eastbound | Entries tagged with untamed: lan sizhui

After the message about being bored, I was thinking that, perhaps, I am better at listening to and remembering stories than telling them. Words don't necessarily come out... interesting when I try to give them back.

However, perhaps some music can alleviate boredom, too.

I know there are others who play the qin here, and all who know music well, please forgive me any mistakes.

[ And there will be some guqin music from Sizhui, for anyone who is interested in listening.

He does not imbue this will spiritual energy, unsure still how that might interact with the curse around them.

But the music itself tells stories. Stories from back home, and even stories from this world. He has been here for nearly three years, and while some of this time he did not have his instrument, he has been working on practicing for that time, and so here come melodies. Some that he has learned before, but now played with stories in mind, and some that he is cautiously weaving himself.

The qin's music is not loud, and it rarely lends itself to humorous. He tries to keep it from being sad as much as possible, though few stories from this world at least have ended up ... well. Some did hold hope, he believes. ]

blackscales

Good evening, dear friends, I'm in need of some extra hands. Narula and Caius Justus both need replacing to keep Ephes functioning, and unless we want a demon or a useless figure with no opinions in charge we need to act quickly.

I need security details both to keep the senate from losing any further members, and to keep supporters of Caius Justus from acting rash. Caelius Silvanus is already easily convinced it would be self-serving of him to step in now, so some additional hands to spread whispers will get us all voting in the same direction which will save us from a tie or a useless lack of votes. I have suggestions for a new leader of the hand, a veteran of sound mind who disagreed with Narula's methods, and a suggestion for stable replacement for Caius Justus who I believe we can sell easily enough.

If you have connections, wine, or any suitable blackmail to lean on now is the time to come forward and organise.

somebadnews

[ Five never enjoys addressing the network. When he does, it's usually with good reason. They aren't going to like what he has to say, but considering how close he is to it, he needs to tell them something before the situation escalates. Even if there's large parts he'll leave out to keep them from getting distracted.

That is to say: he did something. ]

I think we can come to an agreement that we've got problems that go beyond dark water. First of all, if you're still with the Hand, forget your assignment and leave. Get a group together to transport you, or find somewhere to seek refuge. I don't know what they're building towards, but at this point I'd say even the undead encampment is safer.

I know some of you are hesitant to jump into undead politics, but we're in the middle of them if we like it or not. [ Messalina seemed like an opportunity to fight fire with fire, but he has mixed feelings about the advice he gave her. In his defense, he didn't know everything he does now. ] Our shapeshifting friend in the Senate gave a pretty clear indication of the way things are going. I can't tell you if Messalina is the solution to our bigger issues, but she's not going to wait for us to decide.

In the meantime, if anyone has ideas on how to counteract the effects we keep hearing about, this is your chance to pitch them.

reparo

[ooc: This is set during the Annointed event of Unkharil.]

[The video shows the jungle for a moment, followed by a close-up of Hermione's face in the dark, illuminated by the Lumos spell at the tip of her wand. She looks wide-eyed, a little dishevelled, leaning against a massive tree trunk. She looks at the camera, trying to figure out the point she was going to make, opens her mouth, closes it. Pauses.

Then:] Drugs are bad. Prophecy drugs are bad. Don't do drugs, kids. [Another pause.] Are there even any kids around for this public service announcement? Probably not awake at this hour anyway...[She rubs one hand over her face, the wand still in said hand creating a bit of strobe light effect for anyone watching.]

Right - the point. I found the giant snake - not a Basilisk as I had suspected, given that I'm not petrified this time, but that's beyond the point. I have a vial for Deimar - and instructions, which I'll deliver, but I wanted to see if anyone else has...gone in? The jungle, for the anointment venom. [Merlin, this place is weird and these people are weird.]

For people keen to keep track - our Alem prince is meant to find who in his midst has bloodshed on their hands. I tried to ask if that meant people from Alem, or included us as well, but Kharil-asuk didn't answer.

