Test Drive 01

[pluviosamods]

TEST DRIVE

Hello, and welcome to the first Pluviosa Test Drive!

Rather than a series of prompts that are set after arrival to the game, this Test Drive is instead more of a soft open for the game. That is to say, not only are Test Drive threads game canon, but the Test Drive should be regarded as the "start" of the game chronologically and contains arrival-related events and information.

Or lack of information, as the case in fact is, because there is no greeting party waiting to reassure characters that everything is fine back in their worlds and that they'll get to go home again. (On the flip side, there's no one telling them that their worlds have been destroyed, either.) There is only the ship, the things inside it, the raging storm outside, and what characters can figure out for themselves.

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.

ARRIVAL

(cw: minor blood, visions, storm weather)

The first thing you become aware of is the sound of dripping. Your mind is fogged, as though woken from the wrong part of your sleep cycle. In your daze, you're convinced that the sound of dripping is blood. Yours? Someone else's? You can't be sure. It's dripping from somewhere. It's your fault, whichever it is.

Good. One way or another, you'll be free of this nightmare -

And then, in response to the sound of a crack of thunder outside, clarity returns.

Characters come around as though disturbed from a deep sleep. Once they have shaken off the (vision? impression?) of blood, they will find that the dripping sound, at least, was real. Fortunately, it's only water - rainwater, more than likely, judging from the occasional booms of thunder and flashes of lightning overhead. One hell of a storm, quite possibly the worst characters have ever experienced, is raging outside.

Outside where? Well, outside the ship, of course.

As a general rule, characters wake up in a random room of the first level of the ship below the main decks. Theoretically, this should be a relatively safe, dry place - but with the age of the ship, its state of disrepair, and the number of plants above that have dug their roots into the deck above, leaks are plentiful. Thus, the sound of dripping water is a constant even in enclosed areas - and, of course, the outside of the ship is being pounded by rain in shimmering sheets, adding to the cacophony of noise accented by the thunder.

Even the protective bubble over the deck itself and the balconies of the rooms is having trouble working to keep the rain out - the rain isn't terrifying hurricane levels, but it is steady and water floods steadily down the stairs and over the edges of the gap down the center of the ship. The worst of the wind, too, has been kept out, but occasional gusts send ripples through the rain.

There is no power inside the ship right now and barely any light besides the flash of lightning - although characters may arrive while it is nominally day, the clouds stretching from horizon to horizon have blocked out the sun almost completely. The motion of the ship is also far worse than usual due to the storm winds - it's easy to believe that you are in fact at sea, unless you manage to get close enough to the exterior windows or balconies to be able to see the ship's legs in motion through the cascade of water that runs down the exterior.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

(cw: hallucinations, thinking things that are real are hallucinations)

In the dark, you have to rely on your other senses - hearing, sound, smell. Smell is giving you the best information to start out with - rain, of course, but also mildew, plants, and old metal. (Is that a whiff of blood at the bottom? No, it's because of that bad dream you had messing with your head.)

No one comes to greet you. No one comes to find you. Instinctively, you know - no one is coming. You'll have to save yourself.

Characters will be fully convinced that they are alone until they actually run into another character. Even things that seem like they should be indicative of another person's presence, such as hearing voices or seeing someone shine a light down a hallway - your character will be convinced that that is just a hallucination until they can definitely lay eyes on another person, hear their voice clearly (ie: not half-drowned-out by the rain) or otherwise be certain of their presence.

That isn't to say that hallucinations aren't occurring. All characters, but especially those who are alone, will periodically hear murmuring voices, smell blood, smoke, and other scents reminiscent of destruction, and see what appear to be the flashes of flashlights, flickering lightbulbs, and the shadows of people walking around. These hallucinations fade in and out in intensity, but they always clear up for at least a little while when a character notices the sound of thunder. Given that the thunder is very frequent during the storm (every few minutes), most hallucinations won't last for long.

For most characters, the voices will be unintelligible murmurs. However, if your character has experienced an event of mass destruction at some point in their life (apocalypse or near-apocalypse, destruction of a city, volcano eruption, being the only survivor of a town that was slaughtered, etc), or has a connection to the dead, they will be able to pick out that the voices of the hallucinations are talking about either attempting to rescue people from something similar (eg: a distant voice shouting "there's someone still alive over here!") or, alternately, talking about how everything is lost, everyone is doomed now, etc. They may hear one type of voice or both at different times, at player discretion.

TO RUN ITS COURSE

(cw: dead loved ones, hallucinations/delusions, violence, potential death. THIS PROMPT CONTAINS PVP OPTIONS.)

You're not supposed to be alone. There was someone with you, only a few hours or years or minutes or lifetimes ago. You weren't always alone, and you have to find them.

You'll find them. You do. But not in any kind of condition to keep you company. This lump of flesh is empty now. The plants are already growing over it, reclaiming it. There's blood in the soil, and there's the sound of someone else coming up behind you.

