totherelentless | CMO 2022 !

[it's been something of a day for Helena. she can't tell what's been softly clip-cloping behind her all day, nudging her hands, her head, beyond thinking it's soft and horse shaped. no one else seems to be acting like it's wrong - and the one time she asked what creature was around, her friend had acted as though it was a joke, like there was nothing. though through her classes she's been distracted by little huffs, movements trying to get her attention, even nosing at her cane. it's caused her usual sharp focus and care to be so distracted, and she doesn't know how much longer she can take it.

sinking down by her favorite tree, it's not long before she feels warm breath, a soft nose pushing at her hands.]

Please...I don't have anything to feed you, friend...

[she can't deal with an invisible horse, soft as it is. why does it want to bother her, all day?

a young woman really shouldn't look so tired when being graced with a unicorn's presence, but she doesn't know what to do.]

( well.

that's unusual. and quite the character reference, honestly. but you don't expect to see a small unicorn on a college campus now, do you? but there it was, pestering an innocent young woman who had no idea what to do about it, from the looks of it.

unicorns weren't often urban creatures, so vic's not sure how she picked it up to begin with- and from the looks of things, neither is she. but that can probably be figured out with time. for now? let's keep the little thing from driving someone up the wall. )

They don't really need to eat, truth be told. I think it just wants attention.

( vic that is not how you announce yourself

but he walks over, crouching beside the two, chin in hands. )

You're not used to this sort of thing, are you?

[his voice isn't so much a surprise, when she's on alert enough from the horse trying to...get her attention? if he knows what to do, how to calm it, she'll be perfectly happy, and she perks up, turning her head in his direction.]

Oh, not at all - can you perceive it as well? I have no idea why it's here at all...

Oh yes. They're very rare, and they only let a few select people know of their existence. Unicorns are rather shy things, after all.

( he watches for a moment more, before chuckling a little. )

That must sound surprising, I'm sure. But you, somehow, have gotten the attention of a unicorn- and it must be fond of you, to follow you so persistently. ... This is a good sign of your character, honestly. They like soft, gentle hearts.

[It began when Kokichi was pretty young. Everyone had one - a journal with unlimited pages, connected to a singular soulmate. As a kid, he hadn't put too much stock into it, but he'd seen it as a way to make a new friend. And with a life like his...he needed one.

He still remembers the first note he'd written in it, when he'd been brave enough to reach out.

Hi. You're my friend (I think). Do you like games?

The handwriting that returned to him was girlish and pink. It'd made him arch a brow, but he'd convinced his soulmate into a game of tic-tac-toe that day. She'd won. He didn't mind too much.

From then on, their correspondence was regular. Kokichi was always afraid to say too much, considering...his entire life up to that point. Born rich, born as an accident between an aspiring politician with no actual future and an heiress who was too naïve for her own good, leading to eventual clashes...

And him running away. He'd still written to the girl like nothing had happened on that day.

I made myself a cape. Aren't you lucky to know someone so talented?

Not that she wasn't, of course. Her correspondence was jumpy, but she mentioned things off and on - she got quite passionate about music - so he had the idea that she had a busy lifestyle too. One she didn't want to talk too much about.

That was fine. He'd have to know eventually - eventually they'd be brave enough to fully reveal who they were to each other, but that day hadn't come yet.

And it didn't. Not when DICE had been founded, not when he'd gotten his acceptance letter to Hope's Peak. Not until well into high school. Not until a pretty fateful mistake.

I've never said this so let me rag about it just once. They put me in the back row of my class. Back row. I can't see anything because of these tall asshats! >.<

Kokichi stuffed his notebook away back into his purple bag, grumbling to himself softly.]

Stupid tall people.

[That was when the bell had rang, class was finally dismissed, and he mulled out into the hallway. The crowded, dumb hallway. He wasn't fully paying attention, which made him bump into--]

Crap, sorry, it's cramped in here.

[He glanced up, and. Oh. That's...that's that idol girl from TV he accidentally bumped into. From the other class. And she'd just dropped a notebook, too. Hastily, to make sure no one stepped on it, he picked it up.]

Here.

[He held it out.]

[It's dark.

All that it knows, is, was, has reduced to a sudden and confusing absence. It had a name, once. A history. A belonging. A sense of self snuffed out with distant shaking of the ground. Of being buried in the mud only to be taken out and washed up, stored away, in a panic it couldn't understand. Of the shadow of birds passing in the dead of night. Of noise. Of red. Of heat. Of a slow, dripping, wa r p i n g l o s s. . . .

.

.

.

