Week 1 Mingle;

[omnivoracious]

❤ Week 1 Mingle

Welcome to a new week, lovebirds! Monday dawns gray and misty, and it's actually not long before a thunderstorm rolls in! You can, of course, kiss dramatically in the yard in the rain and risk getting struck by lightning-- or you can stay inside, cuddle in the conversation pit, USE THE GODDAMN BOOM BOOM ROOM or do anything else until the storm blows over by the evening! Don't worry, the rest of the week will be bright and sunny and beautiful!

There's also a new section of the house, weirdly enough! There's a bright turquoise door located near the bedroom and opening it leads to... a massive indoor pool. The water is a pleasant temperature, there's a hot tub, there's an assortment of flotation devices for those of you who might have trouble swimming (tubes, life vests, boogie boards, pool noodles that can also be used to wage Deadly Combat if you are Sara and Kasque or Jeritza or anyone else ready for Violence). And if you somehow didn't pack a swimsuit because why on earth would your canon let you have one--

Worry not!! There's a rack of swimsuits in every size you lot could need! The catch (or not): they're all sexy. Like. Barely there sexy. Impossibly adhering to you sexy. Shoelaces would maybe cover more sexy. Absolutely great to play Chicken Fight in sexy. You get the idea.

Anything having to do with being able to write is still also Not Present.

Enjoy!!!

Premise ❤ FAQ ❤ Rules ❤ Truth Booth ❤ Locations ❤
Profiles ❤ Permissions ❤

Comments

[unrecompensed]

That's... okay...

[Whew. That was close. She still wants to win, but not at the cost of hurting themselves.]

Let's just take it slow so we don't fall. Um--tied legs forward on 1, other leg on 2?

[aldaft]

[If he falls and takes her with him, he will wish for the ground to swallow him whole.]

. . . Yes, let's. Can you count us off, Aoko?

[unrecompensed]

[Deep breath!!]

Okay. Here we go. We'll start with a slow pace.

[Aaaand--]

One.

[A STEP.]

Two.

[ANOTHER STEP.

How's it going, Cyrus?]

[aldaft]

[Slowly. That is, no matter his anticipation, he seems to be the barest beat behind. It's not so much that they flail, but the steps are definitely leaden as he watches their legs.]

[unrecompensed]

[... ... ....... okay. So he's not good at this sort of thing.

This is fine, they will... continue to take it.

Very.

Slowly.

The first cone finally looms...!]

[aldaft]

[Several clumsy, agonizingly slow steps later, he resorts to putting a hand on her nearest shoulder to steady himself—and her, by extension—a short ways before they reach the first cone. It's a gesture born from reflex more than conscious thought with most of his attention fixed on their feet as he counts inwardly alongside her to little avail. This is probably more stressful on his end than it should be.

Focused as he is, he doesn't even realize the cone's proximity. If not for the counting, which guides his next steps, he'd walk right past.]

[unrecompensed]

[Don't worry, Aoko is hyperfocused on it. There's no way she could miss it.

She freezes the moment they come up to it, swallowing tightly.

C'mon Aoko. It's not like this is your first kiss or anything. You can do it, you can do it...!]

S-so...! First checkpoint.

[aldaft]

Ah.

[Jerking to an abrupt stop, Cyrus lifts his head. Sure enough, the cone greets them. He straightens and angles his body toward Aoko.]

. . . Shall we kiss, then?

[It's part of the challenge and some individuals are much more open to that sort of thing. Still, he wants to ask one more time.]

1/3

[unrecompensed]

[H-he says it so easily, somehow...

DEEP BREATH IN.

DEEP BREATH OUT.

IT'S FINE, THIS IS JUST A KISS.]

We... have to if we want to keep going, so...!

[... She looks down bashfully for a moment, and then back up at him.]

2/3

[unrecompensed]

[The thought strikes her suddenly.





What if he's a bad kisser because he's a nerd.]

3/3

[unrecompensed]

[NO, AOKO, FOCUS.

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.