Someone is coming. You'll have to save yourself.

There are various heaps of organic debris that characters can stumble across when wandering around in the dark - piled up leaves, rotted plants, heaps of ferns, moss, and so on. Even solid wood, sometimes - the trunks of small, twisted trees that took root where they might and have grown out from balconies to the exterior or inwards down the jungled crevasse between the two halves of the ship. In the low light, it's easy to literally stumble across them, or mistake them for something else in the brief light of a flash of lightning.

It's the mistaking them for something else that could be a problem. Characters may find themselves absolutely convinced that these heaps of leaves are the body of a loved one - especially if they were wandering around looking for someone in particular. They may or may not accurately perceive leaf cover on the outside of the "body," but unless they dig their hands in enough to be sure of the heap's contents - but who would want to go digging their hands into the body of someone they love? - or they see the shape in clear lighting (which would have to be provided by another character), it will be near impossible to convince them that the pile is just that, and not a corpse.

But that's not the really dangerous part. The dangerous part of all this is that if someone unexpected approaches while the character is in the same room as the 'body,' they may become convinced that the new arrival is responsible for their loved one's death. It doesn't matter how illogical it is on the surface - fear, or rage, or whatever it is that might fuel them will turn on the stranger. And whatever it is that convinces them of this has also turned their fight-or-flight reflex solidly to fight, whether it's for revenge or the last chance at survival for a cornered rat.

Characters so affected will fight until one of the following occurs: If they are led out of sight of the 'body,' they return to their senses (given that they may be inclined to chase the 'perpetrator,' this may be the best non-violent way to resolve the issue). If they are convinced that the 'body' is fake (through physical contact or clear lighting as above), they also return to their senses. And finally, if they kill the 'perpetrator' or are themselves killed or knocked unconscious, the effect ends. In all of these cases, it ends with the sharpness of a rubber band snapped against the skin, and the character is fully aware of their altered mental state and what occurred as a result.

If your character dies as a result of this prompt (and you want that thread to be game canon), please give the mods a heads-up if/when you are accepted into the game. Although this will not count as an 'official' death and will not consume a character's "freebie" revival, there may still be consequences for your character's death.

CONTENTS WORMING

(cw: worms. many worms. not parasitic. just worms.)

It's easy to take a wrong step in the dark. Of course, tripping and falling isn't the worst thing that can happen.

This isn't the worst thing that could happen, either. That doesn't make it any better in the moment - the split-second when the ground erupts and a writhing mass of something slimy doesn't so much crawl out as jump out - but maybe it will make it better later.

You know how worms come writhing up out of the ground during a rainstorm, when the soil is absolutely saturated?

Well, that's true of the soil on the ship as well, except the worms here aren't just common earthworms anymore. They've learned to climb, the slime that they use to wriggle through the soil modified such that they can cause it to turn sticky and squelch their way up walls, ceilings - and anyone they happen to come across. If you step in the wrong place, an entire cluster of them will respond, by clinging to your clothes and body, squirming upwards in a desperate bid to escape the wet soil and the continuous rivulets of water caused by the storm.

Or perhaps you sat down to rest somewhere and felt them creeping - or didn't, until there was suddenly something wet and cold on your bare skin. Or maybe you encountered the worms not through their climbing, but afterwards, when they drop off the ceiling and fall down on your head as the enzyme that renders their slime sticky wears out. However it happens... worms.

Fortunately, they're harmless - aside from being a bit larger than the earthworms a character is likely to be familiar with, and their strange ability to become sticky, these are largely indistinguishable from normal earthworms. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell that in the dark and the wet - this is their native environment, not yours, and anyone would panic at the sensation of worms trying to crawl up them or into dry places in their clothes.

There is an easy solution to this: Because the worms are fleeing the rain in the soil, they won't climb up anything that's just as wet as the dirt they left behind. All a character has to do to become worm-free is get thoroughly soaked, such as by stepping out into the reduced-but-still-pouring rain on a balcony or deck protected by the ship's bubbles. Unfortunately.... Well, then they're wet. And there doesn't seem to be anywhere to dry off any time soon...

FAQ

For information on the general shape and state of the ship, please see the setting page. Please note that mods will not be running investigations during the test drive period.

Q: Do our characters still have their powers/items?

Generally speaking, yes. Characters have their powers intact (with certain exceptions, largely for potential-gamebreak reasons) and whatever items they were carrying at their canonpoints. Please see the FAQ for more details.

Q: My character is dead and/or dying at their canonpoint!

Well... Now they aren't. Specifically, dead characters come back as their most recent 'healthy' state of being (unless they're a type of character that is playable while dead, such as a vampire or a Bleach shinigami, in which case they continue as normal for them); they also arrive already soaked through by the rain, regardless of the location they wake up. Characters who are mortally injured find that their wounds have healed; in place of whatever blood was soaking through their clothes/dripping from their bodies/in their mouth from a Cough of Death, they instead find pure water.

