【 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.
— walk walk fashion baby; ATTENDING THE PARTY (DAYTIME).
[Now this is, to all appearances, Rufus Shinra's kind of party: glitzy, elegant, and dripping with glamour. And sure, the dress code may say black tie, but that's really the key thing about true high society, isn't it — that sometimes shaking up expectations is just as much a show of status as adhering to them. Consequently, he can be found around in a white suit jacket with black lapels instead of the customary black one, but otherwise seeming quite at home in his overall look.
If you catch him playing Sex Toy Roulette, it's probably because you're both standing in line! Don't worry, he'll generously let you go first. Or maybe it's not so generous, when he's largely been watching to see what sort of fabulous prizes might come out of playing — and of who's going to be finding themselves quickly looking around for help with completing what the House is asking of them. He's been at the resort long enough now to have an idea of how these types of games work, after all, and he does always like being owed a favor.
If you've spun for your character, feel free to show him what you've got! Otherwise, I'll spin for him and go with whatever randomness awaits from there. He'll be playing multiple times, after all.
Alternatively, if you've become his opponent for a rousing round of House Of Cards — well, then this could certainly get interesting. If it's your turn, feel free to draw a card on him! If it's Rufus's, then he's holding one that reads Who do you take after more, your mother or your father?, and smiling politely in a way that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
But if you're not playing games, and you're one of the favored few, maybe you'll find him lounging around in the High Class Oasis! Or maybe you can convince him to sneak you in. Every partier needs an elegant place to crash before long, after awhile.]
— work it, i'm a free bitch baby; OUTSIDE THE PARTY (NIGHTTIME).
[And this is, as a matter of fact, the kind of partying Rufus used to do once upon a time, before he set aside things like petty young adult rebellion against an overbearing father and transitioned to the much more mature pursuit of simply trying to commit patricide instead. Even just as recent as a few months back here at the resort, he might not have indulged in the whim of sneaking out of the casino party to an alternative nighttime venue. Lately, however, he's been embracing the idea of rediscovering who Rufus is without all the overtones of the Shinra name attached, and, well. This seems like a great place to start.
And so, at times, one might be able to catch Rufus slipping out of the casino party and heading down to bounce between House Finch and Cloaca and Dagger, trading the glitter and elegance of standing out for the refreshing delight of anonymity. With his hair shaken loose instead of formally slicked back and a black mask that otherwise covers his face, he's ready to go dance, cut loose, and hook up with whatever strangers might happen to catch his eye.
Being that he's a man fully aware of his tells, he will largely be avoiding people he already knows for this! No sense in anonymity if people are able to mark you in a matter of moments. But maybe you've slipped away too, and find him approaching you on the House Finch dance floor, or making eyes at you at Cloaca and Dagger. So long as you're both agreed to not try too hard to recognize each other, why not see what comes of it?]
— you and me could write a bad romance; WILDCARD AND OOC NOTES.
[Have something else in mind besides the above prompts? Feel free to hit me up here or via PM and we can discuss! I'm also happy to write starters, particularly for smut threads, so just let me know!
Please feel free to take a look at Rufus's permissions and kinklist but as a general rule of thumb he's open to M/M or M/F so long as his partner is over 21! (Characters who don't have a canon-established age, please hit me up so we can chat first!) Thanks!]
high class oasis, rufus counts for my turks bingo. kinda. even if they've met b4
( truth be told, aventurine doesn't really care about the exuberant luxury the face cards are given within the resort - he has been an ace for a month now, and there's something to the way the staff now treats him that is so superficial it tastes foul on his tongue.
but he can't be blamed for partaking in their shallow demonstration of wealth through unhealthy gambling now, can he? not when he seeks the thrill of it, the high risk and the higher reward in the ecstasy in putting his life on the line every single time, and coming out of it victorious (or, at times he would argue, an unfortunate loser).
that's a thing from the past, though, as aventurine leaves one of the tables where he had just been gambling to see a familiar face lounging about. that's one extra glass of champagne that he brings rufus, offering him with a particular grace of someone who knows his etiquette. )
Wriothesley's friend, ( remember when they fucked him on his birthday. good times. ) Rufus, was it? We didn't have the chance to chat much before.
