[ Zhongli is distracted, once everything has been taken care of for jiaoqiu. he's actually in the kitchen at the moment, waiting for water to boil in an old-fashioned kettle on the stove and simply... staring into the wall above the stove, his hands absently resting on the handle for the oven below. his stance is still just as upright as usual, but his shoulders are still tense while he lets himself be lost to his own thoughts.
it's only when the kettle begins to whistle that he rouses from his thoughts and notices akihiko, shaking his head and offering a small smile. ]
Tea? [ might as well offer some, as he reaches for the kettle, going to pour it into a porcelain teapot waiting on the counter. ] I thought it might be good to brew some, after that.
[Aw, that's cute Akihiko art, up there in the layout you made!]
I'll gladly take tea. Thanks.
[Right now, something soothing sure would be welcoming. That 'expulsion' was going to be quite alarming to watch, he had known that ever since he found out everybody was forced to come along and see what would happen, but it sure was...oof, it was something]
I have a feeling anything we talk is going to be difficult too.
[ the goodest protein boy deserves the goodest art. ]
Of course. Lavender and chamomile, to soothe nerves and aid in rest. Whether it be done with sleep or not. [ there's a little clatter of porcelain as he puts the top back onto the teapot, setting the kettle back on the stove and waiting for the tea to steep. ]
... it will be, yes. When one is witness to something, but unable to act, it makes it all the more difficult to process.
[Akihiko waits patiently. He leans against the wall]
I'm starting to think there's a lot I haven't heard about yet, and all of it will be ugly. But I haven't gotten to where I am by turning away from the painful things. Don't hold anything back, Zhongli.
[......]
What you said about Jing Yuan...explain that, please?
[ at least akihiko is willing to face the hardest fights, regardless of how literal they are. he silently moves the teapot and cups in preparation for serving the tea, pensive, organizing his thoughts. ]
There was nothing behind Jing Yuan's eyes, when he was taken away last night. No remorse, and a callousness that I was not familiar with, despite this brief time we have known him. Jiaoqiu will be able to give more insight into his character, but I doubt he will be feeling up to it at the moment - so best to let him rest, rather than bring it up first.
When I spoke with him, in containment, he said that he killed Charlie and set up those traps for boredom. Dismissive, uncaring, unrepentant. He was a man who smiled and offered levity, yes, but it did not feel as if he was that sort of person where it mattered.
... and I do not think that Jiaoqiu would have tried to stand in his place, if he were a malicious man.
I heard from Marcoh that was what that man had said. I was pretty upset about it. [To think Charlie had died because someone felt 'bored'. It was so bizarre, and Akihiko couldn't even begin to understand that] You trust Jiaoqiu's judgment that much? We haven't known either of them for that long.
[Akihiko has a hard time believing Jing Yuan can't have been a terrible person all along since, you know, he and the rest of S.E.E.S got backstabbed by someone they thought they knew well and none of them saw that coming. For all Akihiko knows, maybe Jing Yuan was good at hiding his true nature too]
... I know, from Mister Marcoh, that their people usually die from two things. Madness, or falling in battle. If Jing Yuan succumbed to the madness that might have been dormant in him, waiting for him to be vulnerable, then there is naught to have been done for it. We might have compassion for his condition, but not forgive him for what he'd done.
If he was hiding ill intent for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, to the point that Jiaoqiu would believe in him... he was very adept, indeed.
I just have a hard time of believing that it was only madness, or maliciousness, behind what happened when the angels haven't been able to pinpoint the source of the barriers and everything that happened today and Thursday night.
[ zhongli isn't inclined towards the ikutsuki route for this, but he's only giving what he knows and his opinions rather than staunchy saying this is the truth, there's no other possibilities. ]
[Akihiko listens. So, Jing Yuan would have to be fooling Jiaoqiu for hundreds of years, to the point that Jiaoqiu would try to take the blame...Zhongli has a point there, really.
And there's also that yeah, the whole barriers thing shouldn't be left aside. It's a big part of the mystery. Akihiko stares at his cup of tea as if that'd give him answers]
...I have to talk with Jiaoqiu about it. [Not today, but yeah, he'll have to] Maybe once I hear what kind of person that guy is supposed to be I'll figure out how to feel about this.
