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TDM #4
Welcome! Everything is fine.
Uploading. . . Complete!
The Lobby.
- When you open your eyes, there is quite a lot of beige to take in. The unassuming walls of the room you've found yourself in are barren save for a single motivational poster directly in your line of sight. An illuminated sign above an open door on the far wall reads 'lobby exit.'
"Welcome," chimes a polite, synthesized voice. "I'm happy you're here." A moment later comes the clarity of the situation: you have died and so has the world you came from. "This is Amani, your new reality," continues The Peacekeeper. "Everything will be fine."
At least you aren't the only one here, you'll soon find out, as others who are just as confused and concerned as you are mingling on the main hub's first floor. Hopefully, you find a familiar face among the crowd. If not, that's all right. You'll get to know quite a few people very well soon enough.
- If you're one of the unlucky few whose death required a bit more intensive re-coding to maintain stability in the simulation, you'll instead awaken on a bed in the infirmary. Everything is strikingly white save for the occasional string of vines with lavender growing in bursts to help keep people calm. Whether or not it works seems to be on a case-by-case basis.
While there is no active medical staff, the voice of The Peacekeeper is there to explain the situation in a more delicate manner to these individuals. It's already stressful enough having to have gone through such a violent death, after all!
If characters want more questions answered, they'll need to speak to The Peacekeeper directly. But first, it will encourage socialization in the main hub and hopefully, you'll find someone you recognize to make taking things in a little easier.
WHAT
The fourth Amani TDM!
WHEN
April 21st, 2022
KINKS OF THE MONTH
★ Tickling
★ Facials
★ School Uniforms
★ Sharing
★ Hurt/Comfort
★ Facials
★ School Uniforms
★ Sharing
★ Hurt/Comfort
WELCOME
Throughout the main hub where everyone congregates, a light chiming echoes through the first floor. "Hello, everyone," comes the synthetic voice from when you first arrived. "Please, watch your step since there's quite a few puddles around. If you'd like, there is cake, some refreshments, and some eggs for you in these trying times. If they feel warmer than usual, that's because they're going to hatch soon!"
While the Peacekeeper doesn't elaborate, as usual, simulation inhabitants are free to notice the eggs that either they gathered or are still littering the simulation are now warm to the touch, give off a faint glow, and may even move subtly now and again if watched.
Dark, ominous clouds begin to gather over every piece of sky in the simulation and before long blot out the sun. Sheets of rain begin to pour down almost without warning. Hopefully, you've managed to fix those leaks in your house! Or maybe you're finding new ones...
Lightning splits the sky with a dramatic crackle and thunder booms not long after it. The wind howls and the worst of the storm won't relent for a few hours at the least. Even after, the rain will linger for days on and off to varying degrees of severity.
While the weather has taken a turn for the gloomy, that doesn't mean that simulation inhabitants have to be! In fact, it may feel somewhat refreshing as if the rain is washing away any negativity lingering after The Overseer's masquerade. Whether by her design or not, she - nor The Peacekeeper - will say but it does seem that she wants to keep relations as peaceful between the simulation inhabitants and creators as she can.
Of course, your buckets might not just be catching water. With the rising water levels, the fish that inhabit the simulation's waters are just as confused as anyone else. Even more confusing is the glitch causing them to transform once they find themselves on solid (mostly) ground.
Thankfully, they don't change into anything harmful. Well, maybe to your teeth since an abundance of sweet treats is bound to cause a cavity or two... Not to mention the other odd effects that food here is known to have.
If the party and its cake don't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. This is the perfect time to configure your Digitized Technical Friend or your DTF status. A DTF is similar to a dæmon from His Dark Materials in that it is connected to and a reflection of a character's soul. These DTFs take shape accordingly and are projections similar to the NPCs. Think of them as your own personal Clippy except less annoying. Hopefully.
Once that's set-up, there are other locations of the main hub to investigate! You can still find an (off-key) instrument to play in the music lounge or check out the (algae-ridden) pool.
You can even visit The Peacekeeper themselves on the second floor. They're always happy to have visitors! They're also conveniently where you might place a complaint about that status of the main hub and its amenities.
While the Peacekeeper doesn't elaborate, as usual, simulation inhabitants are free to notice the eggs that either they gathered or are still littering the simulation are now warm to the touch, give off a faint glow, and may even move subtly now and again if watched.
APRIL SHOWERS
Granted, there are bigger things to worry about such as the storm that's rolling in.Dark, ominous clouds begin to gather over every piece of sky in the simulation and before long blot out the sun. Sheets of rain begin to pour down almost without warning. Hopefully, you've managed to fix those leaks in your house! Or maybe you're finding new ones...
Lightning splits the sky with a dramatic crackle and thunder booms not long after it. The wind howls and the worst of the storm won't relent for a few hours at the least. Even after, the rain will linger for days on and off to varying degrees of severity.
