inbox; reverie

[gravitydefier]

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Comments

[lonesummit]

Xiao, I intend to stop in to see you. Will you open the door for me?

[He could ask Xiao to come to him, but in truth Zhongli would like some of his own time away.]

[gravitydefier]

[please hold while your birb figures out how to text.]

yes

[lonesummit]

[By the time Zhongli gets to Nymph's door, he doesn't have proper hands. He's just a small exuvia, no bigger than a cat, waiting outside the door to be let in.]

[gravitydefier]

[once he hears the quiet noise at the door, he opens the door.

his lord being in an inhuman form is nothing new to him.]

[lonesummit]

[He's just not in any mood to be viewed as a person. Sometimes self care is being a small animal so you can be carried, and to that end he comes into Nymph when the door is opened.]

Good day, Xiao.

[Then he supposes he'll just climb his way up to Xiao's shoulder. Yes he could fly, but he decides not to.]

[gravitydefier]

Zhongli-daren. [bows his head in reverent greeting. also will remain very still so his lord can climb him, since he desires to.]

[lonesummit]

[He will drape himself across Xiao's shoulders once he gets up there, heaving a sigh of relief.]

I thought I would be leaving behind alliance brokering when I stepped into the life of a funeral consultant.

I wish to simply spend time this way for a time. Please pay me no mind and go about your day if you will.

[gravitydefier]

Understood. And as you wish. [guess Zhongli-daren gets to come with him when he goes to climb up to the motel roof.]

[lonesummit]

[There are no complaints from Zhongli. In this form, he feels free to be close to Xiao and he feels like he is allowed to be a little more affectionate, nuzzling into Xiao's hair and preening him just a little as he goes about climbing the motel.

Such a diligent bird. Even here, far from Liyue, with the demons kept at bay by the walls of this compound, he reports for duty consistently, keeping watch over the people here.]

Has your team been in discussions about plans for future tasks, Xiao?

Cerberus was recently brought to a meeting between us, Bugbear, and Kraken for such a discussion. Tension ran high, but I do think we made some small headway in understanding what we want to do in the future, but things are still quite muddy.

[gravitydefier]

[absolutely unsure of what to do with that affection. he doesn't mind, at least not from dijun (who can get away with basically anything).]

No. Not yet.

[lonesummit]

It is just as well...

[He will settle, relaxing once he has gotten away with the nuzzling. He will not overdo it with affection, he is already probably pushing it by riding his shoulders.]

In truth, I find it not particularly useful to try to plan for something that we cannot predict. It only introduces inflexibility when the Warden has proven to be flexible in creating these tasks, designing them to be maximally troublesome.

[gravitydefier]

[the fact that Xiao is letting him climb all over him where he wouldn't tolerate it from literally anyone else probably says a lot.

or, would, to two people who aren't stupid about emotions. such a pity that they are.]


...does your team disagree?

[lonesummit]

Hmmm... I think in some ways they do. They would like to remove any guesswork in future similar situations. It is an understandable impulse, and I too would love nothing more than to be able to ensure that we protect the most people...

[He heaves a weary sigh. This is not the sort of thing he thought he'd have to do after stepping down from being Archon.]

It simply does not seem feasible, with our opponent seeming to change the games as we go to try to ensure more destruction.

[gravitydefier]

...understood. [listening, very closely, to what his lord had to say. he doesn't have much to say in return, especially because he doesn't understand humans or people or their emotions or desires enough to be able to comment unless specifically asked.]

[lonesummit]

[Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately for Xiao, his Lord is not only chatty, but curious, so he will ask.]

What do you think, Xiao? Is it strategically sound to rely upon one team? To make a pre-determination about what choice we will make if we are given one at all?

.... At the very least it does seem unfair that our choice should be to stick to one team that has some team members' loved ones on it in lieu of another team where other loved ones reside...

[But maybe he was too harsh? He feels a little bad.]

[gravitydefier]

The circumstances for each task will change, as you pointed out, my lord. That pre-determined choice would...narrow your options for how to deal with the situation.

What would happen if there is a task that puts yours against the team that was chosen?