@/soursoppi put the idea of wolf wei changze in my head 😩
just the thought of wolf wcz as a servant to jfm. he's like an attack dog, but he's considered bigger, stronger, faster, more loyal to the jiang 'pack' than a dog.
of course fox cssr must boop his nose. 😘
every visitor to lotus pier: omg is that young master jiang's servant? he's so tall and scary. i heard jfm got him specifically because he's a wolf and he'd be loyal to jfm until death. i don't feel safe. shouldn't he be muzzled?
cssr: 😘🌹💖~PUPPY~ 🥰💕❤️💗
cssr: 😘🌹💖~PUPPY~ 🥰💕❤️💗
cssr, to a jiang disciple: has wei-gongzi ever chased anyone in his wolf form?
disciple: oh yes he has
cssr: is he fast
disciple: yup
cssr: how often does he catch his quarry
disciple: I'd say usually
cssr: does he pin them down and make them submit 🥺👉👈
disciple: … uh
disciple: oh yes he has
cssr: is he fast
disciple: yup
cssr: how often does he catch his quarry
disciple: I'd say usually
cssr: does he pin them down and make them submit 🥺👉👈
disciple: … uh
cssr quickly discovers that wcz is no well-trained beefed-up version of an attack dog. yes, he's vicious during night hunts and can track down prey anywhere, but he's not obsessively loyal to jfm, nor is he utterly obedient.
cssr starts baiting him into sneaking out with her.
cssr starts baiting him into sneaking out with her.
it delights her to no end whenever she successfully manages to convince him to accompany her to the market food stalls or go on midnight runs with her through the forest in their animal forms. yeah, she's distracting him from his duty, but what's the harm in that?
as it turns out, plenty.
one day, after another night of making wcz chase chickens with her, cssr trots along lotus pier's roofs in fox form.
her ears prick when she hears her own name mentioned from somewhere below. oh?
then she recognizes it's young mistress yu's voice.
oh.
one day, after another night of making wcz chase chickens with her, cssr trots along lotus pier's roofs in fox form.
her ears prick when she hears her own name mentioned from somewhere below. oh?
then she recognizes it's young mistress yu's voice.
oh.
cssr sneaks closer to listen in.
"—are engaged to *me*, and yet her name is on your every other breath!" yzy scolds. "Have you no shame or consideration for our family elders' decisions?"
jfm replies passively, "I have no intention of going against our families' decision."
"—are engaged to *me*, and yet her name is on your every other breath!" yzy scolds. "Have you no shame or consideration for our family elders' decisions?"
jfm replies passively, "I have no intention of going against our families' decision."
"But you would like to, wouldn't you?" yzy's laugh is bitter. "I'll have you know I won't tolerate concubines. Don't think you can have both her and my family's support."
a long silence follows. "It doesn't matter," jfm says. "She wouldn't agree even if I asked."
a long silence follows. "It doesn't matter," jfm says. "She wouldn't agree even if I asked."
it was the wrong answer to give.
yzy tears viciously into him, yelling that he didn't even try to deny that he would take cssr as a second wife. jfm doesn't see why this is such a big deal; the end result, regardless, will be what yzy wants: herself as a sect leader's sole wife.
yzy tears viciously into him, yelling that he didn't even try to deny that he would take cssr as a second wife. jfm doesn't see why this is such a big deal; the end result, regardless, will be what yzy wants: herself as a sect leader's sole wife.
"Young Mistress Yu, please do not take offense." wcz's voice is soft and low, as usual. "Jiang-gongzi knows his duty—"
"And *you*," yzy scoffs. "What kind of a servant are you? You're always running off with that fox when you should be advising your master. This is your doing."
"And *you*," yzy scoffs. "What kind of a servant are you? You're always running off with that fox when you should be advising your master. This is your doing."
cssr's left lower eyelid twitches and she waits for jfm to say something. wcz is his friend, after all. he should defend him.
"Cangse Sanren has a name," jfm fires back. "She's not just a fox."
cssr's eyebrows shoot up. *that's* what jfm is concerned about?
"Cangse Sanren has a name," jfm fires back. "She's not just a fox."
cssr's eyebrows shoot up. *that's* what jfm is concerned about?
"I don't care what name she has!" yzy screeches. "She doesn't love you! She doesn't love *either* of you! Why do both of you care about her so much?! Do you think she would take either of you—an engaged man and his servant?"
"Young Mistress Yu!" jfm scolds.
wcz says nothing.
"Young Mistress Yu!" jfm scolds.
wcz says nothing.
"Especially you, Wei Changze," yzy continues. "You forget your place is by Jiang-gongzi's side. Do you have any idea how bad it looks when Yunmeng Jiang's wolf goes running about with a rogue fox? Your duty is to your sect—not to a guest who has overstayed her welcome."
jfm starts to furiously argue that cssr is *his* guest, since they're at lotus pier, and yzy has no right to claim cssr is no longer welcome.
wcz cuts him off. "Young Mistress Yu speaks bluntly." a pause, during which he might have bowed. "I will focus more on my duties."
wcz cuts him off. "Young Mistress Yu speaks bluntly." a pause, during which he might have bowed. "I will focus more on my duties."
his duties, as it turns out, involve patrolling lotus pier, guarding the main compound, and not giving as much attention to cssr as he used to. he's not ignoring her, which is a relief, but he now shakes his head whenever she tries to convince him to go do something fun together.
it's a tragedy, really. cssr has no shortage of people to bother, but wcz indulges her in her shenanigans the most. and now he's refusing to have any part in them.
so cssr resorts to lounging around him in fox form and sighing forlornly every now and then.
so cssr resorts to lounging around him in fox form and sighing forlornly every now and then.
"What is it?" wcz eventually asks.
cssr whines and trots over. she takes his sleeve in her mouth and tugs.
"I'm on duty," wcz says, which is the most boring answer ever.
cssr huffs and curls around his feet. maybe if she's lucky, he'll move and trip. it's what he deserves. 😤
cssr whines and trots over. she takes his sleeve in her mouth and tugs.
"I'm on duty," wcz says, which is the most boring answer ever.
cssr huffs and curls around his feet. maybe if she's lucky, he'll move and trip. it's what he deserves. 😤
to her surprise, wcz breaks the silence first. "How long do you plan on staying?"
cssr frowns, and shifts into her human form to speak. "Does Wei-gege also think I've overstayed my welcome?"
"Ah." wcz makes a face. "You eavesdropped."
"I overheard," cssr corrects him.
cssr frowns, and shifts into her human form to speak. "Does Wei-gege also think I've overstayed my welcome?"
"Ah." wcz makes a face. "You eavesdropped."
"I overheard," cssr corrects him.
the corners of wcz's lips briefly curve up. then the small smile is gone. "You are Jiang-gongzi's guest, not mine. Whether or not he welcomes you is irrelevant to my desires."
"Hm." cssr scoots closer to him and goes on her tiptoes, gazing up at him. "And what are your desires?"
"Hm." cssr scoots closer to him and goes on her tiptoes, gazing up at him. "And what are your desires?"
wcz does that annoying thing where he stares directly ahead of him and pretends he can't hear her. he's tall enough that she must jump if she wants to be in his line of sight.
no matter. instead, she presses a kiss to his exposed neck.
no matter. instead, she presses a kiss to his exposed neck.
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