coineater | Labyrinthum Inbox.

[The dismissal, meant to walk them back from Cat's sardonicism, only earns an unamused snort and a grumble, and the follow-up doesn't help any. At least that part isn't Fang Duobing's fault. Cat puts his mug down with a loud clunk in front of him next, a nonverbal demand for drink, despite his claims. He might not be keen on alcohol, but sometimes...! Huff. Maybe it will help, as part of the vent, or whatever this is supposed to be. Cat just wanted the watermelon he'd thought he was going to miss out on.

He takes another few bites of the pastry to give himself time to think, not that it gives him any more friendly words to say than what had been running around his thoughts periodically. He doubts that talking it out will do him any good, but at the same time, he's tired of keeping it inside since Li Lianhua excused himself from the conversation.]

I'm sick of him. He doesn't understand anything. [Frowning, eyes narrowed in frustration, he mumbles,] He always pretends like nothing's wrong -- until he thinks you are. Then he can't leave well enough alone.

[The aggressive(?) signal for a filled cup is met with an amused snort. So much for him being the one to drink the most of this... Not that he expected that to be the case. The drink is for Cat, to help him express what needs to be said, rather than curling away with it. He knows from watching Li Lianhua that doing that helps no one.]

[He pours the wine into Cat's cup first and then his own, listening as he does and trying to parse what he's hearing into something that he can understand. He's here to listen first and foremost, but that doesn't mean he can't help if there's something helpful to say.]

[It's just-- He doesn't know what that something is just yet. It sounds just vague enough to be any number of things, and listening to someone air their grief about Li Lianhua is harder than he anticipated.]

[But Cat is something like a friend as well, so he resists the urge to explain away the grievances and picks through his words carefully.]

He does like to involve himself. Or un-involve himself, when it suits him. ...What is it that he can't leave alone this time?

[There's a strange pang in his heart giving him pause, so he occupies himself with the watermelon this time while he tries to untangle that mess. Really, it's no wonder he doesn't want to share. Firstly because sharing has never come naturally to him, and secondly because...once he does, none of this will be his. Fang Duobing might lean into this cultivation business and tell Cat to wait, but more likely than that, the only thing he'll hear Li Lianhua blocking a cure. Di Feisheng assumed that objecting to Blue's aid was all to do with that, lacking the context. He wonders if Li Lianhua believes he thinks the same thing, rather than him just...quite simply being out of options.

Juice drips down his fingers, sticking up the grooves where they met together and reminding him that he can't just sit there forever, mulling over what he should say and the risks involved. If worse comes to worst, all that's different is that Fang Duobing will be kicked from his house, too. It wasn't like he was that interested in the fun antagonizing they did, or grateful that the man had made him outlandish promises with -- as far as he could tell -- every intention of holding true to them. He'll be busy cleaning up so that things aren't sticky forever and enticing ants, anyway!

Cat sets the melon rind down, replacing it grumpily with the cup. There's more red on it that he'd like, he can see now that it's more in his peripherals...]

My health.

[Cat mumbles the answer into the mug more than anything so that he can swallow his bitterness along with the alcohol. How successful that endeavor is is...questionable, as shown by the way his face scrunches from moody, angry teen with a bone to pick to startled disgust. The flavor is far better than what he'd had the last time he was out drinking with Fang Duobing, but it still leaves so much to be desired. Any intention of extrapolating is gone.]

Really! Why do you do this? You can't tell me you like it truthfully.

[Bleh!!!]

[He can see the way that Cat struggles with the question, when he's not hidden behind a mask or that device's little screen. Whatever it is... It's really troubling him, and not in a way where he's simply angry. Anger by itself is easy, and it loosens tongues just as quickly as the wine they've got in their cups. But when there's pain behind the anger, that makes it harder to speak the words out. Makes it easier to curl around them, like cradling a wound.]

[It wasn't so long ago that he'd had the same trouble; so he knows not to rush, knows to sit and wait patiently for something to shake free.]

What does--

[He starts to follow up on that crack in the wall that Cat lets him see through--only to get cut short by the unexpected outburst, startled into sitting up a little straighter, and then giving the other boy a skeptical look.]

