i soar, pure azure.

             ⊹  ࣪  ˖  ――  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃  𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘  squeezed  𝐃𝐀𝐍  𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐆'𝐒,  wanting  nothing  more  to  tug  him  into  a  tight  embrace.  But  would  that  be  crossing  a  line?  He  didn't  know  everything  that  went  on  in  Amphoreus,  and  maybe  he  wouldn't  ever  know.  The  last  thing  he  wanted  to  do  was  push  him  to  tell  him  every  detail.  𝐉𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐘𝐔𝐀𝐍'𝐒  heart  felt  tight  at  the  thought,  but  now  wasn't  the  time  to  delve  further  in  those  emotions.  He  wanted  to  be  the  strong  pillar  his  𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑  needed  as  a  stepping  stone  to  getting  better.  He  couldn't  promise  for  it  all  to  disappear,  but  he  could  commit  himself  to  his  side  as  support.  The  𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋  could  care  less  about  any  repercussions  that  would  come  with  putting  off  his  work.  Would  the  other  like  that?  Probably  not.  But  at  least  he  can  take  paperwork  and  handle  it  within  the  chambers  of  his  office. 

Though Dan Heng was ultimately soothed by Jing Yuan's presence, he couldn't help but feel that distant ache that never seemed to leave him. He felt abashed at what felt like weakness, at still having such a debilitating outcome affect him to the degree that it would never go away. Dan Heng had scoured the Archives, the Interastral Peace Network, the vast repositories made and maintained by the Intelligenstia Guild for answers. While he believed he'd found them, and had worked assiduously to piece together some answers, sometimes it didn't feel like it was enough. Of course, there were others like him in the cosmos that had been negatively affected by the Destruction Equation; no two sufferers had the exact same symptoms, and it depended on species-- Dan Heng was jarred from his reverie, warmed by Jing Yuan's voice that never failed to ground him.

Donning a faint smile, Alex nods at the introduction. Certain pleasantries are beyond someone mired in uncouth behavior from an arduous past. Acknowledged. And so, Alex moves onto the matter on hand.

The particular Space Station. Alex, who traversed numerous star systems, recognized its worth—the head being a famed genius, after all. An excuse leaves Alex’s lips. Because aspects of his method of travel includes roadblocks. From major to minor inconvenience.

“ To be frank, it was my primary choice. But my warp drive’s out of commission at the moment. You see, its make and model’s of esoteric tech. ” It’s within the purview of the black market; bits and bobs available at random intervals. Ergo, a wee bit unreliable in the obtainable department. “ So it’d be a while until the appropriate part’s available. ”

As for skepticism, Alex refused to display insult. Those who practice subterfuge or other ill-intent may cross paths, and the duty lies with a guard to snuff them out in what manner’s acceptable in their eyes. Ever so casual, Alex’s stance remains casual.

“ Invitations, mn ? ” he drawled. Lips curled into a mischievous smirk. “ Let’s say I’ve gained the favor of a woman with opalescent eyes. Nothing like a heartfelt tale of loss, eh ? ” Arms folding, unable to reign in a smarmy tone. “ I assure you that lies are anathema to me. If you’re in doubt, shoot her a message. ”

Maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. In his time aboard the Express, the only person he'd heard of that had caused any amount of trouble had been Void Archives, Welt's reluctant ally, but he had left some time ago on his own. And that had been before Dan Heng had joined; he'd only heard stories secondhand.

Of course, that didn't rule out the fact that they'd been receiving a staggering amount of visitors. Except in times of exceptional conflict--like the Battle of Amphoreus--thanks to the Space Anchors that now littered various worlds by the dozens, those they'd befriended could discover them and instantly teleport aboard the Express.

It was limited on purpose, as only Pathstriders of Trailblaze could travel between them without restriction, but their friends and allies were able to see the place they called home and could enjoy it as much as the Nameless did.

