EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE (PT 2)

[aionmods]

The Empty Throne Pt 2

ESCAPE

As more and more of the prisoners awaken to the Pleroma's power, it soon becomes clear that conflict is inevitable. Strength that was locked away blossoms once again, and simply waiting is no longer an option; those that remain in the cavern have made their choice, and they will not be kept there so easily.

By means that may not be immediately apparent, the Pleroma have found themselves able to cast a spell that will ensure their freedom... but only if they can last the half hour it may take to complete. Whatever this power, Xishen, the Aion orchestrator of the Kenoma's ritual, seems able to sense it. As it begins, she will appear at each of the Kenoma's sides.

"The Pleroma has taken hold of them," she says. "Stop them now, or when you see them again, it will be as your mortal enemies. If you believe in the Kenoma's promise, take a stand. The Regent is watching."

For those that heed her, it will not be hard to find the congregation of Pleroma, the first seeds of their teleportation magic taking form. What's more, the fires of their hope have been stoked by this new chance at survival, granted them a surge of energy born of the Pleroma, compensating for the poor state of their bodies. The tension comes to a head, between those that would follow the Regent's path towards a better universe, and those that would seize the wild power of the Pleroma to escape.

Whatever violence ensues, eventually it will come to an end. Despite the Kenoma's efforts, the teleportation spell will come to fruition, enveloping the Pleroma in a sea of light and warmth. The Kenoma can only watch as fractals of blinding color whisk the Pleroma away.

VALLEY OF INNOCENCE

You will find yourself at the Shrine of the Innocent, surrounded by a valley of flourishing wildflowers. As you step from the shade of the monument, you will find your arrived here just in time to enjoy a warm spring spring morning, the sound of birds and gentle breezes tickling your ears. The sun slowly drifts past the horizon, its rays reaching out to you, as if in comfort. The air itself is alight with a strange aura of peace, as if committing violence here would be a sacrilege. There are no man made structures as far as your eyes can see.

Flowers of all shapes and sizes can be found here, and so can fresh water and various fruits and berries. All of them are safe to eat, and seemingly grow in abundance. There are animals here as well, all the common types one would expect from a place like Earth, with the occasional odd addition. While you can try to hunt them, you will find yourself unable to follow through on any attempts to hurt the creatures here. In turn, they regard you as familiar, and will fearlessly wander close as they inspect these new arrivals. In the distance, you may even catch sight of what appears to be a unicorn, only for its ephemeral shape to disappear from sight just as quickly.

The Pleroma will find safety and comfort here for a time, before they recover enough to travel onward. At some point during the afternoon of the first day, they may spot the occasional humanoid figure moving in the distance; when attempting to move in their direction, they will find an assortment of clothing set out across the grass as if in offering. It will come in many sizes but in mostly plain colors, fitting a general aesthetic of 'things a fantasy peasant might wear'. There will also be some blankets, wrapped cheese, jams, jerky, and bread left alongside them.

While there are trees and brush enough to find shelter, the Pleroma will find they hardly need to while resting here. The weather will be picturesque, a comfortable temperature even at night, and there will be no disruptive rain or aggressive wind. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and even though there could stay here for days, what if the Regent's forces are on their way? Once again, they must find the strength to carry on.

THE TRIWATER

As the Pleroma vanish, those claimed by the Kenoma are left in the darkness of the throne room. The Hylician soldiers are clearly agitated by the fighting, but Xishen herself seems unflustered. She will only sigh before quietly coming to the aid of any Kenoma that still need it, providing some light healing magics and explaining that their work here is over. With the Pleroma gone, all that's left to do is to return to Achamoth.

Things move quickly from there. The camp grounds are packed up, and soon enough the Kenoma will be ushered towards the river at the edge of the forest, to board a particularly large river vessel. As the Hylician soldiers prepare to go their separate ways, you will be told that you are to take the Triwater river to the capital city of Achamoth, where you will finally meet your new master, the Regent. The vessel is big enough for all of you, and it will set off the moment everyone is boarded. Suddenly, the world of entrapment and ruins you've been living in since your arrival will be left behind, leaving you to ponder the nature of your future.

