awashlogs | Froggy went a-courtin'

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Froggy went a-courtin'

Who: Wei Wuxian and frogs
What: Frog Quest
When: Throughout January
Where: All through Chroma
Warning: Wei Wuxian’s thirst

Note: if you’d like your character to get kissed, please first shoot me a pm or pp at

tinuvielberen. Ribbit!

[ He’d been puzzled by the frog-kissing quest at first, but a bit of time in the library answered at least some of his questions regarding frogs and fairy tales. When you kiss a frog, they transform into a handsome prince. Or princess. Obviously if he’s the one doing the kissing, the frog ought to transform into a princess. Faultless logic. Thus, full of boundless optimism and high spirits, he ventures out into town to find and rescue some amphibious friends. ]

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[At least the man seems to have bounced back quickly enough...honestly it's a little disorienting; Xie Lian finds himself inadvertently joining him on the floor at his invitation (seated properly, knees folded, hands on his lap), previous embarrassment temporarily forgotten in favor of wide-eyed interest at the new information.]

Truly? Did that happen to you as well? A butterfly seems like it would be--ah.

[It takes a moment for him to figure out exactly where Wuxian is looking, but once he does, his only reaction is to smile as if nothing was wrong.]

Oh, this? It's nothing, really--you can think of it as decoration, if you like.

[That's probably not the best way to assuage someone's worries, but.]

[ “Decoration.” His gaze travels from the bandages up to Xie Lian’s made-up face, and he thinks about Mo XuanYu.

He himself had awoken in that body with a kick to the face. What abuses had Mo XuanYu suffered? They were enough to make him decide to sacrifice his body and soul for the sake of revenge. What abuses has this man endured, that he has to hide scars on his neck?

I still want to find a good man, he’d said in jest, on purpose to upset and scandalize everybody. But that probably is what Mo XuanYu wanted, deep down.

And yet... this Xie Lian, this obvious cut-sleeve, is arrayed in a wedding dress.

Wei Wuxian still has the veil in his hands. He strokes it, absentmindedly. ]

Is he a good man? Your husband?

[Wei Wuxian is a very strange man, he's decided. Gentle and kind when he was a frog, quick to laugh when he learned he'd been tricked, and now here he is again, looking as serious and thoughtful as if they were talking about some somber, private topic. A man of many emotions, someone who appears to wear his heart on his sleeve...

"Is he a good man, your husband?"

Xie Lian keeps a cordial expression on his face, his smile not once faltering despite the absurdity of that question--could he even call it absurd? He's wearing a wedding dress, he just watched this man kowtow (almost the full number, at that)...in the back of his mind he considers looking for a new change of clothes as soon as possible, if Nan Feng and Fu Yao don't manage to find him within the day.]

I wouldn't know, actually--I've yet to properly see him.

[It's a joke. Half a joke? He's not exactly lying, anyway...regardless, it's said in a lighthearted-enough manner.]

[ An arranged marriage? For cut-sleeves? He'd assumed that such a marriage could only happen for love, that it would be opposed by both families. Clearly, he's wrong about that. Both parties' parents must love their sons very much, and wish selflessly for their happiness.

This is a nice thought. It makes him feel warm. But it's a sad thought too, that Xie Lian was snatched away from his wedding. He folds the veil carefully, and presents it to Xie Lian with both hands. ]

I hope next time, whoever takes this off is the right person.

[He shouldn't have made that joke.

But he also still has hope that he'll be found sooner rather than later - other gods being much more efficient at locating people and traveling than he is - and really, what's the harm? Maybe this way he'll get hit on less while he's here.

Having cheered himself up with that bit of positive thinking, Xie Lian gracefully accepts the returned veil, perfectly cheerful, perfectly calm.]

The day will come eventually, I'm sure...and I'm sure you'll find someone yourself, one day. [Someone who isn't Xie Lian.] Do you live here though? You have a, ah...very interesting house.

[Having been a frog stuck in the man's shirt, he hasn't gotten to see much of the town itself...Wuxian's house on its own is already pretty foreign though, for a variety of reasons.]

[ Quickly: ]

Me? Oh no no no! I was just fooling around, before. You had a wedding dress on, so I thought I'd play along. Hahahaha! Anyway, anyway, yes I do live here! This is my house, and—

[ He stops. There's something about his house that's bothering Xie Lian; what is it? He turns. Yes there are a great many (mostly) nude pictures and sculptures of his roommate, but that's certainly not the sort of thing that would pique this guy's interest. So clearly there's something else bothering him.

...

Aha. It's probably the stack of half-finished magical tools sitting jumbled on his desk. He stands up and walks over to them. ]

Do you know what these are?

[ He looks back at Xie Lian, an eyebrow quirked. It's a trick question, even Wei Wuxian isn't sure what these are. He just collects things, applies various spells to them here and there, makes random modifications, tweaks everything a little, it's fine. ]

[He was, in fact, wondering about the nude art...are you sure you were just fooling around, are you sure you weren't, like, desperate, he can't ask any of this out loud that's rude--

...Well those tools there are pretty interesting too, he'll admit. Xie Lian gets up himself, hoping for a better look at the objects.]

They all look quite unique. Did you enchant them yourself?

I did. In fact, I just made this one. It cleans the floor.

[ He has way too much time on his hands, and that's abundantly obvious when he puts a small circular object on the floor. It starts spinning across the wood-planked floors, humming happily to itself.

...