Q: Can my character(s) explore the ship?

Your characters are welcome to explore as much as they're willing and capable of doing in the wet and the rain! However, getting between floors is a challenge in the current weather - with the power off, the elevators do not work, and the stairs are consistently flooded by a cascade of rainwater. However, mods will not be running any official, guided explorations until after game opening.

Q: Is there anywhere dry to rest?

Nowhere is completely dry, but the aft portion of the ship is significantly drier than the middle and fore. The reason for this is that there is a series of partial decks (the residential decks) over roughly the last third of the ship. The rain is fully blocked by the roof overhead, in theory, but in practice the wind and the flooding leave this space only sort of dry. It's possible to find your way here on your own and find some place to sleep that doesn't blow mold spores into your face when you sit down, but it's also darker here, since the lightning's light is also blocked out by the roof.

Q: BATHROOMS?

Unfortunately, the lack of water in the pipes means that the toilets (which can be found relatively intact in most suites, though many are full of standing water) are also not running. Characters get to deal with this issue as they see fit, whether that's using the dilapidated toilets or using a more fertilizer-like strategy.

Q: Is there anything from the game's main info pages that doesn't apply to this Test Drive?

Given that the power is currently off, the Ship (as in the entity) cannot be interacted with on the Test Drive (and characters have no reason to think it's there). Anything else that would require power, such as the elevators or water from the faucets, also does not work.

Q: How long does the storm last?

ICly, it begins to lighten up on the evening of the second day after the first characters wake up, though it is still raining steadily with occasional thunder throughout that night. (Characters will continue to trickle in throughout the duration of the storm, though most arrive before the end of the first day.) The characters will be able to see the sun starting on the third morning - which is also planned to be the game's formal opening, so we won't say more until then!

Q: Do our characters receive anything upon arrival?

Not a thing! Nor do they encounter any kind of informational NPC or anything that gives them a solid idea what's going on. The only exception to this is that all characters experience the dripping-blood related vision/dream/impression detailed in the first prompt of the Test Drive. Additionally, characters who have a unique tie to their world (such as Aerith's connection to the Lifestream in FFVII) will be aware that they're not in their own world anymore.

Q: What are our characters eating?

Since the power hasn't come on yet... Whatever they're adventurous and/or knowledgeable enough to find that doesn't kill them! This can include edible plants and limited amounts of things brought from home (please don't have your character bring 99 casseroles even if your game's inventory system allows it), but mods are not tracking this specifically. Most characters will be expected to be hungry and unhappy but not literally starving come game open. At least there's plenty of water.

Q: I have some specific question I need to ask about my specific character on the test drive!

Please post your question in response to the header comment QUESTIONS below!

Comments

[fauxcalors]

[The relief that comes, with hearing Neuvillette--not just his voice, but his voice responding to her own, meaning he was real and there with her...it is more than relief; equally, it is short-lived.

There's something unsettling about this place that Furina has found herself in. It's all the more unsettling that it's as wet as it is with her Iudex before her, and not a tear in sight. And also...

When you have known someone for what amounts to the entirety of their life, you know them. Neuvillette is the person Furina is closest to in all of existence; she's fairly certain, at this point, that she is the same for him. Still, even with that closeness, there is an unbreakable distance that has remained between them for centuries--a distance that means Neuvillette calling her by Furina without a Lady preceding it strikes her as...deeply odd. It itches, in the same way this entire situation does.

But even with that itch, she can't long fight the resurgence of that bone deep relief as his next words just reassure her, once again, that this is Neuvillette.

Why, my dear Iudex, to sound so concerned! But of course I am unharmed! How do you suppose that the Hydro Archon would find herself in peril here?

[The act comes as it always does: easily enough. It's a fight to hide the trill of terror under bravado, though. Because this is, assumedly, a place and situation that the Hydro Archon should be able to find her way out of--unless...

Furina takes just a second to pull that thread until it unravels into something worth the effort. She's more well-read on the element of Hydro than she imagines even the true Focalors is, at this point--she remembers studies and papers written up after a disastrous desert expedition, where the researchers involved had turned to the Hydro slimes they were studying as a water source when a sandstorm had diverted their route, leading their supplies to dry out before making it out of the sands.

They'd died, of course, or fallen deathly ill; the ones who had pulled through had been possessed of Hydro Visions of their own, and thus had some resistance to the element.

Because Hydro slimes--and Hydro itself--was not simply water; rather, it was a primal elemental force that was found most readily in water. There is a reason that Hydro Vision users are, in truth, no greater at surviving without water than your average human; the waters they can summon are too infused with Hydro to be safe.]

Perhaps, though, you are right to be concerned...the water here doesn't feel normal, don't you agree?

