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WHO: uta and whoever
WHAT: bingo effects & catch-all for dec
WHEN: 12/10 - 12/12 (for catte), 12/13 - 12/16 for the rest
WHERE: wherever most (in)convenient
WARNINGS: there shouldn't be any??

ᴍᴇᴏᴡᴍɪx ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀʟ sᴏɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪғɪᴇs.

[ where are you right now? are you simply wandering around the island in no particular place? well, for those near the beach you can find a small calico cat who seems rather skittish and may be running away from a dog. fortunately, the dog doesn't seem to be chasing after the cat with any bloodlust but more like following her around? what is happening here?

or maybe you are having a meal when this small calico walks up to you and meows exactly once before sitting politely at your feet. or maybe you're just somewhere on the island in general when you stumble upon her. ]

ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʜᴀɴɢs ᴏɴ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ʜᴀɴᴅs.

[ because i refuse to believe that there is not a single bench on this entire island, uta will be outside sitting on one of them while flipping through a book with a title that seems... questionable or exciting depending on your taste in reading material. for uta, however, she'll questioning the novel she received with the proud title of My Boyfriend Is The One Except He’s A Lizard And Father Doesn’t Approve on its cover and spine. can't forget what you're reading, after all.

why is she reading this book outside where god and everyone can see her questionable taste? simple. if she must suffer, she will not go down alone—would be the answer if she was petty. the truth is that she's hoping to pawn it off to someone (anyone) else who finds the faintest interest in it. ]

ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ.

[ since it has been a bit since they've all arrived, uta will be checking out the boutique's offerings to see if she can't find something to change up her wardrobe. farmcore has never been her thing, but wearing an all-white dress with a short skirt is definitely not practical. that said, she will be posing in front of a mirror in some new clothes which still aren't great for farming before going to change into something else that is a lot more reasonable.

perhaps it's interesting that regardless whatever she is trying on, she'll have a particular straw hat on her head in exchange for the headphones. ]

ʙ-ɪ-ɴ-ɢ-ᴏ!

[ if you'd like pick a square from her card here and we can go. ]

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Huh? Already? [ she'll quickly sit up from where she was relaxing and take the cone from diluc. was she really that far away? it didn't look that far away. ] Is it hotter than I thought..?

[ obvious confusion aside, uta will flash diluc a smile regardless as some form for assurance. it's not like she knows how hot he actually runs. ]

But, it's okay—thank you.

[.....................He'd say he's hotter than Uta thought, but Diluc knows how that sounds!! Still, he clears his throat and attempts to explain, pointing to the Vision on his hip while his ice cream steadily beads and streams down his gloved hand. Dammit.]

My... magic makes me run hotter than most. If you want to savor your ice cream in peace, don't sit too close to me.

[ no, diluc should have totally said that he was hotter. uta wouldn't have judged him any differently than she is now. well, that's probably a bit of a lie. she might not get the concept of magic but she totally understands what is happening before her. ]

Your ice cream! [ uta is ignoring nearly everything that diluc had just said and gets closer to him. Do—would you want me to help you with that?

[ not that she has any idea as they were currently. ]

I can hold it at a distance until you're ready to have more of it? Or something like that?

[This was supposed to be ""nice"" and ""fun"", right? Uta can't possibly be enjoying herself with this debacle happening, but Diluc relents and hands her his ice cream.]

...Thank you. My control over my own powers isn't usually so poor. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you.

[But it's... fine, he supposes. One only needs a single hand to eat ice cream in a cone, after all. Maybe he can just lean over and take bites from his cone? Surely that won't be awkward or embarrassing or too much like an actual date at all??]

[ you'd be surprised diluc... she is perfectly fine to enjoy herself even in a moment like this. sure it might look weird to sort of double fist the ice cream but it wasn't too bad.

we're just gonna ignore what it might look like. ]

It's no problem at all!

[ uta will lean in a bit closer as to sort of test the distance where she can get away with being just close enough to him where the ice cream doesn't start to melt too quickly. ]

I'm happy to help and it's not your fault that your powers are what they are. It's like when someone says that they don't realize their own strength, right?

[We won't talk about Uta double fisting anything, it's fine. Diluc's concerns lie elsewhere anyway, carefully scrutinizing that ice cream before electing to just. Lean in and lick at it a little. He has to tuck his hair back behind one ear so it doesn't get in the ice cream.

