Chapter 5
Lin Shuo could only shake her head and look at the crudely drawn map, it was made by the description of the last village she was in but that was days ago and it appeared the map was incorrect and that she was now very, very lost.
Even standing on Aoyun, her sword, in the air was led to no area she could see in the distance, no buildings or landmarks to give a hint to where she was at. Leave it to her to fail to die right (again) and end up in a different dimension, but in hindsight, it might not have been a great idea to go with the second plan of just destroying the tiger tally in a cave of half-finished arrays and talismans meant for plan A. Seal the Yin Tiger tally with herself using a draining array to slowly peal the energy from it while using a stasis array to keep her from starving or dehydrated, or possibly aging(no telling how long it would take to weaken a thing as powerful as that blasted amulet).
It was the plan that was made to try to avoid shattering a soul to destroy the thing and it would have possibly taken an indefinite amount of time to weaken it enough not to end up in pieces all over the place. It would have worked had A-Yao not- Her mind shuttered a moment, pain flaring up both emotional and phantom from the swords that had been rammed through her limbs and- and- Well bleeding out left only option B and apparently the energy unleashed interacted with the arrays and instead of being very, very dead, she was… alive…somewhere? The interaction between the destruction of the Tiger Tally and the arrays seemed to have sent her hurtling into an alternate dimension, with enough energy that she could scrape together to heal enough to not die immediately and pass out after.
Even if she was inclined to try to find a way back, which she doubted there was (it would probably take something with the equivalent of power to the Tiger Tally, which…. Where would she even find something like that?) it was… better for everyone else to think that she was dead and gone, even if it brought her great pain to think about never seeing her beloved nephew again, or being able to see A-Yuan grow up, or see A-Ying get married to that stonefaced Lan or be able to spar with Mingjue again or paint fans with A-Sang again….
It would be better for her to just be forgotten, and to try to go back to what she did before the SunShot Campain, only… just somewhere different. It was almost like a fresh start, an unwilling, nonrefundable fresh start and after she took the time to heal her wounds and work herself back to fighting shape, she couldn’t stand still anymore, she had to move, travel, something. So taking back up the job of a Rouge Cultivator and going on Night Hunts was… probably not a healthy way to cope but it was something.
Even if most of the ghosts and creatures she ran into were actually willing to talk somewhat, she was able to shoo them away from bothering towns more than not or sometimes even helping them with their issues (within reason) such as finding out who murdered who, or who hurt who, or helping justice be served by finding evidence to give to local authorities.
Honestly, the two worlds were not even that much different, both having cultivation and being based in ancient China, but one quick look at any map or directions and she knew she was nowhere that was known or discovered in her own world, in fact, the Golbi desert was the only similarity and if she were to base that as a standing point then… Well, the capital of the current ruling nation towards the southeast would definitely be in Quishen Wen territory.
And no one knew what the Wen Sect was. Or the Nie Sect, or the Lan Sect, or Jiang or Meishan and… So not where she was familiar with. That’s fine. That’s okay, just another weird occurrence in her weird strange life.
Even stranger still, that cultivation was still a thing, but there were no sects (at least none so as well established as what she was used to), and was not as popular or done as much compared to back home, and cultivators don’t seem to really do night hunts or hunt down ghosts unless they were under command of a ruler and that ghost was harassing a village or something. It seemed like it was more of a lifestyle that was separated from the politics, such as things like pavilions associated with kingdoms and people training under Goushi, which seemed to be a mixture of priests and cultivators. It was just a different…flavor of culture?
It was just a bit of a difference in the culture she supposed but honestly made her life much easier because instead of scorn or having to worry about being in another sect’s territory as a rogue cultivator, she could dispatch any issues she found without having to worry about being hunted down by the sect she would be trespassing on. Made her life easier, and after scaring away some ghosts from a merchant’s caravan, a little bit richer. In fact, it was interesting to note it was easier to get ghosts and creatures of resentment to move on than to outright subdue them, some only needed a few songs of peace and forgiveness to let go of their anger and resentment.
