inbox.

[cryomance]

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ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴏɴ ▸ early takiltu, during the festivities.

[subsist]

[ For Kaeya, communion remains an incredibly difficult way to reach out to someone, if only because of how little control he has over what filters through sometimes. It's clear once Rosaria accepts the connection that something weighs heavily on his mind, but he starts out with the basics first: ]

Rosaria? Are you busy?

[ Not that he has any idea whether or not Rosaria has been brief on the basics of Communion, but there's only one way to find out. ]

[cryomance]

[ So this is what communion feels like. She is instantly not a fan of having someone else's voice inside her head, even if Kaeya's is not all that bothersome. ]

It's a bit soon for you to be calling in favors, isn't it?

[ But no, she's not actually busy due to having no real job yet... ]

What do you want?

[subsist]

It's not a favour. I overheard something interesting, and I'd like to hear your opinion of it.

[ Whatever it is, it's something juicy. Probably. ]

Are you still in Highstorm? Come meet me here.

[ Soon after, there will be a brief flash of a house in one of the lesser populated areas of the island. He doesn't even know where to start, but at least he'll have the time to figure that out while waiting for Rosaria. ]

[cryomance]

Why would you assume I even left?

[ It's cozy under the perpetual moon, and there's only so far she can manage to get out of the city on foot before exhaustion catches up to her. Either way, deep curiosity makes her quickly seek out the place Kaeya's currently situated in, recalling it well enough from one of her many trips around the city.

She slows down once she spots Kaey, waiting for her in a desolate area, well out of earshot of anyone else. ]

What is it you couldn't tell me over– [ She makes a vague gesture to her head. She's still not sure what to call it. ]

[subsist]

[ Why would he assume that Rosaria left, indeed. It would make sense that she'd prefer the perpetual moonlight, much like someone he knows, but still... It was a decent filler question while he tried to organize his thoughts. ]

Communion? It broadcasts every single one of our thoughts, oftentimes unfiltered. I figured I would spare you from that.

[ Even if it had been brief, Rosaria probably felt the multitude of things that Kaeya tried to hold back. Then again, he's always been a secretive man so maybe she'll also understand why he doesn't prefer that method of communication.

Anyway. Time to get down to it. ]

We have Shards, you and I; that isn't so strange. [ After all, they were plucked away from their world and brought to Kenos, saved from Oblivion by Zenith's Matron. ] What I didn't realize is how uncommon it is for those who are born here to not have Shards.

[ Then, his voice dips lower, quieter. It wouldn't matter since this area should be devoid of others, but it never hurts to be too careful. ]

... But they can get one.

[ It still boggles his mind thinking about how such a thing is possible. How can a Shard — a physical, tangible representation of one's soul — manifest like that? ]

communion (takiltu, post-revival)

[kenosnpcs]

[ It’s a day or so after Rosaria revives that she’ll find herself receiving a request that might be unexpected. Cyrus, the Tribune of Springstar and leader of the Meridian, is requesting Communion. There’s a warmth that comes with the presence gently asking to talk that’s comforting, but there’s an emotion with it that’s hard to miss. He’s feeling guilty.

Does she accept? ]

[cryomance]

[ She doesn't want to, but she is curious what this one has to say, so she'll bite.

For now. ]

If it isn't the peddler. What do you have to sell me this time?

[kenosnpcs]

Peddler?

[ His confusion is genuine, but, no. No, he’s reaching out to her with purpose, so other than reflexively parroting the word, he just moves on. ]

Nothing to sell, promise. It’s… Rosaria, right? [ He’s pretty sure it is, at least, but he wants to confirm all the same. ] I heard that you went to Alenroux. Had some trouble.

[cryomance]

Peddler of fantasies.

[ She's spoken to enough people around Highstorm to know more or less what he'd offered them, and he'd likely spoken to the same to learn her name, so she's not surprised to hear it. ]

Are you looking for information on the creatures that stalk Alenroux?

communion - late takiltu

[hundredpower]

[Some time after they've both revived, Barnaby will send Rosaria a Communion request. It's tentative, as though he half expects it to be rejected, but he still wants to reach out to talk to her nonetheless, after everything they went through together.]

