[ wrath is the last person that gu yun sees for the evening. he's since removed most of the cactus pins out of his left hand, and it's now hanging loosely at his side as he makes his way into the kitchen, leaning on the doorframe.
there's a moment, just briefly, where he stands there, not quite addressing, before he draws himself up, spine straight, shoulders back, and comes in to join them. ]
[she's making - something. a soup, of some kind, something warm and comforting. she's got her hood up, but when he crosses the room, she does immediately reach for him. if he'll allow it, she pulls him into a hug and rests her head against his.]
[ wrath will find gu yun to be extremely tense. even more so than he normally is, like he's holding back a world of exhaustion on those strong shoulders. he doesn't relax much as he's pulled in, but he lets it happen, anyhow, looking at the wall over her shoulder for a long moment. ]
I caught a murderer. [ he says, eventually, sardonic, the bite to it clear. ] At least there's that.
[she feels that tension, and pulls back to push her hood back. she looks like normal, at least! or, well. normal for her, with the lava cracks and glowing eyes. she's less monstrous. gently, she takes his face in both her hands to make him look at her.]
This is not all your responsibility. A lot of people voted. And it was better that it was a killer who actually has hurt people than someone completely innocent. [she strokes her thumb against his cheekbone.] You're doing the best you can. Don't take all of the weight of it, okay?
[ while the words are very sweet - they really are! - there's a moment where he's distracted a bit away from whatever's going on in that head of his, and genuine surprise registers in his eyes. it settles, after a second, softening his expression. gu yun lets wrath hold his face there, dark eyes searching her face. ]
...It's good to see you like this. [ the other form wasn't bad, either, really, but she just seems... it's just better. less exhausted.
it's something. right now, he's pushing away from his own feelings on what just happened in favor of that, nudging anything down and away from the surface. there's still the execution tomorrow, and then, a week ahead - one where he knows he's likely painted a target on his back. there's the fury of it all, that comes with doing this twice - whether fukuda was a killer or not. it's a lot of complicated emotions to tangle with, none of which he really wants to tangle with at all.
easier to avoid it. the world marches on, anyhow.]
I told you it'd go back to normal. [she says, tucking his hair behind his ear. a pause.] Please don't bury all that tension. That sort of emotion, uh - tends to explode. Violently. Especially in a place like this?
You can talk to me. I'm horrible at - you know, whatever, at protagonist speeches, but I can listen.
[ you know who else is really bad at protagonist speeches! gu yun! wow what a change for sisi
i mean. wrath calls him out like that, and gu yun tilts his head a little into the warmth of her hand, as her fingers brush against the shell of his ear and into his hair, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. ]
...It's been a long week. [ a really, really, really long week. ] I'm not sure I have much to say. [ there's a pause, and then, he snorts, soft. ] For once.
[because it is. she strokes through his hair gently, easily. leans forward, and presses a kiss to his forehead, his nose, and then his lips. when she pulls away, she pats his face with a hand.]
What we're going to do, then, is feed you, and then I'm going to take you to bed and spoil you until you forget your name. Because if I can't get you to release tension by talking, I sure as hell can do it in another way.
for the first time this late evening, gu yun laughs. it's not a lot, but amusement warms up his expression, pushing away some of that dull, unhappy flint in his eyes. it's not how you do healthy emotions! but it is a much better option than his usual choice of "getting really shitfaced drunk"! ]
Alright. [ a beat. ] I hope you'll forgive me if my performance is off - I can't hold you so easily at the moment. Swear I'll make it up to you.
Shhhhut up, like I was going to make you do any work after today. [she seems pleased to see the genuine amusement, at least, even if it's only a little.] You don't know how much you helped yesterday. So. Least I could do.
