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It is! I have become a better swimmer and diver than I have ever been before. I can't wait to go swim in the open sea and explore underwater. I could swim all the way to an island or dive deep, such as in that cave system we went to.

But for now I'm sticking to Lake Minska as I learn to understand this body better.

Do you want to visit now and train together? I can call you but I'm not sure if we should waste the daily use of the sigil.

I had much the same thought regarding the sigil. That said, I'm quite capable of arriving quickly enough without.

Shall I set off?

Of course. I will be expecting you.

[ In several hours, that is, that is when he is expecting him. Maybe a little sooner than usual, if his wings are already strong enough to fly, but certainly not anytime soon. ]

( several hours? even as a common (or... well, moderately uncommon) fox, he could cover the distance in under an hour - and that was navigating through dense trees and foliage.

as for his wings, their strength may not matter as much as jiang wanyin might think. in fact, xingchen is coming to recognize that they might very well be purely decorative. though he hasn't practiced nearly enough to come to any sort of definitive conclusion, what practice he has undertaken has left him with the distinct impression that the way in which he flies or even just hovers is only so dependent on the movement of his wings as he himself ascribes it to be. amusingly enough, the concept of flight by mere whim would likely come quite a bit more naturally to him without the wings.

as for whether or not he flies, that depends on one's interpretation. he goes 'by foot' via the usual paths, but how much he actually touches the ground underfoot is debatable. perhaps all movement is some form of flight, beyond a certain speed? regardless, it places him at the gates of lotus pier in just under nine minutes, and he follows the resonance of jiang wanyin's soul to where his husband has busied himself in the kitchen. xingchen lingers there in the doorway, head tilted faintly in observation, wings drooping to settle gently on the ground behind him. he makes no attempt to hide himself, but he also doesn't impede the cooking by drawing attention to his arrival.

(of note is the thin rudimentary robe(?) which the nephilim now wears, made hastily from a couple of his older robes but just narrowly escaping looking the part. the hem is too short (mid-calf at best) and he hasn't even bothered with sleeves at all, but at least it covers all that needs covered and ties securely around the middle.)

when he is noticed, he offers a warm little smile and nods back toward the cooking, a wordless 'don't let me interrupt'. )

[ Jiang Cheng had figured he would have breakfast in the kitchen - easier when eating alone - and then spend some more time working on his control of water while he waited for Xingchen to arrive.

What he does not expect is to look up from heating up yesterday's leftover congee only to catch sight of his husband. His husband wearing nothing but a thin robe that looks very makeshift, being too short and sleeveless, but that only adds further to his moment of wondering if he is still asleep and suffering from a bizarre dream (he would have liked to have a richer breakfast in dreams, though.)

So all he can do is blink at the smile greeting him, his own face displaying comical confusion, and ask, ] What are you doing here? [ Oh, and keep stirring the congee. He is too baffled even to remember to stop. ]

( xingchen can't help it - jiang wanyin just looks so very dumbfounded by his very presence that he has to press his lips together to hold back the laughter he feels threatening to bubble up from his chest. (the luminescence marbling his horns does betray him though, glowing briefly brighter as it tends to when he feels anything of particular note.) then comes the question, and: )

Forgive me, was that not an invitation? ( he knows that it was, but at times like this, one can't help but tease a little. )

[ It's very considerate of Xingchen to refrain from laughing, since Jiang Cheng is already feeling plenty silly all by himself. His eyes flicker up to the flaring of the horns before returning to Xingchen's face - that's another question, but for later. He's still on mystery #1. ]

It was! But... [ He huffs a little. ] I was expecting you in an hour, at the very least. What did you do, fly? [ Scoff! ]

( did he fly? not in the traditional sense - but he also didn't not fly, exactly. in truth, xingchen is far better at moving as such than he is at explaining how he did so, in large part because the former is very much guided by instinct. the more deeply he thinks about what it is that he's doing, the less capable he is of actually doing it. perhaps that might get better with practice.

as for his answer, his head tilts just slightly. ) I assured you that I could arrive more than quickly enough. If such thing exists as 'too quickly', you have my deepest apologies. ( is he still teasing? almost certainly. forgive him, he isn't quite used to having this much energy during the daylight hours. )

That... [ He snaps his mouth shut and stirs his congee some more, but now he is stirring it rebeliously, which is clearly a completely different thing. ] That's not much of an answer. [ On second thought, he is far more interested in Xingchen than in food now anyway, so he takes the pot from the stove and just grabs himself a bun with sweet filling that he can eat while they walk. ] You're not too early. Earlier is good. I just want to know how you arrived this quickly without using the sigil. It is important to understand your speed, so we know if this is something that can be replicated in an emergency or if you just... H[ e gestures with the hand holding the bun. ] Got lucky with whatever powers you have now.

