TDM #6

[labyrinmods]

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.

When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.

Will you drink it or not?

There is a parchment, handwritten, and it simply gives you a welcoming:

“Welcome to my Labyrinth. Per our agreement, you have consented to live your life here for an undetermined amount of time. In exchange, I will grant you the wish that you desire the most.”

You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: holly and bluebells.

Standing too close to the bluebells for too long or smelling them will make a Dreamer unable to refuse requests. This can last for however long a player may wish, whether it be for a few days or just a few minutes. The holly, however, also gives off a strange effect when getting too close to it: Dreamers will feel compelled to be more helpful & outgoing, no matter how gloomy and closed off they are. This effect can also last for a few days or a few minutes-- it is up to the player!

Eventually, Dreamers will find their way out of the Enchanted Garden and into the city of Somnius, whether it be by following the alluring light or on their own.

Webby's Sleepover Extravaganza

It’s funny how if you ask for something, sometimes that’s all it takes to have it given to you. Maybe Webby is just that lucky, or Vaeros is feeling just that generous the day it’s requested but for two days and one night only in the beginning of the month of November, a large castle stands where one didn’t before. It’s grand in that it doesn’t need repairs like some of the available housing does, but it’s certainly nothing too awe-inspiring. But, it’s big enough for its purpose—a sleepover party for every inhabitant new or old.

During the night a few days before the party, EVERY person receives a handwritten invitation to this sleepover blowout. It doesn’t matter who, young or old. For those who wake up in Somius after the invitations arrive, they’ll find an invitation just for them in their pocket or satchel, like they were always meant to be invited from the beginning.
Decorations are bright and colorful, spanning the whole rainbow. One giant room full of cots and sleeping bags, blankets and pillows has been made to be the centerpiece of the whole affair. This is where most of the partygoers will mingle and play games, if they’re not too busy with one of the other activities located in one of the other rooms nearby. There’s plenty of room to wander, though any room that has not been decorated and made up for the party is locked down completely with no way in. There are, of course quiet spaces provided for those who need a quick getaway from all the partying. Or maybe going outside for a stroll in the night garden would be calming too?

For those who don’t have anything appropriate to sleep in, pajamas are even provided. But they might be a little silly, since beggars can’t be choosers. Who wants the unicorn fuzzy pajamas?

Games Galore - There’s plenty to play with, at Webby’s insistence (and by insistence we mean she gives you the biggest doe-eyes you’ve ever seen) and she’s more than happy to give you overly-detailed means on how to play the following -

🎉Twister - a huge sheet blotted with colorful spots has been laid on the floor, along with a square with similar colors and a spinny arrow. The rules are simple - one person spins the arrow, and where it lands you put your foot or hand. First to fall loses, so amp up the embarrassment - er, fun as you all get tangled up with each other.
🎉Truth Or Dare - Two options, one chance for chaos. Surely you’re all going to be mature individuals and not ask mortifying questions or dangerous dares.
🎉Pin The Tail On The Donkey - Yes, Webby’s sole guardian was a woman whose idea of fun was from the 1950s, how did you know? But she’s also put up optional sheets of different animals to stick their tail/bodyparts on while you’re blindfolded, including past threats like zombies and skeksis.

Bountiful Buffet - The best way to stay up late is to stuff yourself silly with sugar, which is why the dining room table is loaded with all kinds of desserts. Remy and Aurora have supplied some of their own sugary confections, and you’re more than welcome to have added your own creations to the buffet. Just don’t start any food fights. At least not where Webby can see it!

As though the castle (or whoever ACTUALLY owns it) wants to help assist the party atmosphere, those who partake of the food might feel a little more inclined to be friendly and amenable to party activities. You know, just for those gloomy gusses out there. There are no drawbacks to this little bit of fairy dust, just a little bit of social greasing, you know?

Makeover Makeover Makeover - Vil has ever so kindly offered his beauty supplies for those of you who want to experiment with some new looks, and you’re free to have brought your own. Test it out on one another or try it out yourself. Then again, when he’s not looking, what’s to stop you from trying to paint yourself up like a B-movie monster?

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - Some of you may have had more than enough of your share of frights due to last month’s… fun, but surely you can handle a bit more fright? In a dark room with only one light torch, gather in a circle and share a spooky story from times gone by. Just be prepared for that one person who always sneaks up from behind and goes BOO at the right time. It’s inevitable.

Pillow Fight - Pick a side or be a lone warrior, grab a pillow and show no mercy! The last one standing wins! The only rule is your pillow is your sole weapon! In fact, there seem to be more pillows available than there are people here, so let the feathers fly! If the castle magically produces more, who’s to say? Shrug and keep the battle going!

Bonfire of Growth

CW: memory share, character specific trauma

Some may be aware that harvest season is a season of growth and not just in the cultivating sense. Townsfolk take this time to evaluate themselves and really think about things in their lives that have potentially been holding them back from being their strongest and truest selves. With the newly accessible Indigo Beach providing plenty of room for multiple bonfires, Dreamers will see several bonfires stretched across the dark blue sand, logs and rocks assembled around each one, beckoning Dreamers near.

