Believe it or not, I've been trapped in more compromising situations than this. I haven't always chosen to hang back, despite the most recent stops on our journey.
[There is a minor internal debate he spares her, as he stuggles with just how much he thinks she can shoulder, how prepared she is, the kind of example he's setting, the young people who have come before her.
It takes him some time, but...]
More than anything, I'm worried about March.
[And Himeko, Pom-Pom, all of the friends they had made. Those that had slid back onto their own path and those that Welt himself had walked away from.
Joey.
Alone in his room, Welt sighs and takes off his glaces to rub at tired eyes.]
[ She stares at the message for a long moment, starts typing, erases, starts typing again... finally, ]
I think... I'd be even more worried if she was here.
I miss her. It's been
It's been [ months. Years. I don't remember how many, anymore. ] so long since I saw her, but. If there's anything I know about March, it's that she's the strongest of us.
Well, no matter. He resituates his glasses, fastening his outlook on the positive once more.]
I guess that means we'll just have to trust in the others to take care of each other, then. The same way we'll take care of each other here.
[It's a delicate balance, knowing when to take a more deliberate hand in guidance, and it's one that Welt weighs more and more carefully every time. Or, maybe that's just what it feels like.]
You've got a good head on your shoulders, you know. All I ask is that you use it.
[Another brief deliberation.]
And reach out if you need anything.
Edited (html... as always....) 2025-10-09 18:17 (UTC)
[ whenever Stelle wakes up in the morning, there's a voice message waiting ]
I hope my words reach you at the Entry Hour, and not because, in my selfishness, they have disturbed your rest.
[ In the pause that follows, there's a soft puff of a sound, maybe amused, maybe a little self-conscious. ]
It's always been your way to forge your own path, be it with your unfettered and unconventional methods or even- [ with a hint of laughter enrichening his voice ] -the nonsensical jokes you make. I've never known you to shy from a challenge, and this twist on the path of fate will be no different. This I believe, from the very depths of my heart.
... [ His silence is broken only by the sound of his breath. It's quiet, wherever he is. ]
The weight that you bear, for us, for Amphoreus, and for the universe beyond the sky, can shape you as easily as it can crush the unwary. Trust that slow and gentle warmth that lives in your chest, and know that it is echoed by those who hold you in theirs.
[ Phainon chuckles gently. ] So go then, into a new day, Deliverer. I hope that my ramblings have brought you a little encouragement.
( and so comes the picture: grown ass salaryman pacing around in topaz's suite, freaking out over... a text? the concept of a text. the idea of texting someone he's... allegedly friends with, probably, hopefully? they have talked before. there's no reason nor sense as to why this is so bizarrely nerve-wracking.
it's just. how does one make friends without money involved.
and so, it starts: )
My friend! What a delight it is to see you're still ar
( nope. delete that. it doesn't sound honest enough. what if she thinks he's annoying and blocks his number? )
How surprising it is to see your number in my contacts list, my friend. I didn't expect to still see you her
( nope. even worse. it makes it sound like he doesn't care whether she's here or not. the argument whether it's good to have friends and loved? ones? in a place such as the golden peacock exempt from this conversation.
surely he can come up with something better. something like... )
Ms. Stellaron. Has the resort been treating you well? It seems you've been blessed with a couple of familiar friendly faces.
( h. him included...? surely. right? but he does mean like... mr. yang... dan heng... and topaz? she and topaz are friends. little does he know she has even more friends past just those three. )
[ Stelle rolled up with a posse, it's true, but he's correct. She counts him amongst those familiar friendly faces. She's thought of him, actually, more than once as she's started to get her bearings here. The aesthetic is... a little on the nose not to. ]
Stelle, please, Ms. Stellaron was my mother.
Well... I mean. [ static noises ] It's nothing I can't handle. The familiar friendly faces certainly help...
( first of all, that's mrs. stellaron, but it'd also imply stellarons are passed down genetically, which would be an insane information to feed the ipc, unfortunately.
second of all, erm. )
Hahahah. Glad to see you still have your usual humor, my friend.
( /GEN... but pointedly: he's not using 'stelle', yet. give him a bit. )
I suppose this is just another typical Trailblazing adventure for you, then. Visiting a new planet you know little to nothing about. Is that not what it's like? But hopefully you're sufficiently comfortable here. Or is it worse than the room I gave you in Penacony?
