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ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴏᴄᴋ ᴍᴏᴅs ([personal profile] goldmods) wrote in [community profile] peacockstop2024-04-15 09:00 pm
Entry tags:

TDM 03





【 Hello, dearest guests. We hope you have been enjoying your time in the Golden Peacock and utilizing our many amenities.

Reception would like all guests to be aware that some new arrivals have been misplaced. Due to the nature of the resort, new arrivals may have been misplaced in unexpected locations. This includes your personal suites. We are very sorry for this inconvenience.

Please do not be alarmed if you come across a misplaced new arrival. We kindly request that any guests that find a misplaced new arrival escort them to the main hub, where we have arranged a central meetup where all new arrivals can claim their complimentary robes and welcome baskets.

All guests are invited to come mingle at the main hub and meet new arrivals. As always, we hope you have a pleasant day! 】



DEALER'S CHOICE
STEVE, WHERE DID YOU PUT THE NEW ARRIVALS?

The Golden Peacock has swept away the hues of winter and welcomed vibrant pops of color for a change of pace. Gone are the snow whites and cool golds. Vases of bright florals have been staged all throughout the general hubs and hallways. Statues have been cheekily decorated with bright clothes, such as charming hats and billowing dresses with cheerful prints. This peacock has cleaned up nicely, its brilliant feathers shaking with a warm palette to please the senses.

Staff are bustling during the decor turnover. While some diligent employees are steadfastly decorating the hallways with sprawling vines and spectacular blooms, others are darting back and forth in search of something. Or rather — someone. Several someones. Front reception is in an outright panic while flying over the phones and furiously slamming their hands on keyboards.

"Steve, I know you're new, but you can't just press any button that pops up on the computer screen! The new arrivals are supposed to go into temporary suites." Deborah, the head receptionist, sighs, "Now who knows where they are. I hope they're okay... I'm sure they're quite confused, wherever they wound up. Steve, stop crying. The house won't fire you for this. Probably. How's your resume looking?"

THE BATHROOM BUTTON ▷ Due to a mistake at front reception, new arrivals aren't waking up in a temporarily assigned suite like usual. All new arrivals will wake up in a bathroom somewhere in the Golden Peacock. Steve, bless his heart, chose the wrong button and directed all new arrivals to bathrooms. Why do they even have a "bathroom" button at front reception, anyway? Who is that for?!

▷ Players are encouraged to get creative and have their character wake up in any bathroom location across the resort. Please feel free to reference our LOCATIONS for ideas as to where your character might wake up. As long as it's in a bathroom, it can be anywhere. Almost all locations within the resort have a bathroom!

Not even current character suites are safe. New arrivals may wake up in tubs, toilets, and showers in suite locations as well as general resort locations. For low rank rooms, the communal bathroom is also fair game for sudden new naked arrivals to wake up in.


THE MAIN LOBBYA welcome station has been set up in the main lobby. After getting their bearings and finding their way to the main lobby after an unexpected bathroom adventure, new arrivals will find racks of plush terrycloth robes and yellow tracksuits. They will also be given a welcome basket with general toiletries and snacks to get them started in the resort. Some gift baskets include special sex toys picked out just for them! They haven't tell anyone about that specific kink before? The house knows its guests well. No need to say anything at all.

Front reception has arranged a welcome party to greet new arrivals and help get them more comfortable. Not because they feel extremely guilty about the bathroom mixup and are hoping that these new arrivals won't complain to the house. Definitely not! With the help of 24K and Birdbucks, new arrivals and guests alike will be treated to alcohol or coffee at the front desk's expense. The fireplaces are roaring and several couches have been set up to create a comfortable atmosphere. Some long-standing guests have joined in to tell stories about how much fun they've had at the resort while enjoying a drink by the fire.


TIME FOR BED... BUT?Due to the initial mistake at reception there are no empty suites available for new arrivals to borrow. Staff have set up twin-sized cots at the back of the main lobby for new arrivals while sprucing up the situation as a giant slumber party. All new arrivals will be assigned a cot and given a privacy screen. Unfortunately, there isn't much privacy to be had when you're shacking up in a public spot.

▷ Don't worry — this will only be until check-in has been properly completed and guests have been assigned to their correct suite. We're so sorry, please don't complain to the house! Or if you do, blame Steve!

