( it's true. runyu would ruminate regardless. it was silly of xingchen to try to downplay them to runyu of all people. perhaps it might have worked, had they actually been strangers, but they've never once truly felt like strangers to xingchen - not even when they met. and this man has never failed to have the keen sense of what he might be hiding, or making light of as the case may be.
so this was inevitable, really. and he can't find it in himself to be bothered by that, even knowing how displeased runyu's going to be once the wounds are revealed.
speaking of... ) Alright, ( he agrees - and though runyu has too little experience with him this time to learn that xingchen is largely an open book, his tone at least seems entirely unbothered. in fact, there's a lighter note to it again as he says, ) You'll have to forgive a different sort of immodesty this time. ( because now he's untying the belt to his robes, easing the outer robe back from his shoulders to pool on the bed around him, then doing the same with the thin inner robe. what's left are a pair of trousers and a torso that seems quite a bit more bandage than skin. it's a bit overkill, since some of the wounds are in places he can't entirely reach, but it's also less overkill than one might hope - a fact that comes to light as he untucks and begins to unwind the bandaging as well.
the damage is honestly a bit chaotic to try to make sense of, especially to one who doesn't realize the monstrous nature of the foes he faced. A wide set of clawmarks rakes up over his shoulder and down most of his back, a difficult wound to clean thanks to the distinct set of venomous fang-wounds on the other arm (his sword arm, as fate may have it) and the swelling and discoloration thereof. a couple of other wounds (one on his side, one just barely high enough to catch his ribs rather than his softer, more vulnerable stomach) look like they were inflicted by handheld blades. nearly all of the wounds look prepared to bleed at the slightest provocation, but it's already quite a bit of progress. when he arrived, they'd bleed anytime he took off the bandaging. )
There's one on my calf, as well. ( a fallen lich had grabbed at his ankle, and though they didn't succeed in tripping him, they did succeed in decaying a bit of the flesh. that one's taking a bit longer to heal. it's harder to funnel qi through dead flesh than living flesh, though he's managing well enough. regardless, he doesn't specify - it's far less horrifying for runyu to think that's a blade-wound as well. ) They've healed quite a bit already. I shouldn't need to bandage them for more than another few days. ( especially if he continues to successfully meditate like he was when runyu arrived. )
[ Runyu’s lips thin as Xingchen bares his back to him, revealing many wounds of different types, with the same smile on his face as before. It's as if he's been fighting several monsters at once and without anyone to watch his back. Runyu worries how fierce this war could have been. And yet, even with his questions and growing worry, there’s a strange sense of deja vu in the air, as if Runyu has seen his friend do this kind of thing before. He can't help but wonder if his friend someone who will often make light of something terrible like this or, worse, if he believe he deserves this treatment. His hands clench beneath his sleeves for several moments before his stance relents. Releasing a deep sigh, he closes his eyes for a few moments as his care warps his visions, as those wounds overlap with the broken state someone returned to him over and over. He knows it's is not the same thing, but the wounds he’s caused others are his ghosts to bear.
However, tonight, they will seem lighter. For a fleeting moment. ]
That will be unnecessary, my friend. Take a seat on the bed and leave the bandages where they are.
[ Before Xingchen can reply, he’s bending down to retrieve the painting that ties them together, brushing a hand over the creases that have formed before slowly rolling it up. ]
whoops pretend the last tag said 'on the floor around him' rather than bed
( xingchen had known that the wounds would upset his friend, would offend him on xingchen's behalf - and yet he still finds himself feeling bad for it, feeling bad but at a loss for reassurance he hasn't yet tried to offer. that they're healing well, that they aren't fatal. that he needn't worry over them.
when runyu closes his eyes with a slow exhale, xingchen finds his hand lifting with the helpless reflex to comfort in some shape or form. it hovers indecisively for a moment, then reaches with every intention of resting it on the nearest of those tense sleeve-covered hands - but just before it makes contact, runyu says 'that will be unnecessary' and the hand retreats back to xingchen's lap before it quite clicks that his friend was referring to the bandaging. 'take a seat on the bed and leave the bandages where they are.' his brow knits faintly, puzzled, even as he lifts up onto his knees so as to tidily gather his robes and fold them over his uninjured arm. leave the bandages, truly? they're not even dirtied yet, he only just changed them.
but he doesn't question it, rising to settle instead on the bed in his trousers and setting his folded robes across his lap. ) You've done more than enough, ( he tries one last time to insist, but it's quiet and without proper force. he knows very well that the protest will end up dismissed or ignored, regardless. he simply had to try. )
( Runyu ignores his friend's protest, staying silent as he gathers the clothes on the ground and even folding them before taking a seat on the bed. No doubt he would have folded the bandages even if Runyu hadn't said anything about them. Turning his head to the side, he summons a basin of warm water with a wave of his hand and brushes his fingers against the surface to test the temperature. Satisfied, he lifts the bowl and retrieves the cloth that's appeared next to it, before he turning back to Xingchen. ]
I haven't offered you nearly anything here, and as a host and friend, that should be unacceptable, but this is not about that. I, ( he hesitates and then breathes out, )I don't like the sight of blood around me, and some have opened up.
