spherememing | May/June Test Drive Meme

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May/June Test Drive Meme

All you need is love.

So the Sphere heard that some of you guys are lonely. It doesn’t want you to be lonely so it has decided that even though it’s not really February the people within its confines and connected to them deserve to have a sort of Valentine’s Day anyway. Celebrating love (all sorts of love, definitely not merely the romantic sort) is on display. Think pink and red and white and loads of hearts and rainbows.

all you need is some kind of love.

In the middle of the merchant dome, some of the stalls pushed aside a large pink and white stripped tent is set up. Inside is a series of small tables, each set up with numbers and two seats each. When people go in and register to receive the number, they are given three initial options. Option one is romantic dating with further subcategories based on gender preferences (if any) and orientation. The second option is for friendship. The Sphere wants you to make friends! A third option only open to the adults within the Sphere is for hooking up and no strings attached sex. That is also sectioned by orientation and preferences.

Each option you pick allows people to talk for five minutes before people move onto the next person. At each station is the option for ice breaker cards. Think would you rather or describe your perfect date (date date or a friendship date. Whichever you’re working on.) Should players wish it, there are various unnamed NPCs around for people to chat up, hook up with or whatever. Go a little bit nuts with it.

it's all for a good cause

John put a post up that calls for the option to sign up for (or to be signed up by someone else) for a date that’s auctioned off. She somehow managed to convince Max to host said auction (but don’t ask how. You don’t want to know what she had on him) so he is your MC for the night.

The gala takes place in the same tent as the speed dating, but it’s been made over to look rather gala like. There’s fairy lights and silk on the tables and an open bar with circulating free champagne. And everything else of course. As always with the sphere there’s food in abundance, things that typically one might think of in a romantic context: strawberries and oysters and chocolate and finger foods. It’s that sort of party. None of it has any effect though. Too many people imbibing for that.

There’s a small band playing for people who are interested in dancing, and various NPCs are currently using it. It’s a good party, lively and inviting.

i get by with a little help from my friends.

So, you know how the people within the Sphere tend to force festivals on you? Well, a big part of those is always food and gifts. These particular foods and gifts tend to come in the form of small valentine’s cakes or candy, or flowers for those not inclined for food. The flowers are yellow however, because this isn’t about love. This is about friendship. There’s signs for free hugs, and random people have been hired to go about telling folks that so and so is their friend. Even if they’re not. But they’ll still follow you down the street and spout things like poetry and cheers in the honor of epic friendships. Even if they’re not really all that epic--the friendships or the poetry.

let's go to the movies, let's go see the stars

Some people may remember a few months ago when Alex badgered Max into letting them have an open area movie screening. This time she didn’t need to do it! In the middle of the rec dome, a large screen has been set up, and there’s space for people to have blankets or chairs from home set up in front of the screen. Various vendors have set up carts or stalls here and there, selling the sort of foods that one would expect at the movies (popcorn, homemade candies, soda, juice, wine and beer, nachos and that sort of thing) along with some that one may not expect: (full curry dinners, burgers, basically a bit like a food truck festival. If you can imagine it it’s there.)

Before the movie, there’s cartoons running, some familiar, and some not, and this is an event that people have seemed to have taken to well. Children run around here taken with the idea for the movie, and it’s a fun, summery festive sort of atmosphere with a community vibe, despite the wine and beer for sale.

we're heckling! it's good to be heckling again!

The movie is a buddy movie double feature, and both of them are rated R, but there’s no one checking IDs so go nuts. The movies that are being shown are Hot Fuzz and The Heat because that’s just what buddy comedies happen to be. But movies aren’t to everyone’s taste and there are some people who have taken this to go full on commentary about them. Do you join in or shush them? It’s entirely up to you!

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[ The smile returns and as she tucks the now loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear, Armeria nods. When the vendor returns with her wrapped cheese, she turns fully to face him and nods. ]

I would grateful beyond words since I.. don't really remember the last time I've eaten.