[Now that's just one of those resort experiences that you really can't find anywhere else — a first meeting socially after the technical first one where you were both occupied stuffing a hapless third party full of dick. "Friend" is a fairly loose term for it. He could probably think of a better one, but why bother, in a moment like this.]
We didn't. Though I do recall a certain...commonality of interest.
[At least in the form of being the two most vocal of the sadists in that group. He takes the glass of champagne, holding it and making it swirl in its glass with a flick of his wrist that speaks of plenty of practice — how to socialize without making it obvious that you haven't actually drunk anything yet.]
Ahah, you remember. ( not that he ever thought rufus wouldn't, but appearances are everything.
aventurine takes a seat across from him, a demeanor so fitting for the place they're currently in it's almost impressive, though it all comes from practice and adaptation. rarely has it been the times where aventurine partook in parties for the rich and powerful; the times he had been there had much been as an accessory or, at the very most, a disguise for the ipc, for all that he has the capital, money is about as easy to win as it is to lose.
but maybe it's fun, to play pretend. for what it's worth, he certainly fits in. )
Are you seeking refuge in here, away from the party? You don't seem the kind to enjoy such public displays of intimacy. ( a half-lie, because he doesn't yet have the most solid reading on rufus. ) Hopefully my company isn't so bad?
[Such interesting conversations they could have someday, on the topic of being an accessory to the rich and powerful. Granted, in Rufus's case it was limited exclusively to precisely one man, now deceased — but it had also left an impression.]
Mm. I'm here because I can be.
[He says, with the sort of offhand simplicity of someone so accustomed to privilege that it never really occurs to them that they might not be entitled to go anywhere they like, whenever they like, whatever the reason or circumstance.
Still, he does smile a bit, sensing the bait for what it is and seeing no reason not to take it.]
Though the quiet is a welcome respite. The games and spectacle lose their novelty after awhile.
( truly the possibility of a conversation about being accessories for the now deceased rich and powerful; unfortunate, that aventurine would never truly talk about that time of his life, not so openly, not so honestly. if nothing else, it shows on his demeanor, that the wounds and scars still linger.
funnier yet, he almost sees rufus as one of those. he certainly comes across as powerful or, at the very least, familiar with being in a position of significant power. the entitlement in his voice doesn't spare him from the assumption. )
Ahah, so you also believe that things should be consumed in moderation? The games, the spectacle, the people.
( spoken a little from a place of understanding, as though something he has personally experienced. but the smile on aventurine's face doesn't falter, nor does his gaze on rufus waver. )
You seem to have a short tolerance. How long do I have until my shine becomes dull?
( a little bit of a jest, all things considered. )
More that excess tempts even reasonable men into becoming fools. And it's hard to enjoy the circus when you're one of the clowns at center stage.
[But he knows bait when he hears it, for all that it might be delivered in a cloak of humor. And since he sees no reason not to take it, he gives Aventurine a slow and thorough look-over, head to toe, as he sips at the drink in his hand, before eventually speaking again.]
That depends on if you're propositioning me. My interest in people tends to track to what they want from me, because they always want something from me.
[And somehow, he suspects that's something Aventurine will relate to, as well.]
( it's a reasoning aventurine understands, both on the matter of consumption and excess, and the world of benefit. there's something overly ironic in the way there's similarities in their reasoning - not all, no, but enough that it leaves aventurine wanting to pursue more. the golden peacock strives for encounters of the sexual nature, but aventurine enjoys a good conversation that has no true physical benefit behind it.
so - funny, that rufus says that. propositioning, huh. regardless whether he is or isn't, at least he knows rufus hasn't all turned him down. )
Haha. Is that so? I do suppose the foundation of Game 52 includes using and being used, for mutual benefit. But we're past that, aren't we? ( all thanks to wriothesley's exciting birthday party. ) I would argue there's something more interesting in people who don't want something from you, for once, though I wonder if that makes you more or less wanted.
Does anyone ever get past that, really? We do have to live here, after all.
