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[prismods]

SHOOTING SHARK

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"Blue Oyster Cult - Shooting Shark" (Watch on YouTube)

You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

▶ Keep all Hands and Feet inside the Burning Vehicle at all Times
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Outer Space | top

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why did I mix tequila with xanax last night? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as Prismal locals. The next destination: Prismatica.

A. After settling into the ship and selecting the current in-flight movie, Back Door Slugs 9, you and those around you may eventually feel a bit of turbulence during the movie’s highly anticipated climax. Did anyone notice it, or is everyone too focused on the hot characters?

At first, it’s a small jitter that’s easy to miss or brush off. But as the transport vessel travels on, the shaking progressively escalates to erratic tremors strong enough to cause severe nausea. A minute later, a voice over the speaker announces the ship will have to make an emergency landing, citing technical difficulties.

Sparks can be seen overhead as more ship parts malfunction. This is a good time to hold your neighbor’s hand, say your last goodbyes, and apologize for that horrible thing you did in the sixth grade. Grip your seat with the might of every god you can think of.

B. Another minute later, a follow-up announcement states that external entities have breached the transport vessel. Everyone is warned to be careful and watch out for each other. Small fires will have to be put out before they worsen with either magic or emergency equipment onboard such as extinguishers. In-flight robotic attendants will be scuttling around to perform immediate repairs.

Eventually, an entire power panel bursts, and prismatic jellyfish unnaturally spill out. The jellyfish will try to latch and suction onto any technological devices close by such as the television screens on the seats or communicators and will show preference to Iris Moonblessed over the rest. Be ready to help and pull numerous jellyfish off both the faces of Moonblessed and Prismals!

▶ Jaws IV: Jaws Harder
Planet Prismatica, Outer Lunatia | top

The emergency landing successfully completes and the transport vessel will safely land on top of a gorgeous lake filled with tiny glaciers floating by. When reached out and touched, you’ll find out that the “glaciers” are surprisingly cool crystals and not ice.

The ship will be left hovering idly on the water surface while passengers are ferried to solid ground using portable emergency boats. However, civilization is still a distance away.

A. You’ve probably heard of flying sharks from a veteran Moonblessed. But how about sea lions? These aquatic lions are born with scaly skin and gills outside of their crystallized manes. Unfortunately, they haven’t tasted fresh meat in quite some time. If there are any injured onboard or near your boat, the chances of the sea lions detecting people will be higher as they are drawn to the scent of blood. Growling hungrily, they will be quick to latch onto the boats, biting the edges, and trying to knock everyone overboard for dinner.

After surviving through so far, the Prismals guide everyone to a nearby encampment run by humanoid rabbits. They are tall, built, and have a habit of mentioning their virility an awkward amount of times. They are also generous and will share their game meat and fresh crops while allowing everyone to rest for the night at the only inn in their village.

B. There is no running water all the way out here, so if anyone wants a bath, they’ll have to do it traditionally. The village protects a natural spring, which is a good place to bathe away the sea water. Around the spring, the rabbit folk’s friends — little scintilla chinchillas — will shock away any predators that dare to approach their sanctuary! Be at ease and feel free to offer your friends shampoo massages.

The next day, the rabbits can be seen hacking away at some of the wilder-looking plants for an easier pathway. If you wake up early enough, you can ask some of them for a tour of the beautiful greenery. They mention that it’s thanks to the Moonblessed that their crops have been doing so well lately — the result of all the chroma influx. The rest of the journey to the city will be smooth sailing.





▶ It’s Free Real-Estate
Level 2, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A. Find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

B. A new high-end boutique, Prissy Polyp, has opened in Level 2. As compensation for what happened, both Moonblessed and Prismals that were affected in yesterday’s flight will receive 50% off their total purchase. Those unaffected will receive 30% discount coupons as a promotional gift. All are encouraged to visit with their friends or special someone, try on some things together, enjoy each other in the fitting rooms, and deal with the loud, ear-blistering background pop music.

