That's why you kill them. Anyone who would try to take it from you should know what's coming to them. They can try to fight all they want, but you're the one who made it; you can kill them and keep it for yourself.
[ Unless you die. That part kind of sucks, but you just need to not do that. Or come back to life again afterwards. Either way, the point of a weapon is to use it. Is it really such an issue to use it once in order to use it again? ]
[ ... Yeah, he doesn't know why he expected Xue Yang to even slightly understand. His eyes close and he takes a breath, counts backwards from ten in his head before opening his eyes again. ]
I think the fish is done. You should eat some.
[ He'll even grab one for himself, taking it off the fire so it can cool down first before he goes for it. He uses his fingers then to gently pick off a piece and eat it, making a soft mm as he does. It's not bad. Could use some salt.
His mind is still going over the questions Xue Yang has asked. They're all things he expected from the man but it's been hard to keep up the act of trying to please him so he doesn't fly off the handle and keeping his own integrity intact. He doesn't know when it's going to happen but he's sure that eventually his answers will stop satisfying the other man. ]
[ Luckily Xue Yang doesn't want to continue the conversation so much that he's unwilling to be distracted by food. Xue Yang grabs his own fish and pokes it a few times to test the temperature as it cools. He could just eat it right away, but burning his tongue is annoying.
He turns Wei Wuxian's words over in his head a few times before deciding he's still not understanding and setting them aside. It's not worth dwelling on, especially when the Yin Tiger Tally isn't even here.
A few bites into the fish, he speaks up again. ]
So we've got food and shelter. If we stick the bucket under the faucet it might give us enough water eventually as long as it's not gonna run out or anything. That's most of our needs covered for now, right?
[ Wei Wuxian is not expecting something so reasonable from Xue Yang when he speaks up again but it is a pretty good assessment of the situation and Wei Wuxian nods around his bite of fish. He chews after and then considers what next. ]
They wouldn't stick us in here to die, so I think the resources we need are here, we just have to be smart about it. If we can solve it before nightfall though, that would be ideal.
[ They need to double up. What the hell does that even mean. But it's something Wei Wuxian won't let defeat him because he does not want to spend that long in here. ]
[ Xue Yang survived on the streets for fifteen harsh years before being taken in by the Jin Sect. Especially once he began actively making trouble, he needed to know how to survive and what to prioritize. Murder is no substitute for getting away with stealing from wells. ]
Any new ideas now that we've had some food?
[ Because Xue Yang is still drawing blanks on it. Maybe he'll have more inspiration once he's finished eating his portion of the meal. ]
[ There's one thing he thought of but it seems so stupid for it to be the answer ... except the hotel is just Like that, so maybe it would be the answer. So, Wei Wuxian feels a little cranky about having to suggest it but he also wants to get out of here soon. ]
I think it's the bed.
[ There's only one bed, Xue Yang said. And Wei Wuxian has read plenty of fiction in the library at this point that makes use of that trope a-plenty. He hopes they don't have to fuck, but if they share the bed to sleep, maybe... that'll be good enough. ]
I think we have to share it, to sleep. And we'll wake up in the morning with the ability to leave. There's other ways too, probably, but this is the most straightforward solution I can think of.
[ Xue Yang gives Wei Wuxian the look of a man torn between deciding that's the stupidest or most brilliant thing he's ever heard.
Maybe it's both. ]
So that's what the warning is? If people are scared they'll stick together. Scare them enough and they'll share close quarters. Influence them enough and they'll even fuck.
[ Wei Wuxian did not mention the fucking, but this is still the hotel (somehow). Xue Yang isn't looking to steer it that way himself but it's the logical next step here, and if they're going to be in close quarters Wei Wuxian better be mentally prepared for at least the possibility that whatever is "dangerous at night" is dealt with through sex. ]
Alright, seems like as good a plan for tonight as any.
[ Yeah, that is the logical next step and Wei Wuxian is deeply hoping he doesn't have to do it. He doesn't want to have sex with Xue Yang. That would be the last thing he desires, he'd rather lick Jin Guangyao's shoes. But this is the hotel and he knows that that's the way of things here so he's... just going to keep hoping he doesn't have to do that.
Morosely, he eats some more fish. ]
Exactly. That's, at least, what I keep coming back to as I try and think of a solution. I might be completely wrong but I think this is also one of those puzzles with multiple solutions, so as long as we stick to one the hotel should let us go. I don't think they want us to die in here.
[ SIGHS. ]
So, we kill a bit of time, go to sleep, hopefully wake up back there instead of here.
[ Xue Yang finishes his fish and grabs a second one. ]
How about finding some corpses? It's not as fun when we can't do much with them, but it's better than them not existing at all. What's the deal with that, anyway? How does a place have so many ghosts but no corpses?
