citylogs | OPEN + catch-all for December

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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!

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[ 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.

[ Oh. Well, he wasn't expecting that answer. He should have though. This place has a way of forcing one to change in order to adapt to the situation. It's not like Alhaitham can avoid everyone here and make progress in understanding the situation. It's the same reason why the drifter himself hasn't shied away from interacting with others.

Putting that aside though, this Heine person sounds like the perfect sparring partner to test his limits. ]

Think you could let me join your monthly sparring sessions? The more opponents to train against, the better, right?

I don't mind, but you also don't have to wait for our usual session if you decide to talk to him. We usually meet up a couple days before the nineteenth, when a new location is expected to open up.

[He looks around the training grounds once.] Hm, I should mention moving it here this time instead of the usual street corner.

[ He considers it for a moment. If this man was a friend of Alhaitham's, he probably wouldn't be averse to someone contacting them out of the blue with a request to spar, no pleasantries beforehand. Plus, the fights have been improving his mood. He was missing the rush that came with battle. ]

Well, don't mind if I do. I've been getting antsy with the lack of action around here.

[ Nowhere to explore and wander about, nothing to fight, not even petty bandits or wildlife. It was truly dreary in this city. ]

[Alhaitham doesn't appreciate the action that does happen in the city, to be honest, but he understands the way it uses boredom to push them into it.]

You can find him on the network as "stray".

[ He acknowledges the information with a hum as he searches the name up on his phone. Ah, there he is. Well, he'll send a message later.

Now that their spar is done, he has no reason to linger, but... he doesn't want to leave, really. He tried to avoid Alhaitham and Kaveh before, but the spar's gotten some of that out of his system. Right now, it's comfortable here. No doubt Kaveh will come by soon, and things will get livelier, but...it's an image in his mind that he finds himself liking. ]

...I was once made to fix a forge using a device that required a human heart to operate.

[ Alhaitham was owed an explanation for his behaviour, he thinks. ]

[Alhaitham, meanwhile, is already turning to grab his cloak and slide it back on. He pauses when securing the strap. It's only a second before he pulls it tight and affixes the shoulder cape.

Then he turns back to Yuu.] And so this place made you take one twice more.

[It was intentional, of course.]

That heart belonged to someone I...was close to. But I was told he cut out the heart of an innocent and then ran away to avoid the punishment for his crime.

[ ... ]

I didn't realize it for a long time, so I thought... I was betrayed.

[ The real betrayal was by the Fatui, by Dottore, for tricking him so that he could eventually be brought into the organization a century later. ]

[It's additional context Yuu doesn't need to offer. Not to understand his reaction. It's something he's telling Alhaitham, then, because he wants him to know.]

And when you realize it wasn't a betrayal? Was that truth any better?

Lesser Lord Kusanali was the one who revealed the truth to me.

[ And once he knew, all he could think of was how much death and destruction he'd caused the Gokaden, for nothing but a lie. And how much harm he caused, letting Dottore research him to advance his own agenda, acting out violently as the temperamental Balladeer, unrepentantly wrecking havoc across Teyvat wherever the Fatui demanded him to.

The only thing he has left in him now is regret. He's tired of hating. That emotion was now reserved for one individual only. ]

The truth is what it is. It won't change, no matter how I feel about it.

That's right. [Truth is immutable. That Yuu understands that means he can see things clearly.

And now it makes more sense why he's Nahida's assistant, even if the specifics are still unknown. The point, in the end, is that Nahida saw in him someone that needed a helping hand. She offered him knowledge so that he could choose his future with a more correct understanding of his past.

He wonders if Yuu has taken it more to heart than Kaveh did, to realize that he could change the path he was going down.]

Unfortunately this won't be the last time the city uses your vulnerabilities against you.

[ Even Alhaitham didn't know the whole truth. That things could be rewritten if one knew how to tamper with Irminsul. That the mad god the Sages created was not empty. That he was one of the individuals who stood against their plan to save Nahida.

...it will be made known by the city, he's certain. He can't keep hiding it from everyone forever. That he was once an incredibly violent, deranged individual. That he's caused so much damage, taken so many lives. That he's someone who has sinned, and shouldn't be associated with lightly.

He looks at Alhaitham, staring at him eye-to-eye. What would Alhaitham say if he revealed it here and now? If he had to guess, the man would defer to Nahida's judgement. But how would he personally feel? ]

Then I guess you'll learn how dangerous I am, and how foolish it is to associate with me.

[ And how much he truly didn't deserve Kaveh's kindness. ]

[Yuu looks at him, level. Alhaitham remembers the young face that wept in Kaveh's arms, full of apologies for a name long lost.

Niwa. That was the heart that was used, wasn't it.

After a moment, Alhaitham shrugs.] I've no doubt you're dangerous. But here your powers are restricted, and in Sumeru it's highly unlikely you could best Nahida. Given the predicament, forming alliances is to our benefit. You, too, wish to deal with the mutual threat to us don't you?

[Which sounds like a cold way to put their continued association. But this is Yuu, who isn't quite ready to extend the hand of trust. And this is Alhaitham, who will identify the commonality and allow anything else to fall into place as it will.]

You're a worthy opponent, so I wouldn't object to regular sparring sessions.

[ As he is now? Of course not. He couldn't even beat her and the Traveler when he was at his most powerful. What hope did he have now, as a simple Vision user?

Not that he wanted to hurt her any further. Or Alhaitham, or Kaveh. The way the Scribe coldly calls their association just 'forming alliances', like he truly is their enemy is...

It hurts, a bit. But it's what he deserves. He was their enemy, once. He shouldn't be getting close to anyone at all.

He keeps his face carefully neutral, but breaks eye contact with Alhaitham and looks away. ]

You better put up a real fight next time.

[Alhaitham once again fucking up friendship.

He lets out a breath, almost impossible to tell if it's a scoff or a laugh. He remembers that initial praise.] Sure.

[ Without another word, he retrieves his hat from the side of the field and places it on his head, where he can use it to further block his face. ]

You've got other things to do now, don't you? I won't take up any more of your time.

[ He doesn't wait for an answer as he turns with a lazy wave and begins walking towards the exit casually. They're done here, so it was time to leave. That's all. ]

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OPEN + catch-all for December

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