Their clothing collections are characterized by bright iridescent designs, some features such as design patterns may glow ethereally in the dark. One of their signature dresses features a one piece (also available on their trench coats) that can amplify the appearance of one’s decolletage, gluteal muscles, and/or bulge with the press of a neon button. Another item among their collection is the maiden sweater: a sleek, backless sweater that shocks those who attempt unwanted touches. Others include skin-tight leggings (also available on their shorts or pants) which produce pleasant and relaxing vibrations on all lower extremities and fashionable polyp-shaped hats for all kinds of people. It’s a huge shop, you never know what else to find in there.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ IMPORTANT! By request, we've uploaded image samples for the Prissy Polyp clothing collections! Note these are merely samples for a visual guide and we will leave more selections to players.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Comments

Jin Ling | Mo Dao Zu Shi

[goldenchilde]

Cordis. Canonpoint tentatively post-canon. Age is 15 (going on 16), so do keep that in mind.

1. Arriving, surviving

[At first, Jin Ling is just angry. He's angry about being somewhere unfamiliar; he's angry about nobody knowing what's happening. He's angry that he can't seem to find his way, even flying by sword, and he's angrier than that that there is, therefore, very little he can do for the people in the same situation as him. His behavior doesn't actually betray any intention to help, though: he keeps to himself for the most part, and he's not overly friendly when approached. 'Prickly' might be a generous description.

It's only after a day or so that his anger begins to wear out, leaving worries in its place. What if he can't find his way back? What's going to happen to his sect then? So many worthless old men were trying to take over as it was...

Help comes, and so does an explanation, even if it's not one he likes. It brings back his anger with a vengeance, and even if he's trying to stay vaguely reasonable, those efforts soon prove fruitless. It's at the height of his rage that people insist on checking on his health, and he's not sure what offends him the most: that they don't believe him when he says he's fine, or that they insist on touching his body. He shoves; he slaps hands away when people try to grab him. It's not much of a fight, especially for him, but he's unrelenting, and he poses enough of a threat that staff take counter-measures. There's a barely-there touch on the back of his neck, and his whole body goes limp.

It's the most intense fear he's felt since arriving.]

2. Transport; more surviving

[This is one strange form of transportation, but since his sword can only get him so far, Ling decides he has no choice but to accept it. Of course he ends up regretting that. While he manages, just barely, not to throw up from the unnatural movement of it all, it's not long before the vessel crashes altogether, and Ling decides he well and truly hates this world more than anything he's ever hated in his life (which is a lie).

Fighting off animals is easy enough, at least: after everything else, it barely counts as a challenge. With a gesture or two, he sends his sword flying through the air, cutting down any sea lion that threatens to attack.

Maybe he'll even protect you, too. Just don't thank him for it. He only did it because he didn't feel like burying your corpse, anyway.]

3. Getting clean

[These rabbit people are some of the strangest creatures Ling has seen yet, but at least they offer a chance for proper hygiene. He's only getting into that spring if no one else is there, but if you join him... he probably can't stop you, can he?

He may subtly make a run for it if you're female-presenting, though. There's only so much he can take.]

4. Wildcard

Adopt your tsun kitty today!

1.

[sizhui]

No, please don't--

[ Sizhui has been volunteering to help, but he has been away long enough to have missed the commotion created by his friend until the last possible moment. Unable to stop the neutralization, Sizhui can only catch Jin Ling's suddenly-slack body and pick him up in his arms. ]

Please... please undo this. He - I'll explain things to him and make sure he doesn't harm anyone else, [ yes, he can see people nursing what will - he thinks - become bruises, and eyeing Jin Ling wrong. ] He's another Moonblessed, is he not? He - it'll be all right.

[ Whether his request is granted or the counter-measure wears off on its own, this time Jin Ling is waking up to a familiar face. ]

Young master Jin.

[goldenchilde]

[There's something off about waking up like this, not at all like the way one would wake from sleep. Ling finds his way back to consciousness like a bubble rising through liquid, suddenly there again as his eyes blink open.