The ghost that haunts the main lobby isn't thrilled about this either. He's just a nice, low-key ghost that likes to watch people and knock over cups at Birdbucks when no one is looking. How is he supposed to do that with these people sleeping in the main lobby? In an effort to spook off these new arrivals, the ghost haunting the main lobby may whisper some odd things into their ears at night. Odd things like, "The person next to you is watching you sleep, you should run away," and "You just farted and everyone knows it was you. You should leave." Surprisingly effective, no?

In the end, Steve didn't get fired. But he did get reassigned to trash duty.



FLORAL RIOT
A STRIKE OF COLOR
🌸🌸🌸 Come experience new floral delights! Prepare to be ravished by a symphony of color and aroma. Romance, love, and pleasure all await within corridors of beauty. 🌸 🌸 🌸

Days before the grand unveiling, the gardeners of the Cloud Dwelling Garden distribute flyers announcing that their special floral exhibition is now ready for guests to enjoy. Long-standing guests vibrate in anticipation, eagerly stomping around the gardens until the ribbon is cut and the newest resort amenity has been revealed. The gardeners make a point to approach new guests and encourage them to join in on the fun, explaining that the house likes to create a new floral experience for guests every few years or so.

Exhibition opening is set for mid-month. On the 15th precisely, the gardeners line up in front of the white sheet hiding the project, each taking a turn to bow and say a few short words about how grand and generous the house is for giving them such rewarding jobs.

The curtains fall away to a wall of shockingly bright florals. Guests ooh and aahh at not only the array of shades but at the luxurious meld of so many different kinds of flowers. Wisteria and roses, lilies and carnations. Lilacs, peonies, daisies, daffodils, sunflowers. More and more and more and more. The staff explain that this flower maze is perhaps their most intricate piece of work yet and that there is grand surprise waiting at the heart. Additionally, as part of the festivities, several prizes have been hidden around the maze at dead-ends. Long-standing guests clap and cheer before charging inside.

THE FLOWER MAZE ▷ The flower maze is a winding marvel of foliage boasting over ten feet tall. Like the hedge maze, there are various twists and turns for guests to explore. This maze is a coalition of every flower thinkable, with many squared sections highlighting particular breeds. Bright pops of whites, pinks, and yellows knit with deeper purples, reds, and blues. Trees rich with blossoms hang low. Bushes rich with waxy leaves guide the way to different hidden alcoves and pockets. The flower maze is complicated and very easy to get lost in for hours. However, there is nothing magical or paranormal about it. It's just a flower maze.

▷ Guests may find statues overgrown with ivy within the maze. Despite the flower maze being a new addition to the garden, these statues are marked with age. They are weathered, having survived through the elements despite there being no real weather in the garden. Some statues are chipped and missing appendages. Despite how these old statues feel out of place in a brand new exhibit, they do not give any sense that they aren’t simply decor.

▷ Romantic gazebos have been incorporated into the design of the maze. These are popular rendezvous spots for guests to overlook the sprawling flowers and small ponds on the comfort of a small couch or a swinging bench for two. Some special gazebos have been furnished with daybeds and other comfortable furniture.

Treasure chests can be found hidden throughout the flower maze. Many of these chests are filled with sex toys and lubricants to help players get into the mood to play 52, but not only sex related items are available. Some chests may have clothes, some may have treats, some may even be filled with rocks.

▷ A few mimics have snuck in alongside the treasure chests. When opened, a mimic chest will curse the opener with a horny tongue. For a short period, the cursed individual will find themselves making erotic freudian slips. "How are you doing?" may end up coming out as, "How are you fucking?" While this curse will eventually wear off on its own, the embarrassment is forever.


THE GRAND FLOWER LAWNGuests that find the heart of the maze will discover the grand flower lawn. Also called the flower sea by staff, this brilliant landscape is covered in a lush carpet of flowers in shades of blue. Blue roses are the crown jewel of the flower sea, carefully dethorned so that guests may spread out on a velvety bed of petals.

▷ It isn’t impossible for our hardworking gardeners to miss a thorn or two. Even with careful checking, a few thorns have escaped scrutinizing staff. Guests pricked by a thorn while on the rose lawn will begin to feel drowsy. Effects may range from light exhaustion to falling into deep slumber. The cure for the rose's thorn curse is a kiss. Don't worry: true love need not apply in this case.