[ Special delivery! A small, red box tied shut with a red ribbon arrives at Stelle's suite.
Inside, wrapped in gold tissue, are four heart-shaped chocolates. Each one has a different flavor - one has bits of honey crackle mixed in with the chocolate, another has large grains of salt while carrying a woodsmoke flavor, the third contains candied pomegranate arils, and the last, flecks of dried tangerine.
The inside of the box's lid reads: Forgetting is the only thing ordinary people can do, but for her, I've decided not to When the Parting Hour clouds my vision, everywhere I look, I see her shadow Ah, my steps stumble and stagger to run towards you
Yeah, there's really only one person who could have sent this. ]
While Stelle isn't as familiar with how most holidays play out, she's generally one for giving and receiving gifts, and so she's immediately determined to get him something in return. But what...
Well, she'll just make sure it's extra special for the delay, when she figures that out.
For now, she's lost in a most pleasant memory, the first time she'd heard the bardic ballad long since overshadowed by the more recent: the first time someone held her naked in his arms, and decided poetry was the best response.
He remains correct.
She settles onto her couch, the box of chocolates reverently unwrapped in her lap, and selects one by scent, and maybe a couple licks...
And thereby, Phainon will receive a picture sent to him, of Stelle holding one of the chocolate hearts (the tangerine one) up to her pursed lips, clearly kissing it on the curve of the heart, her amber doe eyes on the "camera." ]
[ ... Sigh. Of all the crap to agree to. And yet, he asked for it. So he won't back down from hisdare either. Ragna needed a little help though, because he sure as hell didn't practice this of all hobbies. Give him a blade of grass or a leaf and he can play music on that shit...
CHIRPY selects a player whose card he hasn't collected (that counts as "stranger"? o k), and after checking out her profile, and listening to a couple samples and picking out an instrumental version, our Galactic Baseballer will receive an incoming message. Or more specifically, an attached file titled StarlightGrandSlam.mp3
Backed by a more dreamy backdrop, the clip abruptly begins with... ]
Ugh...
[ A rough throat clear, and the voice is deep and surprisingly smooth. But also just... ]
You fell....uhh like a fastball through the night, Golden eyes shining under astral liiight βͺ
[ Not "good". Ragna is not a singer. And yet, ]
Lost in space, with no guiding spark, Then you stepped up and rewrote my chart βͺ-
Wait that doesn't even rhy-!
[ Next verse! Shut up and read! ]
We're stealing stars like second base, Launching through time, uhh um- through every place... β« No strike zone when I'm with you, Every pitch just feels brand neeew β«
[ TAKE IT HOME! ]
Stelle, you're my grand slam in the sky, Sent my heart to orbit, way up high, π Call my name and I'll cross the plate, For your love, I won't hesitate! π
[ Deep breath in...aaand outro: ]
So let the universe keep score tonight, Two hearts glowing in starlight.....
[ In a rare show of mercy, Stelle does not reply directly, at this time. However... she knows priceless blackmail material when she hears it, and possessing no more than half an ounce of shame in her entire body, she saves the .mp3 to her watch immediately.
Okay, also it's kind of sweet, and she's not immune to flattery, even if it's the result of someone's else's torture attempts.
Seems karma has decided a conversation was necessary, though... ]
[ One day, Stelle will return to their room to find an oblong package wrapped in a silk cloth set just outside the door. Attached, a card of fine paper stock with the same fine calligraphy that had graced a certain network post they participated in the last month. ]
Results of the First Annual Paulownia Court Poetry Contest
Hosted at the Golden Peacock Resort & Casino, to the Theme of "Inspired By My Fellow Guest"
π£
We were honored by your participation in the contest, and are pleased to award you A Participation Prize. Thank you for your commitment to bettering our stay in the Golden Peacock through the pursuit of culture and creative expression. Please check your account in the next three business days to confirm receipt of your prize money, and enjoy the memorializing of your poetry by the calligrapher Getian.
[ If they check their chip count... the equivalent of a Small Payout has been deposited by the user @ kiritsubo. And in the tube mailer is a fine calligraphy rendition of the poem(s) they submitted, fit to be hung up or framed.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text | un: Geometry4Lyfe
Please be careful.
no subject
I am.
