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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
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TEST DRIVE 02
TEST DRIVE
Hello, and welcome to the second Pluviosa Test Drive!
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
ARRIVAL - LIKE THE RAIN
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
LIGHTS ON, SHOW START
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
TILT-A-WORLD
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
SOMETHING WHISTLING
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
Arrival
There were people here a hell of a lot smarter than him, and even they didn't seem to have any answers, either.
Childe's eyes don't quite catch the man scrambling away from the ledge, mask still affixed to his face, absolutely filthy with plant juices, until a voice in front of him catches his attention. Childe has to stumble around the poor fucker before he accidentally kicked him while he was down.
"Ah- shit, sorry!"
Childe laughs, taking his mask off, setting it back in place on the side of his head.
"I didn't see you there, bud. Er... You alright? You don't look so good."
Childe's dull eyes meet Aventurine's own, and for a moment, the fatuus wonders. He ignores the fact that the other man's eyes don't quite catch the light like his own, opting instead to take a gander at that shield that the other placed over himself.
"Must've been a hell of a day for you, huh. Sorry, man. Boat's haunted."
Childe understands the feeling intimately. He'd nearly killed poor Casper because he was so sure that some... lump of plant matter had been his kid brother. The redhead offers Aventurine his hand to help him stand. Poor guy.
"You can call me Childe."
Re: Arrival
He bites back what would have been a yelp, lurching away from that something[[read, dodging Childe almost kicking him, lmao]], hand raised for a counterattack this time-
But then the voice doesn't laugh or push him down again, but apologizes instead. He blinks, looking up to meet a masked person. Said person is quickly removing the mask, revealing the scarred face of a young man; red hair, open expression, his clothes absolutely dripping with plant juices. If it weren't for the earthy smell, he would have thought it was blood...
Dull blue eyes meet his own through a shimmering barrier. Aventurine is pale, seated on the floor, his aching mind trying to catch up with this turn of events. He lowers his hand and coughs once, trying to piece his composure back together, trying to stop his hands from shaking so much.
"I-I'm alright, thank you. Just had a surprise encounter, I believe," he says, forcing a laugh to hide the shake in his voice. 'Hell of a day' huh? He thinks of the amusement park, the endless black ocean, and now the falling...
"Yeah. Yeah, you could say that. Long couple of days, really."
His brows raise slightly. "Haunted...? You're telling me that was a ghost?" It made sense, but was still...unexpected. He blinks at the offered hand. Non-threatening, a gesture of goodwill. Aventurine reaches forward, dispersing the shields as he reaches through them, sighing quietly in relief when that seems to ease his headache. He takes Childe's hand in his own; warm and solid. His shoulders relax a little more.
"Name's Aventurine. Nice to meet you!" He chuckles. "Also just glad you're not a ghost." Supposedly. But Childe's hand felt real, so his odds looked pretty good.
no subject
Even the slight glimpse of that makes Childe's heart ache, for a moment. Was he so frightening? Was that sort of treatment what the guy was used to? The Harbinger's eyes don't miss the blond's trembling.
"I'm just glad you're okay."
He didn't quite look okay, but seemed to be making an effort to calm himself down. Childe understood, the lower levels were damn creepy when you had no other context for uh, anything.
"Definitely a ghost. They like to play tricks. Pretty much all of us have had at least one rough encounter with them when we first arrived. You're in good company."
And even then, they were still eerie.
"Aventurine, huh? Great to meet you! Those shields are pretty useful."
Childe helps pull Aventurine to his feet, giving his hand a good firm squeeze. Very real. The fatuus would make sure the other man was solidly on his feet and balanced before letting go of his hand, realizing quickly that... Aventurine was pretty short. And either Childe was stronger than he thought, or he was also pretty light.
He doesn't think much of it.
"Not a ghost, promise. And the upper floors shouldn't be so haunted. I know the way."
no subject
He wobbles a little upon standing, lightheaded, the room taking to a slow spin for a moment. "Thanks," he breathes, eyes going a bit unfocused. It's nothing too bad, he--probably just stood up too fast. That's all. "Likewise. And thanks! They are useful in a pinch, that's for sure," he agrees, grinning wryly, letting go of Childe's hand once he's steady. A part of Aventurine misses the warmth, but he's just...glad there's another living person here. He's also pleased to see he's more or less stopped shaking so much.
