cardsharp.

of course ,⠀i can also be your⠀friend ♠ affil. aventurine

[avcnturine]

#CORE VALUES.　the bedrock that informs how we live and behave, and what we pursue.　please repost, not reblog!

part one.　bold the values that apply to your muse. you can also strikethrough the ones that absolutely don't apply.

achievement　adventure　authenticity　balance　beauty　belonging　career　collaboration　commitment　community　compassion　competence　competition　courage　creativity　curiosity　dignity　empathy　equality　fairness　faith　family　fame　financial security　flexibility　freedom　friendship　fun　generosity　growth　happiness　harmony　health　honesty　hope　humor　independence　influence　inner peace　innovation　integrity　justice　kindness　knowledge　leadership　learning　love　loyalty　meaningful work　openness　order　passion　patience　perseverance　pleasure　power　recognition　relationships　reliability　spirituality　respect　responsibility　security　self-expression　service　simplicity　stability　success　teamwork　tolerance　tradition　trust　truth　wealth　wisdom

part two.　pick your muse's top 3 values from those bolded. list them below and say more.　(　i.e.　how they define it ; where does it come from ; how does it show up in them ; etc.　)　similar values may be combined.

i.　achievement / success.　it's not completely clear how aventurine defines achievement on his own terms, but it's not necessarily tied to one particular dimension, i.e. finance, fame, influence. achievement equals, in broad terms, coming out the other side and defying fate against all odds. this takes the form of every high-stakes gamble that he wins and every seemingly impossible stunt he emerges from unscathed, but it also is in the fact that he's made it this far to where he is today, defying what he should've been capable of due to his origin, his disadvantages, and any number of chips stacked against him. the drive for achievement and the ambition that comes with it, embedded in him through a combination of the belief placed in him since birth, survivor's guilt, and spite, is the fundamental motivator behind aventurine's actions. it's only once he feels he's achieved whatever ultimate demarcator of success he's looking for that he feels he's allowed to die.

ii.　perseverance / courage.　deeply tied to his top core value, perseverance and courage——similar concepts in the way he imagines them——are traits that are needed in order to reach that achievement. perseverance is the trait that kept him alive for years on sigonia-iv by himself as a sole survivor, through slavery, sex trafficking, and countless occasions where he should have died. it's what brought him before and through the ranks of the IPC and to where he is today despite the circumstances of his birth. luck has a lot to do with it, of course, but aventurine's tenacity assumed an equal role, so it is the trait of his that he clings to if everything else has left. for better or worse, aventurine is probably incapable of just giving up ; an ingrown spite towards the idea of laying down and taking it that borders on madness just won't let him.

iii.　innovation.　like the above, this core value——the ability to think forward, to look toward the next thing, to something new——also circles back around to tenets of self-preservation, survival, and success⠀(⠀there's a pattern, clearly⠀).⠀innovation has its roots too in his upbringing, where cleverness and adaptability are valued among the avgin as time-tested means of survival in a hostile environment, persisting even throughout the diaspora beyond sigonia-iv. quick thinking, cunning, and resourcefulness are praised and seen as necessary ; these instilled values are quite literally a product of natural selection. this is also one of the reasons that aventurine is so naturally suited for the IPC and strategic investment, which also values and relies heavily on innovation.

tagging.　you!

[avcnturine]

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗣 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

comm. ELATION⠀∶⠀belobog continuation.

[mydcimos]

“…you consider this under control?” For all of the derision wrapped in his tone, Mydei’s brow is raised. He angles himself to fully face the other man with an expression that belies a kind of dry amusement.

If he’s honest, Jarilo-VI’s resilience draws him. That a people can be fierce enough to weather such an attack and conquer it in mere days is impressive in ways that most city-states are not. They late his people’s military sense and brutality…but the spirits are similar. The drive. Mydei finds himself offering aid to stunned citizens simply because he wishes it.

The fabric fastened to his shoulder catches the wind as he shrugs, folding his arms across his chest. “You know of Amphoreus.” There’s a surprise all of its own, the gold of his gaze sharpening as he studies Aventurine anew. He’s… Mydeimos has never been skilled at putting people into categories. Has to spend much more time with a person to find their worth than the handful of hours they spent in proximity.

Aventurine is different. His speech flutters forth like any councilman Mydei has ever known except that it doesn’t immediately grate the nerves. A good thing or… dangerous. His feet stay planted to the spot, not yet moved to walk away. Unfortunately, this revelation does not grant the other man the right to know his movements. “Then- why have you approached me? If you work for the event, then you know I have offered my aid until the city no longer needs it. Speak your intent.”

[avcnturine]

UNTIL THE CITY NO LONGER NEEDS IT.　♤　fine brows arch mildly towards the wisps of a blond hairline, followed by a smile equal parts admiring and chagrined, ignoring the question. "if that's the case, then i'm afraid you might be here for longer than you think. jarilo-vi isn't just suffering from this recent encounter with the fragmentum." the rest is for mister mydei to learn if he really does intend to stay——the history behind the stellaron and the great freeze, and just exactly what scars that kind of isolation left behind. in his experience, the people of this little planet weren't all that welcoming of outsiders.

but maybe this festival was a sign that things were beginning to turn around, at least as far as intent. privately, he wishes the other man good luck.

"but you're right, that's not what i wanted to talk to you about. if you're planning to stay here for a while, then maybe this works out better than i thought. the subject of interest today is. . . "

he opens an arm out to the side and clicks something small held in the palm of his hand ; a warp hole appears mid-air, dark and swirling, and out jumps a familiarly stout four-legged creature, mottled colorful brown with an upturned snout. the instant grand salami sees mydei, his coat puffs up until he looks almost twice his size, raising his head with a jab at the air with his tusks in challenge, giving two short squeals. aventurine laughs, looking back to the kremnoan warrior-king with nothing in his expression to suggest concern about the trotter's aggressive behavior.

"this little guy isn't well-suited for where i'll be heading. given his fiery ambition, it'd be a shame to keep him cooped up all day and night." not to mention the disaster he'd no doubt make of his flat. the easy smile leveled at mydei is just enough to be expectant. "so i thought: to make the most of his potential, he should have someone who best understands his nature."

[avcnturine]

𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗔⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

comm. DESTRUCTION⠀∶⠀paperfold novels.

[crackshct]

It's never been in Boothill's nature to be suspicious, nor expend half his energy upturning every word spoken to him like turning over rocks on the hunt for snakes. He'd never been like he is now, with Aventurine, with the IPC. For each part of him that they'd taken, he'd had to fill it with something else: hatred, paranoia, among other things like the blue blood that coursed through his veins now - artificial and wrong, but life-sustaining nonetheless. Yet the old part of him buried deep in his core still longs for those innocent, bygone days, and so all Aventurine has to do is raise his hands in placating gesture for Boothill accept it at face value. He starts to release his grip, but not the scowl on his face, until a new name wrenches his fingers tighter into the folds of the Stoneheart's designer shirt collar, undoubtedly wrinkling it had the Ranger had his own hands, and not those of cold, dead steel.

