equivocations | open rp post

He pulls back a little when the merman raises himself up even more. Jiang Cheng has to blink a few times to make sure he's not dreaming. There is absolutely no way he'd call for anyone. He wouldn't want to share this with anyone. Especially Wei Wuxian. The merman is certainly handsome. That wasn't what Wei Wuxian had described them as. He said they were more...beastly.

"It's...a song I've written. It's nothing. It's...how..."

He struggles with the questions he wants to ask.

"There aren't...merpeople in Yunmeng." Though now, he questions that.

If possible, he looks even more delighted at hearing that the young man wrote the song.

He should be politely introducing himself, identifying where he was from - but then, according to his sect he shouldn't be here at all. Instead, he gives a hum of consideration.

"No, there aren't. Well, I suppose there might be - I've never been here before." There's a brief pause, then, "And it isn't nothing. I liked it."

It'd been - melancholy, though, and his delighted expression fades into something a little softer, more concerned.

"Are you sad?"

He immediately flusters; embarrassed that someone had caught him being weak.

"No," is his immediate answer as he draws back a little, trying to save face. "I am Jiang Cheng, courtesy name Wanyin, of Lotus Pier of Yunmeng. Sadness is a weakness that I do not tolerate."

The little boat he's in rocks a little from his moving from one side of it to the other. He looks at the merman again from his haughty pose.

"Did you swim far to get here?"

Oh.

He's cute when he's flustered.

He's also blatantly lying, which makes Lan Xichen frown a little - he could never have gotten away with that in Cloud Recesses. But no wonder he's out on a boat by himself, if he's been told being sad is a weakness.

"Farther than I usually swim. You can call me Xichen."

His head fins twitch a little at how familiar he's being, but... as much of a risk as he's taking to show himself so completely, he knows better than to reveal his clan name and where he's from. He wants to make friends, to learn more about the rest of the world, but he doesn't want to put his sect in danger.

"I wouldn't tell anyone, if you were sad. You're the only person around here I've talked to."

Fins. On his head. He has fins on his head. Jiang Cheng is tempted to touch them but he resists so that he wouldn't destroy the sight in front of him if it were some kind of hallucination.

"You can call me Wanyin, then."

The promise of not telling anyone that he's sad has Jiang Cheng fluster more.

"I--" He cuts himself off. He lets his shoulders sag a little. Xichen said that he's the first person he's talked to. "Does it matter if I am sad?"

"Wanyin," he repeats, trying out the sound of the name and smiling. He's not sure if it implies some level of familiarity as it does with his own sect, calling him only by his courtesy name, but he likes it anyway.

He rests his chin on his arms as he looks at Wanyin, tail drifting idly under the boat.

"Of course it matters. Your feelings matter." Everyone's do, as far as Lan Xichen is concerned - even if he's not sure his sect's teachings around kindness extend to humans. "If you were sad, I would offer to listen."

Jiang Cheng looks over his shoulder and could see the end of his tail stretch beyond the boat a little through the clear waters of the lake. Xichen doesn't seem at all like how Wei Wuxian had described merpeople. Other than they were beautiful. He looks back at Xichen.

"I'd...offer you a place to rest or a bite to eat but I don't...really know what merpeople eat," he replies, trying to effectively dodge sharing his feelings. If his mother and father had anything to say of it, Jiang Cheng's feelings don't matter. Not by a long shot. "You could...stay in this lake. I own this one." A gift from Fengmian when he was younger; a large lake with lotuses all for his own. "And I won't...tell anyone about you." Not that anyone would believe him.

Now that is much more similar to Cloud Recesses. Effective dodging of discussing one's own personal feelings and redirecting with offers of hospitality - it makes Lan Xichen smile, a little, though he certainly isn't going to forget it.

"What do you like to eat? I'd like to try something new."

Then he ducks his head a little, relieved Wanyin is already offering not to tell anyone. He would have had to ask that he didn't, at some point, and it's nice now that he doesn't have to.

"Thank you. It would be better if no one else knew about me." His tail twitches back and forth as he considers the offer - he shouldn't. He's already taken enough of a risk talking to Wanyin like this once, he shouldn't be contemplating staying in one place for any length of time.

"Would you come spend time with me, if I stayed awhile?" It comes out a little shy, but, well. He doesn't have a reason to stay, if not to see Wanyin more.

Jiang Cheng looks around his boat. He packed a lunch for himself. Well. a-Jie packed a lunch and left it there in case Jiang Cheng decided to be alone for the day. He opens it up and has a few bao. He takes one out and holds it out to Xichen as he thinks about Xichen's question. It would be nice to not be alone for once, to have someone actually look at him and see and hear him.

"It's...barbeque pork bun. There's meat on the inside. Um, I have one that's cabbage too if you don't want to eat meat," he offers. "And...I can. After my studies. I'm a cultivator. My family's the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. And I can come here to visit you after dinner, in the evenings. If you'd like. I don't want to keep you here if you have other adventures to participate in."

What kind of adventures do merpeople have?

