perfectmatch | week three

[Despite his talents, Yi Sang is not particularly street-smart. Without Yingying by his side, he'd likely have been swindled of all their funds in record time. Her assistance in locating the boba stand, therefore, is more than a small blessing.

The myriad colors of the drinks on display remind him of fruits, giving the impression of a refreshing flavor. They must be sweet, too, as he agrees with Yingying's assessment by way of a nod.]

They have a certain consistency to them, do they not? Which flavor speaks to you?

[ What flavor, indeed. The variety is almost overwhelming. Should she get something she's familiar with the flavors of, or something new entirely? ]

I was telling Odile... I like teas that have been toasted, or have rice in them, [ Though she's never had any with milk before?! ] So, maybe.... that one?

[ She points at the menu above the cart, eyes full of curiosity. It's a roasted oolong milktea, with brown sugar pearls... a basic drink, maybe, not to her knowledge. But it seems like a fun blend of the familiar and the new. ]

You should try something new while we're here, too.

Mm. Then I shall try the red bean.

[Truthfully, almost any order would have been new to him. Yi Sang seldom dined or experimented like this on his own, mostly venturing out in the company of friends when he wasn't holed up in his residence and busying himself with one invention after another.

At any rate, he settles for the red bean milk tea for its vague familiarity and moves to place the order for both Yingying and himself. Only, he has none of her talents in conversation and such little consideration for the value of money that he'll simply pay up without intervention.]

[ Just as she's about to feel proud of him for making the order, she hears that absolutely out of whack price, and purses her lips beside him, leaning in so the teller can see her, too. ]

Oh, can't you give us a little discount? We're travelers from far away, and it's our first festival...~

[ Which is true, and is exactly the sort of thing people who came to the fete would say all the time. She does a great job of fluttering her eyelashes and trying to be extra convincing, which typically goes a long way with people enchanted by her looks, but the teller raises an eyebrow, going to grill Yi Sang rather than Yingying who seemingly knows what she's doing. Where are you from, then?, the person asks him directly, expectantly waiting for an answer. ]

[Content to leave the talking to Yingying, Yi Sang is blindsided when the teller addresses him instead. As he's ignorant of what's right or wrong, he answers honestly:]

I originally hailed from District 19, which I fled in favor of Nest T. After departing T Corp., I was with N Corp. for a time before I left it as well . . .

[ His honest and straightforward answer seems to do most of the work, and Yingying cuts in pretty quickly afterward. ]

See? My sweetheart has moved around a lot for work.

[ In fact, she's surprised to hear just how much he's been moving around... having lived her whole life in the village, it's hard to imagine. "Fled" is an interesting word, too...

Producing a tiny sachet from her robes, she places it between them and the teller, pushing it across. It's perfumed strongly with the scent of wisteria, and has a lucky knot tied on it in violet silk. ]

Here, take this for good luck and blessings from my homeland, and a show of our good faith. We don't mean any trouble.

[ Perhaps because of any lingering cultural similarities between their two backgrounds, combined with the overly blunt and lack of obvious deceit in Yi Sang's answer, the man seems to finally relent under the pressure of Yingying's charming smile, taking the small packet begrudgingly while he rings them up. Where did she even get that from? It must have been something she already had with her before even coming here. ]

[Ah, she catches on fast. There are many reasons Yi Sang has shuffled around as much as he has. Were he asked, it would've been a struggle to summarize them, yet Yingying has done it with far more grace and efficiency.

He cranes his neck to eye the packet, which seems from the look and smell alone like something that might have been bestowed with good intentions at a celebration around the wisteria. He doesn't have long to look, though, and they're very soon waiting for their drinks to be made when Yi Sang turns to Yingying.]

Miss Yingying, that sachet . . .

Hm? Do you want one, too?

[ She smiles, blinking at him curiously. He's never seemed very much like the superstitious or spiritual type... ]

I've been making a few of them in our time here... don't tell, but they're for everyone. [ She has Plans in motion. Giving away one for the sake of haggling won't set her back too far. ] We always used to hand them out in the Pavilion.

[So it does relate to her homeland, in which case a certain value of it must be quite high. It would be rude to refuse if she's offering, and even ruder still to spoil the surprise, so he won't.]

The Pavilion, you say . . . Do they relay a specific sentiment of the fete?

Yes, in a way. The Wisteria Pavilion is where the sacred wisteria originally was, where everyone would come to pray and make their wish... it's also where I grew up with my moms.

[ It was her home, as was the street it was on. The fete was for everyone in her homeland, but they all gathered and descended upon her same, familiar wisteria at that time of the year, without fail. It made the Pavilion the center of one of the biggest traditions. ]

During the fete, people would come to tell the Wisteria Fairy their wish — I'd listen, and my moms would write the wishes on placards, tying them to the tree. We'd give our blessings in these sachets in return, and things like that... all of us working on it together.

[Her mothers, it seems, were deeply involved in Yingying's life on all fronts. It's little wonder that they appeared so joyous by the wisteria, and that she was adamant on watching them all night.]

Then, these blessings are your very own.

[She has surely heard many a wish from other players by now, but there are no placards on which to write. Yingying intends to hand out her blessing anyway, such that he wonders what sort of sentiment lies within them—lonely though it may appear due to the absence of several maternal touches.]

Mm. Before we all part ways... I'd like to share this with everyone.

[ A little piece of her homeland. Legends about it have all been tarnished by the catastrophe — now only Yingying is the one that knows the warm-hearted and kind rituals they had. If she might spread that knowledge to the companions she's made here.... it'd make her happy. The reality of her home would be known to at least the sixteen of them. ]

I might no longer be a proper Fairy, and it's not the New Year, either, but I'd like to still give my blessing for a good year ahead.

[ would u look at that.... the bobarista is done with their drinks.... ]

[When put this way, a part of him thinks it would be beneficial for one sachet to remain here, in the hands of someone who will go on to engage many a client. Combined with the rest she'll gift to their cohort, her blessing will spread far and wide, keeping the memory alive. Even though she'll soon fade if nothing is done, she's still doing everything in her power to preserve her beloved home with little thought for herself.

An endless struggle . . . like a chicken that is unable to fly, yet continues to flap its wings . . .

Stirred out of his ruminations by their finished order, he takes the drinks with an appreciative nod and turns to Yingying.]

Your drink, Miss Yingying.

week three | dates

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