[Open - Catch-all]

[cultivatingdisaster]

⌛ Who: Xie Lian
⌛ What: Just doing his thing.
⌛ When: Now.
⌛ Where: Several places.
⌛ Warnings: Unknown. Will edit if needed!



I: Scrap Collecting God Returns.

[This world became stranger and stranger, it seemed. It was only a blink of an eye since he was last there. He had returned home only to find himself within the same time loop and soon thrown back.

It was odd to say the least.

But now Xie Lian sat under the beautifully green leaves of a blossoming tree with a steamed bun in hand, contemplating his next move.

Beside him was a straw hat and a blade, a long and slender with a black mirrored finish. A silvery line ran through the centre of the blade. It seemed to hum with an old power. Xie Lian seemed not to notice, or care, as he bit happily into his bun.]


II: Is this scrap?

[Xie Lian, for all his years, was a surprisingly innocent soul. By way of his cultivation method he had avoided all worldly pleasures, drink and sexual encounters being the main. That didn't mean he was without knowledge!

So when he approached a shop to enquire if they had any scraps to offer him, he was surprised when he was offered what could only be called a phallus!]

Uhh this is... this isn't really what I was asking for...?

[But the elderly woman was already walking away from him, leaving Xie Lian stunned, holding a male shaped object in his hand, and blushing bright enough to put a tomato to shame.]


III: Feeling a certain kind of way.

[It had started off as a strange thought, at first. Just a mild urge that was easily pushed away.

But as the day went on, Xie Lian was undeniably in a bad spot.

There was something very wrong with himself and he knew it could only be caused by the strange world he now lived in. However what the cause was, he had no idea. All he knew was that it made him uncomfortable and, as strange as it would seem, craving of human company. He had just enough presence of mind to not go and attach himself to any old person, however, and instead found himself desperately attempting to make his way back home.

If he managed, he could barricade himself inside. Not that he thought for a second that might stop him should his urge grow in strength, but with luck...

Xie Lian took a shaky breath and wiped sweat from his brow.]

Why must this happen now... haha can anyone have worse luck than me?

Comments

[bythewaves]

Oh, most definitely!

[ Maglor hums ]

Although when the winter storms close in, a roof over one's head, even a short one, is very welcome!

[ He laughs and then hums another brief snatch of verse ]

When winter first begins to bite
and stones crack in the frosty night,
when pools are black and trees are bare,
'tis evil in the Wild to fare.

There, that's another bit of Hobbit wisdom for you!

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Xie Lian listened attentively, the little poem was pretty to hear though the words seemed rather dark to his ears. Still he laughed and nodded along.]

You do make a very good point. Winters can be hard.

[And yet he had somehow survived them time and time again. He was used to the pain of cold by now, it didn't bother him in the slightest.]

There isn't much the body can't get used to over time.

[bythewaves]

In the Wild they can be. [ He agrees ] Or if they are long enough, and the harvest has been poor.

[ He shrugs ]

The folk of Eriador remember the Fell Winter, when many of them starved and sickness took more, and the Wolves came down out of the Wilds. It was a difficult time for many of us.

[ He laughs softly ]

Not much, perhaps so.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Xie Lian nodded, remembering more than a few winters of the same. 800 years he had lived without much of a stable home. He never stayed in one place more than 6 months. He was lucky if they survived that long and didn't collapse around his head.

But there had been some rough winters. Some he would rather forget. And in many respects he had. Long lived as he was, some memories tended to fade away...]

Your world is a dangerous one, it sounds like? Or are these isolated events?

[bythewaves]

It can be, at times. [ He shrugs a little ]

Worse, of course, during times of war! But the Wilds are always perilous, if no less beautiful.

[cultivatingdisaster]

Is war common?

[Xie Lian looked a little concerned, curious. He wondered if there would ever be a world where there was peace and fighting was a thing of the past.]

[bythewaves]

[ He waggles his hand in an 'eh' gesture ]

That depends on what you consider common, I suppose. [ he says slowly ]

There are cycles, I suppose, of war and peace... it seems they run slower, of late, but that may be because I spend little time with Men, these days. Certainly, when we came to Middle-earth in the First Age, we came for war, and war we had, e'en with long stretches of quiet in between - the Long Peace lasted near 195 years. The Second Age too, had much conflict, but I would say the periods of quiet were longer. This Third Age has had few great battles to span across all of Middle-earth, so in that sense, there is more peace, but if Men are skirmishing amongst themselves I know not.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Xie Lian had to admit that he has an ulterior motive on asking this question. And it was that he was genuinely curious about other worlds. The fact that Maglor was so forthcoming with information was a delight to him.

The art of war was not one that Xie Lian enjoyed, though fighting was. So he felt he could understand a great deal about a people by the way they fought.

And what he learned was that Maglor seemed to think himself separate from humans? Or his people's did, in much the same way as Heavenly Officials did. Wars happened in the Mortal Realms and they were to never involve themselves. However Xie Lian had found himself caught between warring nations on more than a few occasions through no fault of his own. Honestly.]

Peace is a beautiful thing and I hope you and your world enjoy it for a great many years to come.

