ARRIVAL LOG 010

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Evening of October 21 and 22
WHAT: The tenth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion, loss of autonomy, sexual themes and alcohol usage. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #010

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see four people in black body armor seated opposite you, as well as a man in dark gray scrubs.

You realize there are others next to you. All of you in white scrubs, hair recently cut but at various stages of growth, restrained by straps across your chests, arms, feet, holding you to the bench under you. To your left, an armored interior door, two more people visible, the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle stops. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and false, colored light, illuminating the streets in the distance will first alert your senses of being somewhere else, combined with air that's only cooled with the setting of the sun. The nurse moves to stand at the back, checking each passenger over one by one just before they're helped out of the vehicle, quick and methodical. He doesn't climb out after you, moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick, firm, but not entirely unkind. Once all the passengers are out, they drop some masks on the ground in a tan-colored tote bag. "Pick a mask," they bark, and then turn to climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.

You're left alone in an alley, with no idea of where you are or why you've been brought here.

Around the corner of the alley, there is the sound of various different carnival rides and men yelling for someone to step right up and try their luck on the various assortment of games that are available. Off in the distance, there's a large, hulking structure – perfectly vertical in nature, and people on it twist upward and then come slamming down mere moments later. It seems that you've just arrived as a part of some festivity, though it's probably hard to tell if you're an attraction or a coincidence of this all.

Either way – time to pick a mask. They're nothing special: they go over the head, but no one was ordered to put one on. They show various monsters – generic and otherwise – and it looks like they were purchased in bulk.

◉ Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: OPENING CEREMONY

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

Here we go again. You know the drill by now. Our new batch has been thrown into the middle of a Halloween party. They should have masks on which doesn't make them much easier to find, but I trust you guys can figure this out. You know the signs to look for by now. So… Happy Halloween. 🎃

Having ten actual days dedicated to Halloween may seem like a bit much, but New Amsterdam takes the festivities seriously. Thanks to being a melting pot of two millenia's worth of cultures, they try to touch on every aspect of it. The launch party is a two-day event set in the cultural district. Thanks to the lack of ground traffic, the city easily rolls in what acts as a mini-carnival. The ground throughout the carnival is lit with candle-filled pumpkins, providing a warmth of inviting light as the nights grow cooler. While the carnival shuts down during the working day, it opens again in the evening, allowing working parents to bring their children before the hours come to a close. During this time, children run around with their friends in costumes to ask for candy or food from nearby businesses or carnival booths. Sometimes these children have to perform a task before they get what they've asked for – either through playing a game or answering a trivia question – but they're never turned away empty handed.

The first two days are largely billed as a time for people to come together and have a good time, but Halloween is also known for offering opportunities to local artists to get their work recognized. Whether digital or otherwise, artists are asked to commit to a theme and produce art on the first day of the event that's viewed throughout the next nine days. Part of the tradition is the crunch of trying to produce a work of art with limited notice and time. If they aren't done before the first two days are over, they won't be able to get free advertisement for their work. When the event is over, all of the art will go up for auction, and the artists will receive 75% of whatever is offered for their work. This year's theme is "Remembrance and Renewal" – and most themes from past years are just as open for interpretation.

As it gets deeper into the evening and children have returned home, the festivities turn toward being more adult. While barred from selling alcohol until 9 PM, the various carnival booths change their tune after that point, offering a wide array of alcohol – including their own takes on moonshine. The first night even features a competition over who's brought the best, and everyone's invited to try a sample and put in a vote – for free. A rather savvy individual would likely be able to find themselves well in their cups just off of these samples, as the moonshine contest is the way for the adults to get a treat of their own. For these evening festivities, everyone is allowed to wear a more risque costume, and sex workers come over from the neighboring Red Light District in order to advertise some of their more unique services for the evenings ahead. Every brothel will have a unique theme of its own to mark how special the event is, and their services will match.

Otherwise, the first two days of Halloween are known for allowing kids to have fun and for adults to be anonymous for a little while. Anyone who holds down a day job will still be expected to turn into work, but there's a tacit understanding that most people will be under the weather during this time.

