[ while marco doesn't often stray far from where those of his rank are more or less "welcomed" without fuss, the lobby has become something of a neutral zone for him, however unofficial. it's during one of his loitering by the front desk (sometimes it's just nice not to feel up to your neck in someone else's space, you know?) that he is suddenly whisked away by a harried-looking concierge.
it's not until he's brought to the restaurant that he thinks he's got an idea of what's going on, though he certainly isn't expecting to see someone else (and a familiar face, at that!) sitting on the other side.
he recovers quickly enough, at least. ]
Miss Hamel, nice to see you again. Have you gotten settled?
[ why, no, no one has yet told him this is meant to be a date... he sort of just assumes she's of a similarly low rank as he, and thus made to share a table because they're simply not allowed one to themselves. oops. ]
[ Hamel looks... not quite bewildered, but surprised to see him there glancing about for a few seconds as though she's trying to ascertain something. But no, no one else seems to be approaching...
... And he was guided here, wasn't he? It's entirely possible he didn't know his date was her, which is fine, she hadn't known either, but it's a little embarrassing to have it be someone she knows. But additionally a relief, which has her puzzling over the conflicting emotions before she politely clears her throat. ]
Marco, hello... I'm not certain if I would call it... "settled", but I've begun to understand the nature of this place and to know the paths a little better.
[ they say ignorance is bliss, and certainly he looks as if he is having quite the pleasant time, all things considering. he smiles and nods to the waiter who helpfully hands them their menus, though he hasn't yet drawn his attention away from hamel, whose words he can't quite determine the implications of yet.
while he wouldn't wish to have anyone carry on without full knowledge of their situation at their disposal (oh the irony), he would hope that hamel hasn't had to... learn anything without her choosing. ]
I think I understand. I'd of course offer to help where I can, but I don't think there's much I'd know that you haven't already figured out yourself. We must have arrived around the same time.
[ he grabs up the menu and gives it a little tap of his fingers. ]
At least the proprietress was kind enough to offer free meals. [ that really was a lucky thing. ] I'm afraid I haven't really gotten around to earning chips yet.
[ Can't believe I, the player, am going to have to do this to poor Marco. Apologies to his future bliss or lack thereof. ]
I... am not much of a gambler. [ At all. That sort of thing had been something her parents would have taken to much more enthusiastically, with the money she'd earned from her performances. ]
But the front desk said, in collaboration with a particular service... for agreeing to this date, they gave me a voucher. So this should be able to cover anything we order.
[ And she's a little happy that she can finally repay Marco for his assistance. ]
[ there are worst ways to have one's bubble popped.
hamel, at least, is kind and delicate. it helps she is already functioning under the assumption that she and marco were on the same page. that softens the blow, somewhat, in the sense she isn't left to struggle with her own awkwardness... though tough to say if that'll still be a factor when it becomes very clear, in about two seconds, just how unaware marco had been. ]
...A date?
[ he stares at her, for a long long second, trying to piece together a puzzle that had only just been dumped onto his lap. ]
... Hamel blinks at him slowly, then glances past him, as if she's trying to find the concierge who... apparently dragged him here and did not escort him with any kind of explanation at all. Could this have been a misunderstanding? Was he not meant to be here? But he'd been brought directly here...
Ever so slightly, she shrinks down a little in her chair. This could be a mistake. ]
When I... checked in, officially, something about my file seemed to have upset the woman at the front desk, and shortly after, I was informed that I would be... experiencing a variety of dates with other singles here. For my sake. [ Or something. ]
I didn't know you--that is, that you hadn't even been told, I'm deeply sorry--
[ She does, indeed, look as though she wishes for Under the Table to claim her where she sits. ]
[ hamel, no, don't go under the table it's not that kind of date (or is it? haha jk unless)
anyway it all clicks for marco a second too late. realizing it is some Resort Tomfoolery, and not merely a consequence of circumstance makes the very premise of their meeting now a little sullied, but it's Fine. they can rally. though marco is seeming to manage it faster than hamel, oh no, ]
No, don't apologize—
[ he says that perhaps too quickly, more quickly than one might feel believable, but that's just his haste to get her to stop looking so dismayed.
he holds up a hand, then slowly rests it down over her menu. trying, without touching her, to tether her back to the present. ]
I'm sorry for my confusion. I wasn't told, but that's fine. There's no reason we can't.. continue.
[ he paused. awkward. ]
Truthfully I haven't been on a date in some time, so I can't promise I'd be very fun. But it should check one more off your list, right?
[ It's a very valid gesture, because Hamel is about three seconds away from retreating into her own mortification. As it stands, the hand on the menu (that she hasn't even looked over yet) draws her back into the present and she pauses to just allow that to permeate her senses.
