TRAVEL LOG #2

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, vehicle crash.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

In the early morning hours of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a rude awakening blaring through their implants. No matter what they do, the alarm will not stop sounding until they are forced to get up. A message will flash through their vision:

ALL OUTSIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE HANGAR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE

Get up, get dressed in your plugsuit, and it’s time to go! Once they report at the hangar, they will be met with a huge spacecraft, large enough to fit at least 80 people. This will be their mode of transport to their next location.

"My Angels of Lilith. You are needed once again. We have received distress signals from the neighbouring country of South Korea. Unfortunately, since we have not established data portals in that country, we require you to embark via air. Your aircraft is ready for you and your seats have been assigned. I bid you a safe journey."

True enough, there are more than enough seats on the LILITH SKY CRUISER to accommodate every Outsider, and to get everyone organized quickly for departure, all Outsiders will receive a seat number. Like any plane, seats are rather cramped and there isn’t much leg room. Once the seatbelt sign is off, Outsiders are free to stand up and move around the cruiser, but they might have to climb over other people or make the whole row stand up to give them room. The aircraft is serviced by robotic stewards serving light snacks of nuts and crackers, and coconut crab kimbap and seaweed soup at meal time. Any characters who use a cloaking device will be instructed to use it during the flight to accommodate the aircraft. Also, any characters who rely on a weapon or anything else (such as a Gundam), it will be loaded onto the cargo of the aircraft.

The flight will take about 2-3 hours. Outsiders may take a nap, chat or try the inflight entertainment available. This inflight entertainment is delivered through a virtual reality headset. Outsiders may pick a selection of AI movies of questionable quality, along with several virtual reality games. There are single player or multiplayer options available for every game.

Available games include:

• The Sims 30: One player gets to become the ‘god’ of a world and build houses or dictate the lives of other players and NPCs within the game as they see fit.
  
• Farm Crossing: A farming simulator game where players get to build and manage their own farms. Harvest your crops and tend to your animals! Impress the friendly villagers in the town with your beautiful ranch!
  
• Tales of Heroes: A fantasy game where players are reborn into a world of monsters and magic and have to level up by fighting monsters and slaying demons.
  
• And many more … (Feel free to design your own VR games.)

Eventually, the sky cruiser will touch down on Incheon Airport. There’s no need to be stuck waiting in line at immigration... it appears as if the Incheon Airport has not been used in decades and seems completely abandoned with the exception of the Outsiders. The old scanning machines and luggage belts are simply collecting dust. Outsiders will be ushered immediately to the nearest train station, where they will continue their journey by train.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

Once descended from the train ride, they will have arrived in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Neo Tokyo, a lot of the people on the outskirts moved to this area in order to receive shelter and the benefits of being amongst civilization, rather than fending for themselves. As such, there is a certain hustle and bustle, but considering the state of their dilapidated airports and most of the other cities falling to ruin, there definitely is a more somber vibe to the city. Despite that, the residents carry on and there is no shortage of shopping, food stalls (mostly with foods that are not easy to perish), cafes, pojangmacha to have a late night food or drink at, and many more smaller businesses. The people are resilient and have every single desire to continue making a living. As such the prices here are competitive and Outsiders will find if they look hard enough, there are some fairly good deals to be made. Currency exchange is no issue, as KRYPTOS is the universal currency.

Since a lot of efforts were made to keep Seoul intact, there are still some important sights that were kept up and can be visited if desired. While LILITH urges people to keep their eyes peeled out for any clues to the next kaiju’s whereabouts, Seok Dang may or may not have sent each Outsider a map of the best sightseeing amongst many other not-so-innocent suggestions. He calls it the difference of experiences and “doesn’t want anyone missing out!” If people check back on the message a day later, they will find it was almost as if it didn’t exist at all. On the list, however, includes sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace, COEX mall and aquarium, Seoul Sky, and many others. However, some of them may or may not exist anymore. How long was he out of the country for? For an extra “freebie” he throws in, Outsiders will find an odd message on their style upgrade saying there is a new outfit available, when opened, it will download a hanbok that they can wear at any time.

"Well, well. Unfortunately, whatever fun could have been planned will need to be halted just a mere two and a half days to get settled. Once again, a message will be produced on everyone’s oculars suggesting an emergency is on the horizon. Guess we better get to that instead of showing you my home country!"

