protagonisthalo | [interlude + closed post

[interlude + closed post - heart devil sword]

After Shen Yuan leaves his room the next morning, Luo Binghe goes to unwrap Xin Mo. It's sweet that Shen Yuan was bothered by it, and he can sympathize. Xin Mo's energy is hostile. Even Luo Binghe is sometimes startled by its animosity. But since it has been at Luo Binghe's side for so long, he has grown somewhat fond of it. He has spent a long time trying to understand it, one predator to another, and it is nearly impossible to understand something without caring for it. And besides that, it chose him, and though its moods are tempestuous, it has never forsaken him. Luo Binghe has few enough friends that such a thing is significant.

So he greets his sword and straps it to his waist to get used to the feel. He doesn't always bear Xin Mo like this—just as often he has it in a qiankun pouch—but he has missed having a sword by his side, so he indulges himself. Xin Mo is a heavy sword, but its mass is more than physical: it seems to draw in light from around it, the way a dip in the road collects rainwater. It is impossible not to be aware of its presence. It curls up in Luo Binghe's mind like a wild animal seeking warmth by the fire.

The next order of business is to see if its powers are intact. Luo Binghe does not intend to return to his world just yet, but he would like to confirm that the path is open to him. He draws the sword and attempts to slash a portal to his personal quarters in his palace. Xin Mo's power crackles to life in his hand, surging up to meet his will with violent enthusiasm—and then fizzles to empty sparks. Nothing.

A dull disappointment settles on him. But they have been trapped here without exit for months already—the situation has not changed. He is confident that he will return to his world someday. His adventures always turn out how he wants in the end, even if it takes a long time.

He tries cutting a portal from one end of the room to the other, and this time it works, a shining slash in the air—when he steps through it, he is facing where he stood a moment ago. He cuts a portal to the kitchen and that works as well, depositing him between the stove and the magic box. He tries the lounge where he and Shen Yuan first coupled, but Xin Mo seems to have trouble with that. Given how changeable the mansion is, it's possible that the lounge is no longer where it was, or has disappeared completely. Either way, the slash in the air shows somewhere on the grounds; rather than dismiss it, Luo Binghe steps through. He finds himself a little ways into the woods.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jack starts vibrating on Magnus's necklace so hard that Lan Wangji's token almost falls off. Obviously that's illegal, so Magnus rips Jack free and lets him grow into sword form. The second Jack is free, he zooms off into the treeline, calling, "Babe alert! Babe alert!"

Galahad hasn't been bringing Red Hilt around on his visits -- usually Magnus just lets Jack fly off for his dates -- and isn't due out here anytime soon, anyway, so Magnus lets go of the trampoline he's been wrestling into his clearing from one of the new Mansion outbuildings and goes to investigate...

...just in time to see Jack flying straight at Luo Binghe's face. Quickly -- he's still uncertain of their relationship and doesn't want to cause offense -- Magnus cups his hands around his mouth and yells, "Watch out! Horny sword incoming!"

Luo Binghe's reflexes kick in—he draws Xin Mo with an obsidian gleam and easily parries the flying sword, sending it careening to the side. Then he raises an eyebrow at Magnus.

By the time Jack rebalances and flies in again, Magnus has reached Luo Binghe. "My sword is kind of a ho," he says, half-fond and half-embarrassed. "He's been dating Galahad's sword but I think he's probably polyamorous. Is this the one you were telling me about? The really strong one?"

As if on cue, Jack lights up all of his runes in his most fetching manner. "Someone is radiating killing intent," he says, with a wolf whistle. Magnus... hadn't known his sword could whistle. "Hey baby, wanna rip reality apart?"

Oh... great...

Luo Binghe looks down at Xin Mo. It is radiating killing intent, and it always wants to rip reality apart. It's whispering as much to him now, about how small this world is, how easy it would be to rend to dust; and about Magnus too, how uncomfortable he is to be near Luo Binghe, how he must resent him. It unfurls a tendril of curiosity toward Jack.

