[ it's been a long time since he's been to mondstadt, but zhongli at least knows a church when he sees it. he doesn't realize that there's someone else in here with him as he looks around, before - ]
... iconography of golden loaches? [ he spots the axolotls depicted in the stained glass, bemused immediately. ]
[ it's the bone zone except it's clouds instead! for lucas, it's the church zone... 2! and zhongli is entering whatever he's imagined up for himself. mostly, he's here for his own reasons - seeing someone else here, he doesn't want to disrupt the imagery.
heavenly sim room. ]
Ah. Finding some peace and quiet after the excitement of the day?
The heavenly sim room... Zhongli walks into a rather lovely church, at least! The sun coming in through the windows is warm and orange-y gold, like it's on its way to setting. Lucas just sort of stands near the front by the altar, since he can't exactly sit on any of the pews, but it's fine. He's enjoying looking up at the big window up there and just bathing in the scattered light cast into the building from the stained glass.
He'll look over when he's addressed, though, all smiles.]
Oh, dear. Was it an exciting day? I've been here for some time, but now I feel as if that may have been a mistake...
[ honestly rng choosing beach is wildly appropriate. zhongli can be found with polearm in hand, point angled downwards but grip tight and ready rather than absently loose like it had been for most of the week so far. he's walking the length of the beach and scanning it with brow furrowed, expression severe, like he's just - looking. for anything. where charlie was, any signs of a scuffle or struggle or fight or anything, but coming up short the entire way.
approach? he hasn't immediately registered that someone else is there with him, to be honest. ]
[HONESTLY WHAT A MOOD... Lucas has probably already done a little looking around himself, but gotten a bit lost in his own thoughts somewhere along the line. When he spots Zhongli, though, he'll shake himself out of it and move to approach.]
...I take it you haven't found anything, either...
[WELL THAT WAS WILD. Lucas is not sure what to do with uh the everything that just happened here, and also the sanctity of the church is slightly ruined with a criminal in the bell tower, so he's just kind of seated in the lobby of the mansion for now, seemingly lost in thought. He'll nod in greeting whenever Zhongli stops by, though.]
[ it's unusual to see lucas in a setting that isn't a church, actually, so he very nearly misses that he's there. but zhongli slows in his roaming, instead changing his path over towards him. ]
Perhaps not so idyllic as it was made to seem. How are you fairing, Mister Lucas?
rng is the morning/noon/evening/night, and you get... morning! merry christmas!
he doesn't seem particularly bothered by the snow or the chill, walking with his arms folded behind his back neatly as usual while he investigates the neighborhood and its stalls. his tail settles between his jacket tails easily, flicking occasionally and staying just raised enough to avoid dragging in the snow. ]
How festive. [ kind of wry about it, considering the weekend they had. but he's not a debbie downer. when he sees lucas, he unfolds one hand and raises it in greeting. ] I believe this is a holiday of giftgiving... are you familiar with it, Mister Lucas?
[HE IS SO SUAVE AND SUCH A DRAGON LAD. i aki am too braindead to come up with outfits and effects right now but Lucas is so fucking bundled that not much can be seen anyway. ALL WHITE SNOW CLOTHES... HE LEARNED HIS LESSON EARLIER THIS MORNING!! THE SNOW IS HIS ENEMY!!!! Actually he can have an effect and it's that his hair seems to be adorned with ice crystals, too, which doesn't stand out all that much in the snow.
He'll meander over once he spots Zhongli, though, his gaze rising briefly to take in the changes but not lingering long enough to be rude.]
I'm not, I'm afraid... But it really is quite a festive energy, isn't it? I do wish the others had been able to see it...
[He says it with some light sadness, but despite the wildness of the weekend, he doesn't linger long in negative emotions.]
[ zhongli is scalier, even moreso than from when the return happened yesterday. brown, gemstone-like scales are along his jawline, cheekbones, and browline now as he makes his way through the holiday market of whoville.
it feels... futile. to be trying to find evidence of what happened, after last week. but he still can't help himself as he walks around with his spear in one hand. the other is over his stomach, ginger, like he's still processing the soreness there. when he spots lucas, there's an agitated lash of his tail - but he makes a direct line towards him, brisk and immediate, concern on his face. ]
Lucas... [ dropping that out of concern, because. he learned real quick about lucas being a teacher to adolphe and yves. ] How are you holding up..? I'm afraid I have no good news of finding evidence to give you, but we will find out what's happened.
Lucas is taking a brief break from his Yves babysitting duties, having come back to scout the place for essentially the same reason. He doesn't seem outwardly in despair, at least; he's very well put together even now, despite the bite of being a teacher who failed his student.
When Zhongli approaches, he offers a small smile. There's a thin shimmery veil of ice cast across what skin is visible, similar to the veil from earlier in the week.]
