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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[imperceptus]

[ Rin sleeps almost fully clothed: a long shirt, simple pants. Not the finery he wears for going about town, but coordinated nevertheless. His body is not relaxed in sleep; he's curled up tightly, his eyes squeezed shut, his breathing uneven. This is not a man at peace.

When Khisanth joins him, he doesn't notice immediately--but it's not long before he starts shifting against her, waking slow, confusion and irritation both rising fast in his mind. ]

[onblackwings]

[ It doesn't bother her in the slightest that he's taut, curled. She just wraps herself around him, forehead pressed to his back about between his shoulder blades, an arm trying to slide its way in to fold around his waist. And while he drifts up out of sleep, she begins to fall into it. This is better than a sun beam on a warm swampy bank, better than curling up beneath her enormous tree that serves as a lair, threaded between its exposed roots. Damn. She should've snuck in an occupied bed long ago. ]

[imperceptus]

[ The very moment he feels her hands on him, Rin's slow walk to consciousness turns to a sprint. He jerks away from her, his mind burning with fear and confusion, and instinctively grabs for one of the knives kept in his undershirt. He grabs her wrist with one hand, then brandishes the knife with the other, scowling, his crimson eyes bright with rage, his sharp teeth bared. She had brushed against a corded scar between his shoulderblades, and the skin tingles, shamefully, horribly. ]

Don't touch me.

[onblackwings]

[ His sudden movement disturbs her gathering sleep, and Khisanth blinks her eyes open, then frowns. There's no strength to it though, not even as she sleepily registers the knife. He wouldn't use it. Why would he? She hasn't done anything wrong. ]

Why not? [ She makes to pull her wrist back, but without much effort to it. Can this guy just chill, thanks. ]

[imperceptus]

[ YOU DON'T KNOW HIM OR WHAT HE'LL DO WITH HIS KNIFE, KHISANTH.

That said, he's bewildered--and even more pissed off--by her response. Why not? ]

Because I don't fucking want you to! What are you even doing? This is my bed.

[ He emphasizes the point by pushing against her wrist, digging his fingers into her palm. ]

[onblackwings]

[ Ow, c'mon. Okay, now she's a little irritated, and her free hand finds his with its digging fingers, to make at least a cursory attempt to pry her hand free of his. ]

I'm only here to sleep. [ Which makes all this better and completely excusable, right? ]

[imperceptus]

Were you raised by wolves?

[ He presses the hilt of his dagger to her free hand, both incredulous and irritated at once. ]

Use your own bed.

[onblackwings]

[ This is just unreasonable. She gives up on freeing her hand and just flops over back into the bed, face aimed for a pillow. She'll worry about her trapped hand later. ]

I think it burned. [ Her voice is muffled, until she rolls to direct her complaints at the ceiling instead. ] But I'm not sure. I didn't use it very often.

[imperceptus]

You just make a habit of curling up wherever you'd like, then?

[ Once she stops fighting him, he eases up, but his expression is no less aggrieved. He sits back, dagger still firmly in hand, eyebrows furrowed. ]

[onblackwings]

[ Not usually. For whatever reason, today it sounded like a great idea, and she's never been one to question her own impulses. Much better just to satisfy them.

She doesn't answer, just stretches lazily, makes herself a little more comfortable, and offers up a lazy smile. ]

You were warm. Don't let me interrupt you, you should get back to your sleep.

[imperceptus]

[ He scowls. ]

I sleep alone.

[onblackwings]

That's a shame. It's better with two.

[ She's new here, to this whole human thing, and even she's learned that much. She also doesn't look at all inclined to give his bed back any time soon. ]

[imperceptus]

That's a matter of opinion.

[ He levels the dagger at her. ]

Get the fuck out.

[onblackwings]

[ The lazy smile drops some as she eyes the dagger, trying to decide how likely it is that he might put it to use. She'd really prefer not to get stabbed over this. ]

You hardly even gave it a chance.

[imperceptus]

I have no reason to do so.

[ Sleep is the closest a person can come to death without actually crossing over. The body is vulnerable, the mind is locked in dreams or silence, and altogether it provides the perfect opportunity for someone to make sure you don't wake up. For this reason, Rin doesn't entertain one-night stands--not unless he's planning to wake up alone. ]

And you need to learn boundaries.

[onblackwings]

[ That's true, she supposes he doesn't have a reason to. But she doesn't have any reason to bother with that boundaries thing. With that in mind she simply rolls over to turn away from him, tugging the blanket up and over her head as she curls up.

It's better with two, but one will still do. Maybe he can find somewhere else to be. ]

[imperceptus]

[ Girl?!

Rin feels like he's just about done playing.

He loops an arm around her neck and pulls back, yanking her up and holding her flush against him. With his other hand, he presses the tip of his dagger to her ear. He hisses, his usually friendly voice turned cold, almost guttural. ]

Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. I want you to leave, and I want you to leave now.

[ He hisses. ]

Khisanth.

[onblackwings]

[ Well. Now she's awake, fully and alertly. Her fingers are quick to curl around his arm, his hand at the hilt of the dagger, and her lip curls over gritted teeth. ]

It's Onyx. [ Her fingers on his begin to heat, a trick inspired by Dodger. Much longer and there will be flames flickering up around them. ]

[imperceptus]

[ He's not a super huge fan of fire, or of heat in general. But he can tolerate it extremely well.

His voice and mouth have turned cruel, hard-edged. He presses the dagger against her neck, just below her earlobe. ]

Keep up with that spell and I'll cut your throat. I guarantee you'll die before I burn.

[onblackwings]

[ She's even less appreciative of that prick of dagger, and obediently the heat fades again. Honestly, it hadn't really worked when Dodger had tried it on her, either. She should keep that in mind... along with that fire just isn't her element. ]

Let go of me. [ The lazy, playful tone has dropped, as she takes things finally a little more seriously. At least he's managed to get that much out of her. ]

[imperceptus]

[ Rin doesn't really like to get violent. He prefers to solve things with words--with persuasion, intimidation, deception. All the sneaky skill checks. Even this is more intimidation than anything; he has no real desire to actually kill her (what a mess it'd make).

So he eases off. ]

Get out of the bed.

[onblackwings]

[ She rubs her neck with baleful frown over her shoulder as he releases her, and moves... but only to the edge of the bed. She pauses there with her legs over the edge, apparently considering it out enough. ]

You're very touchy. [ hi kettle how you doin ]

[imperceptus]

I like my space.

[ He frowns at her, noting that she hasn't completely obeyed him. He moves so that he's taking up more space, sitting up with one leg crossed over the other. Knife still at the ready. ]

You understand that it's wrong to just--invade someone's bed like this, right?

[ Even if the other occupant isn't less-than-secretly a highly trained assassin?? ]

[onblackwings]

[ He can keep his knife out; that he hasn't used it yet promises to Khisanth that he won't at all, particularly since she's given him his way. You know, enough. She makes a point of grooming, running fingers through her hair to reorder it. ]

I don't see why. It's only a bed. [ not even a lair, full of personal stuff?? ]

[imperceptus]

Let me put it this way. You wouldn't like it if some random person just suddenly climbed on you while you were asleep, would you?

[ He's starting to wonder if she's literally a child. ]