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[voidbreaker]

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week of 5/4!!

[souheki]

[SOMETIME BEFORE FRIDAY waves hand vaguely, whatever works

But here is Lan Wangji!! It's been a little while since he's stopped by, and he's not here to purchase books today. When he visits the shop, he doesn't browse the shelves like he normally does--instead, he just kind of hovers patiently in the corner, staring at any other customers with his Resting Bitch Face until they get uncomfortable and leave. SORRY FOR THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF BUSINESS ASH he can't help his face.

Still, whenever they're alone is when he'll finally make his way over to Ash, bowing slightly in greeting.]

May I speak with you privately?

[voidbreaker]

[ he could at least pretend to look interested in the books dang it Lan Wangji. When he finally stops hovering on the edge of ash's peripheral vision long enough to actually do whatever it is he came here to do, he is rewarded with a flat look from ash. ]

Depends on what about and how long it's gonna take. I am still trying to run a shop here.

[ ... he'd be a little more polite, but having someone hang around observing him for however long lwj has been here grates on the nerves a bit. ]

[souheki]

[STOP IT'S FINE he'll come back another day and buy up Ash's stock, we're all fine here.

But, well--if Ash is going to ask, then Lan Wangji is going to answer him, honest and serious.]

I was told to speak with you about the Maou.

[voidbreaker]

[ ash just blinks. ]

... Why?

[ great start, this is probably what lwj wanted. ]

[souheki]

[IT IS NOT but you know what, the main reason he's here is because Wei Wuxian told him to come and he listens to Wei Wuxian unquestioningly, so. Lan Wangji deserves this.]

I am searching for them. [He hasn't been handing out Missing Persons flyers, but he hasn't kept it a secret either.] You speak with many people. It did not seem unreasonable that you might have heard something.

[voidbreaker]

[ ash would not listen to wei wuxian unquestioningly, smh. but to be fair, ash's default with wwx is to push him in the lake or try to get him out of his shop in the shortest amount of time. ]

I do speak with a lot of people, but if any of them are Maou they ain't sticking it on a banner and waving it in my face.

No one's come in and bought a book on "how to handle my brand new, asshole god given super role" either.

[souheki]

[NO ONE SHOULD and that's absolutely fair tbh.

Lan Wangji doesn't look all that surprised, though--just disappointed, in that understated way of his. But he nods.]

I see. Thank you for your time. [Lan Wangji converse with someone like a normal human being challenge]

[voidbreaker]

...

Why are you asking anyway? I know we're supposed to be finding them, but what's the angle?

[souheki]

[Oh-- Lan Wangji blinks, like he'd expected that to be the end of it. But he'll answer truthfully, like he usually does.]

The dreams. [He doesn't specify more than that--everyone, to his knowledge, saw them.] I would like to ask for their help.

[voidbreaker]

...

[ Huh. ]

How, exactly? I get we're supposed to be finding them but what are they supposed to do about it? Telling us a bed time story's one thing but that ain't a magical cure all.

5/9 hey babe

[illhearted]

[ Last night was fun, to put it one way. It was exceptionally tiring, to put it another.

But it wasn't a waste. None of it was.

Elizabeth, this time, has a purpose in coming to Ash's bookstore, and one that she wastes no time in exhibiting: she has a makeshift sack (from a drape) that she'll be setting on his counter... desk... whatever. ]

...There are books in here you may be interested in adding to your collection, [ she says, haltingly, like she is valiantly fighting an urge. She knows she can't last forever, but she will be damned if she acts like a songbird while she's trying to be extremely serious right now. ] They're from the castle that was up on the mountain.

[ You know, the one that mysteriously burned down last night. :) ]

They are-- [ Another brief moment. Hold on. She's fine. ] They are very interesting, but not my cup of tea.

[voidbreaker]

[ "Fun" is not how he'd word it, hello? ]

...? [ ash leans to the side slightly to stare at the sack, like squinting hard enough at it is going to impart knowledge on the exact items that are lurking inside there. ]

From the castle? ... What kind of books are we talking here? If there's no market for them or general need for them, then why would I take them?

[illhearted]

While I'd hope you'd never find anyone interested in purchasing these, they are the type of literature that quite a lot of people would want to get their hands on.