[He shrugs slightly. It's not as though the concept of being permanently entrenched in a game of advantages and costs is altogether foreign to him, after all; quite the contrary, in some ways his time at the resort really has been almost like a vacation. At least here the incentives and penalties are reasonably straightforward, and on some level predictable in nature. In Midgar, the knives behind curtains were endless, and so the vigilance had to be, too.]
And how many people here have you found to be like that? Wanting absolutely nothing from you?
[ A grand dress calls for a grand exit. And what better way to honor a dress than by spiriting off from the casino into the rest of the resort?
The challenge of course is sneaking out. That seems easier said than done with the way both the staff and the resort seem hell bent on keeping them in here. But despite what she says, Hilda has always enjoyed a challenge - especially when misbehaving a little is involved. Though with a dress like this and her hair the colour that it is, nothing about her screams subtle. When there's a will there is a way however and when Rufus and Hilda join forces apparently they're a force to be reckoned with.
She returns to her partner in crime after canvasing the doors on the far side of the casino hall with a huff. ]
The doors are locked on that side but I think we have a chance to sneak out.
[ She motions to staff that are coming in and out with trolleys laden with food that they've been using to replenish and bribe them all into staying here longer than seems necessary. Notably, they seem to be covered with table cloths that would easily hide someone like her and maybe someone like Rufus - depending on his willingness to curl into a ball. ]
But I'd rather not ruin this dress so please tell me you found another way.
[Rufus is in an interesting mood tonight — and quite possibly a different one than Hilda has ever seen him wear, because she's seen how he handles issues like casino security before, brute forcing his way through and trusting his lofty attitude to get him everywhere. But tonight, something more mischievous seems to have come over him, like some old memory has reawakened and is starting to stretch out its limbs in a yawn, and his smiles come a little more easily and a little less perfect when he shines them at her.]
I have a few ideas. It depends mostly on how bad you'd feel about scapegoating someone else.
[Spoken like a man who clearly would not feel particularly bad about this at all.]
[ The subtle (or maybe not-so-subtle depending on the company he chooses to keep) change about him certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. And while she had been intrigued, it would be a lie to say that upon realizing there was something different about him she had been filled with an unexpected sense of satisfaction. It's the sort of thing she's felt before: the feeling of understanding something or someone, that she had been struggling to grasp suddenly made clearer.
There's no time to dwell on what that could potentially mean however.
She tilts her head and crosses her arms, considering. ]
I could probably deal with the crushing guilt depending on how fun your plans are once we get out of here.
Well. I suppose you've noticed the guards are apprehending anyone who makes an unauthorized exit. Swarming them, frankly.
[He tips his head, indicating the hustle and bustle of the crowds around them — and in particular, the pockets where the merriment is particularly loud or raucous.]
Of course, if they were dispatched in a hurry to deal with a much more pressing concern — a potential brawl amongst guests, say — I doubt they would still have a spare eye for the doors.
[ It had been hard not to stop and watch, in part because it had been loud but also mildly entertaining seeing as it had been the fourth or fifth time that evening that she'd witnessed it. If you can't laugh at your collective misery then it's just sad - and who wants that?
Her gaze moves from the guards stationed at the door as she thoughtfully taps a finger against her chin. ]
[ whether rufus had been on his way out of the oasis or making his way in (or, hell, maybe he just happened to have the misfortune of walking past it), he will soon find a small hand slip itself up along his arm, ending at the crook of his elbow. at his side stands angelika, looking beleaguered in a dress more suited for a funeral home than any of the resort's fancy parties.
her voice, when she speaks, is pitched low but urgent. ]
Is it true they'll let you rest in there? I need a break from all the lights and chatter.
[Well, that's bold, isn't it? And novel, besides — once upon a time, a random stranger wouldn't get close enough to breathe the same air as him before being apprehended by no less than three suited security personnel, much less make it to the point of touching his arm. It's hard to say which of the two strikes him more about this interaction — the boldness or the novelty.
Either way, it's worth bearing out, because it's certainly more interesting than the chatter of the party.]
Why don't you walk right in and find out, then?
[Spoken with the confidence of someone who belongs in there, and who already knows the answer of why someone else might hesitate.]