And then he immediately panics, trying to shuffle back where he's lying. (Only to regroup and plan a good counter-attack, obviously!) His body is a little less cooperative than his mind, though - but then, his mind isn't as with-it as he'd thought, either, considering he only realizes who he's with once he's done his shameful little scuttle.]

Lan Sizhui?!

[Something shockingly similar to relief washes over him, but it doesn't last long. After all, if Sizhui is in the same situation as him, that is hardly a good thing.]

They took you too?!

[That's enough. Between the way these people put him to sleep and this new, even graver transgression of kidnapping his friend acquaintance, legs are going to get broken.]

[sizhui]

I--

[ Oh. The relief in Jin Ling's face is like a gut punch for some reason. He promised to get him to behave, but he didn't expect this would be the reaction, and Sizhui's cheeks heat up a little.

Then the question comes, and while one arm still supports Jin Ling's shoulders, the other one comes up to rub the back of his head. ]

About that... yes, but it's not - as far as I know - the people who make it happen. The moons do it themselves, because we're needed here. Also it's not only me, there are several of us here. It's...

It's not so bad. But it's really strange.

3

[bangpae_yong]

[After having some conversations with the rabbit people he finds his way to the bath. He fought on the boats and he probably doesn't smell the best right now... At the springs he slides in with a long sigh and letting his head rest against the side before noticing the man next to him.]

Hello! It feels really nice, right?

[goldenchilde]

[Who does smell good, at this point? Fortunately Ling has always favored strict cleanliness over flowery and other not!human smells (not at all influenced by his uncle's distaste of those, no doubt), so a spring like this is enough for him.

Well... maybe he wouldn't say no to a little soap.

He politely(?) ignores the other as he settles in, not particularly appreciating the company, but in no mood to run away from it either. Anyway, it's just some bathing...]

It was about time that this planet offered a single good thing.

[His tone is every bit as sharp as his words, and he crosses his arms for emphasis. He is definitely not a ball of sunshine right now. (Is he ever, though?)]

[bangpae_yong]

[Zeno really took what he could take when he was wandering. Still using a spring was always a nice time. It was warm and he could relax his body a little more. Even with how long he's been around it's nice to find pleasure in simple things.

The other's response earns a small chuckle and smile from the dragon warrior.]

Mister seems to have had a rough day too!

4, kind of 3-ish

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng had volunteered with the Moon Knights if there was ever a reason that they needed help from the Moonblessed. This had happened to be one of the times. When the craft crashed and they had to camp the village of rabbit-people, Jiang Cheng had been asked because of his ability to get there via his sword.

So he wasn't there immediately after the problem, but not too long later. It was mainly to help with standing guard against anything that might try to come into the village. Sure, the rabbit-people could probably handle it. There was something else about having the presence of Moonblessed and Moon Knights to make sure they were safe until they could get into the city.

But as he was walking around the village in the evening, slowly spinning Zidian around on his finger, he spotted a familiar face. One that he would never be able to forget in his lifetime. It was both a bad thing because now he had to deal with this world and a good thing because he could keep track of him]

Jin Ling!

[goldenchilde]

[By now, Ling has heard from Sizhui that there are others from their world here. Whether Jiang Cheng has been mentioned by name or not, Ling's reaction upon hearing that familiar voice is the same: his face lights up, making him look his age for once, and he immediately runs over.]

Uncle!

[Maybe he should be more worried about his uncle's reaction to seeing him, or his uncle's reaction in general: Ling knows better than most that Jiang Cheng is unpredictable at best and foul-tempered at worst. He also knows that that's only skin-deep, though, and his uncle is the only family worth mentioning that he has left: he really can't help feeling something shockingly close to happiness, knowing the man is here.]

[lotus_of_rage]

[It was easy to compartmentalize events when it wasn't someone you knew going through them. Sure, it was bad, but still, it was someone you didn't know. To actually know that his nephew had been on the transport ship had been breached, crashed at a lake with sea lions (what the heck even?!), and now at a village of rabbit-people... that was something else entirely.

Why else would he be out here? If he had shown up before, he would be annoyed his nephew hadn't made himself known to him but given the circumstances, that was unlikely.

