despite a general lack of experience, his touch is surprisingly gentle, as he at least wipes away the blood around his nose, near his mouth, taking care not to bump molly's nose too much; gu yun lifts his other hand to hold his jaw so his face doesn't move too much, and his eyes stay focused on what he's doing. injury, at least, is easy. injury is familiar.
... ]
...We can talk about it, or we don't have to. [ eventually, brow furrowed. ] I can come up with a distraction, or I can fuck off and leave you to it.
[ to going back to her, to drinking, to - whatever that might be. ]
there's a brief flicker of surprise on his face, his hand briefly stuttering -- but, as gu yun gets the last of the blood and starts to pull back, the corner of his mouth lifts up in a small smile. ]
You've got it. [ an easy, steadfast promise, too. there's a faint humor as he pulls his hands back a bit. ] Say things like that, and you may regret it. Statistically, I'm rather difficult to get rid of.
[He's quiet enough while getting the blood cleaned off of his face - no complaints or whining, and he doesn't flinch even if his nose gets hit - just sniffing a bit once he's done and reaching to pick a nail at a fang.]
I'll take the risk.
[Just leaning his head back against the wall with a thunk and a tinkle of the jewelry on his horns, hands crossed in his lap.]
pulling back from that, he rolls the sleeve of the silk absently, tucking the bloodied part in on itself so it doesn't get all over his skin, and frowns down at it as molly adds that little piece. ]
Outside of what you told me, before? [ i'm dead, and all that. ]
As long as this lasts, I suppose. But who knows how long that will be. Until someone decides that my wish is in the way of theirs, and uses me as fodder.
[ he's reminded, just briefly, of molly's optimism on friday. gu yun falls silent for a moment, gaze on the opposite wall, and he speaks with clarity. ]
...That isn't going to happen.
[ there's a serious sharpness to gu yun's face that implies so much more than his good-spirited, even goofy outer front; here, he's the commander, the marquis of order, fierce and fearless. he doesn't know that, necessarily. anything could happen, in this place. but, he's not one to take things lying down, either. he's not one to just let things happen. ]
In the end, this is about cooperation as much as it is about survival, if we ponder what the Avatars said today. I don't care about splitting the pot, and I don't have any interesting in 'indulging' to the point of killing others, either. That isn't the person that I am.
But I want to find out who's willing to go that far. I want to know my enemies as well as I know my friends in this place, and use that to survive it, and that means I don't intend to survive it alone, either.
[ ... he leans back, a little, not realizing he'd started to lean forward, and closes his eyes, huffing out a quiet laugh. ] Maybe this whole place's the 'platinum dragon'.
[Most of what Molly is feeling is so new and terrible and dark to him. Easy to find himself drowning in. It seems most of the tragedy in his life was saved until after his death. He'd always been a bit lucky that way.
There's a steeling resolve to the sort of statement gu yun - no, The Marquis of Order - is giving right now. When he calls this place the name of a god like it's an insult, there's a bit of the godtouched in his sharp gaze as well. Molly doesn't correct him. He thinks this new story is quite good too.]
Alright. [ . . . ] I promised her I wouldn't leave her in this place. The Mighty Nein don't leave one another behind.
[And, that's true, isn't it? Not even in cold, shallow graves along a snowy road near Shadycreek Run.]
[ wow you can tell i've been listening to the first campaign lately because i completely butchered the reference to that tarot card BUT THAT WORKS TOO
he stays like that for a moment, listening. gu yun doesn't know what the mighty nein are, but he can hazard a guess - and there's a part of it that feels deeply familiar, too, like his black iron camp, ripped up from the ashes it had been burnt to and brought back to life, piece by painstaking piece, until it was on top of the nation, like the old marquis had it before the emperor tore it down. finding the things that are yours and protecting them, holding onto them with everything you have in you, until you're breathing your last breath.
gu yun lolls his head to look at molly again, opening his eyes. ]
No man left behind. [ an agreement. solemn, serious. ] I will.
[ ... ]
What did you wish for, Molly? To end up here at all.
gu yun looks down for a moment, at his bare hands, all callouses, at the bracelet on his wrist. they look so thin and small, without his armor - a man unmade. ]
...Mine was for Great Liang - my nation - to achieve a long lasting and prosperous peace.