Oswaldo Schneider. Of course. In a single breath, Boothill forgets Aventurine's trespassing, the full force of his fury redirecting to the shadow of a man who'd managed to be just steps ahead yet again.

"That slippery motherfudgin' clockstuckin'--" Growled though they are through razors sharp enough to rip skin and muscle from bone, their color bounces off the velvet wall at Aventurine's back and returns to his ears in ridiculous mockery of the emotion that had spurred them, so he shuts himself up with a bullish snort. Only then does he finally release the fistful of silk and steps backwards out of the Stoneheart's personal space so that he can recompose himself, although within seconds it hardly looks like he'd so much as touched a golden hair on that savvy, coolheaded gambler's head. By now though, Boothill doesn't care. He'd make good on his promise whether he took his threats seriously or not.

"If this forkin' book's got somethin' to do with that yellowbellied shirtbag, then I'll be on its scent like a bloodhound."

The anger unwinds itself in pieces, but the rest of it flushes away with the emptying of Boothill's third glass, somehow still mostly full despite the mixture of sticky drink splattered across the stool's top and the floor around it. The melting ice clinks as he returns it to the ring it'd left on the wood, and although the shadows are still dark around the sharp angles of his face, his expression has mostly returned to its animated neutral. His eye flickers toward Aventurine in reluctant approval of their tenuous collaboration, then back to their unfinished billiards game.

"Findin' the author -- ain't that what you were sayin'?" He snaps his stick back up and stalks around to the other side of the table. "Between your access to Company intel, and my connections, I reckon this son of a nice lady won't stay a mystery for long."

[avcnturine]

MAYBE BOOTHILL'S SIMPLICITY WAS ONE OF HIS CHARMS.　♤　aventurine smiles as the grip in his collar slackens, then seizes up again, but this time the galaxy ranger's attention is somewhere far away, no longer fixed dangerously on him or even probably in this bar. oswaldo schneider. the tenuous line that kept their alliance in place, and a perfect example of one of the stonehearts' favorite maxims. there are no permanent allies or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. though if he was honest, with how much boothill disliked the IPC, he was surprised he was willing to set that aside to collaborate even this much.

practiced motions smooth out wrinkles and adjust folds, and when boothill returns to their half-hearted back and forth across the billiards table, so does he. in boothill's hands, the cue stick is——like everything else about him—— a weapon, a crosshair on the next target and promising to pierce the stars ; to the stoneheart, it is a matchbox, no more than tinder upon a flame: a goad, or a taunt, or encouragement in the direction one had always wanted to go in the first place. the cue ball shoots off, striking several others in a spontaneous barrage of clack-clack-clack, and he straightens up again to reach for his own abandoned drink on the side, only to realized it'd long been empty.

"i can't make any promises," he replies, cool again to the fire of boothill's ire and amicably shaped. "whether this contraband novel really has anything to do with the director or not, or if it'll even give us any answers to what exactly happened to us in empyrea and who was behind it. . . "

truth be told, they could just be chasing smoke and red herrings, maybe even clues laid in their path like breadcrumbs for them to blindly follow, none the wiser. "but, just speaking for myself, when bait is dangled ready for the taking, even attached to a hook and line, i'd always prefer to go for it." his smile grows a little wider, and the glimmer of vividly colored eyes is almost auroral in the dingy light. "falling into an enemy's trap can still show you a lot about them, don't you think? provided you have a way out in the worst case scenario, that is."

"so feel free to leave anything particularly risky to me, mister galaxy ranger." the keen edge his voice had taken on for a instant settles again as if it had never been there, and he toys with the cue stick in his hands, end over end, as he watches boothill plan his next move.

on the billiards table, of course.

"skills like yours are still better left for the most critical moments. don't worry. i'll be sure to be in touch."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　₊　hypnopompia　┃┃┃　end.

[spicehill]

you don't really want this help.

something something blending sneak + huddle into a mini thread

[spicehill]

a different camp... that did explain a few things, and from the sound of it, also made the prospects of what could be made for a meal a little more promising. but who owns those rations that are better than what the rest of the people are working with in this crisis?... jiaoqiu doesn't let go of aventurine's arm just yet though, and clings even tighter for a moment as he starts to walk to the source of warmth in the shelter to find a place to sit down. "everyone else? haha, just how big of a team is working with you here?..." he doesn't exactly expect an answer --- as jiaoqiu finds a bench to take a seat on, arms gradually release their hold on the other man, and he focuses instead on undoing the thick coat he's wearing to move himself a little more freely and feel more of the fire's warmth.

once fully settled, jiaoqiu exhales slowly, then turns to share another thought in the direction he hears aventurine in. "if there's a better selection here than at the main camp, don't worry about letting me know everything that's available. I can work with whatever appeals to you the most instead." though he would also need dishes, and cookware, and perhaps some water, though that could just as easily be snowmelt... he hums, and then reaches to his belt to double-check the spices he brought with him to belobog ( which... was never quite famed for its variety. he was fairly certain he'd brought a lot with that in mind )... each rung has a small glass vial with a raised character on a bronzed cap, and so far, he'd only used the cinnamon a few times.

then, jiaoqiu leans forward from his seat to feel around by the fire, looking for any of the materials he'd need to see if they were left there. when he finds a pot, jiaoqiu places it to his side on the bench --- "in fact... just place whatever you'd like to try in here. it can be a surprise."

( with any luck, maybe they could even have something neither had tried before. )

end.

[avcnturine]

𝗫𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗭𝗛𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗧⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

comm. ABUNDANCE⠀∶⠀bootleg starskiffs.

