death walks

even in arcadia.

[houyin]

Et in Arcadia ego.

Blogroll: @reversescale (Dan Heng, main), @vanagander (Ashveil, sideblog), @lordsilenced (Polka Kakamond, sideblog) Affiliates: @kohouri (This is a sideblog to @reversescale)

[houyin]

[ termi, a little smug ]: so if shuhu's gone, then WE guess you don't need US to scare it into obedience anymore huh

Ren smugly watched as he let a tendril of a vine snake eagerly around Terminus' calf, a smirk blooming incorrigibly on his features. "Not quite. See? I'm hardly the one in the control here. Shame that doesn't get YOU off the hook, hm~?"

[houyin]

Relaxed-Avoidant (Dismissive): Individuals in this quadrant often take a dim view of others, preferring to keep their distance and guard against invasions of their autonomy and privacy. Relaxed-Avoidant personalities tend to have a strong belief that others are too different from them for truly intimate relations to be worthwhile. They may have a spouse and family, and even be solidly anchored in a stable network of friends and acquaintances, but at the end of the day, they tend to avoid entering into relations where emotional interdependence and intimacy are required. Unlike individuals who fall in the On Edge-Avoidant quadrant, Dismissive personalities tend to be quite content keeping their deepest feelings and views to themselves, and they often have a deeply-held belief that the opinions of others are mildly irrelevant or even second-rate. Consequently, many Dismissive types are often quite good at dissimulating, that is, appearing to share their innermost thoughts, while in reality, they are simply appeasing others without ever letting them come close.

          Independent and proud of it, these individuals can typically achieve remarkable feats of social manipulation and self-restraint, but on the downside, they may have trouble kicking bad habits (such as drinking or smoking) which they can enjoy in solitude and use to comfort themselves, independently of the company of others. They can frequently be unmotivated or lazy with regard to the duties that others expect of them, but on the other hand, they are often very original (since they are not hindered by concerns about having to conform to the expectations of the group). Finally, they also tend to be intelligent risk-takers, since they are at heart relaxed and cool under fire.

[lowaharts]

[houyin]

@truethes -- ;

"You... I remember you."

The one he only cared to remember as that smug egoist that hadn't exactly conveyed the most positive impression back then. And yet, here they were, years later and practically in the same boat. Two Emanators of Abundance, one by make and the other by force, working in opposition to the same god that had brought ruination to their lives. Ren stalked in a perimeter towards the healer, closing the distance between them until they were facing one another. Funny how this man was a prisoner, yet Ren walked free by the graces of the Yaoqing general's glowing commendations in Planarcadia.

That, and he was a walking box for one of the Alliance's bitterest enemies, a fact for which they'd better be fucking grateful for.

"So, you're part of this motley crew of wannabe godslayers. What's in it for you aside from taking down that wretch?"

[houyin]

@deadn30n -- ;

The words Ashveil had spoken still lingered in his mind, reassuring and syrupy despite it all. It hadn't felt deserved, and frankly, it still didn't. It had been hundreds of years since La Mancha had known that fiery upstart that was doomed to burn up and fizzle out like a shooting star, witnessed once and then never again. There was no doubt the Ranger had heard it all since their tearful farewell, the mourning in his voice that had haunted Ren for countless nights. It was a question that pestered him, wondering: had La Mancha heard of the Stellaron Hunters, of the swordsman who bore an uncanny resemblance to that arrogant, arrogant man?

And here they were, reunited on the eve of disaster. Ren knew he stood out more than before, a mummified ghost of his former self, a vessel for the wretch that had ruined his life all those years ago. Maybe that was the point. The swordsman scanned the remnants of Perdito Station, shepherding a group of evacuees ushered from the outside wherein the ruination proliferated like a disease. Beneath the sputtering florescent lights, Ren balked, caught between feeling relief and a slight shock.

"...So, you made it. I knew you were too much of a stubborn bastard to die," Ren teased the detective, the faint smile tugging his lips.

