clashing tens and hundreds of times / a light from tens and hundreds of years ago

[monoceroscaeli]

Who: Childe and Lumine
What: Lumine chooses violence this month and Childe happily obliges while dealing with Moon Presence stuff
When: December!
Where: The Gate

Content Warnings: they're just fighting and yelling at each other so idk if something comes up we'll put it in the subject line



[Trudging through the snow, Childe makes his way over to The Gate, his favorite place in all of Trench. He's easily found there, frequenting it whenever he can when he's not doing his odd jobs. Today the seats are empty, as there's no grand show of Hunters that take on monsters today, leaving it open for people to train. He's hoping someone who's particularly strong is available for sparring today, having finally had a good night's rest from the monstrosities that occurred during the previous month.

As he arrives, he beelines to where he can usually meet an unsuspecting Hunter to try to spar with him. But to his surprise, he sees a familiar face waiting for him instead. He tilts his head, before approaching her.]

Well well, I certainly wasn't expecting to find you here. Were you waiting for me?

[It's...a bit strange, it's not like her to show up here and wait for him. She's never done that before.]

Comments

[traversal]

[ her cat is just as judgmental as she is, at least towards unrepentant harbingers who can't seem to understand that she's being considerate despite her current temperament. so yes, it's also giving him the same stink-eye as she was before it disappears under a pile of snow, eager to cool off just like her. ]

I was trying to make a point.

[ literally. besides, it worked, didn't it? it made him see the light—even if said light was probably blinding pain. she'd apologise, but the moon presence is still strong with her. ]

You should've gone back to the ministers instead of here.

[monoceroscaeli]

But I already did. There's really only so much they can do for me at this point. The burden of the Foul Legacy Transformation isn't something a doctor can just fix, it takes time.

[Childe stops, sighs, and puts his head in his hand for a moment. It's almost as if he can feel her stare burning into him. He just said it out loud, just like that.]

Okay. You're right- I'm not ready to come back yet to have a proper fight with you. I really overdid it. Thank you for making me go to the ministers- even if you controlled my mind to do it.

[He's not sore about it though. He's really got to ask her more about that anyway, but this month really doesn't feel like a good time.]

[traversal]

[ ... she knew it.

whatever match they've had for the past few days, he never took this long to recover from. so now it makes sense why it's taking a while and why his injuries are even more grave than she expected them to be. what an idiot, she thinks absently as she holds out a hand to her omen, letting the cat poke out of the snow and jump onto her arm. ]

I don't remember you using your transformation or your Delusion during our fights.

[ not that she holds it against him. lumine's pretty sure he has a reason why he doesn't use it on her; she simply doesn't question it. ]

Don't tell me you had to use it on the person who broke into your house.

[monoceroscaeli]

Heheh, no, I didn't have to use it on the person who broke into my house.

[He says with a knowing grin, but won't bug her about it. At least for now.]

A monstrosity attacked Trench shortly after our last sparring match. It...[He pauses, taking a deep breath. He'd never fought anything like that before.] I've never seen anything like it before. It had to of been at least five meters tall. I watched it eat another Sleeper, and well...

[He visibly shudders. Those nightmares he was having, now she knows the source.]

I never thought I'd ever experience being eaten alive until that day.

[His hand visibly shakes, remembering almost being forced down its gullet.]

[traversal]

[ he's never getting that confession out of her, not even in january when the moon no longer affects her current temperament. she's simply unwilling to be credited for something the others from their world could've done.

lumine frowns at him, trying to imagine the kind of creature he's encountered. a monster that big isn't very common in teyvat, but even the ones she's encountered of that size (and larger) has never tried to eat her.

... or paimon, for that matter. ]

So, were you eaten or were you not eaten?

[ because he was very much alive when she found him in his home. not that she's about to say that, but last she checked, he would've turned into a squid if he was killed. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Childe looks back to her, looking a little incredulous at how she reacted to that- was that really the takeaway here? He wasn't asking for sympathy, but...]

I was in its throat, but I never landed into its stomach. We were all lucky enough to avoid that fate. Well, most of us that is.

[He'd love to hear if she thought that was worthy enough of a situation to be considered eaten alive or not. Somehow, he feels like he doesn't really want to hear what she has to say on the matter anymore.]

