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ximilia mods ([personal profile] ximilian) wrote in [community profile] ximilialog2023-10-08 08:05 am

MISSION: THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE

M I S S I O N   1 7 . 1

UNIT-YPLEASANTVILLEAFTER DARKFYI

// INTRO. UNIT-Y  


Over the course of the station’s downtime, even the least astute observer will notice the sudden influx of crewmates aboard the station. Before you can further inquire and investigate this anomaly in your usual routine, your earpiece will ping! with the familiar sound of a newly received mission file. Viveca’s voice immediately follows.

// VIVECA
“Hi everyone, you’ll find details for your next mission are ready. This time the orb has been located somewhere in a town called Amaryllis Grove, and based on my research, the best way to start looking for it will involve blending in with the towns-folk who live there. Just like our last mission, those of you who don’t have natural humanoid forms will have Degar’s potion available for you to help with that. See you on the platform tomorrow morning.”

After reviewing your mission file and gathering all of the necessary supplies and clothing options, those who are well prepared might have enough time for a decent night’s sleep. If you aren’t the sort to sleep before a mission, well … carry on.

When morning arrives, you’ll make your way to the teleportation platform to join your fellow crewmates. Viveca and Degar are already standing by, the latter passing around the aforementioned potion to those who will be needing one. Finally, when the entire crew has assembled, Degar starts to speak.

// DEGAR
“You might have noticed by now that there’s a few more of us than usual – there’s a reason for that, and it’s good news! I think. You see, according to our readings of all the orb shards collected so far, we’re actually coming up to the last couple of orbs. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? For that, we’ve been getting a few more crew members to provide a little more support as we near the finish line. But we can talk more about that after you guys get this orb back here.”

Viveca nods from her place.

// VIVECA
“Good luck, everyone. I know some of you will have questions, and we’ll be here when you get back to try our best to answer them.”

Degar lifts both hands to give them all a cheesy little thumbs up. Without further ado, the hum of the platform, as it begins to power up, grows louder and louder until it’s impossible to hear anything else but the machinery thrumming in your ears. Soon enough, you’ll feel the familiar tug at the pit of your stomach as you’re whisked away from the station and towards your destination. But for a moment that feels both too short and too long, you hear it: whispers, echoes, voices that speak to you in several tenors at once, all of them providing you with a goal in exchange for their help.

Before you have a chance to answer, your surroundings begin to paint a clearer picture. You’ll be found in your usual place of choosing: whether that’s your own household, the park, or one of the several locations in and around town.

Welcome, Orbers, to Amaryllis Grove.

TOP


// PART I.PLEASANTVILLE  


On the day of the Orbers’ arrival, the weather is crisp and sunny, the trees still lush and green with only the barest hints of the leaves beginning to yellow and redden at their tips. As the summer months slowly transition into cooler autumn temperatures, the entire town feels pleasant, even cozy. The clouds in the sky provide gentle overcast conditions and you might think to grab a light coat, or wear a longer sleeve but it is by no means chilly enough to feel anything but pleasant.

Depending on where you decided to arrive, you’ll want to begin your explorations and familiarize yourself with the Grove, which will be your home for the next little while.


1.0   The town of Amaryllis Grove will feel spacious and sprawling while also being cozy and compact. Cleanly paved streets wind in and around residential pockets and cul-de-sacs, threading through the community’s amenities, goods, and service buildings. The community centre, the library, the government offices, and the Mayor’s office can all be found in the main core of the Grove. The police station and television station (playing news and sitcoms in classic black and white) are situated nearby, and are all within walking distance of each other, and the neighbouring retail streets are located just past the block. This includes clothing boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, grocery and general stores (which will sell all manner of hardware, cleaning supplies, and simple, household magical items). Having a vehicle will certainly help to get around town if you’re in a hurry running any errands, but a bicycle works just as well, and the walkability is pleasant for those wanting to take a stroll.

Everyone here is well-dressed in crisply ironed slacks and button-downs in neutrals, or colourful A-line skirts and dresses with delicate detailing for their tops. Children and teenagers are likewise found in school uniform consisting of dark blue pleated skirts or slacks, and white shirts. With the weather beginning to cool, a well structured jacket may also be a part of the ensemble.


