aionlogs | [Closed] June Catch-All

Dextera has experienced his own loss already, with the Archangel’s painfully sudden disappearance, tangled by all the complexities of losing someone you hate—but for that very reason, it’s different to think that Lumine is gone, when she’s been nothing but kind and welcoming to him. She was a gentle presence from their time in the cave all the way to now, and with the very real possibility presented that she’s gone, Dextera heart aches in a way he hadn’t expected he would feel for some of his fellow Aions.

They’re relative strangers, after all, but he’s learning now that they’re still companions.

He doesn’t really know how to contribute to the pivoting of their investigation as such, when his new de facto leader of Ryunosuke seems to be cracking apart. Dextera’s silence is nothing new, but with an inability to offer any words of comfort—even if he could speak, it would still be an inability—he reaches out and awkwardly touches Ryunosuke’s shoulder.

It's a beautiful day, but Kaeya remains as busy as ever.

While the Kenoma don't have any specific orders, he'd spent most of his time here at Venera, helping out where he can, no matter the task. Today is one where he's simply patrolling the streets, looking out for trouble, for anything out of the ordinary. The locals have been on edge since an 'illness' plagued their city, and thanks to the way the Achamite and Hylician soldiers abandoned them, Kaeya is here to make sure they feel safe here.

His route takes him to one of the city's public gardens, further down the area where not a whole lot of passersby linger. He likely would have kept walking had something — someone — caught his eye. There's no time wasted as he is quick to approach, and once he's close enough, a smile is already on his face.

"Well, well, well," he starts, already a menace. "To think that we would meet again so soon."

He doesn't recognize the quiet one, but he definitely knows the one with his face buried in his hands. It's not like he can ever forget that despairing groan. If they're together, it's probably safe to assume which side the quiet one belongs to.

"Why the long face? Is something the matter?"

Awkward as the touch may be, it's still appreciated, even if Ryunosuke doesn't say as much aloud. Ryunosuke finally stops trying to palm his own eyes out and lets his arms drop instead, some of the tension going out of the shoulder beneath Dextera's hand...

...Only for it to immediately ratchet back up again when that familiar voice chimes in.

Ryunosuke lifts his head sharply. Easy to miss while his face was in his hands, it'll be plain as day now that Ryunosuke has sprouted a distinct pair of horns from his forehead in the time since they last met. And his metaphorical hackles already raised. This is that blue-haired Kenoma from the last time... "Sebastian", he'd said his name was. The one who'd defended M after he'd killed Estinien. Even given the role that he'd played in that whole fiasco, he hasn't really been at the forefront of Ryunosuke's mind since then, so there are a lot of unexamined feelings hitting Ryu at once now.

Perhaps the most pressing feeling... Is alarm. They've been spotted by a Kenoma, and that should be cause enough for worry. Ryunosuke's eyes flick briefly to Dextera; he has no idea what sort of powers his companion has, but considering how meek he is in disposition, it's easy for Ryu to slip into protective mode... Even if own offensive powers are pretty much nil. He subtly and unconsciously shifts, like he's ready to put himself between Dex and the Kenoma if he has to.

"...We don't want any trouble," he says firmly, though his heart is starting to pound with anxiety.

Dextera doesn’t know the stranger. Even if he made an appearance in Ryunosuke’s relation of Estinien’s murder, Dextera’s attention had been focused solely on Makoto at the time. He would have easily mistaken Kaeya for a run of the mill Veneran, despite the confident swagger, if Ryunosuke’s response hadn’t been so instantly anxious.

When alone, Dextera is the same way. As he feels more like a bodyguard to Ryunosuke now, and hot on the heels of Lumine’s disappearance, he manages to show markedly more confidence than he has yet in Ryunosuke’s presence. His body tenses not with fear, but with his own willingness to defend someone he sees as utterly human—and attack, if need be.

His silence may be an inevitability, but it’s also a threat. While he has to let Ryunosuke take charge of the conversation, he meets Kaeya’s gaze to respond in his own way.

Oh? Both of them are already on the defensive. It's almost as if he's caught them doing something they shouldn't be. Now he's way more interested in what they're doing here, especially if their reactions to his presence are anything to go by. It couldn't have been anything good. Then again, it could always just be because he's from the Kenoma. That's the boring answer though.

His smile grows sharper, but the overall demeanour he wears is one that remains casually friendly overall.

"May I remind you," he starts, not at all bothered by the silent threat he's receiving from Ryunosuke's companion, "that you are in enemy territory, so I wouldn't try anything funny." His hands are raised to accompany the shrug that rolls off his shoulders, followed soon after by a shake of his head. "Now, if you aren't looking for trouble, then what are you doing here?"

He raises a brow. "I believe we can have a simple conversation about that, no?"

Edited 2022-07-06 02:54 (UTC)

(Sometimes the boring answer is the correct one, Kaeya!)

