Ryunosuke is in low spirits when he gets back to Greentruth. He'd bid Dextera farewell back in Godsblood and made his way to the portal with a heavy heart, knowing exactly the horrible task that waited him on the other side.
How would Thoma react to the news? Ryunosuke honestly has no way of knowing, not even if he tries to imagine their positions switched. He doesn't know the man very well, aside from one rather reassuring conversation they'd had via communion, and a few brief words exchanged in-person, here and there over the days that have passed since they'd both arrived in the Greentruth settlement.
Regardless of how little he wants to do this, it's a duty he can't shirk. Wherever Thoma is, Ryunosuke will track him down, arriving at his metaphorical (or literal?) doorstep with a hangdog expression on his face, undeniably alone.
Thoma's been working hard on descaling all the fish he caught that morning to make some sashimi for the group and can be found in the community kitchen (or whatever passes as for one). There's a bucket of fresh catches on the edge of one table and a reasonably sharp knife in his hand as he carefully works his way through a particularly large fish, only pausing the moment Ryunosuke comes into view.
As eager as he is to be approached by a familiar face, Thoma can tell something is wrong just from reading Ryunosuke's expression, making him set the knife down and wipe his hands vigorously as he fixes Ryunosuke with a frown.
"I was going to offer you a bite to eat if you wanted, but–... are you feeling okay?"
He knows dealing with the infected in Venera took a lot out of all of them, and the aftermath hasn't been easy to cope with even though most of the infected have more or less returned to their normal lives, feeling eternally grateful for the help.
Ah, another tragedy... Under normal circumstances? He would absolutely flip for some sashimi. Right now, though, he feels much too guilty to have an appetite.
Ryunosuke opens his mouth to answer him, but he can't get the words out. He's had the whole journey back to think of what to say, but now that he's here? His mind is just blank. His mouth works silently for a moment, throat catching, before he just breaks and sinks into a deep bow of apology.
What is he apologizing for? Thoma's frown deepens as he slips around the table to approach Ryunosuke, hoping his scent isn't overwhelmingly unpleasant –not that that is much of a priority at the moment. He wonders what went wrong.
"It's okay... whatever it is, it's probably okay."
One hand settles on Ryunosuke's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze in an attempt to ease some of Ryunosuke's discomfort.
"Just take a deep breath– Was someone hurt or–?"
He doesn't want to think about what the worst thing Ryunosuke could say at this moment could be.
Somehow, Thoma showing such care and concern makes this hurt even worse. He can appreciate the effort, but he really feels as if he's failed him; Lumine may been the leader on the trip to Venera, but Ryunosuke still feels some responsibility for her safety.
"N... Not exactly."
At least, he hopes not.
"But... She's vanished. Miss Lumine." Ryunosuke doesn't let that hang for very long before launching into a hasty explanation. "I don't know how it happened--! One moment she was there, walking ahead of us, and the next-- she can't have been out of our sight for more than a few seconds! We looked everywhere--!"
His heart starts beating fast, fingers curling tightly, trying to remain calm. Charging after her isn't going to help anyone, especially when he doesn't have the full story. He tries to nod to acknowledge he heard Ryunosuke, but the gesture is a little stilted.
"Vanished into thin air? And with our mind link–..."
He tries to for a moment to reach out to her that way, a simple call of her name: Lumine. Yet no response comes. Just a faint, tugging feeling at the back of his mind, the wisps of what was there.
"Did she leave anything behind when she disappeared?"
Whatever remains of their connection, it's very faint and fragile, a frayed thread ready to snap, but it assures Thoma that she's not dead. That she's just very, very far away somewhere.
Ryunosuke watches him try to reach out via the Communion sadly, same as he and Dextera had attempted before. He doesn't try to stop him; it's something that's better for him to experience himself.
All the same, he feels horrible about this.
He shakes his head at the question. "I suppose any of her belongings here in the settlement must be where she left them, but everything she had on her at the time... It. It's like she turned the corner and walked into another world. I know that must sound insane, but..."
He flounders a moment, trying to think of what else to say. This is all just horribly, horribly sad... Even if he's fairly confident that Lumine is safe, wherever she is, the lack of proof is infuriating.
"It... It's possible that. She may have simply gone home," Ryunosuke says hesitantly. "Not by choice, but... We all showed up here so abruptly, I suppose it's not impossible we might leave the same way, right? And there are those among us who have... Seen their homes again, for lack of a better word. If you speak to Cid Garlond.... He can probably explain it better..."
"It doesn't sound as insane as you think!" Well, maybe to someone who isn't in the know about Lumine's unique abilities. "Back where I'm from, we called her the Traveler for a reason. She wasn't originally from Teyvat either."
