Who told you so, dilly dilly, Who told you so? ‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, That told me so.
ouch is one of the most intimate, romantic ways to be close to someone else. The Town knows this very well -- the Town wants everyone to be as close as possible.
Perhaps that's why this bonding is so...aggressive.
Because you're in for quite the shock on this otherwise peaceful day when you brush against the next person on your path.
Maybe you're going out of your way to touch people. Maybe you've got a terrible urge to just see what's lurking in someone's heart. Maybe you trip over a conveniently placed rock -- whatever the cause, you're getting an up close and personal look into someone else's heart.
Welcome to Awash's eighteenth 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!
[ it’s nothing against him, for once. sierra simply doesn’t trust anything in this place, even if she’s well aware by now what these strange landscapes are—or at least what they represent. it feels too likely that it’s an unintentional trap, or even an intentional one, but wei wuxian doesn’t seem to be in the joking mood as he gazes over the lake.
although her fingers do twitch with the desire to pull the “fruit” free from its little nest, she will refrain until she knows what it is. ]
[ He coughs suddenly, the smile fading entirely from his lips. He tries to speak again, but no words come out. He blinks several times, obviously trying to figure something out.
Slowly, he says: ]
These are all lotus flowers. They're supposed to grow seed pods. But as for what these are, I don't —
[ His voice cuts out once again. He grasps his throat, his eyes wide. ]
[ for all their complicated history, sierra wouldn’t just abandon wei wuxian to the trouble he seems to be having here. she reaches out now, but refrains from touching him either. ]
[ His hand falls from his throat. His brows twitch. Experimentally, he tries to say: ]
No, I can't breath—
[ His voice cuts out once more. He sighs. ]
I can breathe just fine. Anyway, these... they look like golden cores. Concentrated spiritual energy.
[ As he speaks, the lotus flowers start to grow taller, bending towards Sierra, crowding her, their petals opening wider. The essence of these things should begin to grow clearer. Each one of these little orbs radiates warmth and strength, confidence and talent: it’s a summer’s day, it’s a wonderful meal. It’s the sensation that whatever you try your hand at, you’ll achieve. It’s the simplest and also the best thing in the world. It is a broad, shining path; it is the way. ]
[ it’s a temptation and sierra will have no part of it. even if they are the way, she has had far too many encounters in her own life to blindly trust something she’s never seen before.
the more pressing thing is wei wuxian, and she narrows her eyes in consideration at him when he struggles with that first sentence. he can breathe, and he can speak now. so what is this place, and what is it doing to him?
[ He glances at her, and back to the flowers again, finally reaching out for one of the orbs. All of the other orbs in the lotus flowers turn back to seed pods. Nothing else happens in the landscape; the sky is still blue and the sun still shines.
But Wei Wuxian looks... different. He seems taller somehow, and stronger. An aura of power surrounds him. It's as if the man Sierra has known was always somehow incomplete.
A sword appears at his side. He draws it out; the blade is sparkling white and it shines with an ethereal light. ]
[ And then there's a horrible sound of howling, as gray-skinned corpses begin to crawl up onto the walkway, rushing at them. He hesitates for an instant; and then, making a seal sign with his hand, the sword shoots forwards, slicing the creatures into pieces. More are coming though, on all sides. ]
Stay close!
[ He tries to put himself between the creatures and Sierra, but it's impossible. They're everywhere. ]
[ sierra lets her claws elongate, turning into veritable stakes that she could easily pierce a corpse with, but she’s not the type to attack until she needs to defend herself. he looks like he can handle it, but—ah, well. she does end up slicing one’s head off. ]
[ This... seems to be taking a lot out of him, more than it used to. Once upon a time, he could kill scores of water ghouls without breaking a sweat. Maybe it's this body...maybe it's this place. He slices another one's head off and falters.
His red hair ribbon and the detailing on his robes starts to lose its color. ]
[ sierra, ever vigilant, notices immediately—and she’s not the type to toss someone who has ostensibly helped her to the wolves, especially not when she knows how vital color is to life in this town. ]
[ .....of course. This place is part of his own imagination. Killing anything in it amounts to hurting his own psyche. His head snaps back to face Sierra. Is there a way out? There is.
He withdraws his sword, Suibian from its sheath and makes a sword seal with his hands. It hovers in front of him, horizontally. He steps on it, balancing easily on the blade. ]
Come on.
[ He reaches for her hand, to help her onto the sword as well. ]
[ sierra can transform into a bat, but even she (especially she) is capable of getting tired, and if she can float on a magic sword, then by all means, she’d rather have someone else do the work for her.
taking his hand, she delicately hops up onto the blade. ]
Cultivation trick. Spiritual energy is channeled through the sword spirit, allowing it to escape the pull of the earth. In other words, it flies!
