perfectmatch | week one

Entry tags:

week one | arrival

The characters will arrive one by one, in whatever vehicle suits them the best to the front of estate. It's a beautiful estate filled with plants and trees and little ponds and all kinds of little hideaways. But it all cumulates at the main house, where they will be dropped off and greeted by a familiar face who stands outside the house and welcomes them in. They will be able to bring one suitcase with items and clothes as well as their pet(s?).

The main thing to notice when you step into the house though is that cameras are everywhere. Despite the many little hideaways of this house, there's no privacy whatsoever. Oh well!

When everyone is gathered together, the host from earlier will greet everyone with a merry:

"Welcome, my affection seeking friends! This is where you'll be staying the next few weeks. Find a place to settle in and get to know each other! I'll be around, in case you need anything."

He genuinely seems to mean it, at least?! But that seems to be it, he'll slip away in the meantime and leave you all to it.

A few things to note, of course:

There is only one "bedroom" which is a large room, with a closet full of futons to roll out and use in said room. Sleepover time!

There is an extra, extra, extra, extra large futon for Messmer.

In one of the rooms of the estate, there is a lovely piano ready for use. Feel free to ask for more instruments, if you'd like.

The kitchen is filled with food of all kinds and modern appliances so folks can cook whatever they'd like! There is also a bar in the kitchen, stocked with alcohol.

In the living room, there is a screen showing everyone's profiles. It is touch screen, so feel free to swipe through!

There is, of course, a banner in the living room reading 有緣千里來相會 (which, for the keen-eyed, translates to "Fate brings together those that are a thousand miles apart"). This was definitely written by the host.

There is a welcome cake.

Boom Boom Room | Property Damage
Truth Booth Voting | Match Ceremony Voting

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[This would be a little embarrassing if he were capable of it. The subject of statues is buried six feet under as he looks out at the pond.]

Where the laws of reflection apply, our selves in the mirror will follow. The pond is one such medium of many.

[ She pauses for a long, belated moment.

Then her eyes light up! ]

Oh! You meant if statues are common. Silly me.

[ She laughs at herself good naturedly, finding his straightforward answer about reflections endearing. Aw... he's so stoic. ]

I'm not sure how common it is in your world... sometimes gardens have sculptures of characters from myths, and things like that.

[Ah, the misunderstanding has resolved. If it weren't so fleeting, it might have been a cause for celebration.]

What myths might those be?

Ancient ones, about dragons and heroes.

[ She answers with a bit of grandeur, drawing out the syllables for emphasis. ]

Spirits or Gods are common, too. Where I come from, the most famous one is the Wisteria Fairy — there was all kinds of art of her likeness, though none of them were the same.

[Mythical creatures and figures feel so far away—religion, even more so. There is familiarity in what she leads into, however, and he leans into that.]

Wisteria Fairy . . . That title is attributed to you as well.

[ She nods enthusiastically, smile coy, while splaying a hand towards him. ]

Mm-hm, mm-hm, that's right. [ It's a charming title that she's not ready to let go of — perhaps can't let go of, given how deeply entwined it's become with her very being. Is she playing along, or is she really some kind of spirit? She seems to enjoy leaving that to the imagination of each individual contestant, given the way she never directly confirms nor denies it. ] Did you see the tree in the garden? You can think of me as its guardian — call me Yingying.

[His gaze falls to her hand, delicate and elegant like the rest of her. Whichever the case, she has an ethereal air about her.]

Does that particular tree bear unique properties to require your guardianship, Miss Yingying?

[ Since she sees him looking at her hand, with the smallest of movements of her wrist, wisteria petals bloom from her palm, lifting off and swirling through the air on the next breeze. One definitely gets caught in his dark hair, and she doesn't move to pluck it out, thinking it makes him cuter. ]

It's a sacred tree — a millennium old. The flowers are said to have mystical powers. On the New Year, it's tradition to tie wishes to the branches, for good luck and for the Wisteria Fairy to help grant. In a way, it was the symbol of our village, and what made going there famous.

