♡INBOX (GOLDEN PEACOCK)

[dilettante]

@reira

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text / @iudex

[diuturna]

( some days after they've all been relieved of their status as wildcards and reassigned to their proper ranks in the resort.... )

Miss Layla? This is Neuvillette. We spoke at the party some days ago. I merely wished to see how you were doing and inquire as to whether you were settling in alright.

Regarding what we spoke about at the party, I have yet to see anyone matching both the description you provided, but I will continue to be on the lookout.

[dilettante]

( whatever promises she had made during that aggressively long week were long forgotten by her now that she was ranked and swept into the madness that came with being here.

but as soon as her watch lit up as she sat on a pile of clothes, her eyes widened. he remembered!! ),/small>

neuvillette! ♡ I’m doing okay for now, I just didn’t realize how…weird this place was in the end. how are you??

and thank you, I appreciate it.

— troy (welcome event moved)

[dilettante]

Huh...

( she managed to say before taking another sip of her drink. now that it was polished off, she set the glass aside and thought about his answer.

before concluding the following- )

You must be in really good shape to pull off those moves...although I have a feeling you are if this is who I think it is.

[lakan]

And who do you think you're talking to right now?

[ Troy asks, getting a fluttering feeling in his stomach from the anticipation of hearing her answer. This is been going pretty fun, he thought, and he wonders if she can get the answer in one. He's already pretty certain she's Reira ]

— sanji (welcome event moved)

[dilettante]

( there's an awkward pause as he answered her, her eyes shifting off to the side as she thought further on his answers. he was starting to come across more genuine than she had originally pegged him t be and while there was still that anxiety gnawing at her over this place-

she decided no matter what, she would do her best to comply. whatever it meant, until she couldn't. perhaps she would end up like him, a string of partners yet still hopeful to find a soulmate somewhere in the mix of everything. not that she needed sexual monogamy [this much she was willing to accept].

then came the next prompt, only now he was telling her to ask a question. so with a softer tone, she thought about it and decided to keep it simple. )

I feel a little invasive asking so many questions without knowing your name. So....what's your name stranger?

[chiffonades]

[ She can’t see it, but there’s a grin settling on his face when she asks his name after commenting about how invasive asking these questions is. Layla’s not wrong about that, but— well, that seems to be the entire point. For them to slip past whatever barriers and boundaries exist between them.

Not that it’s going to stop him from answering her question. For all his talk of complying, he’s never quite given the House everything it wants exactly. The shitty resort demands sex from them, and while he’s generally happy to comply, it’s on his own terms with the people he wants to sleep with— usually. ]

Shit, sorry, Layla. Should’ve offered it up earlier. [ And there is genuine apology in his voice. He should have mentioned it right away, given that he hadn’t recognized her voice, but her question had been interesting if nothing else. ]

My name’s Sanji. I’m the best cook in this crappy casino. You ever want a meal you know is safe, send me a message or come find me. I’ll make you something delicious. [ It’s something he offers everyone he meets here because the idea of their food being spiked with aphrodisiacs or something even worst is inherently abhorrent to him. ] It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

— shanks (welcome event moved)

[dilettante]

I guess they realized who I was back home.

( a famous singer, celebrity, whatever one would call what she did. it was certainly a far different life here than the one she had back home. it was partially liberating in a way, for no one to know who she was and to have no expectations of her-

yet it seemed that popularity and being perceived were still things she had to deal with. for now it came in the way of endless costumes, gifts from 'obsessed fans'. )

Looks like I have no where to sit if we're still going to play this little game. Do you mind?

( she said, before eyeing his lap fully with a soft smile. it was clear what exactly she was hinting at. )

[shanksyourfeels]

With a voice like yours, I'm not surprised to learn you are accustomed to that treatment.

