saltburnmods: (Default)
π–˜π–†π–‘π–™π–‡π–šπ–—π–“π–™ π–’π–”π–‰π–˜. ([personal profile] saltburnmods) wrote in [community profile] draino2024-11-09 08:00 am
Entry tags:

ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’ β–£ NOV TDM





NOVEMBER 2024 TDM: RENAISSANCE


Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β€” dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.

Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, using Β« NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.







WELCOME TO SALTBURNT


It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isn’t, stay in bed and wallow β€” eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe it’s normal for you. Maybe it isn’t.

You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β€” have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Haven’t you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?

EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, CARMY BERZATTO has taken over Head Chef position, alongside his cousin RICHIE JERIMOVICH and always the bridesmaid never the bride, SANJI. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.

That said, these are world class chefs, so the gold is really in the menu:
THE EGGS

𝐓𝐇𝐄 π‰πŽππ“π˜: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 ππ„ππ„πƒπˆπ‚π“: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 π’π‡π€πŠπ€π’π‡πŽπ”πŠπ€: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 π’π˜πƒππ„π˜: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
πŽπ„π”π…π’ ππ‘πŽπ”πˆπ‹π‹π„π’: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
π’ππ€ππˆπ’π‡ 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
𝐄𝐆𝐆 πŒπ‚π’π€ππƒπ–πˆπ‚π‡: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.

THE SWEETS

❖ momofuku's "cereal milk" ❖
❖ fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss ❖
❖ a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping ❖
❖ a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling ❖
❖ poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection ❖


If you want to leave, you’ll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as he’s as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesn’t want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they can’t make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesn’t dissipate, though β€” this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?

Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, it’s all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.

"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."




2 GIRLS 1 CUP

CONTENT WARNINGS: nudity, potential for nsfw.

Over the past few days, a bit of construction has taken place on the grounds of the Saltburnt estate, and while it's difficult to piece together what exactly is being built, it's clear to see: whatever it is, it's massive, taking up a huge percentage of the grounds with multiple included structures. On the outside it seems almost like a neighborhood is being sprung up β€”Β new houses for people to live in, maybe? New shops, disconnected from the manor at large? All is revealed on opening day, when upon entry all are greeted with cheery hellos from jauntily clad persons shouting, "Huzzah!" and "Hail and well met!" For the more medieval and fantasy inclined among you, it might feel like stepping somewhere familiar and homey. To the rest, you know β€” you've just walked into a Ren Faire. Costumes are expected.

Not sure what to wear? Those born between SEPTEMBER to FEBRUARY are dubbed part of the Unseelie Court, which is associated with darkness and decay, generally dressed in deep, dark colors. Those born between MARCH to AUGUST are part of the Seelie Court, which is associated with stars and sky, in lighter, brighter colors.

On either side of the split path, you're assaulted by the scents, sights, and sounds of any ordinary Ren Faire. Vendors pawn off garlicky mushrooms and full turkey legs, or flower crowns and juggling sticks in exchange for a kiss, a secret, a lock of hair, or something of equal nonsensical value. Step inside a shop and see sellers offering crude jewelry and satchels of loose leaf tea, fudge sold by the ounce and porcelain ocarinas. Essentially, if it's kitschy and thematic, you can find it here, being sold to you by people in costume who refuse to break character.

Shopping not quite your style? Fear not! If you're lucky in your wanderings, your might spot the Unseelie Queen ALICENT HIGHTOWER or her counterpart and opposed Seelie Queen LAURALAE carried on palanquins towards the very back of the faire, where the real heart of the show takes place in a small stadium for entertainment purposes β€”Β a tourney for distinguishing yourself as the best among your peers in the manor. Prior to the tourney, all characters are given a favor of some kind ( an embroidered handkerchief, ribbon, garland, or piece of jewelry ) to give to a person of their choosing, be they a competitor or not, to show their support. Strangely, this favor seems to link them through an empathetic, sensation-based bond, so they feel everything their chosen competitor experiences. Mutual favors result in a mutual bond.

