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TDM #1

TEST DRIVE MEME

This Mess We're In The city sun sets over me...

You awaken slightly disoriented on a beautiful, smooth stone floor. A look around will tell you that this place is a hilltop temple with a good view of the beautiful city below. On opposite sides of the temple are genderless depictions of deities. One is clearly powerful, made of onyx, held up in an imposing stance with one hand holding a gilded flogger and the other outstretched with an open palm as if to enforce a command. The other, made of polished white marble, has taken a knee to the dominant statue across from them. One of their hands is a vase for fresh flowers and you can see that new ones have been placed there today.

The music of an unseen harp begins to play and a golden light permeates the temple. Suddenly, you know what is happening here. The duality that is worshipped here, the figures in the temple, they have a name. The onyx one is Ceannasach and the marble one is Cuiristeach and together with their combined power they are the ones who have brought you to Parthas.

What is Parthas? Parthas is paradise! You have either been brought here because Ceannasach believes you contribute to your world in some glorious way and deserve to be honored and served or because Cuiristeach believes that you would be excellent in a service role, perhaps they even feel sorry for the state of your life back home and want to show you something better.

The deities here also brought you because they need lik which is the energy that allows them to exist. Lik is created in small amounts when you interact with other people, in greater amounts when you grow fond of certain people, and in greater still amounts when you begin to use physical affection. However, when you orgasm, that creates the purest form of lik there is.

Ceannasach and Cuiristeach reward you in a special way. When you have sex with your soulmate or your hjarta, your vördr, or spirit, leaves your body in a time-frozen moment to commune with the deities and ask for something big or small that you might like. Sex carries on as usual and only you will know that you asked for something. If you ask to be sent home, the deities will send you into a hyperaroused state when you least expect it. Hey, you offended them.

The deities also believe you should know of something they have placed in Parthas for your benefit. There is a river in a valley in the middle of housing that will give and take anything you like from your body if you should so wish. This can mean a illness, sadness, a memory or anything else, but be careful because this river runs on fickle magic.

As the harp music continues, you become aware of a new power of yours. You can hear any thought that any other person sends your way, even the ones sent accidentally, and you can see images and moving pictures, as well. Don’t limit yourself to one person! Send that thought to everyone!

The harp music comes to an eventual end and you are left with the knowledge the deities gave you. Your intuition leads you down a southbound path towards a city where a celebration seems to be taking place, if the colorful banners are any indicator. Welcome to Parthas!

Dancing Barefoot She, intoxicated by Thee; She has the slow sensation that He is levitating with She

There is indeed a celebration going on in South City as this is the month of Feabhra. Where it was daylight when you left the Main Temple, now that you have reached the city the only lights are colorful paper lanterns strung up across smooth stone roads. The warmth of the daytime has cooled, so it might be smart to snuggle up with someone in one of the city’s various gazebos – each of them has a swing made for two (or three if you snuggle close enough.)

Harps, flutes, guitars and drums play lively music for everyone to dance to in the city square where garlands of brightly colored and white flowers hang for people to do with as they will. A stately woman dressed in black and wearing a brooch with the face of Ceannasach stands off to the side, her dark hair pulled back in a chignon. Whispers circulate, getting to you and informing you that this woman is E’ara Fraoch, owner of the most successful brothel in South City, and she is paying 50 gold pieces to the best dancers and 100 more if they will come work for her at Where The Wild Roses Grow, her establishment.

I Feel You I feel you, your precious soul, and I am whole

Food and drink is plentiful at this celebration and some of it is even free! The vendors believe that this is a good promotion for their stores during the rest of the year. They wheel their carts about, humming jaunty tunes and offering delicious things to you, the new arrivals, and everyone else in the city.
There is a man named Sam wheeling his cart of beverages and chocolate dipped waffles through town. If you catch him, he’ll probably suggest you order the alcoholic drink The Spirit of Feabhra. This drink does not come without side effects. It tastes like a fancy gin cocktail, sparkling and sweet with the flavor of berries and mint hitting your tongue, but the moment you get close to someone you actually have feelings for, you start to feel it… Them. Their thoughts, their emotions, their dreams… It’s as if they have melted into you.

Is This Desire? Is this desire; Enough, enough; To lift us higher; To lift above?

You have been told repeatedly throughout the night by smiling (creepy) faces not to wander out of the city limits into the wilderness, but now that you are here you just don’t get it. Lichens and fungi light up the night with a soft glow from the tree trunks, seemingly drawing you in.

