【 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.
(not that she won't have expected that, lappland was the one that didn't care much for shame (or anywhere near that) when it comes to these things. texas however, did not enjoy waking up to being in a thin nightgown on arrival. the only positive to that was she wound up roomed with reed; not so much the afterparts about the dares....and the auction. well, whatever. the panicking valet aside, she only nods in their direction. which helps a little to calm them down, they didn't exactly want a death during this party to happen.
right. she'll get in this monstrosity of a car, that's what she was climbing in for. maybe this time without the truck crashing through walls part of their experiences together.) They have clothes set up around the parking lot, or that's what I thought I saw. I only was allowed out since I got requested to come down here from the party. (not. exactly what she wants to deal with (people were getting high) and it was looking like a helluva rager going on. she's almost certainly the one people would find partying with penguin logistics, sure, but even texas has her limits when she gets comfortable in the passenger seat.)
As for where here is? Don't even think about the usual, they take weapons. This place is the Golden Peacock's parking lot. Where I wound up at five months ago.
(as long as she doesn't have to keep smelling secondhand smoke, she's fine. that also was very annoying about the scent of twig. she rather deal with the bubbly champagne some of the guests were drinking than that.)
[ she’s not exactly thrilled to be in a flimsy nightie like this like some ingenue or damsel but… she won’t say exactly if she doesn’t mind texas seeing her like this. not that she supposes this could be anything but anti-fanservice for texas but, oh well. ]
Fascinating. A golden peacock, so you say. [ whatever that might be. she reaches over texas to close the door for her, maybe accidentally-on-purpose giving her another eyeful of the robe falling open a little more. but she has plausible deniability here, absolutely. ] That sure explains a lot of things! [ or maybe nothing at all, but she’ll let texas spill more, maybe while she looks for a way out. the limo purrs smoothly down the garage as she searches for the exit. ]
I wouldn’t even mind exploring the place more but maybe after a little field trip outside for some fresh air.
[ one ear twitches; it sure would be nice to get her weapons back, but she supposes a competent kidnapper would dispose of them. … slightly more importantly, she doesn’t know where zaaro is. he should be shadowing her even through a kidnapping. it’d probably be a good idea to look for him, there’s no telling what a restless bastard like him might be up to without someone like lappland to yank back on his leash. ]
(maybe she did eye her a little, blame it on the spade mark she has covered up. that's what texas is doing. blaming that, though it burns on her left hand in response to the thought. almost as though it's calling her out for doing as she normally would with denying plausibility in anything she does. doesn't help that she might have stared more when the gown "mysteriously" fell open a little more. she wants to hit her with her cane for that. whatever, she'll keep pretending she was innocently staring before turning her attention towards what lappland is doing.
what she's doing is....not exactly going to help her. there are no exits. none that would take them back home.
not even any that would help in any form. they're going to be here for a bit while she explains perhaps, but that's nothing unusual. plus with lappland here....yes, she realizes that also means more trouble. she's smart enough to consider that while on this little drive, but it's not exactly something texas would bring up at the moment. she has to play tour guide a little, or whatever this counts as. it isn't like they're going to be here for a short period of time. texas has after all, five months of her stay under her belt. as unfortunate as that is.)
That's the name of the resort, the Golden Peacock.
(she needs to get that out of the way first, but it's the remark about lappland wanting fresh air that causes her to almost feel bad about bursting her bubble. she's going to have to learn eventually, so, it might as well be texas that says this.)
There is no outside, the resort only has a specific area that counts somewhat. That's the Vale and the other spaces around it, no exit down here or anywhere.
[ aw, it's kind of funny that texas has wandering eyes. kind of nice, she supposes. ... maybe she'll stop thinking about this.
also, what a strange thing to say. ] There has to be an outside, Texas. If there's an 'inside', there's an 'outside'. Otherwise what are all these cars in here for! If this is a resort guests surely have to come from somewhere.
[ though, her criminal mind is already ticking--a potentially unstable kidnapper might capture people and call them guests and keep them... somewhere, wherever this is. this whole garage could be underground several stories and then the exit filled in, maybe? but if that were so it'd be such a chore to transport this many vehicles down here and then get rid of an exit/entry point and...
she continues roaming down the aisles of cars. one ear flicks in a gesture that just barely might approach unease. actually she also has to consider the fact that texas was captured here in the first place too. ]
Why don't you start explaining, if you know so much about this place.
(she's not kidding, she did drive around down there. on a motorcycle while trying to vent her frustration about some things that happened to her before. who wants to wind up getting turned into a werewolf, thrown around two elevators from hell, and dealing with getting hunted around like she was for sport? bunch of assholes. that's what those people were that decided to go hunting for her and broca. she even helped them hunt down other guests who became monsters too, but texas isn't lying. she isn't joking about this. they're not able to leave the parking lot by driving, they have to take the elevator up.
nobody comes down there often, but texas prefers to drive when she gets a chance to. that's always helped clear her head more than just sitting around up in her suit, that or her using it to avoid going near certain places she frequents. she's been feeling out of place enough, for being stuck there nearing half a year. not what she wanted to deal with given they both have things to do, texas does and she knows it. lappland? she's known her too, she's not stupid enough to assume lappland would want to stay in this place.
not with whatever the silver wolf was cooking up, the unease is obvious. if someone caught cellinia, it's obvious that she would get out. usually. so what hasn't she escaped for? the answer is there, because she can't. there is no leaving, there's not even a proper exit while she leans back into the passenger seat. lappland might not be putting it together because she did recently wind up there (which puts the responsibility on texas) since they don't really do much for newbies.)
Fine. The House holds us all here, any shot at leaving is not on the table. The expectations are on us to do as it wants. Which is having sex. That's what it wants primarily, the guests to be having it, and often.
(she's paid enough attention, learned some things. not as much as the others that have been here for a year, but she picked up on a thing or two in the end. that was, she had to play along, her suit flare up months ago twice over was enough to suggest that. don't even get her started on when it was incredibly active and annoying her.
it might even be saturated right now without texas thinking to check, if only slightly. she didn't bother to look before getting dressed and those gloves on.)
Because of it, the foods often laced and drinks are spiked. I was told the only safe place to remotely eat or drink anything at is the Red Cardinal, because Jin Mingming refuses to allow that shit to fly.
