Video || A Crabulous Query

[catsgothistongue]

Type: Video
Sender ID: catsgothistongue (Ranma)
To: Public
Subject: Crabs
Warnings: Small mention of broken arm, Ranma's general idiocy

[The video feed opens up to a calm, relaxing beach viewing with waves gently crashing on the shore and crabs scuttering along in their own little world. The screen would change to front-facing mode to show Ranma sitting on the beach, left arm bandaged and in a cast and a few crabs climbing on and off of him. He seemed almost wistful, as if he's about to poise a sagely question...]

Think anyone here tried cooking any of the crabs here yet? [... or not.] Or at the least tried to get a leg off the big one. Imagine how much you could make with just a leg!

[Ranma no.]

Just uh... Just a hypothetical. [He's totally not salivating right now.]

Comments

[catsgothistongue]

Oh. Good to know.

[So no architect dad getting into his mind and picking it apart. That helps him sleep better at night.

As Kaveh went onto explain the basics of Visions, Ranma's going to take a seat on a patch of grass, almost like a little kid listening to a story.]

Go on... [He's resting his chin in his palm, listening intently. Learning anything that could possibly be applied to combat is something he loves keeping track of. Just in case he ever fights Kaveh or Alhaitham for whatever reason... Which let's be real, probably isn't an impossibility.]

[empyrean_mirror]

The Visions are granted to us by the heavens. Some say as acknowledgement for our ambitions, others for the crystallization of a dream. Either way, they're very...personal objects.

[kaveh summons Mehrak again, and has her project an image onto his own held out arm, visualizing the structure of his bones and veins.]

...I am an architect by trade and by heart. So naturally, my vision is similar to me, in that it's useful for understanding structures and their components. We are all made up of our component parts, and as living things, we have our own elemental energy. Bloom cores damage that energy, rather than being combustive like gunpower--they harm living things more than it does inorganic objects. But...for me, I simply convert the energy they let off into something more healing as it hits me.

[catsgothistongue]

Fremi told me something similar a while back about them.

[Just. Gonna hope slash assume Kaveh knows who that is, because the only answer Ranma'll give is 'shy sweet kid with self-esteem issues.' Ranma gazed at the visualized anatomy structure, trying to see if there's any noticeable difference between that and an ordinary one.]

So in a sense, it's a bit like my ki? [Ranma observed, before holding up his hand to let a faint blue glow form in his hand.] It converts the energy from inside or around you in order to do its part while taking in aspects of you. So because you build things up, your explosives create and restore rather than decay and destroy.

[empyrean_mirror]

Oh, the explosives still very much damage other things. Demolition is a part of creation.

Anyone with dendro can react to make bloom cores. I'm just the only one who seems to be able to heal from them.

[Kaveh that's terrifying. But he blinks a little. Fremi...] Freminet?

[catsgothistongue]

Oh. Right. Explosives are pretty useless if you take out the destroying part of them. Minus your healing grenades.

[They're even green like grenades!]

Yep, that's him. You know him?

[empyrean_mirror]

We've met a few times. He's a really sweet kid.

[You've been nice to the baby, right, Ranma?]

[catsgothistongue]

Yeah, he's a good kid, if a bit of a wallflower from what I've seen from him. Though he did ask me to train him and help him get stronger. Surprisingly a lot stronger than what he looks, considering he has a freaking Claymore.

[Yes?]

[empyrean_mirror]

...

[There are alarm bells going off in Kaveh's head.] Ranma, what kind of training did you do?

[catsgothistongue]

[Oh no, he can already hear the judgmental tone ringing in his ears.]

Just the usual training?

[empyrean_mirror]

Let me rephrase this.

People on Teyvat cannot use ki to heal their own injuries and usually do not start combat training before they can walk.

Was this the usual training by those standards or by yours?

[catsgothistongue]

[...]

Yyyyyes? [That was drawled on a lot longer than what he meant to with a sheepish smile, before holding his hands up defensively.]

Look, I didn't make him to anything insane! If I threw him at the heavy hitting stuff, he wouldn't survive. It's just the basic stuff, like hitting, punching, footing, all that.

[empyrean_mirror]

Did he leave uninjured, Ranma Saotome?

[Why is Kaveh smiling. Oh no. Oh no.]

[catsgothistongue]

[Why is he using his full name? What is this sensation of dread?]

Yes? I mean after I healed him back to perfect health...

[empyrean_mirror]

Ranma.

[He hasn't stopped smiling. His tone hasn't changed. There is a distinct sensation of facing down a lion some other apex predator.]

Tell me exactly what happened.

[This is not a request.]

[catsgothistongue]

[Gulp.]

Well you see, what happened was...

[Ranma stood on his tiptoes to look over Kaveh's shoulder, his face contorting in confusing.]

... Did your roomie leave his fish statue outside on that giant plant? Weird...

[empyrean_mirror]

Do you think I'm a goddamn idiot, Ranma.

[Mehrak has now also turned to face him.

Oh also a plant vine wrapped around his ankle and just yanked him into the air to dangle from the oversized sumeru rose.]

[catsgothistongue]

WOAH-

[HE IS NOW STRUGGLING AND DANGLING FROM THE AIR, TRYING TO YANK HIS FOOT FREE.]

N-NO SERIOUSLY, HIS FISH IS ON THAT TREE! JUST TURN AROUND AND GRAB IT BEFORE HE GETS UPSET!

[empyrean_mirror]

[More vines unfurl from the rose, catching his other foot and then slowly binding his arms.]

If you are going to lie to distract me, you'd have to pick something plausible.

[catsgothistongue]

[Oh yeah, he should probably uh... Confess.]

Okay, okay! It was an accident!

[empyrean_mirror]

I see. And did you apologize to him for it?

[Your life may depend on the answer to this.]

[catsgothistongue]

Yes! Of course I did! After I healed his ribs too!

[KAVEH YOU WERE THE ONE WHO HEALED HIM, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HAVE WASTE A BLOOM CORE?]

[empyrean_mirror]

Alright. Here's what's going to happen.

If you want me to keep this quiet from his older brother, who will shoot you and likely set you on fire, you will promise me two things right now.

First, your priority is to protect Freminet from harm over training him. Second, your homework is to research how people in other worlds conduct their training. Use that information to refine your approach to Freminet, and keep in mind you are uncommonly durable.

Am I clear?

[catsgothistongue]

... I mean, I've been all those things before so...

[Wait no, he should probably actually try pleading his case.]

It wasn't like I meant to actually hurt the kid! He froze my fist. My art is to use any and everything to my advantage and adapt. I thought it made a good club that I could hit him with! [Ooooooh yeah, even to someone as social daft as him, that didn't sound good out loud the second it left his mouth.] I just made a mistake, I regret it, and I tried fixing it. I'm sorry, I really am. But if it makes you feel any better to try putting me in a body bag or tell his brother so he can come after my head, then go ahead and do it.

[Honestly, Kaveh's earlier ultimatum is a lot more lenient than what usually happens when people are pissed at him.]

[empyrean_mirror]

I think you misunderstand me right now.

[shaking the vines a little bit.]

I am telling you, as a man, to put in the time and work into improving yourself so you don't have these kind of regrets. Mistakes like these can be made up for, and you can. You already started to, so follow through.

...But there are mistakes you can never undo. It's important, right now, to learn all you can from the ones you can.

[catsgothistongue]

[He's silent, and if Kaveh looked at his face, he looks contemplative. Like he's actually listening to a single thing the other man is saying.]

... Okay.