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 hard to be at ease in a situation like this, surrounded on all sides by familiar sights and sounds--which is why he's both surprised and a little relieved, when the giant beside him speaks out over the crowd.
He returns the nod with a strained smile and a nod of his own.]
There is no need for apologies, Tonbokiri. It's unlikely that any of us are doing this on purpose. [A pause.] I am Xie Lian, the...ah. God of scrap, I suppose.
[The crowd around them is as cheerful as ever, though somewhere in the background can be heard a couple voices of complaint: "Why bother with him?" being the prevailing theme.]
[Tonbokiri's eyebrow raises at that title - god of scrap? - but returns the strained smile with a reassuring one of his own.
He takes a deep breath at the foreign-sounding name, worried about pronouncing it correctly, but at least he should get closer than with some others he's had to say.]
A pleasure to meet you, Xie Lian-dono.
Now, what shall we do here? It will take a very long time to help all these people, no matter how small their requests. But even if they are only in your mind, I wouldn't feel right to leave them without good reason.
[Dono...is that a Japanese term? The man did say he was from Japan. And a great spearman, at that--if this were any other situation he might have asked to see his skills.
As it is, however, Xie Lian simply...nods.]
If you believe we should help them, I most certainly won't protest. [He used to think exactly the same way, after all--and maybe that's the way out of here.
If they do stay to help the multitude though, Tonbokiri might notice the requests gaining in multitude, and getting more and more difficult to complete. Like a hydra, each request is replaced with two more, wishes going from "carry this luggage" to "solve a marital dispute" to "please cure me of the plague."
The people's smiling faces, too, look less and less like normal smiles, and increasingly more like masks.]
[Tonbokiri has the upmost confidence in his strength and endurance. Requests for physical help are no trouble at all! Requests for advice, he's a bit less certain about, but he does his best in his honest, patient and straight-forward way. Even when the people and their wishes seem to exponentially multiply, he is undaunted. That is, until the requests start becoming completely impossible for him, coupled by the people's faces turning more stiff and mask-like.
Truth be told, it is the change in their faces that most makes Tonbokiri entirely stop for a moment and turn to his host.]
Xie Lian-dono, this is like halting an avalanche with a bokken*.
At the risk of suggesting the obvious, perhaps we should try something different?
[He looks towards the huge statue. In the course of helping the people, Tonbokiri had taken more notice of it, and it's clear resemblance to his host.]
[Helping the people of his country was once his only desire. But now...while he joins Tonbokiri in answering requests, it's obvious he's rather more reluctant about it, flinching away from physical contact with the people surrounding them even as he works to help them.
The suggestion to leave is most definitely a welcome one, but--there's still a short pause before he answers.]
Alright. [A tired, self-deprecating sort of smile floats across his face, as he gazes out towards the statue.] I apologize for the mess. I'd never planned on inviting guests here.
[A joke! The statue seems to have bent slightly, in the time they were working; as if it, too, is fatigued at the endless tasks. And the closer they get to it, the lower it will bend...until by the time they reach its base, it will be groveling on the ground like a man in the depths of despair.
Its shadow looks weirdly porcupiney, though considering how tall it is and the fact it'd been facing the pair when they approached, it might be hard to get a good view of the large number of swords stuck in its back.
They can still hear requests all around them, mixed with complaints and derisive sneers. Can't help after all...useless...shouldn't have trusted...heal me!!...]
[There is no missing the change in the statue, the change in the crowd, and the attitude of Xie Lian himself.
When the man makes that 'joke', Tonbokiri smiles back with more than a hint of melancholy, for he can't help but also think of the deeper implications of that quip. The human heart is a complicated and delicate thing that is easily hurt. But despite that it is still important to 'let others in', isn't it. Of course Xie Lian-dono did not anticipate literally letting someone into his heart like this, but still.
He walks along in thoughtful silence for a while, the calls from the crowd around them pulling at his own heart. Finally he speaks,]
It would seem that you want to do everything you can for others, but you have become overburdened to the point of despair. Xie Lian-dono, what can I do for you?
[Tonbokiri pauses in his walk so that he can look the man in the eyes, conveying his earnest and sincere wish to do what he can.]
