player-suggested mini-event: A STRANGER'S BED

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Player-Suggested Mini-Event
when: August 26th - August 31st
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

a stranger's bed

As a lead in to September, Riverview's ♥ Month of Romance, this is a completely optional mingle that will cause affected characters to end up in each other's beds. There are various options for both established and new CR. While it's easiest for characters still living in Communal Housing, anyone who has moved to their own homes can be affected and end up finding their way to Communal Housing, or within their own housing.

Residents of the Quarantine may notice that various businesses selling food and drink - cafés, diners, bakeries, restaurants, and other such establishments - are heavily advertising a new flavor that's supposed to be the biggest thing since pumpkin spice. A flavor additive that's said to subtly change the flavor of whatever the diner is eating or drinking to optimize the dish, drink, dessert, or any other food item it is added to for each person's individual taste, it's been selling like wildfire and is the latest trend.

After the cause of the rash of amnesia was revealed to be plant-related, sellers are keeping the origin of the secret ingredient very close to their chests, since it is a derivative of a recently-discovered plant dubbed chameleonis. Depending on the method of ingestion, this additive can have a variety of unexpected side effects, but only once the person who has ingested it becomes sleepy. Methods of ingestion include:

● Ingestion: Beverage: When ingested as a flavor shot to drinks ranging from sodas to coffee to alcoholic beverages, it can cause a desire for closeness to a particular other person. Affected characters end up crawling into bed with that specific other character when they become sleepy.

● Ingestion: Food: When ingested as a flavoring added to a baked good or other meal, it can cause an intense desire for body heat when the character becomes drowsy. It won't matter to an affected character who is providing the body heat, so long as it's someone, and they will end up sleepily crawling into someone else's bed for warmth.

● Inhalation: When inhaled ether from a steaming hot beverage or soup, or as an essential oil or aroma from a bakery, it can cause disorientation when a character becomes sleepy. Affected characters either aren't sure which bed is theirs and simply crawl into the closest one, occupied or not, or become convinced that another character's bed is their own.

Feel free to post up a top-level for your own character either affected and invading a random bed or unaffected but open to having their bed invaded by affected characters, or tag around to other people's top-levels.

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Comments

[spellslots]

[He opens his mouth to argue that, but what Loki says next catches him off guard, and Taako frowns.]

It's just like, gin and elderflower liqueur and soda water. What's wrong?

[dothelokimotion]

I feel very . . . calm. Lucid. Other words.

Perhaps a little drunk.

[spellslots]

[Taako glances at the drink, then at the food, but neither should be able to do that.]

Those aren't edibles or anything, I haven't made that kinda thing for a couple weeks.

[He lifts a hand, reaching for Loki's wrist to check his pulse, then pauses.] Can I, uh...?

[dothelokimotion]

How strange.

[ His normal smooth cadence is slightly blurred around the edges, but Loki doesn't seem to care. He feels almost content. Or whatever contentment must feel like. There's no need to think and mull over his words and actions. ]

You may but I doubt you can tell much from it. There is ice-blood in my veins. I think. I do not know my own physiology well.

[spellslots]

[Ice blood is certainly different, and it isn't something that Loki has specifically mentioned before, although Taako has a feeling it ties in with the whole "I'm a monster" spiel that Loki has given him before. Mostly, right now, it means Taako doesn't bother checking Loki's pulse, just sets his hands back in his lap as he thinks this over.]

Okay, so, I think you should stay here for like, a little while? Until whatever this is chills out, cause I feel like you'd be kinda pissed if I let you wander around like this.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki frowns at nothing in particular. ]

Is it that bad? It is nice to speak without . . . [ Loki lazily gestures to his head. Brain. Thoughts ]

[spellslots]

Not like, in theory, but when you spill something just cause you can't remember that you care, that's not great.

[He's speaking from his own perspective, here, but Loki is similar enough to him that he's sure he's not far off the mark in how Loki would feel.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki purses his lips, trying to puzzle it out before shrugging. ]

As you say. I feel like nothing matters.

[spellslots]

Let's trust Taako on this one, huh?

[He's sure Loki will appreciate it when he isn't... like this.]

You feeling okay aside from that? Not lightheaded or nauseous or nothing?

