ᴏᴘᴇɴ ▸ we became strangers.
WHO: Kaeya & you.
WHAT: Event aftermath.
WHERE: Achamoth + Venera.
WHEN: Early into the month of Visoseri (June).
WARNINGS: Alcohol abuse and bad coping mechanisms.
i. liminal spaces.
achamoth
achamoth | cw: alcohol abuse
venera
WHAT: Event aftermath.
WHERE: Achamoth + Venera.
WHEN: Early into the month of Visoseri (June).
WARNINGS: Alcohol abuse and bad coping mechanisms.
i. liminal spaces.
achamoth
[ the past few days have been harrowing, but hasn't that been the case since he arrived here? it doesn't feel like rest and relaxation are part of the horos vocabulary, but that's fine with him, really. he can use the distraction. after coming back from venera, it's been difficult to stop himself from going over what happened in detail, over and over and over again, as if the next time he does it, he'll find something he should have done differently. formulating a better plan for the future is better than wallowing in misery, but that's not what happens though.ii. you look lonely.
what happens is that he ends up more spaced out than not.
this is the best time to catch him unaware. he might be in the library, standing next to a shelf while he pours over a book without really reading its contents. or he might be walking down any hallway without an apparent destination in mind, aimlessly wandering until he realizes someone is trying to get his attention. he'll excuse himself and try to head the other way, if allowed to escape. and when he thinks no one is looking, he just seems... tired. exhausted.
the next few days are when it's much more difficult to spot him anywhere. he is making a conscious effort to avoid everyone, no matter where he goes. you might catch glimpses of him in some places at the citadel, not that he lingers long enough. he's also never around when it's time to eat, but somehow he'll always show up to any training sessions where your presence is mandatory, smile attached and mask firmly in place. any attempts to wrangle him into a communion will be ignored and left hanging for hours on end.
something is definitely on his mind, but the chances of getting him to talk about it are... well, only one way to find out. ]
achamoth | cw: alcohol abuse
[ if kaeya is nowhere to be found in the citadel, then he'll be at one of the many bars in achamoth's entertainment district.iii. ambience.
sometimes, he makes a point of not hiding the fact that he's an aion, content to surround himself with adoring fans while he enjoys their company and a few too many glasses of alcohol. he appears to be mostly unaware of his surroundings, uncaring of how many he's had to drink. he might listen to someone if they try to put a stop to this, but for the most part, he'll ignore any voice of reason, saying things like I've earned this, you know or Did you want to join me? or anything along those lines.
other times, he sits by himself at the furthest corner of every bar you find him in. it's like he's completely unaware of whoever tries to approach him, staring quietly at the empty glass he's holding. there's an alarming amount of them on the table, too. he's also just about to flag the bartender for one more glass if he isn't stopped. ]
venera
[ it's not long before kaeya makes his way back to venera.iv. wildcard me, baby.
while the contagion that once held the city hostage has been dealt with for the most part, there are still plenty of things that the venerans are left to take care of. kaeya can be found floating from one area to the next, helping around with whatever the locals need at that point. you might find him carrying someone's groceries, sometimes shopping on their behalf. you might also see him helping out with any rebuilding and clean-up efforts, because there are some areas in the city that didn't survive the incident unscathed.
for the most part, he doesn't bother hiding that he's an aion. he doesn't go out of his way to reveal the shard underneath the eyepatch but most of the locals do regard him warily, as if they're reluctant to let him help out. not that it deters him too much. if anything, that makes him more determined to lend a helping hand.
if he catches you in the same area, he will either invite you to go along with him if you're from kenoma or he might just head for the other direction if you're from pleroma. either way, his characteristic smile is nowhere to be found, and he looks... tired, like he hasn't slept properly in a while. ]
( ooc. sorry for all the come bother him! prompts, but he's a mess rn. i'm happy to write custom starters if none of these work though. other things i think kaeya can do will be aimlessly wandering around the streets of achamoth or venera for no apparent reason. he can be hassled into sharing what happened back at venera in full detail, but he'd likely only share these with fellow kenomies, at least the ones he semi-trusts (which he can count on one hand, oops). anyone from the lover legacy will be able to tell kaeya is feeling strangely empty despite the convincing smiles on his face. i'm sure i can think of more so just hit me up. 💜 )
ii sorry for more tags....
