Yěhuā
A Xiān Kè Lái Extras Collection
By: Aviantei
[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]
1. Lotus (1)
Stepping inside the door doesn't do a damn thing to the smell of smoke. Not even the undertow of restaurant food can put a dent in its odor. I want to go home, if for nothing else than some fresh air. My coworkers don't even flinch at the smell. Several of them dangled cigarettes from their lips on the walk over, more for show than actual use.
Unperturbed, as this is the norm, one steps forward, does a quick count on his fingers, and asks for a table.
I don't get out enough.
The atmosphere couldn't contrast more with the flower café if one was painted black and the other white, but my brain insists on picking out the differences anyway. Beyond the smell, chatter seeps into every space, leaving no open air between trails of cigarette smoke. Just visible beyond the hostess, bottles of alcohol sit in rows under dim lighting.
A few minutes later we have a menagerie of tables assembled for our use, and everyone falls into their seats as if there's a traditional pattern to it. I'm the odd one out, so I take the remaining chair towards one side. Our server asks for our drink orders, and someone who's name I don't remember calls for alcohol for the whole table and is met with cheers.
I grimace. This was a mistake.
"You don't have to drink if you don't want to." Heng leans across the empty table so I can hear his voice. Our cubicles used to be next door until I got promoted to work under Lu Yang. That didn't stop Heng from inviting me out every weekend. This is the first time he's succeeded. "Some of the guys get pretty stupid, but it's just to blow off steam. You know how it is." He offers a smile and a shrug.
I don't know how it is. My usual weekend routine involves paperwork and exercise and checking in with Bai to make sure she's still alive in Hainan. The last time I joined in on something even close to this was in Japan.
Everything that evening was Horohoro's fault.
It's not the truth, but things are easier when you say it like that.
I reach for my phone in my pocket, thinking of checking in with Bai early. She could fake an important phone call to me. She would also never let me live it down for chickening out on spending time with my coworkers. Not wanting to risk her teasing, I leave my phone be and focus on the cluster of people around me. On the other end of the table, a second server is checking for appetizers, and I direct my attention to the menu.
"No alcohol," I mutter in response to Heng. He doesn't seem offended. "I hope the food here tastes good without it."
"Hey, we make decent money even without fancy promotions like yours." Heng's tone is light enough I can recognize it as a joke. So long as I keep to his pace, there shouldn't be any trouble. "We wouldn't just pick out a crappy joint."
I put on a smirk, not even half serious. "We'll see about that." I feel a moment of tension and try to focus on my center. Heng takes the comment in stride. It's a relief. Bai's nonchalant attitude has spoiled me, and she's been away at research for months.
Two months.
Long enough that her temporary period has passed.
Long enough to decide to stay.
There have been enough appetizer orders across the table that we might not even have room for the meal. I flip my menu over in pursuit of the drinks. Something strong to drown out the cigarette smoke, or at least make it tolerable. A potent tea would do the trick, though their selection of flavors isn't every wide. As to be expected by a bar.
Trying to focus on the positives, I ignore the fresh beer set down in front of me and settle in for the long haul.
2. Lotus (2)
The air in the garden smells like plants as I inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. The afternoon sun leaves a wash of heat over my back. I try to ignore the sweat starting to run down my back and focus on the chi point in my stomach. The rhythm of my breathing suffers from the multi-tasking attempt.
Meditation is hard.
I shake my head out and focus again. This time, I start with my center, pressing an index finger several centimeters above my belly button. This is my center. This is my focus. If I concentrate, I can make my energy flow. The basic instructions from my father repeat as I poke deeper into my stomach to make the sensation last.
It's almost like cheating, but not quite. I have to feel the spot to channel from it. This is the closest I can manage for now.
I resume breathing to push away my frustration. I've been practicing meditation for the past few weeks, but it still hasn't clicked. I'm supposed to accept it's difficulty because I'm so young. Mother's told me that even adults have a hard time learning.
That doesn't make me feel any better. I've made that clear.
Four counts in, eight counts out… I repeat the rhythm, waiting for the moment it clicks inside of me and becomes second nature. The numbers in my head blur together, instead steady drum beats. I still have to concentrate a bit, but I pull my hand back from my stomach, circling my thumb and index fingers to promote the flow of chi.
