jikan_rpg | January Catch-All (Open)

[ Kizuna: serval ears and tail. ]

[ Kizuna: None as of yet. ]

[ Kizuna: lion ears and tail, reflective eyes when the light hits them. ]

[ Kizuna: Big black and silver dragon (Western style with wings) with pearly white and gold down his spine and along his throat, huge horns on his head, and can sometimes even be found in full dragon form. ]

[ Kizuna: Tri-colored eyes, feathers in his hair, and can sometimes be found in full raven form. ]

[Jin Guangyao was ready. He was wearing a large coat with nothing but a black and silver lingere set underneath. He popped into Nie Mingjue's room, cheerfully climbing onto him.]

Happy Birthday, Dage! Time to unwrap your present!

[Of course he has a three meal course of his favorites prepared as well.]

[ Mingjue knows that Guangyao has a room of his own in the Unclean Realm but he was thinking about changing that, for good. He's sure that the other wouldn't mind it. He also, honestly, hadn't thought about his birthday. More due to how long it had been since celebrating it.

He sees the other slip into his room and climb up onto him, his hands resting on the other's hips over that coat, laughter in his eyes. ]

Is that what time it is, A-Yao?

[ He turns them a bit so that the other is slightly under him, kissing him. ]

I will happily unwrap my present. I do, however, have a question for you, A-Yao.

[He kissed him back deeply, wiggling happily on his lap. He hoped that he could help him have a good day today. Full of sex and good food.]

Mmmhmm. What question did you want to ask my love?

[He nuzzled up next to his neck, rumbling deep in his chest.]

[ Even though he'd changed their positions he feels the other wiggle happily around against him. That kiss, however, is deepened. ]

Would you like to move into my room with me?

[ Even as he asks he presses his hands a bit more firmly on the other's hips before moving to undo the coat. ]

[He loved kissing him. He tasted like home.]

A-Are you sure? I would hate to bother you. I wake up really early to set up the shop.

[The coat slipped showing off his pale shoulders and the bit of lingerie.]

Ouyang spent his day in the usual way: training and hunting. Today had been a good day and, with Gerel's help, he'd secured a deer for dinner. Oh, sure, he still had to butcher the animal, but it would still make a meal for the evening once done. He rode back from the wilderness with the animal across the back of his horse and his bird on his arm. He took great care in seeing to his hunting animals after the hunt.

Once he finished in those tasks, there was still an afternoon to fill. That was time he dedicated to his lovers: to catching up with them on their day's news and activities, to eating with them, to having tea with them. It was all very routine and he enjoyed that he had so much time for them.

Spying Mingye as he made his way back toward their home, he waved to the man in his tree (because where else would Ouyang find him?).

"Come down, xin gan, I have news!"

If Mingye wasn't out with one of his lovers or off flying around then he was up in his tree. That didn't say that he didn't get out of the house when he wanted to or roam around the city. However, he tended to stick close to him and around to those that he loved.

Seeing Ouyang has him giving a soft smile. It's not a surprise that the General found him up in the tree. Trees were a place of peace for him. It had been somewhere he'd go in order to relax, to get away. Or he'd be found leaning up against a tree drinking wine. That, however, had only been back home dealing with his old man.

Using his dark energy he jumps down and allows his feet to softly hit the ground. "I'm going to kiss you," he tells him before moving over and doing just that. Then those eyes look toward the hunting bird," Hello, Gerel."

Then he turns back to his love and kisses him again, "What news do you have?"

Ouyang smiled gently, leaning in for his promised kiss.

Then he adds, a little shyly, "You don't have to announce it anymore, xin gan. I accept your affections without hesitation." Which was true! He no longer needed to be warned if he were to be kissed or held by his two lovers. They were his chosen partners who had always respected his boundaries. How could he not be comfortable with them after all this time together?

"We are moving from the Four Seasons Manor. I do not know exactly when or where, yet."

There's a soft smile even as he leans in to kiss him.

That shyness, however, has that smile brightening a bit," I know that I don't have to announce it anymore." Now? He thinks it was a habit that he did it. Even though he knows that Ouyang accepted his affection without any hesitation.

