come_sailaway | APRIL OPEN LOG: PIRATE JENNY

APRIL OPEN LOG: PIRATE JENNY

[early risers with odd-numbered rooms might notice that the morning sun doesn't quite come through the curtains as much as it usually does; they can peer out the portholes to see their views blocked by black-painted wood. everyone else won't realize something's off until the morning announcements. there's the chime, and Friday speaks, but...]

Passengers, I'd like for you all to join me in the atrium at your earliest possible convenience! We have a… situation!

[there is no bind on their legs; going is their choice. but, who wouldn't? something interesting is happening, at least. for once.

when they arrive, they will find Friday, and find that she is not alone. a woman - tall, dark, with a flowing coat and a lit cigar hanging from the side of her mouth like an old movie gangster - is standing on the raised area by the stairs; they are having a conversation that's too quiet to hear, and the woman's face is nearly as inscrutable. when enough have gathered, Friday steps forward, her empty hands clasped together in front of her, as the woman puts out the cigar on the heel of her boot and tosses it thoughtlessly to the ground.]

Good morning, everyone! I.. I'd like, I'd like to, well, I'd -

[the woman places a firm hand on Friday's shoulder - spins her, grabs her, dips her low to the ground, and kisses her soundly. at the first touch, Friday freezes; but, at the dip, she squeaks, and throws her arms up to hold herself up. the woman returns her to a normal position, and grins widely.]

Let me handle this, Dajutia. Hm? [Friday nods, and the woman turns to face the passengers.] Tau, everyone! My name is Jenny Storm, but all my friends call me Pirate Jenny! And I'd like to think we're all friends, sí? You could call me an... alumnus of the Serena Eterna; I spent a good five years being a thorn in the side of our good Captain! So, when I heard that he was getting up to his old tricks again, I decided to come around and see the fresh meat! And maybe have a bit of a vacation myself!

[she looks at each of them in turn. her grin widens, showing sharp canines.]

Now, I am sure you are thinking, "Señora Storm? You are a pirate! Are you here to rob us of our valuables?" [she barks out a laugh, then shakes her head.] No, no. First off, we're friends; it's Pirate Jenny! And Pirate Jenny is not interested in such things. In fact, I have valuables for you!

[she makes a quick movement: she sticks her pointer finger in her mouth, and then immediately uses that same finger to make some sort of sketch on her palm. seconds later, that same palm closes around a single white rose, which she extends to Friday. she pauses... then takes it, careful, holding it gentle as a bird.]

I may not be the Captain, but I happen to have a little bit of magic of my own! And, for a very, very low price, I can grant you a few small wishes! Trifles from home, maybe - do you like rocket launchers? I am getting very good at rocket launchers!

Jenny...

Okay, okay, no rocket launchers... Machine guns are as big as I'll go, promise!

[Friday just audibly sighs and shakes her head, but there's a clear sort of fondness in it, and Jenny laughs again.]

So, be sure to chat me up, sí? After breakfast! I may not miss much about this damned ship, but I do miss those little omelets!

[she salutes the audience, and then immediately leaves, taking the stairs down three at a time and needlessly pushing her way through the small crowd on her way to the elevators. Friday merely watches her go; her fingers have worried the rose to shreds that fall at her feet.

the rest of the month, until the 13th, is very much the same, with one exception: Jenny's ship remains at the Serena Eterna's side, a sailing ship somehow keeping pace with a modern engine craft. and Jenny doesn't seem to be keeping an especially close eye on it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he can absolutely be a runner of drinks to clarke just as he is for jinx, because unfortunately he's very much an enabler of drink, always. even if he'd asked just now, he'd pour her a glass from his most recent bottle, it seems the others are empty and just stand as evidence of his awful alcoholism.

there's a brief twitch to his mouth as he watches mizuki dump water on himself, then that question... gods do happen to be on his mind, it's true. most recently because of mizuki, as well as other reasons besides himself and morax on the ship. but it slips his mind that he'd offered this info to mizuki, the question takes his tipsy mind by surprise as he stares at him, then clarke, eyes going wide, paranoia flickering briefly and sharply. paranoia usually unfamiliar to him but sparked since seeing black tentacles and falling in the pool. ] Wh--what do you mean, how--

Why do you ask? [ they don't know who he is, they shouldn't. he's no longer a god proper. the way he sits up in startlement is just that edge of suspicious and nervous. ]

( the first benefit of being the most sober and socially aware person in this triangular conversation is: while mizuki is off to the side, casually dousing himself with water, clarke gets a front row seat to spectate the flurry of emotions that leak across venti's face in reaction to their question. disbelief would be understandable, shock even more so. suspicion isn't even out of the realm of acceptable reactions, or a hungry sort of curiosity.

but. is that nerves? or fear?

hm. )

Because I might need to kill a god soon.