[ She waits for him to lead the way and when he does, she falls in stride. ]

I feel it might also be wise to share names. I am Armeria.

I can't say that it will be well cooked, but I hope it fills you enough.

[He keeps a leisurely pace, more content to converse with her than hurry along. Once they passed the market, fewer and fewer people passed them, leaving them alone. It was easy to ignore how heavy his bag was, she was pleasant enough to focus on and that smell of the sea was distracting.]

I'm Robb of House Stark.

[Once king, but that didn't matter now and there was no point in bringing it up. He was simply Robb here and felt more content with that life than anything else.]

Where do you hail from?

You speak as though you don't cook much. [ Laughs ] I can help you.

[ Armeria can't explain it, but Robb is the welcome she needed to feel less like the odd one out. He made her feel not alone and at that precise moment, was what she requires.

She looks up at him again. ]

I was born to my mother and father in a place called Öland. From there, we went to Hedeby. Do you know of it?

[ The idea of different worlds has not been fathomed as of their conversation, so she almost expects him to know of it. ]

I never did until I came here. [A sheepish smile crossed his face.] I have a lot of inexperience to make up for.

[There is something about her that is similar to home. She's no Northern lady as far as he can see, but she's no polished Southerner either. She could be Ironborn perhaps, but still different as well. It was that mystery that appealed to him and left him looking over at her more often than not.

He felt as if he knew her from somewhere before, but couldn't exactly place it.]

No, I'm afraid I don't. There are a number of people here from different lands and realms, many you have never heard from. Some come from different worlds. The magic in this place is strange.

I come from a place called Westeros, the lands of the North.

[ She glances down, watching her steps as he talks. The mention of magic pulls her attention back to him. Magic was something she believes in, but again, it's something mostly associated with the gods. For what purpose would they want to bring her there? She wasn't anyone special.

All she could hope for is that answer would reveal itself in time. ]

A Northman then. No wonder you ease my spirit. Perhaps we were destined to meet this day.

[ Looking down timidly, she feels so much younger than she is for saying such silliness to him. Then again, he might be the first man to ever offer to keep her company. Could she fault herself for not knowing how to act? ]

[The words make him blush slightly, wondering if something like that was possible. He used to believe in destiny, but he wasn't so sure anymore. He wouldn't have imagined something like this for his afterlife, but someone like Armeria in it? Possibly.

He felt sympathetic at least for what she was facing and all the information that would take time to absorb. He still struggled, especially when his father appeared.]

I suspect our Northern lands are a little different from yours. We are not seafaring people.

[He's guessing about her, but given the smell, he suspects that this is the case.]

If it makes your time here easier, then perhaps destiny is kind for once.

We are Viking, though the sea plays a part in our lives, it's exploring and settling in new lands where we can prosper and grow that is our way. The men raid and create legacies for themselves and the women take care of the farms and the children.

[ For now, the foolishness Armeria had been feeling fades and she finds herself enjoying the conversation. ]

Yes, perhaps we are from different worlds. Maybe there is something we all need to learn from each other down here. The Allfather never has to explain himself. And I will not question him.

[ She smiles beautifully. ]

Will you tell me about Westeros?

[So he is not entirely wrong, she was similar to the Ironborn. Though there were women that took part in raiding as well, many of them wielding weapons as fiercely as the men. Though given her more gentle demeanor, it didn't seem to be the way of her. He liked the idea of her with her hands in rich soil, helping bringing life. It was a refreshing change to the death he had been surrounded by for so long.]

Your people sound similar to the Iron Islands of Westeros. They also raid and take to the sea. My friend... [He paused at the word, still uncertain if this could be applied to Theon, but he didn't backtrack on the term.] He was from the Iron Islands.

[He smiles sheepishly again.]

It depends if I speak of the North or the South. They are two different worlds. The North is a place of snow and ice. Northerners are fierce men and skilled warriors. We keep to ourselves.

Southerners are a place of warmth and luxury. It's a far different than my home.

[ He's not completely wrong, no. It was a matter of different and names and places, more or less. The idea that there was someone there that might relate to her way was comforting, maybe even exciting.

