[Are you outside? Of course you are! What a nice day to be trapped together.
Hikaru's a little scraped up when Xie Lian might spot her, sporting a short-legged pair of bib overalls and a rather obnoxious red and black checkered shirt underneath, carefully gauging the distance of a nearby tree. She huffs, crouching down, and then making a rather impressive jump to grab hold of the lowest limb and drag herself up rather nimbly. It's almost like watching a monkey.
She's about halfway up the tree before she even spots that she has company, happily waving.]
[ xie lian's out for a walk this early sunday morning. he's still dressed in the same clothes that he was before, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and spotting hikaru making her way up the tree like a little monkey catches his attention.
when she waves, he returns the favor, and then bows his head in polite greeting. ] Good morning, Miss Hikaru! What are you doing?
[ xie lian sees hikaru upset when he's coming back to check in with san lang. as such, he gives her a few moments, but once the initial chaos of their new 'hosts' making their first appearance, xie lian's seeking her out!!
he'll approach quietly, hands folded behind his back, worry on his face, calling out to her. ] Miss Hikaru.
[She's tried to find a quiet place for herself, one where she can hopefully tuck away against a tree and let herself be alone for just a minute... just one minute.
It's going to be fine. She tells herself, it's going to be fine. They're going to find a way together. But the days are so long already, and to have Wolf explain things in such a familiar fashion strikes like thorns to the heart.
She hasn't quite cleared her face of wet streams against the skin when she hears Xie Lian call out for her, starting a bit from where she's tucked against one of the trees near the forest, wiping frantically at her eyes with her fist.]
I... j-just a minute, okay? I'll be right there...
[She hiccups under her sleeve, but gives her face another good rub with both her wrists and forces herself up to her feet.]
Her heart is caught between wanting to lock herself away in Room 2 for the rest of the night, to curl up and scream and cry and be so, so angry about such a horrible thing that had just had to happen... and to take her concerns out into action, letting her legs take her aimlessly, the effort along something to try to keep the buzzing in her head from becoming such a cacophony.
Hajime was dead. The detective, her roommate, killed right in front of them. And now Virid, too...
...
She numbly acknowledges the figure of Xie Lian silhouetted by the bridge, all dark hair and light robes, like a wisp of wind.
It doesn't matter what he's doing, or whether he greets her. Hikaru quietly walks up, breaking the space between them and resting her face against his arm, gingerly reaching up to grasp the fabric of his sleeve in her fingers.
[ xie lian came out to the bridge because he thought it might be somewhere quiet, to meditate, and think. after everything that happened today - the death of one of their comrades right in front of them, helping to take down virid, the trial, the suspicions, everything - he certainly needed it.
when he senses someone else nearby, xie lian's pulled out of those thoughts, where he stares down at the water below, and spotting hikaru makes his heart squeeze a little, empathetic almost instantly.
virid -- virid is so young. and hikaru...
when she catches his sleeve, he doesn't really need the strange desire for affection that has impacted every day this week. the moment she rests against his arm, xie lian turns, and wraps both of his arms around her in a tight, warm hug. ]
[well normally hikaru would be hopping into the kitchen for snacks, but she's zooming around looking for someone, doing a rapid double take when she spots Xie Lian
If he is in the trash im gonna cry]
Chijin-san, there you are... Can I talk to you for a second?
[Raven's scuttled out of the room for the time being to do who knows what, as Raven is keen to do, so if Xie Lian bothers to knock on Room 18's door, there will be a substantial delay before the doorknob ever turns.
Hikaru looks up at him with eyes that can hardly stay open, one arm curled against herself, her hair messily unbraided and her pajamas already on. Her weight leans against the door even as she opens it, like she could tip over and fall asleep on the spot.]
Chijin... [An exhale as she tries her best to keep her eyes on him.]
[ hikaru. you look terrible! you look worse than him.
xie lian had been worried about her since she left earlier, so. freshly clean and in comfortable, not blood soaked clothes, xie lian comes to pay hikaru a visit, and he finds her just as tired as she'd looked then.
his brows knit, concern on his face, in his raspy voice. ] ...Did I wake you, Miss Hikaru? I'm sorry....
