AUDIENCE: XIE LIAN

[retellers]

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[dianxias]

Alright.

[ with a little nod... he trusts what goat's told him, so. ] Someone was able to take their mask off..

Well, I suppose that's quite heartening. [ xie lian says, going for optimism! ] And that you all are getting memories back, too... I'm glad.

Do you know what was with that place we ended up in? I wanted to come and ask a little earlier in the week, but... [ well. he had been recently trampled and then murder happened. ]

[retellers]

... It manifested from a concentration of memories, I think. Whose, I don't know, but... something like that. So, it both was real and wasn't.

[dianxias]

Real, and wasn't.... [ ?

?????? can you tell you lost him.

....but he's gonna go with it! ] I wonder if it was your all's.

[retellers]

I'm... not sure...

[ their voice trails off. ]

[dianxias]

[




did he just trigger your trauma memory oh heavens ]

Um --!! Please don't worry about it right now, Brother Goat, it's alright!

[retellers]

N-No, um, it's okay! I'm just... thinking.

[dianxias]

[ does goat know i would die for them??? i hope they do

anyway. ]

...Oh. What is it...?

[retellers]

[ i'm crying ]

... No, it's... maybe nothing...

[dianxias]

[ xie lian just makes this icon face. you gonna let him make this face for long, goat. look at those sad little eyebrows. ]

[retellers]

[ STOP

they're quiet for a while, before they look away. ]

... Ask me again tomorrow. It's... something I would rather not think about today.

[dianxias]

Of course. [ immediately. ]

...Can I ask you one more thing? Not about this.

[retellers]

[ they nod. ]

[dianxias]

You're the reason I had that dream on Friday, right...?

[retellers]

[ oh. they nod again. ]

[dianxias]

[ xie lian turns his head to give them a proper smile, warm. ]

...Thank you.

[ for someone who has nightmares more than he has good dreams, it meant a lot. ]

[retellers]

[ oh. they give xie lian a light smile in return. ]

I apologize for entering your dreams without permission... but if you ever need it, then I am willing.

[dianxias]

I don't mind. If anything, I apologize for what it may have looked like before. [ the nightmare zone... especially after thursday. ]

Was that a power granted to you by this place, or did you have it before, do you think?

[retellers]

I believe it is a power I always had.

[dianxias]

How interesting... ah, have you always had that sword of yours, too?



[ i knew this was going to get to sword talk eventually i just didn't know when. ]

[retellers]

[ i'm crying ]

Yes. It seems to have been in my possession since before the Realm.

[dianxias]

[ ........ ]


Would you mind showing it to me?

[ sparkle. sparkle sparkle. ]

[retellers]

[ ???

they're apparently baffled by xie lian's sparkling, but they hold out a hand, manifesting the sword again. i can't link pictures yet because spoilers, but it's a slender blade with a black, mildly decorative hilt and no crossguard--kind of like a katana. it could actually just be a katana, your mod doesn't know. ]

[dianxias]

[ xie lian doesn't know what the fuck a katana is either so don't worry! he has now forsaken all plot information in favor of a kickass sword ]

Oh! [ he looks delighted. like, really, examining the blade from the sides, and the decorative work on the hilt. ] It's lovely...! The craftsmanship is wonderful.

You know, in the realm that I am from, every blade has a story - names of their own, and stories behind them. Cultivators and warriors alike carry them, almost as an extension of our souls. Some even have special abilities and powers beyond that of a regular sword.

It's wonderful that you still have yours, even if you can't remember anything about it. In that sense, it's a part of you that remains.

[retellers]

... Mm. If mine has a story behind it, I'd like to remember...

[ they tilt their head. ]

Do you have a sword, then? Er, I suppose not here...

[dianxias]

I do, yes.

[ he settles back from nerding out over goat's sword to describe his own. ] It is as black as the darkest jade, sharp on both sides, and the handle is silver--it's name is Fang Xin.

It actually only recently came back into my possession! It was gone for a few hundred years, so, it's been nice to have it back again... although now it's gone. [ memloss be like that. ]