castlenim | (no subject)

And how much innovation it takes until you start straying from your intended path, Mr. Sunday?

( Fixing a problem after problem after problem is bound to lead to a Penacony completely different from its initial, intended purpose. That's why, he thinks, the entire notion is unrealistic, to begin with. The concept itself works fine - a place meant to take one away from the harsh cruel reality, at least for a moment, at least for a night. This is what dreaming is, this is what dreaming has been, even to Aventurine, back when he was Kakavasha and poor and stranded in the barren lands of Sigonia-IV. A respite, a momentary escape from how cruel his life has been.

But Aventurine knows there's no escaping reality. There's only pretending, being ignorant, thinking if one closes their eyes and succumbs to eternal sleep, it won't exist anymore.

He promptly shuts the book closed, setting it back in the shelf, before he picks up his pace again, looking over the many titles and covers in the office. )

Almost everything. Most people. But never everything or everyone, is it? I can't help but wonder if it's your intention to brainwash the entire universe into thinking this is what's best for them. You've got quite the ego there, don't you?

( Oh well. Aventurine pulls out a second book. The Origins of Penacony's Twelve Hours. Mostly a curiosity read. )

Isn't it? You haven't let me out of your sight once, since I arrived. What do you think I've been doing, if not learning more about the planet and its people?

My, that's some pointed language. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you came here with ideas about how to change everything already. But that's not in the spirit of a partnership, is it, Mr. Aventurine?

[Sunday's eyes narrow and smile thins, just a sliver. This is one of the myriad reasons he'd been against all of this. He can't expect outsiders to understand the Dreamscape, much less grander plans.]

It's never perfect because the universe is imperfect. Another reason the dream exists. [Sunday knows, deeply, that the best thing would be to rewrite the unjust foundations, but that dream isn't in reach. Yet.] And I had assumed you were doing what you're doing now. Gathering information on the Dreamscape.

It's called constructive criticism, Mr. Sunday. Figures you could use some, considering your lone reign over Penacony.

( He meets Sunday's eyes for a moment, before he turns back to his book. For what it's worth, it's an interesting tale on how each dreamscape reflects the hours of the day, the thought behind its naming and creation, and what it strives to offer the locals and tourists alike.

Aventurine thinks the hypocrisy here lies that there's no 'time' and 'hours' in a day if everything is stagnant, if a dream is unmoving. )

I'm familiarizing myself with the people, and what they like about the Dreamscapes, yes. But maybe I should ask your wise opinion, instead.

( Another book he closes shut, placing it back into the shelf as he walks towards the center round table. He doesn't take a seat, preferring instead to linger just ways before Sunday. )

As your forever-partner in this endeavor, what is it that draws you to such a sickeningly sweet dream, Mr. Sunday? What is it that you're escaping from?

Lone rule? If that's your impression, you're sorely mistaken. There are many more who handle what goes on in Penacony besides me.

[If only he could be the final voice of reason as far as running the Dreamscape. It would certainly make dealing with Oti Alfalfa less of an ordeal.

He rests his arm on the table, fingers tapping the surface rhythmically. This admittedly hadn't been the angle he thought the IPC would come from, but maybe this is still just a ruse.]

I don't need to escape from anything. Is it not enough that I want to create the dream for those who want and need it?

Are there? I would love to get to know them as well. The people who allegedly help you run Penacony, and share with you such hefty burden. Makes me wonder what this partnership truly is about, then.

( His tongue is coated with just a pint of venom, the cards in his mind carefully set on the table. For a moment, Aventurine finds he quite misses having something to play with on his fingers, at the sound of Sunday's own fingers idly tapping on the table. His eyes fall to them, studying the orderly way in which he does so.

So much can be learned, from a person's body language. )

You want to make a perfect dream for those who need it, but I wonder if you understand why they need it. What authority do you have to create a paradise for people if you don't understand their troubles? Seems to me you have quite the savior complex, Mr. Sunday.