[A pause.] Yes - that's it.

ghastleye

[ enter one (1) startlingly (...supernaturally) attractive young man: long dark hair in a slightly crooked braid, very fine red clothing, silver jewelry.. though he's missing an eye, the other hidden behind a patch. and his skin is, well, completely bloodless. corpse-white, you might say. dead, someone else might agree.

and behind him, puttering around in the background at the stove, a certain well-meaning culinary disaster. hm. ]

If one has questions about powerful ghosts-- [ the corner of his mouth lifts, smile polite. ] --one might ask a ghost.. of some small strength. Yes? I won't claim that the ghosts here are precisely the same as my kind, but they seem like enough. [ he taps a black nail against his cheek, smile curling a little higher. ] I do suggest not throwing salt at them if you'd rather not be eaten out of sheer affront.

[ a pause, a shift, fingers trailing down his braid to rub absently over a small coral pearl wound into it, the action obviously contemplative. ] I.. may.. be able to detain one of these ghosts next it appears. If you agree which you'd like. I promise nothing. [ particularly if it would distress his highness in any way.

a brief glance back at xie lian, a wave of his hand to indicate him. ] My husband can verify most of what I say, should you not trust a Calamity's word. [ .. see, xie lian, he's being helpful. ]

lanclan

[ The scene is one of steam and muffled, echoing male voices from elsewhere, tiles covering walls. Xichen's face is in shot, hair unbound and soaked where it falls down his bare shoulders, pink from the hot water (no fear, he has a thin robe shrugged off but tied about his waist out of shot) where he is leaning over the edge of the bath. ]

This is rather unorthodox, in many ways, as first meetings go. Pardon my appearance, robes are somewhat contradictory to my surroundings. [ But he's out of seclusion, in a strange realm, and this is the only way he knows to prove the bathhouse is safe: by using it. ] Some of you already know my younger brother, Lan Wangji. You may call me Lan Xichen.

[ He sighs, nasal and soft. More of an exhale. His smile hitches back up. ]

I now live above the bathhouse. Technically, [ here he glances over blandly to a pair of guffawing sailors in the background, lips pursing as he holds back his real opinion, ] this is a private residence, but it would be rude to deny access to those who wish to use the downstairs, so I would like to invite over anyone who wishes to bathe in something other than cold lake-water — if my housemates wouldn't mind, I should like to meet all of you, too.

There is a separate area for women, of course. Please use the rinsing stations before entering the main baths and wear something discreet, for the sake of others.

[ Xichen glances around as someone calls his name and there is a momentary wider shot of him soaked to the waist as he straightens to nod in answer, raking back his hair so it isn't stuck to his chest ~~you're welcome~~. He looks again to the video and smiles warmly, tilting his head in apology for the break in his attention. ]

It is seemingly busier in the afternoons.

reparo

[ -- and the camera starts transmitting, as someone pulls away from being very near Hermione. The talisman does not pick up the features of that person, at first, but what it does pick up is Hermione's faintly dazed murmur or:]

A-are you truly a witch?

[There is a brief pause, from the person - woman, you can see it's a woman (Miang-Si, if you've already met her) - in front of Hermione, before she darts forward again, darkening the view completely.

Before the trasmission cuts, from bodies pressing together too tightly, there is one audible clue: the sound of lips meeting lips in a surprisingly thorough kiss.]

- L A T E R -

[OH LOOK AT THAT, IT'S HERMIONE'S FACE. She looks a little more dishevelled than usual, a bit surprised.]

Th - [Clears her throat.] Did this thing turn on? [The indignity. Her first kiss in as long as she's been here, witnessed by the whole network. (Her first kiss with a girl, too! A woman even.) Earth swallow her up.

No, this is fine. She's going to grit her teeth and smile tensely.]

Right, so - on the bright side, I don't think Quangze suspects that I am one of her accomplices? The rest of the inhabitants still think I'm a writer of books on manners - there's something to be written about shoving your tongue in someone's mouth uninvited - regardless. I'm not - I've never met her before just now.

So, in light of that... Please all do me the favour of not mentioning to anyone that I am a you-know-what.

[ooc: Please consider this backdated to Miang-Si's parade on the 25th.]

weifinder

( The recording shows a small toad, black and red and gold, sitting in the palm of one hand. In another hand a brilliant emerald green toad is held, pointed in the direction of the smaller toad.

The smaller toad shifts to look "toward" the display, lifting up on front legs to address the one recording by pendant. )

I don't want to kiss the toad, Lan Zhan! Hnnngh.

