[He pulls a small notebook and a pen out of his shirt pocket, counting backward for a moment and making tally marks on a page. Favorite thing to do, x2, pretty obvious, favorite color, x2, Kaeya and Diluc, x2, where are you from, x2, names, x2. Best case scenario, twelve, but at least six. As an afterthought, he draws a tiny "T" on the page and re-tallies-- seven from Amber, four from himself. Which was summarily eleven, how on earth..., He looks back up at her instead of the memo pad, mouth pulled crooked in one corner.]
( watching him write all that down is just so great. she was keeping track of their questions in her head! (she wasn't) )
That feels kind of hard to answer, now that I think about it. But if I have to pinpoint what I really enjoy... ( hmmm ... ) Oh! I love coffee! And exploring, fulfilling my duties to protect the people of Mondstadt, sparring, great food, and running!
[His face does something funny at the mention of coffee, and for a moment his eyes go somewhere very far away, but he snaps back to the present with Amber's continued activity list. Her enjoying coffee certainly made sense, with her energy levels. Protecting the people of Mondstadt seemed well-aligned with someone with a job title of Knight (though it made him wonder a bit about Kaeya, really), sparring...]
[He stopped there, tilting his head and grinning.] Sparring, is it? Do you use a weapon, or just hand-to-hand? [He ticks down another tally for himself. Great food and running he can ignore for the time being, if not forever.]
Bit of both, really. As far as weapons go, my proficiency is with a bow and arrow. But you can bet I'm trained in hand-to-hand as well. A Knight never knows when she may become unarmed. My grandfather is from a place called Liyue where hand-to-hand is an art form, he taught me so much, especially since he knew I wanted to join the Knights. And I'm trained in swordfighting as well, so ... yeah! The whole mix.
[He sure is meeting archers lately. Is that some kind of nudge toward him improving his relationship with Robin Hood? He'll pass, though he supposes the Bless attacks are some kind of delightfully misleading. His eyebrows climb into his shaggy fringe and he smiles, impressed. He was hardly the sort to assume women in any way incapable, but her straightforward nature coupled with a plethora of tactical abilities was certainly nothing to shake a stick at.]
I'm not especially adept with a bow, but I do have some knowledge with a sword, perhaps we can spar sometime. [His hand to hand is more unhinged clawing than anything else, so he leaves it unmentioned. Doubling back, though...] I've only a very cursory understanding of the brewing process, let alone the requirements to cultivate the beans once grown, but I do have a few coffee trees on my property. Should I come into more knowledge with regard of them, I'll be sure you're made aware. [Amber I'm sorry he talks like a fucking loser.]
( HE'S SO CUTE, IT'S FINE, EVERYTHING IS FORGIVEN )
I'd love to. I've been hoping for something like that, actually, just to stay deft and keep my skills in check. Sure, it's been relaxing settling into a place that wants you to make flower crowns and sing songs with people, but ... at the same time, I can't help but be a little bit wary. If duty calls, I want to remain diligent. Name your time and place, and we can do that.
( it's so rare for her to get serious like this! she's so whimsical and playful, but it goes to show just how dedicated she is as a knight. )
And oh, wow. Yes! I haven't had a single cup of coffee since I got here, and I'd do just about anything for one! Thank you! If there's anything I can do in exchange, just name it.
[She's smart, in a way he appreciates quite fully. A nod, and he begins cataloguing somewhere in the back of his mind that he needs to determine a way to obtain a sword. Perhaps he'll consult the Goddess.] Consider it done, right as soon as I get myself a proper weapon.
[His smile is crooked.] If you've any knowledge of how to roast beans, or know of someone who would have it, that's an excellent first step. This whole growing things and living off the land business is extremely foreign to me, I'm afraid.
[A beat, and he looks back at the little T in his memo pad. To the left of it, he writes "sword", and then looks back to Amber, putting down another tally mark beneath his own name.] Forgive my asking, but how old are you? Your skillset is impressive, but you look young. [It was rude to ask a woman her age, but it was pertinent knowledge, and functionally useful for their current task-- smoothing over the potential offense by telling her she looks younger than what he has to assume her age is by her abilities certainly can't hurt.]
Wow, makes me wish Jean was here. Jean's another member of the Knights, and I swear, the taste of her coffee is like nothing you'd ever believe. Without her and her coffee here, it's been a huge struggle for me! ( sigh! ) But I'm sure there's bound to be someone around here who will know how to get the beans on your trees to work. I'll do my best to ask around, if you like!