The angels have promised to do their best to look into the cause of what happened, in regards to Thursday night and the expulsion, and I have faith in them that they mean it. Their God is apparently unhappy and found all of this unexpected, but being in charge of all of Heaven makes it difficult for them to know everything, apparently. [ it isn't said with disdain, but still seems... disapproving. ]
I don't want to see this happen again. I doubt anyone does. So while I'm cautious about saying outright that it was the General acting wholly of his own volition - madness or not - I hope that it winds up being the case.
It's really weird to hear something unexpected happened in a god's heaven. [Maybe axolotls aren't very good at being celestial creatures.
Akihiko nods gravely]
Thanks for explaining that about Jing Yuan, anyway. There's so much wrong in this all it's hard to figure out where to start unraveling it, but it's looking less difficult now.
At any point that I did not know about something happening in Liyue, I had a network that would report on it - or simply deal with it, themselves, so that it might not pose a threat. To have angels under them, you would expect something similar in a place so wholly devoted to their power.
[ maybe they aren't. he has no idea, but he has very low opinions about god so far. ]
Of course, Akihiko. Please, I hope that you will take what I've told you and seek out further context and answers from those that might have them for you, as in this situation... I unfortunately can only give so much.
[ this is a non-starter that i'm stealing the trend from flurry and aki. let me know if you want to start with baby dragon in the meadow or if you want an adult zhongli to help wrangle small children/explore dangerous things with. ]
[ then akihiko will get to find a long, cat-sized dragon pouncing through the plants of the olive garden's path. a golden chao with a black ribbon neck tie is sitting nearby, watching this peacefully, while the other chao work to and fro around them.
there's a rump wiggle, and then - another pounce, as if trying to catch bugs. ]
[Look at that absolutely adorable thing, holy shit.
.........
Oh! A dragon, of course. No wonder Zhongli has lived for like thirty millenia. Anyway, time to tag.
Akihiko, having been unaware this creature had been romping around in public because Akihiko was, dunno, preparing his meals for the week, comes across this when he's finally out exploring, his own chao following along, clad with a kid leash. The need of this is proven when he's pretty much pulling from Akihiko left and right, the chao trying to take a look at literally everything. Akihiko is taking it all pretty calmly, already getting used to such level of activity.
The chao is the one who notices the dragon first, and as usual, dashes in that direction to investigate. This time Akihiko comes along because he saw unusual movement. This bunch of chaos hanging out is a normal sight in heaven, but the dragon...]
What in the...did someone here get yet another creature to take care of?
[Just look at you pouncing, Zhongli. Akihiko approaches, much to his own egg baby's delight, and extends a beckoning hand like he's trying to call this lizard like you'd do to a dog]
the golden chao looks over when it hears motion, glancing at the lead but not seeming to find it offensive or anything - this one is pretty chill, it seems, and has no plans on running around willy nilly like akihiko's. which means that its father can be a toddler in dragon form without having to worry about its safety.
speaking of, zhongli pauses hearing an approach. his fluff all poofs up to make him look bigger, at first, judging the threat level, but... no, it's probably fine? he creeps forward in that way that cats do when their backs are arched - just that, he has more back to arch - and sniffs at akihiko and the chao. ]
I should have asked Zoph how to handle little dragons...
[Well! Since the dragon isn't biting his fingers off, it probably is friendly enough. Akihiko offers a finger like he's sacrificing it for the dragon to gnaw on it and keep itself busy, and looks around to see if there's someone here watching over anyone here, he waves at the chao with the ribbon]
Hi. Know anything about who this critter belongs to?
[ oh, a fingie! one of his chinese dragon style clawsies reaches out to grasp the finger, instead of gnaw on it. so there's that.
the chao blinks at akihiko, before cooing, and... pointing to itself. technically them, it guesses? before pointing to the little baby dragon, then itself again, then back to the dragon.
[The revelation this dragon, adorable and playful, belongs to another chao makes Akihiko's look up at him, hope in his eyes. Akihiko makes sure to shoot that down]
You're not getting a dragon of your own. Or any other creature. I'm way too young to be a grandfather.
