Hm. [ The hesitation is strange, and it doesn't leave Peter any less concerned than he already was. ]
I'm not hurt.[ He resists the urge to attach a 'yet' to the end of the sentence. ]
I've been keeping myself busy lately, going to investigate around the gambling dens for any information that could help us during the mission. So far , I haven't had much luck, but I made some money. I was going to grab something to eat. Why don't you join me? My treat?
Good. [that is all he can ask for, really, that those he cares for are not hurt beyond what worries them about being here.] I had less fortune in the gambling dens myself. [a laugh, almost sharp, before it softens.]
I-- [he pauses, hesitates.] Alright. Where are you going?
[ Peter's expectations are low as well. Sometimes, just making sure those you care about are not in immediate danger is all you can do. ]
There's a stall by one of the plazas that makes food that is pretty edible. I saved the cook from a fight that broke out the other day, so I'm pretty sure he won't try to poison us. The food in the city isn't great, but it beats eating snakes.
And that's fine. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love, they say in my world. They might be onto something.
You're not wrong. Fortunately, we also have alcohol in Sedorum, which helps down any unpleasant taste.
Ah...well, that happens too, the universe has a terrible sense of humor. But you never know when things can improve, Xichen. I mean, even I got a girlfriend.
That's true. In the past, I tried all sorts of alien beverages while traveling to different planets and I had my fair share of regrets over the taste of a few of them. At this point, I think I can drink pretty much anything without blinking.
Oh no, no. A wingman is someone who assist you while doing something, and helps you with it. In this case, flirting or going out to find someone suitable for you.
I do not yet have that skill. But something tells me it is one I may acquire before I return home. [he blinks, frowning.] I wonder if I will keep it upon my return.
To find someone suitable? [and then there is amusement in his tone, a stretch of the last word. he knows what peter means but he is playing a bit dumb.]
Oh, I'm aware. I've seen you drunk. That was fun, one of the few good things about the mission in Scorpion's Bend. I can help you with it, the key is practice, my friend. [ And practice means drinking more often, in this case. All in the pursuit of getting better at it, of course. ] Ey, that would be great.
Oh, I'll explain. I'm talking about having someone to smooch. To be the little spoon with. Make the beast with two backs. To do the horizontal tango with. Amorous congress. To grope for trout in a peculiar river. The two-person pushups. Riding the bony express. Harpooning the salty longshoreman. Wam bam thank you mam. Finding a partner for you bedroom rodeo...
[ Hah. Well, this time Peter seems to be able to tell Xichen is trolling him, hence his explanation getting more and more ridiculous. ]
Iβve been told that before. About practice. [by other orbers, by nie mingjue once what feels like a lifetime ago. when they were just young men, boys still, and the precepts xichen was bound to follow seemed like an impossible thing that surely could be ignored. before xichen was zewu-jun, before heβd grown to embody what his sect had always wanted him to be.
that thought is derailed as he listens to peter go on. What he expects is a laugh, not for a reunion rundown of what the other meant. They are using the voice function and that is good, because xichenβs face melts to amusement and then exasperated attempts to keep back laughter. Oh! How ridiculous can his friend be?] Harpooning the salty longshoreman?
That one is at least made up. [he is trying to sound like he is keeping it together, the laughter barely kept at bay.]
People might be onto something then. [ Making Xichen laugh is one of Peter's goals here, so he's not sorry at all for the ridiculous turn of the conversation.
And the answer to that question is: very, very ridiculous. ]
Technically, all words are made up. [ He's parroting back Thor's reply when the Guardians told the God the exact same thing, but even Peter can admit it's a good comeback. ] But you have to admit, it creates an interesting visual. Do you not have absurd descriptions like those in your homeworld?
I suppose I can concede on that. [it is a good comeback, in the end. xichen cannot help but let a soft chuckle escape, a subtle thing.]
Ah, it is much more about euphemisms related to nature in my circles. [not that in cloud recess it would be appropriate to discuss such things even in euphemism.]
