You can't say that for sure - and if you are sure, then you should reconsider.
[He actually sounds a little miffed, even... He's thinking back on the fuckin DEADASS POSSIBLE HOSTS THEY FOUND and some of the concerning notes in their clipboards.]
But he'll give him a look for a second, before cursedly moving to go sit directly in his gotdam lap this time. Straddled, so he can look Chuuya in the face while he talks.]
Has no one told you about the papers and bodies in the morgue?
[It's a soft little poof of a tail, very good for petting! Though he's unfortunately too distracted by having to be the bearer of bad news to enjoy it all that much for now.]
...Mm - it's possible that we found the bodies of the hosts from the last group. They all had papers with them that said some strange things, but one had "it's a shame her body collapsed when it did", and another said "I wish whatever was keeping you and the other three alive hadn't worn off, but I suppose this is the world righting itself."
[Haha, remember weeks ago when they'd used checking Chuuya's freaky immortal body out as an excuse to bang!! That, the redux: now sans banging and featuring a Wei Wuxian who's absolutely very concerned. His hands reach out to gently cup Chuuya's face and he repeats something he'd said much earlier, soft and solemn.]
Don't go testing the limits of this body. If something were to happen here and now, even I couldn't do anything about it.
Shit. I mean, I think we're doing better than last time, so maybe that's just because they fucked up...?
[thanks, chuuya is very concerned now too! he frowns, contemplating that, and reaches up to cover one of wei wuxian's hands with one of his own.]
...if it comes to that, you know I'm going to have to test it anyway. Right? If that's what I have to do to get us out of here, I...
I'm just going to have to hope that stays true, and if it doesn't, then I'm leaving it up to you guys to get me back too. So make sure you stay alive, because it's better for me to take a risk if I have to-- I'm way more likely to live.
[if the situation does arise, best to leave it to the person who should come back. should. god, he hopes those papers don't mean anything.]
[It's not like he's surprised to hear any of this but boy does he still hate it!! Absolutely hates it! There's some sort of emotion that flickers across his face, briefly - some sort of something that's hard to pin down, sharp-edged and unsuiting, before his features smooth back into a soft, almost placid smile.]
I know. It's not like I'd expect anything less from you, hah. You're the sort who'd deal with any responsibility put on your shoulders even if it's unfair - probably wouldn't even think of it as unfair, hm?
[His gaze has drifted a little to the left, like he's looking at his own hand for a second rather than Chuuya's face.
A beat of silence passes; it's a strangely considering sort, but then his attention re-anchors on Chuuya. He leans forward; one kiss for each cheek.]
Well! We've managed to have a fair amount of luck on our side so far, hm? Maybe it really was that they just made some wrong turn somewhere that affected their longevity.
[it might be unsuiting, but honestly? chuuya likes it. likes both his edges and the way it means he's showing something different, despite the fact that the current subject matter is Pretty Bad; it's hard to miss the way his ears perk, how his attention seems to zero in for a moment.]
Handling things is my job, XianXian. Has been for a while-- this is sort of just an extension of that, even if it's honestly a pretty shitty one.
[but he exhales a sigh at those kisses, ears relaxing a bit, tail swishing idly behind him as he just-- lets his head rest on wei wuxian's shoulder.]
I'm hoping that's it. I don't know right now if we even count as being dead here, considering we came back, but it sounds like we sure will be if anything like that happens.
[That tiny slip alone was the result of a culmination of Weeks of nonsense honestly, so ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS CHUUYA it's there and gone in a flash, crushed in his mighty fist of repression.
He reaches forward so he can gently flick Chuuya's ears, but when his head is resting on his shoulder, he'll at least be kind and pet his head instead.]
I know, I know! You're so dutiful, haha. Everyone should feel a little safer just knowing you're working so hard for us! And you're probably right about that, too - you're undead only in name and technicality, certainly not in function.
[what if he just actively tries to make that happen again (chuuya NO.)
for now, at least, he's content to use wei wuxian as a head pillow, arms wrapped around him once more. i am a fuckin fool who forgot he's in chuuya's lap and therefore his head's maybe on his chest instead bc he's a small gremlin what's their height difference again...
i looked it up & yeah this is a chest pillow situation. as much as it can be, with a twink.]
Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily doing it for all of you... but I want to get home, and there are definitely some of you I wouldn't want to ditch here. I'm just doing my job to make sure that happens.
He seems content to just be a twink pillow to Chuuya in the meantime, at least. It puts Chuuya at the perfect height for top-of-the-head kisses!! His cute ears get a little nibble too because he has no self control and would prefer to dote on this dumb tiny furry than fall into an endless pit of boiling rage at their entire situation. It's fine.]