[ for the fierce marquis of order and for the free-spirited gu yun, that wish might seem off. maybe he'd want to be the greatest commander of all time, living up to the footsteps of the family that came before him. maybe he'd want a legacy. maybe he'd just want a day off, a chance to laze around and drink. maybe he'd want a family and a life for himself that he'd never been promised and never even assumed he'd have.
but when asked "what is your greatest desire?" gu yun hadn't even hesitated.
it says a lot about the kind of person gu yun is. ultimately, to him, great liang is everything, and the peace and happiness of the people who live there means more to him than anything he would ever wish for for himself. he expects to die young on the battlefield, someday sooner than later, to go out like a firework, but to have the chance to provide that peace before he does is something unbelievably precious to him. every life, from a peasant on the side of the road to the emperor himself, is one he'd protect with his life. he'd give his life for his nation in a heartbeat, but here, he will survive, to keep his promise.
ultimately, people can see what they want of gu yun - marquis of order, layabout shen shiliu, son of the old marquis, but his heart isn't made of iron.
it never has been. ]
Protecting someone else isn't a promise I take lightly.
[It's a legitimate question - if Gu Yun has figured out his wish - and Molly still hasn't exactly answered it. Perhaps not out of any desire to lie as much as . . . well. Changing priorities.
All of this, of course, tracks entirely. Gu Yun, a great and important man, of course has a great and important wish that makes his seem so small and selfish. There's nothing in him that resents that. He just thinks about how rare it is to meet a person like this.]
[ sometimes you have like no personal connections of your own which is a very healthy and reasonable way for a human being to exist
he shifts, a bit, now actually looking at molly. it feels weird to have just said that - he's been fiercely protective of so many things about his life since arriving here, but perhaps none more so than his desire. the fewer people know the better, after all. ]
[Living is exactly the problem isn't it. Molly just sighs and looks back at him, inspecting his face - though . . . that's probably a little difficult to tell, because of the way his eyes are. Just that he's looking at him. Now that the blood is off he looks a little less wrecked, but there's still bruising, swelling. Beau packs a mean punch when she wants to.]
Remind me to tell you a good story when I'm not so fucking beat to hell, yeah?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Like he said. He'd been the one to leave before. Being the one to be left behind, well. That's harder, isn't it?
He reaches up when gu yun says his face is a mess, just tapping a finger to the blood and then looking at it - shrugging.]
Can't say it's the worst off I've been.
[But he'll lean over for the touch anyway.]
no subject
[ considering that whole "i'm dead" thing.
despite a general lack of experience, his touch is surprisingly gentle, as he at least wipes away the blood around his nose, near his mouth, taking care not to bump molly's nose too much; gu yun lifts his other hand to hold his jaw so his face doesn't move too much, and his eyes stay focused on what he's doing. injury, at least, is easy. injury is familiar.
... ]
...We can talk about it, or we don't have to. [ eventually, brow furrowed. ] I can come up with a distraction, or I can fuck off and leave you to it.
[ to going back to her, to drinking, to - whatever that might be. ]
no subject
[And then, a little embarrassed by how quickly he'd snapped that out.]
I just don't want to be alone. I fucking hate being alone.
no subject
there's a brief flicker of surprise on his face, his hand briefly stuttering -- but, as gu yun gets the last of the blood and starts to pull back, the corner of his mouth lifts up in a small smile. ]
You've got it. [ an easy, steadfast promise, too. there's a faint humor as he pulls his hands back a bit. ] Say things like that, and you may regret it. Statistically, I'm rather difficult to get rid of.
no subject
I'll take the risk.
[Just leaning his head back against the wall with a thunk and a tinkle of the jewelry on his horns, hands crossed in his lap.]
Besides, I might not have that long anyway.
no subject
pulling back from that, he rolls the sleeve of the silk absently, tucking the bloodied part in on itself so it doesn't get all over his skin, and frowns down at it as molly adds that little piece. ]
Outside of what you told me, before? [ i'm dead, and all that. ]
no subject
[Made a solemn promise to a friend. A sister.]
As long as this lasts, I suppose. But who knows how long that will be. Until someone decides that my wish is in the way of theirs, and uses me as fodder.
no subject
[ he's reminded, just briefly, of molly's optimism on friday. gu yun falls silent for a moment, gaze on the opposite wall, and he speaks with clarity. ]
...That isn't going to happen.
