▶ TDM .011

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You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. After an hour or two of wandering through the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. Because of the strange phenomena during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay. You will then be escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the Iris moon and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals.

The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ There and Back Again
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

 A  Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

 B  As a Remooning gift from the Lunar Scientia Headquarters, the dedicated team from the Amphoria Room has released their latest perfected technology: Amphoria Pods. These VR Pods, which can fit up to four people at a time, have been set up in the gaming hub within Level 1’s PrismaPlace. They allow users to upload sceneries of their world in order to create a realistic holographic landscape of their homes that others can access and play around with, granting everyone the means to relive past memories with their loved ones as well as interact with the bestiary of other worlds. The pods also use the same technology that enhanced the popular virtual game, League Match Action Online (LmaO), which means you’re liable to feel the chill of cold environments, the burning heat from boiling water, the hard slap of your ex-lover, or the biting sting of a stray wasp. All who use the Amphoria Pods for the first time this year will also receive a small amount of Chroma in case things get too real.

▶ God Save Us from the Queen
Level 1, PrismaPlace and Level 2, Greatmoon Groves | top

The first month of the year is packed with two of the most important winter events this season: Queen Elara’s birthday and the League Match Action Online (LmaO) PVP semi-finals. It just so happens that the Queen of Lunatia is also a huge LmaO fan. Coincidence? Definitely not! LmaO players and royal family fans alike can meet her at PrismaPlace, where she will be appearing in cosplay of her favorite hero, Ah-Kari, while holding a body pillow of Commander GareBear. You, too, can get an autograph or selfie with the birthday girl if you’re willing to fall in line! Her bodyguards will also be in LmaO cosplay, keeping the crowd under control during the long wait.

Queen Elara

Good day to you all! This may come as a surprise to our guests the Moonblessed, but I am a normal person despite my exalted position. Please do not think of me today as Queen Elara. Instead... my name is Ah-Kari, sorceress of the crystal! With my soul fan blades, through the darkness, I shall slice all who dare hurt my commander in twain!

But when she is not meeting and greeting...

Queen Elara

My comrades, we're going to make history today. We're going for a new record. Perhaps the highest kill counts or the fastest clear for this map — it matters not. We’ve practiced day and night for this tournament, so let us show everyone that we’re not to be taken lightly! Also, the livestream is going in the royal archive, so make your successors proud!!

... she will be furiously grinding her character and training her skills in LmaO in the hopes of qualifying for the finals. Spectators will see her bring her own team full of hapless palace attendants who are there to either serve as her practice match partners or provide support to the one-woman army that is Queen Elara.

PrismaPlace is packed with giant crowds, many of them also in cosplay. While the semi-finals are taking place, new and old LmaO players alike can participate in the game’s current campaign: players who form teams get an improved chance of spawning unique monsters as well as winning rare items and skins in those prized lootboxes! Teams can also try to clear the event’s story together, featuring an aerial battle fought on griffin-back, which is heavily inspired by the popular Lunatian epic, The Battle of Abraxas, a colorful and complex story about the conflict between two families fighting over the fictional land of griffins, Abraxas.

 A  Progression in the event requires acquiring a griffin mount and getting it ready for battle. You can lure a wild one to yourself with a special veggie pie on a fishing pole. Should the griffin reject the lure, your character will be caught in a wind gaol and can only break out with the help of other players. Should you succeed, raising the griffin is a tedious task that involves players training alongside their respective griffins, running laps with them, taking them to hunt monsters, and feeding them properly. Depending on their diet, the food you give them will affect the color of its plumage and their battle stats.

Or you can skip the hard work and simply moonlace with your teammates through all the progression bars and required materials to save time. Once finished, you’ll be able to battle one another through the thunderous aerial domain of Abraxas. Clearing the event will net you an event-exclusive skin inspired by the royal family’s shining celestial robes and a weapon skin of a body pillow with your favorite character, so do your best!

 B  In celebration of Queen Elara’s birthday, the office of the royal household is hosting a modest tea party in the Greatmoon Groves. Swiffy bots that are normally programmed to remind visitors to keep the groves clean are now playing a birthday jingle on repeat. For people who prefer to be away from the blinding neon lights and the thumping techno music of PrismaPlace, this is the ideal escape. Unlimited tea and cookies are being served!