[Well, she's been stuck in her room for quite a while after the trial ended. But it's later in the night when Hikaru finally comes down the stairs in a tired beeline for the kitchen, looking far sturdier than she had the entire week before, but with eyes that are still red and puffy from crying.
She only catches sight of Xie Lian in the lobby on her way back to the stairs with a glass of water in hand, halting as though she's been caught in the act of something far worse than just, you know, getting a glass of water.]
...Chijin.
[She thinks to his vote. She's angry, of course, but she can't judge him. She'd done the same thing only the week before, feeling as though there was no other option. So, instead, she lets it drift from her thoughts as she quietly tries to approach him, her lip between her teeth.]
NO KIDDING. anyway. xie lian has been pretty absent since the trial ended - lost in his own thoughts, angry, and anything but helpful to others, he's taken back to one of the couches in the lobby of the inn with a cup of tea and his own thoughts.
when hikaru approaches him, he glances upwards from under his lashes where he's sitting, notes her puffy, red eyes, and thinks back to how she was sitting with kano up to the last moment, yesterday. ]
[ hello miss hikaru!! having spent much time fussing over hua cheng, xie lian has heard plenty of her escapades, so hikaru is high on his list to check on this morning.
he comes bearing tea! specifically, an icy cold green tea, brewed and shoved in the fridge (the fridge is a magical invention, his favorite) and visits hikaru with a knock on her door. ]
[She answers with a slight delay, her hair unbraided with her spare ribbon in her hand when she gets to the door, coughing roughly into her elbow.]
Hi, Chijin, good morning-- [Wow her voice sounds rough... She blossoms with genuine delight on seeing him, though, carefully slipping out of the room and closing the door.]
[It's awfully close to bedtime, but Hikaru is settled outside the shrine in the inn, her sword in front of her and a small list of names placed on the kamidana's base, flowers and fruits and small stones from the streams in the jungle arranged at its base.
Hikaru is not in prayer. Rather, she has her stack of papers and a gathering of kitchen twine, which she is measuring roughly before snapping the string against her sword.
There's a steadfast stubborness to how she works, one that looks just a little peculiar.]
[ xie lian's heading up to his leaf bed for the night when he spots hikaru at the kamidana. this is only really his second interaction with the thing, and he hesitates to interrupt anyone in prayer, but the snapping noise reveals something else entirely.
he pauses on his mission back up the stairs, and backtracks. ]
[Hikaru is stationed in the kitchen at a weird time of day, a pot simmering on the stove with the lid pressed on top. Hikaru herself stays seated on the floor, a fiery orange kigu in the style of a wolf wrapped around her with the hood left down, her eyes glued on her PHS as she reads, types, reads some more.
Her braid is completely missing, leaving only a short mop of pink hair behind. Weird fashion choice but ok.
Whenever she hears someone enter, she will turn to look up and smile silently, before going back to her PHS. Hi, Chijin.]
[ xie lian quite likes the graveyard. he probably shouldn't, maybe? but, death is such a natural part of life in his own realm that it's normal, and... besides, it reminds him of a place that he likes very, very much. so.
he's walking through the graveyard and exploring when he finds hikaru, and comes to approach her with a serene smile on his face. ]
Meimei, what are you doing here?
[ a bubble floats right at hikaru's hand level. xie lian hasn't noticed it yet.
[She's settled in front of a simpler gravestone, tracing worn letters with her fingers with an oddly tranquil expression, which only lifts slightly when she sees Xie Lian.]
Chijin, hi. I was just thinking. Paying respects, too, if I could. [A moment, as she reaches out for the odd little bubble. It's not the first one she's received this week, but she expects it to be her own memory by now. Or... whatever static and noise was left behind.]
[Wherever XL has found himself on Thursday afternoon, there's a small little Hikaru with a pterodactyl nested in her head trying to find him, her pace slow.]
Um... [Her brow furrows, eyes recognizing him but mouth not following through, like the words are hard to grasp.
xie lian blinks, at the title, turning to hikaru - when he sees her struggling, he scurries over, hands hovering a bit as if to support her. why is she calling him that. is she okay. what is happening. ] ...Meimei? Are you alright? Did you want to make a prayer or something...?
[She's working her way through the castle crowd, if only to make it outside, if only to grab something she knows she needs from the forests that always held her shrine offerings, before running to find Xie Lian.
