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[ diluc's already up and gone by the time kaeya rouses this morning. however, there's the smell of something both salty and sweet wafting in from the kitchen.
any eventual inspection will reveal a simple plate of what looks like seared meat from an earlier hunt, something akin to an oatmeal they'd scrounged up from the abandoned lots. however —
tucked under the plate and off to the side are several items that were not upon the table before. the first (and most notable) is a roughly whittled approximation of a peacock. touched in spots with stains that could be blood, it perches upon a simple box. the dimensions should tell kaeya it would be a perfect fit for his gem, the cover seared with the delicate curl of a calla lily and the inside lined with the fur of some catch.
and nearest the fork? a note. ]
K.,
Saved you some breakfast. Don't worry too much about doing more than stretching your legs.
I'll be out weeding the garden.
- D.
any eventual inspection will reveal a simple plate of what looks like seared meat from an earlier hunt, something akin to an oatmeal they'd scrounged up from the abandoned lots. however —
tucked under the plate and off to the side are several items that were not upon the table before. the first (and most notable) is a roughly whittled approximation of a peacock. touched in spots with stains that could be blood, it perches upon a simple box. the dimensions should tell kaeya it would be a perfect fit for his gem, the cover seared with the delicate curl of a calla lily and the inside lined with the fur of some catch.
and nearest the fork? a note. ]
K.,
Saved you some breakfast. Don't worry too much about doing more than stretching your legs.
I'll be out weeding the garden.
- D.
[ Oh no. He should have known this would happen when he sent those letters to Lumine in a fit of drunken pique. But their Honorary Knight is so popular and busy, he'd been really hoping the date would just slip through her memory amidst all the other birthdays he's sure she must keep track of. Is this going to happen every year? Is he going to have to be reminded that there's at least one or two people out there in the world who care enough about him to remember his birthday every year? This is the worst thing that could ever happen to him. ]
Ah, but how could I possibly have the happiest birthday if I don't get to spend it with my favorite Honorary Knight? I'd invite you for a drink, but unfortunately we're rather short on the neccessities in this town, so...want to go see if we can fish out a lake monster?
[ Boy, these 'phones' sure are handy for letting him sound smooth when he's really a hot birthday denying mess! ]
Ah, but how could I possibly have the happiest birthday if I don't get to spend it with my favorite Honorary Knight? I'd invite you for a drink, but unfortunately we're rather short on the neccessities in this town, so...want to go see if we can fish out a lake monster?
[ Boy, these 'phones' sure are handy for letting him sound smooth when he's really a hot birthday denying mess! ]
[ yes, this will happen every year. yes, it will happen to everyone. no, no one's exempted. archons, stop being a lonely little shit during your birthdays, kaeya. ]
Is that really how you'd want to spend your birthday?
[ she calls bullshit on this invitation :\ ]
Is that really how you'd want to spend your birthday?
[ she calls bullshit on this invitation :\ ]
[ Should there be a time where Kaeya finds himself alone following the meeting...perhaps somewhere still around the residential area's outskirts, closer to the trees, he will find himself in the sudden company of another who makes himself known by stepping upon a branch purposefully. ]
I had never thought I would see another familiar face from the homeland.
[ Yet, unlike the others, Kaeya has not sustained such horrid changes. ]
I suppose you may be thinking the same.
[ 'That is, if you recognize me.', Is the implied follow-up. But he is certain the other does, based upon at least one of the reactions he has shown to him during that. ]
I had never thought I would see another familiar face from the homeland.
[ Yet, unlike the others, Kaeya has not sustained such horrid changes. ]
I suppose you may be thinking the same.
[ 'That is, if you recognize me.', Is the implied follow-up. But he is certain the other does, based upon at least one of the reactions he has shown to him during that. ]
[ if he's not a lonely little shit, what else is he gonna do on his birthdays? play tcg?? sounds fake. ]
Well, as I said, there aren't any drinks in town...anyway, not a fan of the lake? If you have any other ideas, I'm all ears.
