logs | november catch-some!

[ Kaito has a bad snacking habit. When he catches a whiff of that wrap, he has to make a concerted effort Not to Drool. In exchange for half of her dish, he hands over the satchel. It's not just dried mangoes on the inside—there are various roasted, salted nuts, other fruits, and some oats?

A whole-ass trail mix. ]

Thank you. [ Chomp. ] ...Double thank you. This is very good. Chef-approved.

[ He takes a few more bites, chewing slower this time to properly evaluate the flavor and texture... and it's only by the grace of the Archons (and the blonde's question) that he doesn't start rambling about all that mouth feel. ]

A training dojo. My partner plans to teach hand-to-hand techniques. I'll teach magic principles and creature negotiation skills. Our objective is to educate Restless old and new who want to learn how to defend themselves.

...I might also try to build a restaurant into it. If we can afford the extra materials.

[ her smile widens at that compliment. ]

Thank you, I'm glad you like it.

[ cooking has become second nature for someone like her who constantly travels and is always on the go. that, and having paimon as a companion pretty much made it mandatory for her to learn how to cook good food. but she's glad that it turned out well despite some of the ingredients she needs can't be found in stygia.

lumine pops a few dried fruits in her mouth, chewing them thoughtfully. she'll have to ask later where he found the nuts. perhaps she can recreate candied ajilenakh nut in this world, too. ]

A training dojo and a restaurant. That'll be very profitable since those who finish their training would definitely be hungry ...

[ and the restaurant would be right next door. what a great business plan that is. ]

Do you know how much more you need? In terms of materials, I mean.

It's simple but quite satisfying. Good for expeditions like these.

[ His hand dips back and into one of the rucksack's side pockets. A wooden cup is retrieved, and with a snap of his fingers its contents seem to fill with some odorless liquid. It's water.

Siiiip. ]

They would be profitable if my partner and I were trying to turn a profit, yeah. But chances are that we'll offer the services at the lowest cost we can muster, if not for free. It's less about the business and more about preparing other Restless to protect themselves. ...And I like to cook for people.

[ At her inquiry, Kaito drains his cup and shakes his head. ]

A lot. We've only just started mapping out exactly how much material we plan to use. It would have been easier to just repurpose a house in Stygia, but that would defeat the point of having a safe space in the Shadowlands. It'll take some time, but, well, y'know.

We've got a lot of that, the whole urgency posed by the Hierarchy notwithstanding.

[ lumine watches with interest as he fills the cup with water, somehow reminded of how hydro vision holders generate water on their own. she doesn't think he's one since she doesn't see any vision on him (that, and her own friends don't have their own on their person), so she concludes that it might be an innate ability.

would that contribute to his flame resistance then, she wonders. she supposes they'll just have to find out. ]

And the Shadowlands are where the doors are ...

[ with their tethers and all.

lumine had been loathed to leave it there, driven by a sense of duty and obligation to protect them. but there's pretty much nothing else in that region other than the scent of fire and the presence of death. ]

If you need help, just let me know. I'm planning on exploring the Shadowlands myself and if I find any resources that would be useful to your endeavor, I'll be sure to offer them.

[ Well, that's awfully considerate. A little unexpected, too. But maybe that's just Kaito's constant paranoia and distrust talking. Regardless of how many positive connections he's made since starting his new un-life, there are only two people he can trust here, and one of them is himself.

...At least, that's what his Shadow keeps droning on about. Or did. It's been awfully silent since he soulbonded with Hibiki. He's not complaining. ]

I appreciate that. I've been around most of the Shadowlands by now to pick berries. If you can somehow sneak your way into the mines, there's a good chance of collecting ore that can be handed over to the smiths for forging. 'Course, going in there alone is usually a second death sentence, so if you do have a mind to infiltrate the mines, I'd like to come along too.

[ A beat. ]

...So? Have you made some friends since we first chatted on the Netherwork? Discover anyone else from your world who's also been sentenced to this limbo?

[ her eyes seem to brighten at the mention of mines, especially when she's yet to find or explore them. definitely putting it on her to-survey areas soon. ]

Do you think the smiths would pay good coin for those ores? Not that I won't explore it if they won't ...

[ lumine's not normally a hoarder of money unlike paimon, but every single coin counts in this world, especially when she's alone. at the same time, a new area to explore and map out! how exciting, and a part of her wonders if the mine branches to certain areas.

would she be able to find an exit in some part of the netherworld? ]

There's a couple of my friends from ... [ she momentarily hesitates at the word, uncertain if she should even be calling teyvat as such. ] ... home that's recently arrived. From what I was able to gather, they also don't know how they came here. You?

(( gomen big sorry my icons got Hecked so anything before this tag is probably gonna look very out of place ))

[ Nom. Kaito all but devours the rest of his wrap half. ]

Yeah, probably. I'm gonna have to go there anyway, to collect for the project. We can explore together, if you'd like. I'll even rent us some pickaxes, just in case our magic isn't reliable.