She doesn't look any less remorseful, but at the very least, she no longer looks as though she's actively looking for some manner of exit from the situation. ]
I... also haven't been on a date in a very long time.
[ A. A very long time. It's fine. ]
But I don't want you to feel as though you're obligated, either. I understand this came as a shock. And I was prepared to offer this to any potential dates, that they didn't have to commit to something like this...
[ on christmas morning, hamel will find a small box set beside her door. inside, there is a palm-sized music box, that lights up a lovely purple-blue to a soft, wistful tune when turned. decorating each "window" are small sections of a seemingly endless meadow, and it opens to a deep night sky under which a single fairy-like figure dances and turns.
tucked beneath it is a note: ]
Merry Christmas, Miss Hamel. I have been told this holiday is meant to celebrate connections, and I hope you will allow me the chance to celebrate ours. Though it is not under better circumstances, I am grateful to know you. Please know I would not hesitate to do all that I can to make your stay here as comfortable as possible. You don't even need to ask. — Marco
I don't mean to alarm you, but I wanted to let you know in case you aren't aware of it yet: it seems these watches can act of their own accord at times... Please be vigilant it hasn't taken any photos of you when you are [ ah. hm. ] when you don't wish it to.
[ he hesitates. he hadn't wanted to be the bearer of bad news like this, but he thought it important she should know. perhaps it's presuming too much, but he didn't think she would be all that okay with such a thing happening... and it seems like that's the case, from her response.
which means he should definitely tell her the other part of it, shouldn't he? ]
[ he had miscalculated. earlier in the week he had taken note of the state of his suit — a deep gray just bordering on black — and he had thought, for sure, he had had more time. he should have planned better, or planned at all, honestly, but no amount of "should haves" and "could haves" can change the reality of the situation: he fucked up.
it happens far more abruptly than he'd been expecting. it is, technically, the first time it's activated in this way, but he had been under the false assumption it would have been a more gradual thing... subtle, even.
but this is anything but subtle. one second he had been smiling, offering hamel's hand a gentle kiss as they part from another friendly dance lesson (a waltz, this time, and he hadn't been too shabby at all); the next second a sudden heady need pulses through him, and he nearly doubles over when it feels like nearly all his blood rushes south. ]
I'm — [ fine, he'd been about to say, to lie, but a growing hunger suddenly renders him suddenly unable to even stand properly, and he stumbles forward on a low groan, only just barely able to catch himself against the side of the raised stage. ]
[ Marco's grace and ability to follow along with his partner, allowing him to take the lead more often than not once he knew the steps, had been something Hamel had been about to praise after their latest lesson.
But then he... buckles, a bit, with a groan, and Hamel does not immediately think "oh he is suddenly and fiercely aroused", as she really ought to be thinking in a place like this. She's just alarmed and worried, reaching out to try and steady him so the stage doesn't have to do all of the heavy lifting. ]
[ it courses through him like venom, hot and searing and leaving only fire in its wake. he'd never felt his suit activate like this before, an ache so bone-deep he's left winded as if he'd just run a marathon. ]
L-Lea—
[ leave me, he means to say, but can't even get the word out without choking on his spit. he feels bile rise up in his throat, not quite nauseous but dizzy still with the full force of the arousal that's forced on him. when she comes closer, his body reacts reflexively, reaching for her with a grip so strong on her arm it's sure to leave a bruise.
down to his knees he sinks, head hanging low in an effort to curl in on himself. perhaps then it could hide how he's already straining against the front of his pants, how labored his breathing has become, how flushed and hot his face feels. why now? why here?
with his other hand he reaches for her, but he seems caught between knowing he should push her away and wanting to feel her even closer. ]
M-Miss Hamel, [ he finally manages, forcing enough breaths that he can clear his mind past the raging lust, ] you need to go, now—
[ Swiftly, maybe surprisingly so. Hamel isn't caught off-guard by her own refusal, of course; she knows better than anyone how stubborn she can be. But it's easy enough to piece things together, for someone so usually lost in a haze of her own making. The bruising grip he's got on her arm, his miserable posture, the unsteady puffs of air that barely make for a decent rhythm for breathing, the flush of his face--
That bulge is hard to miss, too.
When he reaches for her, she reaches back, clasping his hand. ]
It's all right, Marco. Let me help.
