【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-Star Resort and Casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.
Due to unprecedented high demand we are temporarily unable to check you in to your reserved room. We apologize for the inconvenience. We have arranged for a temporary room while we work on processing your reservation as quickly as possible. We appreciate your understanding.
As a special wedding gift from us, we have arranged for you and your new spouse to stay in one of our junior penthouses while you wait. Congratulations on your new marriage. We are so pleased you have chosen our resort for your honeymoon.
You will be notified as soon as your official reservation has been processed. Your comfort and happiness are our utmost priority. We hope you enjoy the provided amenities and lose yourself in marital bliss. 】
EVENS
EVENS: NEW CHARACTERS
Music plays. Instrumental, the tune gentle enough not to disturb peaceful rest. The sudden insistent beep of the Watch is a cutting cacophony across an otherwise sweet lullaby. Upon opening their eyes, new arrivals will quickly discover that something is wrong. The quilt snug across their body is weighty. Crystals glint in a weave of embroidery and cotton shimmers with threads of silver. Dozens of decorative pillows surround the bed. The gauzy curtains of the canopied bed are drawn, obscuring the rest of the room.
Extravagant for a kidnapping. Too extravagent. What’s more, these new guests will find something even stranger than this new diamond-studded suite tucked into bed beside them. Someone else. Who are they, what are they wearing? What happened last night?!
Guests are encouraged to explore the resort from here! There are paper maps available for those who would like and staff are happy to recommend locations if they have any preferences. Enjoy your honeymoon, you lovebirds!
ODDS
ODDS: SPECIAL RE-ARRIVAL
Never trust a hallway in the Golden peacock.
Cross the wrong threshold and time begins to slow. A short hallway becomes long, sheds its doors, only leading to turns without end. Guests too eager to explore the resort have gotten lost before. For how long always varies, dependent upon capriciousness of the resort. Hours? Yes. Years? Yes. Every guest caught in the winding hallways has reported the same thing: time is different there and too difficult to discern.
Some wayward guests have been caught in the endless hallways since the FIRST TDM. Weeks pass before a single doorway appears in the distance. It creaks upon opening before everything goes topsy-turvy. These guests have been let out of a trap door in the depths of Crane's Respite.
All water corridors will eventually lead back to the populated areas of Crane's Respite. The waters are warm, the scent of bath salts returns, and staff are wild with joy at finally finding all of you. They have been beside themselves searching ever since you vanished!
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Because we love all of the new characters premiering on this TDM, we kindly request that our Evens prompt be top level exclusive for new characters. Current characters are encouraged to tag in to these prompts with the caveat that they’ve been picked up from their assigned suite (or wherever else they were before) and dumped into the new arrival’s bed. We would like for new characters to have this prompt unique to their top level comments!
▶ Players are welcome to have their current character riff off of these prompts in the log community with the exclusion of the new arrival element. This request is just for TDM top levels.
▶ Current characters and new characters are both welcome to freely mess around with the Odds prompt with the exclusion of the arrival element. For new characters, players may participate with the idea that their character is exploring Crane’s Respite after their unique arrival in the Evens prompt. The Odds arrival element may also be utilized by current player characters who may have been on an unofficial hiatus in January and did not tag as much as they would have liked, to explain any long IC absence.
▶ Octopi may be killed. If a character decides to eat one of the octopi they may find themselves taking on some of its traits. Which traits are up to player discretion.
ELEVATORS
ELEVATORS
The house has recently ordered a full changeout of art in all high traffic areas. The elevators in particular have received special attention with many different famous artworks and portraits studded to the walls for guests to admire. These artworks are treasures of the modern world that one would typically see behind glass at a museum. Guests may even find works from their own world hanging in the elevators. Even famous works that maybe have been lost to time. So this is where they ended up. Is that Vermeer's The Concert?
Guests may find their elevator suddenly stopping without warning. The portraits on the wall stir, curiously studying them, but there are three main portraits calling the shots. The portrait that controls that particular elevator will make their demands known with the threat that, if they are not obeyed, you will be trapped forever.
Elevators will function after the portrait's demands are met. Guests that hold out and refuse may find themselves trapped upwards of twelve hours. Guests with the ability to do so may crawl out of the top emergency door, free to go wherever they want from there.
GREAT TIT!
GREAT TIT!
