[wrong. It's wrong. Something distinctly not Dohalim, though it's not enough to force him back. No, it's not like that. He can feel it against their bond, twisted and harsh as it threatens to seep into aether.
He may have mistaken how deeply it had taken root already.]
... nngh. This corruption is--
[fingers grasp hair and shove his face into the bed and Dohalim's questions continue. It's a complex thing, something he can't heal. He never could. But he... answering like this is difficult at best, and a tough of delirium against his senses makes him wonder if it's really so bad.]
... I am prepared. I know not where or when this corruption was planted, and it isn't something I can cure, but... I can endure it.
[and maybe he can alleviate some of the pain of it. Some of the anger that roils in that slow sprouting core. His gaze is sharp, as always, hard to determine in full with one cheek pressed into the mattress, but there is a soft kindness there.
And as an answer, his astral energy extends to envelop Dohalim's, acting as something of a buffer or a shield to help stem the spread of corruption. It's not enough to relieve its influence, but the pain...
Maybe this truly is his punishment. Taking others' pain is nothing new to Zhongli, offering them an ear and an insightful word, but this... it's unnatural. Nothing Dohalim did should have caused this, and nothing the Renan could have done should have made this acceptable. Still, as long as it's levied at him, that should be fine.
It will be fine. He can take this. The Renan isn't alone.]
no subject
He may have mistaken how deeply it had taken root already.]
... nngh. This corruption is--
[fingers grasp hair and shove his face into the bed and Dohalim's questions continue. It's a complex thing, something he can't heal. He never could. But he... answering like this is difficult at best, and a tough of delirium against his senses makes him wonder if it's really so bad.]
... I am prepared. I know not where or when this corruption was planted, and it isn't something I can cure, but... I can endure it.
[and maybe he can alleviate some of the pain of it. Some of the anger that roils in that slow sprouting core. His gaze is sharp, as always, hard to determine in full with one cheek pressed into the mattress, but there is a soft kindness there.
And as an answer, his astral energy extends to envelop Dohalim's, acting as something of a buffer or a shield to help stem the spread of corruption. It's not enough to relieve its influence, but the pain...
Maybe this truly is his punishment. Taking others' pain is nothing new to Zhongli, offering them an ear and an insightful word, but this... it's unnatural. Nothing Dohalim did should have caused this, and nothing the Renan could have done should have made this acceptable. Still, as long as it's levied at him, that should be fine.
It will be fine. He can take this. The Renan isn't alone.]