[7rings] catchall for douman

[shiftingwinds]

i'll make this pretty later

Comments

[commedia]

Ah, Qingxuan, really, you don't need to...

[But they can sense she's not there, so Douman just hangs their head and sighs.]

[shiftingwinds]

[she comes back and sits back down next to them, then pauses]

...do you not want me to?

[commedia]

...No, no, its fine. I just...

[A pause.]

Ahahaha. I'm simply used to being overlooked. Disregard what I say.

[shiftingwinds]

...I'm sorry.

[they can't see it, but her expression falls at that. used to being overlooked, huh...]

This may sting a little. [but she's going to clean out the wound at least, so it doesn't get infected or something while they're waiting! she'll be as gentle as she possibly can with it.]

[commedia]

...

[Douman hisses a little as she does her work, but it seems their pain tolerance is quite high...or maybe its still just the adrenaline working. Who knows.]

I didn't even see what it was. [A beat, and a laugh.] And that was before I lost my eyes.

[shiftingwinds]

[well, at least they're not into it. (if they are into it please don't tell me.)

anyway, she'll keep at it until it's been sufficiently disinfected and bandaged.]

You just... appeared there, and it attacked you?

[commedia]

[I will not answer that.]

Well, it was one of the rooms I was looking through. It was under the bed, and then it came out and attacked! It was really quite rude!

[Ahahaha.]

[shiftingwinds]

[god.]

Monsters under the bed...? Goodness... What else is this place going to throw at people...

[commedia]

That wasn't even all that bad! It was kind of fun, even with the hand biting. Later was much worse.

[And...they fall silent for a moment.]

There were others there, besides us.

[shiftingwinds]

[fun... douman, please...

but ah... she's quiet for a moment, hearing that.]

Others...?

[her brow furrows (not that they'll be able to see it).]

[commedia]

They looked like...people from here. This place. Gu Yun was there. Yuel was there. Omi was...

[................................And they don't continue.]

[shiftingwinds]

[oof, that sounds bad.

she reaches for their un-bitten hand.]

...you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm just glad you all came back to us.

[commedia]

[Her hand is so soft...]

...They tried to kill us. [A beat.] Ah, but it was all just a curse, anyways. I suppose it was.

[Glad that they're all back, huh...]

I suppose...I'm glad I'm back, too.

[shiftingwinds]

[oof.

her expression definitely drops at that. good thing they can't see it! the hand that isn't holding theirs comes up to brush her fingertips over her throat.]

A curse, or an illusion. The people you saw there... they wouldn't do that to you. Not for real.

[she cannot even wrap her mind around the concept of omi even thinking about killing this clown.]

[commedia]

Oh, I know. But it was convincing. Even for a time, I thought they were merely being possessed...

[Douman gestures to one of their eyeholes.]

One of these is that Omi's work.

[shiftingwinds]

[oof. yikes.]

...only one of them...?

[did they dig out the other themselves to match.]

[commedia]

Yes. The other is...another story! Haha.

[Are you going to. Say the other story...]

[shiftingwinds]

[clown, please]

...I take it you don't want to talk about it...?

[since... they volunteered that omi took the one eye, but they're being cagey about this one]

[commedia]

...

What happened with my other eye is between me and myself.

[shiftingwinds]

[she nods, and then remembers a moment later that they can't see that]

Of course.

[commedia]

Thank you for understanding.

[A long pause...and then they reach out their unwounded hand.]

Can you...hold it? Qingxuan?

[shiftingwinds]

Certainly.

[she doesn't hesitate - she takes their hand in both of hers and holds onto it.]

...for as long as you'd like.

[commedia]

Mineo said he does this to held someone through a nightmare.

[They hang their head, hair cascading down their front, like a curtain.]

It feels nice.

[shiftingwinds]

[she nods - again, not that they can see it.]

Sometimes, even when you're not awake, you can still feel it - you know someone's there, subconsciously. It helps.

[commedia]

...

[They murmur so quietly that its barely even heard.]

There was no one there for me.