[ On the contrary, Kaito is a coin-pincher through and through. Thrifty to a fault, he used to spend a good third of his monthly allowance on cat food for his son while putting out the bare minimum to feed himself (healthily, mind you! he's not into starving). It probably doesn't help that he'll throw his money at other people in need at the drop of a hat. ]

Mm. [ That hesitation has him awfully curious. ] As far as I know, I'm alone. There are other people who are potentially from my world, but it's just as possible that they're from parallel planets similar to mine. So, it's easier to just tell people that I'm all by myself.

[ Easier to handle things that way, too. Hibiki would yell at him for that, especially since they just went through the process of soulbonding... ]

( ooc: dw dw )

That's a good idea. I'd rather not electrocute you.

[ lumine leaves it at that with a chuckle, passing back the bag of trail mix to him after taking a handful of nuts and dried fruit in her palm.

her abilities, borrowed as they are, have been flickering in and out since she arrived in the netherworld. and no amount of focusing and training is enough to fix it. it's annoying and unsettling, how much this place can affect her. to think it doesn't simply stop on her elemental resonance. ]

Ah ... well, I'm very recognizable to the people in that world ...

[ no point in pretending that kokomi and childe are from parallel worlds or universes. even if they were, they clearly knew the traveler anyway. ]

And I don't think I could leave them alone, either.

Ugh. Lightning.

[ His distaste for the element is amplified by the fact that it's not born out of a natural elemental affinity—just the fact that a stray bolt ~~killed~~ struck him when he was a child.

Kaito ties the satchel and casually tosses it back in his coat. Her following replies only further serve to stoke his burgeoning curiosity. ]

Hm. You can't, or you don't want to? [ A lilt of amusement tones his question, and he wipes his previously displeased expression off to smile at her again. ]

Sounds like you're either a celebrity or a figure of renown. Either way, I feel for you. The spotlight's something else. I'm glad I never really had to engage with it back home.

[ note to self: try her best not to summon electro in his presence. ]

I suppose it's a bit of both. Either that, or it's just my bad habit ...

[ lumine's more than aware that kokomi and childe are capable of handling themselves even without her. their visions aside, they're quite talented in their own right. they didn't need her; they've never needed her despite their claims. which honestly just fuels her shadow's glee.

how annoying, she thinks as she drowns out the high-pitched laughter in her head. ]

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

[ being asked to run errands, do chores, save the world–as if she herself doesn't have other things to do. ] What did you engage with back in your world, then?

[ It's only going to get ~~worse~~ better when he eventually canon updates himself next year and acquires his own electricity.

And fish telepathy.

That's going to be a trip. ]

...I think I understand.

[ Instinctively, Kaito smiles. Instinctively, he does understand. That untiring work ethic, born from a desire to be needed, to be wanted.

To belong.

His Shadow has its own opinions, but it's satisfied to know that despite his best efforts to be useful to the other Restless, and even after soulbinding, Kaito still feels out of place. ]

I was a negotiator. When conflicts arose between idiot mortals and irate divines, I was there to bail one side out without cataclysmic consequences. I protected salarymen from angry fortune gods, booted exorcists out of a peaceful spirit's haunted house, and climbed many trees to help bring cats down.

[ There's a distinct fondness in his voice as he recalls some of his past clients. The nostalgia helps against the reality of his current predicament, but he knows the relief is only temporary. ]

And that was my night job. During the day, I cooked ramen.

[ a negotiator between mortals and gods, keeping the peace between the divine and the humans. sounds like something she regularly does during her travel across teyvat, which she honestly would've quit from since day one if it weren't for the fact that said gods are her key to finding her brother.

sometimes, lumine wonders if someone just hates her existence in the universe.

maybe someone does. ]

I'd take your day job any day over your night job, really.

[ what she wouldn't give for a life of peace? not that it was ever an option for her and her brother, she supposes. though finding a home would somehow solve that. ]

I've climbed cathedrals for cats too ...

Cathedrals? That sounds really cool. I think the highest building I've ever climbed to fetch a cat was a ten-story apartment complex. The doors were sealed since there were ghosts possessing the building.

[ At the mention of taking his day job, he snorts and offers her a challenging smile. ]

Sorry, but not just anyone can become the head chef over at Souper Noodle. It takes a special sort of crazy.

[ Souper Noodle? Seriously??? A snap of Kaito's fingers conjures four glimmering silver spheres of energy to form. They mold into the shape of hands before proceeding to open his rucksack and whip out what appears to be a cylindrical container. All so he can keep walking.

Wow. Showoff. The hands offer the container towards Lumine. ]

Seafood ramen. A type of salty broth with noodles and various sea life. Had to make some compromises with a lack of various ingredients, but the flavor is almost identical. That one's yours for when we sit down and have lunch.

[ wow.

she'd show off too ... but she might electrocute him, and that might get them stuck in the hinterlands. who knows how he fares well with lightning? lumine honestly doesn't wish to find out that very moment, even when the pair of disembodied hands plop the container into her own hands, chuckling at his grandstanding.

still, she didn't think she was supposed to participate in a cook-off today. and here she thought the pita pocket and the kitty lunch boxes she's made would be enough. ]

I don't think I've had seafood ramen yet back in Inazuma, though a friend cooked me a very good bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

[ is she teasing him? maybe hinting that his ramen better be excellent? who knows, but the faint smile playing on her lips probably says as much. ]

Thank you.

[ 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. ]

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