[It's a guess, true--Furina can no more sense the water or the amount of Hydro contained within it than she can fly--but it's an educated one, one she feels fairly confident in. The sort of guesswork born of intuition and knowledge that makes her such a cutthroat prosecutor when she's found a scent to hound in the most difficult trials.]

Neuvillette? Have you nought to say, my Iudex?

I'm not uploading a new icon on mobile fight me

[highjustice]

[...And there it is. Her words, at least, confirm that there is something stranger going on than either of them probably realizes.

This is not Teyvat. Connected to primordial Hydro as he is, Neuvillette should be able to sense the Primordial Sea, even at such a distance as the far bounds of Inazuma or Natlan. If he can be said to have a soul in the way that humans do, then it would be one that constantly has a toe dipped into that ocean. Until now.

But that is a concern for later, because in front of him is...]

Furina.

[His tone of voice is a touch chiding, the way it so often is (was) when she went overboard with her antics. But underneath it is an almost physical pain.

He understands now why she was so quick to throw the act away. To watch it now is unbearable. To stand aside and allow it to continue, knowing that it will do nothing but bring the both of them hurt, is even more so.

Besides. He has always been a poor liar.]

... You need not maintain the act for my sake. I will not reveal it to others, but... In the Fontaine I last remember, the prophecy has already come to pass.

[He doesn't know why her memory is different. Perhaps this is just a more advanced hallucination in the end. But he will treat it as real until he has evidence otherwise.]

You performed admirably to the very end.

[The words are soft, and with the pounding rain outside - anyone else might miss them. But he knows that she will not.]

[fauxcalors]

[The terror that comes from finding herself in this place is nothing compared to the terror that floods her then, hearing Neuvillette's words--looking into his eyes and seeing the unyielding truth of them. Her breath catches in her throat; her hands shake in a decidedly ungodly manner.

Furina, human, feels utterly laid bare.]

You--you!

[She sputters, and chokes, and does not know what to say. Five hundred years on stage, and there is no script for this--because to be found out is to fail. And she could not fail. Could not allow herself to even think of such a thing for too long, because she would spiral.

And Nevuillette...You performed admirably to the very end, he says. Consolation? Condolences? Words meant to soothe the ache of failing her duty; to ease the grief of Fontaine lost beneath the waves?

(It says something--not something Furina can think of, as she is and who she is now--but it says something that, for all her confidence without, her first instinct is to assume she failed at the last, and let the nation she'd bled herself out for drown)]

The very end, you say...

[Furina shakes her head, bitter, wrecked with a grief she bolts down with the long practice of five hundred years. She can't focus on this now--it will destroy her.]

I will hold you to your silence, my dear Iudex--but I have never known you to break a promise, so I'm sure I needn't worry. For the moment, though, I am certain we have more pressing matters to attend to than some differences between our memories...like where exactly we have found ourselves! And if we are, indeed, the only people here!

[highjustice]

[... Ah. Now that he knows better what mysteries are beneath the surface, it's much easier to understand what's going through her head at any given moment. The mysteries of the primary currents of 'Furina' revealed, Neuvillette can see exactly when and where the flow of her emotions is misdirected.

And, really, Furina. Would he be so calm to speak of it, if Fontaine had disappeared?]

I do not consider your safety nor your concerns to be a trifling issue. Fontaine is well and everyone is safe. The Hydro Archon's plans to save its people were administered flawlessly, even by those of us ignorant of her true intentions.

[Please understand, Furina, because he does not think he can say it any more directly. Everyone is fine.]

And I do not consider establishing that to be a passing matter, nor do I believe that you ever would. Fontaine was entrusted into our care; it is only natural that such concerns should be of high priority, when we do not appear to be in immediate danger.

[Only with that established can he feel secure in moving on to their current situation, because to do otherwise would be to leave Furina harmed by his unclear words, and that is unacceptable. He can no more do so that he could leave her bleeding out physically to talk of other matters.

...That said, said other matters may be a contributing factor to why they're having to talk in circles.]

Whatever place this is, it is beyond the borders of Teyvat. I cannot sense even a hint of the Primordial Sea, nor of any other familiar power, which should not be possible no matter how far distant I was from Fontaine. The discrepancy in our memories would appear to be further evidence of this, since such a thing would not be possible there.

[Therefore, establishing the differences in their memories is in fact a pressing matter, and here is his logic as to why it is important. This part, at least, is familiar, although the matter of presenting logical evidence was usually played out the other way around between them, as prosecutor and judge.]

[fauxcalors]

[It's like time freezes around them, growing heavier with every word Neuvillette speaks. The very end, he had said, only he meant...success? Not failure? Fontaine was saved?

Disbelief and relief war for space in her lungs as she tries to remember how to breathe. She finally inhales, letting the sharp gloom of the constant damp ground her.

She keeps her calm expression fixed perfectly in place with the ease of long, long practice--and if some of the water dripping down her face is not rain, but tears, that's her business and no-one else's.]