[ no, he's not deflecting by completely avoiding an actual answer to her question, what makes you think that.... ]
Well, as I said, there aren't any drinks in town...anyway, not a fan of the lake? If you have any other ideas, I'm all ears.
[ no, he's not deflecting by completely avoiding an actual answer to her question, what makes you think that.... ]
[ It's pretty easy to find Kaeya lingering in an isolated area near the forest after the meeting - almost too easy, as if he'd known this was coming and exerted what little control he had to at least choose the venue of this conversation. At any rate, he doesn't look surprised to see Dainsleif approaching him, the usual amiable smile pasted firmly on his face though his eye is guarded. ]
I can't say I was expecting this, no.
[ An understatement, to say the least. It's a core belief that's been a foundation of his entire life - that everyone from his homeland aside from himself has suffered a fate worse than death. To have it upturned so easily...even now, he still can't put a finger on how exactly he feels about it. ]
But I'm glad to see you're looking as handsome as ever, Twilight Sword.
[ The flirting is automatic, his usual tactic of using charm as both an attack and defense, but there's something buried deeper behind the flattering words. After all, the fact that Dainsleif's appearance has remained for the most part unchanged shouldn't even be possible, for all that he knows. ]
I can't say I was expecting this, no.
[ An understatement, to say the least. It's a core belief that's been a foundation of his entire life - that everyone from his homeland aside from himself has suffered a fate worse than death. To have it upturned so easily...even now, he still can't put a finger on how exactly he feels about it. ]
But I'm glad to see you're looking as handsome as ever, Twilight Sword.
[ The flirting is automatic, his usual tactic of using charm as both an attack and defense, but there's something buried deeper behind the flattering words. After all, the fact that Dainsleif's appearance has remained for the most part unchanged shouldn't even be possible, for all that he knows. ]
[ Well then. At the very least his appearance doesn't happen to be a surprise. If it means anything good by the end of this, only time will tell.
Regardless, it is still a far better option than confronting Kaeya in front of everyone, even if the meeting is an uneasy one. As for him, he looks just as unflappable as he appeared in the meeting with no obvious indication of appearing just as guarded as Kaeya.
When he goes on the attack, he lets the words sink in. Dainsleif is not an oblivious man, after all. ]
...Empty flattery aside, you also appear to be relatively young, despite how long ago we had once seen one another.
[ Which Dainsleif still recalls. But as time passes here, he wonders if that too will slip away. ]
But, I'll consider it a pleasant surprise, more than anything. Even if we had not the opportunity to know each other all that well. It is only unfortunate that we're meeting again, but in a place like this.
Regardless, it is still a far better option than confronting Kaeya in front of everyone, even if the meeting is an uneasy one. As for him, he looks just as unflappable as he appeared in the meeting with no obvious indication of appearing just as guarded as Kaeya.
When he goes on the attack, he lets the words sink in. Dainsleif is not an oblivious man, after all. ]
...Empty flattery aside, you also appear to be relatively young, despite how long ago we had once seen one another.
[ Which Dainsleif still recalls. But as time passes here, he wonders if that too will slip away. ]
But, I'll consider it a pleasant surprise, more than anything. Even if we had not the opportunity to know each other all that well. It is only unfortunate that we're meeting again, but in a place like this.
[ The placidity in which Dainsleif regards him only sets his teeth on edge even more. He'd imagined against his will sometimes, those nights when the alcohol didn't flow freely enough, what it would be like if by some impossibility he'd ever come face-to-face with another Khaenri'an one day. Would they be furious and disgusted with him abandoning his duties to while away his days in the city of the enemy? Relieved to find that they were no longer alone in this god-touched land? Burning with a need for vengeance for the fate of their people?
Polite acceptance had not been his list of reactions to prepare for - and for someone who likes to plan and predict for everything as much as Kaeya does, the inscrutability is unsettling. He isn't used to feeling like his opponent holds all the cards in the deck while he's bluffing on nothing, and he can't say he particularly enjoys it. ]
Haha, I'm surprised you recognize me at all. I only came up to your knees the last time we met. How long has it been again...?
