gu yun does not seem particularly bothered by this entire process - he's pretty focused on it, and occasionally mutters a swear as he's trying to get a needle free and drops it - so, when he hears shi qingxuan's voice, it takes a moment to register. ]
Ah. Meimei, I don't think my visit to the acupuncturist went well. [ bad. ]
[ he huffs, a little, smile wry, but removes his other hand so sqx can get at his numb one, if she likes. ] I wasn't going to let anyone accuse Ming Yi that way. It was almost insulting.
[she'll just work at picking the needles out of it so she can set them aside! it'll be easier this way, with one hand to hold his steady while she uses the other to get the needles.]
You did. I felt it was obvious that they were trying to frame him, but... I think at the end, if more people had started doubting that, it would have been easy for people to panic and start thinking it might have been him after all. [...] So, the fact that you believed in him the whole time, and kept trying to find out what really happened...
No, they just started panic voting for Fukuda. [ gu yun snorts, to that, humorless. it's fine. ] I'm glad we didn't fall for that again. It's not a big victory, but it's something.
He was distracting from the trial, and throwing unnecessary panic around by playing devil's advocate. I can't stand people like that. I was already irritated with him for doing the same last week. [ gu yun will remember this.png
turns out he's actually kind of petty. ] I would've rathered him off in a corner, whining about being in pain, than continuing to throw completely wild accusations in your direction when tensions are high. At least mine had evidence.
[she really shouldn't laugh at this. it is a little petty, but then - she can be a little petty, too. and can she really say that she wouldn't have appreciated it if fukuda had shut up while playing the devil's advocate? every time he'd brought up the possibility of ming yi actually being the killer, it had made her skin crawl.
(that, somehow, bothers her more than having been accused of helping him to cover it up.)]
Well... whatever your reasons for it would have been, thank you.
Sure, though, it's nothing to thank me for - it's certainly a bit self serving.
[ he really, really, was over fukuda from last week. from the minute he started dunking on wrath, actually, his opinion of him just got worse and worse. ]
Well, good. [ pfff. that out of the way, at least. ] We've no caught murderers, but we're down to one less mass murderer, so. I can live with that.
[ maybe it's the elongated moment of contact. maybe it's the gratitude, or the warmth that comes from this brief conversation. whatever it is, something seems to trigger, and the world around them melts into gu yun's point of view. ]
--
[ you're nineteen years old, in the 27th year of the rule of emperor yuan he, in the middle of a classified mission from the emperor himself. freshly made the marquis of order, you've been pulled out of your black iron camp and asked instead to carry out a special mission - to find the fourth prince of the royal family, long lost after the exile of his mother, and acclimate him back to his life as royalty. form a good bond with him, the emperor had said, he'll need it, to leave the resentment of the previous generation behind.
you, personally, really hate this mission, because it feels stupid. there are a thousand other important things that need to be done, a thousand better ways to use the might of your black iron camp, but. you wouldn't defy the order of the emperor, and... you've made it work, anyhow. you spend much of your time scouting the movements of the northern border's barbarian tribes, one of great liang's biggest enemies. a little prince who can't distinguish round from flat can't be the reason you move out to this middle of nowhere hellhole; you are an expert at making the best of a bad situation.
the winters in yanhui are ice cold, and this one is no exception. the snow falls in a thick blanket on the forests that make up the border of the town. today, you've left your original post because of a report from your extremely panicked second in command, as well as a scouting missive from one of your black eagles. the barbarians are known to domesticate wolves, and there's a pack of them a bit to the north, in the forest. not only that, but it seems that the young prince is missing.
so, you go out to investigate. white horse, white cloak, you stir your horse to a run and practically melt into the snow around you, ji ping just behind. your wind slasher stays at your side, the weapon familiar and heavy, and the ice cold wind of a kicked up blizzard bites into your lungs as you narrow in on the scouted location, as the sound gets closer and closer. you hear ji ping's worried, teeth grinding, "he's only eleven or twelve, if he really falls into a wolf pack..." from behind you and pay it no mind.
if he dies here, then he dies here. you think, at first. indifferent. you'll explain it to the emperor. you want to wipe out the wolf pack, lest the barbarians choose to use it as a weapon. as your horses crest a hill, there's a sudden, shrill howl. you realize what's happening and bark - ] Ji Ping! [ as you look up and spot them - three massive male wolves, fur shiny, teeth bared, signaling their arrival before they leap down to engage you two in battle. immediately, you grab the reins of the horse and pull - your steed kicks up its front hooves and attacks the wolves, a war horse in the guise of a civilian, just like you. behind you, your second in command grabs two iron horse stirrups and clangs them together as loudly as possible - the sound of iron on iron is loud enough to be heard for miles, and the wolves jump back.
ji ping hisses, "zixi, do we kill them?" and you almost laugh, speaking back out of the corner of your mouth. ] What? What are you saying? We're just two weak scholars passing by.