[traversal]

[ oh. he got stuck in its throat.

that makes sense now, and while it's an amusing mental image, a part of her is relieved that he didn't get eaten ... or digested, or whatever happens to those devoured by that creature. still, she's a little curious to know what kind of monster that way if it's huge enough to try and swallow childe while in his foul legacy transformation. ]

That's a relief, isn't it? [ that he wasn't eaten. ] Or else the person who broke into your home would've found you a squid floundering on your bed and might've panicked that you couldn't breathe since you're not in a body of water.

[ and that would've been more inconvenient and possibly off-putting. not that she's the type to panic over something so little, but she might've been a bit concerned. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

Heh. Yes, I suppose whomever that was would of had to get me into the bathtub as quickly as they could. Given that they wouldn't drop me right on the floor due to how slippery I would be.

[She's really keeping up this act. He just sighs; didn't she understand that he'd already figured it out? She practically gave herself away a few days ago.]

But, [he says with mild exasperation,] with my luck, the person would have been a klutz and dropped me several times...I wonder if squids can bruise.

[He keeps an eye on her, always keeping the possibility of her physically retaliating at the forefront of his mind. He doesn't want to get poked again.]

[traversal]

[ fishing for an appropriate reaction. a+ for effort and creativity, but it's not going to work on her.

lumine keeps her expression placid even as her omen nudges her cheek, her gaze on the hunters continuing to spar. as far as she's concerned, she never gave anything away a few days ago, never confirmed anything, either; childe simply made assumptions, and incorrect ones at that. ]

It's possible. A squid's circulatory system is similar to a human being's, which means its blood flows through veins and arteries, and capillaries, according to a book I read. And bruising normally happens if these blood vessels near the surface of the skin rupture.

[ a beat: ] But then, a squid's body is too soft so any impact on it might just be negligible.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He turns now to her, a little impressed. That very random knowledge to have, after all.]

I didn't know you were so interested in marine life. Not quite the subject I would have pegged you for having any knowledge in, Lumine.

[Color him surprised. But hey, that's okay- that's one reason why he likes her so much. She keeps him guessing.]

[traversal]

[ it's just random information, nothing impressive. her travels with her brother have always given her some degree of information about the worlds they've been to, so this isn't exactly anything special. ]

I like learning about the worlds Aether and I go to. It's crucial for travelers to ensure we're prepared for whatever comes our way.

[ you'd think he'd share the same kind of interest, especially while they're in the trench where horrifying things seem to happen to them on a monthly basis. ]

I didn't think that's anything of note.

[monoceroscaeli]

[She's right- he does, and he smiles back at her. It is an important survival tactic too, to know what an area, or in their case a world, is like. He just hadn't expected it to be so relevant to their situation.]

I guess adventuring really is similar no matter what world you are in.

[He leans forward, stretching his back out a little bit. It hurts, as a reminder that he can't let the itch to go out into the arena and spar get the better of him. He adjusts to sit there, content with spending time with her this way instead.]

I'd love to hear stories of your travels sometime. Back home, there was never time, given our priorities. But, I guess that isn't so much the case anymore, is it?

[traversal]

[ while there's so much time here in the trench, except perhaps for moments when this world is trying to injure, maim or kill them. lumine stretches her legs in front of her as well, her omen fumbling down like it's a slide of sorts into the snow. there's that nagging feeling of impatience again, badgering at her to get up.

to do something, to hit something or someone. ]

Hm, there's always time. [ she's always had enough time, like what her brother had told her before he left her once more. ] You just haven't made any back in Teyvat.

[ his work with the fatui, his loyalty to the tsaritsa. they always came first for him, to the point that he's shoved the duty of babysitting his little brother towards her. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He's not sure how to take that. She knows how busy he is, serving the Tsarista and fulfilling his duty to bring her the seven stars of Teyvat. But there is a kernel of truth in her statement. He hasn't made a lot of time.

Maybe, he should have.]

Would you allow me to make up for it now?

[It's an honest question, one he'd make sure to promise to if she said yes.]

[traversal]

[ the question surprises her, almost clears the fog of restlessness in her brain. she ... wasn't expecting that to be asked. then again, outside of fighting her, it's not as if he's expressed in any sort of interest about her, her travels, or misadventures across teyvat. ]

Haven't you been doing that all this time?

[ she's confused. clearly, waking up early just to appease her agitated self, allowing her to use him as her personal punching bag every day when he could be doing something else—aren't those his attempt to, well, make time?

unless she's mistaken, of course. then he's free to correct her. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

Fair point. I suppose I have been, when I think about it.

