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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
Entry tags:
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.
Re: Arrival/Tilt-A-Whirl
He wasn’t expecting a ship near a mountaintop.... and he wasn’t expecting a man floating on a sword coming over at a surprising speed towards him. Kaeya has to scramble to try to get up, but a tilt of this infuriating boat sends him back down.
And then he looks up, the man reaching out his hand. He looks up in surprise, trying to figure out what exactly is happening.
Is he.... a witch? Do witches now use swords to float around on instead of brooms? (The Hexenzirkel tend to be a interesting bunch....) A vision user?
Kaeya isn’t quite sure which is the more truer statement. He finds himself oddly unable to speak. For a moment he has to admit that he must look stupid just gawking for a moment. Kaeya coughs before replying, “If you don’t mind...”
He’s at least... friendly?
“And if I may ask, who might you be?”
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Friendly he can... sort of manage! It's not his fault he has such inherently sleazy vibes! "My name is Shang..." Fuck. Which one. Fuck it, he's trying to be himself, this guy seems reasonably friendly. "...Beida. Did you just get here?"
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Kaeya's eye flick to the sword to the man in front of him once or twice (maybe three times). "It's already been a rather noteworthy time, I think I will pass for now.... Until the ship starts tilting," Kaeya reasons. He feels the ship start to rock and he mentally has to stop himself from grimacing, a strained smile played on his lips for but a moment.
"N-nice to meet you, Shang Beida." He notes it sounds fairly Liyuean. He doesnt recognize it though. "I... what?" He lets out a short laugh and says, "Pardon me but... What do exactly do you mean by that?" He didn't exactly remember boarding the ship.
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"...I'm probably gonna take that as a yes? People have been getting randomly grabbed from different worlds and waking up here on the Ship. Nobody knows why. Including the Ship itself, or at least it says it doesn't know. I take it you just found yourself here? Once it levels out for a bit I can show you to the more, uh, habitable areas. Where are you from? ...And what's your name?"
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Kaeya lets out a chuckle for a minute, “Excuse me, well.... that’s....” He has to take a pause to properly speak. That was quite informative but.... there is a bit of a double edged sword to that (not including the sword floating there in front of him), which happens to be the fact the boat itself.
Kaeya shakes his head, “Did you just say the boat itself? Knowing something? That’s... a rather novel concept.”
He can’t help but agree that once the boat levels out, he would very much like to do to a more habitable location, even just for the concept of talking about what exactly is going on. “I think a place like that sounds wonderful actually. Oh, right, my name is Kaeya. My apologies for lack of manners.”
He isn’t exactly sure where he is, thus wondering exactly what to even say. He takes a deep breath and at least states the simpliest, non complicated answer he can muster, “I’m from Mondstadt...”
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“Ah, yeah, the ship is run by a… mechanical artificial intelligence? It told us some things after the first group of us arrived.” Not as many things as he might like.
“It’s fine, I’m sure you’re rather uh, off balance from the circumstances. In every sense.”
Hm. Mondstadt doesn’t sound familiar. “Is that a country or a world? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”
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He has to shake those thoughts out. No time to focus on silly overthinking.
The boat's intelligence is at the very least concerning. "What sort of things?" Kaeya asks, turning his head a little to glance back at the flying swordsmen.
The boat seems to rock harshly, nearly sending Kaeya to the ground if not for the man. "Ugh, is this what they say about getting your 'sea legs'?"
Kaeya takes a deep breath, not sure exactly how much to talk about himself. However, information about what the boat knows, its best to keep some of the information going. "It's a country...of Teyvat. Actually...Where exactly are you from might I ask?"
He hopes he's not making a mistake.
no subject
Shang Beida tightens his grip when the boat rocks harshly, keeping Kaeya from falling. At least he's being useful somehow.
