( closed ) life like the unplumbed sea;

[transmit]

WHO: Elysium & friends(?)
WHAT: This is now just a catch-all for everything
WHERE: Everywhere
WHEN: 2024
WARNINGS: Blanket warning for possible explorations of dark themes in general, please tread at your own risk. I will, however, endeavour to include specifics in headers if applicable.

Comments

→ august wildcards.

[transmit]

you know what this is.

[frostfist]

[ Though their scant few days in Seoul are meant to be spent investigating, Wriothesley can't help but poke his nose into the various corners of the city regardless, curious about the social structure, the lifestyle, and the simple survival desire that fuels the people of the city. The atmosphere might be different from Neo-Tokyo but many things are still the same: the flashing signs and advertisements, the stalls on the side of the street selling just about everything under the sun....and the pervasive nature of petty theft.

He acts on instinct when he spots a hooded figure snatching a package right from someone's arms and making a run for it, abandoning the tornado potato he'd just paid for (RIP) in order to chase after the offending criminal.

It's just too bad he gets hit by a truck in the middle of his chase. This is a kdrama now.

Fortunately, his nanobot injections from ye olde keep him from ending up snapped in half with five broken ribs. Unfortunately, they haven't made him impervious to all damage, and there's still a good deal of pain radiating through his chest as he pushes himself back up to his feet, mouth twisted into a grimace. It's a good thing his dear friend Elysium happens to be nearby (or was watching the whole thing?? who knows) and can lend him a hand!

Predictably, the thief is long gone by now, vanished into the crowd of people that have stopped by to rubberneck. Even with cybernetic implants and the like on the rise in 2278, there's always going to be a little shock factor when it comes to watching car collisions. ]

[transmit]

[ if current day tornado potatoes cost $10, how much do you think they would cost in 2278…?? just reading wrio abandoning his made me tempted to turn to a life of crime too, fr.

On the flip side, while you'd be hard-pressed to convince Elysium of it, he isn't above wading through various shades of grey. This includes, but isn't limited to, throwing a knife at the thief from his vantage point up above with little to no hesitation, the blade scathing their entire arm bright red. He isn't the most accurate shot, tongue clicking in distaste; while it'd achieved the goal of them dropping the package in their alarm, he hadn't wanted to harm them that badly, either.

Yet, that moment's distraction is Elysium's excuse for practically stalking Wriothesley the past half hour (…more on this later…) and not being able to warn him of the incoming truck, much less notice it until it's too late.

Pure instinct drives his heart rate to spike, his feet to move. Elysium has to at least try, dropping down without fanfare. And that's when it happens—— Val's kdrama amnesia plot

Wriothesley's incredibly uneventful collision, the man looking hardly worse for wear afterwards, Elysium's heart giving one final leap for it.

…

Right. That's a thing. He stutters forward half a step, just barely regaining his sense of balance in time for the next, having been halfway to calling their equivalent of an emergency line with a shortlist of Outsiders he'd known with either healing or medical capabilities at the ready. Still! He approaches with no less urgency, and if Wriothesley allows him to, weave an arm around his backside to offer him support. Probably better that they move away from the rubberneckers who are no doubt posting this to their t*kt*ks. ]

… Do you usually have this little self-preservation?

[frostfist]

[ i'm turning this to ecats somehow

Elysium's appearance out of seeming nowhere earns him a raised eyebrow and a frown, one that deepens as soon as that arm circles around his ass (no i'm just kidding, it's still his back) and a few more muscles end up jiggled that probably shouldn't be. Alright, so maybe the collusion was a little more intense than originally assumed.

Also—his self-preservation is just fine, thanks for asking? ]

I've stayed alive this long, haven't I? [ Ignore the grunt of pain escaping through his teeth as he rolls one shoulder around. ] I have a perfectly good grasp of what my body is capable of.

[ More importantly: ]

You happened to have extremely fortuitous timing. [ sir, the stalking?? ]

[transmit]

[ we're* turning this to ecats somehow ]

I suppose staying alive and staying healthy constitute as two different things.