The boat itself is well equipped and comfortable for what it is. A variety of colorful hammocks are hung in the lower decks and are open to be claimed for the journey back, which will take a day or two. The Kenoma will be offered a change of clothes of a similar style to what they already have if necessary, and there are plenty of blankets and cushions available to make life in the hold more comfortable. There are dice available for games of chance as well as some mystifying decks of cards that seems to have twelve suits with five cards each, themed around the Legacies. The twelfth suit is for the Regent.

Though the sailors controlling the vessel will mostly keep to themselves and leave the Kenoma alone, one of them will occasionally play harp music on the deck. Though they probably don't actually need help running the ship, they will let the Kenoma help them with chores and ship running tasks if they are so inclined; generally speaking, these sailors just seem like normal people, albeit a bit shy of their passengers. If you're polite to them, they may even gives you a river tour of Horos. On this ride alone, you'll get to see several magnificent bridges spanning the Triwater's width. At night, you are treated to a clear spring sky filled with stars.

As you make it closer to Achamoth, you'll notice the landscape shift, becoming mountainous and dotted with more and more military watch posts. The land becomes increasingly lifeless in a way that's hard to put your finger on, nature giving way to man-made creations of impressive architectural prowess. Soon, you will meet the person behind it all.

QUESTIONS

Can my Kenoma character fight against other Kenoma and/or help the Pleroma?
Yes, though if you do this you must describe what your character has done in a reply to the "Committed Actions" top-level below. This way, the mods can be aware of what happened and have your character treated accordingly. They are unlikely to receive immediate consequences if they don't hurt their fellow Kenoma, but their choices will follow them into Achamoth. If a Kenoma vs Kenoma conflict escalates into serious violence (attempted or successful) committed by the Kenoma rebel, Xishen will intervene and consequences will happen immediately which may restrict their actions until the next event post.

Can our characters leave the valley?
They can, yes, but really this event is just meant to cover the day or two they spend recovering before finding a more permanent place to go. You are free to have your character investigate the valley and probe the spaces beyond it, but please save any plans for large scale travel to the next event, which will be happening on April 2nd. The game will move into a 1:1 time ratio as of then.

Can our characters leave the boat?
Technically yes, but any Kenoma who wander too far will get in trouble. You are expected to report to the Regent, and behaving as if you are considering doing otherwise will not make an good impression.

Does the hope-based Pleroma boost last into the valley?
The boost to Pleroma characters will fade shortly after arriving in the valley, like coming down from a high. They'll have to recover the normal way from there.

Comments

[salvageable]

[ If only it was enough.

There's no doubt he's still rattled by the emotional turmoil the sickness had inflicted on him, and it wasn't at all helped by the fact that he'd never recovered from an onslaught of traumatic events before arriving in this strange world. He'd been picked up at his very weakest, the incessant desire to see the end of himself plaguing his thoughts and worsening upon arrival at the sight of a familiar face, one that reminds him of how wretched he is every time he has to see it. And now that he's been presented an opportunity to fight and escape, he's finding it difficult to do the former.

The last battle he'd fought, he'd seen too many lives lost and sacrifices made. He'd watched families torn apart, friends turning on friends, screams tearing past throats at meeting their ends, and all for what? His own twisted amusement, he'd later discover.

He's tired of fighting, he distantly thinks as he sucks in a breath and shakily exhales through his nose. But since when has being tired of something ever stopped him? He'd been tired of commuting, tired of working, tired of completing scenarios,

of living.

But he'd still done it, hadn't he? And now as he raises himself back up on unsteady legs, a sweep of vertigo briefly threatening to topple him back over before he quickly catches himself against the wall, Dokja finds that he's back at the very beginning. He thought he'd reached his end, but it looks like his story has simply looped back around for another turn, an unknown continuation he doesn't know the first thing about. A second chance? There's nothing as hopeful as that left inside of him. But another story...?

That's tantalizing. ]

I remember you.

[ Not fully, not clearly, but her words are far too similar to past ones for Dokja to miss such a detail. He remembers waking up, confused and out of it, to berries tucked against him and he thinks of that now as he pushes himself off the wall to stagger forward. There are holes in his memory, and when he tries to recollect pieces of that moment, there are more gaps than whole images. Still, at the very least he remembers being helped, and now that they're faced off like this, he assumes the worst. That she had just been trying to lure him to the other side with small dabbles of comfort.

