milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Shuri's made a few changes to the last version she'd had him test, and has sent him back out with instructions to try smaller things with the new arm this time, as she is looking for fine nuance and haptic feedback results.

As a result, Bucky's decided to settle in the bar at the ends of the worlds for a bit with a good cup of coffee and see what he can figure out to test next.

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"What is a wyvern?" Wei Wuxian asks, though his eyes gleam dangerously at the idea of giant spiders. He'd be good against giant spiders, he feels. It'd be a fun challenge.

"Kind of like a really mean cross between a giant salamander and a giant snake," Bucky tells him. "It's got fins here--"

He shifts the bowl for a second so he can use his hand to indicate the right points behind the jaw. "--and some along the edge of its tail. Scaled, more like a snake. The damn things leap, bite, claw, spit venom, and use their tails like a whip. Big, too - maybe 10 to 12 feet tall and at least twice that in length, plus the tail."

Bucky shakes his head. "Some people say they're related to dragons, and maybe, I guess, but if so it's really distant. They're pretty stupid, not intelligent at all, not like a real dragon. At least not where I come from."

Almost as an afterthought, he adds, "Wyvern scale makes good armor, though."

Edited 2021-10-17 03:18 (UTC)

"Aiya aiya aiya wait go back a moment... there are real dragons where you come from?" Wei Wuxian demands, because Bucky! You're supposed to lead with that! Now he needs to figure out how to get up so he can go see a dragon!

Bucky blinks at him.

"Well, not where I am right now," he says.

"Well no, you can't live on top of the dragon... I guess? Bucky, have you seen the dragons?" Look, all of the really good heroic stories as a child involved dragons - you can't just casually mention live dragons now and not give more details.

He shakes his head. "Not personally. Mostly you just hear stories. Legends, that kind of thing. Mostly."

"Mostly? Bucky-xiong!" Wei Wuxian protests, his expression pitiable. Or at least he likes to imagine it is.

"Let's just say that given some of the places I've spent time, and some of the other things I've seen and heard about ... some of the stories I believe," Bucky tells him.

"Ugh, you are the worst, teasing me so." Wei Wuxian huffs, "While I am languishing."

"Don't worry, no one who yells as loud as you do can be in any danger," Bucky informs him, dryly. "You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"Rude!" Wei Wuxian gasps, clutching his chest, "I was Yunmeng Jiang, this is just how we talk, eh? It is of no consequence."

"Didn't say I minded," Bucky points out, unruffled.

"Good thing. You wouldn't leave me here, would you Bucky-xiong? Wen Qing will return and use all of her needles on me, for sure." Wouldn't that just be a horrible fate?

Actually being treated for one's problems?

What a nightmare.

"Let's see if we can avoid that," he says. Bucky looks Wei Wuxian over with a critical eye. "How are you feeling?"

"This one is much improved with your tender care." Wei Wuxian swears, with another (somewhat more accurate) three-fingered salute. "And, of course, your very good soup."

"Uh-huh." He can't help but feel a little skeptical about that, but at least Wei Wuxian doesn't look like he's going to keel right over if he breathes wrong.

"Okay. Do you have a room upstairs or do you need to go back to - what'd you call it? Cloud Recesses?"

"I have a room upstairs - the food here is much better than at Cloud Recesses, so Lan Zhan and I are staying here until we decide what to do next." What Wei Wuxian wants to do next is crawl under a blanket and sleep for the next week. It's all a bit frustrating - he's been working so hard to gain some kind of strength, and to find it so limited still... eh. He should be thankful he has any at all.

Should be. He'll work on that too.

"Okay," he says again. He does seem better than before; less breathless, less shaky, more easily able to speak.

"Why don't we see how standing goes, and if that works out, I'll help you get back to your room - without leaving a note for your needle-happy doctor friend."

"Ah, wonderful, such princely actions will surely be rewarded." Wei Wuxian declares, his grin bright as he musters his strength - he refuses to flop over like someone's forgotten doll again.

He recognizes the signs of someone stubbornly preparing to try to do something maybe they shouldn't, and sighs inwardly. "Hang on a second first."

Bucky clears away the soup bowls, including the dropped one from the floor, and sets the tray outside for the rats to claim, then returns to the bedside and stands braced to catch Wei Wuxian if he should collapse. He offers his left arm as support.

"Okay, give it a try."

Wei Wuxian shoots Bucky a wry look, because yes, fine, maybe this isn't his brightest idea, but it's certainly not his worst.

Considering some of his past ideas, that's... not saying a lot.

Carefully he pushes himself to his feet, jaw set as he forces himself to hold. It's not too terrible, now that he knows he needs to be on guard.

Well, he didn't collapse. That's progress, right? Bucky watches him for a second, then moves to brace him.

"Okay. You pass," he informs him. "I'm assuming you don't want to be carried through the bar?"

"Oh, that would be too embarrassing. And too close to becoming a habit!" Wei Wuxian complains, realizing a moment too late that might be admitting a bit more than he meant to.

Err.

"No way but up, right?"

"A habit, huh?" Bucky gives him a skeptical look, but leaves it at that.

"Lucky for you I can support your entire weight with this left arm, so take it slow, I'll walk next to you, and it'll look like we're just intently talking about something."

"Mm! You can tell me how your lovely goats are doing. Do they pine without me, Bucky-xiong? We got along so well." Wei Wuxian doesn't necessarily say he needs the help, but he isn't at all protesting it.