Great Tit! is the Golden Peacock’s popular dessert bar and cafe. With its bright pops of color and whimsical treats, guests simply can’t resist stopping in for a butt shaped cookie and hazelnut coffee. After catching wind that the resort has decided to celebrate a dessert shop's most lucrative holiday, Great Tit! is ready to impress the masses. Advertisements for limited edition drinks and desserts rain the main lobby; one can’t go three steps without slipping on a neon pink coupon for 10 percent off nipple buns. Guests that decide to pass by the cafe will find themselves assaulted with confetti cannons and eager employees ushering them inside.
Guests will find a temporary communal shower room upon exiting Great Tit! where they can wash off after a fun day of rolling around in sugar. All guests will be gifted a tee branded with a, CHOCOLATE IS MY LOVER logo.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ This portraits prompt has been triggered by several characters expressing interest in and investigating the lore of the resort paintings. This is just dipping a beginning toe in, but congrats to all for poking around!
▶ Portraits in the elevator should not be destroyed, purely for continuity’s sake. If a character would go far enough to attack one of the portraits, the portrait will slap them back with ghostly power.
▶ Characters may also figure other ways out of the elevator if they have specific abilities to do so. While the portraits can control the elevators, they cannot control your character(s). Any destruction to the elevator itself is liable to result in a rush of security dragging the culprit(s) away to the Iron Net.
▶ Great Tit! is running a massive sale! Even characters who are on the broke end of the spectrum will be able to afford to join in on the fun and indulge in sugar at these prices.
▶ Players are encouraged to make up any other elements for the Hall of Chocolate. If it’s a dessert and edible, it’s there. Enjoy your sugar coma!
▶ While the chocolate boxes are ICly limited due to Alessandro’s skills as a chocolatier, this is only an IC mechanic. There is no OOC limitation on this prompt as far as chocolate rarity goes.
THE NEST
ALICE AND THE PARROTS
Fashion boutiques are a dime a dozen in the Nest. The shopping hub is massive, lined with stores all trying to aggressively appeal to guests. A challenge in itself — but the guests of the Golden Peacock are no ordinary people. Used to being pampered and fed excitement, if these boutiques don’t bust their bottoms to appeal to the fickle nature of their patrons, they won’t be in business for much longer! One particular boutique, Alice and the Parrots, is riding winds of romantic thrill and churning out a couple of brand new fashion lines sure to draw in loads of chips.
Guests are welcome to try on clothes in Alice and the Parrots' dressing rooms. These dressing rooms are small and can only accommodate two people sharing at a time. Such is the life of a small boutique store. Sharing is no big deal, right? And there’s no way you can buy clothing this expensive without giving it a test first.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Players are encouraged to make up whatever cute outfits they would like for this prompt.
▶ Wedding clothes do not have to be cute and frilly; this section accommodates tastes of everyone.
▶ Alice and the Parrots is more expensive than Love Dove. Their clothing quality is excellent but their price tags are high. Staff may watch low ranks extra diligently to cut off any stealing. Thieves will be chased by NPC security! Anyone caught gets a day in the Iron Net.
CASINO CHAPEL
CASINO FLOOR
A Pop up Chapel has appeared in the Phoenix Casino. Guests are delighting in playing out weddings and pretending to get married — and a few guests are even tying the knot for real. They aren't worried about the sanctity of marriage; they can divorce tomorrow if they get bored of each other. And everyone knows that getting married doesn't mean you can't fuck whoever you want!
Since the resort isn't keeping track of how many marriages a guest has, all guests are encouraged to marry as many people as they would like. The more the merrier!
Wild wedding events will continue all throughout the month of February, until the guests find it's gotten stale. A divorce rush will round out the fun at the end of the month.
NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
▶ Weddings are not legally binding. Birdvis is not registered as a real officiant, but he does have an excellent beak and pompadour.
▶ Prizes from easy mode slot machines are automatic and do not require mod thumbs up to claim.
▶ Chip prize from difficult mode slot machines is automatic. The special prize is 5 reward points to add to your bank on rewards. Players who wish to claim the special prize should link the finished thread (the kink in question has been completed) under their rewards header with the header, Wedding Slot Machine. If you do any combination of 6/6 (finger hand lol) we ask you somehow make this sexy or involve a climax in order to claim the points.