[ Which, of course, is the theme of the day. They are going to test their powers so... ]

I have seen you using the sigil. I want you to show me this later, too.

( and though xingchen's mouth opens with intent to protest the abandoment of a proper meal, he ultimately decides against that particular battle, instead collecting a second bun in a napkin and slipping it into his pocket (to foist upon jiang wanyin once he's finished with the first) and sets off out of the kitchen with jiang wanyin. and how fortunate it is that his night form has given him some amount of experience in keeping pace with a shorter stride, since that allows him (in this even taller form) to adjust without too much difficulty. his stride is a bit shorter than comes naturally, and also a bit slower to account for the fact that it's still measurably longer than jiang wanyin's, but it allows him to follow smoothly alongside him as they speak. )

It can be replicated, yes, ( he says once wanyin has finished, entirely helpful (as best he can be) now that the teasing is through. ) In an emergency, as well as at my leisure. ( and speaking of understanding their new forms, ) I've meant to inquire if you've come to any further understanding about the conditions of your shifting? ( it seemed to be called on by the rain, which is as xingchen has heard for merfolk - but how much moisture does it require? is he able to bathe? if his legs become a tail the moment they're passably damp, would it not be the case that the tail receives each bath and the legs remain perpetually unwashed? )

I have been working on it, to some extent. [ He bites into the bun while they walk and takes his time to chew, happy enough to just be in his husband's company even if they will be focusing on business today. There is so much they need to learn and understand about these new bodies. ]

I mentioned that I have been swimming in Lake Minska. I have been focusing on learning my swimming ability and my... [ He trails off, the brisk confidence momentarily stuttering. ] The gills. [ He grits his teeth. ] They are fully functional and suffice to let me breathe underwater even under exertion. [ Oh, this body is better, it is so much better than being a Simulacrum, but still... It grates anyway to be reminded that he is still less than human. Still something twisted and unnatural. ] It hasn't rained yet since I changed, but I know staying in a full tub of water is enough to make me shift. Washing with a wet cloth doesn't, so I have been sticking to what I did when I only had the Simulacrum body.

( perhaps it had been naive of him, but xingchen hadn't for a moment doubted that the gills were fully functional. had they been anything less, he might wonder if it were truly the fog god responsible after all. that said, he also hasn't spent all that much time contemplating the nuances of jiang wanyin's condition, what with most memories of said condition filtered haphazardly through the much sharper memory of pain, not unlike the distance one feels when recalling a fever dream - so he takes in each new bit of information as it comes, about wanyin's newfound capabilities and limitations alike and the scope of that which he has done to attempt to understand each. )

You remain susceptible even in human form, as you are now? ( unless he has misunderstood, then that is an undeniably concerning turn of events to follow their previous understanding that mana's boon granted protection from all but the hunger. )

[ There is a moment of hesitation, as doubt filters in. He had been in human shape when the change set in and he had been forced back into his monster body - his real body now - by the changes. But...

After a moment, he shakes his head with what is more or less conviction. ] No, that was a fluke. After that first time, I haven't been affected while human. I will just have to be careful since I can only change to human once a day. I can't waste it, now that being trapped in monster form for the rest of the day can leave me stranded instead of simply in discomfort.

[ That's a disquieting thought, though, and one he is not too keen on exploring. ]

But we were going to show me what you can do. Don't worry too much about my legs, or lack thereof.

( had xingchen seemed worried? he didn't think that he had. such a discovery regarding the body which jiang wanyin inhabits would have been concerning, it's true, but as something to remain mindful of moving forward rather than fuss over here and now.

(there's also a chance that the consideration faintly creasing xingchen's brow might give the appearance of worry, but he doesn't quite think to school it. instead, he wills his mind itself to still and allows what was said to settle as it may within his thoughts without inquiries swooping in like scavengers tearing chunks from a carcass.)

xingchen's head shakes just a little, and: ) Could it not prove beneficial to learn about both of our forms? I had imagined a fairly mutual exchange.

[ Jiang Cheng falters a little - not exactly surprised by the suggestion, but quietly pleased by it. Maybe even a little bit flustered by the consideration in it.

He gives an awkward little shrug. ] I suppose we could? I dont mind figuring it out for myself, but I always welcome your company.

[ In times of something disquieting him, he just tends to fall back into his habits, and these have him used to dealing with his problems by himself, with nobody at his side whom he feels comfortable showing doubts and vulnerabilities. That has changed now, with his husband. ]

I wouldn't mind then, studying the details of my change.

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