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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.
wildcard - later on somewhere in the actual finished spaces. lounge or cafeteria maybe
The ship tilts again - not enough to make the furniture slide in the opposite direction, but enough that Neuvillette summons his cane for balance in a brief sparkle of blue light, bracing himself against the floor, and doesn't try to move for a moment. It's not until the ship has righted itself that he approaches the new arrival (keeping his cane in hand, just in case).
... Hmm. The look is vaguely reminiscent of Remuria, not that that is indicative of anything.
"Hello," he greets. "I presume you are another new arrival - as far as such things can be considered after only two weeks. My name is Neuvillette. Has someone yet given you a summary of the situation?" It can't be assumed that the man didn't manage to find his way here under his own power, after all - it's fairly obvious if you manage to get to the top deck or to the rear elevator.
finally he gets to wear his silly little bust
Veritas is sitting on one of the lounging couches as the ship tips, legs crossed and hand at his chin in deep thought. The only indication he gives in acknowledgement of this happening is the way he balances himself in response to the vessel as he remains seated. The Remuria allegations are not assuaged as when Neuvillette finds the quiet man, Veritas is donning his alabaster bust headgear having found a safe place to soothe his nerves from the aggravating environment he just escaped from, somewhat isolating his senses from the outside world but not entirely blind and deaf to it.
His expression was obscured under the smooth stone mask, but he lifts his chin and slowly turns to the person that greeted him. The sound isn't muffled or unclear by any means, just subdued, allowing him to filter out the other noises and sensory information to focus his attention on this new face he can see with his narrowed field of vision.
"Indeed, I am a new arrival." He frankly admits, a sigh trailing after his words signaling the mental fatigue he's experiencing. His demeanor does seem to grow more intrigued when he hears two weeks leave Neuvillette's mouth. He uncrosses his legs and turns his body to face the man from his seated position. He gestures to the empty seat next to him as an invitation for the well dressed man to sit.
"Two weeks? Is that how long you have been here?" He questions. "I'm Veritas Ratio," he swiftly greets unable to hide the curiosity brimming in his voice, "admittedly, I am lacking in information on the current circumstances here other than we are on a ship vessel and that there are... plant life that seem to be more trouble than what you'd typically expect from ordinary cases."
autism to autism comminucation imminent
He's not one to pry, however.
"The plants certainly are troublesome," Neuvillette agrees easily. "Two weeks is the longest any of us have been here - our first group arrived in a truly raging storm, though the weather has been more cooperative since. Before us, no one had been on board the ship for over three centuries."
"It's a pleasure," he says, inclining his head - sitting down roughly parallel is not particularly conducive to shaking hands. "Neuvillette, Chief Justice of Fontaine. I'll provide what information I can, though unfortunately it remains quite sparse."
i promise ratio doesn't think neuv is an idiot i only have so many bust icons
Veritas ponders the name and title. A judicial position, an impressive occupation certainly. While station doesn't really matter in a broken down ship like this, Veritas can at least assume that a man of his status can be deemed a virtuous individual. At least one with considerable ethos at first glance.
Only two weeks? How.... recent of a phenomenon this is. This vessel had existed centuries before then, so what could have possibly caused this sudden bout of kidnapping cases? He absorbs all the information like a sponge to water and quickly incorporating it into his thoughts to ponder over. The ship's circumstances is truly intriguing, but he imagined it would quickly go nowhere fast since no one can really speak for a ship's previous passengers from over three centuries ago.
"My condolences for however long within that two week period you or the others may have spent here, Mister Neuvillette." It's more than enough time with extra to spare to raise eyebrows and heckles for a missing person's report after all.
"I've been told bits and pieces admittedly. Not enough to get a clear picture. Given how rudimentary everything looks in comparison to what I typically work with, it comes with its own set of... peculiarities. One being the ship has its own form of sentience, AI is it?" He ponders what possible programming could this vessel being operating on for hundreds of years. If he's honest, he wants to crack open some kind of terminal and get of peak of whatever is going on there. "Just how much of its directive and functionality has been retained over all these years? And what is its purpose?" He mutters, mostly to himself but questions openly.
no subject
Though really a missing person's report is the least of his worries. It's the least of Fontaine's potential reactions, after all.
"If that is the term," Neuvillette says. "I'm afraid it's rather more advanced than anything we have on Teyvat, at least anything within my knowledge - and Fontaine is among the most advanced nations of our world. The mechanical structure of the ship is mostly within our capabilities, but its intelligence and some of the other matters are not."
Too bad, if Ratio was hoping for someone who could give him a complex report on the matter - Neuvillette isn't afraid to admit his ignorance, at least.
"Though as for directive, it has admitted that there is no final destination - rather, the final orders of 'the captain' were to continue onwards until that was no longer possible." Apparently, that time has not yet come, as the ship continues to move at that very moment.
no subject
So it’s like that, now is it? A mysterious directive from an absent captain so to speak with an objective that seemingly has no end, and a steady stream of spirited away people filling up its facilities. With two weeks spent in this place, he supposes not much could be discussed in regards towards the more esoteric mysteries of this vessel… Not yet at least… He shouldn’t badger the mild mannered man on something they’re all still trying to learn the same thing.