He looks up at the other man-he has to because wow, tall- his smile going crooked, some of his bravado coming back to him. "So I see! But yeah, just to make sure, I think I'd like to head to somewhere a bit more...lively, so to speak." He eyes the plant juices staining the other man's clothes. "I imagine you've already cleared a path?"
no subject
Not that holding people's hands was a thing he did regularly, but it was nice for a moment. The warmth. He got most of that through fighting, these days. His visits home had been few and far between, and if he'd be honest... it'd be weird of him to snuggle on up with the other Harbingers, let alone the fatui beneath him. Childe didn't really have many friends, either.
"I can take you up to the lounge, it's got one hell of a nice view. There are usually a few people hanging around there, too."
At least the blond's trembling seems to have lessened. Childe was glad to help, in that regard.
"Hell yeah I have."
The ginger points behind him, at the absolute plant carnage carried out through the rest of the hall. Childe wasn't drenched in plant matter and juices for nothing. He was proud of being able to help keep the halls clear, it gave him time to think, and an outlet for his excessive energy.
The fatuus would grin and wink before leading the way to the elevator.
"So, where are you from? I'm from Snezhnaya, in Teyvat. Loads of ice and snow."
Wow many thoughts! And then a little homesick, oops
He's not particularly a stranger to touch in a technical sense, except what he's used to tends to be...less than pleasant. Still, he learned long ago to use anything he could to survive, even that. And as for friends...well, they were meant to be used. Otherwise they're at arm's length; letting them close enough to touch always ran the risk of being stabbed in the back.
Not that he didn't invite such attempts when the situation called for it....still. Still. After Penacony, the amusement park, the sea, the ghosts, everything...
It was nice to simply be held up while the world spun for a while. He appreciated it.
Thing is, with gratitude came debts. But then again, this guy was clearly strong and experienced, so it could be a mutually beneficial alliance, right? A worthwhile gamble...he smiles.
"I'd like that. That view might help me get my bearings a bit more in order on this crazy ship, I think," he says. And more people would also be good to see...more confirmation that the ship isn't just full of ghosts.
He turns to where Childe points and his eyebrows go up. "Woooow, you sure did! Impressive!" he exclaims, giving a slow clap to play off Childe's wink, grinning wider in turn. He of course follows close behind, his eyes flicking back to the mask on the guy's head. "I mean, clearly you're strong to thoroughly sweep me onto my feet, thank you again," he nods his head to the mask, "but do you also get some extra...elemental power from that?" The man faintly smells of ozone, so there is a chance he's a pathstrider with a conduit like? A stoneheart?
But then he mentions Teyvat, and he has to mentally mark out that theory. It is possible the IPC just hadn't found the world of Teyvat yet, but... "Huh...never heard of the place. I...travel alot for my..." -previous??- "job, but I've seen a planet or two covered in snow. Beautiful to look at! Unfortunately I don't do too well with cold," he huffs in good humor.
He pauses, there. Childe didn't...have a negative reaction to first locking eyes. And since Aventurine's not really heard of his homeland, it's probably safe to guess the guy would have no...prejudices against his. He wouldn't know. So he might as well... "Where I'm from is mainly desert. A planet called Sigonia IV. Sand, sand, and more sand." He sighs, a familiar ache forming in his chest when he talks about it. He gestures to a nearby window if there is one. "Almost like that out there, but somehow a bit more hospitable. Just. Not by much." He shrugs as they head to the elevator, smiling again. "The skies could be beautiful though. Especially at night...Haven't been back in awhile. Not much there left for me. As I said, lots of sand," Sands that claimed his father, and eventually his mother, his sister... "I have. Had? To travel alot for work, so it's not like I really get the chance."
He shakes himself then. He tilts his head to Childe. "What about you? Did you get the chance to travel alot in your Teyvat?"
no subject
The fatuus laughs. Sweep him onto his feet? He's sure he could do more than that, but he's not about to scoop the guy up and run off with him. Instead, he leads the way towards the stairs, they were a bit nearer than the elevator.
