Sometimes we'd leave Cloud Recesses to go eat in Caiyi, there were some very nice restaurants there... it was a lot more tolerable whenever Wei-xiong could sneak wine in, though.
Yeah, I bet. Sounds kind of like the Cobalt Soul. We didn't have a thousand rules or anything, but it was kind of like, one step above jail for the new recruits.
Wei-xiong is the guy you were talking about before, right?
...they did. We didn't see each other often after that, though. Wei-xiong was sent home before he finished his studies, so it was just Jiang-xiong and I, and then-- well, we were from different Sects. I saw them at conferences and meetings.
[and then there was the increasing wen sect aggression. the war. sunshot. jiang cheng lost nearly everything he had, and wei wuxian came out of it all-- different. then they lost him too.
So one time, we were traveling - we took the night to rest, and Caleb's Alarm spell went off. So we all scramble up, but a bunch of bandits had managed to sneak up on us. They've got us cornered, and they're gonna like, try to kill us for our stuff.
But then Caleb cast a spell of some kind, I think? And he fucking tells the bandit leader that they shouldn't get close to us because all of us have extreme syphilis.
Yeah! See, you'd think they wouldn't believe it but they did.
[ she's giggling too. ] So - so they're flipping out, trying to take our cart, and so all of us just jump into pretending along with him. It was great, we're all like blehhh, don't get close, you might catch it too!
[god, the more he hears about her friends, the wilder everything sounds. it's-- maybe he's slightly jealous? not of her, though. it's difficult to be bitter towards her at all.
it's much easier to laugh, because anyone who can pull off something like that is a person after his own heart, damn.]
[ her friends are all stupid and she loves them. ]
Well - I mean, we were protecting ourselves, so we kind of... attacked them back. Caleb maybe incinerated their leader. [ that she's not proud of, but. ] When he did, though, they all freaked out and surrendered.
Jester made them take their pants off and we kind of just menaced them a little, you know, like - scared them straight? And then Molly picked one of them to be the new leader, gave each of them a gold piece, and we sent them on their way.
[ leave every place better than you found it - the words echo in her head. ]
[he blinks over at her in surprise, there, clearly a little caught off guard by that kind of resolution. in a lot of cases that would have ended in all of them dead, or at least turned in, but...
well, if they surrendered that easily, they probably weren't career criminals either. it takes a certain kind to evaluate that, too.]
We're really fucking convincing, I guess. They were kind of pathetic? Like, I felt bad for them by the end of it. It was still really fucking funny to watch them freak out, though.
[ a beat, and then: ]
They're really - they've really become my family, you know? All of the Nein. I think I might be dead if I didn't have them.
[she wouldn't have deserved that. not any more than she deserves being here, dealing with everything.
but he's quiet for a few moments, himself.]
I can't... I really don't know what that's like.
[he hasn't had any living family in-- a while, and then it was only himself and his brother. what he thought he had afterward... one was a murderer, the other enabling it. everyone else was distant in one way or another.]
[ ah, that makes her smile, though - it must be a bit like this. and if she can bring that to someone, let someone experience just how good it feels to be accepted... she thinks she's done a good job. ]
Yeah. It is like this. More than just a bit. [ she agrees, looking down at him fondly. ] How are you feeling?
[it's a different kind of bond, but-- it's one he's growing fond of. he would and has done anything for his brother; he thinks he might do similar things for her.
he frowns thoughtfully at the question, peering up at her.]
I feel fine. Maybe a little strange? [his pupils are a little wide, so it's definitely starting to kick in.] But not... in a bad way.
How long has it been since what? You took one? A couple minutes. [ she looks amused, and she absolutely lets him play with her hand. this is her idea of fun, honestly. ]
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Wei-xiong is the guy you were talking about before, right?
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[maybe he should've! but huaisang sounds fond.]
It would've been much different, without him and Jiang Wanyin.
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Places are always a lot different without your friends. [ she says, a little absently. ] Sounds like they made it better for you.
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[and then there was the increasing wen sect aggression. the war. sunshot. jiang cheng lost nearly everything he had, and wei wuxian came out of it all-- different. then they lost him too.
he shakes his head.]
-Beau, do you think it'll take much longer?
[subject change time!]
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Nah, should kick in soon. [ she tucks his hair behind his ear. ] Did I ever tell you about the syphilis bandits?
[ subject!! change!! ]
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[tell him about the bandits!!]
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So one time, we were traveling - we took the night to rest, and Caleb's Alarm spell went off. So we all scramble up, but a bunch of bandits had managed to sneak up on us. They've got us cornered, and they're gonna like, try to kill us for our stuff.
But then Caleb cast a spell of some kind, I think? And he fucking tells the bandit leader that they shouldn't get close to us because all of us have extreme syphilis.
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[he's already laughing a little just at the thought, with a faint wince thanks to his chest injury, but it's fine. suffer for your entertainment nhs.]
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[ she's giggling too. ] So - so they're flipping out, trying to take our cart, and so all of us just jump into pretending along with him. It was great, we're all like blehhh, don't get close, you might catch it too!
Until the spell on the leader wore off, anyway.
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it's much easier to laugh, because anyone who can pull off something like that is a person after his own heart, damn.]
I really can't believe... what happened then?
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Well - I mean, we were protecting ourselves, so we kind of... attacked them back. Caleb maybe incinerated their leader. [ that she's not proud of, but. ] When he did, though, they all freaked out and surrendered.
Jester made them take their pants off and we kind of just menaced them a little, you know, like - scared them straight? And then Molly picked one of them to be the new leader, gave each of them a gold piece, and we sent them on their way.
[ leave every place better than you found it - the words echo in her head. ]
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[he blinks over at her in surprise, there, clearly a little caught off guard by that kind of resolution. in a lot of cases that would have ended in all of them dead, or at least turned in, but...
well, if they surrendered that easily, they probably weren't career criminals either. it takes a certain kind to evaluate that, too.]
Your friends truly are something, Beau.
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[ a beat, and then: ]
They're really - they've really become my family, you know? All of the Nein. I think I might be dead if I didn't have them.
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[she wouldn't have deserved that. not any more than she deserves being here, dealing with everything.
but he's quiet for a few moments, himself.]
I can't... I really don't know what that's like.
[he hasn't had any living family in-- a while, and then it was only himself and his brother. what he thought he had afterward... one was a murderer, the other enabling it. everyone else was distant in one way or another.]
But I feel as if it must be-- a bit like this.
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Yeah. It is like this. More than just a bit. [ she agrees, looking down at him fondly. ] How are you feeling?
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he frowns thoughtfully at the question, peering up at her.]
I feel fine. Maybe a little strange? [his pupils are a little wide, so it's definitely starting to kick in.] But not... in a bad way.
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Good. That's only gonna get better. [ she stretches out languidly. ] I can't wait to see what you paint.
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[he kind of frowns, there, peering up at the ceiling.]
...Beau, is the ceiling supposed to be moving?
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Not usually, no. What's it doing? Just moving?
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[sorry beau, he's like, staring up at it, completely fixated by whatever the fuck he's seeing.]
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There you go. [ she'll just shift to sit up and tug him to lay in her lap. you stare at that weird ceiling, sang. ]
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Beau-- Beau, how long has it been?
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[he trails off.]
I don't know.
[but he hums as he looks up to her.]
You were right. About seeing sounds, I mean. Your voice looks... really nice. You do.
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