You took all of me (December Catchall)

[esurientabyss]

🌊Who: He Xuan, and anyone else.
🌊What: A brief catchall.
🌊When: December.
🌊Where: Varies.
🌊Warnings: None, unless someone ends up convincing him somehow to do a NSFW bingo square or something.


i. silent nights (closed to Gaku Yaotome)

[ Well following the culmination of the activities of this, it is doubtless that the two had their own business to take care of. Maybe it would take a day, but probably not because when nightfall is upon them, it doesn't change the fact that sleep will be needed. Well, technically He Xuan could go without it, though it hasn't exactly...come up. ]

...It's late. I assume you're coming to bed.

[ He Xuan doesn't know how to phrase that less awkwardly, help. ]

ii. these abandoned fields

[ ...Well. These fields are not going to cultivate their damned selves, as much as He Xuan would like for them to. So here he is, out in the early morning, hair pulled back into a familiar ponytail, despite how long it is, and sleeves rolled up.

He's doing farm work, with the hoe and whatnot. Though, apparently not without a few curses. His family had a farm when he was young, yet it has been ages since he has been on a farm. Not to mention, they didn't go into misfortune until a certain point, so his experience personally attending to one is extremely limited.

Maybe a certain shovel would prove to be useful here, in retrospect. Or maybe not, because he doesn't know how to use it. Anyway, more effort is being exerted here, without trying to ruin the soil. ]

iii. responsibility is a heavy (annoying) cross to bear [various prompts]

[ He Xuan can be seen in town at various early points of the day. Though he looks annoyed to be there, and if for whatever reason someone comes closer to him, he frowns, but he does like...the minimum effort to look like he's not about to kill someone, expression more neutral. ]

What?

[ Later on, he can also be witnessed hanging around at the actual beach, seeming caught up in the way the setting looks in the late afternoon. He seems more at peace at this time, on account of the fact he is more at ease with this sort of surrounding. ]

iv. wildcard

[ Feel free to throw in a random scenario that doesn't fit the above if you'd like. I haven't actually gotten around to making a plotting post since I just commented around, but here is his bingo so far! ]

Comments

[framestory]

[ Ellis hops in and immediately starts pedaling, which... steers the boat continuously to a single direction like they're slowly spinning. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ He also starts to pedal...

He's also suddenly very aware he has no idea how this works...but at least they're probably (?) going in a direction that is not spinning...! ]

[framestory]

[ They can go far into the lake... it's fine... When the paddle boat rocks due to some mischievous marine life, Ellis holds onto the boat and it steadies instantly. Don't ask him how he did it. ]

[esurientabyss]

How did you do that?

[ Failed step one in not asking. He Xuan didn't even have to do much on his end as he might have considered at least ensuring the water was steady, so it's easily noticeable that Ellis managed it quickly. ]

[framestory]

[ UHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ellis takes his hand off the boat to get out a notepad and writes in it. ]

I can stabilize things. It's my power.

[ He is still pedaling. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ Put the pedal to the metal! ...which is what He Xuan is also doing. ]

Convenient. If there is a large, fearsome lake monster causing trouble, you can stabilize it.

[framestory]

[ Stabilize what? Its emotions? That would have to mean Ellis would need to get close to it and... ah... he no longer wants to think about this.

His legs feel heavier all of a sudden. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ Peers at Ellis who seems to be more like a rock now than anything. Looks back across the lake they are (or he?) happening to be pedaling across... ]

Or I can just kill it. That would be quicker.

[framestory]

[ His calm is back immediately as he nods. Yeah! Leave it to scary killer man to do what he does best. Probably. He barely knows anything about He Xuan apart from what was in the pamphlet.

Ellis resumes pedaling and writing at the same time. ]

Do you use a sword?

[esurientabyss]

[ Yeah, he's gotten very good at killing! \o/ ]

I can use one, but I am versatile.

[ Any blunt or bladed object in his hands is a weapon if he can imagine it being as one, and and he can very much be skilled at improvising, oh boy. ]

[framestory]

[ He nods--he feels like he should be very frightened of He Xuan, but he rests easy. As long as he doesn't genuinely piss him off, Ellis should be fine... at least that's what he thinks. He seems to be like a no-nonsense, curt and stoic man. There's appeal in that too.

