August | Event: Spirited Away

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Spirited Away↲ OOC Plotting

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The month of August has finally arrived, along with the very hot weather that Nippon's summers are known for. The rainy season has finally passed, but that just means the heat is here to stay. Thankfully, summer activities are kicking into full swing...

Wait, what?

On the day of what is supposed to be the Bon Festival, refugees will awaken to find that it's once again August 1st. Life in Nippon is carrying on as normal. No one seems to notice or realize what's happening. Some refugees may not be aware of it either, waking up and continuing whatever routine they did on the 1st of the month the first time around.

So why are some of them aware of it this time?

You didn't forget your ticket again, did you? All characters who received a train ticket from the mysterious girl at Kyoto Station will be aware of the time loop, while those who did not will remain unaware, while continuing to experience odd feelings of deja vu.

But what now? Some may consider going straight to the NRL. But you'll have to go through a train station to get there, right?

Why not put that ticket to use and see where it takes you?

Stairway to Heaven

Upon inserting the ticket through the ticket gates at any train station, refugees will find themselves being taken to a different place entirely as they step through. The station changes dramatically, the walls painted red and gold with passengers walking around the station dressed in elaborate traditional clothing. Most of them appear to be Yokai. And waiting on the platform is the mysterious woman who gave them their ticket, who greets the refugees with a bright and kind smile, and an entire entourage of priestesses at their side.

"It worked this time! Welcome children of Gaia, to Takamagahara -- the land of the Gods! I am Inari, and I am sure you have many questions. Please, let us step aboard, and I shall explain on the way!"

They'll be invited to board a train, where Inari Okami will be there to answer all their questions. This land is Takamagahara, and as they said, this is the realm of the gods. Due to their unique connection to Nippon thanks to their Kizuna bond, the refugees were able to enter this realm with their physical bodies. Ordinarily, such things can only be done with the soul or through dreams.

And to that end, the Gods need their help to end this time loop.

Whether they agree to do so or not is entirely up to them. But regardless, they are Inari Okami's honored guests, and will be treated with the utmost respect, as they are taken to a massive complex of shrines and villas that seemingly float upon a sea of misty clouds. The train itself appears to be running through mid-air.

Are they sure they're not dreaming?

Cleanse Thy Sin Western Paradise, Takamagahara
As a first order of business, anyone arriving from the human realm must first purify their bodies before being allowed to wander about Takamagahara. Thankfully, the process is very simple. In the back of the villa sits a vast garden, where a waterfall falls from another floating island too high up to see. Water from this upper plain of heaven will cleanse those who sit under the falls. While this is the simplest method, it goes without saying that the water pressure is just a lil' bit intense (read: painfully intense), and you may need to be held in place to keep the water from washing you down stream and into another waterfall that leads... well, off a very large cliff into nothing but clouds. This can be done fully clothed, or using a loaned kimono.

But for those seeking a gentler approach, they're better off heading to the villa's hot spring, located on a hilltop just past the main buildings. Soaking in these springs has the same effect, though to a far milder degree, requiring a much longer soak. Additionally, clothing is prohibited near the hot spring, including towels or any type of weapon or accessory. And refugees must first shower in the villa itself before being allowed to take the trip up the hill. Naked. Maybe that waterfall is looking pretty good right about now...

But regardless of which they choose, upon being purified, the refugees are sure to notice a rather drastic change: while in Takamagahara, all Kizuna effects are sharply amplified, with powerful new bonds forming through activities as simple as walking alongside a stranger or exchanging glances across a room. These bonds may even feel more intimate than they should be, encouraging a strong sense of camaraderie among all refugees.

To give them time to adjust to the nature of heaven's effect on their bodies and minds, all refugees will be given the next five days to rest at the villa. The number of rooms and floors in the villa is seemingly endless, despite the entire complex not looking nearly as large as to accommodate. Food and drink is plentiful, and those wishing to speak with Inari may do so at any time. While it may feel like a vacation, Inari will assure them that this is necessary for the task they must ask of them, and that regardless of what splendors they enjoy in Takamagahara, they are free to refuse the task and return to Gaia in five days time.

