yogen | .:An Adventure to Remember:.

Entry tags:

mo dao zu shi: meng yao

.:An Adventure to Remember:.

Who: Meng Yao, Subaru Akehoshi, Rantarou Amami
What: Some basic lessons are happening in the background, but some (mis?)adventures as well. Surely nothing will go wrong in a wonderful place such as this? Other than MY growing premature grey hairs. Either way, it's Exchange Program time, bby.
Where: Lanling Proper, and Koi Tower.
When: October 11th - October 17th.
Warnings: Potential death which will happen regardless and/or violence. Disturbing themes may be mentioned because JGS exists and golden end Lanling is still questionable. Just happier.

WELCOME TO LANLING—

The city is home to what is currently the largest cultivation sect around. It is prosperous and filled with many smiling faces. There are children who run through the streets, shop owners showing their wears, and people frequenting the establishments—inns, restaurants, you name it.

At the heart of the city is an important compound, Koi Tower. It seems to unfold before anyone who comes near it majestically, starting with the stairs and ending with the peerless infrastructure. It's terrific state is more than can be described in mere words, needless to say.

There are various gardens here or there, filled with a majority of the sect's symbol and flower—Sparks-Admist-Snow white peonies.

There is also one lotus pond located on the premises, but that is located somewhere towards the inner families' lodgings, and anyone passing through had better be someone who is part of the Jin Sect or a servant lest they wish to get into trouble.

As expected there is a magnificent reception area, a banquet hall, and another more extraordinary garden that houses a painting well done by a cultivator of renown. Said cultivator can be found around the city at certain points.

On the flipside, there are cultivators who are rather stuck up, though that goes the same for a good amount of the residents. Though the Sect Leader, Jin Guangshan is rather insufferable even if he is unfortunately talented at conducting himself with grace. Then there is Jin Zixun, who is neither graceful nor talented, but far more easy to encounter.

There is also, of course, the Treasure Vault. Another place that is actually guarded periodically though there are some dips in security due to the overconfidence the people have here.

Though even in this idyllic setting, there are places of ill repute if someone were to go looking around. Such as where others would sell weapons or other...things that are illegal or frowned down upon supposedly in Lanling. Hidden deep within the forest nearby that is essentially also part of Lanling, there is even a strange training ground that has been sectioned off by members of the Jin Sect. Going further where that is concerned is something that should be avoided lest anyone would want to experience a rather trying time, putting it very lightly. At the very least they'll shoo any wanderers away as long as they don't cause trouble or try to truly sneak in.

This is a city of golden times. But it doesn't mean that is the case for those outside of it or not caught within its golden age.

But whatever the case, their ends will be the same. Though, before that, shouldn't they enjoy their time while they still can?

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[this place... is quite spiritual. and subaru knows that meng yao handles a lot of that stuff, too -- had helped the little shopkeeper once before, so maybe... maybe...

anyway. subaru'd asked for a nice place to have tea with his fresh friend and so here they are, having tea. he's just trying to figure out how to bring this up without spilling too much information that isn't his to really give, so after a lull in a conversation about "if a bird had human arms, do you think it'd swing it and wing it (hit and run) or do you think it'd be more ground based"--]

Can I ask you something kinda funky, Maimai?

[like

the bird question wasn't funky. also maimai is his nickname now i'm sorry.]

[ Meng Yao is having himself some classic Jade oolong tea.

His ... current associate has a knack of making for interesting conversation. However, Meng Yao doesn't seem bothered by it, giving a polite customer service smile™ for most of it. His responses are relatively more down-to-earth as much as they can be in such outlandish or unique topics. It does also get his mind off of certain...things and keeping him from getting too caught up in his own head.

However at that question, Meng Yao pauses, and resisting looking to see if the other had been addressing someone else because he does catch on relatively quickly. ]

...Maimai?

[ ... ]

Yes, go ahead. What question did you have?

[the faster someone accepts a nickname the better, so meng yao is doing well.

subaru probably got the same just for simplicity's sake, and he stares down at the liquid as he works it out in his mind.]

So, like... you do soul stuff. I was wondering if you knew what to do when a soul was taken out of the cycle. Like, can it be put back in, or is it just... gone.

[ Meng Yao has been called various nicknames, but rarely has it been something remotely friendly.

