upon lighted fyrefly, i soon gaze

i dreamed of a scorched earth like fireflies to a flame, life begets death. an affiliated writing blog for firefly from honkai star rail. rooming in townhouse 202

[pyronexus]

´｡• ᵕﾟ: ✽ firefly, honkai star rail.

“Knights should feel honored to be born.” Excerpt from Article 1 of Glamoth’s Military Regulations.

A survivor from the fallen Republic of Glamoth, Firefly was created for the express purpose of serving as a soldier. Destined to die on the battlefield, either as a casualty of war or from a horrible birth defect, leaving her with a shortened lifespan, Firefly fights tooth and nail against this fate. After finding herself adrift in a sea of stars after the destruction of a planet, she's found by the Stellaron Hunters and given a chance to fight for the right to a normal life.

An affiliated roleplaying blog for Firefly from Honkai Star Rail. Written by Sey.

application. statistics. guidelines. affiliation.

[fivezeroonetwo]

IT IS A DEAFENING SILENCE THAT NOW SITS BETWEEN THEM. the flutter of hopes that have once fallen from her lips become quieted, left unspoken in the wake of something he cannot quite perceive, all while a purple gaze observes her as if in seeking that very answer. only none will come to him, unseen no matter how much he looks, nor when she turns away from him. even as she brings herself to speak again, cutting through the hushed air with a resolve incomparable to most others, he can't find himself to be surprised at her encouragement for him to take that gamble. and yet what she says further still only serves to take him aback even moreso.

❝ Is that something you're sure you would like to call it? ❞ fate 一 such a hideous word to behold for so many. ❝ Sometimes a single miracle is better taken at its face value. Even if one may not know it yet. ❞ nor is it spoken as a deterrent for her but, rather, a hint of a warning.

how often has he heard the final laments of those mortals he'd been assigned to reap curse its very existence upon his arrival? by now, it has become too many to count, lost long ago to the ebb of time, just as his decades of 'life' has since melded together in his mind. none who had faced it would ever wish to see the face of death arrive in their dwindling hour, ready to embrace it with arms wide open like an old friend. it is a truth he has embedded into his heart, a thing that weighs as it should. were he intertwined with her own, he could merely think she might find it a cruel thing this world has bequeathed unto her, albeit natural in all of its tragic, ephemeral beauty.

this was a curious woman, one who leaves him just as silenced at such boundless hopes, witnessing the vastness of the world beyond what so many do, as if she can see something they cannot.

❝ Then you'll make a wager with me, ❞ he proposes, unwavering in every word spoken. ❝ I want it to be you. ❞ for... what, exactly? because, if he were to meet his end, it should be at the behest of one who truly believes wholeheartedly in something so inherently human? he can hardly give proper reason, though there is still a held confidence which nestles itself into his chest, making a home deep amidst the cage of his ribs. ❝ 'Will I feel differently when I experience what this city has to offer?' I bet you my soul. That nothing will change from as I am now. ❞

[pyronexus]

"Want it to be me…" she repeats, mulling his words over. It's only fair that she hold him to this wager, that he'll feel differently when he has garnered enough memorable experiences in this city. In her time here, she had met many a disillusioned person, stubborn and unwilling to change. Maybe she would have even considered becoming one of them if she weren't so desperate for a life outside of Elio's predetermined script.

"Betting your soul is…quite the wager." A pretty steep one, for sure. One that you simply can't accept without giving something equal in return. If it's his soul that he'd put on the line, then she'd have to meet him in kind. Firefly is silent for just another moment before she finally speaks up again, "Then I'll bet my life, short as the rest of it may be." A nod comes after saying that, content that she's offered something to even the odds.

If the others were here, she could only imagine the looks on their faces at her betting something so ridiculous. But after having lived a life so long yet fragile, it felt more than worth it to her. With their wager sealed, it's as if the universe itself acknowledges them as the sky erupted into yet another display of vibrant colors. "I'm…Firefly, by the way." A way overdue introduction, one that leaves her feeling shyer still as a hand moves to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I really…hope that you come to love this city." They may be captives, but this is the freest she's ever felt in her life. "And I really hope that I see you again, because never seeing the person who my life belongs to would be a little sad, wouldn't it?" A bit dramatic, but still true all the same. Granted, he seemed to be taking it all seriously, so hopefully saying that wasn't too weird.

[dazzlxd]

Vivi turns her head the minute the stranger speaks to her. Gwen, the Eevee in her lap, gives a soft "vui!" as a hello. Vivianne's gaze falls back to her companion on her lap.