He caught the words earlier, but it didn’t quite click for him to question it until now. "Fontaine… And Teyvat… I don’t think I’ve heard of either of those star systems, planets, or station." Perhaps due to isolation from the greater interastral world above similar to what happen on Jarilo-VI. Veritas is a proud proprietor of knowledge yes, but similar to the man in front of him, he is not above admitting that there are gaps in his knowledge. After all, why would he ever deny himself the enticing prospect of learning something new?
“Do enlighten me, what is your homeworld like?” Frankly, he has grown tired of the constant fervor for intelligence gathering for the sake of survival and security. Now that he has found a brief moment of recess, he has the space to talk to people rather than probe them. … However well that might go with his propensity for mentally stimulating conversations.
no subject
And he's reasonably learned in astrology, even! His knowledge of stars, by Teyvat's standards, is above average!
But - although Ratio hasn't realized it yet, perhaps - Neuvillette is also a chronic rambler and he jumps into the question full-throttle. "Teyvat is a world divided into seven nations, each ruled by one of seven gods - theoretically, anyway. In practice only around half of them actively participate in the running of their nations, and Fontaine's god recently destroyed her Throne and abdicated her position." He has gotten to the point where he can almost deliver those words without a hitch that might indicate that those two 'hers' are not one in the same. "Each of those gods is associated with one of seven elemental powers, and fragments of their power can be granted to worthy mortals in the form of gems called 'Visions.' You may see a few of them around - a friend of mine here, Wriothesley, is in possession of a Cryo Vision, and there was a hat-wearing scholar from Sumeru who wielded the power of Anemo, though I have not seen him in a few days."
i'm suing ratio for emotional damages making me type this
'Different dimensions', that was... certainly a thought that strangely hadn’t occur to him before this conversation. His mind races before he could get a handle of it which made it a challenge to listen to the man start explaining the fascinating cosmology — would it still be called that if that man had admitted that he didn’t understand the concept of a star system? He would still explain it regardless — of Teyvat in rapt detail.
Veritas wonders if he’s ever run into a fellow from the same world as Neuvillette here. He also wonders just how many he had mistaken being from a far off distant resident of the infinitely vast cosmos he called home when they’re a whole new universe to discover and learn about? Just as his mind races with thoughts and quandaries, so does his heart quickens at the prospect of knowledge and exploration.
"Aeons, gods, can abdicate their divinity in your world?" He says in astonishment. "In our universe," he tests the word on his tongue, finding the application of it in the context of a separation and complete spatial remoteness almost clumsy when he says it, "aeons, the closest thing we have to divinity — really they can be simplified to highly condensed conceptual constructs from a higher plane of dimension that exert their philosophies onto the physical plane we reside in — are… not nearly the governing powers you describe in your world. Nor do they vacate their position. Not without some form of assimilating, conquest, entrapment, or... some significant effects on the greater astral spaces..." He’s also rambling here mid-question even. He’s glossing over his explanations and is more than happy to answer any clarifications, but he was in the middle of a question.
His face is still obscured under the bust, but ramrod straight posture and poised, undivided attention signals his interest and also gravity in the question he intends to pose to the man, no matter what toes he may step on in asking for speculation and reason into the thoughts of divinity.
"As you put it, did the destruction of the Throne and her," another strange adjustment to make after THEY’s and THEIR’s, "relinquishment not have severe consequences to Teyvat or Fontaine? Or at the very least, consequences to her?" He inquires finally.
welt somewhere in the distance sneezing furiously
"Although each god has a specific affinity, it would be a stretch to refer to them as philosophies," he says. "Those aspects of the gods tend to more inform the culture of the nations they rule over, such as Mondstadt's avowed devotion to freedom and our own Fontainian preoccupation with justice."
He could tangent off into a discussion of Vision elements and their affinity for particular personality traits, but the last question Ratio asks brings him up short. The smile he gives the man is slightly strained, more evident in his voice than in his expression, though it only lasts a moment and would take paying careful attention to notice.
"For various reasons, I am not at liberty to speak on the matter of what became of Focalors after the destruction of the Throne of Hydro," he says. "There are multiple individuals from Teyvat here, and as a collective, we are not all from the same point in time. Lady Furina would not thank me for revealing anything of her plans when, from her perspective, they have yet to come to fruition. Please accept my apologies."
He pauses a moment, and then adds, "The gods of the Seven frequently have many names. 'Focalors' is the divine name of the current Hydro Archon, but 'Furina' is the personal name used when interacting with her as a human, and what you should use should you encounter her on board. Each nation does such things slightly differently in that regard - Barbatos of Mondstadt is almost exclusively referred to by divine name among his people, but calling the Geo Archon 'Morax' in Liyue can give minor or even great offense depending on the piety of one's interlocutor."
gesundheit welt and furina too
He almost misses the vocal shift. But Veritas knew that when asking a question where gods, faith, and such were faced with inquiries and skepticism that he should be careful to tread thoughtfully if he cannot do so lightly. He does not comment on it though.