Thank you.

[The words are small, as is her voice as she speaks them, but she trusts Neuvillette to understand--understand the breadth of what she means when she is physically incapable of choking out anything more.]

Thank you, Neuvillette. I--I hear you, loud and clear. And...

[Furina tilts her head, frowning as she thinks. Beyond the borders of Teyvat?]

Neuvillette, do you mean...are we in another world?

[In that moment, Furina makes the firm decision to stick by Neuvillette's side. She would have already done so, of course--but his knowing of her mortal frailty, of her true inability to fight? In this situation, that and his willingness to defend her is a boon. Especially given the possibility of running into other people--people from, perhaps, worlds other than Teyvat, who would not know of or be dazzled by her performance as the Hydro Archon, when such a thing would stay the hand of most of Teyvat.]

[highjustice]

[At last. There's a slight slump in his shoulders, his relief less than hers but still palpable.

(She surely wept on that day, too - not as prophecied upon the throne, but after. When all was said and done and the sun shone down upon a Fontaine that could pick itself up and carry on.)

(It is, of course, Neuvillette's business if she weeps, if anyone were to ask him.)

He does want to chide her, a bit, for assuming the worst, but this is, in fact, not the place or time. With the baseline established, they can in fact move on to other matters, if she so desires.]

That is the logical conclusion, if one that seems irrational on its face. If our traveling friend could enter Teyvat from a place beyond it, it stands to reason that it would also be possible for people from Teyvat to leave or be taken from it.

[And then, of course, there's everything that Skirk said and implied on the matter.]

But the questions of 'where' in a more specific sense as well as 'for what purpose' remain.

[fauxcalors]

[A polite befuddlement falls over Furina at Neuvillette's mention of a 'traveling friend;' given the context, though, she wonders if he means the Traveler--the Outlander who had blazed a trail through nations and Fatui alike. Her informants most recent sightings put them across the sea, in Sumeru...she'd been growing ever anxious of their likely arrival on Fontaine's shores, and had been losing sleep over how, exactly, she was going to play their confrontation.

'Friend,' Neuvillette had called them. How bizarre.]

That is the rub of it, yes. More than simply the 'where,' there are the hows and whys--after all, to snatch up the helm of Fontaine's Court...that is not the action of a friend.

[And nor was it, after all, the actions of just any mere enemy.]

Have you encountered anything else in your time here? I--earlier, I thought I had seen...a ghost, I suppose, is the best way I can phrase it.

[highjustice]

[Well, the Traveler is his friend, Furina. You'll just have to wait your turn. It isn't as though he didn't already tell you of other things yet to come to pass.

He glances down, at the pile of leaves he was so convinced was her.]

... There is something unnatural in this place that plays with the senses, I can tell you that much for certain. If you believe that you see a dead body, examine it closely to be certain.

[It is very rare that Neuvillette completely closes down a subject - usually it is Furina who does so - but after those words, that's exactly what he does. His expression shutters for a moment like it does when he delivers a final judgement, and then he quickly moves on to his next observation.]

The storm outside is an angry one, the raindrops containing some of the purest rage I have ever encountered. Whatever force propels it is well beyond my ability to disrupt, especially this far from the power of the Primordial Sea. I can assume that the Hydro Archon would have no more success.

[Just. You know. In case she wanted that information. For reasons.]

As for our more immediate environment... Though the motion feels like that of a ship in a storm, there is no sea outside. Nor have I been able to detect any distant lights through any of the windows or glass doors, though they could easily have disappeared in the force of the rain - there is something protecting the inner areas from the worst of it. My intention was to investigate a balcony for a clearer picture when you arrived.

[fauxcalors]

[Examine it closely? Examine? A dead body? Closely? Neuvillette, Furina wonders, are you quite mad? It's one thing to do so for the sake of a trial--one must take in all pieces of evidence, there. This place is just...quite frankly, too creepy for Furina to be able to put on a brave face at the thought. She doesn't try to fight the shudder as she attempt to communicate through nothing more than the daggers in her eyes that if they are unfortunate enough to encounter any corpses, he shall be the one ascertaining how real they are.

And, on the other matter...]

That's...good to know. Very informative.

[She says it haltingly, but with genuine warmth. She can see what you're trying to do, Neuvillette, and just because it's working doesn't mean anything!

And beyond that...it's said with genuine concern, too. Because it is informative. If in one of the most unfortunate ways possible; for if this is beyond the realm of Archons and Dragons, just how are they going to find their way back home?]

Brilliant. We've found ourselves in quite the conundrum, haven't we? But you had the right of it. Lead on, my dear Iudex. We shall simply have to get to the bottom of this together!

[highjustice]

[He has only ever been fully transparent about his intentions, of course, especially with her. That's why it worked so well, the one time he wasn't.

As it is an act he has no intention of repeating - nor of ruining for his future self, from her perspective - he will continue as he always has, but more aware of her limitations.]