[ well that's sure not what she was expecting to hear. she rolls with the punches for the most part and she was pretty casual about being captured here all things considered but this is kind of testing even her limits of believeability. she even has to stop the car mid-aisle while the garage seemingly truly has no exit at all and she just puts the hummer in park and looks at texas for a moment as if to make sure she's not lying.
then lean in a little and take her shoulders and scent at her, head tilt, one ear flicking. it looks like texas, smells like texas, sounds like texas... she knows there have been at least one instance of spies in deception and disguise but as far as she knows, this is definitely texas. even though texas appears to be looking at her a little more than she normally does, but she could assume it's because whoever captured her really had to go and take her clothes. ]
So, whoever or whatever brought us... guests... here, just to have sex.
[ saying it aloud still makes it sound pretty surreal.
... ] Is there a reason why, at least. Or is the House just owned by a huge pervert.
See, that's what I don't know. We're expected to play the Game, Game 52 as it's called. The whole resort takes energy from us having sex, but nothing more than that was answered for me.
(which leaves dealing with. well. lappland, lappland didn't seem to have noticed that her own suit works against her, yet. which means revealing things that she wouldn't have before. prodding her into more reckless behavior, while also pushing texas into doing things that she'd normally keep hidden. that also includes....yeah, it includes being more open on her feelings slightly toward lappland. aka, the staring, the dirty thoughts that it's trying to push on her against her will. fuck. that's not exactly how she would like to be exposed. even with her coming close to smell her scent. there's nothing different to it. nothing except cologne that was forced on texas though that's subtle.
she shouldn't however hide that she's a player is the other thing, which is why cellinia does reach to remove her left glove. right along the back of her hand is that spade mark she was given, the wolves making up the shape of it also were interesting. one had the same colors as texas (unsaturated, mostly, save for a slight color) and the other? the other seems familiar, colors that match....lappland.)
You get marked with one of these, somewhere.
(no, she's not going to answer why her spade mark took that shape. why it looks like them as wolves. she has a feeling on why, but she doesn't want to say it given circumstances between them are....complicated. complicated enough as is, with or without the haunted resort.
[ however differently texas is acting, she'll allow for it with the freedom of simply letting others do what they will. she wouldn't actually claim to be the person who knows texas best after all, though something of that fact stings in her and she wouldn't admit it. there's an understanding between them and there's a distance, and she knows even back in those dog days in siracusa even she knew giovanna was closer to texas than herself. texas staring at her is flattering, sure. but she supposes that's all it is.
it's what she tries to tell herself as she looks at the suit mark on texas' hand, not quite saying anything. something deep in her chest aches with a longing she only occasionally tries to tamp down on. a secret that could barely be a secret at all when it may as well have directed almost every single action she'd taken in her life until just recently. and there's something in the back of her mind that practically ticks like a clock, or growls like some creature in the night, that they're both captives here in some apparent sex resort that encourages lots of fucking or whatever for whatever purpose.
... ] Cute little mark you have there. [ trying to be casual about it, but she can't help the heaviness in her heart just to look at it. like trying not to reawaken something like yearning. maybe there's nothing amazingly complicated about it at all, she just doesn't exactly want to say it aloud.
and then there's a blink, a skeptical look at texas again, ] And what do you mean, haunted. By the ghosts of people who've been fucked to death?
[ just hazarding a wild guess as if to distract herself. ]
(it almost seethes at that, right. cute her ass, it likes to torture her too much. if lappland's mind games were something she's known, this is worse than that. playing upon her emotions, things she never says or always thinks about. everything underneath the surface that she would never let out. from the lowest thoughts about herself to now, with the truth of the matter in how she practically was a coward. is a coward. this is nothing except secrets exposed in silence, why would the wolves be their colors? only texas can answer that if she felt like. maybe lappland realized a little for all she knows, but there's more to it than they'd ever say to one another.
texas might never be truthful, lappland might never admit it herself. she could try and push her towards sora, but that isn't texas. everything has always been this way. complicated, so very complicated. they were a pair of wolves, lone wolves. she's stuck there and it's only looking like for her duration of five months that things might only get worse. she's seen enough in people she grew to know that this resort destroys people. there's no other way around that, it tears them apart and to pieces however it sees fit. the only reason why texas is still standing is because....because she knows and remembers.
there's nothing that can compare to what happened in siracusa, in brunello and columbia for them. not the sexual aspect of this hellhole, not the forced ranking system. and especially not the sight of texas long-suffering from a desire for some sense of end to this insanity. she's gone through more than that, it's clear in how she sits. how she's been thinking about things further. that maybe, this could be her own purgatory for her misdeeds of playing ignorant and pretending that she did not care. that she deserves a lot of the suffering she goes through over one thing. it's still her fault, partially, for not saying anything.)
Ghosts, yes. I've had them grab me and drag me off on the upper levels to a party, by the way, you're my plus one now. They're not going to let you escape it. No idea how they died, but they exist, and they've annoyed me in the gym locker room often.
(which....means that they need to get lappland dressed up, before they go up there. not her idea of a good time, either. but there's little else she can do; that didn't mean they'd be able to avoid the party in any case.)
I only was allowed out like I mentioned since they called me down here, the party is a week long.
Brats can be cute. [ ... sure, let's just say that much. anyway as nice as the mark is, she doesn't really know what the hell it is besides looking pretty for. whatever texas might give of her is what she'll take. she's probably resigned herself to a life of that much. if she were any more selfish, if she could possibly just take what she wants with no regard for anyone else, how simple things could be.
but she'd given up on that. she knows for her entire life she really can't rely on anyone, and a part of her knows texas wouldn't spare anything for her after all either consciously and knowingly or just as a matter of fact. it's something she just has to accept.
nothing else to it. no use being upset over it. she's not even upset. no use assigning fault or blame or anything. just easier to accept these things. ]
Looks like those ghosts have you on quite a leash. What a shame.
But I'm still not quite convinced there isn't an outside. Now this thing might not be a truck but, hmmm~ remember that little trick I pulled off back in Volsinii?
[ maybe there's very few problems that can't be solved by smashing a vehicle straight into, at least in lappland logic. ]
(oh. it took a second for her to realize she just said that, oops. immediately she tries to bite her tongue more, the spade mark burns in delight. she said something so lovely that it might even not have to do much to push her. her glove is quickly fixed back on her left hand, and texas is trying to avoid saying anything more on that remark. or that revelation to be more specific. no, she did not just say that. she did not just call lappland acting like a brat "cute". that is not what happened, while she makes an attempt to force her head elsewhere.
unfortunately, texas won't be getting out of that too easily. there is no way that she would be able to after the mark finds it amusing. god, please someone kill her? later she might even wonder if she dreamed this up while hoping that the party doesn't kill her, either. she rather not die from a week of partying, she also rather not be stuck in one for that long. not around the amount of shit that can happen from these events based off her minimal knowledge. she doesn't know a lot. hell, some things are going to remain a mystery until certain people she knows talks.
the ghosts, right. wait, why did she just talk about what she thinks she did? texas stares blankly at lappland, almost as if dumbfounded she asked that. if she seriously does that, it's not going to go the way she thinks. no, it's going to go the opposite of what she thinks. texas can tell that much about it with the risk, reward type deal that she's prone to.)
