Morning arrived quietly in the orchard.
A silver mist clung to the grass as Tian Shen moved through the stillness, his steps soft, deliberate.
He wasn't alone—early risers were already beginning their day—but he might as well have been.
The orchard had a way of holding silence, like an old friend offering company without need for words.
He stopped by the Quiet Pavilion, newly built but already weathered by wind and story.
Someone had left a clay figurine on the threshold—a child's attempt at sculpting Drowsy, complete with lopsided paws and button eyes. Tian Shen bent and picked it up, turning it in his hand.
He smiled.
"Someone has a future in espionage," came Ji Luan's voice from a nearby bench. "I found another one yesterday. This time shaped like you, but with horns."
Tian Shen didn't turn.
"Some truths hide in jest."
Ji Luan chuckled, stretched.
"Some jests should stay hidden."
They sat in companionable silence, watching as the mist burned off.
