transmit | inbox / purgastory.

[ i play a 5* in a gacha with 6* characters what do you want from me

anyway they're both love arrowed because i don't know how this is happening otherwise. they inexplicably end up in the simulation room and if this isn't the most unserious start to anything ever then i'm not trying very hard. i'm not.

The scene glitches from what was supposed to be a cute date at Arknights' Hawaii into Arknights' Spain… except, is it? All that stretches in front of them is iridescent, bubbling patches of land and the sea. Elysium immediately blanches. ]

What the…

[ sadly, they're not in home base waikiki, but in the middle of somewhere entirely different. the small stretches of land, feel less like land, and more like someone's imagination. it's why he also struggles to make sense of what this place is, or what it was meant to imitate. all the more at elysium's reaction?

or should this be his eternal love, elysium? either way, he does gently poke his back, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly. ] Is... this supposed to be some place you know? [ mostly genuine curiosity. who doesn't want to know more about their future bride.

(are they nekomimi'd? is this post his meltdown over it?) ]

[ spares you from my lashing out so we can just see where this goes. we still need to add you to the kiss counter.

And the way he ranked his date with Hak as the worst he's ever been on… but this one might take the crown, fast. This is so funny. ]

It's supposed to be my hometown.

[ keyword: supposed. even he seems shocked by how thoroughly dilapidated and overrun by sea terrors it is. almost subconsciously, his hand finds rafayel's to latch onto. ]

[ how many more kisses and worse and worser dates are required... unique kisses & dates* ]

This place? [ there's a slight lilt to his speech as his eyes are attempting to decipher what this place actually was. or what it was once meant to be. considering his own experience with lemuria, it shouldn't necessarily be unfamiliar, and yet...

he holds elysium's hand back, even giving it a small squeeze. as if that's the only real comfort he could give in place for what subtleties his words lack. ]

I'm guessing it wasn't always this way?

[ i did this but i'm not actually sure how we'll get to a kiss with how disastrous this is i'm fucking dying. kissing in the apocalypse… ]

No…

[ … ]

It's not that I'm trying to avoid the question, but… do you think you could try switching it to something else? The controls aren't listening to me anymore. So much for my world tour of Terra.

[ He clicks his tongue. They do not want to give us our shaved ice… ]

Me? [ how does this work...

rafayel flexes his other hand a few times, even closing his eyes, before looking back at elysium with one eye. ]

Don't think it's working. Think this one is all on you.

[ if there is one difference, maybe there is just more water here...

was the water his choice or elysium's though. ]

[ DOES HE WANT THEM TO BE IN HIS DILDO FISH TANK.

Okay. Whatever. Maybe this place just wants them to be in a terrible location. He thinks very hard of places that are equally terrible, and he fits through his catalogue of them, it accepts one:

It puts them next to an active volcano, sputtering lava. Okay. ]

…

[ this may be their cue to leave ]

Why was this your next option!? Do you even want us to live?

[ he should have known since bostco.

yes, blames bostco on him too. rafayel is also trying to think, but now he's also pulling elysium and trying to drag him away. maybe running will be good for his brain. you know, with the blood pumping.

how much time did they allot on this thing? ]

This is the only thing it would swap to! You'd rather us being chased by monsters?

[ TEARS UP

They start running. He starts thinking. Assigns them a good half hour in here before they're kicked out. Going back to thinking very hard…… and just before a new wave of lava hits them, another change of scenery!

This time they're in an icy tundra. At least it's quiet…??? ]

… We really shouldn't gone for five minutes just to test it out. My bad.

[ he will own up to this much ]

[ he's about to answer that YEAH!!! he would have!!!!!

but, considering that elysium appeared genuinely traumatized, he doesn't make that point for once. he just ends up closing his mouth and running, albeit... not without his own complaints under his breath like, "oh yeah, let's just run, because that's like everyone's favorite thing to do!!!!!"

when they're finally settling, he leans over, his hand on one knee and his other hand still holding elysium's. even if he does have the desire to just throw it out of spite. ]

"It's going to be so fun," he said. Next time you're going to lie, can you like make it a little bit more obvious so innocent fishies like me don't get caught up in it? [ once he catches his breath, he is edging closer to elysium. googling are bird warm ]

The flicker of Siesta we got was pretty nice, wasn't it…? Who said all the stuff in this place had to be messed up? Ugh.

[ also

huddles closer to Rafayel. I guess we're just the trapped in a cabin meme except it's a cave now as Elysium scouts out the lay of the land… why tf is it windy. ]

[ as dramatic as rafayel can be, it's also true that he tended to find beauty even in the unorthodox, and so he can't help the way his eyes also begin to linger at the sights around them. ] It was nice. Would be even nicer if we actually got to enjoy it, but... I didn't think you were a beach guy?

[ maybe this is also a subtle prod about the second place they saw too.

still, he does let elysium do his scoping. does his fire work in this? ]

When we're out of here, find a portal to Terra and I can take you out on a date properly. My favourite band plays every summer.

[ A wry smile… They can no longer trust these fkin simulations. ]

If I'm remembering right, there should be a place nearby we can hunker down… [ He says it more to himself than to Rafayel. Maybe a small miracle, considering it's just white, white, and more white, but he seems to be moving with purpose anyway. ] But what makes you think I'm not a beach guy? I love beaches. They call me the Winds of Iberia when I'm out there on my board.

