ic contact. (GP)

[reprisings]

@reprises

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text | un: streetcred

[onlythans]

you know, many dashing and unbearably handsome rogues would consider it a misstep to make overtures toward a lady after they'd previously hastened them out of their garments, but alas, i can't number myself among them.

faring well, are you? no more mishaps with unfortunate costumes, i hope?

[reprisings]

No other mishaps, thankfully! I would think this dreadful place had it out for me, if so.

Are you keeping on all right? Or have you been swooping in to rescue damsels in fabric distress still?

[onlythans]

as well as one can be, i daresay. i did lose track of a comrade recently, though i can't say that's unusual for him; he's always going and coming as his whims take him, so i tend not to worry much about it.

but come now, i don't just save EVERY gorgeous girl wandering about trapped in her vestments. that's an honor reserved for my favorites.

[reprisings]

Oh. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I do hope you find him soon and that all is well.

[ Does he really mean lose track or has something actually happened to him? She wonders if she could ask Natori about it. ]

We've met only once and I'm already one of your favorites? Flatterer. I feel there's a catch coming on. Something like 'so could you come over here and get this cursed shirt off of me this time'...

[onlythans]

if there's one thing i know, it's that he can take care of himself. sometimes for better or for worse.

haha, if you're looking for a means of getting my shirt off, i assure you there are plenty of easier ways.

[reprisings]

Who said I wanted the easy way? Come now, there has to be a little challenge to things once in a while. It makes the end result more exciting.

And I usually prefer to actually know more about people before I get an eyeful of anything. Though this place is stubbornly determined to make humiliation a daily sport, isn't it?

Action - Sorry for the massive delay! I forgor

[lakan]

[ As night made the hotel's halls more peaceful and serene, Troy haunts its halls and notable spots on his lonesome. The conservatory is his favorite spot to go to. The serenity of the gardens, the fresher air, and the fake night sky eases his mind enough to quiet his depressing thoughts. He just returned to a place that to him, he hasn't been in for many years. Even though he was only gone for a little over a month in this world, according to those he met before that remained here.

Troy finds his usual spot in the conservatory, a little ways away from the commonly trekked paths. It stands right between some trees where he can look straight up and see the stars, and it's high enough that he can see the rest of the conservatory being lit up at night as well. It's a visual feast that puts a smile on his face as he sits down with a cold drink. Troy closes his eyes, remembering his home by the beach and the sound of the waves he can't ever get here. The peace he feels made him hum a mellow tune, his deep voice trembles gently in his chest and the silence around him made his melody reach far. ]

all good!

[reprisings]

[ Dorothea is no stranger to the conservatory, not these past few moons. It's a lovely place to spend her time and is one of the few places she can sneak off to without fear of any unfortunate side effects or oddities. It's nice, even, to look at the animals as she goes by or when she finds a little corner in the patio to tuck herself into and to simply let the time pass by. At night, it's even lovelier; between the Vale and the conservatory, when the illuminated paths of bioluminescent flora turn into the warmer notes of lit gardens and then the deep dark of the starry sky, it's a sight to dream of. And she often enjoys it on her own, as peaceful as it is.

Tonight, she follows the paths well enough, though as she begins to slip into the gardens she hears the sound of a man humming. And that's just peculiar enough for her to wander even further towards the sound. It's a rich tone, ever so beautiful. Dorothea goes slow, not to sneak but neither to interrupt nor for the soft crunch of her footfalls to distract her or the person she's trying to listen to.

She doesn't round the tree just yet. For now, she just wants to listen. ]

[lakan]

[ Troy's hum continues. Lyrics in an unknown language start to mumble in, rising into a melody of softly spoken verses. A rabbit catches his attention as it hops near him, causing Troy to pause for a bit as he invites the creature to come closer. Perhaps sensing a lack of ill intent, the rabbit joins Troy and lets itself feel the petting fingertips of the man. He smiles, letting his song continue while distracting himself with this friendly creature.

The words may be unknown to Dorothea's ears, but the melody of his voice sand a mellow, melancholic tune. The kind of songs sang by an open flame in a camp, or a fireplace. Troy senses Dorothea's presence at the sound of her footstep, causing him to look her way with a curious glare ]

Hello?

[ Just as he says that, Troy looks at the rabbit perk up and hop away from him, distracting him from Dorothea's arrival for a moment until he eventually turns his gaze at where she might be standing. ]

Just so you know, you scared a bunny away. But I doubt you're anything remotely dangerous, so wanna show yourself?

[reprisings]

[ Ah, well, she never was good at subterfuge for a reason. There's a bit of hesitation before she pokes her head out from around the side of the tree she'd been lingering behind. Her smile is small and apologetic. ]

Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you. I definitely wasn't trying to scare anything.

