perfectmatch | week one

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think I've heard similar sleeping arrangements are popular in other nations in Teyvat... I guess I'll find out if I ever travel to them.

[And when she accidentally calls a nice lady a prostitue thanks to Wei Wuxian's archaic way of speaking.

She doesn't offer to help with the futon, which could look stuck-up...but really, it's just that she knows she will not be adding many hands to create light work here, and just complicating it. It's only when Messmer turns back to eyeball the snake that's eyeballing her that she reacts again.]

Lightless? [He...he? Can he tell?] What do you mean by that?

[ he doesn't think twice about her not helping. She's very small?? She doesn't look like she should be doing manual labor - although Messmer knows better than to judge someone by their outward appearance. As he speaks, he plucks out one of the regular-sized futons. ]

Thou hast not the light of Queen Marika's grace. By thy unlucky birth in a land distant from Hers, no doubt, not by blasphemy. Thine eyes lack gold. [ holding out the rolled-up mattress to her without comment. ] And those bereft of gold be our enemy. But one cannot be deprived of something never once possessed.

[ in other words: she's not his enemy because she was born outside of his religion, rather than being purposefully cast out of it. Safe from impaling!! ]

Oh - [She takes a single step forward and reaches up to brace the regular-sized futon, carefully lowering it to rest against the ground.

His explanation is beyond her, while at the same time, it doesn't sound completely incomprehensible, especially not with the history of her own people. It sounds like he's upholding an immutable (to him) law that goes beyond petty conflict.

But those sorts of things have absolutely nothing to do with her. She braces her palm flat aginst the futon and clears her throat.]

... Just checking, so we're absolutely on the same page. You don't consider me an enemy, then, right?

[ with his hands free, he gently curls his fingers around the belly of the more curious snake, pulling it back away from Furina. ]

So long as thou'rt peaceful, I shall beg no quarrel with thee. [ a beat. ] So too the winged serpents.

[ they're just nosy, apparently. ]

I'm the picture of peace! My objectives are the same as everyone else's...we're not competing against one another, but in cooperation.

[As she thinks about Chevalmarin's response to her suitcase problems earlier in the day, however, Furina lifts her pointer finger, interjecting on herself with the slight clearing of her throat.]

... Perhaps it's worth mentioning, however, that my Salon is rather protective of me. They were summoned as my most loyal companions, and they have a tendency to get carried away even with...lamp posts... boulders...things of that nature. They don't mean any harm, really!

[Yes, I am integrating gameplay and story with this and making the shitty AI on her summons attacking random things for no reason an actual canon thing.]

[ the word "salon" conjures images of powdered women conversing over tea, which clashes severely with them being defensive summons who carry boulders (which may or may not be literal?) ]

... And yet thou standest high alone afore me.

[ The snakes' swivel their heads this way and that, tongues tasting the air as if they might somehow discover this secret protection salon she's talking about. ]

[No, Messmer, don't worry; they ATTACK the boulders without provocation, not throw them.]

I can call them out at any time I miss their companionship. We're in agreement that I'll try not to lean on them too much while I'm here, so I can get to know everyone better.

[From the tone of her voice, there's a nonzero chance that the little Hydro creatures themselves were the ones who recommended that Furina do her best to live independently these four weeks away from home. Then again, since the Salon is at least partially bound to her own dreams and desires, maybe that's something she longs for herself.]

[ the mystery of what the Furina Salon is continues... Messmer will continue to imagine tittering noblewomen until taught otherwise. ]

Thou speakest of companion spirits, then. [ the serpent closest to his shoulder winds up and around his arm affectionately. ] We are blessed in ways alike, it seemeth.

[Look, she'd invite them out to show him, but he's carrying a very large lance and already announced his proclivity for violence, and she's certain they would receive both him and his snakes as a threat at the moment.]

Must one also impress your serpents to become your friend?

[ to be fair, his spear is now laying on his bigass futon. He's decided that he's not in any danger so immediate he needs to carry it around all the time... ]

Our opinions scarcely differ. Thou wouldst need impress us all.

[ a pause. Then, somewhat dryly: ]

Seek'st thou friendship?

[ he can't believe that... ]

[So the snakes think and act like him... Hm. It's curious, thinking about the one that bent back to observed her and the sweet way it wrapped up around his arm. The Salon's opinions are a little more independent on the surface...though that doesn't really mean they don't reflect deeper impulses or things she isn't even conscious of.

Will they be making friends here? Well...]

For the time being, I see our relationship as a collaborative one. We'll be living together for a month - it's not a stretch to think that some bonds will form.

Hmph. So it be.

[ despite appearances, he's not opposed to friendship. Friendship makes no promises. He won't, either; once these lightless people gain a deeper understanding of who he is, he's sure many of their bonds will crumble. ]

I am Messmer, son of Marika. Introduce thyself, spirit-summoner.

[For a fancy introduction, she graces (hehe) him with a flourishing bow, removing the hat on her head to hold it to her chest.]

Furina de Fontaine in the flesh. I like the sound of "spirit summoner," but it makes me sound like some sort of fantastical magician. [How hard the special effects on a production like that would go...]

[ oh, she has some class. Messmer, used to being at the top of the social hierarchy, only bows his head in return, a small, quiet gesture. ]

Art thou not so, Lady Fontaine?

[ she has a magical salon she can call upon?? sounds like a fantastical magician to him. ]

[Coming out of her bow, Furina raises a hand.] Just "Furina," please. No "Lady."

[Not anymore. It's strange to have to correct someone here where no one knew of her before her arrival.]

While I suppose you could compare the two, what most would say is that my abilities are a blessing of the water.

[It's super reductive, especially for her situation, but it'll suffice.]

[ blessing of the water? It's almost enough to make him laugh - not at her, but at the absurdity of this meeting. Ultimately, he's too drained to express more than a slight sardonic quirk of the lips. ]

And mine art borne of a curse of flame. Thou art mine inversion, it seemeth.

[ no wonder the serpents were so unsettled... ]

week one | arrival

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