ohthehumanities | catchall; wolfwood

The type to drink so hard you'd pass out at the bar. Maybe you and blondie could get along over that.

[WOW

I

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well

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haven't you ever needed to drown your sorrows I mean it all just gets to be too much sometimes you know, sometimes you have deadlines and misunderstandings and your luck is bad over and over and you're terrified th

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who's blondie

[ IS KAVEH OKAY

He really is just looking at the bubbles for a minute and pockets his phone when he doesn't get an answer for a while. He will fish it out again when he gets the notif buzz. ]

Vash the Stampede.

[(smiling_face_with_tear)]

Oh--that's right, we talked about having a wine tasting if we get the chance. [Hmm. Now that he's remembering that conversation--] You two know each other, don't you? Are you the one who fusses over proper meals?

What? What does that mean? I don't think it's a bad thing to eat a proper meal but I don't know what you mean.

He mentioned a traveling companion. That's how he described them.

[Actually, he remembers now that Vash said "used to" which could be a little awkward, if this is a sensitive subject. Oh no.]

I just wondered if it was you, that's all. We haven't really spoken much about the people we know.

Might be me. Unless he's talking about something years back. We were traveling around for a few months, yeah.

[ There are complications here but fortunately it's over text so Kaveh will get none of them. ]

[

There's no polite way to ask this but he'll try--]

Do you two get along well?

[THEY JUST HAVE VERY DIFFERENT ENERGIES, HE THINKS but then again so do Cyno and Tighnari and they're married so what does he know]

[ Honestly this is pretty polite. ]

I'd say so. On and off. We don't hate each other, pretty sure.

[ This is the worst answer ever. ]

[help

Unfortunately--]

I understand. [Sometimes it's complicated. But in different ways, probably.

After a pause, like he's thinking--] Are you glad he's here, or would you prefer he wasn't?

I'd rather he wasn't. Prefer he'd be alive.

That makes sense.
I feel the same way about Nahida.

[It's what he always remembers, every time he finds himself longing for more familiar company. No matter how much he misses them, he would never want them to be here.]

It's... nice to have someone familiar around, sometimes. But in the end, I'd much rather she was safely back in Sumeru.

Having two is worse. What is she to you?

[ Returning this question. ]

Yeah.

[Granted, he never knew Shenhe before this place--but still. He cares about her a lot.

As for the question--]

She's the ruler of my nation. The Dendro Archon, god of wisdom and knowledge.
So, you can understand why I want to make sure she gets home safely.

But do you have any personal attachment? Is it just duty?

[Hmmm. There's a pause before he replies, as he thinks about how to answer.]

I would say I do now. I mean, I always knew she was kind and capable. She's the one who's pushed to restore the arts to their place in our society, which is vitally important to me. Not to mention everything she's trying to put into place for the Eremite tribes. I've always respected her and been concerned about who looks out for her. She's suffered a lot, as well, and it makes me angry to think about on her behalf, both as a god and as an individual. But we didn't really spend much time together before we came here. I never really pursued the position of Sage, which is the only way I really would've ended up working closely with her before.

But it's different now. I'm sure she feels a responsibility for me, as my archon--but for me, I've certainly begun to think of it as "I want to make sure Nahida is safe." As an individual and as a teammate, of course.

Some people have said I'm the type to get attached too easily, and I can't exactly say they're wrong about that when I think about the people here... but even setting that aside, I think it would be difficult not to care about her safety. She's that sort of person.

[Oh. He probably talked too much, oops.]

[ Yeah this is a lot of text. Fortunately Wolfwood is not Estinien and he's not anti-reading so his eyes don't glaze over at this.

Give him a moment to read this and think about it before answering. ]

I think I get it.

[ It's not exactly the most illustrious response to everything Kaveh just told him, but he thinks he understands. Both specifically in terms of Nahida, but also, as a whole. ]

[I THOUGHT THAT TAG WAS REALFKSDJHGJK

It's alright, though. If anything, he's comfortable with a concise reply. It's nicer than he's used to--but then, Tighnari and Cyno have always been patient ears for him, too. There's a tiny hint of guilt for rambling, but not much, since for once, he wasn't unloading his problems onto someone before he could stop himself.]

What are the gods in your world like?

[ For what reason do I put so much effort in my gagtags (it's because I just come up with them while I'm writing the real tag). ]

Depends on the religion, but mine's only got the one. Won't hear a direct yes or no if you pray. Maybe you'll get an answer, maybe you won't.

It's usually like that for us too, as far as I know.
Rather, it varies by the nation. But I don't think any of them answer every prayer directly.
I can't imagine only having one god, though. I know you said there are less people in your world, but that still seems like a lot of pressure on them.

It's something from the old world. There were thousands of religions there, some with a lot of gods. Don't know if any of them were ever real, but none of them came to my planet.

[ Almost. ]

Mine's just one of many. It's fine. It's hard to reconcile when you know everyone has all these different thoughts but they can't all be real. All we can do is pray.

[It's Kaveh's turn to listen (or, well, read), which he does with patience and curiosity. Theology may not be his area of focus, but the gods are tied so intrinsically to the functions of his world that it's fascinating to learn about them elsewhere.]

I suppose.
Though, to be honest, I kind of lost faith a long time ago. Even now, I don't think I'd turn to my archon for personal guidance as a first impulse.

[Not that he doesn't trust her, of course. It's just... complicated.]

What do you believe in then? Who do you turn to might be a better way to ask.

[That's an excellent question, honestly. There's a long delay before he replies.]

I guess I just... don't.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say I try not to. I've been shown a lot of kindness by the people around me, but I don't enjoy needing to rely on it.

[It's hypocritical, he knows, when he would give everything to someone who needed him without a thought to judgment. But he's only human, after all. Emotions aren't so logical.]

Self-sufficiency then.

[ As short and concise as ever, but this is a stance Wolfwood respects. ]

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