audio | un: yiling patriarch | early on during the summit

[weifinder]

I've been whistling while I work, and I have yet to find any response whatsoever. Which is to say, ( he continues, almost at a laconic drawl: ) to any and all of my fellow ragtag members of the eastward bound Merchant's caravan with a gift for detecting life, death, or anything of the spirit: have you felt anything?

( he freely admits to how unnerving it is to him to have no reaction, no response whatsoever, when he reaches out to find the resentful energies that have been throughout all of this world they've wandered since his arrival, well over a year before. )

Because I, for one, can't find a damn thing.

Comments

[binghua]

[You're just saving some of the fun for the rest of us. "Fun."]

Shuanghua? It has alerted me to the presence of undead on every leg of our journey thus far. It can detect corpse energy from about half a li away and alerts me instantly.

[weifinder]

You've been practising good patience.

( he's noting. which, ah, he knows... why, but is flad for it versus the alternate. )

And no sense of any death here according to Shuanghua. Will you inform me if that changes at any point?

[binghua]

Patience, perhaps. Caution, more likely.

[Learning you killed a lot of innocent people sure kills your confidence, too!]

I will.

[weifinder]

Caution and patience go hand in hand, often enough. Not something a younger me was as capable of swallowing down well.

[binghua]

Not all learning is easy. It is in our human natures to push back against that which we do not understand.

[weifinder]

Or to embrace the lack of understanding and to seek to understand. People have more nuance, but I admit, more often fear leads to hate than leads to pursuit of knowledge.

[binghua]

It does, but I can understand that reasoning, even if I do not necessarily agree with it. To the average person, facing the unknown is risky. Why would they stick their hand out if there is any chance of being bitten? It is more prudent to stick to the comforts they know, to keep their hands warm and safe inside their sleeves.

[weifinder]

Hence a need for defenders, and those who see the impossible and act anyway.

[binghua]

...People like you.

[It's not an accusation, but rather a simple statement. Praise, except Xingchen is not trying to curry any favor.]

[weifinder]

Mm. So it is, yes.

( he would say, people also like Lan Zhan, but he thinks: these are things his martial uncle can understand or not on his own, from his time here if nothing else. )

[binghua]

[That isn't a rejection of the idea, but neither does Wei Wuxian seem to accept it fully. That's fine; Xingchen backs off of the subject. He said what he said.]

Which half of Serthica has claimed you? Perhaps we shall bump into each other here.

[weifinder]

Eidris, that with the dragons. What of yourself?

[binghua]

I have also been assigned to Eidris. Have you seen any of the dragons yet?

[weifinder]

Ah, yes, at a distance. Did you wish to meet with them tomorrow? From my understanding, if you were to be, ah, willing to open yourself to a bond and are accepted, you can... share with each other. Emotions at least, but who knows?

[binghua]

[An opportunity to meet a dragon? In the flesh? Xingchen nearly jumps at the chance, especially since it seems the dragons in Serthica are much more amenable to the presence of humans than the one in Sa-Hareth. But if the price is emotions...]

Ah, as much as this one would like that, it would be irresponsible of him to...share such emotions with an innocent creature.

[weifinder]

Fear not, martial uncle, these dragons are older than you are! Hardly innocent, and you'd hardly be their first human bond.

[binghua]

I don't know...

[It still seems like a lot.]

If I could simply meet one without bonding with it, that would be more than wonderful.

[weifinder]

Sure, should be easy enough, as long as you're willing to come with me.

[binghua]

I have no qualms with that.

[weifinder]

Then I'll find you—where are you staying?

[binghua]

With Zhou Zishu.

[And then he describes the abandoned house one of them undoubtedly claimed somewhere and it's really a place I promise, but heck if I know where it is.]

[weifinder]

Oh! Ask if he'd like to come along too!

[binghua]

Mn. I will.