xistentia | LATE SUMMER FAIR (NSFW DESSERTS)

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LATE SUMMER FAIR (NSFW DESSERTS)

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: The slow transition from summer leads to a fair, complete with whacky treats and activities from other holidays and festivals from around the Multiverse.
Date(s): August 26-September 2
Warnings/Notes: None, please mark your subject headers with content.

Late Summer Fair

I play my part and you play your game

Welcome to Xistentia's first fair, F.A.T.E.S.' excuse to mingle. The setup appears overnight on the edge of town, a nonsensical mash of themes and places from the multiverse. Haunted house and circus tent, facepainting, ferris wheel and carousel, game stands that seem to self-operate, dozens of empty shopfronts, self-regenerating popcorn stands. Pretty soon, however, the people start to come, bringing their own goods and wares. The population of Xistentia is 333, which is more than enough people to fill a fair.

As far as fair food goes, there are penis-shaped waffles^[NSFW] in various flavors, two-sticked popsicles for sharing with a partner, turkey legs, fried dough, cookies as big as your head, fried fish, fried lizards, glutinous fruits, and lembas.

And let's not forget, there is an abundance of alcohol everywhere. Beer, wine, you name it.

But of course, let's not forget the games. Many of them are low-key and prizes vary from the ability to change your daemon's color to any other natural hue, to free food, horrible writing pens, and stuffed animals. Games vary from whack-a-mole to bobbing for apples. Everything is free to eat, drink, and play, barring some excuses for barter with some of your friendly neighborhood natives.

Some games, however, are less casual if not necessarily more costly. The contests of finesse and strength come with special prizes from F.A.T.E.S. and...

THE WINNERS ARE

Note that the "prizes" do not stack. Runner-up winners will not get multiple of the same type of prize, and those who experience a critical failure won't suffer particularly severe consequences. If your character receives a dream or a "unique item," you will receive a reply to your comment on the mod announcement with more information.

Contests of Finesse

DARTS
First Place	Vanyel Greyjoy	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Aymeric, Jace, Amanda, Zeke, Kavinsky, Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Magnus, Barclay	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit
RING TOSS
First Place	Jace Wayland and Magnus Lightwood-Bane	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Vanyel, Rafaello, Amanda, Zeke, Barclay, and Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Aymeric and Kavinsky	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit
ARCHERY
First Place	Alec Lightwood-Bane	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Nico, Vex, Aymeric, Zeke, Magnus, Kavinsky, and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Rosie and Barclay	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams
SPARRING
First Place	Kavinsky	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Aymeric, Rafaello, Zeke, Barclay and Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Alec, Vanyel, Jace, and Magnus	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit

Contests of Strength

ARM WRESTLING
First Place	Ezekiel	Precognitive dream later that night
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Rosie, Aymeric, Vanyel, Rafaello, Magnus, Kavinsky and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Vex and Jace	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams
HIGH STRIKE
First Place	Era	Precognitive dream later that night
Still Good	Alec, Nico, Vex, Jace, Zeke, Magnus, Kavinsky and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Rosie and Aymeric	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams

See also detailed dice roll information for: darts, ring toss, arm wrestling, high strike, and archery.

Kissing Booth

And what would a fair be, without a kissing booth?

Just like the rest of the fair, the odd thing is that there is of course no payment required.

Instead, a large and lovely lantern hangs behind the booth. It seems to glow a little brighter every time a kiss is transacted. It's hard to know exactly what this means, but considering that emotional intimacy lights the streets of the city, one might guess that F.A.T.E.S. is saving up this particular energy for something special.

But until then, it's a good excuse to make out.

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[Although she had much more intimate contact with fans long ago, there's something far nicer about Arthur's platonic affection. Maybe because it isn't asking for more, or perhaps because he's not glancing over her shoulder for Brian. Whatever the reason, it really is more appreciated than Mandy thinks she could really explain with words. So she just smiles]

Well, thank you darling. Honestly, I think something of a communal wardrobe wouldn't be an awful idea.

[it's the way she lived for a long time, swiping the boys' lipsticks and jackets, knowing they were raiding her earrings and scarves at the same time. It feels weird to be wearing peacock-bright colors now, but she can't deny she misses it, and that feeling of sharing small things.

Her grin broadens as she rests her chin on her hand, while still not propping up her chest the way she had for the people who actually wanted her lips] Mm, quite. There was a gorgeous blonde girl named Rose. I might have to talk to her later.

