Xingchen has traveled fair distances even as a blind man that the thought of heading to the neighboring village on his own never gave him cause for worry. Even when he approaches that bridge and hears how the wind makes it creak and moan, almost as if it were alive, he bunches up his courage and steps onto the rickety thing. It's just a bridge, after all. He need only hold onto the rope railings and take it slow -
But then the bridge shakes violently and he throws his arms around that rope, holding on for dear life. He thinks it must have just been a strong gust of wind, but then laughter sails toward him on the air.
Ah. It must be naughty children, then. They can be terribly cruel.]
Please, don't do that again. What if someone falls and gets hurt?
[Getting hurt is probably not in the cards. Who knows how high up this bridge is? The echo is pretty evident.
Instead of an answer, Xingchen only hears that laughter grow in volume, two, maybe three voices altogether. He just grips on tighter and hopes they'll grow tired of this game.]
2. the wolves (CW for some blood and violence)
[Despite his treacherous bridge-crossing, Xingchen made it to Ke-Waiar and manages to fill up three vials of the well water there. He intends to bring the extra two back for anyone back in Ke-Waihu who needs it's protection. He contemplates staying in the village for the night, but he also wants to get back as soon as possible. Tarrying won't do anyone any favors.
But when he hears the village gates shut behind him, the noise seems to reverberate throughout his entire body. He shudders, either from the bad feeling in his gut or the sudden chill in the air. Maybe it's nighttime and they close the gates for this reason. That makes the most sense.
He travels for a time, hoping his intuition on which direction to go is correct. And then the howling starts, farther away at first, but rapidly approaching. Xingchen reaches into his robes and pulls out a talisman, one he had prepared ahead of time. Wolves and other animals tend to stay away if there's a fire. The talisman won't last long, though, and he can't make a proper campfire, so this is his best bet.
When something rustles in the trees to his left, he injects the talisman with some of his qi, igniting it immediately. The creature snuffles at the sudden light and holds off, long enough for Xingchen to reach for Shuanghua on his back, slowly drawing the blade defensively.
That probably wasn't the best idea, it turns out. Another wolf, unbeknownst to Xingchen as he was focusing on the first, sees that weapon and leaps at him, teeth and claws sinking into his bicep, ripping the fabric of his robes and tearing at his flesh until blood quickly soaks the remnants of the sleeve and drips along his side.
Xingchen cries out in pain and drops his sword, the weapon dully clanging against the ground. The talisman sputters out and he's left in another kind of darkness.]
3. the crossroads
[Xingchen has been through it. Surely begging with the other homeless and orphaned and invalids won't put his life in danger.
He doesn't do this for himself, of course. Xingchen has managed on his own for a couple years. But the rescued tributes back in Ke-Waihu need money to escape and they can't exactly do it themselves right now.
Xingchen, on the other hand, fits right in. He sits there with a few other unwanteds, one of his mended baskets in front of where he sits on the ground. His robes are still bloody from his werewolf run-in and his right arm rests in a makeshift sling, though his core speeds up the healing process.
The problem is Xingchen isn't good at begging. So the first few hours he sits here, he doesn't know what to say and ends up saying nothing. But after listening to the others around him, he grows a little more brave.
Upon hearing someone step closer, he raises his head and offers a small smile, one that wouldn't reach his eyes if he still had them.]
xiao xingchen | open
[This seemed like a good idea at the time.
Xingchen has traveled fair distances even as a blind man that the thought of heading to the neighboring village on his own never gave him cause for worry. Even when he approaches that bridge and hears how the wind makes it creak and moan, almost as if it were alive, he bunches up his courage and steps onto the rickety thing. It's just a bridge, after all. He need only hold onto the rope railings and take it slow -
But then the bridge shakes violently and he throws his arms around that rope, holding on for dear life. He thinks it must have just been a strong gust of wind, but then laughter sails toward him on the air.
Ah. It must be naughty children, then. They can be terribly cruel.]
Please, don't do that again. What if someone falls and gets hurt?
[Getting hurt is probably not in the cards. Who knows how high up this bridge is? The echo is pretty evident.
Instead of an answer, Xingchen only hears that laughter grow in volume, two, maybe three voices altogether. He just grips on tighter and hopes they'll grow tired of this game.]
2. the wolves (CW for some blood and violence)
[Despite his treacherous bridge-crossing, Xingchen made it to Ke-Waiar and manages to fill up three vials of the well water there. He intends to bring the extra two back for anyone back in Ke-Waihu who needs it's protection. He contemplates staying in the village for the night, but he also wants to get back as soon as possible. Tarrying won't do anyone any favors.
But when he hears the village gates shut behind him, the noise seems to reverberate throughout his entire body. He shudders, either from the bad feeling in his gut or the sudden chill in the air. Maybe it's nighttime and they close the gates for this reason. That makes the most sense.
He travels for a time, hoping his intuition on which direction to go is correct. And then the howling starts, farther away at first, but rapidly approaching. Xingchen reaches into his robes and pulls out a talisman, one he had prepared ahead of time. Wolves and other animals tend to stay away if there's a fire. The talisman won't last long, though, and he can't make a proper campfire, so this is his best bet.
When something rustles in the trees to his left, he injects the talisman with some of his qi, igniting it immediately. The creature snuffles at the sudden light and holds off, long enough for Xingchen to reach for Shuanghua on his back, slowly drawing the blade defensively.
That probably wasn't the best idea, it turns out. Another wolf, unbeknownst to Xingchen as he was focusing on the first, sees that weapon and leaps at him, teeth and claws sinking into his bicep, ripping the fabric of his robes and tearing at his flesh until blood quickly soaks the remnants of the sleeve and drips along his side.
Xingchen cries out in pain and drops his sword, the weapon dully clanging against the ground. The talisman sputters out and he's left in another kind of darkness.]
3. the crossroads
[Xingchen has been through it. Surely begging with the other homeless and orphaned and invalids won't put his life in danger.
He doesn't do this for himself, of course. Xingchen has managed on his own for a couple years. But the rescued tributes back in Ke-Waihu need money to escape and they can't exactly do it themselves right now.
Xingchen, on the other hand, fits right in. He sits there with a few other unwanteds, one of his mended baskets in front of where he sits on the ground. His robes are still bloody from his werewolf run-in and his right arm rests in a makeshift sling, though his core speeds up the healing process.
The problem is Xingchen isn't good at begging. So the first few hours he sits here, he doesn't know what to say and ends up saying nothing. But after listening to the others around him, he grows a little more brave.
Upon hearing someone step closer, he raises his head and offers a small smile, one that wouldn't reach his eyes if he still had them.]
Might one show some mercy for a lowly beggar?
4. wildcard
[you know how this works baybee]