Chongyun Laughs A Little At Her Concern. Not That It's Funny, But Because Chongyun Isn't Used To People

chongyun laughs a little at her concern. not that it's funny, but because chongyun isn't used to people caring so much for them. at least, not in this kind of way. "i'm well enough," they reassure hu tao. "don't worry about me." as tired as chongyun is currently, they're not so tired that they're on the verge of collapsing right then and there. maybe they were, but going to the tea house sounds like precisely the thing they currently need to let their body rest first before resorting to sleeping.

"and..." chongyun puts a finger to their chin as they follow along, taking in the sights and smells of the harbor. everything smells delicious, though chongyun is still hung up on the idea of eating fish. nothing else sounds quite as good. "if you want to learn more about yin and yang, i can teach you what i know sometime." not now ― that is a lesson chongyun is going to need notes on themself. even with their own yang energy, chongyun never fully got the hang of what exactly it is. those particulars had simply gone right over their head, like most teaching. the only lessons that really stuck were the physical training and the mantras.

"i don't know much about them myself, but i know bits and pieces," chongyun continues. "everything my parents tried to teach me went over my head. i was always more interesting in learning how to fight and how to use my claymore, over any ailments i was born with." there's another sheepish expression on his face. "i know we still have books at home, if you'd ever like to stop by sometime. i plan on staying here for awhile at least, before i have to pick up and get back to work." leaving liyue harbor for several days.

"but we can enjoy the rest of today, i'd rather not force my brain to work too much if i can avoid it." he points at the teahouse. more specifically, chongyun is pointing out a still empty table that the pair can sit at.

"The  teahouse  it  is  then!"  she  affirmed  with  a  smile.  The  director  maay  had  been  hoping  he  would  choose  that  option.  It  seemed  this  was  another  thing  she  had  in  common  with  Chongyun.  As  well  as  their  love  for  a  good  story.

"Maybe  we  can  actually  hear  a  conclusion  to  those  usual  cliffhangers~"  Hu  Tao  mused  in  reference  to  the  storyteller's  habit  of  forgetting  where  they  left  off.  Not  that  she  minded.  She  found  the  quirk  rather  fun  and  endearing,  hence  her  frequent  visits  to  the  teahouse.

Moving  back  to  the  present  moment,  she  found  there  was  a  lingering  closeness  between  the  two.  Not  to  mention  a  sense  of  awkwardness.  And  yet,  she  didn't  instinctively  back  off.  Of  course  the  exorcist  was  being  nothing  but  genuine  in  their  sentiments  toward  her.  She  knew  that.  Still  he  was  correct  in  his  thoughts  that  she  wasn't  use  to  such  kindness  in  general.

"Ahh..I  suppose  I  have  bit  more  to  learn  about  those  yin  and  yang  energies,"  she  remarked  letting  out  a  soft  sigh.  "You  really  are  much  too  kind,  Chongyun."

With  that  she  grasped  onto  his  hand  helping  to  pull  him  up  onto  his  feet.  She  didn't  doubt  what  he  had  said.  Not  at  all.  The  exorcist  had  always  been  such  a  kind  friend.  Even  since  they  were  kids.

The  mention  of  food  did  elicit  her  own  stomach  to  growl  slightly.  Yep,  she  was  hungry  as  well.  Though  her  face  did  scrunch  up  with  a  bit  of  embarrassment  that  she  simply  overworked  herself  she  forgot  to  grab  something  to  eat  earlier.

"Come  on.  The  teahouse  isn't  too  far  from  here.  Just  right  past  the  funeral  parlor  even"  she  began  to  tug  at  him  in  an  effort  to  lead  but  then  paused  turning  her  attention  back  toward  Chongyun.  "You  are  well  enough  to  walk  there,  right?  I  mean  here.."  she  stepped  a  bit  closer  over  a  shoulder  for  him  to  lean  on  in  case  there  was  such  a  need.

every time i think about how exhausted chongyun is over everything they do for liyue and the people in it. the countless work they put in to cleaning the land, how utterly thankless the job is even when people are demanding more.

how draining it is to have to avoid the sunlight and everything involving people. it's isolating and draining

and chongyun is so. so. tired.

reminder that i made a ns/fw sideblog over on my mumu. you can find said sideblog @icewindafterdark < there.

for a SPLIT second, kami wilts. he can clearly see the moment cyno's consciousness retreats, and hermanubis takes complete control over the body. that split second is all kami really has to reflect on how his words might come across, because hermanubis is now launching toward him with every intention of destroying him.