"Would wherever you came from miss you?" he asks.

He lights up, lifting his head from his arms and sliding along the edge of the boat so he can move closer, examining the bun in Wanyin's hand.

"Which one is your favorite? I'll have the other, so we can eat together."

Wanyin should have whichever one he likes better, after all, since they're both the same to Lan Xichen.

There's open curiosity in his expression when Wanyin talks about his studies, about cultivation - it's probably too much to ask if Wanyin might share some of it with him, but he's tempted anyway. Perhaps later.

He shakes his head, when Wanyin asks about being missed. It isn't so far that he can't swim home every few days or so, if he travels over night, and come back in time to meet with Wanyin again in the evening. That will be enough to forestall his uncle for a while, as long as he continues to let them believe he's only exploring the rivers so he may have a better understanding when he takes over as sect leader.

"I'm happy with this adventure. Where I'm from - we teach that you should embrace the entirety of the world, and that's what I'm doing. Besides," and here his head fins twitch again, just the faintest bit flustered. "I would like to see you more."

He debates it then holds out the cabbage bun toward him. Jiang Cheng watches him in fascination, surprised when the fins on the sides of his head seem to twitch. Then surprise settles in when he realizes what Xichen has just said. He wants to see him more? See? Him? Of all people, no one really wanted to go out of their way to see Jiang Cheng. Heb ites into the barbeque pork bun and watches Xichen.

"...Why?"

Lan Xichen accepts the cabbage bun eagerly - though admittedly, he is perhaps a little more interested in the warmth of Wanyin's hand when he lets himself linger against it, such a contrast to his own cool touch and the translucent webbing between his own fingers. Still, he bites happily into the bun when he pulls back, and then his expression lights up again.

"It's good!"

It's different. More... well, just more than what he's used to, and his sharp teeth make quick work of the bun.

"Thank you," he remembers to say when he's finished, though his brows furrow when Wanyin asks him that.

"Why wouldn't I?"

His touch is cold. Of course, his hands would be cold if he spent all of his time in the water. Jiang Cheng wonders if Xichen prefers colder climes, like somewhere up in the mountains of Gusu. Isn't that where Wei Wuxian said that mermaids were from? Hidden deep in the lakes and rivers of the mountains there? The webbing catches his eye and Jiang cheng almost wants to reach out and grasp a hand, but he waits as they're still sharing a snack together. He bites into his own bun when he sees the sharp teeth tear through it easily.

Xichen being happy is a sight that Jiang Cheng's heart leaps at, with how he lights up at the smallest things.

"You're welcome."

He finishes his own bun instead of answering Xichen. It's easier that way. He brushes his hands of the crumbs then takes his robes off until he's down to his under pants. Jiang Cheng slowly edges himself into the water. Cool, as the water always is in Yunmeng, and welcoming. He is now in the water with the creature but he doesn't feel as if he were in any sort of danger from Xichen.

Another evasion, this time using the cover of eating as an excuse - Wanyin could almost be at home in Cloud Recesses. He adds that to the list of things that he's learning about his new friend - he is a cultivator, an inner disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang sect, owns a lake, shows kindness and shares food with someone he's just met, has a beautiful voice, comes out alone to sing the sad songs he writes, has to ask why someone would want to spend time with him, and deflects talking about his own feelings as easily as though he's used to no one pursuing the subject.

Lan Xichen knows him already, he thinks, and decides that it would be okay to share a little more about himself.

He watches with mild curiosity as Wanyin removes his outer layers, eyes roaming over newly bared arms - no fins there, either, but that's to be expected - and then across his chest. Handsome, still, fins or not.

There's a burst of alarm when he starts to enter the water over edge of the boat, and Lan Xichen realizes that it was intentional just in time to keep himself from grabbing Wanyin. Humans can swim, he knows that.

He circles around Wanyin sheepishly, swimming up close to him now that he's in the water. He starts to reach for one of his hands, then pauses, remembering his manners.

"May I?"

He treads water as Xicheng circles around him, eyes tracking the long white tail beneath the surface is it moves around him and doesn't back away when the merman moves close to him.

Jiang Cheng, instead of answering, holds up his right hand for Xichen to inspect himself, wanting to see what he was going to do. There are no fins on Jiang Cheng but he's curious enough to want to reach out and touch Xichen as well. Are the ears sensitive, are the fins sensitive? Does Xichen feel anything where human meets fish?

"You don't actually have a taste for human flesh, do you?" he blurts out. Wei Wuxian had said many things. He's pretty sure most of those things were false. But after seeing the sharp teeth earlier, Jiang Cheng can't help but wonder. "And you're not here to drown me, right?"

He takes Wanyin's hand in his own, fingertips exploring it all over before he presses their palms together. He lines their fingers up as well, spreading his out and watching the contrast in the space between Wanyin's and the webbing between his.

"You're so warm," he says, pleased with the discovery.

Then Wanyin asks that, and the corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement.

"You weren't certain of that and you jumped in with me anyway?" He'd meant to be teasing, but he can't help but be a little bit admiring, and that comes out in his tone. "You're very brave."

