【 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. 💕
[As Kizuna glances between him and the door and back again, Stiles weighs his options. If his unofficial partner in crime alerts security, there’s no chance the teen will manage to escape the room—never mind the casino. Sure, the Iron Net is a complete joke here (not that he’s been arrested yet, but he does his research thoroughly). Stiles has no idea if security will book him if he’s taken into custody, though. His face and identifying details, readily available for dealers to look up at any time in the future… No, he can’t let that happen. Gambling is the second-best way to make money in this hell. Given that Stiles hasn’t been too keen on the best method (y’know, sex), he needs to ensure that he won’t be chased off the premise on sight.
Just as he’s mentally preparing to dive across the room and wrestle the guy into silence, Kizuna beckons to him. Oh, thank god. (Stiles probably would have lost that fight, honestly.)]
If you’re about to dupe me, [he begins as he slowly approaches, as nervous as a deer sensing hunters,] I’m gonna be really mad. Might even cry. You don’t want to make a grown man cry, do you? (I’m almost eighteen, yes I count as a grown man.) That’d be embarrassing, for both of us. Especially you.
[ What frenetic energy. It makes Kizuna's skin buzz and he's steeling himself with the knowledge that he's likely not going to make it any better. But the options are scant and whatever trouble this young man has gotten into, he doesn't actually want to see him get caught, for all he knows about the punishment system (actual, not sexy) here. He seems riled enough at the possibility that Kizuna can only assume the ramifications are not pretty.
As usual, when a place touts itself as the penultimate in luxury, in hedonism. Beneath the fancy feathers he only assumes there is an underbelly, as with any beast. ]
Especially me. [ Kizuna agrees with airy confidence in his idea, almost too sincere in that statement because if Stiles cries, he unfortunately cries too. Moving forward on the bed, there is a funny expression that passes over his face, sympathy crossed with determination. He pulls the fastenings on the bed's canopy, and then with a half-smile tossed at him with all the elegance of a hand grenade: ] Now, if you'll excuse me —
[ With a strength that seems mismatched to his appearance, Kizuna clamps a hand over Stiles's arm and gives him a solid yank over onto the bed. In the resulting plume of fabrics and petals, Kizuna has used the momentum to swing a leg over his middle and straddle him, leaning over to cage him to mattress in matrimonial bliss.
Or so it looks from this angle, anyway. Lifting a finger to his lips, he signals for Stiles to be quiet as the door slams open on its hinges, allowing a security detail to spill in. And on that mark, Kizuna whips his head around to fix them all in an accusing stare that would make a judge and jury's blood run cold. ]
Excuse me? Read the room, we're in the middle of something here!
[ There's a tangible balk in the air and a harried apology: "...causing a disturbance..." "...person of interest..." "...our apologies..." "...continued patronage of our establishment..." And just like that, the door gently shuts on them, leaving them to the overwrought marital ambience of the suite. ]
[Really, he should have been more wary. The moment that odd look paints vividly across Kizuna’s countenance, Stiles feels his figurative hackles go up. But it’s too late—momentum carries him forward, within reach of the underhanded young man, and then everything is happening too fast. A startled yelp slips free from his mouth as he’s yanked onto the bed, and god this is like a very risqué fantasy he once entertained featuring Lydia Martin, except she was wearing lingerie and slapping his naked thigh with a riding crop. Okay, on second thought, maybe he shouldn’t be harboring provocative mental images right now? Because, wow! There’s an attractive dude on him and Stiles is only human. The math doesn’t play out in his favor. (Unless surprise erections lead to surprise sex? Haha, just kidding. Unless…?)
Uh.
[Yes, very intelligent, Mr. Stilinski. Surely a winning statement.
The door bursts open with all the force of an overeager SWAT team descending on a middle schooler’s dubious science project. Instinctively, Stiles ducks his head so that his companion’s form eclipses his own. When security fumbles to excuse themselves, the American teen can barely restrain a snort of disbelief.]
Whoa. [Vaguely stunned, he turns to fix Kizuna with an impressed grin.] That was slick. What a conman!
[And he holds out a hand—presumably for the empath to high-five.]
