vestigelogs | (october catch-all) IT'S TIME TO GET FUCKIN' DAMP

Entry tags:

(october catch-all) IT'S TIME TO GET FUCKIN' DAMP

OCTOBER CATCH-ALL

 ► YOU CAN BE REGULAR DAMP

all

 ► OR YOU CAN BE EXTRA SPICY BONUS DAMP

18th

stings

blood

24th

isn't

any

 ► MOD NOTES

This is the October Catch-All Log, for any action top-levels throughout the month which don't fit in a designated event log. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
All top-levels for the Winds of Change mini-event also go here, since it won't be getting a log of its own.
Refer to the bottom half of the October Bulletin for any October-specific info to potentially include in your prompts! The above blurb is honestly just mood-setting flavortext.
Because this is a catch-all for everywhere + all month, try to remember to label your top-levels with identifying information like the IC date and location of each prompt (whether in the subject or in the prompt title within the comment). Also try to indicate any event prompts for the Winds of Change mini-event aside from just listing their dates, so they can be easy to spot!
Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh... Oh no, her fruit! It's going to get lost! Wen Ning scrambles over to pick up the ones that have rolled away, off the side of the path, then cautiously steps out of his hiding spot. He knows his appearance can be frightening, so he does his best to make himself look small and non-threatening. ]

Here, miss. You... You dropped these.

[ Even Naminé's hurried attempt to recapture the escaped fruit that she can see doesn't stop her from being aware that one particular chunk of the area suddenly looks a bit more populated than it did before. Although her reflex is to pause like a deer in headlights, she at least has the good sense to stand upright before she does it. (Perhaps it makes little difference; she is small and non-threatening, and there's no disguising that.)

The thing that surprises her most is that Wen Ning shows himself at all. His strangeness comes second - although she recognizes it right away, even before she can pick out exactly why it is that she knows it's there. This, however, is less alarming than the first point, for of course she can't help but wonder at his intent when they're so far from either of the more populated areas. But for all that she reasonably cautions herself about any stranger, he seems... timid, almost. Of two minds, Naminé watches him approach, hesitant herself even when her eyes move down toward the fruit he's gathered up. ]

Oh, [ she says, with a beat of uncertainty. There's an alarm going off in the back of her thoughts but a larger portion of them feels almost as though she's the one who ought to be trying not to look threatening. Her voice is gentler for it as she adds, ] Thank you...?

[ She'll have to move closer to retrieve the items. She takes half a step, then seems to think better of it; considering him carefully, though not unkindly, ]

I... didn't see you on the road.

[ So where did he come from - and more importantly, why? ]

[ Oh no. She seems hesitant to come towards him. He doesn't blame her, really. He knows how scary he looks and how awkward it is for him to follow people without making himself known.

He'll just... carefully set the fruit down on an even patch of ground between them, then back away a respectful distance, keeping his gaze low, bowing slightly in deference. ]

I wasn't... traveling on the road. [ Is really the simplest way to explain that little discrepancy. He wasn't traveling on the road, he was traveling next to it, through the bushes and trees, staying out of sight. He just doesn't want to frighten anyone, but he still wants to make sure they're safe. The best way he can think to do that is to follow them, unseen, ready to jump in if anything bad happens. ]

[ Lips pressed together into a single flat line, she considers him uncertainly as he leans down to deposit the fruit. Upon realizing the meaning of his actions, however, her knitted brow softens. Even once he's backed away she seems hesitant, although presently she takes a few more small steps forward to a distance where she could bend down to pick up the items, were she to choose to. She doesn't, at least not at first, and studies Wen Ning intently as he gives his answer. ]

Why not? [ That's the natural thing to ask after a response like that. It's hard to make much of her expression; she keeps it close enough to neutral, although her voice is no less gentle than before. ] It's safer to be on the road... isn't it?

[ Perhaps it's funny to express any concern about that when she's probably the more vulnerable of the two of them, but in a place like this it's hard to put a ceiling on what kinds of trouble might be out there. ]

Ah-- [ He stops himself. She's not wrong, it is generally safer for people to travel on the road. But he doesn't count himself among "people." He stammers for a moment, trying to think of an argument that might explain his side...

...and failing spectacularly. ]

N-No, you're right. The road is safer. But I'm not worried about anything attacking me. I'm more worried about... Something attacking you.

[ You never know what those Technicians have in store for them. Someone as small and kind looking as this girl... Wen Ning is sure she's someone he wants to protect. ]

[ With a subtle tilt of her head, Naminé continues to examine him through his stammering. He doesn't really make the picture of a villain when he's fretting like that - and the more she sees of him the harder she finds it to imagine that he meant any harm. Suspicious though his behavior might have been, he did show himself to help her. Blinking at him once he sorts out his answer, ]

... Me?

