#strdstd.

[mielmoto]

{From Dain. owo}

mmhm, mmhmmm, mmhm. ❝a very impressive spread, Mr. Dainsleif; of course❞ can't say she's shocked, given that... well, she has eyes and she's met the man more than once. the lack of a penchant for sweets is acceptable, she's plenty capable of making savory treats instead...

B-3, however, is a welcome confirmation. (makes her role as his self-designated hype girl all the more satisfying).

[mielmoto]

It's good, she thinks, that he bristles at the accusation— defending his own self-assurance in the same breath as he acknowledges the gravity of whatever it was he faced; it meant he still had pride and, more importantly: will. If he truly believed the task impossible, his curse wholly unbreakable, he'd have resigned to it by now; let apathy make its home in weary bones, (where it so loved to settle). No, indeed: his burden will not be "easily lifted," but from his tone to his bearing and the look in his diamond-cut eyes, he doesn't seem the sort to only fight the easy fights... even if he is going to go on being broody and dour about it all.

'Hope' alone cannot be the answer– but it remains a worthy weapon to wield in the battle. and though he scoffs, (not fazing her in the slightest), it's clear he hasn't given it up, just yet.

❝ Good. ❞ she pipes cheerfully, ❝ –like, not the whole 'wretched curse and relentless evil' bit, of course, that's all terrible to hear— but good that you're still giving them hell right back, no matter what. knowing that makes my job even easier! ❞

❝ – not that I need any help or luck, on that front— I'm a professional when it comes to believing in other people, Mr. Dainsleif. ❞ a claim she dramatizes with the lift of her chin and a proud shift of the shoulders, before the display breaks with her giggle; and a nod.

❝ –Honey; your now-and-future faithful supporter... who, for one, is glad you found a little time to 'waste' here tonight– because she's happy to meet you... sounds like neither of us are exactly locals, so I think that makes it an extra lucky occasion. ❞

Such optimism with which she regarded him was... foolish and strange. Something he found himself raising an eyebrow at as he turned to look at her again. Some offense, however, was taken upon her making her claim, eyes narrowing. "I can assure you, it's not a matter of self-belief. But the evil I'm trying to eradicate. They're relentless, so much so that I shouldn't be wasting my time here." Yet, his body was still (more or less) human, and humans did need at least some rest in between activity. Much to his chagrin. Mind always swarmed by how many moves the Abyss could've made in he time he spent resting, if he forced himself to, that is.

How preposterous. He couldn't help the scoff that left him. Rude? Yes. Justified? To him, at least. To think just simple hope would get rid of that horrid curse. Five-hundred years spent with it proved otherwise. No amount of positive thinking could erase it.

"I've accepted that it's now something I have to live with. It is a curse, after all. No curse can be easily lifted. Especially one of this magnitude." However, he did find himself ever so briefly caught off guard by her so surely stating that she'd... believe in him. A wry smile eventually formed. "Well, I wish you luck in trying to get me to come around. It'll be a while. Dainsleif, that's who I am. And you?"

[dutybcrne]

Get sb who matches your freak, or whatever-

[evervita]

There were always people who would need help throughout the cosmos, and while Magnolia knew it was a futile effort to save each and every one of them, the woman still made it a goal to help whoever was in front of her.

Following her freedom from the Luofu, Magnolia had opened a small clinic aboard, but such was the issue with newfound peace; with the Lord Ravager gone and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus back in the shadows, there wasn't much she could do with her overabundant healing. So she decided to take some time to explore the universe, helping people along the way. It was fulfilling work, even if some of the places she slept were uncomfortable or dangerous.

Her travels brought her to a planet that was recovering in the wake of civil war. Small skirmishes were still being fought despite the war being 'over', so Magnolia was helping the victims, whether they fought or were bystanders caught in the crossfire.

The sun was setting and her patients were decreasing at a steady rate, and eventually the woman was able to call it a day. What was happening on this planet was a tragedy, and the amount of children she saw today...

The sound of footsteps alerted her to someone's arrival. Magnolia didn't mean to be rude, but she was still cleaning blood from her hands, so she didn't turn to face them. "Ah, one moment, please. Is this an emergency patient? Just give me a second-"

@strdstd for Boothill!

[sungracd]

     " man should not go wandering about this place . but perhaps the plants shall spare you , as one who appears more machine than man . " @strdstd

[milkiigalaxii]

Engineer managed to shut down the electric fences so that she could jump over the fence safely without getting fried. Deborah managed to knock out a patrolling security personnel and put on their security armor. The great towers hovered over her along the pathways as she walked, its heavy cloud-shaped smokes dissipated into the night sky. The premise absent of any noises except for the industrial fans whirring and the liquid running through the maze of steel pipes. She successfully retrieved the data she wanted from the file room in the administration building without raising suspicion. Completed her objective, the sniper strode out of the building and back into the open again, her pace sped up a tad.