As soon as they step out on the beach’s sands, characters will find a slip of paper on their person (in their pocket, up their sleeve.. any readily accessible portion of their clothing.) On that piece of paper, they will have a personalized phrase catered to them, making them remember a painful memory that has held them back in some way. The phrase can be anything players want it to be as long as it jogs the memory back into the head of their characters. Those with a paper slip will feel compelled to sit around the bonfire and contemplate their memory; they also will feel encouraged to share that memory with anyone who is sitting nearby. If characters choose to throw the paper slip into the fire, those who have heard the story of their grief will have a very vivid visual of the event in their mind’s eye along with feeling the exact pain they went through as well.

Once these memories are shared and characters take a moment to grieve, they will feel significantly better about the past situation that caused them so much pain. This can be temporary or permanent, it’s up to the player.

Although refreshments won’t be provided, Dreamers are encouraged to bring their own. And yes, something adjacent to s’mores can be something characters may bring.

Suspicious Message #4

On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.

Who or what from home do you miss the most?

They will feel compelled to respond with a truthful answer, as if their brains had gone into a trance, and before they know it, their response will be there for everyone to see. It cannot be deleted or changed. The user will not respond personally, but you get the sense they are definitely reading.

[ This is an additional network option for characters to interact with. Feel free to add a network prompt into any of your top levels. If you do not want to interact with this prompt, simply assume your character did not get the message. All threads are public unless actively privated by characters. We generally encourage threadjacking and engagement, so feel free to mention if threadjacking is fine with you so that others are aware. Note that the NPC will not be actively responding. ]

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! All events are game canon. New characters (invited or not) and old characters alike are welcome to play in it. Existing characters can start their own logs or network posts for the event if they wish to.

New and Old characters are welcome to top level on the TDM. Please state in the header if you are a new or old player! Also, new characters may link their top levels under the new character comment so they are easier to find. Thanks for your cooperation!

New characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.

With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map.

You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below. Special thank you to Melissa for the player plot and prompts!

Comments

Bonfire (*cocks gun* you know what it is)

[wife_material]

It was always going to be a beach. Li Lianhua watches the waves and Di Feisheng watches him, remarkably still even for an occasional statue of a man. He doesn't believe in ghosts particularly, but he's willing to be talked around, for how eerie a scene it all makes. Stark white and unworldly sand and the changing and changeless sea.

At least he can't blame Li Lianhua's regression (or failing senses?) for letting him get this close unnoticed; there's nothing to suppress and nothing to give him away, with the sound of waves to mask his steps. It's a little funny for being stripped of all his hard earned skill to be an advantage, except for how terrifying it's been, underneath all the resigned determination to rectify it.

Unfortunately, however peaceful it seems, the peace can't last even if this is the wrong beach and the wrong time. There has to be some accounting for broken promises and broken swords. But first things first.

“Li Lianhua! I'm glad you're still alive after all.”

you can't bring a gun to a divorce

[doctor_uhh]

It was always going to be a beach, but maybe it's not too late to walk out and join the waves. Just to see if Di Feisheng would join him there again, too.

The presence beside him is too familiar to truly be startling, even if he has been caught unawares for once. Now that it's come to this, it seems like avoiding Di Feisheng had always been a fool's errand from the moment he'd spotted him in the castle. So it's mostly resignation that washes over him, rather than irritation or regret or dread or bonding. There's a lot here he could be feeling, so it's probably best to stick with resignation, to be honest.

"Mmm," he hums a disgruntled acknowledgement of both the man and his words. "Di-mengzhu has the leisure for walks on the beach after being taken away by unknown forces? I'm surprised." His gaze remains fixed on the sea for now. This is a threat.

watch me

[wife_material]

Fate probably belongs in the same realm as ghosts, but Li Lianhua is being more than a little unfair if he really wants to blame Di Feisheng for following him this time. Or, truthfully, at least some of the other times as well. What are you supposed to call being fished up by a corpse matchmaker that just happened to be next on Li Lianhua's interrogation list? He's earned a little resignation but no more than that; Di Feisheng arrived here without straying from his course.

The noncommittal hum and immediate evasion aren't lost on him either, and he cuts his eyes at Li Lianhua without turning away from the sea. This is almost a hostage situation, apparently, so he will mind his vibes.

"You shouldn't be. Some questions take years to answer. What's a few days? I have time." Unlike you, he doesn't have to add, even if there's a cold and hurt temptation to do so. "My mistake was trusting you."

[doctor_uhh]

Well maybe it's resignation to fate more so than to Di Feisheng's determination not to allow him a moment's peace. Where Li Lianhua is standing, those two things seem as indistinguishable as the face of the moon and its reflection in the sea, anyway.

Di Feisheng's explanation is almost absurd and charming in its simple confidence and intractability, as if he's going to wear down the walls of the labyrinth by sheer force of will alone. The worst part is that Li Lianhua believes it. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth against his better judgement and the tension underpinning this meeting. And it stays there, though a little strained, in defiance of the unspoken blame that Di Feisheng indeed does not have to add. He can hear the anger just fine, the stolen opportunity, the failed expectation.

...Except then he does say the blame part out loud. Is that really necessary? Does he think Li Lianhua is unaware of what he took from him? That he actually wants to know whether or not his final effort at making up for his failures was successful?

"...Oh?" is all he can even think to say to that. Giving Di Feisheng the space to air his grievances is only further stalling in the absence of a better escape route. The bottom of the ocean is looking more and more inviting.

[wife_material]

He thinks Li Lianhua is in fact unaware and he's almost certainly right; he doesn't even fully know, himself, what exactly he thinks has been taken from him this time, but it's not even the point in the first place. For this one thing, they could share the blame, because he did say it was his mistake. If Li Lianhua feels guilt, maybe he should do something more worthwhile with it than dying. Why even give him an opening he didn't want when that was a complete sentence needing no elaboration.

