misschibidoodles
New Member
It’s not the rustling of the sheets when Tang Xia gets up that wakes him up, or the likely intentional hand on his naked ass as she vaults over him to leave the bed. It’s actually the feeling of peacefulness that creeps in as she is in the shower, away from him. Laying next to Tang Xia is a bit like sharing a bed with a panther: as long as it is sleeping you are probably out of danger, but no one really feels comfortable in this situation. Therefore, her leaving the bed makes Xiang Tao relax unconsciously, which in turns wakes him up because he should never be relaxed.
Xiang Tao stretches like a cat as he opens his eyes, and as soon as he notes his surroundings he immediately tenses back up. Right. Tang Xia. He went home with her yesterday. They had just finished a simple collection job (Tao hates collection jobs, he’s too bone skinny to be intimidating and he always has to throw a couple punches for people to take him seriously. He doesn’t like throwing punches.) and she propositioned (again. Because she likes it when he throws punches, because she’s a goddamned psychopath who thoroughly enjoys violence). « Propositioned » is a big word, considering she pushed him on the alley wall and shoved her tongue down his throat, but let’s not unpack that right now.
She’s definitely not his favourite lay in the Triad, but she did offer him dinner and he cannot say no to free food. He spends most of his allocation on his apartment, because he wanted something semi-livable and as far away from possible from the slums of the city, so he barely has a Yuan left for food at the end of the day. So what if he trades sex for a couple of meals? Sure he does not particularly feels proud of himself at the moment (but really, when does he?), but that will surely change once his belly is full.
If the downside of sleeping with Tang Xia is that she’s a crazy bitch, the upside is that she still has a family that cares about her. Let me explain : even though she thoroughly ignores her family and would love nothing more than for them to leave her alone, her mother still tries her very best to reach out. She does so in the way she knows best, which is to try to keep her daughter well fed and to deliver homemade meals to her on a regular basis. So sure, he feels like a slut. But there’s a lovingly made congee in the fridge that asks only to be heated up, so he can deal with that.
Tang Xia emerges from the bathroom as he thinks about the food, fully clothed and looking as disgusted as Tao feels at finding him in her bed. Surely, she would love it if he was the type to leave after the deed was done; but they both know that is not the implied deal they have.
Xiang Tao sits up in the bed, the sheets still providing him a little modesty.
« Goood morning Tang Xia~ I hope you had a great night of sleep! I couldn’t help but notice yesterday that you had such a well packed fridge! Your mum came by again? Man, I wish my mother took care of me like that. Of course, she doesn’t speak to me because dad would probably divorce her over it, but a guy can dream right? Anyway, how about you heat us something up for breakfast? You really tired me out yesterday after all, and -- »
She roughly grabs him by the chin, hard enough to leave bruises, and drags his head up so he looks straight into her eyes.
« Shut the fuck up Cockroach. Shit, thank god you’re such a pretty face. You’re so fucking annoying no one could stand you otherwise. »
Tang Xia shoves him back strongly enough that he falls back in the sheets, catching himself on his elbows, and turns around. Oof. No need to remind him that people hate his guts. He knows very well he’s neither particularly clever nor likeable. Don’t worry, he hates himself as much as the next guy. And he knows well enough that his best redeeming qualities are his sharp jaw, beautiful brown eyes and gorgeous smile.
He has half a mind to lay back down and maybe get some more sleep, but he catches the sound of the fridge opening and some pans being moved around. Ha! Maybe he is just eye-candy, but who is winning right now?
Xiang Tao pushes himself up and grabs his bag, by the bed. He always has his essentials in there, in case of impromptu one night stands. Really he’s almost grateful they nicknamed him Cockroach because otherwise they might have come up with The Triad’s Whore, and he’s not sure he could have taken that one as gracefully.
He cleans up and dresses quickly, and is startled by his phone vibrating.
Ah, a new job already. And Zou Chao is counting on him to bring Tang Xia, probably more because he does not want to deal with her than because he knows they are together at the moment.
He’ll tell her after breakfast.
----
They arrive on Sun’s Road a little before their meeting time, because old habits die hard and Xiang Tao has been reminded his whole education that arriving early is the only acceptable option when meeting someone. It comes in somehow helpful, he supposes, since being respectful lowers the potential of beatings he gets in a Triad.
