awashlogs | Event Seventeen.

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Event Seventeen.

I went to the wood and got it;
I sat me down to look for it
And brought it home because I couldn’t find it.

he magical vines creep ever onward, slowly infringing upon the Town. No matter how many are chopped down, no matter how many are set on fire, they keep coming even so.

And slowly, one by one, the people in the Town start to fall to the curse that they bring along with them.

Stay and tend to the cursed? Venture out into the woods to find the castle at the source of these vines?

Whatever you choose to do, you'd better decide quickly; the curse only seems to get worse and worse the longer everyone is afflicted.

Welcome to Awash's seventeenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event!

If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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[ For a second, Berkut thinks the shout is directed at him. Frowning, he opens his mouth, perhaps to give Shen Qingiu an earful when the leaves go flying.

There is nothing to strike with a hallucination. An illusion, however, has a scapegoat—the leaves cut through the vines that have grown where Luo Binghe had stood in Shen Qingqiu's gaze, lifting Berkut's eyebrows.

The surprise lasts but a second. Berkut furrows his brow as he shouts. ]

Enough! Those are the words of a false image. Shen Qingqiu, your response is undignified.

[ Right. Shen Qingqiu swallows back blood that starts to pool in his mouth. He bit his cheek just a little too hard after sending the leaves out.

He really thought it would disperse the hallucination but it just goes through it. His shoulders fall a little as he agrees that his response is not dignified. Ah. Once more, it seems like he has to part ways with Berkut before they make it to wherever the source may be. If this continues, he may end up forgetting the one in front is real and the ones everywhere else are... ]

... this may be where I must leave you. Really... it may be wise for me to return to the town while I can rather than proceed forward and become a greater burden. [ I want to solve this mystery and be healed, too!! This is so unfair. ]

[ Ah, Shen Qingqiu, ever the expert at swallowing his own blood.

As for Berkut, he'll become a champion of sighing at this rate. He doesn't disagree with Shen Qingqiu's assessment as he turns his head, taking in their surroundings. The vines are growing by the minute. If they must part, it had better be now. However: ]

If that is your wish, you are dismissed. Can you walk yourself back without incident?

[ To be frank, Berkut doubts it. ]

[ His heart actually feels like it is weeping. Prince Berkut! You would give up all your progress forward just to backtrack with me!? Because somehow, he has become an escort mission! The worst kind of escort mission!! The kind that sends a PC back to the start!! I'm honestly surprised that he isn't spitting mad right now! I said I could handle it until we got to the source and now we have to turn around because I can't! I'm shocked that you didn't just turn around and leave!! You really are a prince, Berkut! Really, you are a prince!!

Clenching his fist, he makes a solemn vow that he will repay this kindness!! No one likes escort missions! Absolutely no one! It doesn't matter what game mechanics a person puts in to make them better! They're always awful! Everyone hates them! Yet he willingly offers to take part in one! ]

I do not believe I can make it back alone. [ And I don't want to be wandering around these woods and end up lost in a daze!! I may actually suffer qi deviation if I continue to let myself be bullied, harassed, and confused!! That is the absolute worst end. And while he is clenching his fist, he realizes that there is a wetness against his knuckles and palm.

Am I holding my hand that tightly-- He turns his hand over to see that he's actually scratch his hand more on the thorns when he was attempting to dispell the hallucinations. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME! Lifting his other hand, he fills it with energy. Did you think I was joking?! I don't need two hands! He lets his arms drop to his side, defeated. Haha, just kidding, I need these.

He considers this to be three strikes at this point. But, he remembers that he still has something important to say!! I can't just leave it on with me metaphorically clinging to his waist and crying all the way back home!! I have to say what I have to say!! ]

Prince Berkut! [ Loud. Too loud. He flinches. ] Prince Berkut. I will not ever forget this. This teacher ... to repay this ... I will even die for you, if it comes to it! [ NOBODY! LIKES! ESCORT! MISSIONS! I don't care what anyone says!! You are valid and important and deserve to live!! I will fight a protagonist for you! Golden halo or not!