"You are not overstepping, mademoiselle." Vivi says with a rather half-hearted smile. "I honestly would appreciate any company or advice right now. If that's what you are offering."

[pyronexus]

"I'm not the best at giving advice, but..." She was trying to be better, and that counted for something, didn't it? Firefly smiles at the Eevee, before turning her attention back to the woman. "If you'd like to tell me what's on your mind, I'd be happy to give my thoughts."

"So, what is it? Bad day...bad week," she muses, continuing to list off possible things. "Something, maybe...someone?"

[fivezeroonetwo]

THE WAY SHE SPEAKS OF MIRACLES, it's something strangely uplifting, as if it were the truth of the world they now stand in. mortals often took many things for granted in their daily lives, needing a moment of near death or harrowing journeys to spark something within to make them truly see the ephemeral glow of their lives passing by. these were things he never has experienced in his time "alive," having only awoken as a reaper with no memory of a past. and while he has come to learn that there may have been a time...

no, it was useless to reminisce on something that he never once bothered with prior. why should he start doing so now, of all times, simply because of the possibilities?

❝ Do they? ❞ he questions it only a little, wondering what her definition might truly be. ❝ ... I guess our meeting right now could be proof. We're two people who should never have met without the affairs of this city. Would our meeting be classed as one of these miracles in your eyes? ❞

when it came to the definition of a miracle in his mind, he would think so. even without this city, they were people who should never have met without reason, that being her own demise, were he the one meant to tend to that severed line to life. but here he stands, face to face with those he was meant to tend to, not converse with. unlike his coworker, however, surely this city would not lead his path astray as it had for the white-haired reaper in his quest for a soul.

but would he start to feel differently at all? he hasn't thus far, so...

❝ I'll likely experience much in this city, wanted or not. That's what our captors have brought us in here for, isn't it? ❞ that's what he presumed, at least, beyond the possibility of tampering with life and death as a whole. ❝ That sounds like something that would make a good bet. 'Will you feel differently after seeing what this city has to offer or not.' My colleagues would be all over it. ❞ with how confident he is that he simply won't change, he's almost tempted to make that bet with her himself.

[pyronexus]

Describing their own meeting as a miracle brings her pause. He says it so logically, so matter-of-factly, that it leaves her stunned. An encounter that she may have considered chance, now felt pivotal, in some way. Firefly can't remember the last time she's been at a loss for words, or when she's last felt her heart flutter, only to go away just as quickly. Suddenly embarrassed, she turns away from him, and a hand moves just above her heart to further quiet it. She doesn't answer his question.

Ever since she joined the Stellaron Hunters, following Elio's script had given her a purpose, a reason to go on. As a rule, she had even once promised herself never to stray from whatever path he laid out for her. Here, though, she wondered if that script still mattered; wondered if it was as set in stone as she originally thought.

Her thoughts are interrupted by his voice, bringing her out of her head. "…Maybe you should make that bet," Finally, she speaks up. "I think you might find the answer worth finding out. Experiences are meant to be…had. And life is meant to be lived." That's what she had been told, anyway. Getting to know people here and even meeting him at this very moment felt as though she was finally getting to live her life.

"And getting to live here is being human, or something close to it--I think," That was debatable, but it still felt right to say. She'd gotten to experience so many good things here, so she'd always be grateful in the end. Firefly finally turns to look at him again, but her eyes flit away just as quickly. "And…I guess you could call our meeting a miracle," she can already feel the flames rising, red dusting her cheeks that she hoped he couldn't see. "But sometimes miracles only happen once. So if I met you again, I think I'd call it fate."

[flowerdr3amer]

firefly 📚

[dazzlxd]

Wandering the wards to find a new place to relax became... tiring. Vivianne sighs and settles herself on a free bench seat se sees. Her ever faithful companion, Gwen, immediately hopes up into their Trainer's lap.

"I am sorry," she says to the Eevee, "it seems like I wasted a day off. Wer'e no lcoser to finidng a new place."

It wasn't that Café December kicked her out, but Vivi couldn't bring herself to visit since Harpuia left Isola. Her fingers thread through Gwen's fur.

"Whatever are we to do, mon ami?"

[pyronexus]

"Penny for your thoughts?" Firefly takes a seat next to her, eyeing her companion curiously before giving a small smile. It was easy to feel aimless some days, but there was a lot to be grateful for, too. And it could be a lot worse, all things considered.

"Sorry if I'm overstepping, I've just…been there before." That could mean several things, but she's hoping her sentiment gets across well enough.

