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.

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[ Yukong sits in the blanket fort, quite comfortable in her silk pajamas. She has a cup of tea, the sort that is meant to help you calm down for sleep rather than anything caffeinated.

At Lucifer's starting remark, she smiles and tilts her head. ]

Should you not start? I believe you're one of the people who'll need to share a secret in order to earn that promised hint.

[ And at this point, the group might need one. The situation is feeling more and more dire. ]

Me?

[ Points at himself. Like literally who else. He scoots a little closer to her so they can speak in relative confidence. ]

Ah, geez. I've been avoiding bringing this up because it's awkward so... after my wife left me, I kept my wedding ring. I still wore it, for seven long years, just hoping she'd come back. Like what we had somehow still mattered to her.

I'd probably still be wearing it now but the potato made that impossible.

[ Yukong scoots toward him too, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. And yet this is what must be done.

And the secret is... frankly, a heartbreaking one. He'd remained in denial for all those years, hoping and praying that his wife would return, and yet clearly that never happened. It rarely does, as far as she's aware. Once people break apart like that, coming back together in that way is nearly impossible. ]

It took it? I see...

[ She's quiet for a few seconds. ]

Do you think you'll wear it again, once it's returned to you?

No, it didn't take it. I just... can't wear it. I can't even touch it or it'll slip right through my fingers.

[ There's probably a hidden meaning there. Thanks Riri.

He glances away. ]

I don't know. I think Zhongli's mad at me.

[ OH NO???? Why is this night so cursed. ]

I'll admit, it's difficult to imagine him being mad at anyone. Maybe there's more to it than that. [ She reaches out to gently set a hand on Lucifer's shoulder. ] What happened?

[ There's a lot going on so she missed... all that. She noticed Zhongli leave but figured he was going to grab a snack or something?? ]

[ He hugs his arms around himself a little, and relays to her what he'd told Maruki, about the exterminations in Hell. ]

Zhongli overheard and said he needed to leave. He looked pretty stunned.

[ The secrets people are coming out with — they're quite shocking. And while Yukong isn't clear on all the rules of Lucifer's afterlife, this is still a lot to take in. ]

That is... quite a lot to process, even for someone as level-headed with Zhongli. It's possible he just needed some time to think it through before he discussed it with you. I don't think he's the sort of person who will write you off without talking everything through.

[ As much as she has her own questions about all of it, this isn't about her right now, so she bites her tongue for now. ]

Mm. I guess.

[ He doesn't seem hopeful. ]

If you have questions, you can ask. I'm not asking you to just accept all that because Zhongli and I had a fight.

It didn't seem right to dump more at your feet when you're already processing him leaving as he did. We can always discuss it another time.

Lucky for you two, you're not getting homework every week.

[ For these stupid POINTS!!!! She sighs, crossing her arms tightly. ]

But fine, let me try to think of a different one.

[ OTHER than blowing up a man's house help me ]

... This scar, [ she taps the discolored lines on her jaw, ] It's from my sister.

I have helped in some situations.

[ She went through the door and became a wolf for a bit! But she isn't going to just give a secret away for the sake of it, sorry fam.

However, she is curious to hear Lin mention her sister again. ]

Is that so? I recall you mentioning her once before. You were... concerned for her safety. What happened between you, then, to result in such a scar?

[ She pauses, her expression a little conflicted. It's not like she wants pity, or to be worried over, so she tries to convey in the most unaffected way possible, but her body becomes more tense regardless. She barks out a short laugh. ]

Hah! Well, I tried to arrest her. Police in my world use metal cables to apprehend criminals. Didn't expect her to cut it and have it come whipping back towards my face.

[ That is certainly not the answer that Yukong expected to hear, her eyes going wide. Lin's very own sister, breaking the law? And Lin was so dedicated to the law that she'd tried to apprehend her herself. ]

What crime did she commit?

She was the getaway driver for an infamous gang of thieves that day. She said she "owed them a favor" and that it "wasn't a big deal."

[ There are no physical air quotes around both those phrases, but they are audible in the emphasis that Lin gives them. ]

[ Yes, Yukong can still hear the quotation marks loud and clear. ]

Naturally, this wasn't an excuse you could simply accept. Were you Chief of Police at the time?

No. Our mother was.

[ She sighs, expression growing bitter. ]

And she tore up my arrest report — buried it all.

She did? Do you know why?

She said she "couldn't have a daughter in jail."

[ EYE ROLL ]

My sister was sent away to live with our grandparents, then our mom retired a year later — because she felt guilty, I assume. Then I became chief.

But you and your sister still have a relationship, it seems.

[ Yukong tilts her head, curious. She recalls Lin slipping and mentioning her concern for her sister before. ]

I didn't talk to her for thirty years, after that.

[ She admits this more quietly than she's spoken since this conversation, something like regret and frustration weighing down on her brow. ]

We... made up, recently. Sort of. Right before all this, actually.

[ Thirty years? That is a long time, particularly for a short-life species. Yukong perhaps shouldn't be surprised that Lin would be so stubborn, but...

She is glad to hear that they eventually reconnected. ]

I'm glad to hear that. I know there are some things that you can never forgive a person for, but... I'm relieved to know that this wasn't one of them, and that you found your way back to each other. Was there something that triggered it?

WEEK THREE MINGLE

ᯓ⭐ WEEK THREE MINGLE

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