Does It Matter

1

"Eh! Wu Xie, hand me the salt quickly, the food will get cold!"
Wu Xie awoke from his zoned out state of mind and stared at his friend as he frantically gestured for him to hand over the aforementioned seasoning.
The food stall they say at was barely sheltered from the approaching storm, the wind was beginning to nip at Wu Xie's exposed arms, and he regretted his choice of clothing as he handed the salt to his friend.
"Aish, Fatty, I'm telling you the food won't freeze nearly as fast as I will if we don't return to shelter soon." He shivered for emphasis as Fatty rolled his eyes.

"Eh Tianzhen, is this not shelter enough for you delicate self?" He gestured with his chopsticks at their surroundings, which mostly consisted of open air and street signs, a few tables, and a flimsy canopy ceiling over their heads. He raised a single brow in disbelief at his friend, which Fatty pointedly ignored as he continued to eat with enthusiasm..
Until it started to rain.
A single crash of thunder was the only warning they received before the sudden downpour nearly broke the canopy with it's weight, the open air stall allowing them—and their dishes, much to Fatty's dismay— to be instantly saturated.

"Well then, it seems the gods have decided it is time for me to go," Fatty exclaimed as he took hold of the one umbrella they had brought,"Thank you for the meal!" And with that he was gone, faster than one would expect for the heavyset man.

Wu Xie sighed as it dawned on him that he had been left with not only the bill, but also without an umbrella for his return home, leaving only his very bad choice of clothing for cover from the rain.

"Curse you Fatty!" He yelled with no actual venom to his words.

It was his own fault for not having foreseen this despite knowing his friend so well. The shop owner had already found refuge elsewhere for now, so Wuxie placed the payment under a hefty tray so that it wouldn't blow away in the wind and left, running in the hopes of saving himself from at least a little bit of the water. Pointless effort really, considering that his uncle's house was almost a mile from his location.

He ran out of breath a little bit before reaching the residence and walked the rest of the way, shivering harshly in the wind and rain, his hair now almost completely obscuring his vision after being weighed down with water and his clothes so soaked they offered little to no comfort, only managing to slow him down in his efforts.

Finally he reached his destination, and opened the door in a such a hurry he accidentally slammed it into the wall.

He cringed as he closed it behind him, hoping neither of his uncle's had heard. No shouts of disapproval could be heard, so he breathed a such of relief and walked further into the house, removing his shoes on the way.
To get to his room he first had to walk past the sitting room, then up the long staircase to the third floor, he recalled as he quickened his pace to be closer to his warm bed and a change of clothes, only to be stopped in his tracks as his name was called by one Wu Erbai.
He turned slowly as to the sitting room doorway, to see his uncle sitting comfortably in his big armchair at the far end of the room, and another person on the couch that he didn't recognize.
"Hello Uncle." He greeted as he studied the situation at hand. Had he accidentally started some trouble again? He gave the stranger a wary glance, only to finally notice that the stranger was also staring at him, and he turned away, uncomfortable at being scrutinized.
"Where have you been A'Xie?" His uncle asked, he didn't seem angered yet, so that was a good sign.

"I was with Fatty. Did you know there's a  new food stall in the square?" He replied casually, still casting glances at the stranger.

"No, I hadn't noticed that." His uncle paused, looking him over," It was overcast all day, why didn't you bring an umbrella?"

And Wu Xie remembered his sopping wet clothes with a hint of embarrassment, "Ah, I did, it's just that Fatty stole it at the crucial moment." He admitted ruefully, while Erbai gave him a disapproving look.

"Go change, when you return we'll talk."

Wu Xie gave one last look at the two and ran up the stairs, returning in a few minutes after changing into a much warmer outfit.

He sat on the opposite couch from the stranger, both still sending curious glances at each other.

His uncle now seemed satisfied, and introduced them, "Wu Xie, this is Zhang Qiling, I've hired him to help guide, and guard us on this next trip. Qiling this is my nephew, Wu Xie."

They exchanged polite nods of acknowledgement before Wu Xie turned back to his uncle.
" But uncle, we've never hired a guard before now?"

His uncle sighed and turned to Zhang Qiling, "allow me to reiterate, Zhang Qiling, this is my trouble bound nephew, Xiao Xie, who will be your especial charge on this expedition, seeing as he manages to get himself into all kinds of trouble even at home."
Wu Xie was about to object but was interrupted as he sneezed loudly instead. Damn it. He must have caught a cold from, well, the cold.
His uncle gave him a pointed look and he looked away, grumbling to himself. He glanced at the stranger, only to find him staring blankly at him from beneath his giant hood. And Wu Xie finally noticed the giant sword attached to the man's back.

"Eh, who uses a sword in these times? Uncle are you sure this guy is reliable?"
The man raised a brow in return, and looked at the silent one watching with dark eyes the exchange.
"Xiao Xie, let me tell you, this brother here has a reputation in our world, he has never yet lost a fight, and gets the job done better than any mercenary. You won't find another like him."
Wu Xie stares in disbelief for a second, then nods to himself, he's seen far stranger things in life than a guy with a sword.
"Okay then, pleasure to make your aquaintance Brother Zhang." He stands and and holds out his hand for a shake, which the other hesitates but eventually returns. His grip is strong, Wu Xie notes with satisfaction. He sneezes again, cutting off further conversation, and excuses himself to go to bed.
So now he had a babysitter, might have been a better idea for when he was younger, he thought ruefully, as he went to sleep.
He would have to get the guy to talk at some point though, silence was only tolerable to a certain point after all.