[ A pointed question, for all that Kaeya laughs it off as though it's simply casual small talk. That Dainsleif even remembers him is already curious enough, considering the erosion and corruption of the mind all their other brethren have undergone. ]
The pleasure is all mine, truly. And who knows? Perhaps it's fate that brought us together in this town.
[ Unfortunate? Hardly, at least for himself. For the first time, he's relieved to have been abducted to this strange inescapable town - better this reunion takes place here, away from Mondstadt and all the complications and prying eyes that would bring. ]
Polite acceptance had not been his list of reactions to prepare for - and for someone who likes to plan and predict for everything as much as Kaeya does, the inscrutability is unsettling. He isn't used to feeling like his opponent holds all the cards in the deck while he's bluffing on nothing, and he can't say he particularly enjoys it. ]
Haha, I'm surprised you recognize me at all. I only came up to your knees the last time we met. How long has it been again...?
[ A pointed question, for all that Kaeya laughs it off as though it's simply casual small talk. That Dainsleif even remembers him is already curious enough, considering the erosion and corruption of the mind all their other brethren have undergone. ]
The pleasure is all mine, truly. And who knows? Perhaps it's fate that brought us together in this town.
[ Unfortunate? Hardly, at least for himself. For the first time, he's relieved to have been abducted to this strange inescapable town - better this reunion takes place here, away from Mondstadt and all the complications and prying eyes that would bring. ]
[ In far contrast, Dainsleif truly seeing someone from the homeland alive and well, not hampered by the curse or twisted into some kind of creature that is no longer human, is...a relief. Despite him not knowing Kaeya's circumstances, as to how he had managed to evade the consequences of the Cataclysm, he doesn't feel resentment or any such thing. For certain, Kaeya himself could be a suspicious individual to have come out not twisted by the curse — and perhaps some in his position may have felt jealous for how he had managed to have done so. Or even assigned blame for him not being able to have done more, despite how young Kaeya may have been at the time.
Though, as someone who had (has?) the title, Twilight Sword, the inability to protect the people properly lies with him. And his failure will live with him until the day he finally is freed from the curse, and passes on. But, regardless, there are things he must do. ]
It has, by now, been around or just a little over 500 years since we have last seen one another. Though you were far younger when we met, your features are distinctive; I would not forget such a face, even with the years shaping it differently from the last I saw of it.
[ That is not to say others from — had no distinctive features, but it is what it is. ]
Perhaps it is. Though, I would have vast preferred for us to meet in a more familiar world. [ Pause. ] I wonder if there may be others...though, if there are, I hope they have also managed to integrate themselves into Teyvat.
Though, as someone who had (has?) the title, Twilight Sword, the inability to protect the people properly lies with him. And his failure will live with him until the day he finally is freed from the curse, and passes on. But, regardless, there are things he must do. ]
It has, by now, been around or just a little over 500 years since we have last seen one another. Though you were far younger when we met, your features are distinctive; I would not forget such a face, even with the years shaping it differently from the last I saw of it.
[ That is not to say others from — had no distinctive features, but it is what it is. ]
Perhaps it is. Though, I would have vast preferred for us to meet in a more familiar world. [ Pause. ] I wonder if there may be others...though, if there are, I hope they have also managed to integrate themselves into Teyvat.
[ Five hundred years...he can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like, taking the slow route to the future, watching the remnants of all he'd once known and loved be twisted into monsters both in reality and in the eyes of the rest of the world. It must have been devastating - and though Kaeya's certainly not ready to extend the hand of trust yet, there's a loosening in his frame that suggests that perhaps he's let a fraction of his guard down in face of sympathy for such a plight.
He's always been weak to sincerity, having so little of it himself. And Dainsleif, for all that he is strange and impossible, has been nothing but straight with him so far. ]
My, I'm flattered you find me so memorable. You're not looking half bad yourself, for a man of your age.