Mm, right, right, I'm sure! How terrible and selfish of you, Chuu, only doing this because you want to get home and perhaps save a few of us along the way. What a villainous heart you have!
[HE'S SO... CUTE... Like a little angry tsun chihuahua, except a chihuahua that can also kick too many asses.]
[He WILL spoil Chuuya!! Even when he has to stop nibbling his ears so he can keep talking, he'll just raise his hands up so he can pet and rub and gently scratch them instead.]
Haha, goodness - you really are set on that, aren't you?
[With "that" being "defending your image" but LIKE A SHIT, HE REFUSES TO CLARIFY. Terrible question, though!]
Well! An old friend of mine and I are in the middle of dealing with quite an unpleasant man who's been causing more than his fair share of trouble among the sects. Should be handled soon enough, though!
[Is that what he meant? Yes? No? That's the angle Wei Wuxian is going to tackle this question from, haha!]
[DON'T CALL HIM OUT!! He's quiet for a second, considering, as he gently traces the very edge of one of Chuuya's ears, hoping to get it to flick.]
—Well! First of all, I need to figure out why exactly Mo Xuanyu dragged me back into the living world. It's my responsibility to take care of aforementioned unpleasant man, too, since I somehow managed to get wrapped up in that mess - though I have a feeling the two are related.
[it does flick! they're sensitive please let him live... but he still likes it. fox purr is happening.]
...mm. So someone pulled you back after you died...? If it just got you dragged into trouble-- must have wanted something out of you. That's usually the motivation behind things.
[He will not let Chuuya live, nope. He's endeared by the purring!! It only encourages him to continue! Though he'll pause every so often to gently pet down their centers instead.]
Haha - ah, no, no, it was nothing personal whatsoever. He just wanted someone to kill his clan! The summoning ritual he used was one I invented, intended to call forth spirits categorized as extremely sinister ghouls.
[Like
himself.]
But I suspect he was a pawn in a much larger plan.
Terrible, isn't it? My reputation was so poor that I ended up being classified as one!
[OR MAYBE IT WAS THE LITERAL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HE MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD either way...
Also he. Pulls back a little at that, because hey what the fuck he's already being honest, might as well just throw that card on the table, too. Two people already know about it anyway, it's fine.]
I'm not! Though my original body is long gone, haha. The ritual is a sacrificial one in which the summoner gives up their body to the particular malicious spirit they call for. Their soul is destroyed, but the spirit is bound by contract to grant their dying wish.
I mean, I can see how it would have been, but... it still sounds like bullshit to me. You're not extremely sinister.
["chuuya you don't have all the facts" he has the facts he needs, which are that he's known wwx a few weeks now and while he's weird and has definitely done some extreme revenge in the past... look, sometimes other people Deserve It. chuuya doesn't think he's the true evil type.
also chuuya is fucking biased.]
So it's likely something he did as a last-ditch sort of effort, if it would have destroyed his soul... I can get being pushed to that point, I guess. Giving yourself up for someone or something stronger to do what you can't... well, you've pretty much seen me do that already.
[chuuya uses corruption, of course he's like "that's legit", I hate it.]
And if you don't manage to grant that wish... then what?
[CHUUYA IS REALLY FUCKING BIASED and Wei Wuxian actually - feels a pang of guilt, similar to what he feels when Beck talks about how grateful she is to know him. The guilt of understanding that, by omission of his crimes, he's painting a picture of himself that just isn't accurate. A picture that people seem to, for some reason, genuinely like. Bad!
But he just laughs a little, gently tweaking one of Chuuya's ears.]
Mm, well, it is what it is! And Mo Xuanyu was in a pretty rough situation himself, so I can understand why he may have felt pushed to his limits. [His fingers move, gently tugging on Chuuya's bangs instead.] —Similar for you, then?
[As for the question:]
The spirit that can't grant its host's wish will have its soul destroyed by the curse activated upon its summoning. [HE JUST FUCKIN INVENTED THIS SHIT.] But I fulfilled my end a long time ago.
Sort of. What you saw in that memory was-- my ability's something separate from me. I wasn't born with it. Corruption is what happens when I allow it to take over, but it's too much power for my body to sustain... so it's effectively the same trade-off. The difference is that so far, I've had it disabled before it could kill me.
[he lets his bangs be tugged, both his hands burying themselves in wei wuxian's hair, idly toying with it.]
...hey. If you invented something like that-- it wasn't because you wanted to use it yourself, right?