In the forest, the music fades and the chittering of small animals creates a different tune. You don’t seem to be in danger. You might come across the healthiest, most beautiful apple tree you’ve ever seen. It is completely free of pests and only the dew clings to the apples’ shiny surface.

Should you pick one for yourself, you will feel a strange compulsion to bite it. Go on. Do it. If and when you have, you will find yourself incredibly aroused, but you won’t be able to bring yourself to orgasm – another must do it. If you didn’t bite the apple, maybe you gave it to someone else. In that case they will be unstoppably attracted to you with arousal to match. If you chose to plant it near your home, a tree like the one it came from will grow there and you will ICly receive a special reward.

Dead of Night When delirious fun; Has seriously begun; You'll be down on your knees; You'll be begging us please

Now you’ve done it. You’ve wandered into the woods without a spiritual guide from the temple. Now the vættir have been awoken and they are ready to fuck shit up… Sort of. Right now, these spirits kind of only want to ruin this party, but who knows what they’ll do later?

A low-lying cloud of black smoke crawls down the hills from the forest to the city until it covers the smooth stone roads and reaches up into everyone who is either of weak constitution or just simply tired and possesses them. It doesn’t take total control, but rather influences them, and causes them to destroy decorations, vendor carts, and do wild things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. Basically, these spirits want to cut through the façade and see you party like a rock star.

The only way to exorcise one of the vættir from a friend or loved one is to call on the deity of light – Cuiristeach. They accept demonstrations of service as the highest form of prayer, so get on your knees for your friend and get this done!

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[ It's a philosophical point, and one that Cassian feels ill-equipped to handle. A pang of grief reminds him that Nemik would probably have something to say about it. But if Cassian follows any kind of philosophy, it's pragmatism. ]

It's a lot of effort for anybody to go through for nothing. [ He looks around, shaking his head as if that's going to help him make heads or tales of this situation. ] And if it is some sort of bait-and-switch, it seems far too sophisticated for Imperial efforts.

[ He doesn't have anything to say about the Imperial survival rate. Just thinks of his father hanging in the town square and nods. Giving voice to it would just reopen that old wound and all the rest that goes along with it. So he just nods.

And clutches the potential change of topic like a lifeline. His thumb slides across the back of her hand as a small, shy sort of smile forms on his lips. ]

I could name another positive. At least one more, anyway.

[Jyn is a realist, born out of surviving for the sake of surviving. It's not that she trusts what these gods have told them. It's that everything here seems to revolve around this idea that they need to be intimate in various ways. The why doesn't entirely matter to her. She's still uncomfortable with the entirety of it, but as far as delving deeper, she doesn't think the Empire is involved.

They need bodies, obedience, and forced labor. And while there is a small sense of 'forced' here, for the most part the motive just doesn't seem to match for her. They've gone from one overlord to another in her mind. That's all.

But she doesn't have a chance to vocalize these thoughts. His touch is still a distraction. She pulls a deep breath in through her nose. He doesn't need to say what the other thing is. Jyn might not be the most experienced young woman, but she's not an idiot.

His touch feels good, and it lingers over her hand. If they were back home, she would have snatched it away, but they've been hand in hand long enough now. She remembers what it's like to be touched, as much as she's shut it out for all these years. Still the last thing she wants to come across is inept, so she just quietly stands there for a moment, mulling how best to broach the subject.]

I don't know why they chose me for this sort of thing either. [This time it's not a rejection, just a soft admittance that while she knows what to do, she's not well versed at it.]

Edited 2023-02-14 01:36 (UTC)

[ He notices the little intake of breath and his smile turns a little less shy and more sly. There may even be a hint of a sparkle in his eye as he observes her closely. He shifts his weight, moving a little closer. Also shielding her from view of any possible curious onlookers. The way she's speaking makes it seem to him like she's unused to vulnerability. ]

Maybe it was random. Maybe they thought you had potential.

[ He won't comment on his own suitability. When even your mom knows your reputation, bragging feels a little like putting a hat on a hat. ]

[She actually gives a huff through her nose of amusement at his response. A warm body has potential here, she supposes. This isn't her area of expertise, and it isn't something she has expected to revisit any time soon, but here they are. Once again the 'why' she knows doesn't really matter.

At least he isn't being crude or insensitive about it. Jyn still holds onto her dignity as she lifts her chin to consider him.]

The last person who I was close to died years ago. I wasn't particularly planning on any intimate activities as of late, but it's not as if I can't do it. [Just to clear that up. She knows he didn't insult her, but she feels a little huffy about it, like she needs to state that she isn't innocent either. Jyn Erso is no saint, but she'll never be a blushing bride either.]

