Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 20, 2021 15:33:18 GMT -8
Yuan made his way toward the sound of the slamming door. He followed the shadows cast on the floor by flocking swallows and the refraction of stained glass on his skin. It caught in his fibre optic hair, sending luminous highlights up and down the strands. Suffice to say, Mitchell Carr was easy to spot.
"Hi," he offered with a frank smile that was all white teeth. "It's nice to see you."
Chinese culture has many taboos revolving around public displays of affection, taboos that Yuan was more than happy to break on the other side of the Pacific ocean. Men often went for cheek kisses at the clubs he frequented, and it felt refreshing from the composed coolness of his native country. He wasn't sure what was Mitch's stance on those, however, and holding out a hand to shake felt way too formal.
"How do you feel about kisses on the cheeks?"
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 20, 2021 16:18:12 GMT -8
The Fairest stared at his phone for a beat before smoothly sliding it into his pocket. Diamond veins had worked their way through the marble like he was someone's art project. With a shallow breath, he seemed to reset from whatever he was focused on, mirroring the greeting with a smile that was more restrained than the other's. When Yuan floated consent, blank eyes blinked.
"Huh? That's fine." He followed through with the gesture without missing a beat, closing the gap with any awkwardness he might have caused with the confusion.
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 20, 2021 19:10:30 GMT -8
The second skin touched skin, the Contract fired off with barely a thought and with practiced ease.
Yuan did that with every Changeling. Call it a professional deformation, if bringing shattered minds from the brink could be considered a profession at all. "I was thinking of grabbing a bite at the buffet, but we can go wherever you want." He carefully tugged at his t-shirt to make sure it wasn't crooked as he walked with Mitch. Tuning out the world, the Playmate focused on the present moment.
Was this what he wanted? He had been the one to provoke the enc encounter, after all. With the Hold's recent events, he could only imagine how packed the Dancer's time table must be. He was being voluntarily nice. Or he was simply falling back on old patterns in a situation where he felt he had very little control. Lughnasadh wasn't mandatory, since it wasn't a coronation, and the Beast had better things to do with the few days off he was allowed.
The fact that he didn't know what he would have been doing instead was secondary.
But no, instead he had to babysit people who hit each other for fun, because Spring had to show Its presence despite the dwindling numbers.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 20, 2021 21:10:45 GMT -8
With moonlight on his lips, the Playmate's reality stuttered—splitting seconds into snapshots and blackouts in strobing flashes of a confusing reality. Yuan felt his consciousness fracture into layers, where moving with the Dancer faded in and out of different surroundings and conversations, and the hand that adjusted his shirt might not have happened here and now. The sympathetic vision left him feeling untethered and threatening to continue splitting into oblivion.
Mitchell glanced around, hailing some Summer courtier as he passed on a note to deliver that was lost in the throes of the Contract. "Food's fine—I'd imagine you're needing a break after all the running around you're doing," he said, matching step with the other Fairest with uncanny precision.
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 20, 2021 22:15:36 GMT -8
Dandelion seeds swirled around the both of them as the Playmate's Mantle rose with concern. It took him several seconds before reality synchronized again. 'Shit.' How had it gotten so bad? What should he do now? Yuan wasn't very familiar with the Dancer, but he was a prominent in their Court and a public figure.
"Yeah, I could definitely eat. I'm sure you could use a break yourself." He lead the way, making small talk about his shift and the various tasks he had been asked to do. It was an excuse to keep an eye on Mitch, as if the other Courtier could slip away the second he wasn't looked at. Yuan was in damage control mode, doing his best the keep the concern off of his face by smiling and pointing out the various stalls they crossed on their way.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 20, 2021 23:46:33 GMT -8
"Not working at the moment," Mitch chuckled, offering an easy shrug. As the Playmate's cogs start turning and the conversation remains shallow in his concentration, the other Emerald grins; stepping slightly ahead to turn and start reading Yuan like an open book.
The Dancer was a notorious deflector, and normally avoided conflict like it was a taboo. However, he didn't avoid it by stepping away, rather spinning the new partner in a direction they could expect and synch to. If Yuan wanted to accomplish cracking Mitchell Carr, he would have to maintain control of the interaction and not get swept up like the Torrents the man seemed to play like a fiddle. Building rapport was also important, if the Spring didn't want to come off as another fair-weather concern that wouldn't amount to much when the next pop of drama held his Desires. Carr was known to be trusting and naïve, but he wasn't blind and deaf to the stereotypes of his Court.
The Mantle was like being hit with a truck of dizzying hope and possibilities as the Dancer leaned, "What's got you so scared?" he asked quietly, "You don't have to do this—you've done more than enough to help people today. You joined this court by your own volition, and the Season wants you to live for yourself, Yuan."
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 21, 2021 9:17:15 GMT -8
Mitchell Carr was a very attractive man. Ridiculously so. If he hadn’t known any better, Yuan would have soaked in all of the attention and intimacy. There was something about having care reflected back at him that made butterflies catch in his stomach and his instincts scream at him to run. It was electrifying, to have the attention of Mitchel Carr focused solely on him. If the Playmate happened to enjoy himself in the mean time, there would be no harm in it. But he did know better, even if the question took him by surprise.
“Yeah, no, you’re right.” His face would have been flushed red if his metallic skin had allowed it. He felt some sort of kinship there that he couldn’t quite place, like this was what he was supposed to do.
“Here’s the thing though. Right now, I really want to spend some time with you.
The pretences slipped, and concern was plainly visible on his features as he reached for the Fairest’s face. Under his thumb, he could feel the intricate scarifications, almost familiar in their design.
