Once the short trek ended, Lord No-Name pulled out a chair, but the way he handled it had Tao Hua perplexed. He just stood behind it, doing the opposite of what chairs were meant to be used for. To make matters more peculiar and to add to this ever-growing list of oddities, he had his eyes on Tao Hua the entire time; he didn't even sit in that chair.

No matter what conclusion Tao Hua arrived at, he couldn't quite understand it. So, he just shrugged it off instead. All foreign people had their customs; who was he to judge?

So! Tao Hua reached for his own chair, but just as he was about to do that, something gently landed on his arm. To no one's surprise, it was Lord No-Name's hand. Again.

This man really enjoyed placing his hands on him. But, this time, it was met with an expression that was more bewildered than before. Then it finally hit Tao Hua, like all other things on that fateful day.

Of course!x2

He flashed Lord No-Name an apologetic smile before he promptly took a seat in the other's chair. In the most awkward way possible, Tao Hua discreetly repositioned the hem of his robe as it tangled with his feet. This was partly due to jumping in the seat instead of acting like a normal person. In doing so, he placed the book on his desk and began fiddling with the sash of his robe.

This caught Lord No-Name's attention—the book, unfortunately.

"The book," he said, all while pulling out his own chair and actually sitting in it normally. "I've never seen it before."

"This one? I hope so." Tao Hua dropped his sash and pressed his hand against the title. "There's only one copy."

"I see. So, you wrote it?" asked Lord No-Name, his eyes cast strictly on Tao Hua's hand. "Hm. Makes sense. Most authors are a tad odd."

"No—I'm not that skilled." Tao Hua paused. Odd? Semantics; it was best to ignore. Instead, he offered him a weak smile, and in doing so, he slowly pushed the book aside and out of sight. "Um, what did you want to talk about?"

Lord No-Name followed the book until it was tucked away, hidden by Tao Hua's arm. His expression was unreadable; however, that was quick to change the moment he readjusted.

"We'll get to that. Oh, before we start—here." Holding up his hand, he dug through his sleeve, pulling out something. Tao Hua couldn't make it out, but when it fell into his hands, his brows furrowed.

"My…" He uncurled his hands and found a piece of fabric with a flower pressed into it. "How'd you get this?"

Lord No-Name's elbow propped onto the table and his fist against his chin. Amused, he answered, "You're pretty odd. That's how."

"I…what…huh?" Tao Hua couldn't quite comprehend how this all happened. He just stared at that little bookmark as if it were written exactly like a metaphor made for decoration and nothing more.

A finger reached over to the bookmark and flicked the red string. When Tao Hua glanced up, he found Lord No-Name smiling at him. "You really don't remember?"

No! He couldn't remember, not even if his life depended on it, and that answer was written all over his face. He was in such a fuss to make it to "The Bookstore" that everything before was nothing more than an obstacle to his resolution. And if there was one thing Tao Hua had learnt, those obstacles were far worse than the ones in the books—they were best left unread and tucked away on a shelf somewhere.

But that still left one intriguing revelation. Everything other than this man's appearance was forgotten to Tao Hua.

What a curious thing to be tangled in, but curiosity didn't stop the embarrassment from surfacing. To remedy this, Tao Hua looked away and answered, "I might have forgotten. I think…"

"'Land Lost in Time!'" Lord No-Name twirled his finger in the air whimsically. "What's that about?"

And back to Lord No-Name Tao Hua's hair nearly flung into his own face. It was safe to say Lord No-Name was becoming less and less of a suitable nickname.

Maybe Lord Asshat would have suited that grin more.

"Is that…" The embarrassment oozed, causing Tao Hua to melt into his own shoulders shamefully. Through this, his grip on the bookmark tightened, causing it to crumple with each lowering word, spiced with a quivering tone. "Did I really say that?"

"Yup. Word-for-word." Lord No-Name, twice removed from the Asshat family, was clearly having a great time, as opposed to his counterpart. In fact, it was much safer to say he was enjoying himself because of Tao Hua. "I'd reenact it for you, but I'm no poet."

 How unpleasant! His inner thoughts were screaming in voices pitched higher than the lies he spewed. For all that Tao Hua had experienced in his life, this was where he'd collapse? Blasphemy.

Blasphemy against all that was his pre-established coping mechanism.

To his surprise, however, what Lord No-Name said next wasn't said in his typical jester's tone. This time, it was paired with a voice rather soft and pleasant to the ear.

"But it's yours, and I can tell you made it with heart," he said. The chair behind him creaked, and when Tao Hua glanced up at him, he observed as Lord No-Name sat back and erased all that was coy. "You shouldn't be giving it to just anyone. Protect it."

Despite claiming he wasn't a poet, Lord No-Name truly knew what to say; well, he knew what to say to someone like Tao Hua. He practically stared at him, drenched in awe, yet riled up all the same.

"It's fine…" Tao Hua said, his words laced with a bashful tone, hiding away his prodding elation. "There's many—well, I made a lot. I made these. Uh, there's a lot in general. Too many, maybe…"

Tao Hua hesitated before finishing his sentence. "It's okay if you keep it. I really don't mind."

"Hm. Trusting for a man who so readily hid behind a scroll."

Tao Hua immediately looked away, nearly receding behind his hand once more; had he not froze. Something brushed against his fingers, and when his curiosity led his eyes to the culprit, he found the man prying the bookmark from him.

Hypocrite! Maybe. He wasn't entirely sure if this served the very definition of "hypocrite". Perhaps "Oxymoron" was a better way of putting it.

And oh, how this poor fool struggled with oxymorons.

"If you're insisting, then who am I to say no?" said Lord No-Name. As if the bookmark had an invisible string attached, it pulled Tao Hua out of that hole designed by "Overthinking"—the world's worst architect.

Instead, it was replaced with an overwhelming sensation. The type of sensation that banged at one's chest, but could never be defined. It was best displayed, rather, through eyes that widened as round as the planets, reflecting the light of a man who didn't seem moved at all. He just tied that very bookmark to the pommel of his sword and returned to his regular position of "not giving a fuck".

But to Tao Hua? It was the first time anyone had ever actually kept one of his little "bookmarks".

Chapter end.