The call that comes feels sudden, in the midst of all that is left. A candle lit in a void of nothing physical, a request made with fire and steel and a pull of energy into the realm of the spiritual. Ah... that's something to follow, isn't it? Maybe, maybe not. But it's bright, and beckoning.

It reaches out, and answers.

A heart pounds for the first time. The taste of sweat lingers, the sensation of fingers stretching out like an opening flower, a chest filling with a first exhaling gasp of air.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Welcome home.

Open your eyes.

...

It doesn't recognize this place. The room it now occupies. The sensation, the weight to its left. It flexes a hand, feels the heaviness of the polearm, and brown eyes flick to the blade.

...Ah. There it is.

There... he is.

His voice stays caught in his throat, letting the wave of new sensations settle. He feels... strange. Hot. Unsteady. The sweat feels thick. But his eyes still land on the lone human in the room with him. The one who called for him, perhaps. Would that make them...]

...Aruji. [Master. His brows tighten slightly with a tilt of his head.] Is... that right?

( sumire's been waiting, in a sense- not for long, mind you... however it may feel with her heart pounding in her chest. it's not the first time she's summoned a touken danshi, but she's still young, and still feels horribly inexperienced at all of this. she'd like to think she's gotten better at hiding her anxiety, at least.

and for a moment, she does! she watches as the spirit takes his form, and once he makes eye contact, she smiles after a moment. )

Yes. I am Sumire, the one who summoned you here.

( there's time, of course, before he's sent out. he can adjust, hopefully. despite many things about their lives now... is it condescending to hope that those she summons can enjoy their time between battles? that the peace of it could also be good for them?

despite many things, there's much she feels she doesn't understand. but this is her role, and so she will see it done. )

...I see.

[She's so small... more delicate than his previous master. Young, too, from the look of it.

He can't wrap his mind around how she could have possibly pulled his spirit when there may have been so many others to chose from... but it doesn't change the here and now. Maybe he would find his understanding with time.

So he straightens up with the full length of his spear resting parallel to him, the weight of the enormous blade a familiar presence amidst the sea of new information.]

One of the Three Great Spears, at your service, Aruji. Call me Otegine.

I'm not great at slashing or anything, but if you need something pierced, I'm your guy.

[A beat, and he places his hand to his waist and bows.]

Please watch over me in your care, my master.

[He would never ask her to come with him for long to the citadel. Their mission always took priority, and his loyalty to his master overtook anything else. But the time spent in the warped space of a Japan he would never know, with people who never belonged there, and knowledge of worlds beyond their own even outside of those civilizations beyond the ocean... it's given them a chance to explore that a Touken Danshi would never really consider.

Really, he's not sure the Saniwa will allow for it. So on their safe departures back to their homes, with a way to visit one another, he asks Lumine only for patience at first. Let him finish his mission, return home safely, and he would find his way to her. There is want that stirs in his chest, a mix of desire and excitement and anxious energy that feels too new, too selfish. But he is, at his core, still a Touken Danshi. A tool was still a tool, still bidden to its master.

...

He keeps himself composed as his team finishes their time with his former master, freeing him of the influence of a bitter tsukumogami. He leaves Sadachika behind to a nameless, forgotten future with an oddly aching heart.

But they're home now. He's tended to his own repairs, watched Akashi and Sengo both file in for long stays to be whole again, and successfully dodged Kotegiri's requests for endless dance practice for days on end.

Only then does he bother to pull out the same device they had used back in their shared space together, untouched for weeks upon weeks upon weeks. How it still worked, he would never understand... but at least the demons they once held inside would no longer be a problem.

It's bittersweet, to not see Keigo anymore. But Otegine tries not to dwell in the feeling, instead flipping to a new conversation, his stomach knotting as he types in Lumine's username]

UN: MATSUDAIRA --

lumine? can you read this?

it's otegine. i'm home. i'm safe.

[A pause. His lip slips between his teeth, worrying at it while he types a late addition--]

i've missed you

[--Damn it. No, what's something better to say... IS there anything better to say? Wow this is harder than he thought it would be.]

i hope everything is okay over there. i haven't forgotten what i promised but i know its been long.

im sorry i made you wait. let me know if you're okay?

( they return home and things resume: otegine with his mission, and lumine... lumine gets voted number one suspect for murdering a god, which is incredibly ironic. she'd laugh if she wasn't so tired. but she gets out of trouble and then back into it neck-deep and by the time paimon excitedly tells her that her 'vone' is buzzing, lumine's sat on the docks looking over ningguang's sacrifice and what's come of it.

her body aches- even before their return home, there was little time to rest. there'd been so many fights both on and off the uneasy roads, both in japan and in teyvat, and she's weary for it.

and yet when paimon hands her the phone, everything feels light again. smiling softly, she opens the messages, and it's warmer than the rising sun before her. )

Is that him? That guy you told me about...? Paimon wants to meet him!

