Shen Qingqiu 【沈九】 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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isleofavalon2021-06-15 07:50 pm
originalshen) wrote in isleofavalon2021-06-15 07:50 pm
Entry tags:
june catchall
🧙 WHO: Shen Qingqiu and you?
⚔️️ WHAT: Exploring the strange new land that is Camelot.
🕒 WHEN: All of June
🗺️ WHERE: places (mostly the red spring)
⚠️ WARNINGS: none
Arrival
[Getting dunked in a lake having made an incredibly terrible first impression of this new world he's found himself in, Shen Qingqiu decided in that first minute that he hated this place, and has managed to stubbornly stick to that opinion all the way into town. Despite his refusal to cheer up, however, he does realize the need to figure out the lay of the land and get a better idea of his situation. The architecture here is strange, as is the technology, and despite all misgivings he finds himself keeping close to his familiar as he wanders. (Despite its intimidating appearance, the creature is only about four feet tall.)
While he's willing enough to learn, he isn't particularly willing to actually talk to anyone, which means there's a lot of "window shopping" being done as he casually wanders past stores and homes and vehicles, while surreptitiously focusing a large portion of his attention on the people more familiar with living here. If anyone tries to approach him, well...he's new enough to keep himself civil.]
Frustration
[It's only a matter of time before he goes looking for a quiet area and tries to figure out what happened to his powers. He goes through a few sword forms, confirming the fact that while his martial abilities are still intact (of course), his spiritual energy seems to be...well. Unusable? And while he can still feel a connection with his sword, it no longer seems able to respond to his commands....
What passersby will likely see is simply a man doing a lot of very pretty martial arts techniques with a beautifully crafted sword, occasionally tossing it up and doing a few hand motions and catching it again without a hitch, only to frown at the thing like it's failed him somehow.]
...This place must be cursed, I swear.
Bonus
[Wildcard option! Catch him enjoying the springs perhaps, or sitting somewhere fanning himself and looking needlessly elegant, or reading a book with a flowery-looking cover and looking increasingly more horrified as he goes, or fiddling with his new phone like a technologically inept grandma, or...hesitantly reaching out to pet his familiar when he thinks nobody's looking....]
⚔️️ WHAT: Exploring the strange new land that is Camelot.
🕒 WHEN: All of June
🗺️ WHERE: places (mostly the red spring)
⚠️ WARNINGS: none
Arrival
[Getting dunked in a lake having made an incredibly terrible first impression of this new world he's found himself in, Shen Qingqiu decided in that first minute that he hated this place, and has managed to stubbornly stick to that opinion all the way into town. Despite his refusal to cheer up, however, he does realize the need to figure out the lay of the land and get a better idea of his situation. The architecture here is strange, as is the technology, and despite all misgivings he finds himself keeping close to his familiar as he wanders. (Despite its intimidating appearance, the creature is only about four feet tall.)
While he's willing enough to learn, he isn't particularly willing to actually talk to anyone, which means there's a lot of "window shopping" being done as he casually wanders past stores and homes and vehicles, while surreptitiously focusing a large portion of his attention on the people more familiar with living here. If anyone tries to approach him, well...he's new enough to keep himself civil.]
Frustration
[It's only a matter of time before he goes looking for a quiet area and tries to figure out what happened to his powers. He goes through a few sword forms, confirming the fact that while his martial abilities are still intact (of course), his spiritual energy seems to be...well. Unusable? And while he can still feel a connection with his sword, it no longer seems able to respond to his commands....
What passersby will likely see is simply a man doing a lot of very pretty martial arts techniques with a beautifully crafted sword, occasionally tossing it up and doing a few hand motions and catching it again without a hitch, only to frown at the thing like it's failed him somehow.]
...This place must be cursed, I swear.
Bonus
[Wildcard option! Catch him enjoying the springs perhaps, or sitting somewhere fanning himself and looking needlessly elegant, or reading a book with a flowery-looking cover and looking increasingly more horrified as he goes, or fiddling with his new phone like a technologically inept grandma, or...hesitantly reaching out to pet his familiar when he thinks nobody's looking....]
wildcard frustration?