[ He's not really sure where they're headed, but he finds her so intriguing he is careful not to cross the line into obviously offensive. That's no guarantee that he won't accidentally offend, but he's at least trying. ]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[ He looks down at her hand as if it were the most interesting thing in teh whole place. He runs the pad of his thumb across the tips of her fingernails. And laughs softly. ]

Do you always plan in advance? No room for spontaneity?

[ The last person Cassian was close to was extremely spontaneous. He hopes Windi is doing well. And that she didn't find his money. ]

I am not saying it always goes to plan, but-- yes, I do. [She turns her head for a moment, giving a little quirky movement. It hardly ever goes to plan though. She is a bit of a wildcard, and her luck has never been particularly good, but that doesn't mean she just goes into a situation without some sort of idea.

She huffs through her nose, not offended, but feeling more like a fish out of water.]

What does that have to do with-- this? [Other than the fact that his touch makes her fingers lace between his. Is that spontaneous enough? For most probably not, but she is doing something. She isn't stomping away this time.]

[ He fights a grin and is mostly successful. He doesn't want to risk her thinking that he's mocking her. He is quiet a moment after she laces her fingers through his, something shifting within him at that little gesture. He looks back up to her face, that hint of mischief still dancing behind his eyes. ]

I was just curious. If they brought us here because they need... the energy from intimacy.

[ That was the explanation he got, anyway. And he covers the momentary pang of terror at the thought that maybe they told her something wildly different, and now he just seems insane. ]

And you are such a planner, I was wondering what your plan is to satisfy them.

[Right. The supposed reason they brought them there. She doesn't have any proof against it, but does she trust that they are telling the truth? Not at all. Even if it is true, essentially kidnapping them all isn't the way to get her help. Her lips thin as she looks back at him, eyes narrowing at the thought.]

I was not planning to satisfy them at all. I don't like the idea of being a pawn in their game.

[Is this a smart plan? Not entirely. Fighting back won't go so easily, but she's defiant by nature. If she's going to do something, she needs to actually get something out of it or knowingly choose to do something that she inherently feels is right.

But that was her original plan, and he's already touched her. She's responded back in time. It puts her in a position that directly opposes what she's said. She's self-aware to know that. Maybe it gives just the tiniest bit of a crack in her plans and thus her walls.]

[ His eyebrows raise slightly and he purses his lips and nods as he considers that. ]

But things don't always go according to plan, do they?

[ He shifts again, putting just the slightest pressure on their joined hands, pulling them a little closer together. ]

What if what you want ends up being the same thing they want? Would you deny yourself out of... [ he almost says "spite" but thinks better of it. ] principle?

Sometimes. [Most of the time things hardly go as planned, but she’s certainly not going to admit that to him. She lifts her chin a bit stubbornly.

He seems to understand her more than she would like, because yes, she’s done things out of spite.]

I suppose it would matter entirely on how badly I wanted something.

[A challenge maybe? She’s not naive enough to not understand where this going.]

[ It's distracting. When she lifts her chin all he can do is look at her lips. But he doesn't make a move. His nerves are singing with the desire to kiss her, and she hasn't rejected him. Yet. But if she can resist, so can he. ]

It would have to be an incredibly strong desire to outweigh that conviction, I imagine.

[ He brings his gaze back to her eyes. It feels like they're the only two people in the entire village. ]

[Her heart is hammering in her chest suddenly. Why is he looking at her like that? Why is she looking back? Her jaw tightens though, trying to manage her bodily reactions-- like she has ever done that before. He's good. Too good. Maybe it's this place or the way he's already seemed to know her.]

I tend to have stronger convictions, yeah. [She manages to try and argue back. She hasn't stepped away from him though. Jyn blinks, eyes looking down at his own lips for a second too long.]

It would have to be worth it.

It stands to reason that anybody willing to try to force you to compromise your convictions would not be worth it.

[ Speaking of lips, his quirk in a hint of a smile. He speaks very softly. ]

Quite a conundrum.

[She hates that he's right. That he somehow flips the script. That if it's him to make the first move then clearly he would be lessening himself. Her jaw tightens even more, biting at the inside of her lower lip, clearly debating the predicament she's currently in.

She doesn't even know why she wants to. He seems to easily draw her in, and she's hooked more than she can even explain it to herself. Maybe it's stubbornness. As if kissing him would prove that it isn't worth it. Does it make logical sense? No, but she's acting off of emotions and stubbornness. It's her persistence.