She was more used to working on the edges of territories, towards more remote villages that couldn’t afford to pay, but was more than happy to offer a place to rest and some good food for her services, and that was better than money to her (but on the downside, alot of weird and strange and frighteningly powerful things lurked where the sects wouldn’t patrol…). She got good food, and good company, and didn’t feel bad about them trying to give money they needed to make a living.
But still didn’t change the fact she had no idea where the fuck she was.
She was having a terrible, no good, awful day and it seemed that it wouldn’t improve any. It was with that thought that she heard a strange noise and the sound of wind rushing past fabric at an alarming rate that she pinpointed above her, eyes glancing up and only managing to spot a body hurtling down at her from right above.
There was no time to really think before it hit her with all the force that it had built up, grunts and yelps of pain filling the air as she was knocked from her sword, the body feeling more like a slab of concrete than anything and it was with little thought that she tried to angle the descent of now both of them to spin to take most of the impact, cycling the qi in her body to reinforce herself as the ground slammed into the both of them.
Her head was ringing and left her staring dazedly up at the bright blue sky, mind drifting in the clouds for a moment before snapping back to herself. She definitely felt like a giant bruise and her back ribs were twinging as she sat up and looked at the person that fell from the sky.
What the hell?
She took a moment to gather her wits and gently shoved the figure off of her, letting them limply roll to the side as she sat up and rubbed at her aching head.
She turned her bleary gaze to the figure that had crashed into her and paused, “A-An?” Li An? What? She knew his luck tended to run bad sometimes like run-ins with wild animals and ruffians and that he was clumsy at best but this… was a whole nother thing entirely. Did… did he run into an array or something that shot him to the sky or decided to drop him?
She scrambled to kneel beside the friend she had made on her wanderings and took stock of the situation. He was dressed in his usual white Taoist robes and had a surprisingly not crushed bamboo straw hat that farmers preferred (seriously, with all the strange things that happen to him how has he not destroyed or lost his hat yet?). His long brown hair was tangled a bit and he was undoubtedly pretty to look at, honestly if she could just get him to sit down for a day so she could sketch and paint him because it was devastating really…Annnnd his face was bruising already.
She took a quick glance back up towards the sky before looking back to the person laid out beside her from where she had shoved him, he… was out cold from the looks of it. Worried, she shoved her own pain aside and knelt next to the young man, mentally calling out to her sword which had landed somewhere else, a quick mental tug and it was flipping in the air to stab the dirt next to her as she pushed the man completely onto his back.
Okay well, she wasn’t the best with healing, and she wasn’t willing to exhaust herself completely and leave both of them vulnerable in the wild, it was always harder to heal someone else rather than herself but she was quick to look over A-An, poking at his ribs and bones, taking the time to heal most of the bruising on his face and neck before using her qiankun bag to pull out her medical supplies she kept on hand.
She wasn’t even going to question the fact he landed on her, she had… peculiar luck that seemed to range from exceedingly poor, to outlandishly lucky. Weird things just seemed to… happen to her. And that luck seemed to extend to running into her friend( they were friends right? She calls him a friend, honestly, she didn’t have many of them even before, and now being dropped into a new world with little to no say she could really use a friend to at least attempt normal human interaction with).
She paid little heed to pulling the tops of his robes from him, looking at the red and purple starting to go up one side of his chest and ribs as she used a poultice for healing on those, rubbing into any darkened area and making sure none of his ribs were broken.
She ended up using bandages to wrap him up to keep swelling to a minimum and to avoid ruining his robes from staining on the medicine, doing the same to his left arm as well seeing as it appeared that it was mostly his left side that took the brunt of it and that she had succeeded in avoiding major injury to the both of them.
She fixed his robes and took a glance at his legs before deciding against that, when he woke up he could tell her if he was hurting anywhere else before she decided to violate any more of his privacy.
Now that he was taken care of she turned her attention to herself and felt the pain flare up a bit more. Her back was definitely stiffening and in pain, her shoulder twinged every time she moved it a certain way, the space where her fifth rib lay felt a familiar burning of a fracture or break, and her left arm and wrist felt at least a strain from trying to catch herself and the person.
Lovely.
With practiced ease, she took a catalog of what would be the most detrimental if she had to fight, the rib and shoulder first then. It took focus and energy to pull her rib to shape and to force the healing to start on the bone, something that was always painful and made her grit her teeth in focus.