The challenges are set: ARCHERY/KNIFE THROWING, SWORDFIGHTING/HAND-TO-HAND, and a BARD'S TOURNEY. In addition to the more ye olde flavor of competition, there are also challenges for COUPLE TENNIS, HORSE POLO, and CHESS. And, in true Saltburnt fashion, there is also a somewhat lewd display of voyeuristic NUDE WRESTLING, where the first person to have an orgasm loses. (You can sign up for these competitions HERE.) To every challenge there is dubbed a winner, who in the old Westerosi tradition gets to crown a chosen "maiden" with the title THE QUEEN OR KING OF LOVE AND BEAUTY and an extravagant wreath of flowers, their victory dedicated to the lucky lord or lady. These wreaths are both fashionable and functional β€” while wearing them, no one can resist following whatever queenly command your character gives. Additionally, winners will receive prizes courtesy of Saltburnt, all to be determined upon victory.

Whichever queen has the most winners at the end of the tourney is crowned HIGH QUEEN OF THE FAE. The Queen is paraded around and celebrated by all, and while tribute is not necessary, it certainly is appreciated!






RING AROUND THE ROSEY


CONTENT WARNINGS: potential for nsfw.

The Ren Faire fixture runs adjacent to the tree line of the forest, which one can enter through a booth manned by THE GREAT WIZARD ARCHIBALD, who warns you to be prepared to enter the Realm of the Fae beyond his backdrop curtain, before handing you a flower and a pair of antlers (or a head piece from your fauna choice) for your journey to the beyond. Upon entering, you are greeted by a forest that bears no resemblance to the woods you've grown to expect in your time at the manor, everything more exaggeratedly lush than it had been even a day or so prior. Plump fruits with slightly glimmering skins grow fat on the vine, every leaf on every tree vibrant and healthy despite the changing of seasons, gone orange and red with the cold. Despite that, it's surprisingly balmy in the forest, everything illuminated by glimmering fairy lights and strung up lanterns. Flowers bloom under your feet, alongside perfect little red mushrooms, everything so idealistic it almost borders on discomfort.

Despite any reservations, there is a wild compulsion to everyone who enters the forest. The flower the wizard gave you is pungent enough to dizzy your head, leading you to the instinct of frolicking β€” or if you're not the type to frolick, then wandering β€”Β through the woods, to find some counterpart to your particular flower in a very innocent (or not so innocent) game of cat and mouse. Once you find them, a simple kiss will serve as enough to claim your prize and ease the compulsion. Unless, of course, you want to give a little more. It couldn't hurt, right?

Wander further through the seemingly never ending woods, drawn on of the beauty of faerie, and find yourself at a somewhat rundown chapel surrounded by foliage, the roof and walls broken down with age, invaded by exploring plant life that crawls and vines through every crack and opening. While the stone altar of indeterminate denomination seems like it hasn't been seen for hundreds of years, let alone cleaned, there's the distinct impression you are walking on hallowed, sacred ground when you move to inspect it. Those clever among you might note different runes etched on what appears to be a wooden tabernacle on an ancient pillar at the back of the chapel. Looking into it, there's a word from an unknown language carved inside, complimented with a cheat sheet bit of yellowing paper which reads F. M. K., with further explanation: FRIENDS, MARRY, KINK.

What could it mean? Well. You and whoever you entered the chapel with, or whoever enters next, are stuck until further notice unless you complete one of the proffered options. FRIENDS, it's time you bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones and accept our faults moving forward, together, to the future. MARRY, let's seal our bonded union with the trees as our witness, in a church of our own making. KINK, if the altar can't be used for the former, it can certainly be used for the latter. Nothing vanilla will do β€”Β kink up or shut up.

Once completed, you're free to leave and roam around the forest at your leisure. If you wander far enough you might hear a distant, organic sound whirring and clicking from the trees, but don't worry. Whatever is watching you probably doesn't bite.




DIRECTORY


semicharmed: (NERRRRD)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-11-21 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Don't worry Marta, these symptoms are normal. Many people who hang out around Matt find themselves experiencing similar things. There is help.

... Well, help in the sense that she's not alone. So far nothing has made much of a dent in Matt's powers of chaos attraction, though we're still at the start of the road there. For the moment, Matt's expression softens at the warmth in her tone. ]


You're a nurse? [ Mark him down as one more of the manor's guests to be like, weirdly excited about this. ] That's awesome. I don't know the first thing about medicine.