Regardless, he gives the other an apologetic smile because there is only one cycle he can think of the other is talking about, before his expression turns into something considering. ]

I believe when a soul is unable to continue along the reincarnation cycle, they'll never be able to reincarnate again. But that is for a situation for when...well, something like irreversible damage has been made to their spirit. Though, if there is another reason for them being taken out of that cycle, I don't think it's possible for them to re-enter it.

[ Because then you start getting into things like divine punishment or retribution from the gods, which is beyond his comprehension but not impossible. ]

Why do you ask?

[i don't think it's possible for them to re-enter it.

subaru's face falls a little and he turns it away, leaning against his hand. he can make the impossible, the not possible, possible. he just has to try hard enough and something will happen, right? maybe he should try and get more info about it, or...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,]

'Cause a dear friend of mine... sort of took themselves out of it in trade for something important, and they asked me to help them. I wanna change their future, so that they don't not-exist when their time runs out.

[he said he would, so he has to do everything he can to that; and they're doing everything they need to on their side, too... subaru doesn't think for a second that maybe he's gotten in over his head, just that it's about as tall of a mountain as overthrowing the iron grip of his student council back home -- he just doesn't have his friends here to help out.]

[ What could be worth the risk that you wouldn't existentially persist when the time truly came? Nothing, in his opinion. ]

Pardon this one saying this...but that was a wild risk they had taken in the first place. Not only because of the cost, but because they would need to put some amount of trust in whatever creature or being they were dealing with.

Though I have to say that if it's something like this, it may not be entirely impossible for them to regain what they lost. One way may be to reverse the trade. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, whether it was an agreement or if there was some sort of ritual, but if that can happen, then there's a higher chance of the situation being rectified. Of course, it won't be easy...

Another way would be getting a god involved that has control over the reincarnation cycle but I don't need to tell you the chances of that.

Those are so far the possibilities I've thought of, given the situation. And I suppose this happened at the school, didn't it?

[ Because where else would it have, really. ]

[ooooh boy. subaru debates laying down for this, but sits up straighter instead and nods.

... he led komaeda through it, and he oughta tell amami too... but meng yao needs to know the full of it, without sparing a detail, to get a better idea. especially if it can be reversed. so it's a little nerve-wracking, because of what it is and who it's about and how much they probably don't want it to get around but they asked him for help so--]

Yeah. It's Boss -- the shopkeep, the one you helped before. They've got a contract that lets 'em stay in school with us, and I got it out of them that it's in trade for something super important. It's why they're working so hard to sell stuff, 'cause their end of the deal is that they raise a ton of money by the end of the school year and they get whatever that "something" is.

[... he droops a bit.]

But... they said they won't exist after graduation. This is all the time they've got, 'cause they signed away their existence. After the school year ends, they won't come back -- ever.

What's happened has already happened, and there's nothing I can do about that. I won't scold them for that, for doing what they did at the time, 'cause they made their choice even if I wish they hadn't, but I'm gonna give them a future. [...] Or the chance at it, at least.

[ That person...

...

...They are such a really big trouble magnet, huh? Yeah, that is the first thing that comes to mind. ]

My best theory at this time, then, is that their sacrifice must involve someone important to them. Otherwise, them throwing away their life like that makes no sense.

[ And even if that's not right, he believes that it may make 'reversing' the trade more difficult. If the shopkeeper is actively working so hard towards achieving that goal...whatever that is. Is it something that really benefits them, though? Well, he supposes he can still think further on the subject, on what can be done.

His expression settles into something somewhere between thoughtful but closer to blank as he starts to consider things. ]

I hadn't realized the two of you were such good friends. [ ... ] But like I said before, it's a sacrifice of some sort. They're leveraging the sacrifice of their own existence with payment from others for this goal of theirs. In that case, the next steps towards possibly preventing their existential erasure would be this:

1. Figuring out exactly who they were dealing with. I still can't imagine that whomever they made the trade with was really that trustworthy, considering the nature of what they have to sacrifice in the first place. No benevolent god would ask for someone to take themselves out of the reincarnation cycle in exchange for something.

2. Figuring out how to reverse the trade. Though, given that they've been raising 'money' already, I'm not sure how feasible this is. It'd be more viable if we were able to go to the source [ Whomever the shopkeeper initiated the trade with ] and then eliminated it.

3. Figuring out what this something is, and seeing if there is alternative towards achieving that—which is highly unlikely but still probably worth looking into. My point of view is that it's related to another person, as I've said before, but since that's just conjecture, it'd be the best if whatever it is happens to be known. It seems that your friend is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that 'something'.