"Actually... there should be a way to remedy that," Dan Heng said after Alex had finished speaking, not wanting to interrupt him. "Have you heard of an Omni-Synthesizer? The one in the Parlor Car is too small, but there's one in our workshop that's industrial-grade. It can fabricate any parts we need, especially seeing as the Express is rather... unique for a spacecraft."

Said Omni-Synthesizer had been Mikhail's greatest contribution several Amber Eras ago, and had been their saving grace on more than one occasion. While replacing said parts could be a costly venture, it was the difference between a functional Astral Express and one mired in the vacuum of space.

Defiance of fate is the final crown of the guardian.

For now, the little baby seal either hung out with the catcakes aboard the Express or in the Bathing Car to swim about to her heart's content, but it was when Dan Heng led Harmony by both of her hands into the humid space that the baby seal swam up to them both curiously. Untying the blindfold, heart fluttering giddily, he genuflected near the pool's rim and smiled back at Harmony.

"Happy birthday, Harmony. There's someone here who wants to say hello," he said, eyes aglow with adoration for his fiancée.

@reversescale

[I am so, so, so sorry this is late. Harmony's birthday was on May 8th and I didn't answer this until now.]

Harmony can just barely contain her excitement when Dan Heng leads her to the bathing cart. Beaming with a fit of giggles as she waits for the anticipated moment when he removes the blindfold. She bounces on the balls of her feet when they stop, her lips still stretch to that big smile.

"What is it, love?" She asks once more. "What is it? What is it? What is it?" Though he answers her questions with actions instead of words. Lashes flutter once her fiance' unties the blindfold. Her confusion to find them in the bathing car is short lived when she notice something swimming closer to Dan Heng.

Wait! Is that-

"Oh!" Harmony gasps with her eyes alight with pure love.

"Oh my goooosh! DAN HENG! She's beautiful!" She hurriedly gets on her knees next to him. Wide eyes watch the seal, only to squeal in pure delight.

"Thank you!" Arms wrap around Dan Heng and hug him tight, but not at her greatest strength or cause any pain. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best! You're the best, and I love you!" Excitedly, she presses kiss after kiss on Dan Heng's cheek, then she releases him, only for one hand to gently cup over his cheek and kiss him on the lips. "Thank you!" She smiles, and her body turns so she can face the baby seal.

"Hi!" Her voice holds a softer tone as she leans closer to the water. A hand stretches out to let the creature smell her hand, praying the precious little one will accept her.

"Hi, baby! Hi, pretty! Aaaw, look at you! You. Are. So. Cute! May I pet you?"

     Jiyan nodded, pensive. So, even the pointed ears weren’t obligatory for their kind, which meant that the death and rebirth cycle was the only trait all members of the species shared. The fact that more loong-like traits and powers could be unlocked was… curious, to say the least. From what he heard from friends of his ‘mother’ and read in documents from the Grand Library, the wind dragon that accompanies him in battle wasn’t always there. And, apparently, there were past lives in which he wasn’t even a resonator. The Madam Magistrate’s case was similar to his, though he didn’t know much about her past lives. "Cultivation and extreme circumstances probably are what triggered them. Or, maybe, Qinglong is just the manifestation of my will.” Of his forte.

     It was then that the aero long, a miniature version of it, came out of his upper back and quickly circled the trailblazer before circling its body around the general’s arm. Jiyan smiled at the aero loong. Even if it was an extension of his forte or something else entirely, it wouldn’t change the fact that he saw them as his companion. “It was only through my forte awakening that Qinglong made itself present with a roar and fought by my side.” He lifted a spoonful of stew then, as if offering it to the small loong. It didn’t waste a second to wolf down the offered meal, but since its body was of wind, it didn’t disappear with the loong. It just got cooler.

     That aside, it was reassuring to hear that he wasn’t being a nuisance, but it seemed that he wasn’t the only one tiptoeing here. So, the general smiled and gently shook his head from side to side, his long earrings swaying with the movement. “Celebrating with the rangers and our allies is my most important duty at the moment.” A general that doesn’t know the people who trust him with their lives shouldn't call himself a general. Besides, rest is just as important and needed as work. At least, that’s what Director Taoqi said on multiple occasions whenever he returned to the city, not to rest, but to find more tasks and things that need to be done. And...