[ A place which she seems to talk about in the past tense... she doesn't feel like outright lying, but Yingying is indirect in most things, her past perhaps most of all. She sighs, trying not to linger on the thought of it too long. ]

Other villages had flower fairies they prayed to too — so we weren't the only ones.

[Although his affect is far from pronounced, his lips part in something vaguely akin to awe when the petals bloom and float. The one petal sticks to him, and he lets it be.]

Ah, then you and this tree were a source of hope for your village; however, you speak as though this tradition is no longer practiced . . .

[ The way he phrases it makes her feel better, a single pluck of a heart string pulled taut. She hopes that that's true... that in however a type of way, she symbolized that hope. ]

It was a long time ago, [ She answers, the curve of her lips turning rueful. ] And I live somewhere else now. I'd like the tradition to continue somehow — maybe new people will learn to do it on the next New Year. Surely you have your own traditions in your homeland?

[While they couldn't be any more different at a glance, recognition flickers in his eyes for a fleeting moment. Whatever transpired in the past, a part of him hopes that new beginnings will be kinder to her.]

There are many, though it's no longer my place of residence. I also lived somewhere else for a time . . . It is natural to yearn for that which is now but a memory.

[ It might have glimmered away in an instant, but she caught that brief moment of recognition — part of being in the Wisteria Pavilion was being very attuned to the guests. Though she knows not what inspired it, he feels a bit of kinship, feels that there's a breadcrumb trail to follow with him. Especially as he recants his tale. ]

Mm... your heart always wants to go back, right? But there's only going forward. [ Her smile is still strained with a distant sadness, but it also looks and feels more genuine than the flirtatious, charming smile she usually wears around. It's a quieter smile, subdued. ] Maybe we can remember the traditions together. At the fete, we'd celebrate all kinds of customs and traditions, not just our own. You'll have to teach me about them sometime.

[His eyes fall to a spot of no significance on the ground, as if the weight of her melancholy is bearing down on him. It could be a delusion fueled by his own feelings of pensiveness. Either way, he glances up again after a time.]

Perhaps I will. If the aim is to move forward, then I shall listen to your tales of this fete, and the customs once held in them.

[ He might not know it, but that phrase makes her heart clench, bittersweet. Anytime she has a chance to pass on the traditions of the fete, to share with people how truly wonderful it was, it's like her own wish being granted. Beaming, she draws a hand to her chest. ]

You already know about the wish tradition, what else.... we'd set off fireworks and sparklers, drink and eat every night to our heart's content, and watch the stars, among other things. I think a quiet guy like you would really loosen up in a festival like it.

[ She teases him, but it's fond, sweet, like she finds his stoicism endearing. ]

[Ah, he thinks, perhaps Luka faces competition when it comes to the visual angles that elicit radiance from the subject. While he isn't pleased, this smile suits Yingying.

Festivals weren't his usual scene; however . . . ]

I used to gaze at the stars in my homeland. After leaving, fireworks took their place. And . . . when eating chicken, it was customary to rip it into bite-sized morsels with our hands.

[ Her brows raise — excited to hear about traditions somewhat similar to her own. Moving to DisCity can feel lonely. Lonely in a different way than the long stretch of time she's spent by herself, stuck in the mire. Like a blossom, she seems to bloom a little brighter at his words. ]

We'd cut meat into small pieces and skewer it, holding it over a flame... during the fete, lots of vendors would hand their wares out for free, even.

[ A dreamy sigh, while she reminisces. ]

I'm sure we can find a reason to celebrate in our time here, and a chicken to roast. I've never shredded it with my hands, but it sounds fun... then everyone can try it.

[ She'll just make it happen somehow. Being here in this place, she realizes most of them have some grand plan ahead of them, some idea for their wish. On the other hand, Yingying thinks only of making happy memories while she's here, and seeing the wishes and happiness of her fellow contestants. ]

[Her recollections are as dreamy as her sigh. His homeland was different. Nothing was free, and very little was left to those on the bottom rung. Compared to those days, the fete Yingying describes sounds most ideal.

He tilts his chin up, slightly lifting his head.]

The gardens of this estate provide a generous view of the sky. Perhaps you'll be able to watch the stars bloom with the guests once the sun has returned to its roost.

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week one | arrival

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