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[bringingdowndisaster]

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[bringingdowndisaster]

Definitely more than someone his age should have.

He stays in the bath for a while, just soaking and enjoying the warmth. Once Xiao Xingchen leaves he also takes his glove off and lets his broken hand soak as well. It feels incredibly good for those aching joints...

Once done, he gets out of the tub and dries himself off with a towel. After putting his glove back on he returns to Xiao Xingchen, wearing only a towel around his waist.

[gentledawn]

Xingchen is only wearing his under-robe when Xue Yang returns. He smiles a little at the lack of clothes and pulls out a clean sleep robe for his friend.

"Put this on. It will keep you warmer than that towel." he holds out the robe so all Xue Yang has to do is slip his arms into the sleeves, "Do you mind sleeping by me? I can rest on the floor if it's a problem."

[bringingdowndisaster]

Well, he hadn't felt like getting back into his dirty clothes. He takes the sleep robe and lets Xiao Xingchen help him into it. He still doesn't trust the other man's kindness, but he may as well enjoy it for now.

Once the sleep robe is on and the towel discarded, he grabs his dirty ones and discreetly slips his dagger into the sleeve of the new robe. Better safe than sorry.

He then turns back to Xiao Xingchen. "It's fine. I don't mind."

[gentledawn]

He ties the robe around Xue Yang's waist and then tends to their fire, making sure it won't go out prematurely. If the other boy wants to keep a dagger on him, he doesn't blame him or question why. As it stands, Shuanghua is resting beside Xingchen's side of the bed.

"Then get under the covers. Tonight will be cold."

Something he is sure Xue Yang knows intimately.

[bringingdowndisaster]

"Mm, it's way worse when you have to sleep outside."

Xue Yang crawls into the bed and slides the dagger in under his pillow. He also casts a curious glance at Xiao Xingchen's sword. "Is that a spiritual sword?" he asks.

[gentledawn]

"I'm sure." he has had his fair share of sleeping outdoors, but never in the snow. He can't imagine sleeping a wink with every part feeling frozen!

Quietly, he joins Xue Yang in bed and pulls Shuanghua closer so the other boy can see.

"Yes. This is Shuanghua." he pulls the blade from its scabbard, "She goes with me everywhere."

[bringingdowndisaster]

It's a beautiful sword that definitely suits its wielder.

"'She'?" he asks, a little amused as his eyes trace over the characters inscribed on the sword. He's still learning how to read, so it takes him a moment to realize that it's the name of the sword.

[gentledawn]

"Mmhm. She is a frost flower." Xingchen nods happily, holding the blade so Xue Yang can take his time in reading the characters, "Have you ever noticed the patterns frost makes? That was the idea behind her."

[bringingdowndisaster]

"Can't say I ever thought about it before." It's a fitting name though. "Did you forge it yourself?" That's something Xue Yang would definitely be interested in learning...

[gentledawn]

"I did." he fits Shuanghua back into her scabbard and sets her beside the bed again, "That is one of the best parts of becoming a Cultivator. You can design your own sword."

[bringingdowndisaster]

"Really?" A bit of childish excitement creeps into Xue Yang's voice.

His only weapon is his dagger. It's nice and ornate, because he stole it from a rich man. The idea of creating his own, personal sword is extremely tempting. He's thought about it before and already has some design ideas in mind, but he hadn't been sure if that's something he'd ever be able to achieve.

Hope is a dangerous thing, but Xue Yang can't help but to feel it.

[gentledawn]

"Yes, really." Xingchen grins at the enthusiasm and lays back, resting his hands on his stomach, "Think about the design. It should suit your fighting style too."

Coming from the streets, he thinks Xue Yang must be quite...crafty. And clever. He rolls over onto his side, facing the other boy.

"Your sword is your partner. No matter what you face, you face it together."

[bringingdowndisaster]

"I have some ideas already," Xue Yang admits. A sword that looks dangerous, that will become known for the fear it instills in anyone who sees it...

"Can you fly on your sword?" he asks. "I've heard that some cultivators can do that."

