@everbound &&. said... "my apologies. i did not mean to bump into you, friend." xingqiu apologizes out of pure respect, quickly kneeling down to pick up his fallen books. "i just needed to return these to the library."
there's a part of him that would have responded with a cavalcade of abject CRUELTY. hissed vitriol, questioned if this human carried a not so secret wish for death, even fixed him with a heated glare. ( the likes of which had once compelled grown men to beg for their lives. ) it's almost comedic how subdued the wanderer's reaction is by comparison. ren merely blinks — as though the accidental shove has done little more than pull him out of his thoughts. it takes a moment for him to UNDERSTAND what's happening. the stranger. the sorrowful words spilling from his lips. the mess of books sprawled haphazardly across the ground.
the wanderer gives a faint hum under his breath. he's sorely tempted to turn around and continue walking — it's not like it's any BUSINESS of his what this person gets up to. however, one of the books has slid to a stop at his feet. curiosity compels him to crouch down, snatching it up in careful hands. ren's brow furrows a bit as he looks over the cover. ( martial arts ... ? ) he can't help but be nosy, even if it risks being pulled FURTHER into a conversation. it's his fatal flaw.
❝ you're one of those types who devours knowledge like air to breathe, aren't you? ❞ the wanderer quips dryly. ❝ don't tell me you're on your way to get more? ❞ ren supposes he doesn't have much room to talk; he's something of an avid READER himself. being the sort of creature who doesn't require sleep leaves him with a wealth of free time and little else to do without sunlight. at least sitting by the anemic glow of a campfire affords the opportunity to thumb through a novel or two. ❝ ... here. ❞ sharp words aside, he still holds out the book for the other to take.