[ he doesn't shrug her off, a fact they are both well aware he's capable of given their sheer difference in size, but angelika isn't quite so foolish as to not recognize when she is merely being humored. still, she does not lighten her hold on his arm, gentle as it is to begin with. ]
I don't need decadence, just a reprieve.
[ she doesn't bother to respond to his taunt; it's quite obvious she's aware she hasn't any business slipping into a space like that — not alone, anyway. whether or not this man will provide that option for her remains to be seen, but she hasn't quite yet figured out what could possibly sway him. slowly, she lifts her eyes to his, searching. ]
We could help each other, if you'd tell me what it is you need.
And what makes you think you've got something I want?
[It's a subtle, but deliberate, shifting of words he uses — not need, but want. It's the difference between the two of them at present, as he's effortlessly delineated it: he knows he's got something she needs, and that always means an advantage.]
Are you saying that's what you want, or implying that's all I have to give?
[ she notes the choice in words; deliberate, of course, for he seems like the sort of man who does everything with purpose. the sort of man who is used to having everything, including his way. ]
As I understand it, I don't have a card to offer yet, and you don't seem like the kind of man who'd gamble with his time.
[ not that she's entirely opposed; he's a handsome man, and she could find the mood for sex once she's finally free from all that racket. but what's most precious to men used to having it all? their time, of course. and being a wildcard means there is the distinct possibility she will end up with something he's already got. ]
Surely an undisclosed favor is an equitable trade?
An undisclosed favor is a gamble itself. Betting the odds that you'll have something of value at a later date.
[Which is, of course, not inherently a dealbreaker; he's plenty fond of blank checks and owed favors, but right now he knows he's got leverage, and he's never been one not to use it when he's got it.]
Well, as the saying goes, the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I'll give you a hand, but I'll take two favors owed in return.
[ she deliberates her choices with pursed lips. the more sensible part of her knows better than to engage in deals without proper documentation. knowing the fine print, as it were. but could there be anything this man threw at her that would be worse than what that party and those games are requiring of her? she's willing to make her own gamble, and say not likely. ]
Fine. [ she is well aware she's the sucker in this equation, but in the moment she feels she'll do just about anything to grant herself even just a moment's worth of reprieve. ] It's a deal. [ she gives his arm a brief squeeze in lieu of a proper handshake; it would probably look too suspicious if they parted just to shake hands. ] Now get me out of here.
Good. Then get ready to play along; you're going to throw yourself at me.
[He's not looking at her as he says it; his focus has shifted to that of the lounge, a little distance away, and the security standing around to make certain that no unauthorized peasants make their way in to the elegant sanctuary that is the high-class oasis.]
Until we're through those doors, you need to be thoroughly unremarkable but for the fact that you can't keep your hands off me. Understand? I'll make sure they're looking at me, so they won't have a glance to spare on you.
[He pauses.]
If you've got some objection, now's the time to say it.
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peacockstop2025-01-15 09:00 pm
Rufus Shinra | FFVII | Current Player, 10♥
ATTENDING THE PARTY (DAYTIME).
— work it, i'm a free bitch baby;
OUTSIDE THE PARTY (NIGHTTIME).
— you and me could write a bad romance;
WILDCARD AND OOC NOTES.
high class oasis, rufus counts for my turks bingo. kinda. even if they've met b4
but he can't be blamed for partaking in their shallow demonstration of wealth through unhealthy gambling now, can he? not when he seeks the thrill of it, the high risk and the higher reward in the ecstasy in putting his life on the line every single time, and coming out of it victorious (or, at times he would argue, an unfortunate loser).
that's a thing from the past, though, as aventurine leaves one of the tables where he had just been gambling to see a familiar face lounging about. that's one extra glass of champagne that he brings rufus, offering him with a particular grace of someone who knows his etiquette. )
Wriothesley's friend, ( remember when they fucked him on his birthday. good times. ) Rufus, was it? We didn't have the chance to chat much before.
( geez i wonder why. )
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We didn't. Though I do recall a certain...commonality of interest.