▷ Picnic baskets are available for guests that would like relax out on the lawn. Included in the picnic basket set: a blanket and set of pillows, fruit sandwiches, champagne, small cakes, and cookies. Hot tea and coffee is also available upon request. Staff are happy to accommodate any other special requests as well. Ask and ye shall receive.


SPECIAL LAWN GAMESAll guests lounging on the lawn will receive a cheerful message on their Watch: 【 WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A LAWN GAME?

Guests that select the NO option will be left to their snoozing and merriment. Guests that select YES will receive a follow-up message.

▷ 【 Thank you for participating in the Lawn Game. Please choose one of the below options. You will be informed of what surprise task you have chosen after selecting an option. All level one tasks will reward in a small payout upon completion. All level two tasks will reward in a medium payout upon completion. All level three tasks will reward in two extra-large payouts upon completion.

LEVEL ONE
【 1♡ 】Serenade another player with a romantic ballad.
【 1♢ 】Perform oral sex on another player.
【 1♧ 】Discover a secret about another player.
【 1♤ 】Steal an item from another player.

LEVEL TWO
【 2♡ 】Confess any romantic crushes you may have to another player. The player need not be one of the crushes in question.
【 2♢ 】Find a unique item to use as a dildo. Allow another player to use this unique item to fuck one or more of your orifices.
【 2♧ 】Describe, in explicit detail, one of your erotic fantasies and/or desires to another player.
【 2♤ 】Take on a submissive role and please another player, either sexually or non-sexually.

LEVEL THREE
【 3♡ 】Make passionate love to another player while in the missionary position.
【 3♢ 】Engage in any sex act involving penetration on the Grand Flower Lawn with another player.
【 3♧ 】Participate in a sex act you have never engaged in before with another player.
【 3♤ 】Kidnap another player for 24 hours.

Players will be prompted to select an option without knowing what the corresponding task is. The task will be sent to their Watch after they have selected an option. To see what your character is lucky enough to receive as their task, simply click the dropdown!

▷ There is no penalty for characters that wuss out and are unable to complete their prompt aside from a mocking message to their Watch,【 LOSER, LOSER, LOSER. BIG LOSER.

The flower maze will only last as long as the most fleeting flowers do. The flower maze will remain open to the public for several weeks, after which it will close for further remodeling.

"We'll be open again with another complex arrangement," one of the gardeners explains cheerfully. "A maze isn't fun once you've learned the layout. We'll open again after creating a whole new design for guests to enjoy. Maybe even some new flowers, too. A lot of the ones on the lawn got funky after guests came all over them..."



SMOKY NECTAR
DRIBBLE OF SWEETNESS
The conservatory is even busier than the gardens. Unlike the easygoing staff in the garden, employees in the conservatory are busy zooming to and fro with brooms while trying to get a handle on the unexpectedly huge amount of pollen. From flowers, from trees — so much pollen. The ground is coated and the air is thick. Several long-standing guests visiting the area have fallen into sneezing fits. Even with cleaning efforts to mitigate the build-up, the pollen becomes thicker as the weeks go on. Staff eventually give up on trying to sweep it away.

This pollen is not standard. Guests that inhale this pollen will begin to feel feverish and strange. Continued exposure to this pollen will heighten a desire for sex to the point of all-encompassing need. Orgasms become much more intense. Nipples are constantly hard. Guests may also be overwhelmed with the urge to "fertilize or become fertilized" — to aggressively deliver or receive cumshots. Gardeners soon realize that normal pollen has been tainted by the cross-breeding of their new spectacular fruits, resulting in an extremely potent sex pollen that affects people and animals. This sex pollen is stronger than any of the current aphrodisiacs in the resort, baffling the gardeners. They weren't even trying to make horny fruit!

The effects of the sex pollen will ease after a few days unless exposure is continued. Guests with too much exposure to the sex pollen may find themselves passing out from violently intense successive orgasms. Any guests found unconscious post-orgasm will be delivered to the Broken Wing clinic for recovery.