The tea is a soft-colored lilac concoction made from Ehrysian tea leaves that are known to cause a huge spike of alertness and is popular to Moon Knights and office workers with long night shifts as well as gamers for those all-night grinding sessions. The assorted cookies have either Ah-Kari or Commander GareBear printed on them. In case it isn't obvious yet, both are the birthday girl’s favorite LmaO characters.

Any Moonblessed looking for extra income is welcome to be royal attendants for the day; the hours are paid by Demichroma. They must be properly dressed up as maids or butlers (outfits provided by the royal household) as they serve tables.

▶ Say Cheese
Level 3, Caihong | top

Meanwhile, Caihong is in the midst of Remooning festivities in celebration of the new year, and merriment usually lasts a fortnight, filled with fireworks in the sky. Upon entering the district, beautiful Prismals with rat ears and tails greet you with a Happy Remooning and eagerly tug you along to join in.

Those welcomed will receive a pack of multi-colored sparklers, mooncakes topped with cheese, and a glowing drink called Champagne Supernova, poured in a thin glass in your hand. If you are over eighteen, the rat Prismals will ask if you prefer your drink with a kick. If you say yes, then they will add flavorful ice that causes extreme intoxication and might leave you to be susceptible to all levels of suggestion. Saying no (or if you’re under 18) will simply leave it as a sweet drink.

 A  One of the party games being played by the locals is called Lucky Tail, which is basically pinning the tail on the holographic rat stand-in — with a twist, it must be played with a partner! Another participant will blindfold you, spin you around, then push you forward. The stand-in is located at the end of unsteady elevated platforms forming a maze, filled to the brim with distracting objects underneath. They’re long, they’re thick, and they’re vibrating furiously in an attempt to knock you off the platforms.

Your partner must guide you by voice to successfully navigate through the maze! The game is rigged with various mechanisms, so stepping on specific platforms will activate a number of traps against you or your partner: machines that may tickle, drop colorful slime, or cause the platform to repetitively spin, and who knows what else?

Should you manage to get through the obstacle course and pin the tail successfully, you and your partner will win copious amounts of Demichroma, courtesy of Buwan from Buwan’s Stop.

 B  Another attraction is a fun magic glamour booth known for its face or body swap features. The booth staff, clad in their festive rat paraphernalia, will encourage you and your friends to take aesthetic shots using an illusion generator. The effects last an hour. Photographed images can be instantly uploaded and shared in Prismagram. New year, new you! Why not take the chance to celebrate this momentous occasion in a unique fashion? It’s all in good humor.

There are two buttons to press: (A) CUSTOM or (B) RANDOM. Pressing A will allow participants to customize their desired effects. Pressing B will cause the illusion magic to randomly rearrange participants in questionable positions, new outfits (or lack thereof), and you may even come out of the booth looking like your best friend or your worst rival. The possibilities are endless!

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Comments

Jin Guangyao | The Untamed | Cordis

[firebranding]

A. There and Back Again

[Adaptability was man's greatest asset. Without it, one had no hope in surviving in an ever-changing world. You had to be quick to accept change and turn it around to your advantage and if there was one thing Jin Guangyao was good at, it was turning things to his advantage.

This was no different, though he'd spent much of the days in his initial arrival with a feeling of tentative 'otherness,' like he was existing outside himself and watching everything happen. He took the information, accepted that this was sure a thing actually happening in his life (life?), and now it was just figuring out where to go from here.

He'd lost his hat and somehow that seemed symbolic but he wasn't about to delve too much into the nuances of it. That way surely lied madness and he couldn't afford such a thing right now.

But he'd been given a place to stay, apparently, and he spends some time methodically figuring out how things worked, cautiously poking and prodding with an eager mind and even more eager fingers to pry things apart and figure out how they worked.

He refrained from doing that literally (for now), but one press of the wrong button has his door suddenly slamming open hard enough to bounce off the opposite wall and probably scare the hell out of anyone out in the hall. Oops.

He pokes his head out, smile quick and apologetic and holding a hint of dimples.]

My apologies. I'm still getting used to the...intricacies of this place.

