fracturarpg | [mingle] the space (april).

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[mingle] the space (april).

interim mingle

( WELCOME BACK, TRAVELERS. )

There's nothing but the clatter of train tracks, and the odd feeling of almost floating.

When you wake, it's hard to tell exactly what it is that you're missing - only that you are. There are pieces that aren't quite right, even if you're not sure where those pieces would normally be. Pieces of what, exactly....? Well, if you had to put a word to it, it would be - yourself, probably. Or did you get something back recently? In addition, characters will find that they've been allowed to bring back souvenirs from this most recent trip - trinkets, nothing violent, but items that can fit in your character's pockets, whether that be sentimental or otherwise.

The place you've found yourself in is strange, certainly. It's probably worth exploring a bit. For those who have been here a while, they might notice some expansions. Though it just as easily seems that the only form of welcome or explanation that you have, comes from nothing more than a slab of marble.

It might've changed since the last time you saw it. Today it reads:

(*´ω｀)o That wasn't so bad, was it?
Hey, you know how that old song goes?
Do you believe in magic? (☆▽☆) Do ya?

Hope you found what you were looking for!

You might have changed since the last time you saw yourself too - perhaps with a new emblem on your clothes, or a portrait on your skin. In addition to that, it seems like Home Base is on the fritz again…?

It seems that suddenly and at random, characters will be able to suddenly see visions of memories that aren't their own flash before their eyes. Pieces of your lives or where you were before this will suddenly slam into other's heads, as clearly as if they experienced the event and the feelings themselves. You might have an inkling of where your memory went and what it was - but you'll need to talk it out with that person in order to recollect it in all its strength back to yourself. Don't you want to keep those precious parts of yourself? It's best if you don't fall more to pieces while you're here. (Memories that have been lost in fragments cannot be sent to others - that's more fun for the future!)

There's no need to fret that much though. You've already gone through the ordeal once, and you might be able to see results from it. Or maybe you'll get a glimpse of where you're going next. Even so, it's best that you don't get too comfortable, because there is still the unshakeable feeling:

There's still much more ahead of you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... Yes. You were trying to keep Jiang Cheng safe, too.

[ At least she's putting two and two together about his less than straightforward family situation. To have that much family die, it makes Shinobu that much sadder, especially hearing him call them with those titles when she felt the intensity of his emotions. ]

He was almost inconsolable.

[Haha, OH JIANG CHENG...

He can remember the sacking and burning of Lotus Pier beforehand, and the fact that Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan had died at some point. Being told of Jiang Cheng's inconsolable state brings blurred memories back to the surface - looking through the burnt wood, having to hold his hand over Jiang Cheng's mouth to keep him from giving away their location.]

They were his parents, after all. [And he was Jiang Cheng's older brother, once, so what else could he have done?] It was the least I could do, making sure he didn't run off and get himself killed, too.

[ What he did was right. What he's saying isn't wrong, but something is still not ideal in his response.

She squeezes his hand. ]

You both wish you could've done more.

[He's grateful for it - for the grounding nature of physical contact. He returns the squeeze, gentle despite the topic at hand.]

Of course. At that time, not even the most powerful sects combined stood a chance against them. [The Wens - Wen Ruohan, in specific.] But what someone feels and knows are at odds pretty often, I think.

[Especially when you're young and in mourning, full of grief and fury.]

... Yes. I know.

[ Shinobu was lucky enough that Himejima came to save both her sister and herself. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng weren't quite as lucky, but she remembers again what she and Kanae did to become demon slayers, so they could do more. So they could do what they couldn't before, young and full of grief (and fury). ]

Later, you could have stood a chance.

[ Her words are heavy with the weight of his next memory. ]

[It's a loaded statement, without a doubt. There's a little huff, something of a laugh. Remnants of the anger he'd felt through Shinobu's memory itch just below his skin, and he thinks of their similarities and their stark, stark differences.]

Later, I did.

[He was lauded as the turning point of the Sunshot Campaign, after all - back before he'd turned against the cultivation world to protect the remains of the Wen sect, who never dipped their hands into the mess of war.]

The blood they shed that night was repaid in full.

[Though he knows that's not the memory she received, since he can still recall it clearly. Those final moments of Wen Zhuliu, Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao, humiliated and crushed.]

[ She squeezes his hand again, a gesture more instinctual than purposeful this time. A beloved older sister's death is something that resonates with her past all reason. She can't excuse everything in that memory, but she can understand it. Even if she couldn't feel the emotions that accompanied the memory, she'd understand it on a visceral level. ]

Your sister had a beautiful soul.