He's never been good at understanding people. ]

I'm fine now. What I can do is continue this fight.

[lachtara]

"Assuming I care to teach them - " He precludes his answer with. "Yes, given they have the aptitude to do so and a willingness to learn."

Emet-Selch glances briefly to his palm. The aether here is different than what he knows. He silently wonders how that could impact anything he could teach or do beyond what is already noticeable.

He looks to the youth and asks, "For whom are you asking? Or is it just idle curiosity."

[semicharmed]

[ Looking Matt up and down revealed a frame best described as "twiggy," and a lack of any features that could rightly be called imposing. Even the scar across his left cheek, faint with age and thin, didn't say don't mess with me so much as this one time at fencing camp.

He had something of a presence around him too. Though Matt's was more like the haze of an aura photograph. Smudged glitter, light filtered through a roseate lens.

He visibly stumbled at Silco's very good points, previously unconsidered. Matt wasn't even sure what Pleroma was, except that the Aion made it sound like an infection--and even if he didn't trust her, that didn't make her wrong. ]

Well, luckily, we don't have to convince the masses, [ Matt rallied. ] Just a few people who've been through the same thing we have.

I don't know, words worked on me.

[ And a small amount of hair-stroking.

(Because no circumstances, however dire, could fully compromise Matt's eye for aesthetics, he noted as he peered through the shield spell: Heterochromia. Pretty.) ]

[salvageable]

[ It's a sad sight to see, isn't it? If Dokja thinks so, it doesn't show in the impassive way he stares at Gen, black eyes steady as he watches the boy try to pick himself up before returning to the ground. But there is something there in that hollow gaze and it flickers, for a moment, toward the direction of where he'd last seen the Aion.

He'd be a hypocrite (more like further cemented in his hypocrite status) if he thought anything of her bringing a powerless teenager into this sort of place. After all, he'd done the same for his own war, even recruited children not yet in their teens to fight his battles for him. But he'd done it with the knowledge of their potential, of what they could do for him, and so he wonders what it is that's being seen in Gen.

Whatever it is, he'd rather it appear sooner rather than later. He doesn't know what's in store for all of them in this strange world, but having experienced what they have in the past few weeks, Dokja's certain that they'll never be far from danger. And while it's not concern that squeezes his chest as he returns his attention to the boy on the ground, there's something unpleasantly adjacent to it. ]

Someone as weak as you can't kill me.

[ Consider it motivation masked in a taunt. For now, he steps back as he glances toward where the fighting has picked up near the casters. He's needed elsewhere. ]

Do your best to stay alive.

[ Or don't. He tells himself it's not his business. Anyway, with those encouraging words, Dokja turns on his heel, summoning the wind to him to return to the thick of where the battles are commencing, leaving Gen where he is. ]

[killandrecycle]

[The expression she wears on her own face is anything but bland. There's an obvious scowl on it. No doubt plenty was bothering her, but the same could likely be said about everyone making the journey with her. But once she's finished talking, she seems to start to relax.]

The list of things that piss me off has no end, I could go on for ages. But you're not really interested, are you? I'm just up here because I couldn't sleep. Too many bad memories getting in the way of that.

[There's a bit less of en edge to her voice as she speaks. She moves to the railing, arms reaching up to rest on it. Her eyes turn to look up towards the sky.]

Do you really think those little dots are 'beautiful'? I've never thought about it myself. What makes them so great? They're just stars.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt's certainly not gonna be the one to disprove Misa's theory. Maybe it's not ego exactly, the way he cranes towards connection like a plant seeking the sun, but the end result is the same: a small thrill of pleasure that, despite everything going on right now, she's near him.

That's all background, of course. Undertow. The top of Matt's brain follow's Misa's gaze, his lips twitching into a frown of displeasure at the violence erupting around them. At her suggestion, his frown sharpens with curiosity. ]

That's a good idea, [ he realizes, and adds sheepishly, ] I guess I've been, like, mostly trying to put out fires. Metaphorically.

[ He considers the array of weapons. ]

I could cast some kind of spell ... like a shield or something, to keep them contained. But I might need a few tries to get all of them, since the radius isn't that big?