BLANKET CW: Aphrodisiac; Compulsion; Costumes; Dubcon; Entrapment; Foodplay; Gambling; Lingerie; Matrimony; Tentacles; NSFW Images and Language; NTR; Nudity; Roleplay; Sacrilegious Themes
▶ All new characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. The house is still observing and deciding. As rank and suits are assigned upon acceptance your new character's suit will not manifest until they are accepted into the game.
▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's February event.
▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Please make sure to review the arrival prompt notes! Any current characters posting to the TDM should note they are current in their subject header.
▶ The top level directory is for new characters only. We want to make sure new characters are priority and receive attention!
▶ If you aren't satisfied with the prompts on this TDM please feel free to check out our LOCATIONS to explore more of the resort.
▶ Smut threads that take place on this TDM can be used for rewards. If both parties in the smut thread join the game, you may retroactively apply the character's initial card values to your 52 bank. If one character does not join the game the thread will not be applicable toward rewards (as that character would not have a card value). The character that does join would still receive a small payout for the encounter. Hopefully it was a fun thread anyway!
▶ We ask you to kindly add content warnings to your threads as appropriate.
▶ If you do not currently have permissions and kinks listed in your character’s journal we suggest leaving a note in your top level of any limits or boundaries for other players to reference.
▶ Thank you for spending Valentine's Day with us! You're our sweetheart this year. 💕
[Despite sitting at a very comfortable rank of 8, Rin is always looking for a way to get money. Or chips, as it is in the resort. Even if it means doing something a little questionable here and there. She actually started out with the easier slots but found herself bored when the payout was small and piddly.
How Archer will find her is in a simplistic bridal gown with her knees on the slot bench and her body hunkered over the machine. Even so it stands tall and has bright, loud lettering for the rolled options. Rin's hand cranks the lever, and above her head — when the slots stop — it reads:
[ In some way, it shouldn't be surprising. If he can be here, it should stand to reason that she could be as well. The fact that she's playing the slot machines and trying to earn chips here...also is not as shocking as it could be.
He's not really sure what to make of the dress, and part of him thinks, perhaps...it would best if he did not interrupt. If he slipped away and did not impose since their contract ended with his demise.
He can't help himself, though. He walks up behind her, dressed in formal Japanese wedding attire...and stops. If he's shocked by the slot machine, well...he manages not to show it. ]
[The voice sounds familiar, and while she has gotten used to people calling her by her given name... not many call it with such a deep and firm sounding voice as he does. She looks over her shoulder, and for a moment she's frozen in shock.
It's... him. It really is, even though he's supposed to be dead.]
[Wait. WAIT! If it is him then — then he shouldn't be looking at this! At her roll! The obscene and grotesque things it says! Why? WHY DID HE HAVE TO SHOW UP HERE? NOW???
Tohsaka yelps, and lurches forward to try and crank the lever again so the words change. However in her panic she accidentally misses it altogether, knocks the bench out from underneath her, and goes falling to the floor.]
[And, in the end, she meets the casino floor with a loud thud. Face down, booty up, and the hem of her dress' skirt laying haphazardly over her ass. The black tights that mach the neckline don't tear just yet, but it seems her legs are just plump enough to strain the fabric there. Any rougher and they might tear.
But for now? she just stays in a heap and groans.]
He’s so stunned by it, he doesn’t even manage to react in time to catch her. He just stares as the scene unfolds, unsure exactly what he’s done to cause this. ]
[Shakily she gets up. Still overwhelmed by the sheer shock of his return and the fact that it had to be here and now of all places and times. Why couldn't he have arrived before? Why is he so late? Why is she lamenting the loss of him when she's been just fine without him?
It's a lot to unpack and Rin has neither the time nor the heart to do it. So she simple struggles to stand.]
Ah... haha... How long have you been a guest, Archer?
["My Archer," she had wanted to call him. Yearned to call him. But she knows just as well as he that their contracted ended with his death in the Holy Grail War.]
[ Even if he knew about all of her questions, he wouldn’t have answers for them. Especially since he’s asking himself similar ones, at this very moment. Is there a reason both of them have been brought here? Some purpose that is impossible to make out considering how opaque this place is beyond the superficial demand to seek pleasure and as much of it as possible?
