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[doublemasked]

courtesy of this post by tarugai

they're so annoying but i love them w/ all my heart

[doublemasked]

Well, if his situation couldn't get worse, his coworkers showing up makes this far less than pleasant. At least, as far as he's concerned, The Knave being here is one of the least of all evils.

Well, okay, not the least of all evils, but at least the last time they interacted they bonded in a sense over their disdain of their colleagues.

"The Knave, huh? I've been here for a bit now, and a while before this time around."

"Luckily for us, our illustrious colleagues don't tend to show up." Based on their last conversation, it seemed as though many of his opinions on The Knave from The Rooster seemed to be...

She'd used the word prejudiced. No reason for them to fight.

what a surprise. to see not only a colleague, but a harbinger at that. if luck were at play, hopefully certain others wouldn't be present. that would surely ruin any chance of a pleasant stay. Childe, however, is one she minds little to be in the presence of for the moment. "they managed to bring you here." of course they did, and it's likely he's already been involved in trouble more than a few times.

"tell me," she studies him in the brief pause before she continues. "is it only us? it would be a shame if one of the others spoiled an opportunity like this." two in particular come to mind, both poor options to inflict upon the people here given their mode of operations.

@doublemasked

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The scent of fresh seafood wafts through the kitchen as one miserable Fatui Harbinger lays across the counter, misery clear on his face. Various vegetables are in different states of unpacking as he seems to be prepping to cook...Something.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." Lumine and Paimon walked and floated into the room respectively, likely due to the various noise and smells coming from the occupied kitchen.

"I miss my old kitchen." He'd done most of the cooking anyway! It was definitely his kitchen, where he'd be lovingly making a stew for his wonderful boyfriend.

He was definitely being dramatic, but he's pretty sure he was allowed to be dramatic about this.

"Comrade...I need to confide in you. Something I've never told anyone else before. At all. Ever." It sounded pretty serious. "I know you're the only one I can trust with this."

@descensionstar

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"Team Steam!" He shouts in response, pumping his fist in response to it before turning to his teammate with the flaming sword. No Vision, huh? One of those 'interesting people', then.

"Yeah, I'm pretty strong if I do say so myself - so long as DPS means fighting, then-" daggers appear in his hand, scarf glowing as it whips around with energy, "Count me in!"

On that note, he runs at the robot, bow already forgotten as he begins to scale the robot, stabbing the elemental daggers into the joints of the machine.

@doublemasked

★ Heat poured off of the lancer in the Trailblazer's right hand, flames momentarily visible before disappearing and reappearing again against the backdrop of its illuminated length. A giant machine loomed over her and the man who she had taken in as a teammate. "You claimed to be pretty strong, right?"

She slammed the tip of the spear into the group and temporary shields formed around the pair.

"I'll draw aggro and focus on keeping us up. You're on DPS duty, got it?" Seeing as he only had a bow she couldn't imagine he was healer. So preventing damage was a priority. "The debut battle of Team Steam!" Because fire and water... get it?

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"Not that I'm not happy you did, but," Why would he have expected Kaeya to wait? For him? A man he couldn't even present as his partner for fear of alienating his friends and family? Another secret to keep on his plate? And of all people, him?

Ajax knew himself better than anyone - except for the man in front of him. So, of course, that means they're both fully aware of what and who he is.

So...

No, he hadn't expected it. Because Kaeya deserved more than waiting around for another one of his secrets.

But...

Any additional words fell dead as he watches Kaeya look away. Exhaling, he already knew what was coming before Kaeya spoke. But given he had waited, this made his chest crumple as the air left him a final time before Kaeya spoke again.

(Right...)

"'For now'. Alright." For now at least meant that there was a later. There was a point where maybe he'd be let back in.

Maybe.

"They put me in Archimedes - 412. But call ahead of time if you want me since, uh, some mutual friends just happen to be staying there, too." A pause, a hesitation uncharacteristic of him as he turns to go back out the way he came.

"Guess I kept you waiting eleven months, so I really should be willing to wait that long, huh?" He throws a lopsided grin over his shoulder that doesn't meet his eyes before hopping back through the window.

