[ they take the bottle and then sit down. just plop, right on the ground. its bright in here. ]
Nn. The wind, yeah. It's more like everyone wanted to pat themselves on the back because they voted for someone who wasn't possessed, I think. A common enemy.
[ he will crawl off the dream suite bed and flip onto the ground with them. ]
It's funny, isn't it? How even though we know how this goes, that when it comes down to giving up they'll go for the option that's easiest? That they think they won't feel guilty about because it's not their issue.
[ he shrugs. ]
I'm disappointed, really. But I'm dead, and a killer, so what's it matter? [ his voice is sharp, but tired. ] That's alright though... Hua Cheng is a graceful man. And I will always be grateful for his loyalty. Always.
Naturally. That's the way these things go, isn't it? Everyone clings to their own groups, and divides themselves further and further until coming together feels almost impossible. A poorly partitioned army never wins a battle.
[ they lean against the side of the dream suite bed, thoughtful, closing their eyes under the veil. ]
I suppose his death might act as something of a galvanizing force for those who are left, that aren't from your experience. Maybe they will be kinder to the rest of the people from your game because of it.
You have more faith in them to be kind to us than I do. I know at the very least that they'll at least focus on the bigger problem at hand.
Maybe they'll be kind? Maybe they won't, because Hua Cheng did it for vengeance. Holier than thou sentiments and all. "At least I didn't murder for vengeance" they'll crow.
[ he drapes his arms over his knees and leans against the bed as well, tilting his head. ]
It's fine. He's... kind. Repentant. I'm upset, but it does no good to hit and cry and slap at him, punching him won't make me anymore alive. You know?
The shadow took him. I won't do much but be angry it saw him fit to be it's skin. People don't seem to understand that.
Ah, no. You misunderstand me - I don't think they'll really be that kind. Not most of them, anyway.
[ they wave their hand a little, and then, with a hint of their more familiar, wry amusement, like they're sharing some gossip, or like they're talking around something. ] I'll tell you a secret. One of the places that I read an awful lot about was full of terribly self-centered people. There was no possession, or anything of the like. Everyone there just killed because they had something they wanted...yet, somehow, they still managed to pull things off. So who knows? I don't judge Hua Cheng any more or less than I'd judge anyone else, and I doubt the people from that place would either.
[ so. they listen to the bit about sylvain, too, nodding along - mostly just fiddling with the wine bottle instead of opening it. ]
You've got a good way of it, I think. Nothing you can do about being dead, and nothing he can really do about it. At least, not now.
[ that doesnt mean AQUILA has to like it but thats different. ]
but kaeya smiles as he listens to their words. he's pretty sure he knows what they're talking about precisely considering he has also heard about this place and, frankly, he has gotten to see a lot of things as someone who is dead. it's strange, being on the other side of the glass. no one can hear you, see you, touch you.
he laughs. ]
No, not now, but I know how to bide my time, and so does here. We'll figure something out, but not today. Today's just for... well. I don't know what today's for. Having a bottle of wine with someone I enjoy spending time with. I've already settled Hua Cheng in, so the rest is up to him to decide who he wants to speak with first.
[ glancing at aquila fiddling with the bottle, he rests his elbow on his knee, and his chin on his palm. ]
What'd you think of all the places you've read about? [ he smiles a little. ] I'm especially curious what you think about our Angels... [ he nudges, ankle to ankle. ]
Oh, of course. Not only are they murderous, but they're vastly ambitious, like a tiger prowling at the doors of its neighbors, and they're tasteless about it, too.
[ they
are not stopping, continuing with a completely unfettered vitriol ] Some tiger, as they're always led by a false savant who believes himself to be a military genius of greater value than any commander, when in reality, his entire nation finds itself prostrate at the feet of a tottering, wrinkled old man wearing a too large hat [ the POPE, AQUILA? ] who can barely reach around to wipe his own ass, let alone lift a blade.
All religious organizations are the same. It's amazing. You shave your head and begin to spout amitabhas, and suddenly, you're qualified to create laws based on your interpretation of a musty text that no one actually enjoys reading! Pah.
You know, 'Quila... it sounds like you really hate organized religion. Intimately familiar?
[ god he... he's gigging, and he's not stopping. kaeya hasn't smiled once in this graveyard, it's all been fake, but this? this is real. he covers his mouth, shoulders shaking a little bit. ]
I can't say I blame you, really... never had much luck with religion. I work with the knights, and in turn, the knights are affiliated with the church, but.
[ he waves a hand ]
All the gods back in my world have done is see the end to civilizations that did nothing wrong. Petty, really. Who wants to worship that? At the end of they day, it's all for what money people will give them, or for the high of power it lends them, being the mouthpieces for these sorts of things.
Truth is, I've only ever met one worth considering.
[ GOD. they huff, flopping backwards against the bed and reaching up under their veil to rub their temples. ]
Tch. I guess there's one god's okay. [ there isn't but you know sometimes you gotta lie
anyway. they grumble, still clearly on a little bit of a tear. ] For the most part, no, you're exactly right. The more the government moves towards religion, the less sense it makes. It's amazing how quickly society allows someone who refuses to shower for religious reasons the ability to change the course of someone's life because they stared at the stars and decided they were in alignment according to the words of no one.