“I’m worried for you, Mitch.”
He let his hand drop and stood his ground. “I’m not going anywhere.”
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 21, 2021 20:21:36 GMT -8
Mitch laughed reflexively, flushing from the pretty Beast suddenly palming his face. The math on the situation was scrambled in the moment, the Season shouting out any semblance of informed measure; he knew the Playmate was just playing to his role, and was still figuring his own shit out. However, Yuan wasn't going to accomplish that without following through.
"Didn't mean to be invasive," he apologized, running a hand through his hair as he straightened. The other Spring hadn't defined what he meant by 'spending time'. "...You needed a lunch break?"
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 21, 2021 20:45:16 GMT -8
Yuan chuckled, a sound somewhere between human voice and crystal chimes. "You're fine." Bringing it back to more comfortable topics, he lead Mitch past colourful stalls filled with Goblin fruits of all shapes and sizes. There were painted pinions, windmills and wooden swords. The aroma of the approaching buffet started reaching them. For once blissful moment, people were forgetting the recent horrors.
"You were right though. I didn't really enjoy running around. It's like, they think you're always going to be there to pick them up." There was an edge in his voice, one he tried to hide before remembering who he was dealing with. "Sorry, I don't mean to push it on you. You said you weren't working, so I'm assuming you were doing something fun?"
By that point, there was audible sizzling. Fried chicken, tempura of all kinds as well as fresh salads and cold drinks sprawled over every available inch. The events happening down below couldn't reach the sheer indulgence in food of the Maenianum summum. "I... I don't even know where to start. I'm gonna have to do so much cardio after this!"
He looked on with childish amazement. It was a rare sight for the Beast, so much food in one spot.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 22, 2021 0:54:56 GMT -8
"I asked."
Mitch cocked his head as he considered what he was doing earlier, and rather than answering he laughed quietly to himself with a quick shake to indicate the negative.
Yuan says preoccupied with food, and with the light joke about managing his weight, the Dancer blinked.
"If you're that worried about it, I can run you through one of my routines. It's usually a good workout."
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 22, 2021 11:22:55 GMT -8
He had meant it as a joke. At best, he had expected an empty compliment, a ‘oh no, you look great’ that would have made him feel better about himself. What he hadn’t expected was to be taken seriously, but that was Carr for you. It felt different, plus it meant they got to spend more time together.
“Yes, I would like that very much.”
Yuan filled his plate with meats and vegetables, striking light conversation with each stall tender. He eyes the past dries longingly, but did take any before grabbing a seat at one of the tables. There were people all around them, discussing the various events of the Freehold and of Lughnasadh. The little square was bustling, full of life.
“Places like these remind me why we do what we do.”
Yuan closed his eyes, taking in the smells and the sounds with a smile on his face. It almost made him forget his sorrows. Almost.
“We’ll, we did my thing, so now we do something you want. It’s only fair.”
He check in on his companion, trying so gauge how he felt.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 22, 2021 20:25:47 GMT -8
At the comment of the stadium, the Fairest stilled. Mitch mused in it only for a moment, but some of the stress fracture diamond veins split; accommodating subtle, needling spikes breaching the expanding fissures. He smoothed a few mechanically, like thumbing the pressure point of a headache while tucking an errant lock of hair.
"I had some plans for later, but you managed to reach out at just the right moment." His mouth twitched in the question of how and whether Yuan knew how little the Dancer had to himself. "If I had something I wanted to do in the meantime, I'd be spending time on it."
Marble eyes drifted back to the Beast, trying to lock onto present distractions as he sipped a drink. Mitch wasn't doing much in the way of subtlety, only masking insofar as to keep polite in public. He was clearly pinging whether Yuan was up for something more fun than exercise.
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 22, 2021 21:15:23 GMT -8
Blink. Blink. Oh. Ooohhh. “How fortunate for me then.”
Yuan shifted gears seamlessly. It was subtle, but unmistakable, the way the space between them shrunk slightly, how he turned his body to face the Fairest and not the table. ‘This is fine,’ he told himself. ‘This is healing too.’
“What was it that you told me? That I should live for myself?” There was a mischievous glint in his eye as the plate was pushed aside and he moved closer to Mitch’s ear to whisper in it. “I’d like you to show me how.”
The Beast stayed there for a second longer before pulling back, his gaze locked onto Mitch. If others were looking at them, he didn’t notice or he didn’t care.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Aug 22, 2021 22:24:22 GMT -8
Well, that was fast.
The Fairest seemed to be having fun at least. He laughed as he rested his chin in his hand—it would have passed for shyness or embarrassment if Yuan didn't know better. He ticked back a bit, tracking the flurry of dandelion seeds and flashing colours despite the Beast's close attention.
"Like, right now?" he chuckled with a proper grin, seeing what the Playmate would do.
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Aug 24, 2021 1:02:08 GMT -8
He could feel the urge tugging at the back of his mind and he strained to reign it in. What was he doing? That wasn't the goal he had set out for himself. 'Whatever,' he thought. 'This is where we are now.'
"Kinky, but not exactly what I had in mind." The traced the angle of the Dancer's jaw with his eyes, down the throat and let it come to rest on the collar bone. He could see the veins contracting and expanding with every heart beat, his chest rising slightly with each breath. "I work at a massage parlour and I've picked up a few tricks. Let me give you my number, so you can call me when you get sore."
"I'll be waiting."
Grabbing his plate, Yuan stood up with a satisfied smile on his face before his brain had the chance the process everything that had just happened and regret blossomed. He left Mitch to his own thoughts, consciously stopping himself from looking over his shoulder.
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