RYN.

[awol]

ive never warred a worldcraft before.

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W0, MONDAY

[awol]

[ here we are in the bookstore and lin jingheng is flipping through a few notebooks wearing a metal gauntlet over his arm. ]

Didn't expect Hell to be so scholarly.

[voidshift]

[what Is that thing. he glances at it sidelong, brows furrowed, but leaves it alone for now.]

I don't know if I'd call it scholarly, but it's a step in the right direction.

WK 0, SATURDAY

[awol]

[ jingheng is at the dispensary but mostly because he's wandering to clear his head. he's got tan coat draped over his shoulders as he just kind of takes it all in. huh. man hell gets weirder and weirder every day.

anyways, he does speak up when he sees ryn: ]

Hey.

[ man of few, if any, words. ]

[voidshift]

[ah, him. he seems slightly more uncomfortable, on seeing jingheng, but turns his attention back to the... weed.]

...hello. Terrible day, isn't it.

w1 thursday

[voidshift]

[knock knock wherever you are. he is out making the rounds after whatever the Fuck happened to all of you earlier... this is now officially the worst time to not be able to heal. ugh.]

-you've been seen to already, I hope.

[awol]

[ he is here just vibing in the dorms with a book, though he stops when ryn approaches. a metal gauntlet rests over his lap with music emitting from it. ]

Yes.

Everyone was efficient... surprisingly.

[ he didn't expect that. ]

W2, WEDNESDAY

[awol]

[ here we are at the new bar and lin jingheng is just nursing a cigarette and a drink, because at this point who gives a shit what it does to you, we are In Hell.

he will give ryn a "sup" nod. ]

The tentacles have settled down, now's a good time.

[voidshift]

Oh, good. I could use a little peace and quiet, after all that.

[he's grabbing a drink as well-- he's tested the no impulse control one and it didn't seem bad at all, this is safe. besides, it tastes good.]

w2 friday

[voidshift]

[hi! things are bad as usual on a friday!

rynlan is at one of the bars, though he's just drinking beer this time. seems safest.]

...think it's definitely a pattern, at this point.

[awol]

[ HI EVERYTHING IS BAD anyways

once again we're here at a bar and beer is our best friend because it gets you drunk still :thumbs_up: ]

Once is random, twice is coincidence, three times a definite pattern.

Combined with being locked up in rooms.

Did you stay with someone last night.

[ fusses stoically. ]

w2, saturday kisses rin on the head this elf.......

[awol]

[ god he is just here in the void with his head in one hand and gazing downwards. he of course will glance up when he hears ryn. ]

Hey.

[voidshift]

...mm. Hello.

[hi. he's smoking. great night for a weed... the cat's not with him, he's not exposing her.]

w3 wednesday

[voidshift]

[you know what? we'll just memshare on a non-curfew day, it's fine. so, wherever ljh is, ryn is stopping by to say hello... and getting promptly interrupted by our friend The Memory Hole. he is honestly laying on the floor in the hole, he's so tired.

and when the screen starts up-

the landscape here is icy and absolutely freezing, harsh and unforgiving, the howl of the wind overshadowed by the sounds of shouting, growling, of metal clanging against metal and teeth and fangs scraping against armor and flesh. their unit's overtaken by the undead, ambushed by scourge forces, and already three out of the eleven of them are bodies on the ground. they all wear the same uniform tabard bearing a stylized sun; rynlan is in the center of their group along with a taller elf in heavier armor, clinging to a staff while his partner bears a shield, struggling to hold off the swarm.

he looks different, too. not blue or tentacle-haired at all-- he's pale and blond-haired, with bright, glowing green eyes, the same color as his partner (though another elf here has glowing blue ones.) he's younger, if not by much, definitely healthier, golden sparks flying from his fingertips as the pair of them struggle to keep their unit healed. another staggers to their knees, a shield of light surrounding them as rynlan hurries to her side, the memory providing his internal narration. spreading already-- at least three distinct diseases. plague. rapid onset of necrosis, no response to cleansing-- fuck. fuck, i can't-- out, get out, damn you, let me fix this, please let me--

'ryn-!' he hears from behind him, as claws dig into his arm, the snarling maw of a ghoul entirely too close. rynlan screams, lacing it with magic on instinct to drive the creature away, its claws tearing free as it goes. his partner's mace comes down on it, and as he sees another creature slam into the paladin from the side, he realizes they're truly overrun. there's no defense, anymore, there's just each of them against the undead attacking them, too many for him to even focus on healing at all. 'move,' he manages, his voice hoarse, and the other elf understands.

he snaps the vial around their fallen companion's neck and hurriedly steps back as the body is consumed in blinding, holy flame, all of the dead around them hissing as it burns their eyes. in under a minute, the body is nothing but ash. nothing left to stagger to its feet again, mindless. at least he can keep her from that fate.

he can't keep the two of them from theirs, though. there are too many, and they're both healers-- he sees the other elf glance back at him as he staggers, his own arms almost too heavy with exhaustion to hold his staff. the undead mob his partner all too easily, and he screams in outrage-- but this time they don't go anywhere. he just doesn't have anything left, eyes wide with panic at the realization.

