lackluster | ɴɪɢʜᴛғᴇʟʟ: ɪɴʙᴏx.

[hi archer]

hey are u looking for housing

[hi childe]

[ omg is the ORV cast gonna adopt him ]

Maybe.

I might not be able to afford it yet though.

[YEAH COME LIVE WITH THEM CHILDE!!!!! but also oocly NO PRESSURE ARCHER we just think it'd be v funny if childe showed up and met dokja]

i dont blame it u it's pretty much highway robbery
that aside
u know what's not highway robbery
if u move into the han sooyoung corporation apartment complex
which has just officially opened!!!

[ I THINK IT WOULD BE RLY FUNNY TOO pls let him live with the cast and then have him leash dokja in front of everyone so he can deliver him to jhw ]

That's it? No catch? No background checks?

What if I'm a bad guy?

[hsy watching like

]

its ok as long as ur not a pervert
if u r then ill send u to purgatory or whatever comes after dying here
otherwise we're very accepting of all kinds of ppl/non-ppl!!

the only other catch is that u gotta pitch in for groceries and repairs
but we've got a cook so we can provide meals
also hot water

[ yeah it can be in front of her salad too. ]

Then, if that's the case, count me in. Those terms sound good to me.

I can help with the cooking too. And cleaning, if you need.

How many people are living in the Han Sooyoung Corporation Apartment Complex?

[STOP NOT HER SALAD

also, nice!! congrats childe, literally the first person who's said yes!!! she pats herself on the back, hehe. she refuses to take responsibility of whatever happens after this. it's fine.]

cool, ill text you the address.
uhh about six right now? seven including you. the building's pretty big tho so you'll get ur own space.

oh right what's ur name?

[ he's the first person to say yes?? maybe she needs to rethink her tactics... ]

Six people, huh? Are they all people you asked to stay with you out of the blue too?

[ Han Sooyoung must be really lonely, or so he thinks. ]

But you can call me Childe. What should I call you, Miss Landlady?

[STOP she just grabbed him first its fine her tactics are great]

nah im stuck with them unfortunately theyre annoying like that
but i did ask one other person and im planning to ask more

[good thing she can't sense the BRACKET TEXT otherwise she'd immediately protest?? she's not lonely??]

my names on the building! han sooyoung but u can call me sooyoung

Wow, so you already have a corporation and an apartment complex named after you? You were busy.

[ If only Sooyoung can see the way Tartaglia is looking at his phone... he's so impressed. ]

Are you trying to fill up the whole building with people? I can ask around too, if you need help.

[STOP DON'T BOOST HER EGO LIKE THIS]

well u know what they say
even the dead dont rest
and its not like we're actually dead so that goes double for us both
if u get me more tenants then ill throw u a discount, or tag along for one of those notice board quests

[ he likes go-getters, okay...... ]

Uh huh. So you don't believe what they say either.

But sure, I'll ask around. I just have to make sure they aren't a pervert, right?

[ what is this criteria ]

[sooyoung with great confidence: i have a feeling ill get along great with this guy]

yup
if they DO turn out to be a surprise pervert then u'll have to deal with them

[that's childe's responsibility as the person who invited them! little does hsy know that he'd beat them up for funsies]

and i need more proof than just being told that we're in an afterlife
don't u?

[ Tartaglia is pretty much thinking along the same lines. Sooyoung sounds interesting just from this conversation alone. She also has to be a little crazy to invite a random guy to live at her apartment complex out of the blue like this. ]

That's fine. I'll beat them up, no problem.

[ Anyway. ]

Yeah, you're right. It just seems like there are others who believe it's all true, so it's nice to find someone who doesn't.

ig some of those ppl have reason to believe it
like they were really sick or that they were being attacked before they came here
what about u?

[she's curious... so far, everyone she's met might have been in a situation that led to their death, but no one's told her that they remember actually dying]

I remember finishing a part of my mission, so I was getting ready to head back to where I was staying for the night. And then I found myself here.

So unless a cliff got me somehow...

lol

[she doesn't think he really died by cliff okay but she does think it's funny]

no but its the same for me. i remember what i was doing and how i woke up here, but i don't remember the most important part aka dying
ig we could have lost our memories but that's way too convenient

[ What does lol mean... Something to ask later. ]

Even if we lost our memories, there should still be physical evidence if we died. Scars, things like that.

All I have are old ones. Nothing new that indicates how I must have died, so we're probably safe in our assumptions.

[childe about to learn the ins and outs of educational terms like babygirl]

oh yeah good point
the whole 'dead' thing is probably to discourage ppl from trying to leave and go back to their worlds
ig most ppl would give up if they really thought there was nothing left for them

[ is she gonna teach him about poggers??? ]

So you think they're trying to keep us here for a reason? I hadn't considered that.

I guess they could be wanting to feed our souls to the Forges.

[ Since soul-forging seems to be pretty ludicrous around here. ]

But I'm not about to believe I died just because it's convenient for them.