( He notices Layla's eyes, where they go, since he's been so intent on them since the partition was lowered. His eyes go down, then flicker to give Layla a proper look as they move back up to hers. Shanks gives her a soft smile, and lifts his arm. )

Not at all. Take whatever you like. ( He does, indeed, mean more than his lap. )

— red (welcome event moved)

[dilettante]

Oh....for what it's worth I know someone from back home who was an orphan and he seems fine...

( it's a bit of a lie but really how else do you comfort someone...whose lap your on?

ren, the friend she was talking about had far too many issues. so for now she'll move onto a new question, one she made up herself. )

I hope this isn't too forward but...what do you look for in a partner?

[redfortune]

Well, Edge and I both turned out OK - so did most of the people we knew growing up. Was still a bit of a rough time...

[ She trails off, thinking - and then: ]

Wait, what I look for? Uh - someone I can trust. Someone who can put their share of the work in. That kind of thing.

[ She pauses. ] That makes sense, right?

— shimura (welcome event moved)

[dilettante]

( reira remained silent as he spoke those words, her teeth gently pressing into her bottom lip as she thought about that. would she become someone who actually preferred to be here? given the way things ended for her in her world, it might just be the sweet escape she needed. yet she knew deep in her heart that what she wanted most in life, to find genuine love and companionship, would be difficult to come across in a place like this.

that prioritized sex above all else.

surprisingly though....those people were only important to her in the time they served her. she cared about her assistant to an extent, even falling asleep in the same bed as her but if they were to have met in a different way, as strangers in a coffee shop or schoolmates, she wouldn't have cared much for her. it showed just how selfish reira was deep down. )

I imagine...this place is very showy.

( there's a bit of laughter that comes from her, a nervous little habit but he was right. she was sure, especially given her ranking, that she wouldn't struggle too hard to adapt. )

How about I ask you a question this time?

[wincon]

[ "Showy" is one way to put it. Even back when his teacher had everything under control, he was far too solitary of a man to mingle much in these luxury resorts, much less to take along a small child or surly teenager. Then, once the man had been arrested, Tomura himself had been forced into a fugitive lifestyle, hiding out in abandoned and unoccupied buildings to escape the notice of the law. The only experience he could say comes close had been the villa on Gunga Mountain; then again, that had felt more like a fancy compound than a luxury retreat. There has never been a familiar place to him that rivals the excesses of the Golden Peacock, in all its gilded glory.

Not that impresses him. Rather, there's something wholly unpleasant about the exorbitance that floods his senses every time he ventures above the levels of the basement. It's in the decor—the chandeliers, the plush carpets, the statues—the perfumes, and the constant buzz of guests and staff. It's showy, as if to scream how indulgent and well-loved this place is, but rather than simple spectacle, Tomura suspects it to be much more like the sweet nectar of a carnivorous plant, clinging to its targets to entice them to stay forever.

Maybe a more generous person, or more of a fanatic, would try to drill this point in to their partner, but Tomura isn't much of either. He simply accepts that where he'd rather destroy, others would take refuge in this lacquered prison. ]

Go ahead.

[ For now, back to the spirit of the game. He is, at the very least, slightly curious what she'll ask in return. Whether she'll go back to her flirtatious opener or follow in the vein of his more somber pivot. It would tell him something more about this girl—and perhaps, in a way, they're similar in their search for an interesting encounter. ]

text — un: tifa

[saults]

[ tifa's only been here a short time but already she doesn't quite know what to make of herself, especially when everything seems to make her nervous about what's to be expected of her here. it's why she tries to look as deeply as she can, peering at old posts on the network to see what others have said about it all — and catching her attention on a particular one.

even with the growing stress of all that's happening, somehow the promise of music makes her heart swell with a little bit of hope and eagerness. ]

hello! excuse me — were the one looking for instrument players some time ago?

