TDM #8

[duplicitymods]

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « AND IT GOES ON AND ON

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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues. ... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity. After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation. If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms. Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals. The hellish summer heat is finally starting to subside, and the cool breeze suggests autumn is approaching.

» » » TAKE A RIDE

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After stepping through the door and participating in orientation, LIERS are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park. The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.

« « « A POCKET OF PENNIES

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The weather’s getting cooler, and people have begun transitioning from summer clothing to the sweaters and jackets of early fall. With jackets come pockets, and with pockets come a bizarre uptick in robberies. Then again, perhaps the correlation is flawed. In the Down, getting robbed is a constant threat. Gangs of street toughs look for lone or inattentive people who look like they’ve got valuables on hand. Uncontracted Submissives are particularly easy to rob, since authorities have little time to bother with a lowly Submissive without a Dominant to advocate for them. One particularly nasty gang of young adult men, the Bulldogs, hangs out near the train, looking to ambush unwary Submissives fresh out of Orientation. They are prone to violent muggings and will simply beat up their target and leave them in a gutter when they’re finished robbing them. In the Up, the streets are nominally safer, but there have been reports of a group of college-aged Submissive women taking advantage of their designation to attack travelers. They, too, stand near the train and the orientation center, looking to seduce passersby into an alley where a group of them can beat and mug their victims, usually Dominants looking to capitalize on their pretty appearances. But you’re truthfully at risk anywhere in the city. The new arrivals are easy targets, and any brazen thief might get the idea to make some quick cash. The authorities are spread too thin to help, but perhaps LIErs can look out for one another? Or they might just get in on the thievery. Everyone’s out for themselves, after all.

« « « NEW FLESH LIKE A GLOVE

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( CW: potential dubcon, drugs, BDSM/sexual torture, prostitution, public use ) Surrounding a large building near the orientation center in the Up, banners and fliers announcing the beginning of the inaugural Duplicity High Tech Sexpo, a trade show for businesses and manufacturers of adult novelties. Since this is the expo’s first year, admission is free and many excited volunteers are handing out vouchers all over the city. These vouchers can be exchanged for goods and services within the expo, but have no monetary value outside of it. Even if you refuse them, you’ll likely find two or three of them tucked into your bag or pocket. Inside the expo hall, there are dozens of booths pitching a variety of entertainments. Many offer interactive demonstrations, showing off their tech for the crowds of interested onlookers. Competition is fierce, and booths try to attract attention and customers through any means necessary. There are private rooms all around the expo for potential customers to try out the products. Booths will also happily accept volunteers for demos, or try to recruit them by bribing them with cash or free samples. There’s a nasty rumor going around that some are recruiting volunteers via more illicit means, like drugging and dressing them up, but surely that’s an exaggeration… Some of the smaller booths sell more traditional toys and accessories: leashes and collars, specialty lubes and massage oils, fetish gear, strap-ons, dildos and vibrators in myriad shapes and sizes, and other basic items. Others advertise apps for the devices, the most notable of which is HUGGR (which LIErs may recognize as a poorly rebuilt sex-themed version of a certain other app.) The closer you get to the big-ticket sponsor booths, the more elaborate and fantastic the products become. One of the most eye-catching demos is for the Climax VR Headset. You and a partner both wear a VR headset, which displays a collaborative virtual scenario. Both partners can alter the setting and surroundings however they like, and any sexual activity conducted in VR transmits real sensations to their bodies. You can come together without ever physically touching. Symphony Hydraulics have a large, loud booth where crowds gather to watch perhaps the most outrageous demo: a variety of fucking machines. Volunteers get stripped, strapped in, and turned on, brought to screaming orgasms in front of the whole crowd. There is a fifteen minute break between demos on each machine, as some poor intern hurriedly washes and sanitizes them between uses. In the interim, they offer smaller, portable versions for sale or rent at the expo. (Some may note that a few of the Symphony Hydraulics staff members look a bit familiar.) Does all this high-tech equipment have you overwhelmed? Wish you could go back to a simpler time? Sir Robert’f Bedroome Provifionf (sic) is helmed by historical reenactor Robert Plum, who has also created his own line of medieval torture device-themed sex toys. Need a chastity belt to keep your Submissive all to yourself? A rack with an attached spreader-bar? An iron maiden with soft vibrating silicone ticklers inside? All the stocks and whips and chains you could ever need? Sir Robert has you covered. Of course, everything on display is harmlessly altered for sexual novelty purposes, but one might also ask to see Sir Robert’s “special” merchandise in the back. Perhaps the most unassuming booth at the expo belongs to Grandma Hattie’s Snacks and Sweets. Grandma Hattie, a kindly old Submissive, has partnered with a tech company to produce what appear to be completely normal vending machines, stocked full of her tasty homemade bread, snack cakes, and other baked goods. Vouchers are good for a free sample of any treat from a vending machine. They taste amazing and have no apparent odd effects-- until 10 minutes after consumption, when you suddenly gain an insatiable craving for a random kink. Your craving will dominate your thoughts for three hours, or until it is appeased.

