sacredpath | pc: zhongli

From:

[the hand on her wrist helps. she unfreezes a little, starts to follow him.]

Sorry. I'm - the wolf - it's silly, but -

[she's fought demons, monsters, creatures far more powerful than this, but this wolf holds such a place in her nightmares. the mirrored walls reflect it; despite lacking memories of so much else, waking up night after night having dreamed of the wolf that was attacking her. her all-consuming fear, and the reminder to feel grateful to the people who saved her, no matter what else they did to her. wolves always remind her of that fear, she always freezes in terror when she sees them.

but they're still here in this memory, and unlike the dreams, it continues on without them, as they walk away from it. the woman takes the girl away, but her fear is not abated by this. she keeps turning her head, turning her so she won't see, as the other women in spears surround the wolf and pierce its body. the little girl winces at the wolf's horrible help, feeling sorry for it despite everything.

but she only sees it for a brief moment, before the woman in the hood and mask steers her away - that the wolf transforms back into a man.]

From:

dijun

I wouldn't call it silly.

[ he keeps walking through the mirrors, watching the dream-like memory as it's reflected in its haze for them to see. his other hand is out to make sure they don't run into any of them, treating it like a maze that they need to get out of, rather than just a funhouse meant for play. ]

It has left a mark on your soul, this memory - and the wolf. That isn't silly. [ no matter the manner of beasts that she's fought, this is so deeply ingrained in her pysche that he doesn't blame her for the fear. especially considering the scene that follows, as she's steered away by the woman in the mask. the spears, the sound of pain, and the - ]

... especially when the wolf can take the form of a man.

From:

sacredpath

Huh?

[yeah, she’s seeing that, too, but it makes no sense at all? It’s not that a wolf taking the form of a man is unusual. She knows many druids, and curses like lycanthropy also exist. But this memory is so formative for her and there’s this aspect of it that she wasn’t aware of at all.

Especially because the man is an older elven man with dark hair and features that make the resemblance to Shadowheart very obvious, as is the way he reaches towards the child and calls out to her, to Jenevelle.]

From:

dijun

[ hearing her reaction, zhongli - actually stops, in the trek to get her away from the memory, glancing to her, then to the memory proper. shapeshifting isn't uncommon in teyvat, either, but to a little girl that's surely terrifying? but for her to not remember it and react like that...

he looks at the man, registering the name that he calls - didn't she say that was her name, during the debates? - and his appearance. ]

... Jenevelle? [ testing the name out, but also asking it as a question as he looks at shadowheart. ]