[ There's heartache in the curve of her lips. ]

[He's quiet for several long, long moments, keeping his hand in hers, grip just a little tighter than it had been before. Jiang Yanli had passed over a decade ago by now, and as things are, he can't recall how - but it's a constant ache, a gnawing sense of dread and anxiety, the bitterness of an unfair reality. Normally, he can keep these lingering feelings clasped and held down. Maybe it's the echoes of Shinobu's memory and the emotions therein that make it harder for him to do that, here and now.

Eventually, on a sigh:]

No one in that world was as good as my shijie.

Yes. [ Her voice is softer than silk. ] Anyone whose voice could bring you back from that unnatural state couldn't be lovelier.

[ When even Lan Wangji couldn't get to Wei Wuxian in that state, Shinobu knows just how important Jiang Yanli was and is and just how absolutely eviscerating the loss of her was.

Nothing could be as devastating. ]

She didn't want you to go to a place where she couldn't reach you. You felt frightening.

[Ah. The framework of the memory slips back into place; the sound of Jiang Yanli calling his name, the way resentful energy hooked into him and drove him forward. The look on his shijie's face, her hand to his cheek, saying don't, asking for something so small when he would tear the world in two for her. It had been no one's fault but his own, that things ended up in such a way.]

She died that night.

[As if reaffirming the pieces as they slot into place. She died that night from a swift blow to the heart, without even having the comfort of her husband or brothers to hold her hands.

Really, the world - any world, maybe every world - can be such a bitter, unfair place. His expression is placid, glass-like, despite the laugh that follows.]

—To be honest, I don't remember much of what happened after. Can't tell what you've seen and what's just lost to my own memory.

I didn't see much past that.

[ She's not sure if it's a good thing or not if he doesn't remember. Emotionally, perhaps, it may be better if he doesn't, but the way he felt at that time, what ended up happening after wouldn't have been good for anyone, Wei Wuxian included.

Shinobu's conflicted, and it shows on her face. ]

You were ready to be the worst. Like it was what was expected of you.

[ There's a question that she's not afraid to voice, only considering that it's not the best moment to ask it. ]

I hate that the world is so unforgiving.

[ To their sisters most of all. ]

[He doesn't remember much after the fact, but it doesn't mean he's unaware of what happened. Three months did pass between that massacre and his own death, after all...

At least he's better able to pinpoint where Shinobu might be, in those last blurry moments of his first life. It fills him with a grim sort of feeling; his hand tenses, like he's ready to pull away.]

Mm, well. Seems to be that way anywhere you go, doesn't it? [There's a tiny quirk of a smile, though it seems more reflexive than genuine.] You'd think learning that lesson once would be enough.

[It's part of why he was so upset upon returning from Montevallo. He'd already learned once what happens when you try to take everything onto your own shoulders and solve the problems of the world single-handedly. He'd already lost everything because of foolish arrogance.]

[ Shinobu doesn't know the circumstances in what led to what happened in the memory, but with those words, it clicks, at least a little. She won't try to keep his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before relaxing her hold. As long as he doesn't completely run away from her, she won't protest him trying to disengage. ]

One of your greatest strengths is also one of your greatest flaws. Truly, you are human.

[ She won't smile even as a reflex. ]

I can't say I don't understand, but I also can't say I completely approve. At least you know better now.

[ She hopes. She assumes. She wishes. She doesn't want to have to think of any sort of plan just in case. ]

[He won't run away, at least, and even keeps his hand in her loose hold for a few seconds longer than he should really allow himself to indulge for. But eventually, he lets his slip away, coming to rest between them.]

You aren't the first person to say as much to me here, but here's probably the first time I've heard it in a while.

[A tiny laugh with less of an edge than before. He doesn't hide it from her. If she's seen that blurry memory, she has a taste of why his reputation was so monstrous. He sees no need to hide the rest either, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.]

Rest assured that as long as my memories are intact, there won't be a repeat - I remember those lessons well. The old scores of that life ended with my death. Even a hundred wouldn't settle my debts or satisfy the ones who hate me, but there's nothing else to be done for it.

It's futile to try to satisfy hatred. Very little can overturn it.

[ After all, it would take something close to a miracle for her to let go of her hatred. She rests her hands in her lap. ]

But from what I understand, your potential is near limitless. For better or for worse. [ Her kindness does not include shying away from the truth of his history, and as he acknowledges his past, so does she. ]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I want to believe in you.

[ For all the murder he's done, she should scorn and spurn him, but she's not all logic and reason. How much of Montevallo still echoes within her, and how much of this is solely her?

She smiles. ]

The you I know can do so much good despite all the bedlam you sow.

