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[illicitly]

« sandpiper » TEXT ✧ AUDIO ✧ VIDEO ✧ ACTION Nie Huaisang ✦ Mo Dao Zu Shi
RESIDENCE ✦ 4 BR House in the Sumar Province
GEMBOND ✦ Amethyst

35. Male. Bisexual. Crushes on handsome male friends who touch him a lot and has no idea what to do with a woman besides get awkwardly drunk, cry into her bosom, and ramble about his hobbies. Professional hot mess with secret aspirations of guiding his home society into being less of an infighting shitshow. Powerful 'step on me' energy. Unfulfilled boyhood dreams of being a useless trophy husband and pillow king.

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[zidianing]

[It's an hour later when he calls again]

He's still not answering.

[illicitly]

He's not? Someone taught him how to use the device, right? He didn't accidentally turn the sound off or anything?

[Look, it happened to him, okay. It'd make sense to him if it happened to another version of himself, too. These things are hard to figure out and learn!]

Try going over again now? He might have just not felt like answering his door. Sometimes it's a real bother to get up out of bed when you're hung over, you know?

[zidianing]

My understanding is that he's possibly more familiar with these things than I am. And I'm at his door and been knocking for the last five minutes.

[illicitly]

Where does he live? I'll meet you there.

[If nothing else, he might be able to give some more insight if he actually sees the area.]

[zidianing]

[He sends the address for Huaisang's place and tries knocking again]

[illicitly]

[A breathless Huaisang arrives a short time later, dressed quite a bit differently than his usual flashy style. Presently, he's dressed more simply in in casual dark green slacks, an off-white short-sleeved button down shirt, pair of beige suspenders, and boots. His hair's been pulled back in a simple, utilitarian ponytail which swishes back and forth as he jogs up to Jiang Wanyin.]

Still no answer?

[Give him a moment to catch his breath.]

[zidianing]

[What are you--never mind. He doesn't focus on what Huaisang is wearing but rather the state of his friend]

No answer.

[illicitly]

Nothing at all?

[There's usually a limit to Huaisang's own threshold of how long he can withstand someone bothering him after a night of too much drinking. If they were truly the same person, wouldn't his twin have rushed out wailing for the trespasser to leave him alone by now?

He frowns slightly at the door to the other Nie Huaisang's home, before his eyes settles on a small box that looks similar to the lock on his own door.]

We should check inside. Do you have his keycard? I have mine but I don't know if it will open this lock.

[He still has no idea how these keys and locks work exactly. Is the magic inside tied to the places they live or to the individuals they've been given to? Would it recognize him and his otherworld self as the same individual? It's a mystery.]

[zidianing]

Why would I have a key to his place?

[They drink together sometimes but no, he doesn't have a spare key to Huaisang's place.]

[illicitly]

I don't know! I just figured it was worth asking about. In case, he forgot it after drinks or something. It could happen. Sometimes I forget where I've placed things.

[His saber in his youth, more recently his network device, usually items that are unfamiliar to him or things he just particularly care about or like.]

Anyway, I'll try mine. It might work but if it doesn't, we're gonna need to find another way in. Preferably without raising too much of an alarm.

[For now though, he'll take his card out and swipe it in slow which results in an angry beep Huaisang's come to learn fairly quickly means something's not working right.]

...Sorry. Mine isn't going to work on his door. I guess they're tied to the places instead of the person.

[zidianing]

[He gives a sigh.]

All right. Well. I suppose he'll reach out to one of us later on, then.

[illicitly]

Don't give up so easily! If we're already here, we might as well just break in. If he's inside and it's just a false alarm, I'm sure he'll understand if we frame it as concern for him.

[It's not even a lie. Huaisang's a little worried about his counterpart, too. Besides, he dressed this way for a reason and that reason was in case he had to get his hands dirty.]

Do you see any points of entry other than this door?

[zidianing]

[Well. Okay. He could frame it as concern for his friend.]

Possible for the balcony on the other side. I suppose--

[He looks down at his hand]

I could create a bridge from one balcony to his. Or use Zidian to swing over.

[illicitly]

A bridge would work. Or you could fly up on your sword! You have your sword, don't you?

[Someone doesn't seem to have clued into the fact he can fly on his own yet. Then he pauses a moment, head tilting to side.]

You can fly on swords in your world, too, right?

[Listen, he's still trying to process everything about the situation, okay. Potentially dumb questions might get asked.]

[zidianing]

[He narrows his eyes]

Yes, we do.

[He pulls Sandu out but clutches at the sword still sheathed in its scabbard. Would it work?]

I'd have to bring you over by your hand or collar.

[illicitly]

My hand is fine. I'm not a kitten that needs to be carried around by the scruff.

[He's a sect leader! He has some dignity! Sometimes! Occasionally!]

It beats trying to scale the side of the building. What floor is this? It'd be bad to get the wrong window.

[In the meantime, he's counting the number of doors and calculating roughly where his counterpart's apartment should be from the outside.]

[zidianing]

[For some reason, he has a hard time believing that Nie Huaisang doesn't need to be carried by the scruff. He rattles off the floor number and looks around for the exit outside ]

[illicitly]

[Once Huaisang's worked out approximately which balcony should be the right one, he waves Jiang Wanyin over to the elevator. Now that he's no longer living in fear of being eaten by what had used to appear to him as a maneating door, he's quite comfortable with riding in them.]

Over here! This way! We'll ride it down and go over to the side of the building where his balcony is. His should be the sixth one down.

[zidianing]

[He looks...uneasy for it but goes with Huaisang]

I can't believe how quickly you've adapted to these things so easily.

[illicitly]

You haven't? What have you been doing with all your time?

[Huaisang doesn't mean to cast shade, he really doesn't, but learning his way around their new environment and gaining a little more understanding on just how to simply live in such a place has been his primary focus from the start.]

I've had help from my neighbor. Master Ignis has been really kind and patient with me since our arrival. It's thanks to him that I've learned as much as I have.

[Once they're in the elevator, Huaisang punches the button for the ground floor, looking a little proud of himself. He'd been so scared the first time he'd ridden in one of these and look at him! He's a man who takes the elevator on his own now!]

[zidianing]

[He glares at Huaisang]

I'm not sure of the Jiang Wanyin of your world but I am not one to socialize so easily.

[He snaps at him and grosses his arms, waiting uneasily as the thing goes down.]

[illicitly]

Oh, don't worry. He doesn't either.

[Huaisang sighs heavily.]

Actually, he's pretty grumpy.

[He manages to leave off that 'too'.]

You can relax. It isn't going to fall. I ride in it all the time. It's perfectly safe.

[zidianing]

[Huaisang doesn't say it but Jiang Cheng definitely hears the "too" and frowns deeper]

Safe until it falls.

[He's been on it a handful of times as well and still doesn't trust it.]

[illicitly]

If it falls, it falls.

[Huaisang shrugs.]

There's no sense in worrying about it until then.

[When the reach the bottom floor, there's a ding and the doors open.]