[ Unless...? Don't think he's not privy to the sordid details, young man. Lingerie and a riding crop? He'll have to remember that for later.
Either way, his little stunt pays off in the end, not that he gave any indication that he thought his acting would yield anything else but roaring success. The situation didn't exactly allow for second-guessing. Kizuna heaves a sigh as he sits up on his knees, the tension draining out of his body as soon as it appeared. Gaze shifting downwards, he offers a somewhat lopsided smile. And you know what?
He doesn't leave him hanging. He high-fives him for being a good sport. ]
Good job playing along. [ High-five completed, he gives Stiles's cheek a fortifying cuff with the palm of his hand as he slides off his lap. ] Not that I gave you much of a choice.
[ He drops back down onto the mattress, head canting. ]
[Well, guess they’re now officially brothers-in-arms, bond sealed in the ceremonious completion of the legendary high-five. Stiles even weathers the cuffing of his cheek with relatively good humor, which he normally wouldn’t appreciate from a stranger. Once the young man leverages himself off however, the American teen sits up on the bed, butt scooting back so he can peer at Kizuna curiously.]
Sorta, [he admits, except instead of sheepish, his tone carries a thread of repressed anger—not directed at his new partner in crime, of course.] Was trying to make some quick chips by gambling. Except the resort is ruthless when it comes to low ranks—like yours truly. They noticed I was counting cards.
[His expression remains friendly, yet Kizuna may be sensitive to the storm churning in the brunet’s gut, all cold fury hyper-magnetized from months of mistreatment.]
Can’t blame a guy for trying to cheat a system that’s programmed to cheat him, y’know?
[ Quite the open book. Not that Kizuna sees anything wrong with that. Anger unfurls and blooms like fireworks across this otherwise pleasant landscape — a smile that's nice to look at but the root cause is all the stuff of flame and combustion, pressurized and set loose for others' entertainment. He can't help but have a certain displaced fondness for it; Maya is like that too.
It sits leaden in his gut, even if he remains just as amiable and willing to take a mile when given an inch. Whatever crisis he was having seems subdued now, leaving him to fold one long leg beneath himself and lean back on a palm, contemplative. ]
I'm what they're calling a wildcard. So, a total newbie. [ Idly, his fingers twiddle with some of the half-crushed petals lying around. ] But I've heard a little about it by now, the game and the ranks.
[ He pauses to consider his next words a bit more carefully than he normally would. ]
[Brow creasing, he watches those fingers twist the rose petals—a stain of velvety red against pale skin. But even as Stiles listens to Kizuna speak, the teen’s thoughts are winding down distant corridors in painstakingly careful consideration. There isn’t enough data yet to confirm a pattern. Yet his mind is struck by the fact that the House seems to imprison new guests in batches; the sudden influx of wildcards can indicate little else, after all. Maybe it’s an issue of conserving power in-between groups to maintain their decadent jail?
It takes him a moment to realize that the young man has asked him a question.]
Never been one for abiding by the rules, [Stiles answers, a cheeky grin offered even as that glint of resentful anger darkens brown eyes.] Not to mention… Where I’m from? This kind of thing would reek of bad juju. It might sound crazy, but imagine if the energy produced by all the raunchy sex is being used to fuel a ritual. Something like that? No way it’s good news for anyone.
[There’s a brief break in apparent character; exhausted by his own past failures to procure more information on the subject, he wearily rubs his face. Stiles sucks back a sigh, then tries to shoot Kizuna another amicable smile. This one, at least, does a better job at reaching his eyes.]
So, you’ve heard a little about the situation. Got any questions? I can try to answer them.
Hah. You have a good imagination, but it's not really unwarranted. With the disparity created between the ranks...
[ It creates demand. And yet the frustration of being painfully inert when faced with compliance — Kizuna understands. His observations are just routed differently, pleasant and meandering down these decadent halls to gently ply at the seams, searching for mismatched stitches, poor welds, glimpses of what lies beneath. But it's early in this game, he knows. Especially for him. A half-smile flicks upwards at the corner of his mouth, an expression that leans into the roil of animosity he feels saturate the air. ]
Anyway, I have a few. [ His expression shifts, softer. ] Speaking of bad juju, I'm assuming you can't just leave? I wouldn't know if anyone's tried yet, but that seems like it'd dampen the spirit of the game.
