Tian Leiji is asleep, probably conversing with Lightning and Lu Leiji about what had happened earlier. The fact that they apparently had a dead brother.
"The other" Tian calls her. Zapfino smiles to herself and gets up, walking several circles to accustom herself to this body. The door opens and this body's mother stares at her with the fakest smile she has ever seen, asking in a rather odd tone, "Lost control already?"
"Why do you have so much of a problem with some of us coming up during the day?" Zapfino questioned back, face falling into a neutral expression. This woman did care about Tian Leiji, but that didn't mean that she had to like her. "He was just trying to help you and succeeded, are you angry?"
"None of that answers my question." Lu Yanhei tells her. Zapfino rolls her eyes, "No, I was simply looking out for my…roommates."
Lu Yanhei hums, then turns on her heel and walks away.
Zapfino huffs, walking out of the room when she feels Lu Yanhei disappear. Their little deal is far more beneficial to that woman and they both know it. Well, technically, they were both looking out for Tian but it was all the same. She also has to be careful with her aura, or else that uncle of Ling Hongyun's will know things and Zapfino is unsure of whether or not he will talk about it to others.
The night air is cold and thin, and the flickering aura of a Worldborn in a multiversal sign of wanting to peacefully talk stops.
Worldborns are in this world, meaning that the world itself should be sentient enough to be able to talk to. Though the fact that a Worldborn currently exists in of itself should be alarming, this world is not hers and therefore not a cause for concern.
"Another World's favored soul, I must admit shock to the fact that you would agree to peacefully talk." A human-like husk walked out from the shadows, darkness bleeding into his form and spreading back out. White hair and purple eyes, wearing silver and purple. Zapfino sometimes wished to strangle formalities, they were so annoying. "May I inquire your highness' World's favored greeting?"
"Eternity and glory to The World." She replies, crossing her arms. "Yours?"
The human-like husk huffs an embarrassed laugh and tells her, "Our World has only recently created a consciousness and has been trying their best to study their abilities, among which would be influencing our residents. Eternity and Glory to Your World, your highness."
Meaning that they don't have one, great, she doesn't have to remember yet another one. There is another meaning in that, however. "I'm afraid I am unable to help your World, What can I call you?"
"Please call me Shijie De." How very forward of them. Zapfino should return the favor, "If that is so, call me Dianyi."
"I will get straight to the point then, Dianyi." The husk loses their smile and tells her, "The deities of our World have been notified of you and your comrade's existences, for both yours and our safety. This would not be a problem if you simply…merge with the other two souls and it will be easier for everyone."
"No."
Zapfino tells him without a single change of expression. "No. Who do you think you are, Worldborn? Know your place, that place is not my superior or the soul you know your World favors."
"Or could it be…" She tilts her head in askance, "that you are jealous of our Little Tian?"
Shijie De falls silent at her words and the husk they are using does not seem to register Zapfino's words. She continues, knowing full well what is happening and not feeling like dealing with it. Tian Leiji should not need to deal with something like this so soon, she was far too young.
"Furthermore, you know very well that if I had acted on your ill-needed advice and not known better, you will partly have blame over the disappearance of your World's favored."
Most of the time, that would mean that the World becomes unbearably angry and the main race as a whole is destroyed and recreated in different forms. Or if the World is more controlled, it would put what remains of their favored in the safest body they can find. Unfortunately for whoever destroyed their favored, they would be destroyed in turn.
The situation here, however, is that Shijie De's World can't even touch Zapfino. All the blame and anger will then be transferred to the person who suggested it…
…in other words, Zapfino is saving the other. Not like they know, or care.
"But, I have no intention of interacting with your World's deities. From what I've seen from your regular residents, they will be rather unpleasant." Shijie De's face scrunches up and they tell her a little too bitterly, "Not all deities are like your world's deities."
Zapfino is a little too aware of that to properly care. If they want their gods to be morally sound people then they can change many things. She sighs, feeling Tian's consciousness starting to rouse back into her body. The cold air is unsuitable for a child, she assumes because the children in this world are far too fragile. "Is that everything?"
The Worldborn must have realized something was happening too, because they nod and tell her, "I ask that your highness please check the Xinyang sect at one point."
They then blend into the darkness again and leave.
(Lightning rolls her eyes at the panicked movements of Lu Leiji. "A Worldborn? What in the nine hells is that?"
"That," Lightning starts and waits until the man pays attention and stop looking as if someone has danced on his grave, "is a being made by the World and is essentially part of it. They are given free will and thought and expected to do their best to help their World grow or stop it from being destroyed…an example would be the one who killed you."