[ ...of couse, being sympathetic doesn't mean he's going to stop being as obnoxious as possible as he tries to buy time to gather his thoughts, especially with what Dainsleif says next. ]
Others...and what would you do if you found there were others like us, in the far reaches of Teyvat? [ He tilts his head, the smile never leaving his face, as if he's speaking of nothing but idle speculation. ] Would you seek vengeance on what has been done to our nation, Twilight Sword, as so many of our people would desire?
He's always been weak to sincerity, having so little of it himself. And Dainsleif, for all that he is strange and impossible, has been nothing but straight with him so far. ]
My, I'm flattered you find me so memorable. You're not looking half bad yourself, for a man of your age.
[ ...of couse, being sympathetic doesn't mean he's going to stop being as obnoxious as possible as he tries to buy time to gather his thoughts, especially with what Dainsleif says next. ]
Others...and what would you do if you found there were others like us, in the far reaches of Teyvat? [ He tilts his head, the smile never leaving his face, as if he's speaking of nothing but idle speculation. ] Would you seek vengeance on what has been done to our nation, Twilight Sword, as so many of our people would desire?
[ Five hundred years indeed. Dainsleif sees no reason to keep such a thing from the other man...besides, even if there is a irrevocable fact that there are those who might serve better from revealing those things, in this he has nothing to hide. Not to mention, they are both from the homeland, and have clearly retained their sense of self, unlike the others who have turned into creatures who are either mindless or dangerously mad.
Ones that need to be stopped. ]
...
[ Here is Dainsleif slowly raising a brow briefly here at the comment, though he thinks he at least should have expected that. Never change, Kaeya. Anyway, he turns his attention truly upon the question posited to him. ]
Hardly anything, until it may be that they and I would cross paths. But, I don't make for good enough company to linger for long. [ And he is far too occupied in dangerous things to involve them, he doesn't say; unless they are on the same path as the Abyss. In that case, well... ] As for vengeance — that is not my intention. The world is not the same as it was 500 years ago. Nor can anything or anyone make it so, even though some might want it to be as much.
Ones that need to be stopped. ]
...
[ Here is Dainsleif slowly raising a brow briefly here at the comment, though he thinks he at least should have expected that. Never change, Kaeya. Anyway, he turns his attention truly upon the question posited to him. ]
Hardly anything, until it may be that they and I would cross paths. But, I don't make for good enough company to linger for long. [ And he is far too occupied in dangerous things to involve them, he doesn't say; unless they are on the same path as the Abyss. In that case, well... ] As for vengeance — that is not my intention. The world is not the same as it was 500 years ago. Nor can anything or anyone make it so, even though some might want it to be as much.
[ What Dainsleif says falls perfectly in line with his own philosophy - suspiciously in line, and Kaeya is a big believer in the idea that things that seem too good to be true usually are. An ally of the Abyss who's managed to keep their wits intact wouldn't just admit their true intentions outright after all, especially in a place where so many of their enemies have gathered.
He studies the other's face carefully, searching for any hint of deception, growing even warier still when he doesn't find one. Normally he prides himself on his ability to read people, and Dainsleif certainly seems to be telling the truth - but what is twenty years of experience but a drop of water compared to the vast ocean of five centuries' worth? He's not so foolish or arrogant as to underestimate what a man who crawled out of the wreckage of Khaenri'ah's ashes intact could be capable of.
(And perhaps part of his paranoia is simply due to how achingly, desperately, he longs for Dainsleif's words to be true. To find a connection to someone who understands when he has thought himself the last remnant of a dead nation - well, it's an obvious weakness, and one far too easily detected by anyone who knows his origins.) ]
Well. [ For all his misgivings, he thinks the man deserves at least some honesty, and the smile drops from his face for the first time. ] I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as far as I'm aware, there is no one else who's survived the curse the way you and I have. [ A shrug. ] But then again, yesterday I would have sworn that I was the last one left, so what do I know?
He studies the other's face carefully, searching for any hint of deception, growing even warier still when he doesn't find one. Normally he prides himself on his ability to read people, and Dainsleif certainly seems to be telling the truth - but what is twenty years of experience but a drop of water compared to the vast ocean of five centuries' worth? He's not so foolish or arrogant as to underestimate what a man who crawled out of the wreckage of Khaenri'ah's ashes intact could be capable of.
