Audience: Gu Yun

[probe]

Comments

[probe]

Haven't heard any noises, but I saw the recording. It was stupid.

[liuli]

[ lol ]

That wasn't you all either? What in the world would make this place manifest something like that...?

[ probably the bunch of chaotic gremlins that are in it.

gu yun taps his fingers against his glass, again, thoughtfully. ] Let me ask you this. There was one particular inconsistency that's been bothering me since yesterday. All of the illusions that people experienced - the cherry blossoms, for example - vanished on Saturday morning. We didn't find any particular evidence of any of them, either, and came to the conclusion they were likely some sort of message, or something of the like, making connections between locations and the person involved.

There was an exception, though - what Vira saw. She was able to bring the fragments of that skull back with her on Saturday, and then, Yuri and I found the rest of it with the key piece of evidence.

[ he frowns, again. ] Well. Most of it. [ the outside bones. ] Any thoughts?

[probe]

Wouldn't worry about that.

[it's funny, they actually sound like - exasperated?]

The skull is not important.

[liuli]

[ looks into the camera like this is the fucking office why does this happen to me EVERY GAME ]

So you do know what's important, then?

[probe]

[i'm crying rip sisi]

You can likely guess what my answer is going to be.

[liuli]

[ me: this is probably a shitpost about outside bones
also me: BUT WHAT IF IT WASNT

gu yun sighs and and reaches for the wine bottle to top his drink off. ] I have an idea, yes.

What about the rest of the illusions. Do you think it's likely that'll happen again?

[probe]

Not sure. But I'd assume yes.

Re...calibrations. [they say this like it's a foreign word. they also wave their hand, which is still clawed.]

[liuli]

Don't have much machinery in your world, hmm?

[ steampunk means he knows what a recalibration is!!! ]

[probe]

No. Not... not anything like it is here.

Lanterns. No phones. No... televisions.

[liuli]

Lanterns for me, too. Ziliujin steam lamps are starting to become more popular, now, though, since there are watered down versions of them that can be sold for cheap.

[ gu yun props his chin back into his hand. ] It's odd, isn't it? Takes some getting used to. I wasn't going to send a single message with that thing [ nodding at his phone ] until I understood it.

[probe]

I don't like using it.

[the phone, they mean. and then, vaguely annoyed:] ... White called me a boomer.

[they're still not entirely sure what that is but they know it's not a nice term.]

[liuli]

[ when will someone teach gu yun what a boomer is

anyway he has no idea but it sounds insulting too, so, he starts snickering, amused. ]

Next time he does so, just call him emperor. He'll get really embarrassed. [ the way that this joke is never going to die because white is his favorite bullying target on gods green earth ]

[probe]

[gu yun can't see their face, but he's probably well versed in people making faces around him, which is what they're doing.]

Don't want to call anybody emperor.

[liuli]

You're making a face again.

[probe]

And it is entirely your fault. Strange how that continues to be a trend.

[liuli]

It's strange... I almost feel like I've heard that before.

[ nyehehehe ]

[probe]

I'm sure. [they are rolling their eyes.] I can't imagine I'll be the last to say it.

[liuli]

Likely not even today.

[ fufufufu. ]

Anyway, it was his fault. I'm simply calling him what he asked for. [ no you aren't you're just bullying him. ] If it makes you feel better, the technology here is wildly beyond me, too. I'm used to learning on the fly.

If I could bring even an ounce of this technology back to Great Liang, it would change the world. [ ... for just a beat there, he sounds -- really sincere. almost warm, thinking about it. ] Or, at least, my second in command would surely piss himself on sight, anyway.

[ and because he cant allow more than .5 seconds of that he has to ruin it immediately, ]

[probe]

[snort.]

It would change my world, as well. Not for the better.

[liuli]

[ interesting. ]

Why do you say that?

[probe]

Enough has happened lately that the last thing it needs is something nobody understands.

[liuli]

[ haha... he knows the feeling. ]

It's always crisis after crisis, isn't it? It tends to snowball.

[probe]

[they nod.]

The world is trying to recover. It needs a break.

[liuli]

Mm. [ a break... a foreign concept... ]

The whole world, hm? Not just your country? Must have been quite the series of events.

[probe]

Something like that.

It doesn't matter. It won't.