Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

Inside of the box, each one of them shimmered and sparkled like gems, crystalline and perfect in shape—a box of glazed donuts stared up at the Wood Elf. It caught him in surprise, and he blinked for one moment. At loss for words, until he glanced back at Han Jing and laughed. "This is what you bring me? Some kind of..."

"Confectionery?" Han Jing answered for him. "It's a donut, Hazel. Don't tell me you don't have it from where you're from?" he asked with a pointed stare. If he bothered with a disguise, then he would keep up with the ruse. Behind the Wood Elf, Jinjing had already thrown open her own box, grabbed for a piece of a donut and bit into hers.

The Wood Elf stared at him agog before his gaze returned to the round… doughnut-shaped donuts for the lack of a better term. And Hazelleaf picked one up in his hands, the frost-like sugar glaze sticking to his fingers. Dubiously, he tossed it into the air and weighed it in his hands. "Light enough to throw, but it's a terrible projectile."

"You can eat it. It's pretty good." Han Jing said with a tired grin. The man resisted the urge to throw a hand over his face. He could only hope that his sister was none the wiser and only assume that his 'guest' was weird. Which probably didn't seem that weird when she lived with him. His thoughts concentrated on the next task—getting this guy out of his house as soon as possible.

Especially before his mother came back.

The Wood Elf spoke up, eyes widened as he stared at the box in front of him, "Sugar! This donut of yours is too sweet! Sweeter than honeysuckle and the morning dew—"

"So you don't like it?" Han Jing already moved to get them a glass of water, for once focused on making sure that the guest's mouth was full. "Have some water, it'll help wash out—"

"Now I didn't say that I disliked it, it's only surprising—who would turn down sugar? It's a gift from the gods!" the Wood Elf laughed and glanced down at the box that he had opened. The white box decorated with the graphic arts of similar pastries in vivid colors and had a fancy font. "One for me and the other for your sibling, a thoughtful gift. What you bring for your blood kin is what you bring to me? It's a gift for friendship and kin!"

Jinjing looked at him from over the Wood Elf's shoulder, and he only scratched the back of his head. He had stopped himself from gawking and instead nodded, "Yeah, whatever you say—I guess you can take it like that." If the Wood Elf valued the present because of that reason, well, let the dude ascribe any meaning to it.

"Well, you must not worry—the present I bring to you comes from magnificent lands. It would match this gift of yours, perhaps even be better than these. You would undoubtedly owe me once you see it."

He had to keep the greed out of his head, Han Jing clasped his hands together and bit down his tongue. "That is quite gracious and benevolent of you."

"Indeed, that is the case." Hazelleaf nodded, self-satisfied. "A gift for the host who will let me sojourn in his place for a time—"

"Well, about that uh, would it be alright to discuss it outside?"

"I had just arrived here!"

He fought the urge to narrow his eyes and opted for a smile, his teeth bared slightly. "Yeah, but esteemed guest, this is a conversation meant outside of the house." He'd let Jinjing mock him all she wanted later, but for now, he would deal with it. If anything, his sister only paid attention to the donuts—their mother wasn't one to purchase sweets for them for no reason.

"A conversation not meant for your younger sibling?"

"Exactly."

Despite the little girl sticking out her tongue, she didn't do anything. The Wood Elf soon ushered out. He sighed in relief and leaned back his door, preparing himself for the speech he had to do. Convincing the person in front of him would be a tedious thing—his ears picked up sudden footsteps, his senses sharp for a moment.

He grabbed the Wood Elf by the shoulders and pushed him forward, "How about I tour you around? Let's go to the rooftop, the wind is great there." And the sun would sizzle him alive, but better than his mother seeing the Wood Elf at all if that was who he thought it was.

"Han Jing, is that you?" a voice called.

It wasn't his mother; this was far worse. That was his landlord!

"Oh crap, go up!" Undeterred for once, Han Jing pushed the Wood Elf up the stairs before the two of them could get dragged back into the house. He had already experienced trouble with inviting Chan Lee over to their house, it wouldn't happen with his guest now—so up they went, up from the third, fourth and finally the fifth floor.

The weather was bright, the sky a rich blue and not a cloud in sight—as if the heavens welcomed the Wood Elf's arrival in all its glory. Light bounced off and reflected on the other Race's hair and even clothes. A sigh escaped his lips.

"I suppose this is a pleasant air—more clean than the ones below us. And it has been stuffy in your little abode, even dangerous!" The Wood Elf started with complaints. He wagged a finger in Han Jing's face, "I know that you humans are forgetful, short-lived and mindless so I'll tolerate the presence of cold iron in your house, but if you have met with others of my kind—they would find offense. You invite one of the Fair Folk and have not even ensured that your home is devoid of the things that we hate? A less mature Elf or Faerie would have caused mischief and a ruckus."

Han Jing tried to speak up—

"Your younger sibling is thankfully not of a toddler age—else, even I would have had the urge to snatch her and replace her. Make no mention of babies and toddlers, we adore them enough to steal."

"That would actually be—"

The Wood Elf raised a brow.

"Er, I doubt a changeling would fare better than my sister in dealing with me." Han Jing sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced down the stairwell and almost expected his mother to arrive, but she didn't follow them—Jinjing would probably tell her all about this though. "But ah, I'm afraid that I'm not the one who uh decorates the house...I'm—well, I have a proposition for you."

Hazelleaf's eyes gleamed, "A bargain? Am I hearing you correctly, son of man?"

"Yes. I mean no! Just a suggestion! It's less of a bargain and more of something that you'll have to consider." He needed to be more careful of word choices. All Han Jing wanted was to get a gift and be done with it—how long was this guy staying over here? He cleared his throat and smiled, "I know of a wonderful and green park in this city, you might feel more at home if you stay there than my house?"

"A park?"

"Yes, it's like a garden but bigger."

"You mean an enclosed space where you subjugate the plants to only grow there while these human infrastructures surround it?"

"... If you would define it as such, then yes?" Han Jing wouldn't bother with too much word play or debates. All he knew was that it was the perfect place to go. "The trees there give a comfortable shade from the heat of the sun, there are birds there in the morning that would hum along to the flutes of some folks playing there. It's a great place, I swear."

When he was younger, he and his mother would visit it now and then. A reasonably green place. This Wood Elf would probably feel more comfortable in a tree, wouldn't he?

"Hmm, if you swear that it is a pleasant place then I would like to see it for myself." He rubbed his chin and shrugged, "And if it is as you say then only then will I decide if it's good enough for me."

Han Jing sighed in relief and ran his fingers through his hair. This saved him from convincing his mother to allow a complete stranger to stay with them—and that was a battle on its own. "Thank you."

"..."contemporary romance

"..."

"A word of gratitude?" the Wood Elf's lips curled into a grin. The grin could have been wider than a crescent moon, pearly white teeth eclipsed him. "I uttered not a word that required such gratefulness—but if you insist, then I suppose you have a debt of gratitude. I wonder how you'll repay me, Han Jing? Even the Creators did not show your True Name when I looked at it on my screen, an odd failsafe. You are fortunate. Now let me think of what you'll do for me."

In a second, the box of donuts reappeared in the Wood Elf's arms; or perhaps it had always been in his grasp. He grabbed one donut and took a large bite. "Yum." A pleased expression crossed on his face. "Shall I make you dance underneath the moonlight for a fortnight? Sunbathe naked with me in this park of yours?" Hazelleaf strolled through the rooftop, the wind blew through the laundry in the Elf's path and tore them off the clothesline—

Han Jing cursed and chased after them.

done.co