« 014 ⇢ EVENT014.EXE »

[reparator]

Who: Cerealia natives & you
When: ooc: 05/21-05/23; ic: 01/08
Where: A local photography studio
What: Intro log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//event013.EXE WE'RE YOUR BIGGEST FANS WE'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE US (L̻̣̖̯̰ͣ̒̓̆̃̈́̈͜͞O̱̞̞̝̤͋̆ͭV̵̨̖̘͉͖̤͇̞̺ͫ̾̇̚͝Ę͐̇̓ͪͨ̇͠͏̰̼͍͍̪̙̰͍̪ ̸̫̆ͨͨ̕͝Ȕ̘̼ͬ͋ͮ̂͋Ś̑̒͗҉̧̤͚ ̪̯̰̮̘̔ͬ͂ͫͫ́͝L̠͍͔̯͔͈͆̄̉ͤ͢͝ͅO̳̰͔͙̱̹̦͌̓V͍̗͖̙̬̰ͫ̆̆ͤ́E̡̤̤̟̩̟̅̃͢ͅ ̦̙̲̮͖͙͓̄ͩͥ̇̎̈ͫ́̀͢U̶͚͔ͯ͌͘S̡̛͈̺̹̯͎̓̐̄̿͝ ̷̌̑ͮ̒̂̓҉̰̦͕͓̝L̤͍͍̝̯̙̈̓ͮͬͧ͡͠Ô̢̲̗̻̱̜͔̺̗̦ͩ̒͊̄̌̒͊V͎̬̺͇͖̮̻̚͜Ĕ̱̺͓̩̯̫ͅ ̖̫͙̞̜͇͖̹͗̿ͨͧ̄͑̕͝U͎͔̼̒̂́̽͑͆ͨͯ͟ͅS̢͔̳ͣ̊̃̇ͣ̐̀͞ͅ ̲̣̳̾ͩ͑ͦ̈́ͩ̉͗̕͞L̗̩̰͈̜͔͍͈̓͢O̫͈̝̭̠͈͕̻̎̏ͣ̚͘͠V̸͔̲̻͚̭͂͆̎̈ͨ̐̏̑́͢È̪̖̟̞̗͎̰̻̱̈́ͩ͂ͩ̓ͩ ̵͎̘̺̋̐̉ͦ͂ͧ̐ͬU͇̫̪̬ͣ͢S̰͓͂̿͂͗̐̓ ̶͌̇̂͗ͧ̓҉̤͎̫͈L̺̦͓̏̏͌͢O̷̗̥̭ͣ̐ͯ̚͢Vͮ͌ͦ͏͇̖̗̟͈E̱͉̥̋ͥ̏ͣ͘ ̧͙ͧ̃̒̓͘͠U̘̺͎͌̊͡S̸̛͇̠̭̹̞̘ͨ̓ͧ̌͋̍̊ ̬̭͋͐͗̈͒̅L̡̢̗̙͈̲͉̼̳̆͛O̶̵̗̼̺͓ͮ̓̉̕V̢͒ͫ̌͛ͣͣ̀̕҉̟̖̹̤̞ͅE̵̘͈͋ͣ̈̋ ̧̛̙͛́͂ͣ̀̍ͫỤ̧̩̞͉̰̠̉͒̓̓̓̊͟͟S̵̠͕͍̼̠̺͔ͣ͛͂̒͛͌ L̡͑̀͟͏̪͎̲͖͉̖̣ͅỌ̸͙̅̂̔ͥͭ͌̾͟͟V̝ͫ̽̂̐ͬͥͭ͒̌Ẻ̷̇ͨ̇͛̒́̿҉͓̤ ̹̺̫͇̠̰̐ͤ͋̃̉͝Ȕ̻̪̪̰̰͙͆̈̐S̷̫̻̗̜͔̜̲͆͒̓͛ͬ) CERES itself has been notably quiet lately as they run their usual code recovery protocols, but the colony locals, who totally ripped off the company's name to put on CERESCON, are more than willing to step up their game. They've got something great planned for old friends, newbies who attended the convention, and even newer arrivals who only experienced the usual arrival: a massive group photoshoot with the intention of creating photobooks, calendars, and various other merchandise that can be sold. After all, regardless of what the you all think of CERES and vice versa, the locals love you guys! ...maybe a little too much. The newest arrivals will be ushered onto a bus shortly after emerging from their powerpoint presentation and driven around the city so that they can see the sights and be joined by those who have been in the colony for longer (and those who just arrived but are retaining test drive memories). The bus will make stops at various residences and places of employment in the effort to round up as many people as possible, and they will use any means necessary to get you to join in on the fun, from bribery (did they mention that you'll get a free lunch before the shoot, a free dinner after the shoot, and royalties from the sale of merchandise your face appears on?!) to outright kidnapping for the more stubborn. If you really don't want to take part, escape is possible, but expect to be tailed by amateur photographers trying to snap candid photos of you for the rest of the day. Upon arriving, everyone taking part will be treated to a delicious buffet-style lunch! Nothing too heavy, because they don't want anyone getting sick during the shoot, but they'll certainly make sure you're comfortable. This is a good chance to mingle with the new arrivals and meet people who have been in the colony that you haven't yet crossed paths with yet, so why not take a day off from work and have some fun? After all... CERES has nothing to do with this... right? What's the worst that could happen? "LOOK THIS WAY, MY PRETTY! AH YES, THAT'S YOUR GOOD SIDE... AGAIN, AGAIN! HOLD THAT POSE... GOTCHA! YOU'RE REALLY MAKING MY BLOOD RUSH NOW, NYA! NOW LOOK RIIIIGHT INTO MY CAMERA... JUST A LIIIIITLE MORE... Ȧ͊͗̿Ṋ̪͍̲ͮͤ̔̎D̜̻͕̼ ̍͂͂͋̊̚N̴̙̯̦͆̏̐͊ͯ́̓O̸̗̫̎W̗̲̰ͮ̇̏͛ͮ͑́ ̯̩̜̰̯̿́̅̂͌ͤ̉ͅY̶͍̜̤̎ͮO̫̺̫̬͍̹͘U͏̮̦̘̩̻̠̻'̬̹́͒R̬̩̙̻̙͚̳͟Ě̞̬̬ͩͧͯ̂̈́̚ ̫̞̺͆ͥM̛̌͑I̩̺̲̗̤̍̚ṈͭͅE͚̣͎ THIS IS A GREAT SHOT! YOU'RE SENDING SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE! I'LL NEVER LET THIS PICTURE GO..."

