jikan_rpg | [open]

[open]

⌛ Who: Jean & you!
⌛ What: Jean arrives and acclimates to Nippon.
⌛ When: Late August & early September
⌛ Where: All over!
⌛ Warnings: None atm, will update if necessary.

a warm welcome;
[The first thing she notices is Klee, gleefully throwing a bomb into the sea. Then she sees it again, and again, the small girl delighted by Jean agreeing to go fish blasting with her but it seems like the world is stuttering, repeating the same moment over and over and over.

Then, there’s a door on the beach.

Might as well, she thinks, as the world repeats around her. Perhaps it’s like going into a domain, and there’s so many of them scattered around Mondstadt that it can’t be all that dangerous, right? That thought doesn’t quite prepare her for what’s on the other side of the door, unfortunately, but she at least doesn’t startle at the appearance of the people on the other side.

She sits through the orientation, listening to the explanation and only halfway believing it. It all seems so suspicious, but there’s nothing to be done about it. She’s here now, isn’t she? A world away from home…

Jean feels exhausted already.

It doesn’t help that this place is so incredibly unfamiliar - the clothing seems reminiscent of Inazuma, but the technology is unfamiliar. Which is what leads Jean to her current predicament.

Trains. A method of travel, she’s told, as she gets handed a rail pass. Seems like she’s not the only person who’s come through here who’s unfamiliar, but the unfamiliar method isn’t the problem. The problem is she doesn’t know where to go. She’s well and truly at a loss, like a dandelion floating on the breeze, and she’s not used to feeling this way. She’s spent so much of her life working and training and perfecting herself to be worthy of her title and now… None of that is here. Presumably, Mondstadt will be okay in her absence, but she still can’t help but worry.

Jean sighs, standing on the platform, lowering her hand while clutching the pass.]

There’s not that many places to go…

[And yet she’s still frozen with indecision.]

sights and sounds aka the uki tea prompt;
[Jean settles as best as she can settle over the first few days. She’s not one for being idle, though, so she can often be seen out and about the streets. She runs in the mornings, seeks out the library in the afternoon, and at night she explores the markets. She can’t decide where she should stay, traveling between the East and the West, but every day she tries to stick to a routine.

It helps. She plans to buy a planner as soon as she’s able to, but first she needs to find some sort of employment. It would be easier if she knew what she could do, as she’s not entirely sure this place needs knights, or if they would approve of a refugee becoming one. (She’s sure if Lisa or Kaeya could see her now, they would be telling her to take this opportunity to do literally anything else. Relax, they would say, but Jean’s never been very good at relaxing.)

Still. Not much else she can do as she tries to adjust to this new world. Maybe she can take that phantom advice for just an hour or two, because it’s not like anything terrible would happen. Tea would be a good idea - the thought mostly occurs to her because she’s passing a teahouse.

The warning labels on the samples get her to pause, though.]

...I see.

[...Maybe she should leave, but it seems rude to leave now. Besides, they’re offering their wares for free, and seem to want customer feedback, so isn’t trying it the least she could do…? These aren’t here people, but she can still help in a little way like this, right?

Gods, maybe she really does need to relax.

She’s not the only person in the teahouse, at least, and she turns to one of the other customers.]

Have you tried any of these teas yet?

[Maybe they could tell her what to expect!]

guilty pleasures;
[Eventually, Jean manages to make some money! She puts most of it aside just in case, but that still leaves her with some to spend. She’s not exactly sure how far it’ll go, but she knows what she wants to spend it on.

So, she heads to one of the bookstores. There’s some books that are familiar to her, surprisingly enough, but if she’s in a strange place she wants to find something new. Maybe it will help her get a better understanding of this place, or it will at least offer her something different. It helps that she doesn’t need to worry about anyone monitoring what she’s reading or buying, so she can look at the romance novels guilt-free. Nobody’s here to tease her for being a romantic!

She picks up a book on the shelf, bemused by it’s blunt title, and flips it open. She might enjoy something self-indulgent every once in a while, but she wants it to at least be well-written. Her eyes skim the passages, before the tips of her ears go bright red and she shoves the book back onto the shelves.

The downside to not being familiar with the writing industry of this place is not being able to pick out when a book is just trashy erotica.]

wildcard;
[Feel free to throw anything you want at me! Or, if you want to hash things out, feel free to hit me up at

revelries or in the Discord!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Aether is, ostensibly, an adult, so she shouldn't judge him for his choices. And she can't imagine that any healer worth their salt would recommend something that would be bad for him.

It's just hard to wrap her head around.

Also.

Why does he need a healer, anyways?]

Are you... Not doing well?

[She can't see any visible signs of injury, but she knows not all ailments are easily seen.]

