video

[originalshen]

[The feed opens to a trio of pretty prismal girls in what appears to possibly be a Caihong brothel, judging by the aesthetic. Another young woman can be heard from the recording end: "There, it's on! Say hello, girls!" The girls happily wave at the camera!

"And now if you press this right here—" Ah there we go, selfie mode! Instead of those other girls, we now get a vision of another local lady with a curious-looking man in soft green robes.]

That easy, is it?

["That easy!" as she hands the communicator back to its rightful owner. He stares at the screen for a moment, contemplating whether he should just turn it off - but those girls are coaxing him to try saying something, so eventually he relents.]

So people can see this, is that right? [Awkward!] ......Well. I suppose if anyone here knows of quiet areas to visit or stores that serve good tea, I'm...open to suggestions. [Ahem.]

That is all.

[Aaand after some fumbling (and more help and laughter from his friends), he manages to turn the thing off. All replies will be in voice from here on out!]

Comments

[originalshen]

[That sounds like the voice of a man he very definitely wouldn't get along with.

But also, he is in a brothel...and turning away potential customers would be bad for their business. So after a pause, he does actually give the location! Or the name of the place at least, with some input from one of the girls.]

The girls will appreciate your company, I'm sure.

[killful]

Thank you, oh kind sir! I'm sure I'll love their company as well. [He's not really interested in that... He just likes not being alone. But it seems this man wants the opposite! Weird!] Stay right there; I'll be on my way now.

[Yes.

Yes.]

[originalshen]

[He can't tell if that thanks is genuine or joking, and he's not sure how to feel about that. It definitely sounds like this stranger is planning to come join him specifically, with the way he words things...which is definitely not what he was looking for when he came here.

He doesn't leave though; you'll find him still sitting at a table, calmly sipping tea as a girl plays what sounds like a guqin anime cover on the stage. Look at him smiling and chatting with his sexy female companions! It's like he's pretending that not-really-a-conversation never actually happened!

Because that's exactly what he's doing.]

[killful]

Hey!

[Yeah, no, he's my friend. He insists as he makes his way through the warm lights and noisy crowd. The women, of course, don't mind believing the lie. Unlike the other customers, all he does is smile and bow his head in greeting. It's a pleasant respite from the unwanted attention, and it seems they think the same about Shen Qingqiu.]

Hey, hey! It's you, right? From the network? [He's about to barge in when he remembers something important.] Ah, where are manners? It looks like the goddesses who guided me are here, too. Thanks, everyone! Ah, everyone's just as pretty as they look on camera. Mind if I come in?

[originalshen]

[The women here may be happy enough to let him through, the ones he compliments laughing with practiced delight, but the man he seems to have come here for shows nothing better than an undisguised scowl when he shows up.]

...Yes, it's me. And is there any point in asking when you're already here? [Clearly you've already invited yourself!!]

[killful]

Aww, you know I'm just being polite. I haven't forgotten my manners!

[He says this as he sweeps into Shen Qingqiu's space and plops into a seat, reclining against the backrest. The women pour him a drink, and he thanks them. He takes a sip. You know, like Shen just went, oh, it's fine, make yourself at home and he took it literally.]

Ah, that's good wine... You sure know how to pick 'em.

[originalshen]

[Ah yes, those sure are some manners there. Very polite. Definitely.

He doesn't say anything, sitting stiff and straight-backed like a man who is both normally this proper and also kind of stressed right now? He's kinda stressed right now. Stay strong, self. Stay strong.]

Yes, it is good, isn't it? Though it's much better enjoyed when not being interrupted by strange, loud men.

[As if he isn't a man himself? Is Yan Qing even loud? Whatever, he's being disapproved of regardless.]

[killful]

[Shen Qingqiu's irritation is not lost on Yan Qing. He tilts his head and props one foot up on the chair, shooting him a curious look. You know what this looks like.]

I don't think I'm that strange. [He downs the rest of his wine and sighs with satisfaction.] In fact, I think you're the strange one here. You come here for the company of these lovely women, but you don't look like you're enjoying yourself to the fullest! You really wanna know where that tea shop is, doncha?