Zou Chao is waiting for them, and makes a face as he sees them arriving together. Or maybe it’s at the bruises and bite marks covering Tao’s neck and clavicle, revealed by his slightly oversized black t-shirt (try finding something your size when you are already genetically thin but also always on the brink of malnutrition). Surely, he has an idea what went on the previous night.
« Ha! Zou Chao says, didn’t know you fancied bugs, Xia. The cockroach, really? »
They immediately start arguing as she threatens to shatter his kneecaps and Tao can only find it in himself to roll his eyes and look away. It’s not like he never slept with Zou Chao.
The street is heavily packed with people, even this early in the day. The shops are opened since dawn and equally interested tourists and locals and buzzing around like flies, coming in and out of buildings, haggling at outdoors street-food shops and making small talk with owners they know. There’s a bao stall that, even though Tao had a proper breakfast for a change that day, makes his mouth water. The thought of biting in the soft dough, the warm, fatty taste of spicy pork that would burst on his tongue. Too bad he literally does not have a dime.
Not completely done with fighting, but ready to talk business, Zou Chao snaps his fingers in front of Tao’s face to catch his attention.
« Listen here, cockroach! The boss asked us for a very simple job. There’s a shop on this street he wants an item from. Any item, he says, it’s just a preliminary job, he wants to know if he’s got the right place. So we go in, grab something without getting caught and get out. That’s all. It’s important we are unnoticed since we’ll have to go back in the future. Do you think it’s something you can do without fucking up? »
In all honesty, Tao feels Zou Chao is being unfair. He might not be anything special but he is generally competent, even if clumsy. He only botched one job since joining the Triad, but it was his first one and shit like that tends to stick. He honestly should have died but somehow managed to escape the gang fight he more or less accidentally started, hence gaining his hated Cockroach nickname. Unkillabled they said. Well, so far it’s been true.
He merely nods his head (best to avoid defending himself as much as possible) and they make their way to the shop. It’s a fairly hidden door to the building, pretty unnoticeable if you don’t know where you are going. There’s a window, but it is completely blocked by items from inside the store. On the door, the message « Magic Items for Sale ».
« What a bunch of bullshit Tang Xia says, who would even believe that? »
« Old superstitious people, probably » says Xiang Tao
« Maybe they sell really famous artifacts, don’t you think? We could find the Banner of Six Souls maybe »
« How useful that would be! We could bring it back to the boss, they write the name of the heads of other triads on it and, bam! We are rid of them. If we see it, it’s what we’re snatching »
They keep listing famous legendary artifacts and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all while they enter. The group is greeted by a packed shop. Not packed with people, that is (for all they know, it’s practically empty), but there doesn’t seem to be an inch of free space. Tables are covered with fancy looking objects : teapots, vases and pots, some jewellery, etc. There’s cabinets all around that crowd the shop into some sort of maze.
The team soon finds themselves dividing to look around. They discussed previously having a tour of the shop before regrouping to decide on what to steal. Xiang Tao is almost immediately drawn to a full looking bookcase, filled with scrolls and old books. Sure, he doesn’t believe there is actually anything magical about that place, but to him, books have a magic of their own.
After all, he’s got a degree in language and literature. He wouldn’t have pursued that (and would have gone into politics as his father intended, following the family tradition) if he didn’t think words had power and magic. He loves reading. His tiny apartment is filled with novels and essays and, most importantly, poetry books. There is something about poems that stirs his soul. It seems like reading poetry is the easiest way to connect with another human. That’s not something that’s easy for Xiang Tao on the daily (everyone finds him annoying, after all), but when he reads a poem he can feel his heart soaring about the skies, reaching for a long-dead author somehow forever frozen in time.
He looks through a few books and looses track of time a little. He stops at a page that speaks to him more than others :
He feels it all : the sadness, the regret, the longing. The dread of looking at something beautiful that still exists, but you know will only for a moment. His fingers caress the page on their own mind, as if touching the words can somehow adsorb them into him. His eyes are closed for a moment, sitting in the melancholy of what is not yet dying, but is doomed to be.
« It’s not my fault you’re such a fucking dumbass! Just do as I say, I’ve got more seniority than you anyways! »
That’s Zou Chao, undoubtedly talking to Tang Xia. Figures: you leave them alone for a minute and they are already fighting. Classic. Tao has half a mind to pocket the small book he’s holding, but stealing that particular object feels like stealing someone’s soul, and he can’t bring himself to do it. Maybe he’ll ask the shop owner for the price and will scrounge up the necessary funds to get the book in a couple of days. After he gets paid for the job, for example.