THE ORCHARD ▷ The gardeners are thrilled to present this season's fruit orchard. When the previously closed-off portion of the orchard opens, guests will find that some of the delicious fruit hanging on the trees are ... strange. In collaboration with the Dizzy Pigeon, the gardeners of the conservatory have crossbred several standard fruits to create new fruits with delicious, never before seen flavors. Sure, there are the typical apple and orange trees to pick from, but why not give something new a try? Each of these new breeds have been imagined with paying homage to one of the glorious suits in mind.

ORANGEBERRY: A blend of oranges and blueberries. This delicious new citrus has a hard outer peel but tender flesh inside. Sweet with a slightly tart aftertaste. Bred in homage to the Diamonds suit. Those who eat this fruit may experience heightened sensitivity to touch and temperature for a short period time.

PEARAPPLE: A blend of pears and pineapples. A brilliant combination of mildly sweet with a punch of tang. The outside of this large fruit is rough and prickly. Once cut into, the flesh is firm but juicy. Bred in homage to the Hearts suit. Those who eat this fruit may experience intense positive emotions, such as a sudden onset of one-sided love or excessive positivity, for a short period of time.

PEAPLUMTO: A blend of peaches, plums, and tomatoes. This succulent fruit is powerfully sweet, with a fuzzy skin and silky inside. A new favorite for juicing. Bred in homage to the Clubs suit. Those who eat this fruit may find themselves being extremely impulsive for a short period of time.

CHERRYUZU: A blend of cherries and yuzu. These tiny bunches of fruit are sour enough to make the strongest-willed person scrunch their face up! Small but powerful, these fruits are satisfying to bite into with a pop. Bred in homage to the Spades suit. Those who eat this fruit may experience intense negative emotions, such as sudden possessiveness or jealousy, for a short period of time.


THE BUTTERFLY DOME ▷ The butterfly dome is exploding with color. Bright dots of yellow and orange speckle greenery without restraint. An assortment of butterflies lazily fly from buttercup to tulip. These butterflies are unafraid of people and may approach guests, dusting them with the thick pollen that coats their wings before they flutter off elsewhere. The pollen here is thicker than anywhere else in the conservatory. Guests may feel the effects of the sex pollen more strongly while in the butterfly dome. Breathing in pollen for one hour in the butterfly dome is equal to breathing in pollen for several days in the rest of the conservatory.

▷ Several flowers glitter with moisture in the light. Upon closer inspection, guests will find that it isn't morning dew — it's floral nectar. Its light and smoky scent may trigger an intense desire to drink. Guests that give in to the urge and drink the nectar will find themselves overcome with unbearable thirst afterward. No amount of nectar, water, or any other beverage will satisfy. The thirst can only be satisfied by swallowing semen or vaginal fluid. The longer one goes without satisfying the thirst, the thirstier they will become.


BUNS GONE WILD ▷ The normally docile giant flemish rabbits that wander the conservatory have gotten into the spirit of 52 as well. These romantic rabbits have been mating relentlessly since the pollen hit, and now the vegetable patches have been overrun with hundreds of young rabbits looking for food. No vegetable is safe while dozens of baby rabbits are running free, not knowing that they shouldn't eat directly from the patches. Due to the recent vegetable shortage restaurants in the dining quarter have been complaining about not getting their produce deliveries. It's a real problem!

The gardeners have been begging guests to assist in catching these baby rabbits. There are too many for them to catch on their own. Guests who are willing to help will be instructed to catch the young rabbits and deposit them into the large wooden pen built to house them. However, this won't be an easy job — these little rabbits are fast!

▷ While the gardeners can't offer chip payment for the help, they will happily give any guests that assist good plots of land to raise their own vegetables. Rabbit adoption is also on the table!

The sex pollen will fade out within a few weeks, when the new breeds of fruit have all been harvested and delivered to restaurants. The gardeners collectively agree to be more careful when engineering new breeds in the future. "I do think," reports one worker in the conservatory, "the house will be impressed that we've managed to engineer an even stronger aphrodisiac. Great things happen on accident!"



PETAL-STAINED LIPS
A BLOOMING DISEASE
👩‍🦰 "Hack hack, hack hack... what do you mean, 'please cover my mouth when I cough'? I'm a rank nine. Nine! You can't tell me what to do. Now, clean up this mess. I've been coughing up flower petals all day." 👩‍🦰

Wet, smudged petals scatter across the floors of the Peacock. The source is initially unclear, since the perfectly groomed flowers in their decorative vases are in perfect condition. Soon the number of guests coughing into their fists begins to rise and more soggy plants plague the hallways.

