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clowncollectr · 1 year ago

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Unsolicited LiangLee content for the 8 billionth time

Oughh I really gotta work harder on keeping this blog up to date. This is a commission from Aki / Reza (Twitter: @WindsSight) I wrote a silly little drabble to go with it. You can read it on AO3 but you can also read it below. There's also a bonus doodle I drew at the end of the fic if you read it here. Cheers!

Something between hello and goodbye ---------------------------------------------- “It’s called a cell phone”, Lee said matter-of-factly, holding the device out towards him.

Well, yes. Liang Xun knows what it is. It wasn’t that he'd never heard of one before, but it was rare to come across such a thing in the city where he grew up. The part he was confused about was that currently, the cell phone was being handed to him.

These types of devices are fairly expensive. They’re the kind of product not owned by most people. For the most part, they’re only really used as a luxury item or as a tool for organizations to communicate. But even for most companies, messengers, radios, and custom devices are the preferred method of contact. It’s a wonder how Lee managed to get his hands on one. He’s heard before that these things are more popular in modern cities, which have the necessary infrastructure needed to make them work. Cities like Lungmen. Perhaps it was something like a souvenir that the carp had acquired. But why give one to him of all people?

Liang Xun accepted the object in front of him, but the look of slight confusion on his face didn’t disappear. He found himself staring back at his reflection on the black screen, not quite sure what to do with it.

Lee didn’t seem too surprised by his reaction and only moved closer to offer assistance.

“Want me to show you how it works?”

“I suppose so.” he responded. This was very much out of his area of expertise.

As if Lee had rehearsed it all beforehand, he explained the basics of the device, such as how to turn it on and off, how to maintain the battery, and other basic utilities like adjusting the time and volume. It wasn’t long before he finally reached the question that had been on the Kuranta’s mind, which was how to use it to call and message other people.

It seemed easy enough, but eventually, Lee furrowed his brows a bit after suddenly remembering something.

“Ah well, I guess with the amount of friends you claim to have, the only other person you know with a phone might be me.”

He had a slight look of guilt on his face, but it wasn’t enough to discourage him from continuing his lesson. Apparently this cell phone device did a lot more than just allow someone to communicate with others. Liang Xun had heard a bit about this too but didn’t realize the extent to which it could be utilized. Lee was listing out so many random features, he was starting to realize why this thing was considered a novelty. There were a mix of items from tools that sounded useful, like keeping track of the weather and recording documents, to features that felt almost unnecessary, like watching television and discussing his thoughts with strangers.

While listing out all those things, Lee suddenly snapped his fingers, recalling something interesting.

“It lets you play games too. A certain employee of mine is always using his phone for that.”

Liang Xun looked up from the phone, tilting his head inquisitively at the vague statement before asking:

“Games like the ones we used to play?”

“Oh, no. Apparently the games children like to play nowadays are very different. I’ll try to remember some of the ones he’s mentioned. There are games where you can pretend to tend to a farm or govern a city. There’s more. Let me think…”

? Why would he play a game where he could pretend to do his actual job? Liang Xun didn’t quite understand, but he politely let him continue speaking.

“Games that are puzzles, like matching three of the same object by moving the objects around. I believe there are even some games where the goal is to collect various cute animals or characters. Those make sense. Everyone likes to collect things. And it’s more convenient for it to not take up space in your home, don’t you think?”

Liang Xun sighed and spoke his thoughts honestly.

“I don’t have the time for frivolous things like that.”

Lee responded with a small shrug. Just like before, it didn’t seem like he was particularly phased by the other’s comment.

“I figured as much.”

That reaction was no surprise to Liang Xun either. His friend was good at understanding people, which only made this whole interaction more confusing. What on Terra made Lee decide to give him a cell phone? Still, he was always willing to listen to this person even if their thoughts were hard to follow sometimes. He had relied on Lee’s ability to understand things easily during that time in Shangshu. So maybe it’s his own fault for not being able to understand people as quickly as the carp. The only thing he could do was what he always did in a situation like this. Wait and listen patiently.

During this time, Lee had reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. He unfolded it and waved it gently to get the other’s attention.

“Lucky for you, I’ve got another employee who likes to stay busy like you. She was kind enough to put together some thorough notes for you, so you’ll have to thank her next time you see her.”

The paper was handed over to Liang Xun, and a small smile appeared on his face once he read its contents. From a quick glance, it was a very detailed list of suggestions for things he could do with a phone. Everything from the names of various applications, what they did, what physical item they might replace, and how they could make his life easier. Ideas for how he could use the phone to keep track of his meetings, to make sure he eats healthy, to ensure his quality of sleep was good; it was as Lee said. Very thorough. And certainly, he will have to put aside some time later to find Waai Fu an appropriate thank you gift.