A Haunting Western Paradise, Takamagahara
As night falls in Western Paradise, refugees still roaming the grounds may start to notice strange things about this villa. At night, strange blue lights can be seen dancing in the sky, rising up from the clouds below before shooting far off into the clouds above, like an upsidedown shooting star. Around the gardens, these lights can sometimes be seen huddled in corners or floating over the water, reacting like a living creature when approached and fleeing before anyone can get close to them.

However, when they're seen inside the building, they change entirely. Rather than a simple light, they take on the form of a ghostly person, only visible from the waist up, and oftentimes dressed in traditional burial garments. In some cases, it's quite clear that the person in question is deceased. They only remain visible briefly, eventually disappearing as they continue to roam the halls. Is this place haunted??

Well, it's not inaccurate. If asked, the maidens working at the villa will only tell them not to bother them, as they are also guests in Western Paradise.

The hauntings will continue over the course of the five days, with the number of encounter increasing as the days go by. But the longer some of them choose to stay, the more defined they seem to become. While they'll always appear to be floating on invisible legs, they may become otherwise completely solid, capable of eating dinner alongside everyone else and even bumping into people as they roam around. Others even begin to act as if they too are on a vacation, making friends with the refugees, or even trying to get into bed with them. Sexy threesome with a very real ghost? It's more likely than you think.

But those who spend too much time around these ghosts will begin experiencing a strange side effect. Over the course of the next few days, memories of previous time loops in August will begin showing up in their dreams. While most of these time loops will be more or less the same every time, some may differ wildly, and share trace similarities to the deja vu they experienced in the final time loop. Sleeping in the same bed with someone else will diminish these effects, by manifesting an alternate side effect that causes them to share a dream every night.

Heavenly Assignment

After five days, the refugees will be gathered in the courtyard just outside the villa, as Inari Okami prepares to speak with them. They explain that the timeloop they experienced five days ago was not the same as the one that enveloped the human realm centuries ago. Rather, this one is the result of a timeloop in Takamagahara itself, caused by the great number of malevolent and fractured souls they've seen trapped in Western Paradise over these past few days.

"How many of you have noticed it? The world of Gaia is fractured. Ordinarily, those who die in Nippon pass through this Western Paradise as their souls ascend to the realms beyond. But what of those who died, whose souls ascended to this realm, only to be torn away when their bodies revived at the beginning of the timeloop?

Living the same year over and over for centuries is nothing compared to hundreds of years of dying over and over again. Though many were mercifully granted peace in death by the timeloop's end, many more avoided such a fate, and their souls still exist in both the heavens and in their human shells down below, their minds torn apart, unable to cope with living in this fractured state.

Please... won't you help them become whole once more?"

While this may go over the heads of many, a thorough explanation serves to simplify matters: right now, thousands of people in Nippon exist in a state in which part of their soul is missing, due to dying during one or many different timeloops. These fractured souls are scattered around Takamagahara, with some becoming malicious as they seek revenge upon the world that allowed their soul to shatter in the first place. And the refugees, with their powerful Kizuna magic, have the power to return those souls to the human realm.

Until they do so, time will continue to loop in Nippon, preventing the Bon Festival from ever taking place, and preventing any more souls from being granted safe passage into the next life.

Those who refuse to help will find themselves immediately standing in front of the very same train station they left back in Nippon. But those who agree will have the opportunity to learn something very special: the power to wield Kizuna.

Soul Bending Western Paradise, Takamagahara
While the refugees are no doubt very familiar with Kizuna by now, they've only ever experienced it incidentally, or as side effects. Kizuna bonds just manifest on their own, and they have very little control over whether they're made or broken. Only those who've received fortunes predicting the future or wishes that have somehow come true will have some idea of the nature of what Kizuna can do. But Kizuna is very powerful reality-bending magic, capable of doing things that even conventional magic may struggle with. And today, they're going to learn how to use it.