[expiera]

[His declaration rings like an accusation. However slightly, her eyes seem to narrow even further. She wanted to avoid feeding his assumptions, yet she misspoke. Had she been that careless? Why...

...]

You're oddly fixated on delusions. What are you hoping to gain, insisting on knowing a stranger who's already told you so?

[Maybe it's a natural outcome for someone with inordinate attachment to stories, not that she would know. She wilfully ignores his claim at still being capable of fighting, but takes the opportunity to recover the whip she's previously discarded on the ground with a flick of her feet. The stubborn ones are always the most troublesome. ...Suppose she would know, for more than just a few reasons.]

[coerthantorment]

[Unfortunately, the lightning provides little incentive to stay put - his natural reaction to the attack is to dodge rather than stay put, and his dragoon ability to leap provides an easier escape than moving to the side. He sees her rocket into position just as he's leaving the ground, narrowly missing the kick and skimming the curst of electricity, landing in the space behind her not long after. He doesn't pause for long, though. He knows a speedy fighter like this won't allow it.

As soon as he lands, he's already preparing to leap again, turning to face her as another surge of draconic energy floods from him. This time, though, it's signaled by the formation of an arcane circle around her feet, as if marking her as his intended target. He spirals into the air, his trajectory defying any sense of gravity, almost as if carried by invisible wings - and as he reaches his apex, he hangs for only a moment, lining up his prey.

Around him, swirls of energy are beginning to form circles of light, set to propel his path towards her. The implies offensive power of the move is even greater than any of those that came before it.]

[vapour]

[ Childe is surprised by her comment more than anything but also decently intrigued. She didn't look like much in terms of dishing out threats (or anything else, but that's most mages he's met,) but she can't possibly think he doesn't know what he's doing in terms of having a friend on the opposite side. Is this just awkward random commentary? ]

Ha! That's interesting!

[ he runs straight towards her, a rush of hydro energy swirling around him in response her readying another spell if she dares fire, he'll be able to put it out before it can do anything to really harm him. he does however slow down enough to make absolutely sure she can cast that spell successfully. He needs to get a better reading on what she can do, and he's not all that interested in killing anyone here so while he believes he could actually move fast enough to strike her down before she can cast something that's really dangerous to his life, he's still not sure if she's full-on squish material or has a hidden barrier he would slam into first.

He'll deal with that next, first he has to get a better idea of these spells of hers (is she single element, does she have two. Three or now? It's worth trying to find out everything in her kit while revealing as little as possible if his. Might as well get an answer on what she's trying to do here with a comment like that rather than simply ponder on it, too. ]

Why? You sound a little vicious, girlie, is that your intent?

[vapour]

[ her move is incredibly impressive in terms of thinking things through, and while he hears the gunshot come from one direction, he doesn't have the time to go there immediately because that stalactite is cracking loudly and dropping down on him. He moves and is able to get out of its range, but he ends up further away from her original spot in the process, whistling towards the debris that was close to hitting him once it's all on the ground, to express his awe. ]

So you're not just a good shot, after all. [ really, Childe's torn about this: he feels that the Kenoma could use a lot of the people on the Pleroma side as very few of the Kenoma seem that willing to do much of anything, but that would mean he wouldn't have the chance to battle with such impressive people unless he could convince them all to fight in spars all the time. He imagines that would be rather difficult, and thus, opportunity to gain strength by learning from others just as strong and stronger would be lost.

Childe does make his way at a casual place towards the area Caitlyn was hiding before (but not the exact spot,) so she did good to move. His eyes are sharp, and his ability to use the current moisture in the air to sense things in the area would probably have him found her, especially with the fact her gun (that he assumes is something like his own hydro blades) might give of enough magic for him to detect the difference in the atmosphere. He stands there a moment, silent, before he's pulling his two hydro blades to form a double bladed polearm. With one swing the stalagmites in that area, including the ones she had previously hid behind, slide apart like a hot knife cutting through butter. Perhaps he could have done that on the falling one, as well. Perhaps he could have just done that to begin with, it's uncertain what he's about with both his mannerisms and choice of actions. The only thing for sure is that he's practically giddy with a disturbed excitement that no one should be about fighting. ]

So, not only did you distract me, but you moved! [ this is interesting. He wishes he had hours to play this game with her, because he loves for the thrill of the actual chase. He doesn't have that kind of time, though (and neither does she,) so he'll have to try a little harder to pinpoint her. There's a good chance she's now in a better spot to disable him further than before, and he is going to have to search for a general direction as to where she may have gone, which means his eyes are quickly darting around the cave for places that look good. Unfortunately, it's dark and there are many places to camp out in this chaotic situation.]