He couldn’t say. There are so very few facts on hand, and yet he can’t shake a visceral sort of feeling that things are much more sinister than they appear. Being in this place makes his skin crawl in a way he can’t fully define. There just isn’t anything for it, right now.
He watches as she collects herself, and for her sake as much as his, he…tries not to react overmuch to her clear surprise (embarrassment?) at his presence. ]
A day or so.
[ Long enough to find it thoroughly distasteful, but that isn’t something he’ll say out loud. Not here. ]
[A few finger combs through her hair and a smoothing out the skirt of her dress, and she's right as rain. Her shoulders square out, and her hands fold primly in fr—
Oh. No. Only a day or so? One hand is rising up to thoughtfully tap her chin.]
Oh, about two months perhaps?
[All of January. Most of December. Her birthday has even come and gone. What was she doing during her last birthday? Ah, yes. Giving Shirou a crash-course on Holy Grail Wars. Even though it hasn't been very long it still feels so far away. It technically might be, too, considering this could be a whole separate world from their own.]
[ Two months… it makes him wonder exactly what has transpired in the time since they last saw each other. He was fading away, of course, and…left his arm behind, so his sacrifice would not be entirely in vain. That boy wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing at all.
Or at least, that’s what he has to think. ]
I see.
[ He has so many questions, and yet he cannot quite bring himself to ask them. Or at least, not regarding specifics of what’s gone on in his absence.
No — instead, he asks something else. ]
And the last thing you remember before coming here?
[ It’s more important to establish whether or not they remember the same sequence of events. ]
...I was confronting Sakura in the cave system by Ryuudou Temple. You had been dead, and afterward Shirou and I conspired with Illya.
[Yes. Just "Shirou". Like some stray cat. No fondness, no, "Emiya-kun." He belonged to her sister and she had no intent on taking yet another thing from her. Especially learning about her relation to 'that shadow'.]
Archer absorbs it all in silence, and there is a strange sensation of tightness in his chest. He can’t identify the feeling, truly, as it’s some odd mixture of both relief and trepidation. It’s good to know Shirou (and therefore the arm, his arm) had been of some use…but the matter had been left unresolved with Rin’s arrival here. And Sakura—
He can’t think about her. ]
I see…so you have been here ever since.
[ He could ask more questions about the war — but what would be the point? His hand has already been played, and he can’t have any more of an impact on the outcome than he already has.
As far as I can tell? Yes. And Archer — I appreciate your need for closure on things. But I don't think this is the appropriate place for such a discussion.
[Not when "RIDE COCK" is in bright lights on the slot machine behind her. In fact she'd rather not consider her sister or anyone else that may be left behind while the resort demands she gets sloppy with fellow guests. And it's not because she wants to forget about them. Far from it, considering she's doing all of this for Sakura's sake in her mind.
No, she simply doesn't want to look back because she has always been the type to forge onward. There is no use dwelling on the past when there is work to be done in the present.]
Perhaps we can take this to the bridal suite?
[....................................Did she just proposition him?]
[ There is……….a pause. And though he manages to keep his expression fairly neutral, there’s the briefest twinge of something like…shock? When she mentions the bridal suite. It doesn’t help that slot machine is flashing behind her so he…very deliberately looks at her face instead. ]
We can continue the discussion elsewhere if that’s what you prefer.
[ Because continuing the discussion is definitely all they’re doing. Right? ]
[Oh yeah. 100% all she wants is privacy. For what... it can be unclear, but because the casino hall is much more crowded than usual she does something unprecedented. Rin reaches out and wraps her arm around his so they don't get separated. While her dress is white, it does lean more "cocktail dress" than "wedding attire". So she does wonder if it'll be difficult to get into the suite.]
We're a bit mismatched, aren't we? We used to be so visually cohesive.
[Well, the black and white of his traditional wear matches her dress, but as far as style's go they're a world apart.
It's... a bit lonely to think about. She doesn't begrudge the distance between them now that their contract is over, but if asked again she probably wouldn't hesitate. After all, she was the one who failed him. If given a second chance she wouldn't allow it to repeat. Any self respecting mage would want to mend their pride.]
[ The way Archer externally reacts, one would think it such a small matter for a young woman (and this one in particular) to take him by the arm. He accepts the gesture smoothly, and he merely waves her forward so she can lead on. Archer already woke up to being married once so he has some idea of what to expect from the bridal suite she referred to.