To demonstrate the process, Inari will choose one refugee to bond with. They both stand face to face, as Inari presses a hand to the refugee's chest, over their heart. Then, the one initiating the bond must say something they hold close to their heart aloud, be it the name of another person, their hometown, a cherished possession, a beloved pet... whatever it may be, this will become their permanent trigger word for activating kizuna. Perhaps it says a lot that the word Inari chooses is "Nippon". For refugees, with a little more practice, they'll only need to think of the word instead of saying it. Should the other side not reject them by pulling away, the bond will be created.

Releasing the bond is a bit more difficult. It's not the same as breaking a bond, which some refugees may have experienced when a friend is sent back home or after a particularly nasty argument. To release a bond, they must rest a hand over their own chest, and visualize themselves pulling the bond physically from their own body. If they are successful, a small light that drips like a liquid will emit from their palm, before snapping back into the chest of the one they bonded with, leaving both parties with a strange feeling of emptiness, though without the pain typically associated by a bond breaking.

To practice this, refugees will be encouraged to practice with people they've never met to prevent any existing bonds from making the process too complicated. Bonds that have had time to settle and age are much harder to release, and doing so may cause them to simply break instead.

Soul Dive Western Paradise, Takamagahara
For the most part, the task is actually fairly simple. Find a lost soul wandering the grounds around Western Paradise, connect with it using a kizuna bond and absorb it into their body, and release the bond once aboard the train so the soul fragment can be returned to the realm of the living. Over the next five days, nearly 500 soul fragments are found and collected.

But then, the real challenge lies with the malevolent souls.

Should a refugee bond with one of these souls, they'll find themselves consumed by it. How this manifests differs from person to person. Some may become completely possessed, as the soul itself hijacks the new body, and attempts to wreak havoc across the heavens. Others may simply find their personalities corrupted, causing their worst traits and darkest thoughts to manifest. While these souls are malevolent, they aren't always necessarily violent, with some simply causing the possessed refugee in question to break down in tears, or scream as if in agony endlessly.

But this is a necessary step, as the only way to purify these souls is by entering the soul of the one hosting it. Using a special form of Kizuna magic, others will be able to physically enter the realm of the host's soul. How these realms appear tends to vary. Some appear as memories, others as fantastic dreamscapes filled with fantasies and nightmares alike, and some may be entirely abstract. But once there, they must destroy the source of the malevolence without harming the host's soul. This malevolence will do whatever it can to survive, including manipulating those who enter into thinking they aren't the real thread. Refugees better hope that the one going in knows them well enough to be able to recognize the thing that does not belong in their heart.

But for some refugees, they may stumble upon an even darker truth. Not every timeloop was exactly the same, and some refugees may have faint memories of dying in one of the many August loops. Be it through an accident or carelessness, the result is that one of these malevolent spirits will be a piece of their very own soul. These refugees will have no choice but to absorb it, and allow someone else to enter their heart and remove the malevolence. But just how easy will it be to conquer your own demons? Failure isn't an option, but the journey to victory may be a painful one.

Bittersweet Partings

After many days of hard work, the restless spirits of Western Paradise have finally calmed down. Although many still remain, the malevolent spirits seem to have all but disappeared. And so, on the night of the 14th, Inari gathers the refugees to join them in a final banquet, as they await sunrise to see if the new day indeed shows up. Drinks and food are plentiful, and other deities seem to trickle in here and there, drawn in by the good music and celebrations.

The party ends at sunrise, as a new day finally arrives -- the timeloop is over. Gazing into the warm light, Inari gives a sigh of a relief, before thanking the refugees for everything they've done.

"Words alone cannot express the gratitude I feel right now. Though you were not born of this world, you will always be my precious children of Gaia.

Should you ever find yourselves feeling weary in body or mind, offer a prayer at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, and your words shall always reach me! "

And with Inari's words echoing in their heads, the refugees will blink -- and find themselves standing in front of the train station back in Nippon on the 15th of August.

One Last Hurrah Western Paradise, Takamagahara
But before all of that, there's still a party to be had! The food in Takamagahara is of a quality unlike anything the refugees would have experienced before, every dish cooked to absolute perfection. Even their least favorite food item might taste delicious when prepared by heavenly chefs! And the drinks are plentiful, both in quantity and variety, with seemingly every variety of booze available in Nippon at their disposal.