[ripandcut]

✧ "A barrier then... But they allow us to visit a space station through a portal?" Visiting that location was on her to-do list, but she had yet to make the trip. "We may not be underground, but I imagine most people are assuming the planet we're on based on the night sky's view. I wonder if it could be a misdirect...?" She had questions about how this woman was able to fly up there in the first place, but all in due time.

[pyronexus]

"Yeah, of a sort." Not the sort of barrier she could make heads or tails of, though. "There's...little things I've noticed over the years but nothing I've thought too hard about."

"My advice? Be careful. People who get too curious don't always end up in the best of situations. Had to save a few, actually..."

[mr-lightningbolt]

"There's no one I used to know in my phone contacts."

"Maybe it's for the best that it's just me stuck here, anyway."

[pyronexus]

"That's one way to think about it, but it's okay to say you're lonely, too. I think anyone would be when they've got people to miss."

[ripandcut]

✧ "As someone who created a false sky myself, I can only wonder what the purpose of this world's false sky is."

"Lahai-Roi's was to inspire and bring light to those of us living underground, but this... Well, I suppose my best guess would be that it has been put in place to disguise the true sky for some reason. ...Assuming it's provable that we aren't underground in the first place."

[pyronexus]

"I've tried flying up to see if there was anything beyond, but there's a limit. Makes me wonder who or what's out there, if anything...But I don't think we're underground. I do know it's there to trap us, though."

[pyronexus]

"I've still never managed to celebrate Valentine's Day. I'm hoping one day I can. It doesn't have to be romantic, right...?"

[fivezeroonetwo]

THERE'S A POINT TO BE MADE, one he can't quite contest with when she says it -- that, in this moment, it was still just as beautiful. lying was beyond him, some trait he was born with, so he simply gives a nod in response. ❝ You're not wrong. Yet with it being interfered with, wouldn't people find it lessens it? I guess others do put in the effort to make up for what they can. This wouldn't be any different. ❞ he was blunt, straight to the point, though not in a way that was meant to belittle anyone. if anything, he only knew the bare basics of humans and their festivities, never having dwelled on what it is they might find beautiful or otherwise.

maybe it was just how he was, stern in how he views things, especially when it comes to the way of people's interference with many things.

❝ There are many things out of reach for a lot of people... ❞ he recalls the sick youth he had once ferried without hesitation, knowing they had wanted to live just a little longer. that, too, was out of their grasp, let alone out of his to grant had he wanted to, unlike 8394 who would do what he was able to prolong it. ❝ Not to mention people will always seek ways to reach for them. Right now, for instance. But一 ❞ what is it that he wants to say. that it can be a nuisance? sometimes, when it gets in the way of his work. and while some might beg for their lives in a demeaning way to who they were, he wouldn't outright call it pathetic, either. ❝ 一there's only so much time for them to find a way to do it. ❞

❝ If they managed it, it's nothing short of a miracle. ❞

[pyronexus]

This cynical, blunt way of thinking…

It reminded her of a certain other Stellaron Hunter. Truthful, but brutally so. A little callous, unflinching, said with such certainty that it would be hard for most to refute. Firefly doesn't let it get to her, only responding with a quiet laugh of her own at first. It helps lighten the mood, she thinks. "Miracles happen every day here." Whether big or small, noticed by many or none, enjoyed by fewer and more.

What some would consider trivial or insignificant were first experiences for many people, including herself. "Maybe you just need to experience them for yourself, then you'd start to feel differently." If his only complaint was that this wasn't real, then perhaps it'd end better if he were able to witness something genuine. When she thought about it in that sense, it was understandable why he felt so disillusioned with something so manufactured.

"Not that anyone can force you," she quickly follows up. Maybe she'd spoken out of turn, assuming that he hadn't had experiences like this before. "But it'd be a good start. You'd probably even feel like being here was worth it." That it meant something, that it wasn't a total waste of time. These are assumptions on her part, of course, but with how downcast she found his previous reply to be, she could only try her best to offer suggestions.

[fivezeroonetwo]

localized entirely in this room?

HE STANDS IN UTMOST SILENCE, purple gaze lifted to the skies where a strew of beautiful, luminescent lights linger within the starry night above. to say it wasn't a fantastical display would be an outright lie, though the expression on his face is anything but impressed, as if he can almost see right through the majesty right beyond their fingertips. in a way, it's as if he's disillusioned, even when the lights shift into customized displays that go beyond one's own imagination.

and someone isn't too far from him, likely staring up at the multitude of scenes that unfold before them. he does not gaze at who it is, though he does elect to speak.

