the beidou immortal.

       all of this seemed too strange.  too similar.  as if she had been here before, yet not.  all of her belongings are still intact;  her messenger bag equipped with field remedies and medicines stays steady over her shoulder.  the only thing taken from her was her trusty codex.  

       not that it mattered, anyway.  she is still too rough around the edges with her magicks. 

       Manako takes a moment to examine herself.  although she is fairly covered up, it still won’t hurt to secure her identity, right…?  with that sense, she crouches down where she stood, digging around her bag for bandages.  after her search succeeds, her gloves slip off.  deep blue scales cover the top of the hands entirely, wrongfully deemed her menace.  she swiftly wraps one hand in the field dressings, using her teeth to tighten where necessary.  however, it takes the Xaela quite a bit to notice she had an audience. 

        ❝ Hmph? ❞  she allows the bandage fall from the clutches of her teeth before continuing her confrontation.  ❝ Do you need a bandage too? ❞

@xiasini​  ↦﹝ closed proxy starter. ﹞

the wide-eyed, optimistic teenage stops on the streets, looking at the person crouched in a corner, bandaging their arm. curiosity takes over, brows knit with concern. he stands there, wondering if there’s any way for him to help (sadly, his cultivation has been completely removed from him and he lacks any supplies). he might have been standing there for too long, doing absolutely nothing but staring, because she calls him, the hostility in her words clear. 

his mouth opens, but he’s unable to figure out exactly how to explain himself. “umm, no... i don’t--” he stutters out. in his entire life, the only person he has ever talked to was master huaizui. even then, their conversations are limited to mainly cultivation practice and the occasional discussion about the world outside of the temple. how does he deal with confrontation like this? 

he bows deeply in apology and he says, “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to stare, i was wondering if you’re hurt anywhere and if you need any help.” though, on closer inspection, he could tell there is no blood anywhere (the bandaging completely clean). instead what appears to be blue scales peak from underneath the wrapping. tactlessly, he stares again, curious as to how she obtained those scales (is she not human? is it a curse?).

📔 His parents told him countless times to stay away from places with big bodies of water. And Dortin obediently did so. But today, he watches how a human throws a coin into a large fountain. Why would they throw coins into a fountain? He proceeds to climb up the borders to look inside.  Only that the little dwarf leans forward a little too much. The next moment he knows, he’s losing his balance and falls into the fountain. He desperately struggles, trying to keep himself over the water. He tries to cry out for help, but the water everywhere makes it very difficult for him. 

“HE— HELPBLGH—!”

@xiasini​ liked for an event starter

the sound of a cry for help catches his attention immediately, eyes dart over to the source. in a fountain, a child is struggling to keep himself above the water, close to drowning. chu wanning immediately breaks into a run, a mad rush against time to save the child. before the child’s head submerges underneath the fountain water, he grabs him, gripping the his arm tightly, pulling him above the water into safety.

“i have you! calm down, it’s going to be okay,” he says reassuringly. white sleeves now drip grey with the dirty water of the fountain, but it’s not his clothes he’s concerned about. drenched from head to toe, he’s bound to catch a cold! “hold on--” chu wanning says, doing the only thing he thinks can help -- taking off his outer robes to wrap around the shivering child. 

p r o x y || unknowing imposter –✘ @xiasini​

The sun was starting to set on his first day in this strange place, and Jiang Cheng hadn’t gotten any closer to answers. While relatively self-sufficient, he’d never faced something this vexing so alone, and the weight of that loneliness was starting to weigh on his shoulders. He knew he had a place to stay–the place he’d woken up in, and had clearly been living in for some time despite his lack of recollection. Having nowhere else to go that he could think of, he intended to head back there for the night.

A flutter of white robes caught his eye on his way past a cross-street. Jiang Cheng paused, watching the figure move away from him. While not who he would have liked to solve this mystery with, a familiar presence was better than having nothing at all. 

〝 Lan Wangji– 〞he addressed, taking hurried steps forward to touch the man’s sleeve. As he approached, however, it became quickly apparent that the man he had spotted wasn’t at all the man he’d thought. He quickly fell into a bow and took a step back.