[dilettante]

( while she hasn’t dedicated that much time or energy into her recruitment efforts as she’d like, there were already quite a number of people working with her on this ‘little goal’.

so when the message came in, she was a bit surprised but eager— the more the merrier she thought. )

this is her ✨ Layla, nice to meet you! are you new here? I don’t recognize the username

text, un: till

[xylophone]

[ Till doesn't act immediately after Hiyori suggests he contact Reira. It takes him some time as he considers it, and mostly he dilly-dallies and hesitates before finally reaching out. Although he does struggle with what to type, initially writing a greeting, but then deeming it lame before scrapping it all together: hello my name is till sounds weird to him, or maybe he should stick with that, but just as most of the message is delete part of it is accidentally sent. Oops. ]

[xylophone]

hell

[xylophone]

no wait. that's not what i wanted to say!

text 🖤

[saults]

[ well, she's not exactly good at this, at the kind of follow-ups that tangle along the edges of being a little more risque. but laying back in her bed, fingers casually brushing along the outer hem of her underwear, her chest rising and falling steadily within her soft tank top, her mind wanders to a certain head of pink hair, to the memory of feeling those lips on her own.

this is how ... people normally do things, right? reaching out when thinking about someone, telling them the kind of thoughts floating in their memory. ]

hey, reira?
i was just thinking about you.

[dilettante]

( the text came as a surprise to reira— but mainly because of how many emotions and sentiments it dug up upon its arrival. the reminder of their shared experience before, the embarrassment that came with how she acted, all of it filled her face with a bright redness as soon as she saw her name on her watch.

while she didn't know what tifa was up to when she sent this message, she sure was hoping this wasn't her scolding her for being so....forward. )

oh hey there tifa, have you?

what have you been thinking about?

( there's a nervous energy behind her message because really she's not sure at all what this might lead to. )

un: pressf [text]

[wincon]

[ an indeterminate amount of time after ishmael's post, but the same day: ]

that thing you found
I'll come by to grab it

[dilettante]

thing?

you mean that hand? sure you can get it, but can't I have a little fun with it first? I wanna poke people with it.

also why are the nails on it manicured and polished? whose been taking care of this thing?

text; un: musica;

[usseewa]

Hey Reira!
It’s Uta, in case you were wondering.
I’ve been really inspired by our conversation. I have so many ideas! Maybe we could get together soon to talk about it?
I’m not sure what kind of things there are to do so if you’re busy we can work something out!

[dilettante]

why hello there miss uta! things have been coming along, I've been recruiting musicians and everything is so close to being ready really! I finally did something another 'queen' here suggested which is getting an entourage! you know, having the staff members follow me around so I'll have them set things up for us.

I even got someone to make food for the little concert too! isn't that exciting? but yes I'd like to meet up, because really the main thing left is coming up with lyrics and melodies for the songs!

— closed to texas

[dilettante]

alright, I'll take you up on your offer then. here's the address to my suite, you won't get terribly lost. the elevator opens up right to my door.

( within minutes a ping came through with reira's address, and a photo of the room to her suite. it looked just like any of the other ones with the exception of a little pink porcelain cat outside of it; placed deliberately there to guide texas to her suite. she wasn't quite sure how she successfully managed to wrangle the wolf-woman into bringing her food but she was beyond delighted.

as she waited though it began to go to her head a bit. it seemed everyone was far too eager to cater to her, a stark difference to how she was treated back home despite being a genuine celebrity, a famous singer. here she was nobody, a queen at best and well behaved at worst. yet the kindness she was shown was truly making her feel like she could conquer the world. even if she was feeling a bit under the weather today.

when the knock came to her door, she walked up to it wearing her long pink hair in two braids and wearing a rather fancy little night set and barefooted. she opened the door, rubbing the side of her face before she beamed up at the woman before her. )

You really came! Come inside, my kitchen is only a few feet away and has everything you need.

