Pavo Heart Game: Sunday Session

[cryovision]

When you enter the light, you find yourself hovering weightless in a void, as if caught in a moment of falling inertia. In the distance, you hear a voice that seems to shift and twist, familiar and yet unfamiliar.

"You shouldn't be here. But since you already are, let's make a wager. If you can uncover the truth, you'll find me. If you can't, you may be hopelessly lost... What a shame that would be."

You begin falling, and your vision blacks out--

[OOC NOTE: your goals are "reveal the truth" to "find the true heart". All images in toplevels are for general inspo, please make sure you read the flavourtext cause things are not exactly as they are in the images.]

Comments

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[cryovision]

[It does seem to be how ceiling construction works! The pieces stay in place, anyway. As you place them, your voices begin to echo a bit. Have you improved the acoustics, maybe?

Regardless, when you get close to finished, you'll notice there are two missing pieces... and they match the shape of your constellation tiles.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[leaveofabsence]

[ Are you implying he is not good at manual labor?

Childe would probably be right, but he continues working anyway. Sorry that his perfectionist tendencies means it takes a bit. ]

There is no need.

[ But he sees the spot for the constellation tiles and shifts to slot his in place. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[childeishly]

[ yes. yes he is. ]

I guess we are almost finished. [ watches as zhongli slots his own constellation tile into place. ]

Let me guess... you need mine? [ offers it up. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[cryovision]

[Zhongli's tile fits perfectly. You get the sense that the room is waiting.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[leaveofabsence]

[ He takes Childe's tile and also slots it into place.

Here's to nothing bad happening. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[childeishly]

[ FUCK YOU ROOM BE PATIENT. ]

...he doesn't deserve this. [ scowls. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS

[cryovision]

[The tiles fit in perfectly! When they do, the ceiling is completed. The cracks disappear, and the stars twinkle brightly as if they're real.

And then your body is seized by a wave of agony. Your skin burns, your bones twist -- surely you hit the floor, but by the time you do you've been thoroughly Cursed. Exactly how is player preference, but you've gained some sort of monstrous features. Your form is no longer a pleasing one.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Welp.

The wave of sudden pain causes Zhongli to lose his hold on the ladder, landing with an unpleasant thump on the marble floor from ceiling height. Surely something is broken for the loud crack that echoes in the chamber.

Except that crack sounded even before Zhongli hit the floor. And another crack follows. And another. By the time Zhongli lands, golden horns break through his skull, a long dragon tail rips from his spine, and obsidian/gold symbols start pulsating on his skin through his many layers of clothing.

The very ground (even on the second floor) rumbles menacingly as he slowly gets to his feet.

And it becomes very apparent that the poets of Liyue did not do the cold, unforgiving amber eyes of Morax any justice as they eventually land on both Albedo and Childe. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[childeishly]

Xiansheng-! [ since he's standing right there he's going to attempt to catch him, except he's also stricken by an unforgiving amount of pain and forced to his kneels as it overtakes his sense. he growls, scraping his nails along the floor as zhongli lands just a few short feet from him; the sickening snap making childe flinch. ] I'll... I'll kill him. [ he hisses under his breath, ducking his head as his already bright blue eyes swirl with a greater intensity. the tips of his hair turn to wisps of water, elongating and becoming living hydro tentacles that all flail about curiously. his skin becomes marred with the sigils of permission used to summon osial as his own bones start to stretch and break, building becoming somewhat similar to the foul legacy as bits & pieces of the armor break through the skin. ]

[ childe pants, gaze slightly unfocused, but he hardly seems to care about the tiny alchemist in the room, instead focusing on the archon in front of him. ] We never did have a proper fight, ... [ his tone is deep, somewhat gravely, and without emotion. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[cryovision]

[tiny alchemist is taking notes.]

Those were particularly violent transformations... But even so, there's no need to act out.

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[leaveofabsence]

[ His expression never changes as he sizes Childe up, eyes lingering on the sigils of permissions and the hydro tentacles. It flickers something in his memory among the erosion.

Something that is quickly discarded. ]

Who are you to demand a fight from the Prime of the Adepti?

[ Sorry, Albedo, he's not paying him any attention. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[childeishly]

[ childe picks himself up off the floor, but doesn't bother answering mr. prime of the adepti, because, feh, he doesn't need to answer him... not when he's going to strip him of everything. childe darts forward in a burst of water as a hydro polearm materializes in his hands, one he immediately tries to drive straight into zhongli's chest the moment he reappears in front of him. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[cryovision]

[SIGH]

It's always worse when it takes their minds... At least try not to knock anything over, please.

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Sorry, Albedo. What is restraint?

His own spear materializes to block the hydro polearm at the last moment and lock their weapons together - at least for the moment.

