dear_mun | on the events of 3.2 and the upcoming 3.3

[Aether sits, chin propped on a palm, in his own contemplation while his mun does much the same, somewhere he can't see. He has had long enough to adjust to this whole at-first-uncomfortable-but-now-curious sensation of knowing she's there, out of reach but never gone entirely. Theirs isn't an unfriendly relation, though they do disagree on some things.]

[While now is not one of those incidents, he isn't sure where he stands on the issue either, though he can see the merit. Begrudgingly.]

I know what you're thinking. You know this isn't going to work the way you would like. It's only going to hurt you more than it will me if that will be the way things go, so tell me.

[He shifts, leaning to his other side.] What are you going to do if it all goes south? I can only do so much, and you can't save them all. The world is cruel, much as we would like it to be kinder to those of us who have lost so much.

[He isn't saying this to make things worse. He knows well enough he's speaking for them both, putting voice to facts that need no introduction. He's trying to be realistic. If this, what she wants, is still possible at all, it's going to be an uphill battle on a slippery slope from start to finish. And he isn't completely set on taking this on, everything in the bigger picture considered.]

[Still, it isn't like him to leave everything as it is. Even for that person. Aether runs a hand down his face, sighing, staring down the metaphorical road he knows he's about to set off on, little as he's looking forward to it.]

I make no promises. All I can guarantee is that I'll try. [Then, after a moment.] I have my doubts - you do too - but you're right. I can't just leave this be either.

[He just hopes against hope that they won't regret this.]

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We all could only do so much, Traveler.

[The experienced scholar within does his analyzing.]

There are unexpected variables. The future isn't easy to predict. So, the best we can do is to prepare, and use caution.

You know, if you ever need any further help or advice, you could always talk to me.

[He'd rather help out whenever he can than, rather than be a bump on the log while in between patrolling Avidya Forest, tending to his Forest Watcher duties.]

[Ah, a friendly face! He can't help a curve to his lips as he looks up to the watcher, brief though it may be, to find some relief in all of this.]

Tighnari, hey.

[A pause, considering. Oh, does he ever want to talk about it, and he hesitates. How much does his friend know? Best to start this out nice and carefully. He's bound to have a looot of explaining to do, and this may well be the only place to really get this off his chest.]

I don't think any of us are really going to be prepared for what could happen. Do you remember the Balladeer? [A slow flinch, almost as if he's unsure about bringing this up at all.]

[A soft contented smile shows on the Watcher's expression.] It's good to see you again, Aether.

[Tighnari might have a similar question on his mind. So much has been going on, and this isn't just about Teyvat...]

[He frowns, and shows both concern and discomfort.] I remember what you've described to me about him.

I also received a warning from my mun about him lurking about.

[The better to continue their conversation, he steps closer, halting his steps a modest distance from his friend. Their topic may not be comfortable, but at least their presences are.]

[He nods, diverting his gaze to the ground, brows furrowed.]

I've heard he may be here as well. If I meet him, I don't know what I'll do. That will have to depend on what he does.

[He shakes his head, looks back up at the other.] My mun... has asked me to try to help him. Not... help him with what he intends to do through his ascension to godhood, but him. [He pats his chest, still unsure what all to make of this, what all to call it.] Here.

[Tighnari's eyes briefly close as he sighs. Oh dear, yes, this is very troubling. A number of concerns already start to gather and fester together inside his mind.]

The least we can do is try to figure that out.

Those who want to play god tend to bring disastrous outcomes. So much destruction...

I'll do what I can to help you put a stop to his plans. Not just for you, or the protection of the forest. It's become a whole lot more than that.

[There's a determination burning in the Watcher's mind and heart. He knows he must help. Try to come up with something to prevent the dangers from escalating too far.]

[He nods, feeling every one of the centuries behind him anew. No matter what he has done, what he has lived through before, none of it has prepared him for what he faces now. But he manages a smile, small though it may be, to the boy with the fox ears and the heart of a guardian. Tighnari might not have those same eons of experience, but it doesn't shake his conviction in the least.]

