WEEK FOUR MINGLE

[potatomance]

ᯓ⭐ WEEK FOUR MINGLE

Heya, lovebirds! You're entering the final week and things sure are... great.

Right?

Well, whether you're feeling great or not, you're going to find yourself looking your best in formal wear this week! Suits, gorgeous dresses, fabulously outlandish outfits, you name it, you're stuck in it. No sweatpants or lab coats for anyone this week. We have standards.

And we also believe in telling the truth, one way or another!

That's right, if you're asked a question, any question at all, no matter how innocent or dire, you are compelled to speak your most truthful answer. It could be who you think is the hottest in the castle. It could be your opinion on orange juice. Whatever it is, there is no longer a brain-to-mouth filter in place!

And maybe you'll figure that out and all decide to be merciful, but Riri will be popping up every now and then. And Riri? Riri will not be merciful.

Except for one thing, and that's a note in the main room that states simply: You all suck at this, so this week, our good ol' lesbian duo can now speak normally. You're welcome. ♥

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

Comments

[ringsmaster]

Just like I don't care that you're not a potato.

Out with it.

[potatomance]

Sure. [ A shrug. ]

Your match is female.

[helmswoman]

[ Manuela puts it rather well there. Better if they have a hand in something, somehow, rather than just letting the chips fall where they may.

And oh, there's the bottle spin. And that leaves them to decide what to do about this, but Manuela immediately puts the ball in Yukong's court. ]

That would sort of remove the point, wouldn't it?

[ With that, she gestures for Manuela to stand and does the same herself. ]

[helmswoman]

I think much the same. It's just difficult to make sense of what he says a lot of the time, as if he's operating under an entirely different framework of logic.

[ And maybe he is? His world seems... odd, to her.

Either way, they have their answer now. ]

Now comes the hard part. We need to make sense of all the information we have so far, to consider every possibility.

1/2

[ringsmaster]

[ ]

[ringsmaster]

What, that's it? You're just gonna leave me with three options on the table and send me on my way? That's barely a hint!

[voxnozzz]

[ something?

oz isn't entirely used to being led, but it makes sense to defer to someone with more experience. or any experience at all. yet there's still a small beat where he considers, having not thought up of the idea himself. following goes against his instinctual nature, but... ]

Yes. That may be a better method.

[ actions work better against wizards like him, important as words are as the basic of magic. he can admit that with a nod, no sense of nerves or hesitation within it. ]

You may show me.

[alcoheal]

I could really take us off track by protesting semantics, but we all know I'm not that kind of a stickler. [Who wants to get that curmudgeonly over the details during a game?

Manuela stands as directed, clasping her hands in front of her like she's waiting to give an audition.]

[helmswoman]

[ In this moment, Yukong appreciates that Manuela isn't being a stickler. It isn't her way, nor is this the place for it. Yukong had to accept that early on in this challenge.

Despite Manuela's self-stated preferences, she's waiting patiently for Yukong to do as she wishes. So with that, Yukong steps up to her, one hand settling on her shoulder and the other at her lower back so that she can shift her into a dip. Once she's certain that Manuela is well supported even after she's dipped her, instead of pressing their lips together, she instead moves her mouth to rest against Manuela's throat, over her pulse, and starts to nibble.

She isn't going to bite hard enough to draw blood, but hopefully this counts as creative?! ]

[potatomance]

Well, it cut down on all your other options, didn't it?

But since you're going to be a bitch about it, this is your final hint:

She's on your team.

[ringsmaster]

[ Uuuugh that's not much better but fiiiiine. ]

Fine. Guess I won't push my luck.

[alcoheal]

[Oh, that's very...Oh. Hm. Because her face (and mouth) is right there, doubtless Yukong will be able to feel the bead of her pulse and how it picks up somewhere between the motion and the thrill. What is she supposed to do about this?

She chuckles, her breath coming out as a shaky hah when she exhales.]

...You let that scenario get to your head a little bit, didn't you?

FINAL CATHERD (we're going all in on martha)

[helmswoman]

[ Well. The truth booth is over, the final hint has been given out, and as far as Yukong has gathered, this is their last chance. At the match ceremony the correct pairs have to be made, or they'll lose the challenge. From what she's heard from so many of the people here, that will be quite the blow. All the way from Aurelia to Brenner to Lin, her fellow contestants have been deadset on winning.

They have to give it their all.

She doesn't prepare any snacks or other refreshments, mainly because at this point she wants people to be completely focused. That doesn't mean others can't distribute them, though. She motions for everyone to gather around a large table and settles her hands down on it, looking over a group of faces that have become quite familiar to her over the past month. ]

We now have all the information we're going to get, which means it's time to make some hard decisions and truly search both your mind and your heart for what feels correct based on what we know so far.