[gentledawn]

"Yes. If you like, we can ride on it together tomorrow." Xingchen blinks sleepily, "It's a much faster method of travel than on foot. Unless you don't like heights."

Then it's just a much scarier - yet still faster - method of travel!

[bringingdowndisaster]

"I don't have any issues with heights." And now he's pretty damn excited about the thought of flying on a sword...

[gentledawn]

"Then we'll try it." Xingchen tucks the blanket around them, "I have a second cloak. That should keep you warm for the trip."

[bringingdowndisaster]

"Alright," he responds and yawns. He doesn't want to fall asleep before Xiao Xingchen, but he's slept badly the past couple of nights and it's definitely taken its toll.

[gentledawn]

Even that yawn is cute. Xingchen smiles softly and closes his eyes, hoping to give Xue Yang some sense of comfort. It's okay for him to let his guard down. They are protected by Shuanghua.

[bringingdowndisaster]

Xue Yang waits until Xiao Xingchen appears to have fallen asleep before he even closes his own eyes.

Once he does, he falls asleep pretty quickly.

[gentledawn]

In the morning, Xingchen wakes first and makes sure they have breakfast prepared. He then bathes and gets ready for the day, walking back into the bedroom in much the same state Xue Yang had been in the night before.

With just a towel to hide him.

[bringingdowndisaster]

Xue Yang isn't used to sleeping in a big bed, and ends up on his stomach, arms and legs sprawled out and taking up more space than he should.

When he wakes up it's just in time to see a freshly bathed Xiao Xingchen step into the room.

Shit, he must have slept like the dead to not wake up earlier. He feels for the dagger under his pillow, reassured when he touches the hilt.

He then sits up and runs a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Morning."

[gentledawn]

At least one of those limbs had ended up on Xingchen - much to his amusement when he woke. But he is much too accustomed to rising early to stay in bed, though he tried to be as quiet as possible. He isn't expecting Xue Yang to be awake when he returns from the bath and his cheeks pink immediately.

"...good morning." he ducks towards the armoire and pulls out his robes, dropping the towel when he is certain he won't be flashing his friend.

[bringingdowndisaster]

Xue Yang yawns and rubs sleep from his eyes. He does feel well-rested for once. No uncomfortable soreness or bodily fluids drying on his skin, which is a nice change.

He gets out of the bed, though not before sliding his dagger back into the sleeve of the sleep robe. He decides to use it as a new inner robe since his own is dirty. His outer robe is as well, but this way he won't need to have it directly against his skin. He puts his outer robe back on and ties it closed.

He has his own comb, though it's quality is not as good as the one that Xiao Xingchen had used. It doesn't matter. He swiftly combs through his hair and then ties it back up with his ribbon.

[gentledawn]

He won't have to ever experience that again if Xingchen has his way. If any man approached Xue Yang for those services, he would draw Shuanghua immediately. His friend is his to protect.

Once he is suitably dressed, he returns to Xue Yang and smiles. He really can't help it. The other has such a cute, mischievous face!

"Are you ready to fly?" he motions to their breakfast, "Eat and then we can be on our way. Oh... Which reminds me..."

Xingchen reaches into his pouch and produces two cloaks. Warm cloaks. He wraps one of them around his friend's shoulders.

"The wind can be cold."

[bringingdowndisaster]

Xue Yang takes the cloak, running his fingers over the material. It's better quality than anything he's ever owned before, and it's not even that fancy. It makes him a little angry for a moment, but not at Xiao Xingchen. He's just kind of... mad at the world. He puts the cloak on without a word and seats himself at the table to eat. He's never going to turn down a meal - especially when it's free.

As he eats something occurs to him. "Hey, Xiao Xingchen... can we get some sweets at the market before we leave?"

He hasn't been able to get some for a while. The candy stand vendors around are especially wary of him since he's stolen from them a lot, which has made it a little more difficult to get away with it. Especially lately. So he hasn't been able to have any. He suspects that he can easily get Xiao Xingchen to pay for some sweets. The man is clearly too nice for his own good.