week four | mingle

[marriagebroker]

Final week at the estate! Final week with your friends. Final week with your beaus. Time to make the most of it, everyone!

In fact, to celebrate this fact, today there is a cake. It's nothing special, just a nice little cake to enjoy with your morning coffee or throughout the day. Yay, cake!

And when Wei Wuxian arrives that morning, he is going to call out once again for everyone to join him, near the cake.

"Everyone, I have another announcement!"

Hell yeah, announcements.

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

Comments

[ordimame]

[he does NOT know enough about art to know what word to use, but he still gets what she means! like. . . shades of grayscale?]

The painting class. . . ? But what about learning from colors back home?

[he doesn't know]

[researcherstory]

[ he about to ]

They don't exist. Or rather-- they exist only theoretically.

[ordimame]

[a beat]






Huh??

[DISTRACTED FROM BROODING BY. . . WORLD WITH NO COLOR??]

[researcherstory]

"The Theory of Color" has been a longstanding, if unproven, concept in my world. There are books which reference various words in correlation to natural phenomenon such as plants, the sky, etc, but they hold no real meaning to us and were swiftly forgotten save by those with an interest in archiving all known writings.

[ ... ]

For the record, I believe you would see the world as you do now were you to come to my own -- things that are "forgotten" still exist, even if we cannot see them ourselves.

[ It's a weird bit of work, which is why it's only theoreticals, but. Anyway. She has basis for this. ]

[ordimame]

Wait, wait. . . so if I went to your world, I'd see color? So it does exist, it's just. . . "forgotten."

[TRIES TO PROCESS THIS]

[FAILS]

-- yeah, okay! Sounds right to me.

[okay, Edamura. but hey! look at that. some of his usual pep is back!]

[researcherstory]

[ ... Good. She hoped it'd get his mind off things. ]

There are a few other things that have been too, but the mystery of why is unanswerable save by those who made us forget in the first place -- and such cases, they may not remember themselves.

[ Such is life. ]

... I hadn't realized you all could see something I didn't until then. The world must be beautiful in your eyes.

[ordimame]

[she did good!]

Ah. . . well.

[his next response is a bit wry, gaze flickering down, his smile a bit tight]

That depends on your definition of "beautiful," I guess.

[he usually keeps his cynicism to himself, but. . . under the current circumstances, it's no surprise that it is brimming a little bit closer to the surface]

[researcherstory]

I've seen many things that may be "normal" or "ugly" to you, normalized as it is... but have you considered how magnificent it is that your society has created structures which seem to touch the sky? Vehicles which harness the raw power of lightning, transforming it at the press of a button or flip of a switch into electricity which powers not just the lights within each room, but all which makes your life easier? Ingenuity in its purest form -- humanity has a lot of ugliness to it, yes, and it reflects that into the world -- is beautiful in its own way, and each piece refracts unto a depth yet unseen.

[ Odile is not so young nor foolish to think otherwise. That the same conveniences and ingenuity gives rise to conflict and more, that it is ugly in its consequences and greedy, but... ]

Would that I could see all the "colors" that make up that world, how the sun reflects in ways that go beyond "bright". Why don't you consider how lucky you are that you're able to see that?

[ordimame]

[. . . man. she sure is pulling her weight here, isn't she. . .?]

When you put it like that, it's hard not to disagree.

Poetic words as always, Odile.

[researcherstory]

[ Young people get so wrapped into themselves, after all. ]

I'm just saying what you need to hear, Edamura. [ ... ] It's easy to take for granted the things that have been there your whole life. Make an effort to look at it differently from time to time, that's all.

[ He'll find beauty in it too, she's sure. If only a little. ]

[ordimame]

. . . yeah. All right.

[. . .]

Why don't you call me Makoto?

[researcherstory]

[ ... ]

Is that alright?

[ordimame]

[warmly]

Of course it is, Odile. It's my name, after all.

[researcherstory]

[ Ugh. Ka Bue isn't so different in that way, and after a moment she sighs as if relenting to a particularly pushy salesman. But when Odile speaks, it's with the same touch of warmth. ]

Alright then, Makoto. You can continue to call me Odile if you'd like, but-- my given name is Sachiko. Odile is simply what I have been using while in Vaugarde, and I saw little reason to change that habit here.

[ In other words: she'd gotten used to it. ]

1/2

[ordimame]

[. . . . . !!]

[ordimame]

[and just like that. . . his grin widens, practically beaming with happiness]

Sachiko. . .

It's nice to met you, Sachiko. . . !

[researcherstory]

Oh, don't get so excited. You're embarrassing.

[ Her, you're embarrassing her, she's artfully turning her face to stare at the



she doesn't want to look at everyone else's crashouts but it's preferable to that mess over there. Gods. What a sap. ]

... It's nice to meet you as well, Makoto.

[ordimame]

[GENUINELY NOT PERCEIVING ANY MESSES B/C HE IS TOO BUSY BROODING??]

Hey! I think I'm allowed to be excited. It's a big deal when you can start calling someone by their given name, isn't it?

[researcherstory]

You offered first.

[ She was just! Giving him the option back!!! Don't be fooled, he knows her well enough by now to know she's trying her best to play grumpier than she is. ]

[ordimame]

Yeah. I did.

[said in a very "what about it?" tone]

[researcherstory]

Oh, excuse me.

[ Ahem.

In the most deadpan tone: ]

Yay. Whoo. I'm so excited for our growing closeness, my heart is about to burst. Hip hip hooray.

[ordimame]

[beaming at her, though it eventually softens as he fiddles with something in his pocket]

[. . .]

Speaking of our growing closeness. . .

[. . . and then he hands her his envelope]

[One of you killed your father. Or did you?]

[researcherstory]

[ ... Oh, what a touching thing. She reads it, expression unchanging, before she hands it back to him with a thoughtful hum. There's no doubt in her mind that the man deserved it -- at least from Edamura's storytelling, she can't deny it, but... Odile also knows it's wrong to think that way.

...

That said-- ]

While we can speak on the validity of it once we're out of earshot again, without having to resort to unsavory means to do so... [ Like ducking out of a film location. ] My opinion of you would remain unchanged either way.

[ordimame]

[if there was anyone else here who would understand the meaning of or did you?, it'd be Odile]

Unsavory? I thought the way I ditched the cameramen was pretty tame, actually.

[ha ha. . .]

. . . for what it's worth, the rotten bastard is still very much alive. Much to my chagrin!

[the tired way he says the last part makes it a little clear that he doesn't really mean it, though]

[researcherstory]

[ Children really do have such an odd, funny relationship with their parents. Even those absent from their lives. Odile plays with her own meager secret of an envelope, putting one corner of it on the table and balancing it like that to let it spin with a knock of her finger. ]

Next you'll be telling me you don't really hate that Laurent fellow of yours, and that Rom's got some competition for your heart.

[ Please. She believes him, truly, but she can't help but tease. ]