For deprecated

[lifeban]

[There is really no logic that can explain this. With how Vidyadhara are, Dan Heng literally inhabits the body that once belonged to Dan Feng. His egg formed from the former High Elder's corpse.

But that's a bit beside the actual point, here. The point being that someone is in Dan Heng's bedroom, which, while it is technically not a bedroom and technically is a public amenity, still is left well enough alone while he's sleeping. The Nameless know to leave a resting Dan Heng well enough alone, given his position as the twitchiest member of the Astral Express Crew. So he's snapping fully awake when he hears the slightest movement, sitting abruptly upright to assess the situation.

The situation being that a far-too-familiar someone is standing in the Archive.

And since, as previously mentioned, there's no logic to it, Dan Heng just throws the whole idea out the window as another of his usual nightmares and dives for Cloud Piercer where it's propped against the console near the foot of his futon.]

Comments

[deprecated]

Answering questions with questions is extremely rude, little successor.

[what is his Deal? is he ok? dan feng absently lifts his hand and looks surprised to see the answering orb floating over his palm. huh??? what kind of weird summoning dream situation is this? this feels way too real.]

Put that down, you'll hurt yourself.

[lifeban]

[snapping:]

It's Dan Heng.

[which is at least slightly less bratty than the reflexive DON'T CALL ME THAT which almost slipped out.

his eyes flick to the orb and get caught there. which begs the question: is it still in its place in the spear as well? or did he just yoink it? but yeah, no way in hell is he lowering the spear, orbyoinked or not. not even dignifying the order with a response.]

[deprecated]

[there are now two of the orbs of abysm in this glorified broom closet, which should alarm dan feng a lot more, but now he is just like hmm that's interesting and is that dirt on mine?]

Dan Heng. [he rolls it around his tongue. considers it. the corner of his mouth tilts up in what people have told him is an extremely irritating way.] I am Dan Feng. I was executed in around... 7300? I think. I don't remember much. How far removed are you?

[lifeban]

[how is his face so punchable? is his own face that punchable? why is his face more punchable in a dream where they aren't even technically fighting??

quashes the urge to go a step further and throttle him. for now.]

You became my egg.

[flatly. maybe if he kind of plays along, the man will be less insufferable. he hopes.]

[deprecated]

What?

[that wakes him up a little bit. he leans... in. just on the edge of dan heng's currently extremely pointy personal space.]

Was that the joke? It's not funny.

[lifeban]

[NOPE! TOO CLOSE! immediately bringing his knee up to try and jam it into Dan Feng's belly. look at him, not aiming for shanking, what a good boy.]

[deprecated]

[????????????????????????????????????????

dodging back and floating gently, tips of his feet barely grazing the ground. wow. hello?]

Slow. [he sounds disappointed :(]

[lifeban]

Quick enough.

[mostly. he's alive, after all.

(once again, very maturely not either flipping him off or saying something bratty.)]

It's not a joke.

[deprecated]

[dan feng tilts his head to the side, in the way large animals consider small prey. hmmmmm.]

I don't know if you heard me correctly, but I was executed by exuviation charm, Dan Heng. It is impossible for my reincarnation to become the Imbibitor Lunae. [pause...] Unless you are not, but you have the Orb of Abysm...

[lifeban]

[oh. he hates THAT. angling his own head defiantly.]

Do I look like the High Elder to you? Don't ask after my horns and then conveniently remember the circumstances of your execution.

[he sure do have the orb tho]

[deprecated]

Don't get uppity with me. [you are so. annoying.] The magic required to awaken a previous High Elder's consciousness is, surprisingly, only in the domain of High Elders.

[he sighs.] Who are you really?

1/2

[lifeban]

I told you who I am.

[flatly.

...but he can maybe be sliiiightly less of a brat. maybe.

he can already feel himself regretting this.]

[lifeban]

[sighs in the MOST put-upon way. and lets his horns and tail and hair all bubble into being. luckily he was wearing pajamas, so he's not breaking his jeans or anything, because he is NOT busting out the fancy clothes for Dan Feng.]

[deprecated]

[there you are. dan feng smiles, fangs and all, and it makes him look several centuries younger, and his own tail curls up behind him happily.

wait.]

Your horns look terrible. [frown :(] And your tail. Have you been taking care of them?

[lifeban]

[sorry, what, kind of thrown off by CUTE? SMILE? WITH FANGIES?

that is fucked up and should not be allowed. the frown right after is somehow worse.]

...No?

[he sounds almost confused. they're hidden all the time, but it isn't as though they don't exist, just because he's masking them with cloudhymn. at the same time, horn and tail care were not exactly on the minds of the few teachers he got to see in the Shackling Prison.

ya boi absolutely washes his horns and tail with combination shampoo/bodywash.]

[deprecated]

What do you mean no?

[and here he is again trying to invade his personal space, intent on taking a closer look. unfortunately dan feng trying to look someone over is overbearing on the best of days so good luck with that.]

[lifeban]

What do you mean "taking care of them"? They're not dirty.

[aeons help him. all of them. yes, even nanook.

he's standing his ground! stubbornly! but kind of cringing back, that's a Lot.]

[deprecated]

[the face he makes is half disgusted, half bemused, and all 100% 'i will take care of this thing because this is now mine'.

oooook he's lifting a hand and going for one of his horns--]

[lifeban]

[THERE ARE LIMITS.

Ducking, basically trying to skitter away entirely actually.]

[deprecated]

[high elders don’t skitter away you little]

Hold still!

[more undignified grabbing YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN]

[lifeban]

[Good thing he's not High Elder then, huh!!

But yeah it's very much a case of he's already hemmed in by the layout of the room, and he just has sliiightly too much dignity to jump the room divider over this. Yet.]

Don't just grab!!

[whoops, caught.]

[deprecated]

Impertinent.

[clearly he has zero concept of personal space (especially because apparently they were the same person) and he crowds dan heng against the nearest shelf. at least the way he grasps one horn is gentle because he knows how sensitive the things are.]

Even fifty year old hatchlings have better maintained horns. [he sounds bewildered]

[lifeban]

[going absolutely still once dan feng has a grip, because, well... absolutely no one has touched those in any of dan heng's memories of being himself? and realistically any other memories were horny in more ways than one.

...Look, he's a man with very clearly defined personal space and this is a lot right now, so he's clamming up.]

[deprecated]

[just gonna try and manhandle him into turning around with a casual possessiveness he’d only allowed himself with one other person. if his horns were like this his tail needs immediate looking at sry]

[lifeban]

[okay no there is a disgruntled, incredulous squawk, and a momentary twitch in the direction of lunging over the divider. but he's even less emotionally prepared to be Actually Overpowered about this, so. vibrating internally. yeah the tail is not great.]