ic inbox, ryslig.

[daozhangs]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, XIAO.XINGCHEN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 *** XIAO.XINGCHEN has joined 018.07.154.55 <XIAO.XINGCHEN> You have reached Xiao Xingchen. <XIAO.XINGCHEN> I am often away from my laptop, but I will do my best to answer as soon as I'm able.

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[daozhangs]

( does he have time? his own smile renews now as well, and he nods an affirmative. ) I do, ( he says, because while he hasn't any firm idea how long he'll be able to maintain his sight like this, he made certain to save it for his arrival here, so at the very least he has something close to an hour. )

[fishfairy]

( Runyu releases a little sound of joy with his response and turns to the garden around them. ) They aren't the flowers I knew in my realm but seem common enough to make them easy to plant and hopefully, take care of. The small ones in the meadow are called Pansies. I chose them because they were the first ones that caught my eye at the market, already in bloom, with the striking painted center. ( He chuckles quietly. ) If you look closely, some of the patterns look like little faces. Maybe that seems a little strange or ominous, but the faces don't remind me of ghosts but of children peeking around the corner. Their roots are shallow, too, so the holes aren't difficult to dig. ( He rubs the back of his head with a sheepish puff of breath. ) Hopefully I didn't get too many.

[daozhangs]

( and if that quiet delighted sound weren't enough to leave xingchen thoroughly endeared, all of that which follows certainly would. make no mistake, runyu is quite true to his word - he does indeed name the flowers as promised (pansies, xingchen files the word away) - but along with that name comes quite a bit more, a retelling of why they were chosen and even more regarding the little face-like patterns near the middle.

then comes a sheepish, 'hopefully i didn't get to many,' and though xingchen knelt to examine the nearest pansies just after runyu introduced them, his light touch falls away from the nearest blooms now. instead he's rising to his feet again, turning to face his companion with a definitive shakes of his head and a terribly fond sort of smile. ) You've gotten just enough, I think. ( with luck, these flowers will thrive here - will grow and flourish until xingchen and runyu have lost most of their yard to the whims of the pansies, and willingly so. perhaps then, runyu might begin to see life in flowers rather than simply pain and loss. )

[fishfairy]

[ Runyu chuckles again and his wings flutter behind him, releasing some of the warmth filling him at his friend’s diligence to his work. And from completing a promise and being allowed to see the end with someone who will remember the moment. Even if it is something as fleeting and delicate as a flower garden. ]

I’m glad you believe so because I got a little attached to all the patterns. I didn’t want to leave anyone behind.

[ How foolish to even talk about these flowers like he would people.

Runyu turns away, embarrassed at his own silliness, and continues with his explanation. ) Their scent isn’t very strong so they won’t be as vibrant when you lose your ‘sight’ again, but the others I chose hopefully can be appreciated even without your sight. The purple ones against the house are called- ( He reaches into his sleeve and pulls out a couple flower tags, fumbling a moment to turn them the right way to read the small labels. ) Hyacinths. Their scent is similar to honey and vanilla. I hope that’s not too strong for your nose when you’re a fox, but I wanted you to enjoy the garden even if you were blind, and the wind chimes didn’t seem enough.

[ Runyu abruptly shuts up, realizing that he’s rambling for probably the first time in his life. And even confusing topics. Hearing and smell. He covers his lips with a fist to keep his blush down.]

I may have put to much thought into this… My apologies, Xingchen.

[daozhangs]

( on the contrary, a flower garden is far from fleeting. perhaps in bavan proper it might be, what with the city being the focal point for most of the alarming occurrences on the peninsula - but tucked away in the woods like this, they'll likely have more trouble containing such a garden than keeping it alive.

and of course, runyu has to continue on being endearing. 'i didn't want to leave anyone behind,' he says, and though he's already shifting to turn away in his embarrassment, xingchen nonetheless agrees, ) Most certainly not. ( and however silly the notion might be, his support seems entirely genuine.

the explanation carries onward from there, about the scent of the flowers and the care that runyu took to ensure that some might smell strongly enough to be appreciated without sight. and truly, it's so much care... enough that xingchen isn't at all sure how to receive it - only sure that he will receive it, won't allow himself to deflect or assure that it wasn't necessary, because this deserves far more appreciation than that.

runyu closes with an apology, and xingchen again shakes his head a bit. ) You haven't. ( put too much thought in, that is. his voice goes slightly softer but no less genuine as he continues: ) Forgive me if I haven't responded appropriately. I'm... unused to receiving so thoughtful a gift, and I can't seem to find the right words.

( his gaze turns back to the pansies now, their variety of colors and faces. ) Rest assured, however, that I'm more than capable of delighting in this garden with or without my sight. My sense of smell is much sharper than it once was, even in this form - and were that not the case, it would be enough simply to know that the flowers are here.

[fishfairy]

[ Wings trembling once more, Runyu turns his head aside again, nearly overcome by the well of emotions that surge in him at the generous response Xingchen bestows on him for the work on the garden and home. There’s a whisper inside him to dispel such vulnerabilities — to lay claim to its selfish nature of creating something to keep him near him — and yet, a larger part inside him remains silent, soaking in the warmth and the validation behind the praise. That it may be selfish or small but that it has still made his friend happy and that’s what he wanted.

Only that.

But the silence and the blush to his cheeks is a little too much. A few minute later, he turns back and excuses spill out in an attempt to find a manner of balance in this scene. ]

It’s nothing. ( He waves a hand to dispel some of the gaiety inside him but unable to hide his smile. ) I’m glad you will enjoy it, but I don’t need anything more than that. I already received something equally precious.

[ His wings quiver once more at speaking a phrase of such value aloud before he releases another tremulous laugh. ]

The other plants are chrysanthemums. People enjoy their softer scent with strong flowers like the hyacinth. I ended up getting two colors. I missed the presence of a white flower, but I needed a bolder color to balance the hyacinths and pansies.