And Seok Dang wonders why he is the Commander's least favorite.

Beep! An alert pops up on the Outsiders' ocular devices. According to the information LILITH just received, there is not just one large kaiju occupying this region, but two. In order to chase both of these leads, Outsiders are split into two groups in order to chase these two kaiju. They have described these kaiju as being very agile and fast, but resembling a serpent from the few sightings that have been spotted. As for the rift that it originated from, there is no sign of a rift in South Korea. Did it migrate here from somewhere else? More details will pour into the Outsider's devices as soon as possible, but for now, Outsiders are called to pursue the hunt.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_{EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION}

Within the next hour, rain will begin to fall upon the city, but this is far from the average summer shower. The precipitation doesn’t seem weather-related as much as it does seem to be a proponent of the kaiju’s abilities. They find this when studying the rain itself, which is acidic to the touch. While the buildings and other structures will remain sound, the people will need to evacuate quickly in order to avoid any lingering effects to the skin. Skin contact with the acid rain will cause both minor and severe burning, depending on how quickly it is rinsed off with normal water. At the first discovery of the acid rain's danger, Outsiders will be commanded to press a button on their plugsuit on the left shoulder, activating an invisible helmet to keep their heads and faces safe.

The Outsiders’ plug suits prevent them from receiving any damages from the rain, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone else. The first team, made up of the members of Everlight and Redemption are to prioritize the initial evacuation of the people, especially those who live slightly outside of the city limits of Seoul. They are the most vulnerable during crises like these and will need to be pulled from their homes, and those who live in the basement shelters will need to be pulled to one higher ground in case of potential flooding with the acid rain. Individuals who have skills in healing will also be called forth in order to tend to the injuries of those who are saved.

Between evacuation, there will also be tidbits of information provided to those on the team that remains in Seoul to check out specific locations in order to figure out more about this kaiju. The first location listed is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Outsiders that remain in Seoul will be utilizing that as their base. They are set to look at any remains the kaiju may have left behind. Any findings are commanded to be surrendered to LILITH. Emergency response of South Korea will use this palace as a safe haven, providing cots for sleeping overnight and other emergency supplies.

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_{BRIMSTONE & REVELATION}

The second team will depart via train on a journey to the city of Busan. The journey is expected to take 2 hours, and while there are comfortable seats available on the train, any luxuries beyond that are minimal. At least LILITH has brought along a few VR headsets for whoever wants to kill time with games or bad movies? Anyone can sit where they'd like for this ride.

An hour into the trip, a loud crash is suddenly heard, with the entire train rocking and falling to its side. This causes a complete blackout throughout the train and it stops functioning completely, leaving Outsiders stranded within the pitch black tunnel. The train system is completely inoperable in this condition. Outsiders will need to make their own journey to the city, following the rails by foot and helping any Outsiders who happened to be injured in the crash. It’ll be dark within the tunnel, but light will soon emerge once they exit it, and they will find themselves at the foot of Mount Geumjeong.

From then on, they’ll need to put their trekking skills to the test and cross the mountainous, forested region, where they will encounter various local fauna such as snakes, deer and black bears. They will also spot many destroyed villages and temples on their way to Busan. However, evidence of the Kaiju can be found in both the subway tunnel and throughout the mountain trek, suggesting that the kaiju has moved through here. This encourages LILITH to keep Outsiders in this area. The Outsiders will need to make a campsite in one of the destroyed villages, though emergency response will also pay them a visit several days later with sleeping cots and emergency supplies. In the meantime, hopefully they brought enough food with them or know how to forage and hunt for food in the wilderness. Some of those berries out there are poisonous....

The team here will be encouraged to explore the area to find further traces of the kaiju and help any villagers who are still alive.

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

Promptly, at the same time, all Outsiders will receive a text message and be put in an encrypted chat-room: OPERATION: RED/BLUE
CODENAME:
LOCATION:
STATUS:
FINDINGS:
Outsiders are instructed to fill out this information and send it into the chat to communicate with one another.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second travel log!

Characters do have ASSIGNED SEATS for the duration of their flight to Incheon airport, though there are just enough empty seats that some characters can move around if they really don't like their seat buddies. Teams BRIMSTONE and REVELATION will be traveling to Busan, while teams EVERLIGHT and REDEMPTION will be staying in Seoul.

