dilettante | ♡INBOX (GOLDEN PEACOCK)

( it unfortunately was a familiar sight that she'd seen more than once [in fact this meetup was reeking of déjà-vu], but on the other hand it did stir those sympathetic strings within her. she'd been ignorant to the plight of new arrivals and the struggles they had until her friend hiyori told her about some of the punishments and treatments they faced. so seeing noe like this before her, well it certainly made her gaze upon him with a soft expression before she got up and began to walk towards him. )

Aww you don't recognize it? That's a shame, that means we aren't from a similar world right?

( or that maybe he just didn't know the song but it didn't quite dawn on her— being an air-head and all. )

Doesn't matter, you'll be able to hear the full and correct version when I put on the concert! You'll come right?

Mm, I don't, unfortunately, probably for that reason. That doesn't mean I don't like it, though. If anything, I'd like to hear more...!

[ Which sort of answers her question about attending her concert. Noé would like to go and see it, not only because he promised her he would, but because he has a feeling that her music will match her beauty. He thinks she's very pretty, even from an objective standpoint, and hey, she's not the only air-head in the room. He has his moments, too. ]

So yes, of course I'll be there. It'll be very nice to hear the full version, and if you need any help with putting it on, I can try my best. I can at least carry things around if you need an extra set of hands.

Well in that case....

( she's spinning around as she approached him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. there's a raw and almost exciting energy radiating off of her as she waved her free hand around bringing up two fingers in the air. )

My team of ragtag musicians and I have come up with two additional songs we'll be performing. We're really focusing on the theme of friendship, isn't that so cute? Like oh my gosh it's the most adorable theme because I feel like all new arrivals need that you know? A good friend to rely on and share their hopes, fears, and worries about this place with. So if you help me out during the concert, well that's just like enforcing that theme right? Because I think we can be great friends!

( she rattled off like that for a bit, barely taking a breath as her sweet and high pitched voice elongated certain words. while she was very excitable and maybe just a bit immature, her heart was in the right place. )

Since you'll be helping me, I'll give you a preview of these songs too! I need to practice them anyways~ So take a seat, feel free to order something to drink or food, just put it on my tab.

[ He stares at Reira for a moment, simply because she's so high energy that it's a little captivating, to say the least. But he hears what she says: Friendship, music, and it's meant to be an overall bonding experience of some sort. ]

Is that what it's about? Well, I think it's a great idea! It'll help all the new people like me feel a little more welcome here. Besides, there's nothing wrong with making friends...especially with the people you sleep with.

[ Which isn't the most characteristic thing for him to say, but it is what Reira told him, no? It's a clever little comment, one that he leaves her with as he takes a seat. ]

Do you have any recommendations for drinks?

You know that’s exactly how I feel about it, I try and only sleep with people who are anyways.

( she’d gotten around quite a bit since her arrival but to her credit each and every single person had become a close friend of hers at this point. it made things a little less painful— but truthfully she just ignored any romantic stirrings she might have had for anyone she came across.

friendship was a better thing to focus on. )

Well for that, I try and behave you know, sticking to mostly tea and water, but they have a delicious and cute coffee drink where they’ll even draw a little cat on the foam of the cup. The sparkling champagne is also quite tasty.

I remember.

[ And that's a nice philosophy to have, he thinks. At least, it's one he certainly agrees with. He's not sure how good he'd be at being with someone once and never speaking to them again, or staying strangers with them after sharing something so intimate.

The mention of cat foam grabs his attention immediately, and he does feel like he should pay for his own drink but he also is at a loss for chips right now, so he appreciates her generosity. ]

Could I try some of that cat coffee? I want to see how that foam looks.

[ Hopefully it's not too pricey... ]

( there were many ways she could be spoiled, pampered, and even helpless— as he might eventually come to see, but if there was one thing she wasn't was greedy. if it meant she wasn't alone, if it meant she'd have friends and company, offering something as simple as a drink was worth it. additionally she did sympathize with the new comers, realizing not everyone was as lucky as her.

as she once told blade— she's only happy here because she's a queen. if she had to resort to scraps like the rest of them, she'd be utterly miserable.

with a soft smile, she took his hand and guided him towards the ordering station. the prices weren't the worst, but probably three times the price of a normal drink at starbucks [even in 2001 they seemed outrageous]. )

Let's get matching ones then, do you want something to eat too? I might get one of their loafs or something else that's sweet.