I'm alright; thank you, dear. ...And thank you for checking, as well. I know that we'll all work hard together tomorrow. [And then, tilting his head:] Are you holding up, as well? It seems I'm not the only one who woke up with a bit of strange soreness.
[ i've run the gamut through :tails: :harold: creachur: and :meowno: in the 9 longest hours of my life as a 36yo. ]
Oh? [ zhongli's roaming, walking to clear his head and check on everyone on his path, but it's... almost not surprising, to find lucas here after they were preparing food and tea last night.
busy hands, occupied mind. ] I am always a willing taste-tester, so I would never say no.
[steals a page from flurry's book THIS IS ALSO A NONSTARTER Lucas will be in the garden for the most part, or perhaps the field of flowers! TOSS ME WHATEVER ZHONGLI U THINK IS FUNNIEST and let me know if you wish for an au lucas or a baby lucas or just normal lucas struggling to hold all these children suddenly]
zhongli is casing out the meadow, the same as he has the past murders - as if the final resting place can tell them anything, when they're in a frozen state to preserve the scene - looking pensive. a little frustrated, too, if you know where to look in his posture.
but he does at least look up, hearing someone join him. seeing that it's lucas, he gives him a wan smile, brow a little pinched, before he looks back to the flowers. ]
No answers, yet again. [ ... ] Was anyone behaving oddly, where you wound up last night..?
But out into the field he'll venture, moving until he's stopped right alongside Zhongli, gazing out upon the meadow in its currently pristine and untouched state. Hateful. But he'll turn his attention back up, offering a small and somewhat thin smile in return.]
Not that I noticed, no... It was myself, Yves, Marcoh, Laurence, Koharu, Claude, Maomao and Siffrin in the courtyard, last night.
[Lucas is just out by the gazebo shortly after the trial ends! He's not hard to find, but he's not seeking anyone else out just yet either. He needs some time to come back to himself after spending some time disassociating there!! As calm as he was when fingers started pointing at Yves, it was just a bare thing, and now Neverah's about to be fucking toast too so IT'S JUST A LOT. IT'S A LOT!!!
He will still nod whenever he spots Zhongli, though, not looking much outwardly beyond a little tired.]
[ zhongli is... roaming, mostly. checking on people, trying to think, making an attempt to walk off the end of trial and the frenzy of it. nearly condemning yves, having to corner neverah. neither sit well with him.
yves is safe, at least, but voting for neverah brought no one joy. ]
It escalates in different ways, every week. [ ruefully, as he comes to stand along with him. ] But you, Lucas? You may be honest with me about how you are fairing, if you are willing.
[BATTLE WAIF....... dumps my memshare menu on u hehe... just lmk if you have any prefs, any you want to avoid, or just a general vibe and i will spaghetti you!! i like the sound of of death (ominous) from your list but i am totally down for whatever you think might work or be most fun for our cr! i'm also totally down for multiple memshares either through the thread or across the week rubs hands like fly]
[ LET'S DO DEATH FOR DEATH and then we can throw more at each other as the week goes on bc god knows we will have like three more threads, runs to go actually finish writing the of death one ]
[HEWWO... It is significantly later in the night and Lucas has had plenty of time to scrape his sad shit back together! He's hanging out at the cafe not me typing cage first and seated at one of the tables, just kind of looking off into the distance. He is always slightly dissociated so that's probably fine.
Still, he'll nod whenever he spots Zhongli. Hewwo.]
[ hewwo stinker... zhongli doesn't seem surprised to see him still kind of out of it, all things considered, but he will ease an empty chair across from him back and lower himself to sit. a deep cut across his face has been healing, scarring at this point in heaven's recovery room process, but otherwise all is unfried and whole. ]
Apologies not necessary. You went through quite the ordeal, this weekend, so it comes as no surprise. How are you feeling, now?
[ howdy, lucas, you may find zhongli... in the chop & chill kitchen! his hair is tied back as always, but he's wearing a simple apron and has his sleeves rolled up to show off his arms as he works on... multiple projects, it seems like? his chao, kedou, is seated on the counter where it's flipping through one of the numerous cookbooks that have been stacked and collected for zhongli to reference. he's in the process of chopping a wide variety of vegetables at the moment, however, so he's not paying much mind to the cookbooks, putting each vegetable into its own large mixing bowl as he goes.
he's so absorbed in what he's doing that he hasn't noticed that lucas has joined him, thoughts sort of... faded out? like they're absent, background noise in his mind, but it seems he's running through different recipes that he needs the vegetables for. the various names of the recipes are a mix, things that sound similar to what's found in autumn alley, french dishes, western in general. it matches the books that are stacked up on the counter. ]
[HE'S SO HARD AT WORK... Lucas doesn't really want to interrupt his concentration, though he listens in on the stream of thoughts with curiosity. Recipes... He'll peer at the ingredients, too, and then just short of shuffle to stand off to the side so he's not in the way overly-much.