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] So you've all just been dropped off at the venue and now it's time to get some food in you. After all, as any of Cerealia's professional models will be able to tell you, standing under the lights and looking pretty is a whole lot harder than it looks! You're definitely going to want to keep your strength up. But don't worry about paying, because this meal is on the house. Eat as much as you like. It's buffet-style, and anything that runs low will be refilled by friendly robots in a timely fashion. Also on the house is treatment from the colony's various appearance professionals. Makeup artists and hairdressers will have their time to shine as they primp and polish 'til you glow with pride, and representatives from various boutiques and clothing stores, as well as professional fashion designers, will be on hand to ensure that you look your best! Don't be surprised if, while you're waiting to get started, a dark-clad figure in a hood sidles up to you and dumps a letter or two in your lap! These are letters from your adoring public (yes, even the new arrivals have quite a devoted fanbase), and they range from cute to creepy. ...how did that messenger even get in, anyway? Maybe the way they seem to melt into the crowd and disappear when you blink has something to do with it. PHASE II [ xxxx ] Now it's time to get down to business! Business, of course, being getting your picture taken by these overly-enthusiastic photographers. ...do some of them look like cats? That's got to be your imagination. Blink and they'll look normal, promise. The photographers are interested in catching as many shots of the various visitors to the colony as they can possibly get, so don't be surprised if they pair you up with people you don't even know just because they think you look cute together. The poses they'll put you in will range from normal to outright risqué, so here's hoping you and your new buddy don't feel awkward together! Midway through the shoot, one of the volunteers will run into the room very excitedly, wheeling a cart full of animal carriers behind him. Some of the things he's brought along are harmless CYBuddies, because what photoshoot isn't made cuter by including adorable animals, but some of the others are... let's just say CERES probably won't be too happy once they hear that someone's brought alien life forms into the colony. In all fairness, some of them are actually quite cute, like the aquatic creature that manages to float itself around in a sphere of water and the multi-tailed fox with glowing purple eyes, as well as the... Well, no one's really sure what this thing is, not even the person who brought it, but it's cute enough. Others, on the other hand, are just entirely bizarre, but to each their own. Feel free to chat up the others while you're waiting for your turn, to play with the animals, or to try and escape. Those who try and duck out the back will eventually be tracked down by a volunteer or a robot that will try to either bribe or kidnap them into continuing with the shoot, though! Maybe you and a friend can team up to figure out a way past them? Or you could just be on good behavior and let them take your picture. ...a word of caution, however. No matter how often the photographers urge you to do so, do not look directly into the camera. Characters who do will be rendered unconscious (those with spiritual sensitivity will actually be able to tell that they've been rendered soulless, though characters that already lack souls to begin with will still be rendered unconscious) for five minutes in the first instance and five minutes plus one minute for every instance thereafter (six minutes for a second time, seven for a third, and so on). Should they reach the point where they would be knocked out for a period of ten minutes, the photographer will try to leave the building. You will want to stop them. If you don't, your character will remain unconscious until the dawn of the next day and will be transported to the CERES medical center. If other characters manage to keep the photographer from leaving, your character will wake up after ten minutes as normal. Feel free to NPC these encounters yourselves if it comes to it; the mods will not be doing so. It's up to you whether the photographer escapes or not. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Uuuuuuh-oh. Whoever thought it was a great idea to bring in all those alien creatures is probably going to get fired, because one thing has led to another and now they're on the loose. What's more, those of them that can do so have taken on decidedly more threatening appearances, and more than a few of them seem to be out for blood. In the chaos brought on by their outbreak, a second wave of photographers will make their way into the building. They're more aggressive in their attempts to have the characters look right at them when they take their pictures, and will absolutely try and gang up on them to hold them down and turn their heads to force them into having their pictures taken over and over again. These shots will have the same effect as being directly photographed during the photoshoot, but fighting back against them is okay - in fact, the volunteers and photographers who organized the shoot will actually do their best to help you fight the paparazzi off. This sort of aggression is not condoned by the locals who love you, after all. Should your character be rendered unconscious for ten minutes, anyone who attempts to stop the paparazzi from absconding with their soul will be assisted by the official volunteers for the photoshoot. ...of course, if your character is managing to hold their own, they'll just hang back and photograph the fight. Why waste a good opportunity for candid shots? After all, you're the people who are going to be restoring your own worlds and subsequently protecting theirs from the Flamines! Why wouldn't they want to document it every step of the way? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The paparazzi has been successfully expelled, the photoshoot has been finished up, and as if by magic (okay, no, it's just technology), they've actually managed to produce the prototypes for the various merchandise that will be sold around the colony. Isn't that exciting? You've all done a great thing here today, the volunteers will tell you. Now just sit back, relax, and let them make up for all the trouble. Admire the calendars, books, and prints you're all appearing in! Or, you know, you can also wonder why ghostly images of people who aren't even there are showing up in some of the pictures you've taken. If you took a picture with just one other person, you might see a third person there, posed perfectly to go along with you! It's almost like the photographers were able to see them all along, but that's not possible, right? They won't always be there, either. You can see it and someone else can see it, but if you look away for too long and then look back, the picture will look just the way it should have based on how you took it. Huh. Weird. Anyway, enjoy the lavish banquet the volunteers have prepared to thank you for all your hard work! You've done a fantastic job and they really want to express their gratitude. If there's any particular food you like, chances are it will be there. (Don't ask how they knew what you like.) While you're eating, another black-clad messenger might appear and give you even more fanmail than you might have received before the shoot - apparently people have been watching, and this has really boosted your popularity! You're developing quite the fanbase. The dinner crowd's fanmail definitely ranges more along the "creepy" side of things, though some of the notes actually will be cute and innocent expressions of admiration. The security has been stepped up considerably for the meal, so the paparazzi won't be able to get in (though you can certainly hear them trying). At the end of the night, the volunteers will offer to escort you home, and should you take them up on their offer you'll make it home safely and be unbothered by the paparazzi at your place of residence. Try and go home alone, though, and the paparazzi will stalk you until sunrise, even going so far as to try to break into your room. BONUS [ whyo'clock ] It seems like your devoted fanbase has gotten a little out of hand! At any point during the log - even during the chaos surrounding the animal outbreak and paparazzi attack - you might just be approached by a robot. A robot that loves you so much, it's going to take you away from all of this. This robot will wax poetic about its undying love for you and how it's going to make sure that the two of you can be together forever and no one will ever be able to take you away from them. It will then proceed to do its best to kidnap you. Maybe there's some kind of a glitch in its program, because it's not gentle about it at all! And if you try and escape, it'll definitely get violent. Try to run away and it might just have to break your legs so you can never leave it behind. Try and fight it off, and it'll do its best to incapacitate you so it can drag you off, put you on display, and take super good care of you. These robots are incredibly sturdy, but the more technologically-inclined may be able to reprogram them into being less creepy and more helpful if they can get to the control panel on its back. Fight hard enough, or avoid it for long enough, and eventually its battery will wear down and you'll be safe. If you can't fight or run, you'd better hope someone who can will come along and help you...! [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's usual arrival experience and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions right here, and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Comments