2.0   Once you’ve explored some of the town, familiarizing yourself with the backstory and family history you and your fellow crewmates have corroborated together, perhaps you’ll want to explore your house. Lined up in rows of pleasant, homogeneous pitched roof structures, each house in the neighbourhood will come equipped with all of the necessary spaces to live a perfectly suburban life, the most ideal environment to raise a family and grow old amongst generations of familiar faces. Each one-storey house, in either brick or ship-lap siding and in various colours, will have 3-4 bedrooms, an attached garage for the family car, a living room, bathroom, spacious kitchen, and enough yard space to require both a lawn-cutter and a green thumb for the garden. Interiors have already been furnished with all of the up-to-date items for the time, resembling Earth’s 1950s era to an almost eerily accurate degree.

Say hello to your neighbour when they greet you or wish you a pleasant day. Many will look perfectly human, while others may seem more alien with vibrant skin, an extra limb, antennae, gills, and the like. Some also possess magical abilities which is not seen as strange or abnormal here; however, the magic used in Amaryllis Grove consists of simple household magic to aid with cooking, cleaning, and keeping the house perfectly pleasant – otherwise known as ‘petty magic’. Whether you’re used to such sights will likely depend on where you’re originally from, but no matter who lives next to or near you, they seem friendly enough. They may even invite you over for dinner, or inquire when you plan on hosting your next party.

You’ll cook, clean, sleep, and host parties and dinners with your neighbours of Amaryllis Grove within the walls of your quaint abode so it’s best to get to know the space that will undoubtedly become second nature to you.


3.0   While the concept of ‘Halloween’ does not exist in Amaryllis Grove, other such Autumn festivities are highly anticipated, namely the annual gathering of the harvest. It is otherwise colloquially named ‘the Harvest’. It won’t come as news to any of the residents, as the season ends and food is plenty, the Harvest has been a long-standing tradition to celebrate the closeness of the community, and to express one’s gratitude for the people that you surround yourself around.

Your neighbours may inquire whether you’ll be bringing the same mash potatoes as last year, or perhaps the spiced meatballs that the Alkherns simply couldn’t get enough of — they were just so delicious! Either way, you may want to start coming up with a special dish to bring to the community gathering or find someone to snag a recipe from, as it’ll gain you admiration or admonition, depending on the popularity of your offering.

TOP


// PART II.AFTER DARK  


Sunsets are beautiful, picturesque moments that conclude the end of a perfectly spent day, and the sunsets in Amaryllis Grove are certainly no different. As the town winds down and residents return to their homes for the night, you and your fellow Orbers will follow suit – as is the way of things. The nights are a little overcast during this time of the year, with cloud-cover masking out the stars and the glow of the moon. It’s quiet. Only the sounds of night-insects chirping can be heard, and the soft, occasional coo of a bird asleep in its nest.


4.0   Perhaps you’re catching up on some late-night reading, or grabbing a late-night snack or a night-cap. The last of the evening hours are usually spent in the comfort of your own home until a new day begins, although there is a town speakeasy that remains open until late, if you can find it. Once you climb into bed, there really doesn’t seem to be a reason for anything other than a soundless, well-deserved rest.

You’ll be tucked up in your own bed, or perhaps the bed you share with your backstory-spouse, when you hear a shrill scream that wakes you up from your sleep. High on the adrenaline, you may want to don a robe and your slippers and step outside past your front door where you’ll be joined by other neighbours on your street. They exchange glances with each other, and then may meet eyes with you, and they look scared, with their wide eyes and clenched fists, some of the husbands and wives holding each other’s hands for comfort. It isn’t outside of the norm for such a startling cry. The house in question will be fully lit, with Mrs Myrsdin sobbing into her hands, mumbling, ‘I told him not to say anything! I told him to keep quiet! It came for him–’ as the AGPD (Amaryllis Grove Police Department) approach her, one of the officers patting her shoulder in consolation. Another officer moves towards a cluster of concerned neighbours, assuring them that this will be taken care of, and when they spot you, they’ll tell you the same.

It might seem difficult now to head back to sleep, but the crowd disperses and the AGPD lead Mrs Myrsdin back into the house. The lights remain on for another hour, maybe two, and then the entire block quiets again, the AGPD preparing to leave for the station once more. It seems there’s nothing else to do but get as much rest as you can before the morning ... but everything about this doesn’t sit quite right. Maybe you'll linger behind for a moment, see if you can ask a few questions, gather a bit of information, as it seems that after the brief moment of shock none of the residents seem to be particularly surprised by any of this.


