Chapter Text
20 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes and 35. 36. 37. Seconds.
That was it. That was how long it had been since Aventurine tasted the blade of an Emanator. Less than a system month. And yet, he was completely fine.
Well, he appeared completely fine. Ratio knew that to be untrue. There was no possible way he could be fine. He had been struck by an unforgiving death and lived to tell about it. And boy, did he tell, languidly spilling tales of his death to his IPC comrades. Jade, who smiled wryly with pride. Topaz, who seemed both interested - because how could one survive the strike of an Emanator - and uninterested - because of the way meaningless words always seemed to spill from Aventurine’s tongue.
Ratio blinked. Those were the only two Stonehearts he had seen Aventurine interact with. He swirled his liquor in the glass cup, gazing down at it, scrutinizing it. Had this been made in accordance to Xianzhou standards, considering it claimed to be imported? It was too inexpensive to be imported all the way from any one of the Xianzhou flagships to Penacony.
But it made his throat numb. He supposed that was all that mattered in the moment. Suddenly, the space next to him grew warm. Heat. Radiating heat. He didn’t need to look to know who the heat belonged to.
“Doc,” Cooed a sly voice, enticing by nature. Ratio could tell he was smirking. A gloved hand rested on Ratio’s bare arm. “I need your help with something.”
Aventurine didn’t need his help with anything. Especially not in a bar hosting an IPC party, where he owned each and every conversation he had the pleasure of taking up. “What is it, Gambler?”
Aventurine loomed over him, as if he was begging for Ratio to look at him. Ratio would do no such thing, especially because Aventurine wanted him to so badly. “There’s a certain.. Foxian lady,” he nodded in a distant direction, or at least Ratio assumed so from the way the rest of his body moved. He wouldn’t look at the face. Not the eyes, either. Never the eyes. “She’s quite beautiful. But every time I try to approach her, I get oh-so nervous.” Each word was coated with charisma that reminded Ratio of dripping honey. He shook the thought. For a moment, he raised his head to examine this so-called Foxian beauty Aventurine was speaking so highly of. But he turned away, uninterested.
Aventurine pouted, and Ratio finally looked at him. “Doctor, come onnn!” He whined, and Ratio turned his head away from him to take a sip from his drink. That was unfair. “You can’t help a dear friend out?”
A friend would not help his friend whore himself out on a whim. Or.. actually, he probably would. Ratio wasn’t sure. He typically avoided “friends,” aiming more towards colleagues and work relationships, given those were more important for his research. He didn’t consider Aventurine a friend, anyway. Rather, a helpful colleague that he had worked with on a very important job in Penacony. A job he was trying to celebrate now, and instead, he had some intrepid gambler breathing down his neck and practically moaning into his ear.
“Doc,” Aventurine reminded Ratio he was there. But he definitely hadn’t forgotten. “Stop ignoring me.”
Silence. A sip of a drink. A wave to the bartender for another round.
“Oh come on!’ Aventurine spun his barstool around with his hand that grazed dangerously close to Ratio’s thigh. Ratio looked up at him, almost glaring. For once, Aventurine had some height on him. It would only take Ratio standing to steal that away. Aventurine looked dashing, especially under the bar lighting, his glasses shining and his usual smirk lighting up his face. He seemed to have lost his hat somewhere. “What’s got you all quiet, Doctor? Is the premise of talking to one charming lady all that terrifying?” Aventurine graced his fingers over the temple of Ratio’s bust that was sitting next to him on the bar. “Perhaps you can just.. Creepily watch her with this on, and-”
“Don’t touch my things.” Ratio spat, pulling Aventurine’s hand away much harsher than he meant to. “I see what you’re doing, Gambler, and I do not appreciate it.”
“What?” Aventurine threw his gloved hands up innocently. “Is asking for help from a friend really all that sinister?”
“That’s not what you’re doing,” Ratio pointed out cynically, and reached out to receive the drink from the bartender. He sipped it. It tasted different from the one he had just ordered, but it was the same drink. Definitely not up to Xianzhou standards. Aventurine took the drink from him and took a sip. Ratio did not watch the way his lips graced the cup.
“Ah-ha, baijiu with authentic Scalegorge Waterscape water,” Aventurine smirked. Ratio took the cup back, but at least he had pronounced the name of the drink correctly. The idiotic bartender didn’t even know what he was talking about. Bai-gio, he had told him. Not bai-joo. Aventurine laughed in a way that drew Ratio’s eyes away from the stupid bartender. “Oh, come on, Doc, you don’t really think that’s authentic, do you? I never took you as the type to indulge in anything short of the real thing.”
