stellafortunalogs | august mingle

August Mingle
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
Happy new year....! In Teyvat, that is. It is now January ingame, and Liyue's people go about their disaster recovery efforts with more vigour than before. After all, Liyue's biggest festival is slated to occur in the latter half of the month - the Lantern Rite!

The Rite of Parting - Rex Lapis' funeral - passes without much incident, and Liyue collectively breathes a sigh of relief. With the Fatui being chased out of the yard, it seems that peace will finally return to the harbour city as they rebuild from the storm. You'll also get to watch three million Mora's worth of incense go up in smoke, so there's that.

Eager to focus on the future, Liyue folk have begun discussing the upcoming festival. The Lantern Rite commemorates hope for a new beginning and continued prosperity, and the construction of the festival centerpiece is currently underway. This year's Mingxiao Lantern will soar into the sky amidst thousands of smaller lanterns, and it will take the shape of a fallen Adeptus to commemorate the Adepti's contribution to Liyue's lasting peace.

Unfortunately, you're not quite out of the frying pan yet. With the Fatui gone from Liyue, the Ministry of Civil Affairs turn their attention to solving another issue that has cropped up after Osial's revival and subsequent defeat. Quite a few miners have gone missing from the Chasm, and the likelihood of finding them will only grow slimmer as the days go by. Both the Millelith and the Adventurers' Guild have pitched in to search for the kidnapped people. All clues lead to Nantianmen - and it's just your luck that Geovishaps and their hatchlings have come out of hibernation at around the same time. These lizard-like beings have shells of solid rock, and they seem especially agitated at having their territory invaded. Solving the mystery of the missing miners will take more than just a day's work.

State of the World

With the Lantern Rite set to open on January 21st, all of Liyue have come to visit the harbour to set up their stalls and pitch in to craft the Mingxiao Lantern. Hopefully the miners are found before the festival begins - the Lantern Rite is a festival of reunions, after all. Not to mention the Geovishaps' increased activity will inadvertently lead to them burrowing around in the rocky mountains. There's a small, but non-zero chance of them hitting an ancient seal somewhere and unleashing a buried threat.

Unless... that was their intention all along?

Please direct all questions to August's OOC post!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Louis nods. Elliot was being rational, and he had no reason to dispute that. ]

Though, I wasn't given specific instructions when I arrived. What is it exactly that we are supposed to do?

[He rubs the back of his head]

Well, sometimes we get missions requested by Forneus, but mostly what you do is up to you.

[Which ok, he knows that's vague. Elliot is used to acting by his own accord, but others might not be]

I usually take that as doing what I can to get to know the world, and seeing where I can help out.

I see.

[ Well, it's not like he hasn't been constantly trying to figure out what to do since he became undead. ]

I suppose I would need to walk around and collect information. It is a little difficult for me.

[ He's debating if he should tell Elliot about his Problem. ]

Oh?

[He looks curious, since there's no outward reason for why he'd have trouble getting around]

Why is it difficult for you?

I am unused to being around humans in large numbers.

[ This is the crux of his problem as he understands it. He didn't have a chance to encounter a non-destroyed city - not after he was revived, at least. ]

I suppose I could ask for a recon assignment...

[Well, that's an odd enough explanation. One that stands out to Elliot. He grew up in a large city, but he's known enough country folk to know that while visiting a big city is a little overwhelming for them-- it's not to this degree.

Might as well ask, he supposes. If they're going to be working together, it's important to understand one another]

Are you worried something will happen if you're around this many humans?

[ Huh, Elliot is quite perceptive. He also didn't show any signs of fear while making that statement, which spares Louis the trouble of needing to make himself seem less harmful. He looks around to confirm that no one is nearby before continuing. ]

Are you familiar with the fictional vampire? It would be a partial analogy to what I am. [ A predator of humanity, a bloodsucking monster. ] Forneus gives me what I need, but it doesn't silence our hunting instincts.

[ Like a wolf in a herd of sheep. It's all up to self control now. ]

Kinda? My friend's grandmother had a book series that was inspired by her that was about vampires, but she isn't actually one herself.

[SHE'S A BIG CAT.....it's a long story. It doesn't matter.

What does matter is Louis's situation. He can't say he's completely at ease with the implication that this guy has an instinct to hunt people. But you know, there are people in his world that make a career out of killing people, so it's not like Louis is the scariest person he's encountered]

-- O-Oh! Yeah, I could see why you wouldn't want to be around a bunch of people right now. Especially if you aren't used to being this close to this many of us...

Sorry, that's gotta be tough.

[ Elliot says this very gently, but Louis has the immediate impression of how distant and perhaps terrifying his own predicament is to a human. He doubts they'll ever understand the torment of bloodthirst - but that's a good thing. It's not a fate anyone deserves. ]

... now that I've told you this, are you afraid of me?

[ He asks quietly, wondering if Elliot would be. If that's the case, then Louis would just work alone. He's mentally prepared for this, having had the time to think over what he would do in the presence of humans. ]

[Something sad passes over Elliot's eyes for a second. That question again, huh. That took him back to Rean saying something like that, after he told him and the rest of the class about his power. "You're all scared now, right?" Rean had been so convinced that his friends would be scared of him, because of something he couldn't help.

Even though he just met Louis, it still left him with the same feeling in his chest. And so, his answer was easy.]

No. If anything, I'm glad you told me.

[He means that sincerely, and not because he was planning to stay clear of Louis. Rather...he didn't want to judge the guy or push him to do things he couldn't.

They have just met, so he'll clarify a bit more.]

Not that it's not a serious condition to be concerned about, but...well, I've met more of my fair share of humans who enjoy hurting and killing others. And already I can tell you're not like them. You wouldn't be isolating yourself or telling me if you did.

So...no. I'm not afraid of you. Your condition is just something to keep in mind while we work together.

[ Louis always kept a serious face, but it's possible to tell that he relaxed a bit after Elliot answered him. It has been years since he last worked with humans, that he's no longer quite sure of how to approach such a thing. But it seems like it's possible for them to treat him like another human and not what he really was. ]

Thank you, [ is all that he says, because he's not about to trouble Elliot with knowing things that wouldn't ever affect him. ]

Eheh, it's not anything to thank me for, really.

[Elliot doesn't feel like it's any great move to not be a dick, ok]

Forneus has it covered, but I'm a healer, so if you do need anything like that- just let me know, okay?

[ Louis blinks as he processes Elliot's statement. Was the youth offering him blood? His chest tightens at the conclusion. It wasn't a pleasant experience, to be bitten, and it was why most of the humans chose to avoid being preyed on as much as possible. ]

I'll be okay. I appreciate the thought.

[ He wouldn't take from another unless there was absolutely no other alternative. It wasn't right. He would resist his cursed instinct until the very end. ]

august mingle

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