Well. A good part of it was because of my mysterious disappearance, so, we'll keep going around in circles like this eternally, I suppose. [ wrath your gray hairs
hmmm. for a moment, he looks away from her face, back at the stove. ] ...That reminds me, I wanted to ask you something. You didn't ever end up looking me up, did you?
gu yun eventually settles to come behind her and watch, resting his chin on her shoulder to peer over at the pot. at least he only has one hand, so he can't be particularly annoying. ]
Do you know, people from Great Liang have a lot of names? In the memory you saw, my mother called my by my milk name - Shiliu. [ his voice takes on a soft quality, here, as he settles into place, and into the story itself - a tone that's likely becoming familiar. ] It's a tradition, that you don't name a child until you feel like that child's got a name that means something to their personality. But, if you give them no name at all, they'll be attacked by ghosts, or something. So my name was 'sixteen', because I was born on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
[ it's okay to laugh - wrath will hear him chuckle, softly, because it is a very stupid name. and, it's a very stupid name that he went by for like his entire childhood. ] After that, came Gu Yun - my father named me that. The character in my first name is for 'sunlight', and the idea was that I'd continue to shed light on Great Liang, and on our family name, for a long time.
[ the irony, that he was blinded, was not lost on him. not at all. ]
When you reach twenty, you're supposed to get a third name, a courtesy name. It's given to you by your parents, too, but as a tradition of adulthood. Sort of a rite of passage.
[ there's a pause, here, brief, thoughtful. ]
My parents died when I was nine. After that, the Emperor took me in, but when my coming of age came around, I wasn't even home - I was off at the battlefront.
...So I named myself. Zixi. It's more like 'the dawn', or 'daybreak'. I quite like it - even if it's my courtesy name. Traditionally, it's supposed to be more formal, and people are supposed to call me that instead of Gu Yun, but, I'm not all that traditional. Only my second in command really calls me by it now. [ a beat. ] And a few people here, because it was easier to remember.
[ the story of gu yun's courtesy name comes off almost arrogant, if you don't know him. he pronounced himself an adult and chose his own name, with no approval from anyone. but - if you do, it starts to make sense. he'd never really had the ability to rely on his family for anything, because they were gone, and the path that gu yun forged was the path of "gu yun", marquis of order, the blazing sun in great liang. he didn't want to separate from that, necessarily, either, because it is the person he'll always be.
but there's something inherently personal, about letting people call you the name you chose for yourself. ]
...This is all a rather long winded way to say, if you'd like, you can call me Zixi, not just Gu Yun.
Edited (when you fuck up your html by adding something ) 2021-02-28 05:06 (UTC)
Lup. [ he repeats, as the name's given. gu yun wasn't really expecting anything similar in response - a little delight crosses his face with it, as he tests the name out on his tongue. it's very... it's cute. ]
That suits you far better than Wrath. [ yes. that's for sure. ] How very nice to meet you, Lup.
[ laughing a bit at his slightly hammy reintroduction (yes, gu yun thinks he is very cute), he returns the kiss to her warm cheek - the tip of his nose is cold, sorry - but it's just a peck. ]
[she also laughs, elbowing him in the gut gently at his hammy reintroduction, but it's clear she doesn't mind that much. she gently headbutts him when he kisses her cheek, like a cat, and rests her head against his shoulder.]
That's only for you, got it? Call me Wrath everywhere else. [...] But you can use it when it's just us, whenever you want. Zixi.
I'm rather starting to enjoy all these little secrets just between us. [ fufu. ] Secret hideaways, secret appearances, secret names... Our peach blossom spring grows and grows.
[ he seems quite pleased about this. like, he's preening a little bit, as he tips his head against hers, cheek pressed to her hair, content. part of it is because of wrath - of lup's reactions, and part of it is the genuine joy he gets out of her company. it's been nice, getting to know her, and for all of the joking about being spoiled, it's a relatively new feeling for someone like gu yun, who still sleeps on a bed that's as hard as a board because he's never home. ]
How many lovely things shared between the two of us, Lup. I think I'll use it often - best to practice and get used to it, like this, hm?
[ gu yun smells blood in the water, actually, so. he starts smiling, cat who got into the cream,and tilts his head that bit further so he can speak quietly against that cute, red, pointed ear.]
I'm rather good at finding my way into things when I want to, Lup. [ followed up immediately after with a nip to the shell of her ear, too. wehehehe. you've granted him too much power. ]
after all of that - the way he grins, delighted, against her hand pushing his face, after being scolded for being a menace, gu yun still has the absolute audacity to look down at the bowl, and then at lup.
and then bat his eyelashes and bite his lower lip. ] Like this, I'm not sure I can.. Perhaps you'd feed this humble Zixi?
[she gives him the flattest look in the universe.]
I'm going to make you eat something else if you don't stop. [:unamused: - she ushers him to a table.] I'm not going to feed you like a baby bird, you Candlenights ham. Sit down.