[Something in her stomach still twists at not hiding pronouns or changing names--the time when she'd been able to do that safely nearly everywhere she went had been so brief that it's hard to believe it wasn't a dream sometimes. But she does her very best not to show it, the memory of that fear that she knows Arthur knows and hardly needs to be put in words. So instead, she arches a brow] And what about you?

Perhaps she should have forgone eating thirds of everything she could find, if only to avoid the way her stomach feels at the moment, but she has never had this problem before and hadn't expected it start tonight. Era can't recall ever truly feeling sick though imagines that this can't be too far from it. Regardless, she can't quite find it in herself to regret any of it - the food was delicious and fun, and surprisingly enough lead to her gaining some... knowledge. The games were enjoyable despite her horrid luck, and seeing Aymeric's skill with a bow in a friendly competition rather than a strained situation was more delightful than Era would like to admit.

Speaking of Aymeric, she had split away from him rather early on in the evening to explore and had not seen much of him outside of the competitions despite his height. With the night coming to a close Era wants his company, for if there is any one person she would trust with her safety while she is not in top form, it is be her dear Lord Commander.

Really? I'd love that.

[Part of him can't quite believe it, despite the evidence right in front of him--he's wearing one of her scarves, loosely tied around his throat, and she looks better in his earrings than he ever did. Still, there's that giddy grin again, and he glances away for a moment with a huff of laughter and a distinct warmth to his face.]

You should, although I'll be surprised if she's the only person you reel in, though. You look amazin'.

[That small, pointed look speaks volumes more than the four words she spoke, and he feels the flush on his face deepen even as he gives himself away by looking over his shoulder at a different booth.]

I haven't worked up the nerve to kiss him yet. His name's Will, and he rescued me a while back when I fell in a ditch and busted my ankle. [He turns back to Mandy with a helpless, self-defeating smile.] And he plays guitar.

You say that now. Wait until the scarves and boas start breeding and eat only left shoes.

[but she still sounds pleased herself; she doesn't know why that was something she'd missed, having a messed up closet never been sure who had bought what, but that colorful chaos had been a piece of the new sort of life she'd built for herself, making the ridiculous buildings they stayed in feel like homes.

She's glad she put on makeup now, since it covers the flush she feels warming her face] Flatterer. I'm rusty, and I know it quite well. And unless appearances are even more deceiving than I'm used to, I'm quite sure I'm probably the oldest person signed up for this business.

[But her self-depreciation can only go so far, because then Mandy follows that quick glance and a lifetime ago she would have snorted with laughter and just shoved Arthur towards the boy. That's what she did, dragging people into the deep end. She's still not certain really how either she or Brian got away with it without getting slapped more often.

Now, her whole face crinkles in the kind of smile that never would have made the cover of a magazine even with her jewel toned lips since it reveals the lines on her face, but it's also real]

Well, it's impossible not to be wound up by a cute boy with a guitar. Isn't that the entire reason you boys get them in the first place?

[Then, in a move that even she's surprised by, she touches his hand--light enough that anyone even standing right by them might not notice--and drops most of the sparkling mask that in all honesty is still exhausting, looking surprisingly serious for just a moment] Go on. Worst thing that happens is he turns you down and you know he's got positively no taste and also needs to get his eyes checked.

It's always the bloody left shoe, isn't it? Unless it's a left sock.

[His own memories of sharing clothes and makeup and accessories are bright and shimmering, maybe a little rosy with nostalgia, but it had meant for the first time not having to hide his things, not having to sneak out in a jacket too warm for the weather. It had been his first experience with true freedom, and if he's honest with himself, it's something he's missed desperately. The promise of common ground makes it feel almost like he's home.]

It's not a bad thing, that you're older than most of us. It just means you've lived longer. Personally, I've been enjoying your perspective.

[Even when it makes him squirm, self-conscious, at the knowing glance she gives him. His heart picks up speed at the same time that she touches his hand, and for a moment he feels as though he's known her for years already.

He can't hold back a giggle, but at least his palms aren't sweating every time she looks at him anymore, and for a brief moment he winds their fingers together and squeezes. The moment passes by, and he glances back over at Will again.]

I wouldn't know why he got it, but he certainly knows how to use it. [Then, realizing how that sounded, his ears go hot and he looks away again.] I think I might need a drink first.

Jesus. It would all be hilarious, if it didn't remind Mandy of too many girls she'd known even after becoming a household name--the ones who wrote letters about the fact they hadn't even known it was possible to feel that way about another girl until Brian had told the whole world that she shared his attraction for both boys and girls. All those glittering children who hadn't even realized what was possible, what their feelings of being odd really were and that they weren't wrong.

