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

[hearthwarming]

[ a withering laugh, bc.. yeah. ]

So I've heard... At this point, though, I'm having trouble seeing other options. For either of you.

[ozzz]

[Yes.]

Then we can't err. Isn't that what the discussion was for?

[voxnozzz]

... Something lost to time would be a difficult match for those similar to us.

[ the previous sage...? it's one of the few times he's said goodbye, somewhat, and he can't recall their name or their face. ]

I will not ask more. [ because... because, ] I only aimed to acknowledge what you've observed.

[hnl]

I think you're missing the point, Oriphi. Mithra was initially picked because he was a flagrant non-option. You could apply this with just about anyone we're unsure about it at this point.

What we're operating on is best guesses right now, unless the potato is oh-so generous to give us another hint.

[hnl]

Of course. But it isn't so simple. There's still a chance that we could very well fail. Doesn't that bother you?

[Mr floating in the pool very casually in his suit. He supposes it doesn't.]

[thefinalcontract]

I feel quite confident that out of everyone else here that could still be a match it is likely us.

More so with what Mister Uroko has said... We have not had the opportunity to speak in any great length.

[ozzz]

Of course it does. I'm so stressed that my stomach's been hurting nonstop ever since I came here.

[Yet here he is, floating casually. It's relaxing.]

[voxnozzz]

We remain here, and there is still time.

[ however little of it there is. he considers something for a beat, looking at the glass of wine within his hand with a furrowed brow before continuing on, steadfast: ]

... So that may happen, if you wish it so.

[ regardless of how unflinchingly chatty they are, oz won't shy away from it. whether it be here, at this moment, or later on. ]

[thefinalcontract]

There is... [He taps at his cup.] I can't claim to know what you're looking for here, of course, but as far as matters of the heart. That has been firmly decided.

But... I did originally come here thinking that a friend or two would be gained. Stories told and shared and offered. If this perfect match is destined to offer a potential long lived friend then I would be most glad.

[voxnozzz]

Which emotion would correspond with salty...?

[ his powers are feels controlled, please hold. ]

[hnl]

Really?

[That’s an honest answer that surprises him.]

You never act very stressed about much at all.

[ziplash]

Oh, so you "don't have any secrets," do you.

[ SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD???????????????? Someone's cranky, and open about saying it now, not that she ever held back before. ]

If you had such a preference for how old you were hoping your match to be, you should have said that weeks ago, since you're so convinced of its importance now.

[thefinalcontract]

[The cup hits the saucer a little too hard.]

It is still mostly irrelevant. [And he's clutching the cup a little too tightly.] And I have every reason in the world for wishing for that to remain private.

[That it came out at all is a problem all on its own and he needs to speak so very carefully.]

The reasons, aside from that, are quite viable and should hold merit. I said, at the beginning, that I would not allow my secrets to become an issue and they will not be.

[hearthwarming]

[ ... ]

Z-Zhongli... I find that's a little mean-spirited...

[hearthwarming]

Oh... Right. It must have slipped my mind, because of everything else going on around you.

[ a flat look... ]

We won't be given another hint so easily, though. I'm sure we'll have to put in a lot of extra effort, at this point.

[hearthwarming]

You and I both.

I have a feeling he wouldn't concede that much to us, but if you're willing to ask him, I'm happy to lend you my support and go with you, Maruki.

[hnl]

[He just smiles pleasantly enough. Are you gonna be like this too binch.]

I’ve put in plenty of effort so far and continue to be willing to do so. It’ll be worth it to get back what’s been lost to us.

[hearthwarming]

[ BE LIKE WHAT? She is only speaking from observation!! ]

Your lost memory...

[ she briefly wonders, given all that's been aired out about him now, whether such a memory might be better left forgotten. what if it's the secret to his evil research and without it he can't ever continue... but no. a mad scientist always finds a way. ]

...There's a lot at stake. But say we manage to pull a victory... what is it that you would use your wish for?

[ziplash]

It is not "mostly irrelevant" — not when you're already using it as a factor in counting people out entirely. Do you even hear yourself?

[ She's not even personally offended at him not seeing her as a potential match, she's angry at the logic behind it. Anyway, his loud saucer clink doesn't bother or intimidate her in the least, and she stands her ground, like a boulder would. ]

Did you ever consider the other side of the situation? That that information is something someone would be entitled to know about you in order to determine if they're compatible with you? Did you ever once feel the urgency of the four weeks we had to solve this puzzle? I guess that's asking a lot of someone thousands of years old.

[ 😭 THAT TRUTH SERUM REALLY POPPING OFF!! She splays a hand out to him confidently. ]

I want to hear why you're convinced you're matched with Oz, then, based on ample more evidence. Go ahead.

[ziplash]

I won't discount the possibility considering the lack of information we have to base it on, and no matter how we slice it, it's a fifty-fifty.

[ She's scowling, her arms tightly folded. She looks much more high strung than usual, if that's even possible. ]

And I was against going to the booth because I wanted to protect everyone — not because I just didn't want to go.

I refused to go with you or Yukong because... because before I came here — the kid I'm responsible for was nearly killed in the safest place in the world. That I haven't been able to let my guard down here is on me — but how could I live with it if something like that happened again on my watch? I didn't want even a chance of being forced out of this place.

[ woah that truth serum sure is hitting... for once, her voice seems tight with emotion, the plain stress of her feelings laid bare, instead of covered up with her anger and frustration. anyways! ]

All that being said, we don't know enough to discount or say for certain that Zhongli and I are matched. I can see cause for either outcome being true — lucky for us, like I said, it's fifty-fifty. We'd know which match it really was either way.

[aureated]

[LIN........

Aurelia blinks at that, slowly processing all of that. Ah. That's...]

I see. I am sorry that both you, and that child, went through that... Keeping your guard up in our circumstances is not a bad thing. If anything, we have all been too lax.

[They're lucky that Lin has been here, and they're lucky it hasn't been worse.]

But knowing that you are willing to go in does simplify the picking. Or complicates it, depending on how you look at it.

[thefinalcontract]

Has my name come up in any discussions save for this one? Never once have I been considered for a booth. And I have picked with my particular interest in mind. Age was never something meant to come up... The other disqualifiers are more than enough.

And I still consider that to be the truth. This small piece of information would not change the fact that we are in the situation that we are in. That we have consistently picked the wrong booths and the wrong people since the first truth booth that actually went right.

[The tea cup cracks in his hand, not quite broken but...]

I have no strong opinions on Oz in the least. But if it is Miss Xianyun and Mister Wright then Oz is the only one that could be paired with myself. That's the math of it and nothing more.

i haven't decided if this is a gagtag or not

[alcoheal]

[Hold on, this is kinda...]

[ringsmaster]

No, that's not how it works at all. People only go to Hell when they die if they were awful in life. I'm the ruler of the kingdom of sin, don't you get it? Phoenix and Ori and Takuto aren't going to end up there! And I wouldn't want them to! Hell sucks.

[ He jabs a finger out, pointing across the room at a certain other doctor. ]

I'm only gonna get to see Brenner again one day and I don't fucking want to!

[alcoheal]

You're both very thoughtful with your words. [She gives them both the best supportive smile she can manage.

...Though one of them finds it easier to speak than the other, obviously. Zhongli's speech had caught her attention right away the very first day they were here, after all.]

For better or for worse, you might find you have a lot to discuss.