The food offered in the cafeteria was very strange. There was rice and vegetables, but no meat. For someone who identifies as a respectable carnivore, Jin Lu was highly disappointed. With a dejected sigh, she took a free seat at a table against the far wall in the back.
Since Jin Lu was young, she didn't like the feeling of people being behind her. Though this habit garnered some ridicule from her classmates and associates in her old life, she hadn't been able to stop herself.
Long Yin had refrained from the staff's offer of food, instead placing a second cup of tea on Jin Lu's tray. Hearing Jin Lu's sigh while he looked at the food made Long Yin chuckle under his breath. He had noticed that Jin Lu left more vegetables than meat on his trays while they traveled.
The face he made after taking one bite was enough to make Long Yin laugh heartily as he sat next to Jin Lu.
The bitter taste of the vegetables made Jin Lu's face go almost green, her lips pursed, and her nose scrunched in distaste. She couldn't help herself from glaring at Long Yin and elbowing him sharply in the side. Her glare became more intense when her actions had the opposite effect, making Long Yin laugh so hard that his eyes started tearing. Though there weren't many people in the cafeteria, every eye in the place was trained on them.
"Stop laughing, dammit! Why don't you taste it?" Jin Lu seethed, stuffing a piece of cabbage into Long Yin's wide open mouth. Long Yin almost choked, coughing and laughing at the same time.
"It's not so bad, just needs a little salt," Long Yin drawled after he swallowed.
Jin Lu shook her head at him, mumbling under her breath as she stabbed her food with her chopsticks. Fortifying herself, she started shoveling the food into her mouth as quickly as she could, chewing as little as possible in order to finish her plate. Even though she could hardly stomach it, she was raised not to waste food.
"Poisonous drivel," Jin Lu muttered as she took a long drink of tea, hoping to wash the taste out of her mouth. The feeling of the warm tea full of enough sugar to mask any other taste made her sigh contentedly. Taking Long Yin's half full tea cup from his hand, Jin Lu took her tray and placed it on the open counter she had seen other students dispose of theirs.
The sun had set by the time they made it outside. Jin Lu took a deep breath through her nose, smelling the sweet, clean air.
Long Yin watched as a smile played along Jin Lu's lips, wanting badly to steal it from him. Instead, Long Yin took Jin Lu's hand and walked with him back to the dorm.
Jin Lu tried to tug her hand out of Long Yin's, but it was futile, so she gave up, enjoying the strength and warmth against her skin. The atmosphere was tranquil, bringing a sense of peace to Jin Lu. After being half-dead for so long because of chemo treatments and laying in hospitals, having her vitality returned was a gift she refused to squander. Sure her current situation was abnormal, and the world she knew was far away, but… she could either be a scared rabbit or a cunning fox, and she was never one to cower.
When the dorm came into view, Jin Lu again tried to get Long Yin to release her hand.
"Thank you for walking me, you can go now," Jin Lu said politely, waiting for Long Yin to go before she opened the door. Long Yin snorted, reached around Jin Lu and opened the door, pulling her in.
"What do you think you're doing?! You can't…" Jin Lu's growl was cut off with an oomph when she was pulled into Long Yin's hard chest.
"I can't what?" Long Yin whispered against her ear, the scent of danger making Jin Lu's back itch and her ears turn red. Long Yin chuckled into Jin Lu's hair, wrapping his arms around her slight waist, so she couldn't escape.
"You… you can't stay here. It's not proper," Jin Lu stammered into Long Yin's chest.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a gir…" Jin Lu blinked, choking off her words. She had forgotten that though her spirit was that of a woman, the body she was inhabiting was male. Without knowing if the concept of homosexuality was known or accepted in this world, that wasn't an excuse she could use.
Wait! What about the age for consensual consent!
The thought startled her and she looked up quickly. Long Yin felt like he was holding a bowstring in his arms, the tension ready to release at any second. When Jin Lu looked up into his eyes, the confused fear he saw inside them made his heart soften. Long Yin bent down, placing a soft kiss on Jin Lu's forehead.
"Go to sleep," Long Yin ordered, releasing his arms.
Jin Lu sprang away, darting towards the door to the bedroom before slamming it shut. Her head was dizzy as she leaned against the door, her hand going to her forehead. Jin Lu growled at her actions, wiping the spot furiously.
Bastard!
Jin Lu stomped to the bathroom to wash her face and take care of her needs. It had taken her a bit to get used to having a boy's body, the most embarrassing being that her new anatomy refused to obey her at the most inopportune times.
After washing her hands, she stepped out, removed her outer robe, and face-planted onto the feather-stuffed mattress. Jin Lu wrapped herself in the sun-dried blanket and fell into a deep sleep within seconds.