She watches him; his eyes have something in them that she finds alluring, drawing her in without effort. And his voice, the tone and accent almost intoxicating. She likes it more than she will dare to admit. Almost to the point of encouraging to speak about anything and everything. ]

That reminds me of home, too. South of where we are is a place that has many more riches than what we have. But we make do. What we lack in riches we make up for in culture and independence.

And how fierce and skilled are you?

[ She's grinning again. ]

[Given how often he is looking at her, it's hard to miss that her eyes are on him as well. He likes looking at her, reminded of the waters of the Riverlands. There had been torrents of course, but something about her made him think of the water lapping against the shore, soft and soothing during the night. Her eyes were similar to the sun on the rivers, a deep, clear blue.

Each time their eyes met, he ducked his head away, feeling a bit boyish to have been caught, as though there were something wrong in looking as much as he did.]

The Southern lands have sun and warmth, the North is cold and grim. Not many are eager to visit a place like that.

[He laughs at her teasing.]

I don't know anymore. I had my share of battles and I wasn't a greenboy with a sword. I have some of my mother in me, a bit of the Southern blood.

[But not enough to make him less wolf than he was.]

Perhaps you could match me in fierceness or surpass me, if you feel bold enough to ask a question like that?

[ Oh, she notices his attention on her. It's nice. Back home, men were usually frustratingly forward and wanting to bed her. With Robb, she feels seen but also heard. Something that, unfortunately, doesn't happen too often in her world.

She also notices how comfortable she is with him. Maybe more than she should be. Armeria questions then if she's being too naive. ]

My father was a great warrior, but I am not. Now, am I fierce? I'd like to think so. Passionate, too.

[ Armeria looks down at where they are walking and after a moment she smiles to herself. ]

Passionate?

[He shouldn't seize on that word. It's not exactly appropriate but there seemed to be a lack of inhibitions in their conversation. It also wasn't something he was expecting to hear so directly.

And of course it stirs images in his mind, images he shouldn't have about a lady. He clears his throat and looks away for a moment to collect himself.]

How are you passionate, my lady?

[ It was a very versatile word and could be used both in good and bad ways. But at that moment, she wasn't thinking too closely about that. In fact, her mind had taken her away for a moment before his voice brings her back.

Her cheeks flush and she lets out a laugh, covering her mouth and looking slightly nervous. There was no taking it back now. Slowly, she stops and lowers her hand, turning more to face him. ]

In all kinds of ways. If you can fight for what you believe in or love wholly and deeply, then by definition, you are a passionate person, no?

[ She can see something in Robb that she's never seen in any other man that she's ever met. It both frightens her and makes her want to step closer; to look deeper. ]

I can see it in you, too.

[Her laugh is as sweet as her features. He notices how her cheeks pinken and she covers her mouth delicately. It's a gesture that strikes him as both delicate and beautiful, the sort of sweetness that he enjoyed in a beautiful woman.

He's grinning as well, chuckling softly. Her description was fitting and he would agree, she must be passionate. He didn't know her well yet, but her words about her people showed she loved them deeply.

There was a flicker of pain in his eyes before his smile fell a bit.]

I was once.

[ It falls short on her that he feels any way about her during that few long seconds where they seem to be stuck in each other's direct line of sight. What she sees next is torment and that is not where she wants to go with their talk.

Armeria considers him for a moment, then reaches out and curls her fingers around the side of his hand, squeezing once before letting it go. ]

I think you can be again.

[The gesture is meant to be kind, so he doesn't mind it, even as it sends a shiver up his spine. Thinking about his wife makes him hesitate as he still struggled between what so many others had told him but what he feared.

Could he be? Perhaps. It was possible, so long as he let himself.]

I don't know. I can't say anymore what sort of man I might be.

You should not think too hard about it. Let things happen as they will, Robb of House Stark.