( this pause in her speech is brought to you by The Clarke Griffin School Of Laying Implication And Weight Into Short Sentences To Evoke Strong Emotions From Whoever She's Talking To, and then... she relents a bit. helps herself to a chair across from him, arms folded against the edge of the tabletop and water cup untouched. )

Or something stronger than a god. But I don't know where to start. Can you help me with that?

[ Hey, it's not Mizuki's job to be socially aware. And even if it were, he wouldn't know how to start. Reading people's emotion through mediums of expression doesn't really work all that well for him. Touch? Sure. Body language? Eh. Facial expressions??? Hard no. Still, he's glancing between the two as they speak, and... he does get slightly serious himself. As much as he may be excited about having them together and talking like this, he's not so unaware that he can't piece together this is actually important. ]

I thought maybe... you might be able to provide a little bit of insight about this? I was hoping, at least, we might be able to talk about possibilities and such if it... if it had to come down to it? And I know you said your world had a lot of gods in it, even, so this sort of question should be right up your alley, right?

[ his stare at clarke is fixed and almost blank, then--mizuki's follow up seems to snap him out of it a little. paranoia and fear flares then dies down like a small flame blown by wind. he blinks as if from a slight daze, touches lightly to his temple. he'd never say he'd had too much to drink because that might as well be impossible, but... also, he's never quite been a paranoid drunk before. ] Ah, I see--! No, it's no problem, I can definitely help as much as I can. Oh, I did tell you a little about this at the party, didn't I... [ it's coming back to him now, he seems to relax more as he sits back again and refills his glass.

more of his wit returns to him now after that brief spell of... whatever it was. he's fine. perfectly fine. ]

I do come from a land of gods and their countries. All nations in Teyvat are under the guidance of their patron god, except for one: my own. [ the country he comes from, and also the one under his jurisdiction as its former god. ] Many gods have perished in my world during the Gods' wars thousands of years ago, and the years since then.

[ as for fighting the powers above even gods: that's something he may yet may be evasive even to the hero of his current era, for now. it may require a god with more conviction than him when his old friend, goddess of ice and love would challenge the heavens. ]

I could certainly tell you a few stories of those gods' falls. But before I do, the god you seek to kill--

Do I assume you mean the Captain?

( that blank, fixed stare is met with an evenly burning intent flecked amidst the otherwise sea blue quality of her irises. but then he's distracted, looks sidelong at mizuki and seemingly returns to the outer rim of the land of the functional. for now she let's that suspended moment of sizing each other up slide, content that venti's proved to be a cooperative interviewee. he starts talking, and clarke gently nods along — as if, of course, she understands every part of this and isn't merely filing it away to be chewed over later — until he's got a question to pose back her way. )

I don't know if he's a god.

( look, pirate jenny hadn't exactly spelled out things in the most digestible, straight forward way. but clarke's in information gathering mode, trying to at least give herself a baseline for all possibilities before sinking her teeth into one and following it through to the end. )

And I don't know if he can be killed, but.

( but yeah. this is an unspoken, heavily implied but yeah. )

[ There's nothing wrong with talking about killing the Captain while on his ship, haha. But also, maybe they shouldn't use his name so blatantly? Should Mizuki bring this up? He feels like maybe he should. But also, maybe they would need to go over to Jenny's ship instead...? He doesn't really want to do that. And there's no guarantee that he still couldn't listen, either! Ughhhhh... ]

Or, at the very least, incapacitation would work for the purposes of trying to get everyone home. Getting rid of him so nothing like this happens again would be nice, though. It may even give the ghosts on board some kind of peace.

