The nice thing about all of the ice and snow on this mountain is that Tsurumaru blends in almost perfectly. It's the ideal camouflage for someone dressed in all white like him. So he lies in wait and listens for the crunch of snow under someone's boot and once close enough... he leaps up from a snow pile, arms spread wide to look even bigger than he really is, and yells, )
Woah! (Boo) Are you surprised?!
(He holds his pose for a moment and upon realizing he essentially jump scared Ookurikara, he lets out a loud and bright laugh
(perfectly practiced, too cheerful considering how heavy the day has been)
(he's coping ok). )
Ah, Kara!
(And hands on his hips. Ookurikara might notice that... he looks smaller? There's less volume. Less puff.
He's given his signature robe away. He's down one layer when every layer matters.)
[ if it were literally anyone else in teyvat, kara would immediately back away. but it's tsuru, and a robeless tsuru no less, so... fine. fine. but the put-upon sigh as he conjures up a fireball in his hand says he's not happy about it!! ]
At least find a spare coat.
[ ...he could ask how tsuru is doing besides losing his robe, but that's getting too close to both of their traumas, so he sidesteps that for now. kara will just keep an eye on him. that should be enough. ]
(Why worry? Can't you tell he's fine? He's in a good mood and smiling and cheerful and as menacing as ever. Ah, this is better though. Thank you Kara for being the warm person he knew you were,)
Are you worried?
(About him? For more reasons than just his lack of layers? For now, he's going to start to shepherd Kara towards some shelter though, out of the cold and the wind,)
Mhmm. It appears this place is more troubled than we thought... Have you?
(He doesn't speak right away, instead, letting himself be warmed by the flame.
Ah. And of course, Kara would be troubled by this. Steadfast and loyal Kara who dedicates himself to his purpose. Gentle Kara who is much more sensitive than he would ever want to admit.)
Do you think it's impossible?
(That they would agree to change history? That nothing would ever tempt them?)
[ kara, in turn, doesn't answer immediately, taking a long moment to consider. is it impossible...? is there anything that could tempt him to want to change history? ]
...No.
[ as much as he would like to believe otherwise, there is one thing, one person that ookurikara will do anything for. even now, centuries after his death, date masamune still means the world to him. ]
But if he won't say why we would agree, or whatever he said to convince us, then why should we believe him? His word means nothing.
(He doesn't mind. It's a difficult question to answer, one that most of them would rather not admit out loud. He can imagine where Kara's mind is going, figuring out exactly what (or rather, who) comes to mind when he answers,)
Then maybe the possibility is proof.
(Maybe. If they were brought here because they agreed to change history... well, Tsuru can thing of a few things for himself.
He sigh and reaches out to pat Kara's face with both hands,)
Of course. (He doesn't have to believe Forneus.) When faced with uncertainty, believe in yourself. What do you believe, Ka • Ra~?
[ why must you poke at him like this he is suffering ]
I believe that I wouldn't bother allying myself with someone who feels the need to say that they can break me whenever they like and calls it "considerate."
[ his eyes flicker with irritation, not all directed at tsuru. ]
I asked why he'd bother bringing someone who wouldn't agree if we're so unneeded that he'd send us away, and he claimed he was being nice by "considering my feelings" about going home. And he felt the need to remind me that as a god, he could break me.
[ kara: i was being threatened for NO REASON AT ALL
(Break him, that is. He isn't quite hearing "Forneus threatened me!!!" but Tsuru has always been the type to spoil and enable others so... if that's how Kara wants to think about then please, continue.
Also he's just gonna start... tugging on Kara's cheeks.)
He said he wouldn't. [ kara is too honest not to allow that much. ] But if he plans for us to work for him, why say it at all? None of the other gods of this world have.
[ that alone seems to be enough to judge his character. ]
(Fine, fine, he'll let it go. Very kind of Kara to let Tsuru indulge, though, thank u its almost enough to distract him from being triggered by winter.)