B. Service With a Smile

[Well he hasn't gone the full route of employment as an attendant, but attending banquets and parties like this is a great way to get information! He makes small talk with people, mostly just trying to get an understanding of what they think about the queen, the current political climate, etc. etc. Normal things, you know!

He speaks kindly to the servants, with a genuine seeming interest in their lives. Their complaints get an ear and are placated with sympathetic noises, and though they give up everything,Guangyao gives up absolutely nothing. When asked for a name he smiles bashfully and tells them he's 'Meng Yao' and the name feels strange on his tongue and even stranger to hear. He almost kind of regrets it.

A bit later he fills his plate with cookies he's not going to eat himself (okay he nibbles one, and then two, because he likes sweets and they're good and who's going to judge him if he indulges a little?), and approaches anyone who appears to be alone.

His smile is charming and pleasant, dimples lighting up his face]

Here, would you like one? This place can be a little overwhelming, but I haven't had anything but praise for the food thus far.

C. Say Cheese!

[Mistakes. Mistakes were made. He has so many regrets--or he will later, when he can think clearly. He's a victim of his own need to keep up a polite and humble face.

When the rat-people offered him a drink 'with a kick' he hadn't been expecting liquor like this. He honestly had expected some sort of spice and when was met with something sweet instead he'd drank it down with enthusiasm.

And how he was drunker than he'd ever, ever allowed himself. He's at least just aware enough to realize how bad it is and how he really needs to get to the safety of home--or what counted for it here--before something bad happened.

That's the plan anyhow. Instead he ends up tripping over his own robes that get tangled around his legs and he falls to the ground. His robes tear a little and there's blood and bruises to be had, but the absurdity of the situation just makes him start to laugh.

Well. Giggle. And giggle hard enough that he snorts which is incredibly embarrassing. But the embarrassment makes him giggle harder and snort again and he's clamping his hand over his mouth in a desperately futile attempt to smother himself as he gigglesnorts for another few seconds before letting out a soft, whining:] Ow.

[His knees hurt. Help. Oh god. He struggles to untangle himself form his own robes--god why did he insist on so many layers?--and get up again, still occasionally falling into helpless giggling.

God he's going to hate himself so much for this later.]

D. Wildcard!

[obligatory wildcard, u know.]

c. ive come to take advantage

[menaces]

[ Is Xue Yang still horribly injured? Yes. Is that going to stop him from doing what he wants the moment he should want it? No. Has this resulted in him remaining horribly injured for way longer than he should have? Yes again. But anyway, he's just enjoying himself a nice walk in the fresh air when he spots a familiar figure acting in an incredibly unfamiliar way.

...so of course he has to check it out. He's still moving with the help of a completely ordinary cane that you definitely don't have to worry about, so it takes him a few seconds to make his way to Jin Guangyao's side. Once there, he eases himself down on his good knee to try to help with those robes, beaming to be fortunate enough to run into his dear old friend. ]

Lianfang-zun! Have you been playing strange music for yourself again...?

SHOCKER

[firebranding]

[He's in a strange state, where he's perfectly aware that he's behaving irrationally, can acknowledge and pinpoint every little thing he's doing wrong and what he should be doing instead. He knows what he wants to be doing.

He's just completely lacking the ability to actually do so.

He blinks at the hands that grab at his robes and thinks he should make an attempt to stop it, but there's something off about the hands. They look familiar. Why should someone's hands look so familiar?

There's a brief pausing, Guangyao squinting as he tugs at the robes and the hand, blinking as the voice filters through the buzzing in his head.]

Xue Chengmei.

[The name Guangyao had given him, that he was pleased to see he'd still used from time to time. But the surprise gives away to confusion and he presses a hand to his head.] Why are... How strong was that drink...? [Strong enough to make him see spirits now?

no, wait, he's sure they'd said things about this at the various welcomes and orientations and all of that. He should have been able to remember, but his mind is working uncomfortably slow for him.]

[menaces]

It's not like you to overdo it. But don't worry, you're probably not in the afterlife.

Surely even you haven't dirtied your soul enough to wind up the same place as me.