While the weather has taken a turn for the gloomy, that doesn't mean that simulation inhabitants have to be! In fact, it may feel somewhat refreshing as if the rain is washing away any negativity lingering after The Overseer's masquerade. Whether by her design or not, she - nor The Peacekeeper - will say but it does seem that she wants to keep relations as peaceful between the simulation inhabitants and creators as she can.
ONE FISH, TWO FISH...
The constant rain brings water levels of the rivers and eddies up at an alarming rate. Flooding is inevitable and, hopefully, the place you've claimed as your own isn't in the way. If it is, you might want to get the buckets ready or consider a relocation!Of course, your buckets might not just be catching water. With the rising water levels, the fish that inhabit the simulation's waters are just as confused as anyone else. Even more confusing is the glitch causing them to transform once they find themselves on solid (mostly) ground.
Thankfully, they don't change into anything harmful. Well, maybe to your teeth since an abundance of sweet treats is bound to cause a cavity or two... Not to mention the other odd effects that food here is known to have.
- ★ Taiyaki » Despite having just jumped out of the chilly waters, these tasty treats will be warm to the touch and generate steam. After biting into one, you'll radiate warmth no matter what for a brief period of time. Being a walking furnace sure is nice with this damp, cold atmosphere... Maybe you'll find a friend or two to huddle up with and keep warm.
★ Swedish Fish » Eating one of these stretchy, gummy candies will increase your flexibility. Literally and metaphorically! It might be easier to be convinced to do something you wouldn't have before and now you can bend just the right way to make it extra fun.
★ Hard Fish Candy » These tart candies will render someone unable to speak until it completely dissolves. This can take a while, too, since they seem to be persistantly stuck to the roof of your mouth! Yet, don't underestimate the power of body language to speak your mind.
★ Chocolate Sardines » Eating one of these rich bite-sized treats will make you sweeter. No, really! Candy kisses isn't just an expression after eating these fish. You taste delicious. Maybe too delicious... Be careful! Once someone gets a taste of you, they might not want to stop anytime soon.
WHAT'S YOUR DTF STATUS?
If the party and its cake don't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. This is the perfect time to configure your Digitized Technical Friend or your DTF status. A DTF is similar to a dæmon from His Dark Materials in that it is connected to and a reflection of a character's soul. These DTFs take shape accordingly and are projections similar to the NPCs. Think of them as your own personal Clippy except less annoying. Hopefully.
Once that's set-up, there are other locations of the main hub to investigate! You can still find an (off-key) instrument to play in the music lounge or check out the (algae-ridden) pool.
You can even visit The Peacekeeper themselves on the second floor. They're always happy to have visitors! They're also conveniently where you might place a complaint about that status of the main hub and its amenities.
RAINING CATS AND DOGS
While the fishy foods are odd enough as is, another glitch appears to be occurring throughout the simulation but this time originates not from the rain but The Peacekeeper's humble musings. "Did you know," speaks the resident AI, "that there is an expression called 'raining cats and dogs'? I think that's such a curious saying! It made me wonder what it might actually look like..."
Following the strange, unexpected 'announcement,' inhabitants may begin to notice large globs of water falling periodically from the sky now amidst the regular rain. When they hit the ground with a large splash, nothing is there... at first. The water will burst apart only to reassemble into a canine or feline friend. Well, it's shaped like a dog or a cat.
Due to the sudden nature of their spawning though, some things aren't quite right. Perhaps that cat has only three legs instead of four; a dog may be missing an eye, an ear, or even its tail. And those are the more tame oddities! While the unique animals aren't overly abundant there are still a good number that spawn across the days of rain. Don't be surprised if a dog takes up shelter from the storm on your porch or you come home to a cat you don't own having climbed through a loose window.
While this might be exactly the addition to your home that you wanted, it doesn't change the leaky roof or broken window in your new place. Or, unfortunately, the fact that there's no extra space for a pet yet. No, unfortunately that will still need to be fixed the peaceful way. If you'd like more lighting or even cozier clothes, simulation inhabitants are reminded that 'peaceful interactions' are very important!
It might be a good idea to stick close to someone you know, for now, since even the smallest amounts of intimacy might see subtle changes occurring where they're staying. Perhaps that broken window is now fixed, the grime and dust seem a little less, or the floor doesn't creak quite as loud.
Larger changes, however, will only come after demonstrating the more powerful peaceful interactions. If you want new hardwood floors or a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you're going to have to demonstrate how well you 'get along' with others against them first.
Following the strange, unexpected 'announcement,' inhabitants may begin to notice large globs of water falling periodically from the sky now amidst the regular rain. When they hit the ground with a large splash, nothing is there... at first. The water will burst apart only to reassemble into a canine or feline friend. Well, it's shaped like a dog or a cat.
Due to the sudden nature of their spawning though, some things aren't quite right. Perhaps that cat has only three legs instead of four; a dog may be missing an eye, an ear, or even its tail. And those are the more tame oddities! While the unique animals aren't overly abundant there are still a good number that spawn across the days of rain. Don't be surprised if a dog takes up shelter from the storm on your porch or you come home to a cat you don't own having climbed through a loose window.