(And perhaps part of his paranoia is simply due to how achingly, desperately, he longs for Dainsleif's words to be true. To find a connection to someone who understands when he has thought himself the last remnant of a dead nation - well, it's an obvious weakness, and one far too easily detected by anyone who knows his origins.) ]
Well. [ For all his misgivings, he thinks the man deserves at least some honesty, and the smile drops from his face for the first time. ] I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as far as I'm aware, there is no one else who's survived the curse the way you and I have. [ A shrug. ] But then again, yesterday I would have sworn that I was the last one left, so what do I know?
[ ...Well, there is an irrevocable fact that Dainsleif does, unfortunately seem to utilize some form of abyssal magic. Though, he hasn't exactly gone on to show that sort of thing as of yet; but that is possibly a potential issue for future Dainsleif. Right now, he in the present is catching up with someone he has not seen for quite a long time. Yet, they are changed individuals since the last they saw each other.
One more warier than the other. Dainsleif continues to be not.
But, he believes his judgment to be clear. Even with a thundering pain that ensures he will have to eventually find someplace to rest up again rather soon. At this moment, given the timeline of his arrival, the events of adventuring into the Chasm with the Traveler are not too distant, and the repercussions still present. ]
I see. That's good enough of an answer.
[ At least for him. He has not much else to ask Kaeya, except...there's a moment of hesitation, before he considers a certain topic he imagined might not have much interest in voicing. But, between the both of them, they are the only ones from the homeland. And are relatively sane at that.
(Well, honestly, there's the Albedo situation, but he's a different story and Dainsleif hasn't spoken to him at this time, so...it is what it is.) ]
...I assume that you might recall the name of the homeland. But I do not, despite events involving our homeland still being very much present in my memory. I do not know the reason, though that is how things have ended up.
One more warier than the other. Dainsleif continues to be not.
But, he believes his judgment to be clear. Even with a thundering pain that ensures he will have to eventually find someplace to rest up again rather soon. At this moment, given the timeline of his arrival, the events of adventuring into the Chasm with the Traveler are not too distant, and the repercussions still present. ]
I see. That's good enough of an answer.
[ At least for him. He has not much else to ask Kaeya, except...there's a moment of hesitation, before he considers a certain topic he imagined might not have much interest in voicing. But, between the both of them, they are the only ones from the homeland. And are relatively sane at that.
(Well, honestly, there's the Albedo situation, but he's a different story and Dainsleif hasn't spoken to him at this time, so...it is what it is.) ]
...I assume that you might recall the name of the homeland. But I do not, despite events involving our homeland still being very much present in my memory. I do not know the reason, though that is how things have ended up.
[ Dainsleif may not have much more to ask, but that certainly doesn't hold true for himself. All his life he's had more questions than answers, a child left forever wondering why he'd been left behind, what his true purpose is, what his homeland is even planning - and somehow, whether a miracle or a curse, an opportunity to find out has finally been presented to him. ]
Is it? You're an easily satisfied man, then.
[ He bites back the retort on the tip of his tongue - 'you aren't even a little curious about how I'm alive?'. Keep it easy for now, he tells himself, there's still time to slowly pry out information in the future. He's played this game enough to know a light touch can often be far more effective than a heavy one, and that the greatest mistake he could make would be to demand too much that he loses more than he gains.
Even so...it's hard to control his own burning curiosity, considering what Dainsleif says next. His eyebrows drift up as he puts a hand to his chin, looking perplexed for once. ]
...I do. But answer me this first before I tell you - do you suspect your memory loss to be an effect from this town, or from the curse?
[ If Dainsleif has been more affected by the corruption than he appears...well, that would change quite a few things about where his sanity is at. ]
Is it? You're an easily satisfied man, then.
