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WHO: Wei Wuxian and you
WHERE: Chroma
WHEN: Early June
WHAT: Quests and other ideas good and bad
WARNINGS: death- and blood-related narration NOW WITH ACTUAL VIOLENCE thanks trash god

(Please feel free to contact me via PM or

tinuvielberen for plotting.)

[ In another life, he’d been stabbed and left for dead upon a mound of fierce corpses, with the expectation that he’d be torn apart by them and his spirit forever trapped. “Attempt the impossible” was his family motto however, even if most of that family had been killed by his would-be murderers, and he walked out of that place three months later, master of the ghost path and hell-bent on revenge.

It’s been longer than three months in this place, and while nothing here quite works the way it did back home, he’s at least been able to use some of the malevolent energy emanating from the forest for his own ends: controlling his puppets and flauting away monsters, for instance. But none of those threats, somehow, seem quite as serious as the creeping trees. They remind him of walking corpses in their own way: moving slowly, wreathed in resentment.

The forest’s monsters always stop at the forest’s edge; when he and ~~Red~~ Blue Saber managed to capture a manticore and bring it back forcibly to town, it was terrified and died within the day. Clearly, there’s something in the town that repels them; or maybe it’s the absence of trees that they can’t abide. Either way, it’s disturbing that the trees are advancing: if the town becomes part of the forest, what will become of their (relatively) safe haven?

Thus, despite the known dangers, he is grimly applying talismans to the trees, inscribed with his own blood. The slips of paper immediately blacken and combust, their ashes fluttering down like grey flower petals. Last month, when the trees started stealing emotions, he wasn’t badly affected. If anything, he was more like himself. Perhaps it was luck, or that he hadn’t cut down too many trees, or a natural resistance to malevolent energy.

After a while, he attaches a much larger talisman to the tree, looking over his shoulder at anyone else who might be nearby. ]

You might want to stand back.

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[ At her birthday party, he'd promised to create a magical device to seal her powers, so that she'd never have to worry about hurting anyone under the town's or the forest's malign influence, despite her formidable abilities. Easier said than done. The technical challenge of coming up with something sufficiently subtle and strong to function as a seal, that's only part of the problem; the real sticking point is that, to understand the nature of her own peculiar sort of energy, he'll have to trace her meridians.

That is....

Well anyway, there's been no point fretting about that, because he's nowhere near ready. He needs to make a few more experiments first, test a few more theories. And so he's been dithering, until today. ]

Pyra, are you there? It's me. Wei Ying.

[ His hand raps firmly against the timbers of her door. Today, after blasting down a number of the trees encroaching on the town, it occurred to him that there was no more point delaying on examining Pyra's energy meridians. He'd come as far as he was going to, on his own. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he left off his impromptu lumberjacking and made his way to her home. ]

[ She opens the door to him happily, greeting him with a smile. ] Wei Ying! Good evening, it's nice to see you.

[ A pause. ] Is there something I can help you with?

[ That he's mentioned he would make a seal for her has been on her mind, but it's not as if he's promised her it, and it's been quite a while since he'd brought it up at all. She hadn't thought to pester him for something that he might have been too busy to work on in the first place; thus, she doesn't think he's here for that reason.

Which leads her to guess at other reasons for why he is here at her door. Maybe he needs dinner? ]

Likewise.

[ He returns her smile, brightly, looking perfectly at ease and self-assured. That said, he looks slightly different than he usually does: hair lazily pulled back rather than tied in a high ponytail, so his long hair spills across his shoulders, and his cross-collared robes are looser than he usually wears them, so a bit more of his chest is showing. ]

Actually, I'd like to help you. Can I come in?

[ HUH WELL now that she looks at him, yes he looks as chipper as ever, but usually he wears his hair up (not that she's complaining about it being down), and he's more mindful about how much skin he shows! She's guessing his more disheveled look comes from, oh she doesn't know, some of physical activity, or perhaps mysterious cultivator thing to which she is not privy.

Regardless, it's just to cause her to stutter after she realizes she's been staring. ]

E-er... yes, you can. [ And she's moving to the side to let him pass, closing the door after him. ] Come in.

But I'm not sure what you mean by, um, "helping me"?

Mn.

You, too.

[ Wei Ying, please. ]

[ Ordinarily, being stared at like that—having Pyra stare at him like that—would be enough to make his heart flutter and he'd have to forcibly put on his mask, to grin and joke.

Today, however, he just stands in the doorway, basking in her gaze. When she stumbles over her words, his eyes glitter with amusement; but he doesn't comment or joke beyond saying: ]

You don't remember? That night at your party? Our... conversation.