While this might be exactly the addition to your home that you wanted, it doesn't change the leaky roof or broken window in your new place. Or, unfortunately, the fact that there's no extra space for a pet yet. No, unfortunately that will still need to be fixed the peaceful way. If you'd like more lighting or even cozier clothes, simulation inhabitants are reminded that 'peaceful interactions' are very important!
It might be a good idea to stick close to someone you know, for now, since even the smallest amounts of intimacy might see subtle changes occurring where they're staying. Perhaps that broken window is now fixed, the grime and dust seem a little less, or the floor doesn't creak quite as loud.
Larger changes, however, will only come after demonstrating the more powerful peaceful interactions. If you want new hardwood floors or a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you're going to have to demonstrate how well you 'get along' with others against them first.
SEEING PINK
ear the end of the week, the rain finally relents and temperatures continue to gradually increase. Those May flowers can't quite seem to wait though since several of the trees lining the edge of the forest bloom brilliant pink blossoms that a DTF will be able to identify as love blossoms. While the blooms won't last very long, they certainly are using all the time they have to take over.
The pollen is one thing. It may start out as just a tickle in your nose or stuffy head but eventually turns into something much more lovely. You're tickled pink about almost everything, it seems, and want to share that happiness with others. And who needs rose-colored glasses when almost everywhere one looks there's a string of love blossoms blooming?
These invasive flowers are in your garden, along the vines in the city, and even sprawling through the main hub! It actually seems almost impossible to avoid them. The Peacekeeper assures inhabitants that it isn't purposeful and just the natural cycle of the love blossoms.
Enjoy the mood-lifting and groin-tingling effects while they last! The love blossoms will only linger for a few days, at most, before receding back to the forest line and eventually falling dormant again until next spring.
The pollen is one thing. It may start out as just a tickle in your nose or stuffy head but eventually turns into something much more lovely. You're tickled pink about almost everything, it seems, and want to share that happiness with others. And who needs rose-colored glasses when almost everywhere one looks there's a string of love blossoms blooming?
These invasive flowers are in your garden, along the vines in the city, and even sprawling through the main hub! It actually seems almost impossible to avoid them. The Peacekeeper assures inhabitants that it isn't purposeful and just the natural cycle of the love blossoms.
Enjoy the mood-lifting and groin-tingling effects while they last! The love blossoms will only linger for a few days, at most, before receding back to the forest line and eventually falling dormant again until next spring.
SEXY STAMP CARD
If you're wondering about these 'peaceful interactions' that keep being mentioned or what the kinks of the month are for... Here's your answer! Upon arrival, all characters will receive a digital copy of their very own sexy stamp card.
Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it!NOTES
Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it!
★ The kinks of the month have changed! Be sure to check this post for what the new ones are. Also, give a congratulations to Corrin (
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fatefulprince) as the as the new leader of the sexy leaderboard! 🎉★ The effects of the strange fish candies can, as always, be as heavy or light as you'd like! It can be chalked up to differences in resistance, non-humanity or not, etc. etc. Also, they can mixed-and-matched! Have fun with that.
★ The flora and fauna page will be updated. It's also still open for player suggestions! All you need to do now is link your check-in (or player claim) comment to make a submission!
★ Make sure to dunk your questions/feedback in the thread below!
NAVIGATION
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Come in. I'll see what I can do about a hearth. [It's a strange combination of a modern home and cottagelike elements and Ren turns her focus to the wood burner by the couch, squatting down before it to try and get a fire running.] I ain't tried to access it. I...[There's no way to saying this delicately so she'll be as blunt as she can.] With everyone bein' dead, I didn't want to hear the state of the other side if I was the only one left. Ain't no fakin' that. [This way, she had a bit of deniability, she could trick herself into believing that the Apocalypse hadn't happened and her pack were going to pull her out of this cyberscape nightmare any day now.]
no subject
Can't say I wouldn't have done the same. Umbra's a reflection, could be far worse. Honestly... I don't think I could even if I did try. Something 'bout it feels wrong.
[ he'll save it for later investigation. in the meantime, he is going to strip off his very wet jacket, revealing his sad, clinging t-shirt that fits perfectly over sculpted muscle, dipping low in the chest. it's a strip show just for ren and i, the writer, am providing it for her because wayland is a dumbass. he pulls his hair over his shoulder and gets up eventually to wring his hair out in the bathroom sink. ]
How long you been here, Ren?
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[Ren manages to strike a fire without too much difficulty and tries not to think too hard about the implications of her being the first to turn up here, but, now not the only one. Whatever, all that mattered was that the room would be lighter and warmer now.