When Ling reached him, the first thing he was going to do was look him over. Face, hair, clothes, make sure there were no missing limbs... He wouldn't say it out loud and as much as he yelled at Jin Ling to have the best kill on a night hunt, but it would kill him to know something had happened to him and he had been unable to protect him - hence why YunmengJiang sect disciples usually trailed him at a safe distance on hunts. Seeing that he seemed to be in one piece, he finally stopped]

Are you all alright?

2!! your favorite uncle is here

[necrowed]

[ the crashing and emergency landing hadn't given him a reason to lose his calm, let alone the sudden attack of flying sea lions? wei wuxian has definitely faced worse, and even if this barren land lacks in natural resources for him to use (thanks sea lions for eating people's meat? he can't use skeletons to fight?? they're fragile!), the few talismans he carries with himself at least do enough work.

this one time, it's not as though he had been in imminent danger, really — but the flying sword that comes to save him certainly had been useful... if it hadn't flown so close to those canine ears the cultivator has been adorning for the past weeks. getting rid of them would be cool! really! he would finally stop giving himself little scares every time he walked by a mirror! but not like this?! ]

You shouldn't be throwing such a dangerous weapon around like it's nothing——

[ the scolding had already left his mouth when at last he turns to see just who the owner of that sword is, and—— ]

... Jin Ling?

[ of course there had always been the possibility he, just like himself, hanguang-jun, jiang cheng and sizhui, would be brought to this place... but it's something wei wuxian hoped would never happen either because this is no place jin ling deserves to be, or because he himself still wasn't much sure how to face him after they've, well... departed. the stab had been a rightful one, and he doesn't hold the junior in bad regards — if anything, he just doesn't want to give the boy any more unnecessary feelings with his presence, now that his identity is known through the cultivation world. ]

my favorite uncle has been here for a while now, actually :| (sorry wwx, he loves you really!)

[goldenchilde]

[The dog ears are new. They're new enough, in fact, that Jin Ling doesn't immediately identify Wuxian, focused as he is on fending off the sea lion - but it doesn't take long before he realizes whom he's just given a hand in saving himself.

As the sea lion's dealt with, Ling calls back his sword, sheathing it just so he can cross his arms with particular emphasis.]

Who else would it be? Have you been here so long that you've forgotten my name already?

[... He can only act cool about this because he's talked to Sizhui, who's told him about the others from their world who are here - but shhh, let him pretend.]

and u clearly missed me..... i know i know lemme give u a headpat

[necrowed]

[ ok.............. unexpected but not unwelcome. it's likely that jin ling, like everyone else, comes from a different point in time, right? he may not know how their next meeting will go, if jin ling would just frown at him, attack him or ignore him altogether, but whichever it is, it couldn't be better than this. good old little mistress of lanling jin sect. wei wuxian won't have to worry about another stab anytime soon... probably. hopefully. ]

Of course not! I wasn't entirely sure, it's the first time I see you being so reliable.

[ just kidding, kid, you did good! but hopefully, the fact he'd go as far as tease him means they're on good terms, maybe? no hard feelings! no grudges! no ice-cold glaring! it's the best end wuxian could have hoped for, really.

and even better: no fairy. ]

I didn't know you were on the plane as well, though. Did you get hurt anywhere?

2

[notsolomon]

[Well a flying sword is slightly new, so William has been watching this young man with interest. And it's nice to not have to fight these sea lion things. He has the capability to defend himself with magic, but that gets tiresome.

Not that William is going to say thank you. Just because it's possible these two have argued already. Or it's even just that he didn't ask for any protection.]

At least they are finally taking a hint.

[goldenchilde]

[If they have talked at all, they have no doubt argued. It's one of Ling's many other talents, outside his swordplay.

At least it's good, having something to do again. With his sword flying at the sea lions, he feels better than he has since his arrival - but it's still lacking in a certain personal touch, and the sea lions aren't all dead yet. Once he's sure his sword is on a safe path, he grabs his bow, firing several arrows at once, before summoning back his sword, cutting down another sea lion along the way.

