#╰ ––––––– ✦ ⧽ 𝖛. › main ❨ ˢᵉᵉ ᵍᵒᵈˢ ˢˡᶦᵖᵖᶦⁿᵍ ˢᵗᶦᵗᶜʰᵉˢ ❩

[gnosticreign]

@nulltune | call

"did you need something?" a rare moment when he hasn't muted the world, but the location was also quiet. of course, that silence becomes moot when he could feel someone's eyes on him. "or do you tend to stare at people for no reason at all?"

[gnosticreign]

@visionlcss ( shizuko! ) | call

"this job will probably be much easier than the secretary work that you'd had to do within the fatui. just make sure the fields are all filled out, and everything sounds reasonable to you."

this would at least reduce his workload. while most scholars took care to phrase their proposals carefully, there were always a few upstarts who tried to rush their work into approval. al-haitham could spend less time sorting through forms, and more time thinking about their possibilities, and hopefully that'd get more of his workload done in a day.

turning to shizuko, he added, "for the most part, everything should be written clearly, or at least to where you can get the general point of the proposal. you're entirely free to reject it or set it aside for me to look over if you're unsure of something."

he'd prefer that she reject anything that wasn't clear to her, but al-haitham decided that allowing her to check in with him wouldn't hurt. he was, essentially, shizuko's manager now. he was responsible for helping her growth, although this was more of a favor to the traveler.

[gnosticreign]

@visionlcss asked: i’m sure we’ll see each other again soon . (Dain to pierro)

↪ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳 𝑰𝑵 𝑴𝑬 . | late but accepting!

"were it anyone else saying such a thing, i would have thought them presumptuous." and yet, the tone of the first harbinger's voice showed clearly what was left unspoken: and yet, i know you're right. after all, despite some differences, both men could see what lay on the road ahead.

along the way, pierro knew that dainsleif would likely be present on the road to dethroning the gods. even if he himself wasn't an actor upon the stage, the strings of fate would complicate things, as they often did. for now, they were tenuously on a similar side in their distaste of the abyss order.

eventually, that could change. eventually, the times where the two men would meet amiably to discuss everything and nothing would end.

pierro knew that dainsleif wouldn't hesitate on that day. he only hoped he would be strong enough to do likewise.

turning his gaze back to the twilight sword, he added, voice lowering, "i will be counting the days until then, dainsleif. until then, do take care of yourself. we both know that teyvat is nothing short of treacherous, even when she is kind."

[gnosticreign]

@artificeheart asked: you look tired. (aether for zhongli)

RANDOM ACTION-THEMED PROMPTS | accepting!

"ah, do i? forgive me for that, then, aether."

the former archon sipped at his tea, pondering if he simply hadn't slept as well as he'd thought. only one event from the previous night came to mind, which made him nod.

"yun jin had held the premiere of her newest opera last night, which i had attended. it seems that the exuberance of the audience, including myself, had stuck with me throughout the night. it was quite contagious."

[gnosticreign]

@the-lytenye-realms liked for a starter! ( muse selected: amber! )

"eula's not here at the moment, but i can let her know what you need when she gets back. should just be a short recon session, something about a pyro abyss mage near that tower..."

róisín, on the other hand, didn't have much to do at the moment. things had been oddly quiet regarding things that had to be set aflame ( and the spark knight had been on her best behavior lately ), so the stack of papers in her hand was just...well, reports. for filing.

[gnosticreign]

@artificeheart liked for a starter!

"klee found a really strange cube today! it really likes playing rock paper scissors, but it seems to be a bit clumsy...but!" klee rummaged into her backpack, before offering aether several prisms that she'd found. her smile seemed to widen as she added, "i won, and tried to see if i could use these for bombs, but they wouldn't work. maybe you can use these, mister honorary knight?"

not pictured: the hour klee spent with her hair standing on end after an attempt to make a bomb.

[gnosticreign]

donatello: before the cataclysm here's where i link his encounter w the heavenly principles and all that also, 3.2+ spoilers are going to be ahead.

thousands of years ago, donatello had stumbled upon the world of teyvat, landing in sumeru as rukkhadevata's stint as archon was pretty much in its heyday, prior to the goddess of flowers' death. it was a strange thing, to be taken under the dendro archon's wing, but the logical donatello soon found his stride beside rukkhadevata's wisdom. both were intelligent, but in their own ways.

eventually, rukkhadevata gave donatello immortality, as he practically belonged within sumeru at the time.

when the forbidden knowledge began to spread and taint sumeru, though, donatello would wonder if this was his own fault. "i came from a much more advanced world, maybe this is some sort of sign?" this was quickly quelled by rukkhadevata's assurances, that this was not an earthly affliction, but an abyssal one.

the goddess of flowers would fall, and soon, king deshret would sacrifice himself to halt the flow of forbidden knowledge. however, this still wouldn't be enough, as the cataclysm would eventually be at hand.

rukkhadevata knew what had to be done, and yet, donatello insisted that she shouldn't be the one to sacrifice herself. gently, she insisted, he should return to his own world, as a new age would be coming. she plucked the purest branch within irminsul, and promised that if he returned, there would be a place for him in teyvat.