Good.
(Because Tsuru would have to unlease his full chaotic potential if he did.)
I wonder... (Humming,) What death means to a god that can undo what's been done? Did you ask him what will happen if you break?
[ it was cruel of forneus, to bring them here, to a place that would hit so close to home for so many. of course, that was the entire point - to prey on their sympathies and use it to convince them all to help - but it certainly isn't improving his opinion. as far as he's concerned, it's just manipulation.
(and anything that hurts any of the few that ookurikara cares about is worth at least ten more strikes against him.)
lasting peace, a world without wars - it might be nice to see. but whether destroying the gods of this world will really make that possible remains to be seen, and when it comes down to it, kara will always prioritize his family, even over the possibility of peace. ]
We don't have to stay.
[ he may not know firsthand the sort of things that this place makes tsurumaru feel, but he can guess. and so he has to offer an out, just once. let someone else deal with this instead. ]
(A mission. To protect history. To get home to their master and friends. How far all of that extends has always been for them to determine on their own, )
...
(A chance to leave. An escape from something unpleasant. He can recognize a way out when he sees it and yet
He's always hated leaving.)
No, we don't. (Have to stay, that is, but he won't say anything else about it. He's never been one to really talk about how he really feels. Instead, he steps closer to Kara, where it's warm and feels better.) We don't have to leave yet either.
[ there's nothing tying them here, if forneus is true to his word. an agreement they don't remember making means little to ookurikara - what does matter is how they move forward from here.
if tsuru doesn't want to leave, they won't leave. not yet. it doesn't sit well with ookurikara, displeasure coiling in his stomach like a knot. but he doesn't argue, and he doesn't pull away. his only outward reaction is a flex of his hand, the flames starting to twist into a new shape before flickering and curling back into a little fireball. ]
Whether it's to achieve the desired outcome or the one that is meant to be, repeating time, again and again, will create a burden that someone has to endure.
(Like a vessel. He wonders if Ookurikara knows about that though and watches him curiously for a moment to gauge his reaction before continuing,)
We aren't the only ones that protect history. (Holding both hands close to the flame as they grow and change, a physical guide to remind him to keep calm and in control, lest others become hurt. Not that he's ever worried about being hurt, ) And you know our way isn't the only one... some might even think we're the ones who are wrong.
(Like the Kebiishi, who protect indiscriminately and without exception.)
But because we understand history, we know we're right. Can we say the same here?
(When they don't really understand the world? The history?)
[ there isn't much of a reaction, just a soft exhale as kara closes his eyes. the vessel... he's already confirmed for himself who it is, but it still makes him uneasy, knowing one person is bearing all of this for the sake of a cause he doesn't believe in. ]
We don't belong here. It seems like he's counting on that, on all of us accepting that he's right because we don't know enough to argue. He could manipulate whatever he likes, leave out crucial information or twist something else to suit his needs, and none of us would be the wiser. We can't trust that.
[ blindly accepting whatever is set in front of him has never been ookurikara's way of doing things. ]
(Two sides to an argument and truthfully, it's the second he leans more towards but it would be dishonest to say he wasn't completely unconvinced by the other... but there's no reason for Ookurikara to know that or for Tsurumaru to admit that much out loud. )
Then we don't trust him. (Easy. Or rather, not as easy as it sounds given they don't have much to go off of but if he makes it sound easy, it'll make Kara worry less than it would if he made it sound like it was troublesome,) And we carry on as we have.
[ it isn't as simple as tsuru makes it sound. the thing is... even ookurikara can't bring himself to oppose the cause as zhongli explained it. so technicalities and trust issues aside, choice means everything to him, enough to argue with his current master here and there, so why wouldn't he be in favor of freeing the people here?
but altering history, turning a whole world on its head would be a complicated, intricate thing, and committing to that will take more than one person's word.
still, there's something comforting in tsurumaru paring it all down like this. it's easier, when it means kara doesn't have to think too hard about the tightness in his chest, so he leans into it, and accepts tsuru's words as if they are fact. carry on like they have... that, he can do. ]
Sharing information, keeping others safe, making sure they're warm...