[ That he's sure no one here has agreed to. Some just adapt better to these expectations than others. ]
[And he shifts onto his right butt cheek, freeing the left so he can pull out the small notebook stashed away in a back pocket. The binding is falling apart and loose pages threaten to spill free as he flips through it. If Kizuna is able to read English, he may catch brief glimpses of legible words in a sharp scrawl. Stiles is clearly an avid notetaker. But some of the writings are in an unrecorded language—the result of his periodic alexia, always striking when Stiles least expects it.]
Everywhere you can currently go to is inside the resort, [he explains in a distracted murmur, pausing on one page and leaning over it thoughtfully.] There is no “outside.” Even the windows here are fake. The Vale? It’s a huge jungle. Still inside.
[A finger follows a few lines, refreshing his memory.]
I’ve seen superpowered dudes try to break down walls. People capable of teleportation can’t leave the inner boundaries of the resort. Nothing works.
[ Oh, a diligent one. Kizuna's gaze brightens as the notebook comes out of his pocket and he leans in likewise to get a better look — whereas most of his movements have seemed methodical and charted out with a specific image in mind, this one stems from more genuine interest. Of all the clandestine meetings he could be having in this room, this is one that actually feels the most familiar. It feels safe, even when it likely shouldn't.
A hum rolls in his throat as he considers the smattering of words he knows with his passable English. Listening is much easier. ]
Quite the omnipotent power, in that case. I don't think our benefactors owe it all to structural integrity, though we can't just be nowhere...
[ He hopes? ]
You said there's a jungle — inside? Are there more locations like that?
[ Given that Stiles seems to be examining the same seams he'd like to, he doesn't doubt the length of his observations. ]
[The suggestion that they can’t be “nowhere” is met with an argumentative noise from Stiles, though he doesn’t bother trying to challenge Kizuna’s idea. Right now, there’s simply not enough data to support either claim—and the American teen doesn’t necessarily believe his companion is wrong, only that they very well might be trapped in a dimension consisting entirely of this resort. Who fucking knows at this point?]
Outdoors being indoors, you mean? No. The Vale’s the only place like that. (Well, that I’m aware of, at least.)
[A certain weight seems to be burning his thigh where it rests in a pocket: the coin from J. Stiles could share its existence with Kizuna, but… Well, he’s possessive of the trinket and its unique properties.]
Not everything adds up, though. [He may not be willing to divulge the coin’s secrets, but he can offer relevant information.] There are a couple places that’re worth looking into. The Roost is one of ‘em. It’s, uh, this super grimy gambling den. Except the door to enter it changes location every night.
You should keep it in mind. None of the resort staff will admit to Roost existing if you ask. And the Roost itself…is weird. You’ll get what I mean when you visit in person.
[The Watch flashes a notification at him: A friend is requesting his presence on the suite floors.]
[ While usually he'd be willing to entertain the existence of a sordid resort dimension fueled by the raw sexual power of its captive residents, he's still a shade too close to a mental crisis to open that particular box. Sorry, Pandora.
But he does resist flicking a glance down to the presence of something that Stiles seems to focus on, the intent to conceal it more overt than the knowledge of what it is. Gently, he wills the torrential emotions to calm, to recede and wait. He loves secrets, but he can take them one at a time; he commits those more readily shared to memory. A thirst for knowledge can be a tricky thing to manage, dangerous in ways few other things are. ]
Aha, sounds scary. Like it's full of ghosts.
[ A pin in that, Kizuna leans away again, free hand rising to usher the young man off. ]
But no, that's enough for me. Thanks for the tip. [ He winks. ] Stay out of trouble for the rest of the night, okay?
[ Cheeky, knowing he likely won't. (Kizuna wouldn't either.) ]
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peacockstop2024-02-10 11:29 am
no subject
Just as he’s mentally preparing to dive across the room and wrestle the guy into silence, Kizuna beckons to him. Oh, thank god. (Stiles probably would have lost that fight, honestly.)]