This close to the water's edge, he can let some of the tension drain out of his posture, though he still isn't looking at Li Lianhua just in case. There's no sense of ease to it, just an unexpected window into some fraying fatigue or grief. “The last time I saw you was when I made the mistake. I still don't know if it was the only time.”

[doctor_uhh]

Obviously what he took from Di Feisheng was the Wangchuan flower and whatever he might have used it for if it hadn't been for Li Lianhua. What he took, also, was the fight with Li Xiangyi the other man is still so fixated on that not even a veiled plea in the wedding chamber could sway him from it. That's not hard to know, when you think about it.

He doesn't want to hear this. He doesn't want, no, he can't bear yet another person's grief for Li Xiangyi. He'd put every last shred of sincerity he could gather into his letter and it still wasn't enough? Will it ever be enough? Di Feisheng speaks of making the mistake of trusting him and he barely feels the sting of failing a man who'd been failed more than enough already. He's simply too tired of blames being placed, whether that be on his or Di Feisheng's shoulders.

Can't they just pretend it didn't happen? Just for the handful of days he's got left anyway? The last time I saw you... The small pained knot between Li Lianhua's eyebrows suddenly lifts and he turns to face Di Feisheng, expression open and a little puzzled. "Eh? What do you mean? I really didn't think going after Fang Xiaobao was a good idea, everyone could use a little space after all that mess. Was I wrong?"

[wife_material]

That is more of a shock to him than actual slaps in the face he's received have been, and now he does pin Li Lianhua in place with a searching look, glacial horror dawning from painfully drawn out incomprehension. It's so incongruous it drags him out of his foundering, wounds momentarily forgotten as he struggles to understand and reorient, put words to memory.

Or maybe...this is exactly what Li Lianhua wants. He certainly looks ill enough to be sincere, but would he even know what sincerity looks like on Li Lianhua? Suspicion comes to his expression much easier than fear, but unlike all the nonsense Li Lianhua had tried to feed him as a-Fei, this would be all too fearfully plausible. Is he lying or is his mind slipping? Would he lie to escape an accusation of bad faith, broken trust? In that light it seems hateful to even wonder.

"You really don't even remember?"

[doctor_uhh]

Li Lianhua lets himself be pinned just fine, now that he has nothing more to answer for than a moment of confusion. But Di-mengzhu should really work on his poker face, he thinks a little hysterically. The searching is fine, is expected; the horror he could do without but is probably deserved, and the suspicion-- He's fortunate that Di Feisheng is only searching his appearance and not his pulse right now, or he might feel his heart racing like it's trying to escape this dreadful moment of suspense.

The acceptance that follows, reluctant though it is, stings strangely like defeat. It's just, it shouldn't be so easy to do this to Di Feisheng, of all people. The man is such a formidable and intelligent opponent, why doesn't he know him better? But this is what he wanted, there's certainly no turning back now and he'll just have to leave the consequences with future Li Lianhua. Good thing that guy is going to be dead.

"Tch! What don't I remember? You think I'll just forget the battle for the capital? Let me tell you, I was just having the first proper sit-down after all that by the Lotus Tower, I was just resting my eyes...," he trails off, letting a note of uncertainty bleed into his recounting. He taps a finger against his forehead a few times, as if to shake loose a thought that's gotten snagged on something. "I might have been walking somewhere. Then there was some kind of big bird, and I woke up in that garden. Eh, Lao Di, what do you think I'm missing?" He catches Di Feisheng's gaze again, throwing him a questioning look and not the apologetic grimace he desperately wants to be making instead, that he will definitely have to make just as soon as Di Feisheng's back is turned.

[wife_material]

It has the ring of Li Lianhua-typical patter, it's so painfully glib and hollow, but if he thinks too hard about Li Lianhua lying to make a fool out of him again he'll crawl into the ocean himself without even a ripple. There's no way out of the dread and acceptance that settle over him palpably with a too-long blink and a sigh. Like leaden armor, like the cold of blood loss. Something, anything he did should have mattered, and it well and truly didn't at all. Start over, ground up.

And if that's loss enough to take the light out of his eyes, the alternative is enough to make them bright with fear. Not Li Lianhua lying to him just to escape...a question or two, a judgment, a demand, whatever he would have brought to bear in this instance to feel whole--but rather real, tangible decline, the approaching ache of a grip on nothing. Something Di Feisheng can't even feel, evaluate, or fight anymore, in his own empty condition. Something Li Lianhua ultimately should have been spared, not in the karmic sense, but the very literal and achievable one. Even if he's lying this time, the next time he misses the mark may well be sickeningly real. That isn't changed, whatever Li Lianhua is or isn't trying to accomplish here.

He really won't relive it. "Forget it. I just owe you a favor, is all."

[doctor_uhh]

Isn't it funny, how much winning a gamble can feel like the loss of something rare and valuable? Defeat is a look he isn't and will never be prepared to see on Di Feisheng, and certainly hasn't sought to be the cause of in quite a while now. He feels a little sick with it, to be honest, the tension and release of it all going to his head not unlike the swell of Bicha poisoning. Fainting would probably be preferable to this, but no one here is granted that kind of mercy.