Ugh... He's not wrong about this being enemy territory, but does he have to be so blunt about it? Guys like this always make Ryu nuts, never knowing how sincere they're being, or how seriously he should actually take them. He activates his Insight to be on the safe side, keeping a careful eye on the Kenoma's aura for any odd fluctuations.

(If only he'd look over at Dextera right now... Then he might get a glimpse of some of that determination to protect.)

Ryunosuke exhales harshly through his nose, blinking a few times to adjust to the changing vision.

"No... I mean-- Yes, we can." He rubs the spot on his forehead between his horns, frowning with vexation; he has to really speak carefully. This guy could make things very, VERY hard for both him and Dextera if they say the wrong thing, but Ryu's also REALLY not in the mood for any funny business.

"...A friend of ours is missing. We're trying to find her. That's the simple, honest truth."

Dextera doesn’t relax, but he does seem to back off at the reminder they’re in enemy territory. Even if Venera had been welcoming enough to both sides, the fact nonetheless remains that it is ultimately allied with the Regent, and being face-to-face with a Kenoma Aion makes their current position precarious.

Ryunosuke takes care of the explanation, and Dextera nods to corroborate. Of course, they could be lying, but there’s none of the usual tells of someone being deceitful in Dextera’s body language.

As if it’s going to be enlightening at all, Dextera gestures the vague shape of Lumine’s hair on his own head.

They could be lying, but while Kaeya lacks the blessing of Insight, he has years of experience simply observing people under his belt. If you want to be able to turn any situation to your advantage, you have to learn how to read others and read them well. All their tells, their little ticks. He doesn't think they're lying. Their body language pretty much says it all.

"So you're here looking for your missing friend," he repeats, humming thoughtfully. "Alright." He could press them on whether or not they lost her before or after their original reason for coming here, but he thinks that can wait. What he does instead is mimic what Dextera is doing with his hands.

"I can't do much with this, so you'll have to give me a description. Perhaps I've seen her around."

Ryunosuke stares back at him for a long moment, silent and deliberating.

"...Mr. Sebastian... You... Do you really want to help us...?"

The tone isn't accusatory, nor is he fishing for some kind of reaction via his Insight. It's a serious question, because as much as he would prefer to trust in the better nature of humanity, there's more than just his own well-being at stake here. If Lumine is still somewhere in Venera, could he be putting her at risk somehow by providing a description of her? Even if the likelihood of that is slim, it's just one possible way in which this could backfire.

He wants to see how this man reacts to an earnest plea for honesty, before they take this any further.

Kaeya’s response reads sincere enough to Dextera, but he’s never been good at reading the small details. His own understanding of others is done in broad strokes and comparisons to people he already knows—any subtleties, therefore, are lost on him.

When Ryunosuke asks for a promise of sincerity, Dextera lowers his hands and nods to back him up. Speaking isn’t his strong suit even when he does have command of words, and he realizes somewhat belatedly that they’re bargaining here. It doesn’t help anyone for him to offer information up to their “enemy” without ensuring cooperation first.

His gaze falls on Kaeya, a slight plea in his eyes.

Sebastian... That's right. He'd almost forgotten about the fake name. There's only a split-second where he considers correcting Ryunosuke but, in the end, he decides against it. It's not really relevant right now (even if it'll be more sincere if he were to be honest... alas).

"You'd have better luck looking around if I'm with you than not," he explains, plainly. There are soldiers on patrol everywhere. It isn't easy to walk down the streets of Venera freely if you aren't aligned with the Kenoma nowadays, so he thinks this arrangement will benefit both sides. He gets to keep an eye out on Ryunosuke and his friend, and then the Pleroma duo can look around unnoticed.

Not that Kaeya is planning to help much if they happen to be spotted by soldiers, but...

"Well? What do you say?" He looks at them both with a raised brow.

Ryunosuke considers that for a moment, still staring hard. He's not seeing any unusual fluctuations in the kenoma's aura, at least... Which is only a little bit reassuring, because he's still not sure that he really has the hang of interpreting these things, and it hasn't escaped his notice that 'Sebastian' hasn't directly answered his question so much as provided them with a reason why they should accept it, but... What else can he do?

"I suppose... That is a point." He still feels reluctant about this, but he exhales, doing his best to push down his lingering nerves. "Alright then. We're looking for a young woman... Light blonde hair, about yay tall..."

He holds a hand up at the appropriate height. And with another glance at Dextera, he adds at the end: "...And yes, her hair style is, uh, in the shape that my friend here indicated before."

Dextera nods helpfully. He considers what else he knows about Lumine, if there are any identifying features, markings she has, so on—but the point in coming here was to remain somewhat under the radar, and so Lumine wasn’t dressed up quite as much as she might have been on a normal day out in Godsblood.