Don't even try it. This isn't going to work it way it did back home.
(please don't do what she thinks is about to happen, she rather not near going flying out the window.)
[ she's just about to consider which point of the garage might be the most likely potential or best point to smash a limo right into and test whether this truly might be underground or if there really is a wall that could be broken through. she can't scent anything of an outside, she can't quite sense anything in particular with pressure to give away whether this is deep underground, but genuinely there should be nothing to lose and anything of information to gain of just trying to force-crash an escape. in lappland logic.
she starts down the aisle in search of the most promising looking wall or a promising at all wall and... then slams straight on the breaks, because of all responses she sure wasn't expecting that. her face is a little red as she turns to texas, ] All right, something's definitely happened to you to say something like that!
[ texas has never called her cute in her life. well honestly, maybe nobody in her entire life has ever called her cute in her life. she kind of has to reel or gather herself mentally from how completely unexpected an attack that is, when anything close to a compliment is probably just about nonexistent for her. ]
Maybe you do need a wake-up call. The whole of Siracusa couldn't hold you, and I should believe that a haunted sex resort can?
I told you, I've been here for five months. Do you really think I was sitting on my ass?
(five months of figuring out how to escape, but there was something she didn't mention. something that she....maybe she ought to then, reluctantly. she doesn't want to talk about it. honestly, who wants to explain that they got auctioned off nearly to a bunch of freaks? got hunted down like a wild animal for trying to avoid said auction at the time? texas didn't. she also didn't want to talk about her other experiences, but this is lappland. and god does she dislike the way that part of her finds the fact she's blushing to be cute.
that has to be that mark again, the way it burns about like it's laughing at her being unable to hide this much about how she feels. damn brat. she wants to burn it off her hand, but that's not likely to change anything about her situation. which leaves this as being a load of bullshit she's getting herself deeper into. all because it decided now was the time to start pushing and testing her again.)
Because I'll tell you right now, the last time I tried? I was dragged on stage by security for an auction, the auction was for me. They haven't done those again in some time, but they knew too much. They had my first name.
[ well probably to be completely honest, she's a hundred times more accepting of texas calling her insane and disgusting than cute. she'd just about agree with that more so than anything close to cute. actually the fact that texas is looking at her like this and being oddly... maybe there are times that lappland just about thinks if they could even have a somewhat cordial conversation, she should be happy enough with that. and in some ways, she is.
it's just reality that it doesn't go beyond that, and she knows it. ]
I don't think that.
But I suppose I'm used to you beating the odds, until I have to give you a little helping hand. [ like busting into a courtroom. texas put on trial was rather entertaining, but... maybe she can't help it, maybe it's just completely unavoidable or not even an option for her not to help texas or do anything for texas. she simply does it. she'd barely consider anything otherwise. it's not even exactly a matter of sympathy, it's just the secret she buries like a body in an unmarked grave in her chest. ]
And who bought you at auction? [ just. wondering. ]
I'm being honest with you, it's not as easy as driving ourselves out. I don't even know what's happened in five months since I've been gone.
(so she's acting differently after having time to think, time to....consider some things. even if that spade mark is being annoying, this is one of the rarer times for them. when was the last time they spoke? or when was the last time that the two of them would sneak gazes like young lovesick pups until their eyes met? texas was better at hiding it, but she always knew when lappland was looking at her. in some ways, she was on her mind more than anything else. cellinia can't answer that as to why, but she did think about her too often.
more than she did exusiai, more than sora. even recently, she started talking about her bit by bit. never by name, not until recently after a conversation with the one person that did rescue her from that auction. weiss. weiss who she also had to explain that she didn't have romantic intentions with over a christmas present that she bought her.)
And maybe I got to thinking more that I haven't been the best of people with you.
(she'll. admit that much, it satisfies that mark so it's not burning or misbehaving while her amber eyes go straight to her hands. her ears almost uncharacteristically flat, seems that she loosened up a little in her training enough in lappland's presence.)
An acquaintance. I got told a few things by her, later found out that Broca and Aak are here....Broca was how I found out the foods laced and so is the drinks in most places, aside from the Red Cardinal.
[ her mouth twitches; she finally actually taps into her famiglia training to keep her ears and tail stiff and still. she's been trained in the famiglia. pressured or just about crushed underfoot to be a soldier and the heiress. texas sure is saying some pretty unbelievable things, but she supposes she doesn't necessarily have to believe texas' words. anyone can say anything to take others off guard, enemy or even ally.
those days in siracusa... how funny, she might as well have been some lovesick puppy. maybe the only thing that really changed is time and how they've grown up, or maybe too much has changed. her mind ticks. she can make some conscious decisions, she decides, on what to take seriously or not. the mention of the other two operators, she thinks, isn't even really terribly important. she'd always been a lone wolf even in operations. ]
It's good to know what foods and drinks are safe than not. All things considered it's smarter not to trust food from a captor anyway. And of course I doubt it'd be as easy as driving out, I'm just trying to test a few options here.
You're acting strange, Texas. There's more you're not telling me, I'm sure.
[ she could venture a guess what might even be causing it. her innate and uncanny criminal intuition. ]
(what else does she have to say? everything? she doesn't want to start with everything, whether lappland believes her or not is up to her. that also means that she has to be honest further, which also doesn't help the situation. because they're not just stuck here. they're all on the receiving end of things that they want nowhere near. all forced on them, anything discomforting and everything that was just about dangerous in itself. she didn't know the full story, but there's been enough texas has seen to get her idea on the resort.
what idea that she has, is that it's not going to let go of people whether they complete their decks or not. the wish felt too good to be true, and many people she's known seemed more like they were giving up on the idea for having had been there a year in comparison to her five months. almost six months. the thought is enough to make her sick, but she doesn't say that even while she thinks about it. if she has to say more, then....)
There's a hierarchy. Low ranks receive the worst treatment, face cards receive the best. The marks also.... (admit it, texas.) The marks when they saturate fully don't stop making you hormonal until you're satisfied. People also turn into statues from what I was told and disappear.
(please don't ask her how she knows, it should be obvious about the mark. she doesn't like being vulnerable. just like there's a reason why it was slightly saturated when she showed lappland....)
