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

[voxnozzz]

[ his ass is here, absolutely confused. this game has the same atmosphere as that king's game that the sage introduced, which was. a thing. human games truly go places...

also because i forgot previously, fit check. ]

... There is no need to fear the will of The Bottle.

[ it's only a kiss?



it is only a kiss, ]

[alcoheal]

[She's surprised to see him participating in this, but also a little...proud? Is this something to be proud of, when Oz is probably leagues outside of his millennia-wide comfort zone? Manuela can't help but tease just a little.]

You don't have to follow the "will of the Bottle," you know. You could always choose someone to kiss on your own.

You're not nervous, are you? [Maybe she's pushing her luck just a little bit.]

[voxnozzz]

[

she is pushing her luck, but oz trends towards acting less defensively towards her little pokes. it's the mild bewilderment he's forced to confront in the face of people who approach him willingly.

he exhales slightly. it's almost a sigh. ]

I am not. [ decisively. a little more, oz. he's not certain, at this point, what's being willed out of him and what he feels he naturally wanted to tell her. ] I am only... lost. And I naturally reject feeling lost.

[ well. he gives himself a moment to recover from the display os his thoughts, his eyes sliding shut as he returns to her initial teasing. ]

... Would you prefer that the bottle choose you, or would you prefer to be chosen?

[ it's actually an honest question. ]

[alcoheal]

[JEALOUSY....TURNING SAINTS INTO THE SEA - ]

To be chosen, obviously.

[Of course, Manuela answers truthfully and quickly. She's typically direct, so even with the "weather" this week making them share their true thoughts and feelings, the words come out quickly even if she says things she might have otherwise talked around or couched in more frustration or confidence.]

Everyone wants to be wanted. But this is just a silly game, so all we need to do is have a little fun with it.

[voxnozzz]

[ DESSTIINYYY IS CALLINGGG MEEE ]

I see.

[ oz wonders if that is, again, a question he should've asked. he takes it in regardless. "everyone wants to be wanted." where did the distinction between exhausting and almost welcome begin for that particular sentiment? in this context, he has no idea about it at all. not that it was entirely clear in a different view, either.

would it not be easier to not be chosen, to not be wanted? he's not so sure about that anymore.

he opens his eyes to look at her, then gaze at the bottle. ]

I will attempt to speak in a way that will not coax words out of your heart.

[ he's not sure if that's how she would've responded without their condition. he, at the very least, still finds himself overly cautious, even if he is honest enough when people ask the correct questions regardless of stop being a baby bitch truth curses. ]

... And I will not follow the guidance of the bottle for this moment. You would prefer to be chosen — I would prefer to choose. If you are against this, you may tell me now.

[ spoilers: oz does not know how to have a little fun. ]

[alcoheal]

[It's another one of those little, surprisingly considerate things that keep catching her off guard about the way he speaks so carefully.]

Ah... You're so unfair.

[Oz might have gone out of his way to avoid asking any dangerous questions and leading her into those pitfalls, but the way he's done it just has her feeling more vulnerable and honest than she did before. Why do the strangest and most unexpected people in this house keep making her feel like a shy and ineffectual teenager? Seriously...she lowers her head, chuckling, heart beating hard.]

I'm not against it. I think we could make it fun.

[voxnozzz]

[ unfair?

he... actually looks a bit confused at that. "fair" and "not fair" are outside the vocabulary of those from the north, where strength is the only thing that matters. from what he's seen of the nature of those outside that atmosphere, what he's done would at least be considered somewhat fair.

oz- can't ask. he said he would not. ]

... I have not kissed before.

[ okay. he can move on to admitting that, at least, because he has not. he may as well set the expectation down right away. ]

So, tell me what would make that act fun for you. I will make it so.

[ again, oz can't ask. but it ends up being more commanding than the truth curse, which might be what he's more used to anyway. ]

[alcoheal]

[She'll take a page from his book when she replies:] I see.

[Does it surprise her? Should it? It seems like such a long time to go without having anyone share something like that with him, but in the end... she'll never be able to figure out which of the two wizards is more lonely and who's troubled more by his loneliness.

She flushes more, mulling over his stern directions, then stands to lean forward, a hand gently braced on her hip.]

Well, it's times like this when I should be more than happy to take the lead. Instead of telling you what I want, I can show you something if you'd like.

[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]

[Well, she could ask him to lean down or at least move somewhere more suitable, but instead - maybe because it's like a mini-dip in practice, Manuela climbs up, heels and all, onto one of the nearby seats so she gains several inches on his height. This will not help with his height food with Mithra, unfortunately, but it seems like a cute idea at the time. She stands just over him, one hand on his shoulder and the other just ghosting his jawline, right at the joining of his ear.]

Give closing your eyes a try. [It's probably asking a lot of trust from him, but it will be easier for him to focus on learning. This is educational! Manuela tucks away a piece of hair before trailing her fingertips down his jaw and face, stopping when her thumb can sweep along the dip beneath his lower lip.]

Something like this, I guess, to start with. [She starts the kiss where her hand began and follows its path, moving a little closer, and a little closer still, along the curve of his face and toward his lips.]

[ozzz]

[It's only a kiss.

As if to spite Oz, the bottle points straight at him on Mithra's turn. Mithra, who's been lazily observing the game's proceedings up to this point, lifts his head with the faint arch of both eyebrows. Well, then.]