[dothelokimotion]

I feel fine. Which is more telling than anything else.

[ Because when has Loki ever felt fine, really. ]

[spellslots]

[Loki is a lot sometimes, but right now Taako is just going to try not to overreact to this whole thing.

He does have one more question, though, which he's going to preface by holding up a hand like he knows this is a bit of an odd one.]

Okay, okay, so - I swear I'm asking this for a reason. [help] Are you like... just chill, or kinda chill and horny? Uh, I'm just asking cause there were these drugs at a club I went to once? And it felt a little like whatever's going on here, but it also makes you pretty eager to get all handsy.

[And Loki is a being little handsy?]

[dothelokimotion]

[ A few minutes pass before Loki speaks. ]

I feel no deep seated desire for fornication.

[spellslots]

[Those minutes are, without doubt, the worst of Taako's life. Thank god he has alcohol to get him through it.]

Guess we can rule out that one. Lemme...

[Taako casts something, centered at Loki, but nothing changes.]

And we can rule out magic. That's all my ideas.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki shrugs loosely. ]

I imagine it will pass. One of the strange effects that come and go when it suits this place.

[spellslots]

[Normally Loki wouldn't be so calm about something fucking with his thoughts, Taako is sure, but there's not a whole lot he can do about it now.

So he figures he might as well relax, too.]

I feel like I'm wasting an opportunity here, there's gotta be some way I can use this to my own advantage.

[He's kidding, as evident by his grin.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki leans back with a hum. ]

What would you even ask for?

[spellslots]

[Jokes aside, Taako seems to give the question some consideration.]

I mean, I don't really give a shit about your deep dark secrets and you already called me out on the dick jokes so that's right out the window.

[At the end of the day, while there are a lot of shitty things he'll do, taking advantage of someone under the influence of some unknown external force isn't on the list.

Instead, he smiles.]

Here's a better question, what do you wanna do? Without any of the usual bullshit you'd be worrying about?

[dothelokimotion]

[ He sits up once more because that kind of question seems to require actual thought and his mind is a fog of pleasure and bliss. ]

I cannot say. I usually do whatever I want.

[ Though with a slightly mournful note. ]

Except murder.

[spellslots]

I feel you on that one, bubbale.

[There's really only one person he'd murder, if he could, but the temptation is still very much there.]

But I dunno if I buy that, like, no offense, but sometimes you seem way too into not enjoying yourself.

[Not that he wants to be miserable, but that he seems afraid of letting go.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Life is so hard. ]

It is difficult at times. There are two people in me. The Asgardian and the Frost Giant. Because they never told me. They made me believe I was one of them.

So I've always wanted what they made me want. Until the truth came out and I knew I could never have it.

[spellslots]

[There's a moment of guilt there, because he's sure Loki wouldn't have admitted this normally, and Taako isn't purposefully digging for information.

Still:] That's fucking rough.

[But he wants to avoid... more of this, so Taako lightly claps his hands together, and hops to his feet.]

I have a great idea, cause you probably wouldn't let me do this any other time but I don't think it's something that's gonna get me murdered in the morning.

[How ominous!

The little skip he does down the hallway is a lot less ominous, and he comes back only a few minutes later with a brush, comb, and a handful of hair elastics, holding them up victoriously, as if this is any kind of victory.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki eyes the stash, though there's no trepidation in his form. ]

Grooming?

[spellslots]

If you wanna call it that.

[Taako makes a little turn around gesture, since the easiest way to do this is to sit behind Loki.]

I did grab some nail polish too, if you'd prefer that.

[These are familiar rituals, things he and Lup have done together for centuries, occasionally roping the rest of their found family into it.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki dutifully shifts in accordance to Taako's instructions. ]

What is nail polish?

[spellslots]

[He sits himself down behind Loki, amused at the fact he's now done this sort of thing a few times, in the past week, though the circumstances with Cisco were far different from this.

The end goal is the same, though, so he starts carefully brushing out Loki's hair, both to make sure there aren't any knots, and because he has to wonder if Loki has ever had anyone do this for him, which kind of sucks, honestly. Having his hair brushed is one of the greatest things in life.]

It's like, a varnish? You put it on your nails. I don't wear it as much as I used to cause the last thing I want is it chipping into someone's cupcakes, you know?