[ The use of his courtesy name makes him beam, having missed hearing it on Jin Guangyao's voice these few months past. He's gotten a taste of the luxury from Beitang Moran, but the man lacks Guangyao's particular presence, the secret mischief in his lilt. Even drunk, his friend is still fundamentally the man he's always been, and once Xue Yang is done sorting out Jin Guangyao's robes, he gives a bright laugh and throws the sect leader over his shoulder. only grimacing slightly at the jostle. It's a good thing Jin Guangyao weighs almost nothing. ]

Come on, you can sleep it off at my place. Hope you don't mind noise.

[firebranding]

[Guangyao blinks a few times, trying to clear his vision as he gets himself upright. Xue Yang is here. He's alive, but then-- So is Guangyao himself. Should he really be that surprised?

His mind is too muddled to make much sense of it right now, which is probably all that save Xue Yang from being the victim of being strangled with his cords the second he finds himself upended like this.]

Xue Chengmei! [Excuse you what the fuck. He immediately begins to squirm] Put me down this instant!

[menaces]

[ Letting out a low hiss of discomfort at the squirming, Xue Yang quickly swallow it down and grins again, patting Jin Guangyao's butt where it's within easy reach just over his shoulder. ]

Now, now. Settle down. Don't make me drop you. You're drunk, and besides. Even if I set you down, where will you go? Hm?

[ There's another placating pat to Jin Guangyao's behind before Xue Yang adjusts his grip on his cane and heads off again, this time not stopping until he's dumped the cute miniature sect leader onto the bed that's been his the last few weeks due to his injuries. ]

There we go. I'll get you some water, so try not to get into any trouble in the two minutes I'm gone, okay?

[ And then Xue Yang heads off to do just that, leaving Jin Guangyao to get his bearings. ]

[firebranding]

[Did he just

did he just spank him??

Guangyao can't recall a time in his life, even as a young child, that anyone would've ever done such a thing and it stuns him into not wiggling so much.

It doesn't matter that he doesn't have anywhere to go, it'd be somewhere not here. He bounces, an undignified heap on the bed as he struggles to get himself upright. Anger and indignation has added an edge of sobriety through the drunken haze of his mind and by the time ue Yang returns, Jin Guangyao is sitting on the edge of the bed, back straight and looking as dignified and pulled together as ever.

At least, in appearance. His eyes are still hazy, but there's a stubborn set to his jaw.]

[menaces]

[ You might have the whole world fooled sitting there on your gilded throne with your dumb little hat, Jin Guangyao, but Xue Yang knows all too well the manner of beast you are. Same as him, but you clean up better, know how to hide well under your exacting mannerisms and your silken smile. A light spanking is the least of your dues.

As promised, Xue Yang returns with the water and a snack out of the pantry to soak up some of the alcohol in his friend's stomach. It's a piece of bread with some sweet fruit spread he's grown fond of in his time here. ]

Here. And you can stop looking so offended, Jin Guangyao. Better me find you than someone who matters to you.

C.

[bailian]

[ One look around at the mature Moonblessed who are nursing colorful drinks, most of whom are well beyond their fresh-faced tender youth, exhibit various states of excessive inebriation. What follows is a refresher lesson in restraint when it comes to the food and drink of this world; don't consume without expecting consequences. One taught over the course of his many months here with each new outcropping of surprises found in all that is edible.

Some respond with arms and bodies around one another, while others lose their balance. It's his guess the man Luo Binghe discovers, lying bloodied where he's fallen, isn't a victim of a crime more heinous than trusting no ill will from what he drinks.

That lessens the uptick of what spikes within his veins, less immediate dread over unseen foes than the prickling irritation that this planet toys with people with results that aren't always the amorous chroma-making sort it benefits from.

The tipsy crowd, half drunk themselves as they thread by, passes over Jin Guangyao as if he's no more than a bump in the road. Stumbling feet side-step his form that lies sprawled out like a downed golden bird with sleeves twisted like broken wings. But there are pale hands within those featherless wings that Binghe finds as he kneels down, not penitent but patient as he tries to gather together a wreck of a man spilling his own blood senselessly in the street. ]

Hey, think you can stand on your own? [ And if he needs the incentive- ] You're going to get trampled if you keep lying there.

[ One hand works its way up an arm to reach a shoulder he grips just this side of firm; looking for something to brace the man's weight when limbs may be too loose and limp from drink to be enough to pull him upright, even as Binghe tries. ]

[firebranding]

[out of everything, the take away Jin Guangyao gets from this is in his rather grumpy (definitely not sulky!) response of:] Won't get trampled. I'm hardly that tiny.

