logs | november catch-some!

[ The funniest part is that if she did show off, he'd be staring in awe like a kid watching fireworks.

After all, while lightning is one of his big fears, the other is open water—and that's his natural element.

Gotta love trauma! ]

Oho? Is that a veiled challenge? A person's marriageability is measured by the quality of their ramen. I will not be bested.

[ A beat. His cocky smile quickly wrinkles as he catches the implications behind his own words. Still, he manages an embarrassed chuckle instead of going full maletsun. ]

Also, you're welcome. I may have gotten a little excited with the cooking, so I brought a bunch of stuff. No need to feel like this is suddenly a competition.

[ lumine blinks at his remark before she also chuckles, very much amused. ]

It's our first time meeting, and here you are, proposing already.

[ she's kidding, of course.

his excitement over cooking doesn't escape her observation and she makes a mental note to visit his restaurant once it's come to fruition, even if it's across the shadowlands. she was planning on staying there long-term with regular visits to stygia; the only problem is how to set up waypoints between the two regions.

in any case, she stows away the cylinder into her bag before pulling out a small lunch box and holding it out to him. ]

Here, I also made something for us as agreed. [ a beat, grinning: ] Don't worry, I won't be offended if you decide I'm not marriageable after tasting it.

I suppose I walked into this...

[ How foolish Kaito was to think he wouldn't get teased over his verbal slip. Not that it matters—the instant he catches a glimpse of that lunch box, literal exclamation points pop up in his eyes.

This isn't exaggeration. Silver punctuation marks wrought from the same energy as those hands appear over his face. He's showing off again. At her further teasing, he seems to catch a second wind and replies with a grin. ]

Thank you. And you're in luck. Many people can make reasonable marriageability exceptions when cooking isn't the prospective party's strong suit. There's only one way to find out.

That's good to hear. I wouldn't want my future husband to withhold his affections just because I can't cook.

[ not that it matters because (1)she can surely, definitely, unquestionably cook, and (2)marriage is a very distant, very unlikely objective for her. plus the latter requires the approval of her twin brother, something she's certain aether wouldn't easily give even on an excellent day.

co-dependent twin problems.

lumine takes note of a familiar goatherd in the distance and a handful of farms and orchards several meters away beyond the line of forest trees. she remembers passing those by when she was here with childe, so it only means they're heading in the right direction. still, it'll take a while before they arrive at the crash site. ]

I guess you'll be using those hands of yours earlier to hold the star fragment, then?

[ Oh god, not another brother with astronomically high standards...

It's okay. He's too much of a workaholic to pay attention to his own happiness. He's got a goal, and nothing's getting in the way of it.

Except for everyone else's needs and wants. ]

I could, but that's the lazy way out. I'm a chef. I'm used to planting my hands on roiling-hot metal. [ Very macho. Wow. ] Also, I brought a little box to hold it. My handle on my magic isn't what it used to be. That seems to be a pretty consistent story across other powered folks. Maybe it's the curse of this unlife, maybe it's our Shadows.

Too many unknown variables.

[ when your twin brother is a prince, you can't even hang out with his ex :\

but he's not wrong about this world—the lack of information, the unknown factors in their current circumstances. lumine dislikes it, not being in control of her own fate and being left to the whims of the powers of something or someone unknown. she feels unbalanced, powerless despite the existence of her own abilities. ]

You're not alone in that ... [ she mutters as purple electricity crackles between her fingers only for it to sputter out, tendrils of vines wrapping around her hand instead. lumine dismisses it with a sigh.

her resonance has been highly unreliable lately, which is maddening. ] I can distract the creatures around the star while you grab a fragment. I think I still have stories that would keep them occupied.

[ What to heck, that's lame??? When Kaito becomes a prince, he'll make sure anyone can hang out with his exes.

Hm. PR team might need to work on that one.

Kaito's eyes flick over to her hand as if he preemptively sensed the attempt at magic. Head tilting, he slows his pace. ]

Sounds good. If I get confronted, I'm pretty good at negotiating. So long as they're not looking to pick a fight off the bat, I imagine we can work something out.

By the way.

...Lightning and nature? Was that what I saw? Are you one of those super cool types with a wide spread of elemental mastery? [ Sounds like cooking isn't the only topic he gets really invested in. ]

[ her brother has developed trust issues, it can't be helped ]

Cool is a bit misleading ...

[ lumine supposes that for a lot of vision holders, even the archons themselves, it's very impressive that she's able to use the elements without a vision; the fact that she can resonate with the elements in teyvat and use them all at once was already unprecedented. but it's not her power, essentially borrowed without permission from their owners. ]

But I suppose I am. [ she holds out a hand to him as she pauses in her tracks, summoning a ball of swirling winds in the middle of her palm. it sadly pops like a balloon when purple lightning infuses itself in it. ] As you can see, though, it's very inconsistent at the moment.

[ like his power. ]

Ooooooh.