[ xie lian had some things to take care of pretty much immediately as the dead returned, which meant he missed some of the more tearful and immediate reunions. those things to take care of will become quite obvious when hikaru finds xie lian, leaning against the side of the inn with a towel holding a bundle of ice against his face.
...but, when he hears foosteps, and opens his eye, he drops it. (he has a black eye. it's fine.) ] -- Miss Hikaru?
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WEEK ZERO, SUNDAY
Hikaru's a little scraped up when Xie Lian might spot her, sporting a short-legged pair of bib overalls and a rather obnoxious red and black checkered shirt underneath, carefully gauging the distance of a nearby tree. She huffs, crouching down, and then making a rather impressive jump to grab hold of the lowest limb and drag herself up rather nimbly. It's almost like watching a monkey.
She's about halfway up the tree before she even spots that she has company, happily waving.]
Oh, Chijin-san! Hiya!!! Good morning!
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when she waves, he returns the favor, and then bows his head in polite greeting. ] Good morning, Miss Hikaru! What are you doing?
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reminder for myself that this is before they met the NPCs
w0 sunday, post npc
he'll approach quietly, hands folded behind his back, worry on his face, calling out to her. ] Miss Hikaru.
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It's going to be fine. She tells herself, it's going to be fine. They're going to find a way together. But the days are so long already, and to have Wolf explain things in such a familiar fashion strikes like thorns to the heart.
She hasn't quite cleared her face of wet streams against the skin when she hears Xie Lian call out for her, starting a bit from where she's tucked against one of the trees near the forest, wiping frantically at her eyes with her fist.]
I... j-just a minute, okay? I'll be right there...
[She hiccups under her sleeve, but gives her face another good rub with both her wrists and forces herself up to her feet.]
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points at that icon and cries in Yin Yu Knowledge ANYWAY 1/3
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/3 there we go
hmmmmm!! wonder what that could mean for xie lian!
im upset and it's only week 0
(:
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WEEK ZERO - SATURDAY - POST-TRIAL
Her heart is caught between wanting to lock herself away in Room 2 for the rest of the night, to curl up and scream and cry and be so, so angry about such a horrible thing that had just had to happen... and to take her concerns out into action, letting her legs take her aimlessly, the effort along something to try to keep the buzzing in her head from becoming such a cacophony.
Hajime was dead. The detective, her roommate, killed right in front of them. And now Virid, too...
...
She numbly acknowledges the figure of Xie Lian silhouetted by the bridge, all dark hair and light robes, like a wisp of wind.
It doesn't matter what he's doing, or whether he greets her. Hikaru quietly walks up, breaking the space between them and resting her face against his arm, gingerly reaching up to grasp the fabric of his sleeve in her fingers.
She's so tired. She's so, so tired, Chijin-san.]
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when he senses someone else nearby, xie lian's pulled out of those thoughts, where he stares down at the water below, and spotting hikaru makes his heart squeeze a little, empathetic almost instantly.
virid -- virid is so young. and hikaru...
when she catches his sleeve, he doesn't really need the strange desire for affection that has impacted every day this week. the moment she rests against his arm, xie lian turns, and wraps both of his arms around her in a tight, warm hug. ]
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Week 0, Sunday Night
If he is in the trash im gonna cry]
Chijin-san, there you are... Can I talk to you for a second?
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Oh-- Miss Hikaru. What is it?
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WEEK 1 - THURSDAY NIGHT
Hikaru looks up at him with eyes that can hardly stay open, one arm curled against herself, her hair messily unbraided and her pajamas already on. Her weight leans against the door even as she opens it, like she could tip over and fall asleep on the spot.]
Chijin... [An exhale as she tries her best to keep her eyes on him.]
Are... you okay? Honestly?
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xie lian had been worried about her since she left earlier, so. freshly clean and in comfortable, not blood soaked clothes, xie lian comes to pay hikaru a visit, and he finds her just as tired as she'd looked then.
his brows knit, concern on his face, in his raspy voice. ] ...Did I wake you, Miss Hikaru? I'm sorry....
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WEEK ONE - SATURDAY - POST-TRIAL
She only catches sight of Xie Lian in the lobby on her way back to the stairs with a glass of water in hand, halting as though she's been caught in the act of something far worse than just, you know, getting a glass of water.]
