13969/Water-walker Secluded

Water-walker Secluded
Date of Scene:	20 November 2021
Location:	An isolated grove amongst a forest of trees in the wilds of NY State
Synopsis:	Xiang Zhao accompanies Vitali to a small grove in the forest where the two have a short discussion.
Cast of Characters:	Vitali Svyatoslav, Xiang Zhao

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Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Softly, Vitali tilts his head a touch to one side as he regards Xiang Zhao. The man's bearing and demeanour reminds Heng Zhihao of another of his clan. Of the one who had imprisoned her. His gaze slips to the fan that moves in that gentle and peaceful manner, and then he looks up once more to the Chinaman's face. "Ni dangran bu tongyi. Ni zenme neng? Zhege shenti shi ni de pengyou," he says softly, his tone thoughtful. He is quiet for a moment, his gaze turning away from Zhao in order to look out into the night where he guides the platform that carries them both.

"Ta hen hao di baohule ta dui ni de liaojie. Zhe shi yige qiji. Ni dui ta lai shuo shi shenme, ta hui zheyang zuo?" Vitali asks in a tone laced with curiosity, casting a sidelong glance towards the fellow. A ghost of a smile touches at the corners of his lips, yet his attention holds to where he guides the platform. "Zhege hui jia fen. Chule zhanyou zhi wai, zhe ju shenti bushi ta de. Zhe bu jiushi shijie de fangshi ma? Zong shi you saalu. Xuduo dongxi sile, qita ren keneng hui huozhe. Ta de shengcun meiyou bei boduo, ta de shengming meiyou jieshu," he says, tilting his head a touch to one side and lifting a hand to make a slight gesture to indicate the world below them. "Ta huozhe. Ni zhidao zhege. Ni yijing kan daole zhe fangmian de zhengju."

The water platform is guided away from the populated areas and out to the forests, bedecked in their late autumn colours with some branches barren for winter's approach. There is a small break in the trees where it is directed to, and then it is brought to land. It is dissolved within moments, though the magic is not released. Water and ice both held yet given no purpose, no form. There are signs of this space having been occupied, lived in -- a small firepit lined with stones, a small shelter, an area of grasses being tamped down from being walked upon. It is, no doubt, not the only place that Heng Zhihao has made use of, but it seems to be one of them.

Translation 1: Of course you do not approve. How could you? This body is your friend.

Translation 2: He guards well what he knows of you. This one wonders. What are you, to him, that he would do so?

Translation 3: This one will grant a point. This body is not hers other than by possession. Is that not the way of the world? There is killing always. Many things die that others might live. His survival has not been forfeit, his life has not been ended. // He lives. You know this. You have seen proof of this.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Of course Xiang Zhao reminds the fox witch of the one who imprisoned her. That one is his ancestor. He still refuses to so much as look at Vitali. And the question of who he is to Vitali goes unanswered. Zhao isn't going to give away anything. He doesn't so much as twitch at the question. The fan never ceases it's slow motions. Back and forth, back and forth. Despite the chilly season, it's still quite a bit warmer than where he is from.

"The way of the world is birth, life, death, reincarnation. You are nothing more than a parasite." Only now does Xiang Zhao turn his head, and his eyes, to look at the thing inhabiting his friend. There is nothing there in his expression. Not even contempt. That expression makes it obvious that Xiang Zhao thinks Heng Zhihao is beneath his notice and not worthy of his attention.

His eyes turn away, looking forward again. In the breeze created by their passage, his long hair flows behind him, his robes flutter with it. He looks elegant, graceful. The slow moving fan only inforces this impression."If you have your way, his survival will be forfeit, his life will be ended, he will die that you may live. Parasites deserve nothing more than to be killed without mercy." His eyes turn to Heng Zhihao once more, with that last statement, and there's no doubt that if he finds a way to do it, the huli will die. Though he's certainly seen where they are, for the moment, Xiang Zhao pays it no heed at all.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
"An interesting and telling silence. Do you not answer to protect yourself or do you not answer to protect him?" Vitali muses, a thoughtful tone to his voice. He considers this for a lingering moment, and then he lifts one of his shoulders in a faint shrug. "Perhaps it is both," he adds, a hint of a smile touching at the corners of his lips. Heng Zhihao isn't sure which might be the case, though she doesn't dismiss the possibility that with as fiercely as Vitali has been protecting Xiang Zhao from within his own mind, that the Chinaman would have reason to behave similarly.