[Akihiko's chao is mightily disappointed.
Akihiko entertains this small reptile for a while, moving his finger out of their grasp andencouraging them to pounce along, until he recalls something Ali had told him]
Are you able to take a human form?
[Ali said the dragon he raised figured out how to do that when she was three. Is this dragon at least three? How can you tell the age of a dragon? Or...maybe that's just something only the dragons of Ali's world can do, and nowhere else. Akihiko has no idea!
He doesn't even know he's rooming with a dragon himself, haha]
[ i'm going to drop us directly into memshare so that i can make sure we get everything taken care of. so whether they're in the funhouse or step through a doorway and find themselves there...
well, congrats! you've been chosen for a memory of stone for this one! if you want another one later on in the thread or the week i've GOT you, though i apologize that this is 20 minutes of genshin cutscenes. it's easier to watch than read because there's so much dialogue and lore i'm sorry. ]
[I suppose this means Akihiko is standing here watching the mirrors for a whole twenty minutes alongside Zhongli. He doesn't notice how long it's been -- he's watching with attention, intrigued and watching previously unsaid secrets unfurl in front of him.
When it's over, he's quiet, and glances at Zhongli, until...]
I'm not sure where to get started with this.
[That sure was a lot of stuff! But, well, he actually has kind of a decent idea of what to focus on, the thing that caught his attention the most. The happenings were entirely different and it's plenty obvious there's a whooooole lot of memories unsaid here he probably will never find out about, but it sure brought to mind a certain someone he once knew, mostly because of how tense a close friendship got due to circumstances beyond Akihiko's control and how, in some way, it seemed like that friendship defined a whole lot of Zhongli -- or at least that's the impression Akihiko is getting here, that regardless, his friendship with that sealed one is of the utmost importance to Zhongli as a person]
[ listen it's a blink of the eye and an eternity at the same time, when it comes to memshares.
zhongli can't help the light huff of a chuckle that escapes him when akihiko speaks up, watching the memory ripple and fade across the mirrors. there's no move to try and shatter the illusion, to dispel the memory, because - he's said it himself, didn't he? his memory is very good. he'll remember everything that others forget.
he will never, ever forget his lost friends. even if they still slumber beneath the earth. even if he's had to subdue them with his own hands. (this is an extremely stressful boss fight that you can do weekly to farm level up materials, and you get an achievement for doing it without using shields. guess who's never done that.) ]
Alright, let's start with the simple question. Who was your...friend there? The one sealed away.
[Yeah, the memory kind of said plenty, but...hearing it come from Zhongli himself would be good, get it straight out of him because it's easier to try to figure out Zhongli's feelings about this all this way]
[ akihiko can find zhongli sitting in write it off, a large stack of colored paper next to him and kedou the chao sitting atop the table with a coloring book and a myriad of markers next to it. it's just merrily coloring, mostly in the lines but definitely not stringent on staying, but its person is... using a pair of scissors as he just vibes? he's found music on his phone, apparently, and is playing something instrumental and calm, one ankle propped up on the opposite knee as he just. snip snip snip snips, turning a many-folded piece of paper around and manipulating it and the scissors calmly.
his thoughts are more just... faded out? at the moment? he's thinking but it's just background thinkthoughts more than anything else. it gets more clear when he notices him, glancing up mid-snip. ]
Care to join me for some crafting? I brought tea, if you'd like some, but... mostly, I think we could all use some busywork, especially with the "rule."
Gladly. Some company during these times would be welcome.
[Hell yeah he'll accompany you. Yup, Akihiko doesn't waste time to get brown clay of some kind. It's 'some kind' because Akihiko can't tell any kind of difference between the kinds here]
It'll be better to be done with this fast. I haven't done any serious crafting since middle school.
[But hey, he'll try! He doesn't want punishments!]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wk 0; sunday
it's only when the kettle begins to whistle that he rouses from his thoughts and notices akihiko, shaking his head and offering a small smile. ]
Tea? [ might as well offer some, as he reaches for the kettle, going to pour it into a porcelain teapot waiting on the counter. ] I thought it might be good to brew some, after that.
no subject
I'll gladly take tea. Thanks.
