Video; UN Wei Wuxian | During the blackout

[singlelogbridge]

[Around an hour into the blackout, Wei Wuxian pops up in a video on the network. Despite the lack of electricity, there's enough light to reveal his location as one of the hallways where he's leaning against a wall, arms crossed across his chest. There's a friendly smile on his face, and those who know him very well might notice that he appears a little drained even if he is trying valiantly to hide it.]

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Wei Wuxian. That's surname Wei, given name Wuxian. You can call me Wei Wuxian. [His friendly smile slips into a grin for a moment before fading into something a little more serious.]

We seem to have found ourselves annoyingly inconvenienced, hmm?

I don't know if this is going to last very long, but in the meantime I've got a temporary solution. I've been hanging light talismans along the halls and in some of the rooms to allow people to see by. It's not a lot of light, but it's enough to travel by. I've also got extra if anyone would like to come and grab some for their room. [As he speaks, a hovering ball of light lowers down from the ceiling and he holds out a hand for the light to rest in his palm to make sure people can see it.]

I've also stuck some cooling talismans to the freezers to keep their contents cool, and I've got warming talismans too if anyone is in need of those. I'll be sitting in the mess hall. Please come by or message me if you need some. [And with that he gives a short wave to the video before it cuts off.]

Comments

Video; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

[bindsthedead]

I can help with the light spells- and I can help with warming too. I've still got some of those heating crystals the Xrisora used.

... We might be able to use those and heating spells to cook food. Or warm up canned things, anyway.

Video

[singlelogbridge]

[He immediately brightens at the idea, nodding in agreement.]

That'll be much better than either of us conjuring fire. Hopefully this won't go on for long enough for food to become an issue, but if it does, it's a good plan, thanks Sabriel!

I'm not sure if there's anything else people need right now. Anything you can think of?

Re: Video

[bindsthedead]

I mean, I can cast light spells that are designed to wax and wane over specified periods, so people can have light in their rooms without it always being light. But we've got enough food, and books to keep everyone occupied.

So all I can really think of is trying to investigate the cause.

[singlelogbridge]

Oh. I've never seen a light spell do that. [He wonders if he could do something like that. It would be a lot more work than a regular light array, but it could be possible, he thinks, and now he's intrigued. He isn't sure it would serve much use especially since Sabriel already has one ready to go, but it seems like a fun challenge.]

For now I'll be leaving the investigation to the others. [Mostly because he wants to make sure he's around to supply people with any light they might need.]

Are you going to go looking around?

private.

[construing]

Are we sharing butterflies?

〈 not pictured: gwen in the hammock chair surrounded by glowing butterflies. 〉

[singlelogbridge]

No. Well, I gave some to a kid for christmas but other than that no. The butterflies are special.

[construing]

Aww. Look at you keeping the Christmas spirit alive. I feel a movie being written.

[singlelogbridge]

There's a spirit too? Is it of the child god? Or the big man in red?

audio; un: felix

[swordandshield]

Well that's... awfully convenient.

[This is more of that "magic" bullshit, isn't it? He's still having a hard time accepting that's a real thing.]

How are you making those things?

audio

[singlelogbridge]

[He raises an eyebrow even though Felix can't see it. Yes, convenient how he trained for decades to hone his abilities. With a snort and a roll of his eyes, he shakes his head and responds, sounding chipper.]

It's called cultivation. Most people here aren't familiar with it. Essentially it involves the honing of qi, but unless you want an actual academic lecture, it's best to leave it at that.

[swordandshield]

Seriously? That sounds like anime bullshit.

[He marginally understands the concept of 'qi' through martial arts training. But considering the military didn't really care if you believed in the flow of energy and just needed its soldiers to be able to kill anything that moved and was designated as an enemy, well, Felix didn't really pay attention to the two seconds of qi explanation during combat training.]

Which sounds a lot like "magic" which doesn't exist. . . in my world.

[He adds the last just in case there's some merit to this crazy concept. God, it's so weird to him though. Why can't it just be crazy alien technology? That made more sense to him.]

[singlelogbridge]

[It's audio which means Felix doesn't see Wei Wuxian lifts his hands and cover his face with them. He doesn't see the utter exasperation that his entire body sags with. Once, Itachi had told him that he allowed others to refer to his abilities as magic because it was simpler. Wei Wuxian had laughed then and stubbornly insisted that he wouldn't do it. That he would explain the difference to every single person who tried to call cultivation magic.

