【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-star resort and casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.
Due to a high volume of check-ins, temporary accommodations have been made in our parking garage for all new arrivals. We aim to have all guests moved into their reserved rooms as soon as possible. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience!
All are invited to There Is No Tomorrow, a Phoenix Casino soiree to celebrate our beloved guests. The festivities will begin at 1800 hours on January 20th and end at 1800 hours on January 27th. Please look forward to 168 hours of delight.
In an effort to raise happiness and encourage better guest relationships, attendance is required. The house will assist guests that are too shy to appear of their own accord. Please note that black tie attire is mandatory. As always, we hope you enjoy your stay! 】
PARKING GARAGE
ANY CAR IN A STORM
PHOENIX CASINO HALL
WELCOME TO THE NEXT 168 HOURS
Phoenix Casino is a-flutter with activity and packed to the beak with guests. As a famously ever-changing space, the staff would be remiss if they didn't deck the crown jewel of the Golden Peacock out. The casino glitters from top to bottom, shining brighter than diamonds, rubies, sapphires, opals! Party-goers are shiny and glamorous with picture perfect makeup, fluttering gowns, and sharp suits. Card tables are packed and the slot machines are a-ringing as guests play, play, play! Prizes, luxury, booze, attractive people, it's the place that everyone wants to be at.
Those people being dragged inside by some invisible force...? Silly, they were so excited to come that their bodies moved before they realized what was happening. Those are struggles of joy and definitely not the casino's infamous ghost hands dragging unwilling guests to the party at the behest of the house. Look, they're literally hurling their bodies at the card tables with unrestrained glee!
All clocks indicating day hours and night hours have been removed from the casino. Once a guest has entered, their Watch will jam, making it impossible to keep track of the time. You don't need to worry about that tonight.
▶ All characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. Suits will not manifest until characters are accepted into the game.
▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's January event.
▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. 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 prioritized and receive attention! If you would be interested in a game invitation, you can note that in your comment header. This month we also have an ongoing ATP / EMP where players can connect. Please feel free to utilize this for all of your peafowl needs!
▶ If you aren't satisfied with these prompts, 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 regardless!
▶ 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.
[Ishmael's mounting irritation is beyond obvious on her face, and Charlie wonders briefly if he can manage a nip. Would her blood be to his taste? It's dubious, but with so precious few who suit his needs here, perhaps the effort is worth an attempt-
As if reading him, both the dice and the woman thwart his scheme. Charlie's lips tense beneath her fingers, smile skewed by the way she holds him.
He'll let her up without trouble, eyes darting to her watch before returning to meet hers. Not content unless he wastes another second of her time, Charlie rings his tongue along his bottom lip to stretch it after his release before offering her parting words.] Huh.
Nice to meet you, I guess. [He's clearly pleased with her, his hesitance is only a coy acknowledgement of Ishmael's own dismay.] Charlie, by the way. In case you need to call a guy to lose for you again.
[ so he really did not mind losing, huh... what a weirdo. then again, if it weren't for his encouragement, ishmael wouldn't know how to traverse this highly sexual world right on the onset. besides, it's not like she hated doing those with him either. in fact, she'd be lying if she didn't like how easy he was from this game alone.
she's silent for a moment, eyeing him more carefully before letting out a sigh, her flush still visible on her face. ]
Call me Ishmael. And... Yeah. We'll probably see each other again.
[ just a little feeling. mostly the fact that she was denied from coming, which she will forever hold against him until their next encounter.
...
yeah, she's going to take a break and get off in somewhere secluded after this. after that, the game is back on. ]
[Aak's smile gets wide and playful when Keita agrees. He's fine taking that as an agreement to any number of things. He hasn't learned quite how Keita says no yet. Hopefully, if it's needed, he's able to say it loudly enough. Aak refuses to acknowledge that it's weird to put the onus of stopping something on the receiver and not the giver. He feels like he's grown a lot just to deem some people worthy of stopping for.]
Wait, I want to do it! [he bounces a bit on his heel and, thankfully, nothing is dislodged from his pile.]
There's gotta be a room for this kinda thing, right? Like, at least a bathroom or something...
[He looks back and forth, checking for any of the brightly lit signs on the game room floor. The privacy was really a second thought to a place being convenient and having room for him to set down his armful of treasures. There were the private game rooms as an option, there were the bathrooms, or the private lounges... well, they would be an option if not for the specialized party rooms excluding most of their traits.]
[ there's a little twist of excitement in his belly when seimei speaks, when he drags his teeth over dan heng's thumb, when he does more or less anything. while dan heng is a confident young man, he is not nearly as forward when it comes to interpersonal relationships - and not at all, where intimacy is concerned.
yet this man moves and speaks and acts with a graceful self-assurance that is almost enviable. perhaps someday dan heng can learn the same.
for now, however, he's still rather shy, his cheeks burning when those warm lips touch the delicate skin inside his palm, feeling the pressure through leather glove. his eyes flick down toward it, then up again, meeting seimei's gaze. ]
That sounds like cheating. I haven't earned it.
