[open]

[shizun]

WHO: Shen Qingqiu and anyone.
WHERE: Chroma.
WHEN: Early-to-Mid-June.
WHAT: Shen Qingqiu suffers qi deviation, but instead of dying, he turns into a small child for a bit.
WARNINGS: Probably his swearing.

A. NETWORK

Due to personal reasons, I am going to have to ask that everyone stay away from me. Thank you.

B. OUT AND ABOUT

[ Humming a certain song about a mission being impossible in his head, Shen Qingqiu wraps himself up in a sheet and attempts to find clothes for his new body. His hair is tied up in a loose hair-bun with most of it spilling out over everywhere. He attempts to stick to the "shadows" and avoid people, but he underestimated how out of place he looks.

When he sees someone, he turns to flee. Unfortunately, he lacks the coordination, elegance, and skill of his adult body. Which is to say that he pivots, attempts to dash, his foot catches on the sheet and he slams face-first into the street. ]

C. PLANTING SOME FLOWERS

[ It's nice that one of the quests for the month is something as simple as planting a few flowers. Honestly, that sounds rather relaxing after the shit time that he has had being a small child. ]

Come on. Let us … [ Shen Qingqiu feels his entire face become lines of black. He feels himself pale and turn all sorts of colors before he turns away. He is still not used to his voice – soft and lilting. Mentally, he is beating his fist against the ground!! THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT!

He opens his fan and attempts to speak, again. ]Shall we go plant some flowers?

D. WILDCARD

[ He's a small child for most of the month so really wanna hang out and bug him that's fine. He'll be bugging a few people despite what he wrote on his network post because no matter what, the man is a meddler. ]

Comments

A

[good_ideas]

[It's probably a warning that he's issuing, she thinks. Which is why her immediate reply is to take it as a challenge.]

but like what kind of personal reasons?
curious people might come by and accidentally have someone help them accidentally remove a boulder from your wall so they can accidentally look in you know?

[shizun]

Destroying other people's homes out of curiosity will get curious people in trouble.
I merely came down with something and should be cleared up eventually.

[good_ideas]

it's not destruction if we put it back in afterwards
so is it like a cold?
you know it's better if there's someone to bring you soup, right?
in fact maybe i'll go bring you some soup now~




don't even think of running ok?
<3

B

[superioritis]

[ An indecent wanderer is the least of his concerns, and one that barely registers in his periphery until he hears a strange thud. Berkut snaps his head toward the fallen individual, who is partially obscured by the town's shadow, and calls out in warning. ]

Who goes there?

[shizun]

[ Of all the people to meet, he lets out a loud sigh in his head. Shen Qingqiu wonders if he could still run for it, but he thinks that might not be possible. In fact, he's fairly certain that he wouldn't be able to get far. ]

That is a difficult question to answer at this moment...

[superioritis]

[ Of course, he doesn't recognize the voice. The absurdity of the answer is what changes Berkut's course as he approaches. (Must the people here always be so difficult?) ]

On the contrary.

[ It's as easy as supplying a name. However, upon closing what gap was between them, he sees the small body wrapped in a sheet for what it is and scowls. ]

Hm . . . ?

c

[holycurse]

[That voice is so cute........that face is so cute? That Shen Qingqiu sure is cute!

If it looks like Xie Lian's enjoying this more than he should right now, that's because he very definitely is.]

Yes! Planting flowers is certainly a wonderful respite after the last week, isn't it?

[Ready to go!! He'll carry all the gardening tools and stuff, don't you worry!!]

[shizun]

[ For every one step that Xie Lian takes, he has to take at least two-three. His legs are so much shorter than what he's used to and taking longer strides than what he should.

This is the worst. The fucking worst! ]

Yes, it is. It is also surprisingly easy to do. [ He glances at all the things that Xie Lian is carrying and cannot help but pout a little -- IN A DIGNIFIED FASHION, OF COURSE -- that he can't carry anything. ]

[holycurse]

[Ugh just listen to that little voice...look at him toddling along with that little pouty face!!

Okay so he's a little too big to be toddling exactly but still! (It's a good thing Xie Lian's hands are too full to be carrying you, huh?)]

It is, isn't it? I admit I'm more used to planting crops than flowers...but ultimately it's not much different. Ah, this looks like a good spot!

[Though the way he's moving seems to be subtly implying that Shen Qingqiu's in charge of wherever they actually stop.]

C

[noholdsbard]

[ …What’s going on?? Is there some sort of event happening right now?? Tristan looks from the potted plant he’d meant to transfer to a proper garden plot and back to this strange child uncertainly. That face and those mannerisms…surely it can’t be anything but… ]

Is—Is that you, Shifu?

[shizun]

[ I'm touched that you're able to tell right away that it is me, but at the same time, I'm somewhat distraught about the fact you knowing it is me! He lets his eyes settle on the ground as he mulls over what to say.

He opens up his fan to cover the lower half of his face. It's a habit and he realizes it's one that seals his fate. ]

... unfortunately, it is.

[noholdsbard]

[ Benefits of living in a small town, after all… ]

Have you been enchanted somehow?

[ He’d thought a professional like Shifu would…but maybe it’s an event? Except isn’t it a little too soon for one? ]

B

[dreamsky]

[ Uki wasn't trying to be suspicious or anything, she just accidentally ended up wandering somewhere alone. It's good for her to get out of her cottage, and she misses the walks she used to take outside. She didn't think anyone else was around, so when she hears a sound behind her, she squeaks in surprise.

