the moon rises over antarctica

[reedsea]

[ the thing about visiting the Xianzhou Luofu is that it's not quite home, but it was once home. it's like returning the place that you grew up after you grew up and moved away, something distant and wondrous all the same, both foreign and familiar. due to circumstances, Dan Heng never got to experience the Luofu while he was growing up post-rebirth, so whenever he steps foot on it, it always feels a bit wistful in a way he can't explain.

that is to say that he does like going, even if he's recognized from time to time, being able to experience something that he was unable to experience when he was younger strikes a certain chord. this time his visit is framed by strings of lanterns in the dim night air. the atmosphere is lively, full of bustling people and various smells of street food.

Dan Heng is content to watch the people mill about: a group of children playing hide and seek past their bedtime, a young man making a gallant attempt at flirting with a woman at one of the food stalls, and a group of foxians chattering away as they pass through, trying to decide on what their next nightly activity should be.

he let Caelus decide on what to get to eat, settling down at an out-of-the-way corner seat of Du's Teahouse. it's a nice night for a date — that is what this was, right? a Festival Date. Himeko gave him a look when they told her where they were going, holding her hand to her cheek as if she were going to comment about how fast they were growing up. instead she gave them a stipend for a night like a big sister making sure her little brother (or brothers, he wonders) would have a good time. she looked happy, though, in a way that Dan Heng didn't think he'd make her look happy.

for a moment his mind wanders as he watches a lantern sway a bit, and he thinks about visiting the Scalegorge Waterscape sometime later, both for a moment of quiet, and because it felt appropriate.

then Boss Du brings the tea. ]

Thank you.

[ he looks down at the two cups.

er, "tea" might be a better word for it. ]

Comments

[reedsea]

[ a spaceship full of immortals is bound to move slow moving in some ways, as when life stretches out for so long, it's filled with mundane stretches of days – years. compared to the other places that they've been, this kind of peace can be boring,

he sits for a moment, brimming with some feelings that he didn't think would stir again, thoughts of the Astral Express being his home – the Luofu, too, being his home – and somehow being caught between them. he's not, though, he's where he needs to be.

(there are implications of other things here, that somehow Caelus has become home, but those thoughts won't cross his mind for a bit, yet, but it's there.)

then his hamster-cheeked boyfriend announces he's the king of Aurum Alley, and while it's certainly true to some extent, they get a little crowd of onlookers who glance over at the two of them. when Caelus deflates, they disperse, as if it were a passing amusement.

Dan Heng looks a bit exasperated, but amused. usually people are looking at him for different reasons. ]

I heard it was on the brink when you came across it. I don't remember much about it, nor have I ever been here. It's nice to know that it didn't disappear between then and now, and that I can enjoy it.

[ absently, he picks up the tea to take a sip and

his brows suddenly knit at the taste. ]

This is tea?

[receptacles]

[ Ah, yes.

He's been waiting for this.

It was worth it just to see Dan Heng's expression. Doing his absolute best not to snicker, Caelus puts on his very best serious lawyer face and launches into a very rehearsed defense which Boss Du has taught him a hundred times before: ]

Legally, it's tea. According to the regulations issued by the Realm-Keeping Commission, Du's Teahouse only sells tea.

[ Legally, it's tea should tell Dan Heng enough about the situation at hand already, but Caelus decides to take it a step further and really sell it. ]

It is combustible, flammable tea, and drinking too much of it may be harmful to your health, so it can only be sold to adults. But it has a unique flavor profile, appreciated by the Luofu's most discerning customers.

[ Caelus says that in a serious voice, with his very best serious face, and all the hustle and bustle of Aurum Alley walking past the two of them. What a beautiful night to tell your boyfriend a pack of lies! ]

So, it's tea.

[reedsea]

[ legally, it's tea Caleus says, with an impressive confidence. which means, certainly, that it's "tea," in the sense that there were probably tea leaves and (mumble mumble) other plants (mumble) used its brewing. there were some particularly strict, and occasionally overbearing, legalities on the Luofu, and any discerning business owner who had been around the block long enough, could learn how to avoid said legalities through loopholes.

this sounds like a loophole, but a loophole that Caelus is rather proud of.

on top of that, this tea is uniquely from Aurum Alley, which means that he's meant to experience this, right?

it's tea he hears Caelus say again as he holds it back to his lips, taking a second sip. the second time he tastes it, it goes down easier than the first. there's a complex taste profile that follows the wiff of burning alcohol, slightly bitter, slightly floral – not to his taste, but it's interesting. ]

Well, I suppose that makes us both discerning customers. It's ... interesting, better the second time ...

[ and oddly, even tastier the third, considering the longer sip he takes after that. ]

... Maybe I'll have another one. It is the autumn festival, after all.

[receptacles]

[ There's something endearing about watching Dan Heng imbibe "tea" — tentatively at first, and then with greater confidence, like a hardened veteran of booze. Ah, right, he should've known — alcohol actually does suit Dan Heng's palate, insofar as that the Vidyadhara tends to avoid oily, fatty, overly spicy types of things.