[ the new potentiality or reality of being stuck in a sex resort is... well she'll have to wrap her mind around it a little. maybe for now, she could think of it as a nuisance. it'll be inconvenient. there are things she needs to do, a few goals she wants to accomplish, this sure would be getting in the way of that. sex, however, isn't a terribly big ordeal for her however much she's had or not, however much she's wanted a certain person or not. she's already accepted the reality that the world isn't exactly about getting what she wants. the low rank of being a lone wolf, the future that waits her for being infected. the future of turning into a statue or rather dust and ashes is already her reality. ]
Whoa, what a terrible fate that is. [ in the tone of voice of someone maybe putting a fraction of an effort into not sounding like a psychopath. she'd barely put in even that amount of care at all; that she's trying now is like her familiar pretense in trying to get along with others, because she does occasionally do that. the look she levels at texas is something brittle, calculative.
it was obvious enough speculation that something had to be the matter with that mark. one ear flicks, as if to betray the smallest tremor in her chest. how really, really inconvenient. it's simple if people think she's insane or even if texas does. it's actually just personally inconvenient if she's not even as crazed as someone might think after all. ]
But it might be a simple enough solution to fuck an ailment like that away, hm?
[ the brittleness lingers in her chest that, she could assume, someone bought texas at auction and something like that would happen. ]
I didn't have this when I was auctioned off, I wasn't touched during that also. The most that was done was buying me to get me out of there after she noticed that I was a wildcard, plus me being shown around.
(somewhat, she had to deal with more after. on check-in, she was given her rank and conveniently, it was high. she didn't mind that. it has uses, all she needed to do was keep her bank full and survive. try not to let that mark saturate fully, even. the times it's happened weren't something that she wants to see more of. she hated it. nothing about it felt good, not after. not how she would have acted, more volatile, more like a wild animal. none of that is something she likes to think about, the becoming a statue part included. she didn't want to think more about that because who wants to consider becoming a lifelike stone statue?
she's seen the damn things, the ones that aren't players. they would stare at her and flare her senses badly.
that something is off, something had to be off. but texas doesn't say this like she's not caring. if looked at closer, she's....struggling, no that's been this whole time in the resort. she's good at hiding these things, but there are limits. there's always limits to how far that can go. vulnerability is something that she's always despised, but that's nothing easily changed in her. she can't tell. maybe it's better to say she's showing more care than she ran away from showing in brunello.)
Lappland. I....
(she pauses, uncertain, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. maybe she's not fit for this, maybe she isn't okay for holding out this long. is she going to die there? are they going to? she doesn't know.)
[ ... well she supposes she won't be crashing into a wall. right now, anyway. for now.
there's another level look at texas, then she pulls into a parking spot and turns the car off. actually she'll be surprised if texas really fears anything like death. it may as well be something lappland's embraced long ago, but she supposes she doesn't have any other choice. and if there are idle fantasies of killing texas or having texas die with her... such dreams would only remain those dreams, when the rest of her and all of her is dedicated to the point of insanity or complete incurable sickness, infatuation. she turns off the car. ]
... Want to move to the back?
[ the luxury hummer limo is pretty damn spacious. there are cushioned seats. even a bed. ridiculously fitted out, one of those vehicles lappland really would like nothing more to wreck. her blackened heart practically has to steel herself for... well, what can she say. texas is her friend and enemy and far too much more. hopelessly, completely, it's impossible for her not to want to help texas even in some matter like this. she'd always wanted--
want is something that could practically be so negligible and selfish for her at the same time. ]
(maybe it's better to say that it's not a fear of death, but a fear that they'd never see what was their home again. maybe even wondering how much worse it can get. she doesn't have those fantasies lappland does (she has nightmares that never fade away instead) which is a given from their differences. she doesn't know what to think about it, but they're trapped here. they both are. what happens now? she doubts they could cure oripathy given broca still has it. aak spilled that during a conversation that she had with him over her outing herself in a game that everyone played during a mingle for the newcomers.
she doesn't say anything else, not at the moment. what she does is, she unbuckles that seatbelt she put on preemptively to not get herself killed if lappland did drive the limo into a wall. the offer is taken and texas leaves both that hat and cane in the passenger seat. the mask, too. she must look more out of place in this, maybe that she fits in too well whenever she hates that idea. she's left behind this life of luxury like lappland did. they weren't heiresses any longer, they were lone wolves. an exile and runaway. one more dangerous than the other, but she did take a seat somewhere that seems comfortable enough back there.
it's not as awkward as it usually is, that's one step forward for them. that cellinia didn't run again, that she's talking to her how she used to. not from how she would act instead of being honest, but just like when they were young pups. maybe this is a slight change for her. then again, after having five months to think, can she be blamed? she's fortunate that she didn't have this meeting happen while her mental state was all over the place during november from her transformation in october.)
You....also don't have to worry as much if you get given a low rank, if I have to then I'll use my rank. I don't care if you get pushed down to the basement like Broca and Aak are, or if the staff gets upset, you're staying with me if I can help that.
[ the windows are tinted and even curtained from the inside; a curtain divides the car from the driver's seat. she clambers to the back alongside texas. well, wearing nothing but a nightgown was a little amusing at first, even if of course it's definitely less layers than is prudent for an assassin like her. still...
she can practically feel her hackles raise a little at the offer. not exactly out of aggression, but, ] You're being so obliging or, uh... [ she practically struggles a little over what she's trying to say or articulate. it's just so surreal she still barely know how the fuck to handle this because she's used to a lifetime of texas basically stonewalling her. she's comfortable with that and with bothering texas. whatever this is is just taking her aback. ]
Or are you pitying me? I don't really care that much about rank, you know.
[ she may as well already be the lowest of the low, infected lone wolf. she really knows she can't rely on anyone but herself. constantly willing to help texas or even help others, she knows nobody would extend a hand to her... maybe amiya. and maybe texas only had once, twice, when she was already ready to die.
anyway, texas willingly saying something crazy like 'stay with me' is just so completely unrealistic to her she can't really believe the offer at all. ]
(no, she doesn't. that offer wasn't from pity, that was because she had enough of an idea on how horrible the basement is. between finding out broca avoids going back to his suite down there thanks to weiss and having had seen it multiple times, she's gotten an idea. she hasn't heard the moans, she hasn't heard everything. but....yeah, she had enough of an idea. too much of one. her legs are crossed while she sits calmly, tights covering them up and form fitting while texas thinks this over.
maybe it's better to just say that, they have plenty wrong with them, and it's not like cellinia helped that. five months of thinking has done enough. in this hellhole that is the golden peacock, she shouldn't do as she normally would. maybe that makes her spade mark burn in irritation, but she stands by her decision willingly. besides, the timing wasn't so bad on the specifics. they don't have to rush this (figuring out where to go from stonewalling to otherwise is different) since it isn't like they'll be leaving any time soon.)
