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TDM 020: FROSTED FLAKES
| TDM 020: FROSTED FLAKES |
Uploading user data to environmental systems. . . please wait.  Augmentations c̴̦͋o̷͓̺̘̓m̸̮̈̾́p̸̻̃l̵̠̱̤̅e̷̢̧̺͐̃̽t̸͈̓ḙ̴͙̓͘. Proceed . . .? Y/N > Y  Your eyes blink open to the blinding glare of overhead lights and the sight of a pair of glassy mechanical eyes boring into your own. The face above yours moves like liquid mercury, forming an approximation of a figure that you recognize and trust implicitly: a friend, a loved one, a caretaker. Perhaps even a god or a goddess. From its lips fall the patterns of a language that is strange and robotic, and yet familiar to you: Welcome to the N̵̩̈́̓ä̶͇́͂͘m̸̠͒e̴̞̻̾ͅl̷̹̄͝ḙ̷̺͗s̵̳͊̀ṣ̵̱̚ͅ ̶̧͒̄Í̴͔s̵̡̛̺̍̓ļ̵̥͖̄͛͌ḁ̸̳̟̒́n̵̻͑́͗d̴̩͕̰̂̊̔ Darkness overtakes you once again. I. Arrival  When you awake, you find you have washed up on the otherworldly pink sands of an impossibly beautiful beach, the tropical scenery spoiled only slightly by your seasickness. New arrivals, waterlogged and covered in sand, will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. If you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they may even usher you toward the Laid Bare Spa, where new arrivals will be offered free massages, a sauna, hairstyling, and their clothing may come up permanently missing. But you will be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed! Feel free to explore the Island, all is available for your use. Stake your claim on a place to live in the now, whether an apartment in the City, a shack on the beach, or a bigger space at the House of Worship with friends. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each arrival's home. II. Tropical Snow  The Augur hasn't forgotten your festive needs, Islanders! Though the Island weather remains sunny and tropical, a powdery snow has begun to fall from blue skies, collecting into pristine piles overnight. Fortunately, unlike some other snowstorms Islanders might have experienced, this one won't freeze you. In fact, the temperature of the powder is perfectly pleasant, even though everything else about it is exactly as one might remember from white holidays past. It even sticks together nicely, making it absolutely perfect for snowballs, forts, and sculptures, and the 'bots encourage Islanders to enjoy this little treat from the Augur for the limited time that it will last. Even robots pelted by snowballs will chirp cheery encouragements. It is, however, a little slippery… and a bit tacky. And sweet? Catching snowflakes on your tongue has never been so rewarding. III. It Came From Above  In addition to the Island's traditional cherub dragon helpers, Islanders may notice a newcomer to the skies above: these zippy little drones, which flit about playfully and broadcast festive songs from Islander memories whilst they assist the dragonets in decorating the hospital and other public buildings in wintery colors and charming strings of lights. Make sure you mind your head, because the more mischievous of the drones have minds of their own when it comes to decorating sometimes! If you're looking a little dour, you might become the next surface wrapped up in lights and tinsel. Maybe even with someone else, for pleasant company of course! Oh, and those mistletoe bots? They seem to pick targets at will, locking on and hovering overhead until their If asked for assistance with a drone, Island robots will helpfully inform you that the drones make excellent pets! Just be sure to pick one that doesn't bite. IV. Sticky Circumstances  The robots may have made a veeerryy slight miscalculation. As time passes, the mysteriously room-temperature snow that blankets the Island begins to… well, melt. Except, it doesn't melt into water. What results instead from this well-meaning experiment is a slippery, sticky, sweet substance just like icing sugar… but everywhere. On the sidewalks, on the buildings, sliding in globs off the leaves of every palm tree. While it may taste good, and pests like ants are never a problem in paradise, it's quite a nuisance! Robots will offer credits for assistance in clean-up, rewarding especially handsomely as the mess seems to gunk up their joints. With enough help from Islanders and drones, the mess could be cleaned up within the week! If an Islander would rather just enjoy their Island-wide slip and slide, however? The 'bots won't fault them. N A V I G A T I O N |
no subject
Does it not matter to you whether the matter of my returning is either enthusiastic or reluctant?
[He tugs a bit at the fabric to ensure that it's secure, and it won't slip off. When it seems to be the case, he gives Xue Yang a look so they can move towards the kitchen and talk.
At least with showing some reluctance, he'd think that Xue Yang should not expect to get Xiao Xingchen to believe any tricks he might still want to pull. Is this the endgame of Xue Yang's plan with him? Does he want anything more from him than food, sex, and his company? After some time agonizing over what he knows of Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen isn't as troubled by everything he learns... for now. So asking these questions starts to feel more natural.]
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Should it? Either way you're here.
[ As someone who's never really had to navigate friendships, with his closest aside from Xiao Xingchen being a partner in crime to someone about as terrible as himself, he doesn't really understand the resulting differences between the two options. It doesn't occur to him that things might not be the same when someone comes to him by choice or not. ]
no subject
Maybe it's funny that Xiao Xingchen took so long to figure that out.
He steps into the kitchen and turns the stove back on, glancing over the batter. Everything looks good here, at least. Good and evil have started to feel more and more abstract, the longer he's been here.]
Just wait at the table. This won't take long.
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[ And to punctuate his point, Xue Yang leans slightly against the wall as he settles in to take in the sight of Xiao Xingchen. Even with the strange robes, there's still plenty to look at as he moves about.
It's been so long since he's been able to watch Xiao Xingchen work like this. Xue Yang wouldn't admit he's missed it, but it's definitely something that he's taking advantage of now that he's back. ]
no subject
Suit yourself, though I don't understand what the appeal could be.
