"If there is a chance at survival... I will seize it. There are still many things I have left to do." Without looking away from the road, Blade reached over and found Dan Heng's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He would try, fight with all his might as always.

/ e6s1 with ONE ticket left... i cannot make this shit up. IT IS DONE

Wishing you all luck on your summons.

/ and hour an a half... i know blade is about to go through some crazy fucken shit

#blade #hsr

He took his eyes off the road to look at Dan Heng for a moment, staying silent for a long stretch after returning his gaze ahead, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. It wasn't a promise he could make in good faith, unsure what lay ahead but knowing the lengths he would go to.

Full of surprises. "Well, now you know." Getting into the car, he reached into the backseat to set the bag down, before fastening his belt and starting the engine. "It has been a topic of debate whether or not I actually have a license," he offered, casting a brief glance across his shoulder.

He was already moving around to the drivers side, casting a glance over the roof of the car at Dan Heng. "Shortly after becoming a Hunter. You're not another skeptic, are you?"

Once outside the Express and onto the streets, Blade fished through his pockets for something, pulling out a set of keys. After pressing a button, a nearby parked car unlocked, it's hazard lights blinking once. "Hop in."

"Mh, you will feel better." Before setting off to the cold spring, he gathered up some belongings they would need, offering Dan Heng his hand on the way out.

"Come with me. A cold soak will help."

/ maint has started owo bladie wanters will be bladie havers in just a few hours 🥰

They didn't pass anyone on the way through the cars, save for a Warp Trotter just around the corner from Dan Heng's room. At the entrance, Blade bumped his hip against the button to open the sliding doors, taking care not to bump Dan Heng against the frame on the way through.

Happy pride! 🌈 #Blade #Art #HSRFanart #刃

Mh. Because we are ignoring it. Can I watch?

The bathing could wait, though they would need to clean and dress the wounds eventually. Speaking to the conductor, he told them that he would be staying the night to keep an eye on Dan Heng, to which they agreed was alright.

💭 He is such a loser, I need him so bad.

While Blade simply stood nearby, allowing Dan Heng and the conductor to interact without interruption, his gaze flickered to Dan Heng with the use of the word 'we'.

You want me to ignore the elephant in the room? If you wish.

Shuhu had tried, and Dan Heng had defied him... Blade couldn't say he wasn't proud of him for that. He knew how difficult a task that was. And he had done so in a form he had not yet fully mastered himself. It was commendable.

Hm...

Why does it say 'ready to risk it all'? (Pointing directly at it. He knows what you are.)

Are you practicing or something?

He didn't need to worry about him, at least not in this regard; this was something he had learned to live with for centuries, stubbornly refused to let it take him over completely. And recently, he had found himself more calmed than ever in Dan Heng's company.

🤨 ...Is that Firefly?

Is it that time of the week again already?

Are you winning?

/ twas the night before blade patch, and sylas was done farming for jades

"I am not so easily gotten rid of. You of all people should know this." This he could endure, but he could not—would not—allow any fate of this sort to befall Dan Heng. It was out of the question.

At his murmured response, Blade pulled back just enough to take one hand to gently push Dan Heng's face up to look at him. "I would not see you condemned to such a life." If it was to protect those he cared for—loved—he would gladly fall on the sword.

"I know..." It was all he could say... He could only empathise; there was nothing that could take away what happened, nothing that could erase the memory of it from Dan Heng's mind. All he could do was hold him closer, let him work through the shaking in his body as his nervous system calmed down.

As the dragon's head came to rest against him, Blade placed a hand on his bloodied snout, barely able to look at the streaks of tears that washed lines through the blood on his face.

/ 2am brings all the typos 🥲 wtvvv

His hold remained steadfast even as the creature thrashed around, refusing to let go. He could not stand the thought that Shuhu had been laying dormant within him, feeding off him, and he had not noticed... He would stop at nothing to ensure there would be no trace left of him by the end this time.

That voice... That awful voice that had plagued his mind for far too many years... He would do whatever to took silence him for all eternity, over and over if he had to. Lip curled in pure contempt, fury hot and fierce beneath his skin as he was spoken to. "He.. is not yours to have..!"

cooling #hengren #เหิงเริ่น

By the time he'd caught up with him, he'd already transformed, though it was not to the grand scale he was capable of... He still had enough of a hold on his mind to resist, even snapping at his own limbs to rid himself of the infection... As long as he did not succumb completely...

😑💢

He could tell he was being heard but not listened to, the dragon seeming far off, worlds away from him. Distracted. Blade was about to ask if he had heard what he said after not getting a response, before a sharp blow caught him in the stomach, doubling over as his diaphragm locked up, winding him.

"seeing you makes me feel much calmer" #hsr #honkaistarrail #renheng

His throat? Hm... Not great if the infection was spreading internally, too. There was no way of knowing just how much it had manifested. Arms cross as Dan Heng paced in front of him, his gaze following him back and forth. "Mn... We need to purge you of this quickly, before it gets any worse."

(That was hours ago...) Better late than never. 😑

Did you forget to mention this?

He said don't panic... "That's what it looks like," he confirmed, standing up once more as Dan Heng turned to face him. He couldn't blame Luocha, he'd done as much as he could, but Shuhu was a particularly stubborn parasite once he had gotten his roots into a host.

That trust was not lost on him, aware of how sensitive he was about his tail being touched. He'd be gentle, careful. Peering beneath the first scale he'd lifted up, Blade couldn't see anything out of sorts. However, a peek under a few others would reveal what he had feared.

"I would rather not wait for that." Crouching behind him, getting himself eye-level, Blade reached out and carefully pulled a scale back with his finger to examine underneath it for any signs of what he suspected. "You will have to bear with me for a moment."

Brow knit into a furrow, intuition and gut telling him that this wasn't just itchiness. Pulling an entire flower from between one's scales is not normal, and he had recently been poisoned by 𝙝𝙞𝙢... Blade knew better than anyone how parasitic Shuhu was. "Can you lift them up?"

"Stand still." Hands on his hips, stilling him as he leaned in close to inspect his tail, searching for any other signs of what he just pulled out and tossed away. "When did this start happening?"