[Just the thought of it makes his insides churn and his breathing faster, returning him to that fateful moment as a child. Being chased by an ugly monster at least three times his size was bad enough, but the worst thing about it was the dread, the dread and not knowing what would happen if-]
You don't even know what happens when you... Um.
[Shake it off, shake it off Simon.
Usually if they can't manage to convince a passenger, the Apex will leave and continue on its way. His feet remained glued to the spot, however, tethered there by his fears.
He needs Grace. Where is Grace? Where are the others?]
Like, I know people talk about all the stuff that happens after y-you...
[He inhales sharply.]
And the places people are supposed go, but...
[A nervous gulp.]
What if it's just nothing?
[The train is so much better than nothing.]
Edited (i'm so sorry for these edits rip) 2021-01-18 09:19 (UTC)
[Another time, he might tell him that he does know. Of course he knows, at least in the general sense. Hadn't he fought ghosts and unrestful spirits for his entire adult life? Hadn't he put them to rest to enter back into the cycle and be born again? But this place is nothing like his home. It must be far. Far enough that people don't know these things here. Perhaps don't have cultivators at all.
He could say any of that. Explain. He doesn't though. It's irrelevant.
What if it's just nothing?
His lips curve up into a mirthless smile. What he would give for nothing. What he would give to simply stop.]
Nothing is more than I deserve. [Endless, quiet bliss. Where he can do no harm.]
[Simon has trouble returning to the conversation at first, too distracted by the fact that the very act of breathing seems to have become slightly more difficult. Grace is not around to snap him out of it, so he retreats to a familiar gesture and grasps one sleeve of his hoodie with the opposite hand, clinging to the fabric until he feels some semblance of normalcy returning.
It is then when he catches a whiff of a familiar odor. Metallic.]
Wait a minute.
[Simon steps uncomfortably close to Wuxian, unaware that he's crossed what most would consider a normal physical boundary. He grabs the other's shoulder on the side farthest from the hand that rests on the warrior's chest, noting the red liquid that's seeped through dark fabric.]
You're bleeding.
[In Simon's mind, the blood loss serves as an explanation for the man's peculiar words and strange behavior. Detail oriented as he may be, to say that the Apex's second-in-command struggles with understanding different points of view would be a vast understatement.
[His brow furrows and he lifts a hand to his lips, frowning when his fingers come away clean. Then he remembers most of that blood had already been wiped away when he'd woken up. Confused, it takes him a moment to remember the arrow that had pierced his chest what feels like both months and hours ago.
He sets a hand on his robe, just above the tear where blood has begun to show even through the black.]
Oh. I got shot. [He doesn't shrug, but he might as well for as much as he seems to be concerned about this.]
Simon momentarily considers leaving Wuxian right then and there. He's done many a rag-tag wound repair, but patching up a gunshot wound and removing the bullet? Not only would that frankly be disgusting, but the procedure would also be incredibly risky.
Then again, on all his time on the train, he's never quite met a passenger like this before. Tall, around their age, and if he healed properly, the Apex could get good use out of him. Little kids had a lot of energy and were easy to command, but someone with Wuxian's build sure would be helpful in a pinch.
So, Simon pulls what looks to be hand towel from his hoodie pocket.]
I knew I shoulda brought more First-Aid.
[He aggressively throw's the other's arm over his shoulder with one hand, shoving the cloth over the injury with the other.]
Hold this. Press hard, otherwise it won't stop any of that red gunk from comin' out.
I learned that the hard way.
[He's just gonna... guide u towards the Apex... wwx...]
[Wei Wuxian is silent in response, his eyes flickering to Simon and then away again. He allows himself to be led without fuss, though he doesn't follow suit with Simon's orders. Most of the wound has already healed, and even if it hadn't, he's not exactly inclined to care at the moment.
He sighs quietly under his breath, exhausted but beginning to accept that his death wasn't going to be the end he'd wished it to be.]
That's kind of you, but I'm alright. [If rations here are limited, he's not going to take from someone who doesn't have much. His life is hardly worth the sacrifice. Also, not that he's concerned with this sort of thing right now, but he has no idea what bologna is.]
The wound isn't that bad. You don't need to waste your supplies.
Whatever, the Apex needed all the strength it could get. So Simon continues the nice guy act.]
It's okay! Really.
We always manage somehow. Yup, yup! That's the Apex way.
[Simon chuckles, the sound oddly benign, innocent.]
Besides, I've never met any other guys around here with long hair like me! Might help me convince Grace that the whole ponytail thing actually is cool look after all.
[He doesn't know what to say about the hair thing since he's never met a single person who wasn't a criminal who didn't have long hair but, it's probably another difference here, even if it's one that strikes him as strange. (Who would disrespect their parents that way?) Anyway, he doesn't want to talk about that so instead he focuses on the rest of what Simon is saying.
