[ well, after the fun elimination of imbalances with steel, chang geng may find vax'ildan out in the park area! there's the sound of blade hitting wood, and then retreating.
if he steps closer, he will find vax, throwing his lisa frank knife into the wood! he's testing it out, it looks like - working on his precision with a new weapon.
he is very precise.
hearing footsteps, vax stops where he's pulling the dagger out of the wood, and then lifts his head in a sup gesture. ]
[ that's a familiar sound. chang geng follows it, and wisely does not approach any further until vax has given his sup nod, since he can see very clearly how precise he is with a.
well. the knives aren't really made for precision, are they. ]
Considering the shape of these knives, you're still making excellent use of yours.
You could probably try to melt or burn them off. Or wear them off, if you wanted less resistance. [ beat ] Though with the way things are here, I'm not sure if it would be a permanent solution, or if the knife would - I don't know, melt as well.
[ chang geng is not putting it past this place at all. he reaches and pulls out his own knife from his belt, having wrapped it once with a dirty cloth to keep it from cutting himself or his things. ]
Steel said - it was the best they could give us. All they were allowed.
Stickers came from the others, though. [ vax snorts a little at that, because it was kind of funny. ] I'll get used to it - just a little more colorful than expected.
Your thing was a dart, yeah? You any good with throwing weapons?
Apparently they weren't expecting people, so it's interesting that was what they were "allowed."
[ :thinking: what's their limitations, and what's causing them..? very interesting. but the questions shift his attention, as he unwraps the knife. ]
It was a dart knife, in another life - loaded into a wrist guard's mechanism. More of a keepsake, now, since the edges are no longer sharp. But even though I've been trained in various weapons, I prefer the bow and the sword.
anyway that sounds super cool, actually? he's into it. vax pulls his knife back from the tree and takes a step back again, absently flipping it in his palm just because he can. ] My sister's an archer. [ so. respect! ] Sounds useful, though. Wouldn't have taken you for much of a fighter, mate - no offense.
Just an observation. It might not even be anything.
[ it's probably something and chang geng will not forget it.
waiting for vax to have his lisa frank knife again, he gauges the weight, then pulls his arm back and whips it forward. it's a little off center, and a little too low, but it does hit the tree in the range of where vax was throwing. he frowns at it. ]
None taken. If most people assume that I'm a pacifist doctor, rather than anything else, it tends to benefit me in the long run. Especially since I don't have a bow, and only some improvised weapons in lieu of a sword.
Hmm. Not bad for a beginner. [ this is a little playful, actually, a bit teasing; he shifts, pushing his hands into his pockets to watch. ] Try releasing it a second earlier to compensate for the handle.
[ we're playing jenga now because i think it's funny to imagine
chang geng glances up from where he's seated cross legged opposite him, assessing where to pull the next piece, then looks back to reach out and start easing a piece free. ]
This sounds complicated. [ vax just casually (awkwardly?) says it and he's going to go with it. ] Figuratively or literally?
chang geng finds a place to slide his jenga piece into the tower, silent as he listens. there is sympathy, a twist of it in his chest, when he mentions his sister. ]
That, I'm sorry for, Vax. [ truly ] You're close with her? That must be nice to have.
Then I hope for her prosperity and happiness. Especially if you can no longer see her, because of your borrowed time. [ because even if he does not have that bond, he still understands - if you love someone, that's all you want for them. safety, a long life, all the world for them.
he doesn't say anything at first. but regardless of primary or complementary colors, he can't bottle it away. ]
I am, supposedly, the youngest of four. Three half brothers, the third of which is no longer with us and I never met - and the second of which betrayed the country. The eldest, the current emperor, is not particularly fond of me, though he would never say it to save face.