Rosaria?

[cryomance]

[ As always, every time a voice pops in her head, it gives her a bit of a jolt, and she can't help thinking this is strangely convenient. She'd been wondering about him just a second ago. ]

If you're here to offer apologies, I'm not accepting any. You did nothing wrong.

[hundredpower]

[He's taken aback by the bluntness of her reply, and his silence says plenty in that it was exactly what he was about to do. After that hesitation, he changes tack.]

I won't, then. But at least tell me how you are, now that you've returned.

please ignore this dumb error of mine

[cryomance]

[ She does owe him for his attempts to rescue her, however little they succeeded, so she doesn't immediately dismiss the question like she normally would. ]

I'm talking to you now, aren't I?

[ Meaning she's alive and in one piece again. ]

I have yet to feel any other side-effects from the death, aside from the usual strange dreams. You?

communion ➳ mid-takiltu

[warmare]

[Hayame does not like communion. She does not like to use it, to receive it, to even think about it and what it means that they can just invade each other's hearts and minds like this... And yet, she does not know any other way to find that woman, so-

Rosaria will feel a cold, distant presence that she may be able to recognize, giving a proverbial... knock upon the "door" to ask for an audience.]

[cryomance]

[ That makes two of them, but Rosaria is slowly adapting to the constant influx of voices. And at least this one "knocked" before bombarding her. ]

What is it?

[warmare]

[It is only polite. She wishes others would do her the courtesy.

But she has news, and she does not know where this woman resides. So she will tell her, prompt.]

I have your spear, though the haft is broken.

[cryomance]

[ Money and supplies were easier to come by after attuning, so she hadn't thought much about it. ]

You actually picked it up? It wasn't anything of value. Got it at a bazaar here. You can use it for firewood if you need it.

Kaeya's house; A few days upon returning from the Scorching Isles

[sharethememory]

[ Well, far be it for Zhongli to turn away an offer of aid when he's at the end of his free lunch housing period and conveniently cannot remember that he lives with a certain red-haired Harbinger. And thus does Kaeya's manor get a plus one guest for a few days. At the start, he does his best to be helpful not not intrusive - cooking meals for the three of them (though never cleaning outside of the minimal messes he makes), being chatty if the other party seems interested, but otherwise out and about still exploring Kenos since it's all still so new to him.

What is a month to him but a blink of an eye?

After a few days into his stay, Zhongli does get a little more nosy - a hard habit to break when one is a helicopter parent for a nation. So he finds his way to the attic to knock on Rosaria's door in the late afternoon or early evening. Any later would be ahem improper. ]

Miss Rosaria? Pardon the intrusion but do you have a few moments to spare?

[cryomance]

[ Is it a suspiciously large squirrel, a ghost, or their house guest bothering her this early/late in the day? Probably the third option.

She's busy getting ready to go out for the night, mostly planning on going information gathering at the many gambling dens of Kowloon, and assumes Kaeya's guest is just looking for toilet paper or has some other inane request, which is really Kaeya's responsibility to take care of. However, she's feeling somewhat generous this evening, so rather than shooing him away, she actually unlocks the door and opens it a few inches. ]

He keeps the rolls in the supply closet downstairs. If he ran out, you can use one of his hand towels. The bright red one in his ensuite.

[ That should motivate Kaeya to do the shopping more regularly. ]

[sharethememory]

[ Ma'am. Sir. Even through the small crack in the door, Zhongli's face melts into one of complete non-comprehension with a side order of "what do I do with this information?". Certainly it would violate dozens of etiquette rules to wander into Kaeya's room without permission not to mention "borrow" any of his things without explicitly asking.

Also red? Why red? What an oddly specific color for someone who tended to wear cool colors as for as Zhongli knew. (Everyone knows why it's red except you, Zhongli.)

In his stupor, he does not even realize the boon granted to him by Rosaria opening the door for him at all. And so he stands there for many awkward moments before finally blinking his confusion away. ]

Ah--- I believe my intentions were not quite clear.

I am not in need of anything. I just wished for a few moments of your time. Just to talk, nothing more.

