there's quiet for a moment, as he finally pulls his hand away from the table. he's used to finding his way around the world when necessary. gu yun depends on his other senses - the air moving in the room and against his skin, the soft hum of the machines in the kitchen, the smells in the air. it's nothing he isn't used to, but at the same time. at the same time.
he inhales, and exhales, shoulders rigidly set. ] I don't know the layout of this base well enough to get back to my room. [ it's not like home. he hasn't been here long enough. he thought - gu yun thought he'd have more time. when this returns, he'll have to spend some time canvassing the place, even further, not to be caught off guard like this again. just in case. just in case.
the plan comes out crisply and cleanly, the words of a commander; not an ounce of weakness to be shown, despite how gu yun wants to crawl out of his skin. ] I'll act like I'm drunk, and you're helping me back to my room. If anyone asks, be as brutal as you like in maintaining the story.
[ to maintain the illusion anyway. somehow he doubts that will be much of a problem. ]
[It's cruel, but it isn't unfamiliar. She listens to him calmly, without comment. It's easy enough to do. When she responds, her voice is harsh and scolding.]
What story? You've come in here and made a mess of things, reeking of liquor. Control yourself, you careless fool. You won't win any prizes for drowning yourself in drink.
[She'll offer him, cautiously, her hand on his arm to steady him. She wouldn't do much more for someone drunk, anyway. She'll start leading him out of the kitchen.]
[ normally, it would take gu yun barely a second to recalibrate - to calculate the relative position of harrow in comparison to himself, from the sound of her voice, from the way the air moves around her - but today, he can't find that skill. he can't look at her in the way he looks at things, but there's a moment there where luck finds her face.
and she'll see, just for a flash, that some of that tense, teeth-gritted stress softens with a faint appreciation.
followed immediately by a boisterous laugh, as he drapes himself into her side like an obnoxious, sticky burr. ] Hahh. Who's drunk? You're drunk! Harrrrow, come drink more with me, 'm Great Liang'sh finest...
[ at least his skill at acting in other ways hasn't vanished. he takes a stumbling step forward as they start to move, keeping his attention focused on the world around them the best that he can. ]
[But she'll lead him anyway, careful to keep an eye on the floor, making sure to guide him if there are any obstacles, press on his arm in warning if there's a dip or bump in a doorway.
When there's no one around, she'll speak a little haltingly.]
. . . My marshal used to need to guide me around this way. You see, I see things that aren't there, from time to time. It happened most when I was a child, and Crux would need follow me about the castle, letting me know which things I saw were real and which only existed in my mind. It stopped for a time, and then when I traveled to the emperor's seat, surrounded by the scions of the other houses, it began once more. Primarily in written word - a scrap of paper may appear to me covered in rantings and ravings that are visible to no one but myself.
[Hence. Wigging the fuck out when she got a haunted text chain.]
Lately, my condition has deteriorated. I suffered an injury to my head a few months ago, and the delusions have become far more frequent, accompanied from time to time by fainting spells or bleeding of the brain.
I've tried to keep this close, given that the information might lead others to see me as an easy mark. [She pauses for a moment.] But I can speak freely to a drunkard who won't remember a word of this come morning.
[ for the most part, he's quiet as they walk, still focused outwards. gu yun will let out a snicker every now and then, perfectly playing the part of a drunken lush after a busy morning brunch (?), and wobbling into harrow, being sure to lean his weight on hers. however, he responds easily to the obstacles, and never once hits a thing.
he reaches in his pocket for his phone, to open the door. they can just go to his room, for now - law shouldn't be there. thanks pcs, and once the door is shut, he straightens again, spine ramrod straight. the room is familiar enough (he's already walked it more than enough times that he knows the layout, walked each part of the room with his eyes closed, when he could see. learning, learning) and so, he finds a chair and settles in it while harrow talks.
...it's not the first time, that he's related to something she said. the things they have in common continue to err on the side of depressing, but... there's a sort of camaraderie to it, even if it's to something he wouldn't ever admit to by choice. (and, gu yun recalls the silly letter he'd sent along with the blessing of his co conspirator, and winces a bit, internally. rotten luck, but it's like him to stumble accidentally into causing someone an issue when trying to be funny.)
he's quiet, for a long moment, and then, eventually, his expression shifts, into a lopsided, sardonic smile.]
...Someone who sees too much, and someone who doesn't see at all. What a pair we make.
[ it's only a joke in the way that you have to comment on something like that to cope with it. it's the only way he knows how to deal with both the revelation of his own secret and with the trust that harrow is giving him in exchange, in what he is going to trust her with, too. it's - it's a lot. he takes a deep breath.
and doesn't reject what's given, leaning into this offering of trust, tentatively. ]
Do you know what triggers it in specific? [ my marshal, she'd said. there's some irony there, too. ] Or is it sudden and random?
[She'll let him go easily once they're in the room, not wanting to wound his pride. She paces a bit as she talks, both absent and a way to let him know where she is.]
I believe there are specific triggers, but. . . thinking too deeply on what those triggers might be is one of them. So you can imagine I haven't bothered to puzzle it out.
[She touches her hand to her temple, her frontal lobe, feeling the beginnings of an excruciating headache already.]
[ gu yun can't see her touching her head, which is unfortunate - he gets the same symptom, and will likely be experiencing it soon. instead, he just settles where he's sitting, looking slightly less tense than he did ten minutes ago, resting his chin on his hand. ]
I can imagine. [ snort. yeah. ] Alright. [ he won't press. she's not pressing. it's. nice, actually. it's what he would want, ultimately, and gu yun shifts, for a moment, teetering like he's deciding before he finally says, softly - ]
....thanks.