[ He hadn't abandoned her, when she'd been far too shameless and yet still so ashamed. This is the least she can do. ]
[ he is struck speechless by the firmness of her voice, forcing his face to tip upwards to watch her for a few long and poignant seconds. they're seconds he can't afford, as each one is another pulse of white-hot heat that makes his body ache, crave, but he is so momentarily mesmerized by her resolve he can't do anything else but stare.
eventually, he words down the lump forming in his throat. he flexes his fingers around her own a few times.
alright, he thinks. maybe it can be alright. ]
...Not here, [ he says eventually. not here, in this little space they've made their own and filled with good memories.
with her help, he rises back up to his feet, already starting towards the exit. ]
There should be an empty room somewhere or - or something.
[ he supposes he could always take her back to his suite, but that room can barely fit himself... ]
Or something, [ she echoes, a little bemused by it. Well, he's not wrong. They're in an entire resort dedicated to encouraging sexual activities, so even if they weren't going to end up in a room belonging to either of them, they're bound to find something to serve their purposes. ]
My suite isn't very large, but there's enough space to move around on. Though we're not quite close to it, at the moment.
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— action ;
it's not until he's brought to the restaurant that he thinks he's got an idea of what's going on, though he certainly isn't expecting to see someone else (and a familiar face, at that!) sitting on the other side.
he recovers quickly enough, at least. ]
Miss Hamel, nice to see you again. Have you gotten settled?
[ why, no, no one has yet told him this is meant to be a date... he sort of just assumes she's of a similarly low rank as he, and thus made to share a table because they're simply not allowed one to themselves. oops. ]
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... And he was guided here, wasn't he? It's entirely possible he didn't know his date was her, which is fine, she hadn't known either, but it's a little embarrassing to have it be someone she knows. But additionally a relief, which has her puzzling over the conflicting emotions before she politely clears her throat. ]
Marco, hello... I'm not certain if I would call it... "settled", but I've begun to understand the nature of this place and to know the paths a little better.
[ She smiles after a minute, tentatively. ]
I'm happy to see you again, as well.
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while he wouldn't wish to have anyone carry on without full knowledge of their situation at their disposal (oh the irony), he would hope that hamel hasn't had to... learn anything without her choosing. ]
I think I understand. I'd of course offer to help where I can, but I don't think there's much I'd know that you haven't already figured out yourself. We must have arrived around the same time.
[ he grabs up the menu and gives it a little tap of his fingers. ]
At least the proprietress was kind enough to offer free meals. [ that really was a lucky thing. ] I'm afraid I haven't really gotten around to earning chips yet.
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I... am not much of a gambler. [ At all. That sort of thing had been something her parents would have taken to much more enthusiastically, with the money she'd earned from her performances. ]
But the front desk said, in collaboration with a particular service... for agreeing to this date, they gave me a voucher. So this should be able to cover anything we order.
[ And she's a little happy that she can finally repay Marco for his assistance. ]
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hamel, at least, is kind and delicate. it helps she is already functioning under the assumption that she and marco were on the same page. that softens the blow, somewhat, in the sense she isn't left to struggle with her own awkwardness... though tough to say if that'll still be a factor when it becomes very clear, in about two seconds, just how unaware marco had been. ]
...A date?
[ he stares at her, for a long long second, trying to piece together a puzzle that had only just been dumped onto his lap. ]
Sorry — what's going on?
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... Hamel blinks at him slowly, then glances past him, as if she's trying to find the concierge who... apparently dragged him here and did not escort him with any kind of explanation at all. Could this have been a misunderstanding? Was he not meant to be here? But he'd been brought directly here...
Ever so slightly, she shrinks down a little in her chair. This could be a mistake. ]
When I... checked in, officially, something about my file seemed to have upset the woman at the front desk, and shortly after, I was informed that I would be... experiencing a variety of dates with other singles here. For my sake. [ Or something. ]
I didn't know you--that is, that you hadn't even been told, I'm deeply sorry--
[ She does, indeed, look as though she wishes for Under the Table to claim her where she sits. ]
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anyway it all clicks for marco a second too late. realizing it is some Resort Tomfoolery, and not merely a consequence of circumstance makes the very premise of their meeting now a little sullied, but it's Fine. they can rally. though marco is seeming to manage it faster than hamel, oh no, ]
No, don't apologize—
[ he says that perhaps too quickly, more quickly than one might feel believable, but that's just his haste to get her to stop looking so dismayed.
he holds up a hand, then slowly rests it down over her menu. trying, without touching her, to tether her back to the present. ]
I'm sorry for my confusion. I wasn't told, but that's fine. There's no reason we can't.. continue.
[ he paused. awkward. ]
Truthfully I haven't been on a date in some time, so I can't promise I'd be very fun. But it should check one more off your list, right?