[ it's true, it's rather reckless to talk of captain-icide right in the captain's own boat, but on the other hand where could they really go?... inside a cabin, but he doesn't quite know that info and, they're all on this murderous ghost cruise together. surely open talk of mutiny wouldn't be uncommon on this voyage or even previous ones. ]

I've also suspected the Captain of being as such. [ and friday could potentially be her familiar. gods in his homeworld would be rather hands-off in regards to each others' territory ever since the wars, but he supposes he can't quite be so laissez faire as a passenger here. ] But I haven't met him, and if he were a god-- [ he'd be a different type of god than venti himself. having caught a glimpse of power from a god from another world, and he's already very aware of how varied in power and form gods are. he, for instance, as one of the weakest. ]

If he were, it shouldn't be impossible to kill or incapacitate him. Gods are not as all-powerful or indestructible as they may seem, this should hold true even across varied worlds. They could be slain or sealed away. [ ... actually, he should bring that up to morax. he as barbatos hadn't sealed any however, it contradicts his nature of freedom. ] I don't have knowledge of the methods of the latter, but I have tales of the former. Shall I share a summary of a few?

( it probably says a lot about clarke griffin's problem solving tactics — and herself as a person — that she'd absolutely skipped over the possibility of sealing the captain somewhere where he simply couldn't hurt anyone else. consign him to his own, lonely, cruise — just deprived of passengers, and see what sort of suffering he'd create from his own body to entertain his bloodlust. no, she'd gone directly to cold blooded murder. divine destruction. absolute annihilation. virulent vengeance for the souls of people she'd never known and never would, yet that still served her dinners and pulled down her bed. maybe even a piece of peace for friday, and pirate jenny.

...peace for herself, for natsuno. for the dead that sorta wished they remained dead, and the living who wanted to reclaim their lives. for anyone who didn't want to be a pawn in a sadists indulgent chess game. )

I'd like to know whatever you know.

( how you know it isn't currently on the radar, but who knows, maybe that's a mystery for another time.

again a mark of insistence and stubbornness, clarke's leaning a little further forward onto the table. straining to catch and hold venti's gaze, and letting an ounce of the burning desperation swirling in her chest to leak across her face. to spark in her eyes, the promise of a forest fire in their future if only she couldn't learn how to strike the match correctly. )

And I mean everything. Please.

[ In Clarke’s defense, it isn’t as if Mizuki has quelled her murder thoughts at all. It was his first as well, and he was more than happy to let her know about the whole… murder god thing with Venti.

Now, though, he falls completely silent, with his eyes curiously and intently on Venti. For him, this isn’t just about the Captain, after all. He still has a god back home he wishes to kill. ]

[ it should probably be unnerving to a former god how intent clarke looks in wanting to learn how to slay a god, but the paranoia passed and he does quite have trust in her, he would offer what help or aid he could. that look on her face... there are times people could be like cornered animals and strike back as viciously to their captors, even if their captors are gods. he saw it personally. experienced the victory of freedom and the terrible loss he'd never quite recovered from.

he finishes his glass, then idly runs a finger around the rim to produce a clear note; not exactly his lyre, but he always feels better when he could have a bit of musicality to accompany telling of tales, as his eyes go half-closed in reminscene. ] Then let me offer three tales for your consideration, how gods have fallen, back home... [ his voice going vaguely lilting, almost melodic in storytelling mode. ]

Thousands of years ago the gods warred against one another for a seat at the heavens, for celestial power even above their own. Many, countless deities perished in these battles... demigods, dragons, goddesses of humble reigns. Gods would clash for territory, for worship, even if they might try to broker peace it may be shattered. Such as, in a faraway archipelago nation there once was a serpent god who invaded an island under the protection of the goddess of lightning. Her kagemusha would venture to slay the serpent with a devastating slash of her sword, cleaving the very island in twain! So would the first story be that gods can be slain by other gods.

From those islands, would my next two tales be closer to my heart: my homeland was once battled over by two great gods, the Wolf-King of the North and the God of Storms. Long was their feud, their lands ravaged by savage cold winds and storms. Their disagreement could possibly end only in the death of one or the other. Yet when the Storm God finally fell and the seat at the heavens offered to the Wolf, he realized that he had no love in his heart for humanity and willingly turned the Celestial power down. He set down his very life, his purpose seemingly fulfilled with his nemesis' death. His spirit would linger to protect the wolves of his country while his physical form died. Our second story shows that a god may perish of their own accord.

Last, that Storm God...

[ ...

he lets out a breath, then gets a bottle and refills his glass again, looking suddenly almost tired or faraway, but only for a second. then the small catlike smile is back, mildly bright at both clarke and mizuki, a tilt of his head. ] How about a guess, how he might have died?

