bakerstreet | Don’t weep, my love

Don’t weep, my love

Calming Presence

You're about to go off the rails. No, no "about," actually. You've left that train track fair behind, and you're crazy. Rage fills every inch of you, and there's no doubt you're about to do something dangerous, stupid, or reckless. Or all three. There's only one person who can calm you down: your partner.

Now, they're using closeness, reassurance, or physical intimacy to remind you what really matters, which is the two of you. Surely, this will bring you back, letting the anger ebb out and you'll be able to think straight again, even if your lover was the actual cause of all this mess.

Won't it? Surely you won't direct your wrath towards them, no matter what.

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ooc | The one who needs calming (it's very canon for him). ota. cool with assumed cr and aus.

[Of course she rushes to the great hall as soon as she starts hearing raised voices.

Not that raised voices are a rarity in Unclean Realm, but she can tell the difference. This is not the same as her brother raging ineffectually at her for not being serious in her studies or training.

She's almost out of breath by the time she pushes the door open, and the loud 'clang' of it makes most of the people present turn towards her.]

Everyone, out.

[For a moment, they stay frozen, and she frowns.]

Now!

[This somehow seems to spur everyone into movement and in less than a minute, the hall is empty save for her and her brother.]

(( So surprising is Huaisang taking charge, even Mingjue falls silent for a brief moment. Well, save for the audible seething. In a distant part of his mind, he wonders if Huaisang has lost her senses. Deep in his heart, he fears for her safety when Baxia's bloodlust overtakes him. Those she just sent from the hall are warriors who have a better chance of surviving should he turn too violent.

And yet, it's only Huaisang's voice that he can hear with any clarity. Those dark eyes are hazy, showing a clear war for control of his own mind. A battle he may be losing. ))

How dare you!

[She... actually turns her back on him, uncowed and unafraid as she decisively closes the door.

It's not that she is never afraid of her brother. It breaks her heart at times to even think that he disapproves of what she is, and she fears she'll never be what he thinks she should be in his mind, and she fears disappointing him while knowing she can't be what he wants.

But at times, her fear for him grows stronger than this kind of turmoil, and in that moment, she remembers she is a Nie too.]

And who else would, when you work yourself up to that kind of mood! What's the point of yelling at people like that, huh?

Edited 2022-05-12 19:10 (UTC)

(( He opens his mouth as if he has an answer at the ready, but no words come. In a distant part of his mind, he can feel Baxia coaxing his temper, stoking the fires in his blood. But some rational part of him realizes there is no one to fight here, reminds him that Huaisang is not an enemy. She is one of precious few who can brave his temper and come out unscathed (mostly... He's sure he's said some cruel things in the heat of anger). ))

They are used to it!

(( HE snaps back, but with less conviction and more frustration. ))

And I'm not?

[Hasn't she been on the receiving end of many a rant of how she's not acting the way the Nie heir should? She's heard so many, she'd tune them out if it didn't feel hurtful every time.

But now is not the time to dwell on that.

She marches forward, decisively, with only one second of a glance towards Baxia who is almost vibrating - a glare, almost. Baxia has protected her many time and yet... she hates it and fears it almost as much as she's grateful for it.

She doesn't leave room for protest when she simply walks up the dais, around the table behind which he sits, and grabs his face in her hands.]

Da Ge... it's fine. I'm here.

(( It's different with her. It's his own impatience, typically unencumbered by Baxia's influence; his own worry that she won't be prepared to handle the Sect when he's gone... The saber looms in his mind, its physical presence unnecessary of late to bend him toward rage. It's becoming worse -- something he recognizes in moments of clarity. But right now? There's a fog around his mind and the only person left to lash out at is his sister.

Yet, she seems to be more of what he expects a Nie heir to be when he's like this: brave, fearless, even. Powerful. It's all he wishes for her to be so she won't be manipulated by outside forces when it's her turn to lead. A low, tired sigh passes through his lips, the bone-deep exhaustion of fighting himself settling in as Baxia's hold wanes. ))

Why are you here?

Why would I not be?

[The question actually surprises her and it's quite obvious on her face she doesn't really understand why he's asking.]

I heard you yelling all the way from my room with the door closed, so I knew it was probably serious.

Edited 2022-05-20 17:18 (UTC)

(( Mingjue blinks slowly. Yes, he recalls his anger and he recalls shouting, but the reason why escapes him. This troubles him: the fog that Baxia leaves in its wake. He finally heaves out a sigh and slumps back into his seat. It must have been bad for Huaisang to intervene. ))

I don't remember.

[Concern crosses her face, for a second before she squashes it down. It is getting worse, anyone with eyes can see it, but talking about it now will not help.

Instead, she sits on her brother's lap and twines her arms around him resting her head against his shoulder.]

Take a moment to rest. I'll bring you tea later.

[The last few healing notes of Cleansing drift to an end as long, elegant fingers slowly stop plucking the guqin strings. Only then does he glance up to see what he thinks is a ghost of a smile on his sworn brother's face.

Mingjue seems much more relaxed. At ease. It's a look he suspects few others ever get a chance to see. He relishes it for a brief moment before fixing a serious look on his face.]

You were very close to a qi deviation.

(( He was indeed, and he feels it in every fiber of his being. A bone deep ache coupled with exhaustion has him slumped in a seat. Fighting with his own mind (or rather, Baxia's influence on it) has proven to the be the hardest battle Nie Mingjue has faced.

Very few people can boast being in Nie Mingjue's presence when he's weak. Lan Xichen is one of those few. He trusts the man endlessly and has come to rely on him during these fits. He raises a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and exhales deeply. ))

Thank you, Xichen.

As long as he keeps control of himself and his temper, everything is fine. On the outside, he plays the overconfident fool. The pompous young master Wei, who grins and drinks to excess. On the inside, he's brimming with resentful energy. A storm brews within him at all times and his temper is foul. The slightest provocation has his hand trembling to reach for Chenqing.

The resentful energy is seductive. It winds around him, slithers like a black cobra, crooning his darkest desires in his mind. Seductive whispers that feel as if they echo from every direction.

Give in. They deserve agony. They deserve to be hurt, just like you've been hurt. They all abandoned you. We're all you have. We were there for you in the Burial Mounds. We helped you. Not them. No one else. Just us.

He can't sleep. He barely eats. Every waking moment is spent molding the Stygian into the weapon they all so desperately need if they're going to win. He has to be able to control it. If he doesn't control it, then it will control him and that could have devastating consequences for anyone who gets in his way.

Meditation is impossible, but he tries. Finds a secure spot somewhere he's fairly certain no one would think to look for him and sits. Tries to center himself. Breathing in, holding his breath, releasing it. Over and over again.

It doesn't work. He's too worked up. Too agitated. The resentful energy slithers around him, tightening its hold.

Edited 2022-05-17 02:24 (UTC)