He makes his way to his colleagues, who are arguing over an exquisite looking teapot, covered in intricate gold patterns depicting folklore creatures. It’s a beautiful piece. It’s also fairly small and could be easily stored in Tang Xia’s bag, which is what she’s arguing about. Zou Chao wants to keep looking. At least they’ve switched to hushed tones, Tao thinks. It doesn’t seem very smart to fight loudly about which object to steal, in a store where you are supposed to go unnoticed.
Tang Xia is about to grab the teapot, and Zou Chao grabs her wrist to stop her. Bad idea. Tao could have told him that. She turns to him, furious, disengages her arm and promptly punches Zou Chao straight in the nose.
« Get your fucking hands off me you fucking bastard! »
Now, what she did not consider is that the punch would make Zou Chao take a step back and try to balance himself on the table behind him. He does so with quite a bit of momentum, and the beautiful ornate vase sitting on the table looses balance and falls to the floor in a sharp sound and shattered pieces.
« Ah. Shit » Xiang Tao mutters for himself.
He bends down to asses the damage, and in the few seconds he brushes the broken pieces of the vase, he misses the wide eyed stare Tang Xia and Zou Chao share. Really, it’s impressive how two people can have a silent conversation in so little time. Xiang Tao barely has the time to get back up that his two colleagues have bolted. He hears the chime of the front door ring, indicating that they are definitely out there. Well. They left him there with, from what he can hear, an incoming very angry shop owner, and not a single Yuan in his pocket.
Shit.
Xiang Tao stretches like a cat as he opens his eyes, and as soon as he notes his surroundings he immediately tenses back up. Right. Tang Xia. He went home with her yesterday. They had just finished a simple collection job (Tao hates collection jobs, he’s too bone skinny to be intimidating and he always has to throw a couple punches for people to take him seriously. He doesn’t like throwing punches.) and she propositioned (again. Because she likes it when he throws punches, because she’s a goddamned psychopath who thoroughly enjoys violence). « Propositioned » is a big word, considering she pushed him on the alley wall and shoved her tongue down his throat, but let’s not unpack that right now.
She’s definitely not his favourite lay in the Triad, but she did offer him dinner and he cannot say no to free food. He spends most of his allocation on his apartment, because he wanted something semi-livable and as far away from possible from the slums of the city, so he barely has a Yuan left for food at the end of the day. So what if he trades sex for a couple of meals? Sure he does not particularly feels proud of himself at the moment (but really, when does he?), but that will surely change once his belly is full.
If the downside of sleeping with Tang Xia is that she’s a crazy bitch, the upside is that she still has a family that cares about her. Let me explain : even though she thoroughly ignores her family and would love nothing more than for them to leave her alone, her mother still tries her very best to reach out. She does so in the way she knows best, which is to try to keep her daughter well fed and to deliver homemade meals to her on a regular basis. So sure, he feels like a slut. But there’s a lovingly made congee in the fridge that asks only to be heated up, so he can deal with that.
Tang Xia emerges from the bathroom as he thinks about the food, fully clothed and looking as disgusted as Tao feels at finding him in her bed. Surely, she would love it if he was the type to leave after the deed was done; but they both know that is not the implied deal they have.
Xiang Tao sits up in the bed, the sheets still providing him a little modesty.
« Goood morning Tang Xia~ I hope you had a great night of sleep! I couldn’t help but notice yesterday that you had such a well packed fridge! Your mum came by again? Man, I wish my mother took care of me like that. Of course, she doesn’t speak to me because dad would probably divorce her over it, but a guy can dream right? Anyway, how about you heat us something up for breakfast? You really tired me out yesterday after all, and -- »
She roughly grabs him by the chin, hard enough to leave bruises, and drags his head up so he looks straight into her eyes.
« Shut the fuck up Cockroach. Shit, thank god you’re such a pretty face. You’re so fucking annoying no one could stand you otherwise. »
Tang Xia shoves him back strongly enough that he falls back in the sheets, catching himself on his elbows, and turns around. Oof. No need to remind him that people hate his guts. He knows very well he’s neither particularly clever nor likeable. Don’t worry, he hates himself as much as the next guy. And he knows well enough that his best redeeming qualities are his sharp jaw, beautiful brown eyes and gorgeous smile.
