SOUGHT AND FOUND

                           — THIS IS MY MOMENT OF TRUTH!

@missinnocentscarlet​ said: “i know you think you have to get through this by yourself, but you have people here to help you.” for Akechi :hms:

“I don’t need to be reminded of that.” 

Contrary to his words, it was a reminder he needed to hear, day in and day out. There was a part of him that stubbornly, vehemently rejected the notion that there were people—not one person, but multiple—who actually cared enough to lend an ear or a shoulder and the gesture would be genuine. His expression sour, he peered into the cup of coffee he’d poured for himself and took a deep breath to inhale its aroma. It helped, just a little, and his voice mellowed into a tone much softer than his initial harsh rebuttal. 

@lyreplayed​ said: “listen, i know you don’t want to, but.. maybe you should rest for a while. you’re not going to get anywhere like this.” @ Xiao

“I cannot rest. I do not have that luxury.”

Though the protection of Liyue had largely landed in the lap of the Qixing after recent events, that was no excuse to shirk his duties. He was not one of the adepti whom watched over Liyue from far away, but rather one of the few who stayed closer to mortals than the others. It was ironic, all things considered, but he tried to be more careful in recent centuries. He was closer, but still isolated from the locus of the land’s prosperity. Guili Plains was a safer base for him—for the mortals’ sake, anyway.

His official contract with Rex Lapis may have ended, but the end of a contract could never sever his personal bond with Liyue, nor the ongoing obligation he felt to do his duty. Arms crossed, he shook his head, mentally trying to quell the sheer volume of the cries ringing in his ears. Golden eyes fluttered closed, just for a moment, and he forced them open again.

@truthchosen ( xiao )     /     genshin starter call ( qiqi )

he  looks  familiar  .  but  you  don’t  remember  ,  and  a  lot  of  people  look  familiar  to  you  .  and  he’s  on  the  mountain  where  you  need  to  be  .

❛    hello  .  my  name  is  qiqi  .  i’m  looking  for  …     ❜  you  trail  off  ,  staring  blankly  for  a  moment  before  your  eyes  catch  on  the  white  flowers  nearby  .  ❛     qingxin  .  this  is  where  i  need  to  go  to  get  them  .  are  you  using  them  ?     ❜ 

you  recite  these  lines  from  memory  ,  reading  off  the  script  that  you  order  yourself  to  remember  every  morning  .

He knows exactly who the girl is before she opens her mouth. Though she doesn’t remember him, he remembers her all too vividly. He remembers the day she became a zombie, and the memories of it sting despite how hardened his heart feels. A young life, once cut far too short...

But she’s here now, in front of him and in search of flowers. He tenses a little, staring her down. It’s tempting to just leave; to walk away without uttering a word. He shouldn’t be near her—not again. But still, there’s some feeling he can’t name that prompts him to stay. 

❝ If it is of any consolation, many people have bodies that function differently than average.  Most do not have eyes that shift to red in the sunlight, skin that does not age and has the structural integrity of tissue paper, or the joints of an elderly person while in their twenties, but there are people like this - there are humans like this.  That being said, even if you are indeed not human, that should have no impact on your value.  Of course, I know it very well does, but such is the fault of society for putting value on such things… ❞

She could go on, about how humanity treats even its own kind like they are subhuman for things they cannot control, like gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or how one’s mind or body functions.  Even those without a destructive ability - or even those with no ability at all, can be treated so UNJUSTLY for such ultimately trivial things.  Scarlet sighed, finishing the rest of her wine.  

❝ Apologies for rambling, you struck an interest of mine; this sort of topic is one I have thought about quite a bit.  To answer your question, I suspect both.  I have known about abilities from a young age - an epidemic of vampires began in Ireland, where I had biological family, and that epidemic has spread throughout all of Europe.  I grew up with tales of this epidemic, as I was born in America and had not experienced them first hand.  Given where my family is from in combination with my sensitivity to the sun and eyes that can appear red, as well as the unnatural way my body moves to add some uncanny and inhuman elements, I myself was rumored to be a vampire many times. ❞  

She paused, gathering her thoughts.  This was becoming too personal, and she DETESTED that, but nevertheless she continued on, remaining as vague as possible while still offering a thorough answer to his inquiries.  

