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]

[ Yeah sure, Lucifer is here looking very fancy. He’s perched on the couch, clutching his skirt nervously. ]

I really didn’t think he’d just spill everything…

[ BUDDY..... ]

[alcoheal]

[Sometimes you're lying seal-style on the couch and someone TURNS INTO A DRAGON which is very funny when you're from fire emblem and you almost fall, seal-style, off of the couch in turn.]

So he can do that?! That's more than just spilling!

[ringsmaster]

Whoa!

[ Reaches a hand out to steady her. He's surprisingly sturdy for such a little guy. ]

Yeah. I'd only seen him partway transformed, though.

[alcoheal]

Even you? I guess that makes sense. That...isn't the sort of thing to reveal lightly. [There's a little quiver of awe and fear in Manuela's voice and body, something he'll be able to see if he's holding her steady. This is neither a normal nor a normally good thing to see happen to a person... but Zhongli is different. It's just a bit of a shock to see.

She braces herself on Lucifer's shoulders and manages to push herself back comfortably into her seat.]

... You're stronger than you look.

[helmswoman]

... Maybe he thought that there was little point in holding back, after all that's come out.

[ Yukong can sense that Lucifer is anxious about how this might have consequences for someone important to him, though. She can't offer much, but she does hold out a bowl of popcorn for him to take from if he wants. ]

[ringsmaster]

Ah geez... I just wanted him to explain why he'd been keeping secrets, not spill his guts entirely. What's done is done, at this point.

[ He just hopes Liyue will be okay after all this...

Yeah, he's going to nervously eat handfuls of popcorn now, thanks Yukong. ]

[helmswoman]

[ Sometimes you have to stress eat, it's fine. She is also snacking on the popcorn, but a bit less frenetically. ]

Ah, so you had a chat with him after all that took place, then?

[ Perhaps unsurprising, but it is sweet. ]

He is a measured man. [ ... Archon. Dragon. ] I am sure he put thought into this, given that he may have expected all us to vote this way. That must mean he's ready to face the consequences of his actions.

[ Not just with Lin, but when he returns home to Liyue as well. ]

[ringsmaster]

I sure hope so.

[ He turns to her, giving a small smile, the expression a little strained. ]

Nobody knows quite like I do how much divine retribution sucks.

[ She's right, though. He needs to trust Zhongli's judgement. ]

[helmswoman]

A fair point. But... I assume you'll do all that is in your power to help him face what comes next, yes?

[ So many things in this world are easier when you have someone in your corner. She learned that much long ago. ]

[ringsmaster]

Yeah... I will.

[ And now they wait for the results. ]

[helmswoman]

[ ...

...

... And there it is.

Yukong, usually so composed, can't quite help herself in this instance. She lets out a groan of frustration and buries her face in her hands. ]

[alcoheal]

[There's the audible BONK of her head hitting the arm of the couch.]

I actually listened to what Mithra had to say when accounting for my vote.






I realize how nuts that sounds, but he's much more intuitive than people give him credit for. [We should study him under a microscope...]

[helmswoman]

[ Slowly, Yukong peels her head up and stares over at Manuela, doing her best to let the moment pass. This still tells them something, but she can't shake the fact that they keep on getting this wrong. She shouldn't have trusted her instincts at all, as it turns out. ]

... What did he say?

[alcoheal]

That they're both too engrossed in the past, basically. I'm not sure if that's exactly the reason, but... "If they leave together, it'll be too quiet." That's what he said.

[Manuela sits silently for a moment.] He also didn't believe it had to do with the matches, but I couldn't get it out of my head, either.

[helmswoman]

You voted for Phoenix and Xianyun, then?

[ Who would have thought that the right answer would have been spoken by Mithra of all people. Yukong has had better interactions with him than most, but he still says many things that are difficult to decipher. ]

I wonder what he'll make of things now... There's still so much for us to sort out.

[alcoheal]

[Girl, tell her about it. Even when she tries to predict how Mithra will react, Manuela only feels like she gets it right a mere quarter of the time.]

I did. ... Well, I was also hoping we might split the vote in a way that forced Riri's hand, so it was a little impulsive of me in that regard.

[Nothing could be gained by sending both pairs to the booth if there was some sort of miraculous tie... but there could have been something else to be gained. Because she's inclined to be more forthcoming in the response to the question, she cops to her rash decision-making quickly.]

I just don't think he's capable of manipulation, so he always says things how he sees them.

[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.

[mechanideptus]

One didn't expect it, either.

[ GONNA TAKE A LONG DRINK OF THAT WINE. ]

[ringsmaster]

You, uh. You gonna be okay?

[mechanideptus]

One is more astonished than anything, but one will be fine.

[ She's just. Stressed and hoping he's making the right moves here. ]

What this reveals about one by proxy is of little consequence, comparatively. One's secrets are selfishly hoarded--one has no ties to the Heavenly Principles at all.

[ringsmaster]

[ He opens his mouth to say something, but then the results come through and... ]

HUH???

[mechanideptus]

...

[ WELL THEN. ]

I suppose that settles that.

[ringsmaster]

Well, uh. Hey. Phoenix is a really great guy so lucky you!

[mechanideptus]

Thank you. One is far from displeased with the result.

[ She likes him a lot! Although she wouldn't go as far as to say there's anything romantic between them, which perhaps was an error on their part not to interrogate. ]

One is merely surprised.