◉ The carnival will have a wide array of rides that are set up rather quickly. There's a ferris wheel with seats that will rotate around a large machine like an atom, but with many different "branches" to allow a great deal of people to go on at once. Everyone gets on at the same time, and the seats "float." Each person can pay for how long their ride is in increments, and extend that time if they so choose. For the after dark people, there is a definite badge of honor in having a good time in a ferris wheel without getting caught with your pants down. Other rides include the Wicked Force – which rapidly takes people up 500 ft into the air and then drops them – as well as carousels that allow someone to customize their mount for an additional amount of money. Want a lewd mount? That's fine … after the kids have gone home to play, and some people like to show off whatever they thought up on Cooltalk.

◉ As always, there are a large number of food options available thanks to the local food trucks coming out to sell their food. Taco trucks are the most popular around this time, and that's most of what will be offered. Many trucks will have some homemade candy that they offer for free with each meal – with the option to get more.

◉ Throughout the city, there will be controlled bonfire pits that are lit every night at 8 PM, though they won't be present in the less cared for parts of New Amsterdam. Ahead of the event starting, there will be a website to let people know where these pits are going up so they can set up meeting places with their friends – or even reserve a pit for a private group. Reservations around the more popular areas cost more than ones that are nearing the "disreputable" sections – though "disreputable" is shorthand for rundown buildings in need of repair more than any crime.

◉ There are, of course, costume contests! While many local bars – dive and otherwise – will have smaller affairs, there is a large contest held on these first two nights. Because of the wide array of people and costumes available, someone has to enter their costume according to a certain theme. Some of the themes are: vampires, ghosts, zombies, pop culture (animation), pop culture (action movies), pop culture (celebrities), political figures, historical figures – and more! In the five days that follow, people will be able to go online and vote for their favorite costume. Whoever accumulates the most votes gets a meal of their choice at a number of participating restaurants – HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY, SOL, Monde Pizza, Sweetwaffel and more – as well as 200 credits added to their funds.

◉ There will be dealers around the carnival trying to get someone to buy something to "heighten" their experience. While the "monster drug" is out in the city, it won't be available here. Halloween is thought of as a neutral ground for the city, and even the gangs recognize that. Most drugs will be hallucinatory in nature, providing effects similar to shrooms. Of course, any drugs are still illegal, and people will want to be careful not to get caught – or buy from the wrong person.

◉ Anyone who chooses to take part in the more illicit and sexual activities will be advised to go home to finish out their nights. Being handsy is fine, but getting caught on the ferris wheel? Well, the goal is to not get caught. Public acts are still illegal, though most people just spend a night in jail thinking about what they did. It's treated as more embarrassing than anything, but sometimes people let things get away from them. Many of the brothels will offer rooms to couples for the evening, complete with toys and supplies to practice safe sex. Even if they aren't spending their night with a sex worker, the themed goods are still there to enjoy.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: THE NEXT EIGHT DAYS

After the rowdier events pass, Halloween splits into two main categories: corporate popups and remembrance. Halloween parties continue to be thrown at restaurants and bars, allowing people to enjoy a more low key version of what was previously available. Many of the bars have karaoke contests and themed parties, and many retail stores maintain a Halloween section until November first. If anyone's been invited to a party last minute – or they need a series of costumes to be extra about the whole occasion – they can hit these stores when needed.

◉ Pulsar's hover car-focused subsidiary, Bakker, advertises their 2512 line of cars by having hover hay rides around the city. Their trucks can hold up to six. Anyone hoping to go on a hover truck hay ride around the city to take in the sights and bonfires in the evening can call one on New Amsterdam's special Halloween app! These rides don't only show the city: they give a glimpse at the large amount of forestation just over the wall, allowing people to see that the Earth is gradually improving.

◉ There are, of course, haunted houses set up around the city! Haunted houses come in two varieties: virtual reality and 4D. Vyonation's gaming subsidiary, Vizija, sets up the virtual reality popups around the city. Due to the high tech nature of these setups, people do have to be on site to enjoy them. They interface with someone's neural implant, and depending on the experience, they can involve puzzles, escape rooms, murder mysteries, or even dissection tables. The 4D houses are the result of a joint partnership between Poe and Polarized – which are subsidiaries of Giles Bell and Pulsar, respectively.

4D haunted houses involve a great deal of props, realistic sights and smells, as well as the potential for certain drugs that can help provide a certain physical or emotional response. Whereas Vizija's simulation comes with the reassurance that nothing is real, Poe and Polarized team up to scare someone – and try to ensure it's as real as possible. Nothing offered at either is illegal, including the drug – though people with a history of heart issues won't be allowed to use the drug at all.

