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[idolpro]

Who: Idols and idol accessories
Where: Tokyo-F
When: Day 437

[ Idols will start their day today to find red envelopes, each with their idol names, presented to them on a table at their dorm's landing. Each envelope is supernaturally sealed, incapable of being opened except by their designated recipient. Inside each envelope is a gold zan-style hairpin with stripes of silver carved into its stem, and the tip is heavy with a weighty decoration—be it a dragon, phoenix, tiger, butterfly, flower(s), or anything else, they are all inlaid with bright, glowing tiger's eye gemstones.

As ornate as they look, these hairpins aren't just for decoration: upon the recipient touching the accessory, they'll find their clothes magically changing into fanciful Chinese or fantasy Chinese clothing—perhaps vibrant red, regardless of unit, or woven patterns and colors that reflect the idol's position. At the same time, the hairpin knits itself into the idol's hair (if capable, else it pins itself as a brooch) which has also magically been done up fancifully.

Down at the lobby there are more hints toward the holiday, if the red envelope didn't already make it obvious: red streamers and paper lanterns decorate the hotel, along with tiger decorations which vary from elegant wall scrolls to cute tiger plush pillows on the lobby seats. And, if it still isn't clear enough—perchance for those who aren't familiar with the culture at all—a red and gold banners hang from the wall, reading "HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY" and "LUNAR NEW YEAR" and "YEAR OF THE TIGER".

Near the kitchen, there are tables with spreads of Chinese foods from various regions, all available in an all-you-can-eat styled buffet. And, what's more—the food seems to be completely safe! They don't contain even a little bit of status effects. For once, here's a party with safe food.

There are additionally tables with gift bags, once again labeled with each idol's name. These are not supernaturally sealed, and in each bag are . . . well. . . tiger things, along with a note that reads,

300 points per item worn for the day! Max 1,200 points (head/hands/tail/feet

Oh, right, this is an idol show. And oh, surprise, the tiger appendages (optionally) have some sort of status effect thing going on:

• Feel more cuddly/desire cuddles
  
• Feel more mercurial/contrarian
  
• Feel more possessive/territorial
  
• Feel more hungry, both for food and for immaterial things (especially attention)
  
• Feel more brave
  
• Feel more light-hearted/more easily amused

At least they're all fairly mild in effect.

Last but not least, decoration wise, there's also an ominous poster near the elevators. . . Well, who's afraid of a sign, right? . . . Nevermind that if someone were to break a taboo, they'll find themself just slightly unluckier today, on the level of breaking their shoe/sandal laces and receiving the wrong order at the café.

Outside, though the weather is cold, the sun is auspiciously bright today, warmth radiating out the city to soften the chill. Moreover, there's an infectious energy on the streets, one that would surely make a person forget the temperature—long paper puppets, taking the form of dragons and lions and tigers, parade down the street, powered by ghostly dancers and backed up by the orchestra of a marching band and fan dancers. Floating lanterns guide them throughout the city, where they'll circle around the streets ceaselessly until evening.

At the stroke of midnight, idols will find their old clothes back in their closet and their hairpins no longer glowing, but they'll also find they're able to keep the clothing they received from the hairpins. They can also keep the tiger paraphernalia, which have lost their effects. ]

Comments

[at_heart]

[ It's not pessimism, it's pattern recognition! ] [ But he turns to face her and oof hello there. There's the smallest beat before he shakes his head, chuckling. The smile's nice to see, not gonna lie, and the outfit's cute. ]

If we have to.

[ If he knew you'd dropped off your ears, he'd thank you. Aww. ]

[sangreine]

[ It's a matter of respecting boundaries, to her. If people teased her about blood the way they tease Lupine about the ears thing she'd be furious (if she knew about the teasing btw, would she be so unhappy on his behalf), so she's not about to bring it up unless she asks first, and right now she just wants people to attach herself to without such complications. ]

Make it sound like work, why don't you? [ An even brighter smile, though it veers toward the impish when she takes in what he's wearing. ] That outfit, damn.

[at_heart]

[ He complains about it a little, but 95% of his issue with it happening in public is people seeing it who might get creeped out by it. It's especially hard to mind stuff like Rye ambushing him with Intent. ......None of which means he wouldn't be really, really touched. ] [ Chuckling, and then — then pausing, sort of glancing down at himself, like he hadn't completely noticed? He did, of course; hard to miss the sudden draft. But when he meets her eyes again, his smile is wide and more than a little self-satisfied. ]

I guess Hades can't hog all the shirtlessness? [ Wink. ] I like yours, too.