The gnarliest of willpower botches ever is here to disrupt her day.She straightens up, wiping her hands on her shorts to get rid of the soot on them and glances at Wayland wringing out his hair. And fuck. Ren swears she can actually feel her pussy clench at the sight laid before her eyes. She froze still, trapped instantly in a feedback loop of her own lust and horniness, looking right through Wayland's clothes to what lay under it. Her imagination bringing to the forefront of her mind a thousand things she shouldn't be thinking about.
This was wrong, she shouldn't be looking. But, if they were the last ones left; he was the only one who was going to be able to understand what it was like to be Garou. The unique position the Warriors of Gaia were in. How heavy the burden had been and now how absent of purpose she was now that all that burden had been lifted.]
...so you're a philodox. [Gaia, she misses Jabari and his dry answers. His long suffering sighs.] ...tell me, if we're all that's left of the Nation and the apocalypse happened, what obligations are we bound to?
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[ law keeper, peacemaker, judge... he understands. as she speaks, he gives pause a moment, fingers wringing out the last of the water from his hair and moving to squeeze a bit from his shirt. glancing to her, he hesitates, his eyes turning upwards slightly. ]
If it's just us two? Then I suppose, our duty is to still care for Gaia as best we can, see if we can undo what's been done. Some would say we ought to seek out humans to... attempt to repopulate at some point or another, I s'pose. Not really something I want to think about just yet, however.
[ he lifts a brow just slightly. ]
I'd rather focus more on the former than the latter.
[ if they aren't all being duped somehow. wayland is still battling with himself, uncertain if what he was shown was even true. the temporary rage sits uneasily in his belly. ]
It's been... a lot for you, to have been the only one, I imagine.
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It's amazing how so few words could cut to the bone so quickly.]
... [Her brow furrows and it takes her a minute or two to think through how she can respond to that without simply breaking down into tears. Yes. It had been. The apocalypse had come and she wasn't in the homelands as had been promised to her from being kin let alone from her first change. She would never see her family's faces again. She had failed. She had been left adrift in this cyberland as a chosen one and yet she had spiralled for months in private on the thought that this was her punishment for letting the Weaver win.]
I try not to think on it too hard. [ +1 temporary rage.] It pisses me off.
[That was the pinnacle of it all for Ren. Her loss of purpose. All she had wanted her whole life was to be a good Garou. To live a glorious life and help her people. And this was her punishment for keeping the Litany alive and protecting the veil; abandonment.
What fucking good was the Litany to her now?
Ren can feel the need to act rising from the balls of her feet to the tip of her ears, inaction wasn't a choice she could make right now as bitterness swept through her.] Take your shirt off. [Because he's wet or because she wants to see what's underneath? It's a combination of those two factors.] You'll warm quicker if you come closer to the fire. [And Ren is going to sit herself down in front of the fire, staring into it as she tries to decide what to do with herself.]
no subject
+1 temporary rage at the sheer audacity of it all. his urge to protect others has always been strong. he's a martyr by nature, he will always stand in front of everyone in the face of hardship and will carry it on his back. of course, it's never so easily accepted, but that's half the battle.
regardless, wayland hears her, and she's right. he'll warm faster if he removes a wet layer—faster than his thick undercoat will allow. so yeah, he nods and just moves towards her and without any sort of preamble, just pulls his shirt right off, revealing a treasure trove of tattoos. a set of falcon's wings climbs down his arms from his back, leading into black serpents that coil from both arms towards his fingertips. there, on his chest, are two wolves facing one another, the first gentle and stepping through some reeds into water, a new moon's symbol beneath, the other rambunctious, with a lizard in its jaws, and a crescent moon in its eyes.
when he crouches by the fire, his scars are more visible—the largest a cleaving thing that slides along his belly like an attempt to gut him. another along his collar bone, twin slices. when he opens his palms to greet the fire, there are scars there as well, climbing down from wrist to fingertip in a very vicious burn.
also he's stacked. just. really stacked, ren. i'm sorry. and smells a little bit like wyrm? but it's... controlled... subtle. like it's meant to be there. ]
I won't be in your hair long if you don't want me here. I get it.
[ meanwhile, his dtf, who has hung itself around his neck, slithers along his shoulders, peering over at ren curiously and flicking its tongue out. the pup just sort of toddles over to somewhere soft and flops to sleep there, probably a couch or a chair out of the way so i, char, don't have to think about him. ]
But I'm grateful... I owe you. If you need counsel, I'll deliver it.
[ he blows on his hands quietly a moment, glancing at ren and feeling a heat build in his chest. look, they're both wet and just. it's a lot. she's handsome and it just keeps him humble, quiet as he looks away. ] 'Sides, we were always meant to run in packs. No good if we're alone.
no subject
Bane Tender. She did fucking know that scent.
She pulled her eyes from the fire for the first time, intending on asking him about it as it had been a few years since she had last come across one and; Fucking hell. Gaia definitely has her favourites.