[ Which is dangerous, in his opinion, and doesn't make them trustworthy, but Meng Yao isn't surprised. In retrospect, he supposes that means he shouldn't be trying to help, but ... it's kind of a waste if this shopkeeper does die. He went to the trouble of saving him for Amami's sake, so he'll see what can be done.

Better to see if he can mitigate the damage, because it might make the shopkeeper head towards a better decision which would benefit all of them. ]

Edited 2021-10-22 18:51 (UTC)

[aaaaaaaaaaaaa they are more than friends atm but that's fiiiiiiiine subaru isn't going to address any of thaaaaaaaat there are important things,]

I like the second step the best.

[he wants to punch something. even if that something is a god. that sounds pretty fun. but these are... definitely steps he can take, can work out, even if it's "unlikely" or "difficult", however infeasible it may be -- it gives subaru some direction and hope, even if he'll dig into it more with kazuki later too.]

There's gotta be an alternative though, right? Even if it's unlikely, there's always more than just one way to go about things! It's just usually the tougher choice, or the one people'd think is impossible... but I'm used to choices like that.

[... even without the rest of trickstar here, he can do something, maybe... even though having them here would be so, so nice... and yet he doesn't want them by nature of what "this" is...]

[ Get it, Subaru—

Anyway, Meng Yao is smiling slightly at that when the other states that one is his favorite as well. Sometimes...murder was the answer to a problem. ]

It's good to know we're in agreement on both matters—on preferences in terms of the steps and generally that there is likely an alternative possible. It's just a matter of figuring out what alternative is available.

That said, this one is glad that those steps presented could be of assistance to you. It's not going to be an easy task, though as you've implied, you seem prepared for that.

And you've already got the fact that you're not the type to give up easily going for you. It may be arrogant to state this now when things are still so uncertain, but it does feel like the chances rise when there's more hope on the one attempting to succeed.

[ But now that it's gotten to this point, he wonders if he should be thinking about teaching Subaru on how to wield a weapon too. ]

[sometimes beating someone's face in is the solution. it's fine.

also please teach subaru how to wield something]

Heheh~, thanks for the vote of confidence. ♪ The sky shines brighter when it's got a lot of stars in it, and hope's the same way -- it doesn't matter if it's a dim light or one that's bright all on its own, they all come together to make a sight worth looking forward to!

[which is something he and komaeda can debate endlessly on but whatever. subaru breathes out, feeling lighter than he did before, and wonders again how he'll approach about it with amami... who he really should have told in the first place, but had a feeling it wouldn't have ended up so well.]

I feel a little better now, too~. I knew it was a good idea to talk to you, Maimai, you seem pretty reliable. ♪

That's a rather eloquent way of putting it, I think, and I do believe I agree, Akehoshi-xiong.

[ He smiles brightly at the compliment. ]

I'm just glad to be of assistance wherever I can, especially to those who need it the most. All things considered, I believe at some point I might give you some pointers on how to wield a weapon. The school is a rather dangerous place and if there's going to be a confrontation involving this, well...it's for the best you know how to defend yourself properly.

[ There is something to be said of knowing how to use your fists as well, but having a weapon gives you an edge. Even if it's a small one. ]

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to the praise and also to!!!!!!!!! wielding a weapon!!!!!!!!! which just sounds sort of cool he has no intentions to u...se it on others if necessary yeah but he's not gonna think of that right now!]

I wanna use a spear! Or even just a pole! I think they'd be suuuuper fun to hit people with! Especially the pole!

[long ranged capabilities... poking natsume...]

[ Meng Yao believes he has an idea of Subaru's temperament enough that teaching him such things isn't a mistake. That being said, killing isn't exactly a difficult thing for the cultivator, though Meng Yao prefers to reserve it for creatures or other culpable beings. Killing each other is playing too much into the hands of something he cares not for indulging.

Best to have it saved for the creatures that are behind all of this or would threaten them. ]

I'm almost afraid to begin teaching you those based on the response you gave just now.

[ Meng Yao is lightly joking here, because his concerns are little. ]

But I can look into starting with searching for a weapons master who can teach you how to use those while we're here. First, though, how about we start somewhere simple?

For example, with a dagger.

[a dagger... cool knife tricks then. subaru's not offended by the tease in the least, considering the first thing he did when he learned how to use a whip from lucifer was smack shin with it.]

Yay~, thank you Maimai~! And sounds good to me! What's first, shifu? Also, do weapons have cool names like in video games?