[There's a brief moment where he pauses, eyes flickering away, contemplating how much he should say. It's not so much a matter of not trusting Jean with something like this, but rather knowing it might cause her to worry more than necessary. And certainly, she's got enough on her plate in getting used to this new world.]

[So he smiles, resting a hand on his chest.]

I'll be all right. I just got into a little trouble earlier this month... I'm starting to think I have a knack for it. But at least I didn't have to fight a dragon this time.

[No matter what he says, she's going to worry. That's just what Jean does. She worries, and she works, and she worries that she's not working enough. And now she doesn't have any work, so that leaves more time for worrying!]

You do seem to fall into the strangest situations...

[She has no idea what he found in his journey to Liyue, but some of the news she heard... It was concerning, to say the least.]

As long as you'll be alright. And... If you need any healing in the meantime, you can come to me as well.

[She offers him a small smile, before turning back to the tea. Back to business.]

Well, if you're looking for tea to try for this uki weed... I suppose it's a good thing they have samples to try, isn't it?

[Back to important drug business, yes.]

It is, but I imagine I can only try one. I've been looking for a way to take it so it's not as strong, and if I try a second one, it would just a double dose.

But even with the labels, it doesn't really say much about how potent they are... which do you think sounds weakest?

[Naturally, for maximum hilarity potential, the warning only says the beverages are for adults only and to sample at your own risk, with flowery blend names such as Midnight Flower, Summer Gold, Fuchsia Delight, and Rainbow's Edge. So there's nothing to indicate that the first is what he's looking for, the second will cause him to hallucinate, and the third is a mild aphrodisiac. And the latter, which somehow smells the weakest, is actually a blend of all three.]

[Go on Jean, pick his poison.]

[Jean is not an expert on tea, much less tea made from a fantasy aphrodisiac. She has no idea what she’s looking for when it comes to strength - color? Scent? The names aren’t very descriptive, so that’s no help.

She could just pick at random…

She takes the sample labeled “Rainbow’s Edge” and hands it to Aether, before taking a sample of Midnight Flower for herself.]

There. That one seems like the most delicate of the bunch.

[If only it was, like, uki weed coffee. Then maybe she would’ve been more helpful.]

[He has half a mind to ask if she's sure about taking a drink too, but-- well, he's sure she knows what she's doing. And truth be told, he is pretty desperate to find a blend that doesn't end with him making a fool of himself everyday. Surely one of these should work?]

Well, then... cheers?

[And after giving the tea a tentative sniff, he drinks it down--]

[And he immediately makes a face.]

Ugh... it didn't smell very sweet, but it tastes like... sugared slime condensate.

[Which is bad for many reasons, the first of which being why does know what sugared slime condensate tastes like?? But mostly, it's that uki is also just a sweetener due to it's natural sweet flavor, meaning he can tell that it was likely extremely potent. The mild varieties will just taste like slightly-too-sweet tea.]

Sugared slime condensate?

[What on earth have you been doing in the wild, Aether? Is eating slime even healthy?

This also makes her less sure about trying some for herself… It’s mostly out of guilt for not being able to help that makes her want to have this act of solidarity, but… He is not making it sound appealing.

But.

Well.

She’s picked the cup up, so she might as well take a small sip. It’s not that sweet at all? A little sweeter than she’d like, yes, but it’s bearable.]

This one seems very mild. Perhaps it would have been the better option for you?

[Oops.]

Paimon's specialty dish. I don't let her cook anymore.

[Notably, he only allowed it the one time.]

[But while it's a relief to hear that Jean won't be flying quite as high as he will, as long as one of them is affected, they're in for a weird time.]

But I guess you can't really judge it by scent alone, huh... maybe I should head back to the place I've been staying. I don't know if I want to be walking around if this is a strong as I think it is.

[He has a good 20 minutes before it fully kicks in, which isn't exactly enough time to get back to the dorm in Gion.]

That certainly does seem like Paimon.

[By which she means it sounds. Odd. Incredibly odd. But it suits the little... Whatever Paimon is.]

It seems to be that way. You have my deepest apologies for that.

[She doesn't even really know what she's done to him yet.]

Here, I'll help you get back. Are you staying in the dorms?

[She at least knows where those are, having settled there herself.]

It's fine. I already figured something like this would happen.

[Not the first time he's had to walk home turnt up smh.]

[Still, he nods. He's hardly in a position to reject an offer for help, even if he's a little worried about making a fool of himself in front of Jean. Honestly, at this point, it's like this this world is just out to wreck his dignity.]

The one in Gion, yeah. It seemed like a waste to stay in any of the private apartments when I'm not sure how often I'll actually be staying there.