Lee saw his positive reaction and smiled back. There was always the chance that Liang Xun wouldn’t like the gift, even if he’d never say it out loud. At the very least, he looks convinced that the thing wasn’t totally useless. The older you get, the less you want to change how you do things. Honestly, Lee was grateful to have so many young people around him. He often ends up learning how to do interesting things from them. Those kids had even taught him how to make a website to advertise his agency.

But Liang Xun likely doesn’t have anyone like that. It’s doubtful that he’d be near very many young people considering his work and personality. That stubborn guy probably only ever reads old novels, and the closest thing to an exciting hobby he has is calligraphy. Too traditional. It would do them both some good to step out of their comfort zone once in a while.

“I know you prefer to write, but you can try talking to me with that thing sometimes.”

Liang Xun nodded and responded with some amusement.

“Of course. And no doubt I’m grateful but…why get me something like this knowing my preference? You weren’t getting sick of my letters, were you? I imagine you weren’t too pleased after the last one I sent you.”

It was partly a joke with some truth mixed in. He was definitely curious. It wasn’t like there was a holiday or birthday to celebrate, so he didn’t understand the occasion for such a gift. Liang Xun thought that his words were casual enough, and he was mostly poking fun at his own shortcomings for asking such a big favor last time. But when he saw the cheerful expression on Lee’s face drop, his heart sank along with it.

Suddenly the mood between them had become a little awkward. He must have said something wrong. Maybe it was offensive or it reminded Lee of something that made him unhappy. Either way, he regretted saying it.

It was only for a minute or two, but there was a silence that left Liang Xun’s previous words unanswered for what felt like a painfully long time. By then, he was already thinking of how he should apologize, even if he didn’t know how he had offended him.

Lee beat him to it, speaking before he could say anything. His words were a little hesitant and there was a hint of embarrassment in his body language.

“You want to know the occasion? It’s…I was thinking that you’ll be going to the capital soon. And when you get there, I doubt you’ll have time for something as inconsequential as writing pointless letters to some old, unimportant friend…

Hah, I’m joking. I know you’d probably still try. But I was thinking this might be easier for you.”

Those words made Liang Xun realize that Lee wasn’t angry or upset. It was obvious now in hindsight. If someone gives you a tool to communicate with, it means they want to talk to you. He really was too slow to catch on to these things, and he’d basically forced Lee to admit the obvious. It should’ve been him that was embarrassed right now, not the other way around.

He looked back at the thin, black metal device in his hands and ran a thumb across the screen. It had powered off on its own at some point and now all he saw was his and Lee's reflection. Actually, it’d been a long time since he last saw them standing together like this.

For a moment, he thought about whether the phone could take photos. Surely it could. It would be nice to take one together before they go their separate ways again. He thought about asking if he could take one but stopped himself. Maybe it was too sentimental of a request. It felt a bit awkward to ask. Instead, he just made a promise that he knew would make the other person happy.

“I’ll keep in touch. And I’ll definitely learn how to use it.”

It seemed like those words were what Lee had been waiting to hear. His good mood returned instantly and he began to excuse himself, promising not to waste any more of the newly appointed advisor’s precious time. They exchanged their contact information, and after that, they exchanged farewells too. Soon Liang Xun found himself alone in his room again, filled with fine decorations and furniture similar to the ones in his old estate. The imperial court’s way of showing it rewards hard work and loyalty.

Even though his room was comfortable, it didn’t carry the same feeling of home that his old friends from childhood tend to rouse from his memory. He felt the same as back when he had to say goodbye to them after school. It wasn’t the end of the world, and they’d probably see each other again. But it was always a little melancholy. Though any meaningful goodbye will feel that way.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Without warning, a ping noise suddenly came from his phone, catching his attention. Liang Xun looked at the screen and found that it had turned on by itself. His first ever message. The sender’s identity was obvious.

Let me know what you’re up to sometimes. Also if you need anything just use this, it’ll get to me faster

The short message was followed by a cartoonish image of a cloudbeast making a winking face. From his understanding, it was the text equivalent of closing off a letter? Was it a custom to end every message with one of these images the same way? Or maybe its main purpose was to allow the sender to express what emotion they were feeling at the time of sending. It seemed like a useful feature that wasn’t feasible with letters, so he would have to look into how to send them back.

Well, he’ll figure it out eventually. ---------------------------------------------- Btw this is what happened after he discovered gacha games

#lianglee / 梁鯉 #miko the clowncollectr's fic tag #miko the clowncollectr's art tag #miko's arknights art tag

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