He'd not only gotten his drink, but lit a cigar -- to the wrinkled nose of the bartender, before he'd turned, fully intending to sit there in his usual spot, and not drink his drink, smoke, and people watch -- an old but familiar pastime that taught Silco more about this world, and about the people here. Something he needed to know desperately.
He caught sight of the sad sack at the bar -- the amount of glasses stank of abuse, before he really looked him up and down, and he scoffed, on his approach. ]
You don't have any dregs to pull together, before you order another?
[ he asked, gesturing with a single hand, that held a glass and a cigar both. His other -- the one missing -- in his coat pocket. ]
never be sorry!!
or maybe kaeya should have seen this coming. it shouldn't really surprise him that silco frequents this bar too given the kind of seedy atmosphere that the older man thrives in. his only saving grace is that he's maybe a few more glasses away from being practically wasted, making it possible for him to avoid a more pitiful display by slurring his words or something more pathetic.
but that's also a curse in and of itself: it means he's not drunk enough to survive whatever interaction this might end up becoming.
he tries not to sigh out loud. ]
Silco. [ he could be childish enough to bring up the missing hand, but he won't. ] One would think that we've seen enough of each other.
[ or maybe it's that one saying— misery loves company? ]
no subject
[ Silco took a sip of his drink. He hadn't gone on a bender like the rest of them did, but the familiar burn of whiskey is good right now. It takes the edge off, on the low-grade thrum of anger that whips up against him, at the lingering, slimy touch the memory of the innocent's touch on him. ]
You all know I tend to frequent the many bars of Achamoth. It was a risk you took, coming into one them.
[ Silco, after all, thrived in this environment. Even if he looked out of place, with his fine clothes and cravat, with a hand in his pocket to hide his missing hand, he looked out of place, but the way he swayed to avoid others, the way he caught the bartender's eye with cold command, he knew how seedy environments worked. ]
Although it looks like you've made them more money than I ever have. [ He said, pointing out the number of drinks in front of him. ]
no subject
What can I say? Alcohol is a vice I enjoy. [ with a shrug, he taps a finger against the rim of the empty glass. ] I like the way it makes me feel.
[ there was a whole lot more that happened after his encounter with silco. a series of (unfortunate) events that left him exhausted, left him looking for a distraction from the millions of things he needs to process just to make sense of it. alcohol takes away the sharpness of his mind's edge, dulls it to the point where he doesn't need to think for a while. it's a bandaid solution, but it's one he likes.
he looks at silco this time, gesturing at him. ]
How's your hand?
cw implied eye trauma
It's the same with drugs, and shimmer -- although his dosage had always been so low that it had done little more than left him writhing in pain more from the injection into his blackened eye, than the drugs themselves.
He nudged one of the drinks aside, tempted to let the bartender know not to give him any more for the day. ]
Crystalline. [ He admitted, but didn't take it out of the pocket. ] I'm not quite sure what's going on, but...it's different every day, so there's hope I'll be able to drink and smoke at the same time eventually.
[ Kaeya was too in his cups to try to lash out at him now, thankfully. He settled into a seat, and ordered a second drink. A rarity for him. ]
This can't be from...
[ The drowning. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
cw: drowning mention.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
i
Not wanting to interrupt, he'd intended to say hello should Kaeya happen and turn to head his way, but as time stretches on, he soon realises Kaeya has barely moved from looking at the same page for at least the past ten minutes, as if he's lost in thought. So Barnaby tentatively gets to his feet and calls over to him.]
Kaeya? Is everything all right?
no subject
it takes him even longer to recognize who it is. ]
—hm?
[ finally, he looks up from the book and sees that it's barnaby. ]
Everything's fine. What makes you think otherwise?
no subject
[A joke to try to lighten the mood, such as it is, but also an insinuation that he finds it hard to believe everything's fine. He might not know Kaeya well yet, but it seems uncharacteristic of him to be prone to spacing out.]
You've been standing there for a while. [And he's sure he doesn't have to point out that incredibly delayed reaction just now, too.]
no subject
Just something on my mind. Nothing you need to worry about.
[ quick to deflect, as always. ]
What are you doing here? Come to learn about the — [ here, he reaches for a random book on the shelf ] ... fantastical tales of the Regent's many conquests?
[ please. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
iii. because reasons
Maybe it's that reminder, of how easy it is to lose yourselves to fear, that makes him want to return to the city. Or maybe it's the desire to learn, to see, because so far he hasn't yet truly found any faith in ideologies so much as people.