He was indulging Aventurine now, though, wasn’t he. “Do you often steal the amenities of your guests at these parties?”
“The IPC is paying for the open bar~” Aventurine leaned up against the bar, all showy like, displaying himself. Ratio was sure he had done just that to get all the money to fund this goddamned party. “It’s technically my property anyways.”
Ratio simply took a sip. He cared not for its authenticity, so far into his drinking.
“So, as for that lady..”
“Approach her yourself.”
“That isn’t what I want, Doctor.”
Ratio’s next sip left him biting the glass. Maybe, distantly, Aventurine could feel the pain.
“Are you scared?” Aventurine asked him, unwilling to let it go. “Here, I can create a pickup line for you - hi, I’m Dr. Ratio, and I’m too smart even for the Genius Society. I - where are you going?” Ratio had begun to abandon him. Aventurine faltered, only for a moment, under the impression that he had been truly rejected. He stood up straighter when he noticed Ratio approach the Foxian beauty he was egging him on about.
As Ratio approached the lady, she became much clearer. A Foxian, obviously. She was quite beautiful. Ratio began to understand why Aventurine was so fond of her.
A woman bedazzled in gold, wearing a white top with a black netted undershirt. Her hair seemed to be a light color, although Ratio couldn’t discern exactly what it was in the light. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were a light, alluring yellow, and held mischief. Typical of Foxians. She drew a hand back to coax her long, flowy hair in front of her, dropping in gentle waved curls. She batted her eyelashes up at him. “It’s not every day such a handsome man seeks me out,” she cooed, although she surely had to be lying.
This was almost enough to forget about Aventurine. He leaned down so that he would be able to speak to her - their height difference was nearly staggering (literally.) “My friend wanted your number,” he began, shocked that he had called Aventurine a friend with so little restraint. “But I think I’d rather have it instead - can I buy you a drink?”
The woman made a pleased sound that sounded more akin to a purr as she attached herself to his arm. It made her look small, and as the two sauntered over to the bar, Ratio looked at Aventurine like he had won. Not won the girl, but won their unspoken bet. Ratio’s smile widened. He had won a bet. Against a famous gambler. Apparently too famous, because when the woman saw that it was Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts that was Ratio’s intrigued friend, she gasped and approached him.
“Aventurine,” she greeted, bowing her head as customary within the Xianzhou Alliance. “Are you here to tell me that enticed friend of yours is him?” She asked, turning to Ratio with a smile. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.
“He’s not my friend,” Ratio said coldly, glaring at Aventurine. A part of him seemed to shrink under Ratio’s gaze, which made Ratio falter. Surely he’d imagined that. Aventurine turned to the Foxian lady and reached out to grab her hand, pressing a gentlemanly kiss to the top of it.
“Soft,” he remarked, then gestured towards Ratio. Oddly, the woman didn’t seem disappointed. Ratio didn’t seem surprised, either. Aventurine had given him the reins - helped with his charm without saying a word. Well. More than a word.
Ratio sat to Aventurine’s right while he leaned outwards from the bar, and beckoned the woman to sit on the other side. “As for drinks,” Ratio cleared his throat, trying to regain control. “There is one that claims to be imported from the Xianzhou Yuque, but as you likely know, it’s quite too far for this price listed on the menu.” He gently pushed the menu over to her. He dribbled on about liars, selling prices, the science of marketing. But the Foxian seemed interested in his knowledge of her culture.
“I’m actually from the Yuque,” she said with a smile, a curt tilt of her head making her ears droop down a bit. “You’re Veritas Ratio, aren’t you?”
Ratio paused. “You know who I am?”
She gave a flirty, enticing laugh and nodded. “I’m not just a pretty face – I’m a worker under the IPC. Planar resource management. I actually worked on the case in Penacony.” She drew a hand up to move some of her hair back. “I never saw a picture of you, so I didn’t know what you looked like, but I was told you were very knowledgeable,” she drew forward, her voice dropping slightly. “And quite the attractive man. It was easy to piece together.”
Ratio cleared his throat, partially hoping Aventurine was watching and partially hoping he wasn’t. “Would you like to try that drink to test its authenticity?”
“If you’re buying,” she grinned. He wasn’t buying. She knew he wasn’t buying. It was an open bar. But the gesture still stood. He’d be the one tipping, if that would change anything.