« « « PERFECTION OF THE DIGITAL

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(CW: potential dubcon, objectification) By far the largest and shiniest booth comes from expo sponsors Sexy Metal Incorporated, who have set up a display of their incredible high-tech sexbots. These life-sized dolls are made of extremely realistic material that feels like warm human skin, and come with state-of-the-art mechanics that give them lifelike movement. Engineers show off how the bots can be plugged into a computer and programmed to act any way the buyer likes. They come in a wide variety of customizable appearances and eerily, some of the bots on display look exactly like people you may know. Booth staff encourage customers to buy these dolls, or to rent them and give them a try onstage in front of the fascinated crowds. If that’s not kinky enough, one of the engineers has purchased a VR headset from another booth, and programmed it to interface with the bot’s controls. Care to slip inside the silicone skin of another person?

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

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Please read carefully. On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice. To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: In celebration of our one year, pick whichever role you want for your character! » A Pocket Full of Pennies: Feel free to come up with any free-roving gangs or petty criminals you like for your characters to tangle with. » New Flesh Like A Glove: Characters can spend money on items at the expo, or may exchange vouchers for what they want. Each voucher has a value of about $5 within the expo and they may be acquired by finding them, having them handed to characters/stuffed in their pockets or bags by expo volunteers, or paid them in exchange for “volunteering” at booths. Characters may indeed try before they buy, either out in the open or using one of the provided private rooms with a partner. The expo has a staff of unpaid student interns tasked with cleaning and sanitizing products if they are used but not purchased. Grandma Hattie’s snacks can inspire characters to have any kink you may desire. » Perfection of the Digital: Sexbots can resemble any player characters, including brand new arrivals/test drive characters. They can also resemble characters that yours knows from home. The engineers have no explanation for this, and the one who identifies himself as the designer will shrug and say he gets inspiration from many places. The sexbots are hot-ticket expensive merchandise, so security is tight around the booth. Characters who attempt to steal or destroy a sexbot (for instance, one who looks like themselves) will be quickly set upon by guards, who are meant to eject them from the expo. However, many of the guards will take bribes from other booths to provide them model “volunteers,” drugged into complacency. If characters want to acquire a sexbot permanently, they will have to buy it or exchange a hefty 50 vouchers for it. Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

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» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Comments

elsa | frozen | dominant

[isolere]

❅ — take a ride

---

[ her fingers twist together nervously and she fidgets in a way she hasn’t done since she’s sacrificed use of the gloves; it’s almost too peculiar not to feel the swish of the fabric rubbing together between her palms, but she knows she won’t have to worry about an incident happening this time around — at least she hopes she doesn’t.