[ Look... ]
You doing okay?
no subject
Isn't that supposed to be my line?
no subject
I'm improvising.
So...?
no subject
[Is still a brush off.]
no subject
Okay.
I'll start, then.
I'm doing as okay as I think I can be under the circumstances.
Your turn.
no subject
It takes him some time, but...]
More than anything, I'm worried about March.
[And Himeko, Pom-Pom, all of the friends they had made. Those that had slid back onto their own path and those that Welt himself had walked away from.
Joey.
Alone in his room, Welt sighs and takes off his glaces to rub at tired eyes.]
no subject
I think... I'd be even more worried if she was here.
I miss her. It's been
It's been [ months. Years. I don't remember how many, anymore. ] so long since I saw her, but. If there's anything I know about March, it's that she's the strongest of us.
no subject
Well, no matter. He resituates his glasses, fastening his outlook on the positive once more.]
I guess that means we'll just have to trust in the others to take care of each other, then. The same way we'll take care of each other here.
[It's a delicate balance, knowing when to take a more deliberate hand in guidance, and it's one that Welt weighs more and more carefully every time. Or, maybe that's just what it feels like.]
You've got a good head on your shoulders, you know. All I ask is that you use it.
[Another brief deliberation.]
And reach out if you need anything.
no subject
Ditto, Mr. Yang.
Do you want to get coffee sometime? I miss that, too.
[ She can't hope to match his yap game, but she thinks maybe it'd be good for them. Even if coffee is a little masochistic. ]
no subject
I'd love to, Stelle. Whenever you have the time is fine for me.
[He's not even thinking about the fact that this will probably be her first opportunity for coffee not made by Himeko.]
no subject
I have a date with Blade tomorrow, so maybe day after next! I'll keep you posted.
[ SEE, SHE'S FINE.
It'll be a few days, but... she will be in touch. ]
no subject
It would be more obvious in person, but through text he has the space to properly frame the benign little:]
Well, you know I'm here if you need anything. Just... Don't do anything Dan Heng wouldn't do.
@greatestworks
I hope my words reach you at the Entry Hour, and not because, in my selfishness, they have disturbed your rest.
[ In the pause that follows, there's a soft puff of a sound, maybe amused, maybe a little self-conscious. ]
It's always been your way to forge your own path, be it with your unfettered and unconventional methods or even- [ with a hint of laughter enrichening his voice ] -the nonsensical jokes you make. I've never known you to shy from a challenge, and this twist on the path of fate will be no different. This I believe, from the very depths of my heart.
... [ His silence is broken only by the sound of his breath. It's quiet, wherever he is. ]
The weight that you bear, for us, for Amphoreus, and for the universe beyond the sky, can shape you as easily as it can crush the unwary. Trust that slow and gentle warmth that lives in your chest, and know that it is echoed by those who hold you in theirs.
[ Phainon chuckles gently. ] So go then, into a new day, Deliverer. I hope that my ramblings have brought you a little encouragement.
1/2 text from @aventurine π€‘
it's just. how does one make friends without money involved.
and so, it starts: )
My friend! What a delight it is to see you're still ar
( nope. delete that. it doesn't sound honest enough. what if she thinks he's annoying and blocks his number? )
How surprising it is to see your number in my contacts list, my friend. I didn't expect to still see you her
( nope. even worse. it makes it sound like he doesn't care whether she's here or not. the argument whether it's good to have friends and loved? ones? in a place such as the golden peacock exempt from this conversation.
surely he can come up with something better. something like... )
2/2 π€‘
It seems you've been blessed with a couple of familiar friendly faces.
( h. him included...? surely. right? but he does mean like... mr. yang... dan heng... and topaz? she and topaz are friends. little does he know she has even more friends past just those three. )
no subject
Stelle, please, Ms. Stellaron was my mother.
Well... I mean. [ static noises ] It's nothing I can't handle. The familiar friendly faces certainly help...
no subject
second of all, erm. )
Hahahah. Glad to see you still have your usual humor, my friend.