[ ...Except all of that is sung, and if she were able to look embarrassed, she might! But she can't, so she doesn't. Just a pointedly neutral face as she shuts her mouth immediately and tasks herself with opening the sack. The books are... there are a lot of them! A few of them have an insignia on them, and most of them still retained the old blood that was on them when she found them. Fun stuff.

She leans in, trying Not to sing too loudly and trying not to sing besides. Stupid curse. ]

They are-- books on dark magics, just as a genre. From necromancy to lengthening the human lifespan.

[ Voodoo, sacrifice... You name it, she's got it. There's also a wax seal in the bag that matches the insignia on the books! ]

becks do you damn tags challenge

[voidbreaker]

Oh. Glass cupboard situation, huh?

[ He has those things for a reason and the reason isn't always just "these books are rare". He leans in a little to peer into the sack and-- hmm. hm. ]

Is that blood on those things? This is some human sacrifice bullshit, ain't it.

challenge succeeded

[illhearted]

[ elizabeth touches her throat, wondering if she ought to just accept the fact she has been cursed to be a songbird for however long this lasts, and continues. singing. unfortunate. ]

Demon sacrifice, to be more accurate. A young man named Tetsuya suffered a grim fate. [ he was mad and killed wen ning. Anyway, ] It's only a theory of mine, but I believe he was purchased at an auction in old days' time. Him and two girls.

[ it's a guess that lines up with their findings at least. ]

...You'll find their written receipts within as well, not that they have much more to tell. Outside of "special goods".

5/30

[unfriendliest]

[ knock knock. hey ash, it's your favorite dragon! fortunately, he'll wait until it's late, and the shop's closing so they can talk privately. unfortunately, he's as rude as ever and offers no greeting. ]

Did the gods finally start giving you vague directions, too?

[voidbreaker]

[ knock knock it's ya boi

y'know it's fine he never really expects one anyway. ]

...

Nope. I'm still pretty much on my own. Why, they been nudging you one way or another?

[unfriendliest]

Sort of. They've given people visions about the Maou.

[ he looks away uncomfortably. ]

I don't know how trustworthy they are, but they're saying we have to form a red string with someone, or... [ he waves a hand vaguely. ] ...everything will be destroyed.

[voidbreaker]

Like, literally? Who you are?

[ ... ] Someone was asking around about you, recently. Not you, specifically? But the ferryman apparently thought to point them my way, so I don't know how much he knows.

[ ... wowsers. ]

So, what. They're running some kind of arrange dating system in exchange for not destroying the world?

[unfriendliest]

[ he nods. ]

Apparently Okuni had visions of who we are, so she's probably told the other two. [ triplets bad. ] So far, there's just three of us. If there's more, she hasn't said anything.

[ of course that comment just makes him more irritable. ]

I don't know. It's probably something to do with increasing our power. They didn't say. But I don't think the other two are going to give me much of a choice.

[voidbreaker]

... [ Huh. ] Makes sense one of the Kumous would be involved in all this if the others know something about it.

[ grumpy boi. ]

You know who the other two are then? Or are they just gonna send you a barrage of harrassment via Okuni if you don't?

[unfriendliest]

I know who they are, and they know about me, so they'll just harass me themselves. One of them said she'll red string with us herself, if we don't find someone on our own.

[voidbreaker]

You keeping them quiet then?

...

There's probably some god made, unwritten rule about the three of you not red stringing each other, or it's a cop out y'know.

[unfriendliest]

I told them not to go announcing it to anyone, but I don't know how well they'll listen.

[ and he nods. ]

That's what I was thinking, too. And I don't really want to do it with either of them, anyway... especially when they intend to break it later.

[ for all his disinterest in being tied to someone, kara certainly doesn't want to be weakened by a broken bond, either. so he sighs, and looks back up at ash. ]

Will you do it?

[voidbreaker]

You can always just practice running from everyone if they did announce you to everyone.

[ Hm, hmm. it makes sense; there are penalties, sort of, to making and breaking something like a red string bond, that's well known. he's kinda surprised the other maou would be so willing to make one they knew they'd break, even if it was for the "sake of the world".

knowing the gods, there'd be some clause about not breaking them and then they'd be stuck. he's not quite expecting kara to ask him though. ]

...

You sure?

[ like. he's got not problem with something that'd boost his strength to an extent, and he's known kara long enough to not be uncomfortable with the idea. but kara legs it into the mountains so often, even from him, it kinda feels like he should check. ]