#rcgrator

" you can tax heavy to yield more profit . medicine is not easy to come by . "

Amber eyes peer at the other over the rim of his glasses, a note of warning in a gaze that immediately softens as it shifts to the customer still hovering at the counter. The doctor sends them on their way with an easy smile and optimistic well wishes, and waits until they scurry rapidly from the pharmacy before turning to address the looming presence in the corner.

"I do not need your advice on how I run my business," he says mildly, arms crossing over his chest in a way that is almost defiant: reminiscent of another time, when a stubborn younger brother would refuse to concede to his elder's opinions.

" interesting. do tell me if you reach your glorious godhood . " / akdkwks

@rcgrator &&. said... "  ah  &  here  he  is  .  the  grand,  self  proclaimed  GOD  -  "  he  gives  an  icy  smile  as  ringed  hands  clasp  together, "  truly,  a  shame,  that  i  am  an  atheist  .  "  /  it's  a  hate  hate  relationship  your  honour  😌✨

it  takes  careful  application  of  every  scrap  of  COMPOSURE  kunikuzushi  has  to  keep  his  expression  impassive  —  if  only  because  he  does  not  deem  the  other  worthy  of  inspiring  EMOTION.  a  human,  an  insect.  a  wholly  unremarkable  creature,  tumbling  his  way  into  a  position  far  above  his  capabilities  through  sheer  luck  alone.  the  balladeer  likens  him  to  a  cat  —  some  designer  breed  with  long,  meticulously  styled  fur,  purring  away  on  the  lap  of  its  owner  as  if  saddled  with  an  existential  sense  of  entitlement.  surely  as  far  as  nuisances  go,  the  ninth  is  but  a  temporary  one.  give  him  a  decade  —  maybe  two.  his  usefulness  will  run  dry  eventually  while  kunikuzushi,  divorced  from  the  eroding  influence  of  time,  will  remain  pristine  as  ever.

until  that  day  comes,  he  only  needs  to  TOLERATE  this  hubris-ridden  pest.  it's  inevitable  that  he  will  be  the  one  to  have  the  last  laugh. ( how annoying that the other seems determined to test his RESOLVE in the meantime. )

❝  you  seem  to  place  an  awful  lot  of  value  on  your  opinion.  ❞  the  balladeer  quips  as  he  moves  to  take  his  seat.  seems  they're  the  only  ones  here  —  that's  unfortunate.  if  he  knew  he  would  be  arriving  early,  he  would  have  WAITED  to  keep  the  tedium  of  social  interaction  to  a  minimum.   ❝  i  thought  someone  of  your  position  would  be  better  at  appraising  things.  ❞  fist  curls  beneath  his  chin  —  elbow  propped  up  on  the  table  as  if  in  deliberate,  blatant  disregard  for  any  degree  of  proper  decorum.  he  is  above  such  petty  inconveniences,  and  as  a  result,  chooses  to  abstain.  ❝  gods  aren't  made  by  the  belief  of  their  people ...  people  believe  in  their  gods  because  they  have  the  power  to  inspire  that  belief.  ❞  to  a  true  deity,  strength  is  the  only  thing  that  matters  —  for  strength  is  a  measure  of  to  what  degree  they  are  able  to  INFLUENCE  the  world ...  changing  it  in  accordance  with  their  will  as  a  true  deity  should.  he  would  know  firsthand  just  how  highly  the  divine  MEASURE POWER  above  all  else.

❝  to  put  it  bluntly ...  your  thoughts alone  hold  as  much  weight  as  a  dust  mote,  mr.  self  proclaimed  atheist.  ❞   brow  arches;  one  corner  of  his  mouth  twitches  upwards  in  tandem,  the  ghost  of  an  insufferable  smirk.  ❝  but  do  keep  talking.  i  could  use  a  LAUGH.  ❞

@rcgrator  asked      ⋆  ★      💡 👀

on  the  darkest  nights,  the  stars  always  shine  the  brightest.  when  the  sky  is  more  resemblant  of  the  dark  mud  that  grows  like  SCUM  in  the  chasm,  those  are  the  nights  when  she  finds  herself  starkly  awake.  she  can  feel  the  eyes  of  the  stars  above  staring  DOWN  at  her  in  pity  and  contempt.  she  can  feel  her  lost  half  in  every  flaring  gaze.

in  her  restlessness,  the  words  of  a  familiar  wanderer  resurface.

❝  he's  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  ❛ fair exchange, ❜  to  the  point  of  wanting  to  overthrow  the  natural  imbalance  between  gods  and  humans.  ❞

to  call  her  search  desperate  was  an  understatement.  the  hero  of  teyvat,  despised  the  appraisal.  there  was  only  one  that  she  needed  to  save,  and  yet  the  SHATTERED  WORLD  placed  itself  before  her.

gods  and  humans  were  never  meant  in  any  instance  to  be  equals,  but  what  a  DELIGHT  it  would  be  to  be  released  from  their  celestial  chains.  how  could  anyone  worship  the  beings  that  cast  this  global  burden  unto  her  as  gods?

overthrow  the  natural  imbalance,  he  says?  she  wonders  if  her  strength  would  help  him  DEPOSE  the  archons.

SEND A 💡 FOR FIRST IMPRESSION. SEND A 🧲 FOR CURRENT THOUGHTS!

   so , lynette simply nods , standing in front of the desk in his office ; hands folded before her and her tail swaying to sides slightly behind her , every once in a while . "" i agree . "" not wanting to leave him without response , the shadow cat replies finally . "" though . . . what does that have to do with your request to see me , my lord ? "" after all , it was rather rare that her and her siblings found themselves in the nation of ice and grief , she would add .

"Your words say one thing, but the interest in your tone tells me another, Mr. Businessman." The gambler can't help but grin, knowing all too well that dangling the tiniest scrap of temptation ought to be more than enough if the interest he can sense is real.

Duochrome eyes partially hidden behind rosy shades sweep over the taller man before him, analyzing just as much as peering with interest. He sees a kind smile, a curious glance, and a subtle stance that is almost the very definition of a snake in the grass; hidden and waiting to strike. He knows the type well, having rubbed shoulders with many a similar person and playing the role himself when necessary. Under different circumstances, unless his assessment is vastly off the mark, he could easily see this man fitting in amongst the high-ranking elites of the IPC.

But of course, there was only one way that could ever happen.

@rcgrator: hands over a single mora . says nothing. / kakdkw sorry this is totally crack BUT i just had to bother :')

he just looks at the single mora and blinks in pure confusion. the poor hydro sovereign.

His hands still over the concoction he's in the middle of brewing - the only outward reaction to the question now posed to him. An amber gaze slides, quickly, to the magenta one peering back at him from the table, and he registers the flash of concern within eyes that had once been his.

He knew this moment would come. He'd been expecting it, honestly. Why else had his absent brother returned to the region of his birth after so long spent avoiding it? The reach of the Fatui was seemingly endless. There was no doubt that Pantalone had heard of his quest and learned the truth about the contract he was bound to.

With a brief exhale of breath, he resumes the stirring of the liquid, and lifts his gaze to the doorway where his elder brother lingers like a shadow. They couldn't be more different, the two of them. Sometimes, it seems to the doctor that there is nothing left of the two young boys that were once nigh inseparable.

"You never asked."

His hands continue their task, adding finely ground ingredients together, adjusting the flame that heats the container from beneath. It helps to ground him, to keep him calm.

He is not angry with his brother - perhaps he never can be, perhaps that is his weakness. But for all that Pantalone claims he abandoned him, who was it that fled Liyue, never to return? Yes, his brother helps to fund the pharmacy, and no doubt the Fatui of Northland Bank send updates back to Snezhnaya - perhaps that is even how he heard of his mission, of his contract. But he has not tried to contact him directly. Who, then, was truly abandoned in favour of their ambition?

"Frankly, I'm rather surprised this seems to matter to you." He's feeling bold, today. They are more alike than one might think to look at them, physical similarities aside. Baizhu can be equally as stubborn, and as proud. "You have made it abundantly clear that you care nothing for how I live my life."

He meets his brother's gaze, unflinching.