[At least in the form of being the two most vocal of the sadists in that group. He takes the glass of champagne, holding it and making it swirl in its glass with a flick of his wrist that speaks of plenty of practice — how to socialize without making it obvious that you haven't actually drunk anything yet.]
Aventurine, correct?
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aventurine takes a seat across from him, a demeanor so fitting for the place they're currently in it's almost impressive, though it all comes from practice and adaptation. rarely has it been the times where aventurine partook in parties for the rich and powerful; the times he had been there had much been as an accessory or, at the very most, a disguise for the ipc, for all that he has the capital, money is about as easy to win as it is to lose.
but maybe it's fun, to play pretend. for what it's worth, he certainly fits in. )
Are you seeking refuge in here, away from the party? You don't seem the kind to enjoy such public displays of intimacy. ( a half-lie, because he doesn't yet have the most solid reading on rufus. ) Hopefully my company isn't so bad?
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Mm. I'm here because I can be.
[He says, with the sort of offhand simplicity of someone so accustomed to privilege that it never really occurs to them that they might not be entitled to go anywhere they like, whenever they like, whatever the reason or circumstance.
Still, he does smile a bit, sensing the bait for what it is and seeing no reason not to take it.]
Though the quiet is a welcome respite. The games and spectacle lose their novelty after awhile.
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funnier yet, he almost sees rufus as one of those. he certainly comes across as powerful or, at the very least, familiar with being in a position of significant power. the entitlement in his voice doesn't spare him from the assumption. )
Ahah, so you also believe that things should be consumed in moderation? The games, the spectacle, the people.
( spoken a little from a place of understanding, as though something he has personally experienced. but the smile on aventurine's face doesn't falter, nor does his gaze on rufus waver. )
You seem to have a short tolerance. How long do I have until my shine becomes dull?
( a little bit of a jest, all things considered. )
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[But he knows bait when he hears it, for all that it might be delivered in a cloak of humor. And since he sees no reason not to take it, he gives Aventurine a slow and thorough look-over, head to toe, as he sips at the drink in his hand, before eventually speaking again.]
That depends on if you're propositioning me. My interest in people tends to track to what they want from me, because they always want something from me.
[And somehow, he suspects that's something Aventurine will relate to, as well.]
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so - funny, that rufus says that. propositioning, huh. regardless whether he is or isn't, at least he knows rufus hasn't all turned him down. )
Haha. Is that so? I do suppose the foundation of Game 52 includes using and being used, for mutual benefit. But we're past that, aren't we? ( all thanks to wriothesley's exciting birthday party. ) I would argue there's something more interesting in people who don't want something from you, for once, though I wonder if that makes you more or less wanted.
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[He shrugs slightly. It's not as though the concept of being permanently entrenched in a game of advantages and costs is altogether foreign to him, after all; quite the contrary, in some ways his time at the resort really has been almost like a vacation. At least here the incentives and penalties are reasonably straightforward, and on some level predictable in nature. In Midgar, the knives behind curtains were endless, and so the vigilance had to be, too.]
And how many people here have you found to be like that? Wanting absolutely nothing from you?
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i missed this somehow and i have no idea how this got so long help
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i'm a free bitch baby with a little splash of bad romance
The challenge of course is sneaking out. That seems easier said than done with the way both the staff and the resort seem hell bent on keeping them in here. But despite what she says, Hilda has always enjoyed a challenge - especially when misbehaving a little is involved. Though with a dress like this and her hair the colour that it is, nothing about her screams subtle. When there's a will there is a way however and when Rufus and Hilda join forces apparently they're a force to be reckoned with.
She returns to her partner in crime after canvasing the doors on the far side of the casino hall with a huff. ]
The doors are locked on that side but I think we have a chance to sneak out.
[ She motions to staff that are coming in and out with trolleys laden with food that they've been using to replenish and bribe them all into staying here longer than seems necessary. Notably, they seem to be covered with table cloths that would easily hide someone like her and maybe someone like Rufus - depending on his willingness to curl into a ball. ]
But I'd rather not ruin this dress so please tell me you found another way.
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I have a few ideas. It depends mostly on how bad you'd feel about scapegoating someone else.
