[He can fit well enough somewhere the horn doesn't curve - molly will adjust to let him. there's still jewelry and chains and tinkly bits, but he doesn't seem to mind any of that being leaned on.]
I knew she wouldn't be with them. I was told so many times.
I suppose I just-- if it comes down to it, if there's a hard choice to be made, to leave them behind, others are going to make it easier. They don't have the same attachment I do. But I can't leave without them.
[ there's a pause, for a moment. gu yun glances out at the wall across from him, for a moment chewing over what he wants to say.
and eventually; ]
... I don't know what the limitations of these wishes are. I don't really know what will even happen, once we've taken care of the creature. In an ideal world, it'll simply spit back up everything it's taken.
[ ... ]
...But if that isn't the case, my wish is achievable by non-magical means.
[ he's been thinking about it, more or less since the idea that that the dead could be returned to them, as more and more information came to light; toying with the idea over and over, tinkering with the ups and downs of such a thing.
gu yun's always fought for the peace of great liang. he'd never really imagined it happening in his short lifetime; that was why he came here. but, if push comes to shove, he'll fight for it until he dies, and when he does, someone else will take his place, and the cycle will continue again. it's an utterly human wish, to achieve it early, and that's why he wished it. because he loves his home, but if he has to keep fighting for it, then... ]
...if there are truly no limitations, and we are unable to do anything about those who are gone, but we manage our win condition, then, I'll use my wish to return them.
[wow this is like getting hit with a golf club of emotion right through the chest!
molly just listens and-- doesn't quite absorb what he's saying for a moment? And then when he does, he almost has to blink back tears with how much the force of it hits him. he knows how important great liang is, how it's gu yun's entire life, his purpose.
how this is a gift so big he doesn't know what to do with it.]
Zixi-- No, I--
[he doesn't want it to come across as cruel, rejecting one of the kindest things ever said to him. but he feels too cruel already, even thinking about it.]
I can't take that from you, love.
[he turns and just buries his face against his shoulder, not caring if he jabs him with a horn or part of the crown of bone starting to form around them.]
We'll - we'll solve it when we get there. I don't think I'm asking for too much.
[But his wish has gotten so big now too, hasn't it? One little life. And then two more. a home for harrow.
A hope that, somehow, one day, he can see Jiangbei Harbor.]
as he turns his head, gu yun shifts a little, moving to hook an arm around his back to pull him closer. he's stubborn, always has been, and even outside of the emotional, it's a pragmatic decision, too. his whole life has been about fighting, hasn't it? from beginning to end. marquis of order, gu yun. what's just fulfilling the destiny that he's always had, in the face of things like magical wishes and resurrecting the dead? he'll die on the battlefield in a blaze of glory, a firework bursting across the skies of his homeland to leave behind a legacy. he wouldn't even know what to do with himself, if he weren't, right? maybe he was just starting to figure it out, but -
his fingers curl gently in the back of molly's coat, and he huffs, a little wryly scolding. ] It's not taking if it's given, you know.
[ the nickname is tender, more so than he's really expecting in the moment; something in his chest squeezes, and eventually, he nods. ]
Ideally, it won't matter. [ ideally, ideally, everything will work out. right now, things feel so tenuous, but with the return of the dead, there's the thought that they might be able to do this, after all. the bright, clear line to the end is visible, now, maybe barely days away, and he does so, so hate losing. it's all or nothing, like he's promised since the beginning, but gu yun likes to have backup plans. so, he's a little stubborn, too. ] ...but, it's available. If they need it, it's yours.
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I knew she wouldn't be with them. I was told so many times.
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[ over and over. this place really hasn't let molly catch a break. he settles there for the moment, otherwise, content just to provide the company. ]
Even still, it's hard not to hope - and harder still to accept the looks people may think to be sympathetic and helpful.
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[Ugh. He just feels. stupid, mostly?]
I suppose I just-- if it comes down to it, if there's a hard choice to be made, to leave them behind, others are going to make it easier. They don't have the same attachment I do. But I can't leave without them.
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and eventually; ]
... I don't know what the limitations of these wishes are. I don't really know what will even happen, once we've taken care of the creature. In an ideal world, it'll simply spit back up everything it's taken.
[ ... ]
...But if that isn't the case, my wish is achievable by non-magical means.
[ he's been thinking about it, more or less since the idea that that the dead could be returned to them, as more and more information came to light; toying with the idea over and over, tinkering with the ups and downs of such a thing.
gu yun's always fought for the peace of great liang. he'd never really imagined it happening in his short lifetime; that was why he came here. but, if push comes to shove, he'll fight for it until he dies, and when he does, someone else will take his place, and the cycle will continue again. it's an utterly human wish, to achieve it early, and that's why he wished it. because he loves his home, but if he has to keep fighting for it, then... ]
...if there are truly no limitations, and we are unable to do anything about those who are gone, but we manage our win condition, then, I'll use my wish to return them.
no subject
molly just listens and-- doesn't quite absorb what he's saying for a moment? And then when he does, he almost has to blink back tears with how much the force of it hits him. he knows how important great liang is, how it's gu yun's entire life, his purpose.
how this is a gift so big he doesn't know what to do with it.]
Zixi-- No, I--
[he doesn't want it to come across as cruel, rejecting one of the kindest things ever said to him. but he feels too cruel already, even thinking about it.]
I can't take that from you, love.
[he turns and just buries his face against his shoulder, not caring if he jabs him with a horn or part of the crown of bone starting to form around them.]
We'll - we'll solve it when we get there. I don't think I'm asking for too much.
[But his wish has gotten so big now too, hasn't it? One little life. And then two more. a home for harrow.
A hope that, somehow, one day, he can see Jiangbei Harbor.]
no subject
as he turns his head, gu yun shifts a little, moving to hook an arm around his back to pull him closer. he's stubborn, always has been, and even outside of the emotional, it's a pragmatic decision, too. his whole life has been about fighting, hasn't it? from beginning to end. marquis of order, gu yun. what's just fulfilling the destiny that he's always had, in the face of things like magical wishes and resurrecting the dead? he'll die on the battlefield in a blaze of glory, a firework bursting across the skies of his homeland to leave behind a legacy. he wouldn't even know what to do with himself, if he weren't, right? maybe he was just starting to figure it out, but -
his fingers curl gently in the back of molly's coat, and he huffs, a little wryly scolding. ] It's not taking if it's given, you know.
[ the nickname is tender, more so than he's really expecting in the moment; something in his chest squeezes, and eventually, he nods. ]
Ideally, it won't matter. [ ideally, ideally, everything will work out. right now, things feel so tenuous, but with the return of the dead, there's the thought that they might be able to do this, after all. the bright, clear line to the end is visible, now, maybe barely days away, and he does so, so hate losing. it's all or nothing, like he's promised since the beginning, but gu yun likes to have backup plans. so, he's a little stubborn, too. ] ...but, it's available. If they need it, it's yours.
I promised not to leave anyone behind, too.