The mention of moving from the Four Seasons Manor has him giving a nod," As long as I am with you two I don't care where we go." That? It would always be true. Ouyang and Runyu meant the world to him.

"Did something happen that I don't know about?" Something that made the decision for them to move. Not that he needs a reason but he was curious.

He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't feel right gossiping. Ouyang pressed his lips together and decided to explain, at least his part of it.

"There is a frequent guest of the masters who has run afoul of me indirectly. I think perhaps he has done so with Runyu, as well. When the matter arose, we decided it was best to distance ourselves and get a home that's all our own."

It was understandable when one did not want to gossip. Gossip was something that tended to harm a person. They'd both probably dealt with a lot of that before they showed up in this place.

When Ouyang starts talking, though, he dutifully listens. Hearing that someone had run afoul of the man before him and perhaps even to Runyu he isn't happy. No one had a right to do that, with either of them, indirectly or not.

"Understandable, A-Yang. I would not want either of you around someone like that. Yes, you both can take care of yourselves but no one would be doing something like that. So, it'll be better that we have a home away from the Four Seasons. A home that is just our own."

"We will leave soon." Thankfully, between the three of them they still didn't have a lot. A few personal items, tea, furniture... And furniture could be replaced if needed.

"We are looking for a good portion of land to build a stable and have training grounds. I wish to continue teaching my pupil there."

They had never truly needed much between the three of them. Or if they needed something then Runyu tended to supply it for them. Their immortal materializing things out of nowhere. If they did need anything else then they could retrieve it. He, himself, had enough money to toss at whatever they wanted or need. The money he'd received from this place had barely been used save for a time or two.

"Are you going to teach them how to ride too?" It's asked even as he gives the man who holds his heart a smile. He did not, after all, know if this pupil of Ouyang's knew how to ride.

"If that is something he wishes to learn." For now, they're focusing on his swordsmanship.

"He is not a big man and he was told that he could not be strong enough, that he needed protecting. We plan to prove any who think that wrong. I will teach him whichever martial arts he wants to learn from me."

If the man wanted it then he could see Ouyang teaching him many different things. Whether it be the sword, riding a horse, or a using a bow. His love was diverse in many different types of fighting styles. A very strong man in every way as far as Mingye was concerned.

"One does not have to be a big man to be strong." Nor did it mean that they needed to be protected. "You know that if you ever wish for any help then I will help in whatever way I can," he tells him. Even if it meant using the dark energy as a bit of target practice.

Those eyes watch him," He has a good teacher and I am sure he will come out proving everyone wrong who thinks such things."

Home from his sojourn at the hotel, Cheng's quiet and subdued around the house. It's not until he's certain that his sister isn't terribly busy that he makes her tea and some simple cakes and offers it to her, wanting to talk. Feeling lost, he's hoping that she will spare some wisdom so he can know what the hell he's supposed to do.

When her brother comes home she does take note of how subdued her brother is. That? It meant that something was going on. So, when he does make tea and those simple cakes she gives her brother a tight hug before moving back, leading him to the couch.

Once they're sitting down she looks toward her brother," A-Cheng?"

He takes his time pouring out the tea for them, still at a loss on how to word it properly. "Since I arrived here, I have been very lost. I was lost and angry about how I saw so many people with their loved ones here. I watched how easily they adapted to this place, the changes they forced us into."

Cheng glances up at his sister's ears and then looks away, sighing. "Everyone adapted so well, so effortlessly, and I've always felt...trapped in the past. Unable to find my place in the future." He takes a sip of his tea, looking at the color of the liquid as he speaks. "And now, after being here for more than a year, I find that...I find that I have changed, but the people around me haven't as much as I thought they did. I've lost lovers, friends, advisors, family. I've learned more about myself than I care to know, sometimes. When Wuxian came back, we fought. It was bad, A-jie. He said that he came from a time later than mine. And that he married Wanji back home. And he didn't invite me to the wedding. After all that happened, nothing changed."