( didn't she just say she had to behave? oh well, she'd work it off at the gym later she decided. )

[ He's used to fighting for scraps sometimes, so being at the bottom doesn't bother him as much as it might bother others. Still, he does wish for something better, for both himself and his comrade from home, which is partially why he's okay with sleeping with others. Trying out new things. Learning as he goes.

And even if that doesn't happen with Reira, he'll still be happy he got a friend out of the experience. Her hand is soft, he's finding, and he follows her, eyes lighting up at the mention of sweets. ]

A loaf sounds good. Actually, any sweets that you feel like eating sound good! I wouldn't mind matching you on that, either!

You've got it!

( it had become a bit of a habit for her to indulge those she genuinely liked, who were nice to her from the get go and who seemed to have a positive energy about them. was it just her loneliness and desire to never be alone working in their favor? perhaps, but at the end of the day they all were in a difficult situation really. even for someone like her who'd been spared the worst the resort had to offer knew just how bad things could get.

as they approached the counter, she decided to order a bit of every dessert they had along with the coffee, the staff member appearing excited that the 'queen' was splurging today. they worked hard before to get her to buy anything more than tea, so it seemed to be quite a day for celebration. )

Ah this is so much fun you know? It's been a while since I've just let go like this. Let's go get a nice table and setup in the meantime.

[ He watches as the staff fawn over Reira and refer to her as a queen. If he didn't know what that was about, he'd have guessed that she was actual royalty, and that wouldn't surprise him with how extravagant she dresses. She really is a beautiful lady.

Noé leads her to an empty table and sits. A cat that had been sleeping next to his spot lifts its head and yawns at him, almost as if to scold him for waking it up from its slumber. Noé reaches out to pet it, but it just. Runs away. Oops. ]

I guess it's nap time for a lot of them...

[ Many of them still are asleep, after all. ]

But I'd like to ask, when you said it's been a while since you've "let go", what do you mean by that?

( as they made their way to the table and the scene unfolded before them, reira couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune for just a moment. it took her a long time to figure it out but— )

Well while that is true, cats prefer to be greeted. Watch!

( she began to walk towards an orange tabby sitting on the table next to them and she began to blink her eyes slowly at him. she held out her finger tips to his nose, allowing the creature to sniff her fingers before it began to rub against it. however considering it was orange....

it soon took a tiny nibble of her fingers in attempt to play with her. she immediately moved her hand, laughing just a bit more. )

I guess you might be right, best to just leave them alone. Anyways as for that well you see I was a pretty big celebrity back home you know? Had to constantly watch my figure, eat healthy things, avoid sweets, you know. So I get to indulge today, I guess some of those habits came with me here.

( in the meantime she's reaching for the chair in front of their table, taking a seat. )

[ He watches as Reira handles the tabby, and its behavior reminds him quite a bit of his own cat's. Murr can be pretty grumpy when Noé's done something to displease him. At least the tabby is only nibbling at Reira's fingers to play with her, not because he's upset with her.

His interest shifts when she mentions she's a celebrity. Somehow, he isn't entirely surprised. Reira looks like a princess, someone who maintains such a pristine form of beauty in his eyes. ]

Avoiding sweets sounds awful, [ He is a huge fan of them, pardon him. ] but please indulge as much as you'd like. I'm glad we get to share some desserts together today.

Indulge as much as I'd like...

( her voice was softer now, a mindless repetition of his words as she mulled over his statement. truthfully she could just indulge anytime she wanted at this resort; that was the freedom that was provided here after all. every desire and indulgence was meant to be catered here after all—

but instead of setting her mind to doing such a thing with food moving forward, she simply smiled at him and nodded, eyes wandering to the side as she sat down and watched the staff start to walk towards them. speedy service, polite smiles, little freebies in the way of water and cookies were all perks of being a higher rank here. motivations to get the members of the resorts here to work hard, to strive to becoming king or queen rankings through sex.

as soon as everything was set, reira looked down at the cute cups with cat shaped foam and artwork, and waved at noe. )

Before we indulge, how about we take a selfie with our drinks? I can setup my watch to take a cute photo of us!

