perfectmatch | week three

[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]

[ 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?

[. . . 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.

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. ]

[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.

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 --]

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

[ ... -- 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.

[BEAN'S TIME IN AYTO IS ALL INDIRECT KISSES HE IS KILLING ME]

[but despite the somber atmosphere, something about that reaction draws a genuine laugh from Edamura, who ducks his head and presses a hand against his mouth to quell his chortles]

Haha! That's what I said the first time I tried it, too.

[takes the cigarette back with a lopsided grin]

That's good, though. Don't let me be a bad influence, Rom.

[ WELL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT THEN YOU COWARD ]

Haha. I don't think there's any worry of that.

[ Said blandly as he surrenders the cigarette back to Edamura, returning to leaning against the railing and staring out at the scenery beyond it for a moment. Then, abruptly, he speaks again. Plainly, bluntly: ]

Miss Ringo believes, statistically speaking, there's a good chance we might be a match.

[HIS "THINKS HE IS A TOP" ENERGY HASN'T KICKED IN YET ITS KILLING ME]

[either way, he is mid-puff when Rom speaks again, body going completely still with the blunt end of his cigarette still glowing. for a moment, he is quiet, staring off into the distance with features shuttered by a mask Rom has certainly seen before]

[. . .]

[and then a deep inhale-exhale cuts through the silence]

"Statistically speaking?"

[very carefully measured as he repeats those words]

. . . what do you think?

Statistically speaking.

[ He repeats it at his usual calm neutral. ]

Given the ratio of male-female, male-male, and female-female pairs, and the matches we've confirmed and debunked so far, she believes my most likely pairings are yourself, Mr. Luka and Mr. Yi Sang, in that order. And I see no reason to disagree with her logic.

[ Rom pauses here, still gazing out over the porch railing into the scenery beyond. A quiet exhale before he continues. ]

That said, even that is only a guess. And I overheard at least two other people mentioning your name as a potential match candidate. Though I'm inclined to follow Miss Ringo's suggestion ... [ ... what? Then what? He needs a moment to consider his wording, eyes narrowing slightly, before he continues. ] ... despite the game's nature, my gut instinct is to be at least somewhat mindful of feelings. If your own instincts tell you someone else is a more likely pairing for you, then I will also choose someone else.

[. . . . . . . . .]

[one last drag of that cigarette, before he extinguishes the rest against the patio railing. the next breath he takes is clean and clear, lungs filled with the crisp air of the rapidly encroaching evening]

You know. . .!

[the neutral expression is gone, replaced by a wistful-but-genuine smile]

The reason I stepped away is because I didn't want to hear the math. Not that it isn't necessary; Ringo's great at it, and the wishes are so important to everyone here that I won't be the one to ruin it. No matter where the math falls. Promise.

[folding his arms and leaning against the railing, that smile softening a bit]

. . . but it's my last week to pick, isn't it? Maybe it's stupidly sentimental of me, but I feel like I should be doing something with that. Saying something with it, you know?

[. . .]

[it's abrupt, but Edamura slings an arm around Rom's shoulders, yanking him down to bean height so they're standing flush together, rather than a few inches apart. that's it, though. he makes no other moves, content to just. . . exist in the moment for once, rather than running away with his own overactive thoughts]

[. . . it's kind of nice, he thinks. to just exist. has he ever been able to do that before. . .?]

So if I do get to pick you tomorrow, don't think it's because of "statistical probability."

[ His initial assumption is that Edamura's leading up to an explanation of who he's going to choose, and why. Someone who isn't a statistical disaster, but would still be a statement to choose? Going through the (admittedly quite limited) list of candidates feels like the most natural step, and just as Rom starts wondering if maybe Edamura's about to declare himself the elusive other man in a male-female pairing --

there's the sling of an arm around his shoulder, yanking him close. In usual fashion, Rom just lets that happen, blinking as he tugged closer. Close enough that they're bumping shoulders. Close enough that he can get a real good look at that oddly satisfied expression Edamura is wearing.

How novel. That's not the sort of thing he usually gets to see in people, and never this up close.

Maybe it's anticlimatic, but there's a pause before Rom asks, ]

Are you sure?

["oddly satisfied" is a great way to put it. has Edamura ever let himself feel satisfaction before? . . . perhaps at the end of his last job, after having gotten even with Laurent and his father. but this. . . is different. it's novel in its own way. getting to make a choice simply because he wants to, and not because the math says he should. and in the end. . . isn't that the one thing he has always wanted? a chance to navigate his own life for a change?]

[because truthfully! at the conclusion of the truth booth, he wasn't certain. before Rom's company, he hadn't yet made up his mind on whether he should choose from the list of possible "perfect matches" he had clocked for himself, or make his final decision in this game actually say something. but like this, he thinks. . .]

Yeah! Of course I am.