After the garden and conservatory unveil their Spring additions the clinic will begin to over-run with guests complaining of various symptoms. There aren't enough beds and there certainly aren't enough doctors and nurses to meet rising demand. Guests continue to visit the clinic complaining of some sort of flower cold while spitting up petals and leaves. Advanced cases involve a deeper spread of vines through the patient's body.

Though this illness manifests in many different ways, the head doctor in charge is quick to clock that it's the Blooming Disease working its way through the resort's population. Not an especially dangerous disease. More troublesome than anything and a mess to clean up. Luckily, there are extensive notes in their files about this particular disease and how to treat it.

THE BLOOMING DISEASEA strain of hanahaki disease is running through the resort. Unlike the typical hanahaki disease that is brought on by one-sided love, this blooming variation has no single discernible cause. The nurses muse that it is perhaps a side effect of the intense pollen from the conservatory, but this is speculation.

Similar to the standard hanahaki disease, the main symptom is coughing up flower petals. However, the blooming strain manifests in many different ways, and doctors have seen variations of petals and vines creeping out from every orifice. Players are welcome to get as creative as they like with how the blooming disease presents.

▷ Doctors will make one point thoroughly clear: while medications are available to ease discomfort, the cure for this subset of hanahaki disease is sex. Only fucking another person will completely eradicate the disease. If the disease is not treated it will progress until the afflicted patient has turned into a monstrous pile of flora themselves.

It is possible to catch the disease more than once. Having sex will cure it but some guests have caught the disease in quick succession, requiring multiple sessions of vigorous fucking. Doctors are unsure as to why some guests only catch the disease once while others are susceptible to catching it multiple times. The nurses gossip about how they think it's those guests particularly desperate for love that are prone to re-catching it, but again — speculation.


ALL HANDS ON DECKWithout enough manpower in the clinic to meet demand, guests that have experience in the medical field have been asked to volunteer their time to help treat those suffering with the illness. Those kind enough to join in the effort to mitigate the disease will be given a full kit of medical supplies, which they will be allowed to keep once their stint in the clinic has finished. For the duration of their time working in the clinic they will be fully considered staff doctors and able to direct both employees and guests as they see fit.

Guests that do not have medical experience but who wish to help in the clinic will also be accepted. While they will not have as much power as experienced guests assigned to the doctor role, they will be onboarded as nurses and given basic tasks. All nurses will be given scrubs which can be kept after their job has been completed. Nurses are expected to defer to doctors but can dictate to patients.

▷ All guests that assist in the clinic will be given an extra-large payout for their efforts. The head doctor in charge will be so grateful that he will be happy to grant any other small favors and gifts if asked. While something like taking one of the patient beds would be too much, he will turn a blind eye to guests who want to pocket items like scalpels and stethoscopes.


CLINIC ENERGY ▷ So many guests have piled into the clinic that private rooms are no longer available. Large rooms will be utilized as group hubs with many patient cots, while smaller rooms normally meant for one patient will be doubled up on. All guests staying in the clinic for treatment will be paired with at least one other patient due to space constraints. Private rooms will be available only for patients separated out for treatment with one of the doctors or nurses.

All of the rooms in the clinic are fully stocked with condoms, lube, and sex toys. After the head doctor announces the cure for the disease, nurses will make sure every room has supplies available for patients to use. They will encourage guests to go ahead and get fucking since it's the only cure! While doctors and nurses are available to fuck as well, they are short-handed, so most patients will have to make do with other patients. To those stubborn guests who don't want to fuck for their health, staff will firmly explain that if the disease progresses they'll be reduced to nothing but a pile of vegetation.

Patients with particularly bad cases of the disease will not be allowed to leave the clinic until they are cured. Patients that have only been lightly affected will be given a prescription to fuck and sent on their way, with strict instructions to return if they do not fuck and the disease progresses.

