westwhere | do you have enough love in your heart

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do you have enough love in your heart

WHO: Five and OPEN
WHEN: After this mess and bounties are issued for Messalina's little helpers
WHERE: Various points around Ephes
WHAT: A boy plays fetch with a dog, gets targeted for murder, and has too much to drink, not in that order
WARNINGS: language, violence, dead hellhounds, and other typical Five-things

Prompts below, all taking place in the same day. (I'm sorry this idea started out so wholesome...) Open to action or prose, whatever your preference!

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The living dead boy isn't phased by how much blood Five is covered in when he does come upon the other. Does he know what happened? No. That, however, did not mean he wasn't a bit concerned even if it can't be seen on his features. All he knows is that Five is one of theirs and he seemed... not annoyed, but some other emotion he can't truly pinpoint. Or maybe the other was annoyed by something.

"What happened?" Though, if he does end up seeing the dead hellhound then he'd know that something had gone on. His own friend was afraid of dogs, in general, and maybe it was better if he came upon Five rather than Wei Wuxian coming upon him.

Five turns to the sound, still on edge after getting ambushed, if not as sharp as usual. He recognizes the man after a few seconds, and his shoulders drop. The first thought he has is telling him his dog died, and he scoffs a laugh without explanation to what he found funny.

“Evidently,” he starts, then clears his throat. Then notices the blood on his sleeve, and frowns at it, like he’s only becoming settled with what happened. “They’ve finally made their choice.”

The laugh, unfortunately, throws Wen Ning off. He is not entirely sure what the other is laughing about nor does he want to ask. There might be a part of him that wants to but it also wasn't any of his business. Something could've easily broken the man before him. Anything, honestly, could've happened without anyone else's knowledge.

He doesn't say anything about the blood on the other, nor will he. Not when he, himself, has seen his fair share of bloodshed. "You are no longer a use to them?" Simple enough question really. One that Five doesn't have to answer. But they all played their parts, didn't they? Every last one of them had played a part and some had just gotten in far deeper than others. That? It seems to be Five's case, from the looks of it.

The question gets a suddenly intense amount of consideration, like he's recalling a memory, before he abruptly shakes his head. That may be true in a broad sense, but there's a more specific reason why they'd try to take him out.

"This wasn't about me," he states, slowly as he tries to keep his thoughts clear and correctly articulated. In hindsight, the signs were all there that this wouldn't end well. "It's her. Something must have happened."

He looks utterly disappointed to be making that conclusion. Weeks of work, and it's all for nothing. She could already be dead.

The silence, for the moment, doesn't actively bother him. Not when Five seems to be concentrating on something. What that something was, however, the living dead boy didn't know. Nor was he going to outright ask. Sometimes a person needed to be able to think before giving any type of answer.

Once the other gives his answer he gives a slight nod," Is there a way for you to find out if something happened to her?" Was there a way for Five to get to her or to her location to find out if something happened? If there was then they could head in that direction. Should that end in fighting then Wen Ning was fine with that.

"Unless there is something you wish to do before then."

If the other wanted to do something of that nature at all.

He frowns at the way he coaxes him along. It’s an effective strategy to get more information without asking, and Five isn’t sure where his intentions lie. He’s sober enough to know an under reaction when he sees it. There is something, so he nods, and swallows any emotion he’s unwittingly attached to a loyal hellhound that didn’t deserve to die in the streets.

“If they got to her, they’ll be announcing it soon enough.” He wondered if she could out power her enemies, and that would give him his answer. Some in their group might be relieved, but he’s been working at this for so long that he’s hesitant to say where she might be.

“Where do you factor in? You’re just here to help?”

If someone told the living dead boy that he was coaxing them then he'd be confused. He has never, to his knowledge, ever coaxed anyone in his life. Not even when it came to his sister. The only time he has coaxed anyone into anything was a small child and that had been little Yuan. Especially when it came to some of the simple things in life. Though he doubts that Sizhui would ever need anything like that again.

"Unless they wish to keep it hidden from those that supported her." That is the only reason he could think that they wouldn't announce something like that. He has not, honestly, had any impact on anything. Not that he knows of, at the very least. Even if he has had any impact he's not thought much about it. Why would he? He has just done what he could in healing those that were harmed.

"I am a healer. One who has just gotten away from those that would do harm," He states simply, he had dealt with the Hand after all. Though all he'd been doing is asking questions and wanting to make sure that Five was alright. There was no ulterior motive to things that he was doing or saying.

It might be easier to trust him if he had an ulterior motive. People who claim they don’t are harder to figure out. Less predictable.

He’s right, if they were trying to keep it hidden they could catch more of her supporters off guard. Then there are the bodies. It’d be smarter for them if it discouraged them, but generally, they send someone more skilled after him once they see what happened to the others.

“The Hand?” He assumes. He doesn’t know how many people actually heeded his warning to get away from them. “What are they doing now?”

Unfortunately, Wen Ning was not one to have an ulterior motive. He did not want to become like his uncle or cousins. Those that would harm did have ulterior motives and would harm others just because they could. That was not someone that he would ever become. He was, however, unlike most of his family a rather open book.

If anyone did try to come after them again then he had his chains. Something that he was good with in a fight. It wasn't like he actively felt. Which meant that, in the long run, he was someone that could fight along someone and give them a bit of reprieve if needed.

"That is where I was stationed before I got away from them, yes," He tells Five. There was no reason to lie to the other. If not for Sizhui then he probably wouldn't have gotten away as quickly as he had. "Before I left? The Hand continued to train its soldiers. They trained them hard." Though there was always something off about the soldiers. Just as when he first became part of the Hand he'd noticed the disappearances. Noticed those that did not return.

"If there is anything to know after getting out then I do not know it."

"You listened?" He sounds surprised, because nobody ever listens to his warnings. More likely he came to his own conclusion, but he'll allow him this moment to believe he could motivate common sense.

Common sense that would tell him not to get drunk and wander the streets with a hellhound and expect nothing bad to happen.

"Well, something happened," he sighs and rubs at his face, wiping off some of the blood. If there needed to be any more proof of how sloppy he was. He's fully responsible for getting the hound killed. It's ridiculous to get attached to a monster like that, but... it was regrettable. "...How are you at fires?"

"I did. Though, it is also due to my nephew. I would not wish to worry him or my jiejie in being in a place where harm could be done," He admits. Lan Sizhui meant a lot to him and he would do anything for his nephew, for his sister too. Just as he'd do anything for Wei Wuxian as well. They were people that were important to him. He also had not wanted to stay within the confines of the Hand either.

Sometimes common sense was hard to come by.

Though, the other was not wrong in that something happened. Five was covered in blood and it was possible that more would come after him. No one deserved to have people come after him, not like that. No matter what choices they made in the end.

"In starting them? If we have the right materials then I have no problem doing so." Fire did not bother him.

Five spares him a look to marvel at a rare time he'd gotten through to someone. He may not yet understand how the man always seems so calm, but he's known enough field agents who discuss dinner plans just as easily as their next assassination that it doesn't seem too out of the ordinary. Although if he connected him to his family, he could come up with a few theories.

Whatever his deal is, it doesn't matter right now. It'd barely been a request, or an offer to burn a body, but he nods in response. Does he want help? He looks around to see if there are any convenient torches nearby and he ends up lingering on a trail of blood with a stick poking out of it.

His expression darkens and he steps over to examine the piece of wood he'd been throwing not long ago, apparently lost in thought or considering what to burn. He barely glances back when he speaks again.

"Maybe you should go warn the others."

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do you have enough love in your heart

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