How did the Pleroma pull in so many interesting people, I wonder.

[ he's talking to himself, but he's very much looking and prowling for any hints as to where she's run off to. ]

[vapour]

[ the meta text says you're welcome to him.

Childe does notice those eyes. As someone who gets by a lot of people by display an innocent and friendly nature in the best ways possible both sincerely and to slip into into things, he knows a thing or two about the eyes rarely being able to live up to the facade. His own are like that, dead and lifeless, although I've can only really tell when in the light just how much of a void they are when they catch none of it at all. ]

Oh? Do you think I'll have to be at my best, too, to get through you? That's a problem, if so, because I'm clearly not.

[ Childe is well aware he's not able to go all out anymore even if he wanted to (which he doesn't) without consequences to himself. He's interested in fighting all these people, but he's not so much hellbent on not letting them escape that he'd put his own life on the line, and he's not thinking about the injuries the opponents have and will still inflict unless he backs down. That's only worth doing when the opponent is worth going all out on with no chance the opponent is going to suddenly disappear in minutes if that spell is cast.

The situation is clear: they want to leave far more badly than Childe wants to stop them, which means in the end, they're going to escape. As much as the Harbinger prefers to not acknowledge this until the clock is out (he likes winning just as much as anyone else,) it's already known in the back of his head. ]

[vapour]

[ she's not entirely correct.

Childe hasn't been fighting his hardest to prevent them from escaping; he's been fighting his hardest (that he can, anyway, despite being better off than any of the Pleroma, he's still not in any condition to be fighting truly hard) for the sake of getting to fight as many opponents as possible in the time limit.

Of course, at this point there is very little time left, and he does have a general need to complete his "missions," even if this isn't really a mission. Even so, the order doesn't come from the Tsaritsa, so the absolute mentality to do it at all costs is lacking.

He's still riled up, though. He's still on a battle high from the adrenaline and the pain and the chaos.

Everything else she says and feels is true, however. He has absolutely never given her a choice, whether it's to fight or let him hang around her when she'd been on commissions in Liyue. It's aggressive and unfair of him to give her no choice, but Childe has never really cared because as far as he's concerned, Lumine has let him. It's always been about what he wants on his angle, and if she's not assertive enough to bully him back into doing things her way, then he sees it as a victory and also permission to respect or not respect what she wants however he likes.

It hasn't really crossed his mind concerning their conversation of him saying he would be leaving her. Unless she mentions it, it won't come around into his head until well after he's calmed down. Despite his obsessive nature with the Traveler, he's never felt particularly wanted (partly due to his choices and rarely allowing hers) by her. So the idea never enters his head that she may feel slighted by his current change in direction, which wasn't even intentional—something just stirred and encouraged him into fighting with them rather than thinking about whether he should leave now, too, or not.

Now, all he sees is the Traveler getting in his way and offering no compensation for his inconvenience and dislike of stopping. ]

You say I haven't given you a choice, but you draw your sword out of choice, anyway. That's not convincing. If you really don't want to do it, then convince me!

[ Childe moves, then, his electro-spear coming forward as he swings an attack straight for her. If Lumine just wants to keep falling into his manipulation to get her to do as he prefers, even in things like sparring, then so be it. If not, she'll have to assert himself.

He knows she can, afterall, otherwise he would have dragged her into the ranks of the Fatui long ago. Or is she really suggesting he simply hasn't be pushy enough and he could give her no choice in that, as well? ]

[traversal]

[ lumine digs her heels on the ground, sending a wave of geo energy across the floor and erecting glowing walls of stone around the both of them. still, despite this move, she doesn't try to take the offence, holding her sword in a defensive stance. she'd rather he does, so she can study him. see what openings he can make and what she can take advantage of to keep him at bay.

besides, there's no point in rushing through this fight when she can stall just as much time by doing this. ]

Come at me, then. Prove me wrong.

good because I love teal deers

[vapour]

Ah, so she's willing to defend herself, but not start the fight.