But guess what's clean, fresh-tasting, and doesn't cloy the mouth...? The "tea" from Du's Teahouse, of course!

Caelus cracks a smile as he goes to refill Dan Heng's glass, carefully setting it aflame (the fire isn't dangerous) with a special Xianzhou trick that Du taught him. One odd consistency about Caelus is this: no matter what adventures he gets into across all the stars, he does seem to trend toward being a drinksmith of some sort... ]

Oooh, Dan Heng's a heavy drinker...

[ A tea drinker, of course. But, hmm... maybe he should try to get Dan Heng out to the Party Car more often, once they're back on the Express. Shush's drinks might not be tailored to Dan Heng's preferences, but Caelus is pretty sure he can design a few cocktails that will suit his boyfriend's tastes.

In an uncharacteristically gallant moment, Caelus lowers his voice a little, steady and reassuring in a way that his usual madcap energy normally never is. ]

Cut loose for once, you deserve it. I'll carry you home if I have to.

[reedsea]

[ there is an aspect of it that is refreshing, with earthy undertones that do make it quite suitable to his palette. ever since Caelus boarded the Astral Express, he's been getting better at this, hasn't he? Dan Heng has to wonder if it's something specific to him, or if there's something about Caelus that's simply good at reading the tastes of others. perhaps a little of both.

the third sip goes down smoothly, so smoothly, in fact, that it makes his head swim. there's a rush from his chest to his ears, almost turning him pink from the neck up, but something he stills by swallowing hard until it barely brushes his cheeks. ]

Erm ...

[ he straightens his voice, clearing the air. it almost seems like his first desperate attempt of the night to keep himself together. ]

I'm sure that won't be necessary.

[ it might be necessary. usually Dan Heng finds ways to be unassuming, but Caelus seems intent to find a few of these more reckless habits of his kinda fun, and in little rebellious ways, it also makes him feel a bit more reckless. well, in a sort of boyish way that he never got to be. ]

Did you want some too? You don't have to serve me if you want to join me.

[ despite Caelus seeming at home doing it, with the easy way he sets his drink aflame.

the siren call of the "tea" catches him again, and he drums his fingers against the cup, as if his discipline was trying to kick in against the sudden heady rush of non-soberness. ]

[receptacles]

[ Is Dan Heng having a hard time keeping himself together already? Caelus is resolved to make it worse and worse. He thinks it'd be terribly cute, honestly, for Dan Heng to go through his rebellious, reckless phase now; he never got to have one, after all, and Caelus likes the idea of being there to supervise some of Dan Heng's wild firsts.

He already took a few, anyway. ]

Maybe I want to serve you. [ He flashes a cheeky, flirtatious grin. ] Master Dan Heng...

[ Despite the teasing tone, it seems like Caelus is being sensible today. Still with the same practiced grace, he pours a second helping of "tea" into his own cup, then sets the teapot down. Those clever fingers of his, accented by his fingerless gloves, pick up his cup by the rim and offer it to Dan Heng's.

Toasting teacups is surely not traditional, but they both know what the "tea" they're drinking really is, and isn't it beautiful, to drink beneath the moon? How many of Dan Heng's previous incarnations were able to do this with a lover?

Caelus is not fool enough, not romantic enough, to believe in every lifetime. But this lifetime. This much is enough, for one foolish romantic aboard the Astral Express. ]

Cheers.

[reedsea]

[ look, Dan Heng has buttoned himself up for so long, that he has to get used to unwinding. Caelus makes it easier, having gently pulled at his own guarded exterior until the Dan Heng underneath came to the surface. even a few months ago he might not have agreed to this, as the baggage and the consequences seemed too much for him. yet, because of Caelus, he's here now.

it is something to celebrate, even if he finds the means of celebration questionable, it's easy to get caught up in easy smiles and stupid words.

he raises his glass to click it against Caelus', something from the Astral Express (they have toasted Himeko's coffee before, but for a different reason) to add to the tradition of "tea." ]

Serve me?

[ he seems to find the idea kind of amusing in his light (for now) intoxication. ]

What would you do? As my servant, I could ask you to add more detailed descriptions to the data bank, you're getting concise.

[receptacles]

[ As always, Caelus the cat plays with Dan Heng the yarn ball until he's loose and unwound and, usually, sprawled out in Caelus's big bed aboard the Express. Caelus the cat seems very smug and pleased with himself indeed as he tips his head back and chugs some of his "tea" — he likes the effects of the tea more than the tea itself, and while it burns pleasantly as it goes down his throat, it's with no ill effects, and he'll feel pleasantly buzzed in a few moments.

Though, as he's waiting for it to go down... He tilts his head in quizzical confusion. ]

Huh? Wait...

[ ...Getting concise? is that a bad thing? Is his beloved Dan Heng accusing him of... being lazy?! ]

I thought concise was a good thing. You want me to be more descriptive?