Hyacine smiled as the other pulled out a phone. Perfect! Communication was sure to be easier now. Though as she waited, it seemed like the other had a… different plan? The other transformed back into her magical girl outfit and Hyacine almost drooped down like a puddle. Did this mean she wasn’t interested anymore…?
Her thoughts would be proven false in seconds as the other breathed words into the raindrops. She brightened almost immediately, a smile on her face.
“I would!” she affirmed, “and nothing to apologise for. This is a pretty cool way to talk too.”
No name… hmmm, Hyacine was known to come up with nicknames easily. Maybe she could—oh! She had a nickname already. “That’s a pretty name! Dreamy… it suits you.”
It was too cute a nickname to switch things up. Maybe. For now at least. Later on, though, maybe Hyacine could come up with something just as cute. “Okay so, now that we’re clear on that. Let’s get to patrolling. If you’ve got the energy?”
Battles could be pretty taxing or so she assumed. Hers very rarely were but… maybe it was different for Dreamy.
The Dreamseeker nodded, hugging her arms to her chest to ward off the chill. The rain formed puddles around their feet, reflecting a dark sky, stray orange sunbeams lighting up the edges of heavy clouds. It was a good day for a patrol, the beauty of the colors worthy of being painted. She supposed she should feel sad, for that witch she had just killed, for the magical girl beside her, just as tortured as she was meant to be, but she found no pain in her job, only beauty in magic, in life, in agony.
She brushed past Hyacine, storing her Soul Gem back inside her body as she started down the long road she had approached on once again. It was endless, like almost everything in this city. Sometimes the Dreamseeker wondered whether they lived in a labyrinth, if some god was a witch and had grown the tall buildings and infinite concrete streets from seeds of despair. The whole world was a dream, colors saturated and desaturated at will to fit the mood. The Dreamseeker couldn’t help but appreciate it, this dream of a despairing god.
She turned around to face Hyacine, reaching out an empty hand this time, rough fabric and thin string. She hoped it came across as the invitation it was. Perhaps the two of them could be a better force for good. Perhaps they would suffer less, as they brought the ends to the suffering of witches. Perhaps the Dreamseeker could make a living friend.
Her attention was drawn by the rustle of bushes at the edge of the road, green leaves parting to reveal Kyubey, their feline smile wide as they took a seat by the curb. Their red eyes stared judgingly at the Dreamseeker, as if they heard that thought and were hurt. The idea was amusing—surely Kyubey could be hurt by nothing. The Dreamseeker looked away.
The silence from the other seemed to tell Hyacine enough about the situation. Or, well, that she might need to offer a different way to communicate. Hmm, she glanced up at the sky, the rain was still ongoing. Aww, there goes writing… wet paper and ink are never a good idea.
Her gaze returned to the other just as she began to detransform. Hyacine brightened at the display. Maybe she trusted her? No, no, that might be getting just a bit ahead of herself! Still, her bright smile held hope. Though… She noticed a couple… seams?? On the other’s joints. Maybe it had to do with the other’s wish?
She shook the other’s hand with both of hers. Her microexpressions said she was… genuineish? But the smile on her face looked anything but. Maybe the other didn’t smile often.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then? Awesome!! Ummm, do you know how to type on a phone? Actually wait, do you have a phone? If not, you can use mine and we can communicate that way! Or do you have another way you’d like to communicate?”
Hyacine might’ve been rambling rather than speaking clearly but she couldn’t help herself! Finally! She’d have a teammate!! Someone to work with, someone to have fun with, a new friend!
The Dreamseeker had a phone. Pulling it out of her pant pocket, she unlocked it quickly. She dug around in it for a moment, furrowing her brow, until she came upon her own contact card, pitifully named with only a period and the email of her senior still listed in the relevant field. She wasn’t sure how useful texting or calling would be in a fight, but it was customary to exchange numbers with acquaintances, so she assumed this was that.
Or perhaps…it came to her as the rain started to soak into her porous sweater, droplets distorting her phone’s screen. Communication, perhaps, as in her ability to speak. Tension rose up in her throat and she hoped, if she started to cry, it would be silent and the raindrops would obscure her tears. It really was embarrassing. She wished to back away and redo it, to meet Hyacine when her mind could connect to her voice. She took a deep breath, trying to run things back.
Hyacine wanted to speak with her. She wanted to speak to Hyacine. There should be no problem, not in the world of magic. Her eyes flashed purple as she drew on the power of her Soul Gem, letting words exit with her breath. They spun in the air for a moment before coming still. ‘I’m very sorry,’ they read, starting with the most polite thing. ‘I would love to team up with you, if you really want to. I don’t have a name, so please do not call me by one.’
Dreamseeker sounded pretentious, she thought, a title, a label, not a name. Perhaps, though, remaining nameless was just as haughty. She breathed out a few more letters. ‘Though, Dreamy would be alright.’ It was something her senior had called her once, while holding her soft form close to her chest, grinning into her fur.
Water started to run down her wrist, the polyester yarn of her sweater no longer able to hold anymore. The Dreamseeker had almost forgotten that it was outstretched. She didn’t want to tax her magic more than necessary, so she stepped forward and thrust it a little closer to Hyacine.
there's no such thing as a place too dangerous for her to go to - or at least, not to Aino, because seriously, what could be the worst that'll happen? . . . a part of her understands why she's not allowed, though. she has areas in her workshop others aren't supposed to be in. for safety. yet a major part of her still feels utterly - utterly frustrated!
there's already people up there - and there's a safe place to be up there, right? if safety isn't a concern, what else could be? ugh.