[A near-limitless potential, for better or for worse... He supposes that's fair. He supposes that's true. When you stand with them, you're an eccentric genius, a valued asset. When you stand against them, you're immoral, corrupt, evil to the core.

All he ever does is try his best and do what he feels is right, for better or worse. He wishes he could feel worthy of the consideration she's showing him just by refusing to shirk away, to look at him with disgust. "The you I know can do so much good despite all the bedlam you sow".

His smile shifts, just barely.]

This is why I said what I said, back then - that you remind me a little of my shijie.

[Only she would show him this sort of unwarranted kindness and desire to keep believing in the good he may hold, even after seeing him at his worst.]

I seem to have the strangest luck.

I'm honored.

[ To be even a little like someone so lovely and kind is a compliment. She only saw Jiang Yangli in her last moments, but she thinks she and her older sister were similar, two kind souls who were too good for both their worlds.

She pats his hand once. ]

You should push your luck less.

[ She knows he won't. That's just not in his character, but it still needs to be said. ]

[They do seem similar - he wishes they could have know more than just a final handful of moments, but it's really telling, how one spends their last breath.

He laughs, light and chiming, and lets some of the tension leave his shoulders when she pats his hand.]

I know. [He does, despite what his reckless actions may otherwise say.] Believe it or not, I push my luck much less often in this life.

If I ask you about that, will you tell me? It doesn't have to be now or today.

[ Since they have a lot to digest about each other, but it's not like she's missed him mentioning different lives.

It seems a little important, if not also a little confounding. ]

[Stupidly, being reincarnated is one of the things he's most open about, partially because he had no say in it. Sometimes things just do wild shit while you're dead?? It's fine.]

If you ask about it, I'll tell you, yes. You can even ask today, if you'd like! It's not a very complicated story.

[On the surface, anyway.]

No, no matter how I think about it, it's going to be a complicated story, but it's not like we don't have time on our hands here.

[ Until they get whisked away to some other world to live different lives. ]

Won't you tell me your story?

[Ah, that transmigration life... Wei Wuxian hums a little, tilting his head from one side to the other as though considering. His story ain't a great one, and he's not sure he wants to give Shinobu more reasons than she already has to think he's a one braincelled idiot who leaps into action without thinking and leaves Mass Destruction in his wake...

All the same:]

Would you indulge me with yours in return?

[ Shinobu thinks he has many brain cells but chooses to ignore their output. Or input. As she's said, his potential for brilliance is reflected in his potential for chaos. ]

Yes, of course. It would only be fair.

[ He's already seen the end of her story, so what's the harm in filling in the rest of it? ]

[It's not an incorrect observation... Sometimes you have braincells and all they do is come up with curses and then self-sabotage when common sense tries to join the party.

ANYWAY.]

Kind of you. [With a quirking little grin. He leans forward a little then, resting his folded arms against his knees instead of over his chest.]

As for me - I've said my memory isn't the best, and it isn't! The only thing I know about my parents is that they died in a nighthunt. A friend of my father's took me in - that Uncle Jiang. What you saw there was the start of a sect's attempt to take over the cultivation world. They had the power and number to do it - wiped out our sect overnight, which was unheard of before then. The ones on the platform were the second son of that sect's leader, his mistress and his bodyguard. Never got along well with any of them! They were quite tyrannical, enjoyed bullying the weak and sent out the order to kill countless people for reasons as foolish as "they shot an arrow at the wrong type of kite". I made sure they suffered for the misery they brought.

[STATED SO SIMPLY. Well. She already knows he's capable of bloodshed and violence, so he doesn't bother hiding that... She knew even before seeing his memories, from back when they had lived parallel lives in a town worlds away. A bit more quietly, as if tempered by memories of that time:]

I've never been able to tolerate people like that. What I did in Montevallo would be considered kind by comparison, I think.

[He was more in control of himself then, after all, even with his wicked temper and vengeful streak.]

[ One day, she'll ask and find out what a nighthunt is, but for now, she doesn't think that's quite as important as the rest of his story. What he did in Montevallo was kind in comparison, is it?

That's heavy, and she's not quite sure how to feel about that. The way it sounds, those sect members were just as bad as demons, and she'd never forgive or forget someone who'd kill people so easily like that, just for their whims and for their self-serving satisfaction. She knows she'd hate those people as much as she does demons, especially if they killed her family (her second family).

How much can she judge? How much should she judge? There's no hint of her ever present smile, a reflection of her conflicting thoughts. He's learned and grown, but she knows her anger. How different is his? ]

You took justice into your own hands but to the extreme.

[ She keeps her voice and expression neutral. ]

Were you applauded, or were you scorned?

[ She knows it the end, he wasn't seen in a good light. ]

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