It's also his own means of escape. It's too easy to fall into old chiefly duties when someone needs help and he spends much of his day doing just that — No task is too small, as his father once said. Well, maybe some tasks were too big. He's helped with plenty of roof repairs from rambunctious Vikings. Yet, somehow the eight-year-old who lived in the house below made him think Gustav was calm. ]
Careful, the roofing isn't in place yet so you can sl—
[ Slip. He means to say, for what feels like the dozenth time, but doesn't get out because the kid's half-running across the roof and does just that. He manages to move fast enough to grab him from falling off, but the bucket that was holding the shingles in place starts toppling off right towards the stranger passing with groceries below. The gods really hate him.
No way to get to it in time, he calls instead ]
Look out!
[ ooc: Lemme know if this doesn't work! I just played around a bit with the prompt ;u; ]
no subject
[ calling it an escape is a good way to put it.
kaeya needs the distraction, and venera is close enough to achamoth that it was an easy decision to make. there's also just some things he has to work through on his own time, all without doing so under the scrutiny of other kenoma aions, so he is currently on his way back from the market with bags of groceries in one hand. the single mother who had asked him for his assistance had supplied a lengthy list, but he's pretty sure he has everything.
it's an easy enough job— or so he thinks, when the voice of someone frantically calling out to him catches his attention. he looks up just in time to see the bucket falling straight for his head, but a quick snap of his fingers creates a small wall of ice overhead, protecting him from the brunt of the fall.
the bucket clinks along as it rolls to the ground. the wall of ice is gone by the time he speaks. the groceries are still safe in his grasp. ]
One would think that you're trying real hard to hurt someone here.
no subject
Gustav Junior proceeds to stick his tongue out at the pair, a good distance away (and for those who don't know them, may easily be mistaken as siblings)
At the strangers quip, Hiccup can't help but roll his eyes and let out a huff of breath: ]
Yeah. Myself.
[ He might as well have been rubbing his wounded pride with how he rubbed at his shin squinting at the kid as they scurried back down the hatch into the house: ] Guess you really don't want to learn to make that trap, huh?
[ Traps aren't toys for kids, but don't tell the Vikings of Berk that. Exhaling, he moved to reposition himself on the edge of the roof and waved a hand: ] No harm done, right? — Anyway, how'd you do that?
no subject
it's hard not to smile wryly, but he's a master of covering up his true emotions. no one would be the wiser when he flashes his winning smile. ]
Brothers, hm? They don't tend to appreciate their good fortune until it's gone. [ ah... ] Now, how did I do what, exactly? Dodge the bucket?
[ he answers by snapping his fingers, creating a small crystallized snowflake on the palm of his hands. ]
I don't believe it's ruined. It might be a little dented though. I do hope that's alright.
[ oops. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
iii. finally drags my corpse in here
So he comes with additional jools (from his own ledger) and an offer of physical assistance, both of which are immediately snapped up. The latter is taken by a wizened old lady, eyes barely visible beneath all the wrinkles but whose good cheer and enthusiasm would be right at home coming from someone in their twenties. She babbles as they walk to her home, talking about groceries and the recovey efforts and the very nice (and handsome!) young man whose been also lending her a hand.
Said nice (and handsome!) young man turns out to be none other than his favorite (?) friend (??) Kaeya, with whom the little old granna leaves him alone with while she bumbles off to grab her shopping list and a shawl. Eustace waits until she's out of earshot before greeting his fellow Kenoma. ]
You look terrible.
[ But then again so does he, his own face more wan than usual. It seems no one's really been sleeping well these days. ]
no subject
when the old lady leaves him behind to run another errand, he doesn't expect her to come back with another aion in tow. what's more, he doesn't expect it to be someone he knows. ]
Be nice. I took extra time to get ready today. [ he says, entirely facetious. the old lady is taking her time so this allows kaeya to fire back with a (half-hearted) comment of his own. there's hardly any bite to it. ] I'm glad you're feeling better though.
[ he could have mentioned how he's also glad to see eustace as whole again, but he won't. the implication should be enough, he thinks. ]
Come to help me go shopping for a sweet old lady?
no subject
I didn't realize you were interested in older women.