[ Her mouth rounds slightly, pausing that way for a beat as if she meant to add something else. Then it flattens again, her expression pulling into a thoughtful look. Several considerations, in fact, seem to pass through in a quick rush, her face not giving much away. Then, finally, ]

That's very kind of you.

[ Although the words are evidently the result of considerable weighing of her options, they sound - and are - sincere. Finally letting her eyes fall after a moment's pause, she kneels to carefully collect the apples from where he's left them. She's very delicate about it, and moves patiently - yet her attention clearly hasn't strayed from him, since presently she comments, ]

But... are you really so sure that you won't get hurt? None of us know for certain what could be out there in the forest, after all.

[ He smiles when he sees her bend to pick up the apples, and relaxes his nervous grip on the sides of his robes a bit. He can feel a warmth from the medicine bottle pendant he wears around his neck, and the echo of a feeling like his older sister is proud of him, for helping someone, even long after she left his side. ]

No, we don't, but... I'm not a very easy thing to hurt.

[ He almost says "person." But in the end, decides to go with "thing." Some days he feels more like he's able to count himself as a person. Other days, not as much. Lately, he's been feeling more puppet than person, only good to serve a purpose. It helps that he's able to decide what that purpose is for himself, now. And so, he chooses to make that purpose watching over travelers on the road, and making sure they get to their destinations safely. ]

[ Her flicker of a glance upward informs her when he smiles. It certainly doesn't look malicious, so she finishes collecting the apples and delicately returning them to her bag - except for one, that is, which remains in her hand as she begins to stand. Partway through straightening up she pauses, eyes lifting toward him again as she registers his word choice.

That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Not everyone hesitates to use a word like "person," but Naminé knows full well just how many barriers can be put between oneself and the casual utterance of a term like that. ]

Is that so? [ she responds, all contemplation and no challenge. It doesn't sound as though she disbelieves him, since she doesn't - but she still has to wonder, ] Is it because you're very strong? Or... is there some other reason?

[ After all, he does appear to have some-- peculiar characteristics, to look at him. ]

Edited 2020-11-08 07:33 (UTC)

[ Sheepish, he nods. She probably has never seen a puppet like him before. He's learned that most of the people here don't have the same knowledge or experience people from his world would have. ]

I'm very strong, [ he confirms. ] Stronger than any living man.

[ Because he isn't. He's been given a second chance at living by Wei-gongzi, but he isn't alive, not really. He breathes and he bleeds and he needs food and sleep but he doesn't have the warmth of someone alive. He doesn't have a golden core like he used to. He's powered by resentful energy instead. ]

[ Judging by the way her eyelids raise in open surprise, the second part of his answer truly was unexpected. Even though that's the case, however, her reaction isn't fright; concern and curiosity both are what furrow her brow next. She was in the process of cleaning off the apple in her hand as best she could, but after his statement the motion of her wrist has slowed to a stop. ]

If you're not a living man, [ she inquires, voice a little somber with the connotations of which she is keenly aware, ] ... then what are you?

[ It only takes a second or two for her own words to catch up with her. Looking immediately abashed herself, ]

I'm sorry-- if that's a rude thing to ask.

[ The last thing he wants is to make her feel bad, so Wen Ning is quick to shake his head and offer a small smile, trying to assuage her worries. ] N-No, I'm the one who brought it up. It's alright.

[ The topic of whether or not Wen Ning counts as a living man is a tenuous one. It's a complicated thing, wrapped up in technicalities and details that he doesn't particularly feel like burdening this young woman with, but she asked, so he will answer. ]

I'm what is called a fierce corpse. A sentient puppet, able to be controlled by someone using demonic cultivation. [ What makes Wen Ning unique is that he is one of the only fierce corpses who can think and speak for himself. ]

[ Although she takes grateful note of his attempt to soothe her, Naminé regards him carefully an extra moment, trying to discern his feelings on the matter. Yes, he brought it up, but-- doesn't she know a thing or two about speaking truths she doesn't like in the name of honesty?

Still, her concerns don't stop her from listening - and what she hears certainly sounds pretty scary. Her lips part, rounding in surprise, although fear itself is actually entirely absent from her expression. If anything, she grows more perplexed for his sake, a bemused little frown taking over her mouth. ]

Does that mean that there's someone controlling you now?

[ And if so, she has to wonder whether that's, er, unwelcome, as it were. Her experience with puppets has mostly been with the unwilling sort, after all. ]

[ Wen Ning's eyes widen, and he waves his hands dismissively in front of himself. ] No, no! Right now there's no one controlling me.

[ He stills his hands, clutching them together and drawing into the timid figure he typically is when interacting with new people he doesn't know very well (or at all). ]

The... the only person who is here who can control me is my friend, Wei Wuxian. But he would only ever use me to help people. Fight monsters, protect innocent lives. Things like that.

