mistleglow: a winter kiss meme

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mistleglow: a winter kiss meme.

The month of December has been a cold one in Anchor, with the bots working hard to bring a little winter joy to the city. This year, there's a little extra surprise - the bots welcome the participation of the nanites, who are able to join in with the winter holiday protocols for the first time in a long time following their long imprisonment.

And what are the nanites doing? Well...this winter wonderland has been missing a conspicuous offender: the mistletoe. That's where the nanites come in...

▶ The nanites will be floating around in little swarms, lit up bright with various colors, and when they run into any sentient creature, they will enclose them in a harmless invisible shield with a radius of approximately three feet by three feet. Once the characters are entrapped, they'll be stuck for exactly one hour...unless they kiss!

▶ There is no compulsion to kiss, and characters are welcome to just wait out the hour and hope they're stuck with a good conversationalist, but if they want to get on their way, they'll have to kiss their fellow captive, in a specific way depending on the color of the nanite swarm that's trapped them.

▶ The bots will be helping by helpfully informing any trapped characters they need to kiss as they pass by. They won't say what kind of kiss because that would make it too easy. But at least now you know, right?

▶ This meme can be counted as game canon and used for AC if threads continue into January (don't forget: December is check-in only) if both parties wish. Characters who are not in the game are welcome, and threads from this meme can also count for application samples! Come join us!

▶ How to Participate: Just post a top-level detailing the types of kisses you're interested in, and then tag around to other people's top-levels.

▶ Kiss Type Legend:

RED: MOUTH ● ORANGE: NECK ● YELLOW: CHEEK
GREEN: FOREHEAD ● BLUE: HAND ● VIOLET: BUTTERFLY

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Cho Takahashi | original | in game | OTA

[tenuefarfalla]

[[ OOC: Pick a glow, any glow!

She might be too flustered to act on them all, depending on who you are, but we've always got the conversation option.

You can catch her on the residential level and going back and forth between the barracks and dining hall, or up in the agricultural levels, or in the park. Plus there's the staircases going between all these places, so really you can find her on almost any level at some point.

I am strictly prose, though I am also fine with styles not matching. Content over format, right? So if you are strictly brackets, please feel free to tag even though I won't switch to match. My only request is please no huge blocks of tiny text. It gets tough to read. Bold or Italics or even just the brackets themselves to denote the narrative portion are all just fine. ]]

Green. Here we go.

[scowlish]

It's a confluence of chance and circumstance and routine, really. Both he and Cho tend to frequent the dining hall and kitchens, they both frequent the agricultural levels. They were bound to pass each other in the hallways at some point - in the late morning, Onni still half-asleep but going to get breakfast for himself and lunch for everyone else, at a disadvantage because she's as energetic a morning person as ever.

It's just his luck that while he's passing her in the hallway, studiously avoiding her gaze, the nanites catch them, glowing a faint green above their heads. Onni knows what this means, and he immediately slumps backward against the invisible barrier, arms crossed, blinking owlishly.

"Mm."

He keeps his eyes down, frowning at his own feet, refusing to look at her.

[tenuefarfalla]

Cho has been giving Onni a respectful distance. In fact, she's gone to great pains to ensure they don't end up occupying the same space, wanting to honour his last sentiment, that he had nothing to say to her. Not to mention, it's far easier to avoid someone she'd thought of as a friend, the sting of rejection and of being presnted as a kidnapper still fairly fresh, than to deal with it directly. She can't exactly fault him for the feeling - no way to turn off your emotions. It hurts, that he didn't trust her, that he thought she would hurt his cousin, but when it comes right down to it, he doesn't know her all that well. Cho forms bonds quickly, though she's aware that most people don't. It rarely comes to a head the way it did for them, but she's not at all surprised to be the focus of the anger. It has to go somewhere. She's been trying to avoid thinking about any of it, actually. It hasn't been entirely successful, but she's trying. Talking to Lalli and Cole helps, but there's no way to truly lessen the pain of lost friendship other than time.

She's so focused on trying to get past him quickly, go as unnoticed as is possible, that she doesn't even see the glow. Not until she runs right into the barrier, the invisible wall knocking her back a step, startling her. She raises her hand, presses against it, slides her palm up and down, then from side to side. It's when she looks directly above her that she catches the faint green tint to their little prison.

Well, that's new and troubling.

[scowlish]

Lifting his gaze just enough to see her slide her hands against the invisible wall of the little cocoon they're stuck in, Onni sighs deeply. Lifting his head, he presses the back of it against the wall he's leaning on, his eyes sinking shut, mouth set in a straight line. She doesn't seem to know what's going on with these weird glowing particles and their invisible barriers and the kissing in different forms, and he tries very hard to convince himself to not care about her confusion and distress at all.