[Xie Lian hadn't hesitated as they walked, hadn't flinched at the voices around them; but seeing a total stranger look at him so earnestly--hearing a voice say "What can I do for you" instead of "what can you do for me"--it's enough to make him flinch.]
I.... [What does he want? Does he want anything? He hasn't considered his own desires in so long, hasn't dared consider even his own well-being, is there anything in this world he can bring himself to ask for?
He wavers a moment, before breaking the other man's gaze.] I don't know. I...nobody's ever asked me that, before.
[The voices around them are still jeering. Useless, unlucky, trash...]
Is that so? [Tonbokiri's expression fills with kind
concern.] Never? Pardon my saying so, but no matter your
appearance, you seem far too old to have gone without anyone having
offered to do something for you for all this time. [Then,
his expression shifts to carrying a touch of embarrassment.] And
for a stranger like me to offer that so suddenly... Forgive me if it was
overly presumptuous.
[His posture snaps back to being straight and confident.]
However, please know that I stand by my offer. Once you think of something
I can do for you, I shall be here.
[Resuming walking through the jeering crowd, he continues,]
In the meantime, shall we get to know each other better? Surely you will be
more at ease if you know about the one trying to help you, and at the very
least, if I learn more about you we may better be able to find the way to
return to Chroma.
[For the people populating Xie Lian's own mind to be calling him
such degrading things though... what will be necessary to be released from
here?]
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<small[to>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<small[To be honest, his simply offering and speaking so kindly has already caused the jeers to grow just that tiny bit quieter. Xie Lian follows along with him, unsure where to look but glad to have someone else beside him in the crowd; at the very least, it's helping him feel a little calmer.
It's easy to get used to the insults - it was the setting that had thrown him off. He's fine now. Everything's fine.]</small>
I suppose "rarely" would be more accurate. <small>[Small things: an offer of water, a place to stay the night. The occasional shopkeeper saying <i>what can I do for you</i> but meaning <i>how can I get you to leave.</i> But he's right, an explanation would probably help.]</small>
When I was young...I wanted to save the common people. <small>[A tiny laugh.]</small> It was a childish desire, but I was confident I could do anything I put my mind to, back then.
<small>[A pillar of smoke rises in the distance. He ignores it.]</small>
[Tonbokiri shakes his head slightly, reassuring him,]
There is nothing childish about sincerely wanting to help others.
[Then, noticing the pillar of smoke, Tonbokiri shifts his grip on his spear in preparation to run towards it-- and sees that his host has no such inclination. That Xie Lian is ignoring it, it makes what he spoke of seem even more... hopeless.
So turning his full attention back to the man he asks,]
[Xie Lian shakes his head as well, offering the man a small smile. Over in the direction of the smoke, the city appears to have started slowly falling apart, as if centuries of decay are hitting it all at once.]
I learned...that I'm not as powerful as I thought. The idea of "saving the common people" was just the childish dream of a spoiled prince.
...In attempting to save everyone, I failed to save anyone at all.
[His instinct is still calling him to run towards the smoke, but
glimpsing the unnaturally rapid decay, he is reminded that this is Xie
Lian's mind, and that the place for action is right in front of him.
Although Xie Lian's situation is different, Tonbokiri is keenly reminded of
the time Monoyoshi had opened his eyes... Can he even start to do the same
for this man?
It is with more gravity than before that he asks,]
[He's grown used to smiling - through pain, through suffering. He's still smiling even now, now that the initial shock has worn off.]
These past few years it's been work enough to keep myself fed--I can never resist helping when I can, but...I've realized there isn't much I can do, ultimately.
[He's seen all sorts of smiles. This one- it is more like Xie Lian is wearing a mask than a smile. It pulls on his heart terribly.]
Xie Lian-dono. I am a stranger to you, and know no more about you than what you have told me and what I can see here. I have no right to give you advice on a matter so close to your heart.
However, please allow me to pass along this advice that was once given to me: It is all right to be who you are.
If you are a man who desires to help people, then help people. Is there a need to be so concerned with the 'ultimate' result? Simply focus on the task set before you now.
[Tonbokiri then bows sharply.] Forgive me if those words were out of turn. However, please know that they come from a sincere desire to help you overcome this burden you are clearly suffering under. If you tell me to, I shall say no more.
