castlenim | (no subject)

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?

[He'll consider this venture a success if only because it managed to get Aventurine to stop holding onto him and wander over to the edge of the ship instead.

And if he tried leaping from the ship, he'd only cause Sunday a headache and chaos in whatever hour he managed to land in. So long as Ena continued to cradle the dreams in THEIR hands, death could not touch them.]

I do enjoy the view.

[Whether or not that's for sentimental reasons, he doesn't elaborate on, and instead walks close enough to peer down at the view the lights and buildings far, far below.]

Most people will never get to see Penacony like this. Does that help your understanding at all, Mr. Aventurine?

( Does it? He thinks, that even if he were on a ship far above Pier Point, the view wouldn't be this blinding. He thinks, Penacony is too artificial. From the way it's built, to the skies above that resemble no real sky, there's nothing about it that truly calls back to the real world.

He knows arguments can be made, on this. That Penacony is a dream, and why limit oneself to reality when the world of dreams can be anything one wishes for it to be? Dreams are only temporary, however. A solace from the real world, unfair as though it might be. But dreams don't build experience, only cloud reason and feed ignorance.

As sweet as Penacony is, too much of it would only make one sick, wouldn't it? )

It certainly tells me it's a nicer place from down below than high up. ( The view is nice, he stands for it. But it's a lot like looking at something entirely too made up, almost soulless. ) What do you see, when you look at Penacony from here?

Hm. A good deal of hard work come to fruition.

[Sunday would know how tirelessly Penacony is run. There are many cogs that keep it all running smoothly.

Not to mention the founding story of how it all came to be, but it's not readily evident if he's speaking on the inspiration for Clockie and his friends or not.]

And a reminder of just how cruel the world continues to be.

( Something he finds ironic to hear, considering Penacony's overall story. Perhaps the hard work began all the way back when it was still a frontier prison, entirely too forgotten by the IPC, and reclaimed by its last remaining prisoners, alongside Nameless who had stumbled upon it. It's history that doesn't quite involve Aventurine, despite his position. He's just an employee, and despite all, not all the most loyal one.

He enjoys the parallels, however. Between him and Sunday, and the IPC and Penacony. )

Escapism, then. As I thought. ( No one helps maintain a dream this sweet without a reason. The other Family heads might be one thing, but Sunday has always been one of the people the IPC had their eyes on, for one reason or another.

He turns to look at him, then, to really look at him, as though through gaze alone Aventurine could see past whatever mask Sunday wears. ) You never told me what is it that you're running from, in the real world. Do you just think the world is unfair, and therefore living in a dream is easier? Do you really think Penacony is fair?

[The IPC and Penacony have been intertwined since the latter's creation. It's a fact many prefer to ignore, or consider as nothing more than history, but it's inescapable.

He meets Aventurine's searching look with a small smile, representatives of their respective factions at odds once again.]

No. It's not fair.

[Sunday had certainly experienced enough in his position to know that much.]

Despite being a dream, it exists in the same world full of pitfalls as everything else, and reflects some of it. But there's a reason a visit here is so prized, and I think that's worth pursuing.

( Not ignorant, then. With this, at least Aventurine can see Sunday in a better light, that he's not so blind to all the fouls and faults his dear Penacony has. Even as the Hours go by underneath them, a sea of vibrant lights and dream particles, that the world beneath and around them lacks any sort of meaningful reality to it makes that so-called prize feel much too tasteless. )

Is that so? ( Aventurine hums in response, his eyes drifting down and off the airship, admiring the way they fly above the people with a particular distaste to it. ) I guess I've got to make my purpose here to find that reason. Ah - but we're meant to be seen as a pair, yes? Then there's no reason why you shouldn't help me with it.

( A nigh-impossible challenge, for what it's worth. The very core of Penacony is already something Aventurine disagrees with. )

Trust me even a little bit, Mr. Sunday. I have already been given away by the IPC. When the world has turned its back on you, isn't Penacony the place where people like me should turn to?

Oh, certainly.

[There's something lurking underneath Sunday's blithely polite tone, although he doesn't look away from where he's watching the scenery of the hours pass them by below.]

The Family and the tenants of Harmony have open arms for all who seek solace. I'm certainly no different to anyone who sincerely is wishing for a safe haven and trust.

[Of course, he doesn't believe Aventurine has a single grain of sincerity about why he's here or what he's really after.]

( It's the heavy intonation that makes Aventurine widen his smile, and, for it's irony, a sincere one at that, too. What Sunday doesn't know is that, had he been found by the Harmony and the Family at certain points of his life, he would have loved Penacony just as sincerely. A safe haven, an escape, a way to turn off the plague of nightmares that have haunted him for one too many years.

They're truly ships passing in the night, aren't they? Missed opportunities. Men who have just enough similarities as they do differences. They do say likes repel for a reason. )

Then in your sincere opinion, [ stressed in the same fashion, as Aventurine turns his gaze back to Sunday once more, something inscrutable behind his eyes, ] what hope is left for me? Should I repent, and turn to the Harmony so Xipe can find it in THEIR grace to welcome me into their beautiful dream? Ah, of course, I'm asking you as Sunday, not as the head of the Oak Family. If you want me to be more sincere, you might as well set an example, right?

You speak as though you are willing and eager for the escape you previously derided.

[On the surface at least. There could be desperation hidden underneath all the rest of what Aventurine is, but Sunday doesn't think it's quite that either.

Of course, the other doesn't know how sympathetic Sunday would be to that past plight in the first place. Aventurine is a perfect living example of what happens when the strong exploit the weak, of everything he is going to great, great lengths to never see come to pass again.]

Trust is mutual, Mr. Aventurine. Ask me that question again when you mean what you say, and not just hypotheticals.

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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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sorry for the wait, took a break in nov and then holidays. hope you had a good one if you celebrate!

No worries! My long weekend and holiday was good, I hope you had a relaxing time too!

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happy new year! hope the holidays treated you well!

hny!! my holiday was p relaxing, I hope yours was too!

it was ty!! i've been busy with catching up but thankfully i should be around more now 🥹