[ Offering him a kind smile, she turns again and steps forward again. She wonders if they are close to his dome, though doesn't look to care much. She's enjoying their walk and the conversation, even if it took the turn that it did. ]

My father, who is not very wise at all, told me that.

[ Another soft laugh. ]

[It's a sentiment that others had been pushing him towards, but it sounds better coming from her, a stranger. Quite honestly, he was tired of thinking too much and tired of the guilt and the restraints keeping him chained to the past. He had seen his father living without worry, going where he wished and enjoying the comfort of others.

Whether he could or not, he hadn't been sure that he could manage, but maybe it was something to consider? If only to let go of the pain that consumed him for far too long.]

My father has been telling me the same thing.

Your way of saying it sounds better.

[He nodded to a nearby dome, one of the few doubles. He let her in, glancing around but finding a relatively clean home. He didn't have much in the way of personal items, but that didn't matter.]

The kitchen is here. Do you want a mug of ale?

[ Her smile warms at the compliment and she looks down shyly, not knowing how to react. How could any of this be happening? How could he invoke such feelings of excitement inside her so soon after meeting him? It had to be her inexperience, she thought to herself.

She follows and glances around the immediate area beyond the threshold of the door. Giving Robb a nod, she looks at the set-up and furrows her brow, totally unsure of the room itself and the name he had given it.

And after several questions and a brief tour, she eases into a chair and watches him work. ]

[The meal turns out better than he feared, less burnt and more nourishing. The bread with the cheese is the highlight, along with plenty of ale. Save for that earlier conversation, their talk touches on more pleasant subjects. He explained a bit about his childhood, his direwolf that he once had as well as his time in battle. He peppers her with questions about her life and the people she had know, subtly asking if she was married or had children of her own.

He was careful as well to explain the nature of the world, what they sometimes faced in the form of memory shares as well as the possibility of others coming. He had shown her as well how the kitchen worked so she might use it later. With all of that said between them, he settled back into his seat with a cup or two of ale and simply enjoyed her company.]

How is it you manage to smell so much of the sea?

[ There has not been a dull moment while in Robb's company over those several hours, though time was not kept. Everything that he tells her is taken in and committed to memory, as is every line in his face and the way he moves about as comfortably as he does. She's fascinated by his world, but overly so, and between the ale and the sound of his voice, Armeria feels hopelessly intoxicated.

At his question though, she shakes her head. ]

Does it? No one has ever told me that before.

[ A quiet, contemplative pause. ]

I don't know. Is it unpleasant?

I imagine they are used to it. It's been some time since I have seen the sea, so it's strong to me.

[He doesn't know why he brought it up, but it was on his mind, much like the question of whether or not she would taste of the sea. They were seated near each other, closer than he consciously realized.

He grinned at her.]

No. Far from it. [He reached for a lock of hair, drawing it close.] It smells like salt and wind.

[ Armeria only half realizes their proximity and the fact that it has lessened more and more since the beginning of the evening. Up until that point, she hadn't thought about what his lips would feel like against hers, but the moment his hand reaches out, she wants to know.

Her eyes slowly move to his hand and the way her hair curls neatly around a finger. As he draws her closer, Armeria leans forward, her heart racing inside her chest. And when her face is close to his, she smiles slowly, inviting him to do what he now finds himself wanting to do. ]

[She gives him a welcoming smile and an open invitation with her eyes. He hesitates for a breath, his thoughts wanting to interrupt and create a barrier between them, but it's a weak voice that is easily overpowered.

He brushes his fingers against her cheek, drawing her in as his lips linger over hers. It's a soft flutter before shyness is overcome with heat. His hands were quick to bury into her hair, pulling her a bit closer as his mouth parted.]

[ She shifts, sliding forward until she's able to lay a hand on his shoulder before wrapping it around one shoulder to hold him closer. By then, her lips were on his, tasting slightly of ale. The deeper the kiss went, the more her head spun in excitement.

Another first for her.

It was hard not to think he was the reason she was brought there. Be it by her gods or by some other force. She will not protest. And by the way Robb kisses her now, she feels he might not either. ]

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