( she is both very unafraid of talking to strangers and super dedicated to her tasks! )
I just turned twenty. Though I guess it kind of helps that I've been doing all this training stuff since I was a kid. Back at you, how old are you?
[All the talk of coffee is making him nostalgic for a creaky little cafe that smells like turmeric and coffee and old wood, and for a moment his expression belies that. Her sigh kicks him out of his own head and he stands a little straighter, flicking down another tally mark for her.]
It's summer now, though the date is uncertain, so I imagine I'm either nearly nineteen or freshly so. You've accomplished a lot for someone of your age. The moment I'm able to try out making coffee, I'll inform you. ...on that topic, do you have a favorite roast? [Another tally for himself.]
[Hm. Dark roasts, was it? He feigns thought as he tallies down another mark for her, stuck on a bit of a loop, mentally. He always claimed he liked dark roasts best, himself-- they were deeper flavors, typically seen as more mature, and frequently more bitter. They suited his true nature very well in that way, and were a stark contrast to the sweet, bright-eyed Detective Prince and the sweets he so favored, when in actuality coffee was one of the only things Goro sincerely liked to be sweet. So he was faced with a dilemma, of sorts-- once again, Amber was displaying similarities in favor, and he worried about sharing a favor with someone he'd only just met. Would it look like he was only saying he liked dark roasts to have something in common with her? Maybe not at first, but maybe eventually, if they roasted multiple and he proved to actually favor a lighter bite--]
[He was taking too long to answer.]
I find coffee to be a bit like what adults say about wine-- the roast you drink can really bring out the flavors of what you eat it with, so I haven't any one specific favorite. [When it doubt, be vague to reassess at a later time.]
( Amber considers his response to be pretty mature! which is surprising, since he's younger than her. ONLY BY A YEAR, BUT U KNOW.)
Cool! I don't really eat food with coffee. The dishes I like are pretty heavy! They wouldn't mix well together. ( sticky honey meat and coffee?? that's just too rich, even for her. )
[He would preen at being thought mature in most situations, and maybe still in this one, but Amber doesn't voice it so he's none the wiser. He smiles at the tidbit offered that she likes heavy food-- he had presumed Mondstadt European upon first hearing the name, perhaps he wasn't so far off, after all.] Sweets, then? Or just by itself?
[Two thoughts come to mind immediately and he hates them both-- the first, a complete mockery of himself, being pancakes, which he doesn't even like, overmuch, and the second, still a complete mockery of himself but one he does truly enjoy, being curry. He hums while he seeks a third option, though it's still quite sincere.] Sushi, I believe, though it doesn't go particularly well with coffee, either.
[He prefers to sit and savor it, when given the chance, but has been known to shotgun unholy amounts of it when trying to juggle far too many tasks across too few hours. He wrinkles his nose at the idea of coffee and fish.]
Goes better with hot tea, for me. Do you like tea? [He's lost track for a moment, tallying backward-- they're at nineteen, with tea.]
[Twenty. He swipes another tally and folds his memo book closed, tucking it back away in his pocket.]
Enough to drink it with sushi, at least. That puts us at twenty of our twenty questions, I believe. [And he can't decide if it's socially acceptable to just... yeet, now. Probably not? But that concludes their intended interaction, so what now.]
( Amber looks impressed when she realises they're done! but ... aw. she's a little disappointed! )
Really? It's already over? Darn! I was having a lot of fun getting to know you. We can keep hanging out, if you like. No worries if you have someplace else to be, though!
[Having fun getting to know him? Wouldn't that be nice if it were true. He doesn't have an immediate reason to leave, though, fuck. That is drastically misaligned with any attempts at calling her bluff. He's not a fun person to get to know, Amber, he had a 500 word internal monologue over trying to decide if he should lie about his favorite coffee roast.]
I don't suppose I've anything terribly pressing to attend to. [Also he talks like that.]
Great! ( she reclines, pleased with his answer. sorry, Akechi, she genuinely does want to get to know you and even if he's an absolute gremlin creature, she seems to have an affinity for those types anyway. (see: collei) )
I know the game just had us ask twenty questions to each other, but I do feel like asking more. Of course we can get to know each other a bit more organically if you'd prefer it that way, but either way ...
( Amber glances over to him, stroking her chin in thought. )
I was wondering what your thoughts are about this place. Like ... it's pretty weird, right? How do you feel about the whole "bingo squares" thing? Even if you have ones that are like ... you know. (you know)
[He settles nearby, posture stiff but in an obvious (failed) attempt to look laid back, and looks sidelong at her as she speaks. It’s not until she lowers her voice, clearly referencing the smut squares on their bingo cards that he really reacts— a sharp, bark-like sound of laughter erupts from him so suddenly even he seems surprised.]