RNG below to discover what your character will find in both Seoul and Busan respectively. For the STATUS REPORT Prompt, treat it as an open chat room for all Outsiders and respond to the HEADER COMMENT. Feel free to threadjack and discuss among yourselves. You may also include this as a text prompt in your top level if you would like for people just to reply to you instead of using the header comment.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINGING IT: Characters are told to head to the hangar for DISPATCH to SOUTH KOREA where reports of a kaiju have been seen. Characters sit in their assigned seats for a short air travel ride.

2. WELCOME TO SEOUL: We arrive in Seoul and are given orders to split into two teams: Everlight & Redemption in Seoul, Brimstone & Revelation in Busan. Seok Dang has tried to sneak in some sight seeing in between mission briefs, but it looks like there won't be much time for that, as two kaiju have been found in South Korea.

3. TEAM SEOUL: Everlight & Redemption deal with acid rain in Seoul, ushering civilians to refuge, tending to acidic burns and using Gyeongbokgung Palace as a makeshift base. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

4. TEAM BUSAN: Brimstone & Revelation board a train to Busan which has an outage, trapping them to travel along the tunnel in the dark. They arrive at the end of the tunnel at the foot of Mount Geumjeong and create a makeshift base in the village there. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

5. STATUS REPORT: Outsiders are encouraged to share their findings and speculations on the kaiju in an encrypted chat room.

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Comments

[uncourteous]

[ it's not that he necessarily enjoyed it...

okay, maybe he did a little if just because the reactions he's received have been nothing but metaphorical gold, but listen... some things just make sense. with elysium, it was quite different considering the threats he's made so readily in the past, but the drowning? entirely "accidental." at least, in the loosest sense of the word.

it's true that no actual people were harmed, so who can say if reign of tyranny is all that bad? besides, if he had any real point to be made here: ] Do you not believe if you took responsibility, I would not have had to resort to this?

[ aka, it's never too late to play with him, rover. ]

[undrowned]

... you would've done it regardless.

[ hmph. ]

Besides, I wanted to play something nice and calming.

[ and what he's doing is anything but!

rover pulls up the blanket again. she's flipping through the channels that they have in-flight, a lot of very strange movies with a flat, robotic narration that it's hard for her to believe anyone outside of them actually enjoys it. it feels like an alien's idea of what humans would like to watch. but it's more of a distraction.

she tugs on his arm to get his attention. ]

... hey. Have you fought monsters before?

[uncourteous]

You have so little faith.

[ a statement. is this in regards to him being a menace regardless of her participation, or the fact that she somehow believes that he isn't capable of something "nice and calming." listen, if you want to stardew, he can match? even if he would likely be like every other dude where all they do is fish and mine...

he's about to settle back with his vr headset, when he pauses her sudden tug of his arm. he tilts his head. he does wonder what was the catalyst for such a sudden line of questioning, but he supposed they were in fact... on route to do that. ] I suppose magical beasts are quite similar. Though, admittedly, I have more experience with people. [ he looks at her with his peripherals,

it's clear, he's also wondering is she was also the same. it seems most individuals here were equipped with combat experience, and it's true he does not know a lot about her... outside of her wild preferences for spice. ]

[undrowned]

[ rover gives a small hum and then says, ] I've experience with monsters. Not so much the kind we see here.

I suppose we'll find out what it's like when we get there.

[ and without her full abilities, she kind of feels like fighting a kaiju, something that she normally wouldn't have problems with back home, is now going to be even more of a challenge than it was.

but that's her own personal annoyance. right now, because of his persistence, rover sighs and reaches for her own headset. ]

... let's play.

[ not that the challenges of kaiju-fighting matter right now, anyway. she's not the only one who'll have trouble. ]

[uncourteous]

[ that was fair. even his comparison of a magical beast may be nothing in comparison to the actual enemies they may encounter here. still, callisto had no choice to don the usual mask of confidence he wore, if just because anything less would be ill-fitted to his position as crown prince. ... not that it held a lot of meaning in this place, but old habits and personal standards weren't so easy to change.

despite this, he does get the general feel that the woman beside him may have her own set of reservations. while it's not particularly soothing, he does give the top of her leg a small pat. ] What's the worst that could happen? [ at the very least, he was certain they were selected for a reason.

he seems to ponder on this for a second, before he hears her "let's play." ]

Oh? So you really were playing coy, I see. [ do you feel regrets yet. ]

[undrowned]

[ rather pleasantly, ] We could also die.