She was set on getting out of the chemical plant and returning to her team as soon as possible when, turning around the corner, she bumped into someone. Her dark eyes widened behind the amber visor, immediately recognizing the person before her.

@strdstd

[lunaetis]

@stahri-light @strdstd

[ HOLDS UP BOTH MY PAWS IN CELEBRATION. THANK YOU SMMMM !! ]

[stcries]

fingers drum against the side of his leg briefly, vibrant eyes flicking too and from the robotic man nearby. "so, that airship ... my, what a performance that was. i sure hope you use that impressive bounty of yours to at least help pay for those damages, mr. ranger."

↳  starter call. @strdstd

[intcrastra]

|| @strdstd gets a Sleepy Lion! ||

           ・⊱ Certain aches never dulled with time. Jing Yuan knew this quite well. His heart was far too soft for a warrior to bear, his Master had always lamented. It was a strength in its own right, yes, and a weakness he needed to harden. And yet, in all this time, from the moment she’d begun to train him, never once had he chosen to do so.

           He was every bit as stubborn as she, he would admit.

           Yet, no in no manner would the years dull its sting when it came right down to it. The losses he would experience on the battlefield certainly never lost their bite in remembering. Certainly not as he would lift his head and startle, ever so slightly at the sight of the other–a moment, two, before a bit of a smile would tug at his lips, and a joking tone grace his tongue,

           "...and here I thought spectres paid their due visits three days after their burials. Shame, I would have prepared a proper fine liquor for you had I know you'd pay a visit."

[stxrsfxte]

“I’m fine. I don’t need your help.” {…Boothill for Ophelia? 👀👉👈}

Lips down-turned, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, Ophelia looked him over once more. Gnawing on their lip, they fiddled with their fidget gears, the need to do something thrumming through their veins. While they understood being wary of others, they didn't quite understand how so many people who visited Jarilio could be so...resistant to help. Maybe it due to living in the Underworld for so long and having to rely on the other underworlders to survive and get as close to thriving as one could, but Ophelia really didn't understand the insistence on doing things alone.

Then again, their only interactions with those from outside of Jarilio were still very limited. If they could explore the worlds outside of their home, perhaps they'd understand more.

As it stood, they held out their hands as they looked him over. "I think a check up would do you good. I can hear something sparking in your...uh, armor? If not from me, then you should at least go see Natasha for a medical check up. Electrical burns can be irritating to deal with," They knew from experience unfortunately, "and even if that isn't the problem, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Twisting their gears together, they bit their lip for a second before brightening just a touch. "If you stay long enough to make sure you aren't hurt, or to get it taken care of, I can make you something! It can be mechanical or a repair to a weapon or.... Well, if you're hungry, I've got plenty of food, and I'd be happy to make something for you." Clasping their hands behind their back as they talked, Ophelia crossed their fingers and hoped he wouldn't be so stubborn as to be detrimental to his own help. "Please? Just for a day, if that? Just long enough to patch you up if you need it?"

[mercyburned]

“I keep thinking back to when we first found Aether. I guess...” She hadn't really said this part out loud before, and it felt wrong, somehow, to admit it when she was still on this journey to find the truth - when she had already learned so much. But the more answers Lumine found, the farther away the reconciliation of her and Aether's paths felt. “I guess I miss the days when I thought he was still lost, instead of now, when I know that he's choosing to stay away and leave me on my own like this.” // @strdstd

[mielmoto]

Good! Good. He didn't seem put off by her more dramatic reaction, nor did his brow shift with any hint of suspicion at the unexpected crossing-of-paths. Too focused on his own business of– wait, what?

❝ ...'Abyssal beings'? ❞ well, that certainly didn't sound like a welcome addition to the exploration party. Whatever relief she briefly felt upon recognizing the other blonde is lost, hackles raised again as lavender eyes sweep the expanse around them.

It is, in the moment, blessedly quiet. Shattered stone pillars and crumbling walls sing the songs of ages gone by– eroded for the most part by wind, rain, and other gradual tarnish... but there are deeper bruises in the stone here-and-there which confirm his words: scorch marks from blasts, deep crevasses in a wall where a set of claws had struck, before... Honey knew little of their nature, and never cared to learn more; but she thinks she knows what he's referring to, from experience.

❝ O-Oh, right, you mean those–❞ she pantomimes the figure of something sprawling, hands raised and fingers gathered, curled into pointed hooks, ❝ –scary ones.❞ which seemed to manifest out of splits, seams in the very fabric of the world around them; an inky, astral darkness, with a presence that made someone as sensitive (attuned, perhaps) as her feel squeamish in proximity.

❝ ...I've, uhm, been out here a little while now, coming in from that direction,❞ she gestured West, ❝ and I haven't run into anything like that; not tonight, anyways... if that's helpful? Really, I haven't found anything interesting before I ran into you. ❞ which, unfortunately, meant she'd been just as unlucky in finding what she had come out in search of as she was lucky to avoid trouble. hmph.