Very well. I'll attempt to get the door open. You may wish to hold on to your hat - the wind is certain to be severe as well.

[With that, he steps deliberately past the definitely-not-a-body and over to the sliding door to the balcony. The glass is fogged with mildew on the inside, but checking the tracks of the slide, he should be able to force it open with a combination of muscle and a bit of Hydro energy to lubricate and remove the worst of the debris.

And then, sure enough - heaving the door open is an effort, to be sure, but Neuvillette has always been stronger and faster than the slimness of his body would imply. He manages to get the door open about six inches, which is enough to force a foot and a shoulder in to shove it further open. A squeeze for him, perhaps, but less so for Furina.

Immediately, wind-blown rain begins to come through the gap.]

Shall we?

[fauxcalors]

[Gripping onto her hat almost as soon as the words have left Neuvillette's mouth--there are simply some things you just trust your Iudex about without question, and one of those things is when he says something along the lines of "brace yourself," you brace yourself. It's a good thing she does, too, because the wind that whips up around them as he forces the door open howls like a wild, living thing, tearing at her with enough force that Furina can't help but wonder if Barbatos has found himself here, as well.

(She hopes that isn't the case. She isn't sure she's ready to face another Archon--especially a real one.)

When Neuvillette turns to her, task accomplished, she indulges in a little golf clap; both to say to him bravo! Job well done! and hopefully lighten the mood.]

We shall! Lead on, Neuvillette. I am ever at your side.

[At his side and just ever so slightly behind him. For safety.]

[highjustice]

[Hydro, Anemo, and Electro are all held in the grip of the storm's wrath - but the wind outside, once the initial gust settles, is not so severe as he expected. Still enough to be worth keeping an eye on Furina's hat, to be sure, but not enough to blow them over.

It's a reasonably large balcony, for being attached to a private suite - partially protected from the rain, or it would be if not for the gusts blowing water in every direction, partially open to the sky. One half of it is taken up by a tree that has grown up out of the floor and through the railing, but the other is somewhat intact, with the rotted frames of what was once a pair of lounge chairs.

Neuvillette steps out, taking a moment to push water and his bangs back from his face to see more clearly.]

Interesting. It seems as though we've some protection from the storm.

[The barrier is almost invisible until the next crack of lightning - but then it very much isn't. Rain sheets down from the surface, which ripples in the gusts of wind. It's keeping out as much water as gets in, which means that the storm beyond is only more severe.

Truly, it is raging out there in every sense of the word. If Furina had her Vision, she would probably be able to pick up on it the way he does. As it is, it makes Neuvillette grimace.]

[fauxcalors]

[Cautiously, after a moment to gauge the strength of the winds, Furina lets go of her hat, and steps out after her Iudex. He's correct; but she's ready to have to make a grab for it if a particularly sharp gust sends it flying anyway.]

Even so, Neuvillette...that does not look good.

[Furina can't pick up in the intimate details of the storm like he can, nor fully gauge just what awaits them in the distance...but she knows weather patterns, and she knows that the storm they are in is, perhaps, something beyond even the Electro Archon--she who had utterly terrified Furina when she had announced the Sakoku Decree and then physically shut down the borders of her nation with an unceasing storm that was far too dangerous for most to sail through. So many petitioners had made their way to Fontaine to beg her to calm the seas, and it had been with a heavy and quailing heart that Furina had to send them on their way, telling them a truth as farewell: Inazuma was the Raiden Shogun's territory, and she could not interfere with her fellow Archon's nation, even if she could understand their plight.

She'd had nightmares, in the weeks following the last of the petitioners, as word finally spread that Focalors would be of no use to them at all. Nightmares of finding herself trapped in a storm at sea, tossed around at the mercy of a god.

She swallows, and resists the urge to reach out and cling to Neuvillette's coattails.]

I'm guessing this isn't quite like what the Electro Archon had managed?

[highjustice]

[Is it strange, that her direct question makes him almost cheerful - that the rain around them lightens a hair's breadth, about as much influence as Neuvillette's mood can exert being exerted?

To openly ask him a question about the elements and the powers of the other Archons, after all, is a powerful expression of trust on Furina's part.]

The Electro Archon's ability to generate such a storm is, in some ways, the inverse of mine - any rain she might summon is incidental. The lightning heeds her will, not any of the other elements.

[Rain is common in Fontaine, and it has on certain rare occasions reached a point like this, more aggression than sorrow - the anger of being able to do nothing but watch injustice continue to roll over someone. But genuine thunderstorms are rare, and purely natural when they do occur; the rainfall within one may increase or decrease in response to Neuvillette, but the element of Electro does as it wishes in their skies.]

Similarly, the wind - [Pause, wait for a particularly loud boom of thunder before continuing.] - would be under the control of a being of Anemo. I know you read the same reports from Mondstadt regarding the Stormterror incident that I have.