If you’re about to dupe me, [he begins as he slowly approaches, as nervous as a deer sensing hunters,] I’m gonna be really mad. Might even cry. You don’t want to make a grown man cry, do you? (I’m almost eighteen, yes I count as a grown man.) That’d be embarrassing, for both of us. Especially you.
[Sure, Stiles.]
no subject
As usual, when a place touts itself as the penultimate in luxury, in hedonism. Beneath the fancy feathers he only assumes there is an underbelly, as with any beast. ]
Especially me. [ Kizuna agrees with airy confidence in his idea, almost too sincere in that statement because if Stiles cries, he unfortunately cries too. Moving forward on the bed, there is a funny expression that passes over his face, sympathy crossed with determination. He pulls the fastenings on the bed's canopy, and then with a half-smile tossed at him with all the elegance of a hand grenade: ] Now, if you'll excuse me —
[ With a strength that seems mismatched to his appearance, Kizuna clamps a hand over Stiles's arm and gives him a solid yank over onto the bed. In the resulting plume of fabrics and petals, Kizuna has used the momentum to swing a leg over his middle and straddle him, leaning over to cage him to mattress in matrimonial bliss.
Or so it looks from this angle, anyway. Lifting a finger to his lips, he signals for Stiles to be quiet as the door slams open on its hinges, allowing a security detail to spill in. And on that mark, Kizuna whips his head around to fix them all in an accusing stare that would make a judge and jury's blood run cold. ]
Excuse me? Read the room, we're in the middle of something here!
[ There's a tangible balk in the air and a harried apology: "...causing a disturbance..." "...person of interest..." "...our apologies..." "...continued patronage of our establishment..." And just like that, the door gently shuts on them, leaving them to the overwrought marital ambience of the suite. ]
no subject
Uh.
[Yes, very intelligent, Mr. Stilinski. Surely a winning statement.
The door bursts open with all the force of an overeager SWAT team descending on a middle schooler’s dubious science project. Instinctively, Stiles ducks his head so that his companion’s form eclipses his own. When security fumbles to excuse themselves, the American teen can barely restrain a snort of disbelief.]
Whoa. [Vaguely stunned, he turns to fix Kizuna with an impressed grin.] That was slick. What a conman!
[And he holds out a hand—presumably for the empath to high-five.]
no subject
Either way, his little stunt pays off in the end, not that he gave any indication that he thought his acting would yield anything else but roaring success. The situation didn't exactly allow for second-guessing. Kizuna heaves a sigh as he sits up on his knees, the tension draining out of his body as soon as it appeared. Gaze shifting downwards, he offers a somewhat lopsided smile. And you know what?
He doesn't leave him hanging. He high-fives him for being a good sport. ]
Good job playing along. [ High-five completed, he gives Stiles's cheek a fortifying cuff with the palm of his hand as he slides off his lap. ] Not that I gave you much of a choice.
[ He drops back down onto the mattress, head canting. ]
Being a troublemaker?
so sorry for the wait!
Sorta, [he admits, except instead of sheepish, his tone carries a thread of repressed anger—not directed at his new partner in crime, of course.] Was trying to make some quick chips by gambling. Except the resort is ruthless when it comes to low ranks—like yours truly. They noticed I was counting cards.
[His expression remains friendly, yet Kizuna may be sensitive to the storm churning in the brunet’s gut, all cold fury hyper-magnetized from months of mistreatment.]
Can’t blame a guy for trying to cheat a system that’s programmed to cheat him, y’know?
we chill ❤️
It sits leaden in his gut, even if he remains just as amiable and willing to take a mile when given an inch. Whatever crisis he was having seems subdued now, leaving him to fold one long leg beneath himself and lean back on a palm, contemplative. ]
I'm what they're calling a wildcard. So, a total newbie. [ Idly, his fingers twiddle with some of the half-crushed petals lying around. ] But I've heard a little about it by now, the game and the ranks.
[ He pauses to consider his next words a bit more carefully than he normally would. ]
No interest in playing by the house rules?
ty dude!
It takes him a moment to realize that the young man has asked him a question.]
