#wuwa.

the color drains from gui's face; any sort of warmth in his eyes is quickly replaced with an eerie coldness. the stranger's intentions are not hard to grasp for someone so versed in the underworld. her words indicate that she doesn't realize how dark the path that he tried to lead her down would inevitably become.

" hasty ? "

he sighs as his daggers are put away. for a moment, it appears as though he is listening to her. however, rather than backing down, he takes a bold step forward, showing that he's not going to stop. revealing one's weakness when in front of potential predators is the worst way to go about these situations. to them, kindness in any manner is deemed as a shortcoming.

as the other person gets to their feet, jingran holds his hand out to the side to summon a ghostly black scythe.

intimacy.

he buries his face within the crook of brant's neck. the friction between their bodies pressed together has him feeling needy and wanting more. his hands slide upwards along his backside before fingers curl in the fabric, trying to ground himself.

jingran isn't normally so pathetic underneath someone's gaze. but it's the way that he's being treated right now that effectively drives him insane. there's a tenderness there that he can't quite wrap his head around. after all, does someone as corrupted as he is deserve to witness the beauty of life itself in such a up close and intimate manner ?

send 👐 to cradle ghost's face.

his entrance had gone unnoticed by most. or maybe, he was simply overlooked. they're either preparing for a performance, or busying themselves with something else entirely. he'd been too exhausted to ask. as this isn't the first time he's been here, maybe they've simply gotten used to his sudden appearances. he's never made much of a habit out of providing ample warning beforehand, here, or with anyone else.

eyelids suddenly flutter open. how much time had passed since he fell into slumber ? jingran had felt someone's gaze upon him. a living someone, one who possessed a familiar scent. he focuses for a moment. and then sighs. of course, it's the captain.

the assassin doesn't verbalize a response right away, even though he should explain himself. instead, he leisurely enters back into the waking world. it's rare for him to be able to sleep so soundly. anywhere else, he probably would have awakened from a night terror. here, though. he finds comfort. a sort of freeing feeling is in the air.

" oh, you're here. finally. "

once satisfied, he sits up. his hand lifts to try and fix his messy hair. he squints his eyes, examining the man who stands nearby. he's trying to figure out if he's upset. he doesn't look upset, but that doesn't always mean that's the truth. people are often known for hiding their true feelings.

" wait. "

gui reaches for his bag, pulling it closer to him. the bag is then turned upside down. with a couple of shakes, various treats from huanglong come falling out.

" i brought these. "

kuro literally shows in jiyan's trailer that the geshulin is revealed to ( surprise ) be a td, not the real geshulin. i will only be taking that information / showing of geshulin with a grain of salt & mostly using that as a reference for how deeply jiyan feels towards geshulin ( because CLEARLY geshulin has had a huge effect on jiyan, which makes sense .. considering who geshulin was ).

the story teller's description of geshulin will also be taken with a grain of salt. it's a retelling of an event by someone who i believe wasn't there ( correct me if i am wrong it's been a long time since i played that part ). also, a battle does not reflect all of who geshulin was / is. doing what he thought was best even if many lives were lost in the process is not all that geshulin was, or is now.

the only real true "evidence" we have of who geshulin was is in relation to jiyan ( outside of that battle ) and his interaction with qiuyuan. there may also be bits and pieces of lore scattered that give hint to geshulin's personality but nothing is truly set in stone until geshulin is actually on screen in present time.

keep in mind that it's been at least three years since his interactions with jiyan, potentially more since he interacted with qiuyuan ( i assume it was a while before geshulin became a resonator ). nothing accounts for who geshulin is today ( which is why i am relying on headcanons that i believe fit with who i believe geshulin to have been, and potentially who he would become ).