[originalshen]

Have you considered the possibility that I may have been enjoying myself before you arrived, and you simply failed to see it? [Because he was!!

He opens and raises his fan to his face, frowning from behind the safety of its screen.]

You don't seem the type to be particularly interested in teas, yourself - if you do not understand the topic, there's no need for you to force it.

[killful]

[As for Yan Qing, he can barely hide his smile behind the palm he rests on, although judging from the way he is, he doesn't seem keen on concealing anything for the sake of propriety. He watches Shen Qingqiu for a moment with curiosity. He must be a noble if he has the decency to hide his face. Yan Qing is beginning to have a distaste for it.]

There's a small teahouse further down this street. It's the corner shop next to a pharmacy. The tea there tastes just like how my master liked it. I would serve it after our lessons... [His voice trails off, his gaze distant for a moment. Then he interrupts the thought with a dramatic sigh.] Ah, but I don't wanna talk about that. Why don't you just take my word for it? I'm just trying to be friendly.

[He can barely say the same for this guy!]

[originalshen]

["How my master liked it" is a phrase that definitely catches his attention. So this man was a servant? A tattooed man with no manners and a constant smile - which gives him the impression that either he had a particularly laid-back master, or something happened to said master and he turned to a life of crime.

Shen Qingqiu narrows his eyes over the fan, cautious yet admittedly somewhat curious.] I suppose I'll have to visit then, to see if the place is as you describe. As for your friendliness—is there a reason you decided an unfamiliar man in a brothel was someone you wanted to befriend? I'm not one of the employees, if that's what you were hoping for.

[Though there are probably some men working here too.]

[killful]

[ He bursts into boisterous laughter — one that is irritating to an ear that already finds him most unpleasant. ]

No, no! Sorry if I gave you that impression. [ He shakes his head and sets his cup down with a clink. ] I just found it interesting, that's all. You have a handsome man in a brothel — a regular, too — but he never sleeps with any woman here. I mean, no one's being too clingy. What's more, he uses a fan to show what he doesn't say, and he doesn't know how his communicator works...

I just think it's worth talking to a fellow fish out of water.

[originalshen]

I'm not showing anything. [That laughter is incredibly obnoxious.] And is it really so strange to appreciate the company of women? [Not that you need to go to a brothel to find female company, but.

He's still got his fan up as he speaks, an irritated frown crossing his features at the idea this stranger somehow understood that he isn't here for the sex, with an added layer of uncertainty over how observant the man appears to be. Then again, at least he isn't condemning him for visiting brothels, unlike a certain somebody he could name...]

...If you consider us "fellow fish out of water," I suppose that means we're both recent arrivals to this...planet. But I remember there being a good number of others when I first arrived here; do you find my particular habits so interesting?

[killful]

What? Can't I just think you're a cool guy? [Now he's just talking out of his ass.

He pours himself another cup.]

Cool and mysterious. Ain't that what all the ladies love? Besides, those clothes tell me you're from somewhere I know, and I haven't been there in a while. Forgive me for paying you a visit! I guess I'm just getting a little nostalgic.

[And curious. What sort of people do the moons like to bring to this planet? He's sure it's all random, but there's beauty in finding patterns, however artificial, and it wouldn't hurt to make a few friends for whatever might happen along the way.]

[originalshen]

[Admittedly, the thought that they could be from the same (or similar) world definitely has Shen Qingqiu's interest. A man with a possibly-similar background, from a place like home....he isn't the type to get nostalgic, but he doesn't usually find himself stuck on foreign planets either, so he can't help that tiny sliver of desire for something approaching familiar companionship.

A sliver which he attempts to ignore, even as he trades the fan for a sip of wine.]

So nostalgia got the better of you, then? [As if he hasn't been hit by something similar himself.] And how long have you been away from home, then? I'm afraid I don't have much recent news to share with you, if we're from the same world at all.

[killful]

Nine hundred years.

[He lets that hang in the air for a dramatic moment.

And then he smiles again.]

