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

[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. ]

[associative]

That's how I look at things too. I'd rather try and be rejected than never try at all.

[ His massive amount of confidence helps too, but still. ]

So... how are you gonna go about this?

[esurientabyss]

...Not sure. It's undefined for now, but this sort of thing—it starts little by little, doesn't it? By actions, by spending time with him. That's where I plan to start.

[ He Xuan plays with a piece of his food. Sparring's already a given. But, a person is not a one-dimensional being; they are like two sides of the same coin. Often the face is a side of them, but so is the other hidden side. Not to mention, speaking as a person who plans carefully, he has no desire to immediately rush things.

Yet, he really wants to see if he can make it work. Still, this is harder than plotting revenge or tactical strikes against an enemy. ]

[associative]

Yeah. You need to invest effort into the other person.

[ Gaku has a bite of his own food, looking over at He Xuan thoughtfully. ]

If I didn't go through all the effort to learn sign language, I don't think Ellis would've given me a chance. So... learn about something Childe likes.

[esurientabyss]

[ ... ]

There are a good assortment of subjects he likes.

[ Fighting, ice-fishing, swimming, family, he believes also fish dishes, and other abstract subjects. Though he's certain there's his homeland, Snezhnaya, as well.

He is looking thoughtful, however. ]

Somewhere else to start, regardless.

[associative]

There you go. That'll give you something.

[ He smiles a little. ]

Once you have that, then you have more reasons to spend time with him.

[esurientabyss]

Mm, it will.

[ Even with Tartaglia's face, He Xuan's expression manages to look kind of stoic (don't ask how he manages this), but lighter anyway. With this, he easily clears away the rest of his food, going to stand up, and place the dish in the sink. ]

...Your assistance in this is appreciated.

[associative]

[ He smiles, having a few more bites of his own breakfast. ]

Yeah, of course. Although... I probably won't be a big help. I don't have a whole lot of luck in the romance department.

[ He's got no game, He Xuan. ]

[esurientabyss]

I've no need for any 'big help'. [ He'll say simply, and mean it. ] As for yourself...it sounds like you're speaking too soon on that.

[ He Xuan doesn't think of Gaku the most pathetic person here, at the very least. ]

[associative]

I don't know... The last person I liked rejected me, and I've never been on more than three dates with someone.

[ A pause. ]

Well, I guess Ellis is the first.

[esurientabyss]

[ ...He Xuan supposes that there are many reasons for why this could come to be, but ultimately concludes that indeed Gaku isn't exactly the most fortunate in these matters. ]

Mm. Then, it's about time that things don't go like they usually have for you.

[ The two of them really are looking to make it work, he thinks. And he believes that they deserve it. ]

[associative]

Thanks.

[ He flushes, briefly looking away from He Xuan before his gaze finds his face again. ]

I'm... actually really happy.

[esurientabyss]

[ And that, folks, is the face of a man thinking about his one and only.

It's a little odd, feeling glad for someone else being happy. He always assumed that he'd always resent anyone who would be happy. But in some instances, since coming here, that's changed. ]

Hope it stays that way too.

[ He begins to head towards the other end of the kitchen, though he stops for a moment, if only to say: ]

I'll be heading out. As always, I appreciate the food.

[ He Xuan then will continue onwards, making his exit. ]