[Spoken like a man who clearly would not feel particularly bad about this at all.]
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There's no time to dwell on what that could potentially mean however.
She tilts her head and crosses her arms, considering. ]
I could probably deal with the crushing guilt depending on how fun your plans are once we get out of here.
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[He tips his head, indicating the hustle and bustle of the crowds around them — and in particular, the pockets where the merriment is particularly loud or raucous.]
Of course, if they were dispatched in a hurry to deal with a much more pressing concern — a potential brawl amongst guests, say — I doubt they would still have a spare eye for the doors.
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[ It had been hard not to stop and watch, in part because it had been loud but also mildly entertaining seeing as it had been the fourth or fifth time that evening that she'd witnessed it. If you can't laugh at your collective misery then it's just sad - and who wants that?
Her gaze moves from the guards stationed at the door as she thoughtfully taps a finger against her chin. ]
Are you asking me to play the damsel?
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[But he flashes her a knowing look, sidelong.]
Unless you're in the mood to cause a situation, that is. I hear pretty girls do that regularly, at affairs like this.
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I could be convinced. But what would your grand role in this be?
[ Dramatically she presses the back of her hand to her forehead. ]
You can't expect me to do all the work here, can you? I said I'd help you but you have to get me out of here too, mister!
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[And he does lean a little on the "our", as if to drive the point home.]
I have some practice at dodging security. While you're arranging our scene, I'll be ensuring our unhindered window out, free from prying eyes.
high class oasis
her voice, when she speaks, is pitched low but urgent. ]
Is it true they'll let you rest in there? I need a break from all the lights and chatter.
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Either way, it's worth bearing out, because it's certainly more interesting than the chatter of the party.]
Why don't you walk right in and find out, then?
[Spoken with the confidence of someone who belongs in there, and who already knows the answer of why someone else might hesitate.]
It's very comfortable. Decadent, really.
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I don't need decadence, just a reprieve.
[ she doesn't bother to respond to his taunt; it's quite obvious she's aware she hasn't any business slipping into a space like that — not alone, anyway. whether or not this man will provide that option for her remains to be seen, but she hasn't quite yet figured out what could possibly sway him. slowly, she lifts her eyes to his, searching. ]
We could help each other, if you'd tell me what it is you need.
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[It's a subtle, but deliberate, shifting of words he uses — not need, but want. It's the difference between the two of them at present, as he's effortlessly delineated it: he knows he's got something she needs, and that always means an advantage.]
Not offering a card for Game 52, are you?
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[ she notes the choice in words; deliberate, of course, for he seems like the sort of man who does everything with purpose. the sort of man who is used to having everything, including his way. ]
As I understand it, I don't have a card to offer yet, and you don't seem like the kind of man who'd gamble with his time.
[ not that she's entirely opposed; he's a handsome man, and she could find the mood for sex once she's finally free from all that racket. but what's most precious to men used to having it all? their time, of course. and being a wildcard means there is the distinct possibility she will end up with something he's already got. ]
Surely an undisclosed favor is an equitable trade?
no subject
[Which is, of course, not inherently a dealbreaker; he's plenty fond of blank checks and owed favors, but right now he knows he's got leverage, and he's never been one not to use it when he's got it.]
Well, as the saying goes, the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I'll give you a hand, but I'll take two favors owed in return.
no subject
Fine. [ she is well aware she's the sucker in this equation, but in the moment she feels she'll do just about anything to grant herself even just a moment's worth of reprieve. ] It's a deal. [ she gives his arm a brief squeeze in lieu of a proper handshake; it would probably look too suspicious if they parted just to shake hands. ] Now get me out of here.
no subject
[He's not looking at her as he says it; his focus has shifted to that of the lounge, a little distance away, and the security standing around to make certain that no unauthorized peasants make their way in to the elegant sanctuary that is the high-class oasis.]
Until we're through those doors, you need to be thoroughly unremarkable but for the fact that you can't keep your hands off me. Understand? I'll make sure they're looking at me, so they won't have a glance to spare on you.
[He pauses.]
If you've got some objection, now's the time to say it.