He wants to be angry enough to let her suffer while he knows what's going on and she doesn't, but he can't bring himself to do it.

Another sigh, and he keeps his eyes closed even while he talks, "It won't do any good. They won't let go unless we kiss, or wait an hour. One or the other. So get comfortable."

After all, he's not intending to even talk to her, let alone actually kiss her.

[tenuefarfalla]

Trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped, it's running through her mind on frantic repeat. She doesn't think Onni would physically harm her, but she's still trapped. She can't even wonder at the machine logic in trying to get two people to kiss one another through confinement. An hour, though - she can handle that, right? An hour is nothing. Sixty minutes. Three thousand six hundred seconds. Right. She'll be fine.

She turns, leans her back against the wall, subtly pushing with all her weight. Nope, not even the slightest give. Not that she really expected it. She tips her head back, leaning it against the barrier, and lets out a shaky breath through her mouth. One hour.

Al least she's dressed for the temperature change, which means dressed for warmth, which involves both jeans and her warmest boots. Far better than a skirt, and it makes sinking down until she's sitting on the floor with her knees hugged to her chest a non-issue, modesty wise.

Get comfortable. Easier said than done. She thinks she can parse the rest of the intention, though - he still wants nothing to do with her. Unfortunate, given the small perimeter of their temporary prison, but all she has to do is sit still and silent for an hour. Child's play. Literally, in her case. She can do this.

[scowlish]

Onni is dressed in his usual warm tunic and leggings with his thick hooded fur cloak, so he's not feeling the cold very much either. Keeping his arms crossed, he flicks his eyes open and watches her, can see the tension in her body as she pushes against the barrier and then exhales shakily. Nervous, maybe.

When she slides down and sits with her knees up, Onni feels awkward looming over her, so he does the same, leaning against the opposite side of the barrier from her with his knees up, his elbows rested on his knees, and his chin settled in his arms, staring straight ahead. It's still a closer proximity than he'd prefer with her, right now, but it's not as bad as it could be. Sighing deeply, he closes his eyes again, lips pursed behind his own hand.

There's a long period of quiet, where neither of them starts a conversation, which Onni is perfectly fine with. After a while, though, he realizes she's counting at a whisper, counting backward. For a few moments, he just listens to it, a bit confused about why she's doing it, until he realizes she's probably counting time.

"I can tell by the way the sun moves how long it's been." he says, after a moment, "You don't have to do that."

[tenuefarfalla]

His voice is a surprise to her, a tiny little jerk to attention when she hears it - not fear, exactly, but jitters for sure. After a moment, she pushes up the sleeve of her jacket and sweater to show him a thin and discreet watch.

She tries to swallow the slight tremor out of her voice, but it doesn't work entirely - lessens, does not remove. "I have this, it just-- the counting is... calming. It's something to focus on." She's really trying to hold on to some calm here. It's elusive. "I can see if counting in my head has the same effect, if it bothers you?"

[scowlish]

Again, when he speaks she jumps slightly, obviously a little on edge. It doesn't really register to him that he might be intimidating to her, he assumes it's either some kind of claustrophobia or plain discomfort at being closed into such a small place with someone she's not getting along with.

When she moves to expose the watch she's wearing, he makes a little 'hm' in his throat, and then listens to what she says about the counting. That it's calming, something to focus on, and asks if it bothers him. He shrugs.

"It doesn't particularly bother me."

Then, after a few seconds, his eyes still pointed straight ahead and not necessarily at her, "Are you claustrophobic?"

[tenuefarfalla]

"Claustrophobic? No. I do all right in small spaces. You know, for a lot of people with claustrophobia, it's the feeling of walls closing in on them. An illusion of open space can be enough to calm them. So I suppose I wouldn't necessarily know if I've developed it suddenly - it's been a while since I was in a visibly enclosed space. Maybe I should go sit in a cupboard later to check. This is a pretty convincing illusion of open space." She runs her hand along the wall as she says it, as though testing that she still can't push her fingers through it. Her fingertips go white with the effort. Still trapped.

He said before that he had nothing more to say to her, but now he's talking, so maybe it's all right if she responds, as long as he starts it? Is that why she's making it stretch for as long as she can? Because she is definitely rambling. Huh. "My housemate says he gets claustrophobic sometimes, like on airplanes, and that sitting near a window helps. Or maybe he just wants to make sure he always gets the window seat." A slight pause, a furrow of contemplation. "Do they still have airplanes?"

[scowlish]

While she talks, he turns his head slightly to look at her. She's talking a lot, still seems nervous as she tests the barrier again and babbles about what it means to be claustrophobic. Sighing, Onni rubs a thumb against his jaw and then rests the side of his head against a forearm, face turned toward her.

