A shared project brings big developments to Jing Yuan and Venus's relationship
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There was always something going on in Venus's workshop. Between the projects assigned to her by the artisanship commission or her own experiments, there was guaranteed to be all manner of unidentifiable bits of metal and wires scattered throughout her workshop. She called it “all part of her creative process”.
Jing Yuan walked in on this familiar sight. He was able to escape from his work long enough to take a stroll to visit his favorite mechanic. Bypassing the welcoming area and making his way to the very back, he could hear the music she played through the speakers before he even opened the door.
Venus sat sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the room, a box to one side with several different machines spread out in a circle around her, each one with a small stack of papers assigned to them. In the center of it all, she was turning another machine he couldn't even begin to guess the function of in her hands. The one thing he noticed about all of them was that they looked unfinished.
Apparently, it was a frustrating piece of tech. Venus groaned, falling back until she lay sprawled out on the ground. The mystery box sat as a weight on her lap.
Her head lolled towards him. “Hey, Jing Yuan.”
He stopped just on the outskirts of her ring of machines, stooping down with his hands on his knees. “Oh my, what's troubling you today?”
She huffed, lifting the box from her lap up into the air above her. “I'm trying to figure out what this is.”
“You didn't build it?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I didn't make any of these.” She waved a hand towards the entire ring.
“I see.” He eyed the various machines. As untrained as his eyes were for this matter, he at least could recognize that they certainly didn't seem like her handiwork. The things Venus made tended to have more delicately refined looks to them, they were downright cute if she had enough say in the design. These felt chaotic. Well made, but hard to pin down. “Then, may I ask who did make them?”
She sat upright, bouncing the device in her hands. “Have you ever heard of an artisan named Yize Li?”
Jing Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded. “I believe I have, actually. He was quite famous for his brilliant and unorthodox crafting techniques, if I recall correctly.”
“That's the guy. I was talking to some of the other artisans about him and they said he was even up for rewards several times. The issue is he was so unorthodox that other people could barely make sense of his contraptions. His blue prints were always a mess and the actual construction of everything was so convoluted. Most other artisans didn't even really want to work with him because they couldn't get on the same wavelength and the judges for all those awards passed him up after examining his inventions. Apparently he never minded, though, at least as far as he would say. He crafted for himself and not any other person or for any rewards.”
“He sounds like quite the interesting person.” Jing Yuan sat on the floor with her, watching her fiddle with the thing in her hands. “So then, how did you come to have his machines?”
“Well…” She slowed down in her fiddling, now just drumming her fingers along the sides of it. “A few decades ago, he became mara struck. After that, his private workshop was left basically abandoned for a long while. But, the decision was made to clear it out after all this time. There wasn't anyone else who came to claim what was left behind there, so a few other artisans and I went and did it. Not like we were raiding it or anything, all the tools inside were circulated back into the commission and there really weren't any personal belongings besides those and,” She swept her hand around the circle. “These. He had a whole crate full of half finished projects. They were going to just get thrown away but, I don't know, it didn't feel right to me. Maybe it's presumptuous, but I thought I could give these babies a second chance and finish them myself.”
She sighs. Frustration sparks in her gaze, staring hard at the hunks of metal around her. “The problem is, I'm starting to understand what everyone meant by how unique his methods were. All his blueprints are all over the place. I can understand not wanting to conform to one particular style, but this is another level. I think I can manage it, but it's gonna take some doing. And that's just for most of them. This one right here is the real problem child.” She again holds up the device she's been playing with. “Everything else here had a blueprint that went with it, except for this one. I searched everywhere in the crate and back at his workshop; nothing matches it. There's no indication of what it is, what it does, how close to completion it is, or anything. I don't know how to finish something if I don't know what needs finishing.”
A conundrum indeed. Jing Yuan pondered this, examining the machine. Exposed gears and wires bared themselves to the world through one side. It's small, perhaps the size of a lunch box, but in its unfinished state it was difficult to say if it was meant to be that way or if this was merely a piece of something bigger. “I wish I could provide an answer. I regret that my talents lie with strategy, not technology.
Venus gave him a small smile. “Don't apologize, I didn't expect you to have the answer anyway.”
“Is there nothing that can give you a clue?”