[spicehill]

anything that could get them out... jiaoqiu settles back into the seat with a sigh as the ship steadies again. in this moment, he not only curses his damaged sight, but also the traditional decision made as a child to reject all the possibilities his parents had placed in front of him as part of tradition: the toy sword, the miniature starskiff, and the jade abacus all held little interest, then. instead, he had asked his parents about their own cauldrons, and if he could use one of them as his choice. it was exactly what they had expected of their son --- but right now, he almost wishes he had chosen the toy starskiff.

any capacity he had to navigate the interior of this modified starskiff would have to come from secondhand knowledge. "if the owner of this starskiff had access to military-grade aftermarket modifications for its acceleration, then... maybe..." maybe there's a way to get them out, quite literally. "at the base of your seat. there may be something that resembles a woven lever that is very difficult to pull out of place, but that is by design... if so, that's a promising last resort." he had only ever treated injuries related to verdant knight pilots ejecting from starskiffs in an emergency --- never seen or felt what it would be like to actually experience it.

but was that all they could do, here? jiaoqiu shakes his head, not happy with the idea of forcibly abandoning this starskiff and leaving it to crash land somewhere aboard the luofu. "alternatively... if we want to fly elsewhere, you can pull up the autopilot navigation --- if you get us out of luofu airspace and into the yaoqing's territory, I may be able to help get us out of this in a less dangerous way. once the yaoqing's skyfairing commission contacts us to verify our identities and reasons for entry." if this was an illegally modified starskiff... most likely, it would draw some regulatory flags from upon trying to enter another fleet ship's airspace. but he could explain them well enough to those officials --- and their intervention could also make sure that anyone more dangerous that could be following them would be scared off or captured.

[avcnturine]

HE'D NEVER CONSIDERED GETTING ANOTHER　♤　part of the alliance involved. staring ahead, brows arched, aventurine plays around with the idea while trying to make sure they don't get near-engine-checked by someone else in passing. though jiaoqiu means well, it definitely sounds like an outlandish idea out of the box——whether the skiff would even be sound enough to get them all the way out to the yaoqing was one thing, but as far as he knew, these illegally-modified raceships were exclusively a luofu problem. it's hard to imagine his partners at the sky-faring commission being too happy with the idea of outsourcing the solution to a sometime-political-rival, even if it meant that the problem got resolved. if we'd wanted the yaoqing involved, we would've taken that road from the start, he can imagine that secretary saying, her arms folded and ears stick-straight.

then again——he glances to a flicker of pink out of the corner of his eye, then back to open air——hadn't a yaoqing citizen of some reasonable standing already gotten wrapped up in this? he didn't have much sense yet of jiaoqiu to know for sure, but depending how he decided to pursue this afterwards, any chance of the scandal being kept squarely within the luofu might already be slim.

, , ,

more importantly than any of that, though: let's say this ship had already been compromised by the same people who'd prevented his associate from making it here on time, and they opted to just cut their losses and abort completely, which is what he assumes his companion means to imply by the lever under their seats. their lives might be assured. . . but then what? the operation would fall right into the hands of whoever had stirred this up in the first place, and it'd be clear that they'd been one step ahead of them all along, leaving them back at square one in terms of getting to the bottom of this. the sky-faring commission hadn't reached out to the IPC for a roughshod job——this collaboration was about more than just some black market raceships.

"a bold plan. i like it." he reaches out to start playing with the input controls on the dashboard, testing a variety of knobs and dials. "let's hope my good luck smiles on us today, haha. as for the coordinates. . . you should know them, right?" and if he remembers, there should be an option somewhere around here to reduce functions to the minimum needed to run——unless they knew for sure the ship wasn't tampered to go sky-high on them, the less they taxed it, the better.

[avcnturine]

a reunion with death

comm. CRYSTALLLIZE⠀∶⠀four winds.

[balemouns]

khaenri'ah had relatively little to do with the temple, aside from being a potential explanation for the knights' appearance: head shakes as she follows, and gaze lowers to the floor in thought. perhaps the fatui intelligence on these creatures was outdated and inaccurate: perhaps they had more to do with the abyss than the eclipse dynasty. deeper thought delays any response, and by the time lips part to start to explain --- I know relatively little of khaenri'ah that you couldn't find in a fontanian bookstore, a well-prepared half-truth --- mr. aventurine draws attention to the chill in the room and the way he had seen the last monster go. "oh... how peculiar," it's a sincere remark: arlecchino sees no reason to not believe his assertion. still, she starts to climb up the rubble herself after him, eyes scanning for any potential explanations as she follows. "a hidden mechanism... I would imagine the knight would then have the awareness to think to block the path behind itself if so, which would also be peculiar for their documented behaviors."

finally, they arrive at where rubble rests against a stone wall: with no immediate, clear indicators of what could cause this, arlecchino reaches forward towards to try and touch it.

"hn --- !?" a scalding, corrosive heat immediately meets blackened palm -- she grunts, but can't seem to pull it away as something that looks to be a red-violet burn spreads outward at an accelerating pace from the point of contact. then, once the corrosion has spread wide enough to envelop her, the trapped hand starts to slide through --- "damn it, what is this..." arlecchino's head swivels back to aventurine quickly, and she grabs onto the collar of his jacket before the gravity of this strange force pulls them both through and hurdles them into darkness.

... and when the darkness ends, marked eyes open to an entirely different scene: a vibrant, busy, bustling underground city, inhabited by what seems to be echoes of souls in the same red-violet hue that had captured her hand. but these aren't ruins, they're... "... a memory?" the question mutters out loud, and the harbinger realizes she's still clinging onto the accompanying man's jacket; dark hand releases, and she turns back to him with a puzzled look. she should ask if aventurine is alright, she knows --- but this is more immediately pressing. "I... this does not appear to be part of the temple anymore, nor was that strange effect just now typical of the abyss. if I had to wager a guess... what just happened was something else."

[avcnturine]

NARROWED EYES ARE SCANNING THE FAR WALL　♤　when he hears what sounds like a commotion over where madam arlecchino had gone. the dappled shadows make it hard to see, so he turns and makes his way over instead. "find something—? hng——?!" he's yanked forward from his arm without warning, off his feet by a powerful force that he somehow suspects isn't his companion's alone.

next thing he knows, he's blinking, on solid ground or what feels like it, and jarringly not as off-balance as he'd expect to be after getting jerked around like that. instinctively, he scans their surroundings, and it takes his eyes a second to adjust and his brain a second longer than that. where it expects more cave walls, maybe a hidden corridor or chamber, it finds movement. for some reason, this is more unexpected than anything else. and it's not more of those serpent knights, but what can only be described as dozens of half-transparent, human-sized blobs all around them. ghosts, maybe? with some sort of aura.

he's never been a psychic or a medium, so the sudden ability to see what looks like the dead earns a raised brow, and a glance at his companion reveals a bewildered expression that matches the feeling.

