stellafortunalogs | JANUARY MINGLE

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JANUARY MINGLE

January Mingle: A Ballad in Goblets
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
You open your eyes to an unfamiliar sight. A cool breeze flits through rustic buildings and sunny streets, carrying the smell of flowers and wine. The very air itself seems charged with mana, the warm pulse of the land palpable beneath your feet. This is a new world, a world where the elements compose all of reality. Before you is a bubbling fountain, and a key is entwined between your fingers. And that weight on your hip? A sparkling bauble that you've never seen before, yet it feels natural, as if it had always been there.

Asking around nets you the name of this world - Teyvat - and the name of this city - Mondstadt, blessed by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. Your new home is accessible with the key placed in your hands, though this also brings to mind another question. How will you get money? Food isn't free, after all.

Luckily for you, there's plenty of jobs available for the enterprising Traveler. Be it taking requests from the Adventurers' Guild, or working part-time at one of Mondstadt's many food establishments, Mora is to be had when hard work is involved. The cuisine of Mondstadt is best paired with its wine, served at bars or enjoyed in private with a few friends.

And about that shining gem. locals will tell you that it is a Vision, a sign of favour from Teyvat's elemental gods. With the Vision on hand, you find yourself capable of commanding one of the seven elements. What will you do with this newfound blessing? Use it for good... or for evil?

Mondstadt's liveliness doesn't diminish when night falls. Bards sing through the wee hours of the night, and the lights of the city help keep most evildoers at bay. All seems peaceful, a pastoral idyll of a life that seems more at home in a storybook. Yet for those Travelers who venture out beyond the city's walls and into the ruins dotting the landscape, they may discover hints of a bloodier past now forgotten.

Glancing at any of the calendars in the city will tell you the current date. August 10th was the day you arrived. As soon as the last minute of August 16th slips away, the world around you changes. A blink, and time itself rewinds by seven days. Looking outside, the mown lawns have regrown, the windmill needs fixing again, and the well is once again full. Just what is happening here? It seems only you, Traveler, remembers the week that never was.

State of the World

For the first two weeks of the game, IC time will be looping from August 10th to August 16th. It's currently late summer in Mondstadt, and the trees are just beginning to turn out their autumn colours. The weather is cool and pleasant, with light showers on Tuesday (11th) and Friday (14th). It's also a good time to go out gathering berries and nature's bounty from Mondstadt's forests and valleys.

These two weeks will let us trial out our commissions and regains system and craft improvements for February onwards. There will be no activity requirements for January, so all threads started during this time period can be used for regains!

For all questions regarding January's mingle and events, please head over to our OOC post.

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[ It would have been unbelievably cruel for Zhongli to be parted from Seonho after revealing his identity and giving him that motivational (?) talk, so he's grateful that karma has at least granted him the opportunity to continue watching over the human. The recognition lights up in Seonho's eyes, and it's all that Zhongli needs. ]

I could say the same. [ Familiar faces are reassuring in a foreign situation. ] Are you unhurt?

[ He gives the human a quick glance. Nothing seems too out of place, even the stomach wound. That's good... ]

[If Seonho thought he was relieved to see Zhongli, then it's barely comparable to how he feels now, seeing as Zhongli recognizes him. Claude and Ochako's confusion had been strange, but Figaro's had rattled him. That was a man Seonho had interacted with for a few months, unlike Claude and Ochako's mere days.

He hadn't been sure with Zhongli -- he'd known him less than he'd known Figaro (longer than the ochako and claude), but ultimately, he'd shared an experience with Zhongli that far outstripped his interactions with the others. Having one's life saved is not a debt easily repaid or a favor soon forgotten, after all.]

...I am. [Being asked is embarrassing, yes, but... hm, well. It's nice too, in a way that Seonho isn't sure how to make of yet. (FRIENDS....)

Then his brow furrows a little as he does a little once-over of his own,]

And yourself? How are you feeling?

[Zhongli doesn't look like he's suffering from any MORTAL WOUNDS, but y'know, he does look Tired, in a way that Seonho hasn't seen back in South Sister.]

[ Time and space moves different between different worlds, and for people how have been displaced once, their trajectory through the multiverse would be even more difficult to predict. Figaro forgetting him had been surprising, but somehow it felt explainable. Not that Zhongli remembers why, given that he would usually not have too much knowledge about traveling between worlds. Perhaps it was related to why he cannot remember who cast the black seal, and why. ]

I am a little tired. I suppose I will need to take a nap soon.

[ He's answering the question... except also not answering it at the same time. He doesn't want to break Seonho's brain by talking about the black seal immediately. ]

It does puzzle me why you were not sent back to your own world, but arrived in mine. It was not my intention to strand you here.

[The memory of Zhongli standing in the snow with only his suit to warm him suddenly appears in Seonho's mind. Even then, he had seemed entirely unaffected.]

...I would like to ask you what exactly you mean by 'your intention', but... perhaps that is a conversation better had while sitting.

[Seonho always wants answers, but he's willing to temporarily shelve them if that means Zhongli gets to Rest.]

Are your quarters nearby?

[he's assuming that zhongli has a house of his own here, or at least woke up with that little key in his hands too]

[ It's a testament to Zhongli's tenacity that he is able to only appear weary despite being affected by the black seal. Being actively drained of his power meant that he had to deal with physical weakness and a sensation akin to constantly losing one's blood at the same time - but this is hardly the first time he has come close to death, and it will not be the last. He only needs to endure, like he always has. ]

Yes, I was heading back before we met. Shall we?

[ Some things should be talked of in private, and at least Mondstadt's people don't regularly have the unfortunate habit of eavesdropping through walls. ]

[kaeya, somewhere: INTERESTING,,,,

but Seonho nods at Zhongli's suggestion, and will follow him to his home. He's past the time when he'd be more cautious or suspicious of Zhongli -- there's little use in trying to be paranoid now, anyway. What would he do even if he was? The chips all seem to be on Zhongli's side, anyway.

Either way, Seonho will be a very polite house guest. He'll remove his shoes and everything, because he's not a heathen. He might be interested in looking around Zhongli's place, but otherwise he'll sit exactly where Zhongli does. (well not like, next to him??? that would be awkward. he'll just sit across!!!)]

...Were you trying to escape the island?

[was that what zhongli meant by intention?]

[ kaeya is a very close second to venti on zhongli's People Of Mondstadt Who May Need A Carefully Placed Pillar list

BUT ANYWAY, he brings Seonho to his assigned apartment. Zhongli's habits are very ascetic - everything is arranged neatly in his house, the tables are wiped clean and free from dust. A few books have been placed on the wooden bookshelf and a sprig of Cecilia in a vase on the dining table, but otherwise he doesn't seem to have changed anything about the place.

They can have conversation while seated at opposite sides of the dining table - though Zhongli takes the time to prepare some tea, so that he doesn't commit the grave sin of neglecting hospitality. ]

I was not. Not directly. The scope of mine divinity does not extend to the transcendence of dimensions.

[ Everyone was trying to escape Fogtown, so he can't really claim that he wasn't, but it's quite complex and difficult to explain to the average layman. ]

However, there exist other gods who would in theory be able to do such a thing. The importance of mine presence to this world would be enough for them to attempt such a feat should the situation become dire.

[ Who knew where the limits of Celestia's power lay? As the oldest of the current Archons, many people depended on him, even though he was supposed to be masquerading as a human. ]

Mondstadt is not my territory. It belongs to the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. If I were truly back in Liyue, I might have been able to pin down the person responsible. However, there is much too little for me to reference right now.

[ There are parts of his memory that have become fuzzy. That in itself is very strange. ]

[Seonho accepts the invitation, watching as Zhongli prepares tea. He'd offer his assistance, but his mind is too preoccupied with the information Zhongli is sharing with him now.

It's not farfetched. In fact, it makes sense. Seonho may not know how important Zhongli would be to the scope of Teyvat, but the impression he had from the other man was that -- as a god of so many and so much -- he would absolutely be a missed and needed presence in his own world.]

...I suppose that means... that something did not go as expected during the attempt to bring you back.

[the most general terms to describe this situation tbh... if Zhongli was summoned to a place that wasn't actually his territory...]

Did you dream before waking up here as well?

That is a possibility. The other is that I have a duty to fulfil here in Mondstadt, though the assembly of the gods are usually more detailed in their instructions.

[ Celestia... always so inscrutable and terribly vague. Then again, their vague orders are probably what caused the seven nations of Teyvat to develop so differently. Each Archon interpreted the same verse in their own ways and ruled their country in the manner that they taught best. It didn't make interpreting their orders any easier, though. Fail Celestia's wishes and even godhood wouldn't save them from retribution.

Now to answer Seonho's other question: ]

I had a vision. It would be roughly analogous to mortal dreams. [ Because gods don't sleep. They're the ones sending other people meaningful dreams. ] Why do you ask?

Because I had one too. One where someone asked for my help.

[It lends less credence to the theory Seonho was thinking earlier -- that in the attempt to bring Zhongli back, the gods of this world had ended up grabbing a few others as well. The dream itself proves that theory false, doesn't it?]

You have a duty to this world, but I do not. I honestly can't think of what use I could possibly have here that would require my help.

[and it's different too -- from the place they'd left behind. south sister had ensnared him and promised him perfection in return for -- what, redemption? absolution? but there's nothing here so far that makes Seonho think this is the same.]

I see...

[ Zhongli closes his eyes, folds his arms. It's a familiar posture; one that he naturally falls into when he thinks. ]

You are more capable than you are aware of, Seonho. There is much that you can change with your kindness and attentiveness. Even if it is a small deed or merely your presence, sometimes this is all that takes to help someone move forward.

[ He opens his eyes. ]

There is an oft-repeated superstition in the olden days that one's fate is written in Teyvat's stars. Would you believe that a person's entire life is set in stone?

Edited 2021-01-28 16:34 (UTC)

[zhongli..... ur being nice to him and that makes him feel things and now he's confused.... hello....

It's a good thing he closed his eyes during that part, so he can't see Seonho's expression of "what happens when someone you respect compliments you" and "the moment he finds out my true nature he will be very disappointed in me haha". He does at least get himself back under control by the time Zhongli opens them,]

...They say that half of your fate is determined by your birth back in my country. [and seonho and hwi had been unfortunate to be dealt with losing hands,] But that only means we can change the other half with our own hands.

[perhaps if he relied on his own kindness rather than his willingness to stain his hands with blood, then he'd be in a different position now. but to answer the question,]

I do not believe that one's life is predetermined. [even if they were summoned here against their will, closes eyes] Do the skies of Teyvat have so much power, that they can even control the fates of those not from this world?

You are not beholden to the fate of this world.

[ Zhongli makes it sound like a good thing. Many people wish fervently for a Vision, so that they may one day change their own destiny. However, the gods rarely answer those prayers. ]

I have heard of a similar dream from several other outlanders. It leads me to think that you were gathered here for a purpose. The stars of Teyvat will not have a fate written for you. None will question you for who you are because of your birth. You are free to pursue whatever course of action you wish to.

[ As he says this, he has a strong feeling that this isn't the first time he's spoken these words before. However, none of that shows on his face - he's very good at keeping his thoughts to himself. ]

You are free to change the fate of this world. If I were to make a guess, this would be the reason why our mysterious summoner sought you out.

["None will question you for who you are because of your birth."

Seonho leans back just a little, crossing his arms in front of him. If Zhongli's expression is unreadable, then Seonho's is almost painstakingly open for a fleeting moment. Does it feel different because Zhongli is the one who says it -- Zhongli who has lived so many countless lives -- or is it because of the words themselves?

He can only wonder how differently he might have turned out, if someone had said that to him long ago... But that's veering too close to self-pity for Seonho's liking, so he takes the words as is without lingering too painfully on them. The idea of being summoned to help the fate of a world whose denizens cannot do the same is quite interesting after all.]

...If they brought me here for that purpose, then what do they desire of you? Are you beholden to the skies as well, even as Rex Lapis?

[ Perhaps he chose his words to be as effective as possible, using it to test the waters and find out what would motivate Seonho the most. After all that the man shared with him, it seemed to Zhongli that the injustices in his world took a great toll on him. Zhongli can't just sit idly by while someone else bears the toll of another's wrongs. ]

Thousands of years ago, I signed a contract with the adjudicator of the stars.

[ Almost three millennia have passed since the end of the Archon Wars. Such a vast span of time is unimaginable for humanity, and only a handful of the Adepti remember those tumultuous times. The will of Celestia is for the Archons to guide humanity, and it was a noble goal that Morax did not refuse.

Those times will never return, for better or for worse. ]

I am a protector of humanity, and my duty is without end. [ As long as he holds his Gnosis, he is bound to Celestia's will. ] Should I deviate from the decree of my contract, the wrath of the sky will be set upon me and all that I have strived to build.

[It's times like these that Seonho is reminded just how broad the scope of Zhongli's life must be, not only as the man standing in front of him, but as his true self. And it's that realization that prevents him from thinking that the terms of the contract are too harsh.

Is it harsh, or is it only necessary? The price has to be high in exchange for the duty of protecting others.]

Is it truly necessary to ask for your help then, if you are already bound by contract to provide it?

[If Zhongli's duty is to protect humanity and to the world, then would he not already be willing to help? Seonho hesitates, then his expression shifts as a sudden realization dawns on him --]

...Is this a contract you made with yourself, or with a different, higher power?

Seven gods walk the earth on Teyvat at the behest of Celestia. They decree the fate of the world from their lofty seat in the skies.

[ Zhongli's voice is calm, factual, as if he is narrating a story. It's difficult to tell how he really feels about his employer. ]

Archons such as I act as their intermediaries with humanity. They grant us power beyond what we already possess. In exchange, we must ensure that the world progresses according to their plans. As for the gods who refuse to obey their rules... Celestia decrees their death or banishment.

[ Morax ended or sealed many of them during the Archon Wars. But that's not something he wants to talk about unless necessary. This brings to mind a notable thing, though: ]

Celestia is notably resistant to the idea of foreign influence. Your presence here would mean that your summoner is shielding you from its perception.

...I assume that Celestia would not be so kind as to merely send us back home then, if it discovers our presence here.

[If this Celestia can destroy and banish gods, then why would it be any kinder to mortals? his brow furrows, but Seonho doesn't look as upset. This is merely another problem for him to figure out, like the one they had in South Sister. He wonders if it's better or worse not to have someone claim responsibility among them. But no matter, he'll find something. One way or another.]

I will try to find out more about -- if not the summoner, then at least the reason why we were brought here. And why they asked you for your help, despite the risk.

[what if zhongli is PUNISHED for trying to HELP these INTERLOPERS???]

Speaking of risk, [he pauses for a moment, then] are you in danger, Zhongli? If you are bound to Celestia even now, then does that not mean it will discover how, and who brought you back?

[ Zhongli nods. Seonho is putting everything together, which is good. It would be ineffective if the outlanders dissolved into infighting amongst one another. Seonho has the potential to lead, so if he could put that to use... hmm. ]

That is a good question.

[ Setting aside his tea, he rolls up his right sleeve, revealing black letters covering his skin. The seal's verses move in real time, circling his body like some sort of restraint. Which it is. ]

I discovered that our mysterious host has conveniently given me a seal upon arrival. While the seal is in effect, much of my divine power is suppressed. It would be easy for Celestia to believe that I have chosen to go into seclusion instead of governing in the public eye. As long as Liyue is at peace, my contract will continue to be fulfilled. I am unable to enact significant or powerful feats for the nonce, but I can still be of some trivial assistance.

[ There is of course the other, more dangerous possibility: that Celestia does not see, because this was orchestrated by one of their own. Zhongli doesn't say that, though. ]

[Seonho leans in to look more closely at the seal, but he doesn't have nearly enough experience to make any educated guesses about it, besides the conclusion Zhongli has already come to. He does look worried though, at the idea that their summoner has power to suppress Zhongi, of all people, and that Zhongli has to adapt himself to this restriction. So even if Zhongli isn't exposed to whatever danger Celestia might inflict, he has to contend with the dangers he wouldn't have had to deal with if he had his full power...

Seonho sits back, brows still furrowed with concern. but he manages to make his voice sound light.]

Any assistance you decide to provide is invaluable, Zhongli. Just this conversation alone has told me more than what I could have discovered on my own. ...You have my thanks.

[no matter if Zhongli decides to keep other things to himself -- Seonho knows that in some situations, more information is not necessarily a good thing. Also, since Zhongli has been so transparent with him...]

...I would also like to be honest with you. Shortly after I arrived here, I met someone from my world. [he pauses. it's hard to speak of Hwi, after Seonho's trained himself so well not to back in South Sister.] He was not in South Sister with the rest of us, and he was not aware of my disappearance from our world when I asked. ...His name is Hwi. If you ever require assistance, then he would be happy to help. He's a skilled hunter and smith, and his capacity for kindness is far greater than mine.

[no matter if Hwi's mostly focused on getting to return home, Seonho knows that he's the last person to refuse anyone else in need of his help.]

[ One secret shared is to see another returned. Zhongli did not expect Seonho to obey this creed, so he's pleasantly surprised to be offered this information in return. ]

I see. I shall seek him out, then. A friend of yours is a friend of mine.

[ Most of the time. Zhongli chooses his allies carefully, so he can say this and have it be true... probably. It would be wise to encourage cohesion and cooperativeness between the outlanders, and Zhongli sees this as one of the things he has to actively foster.

Though: ]

The fact that he does not remember your disappearance is intriguing. When I returned to Teyvat, I found that barely a day had elapsed since my last memory before departure.

[AHHH DON'T CALL HIM HIS FRIEND DAD!!! but wait he's distracted]

Truly? So the time we spent in South Sister... [doesn't reflect the time they've missed back home? Seonho can't recall if something like that had been asked or explained back in that town... But he's undoubtedly surprised at this new piece of information.

Does that relieve him or discomfit him, to know that if he returns, then it will be as if nothing has ever happened? That should comfort Hwi, Seonho thinks, before catching himself. ugh.]

It may be that time did not pass -- or that he had no reason to notice. [Seonho's managed to be honest thus far, but this next part is...] We do not spend much time in each other's company, unless it was necessary.

[they're not friends zhongli it's fine

]

Is that so?

[ Zhongli peers at Seonho, looking him directly in the eyes. Surely there must be a reason that Seonho cares about Hwi enough to tell Zhongli about him. If Seonho is trying to lie, there's still time for him to correct himself. ]

I see.

[ This means he should probably ask Hwi about Seonho once he has managed to befriend the other young man. There's definitely more than a simple dispute or feud here, but Zhongli has plenty of time to untangle it. ]

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JANUARY MINGLE

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