But one thing of note is that there's a certain commonality in much of the sweet foods and drinks: all of them have been sweetened with uki weed, a recreational drug that's widely enjoyed by the people of the Western Kingdom. And here in Takamagahara, there's almost a certain reverence to it, with the refugees being encouraged to take part alongside Inari.

But this particular strain is different from usual. Although mild in flavor, it packs a greater punch, specifically in terms of its aphrodisial priorities. Inari is a god of fertility, after all. Why wouldn't they want to encourage the refugees to indulge in as many pleasures as they can as thanks for ending the timeloop? Refugees who have a bit too much are welcome to retire to their rooms until sunrise, or find a nice quiet corner of the garden to enjoy themselves in.

Just make sure not to miss Inari's send off after sunrise, or else refugees may find themselves standing in the middle of a train station in a somewhat provocative manner.

Obon Matsuri Higashiyama, Kyoto
Following a few hours of confusion, as the NRL confirm that everyone who was missing has returned and that time is indeed flowing once more, those who aren't too exhausted from their time in heaven are asked to attend the Obon Matsuri later tonight. Both Tokyo and Kyoto and throwing their own celebrations, but Kyoto is by far the one they'll want to attend.

In the center of the festival grounds, a tall platform houses a set of taiko drums, used for keeping tempo in the all important Bon Odori, a set of line dances meant to further welcome the spirits of the dead. Those who aren't familiar with the dance moves will be offered brief lessons, or offered a spell that'll automatically cause them to dance once standing in line with other dancers. Just make sure you finish a full dance, or else you'll just go on dancing until the song ends.

Now while all of this may simply sound symbolic, those who spent time in Takamagahara will recognize the soft blue lights they saw in the skies there, now visible here, seemingly dancing alongside the people. Some laugh and some cry as they continue the dance, overcome with emotion as more and more tiny blue souls fill the dance floor. Occasionally, the sound of familiar laugher can be heard from the souls, though none seem capable of speech beyond it.

As the night winds to a close, one final ceremony is conducted, and the refugees will be asked to participate. In the distant hillsides, large bonfires are lit in the shape of kanji characters, meant to signify the return of the souls to the other side. As they burn, thousands upon thousands of paper lanterns are passed out among the attendees, each one containing seemingly hundreds of names. It takes nearly an hour just to get them set up, but thankfully, lighting them won't take nearly as long. As a monk delivers a prayer for the souls of the departed, a spell is cast to light every single lantern in a wave of light, causing them to slowly float upwards into the air. The blue lights circle around, before they too gently ascend, following the lanterns into the sky as the souls return to rest.

As the last of the lanterns slowly disappear from sight, the monk gives a brief speech thanking the refugees for their assistance. And it's here that the true impact the timeloop on Nippon will be revealed in hard numbers, as the monk asks them to pray for the 10 million lives lost as a direct result of the timeloop.

Losing such a large chunk of their population in a single year, repeated endlessly... is it any wonder the people of Nippon have become so endeared to the refugees? With all their wondrous powers, perhaps they can help save this slowly dying world from fading into obscurity.

OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's August event! Please direct any questions to the Question Thread in the OOC Plotting post.

• While all characters who participate in the event will remember the events of the TDM, because time has looped, these events technically no longer occurred. Please keep this in mind when thinking about the physical state of your character, as they will return to however they were on August 1st.

• Should your character make it to the NRL instead of going to Takamagahara, they'll find the scientists there are all in a nervous panic as they try to figure out what's happening. They will insist that everyone keep things quiet to avoid causing the native population to become aware of the timeloop, because, in their own words, "We can't afford to lose anyone else."

• Characters who stay behind will be unable to find those who've been spirited away, causing something of a panic as fears of another kidnapping sweep through both capitals. All characters will return to the setting on August 15th.

• Only characters who participate in the event will gain the ability to create/remove kizuna bonds and dive into souls. Future characters must unlock a Heavenly Assignment on the Bonus AC page to learn these skills.

