WEEK THREE MINGLE

[potatomance]

ᯓ⭐ WEEK THREE MINGLE

Happy third week, lovebirds! Here's to hoping you're riding high on the wave of success of one whole pair being correct! Surely you must have an idea by now how to win this thing!

Probably?

The good news is that you're not going to have to find yourselves in any weird clothes this time around, except maybe that just leads to a strange sense of foreboding for a future scenario...? Who knows. You can't quite brace yourself for it this time.

But don't worry, it's not like there's nothing happening. On the contrary!

For the entirety of this week, you'll find yourself feeling... clingy. It's going to start feeling very strange if you're not leaning on someone, holding their hand, cuddling with them, sitting in their lap, stealing a kiss, or engaging in some other form of affectionate physical contact. And if it's someone you're already feeling fond of OR someone you actually can't stand, guess what?

That feeling is doubled!

You may realize this is an unusual feeling, but so what? Trying to ignore it is only going to make it feel stronger and do you really want to make yourselves feel miserable?

Shut up, masochists.

FAQ ⭐ Truth Booth Voting ⭐ Mysterious Thing ⭐ Sex Dungeon ⭐ Perfect Match Voting

Comments

[voxnozzz]

[ yes, at least there's that. not that oz finds any particular emotion besides slight surprise that someone like maruki began on a path like that.

... or, hm. perhaps something else, too, that he isn't sure how to process. ]

For the better.

[ he repeats, slowly, as if reminiscing. yes, he supposes it was for the better. ]

... That sort of journey is not taken without purpose. Did you find an answer to what you were seeking in that ambition?

[ in the end, the root is always in the self. ]

[psychs]

[ Like he doesn't have people often going to bat for him, he also doesn't often have people ask him to drop the honorifics, even if they might not be such a thing back home for Lucifer. It's still...nice. ]

Okay. You can call me Takuto too, you know.

[ But — right. Secret sharing, the name of the game. Even if he might be sitting next to him, that won't stop Maruki from glancing over at Lucifer to watch his expression shift as he shares his this truth with him, and it's not an easy one to hear. By his own admission, countless people suffered, yet...

Just like him, he can see the error in his past judgment, can't he? ]

But you realize that was wrong, now. [ A statement, not a question. ] What changed your mind?

[hnl]

[Fun fact: all of you have been designated numbers and letters for the sake of keeping track of pairings more easily in his mind as he plays this stupid game. What would you think of that, A?]

Her designation in the system. Real names are kept classified.

[except that one loser henry, whose name he has been flinging around with abandon]

[ringsmaster]

[ They can find their own little corner of the tent to chat in before things go totally off the rails. ]

Can you tell me some more about what you saw in Maruki's memory? And why it makes you so upset?

[mechanideptus]

You're speaking about a child, not a science experiment!

[alcoheal]

[Matching silky pajamas? Manuela tries to obscure her eyebrow raise over the rim of her glass when she goes to take a sip. Ever since she couch-cuddled with Yukong earlier this week and suspected she might be having a good time in the Honeymoon Suite, Manuela will absolutely be looking at Aurelia for clues as well. you guys banging over there?]

Let's see... It has to be something I don't mind getting back to Garreg Mach. Oh, I know. I use my colleague's books as a lunch tray sometimes because I know it bothers him.

[ringsmaster]

[ Nice to be king of the alphabet, he supposes.

Anyway,, ]

Except Henry's?

[psychs]

No matter how you dress up the details of your "methods", there's no excuse for how you were treating her. Your actions speak for themselves, and you haven't denied them.

[ He can only hope the others won't be swayed by his gaslighting. They have to be smarter than that. ]

[aureated]

[Aurelia's entire body language is as chill and laidback as ever, so it's hard to tell.

She does chuckle at that, though.]

There is a teacher at my own school who does much the same. Equally because it bothers his colleague, I believe.

[mechanideptus]

[ A calm (?) conversation before the storm!

She glances over at Maruki before answering. ]

One saw him counseling an adolescent girl. Her sister had recently died--saving her, if one remembers correctly--and she was beside herself. After she confessed that she had wished that she had died in place of her sister, Maruki did... something... and suddenly the girl believed she was her late sister. It was as if no part of her remained.