I think I can feel it. The peace my grandfather mentioned. I've gotten closer this time. I stifle my smile and excitement, not wanting to disrupt the cycle inside myself.
"Hey, Ren, Mom says you at least need to bring some water outside when you practice. It's hot."
My attempt at inner peace is left in ruins.
Jun's voice heralds the coming of her shadow over me. I growl in the back of my throat and abandon my meditation. My sister holds two bottles of water, condensation already forming on their surfaces. The respite from the sun she brings is welcome, but her presence is not.
"I told you not to interrupt me when I'm meditating," I snap, pressing my hands into my thighs. "You disrupted my chi."
"Father and Grandfather don't lose their focus when I say things to them," Jun teases with a smirk. I duck my head so she can't see the fresh wave of heat across my cheeks.
"I'm still learning!"
"Yeah, yeah." She dangles one water bottle in front of me. "Seriously, drink up or Mom's gonna scold us both. You're my little bro. I still gotta take care of you."
I snatch the water from her and undo the cap. Just because she's already out of primary school… It's not the first time I've imagined the pluses of being the older sibling. We're just a few years apart. "Yeah, thanks," I say, because Mother will scold me if I don't show my manners. "Now if you're done getting in the way, get lost."
Jun rolls her eyes and opens her own water. "I thought I'd meditate with you. Maybe it'll help you focus your chi a bit better."
I frown on instinct, but think about it anyway. Grandfather is out divining fortunes at this time of day. Mother has her own business to attend to, and I don't want to chance being alone with Father. It's just me, Jun, and the house staff today, and they make awful meditation partners.
"Fine," I huff, and Jun settles down into the grass across from her, her skirt tugging as she crosses her legs. I pretend she's not smiling. "Just don't go disrupting my flow, you hear?"
3. Lotus (3)
Finishing my cool down stretches in the park, I find a free patch of grass to sit down on. Autumn is still spluttering forward, kickbacks of summer allowing outdoor exercise. The heat in the air contrasts the decaying colors of the leaves. The dry grass beneath me pushes at my sweatpants but doesn't poke through.
An exertion of very little effort later, and I've hit a meditative state. Most people don't meditate between stages of a run, but I find the break in the exercise helps me keep a clear mind. Running shuts down my earthbound desires, and exposes irregularities in my chi flow. Other than the usual disruption from not spiking my hair, everything feels in place today. Several minutes pass, though I don't know the exact number, and I open my eyes.
Bai squats in front of me, blinking every so often in a blank stare.
"I didn't say anything, but you totally didn't notice me," she says in awe. You'd think there would be more fascinating things to look at than a man sitting around and doing nothing. "If I didn't see you breathing, I would've thought you were dead. Still looked like you were in a coma, though. If anyone's gonna get stolen from, it's you." She takes in a long gasp, excitement sparking in her dark eyes. "Wait, you think you're more plant than human like that? You gotta teach me."
"You wouldn't stand a chance," I say, poking her forehead. Bai's shoddy balance topples, but she sprawls out on the grass, as pastel as ever. Giggles blossom from her mouth. "Shouldn't you be studying?"
It takes a sharp angle for Bai's gaze to meet up with mine. She doesn't even budge from the ground. "Shouldn't you not be slacking off?"
I frown. "I was meditating, not slacking off." I cross my arms, and a faint tug of tension pulls at my shoulders. I'll have to do extra stretches when I get home, before a knot forms. "It's a good relaxation technique and it keeps you balanced."
"Whoa." Something I said appears to be cause for Bai to sit up. "Did you just say 'relaxation'? Tao Ren just said 'relaxation'." Bai glances around and to the sky, as if expecting a thunderstorm. "You sure you're feeling okay? I hear that in some people stress builds up without them noticing, then it hits in unexpected ways."
"You're overreacting."
Bai snorts at my blunt tone. "Sorry. But that's so unlike you. You're, like, always moving. Always."
"You do know I have to rest to keep my energy, up right?"
"Always moving. Even at night. Tao Ren relentlessly works and is serious and never ever has any fun. His struggle has continued from birth and shall reach into eternity."
"It's a good thing you like plants, because you'd make an awful writer."
"Not even poetry?"
