nevus | overflow

( april intro • start )

Now slow down there, I was hardly going to let you test them out alone. Though I suppose it does make sense for one of us to still have her wits about her, just in case...

( april intro • start )

Well where was my mind supposed to go, considering where we are?

[ of all the Adults to wind up here, it's the one whose mind is far more likely to wind up (and perhaps even begin) in the gutter. ]

Derdriu... Yes, I remember.

[ less so the details, and moreso that the empire's course of action had been to attempt to cripple the alliance first. quite selfishly, manuela had made it a point to know as little of the names of those involved as possible — particularly those of the deceased. ]

I'd been in Arianrhod for the better part of two years now. It'd been around five since the war began for me, too.

[ perhaps she shouldn't share such information so freely with someone of the opposing side... but the war is far away from them now, isn't it? or, she rather hoped it can be. ]

Ten months is no joke... Are you faring alright?

( april intro • start )

I'm afraid that falls under doctor-patient confidentiality.

[ manuela that's not at all how that works— ]

( april intro • start )

Cards?

Oh, you mean this silly game. I could care less about that.

[ she is not in any rush to return to the war left behind. at least not right now — so far, the guilt hasn't yet outweighed the relief for a reprieve. ]

Besides, I would much rather be with people who want me for me, and not because of any assignment I hold. Chasing after titles, creating connections based on the benefits to be gained... I'd done enough of that when I was still fighting to become famous.

( april intro • start )

[ well then. extra points for enthusiasm, for sure. ]

Far be it for me to turn down any sort of flattery, but I should warn you those phrases don't actually turn me on.

[ just in case astra took her profile at face value... ]

( april intro • start )

Resorting to such ridiculous tactics, one would think they were the "desperate" ones. Whatever happened to a good old fashioned mixer?

( april intro )

Well don't you look as awful as I feel.

[ they meet at the entrance of the broken wing — wei wuxian about to walk in, manuela in the process of stepping out.

there is rueful camaraderie in her tone, certainly sympathetic to his plight. indeed, though she might look a little more put-together upon first glance, closer inspection will reveal evidence of her own plight in the slight disheveled state of her hair, the weary lines on her face, the way a shoulder strap seems perpetually at risk of slipping off.

she waves a hand in the air as she steps out of the entryway, the gesture slow enough as if caught buffering. ]

I wouldn't bother. Unless you happen to know what "Tylenol" is, they're as useless as the rest of the staff I've come across.

( march tdm • start )

[ manuela is used to being underestimated. such is the nature of the world (her world, at least), when one is both a woman and possessing of a personality as big and as bold as hers. and, the older she's gotten, the more she suffers such disregard. so it's always refreshing when someone — particularly of chobe's caliber — gives her her dues.

though she certainly has to laugh at his words. whether or not he means to imply what she infers, it's still amusing given the context of this place. ]

Perhaps it would surprise you how many men I've known who delighted in being able to call me "nurse" during our more intimate moments. I'm sure there are enough of those proclivities here.

Edited 2025-04-11 11:34 (UTC)

( march tdm • start )

[ and just like that, manuela's steps roll to a stop. she had been quite determined, since barret's offer, to find some place of solace. preferably with a good drink, but she would have been just as happy to simply be away from those ludicrous games.

now, though, she wishes she had paid a little better attention. she wishes she had taken much better note of his tone, the look on his face when he spoke of having important people to get home to.

she turns to him, reaching out to place a gentle hand along his arm. ]

I'm sorry, Barret. You must miss her terribly.

[ to be away from a spouse, a lover, that is an awful thing. she imagines it would be like missing a limb. but to be ripped away from your own child... even an actress as talented as she couldn't hope to have an imagination vast enough to know what that must be like.

what comfort is there to offer for someone who must feel so adrift like that? ]

I do hope you drink, [ she says after a moment. she resumes her walking, only this time she has slipped her arm through his, as if touch alone can help transfer some of her energy through to him. ] Our toast to your escape will have to be a grand one.

