Moth and Moon

Tree Peony

Two visitors in one night? What were the astronomical chances of that occurring? Xie Lian stood, and instinctively made sure that his body was blocking San Lang as he went to the door. He prepared himself and placed a hand onto the cold door-handle. Before he opened it, he felt the soft touch of a hand resting on his shoulder, and he looked back to see San Lang standing behind him supportively, his expression warm.

Feeling more sure of himself, Xie Lian opened the door. Once again, cold air swept into the house, and snow started to blow inside. The storm had really picked up, and was quickly turning into a blizzard.

A broad-shouldered man stood there, cutting an imposing figure in the darkness. The firelight cast him in orange, and his maroon-and-gold cloak flapped in the icy wind. Xie Lian found his face oddly familiar, like something from a half-remembered dream. The man's stern features softened when he laid his gaze on Xie Lian, dark eyes flickering, but he swallowed and his face hardened again. He began to speak, his voice having a soldier's intonation.

“I am Nan Feng of the Nan Yang Zhen Jun Guild.” Another hunter, then. Xie Lian noticed the guild pin on his cloak, round and gold like the sun, matching the golden pauldrons on his shoulders. Nan Feng’s hawk eyes scanned the room, landing first on San Lang, then on Fu Yao. His furrowed brows deepened with each new person he saw. “You!” he exclaimed, before Xie Lian even had the chance to introduce himself.

Fu Yao folded his arms and laughed dryly. “This territory is in my guild’s hunting domain, so whatever are you doing here?”

Nan Feng frowned in anger. “My guild never agreed to those boundaries, yet you expect us to adhere to them?” he demanded.

Fu Yao smiled, cat-like. “Even if we had come to a mutual agreement, your guild has never been one to respect the rules, has it?” he replied coolly.

Nan Feng’s nostrils flared. “How dare you!”

“Please, please,” Xie Lian said meekly, waving his hands. “Let’s discuss this inside.” The temperature in his cottage had dropped dramatically- he couldn’t afford to waste heat like this! If this new guest turned out to have malicious intentions then he could handle that, but what he could not handle was a snowstorm inside his house!

Xie Lian watched carefully as Nan Feng crossed the threshold, his heavy boots clunking. He didn’t detect any harmful intent from him, but he would still remain cautious. Nan Feng tracked in chunks of packed snow, and Xie Lian prayed that the cold would not kill the moss floor.

On the way to the table, Xie Lian felt Nan Feng’s eyes looking at him. He turned, and caught him staring at his back. In Nan Feng’s momentarily unguarded face was a sort of complicated shock and sadness, but when he realized that Xie Lian had noticed him gawking at his back, he quickly regained his neutral expression. What was that about? Could it be… that Nan Feng somehow knew he was a fairy, and was wondering where his wings were? Suddenly, Xie Lian felt self-conscious.

San Lang and Xie Lian sat down beside each other, and Nan Feng took a begrudging seat next to Fu Yao, his armor clinking as he settled. His folded arms and defensive posture mirrored Fu Yao’s. The atmosphere between the two was stiflingly hostile, and it wasn’t difficult for Xie Lian to infer that the guilds they were members of had been feuding for some time. He certainly hoped that a battle wouldn’t break out inside his cottage.

“I am Xie Lian, and this is San Lang. I'm assuming that you already know Fu Yao."

At this, Nan Feng's jaw clenched. "We are... acquainted, yes."

"We were just discussing the mysterious disappearances that have been happening in the area lately. Are you here for the same reason?” Xie Lian asked, wanting to get straight to the point. There wasn’t any use in dancing around.