You are the only man I have ever met I would trust with the Sharingan, Wei Ying.
๏ผ not a thing lightly said. but he means it. ๏ผ
If you believe you can control it with what I have told you, you may remove the blindfold. If there is an ounce of doubt in you, keep it and I will remain here to protect you.
[The thing is, maybe he can. He's pretty confident he can with the instructions Itachi has lain out for him and with his absolute lack of desire to even consider using it. He'd likely be okay to remove the blindfold.
It's his track record that holds him back.
He had been confident before. He'd been sure of his ability to remain in control. (And even now, even with the new knowledge that his loss of control hadn't been what he'd been led to believe, the feeling will live in him always.)
He reaches up with both hands to find Itachi's face and pulls him close for a brief, chaste kiss. It isn't the sort of thing he'd ever do in the midst of battle usually, but he makes an exception. (It may very well be their last fight together.)]
I can fight with it on. I know you'll have my back. [His hands drop and he offers him a crooked smile. Then he pulls Chenqing from his waistband and presses it into Itachi's hands.]
Manipulating resentful energy is much the same as spiritual, or your chakra, the difference is it has a mind of its own—several minds in fact. Music is the conduit to speaking with them. It isn't about force—not usually at least—it's about communication.
You don't have to call on the dead, the energy will serve as a raw force. And if you do want to call on them, call on the recently fallen. They'll be the easiest to work with.
Play a note and draw the resentful energy out of yourself, or the flute. The spirits in Chenqing may resist you more depending on how this changing of powers has worked, but they'll still listen.
๏ผ wei ying leaves the blindfold in place, and kisses him, and itachi —
takes the flute and tucks it into his clothing. he has watched this man play music a thousand times, with the sharingan. to press the notes and the image and the music into his memory. he does not have wei ying's natural skill as a musician, but he has its very near imitation and he is confident in his ability to manage it for no other reason than how close that study has been, how confident he is in the sharingan's capture of every movement.
he studies his companion, his closest friend for a long, long moment. and then he reaches up and tugs the blindfold down. because he knows the genesis of the uncertainty, and that it is not — something that wei ying owes him, or deserves to carry in himself. he should not have phrased it as he did. ๏ผ
Wei Ying. ๏ผ he murmurs softly. ๏ผ It should not be about your trust in yourself. All that matters is my trust in you. You will not fail, my love.
[Wei Wuxian lets out a soft noise of protest, his eyes still closed, and after a moment he opens them slowly. His vision is fine, the red haze remains gone, but he keeps his gaze focused on his feet for a long moment before finally looking up. Itachi believes he can do this. His cheeks color lightly at the open affection his partner is usually so careful to reserve for when they're in private and he nods.]
Okay. [It's an easier thing to trust in Itachi's confidence than it is himself. He swallows hard and reaches up to push an escaped strand of hair away from Itachi's face.]
There's one more thing you need to know about resentful energy. It shouldn't be a problem for you, but I don't want it to come as a surprise.
It'll speak to you. Not as someone living, it isn't that clear, but it will sound like a chorus of voices. Mostly they'll ask for vengeance. Sometimes they'll try to make you upset. And they'll try to influence your feelings. You'll feel them trying to push you to anger. [He fixes Itachi with a half smile.]
They aren't very strong, it's nothing to be concerned with.
๏ผ he is not ignorant to the way that, in his darker moments, wei ying has looked to things that aren't there. has canted his head towards sounds that itachi cannot hear. ๏ผ
I have been aware for some time. I will manage them adequately.
๏ผ he tilts his head into the touch, letting wei ying fuss at his hair. ๏ผ
Come. If you feel adequately prepared to fight, the battlefield will benefit from our skills. ๏ผ a beat. then: ๏ผ We have not discussed killing at any length, but — it is easy, with my power, to use takedowns that are not lethal. I will not begrudge you killing our opponents if it is necessary, but I would prefer you did not. I...
๏ผ he trails off, not entirely certain if he can breathe the words at the back of his tongue into being. instead, he lifts his eyes to wei ying's, meets his eyes. ๏ผ
[Wei Wuxian's feelings about killing are nowhere near as complex as Itachi's. He has killed on missions before. Never casually, always out of necessity, but there were other options in some of those instances. (He hadn't felt they were warranted.) But with Itachi's powers and with the look on his face, it is an easy thing for Wei Wuxian to nod solemnly.]