A fool. Wei Wuxian is a fool.

Just call it magic, he tells himself. Just nod and agree and move on. Just do it. Make things easy on yourself, for once in your life.]

Cultivation isn't magic. [he sounds pained. This is a broken man, Felix. You (and the dozens of others he has had this conversation with) have broken him.]

It's...[He lifts his hand fruitlessly into the air forgetting that this isn't a video, and gestures aimlessly] Ugh...

audio: (un; major.yzak.jule)

[coordination]

As Sabriel offered, I too can provide the same sort of magic she has if this ends up turning into an obnoxiously long problem.

At least we're better equipped this time around.

audio

[singlelogbridge]

This has happened before?

[coordination]

It has.

When the very first of us arrived here, the station lost power for a time. Knowing a lot less than we do now and having been brand new, it wasn't the best welcome.

video, un: blaiddyd

[azurelion]

What, exactly, are these talismans and how do they work?

[He thinks it might be magic, but he's not entirely sure, as he's never seen magic infused objects.]

Video

[singlelogbridge]

Aiya, what is with you people? This isn't a class. [He rubs at his temple with his hand, shaking his head in obvious exasperation. Sorry Dimtri, Felix destroyed the last of his patience explaining this to people today.]

Look, if you'd like to understand how they work then ask me some other time. Otherwise just let me know if you need some.

[azurelion]

My apologies.

[He really feels bad! He has no idea what thew talisman are so maybe he might need some? It is a bit dark in this hallway but he can manage.

Then he moves and crashes against a wall.

Hmm.]

I think I do need some. The kind that light up, if possible.

video; un: harrington

[spikedbats]

[ Steve, on the other hand, is also desperately trying to hide how exhausted he knows he looks. On top of the overall inconvenience of the power outage, he's been plagued with more nightmares than he cares to admit, and anytime the lights so much as flicker it only serves to cause the hairs on the back of his neck to stand upright.

Needless to say, he's not having a great time.

When he opens his mouth to speak, his voice comes out raspy, like he's just woken up from an attempted nap. ]

Those are pretty handy. How long does the light last? [ He may or may not be considering using one as nightlight. ]

Video

[singlelogbridge]

[Wei Wuxian has spent too much of his life as an insomniac not to recognize the look of someone unable to sleep though he doesn't even try to guess at why. (They're all here because they have their regrets, and he knows the stories of enough orbers to know they've got plenty to keep them up at night.)]

The talismans only last around thirty minutes, but if you want something that'll last longer and don't mind me painting on one of your walls, I can make it last as long as you want.

Got something you need to stay up for? [He shoots him a friendly smile.]

[spikedbats]

[ Thirty minutes isn't a lot, but it might be enough, at least to lull him to sleep. Still, Steve knows himself well enough that he's prone to waking up in the middle of the night, and waking up to a pitch black room has only increased his panic, even once the realization that the nightmare's over has passed. ]

It's not so much that I'm hoping to stay up, but... [ He chews on his lip for a moment as he contemplates how to explain it, ignoring the pang of shame that he feels spreading like heat across the back of his neck. ]

I get these really screwed up nightmares a lot, and it helps, having some kind of light on when I inevitably wake up from them. [ He smiles sadly, his eyes darting away from focusing in on Wei Wuxian, because he still has a hard time admitting such a weakness. It does get easier though, the more he realizes that he's definitely not alone and that the others here all suffer from similar trauma. ] It's stupid, I know.

private.

[construing]

Give him butterflies too.

video; un: stardust

[shadysided]

Anything I can do to help, oh wonderful laoshi?

For the record, I haven't gotten stuck behind any doors.

... Yet.

Video

[singlelogbridge]

[He laughs, expression immediately turning fond.]

Of course I can use the help of my prize student! [He winks.]

How do you feel about putting up some lights in the infirmary? I haven't made it over that way yet. Have you tried making more than one light one after another? [There hadn't been a need to work on something like that, and he wants to make sure it won't tire her too much. Realistically, she should be able to handle a few even if she hasn't done it before.]

Video

[shadysided]

... Not yet, but there's no better time than now to learn, right?

I'm sure I could do it.

[God, she makes a little determined fist before she even realizes she's done it; how embarrassing.]

I mean! I've been practicing a lot. If there's anything I could do, it's put a few lights up. You can count on me.