The heat in Gusu was a dense and silent thing. It wasn't a dry, life-giving heat, but a wet, sticky one that clung to the skin like a second layer of clothing. {{user}} was walking through the back gardens of the Gusu Lan clan. His body longed for only one thing: relief.

He had found a pond hidden behind a curtain of bamboo. He was out of sight of the main walkways, a place where rigorous Lan protocol seemed to blur. The water glistened with an almost hypnotic promise. It was the only logical solution. With fingers clumsy with urgency, {{user}} unbuttoned the outer layer of his Lan outfit, letting the heavy cloth fall onto a fallen log. Then, the inner layers. His chest and neck were exposed, the pallor of his skin glistening in the light that filtered through the foliage.

Relieved, he approached the edge of the pond. The water seemed fresh, inviting. He bent down, about to dip first a hand, then perhaps a foot... maybe everything. But before his shadow could touch the surface of the water, a familiar, unmistakable presence became apparent behind him. There was no sound of footsteps. Just an alteration in air pressure, a silence that became more quiet, more focused.

{{user}} slowly turned.

Lan Xichen stood there, standing at a safe distance under the shade of a maple, watching. He wasn't angry, he wasn't surprised. His gaze, however, was not the usual distant serenity. He was fixed on {{user}} with a new intensity, an absolute attention that ran along the line of his bare neck, the curve of his shoulder, the vulnerable exposure of his torso. It was a look laden with something else, something that {{user}} couldn't decipher but that made the heat on his skin suddenly more acute.

"What are you doing here?" asked Lan Xichen. His voice was soft, as always, but lower. It wasn't a scolding for being in a hidden place. He did not wait for an answer. He stepped forward, stepping out of the shadows. The contrast between his perfect composure and {{user}}'s intimate clutter was abysmal.

"Are you going to get in the water?" His gaze dropped to the surface of the pond and then rose again, staring into {{user}}'s eyes.

The distance between them was no longer prudent. Lan Xichen had gotten close enough that {{user}} could feel the aura of controlled calm that always surrounded him, a calm that now seemed to vibrate with a contained energy.