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.
[she takes his hand, and does, in fact take him to bed - probably his own. her goal is to wear him the fuck out so that he sleeps, and she refuses to let him do anything for her in return.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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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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Uh huh. [she says, amused.] Reminds me a bit of when I was a kid.
[she holds out a hand.] Do you want more? Or can I whisk you off to bed?
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[ with that, gu yun lifts his hand to place it in hers. ]
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spoiled!!]
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goodnight sweet marquis rest in shit ]