And apparently today she was smiling on Ren.]You're welcome to stay. [Fianna hospitality wouldn't allow her to turn him out into the cold wet night even if she had wanted to. Performative Fionn-ism would always be Ren's downfall.] I'm just... [Hamish, her stag DTF peeks out from behind the cushion he had been napping on and gives a snort, trotting up to Ren and worming his way around her arm so that he can transform into a torq for her wrist.] ...angry. But I've been angry since I changed so that ain't nothin' new to me.
[She doesn't request counsel, nor does she really want it. She knows she isn't of the mind to be able to accept it reasonably right now or to take heed in it. It would be a waste of his and her time.] You don't owe me. It's fine. I wouldn't've left anyone out there if I could help it. People don't normally wander this far off the path if they can help it.
[Ren takes the moment to examine him and look at him critically now. There are scars and tattoos and Ren allows herself to take the time to look at them all individually, to give the art the time and appreciation that such things do. Absently, she rubs her forearm where two knotwork bands are tattooed - thinking of what had been lost to her and that which she would never have again. He might well be a philodox but he has all the marks of a warrior. The kind of Garou that all Garou should aspire to be; glorious and not felled. It makes her few battlescars feel insignificant by comparison and Ren has to quash that before she falls into a dark cycle.
She notices him looking away. She's seen that look before from Garou who look at her before realising what they're doing. Appreciation that they put aside in favour of duty.
Ren is a creature of contrasts. Icy pale skin marked with battlescars and black ink. Deep brown eyes that pull a captive audience to her, eyelashes long and dark. Shiny black hair pushed back from her face in what should be a masculine cut that only serves to highlight the sharpness of her cheekbones against a nose that had clearly been broken several times and the fullness of her lips. Sharp, dangerous but alluring in her own right.
All those times, Garou had distanced themselves and looked the other way because they were scared of giving into their baser desires and letting their passion run them.] You're lookin' away, am I makin' you uncomfortable? [Normally she would relent, back off and try to make the situation less charged. Bring it to that sibling-like joviality that she had with her pack. Friendly, platonic, safe. But in the firelight she choses instead to catch his eye.
Friendly platonic and safe had ended up with her dead and alone. Fuck that.]
no subject
[ damn fianna. it's always fianna. he thinks about brick red eyes and familiar freckles and he swears in the fire, for a moment, he can see the almost foxy-coat on his lost-cub pack mate. but then his shoulders relax a bit and he sits himself down instead of just crouching. there's a fidget in his otherwise stillness, finger rubbing slowly along where a scar curls around the knuckle of his thumb. ]
Just... new to this sort of thing. Not sure how to...
[ figure it all out. his words fail him. wayland, despite being a philodox, usually only speaks when his thoughts are clear and true. here, he's full of all sorts of indecision of fear writhing deep in his gut, though it hardly shows on his expression. ]
... Still takin' it all in. This peaceful interaction stuff.
[ his mouth twists because he can't actually ignore her gaze like that. it's a demand, and it tests his willpower, and then tears straight through it so that he meets her with his own eyes, gold at the bottom of a river. ]
Been saved mostly for whatever my mother's got in store for me when I settle. [ he doesn't seem to be speaking ill of it? it's just a fact. he sounds fairly neutral if a bit. you know. flustered. it's worse now. she chips through him with that look. it's the damn lashes that truly twist his gut. ] Guess that's out the window though, huh?
[ it's apparent now, the heat that rushes through his face, that he's not normally the one to talk about this kind of thing, but it's working through him like someone's injected his veins with pure fire. she's dangerous (fianna are dangerous) and his eyes trail over her mouth a number of times, always flicking back towards her own gaze to hold it steady now. this is not a stare down, he has no intention of trying to overtake her by station. rather, it's calm, and almost superior in that calm, which speaks for itself. control of the beast, a hand twice fisted around the leash. ]
How's it work? You been here long enough. Fill me in, yeah?
no subject
[She'd heard of that. Mostly Silver Fangs and Fianna with more notable bloodlines than her. She had her father who was notable and her Aunt who had both bred true, a result of her Grandfather fighting his way back into the Nation. Brandon, her kinfolk boyfriend had been on the rough end of it a few times but, Fianna were Fianna and if he had chosen to spread himself wide and wild there would have been no objections. More Garou (and more Fianna Garou at that) could only be a good thing.
Sometimes she wondered if she had of just been kin if it wouldn't have been the same for her, set up with some nice lad from a notable bloodline by Dad. There had been every chance that such was the future of her younger siblings Lark and Robin. But she couldn't imagine anyone telling her to 'save herself' when tomorrow could be the last day she might live.
Nihilism was one hell of a drug.]
What, fucking or fucking here? [It's a genuine question and Ren doesn't shy away from it. But at the same time, she's also not breaking his gaze. If he asked, she was going to tell him in as clear detail as she could, even if it was potentially uncomfortable for him.] There's plenty here who are willin'. Some don't want to play along and I respect 'em for that. However, the Weaverbot that's runnin' the place doesn't seem shy of a dirty trick.