[ Silence filters through the air around them for a few moments before Runyu dips the cloth into the water basin. ]
I also possess the ability to heal you completely, even more so when your spirit is Yin like my own. There is no reason for you to take the time to heal slowly while in my realm.
( though he makes no outward show of it, xingchen is actually quite surprised by the bowl from thin air - surprised and impressed. he had known runyu was some manner of immortal, so it shouldn't surprise him really, and yet he finds himself wondering at quite how different even that much must make runyu's life here, compared to the one which he lived as a mortal (and then one of the fae) in ryslig.
his words, too, are unexpected. runyu doesn't like the sight of blood. perhaps it's the bracing way in which he says it, but his friend has never seemed quite so opposed to it before - it was always the notion of someone's injury which bothered him, not the blood itself. or so it had seemed. regardless, xingchen wasn't aware that any of the wounds had begun to bleed anew, so pardon him while he glances down to take stock of the wounds with a knit of his brow. ah - the one on his side does seem to be oozing just a little, and there's a burning sort of chill along his back which suggests that one of the deeper claw-rends has done the same.
but runyu doesn't merely intend to clean and re-bandage the wounds... it seems he intends to heal them altogether. xingchen's gaze lifts back to the man beside him now, his brow still knit but now with concern, and his mouth opens to object but no proper objection comes. instead, after a moment, ) At what cost to you? ( can he simply wave a hand and xingchen is healed, as with the basin? or is it a more in-depth process? in xingchen's own realm, such a thing was terribly exhausting. in ryslig, the only way for most to help another heal was to allow them to feed on you. the cost of healing is often far higher than xingchen is willing to let another pay on his behalf, especially one who only barely remembers him at all. )
[ The sight of blood has always been difficult for Runyu after that night on the border of the demon realm, when he realized how far his descent had taken him and what it had taken from him. Certain nights, even, the events come back to haunt him, In company, such an aversion can be hidden or explained away, but a strange sense of honesty compels Runyu to confess to a fraction of the ghosts plaguing his realm.
He doesn’t pause to dwell on another point of trust between Xingchen and himself as his guest asks about the process of healing, not about the details themselves but of the cost to himself.
It shakes a whispery chuckle from Runyu’s lips, as an unusual blend of emotions goes through him, pleased at the acknowledgement of any danger to himself as well as inexplicably amused by his friend’s caution or care to the situation, even in his condition.
His tone, however, takes on a firm edge, resolute in his decision.]
The process will take a couple hours, judging from the extent of your injuries and will probably tire me for a short while. ( Probably create a lingering fatigue for a couple days. ) But that is inconsequential. Nothing goes on here, and Kaunglu can attend to any duties I miss. You are injured and it’s shameful for me, as a host and as your friend, to leave you that way when I can relieve it.
( a couple of hours and a bit of fatigue. as loath as xingchen is to allow even that, he supposes he can admit that it's not the steepest of consequences. in fact, it's objectively quite reasonable for how much damage such a thing would heal.
yet still he he deliberates for a long couple of moments, despite the conviction in runyu's delivery. then his chin lifts just slightly in his own bit of stubbornness. ) I accept, provided you'll rest here where I won't have to worry about you. Do we have an agreement? ( because it would be just like runyu to downplay the degree of his fatigue, to whisk himself off as soon as he's finished to deal with such a thing in privacy, and that doesn't sit well with xingchen. )
[ That is exactly what Runyu has planned on. Even if the fatigue wouldn't strike him as soon as other immortals because of decades to his nighttime duties, it would eventually settle over him from such an extensive healing. And usually, he would retreat to a corner of his palace. That habit hasn't changed even with the emptying of the heavenly realm.
Xingchen catching him in his plan brings a short chuckle to his lips and leaves him a little lost on what to say. When his wish to heal his friend hasn't changed with this caveat.