. . . tracing the signal wasn't hard. it zapped her computer's circuits trying to pick up traces of weak, foreign energies. it sucked, like really! they were so weak, Aino didn't know how it managed to get through at all. it wasn't a place in teyvat. someplace past it. the sky!
. . . this want to see her friend and make up for that promise - it was what drove her to make some ineffa-would-question-this-logic decisions, but hey. it's only to see her friend.
which is why it is stupid! whenever Aino finally makes some organic or human friends, some sort of event always happens soon after and makes the beginning of the friendship marked by bitterness.
which sucks. bitter things suck. sweet stuff is better.
like. . . if memories were sweet, and not "watching someone blip out of existence after they clearly experienced something painful" bitter and sad; the little inventor would not be here. arguing. with grown ups.
( “ i know'em! i'm not lying! ” )
her arguments aren't really blind. the "them" in question is entropy- though the people here seemed to get real iffy at the mention.
there's cause and weight behind the words she's saying, even if her tone carries anger. the musecatcher behind her whirs in response to the obvious negativity that she carries.
“ c'mon. . . i got all the way here on my own, the least you could do is gimme an update to how they're doing! ”
( too bad for these people that an egotistical genius like Aino doesn't stop pursuing something for reasons she deems too shallow. )
Entropy had a free day for the first time in a while. No world-saving on the schedule—that could come later—only a quiet Hyperion 11 and music that reminded her of home. She didn’t expect to be needed, so she didn’t bother paying much attention to things. She sat on a couch near her console—such a strange feeling. Right there, anyone with the password could access her makeup. They could change her name, her gender of the moment, her personality traits, everything with just a few taps. Not thinking about it was the safest thing to do, trusting everyone on the Hyperion not to mess with things. They all had a common goal, and Entropy was just glad to have such capable people on her side. Even people like Vita…
She sat up quickly, her glasses nearly falling off her face, as a buzz came from her personal communicator. Nobody ever used that, there was just no need when the whole team was here or available through the Hyperion’s communicator. She opened the disc with curiosity, only to deflate slightly as she saw a random text from a random number. Probably spam from some bored member of the moon’s staff…
Her face ID unlocked the communicator automatically and the message appeared, letters swirling across the screen in a way that texts absolutely were not supposed to appear. Entropy sucked in a breath. 'There’s a little pink-haired girl that knows you by name and wants to know how you’re doing'…this wasn’t good. Schicksal wasn’t a good organization for any kid to get involved with at any level. But despite her apprehension, Entropy felt excitement concentrate inside of her. She really never thought they’d see each other again, but now…
Finally something clicked inside of her, and she slid the communicator closed, rushing to the ship’s stairs and leaping down them in one go, her limbs weightless and immune to fall damage. Though, if I weren’t, I bet I could still ace this game! She ran as fast as she could over the bridges of New Atra, making her way toward the old shelter, the one with the little robot. Aino should have ended up somewhere around here, she just had to keep her eyes peeled…and get to her before she got ousted from anywhere with breathable air.
In the pause the other took (maybe she had come off a little strong? Whoops…), Hyacine managed to get most of her breath back. She was still a little tired from running here but that’d pass soon! She stood up properly, to make sure the other was able to see her clearly. When her gaze returned to the other, she blinked. Why was…?
A bit confusing but when the other dropped her baton, it fell into place. Smiling, Hyacine shook her head. She waved her arms in front of her to refuse the offer. “No, no! I’m good, my soul gem’s pretty bright, don’t worry.”
It wasn’t quite as bright as the other’s but she wasn’t about to point that out just yet. Lowering her arms, she patted down her dress. It didn’t seem like the other would start talking any time soon. That was fine! She could work with this.
“What’s your name? I live a bit away from here, but I’m doing a patrol walk, if you’d wanna join me? Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to. I’m just glad to see another magical girl.”
Maybe talking about teaming up without actually asking would backfire on her but, well! It was a little too late for thoughts like those.
The other’s continued silence started to get to her, maybe rejection was on the horizon. Is she scared I’ll do something? Or was this too sudden? Or maybe…
“Can you not talk? Not that it’s an issue, there’s a lot we can use to communicate instead of speech.”
Eyes shifting to the ground, the Dreamseeker let her left hand fall to her side, clutching the grief seed tightly.
The Dreamseeker could speak. Theoretically. It was her own words that had granted her wish, not too long ago. These words that, according to Kyubey, had been the costliest bit of her to provide. Maybe that was why now, why often, speech was conjure that the Dreamseeker forgot how to perform. She wanted to say something, it would be so much easier to say something, but it just wouldn’t happen.
In compromise, as a risky show of goodwill, the Dreamseeker reversed her transformation. The light clothes that gave her a feeling of safety evaporated into magic, leaving behind only the homemade clothes passed down to her from her senior. They were clumsily made, color changes mid-row on her sweater, sleeves sewn on with a tapestry needle. The Dreamseeker’s own seams were only a little less clumsy, white lines encircling her joints like scars.