Thus he'd decided to make a little spending money and bring home dinner, when he runs across a man practicing his sword work. He stops and watches for a moment, before opining: ]
Mm, nice sword dance.
[ Because that's.... what you're doing, right? With an ornamental sword and so many flourishes, it's not the type of thing that would perform too well in an actual fight. ]
no subject
Thank you. [It might as well just be a dance, at this point...] And are you making this observation as someone with a knowledge of sword techniques, or simply a passing admirer?
no subject
Perhaps the only thing that might belie the fact that he isn't a harmless scholar is the long iron rod, resting jauntily on his shoulder.
He chuckles. ]
Just an admirer.
[ He nods, and starts to go on his way. A few steps, and he hesitates. He looks back, over his shoulder. ]
Say, why don't you come along with me?
[ Come to think of it, he'd rather not get kraken guts on his windslasher, that ornamental sword ought to be good for something. ]
no subject
Rather than chuckling, his vague frown tilts a little further downwards for a second before he manages to rein it in again.]
And where exactly are you planning to go, if I may ask?
no subject
[ The man must be a new arrival, as he hasn't seen the man around town before. Breakfast is free at the inn, Gu Yun knows, but people are on their own for other meals, and there's otherwise no allowance. Many new arrivals go hungry before they figure things out. ]
Come on, I could use another set of hands.
[ He moves to clap a friendly hand on the man's shoulder. ]
no subject
He still thinks it over though - better to get info and experience from a resident than wander aimlessly around in this unfamiliar setting - and finally manages a slight nod.]
As much as I may be willing to follow along, sir, I'd prefer that you not act so familiarly with me when we have only just met. [Emphasis on the Sir. Who even are you?]
no subject
[ He laughs off the evading move, thinking to himself, this man must be very anxious. Or he’s just really, really stiff. Or—most likely—both.
He turns and starts down the street once more. ]
Gu. Gu Xi Zi. You are—?
no subject
He follows the man down the street, walking shoulder to shoulder.]
My name is Shen Qingqiu. [Should he say it? He should probably say it.] ...I'm recently arrived in this...province, and am still rather unfamiliar with its. Local attributes. So would you mind explaining where exactly you aim to obtain this gold you speak of? [Honestly he probably should've asked before accepting but WHATEVER he's not turning around now!]
back from the wars (1/2)
Robbery.
[ He turns a corner, onto an adjoining street, still chattering on: ]
If you prove to be an able accomplice, I might let you join our bandit group. It's decent work, not too dangerous, and—
no subject
[ He knows the address, but he'll hardly have to check the house numbers. The place in question is very obvious, principally by the number of gigantic tentacles sticking out from the windows, making a mess of the flower boxes.
After staring for a moment, he clears his throat–as if this were all perfectly normal—and turns back to his companion. ]
Well, this the place. Come on.
no subject
Before he can actually voice any real opinion on the subject though, they reach the target and...well. He can't help frowning at the tentacle house. (Was he not frowning before? Of course he was, but it's morphed from a frown of Disapproval to a frown of WTF.]
......Is this your idea of a joke?
no subject
Nope! That's a real kraken. They fry up nicely, I'm told.
[ A bulbous black eye looks down at them from one of the upper windows; it's almost as big as the opening. An instant later, one of the creature's tentacles swipe down, striking at Gu Yun, who manages to dodge deftly out of grasping range.
He straightens his robes and glances back at Shen Qingqiu. ]
Mm, your dancing skills should come in handy.
[ Meanwhile, the tentacle rears back, to take another swipe at them. ]
no subject
All that aside, it's the comment on his dancing skills that finally gets him to scowl for real, even as he turns his attention to dodging the creature's tentacles.]
I'm not a dancer, I'll have you know!
[As he slashes his sword at the thing...]
no subject
There's no shame in being a male performer, all professions are the same.
[ Did he call you a brothel worker? Yes, yes he did.
Meanwhile, the kraken's tentacles start flailing wildly: it's completely enraged. The house shakes. It's unclear if the structure will survive this, honestly. Another tentacle swipes down at them. Gu Yun reaches for it with his hand and grabs it, holding the thing in place for his companion to slice with his pretty sword.
