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From:

fragmentaryblue

Touché.

It is a little difficult to recall, I'll admit. I feel as though I've called you quite a few things, or at least I've thought of them.

Have I worried you? You could pay me a visit and set your mind at ease, you know.

From:

wife_material

You only thought them. That's probably for the best.

Would it be fair to play against you like this?

From:

fragmentaryblue

If I told you it would be fairer than our previous matches, would you play me out of spite?

From:

doctor_uhh

Once more the panther does not disappoint, deadly reflexes primed to grab his ~~stupid~~ prize out of the air before it can even hit the ground. Li Lianhua might be missing the visual performance, being turned the other way, but it's enough to more sense than hear the near silent leaping behind him, and the soft clatter as the panther lands with the bones under his paws. Idly he wonders what else he could make Di Feisheng catch like this, just to keep him sharp and all. As naturally ridiculously well suited as he is to this shape, skills don't just come from nothing, after all. ~~That's his secret, he's always paying attention to Di Feisheng.~~

A dreamy smile is already on his face as Li Lianhua is in danger of getting lost in the deeply amusing fantasy of that panther pouncing after some roast chicken on a fishing line being whipped through the air. Thankfully, Di Feisheng's rather woebegone slinking over to the window captures his notice again. What, is the truth such a burden to carry that he can't even pick up the damned windchime, now? The ~~very funny~~ reluctance in the panther's bearing is obviously owing just as much to the troublesome woman next door as it is to realizing his rash actions are going to have further consequences. That would be impossible to resist poking at even if the sight of the panther gazing out the window like a lovesick maiden wasn't so... inviting.

Li Lianhua saunters over to the panther's side, hands folded politely behind his back once more, to lean down to his line of sight and join him in Looking Outside. This time, he seems to be perfectly oblivious to those fangs so close to his face and neck.

"Eh, Di-mengzhu. What's the matter? Are you thinking you... bit off more than you can chew?"

From:

wife_material

[Wasn't she only JUST playing the bird with the hurt wing? ~~Back to pew pew DIE etc already.~~ Though of course in her case, it's no longer exactly playing.]

Not spite. But I would play.

Though I half expected you to ask for, what was it last time you said you were unwell? Soup and stories?

From:

fragmentaryblue

Have I been unwell before? I would have certainly remembered that.

[Seeing as it doesn't happen... ever.]

From:

wife_material

That time wasn't real, at least. I wouldn't know about any others.

[Not like now. But he is, SO generously and intuitively, offering her the chance to play in the space instead of marinate in that reality, because he is getting an A+ in friendship. What he's not offering is actual soup or stories, but that's obvious.]

Lunacy notwithstanding, of course.

From:

fragmentaryblue

All me to correct myself then: I've never been unwell in my life.

Will you play with me? We'll need a board.

From:

wife_material

That explains why you're bad at it.

I said I would. And fortunately, I have a board.

From:

fragmentaryblue

You would be so cruel to me? As I languish here in a feverish malaise?

You do. Will your lotus complain if you bring it? (Has he forgotten where it came from, I wonder?)

From:

wife_material

Just an observation from someone with experience.

That's beyond my scope as liaison. But I doubt he's forgotten.

From:

fragmentaryblue

What sort of experience?

Good. I find it funny, to know he has little reminders of me. You can bring yours or fetch mine, whichever suits you.

From:

wife_material

[Obviously what speed has to do with it is Fang Duobing's lackluster speed at looking for ghosts, which are apparently quite fast and hard to spot, but this is no excuse whatsoever. He won't spot Di Feisheng either, at least until it's too late, and neither will...the lone pumpkin.

Di Feisheng doesn't break cover in exasperated incredulity, but it's a near thing. Cover is also why he's leaving Xiaobao on read, and not the fact that he is occasionally still in his twenties at heart and deeply annoying. Instead he gives the gourd a silent chance to rethink, or just get unwarily (it's a vegetable) in range of being leapt at. Which, as soon as there's another, nearer orange flash, he does, albeit with some concessions made to the landing. ~~He is GOING to do a grab to that thing.~~]

From:

wife_material

~~Wishing for Li Lianhua's attention was one of his patented Instant Mistakes.~~ Maybe he can be a panther about returning the windchime after all; Li Lianhua being respectful is a lost cause due to his nature but maybe Iris...well, he might need the agility, anyway. Even if he happens to negotiate his way out of outright hostility. Maybe he will just be a panther about everything going forward, especially things Li Lianhua is right about.