Never been one for abiding by the rules, [Stiles answers, a cheeky grin offered even as that glint of resentful anger darkens brown eyes.] Not to mention… Where I’m from? This kind of thing would reek of bad juju. It might sound crazy, but imagine if the energy produced by all the raunchy sex is being used to fuel a ritual. Something like that? No way it’s good news for anyone.
[There’s a brief break in apparent character; exhausted by his own past failures to procure more information on the subject, he wearily rubs his face. Stiles sucks back a sigh, then tries to shoot Kizuna another amicable smile. This one, at least, does a better job at reaching his eyes.]
So, you’ve heard a little about the situation. Got any questions? I can try to answer them.
no subject
[ It creates demand. And yet the frustration of being painfully inert when faced with compliance — Kizuna understands. His observations are just routed differently, pleasant and meandering down these decadent halls to gently ply at the seams, searching for mismatched stitches, poor welds, glimpses of what lies beneath. But it's early in this game, he knows. Especially for him. A half-smile flicks upwards at the corner of his mouth, an expression that leans into the roil of animosity he feels saturate the air. ]
Anyway, I have a few. [ His expression shifts, softer. ] Speaking of bad juju, I'm assuming you can't just leave? I wouldn't know if anyone's tried yet, but that seems like it'd dampen the spirit of the game.
[ That he's sure no one here has agreed to. Some just adapt better to these expectations than others. ]
no subject
[And he shifts onto his right butt cheek, freeing the left so he can pull out the small notebook stashed away in a back pocket. The binding is falling apart and loose pages threaten to spill free as he flips through it. If Kizuna is able to read English, he may catch brief glimpses of legible words in a sharp scrawl. Stiles is clearly an avid notetaker. But some of the writings are in an unrecorded language—the result of his periodic alexia, always striking when Stiles least expects it.]
Everywhere you can currently go to is inside the resort, [he explains in a distracted murmur, pausing on one page and leaning over it thoughtfully.] There is no “outside.” Even the windows here are fake. The Vale? It’s a huge jungle. Still inside.
[A finger follows a few lines, refreshing his memory.]
I’ve seen superpowered dudes try to break down walls. People capable of teleportation can’t leave the inner boundaries of the resort. Nothing works.
no subject
A hum rolls in his throat as he considers the smattering of words he knows with his passable English. Listening is much easier. ]
Quite the omnipotent power, in that case. I don't think our benefactors owe it all to structural integrity, though we can't just be nowhere...
[ He hopes? ]
You said there's a jungle — inside? Are there more locations like that?
[ Given that Stiles seems to be examining the same seams he'd like to, he doesn't doubt the length of his observations. ]
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Outdoors being indoors, you mean? No. The Vale’s the only place like that. (Well, that I’m aware of, at least.)
[A certain weight seems to be burning his thigh where it rests in a pocket: the coin from J. Stiles could share its existence with Kizuna, but… Well, he’s possessive of the trinket and its unique properties.]
Not everything adds up, though. [He may not be willing to divulge the coin’s secrets, but he can offer relevant information.] There are a couple places that’re worth looking into. The Roost is one of ‘em. It’s, uh, this super grimy gambling den. Except the door to enter it changes location every night.
You should keep it in mind. None of the resort staff will admit to Roost existing if you ask. And the Roost itself…is weird. You’ll get what I mean when you visit in person.
[The Watch flashes a notification at him: A friend is requesting his presence on the suite floors.]
Any other questions, dude? I gotta split soon.
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But he does resist flicking a glance down to the presence of something that Stiles seems to focus on, the intent to conceal it more overt than the knowledge of what it is. Gently, he wills the torrential emotions to calm, to recede and wait. He loves secrets, but he can take them one at a time; he commits those more readily shared to memory. A thirst for knowledge can be a tricky thing to manage, dangerous in ways few other things are. ]
Aha, sounds scary. Like it's full of ghosts.
[ A pin in that, Kizuna leans away again, free hand rising to usher the young man off. ]
But no, that's enough for me. Thanks for the tip. [ He winks. ] Stay out of trouble for the rest of the night, okay?
[ Cheeky, knowing he likely won't. (Kizuna wouldn't either.) ]