[ open ]

[wooden_one]

WHO: Chu Wanning and YOU
WHERE: All around Chroma
WHEN: Estimated is fine
WHAT: Chu Wanning goes into voluntary seclusion. Which means he's free to walk around as a five year old and pretend he has nothing to do with the things he did under the influence of various flowers.
WARNINGS: A lot of tsun but probably nothing.



[It takes a week, but finally, the medicine that allows him to keep his adult body wears out and he leave the house without worrying about people seeing him again.

Now, free to step outside without having to try to avoid people, he has a few things he intends to do. So he sets out about town, wearing robes that are sized down to his current size but otherwise looks exactly like what he was wearing before.]

i: Maybe Don't Eat That

[His first stop is one of those general stores. He was actually there to look for some paper, but there wasn't any in this particular building. You know what they do have? a whole jar of sweets.

Most of them didn't have any colour, but there are a few inside that are...purple. Which is a weird colour for caramels, but since he doesn't even recognize what it is, he doesn't know that. All he knows is that they smelled sweet. So he ate one.

Which is why if you walk into the general store, there's a small child carefully going through the large jar of candy and carefully picking out all the purple caramels and setting them to the side at the counter.

Judging from the size of the pile, he's been at it for a bit now.

To reach the counter comfortable he's been standing on a stool. So when the freezes when the door opens he's the very picture of a child stealing candy from a candy jar when his parents aren't looking.

But he's a child. There's nothing embarrassing about a child wanting to find some candy, surely? So he frowns again, but he tries to subtly cover the pile of caramels with his wide sleeves.]

Did you need something?

[He asked, as if this weren't a public space.]



ii: What Is This Writing Instrument

[Anyway, what he was actually looking for was something to write with. Which led him to some quills. He'd found a few and brought them outside with him to get a better look at them in the sunlight. He turned it this way and that with a frown. He only knows you write with them because they were placed with the inks (which he also took a bottle of).

Even so, he looks unsure about it.]

...how do you write with this?

[Also, for those who are wondering, he's actually holding it upside down, with the metal tip facing up.]



iii: The Forest Option (also the quest option)

[It's obviously a terrible idea to go into the forest. Everyone knows that.

And yet, here's a small child standing at borders of the forest proper, not just where it's found its way into the town. Surely he's not planning to go in?

...nope, that's totally him taking a step towards the forest. Well then.]


((OOC: Just a note that for this entire log he'll just be running around as a five year old.))

Comments

Closed to Pyra

[wooden_one]

[There was still a part of him that thought Pyra's offer of friendship might have been flower related. And even if it weren't surely she wouldn't really worry if he suddenly disappeared for a week.

It was why he only sent her a messenger haitang blossom to let her know he was going into voluntary seclusion instead of sending her a message on the laptop even though he's been taught how. After all, the flowers he made from his spiritual powers to deliver messages was one way only.

Probably, it didn't matter to her. She seemed like the sort of person who'd have many friends and, surely, she would be too preoccupied with them.

Still, when he had finally shrunk down, he used the messenger haitang to help him find her, grabbing the golden flower in his hand and dispelling it when he saw her in the distance.

Then he schooled his expression and approached.]

Are you Maiden Pyra?

[He said, as if he weren't the same person at all. Just a child cultivator...who happened to be wearing the exact same style of white robes, but in a smaller size. Yup.

Surely no one would suspect that this child is the same as Chu Wanning the adult. It's worked so far back home.]

[pyrafect]

[ ...It had taken her a little bit to know what the floating blossom was or how to activate its message, but she had eventually figured it out.

Voluntary... seclusion? It sounds rather nice, actually. She can understand the want to be alone, although it is rather difficult to accomplish being alone in Chroma, unless simply holed himself up in his house.



He finds Pyra by the harbor, alone, and looking out towards the abandoned, dilapidated houseboats... or maybe the horizon. It's difficult to tell. But when she hears quiet, small footsteps approach, she turns to greet the child with a gentle smile.

.......Her first assumption is that this must be another cultivator who has turned into a child after losing, like Shen Qingqiu. So she goes down the list: Xie Lian? No. Wei Wuxian? No. Lan Wangji? No. Lan Sizhui? ...Maybe. But the robes most resemble... Chu Wanning. Which begs the question of why he would feel the need to pretend that he doesn't recognize her. The other possibility is that Chu Wanning has had a literal child from his sect appear here in Chroma. ] I am.

[ Regardless of her guesses, he's adorable. She smiles kindly at him, placing her hands upon her knees and leaning over. ] You've come a long way from town. How can I help you?

[wooden_one]

[It's still strange to be smiled at like that. So he avoids it by bowing.

Knowing that he's a terrible liar, he'd rehearsed things before he came here.]

I come in place of our sect elder who has gone into voluntary seclusion. He...wanted you to know that he is well and that should you need to tell him anything you can give the message to me and I will pass it along.

[He feels this is going well so far! Nevermind the resemblance that makes it look like he could very well be Chu Wanning's son. Surely no one would suspect they'd be the same person.]