[Right now, something soothing sure would be welcoming. That 'expulsion' was going to be quite alarming to watch, he had known that ever since he found out everybody was forced to come along and see what would happen, but it sure was...oof, it was something]
I have a feeling anything we talk is going to be difficult too.
no subject
Of course. Lavender and chamomile, to soothe nerves and aid in rest. Whether it be done with sleep or not. [ there's a little clatter of porcelain as he puts the top back onto the teapot, setting the kettle back on the stove and waiting for the tea to steep. ]
... it will be, yes. When one is witness to something, but unable to act, it makes it all the more difficult to process.
no subject
I'm starting to think there's a lot I haven't heard about yet, and all of it will be ugly. But I haven't gotten to where I am by turning away from the painful things. Don't hold anything back, Zhongli.
[......]
What you said about Jing Yuan...explain that, please?
no subject
There was nothing behind Jing Yuan's eyes, when he was taken away last night. No remorse, and a callousness that I was not familiar with, despite this brief time we have known him. Jiaoqiu will be able to give more insight into his character, but I doubt he will be feeling up to it at the moment - so best to let him rest, rather than bring it up first.
When I spoke with him, in containment, he said that he killed Charlie and set up those traps for boredom. Dismissive, uncaring, unrepentant. He was a man who smiled and offered levity, yes, but it did not feel as if he was that sort of person where it mattered.
... and I do not think that Jiaoqiu would have tried to stand in his place, if he were a malicious man.
no subject
[Akihiko has a hard time believing Jing Yuan can't have been a terrible person all along since, you know, he and the rest of S.E.E.S got backstabbed by someone they thought they knew well and none of them saw that coming. For all Akihiko knows, maybe Jing Yuan was good at hiding his true nature too]
no subject
If he was hiding ill intent for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, to the point that Jiaoqiu would believe in him... he was very adept, indeed.
I just have a hard time of believing that it was only madness, or maliciousness, behind what happened when the angels haven't been able to pinpoint the source of the barriers and everything that happened today and Thursday night.
[ zhongli isn't inclined towards the ikutsuki route for this, but he's only giving what he knows and his opinions rather than staunchy saying this is the truth, there's no other possibilities. ]
no subject
And there's also that yeah, the whole barriers thing shouldn't be left aside. It's a big part of the mystery. Akihiko stares at his cup of tea as if that'd give him answers]
...I have to talk with Jiaoqiu about it. [Not today, but yeah, he'll have to] Maybe once I hear what kind of person that guy is supposed to be I'll figure out how to feel about this.
no subject
I don't want to see this happen again. I doubt anyone does. So while I'm cautious about saying outright that it was the General acting wholly of his own volition - madness or not - I hope that it winds up being the case.
no subject
Akihiko nods gravely]
Thanks for explaining that about Jing Yuan, anyway. There's so much wrong in this all it's hard to figure out where to start unraveling it, but it's looking less difficult now.
no subject
[ maybe they aren't. he has no idea, but he has very low opinions about god so far. ]
Of course, Akihiko. Please, I hope that you will take what I've told you and seek out further context and answers from those that might have them for you, as in this situation... I unfortunately can only give so much.
no subject
[He can always appreciate a more knowledgeable person. He knows his own limits]
wk 2; monday
no subject
no subject
there's a rump wiggle, and then - another pounce, as if trying to catch bugs. ]
no subject
.........
Oh! A dragon, of course. No wonder Zhongli has lived for like thirty millenia. Anyway, time to tag.
Akihiko, having been unaware this creature had been romping around in public because Akihiko was, dunno, preparing his meals for the week, comes across this when he's finally out exploring, his own chao following along, clad with a kid leash. The need of this is proven when he's pretty much pulling from Akihiko left and right, the chao trying to take a look at literally everything. Akihiko is taking it all pretty calmly, already getting used to such level of activity.
The chao is the one who notices the dragon first, and as usual, dashes in that direction to investigate. This time Akihiko comes along because he saw unusual movement. This bunch of chaos hanging out is a normal sight in heaven, but the dragon...]
What in the...did someone here get yet another creature to take care of?