5.0   The skies are blue and the sun is bright, and as Amaryllis Grove wakes up to a new day, everything feels as though Mrs Myrsdin never screamed into the night, with no signs of the AGPD having visited, and not a whisper to be said of Mrs Myrsdin's husband disappearing. If you try to investigate what happened at the house last night, Mrs Myrsdin will conveniently be absent, and any neighbours around you may either greet you with the most firm, reassuring smiles, or an outright aloofness to ignore anything you say. They’ll interject by telling you about the Harvest festivities, or make a comment about the weather. Some might sound snappish and dismissive. One thing’s for sure: everything feels tense.

But as the skies gradually shift to an overcast, one of your neighbours may gesture to the sky with another plasticky smile, commenting about the brightness of the sun. ‘It sure is bright today,’ they might say, the comment seemingly so off-handed. It’s casual, polite, and a little strained. ‘It’s got a far reach.’

It’s too bright to stare directly into the sun without damaging your eyes, but as you glance up just past it, you might notice that the sun looks a little … too close. And it doesn’t look a whole lot like a sun either, though it is bright but it looks like a large whitish sphere with a piercing, golden iris and it seems to be watching. This certainly wasn’t in the morning’s weather report.


6.0   As you continue to settle in Amaryllis Grove, you may begin to pick up on other strange things that you hadn’t noticed before – not surprising, considering the whirlwind of events that have taken place in such a short period of time and having to grow accustomed to the daily lives of the residents in Amaryllis Grove.

There are figures that resemble people scattered around town in all shapes, sizes, and races, replicated with excruciating detail, all the way down to their expressions and poses. In their everyday wear, they stoically fill in corners and take up empty spaces, and while it can’t possibly be true, their eyes seem to follow you as you move past them – even with the empty gazes of their glassy eyes. They’re made of metal and clad in something soft and pliable to make up their skin. Once you know what you’re looking for, they almost start to make themselves more visible to you. But if you study them for too long, you may begin to feel a little nauseous and queasy, and temporarily experience vertigo. Or you may start to have feelings of paranoia settle in, making you short-tempered and twitchy.

These figures can be found almost everywhere around the town, but they will mostly be populated in and around the residential blocks, looking as though they’re busily living their lives in passive background poses. They’re easy enough to miss if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, and they’re so life-like you almost feel rude staring for too long, in case they turn their heads towards you.

And on the next night, you might catch the glimpse of a dark, stationary silhouette of a man in the Myrsdin house just before Mrs Myrsdin draws the curtains closed.

TOP


F Y I

The events in this log take place during the month of October.

If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.

To explore a specific location or speak to any of the NPCs, please submit your search request HERE.

And finally, your soundtrack for this log:

TOP


NAV

alternatives: (pic#16666494)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
You don't deserve it.

( he says it decisively, fingers accidentally snagging on a bit of chishiya's hair, soothing his scalp afterwards in apology. his eyes go up to the ceiling, thoughtful, considering the weight of words. they've always been his greatest weapon, more for the feeling out behind them than any real loquacious talent. he finds, he has a lot of feelings for chishiya, actually. he doesn't know what that means either. )

I told you, you've changed. You've changed even more now, into someone I could really ... Someone I do really admire. ( he finds chishiya's hand somewhere on his torso and places his over it, squeezing, bringing it up to the center of his chest. ) Even if I did die at the Beach, though. You still wouldn't deserve it. You have a lot of good to do, still.
dispassioned: (pic#16370914)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[It occurs to Chishiya distantly that if Arisu keeps talking he's not sure he’ll be able to stop himself from kissing him.

But of course, he does keep taking and somehow Chishiya manages to resist giving in to temptation, mostly because he does have something he needs to say to that. His fingers curl where Arisu places his hand, lightly gripping the loose fabric of his t-shirt.]


If you had died at the Beach, I wouldn’t have changed. I wouldn’t know how to do the good you’re talking about.