[It's what he loves about these people, why he stays when it all seems to come crashing down around them.]

Thank you. I wouldn't ask you to put yourself in harm's way, but I don't know what's going to happen. [How does he even approach this? Can it even be done?]

[Aether's concern mirrors his own as he replies.]

I wouldn't want you to get hurt either, and I know that it would likely be much harder to find the Balladeer on your own.

We shouldn't let our worries stop us from taking action.

Have you learned of what his plans are?

[Guardian, scholar, friend... Tighnari does not take these earned qualities that make him who he is for granted. He refuses to stand by and do nothing while the lives of all he cares for could be at serious risk.

Knowing more of the Balladeer's intentions would help Tighnari understand the path their enemy takes.]

[He raises his hands in a gesture, as if that might somehow explain everything for them, give them somewhere to start.]

Nothing new, I'm afraid. He intends to attain the power of a god, like he did in the Teyvat I know, but to what end now? We know he isn't in this alone. The Dottore had a hand in it all, and that's another question mark. Is he also here, somewhere?

[As if they need another instance of that man around.]

[With unwavering attention, Tighnari assesses this other threat; another Harbinger being involved.]

If the Doctor is lurking around here somewhere, then we'd have two dangerous individuals to pursue.

I don't think splitting up would be ideal...

My mun hasn't said a word about Dottore. He could still be involved, but unseen.

[His sensitive ears pick up on Mun's whispering as he'll relay her words.]

...She says she hasn't noticed Dottore being more involved in anything else the Balladeer's doing. He's not around.

[Tighnari's arms cross over his chest.] The Balladeer might have acted alone, but this information is too vague to make much use of.

Edited 2022-11-27 04:23 (UTC)

[Aether nods, agreeing easily to his friend's suggestion. There is strength in numbers, and two pairs of eyes are always better than one.]

I hope that isn't the case.

[That ear perk isn't lost on him, and with what it seemed to mean, he finds relief. As if to reinforce it, he catches his own mun's reassurances that Tighnari's isn't fibbing. Dottore isn't here, isn't a concern. He prods for more, needing to know, and is disappointed to find not much more can be given. Can be or will be, he never is so sure when things change so quickly with what the muns seem to know at a given time. But he has a little faith in his mun. She hasn't tried to steer him wrong yet.]

That still leaves us with how to handle what we do know. Is there anyone in this place who might know more, or might know how to help us with those memories I've seen?

[A frown is seen on the Watcher.] I wouldn't know...

[Apparently, Tighnari's Mun does have something else to whisper to him. She knows of someone who could tell them a BIT, just a teeny bit, as to what the Balladeer has been up to... As there's a minor flick of those fennec fox ears, he blinks. His eyes widen a split second as he does.]

...Mine is saying there is a man who hasn't been around this place very much, but he has seen the Balladeer appear in his own world.

Mun, who is this man?

[From the sky falls a single photo of a middle aged Caucasian male who wears horn-rimmed glasses. On the back of the photo is the name, in handwriting. "Noah Bennet"

Tighnari kneels briefly to pick up the photo before resuming back to a standing position.]

[Another cryptic message? He stands patiently, watching Tighnari and waiting. When the photo appears - he still wonders sometimes at just how the muns are able to make that happen - Aether lets his friend pick it up before stepping over to join him in seeing what it has to show.]

[The man in the photo is no one he knows, but this is something they can use. Something they can show around, search for.]

Is this person familiar to you, Tighnari? I don't recognize him.

[Tighnari notices the suit jacket, formal shirt, and tie the man in the photo is wearing--but there isn't really anything to say about that. He examines the facial features. It's overall a professional looking photo.]

I've never seen him before, but it would still be very important to find him. If he's seen the Balladeer, that is... We might be able to learn something valuable from this Noah Bennet.

[Would this man be a friend, or foe? He wouldn't know.]

We'll find out who he is, and what happened. There might be someone around who knows him.

on the events of 3.2 and the upcoming 3.3

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