[He fishes out his bingo card and hands it to her— he’s had little slips of paper over the smut squares, and multiple hand-written “copies” of it to offer to most people, but she gets the one that shows everything. There are also small notations in the bottom left-hand corner of the ones he’s done, dates and sometimes names.] They’re absolute horseshit, but they’re effective and I’ve got no other means of having a livable house for free, so I suppose they could be worse. There’s nothing to be shy about with the squares suggesting strange sexual acts, either— it’s merely transactional. [For as much as he would truly like to fuck with feelings at some point, he knows better.]
( her eyes skim the paper in front of her, drinking in the information. a blush tickles her cheeks when she notices the smut squares that he has filled out. Amber knows she has smut squares of her own, but she's also never had casual sex with someone before. in the past, she dated briefly, but they weren't good men and the sex was pretty terrible.
with her responsibilities lifted, she's had a hormonal awakening of sorts, where she's started to notice people and have ideas form in her head as a result of the prompts listed on the smut squares. her initial gut reaction was that there's no way she could do something like that so casually with someone!
but ... could she? perhaps this guy knows a thing or two about that. )
Hey, uh ... sorry if this is too personal for me to ask, but, when you say it's transactional ... I assume you're ... having casual sex with people here. Right?
What's it ... like? To do it so casually with people? Is it weird, or...?
[There’s only one smut square with a date— Obedience, and the date is in shorthand with the letter “K” beside it that he will probably not explain to her for some time, given she knows Kaeya.]
[Despite the fact that he doesn’t like divulging actual personal details about himself unless he’s traumadumping in a public bath, but you know, details, he shrugs one shoulder and reaches out to tap the claimed square.] In a sense of the word, I guess it is just casual sex with a stranger, but if you want to look at it that way, it also means there are no strings attached to it. No concerns about who in your life or theirs is going to be disrupted, you both are displaced, you both have a living space to occupy that started out frankly unlivable. It may not be the most… comfortable of means to an end, but… [Both his shoulders hunch upward gently, and he leans his weight away from her so he’s encroaching less on her personal bubble.] I’ve done less enjoyable things for worse reasons.
( Amber rubs her chin in thought, taking in Akechi's words while trying to make sense of them. so, the living situation becomes more comfortable here the more that squares are filled in ... she figured as much. but he seems fully content to have sex with people he's just met. it's intriguing to her, somehow. )
Right. So I see ... ( hmm ... ) I won't ask you about those unenjoyable things if they're not comfortable to talk about.
And, speaking of, I really would hate to do something that makes someone uncomfortable. I haven't been intimate in so long ... maybe I'm a little bit worried I'm not all that good or that I'll mess up. It's like I wish I could practise.
[Content is not a word you can ever really apply to Goro Akechi, and it wasn't as if he met Kaeya and was fucking him the same day, but... Well, he still knows very little about the man except that he likes to drink, likes to encourage others to drink, and pile drives like--]
[--not a necessary detail, actually.]
[Her repeated specification to not make him uncomfortable... Oddly, makes him squirm a little. He'd rather she just get out with her thoughts and potential actions than go so out of her way to be considerate of him, but that's a whole separate can of worms he doesn't exactly plan on opening upon first meeting.] I'm not sure I'm following your conversational trajectory, Amber. You bring up the oddity in having sexual relations with strangers, but then suggest you'd like to practice intimacy as if you're insinuating I should participate in practice.
[Quickly, he raises a hand with his palm splayed toward her to stop her before she can correct him or get flustered.] --now, presumptuous as that may be, I want to raise a few points for you to consider. Firstly, you're far more concerned with my comfort levels and should be considering your own, and secondly, I've already made mention I find these acts transactional. If it's of interest to you to practice and I am within your scope of persons to practice with, it's in my best interests to oblige given the rewards reaped of participation in the Goddess's little games.
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crescentview2023-01-03 05:56 pm
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[He pulls a small notebook and a pen out of his shirt pocket, counting backward for a moment and making tally marks on a page. Favorite thing to do, x2, pretty obvious, favorite color, x2, Kaeya and Diluc, x2, where are you from, x2, names, x2. Best case scenario, twelve, but at least six. As an afterthought, he draws a tiny "T" on the page and re-tallies-- seven from Amber, four from himself. Which was summarily eleven, how on earth..., He looks back up at her instead of the memo pad, mouth pulled crooked in one corner.]