[ Not that Elysium can talk… which is why he moves the conversation right along. Nothing like being tugged into and being all alone in a quiet alley just the two of them, right? And to his "extremely fortuitous timing," Elysium has this: ]

Why don't you phrase it how you really mean it, monsieur?

[ not beating any allegations, he knows. fun times. ]

[frostfist]

[ Only one of them is allowed to be shady here, can Elysium please stop infringing on his territory?

Nanobots or not though, the additional support is appreciated, even if the subtle steering into an abandoned alleyway is a bit questionable. Is Elysium some sort of double agent that's been running a long con up until now? Is he about to get axe (flag) murdered in a foreign city with no one else around to witness?

Nah, probably not. (But maybe he should send a message to Ishmael just in case—)

Also don't talk to him about his phrasing? There's nothing wrong with vagueness and doublespeak? ]

You just happened to be awfully close in a city populated by at least several thousand people. Unless you're planning on telling me our meeting was entirely fate?

[ He doesn't believe in fate. ]

[transmit]

[ How can Mr. Green Flag himself (Wriothesley) be shady, hello?

But he'll help prop Wriothesley against a wall, which from angles would look like the kabedon I'd like to write but alas have little reason to. If what Elysium wanted to talk about truly had to be confidential, he could've just sent Wriothesley messages through his implant—but, he prefers the novelty of words and face-to-face when the circumstances allow. Doesn't this help set the atmosphere?? Add tension?? Even if there's absolutely no reason to. ]

That's a whole lot of words to ask whether I've been following you. [ it's bad when Elysium's constantly having to call him out on said vagueness and doublespeak? that's his territory, excuse you. ] Unless you'd like me to insist that it's fate, you're kind of too taken for me at the moment to use that line on you.

[ sorry! ]

To put it directly: yeah, I have. For about a half hour to see if we were up to the same thing. Can you chill out on the aggression now?

[frostfist]

[ it's called nuance

Also: can't believe he won't call it fate but he will pseudo-kabedon a guy out in (semi-)public, talk about mixed messages. The only good thing here is that they're both around the same height, which means Wriothesley can at least look over instead of up.

It's an interesting lead-in to a conversation they could have easily had over the implants - and probably should have had over the implants? - and he starts crossing his arms before another ripple of pain makes him regret the action and he lowers his hands back down. Guess he'll just stand here against the wall and take it. ]

Why not just ask? [ Over the implants. ] That would have been easier than following me.

[ like a weirdo ]

[transmit]

[ please, like he hasn't already firmly cemented himself as one. what is there to lose. ]

And disrupt you while you were so deeply immersed in what you were doing? I think not.

[ An exhale of exasperation as Elysium props a hand on his hip. If Wriothesley wants sass, he gets sass. Unsaid: there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to learn more about the people you're supposedly entrusting your back to in these trying times. Although Wriothesley's behaviour has given him no reason to doubt his character, Elysium does have a personal stake in, and perhaps a proposition, for someone whose interests aligns with his own. ]

I was going to notify you at some point or another, but the opportunity never arose. Don't make it more difficult than it has to be—can't we just settle on the fact that we got the guy and leave it there?

[ By leave 'it' he means the shadowing itself; he's a covert operations guy. Is it really that strange for him to want to watch things from a distance? He clicks his tongue over Wriothesley's protests but otherwise straightens himself out to regard him with a furrowed brow.

Considering they have all the time to delve into their thoughts regarding the criminogenic climates surrounding every city they've visited thus far, first things first: ]

Hey. Where does it hurt exactly?

[ whatever. just let him cop his feel. i love our ecats. ]

→ gebura.

