[open] as the water grinds the stone

[meiren]

Who: Zhou Zishu and Open
What: Exploring Cadens, poking around the Horizon, event nonsense
Where: Cadens, Horizon
When: March
Warnings: References to chronic pain and sense loss

[ Starters in comments below, open unless stated otherwise. Hit me up at talkincodes or PM for something specific or plotting. ]

Comments

[yeshou]

[ He understands the pain. A little more freshly now, because he's only just realized that an empty hall can be just as painful as one filled with terrible memories. It's a strange thing, finding that the lack can hurt so much. But for Zhou Zishu, he knows it must be worse. The manor was far more beloved and comforting, and going home for Zhou Zishu has always been difficult. He remembers waking up with his zhiji at night and hearing his pain. He knows what the man fears by looking over the grounds: he doesn't want to stare into his own hollow disappointment.

Wen Kexing suddenly tightens his grasp on Zhou Zishu, sharp and rough and wild like he really is. He marches forward, easily flanking and almost stepping ahead of him, stopping just short of leading the way himself. ]

A-Xu, don't forget, I'm the lord of three thousand ghosts. No matter what we find, I can command it. If the manor needs servants, I'll call them up. If there are enemies, I'll destroy them all! They all have to obey me, so don't worry. Your wife will defend our home.

[meiren]

[ He huffs a little as he's pulled along but he doesn't bother to fight against it. Wen Kexing when he's decided on a course of action is all but unstoppable and Zhou Zishu has learned to pick his battles.

Which does not mean going along quietly, however. ]

Wife? When did I get a wife? I made no bows.

[ As if it isn't clear that the grumbling is just for form's sake. Hearing Wen Kexing call it our home is more than enough reason to put up with any manner of nonsense the man wants to come up with. ]

[yeshou]

Ah? You brat. You and I have exchanged bows before heaven plenty of times, every time we encounter death our heads hit the ground. Ask the old monster if we knelt before heaven. I can still taste the rocks. As for the parents, I've already-

[ His grumbling complaint lowers to something and dies off. Wen Kexing coughs and shakes his head. ]

Anyway, I did my part. I was going to take you to the farm house eventually...

[ Caught up in a knot of frustration he stops, pulling Zhou Zishu to face him right there on the path. ]

If you want to, then you can come bow to me right now. After taking care of you this long, you still won't have a wife? Such a spoiled manor lord.

[meiren]

[ As he's dragged around, he fixes Wen Kexing with a dry look that fades as he realizes the man isn't joking. Something unreadable and complicated settles into Zhou Zishu's expression as the silence holds for just a moment longer.

And then: ] And what dowry does this wife come with, exactly?

[ He reaches up and pokes Wen Kexing solidly in the forehead as his expression smooths into something openly fond, in a way that says he might not be entirely aware of it. ]

Idiot. You're stuck with me one way or the other. But if you want to make it official, fine.

[yeshou]

Ouch!

[ The reaction to the poking is exaggerated, but still warm. Wen Kexing is used to this dance of theirs, with Zhou Zishu playfully throwing little fits to lighten the mood. It's in moments like this that he can see how vulnerable the man is--all the things his zhiji doesn't say about his doubts or loneliness come back as reactions, like ripples in a pond. ]

Would you? Even to a ghost without any earthly dowry to offer his noble lord?

[meiren]

[ That just gets him another poke and a decidedly wry smile. ]

Who else would have either of us?

[ It's a joke, but it also isn't. Who else in any world could understand him like Wen Kexing? All the deepest, darkest parts of his soul laid bare for a man who will just smile at them.

When he drags his eyes away, it's to glance briefly around them. At the happily flowering trees of his home. ]

This is as good at place as any.

[yeshou]

Tch.

[ It's unfortunately true. More unfortunate for Zhou Zishu than for him, since he's never known anything beyond the cold valley and the derision of the jianghu. Zhou Zishu is a noble at least in part. If things had gone differently, if he had been allowed a better life... He's handsome. The most beautiful figure in the world. Who wouldn't want him? ]

You fool. There's no need to think like that. If you want someone with a lavish dowry, then I'll bring you that too. I just need time. But I think... If you want a yard full of disciples and a warm bed, I can manage it. Even a ghost remembers how to be human.

[ It's just a question of asking. Zhou Zishu is too patient sometimes. He never asks for what he wants to complains when he should. Even now, he's letting Wen Kexing bully him up the mountain. ]

[meiren]

Idiot.

[ He tugs suddenly, pulling Wen Kexing in until they're chest to chest, and smiles up at him through the slight height difference. ]

What else do I need but my zhiji, huh?

[ Anything else might be nice, but. With Wen Kexing he can sleep by the side of the road and not mind. As long as he has someone to argue with, however long the rest of his life is. ]