"Yes, this is Xin Mo. I have not known it ever to take a sword as a lover, but it is indeed... amorous."

"Hubba, hubba," Jack says, and flies even closer to Xin Mo. "Whaddya say, baby? Wanna see how deep this blade cuts?"

Magnus, meanwhile, shoots Luo Binghe a deeply amused/apologetic look. "He's... not going to stop. FYI. I can make him a pendant again if it's bothering you."

"Don't you dare, señor!" Jack hollers. "I got a lady to impress!" He sparkles at Xin Mo.

Luo Binghe looks at Jack dubiously. Xin Mo is vibrant with interest now—still, but the stillness of a panther gathering itself to pounce. "Xin Mo isn't a friendly sword. It's dangerous. Not only to enemies; many a wielder has crumpled under its power."

"Jack definitely wanted to, um, bone-steel down with the Skofnung Sword, which is the most dangerous and lowkey evil sword in my world," Magnus says, unconcerned except for the fact that he's suddenly hoping that the boyfriend of his good buddy Shen Yuan won't crumble under Xin Mo's power. "Sounds like Xin Mo is just his type."

"Beautiful and deadly?" Jack interjects, swooning as he talks.

Xin Mo pulses with smug amusement. Apparently it enjoys being complimented as much as Luo Binghe does, although Luo Binghe doubts that's a strategy he could use to manage it. Xin Mo—barely—respects Luo Binghe, due to his strength, and what it's emanating in Jack's direction isn't respect. But, well. Luo Binghe warned Magnus. It's not his fault if his sword reduces Magnus' sword to splinters. Or... breaks its heart?

He lets go of Xin Mo's hilt and allows it to float toward Jack. Xin Mo could blast all the trees around them to shreds, but it only wafts a little of its power in Jack's direction, like an enticing aroma.

Jack is the strongest sword in the Nine Worlds and probably couldn't be broken even by a sword like Xin Mo -- if Xin Mo had been raised on ancient Viking pub crawls with the God of Summer, it's possible it would have ended up with a similar temperament. Equally likely to end the world, of course -- after all, that is Jack's fate, too -- but perhaps a little more affably.

Magnus isn't thinking about any of that as he watches Jack run the flat of his blade over Xin Mo's edge, runes sparkling extra bright. "This is fascinating," he confides to Luo Binghe, quietly. "Usually Jack pursues inanimate weapons. Or, like, Bichen, but Lan Wangji doesn't want them to date, so."

"Xin Mo is unusually independent. Most cultivators' swords are mere vessels for their will." He doesn't say how much better this makes Xin Mo than Lan Wangji's sword, but he thinks it, and about five more extremely mean things about Lan Wangji while he's at it. He'll save these to make Shen Yuan laugh later. It's too bad Jiang Wanyin isn't here anymore, or he would hear them too.

Xin Mo shoves Jack's blade hard—as though snapping its jaws. Somehow, it's... flirtatious?

"Jack is completely independent," Magnus says, watching as Jack figuratively laps up whatever it is that Xin Mo is doing to him. "I mean, he's tied to my life essence, but I don't control him or anything. Usually he just decides to do what I ask because we're, like, pals or whatever." Louder, to his sword, he calls, "Hey dude! Don't forget you're tied to my life essence! Don't do anything too strenuous!"

Jack responds by doing a little hilt-twist-thing at Xin Mo. Magnus makes a face and turns to face Luo Binghe instead of his sword. "I don't think I know enough about all that stuff to watch this," he confides.

"What, swords?" Luo Binghe keeps one eye on them—Xin Mo is his, after all—but it seems content. Its attitude toward Jack might be called "teasing," but it's more like that same panther letting its prey run between its deadly paws.

"Nah, I know plenty about swords," Magnus says. He peeks over his shoulder and then looks away again -- Jack is being extremely embarrassing. Any minute now he's going to start singi -- ah, there he goes.