(He could keep listing. He could be more specific. And he maintains eye contact with Kara the entire time to let him know he can and will if he has to.)
I'm sure everyone appreciates it. (And a quick head pat,) As they should.
(Because Ookurikara is a good sword. A good spirit.
In comparison?? Tsuru has made people uncomfortable and just generally been chaotic so???)
Is that all? (Is it really, Kara? Well, he won't press it anymore than that but he's letting you know that he knows.) Well, we'll have to make sure everyone is taken care of until we can go home.
[ HE WILL KEEP DODGING until tsuru stops and then he can have warmth rights again
at any rate, he doesn't answer immediately. silence stretches between them, enough that it seems like ookurikara has nothing more to say. quiet has never bothered him the way it does tsuru, after all - he can sit in silence for hours and be at peace, if anyone around him would allow it.
it's only after a long, long pause that kara speaks again, voice quiet: ]
The one bearing all that extra time... they said that they wanted to create a lasting peace, with no more war.
[ and where would he even begin unravel the complicated feelings in his heart about that? ]
(Warm rights trump menacing on a frozen death mountain you win this time, Ookurikara.
In comparison, Tsurumaru has a mixed relationship with silence. Sometimes it's nice and puts him at ease and other times, it makes him restless and fills him with a desire to do something to break it. This time, it falls somewhere in between. He doesn't mind the silence so much when he knows it isn't going to last. So he waits, lets himself warm up next to Kara, and finally, when he speaks, he makes sure to listen carefully, to hear his words and feel their weight.
His heart beats hard in his chest, a pang of something twisting at his core. He's a passive spirit, the type that is content to sit back and observe, to follow orders and to just go about his days without want... or at least, without expressing it out loud.
If there was something he wanted
One thing he really desired
It was... p e a c e
He bottles it up. Covers it with more layers. Wraps it up carefully and tucks it away.
After a moment of silence that probably feels longer than it really is, he replies calmly,)
[ how many humans have dreamed of peace? how many take up their swords and spears to wage war for the sake of ending it? and how many spirits have bathed their steel in red, hoping that the day may come that they will no longer be needed at all - that they won't simply be reduced to works of art and replaced with newer, stronger weapons, but that they may not ever hear the sounds of war again?
zhongli isn't the first. neither is ishikirimaru, or nobuyasu, or gohei. when it comes to this simple wish they share, there is nothing unique about them - except, perhaps, the belief of whether it can truly come to be someday. for ookurikara, however, it's hard to imagine believing comes so easily, when it means the end of everything they've known, sword spirit, god, or human. ]
But he seems to believe that they can actually achieve it here.
[ a question goes unasked, one kara can't bring himself to voice again, for fear of allowing himself to hope too much. that's always been the core of why he acts the way he does, isn't it - while tsurumaru escapes that through surprises and tricks and games, ookurikara escapes by pulling away, and never allowing himself to get close at all, lest it slip through his fingers again, as everything he wants always seems to do.
but his heart still wants to know: is a world without war even possible? what will become of them, if it is? does that even matter, in the end?
tsurumaru won't have those answers, but no one else would even hear those questions, so there is no one better to trust them with. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action
The nice thing about all of the ice and snow on this mountain is that Tsurumaru blends in almost perfectly. It's the ideal camouflage for someone dressed in all white like him. So he lies in wait and listens for the crunch of snow under someone's boot and once close enough... he leaps up from a snow pile, arms spread wide to look even bigger than he really is, and yells, )
Woah! (Boo) Are you surprised?!
(He holds his pose for a moment and upon realizing he essentially jump scared Ookurikara, he lets out a loud and bright laugh
(perfectly practiced, too cheerful considering how heavy the day has been)
(he's coping ok). )
Ah, Kara!