...unfortunately, she didn't tell him that there was no further place for herself, either.

on donatello's attempt to return home, he was halted by the heavenly principles, who immediately threw him back into teyvat. it's unknown if she had taken his memories, or if he had landed within the ruins he'd found himself in and lost his memories at that point.

after the sumeru archon quest, donatello stays in sumeru in order to help nahida set the nation in order, as well as being able to see what had taken place when he was in sumeru previously.

however, he is still able to remember rukkhadevata, speaking to the traveler about it while referring to her as "RD" for short, keeping it only between the two due to the former archon's wishes.

[gnosticreign]

@devitamors asked: what are you trying to prove ? ( :) kaeya @ diluc )

↪ 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑩𝑰𝑫 ᶜᵘʳᶤᵒˢᶤᵗʸ . | late but accepting!

he'd asked himself the same question during his travels, and the answer changed quite often. that he was loyal, that he could avenge his father, if he could do this, if he could do that...but being asked the question made diluc sigh and glance over to his brother.

"with what? leaving mondstadt? or helping with the stormterror incident, despite not being involved with the knights? or my nightly activities? you have to be more specific, sir kaeya. i'm not a mind reader."

ask a blunt question, get a blunt answer. actually, that did make diluc wonder why kaeya would ask such a simple question in the first place. usually, his antics were more -- subtle. teasing. poking at the bear, so to speak.

[gnosticreign]

"hey!" the exclamation was more instinctive than anything. kaiyo certainly didn't have the bulk that any of his brothers would have ( lacking a shell and all ), but donnie was able to brace himself as the other pulled himself up.

regardless, even as the former harbinger crossed his arms, so donatello did as well. the biggest negative to the two being together so often was that both of them were stubborn ---- and that was saying something, considering how many worlds he'd been on.

"i mean, yeah, of course i know." even with only his eyes visible between the wide brim of his hat and the scarf covering his mouth, it was clear that he was somewhat annoyed nonetheless. "let someone show concern for you once in a while. it wouldn't kill you...unlike that lawachurl, anyway."

@gnosticreign wrote. "how many fingers am i holding up ?" from donnie to kaiyo! // ↪     𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑩𝑰𝑫 ᶜᵘʳᶤᵒˢᶤᵗʸ .

"oh, for celestia's-" kaiyo doesn't bother to finish the sentence as he swipes donnie's hand away, before pulling himself back up onto his feet after getting knocked right out of the air by a lawachurl.

"it just caught me off guard, that's all." kaiyo can say that all he wants, but at the same time he knows that his words won't convince donnie that was fine. "look, you know it's going to take a lot more then that to actually hurt me."

he sighs, shaking his head, "you really worry too much about me, don't you?" he crosses his arms, "it's getting on my nerves."

[gnosticreign]

@qucintly asked: ❝maybe it’s the lights, but suddenly this room feels like it’s full of hot air.❞ ( hi kaeya- )

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐏 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏) 𝐒𝟐𝐄𝟐 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 | accepting!

kaeya dramatically clutched his chest as he slid into the seat across from resse, giving an "oof" for further effect. perhaps the main way the detective could tell he was joking was because of the way he was trying ( and failing ) to keep from smiling.

"oh, how you wound me! and here i was about to show my concerns for the times you'd been going to liyue..."

she had the taint of the gods on her, after all. lumine was different, looking for the gods in order to search for her brother; resse, though, was still an unknown to the gods, and he didn't want her to be drowned in their affairs.

he had already seen the gods' wrath, even if some details were hazy due to his youth.

"you've been there quite often as of late. is that friend of lumine's giving you the help you need?"

[gnosticreign]

@ecleips asked: " i guess it runs in the family, huh? " @ pierro 👀

「 RP MEME : RANDOM DIALOGUE 2.0 」 | accepting!

being confronted with the question was one thing, but actually answering it was another. as pierro looked over the young man that was his nephew, he could clearly see beyond even his older brother's resemblance. while not quite a mirror of himself, there was still clearly differences from shankara's appearance.

for one thing, shankara's gaze never held the understanding that there was so much more in this world than what was in front of him, not merely the awareness of gods but the understanding of them as threat and opponent. perhaps that was what the boy had seen in him as well, to prompt such a bold question.

"perhaps it does. although even merely looking at you, i would say that you are cut from a different cloth from your father...a much finer one."

that fated night crossed his mind, that final glimpse of his nephew before hari had been separated from the other members of his family, and he'd remembered the urge to simply steal away the boy. it was clearly a grievous mistake to ignore that urge, seeing now how gaia would turn out. had he brought gaia with him, he would have made a fine harbinger, or perhaps even someone to work alongside under the tsaritsa's command.

how unfortunate, then, that he had been so reserved at the wrong time.

"your father wouldn't have understood the depths of suffering that the gods have inflicted upon us, not until it was too late. you, however, have clearly known it much sooner than any of us would."

[gnosticreign]

@devitamors ( kaveh! ) | call

"you know, maybe you wouldn't be locked out so often if you remembered your key more often." even so, there was a bit of shamelessness in the way he pulled out the pair's entangled keys, detangling them before returning kaveh's key to its owner. "or perhaps that keychain is simply more trouble than it's worth."