• Please be as creative as you'd like for how the inside of a character's soul appears to others. This does not need to be consistent across threads, and the owner of said soul may also be present in some way within their own mind!

• Likewise, if you would like to have damage done to their soul in some way while removing the malevolence, you can decide what sort of effect this has on them as a result, be it a physical injury, psychological trauma, or loss of memories. While healers in Kyoto would be able to fix the damage done to their soul, it could take weeks or months of magic therapy to do so, at your own discretion!

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[acutabove]

[ Rich laughter bubbles up against him in his attempts, playful and mocking all at once. There's another press of lips to Aether's jaw, then his cheek, and then his ear; it's perhaps a safe bet to say that this isn't Childe, granted how willingly he manhandles Aether to his use.

And then the javelin makes its presence known by slamming up into Aether's abdomen, burning white-hot and angry as Electro infuses with his skin and impales through him to the other side.

Mercifully, it is not a solid thing, despite its appearance; but that pass of Electro energy through Aether's form is unmistakable, and the blond will be made to suffer through the intensity of thousands of volts electrifying his body all the way to the ends of his fingers and toes, frying nerves and tendons alike as Childe continues to coo at him from above. ]

Your journey ends here, Traveler. [ Childe murmurs, and there's the hot press of lips behind his ear. ] With me.

[brilliantdiamond]

[He more he struggles, getting nowhere, the more he panics. The sudden shift from soft, unwanted touches to hot, blinding pain makes him scream, kicking and struggling violently to try and escape.]

[But that's not all he's doing. A powerful gust of anemo circles around him, as walls of geo rise up from the ground seemingly at random. But is it doing any good? He suddenly feels so much more outmatched than he did the last time they fought.]

[Either way, at a certain point his voice cracks, his face streaked with tears he doesn't even register having shed -- and he tries, however futility, to beg him to stop.]

Chi... lde.... s-stop...

cw: very brief mention of gore

[acutabove]

I thought you were a hero.

[ It's Childe's voice, but it doesn't come from behind him.

Instead, footsteps resonate all around, and from out of the shadows emerges... Childe. The little boy from before. He's clutching the shortsword from before, but he's not without injuries of his own. His jacket has been torn through with teeth and claws, revealing a mangling of exposed flesh and the gore beneath.

His gaze still carries that same empty expression. There's blood on his sword, and it trembles in his grasp. Behind him, there's the outline of a taller, slender figure, delicate hands clutching at his shoulder. Even bathed in the shadows it's easy to tell it's a woman.

Aether is dropped unceremoniously to the ground when the Electro runs its course, and the Delusion-wielding Childe laughs, the sound ringing through the air. The darkness presses in, tighter, and it carries with it the sounds of gnashing teeth and hungry growls, of saliva dripping into the ground with wet splatters. ]

Heroes aren't supposed to cry.

[ A second voice, more identical to the Childe behind him. The Childe Aether knows emerges, and the way he looks the blond up and down is no better than the treatment the blond had suffered before.

The three speak all as one, voices combining to make their words heard even amongst the cries of the abyssal monsters encroaching steadily. ]

Do you give up, Aether? Do you want to go home? You'll let us kill you, won't you?

[brilliantdiamond]

[Aether falls to the ground with a pained cry, his muscles all contracting as a final surge of electro sparks over his body. It hurts. It hurts so much, he doesn't even know if he has the strength to move anymore.]

[But he does. And he will. The voices of the the three Childes in front of him draw him to his feet, using his sword to push himself up.]

I-I'm... no hero. I'm just a... traveler.

[He takes a fighting stance once more, despite the tremble to his legs.]

And I'm your friend. So I can't let you kill me here. Or I won't be able to save you.

[acutabove]

[ The voices pause in tandem. Even the beasts stop gnashing and snarling, driven to silence by the blond's words.

It's the familiar Childe that speaks first, the one that is neither small nor wreathed in crackling purple of Electro. ]

Go home, Aether. [ He sounds defeated. Tired.

