puppycrush2 | week one | match ceremony

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week one | match ceremony

The weather is temperate and mild for the match ceremony on this fine Saturday evening, and the crew leads everyone onto a balcony with a cute seating set-up of couches and love-seats. The vibes are Trendy. There are enough places to sit for everyone, but there are only two single chairs, so everyone else is gonna have to cozy up on the couch. Or you can cuddle up in the chairs. I’m not your mom. Also there is only one egg seat. There's mood lighting, like fairy lights.

To one side, there's a small stage of sorts, with a podium where the characters will place their hands to lock in their answers.

Wednesday and Ryuji are led off to the other side so that they can take a seat of honor over on a comfy couch to one side--close to the other contestants, but just far enough away that it's clear they're getting special treatment. Don't you wanna go to the Honeymoon Suite now? Huh???

Anyway.

There are non-alcoholic drinks for people to take at will (all the better to catch spittakes on camera), and the weather is breezy and nice.

And, standing in front of the makeshift stage, with a set of seven unlit lights behind him and one lit light, stands the Overseer. He is dressed the part, of course. He also... looks tired for a moment, but he snaps back to his Proper Hostly Character as soon as the cameras are properly on them and everyone is settled in.

He presses a hand to his chest, sweeping the other outwards.

"Welcome, everyone, to your first Match Ceremony!"

He beams, all classic Tsukasa Sparkles. "As your host, allow me to explain how this will work."

For... the audience mostly. Maybe also for Ryuji? He's not sure how many of the contestants still don't know. It's fine.

"The lights behind me represent each Perfect Match. If--no, when you manage to light every single one, you'll have won, and you will all receive your wishes. For each Perfect Match you find at this ceremony, a light will be lit! And it is your task to figure out which pairs led to those lights appearing."

He nods firmly, eyes and expression shining with confidence in the competitors sitting before him. "And you do not even have to worry about losing a wish this week! It isn't possible for you to have a blackout, since Miss Addams and Sakamoto were a Perfect Match. Congratulations!"

Get on with it, Tsukasa. He clears his throat, pauses just long enough for there to be an inevitable easy cut to commercial break when they edit this later, and then:

"We will begin this week with Team Wonder."

He extends his hand to Dorothea, the other pressed over his heart. "If the lovely Miss Arnault would come up to start us off...?"

Looks like it’s the moment of truth, so strap in.

--

The ceremony has finally arrived! Each character on Team Wonder will be called up in an order determined by the producers (read: rng'd). Each will get their own sub-toplevel that characters can react to at will.

After the matches have all been locked in, we will then find out just how many you all got right.

Otherwise, feel free to use this log for reactions/toplevels for pre- and post-ceremony, and anything else you please. The world of reality TV dating is yours to embrace.

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[ He has to stop and think about this for a moment. ]

Dorothea and Sanji or Mark and Josuke.

[ And admittedly... ]

If I'd been the one choosing a match you would have been my top choice, because I feel the most comfortable with you, but I'll be honest a week isn't enough for me to gauge anything beyond the fact that we get along fairly well. I sort of assumed you picked me because we agreed to work together on figuring this out too.

You and Josuke have the same idea, it sounds like.

[ A pause, lightly tapping her chin. ]

That was part of it, but it's not like I don't think you're attractive, either. Right now, I don't really have romantic feelings for anyone, but not everyone is the same, so I wanted to try to avoid stepping on toes, too.

[ Haaaa. ]

But we'll spend more time together next week, right?

[ Oh...? Oh... That comment about finding him attractive seems to take him by surprise for a moment. She'll be learning one of his tells soon as just one ear tilts back as he pulls his face back into something more neutral. ]

Right. Maybe the six of us should meet shortly before we vote for who goes into the booth next, and compare who has a stronger sense it might be at that point?

[ Was that surprise? Did she surprise him?

... Heh, that kind of feels like a victory, and Ritsuka grins a little. ]

I think that's a good idea. Any of the other pairs might also have figured out more, too. But at the very least, we'll have something to work on.

--Which reminds me, I found that song I was telling you about!

[ She can have this one, because she did.

A small nod, and then stopping. ]

You did?

[ His expressions are subtle, but there is some genuine interest in his tone. ]

That's not a bad way to start getting to know each other then.

Yeah! I asked Tsukasa for some help, and--

[ Gestures a bit, towards his ears. ]

Um, is it easier for you to use earbuds instead of headphones?

[ That's a fair question. ]

Probably. The university I attended had a heavy music focus, so I usually listen to live music, but if it's a recording, then...

[ He could probably crush his ears a little to get over the ear headphones to work, but it wouldn't be comfortable.

If only he were one of the many very normal four eared furries of his world, then this wouldn't be a problem. ]

Yeah, sorry... I didn't think Salieri would appreciate it if I summoned him here just to have him play. Come with me for a minute?

[ Just to the bedroom (ooooh) to pick up an mp3 player (oh). ]

[ He doesn't know who that is, but he is genuinely going to just go ahead and assume that's the composer, but then also that she doesn't mean summon literally. ]

Sure.

[ He's happy to get away from this mess right now anyway.

They can sneak off to the bedroom (oooooh) that is shared with twelve other people (oh [Will, presumably still sleeping outside]). ]

[ Thank goodness he's not asking, because then she'd have to explain the composer was Mozart (who she could also literally summon), but Salieri was the one who played it when she heard it--

But for now, she locates it and hands him the mp3 player so he can hold an earbud up close enough to his ear or put it in.