[voxnozzz]

[ oz doesn't sense any interference, but he almost feels as if it's riri's doing. this bottle, pointing at him. this bottle, that he stares at for a moment, impassively.

his glance slides upwards, towards mithra. ]

Mithra of the North.

[ he's resorting to titles because he has no idea what he's doing, help. you will not sits on his lips, but the implication that it would be equivalent to backing down knocks that thought straight out of his head. ]

... Do not make that expression.

[ozzz]

[One eyebrow lowers while the other arches higher, more challenging than acquiescing. Why is he calling him by title? Does he want a fight?]

What expression is that?

[voxnozzz]

[ the one that follows is slightly easier to decipher. oz knows that look.

he would leave it at that. the question, however, prompts a- ]

I cannot describe it. It would mean knowing what you are thinking, in a situation such as this.

[ ....... ah. his eyes narrow, words settling in the air for a moment before he moves on from them completely. as if unsaid. ]

... You are delaying the game. Do you plan on following through?

[ if kiss, no talk. ]

[ozzz]

[Why is Oz talking so much these days? It's creepy.

Oh, wait. Mithra knows why. It's the same reason he continues to delay the game by answering the question posed to him while his expression takes an exasperated turn.]

Of course I do. I wouldn't have spun the bottle if I didn't.

[He holds an arm out.]

Please hurry up and come here, so I can dip you.

[voxnozzz]

[ ............ oh, sage, we're really in it now. oz stares at that arm as if mithra was handing him a particularly burnt piece of charcoal, and: ]

You will not.

[ decisively.

the thing he meant to say, said now. skipping this completely may be shirking his duty, however ridiculous (necessary) it may be... but the nature of how this plays out is entirely within his control. ]

You will be the one dipped.

[ozzz]

[Oh, Master Sage, we're really in it now.]

Huh? There's no way that's happening. [He flaps his fingers, beckoning impatiently. Must Oz be so difficult at all times?] I spun the bottle, and I'm taller as well. The one most suited to dip here is me.

[voxnozzz]

[ ... given the way oz's expression or demeanor don't shift at all, it's probably safe to say that mithra's flawless logic has fallen short.

though oz does pause a little, as if he's trying to craft something in response. really, he's just trying to recall the rules of the game. ]

The bottle and the one who spins it holds no influence over who or who does not dip. Do not add your own rules.

[ it's confusing. you know what else is confusing? ]

... Are you taller?

[ it's 2cm. it's been XXXX years. he hasn't paid attention. ]

[ozzz]

[His rules make sense, thank you very much.

Annoying as Oz's argument is, Mithra's lips curl into a proud smile at what comes next. This time, Oz will surely have no choice but to admit defeat.]

I am. I'm definitely taller.

/2

[voxnozzz]

[ .................. well. mithra doesn't appear to be scheming. it's difficult to tell from here, but that expression hits when things truly please him. perhaps?

is he truly taller...? how odd. oz takes this opportunity to come over, and obviously this means mithra's won, except it's only so he can look at this from a more accurate point.

after a reasonable (for oz) amount of observation: ]

So you are.

[ so he is. ]

[cosmoid]

[ uroko is not afraid of the will of the bottle, if anything he's mildly curious since he's heard tales of this kind of game from the kids that clutter his shrine for advice as much as the adults. and the points will factor into something, even if it's only morale.

so he spins the first time, and it looks like the bottle god is being kind to him (it is aurelia) and for very obvious reasons, this is a fortuitous result for him. and the second time is the wheel being kind to him still? hmm.

well he doesn't say things unless he means them, but he probably didn't expect the bottle to call him on that. he turns to oz with a somewhat amused (a shade bemused) expression from where he's laying on the floor. ]

Well, I think it should be easy to get creative.

[voxnozzz]

[ were oz murr hart, he'd ask uroko if there's a form he'd prefer for this to be done in, since he's voiced his preferences so clearly. because oz is not murr hart, and has absolutely no braincells focused specifically on how to please others, this does not occur to him. he was told he was fine.

he does, however, regard the bottle for a second longer before he looks to the ever laying down uroko. hm. ]

... Creative...

[ he supposes they have lots of magic between them? it would make sense to go for the higher point kiss.

y...es?? ]

In what way can a kiss be creative?

[cosmoid]

[ uroko did say so. and uroko means what he says even if this is...surprising? surprising. ]

One done in a novel [ slight pause. would a regular kiss count here since he's never kissed another male before? it's not worth it to bank on that and it would also be admitting something and though uroko is far from shy—he continues almost seamlessly despite himself. ] or unusual way.

Under the sea, in the air, that sort of kiss. [ though he tilts his head to oz if he has any suggestions forming in his mind. ]

[voxnozzz]

[ ... hm. there's one that sticks out in particular to him. it's close enough to his point of comfort that he wonders if such a thing would be considered novel or unusual, but given oz has never kissed at all...

perhaps that's enough. ]

Understood.

[ that is all he says, accompanied with a nod, before the following words slip out naturally: ]

Vox Nox.

[ it's then that the scenery shifts from the interior of the castle to the outside grounds, no warning given to uroko, who he's brought along with him. when oz takes "in the air", he takes the absolute extreme of "in the air", though he hasn't grabbed his companion to do so just yet. ]

[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. ]