A little spiritual energy to reinforce the fresh fragile bone before moving to the pulled muscle in her shoulder, then to the sprained wrist and doing a half-assed job on her back now that her energy was getting too close to the halfway mark, she learned her lesson before to always be prepared for an attack.
Sweat dripped down her face at the effort it took to heal, it was never her strong suit and it was only through necessity and determination that she had a decent grasp on the practice, at least enough for her to not, you know, bleed out somewhere.
The rest of the bruising and injuries were treated the same as she did for Li An, lucky he was still out so that she could undress a bit herself without blowing her whole cross-dressing thing she had going on. So much easier to be a man in ancient China. So much easier.
She hated the feel of sticky medicine and bandages but needs were musts and with how terrible her back was feeling she just gave in and made herself a mummy.
Her head was starting to ache by the end and felt a little tender towards the back but it was nothing more than an egg to her noggin, she knew what a concussion feels like and this was just pain from hitting her head (at least she was pretty sure, last time she had a concussion it ended up with her throwing up on poor Mingjue Da-ge), no swaying vision or disjointed thoughts or confusion.
Also strain, healing was always a strain on her. It was always easier to expound force than to corral that energy into a controlled flow and give it thought and action to mend. It took practice, patience, and a metric fuckton of concentration.
With a sigh, she stood and stored her Qiankun pouch away before looking up to the blaring sun. Well no use getting sunburned…
It was easy for her to damsel carry the man, being as gentle as she could to move A-An under the shade of a tree and taking off her outer robe to use as a pillow to prop his head. Aoyun was returned to her sheath and she plopped down next to the white-clad man rotating between looking at him with a bit of concern and trying to make heads or tails of the crude map she still had with a sigh. What a weird day.
It was perhaps two incense later that the man next to her stirred as she fiddled with a piece of grass and enjoyed the good weather a bit. A-An groaned softly before shifting and blearily looking up at the sky, warm brown, almost golden eyes peering around in confusion before clearing with realization.
He jolted with shock, the last thing he could recall was his sleeve getting caught on a cloud leaving the heavenly realm, and then… a person? A cultivator flying on a sword and oh… his luck was just terrible- were they okay?
He was about to sit up and search for the poor person when a hand softly pushed his shoulder, a soft voice stilling him, “Don’t get up just yet, I think you might of hit your head.”
His eyes cleared as he mentally scrambled to get a look at the familiar voice. Lin Shuo sat next to him, hand still on his shoulder holding him down, their dark brown hair was warm in the sunlight, with the bangs being swept up behind and gathered with the rest into a lazy bun at the back that had hair spilling down into the neck, some left out to frame their face. Dark brown eyes peered with concern from the admittedly feminine face.
He honestly thought he might be dreaming again, having wished to run into his friend again before he unceremoniously ascended a third time.
His thoughts snapped into place a bit more as he realized, “I- you were the person I fell into.” He mentally winced.
The young man tilted his head to the side, a small grin, rueful and a bit playful, “Yep, and I’m also the one that fixed you up… as many questions as I have about you falling from the sky, could you please tell me if anything else hurts?”
Blinking once, twice, Xie Lian took a moment to take note of his body, patting it with his hands a bit and finding that his chest and arm were wrapped in bandages and that sent embarrassment oozing out of him, “Did you…”
“Uh- well, sorry about violating your privacy but, I wanted to make sure you didn’t break anything, I softened the landing as much as I could but you still had some bad bruising, I healed the worst of it and bandaged the rest, I only removed your upper robes if it makes you feel better.”
It did make him feel a little better honestly. Now that he wasn’t distracted by worry he noticed his head was laying on something soft and nice smelling(a bit of jasmine and rich and sweet but also something a bit heady or animalistic, it was terribly suiting to his friend), and that Lin Shuo had bandages peeking out from under his own robes…. Oh, he was using the other’s outer robes as a pillow.
He felt heat flare up on his face a bit, guilt and worry warring in him as he took a better look at his friend as Lin Shuo pushed a water skin in his hands, helping him sit up slowly. There were bandages sticking up from under the robes on their neck and down on their hand, he couldn’t tell how far it was bandaged but if what the younger said was true, then Shuo had taken the brunt of the fall, and if how he’s feeling is any indication then they must be feeling worst… and Lin Shuo already admitted to healing the worst of it.