Could it be that this isn't what's actually happening? Isn't it possible that Di Feisheng is fooling him, letting him win, out of... something, pity, leniency, retribution-- But no, that's absurd. Regrettably he knows Di Feisheng too well to believe his own boldfaced nonsense. This man would never do anyone the kindness nor the disservice of letting them win and there is no way out of this but forward.

So the loss is there, on Li Lianhua's conscience as it is on Di Feisheng's face. He's borne witness to a lot of grieving and is so tired of it now, but he'll just have to shoulder it one more time. If this is what it takes to get Di Feisheng started on the process, the process of accepting that there are parts of him that are irretrievably gone... That would be worth this momentary ache.

Li Lianhua exhales, a far too soft ah that must be followed up with a more emphatic, but still gentle scolding. "Listen to yourself. Did you forget? I already told you, I'm most afraid of favors being returned." He lifts his hand in a half-hearted gesture of refusal, like he's sending away a dish he didn't order. But the smile that creeps onto his face is more genuine as he looks up at his friend, and the pleading in his eyes could not be more real. "Let's not owe each other anything, alright?"

[wife_material]

Li Lianhua can't really be blamed for viewing things in terms of a fight with win and loss conditions, after how Di Feisheng has hounded him, but that doesn't make it less ironic (or unfortunate). He won't participate in a conflict that can only reflect so poorly on him, any more than he would duel Li Lianhua three-quarters-dead on this beach. Much like saying it doesn't matter whether they are friends or foes when it comes to a fight (but a concession much less easily granted), it just doesn't matter currently if Li Lianhua is faking a loss of memory or not. Di Feisheng had always found it exciting, to be unsure exactly what his opponent was capable of, but this in particular he would prefer to leave unknown, even if it takes all the willpower to his name.

It will never matter at all what Li Lianhua is capable of, if he doesn't find a way (again) to keep him alive. With him fighting every step of the way, no doubt, and with no sect or power to call on. Rebuilding his meridians at death's door had not been such a task. He won't linger on defeat but there's something wooden in the determination he pulls onto himself like a cloak, careful in the way he crosses his arms like he kept any scars to feel the pull.

But all the willpower in the world leaves some things still impossible, and he can't meet Li Lianhua's smile with anything like his former openness, though he remembers hearing those words before perfectly well and they are very funny. Nor can he agree to the request that follows, no matter how genuine the sentiment behind it seems, though there's something close to placating in the way he looks down. He's taxed his own nature enough for one night, and isn't being offered anything in return but more of the same. "You ask a lot for someone who has decided he hates favors. If you don't want to keep count for yourself, then don't. You're still very troublesome.”

[doctor_uhh]

It's truly a fool who tries the same thing twice and longs for a different result. Just as in that other moment, when such similar words were spoken, Li Lianhua is left with nothing but regret as Di Feisheng refuses to release them from the bond of obligation, will set free neither Li Lianhua nor himself. Di Feisheng is right, it would never have mattered if he's lying or not; meeting again after his last farewell was always going to be as agonizing as being dragged from the edge of the sea, for both of them. You could have passed through unscathed, if only...

His smile wanes with a small conceding nod, though a shadow of it hangs on as his gaze also drops and then wanders back out to the waves with not a little longing. I won't trouble you for long, he wants to say, but that at least he can spare Di Feisheng. It wouldn't be well received, despite all its sincerity. It seems that most things he can give Di Feisheng suffer this fault. "Di-mengzhu is too assertive. I can only listen well and better myself." For all that the words are meant to be mockingly placating (or placatingly mocking), there's too much weariness to quite live up to the task.

But since there is no rest for him yet, other matters must be taken care of. Don't they always? After a moment of silence, he draws in a bracing breath through his nose, as if to benefit from the rich sea air, or just break through the knot in his chest. Either way, it'll excuse the reediness in his voice. "Oh, by the way. If you see Fang Duobing around, can you not tell him I'm here? You know what he's like, he'd only waste all his time fussing and nagging, instead of working on getting back home. Ah, a favor to him, not me," he hurries to preclude any nitpicking.

[wife_material]

Who could have passed through unscathed, exactly? Obviously no one here, circumstances and Di Feisheng will see to that much. Li Lianhua has been deposed from the seat of making those kinds of calls, for good or ill, and isn't that what he wanted in the first place? Not that Di Feisheng is ever one for leaving things up to fate, circumstance, whatever, not that he sees the worth of it as a strategy. But as with favors, just deciding how one feels about something (or just saying the words) doesn't actually make it so. If Li Lianhua wants a carefree life (or death, but he won't get that) he has a strange way of going about it.

As to being mocked, placating or otherwise, Di Feisheng is mostly inured to nonsense by now, as well as fretfully aware Li Lianhua doesn't have the vitality left to put his back in it anyway. Which he hates, but at least it cuts through the rime of resignation, already of such a different timbre than he's used to, quite sharply. He hasn't missed his martial arts more in his stay here than he does in this instant, where he can't just haul Li Lianhua anywhere at top speed for shoring up or shaming. Not that he knows anywhere to attain those, in any case. But at least it would break his morbid eye contact with the sea and vent some fear and frustration.

This final latest request, however, knocks him out of his outwardly stoic state and inward turmoil alike with its audacity, and he turns to face Li Lianhua with a disbelieving glare that could be a suitable stand in for drawing the blade he no longer has. Clearly, trying to behave with a little circumspection toward a grievously ill man (or just letting him get away with a bald lie) was the wrong choice. 'Oh by the way.' He'd like to grab him by the scruff of his stupid cloak twice as much now.