He certainly is saying quite a few things that he may end up regretting but right now with his emotions so close to the skin, he feels no shame in either his thoughts or words. ]

[ He would have much preferred it if Shen Qingqiu could have walked himself back. Why should he sacrifice all of this progress to coddle someone who misjudged his capacity to undergo the quest at hand? And what of those flames earlier that made entry easier, now rendered pointless should they backtrack together? What a waste.

In the end, all he got was Shen Qingqiu's showing off and embarrassing himself. Berkut can't say that he's surprised by this development. After all, what was he expecting from a commoner—Peak Lord or no!

Look at the man's hand. The scratches have multiplied. He cannot be trusted to be alone. What if he burns the entire woods down? Berkut did not come this far to be set ablaze or to lose a hand to some leaves. ]

Hmph. What can you possibly do for me by dying? I will escort you to the edge of the woods, and no farther.

[ To his utter disappointment. Spinning on his heels, Berkut begins the unfortunate trek to their starting point. ]

[ Escort mission start.

But somehow, he lifts his head up to look after the retreating form of his disciple. It bothers him, of course it does, but it makes him happy that Berkut is willing to put up with a burden like him. And that line just now! That's the kind of line to get someone to be loyal forever!

Shen Qingqiu wants to keep clinging to his thighs! Not only as his life-line in getting back to town, either! He has so many good points! I hate to think of you as a mini-boss!! There are just a few things in your personality to change to stay alive in your own story, and you'll be perfect!

He opens his mouth to start saying something before pressing his lips together into a thin line. All escort missions are BULLSHIT!! A feeling he has deep in his heart and he's certain is burning bright in Berkut's. So hearing some fawning words will probably make him feel better about this whole situation. That's fucking unlikely!

After some deliberation, he opens his mouth again: ]

Lady Rinea. This teacher was just thinking that she must be quite smitten. How lucky she is to have such a good-hearted fiancée.

Edited (as always changed my mind!) 2019-01-22 02:58 (UTC)

[ Even when they're going backwards, they must engage in small talk, lest Shen Qingqiu dive straight into a wall of vines at the provocation of his pesky hallucinations. Fortunately, he takes the lead in the conversation with a new topic that diverts Berkut's attention from the previous issue.

Good-hearted? That doesn't suit him at all. Berkut frowns, but not just for this reason. ]

You are mistaken. Whom you've described is not me, but Rinea. No kinder noblewoman exists in the Empire.

[ There is that smitten love!

He honestly likes this kind of talk! Airplane-bro would never put enough time to have Luo Binghe talk about how much he loved his many wives. Well, he put in a lot of time about how much he loved his many wives, but that was different and the sort of talk that if he brought it up to Berkut, the prince would throw him into the vines if not outright skewer him!! ]

She has a good influence on you, then, if I can see her kindness in you. [ So, so!! Tell me more about her. That's much nicer than ... what I'm constantly hearing and seeing right now! ]

[ Shen Qingqiu may like this kind of talk, but Berkut is not yet willing to go there. In fact, he believes there's been a misunderstanding. ]

No one can influence a prince, except for the Emperor himself.

[ He's not supposed to be kind. If this commoner thinks he is, then he's doing something wrong. It's this place . . . this place, where rank is meaningless and irresponsibility discarded, forcing men and women of common and noble births to intermingle. ]

[ Huh!? Well, I guess, that's fair! Bing-ge wouldn't let any of his wives sway his way of thinking and instead swayed their way of thinking. In a lot of ways. He lightly touches his forehead, again. Though, that is that and this is this! ]

Then ... His Majesty must be kind.

[ Prince Berkut, are you certain that you are not the type that adamantly clings to his uncle and claims all good that has come from your personality comes from him? ... Honestly, that's very cute for someone your age. But he really wishes that the emperor sounded like someone who appreciated this kind of thing. Still, this sort of devotion and praise given to a family member, even if it must be over one's love... ]

... what a gap moe.

