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

[hnl]

[Do you think he picked this outfit himself, Mithra.]

Mostly because the chances of not succeeding at this game are a little higher than I'd prefer at this point. The final week gives us such little room for error.

[Like, no room at all.]

[ozzz]

[Yes.]

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

[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.]

[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.]

[hnl]

Really?

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

You never act very stressed about much at all.

[ozzz]

Yes. That's because you don't know me.

[hnl]

Remember what I said? You’re inscrutable. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying — and since week one.

So what do you stand to lose if we fail?

[ozzz]

I remember.

[This is answered directly after Brenner asks, so Mithra talks over him for a couple of words. Then he lies in the water with the next question for a moment, after which he begins to list off the what in a daze:]

. . . Everything. Rutile and Mitile . . . My life and magic . . . Tiletta's smile.

[hnl]

[The short “interruption” is odd, but for now it means nothing in the wake of an actual answer.]

And who are they? Friends of yours?

[His entire life and magic though… they can loop back to that.]

[ozzz]

[He blinks.]

Tiletta was my master. Rutile and Mitile are her childre . . .

[The words tumbling out of his mouth catch up to him at the last syllable, and Mithra's eyes widen as he slaps a hand over his mouth. With a loud splash, he all but throws himself upright into the water in visible alarm.]

[hnl]

[That's the most reactive... anything he's seen with Mithra, it actually almost gives him a start, making him nearly step back from the splash.]

And her children? [What is it? What's so-] What's wrong?

[ozzz]

[A muffled "yes" escapes him, stifled by the hand covering his mouth. This is odd. This is dangerous, so he whirls on Brenner with a certain grace in the water despite his panic and growing irritation.]

You're asking for too much. Please stop, or I'll kill you.

[hnl]

[And yet Brenner remains looking down on him, brow pinched, trying to parse exactly what's happened. Why asking questions has escalated into a threat?

Is he...

...not answering of his own accord?

... ]

Does this have anything to do with the "secret" you mentioned a few weeks ago?

[still gonna ask questions, it's brenner, he's like this]

[ozzz]

No, not at all.

[Mithra's eyes flash dangerously. He scowls, and a flash of red light refracts in the water as he utters a spell:]

Arthim.

[Ice erupts from the ground beneath Brenner's feet to encase his legs. At the same time, the chlorinated water at the edge of the pool churns before hardening into spears of ice that shoot out at Brenner and stop just short of piercing flesh.]

[hnl]

[And just like that, there's a flash of anger in Mithra's eyes, and he finds his legs encased in ice. He can't move, much less step back when the water turns into sharp points of ice, halting just before they can maim him.

He feels the instinctive spike of adrenaline, his body's response to danger. But Brenner has dealt with kids (or just one in particular) that's wanted to kill him and everyone around him in much more mangled, painful ways. So of course he just puts up his hands in a placating gesture, a pinch to his brow... but still a quirk to his lips.]

Come now, there's no reason to get so angry. Riri won't much appreciate you skewering me, you know.

[Well Riri might but. It's probably against the rules, anyway.]

[ozzz]

[He could do it. Compared to the large bones of massive magical beasts, the human skeleton is weak and small by itself. It would be easy to kill this man and move his body with magic. That way the corpse wouldn't miss the final ceremony.

But he can't risk it.

Mithra pulls himself out of the pool with his eyes narrowed in displeasure. He recites his spell and a powerful gust of wind sweeps past, drying him instantly.]

I don't care what that creature thinks.

[hnl]

[How's a corpse going to to vote for truth booth or make a decision on stage, Mithra.]

You care enough not to throw away those things that are so precious to you.

[A statement, not a question. Otherwise, he'd not be here.]

[ozzz]

[He can point.]

Preciousness has nothing to do with it.

[There are consequences, however, that he isn't willing to bear. He shoves his hands in his pockets. The ice melts in an instant and hits the pool with a splash, wetting the floor beside it.]

[hnl]

[And so Brenner steps back, his footing now free to do so.]

No one's here because they don't care about the things they've lost.

[ozzz]

What's your point?

[hnl]

My point is that you're driven to participate in this nonsense the same as us, for fear of losing what's been taken from you. And knowing what those things are reflects upon you as a person.

You shouldn't treat it as some great offense just because someone is curious. It's all a part of playing this game, and the fact you're still being surreptitious about it in week four is completely inane.

[ozzz]

[He purses his lips.]

Then ask me about them. But if you ask too much, I'll really kill you once the show is over.

[hnl]

Then tell me if I'm asking too much.

[Until then, he will definitely ask questions.]

Your master, what were they like?

[ozzz]

She was like a flower.

[He heaves a sigh, airy and cleansing. It releases most of the tension in his shoulders as he looks away from Brenner and leans into the fragmented memories.]

And a beast. She was a sexy, ravenous, wild woman who liked to dress flashily and come up with schemes for seducing powerful wizards. She herself was a powerful witch, but I was stronger, so she was like a little sister to me. She was always laughing or crying up a storm, and she never stopped talking.

[His hand brushes against his collar as it reaches up to rub his neck.]

She was annoying, but she reminded me of Spring.

[hnl]

[Brenner cannot know what it's like to have that kind of relationship with someone. Someone you respect and adore, but treat as a sibling all the same.

He understands Mithra's descriptions at a base level, but he cannot relate to them. Still, he isn't asking this for the sake of being relatable.]

And is she... no longer present in your life? You speak about her in the past tense.