Zhongli's Ideal World Session 2

[idolpro]

"In his long life, he has met countless people, and shall meet countless more still.

As they say: the waters change course, but the mountains move not."

--The Raiden Shogun

Comments

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Weird. The other Barbatos is gone.

Now it's just Venti. ]

I am not looking that way. You'll just pour a second cup on my head.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

[ Hm.

Very well. No choice but to float over and drape off of Zhongli. ]

So distrustful! Don't I normally save most of my pranks for the Geo Archon?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

If I recall, the two of you like to gang up on me.

[ Yet he does not do anything to shove Venti off of him ]

Terrors, the both of you.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

[ A sudden pang of sadness at never meeting Guizhong . . . ​]

Hehe . . . it seems to me if you wanted to avoid that, you could just skip archon meetings. I mean, you're not really required to be here, right? So why come?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

Why wouldn't I?

Unlike Baal, who only accompanies Beezlebub every few centuries, I enjoy the company of all of you. We've been through a lot together.

In spite of your behavior.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

Well, because you're always so busy! Doing -- what was it again?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

I am the Prime of the Adepti and Guizhong's right hand. The brawn to her brains. Just as I've always been.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

. . . So this is your perfect world, huh . . .

And yet Liyue is still governed by contracts?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

[ His brow furrows at the first statement but he carries on anyway ]

Of course.

I am the God of Contracts after all. That has not changed.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

. . .

[ Floating around in front of him, cradling his face between his hands ]

You're truly happy, aren't you?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

[ Why are you looking at him like that? ]

I am.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

And if I had to harm that happiness to save you -- and Liyue -- do you think you could one day forgive me?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

Barbatos, what are you talking about?

If this is a prank, it's in poor taste. Even for you.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

. . . I'm going to enjoy the rest of the company for a little while, and then we can talk about it. Okay?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

All right.



Please come back here when you're finished.

1/2

[outofoffice]

[ Don't worry, he will.



He spends the better part of an hour sitting and conversing with every other archon there. Zhongli's memory is, of course, perfect -- so these ghosts are the most real approximations he'll ever meet of his old friends. His only chance to ever speak to any of them again.

So, just for a little while, he'll laugh and drink and reminisce, and pretend this fake perfect world is here to lie to him too. ]

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

[ Eventually, he returns with Makoto in tow, his arm slung around her shoulders ]

Moraaaaax!

1/2

[leaveofabsence]

[ The world goes gray for a moment. Just enough for a familiar voice to say: ]

]

"Remember your promise, Barbatos - Archon of Anemo.

And what might happen to you and this realm should you not upkeep it."

[outofoffice]

[ Yeah, yeah, shut up.

You'll get yours one day, buddy.

JUST YOU WAIT. ]

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

[ He still has worry lines ]

Barbatos. Are you feeling better?

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

Hard to say! I was just having a conversation with Makoto -- [ giving the arm around her shoulders a squeeze ] -- about the time she died. The Dendro Archon, too.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

I see you're not feeling better at all.

Come. We can see Baizhu - he's very talented with remedies of all kind.

1/2

[outofoffice]

. . . More than anything, I wish it were that easy to whisk these ails away.

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[outofoffice]

[ Creating an arrow of Anemo, driving it straight at Makoto's heart.

ELM 5 ]

Re: The Archon Table (do not reply for a moment please and thank you)

[leaveofabsence]

[ She goes down, and the whole mountain shakes from the release of electricity and thunder that shaves all the nearby mountains to plateaus. ]

Barbatos...?

[ Another electro attack aims straight for Venti ]

[ Roll SPD to dodge Ei's attack. 6+ succeeds ]

[ Then take 3 more attacks of opportunity. Choose your targets wisely. ]