[ then, not a second later, you raise the volume of your voice, and suddenly, you're a little coward scholar, terrified: ] Gege, don't be afraid! Don't we have powder? We can use that to drive off the wolves! Hold on a little longer, I'll find someone to help!
[ you can feel shen yi's exhaustion behind you, and resist the urge to snicker, as he does as sneakily ordered, tossing a bag of medicinal powder in the air and cracking it in half with a horse whip. the pungent stench of medicine fills the air in a second, mixing in with the ice and snow, and the wolves scream and scatter backwards. their masters seem to realize they can't cause problems; there's a sharp whistle from somewhere in the trees, and you allow yourself that moment to smirk, as the barbarians and their filthy wolves are forced to retreat.
but, as they're gone, they leave behind a scene - a mess of medicinal powder, blood, and a tiny figure, curled up in a ball in the center of it.
you're moving before you think about it, urging your horse forward, and hop down from the side of it to crouch before the figure, then lift him into your arms. he's tiny, covered in blood from head to toe - his left arm is broken, hanging limply at his side, and his right is clutching a knife so tightly his knuckles are white.
slowly, you reach forward, and start to try and unwind his fingers from the grip, and the fourth prince's eyes snap open. you've - you've never seen anything quite like it in your life. his gaze is like a flint, fierce, staring directly into yours with no fear, a spark unextinguished. at twelve years old, this boy stares at you like he's won a thousand wars.
you bark for your wineskin before you've even thought about it. ji ping throws the skin and you catch it, commanding the boy to open his mouth and pouring the liquor in. you know from experience how it warms the body when you're frozen, and the boy's obedient, drinking until you pull it away.
by now, ji ping's come over. the boy's barely injured, besides his hand. he asks from beside you, though, confused - "why's there so much blood?"
you... you know why. ] It's the wolves blood. [ not his. not this tiny little thing, this fierce, tiny little fighter who stares at you almost as wolf like as the creatures that surround him.
you lift your hands, and undo the clasp that holds your cloak at your neck, then wrap it around the fourth prince, as you stand and go to mount your horse, barely jostling him in the process. as you get settled with the boy in your lap, your ears pick up on a soft sound - the fourth prince finally drops the knife on his own, and his hand settles instead, in the front of your robes.
you look down at him, at the wolf's blood staining your cloak. at the little fourth prince, who finally closes his eyes, and presses his cheek against your chest.
So trusting of me. you think, quietly. You don't even know me yet.
something in your heart moves.
So light. you think, to yourself, and instinctively, you loosen your own grip. just in case you'd hurt him, just in case your touch is too strong, for his tiny bones, for his tiny body. careful. caring.
he's so small.
you turn back to yanhui town, ji ping at your heels, to seek medical care for the fourth prince, and his hand never drops from the front of your robes. ]
[the memory comes just as she's easing a needle out of his hand - she freezes, hopefully not stabbing him with it further, and watches the events play out from behind gu yun's eyes.
it's a terrifying situation - but even while playing the role of someone who would run off in terror, even while pretending to be a weak, cowardly scholar, there isn't a moment that goes by when gu yun doesn't have it under control. the wolves and the barbarians are driven off, and he scoops that tiny, fierce prince up into his arms, carrying him back to safety.
how strong gu yun is, and - how strong that boy will become, in the future. surely, if he can survive something like this, he's got quite the fate ahead of him?
when they come back to the present, shi qingxuan gives a shiver, banishing the memory of the cold, and eases the needle out of his hand.]
[ if sqx does stab him further, gu yun doesn't feel it, anyway. he's not quite lost as the memory fades, blinking a few times, but for a moment, his gaze is a little far away.
gu yun pulls it back quickly, though, and huffs, the corner of his mouth lifting in a soft, wry smile. ]
Something like that. It certainly hasn't been boring.
one could call this place not boring, too, although in a more macabre way. it's been clear from the start that gu yun has something important waiting for him, once he goes back. this has just made it all the more obvious.]
[ there's no hesitation in that, the fierce determination a matching flint to chang geng's in the memory, just before. ] I have no intentions to die here.
[ no; his grave is on a battlefield, somewhere in great liang. that's the promise he's made - when he dies young, like every member of his family, it will be fighting for his country, with every part of him that he has. gu yun will do whatever it takes to survive until then. ]
but it's too lonely to have to do things on your own - so, although he probably won't ever ask for help, shi qingxuan adds him to her list of people that she's going to do her level best to see through this. (okay, he was already on the list. she underlines his name, maybe.)]