"something else. . . " he parrots after arlecchino's attempt at an explanation, though it's more comprehensive than anything he could offer, as he finally lets his eyes wander over the rest of their new location. they're standing at the end of a street or avenue where instead of road, there's water. and when he turns around, he finds their backs at a solid wall of black——or, what looks like a wall at least, and he's not in a hurry to find out what happens if he tries to walk through.

maybe another time. for now, what's been presented in front of them looks more appealing. a grand underground channel, lights on in every window lining either side of the dark canal as if there'd been a welcome party laid out for them. but rather than inviting, the spectacle only succeeds in being unnerving, as if every eye of this place were zeroed in on them under the spotlight.

his exterior betrays none of that apprehension as he looks back at arlecchino with a lazy smile. "well, should we see if this is where our mysterious serpent knight ran off to? no sign of anything like him around here." but before he even starts walking, something else she'd said had caught his interest too. "between the two of us, you're the expert. you said this place was a memory." had they stepped into some kind of memoria bubble? "you wouldn't happen to know whose, would you?"

[spicehill]

digital words washed ashore.

empyrea cleanup commission with @avcnturine.

[spicehill]

jiaoqiu turns when he hears his name, ears moving just slightly before head as he pinpoints where the increasingly familiar voice is coming from. midmorning light makes the source a shadowed figure a short distance away: he chuckles when he hears the question, and starts to walk in the other man's direction. "... your ship, mm? getting away from all this mess does sound like a good idea... but, I wouldn't blame the workers too much. I think most people don't realize my vision is impaired from a quick, passing glance." at least not when he was in a period of time between experimental treatments, like this one... an arm comes forward to reach out and ask for guidance once he's close enough for them to head on their way.

the walk back to their transport isn't terribly long: once aboard aventurine's ship, jiaoqiu looks around briefly before taking out his own jade abacus to send a quick 'heading off to get something to eat' text message to a few key contacts who may end up looking for him in his absence and fear the worst. the external shape of the ship certainly wasn't a xianzhou starskiff, despite their previous meetings taking place within the alliance --- seems more appropriate of a vehicle for someone who only occasionally visited the cluster of spacefaring ships he called home.

with the way the man he's accompanying seems to usually behave... perhaps he'd only learn a few small, new things about him each time they meet, and this one would be simply seeing the kind of ship he flies. a breath, and jiaoqiu calls for aventurine again after he puts the jade abacus back in his pocket. "so, mr. aventurine... do you have something for breakfast here in your ship? if so, I would be happy to help prepare --- I actually enjoy doing that sort of thing. or, were you thinking of going somewhere else entirely?"

[avcnturine]

BACK IN COMFORTABLY AIR-CONDITIONED QUARTERS ,　♤　he pauses at the threshold as the pressurized doors slide shut behind them with a hiss to let jiaoqiu get his bearings on their new surroundings. the foxian's ears flick and turn, those impaired eyes still scanning their environment even as they struggle to focus on anything. if the other hadn't mentioned it earlier, he wouldn't even have thought to notice the invisibility of the disability. what a funny place to be, both fully aware of his blindness and still constantly forgetting about it.

as he leads jiaoqiu around the perimeter of the starship's main foyer, the fall of their footsteps is muffled by the line of rich carpet beneath, dimmed by the barely audible hum of the structure all around them. "ahaha, i was thinking we would just have something brought up to my room. that's how i would do it if i was alone. don't let being on a starship fool you——we're not short on variety either."

"but, having someone else offer to cook is admittedly a first. normally, i'd say that there's no excuse for asking a guest to take on the work. . . "

half-amused, he pauses them at the juncture where hallways split: one further into the ship's body toward the VIP suites, the other continuing down the main promenade toward the kitchens and other utilities. "but if you insist. . . i get the feeling that you might get bored otherwise, just sitting around and waiting."

and he has to admit, he's curious to see how a blind man goes about cooking, if not for the inevitable shock he'd get for showing up unannounced in the ship's kitchens. sometimes, going through all the effort of reassuring everyone that he wasn't here to breathe down their necks was hardly worth the hassle.

. . . then again, maybe an unexpected audit wouldn't be a bad idea, to see where exactly his food was coming from.

[avcnturine]

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗣 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

comm. ELATION⠀∶⠀belobog continuation.

[avcnturine]

WITH ALL THE CHAOS FINALLY SETTLING DOWN ,　♤　jarilo-vi was back to looking more like its usual abandoned self. it was almost sad, how quickly everyone packed up to board the first ship home as soon as interstellar connections opened up again, and the festival had been all but forgotten, overriden by the weeks of danger, fear, and stress after. people couldn't wait to get out of here, as if afraid that everything would freeze back over again if they risked waiting an extra day or two.

but given their liaison and topaz's situation, the IPC was still hanging around, first to arrive and, it was looking like, one of the last to go: helping with repairs, shipping in aid supplies, and bringing in doctors to treat the wounded. part of it was the ordinary business of lending an ally a hand, but it was also about negotiation and asset management. even now, opal was likely projected on a big screen in qlipoth fort, going on day three of talks with the new supreme guardian.

as for him, once all the belated cleanup for the IPC ★ FINALE was finished, he'd be free to take his own leave and head back to pier point.

"oh? you're still here?"

but walking through the main gate of the nearly-stripped race site, he's surprised to find an unexpected figure standing by the fences today, seemingly watching the groups of workers disassembling, moving, and packing. blond and imposing, and still barely dressed. "mister mydei, was it?" he recalls that the amphorean had been among the names of the competition finalists at the time ; though they hadn't spoken much in their own qualifying race, somehow he hadn't been too surprised. considering the circumstances of any ' home ' he might've had to go back to though, he imagines that leaving for him wasn't as easy as it was for everyone else. "i happen to know a little about what happened with amphoreus. i was actually just wondering what all of your plans were now that things here have gotten back under control."　/　@mydcimos

[avcnturine]

𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

#GHRevelation2025⠀∶⠀vodka donuts are now a thing

[spicehill]

he gasps softly when the sound of aventurine's voice answering the hotel staff member doesn't immediately pull warmth and weight away, and brings a slight sting at the bace of his neck instead. but then, it's gone --- the warmth, the sting, the faint taste of blood that isn't even really a taste, but a reaction, a warning that something is in his mouth that likely shouldn't be there. so, heartbeat races in the momentary reprieve as frame tenses, considering if the dull thudding that echoes it further below is acceptable: jiaoqiu feels frozen on the couch, not sure if the woman at the door can see him from here anyway. he doesn't know what can be seen from the door at all, really.

a sound of quiet politeness processes before the door clicks closed, and jiaoqiu's frame finally starts to relax as he hears footsteps returning, sees a familiar foggy shadow coming back into view. excitement even starts to calm again as he notes that the strong smell of spice coming closer --- barely discernible is a faint scent of refined liquor, a scent that burns in a different way. when aventurine sets the dish down, then guides his hand towards the novel accessory that goes with the dish, jiaoqiu sits up more to try and get a better look at the components. doughnuts, liquor, some sweet, and some spicy... "mm... you may need to help me figure this out regardless. not because I can't see well enough, but... just may be too old to get what I'm meant to do...?" it doesn't stop an attempt anyway; jiaoqiu's free hand picks up a pastry on the side of the tray that seems to be more spiced while the guided hand takes one of the syringes of liquor. "mm. the doughnuts are still warm."