Gu Yun is using kinetic magic, of course; but it's important to do this kind of thing with style, thus he is making it look like he's simply exerting his own strength. ]
no subject
[He cuts off, not because he's at a loss for words or anything dumb like that, but because the kraken's wild flailing is rather forcefully demanding his attention. He'll get back to you later, you...you hooligan!!
(Mentally he is using much more inappropriate language than "hooligan".)
Thoughts aside though, he does cooperate in the battle, slicing that tentacle when given the chance, scowling extra hard at the fact this man seems noticeably stronger than Shen Qingqiu's current level, and moving on to execute a few masterful strokes of swordsmanship against a few more of those tentacular targets before making another attempt at using sword qi and getting...well.
The partially ravaged flowers in that window box seem to be looking a little healthier? Not that he's noticed, he's just scowling harder than ever now.]
no subject
I was hoping we could cut off one or two more, but this might be the limit of what I can carry...
[ He rubs his chin. ]
All right, I've decided. We're going to the fish monger.
no subject
Are you telling me you simply plan to leave it here?
[Pointing his sword at the mess. An entire kraken? In some random person's house?? Hello???]
no subject
Cheerfully: ]
Of course not, we'll come back to finish it off.
[ Using kinetic magic, he lifts the whole stack of twitching tentacles with a finger. ]
It's just that these are worth more if they're fresh. Besides, right now it's agitated and angry. If we chase it into the house when it's cornered and wounded, who knows what will happen? Wait a bit, after the pain of its wounds has begun to set in, and it's weakened from blood loss. Then we'll go kill it.
[ He starts down the street, towards the market, carrying his burden. ]
If it chooses to escape while we're gone, that's even better. Little dancer, the best battle is one you don't have to fight.
[ The "little" dancer being at least half a head taller than Gu Yun, but. Details. ]
no subject
It takes
a lotsome effort to keep a straight face, but he manages it, following behind with a short delay.]I see you're quite the knowledgeable profiteer, if somewhat lacking in integrity. But ah, I suppose such a thing would be a burden for your career, more often than not.
no subject
That's true.
[ He glances at Shen Qingqiu sidelong and smiles at the man. ]
So I take it that means you don't want to split the gold with me?
no subject
And risk further lowering what remaining integrity you have? Though I certainly understand why you'd have hope enough to ask.
[When'd this folding fan show up in his hand? Did he have it all along?? Anyway he's leisurely fanning himself with his non-sword hand.]
Wildcard: that flowery looking book
So he's already trying to think of what sort of book that might be and why the man reading it seems to be so horrified. It could be anything, really.
So he walked closer to get a better look.]
What are you reading?
how dare you
...A book I found on my person when I arrived. [Feels like he can't just say "none of your business" here.] It appears to be the kind of garbage people occasionally sell on the streets.
Then I was late in replying after daring.
Oh, you mean it's a yellow book? [He sounds completely unembarrassed about that. His own disciples have been charged with buying such "garbage" for him on occasion. It builds character.] Is it garbage because of the nature of the work or the quality of it?
and then i was double late
He also might be frowning a tiny bit uncertainly at this man's response.] Is "both" not a valid supposition? I'm certainly not the type of man who would find interest in such crass material.
no subject
How interesting.]
I wouldn't know what your taste in literature just from seeing you for the first time. After all, you cannot judge a man based on only their appearance.
no subject
[A tiny false smile.]
And to whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking? You certainly seem quite sociable, unfamiliar as we are.
no subject
Given that everyone here is from all different places, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to if I only speak to people I am familiar with.
[Still, he does give a proper greeting with a shallow bow.]
This one is Fengyu Gate's Sect leader, Yun Yifeng. [Then he straightened again.] May I ask who I'm speaking with?
no subject
He knows his manners though, and gets up to return the bow with an equally shallow one on his part, tucking the book back into his sleeve in the process.]
Cangqiong Mountain's Qingjing Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu, at your service. [He raises his head, still smiling, if no more genuinely than before.] I'm afraid I've never heard of your Fengyu Gate - would it be safe to assume the reverse is true as well?