Despite all his doubts, he's never been able to resist helping when he can - throwing himself into danger, allowing himself to be hurt in exchange for the safety of others. He'd long given up on that 'ultimate' result...much like he'd given up on the idea that his help could actually do anything for anyone. But...
"It's alright to be who you are."
There's a moment's silence, the only sound being that of the city around them crumbling away into dust--until all that is left is a single white flower, growing out of the ground nearby.]
There is nothing I can do for the common people, as a whole. [Another pause, as he stares down at that little flower, strangely familiar, long buried by memories of suffering and despair.]
....But I suppose...I can still be a help to one person, if only just a little.
[Tonbokiri is foremost relieved that the man did not immediately rise against his involvement or advice. He watches Xie Lian as the city crumbles to dust around them, leaving that one little flower. He looks down at it when the other does, curious as to what it could represent to him.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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.
no subject
He returns the nod with a strained smile and a nod of his own.]
There is no need for apologies, Tonbokiri. It's unlikely that any of us are doing this on purpose. [A pause.] I am Xie Lian, the...ah. God of scrap, I suppose.
[The crowd around them is as cheerful as ever, though somewhere in the background can be heard a couple voices of complaint: "Why bother with him?" being the prevailing theme.]
no subject
He takes a deep breath at the foreign-sounding name, worried about pronouncing it correctly, but at least he should get closer than with some others he's had to say.]
A pleasure to meet you, Xie Lian-dono.
Now, what shall we do here? It will take a very long time to help all these people, no matter how small their requests. But even if they are only in your mind, I wouldn't feel right to leave them without good reason.
no subject
As it is, however, Xie Lian simply...nods.]
If you believe we should help them, I most certainly won't protest. [He used to think exactly the same way, after all--and maybe that's the way out of here.
If they do stay to help the multitude though, Tonbokiri might notice the requests gaining in multitude, and getting more and more difficult to complete. Like a hydra, each request is replaced with two more, wishes going from "carry this luggage" to "solve a marital dispute" to "please cure me of the plague."
The people's smiling faces, too, look less and less like normal smiles, and increasingly more like masks.]
no subject
Even when the people and their wishes seem to exponentially multiply, he is undaunted. That is, until the requests start becoming completely impossible for him, coupled by the people's faces turning more stiff and mask-like.
Truth be told, it is the change in their faces that most makes Tonbokiri entirely stop for a moment and turn to his host.]
Xie Lian-dono, this is like halting an avalanche with a bokken*.
At the risk of suggesting the obvious, perhaps we should try something different?
[He looks towards the huge statue. In the course of helping the people, Tonbokiri had taken more notice of it, and it's clear resemblance to his host.]
We might find some further clue there.
no subject
The suggestion to leave is most definitely a welcome one, but--there's still a short pause before he answers.]
Alright. [A tired, self-deprecating sort of smile floats across his face, as he gazes out towards the statue.] I apologize for the mess. I'd never planned on inviting guests here.
[A joke! The statue seems to have bent slightly, in the time they were working; as if it, too, is fatigued at the endless tasks. And the closer they get to it, the lower it will bend...until by the time they reach its base, it will be groveling on the ground like a man in the depths of despair.
Its shadow looks weirdly porcupiney, though considering how tall it is and the fact it'd been facing the pair when they approached, it might be hard to get a good view of the large number of swords stuck in its back.
They can still hear requests all around them, mixed with complaints and derisive sneers. Can't help after all...useless...shouldn't have trusted...heal me!!...]
no subject
When the man makes that 'joke', Tonbokiri smiles back with more than a hint of melancholy, for he can't help but also think of the deeper implications of that quip.
The human heart is a complicated and delicate thing that is easily hurt. But despite that it is still important to 'let others in', isn't it.
Of course Xie Lian-dono did not anticipate literally letting someone into his heart like this, but still.
He walks along in thoughtful silence for a while, the calls from the crowd around them pulling at his own heart. Finally he speaks,]
It would seem that you want to do everything you can for others, but you have become overburdened to the point of despair.
Xie Lian-dono, what can I do for you?
[Tonbokiri pauses in his walk so that he can look the man in the eyes, conveying his earnest and sincere wish to do what he can.]
no subject
I.... [What does he want? Does he want anything? He hasn't considered his own desires in so long, hasn't dared consider even his own well-being, is there anything in this world he can bring himself to ask for?