[ A pause, as he takes another drink from the cup. ]

I might know the first thing. Maybe even a second. But by the third thing it all falls apart.
thirsted: (pic#16740285)

[personal profile] thirsted 2024-11-21 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Doing alright, [ Astarion echoes, with a nod, casting a sidelong glance in Louis' direction. ]

You look well, [ he ventures, his voice a little quieter. ] I didn't have a chance to say as much in the game's immediate aftermath, but β€” I'm sorry for what befell you.

[ To have been used, moved against his will, forced to hurt those he cared about. The most cardinal of sins, in Astarion's estimation, even if the consequences were temporary. (If anything, that only makes the entire endeavor crueler.)

But he manages a smile, in the next moment, skipping ahead a step or two.
]

How shall we enjoy the rest of the day, then? Pretending the little cakes they're selling are a part of our diet? Picking up another trinket or two?
semicharmed: (with great power comes)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-11-21 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As she presses to him, makes that tiny, heart-wrenching sound, Matt turns towards her in answer. His grip tightens around her waist, both arms wrapping around her now. His cheek presses to the top of her head. He aches with the desire to shield her from all these negative emotions, except--of course--he can't. They're coming from within. ]

I wish you could see yourself the way other people do, [ he murmurs. Him, Astarion. Maybe Lucifer--Matt may have his own feelings about the entity, but if Lucifer appreciates Lae, he's grateful to him for that. ] Even saying you're worried you'll poison people, that's more than rage right there. It's ...

[ A gentle shake of his head, the gesture tangible against Lauralae's hair. ]

Even if all of those things were true, you'd still deserve love. And I'd still want it for you. It's not--something somebody tallies up and says, "oh, her score is high enough, let's give her affection now." It's a feeling. A pull. Love is ... very, very much not logical. [ Matt gives her a squeeze. ] I get being afraid. I really do. But it doesn't make you any worse at this shit than anybody else.
dwelt: (pic#17480147)

[personal profile] dwelt 2024-11-21 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[he looks briefly in the direction of the wrestling - it was the only competition he didn't want to participate in. a little too publicly intimate for his liking.]

Last I checked, a woman was winning.

[and he had checked. maybe one too many curious peeping, at that. just because he doesn't want to participate doesn't mean he doesn't want to watch.]

I don't think you'll have much trouble with that.
dwelt: (Default)

[personal profile] dwelt 2024-11-21 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[stuffing his hands into his pockets to prevent more wandering, he ducks his head to hide a smile. yeah, introductions probably would have saved a bit of trouble in the beginning. not that he had much control over what he wanted to do vs what he was actually doing. when he looks back up again, the smile lingers.]

August. What about you?
thirsted: (Default)

[personal profile] thirsted 2024-11-21 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
You could always give the wrestling matches a try and see for yourself, [ Astarion answers, fully aware of the winning condition therein.

As tempting as it is to lie, to tell Gale to visit Otherworld and try all of the drinks (preferably at once), there's been enough harm done and damage caused in the last month that his sense of caution wins out. (And besides, he's always made a point out of the fact that he isn't a liar β€” he simply withholds the truth when it's proven convenient to him.)
]

I suppose it's to make it all the richer when it forces us to turn our knives on each other. If we all hated each other it'd be too easy.
meca: (052)

[personal profile] meca 2024-11-21 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay.

( he's not saying it yet, but - )

Are we going easy or hard here?
forzare: (pic#17519658)

weeps... im slow too also cw brief allusion to violence/abuse

[personal profile] forzare 2024-11-21 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The hands are far gentler than others that have sought vulnerable places, so he dips his shoulders down a little lower to show off the nape of his neck while Louis's hands are sliding there β€” it's an enticing sensation, even shackled up like he is. Fae-brained and less cautious than normal, he unfolds into Louis's hands and questions with a syrupy-slow warmth. ]

Right from the start of the forest. The so-called wizard may his ass break out in boils kitted me out. Trust me, I would have donned a cute flower crown over this if I had a choice. Don't you think it'd have suited me, tee hee?

[ He folds his hands together and tucks them along his cheek like wao, adorable! ✨. Splattercon had some kawaii-ass nerds making cutesy poses, and his sharp memory happens to drag one kicking to the forefront at the most embarrassing possible moment.

