week three | mingle

[marriagebroker]

No outright changes this week either. Week three rolls around, braced for impact as ever. The estate is still intact, the contestants are still motivated, things are looking good.

Well, aside from the fact you all had a blackout this weekend. That wasn't so good.

Either way, when Monday rolls around, Wei Wuxian seems to be in a cheery mood as he greets everyone Monday morning.

"Everyone, come here, come here. I have an announcement!"

Better go see what that's about, huh?

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

Comments

[gamboler]

Haha, shockingly, that one's not mine, either! Though certainly a pretty likely candidate.

[ In fact, he's certainly done that very thing before. It's just part and parcel for the Stonehearts, a famously eccentric group with differing agendas; only their allegiance to Diamond keeps them together.

...So Yingying won't be hearing about any more of the Stonehearts today. Even Jade isn't really someone would consider a "friend". More like his sponsor, his investor. ]

My turn, then. Another very esteemed friend of mine: Doctor Veritas Ratio, of the Intelligensia Guild. If that name doesn't tip you off, the good doctor is something of a genius, but the problem is that he knows it, too. He's always going on about "curing idiocy" and such malarkey, but when it comes to games of chance...he's a reliable partner to have at my side. Rather easy on the eyes, too.

[ He can just imagine Ratio's face upon hearing this, too — oh, this is rather fun, actually. He can say whatever he wants about them with zero consequences! ]

Alright, Yingying. Who do you think your Perfect Match is?

[embellwish]

[ A hot guy who's a genius?! What amazing coworkers Aventurine must have... she wishes she could see a picture of him, too. She's definitely picturing like, and old style doctor, the kind that lived in her village, that mixed pills with a mortar and pestle. ]

My Perfect Match? Hmm....

[ She actually has to Think about it before she answers right away — there's no clear option for her, right now. Even if she's one of the only two contestants that have two of the remaining people definitely crossed off. ]

I'm probably matched with a woman. I can't be with either Luka or Yi Sang, so it's just way more likely that it'll end up that way. [ But then... so many beautiful ladies... ] My best guess would be Shoko? I can see it being Odile or Poppy, too.

[gamboler]

Hmm, Miss Yinging and Miss Shoko...I can see it. You might just bring a bloom of color into her life that she needs. Plus, she's a doctor! Maybe she'd be able to assist with your health.

[ Then again, considering what Yingying had told him about her condition...if Shoko couldn't do anything about it, that'd only be harder on them both. Goodness, this is tricky! ]

I do wonder, Miss Yingying...what do you make of you and myself as a potential match? We have some things in common, after all.

[embellwish]

[ Shoko's a doctor, yes... but she also seems to understand Yingying's loneliness, too. Being the one person left behind. In that way, all three of them are similar. Case in point: ]

Mm, it's possible. You were going to be one of my picks, before we wanted to sit you and Nico together... heh.

[ All that to say, she already thought of it as a possibility, might've pushed harder to pursue him more if things had been different. Now, though, with the hint and everything else, it hasn't been an ideal time to bring it up.

Again, it's not something to be ashamed about... and she feels like Aventurine could afford to feel a little more desired, anyhow. ]

What sort of things do we have in common, hmmm...? Go on!

[gamboler]

[ He has wondered, what might have happened had he not confessed to Nico so soon. Maybe there's not much point to it now, but he does think...given enough time, he and Yingying could have stumbled into something quite special, too. ]

Well, not necessarily the sort of things one wants to share with another person, but...we do have somewhat similar origins, don't we? Growing up in community-focused homes that we can no longer return to. I doubt there are many people here who can really understand what that sort of loss is like.

[ How it feels, to not have anything to return to...but he doesn't mean to bring down the mood too heavily. ]

Oh, and there's what we talked about before, with us both trying our hand at pursuing, instead of being pursued.

[embellwish]

[ Somewhere they can "no longer return to" is the nice way of putting it. That had been her reason for initially considering him as a match, after all. She still doesn't quite know how Aventurine lost his home, nor does he know the full details of how she lost hers. She's been wondering all this time if it was so violent and abrupt as hers, but, like him, it's not quite the time for such a dour thing.

She's quiet for a moment, giving the topic the weight of silence it deserves. ]

...I can't say I didn't wish that whoever my match was, that they might understand what I felt that day. And what I've felt since then. [ Of course, she wouldn't wish that scale of loss on anyone. But it would feel less lonely, having one person who could comprehend such a scale of grief. While it's certainly a morose thing to talk about, she maintains a sense of serenity about her. ] Although, I think there's one more thing in common between us.

[ Teasingly, she pokes him right in the center of his chest, smile slight. ]

Can you guess what it is?

[gamboler]

[ Something else, is it? The gagtag still crosses his mind, because they are both absolute killers in the looks department, but he doubts that's what she's getting at. BUT — ]

How stunning we'd look as a couple? Just kidding. [ Even if it's true! ] I could think of a few more things, but the other thing that comes to mind...hm. We're both not exactly forthcoming about how we feel.

[ Though their reasons for doing so may be different, they're still alike in that way. Being open and straightforward has made it harder for them to get to know one another closely, even for all they do seem to get along, and have in common. If for that reason alone...maybe what makes them similar makes them a poor match in the eyes of the competition. ]

[embellwish]

[ She taps him once, twice more in the chest, smiling knowingly. ]

I was going to say... really, we're both the sincere type.

[ She knew that as soon as Aventurine had offered her his wish, despite not really knowing her much. They might both play at being flirty and elusive and mysterious, but she thinks beneath that, Aventurine has a kind soul. ]

Even if you can't see it yourself...~

[gamboler]

[ She finds him...sincere? It's true, he can see how that fits her, but that's hardly the first word he would use to describe himself. Or the second, third, fourth...on and on. ]

Me? Sincere? Are you sure about that? You know, Avgins have a long history of being mistrusted for their scheming and trickery.

[ It's hard to think of himself in such...honest terms. ]

[embellwish]

[ She hums, not convinced. ]

And yet... you offered your wish to me without hesitation, even though we've only known each other a few short weeks. So I could live freely.

[ She settles a little more into the water, looking down at their reflections instead. ]

Unless you're trying to say that was a scheme or a trick?

[gamboler]

[ ...Hm. Well, she's got him there...well played.

Instead of answering, he waves his hand quickly, motioning back to the stack of cards. ]

Come now, enough about that. Onto your next guest.