Wait, another one? "Teyvat? Again? Whoever the hell is bringing us here really likes you people. That's, what..." He pauses, visibly counting in his head. Wet Justice, Scary Ouji Lawyer, Ice Cop, Childe, the guy with the hat. And Kaeya. "Like fucking six of you? There's no one else from my world here, what the hell is up with Teyvat?"
"I'm from, uh... you know I don't think the country or world actually has a name." Because he did not bother to give it one. Thanks, Airplane. "Cang Qiong Shan Sect most recently, and before that China on Earth."
Info is power after all...
Kaeya mumbles a small 'thanks' as the boat seems to tilt further. It was quite annoying, his expression focused. "Is it always like this?" he asks.
“Six?” Kaeya repeated, eyes wide. It was one thing that he came here alone, but to hear that there were others. “Did they give any more information about themselves? Where they were from?” There’s a bit of shock in his voice, perhaps even some nervousness. He couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else from Mondstadt had appeared here as well.
He nods a little bit about the world he is from. There may be nothing to attach to it, but it is at least something in the form of exchange of information.
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"They, uh. Three of them are from Fontaine. Iudex Neuvillette, Lady Furina, and Duke Wriothesley." Fucking leather fetish Ice Duke. Why is everyone from Fontaine scary. "I don't think I ever heard where the guy with the hat or Childe were from, I haven't really talked to those two I've mostly just... watched them get in fights in the cafeteria..."
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Kaeya sighs, "I see.... well... I can tell you that they aren't exactly where I'm from." He's not sure whether to feel about that. A sense of twisted relief at the very least, that out of everyone he was sent here. The idea of loyalty plays with his mind briefly, at least being here means that if anything were to happen in Mondstadt, he wouldn't exactly have to make a dreaded choice.
The negative had to be the fact that he was alone. No allies, just the few items he always kept on him.
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"If your luck is like theirs, maybe more people from, what was it, Mondstadt? will show up. Duke Wriothesley didn't turn up until just recently, but Iudex Neuvillette and Lady Furina have been here since the storm." Fontaine real popular with whatever the fuck is taking them.
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Kaeya grimaces at that prospect, "Perhaps. However, the idea they are targeting Teyvat more is much more concerning." A lie, its more the factor of wondering what would happen with Mondstadt if that were the case. Though the benefit would be being in the company of people he actually knows and trusts much more than anyone else on the ship. It's a strange and complicated feeling.
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"Yeah I uh. I have no idea why it likes you people, but there are a lot of you. Like, comparatively. There's no one else from either of my worlds, though Casper's is mostly similar to my original world."
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"Well let's just hope we don't get everyone from where I am from on this boat." Kaeya asked. "Casper. Who exactly is that?"
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That-- oh. Shang Beida blushes a little, against his will. "Casper is, um. One of the others of us who woke up here during the storm. He's-- nice." He might squeak a little bit on the word 'nice'. Um. What is relevant to tell someone random about Casper. "He's from Earth, or an Earth, anyway. He's got ice powers." Should he say the demigod part? Casper tells everyone, there's no reason not to. "He's a demigod."
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Kaeya tilts his head and looks at Shang and grins. "Ohhhh? You seem a little flustered, is something going on? I would love to hear all the details, if you wish to share them of course.~"
He does stop for a minute to blink, though quickly reminds himself to keep walking so he doesn't pull Shang back with him. "Interesting.... A demi-god.... What exactly is that? I'm wondering if we have something similar..."
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Goddamnit he's probably blushing more now that attention has been called to it. But, well. It's not a secret. "Casper is, um. My. Boyfriend?" His voice goes up into an awkward squeak again.
"A demigod is, um. His mother was a goddess, but not his father. So he's sort of... half a god?" Casper told Ice Duke more than that, so that's presumably also safe to say.
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He nods a little bit at the situation, trying to focus on exactly the terms and what they could mean. "Ah yes, I am quite familiar on how politics can be," Kaeya muses. "It can be quite the tricky little thing, but it can be quite interesting too... Like a game of chess."