[avcnturine]

JIAOQIU'S DISHEVELED HALF-NAKEDNESS　♤　is almost a little embarrassing by comparison now as he pushes the tray a little further onto the table to squeeze back onto the couch again. an arm wraps around the other's waist as he does so, tugging him close against his side——a gesture of intimate lovers: flirting with the boundary of familiarity and brazen in its presumptive comfort. "you can just eat it if you like. there's plenty to go around with the vodka later." and he's actually pretty curious to see if he really does go through with the spicy donuts. it's hard to imagine they'd taste very good, but what does he know about a foxian's palate?

hand massaging idly up and down the other's ribs, he reaches for one of the regular ones himself, looking over the thick layer of sugar before taking a first bite. glaze crackles as it caves against his teeth, the dough satisfyingly shell-like rather than the soft mealyness he's used to. it's more air than substance as a pastry, but the crisp texture and sweetness makes that unimportant, unlike any other donut he's tried before.

"that's pretty novel. . . " he remarks, chewing for a few more bites before setting the rest of it on a napkin and reaching for the syringe in jiaoqiu's other hand. "how's yours? want me to help?"

he presses the syringe into the underside of the dough without waiting for an answer, pushing vodka into the filling with brow arched. spicy, sweet, and vodka. . . he can hardly imagine what that'd even taste like.

[avcnturine]

𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗔⠀──⠀⋆˙⛃

comm. DESTRUCTION⠀∶⠀paperfold novels.

[crackshct]

Although it'd been hardly a blip in the conversation - a mere throwaway line on Aventurine's part - it hooks into Boothill's mind like a burr. Some high-ranking IPC fork had been standing over his unconscious body and he'd been none the wiser. Realization widens his eye, pulls his mouth slightly agape as he stares back at the Stoneheart in a slow dawning horror, and it has nothing to do with the author or orchestrators or where the researchers had run off to after the whole experiment had been blown apart. He'd hardly even heard that part.

"Hold on, those forkin' scientists let the likes o' some Company bootlicker into the room while all the rest of us were out cold?" Mention of Kallen's name was just about the only thing that saved Aventurine from being leapt on by a Ranger furious with accusations. No wonder all the screws in his left elbow had been loose. And of course that was why his memory had been hazy ever since they'd left that luxury ship! Who knows kind of Company brainwashing this Stoneheart had slipped into his memory module while he couldn't even defend himself!

Surely someone as sweet and earnest as Kallen wouldn't have allowed that. Right?

Steel hand darts forward without any warning except for a look of disbelief and wrenches the Stoneheart's collar into a cold fist.

"You better've kept those slippery hands'a yers in yer dadgum pockets."

The sudden movement draws the eyes of a few of the other patrons in the bar toward their corner, but scuffles like these happen all the time so they're back to their games, or conversations, or drinks in no time at all. Boothill drags the smaller man first closer, hypnotic Avgin features ineffectual against the inhuman aperture of his bionic eye and the glint of razors for teeth, then drives them both into the shadowy corner. The drinks rattle on the stool as it teeters precariously on its legs.

"If I find out you did somethin' to me back there, this partnership's about to look a whole lot different for you," he hisses. "I'm stringin' yer muddlefudgin' double-crossing Company hindparts up for target practice."

[avcnturine]

IT'S JADE'S WORDS THAT COME TO MIND　♤　when he's dragged off his feet and wrenched across the floor, eyes flickering wide meeting the hostile monochrome of the ranger's altered face. this has the potential to be something truly worthwhile, but you have to remember certain things about the galaxy rangers. . . they're not like the rest of us. if you're not careful, you'll find yourself marching to the beat of their drum instead.

"who——" but he's hauled even closer without warning, swung haphazardly into a cloistered corner before he can get a word out, and boothill continues without interruption, knuckles digging hard against his throat and his face nearly close enough for every gnash of pointed teeth to threaten skin.

a wanted man with a bounty as high as this one's shouldn't be underestimated, but aventurine clearly remembers the day that they'd met: the gun levelled point blank at his head and never fired. boothill doesn't need much of a reason to distrust him, but for now, he still needs a reason to kill him. the placating smile that spreads across his lips promises hands empty of subterfuge ; he raises both in surrender, then lightly rests one over the wrist balled against his collar. ". . . friend, i never said anything about doing you any harm. rest assured there was no foul play involved. i woke up from the same medical gurney that you did."

extricating himself from that iron grip was easier said than done, so he opts to stay where he is until boothill lets go himself, posture directing itself to loosen as he registers the cheap velvet-lined wall at his back and rests some of his weight back against it. so much for trying to be charitable. the stoneheart's gaze rests almost comfortably on and past boothill's thunderous expression as he continues a previous line of conversation: "but speaking of partnership, it's a shame the whole thing didn't end up being what we were hoping for. oswaldo's early involvement with empyrea is undeniable——half the company knew he was responsible for outreach and establishing negotiations. but whatever they might have talked about. . . "

he trails off, thought clouding his features. even without having to say it, the question seems to suspend in the air: had oswaldo schneider known about the experiment and the truth about empyrea from the start? could he have had something to do with his unconsented participation?

even without taking into account company politics, the thought annoys him.

his attention returns to boothill with a vague smile again. "either way, i'm interested in learning more about this allegedly banned book ; even if you don't, i'll probably look more into it. and as for this whole ordeal. . . we can consider it a test run of a promising collaboration."

[spicehill]

you don't really want this help.

something something blending sneak + huddle into a mini thread

[spicehill]

it was just a blip, a crackle --- and it didn't return the next moment, or the moment after. eventually, jiaoqiu sighs... and nods at aventurine's suggestion, as if to say lead the way. it's not like he knew ( or could try to make out ) the best way back to camp in these conditions. jiaoqiu removes the headset to let it rest around his neck as he starts walking alongside aventurine again. "mm, sure. you really should rest a bit more, I think: it has seemed like you've had quite the eventful time here at the festival. and I would still like to make you something nice to eat... the rationed ingredients aren't much to write home about, but I do have a few spices I keep on my person that could be added..." his voice continues to speak as they walk further, brainstorming aloud what sorts of things could be put together to make a warm, hearty meal once they were back at camp.

surroundings get darker, darker, darker: dim haze in his damaged sight gradually turns to blackness, with the warmth of the hand holding his own serving as the main tether of reassurance. feet eventually feel like they cross a threshold into a structure of some kind; the crunch of snow underfoot is replaced by what feels like more solid stone after a creak of wood sounds nearby. the noticeable warmth that greets them inside is confirmation that they're likely in a camp, but...

why is it so quiet?

head swivels as he tries to listen for anything other than the sound of their own breath, and the sound of crackling fuel burning in what's perhaps a fire. his voice comes as a hushed whisper eventually, not sure if he should speak at all --- perhaps there's a reason why it's dead silent. "is... no one else here? or..."

