FALLEN STAR.

#𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒          semi  selective  and  mutuals  only  roleplay  blog  for  𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  of  𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍   𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓.      oc,  double  and  crossover  friendly.      est.  dec  2021.      as  told  by  𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍.      ( they  /  them.  26. )      headcanon  based  and  canon  divergent.      minors  do  not  interact.

          𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃  𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆.

     As soon as the Traveler seemed to stumble, Barbara took a step forward, blocking his path and gently making sure he sit back down as soon as possible. Gliding was certainly off the table as far as the joke is concerned, and her expression stayed one of worry despite his best efforts. His offer to help only earned him a sigh, though it was clearly only due to her care and concern.

     “Aether, I believe you’ve been pushing yourself a bit too much…” A hand came to her chin, deep blue eyes looking away as she thought back, “I’ve been seeing you go all over the place these past few days, but come to think of it, I’ve never seen you just actively resting… Have you been getting enough sleep?” She lifted a hand to his forehead, trying to check his temperature, but wasn’t quite sure what Aether’s normal resting temperature was yet to truly tell… Not like much of her healing could help a natural lack of rest anyway.

     She sits down across from him, pulling the book that held her vision into her lap, “Are you… still adjusting to this place? If you ever need a place, the church would be happy to help you. I’m sure that, um… that Acting Grand Master Jean would also be happy to give you a place to rest.”

❝  i’m  fine  —  really!  and  i  appreciate  the  offer.  ❞      aether  replied,  deliberately  avoiding  answering  the  question.  (  part  of  him  was  admittedly  grateful  to  be  sitting,  though.  )  he  didn’t  really  need  that  much  sleep  —  less  than  most  of  teyvat’s  inhabitants,  anyway.  that  didn’t  necessarily  mean  he  could  go  without  it  entirely,  however.  even  now,  resting  for  too  long  made  the  traveler  feel  NERVOUS.  as  though  sleeping  too  deeply  would  have  him  slip  into  another  five  hundred  years  of  vicious  nightmares.  perhaps  he  was  simply  being  irrational,  and  yet . . .  after  everything  he  had  been  through,  aether  couldn’t  help  but  shake  the  feeling  he  was  RIGHT  to  be  paranoid.

he  couldn’t  go  through  that.  not  again.  not  when  he  had  so  many  things  at  stake.  (  friendships.  mysteries.  a  quest  for  answers.  )

stronger  than  he  THOUGHT,  huh . . .  honey  eyes  peered  quizzically  over  tightly  clasped  hands.  had  aether  really  made  it  so  obvious  he  was  feeling  down  on  himself  —  ?  between  his  hunched  over  posture  and  downward  curve  of  his  lips  . . .  yeah,  the  blond  supposed  it  wouldn’t  have  killed  him  to  be  a  bit  more  subtle.

❝  maybe.  ❞      he  tried  to  force  a  smile  —  though  it  felt  awfully  insincere.  (  an  expression  made  on  REFLEX.  )      ❝  . . . still  not  strong  enough,  i’m  afraid.  ❞      yeah.  that  was  the  problem,  wasn’t  it?  no  matter  how  strong  aether  was  (  or  wasn’t  )  he  still  wasn’t  anywhere  closer  to  where  he  wanted  to  be.  lumine  felt  further  away  than  ever  —  and  that  was  in  spite  of  finally  getting  to  see  her  face  to  face  after  so  long.  strength  wouldn’t  be  enough  to  grant  him  the  answers  he  SOUGHT  —  and  what  strength  the  traveler  had  managed  to  reclaim  was  still  a  (  frustratingly  )  pale  imitation  of  what  he  had  once  taken  for  GRANTED.

aether  sighed,  then  sat  up  straight.  even  so,  there  was  no  point  in  sitting  around  feeling  sorry  for  himself.  he  knew  that  wouldn’t  do  him  any  good.

❝  sorry.  you  probably  have  to  spend  more  than  enough  time  listening  to  other  people’s  problems  without  me  adding  to  it.  ❞      that  sort  of  thing  seemed  awfully  prone  to  happening  in  bars.      ❝  what  have  you  been  up  to  lately?  it’s  been  a  while.  ❞

INCONVENIENCE

also  known  as  “being  an  annoying  little  shit  just  to  piss  you  off.”  this  hate  language  is  small  but  can  really  get  to  your  enemies.  inconvenience  is  a  hate  language  in  which  you  do  things  that  you  know  will  generally  inconvenience  the  person  you  hate.  drinking  the  last  of  the  milk  and  leaving  the  empty  jug  the  fridge,  putting  dishes  in  the  wrong  place,  things  that  cause  them  to  do  more  work,  all  on  purpose.  though  not  all  small  things,  the  biggest  forms  of  this  hate  language  are  usually  in  the  forms  of  “pranks.”  clownery,  trickery,  acting  like  a  jester  just  to  drive  the  people  you  hate  insane.  your  most  likely  crime  would  probably  be  vandalism,  but  c’mon  it  was  just  a  prank.  if  it’s  worth  anything  though,  you’re  pretty  damn  hilarious.

❝  huh  —  ?  uh . . .  ❞      aether  sat  up  quite  suddenly  —  which  (  in  hindsight  )  wasn’t  the  brightest  move  considering  he  was  currently  perched  precariously  upon  an  unsteady  tree  branch.  a  gloved  hand  almost  immediately  scrambled  for  purchase  against  the  rough  bark.  there  was  one  pesky  apple  that  was  just  BARELY  out  of  his  reach.  (  almost  as  if  it  was  taunting  him.  )  he  shot  the  fruit  an  accusing  look,  before  turning  golden  hues  upon  eivor.      ❝  no,  not  at  all.  ❞

it  was  his  own  idea  that  had  landed  him  in  such  a  ridiculous  position.  (  as  opposed  to  one  of  paimon’s  harebrained  schemes.  )  an  apple  tree,  loaded  with  fresh  fruit  seemingly  ripe  for  the  taking  —  no  pun  intended.  aether  was  no  stranger  to  foraging  for  ingredients  to  cook  his  next  meal,  and  coupled  with  the  chillier  weather,  it  seemed  like  the  perfect  excuse  to  make  a  pie.  or . . .  pies,  considering  paimon  could  easily  put  one  away  all  by  herself.  (  her  appetite  truly  WAS  bottomless . . .  and  terrifying  to  behold.  )  he  had  already  collected  half  a  dozen  apples,  using  his  scarf  like  a  makeshift  sling  to  carry  them  all.

❝  these  aren’t  yours,  are  they?  ❞      it  occurred  to  him  then  that  he  didn’t  know  who  the  tree  actually  belonged  to.  (  if  anyone.  )      ❝  i  just  assumed  it  was  fine  to  take  them.  sorry  about  that  —  i  really  didn’t  want  the  fruit  to  go  to  waste.  ❞

@viaethers liked for a starter.

It’s been a while since he’s seen the blonde. Ever since the golden house he’s seemed to keep his distance. Well that’s just unfair of him! He was hoping for a rematch against him. Just the thrill of it was making the ginger rather excited. The thought of finally getting a blade to Aethers throat to show him he’s a worthy opponent to spar with.

“My my my, I didn’t expect to see you comrade. I think I’ve missed you.”

to  say  his  feelings  toward  childe  were  complicated  would  have  been  an  understatement.  yes,  the  other  had  committed  acts  aether  couldn’t  rightfully  ignore  —  but  at  the  same  time,  there  was  something  so . . .  FAMILIAR  about  him.  he  could  empathize  with  the  desire  to  protect  one’s  family.  he  knew  the  responsibility  that  came  with  being  an  older  sibling.  aether  supposed  he  could  even  understand  the  thrill  of  a  good  fight.  (  though  he  doubted  ANYONE  could  match  the  harbinger’s  enthusiasm.  )  it  was  so  easy  to  write  off  much  of  the  fatui  as  his  enemies  —  a  collection  of  cartoonishly  evil  villains  that  might  as  well  have  spent  their  free  time  laughing  manically  and  stealing  candy  from  innocent  children.  but  childe  was  different.  childe  had  been  humanized  beyond  his  allegiances  alone.

although  that  didn’t  necessarily  mean  aether  FORGAVE  him  for  the  incident  at  the  golden  house . . .  (  again.  complicated.  )

❝  oh,  definitely.  ❞      aether  replied  on  reflex,  flashing  the  deaconess  his  most  reassuring  smile.      ❝  never  better,  thanks  to  you!  in  fact . . .  i’ll  just  be  getting  out  of  your  hair,  now.  ❞      of  course,  the  moment  he  tried  getting  up  (  already  mulling  over  where  to  go  NEXT  )  the  world  itself  seemed  to  go  a  bit  sideways  —  or  was  he  really  that  unsteady  on  his  feet?  ah,  maybe  the  traveler  wasn’t  as  okay  as  he  would  have  hoped.  the  blond  took  a  quick  glance  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and . . .  yeah,  there  was  no  way  barbara  didn’t  see  him  stumble  a  bit  there.  that  was . . .  embarrassing.

aether  rubbed  the  back  of  his  head  sheepishly,  fingers  dragging  over  thick  bandages  interwoven  with  golden  locks.  okay.  maybe  that  hilichurl  got  him  better  than  he  thought.

❝  well,  i’ll . . .  probably  hold  off  on  any  gliding  for  the  time  being.  ❞      a  joke.  one  that  fell  a  bit  flat,  all  things  considered.  (  he  just  didn’t  want  her  to  WORRY.  )  aether  knew  the  smartest  move  would  be  to  take  it  easy  while  he  recovered.  unfortunately,  the  traveler  had  never  been  good  at  staying  still  for  very  long  —  especially  after  how  much  time  he  had  spent  asleep.  every  moment  spent  doing  nothing,  even  if  all  he  did  do  was  as  simple  as  catching  the  sunset  or  trying  a  new  food,  felt  like  a  moment  wasted.  another  setback  pushing  him  farther  and  farther  away  from  lumine.  (  whose  absence  ACHED  like  an  open  wound.  )

still,  acting  recklessly  and  running  off  now  would  probably  only  lead  to  MORE  injuries.      ❝  you  don’t  need  a  hand  with  anything  around  here,  do  you?  you  know,  while  i’m  here.  ❞      at  least  he  could  try  to  compromise.

he  holds  bonds  with  people  he  met  hundreds  of  worlds  ago  near  and  dear  to  his  heart,  as  though  he  saw  them  yesterday.  cherishes  memories  of  eons  past.  quietly  mourns  the  loss  of  a  thousand  friends  —  and  could  just  as  easily  mourn  a  thousand  more  with  the  same  fresh  agony.  his  body  is  immortal,  but  his  thoughts  (  his  soul  )  are  so  painfully  MORTAL.  he’s  been  alive  for  such  an  incomprehensibly  long  time.  he  remembers  so  much,  and  he’ll  never  grow  numb  to  it.

lumine  USED  to  be  the  only  constant  in  his  life.  someone  who  would  always  be  at  his  side  no  matter  how  many  years  passed  by  —  but  of  course,  that  isn’t  exactly  the  case  anymore.

                 oh THAT’s reassuring !   for sure ,  absolutely       –  mhm !                     so ,  hm !    MOVING ON from that topic ,  would you perhaps like to find something to do together ,  preferably without fees ?

hmm?  sure  —  !  what’ll  it  be  today?  gathering  materials?  exploring  a  dangerous  mountain?  wandering  through  a  long  forgotten  dungeon  to  retrieve  some  lost  family  heirloom?