( The toad, who spoke in Wei Wuxian's voice, shifts his legs and tiny bulk back around to stare down the larger toad. Who inflates its throat and offers a long, wheezing croak. )

Ugh. Fine. For the sake of proving this works before anyone else suffers through this —

( He abruptly leaps forward, smashing his small toad face into the larger toad's face. How does one kiss a toad when one has no notably amount of lip? Both Wei Toadxian's front feet plaster against the larger toad's face, attempting to keep the other toad respectable. Holding the awkward position for excruciating seconds. He falls backward, kicking off the other toad, to flop back into Lan Wangji's open palm. )

Was that long enough? I don't —

( Abruptly the image shakes with a yelp of Wei Wuxian's surprise as the screen is filled with pale flesh, mud, and the sudden forward falling scramble of a man who has now found himself with a palm filled with the weight of an adult human male. Welcome to the darkness, shifting, squelching sounds of mud and an irate toad expressing its displeasure even as Lan Wangji's equally excruciatingly dry voice ends the video with a: )

... efficient.

3point0

Okay so here's the deal, I ran into one of the staff members emptying the trash from carriage 48 and a whole mess of dream boxes fell out. I mean like, a lot, both the last two days.

Don't know if that's what we smuggled them all in for, but they'd all been used. And the guy was spooked. Apparently the bigger ones cause attacks to the train or whole trains to be pulled into the dream or for the user to be able to pull parts of the dream into reality.

But here's the thing, he also said that a small-scale user could take the box and rewrite parts of reality with it. Pretty cool, right? How many boxes do you think there were? 'Cause we might be here awhile.

Oh, and he also said that you can always tell when something's a living dream, because they don't sleep. No matter how hard a thief tries to get them to. Sounds kinda awful.

Wait wait, before I go, Nynaeve wants me to ask if anyone's heard anything about the herbs or the tools going missing? 'Cause we don't know when those disappeared, right?

wooden_one

There is a child. His name is Xia Sini.

[Those who know Chinese may realize that name is a homophone for 'Scare You to Death'.]

Don't mind him. He can take care of himself.

[Aka, that five year old is him running around trying to conserve medicine. This is not child neglect. He just doesn't want to admit to being a five year old and he's shit at lying.]

Private to Wen Qing

Miss Wen. I understand things have been busy but have you had the chance to replicate my medicine?

weifinder

( sounding subdued, wei wuxian speaks out on network again! really we're all tired of hearing from this guy, get him a new hobby, like knitting. those needles are great impromptu weapons! ask wen qing. ~~don't ask wen qing.~~. )

Hey. For those partnered with dragons, you'll know what I mean when I say that yesterday's hatching was emotional. I felt mixed joy and dread from Lethe intense enough to bring me to tears.

I reached out to a fellow member of our group, Wrathion, in an attempt to understand why. He found their mother Aiva at a loss to explain how she felt at the time of hatching, but with the moment passed, believing her young were fine. She sensed nothing awry. Her major concern rested with her mate's injury, and her irate belief that it was caused by a Minaras scouting airship, or so her shared images conveyed. He then coaxed the new mother into allowing us near the newborns for a brief examination.

( he pauses here, then sighs. this is not the sort of thing he finds enjoyable to say. it's simply important. )

We found that the infant dragons appear alive to sight and touch. But according to my sense of death and life, they're dead. Not possessed, not puppeted, just... dead. Which is different, as the citadel makes it impossible to tell the living from the dead otherwise. The only place you can is in the Mouse House.

( a final pause, and a solemn consideration: )

I don't know that anything survived that plague years ago. This feels more and more like a mockery of life forced on the dead.

blackscales

[ Wrathion reporting in with another scheme, this time one he needs assistance with. ]

Myself, Licyn and Moran were among those who assisted the Lady Arabella to safety during the summit. She discarded a key along the way that her assistant was attempting to give her, claiming it wasn't hers. On inspection this key is old, greasy, and has the phrase 'wake up' engraved into it. A meaningful message, I assume, like the one delivered to her previously with flowers. The key itself appears to be from the Ubiq factory in Eidris, which I have managed to gain myself an invite to tour after some trouble. I have a suspicion the key is for a winding mechanism, perhaps a clock given the engraved phrase. Regardless, it doesn't fit the style of a door or window key.

