When Chu Shuzhi had first arrived from Dixing, Chief Zhao had said, since he had no accommodation, that he could sleep in one of the spare rooms at SID headquarters. In the years since he had never found it necessary to make other arrangements, as the small room was eminently practical, contained a cot and a rack of clothes, and one of the bathrooms scattered erratically around the converted warehouse was conveniently down the hallway.

It had been a long shift that had run so far into overtime that late had become early, and his bed was calling, and though there were ominous banging noises coming from the lab, he would take his chances with explosions over the near certainty of spending at least the next half hour listening to Lin Jing enthusiastically explain his latest project should he investigate.

However practical his room, it was not large enough for an extra person, which he realised when Xiao-Guo bumped into his back, startled, jumped backwards, and collapsed in a sort of sprawl against the doorframe, tangling his hands in the strap of his bag.

He turned.

"We're off the clock; go home," he said, with what he thought was an admirable amount of patience.

"I...I can't..." Xiao-Guo managed to slide further down the wall, tried to right himself, and in doing so became stuck in a precarious halfway position, unable to stand yet not quite falling over. "My...my aunt is a light sleeper and I don't want to wake her up by coming in so late."

He sighed, and reached out a hand help Xiao-Guo up. Somehow, between taking his hand and being pulled to his feet, Xiao-Guo managed to almost keel over sideways, sending the contents of his bag spilling out across the floor.

A flurry of small multi-coloured objects covered in markings he could not quite make out bounced towards him. He jumped back, instinctively assuming a defensive stance, and waited for them to explode, or emit poisonous gas, or turn into small robotic spiders.

They did nothing.

He peered at them.

Xiao-Guo crab-scrabbled across the ground, reaching for them.

"It's okay Chu-ge, they're not dangerous!" he said, in what would have been a reassuring tone had he any confidence in the numbskull's ability to judge whether or not something was dangerous.

He did not let down his guard.

"What are they?"

"They're dice!"

Xiao Guo, flailingly, picked up two of them and held them out to him.

He examined them more closely "They've got... extra sides?"

"They're for Dungeons and Dragons! That's a D-12 and a D-10," enthused Xiao-Guo, "and there's also D-20s, D-4s, D-6s and D8s!"

"Speak sense!" he demanded.

"It's a game! You can be a dwarf, or a paladin, or a half-orc, and you go and have quests, and get treasure, and fight bad guys!"

"With the dice?" he queried, latching on to some sort of sense-making.

"Yes! You roll for initiative, and then you attack the bad guys by rolling the D-20 to see if you hit them and then your damage depends on what weapon you're using and whatever adjustments you have for skills or strength or if you're, like, an elf or something-"

"An elf?" he asked, but before he could formulate a question the answer to which might make the least amount of sense, Xiao-Guo was off again, the words tumbling out, his eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes, elves get plus two for dexterity - and then the bad guy gets to attack you and if they hit you depends on your armour class and some other things like if you're really fast and if they hit you then you take damage and lose hit points and if you lose all your hit points you die. But not really die, only in the game. But if the bad guy loses all their hit points, they die and you win and you get to keep exploring!"

The more Xiao-Guo explained, the less he felt he understood. The individual words were not the problem - it was their arrangement that made him wonder whether either he or Xiao-Guo were experiencing some sort of medical event, perhaps some transference from contact with the Longevity Dial.

This surpassed the baseline level of confusion he typically felt when interacting with Xiao-Guo.

He latched on to something concrete he could ask.

"Why do you have these in your bag?"

Xiao-Guo ducked his head and his expression shifted. He looked thoughtful.

"They're my... my lucky dice. My grandmother gave them to me, before she died. We... used to play together, sometimes, her and some of her friends she played Mahjong with. She picked me up from school one day and I was talking about how me and some other kids who were being bullied had hidden in the library during break, and one of them brought in this cool game, and we played, but we had to be really quiet because it was the library, and old Mr Lin was very strict. Even though we were almost always the only ones in there. So my grandmother bought me a Starter Kit with the Player Manual and the Dungeon Master’s Guide and a set of dice, and she introduced some of her friends to it, as a change from Mahjong one day, and they liked it and used to play it sometimes. And she would always buy me a new set of dice for my birthday, and sometimes just because she saw a set that she liked, and this is the last set that she bought for me. Her character was a halfling rogue called Lin Zhi, Lin as in forest, Zhi as in wisdom -

"I do not need to be formally introduced to your grandmother's imaginary friend!" he said testily.

"Not imaginary friend, Chu-ge, player character!"

He held himself back from saying any of the things that came to mind. He was not so base as to insult the mooncalf's grandmother.

The silence stretched. Xiao-Guo fiddled with his bag strap again.

"You've never heard of Dungeons and Dragons?" he asked, and then, in a rush, before he could rebuke the foolishness of the question, "Would you... like to learn?"

Xiao-Guo was looking at him earnestly, like a hopeful puppy. He was no doubt growing soft in his old age, but he did not have the heart to say no.

