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When standing in the face of sacrifice, Lord Shen tried his hardest to follow through with his plans, and get rid of his opponents. Whoever stood in his way were nothing more than objects, obstacles that could easily be tossed away and replaced. However, some things can't be replaced.
Lord Shen tried to make a dangerous choice.
He couldn't follow through.
Bao isn't that much of a light sleeper, not really. There were few sounds that would wake him, and he'd learned to block out the sounds of fireworks long ago, which made him a bit worse at his job of keeping Lord Shen safe. More often than not, he'd find himself nudged until he woke up, or full-on pushed off the bed. However, this morning went a bit different than how one would expect, starting with the fact that he managed to wake up before the Peacock, and ending with the fact that the light's just barely peeking through the blinds. He hadn't been woken by a nightmare, that much he knows. In fact, his dream was quite pleasant, filled with nothing but the sound of laughter, and images of a brighter tomorrow, a tomorrow that'd likely never come.
It's a quiet morning, really. Perfect for watching the sunrise, seeing as how the sky isn't filled with smoke just yet. The streets below the castle, though lively, hold a sluggish feeling to them, as the people drag themselves along and follow their daily ritual, under the oppression of a steel blade hanging just overhead. The steel blade, of course, belonging to the same peacock that's wrapped around him, wing-in-paw. The wolf found out about his situation just as soon as he tried to move, of course.
Bao and Shen have been together for a hot minute, shorter than he realizes, but longer than he remembers. It could've been months ago, could've been a year ago, but when when the options were presented, things just kind of... came together. Shen only recently offered Bao the chance to share a bed with him, but what that meant was completely different to what he was expecting. He expected proximity, acknowledgement of one another, but all he really got was a large bed that Shen laid on the other side of, with no amount of contact between the two, save for the occasional glare from his master. Or, lord. Or, partner. The struggle to catch up with titles is a real one. However, last night was special. No, not in the way you'd expect; there was no overly offending exchanges, no swapping of confessions, nothing of that sort. Shen was longing for intimacy, but felt no desire for to take the larger step. The wolf was more than happy to oblige, and the night was spent close to one another. Proximity, intimacy, but without the contact that two bedfellows would typically engage in.
Shen had a funny way of hugging people. He rarely ever did, Bao only saw him hug someone twice, and only when he needed to, out of desperation, loneliness, or whatever the cause was. He'd wrap his wings around whoever he was sharing the moment with, and- since peafowl necks are rather flexible- he'd wrap his around the back of his partners. Depending on their size, his chin would typically reach the other shoulder. The wolf always assumed that this was an uncomfortable experience, because of how close Shen typically was, but when they were wrapped in silk sheets, the only light in the room emanating from the dimly-lit lanterns, it was rather charming. He felt close to his lord. Despite this, waking up with a peafowl wrapped around you isn't exactly the best situation, especially if he's a light sleeper.
A light groan escapes the wolf's lips as he attempts to stretch, only to find that he's stuck in place, whether he wants to be or not. Shen's stuck to him like glue, and the more he tries to fight, the likelier his partner is to awaken as well, and get pissed at him for being up at the wee hours of the morning. The first place his free paw reaches is his shoulder, as he carefully pulls the avian's head away, followed by his wing. As he curls forward a little to pry Shen's leg off of his own, the bird lets out a low, annoyed groan. The wolf holds still, catching his breath as he waits for his lord to return to his slumber, and- sure enough- he does so, allowing for Bao to slip out of the silk sheets, and continue the morning grind. Though Shen seems to be in a rather uncomfortable sleeping position, Bao's sure he'll be fine.
The wolf tiptoes along carefully, remaining thankful for the stillness of the morning. Besides the tip-tap of pawpads against the floor, the only sound that echoes throughout the room are the gentle flicks of the lamps' lit tinder, and Shen's slow, gentle breaths. It's not long before Bao reaches his destination, the wardrobe. While making it over wasn't really a hard issue, trying to handle furniture that creaks is a totally different level of hell. The dresser's beautifully crafted design does nothing to help with the fact that it's old, and the hinges haven't been attended to in what seems like ages. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume this thing's at least a hundred years old. He'd be wrong in his thoughts, too, because there's a piece just like it at a shop, within their own city, by the south side.
