#crowfeatherd

[dovewingz]

firestar is trans ive decided firegrey is canon ^-^ - tumblr user crowfeatherd

so true this is just factual canon information 👍 i remember when i first started re-reading TPB and firepaw was impressed by absolutely everything graypaw did. gay behaviour

[unfxllenone]

[TOUR GUIDE] On the path between Wangshu Inn and the city, one might find this crowfeathered stranger facing the marsh with an expression etched with little else but the utmost concentration. A scrap of paper in his hand flutters in the wind - some kind of map that is either ancient and out of date, or simply wrong, because it has led him to the middle of nowhere. Even an outlander like him knows that this nation's city is not so rustic as to be contained within a single treehouse. It may not be the Yaoqing, but if his brief excursion into Fontaine was anything to go by, then Teyvat's seven nations at least have a close approximation to cities.

Speaking of Fontaine, the golden haired girl he'd met while he was there happens to be coming down the road just then. Moze is pretty sure she's a local, even if he's not sure of much else, and whether she notices him perched on his rock or not, he slips into shadow to reappear once more in front of her.

"Where is this," he says in lieu of any sort of greeting, holding out the ancient and very wrong map he's somehow acquired. "I'm looking for the city hosting the Lantern Rite."

"It's you!" Lumine greets where he does not, as though she thinks nothing of his sudden appearance, little more of the brusque nature of his quandry. Of all the nations, Liyue is the most prone to having her called upon from out of nowhere, and though the one who draws near is not exactly an old friend, he's not a foe, and, though the belief may be naive, that, for Lumine, is enough.

"Let me see.." She knows, of course, where Liyue is, but given what ought to be a normally conspicuous landmark, she can't help her curiosity. What kind of map can't lead to the harbor? She takes the parchment gingerly, and glances down upon it.

....

What is this, actually? Her head tilts one way and then another, as if trying another angle might align what this map should be showing and yet definitely doesn't. Her brows furrow, studying it for another beat, before she glances back up to him.

"This map's a bit..." Wrong. "--different, than the ones I normally see. But that's fine! I know where the Harbor is, if you wouldn't mind a little company on the journey."

She smiles at him amiably, though before she hands that map over...

"Is it alright if I take a photo of this? I -- have a friend who's a bit of a historian, and I'd just be curious to see what he has to say about this. It seems like it might be from a while before things were situated at the Harbor. Around here --" She glances over her shoulder, towards where the Guili Plains linger behind her. "-- this place used to be a main city, actually, before it was attacked. I think that's what this is showing, at least? I'm a little surprised something so old even still exists."

"Oh! -- But, let's not miss the festival, alright? Right this way..."

[boltsunder]

[GIANT JENGA] General and assassin are once more locked in a fearsome stalemate. One wrong move and the other goes down. Their partnership has always been one built on the hairline border between life and death, their own lethality deterred or stopped entirely by the other’s matching strength.

The tower trembles as Moze tests one of the wooden blocks near the bottom. Feixiao stands on the other side, awaiting her turn with her back to the ring of bystanders who have come to witness the outcome of this intense bout that has gone on for nearly an hour. The base of the tower is riddled with precarious gaps, and yet neither competitor has managed to throw the other off balance. Moze, still, has not yet managed to land the decisive, killing blow.

Deciding that the block he has tested will do, he carefully begins to push it out of its place. The tower wobbles. The crowd holds its breath. Reaching around to the other side, he gingerly takes the protruding end and helps it the rest of the way out. For a split second, it seems as though the tower might crumble, and yet it holds. There is nothing in his expression except for razor-sharp focus as he places the block on the top. Once again, a slight tremble in the stack seems ready to send it to its destruction, but it quickly stills.

Moze steps back to inspect the new shape of the tower, then he nods to the general.

”Your move.”

