Chapter 34- Many Ways to Show You Care

Entering the house posed a brief dilemma, confronted and resolved in complete silence. They had their bedrooms, plural, but did their new status as dao companions change their sleeping arrangements? And on an entirely related point, both of them slept in beds just big enough to fit their bodies alone. How would they share a bed? And if they weren’t going to be getting physical, why would they share a bed?

“Though Liren is really warm. Being held by her was nice. I think I would very much like to do that again. I wonder what it would be like to hold her?” Tian thought. Then shook his head. He and Liren shared a wry look, and went to their respective rooms.

Nothing had changed, except in some indefinable way, everything had. Tian worried at the feeling, picking at it, trying to decide how he felt about all this. Happy, mostly. Worried, confused, excited, his heart seemed to blaze with joy, but he still didn’t understand what he was supposed to do. He had been utterly disinterested in romance, and his instincts weren’t being much help.

He just really liked Liren. She was his best friend, and something more than a friend, and he didn’t want a life without her. So… what? What does a humble little daoist do with that?

He stared up at the ceiling and stroked his chin. He wasn’t without any leads. She mentioned matching bangles. That sounded nice. And learning a special song on the flute just for her. That sounded nice too. There was the minor problem of not having any money, but it really was a minor problem. There was a whole magic mountain right here. There would be jades or other precious stones around somewhere. He even had a guide book on where to look for them. Then he could try to figure out a song as he went. Perfect!

Tian smiled, and snuggled into his cot. All things considered, it had been a very good day, and full of excitement. He would sleep well, and begin a new adventure tomorrow.

Morning came, and with it, silly questions.

“What do you mean you are running off?! Did you think I was joking about breaking your legs if you did that?” Liren was being unreasonable and excessively dramatic, in Tian’s humble opinion.

“I’m not running off. I’m not even going alone. I’m taking the crane with me.”

“To go run around the mountain.”

“Yes.”

“Looking for…”

“Shiny rocks.”

Liren looked at him for a while longer, then muttered “They must have frog brains in the hospital. Maybe I can have you prescribed some.”

Tian shrugged. “I don’t have a steady job, and I’m not planning on being gone for more than a couple of days. Maybe even less. It would defeat the purpose if I dragged you along with me. So. You know. Off I go.”

She slapped a hand to her forehead. “This is because I said I wanted you to make a fuss and court me, isn’t it.”

“It is, yes.” Tian nodded.

“Zihao-”

“I also decided it was a good idea, though, which is why I’m doing it. I don’t know how any of this works, Liren, and honestly, most of my brothers have relationships that ended miserably. I’m kind of lacking good examples to imitate here. All the great lovers in my books wind up stabbed to death or poisoned or with three hundred women building bunk beds in their harem or whatever, none of which sounds like anything I want.”

He spread his hands helplessly. “The right way is to bring you shiny things. Okay, that makes sense, I’ve seen birds do that and you are part sparrow so this all adds up. I have a plan now, and behavior to imitate. So it’s all good, and off I go.”

She slowly blinked at him. “It’s a family legend. It’s a story passed down from the ancestors. I shouldn’t have to explain that I am not actually a bird.”

“Dunno, when you were younger, you thought you were a swan. Looking back on it, I may have judged you too harshly. After all, what is the point of having ancestors if they don’t communicate completely accurate, useful information?” Tian nodded wisely. “Anyway, I’ll just pop up to the Monastery, let the Mission Hall know I’m heading out, and then be on my way.”

“This isn’t because I wanted you to make a fuss. This is because I called you a delicate beauty, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Oh Ancestors, it is.”

“Now you believe your ancestors.” Tian shook his head and tsked. Then smiled. “Hey, Liren? Truthfully? I want to do this because it gives me something I can do. I’m not mad, or scared, or frustrated, or angry. I just want to do it because it will make you happy. That really seems like the best thing in the world, right now. And it won’t be the same if you come with me. So, please?”

She slumped. “That’s just cheating. You know I wouldn’t ever actually break your legs. It’s a figure of speech.”

“It’s not a very nice one. But… if you were the sort of person who would hit me, you wouldn’t be the person I want to spend eternity with. And you are.”

Tian found the climb up to the Monastery unusually easy. Maybe it was the body reforging or the extra yang, or the unbearable might of a complete left hand. Whatever it was, it saw him leaping up the mountain like a white haired ape, moving from rock to rock with casual fearlessness and an air of utter ease. He felt strong. Maybe the sun was shining particularly pleasingly today.

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“Or it could be that Liren likes me the way I like her. I have no idea what our relationship is going to be like, but she likes me the way I like her and that is awesome!”

It was a brief moment to check in with the Mission Hall, just to let them know he was heading out of the Monastery (a very broadly defined concept these days) to go look for shiny rocks.

“Shiny? As a gift?”

“Yes.”

“Then you will want a pickaxe. And perhaps some chisels, sledge hammers, a long iron pry bar, and iron wedges. ”