but there’s a jolt in her heart when the train moves and she’s forced to curl her fingers into her skirt, almost able to hear the scrape of her nails against the fabricated ice. she’d been given a short gown to wear, so loose and thin, but the discomfort of it prompted her to conjure her own dress. but the crystallized gown amongst the rest of the passengers clearly make her stand out far more than she want to, and even as a queen, she’s not sure if she’d desire so many eyes upon her now.

the train shakes and her shoulders tense before she stretches her neck up, trying to peer outside of the window to get an idea of its tracks. but it’s too fast, too much of a blur, and peering out only seems to succeed in making her nauseous.

so she looks to the person beside her, asking quietly, ] Excuse me, do you ... know where this is taking us?

❅ — a pocket of pennies

---

[ with the chilly air, she can see a multitude of civilians within the crowd wearing an array of coats, all of colors and fashion her eyes aren’t prone to seeing. but she’s no need for a coat, not when the cooling breeze is so comfortable on her skin, almost like a blanket in its own right as it whispers against the flow of long blond hair.

but while the wind presents no bother to her, it’s the crowd that makes her nervous, and so she tracks slowly as she squeezes herself in through the cluster of walkers, bustling through the city square. if she knew her way around better, she might have found a different route, something with far less noise than this, but as she peers around, there’s little notice of where it is she’s even meant to go.

unfortunately, the only option, really, is to ask someone, choosing a subject at random to approach before hesitantly walking a path in their direction.

only, it’s just as she’s nearing them that someone else slips by in front of her, her eyes falling to the stealth of their hands as the sneak their fingers into the person’s coat, pulling something out in turn — a mugging? ]

Wait! [ she launches forward, holding out her arm to call after the thief, but in that moment, a streak of ice hurls from her fingertips before it encircles the pickpocket’s legs, freezing them to the floor. in an instance, she brings her hands to her chest, eyes wide in guilty shock. ] Oh no.

❅ — grandma hattie's snacks and sweets (nsfw option)

---

[ she won’t deny that she’s been on a bit of an empty stomach since her arrival, mostly because she’d deny a lot of the food presented for her at the start, too stubborn to give in to offered meals from someone she can only presume had purposely meant to kidnap the queen of arendelle. but the more she’d spent in this kingdom’s space, the more she’d come to recognize that she wasn’t the only one in this predicament, and most hadn’t even seemed to recognize her as a queen at all.

so in time, she’ll finally collect some offered goods from an older woman who presents herself as quite friendly, a warmth in her voice that eases elsa to take a full basket worth of bread and cakes.

she takes them to a bench, setting them at her side where she bites into one of the cakes, a sweet sponge that prompts her to take another bite — and another and another. humming in her delight, she eases where she sits, a comfortable warmth in her cheeks as she makes the most out of an actual calming moment despite the overall distraught of being in a strange place.

but as the minutes pass, that comfortable warmth grows stronger, to the point where it begins to feel more like a heat than anything else. swallowing, she tries to breathe steadily only to find herself shivering, breath shallow as the sensations seem to tingle through her body, coursing lower and lower, until —

until she feels an ache between her legs, a longing to be touched there, and her hand feels so much temptation to slide upon her thigh, to slip beneath the sheer fabric of her dress and scratch that itch, to satisfy — but she grips her fingers into fists, holding back from the desire, even as she slips out a small, needy whimper. ]

❅ — wild card

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( feel free to switch up the above prompts a little to something more fitting or go ahead and request something else entirely unique. canon point is after the first movie, along with the two specials. nsfw is open to both m & f, though f is preferred. )

a pocket of pennies

[raygunner]

[ well, unfortunately, he's familiar with this song and dance. it seems little has changed since he was here last, including his role. a submissive--please, he deserves better and he knows it. he certainly doesn't deserve to get mugged, at the very least, which is what he realizes is happening when the woman yells out-- ]

Oh.