Didn't I tell you that I had five months to think?
(she might hate the resort, but going at it alone is....also the other struggle. their natures as lone wolves might differ, but texas does still keep to herself strongly. nothing has changed in that. she can blend in seamlessly, fit in anywhere, but that doesn't change much else about her.
it's not like she's saying that per-say, but more that she does want to try and do something more. against her nature, against that spade mark burning. that brat really does annoy her.)
Believe me if you want to, or don't. I still offered it.
[ there was definitely a period of time she's pretty sure texas pitied sora, or else why would she hang around that girl. during a little stalking and investigating she could learn texas even rescued and helped sora and. isn't that nice!!! isn't that nice. isn't that just--
and then of course, there's common sense just telling her that the two of them must be genuine friends or more and isn't that just how reality works. friendship or more could somehow seem so impossible with herself. anyway it's natural for the strong to pity the weak. nothing particularly wrong with that. not that she thinks of herself as weak, not that she's particularly prideful, not that she doesn't like the idea of living with texas, it just sounds a little suspicious. ]
Looks like you've changed in those five months, then. [ somehow, possibly, even more so than in seven years. just maybe. she definitely would never expect texas to offer her a place when she'd found her in lungmen. ]
I'll think about it. [ ... ] Or I suppose it'll be convenient for you. It should go without saying I wouldn't mind... helping, with that mark of yours. Might as well keep someone like that close, if you're not already keeping three other girls in your bedroom or something.
[ maybe out of pocket, maybe more bitter than she should say. but she's always more than a little caustic or rotten, she just hasn't done anything about it. what a joke if her bark is just truly worse than her bite. ]
(the difference in the resort and lungmen is....stronger. honestly, the resort to texas beats siracusa. that's not an exaggeration on her part, either. it does feel like it in many ways and following that similar structure of dog-eat-dog isn't helping. broca might call her nuts for this, given he's the only other siracusan around aside from her and now lappland. then again, that's bound to happen at some point (knowing what history she has with lappland) thanks to some of the things cellinia is capable of. she didn't pity sora, she doesn't pity lappland. strength and weakness doesn't matter.
what matters is that she reached for it, and she's doing what she had done similarly for sora. as suspicious as it sounds, five months is still a lengthy period of time to think about things. five months separated from everyone. none of her friends are here, any friend's texas made does their own thing. she didn't place on them the expectation of worrying about her, texas even went as far as to try hiding she was injured before from them.)
I do have a spare bedroom.
(some unused things in her suite, too. that jacuzzi being one, but luckily she does use her kitchen and doesn't just gorge herself on sweets as a means of staying alive. she's not a child. texas did, however, bite the urge to roll her eyes. does lappland really think she's that bad to take girls and make a harem or something?
don't answer that. do not answer that.)
Lappland, nobody else stays with me. I'm not hiding some mysterious trio now in there, the guest room hasn't been touched by anyone.
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peacockstop2025-01-15 09:00 pm
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right. she'll get in this monstrosity of a car, that's what she was climbing in for. maybe this time without the truck crashing through walls part of their experiences together.) They have clothes set up around the parking lot, or that's what I thought I saw. I only was allowed out since I got requested to come down here from the party. (not. exactly what she wants to deal with (people were getting high) and it was looking like a helluva rager going on. she's almost certainly the one people would find partying with penguin logistics, sure, but even texas has her limits when she gets comfortable in the passenger seat.)
As for where here is? Don't even think about the usual, they take weapons. This place is the Golden Peacock's parking lot. Where I wound up at five months ago.
(as long as she doesn't have to keep smelling secondhand smoke, she's fine. that also was very annoying about the scent of twig. she rather deal with the bubbly champagne some of the guests were drinking than that.)
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Fascinating. A golden peacock, so you say. [ whatever that might be. she reaches over texas to close the door for her, maybe accidentally-on-purpose giving her another eyeful of the robe falling open a little more. but she has plausible deniability here, absolutely. ] That sure explains a lot of things! [ or maybe nothing at all, but she’ll let texas spill more, maybe while she looks for a way out. the limo purrs smoothly down the garage as she searches for the exit. ]
I wouldn’t even mind exploring the place more but maybe after a little field trip outside for some fresh air.
[ one ear twitches; it sure would be nice to get her weapons back, but she supposes a competent kidnapper would dispose of them. … slightly more importantly, she doesn’t know where zaaro is. he should be shadowing her even through a kidnapping. it’d probably be a good idea to look for him, there’s no telling what a restless bastard like him might be up to without someone like lappland to yank back on his leash. ]
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what she's doing is....not exactly going to help her. there are no exits. none that would take them back home.
not even any that would help in any form. they're going to be here for a bit while she explains perhaps, but that's nothing unusual. plus with lappland here....yes, she realizes that also means more trouble. she's smart enough to consider that while on this little drive, but it's not exactly something texas would bring up at the moment. she has to play tour guide a little, or whatever this counts as. it isn't like they're going to be here for a short period of time. texas has after all, five months of her stay under her belt. as unfortunate as that is.)
That's the name of the resort, the Golden Peacock.
(she needs to get that out of the way first, but it's the remark about lappland wanting fresh air that causes her to almost feel bad about bursting her bubble. she's going to have to learn eventually, so, it might as well be texas that says this.)
There is no outside, the resort only has a specific area that counts somewhat. That's the Vale and the other spaces around it, no exit down here or anywhere.
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also, what a strange thing to say. ] There has to be an outside, Texas. If there's an 'inside', there's an 'outside'. Otherwise what are all these cars in here for! If this is a resort guests surely have to come from somewhere.
[ though, her criminal mind is already ticking--a potentially unstable kidnapper might capture people and call them guests and keep them... somewhere, wherever this is. this whole garage could be underground several stories and then the exit filled in, maybe? but if that were so it'd be such a chore to transport this many vehicles down here and then get rid of an exit/entry point and...
she continues roaming down the aisles of cars. one ear flicks in a gesture that just barely might approach unease. actually she also has to consider the fact that texas was captured here in the first place too. ]
Why don't you start explaining, if you know so much about this place.