But he eventually realizes that it's kind of... cold where he's sitting. He feels a difference in temperature--most likely because he's sitting next to He Xuan, so he waves his hand a little inside He Xuan's space (sorry). ]

[esurientabyss]

[ ...Well, Ellis isn't an annoying person (he actually finds him interesting), so there is also a plus to them interacting, though this is just their 'first' 'conversation'...

Speaking of which, he does certainly notice that there's some waving around. ]

...What are you doing?

[ He Xuan looks genuinely baffled, and slightly annoyed. Is this some kind of strange custom? He reaches out to try to poke at the hand. With, you know, a cold finger. Helpful. ]

[framestory]

[ Despite slightly expecting it, he's startled anyway and jumps in his seat, rocking his boat. He immediately steadies it. ]

You're cold! Super cold!

[ No shit?? Yeah?? ]

[esurientabyss]

[ What a reaction...it's a little amusing, after he's initially surprised himself, making sure he doesn't fall out of the boat. Ellis is fortunate he isn't so childish (well, someone might argue that he is, depending on how petty he is feeling, actually.)

And also he still needs to peddle... ]

I am. Have been like this for a long while.

[framestory]

[ Ellis stares at He Xuan in wonder before resuming the pedaling. He gets it. He thinks. But then he turns curious, tilting his head at him. ]

Can I try making you warmer?

[ ... ]

[esurientabyss]

What would be the point?

[ ...Well, there's a small pause as he gives it a second thought. ]

You can try.

[ He Xuan hasn't bothered thinking about what it'd be like to be warmer, since temperatures don't bother him. No to mention, no one dared to touch him when he had been in a certain disguise. Well, except a certain ex-god....either way, concealing such things seemed unnecessary as well.

Though, he does wonder how it will work. ]

[framestory]

[ Curiosity, He Xuan! Curiosity. It'll probably bite Ellis one day.

Ellis doesn't need to particularly focus too hard for his powers to work, so he's still pedaling as he gently puts his hand on He Xuan's arm. He attempts to stabilize the temperature so that instead of his arm being outrageously cold, it'll be more lukewarm instead. It isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but in comparison to the rest of He Xuan's body, it'll probably be a big difference.

Though when Ellis stops, He Xuan just goes back to being completely cold everywhere. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ It's easy for him to do...precisely because he allows him to do it. It's interesting, allowing someone else to do this sort of thing, and for a moment things are at least less pleasant on Ellis' end.

Until the other draws away. ]

Were you born with this power?

[ He asks, though he touches his own arm, as if curious himself. ]

[framestory]

[ For someone who doesn't think they were properly born, he nods to the question anyway. It's loaded and the answer is basically the same anyway. He tilts his head as if to ask him why does he ask. ]

[esurientabyss]

Where I come from, many don't possess the power that you have. It is uncommon even among gods and ghosts.

[ He has never seen something that can do what Ellis can, in fact. Maybe it's because he doesn't get out all that often anymore, but there might be for other reasons as well. ]

[framestory]

[ There could be all the reasons in the world and it wouldn't matter. Ellis wonders though... ]

Is that good? Bad? An observation?

[esurientabyss]

An observation. Most have elemental powers, or are stronger than normal humans either due to being a martial god, a ghost or something else entirely.

[ What goes into something elses? He doesn't care to know. Or even if he did, he can't be bothered to recall. ]

[framestory]

[ Ellis has decided that He Xuan is of the aloof and cool variety that makes him attractive. The bad boys, they call it. Though, he finds it amusing that He Xuan is literally cold. ]

I use my power for the more mundane things, like not feeling too hot or cold or having to caln myself when I really need to. It's to stabilize things. Do you know if I can use it for anything else?

[esurientabyss]

[ Ellis' deductions are, naturally, 100% correct. ]

If others need to be stabilized. Some might look into something like that. Out of their kindness of the heart or some nonsense.

[ He Xuan says this coldly, but it is his opinion. So at least he clearly thought about it.

...he has a feeling that Ellis can be a nice person, though as this is their first meeting, he categorizes as simply a first impression so far. But not a bad one. ]

[framestory]

[ Ellis knows it's also a lot of emotion manipulating which people probably won't like the idea of. It definitely doesn't feel like a combative power. Suits him perfectly, because he can't fight for shit. He tilts his head a little while still pedaling.

...

Speaking of which, his legs feel like they'll die. He whines a little. ]