Ah, embarrassing. So embarrassing. His cheeks tint pink, but he moves back and turns his face aside before Uta can get a good look, hopefully?? He really should've just foregone the ice cream entirely..........]

That might be the case if I didn't know better, but I do. Even with full control of my powers, I have a tendency to melt things. I should've thought twice about my suggestion to get ice cream.

[ why can't we talk about uta double fisting things? it's literally what she's doing right now. and because she's also a very good girl who has done nothing wrong in her whole life, she won't comment on the blush. verbally, at least. ]

Don't worry about it! [ uta will try to placate any concerns or embarrassment that he might feel. especially since she feels as though if she drew any kind of attention to it, she'd just be making it worse. ] It's completely fine; you said you haven't had ice cream in a while, right?

[ and now taking her chance to have some of the ice cream herself and it is worlds better than some of the other things that she has put in her mouth. she is, without a doubt, going to visit the ice cream vendor as much as she can and no one will stop her. ]

A little melted ice cream on my hands shouldn't take away from you enjoying something you haven't experienced recently. [ ... ] Besides, I can understand how hard it is to control your powers even when you think that you do.

[ kind of anyway. ]

[...It doesn't necessarily surprise Diluc that Uta is as kindhearted as she is, but he's taken aback by it all the same. This is on him, obviously. He hasn't been surrounded by people like Uta in quite some time, but nevertheless, he she strikes him as someone very kind.

Hm. That does allay his embarrassment a bit, licking more ice cream off the cone, though he still regrets that it's come to this. Thank you for your service, Uta.]

Oh? Do you have powers as well, Uta?

[He wasn't aware, nor would he have guessed. Don't tell him singing is a power.]

[ you're welcome diluc, uta is more than happy to keep holding out the ice cream to him until he's done. and the question that he follows up with is only logical even though she falters for the briefest moment. it's not an unpleasant question but just one that makes her feel somewhat conflicted. ]

As of right now, no, I don't. [ there is a relieved tone in her voice as she speaks. others could and would obviously miss their powers but not uta, and she pauses for a moment to try to explain her abilities in the simplest way without potentially making it a huge ordeal. ] Normally whenever I sang I could show people the kind of world that I want for everyone.

[ she smiles softly to herself and focuses her attention on the ice cream. ]

A world where no one has to worry about anything and just can have fun.

[ is she oversimplifying things? oh absolutely. ]

[He's making quick work of his ice cream for Uta's sake, but he pauses once she finishes explaining the nature of her powers. Conflicting indeed... He doesn't look upon her with judgment, but the furrowing of his brow suggests he's of two minds about it.]

And what is the end goal of your powers? To persuade others to strive for the reality you've shown them?

[The question that naturally follows is the question of free will and what role it plays here, but he'll let Uta answer for herself before he arrives at his own conclusions.]

[ ah. well. it's a good thing that she's great at hiding her feelings. ]

End goal?

[ why did he have to make it sound so sinister? or, maybe, it's just her that would read into something like that as something sinister. nevertheless, uta keeps up her smile as she faces diluc. her words are resolute and confident despite anything that she feels on the inside. ]

Despite how impossible and unrealistic it is, I want people to live in a world where there isn't any suffering and people can just be happy. [ and this is where she pauses for a moment as she thinks about how to answer the next part. sadly, she leans on the words that she has heard a long ago before she realized their significance. ] ...but it's enough for me if my songs can bring happiness to people. There is no crime in singing, after all.

[No, you've read him correctly, Uta: Diluc can't imagine a utopia built in a single person's image. To have someone's will imposed upon you, no matter how idealistic, can only ever be a bad thing. One person's heaven is another's hell. There isn't a god alive who could make a perfect world, much less any human being.

He takes his cone from Uta to finish off his ice cream, listening to her in measured silence, expression perfectly flat. His gaze bores into hers, and he's aware that smile on her lips doesn't quite reach her eyes. Were he not so familiar with people just like her, he might've missed that entirely.]

Your ideal world does not exist. Surely you know that, Uta. There's no such thing as a world without suffering so long as you plan to include people in this utopia of yours.

[ Uta... Utopia........ Coincidence??]

I know it doesn't. [ her smile doesn't falter but her tone does, however, soften as she repeats herself. funny that had these two spoke at a different point in her life, this would go in an entirely different direction. as things were right now— ] I know it better than some people.