Lucifer must be paired with either Manuela or Ori. While he shares a love for singing with Manuela, he and Ori are both devils of a sort, from what I understand. My instincts have had me wondering if Manuela and Uroko were matches for a while now, so I'm inclined to think Lucifer and Ori are matched.

However, our instincts have led us wrong a number of times so far, which means that everyone needs to be brutally honest as to who they think they could be matched with and why. We also need to consider every pairing that has been eliminated, as well as every hint we've been given, and what options we're left with.

[ She pauses then, letting out a heavy sigh. ]

Unfortunately, we have to either assume that Mithra and Brenner are or aren't a match in order to move forward. Otherwise there are far too many possibilities to consider. Mithra seems convinced that Brenner is his match, and he was apparently correct about Xianyun and Phoenix being matched according to what Manuela told me, so... I propose we move forward with that assumption, and work things out from there.

[ That was... so much talking, but she is used to this sort of thing from her work. It's nice to not be completely tongue-tied and unable to participate; she only wishes it hadn't come in the final hour. ]

[ziplash]

[ Bruh... it is GO time. The no match was unfortunate, but it would be a mistake to show weakness now. So, she's keeping her attitude up. ]

If we're going with the assumption that Brenner and Mithra are matched.... then Zhongli and Oz have to be matched, because I can't be matched with either of them. Oz and I were matched during the blackout, and we had the no match in the truth booth today. That means I have to be matched with someone on the other team.

That leaves us with Brenner and Mithra, Xianyun and Phoenix, Zhongli and Oz, and Aurelia and Yukong. If we're all cashing in on Brenner and Mithra... we can move forward with those four assumed to be correct.

[hnl]

Then we move forward with the assumption that Mithra is my match. We build everything else from there.

[And if they’re wrong, then… rip them.]

Following that logic, by way of elimination, this leaves Oz and Zhongli as a match, as well.

[ozzz]

[He bends his arms at the elbows to cup Lucifer's shoulders. A door appears behind the latter via magic, and Mithra bodily pushes them through the threshold. If Lucifer allows, it'll take them across the room to the opposite wall with Mithra, grinning, on the outside this time.]

[thefinalcontract]

I think... [He hums a bit to himself.] Based on what we know of Lucifer's match... Mister Brenner and Mithra have to be matched otherwise we're stuck with matches that cannot be.

I think...

[Let him take Cloud Retainer's rice strategy for another spin.]

[ringsmaster]

I've considered Ori at every match ceremony up to this point. [ Though she's never quite made the final cut, she'd been close. ] So I'd say that's where I lean.

And, uh... if I'm honest, Manuela shares quite a few traits with my ex-wife. [ He does like her and all, but that association with Lilith is still there. ]

[cosmoid]

[ briefly, the thought that this might be karma floats through his braincell.

nah, can't be.

uroko's no stranger to teleportation, so even if he's usually the one doing it, it doesn't catch him too off guard. his eyes are bright and curious, edge of his lips quirked. ]

Hoh? Well, I'll follow your lead. [ he says easily and with no reservation; for as much as uroko tends to lead, he is also a servant of a god and his people. the sea is fluid, after all. ]

[ozzz]

[Oh, not that voice. Mithra opens his mouth to talk back when the Sage's name gives him pause. ]

I'm aware of what that is.

[Because he's the Sage's favorite. It's ridiculous that Oz feels the need to bring this up, but, considering that it's something the Sage introduced to them, Mithra only needs a fleeting moment to concede that it's as good as a fight.]

Very well. Then we'll settle this with a single round.

[alcoheal]

[yikes ok]

[psychs]

[ A pause, before responding. ]

Following those assumptions, and assuming Uroko-san's preferences were respected, that would mean I would be matched with you, Lin-san. Given what you learned about my history, do you believe that feasible?

[ He'd rather hear her opinion before weighing in on it himself. ]

[helmswoman]

[ Yukong is so relieved for Lin's stalwart presence and the way that she jumps in to try and figure this out. They can do this, they can't give up now. ]

While I know that tensions were high the other day, Zhongli did mention that he believed Oz was his match, given that both of them are long-lived. That's another reason to assume that match to be correct, and I suppose also reminds us that we can trust what our gut tells us to some extent.

We know that there are two pairs on Team Steampunk. As I mentioned, my current guess is that it's Lucifer and Ori, and then Manuela and Uroko. If we follow that assumption, Maruki would then be paired off with someone on Team Shinsengumi.

[helmswoman]

It's... quite a risk, I realize, because every other decision will branch from that. But it's the best lead we have.

[ If they lose, they lose. They're adults and surely all of them will be able to take that blow. ]

Yes. Zhongli was insistent on believing Oz to be his match, due to their compatible lifespans, so that checks out.

[helmswoman]

Do you care to explain what you mean by that, Zhongli?

[ Hello, dragon man. Yukong isn't really treating him any differently. She does lean forward across the table to see what he's cooking. ]