“I’m so sorry, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
They smiled at him, something soft and reassuring as they pushed his hand closer to his face, prompting him to take a sip of water as they spoke, “I’m fine, I’ve had worse, so don’t worry yourself too much about myself, I know how to take a hit… you on the other hand, do you’re legs hurt, hips, feet? Anywhere I have not checked yet?”
He wanted to disagree and tell them that it wasn’t fine that they were hurt but, “My left leg hurts a bit at the thigh and hip…”
He’s gotten hurt in the past around his friend and he learned it was best to merely tell them rather than try to hide it, because Lin Shuo will find out and will give the most disappointed look that ranked right up there with his late Mother, it made him squirm in his seat when they went about healing him and made him feel like a terrible person to have hidden it from his worried friend.
The grey-clad cultivator nodded, their soft concern and worry shifting to a more focused and concentrated look as their hand hovered about his clothed thigh, the warmth of qi poking and prodding softly, buzzing and suffusing up to his hip as his friend spoke, “Do I want to know how you ended up falling from the sky?”
“I, uh, I was using a distance-shortening array and my sleeve caught on a cloud.”
The warm buzzing froze for a moment just like his friend, their eyes opening and looking into his own in confused concern, “... What?”
He fiddled with the waterskin averting his eyes feeling a bit like a foolish child.
His friend seemed to be frozen for a moment or two before slowly going back to what they were doing, their qi going back to assuaging the injuries and an incredulous look on their face, “I- well,” They seemed to swallow whatever questions they had and continued,” At least I managed to break your fall, could have been a lot worse.” They blew out a breath of air, exasperated at their friend’s terrible luck and wondering just how one gets a sleeve caught on water vapor.
“Well, it’s only bruised, I’ve accelerated the healing, but you’ll have to use some of the paste I have, it doesn’t smell the greatest and it stains terribly, but I have some bandages that can help avoid getting it on your clothes. So, are you going to tell me why you were using a distance-shortening array?”
It wasn’t that Lin Shuo didn’t know he was a priest/cultivator, but Xie Lian was usually content to gather scraps and make a living off of what he could find, he usually never got involved with cultivators, hell he didn’t even carry a sword with him.
He rubbed the back of his head as he gave a small chuckle, “I- uh- I actually am trying to get to Mount Yu Jun…”
“And that dictated the necessity of using an array?”
He watched as his friend dug around in their Qiankun pouch, pulling out a jar of half-used medicinal paste and some fresh bandages, “... I’ve been asked to deal with a spirit there. They call it the Bridegroom, it’s been kidnapping brides that travel through the mountain. The whole procession that accompanies the bridal sedan goes missing as well, none of the bodies ever get found.”
Xie Lian watched as his friend’s face shifted as he handed over the medical supplies, concern mostly gone now that the injuries were handled and the previous confusion morphing into contemplation and debate. He couldn’t catch anymore as they spun and sat on the ground, facing away from him, and seemed to be cradling their chin in their hand.
“ Oh? That sounds like something I would usually get involved with, not you. But I am certain A-An has his reasons… I suppose that settles it, I will have to come along now, can’t in good conscience let you walk into danger, injured nonetheless!”
“You don’t have to Lin Shuo, I’ve already troubled you enough and-”
“And nothing, you’re my friend A-An. I care about you and I would worry myself sick if I just sent you along and not come with. What if you were to get hurt or worse?”
He really didn’t have an argument against that… not that he wanted to argue anyway, it was fortuitous that he would run into his grey-clad cultivator seeing as Ling Wen’s recruitment for some martial officials did not go as she had hoped… but it was likely that at some point or another that if his friend accompanied him that they would run into some heavenly officials and he would have to explain… some things.
He fought back and forth in his mind before sighing in defeat, he wouldn’t need to go into great detail about his life, but it would be best for them to know his full name and that he is a heavenly official. Hopefully, this wouldn’t change anything about their friendship… hopefully…
It was later that night that he broached the subject after they had walked most of the day in the direction he knew Mount Yu Jun to be in. They had shared a small meal of steam buns that Lin Shuo had saved from the other day and had settled in for the night when he hesitantly began.
