It's not a particularly unique trait--he's far from the only person here who's had to fight for their survival. Whether they've actually talked about it out loud or just happened to recognize Child Soldier Traits in each other is anyone's guess.
Still, it's the same thing every morning, regardless of whether they're magically conked out or not. One moment, he's fast asleep--the next, he's alert, eyes snapping open and senses immediately registering any changes in the environment, even as he remains lying down. The absence of his Vision (and worse, his Delusion) is noted, just like it is every morning, and he covers his sigh with a fake yawn, sitting up.
It's not like it's the first time he's had to survive without them, but still. It's such a pain to have to keep track of multiple physical weapons.
Gu Yun gets a glance, and--a raised eyebrow? What is he doing... whatever. Childe summons up a cavalier tone as he stretches, swinging his legs over the side of their PROBABLY DINKY LITTLE BEDS considering it's a murdergame. Man he misses being rich and important.]
Another lovely morning, huh?
[...
...
...???]
That rough of a night, was it?
[...
...
...?????
Carefully, he reaches out, nudging Gu Yun('s corpse??) with his toe.
Are you dead, roomie. If so, can he have your stuff]
[ it's a gamble to see if childe is even around ("see"), but gu yun is stubborn and prideful and very, very unlikely to just make a go for it, so. he waits like a dead person for however long he can estimate it might take his roommate to discover him. barely, just barely, he can hear a muffled, sort of sound that sounds like someone talking from the next room over, words completely indiscernible, but the sound existing means that someone has come over to his bedside, and sure enough, there's a nudge to his foot that comes much clearly than any noise.
and at that he just - grins. grins, like a shitty, shitty boy playing a joke in a generic terrible game where people die every week.
typical gu yun! ]
About to take my things, huh? [ by now, he's used to speaking when he can't hear, forms his mouth around the words and keeps his voice at a cadence that's just a murmur, too cautious to try changing his volume any when he can't regulate it. be normal! be normal. ] Sorry, sorry - if I do die, it'd be on schedule.
[ a beat to allow a response, roughly timing to what would be normal, and he lifts his hands as if stretching. ] I've got the hangover from hell. There's a bottle in my things - would you fetch it for me so I don't have to face the light?
[Ah, not dead. Childe wonders how he feels about that, and decides he's pleased--Gu Yun's definitely one of the most tolerable people around here, which probably says more about Childe than it does about their other companions.
Case in point--Gu Yun pretends to be dead in a place where people get mercilessly slaughtered every week, and Childe laughs like it's a genuinely funny joke.]
I'll hold you to that! [Die on schedule? How boring, he doesn't say. (He probably doesn't need to.)
Gu Yun's apparent suffering also makes him grin; he stretches one more time before he gets to his feet. Favors are their own form of currency, after all, no matter how little they might be worth.]
Of course, Marquis, sir. [It's the same tone he always uses with Gu Yun's title--playful, with just a bit of an edge of disrespect and irreverence.
He isn't stupid enough to obviously rifle through Gu Yun's belongings more necessary, not with the man right there with him; he doubts there's anything of value to be found anyway. So he fishes out the bottle as soon as he finds it, and even goes out of his way to put everything nicely back in order before he stands up, seemingly ready to be a good roommate.
At least until he stops at Gu Yun's bedside, looking thoughtfully at the bottle in his hand.
[ well. it’s not like gu yun could see him rifling. the world as it stands is just mostly dark, with the occasional blurry shadow of what he’s by now sure is childe moving; this is his least favorite thing and a situation he was really hoping he wouldn’t have to be in. helpless is something gu yun has always defied, sometimes stubbornly, sometimes recklessly, and he would have tried to stumble for the medicine himself if no one had answered his pretend playing dead.
he can faintly, faintly hear muffled noises that must be childe talking to him. gu yun remains where he is and waits for lapses in them, trying to tune in harder to pick up any tonal change, any words. when the shadow moves close beside his bed and he holds out his hand for said bottle, he waits.
and it doesn’t come; he can presume that childe might be asking a question, and makes a - ] Mm? [ in response.
it’s not that he can answer whatever question childe might have really, not yet, but gu yun is the master of bullshit and he’s been bullshitting this particular skill and ability since he was ten. ]
[Yeah but he doesn't know that!! He's been operating on the assumption that no one here has been fully honest about their true capabilities, so for all he knows Gu Yun can see through his eyelids like an alien...
He doesn't seem to care if Gu Yun notices him examining the bottle, though. Does it look interesting? Anything on it? Not that he'd be able to read any labels. He hums, weighing it in his hand. At least there's no chance of him dropping it.]
