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.]

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( 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)

[ he pouts a bit when clarke takes his bottle but, fine. he's drank an obscene amount already... he rests a chin in his palm and listens with perked curiosity to mizuki instead. not that he'd ever been terribly attached to or amazingly proud of his own position as god, but it's always interesting hearing about other deities. at the very least, clashes or misadventures of gods and humanity always provided such interesting stories. when he's prouder of his position as bard more so than a god he'd rather add these little tales to his memory, even as terrible as it is that a god would wage war against an entire race. hm, but this skadi certainly sounds like a hero worthy of many ballads and stories.

so, clarke's question... ] Elemental beings come from the pure energy of the world. Creatures like slimes, certain dragons, spirits-- [ like venti himself-- ] And some gods, but many gods have different origins...

And there is indeed a higher power than even gods in Teyvat. [ his look this time is distant, his smile fades. ] The 'Heavens', the celestial island in the sky that offers a seat of power and control over those very elements. It was what the gods warred over thousands of years ago, but stories about that Celestial island are rare.

[ then a longer moment of pause, looking troubled, wary to offer this information even to heroes of his current and bygone era. but this isn't teyvat, perhaps it's fine to share. ]

... There was once a godless nation that had no deity, nor desired one. The kingdom Khaenri'ah was a country built by and for humanity, without deities. It delved into heretical magic and research and was destroyed by the Heavens and the gods... all tales of it are obscure. I don't have stories of it or the island in the sky. But even from fragments can we know that the heavenly power above gods could be terribly destructive.

[ the benevolence of gods can be questionable. even more so are those powers greater than them. ]

[ then, a sigh as he waves at a ghost for another bottle; his smile is back, wry. ]

I’m sorry if I don't have any... solid advice to offer, for killing a god. It's an incredible feat. All I can say is that it can be done, and that I have faith that it would.

( the closest comparison she has for any of this is recycled greek myths, but... there's enough there. a celestial home to the gods was olympus, beings of energy born purely from the very makings of the earth had to be like gaia, uranus, chaos, tartarus — or maybe even their offspring, cronus and rhea who birthed the most famous of olympian deities. then did that equate skadi to zeus, a descendent or hybrid overthrowing the embodiment of a tyrannical terror?

so... maybe they needed a stone. wrapped in swaddling clothes.

was the wave of power in the wake of a god's death just like the explosion of life when uranus' blood had touched the ground? would it simply spawn more godly creatures, along with leveling humanity like a nuclear weapon?

or a city khaenri'ah. but how to forge a free society under the very nose of a possibly elemental creature? research and heretical magic (what's the difference? a question for another time, clarke already has a lot to chew over) and potentially fated to the same end? humanity seemed perfectly capable of crumbling in on itself without divine intervention in her experience, but throw in all powerful beings and it just felt... inevitable.

she hadn't taken his bottle just to confiscate it, and nurses a few more sips while listening and trying to understand fantastical realities far above her own. venti orders another drink and takes a bow on his retelling of this particular story, no further hints or information. no solid means or methods, no magical weapons they could acquire or a linear heroes journey they could replicate here. but still — )

...Thank you, Venti. Knowing it can be done at all is a good place to start.

Edited 2022-04-15 03:04 (UTC)

[ In which three idiots from completely different worlds all try to make sense of something that isn't from their world. Honestly? Even Mizuki is able to pick up that there's just... a lot. It's all a lot! He wants to be helpful, though. He doesn't want to feel like he brought Clarke here just to earn a headache... ]

Oh! I did hear something else from Miss Jenny. She, um, she mentioned... [ He lulls his head a moment, trying to remember specific words. ] "Magicians"? She said that when she's not here, she sails to other realities to see "other magicians". I don't know if that's because she's one herself, or if she's calling the Captain one? I didn't really ask her to specify.

But... ah, I guess my point is... if the Captain is just this magician that happened to reach some kind of godhood, than that means we can also use that in our favor. From what I know about gods, if you're born a god, your weaknesses are... few to none. But if you weren't born one, there's a lot more wiggle room for stuff like this. At least... on Terra that's how it works.