[He'd told him as much after he was shot. That Arisu was one of the reasons he was able to push himself to act out of character.]
alternatives: (pic#16614757)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
( that finally gets arisu to look down at him, pulling back enough to get a good look at his face. not that he doubts this is what chishiya believes about himself — he hasn't exactly been quiet about his low opinion of himself, even if he's more likely to play it off as a joke than with any sincerity. arisu knows what that's like. and while he can't see whatever it is chishiya sees when he looks at him — he does see chishiya. he sees him trying. he sees that he's always been trying, even if at one point that try was balanced out by sacrificing arisu. borderland might've shown the very worst depths of people's souls, but arisu doesn't necessarily think people should be judged on the worst of themselves. chishiya did bad. look at him now, doctoring for no pay, fixing the problems wrong with the universe, one world at a time. why not judge him on that good, instead? )

You've always been good.

( again, it's decisive. he giggles a little. his hand reaches out and boops him on the nose. )

Silly.
dispassioned: (pic#16684091)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
[He scrunches his nose up as Arisu boops it, and he blinks at him, perplexed. He is honestly not sure how Arisu can say that, all things considered, but he actually seems to believe it.

Chishiya doesn’t get it.

He narrows his eyes slightly in what would almost be a glare if there were any irritation in it. As it stands, there’s mostly bemusement, which he covers the same way he covers most things: with trolling. Or what might look like trolling.]


If you keep saying things like that, I’m going to kiss you on the mouth.

[Even as he says it he’s not sure himself if it’s a warning or a challenge or a request for permission.]
Edited 2023-10-16 02:37 (UTC)
alternatives: (pic#16725701)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
( ah. well.

was that look before sincere, then? if it's on his mind, maybe it must be. then again, it could just be a thing that people say. "stop that or i'll kiss you", like it's a threat. borderland would've been a lot more preferable, if kisses were as bad as it got — then again, they probably would've found a way to make that messed up, too. so maybe it's better that kisses are still sanctified, still treasured pieces of priceless affection. and that chishiya is offering one up ... or maybe not. either way, arisu holds the key to finding out.

he doesn't blush, because he's not sure if he should, yet. if it's a joke, he'll blush in embarrassment for taking it seriously, and if it's not a joke, he'll blush for a wholly other reason. while the truth is still in limbo, even if both results are the same, arisu finds a little bit of confidence, walking the tightrope in the divide that always exists between what chishiya says and what he means. this could be a question. if it is, the answer is yes, emphatically, yes.
)

Calling you silly? ( his fingers twirl around chishiya's hair again. softer this time. ) You have some weird kinks.
dispassioned: (pic#16738335)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Infuriating. He can’t tell if Arisu is messing with him or if he’s oblivious again. He lifts his head to get a better look at him.

He might be messing with him. Maybe.

Hm.

He lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head.]


Do you really want to talk about my kinks, Arisu-kun?
alternatives: (pic#16666492)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
( ok, he probably had that coming, being that he's the one who mentioned kinks at all. that's on him. he still looks at chishiya's perked head with surprise in his expression, wrestling the muscles in his mouth to keep from smiling too obviously. he looks like a cat who just saw a canary on the wall, rearing back on his haunches to take the leap. )

That ... feels like a trick question.
dispassioned: (pic#16639487)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Does it?

[Well, he supposes it might be one. In a way. Maybe there’s some part of Chishiya that can’t stop himself from asking trick questions and playing mind games. Even after everything, sometimes it still feels safer than honesty.]

What do you think the trick will be?

[That might seem like another trick question, he realizes that as soon as he says it. But it's actually honest. He wonders what game Arisu thinks he’s playing at.]
alternatives: (pic#16666479)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
Um.

( it's the lingering on kink talk that makes arisu — not uncomfortable, but shy. it's hard to know how he's feeling, really. acknowledging that chishiya is attractive is not anything new, but deciding he wants to kiss him? that feels like dangerous new information. the kind you keep close to home, until you're sure about it. something that has to be cultivated and grown. his crushes always work like that, until they're so verdant they're bursting out from him, in everything he does.

one could probably look at his insisting on picking chishiya up and cuddling him fiercely and making him wear arisu's shirts to bed and say he's well past bursting. he just hadn't noticed, that being married is so nice because it's him.
)

I don't know. I guess, maybe you'd say your kink is everything I'm not. So I'd look dumb for being interested. ( he laughs ) That sounds very childish, out loud. Anyway, I can already guess all your kinks, so you don't have to tell me anyway.
dispassioned: (pic#16639490)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
[He raises both eyebrows this time. Amused. Maybe intrigued.]

Can you? That’s interesting.

