Settling In Whilst Unsettled (June Catch-all)

[xiaoxiuya]

xiaoxiuya 
deercountry 

Who: Shen Yuan and anyone else who'd like to jump in, unless otherwise noted.
What: Xiu Ya's intro, dealing with June nightmare event, trying to make blessedwithlove house more liveable
When: June, after the TDM
Where: Furthest Shore and Lumenwood, more tbd

Content Warnings: Nightmares will include depictions of torture and dismemberment.

Comments

[megatheorem]

Palamedes watches what is definitely some kind of exchange between sword and wielder, here, not unlike a silent conversation with a lot of gratuitous eyebrow movement he might have with Camilla, if she weren't still in the sea. There's undoubtedly a vibe in the air, although he hasn't ever talked to a sword, so-

"You, I think," he says, and holds up his hands in a placating gesture as if to say yes, yes, that's rude to say, he knows, hold on. "I'm good at - energy sensing, spiritual and so on, and the energy in here is off. The sword was my first guess, but since you've all but confirmed it outright, it's my last guess now, too."

Did you argue with your sword, buddy. Did you.

[xiaoxiuya]

"Ugh."

If there were any chairs left in the room, this would be the perfect time to dramatically drop into one of them. But since there aren't, he leans against the table instead, glowering.

Are you calling his vibes rancid, sir? How dare you. How dare.

"It's not my doing," he says defensively. "Swords like Xiu Ya are supposed to choose their wielders, but a god fucked around and now we're stuck finding out. She was "reassigned" to me," he explains with an eye-roll, since he can't expect people from other universes to understand memes. "But we're not under that specific god's thumb anymore, so I don't know why she insists on sticking around." Xiu Ya's spiritual presence practically flutters with irritation, impatience, and a tangle of emotions that remind Shen Yuan of somebody's interfering auntie cornering them at New Years to ask why they haven't yet found a girlfriend. So annoying.

"See? She does that whenever I even come close to suggesting she find someone else. I don't get it."

[megatheorem]

"She's a sword," Palamedes says, like, obviously she can't get up and walk to the town square to take out a personal ad. "You're trying to foist her off on someone else because you're inconvenienced-" he holds up a hand, "Just what it sounds like, anyway- and that's not how relationships work."

Relationships, in the same breath he says 'she's a sword,' well, both can be true. Be nicer to this sword, my dude.

"How in tune are you with her energy signature? Can she speak through this 'assignment' of yours?"

[xiaoxiuya]

"I'm not saying I want to leave her in a ditch or anything," Shen Yuan snaps -- whines, honestly, though that's a little more self-aware than he's willing to be -- "I just -- I don’t know how to be the kind of person she needs."

He scrubs his hands clean on the edge of his robe before leaning over to take her down off the wall. "She can't talk. Air -- None of the sages ever wrote anything about spiritual swords talking. But she's...I could never feel her spiritual presence this easily before. It's almost like she's alive."

Heh, 'almost.' Good one, Shen Yuan. You clown.

[megatheorem]

Oh boy, he's always wanted to play relationship counselor to a guy and a sword. It would have helped if she could talk - or if interacting with her energy more directly had something of a similar effect? Maybe he'll ask, but touching a lady sword that's completely aware without permission from the lady sword seems incredibly rude.

"Does it matter? 'Almost,' I mean. Even if she were a possessed sword, she's still trying to have this relationship with you." And Palamedes strongly believes in Spirit Rights, so like, that's a semantic difference he doesn't even need to clarify! She's aware, which is enough.

"What is 'the kind of person she needs'?" A beat. "You do know how to use a sword...?"

[xiaoxiuya]

"Of course I do!" Shen Yuan snaps, only to grimace as the stranger's expression of skepticism perfectly mirrored Xiu Ya's flutterings of outraged denial. "I do!" he says again, directly addressing his sword. "You were there, damn it, remember when we defeated Elder One-Arm? I kicked his ass!"

He growls, more than a little frustrated, before explaining to the stranger, "There was, the god wanted me to impersonate someone, so it downloaded -- it made sure I could do all the same things he could do, to keep up appearances. I've got all the skills of a master cultivator, I just can't -- I don't know -- here, you try talking to her!" And he shoves Xiu Ya into the stranger's hands.

[ooc: Sorry to throw a curveball at you, I had one of those moments of "oh man you know what would be cool???" at like 2am. Would you perhaps be up for a psychic conversation with my OC? XD]

[megatheorem]

[ooc: absolutely. talk swordly to him, I'm into it.]

