ayto | Week 0 Mingle;

❤ Week 0 Mingle

Welcome to your new home, contestants! You step off the boat you somehow don't remember being on (or the plane, or the transdimensional time warp you skipped through) and find yourself on a beautiful, lush island! All you have is what you managed to cram into one suitcase (or three), so snacks, clothes, sex toys, photo albums of your family or coworkers, your phone that will not be working all that well, and etc. No living things, why would you put them through the embarrassment of witnessing your romantic escapades? Please.

You're led to a house and told this is where you will be living until you get your act together and find your destined partner. How nice! It appears to be set up already to be lived in, and the kitchen has a mini bar with alcohol already provided, as well as a little notebook of instructions as to how to mix drinks and how to play those wildly popular Drinking Games. Maybe give it a try later?

Once you're all unpacked and starting to mingle, you'll find a young lady in the traditional Ojousama Ringlets standing out in the yard. She'll wait until everyone is present before she smiles and speaks.

"Good day, contestants. I am the Overseer, the individual who will be, well... overseeing your romantic escapades during your stay. I believe you know the rules already, so I'll be brief: you are all here because you have encountered difficulties maintaining a romance. You have all been paired up with each other, thanks to a complicated matchmaking algorithm. Your goal is to find your Perfect Match. Should all ten Perfect Matches be found and confirmed, all of you will have your wishes granted. So really..."

She places a hand delicately to her chin. "It would behoove you to speak with each other, test out your chemistry, and see where that leads you as quickly as possible. I shall be scarce today, save for an occasional encounter, but I will be speaking with you tomorrow to give you a better idea of what your next few weeks will be looking like. By all means, do enjoy yourselves."

She curtseys. And then leaves, but don't worry. She may just pop into your toplevel to ask you some questions. Or she may not! Who knows!

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[Deep breath...!]

... Why do you want to know?

[He blinks again, before he tears his gaze away to think.]

Why . . . because I do not wish to make the same mistake again.

It was once said to me that I am clumsy in matters of the heart. While I was loath to admit this then, I confess now that it is true. Much to my regret, I realize that my words can at times be careless, bearing unintended consequences beyond my understanding . . .

[Not very long ago, he failed to understand the heart of even his precious pupil. Moments with Therese have highlighted to him his failings as a teacher despite years of experience. But matters of the heart? He's completely inexperienced.

Cyrus shakes his head.]

Someone as dependable and caring as you is hardly deserving of my ignorance. Having said that, it's clear to me that your struggles extend beyond our time here. You assume the responsibility of what happened at the ceremony by saying that it's something you must overcome, but I would argue that part of the responsibility lies with me for being the catalyst . . . And that is why I wish to know—so I can better my treatment of you, and help you in return.

[Nodding to himself, he lifts his head to face Aoko again. That's about the gist of it.]

[....... Aoko buries her face in her hands.

And mutters:]

It's a good answer... That's a really good answer, dammit...

[Well.

She did promise.

So after that moment, he straightens a bit, taking a deep breath in and closing her eyes. It'll be easier this way, she thinks.]

It isn't anything so dramatic that you have to worry too much about it. I... am here for the same reasons as anyone else. I'm really bad at this.

You're really, really earnest and sincere and complimentary. When you say stuff like that... I get pretty overwhelmed and I overreact. Sorry.

[Although this is only the second instance, it doesn't escape his notice that she declines to look at him. Perhaps it helps her—like him—to concentrate when she isn't distracted by visual stimuli.

Time and again, he's been told to watch his words—that he should refrain from complimenting women, even though he's only sharing his thoughts. The whys have always varied and never been too specific. Hearing Aoko now, he realizes that he may have just been too . . . forward.

He shakes his head at her apology.]

One doesn't react by oneself. It was not my intention to overwhelm you. Would it help if I were to . . . scale back on such statements?

[She thinks about it--seriously thinks about it for a long, long moment--before she nods. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, sucking in a deep breath.]

... I think so, yeah. At least... for now.

[The compliments are honestly really, really nice--but she wants to be able to interact with him without losing her mind every ten minutes too.]

[They sit in silence while she considers her answer. Once she gives it, he gives her a nod in return—simple and direct.]

Then I shall refrain.

[The promise is easier said than done. It's within his nature to praise others, and he seldom thinks twice about giving voice to his thoughts. But that's why they're sitting here, talking.]

Is there anything else that I can do for you?

No... no, that's plenty.

[She sighs, and finally turns to look at him, cheeks flushed but smiling slightly.]

Sorry. I'm kind of making this hard on you, but... thanks.

[He offers a small smile of his own when their gazes meet.]

No need for apologies, my dear. I was the one to make the offer, and you were simply patient enough to take me up on it.

[If Odette were sitting here, she might have laughed at him by now. He appreciates that they're able to talk like this.]

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