The Delusion-wielding Childe hums behind him, and there's a hand in his hair again, tugging. ]

Go home, Aether. [ He sounds wanton. Pleased.

The small Childe grips his shortsword and looks Aether in the eyes - and for a moment his own light up. Blood trickles down his shirt to the ground, and the darkness closes in. ]

Go home. [ The little one repeats, firmly.

The beasts are close enough their hot, putrid breath can be felt all around. Oppressive like the Abyss, hungry, devouring. ]

[brilliantdiamond]

[What can he do? For all his bravado, he's too tired to fight. Mentally, physically. It's only the knowledge that Childe must be suffering as well that keeps him on his feet. That keeps him moving. After all--]

I... can't. I'm not like you.

[With his free hand, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the seashell from before. It falls to the ground at his feet.]

...I don't have a home to go back to anymore.

[acutabove]

[ The small Childe stares at the seashell on the ground, his eyes welling up with tears. The sword in his hands shakes, and the woman's hands on his shoulders disappear - replaced instead with the gaping maws of beasts. They clamp over his small form and drag him off into the darkness.

The shell starts to glow, if only a little.

The Childe Aether knows looks at the shell, then up to the blond's expression. His mouth sets in a grim line of determination, and he looks like he wants to say something - but before he can jagged teeth in a massive maw clamp around his body from the side with a sickening crunch and he too, gets dragged into the darkness.

The shell rumbles with the sound of the ocean.

Above, the stars gleam and glow, and the darkness presses in. It's the same oppressive, smothering blackness from before, but it's more finite, absolute.

The spark of Electro wreathes Delusion-Childe's hands again, re-forming into the javelin. His voice comes out as a low purr of affection, even if his words are anything but. ]

It's fine, Aether. Don't worry. You'll be here, with me. You'll never be far from home.

[brilliantdiamond]

[It's too much.]

[Watching the same child he swore he'd protect being dragged off by a monster. Watching Childe himself be devoured right in front of him. And all he can do is stare in horror, as the monster wearing Childe's face behind him croons in his ear. He's too weak to do anything about it. Powerless, just like when he lost Lumine. Would he ever even see her again? Certainly not if he dies here, but... what if she wasn't even in a state where she could be found?]

[What if she died in a dark and lonely abyss, just like this one?]

[As that line of doubt claws at his heart... something inside him breaks.]

[The light leaves his eyes, as he no longer fights to free himself. He drops his sword, the blade falling and smashing the starconch in front of him to pieces. But he doesn't even register it.]

...I'm sorry.

[acutabove]

[ There's a brief moment where the Delusion-Childe suddenly freezes, voice caught in his throat before it bursts out in a strangled "NO" as the starconch shatters. The reason for this becomes clear when a sudden geyser of water explodes outwards, immediately flooding the surrounding area and taking Aether's tired form with it.

But he doesn't drown; the raging currents lap and flow at his aching and abused body, kneading gently, soothingly into his skin as the water merges into a shape beneath a glittering sky.

It's not a human-shape, of course. Aether is cradled on rivers flowing into flippers, nestled in his own spot in a wide, broad back that spans up into the sky, rocketing him up to touch the stars.

The haunting cry that bellows forth is mournful, sad - but angry. So very angry. The Hydro whale lurches higher, higher, Aether held fast on its slippery back before it suddenly plummets downward to crash into the ground and the corrupted Childe far below.

The ground smashes open under the force, shattering into so many fragments that disappear into nothing all around them -

- and Aether is ejected from the Abyss and onto soft, plush grass made damp with receding water in a world filled with vibrant color.

The Childe that sits next to him looks identical to the one that had been dragged away into the dark, and he quickly reaches out to help steady his friend. ]

1/2

[brilliantdiamond]

[Aether doesn't even realize what he's done until the water comes to take him away. Was this the end? Somehow, it's more peaceful than he expected.]

[But more than the feeling of the comforting currents or the sound of the whale carrying him on it's back, it's the sight of the stars overhead that his eyes are drawn to. A tired arm reaches out as if to touch them one last time-- but then, everything disappears as the darkness around them shatters.]