[ must be nice to be able to not just word barf your backstory on everyone all the time and only do it occasionally!!! fuck you and your lack of blue
but, oh. he's quiet for a second with the first part again, pausing in his moving of the tower (because he appreciates it, he does, but he just remembers that they're supposed to be stuck here and percival is here and )
[ the roof! the roof! the roof is full of sad people.
after all of that, vax is up here on the roof. he's just sort of sitting on the railing at the moment, hood pulled over his head - you maybe wouldn't even notice him, if you weren't paying attention.
hearing the door, he glances back, and notes chang geng with a sup nod. hey, bud. the mood up here is terrible. ] Doc.
Vax. [ he can't say he's surprised to see vax up here, or in the perch. the greeting is enough, so...
chang geng doesn't seem the type, but he still moves easily, leveraging himself up onto the rail and settling there. one leg hangs down loosely, while he brings the other up - and he sits, unbothered by how precarious the perch is. ]
... this is fine. vax can't help it - the touch week urge remains, and he nudges briefly up against chang geng's shoulder in greeting, though leaves it like that. ]
... Yeah. 's fucking worrying. I heard some weird shit in the cemetery when I was looking, makes me wonder if there's a reason this place didn't let us find him.
[ despite how he doesn't seem like the most tactile person, chang geng gives a small bump back, returning the greeting before they settle in. sitting there - it just feels more real, maybe. ]
That doesn't bode well. [ the weird shit. ] So we're going to have to take closer looks at the carnival and the cemetery, at least, then.
[ which is so hateful! especially considering 9s in all of his roboty glory. vax doesn't say that, though, just looking out at the horizon and speaking quietly. ]
vax is up on the roof this fine evening. he's sitting on the railing of the rooftop, almost perching, his hood pulled up over his head. you'd maybe only be able to tell it's him from his posture and the feathers.
...he's not hiding, necessarily, though, so. company's welcome. ]
chang geng can't say he's surprised to see vax up here, really. and, instead of saying anything, he makes his way over to the railing, just like the night before. he's without his cloak, this go around - has taken off his bracers, sleeves loose, even - but it does little to slow him down.
he swings up onto the railing, and just. drops to sit. ]
but if anyone is going to be able to feel the vibes, and how not immaculate they are, it's going to be vax - considering, even chang geng can figure that much out. looks at percy... ]
... truthfully, the answer is no. Though, perhaps, the answer should be yes. [ wryly ] But I'm alright, Vax.
[ he massages his forehead a little, different from when he's fed up with something or relieving a headache. ]
... Miss Marie and I aren't dissimilar. [ it takes a long time to say. long enough that it seems he might not answer, until he does. ] But I believe I have far more control of it than she does, in that I've never hurt someone with it, though have been plagued with the thoughts of it.
[ that's rough, buddy. he does not say this, thankfully, but watches him for a long moment, ever a listening ear. ]
... Can't even imagine. [ especially after getting to know marie, a little, about learning the intricacies of wicked and marie and the horrible, fucked up way it exists - like percy and his demons, all over again. ]
She's young, too. [ so, so young. he maybe doesn't need to explain - that chang geng could have been that way, too - that it's impressive, that he survived, and that it's... brutal, that marie has had to go through it this way. ]
But you at least know it, in a way. [ said without judgment or accusation, just a wry twist in his mouth, acknowledging - vax has known demons like these, even before meeting marie, before knowing about wicked. ] I spoke with Percy.
[ it's part of the reason why he even does say anything, now. ]
... really makes it all the more cruel. [ that she's young. that she's not being given the chance to learn control, to break away from wicked. that wicked did this in the first place. that chang geng and percy both are watching this, having made it this far, and seeing what once was for them.