〝 Forgive me, from behind you look like someone else. 〞

chu wanning stares at this place he finds himself at (completely confused how he ended up here when the last thing he remembered was cultivating in wubei temple). what is more baffling is the lack of cultivation he has, everything he has worked for the past few years completely taken away. the message on the device explains nothing on how and why he’s brought to this world. while walking to the edge of the city (maybe clues can be found there?), he feels his sleeves tugged by someone he doesn’t know. 

a curious expression is sent in the direction of the stranger -- his appearance that of a cultivator but in purple. a case of mistaken identity, his outfit liken to that of someone he doesn’t know. the name ‘lan wangji’ is unfamiliar to chu wanning (then again, most names are, since he has lived in isolation in the temple for the longest time). he smiles at the direction of the stranger, returning a polite bow as well. 

“it’s fine,” he says. amusement in his voice, he adds, “i didn’t think anyone else would share my fashion tastes.” well, now he feels validated, his clothing accepted and even worn by others (again, isolation has thought him little about the trends of the world and the state of the realms). “are you looking for lan wangji?” he asks, a little curious inflection slipping into his voice. he thinks back to the people he has seen, though he draws a blank since he hasn’t see anyone that looks like him. 

Waves  of  pleasure  slowly  sink  him  in  ··desire  while  he  so  willingly  drowns  in  the  sweet  taste  of  that  mouth.  Exploring  every  detail,  tasting  every  inch,  taking  the  time  to  feel  the  smooth  and  soft  texture.  Inciting  him  all  the  more  to  give  more  and  more  pleasure  to  his  object  of  affection.  In  the  meantime,  young  man  also  took  the  opportunity  to  use  the  hand  that  had  once  brought  their  faces  together,  to  caress  the  other’s  cheek  first  and,  later,  the  base  of  the  nape,  very  close  to  the  beginning  of  the  hair,  leisurely  caressing  every  inch  of  skin  along  the  way.  Well-build  body  pressing  against  his,  as  if  his  heart  begged  to  leave  the  chest  and  merge  with  the  other’s  and  leave  any  trace  of  what  was  left  of  doubt  behind  at  last.

Perhaps  out  of  a  little  of  self-awareness,  or  maybe  out  of  a  little  of  consideration  for  the  other’s  apparent  inexperience,  but  Mo  Ran  finally  seems  to  allow  both  to  gasp  for  air.  Lips  part,  leaving  a  small  trace  of  saliva  connecting  them.  But  before  any  words  could  be  said,  before  any  excuses  could  be  managed,  that  faint  sound  was  the  sparkle  necessary  to  set  ablaze  his  animal  instinct,  burning  to  ashes  what  was  left  of  any  rational  reasoning  that  remained.  His  own  breathing  became  increasingly  dense,  heavy  and  erratic.  Like  a  hungry  beast  about  to  strike,  his  back  arched  once  more,  oppressing  the  smaller  shape  under  his  embrace,  pressing,  rubbing  more  intensely,  while  the  teeth  gnawed  on  the  earlobe  of  his  prey  as  gently  as  managed.  Rough  digits  of  the  strong  hand,  just  like  claws,  now  move  towards  the  other’s  clothing,  attempting  to  expose  a  little  more  of  the  sweet,  delicious  flesh  to  be  devoured.

❛❛ Don’t  run  away  now,  please  ———  !  Please  ———–  ! ❜❜    Contrasting  to  the  almost  feral  attitude  displayed,  soft  melodious  plea  comes  between  parted  lips  with  a  sweetened  and  trembling  tone  of  voice.  A  plea  almost  as  innocent  as  it  was  tempting.  Attracting  that  person  in  his  arms  to  sink  once  and  for  all  in  that  sea  of  ··desire  together  with  him  without  the  slightest  bit  of  reservation.  The  legs  seem  to  fit  together,  leaving  the  other  meaning  that  was  supposed  to  be  hidden  in  those  words  being  totally  perceptible;  Hips  start  to  move  slowly,  provoking  more  and  more  his  fortuitous  company  to  indulge  in  this  carnal  pleasure.  Obviously,  he  also  wanted  the  other  to  enjoy  it,  even  though  there  was  some  hesitancy  on  tarnishing  the  pure  image  built  of  the  one  he  thought  to  be  in  his  arms.    ❛❛ It’ll  be  good  for  both  of  us,  I  promise  ———– ❜❜

years of loneliness (of seeking someone with a passive attitude, yet repelling everyone with his outrageous temper) has left him completely unprepared for the event unfolding in the darkness. their tongues occasionally meet, and he withdraws at touch, accidentally preventing mo ran from obtaining what he seeks. when lips finally relent and he has to a chance to breathe -- he wonders if he’s doing it correctly, if he’s doing anything correctly at all. his cheeks are flushed red, his insecurity as high as ever. he’s glad there’s darkness that stops mo ran from seeing his pathetic self -- this lust would dry if he even sees a glance of his incompetence for this deed. 