I won't unless it is the only way to preserve a life. And with your powers, I don't think it'll be necessary. [He lets his hand rest on Itachi's cheek for just a moment before lowering it.]
I have no interest in taking lives in this conflict at all. [There is no clear right or wrong, no villain, no oppressor. It's a painfully grey battle that can't have a true winner and he has no desire to contribute to the bloodshed.]
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no subject
๏ผ not a thing lightly said. but he means it. ๏ผ
If you believe you can control it with what I have told you, you may remove the blindfold. If there is an ounce of doubt in you, keep it and I will remain here to protect you.
no subject
It's his track record that holds him back.
He had been confident before. He'd been sure of his ability to remain in control. (And even now, even with the new knowledge that his loss of control hadn't been what he'd been led to believe, the feeling will live in him always.)
He reaches up with both hands to find Itachi's face and pulls him close for a brief, chaste kiss. It isn't the sort of thing he'd ever do in the midst of battle usually, but he makes an exception. (It may very well be their last fight together.)]
I can fight with it on. I know you'll have my back. [His hands drop and he offers him a crooked smile. Then he pulls Chenqing from his waistband and presses it into Itachi's hands.]
Manipulating resentful energy is much the same as spiritual, or your chakra, the difference is it has a mind of its own—several minds in fact. Music is the conduit to speaking with them. It isn't about force—not usually at least—it's about communication.
You don't have to call on the dead, the energy will serve as a raw force. And if you do want to call on them, call on the recently fallen. They'll be the easiest to work with.
You already know all of my talismans.
Play a note and draw the resentful energy out of yourself, or the flute. The spirits in Chenqing may resist you more depending on how this changing of powers has worked, but they'll still listen.
no subject
takes the flute and tucks it into his clothing. he has watched this man play music a thousand times, with the sharingan. to press the notes and the image and the music into his memory. he does not have wei ying's natural skill as a musician, but he has its very near imitation and he is confident in his ability to manage it for no other reason than how close that study has been, how confident he is in the sharingan's capture of every movement.
he studies his companion, his closest friend for a long, long moment. and then he reaches up and tugs the blindfold down. because he knows the genesis of the uncertainty, and that it is not — something that wei ying owes him, or deserves to carry in himself. he should not have phrased it as he did. ๏ผ
Wei Ying. ๏ผ he murmurs softly. ๏ผ It should not be about your trust in yourself. All that matters is my trust in you. You will not fail, my love.
no subject
Okay. [It's an easier thing to trust in Itachi's confidence than it is himself. He swallows hard and reaches up to push an escaped strand of hair away from Itachi's face.]
There's one more thing you need to know about resentful energy. It shouldn't be a problem for you, but I don't want it to come as a surprise.
It'll speak to you. Not as someone living, it isn't that clear, but it will sound like a chorus of voices. Mostly they'll ask for vengeance. Sometimes they'll try to make you upset. And they'll try to influence your feelings. You'll feel them trying to push you to anger. [He fixes Itachi with a half smile.]
They aren't very strong, it's nothing to be concerned with.
no subject
๏ผ he is not ignorant to the way that, in his darker moments, wei ying has looked to things that aren't there. has canted his head towards sounds that itachi cannot hear. ๏ผ
I have been aware for some time. I will manage them adequately.
๏ผ he tilts his head into the touch, letting wei ying fuss at his hair. ๏ผ
Come. If you feel adequately prepared to fight, the battlefield will benefit from our skills. ๏ผ a beat. then: ๏ผ We have not discussed killing at any length, but — it is easy, with my power, to use takedowns that are not lethal. I will not begrudge you killing our opponents if it is necessary, but I would prefer you did not. I...
๏ผ he trails off, not entirely certain if he can breathe the words at the back of his tongue into being. instead, he lifts his eyes to wei ying's, meets his eyes. ๏ผ
no subject
I won't unless it is the only way to preserve a life. And with your powers, I don't think it'll be necessary. [He lets his hand rest on Itachi's cheek for just a moment before lowering it.]
I have no interest in taking lives in this conflict at all. [There is no clear right or wrong, no villain, no oppressor. It's a painfully grey battle that can't have a true winner and he has no desire to contribute to the bloodshed.]
Ready?