By that time, the sea lions really are taking a hint. It's kind of a relief... but also disappointing. He sheathes his sword with a metallic click.]

What pathetic animals. They really don't amount to much.

1. Survival Instincts, yea?

[talkingtrashtank]

"Hey! Hey, he's a fucking kid!" This is the second time O'rhok's been flung to a new planet with very little warning, and it hasn't been so bad. But this is the first time he's seen the normally pleasant and docile Prismals get out of line, and it's not so good.

They hush and babble to explain how the boy needs to be checked out, as he could have parasites or be sick or contaminated or-

"Is he awake? Did you just paralyze a scared kid and keep him awake? While you poke and prod and be assholes to him?" When he says 'kid' it sometimes follows the irritated trill in his throat and comes out as 'kit'.

"Sit him up so he can see what's going on or I'm gonna sit your ass out the window, doctor." They hum and haw and tell him he's not being reasonable, and that he should leave, and- oh my but he can be very loud and unreasonable when the Red Moon is out and maybe for the benefit of the other patients they should just let him stay yes yes.

Whether Jin Ling is awake or asleep, when he regains control of his body he'll have a very protective older man leaning against the wall beside his bed. There's a low sound coming from him, almost a purr, and that will be when the cat ears the swish of a lion-like tail become obvious.

"Had to let them check you out, but they're not getting you alone again." There's only room for one chief asshole on this base and O'rhok will defend his title fiercely.

for sure

[goldenchilde]

To be fair to the Prismals: it's not like they didn't have their reasons for wanting to perform a medical examination, and they were not unreasonable about it. But Jin Ling has a foul mood at the best of times, and an insistence on autonomy that is, perhaps, not always reasonable... not to mention a variety of weapons. In the end, there's just no other way it could have gone.

Which doesn't make Jin Ling any less terrified when he loses control over his own body. That there's one person on his side, outright defending him, is something he notes... but he can't put much faith in someone he doesn't even know, so for the moment, it only helps so much.

Everything feels wrong. The examination passes more or less like a daydream - or more like a day nightmare - and then he's in a bed, fingers twitching as he regains control of his body. That's the only warning, too: after that, he instantly sits bolt upright, breathing hard. First, he double-checks that his weapons are still here, gripping his sword tight, even if he doesn't unsheathe it. After that, he finally has some attention to spare for his unexpected ally.

"... I'd like to see them try again."

It's oddly reassuring, saying something with ice cold anger again. Perhaps even stranger is that Ling isn't actually afraid of this happening again, since he's now prepared for it.

He is, however, embarrassed as hell that it happened in the first place, and that there were witnesses.

3.........i'm sorry

[huaisang]

[ oh finally! a moment of peace.

nie huaisang isn't sure where jiang cheng currently is, but after the sea lions and the... whatever. the point all goes back to this: he's not a fighter and he is not going to get in the way. instead, he will run far far and then only come out when it's safe.

and as things seem to be under control and he desperately wants a bath... well.

he's not even noticed jin ling yet. ]

l o l nhs plz

[goldenchilde]

[Maybe Ling had hoped to keep the spring to himself, but he knew better than to count on that, and he couldn't exactly chase other people out. (... Well, he could. But he's made enough trouble for one day.) So it's with reluctant acceptance that he takes in the arrival of another person.

Until he sees who it is.]

Sect Leader Nie.

[Did the temperature just drop twenty degrees? It surely did.]

3

[inuko]

[ Shino trudges up wearing a towel and with a bucket, his bathing supplies carried within. There's no showering before soaking, but habits are strong, and between jumping into the springs completely dirty or managing to do his soaping up an sudsing off before slipping into the village's pool. What, is he supposed to just, soak in there fully dirty?

He's kneeling at the side to fill his bucket, glancing toward the other guy here. ]

Did you already wash up?

[ Or is he the only clean freak washing off before soaking... (cold pool, hot pool, it really doesn't matter to him!). ]

[goldenchilde]

[Ling can accept that he's getting company, but his acceptance doesn't last very long. What the hell is with that question?! He makes himself wait a beat so he doesn't lash out blindly, but he really can't just accept... whatever it is that the question implies.]