(And hands on his hips. Ookurikara might notice that... he looks smaller? There's less volume. Less puff.
He's given his signature robe away. He's down one layer when every layer matters.)
Well done. You found me.
(... Because he was looking for him, wasn't he?)
no subject
Where's your robe?
[ BUNDLE UP, BINCH, IT'S COLD ]
no subject
Hm? (Tilting his head to one side, seemingly o b l i v i o u s to why Kara might be upset,) I must have given it to someone who needed it.
(Besides himself.
He's also just going to skip on over so he's next to Kara and he's gonna... huddle close. Because he actually is cold. :( )
no subject
At least find a spare coat.
[ ...he could ask how tsuru is doing besides losing his robe, but that's getting too close to both of their traumas, so he sidesteps that for now. kara will just keep an eye on him. that should be enough. ]
Have you spoken to Forneus?
no subject
Are you worried?
(About him? For more reasons than just his lack of layers? For now, he's going to start to shepherd Kara towards some shelter though, out of the cold and the wind,)
Mhmm. It appears this place is more troubled than we thought... Have you?
no subject
(tsuru knows the answer anyway) ]
Mm. He claims we agreed to help him change history, but he can't give any sort of proof.
no subject
(He doesn't speak right away, instead, letting himself be warmed by the flame.
Ah. And of course, Kara would be troubled by this. Steadfast and loyal Kara who dedicates himself to his purpose. Gentle Kara who is much more sensitive than he would ever want to admit.)
Do you think it's impossible?
(That they would agree to change history? That nothing would ever tempt them?)
no subject
...No.
[ as much as he would like to believe otherwise, there is one thing, one person that ookurikara will do anything for. even now, centuries after his death, date masamune still means the world to him. ]
But if he won't say why we would agree, or whatever he said to convince us, then why should we believe him? His word means nothing.
no subject
Then maybe the possibility is proof.
(Maybe. If they were brought here because they agreed to change history... well, Tsuru can thing of a few things for himself.
He sigh and reaches out to pat Kara's face with both hands,)
Of course. (He doesn't have to believe Forneus.) When faced with uncertainty, believe in yourself. What do you believe, Ka • Ra~?
no subject
I believe that I wouldn't bother allying myself with someone who feels the need to say that they can break me whenever they like and calls it "considerate."
no subject
He's as calm as ever but when Kara speaks, he stops his poking and teasing to just. Hold Kara's face in his hands,)
Did he?
(Voice lilting, maybe a little too pleasant given the topic,)
I wonder what brought that up...
(Tell him, Kara.)
no subject
[ his eyes flicker with irritation, not all directed at tsuru. ]
I asked why he'd bother bringing someone who wouldn't agree if we're so unneeded that he'd send us away, and he claimed he was being nice by "considering my feelings" about going home. And he felt the need to remind me that as a god, he could break me.
[ kara: i was being threatened for NO REASON AT ALL
it's because he was being a punk, of course ]
no subject
But there's no reason to do anything like that.
(Break him, that is. He isn't quite hearing "Forneus threatened me!!!" but Tsuru has always been the type to spoil and enable others so... if that's how Kara wants to think about then please, continue.
Also he's just gonna start... tugging on Kara's cheeks.)
no subject
He said he wouldn't. [ kara is too honest not to allow that much. ] But if he plans for us to work for him, why say it at all? None of the other gods of this world have.
[ that alone seems to be enough to judge his character. ]
no subject
Good.
(Because Tsuru would have to unlease his full chaotic potential if he did.)
I wonder... (Humming,) What death means to a god that can undo what's been done? Did you ask him what will happen if you break?
no subject
no subject
(Someone else will probably know more about the story than Tsurumaru though so he moves on,)
When he brought us here, he tied our souls to his... so if we ever died, he would bring us back.
no subject
[ . . .
but he does stare at tsuru for a long moment as if to say "don't even think about it" ]
no subject
Direct.
Eye contact.)