[He wonders what Arisu thinks he knows about his kinks. Then again, Arisu does have a way of being perceptive in surprising ways. Maybe he’s not bullshitting.

In any case Chishiya puts a pin in that for now. He needs to circle back to something else.]


I don’t want to make you look stupid.

[Honesty, like medicine, is easier in small doses. So this seems like a good place to start. Really, if he wants someone to feel stupid he will tell them to their face that they are stupid. That’s not what he’s doing here.]
alternatives: (pic#16743859)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
( he absolutely can not. he might be able to do some homlesiam mind palace bullshit to sort it out, but that would require him to think about chishiya and kinks for any extended amount of time. chishiya and sex, probably. it's dangerous to let his thoughts go down that path, when chishiya is still plastered against him.

and anyway. his smile softens in chishiya's direction. "i don't want to make you look stupid" would be a priceless compliment from chishiya to anyone else. but arisu, lucky duck that he is, has "you did good" tucked in his back pocket. no one knows how long he'll be basking in that.
)

I know. I don't really think that. ( they're undercover, technically. there are ample opportunities to make arisu look like an idiot. chishiya doesn't need some convoluted happenstance where arisu brings up kinks in a normal conversation, because someone's trolling is rubbing off on him. ) Then you'd be married to an idiot, besides. How bad would that look?
dispassioned: (pic#16734796)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
[He hums softly, plucking idly at Arisu's shirt.]

I don’t care about that, either.

[About how things look. About what people think. Well, most people, anyway. He cares about what Arisu thinks, apparently, or he wouldn’t be struggling with this. He'd make a joke of it and let Arisu live with his anxieties. But that’s not what he wants either. At the very least Arisu deserves to know where he stands.

Assuming, of course, Chishiya can manage to communicate it to any significant degree.]


My point is I haven’t been trying to trick you. I’ve been flirting with you.

[As in, genuinely flirting. Or trying to. He adds dryly:]

My sincerity could use some work.
Edited (Wording) 2023-10-16 04:58 (UTC)
alternatives: (pic#16683830)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
( he takes a good while just to look at chishiya, the paranoid parts of himself that still exist in a borderland mentality waiting for the other shoe to drop, the plan behind the manipulation to unfold. because chishiya can't really — like him. it doesn't seem even remotely possible. arisu knows, because he's been there, that chishiya would do anything to get what he wants. but no deeper meaning spools out from chishiya's gaze as arisu watches him, no thread comes unraveled, no plot reveals itself. instead, he just looks

arisu pinkens. chishiya looks kind of uncomfortable. like how a person unused to speaking the truth would look when giving exactly that.

he sits up, using his palms to support himself. his head inclines in chishiya's direction, sheepishly.
)

I'm flirting, too. I'm just not good at it.
dispassioned: (pic#16639517)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Chishiya grunts softly and flops back on the bed as Arisu sits up, taking the shoulder Chishiya had been using as a pillow with him. At this point Chishiya's not sure he's much good at flirting himself. Maybe he just has the same issue Arisu does. The instinctive assumption that everything might be a game or a trick.

No, that's not quite right. Arisu is too earnest and sincere to really play mind games. It's more that Chishiya thinks if he treats it as a game, rejection will hurt less. So, more accurately, he's bad at flirting when he's serious about it.

He sighs and blinks up at Arisu thoughtfully.]


Well, I wouldn't say that.

[He's pretty good at flirting when he's not over thinking it. Carrying him in here was pretty smooth, actually.]
Edited 2023-10-16 13:31 (UTC)
alternatives: (pic#16666478)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-16 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
( almost conspiratorially, he looks down at chishiya, an eyebrow arched. he feels very young, in the moment — or maybe this is how normal people in their twenties always feel, having special moments with a pretty guy in bed, instead of ducking out of the way of gunfire when the king of spades zeroes in on your location. staring at chishiya laying down has a whole host of memories. he hopes this one dulls the throat clogging ache of seeing him bleeding out, two holes, in his chest and side. arisu stares at the bit of shoulder his oversized shirt thought to unveil, before looking back at chishiya, frowning. )

Well … what would you say? If you wouldn’t say that.

( he’s curious. maybe he’s fishing. if chishiya met him before borderland, he would’ve absolutely hated him and his frivolity, his selfish life. he’s not sure it’s fair to let chishiya like him, if he doesn’t know that much. still, though. he wants to be the person chishiya thinks he sees very, very badly. )
dispassioned: (pic#16249579)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-16 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[Chishiya's expression softens slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. He can tell Arisu is fishing a little bit, but he doesn’t mind. If anything, he wanted him to. To give him an opening.