[cloudhymn]

          ‘   probably that the trailblaze and the finality run parallel to one another, or are even the same path. the idea isn’t unheard of.   ’

the way dan heng replied was so purposefully blase, a petulant response to ren’s noncommital noises. they irritated him, and he was afraid that it showed in the way his cloudhymn could not glamour his fangs or the wisps escaping from between beastial teeth. he knew that the sequence of events had been logical, that if he were less emotional about the entire affair such a sentence wouldn’t have sounded like a rejection. how long had ren chased him reciting lines about owning up to the sins of dan feng, that this burden was theirs to share ? now that dan heng had come to accept this part of him, ren was so willing to let it go ? it aggravated him. what purpose could he possibly pose right now besides pissing dan heng off ? was he trying to be condescending ?

he had spent the last few hours locked in a fight with a phantom, and then a ravager, trying every waking second not to fill his mind with thoughts of ren and this irrational betrayal. it didn’t make sense for dan heng to feel this way, to feel so discarded. it hadn’t been about him. ren says he wished no one had been there at all, and yet the dragon could not help but stand there stewing in regret regardless. he needed it to stop.

          ‘   what does that have to do with what you have to tell me ?   ’

[houyin]

"We're on the same path. The reason saying good-bye was pointless was because I was destined to come back, to keep moving forward... even if it didn't seem like it at the time."

As frustrated as Ren might've sounded, the degree was blunted, more exasperated than the former to any true effect. He'd anticipated this; with all the sheer antagonism and distance Dan Heng had suffered from him before, even in light of their truce, it made moving past it seem impossible. If he was to suddenly change, to shift course, wouldn't it seem fickle? With his Mara gone, and Shuhu sealed inside him forever, the barriers that had prevented their reconciliation were no more. Perhaps the greatest share of doubt was if Dan Heng would even want to reconcile, even if the burden of it lay entirely on him. From what he'd learned when they'd reunited for the Quintet's formal dissolution, Dan Heng had repaid his karmic debts in full. The rest had died with Dan Feng, and weren't Dan Heng's burden any longer.

"...I want to apologize. It won't make up for everything, but... I need to. I made your life hell for a burden that wasn't yours to bear, that you've long since been forgiven for. I'm sorry, Dan Heng. For everything."

They needed to embark on a new road, not just the concurrent paths their respective groups were destined to trek until the day came that they prevented the Finality from arriving. But, that was too easy. It wasn't enough when the karma between the two of them ran deep, and this apology needed to be the trailhead. Neither of them knew what was to come, but they had to start somewhere.

"It's not enough. A mere apology never is, but... we have to start somewhere-- No, I have to. Even if you want nothing to do with me after this, this has to be done. And you need to hear it, if nothing else."

[houyin]

It was too amusing how Ren still hadn't realized that there are two cats aboard the Stellaron Hunters' shuttle. He seemed oblivious to the cats' different eye colors, the glaring split tail of the blue-eyed one, and how the latter was practically mute and never meowed. In short, one feline was weird and Ren seemed ignorant of it.

The close proximity of someone so tied to the Finality naturally quieted the Thing swimming inside Ren's veins and Elio guessed the relief it brought must be why Ren kept inviting him to spend the nights together ( or rather, elio just kept slipping into the room uninvited and ren never kicked him out. besides, as the scriptwriter, he deserved a little fun once in the very long while he spent locked in his study ).

Tonight, too, the twin-tailed cat followed closely behind Ren back to his room and needn't invitation to hop onto the bed, slide under the covers, and curl up with "its" back pressed to the swordman's side. "It" lifted "its" head when offered pats and knowingly blinked "its" big blue eyes when talked to but it never answered...

Usually, Elio left when Ren was still asleep. However, the blood-red eyes flooding Elio's vision before his eyes even properly opened and the sunlight filtering through the blinds, were proof enough that - for the first time - he had overslept.

" ...... "

It seems the warm weighted blanket has held him hostage.

" ------ Morning."

Might as well just own up to it, right?

.

[ can shuhu's flesh recover from moe-- ]

Ever since their ordeals in Planarcadia, it seemed as though everything about his health had improved by leaps and bounds. While his hands hadn't completely cured, his arthritic flareups were far more mild than they had been before, and he'd been able to craft again. Of course, he hadn't exactly stopped, but he was able to be much more hands-on than he ever had been before. Maybe Elio didn't appreciate the slight ballooning of the Hunters' expenses of all the new materials he was forcing the poor Omnisynthesizer to produce, but considering how he was typically designated the tole of chef, it felt like a fair trade-off.