[cryomance]

[ ...To talk...to her. A bizarre request indeed. Who ever seeks her out for a casual chat? Or even worse– ]

This better not be you fishing for a tender heart-to-heart. I can't solve any of your problems nor am I a shoulder to cry on. I also don't take confessions outside of work hours.

[ Furthermore, she expects a bottle wine first if he's going to unload on her. That's her usual unspoken deal with Kaeya, but she is a little curious where this is going. Enough to wedge the door a little wider. ]

EARLY WARQU! time to commiserate.

[dawnlord]

[ Like a finger being pressed on the upper corner of a book that might be drawn from the shelf, Bondrewd's mind glances across Rosaria's — seeking her out, before withdrawing politely from the depths of her mind. Their Aspects are one step too far for them to be of much use to one another, but at the least they are not polar opposites.

He leaves the impression of a place to meet, a pleasantly atmospheric and quiet bar near to the venue that reads one's shard and fortune. It is not that place that he invites Rosaria, but the place across the street; dark and smoky, and definitely a location that will look the other way — as the man who awaits her is nearly seven feet tall and armored from head to toe. In the dark of the bar, he glows faintly — the line of his mask, several points along the heavy drape of his mechanical tail, illuminating him in the corner booth where he raises his hand to signal to her. ]

Miss Rosaria.

[ With him, there is a small box of souvenirs from Springstar. An entire sleeve of cigarettes sits at the top, with a note written in circular, foreign script — the writing of Bondrewd's native world. It is that sleeve full of cartons of cigarettes that he holds out to her, immediately upon seeing her approach. ]

I am sorry we were unsuccessful. While I am not aggrieved of our loss, it is disappointing to have lost out on such a good opportunity.

welcomes him with open arms

[cryomance]

[ ...Huh. Somehow, she's not surprised he reached out to her, but she is surprised by the venue. Someone must have let off a few hints about her favorite haunts in the city –or maybe she did so herself without thinking. Either way, she's not protesting, as she owes Bondrewd a great deal for keeping her activities a secret and for also suffering temporary imprisonment with her.

They've shared a bond. A reluctant one but also one she won't be forgetting anytime soon, so she meets him at the requested spot and slides into the stool next to his hulking form.

A few stares are tossed their way, but it's nothing she's not already used to. A nun and a hulking hunk of armor are bound to get attention no matter where they go, as evidence by how their thieving venture turned out. ]

You owe me no apologies. I was the one who asked you, remember? Which is why I'll be covering the drinks tonight. Order what you want.

[ It's not an offer she extends lightly. ]

[dawnlord]

How equitable.

[ To his mind, what she offers is not exactly generous, nor is it kind. Rosaria appears to him a woman who prefers tangible fact, not thoughtful dreams. Bondrewd's disappointment is, perhaps, the strongest emotion he has managed to express in a long time — and even that will not last, as he breaks apart their failure and returns it to elements he can use in the future.

One learns from failure, far more than they do from success. He has noted that, about certain groups of people, and intends to do better by Rosaria and any mutual labors they undertake in the future.

Next time, he'll work harder to disguise himself for sure. Considering his iconic and, well, deeply Zenite-associated color scheme, their fates could have been worse. He likes to think being banned from Heliopolis was quite the gentle fate. ]

I will admit, I do not patronize the eateries or bars. In the Abyss, good food was not difficult to come by, but took a while to prepare. Even the time it took to consume it was an inefficient use of my time — hence, I created meal rations with the full caloric intake one might need for a meal.

All that to say: what might you recommend, Miss Rosaria?

[cryomance]

[ What could one recommend to someone with such a limited palate? She's got simple tastes herself, so she wouldn't say she's well-versed in all the culinary delights this place has to offer. However, there is one thing that hasn't changed regardless of what world she's in. ]

Wine and steak. The best combination anyone can indulge in.

[ A little simplistic as well, but if done well, she can think of no greater pleasure. That meal is also enough to find, as there are plenty of places in Highstorm with decent to good steaks and wine menus. ]

I'm thinking of one that's easy enough to find.

[ She sends a few mental images of a familiar restaurant-front. More of a bar than a restaurant, but they serve a reasonable amount of food, considering drinks are their actual specialty. ]

Find me there in an hour.