"Mhm. We still have planes, but just broken in the woods."

It isn't much, but Onni isn't much of a talker, even with people who he's not at odds with. Looking at her still hurts, he gets that feeling again, of being completely helpless with the last member of his family left kept from him, not sure if he's actually okay or not, of being 'allowed' access to him only at the allowance of a virtual stranger. Remembers breaking down in public on the network, begging her, and how that still stings both his pride and his heart. For a moment, his fingers tighten against his own forearms, and he furrows his brows a little.

"Did you really think Lalli wouldn't be safe with me?"

Blue!

[sleepyhollowed]

Now that he felt a bit more confident with his new condition, Kieran's been taking a couple of extra risks when it came to venturing outside of his new room. He couldn't see the stifling walls, but he sure as hell could feel them closing in on him if he stayed inside for any stretch of period longer than a couple of hours, and it's gotten to the point where he's happy to risk the danger.

Sure, he's not heading up to the Agricultural Level by himself anytime soon, but with a stick in his hand and a hand following the wall, Kieran's managed to make some headway in creating a mental map of Anchor. Enough that he's found himself a neat little alcove to sit in and relax in the middle of some practice. Fairly certain he's a lone, he hums a little tune, occasionally letting a couple of words loose, but otherwise staying as quiet as he can.

He kind of doesn't want to get caught, since he's pretty sure that whoever does manage to find him is going to wind up worrying in one way or another.

[tenuefarfalla]

Cho doesn't immediately see Kieran. She's been known to get a bit of tunnel vision when she's focused on a problem. Her current problem is an algae buildup in one of the spawning pools. It just won't do. Not at any stage of the process, but especially at spawning, once they reach that stage of production. There's something in the equation she was not prepared for, some unknown factor yet to be discovered. She'll just have to start again.

So, focused on her problem, she doesn't see Kieran. She does hear him, however. She's been hyperaware of every little sound for what feels like forever, but is in reality not quite two months. The slightest creak and groan of metal in the middle of the night, and she's fully awake with her heart in her throat. Footsteps she isn't expecting from around a corner, and she's ready to bolt. It's a fraught way to live, but she's adapting.

At least this surprise is a nice one - all the tension in her body relaxes the moment she recognizes the tone of his voice, and she veers off of her course to go check on him. "Kieran. How are you? Getting a little air?" She's noticed that he begins to go a little stir crazy easily not enjoying being confined. She can only imagine that his inability to see makes it even worse. This is the first time she's actually found him outside of his room unaccompanied, though. She takes note of the stick. She'll ask Peter to help her gather the materials to make him a collapsible cane.

[sleepyhollowed]

During his time without sight, Kieran has found that his other senses such as hearing and even smell have sharpened, leading to his own moments of sudden starts and brief glimpses of panic. Already a nervous individual, having a form of protection taken away from him has only fueled his general anxiety. It's gotten better, thankfully, but it's still there.

And it's also why he jumps at the familiar click of Cho's shoes echoing through the hallway, only settling somewhat when Cho calls his name. He takes a second, but he eventually manages to respond.

"Y-Yeah! Yeah... It, uh, it was gettin' a little stuffy in my room, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to get out fer a bit."

He's not sure where to focus his gaze, so he keeps it straight ahead, towards his knees.

"What brings you out here, Miss Cho? You doin' the same?"

[tenuefarfalla]

"I was putting together some snacks to bring up to the hatchery for when I forget to eat lunch. Actually, I've hit another snag. The algae in one of the test pools became toxic - my calculations for the initial nutrient batch must have been off - and it coated a lot of the monitoring equipment. It needs to be very carefully cleaned off. Would you be interested in helping me out with that? It's not very exciting, I'm afraid. Just feeling for the slick patches and gently scrubbing them clean with a brush."

He'd been so eager to work on the filters, and so helpful. She's hoping this could be a similar win-win situation for the two of them. Also, it will make it easier for her to keep an eye on him, and she does worry. She tries not to, but she can't help it. He's a sweet man, and he so hates to think that he's any kind of burden.

[sleepyhollowed]

Those sure are a lot of words, and Kieran does his best to try and keep up with them all. He's able to catch the gist of it, especially when it comes to Cho's request right there at the end. He immediately perks up, happy at the prospect of just being able to help out with something, no matter how mundane.

"Sure! I don't have much else goin' on, and I ain't about to turn down helpin' a lady."

He offers one of those classic lopsided grins to show it's a harmless, playful comment, and one that's based in sincerity. He really is that excited to help!

[tenuefarfalla]

She can see it in him, something familiar - a desire to be helpful, a need to please, to prove usefullness and earn acceptance. "Wonderful. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Let's go?" She reaches down for his hand, very cautiously, the touch of her fingers incredibly light against his skin at first. She doesn't want him to startle, does not just grab and lead the way she might with a friend who could see her. "If you feel like starting now, I mean."

