Opening my eyes again in casted darkness... (January Catch-all)

[esurientabyss]

🌊Who: He Xuan, and anyone else.
🌊What: Things happening; they're self-explanatory.
🌊When: January.
🌊Where: Varies.
🌊Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of suicide & forced induction into harems; involvement of violence/murder. Anything else that may occur will be added or adequately warned for in the thread. TGCF spoilers, but since this already deals with memories, that's a requirement, really.



i. gravitation

[ No matter where He Xuan finds himself, whereas it's on the beach or somewhere else, there seems to be some kind of nonsense afoot. Some...feline nonsense at that.

They're all congregating rudely around him and he is essentially helpless to their attacks (cuddles and piling around his feet.)

He practically glares at anyone who catches him in the midst of this. ]

What?

ii. displacement

[ Ghost kings do not get sick, not really. But it doesn't mean that coughing or sneezing is an impossibility for him.

It just so happens he had grabbed something spicy from a restaurant and for some reason found himself sneezing due to some kind of pepper and now he's in the middle of a lake. Soon enough, he's grumbling, extricating himself from the water. What a waste of food. ]

iii. uncharted waters

[ In addition to those, anyone is free to encounter someone who seems to, for all intents and purposes appear to look like He Xuan, and is essence definitely still him. Yet, his appearance clearly differs in subtle ways. His skin isn't so pale, and his ears are not so sharp and he appears a little lost. Feel free to run into him like this, though he will be scrutinizing most people, and there appears to be a sword at his hip, which his hand is hovering on the hilt of. ]

iv. wildcard

[ Self-explanatory...! Open to things that are also not necessarily the above. ]

If you would like to plot with me, I can be reached on plurk @ leyfi, discord @ seraphkingdhaos#8538 and my plotting comment will be here.

Comments

[associative]

[ Gaku is in the kitchen, watching flipping a couple of pancakes as he watches them cook. He calls out to He Xuan when he hears him coming down the stairs. ]

Morning.

[ After he's plated a couple of pancakes and set more batter on the stove, he looks up and sees... not He Xuan. ]

Oh. I didn't know you spent the night...

1/2

[esurientabyss]

[ Crying... ]

...What?

[ P...ausing...because He Xuan would absolutely recognize his own voice in an instant, help. And that is literally, exactly not it.

He's next looking at his hands. Then he quickly runs back to the bathroom. ]

2/2

[esurientabyss]

[ ...

After a certain amount of time (like, a minute or two), he comes back. ]

There's a problem.

[associative]

[ Gaku watches this whole conflict within He Xuan develop, but all it seems like to him is Childe panicking. ]

Why? Do you regret staying over or something?

[ Sorry, He Xuan... ]

[esurientabyss]

[ Which reminds him to get over himself so he can clear up the misunderstanding. ]

No, it is just...I am simply in the wrong body.

This is He Xuan.

[ Idly, he reaches up to touch his own face, and then hair in disbelief. It could be a far worse choice, but in retrospect, he can only presume who must be in his own body right about now, and that isn't a comforting thought...it's not exactly an easy time being him, after all. ]

[associative]

[ Gaku blinks at him a few times, not sure what to say or how to respond.

However, the way Childe (wait, He Xuan) touches his face gives away that he really is someone else. ]

Huh. Didn't know that could happen here.

[esurientabyss]

Better now than later. But bound to be another trick by the goddess herself.

[ In retrospect, He Xuan is the one who got off easy. No side-effects to possessing someone else's body.

Though he can't be comfortable in it knowing that this isn't the case for the other. ]

...Have you been forced to endure some of her other ones? If there are any that are particularly insidious, it'd be good to know.

[ He comes into the kitchen proper. He still needs to eat food; though not as much as he is going to need to adjust to. ]

[associative]

...I ended all of my sentences with "nya" for an afternoon.

[ Hm. Gaku thinks about it as he plates breakfast. He hasn't endured a whole lot of the curses personally. Oh, but there was one he was affected by— ]

The Goddess made Ellis fall in love with me for a day. That kinda sucked.

[esurientabyss]

[ ...He Xuan does vaguely recall in a very early meeting where it seems M-21 had the same affliction. Of all the things to be struck with, that one seemed the worst of it. ]

...It did? Seems almost like a pointless curse.

[ Unless, he supposes, it was fairly early on, before either one of them knew of their feelings. Hence 'almost', until he receives clarification.

All things considered, he seats himself like this was all normal. Nothing he can do about it anyway. ]

[associative]

[ Gaku shakes his head, plating the breakfast he's made and setting it down on the table in front of He Xuan. He furrows his brows, still finding the situation odd. ]

He didn't have feelings for me at that time, so... I had to reject him because I knew he didn't actually love me.

[ So, it really did suck. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ He'll raise a fork and pick at the food lightly. ]

So another foolish affliction that will not serve anyone well in the end.

[ Some might be more inclined to leave in shame. For someone to be magically infused with false feelings...it's not something he has never heard of. But, typically, of course, not something most people can manage. ]

[associative]

Nope. So, watch out for that one, I guess.