( a cornered animal is an adept comparison. angry and near frothing at the mouth, considering if biting the hand that feeds it is a better alternative to gnawing off her own in some desperate desire for freedom. whole world order disrupted, stumbling to navigate sea-faring waters without adequate sea-legs. but still breathing. still ready to snap, and claw, and dig until some of the ground beneath her started to feel stable enough to stand upon. it helps, to deal with this entire situation, if she knows there's one concrete enemy they can all conspire against. it makes it easier to focus on one threat than the idea that there could be so, so many others on board. enemy of my enemy, etc.

venti's melodic retelling of histories not her own aren't quite enough to quench the ever present desire for action and some loose translation of justice, but they're intoxicating. grow up on an isolated space ship so far removed from leisurely arts, and chew on 100 year old pop culture references until you could call the shots of an old soccer match from memory, anything new always held appeal. the pictures he paints are vivid and defined, enough so that clarke might even want to draw them some day. but past beautiful storytelling, she's digging through details in her best attempt to filter out what's useful and what's just poetry.

one god killed another, good to know. maybe she needs to dig deeper into religions and find a god who could give the captain a run for his money, or beat him at his own game.

one god gave up. understandable, honestly, how exhausting must never-ending life and responsibility be? clarke's been at it for a year and would really like a nap, but has already accepted she will rest when she's dead. but their quarry already seems to hold no love for human life, just a bone deep desire to feed on their suffering. and, bringing this whole thread back to meat juices, questionably raw steak, and cannibalism — hunger was a driving force that was almost impossible to overcome. that option doesn't seem likely.

and then in true storyteller form, venti teases out the last answer. clarke can follow a list format, but her answer is admittedly entirely hanging on the persistent hope that she's going to walk away from this conversation with some semblance of an answer. then be able to form a plan. )

People? At the hands of mortal, powerless beings?

[ Mizuki shuts his eyes for a moment while he listens to Venti, doing his best to picture the series of events in his head. It doesn't work very well, however, as his recounting of anything god-like is just... dark. Cruel. Disastrous. It's very hard for him to try and picture them as anything but that, so he can only follow along and digest what information he can. This information, of course, doesn't really help him with his own godly problems back home... but maybe Clarke can glean something from this to help with the Captain?

There's a brief pause when Venti's storytelling prompts them to answer, and he flicks a glance to Clarke before tentatively adding onto her answer: ]

"The camaraderie of your friends. And with force"...?

[ He lulls his head a bit. It's an unusual answer for him to give, but if Clarke pays any mind to the subtle air quotes he gives against his knees, it seems like it's not actually his answer. ]

[ exactly so, for both clarke and mizuki.

gods can kill other gods, this much is obvious. who could know, there might just be a god or ex-god on this very ship who'd done quite a lot of godslaying and -sealing himself. the question of power levels is more in question when the captain has apparently the power to kidnap them all here together but there's the first option: fight fire with fire, if other deities could be found, where could they possibly be...?

gods could lose their will and die: also tricky when they hadn't seen the captain exactly and have little or no idea what his motivation is. but if there is one, then to find and destroy it--

and the last method. his smile is a little secretive at the both of them as he curls his hands around his glass. ] Mm, that's right. Don't call yourself powerless, never underestimate the power you have even as mortals. [ it's what he admires about them so much. ] There are times humanity could be just as formidable as gods or even more, especially with camaraderie and... force.

That tyrant God of Storms locked away his own people within the walls of his city, forbidding them their freedom and the very skies above. But even in the Gods' wars the might of people is a force all on their own. The city rose up against him, flying the flag of rebellion, turning against their very deity. And when his human lover struck him with her arrow and his tower fell and his storms died to part the skies, this was when he realized the might of humanity could overcome even a god's tyranny...

[ but not without heavy loss; he closes his eyes briefly, finally takes the glass to his lips. the telling of this story always brings an ache that drink can't cure, but he tries. ]

I wouldn't be surprised if such a rebellion could occur again on this very ship.

