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?
I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly. [ gu yun who tends to offend people with his smart mouth twenty times a day will surely have no problems! no, he's kidding. he will be so charming. (?)
there's a pause, briefly, as genuine joy filters across his face on first bite of the stew - this is delicious, what the fuck - and it takes him a good minute of trying to like, stop eating it for a second to actually answer the question. ]
But, alright - easily done. I'd been planning on reaching out to some of the others I haven't talked to as much, but this week was rather busy. [ TO SAY THE LEAST. ] There's still the question of the final two objects we found, too. I'm not sure who to return them to - in fact, I'm not sure what would've happened to Vlad's.
[oh, she's so flattered by how happy gu yun is to eat her food? wow? if he glances up at the right time, one of the cracks on her face carefully closes up.]
Yeah, this week was a lot. [as for the rest:] Well, what stuff do you have?
[ wow he's gonna make lup happy until she's de-lava'd you got it
anyway. IT'S REALLY GOOD!!! one of the benefits of having a lack of senses in some places is the strength in others - complex flavors are good to him, as long as they're not too spicy or too vinegary strong. this is perfect; its unlike something he'd eat on his own in great liang, with lots of delicious flavors, and... he's like, willingly eating vegetables which is wild in its own right. gu yun continues eating very enthusiastically, while she's talking, eyes on her face and watching that crack. ]
Childe has a novel - I think that might be Envy's. But I have a figurine... it's of some sort of warrior, and made of metal? The person looks like they could be from Dong Ying, [ fantasy japan ] but, it's hard to tell.
Alright. I'll try and figure it out - I do love a puzzle. [ between the information he'd gotten and a little help from wrath, gu yun's got a pretty good idea of where to send it. or... at least, a fifty-fifty shot? it's fine. he'll figure it out.
the stew's gone in like. minutes - it's while he's eating that a final memory seems to kick into play... ]
[ ... and the world fades around to the voice of a little girl.
big brother, the marquis is back!
when you blink, it's the cold of january, and you're standing at the front gates of a curled roof manor - the marquis manor, your manor. footsteps come clamoring down the front path, and for a moment, you're left confused, because when did a little girl move into your house? have you lost your mind? is the willow tree in the courtyard coming to life?
...that little girl is actually one of the three wards from yanhui town. cao niangzi, dressed up like a little lady at new years, beams at you when round the corner. "Big brother Chang Geng said that today is the marquis' birthday, he has told everyone to wait for you to come back! General Shen also came, just in time! We can all eat noodles together."
general shen stands beside you - your second in command, your closest friend. he snorts, low, and gives you a look that screams "feel guilty yet?" but you ignore it, because you are really good at ignoring that old maid when he wants to be a nag, and instead, make your way into the courtyard proper.
when was the last time you celebrated your birthday? you're too young to consider celebrations with large family (and all of your family is dead), and too old for the joy of a childish birthday party. you're never home for your birthday, either, and there are too many connotations that go with the date that make it anything worth celebrating. sometimes, your butler makes noodles, if you're there, but it's another january day like any.
but today, you're led into the courtyard, where a ridiculous sight awaits you. the iron sword training dummy in the courtyard - an automated, simple robot that has been around since you were a child - has been dressed up. it's covered in bright lights and flowers, with an old silk robe hanging around its iron arms; there are even two dots of rouge on its cheeks. it stares blankly at you, holding a bowl of noodles, and standing beside, proud of their work, are those three yanhui town kids. cao niangzi, ge ban xiao (as fat and round as a meatball, beaming the widest) and chang geng.
chang geng is fourteen. he still has traces of baby fat in his cheeks - you can still see the boy you rescued from the wolves when you look at him, sometimes. he looks more embarrassed at his work than the other two, especially because ge ban xiao immediately sells him out, chirping, "Marquis, sir! That fake girl helped apply the blushes, I helped make the fire for cooking the noodles, and big brother put in the egg!"
your eyes shift to chang geng. he looks away from you, trying to keep his frown in place, and for a moment, you're dumbfounded by the warmth of the scene in front of you.
you step forward. chang geng scoffs. "yifu, at least eat the noodles before you enter the door." ]
Alright. [ you say, quietly - because it's bad luck to cross the threshold of the house before you eat your longevity noodles - and pick up the bowl of noodles from the hand of the iron puppets. you look between the three of them, and then specifically, you look at chang geng, as you grab a bite with egg in it and slurp it down.
the very first thing you bite is a crisp fragment of an eggshell.
you eat the entire bowl in one sitting, anyway, to the delight and amazement of cao niangzi and ge ban xiao, and when you look up again, even chang geng is smiling.
and for the first time in a long time, "coming back from the frontier" feels like "coming home ]
wrath, by nature, is a big old softy on the inside. and food has always been her way of showing affection, showing care. this is exactly her language, the way these kids stumble forward and grin and shove noodles into his hands. it reminds her of the first time she and her brother proudly showed their aunt a pie, clumsy but theirs.
she sort of aches at the memory, but it's a good one nonetheless.]
They must care about you a lot. [she says, finally, glancing at him with a little smile.]
[ it seems to almost... take him a second, to get that? like the comment itself caught him off guard. gu yun blinks as the memory fades out, something warm and squirming and unfamiliar wrapping tight around his heart. ]
...Mm. [ He Can't Just Say That but his expression gets soft, for a second. ] The younger two are tagalongs from Yanhui Town, but Chang Geng is my ward. I think they were likely just glad for the excuse to throw a party.