[ No, he's kidding, he'll stop now. But it's easier to bandy (bad) jokes back and forth than it is to bring up old hurts and the distress that Venera had inflicted upon nearly all of them. It can't stay buried forever, he knows that, but for now he's content to keep the atmosphere light, at least until they settle into more of a rhythm.
Sighing, he gives Kaeya a small shrug. ]
It's not as though I have much of a choice.
[ If there's anything he's learned from his brief sojourn with the crew of the Grandcypher, it's that old grannies are some of the most feared people in the universe. ]
But better this than sitting around in the Citadel doing nothing.
[ He means that at least, gaze serious and posture straightening back to attention as their new friend comes back out with a bonnet tied to her head and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. ]
no subject
What can I say? Her wisdom and wit are quite charming.
[ kaeya does agree that helping out here is much better than spending your days idling at the citadel. not that he can say as much out loud given that their old friend has decided to rejoin them. kaeya comments on how lovely she looks with her little bonnet and shawl, offering his arm for her to hook her hand around.
My, my. Aren't you a sly devil?
he refutes that with an easy comment before turning to look at eustace. ]
Will you be a dear and grab her basket? I left it on the table next to you.
[ he's acting like he wasn't a pathetic sight around eustace not too long ago...... ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
iii
No matter what they experienced the assignment was clear: Venera is a vital resource to Achamoth and it would be reckless of them to leave it without assuring that it is not completely secure. So he lags behind once again, making sure that all the troops that had camped outside of the city understand that the threat has ceased and they could return to their post. It comes as a strange sort of familiarity to be giving 'orders' to troops again.
So he lingers to make sure that everything proceeds apace. It is during that time that he notices someone else has chosen to lag behind as well. The former Knight. And he looks as tired as Emet-Selch usually feels.
He approaches a pair of toppled wooden chairs and rites one of them so that he might take a seat. Emet-Selch quietly motions to the other chair as a silent invitation to sit and rest for a moment. ]
no subject
Oh. That's Emet-Selch, isn't it?
... He wonders if he should turn the other way, memories of his encounter with the other man coming to him without much restraint. It's hard to remember what went down but knowing the general idea of it is already shameful enough. Still, he finds the energy to approach with an easy smile, fixing the other chair so that he could take a seat. His entire body is thankful for the small reprieve.
"I didn't think you'd still be here," he says, as if that's a big surprise.
no subject
Though without missing a beat he makes an inquiry of his own. "It seems I am not the only one with the city's welfare in mind; Do your obligations as a knight follow you here?" Namely, helping others. It's usually what others think of as a 'knightly' mentality.
no subject
"What can I say?" Without focusing on anything in particular, he watches as soldiers nearby return to their stations. "It's an old habit that's difficult to break." Just because he is no longer Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius doesn't mean he'll forget about all of his duties.
"It's better than standing around idly, after all."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
iii - myaa
anyway.
toge has been doing his best, but has come to a slight issue--- he may be strong in many ways, but strength in general? he has some muscle. he's not a complete noodle! but in front of him are some stacks of wood and unfortunately he can't just tell it to move itself. that would make things much easier.
so...
he waves at kaeya, gestures... please help? does he have to give puppy dog eyes... ]
myaaaa.
he would have been quick to approach normally, but this person's whole getup is raising a few questions in his head. why is he so covered up? ]
Hello. [ might as well start with that. ] Do you need something from me?
myaaaaa...!
he probably should've just gone with his normal white shirt and black pants while out here, but helping the city? practically a mission all by itself. ]
Salmon.
[ toge nods a few times, scratching an itch on his cheek, before pointing at the pile of neatly cut lumber. pieces that could help rebuild, build something new, or just mend an existing place--- though it's probably more for sheds that'll hold more materials.
maybe he should've looked for someone less suspicious. it's not the eyepatch. it's not the titty window. it's... like. the vibe. ]
Tuna, tuna.
[ points at the pile. makes exaggerated lifting noises. points at where the other piles happen to be--- within eyesight, but still relatively far. the streets are still mostly empty, thankfully. ]
no subject
[ is this person craving seafood right now? what an odd choice of words. he observes the pile of lumber and wonders what exactly they're meant for. of course, there are things that need rebuilding so he won't question it too much. once it's pointed out where the pile is meant to go, he simply nods. ]
So you're trying to say you need help with these? Alright. I'll grab this pile. Why not take the other?
[ there is a smaller pile next to the one kaeya reaches for, which is hopefully more manageable. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(1/2)
(2/2)