He has half a mind to lay back down and maybe get some more sleep, but he catches the sound of the fridge opening and some pans being moved around. Ha! Maybe he is just eye-candy, but who is winning right now?
Xiang Tao pushes himself up and grabs his bag, by the bed. He always has his essentials in there, in case of impromptu one night stands. Really he’s almost grateful they nicknamed him Cockroach because otherwise they might have come up with The Triad’s Whore, and he’s not sure he could have taken that one as gracefully.
He cleans up and dresses quickly, and is startled by his phone vibrating.
Zou Chao (6:54): Sun’s Road. 10:30. With Tang Xia.
Ah, a new job already. And Zou Chao is counting on him to bring Tang Xia, probably more because he does not want to deal with her than because he knows they are together at the moment.
He’ll tell her after breakfast.
----
They arrive on Sun’s Road a little before their meeting time, because old habits die hard and Xiang Tao has been reminded his whole education that arriving early is the only acceptable option when meeting someone. It comes in somehow helpful, he supposes, since being respectful lowers the potential of beatings he gets in a Triad.
Zou Chao is waiting for them, and makes a face as he sees them arriving together. Or maybe it’s at the bruises and bite marks covering Tao’s neck and clavicle, revealed by his slightly oversized black t-shirt (try finding something your size when you are already genetically thin but also always on the brink of malnutrition). Surely, he has an idea what went on the previous night.
« Ha! Zou Chao says, didn’t know you fancied bugs, Xia. The cockroach, really? »
They immediately start arguing as she threatens to shatter his kneecaps and Tao can only find it in himself to roll his eyes and look away. It’s not like he never slept with Zou Chao.
The street is heavily packed with people, even this early in the day. The shops are opened since dawn and equally interested tourists and locals and buzzing around like flies, coming in and out of buildings, haggling at outdoors street-food shops and making small talk with owners they know. There’s a bao stall that, even though Tao had a proper breakfast for a change that day, makes his mouth water. The thought of biting in the soft dough, the warm, fatty taste of spicy pork that would burst on his tongue. Too bad he literally does not have a dime.
Not completely done with fighting, but ready to talk business, Zou Chao snaps his fingers in front of Tao’s face to catch his attention.
« Listen here, cockroach! The boss asked us for a very simple job. There’s a shop on this street he wants an item from. Any item, he says, it’s just a preliminary job, he wants to know if he’s got the right place. So we go in, grab something without getting caught and get out. That’s all. It’s important we are unnoticed since we’ll have to go back in the future. Do you think it’s something you can do without fucking up? »
In all honesty, Tao feels Zou Chao is being unfair. He might not be anything special but he is generally competent, even if clumsy. He only botched one job since joining the Triad, but it was his first one and shit like that tends to stick. He honestly should have died but somehow managed to escape the gang fight he more or less accidentally started, hence gaining his hated Cockroach nickname. Unkillabled they said. Well, so far it’s been true.
He merely nods his head (best to avoid defending himself as much as possible) and they make their way to the shop. It’s a fairly hidden door to the building, pretty unnoticeable if you don’t know where you are going. There’s a window, but it is completely blocked by items from inside the store. On the door, the message « Magic Items for Sale ».
« What a bunch of bullshit Tang Xia says, who would even believe that? »
« Old superstitious people, probably » says Xiang Tao
« Maybe they sell really famous artifacts, don’t you think? We could find the Banner of Six Souls maybe »
« How useful that would be! We could bring it back to the boss, they write the name of the heads of other triads on it and, bam! We are rid of them. If we see it, it’s what we’re snatching »
They keep listing famous legendary artifacts and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all while they enter. The group is greeted by a packed shop. Not packed with people, that is (for all they know, it’s practically empty), but there doesn’t seem to be an inch of free space. Tables are covered with fancy looking objects : teapots, vases and pots, some jewellery, etc. There’s cabinets all around that crowd the shop into some sort of maze.
The team soon finds themselves dividing to look around. They discussed previously having a tour of the shop before regrouping to decide on what to steal. Xiang Tao is almost immediately drawn to a full looking bookcase, filled with scrolls and old books. Sure, he doesn’t believe there is actually anything magical about that place, but to him, books have a magic of their own.