[ He bites back the retort on the tip of his tongue - 'you aren't even a little curious about how I'm alive?'. Keep it easy for now, he tells himself, there's still time to slowly pry out information in the future. He's played this game enough to know a light touch can often be far more effective than a heavy one, and that the greatest mistake he could make would be to demand too much that he loses more than he gains.
Even so...it's hard to control his own burning curiosity, considering what Dainsleif says next. His eyebrows drift up as he puts a hand to his chin, looking perplexed for once. ]
...I do. But answer me this first before I tell you - do you suspect your memory loss to be an effect from this town, or from the curse?
[ If Dainsleif has been more affected by the corruption than he appears...well, that would change quite a few things about where his sanity is at. ]
Hah, I wouldn't say that. But, I suppose it may seem like the case for the moment.
[ Dainsleif likes to imagine it is a matter that he's more inclined and better served at obtaining his information one small step at a time, even though when he takes action, it isn't with the idea to claim little. Wandering five hundred years to gather intel, however scarce or elusive, has made it more or less how he approaches certain situations. Including this one. Whatever answers he seeks, including Kaeya's own, he will have at the right time...though perhaps there is a part of him that believes he is giving him a bit of reprieve by his own approach.
Though, he would not exactly consider his efforts to be light-handed. Otherwise, perhaps he too may have been able to intermingle with society.
...Or not. The taint of the Abyssal curse still firmly sticks to him to make that a problem, nevermind the immortality issue. ]
I suspect this is from the town. Though many years have passed since the Cataclysm, I recall many things. But I digress...I do recall discussing the homeland on a very recent meeting with the Traveler in the Chasm, though there are holes in my memory when I believe I have explicitly spoken the name. Perhaps one might attribute to the curse, but it is also incidentally the last place I recall being before I found myself suddenly here. So, I do not believe it to be a coincidence.
[ So are the deductions he has made regarding the issue of this memory. Even if, admittedly, his own initial meeting with Lumine and regarding another certain memory is less...clear cut for him. But, that is something Dainsleif isn't exactly keen to bring up at this time. ]
[ Dainsleif likes to imagine it is a matter that he's more inclined and better served at obtaining his information one small step at a time, even though when he takes action, it isn't with the idea to claim little. Wandering five hundred years to gather intel, however scarce or elusive, has made it more or less how he approaches certain situations. Including this one. Whatever answers he seeks, including Kaeya's own, he will have at the right time...though perhaps there is a part of him that believes he is giving him a bit of reprieve by his own approach.
Though, he would not exactly consider his efforts to be light-handed. Otherwise, perhaps he too may have been able to intermingle with society.
...Or not. The taint of the Abyssal curse still firmly sticks to him to make that a problem, nevermind the immortality issue. ]
I suspect this is from the town. Though many years have passed since the Cataclysm, I recall many things. But I digress...I do recall discussing the homeland on a very recent meeting with the Traveler in the Chasm, though there are holes in my memory when I believe I have explicitly spoken the name. Perhaps one might attribute to the curse, but it is also incidentally the last place I recall being before I found myself suddenly here. So, I do not believe it to be a coincidence.
[ So are the deductions he has made regarding the issue of this memory. Even if, admittedly, his own initial meeting with Lumine and regarding another certain memory is less...clear cut for him. But, that is something Dainsleif isn't exactly keen to bring up at this time. ]
Edited 2022-12-29 13:46 (UTC)
[ Well, he can certainly understand not wanting to bombard someone immediately for information - it's how he himself usually operates after all, and the fact that for once he's erred on the side of rashness really goes to show how shaken he's been by this whole revelation. Dainsleif's patience is a much-needed reminder to slow down and calm the pounding of blood in his veins; they have nothing but time in this town, time enough to reacquaint himself with a man he'd long thought dead with the rest and see whether his words can really be trusted.
As for the memory loss...the theory that it's likely the town's doing certainly does make more sense than the curse targeting one specific name. Though of course that raises some worrying questions of its own, but he has no reason to doubt Dainsleif's explanation on this when there's nothing else in his demeanor that suggests otherwise. ]
I see...I've noticed a few others missing memories as well, so it may be the town has affected us all in this manner. [ But that's a topic better suited for a larger group, and he has little interest in divulging the own gaps in his memories, so he'll quickly move on. ] The Chasm, hm? Ha, how funny...to think we could have run into each other there were it not for fate's little tricks.
