Iron.

Independent Roleplay blog for Dynasty Warriors' Yu Jin, styled Wenze.

[masteryujin-archive]

{AKA look at these two hitting me in the chest as I finally pull caps off  my hard drive. I AM A PRODUCTIVE AND SERIOUS MUN I SWEAR.}

[masteryujin-archive]

“My lord is a man who seeks to extend his hand farther than just the lands I know as home. I opted to take my men and begin travel to see just how much was undiscovered. We had come across a…strange phenomenon a few days in. I could only remember a hole in the sky, before my men and I were ambushed by creatures far different from ones I’ve seen. Unfortunately, I was the only one left after the fighting. Returning home is no longer an option for me now.” Yu Jin answered. In part it was because he felt he failed his lord; returning as the lone party member spoke volumes.  “Two questions, my lady,” he continued, grip on his trident still firm, “Where is here, exactly, and do you have a proper title that I can address you by?”

[sulahnnan]

     “I am Ellana,” she began with a courteous dip of          her head. She held the position for a moment or two longer than          she might have usually before settling back into the position          she previously held. “Anything more is unnecessary, ser.”          The warrior deviated then, taking a graceful step to the side and          motioning towards the stable, defensive walls of the Inquisition’s          head encampment.

       “This is Skyhold.” The fingers belonging to her open hand curled in,         eyes akin to liquid gold returning to him, “if you are in need of         refuge,the Inquisition would be happy to house you.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“Skyhold...” Yu Jin repeated, to himself moreso than the woman offering him refuge, and his eyes swept over as much of the structure as he could see, from the worn yet still sturdy stones, to the pleasant greenery and the groups of people making all sorts of commotion. Refuge, indeed.  Hopefully, he would have minimal troubles adjusting. “I thank you for the offer, Lady Ellana.” He picked up his trident and proceeded forward, “I can and will offer the strength I have as repayment to the Inquisition.”

[masteryujin-archive]

sulahnnan:

     “If that is what you wish.” A simple answer,       but respectful. The name was certainly foreign;       tested upon her tongue in thought alone. Something       hard to forget.

     “You have travelled far to reach here. For what       purpose?”

“My lord is a man who seeks to extend his hand farther than just the lands I know as home. I opted to take my men and begin travel to see just how much was undiscovered. We had come across a...strange phenomenon a few days in. I could only remember a hole in the sky, before my men and I were ambushed by creatures far different from ones I’ve seen. Unfortunately, I was the only one left after the fighting. Returning home is no longer an option for me now.” Yu Jin answered. In part it was because he felt he failed his lord; returning as the lone party member spoke volumes.  “Two questions, my lady,” he continued, grip on his trident still firm, “Where is here, exactly, and do you have a proper title that I can address you by?”

[sulahnnan]

masteryujin

[masteryujin-archive]

sulahnnan:

      “And by what am I to address you?”

Almost entirely out of his element, Yu Jin could only straighten himself up and try to ignore the memories of green rifts and the hole in the sky that hadn’t really left the forefront of his mind. Composure regained entirely, expression a smidge less...angry-looking, he spoke to the woman, “Yu Jin is fine. My rank and titles are a memory now.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“Normally, I would be present as ever, but alas my leave was unexpected...”

[wuyinflower]

— ❧   She had allowed the contact first, unmoving from the               grip of his hand until she’d been graced with brief pecks;               succumbing to the second and looking up when he spoke               again. At that, her demeanor shifted, and slender brows               dipped in misery at the mention of her stolen daughter.

             “Please,” she pleaded, palms reaching forth as dainty               fingers curled gently into his robes, “I wish to weep no               longer.”

[masteryujin-archive]

If only he could undo what had been done, but Persephone, who had ingested food from the underworld, had done the damage so to speak. His wife’s daughter, a treasure in her own right--a goddess once protected by her mother--was now a Queen, her king, Hades. The god of Storms himself had realized how upsetting it was to watch his wife despair as her daughter would leave her year after year.

“She will return to you,” he spoke this time, his fingers linking with one of her hands before he kissed her again, “I will be there with you when she does.”

[masteryujin-archive]

Visit Original Link

[wuyinflower]

— ❧   “Politely,” she repeated simply, stance shifting then so                 that she could face him, head inclined in the slightest                 and pacing forward a stride or two to eliminate the gap                 that lingered in between. 

              “Should you choose to conquer instead, I am fairly certain                you would flood what has been carefully cultivated.” In a                manner of speaking.

