dendroculi | [homophonic] catchall for shu

[ squeezes her hand and starts walking before she can get too deep into those emotions. ]

[she squeezes his hand back and tries to distract herself from those feelings by idk counting the number of leaves on the trees as they pass them]

[ they really are just 🧍]

…

I think we all thought there’d be time. But realistically, I should’ve know there wouldn’t be.

Once Matsui was gone, it was... inevitable.

[she looks down.]

But none of us expected it to happen that way.

[the shark noise....... she knew she was right not to trust sea creatures]

[ zhongli would be proud. ]

It’s not as though we had a reference to go off of — we were all just optimistic it wouldn’t be instant.

[ like fools. ]

...we know better now.

[it may well be that there isn't anything that could have been done at all, even if it hadn't been instant.

each world has "laws" that can't be broken, after all. if this is one of them...]

The only way I can see it is if someone processed a team change right there in that room. But that’s like damning the teammate left behind.

[ so. here they are. one team, and that’s that. ]

And that would be assuming... a team change would even be possible at all.

[she would like to believe it is but (gazes in a thread that's icly happening after this).]

[ oh goody. ]

Mm. That was a pretty big assumption in the first place.

...I thought I'd have more time to ask about it. I... still will, so that we know for the future.

[...but, no matter what answer she gets - it won't change what happened today.

and that really stings.]

…

Do you want to know how little we can do? Or would you rather still have a little hope.

[ he likes nahida for her practicality. but he’s fine being the realist on the team if he has to be.

that was why they’d invited him, wasn’t it? he’s nothing if not painfully realistic about life. ]

Edited 2023-07-03 09:00 (UTC)

I want to know the truth.

Empty hopes will just do more harm than good.

…

Okay.

[ me remembering they are still holding hands and walking like 🥹 ]

It’s all about information now, then. [ treat things as he always would. gather, assess, adjust, go. ]

Yes.

[she breathes out a small sigh and squeezes his hand a little, quietly grateful.]

I hope that some of the information we gather will be good. It may not all be, but... as long as we do know the truth, we can know what's in our power to do.

[and what isn't. it's bittersweet, but - if something is well and truly impossible, it could soothe the hearts of anyone who catches themselves thinking, "if i'd just done something differnetly i could have changed the outcome".]

[ he’s pretty sure people will think that anyway. ]

What happens to teams… what else? Maybe we should make a list at this right. “Tell us all the ways you can ruin our day” and go from there.

[ he’s not wrong. ]

The noise too. Right now I’m willing to assume whatever the Reapers do to keep them away isn’t working as well. Otherwise two of them wouldn’t have shown up today.

I overheard them talking about the Noise having been attracted to all the negative feelings where we were. This week's effect seems to have made it worse.

But if that's the case I'm surprised a dangerous Noise didn't show up during the trial...

...

Monika said something about seeing one trying to break in during trial, but it couldn't. Maybe because it goes on for longer, they focus more on keeping them out.

It could be.

Maybe they hoped if it was finished quickly, we'd all disperse and the Noise wouldn't be attracted to our feelings anymore. But the horse Noise that got there first dragged things out a little...

And with all our emotions running haywire...

[ ... a terrible, perfect storm generated perfectly to summon noise at the worst moment. ]

[...maybe it was inevitable, then.

her heart gives a small pang at that, and she squeezes his hand.]

[ sigh. ]

Domino effects are something, when they're set off in a way that causes that much damage.

Well... if nothing else, at least we'll have an easier time of keeping our feelings to ourselves moving forward.

[it will be MUCH easier to "conceal don't feel"]

[ ha. ]

No kidding. This is the third week in a row something's been weird?

Yes... it seems like we should be expecting something odd every week.

[ sorry I know this is a sad and serious thread, but shu really does just do this face. ]

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dendroculi - 2023-07-03 23:27 (UTC) - Expand