[He's small, he knows, don't rub it in! Except that's not what Binghe was saying at all. He realizes that a few seconds later and closes his eyes, feeling a flash of irritation at himself. He shakes his head and tries to focus, his hands clambering for purchase against Binghe's arms.] I can stand.

[A broken golden bird? Terribly apt, really, and he grunts in irritation again as he struggles to his feet. His limbs are loose and his muscles too relaxed, but Guangyao holds his pride with a grip like a vice and refuses to let himself stumble. Despite his drunkenness, he rises gracefully, his jaw tense and his eyelashes fluttering; even if he has to lean against Binghe rather heavily to make it so, there's a triumph in his eyes when he manages to stand and remain so.

Granted, he's only remaining because Binghe is there and Guangyao's hands still grip at his forearms, but he's standing. He lifts his gaze to meet Binghe's, his smile showing a hint of dimples again.]

I can stand. [he repeats it as if to say See? I proved it. On his own however... That's the real test, though Guangyao doesn't seem about ready to let go of him just yet. Or maybe he's not even aware he's still clinging in the first place.]

[bailian]

[ There is a considerable difference in height between them. Roughly seven inches of empty air extends from where the crown of Jin Guangyao's head resides and Luo Binghe's own height reaches its zenith. Though that space doesn't read as a void in need of filling; where the absence of more to this slight figured man translates into him falling short.

The smallness of that space Jin Guangyao's body occupies only amplifies all else he does through the clutch of slender hands and a gaze that seeks approval. On a woman it would seem like vulnerability; the kind of fragile sense of being that silently asks for protection and support in it's every gesture.

A contradiction in the way the man caught within his hold struggles to regain a lost composure like it's his last breath, driven by some internalized sense of shame and willful pride to prove himself to a stranger whose judgment shouldn't hold the water it does.

A breath of a laugh is given at such triumph given over a man finding his own feet, breathed in a way that softens it enough to keep from reading as mockery. There is a teasing lit to his tone, lifted in equal measures of curiosity as well as the amusement over how simply standing is worth this much satisfaction. Ultimately it won't do any good if remaining upright in the middle of the street is the end conclusion of his abilities. ]

So you can. [ He hums in thought. ] The question is whether you'll be able to keep that up long enough to walk.

[ Every point of contact feels like the flare of stars coming to life; little flickers of warmth lit from within. A kind of simultaneous kindling of power that chroma provides alongside the healing factor only one of them is in need of. He feels it in the lean against his form, then bleeding down from the grip of jade-white fingers coiled as claws might into the muscle of his arms.

Well acquainted with how chroma makes a liar out of him, singing sensation into veins like a siren's subtle cries, Binghe knows better than to get swept up by the illusion it provides. But oh, it gives and gives all the same. Even as a slight frame tucks against his own, he's not confused by all those endlessly deceptive signals that would, in the company of a man he'd recognize even if blind, lead arms to wind around a waist so tight. Yet they move even still. There's no adoring slide of arms about the ornamentation of a decorative waist-belt, but a securing of hands there in hopes of steadying a body intent on pitching itself in whatever direction gravity dictates. ]

Try a few steps and see if you can manage to stay upright.

[firebranding]

[he's sturdy, the muscles beneath his hands strong in a way that reminds him of better times.] Ah, da ge... Such a simple challenge. Of course I can do that. [But no, it's not his 'da ge', it can't be, but for the moment it is. He leans in unconsciously, eyelids lowered in a dreamy, hazy look as he hears without really listening.

He forces himself upright and shakes his head to clear it--which does nothing to help, it only makes him dizzier, a bubble of giggling laughter welling up in his throat. He tries to clear his throat to hide it and turns away. Just a few steps? He can do that!

The alcohol makes his head swim and he takes one step, seems triumphant, and then tries to take another. The world seems to tilt drastically sideways and he immediately begins to crumple to the ground.]

[bailian]

[ Beliving he has a firm grip upon this fellow and the situation as a whole, the sudden wash of affection breezing in from out of the blue throws him off guard. Shuttled his way under the veil of crescent lashes against cheeks and soft-spoken names of endearment, it's enough to trip up even his tongue too long to dispell the accusation in time.