There are aphrodisiacs t'make you more pliable. Things in the food and the drink. Huntin' on your own accord seems safe but you never know. There was even stuff in the fuckin' candles recently. Everythin' here is designed to make people want to fuck each other.
[The metallic voice of her DTF picks up and announces;] Ren has gained twenty-three stamps since her arrival. [And she shrugs, letting her legs sprawl out in front of her to warm them by the fire, languid as she was in her own physicality.] Wasn't goin' to mention that, but, yeah. The more you fuck, the more they reward you. That's what they mean by 'getting peaceful'. From everything I've seen it's anything from physical intimacy to fucking. They presented me with things from home so far. The real thing too.
[The question is on the tip of her lips; has he really never? How could he not? Hadn't he been tempted? She bites it back, biting her lower lip to literally stop herself from speaking.] You can hold off if you want, but, the Peacekeeper'll have a way of makin' it happen. Depends on who's terms you want it on.
no subject
[ it's not really an "if" anymore.
ren stretches out and wayland watches for a long moment before doing the same, leaning back on his hands and feeling the warmth work its way into his bones again after the chill of the rain. he doesn't remark on "twenty-three" stamps, just lifts a bit of a brow curiously. it's not so much judgmental as it is intrigued just a bit, still somewhat trying to grasp at the whole... stamps system, okay. this is just kind of super fucked up and he's really trying to parse out with himself that it is real. ]
They want people to get down with it real quick. I imagine I don't have much time.
[ he presses his lips together briefly, and the snake around his throat coils just a bit more tightly, tongue flicking out at his ear as if to comfort. ]
All I want is my Klaive back... that'd be a start.
[ he frowns quietly, and the silence stretches until there's a soft hiss. ]
There are many attractive people here, Weathers, I am sure someone would be happy to assist with your particular problem.
[ wayland makes a face. ]
Please don't call it a problem.
Mmm, you're right, it's not a problem. In fact, I think it's a selling point. A virgin!
[ and at that he just. flops down onto his back. he'll be passing away now. stop stop stop stop stop— ]
no subject
You're lucky. Gettin' to experience it all at the first time when there ain't no pressure on you.
[The sound of rain on her roof and a fire crackling in the hearth. It makes her think about her first time. Full of fumbling nerves and confusion, messing so many things up and opening herself up to vulnerability. And then, the second first time, when she had first changed.
The difference in her senses, the fear of hurting them, Gaia, she had been so fucking afraid of hurting them with her strength. The kin lad had been nice and she had been sweet on him for a long time even before she changed but it was no secret that Ren tended to prefer people who looked the be capable of withstanding her. Hence, the rugby player boyfriend and girlfriend with an acid tongue who kept her in her place.
The idle thought crosses her mind; would it be easier for him to keep control in that maelstrom of emotion and sensation for the first time? She hopes for his sake that it is.]
Y'have to be careful though; easy for us to get carried away and hurt someone in the heat of the moment, gettin' overenthusiastic. [Ren flops back on her back as well before rolling onto her side to look at him.] Klaive is probably five stamps on your scorecard. That shouldn't be too difficult. You aren't exactly hard on the eyes.
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[ it feels like a lot. it feels daunting in retrospect, in fact, enough to make him balk just a bit inwardly. but as ren turns to look at him, he finds himself shifting onto his side as well, his arm stretched towards her, hand resting in between them. the fire crackles softly and wayland eyes it briefly before turning to gaze at the thin, nearly-liquid serpent that skitters towards the furniture and curls around a leg of it. (not in trouble. do not crush me.)
finally, back to... well. ren. who is the only other person in this room with eyes at the moment. you aren't exactly hard on the eyes. so he's been made aware, but with that comes the strange sensation of wishing he were much more invisible. ]
Feels like pressure.
[ he lowers his eyes, fingers curling softly, not tight, just... longing quietly. ]
This isn't really how I wanted it to happen at all. [ he presses his cheek to the floor briefly. ] But this is how it'll be if I want to get anything done.
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Sympathy washes through her and, truly, the biggest muscle of the ahroun is her heart. It took the longest to develop and the hardest to grow. She struggled to put that heart into action in a way that made sense to other people. Ren settles for doing what she knows how to.
She shuffles forward, close enough to share some body warmth with him and hooks a single finger into his, a point of contact between the two of them.] You ain't got nothin' but time here, Sheòid. [Scottish Gàidhlig; hero/brave warrior. It was fair, only fair, that if he had seen out the apocalypse to it's bitter end that she put the proper respects to that.] You ain't actin' in single either. We might be the only two left, but, we got each other.
[Her finger tightens against his as a physical promise. It's impossible at this closeness not to examine the lines of his face, the cut of his jaw and the inky shadow that his hair leave behind him. The firelight is very favourable to him.] There's got to be a reason for that. [Got to be a reason why out of the whole Nation that they two would be picked and brought here out of the thousands of Garou who fought the forces of the Wyrm. Brightest and Best, right? Ren had no doubt she was the best so that might have made Wayland the brightest.]