[avcnturine]

HE HAD TO WONDER :　♤　did jiaoqiu mean to come onto him by his offer given their circumstances, or was it just a common practice in xianzhou, or the yaoqing, to cook for someone without being solicited? if the former, it wouldn't be the first time——and then he had to wonder whether he wanted to curb expectations ahead of time at all. . .

the tarp moves aside with a shuffle of heavy fabric, forty mils thick and lined with fur. the inside is blessedly warm with the embers of a fire still running, which meant that everyone couldn't have gone far. "hm?" eyes turn to jiaoqiu, and he laughs softly as he takes in the bewildered expression and unfocused searching ; a split-second impulse almost brings a hand to the other's jaw to guide his attention to where it should be, but he thinks better of it. "everyone likely just stepped out. they should be back any minute."

oh, he probably doesn't know where he is.

the next chuckle is a little more chagrined. "sorry, i forgot to explain. this isn't the main camp, but you could call it a small outpost that i had set up so we wouldn't have to drag all the equipment back and forth. it's still close enough to the main camp that the service can reach."

and with him out here while topaz stayed behind with everyone else. . . if not for her soft spot for this place and her previous work, he might have something to say about delegation if he wanted to be less gracious.

"in exchange, our rations are a little better than what you'll get there at least. until everyone else gets back, you can warm yourself up by the fire for now. i'll go see what's left to work with."

[huuuugestmoney]

shiny fiddles made of gold //

[huuuugestmoney]

Sampo would consider his luck to be average at best - his good points being what he can still make of it on the best and worst of days. Still, if it’s heads or tails, then he’s always gonna go with—

“WARNING. WARNING”

Well, shoot.

“Don’t think so. Mooks One and Two back there ought to be out cold, so it wasn’t them calling for backup. It sounds to me like they might just have other fish to fry.”

Lucky lucky them.

So yeah: ‘bold’ it is!

Which means…

Cafeteria time.

And wouldn’t you know it?

Most of these guys are actually kinda hustling, much to Sampo’s surprise. 'Code Red for all personnel,' the alarm had blared. He wouldn’t have thought they paid their guys well enough to care. (Certainly, his meager salary wouldn’t have warranted it…)

Three more mooks brush past Sampo and Aventurine in the doorway, in too much of a hurry to pay the annoying newbie much mind. Sampo almost giggles, hiding part of his mouth behind a hand and turning to share a smirk of amusement with his current partner in crime. Certainly, missing something obvious made for a compelling argument against rushing, right?

To wit: Sampo strolls over to the counter and plucks himself up a sandwich. Aw, they're even cut into little triangles, with no crust! Cute. He pops it into his mouth before handing one over to Aventurine. He nods to the other door on the far end of the small hall, separated by a handful of circular tables littered with cards and food and drink and miscellany.

"Not much further to go," he states cheerfully. "Just what kind of 'one-of-a-kind' treasure are you after anyhow? Ol' Sampo's dying to know."

"Yeah, and so's Ol' Denny." Cigar in mouth, weapon in hand, the door they'd been looking to exit through shuts with a slam, and, well,

"Oh, that's the second-in-command," Sampo leans to hiss over at Aventurine, mid sandwich bite. "In case it wasn't obvious an' all."

[avcnturine]

IN FAIRNESS, IT WASN'T ACTUALLY OBVIOUS.　♤　the man staring them down with a red-faced scowl could've been anyone, but it just figures that they'd have to go through the base's second-in-command to get to the treasure at the end of the hall. all the movies have it just like this, his thoughts supply uselessly, but it does have the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile.

which isn't what ' denny ' wants to see.

"laugh it up now. soon you'll be laughing in hell!" clarity of the rumble of words around the cigar in his mouth notwithstanding, aventurine's much more focused on the bazooka the man hefts over a thick shoulder in the same motion, beady eyes set to kill.

"look out!" he throws himself to the side as the first BOOM shatters his ears, deafening the crash and clatter of tables and chairs as his collision with sampo sends them both tumbling on hard linoleum floor. he's up, scrambling, hands wiping something wet on his trousers as his eyes search the rest of the room urgently from where they've landed behind a long shelf of cabinets about four feet tall. without pause, he lunges to grab for it and drag it around to serve as a barrier between them and the other guy, ears ringing through the sensation of being stuffed with cotton ; if anyone's saying anything, hearing it is a lost cause.

the shelf is heavier than it looks and denny appears around it the next second, eye of the bazooka a black hole staring them down.

he ducks with a shout ; impact feels like wind trying to tear his head off his shoulders as it hits his shield, then again.⠀(⠀there's no shell. compressed air?⠀)⠀a third and it'll shatter.

without other options, he breaks into a sprint to the right, hands out for balance as he dodges furniture and clears a toppled chair in a dash for the exit or at least a way around to the man's back. bad timing to be stripped of his gun. "ugh——koski!"

universal for: can you do anything!

if his ears weren't blown out too, that is.

[avcnturine]

[PATCH] - his hand tenses again where he feels swollen flesh at torso, and the question comes once more: "does that hurt more than expected, mr. aventurine?..." he really isn't the best choice of a doctor to have called here to the underground's fighting ring, jiaoqiu imagines: sight can't identify a broken rib alone anyway by inspecting for bruising, but this method of feeling around blind isn't exactly ideal. "next time you have an idea to test how long your shields can withstand strikes from opponents, you should let me know ahead of time if I'm in the area. it feels like you're in quite a bit of pain, actually." especially considering that was rib three with what feels like a fracture in it; of course, more advanced technology was needed to confirm his hunch.

at least he was still able to give this strange friend ( should he be called that? ) an idea of how to treat the injury, vision impairments notwithstanding. "I count three cracks, at the very least: a scan with more formal equipment could probably confirm this, though. as for treatment... you need rest and pain management. broken ribs have to heal on their own: I can prepare you some meals that are easy to consume without causing too much indigestion while containing some anti-inflammatories. does that sound manageable?"

FUNNY THAT JIAOQIU SHOULD SAY IT　♤　as if any of this had been his idea. another grimace flashes across his features as the hand presses, eliciting a tender snap of pain through his chest. he's no stranger to a bit of wear and tear and likes to think he has a fair amount more pain tolerance than most, but the colored spots swimming in his vision suggest otherwise. it wasn't too long ago he'd been caught out behind the theatre with that katican expat ; maybe he should just be grateful jiaoqiu wasn't on nurse duty that day too, or he might start getting the wrong idea.

or exactly the right one, a voice in the back of his head supplies.