She pocketed the grief seed, holding out her left hand as an offer to shake. She forced a smile, the sentiment genuine but the expression unnatural. Teaming up would be wonderful.
The Dreamseeker had always been a solo magical girl, fearing the idea of putting others in danger with her own failings, but lately she had gotten better at catching witches before they had a chance to mature into more miserable beasts, before they had a chance to bring down anyone else with them. She was more confident now that she wouldn’t be weighing anyone down very much in a team. It would be safer to work with someone else, in case they met a witch no one magical girl could defeat alone.
She wasn’t sure she’d be the sort of teammate most people would want, with her communication issues and her reluctance to share things about herself, but she would try her best. At least for this one patrol.
This notice will serve as an announcement of my plans after the closure of Gnostic Hymns. Information regarding all three of my current muses is here!
For Entropy - I've been strongly considering dropping him for a while now, to be honest. I kept picking up more threads hoping the muse would bless me but it hasn't really happened. Part of that is because I got into this weird mindset where I thought I couldn't really be a fan of a character if I don't write them? So, after the closure of GH I plan to drop most of my threads with Entropy. If you have a thread you want to continue please reach out either here or preferably on Discord, and I will keep writing those to their completion (with the goal of finishing most of them by year-end) and then let this blog die. I'm sorry my sweet Dreamseeker...gotta put you down...love you...
For Tesla: the Anti-Entropy brainworms have been eating me alive. I don't have too much muse for Freddie in particular but if I don't write her I will actually die. I will continue threads with her without limitation, and be willing to take up more. Please reach out to me if you wish to drop a thread or begin one. Maybe I'll make the account a multimuse so I can write Dr. Einstein or Emma or Schrödinger or something. please help they are making me insane
For Vita: I'll be sending my wife and her siblings off to terrorize the indie RP community. There will be no mercy. Expect a few more types of posts on this blog as is typical for an indie RP blog (more frequent plotting calls, shorter drabbles, in-character thoughts, Vita meta 2/∞, etc). Otherwise, Vita will continue as normal (and I will insist on maintaining the GH format because indie RP without the titles feels so weird). Please reach out if you wish to drop a thread.
And a little more personal message:
I just want to thank everyone in Gnostic Hymns, from the bottom of my heart. We joined the group with Sirin* in August on a whim, really, having for years stayed away from most prose, just wanting to talk to more people that liked HI3, wanting to explore the characters we enjoy. By the time the group closes, it will have been six months that I've been here. The time really has flown. I'm so glad I got to participate in Snowswept, I'm so glad that I got to meet such nice people. Special thanks to the mods for maintaining such a nice community, for organizing events, for putting so much of themselves into the project. Your tenacity, skill, and determination keeping the machine running for two years is absolutely incredible. And to Snes for ensuring I was able to meet activity and feel so welcome here, and for being someone I can really call a friend.
Thanks for reading all this!
-Miranda
*fun fact! the original intention was to join with Delta, but she's not appable outside Rozaliya. I kind of wonder what my roster would look like had we actually written Roza? Maybe I'll give it a try someday!
Existence, to exist was to love, to exist was to hate, to exist was to be indifferent. To exist was to leave a mark. What mark did the dead leave?
“Rain, again, huh? Well, at least there are some puddles to splash in!” she grinned, looking up at the storm-ridden clouds. Dark grey, how many witches had grey? How many had their screams silenced by the rain? Hyacine hummed, letting the raindrops fall upon her. Like tears.
Have I ever seen a witch cry? Dooooon’t think so…
She stopped in place, closing her eyes. If she listened hard enough, the rain would eventually match her heartbeat. Drop by drop. A moment passed or maybe it was two, time was so hard to keep track of these days, before Hyacine continued her journey home.
As always, she stopped every so often. As always, she greeted as many as she could. As always, the kindness she brought was fleeting. As always, she—
A being without peace. She could feel their despair from here. She could feel their wish for an end. And then…
“It’s gone…?” Oh. Oh.
She picked up her speed. Maybe, just maybe! She wouldn’t be alone in her walks. Hope was a scary, dangerous thing but… she held her gem close, eyes locking with another.
“H… Hello!! Are…” she paused. A few seconds passed. Now, with breath in her lungs, she tried again. “Ahem! Sorry, hey. That’s a grief seed, right? Don’t worry, I’m like you, a magical girl!”
A pink gem was shown to the other. It had grown dimmer over the course of time, but it remained as clear as ever.
The Dreamseeker held in her breath, clutching her stun baton tightly. Its small prongs glittered with the reflected orange light of street lamps, doing their best to battle the darkness of the rainstorm. She felt her Soul Gem pressing against her neck, the only part of her cloud-light ensemble to feel so restricting. She was sure it glimmered more brightly than that of the magical girl in front of her.
The Dreamseeker wordlessly held out the grief seed she had collected with her free hand. That’s what the girl—Hyacine—wanted, right? It wasn’t any trouble. The Dreamseeker’s Soul Gem only darkened with use of her power, and this witch, a newborn, had been a one-shot.
She felt she could somewhat understand the lost hope of that one. It had been small, wrapped in a yarn ball. It had been surrounded by a thousand tiny felted familiars that called out to it, but it was encased too tightly in its ball to hear anything. The Dreamseeker couldn’t help but find herself hyper-aware of the seams on her own body, all loose joints pulled together by string and covered with ribbon, as she plunged the prongs of her baton into the witch’s heart.