[ you know! that's also a thing that could happen.

anyway, rover just sighs as she logs in. does she regret it? it's to be expected from him, but also, she's rather bored trying to nap without success and staring at the AI movies the airplane has to offer. none of them are good, anyway, some of the humans in them don't even have ears, so why bother. unfortunately, callisto is right that gaming is the only other choice. so. gaming it is.

callisto will be transported to her farm. there are flowers and fruit trees everywhere.

curiously, she seems to be building a pen to enclose him. ]

[uncourteous]

[ that really is rather bleak, isn't it?

his expression certainly seems to say as much, but there is a touch of a smile, as if finding it humorous. at the very least, callisto wasn't too affected by darker comedy. ] Dying together would be quite the romance, wouldn't it? [ he says before he also puts on his vr headset.

instantly, he is transported onto... a farm? the flowers, the trees... they're nothing like he's experienced here thus far. sure, he may have been capable of building something quite similar, and yet, would he have? realistically? when carnage and the blood felt far more natural to him?

regardless, these thoughts seem rather moot and pointless when he sees the pen being built around him? ]

Is this truly necessary? I assure you, I am not going anywhere.

[undrowned]

[ rather lightly, ] I would never allow anyone to share my death.

[ romantic, maybe, but she'd feel horrible for the fact that she'd failed to rescue someone important to her, if that were the case. and anyway - ]

- Hush.

[ - she's working. 'working' entails jailing him inside a very delightful animal pen, which rover was careful to design with a nicely-coloured warm wood tone. ]

You have my entire attention. I thought you'd be happier.

[ the pen needs reinforcement, and she has no desire to build a flat-out dungeon because that's not really her style, and it'd clash with the surroundings? hello?

so now he is surrounded by cows. red cows, brown cows, white, black. rover steps back to admire her work. ]

I think that's perfect.

[uncourteous]

[ while he doesn't actually consider himself capable of such love or similar emotions, he did believe in taking someone down with him.

surely, it was a concept that bordered on the same ideals? (no)

when she tells him to hush, his features flatten momentarily. there's a remark on the tip of his tongue, and yet at her next words, he releases a more easygoing sort of sigh. ] Entire attention? Can you truly say that when I am simply going along with your whims and desires?

[ once he sees the animals appear beside him, he merely crosses his arms over his chest. ] I am afraid I do not quite understand the direction of your work. I thought this when I saw your "castle," but my lady, are you perhaps not much of an artist? [ lol. ]

[undrowned]

[ how dare he. she is spending a lot of time trying to make this baby jail aesthetically pleasing with the cows. #tradlife jail, if you will. #midsommarlite. ]

... you are truly incapable of being quiet.

[ do you know what 'hush' means.

rover ignores his question on her being an artist because yes, it's true. she's not. but the point here isn't artistry. it's the same kind of sentiment when she took his hand on that fateful day and shoved it into her sandcastle, naturally, as one does. she noticed that the cows are wandering off after a while; that's not allowed. they have to watch their captive.

rover fills up his pen with hay and grass, and that seems to attract them back to the pen, where callisto is now being kissed by a cow. ]

What would you say an ideal day between us would be? [ enlighten her, as she tosses clover and other feed into his pen for the cows to eat. ]

[uncourteous]

[ ...

what in the world...?

when he feels the cold end of the cow's nose pressed up against his cheek, even he's surprised to come to the stark realization that this was the power of virtual reality. ... and thanks, he doesn't particularly like it. he moves a hand to press it up against the cow, and he simply walks aside.

at least they look far too busy eating whatever feed she drops into the enclosure. to be honest, he doesn't see the appeal of watching these creatures of glutton stuff their faces endlessly, but he doesn't exactly lay mention to this fact, either. (probably for the best). ]

An ideal day? [ what was she planning this time? ] Do most ladies not enjoy taking a gander at the shops, and ending the day with tea and a leisurely walk through the gardens? [ is this a test? but, if he had to be honest, between the two of them...

he isn't sure what rover likes. ... and all he knew was of war. ] At the very least, there are less livestock.

[undrowned]

Really?

[ rover pats a cow feasting on the feed. ]

... well, I don't mind those activities either. But we could also do something else.