[ basically he's also getting the feeling that tales from his own world probably won't be a great help in taking down foreign gods, but. like he said he can only speak to his own experience, and there must be at least certain parallels for deities across worlds. otherwise, why have gods at all?

also actually mizuki brings up a good point. ] In Teyvat, there are those the gods show favor to and receive elemental power through a 'Vision'. [ he detaches his own, at his hip: a blue-green gem adorned with feathers. fake, but neither of them need to know that and it didn't quite matter anyway. ] It's said that Vision-holders have the potential to one day ascend to godhood, but such tales are rare. There's been only one instance of a mortal ascending to Celestial heights in my country and she watches over the nation still, in the form of a falcon.

Since stories of those ascended gods are such obscure myth I can't say if 'original' or once-mortal gods are more or less powerful, just that those unknown gods on the Celestial island hold power above them all. [ and, come to think of it, he probably counts as an ascended god though he was once a humble strand of wind, rather than mortal. ] But actually, what determines a god's strength most of all is belief.

Worship from, control or guidance over believers. Those with more influence over their people and nation are more powerful than those who might barely appear to their country at all. [ ... like himself, the weakest of gods. ]

( framing the captain as a rogue magician grown far too powerful is a lot more palatable than imagining him as something godly or elemental. but any hope that he'd started as human and could be killed as easily as one feel... disingenuous. too much slack to allow herself, when it felt best to figure out how to topple an overpowered celestial creature and then scale back as necessary for their current objective. softly, mostly to herself — )

If he's not the only one of his kind around, and the rest haven't done anything about this — is he stronger than them, or are they worse than him...

( — then she's randomly producing a small handful of pens from her pocket. bars have paper napkins abound, right? there's probably a stack at their table, which clarke is abruptly commandeering to start scribbling across. notable things, like: a tiered ranking of powerful beings (elemental/primordial god to born god/olympian to made god/demi-god to magician/mortal), arrows, explosive wave of death, terra vs teyvat vs earth, jenny could get past the barrier...

and then that notion of belief. she can barely swallow down a scoff, completely aware that'd been a power sink she'd readily fed into. the captain, the scope of his power, what his voice sounded like filtered through friday's vocal chords, how to overpower him — all those thoughts consumed her on a daily basis. one couldn't devote all their energy to killing something and insist it wasn't some strain of reverence. how is that train of thought something she untangles herself from? how would she convince the rest of the passengers, those unfamiliar or unbelieving in gods? how would they liberate the invisible souls on board, shades of humanity who likely remembered nothing at this point but how to serve and who they served...

but perhaps most demanding of her attention: venti's producing his vision, and clarke is struck (similarly to how she'll later be about his wings) by how beautiful it is. )

A vision like...a blessing?

( ascending to godhood doesn't matter, but the idea of pure, unadulterated power — like a battery, like nuclear power — contained in one small, wearable gem seems like it could make as impressive a tool as it could a talisman of godly virtue. could they work like that? )

Is it only good for ascending, or can it be used like a weapon? ( like a blastia, as yuri, flynn, and rita readily display; like the chip, neatly hidden away in her room, which allowed nightbloods to link with the consciousness of their forebearers, but put it to the throat of anyone underserving, and it'd boil their brain from the inside out. )

[ it's certainly a pretty gem but what implication there is for a gift from the heavens. it might just be even the term of vision in itself is suspect if the gods may keep an eye, literally, on those they bless. if it is even actually the gods that disperse visions, but that he'd hold his tongue on as well.

what he leaves unsaid about belief is yes, that fear and awe and intimidation may well be just as potent as worship. and the more that might be channeled towards the captain... but perhaps things work differently here, or so they can hope. or even keep the possibility funnily enough that the captain is different from a god after all. ]

Mm, they are indeed thought of as blessings from the gods. For instance, mine is of anemo, 'wind', which I can manipulate. [ he makes a motion of his hand, casts the smallest wind domain to lift his empty wine glass to float above his palm with a tiny burst of white feathers, before it drops back into his grasp. ] The other gods would span authority over elements like fire, water, ice... there's little knowledge of how or why they would bestow these visions to mortals. There's no commandment or requirement. There are vision-holders who would indeed wield their power to perhaps, aid them with their jobs, to commit crimes, even simply produce fire to cook with. Much is unknown about their power.

I'm not much of a fighter but I can indeed use this power as a weapon, or for other functions. [ a small smile at her; he would demonstrate as such later but for now he replaces it at his hip, the glimmer of blue-green. ] Simply let me know if you might need the aid of wind and I'll lend a hand however I can.

Edited 2022-04-24 02:31 (UTC)

I'll remember your offer.