Kaeya laughs, easing up at the man's antics. He shrugs and says, "Well congrats, you found something quite nice in a bad situation as being stuck here, a silver lining, as they would say.~"
Kaeya wonders if the AI is listening, as the boat nearly sends him to the floor again with another bump. "...This really is a terrible day to arrive here, of all times..." he grumbles.
Kaeya tilts his head, "Interesting.... I've heard of beings where I am from that live longer and have abilities beyond a normal person but not quite an archon.... That's probably the most similar, isn't it?"
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"I um. Certainly did?" He squeaks again. He has absolutely no idea how to talk about his boyfriend because he has never had a boyfriend before to talk about. "Casper is great?"
Shang Beida winces and steadies the guy again. "Yeah, it's not great... could be worse, though, at least the Ship is awake and there's food. Like, I could go the days of the storm without eating fine because I can practice inedia, but I have no idea if you have any kind of, like, ability to uh. Not eat for a while."
"Probably?" Should he disclose something about himself too? Since he's saying things about Casper? Kaeya isn't saying anything about his own powers, if any, though. Well, at least one of them can have some secrets, and not blurt out their life story to terrifying men with handcuffs. He can offer reciprocity if this guy shares anything, but he... maybe doesn't want to just offer himself up to be used by all comers?
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Kaeya winces at the idea of the Endless Abyss... thinking back to Dain's words. He mumbles, "Though I can see some idea of how your human and demon realm are.... there are some strange... let's say anomalies where I am from. But not nearly as deadly."
Kaeya nods and smiles. "Indedia?" he asks. "Is that a kind of fruit?" He smiles, indicating it is some attempt at a joke.
Kaeya nods. "I assume so... It's interesting that there are beings like that in the world.... not gods... but not mortal either." Kaeya is keeping to himself a little bit, but talking about home has at least been nice at the very least. The comparisons also are quite interesting between these other worlds.
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"The Abyss is... very inhospitable. The only thing that lives there is fucked up monsters, mostly."
Oh, right. "Ah, no, inedia is the practice of cultivating spiritual energy such that you don't need to eat. I usually don't bother, because I like eating, but I can if I need to, and I did during the storm."
"There's sort of a... sliding scale, between god and mortal, where I'm from." Which he is not currently clarifying his place on. "And people can climb it, with enough work." And luck. And money. And inborn talent.
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Kaeya adds, "Well reminds me of one particularly chilly place at home, but I'm afraid that's it." His grip noticeably tightens at the word 'abyss' for just a moment. The Abyss Order... Out of all the people, and terms, this guy has to talk about the Abyss.... How lucky of him.
Kaeya is never lucky.
"Convenient," Kaeya chimes, "I'm afraid we don't have anything like that in Teyvat to my knowledge... for either aspect. One can't just become a god on a whim. Perhaps it's for the best." Kaeya isn't sure. What would happen if people could just become archons?
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Shang Beida very much notices the tension at the word Abyss, and takes that as a great reason to not talk about it. Which, great! He loves not talking about the Abyss! He doesn't feel guilty about Binghe getting thrown into it at all!
"Ah, well, the gods don't really... interfere with mortals much?" Or like, really at all? Mostly because his readers wouldn't've appreciated him introducing anything that could kick Bing-ge's ass? "Once someone ascends, they mostly just... concern themselves with the Heavenly Courts alone. Which sounds boring as hell, honestly, I'd rather not."
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Kaeya nods, "Well...It depends on the nation when it comes to Teyvat, some are more further removed than others... It depends quite a bit. But the Heavenly Courts remind me of Fontaine...."
He blinks before feeling the entire ship actually shift and not stop. He finds his footing slipping more and more, careful to keep some traction at such an angle. That is before a bump and a root finally sends him slipping completely. He mutters a small curse as he falls, gripping onto Shang Beida's hand more tightly.
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