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gu yun does not seem particularly bothered by this entire process - he's pretty focused on it, and occasionally mutters a swear as he's trying to get a needle free and drops it - so, when he hears shi qingxuan's voice, it takes a moment to register. ]
Ah. Meimei, I don't think my visit to the acupuncturist went well. [ bad. ]
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without even asking, she sits down next to him and reaches out to very gently take his hand.]
...let me help, then. It's the least I can do after what you did for Ming-xiong and me today.
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[ he huffs, a little, smile wry, but removes his other hand so sqx can get at his numb one, if she likes. ] I wasn't going to let anyone accuse Ming Yi that way. It was almost insulting.
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You did. I felt it was obvious that they were trying to frame him, but... I think at the end, if more people had started doubting that, it would have been easy for people to panic and start thinking it might have been him after all. [...] So, the fact that you believed in him the whole time, and kept trying to find out what really happened...
It means a lot.
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No, they just started panic voting for Fukuda. [ gu yun snorts, to that, humorless. it's fine. ] I'm glad we didn't fall for that again. It's not a big victory, but it's something.
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I really thought you and Mollymauk were right, though. It... what you were saying made sense.
[she sure didn't expect that vote to come back with "incorrect".]
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...I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't believe it true. The results surprised me.
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[her gaze returns to gu yun's hand, and she continues gently easing the needles out of it.]
I voted for the first time today. [...] And I should feel guilty about it, because I voted wrong, but... I'm mostly relieved that Ming-xiong is okay.
[she chuckles, and it doesn't sound quite right. a little bitter, maybe.]
Perhaps I was so eager to believe it because he made me angry.
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Had I still had access to my ability from the first week, I likely would've used it on Fukuda when he started accusing you, so.
[ he
clearly does not feel bad about that at all ]
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...you would have?
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He was distracting from the trial, and throwing unnecessary panic around by playing devil's advocate. I can't stand people like that. I was already irritated with him for doing the same last week. [ gu yun will remember this.png
turns out he's actually kind of petty. ] I would've rathered him off in a corner, whining about being in pain, than continuing to throw completely wild accusations in your direction when tensions are high. At least mine had evidence.
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(that, somehow, bothers her more than having been accused of helping him to cover it up.)]
Well... whatever your reasons for it would have been, thank you.
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[ he really, really, was over fukuda from last week. from the minute he started dunking on wrath, actually, his opinion of him just got worse and worse. ]
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I'm grateful anyway.
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[ maybe it's the elongated moment of contact. maybe it's the gratitude, or the warmth that comes from this brief conversation. whatever it is, something seems to trigger, and the world around them melts into gu yun's point of view. ]
--
[ you're nineteen years old, in the 27th year of the rule of emperor yuan he, in the middle of a classified mission from the emperor himself. freshly made the marquis of order, you've been pulled out of your black iron camp and asked instead to carry out a special mission - to find the fourth prince of the royal family, long lost after the exile of his mother, and acclimate him back to his life as royalty. form a good bond with him, the emperor had said, he'll need it, to leave the resentment of the previous generation behind.
you, personally, really hate this mission, because it feels stupid. there are a thousand other important things that need to be done, a thousand better ways to use the might of your black iron camp, but. you wouldn't defy the order of the emperor, and... you've made it work, anyhow. you spend much of your time scouting the movements of the northern border's barbarian tribes, one of great liang's biggest enemies. a little prince who can't distinguish round from flat can't be the reason you move out to this middle of nowhere hellhole; you are an expert at making the best of a bad situation.
the winters in yanhui are ice cold, and this one is no exception. the snow falls in a thick blanket on the forests that make up the border of the town. today, you've left your original post because of a report from your extremely panicked second in command, as well as a scouting missive from one of your black eagles. the barbarians are known to domesticate wolves, and there's a pack of them a bit to the north, in the forest. not only that, but it seems that the young prince is missing.
so, you go out to investigate. white horse, white cloak, you stir your horse to a run and practically melt into the snow around you, ji ping just behind. your wind slasher stays at your side, the weapon familiar and heavy, and the ice cold wind of a kicked up blizzard bites into your lungs as you narrow in on the scouted location, as the sound gets closer and closer. you hear ji ping's worried, teeth grinding, "he's only eleven or twelve, if he really falls into a wolf pack..." from behind you and pay it no mind.
if he dies here, then he dies here. you think, at first. indifferent. you'll explain it to the emperor. you want to wipe out the wolf pack, lest the barbarians choose to use it as a weapon. as your horses crest a hill, there's a sudden, shrill howl. you realize what's happening and bark - ] Ji Ping! [ as you look up and spot them - three massive male wolves, fur shiny, teeth bared, signaling their arrival before they leap down to engage you two in battle. immediately, you grab the reins of the horse and pull - your steed kicks up its front hooves and attacks the wolves, a war horse in the guise of a civilian, just like you. behind you, your second in command grabs two iron horse stirrups and clangs them together as loudly as possible - the sound of iron on iron is loud enough to be heard for miles, and the wolves jump back.
ji ping hisses, "zixi, do we kill them?" and you almost laugh, speaking back out of the corner of your mouth. ] What? What are you saying? We're just two weak scholars passing by.