That's fine with Childe, but he'll later tuck that knowledge to use to his advantage and see how far it can get him if he ever had to be underhanded about something. Twirling his hydro blades to bring them forward and together, he connects them into a double-sided lance, the water concentrated so solid into the weapons that they are easily as sharp as any steel with the added power of being unlimited and at his immediate disposal. He's planning to attack her head on, because it's the easiest way to be threatening enough that she will have to do something, but not critical enough he imagines she'll immediately pull out any big guns as they say.

"What else can I do but respect your intentions?" Childe laughs. He identifies the light as something to be wary of, and although he has never seen 'unattuned visions' that lack an element before, he's well aware that if she can create anything at all that is elementless to begin with, then she probably has several elements at her disposable.

He's also not aware (lucky for her but also unlucky for him) that her powers seem to be in tune to nature and their surroundings, but it's yet another thing he will pocket to his mental inventory if he does. Childe is able to manipulate it, but also able to create the raw element itself, so he is not used to any magic than he already knows of. Anything that does more than a vision can in his world is the power of higher beings.

[traversal]

[ she thanks her quietly, offering a faint smile as she takes a deep, painful breath.

her magic seems to be a different kind from the one she's used to seeing. but healing is healing, and even lumine can feel some of her injuries slowly mending as she passes on her power. skin knitting together, bruises lightening ... it's just her rib that needs tending a little longer, the pain still throbbing at her side. ]

I'm hoping it's because he held back a bit.

[ he didn't. childe never does in any of their fights, that much she can look forward to. her injuries from him are just elsewhere, nearly invisible on her person. she supposes those kinds of damages heal slower than most. ]

Good job beating him black and blue, though.

[epiprocta]

[ Were he fully lucid, Gen probably would've bitched more about Amos drinking from the flask instead of getting his own goddamn drink. So it's probably for the best that he's too tired to care about something of that caliber, reaching forward to take it without comment when Amos hands it over; he takes a long drink before coming up with a hard gasp, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He's still clearly disoriented and exhausted, but at least he's regained a little bit of the clarity and focus in his gaze.

Which, honestly, is sorely needed at the moment, because he fixes Amos with an incredulous stare as he blurts out, ]

-- you would've tried to kill'em?

[ Notably, he doesn't sound horrified or scandalized by the prospect. Just dubious. And there's only a brief pause before he corrects himself at a brusque deadpan, lest Amos get the wrong impression that he's weak or soft. ]

Seems hasty. I assumed she would've wanted them alive, after spending all that time keeping'em trapped in that cave. [ Does he sound defensive? Maybe just a little bit. After all, it's not like he has any real experience with serious fights, anything beyond the level of what small-town thugs and delinquents would be dealing with. ] I figured just beating the shit out of'em and handing them over would've been enough.

[ Which he failed at. Embarrassingly. Thinking about it is mortifying now that he's starting to regain the ability to piece together his thoughts, and Gen sighs as he slumps back against the cave wall. ]

... whatever. No skin off my back if she gives you shit for sitting around doing fuck-all during this, I guess.

[vapour]

[ that course of action normally would do nothing but make the Harbinger laugh and Childe would just dodge in the process, but he is actually dumbfounded momentarily by the other's commitment to just charge at him. This is something he's used to seeing in training or based fights, not actual battles, so he wonders if the other is able to fight. He didn't expect to fight someone without a weapon if they didn't have close-quarter combat skills, but this guy is certainly committed to protecting the others.

At the last possible moment, Childe does get out of the way, knowing full well that even a deer can trample a predator under their hooves if the predator allows itself to get beneath them.

The harbinger jumps up (of course much higher than a normal human can, but that alone is nothing special as they're all aions, now) rather than dodging to the side. Dextera will feel the light pressure of a foot at his back before Childe twists and goes to shove his second foot hard enough to hopefully cause the other to lose balance and tumble forward from the force.

Regardless, Childe will land on the ground in a crouch, facing Dextera's direction, but he doesn't approach or try to take advantage of a possible opening.

