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!
[ She feels the power well up in her, like contracting the perfect Master, priming her to use her abilities to their fullest extents. She notices the sword, but does not touch it. Yet. It's far less impressive than her own, she notes to herself.
Wuxian points her to her next destination, as she would take the broad and shining path of her own volition anyway, and she almost nods, except for one question: ]
Hmph. And I thought I had a penchant for the dramatic.
[ He's in pain, his legs are unsteady, and so there is only one thing to do. She steps close to him and attempts to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. ]
[ He is quite a bit taller than she is, and so she has to reach significantly up to reach his shoulder. He can’t help giggling, a bit madly, at that. ]
Hahaha! You want to walk the ghost path? It’s messy. It’ll muss your pretty hair.
[ He reaches, with trembling fingers, for a lock of her golden tresses. He whispers, as much to himself as anyone else. ]
It’s not fit for the leader of a sect…I mean, an empress.
[ Just because he's that much taller than her!!! She, thankfully, doesn't let that get her down...it's fine. She can carry him like a sack of potatoes if needed. She's done it once, and she'll do it again.
Surprisingly enough, she does not bat his hand away from her hair, as tied up in her usual bun as it is. ]
True, I never did like the thought of traversing the dark side of the world. I very much prefer to face the world head-on, as was the way of those glorious emperors before me. But it is my duty as both emperor and humble Servant to ensure safe passage to those who would believe in me enough to place their lives in my hand. And so I shall.
[ Because even in a land as dark as this, she thinks, she will do her utmost to shine gold like she will impose on everything else. Because her people, her friends, her Master, depended and may even still depend on her to do just that, defend them and protect them even as they walk into Hell and face all manner of Beasts. ]
[ He smiles, wryly, down at her. On the one hand, it’s a warm feeling, hearing her say she’ll walk this path with him. On the other—it’s one thing to say you’ll do it, and quite another to actually experience what that means.
That said, she can always turn back. ]
All right. If you’re sure. Follow me.
[ Still tottering a little, he turns and heads down the single-plank walkway, one foot in front of the other. All around them, the light grows dimmer, the water murkier, and presently eldritch howls begin sound. ]
[ She could always turn tail and run if things get too hairy, she supposes, but then what? It would be a blow to her pride and her being. She is a blade, a Servant, meant to guide and aid the living.
Nero nods, follows close by while keeping an eye on Wuxian's physical state (he's still tottering, and she frowns), and summons her blade in a flash of red as soon as she hears the howls sounding out. ]
[ Soon the only light is coming from the horizon, a dark red, like blood or hot coals. It bathes everything in an eerie glow. Dark shapes with red glowing eyes are floating in the water. Soon it seems as though they aren't even on water anymore, so thick are the shapes.
...
And then even the single plank disappears, and the only way forwards is to step on the shapes. They are (of course) dead bodies. Undead bodies, rather. When stepped on, they don't attack, but they do moan and writhe.
Wei Wuxian stops, abruptly and turns back to Maiden Nero. ]
This is the end of the path.
[ He smiles, helplessly. ]
Sorry to drag you into this. Told you it wouldn't be pretty.
[ She doesn't want to say that it's fine, because it's not, but it's also not the absolute worst thing she's had to contend with either, and she's gotten plenty of exposure to undead enemies in their adventures throughout the Singularities.
She simply sighs. Her guard is up, against any sudden movements. ]
This is not the first time I have faced the undead. At the very least, it is not a Demon God Pillar...
[ Clouds of black, resentful energy rise from the corpses and surround them. It starts to surround his body, drifting into it via his nose and mouth, and diffusing through his skin. His eyes turn red. ]
...except like this.
[ He swallows hard. ]
This is what it means to walk this path. I had to go alone, back then. I’m glad you’re here, but I’m sorry about it, too.
[ Her eyes widen at his color change, an uneasy feeling settling at the bottom of her stomach. She swallows, and instinctively holds her sword out to defend herself. It is not his actual battle prowess she fears, but the possibility that— ]
Do you mean to say that I must cut you down? Or shall I simply beat some sense into you to exorcise you?
[ She's not a Caster; she wouldn't really know how to exorcise someone since it was never her field. So that leaves beating him up...at best. ]
[ She does not mean to hurt him so, but it is probably a misunderstanding. ]
Of course I do not! I am concerned about you, you utter imbecile!
[ There. She said it, huffing angrily, though she lowers her sword and her body glows for but a moment. Perhaps that was too hostile. He is a necromancer after all; such magi live in different contexts than familiars like her do. ]
What am I supposed to make of you? Honestly, necromancers... You play the part of the cackling villain after you try to dissuade others from following your path. Do you truly think yourself so? Do you truly feel there is no other path for you to take?
He feels, somehow, that he’s being made fun of! This is his heart’s dramatic moment! Except… it really wasn’t, was it?
The air lightens and turns gray: mist with a hint of sunlight above. The murky water dissolves, and turns to grass. Trees surround them. They’re on a hilltop. An oppressive weight of death hangs all about; but there is also life. Sounds of people murmuring… dining together, under a simple, roughly-built pavilion. A child’s laughter. ]
They called me the Yiling Patriarch, Great Lord of Evil. But this was my life, for a long time.