[he's... picked up a little from the various jobs meng yao'd suggested to him, though it's more of "he's a little confused but he's got the spirit" in terms of knowing if it's the proper way to address someone!]

[ You know what, it's not actually a bad title all things considered, even if he can't believe someone would call him that. But still, he actually might be kind of impressed that he's trying to learn the lingo, and he sees no reason to dissuade him from it. ]

Handling the weapon properly first of course, followed by learning which moves work best with such a weapon.

[ Meng Yao does have on his person a fancy-looking dagger he's procured from a weapon shop around here. Sure he's got his normal sword with him, but he thought it couldn't hurt, and now he's finding that once again his sense of being overprepared is coming in handy. ]

And you're right that weapons have names. Including my own.

So, you're of course free to name your weapon; though of course something relatively suitable works. Whenever you're ready, please let me know, and I'll get us to somewhere with an open space to start.

Now! Now now! I've got nothin' else goin' on, I wanna learn to fight!

[he has... some... combat practice thanks to performances and working on a movie set, but the real thing is different; the former is mostly blocking and making things look real with the full knowledge that nothing will come of it one way or the other, but real combat means someone's going to end up hurt.

it's a very boyish thing to be excited by the thought of wielding sharp objects though so that's mostly why he's excited he likes moving around and learning something new]

Alright. Someone is a little eager, aren't they?

[ But Meng Yao doesn't seem bothered by it; the most enthusiastic learners seem to always end up being the best, in his own opinion and experience. Anyway, he stands up from where he was seated, placing a piece of silver on the table. His tea had been all but finished anyway. ]

Please, follow me.

[ He makes a movement towards somewhere away from most of civilization, to a clearing used even sometimes by Jin disciples, but not often—they have their own specialized training grounds in Koi Tower, after all. But anyway, he brings out the relatively fancy dagger, and shows him carefully how to hold it, which he thinks is self explanatory.

Then he'll make stabbing motions at, well, let's say the tree nearby. Not quite there yet, but close. He considers maybe getting them a dummy for day 2... ]

Generally if you're going to using something like this, not only handling is going to be important but closing the distance as well. Then of course you'll want to aim somewhere that'd end up causing trouble, and to start with...striking someone in the abdomen with a sharp weapon is bound to do some good damage.

Distance isn't going to be much of a concern when you're fighting with a spear or pole, of course, for obvious reasons. Even though I don't know how to utilize them to the best of my ability, the reach for that is going to be greater than compared to a dagger. Which I imagine is why you thought of it first? Given that comment you made about it being possibly fun to hit people with...

Edited 2021-11-12 19:24 (UTC)

[subaru tips down the rest of his and eagerly follows at meng yao's heel, paying attention to the way they traverse in case he'd like to come by on his own sometime and practice... whatever it is he's going to learn to practice today. correctly wielding and using it, he supposes as he watches meng yao bring out the dagger, marveling a little at its fanciful beauty, and notes the way to hold it, how to best use it in

stabbing,

okay that's fine he'll learn how to do cool twirls and stuff with it in time. striking the abdomen... would definitely cause trouble, he remembers amami and dito's bit, but it pushes too close to fatally wounding someone and subaru thinks maybe he'll just try and disadvantage them instead.]

Yup! And I got to dance with one during a performance last year, so I'm a little more familiar with it than anything else~. Just that though, I dunno how to fight with it. [...] And, uh, can you teach me how to... disarm and stuff people too? In general, not just with this.

[the dagger. the weapon master can teach him how to maybe do it with a spear or pole if possible, but. in general is fine too]

[ ...Unsurprisingly, Meng Yao imagines that it's for the best to immediately go straight towards trying to strike to badly wound with a bladed weapon. Though that may be because he's fairly used to doing that. He does note it's good Subaru would have experience holding one already, even if it's for perfomance's sake.

At least with teaching him how to fight without a weapon as well will include nonlethal techniques, though he's going to probably teach him how to use a few of those too. Just in case. While he's not looking to make the other a trained assassin, he's going to do his best that Subaru has Options in a fight. ]

Of course. In retrospect, it's more ideal to learn how to fight without a weapon first. So, if you like, I could either table demonstrations with other possible moves with the dagger, and either jump right into basic lessons in martial arts, or I can quickly show you a few possibilities on how to disarm someone. Which would you prefer?

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.:An Adventure to Remember:.

meng yao 2

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