[he thinks. . .]

This is the most certain I've felt about anything.

[. . . he thinks that means something]

[ ... he's not even sure what he's feeling, when he hears that.

There's definitely something weighing at the back of his chest, making his heart beat a little faster, but he'd never be able to put a name to it. It promptly gets suppressed, of course, like everything does -- quashed down, because a lifetime of existing like this has taught him that the easiest way to survive relatively unscathed is to simply show nothing true at all. But it's an oddly difficult sensation to squelch, like a strange tension's wrapped around his lungs. It's a little dizzying. But not in a bad way, he thinks.

-- what a silly way to respond. He knows this is just a game. None of the choices here mean that much in the end, and they'll all go their separate ways once this is over, probably. Normal people probably wouldn't be feeling this much of whatever this is over something like this.

But even so ... ]

... [ It's not often he starts speaking before he has words ready. He needs a moment to course correct, to take a breath and give a short laugh -- softer than usual. Almost natural, almost gentle. ] ... it's a pity I can't simply choose to skip my turn, then. Your resolve is admirable. I wouldn't want to take that chance away from you.

[ He's being sincere about that. Resolve is something he's sure he has in spades, but it's different from this, what Edamura's showing now. The sort of thing he can't imagine for himself. ]

So. I'll ... be hoping you get your turn first tomorrow. It would be nice.

[oh]

[that's--]

[that's actually. . .]

[. . . he doesn't think anyone has ever. . .]

[. . . sure, Laurent has given him choices, but sometimes they're decisions laced with manipulation, and. . .]

[. . . and it's true that he has always needed Laurent's heavy-handed pushing to truly be himself and shine in the ways that he does best, without which he would have merely languished in stagnancy, but. . .]

[. . . that doesn't mean. . . he doesn't want. . .]

[. . . the opportunity. . .]

[. . . to step into something. . . on his own volition. . .]

[. . . and actually prove that he can]

[and really, truly, honestly make it his own]

[. . . why is his heart thrumming so furiously against his ribs? like a hummingbird circling a flower, persistent and loud, something that he cannot bury nor turn off in the same manner Rom does. it's not a foreign feeling. it's not dissimilar to the way it had raced out of control back at the arcade. back then, he had blamed the sensation on the presence of spirits, but now that he thinks about it. . . maybe that was--]

[-- but surely, he doesn't actually believe in such concepts, as much has he thinks it might nice to. so it couldn't have been?]

[but--]

[it sure does feel like--]

[his grip on Rom's shoulders tightens as he rocks a bit to his companion's side. a slow, gentle sway; not nearly enough to upset their balance, thought the gesture is awfully chummy and content. his smile-- already bright-- threatens to split his features in two, even as he ducks his head and laughs, the sound chiming lightly in the air like a bell]

You know--!

[he isn't looking up now, because he really doesn't want anyone to see the light pink that colors his cheeks]

. . . I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before. [he knows why. he knows his faults] It's great to hear.

[. . .]

But it won't be so bad if you get to it first. I'll just make sure not to disappoint if luck is on my side.

[ As always, he lets himself be jostled around however Edamura wants. But from beneath the brim of his hat, Rom finds himself looking closely at the sight of Edamura's face in profile -- that wide grin he's wearing, the slight flush to his cheek that's visible for a split second before he ducks his head to hide it.

-- aah. That's really not something he gets to see often.

Sure, he gets to see vague happiness and satisfaction now and again -- the shallow joy of a fan getting to meet their object of distant desire, the fascination of seeing an unusual sight, the glee of indulging in a parasocial relationship -- but nothing like this. Nothing that feels so meaningful and real, and never up close. He gets to hear Edamura laugh, really laugh, and it feels like something sharp lances through his chest and stoppers his breath up in his throat for a moment.

Maybe he can be forgiven for slipping briefly and letting himself lean into the warmth jostling at his side, taking the moment where Edamura's posture is bowed to let his own head tip to the side, resting against the crown of Edamura's head for just a moment before pulling away again. Surely, that much can be allowed. ]

I don't think I've said anything that unusual, though? If there's anything you'd like to hear again, you just need to let me know.

[ Here's where he'd usually make some quip about his prices and services rendered, but even he knows now's not the time for it. For once, he doesn't want to stick to his usual act money-grubbing con-man act. What he wants to say instead is -- ]

I'll do my best, though. If luck decides I'll be the one who goes up first, I'll try my hardest to set a good stage for you. I think I'd like the chance to do that.

Edited (someday i'll type good) 2025-06-21 04:57 (UTC)

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ordimame - 2025-06-21 05:24 (UTC) - Expand

week three | mingle

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1/3

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1/2

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1/? CRIES HERE WE GO AGAIN

wow yeah this is a lot. sorry about your inbox miru!!!!

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okay i'm done now

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