Since Mingjue's not one to flutter or fill the air with idle chatter, he just sits (im)patiently on the bed and doesn't worry too much about Xichen leaving that much more water spattered all over the floor. Lans and their layers. While he sits and Xichen wrings, however, he doesn't offer to help, only observes; Xichen doesn't need him fussing with all that fabric, and he doesn't look like he's going to collapse again. Instead, he tries to catch any flaws in Xichen's performance, for all that his gut tells him that Xichen's real.

But then Xichen says 'sworn brotherhood.'

He has an emotion about that, immediate and visceral, and a startled smile springs to his face. Huh. That wasn't something he'd thought of before this moment, but just as being called da-ge didn't bother him, he wasn't opposed to that either. "I like it," he informs Xichen. "And I'm not surprised we ended up sworn to each other."

Now, there's a chance that this is all bullshit and Xichen's really some figment of this place has come to tell him everything he wants to hear (War won. Wen dead. Xichen sworn to him.) but he's willing to treat it like it's real for the moment. Xichen's distress is still lodged somewhere in his ribcage, and the way Xichen keeps his eyes on him... It's all very over-elaborate. And honestly he's curious.

"But Meng Yao?" he continues, not bothering to hide his confusion, not with Xichen. "I've barely made the man my deputy. What happened that would have made it appropriate for me to swear brotherhood to one of my subordinates?"