In that case, hm...

[Should he throw Aventurine to the wolves? He's tempted, especially because of that venom he hears in the other's tone, but doing that could be a double-edged sword. Oti is as crafty as always and Sunday has no doubt he would try to lure Aventurine to his side. Someone else, then.]

...I'll introduce you to Whittaker soon, since you seem interested in how the Dreamscape functions.

[He gestures to the book Aventurine had been perusing.]

As for your other questions...I understand very well why people come here. As I'm sure you're aware, Mr. Aventurine, reality is not always a kind or fair place.

Oh, so there are other people. Figures it's about time I do meet them, anyway, so I'm looking forward to it.

( More people to overanalyze and meet, people who - allegedly - runs Penacony alongside a man who seems to have some control issues. Some. It will happen him navigate this agreement, their endless partnership that will only actually truly end once either of them tires of the other. A very long game of chess, one aventurine is happy to play. )

No, it's not. ( He is very aware, yes. But Sunday doesn't see him escaping off some impossible dream, does he? ) But I can't help but wonder what good escape would do. Ignorance? I do suppose some say it's a bliss. But with it also comes the vulnerability of obliviousness, don't you think?

Of course. The Oak Family is just one branch.

[How many of his problems would be solved if he really was the sole decider for anything that went on in Penacony? Aventurine's assumption sounds like a sweet enough dream to him.

Much unlike now, when Sunday is already feeling plenty tired already.]

It offers a measure of solace, in my opinion. And if you're insulating it's a prison...can someone from the IPC really say that without sounding hypocritical?

( Now that's a rarity in itself, the way that Aventurine laughs in response. Like Sunday had just told him a good joke, something surely far more good-spirited than what was in fact said. No IPC employee of his rank would be a fool not to be aware of how Penacony had once belonged to them, a frontier prison with certainly its weight in history.

Maybe what's so funny to him is the assumption he would ever truly dare to imply such a thing. )

Perhaps not, if I was ever making that metaphor. But if you think as much, perhaps the thought itself has crossed your mind a few times now, hm?

( In this seemingly endless game of chess they play with each other, Aventurine reaches for one of Sunday's pieces, admiring the way it gleams, pristine and clean, as though never once touched. In the real world they live in, such behavior is mimicked in the way Aventurine leans back against his chair, his Sigonian eyes locked intently on the pure gold that are Sunday's. Truly such a shame they are of opposing factions, but perhaps it is within his luck that he's ended up here, handed on a silver plate to one of the IPC's long-lasting enemies. )

No one joins a prison willingly, but that can easily be countered if they don't know it is one. Maybe a cage should be a better fitting metaphor? It does give a certain sense of safety, and you're at least allowed to look at the outside. And, well, ( His eyes fall to Sunday's signature Halovian wings for a moment, before they return to his eyes, ) I guess it would be within the theme, wouldn't you say?

I've never thought of Penacony in those terms. I'm simply familiar with its history, and how the IPC might remember it.

[And how the IPC views it now, a generator of money and influence for the company, if only they could bring it to heel again.

He meets Aventurine's gaze unflinchingly. Some considered Sigonian eye colors to be unnerving, but even if Sunday didn't have all the practice dealing with those trying to pick apart his motives and words for a weak spot, he wouldn't think so.

It is a pity they're in opposition. He wouldn't be nearly so wary if he didn't think Aventurine competent enough for the caution...but it's rather obvious he's not going to be able to coax the other away from the IPC's choking yoke.

Doesn't mean he can't remark on it, though.]

Your talk of cages begs a question, Mr. Aventurine. Are the IPC's fetters so much more comfortable?

( Sunday puts a piece forward, instead of cowering into defense. Good, Aventurine thinks. He likes his games of chess like this, where his opponent is not backed into a wall out of fear or something more cautious. It makes it all too easy for him.