She brought her attention back to the magical girl. The Dreamseeker knew it was better etiquette to detransform when faced with others, but the thought of making herself vulnerable like that made her false heart beat faster. She felt no malice from this person, but in their world, it was always best to keep her guard up.
In a sort of compromise, she let her baton fall to the ground, exploding in a small cloud of illusory fireworks as its magic returned back to herself. She hid her right hand behind her back, forcing herself to make eye contact with Hyacine as she continued to hold out the grief seed offered with her left.
She felt she should say something. Her name, perhaps. A greeting. She didn’t have a name, and the greeting was caught in her hoarse throat. She hoped her eyes seemed apologetic enough for her sure rudeness.
I didn't make one last month because my Dreamseeker was supposed to be on hiatus, but I think I'm good to write now, so!
Prince the cat (Teyvat muse required): Entropy remembers clearly spending many hours in the cat café by her house, playing with the adorable felines as she thinks up new things for her papers. She really is the epitome of a cat person (especially after Duonigue...). She'll do her best to understand this kitty, and if she fails, well, time with kitties is good time spent, even if she can't pet any.
Sailing (Teyvat muse required): Entropy hasn't really ever been on a boat, not that she remembers, nor has she really seen a whale. She's surprised to hear that they exist outside of Earth, but this sounds like a cool story to tell. Hopefully her signal's better this time...and hopefully the water doesn't prove too much of an obstacle.
Mr. Kough: Detective work is something that comes easily enough to the logical Dreamseeker, and death gives her no fear. Surely, with the information they have, the answer will reveal itself, and if not, the path to it will. There's no reason to worry.
seeing entropy work together with her, the little inventor lost some of the tension in her body and mind. it was somehow easier to work with this one - how? she didn't know.
maybe it was because . . .
. . .
“ thank you. ”
the mood is sour, somber and awful. it's sour. Aino isn't quite fond of sour things, but they're better than bland things. it's better to have something rather than nothing, after all.
it's a matter of time. they'll be helped. she'd do her best!
anyways - the tether. hotspot tether. it should stabilize the condition of entropy's light-made body. kuuvakhi can't necassarily do that on it's own, but the stabilization of using both . . . perhaps a relay mechanism would be good. if it could be suspended in the air, closer to the atmosphere. . . ? that'd help pick up signals from wherever in teyvat entropy is from, right? perhaps pointing it to fontaine? the tech would be fontainian. . . or snezhnayan. . .
having worked with scrap tech and metal from all nations, Aino only realizes now she can't actually pinpoint what kind of place has light projections for large distances.
“ wait here! ” the inventor says, walking not too far away towards a scrap pile. surely there's a broken relay device somewhere that she can fix up and repurpose.
At Aino’s command, Entropy backed against the wall and sank to his knees, eyelids floating open. He struggled to focus them but managed to, watching Aino dig through scrap metal. He wondered how Dr. Ajita would react to this tale when he got home, a little kid doing what she hadn’t managed to yet.
“I wish you could visit my planet,” he mumbled, static chopping his words more than before. Digging through his code had exhausted him, he stored that information away for later. “Really, thank you, Aino.”
His fingers paused their tapping, and noticing that they had been moving made Entropy feel just a little sick. Was just a little control over this body of light really just too much to ask? He didn’t think he’d visit again, not unless Aino managed to set up something reusable. That meant when he said goodbye, he’d have to say goodbye for good. He always thought he was more prepared for goodbyes than he ended up being. Like with Songque…
His eyes stuttered closed again. He saw the Hyperion 11 again, and this time, it was a comfort. He was still connected, he was safe. When had that ship become home to him? He didn’t know, but he didn’t fight it. Home was where your loved ones were, wasn’t it? He wondered if Aino would agree. She really did seem to care about her creations. They were lucky.
“When I get home, I’ll think of you.” In the fast-paced world he lived in, always on the edge of catastrophe, that was all he could promise, but at least he knew it would be true.
Ich hab gesehn gar manchen Herrn,
avecque la marmotte...
(title: Marmotte by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, put to music by Ludwig van Beethoven)
I have trouble believing Jihe was once a real place on Luoxing. Mice that grew to the size of horses, the likes of which I’ve never seen even in zoos? I sometimes wonder how the Antares region got to be so isolated. Perhaps all these other places were isolated just the same. If we spoke, if we exchanged information, could things have ended differently?
Jihe was a community of farmers. They built terraced wheat fields up and into mountains which they also mined for silver to adorn themselves with. They bred intelligent field mice that they rode around their fields for harvesting. The sun always shined bright, even through rain. The people here wanted for nothing. It seemed fantastical. But even fantasies have to come to an end.
It would be a single sprout, at first, inside the fields, tended carefully just like the wheat all around it. It would bear beautiful, shadowy purple fruit. It would be harvested without care. Eventually, someone would taste it, someone would drop its pit, and the pit would crack like an egg to give rise to calamity.
I would have to get there early to stop it. Perhaps I could learn to farm myself, so I could keep an eye out for the sprout of doom. I would have to get lucky to be the first one to find it, but perhaps I wouldn’t have to be. The young farmer who found it in reality lived inside Jihe’s waterwheel, the source of all their energy. I knew that, so perhaps I wouldn’t have to do anything but keep an eye on her and warn her about the fruit when she harvested it.