After all, he’s got a degree in language and literature. He wouldn’t have pursued that (and would have gone into politics as his father intended, following the family tradition) if he didn’t think words had power and magic. He loves reading. His tiny apartment is filled with novels and essays and, most importantly, poetry books. There is something about poems that stirs his soul. It seems like reading poetry is the easiest way to connect with another human. That’s not something that’s easy for Xiang Tao on the daily (everyone finds him annoying, after all), but when he reads a poem he can feel his heart soaring about the skies, reaching for a long-dead author somehow forever frozen in time.
He looks through a few books and looses track of time a little. He stops at a page that speaks to him more than others :
I'm saddened by the peonies before the steps, so red,
As evening came I found that only two remained.
Once morning's winds have blown, they surely won't survive,
At night I gaze by lamplight, to cherish the fading red.
As evening came I found that only two remained.
Once morning's winds have blown, they surely won't survive,
At night I gaze by lamplight, to cherish the fading red.
He feels it all : the sadness, the regret, the longing. The dread of looking at something beautiful that still exists, but you know will only for a moment. His fingers caress the page on their own mind, as if touching the words can somehow adsorb them into him. His eyes are closed for a moment, sitting in the melancholy of what is not yet dying, but is doomed to be.
« It’s not my fault you’re such a fucking dumbass! Just do as I say, I’ve got more seniority than you anyways! »
That’s Zou Chao, undoubtedly talking to Tang Xia. Figures: you leave them alone for a minute and they are already fighting. Classic. Tao has half a mind to pocket the small book he’s holding, but stealing that particular object feels like stealing someone’s soul, and he can’t bring himself to do it. Maybe he’ll ask the shop owner for the price and will scrounge up the necessary funds to get the book in a couple of days. After he gets paid for the job, for example.
He makes his way to his colleagues, who are arguing over an exquisite looking teapot, covered in intricate gold patterns depicting folklore creatures. It’s a beautiful piece. It’s also fairly small and could be easily stored in Tang Xia’s bag, which is what she’s arguing about. Zou Chao wants to keep looking. At least they’ve switched to hushed tones, Tao thinks. It doesn’t seem very smart to fight loudly about which object to steal, in a store where you are supposed to go unnoticed.
Tang Xia is about to grab the teapot, and Zou Chao grabs her wrist to stop her. Bad idea. Tao could have told him that. She turns to him, furious, disengages her arm and promptly punches Zou Chao straight in the nose.
« Get your fucking hands off me you fucking bastard! »
Now, what she did not consider is that the punch would make Zou Chao take a step back and try to balance himself on the table behind him. He does so with quite a bit of momentum, and the beautiful ornate vase sitting on the table looses balance and falls to the floor in a sharp sound and shattered pieces.
« Ah. Shit » Xiang Tao mutters for himself.
He bends down to asses the damage, and in the few seconds he brushes the broken pieces of the vase, he misses the wide eyed stare Tang Xia and Zou Chao share. Really, it’s impressive how two people can have a silent conversation in so little time. Xiang Tao barely has the time to get back up that his two colleagues have bolted. He hears the chime of the front door ring, indicating that they are definitely out there. Well. They left him there with, from what he can hear, an incoming very angry shop owner, and not a single Yuan in his pocket.
Shit.
[OOC : Alternate title : kiss kiss fall in love. Hope you get the joke, otherwise I still love you it’s fine lol.
Also! A bit of trivia cause I’m a nerd (lol). I did a little digging in Chinese poets to find a verse to use in here (as I suspect I will probably do in some future posts as well). The poem I chose is called Regret for Peony Flowers and is by Bai Juyi, a poet who lived during the Tang dynasty (around 800) and got himself exiled for criticizing the government. In the RP, I imagine the author is someone from the magical world, but his writing motivations might be similar. Also wooop I got carried away in the length here ooop hahaha]
Also! A bit of trivia cause I’m a nerd (lol). I did a little digging in Chinese poets to find a verse to use in here (as I suspect I will probably do in some future posts as well). The poem I chose is called Regret for Peony Flowers and is by Bai Juyi, a poet who lived during the Tang dynasty (around 800) and got himself exiled for criticizing the government. In the RP, I imagine the author is someone from the magical world, but his writing motivations might be similar. Also wooop I got carried away in the length here ooop hahaha]
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