Even if things hadn't gone to shit,there was no way she could have done anything for every single one of them. But she could at the very least do something for a few here. So instead of giving into feeling desperately sad that someone didn't realize there was so much their body could feel with another, Mandy smiles and nods.

"Yes, there certainly is. That's one of the many things that attracted me to my former husband, as a matter of fact. He was...very adept at the act, as well as many others." It's surprises her a little that she doesn't feel much pain at saying that. She doesn't love him anymore, honestly--or at least, not the man he became. But the man he was once upon a time? Well, he certainly knew what he was doing.

She's quite grateful that Era's lack of knowledge is providing so many ways for her to avoid going too far down memory lane. She chuckles, "That's good. I'd still advise treading cautiously with men you don't actually know--and ones you do, really, some of them can get….irrational, if they feel rejected or mocked. The fragility of the male ego will never cease to astound me. If we had the sort of...means to talk to each other along great distances the way we do where I'm from, I'd say to give the ones who you don't want to talk to a fake phone number. But you seem fairly clever, I'm sure you could figure out ways to get them...to leave you alone." The phrase 'off your tail' had just barely been caught at the tip of her tongue; she may not have a lot of tact by choice, but even she could recgonize that as a potentially poor choice.

"...Someone being toted as having a skilled tongue is not the same as someone having a silver tongue, I imagine?"

Past encounters with oddly interested strangers begin to make more sense now, in retrospect. If Era looks at everything with the slightly skewed, sex-focused mind that so many others apparently possess... She sighs, shaking the thoughts from her head to focus on the rest of what Mandy has to say. It nearly makes her laugh, but Era refrains. The woman's concern causes warmth to bloom in her chest, for it is not something she receives frequently at all. Her strength is legendary, and so few feel the need to worry for her.

"I have no interest in others, and I have no need to fear the wrath of any man, rational or no." Which is not entirely true, but true enough in this particular context. "But I thank you for your concern."

[It takes Arthur two beers and more than a little encouragement from Mandy, but eventually, he plucks up the courage to approach Will's booth.

Despite the friendly face and the easy smile, he can't help but linger awkwardly in the background for a bit, convinced that he'll be kindly but firmly turned away. But he thinks about Mandy's hand on his, about the open, honest warmth she'd encouraged him with, and after sticking his hands in his pockets and taking them out again and swallowing three times around the dryness of his throat, he takes a deep breath and--

before he can talk himself out of it, or put his foot in his mouth and be turned away, he reaches over and winds his fingers through Will's hair and pulls him in without a word.

The kiss is a bit clumsy from his lack of practice, and his heart is hammering so loudly in his chest he's sure Will can hear it, but he forces himself not to pay attention to anything but the lips under his.]

[ snorts at being called a gentleman, but he grins at her before bowing slightly. then, he steps up to the line and aims. when he throws, his shot goes a little wide, just outside the bullseye, but he shrugs it off. ]

I was never one for darts, but it's not a bad throw. Your turn, miss.

Edited 2017-09-05 14:18 (UTC)

[ it's at the ferris wheel when he meets up with his boyfriend again, linking arms with him as they get into a gondola. he snuggles close, basking in the warmth that comes from will's body and notes the way he seems to have his mind somewhere else. ]

What are you thinking, caro mio?

[ bringing their lips close, nico nips a little before responding. ]

Shh, we'll pretend I'm off the clock. Besides, if I can't kiss my boyfriend, what's the point?

[it's hard not to bark a laugh at that, to not tell him how many people she's outlived and will outlive because no one else gives a single shit about them. But that's the kind of thing she's trying to just think about at night on her own, and makes a concerted effort to shove back under the bed like the proverbial monster it feels like now because there are still beautiful people to kiss and Arthur who's still...whatever he had been, before the first time she recalls seeing him, before the world had completely washed away everything she and Brian had done and was left more bleached than her damn hair]

As surreal as that is to hear, it's not unappreciated. Doesn't change the fact that I am having dreadful flashbacks of saying 'don't trust anyone over thirty' and being entirely serious.

[it takes biting her lip quite hard to hold back her laughter at that, even if it would be with him, because she almost remembers being that way, seeing someone across a room and thinking they were too beautiful to go near. But the shift of his hand--that passing moment of real connection, as light and fleeting as it is--sucks the majority of the amusement away. As much as she would have desperately wanted another person to look to at his age to make these things easier, she is still entirely sure she isn't the one to be looking to. But people like him--like them--worked with what they had because it had to be enough.