the break doesn’t last long and mo ran immediately dives in again, animalistic action draw wanning closer, his clothes slipping off as strong hands rush towards him. cool flesh meets warm hands, an electric tingle courses through him that makes his entire body throb with pleasure. his eyes close. these touches almost too much for him. another moan escapes his lips, low and quiet (hopefully mo ran doesn’t hear him). as he shifts to try and find a better position, his glasses accidentally fall off, dropping too the floor, the clink overshadowed by the panting and noises coming from the two of them. not that he ever needed the glasses -- they only serve to make his eyes look less harsh. in this darkness, no one can see anything anyway. 

                   “Uh…huh?” Volcan stares at the other a little dumbfounded for a moment. While he has been flattered that a random stranger would recognize him, he’s not so sure anymore if this is really about what he’s been thinking first.

                  “Okay, hold on a minute. Are you maybe the owner of one the restaurants I dined and dashed before? Or did I scam you? Because you definitely don’t look familiar enough to talk so casually to me, paper sheet.”

how can two bother from the same family be so radically different? while one had too much shame, it seems this one has absolutely none.

📚  “I’m sorry—” He mutters meekly, feeling just really awful at the momet. At this point he’d have endured literally everything out of shame. He follows every command quietly and without a word of resistance. Only as he’s being lifted into the bathtub, his entire body starts trembling like a leaf. But he comes to realize himself at least how ridiculous this must seem to the human. They clean themselves regulary in these things, it’s a normal procedure to them. Yet here he is, just being terrified of the thought alone that he could slip and drown. But after a moment of being in the bathtub, he notices how the warm water doesn’t feel so bad actually. The smell of the soap is nice, too. Maybe he should try at least to do this more often? That is, once he overcomes the fear of climbing into a bathtub all by himself. A thought that actually terrifies him already again despite the soothing feel of warm water and good-smelling soap all over his skin. As the water disappears all down the drain, to which Dortin is a little shocked to see how dark it actually turned, he starts shivering once more due to the lack of warm water. He’s feeling great relief when he’s draped with a towel. I’m still alive and it wasn’t even that bad… He then perks up at the question asked, and nods quickly.

“Ah? Y— yes, I can. I— thank you. And I’m— so sorry again.”

The difference in smell between him and his clothes is noticeable even to him now as he picks them up again. And not just that. Looking at them, he can tell better now that they suffered a lot over the last months. He’s still attached to them though, especially his fur cape. It gives him a feel of comfort when he’s able to hide most of his body behind it like a curtain. It is the official dwarven garb and therefore the only thing he has left from home, together with one book that was left when he arrived here. I— might have to look into new clothes here later, though.

Slipping back into his clothes with a little more reluctance that he would’ve liked, he’s following Chu Wanning out again. He’s wrapping his cape, which he previously left in front of the bathroom, back around him and grabs his bag. It is now that he notices the time as well. Dirt doesn’t seem to be the only thing that has gone down the drain today. “I — I— promise I’ll at least try to take more care of my body hygiene in future—” Clutching his bag closer, he hopes that Chu Wanning still wants to take some time for learning together, but he doesn’t dare to ask after the hassle he caused.

the stench in the air dissipated with time, though the clothes could still use some cleaning. maybe some scrubbing in the river (or an attempt with one of those ‘laundry machine’ his roommates used) would help with with reviving the life of the dirtied clothes. but, already dortin had made a giant step, surviving a shower, so he chooses not to push any further (there’s also the fact that he doesn’t have anything that dortin can fit in his drawers). 

he nods, a soft “en” leaving his lips when he hears the promise to keep himself cleaner. the hour they spent in the bathroom, cleaning, seemed to have not gone to waste if this is the outcome. the two of them remains quiet for some time. he purses his lips together, coming to a realization that after the bath he might just be too shy to ask, especially since so much time has passed since his arrival. 

“if you are still free, we can start a lesson,” he says, turning to face the door to his room. “i have some supplies in there we can use.” he swings open the door, revealing the scattered pieces of metals and tools he had scavenged into the tiny space. machinery half built and prototyped lay in wait in the corner. expertly, he wanders in, avoiding the dangerous tools scattered around. he thought maybe he shouldn’t invite dortin in, considering the amount of space he had and the fact that the other morning he had nearly fallen into a sharp edge again.