The West's Return

[Malkavian Riddler]

"Chtahzus'aak," she condemned at his question though her tone was light and warm. She tilted her head slightly away, so she could look from the side of her eyes before her smile grew again. "I merely offer you the information I learnt. You will find I am never empty handed, even when I…" she paused, loathing to use the word 'fail' again, "...do not succeed where I must."

"This is all I know of the shifting winds. I have petals floating and following the breezes, seeing where they go."

[The Cedar Witch]

For a brief moment, Chtahzus'aak wondered what other tones she could say his name with.  He smiled widely. 

"Ah, Lan Bao, how I have missed speaking with you."  He exhaled as he leaned forward, plucking the scroll he had brought with him and held it gingerly in his hands.

“If it pleases you, I have brought a gift.”  Chtahzus’aak unfurled it slowly to reveal a complex watercolor and ink painting of a dragon.  Its twisting form of blues and teals weaved between mountains and clouds above a body of water, flanked by delicate lettering of what he assumed were poems and the occasional flash of gold leafing in the scales.  This piece had been in his possession for a long time and he regarded it more as a work of art than anything else.  He hadn’t looked into its significance or meaning, but it was rather beautiful and he thought it a fitting gift.

He gazed intensely, watching her reaction.

[Malkavian Riddler]

With interest, she watched Chtahzus'aak unroll the paper, revealing its fragile quality and the artwork it held. Bao's eyes betrayed her delight before her face followed, lighting up with emotion rarely shown. Her hand rose of its own accord and fingers lightly touched the base of her neck as her gaze travelled across the paper to take in the detail.

Gently, she reached to accept the scroll from him, glancing up into his eyes as she took it before her gaze flicked down again.

"You do me an honour," she said once the piece was in her hands and she could admire it from closer. "Your gift is both generous and thoughtful. Thank you."

She looked up from the scroll into his eyes once more, with less emotion than she had the first time; now she was pensive.

"There is a lantern parade in the streets tonight, in a couple of hours it will begin. I watch every year from my balcony. Would you like to join me?" She held the scroll open in her hands but didn't look down at it again. After his answer, whether accepted or declined, she would look down at it in order to wind it up again for safekeeping.

[The Cedar Witch]

The demon took quiet satisfaction in watching her react to the gift, his smile a touch more restrained and polite.  He had expected her to appreciate the scroll, but he hadn't foreseen how big of a reaction it would have caused.   Pleasure bloomed and curled in his gut, like the kind of excitement one would feel from winning a game.

Her invitation garnered a smirk and the twitch of a raised brow.  Chtahzus'aak thoughtfully stroked his jaw, regarding her with an almost softened expression.  When was the last time he deliberately sought after leisurely activities?  Not since the fall of the Oligarchy, that was for sure.  He never minded being consumed with work--there was a kind of pleasure to be had there.  A variation in routine kept the mind sharp, and he was looking forward to seeing where this path would take him.

"I would."  He watched her face as she wound the scroll up.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Once the scroll was tidy, she performed the same 'tuck into sleeve' gesture that Zeus performed, only had to push it to her elbow due to the loose sleeves of her emerald robe. She moved off the couch and gave Chtahzus'aak a pleased smile as they walked together out of the temple and towards her transport to her home.

Continued here