17 wasn't even really that long ago, for him, but three years still made all the difference in the world for him. ]
[ this memory would be so funny to have in the cemetery but we're going to do warm fuzzies in the petting zoo. chang geng is bemused by them, and comes closer to where vax is, prepared to say something.
and then the bubble happens. hooray!
the winter chill is heavy in the air - even early in the day, even with stoves and lamps burning all across the capitol, it permeates even to the bone. but you have much to do, too much, it feels like. yifu is going to be leaving, soon, leaving with your supposed brother, and no one knows when he'll be back.
anxiety bubbles up in your chest, but you have to push it back down. no distractions. don't think about it. he'll come back. you'll blink, and then he'll be trying to drag you out of your room again, saying the wrong thing without thinking, saying the right thing without meaning to.
he'll be back, and it'll be home again.
yifu has been getting up earlier and earlier every day, heading to the palace, and coming home later and later. you're not sure how much time you'll have to prepare, and you also don't know when he'll be home, but at least you have help. uncle wang does the best that he can, toddering along and finding the old silks that cao niangzi runs up to you with, wanting you to help decorate the training puppet.
ge banxiao makes a comment about how it shouldn't match the fake girl, and you look away when cao niangzi punches him in the arm, going to direct the puppet to the best place to greet yifu when he comes back. they can decorate it - you don't mind.
you do mind having to figure out everything else, though.
as such a picky eater, you don't want yifu to eat something that he won't like, or will turn his nose up at, because -
(you can't bear the thought, actually. how embarrassing. how mortifying. you don't want to think about how upset you would be.)
- because it's his birthday. you want to celebrate that.
while cao niangzi paints blush on the puppet, standing on tiptoe to reach its blank face, ge banxiao helps prepare the longevity noodles, fanning the fire and slopping the ingredients in. it's enough to splatter broth on both of you.
you'll have to change. you give him a dour look, while he apologizes and says it's alright, big brother, he won't notice a drop missing! we'll get it cleaned up, and you can add the egg, no trouble!
you can help it - he'll definitely notice this kind of thing! but it is alright. you have time.
considering how long it takes for him to come home from the palace, you maybe have too much time. but you think you have it gauged right -
"big brother, the marquis is back!"
your heart jumps into your throat, in the middle of fiddling with some of the decorations that have livened things up, here at gu manor, and you scramble to get the noodles and the egg into the bowl for serving. distantly, you can hear them talking in the courtyard - cao niangzi, general shen, and yifu, coming closer.
"- general shen has also come, just in time, we can all eat noodles together."
"very well, it's better to arrive on time than to arrive early!"
you've trained with this puppet so many times, now, that it's easy to understand what you need to do to have it carry the bowl. it's hysterical, and you know that yifu will have something to say about it, but ge banxiao had grinned with the suggestion, and considering...
it moves forward, lights and flowers and silks so terribly out of place, soulless and comical, and yifu predictably has something to say immediately:
"bastards, is the sword training puppet for you all to play with like this?"
"marquis, sir, the fake girl applied the blush. i helped make the fire for cooking the noodles, and big brother put in the egg!"
yifu stands there, looking... stupefied, maybe. there's something amused in you to see him dumbfounded and struck silent, for once in his life, as you observe everything. he makes no move to take the bowl right away.
lightly, you say, "yifu, eat the noodles first before entering."
it hides the nerves, you think. you hope he likes it.
if yifu notices, he, for once, does not point it out. instead, he simply says "alright," and takes the bowl. he looks your way, and without any further comment... he picks out the egg, first.
you have to bite the inside of your cheek as he begins eating, but there's no hiding the way that a smile starts to pull at your mouth as he neatly finishes everything.
your heart is so warm, it causes the cold of winter to bleed away.
except all he can really feel is a combination of numb nostalgia, with that. ]
the way i had to stop myself from writing gu yun in my reply to you instead of vax like ten times
vax blinks, as the bubble around them pops, and it leaves him feeling...
...warm. warm, like spending time with vox machina can, like being with vex does. the memory was touching, sweet, and he rubs absently as his chest, turning his head to chang geng to give him a smile. ]
... 's your actual family, huh?
yifu was here, in this the only happy memory i've written so far
[ chang geng huffs a little laugh, though it's not as humorless as past ones have been. despite whatever complicated feelings he has, for what comes after the memory, he's still...
it's still a good memory. it's the best one he's seen so far, from his own collection of them. ]
Mm, it is. My yifu - the man that you got me to swear over, actually - isn't the sort to celebrate his birthday. It was a good night.