These experiences are made unique for everyone going in: people are allowed to opt out of anything that might make them uncomfortable, or even add in something along the way. If someone is feeling too much anxiety thanks to the drugs, they'll find a counter-drug added to their system to negate the artificial effects rather quickly.

◉ Remember that art contest? Anyone who finished a work will find their art somewhere in the city – and that includes anyone among the Displaced. If anyone is looking for artwork that's similar to what's been featured on the shrines, there will be a few, only they will seem more inviting. Whereas they celebrated people before, they now involve hands outstretched, welcoming someone down a blue-lit path. The same imagery – triangles and overlapping circles – will still be present, especially on the hands as tattoos.

◉ Five days before the 31st, there is a tradition of everyone donating a knife from their house to make it so that "spirits" can return safely. While no one in New Amsterdam genuinely believes that they might be visited by a spirit, the odd occasions around the city recently have lent some credence to this superstition. There will be knife disposal boxes all around the city – and anyone who doesn't give up a knife, butter or otherwise, will be seen as a bit of a spoilsport.

◉ On October 29th, there will be a procession from one end of the city to the other that starts just as the sun goes down and finishes when everyone has reached the other side. As you might imagine, this is a very, very long walk, and many people slip in and out according to what they can individually manage. People walk with candles along the way, and there will be booths selling new or replacement candles for a low price. Since the procession goes along the path of a lot of bonfires, it won't ever be difficult to get them lit. The purpose of this? Everyone uniting in remembrance: of a world that's healing, to celebrate the lives lost to usher in a peaceful era, to thank everyone on the colonies for offering a humanity a new home, and any personal losses that people might have faced. Even though there are still billions of people alive, there is the sense that everyone knows that they remain on Earth on borrowed time.

◉ For the last two days, people light candles and put them in their windows, and they also leave food outside of their windows and in the front of their apartments so that "spirits" can return safely. There's an implicit understanding that most of this food will be taken by people who aren't doing as well, and much of it is nonperishable. Anyone who's down on their luck will see candles in the window and will know that they will likely find food there. Many people stock up for this occasion so that they can replace any food. Unsurprisingly, most high-end apartments with well-off people don't honor this tradition, but people in mid-to-low end apartments will almost always have something to spare in the spirit of charity.

> SAFEHOUSE

Access to the safehouse is a hatch hidden behind stacks of empty storage shelves in the back of an abandoned supermarket in an outer district of the city. The immediate area is similarly abandoned, empty stores, flanked by several blocks of dive bars and clubs which cater to more niche tastes. A place where people can come and go unseen, or, if seen, not spoken of. A dark haired woman called Gaby is ready to greet the new arrivals and get them settled in, brusque and no-nonsense – she'll be open for in depth questions later, but will advise everyone to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information.

◉ The safe house is a large open space, filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large amount of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is at a minimum.

◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.

◉ Any belongings from previous safehouse occupants have been packed up – and that includes any current Displaced who just got back from a trip. If someone left something out while they were in New Tokyo, Gaby will tell them where these objects can be found. For her part, she's just trying to get everything set up for the upcoming move.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El.

◉ Once everyone that El spotted has arrived back, they'll be informed that the safehouse will be a temporary location. By the end of the month, everyone will be moving to a new location about fifteen blocks away.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have an artist character, please feel free to comment below under our QUESTIONS header to submit a description for a work of art! As long as they submitted something, you can feel free to assume they made some credits off of the whole experience!

Since there is a part of this log that involves explicit sexual activity, please remember content warnings. If your character engages in a sexual act, slap a warning on that! None of the drugs available at the event will involve aphrodisiacs or anything that will remove consent. Some of the brothels may involve play with that, but everyone entering those arrangements would need to consent from the start. We're well aware of the sensitive nature of having a Red Light District-adjacent event while characters are under the influence of compulsory drugs, so no characters will be forced or asked into any acts against their will. There will be no exceptions to this. In addition, any newcomers won't be able to skip off into a brothel because they're new, won't be able to confirm their ages, and they won't have any other identifying information. Otherwise, please be respectful and check everyone's permissions.