When he does find the words to speak they're silenced once more by peels of laughter ringing like bells. Each drunkenly chimes away, oblivious to the inappropriate looks they garner. Most come from the few passersby who have yet to drink their night away. Which means they're more than eager to judge with their sharp-witted lucidity and ample boredom. There's no reasoning with a man whose head is full of drink, with even less worth in reprimanding him for behaviors outside his own control. The onlookers, however, aren't so lucky, considering the black qi gathering around him as a result of being gossiped over and gawked at is enough to send the lot of them scurrying off for less dangerous entertainment.

As fate would have it soon as the few sober onlookers disperse, who might have been able to offer assistance in his place, Jin Guangyao takes it upon himself to give a repeat performance of his earlier fall. Stomach dropping as the man all but buckles as a puppet would once its strings are cut, he's there to reach out for him in a sudden grab. A cultivator's speed is all that keeps the man from dashing himself onto the ground for a second time. ]

That's enough walking for one night. [ He's exasperated but firm; this isn't a discussion. ] At this rate if you keep going your robes will wind up red instead of gold.

[ Removing any chance for a third attempt Binghe slides an arm under legs shaky as a new colt's while the other wraps itself around the man's slender shoulders and back. Settling the stranger into his arms before plucking him off the street, he takes a glance around for someone else who would like to lend a helping hand or claim this little bird who has obviously flown too far from a gilded cage likely as golden as his robes. ]

I don't see anyone rushing to take you home, so I'm afraid you get to sleep this off someplace that'll take us without calling the Moonknights.

[ Considering Jin Guangyao is bloodied and bleary-eyed in Binghe's arms, the situation seems...highly questionable at best. And only worth turning a blind eye to if the establishment is disreputable and willing to accept the level of chroma that will buy a room he can foist this poor fellow off on. Any doubts he may have on the immediate area lacking such accommodations are dispelled with a quick glance around, noting the copious if not negligibly sanitary rooms offered in spades alongside the festivities.

It's a suspiciously convenient solution to hordes of drunken party-goers, likely set up in hopes of all the questionably consequential chroma it will rake in. ]

[firebranding]

[The whispers and stares reach him a moment too late in his muddled mind. He goes still, the noise soft in reality, but in his mind a crack of thunder that shakes him to his core.]

Wait-- [He flinches as he's picked up, arms instinctively moving around his neck to cling to him.] Da ge, wait-- Staring-- [People were looking. And here he was, being picked up like he weighed nothing at all, like some precious princess or damsel in need.

He goes tense and still in his arms, hiding his face in Binghe's chest as his mind races--or struggles to try, anyway. He was... He needed to... What?] Put me down. They can't see me like this. [What would they say? What would they whisper next? He blinks slowly and breathes against Binghe's neck, little puffs of breath as he tries not to think about why being held so close feels so good or why the idea of leaving said arms sounds so terrible.]

Why does it feel so-- Ah. This is moonlacing, isn't it? Does it always feel so intense? [He makes a soft laughing noise, desiring more and yet knowing he shouldn't.] Is it always this potent?

B. Service With a Smile

[forestofjade]

[Wen Ning was many things, shy, kind, and insecure, what he wasn't was unobservant. He saw the man approaching him at his table, the one he picked to be as far away from everyone else as possible, and he had seen the man mingling with everyone else as well. He couldn't help but feel a cold sense of dread with every step that got closer.

He had heard the man introduce himself as Meng Yao, he knew that name and where that name belonged. He could only hope that such a person would have no interest in who he was himself.

Of course, he didn't trust that to be true. No matter what... to have such a person of the Lanling Jin sect approach him....

At first all he could do was nod slowly, making a soft affirmative noise, avoiding eye contact as much as possible and praying to whoever would listen to him that this man would go away quickly.]

I-it is q-q-quite nice....

wen ning nO

[firebranding]

[Oh dear, he's a nervous one, isn't he? Guangyao tempers his smile into something more warm and encouraging. The robes Wen Ning wears are... interesting. Similar enough to remind him of the Wen sect, but different enough that he's not sure if they aren't just something meant to imitate the once-great clan.