He knows Diamond had picked him for this mission as a disposable pawn, headed off as the first piece in the chessboard to be moved, a step into the enemy territory with all of the IPC behind him. He doesn't mind nor truly cares how he's used, how he's moved, whether he's eaten and taken into the enemy's camp or not. From the inside, a parasite finds it easier to fester, after all. )

Why don't you ask me this again once we've spent ample time together? Can't compare one thing with another if I don't have something to actually compare it to, after all.

( Up on his feet he goes, here. An impulsive idea, perhaps even reckless. But isn't that Aventurine's modus operandi? )

Show me around. The real Penacony. ( Not in the literal sense of the word, nor does he mean the Penacony he has tried to find; between alleyways, the corners of the Dreamscapes that people don't bother looking in.

He means Penacony seen from Sunday's eyes. The perfect, sweet dream paradise the Family put together. ) Better than to stay locked up in this cage, right? Haha.

Does it need a comparison? I would have thought you'd know whether or not you were happy with your work already.

[Some people are very happy to toil under the banner of the IPC, especially if they are high on the corporate ladder. But even if he didn't have a single idea about Aventurine's background, someone content with their position wouldn't be sent into enemy territory like a soft sacrificial lamb.

Aventurine's other request gives him pause, however. The "real" Penacony? In Sunday's estimation, the other is very, very bold, but not nearly as much to ask for a showcase of Family secrets right off the bat, even if that's what he's after, ultimately. Is he asking for a personal tour?]

...remind me, have you been to the Radiant Feldspar yet?

[It's Oti's, but there's no better place to see the whole of Penacony instead of just a single hour at a time.]

Keeping an open mind is important when interacting with people. I prefer to consider my options, and besides - maybe that will give you room to convince me that Penacony has more to offer me than the IPC.

( If he's to stay, after all, and it goes hand-in-hand with his request. What is it that Penacony offers that the IPC cannot, besides made-up dreams and the illusion of a world no longer obtainable? Is it a kindness, to deceive people, in the same way that the IPC is 'kind' in their gilded imprisonment? Is there truly a right and wrong, or are they just two sides of the same gray coin?

Aventurine's smile turns a tad more genuine, knowing Sunday hasn't rejected his offer. It makes his life so much easier. )

I haven't had the opportunity. ( Too busy walking around alleyways and the more unsightly parts of the Dreamscapes, after all. ) That's the airship that flies above the skies of Penacony, right? I bet it has the most excellent views of all your people below.

I'm not sure what will convince you if your mind is already made up even after everywhere you've been, Mr. Aventurine, but if you haven't been to the Feldspar yet, I'd be remiss as a host if I didn't show you.

[And it's not as though the rest of his work will get done today. Sunday knew that much the moment the attendant told him about his visitor.

He moves to stand and step around the edge of his desk, briefly checking one of the clocks in the room. The airship should be passing Golden Hour soon enough.]

As you mentioned, it offers an excellent view of all of Penacony. Shall we?

Give yourself a little more credit, Mr. Sunday. You truly think I'm so stubborn not to have an open-mind? Even my opinions can be changed, if you try hard enough.

( At least the superficial opinions he might brandish whenever it's convenient to him, but nothing Sunday needs knowing.

Good, though, he thinks. At least he's amenable enough to go with his whims, or at least the less troublesome of them. It makes for a far better partnership, and it tells Aventurine just enough of how much he can push and pry. He rounds the large table as well, stopping just next to Sunday. )

And since we are in such a friendly and close relationship, should I offer you my arm to take, or would you prefer to do it? Ah, unless you think it would be better to hold hands?

( Again — push, and pry, and be sufficiently annoying. )

[Stubborn? No. Sunday is simply aware Aventurine is here for a reason, and that objective very likely includes not being swayed by Sunday whatsoever. Any protests to the contrary end up coming off as insincere.

At Aventurine's other suggestion, Sunday merely smiles, polite and inscrutable.]

Oh, I don't think a close relationship needs such a display. Unless you're afraid of getting lost?