[ At least, Wen Ning is fairly certain Wei-gongzi is the only person in the containment zone who can control him. He's the only demonic cultivator here that Wen Ning knows of. He doesn't think any of the people from other worlds are cultivators of any kind. ]

[ His initial answer seems to lessen her quiet distress somewhat, although the worry in the purse of her mouth doesn't entirely disappear. She's listening very carefully to the rest of his explanation, it seems by her expression, yet doesn't quite know how to feel about it all. ]

Those do sound like the right things to do. But...

[ Since he seems to agree with that, ]

Wouldn't you already choose to protect them by yourself? Like you were trying to do just now...?

[ So what need would there be for someone else to tell him to do it? ]

I-- [ He hurriedly nods. ] Yes, I will always try to protect people. To save them.

[ It's all he's ever wanted to do, even before he kind-of-sort-of-not-really died. Back then, he was too weak to really do much except help smuggle prisoners out of occupied areas by drugging their captors and making them fall asleep. He couldn't fight the way he can now.

But... How does he explain this? ]

When the resentful energy within me is being controlled through demonic cultivation, it's like... I can do more, be better. Be stronger.

[ Strong enough to do things like punch his fist through a man's chest. Definitely a moment that Wen Ning regrets. But an action with consequences he's had to carry for over fifteen years. ]

[ Naminé isn't inclined to doubt him, no matter how rushed the response might be. The hint of tension in her brow hasn't gone away, yet she doesn't look suspicious of him, even when he explains further. After a beat, she concludes grimly, ]

At the cost of your free will...?

[ It's pretty clear she doesn't like the idea exactly, but she doesn't raise a fuss about it. In fact, her eyes fall instead, expression a bit hard to read - although perhaps her thoughts become more obvious when, after a few moments, she lifts the apple in her hand. ]

Well... whoever, or whatever you are - I should thank you.

[ Which is probably why she took such care to clean off this one particular fruit. She holds it out to him now at arm's length to illustrate her meaning, and this time she's the one who musters a wan smile for the sake of his worries. A touch bashfully, ]

If you like food, that is.

Edited 2020-11-29 04:16 (UTC)

[ He's... surprised, by her concern. No one's really been all that concerned about his free will, ever since his sister died so many years ago. Not until Wei Wuxian came back from the dead and freed him from Xue Yang's mind control.

It's a difficult thing to describe, the matter of Wen Ning's free will. Certainly, the years he spent as a puppet for the Jin Sect, he lost all control of his free will and was effectively a prisoner within his own mind. But the time he spent with Wei Wuxian... He willingly chose to fight beside him, to protect him, to let his demonic cultivation flow through him and control him. That was always something he felt like he wanted to do. ]

It's really alright. [ He isn't sure how much his promise will mean to someone who doesn't know the whole story of why Wen Ning is the way he is, but... Hopefully it will reassure her somewhat. ]

And, I do. Thank you.

[ He steps forward slowly, still trying to appear nonthreatening, and takes the apple, offering her a small bow of thanks. ]

This is very kind of you.

[ There is one last contemplative glance she gives him in the wake of his reassurance, but presently she nods, giving a soft hum. If it's really his choice as he seems to be claiming, then-- ]

I understand.

[ She doesn't know the whole story after all, and she's quite aware of that fact, so the best she can do is take his word for it. His words of thanks - or perhaps merely the fact that he's able to use the gift at all and she hasn't offended him with it - bring a faint upturn back to her mouth.

She's seen enough people bow by now to incline her own head slightly at his gesture, her hand gently relinquishing its hold on the apple as he takes it. Although there's nothing hurried about the motion when she draws her arm back in, she does move her newly freed hand close to herself again, using it to steady the bag in her grasp. She seems to be almost as inclined as he is to make herself small despite not needing to try, and shakes her head narrowly at the compliment. ]

I'm only repaying your kindness. You're the one who decided to look after me first.

[ Regardless of whether or not his method was the most effective one, she can appreciate the motivation. Without quite thinking about it, she naturally takes a half-step back once the gift has been handed over. He's not threatening to her, not any more than the average stranger is - but the 'average stranger' is themselves cause enough for her to be at least subconsciously on edge. Her face is kind even so as she regards him for a hesitant, almost shy beat. Then, ]

We can walk the rest of the way together, if-- that's still what you want to do.

[ She truly is kind, to repay him like this. He takes kindness as a given, coming from him. He always tries to be kind to others, unless they do something to deserve otherwise. But he's still not quite used to people being kind to him. In his life, there haven't been many people who were. ]

Th-thank you, yes. I would like that.

[ He tries a smile on for size, and tucks the apple within the sleeve of his robe to bring home and eat later, thinking it would be rude to eat it while he walked with her, just in case she wants to keep talking. He doesn't want to talk with his mouth full. ]

This one's name is Wen Ning, courtesy name Wen Qionglin. Just... So you know who you're walking with.