"only fractures. . . ? haha. . . " it felt like worse than that. if it was his ribs, though, maybe they had to be careful about broken ones puncturing anything else around them. fun as the rounds in the ring had been, he had no interest in staying this way permanently.

one of these days, he probably wouldn't be able to come back from it quite as easily. the thought comes with a complicated feeling, one he can't exactly place as good or bad, anticipation or dread, regret or relief, but seesawed back and forth between them and more like a broken child's toy that'd been left behind. "mm, i think——" he straightens himself up with some difficulty, suppressing the lines of pain from stretching across his face even as his lower chest protests the expansion as though he'd never breathed a day in his life, "——that'd be a good idea. thank you. and. . . maybe that scan is in order, but i can get that done pretty close by." at the very least, the company hadn't sent him in to be their guinea pig without some insurance for cases like this ; if he was going to get the pulp beaten out of him, he'd at least see the best doctors across the stars for it.

but now that he's standing, the blackened spots are actually going away——imagine that.

"in fact, if you're not tied down here, why don't you come with me? any medical professionals would want to hear your diagnosis, and i'm sure they'd trust your word more than mine."

[avcnturine]

【 ✦ 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓 】  in a place like belobog, flowers are a sign of affection reserved for only those who can afford such a delicacy. with the Solwarm festival's hope for spring anew, however, the eversummer florist is running a once in a lifetime sale. grab a bouquet as rare as that special somebody, and don't forget to tip!

❛        ava? no, it’s——it’s aven? AVENTURINE!         ❜

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 finally spilled from her lips, the pixie’s voice rang out like a bird’s call, exhilaration and shrillness reverberating through the intimately quiet flower shop. were she not so faraway, a lesser man could have easily been toppled to the ground. realizing her joyous outburst had risen far above ‘inside voice,’ she nervously giggled, casting an apologetic glance toward the store’s nearby patrons. backwards does she retreat into a shimmering ether before reappearing in an explosion of starlight, cutting the space between her and the blonde in a moment’s heartbeat.  ❛        man, paimon really should’ve guessed you weren’t from teyvat but wow, belobog?         ❜           already so eager to pick up conversation. after all, it’s not everyday you see your one-time acquaintance / fire god-slaying buddy again.         ❛          you’ve got such a flashy aura about you, paimon never would’ve guessed it. usually, when paimon thinks of a snowy person her first thought is——huh, yeah, it’s the fatui. phew! good things there’s no crooks like that running around here.         ❜         she paused, a moment of reflection casting a shadow across her bright demeanor, before quickly correcting herself:         ❛          er, well, not the really mean fatui at least.         ❜

finally, her attention drifted back to the kaleidoscope of exotic flowers that had initially captivated her. first snows, ball peonies——each blossom delicately preserved, their myriad of shapes and colors a feast for the eyes. in this floral wonderland, she had been overwhelmed by the sweetness of choice, unable to settle on just one delight to return home with. 

then, seized with inspiration, the little pixie gasped, and with a flourish, she showcased the hefty book she had been cradling all this time. clearly well-worn and well-loved, it’s front cover buried beneath a year’s worth of stickers. 

❛        mr. aventurine, do you have a favorite flower? to commem-e-orate,         ❜           her tongue fumbled over the longer word, a slight blush blooming on her cheeks, but she pressed on with determination,:         ❛          our reunion, paimon can buy us flowers. one for her scrapbook, and one for you!         ❜ 

WHEN SOMEONE CALLS YOUR NAME ,　♤　these days, it's impossible to know where to look. down, up, eye-level——it seems like the guess is never right on the first try.

aventurine corrects his line of sight at the sudden appearance of a flying object next to his face, white and energetic and immediately talking. he'd wonder what sort of new prank this was now and from who if recognition didn't set in a moment later, softening his eyes as familiarity dawns. "ahaha, good afternoon to you too, paimon. it's been a while," he manages to fit into a gap between her running words, babbling like a brook, only for a glance to tell him that just about everyone else in the store was looking at them too for the disturbance.

with a nonchalant wave to signal her to follow, he moves them to the side, away from the flow of traffic around the small shop and closer to the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in the cold light of the belobogian sun. no sooner do they manage to clear some space does the little faerie start up again, this time on something else altogether.

(⠀while he's still turning over the ' fatui ' she'd mentioned in the back of his head. those fatui. he wonders if she knows just how many of them are here.⠀)

"a favorite flower? that's generous of you." though he's not sure if a chance encounter in a flower shop counts as much of a reunion. "mm, let me think. . . " one hand comes to his face as head ducks in a customary gesture of deep thought, but in reality there's no need. "oh, i know. you're in luck——thanks to some old pastimes, i happen to know a few things about flower language. it might seem ordinary, but if you ask me, i'd recommend sunflowers. they stand for strength, positivity, and preseverance, all qualities you demonstrated the last time we met."

"how about it?"

"and afterwards," a glance is paid to the doors, beyond which stand a few ironwrought tables and chairs in a small outdoor seating area, each made a little more lively by an arrangement of their own decorative flora at their center, "why don't i treat you to something nice around here, and you can tell me more about those ' fatui '. . . and what makes an especially mean one."

[spicehill]

you don't really want this help.

something something blending sneak + huddle into a mini thread

[spicehill]

"oh, please... I was her physician, but that's not really feasible for me anymore. and with what little I know of your own lifestyle, I can't imagine a past role like my own is that far off from your own level of influence..." jiaoqiu chuckles softly, not surprised to hear that there's still little mr. aventurine has to share about himself after saying a little more about who he his, or at least... used to be. what else is there really to say about it right now, aside from what he's already shared?... ( stories, countless ones --- but none are too pleasant, perhaps. the time when she was young, and he was already old, and her mentor succumbed to the divine strike of the god they follow... ) "so, since I've been more forthcoming with you... what do you do, mr. aventurine?"

but before he can pause and wait for the other's reply, his ear listening to the headset twitches at a slightly static crackle in the otherwise steady hum --- jiaoqiu stops walking for just a moment, and the hand still holding onto aventurine's tugs gently again. "hm. I think I just heard something. but... it may have been nothing, it doesn't seem to be coming back." maybe he'll have to press a little harder some other time.