But it seems like someone's been hurt. Whoever it is seems to have landed on their face... She stands back, too nervous to get close immediately, but still wanting to help. ]

A-Ah! Um! [ And then, much softer: ] I'm sorry! Are you okay...?

[shizun]

[ Lifting his head up, he's certain that it has dirt all over it. Using the sheet, he wipes at his face to clean himself up with a small, but meaningful huff.

He pauses to look over his shoulder at the young girl. What a way to meet someone! Worse of all, because of his antics, he ends up worrying her. A small rock hurt his forehead and there might be a small line of blood dripping down but he offers a smile to reassure her. ]

It's a small thing. I am all right. This humble one is sorry to have startled you.

[dreamsky]

No... It's okay.

[ She frowns, watching him sit up, eyeing the blood trailing down his forehead. Whether or not he startled her isn't the issue - she doesn't care about that, and it's pretty easy to startle her like a frightened animal, anyway. She's just immediately in Helper Mode the second she sees someone who might need more help than she does.

The smile manages to bring her heartbeat back down to a manageable level, so she inches closer, hands curled into her chest. ]

You're bleeding... If you're injured, I-I can help clean it.

[pyrafect]

[ Have a hand that's reaching out to stop you from falling, steadying and gentle. There you back, back on your feet.... ] Are you all ri....

[ Stopping mid sentence. Because.....

Okay, so she knows she hasn't met anyone here. She also has met literal children here before. But this small boy is. Is....! ]

Oh my goodness, [ Suddenly a lot more concerned than she was two seconds ago!! Pyra immediately kneels, looking over him with worry, a hand going to his shoulder then his head ] ...Could it be... did the town curse you with something?

[shizun]

[ Shen Qingqiu would like to lie to Pyra. He would like to lie to her so that she wouldn't worry. But he promised her that he would always tell her the truth. He can't back down on that even though he's in an embarrassing situation like he is now.

Well, I could, but what kind of man would that make me?! She came to him when she was feeling low and talked to him honestly; he can't spit on that and not do the same. ]

No. This is something that I did to myself. [ A sigh. ] Back in the forest, I used too much of my spiritual energy... I let myself get too anxious about a lot of things... it disrupted my energy flow and forcing it to come back to normal... it caused it to go [ Ape-shit. ] irregular.

The result can kill a person, but there are cases that the body ... does this, instead.

B

[scooptimistic]

[ Oh. Ouch. That looked like it hurt-- and that was definitely a child falling, so forget manners and asking for permission, Maya Amano (Child Protector) is instantly charging in to swoop him up into the air and into her arms. ]

It's okay! You're all right!! You've defeated the ground!

[ Maya, you don't even know if he's upset. ]

[shizun]

[ Ah!!!

He wasn't upset before, but he certainly is upset now!! He's suddenly picked up and held by someone that he doesn't know! That really isn't the issue, because he can tell the person is doing it out of kindness, but the issue comes in that he's a grown-ass man in a child's body!

Which means!! This could come off as a way to cop a feel when that isn't what I'm trying to do at all!! He screams loudly in his head as his arms lift up straight in the air!! ]

The ground has been defeated! [ Is what he yells out instead of all the other bullshit going on in his mind. ]

C

[espritdecorpse]

A-qiu!

[ By this time, he's heard allllll about your "little" problem, Shen Qingqiu. It's a small town, news travels fast. He's grinning ear to ear with a smile that is absolutely not the least bit irritating at all. ]

Wait. No. I should call you Xiao-qiu, right? Right!

[ He's just going to reach down to pinch your chubby cheeks, you cute little thing! ]

[shizun]

[ He makes strangling hand gestures in his mind at his cheeks being pinched! Stop that! My pride! Clenching his fist, he wonders how it is that the original Luo Binghe handled all of this attention. But then, again, he used it so that he could peek in on girls... and fulfill fantasies like that! There wasn't any talk about Bing-ge being disrespected like this! ]

I am still a sect elder. Please think of that when you name me. [ His head drops as his voice sounds so adorable that he wants to die. ]

C.

[alittlespicy]

Mn.

[ That is agreement.

And this is a flower crown that WangJi has kept for the day, from Pyra. It gives anyone a very green thumb. So, this flower crown is now settled gently on Shen QingQiu's head. ]

Will help.

[shizun]

[ He has enough sense to not tear the flower crown off of his head. Lan Wangji doesn't seem like the type that would sit and make flower crowns, for one, and so he can only assume that this gesture is a means to be kind to him in his shrunked state.

Shen Qingqiu tips his head in thanks. ]

The humble one is grateful. [ He just wishes that his voice didn't sound the way that it did. Sighing one-million sighs in his head, he attempts to carry the gardening tools to where they've been told to plant flowers. ]

B

[queenofminiskirts]

[She hadn't recognized him at first. Was there another child here...?

But even if she didn't know who he was she obviously can't let him face plant so he'll find his fall stopped with his face centimetres from the ground.]

You should be more careful!

[She doesn't set him back on the ground but she does turn him the right way around and...oh.]

...sensei?

[What even happened...? Then again, maybe he's wondering the same thing too since she doesn't have shoes (which is why she's floating not walking) and also her usual light blue uniform is black since she hadn't gotten around to changing yet.]

[shizun]

[ He fills his mouth with air, letting one cheek puff out, as he inwardly curses about how he is floating in the air -- and slowly turned around.

How the fuck did you recognize me?! He supposes that there is a resemblance. It isn't like a person couldn't figure it out! But he would have liked for people not to know! Should he play dumb?! Should he pretend to be a child?! Come on, grow the fuck up! Man up and -- just bullshit your way out like you always do! ]

Yes. It's me.