There is a slight shift of his feet, and he tilts his head a touch to one side as his gaze turns towards Xiang Zhao, a spark of anger risen to his eyes. "Reincarnation was stolen from this one. A spirit imprisoned in darkness unending. This one was forced to become what she is. The prison was damaged and this one was able to escape. This one did not have a choice in the matter," he says, his tone reflecting a hint of that temper. He turns his dark gaze away, looking out through the trees. She seems more than a little bit peevish about that particular topic, and she attempts to reclaim her calmness of earlier.

"This one does not intend to kill him or to be the destructor of this body. The body is useful and better than many that this one has occupied before," Vitali says in a thoughtful tone. He steps aside to retrieve a small pot which he fills with water using his magic, and then he hooks it on the teepee of sticks that are above the firepit. A longer stick is used to stir up the coals within, and there is kindling added in order to stoke a fire. "Perhaps he will end his own life to be free. He would not be the first to do so. And if the body dies, then this one would be forced out. It would be unfortunate," he muses, looking over to Zhao from where he's crouched near to the firepit.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
"You are not worthy of the answer." Still speaking in Mandarin, of course. Because, why not? That the spirit gets peevish is amusing. And Xiang Zhao lets that amusement show. His lips curl up at the edges. "Perhaps you should think about why reincarnation was denied you. It was not stolen. You have only your self to blame for what happened. Your punishment was not nearly as bad as the crimes you committed, over and over again." Oh no, Zhao is not going to let the attempts at regaining calmness be easy. His calmness, on the other hand, seems unflappable.

And then, Xiang Zhao's lips curl up in a slightly larger smile. "Or perhaps I will kill him to end his suffering and to destroy you for eternity." He turns and walks away, to the edge of the trees. "Oh," he says, pausing. Even the fan stills as he glances over his shoulder to Heng Zhihao. "I know where the foo dog is." With that statement hanging over the little clearing, Xiang Zhao steps into the trees. And vanishes, for all intents and purposes. He uses his skills with stealth to the best of his abilities. And once again, he takes to the treetops to observe and follow. And interfere.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Heng Zhihao yet speaks in Mandarin, for it is the language that she was born into and the one she is most comfortable with. "Who are you, to determine what this one is worthy of? If you are not willing to provide an answer, then this one will find out in another way," he says, giving a small nod to Zhao. Vitali is, after all, a prisoner within his own body, though she's had little in the way of success in breaking through the protection that he's mustered for himself. He is resilient.

"This one did not deserve to have her futures stolen. This one deserves to live as much as any other. This one has had much time to think on such things, and this one did not deserve such harshness. The ones who were killed had earned their deaths," he says, temper flickering through the words. Calm is elusive. He shifts his position slightly, to settle in cross-legged fashion and watch the burning of the fire from a closer point than what Vitali would do himself.

"Perhaps you will be the death of him," Vitali says in a thoughtful tone. It's not the first time that Xiang Zhao has suggested the notion, after all. He does nothing to prevent Zhao from walking towards the trees, and he tilts his head slightly to one side as his attention is called once more. He blinks out of surprise when the foo dog is mentioned, his dark eyes widening a touch. The fingers of his hands close into fists within the sleeves of his robes, and he gives a sharp shake of his head. "No! You cannot! It is not possible!" The words are spoken with a mixture of both temper and surprise, and Vitali is swift to rise to his feet, temper sparked in his dark eyes as well. But a touch too slow to reach the treeline, for by the time he gets there, Xiang Zhao has already vanished.