She sets the device aside and leans as far to the side as she can, stretching to retrieve another box. “There is one thing.” She springs back up, offering him her catch. It's the first finished thing she's shown him today, and the most plain. It's just a box, a series of interconnected grooves running across the otherwise smooth sides.
He takes the box, turning it over in his hands. It's deceptively heavy. “And, this is?”
“No idea.”
“... Pardon?” He raises an eyebrow. “How are you so certain this contains a clue, then?”
“I'm not certain, but look.” She scoots closer and leans in, pointing to one of the sections on the box. Pressing down with her finger, it pops open, revealing what Jing Yuan recognized as some sort of puzzle. “It's a lock box, none of the other panels open yet but I’m pretty sure they all contain at least one puzzle. You only make a safe this convoluted if it has something important inside or you're crazy. So I’m hoping it has some more blue prints or something useful in there. I just gotta figure out how to get in.”
Crazy didn't seem far off either as an explanation, however. Jing Yuan enjoyed a good puzzle, they kept the mind sharp and were a good way to pass the time. Even with all the puzzles he's solved, he couldn't even grasp the goal for this one after staring at it for a few moments. Venus chuckled, leaning against his shoulder.
“If you want to give it a try, be my guest. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I really want to figure out how to fix that machine.”
He looks aside at her, taking in her pursed lips, the fire in her eyes. “I'm not sure I've ever seen you so determined before.”
Her shoulders stiffen, wings fluttering in embarrassment. “It's like I said, it just feels like it'd be a shame to let such interesting inventions stay unfinished forever. Is that… weird? The other artisans said I probably shouldn't bother with it.”
It clearly means something to her to accomplish this feat. Whether it's her own pride as an artisan or a sense of duty to a fellow craftsman, he's not sure where the root of it lies. Regardless, that part didn't really matter. He wanted to see her succeed now that she's setting her mind to it.
Jing Yuan pet the top of her head, prompting her to meet his gaze. “If there's anyone who can figure it out, it's our prodigy.”
Solving this conundrum turned out to be quite the endeavor indeed.
Since that day, Jing Yuan continued to visit Venus's workshop in whatever free time he could manage. Now, though, amidst their conversation and tea breaks, both of them became devoted to the mystery. Venus would tinker with the other assorted half finished projects, pouring over the complex blueprints for each one and deciphering their unique code. He listened to her sighs, her frustrated grumbling, and her cheers of victory each time she made progress, and offered his encouragement.
Meanwhile, Jing Yuan tackled the lockbox. At first, it made little sense at all. It was through trial and error that he even figured out the goal of the first puzzle. Venus, anytime she stepped away from her tinkering, would take a moment to look at it over his shoulder. She switched between cheering him on and assuring him he didn't have to continue this if he didn't want to. But he did, truly. It was the most interesting puzzle he'd come across in ages. Excitement thrummed in his chest, eager to conquer the challenge. And it provided him an excuse to spend just a little longer each day in Venus's company.
It took Venus just over a week to complete the first contraption. Objectively, it was a pointless device, one that took paper and automatically created a shower of folded plum blossoms that would rain down. It took Jing Yuan two more days to solve the first puzzle. As soon as he did, there was a quiet click and a panel on another side of the box opened with a press to reveal a new puzzle.
The next device took Venus another week to complete. This one a music box that played a love song that was ancient even by Xianzhou standards. Jing Yuan finished the second puzzle shortly after.
Each time either of them finished a task, they became a hair quicker at the next. Jing Yuan began to notice patterns between the puzzles. Given they were all made by the same man, a style to how they were created and meant to be solved began to emerge.
And for Venus's side of things, she made her own observations.
“I noticed something about these machines.” She said, taking a screw driver she'd been holding in her mouth out to tighten something.
Jing Yuan hummed, eyes on the box. The two of them sat back to back in the middle of the floor.
“I thought all of these were unfinished, but actually I don't think that's technically the case. I get the feeling they were completed once, but were all disassembled at some point.”
That prompts Jing Yuan to look up, glancing back at her. “What makes you say that?”
“Some of these parts are damaged. I've broken things plenty of times while working, and the damage doesn't feel like accidents made while assembling something. It feels like careless damage done while quickly tearing them apart.”
“Why would Yize Li be so careless with his own inventions?”
