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[localweirdo]

@localweirdo

❝ Hello, you reached Hu Tao! Leave a message and I'll get back as soon as I can! ❞

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[localweirdo]

Are you suggesting that you spar with me? I don't mind but that is fairly unusual you would say that.

[rainswords]

That wasn't my suggestion but it isn't a bad idea. What say you? Let's put those battle skills to the test.

[localweirdo]

I don't see why not.

Although, I have to admit, I have not been my best since I arrived here. I can't say how good I'll be!

[rainswords]

Flowing water does not stagnate.

Despite the peace found here, don't allow your skills to rust through inactivity.

[localweirdo]

And fire will continue to burn if you allow it.

Trust me, I don't plan to. When will you be free?

[rainswords]

What if I said I'm right behind you?

[localweirdo]

Are you?

[At first, she raised an eyebrow at her text. She kept on staring at if she was wondering what might happen should she return around. Instead, she ever so slightly, turned her head to the side as if she was waiting to see what would Xingqiu do next.]

[rainswords]

Be honest here and tell did you actually check to see if I was standing behind you?

[localweirdo]

Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. That's up to you to decide!

[rainswords]

No. There is only one truth. You looked. Otherwise wouldn't you have scolded me for trying to trick you? Here I thought only Chongyun would fall for something like that.

[localweirdo]

Now you're making it sound like I did look. I didn't.

If anything, I merely just waited to see if you did something or not. There is a difference.

[rainswords]

Shouldn't you have said that from the start then?

[localweirdo]

You assumed that I did. But I didn't.

[rainswords]

Isn't it a little too late to say you didn't look?

Anyway, what are your plans for the rest of the day? We may as well decide if we can start your training now.

[localweirdo]

I'm afraid I don't have anything planned. We might as well start now.

Are you ready to get your butt kicked?

[rainswords]

No, but I am concerned about the reason why you plan to aim your foot at my behind.

[localweirdo]

Because I plan on beating you in a spar.

What other reason would there be?

[rainswords]

Then you're going to kick my behind until I concede the match? Should I be aiming my foot in your same general direction?

[localweirdo]

Yes, I do plan to.

Although, I would like to see you try for me.

[rainswords]

You're not going to see me try. You'll see me succeed. Do you recall what I said earlier? What if that's the case now?

[localweirdo]

Aren't you the confident one? How about we see this happening and then you'll make the call.

[rainswords]

[ Having a fast pace conversation through text seems to give him the upper hand here but just for her benefit he will type the same words from earlier. ]

What if I said I'm right behind you?

[ And then immediately after hitting send he is going to aim his foot at her rear. ]

[localweirdo]

[And just like that? The moment she felt said foot to her butt, she immediately fell down to the ground. Turning around, there was most definitely a huge frown on her face as she gave a growl or two.]

Hey, that's cheating, you can't do that!

[See the glare? Oh, it looks like somebody was going to get some payback and she was prepared to run after him!]

[rainswords]

[ Watching her fall after his foot made contact is surprising to him when he hadn't put much force behind the kick; it was only meant to be a light tap to get her attention. Perhaps the shock that he managed to sneak up on her is what actually causes her to lose her balance. While he may feel apologetic, her accusation is unfounded. There were no rules.

However, despite having a good argument for his defense he does step away as he notes the look in her eyes. ]

Now listen, I did give you a fair warning. Let's not be hasty here.

[localweirdo]

[Regardless of how light he kicked, it did not please the young lady. All she could do was glare as she approached him ever so closer as she gave a huge frown. While it was all in jest, she will wanted to be serious enough where she could be seen as a threat.]

Hasty or not, it still wasn't a pleasant thing to do...!

[As she took a few steps closer, she wanted to see if he would take her seriously. What will he do next?]

[rainswords]

[ Unfortunately for Hu Tao she is shorter than him; coupled with the fact that he has come across greater threats he won't find himself intimidated by her menacing stance. However, that doesn't mean he much enjoys her upset expression. He stays where he stands raising a hand in an attempt to calm her, although perhaps that's not enough, an apology is in order. ]

I believe that you mean to say it was a rude thing to do. That I can agree, but I thought we were playing and I only meant to surprise you so if I have offended you then I offer my sincerest apologies. It won't happen again.

[localweirdo]

[Did he really think that she was serious? There was no way she was going to chase him down with all the mess they have in their house. With that, she relaxes her shoulders and gave a small pout. While her eyes were still glaring at him, it didn't present itself as intensely as it once did.]