Still...he finds himself ill at ease even though he's doing an exceptional job of hiding it. ]
We were. Although I cannot truly say it was planned.
[ The red shroud was a gift he was given, though his memories are too fragmented now to recall exactly how that came about. ]
It would take a more deliberate effort to be so coordinated here.
Yes, well... without a contract I cannot exactly boss you around into a dress code.
[She can most certainly boss him around like a normal person, though. Especially since being able to fuse that arm with Shirou meant the cat was out of the bag about her Archer's True Identity.
It's not too far of an adventure to make it to the Bridal Suite. Intentionally nearby to help those with their challenges (and others, with their urges) seal the deal. It seems there's more than one suite so that multiple people can utilize the services at a time, and when Rin leads them in the room is... spotless. As if the cleaning staff had just cleared out moments ago.
Tohsaka's arm slips away from Archer. Separating from him as she decides to skeptically inspect the room. From peering at candles (is the smoke an aphrodisiac?) to touching the rose petals (are they fake?)]
[ Archer glances at her out of the corner of his eye. ]
That sounds like you.
[ Insisting that he dress up to match her, that is. Weirdly, though, he doesn't sound annoyed at the idea of it.
Once they're in the suite, Archer also does his own inspection - though less obviously. He scans the room, takes in the (in his opinion) tacky opulence, and tries not to act as affected as he feels. He can't put his finger on why, but this resort and everything about it makes his skin crawl. Ordinarily, he could sense more about a place that is clearly somehow magical, but the fact that so much is opaque to his senses makes him feel more on edge.
He gives her a moment to finish before lightly clearing his throat. ]
There was something else you wanted to talk about?
[After flicking the rose petal out of her hand, causing it to shoot off a bit before fluttering to the floor, Rin walks over to the bed proper and drops her weight on the foot of the bed. She's petite so she doesn't cause a huge upset, but a bunch of the petals do fly up and land in her lap or get caught in the ends of her hair.]
While I think there's something else going on with this resort other than its Game 52, I do still think there's merit in attempting to complete it. Do you have any idea of what you want if you win?
[ Archer blinks once at the question. Of course, he's heard of this 'Game 52' already and what they're supposed to do to win it. Knowing all of that doesn’t mean he has any interest in it, however.
He lets out a quiet sigh. ]
I don’t have a wish, Rin. That they decided to bring me here in spite of that is their folly, not mine.
[ There was personal business he had wanted to attend to during the Fifth War, of course, but he made the decision to put it to the side given the gravity of the situation. He knew when he made that decision that such an opportunity would never come again, but even he wasn't so pigheaded as to put the entire world at risk on account of his own burning desire to destroy himself. That foolish boy needed to die - but instead, Archer had to save him. Fate, unfortunately, often has a cruel sense of irony. ]
What wish do you think they can grant you that you cannot grant for yourself?
[If Archer has no wish and has no need to get her out of the way to win... she can relax. Just as she did when they were teammates. She can trust him.
With a sigh she allows herself to fall backwards. Her shoulder blades hit the mattress and cause the bed linens to bounce when she collides. More of the rose petals fly up into the air, and the fall upon her dress. Against the white they look striking... though they could also look like splattering specks of blood. They tangle in her locks more — her brown hair splayed out behind her like dark tendrils reaching out in all directions. Dotted with lovely shades of pink and red. Her eyes focus up on the sheer canopy. It reminds her a little of her own room back home, actually.]
A way to solve the shadow problem without killing Sakura. Winning just to win in a game like this doesn't inspire much pride, so might as well get something useful out of it.
[ Archer has no wish because any wishes he did have were fulfilled in his own lifetime. The only selfish desire left in him was his wish to destroy that boy - and now that too is lost to him. That he has no hope for anything better is simply a side effect of how long he's been a prisoner of foolish choices made when he was young and high on his own nonsense.
When she names her wish, though, he considers her for a long moment. Briefly distracted by the scent of upset petals that fall in a delicate pattern across her dress and hair, he looks at them and then at her face. Can she truly mean such a thing? But of course, she does; Rin wouldn't say it if she didn't.
There's a pause as he weighs this - and he knows he has no right to judge the content of this wish of hers, much as his harsh, pragmatic nature demands he should.