Venus shrugged. “I'm not sure; it doesn't really fit the vibe I've gathered about him so far, though. I don't think it was because they were failures or anything, everything works according to his blue prints. There's gotta be another reason.”
The reason didn't become apparent right away. For the next few weeks, this became a shared project between the two of them. A routine was formed. Unless they were absurdly busy, both of them did have day jobs after all, they would meet at the end of the day to work on their mutual conundrum. Always in Venus's workshop to not risk losing or damaging anything by transporting it around. Venus would often have tea ready for the occasion and Jing Yuan took to picking up dinner on his way.
And then, finally, the last compartment on the puzzle box clicked open.
Venus pushed herself upright, having been laying on her stomach next to Jing Yuan twisting some parts together. She scrambled to shove herself into his side, staring at the box. “Holy shit, that was the last one, right?”
Jing Yuan puffed out his chest. It was certainly the most challenging puzzle he'd encountered in a long time, but in the end it only took persistence to overcome. “It was.” He held the box over to her, the top now slightly ajar. “Do you want to do the honors?”
Eager hands started to reach for it, then stopped. “Are you sure? You're the one who actually solved all of that.”
He nodded. “Quite sure. I wouldn't have even been in a position to attempt such an entertaining challenge if it weren't for you bringing this to me.”
Venus hesitated a moment longer, then quickly took the box from his hands. They both peered inside as she opened the lid to reveal the contents.
“A book?” Venus picked it up. It was clearly a well used book, covered in smudge marks from grease and with every edge frayed. Its cover was scratched up and there was no title. All things considered, even with the damage, it was well preserved for a book that had been sitting for several decades. She flipped it open, the first page starting with a date. “Oh, wait a sec, it's his diary! Damn, I thought I did everything I could to hide my diary when I was a kid, but all I did was shove it under my stuffed animals. Is it… alright for us to be reading this?” She chewed her lip, suddenly nervous.
“Why wouldn't it be?”
“Well, it's a diary. I thought it'd be special blueprints or maybe treasure. Don't look at me like that, it would've been cool. But a diary is a lot more personal than that.”
Jing Yuan thought for a moment on how to best soothe her fears. “I think if we are to see the bigger picture, then learning to understand Yize Li is necessary. The Xianzhou people may live long lives and often see little need to leave behind written tales, but sometimes a record like this is the only way to see into the past.”
“I see your point… his diary might be the only way to understand what he was trying to do with all these inventions. Especially that one.” She eyed the mysterious machine that she'd been holding the first day he'd discovered her with these possessions, the one with no blueprint. In between all the other projects, she'd poked at it to try and discover its purpose, but it was proving impossible without proper direction. She huffed, straightening her spine. “Alright, let's read it.”
Scanning the first few entries, Yize Li's diary was all over the place. Almost as chaotic as his blueprints, each page bounced between ideas and topics left and right. He spoke of his day, of new inspirations and brainstormed new inventions. Jing Yuan couldn't glean too much of the technical side of things, but occasionally Venus would hum or mutter about how she understood.
What Jing Yuan saw was a chaotic man, certainly, but an insightful one as well. In between each half formed thought, he could tell the author was truly taking in the world around him. He wasn't some mad man, he was a genius.
Some ways into the diary, the entries begin mentioning a vidyadhara woman named Xin Tai. At first, it was a few references here and there, then gradually she became a major topic in his writing.
Day XX, Year XXX
Xin Tai and I observed the plum blossoms blooming for the first time this year. They're her favorite flower. I never thought too deeply about them before, but to her they were the sign that spring was finally coming. I watched her sigh. At first, this confused me. She was just talking on and on about how much she adored the flower, so why did she look so upset? She said that she wished they were always in season like this.
Perhaps there's something I can do to ensure she can view them all year?
Venus's head swiveled to look across the room. The first machine she had repaired sat on a shelf with the others. “Oh, the plum blossoms…”
Day XX, Year XXX
Xin Tai and I were talking about music. Her favorite song was unexpected. I had never heard of it before, but she informed me it was an old song created by the ancestors of the Xianzhou people. The Moon Represents my Heart. She played a recording of it that was preserved online, lamenting how no one sold records of it since it was such an old piece.