[transmit]

[ he is

so tired


Elysium's expression is nonchalant until it isn't, breaking down into a full grimace once he's found himself a quieter section of the airport. There's something to be said when he looks more exasperated than he's ever been—weary, even, with a hand on one of the pillars as he stares straight down to the floor. He contemplates his options: murder (illegal), blackmail (not his style), and finds, for once, it's with a heavy heart that he'll have to leave it at ghosting.

Unless…?

Except, there's no unless (for now) when it seems like he hadn't been the only one who'd needed to get away from the crowd, temporarily distracted from revisiting the first two options when he notes telltale red hair from his peripheral. He cants his head as the gears in his head turn—and he'll give her several minutes to herself if she looks like she needs it before he decides to speak up. ]

… Hey. You know that guy? [ eugh. ] Callisto.

[bemist]

[ Sure enough, there she is. Looking less disheveled than she had going through the portal to Vegas, but at the same time, she definitely looks a little rough around the edges. Paler than usual while also looking more irritated than usual (amazing). But slowly, she lifts her head. Stares at him.

... Wow, he looks exhausted. ]

More than I want to. Why?

[ The "why" is tinged with so much warning-- ]

[transmit]

That makes the two of us.

[ They make eye contact. Elysium's expression reads: 'I really don't want to talk about it,' coupled along with a groan. But he will… if she asks…. ]

… He made quite the show approaching you.

[ They made quite the show talking to each other. Breaking eye contact now. ]

Heheh. Just wondering if I should be offended that you don't show him as much resistance as you do me.

[bemist]

...

[ Oh, her eyes are narrowing. ]

Just how long do you think I've been resisting him? Do you know how hard it is to avoid someone in a space like that?

[ She's merciful enough not to ask. Or maybe she's too irritated to ask. ]

[transmit]

Poor joke. [ A concession. ] We're both on edge.

[ … ]

I do think I'm able to take a hint much better, though. Comparatively.

[bemist]

[ A sigh. She's so tired. ]

Yes, Elysium. I can stand you.

[transmit]

[ What a compliment… that he can't even take with his whole heart right now because of how tired he is, too. ]

Great. Glad to have established that I'm doing better than a psychopath. Maybe if we unionise we can get LILITH to oust him.

[bemist]

Have you maybe figured out it's not a good idea to try and be so friendly to everyone?

[ HAVE YOU?? ]

→ malkuth.

[transmit]

[ This month's product placement of choice: a pair of translucent, vivid-coloured raincoats with bunny ears attached to their hood. Stylish, youthful. Lightweight and ideal for the recently rainy weather plaguing much of the eastern hemisphere. Perhaps not ideal for the acidic rainy weather that's to come, but, well, that isn't their problem at the moment.

What is their problem at the moment, however, is this: their newly minted contract stipulating a minimum of one video upload per month, Elysium's hummingbird drone hovering before them to help with just that. ]

Annyeonghaseyo. ♪ [ kill me. ] How'd I do? I practiced that one pretty hard. [ a sheepish laugh. ] But it's Elliot and Elijah, bringing you right to the Seoul of South Korea.

[ a quick pan to Malkuth before he's once again entering the camera's field of view by loosely wrapping an arm around her front, chin on the crown of her head. ]

However many of you are catching this back home, we thought it'd be fun to kick off the channel by taking you guys on a little adventure with us——and show a fit Eli's been wanting an excuse to wear for a while.

[ As if to draw attention to it, he pinches one of the ears on Malkuth's own between two fingers and glides along the length of it. When he reaches the end, he flops it over her face with a grin.]

Cute, yeah? Even if neither of us are herbivores and I've been teasing her for it.

[ignoreher]

[ at least it's easy to find real enjoyment in the physical aspect of this thing they've got, cheeks warming as she rests back against him. she's weak! it's fine! there's a line, and they won't cross it! and the viewers get to wish they were her, or whatever. live vicariously.

when the ear flops over her face she blows it away, waving at the drone and then moving up to pinch elysium's cheek for his teasing. all in good fun. ]

Annyeonghaseyo, everyone! [ little better than ely there. ] Thanks for tuning in, when and wherever you are! As part of our first expedition together, I haven't told Lottie where we'll be going for lunch today, so it'll be a surprise for everyone!