Instead, he responds quietly, and his tone is not unkind. ]
There is no reason to think the powers-that-be, here, have any intention of keeping their promises.
[ Rin must know that. That she might be play this game and receive nothing in the end. ]
The way I see it is that the issue is incredibly simple.
[Oh no. Here she goes into her Explanation Mode again. Is he feeling the nostalgia yet?]
In order to survive in this place you need the currency to buy food and other items. A person gets paid via sexual activity or participating in the little games or special parties held around here. In fact a lot of those lead to sex too. So... if you're already having sex, why not try and complete the 52 as well? It would be a complete waste not to, but I can see where you're coming from. Learning the true nature of this resort is also important, and I've already started investigating on my own. Multi-tasking is important both for keeping cover and making sure you have plenty of options on the table should one be taken away from you.
[In fact Rin seems pretty pleased with herself on that bed. Holding her index finger out in her iconic little "know-it-all" pose despite the way she's laid out on the bed. In fact she looks incredibly comfortable and in her element while yapping about stuff she thinks she knows well.]
[ …she really does look very pleased with herself on that bed, doesn’t she? It wouldn’t be so unsettling if the reading on that slot machine didn’t keep flashing briefly in the back of his mind.
He’s trying not to think about it.
Refocusing on what she’s actually saying, he does his best not to make a face. ]
One has to be motivated by all of those things to be willing to pursue them.
[ Archer, on the other hand, has no personal sense of purpose or direction. If anything, he is more prone to a profound sense of ennui. He’s already lost his chance to do the one thing he actually wanted so he doesn’t see a point in anything else. He doesn’t trust this place to deliver on its promises, and truthfully, if he could disappear tomorrow, that would be a preferable outcome.
The only thing that makes him hesitate on that point is the fact that Rin is here. And even though his story is finished, hers is not. ]
[Hm. Is that how it is? Rin sits up a bit in the bed and turns to face him. The skirt of her dress hikes up quite a bit, but her hand smooths it out over her thigh.]
I see. So then what is your intent? You hope to wither away like a cut flower and disappear into the ether? I'm sure leaving us all to the whims of the resort wouldn't hurt, would it? I can still use my magic offensively, but there are no weapons here. It should be safe, right? Leaving me to my own devices.
[She knows who Archer is now. She knows where to needle and prod. He may be embittered and broken, but he's still the same man stuck in a loop of vowing to protect others.]
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goldmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
peacockstop2024-02-10 11:29 am
IV (spicy 🌶) | As agreed upon in our discussion | Warnings: NSFW
How Archer will find her is in a simplistic bridal gown with her knees on the slot bench and her body hunkered over the machine. Even so it stands tall and has bright, loud lettering for the rolled options. Rin's hand cranks the lever, and above her head — when the slots stop — it reads:
| RIDE | COCK | BRIDAL SUITE |
Happy Reunion.]
no subject
He's not really sure what to make of the dress, and part of him thinks, perhaps...it would best if he did not interrupt. If he slipped away and did not impose since their contract ended with his demise.
He can't help himself, though. He walks up behind her, dressed in formal Japanese wedding attire...and stops. If he's shocked by the slot machine, well...he manages not to show it. ]
Hard at work, I see...
Rin.
1/3
[The voice sounds familiar, and while she has gotten used to people calling her by her given name... not many call it with such a deep and firm sounding voice as he does. She looks over her shoulder, and for a moment she's frozen in shock.
It's... him. It really is, even though he's supposed to be dead.]
no subject
Tohsaka yelps, and lurches forward to try and crank the lever again so the words change. However in her panic she accidentally misses it altogether, knocks the bench out from underneath her, and goes falling to the floor.]
ARCHER!!!!
3/3
But for now? she just stays in a heap and groans.]
no subject
He’s so stunned by it, he doesn’t even manage to react in time to catch her. He just stares as the scene unfolds, unsure exactly what he’s done to cause this. ]
Rin?
no subject
It's a lot to unpack and Rin has neither the time nor the heart to do it. So she simple struggles to stand.]
Ah... haha... How long have you been a guest, Archer?