Oh? I thought I'd offended them by saying their portal made me nauseous.
[ this clearly does not bother him that much. but, as he's reaching for a spoon to actually eat this absolutely amazing smelling dish lup made, he glances over at her. ] The two of you get on really well, right?
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there's a moment, just briefly, where he stands there, not quite addressing, before he draws himself up, spine straight, shoulders back, and comes in to join them. ]
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You had a solid theory, sweetheart.
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I caught a murderer. [ he says, eventually, sardonic, the bite to it clear. ] At least there's that.
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[she feels that tension, and pulls back to push her hood back. she looks like normal, at least! or, well. normal for her, with the lava cracks and glowing eyes. she's less monstrous. gently, she takes his face in both her hands to make him look at her.]
This is not all your responsibility. A lot of people voted. And it was better that it was a killer who actually has hurt people than someone completely innocent. [she strokes her thumb against his cheekbone.] You're doing the best you can. Don't take all of the weight of it, okay?
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...It's good to see you like this. [ the other form wasn't bad, either, really, but she just seems... it's just better. less exhausted.
it's something. right now, he's pushing away from his own feelings on what just happened in favor of that, nudging anything down and away from the surface. there's still the execution tomorrow, and then, a week ahead - one where he knows he's likely painted a target on his back. there's the fury of it all, that comes with doing this twice - whether fukuda was a killer or not. it's a lot of complicated emotions to tangle with, none of which he really wants to tangle with at all.
easier to avoid it. the world marches on, anyhow.]
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I told you it'd go back to normal. [she says, tucking his hair behind his ear. a pause.] Please don't bury all that tension. That sort of emotion, uh - tends to explode. Violently. Especially in a place like this?
You can talk to me. I'm horrible at - you know, whatever, at protagonist speeches, but I can listen.
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i mean. wrath calls him out like that, and gu yun tilts his head a little into the warmth of her hand, as her fingers brush against the shell of his ear and into his hair, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. ]
...It's been a long week. [ a really, really, really long week. ] I'm not sure I have much to say. [ there's a pause, and then, he snorts, soft. ] For once.
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[because it is. she strokes through his hair gently, easily. leans forward, and presses a kiss to his forehead, his nose, and then his lips. when she pulls away, she pats his face with a hand.]
What we're going to do, then, is feed you, and then I'm going to take you to bed and spoil you until you forget your name. Because if I can't get you to release tension by talking, I sure as hell can do it in another way.
[wrath, this is not how you do healthy emotions]
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for the first time this late evening, gu yun laughs. it's not a lot, but amusement warms up his expression, pushing away some of that dull, unhappy flint in his eyes. it's not how you do healthy emotions! but it is a much better option than his usual choice of "getting really shitfaced drunk"! ]
Alright. [ a beat. ] I hope you'll forgive me if my performance is off - I can't hold you so easily at the moment. Swear I'll make it up to you.
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Shhhhut up, like I was going to make you do any work after today. [she seems pleased to see the genuine amusement, at least, even if it's only a little.] You don't know how much you helped yesterday. So. Least I could do.
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hmmm. for a moment, he looks away from her face, back at the stove. ] ...That reminds me, I wanted to ask you something. You didn't ever end up looking me up, did you?
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No. I haven't. I won't, either. I'd rather hear about things from you.
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gu yun eventually settles to come behind her and watch, resting his chin on her shoulder to peer over at the pot. at least he only has one hand, so he can't be particularly annoying. ]
Mmm. I'm glad. [ honestly, really. ] It's nothing so grandiose.
Do you know, people from Great Liang have a lot of names? In the memory you saw, my mother called my by my milk name - Shiliu. [ his voice takes on a soft quality, here, as he settles into place, and into the story itself - a tone that's likely becoming familiar. ] It's a tradition, that you don't name a child until you feel like that child's got a name that means something to their personality. But, if you give them no name at all, they'll be attacked by ghosts, or something. So my name was 'sixteen', because I was born on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
[ it's okay to laugh - wrath will hear him chuckle, softly, because it is a very stupid name. and, it's a very stupid name that he went by for like his entire childhood. ] After that, came Gu Yun - my father named me that. The character in my first name is for 'sunlight', and the idea was that I'd continue to shed light on Great Liang, and on our family name, for a long time.