The bridle's a solid piece, shimmering bright as a lure. The reins fall like gleaming water, draping across Louis's knuckles as if an artifact begging to be used properly. To be drawn into a fist, to guide a wild animal to heel. Harry's own eyes flick to the altar, following the line of the other man's curiosity. FMK games aren't usually what he's playing, but he knows about them because of his former college-kid werewolf clan, as well as Molly's valiant attempts at educating him on Normal Teenager experiences he never got to have. ]


β€” seriously though. Louis, I'm thinking we're stuck in it now. A whole "difference between using a feather and using a chicken" situation.

[ Maybe it's why he moves his hand with methodical purpose, to slide his fingers around that handsome wrist and coil his fingers into the other's palm. ]

I would like to think we're already becoming friends. Don't need magic to dictate that.
leavening: (pic#17144232)

[personal profile] leavening 2024-11-22 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
[He continues to watch August with an eerie sort of curiosity. He takes in August's body language, the ducked head and faint lingering smile. It draws him in more than he'd like to admit.]

Hyunsu.

[If the human part of Hyunsu was in control, he probably wouldn't ask this next question. That softer part of him has had the concept of minding his own business literally beaten into him. But this part of Hyunsu exists to push back against that. Therefore:]

How did you sneak up on me before?
reneger: (pic#13836917)

[personal profile] reneger 2024-11-22 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
( they've made it.

which is the important bit. their feet are on the ground, there's no shadows licking up their shoes waiting to pull them back down into them. jason's arms release baby, leaving her with free reign to roam wherever she pleases now that they're outside of the crowd's reach.

jason raises a hand up, index finger moving to press against his mouth as he gives a cheeky little grin around it. )


It's a trade secret, princess. Sorry.
dwelt: (pic#17480133)

[personal profile] dwelt 2024-11-22 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
Nice to meet you.

[the eeriness to Hyunsu's stare either goes right over his head or he's utterly unbothered by it. that's up for interpretation.]

What, you don't want a little mystery between us? [they are literally strangers and mystery is all they have. maybe that was a bad joke.] It was a simple spell.
biomancy: (pic#17514711)

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-22 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Heinrix smiles.

It's the first real smile he's felt since arriving here. It's not a pleasant smile, but on Heinrix's face, it looks like he enjoys it. He likes hearing the Drukhari finally show something other than gleeful enjoyment at torture. They were hard to break, of course, the Drukhari. They had little weaknesses, few ways to truly dig into them in a way where it leaves a lasting mark.

And he wanted to. He wanted make sure that no matter what, the Drukhari knew that he could not escape, that he would not be left free to torture and slay his way through the humans here. They may not all be part of the Empire of Man, but they were still human, and it was all he had right now.

His fingers tightened around his neck. He smiled down at him.
]

I will never lose control, Xenos. That is the difference between you and me.

[ It was perhaps a little snide, but he tightened his fingers again.

He hurt, Heinrix could feel that, but was it enough? Would it be enough to open the doors, or would he have to β€” Sigh β€” sully this further?

He's not enjoying himself yet, no. At least they were both miserable here.

He reached down, his fingers hovered over his thigh, and he made it ache, the muscles too tight, the bloodflow too slow, hurting and tingling both, too many sensations at once, to harm him. Eventually, the bone inside snaps.
]
longlegs: n (351)

[personal profile] longlegs 2024-11-22 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ She listens, she doesn't question. Cellar comes from a house β€” a mansion, almost as exorbitant as the one waiting for them when they leave the forest β€” where some of its inhabitants have strange rules to follow, for their own protection and for other people's safety. It's already been established that Lauralae has several somethings going on, but as long as it's just her hands? It shouldn't be something to worry about. She looks nice with the gloves on, anyway. Best not to question Cellar's aesthetic preferences. ]

… Well, that's. Good. [ Maybe... maybe they're better off starting with something simple, then figuring it out as they go. (If the charge is just wanting to know how soft Lauralae's lips are right now: guilty.) ] Do you want to kiss me?
biomancy: (pic#17514715)

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-22 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Would you?

[ His voice is a touch more pleased, surprised, though. He isn't used to people being so... willing to feel his psychic abilities. Most of the time, they came from a place of need or force at best. Even the Rogue Trader always seemed to look at him for a long moment, wary, when the air went chill, or when the dancing figures of the warp moving too close to reality for his own comfort.

His fingers hovered over his thigh, a warm flush rising over the meat of him, the blood flowing out, the blood flowing in, he lifted his fingers, to the internal iliac, the rush of blood running south. He smiled, and it's... a little shy. He ducked his head, slightly. The rush of that sensation in his hormones, in the thalamus flushed up again.