[And just like that, he lands on his hands and knees in the grass, looking down at the bright green below in confusion. He looks up--]

[brilliantdiamond]

[But the moment he sees Childe, a look of terror crosses his features once more.]

[He jerks away, arms wrapped tightly around himself almost protectively, as a wall of stones rises up between them.]

...n-no more.


[But Childe won't have the opportunity to react here. Because in that moment, something else snaps on the outside. Aether held it together as long as he could, but with that -- the Kizuna bond between them snaps.]

[And without that bond, Aether is forcibly ejected from his soul, no doubt waking Childe as well. And when he opens his eyes, he'll see Aether sitting across from him -- now clutching his chest in pain as wide, confused eyes look back at him.]

[acutabove]

[ He awakens to pain, the sort that he hasn't felt in a long, long time. Long before his time in the abyss, but even then it had not been of this magnitude.

Childe clutches at his chest with a wheezing cough, turning over onto his other side like that would help alleviate the pressure and sting on his heart. With the chaotic emotions warring within him from having another tromp around in his soul and the exhaustion of possession, it's no surprise that it takes its toll on him in unexpected ways.

His breath hitches when he looks over at Aether, a similar look of confusion crossing his features. ]

[brilliantdiamond]

[Despite the fact that it would be easy to argue it was all just like a dream, it only takes a glance to tell that Aether carried over every physical injury, his clothes even singed in areas where the electro was the strongest. His hair is still wet from that final blast of hydro, causing a shiver.]

[And yet despite that, despite this strange ache in his chest, and despite the fact that every instinct is telling him to draw his sword right now... he doesn't. And instead he asks, in a weak voice:]

...are you okay?

[acutabove]

[ How does he even answer that?

There's a lot of spotty parts in his memory that he's not sure he wants to get back. His chest throbs a little with an ache he can't quite place a name to, a pain that makes his breath shudder every time he breathes in deep.

But Aether looks much worse for wear. It's concerning. ]

Fine. I'm fine. [ A pause, and then: ] Are you okay?

[brilliantdiamond]

[He takes in a breath, his lips easily moving to form the words "I'm fine". Childe is safe. His own wounds aren't substantial. He won't have to go back to that dark place again. He'll be fine, in time. He has to be.]

[But as if calling him out for the line of thought, his chest throbs again from the strange ache. He bites back his words, looking down -- and then shakes his head.]

[The pain from the bond breaking alleviates immediately, as a fresh bond quickly forms to take its place.]

...no. I-I... I'm not okay.

[It feels strange to admit it so easily. He's not used to sharing his burdens like this, not sure what else there is to say. He's not okay. And he doesn't know how to fix it.]

[acutabove]

[ It's not surprising. Childe, for better or for worse, was unaware of how deep the taint of the abyss had sunk into him. For Aether to venture into his soul and come out like this...

He had an idea of what happened. After all, he was there and wasn't there, the entirety of Aether's journey feeling more like a dream than anything. It was a reminiscence built on emotions past and present, and Childe... had never really been good with those sorts of things.

But there's a part of him that recognizes that his emotions towards Aether has shifted, and it wants to take care of him, protect him. It's the least he could do. ]

Aether... [ He begins, and pauses. How does he... it's different now, he thinks. ]

Aether, come here.

[brilliantdiamond]

[There's a hesitation there that's hard to ignore. Up until now, his feelings towards Childe were complicated. Did he see him as a friend? What happened between them to make them so close that Child would treat him so amicably? Not knowing was frustrating enough without throwing all of this in the mix.]

[But little does Aether know, there's a very specific reason the souldive had such an impact on him, traumatic imagery aside. After all, he was diving with his own soul, too. And while damaging the diver's soul would normally be too difficult to warrant even mentioning, with just how much that corruption pushed at his own fears and insecurities -- all of that, on top of the damage he's already received helping other corrupts souls up until now, his soul has a few fractures of its own. Still whole, but damaged.]

[Which is why, while he will eventually move closer to Childe -- doing so causes tears to well up in his eyes, his shoulders trembling. It's not an expression anyone would associate with Aether at all.]