So before he gets another chance to say something else. He's made his points. He's already close anyway, having moved in closer. She lifts herself up just enough before pressing her chest to his. It's slower than she would like, like learning how to do this all over again. She knows how to of course, but she wasn't expecting to get close enough. Quietly she just looks up at him, almost questioning, before realizing the answers don't matter anyway.

Then she just makes for it. Pressing her lips to his gently, Jyn finally gives in.]

[ Whatever he said makes her think. So much so that she's doing... things with her mouth that are taking hold of his attention. Resisting the urge to kiss her is getting so difficult he's getting dizzy. If she says anything else, the likelihood of him being able to form a coherent response is all but nonexistent.

When she kisses him, he lets out a soft sound, a quiet moan of relief in his throat. He cups her face with one hand, his thumb sliding across her cheekbone, as he softens his lips and deepens the kiss. His other hand winds around her waist, pulling her closer. Feeling the heat of her body doesn't do anything to help his lightheadedness. ]

[What starts as almost a slow, exploratory touch of lips on lips quickly delves deeper. She feels this rush, inhaling deeply before being pressed even closer to him. It feels like something else goes through her veins, a heat she isn't expecting. This isn't supposed to go this way, but now he's touching her cheek, and it inherently feels good.

She can't begin to explain it, but it's like a jolt through her, and suddenly she's reacting back to the kiss. Her hands move to his chest, sliding upwards so that she can wrap her arms around his shoulders to keep herself where she is against him. Jyn should stop this. There was a point in showing him that clearly this wasn't worth sacrificing her defiance against this place.

But then she tastes him, and remembers what it's like to just feels something aside from that crushing loneliness that she's had as her only companion for years. She'll never admit it, but then her actions speak much louder than her words.]

[ It hasn't been quite as long for Cassian. But after a month of staring at Melshi's moony face while he wiggled his fingers at Cassian so they could communicate when Kino was asleep being the most intimate contact he could have, it's a rush.

But it's not just that, is it? Not that he can admit it to himself. Not after one kiss, that isn't even over yet. Even if it feels like the whole world has just shifted on its axis.

She wraps her arms around his neck and he lifts her easily. (The one benefit of the prison is he's probably in the best shape of his entire life right now.) Keeping the arm around her waist tight, he reaches his other hand to find the nearest wall to pin her there. He breaks the kiss to trail his lips down her throat. ]

Have you decided?

[ He murmurs, his lips brushing her skin. ]

[She isn't expecting the intensity. Jyn wasn't expecting anything really. It was just supposed to be a kiss. Then she could have been right and moved on with her plans to be entirely insubordinate with the premise of this place. This completely derails her plans, though she's not currently thinking about that.

She's breathless once again when he lifts her. Normally it isn't a feeling she particularly likes, though being as small of a woman as she is, it's not surprising. Legs wrap around his waist, helping to hold her up to his level before he's pressing her into the nearest wall.

Her mind swims at the sudden, much more firm press to her body. His lips move from hers to trail over her neck, her head wrap falling loosely to her shoulders to expose more skin. If he's expecting her to give in so easily, it's hard to even think at the moment, but she isn't going to just admit she was wrong.]

You still need to convince me. [One hand moves up the back of his head, fingers splaying into his hair, just adding to the sense of touch. The want is certainly there, a playful smirk tucked into the corner of her mouth.]

[ The intensity is something of a surprise for Cassian as well. He expected something fun, that he could break off and leave her wanting more. Draw her out gradually. But it must be because of the long dry spell, because now that he has her the idea of ever letting go is impossible to imagine. He breathes her in as both hands slide down over the swell of her backside and grip her. When he speaks, his voice is low and rough. ]

Do you really want me to talk more?

[ He rolls his hips for emphasis, grinding against her. ]

[The only experience Jyn really has to go off of is that of a sixteen year old, stumbling through what to do. This is already much different than that, and her body seems to already know what to do, how to react. It makes her head spin more. She tells herself she doesn't need this, but Jyn Erso acts off of emotions, not necessarily logic.

And right now she wants this. Her body clearly does.]

You can convince me in other ways. [Which is even further accentuated when he rolls his hips against her. She's got layers on of course, but that action is pointed enough, leaving her flushed. A noise escapes her lips, and she's sure she's never made that noise before, suddenly closing her mouth and clenching her jaw.