Cheng started fiddling with the cup, unable to drink, unable to keep still. "But that's what we've always done, right? We fight, we bicker, we cool down and go on with our lives, and usually that meant we continued on together as if nothing happened. But something happened here and there's no getting past it. He wanted to go button hunting over at Pete's. I tagged along to make certain he'd stay out of trouble. And Will and Riley were there."

His expression shifted, softening as he looked up at his sister. "And they're nice, A-jie. And kind and they give me time to muddle through things and let me decide what I want or don't want and--I wanted to show him that I didn't need someone to watch over me. At this point, I'm older than you and him, I've been a sect leader, I've protected a people, been responsible for their well being. And I have something for myself here. They didn't take me to bed as soon as they saw me. None us were tangled in a curse or had a yokai attached to us that needed removing. We weren't drugged the moment we saw each other. And any person I've been with here? That's what happened. I had been drugged with uki when Huaisang found me. Wen Qing had an akayashi on her when she arrived. And Tay and I were both drugged at some bar he trusted someone said was safe.

"But when Wuxian saw me with Riley and Will, he decided that he wasn't welcome there. And he just left. And I keep being drawn back to what he said back home-the last time I saw him. That he wanted to try being brothers in the next life. So there's nothing here for us? Is that how I'm supposed to take it?"

Cheng frowned, looking back at his cup again. "I don't know what's worse. That he once again left and chose not to be my brother? Or...that I don't want to chase him anymore?"

Yanli listens as her brother talks, knows that he needs to get whatever is on his mind off his chest. This? She can supply her brother with no matter how hard or heavy the subject.

Even as he talks about when he first showed up in this place she remembers how she'd shown up. Knows that if not for her husband and brother that she'd probably have slipped into a shell she could never get out of and she's grateful. However, she knows that her brother has suffered a lot since being in this place too. So, she doesn't say anything yet and merely listens. Lets him talk about lost lovers, friends, and even family.

It does surprise her, honestly, to hear that Wuxian hadn't invited the other to the wedding. Though hearing that they fought didn't truly surprise her. She was used to her little brothers getting into it with one another and then making up. That's how they'd always been. She isn't sure how it became after her death though. Things could've changed somewhere in all of that.

So, she sips her tea and listens. "It is. You and A-Xian have always fought and bickered, cooled down, and then made up." That's the brothers she knows and remembers. They left whatever bad day they had behind them and started a new day, stronger than before.

It also doesn't surprise her that her baby brother would want to go with their brother to make sure he stayed out of trouble. That? It doesn't seem like anything new.

The mention of Will and Riley, how nice they were, has her giving a soft smile. Especially hearing that they give Cheng time to his own thoughts. That they let him decide. It isn't some magic of this place.

His mention of being older than her was true. No matter how she looked at it her baby brother was older than her. They'd been young during that battle and were all older, him especially. She was, honestly, happy that her brother found people, two of them even, that respected him and let him be himself. To let him go through whatever he needed to and just be there to support him.

"I don't know why he left or what made him feel unwelcome but I don't feel that there's nothing here for you two. I don't know if any of this can be fixed and I won't promise that it will be, I can't make that promise. However, as your brother he should be happy for you. I'm happy for you. That you have two wonderful people who support you," she states softly.

She takes a sip of her tea before putting the cup down and moves over to her baby brother, kissing his temple," I'm sure that both feelings are bad, A-Cheng, and you have every right to feel the way you do."

Moving around she kneels down in front of him and takes the cup, setting it aside before taking his hands," You're not that little boy anymore, A-Cheng. You're not that boy that wanted big brother's attention all the time. You're a strong and capable man. You're a man that Ba would've been proud of. Besides, you shouldn't have to chase anyone, not even family."

"I know this is hard. I know this hurts but this time, A-Cheng, you need to let him come to you. If he does then you know there's some semblance of hope there. If he doesn't then you know where he stands. This is a battle that could have many outcomes but no matter what outcome it has I am here for you. Your friends, Will and Riley, I'm sure are here for you too."