[ As he speaks, the sword smoothly lifts off from the walkway, hovering easily above the water. He pushes it a little higher, above the height a water ghoul could leap. Drunk with the sensation, one he hasn’t experienced since the age of seventeen a lifetime ago, he pushes the sword higher still. ]
Having fun?
[ Soon they can see the edges of the lake. A glorious palace stands at one end, surrounded by a vast pier. ]
[ sierra would never admit that it is a little scary being this high. just because she can fly doesn’t mean she’s comfortable transforming at this height, and she would certainly rather die (again) than admit that she’s holding on a little too tightly to wei wuxian because she’s not used to something like this. ]
[ His sword, back then, couldn't hold two people.... but Sierra is small, much smaller than that disciple had been (what was his name? he can't remember). It'll be okay. Probably.
He notices, just then, how tightly Sierra is clinging to him. With his heart full of mischief, he makes the sword bob and swish side-to-side, shooting up and then pulling off a hard banked turn. Agility was always Suibian's specialty, after all. ]
Home! Well, my old home. When I was a boy.
[ Finally he points his sword towards the palace. ]
Hm, hard to say. I never had money to spend, but in those days I didn't have to pay for anything. Uncle Jiang took care of everything—hey, hey, hey! Stop poking, that t-tickles!
[ It hurts more than it tickles, which is why the word is hard to say. He stills the wild movements of the sword and sends it on a smooth course to the palace. Presently, they arrive. The palace is situated near an enormous pier, bustling with activity. He hops off the sword, and waits for Sierra to do the same, before sheathing the sword at his waist. ]
[ sierra’s legs don’t feel right when she hops off the sword, but, as always, she refuses to give any indication—especially to him, of all people!—that she finds being airborne without wings a wholly unpleasant time. if her claws hurt him, good. maybe. ]
I think… [ her first instinct is to snipe at him, but she collects herself, metaphorically smoothing her ruffled feathers. ] …it’s lovely. It doesn’t suit someone like you.
[ well, it’s nicer than what she was going to say, but the palace itself didn’t deserve her attitude! ]
But my home doesn’t reflect me either, so I suppose I’ll hold my tongue further than that.
[ maybe it’s because she knows they’re somewhere strange and unique that she doesn’t physically bite his hand off for steadying her, and before she can even quip about it, there’s a steamed bun being shoved in her hands.
she sniffs it, experimentally, like a stray cat testing food. ]
It smells… real.
[ and good, she must admit, for someone who doesn’t even like meat. ]
[ sierra is still holding her bun. as appealing as it seems, she doesn’t particularly want to eat something that was constructed in someone else’s memories, and she uses wei wuxian’s distraction to surreptitiously toss the poor bun off somewhere else. ]
sierra manages to hide most of her disgust, just because he’s already reacting so openly, but the fact is that it’s—gross. was he not able to see the maggots before now, or did they only just appear? ]
Eugh.
[ swallowing down any nausea, sierra turns her face away. ]
Either eat it while I’m not looking or toss it. I won’t presume to know your tastes.
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ouch is one of the most intimate, romantic ways to be close to someone else. The Town knows this very well -- the Town wants everyone to be as close as possible.
I
[ it’s nothing against him, for once. sierra simply doesn’t trust anything in this place, even if she’s well aware by now what these strange landscapes are—or at least what they represent. it feels too likely that it’s an unintentional trap, or even an intentional one, but wei wuxian doesn’t seem to be in the joking mood as he gazes over the lake.
although her fingers do twitch with the desire to pull the “fruit” free from its little nest, she will refrain until she knows what it is. ]
Explain it first.
no subject
[ He coughs suddenly, the smile fading entirely from his lips. He tries to speak again, but no words come out. He blinks several times, obviously trying to figure something out.
Slowly, he says: ]
These are all lotus flowers. They're supposed to grow seed pods. But as for what these are, I don't —
[ His voice cuts out once again. He grasps his throat, his eyes wide. ]
no subject
[ for all their complicated history, sierra wouldn’t just abandon wei wuxian to the trouble he seems to be having here. she reaches out now, but refrains from touching him either. ]
Your voice…
[ no, before that, even. ]
You can still breathe, can’t you?
no subject
No, I can't breath—
[ His voice cuts out once more. He sighs. ]
I can breathe just fine. Anyway, these... they look like golden cores. Concentrated spiritual energy.
[ As he speaks, the lotus flowers start to grow taller, bending towards Sierra, crowding her, their petals opening wider. The essence of these things should begin to grow clearer. Each one of these little orbs radiates warmth and strength, confidence and talent: it’s a summer’s day, it’s a wonderful meal. It’s the sensation that whatever you try your hand at, you’ll achieve. It’s the simplest and also the best thing in the world. It is a broad, shining path; it is the way. ]
no subject
the more pressing thing is wei wuxian, and she narrows her eyes in consideration at him when he struggles with that first sentence. he can breathe, and he can speak now. so what is this place, and what is it doing to him?
what will it do to her? ]
I have plenty of spiritual energy. You take one.
