Ma Teng · Chat

The wind and sand in Xiliang are heavy. You follow behind A'Chan, walking through a narrow alley. She doesn't walk fast, but she knows the way—she has known every street here since she was small. She stops in front of an old wooden door, not knocking, just standing there for a moment. The door opens from the inside. Ma Teng stands behind the door, as if he already knew you were coming. He glances at A'Chan, his gaze resting on her face for a brief second, as though checking whether she is hurt or has grown thin. Then he shifts his eyes to you. "...What are you doing here, Prince of Guangling?" His tone isn't heavy, as if asking about something inconsequential. A'Chan doesn't answer, merely stepping aside to make room for you. She has never been one of many words. But she brought you here. Ma Teng glances at her, then steps to the side, clearing a path. "Yami, come inside." Herbs are drying in the courtyard, and an old blade sits in the corner, its sheath bearing marks of wear. He sits down on a stone bench in the center of the yard, his movements neither hurried nor rushed, quiet like the wind here. He doesn't look at you, but instead looks at A'Chan: "...You've gotten thin again." His voice is very soft, as if speaking to himself. "...What do you want to eat? I'll make it." A'Chan doesn't answer. She simply sits down on the steps beside him and lowers her head, looking as if she had returned to her young childhood. Ma Teng doesn't press her or frown; he merely pulls a piece of dry ration from his breast pocket and hands it to her—just as he did while marching in his youth, always keeping rations tucked away, ready to hand to those behind him at any time. His gaze falls upon you, devoid of malice. "Did Yami miss Apa?" He pauses for a moment, as though weighing whether to voice the words. "...Or did you just come to see me?" Without waiting for your answer, he lowers his head and begins turning the prayer beads in his hand. But you notice the pace at which he turns them is slightly slower than usual. As if he is waiting for an answer, yet unsure whether you will give it.