[sleepyhollowed]

As light as Cho is with her touch, Kieran is just as gentle. His palms are rough--he knows they're rough--and he also feels like any pressure outside of a loose grip will only cause damage to the young woman in front of him. Not that he sees Cho as exceptionally frail. He just sees himself as exceptionally clumsy.

With his hand firmly in Cho's grasp, Kieran straightens up to his full height, no doubt towering over her.

"I'm ready whenever you are. Lead the way!"

He's become an expert at being led along by his friends--he'll keep up with her pace without a problem.

[tenuefarfalla]

No problem with the pace, but a problem with progress, practically immediately. While they were chatting, the nanites took advantage of a pair of people close enough to one another to snare, and did just that, so Cho's very first step brings her up short against an invisible wall with a little 'oof' of surprise.

Again.

Seriously, why?

one (1) Scarasmooch coming right up

[numerouno]

"♪ Do do~ di-do do~ ♪"

It's been an hour or two since his rendezvous with Elleru. Scaramouche has been strutting around Anchor with a spring in his step ever since. But being at the top of your game and feeling like you're on top of the world are two different things that don't always come hand in hand. So when he hears someone jogging behind him, he tunes them out, letting nothing break his stride.

What he should have done was check whether the telltale glow of the nanites was anywhere to be seen and move off their path.

He doesn't realize his mistake until after he's walked into the blue-tinted barrier.

"What...!?"

[tenuefarfalla]

Running has been a refuge lately. More so than usual. It's something in her control - even if she can't fight, maybe she can get away. Not to mention, it's occasionally exhausting enough to let her get an hour or two of good sleep before the dreams come. No way to live, but a way to survive.

Ideally, she would be a purple and teal blur speeding past Scaramouche. Not today, though. Nanites have other plans. And apparently now they can form the barrier on one side only and then grab you once you run into it. Or maybe she really does just have horrible timing and even worse luck.

It's like with Onni, but so much worse. She's running this time, so it's not a discombobulated moment of being knocked back a step by something she can't see. She slams into the barrier, hard enough to knock the breath from her and bounce her back, off of her feet entirely, and into the other side of hard unforgiving nanite... whatever it is. It hurts. It hurts a lot. Why did she get out of bed today?

[numerouno]

Scaramouche looks completely affronted by the obstruction. His eyes rove over the shield, craning his neck to look at the way it domes above him. He turns around to see someone lying at his feet.

"Okay babe, let's make it snappy. Give me your hand."

He makes a beckoning motion with his own. He doesn't bend down to offer it to her; he just waits for her to pull herself together and do what he said.

[tenuefarfalla]

Cho comes to a wrong assumption that he's asking for it so that he can help her to her feet, that something specifically about her in a heap at his feet is what's setting him on edge. So she reaches up obediently. However, with Scaramouch'e height, and Cho's severe lack of it, she can not reach high enough to give him the ability to kiss her hand easily. She barely manages to reach high enough for him to grab it, never mind beyond that.

[numerouno]

After a moment, Scaramouche looks down to see a hand reaching toward him. He rolls his eyes. Crouching to the floor, his features flattening out with impatience, he clasps his hand around her wrist, giving it a tug as he starts to make the gradual ascent to his full height, silently urging her to follow suit and stand up with him.

If she doesn't find her legs soon, he's going to keep lifting her up by that arm until he's done it for her.

[tenuefarfalla]

She's still a little rattled, and he's not waiting for her to get her feet underneath her, but she manages it - though probably a bit slower than he'd like. A firm grip on his wrist with her free hand makes it a little easier, and once she's up, she's able to lean against that invisible barrier, which helps. The world still feels a little off balance, and she's sure it'll take a bit for it to settle, but she's not injured. Not really. Her tailbone is a little sore, but nothing is broken, which is good. She's not sure how she would mentally handle the restricted mobility of a cast right now.

"Thank you. I... wasn't expecting that." Which is probably the understatement of the century. "I'm Cho. Takahashi." She's seen him around. He's up at night while she is, roaming hallways, though he's never come to a communal meal, which is how she meets most people here. There's a little flutter of panic in response to a metal man towering over her, but she manages to smash it down. This isn't the same, barring the surface similarities. Not at all. She's fine. This will be fine.

[numerouno]

Scaramouche releases her once he's sure she isn't about to topple over and waste more of his time; she's got the barrier to keep her steady now.

He's seen Cho around, too. But he isn't interested in having this conversation.

"Yeah. Do me a favor, babe." His hand is out again, an empty, open palm wordlessly inviting her to place her own in it. He gives her a playful smile. "Shake a leg, will ya?"