Though despite his best efforts to be quiet, his brain is not!!!! And as he watches all of the prepwork happening and thinks about the food that will come from it at the end, he just thinks:
the moment that they got onto the polar express, zhongli threw up a shield around the both of them. even if lucas can handle himself peachy keen, these are magic spells and shenanigans that he doesn't want to deal with. but if the wizards continue their assault, it'll probably break down and have to be reupped. so. there's a chance for shenanigans.
THAT SAID. he offers lucas his arm like a gentleman, humming a thoughtful noise. ]
You had the chance to explore this place, before, and it seems like an excellent attraction to enjoy. Shall we see the sights, while we can?
[ we are... somewhere in the neighborhood? the gazebo, maybe, so that zhongli's easy to find for those that are coming and going through all of, well. this. there's a light, golden glow coming from his hands - and as part of his hands, as well - as he can be found manipulating geo energy quietly. his emotions are still distant enough to not really be there, but his thoughts are filled with shapes, and brief blips of peoples' words or faces as he works.
a bottle of osmanthus wine sits next to him, but no glass. so he's probably just been drinking from it directly while doing his task at the moment. on his lap is a velvet-lined box, with a few things in the bottom of it already. what they are isn't immediately apparent, but they're the same color as whatever is in his hands right now.
without looking up right away: ] The final day comes tomorrow. How are you feeling about it?
[ the light fades, and he deposits his work into the box - then looks up at lucas, offering him a small, fond smile. a little sad around the edges, but... still there for lucas. might be the last time they see each other, and he will miss him so sorely. he knows it. ]
[It's fine he'll die so early and be here to greet everyone else if/when they eventually kick it and want to come back to Heaven...
But it is quite sad, partings like this. And there's a little bit of that sadness in his smile and in his emotions, too, even though the majority is just warmth and fondness. He tries to hold onto the positives, even here and now; he approaches with that in mind.]
...It's a little bit hard to really visualize, I think. After so long together in such harrowing circumstances, it's going to feel strange not to see anyone, especially on that first day back, I think.
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wknd 0; saturday
... iconography of golden loaches? [ he spots the axolotls depicted in the stained glass, bemused immediately. ]
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He's probably just off to the side sitting on a pew enjoying the peace and calm, but he'll look up and over when he hears Zhongli speak.]
Golden loaches?
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wk 0; tuesday
heavenly sim room. ]
Ah. Finding some peace and quiet after the excitement of the day?
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The heavenly sim room... Zhongli walks into a rather lovely church, at least! The sun coming in through the windows is warm and orange-y gold, like it's on its way to setting. Lucas just sort of stands near the front by the altar, since he can't exactly sit on any of the pews, but it's fine. He's enjoying looking up at the big window up there and just bathing in the scattered light cast into the building from the stained glass.
He'll look over when he's addressed, though, all smiles.]
Oh, dear. Was it an exciting day? I've been here for some time, but now I feel as if that may have been a mistake...
[FRANCY.]
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wk 0; friday
approach? he hasn't immediately registered that someone else is there with him, to be honest. ]
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...I take it you haven't found anything, either...
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w0 sat!
...Even Heaven has difficult days, it seems.
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Perhaps not so idyllic as it was made to seem. How are you fairing, Mister Lucas?
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wk 1; monday
rng is the morning/noon/evening/night, and you get... morning! merry christmas!
he doesn't seem particularly bothered by the snow or the chill, walking with his arms folded behind his back neatly as usual while he investigates the neighborhood and its stalls. his tail settles between his jacket tails easily, flicking occasionally and staying just raised enough to avoid dragging in the snow. ]
How festive. [ kind of wry about it, considering the weekend they had. but he's not a debbie downer. when he sees lucas, he unfolds one hand and raises it in greeting. ] I believe this is a holiday of giftgiving... are you familiar with it, Mister Lucas?
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He'll meander over once he spots Zhongli, though, his gaze rising briefly to take in the changes but not lingering long enough to be rude.]
I'm not, I'm afraid... But it really is quite a festive energy, isn't it? I do wish the others had been able to see it...
[He says it with some light sadness, but despite the wildness of the weekend, he doesn't linger long in negative emotions.]
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wk 1; friday
it feels... futile. to be trying to find evidence of what happened, after last week. but he still can't help himself as he walks around with his spear in one hand. the other is over his stomach, ginger, like he's still processing the soreness there. when he spots lucas, there's an agitated lash of his tail - but he makes a direct line towards him, brisk and immediate, concern on his face. ]
Lucas... [ dropping that out of concern, because. he learned real quick about lucas being a teacher to adolphe and yves. ] How are you holding up..? I'm afraid I have no good news of finding evidence to give you, but we will find out what's happened.