[ then, not a second later, you raise the volume of your voice, and suddenly, you're a little coward scholar, terrified: ] Gege, don't be afraid! Don't we have powder? We can use that to drive off the wolves! Hold on a little longer, I'll find someone to help!
[ you can feel shen yi's exhaustion behind you, and resist the urge to snicker, as he does as sneakily ordered, tossing a bag of medicinal powder in the air and cracking it in half with a horse whip. the pungent stench of medicine fills the air in a second, mixing in with the ice and snow, and the wolves scream and scatter backwards. their masters seem to realize they can't cause problems; there's a sharp whistle from somewhere in the trees, and you allow yourself that moment to smirk, as the barbarians and their filthy wolves are forced to retreat.
but, as they're gone, they leave behind a scene - a mess of medicinal powder, blood, and a tiny figure, curled up in a ball in the center of it.
you're moving before you think about it, urging your horse forward, and hop down from the side of it to crouch before the figure, then lift him into your arms. he's tiny, covered in blood from head to toe - his left arm is broken, hanging limply at his side, and his right is clutching a knife so tightly his knuckles are white.
slowly, you reach forward, and start to try and unwind his fingers from the grip, and the fourth prince's eyes snap open. you've - you've never seen anything quite like it in your life. his gaze is like a flint, fierce, staring directly into yours with no fear, a spark unextinguished. at twelve years old, this boy stares at you like he's won a thousand wars.
you bark for your wineskin before you've even thought about it. ji ping throws the skin and you catch it, commanding the boy to open his mouth and pouring the liquor in. you know from experience how it warms the body when you're frozen, and the boy's obedient, drinking until you pull it away.
by now, ji ping's come over. the boy's barely injured, besides his hand. he asks from beside you, though, confused - "why's there so much blood?"
you... you know why. ] It's the wolves blood. [ not his. not this tiny little thing, this fierce, tiny little fighter who stares at you almost as wolf like as the creatures that surround him.
you lift your hands, and undo the clasp that holds your cloak at your neck, then wrap it around the fourth prince, as you stand and go to mount your horse, barely jostling him in the process. as you get settled with the boy in your lap, your ears pick up on a soft sound - the fourth prince finally drops the knife on his own, and his hand settles instead, in the front of your robes.
you look down at him, at the wolf's blood staining your cloak. at the little fourth prince, who finally closes his eyes, and presses his cheek against your chest.
So trusting of me. you think, quietly. You don't even know me yet.
something in your heart moves.
So light. you think, to yourself, and instinctively, you loosen your own grip. just in case you'd hurt him, just in case your touch is too strong, for his tiny bones, for his tiny body. careful. caring.
he's so small.
you turn back to yanhui town, ji ping at your heels, to seek medical care for the fourth prince, and his hand never drops from the front of your robes. ]
no subject
it's a terrifying situation - but even while playing the role of someone who would run off in terror, even while pretending to be a weak, cowardly scholar, there isn't a moment that goes by when gu yun doesn't have it under control. the wolves and the barbarians are driven off, and he scoops that tiny, fierce prince up into his arms, carrying him back to safety.
how strong gu yun is, and - how strong that boy will become, in the future. surely, if he can survive something like this, he's got quite the fate ahead of him?
when they come back to the present, shi qingxuan gives a shiver, banishing the memory of the cold, and eases the needle out of his hand.]
...you've lived quite the life, haven't you.
[two weak scholars passing by, huh.]
no subject
gu yun pulls it back quickly, though, and huffs, the corner of his mouth lifting in a soft, wry smile. ]
Something like that. It certainly hasn't been boring.
no subject
one could call this place not boring, too, although in a more macabre way. it's been clear from the start that gu yun has something important waiting for him, once he goes back. this has just made it all the more obvious.]
...you're going to make it back there, Gu-xiong.
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[ there's no hesitation in that, the fierce determination a matching flint to chang geng's in the memory, just before. ] I have no intentions to die here.
[ no; his grave is on a battlefield, somewhere in great liang. that's the promise he's made - when he dies young, like every member of his family, it will be fighting for his country, with every part of him that he has. gu yun will do whatever it takes to survive until then. ]
no subject
but it's too lonely to have to do things on your own - so, although he probably won't ever ask for help, shi qingxuan adds him to her list of people that she's going to do her level best to see through this. (okay, he was already on the list. she underlines his name, maybe.)]
Good.