[ huh. magic, is it? either way, akechi steps aside and watches with something deeper and darker than amusement as his would-be thief struggles to move. akechi glances to the woman, and he raises his eyebrows as he arranges his expression into something more acceptable and polite. when he speaks, there's no judgment. just... curiosity. ]

Pardon me, was that your doing?

[isolere]

[ this isn’t what she wanted, no, no, not again. because already the panic is settling into it, and despite how she’d thought she’d maintained control of this before, it’s not the same without anna here to soothe here out of this, to draw her back out away from the inner voice that tells her to run, to hide.

and that’s exactly what she considers doing, knowing that all eyes must be on her right now, except she’s jolted out of those thoughts when she realizes the boy she’d intended to approach is now speaking to her. ]

Oh, I — [ there really isn’t any use in lying, is there? she shakes her head, though it’s not necessarily a denying of that guilt. ] I didn’t mean to, really.

[raygunner]

[ oh. huh. it occurs to him that she's-- well. is she nervous? perhaps she thinks he's never seen anything like this, and he doesn't blame her. magic isn't exactly a constant across the multiverse, or so he assumes. hmmm.

whatever the reason is... it's an interesting reaction. one he'll keep tucked in his back pocket.

he'll also put some distance between him and the person whose feet are stuck firmly on the ground. he gives the woman a smile, and there's nothing off to it at least. to someone who doesn't know him, it's perfectly sincere and thankful. ]

Really? [ his tone is more considering than anything. ] Even if you didn't intend to, I really am quite grateful. Considering my status as a Submissive, I'm sure you can understand why I'd rather keep my head down and not get into any trouble... even if that trouble finds me.

[isolere]

[ it’s not at all the reaction she’s anticipating. even if the people of arendelle had come to be more open about her abilities, it hadn’t exactly started out so simple. and considering this isn’t even her kingdom, there’s no real guarantee on how the people here would even respond to a kind of magic like hers; even if they have some sort of superior course of development here, an ice witch might still be cast as a threat.

but the boy seems to remain rather calm in light of the ice crystals that trap his would-be mugger, and though she doesn’t necessarily relax fully where she stands, she does lower her hands, for the slightest easing of the tension. ]

I’m sorry you have to face such circumstances. I haven’t been here long, but of the things I’ve heard ... [ about the submissives. what they’re made to do. ] In any case, I’m relieved to see you haven’t been hurt. It could have hit you too, if I’d been any more reckless.

pocket of pennies

[ordinaire]

[ While the cold doesn't bother Elsa, and the crowds do... The exact opposite can be said of Anna. The young princess pulled her blue bolero closer to her body, grateful for the wool of it and the matching skirt. It wasn't freezing, but between the chill of the wind and the anxiety of being somewhere completely foreign...

Well, there was some comfort to the warmth.

If she hadn't seen the icy dress of her sister already, the sudden appearance of ice at the feet of someone just ahead would've clued her in immediately. ]

Elsa?

[ She whispers her name first- then starts to weave her way through the crowd. ]

Elsa!

[ Louder this time, she nearly trips over her own two feet as she stumbles forward, through the last of the people in between the two of them. The person frozen in place is the least of her worries right now, all she cares about is her sister. ]

[isolere]

[ she’s already beginning to panic, her breath growing heavier and heavier, throat tightening to where her air might simply cut off altogether. because it’s all too much at once, with the sudden change of her surroundings, of suddenly being swept from arendelle, of being without her sister, of her powers suddenly spreading on their own — all she feels is the instinct to simply withdraw into herself, and she can feel the growing moisture of tears in her eyes.

and then she hears it, that voice, the most familiar and soothing voice she’s known.

anna calls her name and in a quickening beat, she’s spinning in place, eyes darting through the surrounding crowd to find that bounce of brown hair. ]

Anna! [ she calls out once she finds her, legs moving on their own without a second to waste as she darts forward, not stopping until she can throw her arms around the other girl.

because she’s here, she’s here, and it’s all she can think to care for. ] I thought I lost you.