"Do you think that's a favor he'll thank me for? Are you really that serious about having your cheap disciple stand in for you?" He is all but gritting his teeth now, face turned up so he can look down his nose like an angry cat. He can see it now, Fang Duobing getting wind that Di Feisheng has been complicit in keeping him out of either Li Lianhua's last days or the chance to avert that, getting rightfully angry and turning up to take it out of his blood for some reason it would definitely be raining, and it wouldn't be his fault directly just for agreeing but it really sort of would, too, and maybe this isn't actually a vivid imagining so much as empathy, and he doesn't like that either. Maybe the poison really has made Li Lianhua's mind weak after all. Much like the tone in which he continues, after the earlier outrage has dissipated and left only hurt he doesn't have the sense to guard. "Why is it up to you if he wastes his time?"

[doctor_uhh]

Weird, he's usually way less bad at math than this. Under other circumstances, such a glare would be a fun kind of invitation or at least a warning he would enjoy not taking too seriously. But on this beach, this exchange is much closer to a fight for a life. For a death, too, but this isn't and has never been just about him. And now that Fang Duobing's fate is at stake, he finds some actual anger to muster after all. It's bad enough that Di Feisheng won't spare either of them, but does he have to be so unforgiving to Fang Duobing?

"Because he's still my disciple!" Di Feisheng isn't the only one with fear and frustration to vent, and Li Lianhua's eyes shine fever-bright with it as he turns his own glare on him. "Maybe I can't keep you from digging your own grave, but I can see to it that he's set on a path that doesn't lead nowhere." It's not that he wants to lie to Fang Xiaobao. Wants to watch him only from afar, never to-- cook for him again or drink with him again or listen to his boasting and his kindness. But he has a duty towards him, as his shifu and as his friend. How is he supposed to face his death failing to leave even one person better off?

But anger is exhausting to maintain, especially when mounted on sickly and sickening desperation. Li Lianhua takes a shuddering breath, an attempt to steady himself and his emotions that's as doomed to fail as the rest of his body. His gaze casts about to the heavens and to the sea, as if he's more likely to find support there than in the man in front of him, and he sighs. "I just need your help with it." What would it really cost him? Is he refusing just to be contrary? Can Di Feisheng not be so troublesome just once?

"You're the cheap one, anyway," he mutters almost more to himself, all that agitation finding a pretty stupid outlet. Cheap?? That boy is literally called a treasure. Ridiculous.

[wife_material]

It should be a kind of triumph, to get that level of reaction out of Li Lianhua, even if the flash in his eyes is as much fever as prized anger, and all too fleeting besides. That the anger is once again only for someone else's sake spoils it, however, and the look of disgust he turns away from Li Lianhua just barely stops shy of being an eye-roll. So much energy to spare for someone else, but never a drop when it comes to his own life. Doesn't it ever get old? Li Lianhua's mind is slipping, but he's clear-headed enough to make decisions for others, is he. Why would he be digging his own grave, anyway? He's done a lot of things without any choice lately, but nothing he's doing right now falls under that category.

Except giving up his display of distaste in surprise at being called cheap, which earns Li Lianhua an incredulous look. Admittedly, Fang Duobing hadn't deserved that, but for all the boy eats he's pretty sure he's still technically cost Li Lianhua more himself, if anyone's doing bookkeeping in that shoddy tower. The needle of Di Feisheng's reckoning swings back towards 'unstable' once again, but only a little because heaven help him, that was also funny. It doesn't warrant any real response, mostly because shoving Li Lianhua into the ocean while he's ill wouldn't be sporting.

Does he even know what he's asking so flippantly? Did he ignore what, from Di Feisheng, was a pretty detailed argument explaining it? Does he really think just asking for Di Feisheng's complicity like a gambler asking for coins outside a parlor is all it will take? Not this time. Even if on some level, and with a remote sort of horror, he is aware he did at least consider it. "If he's still your disciple, you can tell him yourself what path you've picked out for him."

He is absolutely calling Fang Duobing.

[doctor_uhh]

Listen, if he had anything to offer in exchange for Di Feisheng's complicity, he would have done that instead of just asking like this. It's not like he would allow himself to be this desperate, to feel like he's trying to traverse the relentless shifting muck of quicksand, if he saw any other way. But he has nothing in his hands or in reserve, no more tricks to string him along with or secrets to hand out like treats crumbs, nothing left to borrow from the future. It's not like a dinner date is going to cut it, for this.

He doesn't, actually, know why Di Feisheng is being so difficult. The man has done all sorts of violence to Fang Duobing, and now he's deciding to be considerate? Obviously it's not a fight he's afraid of; Li Lianhua knows Fang Duobing would be angry if he found out, but he also knows Di Feisheng would handle it without taking advantage of the boy's volatile emotions. Besides, he once convinced Fang Xiaobao to keep Di Feisheng in the dark about his entire identity, can't he just take it as evening the score? He really doesn't understand.

So he can only ask, and be denied. The finality of Di Feisheng's judgement is like a hand tightening around his throat; to tell Fang Xiaobao anything more than he already did-- it will do more harm than good, and Li Lianhua wanted nothing else but to be done with that. And oh, of course Di Feisheng won't hesitate for even a second, is already bringing out that hateful little device--

"Wai--," but Di Feisheng is already operating it, momentarily distracted with the unfamiliar object, and hey good news, it turns out there's some battle instincts left in Li Lianhua after all, kicking in almost without his active consideration. Swiftly as a snake he strikes at the other man's wrist with one hand, twists the device from his grasp with the other, then leans back and tosses the thing as far as he can into the waves. In the brief struggle, the slip of paper in his sleeve flutters to the sand beneath the edge of his cloak, unnoticed.

