[Xingqiu's eyes go wide at the other young man's stretchiness. That's not a form of magic he's ever witnessed before. Of course he's read books mentioning the art of contortionism, but this seems far beyond what he physically thought possible!]
What?
[Sorry, he can't hear you over the sound of him trying to figure out what Luffy's bones must look like. If it weren't impolite he might want to reach out and touch the arm currently helping him to cradle his new books. Excuse him, he'll just be awestruck and dumbfounded for a couple more seconds.]
Ah, yes. Of course. A bag! [There aren't any bags around. Maybe he should have used what little of this currency he had to purchase one of those instead of a small library of books. Oops.]
[Xingqiu returns that grin. Luffy's is huge and he can't quite make his mouth stretch so wide, but it's something! And since he has help he can fold his arms over his chest for a moment to gather his bearings. This place is still very new to him, but he recalls the direction he came from and points that way.]
I think your arms are a lot stronger than a bag.
[It's a compliment and also a subtle distraction from the fact that he's ill prepared for carrying books.] To my room. It's this way, kind stranger.
[ It may seem like bragging, but Luffy sees it as telling it like it is. Though he's rubber, he's worked hard to be strong. Carrying all these books isn't a big deal for him. ]
Okay! Lead the way. I'm Luffy, the man who will be king of the pirates!
[If Luffy wants to eat up the compliments, Xingqiu won't hesitate to keep them coming. Especially since he's the one being helped with the books. Although...he does reach for one of them to start reading while they walk. It may be a LITTLE unsafe, but he's able to multitask just fine.]
King of pirates? That sounds like a good book. [Sorry, he's already only half paying attention.]
[ Luffy is easily distractable. He doesn't really get reading; that's too much effort. Stories are cool, but reading them is slow going. But obviously Xingqiu likes to read, since he's going to walk while reading? ]
Don't walk into a pole!
[ That's all he really has on that. ]
Huh? No, it's not a book. I'm really gonna be the king of the pirates!
[ He gets a little bit louder when he's enthusiastic. ]
[Xingqiu makes an 'oof' sound, but otherwise doesn't respond to being knocked down. It's largely the fault of the strong wind and his lack of weight to keep his center of balance firm, but he's back on his feet and dusting the snow off of his legs. They should be freezing cold by now but he feels fine--something to worry about later, maybe.]
Wonderful idea!
[And the way the wind seems to steady around Ain is all the more inviting when he doesn't have to battle against it just to make his way toward shelter. He stays reasonably close without intruding into impoliteness, but to help himself feel less like he's using the stranger for convenience he strikes up conversation.]
My name is Xingqiu. Do you call these lands home? [Ain's certainly dressed for the weather, unlike himself.]
[He has to raise his voice over the impetuous winds, yet still he can barely hear himself, so hopefully Xingqiu caught that. The snow here is far too deep for his liking, not that Ain really enjoys the snow in the first place. While he's struggling to trek through it, he stays mostly silent.
Ain files away Xingqiu's name in some corner of his brain before responding over the tempest,]
Ain is my name.
[The ruins are just ahead, which means that there's hopefully some form of shelter and no form of danger, because he's not keen on fighting at the moment. Not when his limbs are stiff from this frozen hellscape. Ain presses on. While he looks as though he's dressed for the weather, the truth is that he has a sleeveless shirt on underneath this, because fashion obviously comes before practicality. In short: He's effectively an ostentatious frozen block. Were it not for the coat, he might have already gotten frostbite and died.]
I assume you aren't from here either, yes? Do you have any inkling as to where we are?
[Or if they're going to die in this blizzard, for that matter.]
[It's a nice name, but not one that he's heard before. He tries to tuck it into his memory, but it's hard to focus on much of anything with the howling wind around them. At least he isn't alone on his journey, as short as it might be.]
I don't know. I was home one moment, and then here the next. It's like the stories I read in books. [That's the best he can do to try to make sense of it all, and even then, he's too aware of how mundane his real life truly is to believe anything like this is possible.] Or, this could all be a dream.