[acutabove]

[ Childe doesn't quite move until Aether comes closer - and then he shifts, slowly, pitching forward to grab Aether's arm and pull him into a warm chest. One arm goes around his shoulders, the other pressing against the back of his head and he squeezes, reassuringly, letting the Traveler feel the beat of his heart against him.

His voice sounds after in a low murmur that ruffles Aether's hair, reassuring and calming as much as he can. ]

Shhh... I have you, Aether. It's okay. I've got you.

[brilliantdiamond]

[He knew he was likely going to get a hug. Something to help him calm down and feel better. He knew that when he moved over here, and yet-- when Childe squeezes him close that like, his first instinct is to panic, his arms moving as if to push himself away.]

[But he doesn't. Instead, he takes a deep breath to try and calm back down, his eyes squeezing shut as he lets Childe hold him.]

...thank you.

[acutabove]

[ The previously throbbing pain in his chest has subsided, replaced instead with something warm and soothing.

He wonders over it for a moment, but given that he feels much better than he has prior, he'll let it be. For now.

Instead, Childe will let his head rest on Aether's head, keeping his grip on him firm but loosening in increments in case the Traveler wishes to squirm free. His fingers gently stroke his hair away from his face, carding through the blond strands much like how he used to do with his siblings, even if the emotions he's feeling is anything but.

It's different. The fondness and affection is there, but it's... shifted, changed. Rather than seeing Aether as an equal, he sees him more as something small to be protected, cherished.

And of course, with those feelings... ]

... can I kiss you?

[brilliantdiamond]

[Aether still feels strange. Something feels wrong with him in a way he can't articulate. Like his mind is in a blur, making it harder to think clearly. Was he just tired?]

[And yet the longer Childe holds him, the more that strange feeling alleviates. As if the bond between them was healing, in a way. He was starting to feel a bit more like himself again.]

[At least, until Childe suddenly asks to kiss him--]


["You'll let me, won't you?"]


[He jerks back immediately, falling backwards as he all but launches himself out of reach. That look of fear is there once more -- but this time, it relaxes quickly, and is follow by a light dusting to his cheeks.]

Wh... why?

[acutabove]

[ Why, indeed.

It's rare that Childe even asks for permission, usually just... taking what he wanted, when he wanted. He hadn't asked Zhongli the first time they'd laid together, or Shell - true to Childe's chaotic nature, it was just something that he did, completely steamrolling over his partner's reactions (in most instances) to indulge himself in his whims.

It's a little strange, and he almost regrets doing so. They're probably not quite there yet.

... he's actually at a lose of what to say. With something like a nervous laugh, he simply lifts both shoulders up in a shrug, helpless. ]

If you don't want to, it's fine, I mean.. you hardly know me, after all.

[brilliantdiamond]

[...]

Do you... not know what happened in there? While I was I was trying to save you?

[Trying, he says, because it doesn't really feel like he was the one to do so in the end.]

[acutabove]

[ The question gets his brow furrowing a little, but he ultimately lets out a sigh and shakes his head. ]

Not... not really. Bits and pieces, I guess. It was a lot of emotion, a lot of feeling. But I didn't feel like I actually saw you ... wherever I was.

[ It's hard to describe. Whether it was a result of the inner trauma of merging with himself, or because of the taint of the Abyss, he's unsure. But it wouldn't be the first time he suspected his abilities to be affecting him in some way or another. ]

Sorry.

[brilliantdiamond]

[In a weird way, it's a relief. That version of Childe must have been mostly corruption, if not entirely.]

[But it still doesn't change what he did. Thinking about how to describe it... it doesn't feel like it would be enough. It was more than just what he did. It was the context, the implications, and his own lack of experience with such things that compounded to make it all feel that much worse.]

[But he doesn't really want to talk about all of that, so instead-- he's just going to hope Childe takes his reaction just now into consideration and doesn't just blow it off.]

The corrupt version of you was... kissing me all over. And saying weird things while stabbing me.

[TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK AT URSELF, CHILDE]