As the fire crackled and projected long shadows behind them, the warmth before him felt like they were in a small, cloistered room where it was just the two of them and not in the open fields of Huanglong where the sea of grasses seemed to stretch endlessly towards the horizon, encompassed by the odd hills or mountains that seemed faraway. Though he wasn't part of the Midnight Rangers, it made him nostalgic. Whether it was with the High-Cloud quintet or more recently among the Chrysos Heirs, or even best with his own family in the Express, he liked these quieter, slower moments that bordered on meditative. Even if he hadn't been speaking with the General as he presently was, Dan Heng would've been content with hanging back and simply absorbing the warmth among those who were, fulfilling that quiet contentment he liked best among friends and allies who trusted each other.

Dan Heng was startled from his reverie when Jiyan's own dragon, Qinglong, seemed to come to life of its own accord. Though it had been brief, its presence reminded Dan Heng starkly of his own Azure Dragon, Axiuhe, and how it tended to have a life of his own. Indeed, Georios and Aziuhe were two souls that nested inside his own, coiling and slithering inside of him like two other hearts inside of his chest. It was a reassuring feeling that he'd never be alone, but it made him wonder if Jiyan felt the same about his dragon. If it existed as part of his soul, another part of him that was both its own entity and joined to his soul.

"Hm... Well, in antiquity on Sihai, after a Vidyadhara child aged to their toddling years, a sworn sibling would be chosen for them to raise them like a guardian... to be their brother or sister all their lives. Sometimes the selection would be random, but much of the time, it would've been another cycle for them. Many times... the oath between sworn siblings goes back millions of years, with each one alternating in the rearing of the other per life cycle," Dan Heng began contemplatively, ruminating on the subject he only read about most of his life. "However... this practice changed once we joined the Alliance and nuclear families were more common. Usually, the outset is the same, but instead, a couple with at least one Vidyadhara partner would adopt this child and raise them as their parents, not just sworn siblings. Some still prefer the former... but from what I've seen and learned, most prefer this more contemporary way. Were you raised in a family, General?"

vitriol  alarms  his  sensors,  windows  flashing  in  his  peripheral  alerting  "warning:  danger"  in  a  cacophony  of  blaring  red  lights.  normal  scents  would  not  trigger  an  alarm,  but  the  acidic  smell  pierces  through  his  artificial  orifices,  fumes  pungent  and  deadly.  who  would  have  thought  that  the  abomination's  blood  would  be  acid,  melting  steel  where  the  liquid  pools  on  the  ground.  "eugh,"  boothill  grimaces  as  he's  pulled  back  to  the  freight  lift,  "what  in  tarnation  was  that  thing."  the  shaft  shakes  and  tremors  as  said  thing  pursues  them.  as  they  ascend  higher,  the  tremors  grows  weaker.  fortunately  for  them,  the  lift  is  faster  than  the  monster,  granting  them  precious  time  to  find  their  way  out  of  the  ship.  boothill  shivers  at  the  thought  of  the  acid  splattering  against  his  steel  plates  and  melting  through  wires  and  hardware.  if  it  were  to  destroy  his  processing  core,  then  who  knows  how  long  he  would  remain  offline  for.  forever,  is  a  possibility.