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That feels kind of hard to answer, now that I think about it. But if I have to pinpoint what I really enjoy... ( hmmm ... ) Oh! I love coffee! And exploring, fulfilling my duties to protect the people of Mondstadt, sparring, great food, and running!
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[He stopped there, tilting his head and grinning.] Sparring, is it? Do you use a weapon, or just hand-to-hand? [He ticks down another tally for himself. Great food and running he can ignore for the time being, if not forever.]
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( this bunny can pack a punch! )
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I'm not especially adept with a bow, but I do have some knowledge with a sword, perhaps we can spar sometime. [His hand to hand is more unhinged clawing than anything else, so he leaves it unmentioned. Doubling back, though...] I've only a very cursory understanding of the brewing process, let alone the requirements to cultivate the beans once grown, but I do have a few coffee trees on my property. Should I come into more knowledge with regard of them, I'll be sure you're made aware. [Amber I'm sorry he talks like a fucking loser.]
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I'd love to. I've been hoping for something like that, actually, just to stay deft and keep my skills in check. Sure, it's been relaxing settling into a place that wants you to make flower crowns and sing songs with people, but ... at the same time, I can't help but be a little bit wary. If duty calls, I want to remain diligent. Name your time and place, and we can do that.
( it's so rare for her to get serious like this! she's so whimsical and playful, but it goes to show just how dedicated she is as a knight. )
And oh, wow. Yes! I haven't had a single cup of coffee since I got here, and I'd do just about anything for one! Thank you! If there's anything I can do in exchange, just name it.
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[His smile is crooked.] If you've any knowledge of how to roast beans, or know of someone who would have it, that's an excellent first step. This whole growing things and living off the land business is extremely foreign to me, I'm afraid.
[A beat, and he looks back at the little T in his memo pad. To the left of it, he writes "sword", and then looks back to Amber, putting down another tally mark beneath his own name.] Forgive my asking, but how old are you? Your skillset is impressive, but you look young. [It was rude to ask a woman her age, but it was pertinent knowledge, and functionally useful for their current task-- smoothing over the potential offense by telling her she looks younger than what he has to assume her age is by her abilities certainly can't hurt.]
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( she is both very unafraid of talking to strangers and super dedicated to her tasks! )
I just turned twenty. Though I guess it kind of helps that I've been doing all this training stuff since I was a kid. Back at you, how old are you?
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It's summer now, though the date is uncertain, so I imagine I'm either nearly nineteen or freshly so. You've accomplished a lot for someone of your age. The moment I'm able to try out making coffee, I'll inform you. ...on that topic, do you have a favorite roast? [Another tally for himself.]
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( it's comforting, somehow. )
I'm a dark roast kind of girl. What about you?
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[Hm. Dark roasts, was it? He feigns thought as he tallies down another mark for her, stuck on a bit of a loop, mentally. He always claimed he liked dark roasts best, himself-- they were deeper flavors, typically seen as more mature, and frequently more bitter. They suited his true nature very well in that way, and were a stark contrast to the sweet, bright-eyed Detective Prince and the sweets he so favored, when in actuality coffee was one of the only things Goro sincerely liked to be sweet. So he was faced with a dilemma, of sorts-- once again, Amber was displaying similarities in favor, and he worried about sharing a favor with someone he'd only just met. Would it look like he was only saying he liked dark roasts to have something in common with her? Maybe not at first, but maybe eventually, if they roasted multiple and he proved to actually favor a lighter bite--]
[He was taking too long to answer.]
I find coffee to be a bit like what adults say about wine-- the roast you drink can really bring out the flavors of what you eat it with, so I haven't any one specific favorite. [When it doubt, be vague to reassess at a later time.]
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ONLY BY A YEAR, BUT U KNOW.)Cool! I don't really eat food with coffee. The dishes I like are pretty heavy! They wouldn't mix well together. ( sticky honey meat and coffee?? that's just too rich, even for her. )
What's your favourite food?
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[Two thoughts come to mind immediately and he hates them both-- the first, a complete mockery of himself, being pancakes, which he doesn't even like, overmuch, and the second, still a complete mockery of himself but one he does truly enjoy, being curry. He hums while he seeks a third option, though it's still quite sincere.] Sushi, I believe, though it doesn't go particularly well with coffee, either.
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( she usually chugs coffee before she goes to work, and while she can't ever say no to a sweet treat, coffee just tastes so good on its own to her. )
Yeah, I wouldn't pair fish with coffee myself either! But hey, if someone out there likes that sort of flavour combo, then good for them.