[ And he does: it fits her well, the colors are nice, and it's a lot easier to move around in than he would've thought the robes-versions of these outfits really came in. ]

[sangreine]

I'm way more covered than usual, it's only fair that you're less covered. Or at least, more fun for me to look at. [ Nothing wrong with stroking his ego a little, it's well earned, and it's not as though she wouldn't do it if he were wearing a garbage bag. ]

I'm not sure if it's the food or the atmosphere, but I feel much better.

[at_heart]

[ Yes, that's — that's really nice, he likes that. Tosses his head a little, self-deprecating but... also for her. ]

As long as you're enjoying the view, I guess I can't complain.

[ Which — also goes for the hanging off him, maybe. ] [ And I'm not sure if it's the food sort of pings him, a little, but for the moment he's distracted. ]

Better is good.

[sangreine]

[ It's just the truth, and she's sure anyone would agree. It's not the clothes, it's how one wears them. But Lupine tends to get uncomfortable if she's too explicitly complimentary, and he's already letting her snuggle him so she's not about to press her luck. ]

Good. It's not a night for complaining. [ Which goes for her too, miraculously! She reaches up to idly comb her fingers through the loose parts of his hair. ]

Is it awkward to ask if you're not too bothered by all the -- you know [ tiger ears ]. I took mine off because I wasn't sure if you'd mind, but if it's not a problem...?

1/

[at_heart]

[ Attention is very good right now, honestly. And the grooming feels like more of it, so he leans very slightly into that — before being startled out of it by her question. Z, Zari. ]

I—

[ Wow, he. Does not think anyone has actually... wow. ] [ He knows it's funny, objectively, so it's hard to mind people laughing about it. And....... it's even harder to mind because someone really teasing him with or about this keeps, you know, getting him laid. But. ]

2/

[at_heart]

[ This is embarrassing on two fronts at once, it's really— ]

3/

[at_heart]

...Pretty sure I'd be okay. I dunno, I guess they just — don't look 'real'? [ A glance around the lobby, at all the people wearing various tiger accessories, and he's briefly tense again, but — no, they're still too cartoony. ] I don't know how else to describe it. Especially with the gloves and shoes — it's...

[ Pause, thinking. ]

Too much, I guess.

[at_heart]

—But. [ Rubbing the back of his neck, he looks away. ] Thanks.

[sangreine]

[ Just petting his hair as she watches that mélange of reactions, which are honestly fascinating. It's only fair for him to feel strange about the question, she's just trying to figure out where the boundaries are here, what would bother him and what wouldn't. She'd be pissed as hell if someone, say, cut their neck and tried to entice her when she wasn't expecting it. Knowing someone's weaknesses is a level of trust she doesn't want to violate. ]

Nothing to thank me for. [ He's not shrugging her off, which is all the thanks she needs. ]

Hey, am I acting weird? Nemesis kept saying I'm acting weird. [ The fact that she was with Nem probably should be an indication that yes, she's acting a little weird. ]

[at_heart]

[ He starts to say one thing in response to that — that of course it's something to thank her for, it's really sweet (though maybe not in those exact words, because tsun) — and then stops. Stops, like, dead. ]

—You've... made up with her?

[sangreine]

Uh... [ Wow, not the response she was expecting? She can connect the dots, sure, but it can't be that off track that they managed to...to... ]

[ What did they manage to do, other than paw at each other? ]

Well -- she explained a little more, yeah. And I was planning on avoiding her until I got my head screwed on straight, but then we were both just there, and -- [ she looked really good okay ]

[ Um. Oops? She's trying to decide how bad this is, it sure didn't feel bad. ]

[at_heart]

[ Not really taking that look of surprise as a 'yes'. And now he's thinking back to the last few minutes, and... his eyes flit down to where she's still attached to him. ]

You're a little huggier, I guess.

[ Beat. ...He should really be more uncomfortable with it, she's been holding onto him this entire conversation. ]

Huh.