Why wouldn't I tell you that? It's not the best quality, but it's fine enough for a few drinks. You don't have to complain that much about it.

[He reiterates his bleh! by taking another sip and making a new face, tongue included now for extra effect. However, it'll quickly become obvious that it's an exaggeration this time, with the mischievous glint in his eye and little curve at the corners of his mouth. Let him indulge in this play while he knows he can...]

Sure, it's hardly as bad as what they gave us at that tavern. [He can admit that much.] I mean drinking in the first place. Things would taste better without the alcohol part.

[Fang Duobing rolls his eyes at the mischief, clicking his tongue in what should be a scolding noise but lacks any real bite to it. If anything, it's hard to pretend to be unaffected when fighting some small amusement himself, once he realizes the humor of it. What a silly cat... He shakes his head in a gesture closer to fondness than dismay and gestures to the cup.]

You just don't have a taste for it yet. Give it some time.

[If they keep drinking together like this, he'll get there. Probably.]

[...Anyway, Fang Duobing seems to refocus on the matter again, losing some of the humor from a moment ago. Even this bout of teasing can't distract him from the purpose of his visit.]

What was it you were saying, about your health?

Hmph.

[Cat smirks into the rim of his mug, wondering what makes Fang Duobing so confident. Their outing before had been surprisingly fun, sure, but something like this wasn't something he exactly wants a repeat of, and he's sure they can have plenty fun without, should they hang out on their own some more. He almost...wants to take it as a challenge. But that would be as stupid as drinking too much would make him.

His stalling tactic didn't last very long, but even the brief interruption has him feeling more relaxed going back into the less pleasant topic.]

I found a way to get some real medicine for my disease! I've been making do with what a friend of mine gets me to manage the symptoms so far, but that's all the good it did.

[Not that it wasn't a lot of good, or that he wasn't tremendously grateful to Blue for her help. He's not sure ~~yet~~ just how poorly he'd be doing without it, but given how hard it is to force his body out of bed to take his medicine some days, he knows it wouldn't be a good time.]

Li Lianhua thinks it'll be a waste of my time. Tch... As if he gets any right to talk.

[god, wine is gross. come here, cheese danish...]

[Having a cure for his illness is certainly good news to hear, and Fang Duobing lifts his brows appreciatively at that. He knows how much it troubles Cat, and how much of a relief it must be to have a way forward. He thinks he understands how important that is, even without knowing the full picture.]

[It's abundantly clear why Cat's so up in arms about it, but even so...]

I'm glad you've found better medicine, I'll be looking forward to seeing you improve.

I'll be honest, though... It doesn't sound like something Li Lianhua would say. He definitely cares about you; he wouldn't tell you that getting better is a waste of time anymore than I would.

...Yeah. I know.

[His voice is quieter, this time. It's easier to ignore that part, because that's what makes it hurt.]

He doesn't think it will work. [ -- Tch.] Told me to think about what my sister might say about it to slow me down. You know, though.

[Cat turns to look at him, and his eyes are a touch more glassy than they were before.]

You know how she would want to try everything for me.

[Try as he might, Fang Duobing still can't imagine Li Lianhua discouraging this attempt to find a cure for Cat. Even if it didn't work, wouldn't it be better to let him try, rather than throw doubt on the fire?...]

[He would believe it more readily if the cure was for Li Lianhua himself, but not for Cat. But the way the other boy looks to him now... He sets his uncertainty aside for the moment.]

I would believe it. Who wouldn't want someone they care about to recover? Even I want you to try everything you can.

[And he's only a friend, not anything so close or dear as a sister. There's no doubt in his mind that this person Cat cherishes would go to the ends of the earth for him.]

... I'm sure it's only a misunderstanding. It's not as if he hasn't been in a similar place before.

[The memory of that time still stings a little, the old frustrations rising up. But he can't change what was done. He can only learn from it and move forward.]

We had a one-of-a-kind cure for him as well, you know. But he gave it away. He said there was only a small chance it would work on him, while it was certain to cure someone else who needed it.

...He worries about things like that, even when the rest of us want to be hopeful; and seeing things from our perspective is... difficult for him, I think.

Edited 2025-01-27 02:41 (UTC)

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