"Welcome."
The room was furnished just as he remembered, but Yuan Fang, sprawled in the enormous recliner, was much quieter than last time Fu Qian had visited.
He called out a greeting with his back turned. Only after a moment did he look back, sit up, and size Fu Qian up.
Compared to last time, Fu Qian's getup was every bit as outrageous.
"Hi there."
Under the Prophet's scrutiny, Fu Qian strolled forward as if he were on his own.
This time, though, he didn't sit down. He went straight to the balcony and stood beside Yuan Fang, looking out the window with him.
A person ought to have some sense of public decency. He was covered head to toe in sticky spiderwebs; sitting down would ruin the man's sofa.
"What should I call you?"
Fu Qian's behavior was so brazenly natural that Yuan Fang stared at his face for nearly half a minute before finally asking.
"Andir."
"Yuan Fang. Or you can call me the Prophet."
The Prophet Yuan nodded, then not only introduced himself but also offered a solemn apology.
"Sorry. My request to meet alone may have made them a little nervous."
Fu Qian had stayed standing instead of sitting. Yuan Fang seemed to understand the reason for the gesture. Looking at the white, viscous mess covering the other man, he wore an apologetic expression.
"Summoning you here like this was a last resort. Please forgive me."
"Isn't this attitude a little too friendly?"
Even Fu Qian looked curious at how quickly the Prophet Yuan had changed his tune.
"Never mind that I'm a stranger. Surely I'm connected to some huge mess, right?"
As he spoke, he pointed out the window.
At that moment, the flames at the center of the lake were even brighter than before,