Title: Sunshine
Author: Infectious Mike
Prompt: Book
Category: Humor/Friendship
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Lu Xun/Lu Meng (squint for it) Ling Tong/Gan Ning (it's there if you look hard enough)
Master Lu Meng read over his shoulder like a hawk. He was reading old war books on strategy again. Lu Meng really wondered if the kid got any sleep or even ate anything. Lu Meng looked away for a moment and then back when he heard the rustle of a page turning in Lu Xun's fingers and used this moment to walk around the young Wu strategist and slammed his hands firmly on the wooden table.
"Lu Xun!" he barked as loud as he could.
Startled, Lu Xun jerked up and fell backwards onto the ground along with the chair he was sitting on. The chair smashed to multiple pieces under the young man's weight. Lu Xun immediately stood up and brushed himself off. "Master Lu Meng, you startled me," he said in his calm demeanor. Looking down at the still open book on the table he left a dyed red feather on the page and closed it. "Was it really necessary to shout though?" he asked looking down at the shattered chair behind him.
"It was the only way to get your attention," Lu Meng smirked the shrugged. "I didn't see any other way save for yelling your name. Besides this was all in fun, I had no intention of causing such mayhem," he paused. "You are alright though I assume."
"It was a small drop, surely I have endured worse on the field of battle," Lu Xun said smugly.
"How very uncharacteristic Lu Xun, showing such pride," Lu Meng said puzzled. "Perhaps we should take a walk?" he suggested, already on his way out of the room.
Lu Xun let the question hang before following Lu Meng out of the room and into the corridor. Inside the perimeter of the square corridor was an open-roofed courtyard littered with shrubs and small trees. A small well-tended garden was in the far right corner from where they stood. Pedestals adorned with vases were erected in the middle of the border of each wall. The courtyard was lit up by the afternoon sun directly above it casting no shadows. The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard through the silence of the warm summer day. Two warriors were fighting on the far side opposite the two Wu strategists. Lu Xun couldn't tell who was sparring today. The shine from the sun reflecting from their red armor made them look aflame and impossible to identify.
Lu Xun stopped in the middle of the parallel corridor and began walking towards the sparring session fascinated by the sun's effect on their armor. "Master Lu Meng!"
Lu Meng turned in the direction of the voice calling out to him. "Yes Lu Xu-" he stopped midsentence in awe. He knew what Lu Xun called him for. Lu Meng soon found himself next to Lu Xun equally as fascinated.
"Hey, you two!" Lu Meng called out.
"What did I do this time?" asked one of the combatants aggresively.
"Do not move!" Lu Xun commanded.
"Hey! What gives?" the other cheerfully called out. "We were just getting to the good part," he said half-laughing.
"Lu Xun, this could open up a lot of potential strategies if we can learn what is going on here," Lu Meng said.
"Gan Ning, do you know what they're talking about?" asked the cheerful officer.
"Some strategic mumbo-jumbo, something I don't associate myself with," replied Gan Ning, "Now Ling Tong, prepare yourself here I come," Gan Ning rushed forward knives at the ready.
Lu Meng stepped in front of the headstrong warrior, "Lu Xun told you to stay put, I recommend that you don't disobey his orders Gan Ning."
Lu Xun stroked his chin slowly. "It must be because red is...yes that is the cause. It must be," Lu Xun paused then looked over at Gan Ning. "Take off your armor Master Gan Ning," he said plainly.
Gan Ning's jaw dropped and stared at the young Wu strategist. "What did you just say?"
"I need to test a theory, and you need to take off your armor."
"What's the problem? Like we haven't seen you walking around half-naked anyway. I'm honestly surprised you're still wearing it in this weather," Ling Tong mumbled just loud enough for them to hear.
"Why are you interested all of a sudden?" Gan Ning countered.
"Because I want to know what it is Master Lu Xun, and Master Lu Meng are speaking of, not all of us are here just for the sport of battle. A lot of us actually do like to exercise our min-"
"Enough!" Lu Meng interjected. "Gan Ning take off your armor, Ling Tong, observe quietly."
"I don't have to take off all of it right? Just the to-"
"Yes just the top half now get to it brazen pirate!" Lu Meng snapped.
"Alright old man, relax it's not easy taking this off. Ling Ton-"
"No!" Ling Tong rejected the thought before it even left Gan Ning's mouth. Lu Meng sent him a frightening stare that made Ling Tong reconsider. Tong stood behind the blonde officer and examined the back plate. "Where are you...?" he asked to nobody the light shining in his eyes made it even harder for him to find what he was looking for on Gan Ning's armor.. "Found it!" he unfastened the buckle and strap holding the armor up, taking it off piece by piece.
Eventually Gan Ning's upper body was stripped to just his perfectly toned skin. Ling Tong stood back and pretended he was interested just so he didn't get yelled at.
Lu Xun however approached the warrior and put his face close to the warrior's upper body. Gan Ning shifted uncomfortably, sweat trickled down his brow. Lu Xun hummed as he worked, constantly looking up at the sky and at the now easily visible Gan Ning, then down at the armor laying neatly in a pile on the grass at his feet. The armor still had a spark to it while Gan Ning's body retained none of the properties it had while encased in the red plates. Lu Xun approached the plates on the ground and bent down to pick one up. It was hot in his hand but he didn't flinch from the heat. He turned it over in his hands and realized the other side had light reflecting properties as well.
Lu Xun finally broke the silence, "Ling Tong, move out of the sun's light."
Ling Tong who had spaced out right on Gan Ning was unresponsive.
"Ling Tong!" Lu Xun shouted getting the officer's attention. "Get out of the sun!" he repeated. "What was that all about?" he asked looking at the junior strategist quizzically.
"I spaced out alright, don't worry about it," he said defensively as he stepped under an awning overhanging just outside the boundaries of the surrounding corridor. "Is this good enough?"
Lu Xun nodded. Ling Tong's glow was gone now too. Lu Xun looked at his own robes he was wearing and at Lu Meng's. They were not glowing. "It must only be metal," Lu Xun concluded. "The flash is caused by the sun reflecting off of metal. Coincidentially, our armor is mostly red which would intensify the light and make it appear as if we were set aflame."
Lu Meng looked at him puzzled. "Lu Xun?"
"I'll show you!" he said excitedly. Lu Xun took up a plate of Gan Ning's armor and flipped it repeatedly in his hands. "See how it is glowing in the sun's light. If I were to take away the light source however," Lu Xun demonstrated his point by tossing the plate underneath the awning Ling Tong was still standing in. "It doesn't glow anymore," he continued, "if it were the color the back side of Gan Ning's armor plates wouldn't have reacted the same way, and you, Master Lu Meng, as well as myself would be glowing the same way since we're both wearing red."
"Very well done Lu Xun," praised Lu Meng.
"Can we get back to sparring old man?" Gan Ning asked impatiently tapping his foot.
"Feel free to proceed," Lu Xun answered for Lu Meng. "I have all the information I need, Master Lu Meng, we must reform our strategies."
"Shouldn't we report this to Master Sun Quan first?"
"Wouldn't it be beneficial for everyone to simply send a letter explaining everything instead of traveling all the way to the castle and back. You could write the letter while I begin the re-formation of our strategies, that way we get as much done as poss-Master Lu Meng? Is there something on my face?"
Lu Meng coughed abruptly. "What? No it's nothing. I...how do you kids say it, spaced out?"