We're permitted so little from home, yet you choose something so inconsequential? [A hangover cure, of all things...] What does that say, I wonder?
[The other Harbingers likely would've found a subtler way to phrase that, but they can all get fucked. Childe's not even sure what he's trying to insinuate, here, but he's too well-trained to let this pass without some comment. He'll pass the bottle over in a moment, but first--like a bloodhound with a scent, if there's anything to glean from this, he'll follow the trail until it's cold.]
[ the bottle isn't particularly interesting. it looks roughly in tune with gu yun's era of life - the bottle is of greenish glass, the liquid inside roughly the same thickness as cough medicine. the color's indiscernible from the outside, besides the fact that it's sort of darkish. there's no label, either; the only interesting thing is maybe that there's a false bottom, though removing the false bottom only makes it obvious that it's a little bowl! it's a thermos sort of situation.
whatever childe is saying is so completely muffled that gu yun has zero chance of understanding him. the tonal inflections of his words are just barely enough to be heard, and it's so frustrating to like this. with what he knows from spending various time with childe so far - and from being roommates - he's probably just not going to let it slide as a simple hangover cure. he's probably asking questions.
time for great liang's greatest garlic, the marquis of order himself, king of pretending to listen, to do what he does best. that is to say, by this moment, gu yun tosses his arm over his eyes, dramatically, covering the fact that the pinprick sized red mole under his eye hasn't vanished.
and then, he just starts whining, like a truly dramatic drunk facing the consequences of his late night trysts. if it gets a little louder, well, hey. he's whining. ]
Aiyah, my head's pounding... why're you torturing me like this, huh? Young Master Childe? All your words sound like little needles... Stop being such a tease.
[ with his other hand, he makes grabby fingers. gimme, gimme. ]
[He won't fiddle with it hard enough to take it apart, at least--there's a heavy beat of silence, and then he laughs, dropping the bottle into Gu Yun's hand.]
Haha, forgive me! It's been some time since I had a comrade afflicted like this, I couldn't help myself.
[Snezhnaya is not unlocked as a region yet so until further notice it is a sad, cold place and everyone drinks a concerning amount. FAKE RUSSIA.]
gonna be awk when we end up doing a mg with these two and none of the conditions are the same
[ thank fuck. gu yun's not a religious man, so there's not a deity to be thanked for it, but a part of him, inwardly, is utterly relieved when the bottle lands in his hand. he waves the other one as if gesturing him off, then, keeping his arm over his eyes as if it's just too heavy for him to move, uses his thumb to pop the top of the bottle off and send it to the floor. he can't measure it like this and absolutely cannot take the whole dose, either, so he's going to just have to trust his own senses for how much is necessary.
he only lifts his arm once the bottle's open, and brings the lip of it to his mouth, tipping the bottle back and counting, mentally, rapidly doing math to ensure he doesn't down it all. miss chen would scold him for being so reckless and not measuring, but, what's he supposed to do. tell childe his issues? ask for help? ha!!!!
last gulp swallowed, he makes a show of groaning and lets his hand still holding the bottle upright go limp, so it drapes uselessly off the side of the bed. once the bottle touches the floor, he sets it down, though leaves his hand near it, carelessly dramatic.
his voice is a little softer, now. even the first kick of the medicine starts to make his own voice more recognizable in his non functioning ears; the blank space where the red mark was on his far earlobe has faintly started to come in pink. ]
I'll need at least ten minutes of silence for the Gu family recipe to work its magic. We're all alcoholics, you see. Or, would be, if there were any left besides me.
[ gu yun waves his hand in a 'shoo' gesture, though, knowing his roommate, he doubts he will be getting anything he just said he needed. that's fine. ]
[What if he'd just walked out with the bottle Gu Yun what then!!!
But no, he wouldn't do that unless he had a good reason. The mention of his family gets a hum of acknowledgment, but otherwise, all he says is--]
A mere ten minutes? My goodness, how effective.
[Is he being genuine or not... difficult to say, honestly.
But, perhaps surprisingly, he doesn't ask anything else. There's no further needling or teasing, for the moment. Nor does he hover ominously over Gu Yun's bed with a knife or anything like that. In fact, Gu Yun will probably be able to sense him walking away.
Less surprisingly, he doesn't actually "shoo"--whenever Gu Yun regains his sight, he'll be able to see Childe leaning against the wall with his legs stretched out across the bed and crossed. He's not silent, but he's simply humming softly and tapping his thigh, a distant look in his eyes and an otherwise blank (almost alarmingly so) look on his face.]