But why would anyone believe me? I’m an outsider, I don’t know anything about plants. Maybe they’d take caution, but that’s not enough. As soon as the pit was exposed, it would be over, and shadow monsters would come crawling out to destroy all that the people of Jihe had built. Over and over again, everything would be destroyed alongside the god’s heart. I can only do so much.
I could absorb. If I absorbed the fruit’s shadow before anything happened, could I cure it? Could I take the calamity away from Jihe before it came to fruition? Or would the shadow inside of it be a singularity, too much power for any one person to hold, compressed so small it could never be depleted? I don’t know the breadth of my power yet. I don’t know what I could do, other than try my best. I don’t think I could ever be enough on my own.
Maybe in a dream, I could be, but it wouldn’t change the outcome.
A piercing light of azure blue flashes by the unfamiliar figure, striking the Fragmentum that stood before them. The unfamiliar, yet oh-so-similar monster let out a piercing shriek for a moment, before being struck with another piercing arrow. Breaking out into a full on sprint now, Yelan’s bracelet began to glow, and soon that Fragmentum creature found itself wrapped in her Lifeline. Caught unawares, unable to react in any feasible amount of time, the creature was pulled apart at the seams, as Yelan forcefully yanked at her created Lifeline. In but moments, a creature once fully standing, was now naught but dainty flakes of ice falling to the ground with grace.
Sighing, the archer turned to face the person that now stood there. She walks up to her in a huff, bow still in hand as her bracelet ceases its glowing. “Why would you just stand there?!” Her voice, never raised above a certain octave, was stern, almost commanding. “That was dangerous, this whole area is dangerous, so might I ask why you’re all the way out here, away from Belobog?”
Yelan takes a moment to assess the situation, ensuring no other creatures of the Fragmentum were around, and that she had a moment to breathe with this stranger. Seeing no immediate danger, she releases another sigh, this one of relief rather than annoyance. She took on the commission to help clean up the Fragmentum monsters that lay in the outskirts, doing her best to learn everything she could possibly learn about them before coming out. For something resemblant of the Abyss to be this far out in the galaxy was… it was a little uncomfortable, to say the least.
Turning back to face the stranger, Yelan realizes their glitchy and slightly translucent disposition. She had recently befriended at least two people with similar statuses in their constitution, so she wondered if this was a similar case. ‘If that’s true, then was this person in any real danger?’ She shook her head, dispersing the thought. “Are you okay? That’s important to ascertain right now. I can escort you back to the city; no one is supposed to be out here right now, and should never be out here, according to those Silvermane Guard people.”
It happened too fast for Entropy to even process. One moment, he heard someone call for him to watch out, and the next, the creature was gone and in front of him was the assassin, scolding him for being here and then asking if he was alright. It took him some time to compile a response. “I’m…I’m sorry. I just arrived here…in this place. I didn’t even know there were other places.” His voice jumped a little from word to word. Perhaps the snow was working to disrupt the signal as well…
He began winding and unwinding his fingers together, forcing himself to look this person in the eye. “I promise I wasn’t in any danger. If they had hit me...it wouldn’t have hurt, so you don’t need to worry. I don’t mind going back to this…city with you, but may I ask what you did to that creature?”
Even if they were unfriendly, even if they were some sort of naturally hostile animal, was there really a need to kill it? Entropy was shy to phrase it that way, in some sort of hope that perhaps they hadn’t been killed, even though he was sure that’s what had happened. Maybe it was something like the shadow monsters on Luoxing, a calamity that had to be culled for survival. Entropy most certainly preferred his method of absorbing them, though. Those creatures had once been part of Leylah, and taking them into himself felt like a kinder end than simply destruction. Even though it made him feel strange and conflicted…
But…”If they’re so dangerous, why would you guys be holding a festival here at this time? Would it not be irresponsible to bring in guests?”
[ SONG ] - Nothing raises spirits quite like music, and nowhere could possibly need their spirits raised more. It only takes one person with an instrument and someone to start to dance before a little section of the city becomes just that much brighter. Grab a friend or a stranger and take a moment to forget about the worse things in the world.
Being around others was… draining, worse she had to stay with so very many people just to, what, keep warm? She looked wistfully upon the ever increasing blizzard. Perhaps she could sneak away, or—
“Meow!”
Nevermind. She sighed, well, if this was to be her predicament, may as well find some enjoyment from it. As always, her ruan was on hand, all that remained was to let the music speak for herself. Her hands gently moved along the instrument, graceful as always.
She hummed along to the melody, ignoring the gazes given her way by others. A few minutes in and she could tell a few too many gazes were upon her. She opened her eyes, looking until…
“Would you like to sing? It can be any song, I will accompany it with my instrument.”
If she shared the spotlight, perhaps their gazes would be drawn away.
Sound was one of the few things that Entropy found could truly penetrate the barrier between the digital and the real. As long as she could hear, she could understand; as long as she could speak, she could participate. The sound of this person's ruan seemed emblematic of that, as Entropy found it to be warm, despite the fact that she could feel nothing. And so she basked in it...until it stopped.
They asked if someone would sing with them. It seemed like a fair trade. Music for music, warmth for warmth. Nobody else was volunteering, and Entropy missed the feeling already. So she stepped up. Her voice was one of the few things she was often complimented on, so she was confident that she could do her best. But...what song?
