video; un: reddeer

[rightfoot]

Name: Louis
Date: Late 8/1, Early 8/2.
Format: video.

[ Hello there, network! It's a face that many of you haven't seen for awhile, he thinks. This time, there's no chaos attached to this post. ]

Hard to believe it's been a year here. Is this the sort of anniversary someone celebrates? It's my 'Abducted to a strange planet' anniversary. Maybe I'll get someone [ ahem ] to make a cake or something. Castella is my favorite, by the way.

[ He's not going to push his luck. ]

So those who have been here for awhile, what have you learned since arriving? If you're ... newer, what do you hope to learn?

Personally, I learned that despite monsters being a big thing: deer with fingers are still a novelty. Oh, and pet ownership is still weird to me. I don't think it'll ever not be weird.

[ There's a small quirk of the corner of his mouth, and the slightest, small smile when he makes the offer. It's reminiscent of what he posted almost a year ago. Just way more -- polite. ]

That being said - I am going to give the same opportunity that I gave when I first arrived:

I am not a Monster. I am a deer who happens to be a witch. I never saw a human before getting here. And I have ten fingers and five toes.

And, if you have any questions, it's okay to ask, I promise. I don't bite. No question is too weird at this point, I think.

Comments

[zewu_jun]

Will you ask him then? A cake sounds nice if you are going to commemorate the day.

[ As fluffy and sentimental as always, he's there to encourage Louis to have something nice. Just because. He likes Louis, who always seems sharp and bold.]

If you have learned from your stay here, it cannot be too bad. Although, I think I understand. I... am not sure how to think of this place. I enjoy meeting new people and learning from everyone, but I also worry.

[rightfoot]

I may, if I end up actually wanting one. I don't actually really need a cake, I'm not actually big into sweets.

[ He just likes to give his friends shit. Which...well, is his nature. ]

There are a lot of different people. I've learned a lot about humans, personally. Why do you worry?

There's no reason to worry. I went home briefly, and it was like I was never gone. I picked up right where I left off.

[zewu_jun]

[Xichen can relate to that at least. He enjoys teasing his friends when he feels comfortable enough with them to do it. That kind of humor is something he considers special--not everyone has that relationship.]

Perhaps just a meal, then. To celebrate with those close to you.

[Even if it isn't really a celebration, there is part of Xichen that just likes that idea.]

You returned home?

[And nothing terrible happened when he went or when he came back to Aefenglom it seems. That's... a relief. A small, tense breath Xichen has been holding is released when he hears Louis say that without any tone of anger or worry.]

I- There are things I do not wish to return to. But there are also things I fear will not be done if I am absent.

[How long can he avoid going home? Would it be like a vacation if he stayed too? That sounds nice, and yet Lan Xichen still feels guilty.]

[rightfoot]

We all arrived at the same time. A meal might be good.

[ Maybe, just maybe, then. ]

I did, I went home. I returned to the moment I left there, and came back here to the same moment I left here. It seems like the time in one place doesn't impact the other.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you have a choice.

[zewu_jun]

It sounds like you have made good friends here. Had you only met humans once you arrived?

[ He can't help his curiosity. He's trying to be polite and restrained, of course, but a little, harmless inquiry should be fine, right? ]

I don't have a choice. But I would not like to lose the people I have now. If I return home, then... Things will not be as kind.

[rightfoot]

Humans don't exist where I'm from. I mean, have you seen someone like me before being here?

[ maybe?? he assumes not ]

That's unfortunate. How do you know it'll be unkind if it's your future?

[zewu_jun]

No, I have not... but there are many different mysteries in the world. I have not yet met an immortal, but they exist. And I have seen some fairies.

[Which is not the same, Xichen, but he's trying. Louis could be an immortal. What does he know?]

Because if I return, then I will be alone again.

[rightfoot]

What's real in one world may very well not be real in the next. Neither faeries or immortals are a thing where I'm from, either. And here we are.

Being alone isn't so bad, though. And it's good to know this isn't forever.

[zewu_jun]

I suppose that could be true as well. Do you not have yao or dragons either?

[He's curious now. It's something he sort of took for granted as part of nature everywhere.]

Mm... It cannot last forever. But I do not like being alone.

[rightfoot]

No. We do not, uh - we have reptiles, but not actual dragons. So you're telling me you do, then?

[ what ]

[zewu_jun]

Mm, we do. Dragons are part of the natural world we live in. They aren't commonly found among humans, but they can be met.

[He's happy to talk about more familiar aspects of being a cultivator that he hasn't had to do for a while.]

There are also other creatures, but they are more... bestial in nature. Not ones like yaogui that may be spoken with. They hunt and kill, like fierce corpses, without much thought beyond that.

[rightfoot]

A yaogui? So like, a zombie? The undead?

[ He's seen zombie pop culture, too. ]