[ though he applies a little pressure to seimei's lower lip nonetheless, as he reaches with his free hand to push the dice across the low table. ]
[ Meanwhile Xue Yang has zero intention of letting Wei Wuxian out of this conversation. Which is very related to why his arm is still being held captive. (And that at least gives him an incentive to leave it attached?) ]
The knowledge of the task was conveyed differently from how your name was called? Why? Is the task decided unconsciously?
[ In which case it would mean one is an intentional choice, the other not, and they could get conveyed accordingly. If it's actually not intentional, that makes another person's use of the ritual even more difficult to influence... ]
[ A glance up and down the hall containing the games doesn't reveal anything that could be immediately used for privacy and convenience, but as far as Keita's mental map of the hotel goes... He thinks it through for a moment, then snaps his fingers and turns back to Aak. ]
Mating Season shouldn't be too far from here, [ Keita suggests. ] We could use one of the rooms there, if you can carry those for another minute.
[ Frankly, Keita often forgets about Mating Season entirely, but it should only be down the hallway and would be quite a convenient option as far as having a place to put down Aak's collection and give the collar a test run. ]
( good thing aventurine tends to exert quite the impressive amount of self-control in spite of his recklessness; otherwise, the way he internally laments reno leaving his lap would be far more than just an internalized emotion. two can play this game, he thinks, but why postpone the inevitable?
it is as reno said, after all. )
Does it count as giving up if it's to take you somewhere a little more private... Is what you said, isn't it?
( a smile, knowing and certainly implied, as aventurine gets up from the chair. he doesn't bother wearing his pants again, nor does he mind if reno can see the way he's clearly starting to get a little too excited over their game.
besides - if he forfeits first, then it means reno would win, and aventurine had never the intention to truly play their game to victory, really. a little fun, and then a reward to his opponent. you could say reno had been simply lucky.
his eyes turn to his watch, and - ) There's plenty of games for us to play, wouldn't you say? You win some, and you lose some. For this one, it's my loss.
( and the house accepts his defeat, flashing LOSER on his watch as result. )
So how about you and I go have some more fun elsewhere, my friend?
( this too is a gamble. the sunday he knows - the sunday he remembers - would not have readily given up victory in any game he plays. he would have taken this opportunity, this further insight into the rules, to truly shape a path only he walks.
but this sunday does not. this sunday gives in and gives up, and what it tells aventurine is only that he no longer spreads his wings over others, casting a captive shadow nigh impossible to escape from. this sunday accepts defeat, embraces it, empowers it, as autonomy and freedom both. this sunday expects a level of honesty from a man who has lost before, and was humbled for it.
victory is never a taste aventurine enjoys either. the chips he does not need. assumptions that attach to his name, and though little does he care, it's bittersweet, isn't it? that it might just create more rumors about the avgin, all because of him. that it reinforces stereotypes.
aventurine sighs, and rises from his seat. )
Tell me one more thing, Mr. Sunday. How does it feel, to lose? Is it freeing?
[Of course Reno remembers his own words, but having them said back to him like this, with the promise of something to come wo audible in it, that Reno is already smirking before his watch even announces his win. He doesn't care about the win in any way, it was never about that anyway. He wanted them to have fun and Aventurine clearly is having his, just as much as Reno.]
I wouldn't call it your loss though. Not once we're finished, [he winks at the other, taking it all in, and gets up, only to then stop and look a little sheepishly at Aventurine.]
Would love to. Once you tell me where we can go, since I don't yet have a room in here?
Oh! Yea, they've gotta give us something, that's like, their whole thing!
[He agrees with a smile. He adjusts his arms one more time for stability's sake then turns to the right direction. There's a short beep from his Watch. He looks a bit irritated but it stops and he doesn't have to do anything with it. Shut up, timer, he's having fun here.]
Bet I can beat you there!
[Aak starts off at a quick pace, completely ignoring if he sheds any toys from his pile as he goes. He's either trusting Keita will stop to pick them up as a distraction or that Keita truly won't care about winning a foot race to the Mating Season front desk.]
Well, that's one way to kill the mood. [Miko's voice is low and she speaks mostly under her breath. She murmurs it with very little edge to her voice. After all, there really was no "mood" to begin with save for a little bit of teasing that never fully got off the ground. There's no more effective way to hammer that home than by making that kind of comparison.]
All right, you got me. I love to see people squirm, but I'm much better at listening than whoever you've been dealing with before me.
[She scoots off of the table, making sure to smooth her skirt down along her leg as soon as she does.] Just go ahead and we'll forfeit all the remaining turns and call it done.
[ Red replies a bit sourly - a bit sarcastic. She's not sure if she should be taking that comment at face value or not and so she's a little prickly about. Or maybe it's the situation she finds herself in. Hard to say. ]
...fine. Done is done. You can call it your win, honestly.
[ It still winds him to hear with such certainty. So much that a shiver ripples down his back, the delicate draw of her fingertips over his hair the epicenter. Eventually, he lifts back up on his elbows after taking his fill of affection. It's more than enough for someone like him, and yet the act of parting sends a throb of reluctance through his chest. Lighter would seem a greedy man outside of this room, steeped in the freedom of sunlight, the taste of victory and renown. No one would never know he doesn't want for any of it. ]
Whenever you want, alright? [ A quiet and damp flicker of his breath against her cheek, the shadow of a kiss on the bright glow of her skin. ] I'll be here.