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Lucas is taking a brief break from his Yves babysitting duties, having come back to scout the place for essentially the same reason. He doesn't seem outwardly in despair, at least; he's very well put together even now, despite the bite of being a teacher who failed his student.
When Zhongli approaches, he offers a small smile. There's a thin shimmery veil of ice cast across what skin is visible, similar to the veil from earlier in the week.]
I'm alright; thank you, dear. ...And thank you for checking, as well. I know that we'll all work hard together tomorrow. [And then, tilting his head:] Are you holding up, as well? It seems I'm not the only one who woke up with a bit of strange soreness.
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w1 sat!
Lucas is in the kitchen cooking up another batch of soup, though he'll nod whenever Zhongli enters.]
Hello, dear. Mind if I borrow you to do some taste-testing?
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Oh? [ zhongli's roaming, walking to clear his head and check on everyone on his path, but it's... almost not surprising, to find lucas here after they were preparing food and tea last night.
busy hands, occupied mind. ] I am always a willing taste-tester, so I would never say no.
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w2 mon!
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wk 2; friday
zhongli is casing out the meadow, the same as he has the past murders - as if the final resting place can tell them anything, when they're in a frozen state to preserve the scene - looking pensive. a little frustrated, too, if you know where to look in his posture.
but he does at least look up, hearing someone join him. seeing that it's lucas, he gives him a wan smile, brow a little pinched, before he looks back to the flowers. ]
No answers, yet again. [ ... ] Was anyone behaving oddly, where you wound up last night..?
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But out into the field he'll venture, moving until he's stopped right alongside Zhongli, gazing out upon the meadow in its currently pristine and untouched state. Hateful. But he'll turn his attention back up, offering a small and somewhat thin smile in return.]
Not that I noticed, no... It was myself, Yves, Marcoh, Laurence, Koharu, Claude, Maomao and Siffrin in the courtyard, last night.
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w2 sat
He will still nod whenever he spots Zhongli, though, not looking much outwardly beyond a little tired.]
A trying day.
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yves is safe, at least, but voting for neverah brought no one joy. ]
It escalates in different ways, every week. [ ruefully, as he comes to stand along with him. ] But you, Lucas? You may be honest with me about how you are fairing, if you are willing.
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w3 mon!
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w5 sun!
Still, he'll nod whenever he spots Zhongli. Hewwo.]
...My apologies for not greeting you sooner.
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Apologies not necessary. You went through quite the ordeal, this weekend, so it comes as no surprise. How are you feeling, now?
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wk 6; monday
he's so absorbed in what he's doing that he hasn't noticed that lucas has joined him, thoughts sort of... faded out? like they're absent, background noise in his mind, but it seems he's running through different recipes that he needs the vegetables for. the various names of the recipes are a mix, things that sound similar to what's found in autumn alley, french dishes, western in general. it matches the books that are stacked up on the counter. ]
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Though despite his best efforts to be quiet, his brain is not!!!! And as he watches all of the prepwork happening and thinks about the food that will come from it at the end, he just thinks:
Hungry.
Help.]
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wk 7; monday
the moment that they got onto the polar express, zhongli threw up a shield around the both of them. even if lucas can handle himself peachy keen, these are magic spells and shenanigans that he doesn't want to deal with. but if the wizards continue their assault, it'll probably break down and have to be reupped. so. there's a chance for shenanigans.
THAT SAID. he offers lucas his arm like a gentleman, humming a thoughtful noise. ]
You had the chance to explore this place, before, and it seems like an excellent attraction to enjoy. Shall we see the sights, while we can?
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If you wish to, yes. This train does have many enjoyable places...
[He also killed three people on it, so his vibes are perhaps a little faintly guilty, but he does think that the cars themselves are enjoyable.]
There's a car with corgis that's particularly lovely. Ah - but there's also a car with bugs that I would rather we avoid.
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wk 7; endgame
a bottle of osmanthus wine sits next to him, but no glass. so he's probably just been drinking from it directly while doing his task at the moment. on his lap is a velvet-lined box, with a few things in the bottom of it already. what they are isn't immediately apparent, but they're the same color as whatever is in his hands right now.
without looking up right away: ] The final day comes tomorrow. How are you feeling about it?
[ the light fades, and he deposits his work into the box - then looks up at lucas, offering him a small, fond smile. a little sad around the edges, but... still there for lucas. might be the last time they see each other, and he will miss him so sorely. he knows it. ]
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But it is quite sad, partings like this. And there's a little bit of that sadness in his smile and in his emotions, too, even though the majority is just warmth and fondness. He tries to hold onto the positives, even here and now; he approaches with that in mind.]
...It's a little bit hard to really visualize, I think. After so long together in such harrowing circumstances, it's going to feel strange not to see anyone, especially on that first day back, I think.
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