[ except her. also, sorry... for the name. ]

But that's later. For now... [ her hand drops and wiggles its way into his, hello ] We'll start by walking around. The ears bounce when you move, so it's really cute-- oh, and we even have little tails in the back!

[ now she's letting go a moment to spin around and show off. such a cute, puffy white plastic tail. ]

Who could resist?

[transmit]

[ She pinches his cheek; he puffs it out. Good-natured and familiar, as if it's a routine they've done dozens of times before—with the audience oblivious that this is their first, likely only the beginning of many others.

But with Malkuth's chime, the drone focuses on her as its new focal point. Elysium fades into the background, smiling beatifically as she continues on with their pitch. That is, until it's time for him to pick up a cue, and he's reaching out to

tug on her arm gently. ]

Don't show off too much, now. [ the moment she thumps quickly against his chest again, he releases his hold, cranes his neck over her shoulder. whispering just loud enough for the microphones to pick up, ]

Who could resist? [ herbivores…… ] I'd like to be able to keep some things to myself, if you don't mind.

[ then, he's extracting himself to lace their hands together, pulling them directly side-by-side. ]

So? Where're we off to? Don't keep me waiting; I've been looking forward to this.

[ignoreher]

[ not a one in sight. malkuth grins widely at his "simple request" and lets him lace their hands together once more, leading him along. ]

How adventurous would you say you are, Lottie?

[transmit]

You're looking at someone whose adventurous spirit would be second to none. [ ☆! ] Better not think about holding back for our first upload.

[ can't wait for malkuth to bust out the beondegi or sannakji ]

[ignoreher]

When I was on vacation lately, [ that's how we'll put it, ] I ate scorpions off a skewer with a friend of mine! It was really, really tasty, and I got pretty into the more... unique dishes locals might have to offer.

[ adventurous indeed. ]

I've always liked trying new things. Especially things most people would turn their nose up at! So we'll be putting that spirit of yours to the test today.

[ ... so yeah she's gonna bring him to a bar that sells sannakji as a little snack alongside soju. tempting as the alcoholic side of things is, she... is going to do her best!!!!!!!! ]

Any objections to seafood?

[transmit]

[ In the theoretical timeline where he'd found out about her kaiju-eating habits when they'd first met, he might've judged her before the crabs beach episode… but now that that's done and over with, there's really nothing for him to judge her for, oops.

Short of struggle meals that are curated for when you're at your lowest of your lows, it's hard to be picky as a backpacker! ]

When I said my spirit was second to none, I wasn't joking! I've had my fair share of close calls being out and about; knowing how to hunt and to forage what you can's pretty important. [ he's probably eaten a hallucinogenic mushroom or two accidentally and. intentionally. among other things! fun. ] Ah, would people be interested in seeing something like that next? Survival with the double Es?

[ what is their genre and target audience: yes ]

Anyway, scorpions belonging to the broader phylum of Arthropoda doesn't put them that far away from crustaceans. Crabs, lobsters, shrimp—they're just arachnids of the sea. If people broadened their perspectives, they could experience so much more, as you do yourself.

Suffice to say? Hit me with your best shot.

ignore the timestamp. for me

[ignoreher]

[ they'll work out what flies best. that would be fun though... she's pinning that to the backburner to actually do, filmed or not. sorry elysium. she does want to befriend you for real.

so! she'll lead him into a bar teeming with people who'd like to pretend all is well, that the influx of visitors were just tourists and not having to do with any looming kaiju threats bringing about unusual weather and general disasters in the world. there's plenty of chatter, and so she guides him to a more private booth for the quiet and puts in two orders of the wriggling dish... alongside a soju bottle to share, at least for aesthetic. ]

While we wait, why don't we play a little game? Twenty questions, but downsize it to just ten. It'd be nice to see what our followers have in common with us!