...Chijin.
[She thinks to his vote. She's angry, of course, but she can't judge him. She'd done the same thing only the week before, feeling as though there was no other option. So, instead, she lets it drift from her thoughts as she quietly tries to approach him, her lip between her teeth.]
Um... can I ask you something?
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NO KIDDING. anyway. xie lian has been pretty absent since the trial ended - lost in his own thoughts, angry, and anything but helpful to others, he's taken back to one of the couches in the lobby of the inn with a cup of tea and his own thoughts.
when hikaru approaches him, he glances upwards from under his lashes where he's sitting, notes her puffy, red eyes, and thinks back to how she was sitting with kano up to the last moment, yesterday. ]
...What is it, Miss Hikaru?
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w2, thursday morning
he comes bearing tea! specifically, an icy cold green tea, brewed and shoved in the fridge (the fridge is a magical invention, his favorite) and visits hikaru with a knock on her door. ]
Miss Hikaru, are you here...?
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[She answers with a slight delay, her hair unbraided with her spare ribbon in her hand when she gets to the door, coughing roughly into her elbow.]
Hi, Chijin, good morning-- [Wow her voice sounds rough... She blossoms with genuine delight on seeing him, though, carefully slipping out of the room and closing the door.]
Are you and Hua-chan okay?
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WEEK TWO - SATURDAY - POST TRIAL
When she hears someone approach, she'll tense harshly rather than looking up at first. But after a moment passes, she'll turn to check.
Her face is discolored and red, harsher on one side than the other, something Xie Lian of all people will know is the mark of a physical blow.]
Chijin...
[Immediately she's twisting to try and rise to her feet.]
Are you okay? What happened to Hua-chan?
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that is wildly more important, wow ]
-- I'm fine, San Lang is fine, -- did someone hit you?!
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WEEK THREE, MONDAY NIGHT
Hikaru is not in prayer. Rather, she has her stack of papers and a gathering of kitchen twine, which she is measuring roughly before snapping the string against her sword.
There's a steadfast stubborness to how she works, one that looks just a little peculiar.]
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he pauses on his mission back up the stairs, and backtracks. ]
...Miss Hikaru? [ what are you doing... ]
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WEEK THREE - THURSDAY
Her braid is completely missing, leaving only a short mop of pink hair behind. Weird fashion choice but ok.
Whenever she hears someone enter, she will turn to look up and smile silently, before going back to her PHS. Hi, Chijin.]
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....Miss Hikaru.... did you cut your hair?
[ why have you given him so many concerns this week. ]
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WEEK THREE - FRIDAY POST INVEST
[She looks miserable! But she knows a more miserable person when she sees one, and she's slipping over to grip him by the sleeve.]
Chijin, I'm... I'm sorry, I really am... but we need to talk. Just for a second.
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hikaru gets a small smile, from xie lian, as he boxes up whatever he was feeling - it doesn't quite reach his eyes, though. ]
Hello, meimei. What do you need...?
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week 4, tuesday
he's walking through the graveyard and exploring when he finds hikaru, and comes to approach her with a serene smile on his face. ]
Meimei, what are you doing here?
[ a bubble floats right at hikaru's hand level. xie lian hasn't noticed it yet.
you gon pop it, hikaru. ]
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Chijin, hi. I was just thinking. Paying respects, too, if I could. [A moment, as she reaches out for the odd little bubble. It's not the first one she's received this week, but she expects it to be her own memory by now. Or... whatever static and noise was left behind.]
1/2
haha i lied 2/3
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WEEK FOUR - THURSDAY AFTERNOON
Um... [Her brow furrows, eyes recognizing him but mouth not following through, like the words are hard to grasp.
...]
D... Dianxia-sama. Can I talk to you?
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xie lian blinks, at the title, turning to hikaru - when he sees her struggling, he scurries over, hands hovering a bit as if to support her. why is she calling him that. is she okay. what is happening. ] ...Meimei? Are you alright? Did you want to make a prayer or something...?
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WEEK SEVEN - FRIDAY
GOD SENPAI WHERE ARE YOU]
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...but, when he hears foosteps, and opens his eye, he drops it. (he has a black eye. it's fine.) ] -- Miss Hikaru?
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