Okay so maybe he is still playing a game, of a sort. But the end goal isn’t anything more sinister than more flirting.

He hums softly, tilting his head a little as he gazes up at him.]


You’re good enough that I’ve been thinking about kissing you since you brought me in here.
Edited 2023-10-16 23:31 (UTC)
alternatives: (Default)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-17 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
( he takes a breath that never goes anywhere but the center of his chest, watching chishiya, but he never sees the insincerity he expects to be there. he's being honest, arisu is almost positive. even if he wasn't, isn't it worth taking a chance on? arisu has taken greater risks with greater stakes before, and kissing chishiya has never once hung in the balance. being drunk makes arisu bold, so he doesn't back down where he otherwise might've. )

So why haven't you?

( his head tilts right back at him, but he keeps his hands to himself. for now. )
dispassioned: (pic#16725221)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-17 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Chishiya blinks and considers him. He could be honest again. He could admit he was afraid. Of rejection, of ruining whatever it is they’re building by pushing too hard or too far. But, he thinks, he’s a little tired of using words. If he’s going to make himself vulnerable, he might as well make it worthwhile.

Besides, Arisu has essentially just given him permission.

He pushes himself up, just far enough that he can grab a fistful of Arisu’s shirt and pull him into a kiss.]
alternatives: (pic#16683823)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-17 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
( hesitance doesn't make arisu go slow — rather it's surprise, and the notion of savoring that has his reactions wading through water, sluggishly coming to the surface. maybe the most surprising thing is that chishiya's mouth is soft. for however biting and cutting his words can be, the lips that form them are plush and warm, tasting vaguely like the citrus in the cocktails downstairs. after a beat, arisu's eyes flutter shut. he kisses him back belatedly, and chases chishiya's mouth when they move to separate, leaning in for more but stopping himself, glancing up to find chishiya's gaze already on him.

a hand moves out, carefully threading through chishiya's long hair, watching silvery strands glide along his knuckles. he swallows, dryly. when he looks back at chishiya, it's with determination.
)

I trust you.

( he decides that he does. he decides that this isn't a trick or trap or game, that chishiya is wanting for this as much as he is, and that — is a powerful feeling to have. faith. the heart thumping burn of a crush, requitted.

arisu initiates the second kiss, hands on chishiya's cheek and neck, tilting his head so he can get deeper, kiss him harder.
)
dispassioned: (pic#16337960)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-17 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Chishiya doesn’t generally like to admit that he has nerves, but they almost get the better of him at Arisu's initial hesitancy. He wonders if he got it wrong, if he misread the signal Arisu was sending. Maybe he was really trying to understand—

But then he’s kissing him back, and not quite letting him come up for air. Chishiya relaxes as Arisu leans in and then pauses to look at him. He leans into Arisu's hand as it slides through his hair.

And then he says what he says and Chishiya blinks at him, surprised.]


Wh—

[But the word doesn’t make it past his lips, because Arisu is kissing him again. Maybe someone less selfish would try to argue that he probably doesn’t deserve to be trusted. But Arisu’s already made it clear that he’s not holding the Beach against Chishiya, for some reason.

And he doesn’t want to think about that. He wants to think about how Arisu's mouth feels on his. How he tastes a little like jelly fruit desserts and cocktails. How Arisu seems a little more confident this time, more insistent, with his long fingers cupping Chishiya's jaw as he deepens the kiss. And Chishiya likes that. Arisu being a little demanding is exciting and unexpected.

