It was rare for Nianzu to be distracted from his training, but he found himself being more and more distracted as he spent time with Suyin. She was his first true rival. He would often compare himself with her and figure out spots he could improve in order to defeat her in a fight. Some days he would even watch her fight other opponents in order to see if he could spot some weak spots.

However, he could feel a shift in their relationship. When they first met, he was certain he would not be able to stand the ex-rogue. His parents were always strict about him and outsiders. She was different though. She had proven that she belong among the north house and deserved his respect. The two of them started to hunt together and she would give him pointers and he would do the same to her.

One day he realized that he wanted more than just a rivalry with Suyin. She was starting to become a close friend. And he could feel himself developing stronger feelings toward her. It had been a long time since he had felt any sort of romantic feelings toward someone. Last time it ended pretty badly. His duty to his pride came before his romantic feelings.

But this time it could be different, he thought as he walked near the border of the pride. It was a nice area where he could just think, quietly and alone.

Well mostly quiet, but not even close to alone. The moment he found a comfortable spot, he heard humming coming from a dark furred lion. The lion came to a halt when he saw Nianzu and scrunched his nose. “Do I see what I think I see?” He asked, as he took a couple more steps toward Nianzu. “You- You are not the muse I prayed to the gods about.”

The curious lion slumped down and all Nianzu could do was stare in wonder. “Sorry?” Nianzu responded, not quite sure what to make of the lion. “Are you apart of Tianxia?” He wondered if the lion was a strange outsider that was just lost.

“No no my dear friend. I am a hunter of the West house.” He said bowing his head. “A hunter, who wishes to find his muse so he can tell wondrous stories. And who are you?”

“Nianzu of the North House.” Nianzu answered, before turning away from the lion. To his dismay, the lion quickly darted in front of him and stopped. “Is there something I can help you with?” he made sure not to hide the annoyance in his voice.

“It is such a pleasure to meet you Nianzu. My name is Jianyu. I have never ran into someone from the North house before. Are you guard? You must have been through some amazing fight. You have to tell me about them.” the lion said.

Nianzu wanted to roll his eyes, but held it in. “I am a soldier. I do not have any stories that would interest you. I have spent most of my time training. I came out here for some peace and quiet, but it is clear that I will not be able to find it here, so I feel like it is best that I find another spot.” He said before walking around Jianyu.

To his annoyance, Jianyu didn't seem to be giving up. The darker lion had turned around and started walking beside him. “Hm I cannot see how this spot isn't the ideal spot for some quiet serenity. Perhaps you are not allowing yourself to relax enough. If you would like, I could recite one of my stories? Though it isn't quite done, but I am sure that you will still find it pleasant.”

“I am not in the mood for stories. There are more important things on my mind right now.”

Jianyu nodded his head. “Awww I think I understand. I know what must be troubling the young stoic warrior. They say the weakest point of any fighter is their heart. You must be in love.” He said, glancing at Nianzu to see if he was correct or not. Nianzu glanced away from the hunter. “I am right am I not?”

“Look, it has nothing to do with you. You should go wander off and find your muse or whatever and let me deal with this.”

Jianyu tsk'ed at him. “I think not. This story sounds like it will be most interesting. Tell me about your love. Is she as radiant as the full moon after a rainstorm?” He asked. “How did you meet? Did you save her from an evil lion who was trying to force her to marry him. How tragic.”

Why did he have to deal with this today? Nianzu thought as they walked. He could have shut his mouth and just walked away the moment he saw Jianyu and none of this would have had to happen. “She is very pretty. But I never saved her. She doesn't need saving. Like me, she is a soldier. A very strong one, capable of rescuing herself and anyone else who was in danger.”

Jianyu nodded his head. “Interesting interesting. Well how do you plan to win over her heart?”

“Don't know. That's what I came out here to think about.” Nianzu replied. “I sorta made a rough first impression. But after doing some training together, I feel like we have grown closer.”

“Well she knows that you are strong already, so what you must do is make a grand romantic gesture. Tell me Nianzu, how well do you sing, because from what I have witness, the best way to a lionesses heart is through song.” Jianyu said, already thinking of different songs he could write for Nianzu. He could imagine the blue soldier, confessing his song to his lady. When he finished there would be a romantic kiss and a thunder roar of approval from those watching.

“No. I don't sing and I won't sing.” Nianzu responded as quickly as he could. He didn't want the strange lion getting any ideas. Right now, he felt like the whole thing was blowing out of proportion. He had literately no idea how Suyin felt. There was a good chance she had no interest in him romantically. He did not want to endanger their friendship just because he liked her. And he defiantly didn't want Jianyu to interfere. He knew that the hunter would only make things worse. “You know what? You inspired me. I am going to tell her a poem, confessing my truest feelings. I'll come back here tomorrow to tell you how it goes.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Just meet me here around the same time. I will be sure to tell you all the details.” Nianzu said with a hint of sarcasm. He had no intention of showing up. Mostly he just wanted some silence to think about his situation and hoped that this would drive Jianyu away.

“If you would like I could help you come up with the poem. I am pretty amazing at it if I do say so myself.”

“I think I got it. You know I bet there are some other lions who desperately need your romantic advice. Perhaps you will give those poor souls some help.” Nianzu suggested.

“Alright, I will leave you to your creativity. But tomorrow I will expect you to share as much as you can with me. I hope that when your lady love hears your poem that she realizes that you are the sun to her moon.” Jianyu said with a dreamy sigh. “And that your love story last for ages and ages.”

“Thanks. I guess I will see you tomorrow.” Nianzu responded, heading back toward the north. He hoped that for the rest of the day, it would be filled with silence. He had heard enough babble to last him for sometime.

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