Finally, he settles on a clever compromise. ]
I don't know when the fatigue will come to me, as I have dealt with little rest for quite a long time, but I will probably go to the library after attending to your wounds. If you wish to follow me there, you're free to.
( while 'i've dealt with little rest for quite a long time' isn't nearly as reassuring as runyu seems to think it should be, and while this is clearly an attempt to deflect xingchen's capacity to hover or fuss once the wounds have been attended to, the compromise does seem fair enough in and of itself.
and so xingchen says, ) Alright, ( but after a moment adds, ) So long as I wouldn't be imposing.
[ Pleased at his acceptance, Runyu shakes his head. ]
I wouldn't have offered if you would have. There's enough space there for the both of us, and you can learn more about the realm you've landed in.
[ There would also be a couch where his friend could rest if his energy failed before the night emperor as Runyu has predicted.
He waves a hand to indicate the bed.
Please take a comfortable seat facing away from me. This will take some time given the severity and the varied nature of your wounds. It's fortunate that we both bear a yin core.
( if he truly wouldn't be in the way, then this compromise is more than sufficient. perhaps even better than his initial demand, as this version allows him to make certain that runyu is alright without forcing him to linger here.
and so xingchen does as requested, settling in on the bed with his back to runyu and pulling his legs up cross-legged. both hands lift to gather his hair, sweeping it forward over his unwounded shoulder so that it's out of the way of whatever his friend may need to do. he's warned of the time it might take, all while runyu deftly skirts around the questions the wounds must surely raise within him (which xingchen is mildly relieved for - he would prefer that runyu's first tales of ryslig be kinder than this one). ) I understand, ( he assures, an appreciative smile faintly audible in his words. ) And thank you.
[ Runyu takes his seat with a small hum, an acknowledgement to the gesture of gratitude more than anything else. Crossing his own legs and facing his former friend, he takes a breath and reaches inside himself. The flow of spiritual power is instantaneous, as the emperor, as an immortal, and as someone who’s rarely had a chance to use his power but for the evening duties. There’s no shortage for this exercise. Even if it’s been decades since he’s healed someone, there’s an undercurrent of stern confidence as he moves his wrists and directs the energy towads Xingchen. A cool blanket of power settles over Xingchen’s skin.
Runyu remains in the same position for most of the time, only changing the direction of energy if he comes across a toxin or infection and still without comment, intent on his goal.
Hours pass. The wounds close up, but scars of various shades remain. Runyu drops his hands, stopping the flow of his power into Xingchen’s and taking a few long breaths before rising from the bed. ]
( He flicks his hands behind his back, falling into formality after all the silence. ) Your wounds are healed. Due to some poisons and infection as well as how deep some were, there are scars. But it’s dangerous to continue the session. Some…. (he pauses, )won’t disappear even if I do another session in a few days.
[ He falls silent, eyes narrowing, as he struggles with a wave of discontent at that situation and somehow knowing that it’s not the past he remembers where these emotions are coming from. ]
( at first, xingchen paid quite a bit of attention to what was happening behind him - to the faint sounds of movement, the way that this particular manner of energy feels as it reaches him and how that compares to the feeling of being healed by cultivated qi.
but long minutes pass, and his attention starts to slip. to wander, but that's no good - and so instead he allows himself to slip halfway into meditation, enough to clear his mind of all but the flow of energy but not quite enough to stir up any qi of his own.
and so it hardly seems all that long at all by the time that energy stops, drawing him back to the present with a reorienting blink. the pain is gone now, for the first time since he arrived. that's the first thing he notices. whether or not he lent it any attention, it has lingered at the back of his mind, leaving xingchen to innately adjust his way of movement so as not to disturb them - but not now. runyu informs him of his scars, but his fingertips have already found one, gaze following a moment later - the slice along his ribs, closed up now but raised faintly to the touch. ) There's no need, my friend. You've done plenty, ( he says, his attention shifting now to what he can see of the scars wrapping over his shoulder and down his back. after a moment, ) And I'd like to keep them.
[ Runyu nods, glancing over his shoulder at him as his friend examines the scars, before he turns away again. It gives his friend a semblance of privacy and himself a moment to compose himself from the sight. His left hand has already subconsciously covered the bracelet of mermaid beads, too, which he releases, making a show of adjusting his sleeves. There's an ache on the right side of his chest, too, but there's nothing to be done about that. It will pass.