[ the irony, that he was blinded, was not lost on him. not at all. ]
When you reach twenty, you're supposed to get a third name, a courtesy name. It's given to you by your parents, too, but as a tradition of adulthood. Sort of a rite of passage.
[ there's a pause, here, brief, thoughtful. ]
My parents died when I was nine. After that, the Emperor took me in, but when my coming of age came around, I wasn't even home - I was off at the battlefront.
...So I named myself. Zixi. It's more like 'the dawn', or 'daybreak'. I quite like it - even if it's my courtesy name. Traditionally, it's supposed to be more formal, and people are supposed to call me that instead of Gu Yun, but, I'm not all that traditional. Only my second in command really calls me by it now. [ a beat. ] And a few people here, because it was easier to remember.
[ the story of gu yun's courtesy name comes off almost arrogant, if you don't know him. he pronounced himself an adult and chose his own name, with no approval from anyone. but - if you do, it starts to make sense. he'd never really had the ability to rely on his family for anything, because they were gone, and the path that gu yun forged was the path of "gu yun", marquis of order, the blazing sun in great liang. he didn't want to separate from that, necessarily, either, because it is the person he'll always be.
but there's something inherently personal, about letting people call you the name you chose for yourself. ]
...This is all a rather long winded way to say, if you'd like, you can call me Zixi, not just Gu Yun.
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she's quiet for a long, long moment, listening, taking that in - taking the gift he is giving her.]
Zixi. [she murmurs, turning to press a kiss against his cheek.] Zixi is cute.
[... a pause, and then, even softer:] You can call me Lup, if you want.
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That suits you far better than Wrath. [ yes. that's for sure. ] How very nice to meet you, Lup.
[ laughing a bit at his slightly hammy reintroduction (yes, gu yun thinks he is very cute), he returns the kiss to her warm cheek - the tip of his nose is cold, sorry - but it's just a peck. ]
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That's only for you, got it? Call me Wrath everywhere else. [...] But you can use it when it's just us, whenever you want. Zixi.
[she misses it. she misses her name.]
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[ he seems quite pleased about this. like, he's preening a little bit, as he tips his head against hers, cheek pressed to her hair, content. part of it is because of wrath - of lup's reactions, and part of it is the genuine joy he gets out of her company. it's been nice, getting to know her, and for all of the joking about being spoiled, it's a relatively new feeling for someone like gu yun, who still sleeps on a bed that's as hard as a board because he's never home. ]
How many lovely things shared between the two of us, Lup. I think I'll use it often - best to practice and get used to it, like this, hm?
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I don't know how you managed to do it! Just snuck right in there. [don't look at her ears.]
... Practice is fine, though. [she says after a moment.] I don't hear my name very often anymore.
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I'm rather good at finding my way into things when I want to, Lup. [ followed up immediately after with a nip to the shell of her ear, too. wehehehe. you've granted him too much power. ]
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she squeaks, when he bites the shell of her ear? and then immediately slaps at his shoulder, pushing his face away with her other hand. god.]
Menace! Menace. [but she's laughing, even if her ears are bright red.] Ugh. We'll see how long you're grinning once I have my hands on you.
[she shoves a bowl into his hand. and holds it, actually, just to make sure he's not going to drop it.] Eat.
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after all of that - the way he grins, delighted, against her hand pushing his face, after being scolded for being a menace, gu yun still has the absolute audacity to look down at the bowl, and then at lup.
and then bat his eyelashes and bite his lower lip. ] Like this, I'm not sure I can.. Perhaps you'd feed this humble Zixi?
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I'm going to make you eat something else if you don't stop. [:unamused: - she ushers him to a table.] I'm not going to feed you like a baby bird, you Candlenights ham. Sit down.
[and then:] Actually. I have a favor to ask.
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but, obediently, he goes to sit down, smiling and pleased with himself as he does. the gremlin grin only fades to the favor, and he tilts his head. ]
What is it?
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she flops down next to him in a chair.]
... I want you to introduce yourself to Despair. [she glances at him.] For, uh. Reasons.
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[ this clearly does not bother him that much. but, as he's reaching for a spoon to actually eat this absolutely amazing smelling dish lup made, he glances over at her. ] The two of you get on really well, right?
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