"I think that seems good! You'd expect to be stronger as a group if everyone in the group watches everyone else's back, yeah? ...Um, who's  Zixun?" 

"Oh, he's another member of the enclave. He's an asshole."

"Oh." Masozi is maybe going to not ask more questions now and hold off judgement until he's actually met this person. 

He confirms that the stairs are free of mals, heads down, and they can start checking the next hallway to see if any of the rooms contain cockroaches. 

"I mean it costs resources to keep people alive, right, if we're trying to ward the maintenance track's rooms we have less mana for graduation."

"But then you've also got them to help you fight? I'd've thought that that'd be worth it. Assuming they're good in a fight, I guess, but I figured anyone who makes it four years here would be by the end of it." 

"Well, sure, but it's a better way to get the ones who are good at fighting if you don't help them and let anyone who's bad at fighting die and ally with the survivors senior year."

"Yeah, I guess. Just - two different strategies." 

"Wonder why he chose that one."

"'Cause he's good at it? Or maybe he just doesn't like it when people die. I don't like it when people die." 

"Probably you'll get used to it. --Oh hey! Cockroaches."

"Oh good!" Masozi is so relieved. "Want me to check it for mals for you?" 

"Sure! Bichen food."

Unfortunately for Bichen's diet, there are not any exciting mals hiding in the room. There's an agglo in one of the desk drawers and some sort of cocoon inside the mattress. Masozi points these out. "I don't think agglos are dangerous though." 

He stabs them both just to be on the safe side.

"Cool! Let's take you to Xichen."

"- Oh, right now? Sure. Is his room far?" 

"Nah, he's back down at the cafeteria." Mandarin: "we're going to see Xichen."

"Oh, all right." Masozi takes the lead, so he can keep a lookout for mals and, if he sees any, point them out to Lan Wangji. 

On the way there Wei Wuxian maintains the conversation himself by explaining some pranks he pulled at the Shanghai enclave.

This is kind of mystifying as a conversation topic but at least Wei Wuxian doesn't mind that Masozi is quiet and busy checking the hallway. He doesn't find any mals worth pointing out to be stabbed. 

They arrive at the cafeteria. "Hello, Lan Xichen," Wei Wuxian says in English. "This is Masozi. His affinity is finding mals and he wants to learn Mandarin."

Lan Xichen is sitting on the bench with his head against someone's knee. "Pleased to meet you, Masozi," he says in heavily accented English. 

Masozi has not seen all that much physical affection in his life, or experienced it even from his parents. He blinks at this sight. 

"Pleased to meet you," he says. "Wei Wuxian showed me the library. It was very kind of him." 

"Indeed. --This is my sworn brother, Meng Yao."

Meng Yao ducks his head.