[ He sees, indeed. The way her elements meld together and interfere with each other reminds him of something. Mimicking her movement, he creates a sphere of raw silver energy. It sparks with life, vibrant and whole, but the instant he attempts to infuse it with streams of water the entire thing dissolves into motes of light. ]

Inconsistent is right. When I tap into raw aura or water, my control is still pretty good... But the instant I try and meld them together, things just shut down.

I talked to another water adept, and we both agreed that it felt like some curtain had been placed between us and our gifts. Our fingertips can brush against the core of our power, but it's always just out of full reach.

[ Kaito cracks a wry smile. ]

I hope we can both regain our mastery. I'd like to see your magic at maximum levels of cool.

[ lumine takes a step closer to observe his own abilities, her curiosity very much piqued.

a hydro user, but not just. maybe she's gotten used to the vision holders in teyvat, but he clearly possesses a different kind of magic from the one bestowed by celestia. the silver energy he conjures seems very much like her own—her real power, the one she didn't borrow—pure and raw like the core of a star. but it soon fizzles out like hers, much to her disappointment. she would've liked to see more. ]

One day, maybe.

[ if this world can even unseal her original power. weird how, even in death, teyvat's elements remain with her. ]

But you'll have to show me yours too in return.

[ Kaito cracks a teasing smirk. ]

I will—if your food passes muster.

[ After a beat to let the words settle, he pokes his tongue out. Terrible! ]

So where does your magic come from? Were you born with the ability to manipulate the elements, or was it something you had to be taught?

[ Uh oh, it's suddenly invasive question o' clock. ]

[ lumine smiles confidently, laughing at the very bratty gesture. she's not going to lose that condition, at least.

his question about her abilities is another matter entirely, however, and she herself is uncertain how she'd explain that. it's admittedly no one could describe or discern the reason behind it, not even herself. ]

It's all borrowed, to put it simply. The world I was previously in allowed me to resonate with its elements after losing my real powers.

[ strange how she's able to retain all of it, even in her supposed death. which makes her idly wonder if the heavenly principles still has some form of a hold on her. then doesn't that mean she's not yet dead? ]

No one has ever been able to use all of them at the same time, though ... So I was pretty much a freak of nature.

Borrowed...

[ Kaito eyes Lumine intently as she explains, thinking back to the displays she's put on for him so far. Hm. It's a thought-provoking explanation, and he's about to comment when he hears the word 'freak' spill out.

To that, he shakes his head. ]

'Exceptional' is a better way to put it. 'Strange' is at least polite. I suppose it's a constant across worlds that people are so quick to give harsh labels to what they don't understand. If anything, the fact that you can take that world's borrowed magic and make something of your own with it is quite incredible.

[ He's not trying to gas her up or aggressively combat some presumed stance she may or may not even have on the matter, but Kaito is quite firm and matter-of-fact in his speech. ]

Many schools of magic treat the craft with a form of reverence, and their practitioners as borrowers of the gift. If you go off that philosophy, the fact that the world allowed you to harness so many elements can be seen as a sign of deep respect.

[ Finally, he quirks a smile. ]

Or coolness, I guess. Maybe also marriageability, if you're a magic-obsessed nerd.

[ lumine manages a faint smile. it isn't that she's discriminated against, though she won't deny that possessing such abilities had gotten her in heaps of trouble in the past. but it does keep her from blending in well with teyvat's populace and instead causes needless attention to spotlight on her.

she supposes a fresh perspective on the matter gives her a bit of optimism on the idea of borrowing the archons' powers without their permission. venti, zhongli and ei sure didn't hold it against her. ]

It's either that, or I'm forcibly taking their elements.

[ perhaps to fill in the void left by her sealed powers? who knows. ]

Oh, is it also a qualification for finding a good marriage partner?

We don't always choose our gifts. [ Kaito rubs the back of his head, chuckling. ] Sometimes they choose us, and we just have to deal with it.

[ If he only realized how right he was. January's gonna be a fun month. ]

Mmm... Maybe. It's hard enough to find someone who could put up with me as a dating partner, let alone for marriage. But if I had to list some actual qualifications, I'd like to be with someone who's curious about magic the same way I am.

Also, they can't hate ramen or I'd be depressed.

I suppose you're not entirely wrong about that ...

[ there had been many situations where she was supposedly "chosen" and she simply had to deal with it. so much so that she's gotten so used to it that, despite her complaints and insistence that she won't do something, all she can do is sigh and nod and let the flow carry her. ]

Was there ever anyone who met the bar?

[ look, she's not saying that those qualities are mutually exclusive. the combination is just very random, that's all. ]

Though I suppose if they don't like ramen, you could always convert them.

There were quite a few, when I was alive. But I never gave them my time. Hm. Maybe it's more accurate to say I didn't give myself the time.

[ A shrug. He doesn't elaborate. ] Here? I'm not really looking, but there might at least be a few who I could befriend out of an interest in spellcraft.

[ The conversion comment prompts a chuckle. Kaito shakes his head. ]

I could. All I'd need is a chair, some handcuffs, and time. [ He glances over to her, mischief gleaming in his gaze. ]

Just kidding. I wouldn't need the cuffs.