1/3

[pyrafect]

[ ....Ah. ]

Oh, ....good. [ She brings a hand to her chest, her brow knitting. ] I had been worried for him-- but I... supposes this could all be a little overwhelming, coming here, even to a sect leader.

[pyrafect]

[ A moment passes, and she resumes smiles at him, nodding. ] ...I'm glad to hear that he's doing well. Please, let him know that if there is anything else he needs, I will be there.

[ She adds: ] And... thank you, for telling me. It's very thoughtful of him. [ Her certainly did not need to send her a message, let along a messenger boy to come after her. ]

[pyrafect]

[ So Pyra reaches out to him, placing a hand upon the boy's head. There, she pats him softly once, twice, and then withdraws. ]

And it's very kind of you, too.

Closed to Sierra, before the medicine wears off.

[wooden_one]

[He'd meant to look for a place to move out...though for now the decision was between the shrine of the Xian Le Prince or the church.

But any plans to move had to be put on hold at least for a while, until he was sure Sierra was fine.

He wasn't sure how well he was at taking care of people, but he did his best. He left golden haitang blossoms made from his own spiritual energy at her bedside everyday, imbued with a spell to aid in restful sleep. He offered to make her a barrier around the room, to keep out the draft.

In other words, in his own quiet way he's fussing over her. And spending a lot of time doing it as well, since he's avoiding leaving the house as much as possible.]

Are you hungry?

[Even if the only thing he can make are wontons.]

[regrede]

[ he’s kind. although sierra had been absurdly strict with him upon finding out that he was, indeed, a grown man, she can’t hate him for his generosity now. she is not so ungrateful as to tell him that his help is unwelcome. ]

Hungry… no, I’m not.

[ she doesn’t seem listless. there’s no magic affecting her mood—she’s just reflective. pensive. ]

I don’t understand why you’re worrying so much over me. I am a stranger.

[wooden_one]

I'm not worried.

[It's a reflexive sort of protest. A habit that he'd picked up over the years. And it's at odds with how fussy he's been.]

But even if I were...do I need to know someone to want to help?

[regrede]

[ sierra won’t argue with him about being worried, at least. it makes her feel better if he isn’t. ]

Most people would prefer it that way.

i

[alwaysfacepalming]

[SiZhui had gone out exploring. He had finally managed to get his robes clean of the dirt from when he kept falling down. His feet were now firmly on the ground so no more worrying about that.

Being charge of an entire residence to do with what he wanted except one room required some thought and surveying. Also he foresaw his supply of talismans eventually dwindling so he wanted to find some medium - preferably paper - he could write more on.

So he just happened to go into one of the general stores looking to see if there was anything... and encountered a small child with his hand literally in the candy jar. Before he hid them, it looked like there had been quite a pile going there.

SiZhui smiled at the question] I was just looking to see what was here. I hadn't come in here before.

You certainly must like candy.

[Since he was currently in the act of taking some... and most children did like sweets]

[wooden_one]

[He recognizes the robes at a glance. A cultivator...but not only that, likely from the same sect as Lan Wangji if the robes were anything to go by.

But then, with all this 'other worlds' business...it was possible there may be another sect with similar robes elsewhere.

What a pain.

The more pressing problem right now though is that he's been caught. If he were an adult right now he'd insist the candy weren't for him but...well. He's five right now.

So he huffed.] All children like sweets.

[Then in an effort to change the subject...] Are you a disciple of the Gusu Lan Sect?

[alwaysfacepalming]

[He might have been caught but for the moment, SiZhui seemed unconcerned with trying to stop him from taking out more candy. Maybe he was also trying to share with someone else? Perhaps whoever was looking after him, which was why he was taking so much. The question was eventually going to be how to carry it though]

They do. I did when I was younger too.

[He nodded] I am. I am Lan SiZhui. You must have met my senior, Lan WangJi.

i.

[good_ideas]

[Child. CHILD.

Shiho raises her eyebrow like an adult that has definitely caught a child hiding a pile of caramels behind their sleeve. Is she impressed? Not at all.]

Oh, nothing. Big sister was just wondering what you were hiding over there. [And because she's bigger and technically stronger??? She walks up to try and peer behind him.]

[wooden_one]

[There were certain things he found less embarrassing to do when he's in this form, but throwing his body over the pile of caramels to hide them is too much even for how he looks right now.

So she definitely manages to see over his arm to the pile of purple caramels.]

It's nothing you need to worry about!

[good_ideas]

[HM.

She isn't fooled for a second but she keeps her Responsible Adult face on, smiling at him still.]

I disagree though. I think I definitely need to worry about this since you're acting so suspicious. What are your plans with this candy, and have you even done a poison test on any of this?

iii

[espritdecorpse]

[ A child? That's an unusual sight! Or at least, that's what he would have said, prior to his encounter with a certain diminutive cultivator. So when he sees the tender-hearted, tiny fool heading into the forest, he leaps out and waves: ]

Xiao-Qiu! Hi hiiiiiii!