According to the gossiping mothers of our time, I was once the most eligible and most handsome bachelor. So I do not think you are wrong. [ not that xichen put much stock into that and he is not bragging. really. ]
Clouds and rain, flowers. Clouds and rain are a euphemism for sex. There is a poem, from which the Cloud Recesses draw their name, which describes them as a place of rain amongst the clouds. [ which is a great joke for improper company when talking about ones home. ] The Cloud Recesses are my home, the ancestral home of the Lan Sect. [ in case he did not mention that. ]
[ Peter can't help but giggle at that. He knows Xichen isn't exactly boasting, just being honest, but it's still funny. ]
Look at you, a heartbreaker. It would be a shame to let all that potential go to waste now. We might eventually find someone suitable for you. What's your type?
That's...a bit more graphic than I expected from you all. [ Which in turn makes it funnier, as Peter's tone shows. ] Oh, you mentioned The Cloud Recesses before, I remember.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice;
I'm not hurt.[ He resists the urge to attach a 'yet' to the end of the sentence. ]
I've been keeping myself busy lately, going to investigate around the gambling dens for any information that could help us during the mission. So far , I haven't had much luck, but I made some money. I was going to grab something to eat. Why don't you join me? My treat?
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I-- [he pauses, hesitates.] Alright. Where are you going?
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There's a stall by one of the plazas that makes food that is pretty edible. I saved the cook from a fight that broke out the other day, so I'm pretty sure he won't try to poison us. The food in the city isn't great, but it beats eating snakes.
And that's fine. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love, they say in my world. They might be onto something.
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he raises a brow at the others quote.] What does it mean if one is lucky in neither?
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Ah...well, that happens too, the universe has a terrible sense of humor. But you never know when things can improve, Xichen. I mean, even I got a girlfriend.
[ There's a pause before Peter adds. ]
Ooooh, I could be your wingman.
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A wingman? You do not have wings.
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Oh no, no. A wingman is someone who assist you while doing something, and helps you with it. In this case, flirting or going out to find someone suitable for you.
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To find someone suitable? [and then there is amusement in his tone, a stretch of the last word. he knows what peter means but he is playing a bit dumb.]
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Oh, I'll explain. I'm talking about having someone to smooch. To be the little spoon with. Make the beast with two backs. To do the horizontal tango with. Amorous congress. To grope for trout in a peculiar river. The two-person pushups. Riding the bony express. Harpooning the salty longshoreman. Wam bam thank you mam. Finding a partner for you bedroom rodeo...
[ Hah. Well, this time Peter seems to be able to tell Xichen is trolling him, hence his explanation getting more and more ridiculous. ]
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that thought is derailed as he listens to peter go on. What he expects is a laugh, not for a reunion rundown of what the other meant. They are using the voice function and that is good, because xichenβs face melts to amusement and then exasperated attempts to keep back laughter. Oh! How ridiculous can his friend be?] Harpooning the salty longshoreman?
That one is at least made up. [he is trying to sound like he is keeping it together, the laughter barely kept at bay.]
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And the answer to that question is: very, very ridiculous. ]
Technically, all words are made up. [ He's parroting back Thor's reply when the Guardians told the God the exact same thing, but even Peter can admit it's a good comeback. ] But you have to admit, it creates an interesting visual. Do you not have absurd descriptions like those in your homeworld?
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Ah, it is much more about euphemisms related to nature in my circles. [not that in cloud recess it would be appropriate to discuss such things even in euphemism.]
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[ Nice, nice. That's a good sound. ]
About nature, uh? Such as, what? Fruits? We're not in our world, so no one's here to judge us. [ Come onnnn, now you need to tell him. ]
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Clouds and rain, flowers. Clouds and rain are a euphemism for sex. There is a poem, from which the Cloud Recesses draw their name, which describes them as a place of rain amongst the clouds. [ which is a great joke for improper company when talking about ones home. ] The Cloud Recesses are my home, the ancestral home of the Lan Sect. [ in case he did not mention that. ]
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Look at you, a heartbreaker. It would be a shame to let all that potential go to waste now. We might eventually find someone suitable for you. What's your type?
That's...a bit more graphic than I expected from you all. [ Which in turn makes it funnier, as Peter's tone shows. ] Oh, you mentioned The Cloud Recesses before, I remember.