He wonders if there’s a point in keeping her name to themselves. Either Kaeya will know it or he won’t, and there’s not much intel to be done with a name. And, if he knows it… that will quickly decide whether he’s a temporary ally or an immediate enemy.

Dextera looks to Ryunosuke as if for confirmation, but he doesn’t actually wait before spelling out the letters—as they translate to the language they’re all speaking now, anyway—one by one on his outward-facing palm: L… U… M…

Kaeya doesn't have much to show when Ryunosuke begins to describe the missing Pleroma. For all he knows, anyone could have blond hair and have the same height, so his immediate thought isn't to assume that it's someone he knows, but then Dextera chimes in, spelling out the letters on his palm, and... His eye widens in recognition.

"Lumine?" His shock is almost breathless, as if he can't believe it. Then his eye narrows, not quite menacing, but it probably doesn't help that he's taken a step forward. "Lumine has gone missing? When was the last time you saw her?"

It's uncharacteristic of him to lose his composure almost immediately, barely keeping it together, but he doesn't know what this disappearance means. He would trust Lumine to know what she's doing even if she's found herself in a bad spot, but he doesn't know what would happen if someone from the Kenoma has managed to best her.

The whiplash of emotion in Kaeya's reaction, the shock apparent on his face... In a single moment, it's crystal clear that Lumine must be very, very important to him. It seems she has other connections among the Kenoma besides Childe, then...

Guilt and worry grip Ryunosuke's heart like a vice, and though he starts a bit at Kaeya's sudden step forward, something quickly shifts in his expression. Where he was suspicious and reluctant before, there's nothing but naked sympathy and contrition in his eyes now. Because all at once, this has become more than just a random Kenoma determined to keep a close watch on two trespassing Pleroma; now it's three very real people all deeply concerned for a missing friend.

"I-it's been about two hours now," Ryunosuke stammers, glancing at Dextera for confirmation, and then he jerks his head in a particular direction: "We last saw her just up the road there. It's... It's impossibly vexing. We were walking together in a group, and she couldn't have been more than a few paces ahead of us... She turned a corner, breaking the line of sight between us. You would expect that when we turned out onto the same road, she would be right there in front of us again, but no! She was just... Gone. Vanished, seemingly without a single trace!"

He hesitates a bit before asking the next thing: "Do... Do you think perhaps the city guards could have snatched her up? Or perhaps one of the other Aions? There were no signs of any conflict, no hints of a struggle, but... I'm not sure what else to think!"

Did Kaeya know Lumine? Dextera knows it’s not unheard of for people to end up here from the same worlds—he experienced it himself, after all—as well as on opposite sides, but there’s a concern in Kaeya’s tone that makes Dextera wonder how they could be pitted as enemies if his feelings are sincere. If, he supposes, is the operative word… but Dextera has neither room nor reason to doubt someone immediately.

When Ryunosuke looks his way for confirmation, he nods. He knows people somehow leave this world, although he can’t say whether they “return” or not, but it doesn’t feel like something that should be so sudden. She shouldn’t have just vanished.

His expression turns difficult when Ryunosuke offers his suggestions; of course, deep down, both of them already know this, but Lumine wouldn’t have let herself be taken quietly. If Kaeya knows Lumine, then surely he knows this too.

The shift in Ryunosuke's demeanour isn't something that Kaeya registers, if only because his thoughts are full of questions and concerns about Lumine's general well-being. Ryunosuke's explanation doesn't make any sense either. How can someone just up and vanish? Is there something else going on with this city? Something related to that entity they all saw—?

But he knows he has to slow himself down before he gets too frustrated. That isn't going to get them anywhere, so exhales quietly, growing pensive. He does wait to see if Dextera has anything more to offer, but when the man remains silent, he begins to lay out his own thoughts.

"Lumine wouldn't be so helpless. The city guards are barely a match for her," he says plainly, speaking the truth. He knows how strong the Traveler is, and while the soldiers stationed at Venera are capable, they're nothing more than small fry to someone like Lumine. "As for the other Aions, there's only one I can think of who would be audacious enough to take her for no reason, but I doubt this is what happened either."

After all, he hasn't heard anything from the other Kenoma about successfully capturing a Pleroma Aion, so it must be something else. It has to be.

"Which areas have you already covered?" They might still be able to catch up to where Lumine went to if they hurry.

"...We'll show you," Ryunosuke says at once, getting to his feet with a nod, hoping Dextera will follow along. They can show Kaeya on a map, lead him to exactly where it happened, retrace steps, compare notes. Whatever it takes.

It's a doomed effort, of course. But at least by the end, they'll be able to say they tried, for whatever small comfort that provides them. They tried, and, for just a while, they cooperated with one another. For the sake of a mutual friend, they put aside their mistrust.

[Closed] June Catch-All

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