Li Lianhua is aware this doesn't solve anything. But it did feel good, if he's honest. Should Di Feisheng grace him with a second look after all that, all he can offer in return is an apologetic shrug.

[wife_material]

The shrug doesn't seem all that apologetic, from where Di Feisheng is staring at him in a kind of grim confusion, lips pressed in a firm line, looking not unlike he's just realized he's in a battle going south and never anticipated such an outcome. Which is, honestly, a fair descriptor for what just happened, albeit on a small scale; he's not sure who he's more annoyed with in this moment. Though just as in such a fight, he is no less determined to turn things around from this momentary upset. See if he forgets how fast Li Xiangyi is again, any time soon, no matter how sick he is. See if he forgets there are still some drops of fight left somewhere in the corners of him.

He looks back to roughly where he'd tracked the thing's trajectory--it was a pretty good throw for a man at death's door, but he's no longer interested in doing those calculations--and can easily spy it, riding the waves tauntingly. It's worthless overall but a crucial part of his shaming plan, and the look he flicks back to Li Lianhua is appropriately pained. No point to even trying to lock him in place, even if Di Feisheng weren't useless himself currently; he'd just hurt himself further undoing it and getting away, stubborn and petty as he is. Certainly no point in just telling him to stay put, and Di Feisheng doesn't bother, just makes a pre-emptively disapproving face.

The temptation is strong to ignore this stupid trick and just grab the wretched man playing it, but Li Lianhua wouldn't be fighting back this way if the threat weren't dire, and therefore very strategically well chosen, as he knew it would be. It's just that he will still very much have to wade into the ocean after that device if he wants to make good on that threat, and that makes him sigh from the bottom of his soon-to-be-wet shoes, though with any luck the sound of the waves will cover it. Li Lianhua is going to live to regret this, if the world runs on spite as much as it seems to. At least he doesn't have any stab wounds to take into the water, for once.

"Don't think this is over," is all he says, because it's suitably threatening when delivered in a warning grumble for how he feels about all this, and because it actually would be sort of nice if Li Lianhua gave up just this one time instead of thrashing like a fish in a net, and not at all because he's strangely reluctant to turn his back on him again. So very, very troublesome. With such a mantra, he wades in.

[doctor_uhh]

In his defense, Li Lianhua wasn't actually expecting Di Feisheng to go after that worthless thing. Nor did he think it would just float and remain out to get him accessible like that. However, both Di Feisheng's grim acceptance of such a sodden fate and his catastrophically disapproving face are very, very funny. As if he'd just declared Fang Xiaobao the winner of an argument over who gets the guest bed. As if Di Feisheng really would go wherever Li Lianhua led him.

The math on those feelings is complex enough that he does remain locked in place for a spell, actually, watching Di Feisheng wade into the waves with a look on his face that can only be described as fond. Good thing absolutely nobody had to see that. And it only lasts for a moment before he finds his voice again to call his most reassuring, "I wouldn't dare!" after him.

But of course he would dare, inevitably and within seconds, and this time he does send a sympathetic grimace out into the ether as he turns around to make a run brisk walk for it. He really isn't worth Di Feisheng's efforts and ruined robes. Ashamed, quite ashamed. The long vigil by the ocean and this emotionally draining interaction have taken enough out of him that he can't quite gain a lot of speed, but if he can just make it to the first outcroppings of the forest, maybe he can get out of sight long enough to make use of that new skill of his. And then it'll likely only be a matter of days before the problem solves itself.

Foolish last wish or not, he doesn't hate Di Feisheng or Fang Duobing enough to let them go where he would lead them.

[wife_material]

The look on Di Feisheng's face as the water level climbs with each hilariously determined step is, by contrast, about as un-fond as it is possible to be, which for him is plenty. Nobody has to see that either, because despite the almost superstitious reluctance he felt on the shore, now that he's committed to turning his back on Li Lianhua and is getting increasingly encumbered by water, something about looking back feels just as inauspicious. These are stupid ways to feel, and that contributes to the look almost as much as the cold water.

Therefore, unfortunately, Li Lianhua's most insincere taunt is still...not exactly unreassuring. Though it's equally and utterly unsurprising for Di Feisheng to find the swish of that cloak, almost glowing in the gloom, catching his eye once he's captured the device and turned to retrace his watery steps. On no level did he truly expect anything else, but hope existed. He doesn't even bother with sighing, this time. Perhaps in part because he's resisting the mostly foreign urge to shiver, receding with the effort of slogging back to shore and then returning with a vengeance once he's made it, despite whatever speed he can pick up. The splashing, the less than graceful attempt to leap the final distance, not at all clearing even the last of the clear water, much less the foam--this is utterly ridiculous and there won't even be a physical fight about it.

At least catching up to Li Lianhua isn't much of a difficulty once he's free, though that's of absolutely no consolation whatsoever beyond the purely practical. There's a sharp edge of worry, maybe even a plea, run through this latest scowl, though chances are Li Lianhua won't notice; if he has any energy left, it should surely go to evading Di Feisheng's lunge for that preposterous cloak-ruff, and nothing of that concern is making it down to his free hand, desperate and sure. Fang Duobing was wrong to call it a claw once but wouldn't be now, because he meant it when he said this wasn't over the same way he means everything, and his trust for the man he's resisting the urge to shake is at an all time low. That resistance will slip as the tiniest of warnings, if he thinks he's getting a repeat of Li Lianhua's earlier stunt.