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She doesn't look any less remorseful, but at the very least, she no longer looks as though she's actively looking for some manner of exit from the situation. ]
I... also haven't been on a date in a very long time.
[ A. A very long time. It's fine. ]
But I don't want you to feel as though you're obligated, either. I understand this came as a shock. And I was prepared to offer this to any potential dates, that they didn't have to commit to something like this...
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sry sry i'll skip dinner in the next tag!
I'll forgive you
thank,
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— delivery, 12.25 ;
tucked beneath it is a note: ]
— text ; un: marco
I don't mean to alarm you, but I wanted to let you know in case you aren't aware of it yet: it seems these watches can act of their own accord at times... Please be vigilant it hasn't taken any photos of you when you are [ ah. hm. ] when you don't wish it to.
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... A bit alarming. Sorry, Marco. ]
You mean to say it can take photos without one's knowledge?
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Yes. I've seen it firsthand.
[ he hesitates. he hadn't wanted to be the bearer of bad news like this, but he thought it important she should know. perhaps it's presuming too much, but he didn't think she would be all that okay with such a thing happening... and it seems like that's the case, from her response.
which means he should definitely tell her the other part of it, shouldn't he? ]
It can send those photos to others, too.
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This is starting to sound like-- ]
Marco, are you okay?
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Yes. You don't have to worry about me.
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It seems something might have happened to you? Along those lines?
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Yes, I am speaking from personal experience... But it was more awkward than anything else, don't worry.
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[ Hamel, he just said it was "awkward", not that it tested the limits of his inner strength-- ]
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— action ;
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— action ;
it happens far more abruptly than he'd been expecting. it is, technically, the first time it's activated in this way, but he had been under the false assumption it would have been a more gradual thing... subtle, even.
but this is anything but subtle. one second he had been smiling, offering hamel's hand a gentle kiss as they part from another friendly dance lesson (a waltz, this time, and he hadn't been too shabby at all); the next second a sudden heady need pulses through him, and he nearly doubles over when it feels like nearly all his blood rushes south. ]
I'm — [ fine, he'd been about to say, to lie, but a growing hunger suddenly renders him suddenly unable to even stand properly, and he stumbles forward on a low groan, only just barely able to catch himself against the side of the raised stage. ]
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But then he... buckles, a bit, with a groan, and Hamel does not immediately think "oh he is suddenly and fiercely aroused", as she really ought to be thinking in a place like this. She's just alarmed and worried, reaching out to try and steady him so the stage doesn't have to do all of the heavy lifting. ]
Marco?! What happened??
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L-Lea—
[ leave me, he means to say, but can't even get the word out without choking on his spit. he feels bile rise up in his throat, not quite nauseous but dizzy still with the full force of the arousal that's forced on him. when she comes closer, his body reacts reflexively, reaching for her with a grip so strong on her arm it's sure to leave a bruise.
down to his knees he sinks, head hanging low in an effort to curl in on himself. perhaps then it could hide how he's already straining against the front of his pants, how labored his breathing has become, how flushed and hot his face feels. why now? why here?
with his other hand he reaches for her, but he seems caught between knowing he should push her away and wanting to feel her even closer. ]
M-Miss Hamel, [ he finally manages, forcing enough breaths that he can clear his mind past the raging lust, ] you need to go, now—
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[ Swiftly, maybe surprisingly so. Hamel isn't caught off-guard by her own refusal, of course; she knows better than anyone how stubborn she can be. But it's easy enough to piece things together, for someone so usually lost in a haze of her own making. The bruising grip he's got on her arm, his miserable posture, the unsteady puffs of air that barely make for a decent rhythm for breathing, the flush of his face--
That bulge is hard to miss, too.
When he reaches for her, she reaches back, clasping his hand. ]
It's all right, Marco. Let me help.
[ He hadn't abandoned her, when she'd been far too shameless and yet still so ashamed. This is the least she can do. ]
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eventually, he words down the lump forming in his throat. he flexes his fingers around her own a few times.
alright, he thinks. maybe it can be alright. ]
...Not here, [ he says eventually. not here, in this little space they've made their own and filled with good memories.
with her help, he rises back up to his feet, already starting towards the exit. ]
There should be an empty room somewhere or - or something.
[ he supposes he could always take her back to his suite, but that room can barely fit himself... ]
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My suite isn't very large, but there's enough space to move around on. Though we're not quite close to it, at the moment.
[ And Marco is... clearly suffering. ]
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There are.. smaller roofs off of the lobby. Private ones.
[ more than suitable for their — purposes. please don't ask him how he knows. ]
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Well, she's not about to ask him for further clarification. ]
I see. Then let's make use of one of them.
*rooms... not roofs ........