It wasn't really much of a choice. Entropy gave the ruan player a nod before beginning Marmotte. The first few words came out quietly, but on pitch, so she kept going, more loudly now. The song was repetitive, so when it came time for the second verse, people were even singing along. Some even began to dance, though Entropy didn't find it a particularly dance-able song. The warmth was even nicer when shared with a crowd. She hoped the ruan player would agree.
Tough it out? Doesn't Entropy know that's exactly how things break for good!? Not that Aino would allow that to happen - no, not on her watch. Aino was a genius, and geniuses fix what they can fix! Not to mention - she's a great parent. What kind of parent would she be if she let poor Entropy suffer like this? because of some issues he hadn't a clue to fix? This is why robots need to have other functions - and why they should be taught how to fix themselves.
Aino wants a word with whoever made Entropy. That's some tidbit to ponder on about later, when she has helped her new friend.
“ I'll help. ” Aino said again, determined and pumped up ( as if this situation was a puzzle she'd need to solve. not that she's particularly fond of puzzles - it just ... meant she could solve it. because all puzzles have solutions. you know? ) “ try some stuff for me, okay? if you can! ”
Alright, Aino. You're the greatest inventor in Nod-Krai. Think of something to do with the information you have.
“ If you can only access personal code... ” Aino pauses for a moment, recalling the slight differences... oh, oh! Fatui machines have something similar ( don't ask. ) to personal code that details things. “ Do you have a category or file folder for local disk information? Or... anything. I still think you should run a scan on your projection parameters and the thresholds. ” she instructs easily, getting up - making sure Entropy stayed still with a hand gesture. Aino seemed a smidge different - more focused, eyes once more filing over Entropy like a true inventor's eagle eye for anything amiss ( like any physical projectors she might just not be seeing. Or if there were lines of code hidden in the colors. Anything. )
“ Your personal code should still entail that, otherwise certain things about you might not work - from experience. It's like .. well, not like a battery meter, but close. ” Aino doesn't feel like talking at the moment. She'd do so if she had a sweet thing to snack on, her brain moves slower without it, but it functions just enough to think about how to help. With great skillfull skill and great speedy speed, she knitted a Thneed! Haha, no, Aino ran across the outdoor workshop area within the terminal sight to grab a bunch of things - most of which looked like plain scrap. “ I can probably make you a temporary... terminal? It'd definitely be difficult, 'specially if you're nearly outta the signal of your usual one... ”
Vaguely, she recalls those cleaner bots which the Fatui seem to enjoy having around. She's taken apart some ( only due to the fact some of them keep... falling off the port, probably. ) ( she doesn't steal from the Fatui, okay! They steal from her. )
“ I - I just don't want you to permanently disconnect from your terminal - which! is why mine 'll be temporary. Luoxing must be far away. If you disconnect all the way, then you'd need to re-enter the radius with your new terminal to reconnect... I suppose I should be making a tether not a terminal, then.... ”
How scary it must be for those little cleaning bots to lose connection to their terminals. Aino wishes to find one that drifted too far away from the giant lab north and comfort it and build it a new terminal, and - ah, isn't that what's happening here?
Entropy really, really wished he could help, but he found himself feeling stranded as Aino went on about programming things that he didn’t understand. If only he had done one of those computer science internships…he had a feeling that his disk directory was somewhere accessible. He didn’t know where that feeling came from, and it made him sick. He really didn’t want to unpack that today. All he should be doing is whatever he must to get this little kid to stop worrying about him. Entropy was being an absolutely abhorrent guest.
His focus sharpened as Aino mentioned the possibility of disconnecting. He shot up from his kneeling position so fast it made him dizzy. Aino went on to assure that her solution would be temporary, but the mere thought of it triggered a primal fear within him. He absolutely could not disconnect from the Hyperion 11. He absolutely could not get lost.
Entropy found himself stuck. If he helped this poor girl help him, then he would be doing the right thing, but he would also be taking a risk that he could not afford. If he refused help, Aino would just keep worrying, and it would help nobody. Maybe I can just work with her for now. Entropy threaded his fingers together behind his back. “I’ll see if I can locate any of my code.” He said the words quietly. If Aino was too focused to listen, that would be okay.
He closed his eyes and started digging into himself. Into the light that made him, into the quantum threads that determined his being. Into the truth of the blessing of life that Dr. Ajita had provided. It felt like looking a gift horse in the mouth, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
Without even realizing it, his fingers began tapping out the heartbeat of his existence.
A quiet, relieved sigh. Sara was glad to see that she was right—the snacks made for a good ice breaker and conversation starter, even if brief. She gave the trainers the warm onigiri she had made just this morning and set the rest of the snacks on a nearby plastic table before offering the last person a bottled tea. She seemed rather stress, if not brokenhearted, over her trotter’s performance. This was the least Sara could offer to help her relax, if even possible.
“Please, feel free to grab anything from the pile if you would like more. It’s for everyone.” And with that, Sara’s attention returned to her own race trotter.
And what a surprise it was to see. For a trotter who had started rather clumsily, Rice Ball’s tiny legs began to pick up in pace. Faster and faster and faster, her head low and forward in concentration as it made for one last sprint. Sara could distantly hear the announcer’s cheers as Rice Ball finally reached the end, could hear the cheers that came with it.