( That's one inscrutable smile to another. )

Haha, you can tell? I am still very new to Penacony, after all, and it's certainly quite the big place to accommodate as many people as possible. Getting lost is a given, isn't it?

( Not like there's much room to truly get lost on a flying ship - especially when it's barely a quarter of the size of the Xianzhou Alliance's ships, to begin with -, but it's not honesty that Aventurine is after;

and so, of course, he will take the initiative for this, taking Sunday's arm to lock around his own. It doesn't take a genius to notice the head of the Oak Family is meticulous and careful with the way he portrays himself — which means that it befalls Aventurine to disrupt that entirely. )

Ready when you are.

[Sunday has had a lot of practice keeping up a polite facade, lest anyone looking for a gap in his armor use a hint he gives away to their immediate and merciless advantage. And it's only through this that he doesn't stiffen noticeably at his personal boundaries being utterly trampled. He should have expected this.

He'll slip out of Aventurine's grasp the moment he gets a good enough chance to, but pulling away right now would cause even more problems.]

Right. This way, then.

[Thankfully, he doesn't have to lead Aventurine through any areas more populated with guests at Dewlight Pavilion to get to where the Feldspar would dock. That would certainly cause a stir.

And as he'd expected, once they arrive, it's not a long wait before the ship slowly drifts into view and comes to a stop for them to board. The staff that greets them expresses disappointment that Sunday didn't send word ahead so they could be prepared better, but he waves them off and mentions it had been a spur-of-the-moment idea to show the ship to his...guest. After that, he and Aventurine are left to their own devices. Relatively.]

( Extravagant is certainly one word to use to describe the ship, though not a luxury that Aventurine is wholly affected by, considering his overall tastes. It belongs in Penacony, that's for sure, and through locked arms still, Aventurine looks around as a child would to an enchanted new world. Curious, yes, but searching as well, for anything worth remembering.

It would hardly be anything of real importance, but information is information, and any chip can be used, as long as it's a role to play and an use to the player. )

I will say, I didn't expect a pool. ( On a flying ship? Not so unlike the ships of the Xianzhou Alliance, no, but those are living places, rather than a vacation spot. A cruise, but through the air. ) Show me around? I am, after all, your guest. And luckily not afraid of heights.

( For all that 'death' is advertised as not being possible within Penacony's many Dreamscapes, he doubts a fear so primal would be hard to let go so easily. )

Oh, and I don't mind if we lack for privacy. Let the people look. When was the last time they saw their handsome Mr. Sunday with the company of someone other than your Family members and your sister?

It was long enough ago for this outing to be notable to them.

[Certainly easy for Aventurine to say he doesn't mind prying eyes when he's not the one who has to deal with any questions. But that's likely his intent, and also the price Sunday pays for his own influence in Penacony.

The damage is already done, though, so he simply leads Aventurine around the pool for a better look before walking down the sides of the ship where the wide viewing alcoves are set.]

I would think you'd like the tour to end at the casino on the upper decks, but if you see anything else that catches your eye in the meantime, speak up.

( He hums in response, only. An interesting part of his job is that it's conversation like this that paints a picture - oft times inaccurate, yes, but it's a jigsaw puzzle of a painting, where pieces can eventually be replaced and spun to fit the correct slots, and only then will Aventurine have the full picture. In some ways, finding all the pieces is a gamble in itself. )

So you guys have casinos even up on an airship? And here I thought I was the one with an addiction. ( A harmless jest, but he will certainly make a mental note of this.

Aventurine hums here too, considering, watching. It is a nice, opulent airship, and it definitely screams Penaconian property. The water on the pool is crystalline, the view is ever-changing, and it seems, so far, that there's about anything anyone would want. A mini-Penacony, within Penacony, soaring through Penacony.

All in all, expected. A moment later, Aventurine returns his gaze to his host. ) Be less boring, Mr. Sunday. And less predictable. It will make you a more interesting person. ( Unwanted advice, but he means it well. For the most part, at least. ) I've seen more casinos than you have in your lifetime. Show me something new, instead. Your favorite part of the ship, if you have any. Impress me, well and truly. Surely you want to render me speechless?