Well, the date is less about the destination than who it's with, right? I think I'd have fun no matter where it is... [ with you... is said under his breath. he's love-arrowed. he's devoted. even if the volcano did throw him off. ( rafayel voice ) it's a citizens job to help idiots

even when... who is the real fool here.

brb, snow is pelting him in the face, so he's spitting some out of his mouth before responding. ] There's no way anyone actually calls you that. There's no reason to show off, you know.

Yeaaaaah, but. It does set the tone, thanks for trying.

[ They can attempt to salvage this after they get out of this stupid blizzard!!! His grip on Rafayel tightens, even if he starts to feel frostbite creep into his fingertips. Also I am not sure if your question about his fire was rhetorical or not, but I leave that up to you……

why couldn't the volcano glitch into the north pole. sad. ]

And what do you mean, no one calls me that? Next time they want us to offer memories, I'm showing you just exactly who you've been so lucky to catch the interest of.

[ only because he registered himself into a competition with it!! shut up!! ]

[ help, thanks for answering my powers faq

but, i guess he can use it to at least illuminate their wintery and very perilous path here. plus, provide at least some form of warmth, even if it's all just perceived and entirely in their own heads. but, surely they're on path to the cave... that's so webtoon

but how did we miss out on the north pole and that one rat that dances to drake on tiktok ]

You do know that just makes it sound even more contrived? [ sorry, he doesn't believe it. ] think I'll feel a lot luckier when I see that Mister Gales of Iberia [ getting it wrong on purpose ] not looking like a whole popsicle, yeah?

[ you saying this like i have any idea what that tiktok even is, tears up. ]

Life if the "hottest" part of my title were literal and figurative…

[ Shut up. It's maybe three minutes of this before a cave comes into view in the distance. It's still been however many minutes too many that they've been pelted with snow. How is this the second time they've been against the elements… wao. ]

Oh. It is a perfect recreation. [ unsure how he feels about this. ] … Good.

[ this is my cue to slide more into your dms ]

If it was was literal, you'd also be complaining. Don't lie.

[ he has a feeling he can just as easily see him complaining if they had stuck around with the volcano, too. or they end up... virtual dead? rafayel doesn't actually know what the consequences were. anyway— ] Is it good? Why do I get the feeling anywhere you recognize is just trouble?

[ but heading to the cave they go... i see the vision now. body warmth meme... ]

[ body warmth meme into trapped in a cabin meme when they're caved in on ]

I keep telling you. The thing wouldn't accept any of the other locations I tried to feed it…

[ He also doesn't want to test what happens if they virtually die… If you die in the game, do you die in real life? Could they still end up in the river? Who knows. They make it through regardless, and he drags Rafayel the rest of the way before collapsing against the wall once they are far enough inside. Terrible. ]

You can keep trying to change it if you want. … I won't lie and say Terra's generally a safe place, but I was hoping to show you the finer parts of it. Sorry.

If you have an ulterior motive, just say so.

[ bringing them somewhere this remote? seems like it's kinda on purpose? or so seems to be the implication, and he would have been clearer about that if he couldn't feel his teeth chattering for the first time. he's from the deep sea, he isn't supposed to feel this cold. ]

But, no worries. I have always wanted to see an actual arctic tundra. it's different from catching it online. [ if anything, their whimsy... will keep them alive. he also leans back against the wall.

they should start some form of fire, so he is trying to keep an eye out. they don't even have anything to light, huh... ]

It's not ulterior when I made it obvious I wanted us to be alone from the start.

[ Rafayel… please… his mind is not in the gutter.

On the bright side, dying of hypothermia takes anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes, and they probably are not there yet. At the very lowest end of that estimate, they only need to eke out five more minutes and they'll be fine. Still, Elysium shrugs off his jacket long enough to drape it over both of them before settling quietly at Rafayel's side. ]

Where were we, though? I'm not trying to be evasive. I just don't know where to start. It's a long story.

[ oh, that's bold.

rafayel can't help but smile at that. though, his brows do furrow just slightly as elysium places his jacket over them. it reminds him a little of when they first got here, and instinctively, he reaches over to pat elysium on the head. you know where he had once been bleeding for what seems like ages ago.

he only draws his hand back at the question. ] You were going to tell me about the place we were first in, right? The one with all the monsters?

[ unlike val, he would like being pat on the head like a lads. He is so needy. He finds himself instinctively leaning into it, like encouraging Rafayel to keep going—a muted sound of protest leaving his mouth when he withdraws.

Does he hate him? He beams this thought directly into Rafayel's head except not really, because those are not powers that he has…. ]

Oh, yeah. My hometown. [ … ] It isn't supposed to look like that, for the record. I think the simulation had it all messed up. [ He sighs. ] That's probably how it will look if the Seaborn aren't ever contained.

Taking someone to your hometown on a first date's a bit much! But you could say the same for a volcano and the tundra…

[ ELYSIUM!!!! keep your dignity as a person... bird.

yet, despite this, rafayel is entirely an indulgent individual, and so it's clear... he'll be back for more. which can already be felt by the way he scooches a little closer, his shoulder leaning fully against elysium. ]

It is all a lot, but I think I'm... kinda glad for it. I mean, to learn more about you. Though, with the whole monster thing, I'm sure you might not feel that way. [ he seems to think about what to say, before: ] Do you think about your hometown a lot?

You're learning a lot about me, but what am I getting to learn about you?

[ What dignity…… it's been gone since the first week. Still, a hand comes up to poke his forehead at the sheer frankness of his admission. So this is the power of an otome… wow. ]

Make this feel a little more equitable and I'll consider answering your next question. So—what kind of place did you come from? We can go back and forth until one of us caves.

inbox / purgastory.

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