❝ …The one meant to raise me notified me of this curse.  At first, I did not believe in it, but then… deaths became too common to be coincidental.  Of course, it was only natural to connect this curse with the existence of supernatural abilities I had so often heard about throughout my youth, even if it has nothing to do with vampires. Besides, if it were not an ability, would it not be expected for Mori-san to correct my mistake in thinking it was? ❞

"I’m not going to call something a consolation when the ‘consolation’ in this case means anyone dealing with shit like that. It’d be fucked up if I did, all things considered.” Though now was hardly an appropriate time to bring it up after what Scarlet had just said, he had been referring to the durability of his body and the way it healed faster than that of an average human. Compared to what his newest subordinate had just spoken about, such a thing sounded far more like a blessing than anything else. If only he could see it that way all the time.

Rather than say anything further just yet, he quieted down again and continued to listen. He had heard of the vampire epidemic before, though not dealt with it personally, as it had stayed contained within Europe at the time. It wasn’t really his place to comment on it, nor was it what concerned him most at the moment. 

Something still seemed...off about Scarlet’s explanation. If the ability was hers, and truly an ability, it would have been natural for her to believe in it rather than rejecting it completely at first. “...Someone else told you about it? Supernatural abilities exist, obviously, but...no one should have had to tell you if you have one. With your particular...ability, there’s no way there would be a total lack of awareness on your part. There’s usually some kind of trigger for an ability—a touch or another particular action. Even those with a somewhat passive ability still display a kind of activation when it is used. You already saw the glow mine produces. Has yours ever done anything that? As for our Boss...”

「 ✿ 」 And if he was ordered to attack the agency, he should defy those orders—-in Kyouka’s humble opinion, at least. She’d already stated her thoughts on that, however, and it seemed the elder was eager to move on as well; rehashing the same train of thought didn’t appeal to either one of them, apparently. Nonetheless, she made a mental note to keep an eye on him during his time spent around the agency and perhaps just in general if she had the time. It’d be easy for him to plot something nefarious while the detectives were occupied with something else, after all.

“Strawberry shortcake,” came her answer to the far more important question, eyes lighting up in anticipation of when she’d receive the treat. ( On his dime, no less, which made it better. Free food always had a more satisfying taste. ) Their lunch would come soon enough, but after, after, they could get to the most important meal of the day.

“Judging by the way your face lit up just now, I assume that dessert is your favorite.” With the unpleasantness out of the way—temporary though that would be, in his experience—it became a little easier for him to smile. It amused him to see Kyouka act so like a child over a simple dessert, and he couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease. He chuckled, eyes glancing over the dessert menu again. “Very well. I’ll order one of those as well.”

Flight wasn’t easy without wings, even for the Anemo Archon, it wasn’t a feature he made show of. Yet, the god of wind wasn’t even sure his feet touched the ground while running now. The act his ankle had twisted at some point while jumping from cliff to ground in his rush didn’t even register. ( it didn’t matter. Venti knew where he needed to go, and that’s what mattered. when he’d realize his ankle ached, it’d likely be healed already.  )

It happened too fast, but it was enough to register  -     -   a fight that should have been nothing. Be it with hilichurl or ruin hunter, it didn’t matter. It was nothing. And yet an animal had gotten in the crossfire, a familiar animal he recognized well from his abundance of time spent at the Dawn Winery. Venti’s first instinct with simple, to grab the bird before it got injured further and run.

Sweat dripped from his face, quiet mumblings rom the god, apologies or the rough travel. Assuring that they would get there soon. 

( venti wasn’t always one for using the front door - he usually got creative in how he made an entrance. now wasn’t the time for it, and it showed in how he used his back to all but slam into the door and open it to keep the falcon cradled into his chest. he paid no attention to the blood that stained his clothes. he’d clean it later. )

“Diluc -            -”  He rasped, gasping for breath, taking a few steps inside while fingers glossed over feathers, trying to provide the bird with some comfort while Venti’s attention was turned elsewhere. “I-  - hah - fuck -, they…  they need your help.”  -             - @truthchosen​

It had originally been a quiet day at the winery, Diluc going over recent orders and production in the front room. He was borrowing Elzer’s desk at the moment, just to help him keep the papers organized—only for several of them to scatter to the floor when the doors burst open. 

He was about to blame the wind, but the small, familiar stature of the bard just inside the doorway was clearly the culprit. His mouth opened to offer a biting remark, but his heart all but stopped when he saw the bloodied mass of feathers cradled in Venti’s arms. Despite the fresh crimson stains, he’d know the rest of the bird’s markings anywhere.

His falcon.

“How did this happen?!” Panic filled him, quickly seeping into his voice, and he hurriedly took the bird into his arms and laid it gently on the desk. “And why bring it to me first?! I’m certainly not a healer, but—!” The briefest of pauses while he took a breath, and he shouted for Adelinde to bring over some gauze and something he could use for a bandage that would be safe on feathers. 

「 ❄ 」 If the minimal display of his ability qualified as flashy, Eugeo had to wonder how Naoto would react to seeing it in action properly; however, he quickly brushed the thought aside, given that there was far too much risk for exposure. They weren’t far from busy streets, and it’d be questionable to just leave a bunch of ice laying around—-he couldn’t melt it, after all. And, well, hopefully there wouldn’t be an occasion where he had to use it around the other.

A shield certainly sounded useful, though, and he hummed as he imagined what that might look like. Whether a person’s ability reflected their personality, he couldn’t say, but if it did, then that would say a lot about Naoto, wouldn’t it?

As for his business in this area… “…nothing specific,” he replied after a moment of thought, an innocent smile on his lips. Perhaps he couldn’t deny that he might be looking for trouble, but he also just liked to explore. ( At the moment, he had little else to do. ) “I’m not familiar with this city, so I was looking around. What about you?”

“Nothing at all...? Then why come here in the first place?” To Naoto, it made little sense for anyone to be in their current location for no reason, which piqued his curiosity further. If Eugeo really wasn’t familiar with the area, that could be one possible explanation...but that prompted more questions and left them unanswered. It could just be his detective instincts working harder than necessary, but something bothered him.

“I myself came here looking for that child, but prior to that, I was taking a walk to clear my head. My job can be...a lot to take in, at times.” Another sheepish smile, and he shrugged. “I gather I must have walked for so long that I was near this part of Yokohama before I realized it. I’m glad that little girl is now safe, however, and you as well.”

A part of her was happy he seemed to be EXCITED about the cider.  While it was true indeed she did make too much, another part of her wanted someone to celebrate with.  The holiday may have been done, but it had been so long since Scarlet had been able to share food like this with someone, or even had food to share at all.

So, she approached with no hesitation, walking up to the side of his desk and setting the thermos down beside him.  She hummed, thinking about just how much she put in.  The batch she made was rather large, having made the cider in a slow cooker and essentially filling the rest of the pitcher she used as a container with a few different kinds of liquor, so it was a bit difficult to estimate how much was in the thermos specifically.  With some quick math, she deduced given the serving of the 20 ounce thermos what percentage of alcohol would be in there.

❝ I would estimate about 2 ounces of butterscotch Schnapps, spiced rum, and vodka each.  So, a little over ¼th of that thermos is liquor, ❞  she stated with a self-affirming nod.  ❝ You may want to wait until after the day is done to drink it.  The thermos will keep it warm in the meantime. ❞

"Two ounces of each?,” he echoed, peering at the thermos on his desk with wide eyes. He was eager to sample it—it sounded delicious, after all—but roughly six ounces of alcohol in one drink was a lot to him. As much as he loved wine and other alcoholic beverages, he was also keenly aware that he was a lightweight, easily drunk and subsequently easily knocked out before long. There was no way he could drink it while still working.