[ sounds like someone she knows. but is she really any different when she's dedicated her whole life—at least, back in teyvat—to finding her brother? her friends are one thing, but even they don't get the full extent of her attention, especially when she's in the middle of something serious. ]

Let me know if you need help with handcuffs. I could probably create one ...

[ out of stone. a kind of construct, maybe? the way zhongli managed to create certain forms using the element he lords over. perhaps the only predicament she'll face is if it'll hold its shape. ]

Both for converting and befriending purposes.

[ "befriending" purposes. she didn't miss that look of mischief on his face, after all. ]

Maybe I should be concerned if you're this eager to "befriend" someone with cuffs?

[ His tongue pokes out again. The trees have slowly begun to creep up around them, and the rest of Stygia has vanished behind the thicket. Perhaps they're close? She'll know for sure, since she's already been there once.

There's a beat where silence fills the air around them, broken only by the crunching of soles against dead leaves and underbrush. Eventually, Kaito cants his gaze towards the blonde and blurts: ]

So, are you thinking about getting out of here or making do with this new un-living situation?

[ she grins back but says nothing in response to that quip. maybe he should be wary about befriending her, especially when she's realized she's slowly starting to lose her grip on her shadow and might just cuff him with a geo construct to a tree. ]

There's doing both, making do with the situation and eventually leaving.

[ there are islands where people are disappearing, areas outside of the stygia that remains to be unexplored due to the existence of the tempest. if she's able to explore those, perhaps figure out the reason why people are disappearing ... a door out of the world, maybe?

but until then, she has to settle down for now and make do with what she's given. ]

A lot of things don't make sense at the moment, making me even more unconvinced that I've un-lived ...

[ And maybe she should be just as wary that he might actually not mind the cuffs.

Wait, shit, not that.

MAYBE SHE SHOULD BE WARY THAT ONE DAY HIS SHADOW WILL CONVINCE HIM TO DO TERRIBLE THINGS TOO. ]

Fair point. Most of us have only seen a fraction of what this hellscape has to offer, and some regions are beyond our reach. I'm sure that in time many and more of the Restless will find reasons to expand their horizons.

[ Kaito's gaze strays to the side, where he can start to smell a hint of smoke. ]

Mmm... It's possible. My heart still beats, and my soul still remains. But at the same time, I know what my 'final moments' were. Was my 'death' a hallucination? Or perhaps simply a prerequisite to travel down here?

I suppose we'll find out eventually.

[ Find out or vanish. ]

[ ............................ if it's cuffs you want, kaito, it's cuffs she can deliver. or at least, her shadow will deliver since his own shadow can be easily convinced to do so.

anyway, lumine reaches out to tug his sleeve, gesturing to follow a path leading off from the main one. now that they can smell something in the air, she's pretty sure they're slowly closing in on their target. the question currently running through her head is will those little seelie creatures still try to incinerate them.

only one way to find out, she supposes. ]

So you remember dying?

[ he's going to be the first person, if ever. everyone else she's spoken to doesn't seem to recall it. she can't even recall hers. ]

[ 💧

W-We can talk about this later.

Kaito jerks to pivot in the new direction when she pulls at his sleeve, shuffling alongside the blonde until she poses her question.

Footsteps slow to a halt, and if she turns back to face him she'll find a vacant gold gaze staring off into the distance.

He hasn't told anyone since arriving here. Not Hibiki, not Mavis, not Zagreus. He's allowed one of them to connect to his soul and another to learn his true intentions. But no one's been privy to the details of his death.

By the time he finally answers, he looks as if he's been dead on his feet for the past minute of silence. The words he mutters may as well be silent, however—they come out as a bare whisper. ]

...Yeah.

Quite clearly.

[ so open-minded, i like it.

ah well, she didn't think he would admit it openly. then again, she doesn't see the point in denying it when they're all supposedly. still, lumine can understand how sensitive talking about it is, the details possibly opening a wound that has yet to heal. which is why she doesn't wish to pry further, even after hearing his admission. ]

You're the first I met who remembers it.

[ or perhaps the first who admitted that they remember it. but she doesn't think the others would lie to her, kokomi or childe especially. ]

I myself can't recall anything.

[ Water is flexible, wink-wonk.

Her reply isn't insignificant by any means, but Kaito takes his sweet time in processing the words. Or maybe he's still rebooting after a purported internal BSOD. Whatever the case, another minute passes without him moving before he tugs his gloves on tightly (tighter than the skintight fit they already had on his fingers) and finally focuses his gaze on hers. ]

I never really asked anyone else about whether they remembered the details or not. Unfortunately for me, that entire day remains imprinted in my mind. It's a terrible time to have near-perfect recall.

[ That gets him to chuckle, but the smile that accompanies it doesn't make it halfway up his cheeks. ]

Death and I have a weird relationship anyway. Maybe that's why I remember everything. Or maybe I'm not that unique.

[ A beat. He smiles again, brighter this time despite it still failing to reach his eyes. ]

Do you think the grass is greener on my side, or would you rather not remember what happened?

november catch-some!

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hough, walks in here a million years later

you'll need a million more to stop me from tagging back

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