[Just look at you pouncing, Zhongli. Akihiko approaches, much to his own egg baby's delight, and extends a beckoning hand like he's trying to call this lizard like you'd do to a dog]
no subject
the golden chao looks over when it hears motion, glancing at the lead but not seeming to find it offensive or anything - this one is pretty chill, it seems, and has no plans on running around willy nilly like akihiko's. which means that its father can be a toddler in dragon form without having to worry about its safety.
speaking of, zhongli pauses hearing an approach. his fluff all poofs up to make him look bigger, at first, judging the threat level, but... no, it's probably fine? he creeps forward in that way that cats do when their backs are arched - just that, he has more back to arch - and sniffs at akihiko and the chao. ]
Chrr?
no subject
[Well! Since the dragon isn't biting his fingers off, it probably is friendly enough. Akihiko offers a finger like he's sacrificing it for the dragon to gnaw on it and keep itself busy, and looks around to see if there's someone here watching over anyone here, he waves at the chao with the ribbon]
Hi. Know anything about who this critter belongs to?
no subject
the chao blinks at akihiko, before cooing, and... pointing to itself. technically them, it guesses? before pointing to the little baby dragon, then itself again, then back to the dragon.
said dragon cocks his head with a little blep. ]
no subject
You're not getting a dragon of your own. Or any other creature. I'm way too young to be a grandfather.
[Akihiko's chao is mightily disappointed.
Akihiko entertains this small reptile for a while, moving his finger out of their grasp andencouraging them to pounce along, until he recalls something Ali had told him]
Are you able to take a human form?
[Ali said the dragon he raised figured out how to do that when she was three. Is this dragon at least three? How can you tell the age of a dragon? Or...maybe that's just something only the dragons of Ali's world can do, and nowhere else. Akihiko has no idea!
He doesn't even know he's rooming with a dragon himself, haha]
wk 3; tuesday
well, congrats! you've been chosen for a memory of stone for this one! if you want another one later on in the thread or the week i've GOT you, though i apologize that this is 20 minutes of genshin cutscenes. it's easier to watch than read because there's so much dialogue and lore i'm sorry. ]
no subject
When it's over, he's quiet, and glances at Zhongli, until...]
I'm not sure where to get started with this.
[That sure was a lot of stuff! But, well, he actually has kind of a decent idea of what to focus on, the thing that caught his attention the most. The happenings were entirely different and it's plenty obvious there's a whooooole lot of memories unsaid here he probably will never find out about, but it sure brought to mind a certain someone he once knew, mostly because of how tense a close friendship got due to circumstances beyond Akihiko's control and how, in some way, it seemed like that friendship defined a whole lot of Zhongli -- or at least that's the impression Akihiko is getting here, that regardless, his friendship with that sealed one is of the utmost importance to Zhongli as a person]
no subject
zhongli can't help the light huff of a chuckle that escapes him when akihiko speaks up, watching the memory ripple and fade across the mirrors. there's no move to try and shatter the illusion, to dispel the memory, because - he's said it himself, didn't he? his memory is very good. he'll remember everything that others forget.
he will never, ever forget his lost friends. even if they still slumber beneath the earth. even if he's had to subdue them with his own hands. (this is an extremely stressful boss fight that you can do weekly to farm level up materials, and you get an achievement for doing it without using shields. guess who's never done that.) ]
Wherever you would like to, I suppose.
no subject
[Yeah, the memory kind of said plenty, but...hearing it come from Zhongli himself would be good, get it straight out of him because it's easier to try to figure out Zhongli's feelings about this all this way]
wk 6; monday
his thoughts are more just... faded out? at the moment? he's thinking but it's just background thinkthoughts more than anything else. it gets more clear when he notices him, glancing up mid-snip. ]
Care to join me for some crafting? I brought tea, if you'd like some, but... mostly, I think we could all use some busywork, especially with the "rule."
no subject
[Hell yeah he'll accompany you. Yup, Akihiko doesn't waste time to get brown clay of some kind. It's 'some kind' because Akihiko can't tell any kind of difference between the kinds here]
It'll be better to be done with this fast. I haven't done any serious crafting since middle school.
[But hey, he'll try! He doesn't want punishments!]