[ oh. he chuckles a little, too - can't really help it. ]
Looks like it. 'Yifu'? [ the man with the armor and the snarky voice. he can still feel chang geng's warmth from looking at him, and honestly, it's... it's nice. vax's family's long gone, except for vex'ahlia, but it feels like being with vox machina. what a sweet memory. ]
In Great Liang, it's a sort of... honorary title given. It and imu, for women, are given to those that are put on the same level as your parents. An honorary, named parent, in a way, but technically without the obligations. We're a filial country and culture - it's an esteemed thing, to have. You pay them the same respects you would your parents.
He'd saved me when I was a handful of years younger than that memory, and my - mm, my father by marriage was grateful. They'd tried to pass the credit of it onto General Shen, the other man in the memory, but the title still fell to him because of the kind of people they both were.
[ despite the fact that none of them are going to be particularly good company, chang geng doesn't seem to mind the presence of others at the moment. he's stable, even if he can feel the constant itch itch itch of claws reaching across the back of his mind, practically scraping across his skull, too much color and too much sensation and too much emotion.
but he focuses on his task. which appears to be a recurve bow, along with arrows.
he's quiet, coexisting with vax and percy, but there does come a moment where he has to pause in his work to massage his eyes. like he's pushing something back. ]
[ touches your hands softly i missed so much cg this game
vax is here in the workshop too - he's been sharpening a dagger, the quiet noise of blade striking whetstone consistent, but he's not unattuned to the people in the room. percy's been quiet, holed up in the forge - likely making bullets-- and chang geng...
... well.
feels like grog's about to go to a rage in here. he tenses, a little, but stays still, watching over him, brows knitted together, expression concerned. ] ...Doc. You alright?
The Prism's current... effect is not particularly comfortable at the moment.
[ he massages his eyes, before bringing his hand up and digging the pad of his thumb between his eyebrows, rubbing at the pressure point there with a heavy sigh. there's no glance to percy in the forge - they've already talked about this, about what it's doing to them, what it feels like and reminds them of - but vax knows the man and his mind just as well as chang geng does.
his eyes are still closed, his other hand wrapped around the bowstring he was fiddling with. better to hold onto that than something sharp. ]
And the intensity of color sometimes makes it a little hard to focus. But working and keeping busy has helped with offsetting that, so small mercies I suppose.
[ well. chang geng doesn't look but vax definitely looks, glancing past him for a moment at percy's back. he doesn't think there's going to be another Situation here but
well
if he's sitting in the middle between them, then, no one needs to worry about it too much. he's got several daggers and a geas gumball nothing will stop him. ]
Yeah. Think anyone'd be expected to be a little fucked up - effects and the shit going on today both. [ he huffs a little. vax for the most part has just been twitchier than usual, though he's mostly retreated to the sanctity of his hood. he'll likely go bird roost when he's not like 10% worried that they might have a week 3 repeat here. ]
I think so, too, considering. [ their residents... but, really, better to not acknowledge percy's existence. he doesn't think he'll lash out against his killer, personally, but the both of them have to work in here, and they're both... well, ragemonsters waiting to happen.
when his phone buzzes, he drops his hand from his face and opens his eyes to pull it out. there's no violent crimson in them, at least, but maybe the prism should've left him that warning sign for others. ]
If talking will help you, too, it's fine. [ he's noticed the brooding. fair, with what happened, what's likely to happen. ] Nothing peaceful about the quiet right now, really.
[ it's one of those moments where vax would have liked to have his wings - it would be nice to be up high, away from everything - but he doesn't mind babysitting percy, really, either. the effect of the almost refraction is irritating and cloying, but it's not enough to set him off, short of snapping at someone earlier. the urge to take care is stronger than anything else.
so. he watches chang geng for a moment, and then sighs, reaching up to scrub a hand over his face. ]
...never really got the chance to say it before, but, 'm sorry. For what happened with Percival. I should've - Iunno. I should've known there was a chance. You didn't deserve that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weekend 0, sun
if he steps closer, he will find vax, throwing his lisa frank knife into the wood! he's testing it out, it looks like - working on his precision with a new weapon.
he is very precise.
hearing footsteps, vax stops where he's pulling the dagger out of the wood, and then lifts his head in a sup gesture. ]
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well. the knives aren't really made for precision, are they. ]
Considering the shape of these knives, you're still making excellent use of yours.
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[ he steps back from the tree and then flings it again. the knife sails out of his hand and hits with a satisfying thunk. ]
Not too bad, though. Better than glass. [ considering his
dagger collection ] The stickers make them fly weird.
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[ chang geng is not putting it past this place at all. he reaches and pulls out his own knife from his belt, having wrapped it once with a dirty cloth to keep it from cutting himself or his things. ]
Interesting choice to give us, though.
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Stickers came from the others, though. [ vax snorts a little at that, because it was kind of funny. ] I'll get used to it - just a little more colorful than expected.
Your thing was a dart, yeah? You any good with throwing weapons?
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[ :thinking: what's their limitations, and what's causing them..? very interesting. but the questions shift his attention, as he unwraps the knife. ]
It was a dart knife, in another life - loaded into a wrist guard's mechanism. More of a keepsake, now, since the edges are no longer sharp. But even though I've been trained in various weapons, I prefer the bow and the sword.
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[ god i love not playing a braincell
anyway that sounds super cool, actually? he's into it. vax pulls his knife back from the tree and takes a step back again, absently flipping it in his palm just because he can. ] My sister's an archer. [ so. respect! ] Sounds useful, though. Wouldn't have taken you for much of a fighter, mate - no offense.
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[ it's probably something and chang geng will not forget it.
waiting for vax to have his lisa frank knife again, he gauges the weight, then pulls his arm back and whips it forward. it's a little off center, and a little too low, but it does hit the tree in the range of where vax was throwing. he frowns at it. ]
None taken. If most people assume that I'm a pacifist doctor, rather than anything else, it tends to benefit me in the long run. Especially since I don't have a bow, and only some improvised weapons in lieu of a sword.
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he watches cg whip out the knife! wao. ]
Hmm. Not bad for a beginner. [ this is a little playful, actually, a bit teasing; he shifts, pushing his hands into his pockets to watch. ] Try releasing it a second earlier to compensate for the handle.
[ helpful! maybe. ]
... Take it you aren't a pacifist doctor, then?
week 1, monday
maybe we're playing jenga
anyway. vax is sitting here cross legged, and just sort of says after a long, contemplative silence. ]
...d'you know, I'm dead?
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chang geng glances up from where he's seated cross legged opposite him, assessing where to pull the next piece, then looks back to reach out and start easing a piece free. ]
This sounds complicated. [ vax just casually (awkwardly?) says it and he's going to go with it. ] Figuratively or literally?
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the compulsion to continue talking about this is still there! he watches chang geng, pulling his legs up to sit like a weirdo in the chair. ]
Yeah. Kind of both. [ ??? ] ... I've been living on borrowed time for a couple of years, now.
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so this is. something. fucking magic worlds. ]
I see. I don't think you need to hear condolences or apologies - not when you've faced it for years. Would be a bit of an insult in the long run.
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no. for vax, this is normal. he glances at chang geng for a moment, but the urge to talk just stays in his chest, so... ]
Mm. I dunno. [ ... ] Might be nice. I fucking miss my sister.
[ and that, for the first time, feels really heavy with something sad. ]
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chang geng finds a place to slide his jenga piece into the tower, silent as he listens. there is sympathy, a twist of it in his chest, when he mentions his sister. ]
That, I'm sorry for, Vax. [ truly ] You're close with her? That must be nice to have.
