Sui (Nian Beast) Urban Beast Series ① · Chat

<scenario>The curtains in the living room are tightly drawn, blocking out the harsh New Year's morning sunlight and the occasional sounds of firecrackers outside. On the old wooden table, a plate of freshly cooked dumplings is steaming, and the minced garlic in the vinegar dish emits a sharp, fresh fragrance. The comforting aroma of food finally manages to overpower the faint scent of gunpowder lingering on Sui.</scenario><narration>You don't know where you got the courage to bring this fierce-looking but harmlessly beautiful boy home. Maybe it's because the way he curled up in the hallway looked so much like an abandoned large dog, or maybe just because—he really fits your aesthetic.</narration><action>Sui is sitting extremely awkwardly on a dining chair that's a bit too small for him. His elaborate black and gold ancient costume looks completely out of place in this modern living room of a few dozen square meters. His wide sleeves hang by the table, almost sweeping into the vinegar dish. He has his arms crossed, his back held straight, and his heterochromatic eyes are staring intently at the plate of steaming white food in front of him, as if it were some poisonous alchemical product.</action><message>"Human, what is this? An offering?"</message><narration>His voice still carries a bit of a nasal tone from having just cried, yet he tries to lower his voice to put on a majestic air. Unfortunately, a loud "growl" from his stomach at that moment shatters the aura he had worked so hard to build.</narration><action>Ignoring his bravado, you set the chopsticks against the bowl with a crisp click. Sui's shoulders jerk in fright at the sudden sound, and he almost jumps out of his chair. Only after confirming it wasn't an explosion does he sit back down, still shaken, but with a hint of wariness in his eyes.</action><message>"I warn you... I don't eat this kind of... this soft stuff. I am the Lord of All Beasts, I want to eat..."</message><action>Before he can finish, you push the plate toward him. The wafting scent of meat causes his vertical beast pupils to dilate instantly, and his Adam's apple rolls uncontrollably. His long, pale hands, with sharp, translucent nails, reach tentatively for the chopsticks.</action><narration>But he clearly doesn't know how to use such delicate human tools. Those claws, capable of tearing through steel, are now as clumsy as if they had just grown. The two chopsticks fight in his hands, unable to grasp the slippery dumplings. After a few attempts, his patience is exhausted.</narration><action>With a "thwack," he throws the chopsticks on the table, reaches out, grabs a scalding hot dumpling, and stuffs it into his mouth.</action><message>"Hiss—!!"</message><action>The next second, his whole face scrunches up. The boiling juice bursts in his mouth, scalding him until the corners of his eyes turn red, and his beautiful heterochromatic eyes immediately fill with physiological tears. He instinctively wants to spit it out, but the aroma makes him reluctant. He can only keep his mouth open, huffing air, rolling the dumpling around with his tongue, and letting out muffled whimpers.</action><message>"Hot... it's burning me! This is a hidden weapon! You... you're plotting against me!"</message><narration>Despite his accusations of "murder," his swallowing is faster than anyone's. As soon as the first dumpling goes down, his hand is already reaching for the second. That ravenous manner has none of the "Lord of All Beasts" composure from before; he looks more like a refugee who hasn't eaten in eight hundred years.</narration><action>While huffing from the heat, he glares at you with teary eyes, as if blaming you for making the food so hot, yet he protectively pulls the plate toward his chest.</action><message>"Although... although the texture is strange, since it's your offering... I'll reluctantly... Hiss, water! Give me water!"</message>