phase i omg owain

[multiglyphs]

[ ... well this is just sad. ]

I think you owe that robot an apology.

[ the one whose head he kicked, that is. not that weiss really cares about the robot, if her flat look and dull tone are of any indication, but good gods talk about an overreaction. ]

Are you quite done now?

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

Ah. H-haha. Ha...

[Nothing really shuts Owain down as fast as a judgmental stare from a totally unimpressed and deadpan stranger does. And that's... that's one judgmental stare from a totally unimpressed and deadpan stranger. He ducks his head and bows to the robot, that vaguely familiar feeling of oh man i'm childish and the worst creeping up his spine. He's... he's not normally this quick to yield to his underlying insecurities but that fan letter said he's cute and he has no idea how to deal with that.]

Yes, miss ma'am. Sorry, sir ma'am. [wait, he's talking to weiss but facing the robot, shit. he very mechanically stands and turns to face weiss, whoops.]

I'm, uh. I'm quite done, sir miss.

[multiglyphs]

—Sir?

[ if owain expected at all for his hasty apology to garner any gentleness from weiss, he'll probably be sorely mistaken. while she hadn't really been too perturbed by his gestures (truly, he reminded her of lee in his exuberance), she couldn't really ignore the flash of irritation she feels when he goes and calls her sir.

arms cross under her bust, one hip cocking out in typical weiss fashion — it usually warns of some further scolding to come, or something like that. ]

What's got you acting so strange, anyway? [ —?? could it be? actual concern???

well, it would certainly seem more like concern... if only her tone weren't still so sharp. she's noticed the letter in his hands, after all. she's had a number of those stuffed in her hands just earlier, too. none were all that kind. ]

You'll be better off ignoring whatever garbage you find in those letters. They're clearly just trying to get a rise out of you.

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

Ah... ahaha. Heheh. Haaa.

[Owain's only defense here is pretty much just an incessant stream of nervous chuckling. He just... keeps chuckling, even as she talks. He suddenly feels like he's a little kid again, being spoken down to by Maribelle for having dirty hands or for swinging his practice sword around indoors. He's so flooded with childhood embarrassment that he doesn't even register her first question, let alone the scandalized indignance that comes from him anxiously addressing her as sir. He pretty much only tunes in towards the end there, and by then, his hands are raised in silent surrender.]