He spent all day thinking and debating what to say, going over possible conversations in his head and running back and forth with his thoughts about if this was the right choice because there was a good chance, a very good chance that it could ruin this friendship he somehow found himself with and after just spending a few days up in the heavenly courts he found himself appreciating it all the more because there was such a difference from the disgust, disdain, and snide laughter of the heavenly officials that looked down on him and treated him like, like, like a laughing stock, a fool, a pity or something to laugh at.
He didn’t realize how much he had grown accustomed to Lin Shuo’s respect and regard for his person. His friend was kind and considerate and actually cared about his feelings and respected him like he was- like he was a person. Was always mindful of him and seemed to- to actually take note of things he liked, or things he didn’t like talking about and went out of their way to avoid subjects that made him break out in a cold sweat of anxiety or to get him his favorite tea, or even just getting him new shoes one time when they noticed his were so battered that they barely did anything to pad his feet against the ground.
It was so different than how he gets treated on the streets like just some other vagrant or beggar to be yelled at and shooed away like some trash to be swept off. Or how the heavenly court looks down on him as a mistake and the laughingstock of the three realms.
But… Lin Shuo deserved the truth and he felt bad for not sharing some of these things with them before, like his full name or that he’s a lot older than he looks and that there’s a reason why he has such bad luck and now- now there’s the fact he’s a God again, ascended thrice and there’s a betting pool for when he’ll be thrown down again and…
A hand grasped his bringing him out of his thoughts to realize that his breathing was strained and that he was shaking a small amount. Dark eyes were looking at him with concern as they held more firmly onto his hand, warm and grounding compared to his cold and clammy hand and it took a moment to focus on the small circles his friend was making on the back of his hand for his panic breathing to slowly level out and letting him give a shaky smile to Shuo.
He took a deep breath and in the fading light of day retracted his hand to fold them in his lap, fingers fiddling with one another as he forced himself to look them in the eye as he said, “I need to tell you some things… I haven’t been completely honest with you…”
He took his time explaining, explaining just who he was, that he was a Heavenly Official and that he had just ascended for the third time, that he had some debt that he needed to pay, and that this assignment was to help with that and that he had a terrible reputation among the heavenly officials, that he couldn’t use his own spiritual powers from the shackles placed on him and that his luck was dispersed as well and that’s why he always got into so much trouble.
He was staring at his pale shaking hands by the time he finished, that cold clammy sweat from before clinging to him as his stomach twisted into knots. The other was silent for a time, face scrunched in thought as they curled their hand around their chin in thought.
“That’s…. A lot of information… honestly if you were someone else, I think you were joking at my expense but… well I know you A-An, I know when you’re serious.” Ascension wasn’t a foreign concept to her, in fact, everyone in the cultivation world strived for ascension from where she was from but… their form of ascension was achieving immortality like Baoshan Sanren, sure there were gods of worship but… they have always been the same gods, no ascension of mortals to claim new spots or other gods to be banished and forgotten.
The fact that ascension here was apparently ascending to a heavenly plane was a shock honestly, and the fact the one friend she had here was in fact twice banished and now recently ascended God… Well she still held reservations about it, she wouldn’t disbelieve him (after all she had peculiar luck and it would be right up her alley for something like this to actually happen), but she would reserve judgment for supporting evidence, and looking at the nervous-struck A-An, a bundle of anxiety and fear, pale-faced and refusing to look up from his tightly clasped hands she pushed aside her reservations, she would believe him until evidence proved otherwise (she really wanted to believe him because he was her friend, the first one that she’s had in a long time and he was one of the kindest people she has ever known, he’s right up there in the category with Yanli with being too good for the world).
“And hey, it’s okay- Everyone’s entitled to their own secrets, so don’t feel bad about not telling me, because that’s nothing to feel bad about. I’m not entitled to your secrets just because we’re friends, and we’re still friends, you don’t have to work yourself up so much over that… though is it okay if I still call you A-An? Or would you rather me call you Xie Lian?”