[ A little pause. And then he goes on, smoothly: ]

I said I wanted to make something that would seal your powers, if necessary. Only as a last resort, of course. Still interested?

[ Oh, right. Their conversation. Huh. You know. Other things had happened during that conversation that are just as important to her! Which for one moment she thinks he is going to bring up those other things, specifically that-- causing a brief flush to color her cheeks-- but no, he's talking about the seal.

Which, actually, makes her very happy anyways. She straightens up, pleasantly surprised. ]

I-- of course! [ She nearly blurts out. ]

You've thought of something?

[ He glances back at Lan Wangji, smiling helplessly. ]

I... er. I know we said we'd take them down together. But......

[ If he fails in dissipating the trees' malevolent energy, and they take something from him, something important, Lan Wangji is certainly strong enough to restrain him from doing anything he'd regret. The reverse isn't necessarily true. ]

Look, let's just see how this goes, all right?

[ With a hand seal, he activates the talisman. It explodes, making the tree fall over with a loud crack. Black smoke rises from its stump. ]

[ The play of emotions across her face, the blush on her cheeks, the effect is charming. ]

I've thought of a lot of things. But ultimately I realized that theory only counts for so much, as compared to experiment. I need more information...

[ As he speaks, he's been walking into her living room. His eyes fall upon the sofa. ]

Ah! This is where I painted your portrait. It feels like such a long time ago.

[ a beat ]

Pfff... I was engaged to Xie Lian back then, wasn't I? Hahahaha!

[ Following him in, she's about to ask him if he'd like any (remaining) tea she has to offer, but then he mentions the portrait-painting and the not!marriage.

Idly, she clasps her hands behind her.

It's nice that he can laugh about it, she thinks. She can't, exactly, if only for the conclusion she had drawn after they had come forward, but she does smile. Him making a seal... that will help. ] Mm. It's been a long while, hasn't it? It's been a blur, these past few months.

[ He exhales. ]

I should have said something sooner.

[ He would have enjoyed the portrait session way, way more if he had. He sort of understands that he had reasons for dithering then, but can't for the life of him recall what they were. ]

Anyway! I mentioned something last time about needing to trace your meridians, so I can understand how your energies work. If you're free, would you like to do that now?

Oh, yes! [ Oh! It's happening! He's going to try to make a seal!

She walks over to him, her eyes bright and enthusiastic. ] That would--- ....that would be wonderful. [ Or even if he doesn't make some sort of seal today, that him doing... whatever he's going to do to her "meridians", if it will take him one step closer to making that seal so that others might be safer-- she'll be happy with that. ]

Do I need to do anything? [ Does she remain standing? Sitting? Does she have to activate some of her energy? ]

[ His eyes flick up to her bedroom, past the stairs she had descended so shyly, last time. ]

Perhaps if you could change into...

[ He glances back at her and smiles. ]

Never mind. Your ordinary outfit is so revealing, I don't need you to put on that sheet again. Let me just start by taking your pulse—haha, that's assuming you have one.

[ He reaches for her wrist. ]

[ The way his voice drifts off and his gaze travels to up the stairs, naturally her own thoughts go to the previous time he had been here, when he had painted her.

If that isn't enough to trigger another blush, then the fact that he comments on her outfit does.

She lets him take her wrist into his hand, and indeed she has a pulse, or something that mimics it much like how she can "breathe" without having actual lungs. She's never paid much attention to how accurately the facade of flesh conceals the condensed energy that lies beneath, but that pulse does quicken the moment he feels it. And as he does that, shyly: ] Does it... bother you? The way that I'm dressed.

[ When he painted her, he had put her in more clothes. ]

Bother me?

[ His thumb rests on her quickening pulse as he tries to sense her energy. ]

That's a good question. When we met, I was coping with a great many things: being here, being alive, that damned mirror... Haha! A charming girl in too few clothes was the least of my problems, so I didn't mind it. Afterwards, I suppose I got used to it. Which is a roundabout way of saying, no. It doesn't bother me at all. Besides, you're not even human, you're more like a magical tool. Which of course, begs the question...

[ He lifts his fingers, to touch her blushing cheek, feeling its warmth. ]

...why do you resemble a woman so much? Is it just so you can communicate with people and interact with them? But this level of detail is astounding. It seems almost like wasted effort. Your housemate — I've met him, I drew his portrait — is cunningly made, but I doubt he can blush. Can he even feel embarrassment?

[ Ordinarily, he wouldn't have said any of this to her; he'd have deflected her question with a joke. He's aware of this, but can't fathom why. If he's going to understand her as well as the nature of her energies, these are questions he needs answered. It's only natural to ask. ]

[ So he has met Connor... another sort of artificial intelligence, another "tool" so to speak. That they are housed together has been an interesting arrangement of sorts, but that's not what he's asking.

