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

[ordimame]

[THANK YOU FOR NOT STANDING ON THE COUNTER ROM]

[but despite being one to choose this week, Edamura does not stick around for the post truth booth discussions. but he isn't sneaking off entirely, either! in fact he is easily found outside on the porch, a smoke circling lazily in the air above him, smoldering cigarette tucked between two fingers. sorry Shoko. share your stash with Bean]

[he looks pensive! a little out of it, but not in a concerning way. just like he is thinking really hard about something in the way he overthinks literally everything in his life]

[phenomerom]

[ How the turn tables. He'd spotted Edamura slipping out, so now it's his turn to go poking his head out a little later to see what's up with that. Rom has the tendency to move quietly, so unless Edamura's especially sharp-eared, he might get jumpscared by Rom's voice piping up from behind him. ]

I did ask everyone to consider their options seriously, but brooding outside like a chuuni delinquent feels a little overkill, doesn't it?

[ hehe ]

1/3

[ordimame]

[— GCK]

[ordimame]

[immediately elbows him in the ribs]

[GENTLY]

[ordimame]

[and then, with only a mild grouse, with no actual heat behind his words]

Sneak up on me like that again, and I'll throw you into the pond.

[what kind of con man is THAT JUMPY]

[phenomerom]

[ As always, he just takes the elbow without even flinching. Just. Gives a curious little head-tilt as he regards Edamura from exactly where he stays standing. ]

Of course.

[ He's not going to pay attention to that warning at all. ]

... is something the matter?

[ordimame]

[. . . oh]

[clearly that is not the reaction Edamura was expecting, because the half-hearted grumpiness fades in an instant]

Huh? Oh— no.

[tucks the cigarette back between his lips and exhales]

I'm just thinking about what I should do tomorrow.

[phenomerom]

It's difficult, isn't it.

[ Said blandly, like he's not also in the same boat ...

And perhaps it's that desire to avoid the issue for even a few more moments that has him stepping around Edamura to also lean against the porch railing. Watching Edamura smoke for a moment before speaking up again: ]

May I try one? [ He's pointing at the pack of cigarettes. ]

[ordimame]

[a small noise of agreement is all Rom gets in response that first statement, grateful as Edamura also is to delay the conversation for a few more seconds. a noise that turns into a half-laugh at the next question]

Seriously? These things are awful for your health, you know.

[and yet! he takes one last tiny puff before plucking the cigarette between his fingers again and easily offering it to Rom. yes, the same one that was in his mouth]

Knock yourself out.

1/3

[phenomerom]

I'm aware. My Master disapproved of them so strongly while I was growing up that I never even gave them a second thought. But now that we're here, I'm curious.

[ Said as he accepts the cigarette (and the indirect kiss 😳), just looking it over for a moment. He's never even held a cigarette before in his life, and it feels strange, but. If he thinks of it like just another one of the dozens of strange materials he's had to handle for his various rituals and preparations, it's fine. So.

He brings it up to his lips and takes a small puff --]

[phenomerom]

[ ................... ]

[phenomerom]

[ ... -- and then exhales slowly. Blinks a few times. His breaths are perfectly even and controlled, though he does quietly clear his throat.

And then holds the cigarette back out to Edamura. ]

Haha. That was terrible! Please take it back.

[irreversal]

[ her stash.......

It's not until later that she realizes her pack is missing, honestly, but she knows where to look right away. ]

Oi. You said you were done after last week.

[ - woman whose secret was that she broke her smoke-free streak after 5 years ]

[ordimame]

[makes direct eye contact and sucks in a looooong drag of smoke]

Last one. I promise.

[his lips quirk in a tiny grin. last one indeed!]

[irreversal]

Yeah, yeah. Savor it. I don't think Wei-san is going to give me another pack next week now that he knows these are bad for us.

[ She'll go ahead and grab another stick for herself. ]

Gimme a light?

[ or they can do the thing where they butt their cigarettes together-- ]

[ordimame]

[oh my god. A LAUGH. . .]

Why did you tell him? We could have had it all, Shoko.

[he has a lighter on him— he probably stole it from her, too— but I personally want the cute cigarette butt thing so]

Lean in?

[he tucks his own smoke between his lips and takes another, much smaller puff, so the end lights up in a tiny orange glow]

[irreversal]

[ She leans in just as his cigarette flares up anew and lingers there, though her gaze stays fixed on him. ]

Hah. I know. I should've kept my mouth shut, but he always gets me talking somehow.

[ Once her own cigarette's lit, she'll straighten back up, drawing in a deep lungful of smoke (don't do this, kids!!) and then letting it out. ]

Wanna talk? Or wanna just hang out here for a little while?

[ordimame]

[. . . also watching her as she leans in, something soft in his eyes, mouth curving into a tiny smile. she draws back soon afterwards, and he averts his gaze back out towards the garden. as lovely as it has always been for the past three weeks]

He's pretty good at that. [asshole] . . . let's just hang out for a while. Maybe once I sort out my thoughts, we can talk.

[irreversal]

[ Shoko returns the expression; something about all the time she's spent with Edamura has made her feel more at ease with him, even after knowing what she knows now. ]

Sure thing. Take your time, Makoto.

[ She'll eventually cast her gaze back out to the garden, too, watching the flicker of fireflies through the haze of smoke. ]

finally crawls over here

[fireball]

[ maybe it's late. when discussions are winding down, and he's been on her mind. also hasn't been. also has been. there's been a lot to think about; there still is. or maybe it isn't late if he wouldn't still be up smoking, this is on me—

either way, out to the porch. ]

Oh! There you are.

[ said brightly as she joins him, inhales that bit of smoke. ]

I didn't know you smoked too.

REACHES FOR POPPY

[ordimame]

[it is late, and Poppy catches Edamura after he has had quite a few load-bearing conversations this night! he is in good spirits, finishing off the last cigarette of his life (HE PROMISES) when he hears her approach]

[her statement draws a tiny laugh from him, and he extinguishes the cigarette on the porch railing]

That was it. I'm quitting, as of today.

[fireball]

[ Oh, wow. He really just did that! She stares at the porch railing, the burn and the surrounding smoke now there. ]

Decisive, huh? [ She bumps his shoulder. ] You're not saying that because I just called you out on it, are you?

[ She didn't even call him out; she was pleasantly observing. She's kissed a smoke-touched Shoko before and it was super hot so like, she gets it on some level. ]

[ordimame]

[he bumps back, amusement playing on his features]

Actually, I had been clean for a few months before coming here.

[it truly was an atrocious habit. the one thing that still lingers from his time in Tokyo. he really needs to kick it for good]

Then there were the ghosts, and-- . . . you know.

[Poppy knows]

[fireball]

Ah... yeah.

[ She does indeed know, and it has her falling silent for a second, staring down at their shoes.

Back to Edamura, soft smile on her face. ]

So, I haven't had anyone important in my life die, but when I was at my lowest point I just... kind of stopped functioning? Like I didn't bathe and all I ate was easy-to-make stuff and I just sat at my computer all day and stared into the screen and did nothing. Probably wasn't great but, as far as bad habits go...

[ She shrugs, lopsided. Probably better than smoking? ]

[ordimame]

[. . . oh]

[Edamura's smile fades, brows rising in surprise as he turns to face her, mouth parted]

Poppy--?

[. . . gods. has he ever been laid that low. . .? the period of time after his mother's death comes to mind, but instead of shutting down, he just became a criminal. still. . . there's something about her admission that is so painfully real and relatable that it makes him forget all about his own poor habits]

That's. . . so hard. [he means it, his features softening] I'm so sorry you ever had to go through that.