WHO: gepard (def) & kaveh (fussiest) WHAT: two blond dorks meet and go on an adventure WHERE: somewhere in district 2, maybe WHEN:*vague hand gestures* sometime in july WARNINGS: possibly nsfw talks, but should be nothing wild
[ how they met isn't important bec we're handwaving this part of the meet cute. all that matters is, along the way, a conversation was struck and they somehow find certain points of interest that intersected despite their differences in disposition. it helps that he's used to such a vibrant and loud character, his energy more than he can measure up to (composure is necessary in the middle of a battle, after all), adjusting to his temperament without so much as batting an eye.
serval, he'd like to think, is as free-spirited though perhaps just a little wilder and less of a thinker unless the situation calls for it.
ah, but he really ... does complain a lot, doesn't he? gepard doesn't ultimately voice this out, even as he walks next to him, their direction aimless for now. it's impolite, for one; for another, they've only just met. it wouldn't do to quickly put a rift, simply because of their complaints.
which, in of itself, seem very reasonable.
in any case, gepard clears his throat, hoping to redirect the conversation. ]
You said you're an architect? [ look, the term is painfully familiar to him, coming from a planet watched over by qlipoth. ] And this is your regular occupation back where you're from?
[ in this current confluence of blond bottom bitches going on bottom bitch adventures, kaveh pauses in his current critique on the dome-curves of some of the lights they've passed in this part of the 'mall' to consider the question that is being posed.
it's in the wording, kaveh thinks. it had been clear from the get-go that gepard, blond, tall, in the kind of armour that kaveh's seen glimpses of from the knights of favonius that sometimes dip down to sumeru on training exchanges or for akademiya-sanctioned joint research projects, knows and understands the workings of some of the things kaveh's found fascinating better than kaveh does. it follows, then, that in a world where it's obvious architects exists, gepard understands the standing role of an architect and how it plays into engineering the myriad of walls that make up the wending maze of the mall. but the wording is off. there's something more there, kaveh thinks, as his attention is diverted from inefficient dome-lights to latch onto the mystery of a world where an architect isn't quite an architect. ]
It is. [ kaveh affirms as he idly tugs at a strand of flyaway hair that's escaped the claw of his hairclips, ] Perhaps not as prevalent as, say, a weaver or a fishmonger, but those of us that graduate from Kshahrewar Darshan of the Akademiya can choose to go down this path. [ with a barely veiled twist of his lips, wry, as eddying streams that take you down errant paths of destiny can be: ] You don't make much mora and it's harrowing work, but I can't imagine doing any other. As you may already know, an architect is responsible for the designing buildings and supervising their construction.
Mister Landau, does the word hold a different meaning to you? I can't imagine you asking the question the way you did for any other reason.
[ he uses terms familiar and unfamiliar, words that are a struggle for him to understand but are able to compare with something he knows. that's the beauty of having awareness of various worlds, of learning about them through the travelers that visit belobog and jarilo-vi; the parallels between different universes seem endless, at times mirror images of each other, and the exchanges of culture and knowledge are boundless.
this is what, he thinks, the astral express crew deals with on a daily basis.
darshan, he assumes, is a school of thought as the akademiya clearly corresponds belobog's cadet academy. though kshahrewar is a term he cannot compare to anything else, so he'll simply have to put the pieces he's received so far and figure it out. ]
Please call me Gepard. "Mister Landau" is a name I associate with my father ...
[ and he's not his father yet, no matter how many times serval looks at him with a pursed mouth and furrowed brows like he's just transformed into the man. he'd like to think he's very much different from his father.
in any case, he nods. ]
Those who we call Architects are followers of the Aeon Qlipoth and responded to the call of the Preservation.
[ it sounds like a cult, but it's not ok ]
They, too, are responsible for construction such as yourself, meant to protect civilizations from destruction. I would imagine you yourself are held to such prestige.
