[His goal has generally been to make sure people don't have any reason even to look at him, and not to remember him if they do.]
Well, eventually. I can get your hair, first?
[He's glad Angel's done his own makeup. He never had to help his sister with that. She had pretty plain tastes. And he's not sure he's do it right around fur.]
[Wen Ning immediately leans down and kisses the top of his head, though he's not sure if that feels like anything through a layer of fake hair.
He knows enough of Angel's habits to be pretty confident picking feminine accessories for his hair, choosing prettily carved and beaded pins that gather up into a crown. They're all made of pearlescent white stone to match his fur. Wen Ning works quickly, finding wigs are quite easy. You don't have to worry about poking or pulling so much.]
[Angel smiles to himself at the kiss, sitting good and still for him as Wen Ning works. He's used to this at least, though he doubts he's ever been made up quite so pretty before.]
[He watches for a dazed moment before he remembers what he's doing.]
Princess another time, right. Here, arms out.
[There's some fuss with under-robes in soft, gentle colors, but Wen Ning is proudest of the outermost layer, which he described in minute detail to the enclosure before Angel got here. He doesn't think Angel's usual pink would quite fit the event, but he's incorporated it at the bottom of the robe, which glows warmly rosy before fading into lavender, blue, and almost black by the shoulders. All six arms end in water sleeves that dip back through the gradient as they fall.]
[Angel means the stripping, but he's so charmed by Wen Ning's reply that he doesn't correct him, easily complying.
It takes a bit more work than some of the more modern clothes he's grown used to, but the effect is definitely worth it, Angel moving a little more delicately as he examines those pretty sleeves. Not the clothing of a whore. Or at least as far as Angel knows, he's not sure how they might've dressed in Wen Ning's time, but he knows the whores of his own youth wouldn't be as obvious to modern eyes either.]
Ya talk about me like I ain't- [Well...some many things. And Angel flushes, shrugging it off to pose and preen.] I look good, don' I?
[The clothes are pretty outlandish even by the standards of Wen Ning's day. He's very happy to abuse the enclosure's powers of illusion, and since nobody had to sew all those little stitches or dye all that silk and thread, he just ordered whatever he wanted, suiting the vision to Angel and not anyone's reality.]
The beauty of a generation.
[It'd be an eye-rolling cliche at home, but maybe Angel hasn't heard it before. He stands on tiptoe for a quick, light kiss on the cheek that doesn't risk any makeup.]
I mostly didn't ask for people. I think the ones the enclosure makes is a little creepy. But I thought you'd like to see the dancers, so I left them in?
[You're not expected to talk to performers, so that seems safe.]
[Ever dramatic, it suits Angel perfectly, and that compliment takes him by surprise, lips splitting into a real grin. And maybe the sharp teeth and golden glint don't exactly match the vibe of the rest of his outfit, but it's sincere.]
My pretty poet. You're gonna make me burn up.
[He nods excitedly, linking a lower arm through one of Wen Ning's.]
[He flows and gives Angel's arm a little squeeze, then opens the door. Taking advantage of the enclosure's loose relationship with reality, they step out onto the fantastical ancient Chinese equivalent of a boardwalk. The lake, still and misty, is woven with walkways and little pagodas, lotus gardens and clusters of little boats. The town beyond is just as picturesque, with mountains faintly visible in the distance.
A full moon overhead lights up the lantern festival below. Little stalls for the pier full of sizzling fried stuff on sticks, pretty toys, and the kind of goofy souvenirs you'll find at any human special occasion. The stalls are, as promised, empty of the creepy simulacra the enclosure makes for people.
He watches for Angel's reaction, a little nervous. It's not exactly a sophisticated outing, but it's one that matters to him.]
[It's like nothing Angel's ever seen outside of movies and those dramas he and Wen Ning watch together. The real thing is a sight to behold, and Angel tries to take it all in with a real and unpracticed grin.]
Look at it. [He breathes in awe and his eyes linger on the mountains, a far cry from the natural landscape of New York.]
It's beautiful. [Giddy, Angel leans into Wen Ning, before being distracted by the stalls, half dragging him to explore and play with the souvenirs.]