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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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We do, yeah. [...] We have - an understanding. We're a lot alike, in some ways.
I also want you to talk to Sloth, but that's less for Reasons and more because I want them to have more friends.
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I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly. [ gu yun who tends to offend people with his smart mouth twenty times a day will surely have no problems! no, he's kidding. he will be so charming. (?)
there's a pause, briefly, as genuine joy filters across his face on first bite of the stew - this is delicious, what the fuck - and it takes him a good minute of trying to like, stop eating it for a second to actually answer the question. ]
But, alright - easily done. I'd been planning on reaching out to some of the others I haven't talked to as much, but this week was rather busy. [ TO SAY THE LEAST. ] There's still the question of the final two objects we found, too. I'm not sure who to return them to - in fact, I'm not sure what would've happened to Vlad's.
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Yeah, this week was a lot. [as for the rest:] Well, what stuff do you have?
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anyway. IT'S REALLY GOOD!!! one of the benefits of having a lack of senses in some places is the strength in others - complex flavors are good to him, as long as they're not too spicy or too vinegary strong. this is perfect; its unlike something he'd eat on his own in great liang, with lots of delicious flavors, and... he's like, willingly eating vegetables which is wild in its own right. gu yun continues eating very enthusiastically, while she's talking, eyes on her face and watching that crack. ]
Childe has a novel - I think that might be Envy's. But I have a figurine... it's of some sort of warrior, and made of metal? The person looks like they could be from Dong Ying, [ fantasy japan ] but, it's hard to tell.
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Hmm. I'd say, uh - as far as the figurine goes? Whoever you think would want that the least is where it should go.
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Alright. I'll try and figure it out - I do love a puzzle. [ between the information he'd gotten and a little help from wrath, gu yun's got a pretty good idea of where to send it. or... at least, a fifty-fifty shot? it's fine. he'll figure it out.
the stew's gone in like. minutes - it's while he's eating that a final memory seems to kick into play... ]
[ ... and the world fades around to the voice of a little girl.
big brother, the marquis is back!
when you blink, it's the cold of january, and you're standing at the front gates of a curled roof manor - the marquis manor, your manor. footsteps come clamoring down the front path, and for a moment, you're left confused, because when did a little girl move into your house? have you lost your mind? is the willow tree in the courtyard coming to life?
...that little girl is actually one of the three wards from yanhui town. cao niangzi, dressed up like a little lady at new years, beams at you when round the corner. "Big brother Chang Geng said that today is the marquis' birthday, he has told everyone to wait for you to come back! General Shen also came, just in time! We can all eat noodles together."
general shen stands beside you - your second in command, your closest friend. he snorts, low, and gives you a look that screams "feel guilty yet?" but you ignore it, because you are really good at ignoring that old maid when he wants to be a nag, and instead, make your way into the courtyard proper.
when was the last time you celebrated your birthday? you're too young to consider celebrations with large family (and all of your family is dead), and too old for the joy of a childish birthday party. you're never home for your birthday, either, and there are too many connotations that go with the date that make it anything worth celebrating. sometimes, your butler makes noodles, if you're there, but it's another january day like any.
but today, you're led into the courtyard, where a ridiculous sight awaits you. the iron sword training dummy in the courtyard - an automated, simple robot that has been around since you were a child - has been dressed up. it's covered in bright lights and flowers, with an old silk robe hanging around its iron arms; there are even two dots of rouge on its cheeks. it stares blankly at you, holding a bowl of noodles, and standing beside, proud of their work, are those three yanhui town kids. cao niangzi, ge ban xiao (as fat and round as a meatball, beaming the widest) and chang geng.
chang geng is fourteen. he still has traces of baby fat in his cheeks - you can still see the boy you rescued from the wolves when you look at him, sometimes. he looks more embarrassed at his work than the other two, especially because ge ban xiao immediately sells him out, chirping, "Marquis, sir! That fake girl helped apply the blushes, I helped make the fire for cooking the noodles, and big brother put in the egg!"
your eyes shift to chang geng. he looks away from you, trying to keep his frown in place, and for a moment, you're dumbfounded by the warmth of the scene in front of you.
you step forward. chang geng scoffs. "yifu, at least eat the noodles before you enter the door." ]
Alright. [ you say, quietly - because it's bad luck to cross the threshold of the house before you eat your longevity noodles - and pick up the bowl of noodles from the hand of the iron puppets. you look between the three of them, and then specifically, you look at chang geng, as you grab a bite with egg in it and slurp it down.
the very first thing you bite is a crisp fragment of an eggshell.
you eat the entire bowl in one sitting, anyway, to the delight and amazement of cao niangzi and ge ban xiao, and when you look up again, even chang geng is smiling.
and for the first time in a long time, "coming back from the frontier" feels like "coming home ]
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wrath, by nature, is a big old softy on the inside. and food has always been her way of showing affection, showing care. this is exactly her language, the way these kids stumble forward and grin and shove noodles into his hands. it reminds her of the first time she and her brother proudly showed their aunt a pie, clumsy but theirs.
she sort of aches at the memory, but it's a good one nonetheless.]
They must care about you a lot. [she says, finally, glancing at him with a little smile.]
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...Mm. [ He Can't Just Say That but his expression gets soft, for a second. ] The younger two are tagalongs from Yanhui Town, but Chang Geng is my ward. I think they were likely just glad for the excuse to throw a party.
[ maybe. maybe he cares a lot about them too. ]
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