A small smile curled from her lips as she knelt on one knee, greeting her friend’s return from the chaotic racetrack with a scratch right behind its ear.
Entropy tapped her fingertips against each other, watching the second trotter after Bronya's cross the finish line. That was that. Sunny had lost. She really hoped she could find a way to bring Sunny home with her, so this wouldn't have been for naught. Earlier, the announcer had mentioned a trotter named "Coralia". It could be just a coincidence, but...Entropy had named her trotter after two valkyries very near to her heart. 'Someone on the same wavelength as she' might do the same. If Sena were here, in this race, perhaps Entropy could ask her to bring Sunny back to Luoxing.
Entropy strode over to the person whose trotter had made second place—the same person who had presented their group with snacks. She bowed her head at them. "Congratulations on making the semifinals. I'll be cheering you on."
Finally, finally, Sunny made it across the finish line. It leaped towards Entropy, spreading a warp right in front of her and coming out right behind her. It vocalized at her, as if to say, "look at me! I didn't get disqualified!"
Entropy gave it a smile. "Wonderful job, Sunny Planck A." She looked around at the rest of the group, letting out a nervous laugh. "Would anyone pet my trotter for me?"
Opening her eyes after entering the Spirit-Travel Box, she immediately noticed something was very wrong with her body. Her head was both heavy and light. It balanced atop the rest of her like a bobblehead. It felt like the slightest gust of wind would send it out of control. She couldn’t feel her fingers, either—it felt like her arms ended in soft pads more than hands, though when she tried to move them, there was certainly something that moved. She raised one of her arms to her face to adjust her glasses…and that was the next thing she noticed. She hadn’t been wearing glasses since she confronted Leylah and claimed some of her authority. What had happened?
The third thing she noticed was that she couldn’t see Sena. Perhaps she should have been thinking more about the bird’s nest she was in, or the height she was at. That definitely would have been the safer bet, and Aseek would later scold herself for this illogical play. But Sena had been there when she had last had consciousness, and now Sena was gone, and she was terrified. Losing Sena again was something that absolutely could not happen, and she felt like she could hurl her entire stomach outside of her body at the thought.
She tried to stand up, but in the effort she realized she wasn’t entirely sure she had been sitting down. Her legs didn’t feel like…legs. She had no knees. They didn’t bend. But she definitely had feet, or some facsimile. Even so, she heaved with effort, trying to keep her head angled to maintain balance, and pushed her legs together so her feet were standing on the mess of twigs below her. That was the next thing she noticed. Those twigs should have been hurting her, but she didn’t feel any measure of pain at all. It wasn’t like the unfeelingness of going about as a hologram. There was just pressure instead of pain.
She shook off these unnecessary thoughts and focused on the world around her, looking for that characteristic shock of bright orange-red hair among the vendors at the exhibition. It was then that she understood how high up she was. The real ground seemed to suddenly sway with this realization. Entropy had never been scared of heights, but now, the discomfort of the distance from her place atop the twigs to the outdoor exhibition space below her only compounded her sickness. She took a few stiff steps back…
And the last one landed on air. She fell, and her mouth opened in a scream. “Sena!”
Of course, the god was not around to save her. She braced herself for her demise. I certainly am not Dreamseeker. I can’t seek anything like this. I’m the opposite of a seeker. An aseek…an anti-seeker. Shadows cast across her eyes, and she let them fall shut.
And then, because this hadn’t been a strange enough day, the Aseek bounced. Not very far, but nothing broke. She just lost her momentum with a low bounce and rolled across the grassy ground and under a minimalist metal bench, her eyes wide from shock. This was when she really became aware of the final three things. Firstly, she was not made of simulated human stuff in this form. She was soft, and she had no bones to break. Not even her glasses took any damage from the fall.
Secondly, she was very small. The size of a teddy bear, or a marmot. This bench was sized normally, and the fall was not that long. She was merely…tiny.
Thirdly, she was not a complete Entropy. Something the Spirit-Travel Box had done had rid her of some very important pieces of herself. There was no optimism. There was no kindness. All she had was studious discipline and the empty feeling inside her that Sena had left her. The Aseek closed her eyes briefly in practiced mourning, before opening them and pulling herself out from under the bench by her “hands”. She scanned the area for Sena as she did so.
Just as she had finished giving herself enough space to rise back up, her stumpy arm landed upon a hard thing. Looking down, she saw it was a shiny metal pocketknife, conveniently left open. She shook her head and picked it up, holding it to her chest using one hand with the blade pointing down. She pushed herself into a standing position with the other hand. How dangerous. This could have hurt somebody. The Aseek took a stumbling step towards the exhibition’s center, taking a few moments to get used to her new gravity while holding the blade.
She thought to find Sailin, perhaps give her the knife and ask a whole lot of questions about her current state. She very much wanted to be whole again. There was a new emptiness in her now, one that made her mourn something she never fully recognized because it had always been a part of herself. What would the other parts of her ask her to do now? Would she be led to focus entirely on finding Sena? Would they have her try to rejoin Coralie and Helia? Would she be freaking out, calling into empty space for Vita to come get her, like a lost child? Would she take advantage of the opportunity to have a new experience, meet new people, make fresh memories? She smiled slightly at the absurdity of that last thought. Perhaps she might have thought that, but right now, all she wanted was those other parts of herself to be back, to be leading her again as she had been leading them. She made a mental note to herself to appreciate the different aspects of herself once that happened. She hoped she would retain that memory.