"Oh, I have elemental power in spades." He gestures to his hip, where his Vision lies, a blue gem with a wave symbol in the middle. "This allows me to control Hydro energy. It's uh. Been temperamental for a few months now, so I haven't really been using it, lately."
He then flips the vision upside down, to reveal his Delusion on the other side. Purple, with a strange four-leafed insignia.
"This is my Delusion, which is the power you saw. I can use it to wield Electro energy. Instead of using traditional weapons, I like to create my own with these elemental foci. And also because I don't have any of my weapons on me."
Not even his bow.
"Visions are granted by the gods in my world. Physical gifts that acknowledge your ambition. Delusions, though... I earned mine when Her Majesty the Tsaritsa acknowledged me, personally."
He isn't going to bring up his history with the Abyss.
"How about you? Your shields tied to anything in particular? Visions and Delusions aren't wholly required for power in my world, but that certainly was an interesting question to lead with."
Childe grins, looking at him pointedly.
This guy also travelled a lot, huh. Interesting. Childe listens to him, interested. A planet full of sand, with beautiful skies.... The ginger had heard the same about Sumeru's desert, although he'd never seen it.
"I understand. I also travel a lot for work. The northern lights are beautiful in Snezhnaya, all sorts of colours light up our skies at night. Unfortunately, I'm always worlds away from my family, so I never really get to see them, or the homeland."
Childe sighs softly, a little wistful. But his adventures so far... They'd been fun. Lovely, even. He got to see the world.
"But I have been in some really nice places. One of the tallest mountains in Teyvat is pretty close to my home in climate, and has the skeleton of a dragon on the side of it. Inazuma has an interesting forest, full of spirits. Vision wielders can breathe underwater in Fontaine, and they have a huge entertainment scene. Even the court system is tied into it. I didn't uh. Get to experience much of it because I was wrongfully arrested not long after arriving, but. What I saw was kinda nice."
Childe laughs, warm. Mostly at himself. Being upset about it felt so long ago. By and large, it was the best vacation he could have possibly had. He got to see a new region, experience their food and entertainment, got arrested, and had the fight of his life with the Narwhal from his dreams.
His frustration with Neuvillette had all but nearly melted away, too, with the promise of a fight at some... nebulous point in the future. Childe was an easy man to please.
"And Liyue... It's a beautiful place. Mountains with huge amber formations. A Harbour that lights up with floating lanterns every year."
One day, he'd like to visit. Maybe when he wasn't a wanted criminal there for crimes of nearly drowning the place.
no subject
That train of thought gets quickly derailed when Childe explains his elemental power. His gaze sharpens at the gemstone on his hip, curious. “Hydro…impressive tech,” he’s assuming that’s what this is. It’s…it seems a bit like a Stoneheart but smaller…“Is there no way to fix it up in this place?” He asks, mentally thinking of the shattered remnants of his own power source. His control of Imaginary energy had been…tenuous at best since it broke…
His eyes widen a little when Childe reveals the “delusion”. Two…elements? Now that he’d not seen. Manifesting weapons out of energy is something he’s familiar with though, even if Aventurine takes…creative liberties on what counts as a weapon. He sees the other man’s hands twitch when he talks about not having physical weapons.
If it wasn’t obvious already, this guy is clearly a fighter. A soldier?
“You’ve been acknowledged…personally by your ruler? Sounds impressive,” he says, grinning. The way Childe talked about it, delusions did sound like something not everyone in his world were given. A high honor.
Aventurine chuckles at Childe turning the questions back on him, a little out of breath—his injuries were all in the dreamscape, but damn the toll is still clear—from the stairs. The gambler raises his hands in a vague surrender gesture. Information for information, he understands that.
“It’s a little similar for me, I think. Kinda has to do with…gods where I’m from, it’s just less…defined?” He hums, twisting his fingers to manifest a die with Imaginary energy. Thankfully this little doesn’t tax him. “Those whose ideals align with an aeon—a god-like being…thing, listen they come in all sorts of shapes and forms— anyway, sharing ideals is considered sharing their path, and that grants them power. We’re called pathstriders—creative, I know. Not a lot is known about the specifics…” although he knows Ratio could talk your ear off about it if asked, “but I guess my path aligns with Quipoth, the Preservation aeon. So…shields.” He grins wryly as he has a shield flicker in front of them for a second before dismissing it again. ((Childe, it could kinda look like a geo construct of sorts to you?))
