username: yiling laozu | video

[weifinder]

( a smile from the man on camera, and a wave of his fingers against the backdrop of an ice wall. )

To those who know me not at all, or less well than others of our number do, I'm Wei Wuxian.

( hands lifted, he offers a polite, perfunctory sort of bow, paired to the clasping of fingers over the other hand's set. they drop out of frame, and he looks a touch more serious, dark eyes fathomless. or maybe it's all in the lighting. (the lack of proper lighting. torchlight keeps him flickering in reds and oranges.) )

The king mentioned Irenia in passing, the dragon? She was thieved away from a lord of death our group knows of, and has run into several times. His name's Anurr, he's the, ah, very slightly less horrible option for being enslaved by death lords, and from Sa-Hareth. Trailing after us with his creatures or his shifting loyalties, never trust his kind voice, Eleven can tell you about that! Five, I'm sure, can tell you more, as can Xie Lian, or Xiao Xingchen. All members of our group, as it were. Anyway!

( he claps his hands, and grins. a little crinkling around his eyes makes him almost seem truly merry, instead of merrily dry. )

Irenia lured far enough west can be called back to Anurr's dubious graces. Far enough east, and with a different strong pull on her mind, maybe, maybe we can free her. Either way, I recommend we do one or the other, because space to crash a being who never asked to be used as she is is limited, and using the keep itself in poor taste, as it defends this world from hell. Apparently. Very exciting stuff!

( ball's in your court now, chaos crew! )

Comments

[rehandle]

[ There's a moment, here, fleeting, where his expression sobers. Two years. Stephen's been in scrapes before, been lost to other worlds and trapped in cages of time of his own creation. But at length? Only ever of his own volition. All of his accidents have been brief, caught away from home by circumstance usually for no more than a week. Something like this was perhaps inevitable given his line of work, but that doesn't mean he's quite allowed it to fully dawn on him that it may not resolve itself sooner rather than later. That he might not resolve it just as quickly, if it nobody else steps in.

He shakes it off with a blink, an uptick of the same wry smile slow realisation had briefly smothered just before. ]

I'd say luck's in your favor on balance. Some of us only have the people least likely to be happy to see us of anyone from our universe for homeworld company. [ Is that a bad commentary on himself? Maybe. Let's not think too hard about it. ] I envy you your family, but I'm glad you have them.

You're all cultivators?

[weifinder]

Oh, had those too. They just managed to get back through the gateways before we did.

( he says, still smiling, as if that's something casual to see. both were dead men he didn't see a reason to have remain alive, and knows are returned to either their horrors of sad miseries on the rest of the world around them.

he doesn't remotely appreciate the jest of that. )

We happen to be, yes. Most of us sword cultivators, not all. Wen Qing is an accomplished doctor, for one!

[rehandle]

[ Wen Qing. He hasn't met their medic yet, but he does at least recognise the name. ]

I'm glad to hear it. We've a Wen Qing assigned to the Southern Tower's medical needs.

[ An accomplished doctor is exactly what the... other... doctor... ordered. ]

[weifinder]

( he claps his hands, grinning. really he's apparently very relaxed for their given situation, but it's also more years of being around and his understanding that something, at all times, is actively seeking their doom. including their benefactor, if it takes down the death lords in the process. )

That's her! If you need help, or needling, go right to her. She's fantastic!

[rehandle]

I'll be sure to tell her you said so.

[ Free brownie points, just for you.

The enthusiasm and general lack of wartime malaise doesn't go missed, less surprising than it is telling. Everyone cope with things in their own ways, but only those familiar with this kind of strife can be themselves through it without showing cracks. It's another layer in a growing image. ]

Though if we want to lessen her workload, we'll get this dragon out of the way before there's an ice sculpture gallery on the south tower.

[weifinder]

( gesturing to his screen: )

On that point, clearly, we agree.