[ now it's uta's ice cream that will start to melt as she forgets about eating it in favor of their conversation. her mind drifts to something not that long ago and despite it all, there is still one persisting thought that she carries with her. a truth hidden among the lies. ]

However, it doesn't mean that I have to stop believing that it could happen. Everyone deserves a world where they don't have to suffer, and I mean everyone. Even those who we deem "demons" and "evil" also feel loneliness.

[ she's not a fool but this is something that she holds onto dearly. regardless of everything that she has done and witnessed, she will hold onto this core belief. ]

It just depends on those who have the power to make that happen.

[Those who are deemed "demons," those who are deemed "evil"... The only place they belong is hell, having earned their titles, and Diluc would include himself among their ranks.

Punishing evil and ending lives doesn't make Diluc any less likely to rot in hell with them, but he isn't quick to admit any of this to Uta. He doesn't intend to hide who and what he is, but he respects her enough to listen to her perspective over admonishing it outright.

Sitting back, he gazes not at the ocean but at the reflection of waves in Uta's eyes, at the resolve therein.]

And how did you arrive at that conclusion? You say you know, but just what kind of life have you lead?

[ what's the saying? hell is paved in good intentions? not that it matters because uta meets diluc's gaze and holds it the entire time. her expression serious but not quite somber. ]

When I was a child and still traveling with my dad, he told me that the world is a place where there is no equality or peace; I didn't understand it then. [ of course, there was absolutely no way that uta or any child could really understand the depths of what he was referring to back then. ] As I got older I saw what he meant.

[ uta pause for a moment to recall all of the messages she would get from her fans. their recordings of wanting to be in a world where they could just listen to her song and have no care in the world. the recordings that she saw of the destruction that was caused pirates and marines alike... accounts of "evil" people who just seem to enjoy hurting others for the sake of it. it doesn't weaken her resolve any but gives her words more weight. ]

I have a lot of fans in my world; fans that live all over the world and they've all told me about the things they've experienced. All of the sadness and suffering they went through. I felt their words and their pain. [ ... ] I've seen what terrible things are out there in the world. The destruction, death, hunger, loss...

[ she lets her voice trail because she's sure the diluc understands the point that she's making here and doesn't think she needs to bemoan the point any further. ]

It's because all of that exists that I know that I want a world where no one suffers.

[He gets her point. How could he not? It's sentiments like those that inspired Diluc to become a knight, carrying him all the way through his youth into adulthood with a dream of contributing towards the creation of a world where the good don't suffer and those who need help have it readily available at their fingertips.

So he gets her point, but evidently, he no longer agrees. That's what happens when life shows you how ugly it can truly be, when human greed and malice, inescapable as it is, comes knocking at the door.

Reality is a cruel thing, but what separates Diluc from Uta is how they've chosen to respond to it. Diluc has seen the ugliest sides of humanity firsthand and Uta has heard the suffering of her fans, but what might change if she experienced these things for herself? Would they change her?

Regardless, he isn't here to change her mind. Diluc's attention returns to her in full, eyes settled on hers.]

You're treading a fine line. Imposing your will on people, no matter the intent, will come with consequences. The only question now is how prepared you are to handle comeuppance when it finds you.

[Because it will. You know it will. If there is one certainty in life, it's that every man will be leveled, humbled, torn down until they stand equal with all whom they've wronged in the grave. Uta is no exception, nor is Diluc.]

[ oh how things would be so different just a few hours—no, minutes ago from what she last remembered in her world before arriving here. if the two of them spoke before sang that one last song, then there would be an entirely different conversation to be had here. chances are that it wouldn't be much of a conversation, honestly. diluc's words remind her of something others said to her during that time and her expression dullens.

the echoes of her response back then and what she says now vastly different. ]

I know.

[ the simple response carries every bit of weight of someone who is well aware of the consequences of their actions if not something else. as diluc might be be able to read into, uta is speaking as someone who isn't making entirely baseless optimistic comments or foolishly and naively holding onto lofty dreams. she is speaking with a deep understanding of the implications that exist within them. when she further elaborates on her answer, there's a melancholy to it. ]

And I'll accept death as my penance for anything that my actions could have done that would have hurt others. [ resolute yet soft. ] However, there is no crime in simply believing that there can be a world where everyone can be happy just as much as there is no crime in singing.

[No, Uta understands what she's committing herself to in much the same way Diluc does. Were she to try and guide him from the path he's chosen for himself, she'd find herself at the same dead end— Diluc is willing to listen, but he isn't willing to change. He knows what sins he's making and where his path will ultimately lead him and none of that has deterred him, and thus none of it will.