Surely it wouldn't be difficult to create one of my own.
“That song…” Jing Yuan looked to Venus. “It's the same one that music box was created to play, is it not?”
“It is, yeah.” Her brow furrowed, and without another word she dove back into the book.
The pattern became clear. Many entries would mention Xin Tai's preferences. He took note of what brought her joy and thought of gifts to suit them. There are mentions of Xin Tai often falling sick, some of what he brainstormed were ways to improve her quality of life. Each one matched the function of the inventions Venus had already repaired.
The question became, if he had already given Xin Tai these gifts, why were they broken and hidden within his workshop?
Day XX, Year XXX
I want to tell Xin Tai how I feel. But… I'm afraid. I love each day she's beside me. If she were to reject me and we never spoke again, I could not bear it. I'll hold on to these feelings. I can't risk it.
Day XX, Year XXX
Xin Tai laughed at me when I told her I don't know how to dance. It was rather embracing. But, afterwards she took my hands and led me through one she knows well. I had to apologize several times when I stepped on her feet. She took each injury in stride. I love her.
The next entry was harder to read. The sentences were clipped, the marks of his pen harsh and in a quick scrawl.
Day XX, Year XXX.
Xin Tai has always had a weak constitution, she told me each of her reincarnations have shared this trait. She felt bad that when she went through her next rebirth that the child who emerged from the egg would have to deal with it as well. The way she spoke about it was…
For the first time, I asked how old she was. 384. A long way from her next incarnation, surely.
She looked sad.
She told me her condition caused her to go through reincarnation much faster than most vidyadhara. I asked her how often it occurred.
She said it was every 300 to 400 years.
My mind has shut down. She is already 384. She said she hadn't expected this incarnation to last even that long.
I am not a physician, I can not help her.
Day XX, Year XXX
I can't heal her. I can't fix her. She isn't a machine I can take apart and make last forever. At the very least, can I tell her how I feel? If she is truly to go through her rebirth soon, then I must try to tell her before that occurs.
Day XX, Year XXX
Xin Tai told me she wished she could witness the beauty of the Oriana meteor shower again. 300 years ago, she had visited a certain planet that experienced a stunning recurring meteor shower. But that shower only occurred every 1000 years. She would almost certainly experience rebirth before it came again.
I am an artisan. Even though I have never seen this shower myself, if I use her description and search for footage of the phenomenon, surely then I can recreate it.
When I hand her this gift, then I will tell her how I feel.
The next several entries are near incomprehensible. Half crazed scribbles about his inventing process. Notes about Xin Tai. Sketches and crossed out notes.
Then, for several days there are no entries.
Day XX, Year XXX
I wanted to give it to her.
I wanted her to know my feelings.
But I couldn't do it in time. A large crate appeared at my workshop along with a vidyadhara hatching rebirth manager. Within the crate was every invention I had created for Xin Tai. The vidyadhara informed me Xin Tai had returned to Scalegorge Waterscape for her rebirth. She had requested these items be returned to me. She worried her next incarnation wouldn't appreciate them and thought they'd be best left with their creator.
They handed me a note. Xin Tai didn't leave me many words. Merely thanked me for all I did for her, and mentioned her hope that her next incarnation could find someone who made them feel the way I made her feel.
I couldn't build fast enough.
All these devices, they are useless without her. I couldn't bear to look at them. I tore them apart, I no longer care. It would've been better if they were thrown away. I have no use for them.
My hands shake. My head is spinning. I can't bear to look at them. I can't even bear to see this journal. It holds too many thoughts of Xin Tai.
After that, the writing is completely illegible. There are no more entries.
The diary is set aside. Jing Yuan hears a small sniffle. Beside him, Venus wipes her eyes with a hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Are you alright?” Concern laces his voice. Venus's hand is replaced by Jing Yuan's, cradling her face and using his thumbs to wipe away her tears.
“I'm-I'm alright. It's just way too sad, don't you think? She rebirthed before either of them could confess. And… I did some research into Yize Li. That final entry is on the same day he became mara struck. The loss of the girl he loved must have pushed him over the edge and corrupted him.”