Something's off with this guy. Isn't he afraid he's going to get himself really hurt doing something crazy like that just now? He needs to be cautious until he better understands the other, his lack of responding to the Harbinger's words before engaging is not unheard of, but...
is the other actually just rotting with him and refuses to show him what he's take capable of? ]

You... what are you thinking doing something so careless like that! [ granted, this must sound rather odd, like he's actually concerned about the other's wellbeing here. ]

[epiprocta]

[ -- haha, that's more like it. That's more the reaction he's used to. The hand tearing out of his grasp, the way Dextera angles his head away, the quickly-averted gaze before Dextera squeezes his eyes shut like he can't bear to look at him. Distaste, disgust, disdain. It's all enough to earn a sharp bark of bitter laughter; brief as it is, the humorless noise must sound terribly caustic and loud with the way Gen continues invading Dextera's personal space. ]

Guess you're not as dumb as you act sometimes, huh.

[ Then, before Dextera can open his eyes or steel himself for it, there's a sudden shove -- Gen's hand slapping square against his chest and thrusting him back a step. There's enough force put into the gesture that Dextera might lose his balance, but regardless of whether Dextera actually manages to stay on his feet or not, it's still an ironically merciful gesture.

It's only because he harbors some tiny crumb of patience and goodwill towards Dextera that Gen says what he says next. ]

Fuck off. I'm not in the mood to play charades with you.

Woohoo! hope you're enjoying yourself, too c:

[vapour]

[ for what it's worth, that short protest does get Childe to stay his hand if he was planning to get violent with the other, although the cat with its caught canary sensation isn't having to go away for Matt any time soon. He crocuses down, pressing his weight further on to Matt as he balances himself and leans forward, amused. ] Oh? Is that why we're here stopping them? I really never considered it.

[ the thing is that Childe has a bad habit of playing into people's fears, which means even though he is quickly losing what little interest he had of harming the other, he's going to drop one off his blades in favor of wrapping his hand around and tightening his grip on the other's neck. It's not enough to suffocate him or even make breathing all that hard, but it's plenty enough to spur panic in most people, especially when one as unpredictable as Childe is looming over them. ]

Why don't you explain yourself a little better?

[traversal]

[ truth be told, she should be suspicious of it, too. rations and clothes don't just pop up on the ground like mushrooms, after all. her life of traveling across vast terrains and worlds has prepared her for circumstances like this, keeping her wary of anything and everything around her. but at the same, it's also allowed her to be open towards little blessings such as these.

also, she's very hungry, having only eaten so small portions in the past several days or so. ]

You have to admit, this is the best food we've had so far in this world.

[ she chuckles softly as she watches him take a bite of the sandwich before she does the same with hers. not as good as the one sara makes back in mondstadt, but it can't be helped when there's nothing else to work with but cheese and jerky. ]

Hopefully, it'll be better from here on out.

[vapour]

What a delight! Childe's not sure if Estinien is just that easy to rile or he's preemptively agitated (or both? both would make sense,) but this is about as good a reaction as he could hope for.

Since he's not sure of his opponent's fighting style, he is careful to make sure that he is well prepared to dodge anything that might get sent his way. The mess of rubble kicked up is damn well a nuisance despite getting a decent distance, though.

It's dropped quickly from midair right back to the ground, however, with Childe conjuring hydro energy with enough pressure to counter it with water and prevent it from hitting him and otherwise getting into his face and eyes if he wasn't far enough out of range. Clearly, Estinien is missing his weapon and his more dangerous moves are reliant on it. He's sure if he had a lance or something, this would have been a lot more tricky to dodge and deal with, although he doesn't know the full extent.

Still, he keeps respectable distance, even if he's tempted not to.

"Ah ha! Good, good. I'll absolutely look forward to facing off with you when you're at full strength. It's a date."

[epiprocta]

... this guy has to be doing this on purpose, right? Perhaps predictably, Gen scowls in the fact of that question, the way he dips his gaze and rubs a hand at his freshly-healed wrist making it clear he's hesitant to give what must be an obvious answer.

But after a moment's pause, he does mumble, "Me. I'd wanna learn it. If I can."

He doesn't often ask people for any sort of help, and he accordingly sounds stiff and awkward as he mutters that request. Still, he's well aware he's out of his depth here -- he should probably scrabble for every extra advantage he can get. It's just a little humbler, a little less reluctant when he adds quietly, "If ... you could teach me."