Instead, he busies himself by retrieving his friend's robe, holding it out whie still looking away. ]
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so this was inevitable, really. and he can't find it in himself to be bothered by that, even knowing how displeased runyu's going to be once the wounds are revealed.
speaking of... ) Alright, ( he agrees - and though runyu has too little experience with him this time to learn that xingchen is largely an open book, his tone at least seems entirely unbothered. in fact, there's a lighter note to it again as he says, ) You'll have to forgive a different sort of immodesty this time. ( because now he's untying the belt to his robes, easing the outer robe back from his shoulders to pool on the bed around him, then doing the same with the thin inner robe. what's left are a pair of trousers and a torso that seems quite a bit more bandage than skin. it's a bit overkill, since some of the wounds are in places he can't entirely reach, but it's also less overkill than one might hope - a fact that comes to light as he untucks and begins to unwind the bandaging as well.
the damage is honestly a bit chaotic to try to make sense of, especially to one who doesn't realize the monstrous nature of the foes he faced. A wide set of clawmarks rakes up over his shoulder and down most of his back, a difficult wound to clean thanks to the distinct set of venomous fang-wounds on the other arm (his sword arm, as fate may have it) and the swelling and discoloration thereof. a couple of other wounds (one on his side, one just barely high enough to catch his ribs rather than his softer, more vulnerable stomach) look like they were inflicted by handheld blades. nearly all of the wounds look prepared to bleed at the slightest provocation, but it's already quite a bit of progress. when he arrived, they'd bleed anytime he took off the bandaging. )
There's one on my calf, as well. ( a fallen lich had grabbed at his ankle, and though they didn't succeed in tripping him, they did succeed in decaying a bit of the flesh. that one's taking a bit longer to heal. it's harder to funnel qi through dead flesh than living flesh, though he's managing well enough. regardless, he doesn't specify - it's far less horrifying for runyu to think that's a blade-wound as well. ) They've healed quite a bit already. I shouldn't need to bandage them for more than another few days. ( especially if he continues to successfully meditate like he was when runyu arrived. )
no subject
However, tonight, they will seem lighter. For a fleeting moment. ]
That will be unnecessary, my friend. Take a seat on the bed and leave the bandages where they are.
[ Before Xingchen can reply, he’s bending down to retrieve the painting that ties them together, brushing a hand over the creases that have formed before slowly rolling it up. ]
whoops pretend the last tag said 'on the floor around him' rather than bed
when runyu closes his eyes with a slow exhale, xingchen finds his hand lifting with the helpless reflex to comfort in some shape or form. it hovers indecisively for a moment, then reaches with every intention of resting it on the nearest of those tense sleeve-covered hands - but just before it makes contact, runyu says 'that will be unnecessary' and the hand retreats back to xingchen's lap before it quite clicks that his friend was referring to the bandaging. 'take a seat on the bed and leave the bandages where they are.' his brow knits faintly, puzzled, even as he lifts up onto his knees so as to tidily gather his robes and fold them over his uninjured arm. leave the bandages, truly? they're not even dirtied yet, he only just changed them.
but he doesn't question it, rising to settle instead on the bed in his trousers and setting his folded robes across his lap. ) You've done more than enough, ( he tries one last time to insist, but it's quiet and without proper force. he knows very well that the protest will end up dismissed or ignored, regardless. he simply had to try. )
Oops xD
I haven't offered you nearly anything here, and as a host and friend, that should be unacceptable, but this is not about that. I, ( he hesitates and then breathes out, )I don't like the sight of blood around me, and some have opened up.
[ Silence filters through the air around them for a few moments before Runyu dips the cloth into the water basin. ]
I also possess the ability to heal you completely, even more so when your spirit is Yin like my own. There is no reason for you to take the time to heal slowly while in my realm.
no subject
his words, too, are unexpected. runyu doesn't like the sight of blood. perhaps it's the bracing way in which he says it, but his friend has never seemed quite so opposed to it before - it was always the notion of someone's injury which bothered him, not the blood itself. or so it had seemed. regardless, xingchen wasn't aware that any of the wounds had begun to bleed anew, so pardon him while he glances down to take stock of the wounds with a knit of his brow. ah - the one on his side does seem to be oozing just a little, and there's a burning sort of chill along his back which suggests that one of the deeper claw-rends has done the same.
but runyu doesn't merely intend to clean and re-bandage the wounds... it seems he intends to heal them altogether. xingchen's gaze lifts back to the man beside him now, his brow still knit but now with concern, and his mouth opens to object but no proper objection comes. instead, after a moment, ) At what cost to you? ( can he simply wave a hand and xingchen is healed, as with the basin? or is it a more in-depth process? in xingchen's own realm, such a thing was terribly exhausting. in ryslig, the only way for most to help another heal was to allow them to feed on you. the cost of healing is often far higher than xingchen is willing to let another pay on his behalf, especially one who only barely remembers him at all. )
no subject
He doesn’t pause to dwell on another point of trust between Xingchen and himself as his guest asks about the process of healing, not about the details themselves but of the cost to himself.