Licyn and the Doctor managed to track the grease on the key to the Mouse House. We have an idea of where it might have been, now we need to learn exactly what the key is for.

If you have the time, a useful role involving factories, gears, winding mechanisms and the like, and would care to join me on such a tour do let me know. I suspect this will help us piece together the bigger picture of what is happening here. Someone attempted to give Arabella this key for a reason, and understanding what it is for will help unlock why.

[ ooc: some info is available on things they might find already, but we can always ask more! ]

reparo

[The talisman starts transmitting almost out of spite, catching a few seconds of Hermione chopping herbs meticulously, in what looks like her room in the teahouse. The few days before departure are very clearly spent preparing supplies for the road, with her cauldrons bubbling happily away.

She brings her herbs over to one cauldron and drops them inside, picking up a spoon to stir, muttering under her breath:] Ten counter clock this time, maybe it will be stronger - no replacement for - [She flinches, her jaw twitching where she grits it.

Somewhere in her head, she is treated to a cacophony of Ke-Waihu's dead, the most recent ones outraged that they were not rescued sooner by all these strangers. You stir your potions and tell us to mind that face paints aren't poisoned, but do you do anything for us? Where were you when the beasts attacked?

A from Hermione in stirring, the sudden flash of anger in her face at having lost track of her counterclock-wise strokes, and to anyone unwise to what's happening, she snaps at thin air:] Will you shut up for ONE MINUTE - all of you --

[She freezes in place, and looks at the talisman, propped onto the worktable next to her.] Shit. [The feed stops.]

[ooc: SOMEONE signed up to absorb some volcano spirits and now SOMEONE can hear the dead and the dead have A LOT to say right now so now SOMEONE might be extremely angry. (Set before sea-travel, after Subaru's post announcing it.)]

paperbutterflies

ooc: Dated to after the visit to Ke-Waiar. I took forever...

[ Sizui's expression is thoughtful and concerned, though not too far from serenity. He was worried about Wei Wuxian but also a lot of other people, after all. ]

This is Lan Sizhui, and I would share some recently acquired knowledge from a nearby village.

For those who did not go to Ke-Waiar in the recent attempt to bring different water from there, we encountered a strange ailment plaguing a number of the villagers - while normal and polite people during the day, by evening they would become angry and short-tempered, and at night they would turn into creatures that are part wolf, aggressive and dangerous. Lycanthropy, it seems to be called, and the residents of Ke-Waiar have built structures in the trees in the woods nearby to make sure anyone not suffering from it but caught outside the village has shelter from their neighbors.

The condition does not appear to be contagious, but some youths may become affected after they turn sixteen summers or so - though such youths are not necessarily the children of affected adults.

After inquiring more, I was told that the condition started about a year after the previous eruption of Ke-Sanwon... and that the last people to leave the village before that in the year before the curse started were two people who came separately - a gently mannered wanderer, and months later, the Beasmaster, who had already become as he is as part of the Brotherhood.

This information might not affect us directly, or it might. Or it might be a part of a larger story, and knowing it will make a difference to us eventually.

I thought it better to share what I have learned, rather then invite trouble by not asking at Ke-Waiar, or by keeping silent.

Current Mood: contemplative

reparo

[While on the boat ride from hell, there's a point in the first night where Hermione decides what the hell, for morale.]

I have mint leaves for anyone who is sea-sick, so please reach out if you would like some. I can float them to your boat. Chewing on peppermint would've been better, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

[There is a pause on her end here, before she writes out the rest:]

For whoever is holding the candles lit, if you are having trouble staying awake or keeping calm, maybe we can exchange stories. Surely if we whisper into our pendants...

Oh, one more thing! Does anyone know how to change the display name on these bloody things?

reparo

Hello, this is Hermione Granger - you will hopefully excuse me for not using the video component of these fascinating crystals, but I find it easier to string my thoughts together in writing.

I have been thinking about potions. In the world that I come from, we have a number of them that are capable of doing many things, from healing to sobering up to allowing someone to be someone else for a few hours. They were developed by very fascinating and smart witches and wizards, however it was with local ingredients, shall we say?

I would wish to try and write down the ones I remember by heart, by dint of having brewed them so much. The question is, once remembered, would they be of any use, if the ingredients here are not the same? And more importantly, how would I test them for efficacy if not on myself?