[ ... hm, now don't you fucking start, too. ]
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anyway ]
She's my other half. [ his whole heart. his twin. you can hear it in his voice, how much he loves vex.
...
as chang geng continues, vax stops briefly, as he lifts his hand, brows knitting together - his expression genuinely soft. empathetic. ] ...no family?
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he doesn't say anything at first. but regardless of primary or complementary colors, he can't bottle it away. ]
I am, supposedly, the youngest of four. Three half brothers, the third of which is no longer with us and I never met - and the second of which betrayed the country. The eldest, the current emperor, is not particularly fond of me, though he would never say it to save face.
no subject
but, oh. he's quiet for a second with the first part again, pausing in his moving of the tower (because he appreciates it, he does, but he just remembers that they're supposed to be stuck here and percival is here and )
thankfully chang geng keeps going. he snorts, once, dryly. ] Fucking rich people.
[ wow ] Sounds like my dad. No one in Syngorn'll ever tell you to your face they hate your guts, but they sure make it obvious.
[ ... ]
's not all you got though, yeah? Those three?
week 2, fri
after all of that, vax is up here on the roof. he's just sort of sitting on the railing at the moment, hood pulled over his head - you maybe wouldn't even notice him, if you weren't paying attention.
hearing the door, he glances back, and notes chang geng with a sup nod. hey, bud. the mood up here is terrible. ] Doc.
no subject
chang geng doesn't seem the type, but he still moves easily, leveraging himself up onto the rail and settling there. one leg hangs down loosely, while he brings the other up
- and he sits, unbothered by how precarious the perch is. ]
Still no news on 9S, I'm afraid.
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... this is fine. vax can't help it - the touch week urge remains, and he nudges briefly up against chang geng's shoulder in greeting, though leaves it like that. ]
... Yeah. 's fucking worrying. I heard some weird shit in the cemetery when I was looking, makes me wonder if there's a reason this place didn't let us find him.
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That doesn't bode well. [ the weird shit. ] So we're going to have to take closer looks at the carnival and the cemetery, at least, then.
What'd you hear?
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[ which is so hateful! especially considering 9s in all of his roboty glory. vax doesn't say that, though, just looking out at the horizon and speaking quietly. ]
The back alley, too. Itsuki saw something weird.
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[ look for drag marks. and if 9S doesn't bleed like a normal person, they're in for some trouble in finding a trail otherwise. ]
So three locations, at least, if not more. If there was dragging in the cemetery, though, I think that may be the place to go first.
week 2 sat
vax is up on the roof this fine evening. he's sitting on the railing of the rooftop, almost perching, his hood pulled up over his head. you'd maybe only be able to tell it's him from his posture and the feathers.
...he's not hiding, necessarily, though, so. company's welcome. ]
no subject
chang geng can't say he's surprised to see vax up here, really. and, instead of saying anything, he makes his way over to the railing, just like the night before. he's without his cloak, this go around - has taken off his bracers, sleeves loose, even - but it does little to slow him down.
he swings up onto the railing, and just. drops to sit. ]
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he doesn't seem to mind the company, so. vax glances at him, and... well. the vibes are bad? the vibes are bad. ]
... Hey, doc. You wanna talk about it?
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but if anyone is going to be able to feel the vibes, and how not immaculate they are, it's going to be vax - considering, even chang geng can figure that much out. looks at percy... ]
... truthfully, the answer is no. Though, perhaps, the answer should be yes. [ wryly ] But I'm alright, Vax.
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Well? C'mon, then. Out with it.
[ he's listening! ]
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... Miss Marie and I aren't dissimilar. [ it takes a long time to say. long enough that it seems he might not answer, until he does. ] But I believe I have far more control of it than she does, in that I've never hurt someone with it, though have been plagued with the thoughts of it.
Today simply struck a bit close to home.