[ He watches He Xuan eat, unable to keep himself from doing so. This is so weird... ]

Worked out in the end, though.

[esurientabyss]

I will.

[ If it does, maybe that will be the final straw. Not that...he doesn't plan to getting around to approaching her about this and some other things.

He just takes his sweet time on certain things, is all. Though, he certainly also notices the slight staring as well. ]

...Glad that it did. There is probably something to be said about relationships, tribulations, and the such.

[ Though he isn't so cheesy to go into a heartwarming spiel like that. He is just happy for them. ]

[associative]

[ He guesses so. Though Gaku has never been in an actual relationship before, so he isn't all too sure what, exactly, can be said.

Starting to eat some of his own breakfast, he lets all of that float around in his head. ]

You got anyone you're interested in, He Xuan?

[esurientabyss]

[ ... Well, He Xuan has told Ellis by now, and he's gotten to know Gaku well enough that he sees no point in hiding such things. So, there is a pause, even as he stirs the food with a fork, dithering when he normally wouldn't. ]

The one I am the most interested in...you're technically looking at 'him' right now.

[ Tartaglia, he means. ]

[associative]

Wait, really?

[ He can't help the way his eyes widen, and how his eyebrows raise. Sorry... ]

What about him interests you? Do you want to date him?

[ He has so many questions. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ He Xuan doesn't seem to judge Gaku for the simple raising of his brows. ]

If I say I am interested, then I am. It's unnecessary to go into detail.

[ Anyway, he has no desire to go into a sudden spiel when he just woke up in the morning. Whatever is the most succinct will suit him best.

Though, maybe that too is just him being himself right now. ]

[associative]

But I wanted to know the details...

[ Is he pouting? Absolutely.

At least it isn't for long, as he starts to eat again shortly after. ]

[esurientabyss]

[ He Xuan seems immune to Gaku's pouting and doesn't even so much seem to acknowledge it stoically even with Childe's face. It's fine.

But after half-way through his meal, he reconsiders, for various reasons. ]

The first time we met, we spoke and sparred. It went well. The painting that I hung up was done by him.

[ He sounds considering as he speaks, slightly fond. But when he speaks again, he still keeps his words straight to the point, disliking the idea of saying more than intended or what he needs to. ]

We met again a couple times after. But I can't call one encounter in particular all that favorable. [ His fault, though. ] Regardless, his words resonate with me, his presence unforgettable. I initially thought it was a fluke, nothing to think about. But it will not dissipate.

[ It'd be easier if it did, though. He Xuan did think he won't do much with the revelation, but that's not true either, considering. ]

[associative]

...

[ Well, damn. He kind of hates this, especially because their relationship sounds... not good. But at the same time— ]

I kinda get it. Ellis said I was nothing to him a while back, but even after that, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Sometimes that stuff just happens.

[esurientabyss]

[ He Xuan wishes it didn't.

But the longer he acts like he doesn't feel a thing, the more stupid he looks and feels. Unfortunately, due to a fellow ghost king, he knows it's not impossible for resentful beings to feel such things. What is simplicity? Non-existent here. ]

...Yes, I suppose it does. Foolish as it is.

Didn't know things got that rough between you and him. But, I suppose it'd been presumptuous to imagine events between you and him occurred ideally all the way as well.

[associative]

They were not ideal. Stuff like this usually isn't, and if you wish for an ideal, you're just gonna be disappointed when it doesn't come.

[ But Gaku is also of the mind that things work themselves out eventually anyway, so this isn't coming from a negative space, at least. ]

Both me and Ellis have come a long way since we got here, which is why I think things work well between us now. It wasn't easy.

[ ... ]

Looks like it won't be easy for you either.

[esurientabyss]

Wishing for an ideal...hmph, there's enough that do so already.

[ He Xuan hasn't thought too hard about relationships before he has arrived here. In the sense of cultivating those, and what his ideal one might even look like. Perhaps both to his advantage, but also to his detriment.

But there is a pause because Gaku makes the statement, about himself and Ellis. That they had such a rough time. Yet, while his comment says that it will be hard for him, there is no implication that it is impossible. He reads between the lines. ]

I will not delude myself, to imagine that all will come together so simply, so perfectly. But, I might allow myself to consider that it may come to pass eventually, with the knowledge that it also may not.

[associative]

As long as you can do that, that's all you need.

[ After all, while Gaku may be incredibly confident, he also didn't expect for Ellis to like him back. He knew that he might get rejected when all was said and done, but he still pursued him anyway. ]

It'll take a lot of work, but you seem prepared for it.

[esurientabyss]

[ If someone told He Xuan in the past that he'd be sitting here, trapped temporarily in someone else's body, listening to advice (?) on relationships, he'd...

...well, probably think they were out of their minds. But, here he is. ]

No point in not being so. Though I can't say that I'll know the next steps for certain. But, when all of this ends, I don't want to be standing there with the regret of not having tried at all. There are only so much a person can stand to have.

[ He's hanging onto that regret still where it comes to someone else from his world. He doesn't want to repeat it again. ]