[sangreine]

[ She doesn't let go of him yet, but does bring her free hand up to her face. ]

Did I just do something really awful? [ She hadn't intended to, but the road to hell and all that. ]

She -- looked happy. [ Which makes it worse in some ways, less so in others. It wasn't that Aliza's feelings weren't genuine, it was just harder to remember all the hangups she's been fighting herself on. ]

[at_heart]

[ And oh man, immediately switching gears. ]

Zari. [ Hey, look at him. He'll duck his head for eye contact if he has to. ] It'll be okay. You didn't hurt her, you just... might've sent some mixed signals.

[sangreine]

[ Making eye contact, looking just -- tired. Why does everything have to make her head hurt? ]

Those signals were definitely not mixed. [ Yeah, she's got it bad. ]

[at_heart]

[ It'd be such a cute thing, if not for, you know, all the hurt feelings. ]

—You could try letting her know you definitely feel a little weird, saying you're sorry now for what you might feel tomorrow?

[sangreine]

[ A little sigh, ] Yeah. Maybe.

[ She just doesn't know what will help or hurt that whole thing, it's truly miraculous how awful she is at beyond-platonic feelings. ]

[ Speaking of, she lets go of his arm. ] Sorry about all that, I didn't really think about what I was doing. [ And she knows he's not really comfortable with it, and she deeply does not want to take any advantage in ways that might threaten the good rapport they have going on. ]

[at_heart]

[ —Well, he doesn't like that, her withdrawing and looking away from him. Chafes his arm a little where she was holding on and shrugs. ]

I honestly didn't mind. [ Lips quirk a tiny bit. ] Which, if it's the same thing making you huggier, I must not have eaten all that much of it.

[ Or it's not the food, his brain helpfully supplies, which purses his lips a tiny bit. ]

[sangreine]

[ ...didn't mind? She didn't expect that, but perhaps he's just being nice because she's such a sad sack at the moment. So she decides hell with it, being upset isn't going to fix anything, and she'd much rather not ruin her entire night brooding. There are more than enough occasions for that, here. ]

I hope you would tell me though, if you did mind. Or if you ever do. I know I sometimes act like I'm about to break open, but I wouldn't want you just -- [ humoring her, patronizing her. Hopefully he can complete the sentence well enough on his own, he's pretty good with context clues. ]

[at_heart]

[ ...Will it do any good if he gets an arm around her shoulders? It's still going to feel awkward because he's initiated like. four hugs in his entire time in Imeeji so far, and who knows how many that he can't remember, but he gives her a squeeze. ]

Heh, I'm pretty sure you can tell. I don't think I've been all that subtle about it.

[ With his stiffening shoulders and the way he sometimes leans back. It might be too subtle for some people, but she's got those heightened senses. If nothing else, his steady heartbeat should be reassuring. ]

[sangreine]

Mostly. [ She can hear heartbeats, but there's any number of reasons someone might or might not have a shift in their pulse. Lying, for instance, sounds about the same as nerves, and anticipation, and relief. ]

And I'm sure you've noticed I'm pretty awful at subtle, so that works out.

[ She can tell that his arm slinging around her is a little awkward, which only means she appreciates it more. She gives him a little jostle with the arm closest to him, trying not to make matters worse for him. God, why can't things be this easy with Nemesis? ]

Thankfully I've met enough people here who are almost as clingy as I am, or I'd be climbing the walls.

[at_heart]

[ A thoughtful hum. ]

Well, then I guess I'll have to promise to tell you. [ Beat. ] But I really am okay right now.

[ He tips his head back, looking for the right words. ]

Normally, it's like — an itch. Scratchy wool? But it's sort of under my skin, and itch isn't really the right word. Starts out really mild, gets a little worse the longer people hang on...?

[ Lets it trail off. ]

Maybe it's restlessness. [ Tries for a joke: ] Afterglow definitely shuts it up for a while.

[sangreine]

Mm, all right. [ If he says he'll tell her, then he'll tell her. One less thing clattering around in her messed up brain. ]

I'm the opposite. Exactly the opposite. Whenever I'm not touching someone, I feel twitchy, like they're going to just vanish. I feel like I spent a lot of time alone, maybe, and hated it. I can handle it, but it wears on me after a while, I guess. Like I said, plenty of people here gave me an open invitation to hang on them, so hopefully they won't get too tired of me.

[ Offering a smile, ] Except the afterglow thing, of course. I think we're in agreement there.