LIES HAD ALWAYS BEEN A FRIEND OF HIS; something meant to soothe the gaping wounds he's accumulated throughout his life, the salve meant to keep everything from pouring out. maybe this was why, those first words of not expecting him to wait to hit him hardest. ❝ Really now. Well, that's news to me then. Guess I got us all wrong, ❞ he snips, spurred by the hurt in his heart. hearing everything the harbinger speaks is like a salt to the wound, bypassing the tourniquet he'd tightly wound around his heart, hiding it away from the world so it would no longer bleed. but was that truly a solution to gravitate to? it had kept him safe, at least he thinks so, from the cruelty of the world so he would not have to face many things.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀maybe that's why childe's words only make him recoil further.

even now, the statement reels in his mind: i want to know what you want. what does he want? such things are always so complicated, he knows, whether it be this or the story of his life. that want for reconciliation burned deep into his right eye, brimming with a guilt he'd harbored for so long the catalyst to that path. the want to escape his past, an inkling of fear always at the back of his mind that he would one day be thrust into an impossible decision, no matter how much he tells himself he had been forsaken for a better life. and now... what did he want? he knows, but as always, it was never so easy for him.

so, he can only allow his gaze to drift away, turmoil in his heart as he seeks to reconcile all that he knows as fact. after all, he knew how this island worked by now, having allowed himself for so long to believe that since it had not happened to them that, surely, a day would not come for it. it wasn't childe's fault 一 it wasn't anyone's fault but the capricious ways of their captors, toying with their lives. still, he'd been left alone to deal with all of this, allowing it to fester for a bit too long, keeping it held inside and closed off from those curious gazes of those he knew little with that flawless, beautiful smile of his.

❝ It'd be better if you left for now. ❞ would these words, too, be a spark that sets him aflame, leaving him burnt before he can realize there may be no going back?

[doublemasked]

TAROT CARD PERSONALITY QUIZ!

The Chariot

You! get! shit! done! You’re determined and action-oriented, focused and persistent. Underneath your aggressive spirit, however, you’re also fiercely caring — and can be a protective force to be reckoned with if anyone crosses the people you care about.

[doublemasked]

sure he’s a bit of a 🚩red flag🚩 BUT—

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On the one hand, Kaeya's prone to this - pushing people away and not wanting to bring any more pain into his life. Hell, their relationship had started as something casual. While they'd been together a while, it wasn't until further into that relationship that it'd become something more.

And still, nobody knew. He understood that, but maybe it'd been a mistake. It left Kaeya to grieve what had been on his own, with nobody else to talk to.

"I didn't expect you to wait for me." The wry smile that crosses his face never reaches his eyes. Whatever sparkle that had come when Kaeya called him by his name had since dulled with the subsequent conversation.

"I won't promise it. I can't, really, like you said. And I hate breaking a promise, even if we both know most of them end up broken."

"Really now, all of that's right. You won't get any argument from me. I could disappear, it could be years for me-" Not quite, but it was definitely longer than anyone on the surface would think. "I could come back, even worse for wear. We can't know."

Somehow he feels like he's just digging his own grave, but he wasn't one for fancy words or niceties, and platitudes definitely don't work on Kaeya, nor would he ever speak under false pretense to Kaeya.

"To be clear, I want to be here. Home, with you. But I want to know what you want."

APOLOGIES TUMBLE FROM HIS MOUTH, something sincere, given the way he tends to be in both action and intent. were childe not to mean it, he likely wouldn't say it, not without proper reasoning behind it, he's come to learn. yet that word doesn't soothe the ache, only exacerbating it in some strange way, like salt to a wound that has nearly closed itself shut. turmoil sews itself once more in his chest, always in the wake of abandonment, whether one meant it or not. in this case, he knows the culprits 一 knows that it isn't childe's fault, and yet...

❝ Hah. You can say that again. That it doesn't make a difference, ❞ he agrees, his voice serious, hardly lilting as it might when he covers it all up in that jovial approach of his. ❝ Even if you're home with me, it's not as if that stops it from happening again, either. ❞

this time, a truth falls from his lips, rolling off his tongue as if it were iced over from the very vision he carries. there was no denying that one, no matter how hard he may try to lie it all away. ❝ And if it does, how long am I expected to just stare at my phone, waiting to see your name pop up again? ❞ part of his query is rhetorical, only the faintest desire of a true answer clinging to it, as if it would resolve him of the responsibility of holding on for too short or long.

his heart writhes in pain with every beat, conflicted against it all.

what wounds he thought he had mended, even just a little, feel as if they pour out with a crimson vulnerability. he was never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, daring none to come near it unless he wished to feel that fiery burn sear across him once more, physically or emotionally. perhaps that's why the walls build themselves high again, scared to reach beyond them, leaving him with naught but a difficult demeanor. and yet... he'd always been difficult, hadn't he, nearly right from the start?