( april intro • start )

What a coincidence. I also enjoy a good drink, and good company. Though I sure you're already well aware of that.

[ considering their first meeting, where the seasoned songstress effortlessly kept pace with the pirate, glass for glass. ]

Have you discovered any new places since we saw each other last?

( so, it seems he decided to be someone's champion. it isn't something sylus would normally do, but he was feeling in the mood for some sort of entertainment; his own matches were severely lacking. not to say that all of them were terrible fighters, but he's used to this sort of thing. he can tell who is and who isn't. so, sure, he'll fight for someone else who doesn't seem at all interested.

the match goes well, if sylus says so himself. he still wins, but they make it a few rounds before sylus takes his victory. the crowd chants in excitement for him to claim the loser, but he's really not interested in that kind of thing. he doesn't fuck for sport or show. he does, however, take their money before he hops out of the ring and makes his way through the crowd.

it takes him a bit, but he finds the woman who asked for a stand-in, and makes his way over to her. sylus doesn't look too worse for wear — his self-healing still passively working, but he notices it's slower ( because i said so ) due to the bracelet — but there are some open cuts on his knuckles, a bite mark on his forearm, and some mottled bruising on his chin and likely on his sides. he sidles up to her and drops a bit of money on the table in front of her. it's not half of what he took, but enough to make a point. )

Your share, ( sarcastically, but in a fun, teasing way, ) milady.

( may tdm )

[ who needs counseling when the golden peacock takes it upon itself to let its troubled guests fuck it out, am i right?

oh don't look at me like that — obviously sex isn't a one stop shop solution to misunderstandings and miscommunication, but it certainly does provide the more stubborn guests an avenue to open up....... sometimes one simply has to do it literally first, that's all.

all this to say: the next time manuela and blade find themselves meeting again in one of the hotel's many movie sets, it is on far better terms than the last. indeed, manuela can only just barely hide her amusement as she settles on the twin-sized bed of her "step son" — a man who is far, far older than the teen the film isn't even trying all that hard to sell — its sheets adorned with footballs and hockey sticks and a number of other modern sports paraphernalia that go completely over manuela's head.

the setting is far less important than the premise, anyway. indeed, upon realizing who her scene partner was, manuela was suddenly far, far more invested in the storyline of an impassioned young man wholly determined to seduce his beautiful, mature stepmom.

because honestly. blade? an "impassioned teen"? seducing??? who wouldn't want to be front row for that? the true audience for this film is manuela herself. she is, as the kids say, sat. ]

What was it you wanted to speak with me about?

[ Nobody has really taught Ferdinand how to send a text message, so he's still a bit formal with them. Especially since being formal is how he copes with nerves.

And oh, is he nervous. He can still scarcely believe how quickly things escalated when he'd discovered that Manuela was to be his co-star, and that largely is because of him. He was downright eager with her, learning his way around her body, and he hasn't been able to get the image of her writhing in pleasure out of his mind. He doesn't want to, and he feels a little guilty about that. ]

Hello, Manuela. I hope you are doing well and that I am not being too much of a bother.

I wanted to thank you for your understanding. Sharing a stage with you, even one like that, was a dream come true, and I hope you do not think me too crass if I say that I enjoyed the experience for other reasons as well. But I thought we might speak about it so that I can set my mind at ease, as well as apologize if I came off as too eager.

My room in the basement is rather shabby and I have precious little to wear, but I have made both the room and myself as presentable as I can. May I invite you when you have a moment?

[ At least he only sends it as one message, so there isn't a flurry of notifications. ]

( june intro • toplevel )

( june event )

reira.

hilda.

irene.

clara.

astra.

narumi.

wei wuxian.

chobe.

barret.

shanks.

just go with it from ur ♠️prompt

blade.

post-tdm; text (un: vonaegir)