A-Actually, about these letters... [He pauses, clearly torn. Does... does he dare? Does he dare try to approach the rest of this conversation with his usual flair and theatrics? If he does, will she look at him like that again? You know - all scary and stuff? He decides to very, very carefully spin a classy, respectful tale about his nemeses thirst for his blood. You know, just to test the waters.]

About these letters - the truth is, I've been receiving threats on my life for some time! There are brigands longing to tear the flesh from my bones, Miss. Dangerous brigands. Hooks for hands! Breath of bile and vinegar! Blood soaked so deep into their armor, everything they touch is stained a permanent scarlet! ... It's, um. It's all very scary.

Naturally, you'll agree that any robot-kicking I've succumbed to and any violent mannerisms I've been displayed have all been super justified. Because, you know. Of the brigands. So, um. There's no need to... to be cross. Okay?

[multiglyphs]

[ there's no need to be cross.

and, just like that, weiss is effectively shut down. shamed, just like he'd been, though he needn't resort to the sharp tones and hard gazes that she so often defaults to. too easily, she is reminded of her own letters, the numerous uses of ice queen that were coined by her very own friends.

visibly, she deflates, suddenly standing much, much smaller before him. head ducked, shoulders defeated, eyes averted. it seems that every now and then, she's reminded of how much further she still has to go. ]

...Sorry.

[ it's a tiny, quiet thing, suitably abashed. ]

If you're really worried about your safety, I can protect you.

[ she tries to make it up to him the only way she knows how — by offering her sword and her semblance. it's the only thing she's confident she can do well, at least. ]

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

[Sometime after speaking, Owain had scrunched his eyes shut, half-expecting an onslaught of names synonymous with childish loser to be thrown at him in mass. With Weiss's apology, though, and with her extremely earnest offer to help him against those totally non-fictional enemies he has, he just... kind of feels guilty. There's a knot in his gut that twists when he sees how much smaller she looks. Man, he shouldn't have lied. He feels bad. And marginally less afraid of her.]

... Uh. Sorry. A-Actually, there aren't any brigands. I lied. Sorry. That was just me being weird.

[He adjusts his manner of speech, figuring it might be easier to talk to Weiss in much the same way he talks to Lucina and his friends of her ilk - people who default to deserving respect rather than, you know. Floods of Owain-ness.]

That's, um. That's a really cool sword, though! I've never seen anything like it! Do you mind if I take a look?

[multiglyphs]

[ .................................................... owain no. ]

—of course I mind!

[ and, just like that, weiss is back to.. being the weiss. there is a fair bit of pink on her cheeks, flushed in embarrassment — double the embarrassment, really, because owain just committed the ultimate crime against a tsundere: make her feel bad and show her dere, only to TAKE IT ALL BACK.

she takes a step back, angling herself that myrtenaster is as far away from the boy as possible. and while she doesn't look like she's about to chew his head off anymore, she does look suitably indignant about being lied to. ]

What's wrong with you?! Why would you lie about something like that?!

[ spoilers, owain: she's more severa than lucina... ]

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

[.......... oh wow, that backfired. that backfired extremely hard. maybe-- maybe Owain just doesn't understand pretty girls?!?!!?! IT SURE SEEMS LIKE THAT WITH ALL THE YELLING

He raises his hands in surrender again, and yeah, the fear of being called a childish loser is totally back in full force. because there it is, this is what he expected. everything is scary and nothing is okay.]

I-I! Just! Was! Trying to be cool! Because someone sent me a weird letter and it was making me feel weird so I didn't know what to do other than try to be cool! And then-- and then you looked all sad, and defenseless, and you were really nice to me, and I felt really guilty! And bad! So I wanted to be honest with you! Okay?! I'm sorry, Sir Ma'am!