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(she's not kidding, she did drive around down there. on a motorcycle while trying to vent her frustration about some things that happened to her before. who wants to wind up getting turned into a werewolf, thrown around two elevators from hell, and dealing with getting hunted around like she was for sport? bunch of assholes. that's what those people were that decided to go hunting for her and broca. she even helped them hunt down other guests who became monsters too, but texas isn't lying. she isn't joking about this. they're not able to leave the parking lot by driving, they have to take the elevator up.
nobody comes down there often, but texas prefers to drive when she gets a chance to. that's always helped clear her head more than just sitting around up in her suit, that or her using it to avoid going near certain places she frequents. she's been feeling out of place enough, for being stuck there nearing half a year. not what she wanted to deal with given they both have things to do, texas does and she knows it. lappland? she's known her too, she's not stupid enough to assume lappland would want to stay in this place.
not with whatever the silver wolf was cooking up, the unease is obvious. if someone caught cellinia, it's obvious that she would get out. usually. so what hasn't she escaped for? the answer is there, because she can't. there is no leaving, there's not even a proper exit while she leans back into the passenger seat. lappland might not be putting it together because she did recently wind up there (which puts the responsibility on texas) since they don't really do much for newbies.)
Fine. The House holds us all here, any shot at leaving is not on the table. The expectations are on us to do as it wants. Which is having sex. That's what it wants primarily, the guests to be having it, and often.
(she's paid enough attention, learned some things. not as much as the others that have been here for a year, but she picked up on a thing or two in the end. that was, she had to play along, her suit flare up months ago twice over was enough to suggest that. don't even get her started on when it was incredibly active and annoying her.
it might even be saturated right now without texas thinking to check, if only slightly. she didn't bother to look before getting dressed and those gloves on.)
Because of it, the foods often laced and drinks are spiked. I was told the only safe place to remotely eat or drink anything at is the Red Cardinal, because Jin Mingming refuses to allow that shit to fly.
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then lean in a little and take her shoulders and scent at her, head tilt, one ear flicking. it looks like texas, smells like texas, sounds like texas... she knows there have been at least one instance of spies in deception and disguise but as far as she knows, this is definitely texas. even though texas appears to be looking at her a little more than she normally does, but she could assume it's because whoever captured her really had to go and take her clothes. ]
So, whoever or whatever brought us... guests... here, just to have sex.
[ saying it aloud still makes it sound pretty surreal.
... ] Is there a reason why, at least. Or is the House just owned by a huge pervert.
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(which leaves dealing with. well. lappland, lappland didn't seem to have noticed that her own suit works against her, yet. which means revealing things that she wouldn't have before. prodding her into more reckless behavior, while also pushing texas into doing things that she'd normally keep hidden. that also includes....yeah, it includes being more open on her feelings slightly toward lappland. aka, the staring, the dirty thoughts that it's trying to push on her against her will. fuck. that's not exactly how she would like to be exposed. even with her coming close to smell her scent. there's nothing different to it. nothing except cologne that was forced on texas though that's subtle.
she shouldn't however hide that she's a player is the other thing, which is why cellinia does reach to remove her left glove. right along the back of her hand is that spade mark she was given, the wolves making up the shape of it also were interesting. one had the same colors as texas (unsaturated, mostly, save for a slight color) and the other? the other seems familiar, colors that match....lappland.)
You get marked with one of these, somewhere.
(no, she's not going to answer why her spade mark took that shape. why it looks like them as wolves. she has a feeling on why, but she doesn't want to say it given circumstances between them are....complicated. complicated enough as is, with or without the haunted resort.
oh. right, that's the last thing.)
Also, the resort is haunted.
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it's what she tries to tell herself as she looks at the suit mark on texas' hand, not quite saying anything. something deep in her chest aches with a longing she only occasionally tries to tamp down on. a secret that could barely be a secret at all when it may as well have directed almost every single action she'd taken in her life until just recently. and there's something in the back of her mind that practically ticks like a clock, or growls like some creature in the night, that they're both captives here in some apparent sex resort that encourages lots of fucking or whatever for whatever purpose.
... ] Cute little mark you have there. [ trying to be casual about it, but she can't help the heaviness in her heart just to look at it. like trying not to reawaken something like yearning. maybe there's nothing amazingly complicated about it at all, she just doesn't exactly want to say it aloud.
and then there's a blink, a skeptical look at texas again, ] And what do you mean, haunted. By the ghosts of people who've been fucked to death?
[ just hazarding a wild guess as if to distract herself. ]
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(it almost seethes at that, right. cute her ass, it likes to torture her too much. if lappland's mind games were something she's known, this is worse than that. playing upon her emotions, things she never says or always thinks about. everything underneath the surface that she would never let out. from the lowest thoughts about herself to now, with the truth of the matter in how she practically was a coward. is a coward. this is nothing except secrets exposed in silence, why would the wolves be their colors? only texas can answer that if she felt like. maybe lappland realized a little for all she knows, but there's more to it than they'd ever say to one another.
texas might never be truthful, lappland might never admit it herself. she could try and push her towards sora, but that isn't texas. everything has always been this way. complicated, so very complicated. they were a pair of wolves, lone wolves. she's stuck there and it's only looking like for her duration of five months that things might only get worse. she's seen enough in people she grew to know that this resort destroys people. there's no other way around that, it tears them apart and to pieces however it sees fit. the only reason why texas is still standing is because....because she knows and remembers.
there's nothing that can compare to what happened in siracusa, in brunello and columbia for them. not the sexual aspect of this hellhole, not the forced ranking system. and especially not the sight of texas long-suffering from a desire for some sense of end to this insanity. she's gone through more than that, it's clear in how she sits. how she's been thinking about things further. that maybe, this could be her own purgatory for her misdeeds of playing ignorant and pretending that she did not care. that she deserves a lot of the suffering she goes through over one thing. it's still her fault, partially, for not saying anything.)
Ghosts, yes. I've had them grab me and drag me off on the upper levels to a party, by the way, you're my plus one now. They're not going to let you escape it. No idea how they died, but they exist, and they've annoyed me in the gym locker room often.
(which....means that they need to get lappland dressed up, before they go up there. not her idea of a good time, either. but there's little else she can do; that didn't mean they'd be able to avoid the party in any case.)
I only was allowed out like I mentioned since they called me down here, the party is a week long.
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but she'd given up on that. she knows for her entire life she really can't rely on anyone, and a part of her knows texas wouldn't spare anything for her after all either consciously and knowingly or just as a matter of fact. it's something she just has to accept.
nothing else to it. no use being upset over it. she's not even upset. no use assigning fault or blame or anything. just easier to accept these things. ]
Looks like those ghosts have you on quite a leash. What a shame.
But I'm still not quite convinced there isn't an outside. Now this thing might not be a truck but, hmmm~ remember that little trick I pulled off back in Volsinii?
