POST-ROUND 1 MINGLE

[idolpro]

[ Once the decisions have been made, everyone is ushered—though those gentle tugs—out their respective mud rooms into the courtyard. An impossibly tall and incredibly dense garden hedge divides one half of the courtyard away—moreover, it increasingly gets taller when climbed, preventing its residents from escaping their slice of the courtyard. From beyond, idols can hear the distant sounds of something rumbling—perhaps it's the ground shaking. . .

The roster is visible on a large screen, though as time progresses, certain names are blacked out. . . ]

[ Mouths and Hands will be able to transform into monsters at-will, though Hands are much more diminutive and Mouths have supernatural abilities at their disposal. Moreover, unit abilities are on. ]

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He hisses in a breath, as those needle-sharp teeth start to bite in - braces his arms against her and tries to push away, more insistent this time]

I need you, too, dude, but - you don't gotta - you don't gotta do this.

[unbr8kable]

I do. I've lost you too many times...I won't let nobody else have you. You're mine.

[She leaves a soft, tender kiss on his lips. Then, all at once, the now fully black, unnaturally shaped limbs oozing from her back and sides shove him down to lie flat on his back as she moves down his body.

She continues to kiss down his chest, increasingly toothy nips over his sternum and ribs. With surprising gentleness, she bites down maybe a handswidth above his hipbone, slowly--daintily ripping through clothing and flesh alike as she chews and swallows]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[oh]

[that's bad actually,]

[screaming about now,,]

[unbr8kable]

Shh, shhhh... Here, it's okay...

[An oily pseudopod strokes up his cheek, as if attempting to soothe--presses into his mouth, just deeply enough to give him something to bite down on.

In the meantime, she digs back in, more of that existential darkness pouring out of her--distractedly biting at whatever of him they can reach. They twist up even the metal leg, nipping at joint and port and thigh alike, hungrily gnawing at the soft flesh same as her real one, continuing down his belly to meet it]

I'm sorry... It'll be over soon. And then you'll be safe inside...

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He does not in fact "shhh," perhaps to the surprise of nobody - though he does bite down, hard, as those teeth sink into more parts of him, taking more chunks of flesh]

[He's thrashing - or maybe he's shaking his head? It's hard to say]

[Either way, he reaches for the tendrils enfolding him, attempting to pry her off - desperate now]

[unbr8kable]

[She rubs soothingly at his side even as she continues to eat her way down his hip. Blood and gore flop against her chin as she tears through the skin and muscle and viscera, but she makes sure to gulp down every precious bit. The other mouths are just as greedy, slowly but surely grazing through the flesh at his remaining leg, the port itself beginning to loosen and go crooked without the skin and fat and muscle to keep it in place]

You're so good...so perfect...

[Which is a vast simplification, but it's rude to talk while eating, and putting her feelings into words is difficult, so she doesn't wax poetic about the bite of his teeth into her tentacle--not aloud, anyway. She simply offers him more, still stroking gently against his cheek.

There's something poetic about him eating her as she eats him--together forever, an ouroboros of consumption--the ultimate union. Could anything be more apt for their relationship?]

'M yours, forever. And you're mine...

[She sinks her teeth into him again, ripping into the muscle of his right thigh]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He wails, the sound muffled by the tentacle - digs his fingers as best he can between the mouths biting into his thigh and the flesh that's being devoured]

[It's impossible to tell what he's saying, but he's trying to say something, urgently - trying to get her off]

[unbr8kable]

[He probably gets a few nips at his fingertips just due to them being in the way, but--well. He hadn't gotten that 'best leg' award for nothing. The focus stays for now on what's left of his right leg. Rather than releasing him, more protrusions burst from her back and torso, spindly and black and roping around his shoulders and back--propping him up while she continues to skin the meat from his hipbone and below.

That same, would-be appeasing hum comes from the back of her throat, urging him to calm down, for it will be over soon enough. He'll need more than a verbal appeal at this point...]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He's realizing that about now]

[Realizing, too, that however much instinct is screaming for him to drop everything else and focus on prying her off, it's not working. She's too strong, and he's too enfolded by the tendrils already, at this point. If he's going to get out of this, he's got to do it another way]

[He sucks a shaking breath in - forces himself to let go of the tentacles on his leg. Instead, he balls his hand up into a fist and slams it into her temple, trying to knock her out]

[unbr8kable]

Nngh?

[Tendril and mouth alike judder to a brief stop as his hand slams into her temple. Half of them begin to loosen with dismay, the other half hesitating with confusion--how dare he attack? Doesn't he understand this is all for him?

Still, it seems to have beaten if not sense into her, enough of a pause that he can act attack again as she regains her bearings]

Jacob--

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He can't apologize - not with the appendage still curled in his mouth, pressing down his tongue]

[Maybe she can see it in his eyes, though - the silent "I'm sorry" as he attempts another attack, harder this time]

[unbr8kable]

[Maybe that sorrow in his gaze is what actually gets her to release him.

Maybe it's just the second crack to the skull, hard and loud enough to get through even her hard head.

Regardless, it's enough to set her off balance, some of the odd limbs clawing out blindly, others melting into thin air. Her eyes go wide before falling shut--before she falls--

--before the hedges tug them back into their rooms for the next round, the doors slamming with finality]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Oh]

[That's -]

[Probably for the best, honestly]

[Back to the drawing board]