And then she'll play him this! ]

[ Unfortunately thanks to his unusual ear shape, he will be holding that earbud in place, because otherwise it would just fall right out.

The minute the first piano key is struck, his eyes close as he focuses on the music he's hearing.

It's not like he actually expected it to be a particular upbeat given the title, but the sound is still far moodier than he would have expected given how important Ritsuka had said it was to her. The pace is quick, even frantic in places. It's intense. Anger, melancholy, and anxiety all ring loud and clear throughout the piece at various points.

He waits a few seconds even after the song is done playing before opening his eyes again. His brow furrows.

It's a very good song, but he has to wonder... ]

You said this song meant a lot to you, didn't you?

Doesn't seem like my kind of thing, does it?

[ She smiles, but there's something quieter about it. ]

I was fighting a tyrant who'd trampled his own people, along with a bunch of others who wanted him stopped. But we couldn't weaken him. ... And that's when I heard this song, from one of our allies. It wasn't this... beautiful, graceful thing, it wasn't a demonstration of talent and technical skill, it was raw anger and sorrow and pain and he poured all of it into this.

And because of that, the tsar heard it and it resonated with him. It weakened him and it gave us the fighting chance we needed to take him down.

[ He is quiet for a long time after that explanation, his gaze drifting off to a corner of the room, eyes not quite seeming to focus as he mulls something. ]

There was a man that ruled my country of Leithanien known as the Witch King... Graf Utrica, a powerful caster who initially seemed to tear down the barriers between commoners and nobles. The country was coming apart at the seams after a large section of the nation seceded, and in doing so disrupted a song that acted as a core pillar in keeping the country together. Herkunftshorn managed to rewrite the song and save what remained of Leithanien. He achieved incredible things that would have probably been impossible for anyone else.

[ He finally looks back over at Ritsuka. ]

Twenty-three years ago, shortly before I was born, the people of Leithanien rose up against the man who had become a tyrant and put him down seemingly for good.

[ His gaze flicks down to the mp3 player now. A fairly unremarkable looking little thing to be standing around sharing these kinds of stories. ]

I wasn't there for it, and it's not really my business to say whether the Witch King was a force for good or evil, but I think I can understand this song well enough regardless.

[ It's her turn to be quiet for a while after that explanation. "Seemingly"? ]

Twenty-three years ago isn't very long, in the scheme of things. The country probably needed a long time to recover, although I hope that wasn't the case. Rulers... aren't all bad or all good, I've learned--so I couldn't say whether this king of yours was one way or another either. But it looks like you've got some pretty deep-running ties to music.

[ She, too, will glance down at the mp3 player. ]

... I think it resonated with me, too. I'm not talented or skilled at all and I wound up where I am now due to a total fluke. I'm completely average.

But when people would tell me that, sometimes I'd just wanna be like "Well, so what? It doesn't make what I did manage to do any less important! I still survived!"

[ Seemingly... Part one of a long story.

He's done telling that part of it for now though. She shared something deeply personal, so he figured he should at least share that much, even if his own piece of the story is barely mentioned.

An important name in his personal history had been. "Graf Utrica", though the boy that holds that title is different than the Witch King, even though his shitty temper can make him feel just as tyrannical some days. ]

You're selling yourself short if you think you're not talented or skilled.

As a mage, anyway. [ She waggles her fingers; there are three red tattoos emblazoned on the back of her hand. ]

I think being really determined and a hard worker and being able to fall asleep anywhere count as skills in a general sense.

I wouldn't fault you for that. All of my Arts are simple and combat oriented anyway.

[ Which doesn't suit people from his country of magic users well, but it works for him. ]

Being able to talk and connect with people is an important skill too, much less having the ability to direct and focus people. It's not something that most people can do well, hard work or not.

[ Ritsuka huffs out a laugh, shaking her head. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to make you have to console me or anything. The nature of my job is directing and focusing people, so maybe that's why I keep trying to do it here.

Are Arts like spells, for you?

[ Hmm... maybe it's hypocritical of him given he hasn't exactly given the impression of a man relaxing, but at the same time if people are going to cause problems for themselves, he's largely been ignoring them. He's poorly equipped to handle directing people, and he's certainly not going to bother with people that seem determined to be difficult. ]

No one would fault you for wanting to relax and not deal with some of this.

[ He's not telling her she should or shouldn't, but he is pointing that out. As long as they manage to guess one couple each week, they should be fine, right? ]

You can think of them that way.

[ A breath, slow. ]

If I'm one of the ones who can and who's okay with it, then I don't mind doing whatever I can to help. I may not know everyone's wish and I know a lot of people aren't here to find romance, but...

[ She shakes her head. ]

I want us all to be able to get there, Lessing. Though maybe that's just also me being nosy and not leaving people alone when they want to be.

[ That part's a little more rueful. She's aware. ]

[ He knows plenty of people that could use someone like Ritsuka in their lives, though there is a time and place for everything. He realizes this isn't just a fun game for many of the people here, himself included, but it does feel like she could quickly wear herself out if she's not careful.

So he's giving her a skeptical look here, ears lowering a bit uncertainly. ]

If you want to, that's your choice, but it's also not your job if people prove to be too difficult.

Well, if you want to slam their heads together to get them to cooperate when I don't feel like it, I'll consider that a romantic gesture.

[ She's kidding. ]

I can do that.

[ He says it so seriously. It may be good to make sure he knows she does not actually want him to "do that". ]

My hero.

[ No, let him live. ]

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week one | match ceremony

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