this ISN'T the scenario kami had envisioned. he hadn't actually meant to upset cyno to this degree, to the point where kami's witnessing an all out possession take place. (where's an exorcist when you need one?) he had hoped for more conversation and understanding, but evidentally, hermanubis and his stupid lust for judgement is going to dictate the terms now.

alright.

kami shoots straight up into the air, HOPEFULLY just out of reach. he's not dumb enough to think that he can't be reached by the current puppeteer. while kami hasn't actually seen cyno's skills in action before, he isn't the general mahamatra for no reason. the man has to be scarily good on the field and in battle. right now? kaminari is TERRIFIED. he's not breathing anymore, no longer wheezing out a painful breath. but he's not trembling anymore either, now focused on tapping into his anemo.

the call of the untapped electro within is also calling to him, practically begging for kami to tap into it once more. it'd be so tempting, so POWERFUL, and he'd easily render cyno unconscious with it. even as irritating as the general is, kami is not about to resort to old tricks to win an unwinnable fight.

"cyno, wake up," kami snaps, throwing a single attack out in his direction. "you're not this stupid, snap out of it!" it's probably no use ― there is no cyno currently, and this spirit is actually going to hurt kami if this keeps up for long. talking isn't going to work, only action will.

readying another attack, kami flies closer, hovering just above hermanubis now. he's building up wind speeds around him, before kicking downward, sending a very strong, almost solid gust of wind straight for hermanubis. kami knows he's strong, he knows what he's ALMOST capable of (even if he's still learning about what he can actually do with anemo), and he knows he can still take hermanubis in a fight.

he just doesn't actually want to, for fear of hurting the host in turn. cyno really doesn't deserve any of this. he didn't deserve kami and nahida withholding the truth from him, and he certainly doesn't deserve hermanubis taking over his mind and body.

already, kami is readying another attack: his favorite method of weapon, a swirling, almost black hole-like vortext in his hand. he's not remaining in place though, kami is flying backwards, launching himself toward one of the bookshelves in hopes that hermanubis won't actually damage them. who is he kidding? a vengeful spirit, hellbent on ripping him apart?

the house of daena will be a complete and total loss.

Was this the actual truth? Did he hear that right? Kaminari's words were reaching his ears, and yet Cyno felt he could not hear them directly. There was something in between, a vibration that drilled straight through his skull, and each message came as an echo, overlapping to other things... voices? Or thoughts?

The corruption of the Akademiya, the Fatui, the many ordeals he'd been through and nearly lost all he had for...

For him? Kaminari?

A God... Created by an Archon, and by an Archon resurrected. Protected, even, through secrecy and lies.

"... You shall not tamper with life and death." He heard himself say, without even thinking those words specifically. Or maybe he had... or maybe the spirit of the priest had.

A construct made whole to live amongst humans.

"You shall not interfere with human evolution."

A being built to be God.

"You shall not divulge secrets..."

But why? Why would Nahida betray him so? Was this the reason behind the closeness with which she kept the Wanderer by her side? The way she'd told him nothing? Casting judgment of her own and giving sentence, without him at her side?

What does it mean to be a General Mahamatra, if the God he swore to serve works directly against the Law he was given to enforce?

Feeling his soul sinking into the darkest pit of despair, Cyno no longer heard; no longer spoke. For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more than to run away... from himself, and who he was.

And in that small step back he took in his heart, the crack in his headdress grew wider, spreading like a spider web, cutting through one of the glowing eyes of the jackal... and it was like a beast had just broken free of its leash.

With its claws extended, the Pactsworn Pathclearer was fully unleashed, and charged straight at Kaminari. Swinging, punching, chasing him with no regards for their surroundings or witnesses.

Seeking only to destroy and purge the abomination that stood before him.

Character Teaser: Wanderer - “Of Solitude Past and Present”

OTPs  +  nOTPs (for Chongyun)

the 'no' is basically just family tier. chongyun and kaeya are brothers, blog canon wise. this is from years of rping with kaeyas and multiple blogs establishing the sibling-esque relationship. diluc, also by extension. same with thoma.

as for xingqiu, i REALLY do not ship it. however, there are one or two people that write him really well, and i did and still would rp the ship with them. also, because i trust these people. but in general, i would rather not. it's not my favorite ship, and i don't want to go into all the reasons why not, let's just say unless you're one of the people i've written it with in the past, please don't try, my answer is no.

everything else is by chemistry!