[ordinaire]

[ As soon as Elsa wraps her arms around her, Anna follows in suit- nearly tripping into the hug. ]

You'll never lose me.

[ Making promises she can't keep? Sure. But she wants to do nothing but reassure her right there, and the hug was nice. She pulls back after what feels like eternity and grabs for her sister's hands. ]

I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner.

[ She just arrived, yes, but she still feels like her first priority should have been finding her. ]

[isolere]

[ even if those words are easy for her to trust from her sister, she can’t deny that she’d truly been frightened for the time she’s been here without her, drowning in the worry that she really was on her own, and that somehow she’d been separated from anna with no real hint as to where she’d ended up, or just how far arendelle was from her reach.

but while she knows cold well, it’s this warmth that eases her most, the solid press of anna’s closeness that reminds her she isn’t alone, and that somehow in some manner, everything will turn out alright.

even if at the moment, she can’t exactly guarantee it. ]

It’s fine. Everything is a bit — [ crazy? complicated? tightening her lips together, she tightens her hold on her sister’s fingers, turning to look at the man still frozen onto the floor. ] I ... didn’t mean to do that. It — it just happened all at once.

Take a Ride

[song_of_ice]

Through the city. Think of it as your tour. [It's not reassuring, especially for new arrivals and those who are unfamiliar with trains. Since his graduation, he didn't have to go to orientation anymore, but still occasionally showed up to have a look at the new arrivals, to at least reassure himself that there was no one else there that he knew.

The woman seemed familiar, but it was likely her blonde hair that seemed so close to white. She wasn't from his world, but it was obvious that she was from near a time close to his own. This technology would be a shock for her and likely uncomfortable. He could only offer a reassuring smile.]

Are you submissive or dominant?

[isolere]

[ she initially feels a tad bit intimidated by the man beside her, but though his voice speaks low, there’s a calmness to it that seems to assure her that she has little to worry of it. in any case, he presents her with a concise answer, though it only seems to puzzle her, a knit forming between her brows. ]

A tour? At this speed? You can hardly get a good look at anything at all.

[ as it to affirm this to herself, she turns where she sits, trying again to peer through the window, this time towards the one much closer to her, and still, it all remains a blur on the outside.

but then he presents that question, and for a second, it throws her off, the form of it almost even seemingly rude to her surprise and the first instinct is to respond that she’s a queen. but then she remembers the designations of this city, still not accustomed to its methods of dividing its citizens. ]

I suppose I’m a dominant. At least, that’s what they’ve come to tell me.

[song_of_ice]

There isn't much to see. You'll spend enough time here that it all starts to look the same. Steel piled on itself, filling most of the city. It's all tightly packed together. If you want my advice, I'd find a place on the edge of the city. A house of your own.

[It was the only thing to remove that feeling of being watched. There was only so much he'd say to a new arrival about this. Eventually she would get that sense as well, but for now he could only offer some measure of solution without explanation as to why.

She was likely rattled enough after that Orientation.]

You'll have an easier time of it then. [If there was such a thing.] You have more rights than the submissives. You can walk through the city as you want and have a job of your own without much help. When you have a submissive, you're responsible for guarding them.

[isolere]

It's all so colorless. [ she mutters it quietly, almost more to herself than intentionally out loud as she peers out and captures a slight view of the distance, crowded building clustered together without any sense of life to them. none of it looks reminiscent to anything like arendelle, and even design alone is enough to remind her she's far and away from her home.

she turns back to him in hearing his "advice", the words only prompting further confusion. ]

A house of my own? I'm supposed to be expected to just settle down here?