[As they near the ruins Xingqiu can see that there are others in the area seeking shelter from the elements as well. There are small fires people have started to get warm, and so many different types of people that he suspects no one else knows what's going on either.] Can I ask you something? [..and without waiting on an answer:] Do you have an anemo vision? How were you able to manipulate the wind like that?
[He, similarly, was home one moment and here the next, though he isn't inclined to share that.]
Anemo... vision? [Confusion then melts into sarcasm as he remarks,] The only vision I have comes from my eyes.
[On the topic of magic, while it's true that Ain possesses some minor level of wind manipulation, the fact that the gust is currently avoiding him is beyond his understanding. Ain wordlessly climbs over a fallen pillar in the entryway, contemplating the hows and the whys of it, though he does pause and turns to offer a hand to Xingqiu to help him over.]
To be truthful with you, I don't know. The winds avoiding me like that only started happening here. [He shakes his head, then smiles politely.] I chalked it up to my own magic acting out of turn for lack of a better explanation.
[It's not the best one, because Ain would normally feel his magic acting up, but it's what he has. With a sigh, he turns his attention to the people mingling within the ruin proper. Maybe one of them knows what's going on? How they both could have simply ended up here? Why the winds are acting strangely? Or perhaps they're equally as lost.]
[It's not the first time he's confused someone with the way he speaks, but it's different this time. His extensive vocabulary isn't what did it, so it seems like wherever this person hailed from didn't have the same vocabulary for certain words.[
What do you call the thing that gives you elemental abilities?
[Xingqiu is ready to go down the rabbit hole of questioning but Ain answers his question quick enough that he doesn't spiral down that path toward an inquisition. He takes Ain's hand to help him over the large stone pillar, but he's still contemplating their situation as they are finally out of the snowstorm with some amount of shelter.]
I understand. I don't have immunity to cold, in fact I'm particularly susceptible to frost. I'm not sure why I'm not troubled by the cold right now, either...
[He's ready to take offense to that, but the recognition hits him and he relaxes. Finally, someone from home. It's enough that he nearly lets all the rest of the books plummet to the ground. Almost. It takes some balance and agility but he stops that from happening and manages to stack them right back up again.]
It's me!
[Xingqiu has so many questions that he's going to take that recognition as a sign that Xinyan is going to help him carry his purchases back "home". He hands here a small stack of them.]
Honestly, no idea. I was up on Mt. Tianheng practicing like I always do and next thing you know, I landed on some fire spewing mountain before being brought here.
[A small stack of books is easy carrying for Liyue's rock 'n roll star. She's just glad there's a familiar face so far from home.]
This is all too weird but I'm glad to see a familiar face here.
[Xingqiu is happy that she's good at more than just creating a racket and disturbing the peace while he's trying to focus on reading. He doesn't have the drive that he otherwise might to be sassy about it, he's still very much just happy to not be alone here.]
Likewise. This land is so different from home, I almost suspect that it isn't Teyvat at all--but that's not possible. Is it?
[Racket? You definitely mean the best rock 'n' rock in all of Liyue. Besides, she wasn't raised to be completely uncivilized. It wouldn't sit right with her to let him struggle with all these books.]
I don't think this is Teyvat at all. This tech stuff is more advanced than anything we'd get from Fontaine or Snezhnaya. I don't know the other regions too well, so that's my guess anyway.
You're right. The mechanisms here are so advanced, it's nearly unrecognizable sometimes. [Xingqiu may or may hot have mistaken a flexible showerhead for a metal snake hanging in his bathroom.]
I've been reading to try to find a way back home. [And also to pass the time while he doesn't have to worry as much about training or family duties--it's actually quite nice.]
[Where there's will there's always a way, is what Xingqiu really wants to say, but instead he's afraid that if he argues he may lose the hold he has on all the books. It's not a strong hold, but he's got them all and that's all he needs--for now. He'll deal with the issue of trying to get them to where he assumes he'll be living for the while being.]