Now he is absolutely calling Fang Duobing and not even waiting for a greeting before gritting out, "I've got Li Lianhua. Come get him before I kill him."

[doctor_uhh]

No heightened senses are necessary to hear Di Feisheng's rapid and soggy approach behind him, and is it just his imagination or do those footfalls sound absolutely furious? The more favorable terrain of the forest is almost within reach and Li Lianhua puts everything he's got left into a sprint, feeling his abused lungs burn and his heart hammer in his veins. And of course he tries to evade, can't help it really, but it's barely more than a stagger to the side at this point, far too easy for Di Feisheng to compensate for.

At the abrupt and unavoidable end of his escape, he lets out a slightly startled and very offended yelp before slumping back into his captor's grip, without which he honestly probably wouldn't be standing anymore right now. His breath is a painful wheeze and his vision is dizzying but he offers up a directionless flail of an arm anyway, as if trying to shrug off the cloak, though Di Feisheng has got his claw all the way into his inner robes.

"Di-M-- Hey! Di Feisheng! Aren't you debasing yourself, fighting like this?" He makes no eye contact with the device nor with the possibility that Fang Duobing heard any of that. Besides, he's a little busy struggling to suppress a coughing fit before it can get away from him, his vague gesturing taking on the quality of a fish dying on land. But sure, killing him would be faster. Not to mention less embarrassing for everyone.

[detective_xiaobao]

Fate has a strange way of playing games, doesn't it? The world turning in such a way that when you want something the most, it only happens when thinking of it the least. For three long months, Fang Duobing had spent every waking minute thinking about Li Lianhua. Where had he gone? Was he dead; was he alive? Was he well, or barely hanging on? Had he found something to warm himself with as the winter months had rolled over them? Did he have regrets? Did he think about the things and people that he left behind at all, or was he at peace with this and all of the hurt rippling in his wake? Sometimes he felt sure that he must have recognized the pain this would cause--Li Lianhua was not a stupid man. Other times, he was certain that he didn't; or his best friend would have never left at all.

However, acclimating to the strangeness of this new land had at least given Fang Duobing something new to turn over in his thoughts. A new mystery, a new puzzle, a new case to solve. A desperate wish (perhaps) to secure... He's so preoccupied with these thoughts that the buzzing of the device in his sleeve is barely a distraction. Nothing like the omen that it should be, if fate understood its purpose. He fetches the thing out, flips it open and activates it with a push of a button in the same motion as he brings it to his ear.

And the whole world tips sideways.

He feels off-balanced, and there's a ringing in his ears that makes him question if he heard correctly. Li Lianhua? Here? In this place? At first, there's no sound to confirm to Di Feisheng that his message was received, not even breathing. He feels... Dizzy. Sick. Elated. Hoping beyond any reasonable hope. Scared...

A war rages in his heart with no clear victor emerging. He thinks he hears another voice, and that might not be a feverish delusion washing over him. He is immediately and viciously torn in two directions. Good on Di Feisheng for keeping a strong hold on him--but gently he hopes. No matter the circumstances, he can't be in good health now.

"Where is he?" comes his response, finally and determinate. This news has coiled him like a spring, ready to snap at a moment's notice. He just needs to know which direction to run.

[wife_material]

Being cursed and flailed at is easy to ignore, with no more effect than light has on a rock. It's good even, welcome that Li Lianhua is spirited enough for it, but that doesn't mean he has to pay any attention. Though between the extremely ill advised running and the protesting, Li Lianhua doesn't seem to have anything else left at the moment besides labored breathing, which is out of his wheelhouse but deeply concerning. Enough so he will adjust his grip, conscientiously allow just the tiniest increment of slack, even as the majority of his focus remains on the task at hand. For all that he just threatened to kill him, he won't be caught strangling Fang Duobing's mentor a second time. Shouldn't have even been necessary to chase him down in the first place. Incredibly admirable force of will, insanely misdirected.

Whatever turmoil he's caused on the other end of the line goes utterly unnoticed beyond feeling a thread of impatience; Fang Duobing is practical when it counts and isn't asking stupid questions, which is appreciated, and anything else isn't his business. It might be Li Lianhua's business, but the last time he'd suggested that, he'd been wrong, so he's swearing off the whole thing for now. He's done the thing he thinks will have the strongest effect, which in this case is also luckily the right thing. But this time he won't leave until he's sure.

"The blue beach, near the tree line," which is a clipped and irritated use of negative space in communication if there ever was one. "I've got him, but hurry."

[doctor_uhh]

What, no reaction at all, not even to the obvious insult to his honor as a fighter? Li Lianhua should be offended, honestly. Why all this effort to catch and restrain him, just to ignore him? If Di Feisheng had just taken a moment longer in the ocean, he could have escaped and neither would have needed to be blamed for it. And if Li Lianhua wasn't so painfully out of breath, he could maybe even say all of that out loud in self-righteous, self-soothing chatter. But as it is, all that's left for him to do is to sulk put his hands on his hips, and because that's not reproachful enough he then crosses his arms in front of his chest instead. That'll show Di Feisheng.