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Goes better with hot tea, for me. Do you like tea? [He's lost track for a moment, tallying backward-- they're at nineteen, with tea.]
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Enough to drink it with sushi, at least. That puts us at twenty of our twenty questions, I believe. [And he can't decide if it's socially acceptable to just... yeet, now. Probably not? But that concludes their intended interaction, so what now.]
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Really? It's already over? Darn! I was having a lot of fun getting to know you. We can keep hanging out, if you like. No worries if you have someplace else to be, though!
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I don't suppose I've anything terribly pressing to attend to. [Also he talks like that.]
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I know the game just had us ask twenty questions to each other, but I do feel like asking more. Of course we can get to know each other a bit more organically if you'd prefer it that way, but either way ...
( Amber glances over to him, stroking her chin in thought. )
I was wondering what your thoughts are about this place. Like ... it's pretty weird, right? How do you feel about the whole "bingo squares" thing? Even if you have ones that are like ... you know. ( you know )
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[He settles nearby, posture stiff but in an obvious (failed) attempt to look laid back, and looks sidelong at her as she speaks. It’s not until she lowers her voice, clearly referencing the smut squares on their bingo cards that he really reacts— a sharp, bark-like sound of laughter erupts from him so suddenly even he seems surprised.]
[He fishes out his bingo card and hands it to her— he’s had little slips of paper over the smut squares, and multiple hand-written “copies” of it to offer to most people, but she gets the one that shows everything. There are also small notations in the bottom left-hand corner of the ones he’s done, dates and sometimes names.] They’re absolute horseshit, but they’re effective and I’ve got no other means of having a livable house for free, so I suppose they could be worse. There’s nothing to be shy about with the squares suggesting strange sexual acts, either— it’s merely transactional. [For as much as he would truly like to fuck with feelings at some point, he knows better.]
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( her eyes skim the paper in front of her, drinking in the information. a blush tickles her cheeks when she notices the smut squares that he has filled out. Amber knows she has smut squares of her own, but she's also never had casual sex with someone before. in the past, she dated briefly, but they weren't good men and the sex was pretty terrible.
with her responsibilities lifted, she's had a hormonal awakening of sorts, where she's started to notice people and have ideas form in her head as a result of the prompts listed on the smut squares. her initial gut reaction was that there's no way she could do something like that so casually with someone!
but ... could she? perhaps this guy knows a thing or two about that. )
Hey, uh ... sorry if this is too personal for me to ask, but, when you say it's transactional ... I assume you're ... having casual sex with people here. Right?
What's it ... like? To do it so casually with people? Is it weird, or...?
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[Despite the fact that he doesn’t like divulging actual personal details about himself
unless he’s traumadumping in a public bath, but you know, details, he shrugs one shoulder and reaches out to tap the claimed square.] In a sense of the word, I guess it is just casual sex with a stranger, but if you want to look at it that way, it also means there are no strings attached to it. No concerns about who in your life or theirs is going to be disrupted, you both are displaced, you both have a living space to occupy that started out frankly unlivable. It may not be the most… comfortable of means to an end, but… [Both his shoulders hunch upward gently, and he leans his weight away from her so he’s encroaching less on her personal bubble.] I’ve done less enjoyable things for worse reasons.no subject
Right. So I see ... ( hmm ... ) I won't ask you about those unenjoyable things if they're not comfortable to talk about.
And, speaking of, I really would hate to do something that makes someone uncomfortable. I haven't been intimate in so long ... maybe I'm a little bit worried I'm not all that good or that I'll mess up. It's like I wish I could practise.
i hate goro akechi
[--not a necessary detail, actually.]
[Her repeated specification to not make him uncomfortable... Oddly, makes him squirm a little. He'd rather she just get out with her thoughts and potential actions than go so out of her way to be considerate of him, but that's a whole separate can of worms he doesn't exactly plan on opening upon first meeting.] I'm not sure I'm following your conversational trajectory, Amber. You bring up the oddity in having sexual relations with strangers, but then suggest you'd like to practice intimacy as if you're insinuating I should participate in practice.
[Quickly, he raises a hand with his palm splayed toward her to stop her before she can correct him or get flustered.] --now, presumptuous as that may be, I want to raise a few points for you to consider. Firstly, you're far more concerned with my comfort levels and should be considering your own, and secondly, I've already made mention I find these acts transactional. If it's of interest to you to practice and I am within your scope of persons to practice with, it's in my best interests to oblige given the rewards reaped of participation in the Goddess's little games.
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