Someone who would go to lengths to bind us to him like this doesn't strike me as the type of person who would want to break us.
(He doesn't think Forneus threatened Kara but he can't blame Kara for being bothered by it,)
Still, it's best to be careful.
(Don't give him a reason.)
no subject
He's chosen to destroy himself for this end goal of his. Someone with so little care for himself isn't someone I want to be tied to.
no subject
(But that brings up the problem,)
What do you think about his plans?
no subject
This isn't our world. What I think of his plans doesn't matter.
no subject
Even if it's the only way home?
no subject
If what he said is true, he can send us home anytime he wants.
no subject
(Like the lull in a very long mission.)
We wait and observe...
(Even if it hurts.)
no subject
This isn't our mission.
[ it was cruel of forneus, to bring them here, to a place that would hit so close to home for so many. of course, that was the entire point - to prey on their sympathies and use it to convince them all to help - but it certainly isn't improving his opinion. as far as he's concerned, it's just manipulation.
(and anything that hurts any of the few that ookurikara cares about is worth at least ten more strikes against him.)
lasting peace, a world without wars - it might be nice to see. but whether destroying the gods of this world will really make that possible remains to be seen, and when it comes down to it, kara will always prioritize his family, even over the possibility of peace. ]
We don't have to stay.
[ he may not know firsthand the sort of things that this place makes tsurumaru feel, but he can guess. and so he has to offer an out, just once. let someone else deal with this instead. ]
no subject
(A mission. To protect history. To get home to their master and friends. How far all of that extends has always been for them to determine on their own, )
...
(A chance to leave. An escape from something unpleasant. He can recognize a way out when he sees it and yet
He's always hated leaving.)
No, we don't. (Have to stay, that is, but he won't say anything else about it. He's never been one to really talk about how he really feels. Instead, he steps closer to Kara, where it's warm and feels better.) We don't have to leave yet either.
no subject
[ there's nothing tying them here, if forneus is true to his word. an agreement they don't remember making means little to ookurikara - what does matter is how they move forward from here.
if tsuru doesn't want to leave, they won't leave. not yet. it doesn't sit well with ookurikara, displeasure coiling in his stomach like a knot. but he doesn't argue, and he doesn't pull away. his only outward reaction is a flex of his hand, the flames starting to twist into a new shape before flickering and curling back into a little fireball. ]
You haven't said what you think of his plans.
no subject
(Like a vessel. He wonders if Ookurikara knows about that though and watches him curiously for a moment to gauge his reaction before continuing,)
We aren't the only ones that protect history. (Holding both hands close to the flame as they grow and change, a physical guide to remind him to keep calm and in control, lest others become hurt. Not that he's ever worried about being hurt, ) And you know our way isn't the only one... some might even think we're the ones who are wrong.
(Like the Kebiishi, who protect indiscriminately and without exception.)
But because we understand history, we know we're right. Can we say the same here?
(When they don't really understand the world? The history?)
no subject
[ there isn't much of a reaction, just a soft exhale as kara closes his eyes. the vessel... he's already confirmed for himself who it is, but it still makes him uneasy, knowing one person is bearing all of this for the sake of a cause he doesn't believe in. ]
We don't belong here. It seems like he's counting on that, on all of us accepting that he's right because we don't know enough to argue. He could manipulate whatever he likes, leave out crucial information or twist something else to suit his needs, and none of us would be the wiser. We can't trust that.
[ blindly accepting whatever is set in front of him has never been ookurikara's way of doing things. ]
no subject
Then we don't trust him. (Easy. Or rather, not as easy as it sounds given they don't have much to go off of but if he makes it sound easy, it'll make Kara worry less than it would if he made it sound like it was troublesome,) And we carry on as we have.
... You've been helpful.