Still holding the knife tightly, the Aseek approached the nearest human, a person with black hair sitting on the next bench over. “Hello,” she said, attempting to project her voice. They didn’t seem to notice her at first, so she channeled her strength into her hips and bounced up on to the bench beside them.
They startled. “He-hello!”
The Aseek bowed her head. “I’m sorry to bother you. Call me Aseek. I was wondering if you’d seen Sena—Senadina?”
Still with a bit of surprise on their face, they shook their head. “No. I heard Lady Senadina was at the exhibition, but I haven’t seen her myself yet.” They put their head in their hands. “I don’t know what I’d do if I did! It’s Lady Senadina! I admire your confidence, little doll.”
Aseek smiled slightly. “Thank you for your time anyway. I hope you have an excellent day.” Not wanting to waste any time, Aseek hopped back down and made a beeline for the next person she saw—a vendor selling smoothies. She had the sudden and vivid thought that she would have liked those, if she were whole. If only we weren’t broke…Aseek contented herself with imagining the taste. Leafy greens and sweet fruit blended together. Perhaps she and Sena could share one, one day. The knife slipped in her grasp, and she pressed it closer to her chest. It cut a small hole in her clothing.
“Excuse me!” Aseek called up to the vendor.
They did a double take before composing themselves. “Hello. My name is Cato, and I’m selling…the things behind me.” They gestured to the smoothie booth. “For today only, you get a Lady Senadina print with every purchase!”
Aseek nodded. “I’m actually here about Senadina. Have you seen her?”
Cato frowned. “Yes, actually. She was at the exhibition with someone who looked a lot like you…but she’s not there anymore, for some reason.” They looked in the direction of the Spirit-Travel Box.
Aseek’s shoulders tensed, and she struggled not to let her head fall all the way backwards. “Thank you for the intel. I’ll try to come back to patronize you soon.”
Aseek wasn’t entirely sure how honest that would end up being. She added that to the forehead flick tally, and set off at a run, almost falling on her face as she headed down the stairs to the main exhibition area. Did Sena really just disappear? I need to find her, quick. Now. I need to find Sena now. Her breath came out short and fast.
Hands reached around her, pulling her back. Aseek screamed, her voice louder than she thought she could make it but still not loud enough. She tried to turn around and plunge her blade into these horrible hands, but she had no leverage and no strength. In the effort, it fell from her arms and into the ground, cutting through dirt and leaving just the wooden hilt exposed. The hands loosened around her, and she saw a small line of blood in one finger. At least she had done some damage. She thought the full version of her would flick her mental forehead for causing any pain to anyone without knowing if they were truly hostile, but she had no such guilt. She needed to be free. She needed to be free so she could be found.
“Let me go.” Her voice was strong, if slightly hoarse from the screaming. She pushed uselessly against the human grip. She heard no response. Perhaps she was quieter than she thought. Perhaps the person didn’t want to interface with her doll self. Either way, she was placed into a small yellow box, sized awfully perfectly for a doll her size. The hands let go of her, and she was given just one moment to see the face of her captor—a blond person with eyes that seemed dull and unkind. Then, a lid was placed on her box, and all Aseek could do was wait.
'To The Future' was quite cute and seemingly ready to win the race- but Aponia doubted her own skill in training the weird.. creature. Before the race she gave the trotter a supportive pat, and a smile! it was meant to be encouraging but... sometimes she's been told that the smile can.. scare the unprepared.
She didnt have time to exchange words with her team before the race began, watching as To The Future did what they do best: run
Turn 1: To The Future sprints [ Roll: 4 ] Stamina remaining: 3
Aponia claps softly "Woo..! Go my dear" She cheers softly- before noticing that To The Future could crash into the other warp trotters!
Collusion! [ Roll: 5 ] Miss
"Oh... Thank goodness" She sighs in relief, before looking at the other two woman with her. "An onigiri?..." She reach out with a smile "Thank you very much..." She looks back at the race, watching as To The Future kept their steady pace.
Turn 2: To The Future runs [ roll: 2 ] Stamina remaining: 2
Entropy watched with a little bit of detachment as Bronya's trotter crossed the finish line. It was almost like Sunny Planck A was running a marathon while Bronya's trotter was sprinting through a 100m. Entropy didn't really think Sunny could win, but she kept her eyes glued to her short trotter.
turn II: run! : roll 2 : balance roll 3 : move 3: stamina remaining = 2
Entropy winced as Sunny slowed down slightly. Where was that fire that Entropy had seen in its training? Was something distracting it? Had it sensed Entropy's loss of hope and given up on itself too? If so, Entropy would owe herself a forehead flick later.
Sunny was keeping this new pace though, not too far off from the finish line. The only issue was that the same was true of all the other trotters.
Entropy let out a sigh and turned to the other trainers. A tall person who she had yet to ask the name of offered them snacks and drinks. Entropy really could go for something to drink. Her throat was parched. At least the snacks "tasted" good...there was just no such thing as eating in her current state.
She forced out a smile at Bronya and the trainer next to her with long, blond-grey hair. "Congratulations on making it to the semis, Bronya."
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