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( the fox gives a nod of confirmation at the inquiry, likely unnecessary but polite regardless. then wen ning is standing and fussing with an equally unnecessary bow, but that's fine - xingchen dips his head in return, for lack of a simpler way to convey the same sentiment in this form.

wen ning is, indeed, quite the mess. more so even than he smelled, and that's quite the miserable feat. it's fine enough. xingchen's home has a shower, and he's found that such things are far more effective than baths in ridding oneself of various messes. as for the robe, well. they'll simply do laundry as well.

at the affirmation, he stands again, turning to head off in the direction from which he came at a pace that wen ning shouldn't struggle with. )

It's a bit of a walk, ( he warns. ) A couple of hours, along the road and then through forest. But once we arrive, you can use my shower while I tidy your robes - and before you protest, consider the fact that you'll have nothing to wear once you're out unless I do. ( there's a light note of humor in his tone, a bit of good-natured teasing with an accompanying flick of a couple of tails, though it goes a bit more serious now. ) How have you been eating? ( a benign way of asking if the feathers in his hair indicate live prey. xingchen himself spent much of that first fog too disoriented and bordering on nauseous to stomach much of anything, but these things go differently for everyone. )

[Oh, must they talk about what he'd been eating? He makes a face at the thought of it.]

The bugs are... uh. Th-they mean well. They seemed to think I would want my food raw. And alive.

[The worst part was they weren't wrong. He'd been hungry after the first day, so they'd started tossing animals in with him. Cats were a no-go. Wen Ning refused to eat them and they found a way to escape the pen typically before he could have gotten to them anyway. Thankfully they hadn't tried to feed him any dogs - too close to his own species, they must have thought.] I-I think... I ate two chickens and a duck.

[They were the easiest to get him to accept. And he had been hungry. The desire to sink his teeth into human flesh hasn't taken over yet, but he did crave meat of some sort. He'd felt cooped up in the cage, with too much energy he couldn't do anything with. He wanted to run out into the woods and hunt something, but he didn't dare. So he did a lot of pacing back and forth.

He'd tried talking with the bugs, but that got frustrating after a time.]

I'm glad the fog is gone, at least... I'll be less terrified about changing tonight.

( wen ning's reluctance to discuss eating is noted, as evidenced by the talk of his meals receiving only a considering hum. xingchen's question has been answered well enough - the man likely isn't hungry enough to fuss with food when they arrive.

as for the bit about the fog, about changing, xingchen can't help but wonder what such a thing is like for wen ning. each werewolf (each shape-changing monster altogether, really) experiences the change a bit differently, and this man's could perhaps be more merciful than xingchen's own... but it could also be quite a bit more miserable. either way, he has the courtesy not to ask. such things will be shared in time, if his friend is willing to speak of it. if not, it's hardly his own business, anyway. )

I find that without the fog, the changes seem gentler. Not pleasant, but... With the fog, the edges feel a bit sharper. ( he knows that sounds somewhat abstract, but such is how feelings must be described at times for lack of any concrete way to convey them. )

I suppose that's... good to hear.

[If it's the same for him. It might not be. The change itself was painful, but it's nothing he can't deal with. He felt energized when it first happened. Maybe that will be the way it is every evening. His body wants his transformed state to feel more natural. He doesn't care for it after the fact, but at the time it was a rush of adrenaline. Hopefully he won't crash every morning the way he had on this one. He'd at least like to be able to get somewhere safe to rest if necessary and not have to make sure to be back in his home every time.]

W-what... what do you think her reason is? [He swallows. His mouth is dry and it tastes foul.] For choosing the monsters for us she does...? If she chooses them.

[Wen Ning doesn't elaborate on who "she" is, assuming it should be obvious.]

There are so many different kinds, but. We're the same.

( it's a good question. barring questions which deal directly in matters of personal safety, it's probably one of the more pressing ones, at least to xingchen. if they could figure such a thing out, those new to this realm could begin to prepare themselves mentally and emotionally for the change they face, as opposed to sitting in fear for weeks awaiting what feels very much like a promised reckoning.

unfortunately, it's also a question to which xingchen has no proper answer. he pads along a few steps in silence, considering, then, ) I do think that she chooses them, yes. She sees such change as a heartfelt gift to us, and I can't imagine giving a gift which I have not chosen carefully by hand. ( as for the reasoning... a couple of tails flick idly, and: ) I'm not sure by which standards she chooses, or if she adheres to any standards at all. ( perhaps she sorts as an artist composes, driven by inspiration rather than rhyme or reason. )

[He's heard that before, that she thinks what she's giving is a gift. Even if, apparently, very few of them agree with her. It can't help matters that some do, lending justification to her actions.

Wen Ning is still tired. He hates that this form he's been given allows him to return to normal during the day only to make him want to sleep through that normalcy. Being up on his feet doesn't keep him from wanting to close his eyes. He gives his head a literal shake to stop that from happening.]

I-It's... well I can't say it's a good thing. That we're both... [He trails off.] I mean, at least we'll be familiar with each of our problems.

( and xingchen recognizes the fatigue in each step wen ning takes, in the cadence of his words. it's quite familiar to him. one grows accustomed to it, in xingchen's experience. with discipline and a liberal application of soothing tea, one can manage to sleep through a segment of their time in their night form, and then the fatigue which comes with their proper daytime form is dulled at least slightly. combine that with the forms of tea which contain the substance called 'caffeine', and he finds himself functioning quite well during the daytime, even if he rarely rises earlier than mid-morning. )

It may not be a good thing, but there are far worse alternatives, ( he confirms. having lived with the twice-daily shifting for a few months now and lining such a thing up next to the other monstrous features and traits he has heard of, it seems like it might be one of the more merciful options even with the pain of the shifts. ) Perhaps it's a bit selfish, but I find myself relieved to share such a thing with a friend.

I don't... I don't think it's selfish.

[Wen Ning feels similarly about it. And despite everything, he's particularly pleased at being referred to as a friend. He hasn't known Xiao Xingchen that long and there have been people he's known for far longer who've never referred to him as such.]

I-It's always easier to go through difficulties when you have someone to commiserate with.

[Not that he wants to completely dump all his werewolf woes on the other man any time soon.]

( perhaps it might be a bit premature to use the term 'friend' by traditional standards, but is that not what they are? 'allies' implies that they mutually benefit from the relationship for more practical reasons - and perhaps there are practical benefits as well (like fetching one another from bug jail, for example), but that's hardly xingchen's motivation in speaking with him. in inviting him back to his home to convalesce for the evening in peace and quiet, perhaps with tea or whatever else he might be able to stomach. )

It is, ( he agrees with a little nod. and though he considers leaving it there, he finds himself confessing, ) I've come to realize that those whose monstrous form is more consistent tend to struggle with our nightly shifts. As if such a thing is more horrifying simply because it happens so quickly, so frequently. ( which is perhaps a forewarning to his newfound fellow were- not to shift in front of others too flippantly, but underneath that, it's also a bit of commiseration. )

[Wen Ning is not the sort to want anyone to see his transformations if he can help it, especially after being gawked at by several bug creatures when it had happened this time around. He doesn't seek attention and he certainly doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. He will most definitely try to be away from others when it happens, unless circumstances don't allow it.]

M-maybe we can hope that... at least the ones closest to us will eventually get used to it. [Not that it would be a pleasant thing to get used to for either of them, but eventually they'd have to learn that it's going to happen and they'll be alright afterward. For the most part.]

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