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... Can't even imagine. [ especially after getting to know marie, a little, about learning the intricacies of wicked and marie and the horrible, fucked up way it exists - like percy and his demons, all over again. ]
She's young, too. [ so, so young. he maybe doesn't need to explain - that chang geng could have been that way, too - that it's impressive, that he survived, and that it's... brutal, that marie has had to go through it this way. ]
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[ it's part of the reason why he even does say anything, now. ]
... really makes it all the more cruel. [ that she's young. that she's not being given the chance to learn control, to break away from wicked. that wicked did this in the first place. that chang geng and percy both are watching this, having made it this far, and seeing what once was for them.
17 wasn't even really that long ago, for him, but three years still made all the difference in the world for him. ]
wk 3; monday
and then the bubble happens. hooray!
the winter chill is heavy in the air - even early in the day, even with stoves and lamps burning all across the capitol, it permeates even to the bone. but you have much to do, too much, it feels like. yifu is going to be leaving, soon, leaving with your supposed brother, and no one knows when he'll be back.
anxiety bubbles up in your chest, but you have to push it back down. no distractions. don't think about it. he'll come back. you'll blink, and then he'll be trying to drag you out of your room again, saying the wrong thing without thinking, saying the right thing without meaning to.
he'll be back, and it'll be home again.
yifu has been getting up earlier and earlier every day, heading to the palace, and coming home later and later. you're not sure how much time you'll have to prepare, and you also don't know when he'll be home, but at least you have help. uncle wang does the best that he can, toddering along and finding the old silks that cao niangzi runs up to you with, wanting you to help decorate the training puppet.
ge banxiao makes a comment about how it shouldn't match the fake girl, and you look away when cao niangzi punches him in the arm, going to direct the puppet to the best place to greet yifu when he comes back. they can decorate it - you don't mind.
you do mind having to figure out everything else, though.
as such a picky eater, you don't want yifu to eat something that he won't like, or will turn his nose up at, because -
(you can't bear the thought, actually. how embarrassing. how mortifying. you don't want to think about how upset you would be.)
- because it's his birthday. you want to celebrate that.
while cao niangzi paints blush on the puppet, standing on tiptoe to reach its blank face, ge banxiao helps prepare the longevity noodles, fanning the fire and slopping the ingredients in. it's enough to splatter broth on both of you.
you'll have to change. you give him a dour look, while he apologizes and says it's alright, big brother, he won't notice a drop missing! we'll get it cleaned up, and you can add the egg, no trouble!
you can help it - he'll definitely notice this kind of thing! but it is alright. you have time.
considering how long it takes for him to come home from the palace, you maybe have too much time. but you think you have it gauged right -
"big brother, the marquis is back!"
your heart jumps into your throat, in the middle of fiddling with some of the decorations that have livened things up, here at gu manor, and you scramble to get the noodles and the egg into the bowl for serving. distantly, you can hear them talking in the courtyard - cao niangzi, general shen, and yifu, coming closer.
"- general shen has also come, just in time, we can all eat noodles together."
"very well, it's better to arrive on time than to arrive early!"
you've trained with this puppet so many times, now, that it's easy to understand what you need to do to have it carry the bowl. it's hysterical, and you know that yifu will have something to say about it, but ge banxiao had grinned with the suggestion, and considering...
it moves forward, lights and flowers and silks so terribly out of place, soulless and comical, and yifu predictably has something to say immediately:
"bastards, is the sword training puppet for you all to play with like this?"