He's probably feeling pretty damn good right about now.
]

Most people are... rather frightened, you know. Of us. Psykers.
longlegs: s (358)

[personal profile] longlegs 2024-11-22 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ She smirks. A thank you never comes, but it's always nice to get a compliment from someone with good taste. ]

Well, that dress looks fucking amazing on you.
longlegs: s (275)

[personal profile] longlegs 2024-11-22 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ A small, knowing smile as she takes the phone, Cellar nods with a thanks, then gets to work. ]

A DM? Oh, it's just a message. [ Failure to elaborate, oh no. ] What name do you wanna have?
dead_tongue: (pleased)

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-11-22 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I feel very empowered.

[He spins so it can flare out.]

This place might be totally messed up, but there's lots of opportunities to dress up at least.
leavening: (pic#17311092)

[personal profile] leavening 2024-11-22 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
[He raises an eyebrow, vaguely amused.]

There are other mysteries.

[because as August is aware, they are strangers. There's plenty they don't know about each other.]

More magic. [Not surprising, all things considered. He seems to accept the explanation.] There's a lot of that here.
longlegs: ? n (011)

[personal profile] longlegs 2024-11-22 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, uhm. I don't. [ Why does it feel like she just failed a class? Does Harrow just have Perpetually Unimpressed Teacher aura? Cellar lowers her eyes to the glass, scans breakfast options, and then: ] What do they eat over there?
biomancy: (Holy Ordos)

[personal profile] biomancy 2024-11-22 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ SCREECH HELP YOU're RIGHT also i just almost did it again embarassin ]

[ His face flushed at her words. It's not even conscious, he just feels the flush take his face, a bit of the heat, and his lips part just slightly.

Mia has him, hook line and sinker.
]

Well, at least let me make a show of it, yes?

[ She really just promised dinner and he's capitulating?

Yes.

He is such a softie for a little smile and dark hair like that. His hands move her against him again, setting the pace, and though they are complete, long strokes, it's slow. Heinrix does not seem the type to rush, Mia. Look at him. He does want to actually take his time, even if right now this is the furthest thing from where they should take their time.
]

I have a reputation to uphold, after all.

[ Does he? Does he?

But Mia will be able to note, even just a promise like that has certainly changed his chances of losing from a strong possibility to a guarantee. As evidenced by the growing interest ("interest") he has in her.
]
agoniser: (pic#17515509)

[personal profile] agoniser 2024-11-22 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ The headbutt is deserved, but it’s still a surprise that he takes with a cackle of delight. Pain blooms across his face, but he grins with all teeth to see her reaction as it’s mirrored. Briefly, he considers just what these tokens offer, since such a thing would be as valuable as gold was to the mon-keigh. Imagine, tying a simple ribbon to an Arena’s participant and being able to multiply their indulgence for the crowd!

…Something he’ll be getting a taste of, clearly. He’d rather be the one with the token rather than bearing its pains firsthand, generally speaking, but this mon-keigh Arena was soft. Thankfully. ]


It is. You offer pain skillfully, Mia.

[ From him, that’s a compliment, as is using her name. His voice is a low, sultry rumble to match her purr, and as she pulls up her hair, he lessens his grip on her. He lowers her thigh back so that she’s not folded in half against him and removes his fingers from her, but it’s almost predictable as he brings those fingers up to his mouth to taste. ]

But nor am I. Do not fret.

[ Certainly not in the way she’s thinking, since it doesn’t even occur to him. His β€œinterrogation” would be more along the lines of reassessing how freaky humans could be. Especially human women, maybe? Much to consider,

But he half laughs, half hisses in pain as he starts to move and maybe finally listen to the announcers and crowd alike. Or, almost certainly, it’s her insistence. He seems to ignore the crowd completely, like he’s used to it. ]


I will be here. Now I must see how this tournament ends.
breeding: (pic#17404095)

[personal profile] breeding 2024-11-22 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ There is never any question β€” couldn't be, when the way he looks at her could burn holes through this entire damned place if only he let that heat in eyes take hold β€” that he places her first, above all others. (Stillwell would have called it a curse. Good luck, honey.) He hangs on her every word, her every motion, as yet free of the resentment that had crept into his relationship with Madelyn. When she kisses his cheek, he smiles, bows his head to hide it, though the quick flicker up of his gaze betrays less bashfulness than the vacuum in his chest. (Need, need, need.) ]

Me, too.