I'll never understand it, it's always just something so thoroughly baffling. The fact that many follow so blindly...
[ he waves a hand as he trails off, grabs one of the pillows from the bed and uses it so he can lean his back comfortably while still sitting on the floor. ]
Stars are funny like that, the way people choose to read them too. Do you know much about astrology?
[ aquila mutters, but seems to at least be done with this ridiculous diatribe.
... maybe. astrology is not that much better, honestly. ]
Not particularly. I have a few star stories here and there, but I try to avoid any heavenly body directing how I live my life, constellation or otherwise. Why do you ask?
To tell you the truth, I'm just curious about how much stock is put in them from place to place. Everyone in Teyvat is born beneath a constellation. Some overlap, some do not. Supposedly, this constellation tells of a great difficulty one might need to overcome, or of something in their life they might lend themselves to. Depends.
I never really saw stars until my father brought me topside. It was all new to me otherwise. If I'd never left, I would have never seen or known them.
[ a sheepish smile ] I don't get to travel much back home, unless I'm working with my contacts. So I'm trying to make the most of it...
I don't know. Sometimes I think our Astrologer will say anything for a bit of coin considering how she always complains about her lack thereof.
[ he rubs his jaw. ]
It's a little unnerving, really, how close she is to the thing I fear most. Don't know if it's coincidence, or if the stars are telling the truth, but it's an awful specific prediction.
Perhaps I wish I didn't, or that I'd never heard it in the first place. Star are so ominous.
[ there's a touch of amusement, there, a little wry. ]
...I like to think predictions in that manner are best taken with a healthy grain of spite. Is it too close of a question to ask you what you fear most? Or should that be for a third date.
I suppose I couldn't just say "spiders". [ they are not afraid of spiders. obviously.
but. there's a thoughtful pause, and then a little more measured: ] ... Truthfully, there is very little that I'm afraid of, Kaeya. It's a hard question to answer in small measures.
I asked first, though. I'll keep my word and tell you, after.
The thing I fear the most above all is having to choose... between the land of my birth and the land that raised me to be who I am. One is destiny, blood, one is heart, selfishness...
It should seem obvious what answer is the right one, supposedly. Yet it's a choice I do believe I'll run from as fast as I can.
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[ he offers a faint smile, still clutching that bottle before holding it out to aquila, an offering. ]
Disappointing really, people will just vote with whatever the wind tells them.
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Nn. The wind, yeah. It's more like everyone wanted to pat themselves on the back because they voted for someone who wasn't possessed, I think. A common enemy.
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It's funny, isn't it? How even though we know how this goes, that when it comes down to giving up they'll go for the option that's easiest? That they think they won't feel guilty about because it's not their issue.
[ he shrugs. ]
I'm disappointed, really. But I'm dead, and a killer, so what's it matter? [ his voice is sharp, but tired. ] That's alright though... Hua Cheng is a graceful man. And I will always be grateful for his loyalty. Always.
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[ they lean against the side of the dream suite bed, thoughtful, closing their eyes under the veil. ]
I suppose his death might act as something of a galvanizing force for those who are left, that aren't from your experience. Maybe they will be kinder to the rest of the people from your game because of it.
[ a pause. ]
How are things with the redhead, then? Sylvain.
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Maybe they'll be kind? Maybe they won't, because Hua Cheng did it for vengeance. Holier than thou sentiments and all. "At least I didn't murder for vengeance" they'll crow.
[ he drapes his arms over his knees and leans against the bed as well, tilting his head. ]
It's fine. He's... kind. Repentant. I'm upset, but it does no good to hit and cry and slap at him, punching him won't make me anymore alive. You know?
The shadow took him. I won't do much but be angry it saw him fit to be it's skin. People don't seem to understand that.
[ he has already chewed him up anyways. ]
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[ they wave their hand a little, and then, with a hint of their more familiar, wry amusement, like they're sharing some gossip, or like they're talking around something. ] I'll tell you a secret. One of the places that I read an awful lot about was full of terribly self-centered people. There was no possession, or anything of the like. Everyone there just killed because they had something they wanted...yet, somehow, they still managed to pull things off. So who knows? I don't judge Hua Cheng any more or less than I'd judge anyone else, and I doubt the people from that place would either.
[ so. they listen to the bit about sylvain, too, nodding along - mostly just fiddling with the wine bottle instead of opening it. ]
You've got a good way of it, I think. Nothing you can do about being dead, and nothing he can really do about it. At least, not now.
[ that doesnt mean AQUILA has to like it but thats different. ]
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but kaeya smiles as he listens to their words. he's pretty sure he knows what they're talking about precisely considering he has also heard about this place and, frankly, he has gotten to see a lot of things as someone who is dead. it's strange, being on the other side of the glass. no one can hear you, see you, touch you.
he laughs. ]
No, not now, but I know how to bide my time, and so does here. We'll figure something out, but not today. Today's just for... well. I don't know what today's for. Having a bottle of wine with someone I enjoy spending time with. I've already settled Hua Cheng in, so the rest is up to him to decide who he wants to speak with first.