She sucks in a soft breath, before levelling her gaze]

One piece of advice is that I actually think isn't total rubbish; the ones you need some liquid courage for are generally worth it. You should be at least a little nervous before the first time you kiss someone. Also, don't worry about being a blithering idiot too much. Even if he's not--rock star caliber, usually a boy like that, who carries an instrument around? They're delighted if they can make you forget your own name. It's embarrassing, but the vast majority of the time worth the couple minutes you'll be wanting to go find a cave to hide in for the rest of your life.

[was she actually admitting she'd been a total twit around--well, maybe not Brian, of course not Brian, but anyone? She would have wanted to die from that, not long ago. Yet another reason this was all so damn surreal]

So, the sooner you get the embarrassing parts out of the way, the sooner you can get to finding out what else he knows what do with his hands.

Kaz hates skin to skin contact, but the first thing he did on arrival was dry his gloves so he could wear them, which means he has no hesitation in taking her hand and returning a firm handshake. It's a surprisingly masculine gesture — not that there aren't female merches or other leaders where he's from, but it's not entirely the norm, and it tells him a bit about her.

"Kaz Brekker," he returns the introduction, lifting his gaze from where he's been examining the 'Eevie' again. "Welcome's fine. It's all the same to me. I had this--" he jerks a thumb at the crow on his shoulder, and it pecks at him agreeably. "To catch me up to speed."

Or, some semblance of it anyway. It didn't prepare him for the fair. Or the people, really. Or the hollowness in his stomach when he thought of home.

Most people. It's not as though it's not true: he's not really a fun sort of guy. The observation registers as teasing, but he doesn't have even the flicker of a smile, though nor does he look mad about it. Honestly, she's welcome to be as flirtatious as she likes, so long as she enjoys flirting with a brick wall. Kaz is too strange and angry and socially inept to be good at talking to other people — the only solution he's found is to present a blank face, keeping everything under the surface and letting those around him fill in whatever they like.

He tips his head to the left at the question, as avian as his daemon. What is? "I'd be more at home in a casino," he admits. Not that he gambles or finds any particular enjoyment in the smoking and drinking and women of the night usually found in those establishments, but it would be somewhere he understood. This place is too — innocent. Aside from the penis waffles. And the kissing booths.

"Does this city even have an underbelly?" he wonders aloud, voice hoarse with a lifetime of smokestack living. And then he smiles at her for, probably the first time in this conversation, just a glint of it, like a man parting his jacket to show the gleam of a gun at his hip. "If not, I think that should change."

Kaz snaps back to himself, the flash of longing-disgust-confusion-anger immediately tamped down as he realizes there's another person watching him watch the kissing booth. Lifts a gloved hand to adjust his collar, the other tight and sure on his cane.

"No. That is, I'm fine," he says, not too sharp but firm, as if he can stamp out any further questions by simply being insistent enough that there's nothing out of the ordinary. He has to tip his head back a little to look up into the other man's face, take in those strange and vivid eyes. They pierce his guard, leaving him slightly taken aback, his natural eloquence leaving him with an: "Oh."

Well. There's that longing-disgust-confusion-anger again. Kaz Brekker: walking maelstrom.

[ His cheeks are flushed. Wyatt runs his finger across that flush, unable to help himself. ]

Oh, I think I could make time. That's if you can. You'll probably have a line of people getting in my way.

[ Wyatt turns his head, all bright eyes and brighter smiles. Then he sees that the person asking is Rosie, and that smile fades away again. That weird, uncomfortable feeling in his stomach intensifies, and he sits up a little straighter. ]

Look, I know this is all for fun, [ He says, gesturing vaguely at the fair around them. ]

But I saw you with Jaden, okay. And I like him. So I'm not gonna kiss his girl, kissing booth or not.

[ Wyatt lifts his eyebrows, but his smile grows. Nico's cute. Very cute, and he's a good kisser. He leans forward, beckoning Nico to him. ]

You know, since it's you, I'd give you one for free. But if you want to feed me a dick, then...I won't complain. Come here.

