[ 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.
You and me are here together. If others also got stuck here before us, what are the chances that all of them survived? Some of those people can't handle anything they can't fuck. [ Probably. Admittedly Xue Yang has (surprisingly) not started too many fights, so he doesn't know that for certain. ]
Maybe they clean up the corpses but maybe they just leave them too. Or they could even intentionally leave them around for decoration to make us take their threat seriously.
Do you have a better idea for what to do with our afternoon?
[ He doesn't have a better idea for the afternoon.
Instead, he just picks at his fish a little and then closes his eyes because yeah, he guesses that's something to do, even if it is kind of morbid. Incredibly morbid.
Eventually, he'll open his eyes again and set his finished fish to the side. ]
Alright, let's go looking.
[ He'll save his second fish for later, setting the roasted fish to the side, stick plunged into the ground. ]
[ Xue Yang looks at Wei Wuxian's fish, then sticks his partially-eaten one back into the ground next to it. If something comes along and eats them, it's not like he's the one who needs to catch replacement fish. ]
There's a few houses in the jungle too. People would probably spend most of their time around those, but when it comes to dying I'd expect it to happen more while trying find food or getting lost at night. I haven't explored the whole area yet but I noticed a few cliffs we can check out first.
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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.
no subject
Maybe they clean up the corpses but maybe they just leave them too. Or they could even intentionally leave them around for decoration to make us take their threat seriously.
Do you have a better idea for what to do with our afternoon?
no subject
Instead, he just picks at his fish a little and then closes his eyes because yeah, he guesses that's something to do, even if it is kind of morbid. Incredibly morbid.
Eventually, he'll open his eyes again and set his finished fish to the side. ]
Alright, let's go looking.
[ He'll save his second fish for later, setting the roasted fish to the side, stick plunged into the ground. ]
no subject
There's a few houses in the jungle too. People would probably spend most of their time around those, but when it comes to dying I'd expect it to happen more while trying find food or getting lost at night. I haven't explored the whole area yet but I noticed a few cliffs we can check out first.