[ father, kaveh thinks, as he considers the connotations. but it isn't right to pry, or to make uneducated guesses; everyone's circumstances are different. kaveh thinks of his own father, and then turns his attention to the new puzzle being presented. aeon, qlipoth, call of the preservation. these are new terms, and the stakes seem a bit higher than kaveh's understanding of religion, but also there are certain sects in teyvat that believe in the power of the archons and visions to stave off the repeat of an apocalypse. though how accurate that is, kaveh supposes, only nahida would be in a position to know.
still, new knowledge is new knowledge, and a new way of thought sparks the potential for synthesis. kaveh considers this. ]
So it's a title, not necessarily a job? And is this 'Aeon' figure akin to a god?
[ they both have dad issues, let's just leave it at that
he's admittedly not as well-versed in the topic of aeons, having only learned that many others exist in the entirety of the universe. that only goes to show how isolated belobog has become since the eternal freeze has descended upon their world, unable to oblige those who travel the stars and share their knowledge. ]
Yes, you could say that. The Amber Lord is said to build walls between worlds to prevent them from being devoured by destruction.
[ honestly, that's all he knows. the rest of the information is kept by the architects themselves, no doubt to preserve the teachings of the aeon. his sister might be a better person to explain this than him. ]
The Architects, then, are both a title and a job, held by those who are guided by Qlipoth.
[ ... strange how he's never heard of an aeon before, however. ]
Did your world also not have contact with other worlds?
[ the amber lord. the title is reminiscent to the way the people of teyvat worship, kaveh thinks. kaveh has never been particularly religious; you didn't have to be, he supposes, when you knew that god existed and did something important up in the echelons of the akademiya, but most importantly, kaveh hadn't gotten to where he had been today through any kind of blessing. a god's existence was similar to the knowledge that stars and planets existed - irrefutable fact, with clear impact on the world around you, but far away enough that it wasn't up to kaveh to determine what or how they led their lives. but nahida - she's different. or rather, the concept of nahida changed what kaveh had known about the fabric of existence, and knowing that, the title of the amber lord resonates.
both title and a job. priest-like, kaveh thinks, but in the way of the akademiya enacting nahida's will rather than in the sacrifices of the late deshretian era. ]
Well, no. [ even the thought of it is novel. kaveh's eyes gleam. ] But the Rtawahists - that is, the Darshan that is in charge of astrology and divinations of the future - have always theorised its possibility. But our world of Teyvat has vast quantities of unknown factors to begin with; it didn't seem like a priority to research other worlds when we haven't even gotten our own figured out. Though that seems like a bit of a point for regret, considering how little I know about our current situation.
So you're used to this sort of thing? This world-to-world business.
Only until recently when the Astral Express crew landed on our planet. We had lost contact with other worlds after the Eternal Freeze.
[ hence the limitation in their technology and their knowledge of the universe beyond.
still, this city has amenities and systems that his own world had before, the subway and train system familiar to him in its similarity to the cable cars connecting the two worlds existing in belobog. it's fascinating, the technology no doubt catching his sister's eye and attention if she were around, despite the unsettling atmosphere it imposes on everyone around. ]
What's your world like, if you don't mind me asking?
[ whichever place gepard is from, kaveh thinks, they must have had it rough. anything called 'the eternal freeze' can't be something pleasant. neither is isolation. sumeru had been an isolationist nation once, or so kaveh has read from history textbooks penned by the vahumana - that king deshret had imposed in his insanity the sanctity of the desert, and the green lord had risen in order to return to the forests and curate the walls of trees that would define their generation. but isolation begets technological bottlenecks, it begets ignorance, it chokes and stifles the life out of the vibrant intermix of cultures. you couldn't have a nation unto itself. it has kaveh thinking that perhaps teyvat was a world unto itself; ignorance is no excuse for isolation, though it becomes an irrefutable reason.
but you couldn't exchange ideas with a place like celestia; you wouldn't want to glean anything from the abyss. the isolation of teyvat is a tool to protect oneself; it isn't a solution. the amber lord seems to believe in walls. ]
I don't mind, but... [ and here, kaveh's head cocks. he smiles. ] What's smaller than an universe, but bigger than a heart? And how would one describe the feeling of looking down from the top of a waterfall and having the inexplicable urge to jump? Those are rhetorical questions - I'm not the best person to ask that question. I only know the little bit of the world I inhabit, and no more.