[Perhaps not in a s much detail initially, because Furina did not have as much of a vested interest in what happened to the only publicly known dragon on the eastern half of Teyvat, but certainly in retrospect, as it became clear that Mondstadt was the first place the Traveler visited.]

It would take all three elements - either working together or actively battling in the skies - to create a mixed storm such as this.

[Which is not a pleasant thought - but it does mean that even if he had the ability to quell the rain over them, the wind and lightning would continue, and, in all likelihood, the skies would remain dark.]

[fauxcalors]

Hmm. I see.

[Furina is about as well read on elemental energies as any person can be, but theoretical knowledge does not make for a true understanding of the forces themselves--and she knows an Archon is capable of far more than any Vision holder or indeed natural manifestation of said elements. She's long wondered about how the elements interact when in the hands of said Archons--did Pyro not need Anemo to feed its burn? Did Cryo not spring forth from Hydro?--but, given that the world had considered her one of those Archons, it was not like she could have asked about it.

Her questioning Neuvillette now is...it's hard. Her heart is still beating hard in her chest, and she feels a little dazed, almost unable to accept that he knows and that it's fine. But...

Beyond it being difficult, it's also deeply relieving. Here is someone who, finally, she can ask the questions she's wanted an answer for for five hundred years.]

Given all that, I highly doubt that whatever is behind this storm is something either of us are familiar with.

[She imagines Neuvillette would have been able to tell if it was the Archons or another dragon behind it...probably Celestia, too. Not that she really thinks this was Celestia, choosing such a bizarre way to punish her; they almost certainly have far more efficient means of delivering their judgement.]

I am liking this situation less and less by the minute, Neuvillette. Even if the physical danger so far has been...negligible.

[highjustice]

[Neither the Archons nor the dragons are particularly forthcoming about their relationships with the elements, unfortunately for Furina and any number of Akademiya scholars. Even Neuvillette himself doesn't know how to explain some parts of it - saying that he can sense the emotions within Hydro doesn't really explain what that feels like, after all.

Hydro, of course, is one of the more esoteric elements in some ways, encompassing as many varied disciplines as it does. Even to Furina - even to the Furina with a Vision on her hip - it would take hours to fully explain the depths of what he's understood instinctively since he was born.

In another time and place, he wouldn't mind those hours, but this is, as is so often said, not the time.]

Agreed. The lack of any other presence may also mean that we are not in immediate danger, but it does make every question that much more difficult to answer.

[He hums, barely audible over the storm.]

If we suppose that barrier is what keeps whatever fuels the storm with wrath outside, it would likely be a bad idea to disturb it too greatly. That said, I should be able to push the water's flow to the sides enough to see clearly through it for at least a few moments.

[fauxcalors]

[Furina considers it for a moment; weighs the risks. Neuvillette would surely not have suggested it had he thought it would result in too much catastrophe--and yet still he turned to ask her opinion on the matter. Not willing to risk her? Simply valuing her counsel? Whatever the reason, it warms her heart in a way that would have her cheeks blushing pink in any other situation--as it is, she's fairly certain they're already red from the cold, regardless.]

If you think it would not cause more harm than the knowledge we might gain could be worth...then I say we should at least make the attempt. We have only so many places to look for answers here, after all.

[highjustice]

I cannot imagine that redirecting the flow of water would cause any harm.

[As he speaks, he steps closer to the border of the balcony, carefully, getting close enough to touch the barrier. There's only so much he can feel through his gloves, but it does respond to his touch by bending outwards - not a static shape like the energy barriers that keep the hidden libraries in Fontaine's lakes dry, then.

He gives Furina a moment to get wherever she intends to stand for her view of the outside - for his part, Neuvillette is aiming to look over the edge and down. In a storm like this, what's beneath them is more likely to hold answers than what's above.

Then the water parts, like someone put a log into a waterfall, flowing around either side of a spot perhaps a foot above his extended hand. It spreads to either side, thick columns of water like the way curtains bulge when pulled aside.

Beyond, the sheeting rain is blowing every which way, just as bad as he had guessed. And below... Neuvillette leans just far enough out to see barren ground in the distance below.]

As I thought. This ship is not on the sea -

[And then the metal beam of one of the ship's legs comes into view, and he falls silent.]

[fauxcalors]

[After almost five hundred years at each other's sides, there are some things you can just translate from the smallest movement. Nevuillette's brief pause is a clear awaiting signal that he generally employs on those rare days when the Court involves petitioners, and not criminals. Reading his intent and position, Furina steps back to stand beside him--but then turns, to face up towards the sky.

This is what they do when working at their best together, after all: they cover all bases. Even if what Neuvillette is intending to do is aimed at the water below them...if, as he said, it is all connected, there would surely be some sign? And even if there is not...best to look upwards, and see nothing, than stare down with Neuvillette and miss something above.