"It's not a problem if you don't," Palamedes says, in the background, underneath the protesting and one-sided bickering. "I don't know the first thing about swords unless someone printed it in a book."

Not that anyone would learn swordfighting out of a book, that's silly. In any case, he's just standing here waiting for the, ah- squabble? Lover's quarrel, practically?- ends, and so he startles when Shen Yuan shoves the sword at him, fumbling to clutch it in both arms lest he drop it embarrassingly. "What do you mean, 'it downloaded,' how did you learn to— oh?"

Oh, because the sword energy does feel different when it's in his hands, and he looks down. Now, objects he's talked to have never talked back, but this one is literally self-aware, so, "Hello?"

Sorry, Shen Yuan, you're way less interesting now if he can talk to a sword, hold on a second.

[xiaoxiuya]

Ah?

A spiritual presence flutters at the edge's of Palamedes' mind, like a courty lady adjusting her silken sleeves and shawl into a more comfortable configuration.

What manner of power could this be? This venerable one thought she knew of all the configurations whereby a human's qi is shaped, and yet this young man's spiritual veins are wholly new to me. Still, a voice sighed, Familiar or no, this venerable one must express her gratitude for your intercession, dear traveller. This one's servant and his many shortcomings have vexed this venerable one considerably ever since we arrived in this world.

Shen Yuan raises an eyebrow as Palamedes goes a bit slackjawed over his sword. "You okay over there?" he asks.

[megatheorem]

Palamedes glances up and over at Shen Yuan, brow furrowed in semi-concentration, and waves a hand at him. He says, "Wait a minute; throw some paint around, or something. Find a smock."

And then turns his attention back to the sword. He's absolutely never tried to push his psychometry into the realm of projecting whole sentences, mentally, so Shen Yuan at least gets to hear one half of this conversation, as he continues to speak out loud.

"I'm a necromancer," hm, "Lady... Xiu Ya? Is that what you'd like to be called?" He knows nothing about swords other than sometimes people call them things, but like, things that mean 'big smashy,' usually. If 'Xiu Ya' means 'big smashy' and not a name, that's probably not ideal. Anyway, "I'm pretty good at handling spirits, when they're up for it. Can I..."

He glances at Shen Yuan again, like hm, shortcomings, this poor dude and his lack of smock and also any amount of chill. Ahem, sword, "Can I help you with anything?"

[xiaoxiuya]

Such a polite young man, the sword murmurs in approval. 'Lady' Xiu Ya will do just fine.

"Wait, you mean it actually worked?" Shen Yuan's own mouth drops open, before he leans closer, demanding, "What's she saying?"

Ah! Xiu Ya proclaims her dismay. So uncouth! Gentle necromancer, this venerable one begs you: since I cannot do it myself, kindly remind my servant that this is no way for a cultivator to behave.

[megatheorem]

"That you have bad manners and you eavesdrop too much," Palamedes answers Shen Yuan almost at the same time Xiu Ya responds through spiritual energy, half-turning away with the sword held defensively close. Don't lean into the lady's space like that, it's untoward.

A beat, then he adds, "Hm, revision: she says 'this is no way for a cultivator to behave,' but I think my version covered that, too. I'm perfectly happy to serve as medium and middleman for you two, but don't crowd me. Please."

And to the lovely lady, "Is that alright? I can relay whatever you like."

[xiaoxiuya]

"Are...are you ganging up on me?" Shen Yuan asked, too shocked to be offended. It didn't last. "Are you seriously ganging up on me with my own sword?"

Oh? Xiu Ya snapped back, offended in her own right. Is this not the man who just said this venerable one would be better off finding another partner? How bold he must be, to care about this one's opinion now!

Shen Yuan's face turns bright red when Palamedes relays that particular message.

"Well...fine!" he finally snaps. "That's just fine!" He leans back against the edge of the table, somehow giving the impression of having flounced despite being dressed down to a single layer. "Go on then, your highness," he says ungraciously. "Impart your wisdom to this lowly one."

Xiu Ya is far too refined to groan, but she would very much like to. Must you be so childish? she pondered -- and then, in a diffident tone that sounded completely unlike anything she'd said so far, Is it so incredible that this venerable one might wish to help you?

It was clear that Shen Yuan had no idea what to say to this. "Well...yeah," he finally answered. "I know I'm not your person. You didn't choose me."

Not in the traditional way, Xiu Ya acknowledged. But our bond is true nonetheless. Else how would this blade have followed you to this world?