Ah, sorry. It's only been a few months. But I think I have some stories to share with you. Then maybe you got some stories to share with me! Maybe we can find out if we're from the same world then. How about it?

[originalshen]

[Nine hundred years—that impossible number elicits a suspicious narrowing of the eyes, the slight tensing of his body increasing with every second the silence continues. He doesn't fully relax at the correction either - is this man human? Demon? It's stupid to wonder such things in a place like this, but he can't help that instinctual fight-or-flight response at the possibility.

He doesn't start to relax until one of the women leans into his side, her touch reminding him of their current position. She wants to hear some stories!]

...Alright. A few stories. Though I don't have many good ones to tell.

[killful]

Ah, that's fine. I'll start! Now, let's see... Oh! Here's a good one.

[Hmm... He'll go with one of Chaldea's favorites.]

Once upon a time, there was a Buddhist monk called Xuanzang. She was kind of dumb, but she was infinitely wise... so long as she was sure she wasn't gonna die. She was ordered by the emperor to fetch the sacred scriptures from India. To help her, the bodhisattva Guanyin enlisted the aid of three demons to protect her on her journey...

[originalshen]

[Well that's...a story that's both familiar and unfamiliar at once. His guard lowers slightly as he listens, curiosity gradually winning out over his suspicion.

And once there's a break in this storytelling session:] I know of a similar story...although Xuanzhang was a man, and he was ordered by the head of his sect rather than some emperor. [No comment on the "dumb" part, he thought the guy in the stories sounded kinda dumb himself.]

[killful]

Oh? Well, that's just one more thing we have in common. [So he's from a different world. Or maybe just a different timeline? It's hard to say. Yan Qing doesn't let the thought show on his face, though, appearing carefree as ever.] I might bore you to tears with this one, then! Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and all that? How about I tell you another?

[originalshen]

[To be honest, he's never taken the time to read stories in his youth, outside of a few passages from the classics. The life of a desperate orphan, and all that. But while he's honestly curious, having only gleaned the most commonly known details of the epic of Xuanzhang, he can't bring himself to actually show any curiosity, so—ahem.]

Tell what you want. Another legend? A historical event? [He takes a carefully measured sip of tea.] If you're looking to compare our worlds, perhaps you could mention something a little more recent. Have you heard of the Battle of Bailu, for example? In which the great sects subdued a heavenly demon beneath the mountain.

[killful]

Haha! First time I've heard of that. My current master did something like that recently, though. Mm, they beat... I think six? Seven demonic pillars of Solomon? I wasn't there, though...

[He'd say more, but that's spoilers. Anyway, he is definitely more interested in this discrepancy than Shen Qingqiu is. He leans in, eyes bright and smile wide.]

Oh! Speaking of heavenly demons, maybe you'll know this one! Have you heard of the 108 Stars of Destiny?

[originalshen]

Pillars of Solomon? That's a rather foreign name. [Did the man's master travel to some foreign land? Or maybe it's some strange demon name? Though it doesn't fit in with any of the demons whose names he actually knows.

The fact Yan Qing looks hopeful just makes him calmer, really.] I'm afraid I haven't. Is that supposed to be referring to demons as well? The demons I remember were already trouble enough without getting destiny involved.

[killful]

[He throws his head back as he laughs. If only he knew.]

Haha, I guess you would like 'em then. Those guys like to start a loooootta trouble! The 108 Demonic Stars... Heaven sent them down to Earth as humans to atone for their sins and stuff. Well, it was more like someone accidentally broke the seal on 'em. They tried really hard to save China and get back to Heaven, though? It's a fun story!

[originalshen]

["Like", he says. Shen Qingqiu? Liking demons? Maybe about as much as he'd like a hot branding iron in his mouth. Aside from a narrowing of the eyes and a quiet frown, though, he stays silent until the end of that little description.]

So what you mean to say, is that the heroes in this story were all heavenly demons? That seems more like a particularly bad nightmare than anything.

[Good thing that story's from a totally different world!! He's going to take a slightly larger sip of wine here, thanks.]

I feel sorry for the people of your world, if such a story is true.