Edited 2019-01-22 04:58 (UTC)

[ No! His uncle is not kind, but fair and stern. Kindness is not a word that belongs anywhere near the royal line of Rigel— ]

What?

[ He's confused, not that Shen Qingqiu can see the puzzled pinch of his brow beneath his swept bangs. What does that mean? Some part of the terminology exclusive to cultivators? Where is there a gap in his noble character? ]

... yes?

[ Does he find it insulting that I'm calling His Majesty kind now?! He breathes out a small sigh. This gap moe-type... the tsundere... you really never know what is going to set them off!! But he doesn't want to set him off to the point where he is abandoned in the woods!!

At the very least, with this little bit of chaos, he can focus on it over all else. ]

[ He wants to know. Was that meant to be an insult, or was it simply another misconstrued interpretation? He has no idea what gap moe means. But for a prince to ask the meaning of a couple words—how degrading is this?

In the end, he can only rely upon these familiar words: ]

Don't treat me like a child.

[ Ah. It is like that? ]

I greatly apologize to you, Prince Berkut. [ To constantly have someone point at what they love and ask them to talk about it when they're this sort of prideful shy!! In short, Shen Qingqiu feels like he has been bullying someone younger than him that the younger party now has to say that he needs to stop. ]

I merely found that the relationship that you have with His Majesty and bride-to-be such an endearing one that I could not help but say something I should not have.

[ Even though I still want to throw hands with your uncle! Motherfucker better watch his back should I see him... Rinea sounds like she might just be the soft flower that's melt your heart in shining, sparkling love. ]

[ To think he'd started this game of asking questions. When did it get so far out of his control? No matter. What's done is done. ]

The relationship of a noble is no business of yours. Take care not to overstep your boundaries.

[ His existence is meant to be respected, not treated like a story for the rumor mill. Otherwise, it's an affront to those precious individuals named by him. ]

I--

[ Yikes! That's a door slamming in my face! A period to our conversation! His lips clamp shut. Doesn't everyone like talking about their loved ones? He thinks of how much he went on about Luo Binghe. Because I knew he wanted me to shit-talk! But he supposes that he hadn't been thinking about this from Berkut's point-of-view.

It's difficult for his thoughts to grow quiet with so much noise around him and his emotions bursting at every little thing, but he tries. And it takes a second. Let's see... from the prince's point of view, he has come across a cultivator that is babbling about his disciple non-stop which caused him to start an escort mission that he doesn't want to be on... only to be rewarded by said cultivator making light of the warm relationships that he has!!

Shen Qingqiu feels the coloring of his skin turn much paler. Ah!! I really am scum!! I am the one that's holding a death flag in my hand!! A beat. It's probably in the fucking right hand, too!! ]

This teacher has been acting unseemly this entire time. I have let my mouth run away with me, and am grateful that you continue to be willing to lead me back to the edge of the forest. [ His tone becomes solemn. I really wanted this time to be fun for you, too!! This is what happens when one tries to always have the conversation set to high-level of fun! They let their thoughts run rampant without any concern or care!! ]

Your Highness has every right to be upset with this humble one. I shall take care to not let myself get so carried away now and in the future, as well.

[ He exhales through his nose. Since the fault is not his, there's nothing to say to the admission. At the same time, his silence is his acknowledgement of the underlying apology.

Vines have overgrown on their original path. Berkut takes his lance and cuts the new growth down. ]

See that you don't.

[ The man is not himself today.

Not that he has a terribly good idea of what Shen Qingqiu is like on a good day, but he knows it's definitely not this—dogged by a persistent hallucination, throwing leaves and speaking more carelessly than their first encounter to escape. It just so happened that Berkut had to be there. ]

[ Shen Qingqiu pales that much more. He's pissed. He's absolutely fucking PISSED!! The silence that follows weighs heavy on his shoulders. Even though he knows logically that the vines need to be cut down, he feels like Berkut is imagining that he's cutting down the useless cultivator at his side. "If only I wasn't stuck with this annoying person!!" That's completely what he's thinking!!