(HE'S SEEN U CARING ABOUT DRAGONS)
no subject
but altering history, turning a whole world on its head would be a complicated, intricate thing, and committing to that will take more than one person's word.
still, there's something comforting in tsurumaru paring it all down like this. it's easier, when it means kara doesn't have to think too hard about the tightness in his chest, so he leans into it, and accepts tsuru's words as if they are fact. carry on like they have... that, he can do. ]
...Helpful how?
no subject
(He could keep listing. He could be more specific. And he maintains eye contact with Kara the entire time to let him know he can and will if he has to.)
I'm sure everyone appreciates it. (And a quick head pat,) As they should.
(Because Ookurikara is a good sword. A good spirit.
In comparison?? Tsuru has made people uncomfortable and just generally been chaotic so???)
no subject
None of us will get much further if they die. There aren't enough Pyro visions in this camp to avoid it.
[ that's it that's his excuse ]
no subject
Is that all? (Is it really, Kara? Well, he won't press it anymore than that but he's letting you know that he knows.) Well, we'll have to make sure everyone is taken care of until we can go home.
no subject
Once we're off this mountain, they can handle themselves.
[ he refuses to be responsible for all of these people until they go home, that's way too much associating with others for this dragon. ]
no subject
Then we'll have to take advantage of your kindness while we can~
(Whether he gets his hands on Kara's hair or not, he eventually does give up to just stay close to Kara. Ah, he has to warm up again.)
Is there anything else worrying you, Kara?
(Before Tsuru drags them back to camp to be around p e o p l e.)
no subject
at any rate, he doesn't answer immediately. silence stretches between them, enough that it seems like ookurikara has nothing more to say. quiet has never bothered him the way it does tsuru, after all - he can sit in silence for hours and be at peace, if anyone around him would allow it.
it's only after a long, long pause that kara speaks again, voice quiet: ]
The one bearing all that extra time... they said that they wanted to create a lasting peace, with no more war.
[ and where would he even begin unravel the complicated feelings in his heart about that? ]
no subject
In comparison, Tsurumaru has a mixed relationship with silence. Sometimes it's nice and puts him at ease and other times, it makes him restless and fills him with a desire to do something to break it. This time, it falls somewhere in between. He doesn't mind the silence so much when he knows it isn't going to last. So he waits, lets himself warm up next to Kara, and finally, when he speaks, he makes sure to listen carefully, to hear his words and feel their weight.
His heart beats hard in his chest, a pang of something twisting at his core. He's a passive spirit, the type that is content to sit back and observe, to follow orders and to just go about his days without want... or at least, without expressing it out loud.
If there was something he wanted
One thing he really desired
It was... p e a c e
He bottles it up. Covers it with more layers. Wraps it up carefully and tucks it away.
After a moment of silence that probably feels longer than it really is, he replies calmly,)
He wouldn't be the first.
(And he won't be the last, either.)
no subject
No.
[ how many humans have dreamed of peace? how many take up their swords and spears to wage war for the sake of ending it? and how many spirits have bathed their steel in red, hoping that the day may come that they will no longer be needed at all - that they won't simply be reduced to works of art and replaced with newer, stronger weapons, but that they may not ever hear the sounds of war again?
zhongli isn't the first. neither is ishikirimaru, or nobuyasu, or gohei. when it comes to this simple wish they share, there is nothing unique about them - except, perhaps, the belief of whether it can truly come to be someday. for ookurikara, however, it's hard to imagine believing comes so easily, when it means the end of everything they've known, sword spirit, god, or human. ]
But he seems to believe that they can actually achieve it here.
[ a question goes unasked, one kara can't bring himself to voice again, for fear of allowing himself to hope too much. that's always been the core of why he acts the way he does, isn't it - while tsurumaru escapes that through surprises and tricks and games, ookurikara escapes by pulling away, and never allowing himself to get close at all, lest it slip through his fingers again, as everything he wants always seems to do.
but his heart still wants to know: is a world without war even possible? what will become of them, if it is? does that even matter, in the end?
tsurumaru won't have those answers, but no one else would even hear those questions, so there is no one better to trust them with. ]