[ there's a serious sharpness to gu yun's face that implies so much more than his good-spirited, even goofy outer front; here, he's the commander, the marquis of order, fierce and fearless. he doesn't know that, necessarily. anything could happen, in this place. but, he's not one to take things lying down, either. he's not one to just let things happen. ]
In the end, this is about cooperation as much as it is about survival, if we ponder what the Avatars said today. I don't care about splitting the pot, and I don't have any interesting in 'indulging' to the point of killing others, either. That isn't the person that I am.
But I want to find out who's willing to go that far. I want to know my enemies as well as I know my friends in this place, and use that to survive it, and that means I don't intend to survive it alone, either.
[ ... he leans back, a little, not realizing he'd started to lean forward, and closes his eyes, huffing out a quiet laugh. ] Maybe this whole place's the 'platinum dragon'.
no subject
There's a steeling resolve to the sort of statement gu yun - no, The Marquis of Order - is giving right now. When he calls this place the name of a god like it's an insult, there's a bit of the godtouched in his sharp gaze as well. Molly doesn't correct him. He thinks this new story is quite good too.]
Alright. [ . . . ] I promised her I wouldn't leave her in this place. The Mighty Nein don't leave one another behind.
[And, that's true, isn't it? Not even in cold, shallow graves along a snowy road near Shadycreek Run.]
So you'll have to help her too.
no subject
he stays like that for a moment, listening. gu yun doesn't know what the mighty nein are, but he can hazard a guess - and there's a part of it that feels deeply familiar, too, like his black iron camp, ripped up from the ashes it had been burnt to and brought back to life, piece by painstaking piece, until it was on top of the nation, like the old marquis had it before the emperor tore it down. finding the things that are yours and protecting them, holding onto them with everything you have in you, until you're breathing your last breath.
gu yun lolls his head to look at molly again, opening his eyes. ]
No man left behind. [ an agreement. solemn, serious. ] I will.
[ ... ]
What did you wish for, Molly? To end up here at all.
no subject
You heard all that and you're still asking? [He thinks it's fairly obvious at this point. Then again he could be being more altruistic.]
no subject
gu yun looks down for a moment, at his bare hands, all callouses, at the bracelet on his wrist. they look so thin and small, without his armor - a man unmade. ]
...Mine was for Great Liang - my nation - to achieve a long lasting and prosperous peace.
[ for the fierce marquis of order and for the free-spirited gu yun, that wish might seem off. maybe he'd want to be the greatest commander of all time, living up to the footsteps of the family that came before him. maybe he'd want a legacy. maybe he'd just want a day off, a chance to laze around and drink. maybe he'd want a family and a life for himself that he'd never been promised and never even assumed he'd have.
but when asked "what is your greatest desire?" gu yun hadn't even hesitated.
it says a lot about the kind of person gu yun is. ultimately, to him, great liang is everything, and the peace and happiness of the people who live there means more to him than anything he would ever wish for for himself. he expects to die young on the battlefield, someday sooner than later, to go out like a firework, but to have the chance to provide that peace before he does is something unbelievably precious to him. every life, from a peasant on the side of the road to the emperor himself, is one he'd protect with his life. he'd give his life for his nation in a heartbeat, but here, he will survive, to keep his promise.
ultimately, people can see what they want of gu yun - marquis of order, layabout shen shiliu, son of the old marquis, but his heart isn't made of iron.
it never has been. ]
Protecting someone else isn't a promise I take lightly.
no subject
All of this, of course, tracks entirely. Gu Yun, a great and important man, of course has a great and important wish that makes his seem so small and selfish. There's nothing in him that resents that. He just thinks about how rare it is to meet a person like this.]
I believe that.
no subject
he shifts, a bit, now actually looking at molly. it feels weird to have just said that - he's been fiercely protective of so many things about his life since arriving here, but perhaps none more so than his desire. the fewer people know the better, after all. ]
So there you have it. We're living through this.
[
onedirectionlaugh.mp3 ]
no subject
[Living is exactly the problem isn't it. Molly just sighs and looks back at him, inspecting his face - though . . . that's probably a little difficult to tell, because of the way his eyes are. Just that he's looking at him. Now that the blood is off he looks a little less wrecked, but there's still bruising, swelling. Beau packs a mean punch when she wants to.]
Remind me to tell you a good story when I'm not so fucking beat to hell, yeah?
no subject
I'll hold you to it. [ bet. ]
Think she broke your nose? I'd take someone with a punch like that in my ranks any day.
no subject
Hope to fuck not. Would really just make my day that much better if she ruined my face on top of it all.