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IC Inbox
If contacting his personal number or via Libra:
"You have reached Jusis Albarea. I'm busy. Leave a message."
If contacting his work number:
"You have reached the office of Jusis Albarea, Esquire. I'm not available at this time, so please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."
Black Order Inbox and Class VII Group Chat for reference.
If contacting his work number:
Black Order Inbox and Class VII Group Chat for reference.
no subject
Of course such dealings wouldn't escape your notice. If I didn't know any better, I might be under the impression that you were chasing after my old position.
[He put his faith in the right person.]
I trust your report. I'll... see him again soon. [One way or another...]
It is precisely because of your dedication to the truth that I came to you. I knew you would understand the significance of what we are trying to accomplish.
[Zhongli has not lost any of his intensity over the years, judging by the sharpness of his amber eyes. Oh, perhaps getting to know him makes him less threatening, but he still very much remembers being a god and he will not forget the slights that the Black Order has committed against the people. He was willing to set them aside, being bound by the contract, acting as if it had nothing to do with him, but it never sat right with him.
The earth doesn't need to move all at once. Pressure builds, and the ground shifts, until enough pebbles have moved that the whole cliffside comes down in a spectacular avalanche of mud, stone, and trees.]
I'll inform you of my plans should an opportunity present itself. For now, we must exercise patience and due caution until we have proof of their wrongdoing.
... Be careful. And if you feel you have been compromised, or that you're no longer safe, call on me.
no subject
[Jusis just simply can't stand people in power taking advantage of the desperate and powerless. In a better series of events, he wouldn't have gone into this job or be part of The Order.]
Very well. [It's just as well that he doesn't leave Kaisou for the time being. He has his own secrets that he's been keeping from The Black Order, and it might be revealed the moment he sets foot outside the city.
Jusis is merely glad to see that Zhongli is now willing to not overlook the actions of this organization. It's been a long road to get to this point, but well worth it.]
I'm in agreement with you, and I do appreciate the trust you've given me. Between the two of us, we should be able to come up with a sound plan.
[He smiles slightly.]
I assure you, I won't hesitate to let you know should I feel as if I'm unsafe. April was a thorough teacher.
no subject
I believe so as well. We have allies both in and out of the Order that can be trusted. It would be far easier had I regained my divinity like Barbatos, but that can't be helped.
[He nods, and relaxes enough that he can actually drink his tea. April was a harsh teacher for not only Jusis, but for Zhongli too. That was the first time he tipped his hand that perhaps a heart still beat somewhere inside that old mountain after all.]
Good. That's all I ask.
no subject
I think of it more as Rex Lapis protecting you from them by not having your divinity awaken at this time. Perhaps it's not easy, but it would arguably be worse if you did.
[He sips his drink and simply nods. Had it not been for April, the blond might not have tried as hard as he did to truly know Zhongli. In a way, he's grateful that there are positives to take away from his moment of folly.]
no subject
... You may be right. Perhaps this is something I must do with the strength I wield, without borrowing his.
[He smiles faintly, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.]
Had I all the powers of a god with the trappings of a prisoner, my journey up until now would have been quite perilous. He was insistent on stepping down back then, and he only intervened when necessary. Long have I felt that he would have wanted me to be free... so I tried to live my life accordingly, until I could no longer run from it.
Yet if one spends their freedom running, in all things one is still bound by that which they refuse to face. True freedom is far more difficult to attain.
no subject
Until you know freedom in truth, and how to live with his dogma without hurting yourself with it. Perhaps that's the lesson he's trying to impart. Though I can't claim to know the mind of a god, let alone the person he'd been in that life, with how much focus you've put into protecting people... I simply can't imagine that he wouldn't try to protect his future incarnation as well.
no subject
... I accepted that position not for want of power or resources, but for the sake of my people. Liyue had a very lengthy past; most of it was turbulent and untenable, even in brief moments of peace. Gods and abominations allied and attacked each other on a whim. They tore the battlefield apart and killed countless people in the process, heedless and uncaring of the suffering they inflicted to humanity.
Those desperate souls looked to me for protection. Though I was far from the divinity they deserved, I knew that no one else would be able to help them if I faltered. I couldn't disappoint them, and I couldn't let that era of gods and monsters continue unabated.
I walked alongside the people of Liyue for thousands of years. The fondness I felt for them then—for humanity—is not so easily ignored.
[He may be the one who parts the chaos and brings order, but the root of all he has ever done in service of others... is love.]
I was born and raised as a human in this life. It feels so distant now, but you've reminded me that duty to protect would have applied to myself as well.
no subject
Sometimes, a different pair of eyes on a situation can give you the view you've been missing. I'm glad I could help in my own small way.
[He smiles slightly.]
Should you find yourself with divinity again, you'll still be welcome in my home for tea and conversation. Though, I hope you don't expect to be free from my honest thoughts even as a god in full.
[Jusis has a healthy amount of respect for a god, but it still isn't enough for him to curb his honest opinion if they're open to it. Which Zhongli, unfortunately/fortunately, is.]
no subject
I wouldn't ask for anything else. The thought of being worshiped is strange to me in this life; I would much rather have friends and family than devotees.
[That's kind of what the tradeoff was, now that he thinks about it.]
no subject
[Jusis definitely gets the sense that Zhongli prefers to have people speak their minds freely. He's had that sense for a while, but it's different when one considers the fact that the brunet was once a god.]
Is there anything else you wished to discuss with me?
no subject
No, that is all. Thank you for hearing my request.
[He gets to his feet.]
We shall see this through, wherever it ends.
no subject
You're welcome. I'll keep you informed as best I can.
[He stands as well to escort Zhongli to the door like the polite man his mom raised him to be.]
Indeed we shall. At the very least, we will have give it our all to change things.