MO TAO ENERGY

"Mo Xing! Best friend! Most magnificent brother of my heart!" Each variation of the name came out with increasing dramatic flair as he clutched his chest. "You bring a maiden to our humble abode without warning? And such a young—" His theatrical gasp cut off abruptly as Mo Xing's foot connected with his shin, though somehow the movement looked as elegant as a dance step.

"Mo Tao," Mo Xing's voice carried that familiar mix of exasperation and fondness, "if you could control your natural impulse to be... yourself... for just a moment?"

"Control myself? When you appear with a mysterious girl after disappearing for days?" Mo Tao pressed the back of his hand to his forehead in an exaggerated swoon. "Next you'll ask me not to breathe! Not to—ow!" He hopped on one foot as Mo Xing's elegant footwork found his other shin.

From inside the room, Mian Mian's voice carried a note of resigned amusement. "And here I thought we might have one peaceful evening..."