[Well, that was as much as he could have hoped for. Wen Ning smiles and follows him, zeroing in on a lantern stall. Most of the fancy animal shaped ones are rabbits, for folkloric reasons, but zodiac animals are reliable.
By the time he's caught up, he's snagged a pink pig lantern almost as cute as a hell piglet. And a stick of candied berries that is frankly way too phallic not to make a joke about, but being Wen Ning he offers it innocently.]
Sugared hawthorne. Have you eaten in here before? Food and drinks are real until you leave, and then it's like you never had anything.
[He does not know what that means. But he has learned enough to catch on to that lick, and look as bashfully pleased as Angel could hope for.]
Good, let's find you snacks. It's lake country, so the crabs and fish are good? But.
[Wen Ning's starting to have a tell when he's trying to match Angel's outrageous innuendos, a twitch of resolution before he manages to get the words out. He rocks onto tiptoe and steals a lick from Angel's candy. He doesn't really manage to be very seductive about it. Points for effort?]
You have to share tanghulu. It's lucky.
[He absolutely made that up, and he is not a good liar.]
[That playful return is a surprise and Angel laughs fondly, giving that stridulating rattle he knows Wen Ning enjoys and lowering the candy so it's easier to share, sucking at the tip of it.]
Lucky, huh? Well I need all the luck I can get, get in on this.
[He'll never be Angel's equal. He still thinks he's improving. It's a little easier to be outrageous in a place that feels like a dream. He snatches a quick, slightly sticky kiss to the corner of Angel's mouth and has another lick.]
The berries are filled with red bean paste in the middle. Careful it doesn't surprise you.
[There, see, that's the kind of thing Wen Ning has learned to be able to think, even if he would usually fluster himself and then immediately bury. With just Angel, surrounded by reflected lanternlight and stalls manned by ghosts, he can juuuust manage amateur innuendo.
The tanghulu itself is not terrible exciting. The shell is just a thin crust of sugar with fruit underneath. But hopefully it won't be too much of a disappointment.]
[He giggles his approves and nips at him carefully, stealing another kiss and giving a far more gratuitous and loooong lick up the length of the treat.]
[He still can't believe he said that, but Angel laughed, so he's smiling through the embarrassment. He keeps holding of Angel's arm and steers him gently forward.]
[Wen Ning pulls them towards the food stalls, which do look a little odd unmanned, but not as creepy as they would with the empty, ghostly people the enclosure makes, in his opinion. He grabs two sticks of fishballs this time and bites into his own as he holds one out to Angel, shining with deep fried crispness.
He's actually eating, not taking the tiniest bites possible to check the taste. It's imaginary food. It's fine.]
There's roe in the middle, but... I don't know how to make a dirty joke about that. They're good, though!
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[There's a teasing grin, and Angel easily nods.]
Very ready. Do I gotta strip down first?~ Heh.
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Well, eventually. I can get your hair, first?
[He's glad Angel's done his own makeup. He never had to help his sister with that. She had pretty plain tastes. And he's not sure he's do it right around fur.]
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Lemme get a little lower.
[Angel drops down onto his knees so he's not so difficult to style.]
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He knows enough of Angel's habits to be pretty confident picking feminine accessories for his hair, choosing prettily carved and beaded pins that gather up into a crown. They're all made of pearlescent white stone to match his fur. Wen Ning works quickly, finding wigs are quite easy. You don't have to worry about poking or pulling so much.]
Like it?
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I look like a princess~
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Good, you should.
[He takes a step deeper into this little enclosure-generated dressing room and turns back with an armload of pink and blue silk.]
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That'll be another date. [There's a promise and a wink.]
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Princess another time, right. Here, arms out.
[There's some fuss with under-robes in soft, gentle colors, but Wen Ning is proudest of the outermost layer, which he described in minute detail to the enclosure before Angel got here. He doesn't think Angel's usual pink would quite fit the event, but he's incorporated it at the bottom of the robe, which glows warmly rosy before fading into lavender, blue, and almost black by the shoulders. All six arms end in water sleeves that dip back through the gradient as they fall.]
Tonight you're a moonrise.
