it's a topic that Shen Yuan could easily go on about for hours, and he's pleased by how Lan Xichen matches his energy.

Eventually, however, other needs make themselves known, and Shen Yuan adapts to the change in subject with cheerful haste. "Of course I'll show Lan-gongzi how to order food," he says kindly, already switching screens on his omni with an ease only possible for someone who used such devices for years. "It's really quite simple."

Many things are surprisingly simple with this device. If there were some way to understand it's workings, he thinks having such things back home would be nothing short of a boon.

"I think I have partially figured it out," he says, opening his omni, and showing Shen Yuan the screen. "The list of restaurants, and their menus that you touch to select which dish you want. But that's about as far as I got before it all rather lost me."

If he stops to thinking about it, Shen Yuan finds himself wondering who actually programmed these things, and who is maintaining the system and keeping it from crashing all the time. One of the Pthumerians, he supposes, and he suspects the answer is as at least partially 'they want it to work this way, so it does,' but still. He wonders.

No time for that now though, he has a meal to order! "Let me see...mm," he nods to himself. Lan Xichen actually got pretty far, for someone so new to this technology! "The omni keeps a running tally of the dishes you order, like a human waiter would in real life," he explains, showing Lan Xichen how to look at his order. He suppresses all of his reaction except for a small, sparkling smile to the ahem, rather extensive order Lan Xichen nearly placed in his explorations, and deletes it so they can start afresh. "Is there anything in particular Lan-gongzi thinks he and Jin-gongzi would like to eat?"

Xichen nods, and indicates a few dishes he is familiar enough with; ones that meet with his current exacting standards as being 1. Things Jin Guangyao likes to eat and 2. Highly nutritious. Periods of inedia weren't completely beyond either of them, though they were not indefinite and, after a qi deviation, it was preferable to resume normal eating habits and let the body focus on repairing itself.

He picks a few other things for Jin Guangyao that look to be to his tastes. Even if he doesn't eat it all, there will be plenty left over for him in the next day.

His own selections are strictly vegetarian.

"Do you have something similar to this in your old home? You seem quite familiar with this process."

"I did." Shen Yuan punches in his own order, a dish light in meat out of respect for Lan Xichen's dietary restrictions, and then shows the other cultivator the field for inputting Jin Guangyao's address. "In my homeworld, we could even use the information network to transfer funds, and pay for our order without anyone actually touching hard currency. But here we'll have to pay the delivery person when they show up." And hope they don't just decide to pocket the whole thing, though Shen Yuan would have to admit that Trench seems surprisingly free in petty crime for a city its size.

"I'll cover the cost," he volunteers easily, finaling their order and giving Lan Xichen back his omni. "I've been blessed with a steady job and a free living situation, so it won't pose any difficulty for me. Lan-gongzi already has enough on his mind without considering such things just yet."

"At least let me pay for half," Xichen protests. He's sold a number of talismans over the course of his stay here, and while he doesn't have the near bottomless Lan wealth at his disposal, he certainly isn't broke.

"It has been a trying day for us all. There is no reason we cannot share this expense."

"So Lan-gongzi agrees that it was a trying day?" Shen Yuan cleverly points out. "Then please allow this Shen Yuan to ease his burden. Doing so would please me as well," he adds, when it seems like Lan Xichen will continue to protest.

(He has no idea that he's pouting about potentially being denied. He has no idea that it's cute.)

It might be very effective in most circumstances, but this is a man who has spent the last twenty years building up a tolerance to Jin Guangyao's doe-eyes.

Beyond that, Xichen has a way of softening his expression that makes it look like you flushed his pet gold fish in front of him.

(If he had a pet gold fish at any rate).

"I agree it was a trying day for all of us. The effort Shen-gongzi expended should be taken into consideration as well and not be left with the cost of what amounts to a small banquet."

Who gets this hung up on accepting a free lunch?? Oh right, cultivators. That's who.

Shen Yuan sighs in exasperation, averting his eyes so he doesn't have to peer into the soulful wells that have taken up residence in Lan Xichen's face. "But this Shen Yuan has lived in Trench for nearly half a year, while Lan-gongzi is a newcomer," he argues. "As the senior cultivator, is it not this one's duty to provide for his juniors? How can Lan-gongzi expect this one to accept such a blow to his conscience?"

"Are you the senior cultivator?" he asks innocently. "How old is Shen-gongzi, this one wonders...?"

There it is, that small quirk of his lips and a playful gleam in his eye. Perhaps Lan Xichen is sneakier than his forthright nature and earnest kindness would lead one to believe.

"Or does Shen-gongzi simply mean in terms of how long one has spent in Trench?"

Shen Yuan opens his mouth -- and closes it again, pursing his lips in a prissy little huff. "Lan-gongzi knows exactly what this one meant," he pouts, refusing entirely to engage with the question of his age because hell if he knows!! Probably somewhere in his mid-to-late 20s? He stopped tracking his birthdays in the world of PIDW!

(Don't mistake him; Shen Yuan knows perfectly well that Lan Xichen is merely teasing him. It's just that Shen Yuan is constitutionally inclined to be dramatic when he doesn't get his way, sort of like somebody else Lan Xichen knows.)

"If paying is so important to Lan-gongzi, then fine! He can pay!" he says ungraciously, pulling out his fan to pout behind it some more. "But this one insists on paying the next three times, since Lan-gongzi called this meal a banquet! It's only fair!"

"Next time you pay," he says. "And the one after that, we go in half each."

Talking like he's bartering at the market, but he looks very pleased by this turn of events.

What a fiend.

"After all, I recall saying it was a small banquet."

Terrible! Why is he so terrible!!

"Fine!" Shen Yuan says behind his fan. "As Lan-gongzi likes it!" But in his mind, he's already making plans to steal the check the time after the next, and the time after that. What? Wait a minute...

He slowly slides the fan to the side, looking at Lan Xichen suspiciously. "Lan-gongzi seems quite eager to share this one's company over a meal again, and again," he points out coolly. "One cannot help but wonder what he means by it."

For a man who has been generating frost and who's body temperature hasn't risen about seventy, he certainly has a warm smile.

"Ah, I've been found out."

He sighs deeply, but it's all the most obvious acts. He's a musician, not a thespian.

"The truth is, this Zewu-jun is a dreadful rule-breaker. Most notoriously, he cannot stand the one about not being able to speak with friends over meals, and he seeks every opportunity to do so."

In other words, he considers Shen Yuan a friend.

"O-oh!"

The fan goes up, but not fast enough to hide Shen Yuan's bright, shocked, yet pleased brush. "Well, good!" he says, and has to remind himself to moderate his tone so he doesn't wake Jin Guangyao. "Good, very good. This, this Shen Yuan has something to look forward to, then!"

He pushes himself to his feet clumsily, decidedly flustered, and announces, "This one is going out to wait for the courier! He will call Lan-gongzi when it's time to pay!" and attempts to scurry out.

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baiyueguang - 2022-11-08 09:04 (UTC) - Expand