For some reason, it's not until the word hurry that it fully sinks in; Fang Duobing will be here very soon. It's already too late, he knows. Everything Li Lianhua had tried to preserve, the ending to his story, Fang Xiaobao's unburdened future, everything he'd fought so hard to leave as well taken care of as he could-- now ruined. He should be angry at Di Feisheng for that, but it all drains from him like the last flush of color from his face. In the end, isn't it him who didn't walk far enough, didn't die fast enough? So it will be on him to listen and explain, to appease and soothe and hurt him all over again. It's so tiring. It's not what Fang Xiaobao deserves. But it's all he's got left to give to the one who understands the man named Li Lianhua the best.

[detective_xiaobao]

The request to hurry is hardly necessary; Di Feisheng will likely hear the sound of movement before he's even finished speaking it.

"I'll be there," Fang Duobing confirms, then disconnects the call and stashes the device so that he can focus everything he has on running. The scenery passes by in a blur that mirrors his thoughts at the moment, moving too fast to catch notice of anything in particular. He only knows the pound of his feet against the stone path, his eyes seeking out in the dim evening that hole in the wall leading to those strangely blue sands. And as he draws closer to the beach and to the man he's been searching after for three months, he only feels more and more aware of how ill-prepared he is for this meeting.

He'd imagined it many times before. Coming upon Li Lianhua in whatever place he'd managed to hide himself in--maybe not well, but alive and within Fang Duobing's power to assist. He would have Huli Jing with him to appeal to him; he would invoke all of the people who cared for Li Lianhua; he would convince him to return to Lotus Tower or Tianji Manor or anywhere that allowed him to care for his friend and find a cure for his illness. His logic and his connections were laid out like a surgeon's tools, carefully presented for the quickest and most potent effect.

But here? He has nothing, save for his desperate feeling of wanting to save Li Lianhua... A feeling which had already proven inadequate in reaching his friend in every other instance. What did he hope to accomplish now when his argument was all conjecture and no evidence, so weak as to be laughable? A threat of defeat creeps in on the edges of his thoughts, curling like poison in his own veins; and it takes all his will to push it back and keep his focus steady.

It doesn't matter. If all he has is how much he cares about his friend's well-being, then he will just have to make that be enough. If he has to wear the man down like water eroding a stone, then he will be the river that cuts through a mountain. No matter what, he can't watch Li Lianhua disappear in front of him again.

Past the broken wall, he breaks from forest out onto sand and comes to an unsteady halt. His muscles burn in protest from pushing so hard and his chest heaves for air as he scans up and down the treeline for discernible figures. With what light is left to him, he barely catches sight of two people lingering by the forest edge and makes a line straight for them.

The scene that he comes upon is... informative. The annoyance in Di Feisheng's tone suddenly makes perfect sense with the way he's got a hold of Li Lianhua's collar. He'd clearly caught the man trying to escape in some manner, and that piques a little ire in Fang Duobing's own heart. Wasn't their task hard enough without this sort of evasion? He can't understand the need for it, but that annoyance barely registers with Li Lianhua standing right here in front of him. Real. Alive. Looking... not well at all, but he'll take what he can get.

Action takes over quicker than thought; as soon as he's stopped in front of them, he takes a hold of Li Lianhua's elbow and looks him over with deep concern. It might seem like yet another restraint--or maybe even a concern for support if one is being generous, but in this moment Fang Duobing needs the grounding just as much. His heart feels lodged in his throat somewhere, tight and uncomfortable and blocking the ten thousand things he thought he would say when his search was finally over. It's not often that he's at a loss for words... He does manage to spare a glance to Di Feisheng and a nod of gratitude. He can let go if he likes.

"Is this where you've been all this time?" Fang Duobing finally finds his voice, as he turns his gaze back to meet Li Lianhua's (if he'll even allow it). Does he sound angry? He doesn't mean to yet. In the torrent of his emotions, he feels more disbelief than anger in this moment; but all the questions he's built up in the past three months threaten to shake loose into an avalanche with just that one. It's all he can do to limit them to just a few, hurt bleeding into his voice and stinging at his eyes despite his best intentions to remain composed.

"You run off while our backs are turned, and this is where we find you? You couldn't have picked an easier place to hide?"

[wife_material]

That will not show Di Feisheng anything, because Li Lianhua is the worst man alive (but he IS alive) and he is not going to put any attention on that. Or on how long it's taking him to recover from a short sprint. Or on anything that was said before he successfully invoked the threat of Fang Duobing. Di Feisheng is done for the day and that's probably in everyone's best interests.

And he will let go of Li Lianhua, though carefully, and with an acknowledging nod of his own for Fang Duobing. Your problem now, says the look, or possibly Good luck, before his eyes skate off this unseemly display of emotions he has chosen to orchestrate. He takes a moment to shake a cramp out of his hand, or possibly just dispel tension, but is otherwise still very secure in his decision. Fang Duobing probably doesn't have any use for his luck, anyway. He's always been an effective avenue for targeting Li Lianhua, where any kind of argument or action have not been. To the list of things he is done paying attention to for now can be added just how completely his own grievance had been evaded, whether skillfully or tragically, but this will have to do for now.

Though just hearing Fang Duobing talk about Li Lianhua running off while their backs were turned would be enough to make a lesser man wince, and is enough to have him crossing his arms defensively. He's not even the target, but. Still sore. If it weren't for literally just having been reminded of how much he should second guess that urge, he would be sorely tempted to take his leave.