His eyes finally met hers again, disbelief on his face as he froze but he felt everything bubble up into small chuckles, relief spreading out through his body as he replied, “Would it be okay for you to still call me A-An? I’ve become quite fond of it.”
The fond smile he received made his worries slide away, of course, Lin Shuo wouldn’t immediately call him a lunatic or react badly, he didn’t even know why he was working himself up for in the first place, his friend was always the one to be patient and very rarely has he ever heard them raise their voice or be unkind (unless it was a ruffian or someone being violent towards another).
It was with that relief that they both settled down for rest, him somehow acquiring his friend’s outer robe to use as a pillow as they cradled their own head with their arms as they stared up at the starry sky, seemingly deep in thought.
He curled up on his side, the ground uneven and not very comfortable, but he was very much used to it by now and the comfort of having a friend to share the night with was something he would never complain about. The robe was bundled up and cushioned under his head, the familiar smell of jasmine coming from it as the younger turned slightly to look at him.
“... Can I tell you something?”
There was a troubled look on their face, an apprehension in their eyes as Xie Lian nodded tiredly, “Of course, what is it?”
Lin Shuo hesitated for a moment, seeming to try to figure out what to say, “ What if I were to tell you I’m not from this dimension?”
His mind stalled for a moment as he blinked tiredly at his friend, first trying to see if there was a joke to be had before realizing that his friend was being serious, no mischief or lie to be had as they stared intently at him, “... I would have several questions?” He managed to get out a bit strangled and confused.
Shuo winced, face pulling into a grimace as they looked back up to the stars dotting the sky, body stiff with tension lining their figure, “ They’re very similar, where I was before and here, I mean, cultivation is the same, mostly. I- well not so much as ascending to godhood, there are only stories of people ascending to immortality…”
“You’re serious? How did you end up here?” He was more awake now as he leaned more up on his elbow to look at the conflicted look on his friend’s face, painful honesty showing in their eyes as he tried to remember anything about his friend that might give away that they did come from another dimension.
There was a flinch and a somewhat vacant look overtaking their features, something Xie Lian came to equate it meaning they were recalling a bad memory, “Mix a couple of arrays, finished and not with an artifact of terrible power and I suppose anything is possible.”
The elder was silent for a time processing what his friend had said, both seeming to have said things that were a hard pill to swallow this evening, and realized something, “Is that why you are terrible with geography and history?! That’s why! It’s been bothering me for a while, you’re well-educated and I couldn’t see a reason why you were missing such critical information to your education!” He flopped back down on his side, hand rubbing at his forehead as that mystery was finally solved for him, truly for one as smart and knowledgeable as his friend he couldn’t figure out why they were so lacking in that area.
It brought a surprised laugh to his friend as they finally turned and looked at him, eyes finally losing that distant gaze as they ran a hand over their face, “I tell you I’m from a different dimension, and that’s what’s bothering you.”
“Well, considering the fact you get lost about as much as me, I was really confused because you’re very well-read and talented in other aspects, I mean I know some people are directionally challenged but you seemed to really like listening to me ramble about history so it’s not as though you found it boring enough not to remember!”
“Or maybe I like listening when you’re the one who’s talking?” The little quip had a tinge of mischief to it that made Xie Lian’s ears burn a bit at the warm and happy grin aimed at him, the feeling like his perspective may have changed but that between them nothing had truly altered, they were still friends and even if they had their own secrets that wouldn’t change.
“Even if I had a terrible voice you would be too nice to stop me. Well if there’s no other major secret to be discussed I think we better get to bed.” Although thinking on it, it was truly believable that his friend would somehow combine a mess of arrays to break through into a different dimension, by accident nonetheless. And he thought his luck was bad.
Turning back to his friend there was a look on their face that gave him pause, “...Is there something else you need to say?”
They rubbed at their face and avoided looking at him again as they said, “If I were to tell you I’m actually a woman?”
Xie Lian was silent for several moments, feeling a few more pieces of the puzzle that is his friend slotting into place, realizing why they never accompanied him to bath in rivers and creeks and why they never seemed to get changed when he was around, “ That… makes sense?”