["My Archer," she had wanted to call him. Yearned to call him. But she knows just as well as he that their contracted ended with his death in the Holy Grail War.]
no subject
He couldn’t say. There are so very few facts on hand, and yet he can’t shake a visceral sort of feeling that things are much more sinister than they appear. Being in this place makes his skin crawl in a way he can’t fully define. There just isn’t anything for it, right now.
He watches as she collects herself, and for her sake as much as his, he…tries not to react overmuch to her clear surprise (embarrassment?) at his presence. ]
A day or so.
[ Long enough to find it thoroughly distasteful, but that isn’t something he’ll say out loud. Not here. ]
And you?
no subject
Oh. No. Only a day or so? One hand is rising up to thoughtfully tap her chin.]
Oh, about two months perhaps?
[All of January. Most of December. Her birthday has even come and gone. What was she doing during her last birthday? Ah, yes. Giving Shirou a crash-course on Holy Grail Wars. Even though it hasn't been very long it still feels so far away. It technically might be, too, considering this could be a whole separate world from their own.]
no subject
Or at least, that’s what he has to think. ]
I see.
[ He has so many questions, and yet he cannot quite bring himself to ask them. Or at least, not regarding specifics of what’s gone on in his absence.
No — instead, he asks something else. ]
And the last thing you remember before coming here?
[ It’s more important to establish whether or not they remember the same sequence of events. ]
no subject
...I was confronting Sakura in the cave system by Ryuudou Temple. You had been dead, and afterward Shirou and I conspired with Illya.
[Yes. Just "Shirou". Like some stray cat. No fondness, no, "Emiya-kun." He belonged to her sister and she had no intent on taking yet another thing from her. Especially learning about her relation to 'that shadow'.]
no subject
Archer absorbs it all in silence, and there is a strange sensation of tightness in his chest. He can’t identify the feeling, truly, as it’s some odd mixture of both relief and trepidation. It’s good to know Shirou (and therefore the arm, his arm) had been of some use…but the matter had been left unresolved with Rin’s arrival here. And Sakura—
He can’t think about her. ]
I see…so you have been here ever since.
[ He could ask more questions about the war — but what would be the point? His hand has already been played, and he can’t have any more of an impact on the outcome than he already has.
No…it’s best to move forward. ]
Are we the only ones from our world here?
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[Not when "RIDE COCK" is in bright lights on the slot machine behind her. In fact she'd rather not consider her sister or anyone else that may be left behind while the resort demands she gets sloppy with fellow guests. And it's not because she wants to forget about them. Far from it, considering she's doing all of this for Sakura's sake in her mind.
No, she simply doesn't want to look back because she has always been the type to forge onward. There is no use dwelling on the past when there is work to be done in the present.]
Perhaps we can take this to the bridal suite?
[....................................Did she just proposition him?]
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We can continue the discussion elsewhere if that’s what you prefer.
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We're a bit mismatched, aren't we? We used to be so visually cohesive.
[Well, the black and white of his traditional wear matches her dress, but as far as style's go they're a world apart.
It's... a bit lonely to think about. She doesn't begrudge the distance between them now that their contract is over, but if asked again she probably wouldn't hesitate. After all, she was the one who failed him. If given a second chance she wouldn't allow it to repeat. Any self respecting mage would want to mend their pride.]
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Still...he finds himself ill at ease even though he's doing an exceptional job of hiding it. ]
We were. Although I cannot truly say it was planned.
[ The red shroud was a gift he was given, though his memories are too fragmented now to recall exactly how that came about. ]
It would take a more deliberate effort to be so coordinated here.
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[She can most certainly boss him around like a normal person, though. Especially since being able to fuse that arm with Shirou meant the cat was out of the bag about her Archer's True Identity.
It's not too far of an adventure to make it to the Bridal Suite. Intentionally nearby to help those with their challenges (and others, with their urges) seal the deal. It seems there's more than one suite so that multiple people can utilize the services at a time, and when Rin leads them in the room is... spotless. As if the cleaning staff had just cleared out moments ago.
Tohsaka's arm slips away from Archer. Separating from him as she decides to skeptically inspect the room. From peering at candles (is the smoke an aphrodisiac?) to touching the rose petals (are they fake?)]
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That sounds like you.
[ Insisting that he dress up to match her, that is. Weirdly, though, he doesn't sound annoyed at the idea of it.