[ glancing at aquila fiddling with the bottle, he rests his elbow on his knee, and his chin on his palm. ]
What'd you think of all the places you've read about? [ he smiles a little. ] I'm especially curious what you think about our Angels... [ he nudges, ankle to ankle. ]
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you can't see his face. kaeya has no idea what aquila looks like. but you can almost feel that his expression
is like this. ]
It was based on the church. What an absolutely foul endeavor. Of course it'd be full of murder.
[
aquila ]
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that earns a little choked laugh. ]
You know... that church was incredibly murderous. Most religious things are, I feel.
[ kaeya's curious if that's in his file, khaenri'ah, it's downfall at the hands of gods themselves because they were so self-sufficient. ]
Gods have seldom helped anyone save themselves. Selfish creatures.
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[ they
are not stopping, continuing with a completely unfettered vitriol ] Some tiger, as they're always led by a false savant who believes himself to be a military genius of greater value than any commander, when in reality, his entire nation finds itself prostrate at the feet of a tottering, wrinkled old man wearing a too large hat [ the POPE, AQUILA? ] who can barely reach around to wipe his own ass, let alone lift a blade.
All religious organizations are the same. It's amazing. You shave your head and begin to spout amitabhas, and suddenly, you're qualified to create laws based on your interpretation of a musty text that no one actually enjoys reading! Pah.
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[ god he... he's gigging, and he's not stopping. kaeya hasn't smiled once in this graveyard, it's all been fake, but this? this is real. he covers his mouth, shoulders shaking a little bit. ]
I can't say I blame you, really... never had much luck with religion. I work with the knights, and in turn, the knights are affiliated with the church, but.
[ he waves a hand ]
All the gods back in my world have done is see the end to civilizations that did nothing wrong. Petty, really. Who wants to worship that? At the end of they day, it's all for what money people will give them, or for the high of power it lends them, being the mouthpieces for these sorts of things.
Truth is, I've only ever met one worth considering.
Funny how it all goes.
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Tch. I guess there's one god's okay. [ there isn't but you know sometimes you gotta lie
anyway. they grumble, still clearly on a little bit of a tear. ] For the most part, no, you're exactly right. The more the government moves towards religion, the less sense it makes. It's amazing how quickly society allows someone who refuses to shower for religious reasons the ability to change the course of someone's life because they stared at the stars and decided they were in alignment according to the words of no one.
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I'll never understand it, it's always just something so thoroughly baffling. The fact that many follow so blindly...
[ he waves a hand as he trails off, grabs one of the pillows from the bed and uses it so he can lean his back comfortably while still sitting on the floor. ]
Stars are funny like that, the way people choose to read them too. Do you know much about astrology?
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[ aquila mutters, but seems to at least be done with this ridiculous diatribe.
... maybe. astrology is not that much better, honestly. ]
Not particularly. I have a few star stories here and there, but I try to avoid any heavenly body directing how I live my life, constellation or otherwise. Why do you ask?
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To tell you the truth, I'm just curious about how much stock is put in them from place to place. Everyone in Teyvat is born beneath a constellation. Some overlap, some do not. Supposedly, this constellation tells of a great difficulty one might need to overcome, or of something in their life they might lend themselves to. Depends.
I never really saw stars until my father brought me topside. It was all new to me otherwise. If I'd never left, I would have never seen or known them.
[ a sheepish smile ] I don't get to travel much back home, unless I'm working with my contacts. So I'm trying to make the most of it...
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Do you put stock in it? In yours, I suppose.
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[ he rubs his jaw. ]
It's a little unnerving, really, how close she is to the thing I fear most. Don't know if it's coincidence, or if the stars are telling the truth, but it's an awful specific prediction.
Perhaps I wish I didn't, or that I'd never heard it in the first place. Star are so ominous.
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[ there's a touch of amusement, there, a little wry. ]
...I like to think predictions in that manner are best taken with a healthy grain of spite. Is it too close of a question to ask you what you fear most? Or should that be for a third date.
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[ he knocks their knees together. ]
Would you share something with me as well?
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That depends. What?
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Doesn't have to be your greatest, but... I think it should be worth mine, perhaps?
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immediately, wryly: ]
I suppose I couldn't just say "spiders". [ they are not afraid of spiders. obviously.
but. there's a thoughtful pause, and then a little more measured: ] ... Truthfully, there is very little that I'm afraid of, Kaeya. It's a hard question to answer in small measures.
I asked first, though. I'll keep my word and tell you, after.
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[ he offers a faint smile. ]
Are you calling this a third date, then?
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Dinner. Dancing. Wine in a private dream. I think so.
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The thing I fear the most above all is having to choose... between the land of my birth and the land that raised me to be who I am. One is destiny, blood, one is heart, selfishness...
It should seem obvious what answer is the right one, supposedly. Yet it's a choice I do believe I'll run from as fast as I can.
At least while I'm able to.