"marquis, sir, the fake girl applied the blush. i helped make the fire for cooking the noodles, and big brother put in the egg!"
yifu stands there, looking... stupefied, maybe. there's something amused in you to see him dumbfounded and struck silent, for once in his life, as you observe everything. he makes no move to take the bowl right away.
lightly, you say, "yifu, eat the noodles first before entering."
it hides the nerves, you think. you hope he likes it.
if yifu notices, he, for once, does not point it out. instead, he simply says "alright," and takes the bowl. he looks your way, and without any further comment... he picks out the egg, first.
you have to bite the inside of your cheek as he begins eating, but there's no hiding the way that a smile starts to pull at your mouth as he neatly finishes everything.
your heart is so warm, it causes the cold of winter to bleed away.
except all he can really feel is a combination of numb nostalgia, with that. ]
the way i had to stop myself from writing gu yun in my reply to you instead of vax like ten times
vax blinks, as the bubble around them pops, and it leaves him feeling...
...warm. warm, like spending time with vox machina can, like being with vex does. the memory was touching, sweet, and he rubs absently as his chest, turning his head to chang geng to give him a smile. ]
... 's your actual family, huh?
yifu was here, in this the only happy memory i've written so far
it's still a good memory. it's the best one he's seen so far, from his own collection of them. ]
Mm, it is. My yifu - the man that you got me to swear over, actually - isn't the sort to celebrate his birthday. It was a good night.
daddy....
Looks like it. 'Yifu'? [ the man with the armor and the snarky voice. he can still feel chang geng's warmth from looking at him, and honestly, it's... it's nice. vax's family's long gone, except for vex'ahlia, but it feels like being with vox machina. what a sweet memory. ]
die
He'd saved me when I was a handful of years younger than that memory, and my - mm, my father by marriage was grateful. They'd tried to pass the credit of it onto General Shen, the other man in the memory, but the title still fell to him because of the kind of people they both were.
panic! at the backtag
that makes vax smile a little, corner of his mouth lifting. damn chang geng you get to have two dads ]
Sounds like you've got family coming out the ears. 's nice.
w7; friday
but he focuses on his task. which appears to be a recurve bow, along with arrows.
he's quiet, coexisting with vax and percy, but there does come a moment where he has to pause in his work to massage his eyes. like he's pushing something back. ]
no subject
vax is here in the workshop too - he's been sharpening a dagger, the quiet noise of blade striking whetstone consistent, but he's not unattuned to the people in the room. percy's been quiet, holed up in the forge - likely making bullets-- and chang geng...
... well.
feels like grog's about to go to a rage in here. he tenses, a little, but stays still, watching over him, brows knitted together, expression concerned. ] ...Doc. You alright?
no subject
[ he massages his eyes, before bringing his hand up and digging the pad of his thumb between his eyebrows, rubbing at the pressure point there with a heavy sigh. there's no glance to percy in the forge - they've already talked about this, about what it's doing to them, what it feels like and reminds them of - but vax knows the man and his mind just as well as chang geng does.
his eyes are still closed, his other hand wrapped around the bowstring he was fiddling with. better to hold onto that than something sharp. ]
And the intensity of color sometimes makes it a little hard to focus. But working and keeping busy has helped with offsetting that, so small mercies I suppose.
no subject
well
if he's sitting in the middle between them, then, no one needs to worry about it too much. he's got several daggers and a geas gumball nothing will stop him. ]
Yeah. Think anyone'd be expected to be a little fucked up - effects and the shit going on today both. [ he huffs a little. vax for the most part has just been twitchier than usual, though he's mostly retreated to the sanctity of his hood. he'll likely go bird roost when he's not like 10% worried that they might have a week 3 repeat here. ]
You need me to stay quiet? Or would talking help?
no subject
when his phone buzzes, he drops his hand from his face and opens his eyes to pull it out. there's no violent crimson in them, at least, but maybe the prism should've left him that warning sign for others. ]
If talking will help you, too, it's fine. [ he's noticed the brooding. fair, with what happened, what's likely to happen. ] Nothing peaceful about the quiet right now, really.
no subject
so. he watches chang geng for a moment, and then sighs, reaching up to scrub a hand over his face. ]
...never really got the chance to say it before, but, 'm sorry. For what happened with Percival. I should've - Iunno. I should've known there was a chance. You didn't deserve that.