Maybe a better use of time would be to learn to brew the ones that the local witches came up with, but I am not fond of their brand of magic - and there is the matter of cost, of course.

On that note, does anyone want completely useless corsets? Wear them or burn them, at this point I doubt anyone would care, but as tensions towards magic-wielders grow I reckon I should start pretending to be that bloody modiste.

paperbutterflies

[ This... was supposed to go out to Wei Wuxian only, but since Sizhui wasn't sure it would be able to leave the stone walls at all, he may have sent it a bit stronger than it should have been. So it can reach... anyone at all. ]

Senior Wei, since Hanguang-jun is likely asleep but you probably are not, could you make sure there are enough people on the watch. I was on it but ah.

I am inside the ... rocks. I'm fine! Just can't find a way out.

weifinder

( for the sake of keeping everything that happens on that day contained, please feel free to use this as a catch-all network 'post' for everyone's communications and shouting over each other should that be happening!

all top level comments below can be new communications, please threadjack each other at will! adding a general time marker to the top of your comment to this post can indicate a when where that communication is happening, as you like. )

paperbutterflies

[ Sizhui hasn't spoken much over the network, but for those who know him, he sounds extremely subdued, though his words are clear and his voice calm. ~~The execution has not happened yet, so.~~ ]

This is Lan Sizhui. For those who might be curious, Eleven and I talked with the two miners that... were taken.

In short, their story started when they were snowed in - and iced in - for far too long inside the mine. They had not expected that, so there were no provisions. First one, then another of their number died of hunger, and then the two dead bodies reanimated and ... asked what they would give for the hunger to stop.

What they are becoming, they chose, under duress.

The two who had died first already became among Unhalad's soldiers. I do not know why the remaining six were asked to choose it, rather than waited out to be just taken. I don't think they know, either.

And if they remember what exactly was done to them after they agreed, they are not telling us.

I think this is more or less the information we found from them. Thank you for your attention.

downswing

( A silence to his mouth, begrudging. The words, when he does speak them, gravel between teeth: )

...apologies. The blood in the northern halls will want more hands for the washing.

We made insufficient attempt.

( ooc: posted today for ooc ease, but assume this comes up after Sizhui/Eleven/Mingyu speak with the miners, around 24 May. Alina and Lan Wangji have given the miners their mercy kill, before they could fully transition, and removed the bodies from where they were kept... but clean-up. )

Profile

h e a d east

March 2024

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Syndicate

Page Summary

paperbutterflies - un: sizhui, voice
blackscales - un: Black Prince; text
somebadnews - un: ut malum pluvia
reparo - un: man's greatest treasure (video)
ghastleye - video | un: water you docking aboat
lanclan - video: average sighren
reparo - (accidental) video; un: man's greatest treasure
weifinder - un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang | video
3point0 - text, dated to brunchtime after the third wedding
wooden_one - un: yuheng; text;
weifinder - audio | un: yiling laozu | the day following the dragon hatching (end of august)
blackscales - Text; UN: Black Prince
reparo - un: man's greatest treasure (video)
paperbutterflies - video; un: sizhui
reparo - un: man's greatest treasure [text]
reparo - (text) un: man's greatest treasure
paperbutterflies - un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio
weifinder - welcome to siege day networking
paperbutterflies - un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio | After Sizhui and Eleven question the miners
downswing - un: heart-fluttering hummingbird | audio (forward-dated: 24 May)

Style Credit

Style: Early Edition for Five AM by winterfish

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Jul. 19th, 2025 05:50 am

exit, stage e a s t

Entries tagged with untamed: lan sizhui

un: sizhui, voice

un: Black Prince; text

un: ut malum pluvia

un: man's greatest treasure (video)

video | un: water you docking aboat

video: average sighren

(accidental) video; un: man's greatest treasure

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang | video

text, dated to brunchtime after the third wedding

un: yuheng; text;

audio | un: yiling laozu | the day following the dragon hatching (end of august)

Text; UN: Black Prince

un: man's greatest treasure (video)

video; un: sizhui

un: man's greatest treasure [text]

(text) un: man's greatest treasure

un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio

welcome to siege day networking

un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio | After Sizhui and Eleven question the miners

un: heart-fluttering hummingbird | audio (forward-dated: 24 May)

Profile

March 2024

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags