as life withers

𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.

Haven’t you heard? Within Teyvat and the Sea of Quanta, it seems as though the rays of sunlight burn evermore. At last, it is time for the months of warmth. Passion thrums under the surface, the grogginess of life replaced with a fervent excitement. Only… do try not to burn to ash! It would be an awful hassle gathering you back together. So, where does the light of fate lead you today…?

𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  beach  —  a  no  brainer,  no  ?  what  better  time  to  experience  the  childish  joy  of  sandcastles,  splashing  your  friends  in  the  waves…  truly,  such  a  chance  might  not  come  again  so  make  the  most  of  it  !  this  time,  there’s  even  a  sandcastle  competition  !?  free  ice  cream  all  month  round  for  whoever  wins,  will  you  team  up  ?  or  is  this  a  solo  affair  ?  hm  ?  am  I  joining  ?  oh,  how  silly  !  why  don’t  you  see  for  yourself  ?

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  camping  —  never  gone  camping  before  ?  too  scared  to  try  because  there  are  just  so  very  many  critters  running  about  and  any  one  of  them  could  spell  doom  or  worse  yet,  be  too  cute  to  leave  alone  ?  no  ?  only  me  ?  ahem,  anyways…  this  time,  the  Adventurer’s  Guild  has  increased  incentives  for  team  camping.  vouchers,  prizes,  mora,  you  name  it,  they’ve  got  it  !  just  be  sure  to  let  katherine  know  when  you’re  done  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  sports  —  with  weather  like  this,  who  needs  indoor  activities  ?  no,  no,  the  time  has  come  for  sports  !  as  scary  of  a  statement  as  that  is,  numerous  sporting  events  have  cropped  up.  which  ones  ?  do  I  look  like  a  sports  fanatic  to  you  ?  just  ask  your  local  know  it  all  sports  fan  and  you’ll  be  set  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  ice  cream  —  ever  wondered  how  the  refreshing,  delicious,  wondrous,  whimsical — hm  ?  oh,  alright  !  alright  !  I’ll  stop  here,  but  you  must  admit,  it  could  be  fun  to  make  some  of  your  own,  right  ?  and  this  time  !  the  dearest  workshop  is  even  allowing  you  to  make  your  own  flavours  !  be  sure  to  use  your  creativity  there  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  skies  —  ah,  the  hallmark  of  any  summer  day,  a  sky  so  blue  you  wonder  if  it’s  fake.  or  so  you  would  think  but  it  seems  a  researcher  from  the  Herta  Space  Station  missed  the  memo  entirely.  a  project  gone  incredibly  awry,  certain  areas  of  many,  many,  many  planets  have  their  weather  randomised.  if  you’re  lucky,  it  won’t  be  anything  too  different,  if  not…  well,  it  may  be  best  to  make  some  precautions  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  refreshments  —  what  to  do,  oh,  what  to  do…  hm  ?  ah,  apologies  !  it  seems  as  though  I  let  my  thoughts  drift  for  too  long,  but  can  you  blame  me  ?  it  is  so  drearily,  stiflingly  hot  !!  why,  it  should  be  a  crime…  a  relief,  then,  that  the  lovelies  at  Penacony  have  offered  refreshments  for  your  dreams.  though,  what  is  this  I  hear  of  origami  waiters  ? 

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  festival  —  what  is  the  point  of  the  sunny  days  if  not  to  celebrate  ?  ever  wanted  to  spend  hours  away  at  some  rigged  game  ?  wear  your  cutest  clothes  ?  try  some  food  with  nonsensical  gimmicks  ?  well,  look  no  further  !  an  unknown  sponsor  has  ensured  that  a  festival  shall  take  place  once  every  month  until  autumn  falls,  so  don’t  let  the  chance  pass  you  by  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  bug  catching  —  word  has  it  that,  at  this  time  of  year,  rare  bugs  like  no  other  sprout  about  !  children  from  all  over  have  decided  this  is  their  one  and  only  chance  (of  the  year)  to  catch  ‘em  all.  enough  so  their  parents  and  guardians  have  grown  worried.  commissions  and  personal  requests  are  being  made  to  supervise  them  while  they  scurry  about.  maybe  you  can  catch  a  bug  or  three  while  you’re  at  it  !

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  scrapbook  —  with  the  new  and  improved,  latest  kamera,  many  have  taken  the  chance  to  document  their  adventures.  going  old  school  and  using  a  journal  as  well  !  not  only  that  but  some  are  even,  pause  for  the  appropriate  dramatic  gasp,  exchanging  pages  as  a  way  of  sharing  memories  ?!  can  you  believe  that  ?  oh,  don’t  tell  me  you’re  actually  going  to  join  them  !?

⋆｡˚☀︎｡  scavenger  hunt  —  no  better  time  to  hide  away  goodies  for  others  to  fumble  around  trying  to  find.  I  assume  you  will  be  no  different  ?  ah,  try  not  to  take  the  riddles  too  seriously.  that’s  how  they  get  you  !  don’t  expect  any  hints  from  me  either,  that  ruins  the  entire  thing  !  it  may  be  ideal  to  team  up  with  some  others,  hm  ?  good  luck  !

… And that would make 567. 112 entries of human-like beings, 17 entries of automatons and—

The Space Station was rather large. In some aspects, Ruan Mei was quite grateful for it. It allowed for her experiments to range in size and allowed for a far greater sample size than she could otherwise achieve. In other aspects, Ruan Mei wished for it to be more compact. 

Presently, she was feeling the latter. 

A sigh escaped her as she watched one of the ducklings end up farther and farther away from the group and to… one of Herta’s puppets? This cannot end well. Leaving the room without much care, she followed the coordinates to Herta’s office. Where… Ah. 

Just as Ruan Mei was to speak up, the puppet noticed the duckling and—

She kicked it.

Another sigh. “Herta. You can’t tell me you’ve already forgotten not to intrude upon another Genius’ research topic. Unless this is your childish way of offering to help?”

She was going to get rid of any sweets for the other for a week. Or more. 

“Help us out in the infirmary.” Her brother spoke, nervous to ask the former actress for such a task. “Please Furina? You never participate in Capture the Flag anyways. And you know how busy we get.”

She shuddered to think of the last time she entered the warzone other campers called a game. Her manicure would never recover. Well, it had recovered. But it’s the principle!

“Oliver… Must I?”

The small redhead picked at a stray thread on the hideous camp shirt he wore. Orange didn’t look good on anyone, it’s just a fact. “W-Well no. But I was going to reward you with a snack cake for the trouble.”

And that was how Furina ended up here, messing with a couple cotton swabs while her siblings talked about… something. She stopped listening ages ago. Sigh. The whole thing was just so boring… Couldn’t they stand to have a little color in the infirmary?

Furina rolled her eyes as the infirmary door opened. She expected another Ares kid upset they were here for a stab wound, yet that was no such case. The woman who stood there looked calm and uninjured. Her father’s light almost seemed to shy away from her. In the back of her mind, she felt as if she had seen the composed woman before. Perhaps during the many shows her mo- Focalors forced her to perform. There were so many faces in the crowds then. All begging for a child to gaze upon them.

She shook the thought away, standing up. “Um. We really ask the infirmary to be only for the injured today. Do you, like, have an injury?” Heterochromic eyes looked her up and down. No visible injuries. So either this girl was a weirdo or this whole infirmary was about to run out of ambrosia. Furina was leaning towards weirdo though. “Because if you don’t,” She continued “We kinda need to keep the space for those who are.”

Clicking her tongue, she sighed at the failed creation before her. “Five seconds… two more than last time.” A success in that regard. Hm, she looked over her clipboard. She had tried increasing almost everything except…

“Ambrosia. A trip to Cabin 7 it is.”

Surely, they did not have such a great need for ambrosia? If they did, many already had healing abilities so what was the harm? And so, Ruan Mei found herself in the infirmary.

Of course, someone was present. And, of course, that someone just had to speak. Annoying. Her gaze drifted to the other for half a second before returning to the ambrosia in her hands. Injuries? She hummed. 

“I am not, no, but someone else is.”

It was true enough. Her failed experiments could be considered ‘someone’, well, when they did not disappear into the pits of death. Five seconds of life was still life. “So, can I take them? I can trade some sweets for them. I have some cream puffs I made earlier.”

She snatched the box from the ground, forcing herself not to tear it to pieces. Nikola wanted to give up the fight. Yes, she wanted to say. Jump out the fucking window and leave me alone. Mophead would surely chastise Nikola if she found out. That was impulsive, Mophead would say. Idiotic, and isn’t that expected, Miss took-twenty-years-to-finish-a-doctorate?

Nikola shook it off. Mophead wouldn’t say that. She would be disappointed, though, if she let this person just leave. It was all so suspicious. That thing on the woman’s head was not a cat. What if it was a surveillance device? What if this was the setup for a larger operation? It’s not like Anti-Entropy was without enemies just because they no longer rivaled Schicksal. In fact, even within Schicksal there were people who didn’t like them. She sucked in a breath.

Judging by that anger in her eyes… I’d assume not. How annoying.

Though frustration was building up, Ruan Mei did not outwardly show it. She chose to keep her expression neutral. It would be unwise to show any more than she had already done with her words. 

Even with that in mind, she hadn’t expected the other to call her creation such a thing. There was nothing ‘fucked-up’ about it, only that she yearned to bring about life. Scientifically. Something this one couldn’t wrap her head around, apparently. Ruan Mei sighed, letting out only some of her frustration. The rest would be done out of earshot, once she was far away from this place and in the comfort of her lab. 

It would be rather daft to enter without some form of a backup plan. Even if it took a bit of effort on her part, she hadn’t come here entirely empty handed. However… 

I suppose I’ll need Stephen to speed up adding the ID to the database.

⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡

They say that upon the lands of Teyvat and the stars of the Sea of Quanta, the season of life arrives once more. Months of renewal, of life returning after the chill of winter. There is much to be done with such a chance, before the burning rays of summer strike upon any unsuspecting beings. So, where do the winds of fate lead you today…?

⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  beginnings  —  ever  wanted  to  try  a  new  hobby  but  were  too  scared  to ?  do  you  fear  the  inevitable  failure  in  the  beginning  and  wonder  if  it  could  be  a  curse  brought  upon  your  bloodline ?  no ?  just  me ?  ahem !  well,  either  way,  you  may  participate  in  this  year’s  paired  hobby  starters !  just  fill  in  this  form  and  you  will  be  paired  with  someone  who  wants  to  learn  the  same  hobby  as  you.  for  the  season  of  spring,  you  will  be  partnered  with  completing  at  least  one  skill,  task,  creation  etc  etc  of  that  hobby.  good  luck !

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  bloom  —  lands  once  covered  in  snow  melt  away  into  the  greenery  beneath  it.  in  the  realm  of  Teyvat,  a  trend  of  growing  your  favourite  plant  with  another  has  reached  even  the  most  distant  of  stars  in  the  Sea  of  Quanta,  however!  with  such  a  development  comes  the  problem  of  disturbing  the  local  ecosystems,  will  you  contribute  to  the  chaos  in  wildlife  or  will  you  try  to  find  order ?  find  a  partner  and  find  out !

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  warmth  —  the  chill  of  winter  fades  into  a  pleasant  breeze.  the  fear  of  turning  one’s  bones  to  ice  is  no  longer  prevalent  and  so  an  abundance  of  bookings  of  flower  fields  and  restaurants  and,  well!  anything  that  isn’t  rotting  on  your  couch.  with  this  abundance  comes  the  need  for  help,  will  you  be  rushing  around  on  a  shift  that  you  are  being  paid  far  too  little  for ?  or  enjoying  the  warm  atmosphere  without  so  much  as  a  glance  to  the  busybodies  keeping  it  so ?

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  farming  —  the  domestic  life  of  living  on  your  own  farm  with  the  company  of  a  heartwarming  number  of  animals ?  the  coziness  of  working  hard  and  being  rewarded  with  your  own  harvest ?  the  desire  to  take  care  of  tens  of  animals ?  should  you  say  yes  to  any  of  these !  please  visit  —  in  Teyvat  to  take  care  of  the  resident’s  farm  for  a  week.  not  to  worry,  you  will  have  a  partner  to  work  with  and  an  obscenely  detailed  set  of  instructions  to  guide  you !  though…  how  did  it  reach  the  Sea  of  Quanta… ?  well  it’s  nothing  to  worry  about  now  is  it ?

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  allergies  —  have  you  ever  wondered  why  the  season  of  life  comes  with  the  horrific  allergy  season ?  no ?  some  of  you  don’t  have  allergies ?  wow !  it  must  be  nice…  though,  you  shouldn’t  get  too  comfortable.  there  are  rumours  of  a  witch  in  a  fit  of  rage  and  envy  cursing  any  within  their  wand’s  proximity  and  without  allergies  with  the  very  same  symptoms  they  hold !  turns  out  ‘their  wand’s  proximity’  is  roughly  a  quarter  to  half  of  the  universe…  maybe  you  can  ask  your  allergy  ridden  friend  for  some  help… ?  or  will  you  try  to  make  the  most  of  it ?  or  perhaps  you’re  one  of  the  lucky  unafflicted  souls  (tch.)

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  rain  —  rainy  days  are  just  the  worst  sometimes !  oh,  well,  if  you  seek  shelter  within  the  walls  of  everyone’s  favourite  tavern,  you  will  be  able  to  select  a  rather  large  number  of  rainy  day  activities.  hm ?  these  are  games  you  had  all  but  forgotten  about  in  childhood ?  well,  no  time  like  the  present  to  relive  your  greatest  nostalgias !  and  feel  free  to  educate  any  uncultured  fools  through  a  harsh  victory

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  eggs  —  to  this  day,  it  is  unclear  what  started  this  tradition  but  workshops  for  egg  decorating  have  become  rather  popular.  as  have  the  chocolate  making  workshops.  in  an  ingenious  idea  that  no  one  else  has  ever  come  up  with  ever,  the  two  types  of  workshops  have  decided  to  band  together  and  make  the  best  decorated  chocolate  eggs  ever.  in  fact !  there’s  even  a  competition  for  it,  points  are  earned  based  on  creativity  and  chocolate  work  (is  that  what  it’s  called???).  the  top  three  will  have  their  names  immortalised  and  will  be  awarded  any  chocolate  sweet  treat  for  free.  may  the  odds  be  in  your  favour ! 

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  flight  —  upon  the  growing  warmth,  some  birds  of  flight  have  awoken.  upon  their  awakening,  they  find  these  coloured  eggs  rather  cute…  you  wouldn’t  mind  sharing,  would  you ?  especially  not  that  shiny  one !  if  you  don’t  want  to  see  all  your  hard  work  go  to  waste,  it  is  high  time  humanity/anyone  on  the  side  of  humanity  won  against  birds !  won’t  you  fulfill  the  maybe  wish  of  your  billions  of  years  old  ancestors ?

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  ducklings  —  a  strange  phenomenon  has  occurred  all  across  the  stars.  it  doesn’t  matter  where  you  are,  so  long  as  there  is  any  kind  of  body  of  water  (lakes,  rivers,  baths  etc  etc),  you  will  find  a  duckling  or  three  wishing  for  your  guidance.  you  wouldn’t  be  so  heartless  as  to  abandon  the  poor  dears.  would  you ?  to  help  with  this  phenomena,  some  researchers  within  the  Herta  Space  Station  have  offered  to  take  them  off  of  your  hands  with  just  a  few  conditions.  one,  you  must  sign  this  form  (don’t  look  too  close  at  it!),  two,  you  must  state  how  many  found  their  way  to  you  and  where  they  appeared,  three,  you  must  be  ready  to  be  called  into  the  station  at  any  point  in  case  things  go  wrong.  what  things ?  haha ! why  would  they  tell  you ?

｡°ꫂ❁｡°  stamps  —  to  commemorate  the  season  of  spring,  bookshops  all  over  have  begun  selling  ‘spring  journals’.  over  the  course  of  the  season,  you  fill  in  one  of  the  prompts.  at  the  end  of  the  season,  you  will  hand  these  back  to  one  of  the  bookshops  selling  them  and,  depending  on  the  number  of  stamps  you  earn,  you  will  earn  prizes!  alongside  long  term  vouchers  to  a  number  of  establishments.  better  hop  to  it!  you  wouldn’t  want  to  end  the  season  without  a  single  stamp  to  your  name,  would  you?

⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡𖤣𖥧⊱✿⊰𖥧𖤣⟡

“‘Th-thank you for your time?’” Nikola repeated, sputtering. “No, no no. Give that back.” She stood up, sending her seat teetering back and forth before it gave up its fight and clattered to the floor. “And give me your work ID too, I think we need to have a talk.”

She dashed in front of the door, crossing her arms in front of her chest and glaring at the intruder. “That’s my box, by the way, and I won’t tolerate theft.” Not that she cared about the box, but her fury was a boiling lake of acid in her stomach, a rubber band stretched nearly to snapping. Her legs quivered from their tenseness.

Nikola’s eyes flicked to her computer screen as it lit up, indicating the arrival of a new email. Another email, that she would have to respond to, after dealing with this mess, and before responding to the six more emails she was sure to get within that time. And then tomorrow, when she was supposed to have the day off, she’d probably be called in, like always. It was endless work. She was way past retirement age and she wished she had aged, that she could be done with work and eventually done with life, but this was the eternal hamster wheel she had earned.

You would think wearing glasses would give someone enough sight to see the obvious. 

Her outfit was so against any uniform they might have… it was simply annoying. Too annoying for this hour. Before she knew it, she was ‘trapped’ by the annoyance. What a pain. 

“So it is. And it currently holds my… cat, wouldn’t it be theft to keep my cat within your walls?”

Ruan Mei doubted logic would reach her but it was worth a try. Or not, could just lead to a bigger headache. Though, something rather strange happened before Ruan Mei’s eyes. Hm, those droplets… they would be considered tears, was the box that important? Well, she wasn’t in the habit of causing too many to cry. On most occasions.

Unfaltering gaze never leaving the coffin, Luocha allows the lid to fall back - exposing his longest-kept secret, his lifelong faith. The fragment gleamed amber, the piece so crystallised any commoner would mistake it for a mere piece of rock rather than the corpse of unimaginable power. 

Slowly, that serene gaze lifted up to gaze at Ruan Mei, lips twitching while Luocha desperately tried to keep them neutral as adrenaline filled him.

She did not need Luocha’s words to look within. To see a view she so rarely got. Maybe she should retract her doubtful thoughts. “This energy… might I conduct a test on it?” Her words remained as still as always yet the slight sway, the desire to go to her devices only a few rooms away sprung to life behind her eyes. 

The redhead stalked up to the stranger, an angry ball of fire. She hoped she looked imposing despite her shorter height, that her name would precede her. “I better see you groveling if you want to keep your job.”

She reached back and opened her office door just to dash in and slam it in the woman’s face like she should have done initially. It bashed against the frame but refused to click closed, swinging open just slightly before finding a balance.

She wasn’t going to keep the cat thing, she absolutely didn’t want it, but the woman would have to go through proper channels. Nikola would bring it to the reception’s lost-and-found after taking sufficient video for inspiration, and the woman would provide her name to get the thing back, and Nikola could make sure she could never ruin her day again. Nicely. Officially. 

She sat down on her chair, hunching over and resting her face in her hands. This was exhausting. Other people were the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. The noise the cat thing was making made Nikola really tempted to just hand it over and be done with the affair, but her bitterness was the presiding emotion and it’s not like her day would get much less exhausting until after she got home. It was still morning.

Before she could actually do anything, though, the other slammed the door almost completely shut. 

She sighed. A headache was coming on from this. Maybe she should give the other one of her specially designed treats… Unfortunately, she’d left those behind. She wasn’t supposed to get involved in the experiment itself after all. 

Massaging her temples, Ruan Mei opened the door. She ignored the redhead’s presence and went straight to the annoying racket made by the Trash Catcake. Sealed up in a box, the catcake refused to give up when it would do everyone here some good if it did. 

At least it’s easy to find.

“I will be taking it back now. Thank you for your time.”

Stomping forth to open the door, Nikola was prepared to give a speech about not interrupting her during work hours, or during off-hours, unless you were L.A. Einstein or Welt Yang or Nagamitsu or Overseer Theresa on a good day, this is part of everyone’s onboarding process, but as she turned the knob and pulled it open, she felt that this person wasn’t the usual confused employee.

The woman before her was dressed to the nines, reminiscent of the most impractical of Valkyrie battlesuits. Details upon details layered itself on her dress, and Nikola was almost offended by the fancy of it all. A string of pearls? Really? On a Friday morning? At a function, sure, but…Nikola forced herself to stop staring. She made eye contact, frowning at the stranger. “What are you doing here?” 

The incessant number of failed escapes from the Trash Cake was something to marvel at. And incredibly annoying. At least the noise was drowned out as the door shut. 

“I believe you have something of mine,” Ruan Mei began, taking a step back so as to give the other some space. Whatever project this one was working on could wait, or she could file a request at a later date. One that Ruan Mei would never agree to but that wasn’t important. 

“My…” hm, what would be the closest approximation on Earth? “Cat, where is it?”

“I have no proof but its body - a fragment at that.” Luocha responds calmly, “though I can assure you this fragment will match any papers you have on the topic.”

His fingers wrap around the coffin’s edge - not quite ready to open it. In the past, he’d been taught against opening coffins, for they were the resting place of the dead. To open such a sacred thing was always associated with a state of unbreaking taboo. After all, what kind of good person would wish to trespass on the weak?

However, He had opened this coffin right in front of Luocha without a single tremor in his body. Even while Luocha’s heart seized with fear and shock at the sight, what could he do? 

As the years bled across time, he’d grown more than accustomed to breaking past taboos, unknotting previous ties. 

Rather than respond, she only hummed. A quick note made in her notebook. Her knowledge of what a fragment’s properties should theoretically be like was expansive but… well, she would find out now rather than later.  

The situation itself reminded her of one of her more… emotional bursts of curiosity. A promise must be fulfilled even if she had to force it to fruition and so, the chilly opening of the coffin brought her somewhat back to that time. Yet, she must remain in the present. Her opportunity to learn, to fulfill that itch. 

It must come to fruition. 

Her gaze met Luocha’s. Ruan Mei nodded, looking back upon the coffin. The cage keeping the fragment in place. The cage keeping Ruan Mei out. 

Hello everyone! In regards to GH’s closure, I think I will first finish replying to all the threads I owe. After that, I believe business will continue as usual for my three muses. There may come a day when I do not have the motivation or the muse anymore but for now, Kazuha, Ruan Mei and Hyacine are here to stay! For the time being, I’d like to stick to GH blogs and maybe eventually branch out into indie. Mayhaps. 

If there are any threads you’d like to do with my muses, let me know, I’m more than happy to start new threads!! And most of all, I’d love to continue writing with all of you <3

I’m going to get a bit sappy here even if I am not the best at this. Feel free not to read if you want, honestly this is kinda super scary (being perceived my worst nightmare) but I at least wanted to write out my feelings as I’ve always done in saddening times

“I personally focus on Yaoshi and Tayzzyronth, though of course my knowledge is not limited to only them.”

Considering the deal having been made, Luocha gently begins lowering the coffin from his back. It was heavy - though mostly due to its material. However, a heaviness weighed in his heart when he remembered what was encased within. Though he never had the chance to create blood-exceeding bonds with the being himself, this fragment was his. His divine weapon. 

“This coffin…it’s not related to Aeons…” 

“I see. I assume you already know the connection between Nous and the Society, yes? I don’t believe Nous has much to do with your expertise so that is where I will leave things.”

She watched as Luocha lowered his coffin. Well, it might not be for him but he held ownership. The act itself was of no concern to her, it would not be difficult to run a preliminary scan of it or gain some knowledge from him. Knowledge I would need to cross reference.

Ruan Mei raised an eyebrow. If not related to Aeons, then what purpose did he have to ask her…? Still, she waited for him to continue. The words he spoke soon after sparked life into her eyes. The itch thrummed like a stringed instrument in a terribly echoing cave. However, she must first… she must… 

Such scents would only be sweeter if paired with the aroma of confectionery, though Luocha knew better than to accept such from acquaintances. He was worn from his travels…not that it was a plausible excuse for self-indulgence. This was work - such should never be disrupted by any form of greed. Luocha opts to quietly push the offer aside, not wishing to offend the scholar with any inadequacies in a verbal reply. 

“I think it is possible, yes.” Luocha carefully replies, not wishing to make empty promises, “unless there is an Aeon I have never come across before.”

Empty promises were the making of disaster, the catalyst for failure. Those ‘absent gods’ he’d encountered in the past only served to drive his hatred for such. A well-kept facade, he could admire. But making promises without the ability to uphold them? He could not accept such. 

What good was order when obsessive control carved itself alongside it? What good was immortality if one must pay the price of suffering? These were merely empty promises disguised as blessings. 

However, he knew Ruan Mei would not stoop so low. 

It seemed he had no time for sweets, a pity. Something she did not have in common with him. Ruan Mei took one of the macarons, a much harder endeavour than it quite frankly needed to be but well worth it in the end. Of course, these were one of the few without side effects. It was enough of a challenge to simply make the damn things, she would not further complicate it. 

Ruan Mei raised an eyebrow. Empty promises were a falsity she did not wish to hold and it seemed Luocha thought the same. Good, compatibility in these topics would lead to far better results. Or so she’d found while working with the Society. She nodded. 

“I see, so, which Aeons have you come across?”

It was unlikely he didn’t know of them all yet when it came to this particular topic… Any discrepancies that could be fixed earlier will be. She had no time for mistakes, no time for miscommunication, no time to regret. She could inform Luocha of any he lacked but… well, if he couldn’t prove himself, what was the point in divulging?

“This coffin? I suppose there may be something related to the Aeons within for you to ask me?”

While the voice inside him chastises him for his cowardice, Luocha decides a small break from the unknown was more than well-earned. Besides…the Pharmaceutical Room had higher chances of being…less of an eye-sore. Luocha had tried his best not to look around too much, lest he offend the owner of this room. However, the shock that washed over him was electrical when he saw the papers strewn on the desk, the mess on the floor so dire Luocha wondered if he was standing on wooden or marble floors. 

After studying this scholar’s papers for so long, he’d thought he had her all figured out. Alas, those reports - so neat it made one’s hair stand on end - had been a mere act sheltering what conspired behind the stage. Truly, he was much too old to make such naive mistakes. 

Clearing his throat, Luocha could only trust himself not to give away the mind-numbing shock that had coursed through him as he answered.

“Good choice. It’s this way.”

Precise, short, to the point. Just as Ruan Mei preferred things. As she walked, she took a spare notepad and pen lying around. What were her last… oh, right, this had been completed some time ago. She flipped through it, double checking her work and looking for a free page. 

Hm, I might need to redo this experiment. The results are surely accurate but these calculations… leave a lot to be desired. 

Occasionally, she would scribble down a flower drawing, a new one per page until they reached the Pharmaceutical Room. While she was not here quite so often, it seemed she knew the layout almost perfectly. 

Within the room, there was the meticulousness many might initially presume of the scientist. Everything had its rightful place and not a plant was out of its allocated section. Ruan Mei did a quick scan of the area as she turned to face Luocha once more. 

“So, you can help me with the Aeons? Oh, and if you are hungry, I have some sweets on hand, if you wish to have them.”

He eyes the increasing population within the Space Station, his skin prickling at the thought of any of these hearing such a profound exchange. He had no doubt that the scholar’s personal space was much secluded from the public eye; it had taken him weeks to dig up the little scraps of information about her. Such a troubling endeavour had already given him an idea of the youth’s nature. 

It was not one to mess with. 

Luocha allows a small smile as he regards Ruan Mei once more. He could only hope his attempts at friendliness were barely satisfactory. Having lived a life ruled by neutrality, Luocha often found it challenging to remain on par with others regarding social interactions. Within the confines of the social world, Luocha tried his best to study and replicate the expressions of others he had met on his journey.

What he was trying to accomplish at the Space Station was more than selfish of him to begin with; it strayed from the path assigned to him. The least he could do was attempt to provide others with an enjoyable memory of him - no matter how fragile such aims were. 

Luocha was well aware Ruan Mei was not the type to enjoy meaningless conversations. Those torn scripts - her alleged ‘research papers’ - were enough to infer that she must scorn wasting precious time on unrewarding interaction. The precision of her work, the conciseness of her reports - everything screamed of single-minded and pristine. 

Occasionally, a few glances were sent their way but no one dared to stop them or, worse, force them into conversation. I think I have a notepad down there… hm, well, my memory is the second best option available if not. 

If the information (or help) was valuable, she would need to analyse it later. It might eat away at her time with decoding the papers, however… such was the cruelty of time. 

A few moments later and they had arrived, the slight scent of the flora brought Ruan Mei some ease. It was not that she was tense before, rather that she was just a few steps away from it. She glanced up at Luocha. The Seclusion Zone was not typically a place for visitors, she might have to inform Asta about it later. 

A headache for another time.