Solstice Souls

Dinner Guests

Lan Zhan POV

"It's a good thing we're not in Cloud Recesses."

Hot breath whispered the tantalising words right in his ear.

It took all of his self control and years of cultivation training to suppress the shudder that would have racked his body and given him away. Lan Zhan subtly shrugged off the arm casually thrown around his shoulders, but felt the loss immediately. His heart stuttered in an uneven beat that rang in his ears, and those words took away all thoughts of peace.

Was it a good thing they weren't in Cloud Recesses right now? Lan Zhan didn't think so. He desperately wished to leave, to return to the Jingshi and solitude, a safe haven away from this terrible excitement, a feeling that left him sweating hot and cold already.

The nerve of this man! Touching him so suddenly as if it was alright to do so! Panic, that's what he was feeling, he thought, relieved.

Nobody touched him, especially without warning. It was...unacceptable. XiChen was the only exception, and then only when he was upset or troubled. Here, the one who touched him was the trouble.

Again his thoughts drifted to that happier time of the afternoon.

The Dancer.

Lan Zhan allowed himself to remember that dance, the way the beautiful man bent and kicked, sending his fan high up into the air only to catch it with a flick of his wrist. Those elusive silver eyes, and the audacious wink.

He looked around now, hoping to see one final glimpse of him...just a glimpse. But all around them were the drab clothes of the locals, browns, greens, and ochre, a sea of ordinary shades. Where was his dancer?

They had reached the tavern now, and XiChen ushered them in. It was a bustling and busy time for the owners, rushing from one table to another. But when their startling white robes were recognised, a table magically appeared empty, right in front of them. It was small, and they had to sit closer together, but XiChen didn't seem to mind.

Neither did Suibian, apparently.

Cheerfully, the newcomer beamed and sat in between the Jades, placing his precious sword on the ground next to Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan saw the engraved name, carved into the textured wooden scabbard in clear characters.

"Suibian?" The word had left his lips without his consent.

The owner of that name shivered, silver eyes watching him carefully.

"Cold? Master Suibian?" XiChen asked him, politely.

"Excited." Suibian corrected, leaning back casually.

"Were you named after the sword, or was the sword named after you?" XiChen asked, keeping his voice calm.

But Lan Zhan knew this dinner was more than just a meal, for his brother was an excellent strategist. Under the guise of friendship, XiChen was going to assess the young man and find out what or who was hiding behind the obviously fake name.

Which parent in the world would ever name their child, "Whatever"? It was unheard of.

Certainly, his skills were unsurpassed, talent that stemmed from a love of swordplay, of wanting to explore exactly how far he could take it, rather than the run of the mill, dozen by the coin cultivators they saw more and more of nowadays.

The man in question, shrugged nonchalantly.

"My parents have a wild sense of humour." He replied, enigmatically.

His stomach rumbled loudly, and he laughed awkwardly.

"Let's order." XiChen said, quickly. "You must have worked up an appetite!"

"I should thank you, Hanguang-jun." Suibian joined his hands and half bowed. "You saved my dan...dan.. dantien." He tripped over his own tongue, and choked.

Lan Zhan went to pat his back, his hand reaching out before he had a chance to think about it, and when he caught Xichen's eye, he realised and snatched his hand back as if from a fire.

Suibian hadn't noticed, struggling to recover, when XiChen pushed a cup of water towards him. He gladly accepted, and Lan Zhan had the pleasure of watching him raise the cup to his plump lips, his Adam's apple bobbing seductively. He swiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand, and the act alone had Lan Zhan frowning.

Quietly, he placed his white handkerchief right next to Suibian.

"Thank you." He whispered, and didn't use it, instead discreetly put it away inside his sleeve.

When the food arrived, Lan Zhan was quietly horrified.

Red. Everything was red, that vibrant colour of warnings, the colour to alert. Lan Zhan had never seen rice that shade before. Fascinated, he watched the hungry man take bite after bite, barely chewing to sate his hunger.

Lan Zhan wondered what it would taste like, and stared at his own bowl of plain white rice and accompanying steamed vegetables, still in their original colour, perhaps only slightly darker green.

Suibian grabbed the jar of Emperor's Smile and generously poured it into his cup, before offering it to the brothers.

Lan Zhan gratefully smiled when XiChen declined for him.

"But what about you, Zewu-jun? Surely you won't let me drink all by myself?" Suibian whined. "Come on, one cup? One sip?" He encouraged, with an irresistible smile.

"Only if you allow us to order more food." XiChen told him, answering his smile with one of his own.

Suibian looked pointedly at their still mostly full bowls, and grinned.

"I'm in! And, I know what you're doing." He exclaimed.

XiChen had the good grace to blush.

"Go on, admit it, you're trying to fatten me up so I'll be in no condition to fight tomorrow."

"Nonsense." XiChen replied, relieved to be able to tell the truth. "And I certainly don't mind sharing wine with such an accomplished warrior. Even if our rules forbid alcohol, I can burn away the effects with my golden core."

"Really?" But Suibian looked a little alarmed. "What's the fun in that? I drink to let loose, you know. To get away from whatever's happening up here." He tapped the side of his head.

Lan Zhan stared at him curiously. Could liquor really do that? Was it like meditating?

Wei Ying poured out two cups anyway, and pushed one towards him. Lan Zhan stared at it as if it was a snake. He shifted back slightly, listening to the conversation.

"Where did you say you were from?" XiChen asked, taking his first sip after tapping his cup to Suibian's offered one.

"I didn't." Suibian answered, pleasantly. "And, perhaps we should stick to the rules of the sword competition for now, just until our fight tomorrow morning. All in the spirit of friendliness, of course. We wouldn't want anyone to come forth with a claim of favouritism, just because we let curiosity get the best of us, don't you think so?" He winked at Lan Zhan.

A piece of rice went down the wrong way and Lan Zhan choked for real. He grabbed the cup closest to him and swallowed it down, not realising it wasn't water until it was too late.

He anxiously gazed at his brother for a total of eight seconds before passing out.