[masteryujin-archive]

“No,” he mumbled as he let his fingers slip underneath her chin for a moment before he dipped his head down to kiss her briefly at first, “that would undo progress,” the next kiss lingered, “invite ruin to the people that pray to you and ask for your blessings..." He pulled away just slightly, his voice still quiet enough for her to hear, "Have you not wept enough?”

[wuyinflower]

— ❧   “That would be preferable for any future encounter                  that would entail such things.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“Ah. Yes.” The god of storms cleared his throat, “I will not conquer in this case, but be sure to ask to touch you. Though, on this occasion, may I avoid facing your wrath so that I may kiss you? Politely, of course.”

[wuyinflower]

— ❧   “Simply refrain from repeating yourself.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“Yes. Of course. I shall ask--shall be polite in regards to our next encounter.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“How do I not evoke the wrath of the goddess of the harvest for a second time?”

[masteryujin-archive]

[ it's not like i ship yu jin with xiliao or anything-]

[she the wife tho yeeeeee]

[saferintheshadows]

when someone completely misinterprets your muse

[masteryujin-archive]

freedom.

[wuyinflower]

    — ❧    He seemed to hesitated, and it drew up a certain amount of confusion within the agriculturalist’s mind. Though she did not push; never one to force an issue, she simply gripped her husband’s hand firmly enough to let him know that she would not disappear. For the years he remained in relative exile—or rather caged within enemy borders, Xialiao had expected him to return home a changed man. The reasons she knew not of, but signs of which had indeed been evident.

                       “Come,” she urged gently, head tilting delicately as she deviated to Yu Jin’s side. With but a single step forth, she attempted to guide him with careful steps over worn stones and further within, though such insistence had not been pressure. It had been directional guidance in which she offered herself as a crutch. Unbending and relentless, she would remain by his side and would not deviate. It was her purpose, that much she realized and came to accept upon settling down.

                                                                             “Let us go home.”

[masteryujin-archive]

“Yes.” he responded as he proceeded toward their home. He allowed one hand to drop to his side and then move until he could lace his fingers with Xialiao’s as memories of their home flooded into his mind. It would have been easier to ask if she had changed things since the last time he had left. or if at least Gui had come back to visit her. Their residence, in his mind, remained the way it was shortly before he left for Fan Castle. Xialiao, in his mind, had been the picture of beauty he had always thought she was. It was odd; that day he left, he thought of the possibility of her fighting alongside him once again. However, then, he knew she was of more importance here. If there was anyone to give their sons strength in his absence, it was her. When they inevitably did reach their home, the sigh he let out was slow and deliberate. For the brief moment he had let go of Xialiao’s hand, he leaned against the doorway to their home and took in each and every detail, and whatever anxiousness he had was gone, replaced by more relief. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and then readjusted his posture. Their home seemed empty now, and he wondered how Xialiao managed once their sons had left. “How were you able to stay here for so long?” he asked without another thought. “You...could have moved closer if you wanted to--my rank would have allowed it.”

[masteryujin-archive]

freedom.

[wuyinflower]

      — ❧    She gravitated towards him willingly, hands moving again; retracting and foraging forth to search his face. Fingers brushed upward and combed through swept bangs peppered with streaks of grey, and her reserved smile spread into something more animated. With it, she did not give a verbal reply, but instead craned her head and pressed her mouth against his as a show of physical acceptance—overtly disregarding said social acceptances she’d earlier obeyed. Still, such an act of sentiment and devotion was fleeting, and she reached down to take his hands with the intent to lead him into the courtyard. To bring him home. 

                          “I would wait,” Xialiao began slowly, warm hands gripping both of his as she stepped back, shooting a glance over her shoulder for the sake of her steps’ precision, regardless of how slow they might have been, “—as long as it took or may still take. Home is where you are, my lord. I will remain, and continue to do so for as long as I am physically able.” 

                            And it was then that a certain, overwhelming stillness settled in. While Wuyin itself was fairly calm, the solitude of the isolated walls had negated the gaze of any unwanted, prying eyes. Rumours spread quickly, and it seemed that it was only within the residence of a private home that they disintegrated into something less potent and wholly irrelevant. It was there that she wished to draw him—away from the toxicity that weighed Yu Jin down so that he could shake off the fatigue and anxiety that plagued him.

[masteryujin-archive]

Yu Jin returned the kiss without hesitation, any acceptances right now outside of this moment with his wife no longer mattered. When she pulled away however, and he caught sight of the land just beyond the gates, his anxiety returned. He should have been smart enough--wise enough to block out the foolish question but they all persisted. “Your loyalty, your patience...it means everything to me right now.” He responded. They couldn’t remain out here forever, beyond the gates their home awaited. Yu Jin was sure he missed much, but now he had plenty of time to catch up, plenty of time to listen until he himself had been ready to explain just why his return here was so quick, and why it was Luoyang and not Xuchang that he looked upon for the first time with disdain.

