Character Teaser: Wanderer - Of Solitude Past And Present

Character Teaser: Wanderer - “Of Solitude Past and Present”

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chongyun laughs a little at her concern. not that it's funny, but because chongyun isn't used to people caring so much for them. at least, not in this kind of way. "i'm well enough," they reassure hu tao. "don't worry about me." as tired as chongyun is currently, they're not so tired that they're on the verge of collapsing right then and there. maybe they were, but going to the tea house sounds like precisely the thing they currently need to let their body rest first before resorting to sleeping.

"and..." chongyun puts a finger to their chin as they follow along, taking in the sights and smells of the harbor. everything smells delicious, though chongyun is still hung up on the idea of eating fish. nothing else sounds quite as good. "if you want to learn more about yin and yang, i can teach you what i know sometime." not now ― that is a lesson chongyun is going to need notes on themself. even with their own yang energy, chongyun never fully got the hang of what exactly it is. those particulars had simply gone right over their head, like most teaching. the only lessons that really stuck were the physical training and the mantras.

"i don't know much about them myself, but i know bits and pieces," chongyun continues. "everything my parents tried to teach me went over my head. i was always more interesting in learning how to fight and how to use my claymore, over any ailments i was born with." there's another sheepish expression on his face. "i know we still have books at home, if you'd ever like to stop by sometime. i plan on staying here for awhile at least, before i have to pick up and get back to work." leaving liyue harbor for several days.

"but we can enjoy the rest of today, i'd rather not force my brain to work too much if i can avoid it." he points at the teahouse. more specifically, chongyun is pointing out a still empty table that the pair can sit at.

"The  teahouse  it  is  then!"  she  affirmed  with  a  smile.  The  director  maay  had  been  hoping  he  would  choose  that  option.  It  seemed  this  was  another  thing  she  had  in  common  with  Chongyun.  As  well  as  their  love  for  a  good  story.

"Maybe  we  can  actually  hear  a  conclusion  to  those  usual  cliffhangers~"  Hu  Tao  mused  in  reference  to  the  storyteller's  habit  of  forgetting  where  they  left  off.  Not  that  she  minded.  She  found  the  quirk  rather  fun  and  endearing,  hence  her  frequent  visits  to  the  teahouse.

Moving  back  to  the  present  moment,  she  found  there  was  a  lingering  closeness  between  the  two.  Not  to  mention  a  sense  of  awkwardness.  And  yet,  she  didn't  instinctively  back  off.  Of  course  the  exorcist  was  being  nothing  but  genuine  in  their  sentiments  toward  her.  She  knew  that.  Still  he  was  correct  in  his  thoughts  that  she  wasn't  use  to  such  kindness  in  general.

"Ahh..I  suppose  I  have  bit  more  to  learn  about  those  yin  and  yang  energies,"  she  remarked  letting  out  a  soft  sigh.  "You  really  are  much  too  kind,  Chongyun."

With  that  she  grasped  onto  his  hand  helping  to  pull  him  up  onto  his  feet.  She  didn't  doubt  what  he  had  said.  Not  at  all.  The  exorcist  had  always  been  such  a  kind  friend.  Even  since  they  were  kids.

The  mention  of  food  did  elicit  her  own  stomach  to  growl  slightly.  Yep,  she  was  hungry  as  well.  Though  her  face  did  scrunch  up  with  a  bit  of  embarrassment  that  she  simply  overworked  herself  she  forgot  to  grab  something  to  eat  earlier.

"Come  on.  The  teahouse  isn't  too  far  from  here.  Just  right  past  the  funeral  parlor  even"  she  began  to  tug  at  him  in  an  effort  to  lead  but  then  paused  turning  her  attention  back  toward  Chongyun.  "You  are  well  enough  to  walk  there,  right?  I  mean  here.."  she  stepped  a  bit  closer  over  a  shoulder  for  him  to  lean  on  in  case  there  was  such  a  need.

chongyun frowns at the laughter as he bends down to refill his waterskin. while he knows he SHOULDN'T take offense to it, as it's likely not personal, chongyun is doing exactly that: taking cyno's laughter as mockery. at least, until cyno explains himself. it's still not any better than the initial assumption. it's still enough for chongyun's slight good mood to fade.

"i'm not so sure what's funny about walking into traps." chongyun scowls at cyno, impatiently dragging his claymore across the ground. it's just a small quip that's muttered under his breath, a bit of snark he wants to get out of his system. chongyun wants to move, to get going. even though the pair will be walking further into the heat, deeper into the rainforest and finally, to the desert, chongyun doesn't like standing still for long. he wants to get to his destination, because at least the old temples in the desert will be inside for the most part. inside equals cooler.

"i don't have any better directions for you; i gave you all the information i have at my disposal." he wouldn't have minding spending a few days digging around sand until he found the one place he needed to be, but it'd be faster with cyno's help. chongyun just isn't entirely sure what more cyno wants to hear from him. it's the word 'vague', that has chongyun a little defensive. while chongyun trusts that cyno knows all of sumeru backwards and forwards, and can offer advice and help, chongyun doesn't trust him. chongyun also isn't stupid and naive to the point he believes cyno is offering his help out of the kindness of his heart ― there is mutual dislike here.

cyno seems like the type of person to operate entirely on facts and logic, while chongyun operates on faith and spirituality. the two personalities could be complementary in normal circumstances. but in this case, chongyun can't help but feel like cyno keeps trying to interrogate him for some information that is going above his head. something he maybe missed earlier in the conversation. or maybe chongyun is still too out of it to get a proper judgement of cyno's character. his words of waiting for a storm to pass sound a little more ominous than they should, but chongyun's pushing it out of his mind for now. he's tired of talking for the moment.

"and...save the jokes for now. i'd rather get a head start on this trip." he can appreciate the joke thrown his way. chongyun even smiles briefly. when they rest later, chongyun will CONSIDER letting cyno be as funny as he wants, as long as chongyun hasn't fallen sick first.

with a hand gripping his vision to keep cool, he starts walking now, not waiting for cyno. though chongyun suspects that the general won't be too far behind him, either. if anything, cyno will rush to stay ahead of chongyun in order to be a proper guide.

@oficeandwind

[Just because you're used to walking into traps, doesn't make the fact that you keep on doing it any less stupid. Normal people learn from their mistakes... Or I sure wish they did, anyway.]

Tighnari's words rang in his ears as though the Watcher was right next to him to speak them. At that, Cyno couldn't help but erupt into a chuckle that he cut short before the bowing Liyuan.

"... Sorry. I promise I wasn't laughing at you." He said with a wave of his hand. "What you said earlier made me think of something funny someone told me before."

He did not elaborate on the matter further, not wanting to risk offense. Instead he returned the gesture and moved on, taking a few steps away from the creek to give the other room to refill his waterskin before they took their leave. His arms crossed over his chest.

"Though I'm afraid your directions are still pretty vague. What ruins get half-buried in the Great Red Sand change with each blow of the wind. It is very possible we might have to wait for a storm to pass before we find any... and maybe even spend some days digging our way in. The spirits of the desert aren't known for their... ghost-pitality."

an edit I just made because if I want a visual made, I'm gonna make it myself.

OTPs  +  nOTPs  +  wanderer : 3

i thought about adding a tier for people kami sees as friends or people he's cautious around, but that feels a little tedious when i'd rather get straight to the point.

basically, my otps, my fun ship feels that i'd love, and my notps for kami, in a nutshell. any other character not listed here would have to have the dynamics written out first.