[ maybe there's very few problems that can't be solved by smashing a vehicle straight into, at least in lappland logic. ]
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(oh. it took a second for her to realize she just said that, oops. immediately she tries to bite her tongue more, the spade mark burns in delight. she said something so lovely that it might even not have to do much to push her. her glove is quickly fixed back on her left hand, and texas is trying to avoid saying anything more on that remark. or that revelation to be more specific. no, she did not just say that. she did not just call lappland acting like a brat "cute". that is not what happened, while she makes an attempt to force her head elsewhere.
unfortunately, texas won't be getting out of that too easily. there is no way that she would be able to after the mark finds it amusing. god, please someone kill her? later she might even wonder if she dreamed this up while hoping that the party doesn't kill her, either. she rather not die from a week of partying, she also rather not be stuck in one for that long. not around the amount of shit that can happen from these events based off her minimal knowledge. she doesn't know a lot. hell, some things are going to remain a mystery until certain people she knows talks.
the ghosts, right. wait, why did she just talk about what she thinks she did? texas stares blankly at lappland, almost as if dumbfounded she asked that. if she seriously does that, it's not going to go the way she thinks. no, it's going to go the opposite of what she thinks. texas can tell that much about it with the risk, reward type deal that she's prone to.)
Don't even try it. This isn't going to work it way it did back home.
(please don't do what she thinks is about to happen, she rather not near going flying out the window.)
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she starts down the aisle in search of the most promising looking wall or a promising at all wall and... then slams straight on the breaks, because of all responses she sure wasn't expecting that. her face is a little red as she turns to texas, ] All right, something's definitely happened to you to say something like that!
[ texas has never called her cute in her life. well honestly, maybe nobody in her entire life has ever called her cute in her life. she kind of has to reel or gather herself mentally from how completely unexpected an attack that is, when anything close to a compliment is probably just about nonexistent for her. ]
Maybe you do need a wake-up call. The whole of Siracusa couldn't hold you, and I should believe that a haunted sex resort can?
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(five months of figuring out how to escape, but there was something she didn't mention. something that she....maybe she ought to then, reluctantly. she doesn't want to talk about it. honestly, who wants to explain that they got auctioned off nearly to a bunch of freaks? got hunted down like a wild animal for trying to avoid said auction at the time? texas didn't. she also didn't want to talk about her other experiences, but this is lappland. and god does she dislike the way that part of her finds the fact she's blushing to be cute.
that has to be that mark again, the way it burns about like it's laughing at her being unable to hide this much about how she feels. damn brat. she wants to burn it off her hand, but that's not likely to change anything about her situation. which leaves this as being a load of bullshit she's getting herself deeper into. all because it decided now was the time to start pushing and testing her again.)
Because I'll tell you right now, the last time I tried? I was dragged on stage by security for an auction, the auction was for me. They haven't done those again in some time, but they knew too much. They had my first name.
(and not only that....)
Do you really think that I want to be stuck here?
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it's just reality that it doesn't go beyond that, and she knows it. ]
I don't think that.
But I suppose I'm used to you beating the odds, until I have to give you a little helping hand. [ like busting into a courtroom. texas put on trial was rather entertaining, but... maybe she can't help it, maybe it's just completely unavoidable or not even an option for her not to help texas or do anything for texas. she simply does it. she'd barely consider anything otherwise. it's not even exactly a matter of sympathy, it's just the secret she buries like a body in an unmarked grave in her chest. ]
And who bought you at auction? [ just. wondering. ]
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(so she's acting differently after having time to think, time to....consider some things. even if that spade mark is being annoying, this is one of the rarer times for them. when was the last time they spoke? or when was the last time that the two of them would sneak gazes like young lovesick pups until their eyes met? texas was better at hiding it, but she always knew when lappland was looking at her. in some ways, she was on her mind more than anything else. cellinia can't answer that as to why, but she did think about her too often.
more than she did exusiai, more than sora. even recently, she started talking about her bit by bit. never by name, not until recently after a conversation with the one person that did rescue her from that auction. weiss. weiss who she also had to explain that she didn't have romantic intentions with over a christmas present that she bought her.)
And maybe I got to thinking more that I haven't been the best of people with you.
(she'll. admit that much, it satisfies that mark so it's not burning or misbehaving while her amber eyes go straight to her hands. her ears almost uncharacteristically flat, seems that she loosened up a little in her training enough in lappland's presence.)
An acquaintance. I got told a few things by her, later found out that Broca and Aak are here....Broca was how I found out the foods laced and so is the drinks in most places, aside from the Red Cardinal.
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those days in siracusa... how funny, she might as well have been some lovesick puppy. maybe the only thing that really changed is time and how they've grown up, or maybe too much has changed. her mind ticks. she can make some conscious decisions, she decides, on what to take seriously or not. the mention of the other two operators, she thinks, isn't even really terribly important. she'd always been a lone wolf even in operations. ]
It's good to know what foods and drinks are safe than not. All things considered it's smarter not to trust food from a captor anyway. And of course I doubt it'd be as easy as driving out, I'm just trying to test a few options here.
You're acting strange, Texas. There's more you're not telling me, I'm sure.
[ she could venture a guess what might even be causing it. her innate and uncanny criminal intuition. ]
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what idea that she has, is that it's not going to let go of people whether they complete their decks or not. the wish felt too good to be true, and many people she's known seemed more like they were giving up on the idea for having had been there a year in comparison to her five months. almost six months. the thought is enough to make her sick, but she doesn't say that even while she thinks about it. if she has to say more, then....)
There's a hierarchy. Low ranks receive the worst treatment, face cards receive the best. The marks also.... (admit it, texas.) The marks when they saturate fully don't stop making you hormonal until you're satisfied. People also turn into statues from what I was told and disappear.
(please don't ask her how she knows, it should be obvious about the mark. she doesn't like being vulnerable. just like there's a reason why it was slightly saturated when she showed lappland....)
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Whoa, what a terrible fate that is. [ in the tone of voice of someone maybe putting a fraction of an effort into not sounding like a psychopath. she'd barely put in even that amount of care at all; that she's trying now is like her familiar pretense in trying to get along with others, because she does occasionally do that. the look she levels at texas is something brittle, calculative.
it was obvious enough speculation that something had to be the matter with that mark. one ear flicks, as if to betray the smallest tremor in her chest. how really, really inconvenient. it's simple if people think she's insane or even if texas does. it's actually just personally inconvenient if she's not even as crazed as someone might think after all. ]
But it might be a simple enough solution to fuck an ailment like that away, hm?