[ obviously, she'd been kidnapped. but that hardly meant she was going to give in to just planting herself in this strange city and seek permanent residence. ]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but even without knowing you, I can't assume you're fine with the way things are here. It's one thing to be ruled by a fair and just monarchy but the rules here are hardly fair.

grandma hattie's

[bulldoginnit]

[ Eggsy is walking by somewhat aimlessly, not really still looking at the expo but not yet wanting to go home. He's observant, so he notices Elsa on the bench with her basket, though he doesn't directly look at her yet. She stands out to him though, with her pale hair and wide eyes, so he slows down for a second.

He catches the noise she makes and finds that curious. This fucking city, honestly.

He stops and offers her a smile. He's charming and he knows it, but it's an easy charm, not something arrogant. ]

You need some help with somethin'?

[ It's an innocent enough offer, at least for now. ]

[isolere]

[ the feeling continues to overwhelm her, the heat of it coursing against her thighs and escalating, that she loses her awareness of her surroundings in that moment, caught up with the shifting of her breathing; when the voice calls out, she shudders where she’s seated, head turning up with a widening of her eyes as she instinctively brings her hands to the center of her chest, holding them together steady like they just might find the instinct to move on their own.

she’s caught staring at the young man for a moment, because something about her feels naked, like everything she’s feeling is spelled all over, sketched in her skin and practically screaming from between her legs. mostly because that’s how the sensations feel as she tries to alter her focus.

but he shouldn’t be able to know, and so she swallows hard, the lump thick in her throat and she tries to maintain composure, even if the shake in her voice is plenty evident. ] No, I’m ... I’m fine. I think it was just something I ate, is all.

[bulldoginnit]

[ He doesn't know, not really. What's going on under her clothes isn't readily obvious, though he recognised that kind of gasp earlier for what it was, and he can guess at why she looks uncomfortable.

When she says something about what she ate, and he sees the basket next to her, really sees it, it hits him. ]

Oh, man, those pastries are a fuckin' experience.

[ He's sympathetic; he'd had two radically different things with those, and neither was bad, but they'd both been...really easy to be overwhelmed by. ]

It's a lot easier if you let whatever's gonna happen happen. Wears off eventually. This city does a lotta shit like that to us.

[isolere]

What?

[ he calls attention to the pastries and though she'd only made mention of them as to disguise what the actual problem is, she looks to them now and comes to realize that perhaps they really are the problem.

it's not as if she's entirely naive as to this city's intentions; she's heard the speeches, received the explanations, and underwent orientation. but somehow, despite that, she hadn't exactly anticipated they'd use the food as a means to influence them.

turning back to the man before her, her eyes remain wide with concern, fingers squeezing together against her palm. ]

And ... what exactly is going to happen? [ she almost regrets to ask, but he seems to know a great deal more than she does on the matter. ]

[wildphase]

[If she were really paying attention, she might have noticed one head in the crowd turn towards her the moment before ice streaked from her fingers. But up until that point, there's really no reason to notice him. Still, Carden's eyes go wide, both at her using magic and her apparent fear of it.

He knows how that feels so much that it aches behind his ribs for a moment.

It's enough to make him a bit sluggish. People are already turning to look, but the person who was about to be pickpocketed seems more interested in dealing with the thief than looking for the source, at least for a moment, and so it's a simple enough matter to just kind of sweep by the young woman and take her, gently, by the arm.]

I doubt anyone will actually care here. [His voice is calm and even, easy to lose under the noise of the crowd.] But if you don't want to be in the middle of a scene, just keep walking.

[If there's one thing Carden knows how to do, it's fade into a crowd. Taking someone along with him is a little harder, but not really that difficult.]

[isolere]

[ she jolts when she feels the sudden wrap of fingers against her arm, and it takes her forcibly curling her fingers tight into her palms to keep the magic from drifting out unintentionally again, feeling the chilling cold almost piercing against her own skin.

but he speaks before she gathers her intentions to fight him off, and it's that brief offering of advice that makes her hesitant to break free; she doesn't want to be in the middle of anything, doesn't want to linger to wait for eyes to draw on her, inevitably in disgust, she imagines, if her history is any indication.

so she takes him at his word, walking alongside him briskly, facing forward while her eyes still peer to the side to study him in the corner of her eye. ]

And what does it matter to you what I do?