If anyone was going to figure out how to leave this place, it was going to be her. He knows it seems unconventional to a lot –it was definitely a shock to Thoma the first time he'd heard it. He never imagined there was a whole other existence out there outside of their own, but it turns out they're just a very small piece of a tapestry that spans across many different worlds.
"Although it's a little abrupt she left without announcement or any goodbyes, but she probably didn't trigger it consciously. Maybe her power had manifested without warning from a deep wish or desire..."
He can't blame her. He wants to return to his world quite badly, too, as do they all. He should really be feeling relieved on her behalf.
"Does that mean... Cid Garlond– did he disappear once before? How about anyone else?"
...Lumine really possessed such an amazing power this whole time? He'd no idea...
Knowing that makes him feel... A little bit jealous, if he's being honest. If she did go home, even by accident. He does his best not to let it embitter him, casting the thought aside and addressing Thoma's question instead.
"I'm not certain if anyone else has... I just know that Cid claims to have gone home and returned again with new knowledge of events concerning his home world, and...." Ryunosuke pulls a face. "It, all went quite a bit over my head, I'm not certain I can adequately explain... Much though I'd like to."
[ the amusement fades drastically at mention of Kaeya and what happened to him ]
Actually... no, but I heard about it plenty. Maybe you're not on such a great side afterall, who knows.
[ still, he's not here to mess with Thoma's loyalties right now. ] Estinien killed a girl recently from the Kenoma, and she has since defected to the Pleroma. I can't look out for her anymore obviously, so I'm asking you to do it, instead.
You're the only one I can think of that won't let this Pleroma/Kenoma bullshit ever get to your head where you wouldn't protect her. I don't trust anyone else, not even Himeka who she is closest to.
[ A Fatui trusting him... he's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but Thoma definitely wouldn't let anything happen to her. He has his own reasons for questioning some of the brutality of the other rebels and knows from his lord's dealings with the Tri-Commission and the Shogun that conflicts are often messy rather than a matter of pure good versus bad. ]
You know I'd do my best to keep an eye on her, but why'd she join us if her murderer is on our side? That seems like an odd choice. I would have thought she'd be more hateful towards the Pleroma after.
[ Matt has been drinking. Living in a world without opioids, he's often drinking these days, but tonight, he's been drinking. How many shots until he forgets what Estinien looked like pierced by half a dozen spears of darkness? Time to find out!!! ]
Thoma, thank you for my mittens. I never said thank you, but I love them ...
[ He's actually been sleeping with them under his pillow, like they're itty bitty stuffed animals, but Thoma doesn't need to know that part. ]
[ ...Oh. He’s happy to hear from Matt, considering all the mayhem that happened during the raid. ]
Matt?! Are you all right? I was worried one of our own may have, well, taken you out pretty badly. I’m glad you enjoyed the mittens, but I hope you can actually still use them. If not, I could alter the other one, too.
Okay, it is crazy you should say that, because one of your own did take me out pretty badly. [ Matt doesn't sound angry as he relates this news. At the moment, he almost seems ... ebullient? ] I basically fucking died.
But I can still use your mittens! I came back with all the same hands.
[ Excuse him while he chokes on his next breath. ]
You what?! I mean, I'm glad your remaining hand is still intact and that your shard wasn't damaged badly enough that you could resurrect, but... you didn't try going up against Estinien, did you?
[ That feels like a fool's errand, but Matt may have not had a choice if he was targeted first. ]
[ Was he being flirted with just now? He chuckles a little nervously to himself. What's even going on here? ]
Ah, thank you. You're a nice-looking guy yourself, but, uh, I'm sure that is beside the point. I'm glad you were okay even going up against him. If you're still in pain, I can make a few numbing salves to help.
[ What's going on here is ... a lot. But it doesn't not include Matt trying to steer the conversation away from his own injuries by any means necessary. He's not being consciously manipulative, or he probably would've picked a topic with less potential to mortify him later, but nonetheless: an attempt to subject-change is being made. ]
No ... I'm fine, [ he protests.
A hint of playfulness creeps back into his tone as he adds, ] You gotta stop offering me presents, Thoma. I still owe you something after the mittens, like, I don't know, a nice bottle of wine? Nonperishable snacks? What do you like?
[ He's having trouble parsing whether or not Matt is being entirely honest through their communion link, but he'll just take him at his word for now. If Matt's able to talk mentally at all, at least it means he's conscious and alive. ]
You don't have to worry about a return gift. I'm not much of a wine-drinker anyway... can't really stand the taste. I just wanted you to stay warm, though it seems a bit off-season for knitwear. It's a lot warmer here than it is in Inazuma. Maybe I should have tried to make you oven mitts first.