It shakes a whispery chuckle from Runyu’s lips, as an unusual blend of emotions goes through him, pleased at the acknowledgement of any danger to himself as well as inexplicably amused by his friend’s caution or care to the situation, even in his condition.
His tone, however, takes on a firm edge, resolute in his decision.]
The process will take a couple hours, judging from the extent of your injuries and will probably tire me for a short while. ( Probably create a lingering fatigue for a couple days. ) But that is inconsequential. Nothing goes on here, and Kaunglu can attend to any duties I miss. You are injured and it’s shameful for me, as a host and as your friend, to leave you that way when I can relieve it.
no subject
yet still he he deliberates for a long couple of moments, despite the conviction in runyu's delivery. then his chin lifts just slightly in his own bit of stubbornness. ) I accept, provided you'll rest here where I won't have to worry about you. Do we have an agreement? ( because it would be just like runyu to downplay the degree of his fatigue, to whisk himself off as soon as he's finished to deal with such a thing in privacy, and that doesn't sit well with xingchen. )
no subject
Xingchen catching him in his plan brings a short chuckle to his lips and leaves him a little lost on what to say. When his wish to heal his friend hasn't changed with this caveat.
Finally, he settles on a clever compromise. ]
I don't know when the fatigue will come to me, as I have dealt with little rest for quite a long time, but I will probably go to the library after attending to your wounds. If you wish to follow me there, you're free to.
no subject
and so xingchen says, ) Alright, ( but after a moment adds, ) So long as I wouldn't be imposing.
no subject
I wouldn't have offered if you would have. There's enough space there for the both of us, and you can learn more about the realm you've landed in.
[ There would also be a couch where his friend could rest if his energy failed before the night emperor as Runyu has predicted.
He waves a hand to indicate the bed.
Please take a comfortable seat facing away from me. This will take some time given the severity and the varied nature of your wounds. It's fortunate that we both bear a yin core.
no subject
and so xingchen does as requested, settling in on the bed with his back to runyu and pulling his legs up cross-legged. both hands lift to gather his hair, sweeping it forward over his unwounded shoulder so that it's out of the way of whatever his friend may need to do. he's warned of the time it might take, all while runyu deftly skirts around the questions the wounds must surely raise within him (which xingchen is mildly relieved for - he would prefer that runyu's first tales of ryslig be kinder than this one). ) I understand, ( he assures, an appreciative smile faintly audible in his words. ) And thank you.
no subject
Runyu remains in the same position for most of the time, only changing the direction of energy if he comes across a toxin or infection and still without comment, intent on his goal.
Hours pass. The wounds close up, but scars of various shades remain. Runyu drops his hands, stopping the flow of his power into Xingchen’s and taking a few long breaths before rising from the bed. ]
( He flicks his hands behind his back, falling into formality after all the silence. ) Your wounds are healed. Due to some poisons and infection as well as how deep some were, there are scars. But it’s dangerous to continue the session. Some…. (he pauses, )won’t disappear even if I do another session in a few days.
[ He falls silent, eyes narrowing, as he struggles with a wave of discontent at that situation and somehow knowing that it’s not the past he remembers where these emotions are coming from. ]
no subject
but long minutes pass, and his attention starts to slip. to wander, but that's no good - and so instead he allows himself to slip halfway into meditation, enough to clear his mind of all but the flow of energy but not quite enough to stir up any qi of his own.
and so it hardly seems all that long at all by the time that energy stops, drawing him back to the present with a reorienting blink. the pain is gone now, for the first time since he arrived. that's the first thing he notices. whether or not he lent it any attention, it has lingered at the back of his mind, leaving xingchen to innately adjust his way of movement so as not to disturb them - but not now. runyu informs him of his scars, but his fingertips have already found one, gaze following a moment later - the slice along his ribs, closed up now but raised faintly to the touch. ) There's no need, my friend. You've done plenty, ( he says, his attention shifting now to what he can see of the scars wrapping over his shoulder and down his back. after a moment, ) And I'd like to keep them.
no subject
Instead, he busies himself by retrieving his friend's robe, holding it out whie still looking away. ]
I'm glad that the healing was a success.