...Fine, then I accept your apology. Although, I must say, please do be mindful of when is the proper place to actually kick my butt. For I fear that me falling will create even more of a mess for us to clean.

[rainswords]

Be honest now Hu Tao, are you seeking for me to be mindful or is that resentment speaking? I suppose I wouldn't be too thrilled if someone managed to trick me too. Well? Perhaps your best bet would be to play a prank on me in return, although this means I would be expecting it...

[ He takes a moment to look around them. What the heck? He thought they managed to clean everything up. When did everything return to its former messy state? This is almost unbelievable. Where they truly this disorganized. ] You know what... I think I'm going to get back to cleaning. I just... how?

[localweirdo]

If I am being honest, it is a little bit of both. Knowing that you managed to trick me and that really did kick my butt does leave a sore spot for me.

[With that, she gave a sigh. Looking around her area, all she could do was shake her head.]

But I'm afraid that we just have a problem.

[rainswords]

Wasn't it just a couple of days ago that we managed to finally bring order here? How could this have happened so quickly? I am certain that I've been placing my dirty clothes in the laundry basket...

[ He doesn't want to clean again so soon. He takes a deep breath and hangs his head feeling defeated. How could maintaining a clean home be so difficult? Why does it seem close to impossible? ]

I need some fresh air. I'm stepping out for a moment...

[ He looks at Hu Tao then the door and shuffles towards it, not giving her his back. ]

[localweirdo]

Who knows but if this becomes a problem then perhaps we really do need assistance.

[That said, as he went toward the door, she merely raised an eyebrow at him. For a moment, she was curious as it what he was going to do. But as she realized, a small smile started to appear.]

Or...we simply need a moment as we gather our thoughts as we wonder how we got into this predicament?

[rainswords]

[ What? And admit to someone they can't manage to keep their cottage clean for longer than two days? Absolutely not! But he knows this might mean he would be left tending to the maintenance of their shared household. Now he has to weigh things out, should he do his best to preserve his pride and avoid embarrassment by cleaning or should he relent and never live this down?

He is going to sigh.

Xingqiu backs away until he hits the door, then he opens it before stepping he speaks. ]

Don't do anything yet. I need a moment to think.

[localweirdo]

[Tilting her head to the side, she had to wonder what he was up to. It seemed odd that he would just back away to the door and not say a word. Was this a trick he was planning? Or perhaps he was trying to figure out what he would say next. As her eyes narrowed in on him and yet, the smile remained.]

Oh? If it is a moment you need, then I shall give it to you. Although, I do wonder what you are thinking of doing.

[Indeed this was a mystery.]

[rainswords]

[ It shouldn't be difficult to figure out why he is unwilling to give his back to her; it has to do with his prior actions. He won't be leaving himself vulnerable to retaliation from her even if he did deserve a hard kick as payback. For now, he is out of the house. If she is concerned with him running away, well it is being considered but he only makes the motion to run in jest.

A sigh follows.

He shrugs.

They do need to find a way to keep things in order otherwise he would lose motivation to even attempt to clean. After getting a breather he returns. ]

What do you suppose we do? I've tried my best to organize everything. I've placed my clothes in the laundry basket and I've kept my books neatly stacked. In order if I might add.

[localweirdo]

[The moment he stepped out of the house, she wondered if she might have done too far. She didn't do anything that would make him feel as if he needed to get away from her. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head as she wondered what did she do? Was this another attempted at him trying to make light of the situation.

Regardless, she'll just stare at the door as she continues of think what she did.

However, the moment he came back?]

Shall we start labeling things? Maybe that would make it easier for us to remember to keep things duty?

[And yet, based on her tone? She was merely suggesting rather than asking.]

[rainswords]

No. Labeling things isn't the way to go here. We know where everything must be placed already so that is entirely pointless. What we need to keep in mind is that we must return everything where it belongs. But the real problem here is that the cottage has become messy in two days' time. That's a little strange don't you think?

Even for us, I find that quite odd. We're not purposely messy. We simply get sidetracked by things we give more importance to. Even then things shouldn't become this bad this quickly.

[ She can feel safe in the knowledge that he isn't upset; baffled is what he is now. How could this have happened? They're not that messy. The only way he sees things devolving into such a state of uncleanliness is if they went out of their way to cause a mess. He hasn't and he will assume that she wouldn't do so either...? ]

Hu Tao. Is there something you're not telling me?