[UN: swordcandy | Video]

[cultivatingsin]

[He tosses a black stone up and down, catching it and then slipping it quickly up his sleeve. Shadows dance around his sleeve and he grins, revealing sharp fangs. Don't worry, those are completely natural. For him anyway.]

Is it too much to ask for a head's up before everything goes to shit next time? ...it is too much?

[He pretends to listen to a nonexistent answer, cupping his hand around his ear.]

I'm not against you creating more corpses. Believe me, I would love a hoard of them.

[Just to play around. Just to order around, actually.]

Some of my friends have disappeared. It's hard not to be sad. Come on, someone take my mind off of it~

I might even show you a neat trick if you do.

Comments

[cultivatingsin]

[OOC: Right here is fine with me!]

My voice is pretty nice, but I have heard better. The same goes for my appearance. I'm not a vain idiot, believe it or not.

[But he can pump himself up, right? Everyone should.]

What a shame~ [Xue Yang stretches his arms over his head and groans.]

Probably. I don't recognize the word Chinese either.

[He closes the big tome and stands up, going back to the bookshelves.]

Why should I hide who I am? If they can't handle it, I should know that right off the bat.

[sleepfan]

[ Instead of more text, what Xue Yang is subjected to is a man walking into the bookstore like he owns it. It would be polite to greet the other man first, but Linhardt sees an interesting book and wanders over to the shelf, running his fingers along the spines before he starts grabbing books and stuffing them into his bag. (It seems that Linhardt's concern over Xue Yang taking all the books was projection...).

When he's finished, he does approach, pulling out four small bags of candy and setting them on a table. True enough, he's brought a variety: One bag is chocolate, one is cinnamon, one is mint, and one is fruit flavored. ]

I genuinely wanted to know if being so off putting was successful in getting people to leave you alone.

[Greetings? Why bother? The man's love of corpses transgresses so many social boundaries, Linhardt doesn't see the point with any of them.]

If you did pretend to be a vain idiot, I am certain even more people would avoid you.

What happened to your friend?

[That had been the deal: Candy for information. If Linhardt had to leave and come talk to a person for no reason, he's going to be cross.]

[cultivatingsin]

[The moment Linhardt enters the store Xue Yang is trailing him. At first, he gives the man some room. What? He can be understanding or something? Actually, scratch that. Empathy is probably beyond him unless you are Xiao Xingchen, but he can play nice for the candy. You did bring the candy, right?

His eyes brighten at the bag of sugary treats. Snatching it, he tucks it into his robes.]

Depends on the person. Some people embrace it - especially those who want to use me.

[Hello~]

I wouldn't be able to take myself seriously.

[Xue Yang pulls a face at the abrupt question and grabs another book. He pushes it into the other man's hands and sighs.]

The connections between our worlds and this one are open. She went back the way she came.

[sleepfan]

[ Linhardt's only reaction to the snatching of the candy is a look of very, very slight jealousy. Not of the candy, but of Xue Yang's robes. He misses his coat. It had so many pockets (including a few that were sewn shut in the lining and could only be accessed by warp magic). It was so cozy. The robes look likewise. The other man could stash so many objects in them. What delightful garments.]

Are those your garments or did you find them here?

[ If there were robes here, Linhardt would like to acquire some.

The mage makes a face at the man's statement that the only people who put up with him are people who want to use him for something. Ugh. The worst type of social interaction (self-awareness is not one of Linhardt's virtues).]

Those are the people who should be avoided. They'll suck you dry if you allow it: "Fix this. Heal me. Do this paperwork. I made an error: You need to correct it."

[ While Linhardt has never been shy about his complaints, he's realized that in this case, he doesn't even need the fig leaf of hiding behind his own laziness. He is lazy, but Linhardt has also found that emphasizing his own less than admirable qualities results in less scolding than telling other people how annoying they're being.

Nor does he see any need to hide his interest in what Xue Yang's just said. The bridges are open? The healer accepts the book, tucking it under his arm.]

Are they? Did she initiate going back or was she sent back?

