[and lust listens attentively, though gu yun may hear them whisper "whoa...steampunk" under their breath even if their eyes don't leave his face. they're adding sugar to their cup and stirring it, nodding along with each piece of new information.]
It sounds like you could make all kinds of stuff if it was powered by something like that. But what happens if you run out? Does the energy just go away and the machines stop working?
his expression gets a little more serious, then. ] It would. What we have is plentiful, but the supplies dwindle, and the Emperor chooses how anyone may use it. It's why it is so imperative, not only not to waste ziliujin, but to continue to evolve our use of technology in order to make the nation not so reliant on it anymore. The faster we can pull ahead of our neighbors, the better it will be for Great Liang as a whole.
[ lust will get the sense, just as he's talking, that gu yun... really, really loves his country. there's a moment of determination in his assessment, there, though it's brief. ]
It's starting slowly. It can be diluted, and there are substitutes to make up for what is left behind - it's why the common folk can even have any at all. But... for now, we just have to make do with what we have, and keep finding it.
[ a beat, and then, he grins, a little sneaky. ] Or, keep our neighbors from finding it, first. [ sounds like a job for the marquis of order! ]
[they hold onto their teacup and consider this quietly.]
Even substitutes can only go so far though, right? And if it's a resource that has to be protected for the greater good...no wonder you want to do what's best for Great Liang. It must be hard.
Ahh, well. [ he waves off the seriousness of the moment with a laugh. ] Truthfully, I don't get a single say in how it's used or why! This humble Marquis is merely a servant of his Emperor.
[ . . . ]
Though, I do wonder. [ gu yun tilts his head. ] Do you say so because you assume I would? Or because you already know the wish I made that ensured my arrival here?
[ gu yun's mouth curls up behind his tea cup. ] I suppose that depends on the Emperor.
[ there's. a little irony in lust's very good point, though they probably don't know it - it is only recently that the black iron camp has been restored to its current splendor, and it is only because gu yun was the one who made it possible. emperor yuan he had been the reason for the camp's initial decline, after all, more interested in the pen than the sword, and great liang had suffered for it, but gu yun invested his time and his resources into making the black iron camp the force it had been in the years of his father long before him. it would be impossible for yuan he to ignore how useful the black iron camp would be to the betterment and protection of great liang as a whole, and gu yun had been the one to make it a fact instead of just an opinion.
he's been fighting for its relevancy ever since, and since li feng took charge, the process has begun anew. with the black tiger seal in his hands, gu yun holds all of the military power by land and air, but li feng is a different leader, and one he has yet to truly suss out.
of course, he'll never say any of that - just leave it at the mysterious, wry smile he gives them and move on to their second question. ]
That's very kind of you to say, though - I am an awfully passionate person! [ fufu. back to his usual easygoing cheer, now. ] You all have information on all of us, so I won't pretend otherwise - I'm here for my homeland - but I like your intuition, and will gladly take such a compliment.
[ lie back and thank of great liang,
he bows his head, playing it up just a little, but he is honest. ] You seem quite big-hearted yourself, Lust. The others speak very highly of you.
[wow. so i see gu yun is completely fine. lust knows a bit about his history but not as much as some of the others, and so they kind of nod in agreement in that way that says they aren't going to ask questions and are willing to accept that answer.
it's easier for the both of them to just slip into another conversation.]
You should! It's a really, really important skill to have in a place like this. I think it'll help you get what you came for if you can always remember what you're passionate for.
[there's a slightly surprised and please pause then.] ...they do? I like all of them, too.
[ the way you just stepped right into one of the biggest conflicts in sha po lang was VERY funny
anyway!! he clearly is paying it no mind! so. ] Passion and Lust do go hand in hand, don't they? [ much lighter and teasing! ] I'll keep your expertise in mind.
[ he has no intentions of losing sight of that goal, anytime soon - especially because its always been his goal. as gu yun takes another sip, regarding their reaction, his smile warms up a bit, too, pleased to be delivering that particular bit of information and nothing at all about himself. ] It's the truth! I've heard there've even been playful [ ? ] threats that we all be nice to you. Not that I would dream of anything otherwise; I agree with their assessment that you're very sweet, indeed.
I like to think so! You can't really be something people aspire to be without giving it your all in the first place.
[they finally take a sip of their tea, legs slowly swinging under the table.] That's sweet though...a lot of the others are really good friends, and I'd make threats for them, too. [this is so casual.] We've known each other for a long time, so I'm not that surprised either.
[ he can see it! no wonder everyone loves them so much. the casual threat makes him smile, amused, into his tea. ] It seems you all have quite the bond, so I thought as much. Time here is a bit odd, though, isn't it? How long has it been, as far as you can tell?
Hehe, something like that! I'm still working hard, but I'm getting there.
[that's vague, lust.] It's been...a while. I wish I knew but I think a lot of us stopped keeping track after some time. It didn't seem to matter anymore.
[ well, he can see that. ] But, that makes sense. Life gets quite boring spent out on the border - it makes you truly appreciate the little things about home, when you get the chance to return to it.
Yup. Some of us are shy, or they just don't like talking to people very much. [shrug!] There's a lot still left to appreciate, I think. They just won't outright admit it.
anyway, he offers them another grin, easygoing and silly as he lifts his cup. ] Well! You've done your research, haven't you, though? Some of the Avatars have, some haven't. I was something of a figure to be admired myself!
I don't mind telling a story or two - reports of my exploits have been occasionally exaggerated, and only sometimes by me. [ fufu! an exaggerated, playful wink. ] Though, I do reserve the right to keep a little mystery, hm?
It's more like I've heard about you, so I got curious and started looking up stuff myself. But you definitely seem like that kind of person.
[sir, your exploits.] I think people are allowed a secret or two if it's not really gonna hurt anybody. But I would love to hear any story you wanna share.
