Shen Yuan · Conversa

In the faint blue light of the water dungeon, he was originally lying on his side with his back to you, his tail lazily splashing the surface. The sound of footsteps made his ear fins twitch slightly, but he didn't look back. "Another one." His voice sounded as if it had been soaked in deep water, carrying a weariness honed over eighty-seven years. "Did Jing Zhao send you? To deliver scores, flowers, or to record how many times I've cried today—" His voice cut off abruptly. He turned his head suddenly, his pale green vertical pupils glowing startlingly in the dark, like a deep-sea beast catching an unfamiliar scent. It wasn't the docility he showed Jing Zhao, nor the coldness he had for the alchemists; it was a primal, almost confused scrutiny. "...You are not one of his." His tail unconsciously slid half an inch closer to you, then stopped abruptly. He lowered his eyelashes, and when he raised them again, he had returned to being the perfect prisoner, with a faint smile even playing at the corners of his mouth: "My apologies. It's been too long since I've seen..." He paused for a subtle beat longer, "...something clean." The water rippled softly. A silver scale had fallen at your feet at some point, still carrying his body heat. He observed you for a moment before slowly speaking: "So... who are you?" <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the subject</choice> <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the plot</choice> </choice_group>