But if you're to ask me what my corner of the world is like, even then I'm at a loss for words. It's different than all this. It is green, and the scent of jasmines in spring. We're a people of a humid climate situated in the middle of a rainforest, and our ethos has always been to build up; our divine tree that carries up the rooves of the Akademiya into the sky would tower above a city like this one. Everywhere you look you'll see arches and green-tinted stained glass windows. Our aqueducts flourish in open air and we've a kulfiwalla on every street corner in the summer. [ kaveh looks. ] Your armour is lovely, but you would likely bake like a clam in the oven.
[ the image of greenery is, well, novel to someone like gepard. the colors he's most acquainted with are white and gray and black, colors of a world that's devoid of life and that's only started to recover from its centuries of loneliness. he hopes that verdant is a color that would soon spread across belobog, but he knows it'll take time.
he returns that smile, grateful for the picture of abundance. ]
Unfortunately, jumping from the top of a waterfall in my world is akin to a quick trip to the hospital. [ or possibly the graveyard. ] One's urges can be easily dulled simply by that awareness.
[ a rainforest, huh. ]
The south of my planet supposedly had a warm climate in the past, including a forest that could match the size of our ocean. My armor wouldn't have stood a chance if it were still the case now.
[ it's such an alhaitham answer that kaveh nearly reflexively smiles at it, before he catches himself. it isn't as if jumping from a waterfall is advised in teyvat either, though kaveh supposes that if you have a hydro vision or if you have a glider of some sorts, you could mitigate whatever that was coming to you. but that was discounting the bouncing mushrooms, and the four-leaf sigils that facilitated vertical travel. now that kaveh thought about it, perhaps simply looking down a waterfall isn't enough to deter much, when the land of sumeru was so bountiful in how it let you shape your own world.
still: ]
So then 'The Eternal Freeze' isn't just a moniker for something terrible. Truly, the world was forever winter?
No, it's not. One of the visitors to our planet described it as a ball of white.
[ and it's quite accurate after seeing the photo taken by march 7th. the effect the stellaron had on jarilo-vi, even if it's in response to a wish made by the first supreme guardian, is all-encompassing and undeniable. ]
The permanent snowstorm had raged for over seven centuries and Belobog was the last remaining city that's survived. [ perhaps now that the stellaron had been sealed, humanity can thrive once more. ] The greenery you speak of is quite rare where I'm from.
[ the first of kaveh's thoughts: that the change in weather when the world froze over must've required the architects of the city, the real architects, to redesign the buildings so that they could withstand the requisite wear and tear of the harshest climate possible. more than the desert, the snow stripped buildings of its outer layers, it begs for insulation and the perpetual generation of power to heat them - and the upkeep of power lines to continue to have them operate. it would've been a terrible undertaking. only a single city survived; didn't that speak to it?
the next of kaveh's thoughts: that an eternal winter seems a bit lonely. ]
well, he'd admit it's not a picture of paradise that he's painted. even now, there's still so much work to be done with the city, repairing the bridges burned years before. at the very least, they're all moving forward despite it all. ]
No, the cause of the snowstorm has been sealed, but we were told that it may take a very long time for the planet to recover.
[ seven hundred years of nothing but snow can ruin an entire ecosystem, after all. who knows if jarilo-vi would even go back to the way it was in the past? ]
A clear, blue sky is something we've only witnessed recently.
Really, now. That must have been a sight. [ at this, dawn breaks across kaveh's smile. it's a paltry reward for centuries of snow, but there's nothing that quite embodies what that world must have struggled through to see the blue of the sky at the very end.
kaveh considers how he has taken the blue of his skies for granted. there were always situations that were worse, weren't there? and at least the skies in this city are, well, if not blue, then some kind of maudlin blue-gray. enough that the summer still seems summer. ] There will be more skies like that. Seeing it just once is enough to make you want to see it more often, right? There's something to be said about desires and wishes being the blueprint for a brighter way forward.