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timeasmymeasure
[ACTION, backdate to june] (lmk if this is ok!)
Date: 2022-07-12 12:15 am (UTC)How would Thoma react to the news? Ryunosuke honestly has no way of knowing, not even if he tries to imagine their positions switched. He doesn't know the man very well, aside from one rather reassuring conversation they'd had via communion, and a few brief words exchanged in-person, here and there over the days that have passed since they'd both arrived in the Greentruth settlement.
Regardless of how little he wants to do this, it's a duty he can't shirk. Wherever Thoma is, Ryunosuke will track him down, arriving at his metaphorical (or literal?) doorstep with a hangdog expression on his face, undeniably alone.
perfectly okay, but also I now realize I never did any layouts for this journal .............
Date: 2022-07-13 02:12 am (UTC)As eager as he is to be approached by a familiar face, Thoma can tell something is wrong just from reading Ryunosuke's expression, making him set the knife down and wipe his hands vigorously as he fixes Ryunosuke with a frown.
"I was going to offer you a bite to eat if you wanted, but–... are you feeling okay?"
He knows dealing with the infected in Venera took a lot out of all of them, and the aftermath hasn't been easy to cope with even though most of the infected have more or less returned to their normal lives, feeling eternally grateful for the help.
No worries!
Date: 2022-07-13 03:13 am (UTC)Ryunosuke opens his mouth to answer him, but he can't get the words out. He's had the whole journey back to think of what to say, but now that he's here? His mind is just blank. His mouth works silently for a moment, throat catching, before he just breaks and sinks into a deep bow of apology.
"Mr. Thoma, I... I am so sorry...!"
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Date: 2022-07-16 09:52 pm (UTC)"It's okay... whatever it is, it's probably okay."
One hand settles on Ryunosuke's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze in an attempt to ease some of Ryunosuke's discomfort.
"Just take a deep breath– Was someone hurt or–?"
He doesn't want to think about what the worst thing Ryunosuke could say at this moment could be.
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Date: 2022-07-26 02:05 am (UTC)"N... Not exactly."
At least, he hopes not.
"But... She's vanished. Miss Lumine." Ryunosuke doesn't let that hang for very long before launching into a hasty explanation. "I don't know how it happened--! One moment she was there, walking ahead of us, and the next-- she can't have been out of our sight for more than a few seconds! We looked everywhere--!"
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Date: 2022-07-28 01:06 am (UTC)His heart starts beating fast, fingers curling tightly, trying to remain calm. Charging after her isn't going to help anyone, especially when he doesn't have the full story. He tries to nod to acknowledge he heard Ryunosuke, but the gesture is a little stilted.
"Vanished into thin air? And with our mind link–..."
He tries to for a moment to reach out to her that way, a simple call of her name: Lumine. Yet no response comes. Just a faint, tugging feeling at the back of his mind, the wisps of what was there.
"Did she leave anything behind when she disappeared?"
Whatever remains of their connection, it's very faint and fragile, a frayed thread ready to snap, but it assures Thoma that she's not dead. That she's just very, very far away somewhere.
Hopefully.
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Date: 2022-07-30 04:01 am (UTC)All the same, he feels horrible about this.
He shakes his head at the question. "I suppose any of her belongings here in the settlement must be where she left them, but everything she had on her at the time... It. It's like she turned the corner and walked into another world. I know that must sound insane, but..."
He flounders a moment, trying to think of what else to say. This is all just horribly, horribly sad... Even if he's fairly confident that Lumine is safe, wherever she is, the lack of proof is infuriating.
"It... It's possible that. She may have simply gone home," Ryunosuke says hesitantly. "Not by choice, but... We all showed up here so abruptly, I suppose it's not impossible we might leave the same way, right? And there are those among us who have... Seen their homes again, for lack of a better word. If you speak to Cid Garlond.... He can probably explain it better..."
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Date: 2022-07-30 06:27 pm (UTC)If anyone was going to figure out how to leave this place, it was going to be her. He knows it seems unconventional to a lot –it was definitely a shock to Thoma the first time he'd heard it. He never imagined there was a whole other existence out there outside of their own, but it turns out they're just a very small piece of a tapestry that spans across many different worlds.
"Although it's a little abrupt she left without announcement or any goodbyes, but she probably didn't trigger it consciously. Maybe her power had manifested without warning from a deep wish or desire..."
He can't blame her. He wants to return to his world quite badly, too, as do they all. He should really be feeling relieved on her behalf.
