video | merriment 15

[jingyeets]

( Jingyi anchored, and thus he's still tired. Very tired. Flopping between areas and people to nap with kind of tired. It hasn't resolved yet, and he hates that, but he can't let him not get around to important questions.

Which is why he's on camera as crossed legs only, laying down on the bench with the ICP swiveled his direction. It's almost like he's shy... but no, he's not, he's just exhausted. )

Everything was a mess and all of us there had strange illusion things to deal with before things went really bad, but I have a question. About my friend.

( A pause. He does, in fact, literally mean this about a friend. )

Say he was in a situation where... certain boundaries were willingly crossed, but what it meant in the illusion was different from what it means outside of the illusion. And explaining what that means and how it's different is kind of important to the one they were crossed with.

( For both sides, but he's more worried about his friend than he is the other guy, for various biased reasons he has no regrets over. )

How do you handle when people here do casual things with 'dating,' but I'm from—he's from—a place where you definitely don't?

Comments

[jingyeets]

My cabin.

( He settles back... then flops over, sighing. )

Ready to sleep again, only to wake up, and sleep more.

[wenyuan]

Ah so you wouldn't wish for a glass of water to talk about this matter privately?

[He knows that Jingyi should be resting after everything that's happened but he wants to give his friend that option.]

[jingyeets]

Water is nice and yes I was assuming to at least be some amount of subtle, thank you!

( he is grumpy, and it's definitely in his voice without any bite to it. )

[wenyuan]

[He chuckles softly]

Of course.

[He makes his way to the kitchens to get a class of water before going off to where he suspects his friend to be.]

Jingyi?

[jingyeets]

( he waited until he heard Sizhui call his name to haul himself to his feet and shuffle to the door, opening it for his friend. he's stifling another yawn behind his raised hand. )

C'min.

( then shuffles towards his narrow bunk again. )

i never got this notif wtf

[wenyuan]

[He sees the tired state of his friend and follows before offering the glass of water]

Seems as if the mission this time has certainly made you tired.

yeah they're being real bad lately

[jingyeets]

( From his bunk, after turning himself into a position where he can accept the water, he lifts it using both hands and takes a sip. )

It was anchoring. Keep dreaming, rainbow rivers 'n stuff.

sigh

[wenyuan]

Dreaming? Did they keep you dreaming the whole time?

[jingyeets]

( He waves his hand while taking another sip of water, which looks like ineffectual flopping from the wrist rather than anything else. Once he's swallowed: )

No, dreams since. Was all this... illusion nonsense there. Then monsters, then Chaos, then evacuations.

[wenyuan]

[He's upset that he missed on this mission.]

They sound like pleasant dreams if there are rainbow rivers.

[jingyeets]

( He very nearly chokes on his water at that. )

Seriously?

( Sizhui, really? He's a little amused, and a lot I don't know how to describe how overwhelming it all was. )

[wenyuan]

Why don't you start from the beginning so I can understand better?

[He makes himself comfortable and is all ears]

[jingyeets]

When less tired.

( He admits, practically melting after he sets the water glass down on the table attached to the wall between the two bunks. )

Way too much, right now. I'm forgetting things.

( He rubs the heels of his hands against his eyes. )

Not tracking thoughts right, you know?

[wenyuan]

[His eyes widen and he suddenly stands up]

Why were you posting on the network instead of resting? Aiyo, Jingyi...

[jingyeets]

'Cause your didi was dating in the illusion!

( He says this emphatically from where he's now mostly laying down. )

Sizhui, I know they didn't just hold hands!

( Wen Sizhui do you Understand this Distress from a Lan, do you know much of anything about the ribbons or the whole concept of Lan courtships being until death do we part? )

[wenyuan]

[His didi. His didi who is a Lan. His didi who is a Lan like Jingyi is a Lan. His eyes widen as it sinks in.]

B-but it was an illusion, right?

[jingyeets]

The lives we thought we lived, yeah, but not the people.

( He is melted. He's barely moving on his narrow mattress, only flicking a glance toward Sizhui. )

Or the lives we lived once we arrived. ( Another pause: ) Remind me to tell you about this thing called 'pole dancing' sometime.

[wenyuan]

Did he--?

[He motions at his forehead because if Sizhui did--]

[jingyeets]

No? I don't think so, our ribbons weren't--they didn't have meaning until we saw through the illusion.

( he thinks. he's fairly sure the ribbon wasn't gifted or untied by Dennis, at least? )

[wenyuan]

...Even so, Xian-gege always said that Lans do not show anything that is like affection beyond friendship unless that person is their fated person.

[He looks at Jingyi]

Who was it?

[jingyeets]

( Jingyi, while enjoying gossip, won't trade in other people's secrets. It's gotta be open knowledge to wield as he pleases, so he sighs where he lays, looking at this friend who is also the friend in another form that he's talking about )

You've gotta ask him. That part is his story to tell.

( or not tell, though he suspects Sizhui is probably a comfort to himself. )

[wenyuan]

[He nods]

Did anyone else ah..see them?

[jingyeets]

... I don't know. It's not like I stalked then on their date, or dates, or whatever.

( no he just waited at the top of the stairs in his pjs to give Dennis the Eyeball for returning what he thought of as his little brother home too late without word. (

[wenyuan]

[How is he supposed to know? Sizhui looks at the ground, wide eyed, as he calculates what's going on]

If he was with this person, were you still friends in this illusion?

[jingyeets]

He was my didi.

( He says this with a sigh from where he lays. )

'stead of my shidi.