[ he's not wrong about that; the blue skies brought by the astral express are a symbol of hope to their frozen city. but more than himself, gepard hopes that the blue sky remains for the children of belobog to see and play under, especially for those who have grown up in the shadow of the overworld.
his mouth opens to thank him. it closes a moment later when his eye catches something bright and gaudy, his brows furrowing in recognition.
almost immediately, he turns away, pink rising up his cheeks as he recalls his conversation with his sister. have they wandered into a different district during their walk? where are they heading anyway? ]
... A, anyway. [ brb clearing his throat again, man something's stuck there. ] Are there anyone else from your world in this city?
[ his world? kaveh thinks, well, yes. there is. he's about to say as much, but his eyes are already tracing the direction that gepard had been looking in just now. it's as much instinct as it is by rote habit - the reaction had been a stutter in reality that kaveh can't quite ignore, and an architect's curiosity means whatever it is will be something kaveh wants to pick apart. and so he looks.
uh.
bright, gaudy colours. the store stands out, with its neon sigh. cupid city, it says. what's a cupid? and why would there be an entire city of those things? ]
There is, actually. I met with him just a short while ago. [ ... ugh, roommates. ] No, before that - you looked at that building and looked away. What's wrong with it?
[ look, gepard diverted kaveh's attention with that question. can he not throw it back in his face?
it's very tempting, then, to continue said diversion, but that would be even worse than serval lying to his face. he might be better at bluffing than his sister, but deflecting here would be too obvious. gepard sighs under his breath, reluctantly averting his gaze once more to the offending establishment.
the color on his cheeks remains, a faint pink. like skin exposed to the cold wind. ]
There's not wrong with it.
[ ... he can keep it at that, right? no? aeons be damned. ]
It's one of those niche stores for certain interests ...
[ .................................... digging holes is one of the worst traits of being a landau. clearly.
gepard tries to calm himself and find some semblance of understanding, as embarrassing as this is, that he might have phrased it in a way that's misunderstood. which is what just happened, so he really shouldn't hold it against kaveh for asking such a ... question.
clearing his throat again: ]
... No. [ aeons, qlipoth help him. ] Not mine, other people's. The city, it seems, caters to everyone's various needs through different establishments.
[ it really isn't in kaveh's nature to be mean. or, well, meaner than usual, really - but the sight of gepard landau protesting over what looks to be a slightly gaudy shopfront prickles up all kinds of curiosity that kaveh didn't even think he had in him. it's not as if the explanation helps, he thinks, but he knows that there must be a reason why the description is as vague as it is. the shop is likely not very socially acceptable. but social acceptability is a relative thing. what's acceptable in inazuam could be very odd in sumeran culture. it has kaveh look back again. 'cupid city' glows in rainbow neon.
gepard clears his throat. kaveh looks. ]
You're making me more and more curious with a description like that. [ perhaps he's just teasing a little. it's also, however, the truth. immediately, kaveh's steps pivot. he begins his walk in that very neon, gaudy direction. ] Come, let's just take a quick look, shall we? What's in here that has gotten you so red?
if his sister were here, she'd be rolling on the floor in tears from laughing. serval would've found this utterly amusing, her baby brother embarrassing himself when it's usually her who digs a hole so deep even he couldn't bail her out. at this point, gepard's very tempted to pretend this conversation has never happened.
at least, until kaveh decides to turn around and start towards the establishment in question. what happened to blond bitches sticking together, kaveh??? ]
... It's, [ what did serval call it? ] A store that offers ways to unwind.
[ ...................................... that description will bite him in the ass, he's sure of it. ]
[ offer ways to unwind, he says. kaveh, a skip and a beat away, laughs: ]
Then the place must be perfect for you, right? Come, come, don't just stand there. I won't lose my walking companion, but we're just taking a short detour.
[ into the sliding doors of what looks to be a particularly gaudy place. the faint breeze that comes from air cooling, or so he's learned since arriving, drifts over him in a small, frigid eddy. kaveh allows himself to settle as he peers around the entranceway of the store, and then, feeling emboldened, steps forward to pick at what looks to be a particularly feathery scarf. he's seen this before, he thinks - on the cover of books from fontaine. never figured out what they're called, but kaveh supposes there must be all sorts who use this sort of thing to unwind.
on the other side, a rack covered with what appears to be sets of leashes. for dogs? kaveh considers this as he waits for his companion to catch up. ]
... I suppose there must've been animals here at some point. Dogs? Cats? Not that there'll be much use for this sort of thing now, I suppose.