His heart hammers in his chest and he releases a soft, approving moan into Arisu’s mouth. He slides his arms around him to keep him close, and tries not to think too deeply about how long he’s wanted this or how long he’s going to hold on to this moment even after it ends.]
alternatives: (pic#16666470)

[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-18 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
( the thing about trust — whether it's earned or deserved, it either exists or it doesn't. it is or it isn't. right now, in bed with chishiya, it is. and it's a lucky thing too, because arisu isn't thinking about where chishiya's hands are, or what he's thinking, or what greater game could be at play here. no, he trusts chishiya's intentions, he trusts this strange honesty they've cultivated between them, and he trusts that whatever's beating like an angry bird inside his chest is something shared between them. instead, he's thinking that he could be addicted to this, that he likes this — chishiya's soft mouth, pliant underneath his, and his warm cheeks heating up under his palm. if chishiya is bad at speaking with sincerity, his kisses aren't. arisu feels like he knows him down to the marrow of his bones.

very likely, he could just spend the night kissing him, one drunk, sloppy kiss right after the other. but he stops himself, not wanting to cheapen the chance chishiya has taken on him — he pulls back, breaths coming deep. he swipes a thumb over chishiya's mouth, slightly in awe that a moment ago, it'd been his mouth there, kissing him.

after a second, he ducks his head in, lips chastely catching the height of his exposed shoulder, while arisu wraps his arms around him. he pulls him in for a hug.
)
dispassioned: (pic#16639485)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-18 09:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Growing up lonely and touch starved means that when you do, finally, get some of the attention you’ve been craving, you don’t always know how to stop. There’s a kind of insatiable hunger in Chishiya at times like this, and he would be more than happy to continue to indulge it. To get as drunk on Arisu's kisses as he did on his cocktails. So, as Arisu pulls back he makes a soft sound of protest, mildly disappointed.

But then he opens his eyes and sees the way Arisu is looking at him. The wonder and disbelief in his expression. Chishiya isn’t sure anyone has looked at him like that before. Maybe it’s better to stop, to not push things too far while they’re drunk.

Although when Arisu drops that kiss onto Chishiya's shoulder, causing his breath to catch, Chishiya is pretty sure he’d let Arisu do absolutely anything he wanted to him regardless of his blood alcohol level.

He huffs a soft chuckle as Arisu pulls him into an embrace, and Chishiya turns his head to kiss the corner of Arisu’s jaw.]


Had enough?

[His voice is husky and playful with a syrupy sort of warmth in his tone. The implication is there, that he could have more if he wants it, though Chishiya isn’t making any demands. He’s just trying to get an idea of what he’s thinking or feeling now.]
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[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-19 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
( he shakes his head but doesn't speak, finding any words that fill his mouth too imperfect for this briefly crystalline moment. no, he hasn't had enough. not by a long shot and probably not ever, going off what he knows about himself and how starved he is. but he doesn't exactly feel starved here, in chishiya's arms, idly rubbing his lips back and forth against his shoulder. he almost feels complete, actually. like there isn't a thing he could hope for other than the next second shared with chishiya.

logically, he knows there are a lot of things he wants. he just can't really think of any while he's here, nestled comfortably in domestic bliss. weirdly, that contentment stays with him in the next second. and the next, and the next.

playfully, he smacks chishiya's exposed thigh, abruptly pulling away from him and standing up, arms extended in chishiya's direction.
)

Mikotoba-san taught me how to dance. ( he gives an encouraging nod, fingers flexing. ) C'mon.
dispassioned: (pic#16259475)

[personal profile] dispassioned 2023-10-19 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Chishiya has a second or two to think, with some surprise, that he didn't think spanking would be one of Arisu's kinks, before it becomes clear that's not actually what's happening.

He blinks, maybe even more surprised by being asked to dance than he is of the possibility of Arisu spanking him. Though, come to think of it, he did see Arisu and Yujin dancing earlier.

Chishiya sits up and takes Arisu's hand before standing up.]


Ah, I thought he might have been trying to seduce you away from me.

[He's kidding.]
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[personal profile] alternatives 2023-10-20 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
( standing makes their height difference more pronounced, and arisu suddenly feels like some sort of giant, pulling chishiya into the proper stance for a waltz, before doing absolutely none of the moves yujin showed him. they just sway, arisu encouraging chishiya's head to nestle against his shoulder, before his hand sweeps loosely around his waist, their handhold bent close to their bodies. making out with him in their marital bed seems — well it's just a little bit too much, too soon, on something he would really rather take his time with. slow dancing to no music in their jammies is an acceptable amount of intimacy for the level of drunk chishiya is. ( ignoring the fact that arisu is infinitely more drunk than him. his interest is not in question, but only because he knows what's going on in his own heart. ) )

Ha, what? ( he chuckles, shyly. ) I guess he is a handsome guy. I'm too young for him though, I think. Wow.

( wow like — seduced away. so maybe chishiya has wanted him for hours instead of minutes? big wow. )

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