He shrugs, tossing the die into the air and catching it in his fist, letting it disappear. “We don’t get uh. Visions and Delusions…some people do catch the eye of Aeons through various means—we call ‘em Emenators—and they can…lend out some of that power in some ways? If they want? Stonehearts are kind of like your vision…delusion? But I don’t think it’s…quite the same,” he huffs, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. Almost there.
And then Childe talks about his home, and the nostalgia is clear. Northern lights, huh? Aventurine’s heard of them in more arctic climates…Sigonia’s skies would light up beautifully on…on Kakava. His memories of them are bittersweet, so he finds himself empathizing with Childe’s wistful demeanor. Worlds away from family…he got that too. “Hey, I hope you get the chance to see them again soon. Maybe a vacation after this…weird cruise we’re on.” And if he’s got living family, all the more reason to spend time with them when you can…
They’d reached the landing, so it’s easier to talk again, thankfully.
“Skeleton of a—are dragons common in your world? Spirits…wait breathing underwater? How does that tie into courts…?” He asks, vaguely imagining a court session underwater. It’s an unsettling but fascinating thought to someone who is…less than comfortable with lots of water.
Aventurine doesn’t realize this, but his careful poker face fades in asking all these questions, leaving curiosity and wonder behind. The light still doesn’t catch in his eyes (however they do glow a little in the darkness), but his expression is more open than it would be otherwise. He’s reminded of the stories his sister would tell him to keep their minds off their empty bellies or the sandstorms raging outside of their little home.
He does snort in amusement at the last part about Fontaine. “You seem awfully calm about being wrongfully convicted. Doesn’t sound pleasant to me.” He suppresses a shudder just thinking of shackles and cell bars. No thanks.
He tilts his head a little on Liyue. “Sounds beautiful…you’ve been all over, haven’t you?” How do lanterns float? Must seem like an extra set of stars from afar…”They all sound like nice places to visit. Maybe if I find my way to Teyvat I should go sight seeing first before doing business.” ….not that he’s sure to have business to do anymore, but. He’ll…figure that out when he gets there.
no subject
Childe laughs, unclipping it to actually show it to him under a light. It was really just some sort of magical glass ball within a metal housing. No wires or buttons found here.
"I doubt there's much of anything to be done about it. I feel like it's more a problem with me than a problem with my vision."
Childe's just not sure how, or why. He doesn't understand, but he's been trying to. Little exercises with Hydro, here and there, trying to mend whatever might be damaged in his relationship to it. His mastery over it had been near absolute, and now...
He slows down when he notices Aventurine lagging a little behind, maybe the stairs were too much, after all of that. Oops. He'd just go the long way to the elevator next time, then.
"Sorry, buddy. I'm moving a little fast." He says, letting the poor guy catch his breath when Aventurine reached him.
He listens as Aventurine displays his power again: A shield. Implying that one of his world's gods was about protection. They yellow color and the shield evoked a very specific thought in him. It reminded him of Geo. Zhongli, namely. How interesting. He's not going to dump all his hangups about the guy on poor Aventurine.
"We have an element that's kind of similar to that. It's called Geo. The land of Liyue is full of its formations. And a hell of a lot of Geo wielders tend to have shields."
Was this possibly some sort of... common link, between them? Or purely coincidence?
"Emanators, huh. I don't think it's all quite the same, but it's weird how similar it is. Though.... It's kind of cool to get favor from a god like that. That's a pretty direct blessing."
It was almost similar to being handed a Delusion, but not quite.
Childe appreciated the well wishes, in regards to seeing his family again. He's sure he would, but it was a matter of getting off this boat, first, and back to Teyvat. Neither of which were currently feasible.
"I hope I can see them again soon, but... I know the work I do is important to the Fatui. And besides, the longer I'm away, the more money I have to spend on the little ones."
And the more souvenirs he could pick up, too. That in mind, maybe he could find something on the Ship for them, too. And tell them about this particularly strange adventure.