Moze has always been calculated. Precise. Never missing a single detail in his work, whether it be something as simple as keeping his quarters clean, or carrying through his mission-- nothing left untouched, and nothing left behind. His reflexes rival even her own at times... and it's exactly why he makes the perfect partner for this game that piqued both of their interests. She's intensely focused on his every move, her eyes narrowing and ears twitching with every shift in his posture, as if the outcome of this game could determine the fate of the world. Not a hint of amusement or joy crosses her face, only unwavering concentration and steeled nerves as his deft fingers carefully retrieve the block he's been eyeing... and (unfortunately) he succeeds in placing it on top. Even if the General's breath does stop for a moment when the tower teeters precariously. A click of her tongue is her initial response as she shifts to examine the weaknesses of the wobbling shape. He's left her in a difficult position, that's for sure... Anything she tries to move is going to make this nearly impossible, yet... Feixiao doesn't lose. Ever. And so she'll take a gamble, placing faith in her ability to see this through to the end. It's a slight shift in her posture as she crouches; she pulls back a single hand as azure eyes pinpoint the exact brick that she wants to move. Her breath comes to a complete standstill as her muscles tense, and like a snake coiling to strike, her arm darts forward with a speed only seen in the likes of Flying Aureus. Her fingers catch one of the blocks and sends it flying straight through, and everyone in the crowd seems to hold their breath as the tower shudders at the loss of support. Yet, in the end, it doesn't come crumbling down, and Feixiao rounds the table to snag the game piece from the ground. A deep chuckle rumbles in her chest, brows raised in a challenge. "Ha. How's that? I've been saving that move for the end here." The General flips the piece in her hand before reaching up to place it on top, grinning from ear to ear almost as if she's taunting him. She knows all too well that it won't have much of an effect, though she retains the playful aspect of things regardless-- and slowly... she lowers it in place directly above the one he held before. Only for the tower to collapse nearly instantaneously. The loud, anguished cry of defeat from the General is heard over the clapping and cheering of the gathered crowd, and she immediately hangs her head with ears flattened back against her skull. Okay... maybe she should amend that statement: the Merlin's Claw doesn't lose on the battlefield.

[trailblczed]

[JADE MYSTERY] Moze has been hiding here for quite some time. He has a good view of the Jade Mystery and has learned the secrets of the merchant’s trade. Fortunately for business, Moze has no intention of using what he’s learned or dismantling the rather lopsided and quite unfair game the man has established. That is, until a certain trailblazer nears the stand.

The boy plays, and loses. Plays, and loses. Plays, and loses some more. It would be entertaining if it weren’t quite so sad, maybe, and Moze watches only because he believes that someone else from the Astral Express is bound to come find him eventually. It’s not worth giving up his superb hiding spot quite yet.

But after a few minutes, Moze can’t quite take it any longer. Concealed deep within the shadows of a wicker basket, he pulls out his cellphone as Caelus buys yet another faulty rock.

> Put that one back.

First message.

> Choose the middle.

Second message.

> You’re welcome.

Third message, his duty done and his conscience (mostly) clear.

Lantern Rite Gifts | 3(6)/5

Caelus has never been one to shy away from a challenge, so when he strolls through the streets of Liyue and spots a merchant saying he has some game where you have to find the real gem ( a something Jade ) to get a reward, he is immediately walking up to try his hand at it.

Though.. maybe Caelus should have asked more questions about how the game worked, or watched others play through first.. or, you know, asked how you can tell what the real gem looks like. Because now the silver is some seven games in and has not won a single time. Granted, Caelus has never been good with his money, so he has no real problem with just tossing it to this guy left and right.

After a few more failed attempts, Caelus starts to get annoyed, more aggressively inspecting the stupid rocks to see what is so special or different about them. It's a matter of pride at this point as he goes a few more rounds to, unsurprisingly, fail yet again.

Caelus has to fight back the urge to get violent. He typically doesn't use his strength against others ( Caelus is well aware of how unnaturally strong he is- thanks Stellaron and robotic body I guess ), but with how smug the stall owner looks, and how gleefully he takes Caelus' money, the urge to not sock the guy right in the face is more and more difficult to curb down.

People say Sampo was a shrewd guy, but even Sampo has morals and at least does stuff in a way that still helps others, while obviously making a profit or gains something for himself in the process. But this? This feels criminal- rigged. This guy is a billion times worse than the rep Mr.Cold Feet gets.

He starts another round, only just barely stopping himself from growling at the merchant, when Caelus feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Initially worried he had accidentally missed meeting up with someone, or that something was wrong, the trailblazer swiftly fishes his device out , quickly tapping at the screen until he has the text message chat open. From... Moze? Now that's odd. "Put it back"..? WAIT- IS HE WATCHING RIGHT NOW? FROM WHERE?