Once they're in the suite, Archer also does his own inspection - though less obviously. He scans the room, takes in the (in his opinion) tacky opulence, and tries not to act as affected as he feels. He can't put his finger on why, but this resort and everything about it makes his skin crawl. Ordinarily, he could sense more about a place that is clearly somehow magical, but the fact that so much is opaque to his senses makes him feel more on edge.
He gives her a moment to finish before lightly clearing his throat. ]
There was something else you wanted to talk about?
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While I think there's something else going on with this resort other than its Game 52, I do still think there's merit in attempting to complete it. Do you have any idea of what you want if you win?
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He lets out a quiet sigh. ]
I don’t have a wish, Rin. That they decided to bring me here in spite of that is their folly, not mine.
[ There was personal business he had wanted to attend to during the Fifth War, of course, but he made the decision to put it to the side given the gravity of the situation. He knew when he made that decision that such an opportunity would never come again, but even he wasn't so pigheaded as to put the entire world at risk on account of his own burning desire to destroy himself. That foolish boy needed to die - but instead, Archer had to save him. Fate, unfortunately, often has a cruel sense of irony. ]
What wish do you think they can grant you that you cannot grant for yourself?
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With a sigh she allows herself to fall backwards. Her shoulder blades hit the mattress and cause the bed linens to bounce when she collides. More of the rose petals fly up into the air, and the fall upon her dress. Against the white they look striking... though they could also look like splattering specks of blood. They tangle in her locks more — her brown hair splayed out behind her like dark tendrils reaching out in all directions. Dotted with lovely shades of pink and red. Her eyes focus up on the sheer canopy. It reminds her a little of her own room back home, actually.]
A way to solve the shadow problem without killing Sakura. Winning just to win in a game like this doesn't inspire much pride, so might as well get something useful out of it.
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When she names her wish, though, he considers her for a long moment. Briefly distracted by the scent of upset petals that fall in a delicate pattern across her dress and hair, he looks at them and then at her face. Can she truly mean such a thing? But of course, she does; Rin wouldn't say it if she didn't.
There's a pause as he weighs this - and he knows he has no right to judge the content of this wish of hers, much as his harsh, pragmatic nature demands he should.
Instead, he responds quietly, and his tone is not unkind. ]
There is no reason to think the powers-that-be, here, have any intention of keeping their promises.
[ Rin must know that. That she might be play this game and receive nothing in the end. ]
Is it still worth it to you?
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[Oh no. Here she goes into her Explanation Mode again. Is he feeling the nostalgia yet?]
In order to survive in this place you need the currency to buy food and other items. A person gets paid via sexual activity or participating in the little games or special parties held around here. In fact a lot of those lead to sex too. So... if you're already having sex, why not try and complete the 52 as well? It would be a complete waste not to, but I can see where you're coming from. Learning the true nature of this resort is also important, and I've already started investigating on my own. Multi-tasking is important both for keeping cover and making sure you have plenty of options on the table should one be taken away from you.
[In fact Rin seems pretty pleased with herself on that bed. Holding her index finger out in her iconic little "know-it-all" pose despite the way she's laid out on the bed. In fact she looks incredibly comfortable and in her element while yapping about stuff she thinks she knows well.]
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He’s trying not to think about it.
Refocusing on what she’s actually saying, he does his best not to make a face. ]
One has to be motivated by all of those things to be willing to pursue them.
[ Archer, on the other hand, has no personal sense of purpose or direction. If anything, he is more prone to a profound sense of ennui. He’s already lost his chance to do the one thing he actually wanted so he doesn’t see a point in anything else. He doesn’t trust this place to deliver on its promises, and truthfully, if he could disappear tomorrow, that would be a preferable outcome.
The only thing that makes him hesitate on that point is the fact that Rin is here. And even though his story is finished, hers is not. ]
But I can see you’ve thought this through.
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I see. So then what is your intent? You hope to wither away like a cut flower and disappear into the ether? I'm sure leaving us all to the whims of the resort wouldn't hurt, would it? I can still use my magic offensively, but there are no weapons here. It should be safe, right? Leaving me to my own devices.
[She knows who Archer is now. She knows where to needle and prod. He may be embittered and broken, but he's still the same man stuck in a loop of vowing to protect others.]
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cw: discussion of character death and some suicidal ideation
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1/? i'll let u know
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okay i'm done but i'm sorry about her
1/2 smh Rin
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