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[cigsandbeer]

"Too bad; I'm busy with some shit. I'm only calling you back if you're a pretty woman ♥"

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[cigsandbeer]

[Fine, miss out on Gojyo gregariously offering you one, in the spirit of... tolerating each other.

Gojyo shrugs, and turns his attention back to the controls. He mutters a few curses before finally--]

Okay, think that should be right.

[The simulation they enter isn't anything fancy: a riverbank on the outskirts of Chang'an. The weed and reeds grow high; it's clearly not a well-maintained area, but it's summer, birds are singing, the river babbles.

Stepping inside, Gojyo takes another drag of his cigarette as he shoots Jedao a questioning look. What's this about, then?]

[deuceoftears]

Jedao loves anything with a sky; he loves moving water, and the strange profusion of little moving things he can feel in a real ecosystem; he breathes in deep, tasting the air of a place that hasn't been filtered a million times. For a few moments, his expression is all soft delight and awe.

"I'm organizing a party in a few weeks. Kind of a family party? I want you to come."

[cigsandbeer]

In an awful moment of sameness, Gojyo also takes a moment to take in the view. It's been a while since he's visited this place, years even. Moving water... has always been soothing. The sound and the sight of it helps to block out thoughts you don't want to think.

"Yeah?"

Why?

[deuceoftears]

"Well, you're family."

Obviously.

"Have you met Edwin, yet?"

Jedao starts exploring in the rushes. He wants to pick up a frog, maybe.

[cigsandbeer]

Obviously, he says. Gojyo, meanwhile, squats by the riverside.

"The kid asking about kissing? Nah, not really?"

[deuceoftears]

"Well, I adopted him. So he's my son, and that makes him Hakkai's too, more or less. And you've met Xie Lian, I hope?"

There's a little splash as the first amphibian evades him.

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo glances over, and once he realises what Jedao was trying to do:

"They have damn good hearing." Despite having no visible ears. He doesn't know how that works. "Shut up and move slowly and it'll be easier to catch one."

...It's not like Gojyo had a lot of actual toys as a kid, or friends to play with.

"Look, I don't really care who's gonna be there. What's the occasion?"

[deuceoftears]

"We're writing Edwin's name and mine in Xie Lian's family book, now that I've married in."

To Hakkai, who is Xie Lian's.

"Me and Edwin...we both never expected to have any kind of family at all. So it'd be nice if his uncle was there. Plus, good food."

[cigsandbeer]

"What the-- I'm expected to--

"You're expecteding me to accept to be someone's uncle just like that??

[deuceoftears]

"I don't know you well enough to guess how quick you'd accept it," Jedao admits mildly. "But I think you'd be a good one."

[cigsandbeer]

"Fuck off."

Gojyo would make for a shit any family member.

"Does the kid want some random guy he's never met at this thing?"

[deuceoftears]

"He has been shyly delighted almost to the point of overwhelmed happy tears at the idea of anyone wanting to be family with him, every single time," Jedao tells him, dryly and yet warmly, too. "Even Yunlan, whom he did have...not dislike, but some wariness of, before."

He idly trails his fingers through the water, scares away some of the minnows, watches them flicker and dart away.

"I think it would mean almost as much to him as it would to Hakkai. But you can meet him first, if you'd rather, and make sure."

1/2

[cigsandbeer]

...Oh. It's... that kind of situation, for that kid, is it. Gojyo's eyes widen, and you can practically see how that immediately makes him fold.

"I--"

[cigsandbeer]

He runs a hand through his hair, awkward.

"Fucking troublesome... Sure, fine. It'd be weird not to meet at least once beforehand.

Hakkai knows you're inviting me?"

He's not showing up if doing so will be a surprise to Hakkai, sad lonely kid or no.

[deuceoftears]

"I promise he'll be informed," Jedao swears, beaming at him a little.

He suspects he's going to get very well-laid about it when he brings home the good news, in fact.

[cigsandbeer]

"This his idea or yours?

The invitation."

Not the party itself. He kind of hates the idea that this was all Jedao's initiative.

[deuceoftears]

"It was a joint discussion. He wants you there real bad. But he was scared of shoving his foot in his mouth again, I think, plus this one is more my thing to organize, so."

Jedao's the one who asked.

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo groans like the most put-upon person in the world. It's not like he's thrilled to be counting Jedao as family, but then it's not like he can just pretend like he doesn't exist if he wants to stay friends with Hakkai. It's just fucking annoying how Jedao's turning into the sane mediator between Hakkai and Gojyo.

"Fine, fine, I'll be there as long as the kid okays it."

surprise 2/2

[cigsandbeer]

--Oh, actually. Speaking of not needing a sane mediator:

"I won't be ruining any surprises if I just go up to him like 'yo, about the upcoming family book party'?"

Re: surprise 2/2

[deuceoftears]

Jedao grins some more, ducking his head a little.

And yes, that is the solution to him playing go-between.

"No, that'd be just fine."

Re: surprise 2/2

[cigsandbeer]

"'Kay."

Gojyo looks out over the water again, taking long drags of his cigarette. Part of him maybe feels slightly... embarrassed? bad? over Jedao having to run interference between two supposed best friends like they're five year olds, but he also doesn't quite have it in him to apologise for it.

Re: surprise 2/2

[deuceoftears]

Jedao is quiet for a little while, taking Gojyo's advice. After a short lull, he whoops softly, a little frog caught gently between his cupped hands. He turns to Gojyo excitedly.

"Got one!"

Re: surprise 2/2

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo snorts.

"Fucking congrats. What, don't kids go frog-catching where you're from?"

His tone isn't mocking; more amused at the sheer excitement.

Re: surprise 2/2

[deuceoftears]

He shakes his head, answering in earnest.

"The Citadel only had cats. And before that, on my ship, there weren't any animals at all. I've seen some different kinds in ports now, but...they're so small."

He opens his hands and the frog ribbits tentatively a few times, then hop-flops out of his hands to splash back into the water, an ungainly lurching movement that makes Jedao laugh in delight.

Re: surprise 2/2

[cigsandbeer]

"How the fuck does that work, not even seen like, birds and stuff even on a--"

Nevermind that it'd be bonkers to raise a child from infancy out at sea. ...No, wait. He points a finger up at the sky.

"You like that Abel guy? Living on a space ship?"