[ it takes longer than that - but ten minutes is bare functional. ten minutes means he can see with his liuli glass, and hear well enough that nothing will seem off. the debilitating migraine that comes with it is unfortunate, but at this point, gu yun can fight through it.
sure enough, ten minutes do pass in relative peace and quiet. he doesn't relax any, but by the time he can feel the medicine kicking in, gu yun sits up, ignoring his headache, and gathers his monocle from the side table, setting it on his face and feigning a stretch as if waking up from a long nap.
his attention falls to his roommmate, who didn't actually leave. he can only pick up a note or two of his pretty song - but it's definitely a song, and for the moment, he looks at childe's blank, near comatose looking face, then props his elbows on his knees and puts his chin in his hand. ]
A lullaby, Childe, really? I'll become so terribly spoiled.
[ his now at least functioning eyes search him over, briefly, gaze flicking from his hand at his thigh back up to his face, seeing if he'll respond to the verbal cue. you good, bud? ]
[The smile comes first, before focus returns to his gaze. It's a distant thing, a little colder and yet, paradoxically, more genuine than most of the smiles and laughter he shows to the public. Whether Gu Yun knows him well enough to pick up on that--if his vision is even clear enough to notice such details--he won't have long to study it; Childe blinks, looking back at Gu Yun, and all at once he's back in the present.]
My apologies, it's a song my siblings enjoy. You mentioned family, so I couldn't help but think of home.
[Pleasant thoughts, or no? His posture is as relaxed as ever, so it's hard to tell.]
How kindly caring of you! A lovely sentiment indeed. [ his voice picks up a tease, though it's affectionate, playful bullying. ] I wouldn't have taken you for a family man; then again, I'm one myself, so I suppose our looks are deceiving.
[ by. by all technicalities, he is a family man. he did just say all of his family was dead??? i'm sure it's fine,
anyway!!! ] As for your question, it's worked enough I feel less like a corpse, if that's what you're asking. Should be a little longer and then I'll be right as rain - like nothing ever happened. Thanks for the help.
Is it so surprising? Everyone needs a reason to fight, after all.
[To keep fighting, perhaps, is the more accurate phrase; a reason beyond an innate desire to stir up trouble. His Abyssal master has his gratitude, and his Tsaritsa has his respect, but it's his family that has his love. He certainly wouldn't end any letters to his Archon with Yours faithfully, your loyal knight.
And hey, Gu Yun can be a family man if he wants. As a treat.]
Of course, of course. We're friends, aren't we? [Are they. Is that what this is.] Though, like I said, I'm a bit surprised. I'm sure our gracious hosts [waves hand in fake mg] would've been willing to spare you the headache.
[ can you fucking believe our generic murdergame setting is actually "fuck game". i'm so sorry
anyway. that answer comes with a laugh, short and bright. right now gu yun's head feels approximately like it's going to explode, but it does nothing for his sense of humor as he waves his hand, dispelling the notion of either the hosts or their friendship. ]
I've got the tools to fix it myself, so I might as well do so. Besides, I've got some dignity to hold onto - the last thing I would've wanted to do was vomit at their feet while I was asking.
[ gross. also, he'd rather die than ask for help, so even if it was a regular hangover and not Debilitating Loss of Senses he would've laid here and suffered and then pretended to be normal. now, with his liuli glass back on, the world is sharpening again, as if being twisted under a microscope. much better. ]
It was such a strange thing to be brought from home, but it's not like I had much of a choice in the matter. I had my Wind Slasher on my person, and a bow, but... ah! Fate is cruel to this Marquis.
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no subject
It's not a particularly unique trait--he's far from the only person here who's had to fight for their survival. Whether they've actually talked about it out loud or just happened to recognize Child Soldier Traits in each other is anyone's guess.
Still, it's the same thing every morning, regardless of whether they're magically conked out or not. One moment, he's fast asleep--the next, he's alert, eyes snapping open and senses immediately registering any changes in the environment, even as he remains lying down. The absence of his Vision (and worse, his Delusion) is noted, just like it is every morning, and he covers his sigh with a fake yawn, sitting up.
It's not like it's the first time he's had to survive without them, but still. It's such a pain to have to keep track of multiple physical weapons.
Gu Yun gets a glance, and--a raised eyebrow? What is he doing... whatever. Childe summons up a cavalier tone as he stretches, swinging his legs over the side of their PROBABLY DINKY LITTLE BEDS considering it's a murdergame. Man he misses being rich and important.]