"yer telling me. we need to be outta here, like, yesterday." as  the  distance  between  them  and  danger  grows  larger,  boothill's  mock  adrenaline  wanes  and  he  begins  to  fuss  over  dan  heng,  grabbing  him  by  the  arm  and  turning  him  this  way  and  that  way.  "we'll  get  out,"  he  says,  frowning  and  checking  every  inch  of  the  nameless. "but  ya  didn't  have  to  step  in  front  of  me.  that  was  dangerous, pardner.  who  knows  what  that  blood  could  have  done  to  you.  flesh  is  a  lot  harder  to  heal  than  replacing  a  couple  pieces  of  metal,  y'know? hell, we're lucky that the blood we stepped on earlier wasn't from that thing. if we see it again, remind me to not shoot it when we're in a confined space." satisfied,  he  pats  dan  heng's  shoulder  and  steps  back,  looking  towards  the  freight  lifts'  doors  as  it  dings,  signaling  their  arrival  at  their  designated  floor.  "next  time,  you  should  just  use  me  as  a  shield.  i'm  a  lot  sturdier  than  you  think."

boothill  throws  a  grin  over  his  shoulder,  wide  and  toothy  as  he  steps  out  of  the  freight  lift.  he's  relieved  to  be  done  with  the  combination  of  the  creaking  of  the  elevator  and  the  danger  from  the  abomination.  although,  the  monster  remains  in  their  pursuit.  the  sound  of  muffled  scratching  comes  from  the  lift,  growing  louder  with  each  passing  second. boothill doesn't want to stick around to see how far that thing can climb.

The moment they ascended to the final floor, the sound of another explosion from within the engines sounded cacophonously, rocking the ship so terrifically that Dan Heng almost lost his footing and lurched into the elevator wall that met him harshly. But, he caught himself before he could slam into that wall. With the state of urgency that nipped at their heels, they didn't have time to stand around and ponder. As the bulwark doors slid open with a deep, rattling screech, he was bitten by impetus and snatched Boothill by the hand. There wasn't any time to talk as he strove to remember the route back to their ship. Banking around sharp turns and galloping down corridors, he skidded to a halt and noticed the ingress that would lead them back to their ship. "No talking, just-- Go!" Dan Heng urged as he shoved the gunman through and back onto their own vessel. As the airlock door slid shut and sealed, Dan Heng raced into the bridge and fiddled with the autopilot, mapping a chart back to port.

The ship lurched away as the thrusters propelled it away, Dan Heng racing back to the porthole where the freighter they'd been aboard was beginning to collapse, practically pressing his face to the glass as he saw the creature from before clawing at the exit they'd made, unintelligibly screaming into the aether as their ship put distance between them and the doomed vessel that was beinning to implode from the enormous disparity of pressure between it and the silent sea of stars. The freighter became smaller with the increased distance until it shrank to a small, insignificant blot against the vast expanse of space. A bright flash presaged an enormous explosion that bloomed like an infernal flower, billowing outwards in the vast darkness as it became consumed in an inferno. Then, and only then, could Dan Heng relax. "...Sorry. I just... had to make sure," he apologized at first, mulling over Boothill's words from just a moment ago. He sighed softly. "I know, it's just... I don't think in those moments. My body reacts on its own, and usually, it tends to mean thinking solely about protecting my comrades. I can't help it. But... I'm sorry if doing that worried you. I can't promise it won't happen again, though."

At the very least, they now had some idea what had been responsible for that freighter's demise. Dan Heng would have to go over the ship's logs he'd managed to transfer, but then and there, he honestly felt exhausted. As the adrenaline that had been powering him bottomed out, Dan Heng tried to shake off his tiredness. He at least needed to ensure his friend hadn't been compromised.

"Only the best restaurant to exist here on Planarcadia - is what the manager told me to say! For example.."

She begins to shuffle through obvious cue cards. Surely nobody will notice her eye twitching at the corny marketing dialogue she has to mentally prepare herself for reading out loud.

As he listened to the woman continue to pitch the restaurant she was working for, there was an ineffable kind of awkwardness proliferating.

It wasn't the first or last time he'd met someone unenthusiastic about their job, especially as many in places like Planarcadia or Penacony tended to be ruthlessly soul-sucking and even demeaning. So, that didn't surprise him any. Still...

