It was the fifth day of the fifth month, a mere two days off from the official beginning of the peace talks, and Persimmon was anxious. True, the level of his anxiety fell well short of his peak capacity – that lone mountaintop was home to those frantic first few weeks after the original breach, where he was halfway convinced that stinking mud would swallow the entire world – but it was still noteworthy. He was an Elder, and not a young one; any event that could inspire so much as a drop of the emotion was something special.
And so, in order to manage that anxiety… He was taking a break. All the useful tasks he could accomplish were accomplished, and any further interactions he had with the array managers would just be pointless micromanaging. He sat in his spacious abode and sipped tea, quietly tinkering with an array. He wasn’t aiming for any effect in particular, just building it up one form at a time through stream of consciousness, moving on instinct. It was soothing, the mental equivalent to floating motionless on the surface of a pool.
[Elder.]
The tiny sliver of himself he had kept connected to his senses sighed as the voice of a servant echoed in its head, carried in by the communication formation he gave to each of his underlings. So much for maximising my last chance at relaxation. [Yes?]
[A disciple named Lu wishes to speak with you. He is from the outer sect; shall I send him away?]
Lu? Ah, I suppose I should have expected this. [No. Bring him up.]
His servant gave the mental equivalent of a deep bow, and retracted his consciousness. Persimmon continued to build the array for a minute, pausing only when the servant opened the door to his study. As the guest was shown in, the various pieces of his mind he had partitioned off snapped back together. He turned slightly, acknowledging Lu with a flare of sense.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Elder Persimmon.” The man bowed, and Persimmon took a fraction of a second to evaluate his appearance.
He was mildly surprised; given the situation and what he knew of the man’s personality, he had expected him to be a mass of worries, hastily papered over with gaudy makeup. That didn’t seem to be the case. Yes, the man looked slightly haggard – but there was a steel in his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time they had spoken. I thought he had come to me to withdraw himself from the mission, but it seems I underestimated his resolve. But why, then, is he here?
“Disciple Lu. You seem well; I’m quite pleased. Not many could pull themselves up from what you’ve experienced.”
His cheeks coloured. “Thank you, Elder. Of course, I would not be where I am without…” The hardness, which had been chased away by the blush, returned. “A lot of help, from a lot of people.”
“Quite.” Persimmon gestured, and a second cup of tea poured itself. “But I assume this is more than a social call. How have your dreams been?”
The young man took the cup as it hovered in front of him. “Nothing out of the ordinary, Elder. Either it was an isolated incident, or your formation is working as intended.” He sipped. “No, I came to speak to you because of a strange interaction I had with another disciple. Are you familiar with one Tai Sho, of the core sect?”
A splinter broke off, collating every relevant scrap of information between one breath and the next. Persimmon’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Tai Sho. Hmm.” A moment passed. “Disciple Lu, I will not mince words; that man is dangerous. You would do well to stay clear of him.”
His eyes widened. “Truly? I’m glad I spoke to you first, then. To think that such a gentlemanly looking person…” He trailed off. “Well, I will certainly refuse his summons from now on. Thank you for the advice, Elder.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
A shard broke in, asking for more information. “What interactions have you had with him? Did he approach you?”
Lu seemed alarmed at the hard tone of the Elder’s words. “We spoke in the administrative wing? He was trying to- I believe he was trying to coerce the secretary on duty to tell him where Bull had gone. He noticed me and recalled my friendship, and asked me as well.”
His mind had fractured completely again, pulling bits of memory into shining constellations. Yes, the administrative disciples sent up a complaint. I’ll have to speak to Seventh Wheel about- No, the expedition was in two days, trying anything now would be pointless- We should have expelled him, what he did was completely obvious- Guanyin obviously wished to keep it quiet- He would have just disappeared, nothing would have surfaced-
Persimmon let his thoughts chase themselves in circles in a small corner of his mind. “Tai Sho and Bu Guanyin have a history with one another. It is… Of a personal nature, so I will not disclose the particulars, but suffice to say that he was kept in the dark for good reasons. Please, do not trouble yourself with that man.”
“Of course, Elder, of course. But, ah, I did just the slightest about of digging, before I visited you… He is part of the diplomatic mission, isn’t he?”
“He is. You will simply have to avoid him.”
The man looked conflicted. “Thank you, Elder. I’ll do my best to heed your warning.”
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Obviously, there were certain things that couldn’t be said without breaking propriety, even if one was an Elder. But as Lu exited Persimmon’s mountainside manor, he felt he had a fair understanding of the situation.
Bull and this mysterious senior were… In a relationship! Yes, and then Tai Sho did something terrible, which severed their connection forever, something distasteful enough that the entire inner sect thinks poorly of him. That would explain why he wasn’t being told anything about the kidnapping, despite being part of the diplomatic mission. But he must still harbour a spark of desire – that’s why he’s desperate. He wants to rescue Bull, and rekindle his heart’s flame!
Lu made his way across the courtyard, nodding to himself. Yes, it’s all fairly obvious now. The only question at this point is, what do I do? Obviously, he couldn’t obey the Elder to the letter; this was a core disciple, who he would be working under for a sensitive and important mission, and whose eye he had already drawn. Avoiding him was completely impossible.
So, is my only option to..? No, he didn’t need – or want – to do exactly what Tai Sho instructed, either. Just walking into his den? Madness! And even if he's completely sincere, and nothing untoward happens – being seen entering or exiting a known, ah, confirmed bachelor's rooms? My reputation would be- people would assume-! No, I can't even bear to think it! There must be a compromise. If I meet him somewhere he can’t complain about, but where we’re not alone, that would be best… Lu’s pensive look melted into a tense smile as he made his way back to the outer sect.
Yes, I think I might just be able to turn this to my advantage.
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Apologies, senior, but events are conspiring to take up the entirety of my time.
I’m sure you know what I mean, since you’re part of the party as well.
I don’t believe we’ll be able to meet in private until well after the point it would be useful.
But if I might offer a solution – please meet me in the new training grounds tomorrow before noon.
Yes, the terrible public one, sorry.
There will be people there, but they are all in the know. They might even know things I don’t!
Again, I must apologise; I would really prefer to do things as we planned, but there aren’t enough hours in the day.
I hope to see you there tomorrow,
- Lu, humble disciple of the Steadfast Heart
Tai Sho read the note a second time. It seemed that today, like every day for the last several months, would be bereft of satisfaction. The paper disappeared into ash between his fingers.
Just as I thought I had a promising lead… This was obviously a provocation, completely insincere; most likely one of his master’s rivals had put the boy out as bait. But…
The ashes recoalesced, becoming smooth, bleached and gilded paper once more. If this is a provocation, then consider me provoked. Master Seventh Wheel would admonish him afterwards, but he wasn’t going to give up so close to the finish line.
The man was associated with Bull, years of rumour couldn’t be faked. He would talk, one way or the other.