turbo heaven 🌼 chrono

[outdistanced]

this boy's hair is so mystifying

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[clockpunk]

Not quite, but... [ snaps his fingers. ] Bioluminescence. It was in my biology textbook.

[ lotuses have fins?? more things to ask about later. but he nods in agreement. ]

Yeah, definitely. But it's cool in fiction, the scale of it and all the different ways they fight.

[outdistanced]

[ i don't know if they teach biology in the tower. maybe the very basics, but deep ocean probably never came up. ]

As long as it isn't real, sure. Like, what do you mean you can just punch a giant monster?

[clockpunk]

Are you kiddin'? That's the best. You gotta just put realism aside for a bit and enjoy it.

[ the fights do get progressively more elaborate, each monster having a new form, etc. it's monster fightin'. he's into it. ]

The effort in designing all this is super impressive. Imagining choreography at that scale.

[outdistanced]

Hey, I never said it was bad. Just - insane.

[ he's still a teenager of course this is cool as long as it isn't real. though some of the monster designs do freak him out a little, making him recoil a bit from the screen. ]

Choreography? Like, dancing? But it's a fight.

[ what's battle choreo ]

[clockpunk]

[ HEH. nudges him with an elbow. ]

Relax, man, it's fake. Like the fighting, it's all designed that way, same way as a dance would be. [ considers for a second. what would someone smarter say here. ] Different forms of art, or somethin'.

[outdistanced]

I-I know that!

[ don't embarrass him over something he's never seen before? it was an instinctive reaction okay!! ]

...Oh. I didn't know people thought about fights that way.

[ fighting as an art?? ]

[clockpunk]

[ HEH!!!!!!!!!!!

but he nods, considering through his amused smugness. ]

Not real ones, probably. But sports like fencing and fights designed like this? Why not, right?

[outdistanced]

[ refusing to look at him! if he doesn't see then the smugness isn't there. ]

What's fencing? [ he's picturing people jumping over fences and is very confused about it. ] Regular fights I could see, yeah. Just never thought someone might plan something like that.

[clockpunk]

Fencing's a sport using swords. It's French, I think.

[ all that fancy rich person stuff was french in his mind.

he hums in acknowledgement, point sort of made, but then tilts his head. his tone is a little sombre despite the action on screen. ]

You ever think about what you want to do as an adult? A career, if you could pick something?

[outdistanced]

Why would they call it that? Just say swordfighting.

[ rhetorical question but he just thinks it's dumb.

anyway that... makes him pause glancing over with raised eyebrows. ]

I never really thought about it. I always just assumed I'd be assigned some job in the Tower. Outside of that... I don't know.

[clockpunk]

Right? [ rhetorical but he actually knows the answer, so he puts on like a fake snooty tone and pushes up imaginary glasses. ] But, ahem, it originates from the same-- [ falters. ] -word... place as "defense".

[ guy who doesn't know the term "root" for words. guy who didn't hear this from someone who wears glasses. idiot

he does hum in vague agreement, giving him a considering glance. ]

You could probably do some really cool stuff with the teleporting.

[outdistanced]

[ nice try. laurence may not know how accurate that is, but he has to laugh a little at the faltering. ]

I guess a fence is a kind of defense, but it's still swordfighting. [ french people please. ]

...Maybe. [ considers this while watching the fight on screen. it's still a little hard to imagine using his powers in everyday life. ] I guess I could always ask Ven if he'd have a job for me with the Moon Mercenaries, but that whole arrangement was supposed to be temporary.

[clockpunk]

It is. Swordfighting for rich people.

[ oh it's the bit with the sword and the robot falling out of the sky. he's kinda glad they mostly talked over the character deaths. ]

Those people from your memory? [ hmm. ] Can't say that "mercenary" has an encouraging ring to it, since you're so insistent about stayin' outta dangerous stuff.

[outdistanced]

[ makes a noncommittal noise because he doesn't know enough about the world to comment on that. ]

I know. [ he doesn't necessarily like it, but it's the only option he knows is out there right now. ] But if I'm really going to leave the Tower, I'll probably have to deal with dangerous stuff, anyway. So I'll need to at least learn some self-defense or something.

[clockpunk]

Plenty of people here you could ask to learn from.

[ so many fighting types. ]

Mm, well, gettin' out's the first step. You don't have to make up your mind now, or anythin'. I didn't start thinking about it until last year, either.

[outdistanced]

[ he bites his lip, eyes dropping to the floor. ]

Yeah. Guess so.

[ shakes his head. ]

It's fine. I'm leaving once we know where to find Iris and get him somewhere safe. It's just after that that I'm not sure about.

[clockpunk]

[ ...........ah. after a moment, gently bumps him with a shoulder. an apology without raising it again. ]

Maybe you can work it out together. I know you said you guys weren't close anymore, but... [ the memory... well. ] If you both need to be away from the Tower, that could a way to go.

[outdistanced]

[ laurence allows himself one more moment to feel things and then huffs out a sigh, lifting his head to keep watching the movie. enough being sad about zhongli, enough feeling weird about iris. ]

We'll see. There's not much point in thinking about it right now, anyway, and Saber said he'd help me for now, so.

[ that's that. ]

[clockpunk]

[ he sinks into his part of the blanket pile a little more. he wasn't doing this distraction thing very well. shut up, chrono. ]

S'pose not. Wasn't really a smart thing to bring up, huh.

[outdistanced]

You're fine. I'll have to think about it eventually. [ seems like he's holding something back, maybe, but anyway.

glances at chrono. ]

What about you? You think about that stuff a lot?

[clockpunk]

[ it takes him a moment to respond, feeling awkward, but eventually nods. there's a lull in the movie's action, anyway. ]

Yeah. My friends have theirs pretty much all planned out. Shion's got his family's company, Tokoha's off in Europe doing pro player stuff before she's even graduated. I thought maybe I'd work for the Vanguard Association, but I really don't want Ibuki [ (derogatory, affectionate) ] to be my boss.

[outdistanced]

Sounds right for you, though. That Vanguard stuff is pretty much your whole life, isn't it?

No judgment if you're not sure, though. [ nudges him with an elbow. ] We can figure it out later.

[clockpunk]

I didn't really have one before it. [ shrugs. ] And I'm happy with it, but I decided I just want it to stay a hobby now that things have calmed down.

[ he smiles, but glances away. ]

Nah, that's the thing. I made up my mind - I want to be an astronaut. [ it sounds childish, to say out loud. ] Problem is I'm an idiot, so, y'know.

[outdistanced]

[ that comment draws a look?? what does that mean? ]

Guess that's understandable. I wouldn't want to go running everyday for a job, either. [ gotta have hobbies.

but... wow. astronaut? i really had to sit here for a minute and debate if he knows what that is but they probably have history books so. ]

Like, going into space? That's insane. I knew about the moon, but I didn't think they still did that. [ he surprised! but doesn't look that judgy about it, just a little confused, if anything. ] Why would that be a problem? It hasn't stopped you before.

[clockpunk]

[ rolls his eyes. ]

Not literally. I just didn't have any friends or interests. Gettin' into fights was the closest thing until Vanguard came along.

[ pff. okay, that earns laurence a more bodily sideways shove of faux-irritation, but he's laughing mildly. ]

Whatever, man. No, there's a ton of tests and stuff you gotta pass before even beginning to train for it. Physics, mathematics, chemistry, all that.