[ He hadn’t used his powers for evil… he’d used them to protect. That is, until the end. ]
[ Nero stops, any hostility in her bones quietly weaning away at the peeking of the sunlight, at the water giving way to grass. She still smells death, but there is also life, as it should be. They are but two sides of the same coin. She quietens, uncharacteristically. A simple, quiet life. An intimate life, with family(?).
That is where the supposed "Yiling Patriarch" began. Nero Claudius understands a little too well where a moniker such as "great lord of evil" could be attached to a man by others. ]
...Do you feel disheartened by the fact that the masses have little to no knowledge of the life you truly [ she gestures around them, to the source of the people murmuring, to be specific ] led?
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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.
no subject
Wuxian points her to her next destination, as she would take the broad and shining path of her own volition anyway, and she almost nods, except for one question: ]
What about you?
no subject
[ He's looking pale as he says that, and he sways a little as he backs up, away from her. Clearly he's going to be taking the single-planked path. ]
no subject
[ One doesn't have to be an artistic genius to tell that Wuxian's hiding something, and she's not letting him take a dangerous path by himself. ]
You do not mean to head down that way yourself, do you? I will not allow it.
[ She is an emperor. She is chivalrous. And most of all, she is his friend. ]
no subject
I’m sorry, Maiden Saber. I can’t go your way anymore. This is the only path for me.
no subject
[ He's in pain, his legs are unsteady, and so there is only one thing to do. She steps close to him and attempts to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. ]
no subject
Hahaha! You want to walk the ghost path? It’s messy. It’ll muss your pretty hair.
[ He reaches, with trembling fingers, for a lock of her golden tresses. He whispers, as much to himself as anyone else. ]
It’s not fit for the leader of a sect…I mean, an empress.
no subject
Surprisingly enough, she does not bat his hand away from her hair, as tied up in her usual bun as it is. ]
True, I never did like the thought of traversing the dark side of the world. I very much prefer to face the world head-on, as was the way of those glorious emperors before me. But it is my duty as both emperor and humble Servant to ensure safe passage to those who would believe in me enough to place their lives in my hand. And so I shall.
[ Because even in a land as dark as this, she thinks, she will do her utmost to shine gold like she will impose on everything else. Because her people, her friends, her Master, depended and may even still depend on her to do just that, defend them and protect them even as they walk into Hell and face all manner of Beasts. ]
no subject
That said, she can always turn back. ]
All right. If you’re sure. Follow me.
[ Still tottering a little, he turns and heads down the single-plank walkway, one foot in front of the other. All around them, the light grows dimmer, the water murkier, and presently eldritch howls begin sound. ]
no subject
Nero nods, follows close by while keeping an eye on Wuxian's physical state (he's still tottering, and she frowns), and summons her blade in a flash of red as soon as she hears the howls sounding out. ]
no subject
...
And then even the single plank disappears, and the only way forwards is to step on the shapes. They are (of course) dead bodies. Undead bodies, rather. When stepped on, they don't attack, but they do moan and writhe.
Wei Wuxian stops, abruptly and turns back to Maiden Nero. ]
This is the end of the path.
[ He smiles, helplessly. ]
Sorry to drag you into this. Told you it wouldn't be pretty.
no subject
She simply sighs. Her guard is up, against any sudden movements. ]
This is not the first time I have faced the undead. At the very least, it is not a Demon God Pillar...
[ Small blessings(?). ]
no subject
[ That sounds impressive. ]
Well, these corpses won’t attack...
[ Clouds of black, resentful energy rise from the corpses and surround them. It starts to surround his body, drifting into it via his nose and mouth, and diffusing through his skin. His eyes turn red. ]
...except like this.
[ He swallows hard. ]
This is what it means to walk this path. I had to go alone, back then. I’m glad you’re here, but I’m sorry about it, too.
no subject
Do you mean to say that I must cut you down? Or shall I simply beat some sense into you to exorcise you?
[ She's not a Caster; she wouldn't really know how to exorcise someone since it was never her field. So that leaves beating him up...at best. ]
1/2
no subject
I see you've got the knives out. Afraid of me? Want me dead? Hahahahahaha! Everybody else did, too! Go on!
no subject
Of course I do not! I am concerned about you, you utter imbecile!
[ There. She said it, huffing angrily, though she lowers her sword and her body glows for but a moment. Perhaps that was too hostile. He is a necromancer after all; such magi live in different contexts than familiars like her do. ]
What am I supposed to make of you? Honestly, necromancers... You play the part of the cackling villain after you try to dissuade others from following your path. Do you truly think yourself so? Do you truly feel there is no other path for you to take?
no subject
He feels, somehow, that he’s being made fun of! This is his heart’s dramatic moment! Except… it really wasn’t, was it?
The air lightens and turns gray: mist with a hint of sunlight above. The murky water dissolves, and turns to grass. Trees surround them. They’re on a hilltop. An oppressive weight of death hangs all about; but there is also life. Sounds of people murmuring… dining together, under a simple, roughly-built pavilion. A child’s laughter. ]
They called me the Yiling Patriarch, Great Lord of Evil. But this was my life, for a long time.
[ He hadn’t used his powers for evil… he’d used them to protect. That is, until the end. ]
no subject
That is where the supposed "Yiling Patriarch" began. Nero Claudius understands a little too well where a moniker such as "great lord of evil" could be attached to a man by others. ]
...Do you feel disheartened by the fact that the masses have little to no knowledge of the life you truly [ she gestures around them, to the source of the people murmuring, to be specific ] led?
[ Does he chain himself with those thoughts? ]