She blinks when his hand touches her cheek, the feeling odd because usually she is the one to reach out to others. That, and he's always kept his distance more with her, at least physically speaking, whereas when she's seen him interact with men-- for instance Xie Lian-- he's always closer. This is all for his assessment of her meridians, she tells herself, no matter how odd it's beginning to feel, as if she's being inspected. ]

I... [ She supposes that in order to have the best possible chance of him making a seal, he need more information. More honest information. ] Could have been awakened as a man or even an animal. A woman's form is the one that my energy most naturally took to, and the easiest for me to maintain. [ That's the best explanation she has, really. ]

Or... I should say. My true body.. is this core crystal. [ She brings up her hand to tap upon it. If he recalls, it was the only part reflected in her mirror all those months ago. ] And my body forms around it.

Your true body!

[ His eyebrows shoot up. ]

I see. So it was your "true body" that I touched, back then in the ice palace...

[ He drifts off, remembering. Even now, remembering what happened, his fingers feel itchy. He lets his hand fall from her cheek, moving to her shoulder. ]

Does that happen every time someone touches it? That.... transfer of thoughts and memories?

Every time. [ And she says this... with just a little guilt that crosses her expression, a pause as she feels his hand drift from her cheek to her shoulder. It causes her to correct her posture, to straighten... but she can't hold his gaze with how close they are. She had learned of his death, and others' as well, from having them touch her crystal. She's sorry she had to learn that way. ] Although, the way information is received here is a lot more obscured. [ Muddled, blurry, in ways she can't quite process or decipher.

Which is actually fine with her. ]

In my world, I have much more passively transferred back to me.... Data. Information. How creatures-- populations evolve. Energy and matter... it's information. And I process it.

[ He seems insensible to her guilty tone and averted gaze, only staring intently at her crystal: ]

Hmm. Well, I suppose that might be an answer to my question: why you're so perfect. If you have access to so much information, creating such a body would be easy. In fact, probably easier to be perfect than intentionally imperfect.

[ After a moment, he chuckles. He lets go of her shoulder and stands back. ]

Pfff! Now I'm imagining you as a man. How would I have seen you, if that's how we'd met?

[ WangJi watches in exasperation, but at least he doesn't think what happens is very far from what Wei Ying intended. Still. He steps closer as soon as the talisman's effect seems complete, watching Wei Ying's face. Just to make sure. ]

You are... beginning now?

[ Should she feel flattered or embarrassed? She's not even sure anymore. It's like he's calling her body perfect, and yet... there's definitely something distant about the way he says it. When he releases her shoulder, let lets out a breath as she attempts to keep her expression calm. And, well, failing to keep herself from flushing.

Alright, yes, after the body swapping event it has crossed why she hadn't been formed as a man or an animal (or even as some sort of monster-like creature, as some blades in her world are). ]

W-well.... I'm sure... I would have been taller. [ What else is she supposed to say to that? ] But, my power... You should know that it is imperfect.

[ Careful.

This talk about her being formed. This talk about her energy. Mythra is not entirely sure what he's thinking to do or how he'll make a seal. But it seems that with this line of questioning, he might just have to know about Mythra. At the very least, she supposes that she can tell him that there is a seal on her already, if he doesn't find out himself. ]

It's limited... In this form that I have.

[ Pyra gives Mythra a quiet reassurance. ] And it's wasteful in the form of heat. [ As he would have felt already. ]

My body is just a shell around it all.

[ He blinks. He feels about the same as he ever does, he thinks. He doesn't have any urge to do shameless things—at least not more than usual. He doesn't feel dead inside, the way he had when he destroyed everything in his heart. ]

Yes. I think it worked.

[ His expression relaxes, finally. He breaks into a wide smile. ]

I'm not sensing any ill effects. I'll let you know if I do, all right? Just keep standing by me, okay?

[ He glances back. Previously, when he's looked at Lan Wangji, these few weeks, he's been overwhelmed with a sense of guilt. But now... somehow, that feeling is almost gone. It's... it's nice, actually. He doesn't consider this to be anything amiss, so he says: ]

Let's do another.

[ He moves towards the next encroaching tree, repeating the process. ]

[ He smiles, amused at how she blushes at his unconscious compliment; indeed, he'd intended it as a statement of fact, rather than to flatter her. But when she volunteers this additional information, his expression turns thoughtful. After a while, he voices the obvious question: ]

Do you have a form that's less limited? One that makes use of all of your power, rather than wasting it?

[ If so, that's a significant complication for what he's proposing to do. ]

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