Another lovely morning, huh?
[...
...
...???]
That rough of a night, was it?
[...
...
...?????
Carefully, he reaches out, nudging Gu Yun('s corpse??) with his toe.
Are you dead, roomie. If so, can he have your stuff]
no subject
and at that he just - grins. grins, like a shitty, shitty boy playing a joke in a generic terrible game where people die every week.
typical gu yun! ]
About to take my things, huh? [ by now, he's used to speaking when he can't hear, forms his mouth around the words and keeps his voice at a cadence that's just a murmur, too cautious to try changing his volume any when he can't regulate it. be normal! be normal. ] Sorry, sorry - if I do die, it'd be on schedule.
[ a beat to allow a response, roughly timing to what would be normal, and he lifts his hands as if stretching. ] I've got the hangover from hell. There's a bottle in my things - would you fetch it for me so I don't have to face the light?
no subject
Case in point--Gu Yun pretends to be dead in a place where people get mercilessly slaughtered every week, and Childe laughs like it's a genuinely funny joke.]
I'll hold you to that! [Die on schedule? How boring, he doesn't say. (He probably doesn't need to.)
Gu Yun's apparent suffering also makes him grin; he stretches one more time before he gets to his feet. Favors are their own form of currency, after all, no matter how little they might be worth.]
Of course, Marquis, sir. [It's the same tone he always uses with Gu Yun's title--playful, with just a bit of an edge of disrespect and irreverence.
He isn't stupid enough to obviously rifle through Gu Yun's belongings more necessary, not with the man right there with him; he doubts there's anything of value to be found anyway. So he fishes out the bottle as soon as he finds it, and even goes out of his way to put everything nicely back in order before he stands up, seemingly ready to be a good roommate.
At least until he stops at Gu Yun's bedside, looking thoughtfully at the bottle in his hand.
Hm...]
...But it's curious, isn't it?
no subject
he can faintly, faintly hear muffled noises that must be childe talking to him. gu yun remains where he is and waits for lapses in them, trying to tune in harder to pick up any tonal change, any words. when the shadow moves close beside his bed and he holds out his hand for said bottle, he waits.
and it doesn’t come; he can presume that childe might be asking a question, and makes a - ] Mm? [ in response.
it’s not that he can answer whatever question childe might have really, not yet, but gu yun is the master of bullshit and he’s been bullshitting this particular skill and ability since he was ten. ]
aggressively makes generic mg assumptions
He doesn't seem to care if Gu Yun notices him examining the bottle, though. Does it look interesting? Anything on it? Not that he'd be able to read any labels. He hums, weighing it in his hand. At least there's no chance of him dropping it.]
We're permitted so little from home, yet you choose something so inconsequential? [A hangover cure, of all things...] What does that say, I wonder?
[The other Harbingers likely would've found a subtler way to phrase that, but they can all get fucked. Childe's not even sure what he's trying to insinuate, here, but he's too well-trained to let this pass without some comment. He'll pass the bottle over in a moment, but first--like a bloodhound with a scent, if there's anything to glean from this, he'll follow the trail until it's cold.]
me
whatever childe is saying is so completely muffled that gu yun has zero chance of understanding him. the tonal inflections of his words are just barely enough to be heard, and it's so frustrating to like this. with what he knows from spending various time with childe so far - and from being roommates - he's probably just not going to let it slide as a simple hangover cure. he's probably asking questions.
time for great liang's greatest garlic, the marquis of order himself, king of pretending to listen, to do what he does best. that is to say, by this moment, gu yun tosses his arm over his eyes, dramatically, covering the fact that the pinprick sized red mole under his eye hasn't vanished.
and then, he just starts whining, like a truly dramatic drunk facing the consequences of his late night trysts. if it gets a little louder, well, hey. he's whining. ]
Aiyah, my head's pounding... why're you torturing me like this, huh? Young Master Childe? All your words sound like little needles... Stop being such a tease.
[ with his other hand, he makes grabby fingers. gimme, gimme. ]
IT'S OUR WORLD WE DO WHAT WE WANT
Haha, forgive me! It's been some time since I had a comrade afflicted like this, I couldn't help myself.