The wolf slips into something a bit more comfortable than what he's used to, if only for the morning, and makes his way towards the door just as carefully as before. His eyes flick towards Shen's sleeping form once more, before letting his hand rest on the door, and pushing it open, before gently closing it behind him, leaving Shen to his slumber.
"I really just pulled that off, didn't I?" He mutters to himself, a smile sweeping across his face. "Now I can see why Shen trusts me. It's because I'm so damn cool." His smile slowly-but-surely turns into a grin as he continues onward, now realizing that he has an entire morning to himself. Or, well, he would, if Shen wasn't going to wake up in an hour or two. Slowly, the wolf pads around, his eyes flicking from corner to corner as he moves onward, towards the kitchen. Though there are plenty of servants that could easily cook for him, today's special, because he feels like trying something new.
They took this place by force months ago, when the might of their army fell to the Furious Five, and the Dragon Warrior. Though retreating was the farthest thing from Shen's mind, Bao would rather rest and rebuild than have his lord throw himself out, and try to take his opponents down by force. With what little they had, they retreated, came across an isolated city near the sea, and captured it for their own needs. Despite the success of the operation, Shen was still crushed by the previous defeat, but over time, they managed to pull themselves together. Of course, this has nothing to do with the castle's odd design choices, like how the main area was on the topmost floor, was treated more like a living room than a true emperor's throne room, and how the throne was on the bottom-most floor, outside the castle's front doors. He assumes that it helped the old owner of this city connect more with the people that lived here, but to the wolf, it's just a poor design choice. Shen loves it, however, because it helps draw more attention to himself.
The wolf's eyes shift from wall to wall, cabinet to cabinet, item to item as he enters the kitchen, mentally preparing himself for the hell that's to come. He doesn't cook often, only when he needs to, and most of what he cooks are simple. Roasted mushrooms, cooked fish, anything that he can get his hands on as long as it'll keep him full when on the move. It's been years since he tried to cook anything actually decent, especially for someone other than himself, and the last good dish that he tried to prepare ended up bursting into flames before his very eye, which deterred him from touching another pan for a very, very long time. The comfortable silence soon shifts to rough clunking as Bao collects a number of materials, starting with cooking utensils, then the actual ingredients, then protective gear- gloves included, just in case he tries to burn himself to death somehow.
Dumplings are his current dish. He follows the cookbook letter-by-letter, checking and double-checking each instruction to make sure that everything's set and secured. Though fear tugs at his heart, he knows that nothing can be worse than setting the castle on fire. The knowledge of this outcome doesn't ease his fears at all. Still, he carries on, adding ingredients as instructed, folding where he needs to, cooking where he must, and praying that he doesn't slice his fingers. Every now and then, though, he ends up dropping his utensils, drawing a sharp yelp from the otherwise stoic man. Sure, he may be a battle-hardened man who isn't afraid to fight and kill for his cause, but that doesn't mean he isn't scared of a little fire. The lack of depth perception doesn't help, either.
Soon enough, the wolf leaves the dumplings to boil, making his way towards the door, only to be met by Shen leaving his room, dressed in a familiar robe. Or, gown. He can't tell the difference, and he doesn't feel like asking. The avian takes a moment to stretch, letting out a light yawn as Bao looks onward, adjusting his own collar a little, before he- eventually- opts to speak up.
"Good morning, my lord. Did you sleep well?" He inquires, putting on a light smile. Using Shen's title is more of a formality than anything else; if he simply called him 'Shen', he'd probably get an annoyed glance, or he'd be called 'wolf' for a few minutes, but nothing as bad as what he's seen. "I suppose you could say so," Shen responds, his eyes shifting over towards the wolf. The peacock turns slightly, facing his partner from an off-angle. He's still keen on establishing his dominance through interesting poses, that much is certain. "Though, I did notice that you weren't present when I awoke. All that remained was a phantom where you once laid, pushing down against the bed, mimicking your form."