Of course, it also meant he was sleeping much deeper than he had before. Predating then, his sleep had been fraught with sleeplessness, wrestling with his Mara for control had wiled away his hours and made them absolute torture. Now? For the first time in centuries, he'd slept for a full eight hours or more, compelled to awake more from the insistent urge to craft, clear-headed enough that his thoughts danced with the endless litany of curios and weapons he could forge again. Hell, even the idea of the Hunters' usual weapons maintenance stoked the fires of excitement within him, sometimes literally.

While his mind raced through the realms of sleep with a tempest of new ideas, sometimes one of Elio's or Terminus' cats would join him, which was hardly a rare occurrence. Now that his internal temperature had spiked considerably, he was practically a magnet for them.

Yet, when one of the cats' weights had increased considerably, Ren's eyes cracked open as sunbeams filtered through the filmy curtains of the ramshackle hotel room they'd rented out for this mission. Instead of just gentle sunlight, his hand lifted and felt Elio's curly mop of snowy hair and fuzzy cat ears, chin practically touching his sternum as he watched Elio stare up at him with oscillating eyes, smirking slightly. The swordsman hooked larger hands around Elio's thighs and hauled him up higher to straddle his pelvis, an easy feat of careless strength.

With barely inches between their faces, he captured Elio's lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. A little assertive, but he knew the seer had likely anticipated this. One of his hands moved up Elio's back, the other splaying over the base of his twitchy tails. Nuzzling into Elio's neck, he inhaled the sweet musk of his skin and planted a few lazy kisses.

"'Morning. Coffee, or five more minutes?"

[121231212i]

[houyin]

" "You are the most perfect blade the Stellaron Hunters could ever have"... " The Seer chuckles, warm and soft, at Ren's recollection of the events from the World in Canvas. "What Kafka didn't tell her is that she heard it from me." His clairvoyant gaze falls to the pressed-flower album in his lap; his handicraft, a collection of spider lilies from the cosmos. "Tempered a thousand times over, you have become the most perfect blade indeed... I'm glad you decided to return to us."

[ so about that... ]

"You said that?" Ren's voice lilted in admitted surprise, but a fond warmth suffused his breast; if he wasn't careful, he was sure sparks would spit from the orifice in his chest. As incorrigible as ever, the swordsman carefully lifted the dried flower album away, replacing his head on Elio's lap, instead. What a pretty face he had, but what a shame he insisted on those floppy bangs and baggy hood. As he fully reclined with a sigh, he placed the album on his stomach, there for Elio to reclaim, if he so chose. He nuzzled into Elio's abdomen, humming thoughtfully. "Hmph, flatterer. I suppose it's a sound decision that you weren't there. You know how I get: insufferable."

Ren smirked roguishly, amused at the thought. Silver Wolf had an abundance of gagging noises she could make, as she often did when he accompanied them on the rare mission. Reaching up, the bangles on his arm jangled slightly as he touched the underside of Elio's jaw, sliding up towards his cheek. His skin was irresistibly soft, a flare of desire stoking in his heart.

"I suppose this is the best place I can be. Although... if you truly want to tempt me, entice me. Surely, your all-seeing eyes know what I want," he teased, completely unserious. "Hm... shame you don't wear jewelry. You'd make a lovely muse, you know."

[houyin]

"Why didn't Ren let DH accompany him to WiC?" This is why:

[cloudhymn]

          i will accompany you until the end.

for decades dan heng had held the thought of ren’s permadeath with an eager acceptance. he had no idea when the tumultuous emotions regarding the man became denial, slowly morphing into the kind of dread that became all encompassing, the sort that had begun to consume dan feng as he fell further and further into insanity, the grief of it allowing the mara to take hold. upon the reveal of their histories, the guard’s desire for some kind of recompense dwindled more and more, eager to move forward into something resembling feigned peace. it had been a naive thought. their very foundation had been built upon conflict, when they were still their past selves, and even moreso now. ren continued to fight dan heng at every turn, even after dan heng had tried to extend some sense of vulnerability, a plea for him to stay, to be healed.

the least he could do was allow dan heng the chance to say goodbye, but he hadn’t even been afforded that.

and so, the dragon’s secret elation was not prevalent, instead there was a clear and vicious hurt in slitted eyes as he was approached.