Xiao-Guo led him back to the main floor so they could use the table for throwing dice. There were still banging noises coming from the lab.

Xiao-Guo handed him his phone, which was displaying a drawing of a gruff looking man with a big axe and an even bigger beard.

"Have a look at the different races, Chu-ge, and see which one you want to be. And which character class. That's like a job - you can be a cleric, or a paladin, or a druid, or a-" he stopped himself. "Just... have a look," he said, brimming with happiness, as if walking down the hallway and sitting at a table and looking at some pictures was an enormous favour.

He bounced over to Wang Zheng's desk and grabbed pencils and some paper.

"Once you have an idea of what sort of character you want to play, we can roll for stats and set up your character sheet. That's always one of my favourite things!"

Chu Shuzhi looked at how happy Xiao-Guo was at such a simple thing, and resigned himself to participating in this nonsense. But that didn't mean he had to read the whole book he'd just been given while Xiao-Guo sat there and watched his eyes move.

"I'll be an elf," he said decisively.

"That's brilliant! Now, you roll the D-6 four times, and then add together the three highest scores. And you do that six times. I'm sorry, Chu-ge, I only have the one D-6, otherwise you could roll four D-6s at a time..."

Xiao-Guo handed over the die, and Chu Shuzhi was surprised at the warmth of his fingers as he took it.

He rolled it four times. Xiao-Guo watched intently, and then noted down the numbers.

"12. That's good, Chu-ge!"

A particularly loud banging noise echoed down the hall from the lab, and then Lin Jing emerged, hair standing on end, and headed towards the kitchen. "The Don Juan of Dragon City needs liquid refreshment!" he pronounced dramatically. On his return, with a bottle of bright green liquid, he noticed what they were doing, and took an interest.

"No, no, this methodology is wrong," he said, after watching for a while. "You roll your stats, then see what character fits."

"But, Lin Jing-ge," said Xiao-Guo, "that way somebody might have to play someone they don't want to play."

"That is all part of the game!" insisted Lin Jing. "The integrity of the methodology must be preserved!"

"Well, we've always done it by rolling six numbers, then assigning them to the different character traits."

"You are not even rolling them in order? You are just randomly assigning willy nilly! In my party we would have called this cheating," said Lin Jing, with great authority and assurance.

Xiao-Guo glared at Lin Jing mulishly. It was fascinating to see such a strong emotion on a face that he had mostly seen various shades of terrified or timid.

"Also you don't have enough snacks," said Lin Jing, a bit awkwardly, looking away.

"What is all that banging noise?" said Zhu Hong, coming in from the foyer and taking in the dice on the table. "Gambling! For shame!"

"Not gambling, Hong-jie, we're playing -"

"What are you doing with so many dice if you're not gambling, hmm?" she said, her eyes flashing.

"Well," said Lin Jing, "you roll the dice for initiative and to check whether you are allowed to perform certain actions, and also to check the damage you deal."

Zhu Hong looked as confused as he felt.

Lin Jing spread his hands and struck a grandiose pose. "The party of Intrepid Adventurers is on a small boat in the middle of a swamp. Suddenly a school of fish swims past the boat, their silver scales glinting. And then you see it, a fearsome water-bulette. It rams the boat. You make a saving throw, and roll the D-20."

Lin Jing picked up the die in question, exchanging one grandiose pose for another, and rolled. He got a four.

"Well, my character would fall in, with that low a number," said Lin Jing, somewhat chagrined.

"So, you get eaten by the monster," he said, feeling as if he was beginning to understand how this worked.

"No," replied Lin Jing, "it's not its turn."

"You just fell into the water with an attacking swamp monster but it can't eat you because it's not its turn?"

"Well... yes," replied Xiao-Guo, not nearly as abashed as he should be by this nonsense.

Wang Zheng joined them, breezing in from the kitchen with a selection of snacks that she put on the table, and for a few moments everyone was distracted opening the rustley packaging.

"This is actively training people to be unprepared for combat," he said.

"I don't think it's training anyone to do anything but roll dice and tell stories," said Wang Zheng, nibbling salted peanuts. "It's about socialising and having fun and team bonding. I've played a few times by vid-call with some of the admin staff at the ministry and at the police department."

They all stared at her.

"I'm a barbarian half-orc called Kengkeng," she chirped. "I'll go grab my dice so you don't have to roll so many times."

They continued to stare at her as she walked over to her desk and opened one of the drawers.

"So what happens next?" he asked, pulling himself together.

"Well, the Dungeon Master -"

Lin Jing was interrupted by Zhu Hong's bright, sharp laughter.

"So it's about sex? And the dice are to see who does what to whom?"

He snorted at the scandalised look on Lin Jing's face.

"It's not about sex!" squeaked Xiao-Guo and Lin Jing in unison.

"The Dungeon Master guides the players through the story and referees the action that occurs, and -"

"Sounds like kinky sex roleplay to me," Zhu Hong interrupted. "What with people getting together in groups with snacks and someone telling them what to do."