"What?" The wolf replies, squinting a little as he attempts to understand what his lord's trying to say.
"You were gone when I woke up. I swear, you keep getting dumber and dumber." He states, drawing a confused expression from Bao.
"Maybe, but I know you wouldn't give up on me."
"Yet." The avian shoots back.
"...Yeah."
The peafowl pauses for a moment, before squinting a little, and peaking over the wolf's shoulder. As Shen's curiosity grows, so does Bao's need to start walking. However, once his lord takes a step forward, he finds himself locked in place, his eyes focused on those of the man he trusts. "So," Shen continues. "Why?"
A look of confusion washes over the wolf again, but it quickly fades away as he starts to realize just how dumb he looks, constantly trying to figure out what the avian means. "Why... wh- oh. Yeah, I was thinking of making something for the both of us. You know, breakfast." He replies, taking a look back towards the pan, still boiling. Shen does as well, before speaking up. "You... realize that we have servants, right? You could always force one of them to do it for you. Quite easily, in fact." Shen prepares to continue, but he finds himself cut off by the wolf. "Well, yes, but I wanted to make it. It'd be special, you know? If I don't learn how to cook now, then when will I? When I'm dead?"
Shen lets out a slightly interested grunt, before turning away from the wolf, continuing back towards the living area. "Such a noble cause, that is. Would you like my input?" Bao pauses yet again. He knows that whatever Shen has to say probably isn't good, but the input is inevitable, and the longer he waits, the worst it'll get.
"Sure." He replies.
"You should stop, and divert your attention to the tasks ahead. We have a glorious day ahead of us, we should be spending it-"
"Relaxing." The wolf interjects. Shen pauses in his tracks, turning back towards his partner yet again, his expression contorted into a slightly annoyed scowl. "No! Why, when we have plans to act upon as soon as possible? We have a country to take over, we can't spend it sitting around, acting like we've nothing to do. China waits for us, and inactivity will-"
"Help us clear our minds." The wolf responds. "Look at it this way, if we actually take breaks between our plans of attack, then maybe, it'll help us expand our ideas a little. Working smarter is better than working harder."
"Wolf, that has to be the most ignorant, dull-minded-"
Pop!
All attention shifts back towards the pan, eyeing it as it shakes a little, one of the dumplings having burst open under the pressure. The wolf rushes over once more, slipping on his gloves, before swiftly pouring out the boiling hot water, and leaving the dumplings to cool. "That was a close one. My lord, I'll- uh- be attending to this. If you want, you can take a seat at the table. I'll join you soon." He states, letting the dumplings sit as he watches over them carefully. "I'd prefer to dine within the confines of my living quarters, alone." Shen responds, slowly walking away from the kitchen yet again.
"Alone?" Bao inquires, his voice showing a low amount of concern. "In the dark? Wh- What are you planning on doing to those-?"
"Don't." Shen replies, his tone softer than before.
"Alright. Well, are you sure you don't want to eat out here? We could watch the sun rise together, you know." The peafowl's attention once more falls upon the wolf as he stops just in front of his door. A groan escapes the elegant man's lips, before he- with great brevity- flicks his wing upwards, reflecting his annoyance. "Fine, fine. It'll give me a chance to ask just what the hell you're on about."
A few, short minutes pass as the dumplings cool, and- when time comes- the wolf transfers the dough-wrapped delights from the pan, to a pair of plates. From here, he takes them back to the living area, his eyes falling upon the lord as he remains firmly planted in his rather important-looking chair, at the very end of the long table. Unsurprisingly, the table is the most important part of the room, given its size, and dominance over most other furniture. Everything else has its own respective corner or room, and the exit sits on the side opposite of Shen's 'throne'. The wolf places a plate down for the peafowl, and sits near Shen; two chairs down, to the right, in order to give the man a little bit of space.