[ Even describing it has her incensed, but she forces herself to keep cool long enough to answer the second question. For Lucifer's sake--he seems to be asking from a genuine place. ]

She went to him in a vulnerable state, and he took advantage of that. One supposes watching that unfold struck a nerve. The girl could have easily been one of the many girls I've taken in and mentored over the centuries. Girls I've loved dearly, all with their own struggles and insecurities.

[hnl]

I'm doing little more than encouraging the doctor to follow his ambitions of making the world a better place. This is a general sentiment, not one that's telling him to retread the same, failed attempts again and again.

Honestly, it feels as though you're putting words in my mouth.

[hnl]

Did I ever say she wasn't a child? I'm very well aware. And I've been taking care of several of them for years now. I know what's best for my children, and unless I want the government taking the initiative to dispose of them like they had originally intended, then we continue to couch it as an experiment. As a project.

[ringsmaster]

[ When someone dies in Hell, that's it. No more chances. You simply cease to exist. Countless souls, simply gone to his indifference. ]

Charlie did. She wanted to save our people more than anything... [ just like in the SONG ] It was her dream to see souls in Hell redeemed and sent to Heaven instead of sentenced to die. When she drew the attention of the Exorcist army for her beliefs, she didn't back down. She fought, and those souls she'd gathered at her side fought with her.

[psychs]

[ smash cut to a couple of days later when maruki lights everything on fire ]

Ah...I've been better. Honestly, I'm just relieved I can wear normal clothes this week.

[ But he knows why Lucifer is asking, and it isn't to make small talk. Maruki has obviously been a little less participatory since the memory share, and it's been difficult to figure out how to move forward. ]

More people than just yourself saw my memories last week. Needless to say, they didn't go over well with most.

[helmswoman]

... I see.

[ It doesn't explain why Zhongli is wearing this, though. ]

You're a fan, then? Do you make tribute to him?

[helmswoman]

And why did you curse this one?

[hnl]

[See? Be flattered.]

Well. Henry's always a special case. [His favorite One. :)] He was the first, so I always knew him as "Henry" first and foremost. Old habits.

[cosmoid]

She threw a pot of food at me.

[psychs]

Then I suppose that says all it needs to for our suitability as a match.

[ Unless, yeah, the potato has just been fucking around. ]

[thefinalcontract]

Well, when he passed I planned his funeral. But... Rex Lapis was beloved by the people of Liyue.

As for myself... I think, perhaps, he could have done better.

[hnl]

I won't deny what's actually happened. I just refuse to let you dress it up as though you understand what you're even talking about, doctor.

I've done nothing but care for my children. I've helped them grow. I've helped them become confident in what they can do. You, a man too lost in his own guilt to see any path forward, don't get to tell me if what I'm doing is right or wrong.

[helmswoman]

That is something your match will have to contend with, yes.

[ It's a lot to take in. She takes a sip of her tea and lets the taste settle on her tongue for a few seconds. ]

I'm not sure I fully understand, though. How does one take control of reality?

[ringsmaster]

I understand.

[ He's quiet for a moment, and shifts to take both of her hands in his. ]

Whatever might have happened, I don't believe Maruki is a bad person. He's simply... a person. One who saw the suffering in the world, in the people that he loved, and all he wanted was to make that pain go away by whatever means he could.

I'm not going to stand here and tell you that what he did was right. It wasn't. He knows that now. That's the thing about humanity. They're all flawed, aren't they? That's what makes them beautiful.

[mechanideptus]

[ She crosses her arms and takes a deep breath before responding. Angry as she is, she recognizes that she's on the back foot here logic-wise. And she's struggling to find the words to describe that her issue is not what he said, exactly. Her back is up because of how easily he was able to dismiss Maruki's sins.

It's like she's noticing something about him for the first time, and she doesn't like the feeling of being broadsided. ]

One will refrain from speaking for you any further.

[ MATTER QUITE CLOSED. For now. ]

[helmswoman]

[ So long as he tells someone a secret, that's all Yukong cares about. Mission accomplished. ]