As a blanket reminder, all arrival logs are designed as mingle logs for the entire game.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our May calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in May will be 10 comments across 2-4 threads, while current characters will need to provide the full AC of 20 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will be posted on June 1 at 12 AM UTC and close on June 8 at 12 AM UTC. If you do not reply to AC, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game. We will not post a warning list.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[gasping]

[ what if he says no? caroline's brows furrow together for a moment, confusion more so than any irritation coaxing the expression. ]

It was just a suggestion. You can pick whatever costume you want.

[ it doesn't even cross her mind that he might outright refuse to wear one at all. there's no reason not to. it's fun, it's the spirit of the holiday, and it's not like he'd be the only one getting dressed up. she was an angel in a costume she made herself, okay, he could stand to wear a hat. ]

[heliophilous]

Are you mad?

[ he's almost amused that she might be mad because he won't wear a costume. of all the hills to die on, it's a relatively pointless one but she apparently feels strongly about his lack of costume. ]

I like your costume.

[ could they not talk about him for a little while maybe? ]

[gasping]

No! [ she laughs a little, bright and amused; she's not mad at him for disliking her costume suggestions. it would take a lot more than that to really irritate her. she might pout a bit when they get off the ride and try to tug him into a shop, but... for now, it's not that big a deal. ] I'm not mad at you, don't be ridiculous.

[ she does smile wide at the compliment though, twisting a bit in the seat to splay her hands over the (admittedly fairly short) skirt. ]

You do? [ yes, he does, he just said that. ] I was worried it would be too messy. I couldn't find a costume I liked, so I made this one ...

[heliophilous]

You made it?

[ surprises crosses his face and he finds himself looking back at the costume with a sharper eye this time. and yes, he's actually looking at the costume even with her legs being right there.

he's trying not to look at her legs, okay. he's trying. ]

How long did that take you? [ he hadn't even realized halloween was coming up and she'd been preparing for what had to be weeks. ]

[gasping]

Yeah, of course. [ "what, like it's hard?" ] A couple hours?

[ okay, but a couple hours in frenetic vampire time is probably equivalent to at least a day or two in normal people hours. plus, caroline's experienced at things like this — she's always made or modified her halloween costumes to be Just Right, and this was no exception.

starting from a white sundress and adding the necessary accoutrements hadn't been the biggest project in the world, but she'd done it. she couldn't just wear something off the rack. ]

I bought the wings, though.

[heliophilous]

A couple of...hours? [ he'd been guessing days, maybe a week but a couple of hours? she must have done nothing else but work on her costume. ]

It's really nice. You wear it well. [ and she did. the cart lifts them into the sky, settling them near the top as riders exit and enter at the bottom. they sway a bit and he peers up at the sky. ]

You having a good night? [ he hadn't asked her that yet. ]

[gasping]

[ it's not like caroline doesn't know how much skin she's showing off. that's not an accident. she's not exactly batting away attention, either — after tyler and matt (not to mention the more recent disaster that was damon), she's decidedly not on the hook for anybody. if she wanted to show a little skin and flirt with cute guys, she was allowed to do so.

so when he says "she wears it well" like that's a normal thing people say, caroline just laughs, nudging him a bit with her shoulder. ]

Thank you. [ the hand that had fussed with his buttonholes reaches out again, this time to smooth down the collar of his shirt that's been pushed up by the wind. ] You're not so bad yourself.

[ and as for whether or not she's having fun? ]

I'm having a better one now.

[ okay, maybe that's a little Too Much™, but he's tipsy and she's basically wearing a negligee. forgive her. ]

[heliophilous]

[ he's tipsy, she's basically wearing a negligee and she keeps touching him and then saying things like that. it was hard to focus on anything else but her when she did things like that which was...nice, in a way. it meant he momentarily forgot to be angry or sad or lonely or guilty. those feelings still lurked but he could forget them just for a few seconds. ]

Because you're on a ferris wheel with some guy who might not want to wear a costume?

[ you could do better than that caroline. but, he does reach over and lets his fingers play along the edges of the wings behind her. not touching her but close. ]

[gasping]

Because I'm on a ferris wheel with a cute guy who keeps staring at my costume.

[ and touching it, now, bringing himself just that much further into her personal space. caroline doesn't flinch, doesn't so much as shift back or to the side; instead, she just tilts her head the slightest bit, her arm lifting to drape a hand over his shoulder and expose more of the wings hidden behind her back. ]

And it's Halloween, so why shouldn't we have a little fun for once, right?