The height of the disease will hit toward the end of the month. Thanks to the hard work of the doctors and nurses in the clinic, cases will begin to decrease as the days pile on, with the majority of the affected guests treated and sent on their way by the beginning of May. Activity in the clinic will begin to decline as patients fuck it out and cure the disease, with only a handful of scattered cases heading past the first week of May.



PROMPT NOTES
PROMPT NOTES
Arrival, The Bathroom Button: Multiple versions of arrival are possible. Characters may be flushed down the toilet or tub to wake up in several different locations across the resort.

Gardens, The Flower Maze: While players are welcome to imagine whatever they like in these chests, we do ask there be some limits. Characters should not find their special awesome sword or other personal items that were taken away by the resort upon arrival, for example. Items that would generally be available within resort stores or without regains are fine.

Conservatory, General: While this location is currently being influenced by sex pollen, players that do not enjoy this kink may have their character immune to its effects. This will not affect engaging in the hanahaki prompt.

Conservatory, The Orchard: Players are encouraged to get creative with effects from these fruits. While we've offered a couple suggestions, any of the affiliated suit's effects are available to tap into. For example, consumption of Orangeberry, aka the Diamonds fruit, can cause any Diamond-adjacent physical effects.

Broken Wing Clinic: Players are allowed to get as delicate or grotesque with the presentation of the Blooming Disease as they’d like; you can even use this as an opportunity to engage in some vine-y bondage play. From the medical perspective, feel free to envision access to any sort of equipment you’d like, so long as it makes sense within a (sexy) clinical setting.

OOC NOTES

GAME UPDATE | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

BLANKET CW: Altered States; Aphrodisiacs; Body Horror (potential); Dubcon; Illnesses; Medical Play; NSFW Language; Paranormal; Somnophilia; Sex Pollen; Sex Toys
▶ All new characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. 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 April event.
▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Current characters posting to the TDM should note they are currently in-game in the subject line.
▶ The top level directory is for new characters only.
▶ 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.
▶ 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.
NAVIGATIONLOGNETWORKOOCMEME
philancer: (038)

Picnic

[personal profile] philancer 2024-04-22 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ He'd been distracted. That was his only excuse. Even then, he hears the voice, hears the words, and it still takes seconds to click, to realize why that tone was familiar, and why it shouldn't be here.

And then Sylvain spins back around towards the blanket he'd been about to stroll past, his eyes wide as they land on the familiar figure seated there, open picnic basket beside him.

He'd think he was hallucinating, but this is a bizarre thing to imagine, even for him. ]


Your... Highness?
beastliness: (017.)

[personal profile] beastliness 2024-04-22 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
( Maybe it was the older man's stride or the particular shade of red hair that caught his attention. Dimitri doesn't know if it had been a conscious reaction on his part or not, but he does realize, after a few seconds, who he had called out to. And there is a brief couple seconds where he thinks he may have made a mistake in doing so.

He feels his breath catch in his throat as he watches Slyvain spin back around. While he'd finally come to his senses back home, haunted now by the sight of Rodrigue's lifeless body, his final words, he can't help but think he isn't ready for this. He's not ready to look Sylvain in the eye and speak to him as if nothing had changed over the years, as if he hadn't been this cruel monster who snarled at any and everyone who tried to come close. As if there hadn't been a time where he wondered why Sylvain hadn't come to his side all those years ago after those ludicrous accusations.

For a moment, he's quiet, looking up at the other from his spot on the ground before he finally pushes himself up and to his feet. There's a stiff nod of his head, his hands twitching where they hang at his sides.
) Sylvain.

( It's hard, suddenly, to find words. What do you say in these situations? Should he be relieved to see a familiar face? Should it worry him to know a childhood friend is in this situation as well? There are too many things he isn't sure about, doesn't know if he has the right words or even feelings to come up with something. What he finally manages is a stilted: ) I— I wasn't expecting you.
philancer: (050)

[personal profile] philancer 2024-04-23 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ A slow blink as the world rights itself again and he convinces himself that yes, this is actually happening, and that is absolutely Dimitri, sitting on a picnic blanket in the middle of somewhere he should absolutely not be.

Oh, Goddess. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? ]


I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line. [ He manages a quip as one corner of his lips quirks upwards, but it’s a little shakier than his typical delivery. His own fingers twitch, the urge to reach out and make sure Dimitri is alright a strong one. But it’s been a long time since he’s been that close with his childhood friend.