[ less livestock, sure. but beyond that? what else does callisto like? she doesn't know. she figures it'd be best to just ask him, instead of dancing around their preferences here and there. anyway, he's in jail, it's not like he's going anywhere. ] Beyond playing these games, have you discovered other hobbies for yourself?

[uncourteous]

[ to be honest, these are all simple conjectures of what he's come to comprehend about most relationships between nobles. he doesn't actually have any working experience, if just because he's spent the majority of his tender years on the battlefield. but, he's sure none of that was particularly appealing.

at her question on hobbies, he genuinely has to think for a second. his feet shuffling ever so slightly to evade another cow that's come to slip in to try and get in on the feed. callisto seems to raise a brow at them, wondering how something automated could be so ... slow. what a dull cow.

moving on: ] Not exactly. In the empire, I barely had time for hobbies. I am sure my aide would have had much to say if I left my seat vacant for too long. [ cedrick was a nagger by nature. ] Have you discovered anything new about yourself, my lady?

[undrowned]

[ rover hums thoughtfully as he leans against the fence, thinking about what he'd just said. ]

... well, it's probably been rather obvious, but I've started to re-develop an interest in cooking. I'm no chef, but I want to share with other people what food I remembered from back home.

[ obviously she's not talking about weenies who can't handle spice, but anyway. ]

I understand having plenty of responsibilities to bother with, but you're no longer in your empire. You've all the opportunity in the world to find something else interesting, you know?

[ she smiles at him. ] If you've truly no ideas to bother yourself with, how about joining me in learning something new? We could have a hobby together.

[ once he's out of jail, which, well, rover isn't in a hurry to free him. ]

[uncourteous]

So it really wasn't your attempt at dabbling in the dark art of poison crafting? [ nothing in his tone suggests he's serious. instead, he seems to speak a bit more candidly in that moment, before he follows up with: ] I jest. It was not terrible, all things considered. [ it was the first time someone made something by hand for him that wasn't a chef, cook, or a fellow soldier on the front lines.

but, he also seems to fall silent at her optimistic prompting. "no longer in your empire." was that a comfort? or was it still a bitter medicine he had to swallow day after day? it's difficult for him to discern what his true feelings are, if just because he had been so set on one objective for so long.

he purposely seems to draw himself out of it. marginally, at least. ] Is that how you feel as well? That you have all the opportunities in the world? [ was that a difficult question? he isn't sure, but he does end up relenting a little. his shoulders coming up in a shrug, as if to agree to her idea of trying a hobby together.

for some reason, it's hard to keep his usual stance when she seems to smile at him so unguardedly. ]

[undrowned]

I'd need to be more talented than this, don't you think?

[ and now he doesn't think it's terrible when he nearly choked on it and died! what a silly man he is. rover laughs at his words. it's not a mean laugh, it's more an amused one than anything else.

she climbs over the fence, balancing herself easily on its edge as she looks down on him. ]

I feel like I am in charge of all this time I have in my hands, and that it's a waste to spend the rest of the time being homesick.

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather I was home. But I'm not, and that's not something to be resolved right now - why not make the best of the time I'm here?

That's what I feel. Being here ... doesn't have to be so difficult. It could be bearable, even, if we just work hard on making our stay worthwhile.

[uncourteous]

[ a waste of time. it isn't a lie, but it does prick his conscience to hear such clear words and her conviction in comparison to how he's mostly been ignoring his own thoughts on the matter. it was hard for him to throw away such bitter emotions of resentment, hate, and everything else he was once embroiled it. at her words, he does eventually give a quiet hum of comprehension, as if understanding her stance.

she was both resilient and oddly optimistic. ] Your thoughts are strangely... [ a dramatic pause. ] not very complicated. [ is this an insult? he may frame it as one, but something in his voice makes it sound like it isn't meant to be. ]

Then what would you consider a worthwhile hobby? Feeding cows? [ he then draws a hand up towards her, as if offering to help her down. maybe it's out of habit, or maybe it's his own way of prompting her not to look down on him. ]

[undrowned]

[ rover just smiles, no offense taken, and then tells him, in a rather dry voice, ] For someone like you, I don't need to make things complicated.

[ rover reaches for his hand, but instead of going inside of the pen, she pulls him up and over the fence and out of it with her. despite her size, she's quite strong - a feat he's surely familiar with given how they'd handled the sandcastle fiasco. ]

I think you'd be terrible at farming.