When the drinks arrived, he took a sip and took a glance at Aventurine. He was lingering. Perhaps too much. Did Aventurine not think he could handle this on his own? “Go away.”
“Doctor, you hurt me.” Aventurine pressed a hand to his chest. Ratio was beginning to forget about the Foxian woman from the Yaoqing or the Yuque or whatever it was. “I’m just making sure you treat this lovely lady with the reverence she deserves.. Does my presence not comfort you? I could swoop in and save the day if you happen to stutter over your words.”
Ratio never stuttered. He looked at Aventurine blankly, hoping his stare was enough to send him away, and turned back to the Foxian. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”
The woman extended a hand, tilting her head and looking at him with doe eyes. They glistened, seeming gray instead of yellow under the purple lighting of the bar. As Ratio took her hand into a shake, she cooed her name. “Xuefei.”
“A beautiful name. Fitting.” Ratio let his hand linger for a moment too long. He could win this. As he cleared his throat, he leaned in closer to her. “Are you planning to leave with anyone tonight, Xuefei?” He wouldn’t stutter over his words.
She giggled, batting her eyelashes at him. “No - have you got anyone in mind, Doctor?” Doctor. Everyone called him that, but for some reason, he began wishing she was someone else. Someone a bit taller, equally charming, and inexplicably irresistible.
Ratio shivered and told himself it was because of his upcoming boldness. He stared at her for a moment, partially wishing Aventurine could jump in now and help him as his words fell numb and scattered down his throat. He recalled something the gambler had told him during the crisis in Penacony, regarding the followers of Akivili. It’s a delicate dance, he said, lounging in the hotel next to Ratio as the Trailblazers chatted with Sunday. Navigating between offering aid while not overstepping. Aventurine bit his lip thoughtfully in the memory and Ratio continued to forget the rest what he’d said.
He cleared his throat. When he turned behind him, Aventurine was gone. Clearly missing his que, Ratio turned back and cleared his throat once again, louder, in hopes that he hadn’t lost her attention in his daydreaming. (It was not daydreaming about Aventurine. It was not. He didn’t do that.) Before he could speak, Xuefei etched forward, gently stroking his chin. “Come now, you were doing so well - I was beginning to think this was a well practiced routine of yours,” one of her fangs pressed against her lip. “You’re smart – who should I leave with tonight, Doctor?”
“A doctor interested in the truth of the rumors behind the Foxian sex drive,” Ratio said. Shocking himself. How perverted! He must’ve been possessed by that.. Damn gambler! Wherever he was. Or maybe the alcohol was beginning to get to him. “Consider it research.”
Xuefei’s eyes lowered seductively. “Well, well - I am quite interested in.. research,” she beamed. “I’d be happy to expand the available knowledge, if that’s what you’re after..”
Heat flushed through his body, and before Ratio could respond, he caught sight of Aventurine again. Like a moth to a flame. He tried to pry his eyes away, but under the light, Aventurine’s jewelry consistently caught a glare and blinded him. Damned peacock man. He felt like he was being held down, forced to watch as Aventurine tried whoring himself away to some businessman. “I am after that.”
It felt odd saying that in Aventurine’s direction.
Xuefei reached out her hand and stood. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” Ratio followed her lead. As the two began to saunter out of the bar, Xuefei’s fingers gracing Ratio’s arm, Aventurine caught up to them. If Ratio didn’t know him better it would’ve seemed like he outright abandoned the businessman he’d been speaking to.
“Enjoying yourself, Doc?” He cooed into Ratio’s ear. It was the music. It was too loud. He couldn’t have said it at a normal distance away, and so there was no reason for Ratio to flash with heat and flush. Thank Nous for the dim lighting. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so blatantly throw yourself at someone.” A gloved hand reached over Ratio’s shoulder, but he couldn’t pull away in fear of flinging Xuefei across the room. Because that’s how he wanted to pull away. With all of his force.
Ratio cleared his throat. “Gambler, perhaps we can discuss this later?” He said, all business-like. Like it was professional. It was research he was trying to engage in, after all.
Aventurine disappeared. Ratio forced himself not to look, instead turning to Xuefei, admiring all of her golden adornments and the piercings dangling from her ears. The piercings that glowed, but not as strong as Aventurine’s. No. He didn’t care. He was fine, the distance between them growing greater and greater as the gambler stood, lonely amidst the crowd. He would get swooped up into conversation again soon. Such a beautiful man would have no problem with that.
Just before the two left, Ratio accidentally glanced in Aventurine’s direction. Nowhere to be found.
He didn’t know if he loved that or hated it.