[gnosticreign]

@devitamors asked: where’s your sense of adventure ? ( kaeya @ coryn ! )

↪ 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑩𝑰𝑫 ᶜᵘʳᶤᵒˢᶤᵗʸ . | late but accepting!

"i left that back in the teapot," coryn joked, even as he looked down from their perch.

it was much higher than he was normally used to gliding from, and a part of him couldn't help but think about his older brother's fear of heights. maybe, maybe he was finally getting it, now that the safety of seatbelts and roller coaster locks weren't present. or maybe it was like everything else in teyvat, and he just needed to try it.

of course, the treasure chest that he could see sparkling down there was too alluring to pass up.

preparing his glider, coryn added, "y'know, it's one thing to glide from the barbatos statue, but this is a whole other story...are you sure we can make that?"

[gnosticreign]

@adenial | call

"you're quite the new face here, aren't you? what sort of drink would you like?"

new faces meant some scrutiny to come from tonight's bartender, although diluc hadn't expected tonight to be a night with a stranger in their midst. of course, some were easier to loosen up when it came to alcohol, but some members of the fatui...

...well, they had a much higher tolerance, and some even asked for firewater first.

"in addition to alcoholic beverages, we also have juices that are sure to help you wind down, if you'd like."

[gnosticreign]

divitaclara asked: Above the docks of Liyue the sun traced along its pathway ingrained in the sky, reaching out for the horizon line like a grasping hand that left the rest of itself in light behind in its own wake. Behind docked ships the docile waves of the sea of clouds peaked in its everlasting continuous motion, with the crests of each wave catching the departing sunlight in golden sparkles. The young Harbinger’s boots fell along wooden planks, down the gangway of the ship that sailed him far and wide and onto the harbor docks. « Here at last… » His words rode across a long and deep sigh, one that caused his chest to dip within itself. Amidst a bustling crowd of men laboring away to unload and ships and families waiting to reunite with their loved ones that were homebound, Childe’s eyes combed through them all in search for the one face that was most stalwart to him in this nation. It wouldn’t take much searching nor much meandering through the people to reach him, and Childe’s smile was just as radiant as the evening sun that bedazzled the sky when he found his way over. Childe’s simmering delight bubbled into a laugh that blushed the apples of his cheeks. « There you are, Гора! Forgive me for my tardiness. I had hoped that my boat would arrive earlier in the day. I didn’t want to today be squandered, yet to my displeasure, it was. » The corners of his lips, gaze, and lilt all dipped low for a moment, abating to a solem halt. His silence bear a remorseful weight, but one that he cast away in a moment’s notice. « But shall we make up for that lost time? Today is not yet over, my friend. Let’s hit the town for a little while! I’ll have a subordinate of mine take my belongings to our home in the meantime. With such few hours left of this special day—let’s not meditate on the year that has passed. » Childe’s gloved hand outstretched itself to take Zhongli’s hand into his own, gently squeezing to satiate the longing that had been with him since the moment he departed from Liyue to Inazuma. « Let us celebrate you. » [ Childe just wants Zhongli to actually celebrate himself for his birthday 💓 Happy New Year, Ri’ah! ]

hey it's zhongli's birthday y'all | accepting!

the element of geo was one of patience, of the everlasting, of the constant. its former archon was almost exactly the same as it, although with his retirement ---- zhongli had tried to at least become more spontaneous. still, on days like this, where he was anticipating the return of his dear friend, these traits were heavily leaned upon.

the seas were always quite unpredictable. while the ships were later than expected, though, everything and everyone seemed to be quite all right. it was a huge relief to him.

the familiar tousled ginger of childe's hair was soon spotted, and it didn't take long for the harbinger to soon find him in return. zhongli would have attributed it to a practical sixth sense, but knew it was likely because he stood out from most others in the other man's eyes.

when childe apologized, zhongli opened his mouth to reassure him that no apologies were needed -- it wasn't as if he could control the weather. beidou, for the power she held in defeating haishan, couldn't do that either! but childe's tone quickly shifted.

how he missed this. how he'd missed childe, for all of his eagerness and playfulness.

"老铁...your persuasiveness never fails, does it?" he returned the squeeze to childe's hand, the smile easing onto his features a blossoming one. like the glaze lily coaxed to open by the sunlight, so zhongli found himself so easily drawn to smile and laugh by this snezhnayan. "from the sound of it, you've been thinking quite a bit about this day. i'm sure it'll be a birthday to remember."

and tomorrow...he'd have to surprise childe as well. after all, he wanted to celebrate childe's safe arrival to liyue as well.

tonight, though? he wasn't going to refuse celebrating his birthday in the way that mortals would, especially not with childe seeming to already have a plan.

[gnosticreign]

@ultivent liked for a starter!

"this invention is interesting..." a delicate hand rested upon her chin, even as pearl-like eyes examined the strange mechanism. how fascinating that someone like miu would be able to build such a thing, intricate in all of its works. "...ah, what does it do? i think i should have asked that first."