[ His hand rises to brush her hair back over shoulder, to bring the ribbons forward, his eyes following the way they fall by the column of her neck. ]

I used to like it, [ he begins, almost absently. ] The attention. I think I was barely twenty when they trotted me out in front of the cameras for the first time. They called me the Homelander, back then.

[ He blinks once, twice, like he's dismissing a thought, the line of his mouth twisting a little as the weight of recollection settles on him. (Exhilaration and panic, the loss he'd felt when Black Noir had overshadowed him at that initial unveiling. The contempt he's come to feel for those crowds. His inability to stomach dislike.) Quickly, he smiles again, laughing it off. ]

But you'll like anything if you've never seen it before, right?

[ The implication: that he's learned better, that he's wiser now. ]

It's just for a few days. I'm here for you.
preborns: ([up] sweet girl)

[personal profile] preborns 2024-11-22 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
You can, and I would never wish you otherwise. [Lofty, bemused, though her careful hands are very gentle on the other woman’s face, tracing the line of her cheek to her jawline to her chin.] Be my wolfling with teeth and my forbidden queen, and I shall be your champion.

[Alia settles in for the moment, turning to look out across the field of tournament and humming thoughtfully, pressing her lips together.] Not archery, I was never good at long-range battle. Perhaps fencing? [Then, lighting up and clasping Lauralae’s hand, bouncing in her seat like an excited child:] Oh, knife-throwing! I would be wonderful at that!

[Beaming, she turns back to Lauralae, breathless with eager vim and vigor.] I will claim that title, I swear it. And I will return triumphant. Now: kiss me quick, before I go.
preborns: ([neutral] born to rule)

[personal profile] preborns 2024-11-22 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
[The way the stranger drops to the moss, like a puppet with her strings cut, hooded and painted and wary – it gets a very toothy smile from Alia, her eyes intent and unblinking, oddly far-set, her hair as fine and light as cornsilk. She shifts a little, looks the stranger over in her fullness, seems to come to some sort of conclusion.]

I do not. [A concession; perhaps she had, before, but not now. Now she welcomes the company, stretching out to her full length on the moss like a cat, bare legs, bare arms, bare face beneath the sun’s rays. The other girl gets a curious headtilt, and Alia gently flicks a heavy-headed clover so it’s purplish petals spill over onto the hem of the stranger’s cloak.] Who are you, then? Newcomer, traveler, guest to our shores?

[Then, reproachfully, she rolls to her side and props her cheek up on one hand.] You’re tired. Ought to be asleep and dreaming, perhaps. [She knows this because she Knows, because the study of body language and mental presence is one she was born knowing. And because this stranger reminds her a bit of Paul, early in the mornings, sleepy-eyed and grumbly.] Yet here we sit.
preborns: ([up] atreides smirk)

[personal profile] preborns 2024-11-22 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
[When the stranger approaches, Alia is nibbling around the edge of something deep-fried and coated in powdered sugar – she can’t remember if it’s a deep-fried oreo or a deep-fried twinkie, and they taste the same when they’re this battered and sugared up. She turns slightly, with a wariness in her wide eyes that nothing can fully remove – the month of October, the game, the role she’d played all hissing like ghosts.

But the sharp-grinned woman reaches out, takes her hand, and Alia is too surprised to resist, letting it be pumped up and down, up and down, letting herself be congratulated like she’d made some grand impression. Alia lets it happen, blinks a few times, trying to adjust to this reaction. She’s not unaccustomed to praise, to worship, even, but it usually comes when she’s seated on the throne of a temple, with penitents and petitioners wailing at her feet.

Not scantily clad in the middle of a festival with powdered sugar on her nose.

But finally it registers – one of her opponents, a dark-haired whip of a woman named Mia (or so the announcers had called it), registering in her mind only once she’d thrown her own knives, hit the target cleanly several times, quicker than many of the others Alia had stood against. Appreciation for skill is something Alia holds close to her heart, a gift given much more freely than others.

So her own sharp smile forms, slow and unsure, like smiling is something she’s read about, but rarely done. There are a lot of teeth in her smile.
] I remember you. You didn’t account for the headwind. That was your only mistake.