[He'll take that as a yes then. Childe sits quietly for a moment, perhaps the first time he's been silent since their daily sparring matches began and with it, her demands that he be quiet for a change. He listens to the sounds of battle in the arena as hunters spar with each other, watching their fighting techniques.]

Lumine, [He says slowly,] I don't wish to go home again today because of my injuries. But I know your restlessness will come bubbling back up to the surface at some point. Let's do something else- whatever you think will help. I'd be more than willing.

[traversal]

[ he's quiet, for once. all that time of trying to shut him up, this is the one moment when he's finally done so, and it's of his own accord.

and yet that seems to unsettle lumine even more, the silence a little unnerving. not even the sound of blades clashing or fists hitting bodies seem to soothe and alleviate the restlessness she's feeling. her omen also seems to notice it, bounding over to her and nudging her as it tries to clamber up her lap. ]

Nothing seems to help other than fighting or spending time with Aether.

[ her impatience is forceful, loathed to be ignored, and only pacified during a few notable instances. it's unbearable, truth be told, not being in control of her own emotions. ]

Don't worry about it. You have more pressing problems with your injuries and my issues are not something you should be trying to solve.

[monoceroscaeli]

Don't worry, I didn't think I'd really be solving anything in regards to that. It was only an offer to help alleviate it, if only momentarily.

[And an excuse to hang out with her longer, but that's something he isn't confronting right now.]

Interesting that being with your twin brother also helps. Normally I'd assume the reason would be by virtue of him being family, but that's not how this world works. Is he the same blood type as you, perchance?

[traversal]

[ what a suspicious question.

and lumine can't help but send him a guarded look when he asks her that. childe may have shown that he's a little different from his fellow harbingers, but there's still the wariness of revealing too much to him. not that there's anything tying him down to his tsaritsa at the moment, but seeing that even this world can pull archons in ... ]

Why are you suddenly asking? He's my twin brother. Of course, I'd feel comforted around him.

[monoceroscaeli]

Woah now, there's no need to get defensive. It's nothing nefarious, I assure you.

[That's a look. He smiles back apologetically. He hadn't meant for that to come off the way it did.]

I was just trying to put together how this world works. It would make a lot of sense to me if the two of you had the same blood, why spending time with him would assuage your frustration and restlessness. It's really nothing more than that.

[traversal]

[ lumine says nothing for one long moment, unwilling to pull down her defences just yet. it's information about her brother, and if he's never shared it with anyone, especially childe, then is it really her place to tell him? still, his argument and reasoning makes sense to her, but she's not about to confirm anything just yet. ]

Don't you feel comforted and soothed when you spend time with Teucer?

[ of course, her circumstances are different at the moment, affected by this world and all. but her point remains about spending time with her brother. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

Comforted and soothed may not be the words I'd use, but spending any time with my family is relaxing and enjoyable.

[Twins have a special bond, he knows that. He would never compare the relationship he has with his siblings to that.]

I don't think this is quite the same thing though. But if you don't wish to share, I won't press you on the matter. I didn't mean for it to come across like that.

[traversal]

[ she gives it a beat, before she sighs. ]

... Aether has paleblood, too. But we've never used our power on each other, so I don't see how his blood will soothe my restlessness.

[ considering how mentally and psychologically invasive their powers can be, she's not about to inflict that on her twin and make him doubt or distrust her. that's not how things work between her and aether; just his presence is enough for her, like how she knows she's the only person her brother needs. ]

There might be an explanation for it, but that's not something I think too much about since it's him.

[monoceroscaeli]

Huh. Maybe it really is on the virtue of the two of you being twins. Interesting, but it doesn't give us any insight to your condition.

[He won't let her just give precious information like that away lightly, so he offers a little of his own.]

I've been suffering through my own struggles as well. Where you've been feeling restless, I've found a creeping paranoia that's been plaguing me since the beginning of the month. I don't know why or how to soothe that myself, but I believe that explains some of my stranger behavior as of late.

[Like when he spammed her phone earlier in the month.]

[traversal]

[ hers is restlessness, his is paranoia. which is strange, given how very much unlike him to be paranoid in the first place. she can't say she's never been restless before, but then, lumine likes to think that she's always had control and rein over her own emotions. same for childe, unless he's in the throes of a really good fight. ]

Since you were asking about blood types, did you think that it might have something to do with your blood type?

[ granted she doesn't know another vileblood, so she's unsure if others are affected by paranoia just like him. but she will admit that aether seems to have a shorter temper than usual, which she's always thought was because of her. ]