Though I would like to ask a question that I am unsure would be offensive or not...

[bythewaves]

So do we also hope.

[ Maglor agrees ]

At the least, with Sauron overthrown... there should be no great wars, for a long while.

[ he doesn't deceive himself that the peace will endure forever - the Men of Harad and Khand have reasons to hate Gondor beyond being deceived. But ... for a little while, perhaps ]

Ask! [ He smiles ] I promise I will not be offended, my friend.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Xie Lian considered his words carefully, trusting that Maglor wouldn't be offended, and then he smiled in return.]

What is your age, exactly? How long lived are your people?

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor tips his head, visibly counting ]

Um. I think... I am ... perhaps around 9500 sun years, give or take a few centuries. But we elves are tied to the world, to exist so long as it does, although what happens when it ends we know not. We may be slain, and have been, but even in death our fea, our... soul? spirit? ... goes to the Halls of Waiting, there to heal and one day take up flesh again.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Xie Lian looked honestly surprised. To find someone who was older than himself, no even better, to be older than Jun Wu, the Heavenly Emperor, was amazing!

He couldn't help it when he reached out a hand and very gently poked Maglor's cheek. He smiled.]

And you don't look a day over 21. Amazing. [The smile gentles.] My own people believe something similar. To do deeds good enough to earn the right to be reborn and not turned into a vengeful spirit.

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor blinks at the poke and laughs softly ]

Why thank you! It's just how we are. [ He shrugs ] We are more like to fade, then age truly, although pain and suffering can leave marks on us.

[ Maglor himself has white, in his hair - he hides it, normally, for it's a mark of the suffering he has endured, and it makes him shy amongst his own people ]

And it's less being reborn and more... taking up again a life interrupted. [ He shrugs ] The other is the strange thing, to me!

[cultivatingdisaster]

[To fade away completely sounded terrifying to Xie Lian...]

Pain and suffering can have that effect on people...

[He smiles.]

You have not vengeful spirits or ghosts in your world?

[bythewaves]

We do, although they aren't... mm. Natural, if you like. We aren't meant to linger in the world - it's dangerous, when there are Necromancers about, who might capture a wayward soul and bind them. But also... we're meant to be Incarnate - to have flesh. To be without... it's risky. Eventually, one starts to... crave it. Any way one can get it.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Well that was terrifying... Though then he thought about Qi Rong and the other ghosts of Ghost City and those vendors all along the street...]

Ah...

Isn't that the nature of ghosts? Though I know not all... [San Lang never had. As far as he knew...]

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor shrugs a little ]

I'm no expert. But the Unhoused ... without the protection of flesh, it's far too dangerous to remain in Arda. Most of the Unhoused forget who they are swiftly, and soon enough only know hunger. Some of the stronger may keep coherency longer, but... with a Necromancer and his allies around, even the strongest might be corrupted. The most dangerous can still speak, and those... the Enemy tended to make out of the stronger of our people.

We learnt swiftly to ignore the voices that call in the darkest parts of the night, and to carry light with us at all times. Most of our blades too our smiths worked warding spells into to fight them.

[cultivatingdisaster]

[Alright then, those creatures sounded nothing like the ghosts or demons from his own. They sounded far more terrifying, in fact.]

If I ever visit your world I will keep all of this in mind, my friend. That sounds truly horrific!

[bythewaves]

[ His world has some Really Dark sections, this is true ]

With Morgoth cast out beyond the walls of the world, and Sauron now destroyed, it should get better, now. [ He murmurs ] But aye, there are places where it is unwise to walk after dark still.

[cultivatingdisaster]

I hope you're correct and things get better for you.

[And suddenly he had a much greater respect for San Lang and what he did as the Ghost King of Ghost City. Having him running things and being the lord of ghosts was he best case scenario it seemed. Even better if you happened to be on good terms with him. Xie Lian had never been afraid to walk after dark, but he had even less of a reason to now.]

My own world is a little less chaotic by comparison, at least it usually is. When I left things had been thrown into disorder... I really do hope that time has stopped and hasn't continued on without me.

[bythewaves]

We all do! [ He agrees ] It will be good to have some peace.

[ He nods, understanding ]

Are there people waiting for you?

[cultivatingdisaster]

Waiting for me? [Now that was a good question...]

If time has stopped back home, then yes. If it's continued, I think at least one person might be looking for a way to find me. [If they were able to stop disaster at least. If not then the others might have their hands too full to worry about a little Scrap God.]

The last of my family died 800 years ago. In recent months I think I've made a friend or two? I would like to believe that my being gone would missed but at the same time I've gone hundreds of years without being noticed, it makes no difference to me.

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor hums, eyes gentling in sympathy ]

It's hard to be the one left behind. [ He murmurs ]

I hope that you find other friends, however! And I am glad that you have, at least, the one!

[cultivatingdisaster]

It was at first. But over time it became easier.

[And his parents were in a better place, he believed. He smiled.]

I have you, my friend. And that is good enough for me now.

[bythewaves]

But it still hurts, eh? A scar is still a scar.

[ He smiles shyly ]

I am glad to be your friend, Xie Lian. Here, and after, if we are allowed.