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no subject
bec we're handwaving this part of the meet cute. all that matters is, along the way, a conversation was struck and they somehow find certain points of interest that intersected despite their differences in disposition. it helps that he's used to such a vibrant and loud character, his energy more than he can measure up to (composure is necessary in the middle of a battle, after all), adjusting to his temperament without so much as batting an eye.serval, he'd like to think, is as free-spirited though perhaps just a little wilder and less of a thinker unless the situation calls for it.
ah, but he really ... does complain a lot, doesn't he? gepard doesn't ultimately voice this out, even as he walks next to him, their direction aimless for now. it's impolite, for one; for another, they've only just met. it wouldn't do to quickly put a rift, simply because of their complaints.
which, in of itself, seem very reasonable.
in any case, gepard clears his throat, hoping to redirect the conversation. ]
You said you're an architect? [ look, the term is painfully familiar to him, coming from a planet watched over by qlipoth. ] And this is your regular occupation back where you're from?
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it's in the wording, kaveh thinks. it had been clear from the get-go that gepard, blond, tall, in the kind of armour that kaveh's seen glimpses of from the knights of favonius that sometimes dip down to sumeru on training exchanges or for akademiya-sanctioned joint research projects, knows and understands the workings of some of the things kaveh's found fascinating better than kaveh does. it follows, then, that in a world where it's obvious architects exists, gepard understands the standing role of an architect and how it plays into engineering the myriad of walls that make up the wending maze of the mall. but the wording is off. there's something more there, kaveh thinks, as his attention is diverted from inefficient dome-lights to latch onto the mystery of a world where an architect isn't quite an architect. ]
It is. [ kaveh affirms as he idly tugs at a strand of flyaway hair that's escaped the claw of his hairclips, ] Perhaps not as prevalent as, say, a weaver or a fishmonger, but those of us that graduate from Kshahrewar Darshan of the Akademiya can choose to go down this path. [ with a barely veiled twist of his lips, wry, as eddying streams that take you down errant paths of destiny can be: ] You don't make much mora and it's harrowing work, but I can't imagine doing any other. As you may already know, an architect is responsible for the designing buildings and supervising their construction.
Mister Landau, does the word hold a different meaning to you? I can't imagine you asking the question the way you did for any other reason.
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this is what, he thinks, the astral express crew deals with on a daily basis.
darshan, he assumes, is a school of thought as the akademiya clearly corresponds belobog's cadet academy. though kshahrewar is a term he cannot compare to anything else, so he'll simply have to put the pieces he's received so far and figure it out. ]
Please call me Gepard. "Mister Landau" is a name I associate with my father ...
[ and he's not his father yet, no matter how many times serval looks at him with a pursed mouth and furrowed brows like he's just transformed into the man. he'd like to think he's very much different from his father.
in any case, he nods. ]
Those who we call Architects are followers of the Aeon Qlipoth and responded to the call of the Preservation.
[ it sounds like a cult, but it's not ok ]
They, too, are responsible for construction such as yourself, meant to protect civilizations from destruction. I would imagine you yourself are held to such prestige.
no subject
[ father, kaveh thinks, as he considers the connotations. but it isn't right to pry, or to make uneducated guesses; everyone's circumstances are different. kaveh thinks of his own father, and then turns his attention to the new puzzle being presented. aeon, qlipoth, call of the preservation. these are new terms, and the stakes seem a bit higher than kaveh's understanding of religion, but also there are certain sects in teyvat that believe in the power of the archons and visions to stave off the repeat of an apocalypse. though how accurate that is, kaveh supposes, only nahida would be in a position to know.
still, new knowledge is new knowledge, and a new way of thought sparks the potential for synthesis. kaveh considers this. ]
So it's a title, not necessarily a job? And is this 'Aeon' figure akin to a god?
no subject
he's admittedly not as well-versed in the topic of aeons, having only learned that many others exist in the entirety of the universe. that only goes to show how isolated belobog has become since the eternal freeze has descended upon their world, unable to oblige those who travel the stars and share their knowledge. ]
Yes, you could say that. The Amber Lord is said to build walls between worlds to prevent them from being devoured by destruction.