ㅤㅤAs if he even need ask.   Phainon only smiled and shook his head to say he wouldn't mind at all.   Always more than willing to give all his time to his friends— at least, when that time wasn't already spoken for by official matters.   He can only imagine how different their days would be if circumstances had allowed them all more freedom.   Perhaps one day they should find out.   “ Debate subjects ? ”   That hadn't been a question he'd heard for a while.   A hand raises to his chin in thought.

ㅤㅤ“ Truth be told, I think it's more fun to debate nonsense.   Things that don't really matter.   After all, debates don't have to be about arguing what you believe in.   They're just about being convincing enough to win others over. ”   Titans know there'd been several times in the past in which Phainon held the opposite opinion of his assigned topic.   The first time he'd ever raised issue with it, Professor Anaxa told him that if he couldn't even come up with  ONE  proper argument, then he'd already forfeit.   Er... more or less.   There were certainly more embellishments to his words, and a blunt edge to them, but that's what it boiled down to essentially.

"You know... you have an interesting outlook. In a way... it could even feel like training for when you need to actually debate." Somehow, Dan Heng couldn't shake the feeling that this had been an outlook imparted by a certain Nousporist, but it didn't feel necessary to bring up when it was likely the case. Still, it wasn't a far cry from what he tended to get into with March and Stelle; being as ridiculous and serious as they were oftentimes meant contesting with their absurdity against what he assumed were more reasonable stances, but over time, he caught himself echoing similar ridiculous ideas without even realizing it.

"As a Nousporist, do you tend to keep your, ah--"nonsense" more reasonable, or maybe throw it in to throw your interlocutor off guard?" Once again, he knew from experience. While his debates tended to be more online, Dan Heng spent some down time, now and then, watching the debates of the Court of Four Seasons. Sometimes, he considered joining in, but part of him felt self-conscious of his speech delay that made him sound hesitant or unsure, even if he was anything but.

She was very mindful of her grip strength as they shook hands, she could never tell exactly how strong someone else was. "Heehee, wait, you're so right. I like that a lot! People are all smart in their own ways! Like, I know how to put down fussy kids for naps better than anyone else I know!" She had enough practice, that's for sure, she could be a kid scientist! Was that a thing? Wait...wasn't that just a pediatrician? She could be a pediatrician!

"Hm... looks like you don't need any help figuring that out, then," Dan Heng quipped with an indulgent smile, but it did make him wonder: would Yumi have such an ambition? It was a noble one, and with all the turmoil that had been plaguing Planarcadia lately, children were sometimes the most overlooked in the face of a disaster. It was a grim reality, but one he'd seen played out before. Maybe, once all of the impending disasters were over, it could be a dream she might pursue. Of course, it wouldn't be up to him, but it was a hopeful tangent to entertain. "Although... if you have ambition for the future, it's something that makes the next day something you can look forward to."

          “   why are you always in opposition of me, can we not be on the same side for once ?   ”

it probably did not help that dan heng came into his own dreamscape hoping for memories of yingxing instead. when met with the conscience of his predecessor his own reaction was … more juvenile than one thousand years in the memory tide would presume. he’d been subject to many weird bouts of stress during his time in planarcadia, and had been driven to rather unconventional means of relief between uproarious disasters. an appearance from dan feng of all people meant that he was most likely in for a revelation that was both deeply unwanted and sorely needed.

          “   just because we are still karmically bound doesn’t mean we’re still married. he’s not even nice to me.   ”

Dan Feng regarded some mite of dust on his cropped jacket with feigned interest, as if he wasn't aware of the thinly-veiled provocation laced in his words. As much as his dear reincarnation refused to admit it, Dan Feng knew him better than he did his own reflection. And with that knowledge came the fact that Dan Heng was at his most honest when he was enveloped in some passionate emotion or other: fear, anger, love. Anger was the easiest to provoke between them, and so, it was a pressure point he was more than willing to apply force to. He needed honesty, not Dan Heng's favorite games of evasiveness and stonewalling that only served to deepen chasms of attrition between them. Even if he'd hoped Amphoreus would've fostered an understanding.