Caelus isn't even given the chance to test the theory, or send a reply, because once he does set it back down, he sees the next message. To which, the lad easily snags up the gem sitting in the middle with a shit-eating smug grin on his face as he looks at the merchant.

❛ This one. ❜

The satisfaction Caelus gets from watching the guy's face morph from smug to shock to reluctant acceptance to mild annoyance is pure fucking bliss. It feels sooooooo good to knock this dude down a peg. Though he is still very tempted to make a mess of the merchant's stall on sheer principle alone, Caelus knows that anything he would do likely would reflect back poorly on the Astral Express, and that is the last thing he wants to ever do. Plus, Caelus can be civil, though he needs to walk away asap.

Once the reward money is handed over to him, Caelus calmly be quickly vacates the vicinity. He already knows it's not even enough to recover the entire amount that he had spent, Caelus isn't going to push it. He made the choice to gamble away his money, so it's on him to suffer the consequences. In fact... this reward technically belongs to another.

Caelus' expression softens, no longer triumphant as the feeling of ineptitude sinks low in his gut. It is only a few seconds later that the lad takes his phone out once again, tapping in a message before sending it, immediately followed by another.

[boltsunder]

❄️

Moze's accuracy has improved over the years. Whether it be a knife sent in her direction, an arrow, or various other instruments of death-- it's become more and more fun to dodge his attempts. This time, though, it's an unexpected method of 'assassination': a snowball aimed at her head, one that she quickly deflects with her forearm, sending bits and chunks of snow flying in every direction. The bark of laughter that follows is her initial presentation of a challenge, azure eyes narrowing in the direction of her companion. "Ohhhh, you're wanting to start this war?" She calls out to him, immediately ducking to scoop snow into her hands. Her gaze darts around as she inspects her surroundings-- there's enough bushes to provide adequate cover, a few trees that provide high ground, a decent amount of space between them.... Neither of them had an advantage over the other at this moment, but the tide of battle could turn in an instant. "Alright, then. I accept your challenge. Don't say you didn't ask for this, Moze!" She knows that he'd never complain about their antics. This, too, is a training of sorts... to prepare for the next winter. "Whoever loses has to hit Jiaoqiu with a snowball and see what happens. I think that's fair enough. Let's go!" The stance she takes is more akin to a baseball pitcher ready to throw, and honestly, she's slightly glad that there's not many people around-- the snowball she sends sailing in Moze's direction would likely knock a normal person onto the ground. But she knows his full ability, both of them striving to push each other just that much further beyond their limits to improve. By the end of the day, with both of them covered in ice and shivering... It's no wonder why they're both sniveling and sniffling over the next few days.

[spicehill]

[Ring Toss] While a trip like this demands vigilance, Moze can’t resist the opportunity to play a few games in-between patrols. He’s already played this one a dozen times, scoring near-perfectly each time. By now the stall owner has visibly begun to sweat, as his prize stock has been all but cleared out and it’s not even noon.

”Jiaoqiu,” Moze addresses the doctor with a glance as he draws near. “Play this.” With a serious look, he puts a ring into Jiaoqiu’s hand - already paid for. “Without your vision, you’ll be able to hone your other senses.”

the clink, clink, clink of wood against glass is consistent, aimed well and following a steady, precise pattern; as he wandered between stalls before arriving here, a hunch from the sounds told him that this was where he'd find one of the two people he relied on most. ( he'd never been good at games like this, even when he could see. )

so as moze turns to address him by name, persistent smile thins into something more perplexed -- and as the ring is placed in his hand, jiaoqiu lifts it closer to take a ( somewhat ) clearer look. thin diameter of the opening is just wide enough to catch a bottleneck, but more likely to block without a direct hit... grain of the wood is oddly smooth, almost varnished to make sure any friction couldn't assist. "...to do well at these games, you need to possess acute skills or inordinate luck... you have at least one, moze, and I have neither." but he shakes his head anyway, and tries to give it a fling -- a few times up and down, attempting to test his reaction time for catching the wooden object. "my hand-and-eye coordination was always focused on different tasks, not really... throwing anything with precision. isn't there a children's game that requires carefully picking things out of a board with tweezers? that would be more my speed..."

but as he finishes the thought ---- toss!

wood clinks against glass, and not in a manner consistent with the sound he'd heard over, over, and over while moze played. a moment later, a duller thud, and a sigh comes from the man behind the counter. "ah... unfortunate, sounds like I didn't make it. well, moze, why don't you go again? it sounds the same each time you throw it. then I can compare my throw against how your's sounds with more clarity."

a grumble from the man behind the counter is barely suppressed -- fan raises up as he listens for that same clear, unimpeded clink to hit glass again.