Whatever this is, wherever this is, if he's going to do anything about it, he should at least start gathering some information.]
The Apex. You said that was a group. What is it? What's your purpose?
[Simon's posture immediately stiffens, his casually jovial tone wearing off. The conviction with which he delivers the following words contrasts sharply with his conversation from before.]
As members of the Apex, it's our responsibility to keep passengers safe by helping them harness their true power.
[At the mention of "harnessing true power" Wei Wuxian's stomach turns itself over and he glances away, but the first part at least. That sounds noble. (Though he is hardly one to assume noble intentions always worked out well.) But this man is not him and this situation is not his.]
Passengers? [Simon is the first person he's seen here so far. He hadn't even known there were others.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
this is so much worse if u kno... um
That hurts.]
But why would you want to be dead?
[Just the thought of it makes his insides churn and his breathing faster, returning him to that fateful moment as a child. Being chased by an ugly monster at least three times his size was bad enough, but the worst thing about it was the dread, the dread and not knowing what would happen if-]
You don't even know what happens when you... Um.
[Shake it off, shake it off Simon.
Usually if they can't manage to convince a passenger, the Apex will leave and continue on its way. His feet remained glued to the spot, however, tethered there by his fears.
He needs Grace. Where is Grace? Where are the others?]
Like, I know people talk about all the stuff that happens after y-you...
[He inhales sharply.]
And the places people are supposed go, but...
[A nervous gulp.]
What if it's just nothing?
[The train is so much better than nothing.]
SOON I WILL
He could say any of that. Explain. He doesn't though. It's irrelevant.
What if it's just nothing?
His lips curve up into a mirthless smile. What he would give for nothing. What he would give to simply stop.]
Nothing is more than I deserve. [Endless, quiet bliss. Where he can do no harm.]
no subject
It is then when he catches a whiff of a familiar odor. Metallic.]
Wait a minute.
[Simon steps uncomfortably close to Wuxian, unaware that he's crossed what most would consider a normal physical boundary. He grabs the other's shoulder on the side farthest from the hand that rests on the warrior's chest, noting the red liquid that's seeped through dark fabric.]
You're bleeding.
[In Simon's mind, the blood loss serves as an explanation for the man's peculiar words and strange behavior. Detail oriented as he may be, to say that the Apex's second-in-command struggles with understanding different points of view would be a vast understatement.
He utters a resigned sigh.]
Ugh, no wonder you're talkin' crazy.
no subject
He sets a hand on his robe, just above the tear where blood has begun to show even through the black.]
Oh. I got shot. [He doesn't shrug, but he might as well for as much as he seems to be concerned about this.]
1/2 sorry for this long tag omg
Simon momentarily considers leaving Wuxian right then and there. He's done many a rag-tag wound repair, but patching up a gunshot wound and removing the bullet? Not only would that frankly be disgusting, but the procedure would also be incredibly risky.
Then again, on all his time on the train, he's never quite met a passenger like this before. Tall, around their age, and if he healed properly, the Apex could get good use out of him. Little kids had a lot of energy and were easy to command, but someone with Wuxian's build sure would be helpful in a pinch.
So, Simon pulls what looks to be hand towel from his hoodie pocket.]
I knew I shoulda brought more First-Aid.
[He aggressively throw's the other's arm over his shoulder with one hand, shoving the cloth over the injury with the other.]
Hold this. Press hard, otherwise it won't stop any of that red gunk from comin' out.
I learned that the hard way.
[He's just gonna... guide u towards the Apex... wwx...]
2/2
I'm pretty sure we're low on rations but...
[is that a smile... wtf
It even seems genuine.]
You can have my half of the bologne sandwich. I wasn't really hungry anyway.
no subject
He sighs quietly under his breath, exhausted but beginning to accept that his death wasn't going to be the end he'd wished it to be.]
That's kind of you, but I'm alright. [If rations here are limited, he's not going to take from someone who doesn't have much. His life is hardly worth the sacrifice. Also, not that he's concerned with this sort of thing right now, but he has no idea what bologna is.]
The wound isn't that bad. You don't need to waste your supplies.
no subject
Whatever, the Apex needed all the strength it could get. So Simon continues the nice guy act.]
It's okay! Really.
We always manage somehow. Yup, yup! That's the Apex way.
[Simon chuckles, the sound oddly benign, innocent.]
Besides, I've never met any other guys around here with long hair like me! Might help me convince Grace that the whole ponytail thing actually is cool look after all.
no subject
Whatever this is, wherever this is, if he's going to do anything about it, he should at least start gathering some information.]
The Apex. You said that was a group. What is it? What's your purpose?
no subject
As members of the Apex, it's our responsibility to keep passengers safe by helping them harness their true power.
[cool it sasuke uchiha]
no subject
Passengers? [Simon is the first person he's seen here so far. He hadn't even known there were others.]