[Snezhnaya is not unlocked as a region yet so until further notice it is a sad, cold place and everyone drinks a concerning amount. FAKE RUSSIA.]
gonna be awk when we end up doing a mg with these two and none of the conditions are the same
he only lifts his arm once the bottle's open, and brings the lip of it to his mouth, tipping the bottle back and counting, mentally, rapidly doing math to ensure he doesn't down it all. miss chen would scold him for being so reckless and not measuring, but, what's he supposed to do. tell childe his issues? ask for help? ha!!!!
last gulp swallowed, he makes a show of groaning and lets his hand still holding the bottle upright go limp, so it drapes uselessly off the side of the bed. once the bottle touches the floor, he sets it down, though leaves his hand near it, carelessly dramatic.
his voice is a little softer, now. even the first kick of the medicine starts to make his own voice more recognizable in his non functioning ears; the blank space where the red mark was on his far earlobe has faintly started to come in pink. ]
I'll need at least ten minutes of silence for the Gu family recipe to work its magic. We're all alcoholics, you see. Or, would be, if there were any left besides me.
[ gu yun waves his hand in a 'shoo' gesture, though, knowing his roommate, he doubts he will be getting anything he just said he needed. that's fine. ]
IT'S FINE this is just a trust speedrun
But no, he wouldn't do that unless he had a good reason. The mention of his family gets a hum of acknowledgment, but otherwise, all he says is--]
A mere ten minutes? My goodness, how effective.
[Is he being genuine or not... difficult to say, honestly.
But, perhaps surprisingly, he doesn't ask anything else. There's no further needling or teasing, for the moment. Nor does he hover ominously over Gu Yun's bed with a knife or anything like that. In fact, Gu Yun will probably be able to sense him walking away.
Less surprisingly, he doesn't actually "shoo"--whenever Gu Yun regains his sight, he'll be able to see Childe leaning against the wall with his legs stretched out across the bed and crossed. He's not silent, but he's simply humming softly and tapping his thigh, a distant look in his eyes and an otherwise blank (almost alarmingly so) look on his face.]
yea true
sure enough, ten minutes do pass in relative peace and quiet. he doesn't relax any, but by the time he can feel the medicine kicking in, gu yun sits up, ignoring his headache, and gathers his monocle from the side table, setting it on his face and feigning a stretch as if waking up from a long nap.
his attention falls to his roommmate, who didn't actually leave. he can only pick up a note or two of his pretty song - but it's definitely a song, and for the moment, he looks at childe's blank, near comatose looking face, then props his elbows on his knees and puts his chin in his hand. ]
A lullaby, Childe, really? I'll become so terribly spoiled.
[ his now at least functioning eyes search him over, briefly, gaze flicking from his hand at his thigh back up to his face, seeing if he'll respond to the verbal cue. you good, bud? ]
Re: yea true
My apologies, it's a song my siblings enjoy. You mentioned family, so I couldn't help but think of home.
[Pleasant thoughts, or no? His posture is as relaxed as ever, so it's hard to tell.]
Feeling better, sir?
no subject
[ by. by all technicalities, he is a family man. he did just say all of his family was dead??? i'm sure it's fine,
anyway!!! ] As for your question, it's worked enough I feel less like a corpse, if that's what you're asking. Should be a little longer and then I'll be right as rain - like nothing ever happened. Thanks for the help.
no subject
Is it so surprising? Everyone needs a reason to fight, after all.
[To keep fighting, perhaps, is the more accurate phrase; a reason beyond an innate desire to stir up trouble. His Abyssal master has his gratitude, and his Tsaritsa has his respect, but it's his family that has his love. He certainly wouldn't end any letters to his Archon with Yours faithfully, your loyal knight.
And hey, Gu Yun can be a family man if he wants. As a treat.]
Of course, of course. We're friends, aren't we? [Are they. Is that what this is.] Though, like I said, I'm a bit surprised. I'm sure our gracious hosts [
waves hand in fake mg] would've been willing to spare you the headache.no subject
anyway. that answer comes with a laugh, short and bright. right now gu yun's head feels approximately like it's going to explode, but it does nothing for his sense of humor as he waves his hand, dispelling the notion of either the hosts or their friendship. ]
I've got the tools to fix it myself, so I might as well do so. Besides, I've got some dignity to hold onto - the last thing I would've wanted to do was vomit at their feet while I was asking.
[ gross. also, he'd rather die than ask for help, so even if it was a regular hangover and not Debilitating Loss of Senses he would've laid here and suffered and then pretended to be normal. now, with his liuli glass back on, the world is sharpening again, as if being twisted under a microscope. much better. ]
It was such a strange thing to be brought from home, but it's not like I had much of a choice in the matter. I had my Wind Slasher on my person, and a bow, but... ah! Fate is cruel to this Marquis.
[ Is it. Is It. ]