"I'm gagging just thinking of it."
Bai tosses some dead grass at me. Her aim is awful and doesn't account for the lack of weight, so I'm spared from the potential itch. "Got it. I'll stay the plant girl forever then," she says, as if she weren't planning on doing that in the first place. "If anyone asks, I'll cite you as the cause. That's your fate now."
"Not the worst fate." I toss my own handful of grass at her as I stand up. Bai doesn't bother to brush it from her hair, her eyes focused on me. "Get to studying. I won't be the cause of your grades going downhill."
"Awww." Her pout and whine do nothing to sway me from my second set of warm up stretches for the day. "You're not gonna stay longer? I knew it, you can't relax to save your life."
I smirk, but the expression isn't as condescending as it once was. "Just because I'm not always moving doesn't mean I'm not most of the time."
I catch the traces of Bai's eye roll as I jog off.
4. Lotus (4)
After a month of being in London, I've been able to stop myself from filling out my assignments in kanji. In comparison to those characters and my native Chinese, the roman alphabet feels deceptively simple. The engineering formula I have to decipher my way through, on the other hand, feels a bit more tricky. I'm just glad math works the same way across the world.
This is the first of my two years of English and the penultimate of my studies. The passage of time isn't lost on me, but I take another crack at my assignment before the soft chime of Lyserg's phone alarm leaks from his pocket.
"Break time," my study partner announces. Though a year younger than me, he has a much better head on his shoulders. He's better at focusing than my friends in Japan by a long shot.
Friends, I consider, setting down my pencil for the moment. Even now, it feels like an odd concept.
Lyserg finishes setting up the cups on the table and pours some black tea from his thermos. It's not my preferred taste, but he insists on sharing, so I don't decline. We've been studying for over an hour now, but the tea's held its heat.
I take a starting sip, careful to avoid burning my tongue, and Lyserg asks, "Any progress?"
I glance back down to my worksheet, glad that it's the weekend and I have a few more hours until lunch to make progress.
Lyserg chuckles. "That bad, huh?"
"And I take it you're doing the same?"
Lyserg's laugh turns nervous. He's been pouring over the same textbook since we started, and I see the several discarded outlines of an essay among his belongings. "You know, I thought business would be simple," he admits. Having pushed my way through the basic courses already, I know where he's coming from. "Maybe I should've become a detective after all…"
"Day dreaming's not going to get you anywhere."
My study partner flicks a lock of green hair from his matching eyes and puts on a brilliant smile. "That's the point of a tea break, you know. To let your mind wander before focusing." It sounds like something Yoh would come up with, just a bit more rational.
Not yet ready to work out the electrical diagram that goes along with the complicated equation on my worksheet, I make sure to take small drinks. Lyserg does the same.
Neither of us is satisfied when our cup runs out.
[Author's Notes]
Greetings, and welcome to Yěhuā, the Xiān Kè Lái extras collection. If you've not read that fic, I'd recommend it for some context. As that story was an AU, which had a lot of scenes and concepts that went into developing it that weren't necessary for the story itself. This collection hopes to expand those moments, as well as explore extra concepts that came up in the crossroads. This entry we see:
1. Lotus (1): Post Xiān Kè Lái Ren takes some time to hang out with his coworkers.
2. Lotus (2): Young Ren tries to practice meditating. Whether Jun's presence is helpful or not is yet to be decided.
3. Lotus (3): Mid-canon Xiān Kè Lái Ren has to deal with Bai's prodding.
4. Lotus (4): College age Ren takes on his year in Britain with Lyserg.
In any event, this is also my entry for this year's [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]! If you're looking for a fun multi-chapter writing challenge to kick off 2018 right, consider checking out the forum and joining the community. Xiān Kè Lái was written in the first [SOSS], so it seemed fitting to post this during [SOSS], too.
A la [SOSS] rules, there will be ten entries to this story, with four extras each. If there's any interest, I'll also be taking requests for bonus extras to compile an eleventh entry at the end of the season! If there's any unanswered questions you may have about Xiān Kè Lái, this is the fic to get them answered in.
That all being said, this is my last fanfiction posting of 2017! The rest of this fic will continue in 2018. Happy New Year, folks, and I'll see you then!
-Aviantei
[12.25.2017]