[ honestly, that's all he knows. the rest of the information is kept by the architects themselves, no doubt to preserve the teachings of the aeon. his sister might be a better person to explain this than him. ]
The Architects, then, are both a title and a job, held by those who are guided by Qlipoth.
[ ... strange how he's never heard of an aeon before, however. ]
Did your world also not have contact with other worlds?
no subject
both title and a job. priest-like, kaveh thinks, but in the way of the akademiya enacting nahida's will rather than in the sacrifices of the late deshretian era. ]
Well, no. [ even the thought of it is novel. kaveh's eyes gleam. ] But the Rtawahists - that is, the Darshan that is in charge of astrology and divinations of the future - have always theorised its possibility. But our world of Teyvat has vast quantities of unknown factors to begin with; it didn't seem like a priority to research other worlds when we haven't even gotten our own figured out. Though that seems like a bit of a point for regret, considering how little I know about our current situation.
So you're used to this sort of thing? This world-to-world business.
no subject
Only until recently when the Astral Express crew landed on our planet. We had lost contact with other worlds after the Eternal Freeze.
[ hence the limitation in their technology and their knowledge of the universe beyond.
still, this city has amenities and systems that his own world had before, the subway and train system familiar to him in its similarity to the cable cars connecting the two worlds existing in belobog. it's fascinating, the technology no doubt catching his sister's eye and attention if she were around, despite the unsettling atmosphere it imposes on everyone around. ]
What's your world like, if you don't mind me asking?
no subject
but you couldn't exchange ideas with a place like celestia; you wouldn't want to glean anything from the abyss. the isolation of teyvat is a tool to protect oneself; it isn't a solution. the amber lord seems to believe in walls. ]
I don't mind, but... [ and here, kaveh's head cocks. he smiles. ] What's smaller than an universe, but bigger than a heart? And how would one describe the feeling of looking down from the top of a waterfall and having the inexplicable urge to jump? Those are rhetorical questions - I'm not the best person to ask that question. I only know the little bit of the world I inhabit, and no more.
But if you're to ask me what my corner of the world is like, even then I'm at a loss for words. It's different than all this. It is green, and the scent of jasmines in spring. We're a people of a humid climate situated in the middle of a rainforest, and our ethos has always been to build up; our divine tree that carries up the rooves of the Akademiya into the sky would tower above a city like this one. Everywhere you look you'll see arches and green-tinted stained glass windows. Our aqueducts flourish in open air and we've a kulfiwalla on every street corner in the summer. [ kaveh looks. ] Your armour is lovely, but you would likely bake like a clam in the oven.
no subject
he returns that smile, grateful for the picture of abundance. ]
Unfortunately, jumping from the top of a waterfall in my world is akin to a quick trip to the hospital. [ or possibly the graveyard. ] One's urges can be easily dulled simply by that awareness.
[ a rainforest, huh. ]
The south of my planet supposedly had a warm climate in the past, including a forest that could match the size of our ocean. My armor wouldn't have stood a chance if it were still the case now.
no subject
still: ]
So then 'The Eternal Freeze' isn't just a moniker for something terrible. Truly, the world was forever winter?
no subject
No, it's not. One of the visitors to our planet described it as a ball of white.
[ and it's quite accurate after seeing the photo taken by march 7th. the effect the stellaron had on jarilo-vi, even if it's in response to a wish made by the first supreme guardian, is all-encompassing and undeniable. ]
The permanent snowstorm had raged for over seven centuries and Belobog was the last remaining city that's survived. [ perhaps now that the stellaron had been sealed, humanity can thrive once more. ] The greenery you speak of is quite rare where I'm from.
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the next of kaveh's thoughts: that an eternal winter seems a bit lonely. ]
Does that winter still rage on?
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well, he'd admit it's not a picture of paradise that he's painted. even now, there's still so much work to be done with the city, repairing the bridges burned years before. at the very least, they're all moving forward despite it all. ]
No, the cause of the snowstorm has been sealed, but we were told that it may take a very long time for the planet to recover.