[ The words are for him too, a precursor to the shift of his body. He runs his arm low to urge her to relax her thigh and move her leg aside, easing himself off her in a final wet slide of intimate skin. Flopping down beside her on the mattress, he's silent a moment before beckoning her back to him. ]
You seemed tired. [ Even before — but anyone would be, he thinks, after the last 168 hours. ] While we so generously have this room, maybe we should clean up and see about that nap you mentioned.
[ Well, Aak's assessment of Keita is right on the money: he does pause to collect the fallen toys as they make their way to Mating Season. In his defense, Aak seemed so proud of his collection it really would be a shame to let any of them go to waste, wouldn't it? So by the time he arrives behind Aak at the front desk, Keita is also bearing a similar, although much smaller, pile of toys, which he doesn't have it in him to try to explain when the staff member behind the desk swings their gaze between him and Aak. ]
A private room, please.
[ A quick watch payment, and then before long another staff member is leading them down the hallway toward an open door that leads to exactly the private room that Keita had requested. It's fairly simple but at least well-appointed, like a hotel room with a large bed, a bathroom with a tub set off to the side, and a basket of supplies sitting on the nightstand.
Keita deposits his armful of toys on one of the nearby chairs, then carefully disentangles his collar and leash from the pile. ]
Do you have any others you'd like to put to use? [ he asks. ] If we're here anyway, we may as well get what we can out of it, don't you think?
[ THANKS............ at least his arm is safe, for now.
Unfortunately, at Xue Yang's question, Wei Wuxian is thinking the same thing. He hadn't thought about it like that before and has to give it a good think before he's able to respond, chewing over the details in his head. ]
I think he knew what he wanted me to do, his desire was so strong that it was conveyed without needing to say it. I'm not sure if the summoner needs a specific task in mind before they summon the spirit, or just a desire to be present for the spirit to absorb. But no, he called for me, but he didn't say "kill my entire family for me" afterwards.
I think a lot of this depends on the caster's intentions, and how badly they want their request fulfilled. That's the key part.
[Miko walks her fingers along the table, taking away eye contact in a way she's sure will be frustrating.] Yes, you can run along now.
[She says it like she's shooing Red off, but really, knowing the way things work here, Miko assumes there's no prize to be had at all if they end prematurely. What a letdown.
But what an annoying victory it would be - against someone so lost and so keen on self-denial. She'll have to keep an eye on this one.]
[ Perhaps not unexpectedly, the phrase "kill my entire family for me" gets absolutely no reaction from Xue Yang. After all, what else would someone sacrifice themself to call Wei Wuxian specifically for? ]
When you have someone performing the ritual intentionally they're obviously gonna want it pretty badly, but if you're making someone do it that's not necessarily true. I should try it out. I bet I could get it working in five or six attempts. With enough refinement it could be a good option for guaranteeing you can come back after your death instead of having to leave it to chance.
[ And doesn't that sound delightful? Xue Yang setting up his own rebirth! ]
[ Red grits her teeth and for a moment it almost seems like she might stick around to argue the point - but then common sense gets the better of her and she slouches off with a little mutter.
You're no longer at liberty to ask questions, Mr. Aventurine.
[His voice is quiet between them, barely enough volume to carry over the crowd and clamor around them, a casino made busy with wealth running through the blood of its veins. He remains seated, and his gaze is slower to pick itself up from the table to meet the shocking brightness of the gambler's unnatural dual-toned eyes.]
Do you wish for me to give something away for free? Or is it truly your own curiosity? To understand how it feels to lose.
[Only one of them failed, after all. He researched this man's background for a reason — and in the fallout, in the encounter with another senior member, he was made aware of Aventurine's survival. So "death" had not reached him with finality.]
I'll tell you another time. In light of everything that has happened, including my own loss just now... it feels good to deny you this.
[ features pinched into an expression nothing short of snooty, mona lifts her nose into the air and huffs. her fingers are still curled into kizuna's side, and she tightens them again as she leans forward to coddle into his chest. the large brim of her hat casts an intimidating shadow over her face—or would have. objectively, she looks like an affronted kitten right now.
mona thrusts her other hand out and makes a shooing gesture. ]
You have wasted enough of my precious time. Begone with you!
[ the guard visibly flusters further, and then steps aside with a deep bow. ]
And I would be wary. I may just report this to the host. That isn't something desirable to you, is it? [ mona pauses, and then smiles smoothly. her gaze is sharp. ] I'll conveniently forget this transgression if you provide us a few simple pleasures once we've situated.
[ He's not even sure he's charming in the first place, even if he's been largely agreeable and relaxed about the situation they find themselves in. Everyone has their limit though, and given they're not exactly being allowed of the gambling hall anyways to make privacy an option... ]
I'll throw then.
[ Broca's not hurting for money like a new arrival would be. He can take the hit and lose the game without real consequence. ]
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