So smart of that Li Lianhua to put his hands away before going for bite puns while in range of the real thing. ~~As real as 2hp allows, anyway.~~ The knowledge that it would Not help is the only thing saving everybody from terrible indignity. There is no longer such a thing as justice in any world, if this is the thanks he gets for his valuable service. ~~He is going to bring home some kind of dead thing for real.~~

One canted ear says his attention has shifted, no longer on Outside even if his eyes are; he is Clearly Considering It Anyway, going so far as to grimace, teeth bared, in evident distaste ~~or possibly seeing a bird outside~~. Surely at some point it's just called karma. Why would he bring the windchime over with him when he's got garbage right here. Just because he is metaphorically and at times literally dragging his feet doesn't mean Di-mengzhu isn't still committed to this bit (of his own creation), it just means he's already played the element of surprise and needs to strategize accordingly. Get tail-whipped, idiot.

From:

wife_material

A worse injury than yours, by an order of years.

If he were any more reminded I would have to issue a formal complaint.

[He doesn't even have a seal for that. Isn't that funny.]

From:

fragmentaryblue

I would assert that our injuries are not comparable, but would hate to snatch a rare victory away from you.

I'll assemble a suggestion box for these complaints. You'll know it by the wind chime I plan to attach to it.

From:

wife_material

[~~WOW. The victories aren't even THAT rare bffrrn~~]

It's true. I wasn't bested by a tree, for one.

Staying busy will be good for your recovery. I could even bring you supplies, if I decided to fetch your board instead.

From:

fragmentaryblue

Claiming victory over a contest without participating is poor sportsmanship. Go on, try for yourself. I'll watch.

Sadly, I doubt my nurse will approve of construction projects while I'm recuperating. I do feel badly for him. I'm sure he has plenty of ways he'd rather be spending his time than caring for me.

From:

wife_material

You think I wouldn't?

What, his little friends? He'll be fine. He was very anxious when you were injured, he won't have forgotten so soon. Don't let him know it concerns you or he might ask me for a raise.

From:

fragmentaryblue

I think you would-- if you could, but you wouldn't accomplish as much as I have.

[Is she even sorry about it? Hard to tell. Maybe the risk seems less, now that she's partially recovered. Maybe it was never about the risk in the first place.]

[She absolutely doesn't have to address how worried Cat was about her, though.]

He deserves a raise. You'd best be paying him what he's worth. (As if he'd work for anything less.)

From:

detective_xiaobao

[Not getting a response back isn't necessarily a bad sign. He's not worried-- It's more obnoxious than anything, more-so that he has to admit in the first place that there's something poke around that's faster than him. A-Fei has always shown up when he's needed, so there's little worry that he wouldn't do so now.]

[Maybe a little more worry when he doesn't see the older man anywhere, but still not unusual.]

[In fact the sudden feeling of descent that happens behind him is both nostalgic and honestly... a little funny in equal parts. Good. Whoever has been trailing him ought to learn a very important lesson. There's some unearned smugness in his expression as he turns around to get a look at this sneaky person--]

[--and a pumpkin zips by in broad view, cover blown, rolling evasively like a gourd out of hell.]

...What.

From:

doctor_uhh

That grimace is indeed pretty impressive, or at least it probably is, out of the corner of a sideways glance, since Li Lianhua is about as committed to Looking Outside now as the panther is. Anyway that was a very clever pun and cats are just so hard to please. If he wanted simple compensation he should have dropped it off at a pawn shop; what he gets at Li Lianhua's house is exactly what he deserves. ~~Like a headrub.~~

Speaking of things that are deserved, he probably shouldn't complain too much about that sudden comeuppance for his earlier thwapping, almost a little too precise to be coincidence. So he'll only jump a little, throwing a brief glance over his shoulder at the offending appendage erratically dancing like a long furry spring coiled with all of Di Feisheng's considerable restraint. Terrible to give that man so much reach. He's got to be having at least a little fun with it, though, right? Li Lianhua is sure of it.

"Hey, don't take it out on me," he complains anyway, moue of reproach belied by the glint of deep amusement ~~and something else~~ in his eyes. "Blaming the messenger is not a good habit. Let me tell you, Di-mengzhu's lack of foresight isn't my fault. You know she didn't even recognize you until you came back here, right?" Unimaginably amateurish behavior. From both of them, actually. The laughter in his voice gives way to a sigh of pity. "Aiya... I was really expecting better tactics from you. I mean, you could have gotten away with your theft if only you'd... covered your tracks." Alright, a bit of a reach, but still worth it. He helpfully gestures at the panther's massive paws on the windowsill, just to make sure, though.