pc catchall | chasma | rika

[yueshen]

will this shitpost work? who knows

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w0, friday

[yueshen]

[ nothing says happy friday like a death announcement!!

i mean, xie lian is in the courtyard currently, looking fairly agitated - it appears he's looking through his notes from earlier in the day. spotting rika, though, he stops what he's doing, and the agitation smooths off of his face into something a little softer. ]

Hello, Miss Rika. I'm glad to see that you're alright...

[syndromed]

[ she comes over to stand beside xie lian, as she apparently likes to do. bernkastel is a blue butterfly, sitting on her shoulder. ]

You too. This is all pretty scary, huh?

[yueshen]

[ he glances down at her, hands tucked in his sleeves. san lang is a ferret, again, a little bristly, wrapped around xie lian's neck as he has been often in the past few days. ]

It is, for many reasons. I pray that Marius will be able to rest easily - though I have many questions about what could have happened. If it was a spectre, or who only knows what.

...How are you feeling about it, Miss Rika?

[syndromed]

[ she hesitates for a long moment. ]

Mii... I don't know. It seems like kids are safe from lots of stuff here, so I don't know if I should be scared or not.

[ you should still care that someone died but okay, rika. ]

[yueshen]

[ he's patient through the hesitation, and then tilts his head. it's an interesting reaction, but... kids are kids, so, xie lian's not really all that surprised by it. he makes a little noise of understanding. ]

That is true. Those of us who are young may end up having to protect those who aren't. Be brave, for those who may still be scared.

[ ... ] It is a very strange situation we've found ourselves in, isn't it?

w0, sunday

[syndromed]

[ rika has mostly just approached xie lian without hesitation, since they all arrived here. but this time she's not as quick to come bug him...

still, sometime after he's been tended to by everyone else, she sidles over to him after all. then even when she's here, it takes her a moment to say anything. ]

... Can I do anything for you?

[yueshen]

[ oh, rika... xie lian's in the hotel lobby today, wearing bandages around his chest - he does seem to be okay, holding a cup of tea in his hands, and he gives rika a slight smile. ]

I think I am alright. [ is he. ] Thank you - that's very kind of you to offer, Miss Rika.

[ a pause. the slight hesitation doesn't go unnoticed - he's observant, so. ] ...Are you alright, yourself?

[syndromed]

I'm okay.

I don't have to be as afraid of the spectres as everyone else. I think.

[ so there's that. ]

[yueshen]

That's right - since you are so young.

[ quiet, for a moment longer. ]

And about what happened, beyond that?

[syndromed]

You killed someone who was bad. He had killed someone else for his own selfish reasons.

[ there's no reason for her to feel anything about that at all.

better not to say that. she still looks subdued, because she knows that xie lian isn't pleased by it. ]

w1, sunday

[yueshen]

[ after the execution, xie lian is in the courtyard of the castle, practicing what look to be sword forms, in a whirl of brown hair and white silk. he's breathing harder than he should be - it seems he's been at this for a while, if the slightly pink splotches at his chest of an injury that isn't quite healed under his bandages aren't another indication.

his blade is in his hand, since there's no one around. fang xin is pitch black and seems to absorb the light of the bioluminescent plants around it with each swing - san lang, a qilin, dodges out of xie lian's way, leaping past the point of each strike in a graceful dance, back and forth.

after a moment of this, though, san lang notices the presence of another, and makes a noise - xie lian turns, too, and gently plants the tip of his blade in the ground. ]

Oh. Miss Rika... how long have you been there?

[syndromed]

[ rika is sitting nearby, at a safe vantage point. swinging her legs lightly, too high up for them to reach the ground. ]

Not long.

[ that's probably a lie. ]

... I had never seen anyone fight with a sword, before coming here. It reminds me of the dances I have to learn.

[yueshen]

[ he has a feeling that's probably not true, but he appreciates it, anyway. rika was very nice in not making him feel awkward about it.... though, he probably wouldn't have anyway. ]

That's quite surprising - I have come to learn there are many worlds far, far different than my own, in my time here.

[ he smiles a little, though, and moves to put the sword in its sheath. ] What sort of dances - what do you have to learn them for?

[syndromed]

Me too. It's really amazing how different things can be.

[ rika hops down from where she was sitting, and kind of... mimes... swinging a hoe? ]

I perform the ceremonial dance at the watanagashi festival.

week 2, post trial!

[yueshen]

[ i missed you for a memshare because laughs in cyoa but lets hit one at some point here

anyway here is xie lian! after all of that, he is sitting outside near one of the canals, feet hanging over the edge. he looks... more healed than he did before, which is nice! someone did him a favor, maybe.

either way, he's got san lang in his lap as a ferret, and is petting him absently. at the sound of footsteps, he glances over. ]

Good evening, Miss Rika.

[syndromed]

[ nooo problem! and yes. i want mems... grabby hands...

rika comes over and sits down next to him, as per usual. ]

Good evening... We managed to catch someone guilty again. [ but it was closer than last time. ]

[yueshen]

[ their usual meditating time!!! he has a smile for rika, gentle. ]

We did, although... truthfully, I still feel quite confused about the details. A situation that feels as though it gave us more questions, than answers.

[syndromed]

[ mm. she kicks her feet... ]

... Mm. A lot of the mystery was left unsolved.

But there seem to be people leading us to the right answers, even if we don't truly solve the equation.

w4 | wednesday

[syndromed]

[ hello, rika is approaching xie lian at the tournament area! possibly keeping some distance, depending on if he's practicing with a sword again. ]

This must be a nice place to have for you.

[yueshen]

[ xie lian is probably watching a match, today, or coming out of one!! spotting rika, though, he offers her a smile and a polite bow, fist to his hand. ]

It is nice! Watching the combatants has been my favorite activity since we've arrived. [ he does look very, very happy. ] Have you been able to take in any matches, Miss Rika?

[syndromed]

[ oh, she bows too! gotta be polite.

then: ]

... No. I'm a little bit weary of watching people fight, to be honest.

w5, tuesday!

[yueshen]

[ hello rika! xie lian is also here at the ice maze today. he's wearing a sweater over his robes and... maybe a scarf? no, that's san lang, wrapped in ferret form tightly around his neck.

he's making his way through the maze, one hand covered by his sleeve and tracking along the wall, but. he is probably kind of lost, so, seeing another person is nice. ]

Oh! Hello, Miss Rika.

[ san lang lifts his head and chitters in bernkastel's direction wherever it is. hello! ]

[syndromed]

Oh! Hello.

[ she gives him a little bow in greeting, and bernkastel... meows pleasantly from behind rika's feet. that's pretty rare, she usually seems very indifferent! nice.

rika is also bundled up, though it does seem like the big scarf around her neck has more to do with this week's injury effect than it does keeping warm. ]

Are you having more luck than me? I haven't been able to find my way out yet.

[yueshen]

[ xie lian returns the bow immediately, just as polite: and when bernkastel meows, san lang makes a happy chittering noise and unwinds himself from around xie lian's neck to hop down to touch noses with the cat in greeting. what a polite ferret.

xie lian himself laughs a little wryly, glancing back at where he came from. ]

...Well... not really. [ rip. ] But - I am known to have very good luck. Perhaps, if we travel together, we can find our way out?

[syndromed]

[ nose boops! ]

My bad luck might cancel out your good luck. But I'd still like some company!