[avcnturine]

FEET ARREST ABRUPTLY AT THE TUG TO HIS HAND.　♤　vibrant eyes lift to catch jiaoqiu's, already turned to some invisible space before them, more sense than sight. "find something?" he asks, and the other's eventual response doesn't surprise him given the long pause in between. looking down, he adjusts the dials some more, careful and incremental and slow, trying to get them back to the exact calibration they'd been on when they'd stopped. a glance tests the foxian's hearing again. ". . . still nothing?"

"well, even that's better than what i expected. worth reporting in." he notes down their exact coordinates on a notepad jammed into one of the transmitter case's pockets and a few other observations about the time, the weather, and their surroundings. "but i wouldn't be surprised if even that little bit is gone by tomorrow. if this is the work of a stellaron, it'll likely need a little more creative intervention to set things back to normal."

fortunately, he knew at least a few of the astral express' nameless had shown up for the festival too ; if anyone tended to have a way of ending up right at the heart of things. . .

turning fluidly, he offers his companion a smile, repressing a shiver as the fading daylight summons a stronger boreal gust out of nowhere, biting through even the thickest layers and loudly rattling some nearby corrugated sheet pulled down over a storefront. "why don't we head back now, friend. i've been waving my arms out here for the past few hours. and once it gets darker, i'm afraid this place won't be so peaceful."

[spicehill]

you don't really want this help.

something something blending sneak + huddle into a mini thread

[spicehill]

was he worried? honestly --- not especially. the merlin's claw and moze were here somewhere, too --- as was the divine foresight, his student, even a foxian girl from the ten lords commission that he had heard of once before from little sushang. if any fleet of ships knew how to extract its people from the surface of this planet, it would be the hexafleet, without a doubt. the presence of two generals alone was enough o warrant it, after all...

... but aventurine's question about his own involvement here ( without disclosing any of his own, once more ) prompts further curiosity. what exactly was the business of the man walking alongside him? a steady hum rings in one ear from the headset he still holds close; amber eyes strain to look at the man next to him, only making out hazy shadows in the darkening dusk that surrounds them. at the very least, he has the sense to try and answer aventurine's question: "hm, I think that... if push to comes to shove, the hexafleet will not abandon a number of valuable personnel here. I once served as the personal physician of the merlin's claw, before my current condition... and she is here somewhere, along with her personal bodyguard. but this isn't merely a yaoqing issue --- the divine foresight and his apprentice are also attending the festivities, so I would expect that marshal hua would want to extract all of us." the leadership of the yaoqing alone served as a significant portion of the fleet's offensive capabilities, after all...

as he thinks, the tone in his ear stays steady, unchanging. was there really no notable frequency this machine could detect?...

though it feels strange to finally disclose these things about himself, when he still doesn't truly know what aventurine does. a man with what he seems to call colleagues couldn't be a lone operator: so, what was he? perhaps a corporate employee, one that travels to far-flung resorts like empyrea?... but also one that would find himself in situations that involve illegal starskiffs... perhaps some sort of finance that is more above-board, then: and a company that wouldn't restrict the upward mobility of a sigonian. the hand holding onto aventurine's squeezes slightly before he continues. "... all in all, I doubt my work takes me as far as yours does --- especially with me more or less retired, now."

[avcnturine]

HE DOESN'T HAVE TO LOOK AT JIAOQIU　♤　to guess that he's thinking ; the curious scrutiny on him is almost palpable, stretches out the cadence of words even as aventurine half-mindedly fiddles with the dials on the transmitter again as they come close to the outskirts of the designated safe zone——a span of abandoned city blocks still close enough to the encampment to be covered by the semi-regular patrols, but by no means truly safe. if some monsters were to find them out here, would he have to defend both himself and a blind foxian?

"wait a second," head turns back to the other, "you can't just say something like that without elaborating. personal physician to the merlin's claw, one of xianzhou's own divine generals?" in fairness, the disbelief isn't all cordiality. with everything altogether, he'd expected something high-profile, but still, someone that close to xianzhou's top brass was even less than a needle in a haystack. who'd have thought his bizarre fortune would land him here.

then again, he thinks back to the tour in liyue, the impossible red string around their hands. maybe there was some comment to be made about cosmic attraction, or fit, if he wanted to.

"i've really barked myself up a considerable tree," he laughs. retired or not.

[spicehill]

you don't really want this help.

something something blending sneak + huddle into a mini thread

[spicehill]

as a headset is brought up to ears, he vaguely recalls struggling with the ill-fitting headset provided for the museum's audio tour: not only does a single ear make sense for being able to talk while they walk, but it also honestly... works better. "anything besides a flat tone... I assume you've had no luck hearing what that would sound like, though?..." a hum in his ear is low, constant, almost like a single steady note... he imagines that, were he more talented, he could assign a particular musical name to this tone, like an a-sharp, a d flat... jiaoqiu follows a different note from earlier in their conversation instead of pondering on it further. "mm, this turn of the weather has been quite a shock, and unfortunate timing for the people of jarilo-vi. after the wardance, the alliance wanted to bolster our support for the people here... I've heard that a young local man from this city's underground caught the attention of many prominent persons aboard the luofu during the competition."

not that he saw much of it himself, while in recovery at the alchemy commission: by the time he was able to visit those festivities, they were nearly over. but, considering where they've run into one another before this... sometimes within the territory of the hexafleet, but also on empyrea? it does seem like aventurine travels quite a bit. "what brought you to this festival, anyway? I believe the alliance was contacted with news of the event to invite us... you've always seemed fairly worldly, mr. aventurine."

[avcnturine]

MISTER JIAOQIU'S VOICE WAS SOFT ,　♤　the pitch high and even floral for a man. it wasn't unpleasant to listen to, but it was the kind of voice that details tended to get lost in, whether that was intended or not. but this one happens to stand out, piquing a subconscious curiosity——' to invite us '? it only wouldn't be a strange thing to say if he were some kind of higher-up or representative. . . aventurine glances over again, recalling the estate he'd been taken to the time they'd met thanks to the masked fool's prank.

". . . i could say the same about you, friend," returns the compliment on the heel of an amiable chuckle. "whenever a large-scale invitation is sent out, i'm starting to expect that i'll find you there." he must be well-connected, or just have plenty of time and money to spare. on that note, he had never explicitly asked about what mister jiaoqiu did for a living, but also felt no particular urge to find out that easily. maybe the mystery was half the fun.

"as for me, a good businessman always has to stay on top of his prospects. jarilo-vi's re-opening isn't something to be scoffed at. and on top of that. . . you could call it a bit of a pet project. not mine ; an associate's. she helped me recently with a close call, so i'm here returning the favor. no one thought it'd end up like this. the higher-ups are probably scrambling right now. . . "

or maybe not at all. it was hard to be completely sure where opal and diamond were concerned.

"are you worried? about the thought of being stranded here?"