“It.. doesn’t bother you though? I… don’t want this to change anything about our friendship, and honestly, I prefer to be referred to as a man, it just… I’ve been called it for so long that it feels…odd and wrong to be called anything else.” Well not exactly, she didn’t have a preferred gender, she’d guess she was more nonbinary than anything but ever since leaving the mountain she had always been dressed as and acted as a boy, it was safer, and it made her feel a lot more comfortable than trying to conform to the gender norms or ancient china.
“No! Lin Shuo is Lin Shuo. If… Lin Shuo likes to be called a man then that’s fine! I could tell you about Ling Wen! She’s a civil official in the heavenly realm, though she switches between a male form and female form, it’s not that odd honestly. I like Lin Shuo for how they are, not what they are. That wouldn’t change!” He rushed to reassure his friend, and perhaps maybe if he was younger, a few hundred years younger, and the memories of being raised the crowned prince of XainLe were closer he would perhaps feel the need to act more in line with societal expectations but… he’s old and he couldn’t find it in himself to truly care, Lin Shuo was Lin Shuo, whether male, female, it didn’t matter, they were his friend and he wouldn’t let something like that change anything (couldn’t, because it’s been so long since he’s had an actual friend, someone nice and kind and always considerate of him and he would cry if he lost that, the memory of the scorn and snide comments of the heavenly officials were still fresh in his mind and the stark difference was outline even greater than before).
She smiled in relief, letting the tension drain from her as she turned on her side to look at him fully, arm acting as a pillow, “Good, I was… I was worried that it might have… It’s- it’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend and I want you to know that I appreciate you, you… you are a very good person A-An, and I don’t think you know that. You’re always very kind and caring to others, no matter how bad your day gets you’re always considerate.”
Usually, Xie Lian would claim to have a thick face but in the presence of such compliments from his friend he was happy that it was dark out because he was sure his face would be a bit red by now, flustered he waved a hand like it would wave away the sincere compliments his friend was dropping on him, “ You-you can’t just say things like that Lin Shuo!”
She laughed at him, soft and fond as mischief sparked in her eyes, “But it’s truuuuueee! A-An is the kindest, most nicest person I have ever met! Too good for the world! I would protect A-An because he’s precious and deserrrrvvvveeeess it!” She dragged out a couple of words, grinning at him cheekily as his face started getting warmer.
“I-I am not! I’m not that good! Lin Shuo stop, I don’t- I don’t need protection or deserve it!” He brought his hands up to his face turning on his back as he tried to hide his embarrassment, it was worse because he knew she actually meant everything she said.
“No! A-An definitely deserves it! A-An is good and kind and my best friend so he has to deal with all the compliments, in fact… if A-An thinks so lowly of himself then this one will just have to compliment him all the more until he believes it!”
“Lin Shuo-”
“A-An is kind and considerate and always gets this soft look in his eye when he looks at flowers and is always nice to give food to the poor even though he needs it more. He’s generous, too generous and-”
He rolled over so his back was facing her, the compliments kept rolling and he felt like dying, it was too much, too much. Too many sincere compliments that he wasn’t used to and he felt his head growing all fuzzy with how hot his face was feeling, “I- I- I- I lost my hat! I need to find my hat! I-”
He started getting up with his hands still covering his face before his wrists were grabbed and lightly pulled away, honeyed eyes meeting dark in the night, crinkled with mirth and fondness, “Your hat’s right next to you.”
That smile was actually going to kill him as he hid his face back in his hands, feeling the rough callouses of Shuo’s as she let got and started to rub circles on his back saying, “Okay, okay, I’m done, I won’t embarrass you for the rest of tonight.”
She laid back down next to him as he took a breath himself, settling enough to lay back down as well, mentally berating himself for such a lame excuse of ‘My Hat!’. He listened as his friend gave out a small goodnight that he echoed back and kept staring at the sky until he heard her breathing even out.
He turned his head to stare at his friend, a bit closer than before but he found he didn’t mind, in fact it let him get a better look at his friend’s face, smoothed out in sleep, and hair a mess from being smooshed onto her arms that she was using to pillow them. All things considered, this was a better ending than all the outcomes that he thought today might take. His relief carried onto his own dreams, peaceful and perhaps listening again to the memory of his friend being ridiculous and piling compliments on him.
It…. was a good dream.