"You're too kind, but we both know our parents are not proud of me." There was no reason--at least they never showed they were proud of him in life, so why would it be different after they died? Half the things Cheng did after they died he wasn't proud of! Why should they be different?

"That's the problem, A-jie. I'm not hurting-I mean I was, but now? I'm numb. I don't care." That was probably the thing that bothered him the most. "I don't care if he comes, or not, or what his opinion of me is anymore. I suppose before I had hoped there was a chance of reconciling because I hadn't known that he would do what he did. But now I know. I'm not important enough. I'm not his family. I'm not worth the same sacrifices or even similar ones, he made for a people he barely knew." He stated all of this as fact. And to him, it was.

"He died and he was revived. In theory, this is his next life. And he doesn't want me in it. There is no brotherhood here." Days ago, he might have sobbed pitifully about it, but now, he simply feels empty.

Cheng's not certain if this conversation was helping. He felt like not all of it was coming out and what he did want to say, he couldn't. It was a lump stuck in his throat and so much of his self rebelled against it. To renounce everything he once killed for, filial and pious and everything a cultivator should be, was not what he wanted to do. But it also seemed, wrong to just pick and choose what he wanted to keep-what he felt safe with, and not deal with the uncomfortable things, anymore.

She doesn't believe that. Doesn't believe that their father wouldn't be proud of Cheng. Yes, there were probably things that her baby brother wasn't proud of but he'd ran the Jiang Sect. He'd led their people and took care of them. Their father would be proud of him for that. She couldn't say much for their mother, she was a hard woman to please.

Hearing Cheng mention how he was numb and that he didn't care broke her heart. "You will always be important, if not to him than to me." That? She wants her baby brother to know and hear. He would always be important to her. Cheng and Wuxian were two boys that she practically raised herself. So, this? It hurts on a level she never truly thought possible.

Was this really Wuxian's next life? Cheng had mentioned that their brother had wanted to try and be brothers again. How was this doing that? However, she knows that it doesn't fall on her baby brother. He can't hold the world on his shoulders. It wasn't his job to do anymore. Here? He was just Jiang Wanyin, her baby brother. He wasn't a sect leader. Wasn't a warrior. He was just... him.

"I don't know what I can do to help, A-Cheng, but know that you always have me. No matter what happens. No matter what decisions you make, you have me. I will always care for you and love you. You're my baby brother."

She gives his hands a firm squeeze," I want you happy and safe. I have always wanted you happy and safe." Those eyes look toward him and she takes a deep breath before letting it out," If that means you have to let go of A-Xian then that's what you need to do. Even more so if it means you get to be happy. To have the support that you need. Just remember that I am always here. I will always be in your corner."

Even family, unfortunately, could be toxic. Their mother was at times and their father was no better with some of the things he allowed their mother to get away with.

He listened, he truly did! But the other voices in his head were also speaking to him, reminding him of the past, things that happened beyond his control, how he was in the background when those things happened. He wanted a happy ending but knew for a long time that it wouldn't happen. Not everyone had a soulmate. Not everyone had someone to protect them. As much as Yanli said otherwise--

"A-jie, I will always love you," he said softly. "But your duty is to your husband and your son. It's not to me. Being filial in a place where they feel it's somehow outdated is not a simple task. And I'm not going to get in the way of the family you have, regardless of whether they're here or not."

There were other things he wanted to say but he didn't know how to broach them as of yet. Part of him felt like he'd been a fool, railing against an invisible foe at the injustice of not having family here as others had. None of them had grown past their points of existence. Cheng didn't know the best way to handle that fact because it nearly took his breath away.

"I'd like you to meet them, sometime. They're very nice and polite. You'd like them, I think." As people, not because they treated him well. Yes, he liked the fact they treated him well but he also liked that they were their own people and it seemed they were so much freer without the restrictions his culture and custom saddled on him. "Yes, I will admit that they can be forward. But they don't go beyond what I'm comfortable with."

And he's been finding out he's comfortable with a lot more than he originally thought. Who knew?