He wavers a moment, before breaking the other man's gaze.] I don't know. I...nobody's ever asked me that, before.
[The voices around them are still jeering. Useless, unlucky, trash...]
no subject
Is that so? [Tonbokiri's expression fills with kind concern.] Never? Pardon my saying so, but no matter your appearance, you seem far too old to have gone without anyone having offered to do something for you for all this time. [Then, his expression shifts to carrying a touch of embarrassment.] And for a stranger like me to offer that so suddenly... Forgive me if it was overly presumptuous.
[His posture snaps back to being straight and confident.] However, please know that I stand by my offer. Once you think of something I can do for you, I shall be here.
[Resuming walking through the jeering crowd, he continues,] In the meantime, shall we get to know each other better? Surely you will be more at ease if you know about the one trying to help you, and at the very least, if I learn more about you we may better be able to find the way to return to Chroma.
[For the people populating Xie Lian's own mind to be calling him such degrading things though... what will be necessary to be released from here?]
no subject
It's easy to get used to the insults - it was the setting that had thrown him off. He's fine now. Everything's fine.]</small>
I suppose "rarely" would be more accurate. <small>[Small things: an offer of water, a place to stay the night. The occasional shopkeeper saying <i>what can I do for you</i> but meaning <i>how can I get you to leave.</i> But he's right, an explanation would probably help.]</small>
When I was young...I wanted to save the common people. <small>[A tiny laugh.]</small> It was a childish desire, but I was confident I could do anything I put my mind to, back then.
<small>[A pillar of smoke rises in the distance. He ignores it.]</small>
I had to learn the hard way, in the end.
Sorry your tag broke X'D
There is nothing childish about sincerely wanting to help others.
[Then, noticing the pillar of smoke, Tonbokiri shifts his grip on his spear in preparation to run towards it-- and sees that his host has no such inclination.
That Xie Lian is ignoring it, it makes what he spoke of seem even more... hopeless.
So turning his full attention back to the man he asks,]
What exactly did you learn the hard way?
oh noooooo
I learned...that I'm not as powerful as I thought. The idea of "saving the common people" was just the childish dream of a spoiled prince.
...In attempting to save everyone, I failed to save anyone at all.
Re: oh noooooo
[His instinct is still calling him to run towards the smoke, but glimpsing the unnaturally rapid decay, he is reminded that this is Xie Lian's mind, and that the place for action is right in front of him. Although Xie Lian's situation is different, Tonbokiri is keenly reminded of the time Monoyoshi had opened his eyes... Can he even start to do the same for this man?
It is with more gravity than before that he asks,]
And then? What did you do with this lesson?
no subject
[He's grown used to smiling - through pain, through suffering. He's still smiling even now, now that the initial shock has worn off.]
These past few years it's been work enough to keep myself fed--I can never resist helping when I can, but...I've realized there isn't much I can do, ultimately.
no subject
Xie Lian-dono. I am a stranger to you, and know no more about you than what you have told me and what I can see here. I have no right to give you advice on a matter so close to your heart.
However, please allow me to pass along this advice that was once given to me: It is all right to be who you are.
If you are a man who desires to help people, then help people. Is there a need to be so concerned with the 'ultimate' result? Simply focus on the task set before you now.
[Tonbokiri then bows sharply.] Forgive me if those words were out of turn. However, please know that they come from a sincere desire to help you overcome this burden you are clearly suffering under.
If you tell me to, I shall say no more.
no subject
Despite all his doubts, he's never been able to resist helping when he can - throwing himself into danger, allowing himself to be hurt in exchange for the safety of others. He'd long given up on that 'ultimate' result...much like he'd given up on the idea that his help could actually do anything for anyone. But...
"It's alright to be who you are."
There's a moment's silence, the only sound being that of the city around them crumbling away into dust--until all that is left is a single white flower, growing out of the ground nearby.]
There is nothing I can do for the common people, as a whole. [Another pause, as he stares down at that little flower, strangely familiar, long buried by memories of suffering and despair.]
....But I suppose...I can still be a help to one person, if only just a little.
no subject
Perhaps, some hope.]
That sounds like a fine place to start.