A long time since Dimitri had even looked him in the eye with anything resembling the friendship they’d once had.

He swallowed thickly, taking a step closer. ]
You’ve… just arrived, I take it?
beastliness: (052.)

[personal profile] beastliness 2024-04-25 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
( And there it is - the wariness of someone looking upon a beast in a human guise. It must be hard for Sylvain to see his childhood friend when he looks at him now. Dimitri hardly blames him, and despite an ache of guilt, a reminder that this is what he deserves, he says nothing. Instead, he watches, takes in the small ways Sylvain moves, how his expression changes. What else can he say here, he can't help but wonder. What could he possibly say to make this situation easy to muddle through, to reassure Sylvain that he's talking to a friend instead of the shadow of a man he'd been only days ago?

He doesn't know if he has the words. But he does, at least, manage a soft huff of a breath that is an attempt at a laugh in response to those words. He supposes it is expected that someone would be saying those words to the prince instead of the other way around. Not that he's felt particularly like a prince in some time.
)

Yes. ( He confirms with a nod of his head, pushing himself slowly to his feet. There'd been a time, he remembers, where Sylvain had been taller than him. Broader with his age. But now they stand nearly eye to eye, and it feels strange. As if he's seeing the other man for the first time in years all over again. ) Yesterday. In a... bathtub of all places.

( He tries not to let himself get swept up in the memory of it, being naked and alone in the cold porcelain of some unknown bathroom, but the way he gives a small shake of his head says he's clearly thinking about something unpleasant. )
philancer: (017)

[personal profile] philancer 2024-04-25 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He can’t remember the last time he heard Dimitri laugh. A real laugh. He’d mourned it, along with everything else they thought they’d lost. And while that was only a shadow of what it had once been… it was still something. More than he’d heard in an age.

Amber eyes warm a little and he does reach out now, clapping a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder and giving it a warm squeeze. Even though he’s not yet sure how that will be received. ]


Let me guess. Naked as the day you were born? [ This place had a reputation for awkward arrivals, after all. ] Hopefully you were at least the only one in it at the time. I can’t claim the same, even if I woke in a bed and not the bath.

[ He’d done his best, but he’s pretty sure he hadn’t made a good first impression there. At all. ]
beastliness: (060.)

[personal profile] beastliness 2024-04-29 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
( It's a subtle thing when he flinches under the clap of that hand against his shoulder, but Dimitri doesn't push Sylvain away, doesn't seem particularly concerned about the gesture beyond a curious blink. A hint at the thought that he's so unused to this type of closeness after so many years. But it feels... nice. Comforting to be able to feel the warm weight of a friend's touch. He'd... missed this.

It's easier now to nod, to offer a small hint of a smile in response. At least he hadn't been alone in the awkwardness of his arrival.
)

Yes. ( He remembers the coolness of the tub against his bare skin, the scent of a sweet body wash and shampoo from bottles nearby. The moment of realization might have been comical to watch for someone else - his tall figure scrambling out of the tub, brandishing some squeaking duck toy as his own means of a weapon, and a hastily grabbed towel to cover himself. ) It was just me. Though the walk through the halls was less than ideal.

( Not having to work through the awkwardness of waking up beside a stranger is something he'd grateful for, though. To say nothing of how unsure he is of what his own reaction would be to such a thing.

He manages, softly, to say:
) You certainly have experience with such things, at least. ( Is he joking or scolding? )
philancer: (028)

[personal profile] philancer 2024-04-30 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't miss the flinch, but he's taking it as a good sign when Dimitri doesn't push him off.

But he gives a warm laugh at the mention of what came after. He's so sad he missed the rubber duck. He would have cherished that memory always. Much to Dimitri's dismay, he's sure. ]


There are worse walks of shame. I'm sure any other guests appreciated the show, at least.

[ There's a momentary hesitation at those last words, however. A moment where it seems like he's bracing himself for more, for worse, and when it doesn't immediately follow, he gives a vague laugh, as if to shrug that off. ]

More than anyone needs, probably. But the games they play here aren't exactly unfamiliar. If anyone was made for this place and its strange "Game", it would certainly be me. [ he's always been adaptable like that, at least. ] Although I'm a little worried about you, Your Highness.