( but... if clarke was being completely honest with herself — which she seldom is — that wasn't why she'd asked if it could be used as a weapon. she tracks venti's motions as he reattaches the gem to his beltline, briefly considers leaving it at that and moving to take her leave. but...

inquiring minds want to know... and have no use for subtlety here. )

And only you can use that?

( here's hoping his love for humans extends to include their absolute bloodlust for weapons and power. for crimes and miracles, for destroying worlds and for saving them. i'm not much of a fighter, he says, and clarke's immediately imagining him falling. wind and magic and godly blessings no longer on their side, likely at the most inopportune moment. )

[ he's kind of getting the feeling she's seeing it as a weapon, yes... ] Yes, only I can use it.

You can try to, if you want. I wouldn't be able to explain how to use or channel elemental power, I'm afraid. [ for one thing, it's fake. but also if it were simply up to people to physically possess a vision to use elemental power there'd be quite a black market or mugging of vision-holders going on in teyvat...

but how peaceable it is, people generally trust their gods and therefore trust in their blessings. and he in the meantime, fond of people, trusting in freedom--freedom he knows could potentially only be won with war, or include war and crime. how contradictory it could be for him. ]

( she can't authenticate godly gifts from other dimensions, nor even begin to imagine the makeups of otherworldly black markets. but can at least still accept a firm answer — yes, it could only be used by him — at face value.

for now.

venti still offers her a chance to try, and after a beat some of the tension in clarke's shoulders diminishes. like a breath of relent, and she'll eventually shake her head. )

No, that's fine. I just wanted to know.

( back to the drawing boards, back to scribbling on barroom napkins and excusing herself into her own thoughts for a moment. )

[ All the while, Mizuki glances between the two of them still hugging his legs to him in his seat and pressing an excited grin into his knees. They're so... charming like this. So intent on figuring out how to solve their problems, how to get the "bad guy," how to be... heroes! Mizuki imagines this is exactly the sorts of meetings the Doctor would have with the other medical staff at Rhodes Island. He's never been to a meeting like that, but it's fun to finally be a part of something similar to it.

And, eventually, all this bubbling enthusiasm can't help but spill out into the world. ]

Already making plans like this, and already using all the puzzle pieces to put together and using tactician skills-- I feel like maybe I should be jealous, but actually maybe people should be jealous of me? My new friends are so clever~. [ Ehe! ]

Anyway, I might not be as smart as you both, but feel free to use me where you like. I can camouflage, so I'm a great scout! And I can break things pretty easily.

[ very much not a tactician or a hero, but he could definitely understand mizuki's admiration even if his is a liiittle more... on a reasonable level. somewhat. well, he'd had his fair share of attaching and supporting his chosen 'hero' as well, eras past.

so, clarke definitely has the interest of both ayumus here. he waves at a bar ghost for a refill, because he likes to support and he likes his wine, and he can see how intent clarke is but unfortunately he himself is far more easygoing and... a drunkard... ]

Aw, Mizuki. I wouldn't claim to be smart or reliable either, I think you'd be more so than me. [ ... ] Or even stronger, honestly. [ the power of tentacles sure can be formidable. ]

I hope that even a little of what information I've offered could be useful, Miss Clarke. [ as he pours glasses for all three of them now. godslaying conversations deserve some drink. ]

( she did not want a ayumus fanclub, just supernatural blood on her hands in the hope one more act of destruction would finally bring some semblance of peace...

but, hey. can't wage a war without recon and warriors. she's more or less just nodding along at venti, but the second mizuki offers to be used — like a bright red deployment button for a missile — she's sort of... squinting at him. wary. remembering the conversation in the dining hall that had sparked this whole venture and information gathering expedition. she doesn't like the idea of using people, but... will hold onto that offer, as tightly as she holds onto venti's offer for flight. you never knew what you might need in the end.

venti pours them glasses, and drowning in her own thoughts, clarke finally takes the invitation to drown a little in drink. what are they drinking? doesn't matter, she's shooting it in one fell gulp, and only making a little bit of a face at the end. it's undoubtedly smoother than moonshine. )

I'm going to go. But thank you for this. Both of you.

( direct eye contact, heavy looks of acknowledgement — first to venti, then mizuki. and then if mizuki's got no interest in his drink, she's just gonna go ahead and down that too before finally pushing back her chair and standing. )

APRIL OPEN LOG: PIRATE JENNY

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