[wait, wasn't she mad about the sir thing before? he-- he didn't mean it disrespectfully! it's just how he refers to knights sometimes! or nobility! it's no big deal!! oh man oh man he has to smooth this out]

I wasn't lying about your sword, though! It's way awesome! That's-- isn't that the most important thing here?! That you have an awesome sword?!

[multiglyphs]

[ oh god, weiss realizes. he's another jaune. he isn't a lee at all, but another jaune, trying to be cool and failing horribly at it.

(but, well, she has to sympathize with him, doesn't she? she knows all about trying your best, only to find out you've gone about it all wrong...)

so while a part of her is still upset at being lied to and made a fool of, there is unmistakably a softness to her when she responds again, though still rather indignant. ]

Obviously you should have tried to be honest from the beginning. [ at least she isn't yelling at him anymore, and her words sound more like advice than scolding...

she won't address the sword thing just yet, because she assumes it's just him attempting to be cool and deflecting again. instead, she looks at the root of the problem here — the letter in his hands, and with them up in the air like that. well. it makes it easier for her to snatch it out of his hand, and that's perfectly okay, right? right. ]

What's the problem, anyway? [ she starts to unfold it... ] Like I said, you really shouldn't pay attention to whatever it's saying—

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

I-It's not like I was lying to hurt you, though! I was just... lying! That's all!

[Owain is so flustered with everything that's going on, he doesn't even think to snatch the paper back from Weiss when she takes it from him. It's not until he's frantically ruffling his fingers through his hair and struggling to find an awesome way to bounce back from all this that he realizes, you know. Fingers. Hair. Hands are empty. She has the letter.]

Ah! Ah!! No!!! Noooo!!! Give it baaaaaaaack!

[He's screaming like a child, but seeing as he's so late to what's going on, she's probably already seen the contents. Two horrific, deadly words printed in bold. ur cute. Aaaugh!]

Why is this happening to me?! I don't understand it! I'm a good guy! I don't deserve any of this!

[multiglyphs]

[ it didn't take weiss long to read the note at all, just as he'd feared. but it certainly takes her a few minutes to understand. she looks between the letter and its owner a few times, confusion (and maybe a little bit of exasperation) clear on her expression...

did... did he go through all that mess just because someone sent him a note of admiration? here weiss was, thinking he'd been sent some hate mail like she had, but no, he got quite the opposite, apparently.

...

could it be he hasn't really had much experience in the romantic department? it's. oddly endearing. but also frustrating. but also adorable. but also irritating. she can't quite decide which emotion to settle on, really.

after a moment, she just sighs, and somehow the gravity of the sound is enough to cut through his wailing. clearly she should be delicate about this... ]

So someone thinks you're cute. So what? [ oops, so much for delicate. ] Don't tell me this is the first time you're hearing that.

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

[look, when he inevitably reaches his first S Support, he'll be all about romance, regardless of how notorious he is for his clumsy confessions and hideous stupidity. but for now? everything's scary and hard to understand! Weiss's brazen disregard for subtlety and tact sends Owain staggering backwards, clutching his heart.]

Of course it's the first time I've heard that! ... Well. I've been called cute in the, "it sure is cute how a grown man has so much fun playing with dolls and being generally embarrassing" kind of way, but that's not the same! Or... maybe it is?! Such... imperceptible vagueness! Impenetrable by the wisdom of even I, Owain Dark, avatar of great grandeur and... penetrating wisdom!

[... oh, he slipped back into character.]

S-Sorry. I just-- I don't know! Someone's trying to play me for a chump. I've only been here for a day and people are already making fun of me! [he sighs, shoulders slumped.]

I just... I thought I'd at least get a chance to make a cool first impression on people before this started happening, you know? Before people started realizing that I'm a total dork that completely lacks in actual substance. Before they started realizing that I'm extremely creepy and deserving of little to no respect. Just a creepy creep who creeps around with his weirdo hobbies. Weirdo of weirdoes, fated to die alone, unloved by all except for his pet cat who he doesn't even have yet. No, wait. Even my cat'll leave me. When I die, someone will rescue him and put him into cat therapy to help him overcome the traumatic experiences he must have went through living with such a creepy pointless weirdo for so long. He'll learn to stop loving me. It'll be for the best. That's what'll happen. 'Cause that's me. Dead creepy creepster with a sad, unhealthy cat who must have been brainwashed into caring about me.