And the now completely starry sky above darkens to a midnight purple as a hunk of cosmic rock is hurled right at Childe's head. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[childeishly]

[ childe just laughs, like a fucken lunatic, the echo filling the room and reverberating off the walls and making it seem louder than it is. the clash of their weapons has his blood pumping, adrenaline rising exponentially, as he sics his tentacles on zhongli; circling his wrists and, most importantly, his throat. ]

[ hey, zhongli, have you ever been a meat shield before... or a cosmic rock shield? no. first time for everything! ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[cryovision]

[why are you two like this?

he's pulling his stuff away from the middle of the room so you can't destroy it as easily.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Childe, you little piece of---

The jade shield flickers up around them at the last moment, the meteor smashing into it (as it soaks up most of the damage). The immediately surrounding area is perhaps not so fortunate.

In the next moment, Zhongli drops his spear, useless in his hands as those hydro tentacles aren't giving him more than a few inches of leeway at best. Only to hook the handle of the spear with a twist of his ankle as it falls and send it spinning up again, aimed directly for Childe's side. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation here we go)

[childeishly]

[ childe tanks the hit, LIKE A BOSS, as a semi translucent watery red like fluid oozes out from the newly torn wound in his side. he doesn't seem all that phased, though there is more dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. CLEARLY that hurt, but he's not giving zhongli the satisfaction of knowing as much. the tentacles tighten their grip as childe dispels the polearm to, instead, summon a couple of hydro blades to drive straight into zhongli's chest. ] I never did get your gnosis, but I'll make up for that now. [ going to see if he can't just straight up fucken gore zhongli. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Zhongli tanks that less well than Childe does - probably because it's very hard to do anything but writhe and choke when someone shoves their hands/knives into your chest and root around for something that isn't there any longer.

He coughs up blood, the act made even more difficult by the hydro tentacle wrapped around his neck.

(Why is this happening on the second floor where he can't summon the earth to rise up to his aid...?)

He shifts his weight to try and slam into Childe's body where the spear is embedded. Dig it in deeper so that it hits something vital. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[childeishly]

Just die already. [ here, he'll even help some more... by forcing one of those hydro tentacles into his mouth the moment he starts choking on the blood his body is so desperately trying to expel. breathing is a luxury, xiansheng, and one you no longer have any right to - ahahaha! childe grunts, forced a step backward, so the spear in his side drives just a little bit deeper. ]

[ water surges around the two of them and swirls at childe's feet, lifting them both up toward the ceiling and subsequently removing any ( and all ) leverage zhongli's poor spear had in him. ]

[ taking zhongli's throat in one of his own hands he squeezes, leaving small crescent shapes as he reaches to tear his own constellation tile from the ceiling... why - because zhongli is missing something and clearly the best course of action is to fix that. ]

Did you plan on sealing me away if and when I became too much for you, █̸̙̺̗͓͖͙̥̯͈̲͉̞̞̗̲͌̌ͣͯͫͧͪ͂̆̅ͯ̽̐̒̚͘͟͝͝█̴̸͇̥͇͚̞̖̰ͨ̌ͨ̂͟͡█ͨͨ͛ͭ̔͝҉̢̫̱̦̺̝̺̲̩̙͚█̤̺͕͉̐ͨ̎͌́̀͟͝█͆͌ͦ̾ͥ̉̎͊̈́̈́̊͒ͨ͂̍̊ͤ҉̡͚͉̩͕̙͠͠, just. like. them?!

Perhaps, [ an unhinged bubble of laughter. ] I'll make you mine instead. [ here, have his constellation tile ker-shoved straight into that perfect hole he made in your chest ♥ ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[cryovision]

[Conveniently, within a few moments of ripping your constellation out of the ceiling, your curse abruptly reverts!

...Which means another incredibly painful transformation but hey! You're fixed!

Zhongli however is not.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Perhaps if Zhongli was actually Morax at the moment instead of just a mortal with a vision in this heart, he could take hits like this.

But alas, being choked on two fronts and having a foreign object shoved into his chest cavity is enough to make him pass out from the shock of it. ]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[childeishly]

[ as soon as he shoves the tile into zhongli's chest he's going to change back, because timing. the pain of a reverse transformation is something he can withstand, but the sight of zhongli looking like this because of him. childe immediately feels sick to his stomach, thoughts swirling with an abundance of dark and negative thoughts. fuck. fuckfuckfuckfuck. ]

[ childe starts mumbling in broken snezhnayan under his breath as he holds zhongli closely. he summons another surge of water to lift them up toward the ceiling again, a hydro sword materializing in his hand to help him dig out zhongli's constellation piece. it takes a bit of work, since he's doing this one handed and trying not to jostle the other, but he eventually manages. ]

...got it, Xiansheng.
though I don't know if this is going to make things better or worse for you.

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[cryovision]

[Zhongli is also no longer cursed!

...And yet... And yet, unfortunately for Childe, he won't be able to address those wounds. Because Zhongli's lost consciousness and so, after a brief while, he dissolves out of view.

Because being incapacitated has sent him elsewhere. Alone.]

Re: THE SEA OF STARS (cw: body horror transformation / gore / just childe and zhongli things)

[childeishly]

. . .

[ time to summon his hydro polearm and just tear this room to shreds. he's going to destroy the ceiling first and foremost and then if albedo is still hanging around, being USELESS, childe is going to drive his spear straight into him. ]