[ she's been debating on sending this message, but the nagging, giggling voice at the back of her mind practically compels her. her shadow's words have been far too loud this month, unwilling to stay put unlike the prior month, and it's not long before lumine gives in and decides to investigate the dark whispers plaguing her for herself ...

confirming the one truth within the lies, giving her shadow a reason to gloat.

i-told-you-sos hummed in a rhyme as she sits outside her door in the shadowlands, blue and white petals scattered on the ground, while the messages she sent to kokomi remain unread and unreplied to since the time she's sent them. ]

Did you meet Watatsumi's Divine Priestess in the time since you've woken up in this world?

[ and he can't say he doesn't know her. fatui intel runs deep, she knows this. ]

Hm? Kokomi?

[ Leave it to him to be this casual about the Divine Priestess, but titles rarely mean anything to him unless it's the Tsaritsa. ]

I've met her a few times. Haven't seen her in a while though.

[ the only reason she uses her title is just in case childe doesn't recognize her.

lumine buries her face in her arms and doesn't respond for a while, going through several thoughts in her mind while trying to push away her own shadow's heckling. ]

I see. She's not responding to me, either.

Thanks, Childe.

She isn't? Could something have happened after the Gallows...?

[ That was the last time he'd seen her. ]

I'm not sure. The last time I saw her was after I got out.

[ and handed to her the information she's managed to get. ]

Where did you two part ways?

Soon after that one prisoner was released. I wanted to leave him behind, but she insisted we help him out.

[ He knew that doing so was going to bite them in the ass somehow. This doesn't surprise him. ]

Want me to go look for her too? I can ask around.

[ that doesn't give her any clues.

she buries her face in her arms again. it doesn't help that she's feeling a sense of dread settling at the pit of her stomach like an incoming storm brewing from the distance. ]

Yes, if you can. Thank you, Childe.

I'm in the Shadowlands to see if I can find her door. I think I'll stay here for a little longer.

I'll let you know what I find out. Be careful out there, yeah?

[ If Lumine can't find her door... maybe that means Kokomi found a way out of here. One can only hope, anyway. It's better than assuming the alternative. ]

I don't need to tell you to do the same thing, yes?

[ a.k.a. be careful too, pls tell her if you'll disappear tyvm ]

[ he will try his very best to send her a note before that happens. ]

No, but I appreciate the sentiment anyway. It's always nice to know that you care about me.

[ there is denial on the tip of her tongue BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, she's too tired to argue. ]

It hurts to know that you think I don't.

[ Wow, talk about an unexpected message. That was supposed to be a joke, but now... ]

Well, you shouldn't.

[ giving more ammo to her shadow, nice ]

That's my choice to make, not yours.

You're making things more complicated for yourself, you know?

[ It's not like he's going to stop being a Harbinger— as much as he'd like to go on adventures with her. ]

[ pls, like she'd ask him to stop being a harbinger. ]

Yes, well. I'd rather make things complicated for myself than other people doing it on my behalf.

Suit yourself, but I don't know if it's worth the trouble. There are better people to worry about.

Pot calling the kettle black, I see. When you start worrying about better people, then I'll get off your back.

Then who am I supposed to be worrying about?

[ He's going to assume that Lumine isn't talking about his family because that would mean... Well, he's just going to assume that isn't the case for everyone's benefit. ]

[ ... she'll kick his face when she sees him again. ]

Yourself. Teucer and your little sister. Your family.

Worrying about my family is a given, but another Harbinger is looking after them too. I'm sure they'll be fine while I'm stuck down here trying to find my way out.

Focus on that, then.

[ if she finds a way out, she's shoving him into that exit first before herself. ]

And if you find out anything about Kokomi, let me know. Thanks again, Childe.

Fine. You got it.

[ When has Childe ever listened to anyone, but he isn't going to bother saying anything else.

At least he'll drag Lumine with him if he ever finds the exit. ]

[there's a delivery of a small mason jar, just about 290mL, with a simple note-- even if the writing is anything but simple. in fact, it's downright elegant, a cursive only seen in people who went to expensive, fancy schools or had special tutoring. no signature, except the "S" in spiced tea is stylized specifically to be a snake, larger than the rest of the writing, and eye-catching.]

Spiced tea, but with a little kick! (Don't drink too much in one go, please.)

As a small token of friendship, may it keep you warm even for just a moment in this snowy weather.

[inside the jar itself is a light brown liquid, still with a bit of the ingredients used to make it-- a thin slice of lemon, zest from an orange, so on and so forth. as for the kick? it's rum.]

[ He's going to be so happy to see this. Tea isn't usually his thing, but he will always appreciate gifts coming from others. Plus, this is just as good as being praised so he's pleased...

He doesn't know very many people whose names start with "S" so he'll be sure to thank Shalem when he sees him next time. ]

ɴɪɢʜᴛғᴇʟʟ: ɪɴʙᴏx.

un: jjang

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un: traveler

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