[masteryujin-archive]

freedom.

[wuyinflower]

        — ❧    Perhaps she should have been more reserved, or maybe she should have waited, but for years she stood by and remained consistently patient, and finally he had returned. The minor amount of space between them closed rapidly, for she leaned forward and wrapped a slender set of arms around his shoulders and drew him in. The weight of doubt had fallen free from her shoulders, and her embrace tightened. 

                           “And you returned.” She offered in a soft reply, a breath, really, for none other than himself was likely capable of hearing the words she uttered. But Xialiao leaned away in the moments that followed, as if fearing that such actions were inappropriate by the public eye, and her immediate affections were reduced to the cradling of her husband’s face between delicate palms. Not for her own sake, but instead for his.

                            Thumbs pressed against the rise of his cheeks before her hands slid back towards the nape of his neck. Each movement was deliberate and careful, for she was terrified that one wrong action would cause him to slip away again. So it was with a gentle, tender smile that her eyes softened, and she spoke again:

                                                                                    “You came home.”

[masteryujin-archive]

The second the distance lessened between them and Xialiao was in his arms, Yu Jin exhaled and his eyes shut. He wanted to revel in this moment, for he had finally felt free. He felt free enough to wade through each and every memory of her he kept close to him while he had been away, from the shortest conversations to the longest ones. All of the regret he felt ebbed away and when he opened his eyes he started to take in each and every detail of her face, and he hung onto her words; they were all that he wanted to hear presently. He had to come home, it had been the only place he felt that he had left now. When he had been staring at the mural he had been wondering if he could have spoken with his lord one last time, to try and plead his case would things have felt so out of control? Would he have felt disgraced? Or would he have been told he had done the right thing by surrendering? There was no sense in wondering any longer, Yu Jin thought, as he felt Xialiao’s hands along his face and then along the nape of his neck. His questions would not be answered, ever. And for the first time in a while, he didn’t want them to be. “I will not be leaving it. I am staying here for the rest of my days if you will have me,” Yu Jin told his wife as he pulled her back toward him, obviously in search of the most sure thing he had now, “I am sorry that you’ve had to wait.”

[masteryujin-archive]

freedom.

[wuyinflower]

          — ❧    Every day she paced away from the humble structure she came to call home; from the garden, from sons that had grown and left to serve the military in years earlier just as thier father had, and her bow that had never seen quite so much use in earlier years. At the property line did she stand and wait, hoping that one day soon he would return home. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years, but not a single day passed where she would not tear herself away from the tasks that kept her mind busy. Not once had she forgotten.

                            Xialiao exhaled a lengthy breath of air as she leaned, the small of her back pressing up against a piece of furniture for support. Calloused hands from repetitive work over the years wrung together. She frowned at what had become of them, and pulled a set of thin gloves over her digits. Familiar, albeit toxic thoughts circled her mind the moment her body became idle; productivity poisoned by remorse and longing, but ignited by hope. It was there she waited, listening to the sounds external to the modest main room before deciding to pace away from her current source of support towards the entryway the same time she had every day—the same time he left to return to war those years ago, never having returned.

                            The archer padded forward, heart swelling within her chest as she reached for the door to exit into the courtyard, mouth becoming dry. There was an internal turmoil and it wreaked havoc within her, though her mien remained seemingly placid. Xialiao moved forward, steps careful as she descended a few, shallow stone steps, and she deviated towards the direction of the common road with calm strides carrying her forth.

                          —But there was a breath of syllables familiar from only their sound rather than tone—faint amidst all else—and the ease of her graceful gait transformed into something of a determined dash as she ran towards the gate.

[masteryujin-archive]

Yu Jin repeated the name again for the sake of affirmation with himself, that even after what many would constitute as a fall of grace, that his wife would be there. He couldn’t entertain the thought of her leaving before he did; she was too strong to be weighed down and stunted by his absence. If she allowed herself weakness then their son would hopefully be the one to renew her fighting spirit. Fighting spirit was something Yu Jin had been losing, and it would be covered up by the fact that he had gotten old, and not because a fellow officer died courageously while he himself surrendered. But if Xialiao endured, then so would Yu Jin. He had to believe that she fared far better than he did, which is why he stood tall as he remained outside of the gate. As quiet as it all had been, he still heard movement, especially as it neared the gate and instinctively he moved when it opened, letting his old trident hit the ground the second Xialiao came into his line of sight. 

"You are still here...” Four words, all of them weighted with fatigue, relief, and love.