❝ There's no promises you can make for that. Not without breaking them one day. ❞

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⚡

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Time wasn't ever really his friend, or on his side.

When he fell into the Abyss the first time, he remembered hearing his parents talk about what might've happened to him. How it was only a few days, when it wasn't a few days at all. He'd learned more from Skirk in those months in the Abyss than he learned in the fourteen years preceding it.

And he'd changed fundamentally there.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in combat this time, against the All-Devouring Narwhal, tinged with the Abyss that the Primordial Sea is. And he'd returned there, afterward, too...

So, no, he wasn't even sure how long he spent in Teyvat, in the Primordial Sea, in the Abyss.

But Kaeya knew how long it had been. Almost a year.

Kaeya didn't tell him to leave, but he's also not asking him to stay. Kaeya was a man who shielded himself from others. And, well, it would be understandable if he was included in that since he'd been gone for so long.

How long are you supposed to wait for someone to come back before you move on?

"Sorry...'Bout that." Is the first thing he could say. Not like he chose to go back, but there's definitely something in his voice about it. It was a shitty time, and he was still recovering from it.

But that's not fair to Kaeya, he should have something more to say, so he leans against the windowsill, not wanting to broach Kaeya's space if he doesn't want him to.

"I can say 'I wouldn't have left if I had a choice', but that doesn't change the eleven months I was gone. Honestly, it's kinda weird to be on the other side of this - it wasn't long at all for me, but it was long for you. Like it's the..." He trails off. Like this place was the Abyss on its own, where time was dragged out.

"'Sorry', 'I wouldn't', 'I couldn't' - none of that makes a difference at all." At the very least, he knew how Kaeya was feeling. That kind of effect that time has that nobody else understood. "All I can say is that 'I'm home', if you still want me, and that I want to be 'home' with you. And give you time if you need it." He'd take a 'maybe', over a 'no', at least.

SO, HE'D BEEN HERE LONGER THAN A DAY, a wonder as to why it might be that the stars would place him in another place. their trickery was always as mischievous and hidden as the secrets which he keeps close to his chest, nor was it unheard of for others to lose their way upon returning. but still, that pang hardly leaves his chest, the wonder if it was because of something else, some feeling he can't shake due to the past of his own making on that fateful day so long ago.

hearing those two words only makes his heart an anchor that sinks deep into the pits of his stomach, twisting like a knife after so long.

he should be happy to hear them again like this, that the man before him had made his way back here, to this very place, to be able to stand right before him, after all this time. regardless, all he can feel is the apprehension grip him in an illogical way, causing the walls of his heart to strengthen in fear that were he to open up again so freely, he might feel the weight of abandonment once more. once again the defense mechanism that has kept him safe for so long finds itself shielding his heart from another taste of pain.

❝ One month一 ❞ this isn't fair, he knows, to pin any blame on the other. nobody knew when their time would be to depart, consistency at the whims of their captors. tomorrow, it may be his turn to leave without a word. and yet... ❝ It will have been a year in one month, you know. Since you disappeared from this place, ❞ he continues, elaborating fully, as it seems that childe had little clue on the lengths his absence had done to him.

would the next time childe returns, were he to leave once more, be the same as hearing such a long awaited phrase? he hardly tells him to get out, not once telling him this was no longer his home. doing so would accomplish nothing, he knows, another fear holding him tight that if he was not careful, it may burn another bridge he was not wanting to see go up in flame, just like the one he had so painstakingly spent picking up the pieces of to another who keeps disappearing just beyond his reach time and again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀if he did, would it be for the better?

[doublemasked]

he’s just a guy

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Hearing his name bring a spark to his eyes that hadn't been there before, that was hardly there at all. Seeing Kaeya had caused his own blood to freeze, as though the other man's Vision extended further than himself, reaching the window and keeping Ajax in its grip. Kaeya keeps a cool demeanor, so his examination alone didn't mean he hadn't remembered.

But...

(I came in the window, so if it comes down to it, I can leave.) Was what he had thought, initially. As much as he'd love to spar, he's not entirely sure he could bring himself to actually fight Kaeya if it came to that, so...

Yeah, he was relieved, and happy. That anxiety still bit back, but its hold was less, teeth not as sunk in.

"A bit ago, since I didn't get put back here, I kinda thought..."

A few different things, emotions he found somewhat difficult to explain. Instead, he hopped into the house. The question if why he came back to the house lingering between them. Kaeya hadn't said as much, but he may as well have.

"I thought maybe I'd come by and say 'I'm home!', and see if I get kicked out or not." His tone sounds cheerful enough, but the meaning is more than clear - he wasn't entirely sure if he was welcome here. If anything had transpired to make Kaeya hate him, if Kaeya even knew him, if Kaeya was with someone else.

"So, I'm home!" He hoped. It'd been a while since he hoped for something like that. Though he understood if things had changed. He didn't know how long it had been - or even how much time had passed in any world, being in the Abyss.

(Hope would mean he didn't understand why he was sent away, or that coming here with a busted lip might not look the best - but Kaeya had understood him in a way few people did, right?)

HE'D DECIDED TO STAY HOME TODAY, no reason for it beyond merely needing a moment to recharge. only fate, once more, would find its moment to laugh at this spectacle called life. when the sound of a window opens, he finds himself on guard, expecting someone foolish enough to attempt to break into his house 一 and he does, to some degree, especially when that familiar voice hits his chest with a painful pang.

at first, he feels as if he must be dreaming, some trick to be played upon him by the stars themselves. yet he knows better, not when it is something so personal as arriving here at his home, entering in the same way he once used to, like when一

stepping into the room, ice-colored eyes only need a second to notice the familiar locks of orange that rest atop his head, how it frames his face to caress the curvatures of his face. even now, he notes the bandage upon his face, how his lip is busted from whatever fight it is he likely engaged in the moment he stepped foot within spirale once more. ❝ ... Ajax? ❞ and the name that leaves his lips feels nigh foreign, one year of ever speaking it having escaped him until this very moment.

❝ When did you get back? ❞ why are you here, the words don't fall from his lips, yet they may as well read all the same to the man who had gotten to know him so well in their stay, even with his impeccable acting skills.

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"Guess so! Can't decide if it's a complete loss or if something more interesting came out of it." He can't help the gun spreading across his face, especially when asked what his plans were now. If someone dangerous like her was asking, then that meant she was wondering if he was planning to attack or not, or if she got to try and blow him him.

While he'd definitely played with explosives in nature, he hadn't gotten to fight someone who used them exclusively...

He was definitely getting excited, although it didn't change the deadened look in his eyes. Or, maybe the blood was just rushing to his head, so he jumped down, landing in a spot that may be explosive free- or not!

"What should I do...?"

"I mean, it'd be kind of a shame to waste all that energy we have, given these guys were kinda easy to pick off, huh?" He hoped she was game. They didn't have to kill each other, but, well - then he'd get to go into this Abyss if he got blown up, right?

Well, if it still worked that way. Maybe!

ONE HAND RESTS ON HER HIP, all too pleased with the grandeur exhibit she's lain out for any unfortunate enough to happen upon them. or, in this case, the one who has been kept to the wayside, cautious and cool despite the carnage that paints the pavement. the sway of her tail is all too calm at the sound of the surprise voice, her foot pressed upon the face of one of the few who had, quite graciously, spouted some profanities at her amidst it all. ❝ Funny, huh? I ain't much of an art girl either. But nothing beats the feeling of a fiery finale, especially when someone's asking for it, ❞ she admits, head tilting ever so slightly in his direction, keeping her gaze unwavering as if watching a wolf waiting to strike.

had he come to play, too? given his reaction, he hardly seems upset at whatever has been done to these people, nor does he seem hostile in the form of some sense of vengeance. ah, not that something as little as that means a damn thing, given how grand actors can be when one least expects it. still, she cannot deny that look in his eyes — pointed and keen, as if waiting for the right opportunity.

❝ Guess they got bored waiting for you to come and play with them? Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to jump lil ol' me just making my way through on a nice stroll. ❞ that was hardly the truth of it, made obvious with the push of her foot off the man only leads to a groan, falling silent thereafter, leaving his fate a mystery unless one truly wishes to check. ❝ Soo. Watcha gonna do now? ❞

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"One cut, huh? That sounds like a technique I can get behind. Although...That means the fight gets cut short, huh?" He scratches his cheek, tilting his head from side to side as he thinks about it. While he supposes he has some techniques that are one big swing, he's not big on one strike and done.

"I heard stories of world-rending strikes,"

"It'd be nice to go against someone like that. Not sure it's my speed, but fighting against one major strike..." He trails off, starting to look excited, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Yeah, it sounds like someone I'd like to fight. What about it?"

Okay he might stared a little to hard Iori admits.

Iori was just on his daily patrol when someone caught his eyes among the crowd. Ginger hair gentleman that instantly have his undivided attention with one glance. SOMETHING about him stand out and not just the looks.

.....Kindred spirit?

Despite his carefree and easy look. This man give the aura of a fearless predator unlike any other. Someone who spilled blood who hiding among the crowd. Iori can't spot the weapon yet can't help but approach and engage in conversation with the man.

Damn his desire for blood and attraction to the strong. He don't know what powers the ginger unlock yet Iori to damned curious.

"Lot of people do tend to over relax in time of peace. After all there no giant threat for the city at all times. Dagger and short sword man huh? I liked the speed but the feel of the sword leave little room for error. I much prefer one cut only."

He didn't extend his hand. He didn't gave the gentleman his name....and he keeping a distance. A weapon distance as Iori sword hand twitching. He can't help but be intrigue.

Who is this man and is his instinct right on the money?

[doublemasked]

"I'm..." He trails off, looking at the walls of the house he was placed in, and then back at the Traveler and Paimon, giving them a tired smile. Well, shit, there was only one person here he could be honest with, and he's not entirely sure where he stands with him.

"Kinda tired, but it was pretty damn thrilling, you know, fighting like that." He waves his hand, as though telling a legendary tale, but he just looks a bit tired.

"Don't worry about it! I'm alive, right? Being an idiot is one of my best features, I got to go all out." He didn't need anyone to worry about him, but it was pretty nice to be yelled at about it - he's not sure the last time he was chastised for going off on his own. Maybe right when he got back from the Abyss the first time...?

(Damn, feeling weirdly nostalgic, it's probably because....)

"But hey! We're both here now. Sure there's some other familiar faces around, but I bet you two are really excited to see your old pal, huh?"

it wasn't too often that Lumine and Paimon's thoughts aligned perfectly, but upon seeing Childe appear through the door and clarify he'd been assigned the same condo as home, the words that struck them simultaneously: you're kidding me!

their relationship with the Harbingers was rocky at best (and he had the luck of being that best), and she'd not dare breathe a word of this to Diluc, lest their home go up in flames. but it... could have been worse. he wasn't the Balladeer, or the Doctor. it was a stroke of luck if anything that of the Harbingers, the one they were living with was the one they had an amicable relationship with.

and honestly, to see him in tact, it was as much a relief and it was perhaps miraculous, considering everything. which might have been why so unsubtly she stumbled onto the subject with little time to process much of anything.

"you're... alright. right?" he'd been unconscious by the time they and Neuvillette had quelled that abyssal beast and found his master. had he made it back to Snezhnaya before landing here? she trusted the Knave would return his Vision, had she the chance? "you...

you idiot. why didn't you wait for us?"

[doublemasked]

Being nervous wasn't common for him, despite how strange he'd been feeling lately. Returning to the island felt like a bit of a return to form, and he was definitely feeling more like himself after letting out some steam at work after, well, work.

Although showing up with a bloody lip and a bandaged forehead probably wasn't the best, he changed out his shirt, and cleaned the blood off his fists, which were also bandaged.

Not too worse for wear, but he needed to get his head straight before he went to the Sky-Strewn Isles. Shaking out his hands, he approaches his home - well, where he'd been living when he disappeared. He's not completely sure it's his home anymore.

Because when he came back, he hadn't ended up here.

"Well, it's a new experience, huh? Heh..." He mutters to himself, trying to relish in this new horizon - the idea of being a bit scared that someone wouldn't remember him.

Or, worse, that he remembered, but something had changed. Still, he hoisted himself up to the second floor, popping open the window and poking his head in. "Anyone home?"

@khaenriahn