Or willing to take a chance on trusting Lan Xichen, but considering that's exactly what he'd done with Wanyin - he likes that, too.

"I was going to try to save you from drowning, before I remembered humans can swim. I don't know about human flesh, though, I've never tried it."

Now he's definitely teasing, and he raises one eyebrow at Wanyin playfully.

Xichen's fingers and hand are cold. Like marble. No. Like jade. Pale and cool. He presses his fingers against Xichen's, flexing to feel the webbing for himself. It's...strange to feel. But not a deterrent. He's more tan than Xichen is, a testament of living his entire life in Yunmeng.

The comment about human flesh has Jiang Cheng bark out a laugh. He willingly swims closer.

"I was born and raised in Lotus Pier. We tend to swim before we even walk," he boasts. "We're the strongest swimmers among the great cultivation families."

It's gratifying to see that Wanyin seems just as interested in him as he is in Wanyin - he had wondered, from time to time, if humans would be afraid of him, or off put by him. He runs his free hand down Wanyin's forearm, over his elbow and up to his shoulder, then back down again, entranced - and then he shifts a little, offering the fin side of his arm out in case Wanyin wants to do the same.

Seeing Wanyin laugh so freely makes him beam, his smile much wider than he would have allowed himself back in Cloud Recesses.

"Then I will consider myself even luckier that it was you I found. Do you have to go back soon, or do you have time to swim with me?"

Not that anyone would miss him if he were late. Jiang Cheng lets the dark thought sit with him for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"No. I don't think anyone would really miss me all that much. A swim actually...sounds really nice."

He would get to know if he could swim faster than a merman. And that challenge is definitely a point of interest for him. Jiang Cheng looks around. The lake is rather large, not the largest in Yunmeng but definitely one of the larger ones. He used to swim in this place for hours, burning away whatever anger had arisen from another row with Wei Wuxian.

Oh. No wonder Wanyin had been sad.

Well. He has a friend now, and Lan Xichen would miss him if he didn't get to see him again. He might not be able to do anything about the people back home, but he can make sure Wanyin enjoys his time out here.

He gives Wanyin's hand a squeeze before he lets go, smiling at him again.

"I would love if you would show me around, but - are you in the mood for a race first?"

A smirk plays on his lips. Already, he misses the feel of Xichen's hand against his, cold and strange as it was. He doesn't dwell on no one missing him for too long. His father had the perfect family without him. He shakes his head of it and focuses on the present, especially when Xichen asks if they could race.

"Is that fair to race a human against a merman?" he asks.

Jiang Cheng swims around Xichen, wondering if Xichen would find his legs as fascinating as he finds Xichen's tail. He wants to reach out and touch it but respects his space.

Wanyin is so expressive - every time he thinks he's found the one he likes the most, he sees another one he likes just as much.

"Probably not," he admits. "Oh! I could stay on the surface. It's not as easy for me to swim quickly up here. I can't build up momentum."

Which is - probably the kind of thing his uncle wouldn't like him admitting to a human, but it isn't just some human. It's Wanyin.

And he is absolutely fascinated by the way Wanyin swims, watching his legs move through the water. Before he can stop himself, he ends up asking, "Is it inappropriate to ask if I can touch them?"

"Not inappropriate."

Jiang Cheng wants to ask if he could touch Xichen's tail in return.

"You can. If you can race me to the other side of this lake."

He already takes off in the water before he could hear Xichen respond back to him, swimming closer to the surface so that he and Xichen had the same part of water to race against each other for. Indeed, he is one of the fastest swimmers in Yunmeng, making it to the other side of the lake in no time. He breaks the surface and dips underneath to help slick his hair back and away from his face.

That startles a burst of laughter out of him, and for a moment Lan Xichen just - watches Wanyin swim off, a little bit in awe of how easily this human has managed to make him happy enough to forget himself.

Then he realizes that Wanyin can indeed swim very fast, and Lan Xichen is already quite a bit behind. He takes off after him, pushing himself more than he usually does when he's swimming along the surface - he's usually complacent, not worrying about the way that his tail breaching and entering the water again makes it difficult to build up speed. But now he works to counter it, keeping his tail still and using his arms more, and he closes the distance between them.

Wanyin beats him by a little bit, and Lan Xichen is delighted.

"That was fun!"

Watching Wanyin push his hair back, water dripping, caught up in the exuberance of the race - Lan Xichen cannot remember a time when he enjoyed himself this much. He lets his tail slide over Wanyin's legs, using it to nudge him closer.

Beat him! Jiang Cheng lets out a short laugh when Xichen catches up to him. He can't recall the last time he had this much fun either. He wipes the excess water from his face when he feels something slide along his legs and move him. Immediately, he looks down to see the white tail nudge him closer to Xichen. When he looks up at Xichen again, he realizes how close. The feeling of that tail along his bare legs feels...well, it feels weird but it sends a strange thrill through him.

"Do you...not race a lot wherever you're from?"

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