[ He almost misses being deaf. It's the latter part of the day and Ayabe's gone back to his room to bury his face in his pillow, but he can't sleep and he definitely can't with Jin Ling shouting up and down the halls, so he trudges out of his room to open the door and stuck his head out the door. ]
He comes up only a bit short, but not because he looks frightened.] My bell. Did you ever fix it? If not, forget it. I still want it back. [Him bell. :pensive:]
[ Ayabe is pretty much always angry, but it's hard to be like that around good people. It's easier around Jin Ling, which my fingers absolutely autopiloted as Jiang Cheng, it would be true for both.
But the bell- he gives Jin Ling a blank look for a moment before it clicks and he goes "oh," stepping back from the door to head inside the room. ]
[ Ayabe swings by the duck pond a bit later- he sees Jin Ling out there first, but ducks inside the mansion for something before walking back out towards him. Even though it would be funny if he spooked Jin Ling and made him fall into the water himself, he doesn't say anything, just approaches from the side until he's standing next to Jin Ling. ]
But no, he's fine. He feels too... numb sort of to be spooked. He doesn't look over at Ayabe, but he does look at Ayabe's reflection in the water before turning his eyes away.]
[Jin Ling is already in the drawing room. He has a little stiff-papered notebook that's meant to be used for art, though he's currently scratching stuff along the pages in pen.
Ayabe coming in seems to startle him, and he looks up.]
[He quickly tries to shield the notebook with his arm, but it looks like there's words rather than any kind of drawing. There's a few doodles here and there along the margins.]
[Ayabe probably never left the ballroom, but listen. Jin Ling doesn't hang around for super long. He leaves and is gone for a short while, and then he comes back with a few things in hand.
But he wants Ayabe alone, so he sort of stick his head in and pspsps to get Ayabe to at least come to the doors. He shoves a blanket almost immediately into Ayabe's chest. On top of it is a lidded container of.... congee, it looks like, and several spoons. And he's making a point not to look in Ayabe's direction.]
[ Yeah, he's hanging around moping for a while, intending to stay until everybody else leaves. Jin Ling is going to have to stand at the doorway pspspsing for a while before Ayabe finally looks over at him, not thinking that he was being called, but rather, he was going to ask something about what the hell that noise is.
But he comes obediently, and finds himself a warm blanket and congee and just how many spoons are there in here? Why is Jin Ling giving him corpse disease curing congee?? ]
[This time, he doesn’t come with anything but himself. Well, himself and Demon, the poor stained dog plush. Without saying anything, he sidles in and puts the plush down on the bed beside Ayabe.
I don't think Ayabe has ever seen this dog because I also know nothing about this dog, so he just sort of sits up on the bed and stares at it for a few seconds since Jin Ling doesn't say anything first. ]
Do you... need me to wash it?
[ Handwashing would be better than throwing it into the laundry machine, if Jin Ling is still spooked by them. ]
[The first thing Jin Ling thinks is that it shouldn't be this difficult to track down Ayabe, not right now. He almost gives up until he stomps outside and spots Ayabe wandering around near the woods.
So he runs all the way down but pulls up short, breathless.]
But no, Ayabe doesn't look all that concerned about anything, frowning a little when Jin Ling runs towards him and is at least courteous enough to stop walking. ]
[He turns to glance around, like he expects there to be someone else or something. The only thing different is there's a black scabbard stuck in the belt at his side, but there's no sword.
When he looks back, his mouth twists. He marches the rest of the way up to Ayabe, though instead of anything nice and comforting, he reaches back and slaps Ayabe across the face. It'll sting his fingers, but whatever.]
Jin Ling doesn't trudge out to the edge of the woods so much as he marches. The one thing Ayabe will see coming before anything else is the damn wildly voluminous peacock tail, but it folds slowly down behind him when he gets to the tent. His arms are full of something--cloth, it looks like.
He can't see Ayabe at the moment, though. Wtf?]
...Where the hell did he go? He better not have gone in the woods... [Louder:] Ayabe!
He is out here trying to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist but Jin Ling comes storming in and disrupting it? Rude. He sits up slowly, no blanket over him to give himself away, and keeping silent because invisible doesn't mean silent.
He also. doesn't answer Jin Ling. He just sits there and stares. ]
[That's the silent sound of him listening for any sound of Ayabe, be is movement or calling response. Has he ever been this quiet? Who knows. The tail begins to slowly wilt behind him into a long train of feathers.] Dammit... Why would you go in there? If he was hungry, he could have just asked...! [He drops the bundle of cloth beside him; the top has a little sewing kit.
And then he absolutely starts marching into the woods to look for Ayabe. He has the scabbard at his side again, but this time it's... gold? But he doesn't seem to have anything else.]
[He hunts ghost Ayabe down because he said he would make the stupid ass a seal, and he did.
It's not a crayon and piece of paper.
It's a golden strip of cloth that has been stitched with red thread. It looks kind of like this sorta, but made of cloth, sewn in the way Ayabe had shown him.]