"Does that mean... Cid Garlond– did he disappear once before? How about anyone else?"
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Date: 2022-08-08 01:12 am (UTC)Knowing that makes him feel... A little bit jealous, if he's being honest. If she did go home, even by accident. He does his best not to let it embitter him, casting the thought aside and addressing Thoma's question instead.
"I'm not certain if anyone else has... I just know that Cid claims to have gone home and returned again with new knowledge of events concerning his home world, and...." Ryunosuke pulls a face. "It, all went quite a bit over my head, I'm not certain I can adequately explain... Much though I'd like to."
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From:1st of Firaseri.
Date: 2022-08-02 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-08-02 10:44 pm (UTC)Er... hello, Childe. You're not going to ask me to bite you again, are you?
[ It was weird enough the first time. ]
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Date: 2022-08-02 10:48 pm (UTC)You... You're free to pretend that none of that ever happened, you know!
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Date: 2022-08-02 10:51 pm (UTC)Consider it forgotten! What's this about then? You know it's not safe for you to be poking around rebel affairs.
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Date: 2022-08-02 11:09 pm (UTC)Awh, what, gonna tattle on me, Thoma? And here I thought we were buddies after everything by now!
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Date: 2022-08-02 11:20 pm (UTC)No, I think they'd take my head off if I even mentioned us communing. You saw what they did to Kaeya.
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Date: 2022-08-02 11:27 pm (UTC)Actually... no, but I heard about it plenty. Maybe you're not on such a great side afterall, who knows.
[ still, he's not here to mess with Thoma's loyalties right now. ] Estinien killed a girl recently from the Kenoma, and she has since defected to the Pleroma. I can't look out for her anymore obviously, so I'm asking you to do it, instead.
You're the only one I can think of that won't let this Pleroma/Kenoma bullshit ever get to your head where you wouldn't protect her. I don't trust anyone else, not even Himeka who she is closest to.
Her name is Meteion.
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Date: 2022-08-02 11:37 pm (UTC)You know I'd do my best to keep an eye on her, but why'd she join us if her murderer is on our side? That seems like an odd choice. I would have thought she'd be more hateful towards the Pleroma after.
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From:late firaseri; voice
Date: 2022-08-27 07:52 pm (UTC)[ Matt has been drinking. Living in a world without opioids, he's often drinking these days, but tonight, he's been drinking. How many shots until he forgets what Estinien looked like pierced by half a dozen spears of darkness? Time to find out!!! ]
Thoma, thank you for my mittens. I never said thank you, but I love them ...
[ He's actually been sleeping with them under his pillow, like they're itty bitty stuffed animals, but Thoma doesn't need to know that part. ]
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Date: 2022-08-27 10:35 pm (UTC)Matt?! Are you all right? I was worried one of our own may have, well, taken you out pretty badly. I’m glad you enjoyed the mittens, but I hope you can actually still use them. If not, I could alter the other one, too.
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Date: 2022-08-28 03:00 am (UTC)But I can still use your mittens! I came back with all the same hands.
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Date: 2022-08-29 11:27 pm (UTC)You what?! I mean, I'm glad your remaining hand is still intact and that your shard wasn't damaged badly enough that you could resurrect, but... you didn't try going up against Estinien, did you?
[ That feels like a fool's errand, but Matt may have not had a choice if he was targeted first. ]
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Date: 2022-08-30 01:07 am (UTC)[ To be fair, he hadn't tried to go up against Estinien in Venera. It had just kind of happened. ]
No, it was this guy with red hair and a flaming sword. He was kinda cute, actually ...
Not as cute as you.
[ mATT?? ]
And I'm okay, so. It was all okay.
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Date: 2022-08-30 11:12 pm (UTC)You mean Ran– wai–...
[ Was he being flirted with just now? He chuckles a little nervously to himself. What's even going on here? ]
Ah, thank you. You're a nice-looking guy yourself, but, uh, I'm sure that is beside the point. I'm glad you were okay even going up against him. If you're still in pain, I can make a few numbing salves to help.
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Date: 2022-08-31 12:13 am (UTC)No ... I'm fine, [ he protests.
A hint of playfulness creeps back into his tone as he adds, ] You gotta stop offering me presents, Thoma. I still owe you something after the mittens, like, I don't know, a nice bottle of wine? Nonperishable snacks? What do you like?
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Date: 2022-08-31 12:50 am (UTC)You don't have to worry about a return gift. I'm not much of a wine-drinker anyway... can't really stand the taste. I just wanted you to stay warm, though it seems a bit off-season for knitwear. It's a lot warmer here than it is in Inazuma. Maybe I should have tried to make you oven mitts first.
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