[ That 'little trick' being something he deliberately set up so he could avoid going...but that's neither here or there. ]
....Khaenri'ah. That's what our homeland was once called. [ Even if he doesn't trust Dainsleif fully yet, he can give him this at the very least. A pittance of a payment for the struggles he must have faced in such a long, long lifetime. ]
As for the memory loss...the theory that it's likely the town's doing certainly does make more sense than the curse targeting one specific name. Though of course that raises some worrying questions of its own, but he has no reason to doubt Dainsleif's explanation on this when there's nothing else in his demeanor that suggests otherwise. ]
I see...I've noticed a few others missing memories as well, so it may be the town has affected us all in this manner. [ But that's a topic better suited for a larger group, and he has little interest in divulging the own gaps in his memories, so he'll quickly move on. ] The Chasm, hm? Ha, how funny...to think we could have run into each other there were it not for fate's little tricks.
[ That 'little trick' being something he deliberately set up so he could avoid going...but that's neither here or there. ]
....Khaenri'ah. That's what our homeland was once called. [ Even if he doesn't trust Dainsleif fully yet, he can give him this at the very least. A pittance of a payment for the struggles he must have faced in such a long, long lifetime. ]
Perhaps so.
[ Dainsleif wonders a little at that. Not because he doubts it, but because he is actually glad that they had not run into one another in the Chasm of all places. While he doesn't have any worries about Kaeya's combat ability due to hearing enough rumors while in Mondstadt, and knowing he possesses more than just swordplay, given the kind of machinations present in that area, it could've been troublesome for a first meeting. Better that it be somewhere that isn't hampered by things like, you know, irritating Abyss Heralds, Abyss Lectors, and their wretched henchmen.
Better it be on somewhere that is more neutral ground...like this. Even if this place still isn't exactly ideal in his mind for a reunion. But, maybe there is something to what Kaeya has said—fate oft has its plans. Though he would dare not subscribe to the thought he is constrained ultimately by such things. ]
"Khaenri'ah".
[ He repeats the name of the homeland. The fact remains that it is lost, and it will never be revived in the way that it once was. But, to lose the memory of the name of the place he had been born within and watched torn to pieces...it had not been insubstantial. Not when he is already afflicted with a curse and lost so much already.
Though, speaking of which, he lets out a small cough that managed to slip through. ]
I believe that should be enough for now. Unfortunately, I can't say that my journey with the Traveler through the Chasm hasn't been without peril. So, I must leave for now. If you have any further questions, we may talk later.
[ He turns away and begins to make his departure. ]
[ Dainsleif wonders a little at that. Not because he doubts it, but because he is actually glad that they had not run into one another in the Chasm of all places. While he doesn't have any worries about Kaeya's combat ability due to hearing enough rumors while in Mondstadt, and knowing he possesses more than just swordplay, given the kind of machinations present in that area, it could've been troublesome for a first meeting. Better that it be somewhere that isn't hampered by things like, you know, irritating Abyss Heralds, Abyss Lectors, and their wretched henchmen.
Better it be on somewhere that is more neutral ground...like this. Even if this place still isn't exactly ideal in his mind for a reunion. But, maybe there is something to what Kaeya has said—fate oft has its plans. Though he would dare not subscribe to the thought he is constrained ultimately by such things. ]
"Khaenri'ah".
[ He repeats the name of the homeland. The fact remains that it is lost, and it will never be revived in the way that it once was. But, to lose the memory of the name of the place he had been born within and watched torn to pieces...it had not been insubstantial. Not when he is already afflicted with a curse and lost so much already.
Though, speaking of which, he lets out a small cough that managed to slip through. ]
I believe that should be enough for now. Unfortunately, I can't say that my journey with the Traveler through the Chasm hasn't been without peril. So, I must leave for now. If you have any further questions, we may talk later.