It's fortunate, then, that they've met in a place where neither of them can reach their goal. It's an impasse of sorts, a purgatory, before they burn in hell of their own volition. With that in mind, he can't admonish Uta any further, can't be that hypocritical, rising to let the silence speak for itself and returning with a wet cloth to clean Uta's hand where melted ice cream has left it sticky.

It's a small gesture, but one he hopes will convey how he feels— so long as they both remain here, their dreams left as dreams, there's no benefit to fighting. So long as they're here, they can remain civil, perhaps even friends, before they meet again in hell some day.]

In that respect, we're very much the same. I know where my path leads me just as well as you do... however, there's nowhere to go so long as we remain here. To that end, don't expect me to punish you for the misdeeds you've yet to commit.

[ uta says nothing when diluc gets up and walks away to leave her with her words and thoughts. not that there's much that she has to think about herself; there's nothing that she would take back. instead she watches diluc leave with her own questions.

a person like diluc who seems to choose his words carefully and speaks only what is necessary aren't as familiar to her as those who let themselves be heard for all around them. however, she is familiar with those who leave words unsaid between the words that they do say. people like them often think that what they've done are at the benefit to others or know that what they are doing will hurt others but do it regardless. uta wonders where diluc stands on that spectrum, but given what he has said so far she has a guess.

she greets him with a smile when he eventually returns with the wet towel and takes it from him to use it. the stickiness hadn't really bothered her but being clean is preferred. ]

Thank you.

[ then he speaks to her and uta listens silently with the smile on her face never wavering for a moment in its softness. there is her answer and a part of her wants to say more, but she doesn't. it's not something that she thinks would matter. besides, there is something much more important to say. ]

I'm sure that the path that you'll find yourself at the end of will be the one that you're happiest with. [ her smile grows while her eyes become more wistful. ] ...and, if we are the same in what we think, then I hope that it is also the path that you are the happiest in.

[ because it's clear that there's a distinction between the two of them and uta is confident that diluc will know the difference. uta stands at the end of her path knowing that she has left a lasting impact, but it is also a path that ends abruptly. ]

[Reality is sobering, this conversation yet one more reminder that he is powerless so long as he remains on this island, unable to control or change anything around him. Back home in Mondstadt, Diluc was aware that the odds were stacked against him, but at least he had the means to enact meaningful change within it and do his part to protect the only real home he's known.

Here, every action he takes his inconsequential and without meaning... but by the same token, there is no evil here truly worth punishing. If he killed Uta now, she would simply revive some time later with only the psychological scars to show for it. Justice and punishment don't always go hand-in-hand, do they? As she is now, without power or control, Uta is just as weak as himself and just as little of a threat.]

Happiness has never factored into the equation— not my own. All I care about is a future in which the citizens of my country can live their own happy, peaceful lives with as little strife as possible.

[On that note, Diluc rises from the bench and offers Uta his hand. It isn't reconciliation but an olive branch, simple courtesy when Uta has, at least, extended him the privilege of broadening his understanding of people like her. If nothing else, there's some value in hearing other's perspectives.]

Allow me to walk you home.

[Should she take him up on the offer, he'll do just that before heading back home on his own. Until next time, Uta.]

[ hearing what diluc has to say about where he stands on his happiness in relation to his vision of what he wanted has uta's expression a bit more muted. more sad. she had been reserved in her belief that they would be that similar given how he scrutinized her and what he asked but it was true, wasn't it? it certainly gave her a better idea of where diluc stand if there was anything left to doubt. ]

...then we really are alike in the way we have viewed this.

[ because the voices of those who questioned her actions and her response to them still echo in her head. what is the point of a life if it can be exchanged for the happiness for all others? the difference, of course, is how close they've achieved what they want and how they go about doing so. there's no way that she'd have any further insight to what he has done as things stand just in the same way that he does not know the lengths of uta's actions.

as for the matter if either of them will know what the other has done? well, who knows. imagine having this cozy game full of murderers. who would have thought, right? either way, she'll allow herself to be walked home by diluc and once they reach her farm, she'll wave him off with a smile and one final sentiment. ]

Thank you for walking me home, Diluc, and I'm looking forward to the next time we're able to meet up again. [ and maybe have a conversation that doesn't end up to be so tense? and from someone who took things too far to another who has yet to do so: ] I also hope that you do consider your happiness in where you stand with what you want to achieve.

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