menhulu | (no subject)

(no subject)

the healing begins

[ rebuilding their relationship will be slow, it will take time, far more time than it took to build it in the first place, but that's all right. dan heng has time, plenty of time. time, and dedication. he wants nothing more than to offer zhongli the companionship that he has so dearly missed, in whatever shape that he desires it to be in, so dan heng has remained close, lingering in liyue.

so as not to crowd zhongli too much, dan heng has secured for himself a small apartment in liyue harbor that looks out over the water, high in the scarlet terraces. but they see one another nearly every day, wandering the city as zhongli shows him each and every detail of his beautiful home, sharing food, and walking the countryside together. he hears so many stories, sees so many things he had only ever dreamed of seeing before, and finds warmth beside his old mate once more. it's truly fascinating, just how similar liyue is to the xianzhou, right down to the native language, which is all but identical. the food, the architectural style.. the luofu is more technologically advanced, but otherwise there are far more similarities than differences, here.

the day finally comes, at last, that zhongli agrees to be taken up to see the express, that distant shining star in the sky, so with his permission, dan heng sets up a space anchor in a secluded area, one that zhongli shields with stone to keep others from accidentally stumbling upon it. granted, only those who know how to use it would be able to use it at all, but nevertheless, better safe than sorry. once the device is properly arranged, dan heng stands again, activating it, watching the space anchor hum to life with a pale blue glow.

straightening up, he takes zhongli's hand in his own, giving it a light squeeze. ]

Let me know when you're ready, and we'll head up.

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I am ready.

[ He keeps looking skyward as if he will be able to see anything of value, hand squeezing Dan Heng's in excitement. A muted kind, even as his eyes sparkle with intrigue. ]

I suspect this will be markedly different to Celestia.

[ He trusts Dan Heng, more than anything else. Even if things were not healing between them (and they are, he is starting to believe his old mate truly wants him back) he would know in his bones Dan Heng would never try to trick or hurt him. ]

[ no tricks. no pain. dan heng smiles in return, and nods, then reaches with his free hand to touch the anchor.

in an instant, space warps around them, and it's likely a bit uncomfortable for zhongli, dizzying, as this is his first time traveling via space anchor, but it takes less than a second for them to arrive on the express. their feet touch down in the parlor car, a warm and cozy space, quite large for a train, but then, the astral express is not just any train.

before showing him the sights, however, dan heng squeezes zhongli's hand again, the opposite settling on his shoulder to steady him if he's feeling disoriented. ]

If you feel a little dizzy, that's normal for your first time.

[ The swirling effect of space is not unlike the usage of dimensional bubbles that the Serenitea Pot utilizes, so he only takes one step out of place before rooting his balance in the odd-looking car. Stone finds gravity easily. ]

I am alright, thank you. This is the Express?

[ It is not unpleasant in the least, a little smaller than he expected though. He looks to Dan Heng for a lead. ]

Yes. This has been my home for a long time.

[ since zhongli has found his footing with ease, dan heng releases his shoulder, then with an almost secretive sort of smile, he turns to lead zhongli toward one side of the car. ]

The express is a train, so it has many cars. This is only the parlor car. There are many others, for dining and lounging, for personal rooms, and the archives, where I would sleep. However..

[ the large windows of the parlor car, once they reach them, open up to show a vast amount of space, of sparkling stars and galaxies, veils of gas nebulae, and most impressive, all of teyvat stretching out below them, distant but still certainly recognizable. ]

[ He looks out the window and does not seem surprised, but pleasantly reminded. Zhongli hums, taking in it all as one might a painting seen in childhood. ]

I remember these stars, though not from quite this angle. [ He nods to Teyvat with Celestia hovering above. ] I feel the earth, it is not so far, and also ...

[ He turns his head toward the sun, blinking sedately. ]

I remember that.

[ they stand side by side, watching the vast cosmos move, watching teyvat from above, as beautiful from this view as it is from the ground. the mountains of liyue, inazuma hemmed by the oceans, frozen snezhnaya.. and celestia, floating serenely above it all.

dan heng tilts his head. ]

What about it?

Leaving it.

[ He thinks, anyway. He remembers the sun and can feel it, tilting his head curiously. ]

It is strange, I remember a great deal but the sun is something that confuses me when I see it from up here. I don't know how to explain it. Like the first view through a window, but I don't know where the window even was.

[ He looks away, back to Dan Heng. ]

Show me more of your train, please.

[ dan heng looks puzzled, his brow furrowed, but he does not press for more. perhaps zhongli will explain another time, if he can, yet this little conversation will stick in his mind, he's sure. he nods. ]

This way.