Mara has followed the Xianzhou people for millennia. The toll of hundreds of years becomes too much for the body, and the curse takes hold. It is something that haunts all of them. Having seen many of his former comrades fall to the affliction and lose themselves to sorrow and madness, Jing Yuan is all too familiar with it. “I'm sure this wasn't the answer you were hoping to find within the lockbox.”
Venus shook her head. “No, but it's alright.” She sniffled, leaning her cheek into his palm. “And at least it was the answer I needed.”
Jing Yuan cocked his head. “How so?”
“I know exactly what the purpose of his final gift is.” Venus stood up, brushing off her dress. “It'll take me a bit of time, but I know I can finish it now. Just sit tight.” With tears still staining her cheeks, she gives him a determined smile.
He watches her turn away, hair flaring out in her wake as she rushes back to her work station. Jing Yuan sits back, supporting himself with one arm. He isn't sure what she's planning exactly, but there's no need to doubt her. She's set her mind to this, so surely something incredible will follow.
There may no longer be a puzzle for Jing Yuan to solve, but his part in this is far from over. Venus has a tendency to lose track of time while engrossed in a project, but he's never seen her this focused before. Her texts throughout the day dwindle, and each night Jing Yuan comes and checks on her. He still brings food, reminds her to step away from her tools, and listens to her progress. She talks about the project, but hasn't let him actually see the results yet. She claims she doesn't want to show him until everything is ready.
So, he stays patient. Soon enough, he arrives at her workshop the same as he has been for weeks now, a bag of snacks in hand. This time, he finds her already facing him in her chair. Her face and shirt have streaks of grime on them from working for hours on end. “Jing Yuan! It's finished!”
His eyes widen a fraction, and he comes to stand beside her. “Truly?” He looks over at her shoulder to the device sitting on her desk. It's supposed to be a projector of sorts by the sound of it, but he doesn't see a lens on it. For all appearances, it's a large rectangle with little decoration on it.
She breathes out a sigh, clearly proud of herself. “I wanted to make it cuter, but I tried to stick to the original vision and not let my own preferences interfere with the process too much. Are you ready to have a look?”
Jing Yuan nods and Venus gets up, carrying the box to the center of the room and sets it on the floor. He watches her press a button on her tablet and the lights dim in the entire room. She glances at him, clearly excited and making sure he is too, and presses a small button on the side. Instantly, the box unfurls. The top splits into several parts and reveals the mechanism within. And once that is exposed, there is light.
Twinkling stars dance around them. Streaking slowly above their heads are trails of multicolored light following in the wake of a meteor shower. Gold flecks fall from the sky around them in radiant sparkles. It's much closer than viewing one from the ground, however. It feels as if they're hovering in space with a front row view of the phenomenon.
“This is remarkable.” Jing Yuan whispers.
Venus folds her arms, staring up with a wistful smile. “I had to do a lot of searching to find good references for the meteor shower. That was half the work, really. Once I was sure I had the visuals, I just needed to focus on displaying them as accurately as possible. It's one thing to just watch something beautiful happen from afar, but it's something else entirely to be part of it.”
Jing Yuan turned in a slow circle to take in the entire scene. Holding out his hand, one of the gold flakes drifted into his palm and dissolved into glittering dust. “You've truly outdone yourself, Venus.”
She bounced back on her heels, wringing her hands together tight. “You mean it?”
He faced her fully. The colors around them played off her hair in iridescent ripples. She fit right in in this scene. Framed by shining light that caught the angles of her face just right and made her halo glow, the stars in her hair melting into the scenery like she herself was carved from stardust. Jing Yuan's breath caught in his chest. “I mean every word. You're incredible.”
Sadly, that makes her turn away in embarrassment and bring a wing up to cover her face so he can no longer admire it.
“I hope you know… I couldn't have gotten this done without you. Having you beside me made it easy to keep going.” A pair of bright eyes peers at him from above her wing. “Thank you, Jing Yuan.”
They admire the shower together for a few moments longer before Venus shuts it down. She clutches the box to her chest, breathing in deeply and exhaling in a slow whoosh. “Do you think Xin Tai's reincarnation will like it?”
Jing Yuan places a soothing hand on her arm. “I can't think of a fool in the entire cosmos who wouldn't be captivated by a display like that.”
Finding Xin Tai's reincarnation was simple. Jing Yuan had access to all the necessary information, all it took was simply searching through it.