( sorry mizuki, she's not paying the slightest bit of attention. entirely dialed in to venti's story — picking out various similarities to his history lesson and their current predicament. nodding her head at various points that she vows to commit to memory, like she's already decided okay, then that's what we're going to have to do. fighting down the swell of childish excitement at finally, finally feeling like they were getting somewhere; the rush of hope that clarke knows better to indulge, because the beginning tendrils of a plan and the hint of possibility weren't going to be enough.

but damn if this wasn't exactly what she'd hoped to hear. with the exception of... well. we'll get there. and damned if she doesn't practically vibrate in her seat for a second before leaning even further over the table. )

How much of a part did being betrayed by a human confidant play in finally beating him? ( is a lover necessary here, because — gross. ) And how long did they have to fight?

( because, really. they can't have been the first set of passengers to give rebellion a try, yet this ship has continued cutting through the waters and grinding down souls for... ages. )

We might be able to take that off the table. Jenny's already slept with the Captain, so it's probably something she's tried already.

[ Yeah, he's just going to leave that there. ]

And, anyway, you were there for something like that, Venti?

[ Mizuki looks perhaps too happy looking between the two as they speak, watching them talk about these heavy subjects so seriously and with so much care in their thoughts. He can see them, but he knows they're there. This whole conversation stems simply from wanting to do what's best for the passengers, after all. And the more Venti continues to talk about his own god problems and such, the brighter Mizuki seems to get. It's not something that he can use, and he's pretty sure that Terra is forever just going to have to be in fear of the threat that the elder god of his world poses...

But there's something so incredibly heroic about hearing this story. And it warms this little sea jelly's heart perhaps more than it should for a situation like this. He finds himself pulling his legs up into his seat and hiding a big, silly smile into his knees. Look at these two...! These two heroes who care so, so much about people...! These two who have made such hard decisions in their lives...! These two who just seem to love and care so deeply... And they're Mizuki's friends! His friends, his friends, his friends... ]

I wish I had some questions to ask at this point... to help try and brainstorm, but you're so... what's the word... dazzling when you're focused. [ Mizuki, please. ] It's almost like I can see the gears turning. So intent and valiant and... like maybe I can reach out and hope just a little bit of that light might reach me.

[ Is that weird? No, no, he's saying normal things right now. It's fine! It's why he's hiding his face in his knees like a normal person with normal feelings has, right? Right. He's just really into heroes, okay? ]

Edited 2022-04-14 02:09 (UTC)

[ telling tales is his livelihood, of course he wants to give all the useful information he can but also of course, he has to do so through storytelling. and then maybe get down to business afterwards, and after a good drink as he finishes his glass and pours himself another. what could possibly be valiant about being a drunk questionable bard telling stories about the deaths of gods? his look to mizuki is a bit wide-eyed and curious but admittedly, it's flattering to be looked at so admiringly. especially by someone who likes him, or so he thinks, hilariously. his cheeks turn a bit red, in addition to the wine. ] Hm? No, I'm simply happy if I could provide what information I can! [ and the funny thing is, the both of them have an almost similar draw towards heroes (venti... rather less intensely perhaps...) and the person here who fits that role almost exactly is-- ]

We don't necessarily need a confidant to get close to him to betray him. The rebellion was a hasty affair, so it's possible that god Decarabian could have crushed it if it had went on longer. I believe his lover Amos struck him in the heart, but I wasn't there. [ he was outside, fluttering down towards the fallen form of his friend and the sight of the arrow that had pierced him-- ] I...

[ ..........

he turns to look at mizuki, wide-eyed for a different reason now because hold on a moment, what did he just say. something that even interrupted his reminiscence of that painful past. ]

Miss Jenny did what now?

( clarke is still not paying mizuki much mind here. sorry she's a bad friend, there's just a lot to focus on between the hints and hopes spilling out of venti's mouth, and her own chaotically swirling thoughts. she's trying to listen, while also draw up a list of rebellion leaders among their fellow passengers who could be trusted to make hard choices and not turn on their alliance, and —

well, there's only so much one can ignore from the peanut gallery before clarke is flicking her eyes towards mizuki and just... if ??? had a face, it'd be hers in this moment. this is not the time to be waxing poetic about heroics or boosting their egos about this arguable foolish quest. celebrating victories and valor could wait until after they'd won, or even just knew they were right — and then she's turning back to venti to continue nodding along.

it's gonna have to be a killshot. decarabian was an ominous but kind of cool name, she'd look for it in any literature among the library's disorganized stacks, just in case there were further clues. a surprise rebellion was key, but what was the best way to disguise their efforts. and — wait, what now about jenny?

it's honestly not until venti's attention is completely sidetracked by jenny's forays that clarke follows suit, squinting over at mizuki with a mix of confusion and alarm. how does he know that. why would he know that? why would jenny share that? and... honestly? that poor god-woman.

not exactly wry, but similarly not surprised: )

...Maybe that's why she told me to kick him in the dick, and save her a few shots.