If he can do that to her from bare friction, she won't let herself just be pinned to a wall, to take it. She's limber and strong enough to at least leave her back on the hard surface behind her and can work her own hips in tandem to his, eyes suddenly squinting back at him.

Fair's fair, right?]

[ While there have been times since arriving that Cassian missed Bix and Brasso, one benefit to their absence is there's nobody to tell embarrassing stories of what he was like as a fumbling, inexperienced teen. Life in a tight-knit community has some definite drawbacks.

In the present, he's caught between warring impulses. To whisk her away somewhere a little more private where he can spend a little more time on her, or just giving in and fucking her against the wall like this. Then she rolls her hips against him and he groans. He presses his forehead to hers as he starts to search along her waistband for whatever kind of belt and buckle situation is in his way. ]

Are you sure?

[ She was so reluctant before, and while he's confident in his charms, he doesn't want to assume and risk taking more than she's willing to give. He wills himself to pause, and steels his nerve to stop if she tells him to. ]

Thought you weren't going to talk? [She gives him a smirk, not actually meaning it, but the fact he even asks pulls her out of the moment.

Is she sure? She feels like in this moment she's never been more sure about anything, but Jyn can go from one end of a dichotomy to the other. If she stops long enough to think about it, she knows they won't get far. But it feels good. He feels good.

Is this how she expected things to go? Well Jyn was never one to think she would be doing this, but if it ever did happen it certainly wouldn't be on a bed of rose petals with some guy whispering sweet nothings. Her life would never allow for that kind of luxury. Though up against a wall on an unknown planet with a guy she just met also feels like that is on the other end of how this is supposed to go.

So she gestures to the patch of grass next to them with her head. At this point it's not any more private than him just taking her against a wall, but they are out of any normal walking path that most people would likely take. There's still enough hedges around, too.]

Lay me down over there? [She's not pumping the brakes, but maybe not going full throttle into this with someone whose name she doesn't even know (not that that means much to her given the amount of fake names she uses).]

[ He narrows his eyes slightly, that smirk teasing him. A series of images, ways he could replace that smirk with another expression, flashed through his mind but he forced himself to focus on her. Depending on what she said, those thoughts might have to remain fantasies. ]

As you wish, princess.

[ He smirks back and fully expects to get slapped for that one. But he shifts his grip, and swiftly carries her over to the convenient greenery. It's not roses, but turf is as rare as roses in most of Morlana's territory, so even this feels luxurious to him.

He pulls the scarf the rest of the way off of her head, and starts working at removing at least some of her layers. There's so damned many of them. ]

[There’s a scoffing noise in the back of her neck when he calls her that, and while she may have been more offended for it, Jyn also knows she isn’t the typical Outer Rim girl. Once in another life, she did live an entirely different way.

But more than anything, maybe he but needs to learn to take directions from her now. If her hands weren’t bared down while he moved her from against the wall to the aforementioned patch of grass, she might of thought about hitting him. Apparently though he can hold his own weight, and hers clearly.]

I think you’re trying to convince me not to now. [She lays back on the grass with that same smirk that caused a flutter of images in her head that she’s sure were more about his wants. It’s a strange sensation still, but it’s a present reminder of the clear effect he has on her. It’s like the ocean coming over her head, but instead of drowning or being unable to breathe, she finds new air. And despite that being a reason to try and push him away, it’s intoxicating and invigorating all at once.

So she lets him start to peel off the layers. First the scarf, then the vest gets discarded. There will be a pile of clothes, all things she wears. But once he’s starting to tug on her shirt, her own hands find that lip of skin where his own shirt dips just enough. She leans in quickly to kiss him, wanting to connect on that level with him again.]

[ At some point he will gain more mastery over controlling his thoughts so as not to reveal more than he's willing to. But it's still so new that he forgets it's happening. The heady rush of pleasure that she feels washes over him as well. This is strange, and once his mind clears he will find it troubling. But right now he's caught in the wave of it and surrenders.

Turns out it is ok to just enjoy something good. Sometimes. Don't want to get complacent. ]

I think you would have no trouble in making it clear if you wanted me to stop.

[ His breath catches in his throat when she tugs at his collar, and he finds her lips again, losing himself in her kiss. One hand buries in her hair as the other winds around her waist and holds her close as his hips roll against her. This is objectively better than the wall, though there is still far too many layers of fabric between them. He can feel the heat of her skin through her shirt and she can probably feel his erection as he bears down on her. His tongue sweeps against her lips. Despite how aroused he is, he refuses to rush. In his experience, such things don't tend to last. Better to savor them for as long as possible before they're gone. ]