He watched the emotions flit over Lin Jing's face as he tried to reconcile his outrage at her statement with his wariness of Zhu Hong.

"Hong-jie, what do snacks have to do with... that?" asked Xiao-Guo, breaking the awkward silence.

Zhu Hong looked over at him. "For stamina," she replied.

Xiao-Guo gulped and looked away.

"They are called the Dungeon Master because when the game was first created, many decades ago, the standard formula for a campaign was a Dungeon Crawl," said Lin Jing, going in to his storyteller mode. "You would go through a dungeon, ransack it for treasure, slay the monsters, rescue the princess...."

He trailed off as Zhu Hong glared at him. There was a definite crimson gleam in her eyes.

Da Qing jumped up on the table. "I dreamed about fish," he said, and batted one of the dice with his paw.

"So... who wins?" he asked, watching Wang Zheng remove the die and pet Da Qing to console him for the loss of his toy.

"It's not about winning," said Lin Jing, sounding scandalised.

"It's not a game that you win?" he demanded, incredulous. "Then what is the point of it?"

"It's about the journey, being part of a group, overcoming challenges together and making friends," said Xiao-Guo, his expression so earnest and sincere that it made his heart ache a little in his chest.

"So what happens next?"

Xiao-Guo's eyes lit up. "So, in Lin-Jing's scenario, where the water-bulette has attacked the boat, you would make a saving throw."

"Eh eh eh," interrupted Lin Jing. "You haven't rolled for initiative yet!"

"I don't want to make it too complicated," replied Xiao-Guo, with a hint of exasperation. It was fascinating watching his patience fray.

He picked up one of the dice. Xiao-Guo silently and efficiently switched it for a different one, the one with the most sides. He rolled and got a seven.

"So, because you're an elf, you have a plus two on Dexterity, so that seven becomes a nine, so you trip and stumble. But you're still on your feet, so you can engage the water-bulette on your next turn." Xiao-Guo picked up the die. "I am now going to roll to see if the water-bulette can attack Lin Jing's character in the water," he said, and rolled.

"This is a stupid game," Chu Shuzhi said, giving in to his frustration.

"Says puppetboy," muttered Lin Jing, then yelped when Chu Shuzhi turned sharply to glare at him.

"Chu-ge, Chu-ge, don't pay attention to him," said Xiao Guo. "It's your turn."

Lin Jing assumed a solemn expression, put his hand over his heart, and said "Lao Chu, I am truly honoured to be here to witness this momentous occasion of you losing your Dungeons and Dragons virginity."

Chu Shuzhi punched him with only a fraction of the force that that comment merited, but corrected for Lin Jing trying to evade the blow. Lin Jing looked at him accusingly and rubbed his arm. "You didn't have to actually let it land," he said plaintively. "You're supposed to be attacking the water-bulette, not me!"

"I don't want you even thinking about my Dungeons and Dragons virginity. Or any of my virginity. Which is none of your business," he said sternly. He could see Da Qing and Zhu Hong exchanging A Look out of the corner of his eye.

The sound of footsteps crossing the mezzanine floor to the stairs carried down to them, and then he could hear the conversation between Chief Zhao and Professor Shen as they walked.

“It’s not a Dixing power I’ve ever encountered, Chief Zhao,” Shen Wei was saying, all meticulous politeness. "I’m afraid I will have to defer my answer until I have had a chance to consult my books.”

“Do you mean, Professor Shen, that I have stumbled upon a topic in which you do not have expertise?” replied Zhao Yunlan, in exaggerated astonishment.

“Indeed, Chief Zhao, you have exposed a shocking lacuna in my knowledge, and I must thank you for the opportunity to further educate myself and correct this omission."

Chu Shuzhi glanced up. The chief and Professor Shen were now standing at the top of the stairs, facing each other, close together.

Slowly, Chief Zhao removed the lollipop from his mouth. "Thank you for coming over, Professor Shen."

Professor Shen blushed and ducked his head. "It was my turn to visit, Chief Zhao, since last time you visited the university, and it would have been inconvenient for you to have to transport all the evidence you showed me. I'm only sorry I couldn't give you a more definitive answer."

The moment was so intimate that he almost looked away, but there was no reason for that - and then all they were doing was walking side by side down the stairs.

Professor Shen took in the dice. "Dungeons and Dragons?" he asked.

"Professor Shen, you play?" exclaimed Lin Jing in delight.

"Er, just a little, when I was a student," he said, smiling shyly.

Everyone looked at Chief Zhao expectantly.

"I, er, dated someone whose roommate was into games? I'm not sure which one? There were action figures?" He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

Everyone stared at him awkwardly. He grinned at them, laughed, and said "Aia, it's the middle of the night, our shift is over, but instead of going home to bed my family is still here. I guess I'd better feed you all." He checked the time on his phone. "The falafel place over on 8th Street will still be open; what does everyone want?"

"I would like some of those spiced almonds they make please Chief, and when you get back we can roll for stats and set up your character sheet!" said Xiao-Guo.

"And do it properly this time!" said Lin Jing emphatically.