1/2
But Wei Wuxian looks... different. He seems taller somehow, and stronger. An aura of power surrounds him. It's as if the man Sierra has known was always somehow incomplete.
A sword appears at his side. He draws it out; the blade is sparkling white and it shines with an ethereal light. ]
Whatever...
no subject
Stay close!
[ He tries to put himself between the creatures and Sierra, but it's impossible. They're everywhere. ]
no subject
[ sierra lets her claws elongate, turning into veritable stakes that she could easily pierce a corpse with, but she’s not the type to attack until she needs to defend herself. he looks like he can handle it, but—ah, well. she does end up slicing one’s head off. ]
What did you do?
no subject
Haha. What didn't I do?
[ This... seems to be taking a lot out of him, more than it used to. Once upon a time, he could kill scores of water ghouls without breaking a sweat. Maybe it's this body...maybe it's this place. He slices another one's head off and falters.
His red hair ribbon and the detailing on his robes starts to lose its color. ]
no subject
Stop fighting. You’re hurting yourself.
[ like she didn’t also do some things… ]
Is there a way out?
no subject
He withdraws his sword, Suibian from its sheath and makes a sword seal with his hands. It hovers in front of him, horizontally. He steps on it, balancing easily on the blade. ]
Come on.
[ He reaches for her hand, to help her onto the sword as well. ]
We'll fly away.
no subject
taking his hand, she delicately hops up onto the blade. ]
What is this?
no subject
[ As he speaks, the sword smoothly lifts off from the walkway, hovering easily above the water. He pushes it a little higher, above the height a water ghoul could leap. Drunk with the sensation, one he hasn’t experienced since the age of seventeen a lifetime ago, he pushes the sword higher still. ]
Having fun?
[ Soon they can see the edges of the lake. A glorious palace stands at one end, surrounded by a vast pier. ]
no subject
Ugh…
[ ugh! ]
It’s… fine. Where are you taking me?
no subject
He notices, just then, how tightly Sierra is clinging to him. With his heart full of mischief, he makes the sword bob and swish side-to-side, shooting up and then pulling off a hard banked turn. Agility was always Suibian's specialty, after all. ]
Home! Well, my old home. When I was a boy.
[ Finally he points his sword towards the palace. ]
no subject
[ muttered to herself, mostly, as she clings with all her might during his wild ups and downs and mischievous turns. ]
…
[ she digs her claws, short again, into the fabric of his clothes. ]
Were you… wealthy?
no subject
[ It hurts more than it tickles, which is why the word is hard to say. He stills the wild movements of the sword and sends it on a smooth course to the palace. Presently, they arrive. The palace is situated near an enormous pier, bustling with activity. He hops off the sword, and waits for Sierra to do the same, before sheathing the sword at his waist. ]
Well? What do you think?
no subject
I think… [ her first instinct is to snipe at him, but she collects herself, metaphorically smoothing her ruffled feathers. ] …it’s lovely. It doesn’t suit someone like you.
[ well, it’s nicer than what she was going to say, but the palace itself didn’t deserve her attitude! ]
But my home doesn’t reflect me either, so I suppose I’ll hold my tongue further than that.
no subject
At her comment, he can't help but laugh. ]
Hahaha! You're right, it doesn't.
[ There's a stand selling steamed buns and he grabs a couple, handing one to Sierra. The stall owner seems to know him, and doesn't ask to be paid. ]
It's been ages since I've had one of these! Try one, it's good!
[ Indeed, the stall smells like dough and meat and peppery spice. ]
no subject
she sniffs it, experimentally, like a stray cat testing food. ]
It smells… real.
[ and good, she must admit, for someone who doesn’t even like meat. ]
1/2
It should. I used to eat them every day!
[ He strides bouncily towards the palace gate, bun in hand… ]
no subject
[ …and stops short. ]
It’s—? Why is it locked?
no subject
[ sierra is still holding her bun. as appealing as it seems, she doesn’t particularly want to eat something that was constructed in someone else’s memories, and she uses wei wuxian’s distraction to surreptitiously toss the poor bun off somewhere else. ]
Is it not usually?
no subject
[ While contemplating the locked gate, he’s glanced down to take another bite of his steamed bun. It’s crawling with maggots. He drops it at once. ]
Ah….haha. Food standards these days.
[ There’s a highly questionable smell….that might or might not be coming from the bun. ]
no subject
sierra manages to hide most of her disgust, just because he’s already reacting so openly, but the fact is that it’s—gross. was he not able to see the maggots before now, or did they only just appear? ]
Eugh.
[ swallowing down any nausea, sierra turns her face away. ]
Either eat it while I’m not looking or toss it. I won’t presume to know your tastes.
1/2
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