Lu Leiji snarls, "Are you f*cking with me?! That-that thing her godddamned highness just talked to is the sh*tty thing that killed me!"
"If it's sh*tty then what does that make you?" She rolled her eyes again, "Good thing the two of us are here to make sure they don't kill you again then, right?"
"Hey! What about me?!" Tian Leiji pouts when the both of them turn to her with matching mocking expressions, the words almost spelled out for her to read above them, 'You? What can you do?'
"Don't tease little Tian so much you two," Zapfino asks them exasperatedly, ruffling Tian Leiji's hair.)
Ling Hongyun wants the person that is his second uncle to go away and never come back, it is especially annoying to deal with an unreadable Lu Yanhei—because it usually means an annoyed little boy who wants his mother to be happy—and someone poking into nearly every little activity he does.
"I don't see your feet," Ling Fengbao states and Hongyun huffs as he moves them a little wider. So, the man may or may not be useful in sparring and learning things but! He learns things like this all the time whenever he goes to the clan home or the…beings that the little boy talk to teach him. Leiji has never seemed to mind it and whatever those things he talks to don't either.
That or they don't mind him sharing a secret.
The places where he got hit ache slightly, damn. Ling Hongyun will have to treat them, the aftermath is always the worst part of fighting, maybe he can get Leiji to do it?
"How much do you really know about that…Tian Leiji?" Second uncle asks after a moment, easily stepping aside and dodging. Damn it, what is it now? Still, he answers because family looks out for each other and Ling Fengbao is…worried. Ugh. "Nearly everything."
It isn't even a lie, but he just looks at Hongyun doubtfully.
Ughhh. If he's like this then he'll tell father, then father will tell all his brothers and cousins and they'll swarm him next time he goes to the clan home. Ling Hongyun knows for a fact that the little boy will not harm him deliberately, but how does he convey this fact to people who don't trust Tian Leiji?
"I trust him."
At how his uncle's expression relaxed slightly, maybe that was something he had done right, for once.
"Do you know what I want to do?" Goddamn uncle asks with a smile and Ling Hongyun wants to drop his weapons and absolutely throttle him, of f*cking course he knows! Hongyun knows and does NOT agree with it. "Leave, now."
"It isn't that bad for the two of you either," he continues as if not hearing Hongyun. "Qin Heiyu wants to take him, didn't I tell you?"
"And isn't that your fault?" Hongyun bites out, faltering when pure hurt flickers through Ling Fengbao's expression. Only to family, can a Ling lower their defenses and only family would never presume to hurt them intentionally or willingly. Everyone has made sure that this is taught to any Ling within the clan.
"Qin Heiyu" was once someone Ling Fengbao considered family.
Now Tian Leiji is someone who Ling Hongyun considers family and the connection between those two are rather…
Hongyun cursed under his breath, telling his uncle, "Sorry."
That may or may not be because he recognizes the similarities of his current situation and Ling Fengbao's past one, or it may be because he had unknowingly replicated it and shut down his attempts to help.
Ling Fengbao sighs and strokes a hand through Hongyun's hair.
After a beat of silence, Hongyun continues, "That still doesn't mean I will allow you to be the little boy's mentor."
That gets a startled laugh out of his uncle. The man rolls his eyes afterwards, teasing him with a, "Are you or are you not his caretaker? That Tian Leiji seems to be able to make better decisions than you, if I recall."
"I'm his fiancé now, am I not allowed to get a say in this?" Hongyun tries to joke back, but instead hears a crash from where the door had opened to Tian Lanbing. The girl awkwardly stands there for a few moments, obviously only passing by when she suddenly heard Hongyun declare such a thing. She slowly turns and walks away but Hongyun can hear her blabbering about it to Light.
His uncle then turns to him, inquiring, "Are you serious about that?"
"There is no one more perfect." Ling Hongyun answers without hesitance and he isn't even lying to the man this time. Perhaps, for others, this would sound like a childish rambling but he is a Ling.
Besides, if Ling Hongyun were to go back on his promise then the little boy would thrash him first and the others won't have him in enough pieces to deal with. He just, has to tell Leiji about it first and probably have to fight him in the rage but that's fine. Ling Fengbao's lips quirk upwards slowly and he says nothing more, choosing to trust over the worry.
This is fine. They are fine. Someday Hongyun will find out everything that is going on with Leiji and they'll work on it together.
Today is not someday, and he has to kick this uncle of his out before he successfully convinced the little boy to be his student and Ling Hongyun will have to deal with his presence.