[ seven hundred years of nothing but snow can ruin an entire ecosystem, after all. who knows if jarilo-vi would even go back to the way it was in the past? ]
A clear, blue sky is something we've only witnessed recently.
no subject
Really, now. That must have been a sight. [ at this, dawn breaks across kaveh's smile. it's a paltry reward for centuries of snow, but there's nothing that quite embodies what that world must have struggled through to see the blue of the sky at the very end.
kaveh considers how he has taken the blue of his skies for granted. there were always situations that were worse, weren't there? and at least the skies in this city are, well, if not blue, then some kind of maudlin blue-gray. enough that the summer still seems summer. ] There will be more skies like that. Seeing it just once is enough to make you want to see it more often, right? There's something to be said about desires and wishes being the blueprint for a brighter way forward.
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his mouth opens to thank him. it closes a moment later when his eye catches something bright and gaudy, his brows furrowing in recognition.
almost immediately, he turns away, pink rising up his cheeks as he recalls his conversation with his sister. have they wandered into a different district during their walk? where are they heading anyway? ]
... A, anyway. [ brb clearing his throat again, man something's stuck there. ] Are there anyone else from your world in this city?
no subject
uh.
bright, gaudy colours. the store stands out, with its neon sigh. cupid city, it says. what's a cupid? and why would there be an entire city of those things? ]
There is, actually. I met with him just a short while ago. [ ... ugh, roommates. ] No, before that - you looked at that building and looked away. What's wrong with it?
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it's very tempting, then, to continue said diversion, but that would be even worse than serval lying to his face. he might be better at bluffing than his sister, but deflecting here would be too obvious. gepard sighs under his breath, reluctantly averting his gaze once more to the offending establishment.
the color on his cheeks remains, a faint pink. like skin exposed to the cold wind. ]
There's not wrong with it.
[ ... he can keep it at that, right? no? aeons be damned. ]
It's one of those niche stores for certain interests ...
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One of your certain interests?
1/2
[ ... the lady doth protest too much ]
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gepard tries to calm himself and find some semblance of understanding, as embarrassing as this is, that he might have phrased it in a way that's misunderstood. which is what just happened, so he really shouldn't hold it against kaveh for asking such a ... question.
clearing his throat again: ]
... No. [ aeons, qlipoth help him. ] Not mine, other people's. The city, it seems, caters to everyone's various needs through different establishments.
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gepard clears his throat. kaveh looks. ]
You're making me more and more curious with a description like that. [ perhaps he's just teasing a little. it's also, however, the truth. immediately, kaveh's steps pivot. he begins his walk in that very neon, gaudy direction. ] Come, let's just take a quick look, shall we? What's in here that has gotten you so red?
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if his sister were here, she'd be rolling on the floor in tears from laughing. serval would've found this utterly amusing, her baby brother embarrassing himself when it's usually her who digs a hole so deep even he couldn't bail her out. at this point, gepard's very tempted to pretend this conversation has never happened.
at least, until kaveh decides to turn around and start towards the establishment in question. what happened to blond bitches sticking together, kaveh??? ]
... It's, [ what did serval call it? ] A store that offers ways to unwind.
[ ...................................... that description will bite him in the ass, he's sure of it. ]
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Then the place must be perfect for you, right? Come, come, don't just stand there. I won't lose my walking companion, but we're just taking a short detour.
[ into the sliding doors of what looks to be a particularly gaudy place. the faint breeze that comes from air cooling, or so he's learned since arriving, drifts over him in a small, frigid eddy. kaveh allows himself to settle as he peers around the entranceway of the store, and then, feeling emboldened, steps forward to pick at what looks to be a particularly feathery scarf. he's seen this before, he thinks - on the cover of books from fontaine. never figured out what they're called, but kaveh supposes there must be all sorts who use this sort of thing to unwind.
on the other side, a rack covered with what appears to be sets of leashes. for dogs? kaveh considers this as he waits for his companion to catch up. ]
... I suppose there must've been animals here at some point. Dogs? Cats? Not that there'll be much use for this sort of thing now, I suppose.