"Dragons? Ghosts? Hell yeah. The breathing underwater uh. Hm. I think it's just because Fontaine's water is different. It's the source of all water in Teyvat. Super pure. Relatively." He says, laughing a little. "The court is different. It's above water, and so is the rest of the civilization. Vision wielders can simply just explore a little more of the region. The water was rising for years, and flooding nearby towns."
Childe does notice Aventurine's expression slowly change. Get more comfortable, open with him. He's glad to help the poor guy loosen up a bit, he seemed a bit tightly wound, at times. Plus, he made great company.
"Eh. The judge promised to fight me when all this here is over. I can let it slide, I guess. Getting arrested and everything that happened after it kind of used up all my vacation time."
He decidedly didn't mention the Narwhal.
"Hey, if you ever end up there, I'd love to meet up sometime. I could show you around. Take you to some real nice spots." Childe says with a grin, warm, kind. "Chances are if you end up doing business there, you'll likely be talking to each of the archons. Mine is directly in charge of me. I can put in a good word for you."
You don't have to reply to this I know it's old but -yeet-
"A problem with you...uh. Are you okay?" Probably a bit too personal to ask upon just meeting. But the guy helped him, if there's a possibility of helping Childe...
Which is a rich thought from a guy leaning on the wall wheezing for breath. Aventurine waves off Childe's apology. "You're fine, you're fine-" wheeze, "-I think this has to do with-" deep breath, "-before ship stuff. I'm usually made of sturdier stuff than this, promise," he says, his laugh breathy but recovering. He straightens his posture, shaking his head to clear it. Embarrassing...
So maybe demonstrating power usage after all that was a bit of overcompensation. At least it just caused some pain in the back of his head, and not more dizziness. Success?
Inhale...exhale...yeah, he's fine. Most of the damage happened in a dream anyway, he's fine.
"Geo, huh?" His beacon supplies meanings like rock, ground, terra. "Interesting. Is the god of Geo also made up of a bunch of rocks like Qlipoth? And huh...the Preservation has less to do with rock and more...well. Preserving. The International Peace Corporation sprung up around Qlipoth building some sort of wall in the stars. IPC decided they wanted to help and thus made a universal market for trade of supplies and resources. Not...sure if Qlipoth really cares, but...well there's commerce now, which has been preserved for several Amber Eras. See it's more abstract," Aventurine huffs in amusement. The concept of a rock protecting something was...much simpler to understand than full blown capitalism. Ah well.
"It can be! It's just...different depending on how someone takes the blessing I guess. And it is less direct when the emanator hands down some power in cornerstones and the like." Childe showed his vision, Aventurine figures this is probably fine. He pulls out a piece of the cornerstone. "And then I broke mine. So I guess I have a pretty...faulty and indirect connection now." And he senses no connection to Qlipoth here at all which is...alarming in its own right. Far from home indeed...
And providing for family, huh? His expression softens. "Makes sense. And little ones? You got siblings, I'm guessing?" he asks, smiling, trying to ignore the ache in his own chest.
"Oh okay, not an underwater court, that's a bit easier to envision. And I'm," he clears his throat to cover a small wince at the flooding comment, "glad to hear it's all above water still. Sounds like a great place to visit, er, outside of the prison thing." His eyebrow raises about the fight thing. "The judge? Is he...powerful? Is that something you're counting on?" ...seriously, is this guy okay???
And then- a genuine smile and offer. Aventurine blinks, clearly surprised. He'd gotten so caught up in exchanging stories and information he'd forgotten to think about what Childe might want in return. Thing is, thinking over it now he's. Not sure. He doesn't know what the guy could possibly want from all of this, except maybe a nice deal with the IPC, but he doesn't even really know what that is.
He'll...think that over later, without the growing headache pressing behind his eyes. For now...it is a kind offer. Aventurine finds himself smiling without having to construct it first. "Thank you. That's very kind of you, I'll be sure to take you up on it." Getting a good word put in with any authority couldn't hurt. "And hey, the IPC covers a large amount of area. If you somehow find yourself out in the cosmos or something, call on me. I'll do what I can to help with whatever you need, okay?" Aventurine says, handing the other man one of his business cards...which looks like a playing card at first glance, but with his contact information on it.
Will Aventurine still...be with the IPC when he gets back? ...If he gets back? Does Childe even have a phone? ....Does he know what a phone is. Oh well. It's. It's something.