[wildphase]

I know that look.

[He feels like it's a bit rude to say I saw you were terrified even if that's followed by I know how that feels, but that's really what he's getting at. They're not out of the crowd yet, so he can't demonstrate, not here, but that's the only reason he doesn't.]

I know what it's like to have to hide until you have to run.

[He's making a presumption on both and maybe she'll laugh at him, but he thinks it's a pretty good guess. It's also possible that her magic is cursed in her world or that she's done something terrible. So just in case he's reading the situation completely wrong and he just really wants to find someone who knows how he feels, he softens that from clearly talking about her with:]

So I've gotten pretty good at both. No reason to get a lot of attention on you here if you don't want it.

[isolere]

[ the words are certaintly some that hit very close to home, and she thinks of those instincts now, how she'd believed herself to have gotten past the habit, but it had only taken an instant for them to resurface the moment she'd entered into circumstances unfamiliar to her world, her safety.

right now, all she wanted to do was hide.

so maybe this is better, and while she can't say with confidence that she can be trusted, it was a better alternative than staying behind. ]

I don't exactly blend well with a crowd. [ she'd replaced that flimsy piece of fabric for her own crafted shimmering design, but maybe that hadn't been the brightest idea, especially if there's a chance they might come after her for causing trouble. ] It might be more dangerous for you to be seen with me.

snack attack

[seeingscarlet]

[Coming here was a mistake. Everything in this city was a mistake, but it had only taken a passing glance at the robot booth for everything to go south. She'd only gotten a glimpse of familiar red curls and something in her had just snapped. She had half a mind to go over there and take that that thing that wasn't Ivy away from them - buy it, take it, whatever it took to get "Ivy" away from all of these people.

But there was also a small, treacherous part of her that also just wanted to be held again, even if it wasn't real.

It feels like the walls are closing in around her, and the full weight of the crowd's emotions are pressing on her with nowhere to go. It's a weird kind of itch, a sort of buzz under her skin, and she just...she just needs a minute to sit and collect her thoughts.

Her feet take her away and eventually Wanda spies a bench. There's already someone sitting there but she looks...nice? And her dress is beautiful.]

Do you mind if I-- [Oh that sounded like an uncomfortable sound.] Are you all right?

[isolere]

[ the hope is that it's just the food that's getting to her, that perhaps eating sweets after so much time without eating at all had somehow been terrible for her stomach. but she knows that's not where the discomfort is, that the tingling stems from lower and even a frequent shifting of her thighs together aren't enough to diminish it.

it's more than enough to deal with it on her own, but having to fight it in shared company is a worse torture.

the woman makes to sit by her and the voice momentarily jolts her out of her spell. ]

I'm — yes, of course. I'm fine. [ though it's clear in her expression, lips curling in tight together that she hardly is. ] The pastries, I think — they made me a little ill is all.

[ why is she so warm? ]

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda doesn't need to have powers to know that Elsa is most definitely not fine. She looks terribly uncomfortable...maybe a little feverish. Or something else entirely, but Wanda wants to leave her privacy and so doesn't pry.

Besides, it's all she can do not to let all of the ambient emotions get under her skin.]

Maybe getting some air and water would help? There is a lot going on in here.

[isolere]

[ those seem like logical suggestions, but even as she tries to take in deep breaths, it only results in her shuddering, every tingle through her body shooting an entirely different sensation, and on her next breath, she gasps a little, fingers tightening in her dress, clutching at her knees. ]

That's — that's a good idea, thank you.

[ she stands slowly, shifting her breathing slow through her mouth. ]

Um, would you ... would you be able to direct me where to go? I'm still not too accustomed to this place.