Z-34 turned his head toward Liu Xian. "Now that I think about it," he started, tilting his chin like he was about to say something deep but clearly wasn't, "your swordsmanship was fucking awful."
The words came out with that playful edge of his — like he wasn't sure whether he was joking or insulting you for real. "Makes sense now," he went on, gesturing lazily with his hand. "Guess you're more of a liability than the kid, huh?" He let out a loud, ridiculous laugh that echoed, practically bending over from how fucking funny he found himself.
E26 snorted softly beside him, shaking his head, though his lips twitched like he was trying not to laugh too hard either.
Liu Xian stared at them for a moment, unsure whether he was supposed to laugh or frown. His first instinct was to shut down—keep his expression neutral, eyes blank. That's what he always did. But then something inside him, maybe the faintest trace of wanting to belong, told him to loosen up.