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
[ 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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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.
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.