[ Though he's all smiles, inside he's feeling disquiet. Another qi deviation? ]

[wooden_one]

[He knows that voice.

He had half a mind to just...run into the forest. But then he remembers, he's Xia Sini right now. Surely the man wouldn't recognize him.

So he turned around, his brow furrowed. Xiao-Qiu? Was there another child here...?]

You have the wrong person.

[espritdecorpse]

A-aaa?

[ He stops—and then he crouches down, to get a better look at the boy. It's true, this isn't A-Qiu. But then, who can it be? There is... something about the child's eyes—and the furrowed brows—that's strangely familiar.

Hmm. ]

Ooooooooh, that's right. You're someone I haven't met before. What's your name?

backdated to before the event!

[pyrafect]

[ After retrieving the metal from the dragon carcass in the forest, she had messaged Chu Wanning over the network to meet with him to set a date to begin the process of making a sword.

Today is that day, and she enters the workshop wheeling a hefty stock of steel, so smooth and reflective that it appears an almost mirror-white. Even if the dragon had been slain months ago and left in the forest for that time, not a speck of rust has appeared upon the metal itself. She's gathered a good amount of scales in the barrel, and tied over the back are a number of razor-like "feathers" that had made up its wings, each about three meters in length. ]

Is... [ The delay in her question comes from her looking over his workshop. It could use some tidying, and she's already running through in her mind exactly how to go about cleaning it up. Still, that he's managed to rekindle the flames to the forge itself is nothing short of impressive. He's made good work in a short amount of time.

Continuing: ] Is placing these here all right?

[wooden_one]

[He'd taken too long to get over his embarrassment. He'd wanted to scold her, but in the end was mad the person he was really mad at was himself, for creating a situation where Pyra thought she had to go into the forest by herself to retrieve the metal.

He was not the sort to shirk his own responsibilities.

After receiving her message he'd gone to fix up one of the forges in earnest. Though what he did really couldn't be called 'cleaning'. It's pretty clear his priority had been to get everything functioning which included rekindling the forge and also throwing away and finding replacements for broken tools.

In fact, apart from the dust and dirt accumulated over the however many years this place hadn't been functioning there's now a spread of papers all over a table...some of them even on the floor.

In addition to all there, there are a few discarded swords, made from the crude metal he'd gotten from melting down the tools that could not be salvaged. Practice, because he hasn't often made swords. He was more used to creating weapons made of smaller parts, some blades that were to be part of a greater thing. But a proper sword? That was something he knew better on a theoretic level.

So...practice. Because if he was going to do something he wanted to do it to a high standard.

He'd pulled his hair into a simple high ponytail today, and tied back the wide sleeves of his robes.]

There is fine.

[He doesn't care much, really. He's coming closer to check out the metal. He dips his fingers into the barrel of scales, felt the cool metal beneath his touch. He pulled out a hand full and let them fall back in. Then he looked at the feathers.]

These are good. [The words are awkward because he's not used to giving praise but it seemed like...the right thing to do. It doesn't mean he didn't frown at her though.] You should have waited for me.

[pyrafect]

Ooh-- careful, careful.. [ She warns quickly when he goes to touch the metallic plumage of the dragon. Even if he may not need the warning itself, it's her second-- no, first nature to make sure that he won't hurt himself. The edges are razor-sharp despite their beauty; the dragon clearly had taken good care of them, before it was felled.

Moving on, she will help him move the feather to wherever he needs it to be, noting the practice-forged swords strewn about the workshop. ]

Waited for... [ It takes her a moment for his words to connect with his frown.

Ah. ] ...You were in seclusion. [ She shakes her head. ] I'm... not sure what that means to a cultivator, but it sounds important. [ He may frown at her, but she smiles softly at him regardless. ] Far be it from me to disturb you.

Post his bloody foray into the Wood

[allfornothing]

[ There is a man in the water of the harbor.

There is a man in white robes (okay) with blood stains on them (less okay) in the water of the harbor (not okay)... scrubbing at said blood stains.

That doesn't look like he'll accomplish what he seems to be trying to. ]

What are you doing?

[wooden_one]

[He hates the cold and the water in the harbour is even colder than expected. But he probably shouldn't go trying to wash the blood off in the hotsprings. No one wanted blood in their bath.

Also, he didn't like communal baths and he'd have to wait for it to be empty first.

So, the harbour it was!

Except he only had one robe and he couldn't figure out the clothes he found here. So clearly, the only thing to do was try to wash his clothes with them still on. That'd work, right?

Except it's not working, and now he's wet, cold and still sporting a blood stain on his shoulder and along the edge of one sleeve.

Still, despite being caught in such a state, or specifically because he had been caught like this, his expression is as severe as ever.]

Laundry.

[allfornothing]

Right. Ever heard of soap? Because unless the water's real clean and real fast, you kind of want that. And you can't really wash properly what you're wearing, either. As a bonus, you're in less danger of a tentacle finding you and dragging you under the water.

[ Her tone is not mocking, really, just sharp. Because... is he trying to kill himself? Even in the shallows, it's not the greatest idea. ]