I know, I know. And we're going to figure out a way how.

( paimon tries to read over her shoulder, and lumine gently pushes her away like one might a cat trying to get your food, or a nosy little sister.

hah.

now then... )

I missed you too. And I'm glad that you're okay.

Everything's fine now, for the moment. It's

( ... you know what? she's not going to tell him she got accused of a murder that didn't actually happen. and maybe he'll appreciate the irony of having to fight an ancient god bordering on demonhood another day. but right now, neither of them need that, she thinks. )

One of the cities was under attack. But it's over now. We won, and no one got hurt. :)

You don't have to apologize. I know that what was done was important, and we both had things to do. But I'm okay, too.

Besides, I have plenty of time to wait for you. And you're worth the wait.

( ... did that all sound okay- was it reassuring? heck. )

[Part of him doesn't know whether to expect a reply immediately, and so when his watch starts going off mere moments after putting it back in his pocket, he and the three other swords in the room with him all jump.

He has to bat Mutsunokami and Midare both off him for some semblance of privacy, quickly excusing himself to the outer grounds. She'd responded so fast...

She hadn't forgotten.

Relief settles as he devours her words carefully, letting the emotions of it come and go. Worry, of course, when she mentions an attack, but it's fleeting. She's more than capable, something she showed more times than he could count. But it's her last statement that catches him.

You're worth the wait.

His chest feels... strange. Full and warm and a little tight. It's confusing, but strangly... familiar, in a way, especially in how it fuels the smile that quirks up on his lips.]

good. i knew you would be able to do it.

i just hope you've had time to rest. you always take a lot on your shoulders. plenty of things break if they are under too much stress right?

[...]

you're worth it, too. i just want to keep my word even if it takes everything i have. and i won't disappear on you again so long as i can help it.

i think my master might be able to help with our problem. well, maybe.

To be entirely honest, I had to get right to it as soon as I got back. But... it's all over, for right now. And not only have I earned a rest, but I think friends and strangers alike would raise a fuss if I tried to keep going right now!

Which means I'll be taking a nice break at my favorite inn. I'd love to show you someday.

( he'd like the wangshu inn- how it overlooks the marshes and farmland, all the way to the sea. it's peaceful. something they both appreciate.

and then the next set of messages arrive and lumine can't help but smile, regardless of the people surrounding her.

it's warm like the sun. that even now he still holds onto this comfort he can offer, and wants to even despite the distance.... and-- oh? ohhh? hold on- )

I know. And I appreciate it.

To be honest if felt strange, waking up again without you there. It isn't anyone's fault, so don't apologize. You've just been good to me.

How so, though?

you really do have a lot of support over there. i think that speaks a lot for how hard you work.

[And a relief of its own as well, hearing that she is taking it all in stride. What kind of places would she like for a break, anyway? He can't quite picture it... nothing flashy or busy, maybe, not if she just went through an enormous fight... would she want something small and quiet? Large and bustling? Would she want her space, or to have her friends nearby?

It aches, to just have to wonder.]

describe it to me sometime? i'd like to hear what you see.

as for my master, i can't guarantee anything, but we already use technology that transports through timelines. maybe he would be willing to look at how my device works. there has to be a reason i can still reach you like this, right?

maybe we can find a way to bring you here

I do. I think you'd like the people of Teyvat a lot. They're kind, and accepting.

( except the fatui. ... childe doesn't count, he's weird. like. she don't trust for shit, especially after that stunt in the vault, but he tries very hard to be friendly?? is he okay?

no. he's russian.

briefly, she considers just getting up to take pictures of the inn right now. but she's earned time off her feet, and the last thing she needs is to set everyone into a panic or something by dashing off. )

Imagine a rock structure kind of like a cliff, but standing tall above everything else. And on top of that rock, is a huge, beautiful tree with golden leaves. The Wangshu in is built around this structure and among the tree, like they're all apart of each other. And from there, you can see all of the Bishui Plain... and the ocean.

It's like you can see the whole world from there.

And the innkeeper is good at making your stay absolutely everything you need, too!

( it would be entirely possible to not see a single soul while there if she so desired, honestly. but that sounds terribly lonely.

but then she reads his next messages and-

and

she could travel worlds again? but... she still has to find aether. to bring him back, to unseal their powers. then she could visit him whenever she wanted- but...

is this selfish? and yet, there's also a joy at the opportunity to see him again. to have him at her side again, what feels right... )

Do you really think so? I never heard of mortals being able to do so... but before everything, my brother and I could travel the skies of different worlds with ease.