He hums at the eloquent nonanswer Neuvillette gives him. He can respect the man for firmly standing his grounds especially in such a dignified manner. But more importantly, he illuminated a fascinating aspect of their spiriting away: that not only were they plucked out by dimensions and space but by time as well.
"So what I’m hearing is that you’re from the aftermath of such a," his mind thinks to call it a gambit, but he knows better than to use such language now — besides he’s not willing to acknowledge just yet that being around that gambler has affected his vernacular to this extent, "phenomenon while Focalors or Lady Furina, has yet to see the results of it, am I correct?" If he could confirm such a gap in time between two people sharing the same universe could occur, then that would be something for him to note when analyzing this vessel’s interesting space-time environment.
"How intriguing. So your gods are not unlike the Aeon of Trailblazing, Akivili, able to enjoy similar freedoms to mortals despite Aeons in our world being restricted to their Primum Mobile which is essentially the path or philosophy they are tied to. Akivili is said to be closest to mankind for that reason. I’m assuming the gods of Teyvat without the inability to act against their Paths have similar tendencies…" He responds to Neuvillette’s intriguing and comprehensive answers with one of his own, mind wandering to his time on the Astral Express and their warp technology.
As for relationship between Divine names, personal names, and worship through its usage or lack of it — "If that is the custom, then Lady Furina it is should I run into her." He tilts his head up, making a curious face Neuvillette can’t see under the alabaster bust. "Though I doubt such a venerable being would need my set of expertise anytime soon." Such a turn of phrase would suggest insecurity, but Veritas’s demeanor remains poised and distinguished.
no subject
If pressed, he can blame the curse upon her, as he did with the scholar, but since this man seems inclined to respect a no when he hears it, hopefully that won't be required of him this time.
"There are multiple Archons - Barbatos of Mondstadt and Morax of Liyue, the latter more commonly called Rex Lapis - who in fact live incognito among their people. Physically, it is next to impossible to tell a god from a human, unless you have the ability to sense the superlative amount of elemental power within their bodies." Which is an ability granted to Neuvillette himself and few others. The other dragons, almost certainly, though it would be difficult to get one of them in a circumstance where the ability mattered.
"There are still certain restrictions upon their actions - as the God of Contracts, Rex Lapis cannot break his exchanges once given, for example. And there are certain laws from the heavens that even the gods cannot violate without punishment. The two may be related - the entity known as the Heavenly Principles is enigmatic even to the gods it enthrones." And, perhaps, feared by them. "But in comparison to what you describe, it sounds as though they are much closer to human beings - certainly they are not all-knowing or all-powerful."
no subject
He has never been more grateful to another passenger on this ship before now. While the ship was a dead end seeing as how the passengers are just as in the dark about the mysterious forces upon this vessel, he still learned useful information about the space-time anomaly operating on the area. He can expect more anomalies of a similar degree most likely between its passengers and the spaces they inhabit.
"That is a matter that should only be discussed between her and whoever holds her confidence then. Not unlike the relationship between a doctor and their patient." He replies, deigning to respect the nondisclosure position the chief justice has taken. Neuvillette had his answer and shared it. It was not Veritas’s place to change that answer.
"Indeed, aeons are more like natural phenomenons than they are people much less governors of their dominion. To enjoy the freedoms and infallibility as mankind does… I can hardly imagine what that might look like. In all honesty." His heart weighs heavily in his chest. "To stride in their path is to be left behind in the dark, unable to even trace their footsteps. It is a rite of passage all must make in their lives alone." His zealous energy sobers slightly as he finds himself thinking how cruel it is to have high expectations of an aeon, a higher being, only to realize they’ll go unmet because they hold no love for material beings. And having no one to blame but yourself for having such unrealistic expectations.
"So to imagine such beings walking alongside people like Akivili did incognito before THEY disappeared is an unfamiliar thought I must admit."
He turns his head, still adorning his alabaster mask. Ah, so he was still wearing it. With how riveting the conversation had been, he nearly forgot until the crick in his neck protested his movement. He rolls the information given in his mind and his neck in response.
"You mentioned there were seven archons each with elemental focus and an aspect: Focalors, Lady Furina, having hydro and justice hailing from Fontaine, Barbatos tying anemo and freedom together hailing from Mondstadt, and Morax or rather Rex Lapis entailing geo and contracts from Liyue." He tests the names on his tongue, sounding out the new words to him before filing them away in his mind. "What are the rest like? Their element and their associations?"
He can almost guess the elements from the root words used to describe them alone — hydro- the universal solvent water comes to mind so perhaps hydromancy or fluid dynamics, cryo- suggesting ice elemental manipulation like cryogenics and cryotherapy, likewise anemo suggesting air and geo suggesting earth and mineralogy — but who knows if those words meant the same between universes?
Who knows if his Synesthesia Beacon was even working now?
That last question is dashed just as quickly as it came. At the moment, they are communicating just fine, so the beacon’s presence or absence is not entirely necessary for now. But it is an inquiry to look into eventually. What a curious situation to find himself in.