02 - week two

[afflictionmods]

WEEK TWO

When the glitter settles and everyone returns to their dorms - or wherever they intend to sleep for the night, if you’re planning on sleeping at all - your first week of school officially ends. Perhaps it was better than you expected, perhaps it was worse.

Hopefully you learned a bit more about teamwork and school spirit.

Still, this course is going to run for longer than a full week, and come Sunday morning you’re still exactly as you were when you settled down for the night. Still in Estelline, still with that mark on your wrist, still connected to your partner. There are some changes, though. The bookstore has received quite a few books, and those of you who added to the bulletin board and pep rally tasks in the first week will find an envelope taped to their dorm door (or themselves, if they spent the night elsewhere). Inside of the envelope is some kind of voucher! Furthermore, the common area is covered in a bunch of glitter.

Also, there are a ton of eggs in the kitchen – at least 10 dozens.

Florence or Lorelei are still available, should you wish to speak to them.

Finally, you've got some new locations to explore.


SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

TASK LIST

CLUMSINESS AFFECT DETAILS (BEGINS TUESDAY ICLY)

W2 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 2 close Sunday, May 29th at 6pm EST.

THREAD SURVEY
Google form for partner threads, due by Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST. Optional.

W3 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 3 close Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST.

OOC NOTE

OOC: Anyone who performed in the Pep Rally (Sabo, Madara, Riku, Shizuku, Herlock, Idia, Flat, Miach) task will be able to redeem a voucher for a prize with one of the NPCs. This can be handwaved, and the prize selection is below.

-Single-serve coffee machine wither a selection of creamer. Comes with packs of coffee beans.
-Popcorn maker and kernels.
-High-quality tea kettle with a selection of just as high-quality tea.
-Carbonation machine (think Sodastream, etc) with flavored syrup.

Any coffee, tea, popcorn, etc. will last characters up to two weeks.

Anyone who participated in the Bulletin Board task will receive a voucher for your choice of two pairs colorful socks with cute animal designs. (Worry frog design available.)

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[selfconcept]

I'm not trying to be edgy. Stop looking at me like that.

[ He's joking... of course he can feel the guilt and anxiety. ]

... Did I do something wrong?

[partymagician]

[ Fai shakes his head. ]

No. If anything, I should be apologizing. I shouldn’t have let that happen.

[ Even if he doesn’t regret it, at least not a whole lot. If Hien looks for regret amongst all of Fai’s emotions, he won’t find it. ]

[selfconcept]

Stop moping about something that already happened. Besides, I don't feel any regret coming from you. I don't regret it either.

[ ... ]

Are you ashamed to look at me?

[partymagician]

[ Oh.

Is that how it seems? Like he’s ashamed? That actually gets Fai to look up at Hien. ]

No.

[selfconcept]

Good.

[ He reaches out to gently hold Fai's face on his cheeks. ]

I like it when you look at me. Let's go back to the dorm. I missed you.

[partymagician]

[ Fai doesn’t make a move to go back, not yet. ]

You missed me.

[ Sure, he’s probably jokingly asked Hien if he has, but hearing it unprompted is… new. ]

[selfconcept]

Yeah. The room felt really empty without you when you didn't come back. I was in the room the entire day yesterday.

[ Waiting.

Like Hachiko. ]

[partymagician]

…I’m sorry.

[ He feels especially guilty now. Avoiding Hien probably wasn’t the best way to handle it, but he didn’t know what else to do. ]

[selfconcept]

Well, if you're sorry, you can make it up to me by coming back. If you still don't want to, tell me why. I'll listen.

[ Fai is still in the pod and Hien is leaning inside of it, but his feet are still outside with the cookies. He stops caressing his face and rests them on the chair so that he can hold himself up. ]

cw alcohol mention

[partymagician]

[ He looks down and away from Hien’s face. ]

I’ll come back.

[ … ]

I guess we shouldn’t drink anymore.

[ He laughs softly, awkwardly. ]

cw alcohol

[selfconcept]

I dunno... I like drinking, but I won't do it often.

[ Does that imply things? Yes. None of which Hien will say here. ]

Is there room for me in here? I wanna sit.

[ If not, he'll just take his lap, but the pod isn't tall enough... ]

[partymagician]

[ Huh. He wonders if there’s a hidden meaning behind that. ]

Yeah, there is.

[ Fai scoots over so Hien has a little bit more room. ]

[selfconcept]

Thanks.

[ He goes to sit inside the pod next to Fai. ]

Man, this thing is cramped. Maybe we're just too big.

[ Anyway, he turns to look at Fai. ]

How was your day? Yesterday and today. Did you do anything fun?

[partymagician]

[ He tries not to think about how close they are now. Maybe it’s silly, but he’s so much more cognizant of it. ]

I didn’t do much. I baked cookies.

[ Fai isn’t sure how to answer that question, honestly. Most people in his life haven’t asked him how his day was. ]

…What about you?

[selfconcept]

Stayed in bed all day. Got some people to come over and chat... Florence too. I don't think any of them noticed.

[partymagician]

Really? Despite those obvious bandages on your neck?

[ He laughs a little, reaching out to touch Hien's neck. Only, Fai hesitates at the last moment and brings his hand down to settle in his lap instead. ]

[selfconcept]

People were clumsy yesterday so I made some shit up about almost breaking my neck. It's fine.

[ Sounds legit. ]

[partymagician]

[ That makes him laugh. ]

What a dramatic excuse!

[ Maybe Fai is rubbing off on him. ]

It wouldn't be the end of the world if they did notice anyway.

[ Fai is a little embarrassed in the sense that he wasn't being as responsible as he should have been, but that's it. ]

[selfconcept]

I left a mark on you too, you know.

[ But it's lower, so it's easily hideable. ]

People tend to make a big deal about that sort of thing.

[partymagician]

[ Fai pulls on the neckline of the hoodie he's wearing, exposing the mark Hien left. It's faded, but still easily noticeable against his pale skin. ]

Do they really? They were seen as improper where I grew up. Is it the same in the worlds you've been to?

[selfconcept]

Scandalous.

[ He shrugs. ]

I've been to a lot so I can't really generalize, but I guess so. I dunno. Haven't really thought about the social effect of hickeys.

[partymagician]

[ He lets go of his hoodie as he settles against the back of the pod. ]

I had to think about it, since I was raised as a prince. Although in Celes we often wore clothes that covered our necks anyway since it was so cold, so it didn't matter most of the time.

[selfconcept]

That's awfully convenient.

[ That gets out a little laugh from him. ]

I have to pretend I'm clumsy that I accidentally injured myself. No one wants to ask if it's an injury.

[ He's very good at that... ]

[partymagician]

[ That laugh makes Fai feel much more at ease, evident in the way his shoulders relax ever so slightly. ]

Oh? Are you getting them so often that you have to resort to that?

[selfconcept]

I—

[ ...

He can't say he never got them before because of another Overseer. He sighs. ]

... No.

[ Huffy. ]