( after all, clarke's having a very hard time not imagining it as some unhealthy dynamic where jenny's endgame had been to regain the souls of her brothers, where as the captain simply desired to get his fingers deeper into her soul.

jumping to conclusions? absolutely. do they galvanize her thoughts? absofuckingloutely. )

Okay, so we can nix the lover. Or concubine, whatever. ( and honestly thank god, after jenny's parting nugget of wisdom during their conversation, clarke's newest fear has been a spring wedding. ) So, what about some sort of right hand man? If he made Friday there's no way he'd give her the option to get close enough and stick him full of arrows, but if someone else were to get inside his confidence... Preferably without taking the same route Jenny did.

( killing everyone on board, yikes. )

[ He slightly picks his head up from his knees, just enough so he can look at Venti. ] Had sex with the Captain? [ Is "slept with" not an old time-y phrase? He's not sure. Whatever, he can be blunt about it, no problem. Granted, she didn't actually say this to him, but he could extrapolate things sometimes... and that one was a little on the nose for him. ]

Ehehe, did she really tell you that? Makes sense, I suppose. But that means now we know he does have a physical form, right?

[ Which means munchies are possible, maybe?? Oh, actually, maybe he shouldn't think about that. He's still starving... ]

Whoever we decide on, it's for the best we don't say so out loud, I think. Just in case. The walls have ears and all that, you know? That aside, though, are we sure something like that will even work? I can't say I asked Miss Jenny what kind of person the Captain even is.

[ in contrast, venti had asked jenny for wine and......... look, he has great priorities, thanks. that and he isn't quite an interrogative type after all, he can recognize his strengths and weaknesses. strengths: story-telling, singing, drinking. weaknesses: a lot else. he could try to trust in others to extract more useful information, when he thought he could offer jenny a song and possibly some calmer company, however useful that is or likely isn't.

and what interesting information this is, but. how unfortunate for jenny. she probably deserves more than just a drink and song and... whatever questionable and murderous schemes she'd pulled.

also mizuki has a point, it'd slipped his mind more after he'd told his stories and had a few more glasses of wine, predictably. ] If Miss Jenny already tried to sabotage him I suppose he would be wary of any other passengers trying to get close to him. We could think about the details more and yes, in a safer location. [ if those even exist, on the ship. conversations of conspiracy could happen in bars even if there's a crowd, how the sound of other drinkers and bar-goers could provide muffling background noise even with the risk of being overheard. but the ship's bars are full of ghosts only, it's a bit obvious to discuss details of backstabbing the captain. ]

But, some last information-- [ that he thinks should be safe to tell, even if overheard. ] Humans have overthrown or destroyed their own god at least twice, where I came from. Both times they did have the element of surprise, when their god could overpower them otherwise. Gods come in various forms, very few are the same, so don't consider the 'heart' necessarily a weak point for all of them. And when they die, they unleash a wave of elemental power that could be fatal to people...

[ it'd sent arrows flying until one hit his friend. ]

( munchies are absolutely still on the table, just... after everyone calms their gag reflexes. this was all very gross, and tugs at the moral heartstrings. poor jenny indeed, and where clarke had initially been set on manhandling this entire project, if their pirate guest is around at the right time, she's no problem saving her a few kicks. get it, jenny.

that call for a safer location is absolutely logical. in fact, for the first time during their entire conversation, clarke's casting an eye around any other inhabitants of the bar, as well as paying special mind to the empty seats around them. and any corner that gathers shadows. that raises the question of where here is safe, exactly; if the captain was everywhere and nowhere at once, what was privacy if not much more than an illusion? or was friday correct when she'd said he could only really tune in alongside his anchors? what's an anchor anyway, how did they find them and avoid them? it doesn't take long for the levity of her spirits to be weighed down again, with more and more questions.

but clarke's dragged from this reverie, and the subsequent continual plotting, when venti offers one more piece of information. as she listens, her first thought is to ask after those historical weak points — how many could there be? how much could the myths and realities change throughout worlds? there had to be some sort of rule set. but, no, the mention of a veritable deathwave that could descend upon their heads in the wake of success is... jarring. vividly nauseating, but not unfamiliar. further clarification is necessary. )

Just "could be"? Or always is?