[ Ayabe is alllllllll the way up in the astronomy tower so I can make Jin Ling trek up all these stairs just to find him. Ayabe can finally do stairs without stopping to cough and wheeze every floor, so he's taking advantage of this whole ghost thing. ]
A-Ling. What...
[ He looks down at the cloth. He can't read any of this besides what's maybe the one with the heavenly king. ]
[This is rude. Good thing he's athletic, so hiking up to the astronomy tower isn't so bad. In an effort not to look at Ayabe in the face, he tips his head back to peers at the windowed ceiling.]
It's a warding talisman. It protects you by repelling bad spiritual energy.
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w2.... one day that ayabe is available ig
Where is this fucker?! WHERE IS HIS BELL?!]
Ayabe! Show yourself!
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What.
[ His eyes are red but he's not crying. ]
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He comes up only a bit short, but not because he looks frightened.] My bell. Did you ever fix it? If not, forget it. I still want it back. [Him bell. :pensive:]
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But the bell- he gives Jin Ling a blank look for a moment before it clicks and he goes "oh," stepping back from the door to head inside the room. ]
I fixed it. Wait here.
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w2, sunday
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But no, he's fine. He feels too... numb sort of to be spooked. He doesn't look over at Ayabe, but he does look at Ayabe's reflection in the water before turning his eyes away.]
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Ayabe though just hands over a little baggie full of blackberries. ]
For the ducks.
[ Jin Ling can eat them too, but they're for the ducks, something to do instead of standing there in silence doing nothing. ]
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w3, monday or tues ig
Ayabe coming in seems to startle him, and he looks up.]
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[ The only time anybody's been embarrassed about their drawings is Isaac and his anime, so this is Ayabe's frame of reference. ]
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No! Why would I be drawing Plum?!
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w3, post-trial
But he wants Ayabe alone, so he sort of stick his head in and pspsps to get Ayabe to at least come to the doors. He shoves a blanket almost immediately into Ayabe's chest. On top of it is a lidded container of.... congee, it looks like, and several spoons. And he's making a point not to look in Ayabe's direction.]
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But he comes obediently, and finds himself a warm blanket and congee and just how many spoons are there in here? Why is Jin Ling giving him corpse disease curing congee?? ]
Um.
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That's it. Take it.
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w3, post execution
A friend.]
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I don't think Ayabe has ever seen this dog because I also know nothing about this dog, so he just sort of sits up on the bed and stares at it for a few seconds since Jin Ling doesn't say anything first. ]
Do you... need me to wash it?
[ Handwashing would be better than throwing it into the laundry machine, if Jin Ling is still spooked by them. ]
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[Wrow. He tried to wash it. But it was a cute dog plush, so.]
His name is Demon. He'll keep you company. He's a good dog and was very strong. He protected Kuji Toi and me.
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w4, sunday before execution
So he runs all the way down but pulls up short, breathless.]
What are you doing wandering around out here?
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But no, Ayabe doesn't look all that concerned about anything, frowning a little when Jin Ling runs towards him and is at least courteous enough to stop walking. ]
...Taking a walk.
[ Not just taking a walk, but. Taking a walk. ]
What happened?
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When he looks back, his mouth twists. He marches the rest of the way up to Ayabe, though instead of anything nice and comforting, he reaches back and slaps Ayabe across the face. It'll sting his fingers, but whatever.]
Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?!
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w5, monday evening
Jin Ling doesn't trudge out to the edge of the woods so much as he marches. The one thing Ayabe will see coming before anything else is the damn wildly voluminous peacock tail, but it folds slowly down behind him when he gets to the tent. His arms are full of something--cloth, it looks like.
He can't see Ayabe at the moment, though. Wtf?]
...Where the hell did he go? He better not have gone in the woods... [Louder:] Ayabe!
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He is out here trying to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist but Jin Ling comes storming in and disrupting it? Rude. He sits up slowly, no blanket over him to give himself away, and keeping silent because invisible doesn't mean silent.
He also. doesn't answer Jin Ling. He just sits there and stares. ]
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[That's the silent sound of him listening for any sound of Ayabe, be is movement or calling response. Has he ever been this quiet? Who knows. The tail begins to slowly wilt behind him into a long train of feathers.] Dammit... Why would you go in there? If he was hungry, he could have just asked...! [He drops the bundle of cloth beside him; the top has a little sewing kit.
And then he absolutely starts marching into the woods to look for Ayabe. He has the scabbard at his side again, but this time it's... gold? But he doesn't seem to have anything else.]
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w6, like the day after i promised
It's not a crayon and piece of paper.
It's a golden strip of cloth that has been stitched with red thread. It looks kind of like this sorta, but made of cloth, sewn in the way Ayabe had shown him.]
Here.
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A-Ling. What...
[ He looks down at the cloth. He can't read any of this besides what's maybe the one with the heavenly king. ]
Is this the seal?
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It's a warding talisman. It protects you by repelling bad spiritual energy.
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