[ Wei Wuxian's response comes as he chews through a mouthful of fish — ]
Easy. The ghosts aren't from this realm, they just end up here. If they're kidnapping us from our realms, why wouldn't they do the same with their dead?
[ Sure, some of them have no memories of being anywhere else but here but that's an easy thing to explain away. If this is a realm that isn't the underworld or the earthly realm but something other, then it's easy to guess that the ghosts populating this place must've been pulled from elsewhere too. Probably along their journey to the underworld proper — and out of the cycle of reincarnation, which is a problem. ]
... Though I'm not sure there will be corpses here. This isn't real, right? So... why would there be any dead here either.
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no subject
That's why you kill them. Anyone who would try to take it from you should know what's coming to them. They can try to fight all they want, but you're the one who made it; you can kill them and keep it for yourself.
[ Unless you die. That part kind of sucks, but you just need to not do that. Or come back to life again afterwards. Either way, the point of a weapon is to use it. Is it really such an issue to use it once in order to use it again? ]
no subject
I think the fish is done. You should eat some.
[ He'll even grab one for himself, taking it off the fire so it can cool down first before he goes for it. He uses his fingers then to gently pick off a piece and eat it, making a soft mm as he does. It's not bad. Could use some salt.
His mind is still going over the questions Xue Yang has asked. They're all things he expected from the man but it's been hard to keep up the act of trying to please him so he doesn't fly off the handle and keeping his own integrity intact. He doesn't know when it's going to happen but he's sure that eventually his answers will stop satisfying the other man. ]
no subject
He turns Wei Wuxian's words over in his head a few times before deciding he's still not understanding and setting them aside. It's not worth dwelling on, especially when the Yin Tiger Tally isn't even here.
A few bites into the fish, he speaks up again. ]
So we've got food and shelter. If we stick the bucket under the faucet it might give us enough water eventually as long as it's not gonna run out or anything. That's most of our needs covered for now, right?
no subject
They wouldn't stick us in here to die, so I think the resources we need are here, we just have to be smart about it. If we can solve it before nightfall though, that would be ideal.
[ They need to double up. What the hell does that even mean. But it's something Wei Wuxian won't let defeat him because he does not want to spend that long in here. ]
no subject
[ Xue Yang survived on the streets for fifteen harsh years before being taken in by the Jin Sect. Especially once he began actively making trouble, he needed to know how to survive and what to prioritize. Murder is no substitute for getting away with stealing from wells. ]
Any new ideas now that we've had some food?
[ Because Xue Yang is still drawing blanks on it. Maybe he'll have more inspiration once he's finished eating his portion of the meal. ]
no subject
I think it's the bed.
[ There's only one bed, Xue Yang said. And Wei Wuxian has read plenty of fiction in the library at this point that makes use of that trope a-plenty. He hopes they don't have to fuck, but if they share the bed to sleep, maybe... that'll be good enough. ]
I think we have to share it, to sleep. And we'll wake up in the morning with the ability to leave. There's other ways too, probably, but this is the most straightforward solution I can think of.
no subject
Maybe it's both. ]
So that's what the warning is? If people are scared they'll stick together. Scare them enough and they'll share close quarters. Influence them enough and they'll even fuck.
[ Wei Wuxian did not mention the fucking, but this is still the hotel (somehow). Xue Yang isn't looking to steer it that way himself but it's the logical next step here, and if they're going to be in close quarters Wei Wuxian better be mentally prepared for at least the possibility that whatever is "dangerous at night" is dealt with through sex. ]
Alright, seems like as good a plan for tonight as any.
no subject
Morosely, he eats some more fish. ]
Exactly. That's, at least, what I keep coming back to as I try and think of a solution. I might be completely wrong but I think this is also one of those puzzles with multiple solutions, so as long as we stick to one the hotel should let us go. I don't think they want us to die in here.
[ SIGHS. ]
So, we kill a bit of time, go to sleep, hopefully wake up back there instead of here.
no subject
[ Xue Yang finishes his fish and grabs a second one. ]
How about finding some corpses? It's not as fun when we can't do much with them, but it's better than them not existing at all. What's the deal with that, anyway? How does a place have so many ghosts but no corpses?
no subject
Easy. The ghosts aren't from this realm, they just end up here. If they're kidnapping us from our realms, why wouldn't they do the same with their dead?
[ Sure, some of them have no memories of being anywhere else but here but that's an easy thing to explain away. If this is a realm that isn't the underworld or the earthly realm but something other, then it's easy to guess that the ghosts populating this place must've been pulled from elsewhere too. Probably along their journey to the underworld proper — and out of the cycle of reincarnation, which is a problem. ]
... Though I'm not sure there will be corpses here. This isn't real, right? So... why would there be any dead here either.