Her husband nor her son were there. At one point they had been and it had hurt to know that her son hadn't spoken to her, but she'd expected it too, up to a point. She hadn't been there for him and she knew that something like that would take time.

"My duty is to my family and you are family, A-Cheng," She tells him gently. "Do not ever forget that you are my baby brother. The one that I practically raised. I would do it all over again if I had to. But do not ever forget that you're family. So, my duty? It is to you too. It always will be, as your big sister." She reaches up and brushes a hand along his cheek," I would never see you as getting in the way."

No matter what happened in life her duty was to her baby brother too. To the person whom she'd practically raised. Her brother meant the world to her and she hoped that Cheng understood thing. Yes, she loved her husband and son. Both Zixuan and her Jin Ling would always be her family but her brother was family too, he wasn't getting in the way of her happiness. He was a part of her happiness.

"I'd like to meet them sometime," She tells him with a soft smile. If her baby brother thought she'd like them then she was sure that she would. As for them being forward, she's been around long enough to see some people like that and she wouldn't let it get to her.

As long as her baby brother was comfortable and happy then that's what mattered the most to her.

Probably if he wasn't raised the way he had been, he would be quick to point out that he was the elder now. He didn't feel that, though. And the subject change to meeting people he liked was a good one he wasn't going to pass up.

"Good. I'll have to ask them if they're willing to meet," he responded, nodding warmly. Because what else could he do at this time, anyway?

Cheng was older than her now but he would forever be her baby brother. No matter what point he came from he would always be the youngest of the three. Someone that she loved and cared for. She, honestly, wished she'd have been around longer in his life to help him where he'd needed it most.

"Ask them and if they're willing I'd like to meet them, A-Cheng. I think it would be nice to meet your friends, those you care about," She tells him with a warm smile.

Pleased that this was the best outcome that could happen, Cheng smiled and nodded. "Thank you for listening, A-Jie. I'm sorry that Wuxian and I fought. I won't do that again."

And he really wasn't planning to do so, either. To fight, one needed to have contact with their opponent. No contact meant no fighting.

"I will always listen if you need it, A-Cheng."

She didn't need her baby brother to apologize for fighting with Wuxian. Though, the sentiment is nice and she gives him a small smile. They could sit and have their tea.

"I am here if you ever need me."

"I have no doubt of it," Ouyang murmured. Admittedly, Ouyang worked all his life to prove his size didn't represent his strength. Riley seemed to have a similar attitude after being called weak by someone near to him. Everyone starts out weak. Strength wasn't always obvious. Like skill, it sometimes took time to cultivate it.

"Most of the people I have trained did not learn to fight by choice. Park is different in that respect."

He didn't know this was going to happen, really, but now, after everything that's happened, he knew what he needed to do for himself. Part of him was sad that it had come to this but he has had time to think about things and just felt in the end, it was going to be okay.

Cheng's personal belongings had been moved to the new place already, along with his clothes. He carried his satchel over his shoulder and in his hand was the trinket that he had been given: a silver dragon twined around a ring of jade. In all honesty, he thinks the gift was the last piece to his decision making. He wanted to do things for himself and be the person he felt he was outside of sect and duty. Being with people who he knew were dead in his time--as much as he loved them, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a prison of his own making.

But that didn't matter. What did matter was that A-Jie's husband was here and he no longer felt tethered to that duty. Yanli would be okay as Cheng would be okay. Time did not lie about that.

"A-Jie, I'm ready."

It was weird, if she were being honest, to have her baby brother's things moved and gone. She'd gotten so used to him being in the house that it felt like there was a hole in her chest. Before he'd moved in he'd visited as much as possible and then things had gotten crazy for him. Had gotten crazy and she'd taken him in. Now? He was moving and it felt weird, wrong almost.

She was happy, honestly, that her husband was there now. That the place had seen fit to give her Zixuan back. Unfortunately, that didn't mean it felt right not having her baby brother there. Yet, she knows that he'll be safe. That? It was her main priority when it came to him. It didn't matter if he was older than her now, that was still her baby brother. Always would be.