[ She steps around from the tree to fully show herself, though he's correct to say that she isn't dangerous in the slightest. She hardly looks the part of a fighter regardless of what she was back home. Dorothea cants her head as she regards him. His face isn't familiar to her but, then, she doesn't know most people here. ]

You have a lovely voice. I was admiring your singing.

[lakan]

[ He chuckles, shaking his head to stop himself from feeling flustered by a compliment he didn't expect to receive tonight. ]

Thanks. I've been told I have.

[ Troy nods, smiling softly at Dorothea. ]

Don't think I've seen you here before. What's your name?

[reprisings]

[ She's slow to walk over, quiet and cautious in her steps, but not for his sake. If there are other creatures around, she doesn't want to add to them being startled. ]

Dorothea. I've only been here a handful of months, though, and I haven't met so many people yet.

[ The resort is vast and there are so many people from other worlds. It's hard to get to know each and every one of them. ]

Yours? I definitely know we haven't met. I would've remembered you.

un: kiritsubo

[tattooism]

[ Delivered slipped beneath the door, with no trace of the sender having asked for her room or knowing where she resides...

Is a small square of drawing paper, on which a single purple hydrangea is drawn in watercolor.

Beneath the illustration, it is signed "Kiritsubo". ]

@reprises

[reprisings]

[ Oh, that's...incredibly beautiful. She's not familiar with the flower though she's quite familiar with the sender. Still, why this one in particular? Dorothea has to head down to the library to get a good look at what it might be.

And then she sends Kiritsubo a message. ]

The drawing you sent was lovely, Kiritsubo. Is this a common flower in your home world?

[tattooism]

Think nothing of it. Art for an artist.

In the summer rainy season months, yes. It flourishes beneath the damp, vibrant colors in the mist.

[reprisings]

I'm an art of words, Lady Kiritsubo, not of paint or ink.

It's beautiful. We don't have these in my home, more's the pity. I went to look up their meaning. Abundance and royalty, a desire for deeper understanding. Elegance.

[tattooism]

If the artist of words prefers only words, then I could send a poem instead... ?

Some of those meanings fit, here, do they not?

[reprisings]

Oh no, please! This is lovely. I do prefer this, I promise.

The meanings do fit, as you say. I do want to know more about the elegant person who's slipped me such a beautiful painting, after all. I'd send you a drawing of my own but they are not for any good comparisons.

paper card

[paperpusher]

[On the morning of the first, a homemade postcard on high quality paper slides itself under Dorothea's door. On the front is a piece of highly stylized calligraphy. On the back, in more standard but still extremely nice handwriting:]

Happy New Year!

Thank you for all your support last year. I look forward to working together again in the future. Please keep your head up!

Natori

― set during the tdm ― @texas

[swordpour]

Everything okay? Been meaning to check on you since the last few months were crazy.

(the dungeon and angler fish are going to haunt her nightmares.)

[reprisings]

Oh, Texas! I'm glad to hear from you. I'm all right.

[ A lie. ]

Have you been okay? I haven't seen you around much.

[swordpour]

Let's say a lot happened....too much, truly.

(she still wants a vacation from this hellhole resort, but nothing can be done there.)

And a few certain days being close at the end of the year left me homesick again.

[reprisings]

Oh, I can completely understand that. It's been pretty difficult around here lately, hasn't it?

Do you want to talk about it?

[swordpour]

(can she really bring herself to talk about this? there's few and far that texas personally trusts with intimate details about herself. the resort hasn't done her any favors in that regard lately, it's been a struggle finding reasons to keep going that weren't just forcing herself to smile.

how many friends has she lost, how many did she not get to say goodbye to? jun, hiyori, weiss, ragna....even reira were gone of those she met in the resort. gone in the blink of an eye. not to mention, the personal reason why she got particularly quiet from october onward is because of certain people in her life from back home. lappland had been here once. her birthday passed in november, for a time she again thought to herself that she missed her childhood friend more than she'd care to admit to others.

it was tiring, so tiring. near opening up, losing those threads so easily.)

....I had a friend from back home, we can say, that showed up here for a bit.
I say that, but despite her being my childhood friend, I wasn't a very good friend later on.
Her birthday passed in November, and it reminded me that I still don't know where she is. All I got from her appearance is that motorcycle she won during the party last year to remind me that I wasn't seeing things.

[greatestworks]

[ Special delivery! Someone has delivered a small, red box tied shut with a red ribbon to Dorothea's door.

Inside, wrapped in gold tissue, are four heart-shaped chocolates. These have candied bits of tangerine mixed in with the chocolate, and signs that these were inexpertly shaped from a mold.

The inside of the box's lid reads: I imagine you are no stranger to gifts, but these I made myself, so there should be no risk in enjoying them. I hope you find them to your taste, my friend. -Phainon ]