[With the pan hot enough, he takes a scoop of the batter with his ladle and spreads it around the pan in a singled practiced motion. Not even a single drop falls where it shouldn't as the thin layer quickly fluffs up while it cooks. The air fills with the warm baked and buttery scent, and he also wonders if the aphrodisiac can affect them this way.]
Were you watching me... even when I couldn't see?
[Is it just the shape of this robe? Or during those times that Xue Yang sat by the side while Xiao Xingchen cooked like this, did he also find this so interesting? He can't help but idly wonder.]
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Xue Yang glances towards Xiao Xingchen at the question, and despite everything that's different now it's not hard to call up the image of a blind daozhang deftly working in the kitchen of a coffin house from his memory. ]
Of course. What else would I watch?
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He nudges it across the counter as he pours more batter into the pan to make the second crepe.]
Hm... I was certain that you would have something else to entertain yourself. Really, it's a surprise that you'd enjoy living with me even tolerable after experiencing whatever luxuries you could afford during your time in Jinlintai.
[Life with Xiao Xingchen isn't exciting, and he considered the young man flighty and impulsive as many young people are (excluding some like himself, perhaps). Trying to understand what interests Xue Yang, and what keeps his attention, makes Xiao Xingchen idly curious.
Even if Xue Yang won't share too much about the distant past, surely discussing this much can't hurt.]
no subject
Daozhang, do you really think I'm the type who enjoys the "luxuries" they had there? They'd spend all that wealth on gold and fabrics and other bullshit like that. You think I'd want to show off that I have money? I don't need any of that shit. If you're not having fun with it you might as well not have it at all, and most everyone there wasn't any fun.
[ He takes the crepe and has a big bite of it. His eyes immediately light up. ]
Even the food wasn't as good as this. None of it was sweet enough. You're a lot more fun than any of them, and you make better food, and you're not full of self-important bullshit. Of course I like living with you.
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That would require a belief that Xue Yang is not so broken as to only find the suffering of others fun. Perhaps it adds another layer of flavor to the sweet taste. Yet, despite his opportunity to harm him physically... while also knowing that Xue Yang isn't exactly the greatest at impulse control—
He shouldn't think take anything at face value, but he can't ignore anything he learns. Maybe a clearer image of Xue Yang isn't out of reach, and if he must stay with him, he'd be unwise to not observe more carefully.]
How strange it is... that we can agree that such a place wouldn't befit either of us.
[Placing the crepe on the plate, he turns to look around the room.]
I ought to have expected that. The Augur would have granted you anything to decorate this place, and you would no longer need to hide. [He takes a small bite.] Of course... I had considered that you lived in a secret castle hidden from my view while we were apart.
[He had a lot of time to consider many possibilities about how Xue Yang managed it.]
no subject
A secret castle? That's a good one!
[ He laughs a few seconds longer then starts to calm down. ]
Secret castles are so boring if you don't have anything to do there. I like my shop where I can try out all sorts of fucking things a lot better. And having you around to do things with is the best of all.
no subject
Though he clears his throat before he speaks again. He can still feel a faint heat building up, which is surely a feeling anyone whose lived on this island is all too familiar with. The sensation even lightens the sore feeling in his body, wanting to take away any reason why he would want to say no. Still, he has enough control to not let such a dose immediately control his actions, or to be just swayed by the idea of what else Xue Yang has in mind to do...
Xiao Xingchen crosses his legs, fidgeting as the heat becomes a little more insistent.]
As long as you don't... want to move us into your shop.
[He has more to say, about how Xue Yang seems predictable in some ways yet in many ways not, but the aphrodisiac starts to pull more complicated thoughts away from him.]
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If we lived in the shop, customers would show up and interrupt us. And I don't want to share you whenever I have you all to myself.
[ His tone is matter-of-fact as he says it. ]
Besides there isn't a kitchen there or even a bath.
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His eyes first focus on a hand Xue Yang uses to hold the crepe. Despite how they're not posed too suggestively, he only needs to recall a few moments ago in the shower, when Xue Yang's fingers felt around inside him and he considered riding them to orgasm without any shame right then.
If he's already committed to this, why doesn't he take Xue Yang for all the pleasure he can provide?
That thought intensifies as his gaze sweeps lower. Slick already rolling down his inner thighs, he can't ignore the idea of simply holding onto Xue Yang's shoulders and leveraging himself onto his cock before he even finishes breakfast.
With his own hand starting to grip his own crepe, the fruit preserves start to run down and onto him. He doesn't think too much - other than noticing the sugary, sticky feeling - as he sets it back onto the plate and decides to clean the sweet liquid with the tip of his tongue. First, along the soft skin of his inner wrist, then up along his palm.]
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He follows it all the way up to Xiao Xingchen's fingertips before slowly taking them into his mouth, keeping eye contact with Xiao Xingchen the entire time. He was already hard but his cock jumps now with the intimate contact.
It only takes a few deliberate tugs before the robe slips free once again, and then he's moving back into his seat and guiding Xiao Xingchen towards him, on top of him.
There's no reason for them not to do this. This is exactly how things should be. Regardless of any plans of either of them to go back to the shop, or the cafe, or do anything else today but continue what was started last night, there's no thought of anything else in this moment. It's so easy to have Xiao Xingchen sink down around him, feeling like he fits as perfectly as if they were made for each other.
The rest of the day and even the rest of the crepes can be dealt with later. Xiao Xingchen is here now, and that's all Xue Yang cares about. ]