So tense and ready is she, that Neuvillette's voice cutting off all but makes her jump out of her skin. There's a certain ringing, hollow shock in the silence that follows the sentence ended so abruptly.]

Neuvillette? What is it?

[highjustice]

Look.

[The ship's leg is already moving back out of view, but it returns momentarily. The visible part is a great metal beam, hinged like the leg of a spider or insect. The rain is almost too thick to clearly make out the 'foot' at the bottom.

Neuvillette watches it for a moment, and then says, ]

I suppose that explains the motion, but we've only been given more questions in return.

[Such as, why is the ship walking? Where is it going? Why was it designed in that way?

Once he's sure that Furina has seen the same thing he has, Neuvillette releases the window he's made in the flow of rain with an exhale that reveals just how much effort he was actually exerting. It's rare to find anything that strains him in such a way, but in this case, it's very much like wrestling with a creature several times his size.]

[fauxcalors]

[Furina stares, and then stares some more. Mutely, she looks back to Neuvillette; he releases the waters, and they're left standing in silence.]

I have never seen anything like this in all my years. Nor have I even so much as heard of anything alike.

[They are not in Teyvat, true. But--some things feel like they should still simply not be possible, no matter the location.

Neuvillette is, unfortunately, very correct. This has simply given rise to even more pressing questions.]

My mind only offers me fairy tales, Neuvillette. Perhaps we have fallen into the maw of a Realm Eater gathering snacks.

[She's laughing as she says it, in a way that says she does not find the situation very funny at all, nor does she actually believe what she is saying.

And then, she frowns.]

Neuvillette, you...you look tired. Are you well? Perhaps we should find somewhere to rest...

[highjustice]

Fairy tales can have a surprising grain of truth from time to time, lest you forget.

[Bold words, of course, from the infamously weeping Hydro dragon. But that is precisely why he knows better than to dismiss such tales.

Besides, he can name a ship on something like this scale... Though he won't ruin that surprise for her. Wriothesley's pet project still wasn't so large as this one, but it's larger than anything Fontaine has seen in the modern era.

In response to her question, he doesn't quite shake his head, but instead sighs.]

Fighting the storm's control of the water beyond the barrier required more energy than I expected. It's nothing I won't recover from... Though as I believe we've discovered all we can out here for the time being, I wouldn't object to getting out of the wind.

[The wet is much more of a bother to her than it is to him, but the chill of wind against wet clothes and skin affects him as much as it does anyone.]

[fauxcalors]

[Firmly settled into worrying about someone else, rather than herself, Furina has gained an iota of her confidence back. It's so easy, when you've put yourself in a box.]

True, true. You have me there, Neuvillette.

[She frowns a little, at his admission. Neuvillette is not one to lie--but nor is he one to worry her. In this case, he must be concerned enough about the situation and place they have found themselves in to not think it prudent to censor himself. Given the realities of the situation and what they have managed to discover thus far, Furina appreciate it--even as it only makes her more worried for him.]

Come, then. Let us away from here, and find somewhere more protected from at least some of the elements.

[highjustice]

[The idea that she's truly worrying over him wouldn't occur to him. Neuvillette is many things, but one thing he is not is someone who has a clear view of himself through the eyes of others - after all, that would require having a clear view of what the world is like through anyone else's eyes at all.

He, like Furina, has a carefully controlled image - one that is in many ways the opposite of hers, the counterbalance. The fickle Archon and the serious-to-a-fault Iudex; the expressive actress, her true feelings known to none, and the inscrutable judge, whose emotions are laid bare for anyone who knows how to look in the right place.

He doesn't know how deeply Furina believes in that image of him. Certainly she knows him better than most, knows the ways in which his feelings do express themselves. But the idea that she might be worried over him is not one that would enter his mind, because in order to get there, he would have to know exactly how much she had ever bought into the invulnerable front he puts up, and that's not something he is at liberty to know. Even with all his knowledge of her secrets, in that regard, he cannot claim to know her heart.]

Let's. And not that room, it might be worth the attempt to find one drier, or at least where the water is more controlled.

[And one where the door to the outside hasn't been standing open, allowing the wind to blast raindrops in willy-nilly. Straight-backed as ever, Neuvillette gives Furina an 'after you' bow, and once she's through, he squeezes after her.]

[fauxcalors]

[It's darker inside than it is without; that's not really saying much, though, when light itself is lacking almost everywhere. Furina gives her eyes a moment to adjust, thankful the Neuvillette stands and waits with her even though he almost certainly did not need that same consideration.]

It all sounds as wet as anywhere else, to me. Can you find us a place with minimal dripping? Or minimal wind, at least.

[Forget the wet--if there's one thing this ship isn't, it's quiet. The noise is enough to drive a woman to madness, and right now all Furina wants is to find somewhere suitably hushed to hunker down at let her Iudex rest while she tries to clear her head.]