(no subject)

[inwhite]

WHO: xiao xingchen + open
WHEN: march
WHAT: a blind cultivator out and about
WHERE: around gazin
WARNINGS: none, will update if necessary



Gazin.

Xiao Xingchen's time since arriving in Gazin has been...turbulent. The change in location hasn't bothered him as much as it might some. He does still worry for A-Qing every day, but reminds himself that she's a clever girl. He can only hope that she doesn't find too much trouble.

The other member of their strange little family had arrived here with him, a great help and a comfort....until Xiao Xingchen finally found out who he really is, a question that he'd never asked. And that's when his heart had truly been unsettled for the first time in his life. His arm is still bandaged from the injury he received during a recent night hunt, bad enough to keep him from going on one since, though it's mostly healed now. It redirected him back to the other task that he needs to accomplish: finding a job.

It's not easy. For the most part people are nicer here, but they still doubt a blind man's abilities. Others are too wary of any man with two swords across his back now to take a chance.

He's discouraged, but he buys a small bit of bread in the marketplace, a piece of fruit. It's cheaper than the tavern nearby, and Xingchen just needs something to fill his stomach to fuel him forward. He finds an out-of-the-way place in the market to eat, listening to the sounds of life around him.

Returning home. (closer to dusk)

There were many days when he did not expect to ever return here, this place that his companion - that Xue Yang found for them. The man had been persistent after he left, making sure that Xingchen was taken care of even when all of his gifts were rejected.

His heart hasn't completely righted itself, but he knows one thing for sure: Xue Yang has killed no one here. He hasn't even attacked, and barely even has the means to do so after surrendering everything over to Xiao Xingchen. He'd like to think that he's been made less naive, but maybe he's not, because he keeps thinking that maybe he can keep the other man on the correct path, one of harmony with this new life. Xingchen's made it clear that he must submit himself to justice if and when they return, because those that he's murdered deserve nothing less. But for now..maybe he can be a sheath for that dangerous blade.

Xingchen steps up onto the small porch, pausing when he hears the first approach of footsteps.

"Is that you?"

He tilts his head a little more, waiting to hear if they're familiar or not.

Comments

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[jiangzaid]

Xingchen will probably smell drying blood in the air too, but the footsteps are steady. Xue Yang pauses, just watching the blind man for a moment before smiling to himself.

"I'm here," he confirms. There are days for him too where he half expects to come back to find it empty again, Xiao Xingchen either still dead or just gone again. Each time the man comes back, or is there when he comes home for the night, joy flashes through him all over again.

He hefts the basket of groceries a little, shifting his weight so it rests more on a hip than his own, freshly wounded arm. His job, after all, isn't the safest. And without Jiangzai, Xue Yang has to rely on being that much faster in getting his dagger close enough to work on whatever is attacking the merchant's wares.

"Are you hungry?"

Gazin

[ibelieveintruth]

Nearby, on break from working the tavern, is a Clark, wearing local clothes at this point, and smiling as he polishes off something vaguely like an apple, slowly, savoring it.

Spotting the other man, he raises a hand in greeting, a smile on his face. He's a fairly common sight around town, between working the tavern and wandering to check out local lands.

"Fine day for it, yes?"

[radishlobbyist]

"Excuse me, sir, can I interest you in some..."

Standing behind the apothecary's stall, selling healing teas and simple remedies, Wen Qing has been addressing people in the hope to lure them to her table all morning, but this is the first time she comes across a familiar face. She falls silent before speaking up again, realizing that of course he wouldn't have taken notice of her.

"Xiao Xingchen! Over here!" she says and fiddles noisily with one of the containers of tea. "How are you?"

[inwhite]

It's a day that Xiao Xingchen knew was coming, one that filled him with dread. It's a day where there isn't much for him to do. There are no home repairs that need his attention. There's plenty of firewood. He's even started baking, no less than a dozen loaves of bread that he intends to share with friends and neighbors. His last few night-hunts have been uneventful too. Any monsters or trouble around town seem to be keeping their distance.

So when Xue Yang tells him over breakfast that he has the day off, the blind man is visibly relieved. Xiao Xingchen isn't someone who necessarily needs company, but he enjoys the right kind. He enjoys his.

It's mid-morning before the volley of 'let's do what you want to do' finally comes to an end. It's too nice of a day to stay inside, and while they've both explored much of the town separately, reasons have kept them from exploring it together.

Xingchen waits while Xue Yang looks at something, listening to a few village children whispering nearby before they scamper off. It leaves him with a question for when the other cultivator is finished with his browsing.

"Xue Yang, would I be the 'wife'?"