( she was putting this poor woman to work already. )

[swordpour]

(it wasn't that surprising, she thinks. that not all the face cards wanted to set up their suites in an extravagant style. at least the entrance to them, anyway. she's seen only two in her stay, the other one belonged to weiss. though that was before she was gone, texas still has no idea where her and ragna's statues are.

she's still searching for lappland's, too. anyway, getting her to do these things isn't impossible. as long as the other person isn't using her or mistreating her, then she won't complain. won't argue, either. the only way she might be a smart ass is if someone managed to annoy her to that point. lucky them that it was only one person. this kindness was because she didn't think there's any harm in giving it to her. she's not feeling good, it wasn't like texas intended to toss out the food she asked her to hold on to either.

what greets reira is texas indeed, her hair is down this time. though the outfit she's wearing is different from that swimsuit she wore during the birthday party. texas didn't mind that it gave a nice view of her toned stomach (she did leave the gloves back in her suite) even if she doesn't normally wear this out of her closet. she's got the taquitos that she was asked to hold on to, at least.) I'm not that bad that I'd go back on my word for things like this. (ignoring how serious that sounds, though it's mostly thanks to her being so stoic. texas wasn't too fazed by being told where to go. she's brought the green tea to make on the side while she was at it before heading inside.)

Did you get sick or something?

(that's not too much to ask, right? she's not used to this necessarily, with something like conversation beyond what input the wolf will give when spoken to. texas is always that quiet soul, some might find it frustrating, others? well, it can be nice to speak to someone who won't talk about their own problems. or judge....except silently, if texas even does judge a person over whatever gets thrown in her direction. she's dealt with insanity from her own friends and coworkers often enough that it can take a bit to hit the mark on her doing that.)

tdm 010 - fated mates tokens

[pyrolyzed]

[ It's not like he expected anything from those gachapon machines? He's not stupid, he knows better than to expect anything from those machines -- they're all ripoffs! But when he walked by a machine featuring merch of that one beat'em up at the arcade he's been really into lately, he'd figured a spin wouldn't hurt. Then one more, when it wasn't the character he'd been aiming for. Then once more --

The kangaroo pocket of his hoodie is heavy with dud keychains by the time he finally steps away from the machines, grumbling, and Fuuta has to resist the urge to chuck it all in the closest trash bin. Whatever. Whatever! He doesn't care! He'll deal with all this junk -- including that weird, unlisted token that had popped out of one capsule -- later, is what he's thinking as Fuuta starts stomping his way over to the food stalls, fully intent on getting something buying something horrifically greasy, salty and spicy to distract him from the frustration of getting spurned by those stupid gachapon machines.

-- it's pure coincidence that, as he steps starts making his way across the main street of the carnival, Fuuta happens to look across the passing crowd and catch the eyes of a certain somebody. Someone who he doesn't hold any particular feelings towards, and certainly doesn't like? Somebody who he'd normally look past without a second thought. But right now ...

It must be a little startling for Reira, the way that Fuuta gives a sharp jolt upon meeting her gaze. And he barely pauses before abruptly surging forth, elbowing his way past a handful of strangers so he can make his way towards her -- reaching out so he can grab at her wrist. Between the wide stare of his visible eye and the way his lips are parted in silence for a moment before he can find words suggests he's moved out of instinct, rather than conscious thought; a conclusion further bolstered by the utterly graceless words that spill from his lips when he does manage to speak: ]

-- hey. You. ... w-where're you going.

[ How charming. (no) ]

[dilettante]

( of all the people in the resort, the person who seemed to rank the lowest in her mind was fuuta. it was nothing against him personally but it seemed anytime they tried to talk, either she stuck her foot in her mouth or he found a unique and charming way to grate her. it seemed even when she helped him and saw him at his lowest, she'd somehow end up the bad guy. so while she wasn't a delicate little thing that needed to get along with everyone, she decided it was best to just give people their space. if he wanted to be her friend or anything more [considering the way this resort twisted and warped the definition of friendship], he'll come to her.

which seemed to be the case today— instead of indulging in the summer yukatas and kimonos [because really she was an american girl despite being mixed-race], she had been walking around in a cute little outfit when the gachapon machines had caught her eye. it wasn't very difficult really; the promise of cute charms and other trinkets caught her like a fish on a hook and line. the only trouble was when she played all she got was a strange token, and it was enough to leave her in a bratty mood filled with annoyance, stomping off and away from the machine.