[heliophilous]

[ it's a good thing marcos hadn't been really going for subtlety with his staring because he would have felt like a giant failure for being caught so easily.

but with his level of tipsiness slowly on the rise, it was kind of hard to be sneaky with anything. ]

It's a good costume.

[ he doesn't bring anymore attention to the whole cute thing. but his fingers keep playing over the wings even though he's already touched enough to know what they feel like. ]

Are you having fun?

[gasping]

[ she smiles, and though caroline laughs, it's a soft sound, quiet as the whispered tease that slips between her lips as she leans forward. to make it easier for him to hear her, obviously. no other reason. ]

You already asked me that.

[ "are you having fun" vs "are you having a good night" — it's basically the same question. ]

[heliophilous]

[ it's a different question and that will be his hill to die on.

or he might die because she's suddenly closer and he blinks, wondering how that happened. ]

Did I?

[ huh. ]

What was your answer again?

[ he is...going to lose his mind. he knows what he wants to do but he also knows that he shouldn't want to do that especially considering the whole skin to skin contact thing.

he licks his lips and tries to focus on her words and what she's saying rather than...everything else. ]

[gasping]

[ she rolls her eyes, but it's fond. amused. this is something caroline knows how to do — to tease, to flirt. she's been able to do this since well before she was a vampire. the real confidence, however, is definitely new. before, it might have just been a front. ]

I said yes.

[ she can hear his heartbeat in his chest, the echo of his tongue dragging over his lips; she can enjoy, for once, someone else stumbling over their words as they struggle with what to do.

she can't help but enjoy it. ]

Are you?

[heliophilous]

[ his head is full of white noise and fuzziness and he's not sure if that's from the moonshine he's already imbibed or from her proximity. maybe both. it would take so little to close that last bit of distance and — ]

Yeah.

[ the word is slow like syrup but sincere. it has been one of the better nights he's had since getting here. probably because he's done everything possible not to think about what he'd left behind and how hollowed out and empty he'd felt for awhile now. ]

I'm good.

[gasping]

Good.

[ it is good. he deserves to have a good time. they all deserve that much, at least, but marcos has always seemed to be the kind of guy who has a hard time letting himself have a good time.

if caroline can entertain herself and help him out of his broody guy shell, why shouldn't she? she does have experience with brooding men, after all. she's uniquely qualified for this kind of public service activity.

though maybe the leaning forward to brush her lips against his cheek isn't totally altruistic. but who's really counting here? ]

[heliophilous]

[ oh. that's...that's her lips on his face. he shivers just as the cart lurches a bit, spinning them towards the top and then stopping again. the touch is quick but he's still pretty sure she got something from the bond. desire or want or enjoyment. something she's probably never felt before.

he turns his head and she's right there and she's so close and he swallows. ]

What was that for?

[ how much longer was he going to be able to stay away from her? probably not for very mcuh longer since she'd just upped the ante to another level. ]

[gasping]

No reason.

[ but there's a glint of something in her eyes when she says it, barely repressed amusement; a tease, maybe, that perhaps there was a reason.

but if she's honest, there's only one reason out there: because she'd wanted to, because she could, because he wasn't stopping her. because while he wasn't outright pushing for something, he wasn't flat out telling her no either. and maybe that wasn't the most healthy way to pursue somebody, but caroline liked the chase. she liked the adrenaline rush of not knowing exactly what would happen.

so instead of pushing forward or pulling back, she just smiles, lashes fluttering a bit, and brushes the pad of her thumb over the spot where her mouth had ghosted over. ]

Happy Halloween.

[ trick or treat! ]

[heliophilous]

[ it's a bad idea. it's bad to continue to let this go on. it's bad to let anyone touch him and it's so bad to want more. back home, he'd been so so angry but also busy enough that he couldn't really think about being lonely or wanting to feel good again. he'd just been stuck in fury and frustration over everything.

and that's still the case here but unhealthy coping mechanisms means the edge is off for the night and he can feel some of those dormant things.

which is why marcos reaches up and catches her hand with his, fingers folding around her wrist and pulling it gently away from his face. it's not a rejection. instead, he turns her hand over, palm up and draws one of his fingers over the thumb she'd just had on his face.

it's nothing huge but it's still one of the first touches of this kind he's given in awhile. ]

the yellow in this icon is really doin it for me

[gasping]