[Hm. Bad!! All of this is bad! His brow furrows a little and he tugs on Chuuya's bangs again, but a little more insistently this time, because there's one part he wants to address before the rest.]
And you said that the person who can disable it isn't your partner anymore, right? [ANOTHER TUG.] So I'm sure you're being as cautious as possible given your position, hm?
[Though at the question, his head cants to the side.]
I'm being as cautious as I can afford to be. If the boss needs me to do something, and it's the only way... I've already accepted it's how I'm most likely to die. For all I know, having an implanted Ability will kill me anyway.
[he doesn't have high hopes for his life expectancy, okay-- but he agreed to give mori his body and blood. he won't complain.
chuuya does swat his hand away at the tugging, though, let him live...! he does at least look relieved at wei wuxian's answer after.]
Good to know you didn't have the same plan, though. It's fine if it was for others to use.
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You can't say that for sure - and if you are sure, then you should reconsider.
[He actually sounds a little miffed, even... He's thinking back on the fuckin DEADASS POSSIBLE HOSTS THEY FOUND and some of the concerning notes in their clipboards.]
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[i don't think anyone deeted him on that so he just looks confused?
he's also going to go take a seat, but he leaves the shirt off.]
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But he'll give him a look for a second, before cursedly moving to go sit directly in his gotdam lap this time. Straddled, so he can look Chuuya in the face while he talks.]
Has no one told you about the papers and bodies in the morgue?
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[so, nope!
but he just wraps his arms around him when wwx occupies his lap, casually holding him there. he might be playing with the bun tail a little.]
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...Mm - it's possible that we found the bodies of the hosts from the last group. They all had papers with them that said some strange things, but one had "it's a shame her body collapsed when it did", and another said "I wish whatever was keeping you and the other three alive hadn't worn off, but I suppose this is the world righting itself."
[Haha, remember weeks ago when they'd used checking Chuuya's freaky immortal body out as an excuse to bang!! That, the redux: now sans banging and featuring a Wei Wuxian who's absolutely very concerned. His hands reach out to gently cup Chuuya's face and he repeats something he'd said much earlier, soft and solemn.]
Don't go testing the limits of this body. If something were to happen here and now, even I couldn't do anything about it.
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Shit. I mean, I think we're doing better than last time, so maybe that's just because they fucked up...?
[thanks, chuuya is very concerned now too! he frowns, contemplating that, and reaches up to cover one of wei wuxian's hands with one of his own.]
...if it comes to that, you know I'm going to have to test it anyway. Right? If that's what I have to do to get us out of here, I...
I'm just going to have to hope that stays true, and if it doesn't, then I'm leaving it up to you guys to get me back too. So make sure you stay alive, because it's better for me to take a risk if I have to-- I'm way more likely to live.
[if the situation does arise, best to leave it to the person who should come back. should. god, he hopes those papers don't mean anything.]
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I know. It's not like I'd expect anything less from you, hah. You're the sort who'd deal with any responsibility put on your shoulders even if it's unfair - probably wouldn't even think of it as unfair, hm?
[His gaze has drifted a little to the left, like he's looking at his own hand for a second rather than Chuuya's face.
A beat of silence passes; it's a strangely considering sort, but then his attention re-anchors on Chuuya. He leans forward; one kiss for each cheek.]
Well! We've managed to have a fair amount of luck on our side so far, hm? Maybe it really was that they just made some wrong turn somewhere that affected their longevity.
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Handling things is my job, XianXian. Has been for a while-- this is sort of just an extension of that, even if it's honestly a pretty shitty one.
[but he exhales a sigh at those kisses, ears relaxing a bit, tail swishing idly behind him as he just-- lets his head rest on wei wuxian's shoulder.]
I'm hoping that's it. I don't know right now if we even count as being dead here, considering we came back, but it sounds like we sure will be if anything like that happens.
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He reaches forward so he can gently flick Chuuya's ears, but when his head is resting on his shoulder, he'll at least be kind and pet his head instead.]
I know, I know! You're so dutiful, haha. Everyone should feel a little safer just knowing you're working so hard for us! And you're probably right about that, too - you're undead only in name and technicality, certainly not in function.
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for now, at least, he's content to use wei wuxian as a head pillow, arms wrapped around him once more. i am a fuckin fool who forgot he's in chuuya's lap and therefore his head's maybe on his chest instead bc he's a small gremlin what's their height difference again...
i looked it up & yeah this is a chest pillow situation. as much as it can be, with a twink.]
Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily doing it for all of you... but I want to get home, and there are definitely some of you I wouldn't want to ditch here. I'm just doing my job to make sure that happens.