yet the more steps she took, a strange sensation seemed to take over but it wasn't enough to stop her in her tracks. it wasn't until she felt a rough grip on her wrist that she swung around, long locks whipping in the air as she looked down at the man before her. it was that guy; the one who knew how to twist her words and make it sound like she said or implied something she hadn't. he was good and that both impressed and terrified her—

but not quite as much as being grabbed and spoken to like this. )

What are you talking about? I'm walking over to the food stands.

( but the moment her eyes truly locked with his, she felt all of her senses be consumed by something. it was a familiar sensation to when her suit activated that one time, or when she consumed an aphrodisiac unknowingly but this was different. she felt a strange sensation consume her every thought and her feelings. she reached out to place her free hand over his, walking closer to him as she looked at him. )

To get us both something to eat. I should have told you...the thought of you being alone isn't right. You should be by my side at all times, Fuuta-kun.

un: archiviste

[murrmoire]

[ And after his comments on the auction: ]

Hello, Reira. I'll be there tomorrow at the cat café. I'm excited to hear your voice, and I also happen to really like cats, so this arrangement works out very nicely!

that icon omg.....;;

[dilettante]

ah so you're a cat man noé-san? I'm glad it'll work out for you, I've performed there a few times already and the cats don't seem to mind my singing.

can I ask, what kind of music do you like? maybe I can sing something familiar to you!

— closed to jayce

[dilettante]

( moved from here )

it's no trouble at all. we have to help each other after all.

( if jayce had come to her for this when she first arrived, she might have flirted and asked for a an actual 'date' in return for this, but after being here for sometime and hearing of the horrors those under a low ranking tend to suffer, she'd become more empathetic to all of their plight. being a queen, obeying what was asked of them here made her life significantly easier. it certainly helped that she had nothing against engaging in sexual acts with others, but she knew that wasn't the case for most.

so she sent him the address to her queen suite at the top of the resort, the exact elevator to use and when it was 2pm, she was standing outside in a simple tank top and denim skirt, holding a small bag with pain relief pills as well as a box of pocky without any aphrodisiacs in it. aka a clean treat for him to enjoy. )

Hey there, good to see you!

[hexcope]

[The elevator was easy enough to find with her instruction, but he definitely didn't expect this level of lavishness. Even Mel didn't have this level of luxury in her penthouse, so forgive him if he takes a moment, slightly slack-jawed, to admire his surroundings.

As for his own appearance, his photo was accurate with the exception of four small lightly-purple ovals along his forehead. His clothes are extremely casual, a cheap looking hoodie and some sweatpants. Not really much of an attractive look, he knows, and it's not really his personal taste either, but it's what he can afford right now. As for what he needs the pain relief pills for, it quickly becomes obvious because around his leg is a metal brace, the most intricate parts of it around his shin, but running all the way up his mid-thigh for stability.]

It's nice to meet you in person. I didn't even know there were rooms this elaborate here.

text, un: till

[xylophone]

[ On the early morning of the twenty-first, maybe it's curiosity that has him sending a message out to Layla. Maybe! Or is it concern? ]

layla. you know that thing they announced? did you go? it doesn't seem like anything happens if avoided. i heard it was kind of a lot. like a lot a lot.

also that auction. i hope no one strange won yours. i just don't have a lot of those chips so

[dilettante]

( she’s a bit surprised to get a message from till, but as she began to get ready for the second night of the gala, she decided to take a break and sit down to talk to him. he was sweet and so far she’d been in a good mood after the events of the night before. )

oh hey, the gala? I actually went the first night but I might skip one of the nights if that’s the case. usually they seem to want us to engage in these things but I’m not too sure.

and oh no, it was this nice lady I met at nami’s party. ah…were you thinking of bidding on me? how sweet of you, it’s okay I understand.