wenderer: (sitting on a roof no feet apart)
Wen Kexing | 温客行 ([personal profile] wenderer) wrote in [community profile] eastbound2021-07-31 04:55 pm

Video | un: a jug of wine amidst the flowers

[ A man with long dark hair, dressed in green silk robes, is lazily fanning himself and smiling, as he lounges by a campfire. He’s singing along with a group of children seated next to him:

Stitch by stitch,
The love of a witch
Will unravel

Dusk to dawn
Each morning to mourn
With blood and gravel


He lifts his hand, stopping them. ]


I think I’ve learned it now, I’ll teach you all a verse also, come listen.

[ He clears his throat, and in a formal style, speaks as if he were reciting before a large audience. As he does so, the man’s eyes drift away to something just out of view. ]

When mountain peaks wear away, when all the rivers run dry
When thunderstorms rumble in winter, and snow falls from the summer sky
When heaven and earth seal back together, only then will I dare to—


[ A hand abruptly darts out from off camera, obscuring the scene for a moment. When it draws away, the stone has been forcibly moved, revealing the face of another man. ]

That’s not why we’re here. We’ve found out a few things about Lord Arha. If the song these children have been singing is true, this ghost army isn’t trying to rescue anyone, it’s out for revenge.

[ The first man scoots back into the scene, sitting right next to and parking his chin on the second man’s shoulder. ]

Ah-Xu, the man was betrayed!

[ He clicks his tongue, shaking his head sadly.]

He went to rescue his lady, but she joined hands with her enemies instead. The whole army was slaughtered!

[ "Ah-Xu," with a slightly frozen smile, says through his teeth: ]

Keep it down.

[ The undead army is clearly changing its guard in the background. More softly, the first man says, leaning towards the stone: ]

I’ve met some people who say they know how to deal with ghosts. Kindly share your knowledge, I have a feeling we’re all going to need it.

[ Meanwhile, the children have started softly singing again:

Love, her love
Hatisse’s sweet dove
Arha fell last

Vowed to return
His lady to scorn
And spit on their past

With strike of sword
The love of a lord
Will unravel

Dawn to dusk
His memory a husk
Each year he will travel.



ooc: replies from Wen Kexing [personal profile] wenderer and/or Zhou Zishu [personal profile] fated_dance ]
weifinder: (smile | all i gotta do is walk)

un: wei laozu

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-08-01 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
Did rather suspect that was the case, but yes, this is one more piece to fit that puzzle. One of the former ghost soldiers recalled similar before he passed on.

( A pause. )

Myself and an associate in the loosest possible sense of the term can see about playing to guiding that resentment to settle, but Arha and Hatisse need settling I won't be able to manage without sealing the rest first, then releasing them one by one after.
weifinder: (oh... | still sweating from the rush)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-08-01 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
Far be it from me to turn down willing hands, as long as they remain respectful, too.

( we're here to lay people to rest not eradicate them ruthlessly, and all )
weifinder: (pains | running out of time)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-08-01 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
( He sighs. )

Hatisse and Arha are the ones who need settling first. Which is my suggestion for sealing away and holding off the two other ghost forces—army and merchant caravan of years past. Keeping them calm, settling them enough not to attack is different from solving their resentment.

The ghost we spoke with before he dissipated was tired of having to do this. He said only Arha remained deluded. They're not all called to the same purpose; they're loyal to their leader.

( Hence targeting Arha and Hatisse, deal with the rest after. )
downswing: (extend)

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[personal profile] downswing 2021-08-01 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
'Die.' Your verse.

Then, no love forfeited between the pair.
softheartedshizun: (pic#14182109)

UN: peerless cucumber

[personal profile] softheartedshizun 2021-08-01 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Am I suppose to be suprised? Wasn't that a given? Wasn't that an ultimate conclusion? It's not a twist, It's almost a crime to be anything else.
fated_dance: (06)

un: in a manor of speaking

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Did he happen to say how he was keeping them calm? Or why Arha remains deluded?
fated_dance: (01)

un: in a manor of speaking

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
There is permanent death, then there is lingering. [ He speaks from experience. :| ]

And helping the former while not sacrificing the living.
downswing: (pokegot)

[personal profile] downswing 2021-08-01 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
The woman yet lived long.

If revenge were at play, what stalled the spirits?
downswing: (j'adoube)

[personal profile] downswing 2021-08-01 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
How cruel.
fated_dance: (06)

un: in a manor of speaking

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
Surprised or not a twist or not, compiling -

[ Zishu sighs at his soulmate's words, dropping his gaze. ]

Compiling what we know and what we can do is the best way forward. Am I wrong?
softheartedshizun: (008)

[personal profile] softheartedshizun 2021-08-01 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
And you look like a bee ready to buzz in every flower he sees.
Edited 2021-08-01 02:04 (UTC)
fated_dance: (Hmph)

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
Long of life does not always mean the spirit was ready to pass on when the body fell.

Ah. Yes. That is the question here.
softheartedshizun: (002)

[personal profile] softheartedshizun 2021-08-01 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
We should definitely find all the flags and unlock all the lore.

[ He had not quite settled in how he wished to present himself in this world yet. ]

But what is our goal in relation to this exactly? Does his revenge make retur in home more dificult or easier?
fated_dance: (Hmph)

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
That is the purpose of this message.

[ At...least...his purpose of it. Kexing is just ridiculous but he can't help but love him. ]

Do you wish to chance dying to see if that returns you home?
lancifolium: (pic#14853995)

un: any fin is possible (text)

[personal profile] lancifolium 2021-08-01 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
She promised she would open the gates for them, and instead she and the other witches took his army down from high on the wall. Revenge makes perfect sense though it is terrible news for those of us traveling with them.
fated_dance: (Worried)

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Zishu stares right back, seemingly impassive - but his Lao Wen knows him better than that, doesn't he? ]
fated_dance: (Hmph)

un: in a manor of speaking

[personal profile] fated_dance 2021-08-01 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
So is it better to stay with them, or try and break away?
weifinder: (headache | from the cold?)

[personal profile] weifinder 2021-08-01 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
Arha's not keeping anyone calm except through the same avenues that he retains their direction and loyalty. As to why Arha remains deluded, the soldier implied it was by choice. Not wanting to believe, perhaps, or unmaking one truth if only he can go fast enough. What can I say? The letters advised not to come, he went; at the gates, his army burned.
downswing: (value)

[personal profile] downswing 2021-08-01 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
You trust in the song?

The work of children. Of voices in the wind.
softheartedshizun: (162)

[personal profile] softheartedshizun 2021-08-01 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
Who are you showing off for? Who is suppose to care? Best flower after how many? Congratulations, good for you, do you need a prize? Clearly you have one already, so be quiet and sit down and let the adults talk.

Page 1 of 9