[That traveler lifestyle and all.]

[It's really not fine, and now Jean is even more concerned about you??]

Do things like this happen often here? I know you haven't been here long, but you seem... Unsurprised.

[How many times has he gotten high in a month...]

I know the way. I'm staying there as well, at least until I find a new routine.

[She's not quite sure what to do with herself just yet. She needs to get a job, first, and then she can figure things out.]

Er, well... I'm supposed to be taking it regularly. But it's not exactly something I have any experience with, so... finding the right amount to take has been pretty hard. I don't think it helps that the culture here doesn't really discourage indulging in it, so a lot of people get confused when I ask for a weaker version of it. But I don't like not feeling functional everyday...

[Yes, he is in fact getting high every day and he hates it tbh.]

[The concern over Aether's- injury? illness? returns, but she tries to stamp it down. Aether can take care of himself! But, Jean worries. He's Mondstadt's Honorary Knight, after all, and by now Jean would like to think they're friends. He's someone she would do anything for.]

So a lesser of two evils...

[Which still sounds kind of terrible, honestly!]

I'm not sure what I can do for you, but if you need someone to watch over you as you try to find the correct dosage, you can rely on me. I'm used to helping people with things like this.

[She shouldn't be playing babysitter for the drunkards of Mondstadt, but, well. In her opinion it still follows under her purview.]

[Honestly given what he saw of Mondstadt, that's not surprising to hear, letting out a soft laugh in turn.]

I appreciate the offer, but maybe you should see what I'm like first. The first time I tried it, I ended up on top of a really tall building. And when I asked someone about it later, apparently I told them I just wanted to be tall.

[A menace to society, honestly.]

[City of freedom, Aether. City of freedom.]

I’ll see if I can handle what you’re like, after I make sure you’re safe.

[She’s stubborn, alright? But she also can’t hide the amused smile at the idea of Aether climbing a building. Dangerous, yes, but she’s from Mondstadt, where gliding is king, so it’s not unheard of.]

[Jean wins the "best designated driver friend" award.]

[But with that, they really should start heading back. And at first, it's all totally fine. Until, after about ten minutes of walking, Aether stops and proceeds to just settle down on the ground right there on the sidewalk to sit down. Sir, there is bench ten feet away??]

H-Hold on. I feel a little... dizzy.

[Ah. It’s hit.

Jean stops, hovering over Aether. There’s a bench right there, but who knows how long this dizzy spell will last?]

Do you want me to carry you back to the dorms?

...I'm not that small, am I?

[#offended]

[He grumbles, rubbing at his face.]

But-- no, I just need a little second.

It’s less that you’re small, and more that I’m capable…

[Though, you know. He is pretty small.]

Take all the time you need.

[While Jean hovers, unsure of what to do.]

[He nods, letting his hands fall back into his lap]

[and]

[T-Tearing up???]

[Now, Aether mentioned that he needed to take Uki for a health reason. He neglected to mention that the health reason in question is due to having a fractured soul, causing his emotions to be a little all over the place at times.]

[And RNG decided that means he's going to be trying very hard not to cry right now, his hands moving back up to his face to hide it. The Uki hadn't fully kicked in yet, meaning all it was doing right now was making him feel unwell. He's not exactly upset, it's... just sorta happening.]

...m-maybe a few more little seconds.

[Well.

This is happening.

This is not anything she imagined happening - she's never seen Aether cry. He's always seemed so strong and level-headed, which she knows does not mean he's emotionless, but. She is not prepared for soul-fractured induced tears.

Oh, Barbatos.]

Aether, is- Is everything alright?

[Which feels like the absolute dumbest question to ask, but. She's trying.

She kneels down next to him, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder carefully, giving him the opportunity to pull away.]

[While it's certainly disturbing enough to see, experiencing it isn't much better. That feeling of being unable to contain or control his emotions was already frustrating, but adding on the strong effects of the uki making him feel like he can't control anything is much worse. To his credit, he's trying to keep himself somewhat calm, but-- well, the awareness that Jean is seeing him like this isn't helping.]

S-Sorry, I just... really don't feel good.

[At least he's not outright sobbing?? But he can't keep his lip from trembling as a few tears squeeze their way out.]

The reason, I take uki is-- for this, but... it's not even working right now. So it just feels bad.

[She reaches out, resting her hand on his shoulder. She pushes asides the guilt - she feels like perhaps she led him wrong, but dwelling on that won’t do either of them any good.]

It’s nothing to be sorry for.

[It’s not like he chose for this to happen!]

Is there anything else that helps? Anything I can do?

[Please, she’s here to help!!]

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brilliantdiamond - 2021-09-20 22:04 (UTC) - Expand

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