young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

[The change in atmosphere doesn't go unnoticed. Lu Meng even straightens up to attention, his focus completely on Wang Yao. Again, he feels that pull towards the man, something that has puzzled him all this time.

His trust and loyalty is not so easily gained, and yet whenever it came to Wang Yao, Lu Meng found himself willing to throw his all into endeavours with Wang Yao. The preparations for New Years had been quite tiring and he'd taken on additional work to make sure that all went well, but Lu Meng had ignored the fatigue, driven to pull off the best New Year's celebrations in his life.

And it was partially because he wanted it to succeed...and puzzling enough, partially because he wanted to fulfill Wang Yao's expectations and goals.

Tonight, maybe they'll settle this question once and for all.]

You have my full attention and my full discretion in this matter, Master Wang Yao.

[Yao opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, but no sound ever comes out, making him look like a fish out of water. He's just not sure how to explain his true identity to Lu Meng, even though he's one of his citizens. Eventually, he's able to speak coherently.]

You of all people are aware that it is our custom to give courtesy names to those who have reached adulthood, but I have no courtesy name. Though... I suppose Wang Yao could be considered a courtesy name since I discovered who I truly was when I received that name, even though I was a child at the time. [A small pause.] That is the name the humans gave me after they found me.

[Note how he specified "humans."]

[Welp.

Lu Meng's quiet, his gaze never wavering away. By right he should be on edge, but that sense of trust and faith in Wang Yao? It's only gotten stronger.]

Then...if I can be so blunt. What are you, Master Wang Yao?

[Yao doesn't answer that question right away. Instead, he turns to face the smoldering remnants of the stall, looking at Lu Meng from over his shoulder.]

Before I answer that question, allow me to show you something first.

[Turning his gaze back to the pile, he kneels down, and places one hand on the remains. He grits his teeth and hisses in pain as he feels the heat burn his palm. After a few seconds, he withdraws his hand and shows it to Lu Meng. It's only a first degree burn, but the skin is looks red and angry. But then the redness begins to shrink away as Yao's self-healing powers come into play. Soon his hand is back to normal with the exception of a tiny burn below his thumb, on his palm. The skin that was healed looks as though it was never marred at all.]

Master Wang Yao!

[Lu Meng starts towards him the moment he sees Wang Yao's hand moving towards the burnt wood and metal. What is he thinking, how does this prove anyth--

--...oh.

He stops in his tracks, staring as the skin mends itself. When all that's left is that tiny burn, Lu Meng looks up sharply back to Yao's face, openly in shock and awe at what he's just seen.]

Are you a god? [That's the first thing that pops into his mouth and his mind, because hey, Yao wouldn't be the first god he's met here.

No, I am not a god. [Yao shakes his head.] I am more like a "guardian" or a "land spirit," as some have called me and my kind, except I am not a ghost. I am quite real.

[He rises to his feet. There's a nice, soothing warmth coming from Yao, because although he may be nervous, it also feels kind of relieving to lighten the burden of his secret, especially if it was his own citizen.]

The reason people would call me a land spirit is because I am China. I am the personification of our land.

[He then takes the time to examine is hand, but is surprised to see the tiny burn left behind.]

How strange... My powers must have been weakened when I arrived here, because back home something like this would heal completely.

[Oh well, at least it wasn't a serious injury. He'll just apply some aloe to it for the next couple of days and it will heal in time. And now he knows he should exercise even more caution if faced with danger.]

IC Inbox: Empatheias

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