Of course, she comes out to where her brother is making sure he has a container of soup for himself and his companions, when he gets there. It wasn't like he couldn't get that whenever he wanted. She'd make him as much soup as needed, if it came down to it.

"You promise you'll be safe?"

She doesn't want the promise that his companions will keep him safe. Even if she doesn't know them like he does she'll trust that they'll keep him safe. That's not what she needs to hear though.

Her baby brother was grown now, a man who had no business staring into the past and longing for things that could never be again. That was what he learned and...it had taken a long time to learn it.

"I promise not to cause excess trouble." He'll be safe enough. But he knows better than to make promises he couldn't possibly keep because there was more than just him around. "And I'll visit, you know. As long as Wuxian isn't here at the same time."

That was a hard pill to swallow. No matter the fact he had received the cookies from Wei Wuxian, Cheng still felt a rift that he's fairly certain could not be mended any time soon. Wuxian made his choice. Cheng needed to respect that.

He was all grown up now and she knows that. It won't stop the worry though. At the mention of promising not to cause any excess trouble, however, she gives a soft smile. That? She knows is the best he can give than an outright promise. Even if that wasn't what she'd wanted a promise of. All she wanted was for him to be safe and happy, that was it.

It also doesn't surprise her that he'll only visit if Wei Wuxian wasn't there. This? The rift between them hurts but she understands. Her brothers made their choices and they both needed to respect those choices. She would respect it as well. "When you visit I'll let you know if he's here or not." Or they could just meet at Lotus and Peony, but that wouldn't feel right. Not when Cheng had lived with her for so long.

She reaches up and brushes her fingers over her brother's cheek before leaning up to kiss it. "We'll have to go to the park. You still have a lot to teach me," she teases.

"Do I?" He asked with a bit of a lopsided smirk. He closed his eyes as he accepts the kiss, taking her hands into his own. "When it's warmer out. I don't want you to get sick. Besides, wouldn't Zixuan want to train you himself?"

As more people arrived from his time, he didn't know really where he belonged. But he wanted to find out and he knew he couldn't find that out here.

"You do." There was no ifs, ands, or buts about that one. Her baby brother had a lot to teach her. She's learned quite a bit from him in fact. "I promise that I'll wait until it's warmer out." She knows that her brother worries about her getting sick. After all, she didn't have a strong golden core like her brother or even like her husband.

"I can't be taught by both of you? The Jiang and Jin style both?" She counters giving the hands holding her own a slight squeeze. "He can't train me in the styles of our home, A-Cheng. Only you can do that."

"Perhaps I should find some war fans, then. I know they were used to start the youngest disciples on balance and to assist them in acclimating them to our fighting style but...I liked them." He liked his mentor, most of all. He was strict and firm, but fair. He allowed Cheng to be who he was and praised him for his skill. When swords were introduced, the 'beginner fan lessons' were dropped. Cheng had never wanted to drop them. But, as an heir to the sect, it wouldn't do to have him know only the fan.

It was also the one thing Wuxian never really had any interest in, so eager he was to prove of himself with the jian. It felt like the one thing Cheng could have as his.

"War fans would actually come in handy," She tells him with a bit of a smile. There were times, when their mother wasn't hovering, that she'd watch her brother and the disciples as they trained. So, she knows how her brother's mentor was. At least in this place she didn't have to worry about gender or if it was good for a woman to use a weapon or not. She knows that her brother wouldn't take that from her nor would her husband.

That smile brightens a bit," Maybe, if you ever decide on it, you could start a school to teach with the war fans." Or with swords or both. "As long as you're happy and it's what you want to do."

"Maybe." He couldn't deny that it was appealing in its own way. But he'd have to think about it. There were other things that were happening and with the move and trying to figure out his place in the Eastern Kingdom was going to take up a lot of his time. Once the snows melted, he'd move his wine slushie cart there, too.

"I'll let you know when I'm settled in, A-Jie. Take care of Zixuan. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

January Catch-All (Open)

Gu Xiang

Ji Chong

Jiang Yanli

Nie Mingjue

Yu Mingye

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