She takes another deep breath in, plants a hand on his shoulder to steady herself since this is kind of a weird position to have to kiss in, and tilts her head up and leans in determinedly.

He's definitely taller than her, though, so he's going to have to complete the motion for them.]

[aldaft]

[While she shoots for the stars, it occurs to Cyrus that he has no idea what goes into a kiss other than contact between lips. Yet there's always so much emphasis placed on it in stories and couples who ravish one another with affection. The human body finds comfort in touch, hence his method of resting a hand on the shoulder of a distressed person (though their difference in stature and position are the reasons behind the reversal this time) . . . Perhaps the mere act of kissing, driven by passion, produces a peculiar sensation that drives further—ah, Aoko is waiting.

A thoughtless gesture is an insult to a lady. An opportunity to learn and grow is all well and good, but he shouldn't treat her as some kind of experiment. It has clearly taken a certain amount of determination on her part to reach this point. After another brief moment of consideration, Cyrus leans in, brings their lips together into a most chaste kiss, and lingers there for the lack of a better plan.]

[unrecompensed]

[It's... not bad.

That's unfair, Aoko thinks, as she tilts her head back enough to gently lean into the kiss more. Their positioning is a bit awkward, but his lips on hers are gentle and warm and he doesn't push for too much.

She pulls back first, a flush to her cheeks and a tiny smile on her lips. It's so silly. She doesn't even really know what she wanted--but maybe dramatic, ostentatious romantic gestures, as fun as they are to think about, aren't it. Because if she thinks about it...

Respect and reliability... that's what he's showing her, right?]

... Okay. Are you ready to keep going?

[aldaft]

[She leans into the kiss and he has no idea what he's supposed to do. How forward is forward? Is he meant to be forward in this situation? Her lips are soft, and the sensation is foreign yet not discomforting. Frozen by inexperience, she pulls away for him—and it's still close enough that he can't miss the blush on her face.

He allows a moment for everything to process. Later, he'll have to sit down and think about this more carefully. For now, he straightens and nods.]

. . . Yes. Let's be on our way.

[unrecompensed]

[Onwards with them...! Aoko's voice is a little softer, but otherwise she has rallied herself and seems to be just fine.]

One, two, one, two.

[Disaster couple, right here.]

[aldaft]

[If nothing else, he excels at setting aside one matter to focus on another. On the other hand, that does nothing to improve his coordination as Cyrus tries, once again, to match Aoko's count with all the clumsiness of a man without a sense of balance when it's tied to another's. Predictably, he stumbles.]

Ah . . . !

[This time, his hand does come to rest on her upper back in order to stop them from falling. The entire experience is enough to heat his cheeks just a smidgen.]

[unrecompensed]

[Oh boy. She doesn't even seem embarrassed or frustrated--she just comes to a stop immediately, looking concerned. It's fine, they didn't fall on their faces.]

Sorry, did I go too quickly? It's okay, take a minute.

[aldaft]

[He finds himself hoping that nobody is looking again, especially now that they've come to a complete stop. Aoko's consideration is a blessing as he straightens out the hunch of his back.]

M-my apologies. My feet oft seem to have minds of their own when it comes to activities of this nature . . . Shall we start again?

[unrecompensed]

It's alright if you're not good at this sort of thing.

[She doesn't really mind--her type has never been super sporty, strong, buff or coordinated dudes.]

Let's give it another try, and go slow again. Ready?

[aldaft]

[He is most definitely not good, and thus grateful for her understanding.]

Y . . . yes.

[A small nod accompanies the answer as he braces his legs. All he has to do is follow the count, he reminds himself.]

[unrecompensed]

Okay. Once more then.

[Deep breath, and:]

One... two. One... two.

[They must make it to the Next Cone.]

[aldaft]

[One . . . two. One, two. One . . . Two, one.

Their journey to the next cone is an arduous one. Cyrus still struggles, and he always will. Each step together is as alien as the next, and his hyperfixation hinders him. Still, they manage to hobble over to their destination.]