... Do I look dirty to you?!

[Yes, he washed up.

In the spring, sorry Shino.]

3

[wearingguess]

[ so titus is more androgynous-presenting than anything else, and he splashes into the water, settles back, and crosses his legs so quickly that only someone eagle-eyed and laser-focused is likely to have caught a definitive glance of what he's packing. ...he is topless, of course, but what with the distortion of the water, it might take a bit of staring to determine whether he's genuinely entirely flat-chested or just a late bloomer... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

Ahh, I am really beginning to love outdoor bathing! Pity everything leading up to it had to be such an ordeal.

[ his voice..... may or may not help!! ]

[goldenchilde]

["Androgynous" is not something Jin Ling is familiar with. He's grown up with very clear definitions of good and bad, light and dark, male and female, where everything outside of such clear-cut terms was considered wrong. He's learned the hard way to accept things outside of the black and white, but his first reaction will always be to stick to simpler definitions.

Which means he's 100% assuming Titus is a girl, oops.

Jin Ling is just trying to relax at first, paying only minimal attention to the person joining him in the spring, because why on earth would he? His sword is close, just a hand seal away, and no female in her right mind would just crawl into a spring with a boy man.

Obviously not every female is in her right mind..!

It's only when he hears the voice that the questions begin popping up, and by then it's already too late. It's a girl, isn't it? It's definitely a girl, isn't it?! Jin Ling shifts away as much as he can, trying to get to his clothes, but... he can't get out of the water without her seeing every part of him!

Even now, he doesn't want to admit how much this bothers him. He's a mature adult, here (except not really). He can absolutely handle some floozy. All he has to do is tell her to get lost, after all. But culture is different, here, and he's trying to, if not be polite, then at least not outright insult the local customs.]

I think you love it a little too much!

[Considering she's shamelessly getting into a spring with a boy man, and all!!]

2. but what if I already am a corpse?

[goodboyplaydead]

[ Wen Ning has never been especially gifted in the luck variety. Perhaps that's why his attempts to hold the sea lion off from other passengers find him fighting not too far away from Jin Ling. He recognizes the young cultivator immediately, which only makes him dispatch the beasts with even more intense attacks. Unlike Jin Ling, he doesn't require any weapons, being one in of himself, and can make do with cracking the sea lion's skulls with blows from his fists. He doesn't try to call out to Jin Ling or draw any particular attention to himself. Such distraction might cause the junior to lose his concentration and leave him vulnerable to an attack.

So when the sword flies a bit too close to him, he dodges it in a fluid movement, the speed speaking to his unnatural existence, as the weapon finds its animal target. While others might have scolded Jin Ling for using his sword so recklessly among so many people, Wen Ning has no right, nor need, for such reprimand. His only concern now that he's discovered Jin Ling's presence is keeping him from harm. Which means he's going to continue fighting until no sea lion remains in the vicinity. He might be little more than a knife, but he can decide how he will use his power. ]

some corpses don't deserve a burial (no, he like-... TOLERATES you, shhh)

[goldenchilde]

[Busy fighting as he is, Ling isn't paying much attention to anything but the sea lions, single-minded in his focus. It's only when his sword almost hits someone (which is fine; Ling has complete trust in his own control, so that was definitely not a risk) that he realizes who that someone is, and his perfect focus is immediately gone.

He summons his sword back out of habit, but then he takes a split second to decide what to do. He's been on night hunts with the supposed "ghost general" by now; he tolerates the guy's presence. But seeing him so suddenly still manages to be a shock, somehow, old instincts to hate briefly kicking in.

It's truly only briefly, though, and then he decides to coordinate his attacks with Wen Ning's, making it a combined effort... or maybe just a game of "who can kill the most", but shhh. At least they're effective enough in their sea lion slaying that it doesn't even make much difference that they're fighting in the same general area, rather than spreading themselves around: if anything, it makes them the center of a rather effective hurricane.]