( no, xingchen hasn't quite forgiven himself. such a thing is rooted much deeper within him than even he realizes, and extricating it is a process which will take time and a degree of diligence he simply doesn't have in him at this particular juncture.
but even still, runyu has helped. a balm to the places in which the last few days have left him raw, warming him (even if not his hands just yet), softening the edges so that all of it somehow seems palatable for the first time since he awoke reborn in the snow. and his friend continues to help in little ways without even intending it - like the laugh, which draws out another smile nearly as soon as the last one faded. But the laugh was too contagious and the smile betrays a bit too much quiet delight, so by reflex he's lifting a hand to hide most of it behind his sleeve for a moment until he's able to temper it properly.
now they stand side by side at the fading edge of the lifeless forest, and it feels (perhaps foolishly) not unlike they're leaving the heaviest pieces of what has occurred amongst the trees in their wake. where they belong, decay with decay.
'its chill passes quickly in the right company, as well.' and runyu is gone without leaving him time for response, setting off once again. that suits xingchen well enough - they should keep moving, all the sooner to get home. he himself sets off a couple of moments later, the unwieldy limbs beneath his robes proving quite handy in catching up. when he pulls up beside the man, it's very nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. explained, perhaps, by the quiet reach to reclaim the tea for a sip of his own, but even once he's handed it back he doesn't seem terribly fussed to distance himself any further. )
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but even still, runyu has helped. a balm to the places in which the last few days have left him raw, warming him (even if not his hands just yet), softening the edges so that all of it somehow seems palatable for the first time since he awoke reborn in the snow. and his friend continues to help in little ways without even intending it - like the laugh, which draws out another smile nearly as soon as the last one faded. But the laugh was too contagious and the smile betrays a bit too much quiet delight, so by reflex he's lifting a hand to hide most of it behind his sleeve for a moment until he's able to temper it properly.
now they stand side by side at the fading edge of the lifeless forest, and it feels (perhaps foolishly) not unlike they're leaving the heaviest pieces of what has occurred amongst the trees in their wake. where they belong, decay with decay.
'its chill passes quickly in the right company, as well.' and runyu is gone without leaving him time for response, setting off once again. that suits xingchen well enough - they should keep moving, all the sooner to get home. he himself sets off a couple of moments later, the unwieldy limbs beneath his robes proving quite handy in catching up. when he pulls up beside the man, it's very nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. explained, perhaps, by the quiet reach to reclaim the tea for a sip of his own, but even once he's handed it back he doesn't seem terribly fussed to distance himself any further. )