I appreciate your offer to help. Take these.
[He was willing to do the dirty work himself instead of burdening the unsuspecting stranger, but Xingqiu decides he doesn't like Xiao's tone. That's enough to share the load with him whether he wants it or not. Enjoy half of the books Xiao.]
I'll even allow you to borrow them for you generosity. [Since he doesn't have the mora here to pay for assistance.]
sorry this is so late! feel free to drop if need be
[ Xiao promptly stacks the books on a nearby shelf. He may very well have helped if he hadn't had them shoved at him - might help anyway, eventually - but he's not overly fond of Liyue's citizens trying to force him to deal with minutiae. ]
I have no interest in human writings.
[ Or Adeptal ones, if he's honest. He's usually too busy to sit down with a book. ]
nah it's cool. i might use these for the next app round 👀
[Xingqiu's stance on the adepti is neutral--mostly. Especially as of late. Their hands-off role in the protection of Liyue makes it difficult to know much about them personally outside of what appears in books.]
Isn't it unusual not to have any interest in the humans who live in the Liyue that you're sworn to protect?
[He grins at Xiao pointedly, unable to help poking at him when he looks so serious. Xingqiu's wicked side comes out around certain personality types, and his popsicle-loving exorcist friend isn't around to be on the receiving end of the teasing so Xiao it is.]
[Xingqiu doesn't recognize the voice, but he's happy that someone has taken pity on him and is offering assistance. And, as chivalrous as ever, he makes sure he retains hold of the majority of the books. He can't leave her with the majority of the burden. That just wouldn't sit right with him.
Still, two sets of hands makes it all so much easier.]
Thank you, my lady! If you'll accompany me this way, we can drop these off--oh it's you.
[Xingqiu offers a sheepish grin and a little bit of an apology for not noticing sooner.] I did not expect to see a familiar face today, though I am glad that I did.
It seems that way. I have to sneak in training between helping my brother out and my own family obligations. You must be close.
[And so Xingqiu is more likely to explain in person. Thankfully he turns a corner and sees Razor sniffing around near the kitchen, and Xingqiu takes him by the arm to guide him out similarly to how he snuck him in previously.]
Vocabulary means the different words you know. It gets bigger the more you read. As for my favorite.. [He flushes briefly because his recent guilty pleasures are notably scandalous. Maybe he shouldn't expose Razor to that just yet.] You wouldn't like them, but maybe I can read you something I've written instead?
And I know a place where there are plenty of boar. Follow me.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Noctium TDM Overflow
Luffy
[Xingqiu's eyes go wide at the other young man's stretchiness. That's not a form of magic he's ever witnessed before. Of course he's read books mentioning the art of contortionism, but this seems far beyond what he physically thought possible!]
What?
[Sorry, he can't hear you over the sound of him trying to figure out what Luffy's bones must look like. If it weren't impolite he might want to reach out and touch the arm currently helping him to cradle his new books. Excuse him, he'll just be awestruck and dumbfounded for a couple more seconds.]
Ah, yes. Of course. A bag! [There aren't any bags around. Maybe he should have used what little of this currency he had to purchase one of those instead of a small library of books. Oops.]
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So he just offers a too-wide grin to Xingqiu and keeps hold of the books. ]
It's fine, I got 'em for now. But get a bag next time! Where are we going?
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I think your arms are a lot stronger than a bag.
[It's a compliment and also a subtle distraction from the fact that he's ill prepared for carrying books.] To my room. It's this way, kind stranger.
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[ It may seem like bragging, but Luffy sees it as telling it like it is. Though he's rubber, he's worked hard to be strong. Carrying all these books isn't a big deal for him. ]
Okay! Lead the way. I'm Luffy, the man who will be king of the pirates!
[ Okay, that is bragging. ]
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[If Luffy wants to eat up the compliments, Xingqiu won't hesitate to keep them coming. Especially since he's the one being helped with the books. Although...he does reach for one of them to start reading while they walk. It may be a LITTLE unsafe, but he's able to multitask just fine.]