Which is in terribly poor taste to do, if you ask him, but no one has and Guangyao can't be sure they're even from the same world yet, so he can't make any final decisions about this.

He holds the plate out and laughs softly] Are you nervous? I'm not that frightening, am I?

Life is just hard and terrible when you are Wen Ning.

[forestofjade]

[Extremely so. The last person he really wanted to be around was someone from Lanling Jin Sect who had any sort of ranking. The wounds were too fresh, too deep. He had not been here long enough to not have those feelings surge up.

They were so strong in fact that he had to clench his mouth shut and cover his mouth for fear he might just spit out blood right this moment.]

I....

I am n-new here....

[He wasn’t being yelled at, so clearly he was not recognized and his clothes were more or less ignored. Hopefully his explanation would be good enough to excuse his odd behavior.]

I am s-sorry to cause you c-concern Young Master.

C

[resurging]

[ wei wuxian, on the other hand, is very adept at the... the... uh. words are hard when you're wasted, but he's still on his feet, which is a great thing! except this person, look, this other person is nice robes is stumbling, and he's making a sad noise, but he's also giggling...? wei wuxian has to help. he's helping!

look, he's picking the man up - he's so small, what a dainty size - and righting him on his feet. wrinkles. on the sleeves. all over. that won't do.

wei wuxian starts smoothing all the wrinkles out with his hands. ]

You're so wrinkled, oh no... your clothes... are you okay???

[firebranding]

[He bats uselessly at the hands helping him, but he hardly resists as he's hauled up to his feet.]

I'm fine, I'm fine. It was only a little fall. [He squints at the blur of dark color before him and reaches out to clasp the sides of Wei Wuxian's face in an effort to keep his visage from wavering so much.]

...Wei Wuxian? [Hello??] ...I am in hell... [No wait he didn't mean to say that out loud.]

A better late than never????

[betheirstrength]

[Rise had been paying a visit to one of her friends living in this particular building, and was on her way out, when a door behind her suddenly slams open with more force than she's ever heard a door slam.

In true girlish fashion, she shrieks, jumping half a foot in the air and spinning around on her heel with wide eyes to see what happened.

When she's met with a dimpled, contrite face, she starts to relax a little and let go on her vicegrip of her purse.]

Oh... yeah, there's a lot here that's really strange. The technology is way more advanced than I'm used to...

[She sees your robes, mister, and thinks maybe you're dealing with even more culture shock than she did.]

You're not hurt are you?

touches ur tags

[firebranding]

[It's bad enough to startle a complete stranger; it's even worse when it appears to be a young girl. Oops. His sheepishness is more genuine now and he looks at the door with a sort of resigned look as if wondering if it's going to try and make a fool of him again soon.]

My apologies again, Maiden. Had I known it would startle a young lady I would have tried even harder to stop it.

[But he shakes his head at the question, smiling softly.] Nothing is injured but my pride, thankfully. But the technology is far beyond anything I've ever seen before. Fascinating, until one makes a dangerous mistake like that. [He eyes the door again warily. When would it attack next.]

touches ur butt

[betheirstrength]

[Oh that's adorable... the look he gives her, and then the door. Rise covers a smile. Maiden? this guy is from a whole different era, isn't he?]

Really, don't worry about it. I've been through much worse. I'm just glad nobody's hurt.

[She gets her expression under control and folds her hands behind her back instead.]

Would you like me to help? I'm not an expert but I can show you the basics.

[firebranding]

I would appreciate it very much. Any help you could offer would be helpful, no matter how small.

[He hesitates a moment though and looks concerned.] Would it really be alright, however? It would look bad for you if you were to enter a strange man's home alone. Perhaps it'd be better if we walked a little while you pointed things out to me out here?

[betheirstrength]

I'm happy to help!

[Especially pretty boys who look like they're having the culture shock of the century. His concern makes her want to giggle even more and she struggles so hard to repress it. She's trying, she really is.]

I'm quite capable of protecting myself if you turn out to be a dangerous type. [gods help her she can't keep it together...] You um... haven't been told much about how this place works yet, have you?

[firebranding]

[Guangyao slowly shakes his head and then gives her a mildly exasperated look.]

I have the strangest feeling that the young lady might be having a laugh at me... Have I missed something amusing?