perfectmatch | week two

I see. Like a play that can be repeated with ease, to no stress of the actors on stage. They do tend to employ some rather attractive faces.

[ So. She can agree, okay, letting herself be led... linked arms are, well. They are accepted after a moment of hesitation in her step. ]

Do you agree on Verso's self-assessment of his "ruggedly handsome" look?

[ Shoko scoffs, but it's easy to tell that it's in a teasing, good-natured way. ]

I thought he was a little too rugged at the beginning, to be honest... But it's true that he has a charming personality, and I understand why he looked a little rough when he arrived. I see his appeal now.

Speaking of a little rough, though... up for getting massages, Odile-san?

[ His looks are the least of his charms, true. But Odile only hums as a whole of the assessment. No answer. ]

... I'm not used to others touching me, [ or so she starts, ] but it cannot hurt. I rely too much on Mirabelle's Crafts to alleviate what aches I gain from improper reading posture.

[ shramp ]

[ She offers a knowing sort of glance; she'd sensed Odile's hesitation when they linked arms, so she's not surprised to hear that. ]

You can always ask them to avoid certain areas, too.

[ But with that settled, the staff come up to them and lead them to a dark room where there's a pair of massage tables, very atmospheric music, the strong aroma of lavender. They're instructed to dress down to their comfort level and left with robes as well, before they're left to prepare.

Shoko has no qualms about undressing, so she gets started straight away. ]

It's been so long since I did anything like this...

[ What a sensory experience... unlike anything she's seen, or smelled, before. She breathes in, and then exhales. ]

Then it should do you some good, doctor. Perhaps you'll be glowing by the end.

[ Odile has no issue dressing down at least, and it's only once they're both settled and hands are upon them does she tap back to the previous conversation. A little. ]

He is easy to speak with, isn't he?

[ Yes, now that they are both oiled up and got hands all over them... they can return to hag talk. ]

Mm? Verso-san? I think so. That's how he wound up so popular with everyone, isn't it? Someone who's attractive but hard to talk to wouldn't have had the same effect.

Yes, I thought so. That's all it is, then.

[ Just easy to talk to, nothing more. She seems to settle...

... and says nothing else, as if in thought. ]

[ Well, surely not all, but it probably counts for a lot, she thinks... Still, she hums curiously as Odile's silence stretches on. ]

Odile-saaan. Did you fall asleep mid-massage already?

We older folk are wont to.

[ But evidently not this one!!!! ]

I was simply... sorting my thoughts. Pay me no mind. It's your turn to speak a name, anyway, if we're continuing our attractiveness ratings.

Hmm... Ringo and Furina?

[ Somehow, it makes sense to bring them up together, considering the last Match Ceremony. ]

Both of them have really unique looks too, don't they? They'd turn heads anywhere. In a different way from Yingying or Verso-san.

[ It does make sense, and at the very least with these-- Odile can judge them more purely on impressions, rather than... her own... complicated feelings. ]

Certainly. Ringo in particular makes it hard to look away from her, both due to her brightness and, in some ways, because she very much feels that she could disappear at any moment. Furina has a noble way about her, but it seems as if her charm lies in her inexperience more than anything. It only takes a few minutes of knowing each to see that.

[ They're adorable. Next, then... ]

Aventurine is a handsome young man, and Maya made for a striking counterpart beside him, didn't she? Another pair one could hardly turn their eyes from -- but more because they don't let you have the chance, whether they realize it or not.

[ Since her head is firmly trapped (positive) in the head portion of the massage table, Shoko simpy hums along emphatically with every point that Odile makes, though her next set of fellow contestants does give her pause. ]

That's true. Maya's been so friendly and nice with everyone, though. I mean, that's a good thing, but I have to wonder who's making her heart race, you know?

[ And then... ]

I guess in another category, we have the two who picked us at the last ceremony.

[ Edamura and Poppy. ]

I think they're both really charming too.

Like puppies.

[ But like, in an amused positive way. Who can say who makes Maya's heart race. She seems dense. ]

Young, but spunky. I do enjoy their companies.

[ They're funny. ]

[ Like puppies... that's exactly it, that's exactly their energy. Shoko can't help but really laugh, for once. ]

Ahaha! That's so accurate, Odile-san. They're like two little puppies with attitude~

[ Shoko's laugh makes her chuckle too, a small shake beneath trained hands. Oh, this really does feel nice. She hadn't realized how much stress she had here... ]

I'm certain they'd both have their share of complaints about being called it, too.

[ A sigh, closing her eyes even if Shoko can't see. ]

... I suppose there is one we haven't spoken of, who was called on. What do you think of Yi Sang?

Hmmm...

[ That's a long, drawn-out hum that trails off into a contemplative silence, only the sounds of their massage therapists' various ministrations to fill the space. ]

...I think he and I have more in common than I thought, at first. I don't know why it is, but... he makes me want to help him.

[ Maybe in a selfish way, because there was someone she couldn't help before. ]

[ Odile hums softly in acknowledgment, turning it over in mind.

... Mm. ]

He's comparable to a kitten left to drown in the pouring rain.

[ Put that out there, first. ]

Yi Sang, [ she continues after a brief pause, ] is unlike anyone I have met before. I believe that if he smiled, it would be comparable to a sun peeking from beyond an overcast sky. Perhaps you could be the one to part them.

[ Whoa, that's— really poetic, in a way that directly reminds her of how Yi Sang talks.

The sun part, not the kitten part. Though at that, she does have to chuckle. ]

I don't think something like that can fall on any one person. But if I've helped him even a little bit, I think that would be enough for me. You put that kind of romantically, though, Odile-san. I'm surprised...

[ Romantically... ]

... He and I communicate very well. I suppose it stems from that.

Yeah. I could definitely imagine that.

[ The poet to poet communication... ]

You're right, though. It would be nice to see him smile sometime.

[ It's the bookworm to bookworm communication actually, ]

Yingying might manage. It is hard to be completely dour when she's around.

[ And, now knowing why that is... mm. Well, it is always the cheerful sort. ]

week two | dates

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