[ with a tug to his hand, he leads zhongli through the parlor car, the pneumatic doors hissing to allow them to pass into the next car, where a narrow corridor lined with more windows leads to many doors along the left. the first door is where dan heng stops, pressing the button that allows it to slide open. inside is a medium sized room lined with blinking servers that hum quietly. a space chart takes up most of the far wall, and beside a desk there is a section of floor that glows and undulates, mimicking the sea. in a corner is a pile of blankets and pillows. ]

These are the Archives, where I choose to stay.

[ It all gets a polite once-over until he sees that pile of blankets, eyeing the watery floor effect, at which point he gives Dan Heng a knowing look. ]

This is quite heart-wrenching, xiao mifeng.

[ His hand squeezes the one he holds. ]

It also explains a lot.

[ dan heng glances back, tilting his head. ]

What do you mean?

[ but he threads his fingers through zhongli's nonetheless. ]

Your penchant for owning little. I recall how surprised you were when I took on extra sex acts in order to pay for your extra living space and unlimited funds.

[ Dan Heng had been the surprised pikachu meme, in Zhongli's clear memory. ]

Ah..

[ dan heng chuckles lightly, running his free hand over one of the nearby servers, feeling its warmth. ]

They offered me a room of my own, but I refused it. I was accustomed to living with very little, given my time in the Shackling Prison, and after.

I would have offered you a space with me, back then, if you had said so.

[ He reaches out to touch a server too, feeling the hum of its complexity. His gaze always slides back to his host. ]

I know. You would have offered me the entire world, if I had asked for it.

[ zhongli's devotion had been all but boundless. dan heng had not forgotten, and he never will. ]

You're the most generous person I've ever known.

Too much, perhaps.

[ He shakes his head, unsure. ]

What value are all the gifts in the world if no one wants them? I was content to see you accept mine. I ... enjoyed seeing you happy and cared for, a sweet soul adrift for whom I tried to become a mooring harbour. Those were the actions of a besotted man.

[ dan heng's expression falls, his gaze lowering again in shame. his voice is soft. ]

.. I know.

[ he says softly, squeezing zhongli's hand, grateful for him despite his regret. ]

I'm sorry.

[ he has said it a hundred times, and he will say it a thousand more. ]

It is a theme we will come upon much, I do not seek to reinforce it out of cruelty. Things are as they are and were as they were, and we are here because of it.

[ He frames Dan Heng's face in his hands, yellow-ochre palms warm as he runs his thumbs under bright eyes. Here is Dan Heng's home, Zhongli feels it is more appropriate to speak of their developing trust. ]

I would like to sleep here with you, when we are done with the tour.

[ zhongli's hands are always so wonderfully warm, and dan heng breathes a soft sigh, knowing that he speaks the truth. of course he is not trying to be cruel, he would never be cruel to dan heng, but he still cannot help his shame nevertheless. it will ever be a dark spot upon his soul.

but he nods. ]

I'd like that. Ready to see the rest?

Yes, show me everything.

[ He will be attentive and curious the whole while. ]

This way, then.

[ dan heng takes zhongli's hand again, leading him out of the archives and back into the corridor. he points out the rooms of the other nameless on the way, a little painfully, remembering when they belonged to others - to march and welt, himeko and stelle..

and then they're in the dining car, the air fragrant with the scent of lunch, several comfy seating places around them. after that is the lounge car, relaxing and dim, the walls lined with bookcases and comfortable chairs and sofas, the next few cars dedicated to recreational activities, and storage. ]

It is very large. [ After commenting as they go along, that is his main takeaway. ] The technology here is familiar because of the Sinducer's influence upon me, otherwise I would be more alarmed.

[ His hand has remained in Dan Heng's the whole while, squeezing a little now. ]

Where is your favourite place on the ship?

Yes, Sin City was not as much of a culture shock for me as it was for many.

[ dan heng is accustomed to this level of technology, though there are plenty of worlds in the universe that are not as forward. who knows the last time the express had visited teyvat? if it ever has? dan heng had been unable to dig up any records of teyvat from previous nameless's reports.

with a warm smile, he squeezes that hand. ]

The archives, and the reading nooks tend to be where I spend my time, when not on planet.

Show me those, I care to see them the most.

[ Because they are dear to Dan Heng, they matter to Zhongli. ]

The archives are where we visited earlier, where I sleep. I'll show you my favorite place to read.

[ another tug of zhongli's hand, and dan heng draws zhongli back to the library car, moving through the narrow stacks toward a small alcove, where two soft chairs sit across from one another, with a small table between. the window beside gives a lovely view of the cosmos. ]

I would read here often. I'll miss it, I think.

[ He cocks his head at that. ]

Why would you miss it?