[It's an exercise of its own, to picture it. But he reads her description again, and again, trying to imagine being up so high to see the waves off in the distance, to be fanned by gold and the coolness of stone. It sounds fantastical. Vibrant

It sounds... well. Kind of like her. He has to chuckle a bit at that.]

well we're not exactly mortal. maybe that's why it works for us? mutsunokami's the one that likes all the machines, not me, but even he doesn't really know how it all works.

i think he'd be pretty jealous if you told him you could go to different worlds that easily.
he'd probably beg to come with.

[...

Still, the topic of Aether isn't one he wants to just skim over.]

i don't know if it can help with your brother or not, though. i know how important that is to you.

i wish i

[-- could be there. To help. To see her happy and with whom she felt the closest. But he can't bring himself to finish the thought. It feels too selfish.]

never mind, sorry

i havent really asked master about all of the details yet because i don't know how he'll react to any of it

is it bad that i don't want him to say no?

Oh, I meant your master, actually. But then, different worlds do have different capabilities... like Visions in Teyvat.

Anyways.

I

don't know what to do about Aether. I don't know if this will help either. But neither will countless what-ifs. And... if your master can unlock travel between worlds, then it would be possible to come back, right? Maybe you could even come too.

( it's a dangerously hopeful speculation. but after months with him, she just... wants him back, honestly. )

I don't think it is. Or we're both bad. I want to see you again too.

What were you going to say?

[Aira sits on the bench outside of the teahouse he's supposed to meet his new fiancé at, trying very very hard not to tug on the sleeves of his kimono and ruin the very specific look his mother strove for.

This is stupid. It's stupid and it sucks and he doesn't know how he's going to tell Hiro-kun that they can't meet up next time he's in town because Aira will be engaged if not married and that'll just look terrible if he meets up with someone not his husband like that.

At least this guy's apparently some minor lord's second son? Or something. Either way, it'll be good for the family.]

( today is... confusing. he knew that his father was trying to arrange for a match for him, and wasn't entirely sure what to do despite his years of wisdom- this is a mother's work on some level, and hiiro simply doesn't have one, but his father was never trained for such things either. not until his sons were of age and he was left scrambling. and his father had been trying for this for a while now- a couple years at this point.

but today is the day he's going to actually meet his fiance. it's actually happening, it's all real.

and suddenly the feelings he's harbored for the friend he sees in town sometimes feels all the heavier. a married man must be devoted and faithful to his partner, after all, and with the love for aira in his heart he doesn't think he can give everything to this fiance, even if he's supposed to.

as he approaches the tea house, hiiro tries to control his breathing- keep calm, and take his mind off things.

that goes right out the window when he sees aira sitting there. )

Ah- Aira? What are you doing here?

[Aira looks up when he hears Hiro-kun what the heck--]

Hiro-kun? I'm, uh...

[He can't really dodge this, can he?]

I'm waiting for my fiancé. My parents found someone who thought I'd be a good match for his youngest son and they agreed.

( --oh.

that... hurts. a lot, actually.

it feels selfish that it does. they weren't truly each other's after all- and it was likely that aira didn't like him like that anyways. but...

... )

I- I see.

( hiiro is quiet for a moment, clenching his fists- nerves, more than anything. )

I... Am also meeting my fiance. Though, I don't know what to expect.

[Aira smiles a little, but it's clearly forced.]

Me, either. My parents said he's nice, calmer than his older brother and about my age, but that's all they told me about Amagi-san. I'll probably have to move in with him, though.

( ... another amagi lord...? or... perhaps a member of the clan?

he wishes it were him. )

Yes, we'll likely have mine join us as well... I only know I'm engaged to the youngest of a family of artists my father likes.

[Artists? Aira bites his lip, hesitating before sighing. He should say something now, before he can't.]

I wish it was you, Hiro-kun.

I... also wish it was you.

( how much longer before his fiance arrives? how much of this stolen moment can they have before it's truly too late?

if hiiro were anything like his brother, he'd grab aira and run, flee the village to someplace that's never heard of them before.

but ultimately he can't. and that... also hurts. )

for vic!

TUMBLES IN YEARS LATER IM SORRY LATE WINTER SUCKS

shhhh psls are always chill

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maizonoooo come out and plaaaay

for saniwa

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for lumine

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grabs Hiiro and runs--

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you know what i'll let you decide