Xin Tai had been reborn as a woman named Xin Hai. A message was sent through Venus, not mentioning Jing Yuan so she wouldn't feel intimidated by the Loufu's general, asking her to please come to the workshop. She seemed cautious, curious as to why this stranger was requesting her presence. The important thing was that she did agree.
Venus smoothed her skirt down for the eighth time. She'd been pacing back and forth obsessively for the past half hour, unable to sit still all day.
The door chime rings and Venus stiffens. Jing Yuan keeps his hand on the small of her back, reminding her of his presence so she wouldn't get lost in her own mind.
When Xin Tai enters, her first reaction is to be shocked upon seeing Jing Yuan. “Wha- the general? What's going on here? You said this had to do with my past life. Did she- Did she do something? Whatever it was has nothing to do with me!”
Venus places her hands up, trying to calm Xin Hai down. “Please, wait a second, that's not what this is. Xin Tai didn't do anything wrong. Right?” She glances at Jing Yuan for support.
“Rest assured, there were no criminal records I found on her.”
Xin Hai relaxes a little bit, but still looks uncertain.
Venus steps back in, redirecting her attention to a table nearby. “I asked you to come here because of these.” Laid out on the table are all the inventions she'd spent the past couple of weeks repairing. The diary sits among them, and she picks it up and presents it to Xin Hai.
“Everything here belonged to Xin Tai at some point, except she didn't make them. The man who wrote this diary did.” Venus goes through the contents of the diary with Xin Hai, showing her each entry that corresponds to each invention. The shower of plum blossoms, the music box, she showed her how to use each of them.
Finally, they reached the projector. Turning it on, the cosmic display filled the room. Xin Hai had been quiet throughout most of the demonstration, now she stood in the center of the stars, eyes full of twinkling gold.
Venus closed the diary, drumming her fingers along the cover. “I know roughly how the vidyadhara operate. I know that you're not Xin Tai. I hope you don't think I'm trying to force someone else's identity on you, but after working on all of this and reading the diary, I realized there was no one else to claim any of this but, well, you. I thought as Xin Tai's reincarnation, you might be interested in knowing more about her. If you want these, they're yours, but you're not obligated to take any of it.”
Xin Hai is silent. She takes a few slow, steady breaths before speaking. “You're right, I'm not Xin Tai. I don't particularly like plum blossoms, and I've never heard that song before. These inventions that held such a deep meaning to the two of them don't really mean anything to me. But, I had always been curious about something in Xin Tai's records. She mentioned a man she had met and fell in love with but never got to confess her feelings to. She didn't want to reincarnate with a broken heart, she wanted to safely carry that love with her into her next life. I tried to track him down out of curiosity a while ago but he had already been mara struck so I basically thought that was the end of that. I feel like I finally got the last piece of a puzzle I had put away.” She smiled at the two of them. “Thank you for showing me this.”
Venus nods. “Of course. Like I said, I just thought you had a right to know about all this.”
Xin Hai approaches the projector, turning it off. She picks it up with some struggle, cradling it in her arms. “I don't need most of those inventions. Um, if I may I would like to take the quality of life ones because they actually do seem useful, but the other ones I just don't feel any attachment to. You can find them a new home, hopefully with someone who will truly appreciate them. The diary too, you can keep that.” She looks down at the projector, her smile bittersweet. “I do want this one, though, if that's okay. I will very likely go through my own rebirth before this meteor shower actually comes along again, but with this I can still enjoy it.”
She runs her hand along the side. “Maybe our next reincarnation can see it in person.”
Xin Hai gets ready to take her leave, giving an address for the other devices to be sent to as they were too heavy for her to carry home herself.
At the door, Xin Hai pauses. “It's a shame, you know? If only either of them had confessed, maybe they could've had a happier ending. Nothing could have stopped her from reincarnating when she did, but at least they could have been together for a while.” She takes her leave after that with polite farewells.
Once she's gone, Venus lets out a deep sigh and deflates a little bit. “Thank the Aeons that went well.”
Jing Yuan hummed. “You handled that well.”
Venus huffed, rubbing her shoulder. “I'm just glad to offer some closure. I'm glad you were there with me for a bit of moral support. I would've been ten times more nervous on my own.”