[ The life of a higher ranking resident seems nice and lavish, if the way the staff treat Reira is anything to go off of. They hardly pay Noé any mind, and any sort of interactions with them are usually dismissive, brushed off as a whole lot of nothing, and he often times leaves these conversations feeling a little bit awful. But it's nothing he isn't used to, and if someone as nice as Reira gets treated well, then that makes up for it a little bit.

The cat shaped foam grabs his attention – he's looking down at the cups and practically sparkling at the sight of such intricate, cute foam being made for them!! – but the wave manages to pull him back to reality. ]

I'm not sure what a selfie is, but it sounds fun, so why not?

It's alright, a while back this place brought us all to like a soccer tournament right? And this new guy showed me all about how to pose for photos taken by yourself. Here let me demonstrate!

( she began to get up once more, pulling a chair from the table next to them so she could sit as close as possible to noe. once they were up close, she reached for her drink and placed it next to his own, adjusting and perfecting how it might look in front of the camera. once that was done, she turned to noe as best she could, using her hands to show him what they could do. )

Okay so we can do a half-heart with our hands and connect them for a pose, or we could have our backs turned to each other and pose as if we're spies or secret agents in a movie. We could also just make our face look cute and do a 'peace sign'?

( full of life and nearly sparkling, reira began to show him a few 'examples' of how to pose for the selfie. )

Oh! Oh, I get it!

[ How cute. He's still learning about photos, but Reira makes this so easy for someone who's never been exposed to this sort of thing prior to the resort. He mulls over the poses for only about a second before he settles on one that seemed really nice. ]

How about the heart one? I thought that was kind of clever.

[ He holds up his hand, trying to figure out how to make the heart shape but ends up making a half...circle...instead. Reira may need to assist him, he's a bit clueless. ]

You've got it, okay let's get into position!

( with a gentle softness, reira began to move closer to him, watching as his fingers curled into the pattern they were somewhat going for. quickly she reached over to help bend his fingers into the correct shape before she pulled away and formed the second half of the heart with her left hand. holding her arm arm up, she set the timer for a photo, giving them both ten seconds to be ready. )

Okay, much better, alright then are you ready? Just smile up at the watch on my wrist and we'll have a cute photo to commemorate the start of this new friendship!

[ Noé allows her to guide him into getting his fingers right. The curl feels a little strange, but he sees the shape it makes with her hand and it all falls into place. That is, in fact, a nice little heart, and a fantastic way to commemorate their new friendship.

So he grins at her and nods, looks at the watch and maintains that smile. ]

Alright, I'm ready! To our new friendship!

[ And even though the photo is taken, Noé will remain in place until Reira gives him the okay to move. He at least understands that part about staying perfectly still. ]

( once the photo was taken [and with an additional reshoot just in case], she finally showed him the photo of them both on her watch. there was a soft blue filter applied to it, making their skin appear just a bit smoother than what it really was— but it was truly natural for someone like her. glitzy, a pop star, obsessed with looks. but was she really or was that just expected of her? perhaps someday her new friend would get to see that side of her.

for now though she congratulated him for such a great photo and naturally began to turn towards indulging in their treats. she talked to him a bit about how long she'd been here [nearly nine months], of the people who'd come and gone and how she felt sad about some of them leaving, but that they never truly left [oops lore drop about the statues]. eventually though as they polished off their treats, she finished sharing a bit more about the concert she planned on throwing and a bit about her own ranking here as a queen.

as their conversation wrapped up, she settled the bill before the waitress brought them over some free hand towels and cleaned up. )

Well this was a lot of fun, I'm so happy we got to meet. You know...I feel....it's a little difficult for me to say this but if you ever need anyone's help...

Please feel free to come to me! I'm normally not very useful like back in my world but...here I've been able to help people sometimes. It feels good you know?

♡INBOX (GOLDEN PEACOCK)

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going to start wrapping this up soon ♥