[ Hey, Jenny made her grave, she could lie in it. It's hard for Mizuki to have sympathy for her, all things considered. The only thing he could really feel for were her brothers, but even then... ]

Teyvat sounds like such a strange place. Overthrowing gods multiple times isn't something I can easily wrap my head around... I can't even think about doing it for one god, really. [ As much as he wants to.

Mizuki has now settled his chin against his knees, his previous burst of giddiness gone. For now, anyway. Something may be bound to spur it on again, but this, once again, seems like something he should be paying attention to. Though, with that in mind... ]

There's no telling if the Captain is an elemental creature. Especially if he has to take souls and such, right? Maybe that's not something we have to worry about.

Gods of other worlds are likely different than they are back in my homeland, this is true. [ a look to mizuki here, because he would still like to talk to him of that sea god, but he supposes only when he's ready. ] I can only speak of my own experience and the stories I know. I didn't see the moment Decarabian fell, but I saw his power over the storms die and his tower shatter. Amos perished even as she shot her lover. And there's a long-lost tale of a goddess slain by her own people, who crystallized and froze them into pillars of salt at her moment of demise...

Things might work differently here, or the Captain might be far stronger than a god after all. If even nothing else I've said would be accurate or useful, I still have faith in one truth: humanity could overcome gods. I have faith in this, across worlds.

[ the fact that his people overthrow decarabian is after all, the entire reason he even exists today as a bard instead of a small wind spirit, or just a strand of wind. ]

Edited 2022-04-14 05:39 (UTC)

( and then here's clarke, hailing from a society that put more faith and reverence in historical scientists and plantlife than any abstract, absent idea of a god. wars were fought and people died over chipped forms of artificial intelligence, land, resources, and the right to survive. uprisings and rebellions happened in spades, leaders slaughtered or lauded. but all of them, all of them had been human or man-made. the only enemy clarke's faced that didn't have some semblance of a pulse had been a wave of radiation that had flattened the entire world and burnt anyone on the earth's surface to ash.

so, deathwave. not an entirely new concept. but despite her propensity for making those hard choices and calling the shots with confidence, that... isn't a fate she can willingly sign everyone up for. not yet. a problem for another time, maybe, like immediately after they kill their captor and have to deal with any inevitable fallout. it's fine. this is fine.

venti's faith in humanity far eclipses her own, and right here is finally the moment that clarke reaches across the table to take the bottle once he's done pouring his own cup. and that's it, it's her bottle now; she's leaning into the backing her seat and pondering for a few long moments, not taking a sip yet but thoughtfully swirling her thumb around the spout. )

And did you — either of you, have things stronger than gods back home? ( specifically to mizuki in this moment; ) What's the difference between a god and an elemental creature?

[ Thanks, Clarke, someone needs to keep Venti in check... and it's certainly not going to be Mizuki. ]

Hm... [ A quick glance over at Venti, and an apologetic smile to say "sorry you have to sit through this explanation again..." ] Deities and such of my world are few, and I don’t know that much about most of them as they’re not exactly physically present as far as I’m aware. Sans one. Or… I suppose sort of two? There's another country, Laterano, that holds a god named "The Law". It apparently lies underneath Laterano's cathedral, but there's no records or anything of it truly existing, so I cannot say I know much of it.

[ And hopefully, that little tidbit of information is enough to keep Venti entertained while he goes back into his eldritch abomination spiel. ]

My race, Aegir, have a country called Aegir. I was not raised there personally, so all the information I have about this is through research and such. But, in my world, there are beings called "Seaborns". More colloquially known as "Sea Terrors". They're monsters that share a hivemind with their god, known as the "Genesezoic". A team of Seaborn-Aegir hybrids launched an attack on this god, and eventually, a woman name Skadi dealt the final blow. But, it being a deep abyssal god, only went into a deep slumber.

I don't remember much else about it. But I hear when it awakes again, it's likely to devastate the entirety of Terra. Which is why I'm hoping to figure out how to kill a god while I'm here.

Edited 2022-04-14 11:08 (UTC)

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