...what would you of wanted, if you'd had your pick? Got some promised Mate lined up? Some prince or princess kin?
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... No one lined up for me. Had... too much to do. Stop the Silver Bullet. Take down the Endron facilities along its line. Visit the site where the Croatan gave their lives to Storm-Eater... see what wisdom they have to offer their older brother... free the garou Endron have in their facilities, cleanse them.
[ his head lowers, the failure palpable as he clings tighter to her finger with his own now. sheòid. the word has something strong about it, the fact that she's called him it feels... comforting almost. he curls closer in still, the way wolves wish to twine themselves around one another. he looks at ren, how the firelight casts shadows on her cheeks from her lashes, the meaningful depth of her eyes. there's a word for it, with someone who sees through you, the words are incomprehensible. ]
There's someone I wanted back home... clever, stupid mouth. Stag's own. Not a prince, but sure acted like he was one. [ fianna. he can see him in the back of his mind, behind his eyelids—cheeky smile, his face in the crowd when he'd ridden that stupid mechanical bull, his claws glinting silver in the moon as he'd embraced his crinos form for once and struck out with power. shepherd-who-walks-with-his-flock. he lowers his head. ] ... but that doesn't help me now, does it?
[ his other hand slides forward and a moment of hesitance before he presses forward just to... bump their foreheads together softly. they're already close, the warmth is just starting to gather more now. the fire is drying him out and he's grateful, even more grateful that he isn't alone. ren has a strength in her that all ahroun have, but her heart is showing, swelling, and wayland wishes he could wrap fingers around it and soothe whatever ache it might have. all ahroun ache in some way or another—reliable warriors, protectors, armor and klaive. ]
Guess I'm free in this way too... but s'pose bringing us here feels like a bit of a nudge, doesn't it?
[ does he want to? no. he doesn't feel ready. but he doesn't have much choice here anymore, does he?
if he wants to make it here, sacrifices must be made. but is it truly sacrifice if it's indulgence? if it's... you know. does he get to call it a sacrifice or a loss? he glances down between them, a flush forming on his face again. his forehead is warm where it's pressed up against ren's, and growing warmer by the second. more fingers join the first, until they are palm to palm, wayland's fingers trailing slowly, curiously.
of everyone here, wayland feels a quiet, blood-bred trust bridged between them. they are here now, the only ones that they know, and he gets what the universe is trying to tell him. but this is not... he isn't unhappy. he's calm. he is as calm as he needs to be, but the edge of his voice trembles. ]
Did you...? [ he trails off quietly, uncertain if he ought to finish. ]
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...I'm sorry. About y'Fionn. [Wayland must have been talking about Fianna kin but, he deserved the proper respects anyway, Fianna respected their kin.] I hope the Ancestors led him safely to the Homelands. [It was all a Fionn could wish for; a happy life and a glorious end. But absence was a wound not easily healed.
Ren closes her eyes for the briefest of moments a gives a small sigh. Was it relief at not being the sole Garou? Perhaps. Her soul felt lighter for knowing there was someone else who could sympathise. A connection to her home even if he was unfamiliar to her. The thought makes her laugh even as she opens her eyes again.] Feels like the fates are playing a cruel trick on you, puttin' another one of us in your path. We're impossible to resist, you know. [The last part is said with a sarcastic humour. A phrase that has been levied against her - an accusation - many a time.]
[But then she considers it. His hand is warm against hers and his skin smells like the flecks of rain and Garou that stick to him. His forehead is pressed against hers and even in this position, she can feel the tickle of his breath against her skin. That instinct from before rears it's head; she wants to lick the line of his battle scars in deference to them.] Impossible to resist. [And this time, the phrase has a different inflexion; an apology or an excuse being made on his behalf. Obviously, he wasn't at fault here. It was her. She had resisted the temptation so many times and in that second her eyes flicked between his eyes and his lips, tilting her head so that their noses brush and then tilted yet more to press her lips against his.]
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wayland just knows he misses it.
she's close now, and wayland's heart is pounding. it's the furious craving of proximity. he can smell her—his senses sharp. he can count her eyelashes, her breaths, and as their noses brush, and as her lips slide over his...
he gives in. the moment before, he startles, like he has to think about the sensation to the very mores of its atoms, but presses towards it just a beat after. no. it's a kiss, and he feels it down his spine. his hands don't know where to go, but one inevitably settles on her ribs, resting softly.
she's kissing him, and he's kissing back, inexperienced, but willing, lips soft. he has the scent of old fires still clinging to him, blood, the forest, like home, like other wolves. it will fade in days to come but now, it's as real as it will ever be. ]
Ren... [ he murmurs softly between, but he doesn't know what to say after that, fingers eventually sliding up to rest against the side of her throat. he shifts to hold the angle of her jaw. ] Would you?