'i'll hold them off you,' his partner mutters, determined.
'shut up-- get them off yourself!'

he doesn't listen.

the rest is a blur, for him, the memory on the screen less clear from there, but the last thing rynlan remembers of him is seeing him flash a quick, reassuring smile before taking hold of the vial around his neck, pulling it from its chain. he remembers thinking no no no don't you dare don't you fucking dare do this-

the last thing he remembers before teeth and claws sink into his leg, his back and arms, anywhere they can reach, body curled in on himself in a desperate attempt at protection, is hearing his own voice scream.]

im finally here

[awol]

[ it's vicious, the film, and he doesn't really expect it. it takes him a moment, first of all, to identify who is here, and that ryn isn't so much the ryn sitting beside him now, but the blonde man on the field, fighting for his life, for the lives of his companions as well. his fingers curl into fists at the sight, his eyes widening, just a bit, brows lifted.

and he really wishes he could look away, bites the inside of his cheek and sits back to just. smoke a cigarette slowly, watching until the very end, until the film stops and the lights go up just a bit while whatever is dunking them all into holes switches films in and out.

finally: ]

What was that vial...?

[ finally glancing over at him, frowning? they have a little time to digest this all... hopefully. ]

W4, monday or tuesday!

[awol]

[ we're at our favorite place! the bar! the new bar in fact!

lin jingheng is... sipping what looks like a very blue drink. for science, though he doesn't seem to be enjoying it due to the very... sour look on his face. ]

[voidshift]

Not your favorite, huh?

[his is blue and yellow because i love no filter-- he's sipping it contentedly, though, pleased with the flavor.]

Suppose they can't all suit our tastes.

w4 saturday

[voidshift]

[hello. he's on the fucking floor somewhere, sitting there, because he is exhausted and done standing.]

I'm so tired after that one, Lin.

[awol]

[ oh he just.

drops himself right beside him actually and lays on the floor with him. ]

Exhausted... so much trouble in just one goddamn night and nine hours wasn't enough to sort through it all.

[ turns his head to him and just drops the take out drink he was carrying here between the both of them. ]

How are you feeling?

w5 monday

[voidshift]

[let's do the biomes why not

entering the home biome with rynlan leaves it shaping itself into something familiar to him: they're standing by a small pond in a forest, peaceful and calm, with birdsong and the occasional screech of some unfamiliar sort of animal providing background noise.

rynlan doesn't say anything, at first. he's just standing at the edge of the pond, leaning heavily on his makeshift cane as he silently takes in the view.]

[awol]

[ he steps up beside ryn, but lets him hit the floor first, uncertain how he feels about sharing his own home. he doesn't know how the biome works, but once the trees bloom with fiery colors, he steps close behind, gazing out towards the water. ]

Homesick?

w5 friday

[voidshift]

[good morning... sort of...

rynlan hasn't moved from the home biome. it's currently more like his home, though; thancred is probably still here too, passed out on one of these fancy beds, and ryn is just hanging out. he doesn't feel like going anywhere.]

[awol]

[ that's okay, he's allowed. when jingheng figures ryn is planning on staying put, he does slip out and slip back in, returning with some hot tea and a couple of breakfast sandwiches all heated up... he was even nice enough to leave one for thancred. wow.

but he will sit down wherever ryn is, passing him over some of his morning breakfast treasure. ]

Eat.

w6 monday

[voidshift]

[good morning lin. rynlan is at this cold-ass bar on the new island.

and he's just settling in right next to him because brrrr. he's shivering a little even in his fat cat hoodie.]

Should've stolen Thancred's coat for this.

[awol]

[ good morning. poor ryn, he is cold u-u lin jingheng just glances over at him and then very gently leans, shifting to push his own coat so that it's opening up just enough to drape partially over the both of them. ]

You'll just have to deal with sharing, alright?

W6, THURSDAY OF TEEJ BEING JUDAS ISCARIOT TO ME

[awol]

[ hello here is lin jingheng wherever ryn has managed to settle down to rest. maybe back in the home biome. he's got a blanket rolled up under one arm and a little takeaway tray with some hot drinks in it and maybe a boozy beverage or two. he doesn't know how he's feeling.

regardless, he steps in and makes his way over to him. ]</small. ... Glad you all made it back to us. Holding up...?

[voidshift]

...think so. I know where I am, at least.

[making a fucking face. he's changed clothes and he is no longer (genshin voice) wet.]

I'm not injured either, don't worry.

W7, MONDAY

[awol]

[ hello and welcome to the new bar where lin jingheng has decided to take up a post sipping on a bundle up (which doesn't do anything except taste minty and lemony). when he sees rynlan, he will give a wave. he's not alone, however... and he's missing his metal gauntlet.

instead, there stands a very tall, blonde man with bright green-blue eyes. ]

Ryn.

... This is Zhanlu. The AI that's been sleeping on my arm for the past several weeks.

[ the blonde man starts to say: Sir, I was forced offline, it— ]

I know, Zhanlu. It's fine.

[voidshift]

-wait, this is Zhanlu?!

[his eyes widen. hello? the fuck. he was told zhanlu could be humanoid but not that he was pretty.]