Silence reigns for a few moments, before- eventually- the avian collects one of the dumplings, and testing its durability, texture, smell, et cetera. The wolf, too, collects a piece with his bare hands, earning a dirty look from Lord Shen. As he plops the piece into his mouth, so does the peafowl. Surprisingly, it's better than what he expected, but Shen doesn't seem so pleased with what he's consuming. His expression changes halfway through chewing, going from disgust to more muted expression, one that Bao can't really pinpoint.
"It's not up to quality." Shen states, drawing Bao's gaze towards him. "It is edible, I'll give it that much. Surprisingly, in fact. However, this tastes nothing like what I am used to. Annoying, yes, but I can easily put up with it. I'd say this isn't a total loss, on your part, and I expected worse. How do you-"
"Yeah." The wolf responds, cutting his partner off. "Well, I'm glad you enjoy it. It took me ages to figure out how to read the cookbook."
"Ages that you could have spent speaking to your men, discussing tactics, and plotting our next move? Bao, it has been a year since we lost to the Five-and-One, and we have done nothing to fight back against them. Have you ran any ideas through your head? Have you even checked on our factories, to see if the quality of our items are up to my standards? I cannot even fathom how calm, how collected you are right now. Do you have any idea-"
"That's nice, love." The wolf responds as he continues to chow down, placing his hand over his mouth to prevent anything from flying out. "We'll be fine. You'll be fine. If the Furious Five come back, we'll have something ready for them. Besides, I'm sure I could beat them up."
Shen's eyes shift from the next dumpling, back over to Bao, as he lets out a rather loud cackle. "You?!" The peafowl manages to say between breaths. The wolf leans forward a little, placing his paw on the side of his head as he watches his partner. "You couldn't even kill a baby, and you're saying that you could keep the Furious Five at bay?! That's precious!"
"Come on," The wolf continues. "I didn't know he ran away. Besides, I'm sure you couldn't take on all of the Furious Five by yourself, including the fat one. That's why we have an army, after all."
"Oh, please! I fight with blade and wing, wolf. I fight with grace, elegance, purpose. I move with the wind, and hold nothing back from my opponents. And, you..."
"Fight with my fists?" The wolf responds.
"Yes." Shen states, his feeling of superiority growing by the second. "Simple, primitive, easy. No thought could possibly go into your attacks. Why, I've seen you fight with your teeth before, like a savage."
"Yeah, and that means that- if I wanted to- I could reach over the table, and hit you right in the beak." The wolf responds again, drawing a light gasp from the lord.
"Why, that's even more primitive. I wouldn't have the chance to fight back."
"And, that's why it works."
"And, you'd dare commit treason against me? I thought you cared for me. I am, after all, your lord." Shen responds, his smile only growing.
"I care for you enough to make sure I don't break anything." Bao's last statement manages to bring a light blush to the peafowl's face. While it wasn't the most romantic statement, it means something between the two.
"How thoughtful." His partner replies.
As the two finish, their eyes shift from their bowls, towards the window, as the sun's rays shine over the city, and banishing the darkness. The water crashes against the edges of the city's beaches, playfully licking at the sand, before retreating once more, back into the vast emptiness of the purple abyss. The lights from the city's lanterns go out one by one, giving way to the start of a new, productive day. Slowly, the peafowl rises from his seat, moving closer towards the wolf as they both observe the land before them. Bao reaches over, taking Shen's wing into his own hand. His partner doesn't react much, but remains accepting nonetheless. The wolf's attention travels from the sea, to Shen, before he leans over, and places his lips atop his partner's head, letting go of his wing shortly after. Shen's smile grows a little, and Bao soon finds himself walking away in silence, leaving the lord to watch over his city, while he attends to his duties.
Lord Shen tried to make a dangerous choice.
He couldn't follow through.
He's glad he didn't.