week one | arrival

[marriagebroker]

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

Comments

[reverso]

[Eye contact, Yi Sang's real final boss. Verso quirks a faint grin, watching his face.]

Do you not think it's possible?

[poans]

[His face is as impassive as can be. Surely there are better sights all around them.]

Not the possibility . . . According to another player, who has observed previous rounds of the game, the wishes are indeed legitimate.

[reverso]

[There are beautiful sights, yes, but isn't one of his fellow housemates who he should be focusing on the most?]

So, then... you're wondering as to the nature of a power that can grant a wish like that in the first place.

[poans]

Indeed, a power of such magnitude is nothing to scoff at. One must wonder its origin and cost, if there is a price.

[reverso]

And yet you’re here all the same. You must be compelled by something more than just rest.

Willing to bear the burden of that cost, maybe.

[Or maybe Verso is projecting.]

[poans]

[The implication isn't lost on him. If Verso is after the wish, he must be willing to make certain sacrifices. After all, motion is anathema to inertia.]

That cost has already been borne on my end; however, the burden is not likely to be unbearable if what Nico has said is true.

[reverso]

[Or certain sacrifices have already been made, and he simply bears the weight of existing for four weeks, knowing that they dog his heels at every step — all for a wish.

Not so different, then.]

What did Nico tell you?

[poans]

[Perhaps . . . ]

That the majority of contestants left in a state of happiness. There was no mention of a complication with the wishes, though his knowledge of it was rather bare by his admission.

[reverso]

[So, hope that it’ll all be worth the hassle.

Maybe to Yi Sang’s relief, Verso slides his gaze away. He turns and leans against a beam of the pavilion.]

Then it’ll be worth it. That’s the mantra you can tell your reflection while you’re out here, at least.

[poans]

[It's a welcome change that signifies a shift in the flow of the conversation. Wishes, though fantastical, are also wearisome.]

. . . As you say.

[reverso]

[Is that a small victory? He can't say. Does it provide some comfort to this man, who seems lost in his apathy? He also can't say.

He hopes it might, just a little. It's only day one, after all, and they need a small amount of hopefulness to get through this.

Anyway, Verso straightens and reaches out a hand. This is probably not a welcome change — handshake?]

I do say. My name's Verso, by the way.

[poans]

[It's a change. When was the last time he shook a hand? How many more will he shake in the weeks to come? Does it matter? After a beat, he grasps the proffered hand for a mild shake.]

I am Yi Sang.

[reverso]

[Handshake mildly received. It's progress.]

Nice to meet you. Tell me a bit about yourself, Yi Sang.

[poans]

My name is all I have to say. What do you wish to hear?

[reverso]

[h-help]

...Um. You're something of a philosopher, right?

[According to the profiles. Maybe according to Ringo, too, depending on the timeline.]

[poans]

[Help is scarce between the two of them . . . ]

In certain definitions of the term, I could be thought of as such.

[reverso]

[🫠]

Mon dieu. [He's really going to have to try with this one.] But how would you define you?

[poans]

[Pardon, Verso.]

If you've perused the dossiers as I believe you have, the answer to your question also lies there. I am whom I match in the mirror . . . a taxidermied reflection.

[reverso]

[That is SO cryptic, sir. And yet it bothers him, somehow, that term. Taxidermied reflection.]

Yourself, but not. [Meant to resemble the real thing, harkening to what was. Oh. That's why it bothers him.] Why would anyone describe themselves that way?

[poans]

[Yet himself all the same.]

When the world empties, it comes to a still. It can neither go back nor move forward, yet is preserved in the moment.

[reverso]

[More metaphor.]

That's not the world you or I live in, mon ami. Not for these four weeks, anyway.

[poans]

How, then, would you describe the world we are in now?

[reverso]

A blank page. Or a stage for a new tale. Forward movement for many of the people here.

[Those who hope to find romance, or earn a wish. And change the course of their lives.]

[poans]

[To fill the emptiness anew . . . ]

And you? Do you count yourself among the many?

[reverso]

[Wry. Plainly.] For these four weeks.

After that? My wish is for someone else’s sake, if that’s what you mean.