[ Something about his reaction is innately recognizable to her - because how could she not see it when she's so unused to being treated well, herself? The way he shrinks, the way he refers to himself, how he responds to consideration... Her heart (the physical one, that is) squeezes in her chest even as she returns his smile with a gentle, almost melancholy upturn of her own mouth. ]

Okay, [ she confirms softly, trying not to let on that she feels a certain retroactive worry as she wonders how this state of being came about for him. The concern is buried well under her warm features as she turns to step the rest of the way back onto the road, prepared to head the direction she'd been going before the apple incident. She won't start off until he looks ready as well, however, and regards him as she comments, ] Maybe we'll both be a little safer this way.

[ The introduction lifts her brows slightly, then higher as a second title gets involved. She gives a soft, 'oh,' but her expression is only curious; she must not recognize his identity like someone from his world might. ]

... I see. In that case - my name is Naminé. [ Since it does seem prudent for one to know who they're traveling alongside, and that goes for both of them. With a tiny shake of her head, ] Although-- that's the only one I have.

[ She pauses a beat, considering whether or not that might somehow be impolite in some world somewhere to not have a second name. (Truthfully, she's lucky she was even given one moniker - other than witch.) The thought doesn't last long, because more importantly; ]

It's very nice to meet you... [ 'Wen Ning' is the name that her mind supplies first, but her keen memory and the word courtesy cause her to hesitate. She doesn't let it trip her up for long, however, and inquires with only mild self-consciousness, ] Would it be more polite for me to call you 'Wen Qionglin'?

[ That'd be her best guess from what he said, at least. ]

[ If Wen Ning were someone more important, someone of better status and social education, he might insist on her using his courtesy name. But in all honesty, he doesn't mind what name people use for him. As long as they're talking to him, he feels happy just to be noticed. All of the people who are important to him, and all of the people who are important to them, have all called him Wen Ning or similar. Wen Qionglin is a name he feels too removed from now. A name from another life. ]

Ah... Whichever you prefer is fine, really. I don't mind either way.

[ The girl gives a hum, proceeding to study him very intently. Her expression is serious as she weighs the options, and clearly she actually means to consider this carefully - although of course it's not as though she's picking a new name for the poor fellow. It just-- wouldn't feel right to decide carelessly, even if it's only a choice between two possibilities. ]

I think the name 'Wen Ning' suits you better.

[ She renders this verdict with a very slight undertone of apology, as if she half-regrets not being able to decide on the more polite option. Apparently seeing the need to clarify, ]

It just seems... [ Naminé struggles briefly to find the right word even though she knows it already - there's only the one that comes to mind, after all, but she hesitates to say it out loud. ] ... More gentle.

[ She may have hesitated to say the word, but hearing it brings joy to Wen Ning's face. After all the pain and loss that he's been a part of-- that he's caused-- 'gentle' is exactly the sort of thing he wants to be. ]

Th-thank you, Young Miss Naminé. Wen Ning is what my friends call me.

[ Now it's his turn to hesitate. ]

I... I hope that we can become friends, too.

[ It doesn't take long for her to realize the description hasn't given offense. Pleasant surprise makes her brighten subtly, shoulders relaxing. Perhaps she's too used to teenaged boys who prefer to seem stronger than they are, whose bravado might suffer some embarrassment under such a word; this fellow seems far more interested in projecting the opposite. She may not know why that is, but it doesn't strike her as being part of any nefarious intent. (If he's really as frightening as he seems to feel he is, what difference would it make what she thought of him? He'd have no better an opportunity to do her harm by deceiving her than he already did before revealing his presence.) ]

Of course, [ she finds herself saying in response to his gratitude while she still hasn't fully processed it, the reaction automatic as some part of her instinctively tries to soothe whatever might have caused him to stutter. Only - something he says next seems to give her pause, mouth stopped around an, 'oh?' as soon as friends are mentioned.

She spends the duration of his hesitation wondering whether or not she's overstepped, for she's reluctant to presume that she's so welcome as that - but no sooner has she started fretting than he renders the entire thought obsolete. The girl sucks in a little breath, then lets it out quietly as she admonishes herself; better not to make a big deal about it. Just because she's not used to having friends doesn't mean other people give such things the same weight she does. ]

That would be-- um, that is... [ Bashful, she has a mercifully brief argument with herself about the phrasing, then, along with a nod, ] ... I'd like that.

[ Her fingers curl slightly as she tucks her chin; if her arms were free, her hands would probably be clasping each other out of quietly nervous habit. ]

Since we're all going to be here together for a while, it only makes sense for us to get along...!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(october catch-all) IT'S TIME TO GET FUCKIN' DAMP

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject