citylogs | OPEN + catch-all for December

Entry tags:

OPEN + catch-all for December

WHO: (

featheradrift) & You!
WHAT: Open post & Catch all
WHERE: Various locations
WHEN: All of December (but the prompts happen early Dec)
WARNINGS: Mentions of child death in the exhibit prompt

i. the city's machinations

[ Understanding the city, the experiments and their kidnappers has always been at the forefront of the Wanderer's priorities. He's spent all of his free time exploring the entire city, trying to find information where he can. There's both so much and so little to cover—though the overall size of the city is smaller than Sumeru, it is far, far more packed with shops, facilities and apartments. Buildings extended into the sky, standing by their lonesome, but clustered together in groups. It's dizzying to look up and see the sky boxed in by the drab buildings. It's nothing like Sumeru at all.

But he knows patience, and he knows thoroughness. He was once a schemer in the shadows, and it's that part of him, the Balladeer, that demands to know all. Then there's the nameless drifter. That part of him is calmed by the purpose, of having a direction, instead of drifting aimlessly. So he diligently explores every nook and cranny, every shop and restaurant, trying to understand the scope of resources everyone was working with, and trying to familiarize himself with the city's strange architecture. He notes specialty stores unique places, stores with goods that are rare, anything that might be useful in the future, whether for his interactions with other inhabitants of the city, or to combat their kidnappers.

It's only once he has a solid understanding of the city as a whole that he decides to finally tackle the unique structures within the city. The buildings where experiments had taken place in the past. He's experienced the draw of the art installation, and the way it twists and turns and traps people, and he isn't keen to walk into such places unprepared. But now, he's prepared to handle anything that may come at him, so it's with only a small amount of trepidation that he steps into the Science Discovery Center.

Almost immediately, he ends up wandering into the office space of the Discovery Center, which is rife with documents and information about the building's day-to-day operations, but nothing particularly special. Not until he gets to the director's office, and his curiosity is piqued by how spotless it is.

Anyone will be able to walk in on the Wanderer making a mess of the office, pulling out files and trying to understand what he can of its contents. ]

ii. the past is a canvas for the future

[ Eventually, his investigation takes him to the museum, which closely reminds him of the art installation in its choice of exhibitions and display of items. But he's confirmed that the building hasn't twisted to prevent him from leaving, and it seems that it is otherwise benign, which he supposes is a blessing, if gods could even bless this city.

But it's a thought he has far too soon, as he walks into left wing of the museum, and he's immediately hit with his past all at once. Not every item on display was related to him, but... it's unmistakable, the ones that are. How could he not know his own past, one that he had forgotten and then painstakingly recovered and made his own once more, because it could not be erased, his sins. They would forever exist in the history of Teyvat, no matter how he tries to reverse them.

Anyone who steps into the exhibit will notice the Wanderer lingering in front of one of several displays, eyes distant, and even melancholic as he stares at the art piece.

a. A beautifully carved statue of a goddess. It's been positioned in such a way against the light of the exhibit that long shadows are cast across the goddess's face.

b. A bloodied nagamaki, with its half-melted pieces arranged in what can only be assumed to be an artistic way atop a platform.

c. A canvas depicting the burning of a Japanese-styled shack, and a child artistically depicted in the center of the flaming mass, burning along with the house.

d. A canvas covered almost entirely in red paint, rendered to look like blood. It's hard to see what the painting is depicting, but there are purple and black shadows, shattered swords and lightning somewhere in that mess. On top of it all is what seems to be a very stylized chess piece.

e. A large canvas depicting a lone blond warrior with a fairy by their side standing against the descent of a mad god.

f. A canvas depicting a towering blue tree, and a familiar drifter in front, dressed in purple and black fading away with a grin on his face.

g. A beautiful painting of a large celebration in a lush, foliage covered city, with a small child as the focal point. Unlike the other exhibits, which are cold and harsh, this one clearly exudes warmth and love. ]

iii. even a puppet tires of dancing

[ In the aftermath of the fairy tales, he hadn't the latitude to explore the newly opened media store. It had taken a while to process all the emotions that had been agitated by the scenarios, to process his own actions and reactions, and take stock of his relationship with those involved.

Though his body would never tire, need food or sleep, the same could not be said for his mind. He was soft, even through hundreds of years of pain and anger. His true nature had been twisted and warped by his experiences, but it could never be truly changed.

Summed up, this meant that he was tired. Tired in a way he has not felt in a long time, where his body felt sluggish, and his thoughts proceeded at the speed of a hydro slime inching its way across a field. He could admit that he wasn't functioning at full capacity, but he tried to continue on as if nothing was wrong, because he was a puppet, and puppets do not tire.

But he could welcome a moment of reprieve, so after visiting the media store and discovering its textbooks, he grabbed a few and proceed to find a cozy nook in the park of the First District. Though he was wary of the park's calming effects, it was something he sorely desired, and so he welcomed the blanket on his emotions. He could take this time to learn how advanced this world was in various fields of research.

Anyone who comes upon him will find the drifter seated on a bench with his head tilted down, the textbook loose in his hands, almost threatening to fall out of his lap. It seems that he's sleeping. ]

iv. wildcard

Feel free to throw up a wildcard starter or plot with me at

Tenkomi!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Then we'll go with what's familiar. [See Hat Guy at his current best and go down from there. Alhaitham's been working on his own hand-to-hand combat, after all.

He slips off his cape and leaves it on a bench before walking to the middle of the field. He pivots on his heels to face Hat Guy.] Shall we do first to the ground to decide the round?

[ The Wanderer sets aside his hat and follows Alhaitham to the middle of the field. He settles into position a few feet away from Alhaitham, rolling his wrists and fingers.

His spar with Hong Lu had been enlightening, but it wasn't nearly enough to shake the rust off his hand-to-hand combat. ]

Sounds good to me.

[ He waits for Alhaitham to settle into position. ]

[Alhaitham shifts into a defensive position with that settled. His gaze is leveled firm and calculating on Hat Guy.

He lifts one hand, momentarily, in the gesture to come. He doesn't expect Hat Guy to need more encouragement than that.]

[ Alhaitham's right. He's not the type to wait for his opponent to move. The Wanderer waits a beat after the gesture, and then charges at the Scribe to launch the first punch. It's quick and direct at Alhaitham's face—meant to test the Scribe's reflexes. ]

[Ah, so he's going for the head first. Given the height difference that makes it more of an uppercut, so Alhaitham swerves on his heels to twist sideways out of the blow. The return is an undercut towards Hat Guy's side.]

[ He's quick for his size, but not as quick as the Wanderer. He twists around the Scribe's fist to dodge the punch to his side, and he uses the momentum to spin into a roundhouse kick aimed towards Alhaitham's exposed side. ]

[Alhaitham blocks it with the side of his arm. It's a solid hit, but not more than a human could be capable of. Hat Guy, he thinks, is either restricted to human limitations or is holding back.

Only one way to find out. Alhaitham attempts to grapple Hat Guy's leg before he can pull it away to knock him off balance.]

[ The unfortunate truth is that his stunt with Irminsul costed him all his power, rendering him little more than a human in strength. Gone were the modifications by Dottore. Gone was the natural power that had been sealed into him. In a way, it was punishment for daring to tamper with Irminsul.

What he hasn't lost, though, are his battle instincts, which have been honed through years and years and years of combat with Abyssal creatures, enemies of the Fatui, and regular monsters and bandits. He's fought for far longer than Alhaitham's been alive, and this instinct is what serves him now.

Alhaitham grapples the drifter's leg, but he doesn't struggle from the Scribe's grasp. Instead he allows himself to drop, and using his hands as support against the ground, he launches a powerful kick with his free leg, aimed directly at Alhaitham's solar plexus. ]

[The lack of resistance should have been a warning. The kick winds Alhaitham as he staggers back, releasing Hat Guy's leg in the process. With a cough he narrows his gaze on him before backing up out of range of an immediate kick so he can't get knocked to his feet and use precious seconds for recovery.]

[ Precious seconds is all Alhaitham gets as the drifter uses the push against Alhaitham's body to reorient his body towards the Scribe. He immediately pushes his feet against the ground to launch forward and attempt to score another hit to the stomach, this time using his fist.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a wide grin on the Wanderer's face, displaying his enjoyment of the spar to the Scribe. ]

Come on now, is that all you've got, Scribe?

I'm not on the ground, am I? [The second kick it deflected with his arm, the force pushing at it so that he can aim the strike of his fist at Hat Guy's sternum. Or... where his sternum would be if he had bones.]

[ He may be a puppet, but his general structure resembles that of a human. Which is to say, it hurts when he takes the hit where the equivalent of his sternum is. But there's one thing he has over humans—his unnatural tolerance to pain.

Instead of flinching back, Alhaitham only gets a grin as the Wanderer grapples his outstretched fist and pulls towards his right to throw the Scribe off balance and make a pointed jab to the side of his ribs. ]

You'll have to try harder to hurt me!

[Alhaitham anticipates that, and immediately leans his weight to stay firmly in place. He blocks the aim at his ribs before aiming up with a knee to knock Yuu away.

It goes like that, the constant trading of blocks and blows. A punch to the face deflected. Alhaitham can feel the exertion strain his muscles. Yuu remains unmarred.]

[ Yet another benefit of his inhuman origin and his long years is an incredible stamina. There were times where he'd have to fight abyssal creatures for hours, even days on end. It's a feat that could not be accomplished by a mere human, hence why it was he the Fatui sent to perform missions in the Abyss. And he only got better at it when Dottore unlocked his inherent abilities and modified his body.

He doesn't have those enhancements anymore, but he still has the stamina of an inexhaustible puppet.

And he can tell that Alhaitham is starting to feel tired, in the way which he's just slightly slower to react, and how his arm doesn't raise as high when he readies a punch. It's almost unnoticeable, barely a difference between the Scribe's usual movements, but it doesn't escape the drifter's keen eyes.

So when Alhaitham rears back after blocking a solid kick from the Wanderer, the drifter takes the chance to charge in with a flurry of hard-hitting punches, carefully engineered to force Alhaitham to dodge to the right and allow the Wanderer to attempt a leg sweep from behind the man. ]

[Maybe one day Alhaitham will pick a sparring partner that doesn't have a physical advantage over him. But then again, isn't it better to hone his own skills off someone with an edge?

Alhaitham deflects and dodges each punch, but Yuu succeeds in his redirection. Alhaitham isn't quick enough this time, and the leg catches behind his knee hard enough to make it buckle, and he can't recover his balance. His back thuds on the dirt.]

[ And that's the end of the spar, isn't it? With an exhale, he stands straight, grin on his face. ]

Looks like I win.

[ He holds a helping hand out towards the Scribe, looking far more relaxed—and even cheerful—than he's ever been in front of the man.]

[Alhaitham lets out a breath.] Seems so.

[He takes Yuu's hand to pull himself up, noticing the brighter expression. Then dusts dirt off his backside.] And how do you feel about your own skills?

[ He hums in consideration, reviewing the spar in his mind. There were moments where he'd been caught off guard by Alhaitham—a testament to the Scribe's battle prowess, because the Wanderer isn't easy to surprise in combat—but it'd gone about as he expected. Very few people could beat him in endurance, and if Alhaitham wasn't capable of knocking him down quickly, then he would most certainly lose.

But Alhaitham isn't familiar with him yet—give the man some time, and he thinks the Scribe will put up more than just a good fight against him. Nearer to the end of the spar, he could already see the man reading the drifter's moves much more quickly than before. It had to be commended. ]

You adapt very quickly. I'm impressed.

[ Wait. That wasn't what he asked. ]

It's about what I expected for myself. A mere human wouldn't be able to handle me.

[The momentary quirk of his lips at that assessment.] I'd wondered about that. Is exhaustion something you're normally capable of experiencing?

[Normally, because with what this place does to them he knows Yuu may still be feeling less capable even besides his Vision. Heine had his biological advantage restrained, after all.]

Normally? No.

[ It's just what it means to be a puppet. To be crafted to sustain a god's will. To be meant to rule a nation in place of one. Exhaustion was not something his mother could afford her tools to have.

But it didn't mean he didn't experience it. He does, just not in the way humans do. It manifests in the way he becomes cranky after days of not sleeping. It appeared when he exhausted all his power as the artificial god, and was unable to keep Nahida from taking the Electro Gnosis. It is less a physical restriction and more mental for him. ]

I haven't tested my limits here.

[ But he's certain, based from what he understands of the way this place restricts abilities, that he'd still be able to fight for days on end without becoming exhausted. ]

But the physical danger is escalating, so it's best for you to at least be aware of your new limits.

[Not today, maybe, but during the lull when he can be fairly certain the city isn't going to spring any traps on him.]

But who here could keep up with me? Even with the way this place has restricted us, I doubt anyone could match my endurance.

[ He hasn't met anyone who seemed to be powerful enough. Even Hong Lu, with his unrestrained fighting style, proved no match for him. Surely not everyone here was human though. There had to be someone who was stronger. ]

There are others here who are physically above what we would expect a human to be. [Alhaitham pauses, a hand to his chin as he considers. Heine is very forthcoming about his augmentations, so...]

Have you met someone named Heine?

[ Oh, good. So there was something who could provide a challenge here. ]

I haven't. A friend of yours?

[ He says with a grin, because he's expecting Alhaitham to say no. He knows the Scribe enough to know that he's not usually one to socialize. ]

[That's a question he doesn't get often. It's not a word he uses often. It's really only been about Kaveh, and for quite a while that was one he had to deflect away from. But he's aware of his own attachment to Heine as a person.

After a beat:] Yes, I would consider him one. Heine has greater strength, speed, and rapid healing well above the human body. Even if his endurance isn't quite the same, he'll make up for it in other ways. We've been doing hand to hand spars once a month.

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