          ‘   i thought you made your choice.   ’

[houyin]

Ren became thoughtful, almost meditative. It hadn't been a kneejerk reaction, so much as the acknowledgment of a battle plan. Caelus had needed to find Graphia in the World in Canvas, hence why he'd tagged along. Silver Wolf was a given as one of his comrades. But, Dan Heng? The die had been cast and demanded they split up; as the Express' Guard, it was only natural he'd accompany Welt. Maybe it was because he'd been too ashamed at the thought of dragging Dan Heng along to witness his funeral. Back then, when Elio had told him the truth of the script, 'a bloody funeral for everything he'd ever hated' made him so sure Dan Heng would also perish upon that pyre. How naive and short-sighted he'd been. Yet, even Ashveil hadn't accompanied him, and the man had been one his closest friends throughout the decades he'd spent among the Xianzhou.

But, he'd been able to say good-bye. That was more than what the Nameless had been granted, hadn't he? Ren made a short, noncommittal sound, his own mask to wear.

"...I don't have to beat around the damn bush, do I? You have nothing to do with my sins, Dan Heng. I know that now. That's why I didn't want you to come with me. ...I would've preferred it if no one else had been there, really."

Ren's eyes lifted back to Dan Heng, able to see him clearer than he ever had before.

"I doubt Elio would appreciate me revealing this so prematurely, but the Path the Stellaron Hunters follow is the Trailblaze. The same as you. Does that mean anything to you?"

[houyin]

🥺 mrow mrow mrow...?

"Mm... something the matter? You know, you don't have to use one of the cats to get my attention, Elio." Even if he found it incredibly adorable, anyways...

[houyin]

@cloudhymn -- ;

There was a strangeness and vastness when faced with the thought of Dan Heng, enough that he'd put a gulf of days between himself and the Nameless. Shuhu was a new constant, a wretch thrown into a perpetual fire that would take and take as the Thousand-Faced Saint had from all he'd ever loved. Yet, in the wake of clarity and an acceptance of "Yingxing", the man was well and surely dead. The spirit of vengeance had been exorcised, and now, the future branched before them both. The road of sin he'd walked upon had forced Dan Heng to flee it like a sinner, revealing all: the enormity of its futility slammed into him like a freight train, festering with alienation and the distinct, uncomfortable reality of the torment he'd inflicted upon that man.

Where did that road lead? Above all, would they have anything to do with each other anymore?

Ren lifted his head in acknowledgment as Dan Heng approached, unlikely to have anticipated the swordsman's presence. His chest ached, temperature flaring reactively.

"...Is now a bad time?" he asked, voice hoarse with disuse.

[houyin]

0/12

[houyin]

@grislyintentions -- ;

Since the end of his ordeals in Planarcadia, much had changed for the swordsman. Shuhu had been conquered, the Mara quelled, and the road to absolving his past had finally taken his first step forwards. For a man who had before chased death as his only absolution, never did he think that his debts would be repaid alongside those he could consider family. They had supported him and would continue to, but much of him could only dream of the road ahead, of the nightmares and monstrosities they'd conquer.

As family, as friends. Like the life before, if painted by another shade.

"I suppose it'll be disappointing that your Spirit Whisper won't be necessary any longer," he began in a familiar monotone, but the hint of a tease was present. "You'll have to focus entirely on our battles going forward, Kafka. No more distractions."

[houyin]

🗣️ meow MEOW meow MEOW meow MEOW

"Hm... I suppose there's worse ways to get my attention."

Ren all but purred as he gathered Elio in his embrace, practically crushing the shorter man in strong arms. Really, how did one of the greatest masterminds in the cosmos wind up being so cute? Nuzzling off Elio's hood, he buried his face in wavy, snowy locks still sweet with the fragrance of the strawberry-scented shampoo he liked so much. Relaxing his embrace somewhat, he simply allowed their bodies to mold naturally together, warm and soft against his own.