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It takes a bit more work than some of the more modern clothes he's grown used to, but the effect is definitely worth it, Angel moving a little more delicately as he examines those pretty sleeves. Not the clothing of a whore. Or at least as far as Angel knows, he's not sure how they might've dressed in Wen Ning's time, but he knows the whores of his own youth wouldn't be as obvious to modern eyes either.]
Ya talk about me like I ain't- [Well...some many things. And Angel flushes, shrugging it off to pose and preen.] I look good, don' I?
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The beauty of a generation.
[It'd be an eye-rolling cliche at home, but maybe Angel hasn't heard it before. He stands on tiptoe for a quick, light kiss on the cheek that doesn't risk any makeup.]
I mostly didn't ask for people. I think the ones the enclosure makes is a little creepy. But I thought you'd like to see the dancers, so I left them in?
[You're not expected to talk to performers, so that seems safe.]
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My pretty poet. You're gonna make me burn up.
[He nods excitedly, linking a lower arm through one of Wen Ning's.]
You know me so well.
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A full moon overhead lights up the lantern festival below. Little stalls for the pier full of sizzling fried stuff on sticks, pretty toys, and the kind of goofy souvenirs you'll find at any human special occasion. The stalls are, as promised, empty of the creepy simulacra the enclosure makes for people.
He watches for Angel's reaction, a little nervous. It's not exactly a sophisticated outing, but it's one that matters to him.]
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Look at it. [He breathes in awe and his eyes linger on the mountains, a far cry from the natural landscape of New York.]
It's beautiful. [Giddy, Angel leans into Wen Ning, before being distracted by the stalls, half dragging him to explore and play with the souvenirs.]
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By the time he's caught up, he's snagged a pink pig lantern almost as cute as a hell piglet. And a stick of candied berries that is frankly way too phallic not to make a joke about, but being Wen Ning he offers it innocently.]
Sugared hawthorne. Have you eaten in here before? Food and drinks are real until you leave, and then it's like you never had anything.
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He snickers, giving it a not at all innocent lick, eyes locked on Wen Ning.]
Dieter's dream.
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Good, let's find you snacks. It's lake country, so the crabs and fish are good? But.
[Wen Ning's starting to have a tell when he's trying to match Angel's outrageous innuendos, a twitch of resolution before he manages to get the words out. He rocks onto tiptoe and steals a lick from Angel's candy. He doesn't really manage to be very seductive about it. Points for effort?]
You have to share tanghulu. It's lucky.
[He absolutely made that up, and he is not a good liar.]
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Lucky, huh? Well I need all the luck I can get, get in on this.
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The berries are filled with red bean paste in the middle. Careful it doesn't surprise you.
[There, see, that's the kind of thing Wen Ning has learned to be able to think, even if he would usually fluster himself and then immediately bury. With just Angel, surrounded by reflected lanternlight and stalls manned by ghosts, he can juuuust manage amateur innuendo.
The tanghulu itself is not terrible exciting. The shell is just a thin crust of sugar with fruit underneath. But hopefully it won't be too much of a disappointment.]
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[He giggles his approves and nips at him carefully, stealing another kiss and giving a far more gratuitous and loooong lick up the length of the treat.]
Don' worry, I won't make a mess.
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[He still can't believe he said that, but Angel laughed, so he's smiling through the embarrassment. He keeps holding of Angel's arm and steers him gently forward.]
Come on, fish balls come on a stick, too.
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An ya know how I like gettin' my mouth on those~
[This is fun. Sweet, but not the boring kind of sweet he'd've rolled his eyes at in the past.]
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He's actually eating, not taking the tiniest bites possible to check the taste. It's imaginary food. It's fine.]
There's roe in the middle, but... I don't know how to make a dirty joke about that. They're good, though!
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[Angel asks, but he's already taking a bite and giving a surprised hum. Right, those!]
Not bad. You taste better though. [A wink and a pointed glance down turns it into passable dirty joke, and Angel grins, stealing kiss.]
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[Settling in now, he grabs a clay jar from the next stall, cooled by lake water.]
Let's find out if you like baiju.
[He opens the jar. Whatever's in there is high proof and rough, pure liquor with bite.]
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[That shit is good! Strong and sharp. They need to get this at the bar.]
Your people know what they're doin'.
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