And then it makes a bee line for the sofa and gets stuck there. It makes a sad little noise and stops humming. ]

Ahaha. They're works in process. Are you a cultivator?

[ Chinese name and wedding robes from his era, and able to recognize magical tools. Cultivator is his best guess—and a prospect he's not entirely happy about, considering. ]

[Oh, that's...that's kind of cute. Xie Lian finds himself smiling as he watches it spin around--oh no it got stuck? Should he help it? Shouldn't Wei Wuxian be helping it?

But Wei Wuxian is asking a question, and the thing seems safe enough down there, so...he's still looking more cheerful than before when he turns back to look at the other man.]

Hm? Yes, I am. I suppose you are one as well? You're quite talented, to be able to create such interesting objects.

[Absolutely truthful!]

[ He puffs up at that. ]

Haha! That's right, I am!

[ He bends down, finally, and rescues his small tool, getting it out from under the sofa and setting it on its way again. It traces out large arcs across the floor; but it really seems to be just pushing dust around, more than anything. It whirrs into one of the bedrooms and disappears. ]

What sect do you belong to?

[ Might as well get this out of the way. ]

Edited 2019-01-14 02:53 (UTC)

My sect?

[He pauses a moment--he doesn't really belong to any sect right now, does he? Then again, it's not like there'd be any harm...]

I studied at Huangji Temple, on Taicang Mountain. And you?

[ Although he avoided the classroom as much as possible, he couldn’t avoid all of Lan QiRen’s interminable lectures on all the cultivation sects, major and minor, and their histories. Xie Lian’s temple and mountain are unknown to him; which means he and Xie Lian are separated significantly in time or distance in their world. He exhales. His shoulders come down. It would have been tiring to have to deal with his reputation here, in this small village. ]

I was brought up in the YunmengJiang sect.

[Wei Wuxian's relief is noticeable, though he doesn't know why that relief is there. Perhaps he was worried that Xie Lian might be from an enemy sect? Or maybe he himself doesn't want to be recognized? But it's not as if Xie Lian recognized his name to begin with...he nods politely, regardless.]

The YunmengJiang sect must be very proud to have raised such a talented student. [And after a beat:] Did you make the other things in this home as well?

[ There's a flash of pain in his eyes that he can't quite hide. ]

[ An instant later: ]

Of course they were! Who wouldn't? Hahahaha!

[ He stands, walking over to the largest (and most shameless) piece of statuary. ]

This was made by the lady who shares this house with me, Maiden Saber. This too, and this and this.

[ He points out various other sculptures and paintings. They're all of her, in various states of undress. In every one of them, she's voluptuous and beautiful, in the Roman style. ]

These are mine.

[ His works are clearly different in style, drawn in black ink with loose brushstrokes. Most of them are also of Maiden Nero, with karst mountains in the background or bamboo groves or flowers. She's clothed in all but one of them. ]

[That flash of pain...maybe he lost his sect? Or was forced to leave it? Xie Lian blinks, lips parting slightly before snapping shut again. Following along! Examining the art!

Maybe not examining too closely.]

...An artist?

[Because these do all seem rather well-made, if, ah...very focused. On a specific subject. Are they images of Saber herself, though, or of some other woman? Either way isn't this rather inappropriate, to make so many images of scantily-clad women?]

You seem to be quite talented with a brush as well! I can't help but notice, though...that you and this Maiden Saber seem to share an interest in the same subject for your portraiture.

[Unsure.]

Edited 2019-01-15 01:47 (UTC)

[ He's quite fond of Maiden Nero, so he's unwilling to mock her, ah, "fixation" with herself. Instead, he grins. ]

Why, are you volunteering as a model? Hahaha, I'd be delighted!

[ He moves to the table and reaches for his brush, ink, and paper. ]

You can stay there on the floor if you want, or make yourself comfortable on the sofa.

Volunteering-?

[He's taken aback by the unexpected offer, temporarily at a loss as to how best to react--the smile comes back quickly though, after that short pause.]

Er...if that's what you want, then by all means! Though I'm afraid I might not be as attractive a model as your usual one, in this outfit.

[He still has no idea what he looks like...and chooses to keep standing, for now.]

Would I marry someone who wasn't beautiful? Hahaha!

[ He grins. It's a joke. Of course he hadn't seen Xie Lian's face before doing his kowtows, and of course he was just kidding about that. Of course. ]

Truly, you look very pretty. Whoever did your makeup had a lot of talent.

[ As opposed to poor Mo XuanYu, whose makeup skills made him look like a hanged ghost. ]

Ah...just standing there won't do. A bride wouldn't pose like that. Aha, I know! Follow me!

[ He heads out of the main living room, down a little hallway and pushes open a door. It's a bedroom. The walls have been painted on, full of artistic doodles and schematic drawings for who knows what devices. Standing in the doorway, he points to the bed. ]

Sit down.

[The compliment gets a laugh - a small one, but a laugh nonetheless.]

I'm sure she'd be very grateful to hear that! [At the very least it probably looks better than before she'd put in the work, right?

Following Wei Wuxian down the hallway, there's a short pause before he actually enters the door - it is a bedroom, after all, and one that looks suspiciously like it belongs to the guy who tried to marry him just moments before.

Ahem. Totally didn't hesitate right there! He sits on the bed as told, looking curiously around at all the interesting wall art, a polite smile still installed firmly on his face.]

Did you draw all this yourself? You certainly are creative! I've never been much of an artist or inventor myself, it's really somewhat awe-inspiring.

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Froggy went a-courtin'

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