[unfxllenone]

Who, What, Where? Scene 1

A bright lamp drops a cone of light over a roulette table set up at the center of the otherwise dark stage. Moze sits on a stool along one side of the board, expression hidden in the shadows of his hood as he studies the squares. The colorful chips stacked up on his right don't make much of a mountain anymore, but there's still enough. He doesn't seem particularly bothered by his losses, anyway, or maybe it's just the shadowed look of his face that lends him the appearance of steel-clad confidence. Whatever the case, he seems to be calculating odds with his arms crossed, until, finally, he takes all three remaining stacks of chips and pushes them onto a space in front of him.

"All on red," he says, deadpan, without any buildup or intrigue whatsoever. In fact, the furrow between his brows and the frown across his lips seem to say he doubts the move, or that he's not quite sure he put the chips where they needed to go, but a line's a line.

Without looking up, he continues lifelessly as if reading straight from the script: "Confidently. The gambler believes his luck will change."

Those are the notes, Moze.

Who, What, Where! Scene 1 You’re security at a casino, and need to gently break the news that an unlucky gambler needs to go home.

There's a slight pause by the dealer, if only to observe the man before him, before he falls right back into his line. The spinning roulette clatters loudly, and Lumine takes that as her cue to enter.

She glances around the room, much like the observant patrol she ought to be playing (apparently, allegedly, according to the card she'd been given), but there's a pause when she spots the hooded figure at the end of the table. Pointed -- expression flickering from an amicable neutral to that of finding an undesired surprise. It colors quickly thereafter with irritation, brows furrowed and lips tugged to a gentle frown, and yet her character says nothing just yet, drifting along the background like a ghost.

( Pretending she's caught Paimon sneaking bites off her plate is a great baseline, she's found! )

Click, click, click, the rapid tap of marble to metal, from a brisk stampede to a casual meander; it rolls around the roulette for a long, tense moment, testing tentatively between numbers -- the kameras zoom in, collecting the nail-biting shot -- before finding a roost in --

"10 black!"

Her eyes fall shut at the sound of victorious cries around the table -- save for him -- and her sigh is exaggerated even in its silence. The sound of chips being exchanged masks her footsteps on the careful tread over (does filming always require so many cords? it's a blessing she doesn't trip).

"I do apologize, Monsieur, but.." The croupier, who's giving an awfully impressive performance -- eyes filled with smugness despite his apologetic tone -- presents a rueful smile to the poor unfortunate soul as he not-so-subtly slides the entirety of the stack away from Moze. "if you'd like to pursue this venture further, perhaps we can take you to seek out a marker from our lovely credit desk? It's quite a while before you'd have to pay us back -- surely, by then--"

"So thoughtful, Gattineo!" Lumine intervenes, offering a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. Disappointed to see the familiar face --eager to drag him out lest he add to the mountain of mora already weighing on his back. "Though you surely know the monsieur is familiar with such procedures."

She turns to Moze then, offering the same tepid smile -- actually, has it become chillier? Disappointed, Lumine reminds herself, not chiding.

"Lovely to see you as always, Monsieur Renaud -- what a shame I've only caught you at the end of your play." Her brows furrow, like she's actually sad about it -- though it's no more earnest than the other 'employee' across from her. There's a beat, and the croupier clears his throat, like he's supposed to be noticed; she glances at him.

The next line, what is it again? Something like --

"It is the end of your play, right?" Tension, a warning, challenging him without overstepping. She's still an 'employee', after all. That's probably right. Her hand raises, gesturing towards the 'exit' of the casino. Make the right choice, her character is supposed to imply. That probably works.. she hopes.