#and he picked up this mopey ex-lan kid who was also wandering around on a whim

[gloriousmonsters]

Can we see the bits if we ask very nicely

so it took me a second to realize that this was referring to the post about sunshot era sms/xy I made last night, but I got there :P and you know what yes here's the longest one. context noted down next to it is that xue yang just got involved in some kind of fight/chase that went through a brothel

He pauses outside the door, thinking, then pokes his head back inside to a gratifying chorus of yelps and screams.

"Say," he said, "do any of you ladies play musical instruments?"

*

Su She is up and poking the fire when Xue Yang returns, his face pinched. He turns as he hears him approaching, and his face gets even more pinched. "Where have you been," he started off, "I woke up and I heard commotion from the town and--" His eyes snagged on the bundle in Xue Yang's arms. "What is that--"

"Don't nag me, laopo," Xue Yang says cheerfully. "I got you something nice."

Before Su She can have a fit over being called that, he tosses the bundle at him. The other boy's eyes snapped wide as the cover slid off and he realized what it was; his arms shot out to catch it, snatching fiercely and then holding it carefully, tenderly, like a mother receiving a child.

He looks stunned, and for once he's actually silent as his fingers trace the guqin's body; old wood, but polished to a fine shine. Xue Yang feels... well, pleased with himself, obviously as he watches Su She evaluate the instrument; he was totally right to grab it, he's nailing this alliance thing. But there's a faint complicated feeling churning underneath it. He screws his face up and shakes it off. Weird vague feelings could get fucked.

"Well," he says, feigning impatience, "don't you like it?"

"I," Su She says, and looks up. He looks sort of lost. "I. Yes. Why did you..."

"You said you'd be a lot more use to me with a guqin," Xue Yang pointed out. "So I got you one." Realizing how it sounds, he adds, "I didn't make a special trip or anything. It was just something I saw and picked up."

#replies #it's book verse so xy isn't with the Wen he's just kind of fucking around trying to find out about this #hot new demonic cultivation thing he's heard of #bc it sounds like it'd really help with revenge #and he picked up this mopey ex-lan kid who was also wandering around on a whim #also to bully him into teaching him some more about legit cultivation as a backup plan #sms is mentally traveling the gusu era lwj path of 'oh no im attracted to him. why. why this' #su she #xue yang