King of pirates? That sounds like a good book. [Sorry, he's already only half paying attention.]
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Don't walk into a pole!
[ That's all he really has on that. ]
Huh? No, it's not a book. I'm really gonna be the king of the pirates!
[ He gets a little bit louder when he's enthusiastic. ]
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Ain
[Xingqiu makes an 'oof' sound, but otherwise doesn't respond to being knocked down. It's largely the fault of the strong wind and his lack of weight to keep his center of balance firm, but he's back on his feet and dusting the snow off of his legs. They should be freezing cold by now but he feels fine--something to worry about later, maybe.]
Wonderful idea!
[And the way the wind seems to steady around Ain is all the more inviting when he doesn't have to battle against it just to make his way toward shelter. He stays reasonably close without intruding into impoliteness, but to help himself feel less like he's using the stranger for convenience he strikes up conversation.]
My name is Xingqiu. Do you call these lands home? [Ain's certainly dressed for the weather, unlike himself.]
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[He has to raise his voice over the impetuous winds, yet still he can barely hear himself, so hopefully Xingqiu caught that. The snow here is far too deep for his liking, not that Ain really enjoys the snow in the first place. While he's struggling to trek through it, he stays mostly silent.
Ain files away Xingqiu's name in some corner of his brain before responding over the tempest,]
Ain is my name.
[The ruins are just ahead, which means that there's hopefully some form of shelter and no form of danger, because he's not keen on fighting at the moment. Not when his limbs are stiff from this frozen hellscape. Ain presses on. While he looks as though he's dressed for the weather, the truth is that he has a sleeveless shirt on underneath this, because fashion obviously comes before practicality. In short: He's effectively an ostentatious frozen block. Were it not for the coat, he might have already gotten frostbite and died.]
I assume you aren't from here either, yes? Do you have any inkling as to where we are?
[Or if they're going to die in this blizzard, for that matter.]
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[It's a nice name, but not one that he's heard before. He tries to tuck it into his memory, but it's hard to focus on much of anything with the howling wind around them. At least he isn't alone on his journey, as short as it might be.]
I don't know. I was home one moment, and then here the next. It's like the stories I read in books. [That's the best he can do to try to make sense of it all, and even then, he's too aware of how mundane his real life truly is to believe anything like this is possible.] Or, this could all be a dream.
[As they near the ruins Xingqiu can see that there are others in the area seeking shelter from the elements as well. There are small fires people have started to get warm, and so many different types of people that he suspects no one else knows what's going on either.] Can I ask you something? [..and without waiting on an answer:] Do you have an anemo vision? How were you able to manipulate the wind like that?
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Anemo... vision? [Confusion then melts into sarcasm as he remarks,] The only vision I have comes from my eyes.
[On the topic of magic, while it's true that Ain possesses some minor level of wind manipulation, the fact that the gust is currently avoiding him is beyond his understanding. Ain wordlessly climbs over a fallen pillar in the entryway, contemplating the hows and the whys of it, though he does pause and turns to offer a hand to Xingqiu to help him over.]
To be truthful with you, I don't know. The winds avoiding me like that only started happening here. [He shakes his head, then smiles politely.] I chalked it up to my own magic acting out of turn for lack of a better explanation.
[It's not the best one, because Ain would normally feel his magic acting up, but it's what he has. With a sigh, he turns his attention to the people mingling within the ruin proper. Maybe one of them knows what's going on? How they both could have simply ended up here? Why the winds are acting strangely? Or perhaps they're equally as lost.]
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What do you call the thing that gives you elemental abilities?
[Xingqiu is ready to go down the rabbit hole of questioning but Ain answers his question quick enough that he doesn't spiral down that path toward an inquisition. He takes Ain's hand to help him over the large stone pillar, but he's still contemplating their situation as they are finally out of the snowstorm with some amount of shelter.]
I understand. I don't have immunity to cold, in fact I'm particularly susceptible to frost. I'm not sure why I'm not troubled by the cold right now, either...