[traversal]

[ if there's at least one thing she can count on her twin brother, it's him protecting her blind side as she protects his. it's the only way her reckless way of fighting even works, knowing that there will always be someone parrying any attacks to come her way. but as it stands, aether's not here nor was he in the previous world she was in, so lumine has to adjust. guard her own back while fighting, be more wary in combat situations.

still, other situations happen, such as being caught off-guard by a slew of fireballs heading her way. lumine catches it from the corner of her eyes, but distracted as she is with her current fight, all she can do is kick her opponent away and hold up her sword, bracing herself.

—only the attack doesn't come, and she's startled to see them bouncing off of a near-invisible shield, a few singed hairs on her arm the only harm done. ]

Mm, thank you—

[ lumine also stops in mid-sentence, deflecting a blow from one of the soldiers with her sword, clearly aimed towards moiraine. her other hand summons a tight ball of swirling electro energy, striking it to his chest and sending him careening backward into a heap on the ground.

in the soldier's place arrive several more, however, as they both find their footing once more. ]

But I think we can exchange pleasantries later, yes? [ she glances at the other woman, offering a small smile. ] When we're done with this, I mean.

[traversal]

[ she'd be glad to know that her assessment of him isn't entirely incorrect: inconsiderate, brutish, a total bully, self-centered—the list goes on, really. but that'll have to be a conversation on another day, perhaps when she finally sees him again and is allowed to land a punch on his face for being an irreverent asshole right now.

as it stands, any conversation with childe will have to wait while he's busy relishing his own defeats at the hands of, what was that, another tiny girl? it seems like he likes it so much that he's so impatient to clash blades with her.

lumine deflects his attack with her sword, her heels digging into the dirt as she grits her teeth. she can feel the heat of the purple energy against her skin, arcing across his spear and her blade as he pushes in close. a tight ball of anemo swirls in her other palm and she drives it towards his face just as she jumps a few feet back from its inevitable area of attack, the vacuum exploding upon release.

she lands back on her feet lightly, her sword still at her side. it remains silver, her elemental power still held back. ]

What, and just willingly accept your attack?

[ and disappoint him? c'mon, he knows her better than that, better than most people she's encountered in teyvat. reluctant as she may be to fight him, she's not simply going to give in. why else would he be persistent in trying to fight her, after all. ]

You haven't conquered the world yet, so I can't die here. Isn't that what you told me?

[ besides, isn't this her form of asserting herself, too? ]

[expiera]

[The enclosed space and not having access to her preferred weapon of choice is limiting, but it's glaringly obvious that this is even more the case for him. These techniques aren't anti-unit, designed primarily to combat against human-sized individuals; anti-army or against something of far greater size at the very least, used in conjunction with a large and sweeping weapon that would more adequately fit the towering warrior's size. A large two-handed broadsword or a lance, perhaps? It's difficult to hazard a better guess from the way he's been fighting so far, but she would lean towards the latter personally.

The small daggers offered by the Hylician soldiers will not be enough, even as catalysts for more complex spells. She didn't plan to use those seriously when she was first offered, but she's not one to shy away from "unpopular" methods either when push comes to shove. Thus it happens within the next eyeblink: the blur darts out before his next attack could begin wholly manifesting, a whip of the exact same kind that the soldiers employed to force obedience out of all of them since the moment they've been discovered at their respective shrine. Lashing out and coiling around his elbow with a dry snapping sound, she's using it as a traditional whip to both drag him down and pull her up, intending to follow it up with a crushing blow at his solar plexus. She has no explicit intention of exerting her will upon another's body the same way the soldiers have, but unbeknownst to her, how much focus this fight demands has her do exactly so on an unconscious level. The need to keep a certain measure of control on the flow of this battle and have him less mobile seep into his muscles like a slow acting poison, albeit one he'll find himself amply capable of resisting unlike before. The Pleroma-attuned group have been bolstered by its power, the specific brand of submission these whips are capable of administering has become inversely proportional to how strong and unbending the target's willpower is. She only seeks to close the distance between them once more, before he unleashes something else she won't readily be able to extricate herself from. Scars old and fresh littering his body, some caused by something binding, are not lost on her, but she doesn't give them much thought. What else is there to glean from them, other than further testament to how much time he must've spent on various battlefields?]