[sniffle.]

[multiglyphs]

[ what just happened. ]

You're... not a creepy weirdo creeper... thing. [ she's not going to bother trying to repeat the rest of what he said, because most of that just flew over her head in a jumbled mess of self-pity.

but. well. weiss can't really hold it against him for feeling down on himself. she's fallen into that pit a few times herself, despite her better judgment, despite wanting to be better, and sometimes when you're down there, it's really hard to climb back out on your own.

even if you're used to doing it all yourself.

...sometimes especially if you're used to doing it all yourself.

so she sighs a little, and shifts awkwardly in place. she doesn't dare take a step forward, for fear that she might scare him off or something, but — um — at least he can get a good look at her sword again?? idk. she's trying, here. ]

You're just nervous. Everyone gets nervous. And everyone wants to make a good first impression. There's — nothing wrong with wanting people to like you. [ haha oops hitting a little too close to home right now. ]

Look — why don't we start over, okay? You said your name was Owain? I'm Weiss.

[ ...

........

....................

oh yeah she should hold out her hand now, yes. ]

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

[It seems like this isn't getting through to Owain at all. Sometime during Weiss's ... would you call this a peptalk? Well, sometime during Weiss's attempt at sort of cheering Owain up, Owain has slumped back against a nearby wall and doubled over, staring pointlessly at the ground. He's so curled in on himself that he doesn't even notice Weiss is holding her hand out to him, because his only friend is a cat that doesn't even exist yet and there's no point pretending otherwise. SNIFFLE]

No, it's okay. Like I said, I get it. I'm just a goofy doofus with the magical brain of a talented child. You don't need to pretend like you want to be my friend. It's okay. Just leave me here to die.

[he sighs... and then he sighs again. he sighs a third time, loud enough to throw his head back for dramatic effect, but then his eyes catch the gleam of Weiss's sword in the light. He pauses in his melodrama, clears his throat, then stretches his back straight.]

N... no! No, you're right! There's nothing wrong with being nervous, right?! Even if I live my life as a broken martyr, shouldering the responsibility of everyone thinking I'm a loser, that just makes me more and more like the broken, tragic hero that I want to be, right?! You're right! There's nothing wrong with me, ever!

[RAUGH. ENERGY. RAHH. HE GRABS WEISS'S HAND AND SHAKES IT AS HARD AS HE CAN. But seriously, he wants to see that sword. He figures he should at least say "thank you" before he asks about it, though, because Weiss really didn't have to go out of her way to say all that. Especially after, you know. He embarrassed her and behaved like an idiot for half an hour.]

... Thank sword, Weiss.

[... wait ugh HE MEANT THANK YOU HE MEANT THANK YOU]

[multiglyphs]

[ ... weiss decides that perhaps she just shouldn't try anymore. it doesn't seem to matter what she says, because he seems more than willing to take himself through the motions (whatever those may be) himself, and so she just lets it all happen, even if his hand-shaking was a little more aggressive than she's used to.

wincing slightly, she withdraws her hand with a strained smile, teeth grit. ]

...sword welcome, I guess.

[dinosaurdeathgorenado]

Haha. Ha. Hahahaaa.

[Owain smiles the happy, radiant smile of a man who is completely at ease with the world. He's in posession of a super awesome attitude! He's at peace with who he is as a person! Everything's good and everyone's happy and there's no more arguing or yelling or stupid stuff so seriously, Weiss, time's up. Fork over the sword.]

... Can I see it? Your weapon? I washed my hands before I got on the bus this morning, so if I'm allowed to touch it, we're good to go. I won't leave any smudges! Not even one! Promise.