"I mean sex," he clarifies, a little louder than he'd like -- Jack is absolutely belting Bad Idea, Right?

Luo Binghe looks at Magnus appraisingly. It's better than listening to the noise coming from his sword. "How old are you?" He was seventeen his first time—Magnus doesn't look much younger than that.

"The million-dollar question," Magnus laughs. "My 25th birthday is in a week or two, I think, but I'm also eternally sixteen." He thinks about inviting Luo Binghe to the birthday party, but something tells him Galahad probably wouldn't like that, so he bites down on the offer and instead does jazz hands. "Perks of being dead!"

"I am twenty-five," Luo Binghe says, his voice tinged with disbelief. "You've never...?" Did he grow up in a monastery?

"Dude, I haven't even gotten the Talk," says Magnus, who only got the vestiges of one from his mother, a woman whose primary romantic and sexual entanglement was a Norse god. "In Valhalla people are more interested in talking about, like, death and maiming and the glory of a good Pyrrhic victory than sex."

"The talk... about sex?" Did Luo Binghe receive such a thing? He mostly learned from experience, although he did accept a few begrudging notes and corrections from Meng Mo on his youthful spring dreams. He's also not sure if what Xin Mo and Jack are doing is technically sex—but clearly this is something that weighs on Magnus. This could be another opportunity for Luo Binghe to earn his favor. "What do you want to know?"

"Yeah, that one," says Magnus. He looks sideways at Luo Binghe, careful to give Jack and Xin Mo their (visual) space. He's almost positive that Luo Binghe and Lan Wangji don't get along, given Lan Wangji's warnings and stuff. Maybe it's a mutual distaste? Maybe he can use this to his advantage. "I asked Lan Wangji the other day, but he wouldn't tell me anything except that it's messy and there should be feelings involved, which, like, um. Those are things I could figure out myself." He makes a demonstrative vague and extremely-embarrassed jerk-off motion for about half a second before he thinks better of it.

In Luo Binghe's world, sex has a great many practical uses that do not require feelings, such as breaking curses or enduring succubus poison, but he has not heard of those things in anyone else's worlds. And since he has recently discovered what it's like when feelings are involved, he sees no reason to dissuade Magnus from that path. However, he can only imagine what limited experience the reserved and uptight Lan Wangji must have. "It's good you asked me. I am a much more knowledgeable authority. The most important thing is to have confidence, and know exactly what you are doing."

"Yeah! That sounds exactly right," Magnus says, perking up. "How do I learn that, though? I don't think, um, porn is accurate. As a guide."

"You mean—provocative material? No," Luo Binghe says scornfully. The books and pamphlets people write about him in his world always get a lot of details wrong, although the women writhing in pleasure at his barest action is accurate. "But the anatomy is simple. Women and men are alike are not difficult to please—some vigorous thrusting and attention to the important areas will do the trick. What matters more than your physical prowess is your demeanor. You must act as though you know more than you do, and give your lover no reason to question you. You should make them believe that it is a privilege to touch you." This will likely be much harder for Magnus than it is for Luo Binghe, who is a privilege to touch.

"One tiny problem with that approach," Magnus says. "There's no way I can un-know that the actual privilege would be being allowed to touch Alex."

Several months ago, Luo Binghe would have scoffed at this response, but now he nods in understanding. He knows what it is to lie with someone you can hardly believe you are permitted to touch. And yet, Shen Yuan responds passionately when Luo Binghe is authoritative in the bedchamber. "You may act it even if you do not believe it yourself. Also, it's good to compliment your lover. She should feel precious and desired. And you should remember that her pleasure is more important than yours. Sex is a tool that, if performed well, will increase Alex's affection and admiration for you. That is why it's so important."

Huh. Maybe Magnus doesn't want to have sex, if it involves all that. "Mostly I just want to make sure she's happy," he explains.

Edited 2024-01-06 23:56 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject