[ It's the morning after the Regent's dinner when a sharp message, tainted with a sense of both annoyance and panic, mistakenly transfers into Childe's mind. The 'voice' — for lack of a better word — is clearly Howl's. ]
Did you truly intend to leave me with the Regent and his accursed pets, Emet-Selch?!
[ He's so clearly exasperated and desperate that he's inadvertently resorted to 'yelling'. Nevertheless, he seems to have no idea that his frayed attempt at communion is reaching another person, following a moment of excessive thought towards a specific 'pet' in particular. The way Childe seemed ready to climb into the Regent's lap and ask for treats... it sets Howl's blood boiling every time it wanders back into his mind. ]
If you don't answer me this instant, I'll... I'll never forgive you abandoning me last night! I'll call you old man forever! So, stop this!!
[ what the hell—Childe's eyes narrow, stopping his writing immediately to look up.
Wow, he did just learn with the others about communion briefly, but he wasn't aware wires could get crossed like this. Is it a normal thing or has something really happened to Emet-Selch that's making this a thing?
Lifting his pen to balance on his nose as he sits back in his chair, he goes through the info on communion in his head before 'replying.' ]
[ There is silence in response, but a distinct feeling of surprise is transferred in place of words. Howl cannot immediately place the person who unexpectedly answered his message, which he'd still intended for Emet-Selch... as far as he knew, at least.]
...ah. You.
[ "Older than him"?? Howl, in his vanity, feels vaguely insulted. ]
Snooping in on others' conversations now, are you? I wasn't trying to contact you.
And you bet. One of my absolutely favorite pastimes: snooping into any and all mental conversations at my disposal. Bonus points if at least one person of the conversation finds my existence unpleasant~.
[ the delight is very obvious in his voice, but so is the feeling of how one might feel when rolling their eyes at someone else's words. Childe can play mind games a little and get inside people's heads, but he has no talent for abilities that allow him to do so literally like this.]
I believe you, though, it did sound like you wanted to contact Emet-Selch. I'm guessing you haven't had any luck or was this just your first try?
Not my first try. And no, I haven't any luck so far.
[ His answer to the question is curt, because Howl's mind is elsewhere. This is the first time he's speaking to this man since they clashed in the ritual chamber. He remembers the cruel intentions behind his blows, whether they'd landed on them or not. And many had landed. Not enough to stop Howl or prevent him from interrupting the malice he'd directed at others, but so many. ]
I suppose this is as good a time as any to formally make your acquaintance. I am the Wizard Howl. [ just gonna pretend Childe hadn't just listened in on him having a mild tantrum over Emet. ]
Ah, so you aren't a shapeshifting entity that takes human form?
I'm Tartaglia. Most people call me Childe.
[ Childe likes to be naggy and tease, but being a downright obnoxious ass buster is not really his thing. Howl will be let off the hook and not comment on it.
Childe sounds friendly, and there's a sense of friendliness to be felt as well, but Howl can probably pick up that it's extremely distant. It may or may not be fake, but even if it isn't, it feels like it could peel away in an instant and be as if it never existed at all.
for whatever reason, though, there isn't any hostility at the moment despite his previous aggression in the throne room ruins. Howl had not directly attacked him to interrupt the fight, which is honestly the only reason Childe hasn't made any death threats.
He can handle quarrels and disagreements, but when someone gets in his way and screws shit up for him in a traitorous manner to boot... that's when he really is out for blood.
thus, as far as Childe sees it, Howl is not someone he necessarily wants to hang around with (then again... no one really fits that bill currently except for maybe Meteion and Misa,) but he finds him interesting enough and not a blatant traitor in terms of his actions.
Whether he can really trust him in a fight, though... is another thing altogether.]
[ Howl has no problem engaging in some friendly conversation. Given enough time, he'd even consider their clash to be water under the bridge. Those hints at cruelty, though — that's the thing sticking in his mind as they chit-chat. ]
I am. A strange question, but a fair one in this place.
What about you, then, while we're on the topic? You look human. What do you call that magic you were using?
Hydromancy. It requires something called a vision for me to use, though. It's a catalyst in my world and it's almost impossible to control any elements without one.
[ unless you are the traveler, anyway.
howl can at least find comfort that childe is only obnoxious 99.1% of the time. ]
[ Does he mean, like... something incorporeal, like the dictionary definition of a vision, or is this a name for something physical? When Howl hears the word catalyst, he thinks of potion-making reagents, but he doubts Childe is talking about mandrake root or bones. ]
You looked quite in control, from what I could gather, so you must have one of these here. Or, no?
[ Childe will project an image via communion of his personal vision, it slowly spinning on display. a symbol in the blue orb pulses gently with light before fading and repeating. ]
If we're truly severed from them or physically die, the Vision will turn gray. Those still alive without their Vision are arguably better off dead, depending which side you ask. Most people don't have them, and while those that have them are generally considered blessed and someone capable of being a great adventurer and hero... well, you know, prejudices exist against them in certain places, nevertheless.
Besides, in the end, no one can dictate what someone uses their Vision to do, either, not even the Archons that gave them.
Anyway, not sure how it came along with me, but it beats being a complete husk.
Hmm. Perhaps it isn't so strange that it came with you.
It sounds akin to a body part. And a vital one at that, for your kind.
[ The definition of 'human' is in this place is really quite broad, but if Howl can count himself human when he has a demon curse instead of a heart, Childe with his heart-like adornment can too. ]
[ the great thing about communion is that lumine doesn't have to say a single word to express what she feels. the worst thing about it is exactly the same thing: she doesn't have to say a single word to express what she feels. because for someone who normally, usually keeps everything close to her chest, it's a conundrum that she simply can't get around.
the silence that greets him is just a strange, tangled mess of questions of whys and you saids, of exasperation and annoyance, of concerns and hesitations, of prickling tendrils of hurt. and it's very distinctly like lumine, especially when it all suddenly stops as if a plug has been put into place to keep things from leaking out. ]
( there is no immediate verbal response, but just like with her, she'll know he's there listening and contemplating and sensing. for his end, the sensation of something prickled and anxious comes forward before jerking itself back suddenly, like it's turning away to avoid being seen, ashamed of any confrontation despite the owner usually being the most shameless of all.
his mind is far more erratic than hers, and there's this incessant pulling and nagging of crumpled, pierced underwater echoes i didn't mean tos it's for your own goodsoi said nothingsori didn't know what else to do
sorry
the sudden silence breaks it all apart, a heavy current of water washing it away like nothing was ever to be heard at all. )
You, too. Was worried you teleported right into the Regent's dungeons.
[ the apology is faint, drowned out by their other thoughts mingling together. lumine doesn't hear it, save for the excuses piled up one on top of the other as the questions remain rippling beneath it. it's all distorted and discordant until their shared silence sweeps it all away, stilling like the surface of a placid lake.
and perhaps it's all the better that she didn't hear it, didn't feel it. the fewer conflicting feelings she has over this, the easier it would be to swallow this bitter pill. ]
You would've known if I was.
[ after all, his regent wouldn't have allowed her to remain as she is right now. ]
No. I want you as far away from the Regent as possible.
[ his response is immediate and fluid without a hint of doubt lingering in the hang spaces of their currently collective mind.
He would be glad to know she missed the nonsense rattling in his head (apologies, especially apologies) but even without such knowledge he finds himself more in control to continue this communion session with the least amount of pain in every manner of the word considering how she replies. ]
The formal dinner with the Regent was eye-opening enough to prove you wouldn't do well here.
I encourage you and your comrades to stay one step ahead of the Kenoma. So long as your shard remains in tact to present to the Regent, the rest of you is forfeit.
[ it's obvious what he's saying even if he doesn't, even if it doesn't ring through as an echo like other things said and already forgotten minutes earlier: don't trust anyone. ]
Do you need or want anything? I can leave it somewhere for you to retrieve once I'm gone, if so.
[ pros and cons, ernesto warned her. there are pros and cons to this conversation, this communion of souls. and even with the self-possession of someone who's lived hundreds of years, traveled through hundreds of worlds, she can't help but see the worst con of them all: trusting someone enough.
even you? softly, quietly lingers in the void of their thoughts before it's dismissed, wiped clean from the slate as if it's never existed there. ]
I'll manage as I always have.
[ she's the famed traveler, after all. he should know better than anyone else, for all his declarations and pronouncements of their one-sided rivalry.
there's a lengthy pause, indistinct emotions waning and waxing like twinkling stars, before words start to form once more. ]
Should you be telling me all this? This might compromise your position in the Regent's circle.
( even me Childe is silent, the stillness on his end like a vast yawning void of emptiness, of something missing in that endless abyss that no one dares to search for, not even its owner.
It's cracked apart and falls away in the face of a bitter laugh, a scoff at her 'warning.' The sudden intense feeling of rejection balloons with being revolted at its very existence nipping at its heels. The space becomes suffocating, chaotic, pained before being smoothed over with resentful acceptance like a salve coating a wound. Unfortunately, this mental salve only buries what can't so easily heal. An attempt not think, to not feel. )
The Regent is aware of what we are all capable of at this point in time, apparently. I will compromise my position further each time I encounter a Pleroma and don't bring back their shard, if that's the case. It's unavoidable.
[ it's begrudgingly acknowledged. ]
Makes no difference to me.
[ don't feel conceal. don't feel conceal. conceal. conceal. the mantra is entirely unintelligible in their link, but its presence looms as Childe repeatedly recycles it through his head.]
[ lumine physically flinches when she feels the sudden agonising prickle of emotions, assaulting her senses before it's soothed like an animal in pain reacting violently. a part of her instinctively tries to reach out, but her hands only grasp nothing, restrained to even do something.
but his words afterward pull her fingers back, curling into an empty palm. is there even a point to this discussion, then? when they're both bound to their obligations in this unfamiliar, unwelcoming world, him even more so than her. ]
I see.
[ regrets and wishful thoughts of would've-could've-should've are useless now when they've both chosen and made their own paths.
she takes a deep breath, silencing the other thoughts in her head as she makes terrible peace with herself. achamoth, right? it seems so far away from godsblood ... but so was liyue when she was in mondstadt and inazuma when she was in liyue. ]
Whatever path you choose, I'll meet you head-on. Don't worry, I'll keep my word back in Teyvat.
Ah, right. I'm glad to know you'll still let me count on you.
[ Not that he's ever allowed her the comfort to think she could count on him, and he has accepted that it would take a lot to gain her trust after his betrayal in Liyue, and now he has to wonder if it's truly an irreparable bridge now with what he did. There's a clear hesitance present, a suffocating tense feeling of hesitation before it loosens. What does it matter to say or not to say? It won't change anything, there no reason to bring it up but also no reason to hide it. ]
I miss seeing you, though. At least with the Fatui I could come visit. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be allowed to here either, but I'm sure your group wouldn't like the idea even if you were okay with it.
[ The unspoken suggestion is there: it's assumed she wouldn't be okay with it. If not for her own feelings and/or desire for safety, certainly for her new friends. ]
Like I said, though, if you need something you can't access from where you are, I'll get it for you. I know you don't feel like I do, but I do care about your wellbeing here.
[ the push and pull of emotions, she's slowly starting to get a feel of his thoughts. something he's never really done or shared with her before; after all, why would you reveal something so intimate to the one person who's managed to defeat him? but she wonders if this is intentional, if these are words thought of to tug at heartstrings and break down walls.
if this is a test of his warning earlier, to not trust anyone—including him. ]
You did manage to annoy a handful of them.
[ including her, but those emotions have already settled and have been consigned to oblivion. to only revisit when he does become irreverently annoying again, which is almost always. this brief respite is something she'll treasure in the meantime.
there's a pause on her end, silence in the wake of his impression, unspoken as it is. she can sense his real thoughts about it, why he would assume such instead of bulldozing through her feelings as usual. ]
I'll come see you instead. I do owe you a punch or two, considering how lenient I was last time.
[ He's good about seizing any emotions that would normally fling around in his head at her coming to see him. It's weird to have to keep such things in check when he could hide any slipups behind a pokerface, but he's managing at least for now. ]
It's not like you'll have an issue getting into the capital, but it's a little far, isn't it? I don't recommend you come alone, either. I'm not interested in doing anything to you, but I don't control my colleagues and what they'll do if they find out you're in town. Some are already very loyal to the Regent.
And, yeah yeah, you can punch me for last time, fine.
[ the lack of chaos in this communion is both soothing and disquieting. no doubt it means that childe's keeping something from her, holding it back for her to not sense it. hm. ]
If that's your logic, then you sending me items that I need is also going to be an issue due to the distance. It isn't as if you still have your subordinates here in this world, willing to do your bidding.
[ you can't send care packages anymore through the skirmishers and agents, childe. ]
That's understandable, considering the state the creature left it in. I ran into Meteion before the raid and gave her some human food to try. She's doing well and is in good hands. I thought you'd like to know.
[ Although she might be upset about Estinien not coming back with them... ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
communion
Did you truly intend to leave me with the Regent and his accursed pets, Emet-Selch?!
[ He's so clearly exasperated and desperate that he's inadvertently resorted to 'yelling'. Nevertheless, he seems to have no idea that his frayed attempt at communion is reaching another person, following a moment of excessive thought towards a specific 'pet' in particular. The way Childe seemed ready to climb into the Regent's lap and ask for treats... it sets Howl's blood boiling every time it wanders back into his mind. ]
If you don't answer me this instant, I'll... I'll never forgive you abandoning me last night! I'll call you old man forever! So, stop this!!
no subject
Wow, he did just learn with the others about communion briefly, but he wasn't aware wires could get crossed like this. Is it a normal thing or has something really happened to Emet-Selch that's making this a thing?
Lifting his pen to balance on his nose as he sits back in his chair, he goes through the info on communion in his head before 'replying.' ]
You're older than me, that's just not possible.
no subject
...ah. You.
[ "Older than him"?? Howl, in his vanity, feels vaguely insulted. ]
Snooping in on others' conversations now, are you? I wasn't trying to contact you.
no subject
And you bet. One of my absolutely favorite pastimes: snooping into any and all mental conversations at my disposal. Bonus points if at least one person of the conversation finds my existence unpleasant~.
[ the delight is very obvious in his voice, but so is the feeling of how one might feel when rolling their eyes at someone else's words. Childe can play mind games a little and get inside people's heads, but he has no talent for abilities that allow him to do so literally like this.]
I believe you, though, it did sound like you wanted to contact Emet-Selch. I'm guessing you haven't had any luck or was this just your first try?
no subject
[ His answer to the question is curt, because Howl's mind is elsewhere. This is the first time he's speaking to this man since they clashed in the ritual chamber. He remembers the cruel intentions behind his blows, whether they'd landed on them or not. And many had landed. Not enough to stop Howl or prevent him from interrupting the malice he'd directed at others, but so many. ]
I suppose this is as good a time as any to formally make your acquaintance. I am the Wizard Howl. [ just gonna pretend Childe hadn't just listened in on him having a mild tantrum over Emet. ]
no subject
I'm Tartaglia. Most people call me Childe.
[ Childe likes to be naggy and tease, but being a downright obnoxious ass buster is not really his thing. Howl will be let off the hook and not comment on it.
Childe sounds friendly, and there's a sense of friendliness to be felt as well, but Howl can probably pick up that it's extremely distant. It may or may not be fake, but even if it isn't, it feels like it could peel away in an instant and be as if it never existed at all.
for whatever reason, though, there isn't any hostility at the moment despite his previous aggression in the throne room ruins. Howl had not directly attacked him to interrupt the fight, which is honestly the only reason Childe hasn't made any death threats.