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Xinyan
[He's ready to take offense to that, but the recognition hits him and he relaxes. Finally, someone from home. It's enough that he nearly lets all the rest of the books plummet to the ground. Almost. It takes some balance and agility but he stops that from happening and manages to stack them right back up again.]
It's me!
[Xingqiu has so many questions that he's going to take that recognition as a sign that Xinyan is going to help him carry his purchases back "home". He hands here a small stack of them.]
How did you get here?
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[A small stack of books is easy carrying for Liyue's rock 'n roll star. She's just glad there's a familiar face so far from home.]
This is all too weird but I'm glad to see a familiar face here.
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Likewise. This land is so different from home, I almost suspect that it isn't Teyvat at all--but that's not possible. Is it?
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I don't think this is Teyvat at all. This tech stuff is more advanced than anything we'd get from Fontaine or Snezhnaya. I don't know the other regions too well, so that's my guess anyway.
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I've been reading to try to find a way back home. [And also to pass the time while he doesn't have to worry as much about training or family duties--it's actually quite nice.]
Xiao
[Where there's will there's always a way, is what Xingqiu really wants to say, but instead he's afraid that if he argues he may lose the hold he has on all the books. It's not a strong hold, but he's got them all and that's all he needs--for now. He'll deal with the issue of trying to get them to where he assumes he'll be living for the while being.]
I appreciate your offer to help. Take these.
[He was willing to do the dirty work himself instead of burdening the unsuspecting stranger, but Xingqiu decides he doesn't like Xiao's tone. That's enough to share the load with him whether he wants it or not. Enjoy half of the books Xiao.]
I'll even allow you to borrow them for you generosity. [Since he doesn't have the mora here to pay for assistance.]
sorry this is so late! feel free to drop if need be
I have no interest in human writings.
[ Or Adeptal ones, if he's honest. He's usually too busy to sit down with a book. ]
nah it's cool. i might use these for the next app round 👀
Isn't it unusual not to have any interest in the humans who live in the Liyue that you're sworn to protect?
[He grins at Xiao pointedly, unable to help poking at him when he looks so serious. Xingqiu's wicked side comes out around certain personality types, and his popsicle-loving exorcist friend isn't around to be on the receiving end of the teasing so Xiao it is.]
!!
[ He has some interest - just not interest he would admit to. And it doesn't extend to carrying things for people who demand it. ]
My contract pertains to the remnants of demons. Not being a maid.
or not. looks like you guys have someone interested already!
[Xingqiu doesn’t even blink before performing the logical gymnastics needed to underscore his point, his subtle smirk soundly in place.]
What is someone that picks up after others and disposed of unwanted things if not a maid? Hm.
oh, man, i'm sorry! i haven't checked atp this month because i was slammed at work
Ganyu
[Xingqiu doesn't recognize the voice, but he's happy that someone has taken pity on him and is offering assistance. And, as chivalrous as ever, he makes sure he retains hold of the majority of the books. He can't leave her with the majority of the burden. That just wouldn't sit right with him.
Still, two sets of hands makes it all so much easier.]
Thank you, my lady! If you'll accompany me this way, we can drop these off--oh it's you.
[Xingqiu offers a sheepish grin and a little bit of an apology for not noticing sooner.] I did not expect to see a familiar face today, though I am glad that I did.
TFLN OVERFLOW
@lesserwolf
It seems that way. I have to sneak in training between helping my brother out and my own family obligations. You must be close.
[And so Xingqiu is more likely to explain in person. Thankfully he turns a corner and sees Razor sniffing around near the kitchen, and Xingqiu takes him by the arm to guide him out similarly to how he snuck him in previously.]
Vocabulary means the different words you know. It gets bigger the more you read. As for my favorite.. [He flushes briefly because his recent guilty pleasures are notably scandalous. Maybe he shouldn't expose Razor to that just yet.] You wouldn't like them, but maybe I can read you something I've written instead?
And I know a place where there are plenty of boar. Follow me.