[ he doesn't finish. would you lay with me, he wants to say, but his voice dies in his throat. ]
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It was more the surprise when the implied question was brought instead.
Ren has slept with...well, more people than she could count. And, well, there was the awkward matter of the first guy she ever slept with ending up changing months after they had first been together. Which, when she changed a good year after led to yet more frosty distance between them. When they had both been kin it was fine; encouraged even. When he had changed there had been a hope in her that eventually, they might wind up together. Her changing had put the nail in the coffin.
Ren shushes him. Not trying to prevent him from talking but trying to push away any doubts he might be having.] I'll take care of you. [This is fine. It's fine. They're the only two left. There isn't a soul to condemn them and it's better - she silently justifies - no, safer for him that his first isn't with someone who might not understand quite how dangerous Garou can be. Can't read their cues or signals or needs. Might not be able to protect themselves from a frenzy if something went wrong.
She can justify it in so many ways and a part of her simply wants it. Craves the comfort and validation of another body like hers. Who's lived through it and understands. Ren reaches for him, pulling him closer now so that she can hook a leg over his hips - closing the gap between them, that polite distance they had silently enforced out of deference to the rules - and guide his hands to the curve of her waist and hip where her shirt had begun to inch it's way up.] I've got you. [She reassures him again before tilting her head up to press her lips against his once again, this time not as hesitant or gentle, a firm kiss with the intention of pulling him into another deeper kiss.]
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an ahroun carries the world on her shoulders. wayland knows it well. his mother carries mountains, after all. ]
We'll take care of each other.
[ she's guiding him, and he's settling his hand there at the curve of her waist, feeling as she kisses him again. her lips are so unbearably soft and he hums softly against them. he doesn't know if that's right, but he doesn't care, pressing closer and closer. his fingers slowly ruck up her shirt, just a bit, enough to stroke slowly at her skin, to feel the heat radiating off of it. her leg is weighty over his hip, but perfectly so.
he follows her lead, mimics with swift perfection as he was raised to do. it isn't that wayland is a clumsy virgin, though his hands maybe fumble as they slowly trail over the line of ren's ribs, and maybe he's a bit... enthusiastic with kissing deeper, nose pressed fast into her cheek.
when he catches breath, he laughs a little, nervous, pressing his nose into hers gently. ]
... I like kissin' you.
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It's...surprisingly cute how enthusiastic he is about something as simple as kissing. It's endearing and sweet in a way of lot of her encounter hadn't been recently. There was something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the moment of it, the first few impassioned moments before the rush and thrill took over. Before the animalistic nature took its share.
She nuzzles her nose against his as they tale a breath.]
That's...[She bites back a laugh and swallows it. Nope. Not going to call him adorable to his face. She knows better than to do that to a guy when trying to get into his pants.] That's a good place to start. I like kissing you too. You smell good. [Ren turns her head, kissing along the side of his jaw so that she can graze her teeth against his earlobe, breathing him in deeply as she does so. It's a smell that had washed away on her months ago and she was keen to get as deep a lungful of it as she could - to lock the memory of it away forevermore.] Don't be shy, y'can touch me if you like. You ain't goin' to hurt me. [Some gentle encouragement never goes astray when dealing with someone new to the oft confusing world of sex.] And I want you to.
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I plan to...
[ the fact that she guides him, reassures him, earns her his eagerness renewed. as her lips press along the side of his jaw, he hums, and when teeth scrape his ear a sigh leaves him, pleased. his fingers that are holding her proceed to map out her personal topography, fingers grazing the line of her ribs from beneath her shirt, climbing around to hike it up over her shoulder blades. he can feel the muscle there, lets his second hand join exploration until he's holding her fast against him.
she's right, they'd survive. thrive, even. to lose heart would be a disservice to the both of them. so why not celebrate one another instead, right?
gentle encouragement reaps many rewards from someone like wayland, who seeks to kiss her again when she's close enough, nose to nose. his eyes are warm as they briefly hold hers, then shift to roam further, over the lines of her muscles, the swell of her breasts against him. how he can't help but drag his teeth along her shoulder just to share the sensation with her.
she fills his lungs in a way he's never had the chance to experience before, and his takes in as much as he can, fingers slowly climbing to curl into her hair simply to feel it against his palm. her pulse thuds hot against his tongue as he laves over her neck. ]
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And it's sweet in a way that so few of her encounters are.
The feeling of his tongue against her neck reminds her of her ever-present lust and in that moment the realisation comes over her that being passive doesn't suit her well. Ren uses the leverage of her leg over his hip to push them both over so that Wayland is flat on his back and she can straddle him in earnest and hover above him to claim his lips properly. But she pulls back, still hovering above him, propped by her forearm beside his head, close enough to brush noses with him.] B'fore we go any further; you say stop 'nd I stop, alright? That's important. No questions asked. No explanations needed. We stop.