Do you have a talent you're good at, that you can teach me with? I don't know what life in court is like. I'm unfamiliar with a lot of things you'd surely consider as mundane; but if it's interesting enough to me, and easy enough to learn, I'd be willing to pick it up with you.

[ i close my eyes as in real world mechanics (tm) she also holds his hand. don't look at me. ]

1/2

[uncourteous]

[ excuse her? except, he also isn't entirely offended, even if the twitch of his brow seems to suggest otherwise. it seems just as temporary and fleeting as the feed placed before the cows. dissipating in here seconds after they're refilled.

his stint of displeasure only seems to move further from him when she suddenly reaches down, and brings him up and over the fence. he isn't used to being pulled, nor led around, and so he finds himself rightfully thrown off. ]

[uncourteous]

[ ...

it takes him a few seconds, before he releases a brief sigh. with their hands still gripped together, he continues carefully. looking down at the difference in their heights. how can such a petite body lift him? ] I wouldn't say terrible. I believe I could master most things.

[ he was proficient with the sword and he tended to excel at most physical activities, and so he means every word of it (though comparing it to his overpowered peers, it may not feel like a whole lot). there's clearly no doubt, nor any single inkling of him believing his own statement to be false.

at her question, he does seem to hum in brief consideration. ] What about dancing? You certainly have mastered the first step. [ he says as he gingerly moves one of his hands and places it delicately at her waist ]

1/2

[undrowned]

[ she's about to respond to that but mild turbulence has her startled on her seat; in the vr world, she maintains hold of callisto's hand, but in real life mode she lets go of his hand as her empty cup tips onto her from her desk. ]

Oh -! Hold on ...

[ and she sorts all that out, no problem, settles back into her seat with her blanket like nothing happened, but she'd forgotten that she was holding his hand earlier. or that her legs were over him earlier as she'd used him as an ottoman. in the vr world, still, it's easy enough to tell her virtual self to maintain the pose.

she did wonder about his hand on her waist - what's that about? - oh right, he was talking about demonstrating dancing as a hobby. but now because she had to fix her seat, and the blanket, callisto is probably holding more blanket than human waist. ]

2/2

[undrowned]

[ with everything settled, rover says, ]

Sure. I'd love to learn from you.

[ she stays close to him at least, curled up in her seat irl. ]

We can practice once return to base. I'm not good at dancing at all, so I'm counting on you.

[uncourteous]

[ the turbulence is a first time for him. despite the vr world being stable, it feels weird to have physical contact feel like it escapes him. he also shifts his own vr device, his eyes scanning over their immediate area. maybe it's a habit, but he still can't deny being on edge at times.

logically, he knows there are no invisible threats. no actual assasins laying in wait. no poisons laced into his food, and yet it's difficult to remove it from a part of his everyday life. he tenses momentarily, before he feels the blanket in his hand. it's weird how even something like this could be seen as comforting. utterly ridiculous. ]

You are obviously in the best hands of the empire. [ forget at this canon point, he hasn't actually done much dancing with anyone, but it's true that he was proficient at it, regardless. ] Speaking of, I hope you know that dancing doesn't include stepping on my feet.

[undrowned]

I wouldn't do it intentionally, I promise.

But even if it happens, I'm sure you can handle a bit of pain. I doubt the empire will send their worst to attend to me, after all.

[ and if anything else, callisto looks like a lot of other girls likely has petitioned him to dance with them - rover thinks he's likely used to having less skilled partners in that regard.

the cows seem to be following callisto. one of them gnaws on his virtual clothes. one of them keeps reaching up to his head, and rover just laughs - ]

I guess your hair looks like hay to them, or straw.

[uncourteous]

Handling and finding pleasure in are two separate matters. I am sure you are of aware of this subtle difference? [ but, her promise not to do it on purpose seems to be enough to assuage him for now. although it barely takes a few seconds for her and the cows...

to find something else to nitpick at. he presses his hand against their mouths, pushing them away. their saliva coating his gloved hands. ... was there an appeal in making it so realistic? a sick person's fantasies most likely. ]

Straw? [ excuse you??? ] Typically I have been heard it shines like melted gold. I have heard from a noble lady that it makes me look filthy rich. Do you not believe you should re-assess?