( /GEN... but pointedly: he's not using 'stelle', yet. give him a bit. )
I suppose this is just another typical Trailblazing adventure for you, then. Visiting a new planet you know little to nothing about. Is that not what it's like?
But hopefully you're sufficiently comfortable here. Or is it worse than the room I gave you in Penacony?
no subject
Well, you're not wrong. If I keep looking at it like...a challenge, or respecting the local culture maybe it'll be a little less
daunting.
[ She takes a moment to envision her "suite" here... ]
It at least has an actual bed, this time?
[ =) ]
no subject
Inside, wrapped in gold tissue, are four heart-shaped chocolates. Each one has a different flavor - one has bits of honey crackle mixed in with the chocolate, another has large grains of salt while carrying a woodsmoke flavor, the third contains candied pomegranate arils, and the last, flecks of dried tangerine.
The inside of the box's lid reads: Forgetting is the only thing ordinary people can do, but for her, I've decided not to
When the Parting Hour clouds my vision, everywhere I look, I see her shadow
Ah, my steps stumble and stagger to run towards you
Yeah, there's really only one person who could have sent this. ]
no subject
While Stelle isn't as familiar with how most holidays play out, she's generally one for giving and receiving gifts, and so she's immediately determined to get him something in return. But what...
Well, she'll just make sure it's extra special for the delay, when she figures that out.
For now, she's lost in a most pleasant memory, the first time she'd heard the bardic ballad long since overshadowed by the more recent: the first time someone held her naked in his arms, and decided poetry was the best response.
He remains correct.
She settles onto her couch, the box of chocolates reverently unwrapped in her lap, and selects one by scent, and maybe a couple licks...
And thereby, Phainon will receive a picture sent to him, of Stelle holding one of the chocolate hearts (the tangerine one) up to her pursed lips, clearly kissing it on the curve of the heart, her amber doe eyes on the "camera." ]
You spoil me so sweetly, Phainon. Thank you. π₯°
no subject
Happiest Valentineβs Day, Partner!!!
That photo is his watchβs wallpaper now. ]
towards the end of the whole truth or dare mingle | april 4th
Give him a blade of grass or a leaf and he can play music on that shit...CHIRPY selects a player whose card he hasn't collected (that counts as "stranger"? o k), and after checking out her profile, and listening to a couple samples and picking out an instrumental version, our Galactic Baseballer will receive an incoming message. Or more specifically, an attached file titled StarlightGrandSlam.mp3
Backed by a more dreamy backdrop, the clip abruptly begins with... ]
[ A rough throat clear, and the voice is deep and surprisingly smooth. But also just... ]
You fell....uhh like a fastball through the night,
Golden eyes shining under astral liiight βͺ
[ Not "good". Ragna is not a singer. And yet, ]
Lost in space, with no guiding spark,
Then you stepped up and rewrote my chart βͺ-
Wait that doesn't even rhy-!
[ Next verse! Shut up and read! ]
We're stealing stars like second base,
Launching through time, uhh um- through every place... β«
No strike zone when I'm with you,
Every pitch just feels brand neeew β«
[ TAKE IT HOME! ]
Stelle, you're my grand slam in the sky,
Sent my heart to orbit, way up high, π
Call my name and I'll cross the plate,
For your love, I won't hesitate! π
[ Deep breath in...aaand outro: ]
So let the universe keep score tonight,
Two hearts glowing in starlight.....
[ Aaand
kill himSEND ]no subject
Okay, also it's kind of sweet, and she's not immune to flattery, even if it's the result of someone's else's torture attempts.
Seems karma has decided a conversation was necessary, though... ]
delivery
Paulownia Court Poetry Contest
Hosted at the Golden Peacock Resort & Casino,
to the Theme of "Inspired By My Fellow Guest"
π£
We were honored by your participation in the contest, and are pleased to award you A Participation Prize.
Thank you for your commitment to bettering our stay in the Golden Peacock through the pursuit of culture and creative expression.
Please check your account in the next three business days to confirm receipt of your prize money,
and enjoy the memorializing of your poetry by the calligrapher Getian.
[ If they check their chip count... the equivalent of a Small Payout has been deposited by the user @ kiritsubo. And in the tube mailer is a fine calligraphy rendition of the poem(s) they submitted, fit to be hung up or framed.
Enjoy! ]