[ He turns away and begins to make his departure. ]
[ Hope Kaeya has his phone on because Diluc's texting him for once. It's a brief, as usual. ]
Do we have spare cloths?
[ No need to tell him he's actively bleeding on his phone from his opposite hand because his knife slipped. It's fine. He just wants to wrap it and be done with it without staining the floorboards. ]
Do we have spare cloths?
[ No need to tell him he's actively bleeding on his phone from his opposite hand because his knife slipped. It's fine. He just wants to wrap it and be done with it without staining the floorboards. ]
[At night, Rinne sends a pic of Eula and Hiiro on a boat holding painted rocks. Eula's also in a stupid, sexy angler fish costume. She tried to stop Rinne, but, well. You can tell how that turned out.
Welcome back from the dead? He can look at this whenever he's alive again.]
Welcome back from the dead? He can look at this whenever he's alive again.]
[ This is the greatest present Kaeya has ever received, and he's including his Vision on that list. This is absolutely worth dying over. Congrats Rinne, you've just shot all the way up to the top of his favorite redheads list. ]
you are my hero
how on earth did you convince the good captain to wear such...unique attire?
you are my hero
how on earth did you convince the good captain to wear such...unique attire?
[ Ugh, finally. He doesn't care about being The Nest's hottest right now. Someone is enjoy his magnum opus. ]
it's the power of love, kaekae
these cards say we gotta catch fishies yeah?
but there's no fish in the boiling lake
we had to improvise
you need to catch one too? i'll trade u
it's the power of love, kaekae
these cards say we gotta catch fishies yeah?
but there's no fish in the boiling lake
we had to improvise
you need to catch one too? i'll trade u
I should have told you.
[ it isn't a hard statement to make. not at all. he knows he should have. now, that is. he knows he should have relayed what he planned to do that evening, but it had been a desperate bid. it still is. outside this apartment complex, tucked into a shallow alcove, he'd deserved the earlier comments. he'd deserved the barbs, the finer point of kaeya's words. he knows.
he discards what remains of his cigarette, grinds out the ember beneath his heel. and then — he pauses, assesses. he turns, curls his hands about kaeya's. he anchors himself as much as he anchors him. kaeya's willingness to hear him had been gift enough. he'd have waited even longer to struggle with the shape of his own words as he is. ]
In the moment, I thought: if I can prevent this from happening again — [ for all that he keeps his gaze steady, he can't quite meet his eye. it's all he can do, to think of anything else. to not think of kaeya in the square. to not think of him awash with the red of his own blood, the painful angle of his fingers. but here he is. his brow knits, mouth pulling. ] If I can prevent them from attempting to finish what they started, then my actions would be worth it.
[ he glances up again, after a beat. for all that he speaks to him softly, diluc's hands hold his tightly. ]
I didn't consider how you would feel.
[ it isn't a hard statement to make. not at all. he knows he should have. now, that is. he knows he should have relayed what he planned to do that evening, but it had been a desperate bid. it still is. outside this apartment complex, tucked into a shallow alcove, he'd deserved the earlier comments. he'd deserved the barbs, the finer point of kaeya's words. he knows.
he discards what remains of his cigarette, grinds out the ember beneath his heel. and then — he pauses, assesses. he turns, curls his hands about kaeya's. he anchors himself as much as he anchors him. kaeya's willingness to hear him had been gift enough. he'd have waited even longer to struggle with the shape of his own words as he is. ]
In the moment, I thought: if I can prevent this from happening again — [ for all that he keeps his gaze steady, he can't quite meet his eye. it's all he can do, to think of anything else. to not think of kaeya in the square. to not think of him awash with the red of his own blood, the painful angle of his fingers. but here he is. his brow knits, mouth pulling. ] If I can prevent them from attempting to finish what they started, then my actions would be worth it.
[ he glances up again, after a beat. for all that he speaks to him softly, diluc's hands hold his tightly. ]
I didn't consider how you would feel.
Edited 2023-03-11 02:37 (UTC)
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