Moonlight might have been enough, being full and bright in a rare clear sky, but Wang Yuanji chose to bring a small lantern with her anyway when she went into her favourite garden. It might have been force of habit. She’d come here time and time again to take breaks from work on much darker evenings, even when it had been raining sometimes, finding dry havens in one of the many shelters dotted around and taking a seat next to her flickering candle. Usually with a book. Tonight was one of those rare times she didn’t have one with her, however, choosing to find peace in a different way. One that was new to her, but… was helping. Really helping.
Duty was important, as she often tried to impress upon Sima Zhao. What she never told him, because he did enough of that already, was that it was also important to sneak in moments of calm and respite from the world.
“Over here!”
A cheerful voice cut through her thoughts. Wang Yuanji stopped in place for a moment, looking around and completely failing to see the source of the voice. There was a patch of orange light tucked in one corner, however, its warm glow cutting through the cool tones of the night and sliding up against the garden wall. She smiled to herself at the sight of it, pressing her free hand against her chest for a moment, before striding over in its direction. Waiting for her, tucked amongst patches of flowers so fragrant the scene lingered still long after sunset, was a small haven of blankets, a covered basket and… absolutely no person whatsoever.
She should have known better, and normally would have, but Wang Yuanji frowned to herself as she stared at the scene.
“I know I heard her…” she muttered under her breath. “Where…?”
“Right here!”
Wang Yuanji startled a little and whirled around, ready to be angry, but finding herself face-to-face with a beaming, laughing Xin Xianying dulled that urge pretty quickly. Instead Wang Yuanji quietly huffed, and offered a small smile of her own.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t anticipate that,” she said, resting her free hand on her hip. “It seems I need more training.”
“Maybe you did, on some level?” Xin Xianying usually looked cheerful, but right now there was an extra level of warmth to her that bled into her voice. “You know me very well by now, so… I think you wanted this to happen.”
“I hope you’re correct.”
“I definitely am. You know me well… and I think I know you very well, too.”
Xin Xianying reached out a hand and, without even thinking about it, Wang Yuanji found herself offering her own hand to be squeezed. Maybe that was the proof of how familiar they were by now? How easy it was, to hold hands like this? It really was wonderful to have grown so close to another woman; Wang Yuanji took a moment to study her friend’s face, admiring the laugh lines around Xin Xianying’s eyes and the playful twist of her lips.
“You do,” replied Wang Yuanji quietly. “This is my favourite spot in the garden…”
“And Lord Sima Zhao hasn’t found it yet, either,” said Xin Xianying, swinging their arms before tugging them both down to the blankets. “He’s missing out! Though I think it might be even better to cuddle up here in the daytime, really, when the flowers are out. The gardeners have done a wonderful job in this garden, the flowers are all very beautiful.”
It was a good thing that Xin Xianying had turned away at that moment and let go (in order to pull out the small feast she had managed to bribe out of the eternally well-stocked Wei kitchens), because a certain thought that Wang Yuanji had been having often recently passed through her mind the moment she heard the word ‘beautiful.’ She bit her lip as the flush set into her cheeks. It was getting difficult, having that kind of thought. The exact moment it had first occurred to her wasn’t something she could quite place but she was very, very aware of how much it cropped up every time she saw this dear friend of hers, this eye of calm and joy in the storms of her life, around anyone showing any remote interest in what they saw. More often than she’d like to admit Wang Yuanji had found good reason to interject and whisk Xin Xianying away from whatever man was flirting with her.
“Next time we both have a day free, maybe we should feast here instead?” Putting her lantern aside and leaning into a particularly comfortable pillow, Wang Yuanji glanced upwards at the dark, glittering sky. “Though we wouldn’t be able to talk through the night then… and I think that might be my favourite thing.”
“Taking a moment in the sun is very important,” said Xin Xianying, turning back and insistently pushing a meat-bun into Wang Yuanji’s hands. “But you’re right, this is lovely. And more private. Less risk of our sleepy Lord spotting you and getting information on the best corner of the castle for a nap.”
“I wouldn’t allow that, I promise.”
“Are you sure? It might give you a good opportunity to scold him! That has to be fun sometimes, right?”
“My Lady…”
“Ah, I’m sorry.” Xin Xianying giggled, and bumped her shoulder into Wang Yuanji’s. “No work talk on the night retreats, right? No fear! I have many good stories to tell you tonight, and I know you have some too. Where shall we start?”
And Wang Yuanji would have answered, she really would have, there were stories of her own she’d carefully read and memorized for these occasions, but… the unexpected moment of contact had practically sent a jolt down her spine. She stared at her friend for one long moment, feeling her flush deepen, not missing the way Xin Xianying’s expression shifted into something a little too understanding in response. There really wasn’t any point in putting up the usual front right now, was there?
“I… I don’t know… I…” Wang Yuanji trailed off, took a moment to collect herself, made a decision and continued. “I just want to be with you tonight. Would you please take the lead? That would be more than enough for me.”
Xin Xianying smiled. She always smiled, but this particular one stole Wang Yuanji’s breath away. A hand was offered once more.
“If you take my hand again, and keep it held, I’ll tell you as many stories as you like,” said Xin Xianying, eyes bright in the candlelight. “Whenever you like, whenever it helps, whenever it makes your world a bit brighter. How about that?”
Oh.
Wang Yuanji felt shy, she felt a little confused still, but she also felt… happy. Just happy. What else to do in response to such words, when they swelled her heart so? Their fingers threaded together. Wang Yuanji leaned in to her ‘moment of respite,’ closed her eyes and spent her night listening to a wonderful tale of love.