CLOSED | burning in the line of fire

[eepy]

WHO: blade, dan heng, jing yuan & kafka
WHAT: first chaotic group outing of many
WHERE: the onsen
WHEN: vague hand gestures
WARNINGS: nudity? kafka with a riding crop, idk? will update when necessary



[ listen, if jingliu can set up a reunion between the old members of the high-cloud quintet with all of them leaving said reunion still alive despite the trauma, then jing yuan can too. it's inevitable, after all, given their current circumstances, and it's better to get things, hangups and baggages resolved and set aside sooner than later on the battlefield.

of course, with his gifts as the divine foresight, the general can easily foresee this as either a disaster waiting to happen or a peaceful gathering of old enemies-to-friends (acquaintances?). nevertheless, he sends a message to both kafka and Dan Heng: ]

The moon makes for a wonderful sight tonight here at the inn while soaking in the baths. Shall we drink our worries away before we're called for duty?

[ he trusts kafka knows who to bring, or drag if that's more appropriate.

jing yuan, on the other hand, will make sure there's alcohol snuck in and the open-air bath and a room will be available for their use for the next few hours. surely, the innkeepers won't be able to resist him. ]

Comments

[eepy]

Neither of you would've made an appearance if so.

[ listen, this is the most effective way of dragging them both and making them sit in the same room together.

it's enough that ren allows himself to be dragged over to the pool, no doubt a concession or compromise of sorts though jing yuan doesn't expect him to be cowed any further. he's certain this is the extent this man will let him or kafka lead him around without him acting or lashing out.

it's a start, at least. ]

What do you intend to do should you find yourselves needing to work together?

[ he trusts them both to an extent but it's going to be an issue if they can't at least gather their wits about when shoved in the same room. ]

[domitrix]

( don't mind her, she's an innocent* bystander in all of this. she'll be taking her wine some respectable distance away to soak in the waters as well now that they've mostly settled. for propriety's sake, mostly. she'll still be keeping an eye and ear out in case something goes south, though, not to worry.

a sip, warmed by both water and wine. it really is a nice night to be enjoying both if only they could sit pretty long enough to.

maybe she should have made it clear to ren from the beginning, and maybe she should've trusted him to see enough reason to come along anyway. but that sort of talk comes more naturally to those that are far more aware of what camaraderie is. it requires a level of being conscientious of another's emotional health that she's not quite keyed into despite her curiosity.

but it made the most rational sense in cold logic alone.

she's happy to nudge the conversation along at least. she knows that they know what their situation is. now they just need a little more time to come to terms with it properly before they revisit the inevitable. )

Maybe we should make this a regular thing.

( a pattern for them to get used to. it gives them time enough to prepare if they know it's coming. )

After missions, having dinner and such. It'll make the next face to face not as much of a surprise, since you'll have to get used to the idea one way or the other anyway.

( with all their fun civilian identities, even. a lovely game of make believe. )

[sparse]

[ If Kafka had made her intentions clear from the get-go, Ren wouldn't have made it here at all. Maybe he would have understood the reasoning for why this had to happen, but his hang-ups with Dan Heng are too complicated to be resolved with a simple meeting like this so easily. Even now, he still wonders if he shouldn't just leave right now.

That's why when she suggests making this into a regular thing, he tosses her A Look. ]

I doubt it will be that easy.

[ It's going to take a lot more than just karaoke parties and onsen dates to fix things between them, but he supposes they might as well try now that they're here. ]

... But you can do whatever you want.

[ It's not like Kafka nor Jing Yuan will listen to him anyway. Not when they've already decided what's best for everyone involved. ]

[collator]

[ for all it's worth, there are valuable points being brought up (they're on the same team, what would they do if forced to work together, etc.), but the reality of the situation itself feels bizarre. it feels as though just a moment prior to this he was in the express, surrounded by the chill air of the archives with march and the trailblazer's voices louder than everyone else's coming from outside. that felt like home, a warm comfort in his distant heart.

surrounding himself with two enemies of the express, brought forcefully outside of his comfort zone by someone he trusts (trusted...??) feels almost like one of the nightmares dan heng is often plagued with. like at any moment now he would wake up and be home, except it never comes.

although the cup of wine is accepted with a degree of hesitance, dan heng's expression only grows more and more clouded by doubt. he's just going to hold it the entire time and not take a single sip, sorry man. ]

... We can have meetings. Dinners and other gatherings can be considered at a later time.

[ dinners are... a little too intimate and personal for his tastes. thank you for your consideration. ]

[eepy]

[ you know what's cray-cray? notifs not showing up

it doesn't take a genius to realize what dan heng's feelings on the matter might be, and jing yuan understands if he'll take a moment or ten to absorb everything and settle down. perhaps this was too much of an upending of his world, but in a place where conflict is brewing on the horizon, they barely have enough time to sort out their feelings.

that can be revisited later on, perhaps even after they've returned to their original lives. for now, he smiles apologetically at the younger male; he'll accept his ire and the renewal of his doubt, for now. ]

Very well, your compromise is a start.

[ he won't force dan heng to drink the wine, either. instead, he places a gentle hand on his shoulder for a brief moment before he pulls it away. ]

The next time will have a word of warning prior, at least.