[ ha! well, at home it's definitely both. depends on who you talk to. ] Let's see, let's see... anything in particular you're interested in? I've mostly got war stories, which are a bit more dull. I shot a tiger with an arrow while I was drunk from three stories or so in the air, once? I rescued a child from the maws of a wolf?
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It sounds like you could make all kinds of stuff if it was powered by something like that. But what happens if you run out? Does the energy just go away and the machines stop working?
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his expression gets a little more serious, then. ] It would. What we have is plentiful, but the supplies dwindle, and the Emperor chooses how anyone may use it. It's why it is so imperative, not only not to waste ziliujin, but to continue to evolve our use of technology in order to make the nation not so reliant on it anymore. The faster we can pull ahead of our neighbors, the better it will be for Great Liang as a whole.
[ lust will get the sense, just as he's talking, that gu yun... really, really loves his country. there's a moment of determination in his assessment, there, though it's brief. ]
It's starting slowly. It can be diluted, and there are substitutes to make up for what is left behind - it's why the common folk can even have any at all. But... for now, we just have to make do with what we have, and keep finding it.
[ a beat, and then, he grins, a little sneaky. ] Or, keep our neighbors from finding it, first. [ sounds like a job for the marquis of order! ]
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Even substitutes can only go so far though, right? And if it's a resource that has to be protected for the greater good...no wonder you want to do what's best for Great Liang. It must be hard.
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[ . . . ]
Though, I do wonder. [ gu yun tilts his head. ] Do you say so because you assume I would? Or because you already know the wish I made that ensured my arrival here?
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It's maybe a little of both though? You seem like someone who's very passionate about everything you really care about. Everything and everyone.
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[ there's. a little irony in lust's very good point, though they probably don't know it - it is only recently that the black iron camp has been restored to its current splendor, and it is only because gu yun was the one who made it possible. emperor yuan he had been the reason for the camp's initial decline, after all, more interested in the pen than the sword, and great liang had suffered for it, but gu yun invested his time and his resources into making the black iron camp the force it had been in the years of his father long before him. it would be impossible for yuan he to ignore how useful the black iron camp would be to the betterment and protection of great liang as a whole, and gu yun had been the one to make it a fact instead of just an opinion.
he's been fighting for its relevancy ever since, and since li feng took charge, the process has begun anew. with the black tiger seal in his hands, gu yun holds all of the military power by land and air, but li feng is a different leader, and one he has yet to truly suss out.
of course, he'll never say any of that - just leave it at the mysterious, wry smile he gives them and move on to their second question. ]
That's very kind of you to say, though - I am an awfully passionate person! [ fufu. back to his usual easygoing cheer, now. ] You all have information on all of us, so I won't pretend otherwise - I'm here for my homeland - but I like your intuition, and will gladly take such a compliment.
[ lie back and thank of great liang,
he bows his head, playing it up just a little, but he is honest. ] You seem quite big-hearted yourself, Lust. The others speak very highly of you.
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it's easier for the both of them to just slip into another conversation.]
You should! It's a really, really important skill to have in a place like this. I think it'll help you get what you came for if you can always remember what you're passionate for.
[there's a slightly surprised and please pause then.] ...they do? I like all of them, too.
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anyway!! he clearly is paying it no mind! so. ] Passion and Lust do go hand in hand, don't they? [ much lighter and teasing! ] I'll keep your expertise in mind.
[ he has no intentions of losing sight of that goal, anytime soon - especially because its always been his goal. as gu yun takes another sip, regarding their reaction, his smile warms up a bit, too, pleased to be delivering that particular bit of information and nothing at all about himself. ] It's the truth! I've heard there've even been playful [ ? ] threats that we all be nice to you. Not that I would dream of anything otherwise; I agree with their assessment that you're very sweet, indeed.
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I like to think so! You can't really be something people aspire to be without giving it your all in the first place.
[they finally take a sip of their tea, legs slowly swinging under the table.] That's sweet though...a lot of the others are really good friends, and I'd make threats for them, too. [this is so casual.] We've known each other for a long time, so I'm not that surprised either.
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Oh? Are you something of a revered figure, Lust?
[ he can see it! no wonder everyone loves them so much. the casual threat makes him smile, amused, into his tea. ] It seems you all have quite the bond, so I thought as much. Time here is a bit odd, though, isn't it? How long has it been, as far as you can tell?
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[that's vague, lust.] It's been...a while. I wish I knew but I think a lot of us stopped keeping track after some time. It didn't seem to matter anymore.
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I see. Has it always just been the eight of you?
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With an answer like that? Hardly! [ he sees you, diverting. ] I don't think there's a boring day around here, is there?
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[ well, he can see that. ] But, that makes sense. Life gets quite boring spent out on the border - it makes you truly appreciate the little things about home, when you get the chance to return to it.
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About this place, you mean? [ gu yun tilts his head, thoughtful. ] Or about us?
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anyway, he offers them another grin, easygoing and silly as he lifts his cup. ] Well! You've done your research, haven't you, though? Some of the Avatars have, some haven't. I was something of a figure to be admired myself!
I don't mind telling a story or two - reports of my exploits have been occasionally exaggerated, and only sometimes by me. [ fufu! an exaggerated, playful wink. ] Though, I do reserve the right to keep a little mystery, hm?
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[sir, your exploits.] I think people are allowed a secret or two if it's not really gonna hurt anybody. But I would love to hear any story you wanna share.
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[ ha! well, at home it's definitely both. depends on who you talk to. ] Let's see, let's see... anything in particular you're interested in? I've mostly got war stories, which are a bit more dull. I shot a tiger with an arrow while I was drunk from three stories or so in the air, once? I rescued a child from the maws of a wolf?
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