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He seems content to just be a twink pillow to Chuuya in the meantime, at least. It puts Chuuya at the perfect height for top-of-the-head kisses!! His cute ears get a little nibble too because he has no self control and would prefer to dote on this dumb tiny furry than fall into an endless pit of boiling rage at their entire situation. It's fine.]
Mm, right, right, I'm sure! How terrible and selfish of you, Chuu, only doing this because you want to get home and perhaps save a few of us along the way. What a villainous heart you have!
[HE'S SO... CUTE... Like a little angry tsun chihuahua, except a chihuahua that can also kick too many asses.]
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Oh, shut up-- you know what I'm going back for, anyway.
[that CRIME LIFE.
he's quiet for a moment, though, considering something.]
...hey. You know, you've never told me what you're going back to.
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Haha, goodness - you really are set on that, aren't you?
[With "that" being "defending your image" but LIKE A SHIT, HE REFUSES TO CLARIFY. Terrible question, though!]
Well! An old friend of mine and I are in the middle of dealing with quite an unpleasant man who's been causing more than his fair share of trouble among the sects. Should be handled soon enough, though!
[Is that what he meant? Yes? No? That's the angle Wei Wuxian is going to tackle this question from, haha!]
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[he shakes his head, ears twitching a little with the motion, but he refuses to move away from the attention.]
What makes you want to go home?
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[DON'T CALL HIM OUT!! He's quiet for a second, considering, as he gently traces the very edge of one of Chuuya's ears, hoping to get it to flick.]
—Well! First of all, I need to figure out why exactly Mo Xuanyu dragged me back into the living world. It's my responsibility to take care of aforementioned unpleasant man, too, since I somehow managed to get wrapped up in that mess - though I have a feeling the two are related.
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...mm. So someone pulled you back after you died...? If it just got you dragged into trouble-- must have wanted something out of you. That's usually the motivation behind things.
Unless they just wanted you back, anyway.
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Haha - ah, no, no, it was nothing personal whatsoever. He just wanted someone to kill his clan! The summoning ritual he used was one I invented, intended to call forth spirits categorized as extremely sinister ghouls.
[Like
himself.]
But I suspect he was a pawn in a much larger plan.
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[he sounds
pretty dubious, honestly,]
Is that just because of your whole... corpse thing? --wait, are you undead?
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[OR MAYBE IT WAS THE LITERAL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HE MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD either way...
Also he. Pulls back a little at that, because hey what the fuck he's already being honest, might as well just throw that card on the table, too. Two people already know about it anyway, it's fine.]
I'm not! Though my original body is long gone, haha. The ritual is a sacrificial one in which the summoner gives up their body to the particular malicious spirit they call for. Their soul is destroyed, but the spirit is bound by contract to grant their dying wish.
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["chuuya you don't have all the facts" he has the facts he needs, which are that he's known wwx a few weeks now and while he's weird and has definitely done some extreme revenge in the past... look, sometimes other people Deserve It. chuuya doesn't think he's the true evil type.
also chuuya is fucking biased.]
So it's likely something he did as a last-ditch sort of effort, if it would have destroyed his soul... I can get being pushed to that point, I guess. Giving yourself up for someone or something stronger to do what you can't... well, you've pretty much seen me do that already.
[chuuya uses corruption, of course he's like "that's legit", I hate it.]
And if you don't manage to grant that wish... then what?
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But he just laughs a little, gently tweaking one of Chuuya's ears.]
Mm, well, it is what it is! And Mo Xuanyu was in a pretty rough situation himself, so I can understand why he may have felt pushed to his limits. [His fingers move, gently tugging on Chuuya's bangs instead.] —Similar for you, then?
[As for the question:]
The spirit that can't grant its host's wish will have its soul destroyed by the curse activated upon its summoning. [HE JUST FUCKIN INVENTED THIS SHIT.] But I fulfilled my end a long time ago.
[Yeah that clan's dead.]
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[he lets his bangs be tugged, both his hands burying themselves in wei wuxian's hair, idly toying with it.]
...hey. If you invented something like that-- it wasn't because you wanted to use it yourself, right?
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And you said that the person who can disable it isn't your partner anymore, right? [ANOTHER TUG.] So I'm sure you're being as cautious as possible given your position, hm?
[Though at the question, his head cants to the side.]
Nope.
[That's.
That's all he says about that.]
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[he doesn't have high hopes for his life expectancy, okay-- but he agreed to give mori his body and blood. he won't complain.
chuuya does swat his hand away at the tugging, though, let him live...! he does at least look relieved at wei wuxian's answer after.]
Good to know you didn't have the same plan, though. It's fine if it was for others to use.
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