[ no specification other than that, but it's sincere.
there's a moment of quiet. ]
....If you pass out in public, I'll let everyone know you're swooning over me. [ aaaand there it goes. at least he's joking ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Not being able to pretend, to hide one's weaknesses - that's dreadful. She sets her jaw hard, as she finishes cleaning.]
Until it passes, allow me to help you continue the illusion. It is paramount, I think, that we continue to keep our vulnerabilities hidden.
no subject
there's quiet for a moment, as he finally pulls his hand away from the table. he's used to finding his way around the world when necessary. gu yun depends on his other senses - the air moving in the room and against his skin, the soft hum of the machines in the kitchen, the smells in the air. it's nothing he isn't used to, but at the same time. at the same time.
he inhales, and exhales, shoulders rigidly set. ] I don't know the layout of this base well enough to get back to my room. [ it's not like home. he hasn't been here long enough. he thought - gu yun thought he'd have more time. when this returns, he'll have to spend some time canvassing the place, even further, not to be caught off guard like this again. just in case. just in case.
the plan comes out crisply and cleanly, the words of a commander; not an ounce of weakness to be shown, despite how gu yun wants to crawl out of his skin. ] I'll act like I'm drunk, and you're helping me back to my room. If anyone asks, be as brutal as you like in maintaining the story.
[ to maintain the illusion anyway. somehow he doubts that will be much of a problem. ]
no subject
What story? You've come in here and made a mess of things, reeking of liquor. Control yourself, you careless fool. You won't win any prizes for drowning yourself in drink.
[She'll offer him, cautiously, her hand on his arm to steady him. She wouldn't do much more for someone drunk, anyway. She'll start leading him out of the kitchen.]
no subject
and she'll see, just for a flash, that some of that tense, teeth-gritted stress softens with a faint appreciation.
followed immediately by a boisterous laugh, as he drapes himself into her side like an obnoxious, sticky burr. ] Hahh. Who's drunk? You're drunk! Harrrrow, come drink more with me, 'm Great Liang'sh finest...
[ at least his skill at acting in other ways hasn't vanished. he takes a stumbling step forward as they start to move, keeping his attention focused on the world around them the best that he can. ]
no subject
[But she'll lead him anyway, careful to keep an eye on the floor, making sure to guide him if there are any obstacles, press on his arm in warning if there's a dip or bump in a doorway.
When there's no one around, she'll speak a little haltingly.]
. . . My marshal used to need to guide me around this way. You see, I see things that aren't there, from time to time. It happened most when I was a child, and Crux would need follow me about the castle, letting me know which things I saw were real and which only existed in my mind. It stopped for a time, and then when I traveled to the emperor's seat, surrounded by the scions of the other houses, it began once more. Primarily in written word - a scrap of paper may appear to me covered in rantings and ravings that are visible to no one but myself.
[Hence. Wigging the fuck out when she got a haunted text chain.]
Lately, my condition has deteriorated. I suffered an injury to my head a few months ago, and the delusions have become far more frequent, accompanied from time to time by fainting spells or bleeding of the brain.
I've tried to keep this close, given that the information might lead others to see me as an easy mark. [She pauses for a moment.] But I can speak freely to a drunkard who won't remember a word of this come morning.
no subject
he reaches in his pocket for his phone, to open the door. they can just go to his room, for now - law shouldn't be there. thanks pcs, and once the door is shut, he straightens again, spine ramrod straight. the room is familiar enough (he's already walked it more than enough times that he knows the layout, walked each part of the room with his eyes closed, when he could see. learning, learning) and so, he finds a chair and settles in it while harrow talks.
...it's not the first time, that he's related to something she said. the things they have in common continue to err on the side of depressing, but... there's a sort of camaraderie to it, even if it's to something he wouldn't ever admit to by choice. (and, gu yun recalls the silly letter he'd sent along with the blessing of his co conspirator, and winces a bit, internally. rotten luck, but it's like him to stumble accidentally into causing someone an issue when trying to be funny.)
he's quiet, for a long moment, and then, eventually, his expression shifts, into a lopsided, sardonic smile.]
...Someone who sees too much, and someone who doesn't see at all. What a pair we make.
[ it's only a joke in the way that you have to comment on something like that to cope with it. it's the only way he knows how to deal with both the revelation of his own secret and with the trust that harrow is giving him in exchange, in what he is going to trust her with, too. it's - it's a lot. he takes a deep breath.
and doesn't reject what's given, leaning into this offering of trust, tentatively. ]
Do you know what triggers it in specific? [ my marshal, she'd said. there's some irony there, too. ] Or is it sudden and random?
no subject
[She'll let him go easily once they're in the room, not wanting to wound his pride. She paces a bit as she talks, both absent and a way to let him know where she is.]
I believe there are specific triggers, but. . . thinking too deeply on what those triggers might be is one of them. So you can imagine I haven't bothered to puzzle it out.
[She touches her hand to her temple, her frontal lobe, feeling the beginnings of an excruciating headache already.]
no subject
I can imagine. [ snort. yeah. ] Alright. [ he won't press. she's not pressing. it's. nice, actually. it's what he would want, ultimately, and gu yun shifts, for a moment, teetering like he's deciding before he finally says, softly - ]
....thanks.
[ no specification other than that, but it's sincere.
there's a moment of quiet. ]
....If you pass out in public, I'll let everyone know you're swooning over me. [ aaaand there it goes. at least he's joking ]
no subject
[Her tone is harsh, but like. It is a joke. She doesn't acknowledge the thanks, but she hears it. Understood.]