You'll have to take that up with the owner, I'm afraid.

[Sunday certainly had no input in it, but he has always thought the ship might be Oti thumbing his nose at the rest of the Family, a little.

His expression doesn't falter at Aventurine's next statements, no matter how direct and goading they are. In fact, his eyes narrow a sliver as something genuine creeps into his smile, for just a flash.

Snagging the interest and curiosity of the IPC's mole is a double-edged sword, so at this juncture, boring is the highest compliment he could be paid.]

My apologies for the assumption, Mr. Aventurine. But it would serve you well to avoid doing the same. I don't think I ever said that I wanted to impress you, for example. Nevertheless...

[Sunday changes the trajectory of their walk, heading towards the upper decks and areas that are very obviously not someplace normal guests are supposed to go.]

...I will show you my favorite part of the ship.

You have not, but if I am to stay in Penacony for the rest of my life, ( Exaggerated, perhaps, but Aventurine shows no will to correct himself, ) then it would do us well to like each other, and for me to learn to enjoy Penacony, don't you think?

( Another side-glance shot at Sunday, if only for a moment, before Aventurine's gaze turns back to the ship, its extravagant decoration, all the guests making no effort not to stare at them and whisper among themselves, the beautiful and large rooms, and much of everything else they walk by. Figures, if he were to own a ship must like Topaz has her eco-ship, his own would look something like this.

It's an irony not lost on Aventurine in the least. )

I can't imagine you having the time to hang out around here, though. ( If what Sunday said about his last visit been long enough ago is anything to go by, for one. ) So is the ship kind of a childhood memory or what?

And someone must impress you before you like them?

[There's the barest flinch in Sunday's expression when Aventurine mentions living in Penacony his entire life.

There's certainly an endpoint to this, isn't there? And they both know it. The moment either side gets what they want, the whole farce will be useless. Alluding to something else, even for the veneer of politeness, seems a little...pointless.]

No. The owner of the Radiant Feldspar is the head of another Family branch. I've been invited to a handful of meetings hosted here before. Ah, here we are.

[He's led them to the very bow of the ship. The dream has no real weather patterns, so there is no wind, and no real danger even if they step up to the edge.]

It's a good thing you aren't afraid of heights.

( Aventurine smiles that same old smile, at the question. The question will remain unanswered, perhaps for the mystery of it. The truth of the matter is that not even Aventurine himself has the proper answer to it - liking something means having a particular preference, and in his line of work, with the life he has led, such things are luxuries. But if someone impresses him, they might just earn his respect and interest, and isn't that enough?

He hums in response to the information he's given, but walking to clear skies - as clear as they can be in Penacony - and the view of the Dreamscape beneath does, in the end, for all of its irony, catch Aventurine's attention. Enough so that he finally unlocks their arms, and walks forward, all the way up to the very edge of the airship.

It is a good thing he's not afraid of heights, huh. The view is beautiful, all things considering - the sea of lights underneath are captivating, and the skies, through devoid of a sun or clouds, is enchanting in its own way. He could use a breeze, perhaps. But all in all, there's no real complaint from Aventurine - or, for a while, nothing much from him at all.

Instead, in the back of his mind, the view below is haunting, in a way. He knows 'death' not to exist in Penacony, but in times like this... If he tries, from this height, would he manage to defy its inexistence? )

Well, I'm surprised. What is it that you like so much about this spot? The view? I didn't take you much for the sentimental kind. ( He shoots a particular look at Sunday, finding composure again. ) Or does it make you feel like a free little birdie, flying through the skies?

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sorry for the wait i got sick!

no worries, I hope you're feeling better!

i am, ty!!

yay! glad to hear it

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sorry for the wait i lost track of time orz

no worries at all!

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sorry for the wait! rl was really tough these past weeks

No worries!

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