[ Then he grabs the front of Nico's shirt and pulls him in for another kiss. This time his teeth graze at his lower lips before he deepens it, licking at Nico's tongue. ]

[ Aw, man. This lady, sadly, displays every sign of being a real live adult, and that's always disheartening. Still, at least Wyatt's buzz is only dulled, not killed. He uses his pastry dick as a particularly creamy pointing tool, jabbing it in the direction of the burger stand. ]

That way. Get halfway to it and the smell of onions will guide you to paradise. That's like the best smell in the world.

[ Or one of them. There's a few better ones. Anyway – that's not the point of this conversation. His burger drips almost-barbecue-tomato sauce on his hand, which he glances at, but doesn't try to stop. Instead he's still gesturing with the dick. ]

They got hot dogs, too. And like, a shit ton of battered things that I didn't know what they were, but I'm definitely tasting them later. You hungry?

And in that brief flash of a smile, dangerous but mildly enticing because it is a tinge deadly, she sees Charlie Maxwell looking at her instead of Kaz Brekker. She'd always known there were more men like Charlie in the world. Really, the fact that the multiverse is converging here should have prepared her for a higher possibility of meeting one yet- She's still surprised.

'Didn't you know, Rose? Humans are more demonic than you and I could ever hope to be.'

It figures that he wouldn't actually die. The woman couldn't be so lucky. He was a cat, after all, and she had sometimes wondered if it was really his ninth life. She had never been able to tell where the lies end and began with him. "A casino!" she exclaims, not letting her face betray her fleeting stroll down memory lane. "That's definitely a new one. I'd say you could ask F.A.T.E.S. but, uh. Currency might be an issue, maybe? Not sure how you gamble with hugs and kisses." Actually, she is very aware of how bodies and carnal pleasures can be wagered with because she's not nearly as naive as she comes across but. It's better that he (or anyone) isn't aware of that fact.

[ Oh, that's... not a good reaction. Her own smile wanes as his does; Wyatt's always been cheery with her until now. What had changed?

Then he says that and it clicks. A couple things do, actually. ] Oh, dude. We're not, uh. We're not together, or anything? [ They might be, someday, because that's just the way things have always gone with Rose. She has no reason to think they won't this time too but right now, ] We're just having a good time.

[ Though she has the some kind of unpleasant visceral reaction at hearing Wyatt say he likes Jaden. Less intense than Vex talking about Vanyel, but- Something similar. Threatened. He'd called it jealousy, but. She has no right to be jealous over someone she doesn't have a claim on. Yet. So she squashes it down, tries to play it off as nothing. ]

"But if you want to, that should be your business and no one should make you feel like you can't."

Rose isn't budging on this. But there are more important things, honestly, than disagreeing on whether or not public displays of affection are acceptable. Like the fact that Era has never even been kissed before. Even before Eudio, Rose had enjoyed a drunken make-out here or there. She had fled before it got any more serious every time but still.

"No kidding?" Then, perhaps a bit insensitively, "Why not?"

[ Well, hello. Looks like this batch of arrivals was just chock-full of hotties. Good work, F.A.T.E.S. Keep it up.

Brown eyes shine in an almost coy way as she keeps them locked with Shepard's gaze. Her smile grows just a fraction at the redhead being 'interested.' ]

Skills indeed! I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'm a pretty impressive kisser. [ There are a lot a couple people at this very fair who could vouch for her. ] Though I guess that'll be up for you to assess.

[ Eyebrow waggle, before she leans in closer ready to pucker up and kiss those pretty lips. ]

[ There was a time when Rose didn't think she was anything. Sometimes, she still doesn't have the highest opinion of herself. But it says a lot, maybe, that she doesn't completely write of Mandy's compliment. That she believes however fleetingly she is quite something. ]

Yeah, I don't think F.A.T.E.S. is too picky, honestly, as long as people are smooching someone somewhere. So, hey, why not us and right here?

"There is no one who says they cannot. It is just how things are, of their own volition. My world is not like yours, and as such it is not your place to judge my people for their choices. A chaste kiss or fond embrace are good enough displays for most, and if they aren't then there is no one stopping them from whatever else there may be."

Era will not budge on this either. It is her home and she will defend its society and culture from the judgment of those who don't aim to understand it. Chaste kisses, warm embraces, holding hands... These are all common enough, but anything beyond the chaste has its time and place outside of the public eye, where there are no interruptions and less chance of danger lurking nearby.

"I have had no interest, nor the time between aiding those in need and saving Eorzea."

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Page 4 of 18

LATE SUMMER FAIR (NSFW DESSERTS)

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locked to Aymeric

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KISS DE BOY

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kissing shep, a dream come true

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reuses icon gives zero shits