[cultivatingsin]

[Clothing is a matter of luck. Xue Yang had been very unhappy to wake up in a hospital gown, but he had then found (his?) robes in a closet a week or so later. But just one set. He likes to imagine that he made the transition into the new world, hopped out of his clothes somehow and ended up in the hospital.]

I found them here~ They're close enough to what I'm used to.

[Keep looking. If Xue Yang finds another set first, he will either keep them or sell them for favors.]

In my case, they nearly beat me to death and left me to rot in a ditch beside a road to fucking nowhere.

[Why does he limp? Now Linhardt knows. Xue Yang rolls the question around in his mind, running a finger along the book spines.]

I don't know if it's something this place wants. We're only useful if we're here. I guess I would say she slipped back accidentally.

[sleepfan]

In that case, I will keep looking for more suitable clothing.

[ Except for the sandals, Linhardt is still in his clothing from Fodlan. Everything else he's found so far has had an odd feel, not fit him correctly, or been far too thin to be of any use as an actual article of clothing. The corpse man's clothes, however, suggest that better garments could be found. Perhaps he should check all of the apartments. ]

Did you initiate hostilities, or did they?

[ Beating a man and leaving him to die is horrific. However, the man had admitted to being fond of corpses and lacking empathy. ]

I would like to know if your attackers are morally bankrupt or simply stupid.

[ It's a toss up, based on what Linhardt has seen of human nature. Having finally exhausted his initial perusal of the books, Linhardt slinks into a chair, sinking into the cushions and letting his head fall back. This would be a good chair for sleeping. He shuts his eyes and stays quiet, considering the other man's words. Slipping. That is an interesting verb to use.]

I certainly have no intention of being useful. Do you think that we'll be sent back if we're not? Or 'slip'?

[ That idea makes Linhardt shiver. He does not particularly want to return to Fodlan.]

[cultivatingsin]

Good luck! [Sometimes clothing needs to be stitched together and altered. Xue Yang has a little skill in that department - though he will never admit to it. He has only sewn for himself and his Daozhang.]

I did what I was ordered to do like a faithful dog. Then when something personal cropped up, they didn't like the way I handled it. [He didn't like the way he handled it. Jin Guangyao. But Xue Yang prefers to say 'they' because Guangyao used to be a sort of...friend. Or at least an ally.] So they wanted me dead to protect their reputation.

[Morally bankrupt absolutely. Xue Yang wanders down an aisle and chooses three more tomes before he joins Linhardt, sitting on a cushion.]

I think it's more likely you will if you're a pain in the ass.

[sleepfan]

From you, that sounds like a curse.

[The 'good luck'. Now, Linhardt finds himself utterly certain he will never again know the caress of comfortable garments. Of shoes that aren't weird.

Leaning sideways, Linhardt's eyes read the titles of the books that the man has chosen. A man's reading material can be rather illuminating. It would be one of the best ways to learn about Linhardt, at least.]

Both, then. Morally bankrupt for turning their back on an ally, and incompetent for not killing you after declaring their intent to do so and, upon realizing such, not making amends. Hopefully, their reputation was more ruined by you ending up alive.

[He's a pacifist, but Linhardt isn't particularly nice. Niceness is an overrated 'virtue'. It's enjoyable sometimes to watch people struggle with the consequences of their own actions.

A sigh.

A very long sigh.

That is his reaction to being told that he might be sent back to Fodlan.]

I suppose I should find another world soon, then.

[Because no authority figure has ever not considered Linhardt a pain in the ass. He should know. It's a very thoughtfully cultivated perception; that way none of them would want to interact with him.]

[cultivatingsin]

[Xue Yang laughs and sets his newest finds down on a table. Once he is comfortable on the cushion, he pulls them into his lap, one by one. What? Was Linhardt expecting comfort?

As for the titles, the following probably give some insight into his demented mind: Medieval Torture Methods, Poisonous Plants of Eurasia and Vascular Systems in Mammals.]

Who said they didn't try to make amends? [He snorts.] I kept the city where I was staying surrounded by corpses and talisman. Anyone who tried to sneak in and kill me likely found the hoard and joined them.

[By dying.]

Did you screw up that badly?