[ the brittleness lingers in her chest that, she could assume, someone bought texas at auction and something like that would happen. ]
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(somewhat, she had to deal with more after. on check-in, she was given her rank and conveniently, it was high. she didn't mind that. it has uses, all she needed to do was keep her bank full and survive. try not to let that mark saturate fully, even. the times it's happened weren't something that she wants to see more of. she hated it. nothing about it felt good, not after. not how she would have acted, more volatile, more like a wild animal. none of that is something she likes to think about, the becoming a statue part included. she didn't want to think more about that because who wants to consider becoming a lifelike stone statue?
she's seen the damn things, the ones that aren't players. they would stare at her and flare her senses badly.
that something is off, something had to be off. but texas doesn't say this like she's not caring. if looked at closer, she's....struggling, no that's been this whole time in the resort. she's good at hiding these things, but there are limits. there's always limits to how far that can go. vulnerability is something that she's always despised, but that's nothing easily changed in her. she can't tell. maybe it's better to say she's showing more care than she ran away from showing in brunello.)
Lappland. I....
(she pauses, uncertain, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. maybe she's not fit for this, maybe she isn't okay for holding out this long. is she going to die there? are they going to? she doesn't know.)
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there's another level look at texas, then she pulls into a parking spot and turns the car off. actually she'll be surprised if texas really fears anything like death. it may as well be something lappland's embraced long ago, but she supposes she doesn't have any other choice. and if there are idle fantasies of killing texas or having texas die with her... such dreams would only remain those dreams, when the rest of her and all of her is dedicated to the point of insanity or complete incurable sickness, infatuation. she turns off the car. ]
... Want to move to the back?
[ the luxury hummer limo is pretty damn spacious. there are cushioned seats. even a bed. ridiculously fitted out, one of those vehicles lappland really would like nothing more to wreck. her blackened heart practically has to steel herself for... well, what can she say. texas is her friend and enemy and far too much more. hopelessly, completely, it's impossible for her not to want to help texas even in some matter like this. she'd always wanted--
want is something that could practically be so negligible and selfish for her at the same time. ]
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she doesn't say anything else, not at the moment. what she does is, she unbuckles that seatbelt she put on preemptively to not get herself killed if lappland did drive the limo into a wall. the offer is taken and texas leaves both that hat and cane in the passenger seat. the mask, too. she must look more out of place in this, maybe that she fits in too well whenever she hates that idea. she's left behind this life of luxury like lappland did. they weren't heiresses any longer, they were lone wolves. an exile and runaway. one more dangerous than the other, but she did take a seat somewhere that seems comfortable enough back there.
it's not as awkward as it usually is, that's one step forward for them. that cellinia didn't run again, that she's talking to her how she used to. not from how she would act instead of being honest, but just like when they were young pups. maybe this is a slight change for her. then again, after having five months to think, can she be blamed? she's fortunate that she didn't have this meeting happen while her mental state was all over the place during november from her transformation in october.)
You....also don't have to worry as much if you get given a low rank, if I have to then I'll use my rank. I don't care if you get pushed down to the basement like Broca and Aak are, or if the staff gets upset, you're staying with me if I can help that.
(that's something, something she wanted to say.)
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she can practically feel her hackles raise a little at the offer. not exactly out of aggression, but, ] You're being so obliging or, uh... [ she practically struggles a little over what she's trying to say or articulate. it's just so surreal she still barely know how the fuck to handle this because she's used to a lifetime of texas basically stonewalling her. she's comfortable with that and with bothering texas. whatever this is is just taking her aback. ]
Or are you pitying me? I don't really care that much about rank, you know.
[ she may as well already be the lowest of the low, infected lone wolf. she really knows she can't rely on anyone but herself. constantly willing to help texas or even help others, she knows nobody would extend a hand to her... maybe amiya. and maybe texas only had once, twice, when she was already ready to die.
anyway, texas willingly saying something crazy like 'stay with me' is just so completely unrealistic to her she can't really believe the offer at all. ]
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(no, she doesn't. that offer wasn't from pity, that was because she had enough of an idea on how horrible the basement is. between finding out broca avoids going back to his suite down there thanks to weiss and having had seen it multiple times, she's gotten an idea. she hasn't heard the moans, she hasn't heard everything. but....yeah, she had enough of an idea. too much of one. her legs are crossed while she sits calmly, tights covering them up and form fitting while texas thinks this over.
maybe it's better to just say that, they have plenty wrong with them, and it's not like cellinia helped that. five months of thinking has done enough. in this hellhole that is the golden peacock, she shouldn't do as she normally would. maybe that makes her spade mark burn in irritation, but she stands by her decision willingly. besides, the timing wasn't so bad on the specifics. they don't have to rush this (figuring out where to go from stonewalling to otherwise is different) since it isn't like they'll be leaving any time soon.)
Didn't I tell you that I had five months to think?
(she might hate the resort, but going at it alone is....also the other struggle. their natures as lone wolves might differ, but texas does still keep to herself strongly. nothing has changed in that. she can blend in seamlessly, fit in anywhere, but that doesn't change much else about her.
it's not like she's saying that per-say, but more that she does want to try and do something more. against her nature, against that spade mark burning. that brat really does annoy her.)
Believe me if you want to, or don't. I still offered it.
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and then of course, there's common sense just telling her that the two of them must be genuine friends or more and isn't that just how reality works. friendship or more could somehow seem so impossible with herself. anyway it's natural for the strong to pity the weak. nothing particularly wrong with that. not that she thinks of herself as weak, not that she's particularly prideful, not that she doesn't like the idea of living with texas, it just sounds a little suspicious. ]
Looks like you've changed in those five months, then. [ somehow, possibly, even more so than in seven years. just maybe. she definitely would never expect texas to offer her a place when she'd found her in lungmen. ]
I'll think about it. [ ... ] Or I suppose it'll be convenient for you. It should go without saying I wouldn't mind... helping, with that mark of yours. Might as well keep someone like that close, if you're not already keeping three other girls in your bedroom or something.
[ maybe out of pocket, maybe more bitter than she should say. but she's always more than a little caustic or rotten, she just hasn't done anything about it. what a joke if her bark is just truly worse than her bite. ]
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what matters is that she reached for it, and she's doing what she had done similarly for sora. as suspicious as it sounds, five months is still a lengthy period of time to think about things. five months separated from everyone. none of her friends are here, any friend's texas made does their own thing. she didn't place on them the expectation of worrying about her, texas even went as far as to try hiding she was injured before from them.)
I do have a spare bedroom.
(some unused things in her suite, too. that jacuzzi being one, but luckily she does use her kitchen and doesn't just gorge herself on sweets as a means of staying alive. she's not a child. texas did, however, bite the urge to roll her eyes. does lappland really think she's that bad to take girls and make a harem or something?
don't answer that. do not answer that.)
Lappland, nobody else stays with me. I'm not hiding some mysterious trio now in there, the guest room hasn't been touched by anyone.
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