To go from an annual festival to this... [ he's talking to himself as he surveys the boardwalk, but zhongli seems mostly calm as he begins to investigate what all there is set up here in bikini bottom. his arms are folded behind his back, but in one hand is his spear, point angled downwards, in case there's any trouble to run into along the way. ]
... hm. [ what are some of these things on display... he unfolds his arms so that he can jingle a few keychains with the end of the vortex vanquisher, bemused but curious. ] I've not seen much like this, before.
Never seen places sellin' so many of the same thing before either. [ pulls a cheap looking magnet off a display and looks it over. ] Not exactly quality artisan goods here.
[ he'd spoken to him himself too, but he hadn't known him well enough before that to say for sure... though he certainly had seemed off, at least. ]
Those barriers that went up around everyone that night — how d'you think that fits into it? Was that somethin' he did, you reckon, or did that come from somewhere else?
[ falling quiet, he gazes out into the tide and mulls over his best answer. ]
... I think it came from another source, but the angels don't know where it came from or what it was. Perhaps it followed him, tethering to him, but it there was also a barrier up at the expulsion today.
They don't, no. And apparently their God is unhappy with what happened, and it seemed it "wasn't expected" for them just as much as it was the angels and us. To the point even they don't have answers for what caused... any of it.
But to not know what could have caused something to happen in your domain is difficult for me to accept, even if the whole is much larger than our single slice we're contained in.
Yeah, that's my feelin' on it too. Ought to know how basic things like death work in it, at the very least, even if it is s'posed to be heaven.
[ he was generously giving this god the benefit of the doubt compared to the god of sanctism, but he's quickly starting to think that maybe this one sucks too, actually. ]
Mm. To be so omnipresent as they've been made out to be, they should. And they should be able to pinpoint where the source of a problem has come from.
At the very least, if they have more agents than those angels that we've met thus far... they should have the numbers for a network that can gather information and help solve their problems.
[ he might not have known the precise cause or occurence of problems right away, as archon of liyue, but he sure found out fast. ]
[ it's not entirely clear if fidelio's back in the library or if he never left, but. he's sure here, frowning at the door as his tail flicks behind him. ]
...Think the number's just gonna go up every week?
[ his own dragon tail flicks behind him as he comes in, eyes only sparing the scorch marks a glance before he looks down to fidelio. neverah told him how they happened already. ]
... until there's not a soul left? [ displeasure ] I would say I hope not, but I had said last week that I hoped this wouldn't happen again.
[ attempts were made... and good ones. he's just glad no one was hurt in that part of last night. ]
I looked to this week with trepidation, despite the angels promising their best efforts to find the answers for us. Especially with the temptation of the tree in the church's garden.
[ 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 things with. ]
zhongli stares at him, just a lil fella with some obvious thoughts, but... literally a child. fidelio makes himself smaller, crouching down like this, so he doesn't go skittering away with a reee or rear up to make himself look bigger.
just blinks up at him with his anime golden eyes, before. blep. ]
Five more to go, and four more sins for them to inflict upon someone - nevermind the temptation of the tree. [ he's tired, but still steady as he comes closer to stand by fidelio. ] Unless we or the angels find some sort of answer.
Mm. I will still hold onto it as best I can, as I have weathered many a storm up to this point - until erosion takes me.
[ stubborn old man. ]
I believe that we have seen three, so far. Sloth, likely pride, and wrath - Jing Yuan, Hawke, and Miss Neverah. When I spoke to Hawke and Miss Neverah, he said that his desire started Thursday morning, and Neverah that evening. Hawke's, desiring betterment of himself, and decided to prove it. Miss Neverah was angry, and found Miss Su annoying, so decided to act upon her frustrations.
Huh. I think most of us had bought in to Hawke being a second sloth case 'cause of that "repeat" clue, but since that apparently didn't actually have anything to do with it... s'pose that'd make sense.
I thought so initially, as well, until I'd spoken to him. The "repeat" might have been a reference to fighting at night on the beach again, looking to the rest of the puzzle...
And we think it's just sort of amplifying those things in people who already have them as personal weaknesses? Rather than planting something new there?
I think it possible, at least. Jing Yuan enjoyed sleeping, Hawke had pride in himself and his skills as a combatant, and Miss Neverah held her anger close, I saw. Especially at this situation.
[ zhongli is actually in agreement, here, on wrath - if they aren't repeating sins, then he hopes that another will choose him. ]
Perhaps. If it amplifies already existing sins in oneself, it may at least give us something to theorize, considering whose might be the remaining four.
