[open] as the water grinds the stone

[meiren]

Who: Zhou Zishu and Open
What: Exploring Cadens, poking around the Horizon, event nonsense
Where: Cadens, Horizon
When: March
Warnings: References to chronic pain and sense loss

[ Starters in comments below, open unless stated otherwise. Hit me up at talkincodes or PM for something specific or plotting. ]

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Around Cadens

[meiren]

[ For lack of anything better to do, Zhou Zishu spends a good amount of time wandering his new city. The tendencies to map out every street and alley and to try to blend unnoticed into the moving crowds are more habit than any immediate necessity, but they're not exactly a problem. If this is going to be home, he wants to know it.

Which might be part of why he can more often than not be found sitting quietly in any of the myriad taverns and inns scattered around the city. You can learn a great deal from overhearing to people in their cups, especially if they can forget you're there. On the other hand, he just really likes drinking, and that's the easiest way to find the alcohol. Win/win, really.

If not drinking, he might be found wandering the markets, eyes lingering on displays of weapons before he makes himself keep moving. But what really catches his attention is the mechanical displays, things much more intricate than even the automatons he's seen. He finds himself pausing in front of one open demonstration, a young man pouring various unknown liquids into a large metal container and doing a remarkably poor job of explaining the process.

Finally, the young man pauses dramatically as a puff of smoke emerges from the container. He's met with a smattering of vague applause and Zhou Zishu's raised eyebrow as everyone else begins to wander off. ]

Why not simply use saltpeter? [ The young man gives him a pained look, but at Zhou Zishu's implacable expression he launches into an equally incomprehensible explanation while looking firmly out into the crowd. Hoping for someone to take his side or just someone less unenthused to talk to? Either way, Zhou Zishu doesn't seem particularly interested in budging. ]

Horizon

[meiren]

[ The cluster of mountains that have grown into the Horizon are a riot of flowers, though oddly for such extensive growth, there's no real scent in the air. Visitors may find themselves among the clusters of plum and phoenix flower trees, and while there is a clear path that leads towards the closest mountain, there is plenty of orchard to explore. Just ignore the occasional flutter of what seems like an oddly metallic bird.

But following the path will lead to the base of the mountain, and Zhou Zishu himself can be found at the bottom of the waterfall, staring up towards the top of the mountain with a complicated expression. He turns as soon as someone else walks into the clearing, unsurprised to find someone else there. Almost as if he already knew there were other people in the space. You didn't feel as though you were being watched while making your way around, did you? ]

Bad Moon Rising

[meiren]

[ Both by nature and necessity, Zhou Zishu tends towards stillness. He moves only as much as he needs to, and he's been perfectly happy to spend his retirement sitting around all he likes. Which makes it even stranger when he suddenly finds himself with the need to move, like his sense of calm has utterly deserted him.

It's not just the restlessness of too much energy, either. His temper frays easily and he can't help but snap at people where he might ordinarily have brushed things off. The urge to needle and annoy is strong, and he picks at least one fight on the street without meaning to.

The sight of increasingly angry faces around him are what finally prompt him to remove himself entirely, leaping easily onto a nearby rooftop. That's a much better idea, he can run as much as he likes and there are much fewer annoyances, other than the occasional very startled bird. He lets himself float over the roofs, running along the surfaces and drifting through the air between them.

Maybe you caught the unexpected sound of surprisingly light footsteps on your roof, or you happened to spot him catching his breath while perched on the edge of an eave that should really not be holding his weight. If Zhou Zishu catches anyone looking, he offers them a sharp flash of a grin, completely uncaring about being noticed for a change. ]