She chews her lip. “I can't help but think that what Xin Hai said is true. They both waited too long to tell each other their feelings, and it ended up costing them the relationship they could've had. Whether or not it would've worked out, they never even got the opportunity to try it.”
“True, sometimes there's such a thing as being too cautious.” Bidding one's time prevents rash decisions, but at a certain point it crosses the line into stagnation.
Jing Yuan helps Venus get everything cleaned up. Neither of them say anything. Jing Yuan steals continuous glances over at Venus. He believes he catches her eyes darting away from him as well.
He looks at the time. “I have to be going soon.” He murmurs.
She nods. “Of course, you're pretty busy after all. Thank you again for helping me; I really appreciate it.”
Together, they walk to the door. Both of them linger there, Jing Yuan standing on the porch and Venus just inside the doorway. “I'll-” Venus stutters, not meeting his gaze. “I'll see you soon.”
“Of course. Until then.” Jing Yuan turns away, the door starting to creak closed behind him.
There is such a thing as being too careful. There is safety in unspoken feelings. Unrealized potential can never be ruined. If it stays hidden, if those words are never said, then the possibilities they hold will always stay as a perfect, stagnant dream. But, a dream is far from reality. Risk may lead to heartbreak, but it can also lead to something special. If things remain unsaid, then that something special is never given the opportunity to become reality.
Jing Yuan turns around, pressing a hand to the door to stop it from closing. That wasn't necessary, though, because at that same moment Venus stopped the door herself.
“Jing Yuan-”
“Venus-”
They speak simultaneously, both cutting themselves off at the same time as well.
“I'm sorry.” Venus stutters, face red. Her wings keep fluttering beside her head, starting to close around her cheeks then being forced open. “You can talk first.”
“Are you sure? If you have something to say, you may speak.”
She opens and closes her mouth. “No, no you please go. I- yeah- no, go ahead.” She swallows heavily, looking at the ground.
“Very well. But, would you please look at me while I say it?”
It's slow, but she does raise her gaze again.
Jing Yuan takes a deep breath. “Venus, I hope you know that in the time we have gotten to know each other, you have become truly special to me. I treasure the warmth you bring to my life. You remind me of what's important, and I know that after a long day, when my body feels heavy and I question why I continue on, I can find a place of solace in you. I don't want to take that for granted. My request is selfish, my duty must remain a top priority for me and I'm not sure that's fair to you, but I don't want to let the possibility of something good pass by.” He takes her hands, holding both of her's in both of his. “If you would have me, I would like to keep you by my side for as long as possible. And I would like to start that by taking you out on a date. What do you say?”
Venus looks to be on the verge of tears. But, she squeezes his hands. “I was going to say I've liked you for months now and I really wanted to go on a date with you, but in a much less poetic way.”
A warm, relieved smile blossoms on Jing Yuan's face. “Next weekend, then? I'd like some time to come up with something special.”
She nods, slowly then fast enough he's worried she's going to lose some feathers. There are a few tears that bead in the corners of her eyes. “Yes. Yeah that sounds great. I'm looking forward to it.”
He lifts their joined hands, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. “It's a date. Words can't express how happy you've made me. Thank you, Venus.” His voice wobbles a bit at the end, his composure cracking from the sheer joy he feels.
Venus steps closer, leaning her head in until her forehead touches their clasped hands. “Was it really this simple the whole time?” Her quiet laughter is wet with unshed tears.
“Perhaps it was, we just needed a slight push.”
When she speaks again, her voice is soft. It's as if she fears speaking too loudly will break the moment. “You really like me?”
Jing Yuan runs his thumbs across her knuckles. “Of course.”
“Good. Because I also really do like you. A lot. You make me feel so happy.” She looks up at him again finally, eyes wet but so bright.
There's a faint, rainbow hue around the edges of his vision. Something he's experienced a couple times now from her demonstrations. The natural telepathic abilities of Halovians allow them to convey their thoughts and feelings to others, and he feels her's now. Gentle and pure, she breathes feelings of adoration and affection into his soul.
They part ways after that, but only temporarily. Confessing turned out to be a simple task after all, though Jing Yuan knows much of the real work comes after the feelings are conveyed. He welcomes it, though, quite readily.
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@chryzure