❝ Did you already clear some... things out?– you're not hurt, or anything, are you? ❞

a brief, pitchy shriek comes before anything else, alongside the brief flash of the vision on her collar; both cutting the comparably still, dark quiet of the ruins. suffice to say, neither of them likely expected to run into anyone else that night; especially not a… friendly?– well, familiar face, at least. the shock settles, as does a hand over her heart, morphing instead into an awkward pause, each eyeing the other in quiet; briefly lost (on her part) for words. or, at least, any good ones. ❝ …o-oh! hey!… sorry about that; didn't know anyone else was, like, out and about— do you come here often? ❞

Unprompted Asks ★ @mielmoto ★ Accepting

Ever-vigilant as he was, patrolling ruins like these were second nature to him. After all, ruins tended to be rife with Abyss activity in his experience. What he did not expect, however, was for someone else to also be in such a place. He could understand the draw of abandoned ruins, the curiosity driving one forward to explore. Still, one could never understate the potential dangers they posed.

He was mostly unbothered by her shriek, eyes merely briefly widening before regaining his composure. "No need to apologize. I didn't sense you here either." He really should have, though. "You could say so, yes. Ruins like these are common places for Abyssal beings to gather, so I am simply scouting the area. Clearing out what I can."

[dutybcrne]

@strdstd replied to your post:

{No but Boothill literally has a line abt wanting to spar instead of staying idle (likely bc it gives his mind time to wander)- “I hate staring into space at night. How about… tonight we spar until daybreak. What do you think?” 🥺 So he’d for sure catch on to Kae.}

Boothill 🤝 Kaeya

[fightaers]

❛⠀i'm confident, you know. ❜ is he ? maybe he's lying. izuku certainly feels like he should be lying, because he had faced all-for-one before, and it's still��� an image of terror. of destruction. of power and the endless greed to maintain it, to expand it by all means necessary, to squash any hope of opposing it. the thought of him, and what he stands for, and what he could do, has izuku's body seizes up in horror sometimes. that's when he usually has to remind himself how to breathe, and how to unclench his fists, and how to count back from ten again and again just to have some semblance of calm once more.

so what is he confident about ?

izuku's eyes lift up to the other, a smile mars his face — though it's softened by an exhaustion izuku feels would weigh him down for the next ten years. still, it is a smile. and it is earnest, and it is good. ❛⠀that we'll win this. your grandmother's will won't be in vain. ❜

@strdstd ♡ starter call !

[sungracd]

━━━━━━     @strdstd   ✷  *     The stars blanket the skies by the time Adrian sets off for home.  The path is remote, like much of Mondstadt outside the city, but the silence a welcome reprieve after a long day.

Months have passed but their thoughts still drift back every now and again to that fateful encounter at Angel's Share, coming face to face with a ghost from the past.  Although the same couldn't be said for the ghost in question.  The years have been many and the curse an unbearably heavy toll on his body.  It's a miracle he's managed to survive for as long as he has, let alone the fragments of himself that remain in tact.

Being unable to recognize Adrian is but a small price to pay in the end but that doesn't make it any less painful, pretending as though they're nothing more than strangers.  Although a part of them thinks it might just be better off that way.

As their home comes into view so does a silhouette standing beside it.  This wouldn't be the first time someone's come knocking in the middle of the night for a medical emergency so they're not particularly caught off guard.  Not at first.  But they can feel him before they see him — the corrupted energy.

"Dainsleif? I didn't think I'd see you back in Mondstadt so soon. Couldn't stay away from the dandelion wine, could you?"  Adrian approaches, any trace of a smile vanishing once they catch sight of the grave expression on his face.  "Is… everything alright? You haven't been waiting here long, have you?"

[howthesleeplesswander]

❛  life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone.  ❜ {From Dain for Kaeya!}

Songs from the 80s Sentence Starters | Accepting! | @strdstd

((now that poor Dain has been subjected to Kaeya's nonsense he will never know rest again asjfdf X'D))

"And why is that?" The question was light but immediate, the lilt of his tone veiling the hypocrisy it carried. In truth, Kaeya agreed with Dainsleif's statement, but it'd be a shame to waste the opportunity for some fun by pushing back.

"'Must' is such a strong word. Perhaps you should take a page out of the Knights of Favonius' book." A hand resting atop his heart, his shoulders squared in a caricature of pride. "We Knights stand together in the face of mystery and adversity. Should one man not be strong enough on his own, he can always fall back on his company."

It took a conscious effort to resist rolling his eyes as he let his posture relax. "I'm often reminded that being alone is a choice. Although..." he trailed off on a chuckle, glancing sidelong at Dainsleif with his eye dancing. "Admittedly, there can be times when that choice is taken away from us: like right now, for instance. I'd wager you wish you were alone and that you weren't saddled with my company."