Their research took longer than assumed, at least by Lord No-Name's standards. In fact, it hadn't even started. It would have, had his time not been procrastinated carelessly.
But alas, Tao Hua was anything but aware. He spoke more than he had in, well, too long, pointing to various books and describing what he loved most about each. Lord No-Name patiently observed, occasionally interjecting with a comment or two, but mostly reminding Tao Hua of why the two were chatting in the first place. There would be an apology only for him to U-turn, discussing whatever subject Tao Hua's finger landed on next.
Thus, Lord No-Name had no other choice; he had to accept this hurdle, and why he lingered was open to speculation. It could have been for any reason, really. Pity, patience, or even genuine intrigue.
To his relief, the end would always come. The two finally turned and faced the empty bookstore, where the only inkling of life was through the snores of the shopkeeper. He had his cheek squashed against the desk, surrounded by a pool of his own saliva. That wasn't anything new, however. It was just another Tuesday in "The Bookstore" of Siyue Town.
Tao Hua's eyes fled the slumbering man and proceeded to the books shifting awkwardly in his hands, trying to balance them. It was like juggling, except with giant squares instead of tiny circles, all while Lord No-Name handled his with ease. In fact, he was just about to take a step forward when Tao Hua readily walked past him.
But not towards a table.
This was all by instinct, and that instinct disorientated his companion. He blinked a few times before taking one last glance at the table and accompanying Tao Hua instead. As soon as they arrived at the questionable location, his face writhed.
He watched as Tao Hua was bent forward, preparing to place his books down on another tall pile of books, but this would soon be cut short. Tao Hua paused, a heavy weight hanging on his shoulder. When he looked over it, he saw Lord No-Name's hand and a pair of brows pinched together.
"What is this?" he asked, his eyes darting from Tao Hua to the quilt. Tao Hua mimicked him, but in reverse.
And to think he was the village idiot. Silly Mysterious Man.
Tao Hua stammered in confused noises. His eyes darted from the man to the quilt, repeatedly, enough to nearly make him dizzy. It was a quilt! What else?
"A blanket?" he answered, wondering if it was the correct answer or not. Maybe it wasn't a blanket? The entire exchange was lost to him, and he had his social isolation to thank for it. Tao Hua was truly inept to the judgement of others, so much so that when presented with a potentially genuine situation, he didn't know how to decipher it.
But operation "don't let this rich guy leave" was already in motion.
"I see that." His eyes pointed down at the blanket once more. "But why here?"
"…to read? What else are you supposed to do on a blanket filled with books?"
The man removed his hand from Tao Hua's shoulders and straightened himself tall. But he didn't say anything, he just stared down at that dirty, torn-up quilt with a questionable expression bordering disbelief.
Now, in Tao Hua's defence, the dirt was merely dust. Though that left much to be desired for those with severe allergies.
Tao Hua's eyes traced the seams of each floorboard as he stood up, cracking a clumsy smile and holding the books close to his chest. "I think it's nice. It would be perfect for us to do our research…I think. I haven't really done resear—"
But he clamped his mouth shut.
Shit! The operation was already falling apart, and he hadn't properly started it yet. Tao Hua jerked his head in Lord No-Name's direction, but to his shock, he wasn't paying attention. He just stared down at the quilt with an apprehensive smile.
"Here?" he asked.
Tao Hua glanced from the quilt and then up to Lord No-Name—to do this, he had to crank his neck just to grab a glimpse of the man's quivering lip. That's when it hit Tao Hua.
Of course! He had to crank his neck up! Tao Hua's head whipped to the little corner. It was a perfect place for Tao Hua, but Tao Hua wasn't this man, and this man wasn't Tao Hua. He was nearly double the size of him with his build and height.
If he had a hand to spare, he would be slapping his forehead, but alas, he didn't; therefore, he could only slap it mentally.
The words lingered on his tongue a moment longer before he finally decided to say, "Maybe a table would be better."
"You don't say."
As soon as he ended his sentence, Lord No-Name's doubtful expression relaxed. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and during that time, the sound of chopsticks and the muffled clacking of distant steps were louder than ever before.
Unsure how to react, Tao Hua just watched as the man slowly came to a conclusion. His finger tapped against his lower lip until it curled back into that once knowing smile of his.
That fucking smile.
"Actually, I'll let you choose," he said while leaning towards Tao Hua. He shifted the books in his hand effortlessly. "If you want to stay, then we can stay."
The closer he got to Tao Hua, the less Tao Hua could speak. But his heart could! It wouldn't fucking shut up. In an attempt to gain even a bit of control over his emotions, he tightened his arms around the books. Each minuscule step away was another step closer to Lord No-Name.
He was persistent.
"How's that sound?" he asked. He reached his hand to Tao Hua's, forcing Tao Hua's breath to hitch; however, to his surprise, Lord No-Name picked up each book from his hands, one at a time.
And still, Tao Hua couldn't seem to find the right words. He wasn't taught how to handle these types of situations; the type that involved a weird foreign man who just so happened to love invading the personal space of someone he had just met. Despite this, Tao Hua still couldn't seem to push him away, and it had nothing to do with his clear inability. That was another topic entirely.
What prevented him from pushing Lord No-Name away was his failure to command his own arm; it just wouldn't listen.
Tao Hua deflected instead, avoiding the man's coy smile and redirecting his attention to the floor once again. With another step back, and in a voice so small it could compete with a mouse, he said, "Table is fine."
That did it.
The man moved past Tao Hua, causing him to tense. It was short-lived, however, as his brows knitted at the ruffling of his hair. When he looked up, he saw a hand gradually leave his, dragging along a few black strands on its way to the table.
"Good," said Lord No-Name.
A few slaps to the face and a shake of his head, and Tao Hua would be ready to move forward! At least he was at the moment his breath finally caught up with the inner turmoil. Before leaving the corner, he grabbed his "book" from the pile and promptly followed behind Lord No-name—not in front. This was intentional on Tao Hua's part.
Why? The look on his face was far too revealing. While he hugged the book in his hand, that once goofy grin of his returned. It was paired nicely with a light flush that extended to his ears.
Chapter end.
Art
Lord No-Name (who will get a name soon) . Sketch next to it since I'm not sure if I like my colouring.