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wk 0; monday
... hm. [ what are some of these things on display... he unfolds his arms so that he can jingle a few keychains with the end of the vortex vanquisher, bemused but curious. ] I've not seen much like this, before.
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[ at least he knows what that is. he plucks some tacky keychains off the rack and frowns. ]
Were we to have to pay for these things, I wouldn't be shocked if they were trying to sell them for five times the price of their production.
w0, sunday
Can't say I saw these particular twists coming.
[ he'd been more than a little distrusting of the redemption deal, sure, but this is a whole new set of worries now. ]
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And now we have all the more to worry about. More questions. Fears that were not here before.
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[ shakes his head ]
Seems pretty clear he weren't in his right mind.
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[ it's at least a relief that a good handful of people he's spoken to so far have noticed. ]
He wasn't there, behind his eyes, when he was taken away last night. Speaking to him, he was a different person.
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[ he'd spoken to him himself too, but he hadn't known him well enough before that to say for sure... though he certainly had seemed off, at least. ]
Those barriers that went up around everyone that night — how d'you think that fits into it? Was that somethin' he did, you reckon, or did that come from somewhere else?
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... I think it came from another source, but the angels don't know where it came from or what it was. Perhaps it followed him, tethering to him, but it there was also a barrier up at the expulsion today.
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[ at least that one he'd figured might have been the angels' work, to keep anyone else from getting mixed up in it if things got violent, but... ]
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They don't, no. And apparently their God is unhappy with what happened, and it seemed it "wasn't expected" for them just as much as it was the angels and us. To the point even they don't have answers for what caused... any of it.
But to not know what could have caused something to happen in your domain is difficult for me to accept, even if the whole is much larger than our single slice we're contained in.
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Yeah, that's my feelin' on it too. Ought to know how basic things like death work in it, at the very least, even if it is s'posed to be heaven.
[ he was generously giving this god the benefit of the doubt compared to the god of sanctism, but he's quickly starting to think that maybe this one sucks too, actually. ]
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At the very least, if they have more agents than those angels that we've met thus far... they should have the numbers for a network that can gather information and help solve their problems.
[ he might not have known the precise cause or occurence of problems right away, as archon of liyue, but he sure found out fast. ]
w1, friday
...Think the number's just gonna go up every week?
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... until there's not a soul left? [ displeasure ] I would say I hope not, but I had said last week that I hoped this wouldn't happen again.
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Yeah. Wasn't optimistic about it, and still managed to be disappointed.
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I looked to this week with trepidation, despite the angels promising their best efforts to find the answers for us. Especially with the temptation of the tree in the church's garden.
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[ ... ]
You think that played a part this time? What that tree was offerin'. Didn't think Jing Yuan had any say in it when it was him, but...
wk 2; monday
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anyway. kneels down to get a closer look at it. ]
Huh. Where'd you come from?
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zhongli stares at him, just a lil fella with some obvious thoughts, but... literally a child. fidelio makes himself smaller, crouching down like this, so he doesn't go skittering away with a reee or rear up to make himself look bigger.
just blinks up at him with his anime golden eyes, before. blep. ]
Rrr?
w2, sunday
glances over. ]
Another week down.
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Five more to go, and four more sins for them to inflict upon someone - nevermind the temptation of the tree. [ he's tired, but still steady as he comes closer to stand by fidelio. ] Unless we or the angels find some sort of answer.
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How do you figure four sins left?
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[ stubborn old man. ]
I believe that we have seen three, so far. Sloth, likely pride, and wrath - Jing Yuan, Hawke, and Miss Neverah. When I spoke to Hawke and Miss Neverah, he said that his desire started Thursday morning, and Neverah that evening. Hawke's, desiring betterment of himself, and decided to prove it. Miss Neverah was angry, and found Miss Su annoying, so decided to act upon her frustrations.
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What's that leave, then?
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[ but he shakes his head, thinking. ]
Greed, envy, lust, and gluttony.
[ vore murder? ]
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And we think it's just sort of amplifying those things in people who already have them as personal weaknesses? Rather than planting something new there?
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Think we might be able to use that to predict who the rest of 'em might be, then?
[ richie your playboys..... ]
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Perhaps. If it amplifies already existing sins in oneself, it may at least give us something to theorize, considering whose might be the remaining four.
[ NOT THE PLAYBOYS ERIC ]