He can handle quarrels and disagreements, but when someone gets in his way and screws shit up for him in a traitorous manner to boot... that's when he really is out for blood.
thus, as far as Childe sees it, Howl is not someone he necessarily wants to hang around with (then again... no one really fits that bill currently except for maybe Meteion and Misa,) but he finds him interesting enough and not a blatant traitor in terms of his actions.
Whether he can really trust him in a fight, though... is another thing altogether.]
Does this mean you're a human, then?
no subject
I am. A strange question, but a fair one in this place.
What about you, then, while we're on the topic? You look human. What do you call that magic you were using?
no subject
Hydromancy. It requires something called a vision for me to use, though. It's a catalyst in my world and it's almost impossible to control any elements without one.
[ unless you are the traveler, anyway.
howl can at least find comfort that childe is only obnoxious 99.1% of the time. ]
no subject
[ Does he mean, like... something incorporeal, like the dictionary definition of a vision, or is this a name for something physical? When Howl hears the word catalyst, he thinks of potion-making reagents, but he doubts Childe is talking about mandrake root or bones. ]
You looked quite in control, from what I could gather, so you must have one of these here. Or, no?
no subject
[ Childe will project an image via communion of his personal vision, it slowly spinning on display. a symbol in the blue orb pulses gently with light before fading and repeating. ]
If we're truly severed from them or physically die, the Vision will turn gray. Those still alive without their Vision are arguably better off dead, depending which side you ask. Most people don't have them, and while those that have them are generally considered blessed and someone capable of being a great adventurer and hero... well, you know, prejudices exist against them in certain places, nevertheless.
Besides, in the end, no one can dictate what someone uses their Vision to do, either, not even the Archons that gave them.
Anyway, not sure how it came along with me, but it beats being a complete husk.
no subject
It sounds akin to a body part. And a vital one at that, for your kind.
[ The definition of 'human' is in this place is really quite broad, but if Howl can count himself human when he has a demon curse instead of a heart, Childe with his heart-like adornment can too. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
omg why do i keep switching bt courier and italics
Ahaha don't worry!! <3
(no subject)
(no subject)
communion | post-tdm shenanigans
the silence that greets him is just a strange, tangled mess of questions of whys and you saids, of exasperation and annoyance, of concerns and hesitations, of prickling tendrils of hurt. and it's very distinctly like lumine, especially when it all suddenly stops as if a plug has been put into place to keep things from leaking out. ]
You look well. I'm glad.
no subject
his mind is far more erratic than hers, and there's this incessant pulling and nagging of crumpled, pierced underwater echoes i didn't mean to s it's for your own good so i said nothing sor i didn't know what else to do
sorry
the sudden silence breaks it all apart, a heavy current of water washing it away like nothing was ever to be heard at all. )You, too. Was worried you teleported right into the Regent's dungeons.
no subject
and perhaps it's all the better that she didn't hear it, didn't feel it. the fewer conflicting feelings she has over this, the easier it would be to swallow this bitter pill. ]
You would've known if I was.
[ after all, his regent wouldn't have allowed her to remain as she is right now. ]
Was that what you were hoping?
no subject
[ his response is immediate and fluid without a hint of doubt lingering in the hang spaces of their currently collective mind.
He would be glad to know she missed the nonsense rattling in his head (apologies, especially apologies) but even without such knowledge he finds himself more in control to continue this communion session with the least amount of pain in every manner of the word considering how she replies. ]
The formal dinner with the Regent was eye-opening enough to prove you wouldn't do well here.
I encourage you and your comrades to stay one step ahead of the Kenoma. So long as your shard remains in tact to present to the Regent, the rest of you is forfeit.
[ it's obvious what he's saying even if he doesn't, even if it doesn't ring through as an echo like other things said and already forgotten minutes earlier: don't trust anyone. ]
Do you need or want anything? I can leave it somewhere for you to retrieve once I'm gone, if so.
no subject
even you? softly, quietly lingers in the void of their thoughts before it's dismissed, wiped clean from the slate as if it's never existed there. ]
I'll manage as I always have.
[ she's the famed traveler, after all. he should know better than anyone else, for all his declarations and pronouncements of their one-sided rivalry.
there's a lengthy pause, indistinct emotions waning and waxing like twinkling stars, before words start to form once more. ]
Should you be telling me all this? This might compromise your position in the Regent's circle.
no subject
It's cracked apart and falls away in the face of a bitter laugh, a scoff at her 'warning.' The sudden intense feeling of rejection balloons with being revolted at its very existence nipping at its heels. The space becomes suffocating, chaotic, pained before being smoothed over with resentful acceptance like a salve coating a wound. Unfortunately, this mental salve only buries what can't so easily heal. An attempt not think, to not feel. )
The Regent is aware of what we are all capable of at this point in time, apparently. I will compromise my position further each time I encounter a Pleroma and don't bring back their shard, if that's the case. It's unavoidable.
[ it's begrudgingly acknowledged. ]
Makes no difference to me.
[ don't feel conceal. don't feel conceal. conceal. conceal. the mantra is entirely unintelligible in their link, but its presence looms as Childe repeatedly recycles it through his head.]
no subject
but his words afterward pull her fingers back, curling into an empty palm. is there even a point to this discussion, then? when they're both bound to their obligations in this unfamiliar, unwelcoming world, him even more so than her. ]
I see.
[ regrets and wishful thoughts of would've-could've-should've are useless now when they've both chosen and made their own paths.
she takes a deep breath, silencing the other thoughts in her head as she makes terrible peace with herself. achamoth, right? it seems so far away from godsblood ... but so was liyue when she was in mondstadt and inazuma when she was in liyue. ]
Whatever path you choose, I'll meet you head-on. Don't worry, I'll keep my word back in Teyvat.
[ she has to, if he won't. ]
no subject
[ Not that he's ever allowed her the comfort to think she could count on him, and he has accepted that it would take a lot to gain her trust after his betrayal in Liyue, and now he has to wonder if it's truly an irreparable bridge now with what he did. There's a clear hesitance present, a suffocating tense feeling of hesitation before it loosens. What does it matter to say or not to say? It won't change anything, there no reason to bring it up but also no reason to hide it. ]
I miss seeing you, though. At least with the Fatui I could come visit. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be allowed to here either, but I'm sure your group wouldn't like the idea even if you were okay with it.
[ The unspoken suggestion is there: it's assumed she wouldn't be okay with it. If not for her own feelings and/or desire for safety, certainly for her new friends. ]
Like I said, though, if you need something you can't access from where you are, I'll get it for you. I know you don't feel like I do, but I do care about your wellbeing here.
no subject
if this is a test of his warning earlier, to not trust anyone—including him. ]
You did manage to annoy a handful of them.
[ including her, but those emotions have already settled and have been consigned to oblivion. to only revisit when he does become irreverently annoying again, which is almost always. this brief respite is something she'll treasure in the meantime.
there's a pause on her end, silence in the wake of his impression, unspoken as it is. she can sense his real thoughts about it, why he would assume such instead of bulldozing through her feelings as usual. ]
I'll come see you instead. I do owe you a punch or two, considering how lenient I was last time.
no subject
It's not like you'll have an issue getting into the capital, but it's a little far, isn't it? I don't recommend you come alone, either. I'm not interested in doing anything to you, but I don't control my colleagues and what they'll do if they find out you're in town. Some are already very loyal to the Regent.
And, yeah yeah, you can punch me for last time, fine.
no subject
If that's your logic, then you sending me items that I need is also going to be an issue due to the distance. It isn't as if you still have your subordinates here in this world, willing to do your bidding.
[ you can't send care packages anymore through the skirmishers and agents, childe. ]
Are you worried I'll be defeated and caught?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
incoming communion from thoma;
[ He already feels a little bad about reaching out, considering how everything went down during the raid for both sides. ]
no subject
Pretty okay, been helping with city damage repairs. That's the only really new interesting thing.
[ it's okay, he likes thoma enough to not be bothered by it. ]
no subject
[ Although she might be upset about Estinien not coming back with them... ]