[ there's a cliff's difference between what caroline wants — joy, pleasure, entertainment — and what she needs. she doesn't expect anyone to give her what she needs, but it still lingers on the peripheral, a temptation that drives her forward, that encourages her to live recklessly, passionately.

caroline needs to be needed. to be wanted. to be someone's (anyone's) first pick. she needs to feel special and valued and cared for, to be loved. and while she doesn't expect someone to give her those things — especially not someone she's just met, someone who doesn't know her darkest and yet worst kept secret — there's still a part of her that craves it.

that part of her feels her heartbeat flutter when he touches her. that part of her feels her cheeks warm as a smile pushes into her dimples, a more genuine one than the tease that had been there before. that part of her craves more as soon as it's awakened.

that part of her spills out light far brighter than the empathy bond's soft blue glow, yellow sunlight bathing them both in its comforting warmth. ]

a good match with her power omg

[heliophilous]

I used to be able to do something like that. [ it's a murmured statement that she might not even hear (little does he know) because of the ambient noise of the carnival. he lets his free hand pass through that light, marveling at the differences this ability of hers has when compared to his own. his was a weapon, hers was a comfort.

it was soothing. his was meant to be used in other ways. he gives his fingers a flutter, watching the light play against his skin before he glances back up at her. ]

It suits you.

go away with the cartel icons i hate it

[gasping]

[ had she known what marcos had been able to do, she might have corrected him. it wasn't a weapon unless he chose to use it that way. it was a gift, other times — he could protect his people, he could fix things that were broken, he could hide people who needed the cloak of darkness.

all caroline could do, so far, was bathe him in a little light when she felt especially warm and fuzzy. it should probably tell her something that he was the only person she could do that around thus far... but she was trying not to think too hard about it.

because thinking about the way he smiles only makes the light that much brighter, the warmth of it that much stronger. if caroline was more of a nerd, she might think of it as a fancy patronus charm. (she's not, though, so she doesn't make the connection.) ]

I think the light just likes you.

[ yeah, just the light. ]

pfft no

[heliophilous]

[ that makes him laugh, a quiet sound that's been pretty rare over the last few months. but considering what he'd been able to do back home, how his hands could light up and how he presumes his blood still works despite the dormant state of the ability, light does seem to find its way to him for one reason or another. he could provide it or take it in equal measure. ]

Good to know someone does.

[ the cart sways a bit in the wind but marcos barely notices while he watches her light brighten like a rising sun. he tips his head a little closer, lets some of that light spill over his face just to see what it feels like. it does draw another smile from him before he sits back and looks up at her. ]

[gasping]

[ she likes the way he laughs. it's soft and warm, a lot like the warm blankets they'd been bundled in on the train ride back from new tokyo; the sound wraps itself around her, and caroline can't help but smile back. ]

I do.

[ which isn't what he was saying, but it's true, and she doesn't think there's anything particularly shocking about that revelation. of course she likes him. how many times had she reached out to him by now, not out of obligation but simply out of wanting to?

but it's still something to say out loud, something that goes beyond letting the fact be a simple assumption.

she says i do, and though it's quiet, there's a sincerity to it. a weight. because she does, and he should know that. ]

[heliophilous]

[ his first instinct is to say she shouldn't like him or that she doesn't know him enough to make that call. she hasn't seen what's underneath the facade he presents and he's pretty sure once that happens, any semblance of friendship would go away.

but, it's been a nice night and he's warm from the drink and warm from her light and he doesn't feel like being that bastard right now. maybe later. ]

Do you?

[ he doesn't disbelieve her. maybe he's greedy and wants to hear it again. he presses his fingers a little harder against her wrist. it's nothing that would hurt but she's soft and she's warm and it's anchoring him right in this moment and he'd forgotten what that felt like. ]

[gasping]

[ she doesn't shy away from the touch. if anything, caroline leans into it, a soft huff of breath the only sound of her approval. there's a romantic air to being cradled and gently held, but there's a more visceral appeal in being firmly clasped between steady hands that plays to caroline's darker natures. she likes that, encourages it, and as his grip tightens, a hint of something that just might be desire floods through the bond. ]

I do.

[ and maybe that's dangerous, to breathe that out so bluntly in the night air. maybe it's reckless and stupid to admit that when he doesn't know her, doesn't know the monster that lingers under her own facade, but she doesn't care. maybe she's greedy, too, to feel something that isn't revulsion or fear or careful, negotiated acceptance. ]