❝ ... this isn't the true Aurora Borealis, is it? ❞ not like the one he has seen back on earth time and again when those of the night call for his care, at the very least. ❝ Just some phenomena by our 'captors' to placate us. Not unless they've a way to alter it for someone's 'own flair' to be added to it like I've seen being charged for. ❞

@pyronexus

[pyronexus]

It was a beautiful display, perhaps not as grand as the original, but still enough to leave those who gazed upon it with the same wonder and amazement. Firefly smiles to herself, taking in the view. Sights like these always made the city worthwhile, as she could hardly have these experiences anywhere else. Some people were bound to feel dissatisfied with this, though.

And really, she couldn't blame them. Still, she can't help but speak up in reply, "It might not be real, but it's still just as beautiful, isn't it?" She shifts her gaze toward him, smiling still before turning her attention back to the show in front of them. "This is as close as some people can get, too. Something so magical can be far out of reach for a lot of us."

"Plus…it brings people together," If everyone's smiling faces were anything to go by. "And I think that's pretty magical as well."

[ungratefuloz]

 ⠀⠀TO ⠀attend a ball was a memory she thought would remain coated in dust— and now she wishes it had. A near-empty flute of champagne in hand, she watches humans take turns on the dance floor. A bitter taste lingers on her tongue, making her feet feel far too heavy to join them— and yet the atmosphere is so familiar, so nostalgic, she can't bear to leave early.

[pyronexus]

"I...was never much for dancing either." Her voice interrupts the silence; hopefully, it doesn't startle the other too much. "Never learned, unfortunately." She knows that faraway look in someone's eyes when she sees it, having experienced it herself far too many times to count.

"But it's a good time regardless, isn't it?"

[halovianhope]

@pyronexus

𝄞 Wasn't that...? Robin wasn't bold enough to grab the woman's arm without permission, so she settled with calling out "Excuse me! Miss Firefly?" instead. Technically the two had never met, but this Stellaron Hunter had apparently been instrumental in helping Penacony deal with its crisis. All of the reports had landed in her hands after the fact, photos and all.

"You are Miss Firefly, right?" Robin didn't ask to confirm so much as she asked to give the woman an out. She understood that the Stellaron Hunters valued discretion, so if she didn't want to be identified then she would respectfully let her leave. "If you aren't then I apologize. You just look an awful lot like someone that I owe a debt to. But unfortunately, I've never met her before!"

[pyronexus]

Firefly had only ever known Robin from afar, finding it far more preferable and acceptable to be a silent admirer. So, of course, it surprises her that the other knows her name. Though it makes sense, seeing as they both had a common connection, maybe she owed it to Stelle that Robin even knew of her at all.

"No, no--that's right. That's me." It comes off as awkward, at first, as is to be expected. She still wasn't great at interacting with people, doubly so since Robin was a celebrity. "Sorry--I wasn't expecting to ever get to talk to you like this. It's kind of surreal." Being noticed and all. "You don't owe me anything. I only ever helped because I wanted to."

"And if you need my help again...I won't hesitate either!"

[moonsreply]

𝄆𝅘𝅥 "Dressing up for Halloween sounds fun! Should I go for something scary? Cute? I guess I could try and strike a balance..."

"Or... is 21 too old to dress up? I didn't really get many chances as a kid, so."

[pyronexus]

"Thankfully, I don't think there's an age limit to dressing up for Halloween, haha..." If there were, she'd probably be far past that range.

"Why not something silly? I've heard silly costumes are getting popular...or so I've heard."

[blazars]

To not be yourself, huh?

It's a good thing this is through text, or else Firefly might have seen his mask slip. After all, he doesn't know how to be himself at all in the first place.

[txt]: So you wear costumes during Halloween? That sounds cool!

[txt]: What kind of costume would you like to wear, then?

[pyronexus]

SENT TO: Phainon SENT FROM: Firefly

[txt] I'm not really...sure! I might have to ask my friend what would be best. She's really good at everything and more experienced than I am. [txt] If it were left up to me, I'd just want to wear something a normal person might wear. But that's a little too broad, isn't it?

[ripandcut]

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 - "So a lot of you come from worlds where your Earth wasn't destroyed? That leaves me with some complicated feelings. Humanity suffered a great deal as a result as they traversed space in search of a new home."

"If only they'd possessed a technology that allowed them to hop timelines altogether..."

[pyronexus]

"If it makes you feel better, I don't come from Earth at all. Space travel is just as common as car travel from where I'm from, and humanity travels to many different galaxies. I couldn't imagine a world where that isn't possible, really."