He laughs weakly. I guess it's good that you have Binghe's face, because that's what he thinks about me, too...!! Someone that needs to be cut into a human stick for all the wrongs that I've committed!!

Thankfully, he has just a little too much dignity to reach out to wrap his arms around his waist, begging to be forgiven. What he does, instead, is follow after, while fanning his face with idle movements of his wrist -- but he uses his left hand instead of his right! Despite the color of his face, his expression has turned aloof and cold but that is his main defense when his panic level has hit an all time high!!

"See that you don't." He's absolutely wanting to hack me to pieces, and only the fact that he's a noble villain prince will he not!!

This really is the death flag!! ... and you don't have to hack the vines so viciously!! I understand! I got your meaning!! I'm sorry!! ]

Edited 2019-01-22 22:42 (UTC)

[ Backtracking is a simpler affair than advancing into unknown territory. Berkut doesn't waste a second, and the time it takes to undo their progress is less than half of what it took to make it. If an entanglement of vines blocks their way, he cuts it down without blinking.

To be fair, not all of that calm haste is Shen Qingqiu's doing—not that Shen Qingqiu would know, because Berkut doesn't say anything.

Pretty soon, they reach a narrow opening large enough for one man to exit the woods. Berkut gestures to it with a gloved hand. ]

There. I trust that you know your way back.

This humble one does.

[ He has stopped fanning himself to close said fan to hold it tightly instead. Stepping forward, he exits the boundary that marks the "woods" and "outside" the woods. Of course, hallucinations of his disciple follow, but he feels the cold, cold fear of Berkut's anger to keep him from being too upset by it.

Either continue to be upset by what's fake, or be upset by a real and honest threat! He chose the one that made the most fucking sense!!

Shen Qingqiu turns back before bowing deep at the waist with his hands together. I honestly was a little worried that you were going to cut a path to throw me in some clearing rather than complete the escort mission!! Congratulations! Mission complete! 1000 EXP! Plus the absolute fucking gratitude of me!! You probably aren't too happy about the last one, and more happy about the points... imaginary though they are. ]

Thank you. [ ... WAIT A FUCKING SECOND! Am I exposing my neck to someone who is super pissed with me that they imagined me as vines as he cut his path all the way to town?! He stares at the ground as he realizes how fucking screwed he is. ]

[ Berkut gains ten levels! For what, though? How can one improve upon perfection?

Fortunately for Shen Qingqiu, this Rigelian prince is not the type to lop someone's head off during a show of submission. He acknowledges the thanks with a flat hum before he turns around, resolved to make it through the vines on this attempt. ]

I would not dawdle if I were you. With your luck, who knows what else the curse will do?

[ Terrible things, most likely. It would be for the benefit of everyone in the area if Shen Qingqiu went home straightaway. ]

[ No one can improve upon perfection!!

He takes that flat hum as Berkut breathing out his nose in annoyance. Right, I've been pathetic this entire time. Crying and crying for Binghe. His head tilts slightly. But hey! No sudden sharp pain then fade to black?!!

But Shen Qingqiu suddenly has a mouthful of blood that he needs to swallow. When the prince does speak next, he feels a cold panic. He absolutely wants to kill me! But he isn't killing me yet... "I spare your life today! But next time you won't be so lucky!" He understands!!

Our relationship is probably so far in the negative... how am I going to save Berkut that way?! Well, the prince's thinly veiled threat is agreed upon, even if the words were chosen to hide Berkut's disgust and anger. Shen Qingqiu doesn't know what the curse will do to him next, so he best leave. ]

Thank you, Prince Berkut.

[ He decides to throw down another thanks before rising. And he sees his dear teenage disciple heading back into the woods with no one with him. Yes, it is best that I return to town. With a faint sigh, he turns around to start his trek back -- doing his best to ignore all the voices and images plaguing him the entire way. ]

Edited 2019-01-23 04:44 (UTC)

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Event Seventeen.

yes, give him a medal with which he can slap sqq out of a stupor

best prince berkut

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