world of noise *

FLOOR 52.

never in her life has she been so pleased to be in a department store. mooncake coos over every new section they walk through, hopping forward with her head peering down the aisles as though each one is a shocking discovery. there are tools, stationery and even soap all in the same general area, and shopping this way is a luxury she hasn’t afforded in over two years. “artie! artemis, look!” she gasps, at nothing in particular, spinning in place on her heels as she eyes the rows of shelves. “colour pencils! haven’t s-s-seen - i haven’t seen colour pencils in centuries!” two years. “should i...? can i...? do you think - ?” her voice hints at some amount of hesitation, but she’s already picked up a pack of twenty-four and started walking. what had started as a day to ‘see the sights’ of the new expansive floor has turned into something of a shopping spree, though at the moment she’s far too giddy to be fret about the state of her coin pouch.

“Moonie, is that you?” Cricket chuckled as she approached, catching sight of person all but buried behind a large pile of material. The mass of it obscured her face, but she’d recognize the sweet timbre anywhere. “You’ve got like, perfect timing. I was just on my way to see you,” Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, she made her way over, sat it down and stooped down to scoop up the keys. It was a good size ring. Hefty. But over the last few months of haunting the woman’s workshop, Cricket liked to think she knew what she was doing. Her head tilted to the side and she hummed as she sought out the right key. “It’s the big one, right? Brassy…with…four leaves?” she asked, taking a quick look over at her friend. 

at the familiar nickname, mooncake visibly perks, her entire body weight shifting onto her toes in glee as she recognises cricket by little more than her voice. “oh! good! never have - i never have good timing!” despite her words, her tone is bright and delighted; and why wouldn’t it be, now that cricket’s here? “mm-hm! that’s right!” a pause, before mooncake realises actually, that isn’t right. “oh, n-no, wait: three, not four. it’s not a lucky key! got three leaves on the handle, and a stem to do the work.” she grins behind her things. “by the - glad you came, by the way! n-nice to see you!” ...hold up. she shuffles on her feet, turning to the side so she can make eye contact with her friend. there. she repeats, this time actually seeing, “nice to see you!”

          noir hummed in response to the other’s question, finding the correct key before shoving it into the doorknob, and pushing the door open for the other. “ hi. ” noir mimicked the other player’s tone. “ did you – need help carrying things ?? ” since when did she offer to help ??

the returned ‘hi’ prompts an even wider smile, and mooncake takes a few steps forward before answering, “are you - that would - offer? ah, i mean: are you offering? because that’d be wonderful! don’t wanna take up too much of your time, but i’d love help if you’re willing! i have... oh, do you fight?” she couldn’t really see if the other carried any weapons right now. “i, up - i can upgrade something of yours, if you want! f-f-favour for a favour?”

Blue collected all the materials into his arms, his face now the one that was hidden by the mass of items. He followed behind her, occasionally walking into a countertop or the cart that moved through the shop as he did so. “It’s not a problem at all, really. I don’t mind helping out.” He was sure that the favor would eventually be returned, but he wasn’t even worried about that. Whether or not he got something in return, it didn’t matter to him. He just enjoyed helping people, and making their day easier. “My name’s Blue. As in the color. I would shake your hand, but…” He lifted his arms in a semi-shrug, to suggest that he was unable to because of the materials he still held within them.

“oh! well - you’re nice,” mooncake admits, quite happily. she starts plucking things off the pile and rushing to dump them haphazardly on the appropriate shelves or in the right drawers and cupboards. some she transferred directly to her workbench, knowing she’d be using them soon. “blue! that’s a good name. blue,” her smile stretches wide, though when he mentions he can’t shake her hand, she chuckles, “my - that’s my bad, isn’t it? we can sh-shake later?” in the meantime, she shifts until she stands at his side, smiling brightly in his direction - then, without warning, she leans in to press her cheek close to his (not quite touching) and nuzzles the space between them. “that’ll have to do! saw video - i saw a video of jackals once!” wait, that sentence is missing something... ah, right: “doing the - they did that to s-say hi!” 

“ right… bittle. ” as though repeating the word would eventually start making sense in her mind – really it just made her even more confused but at this point, star was willing to let the word go. bittle might as well just be something she just doesn’t understand and she’ll have to deal with that. regardless, now she’s just flipping through the keys – looking at the multiple brass keys. well, at least it narrows things down just a little. “ ah now that is probably the most sense you have made this entire time, ” star was talking about the description she gave of course. clover, three-leafed. and in approximately two seconds she finally found that key. “ got it. ” starlight moved to push the right key in the hole and open the door for the player – glancing up to catch their username – mooncake. cute. “ yeah, don’t worry about it. ” 

that is probably the most sense you have made this entire time. it’s likely meant to be a teasing jab, or maybe even an insult, but as someone who knows she struggles to make any sense at all even at the best of times, mooncake can only beam at those words. “oh! good!” she tells the other proudly, waiting and shuffling around on her feet as the other opens the door. once she hears the distinct click of her shophouse’s lock, mooncake barrels into the store, quickly dumping her new materials on the closest available surface before dashing right back to the other player. her hand catches on the frame to stop her from tumbling.“th-thank you! i want to - could i - i just - thank you; do you wanna come in? i haven’t got any snacks - ate them all, forgot to buy more - but! i have tea! do you want tea?” 

much  like  the  sun  her  smile  is  radiant  and  warm  and  welcoming  ,  her  tone  sweet  as  if  she  speaks  with  a  mouthful  of  honey .   truthfully  ,  it  isn’t   the  type  of  greeting  he’s  used  to  ,  especially  from  strangers  ,  but  he  isn’t  complaining .    ❝  uh  ,  yeah  ,  actually ,   ❞    he’ll  take  a  step  closer  to  the  counter  ,  place  his  dagger  onto  its  surface  before  sliding  it  in  her  direction .   with  the  brand  of  a  tattoo  on  his  forearm  visible  ,  he  gestures  to  the  weapon  ,    ❝  think  you  can  take  a  look  at  this ?    tried  to  sharpen  it  myself  and  chipped  it  by  accident  instead .  ❞

“absolutely!” her eyes fall first to his dagger, chipped at the edge - but she falters for a moment when she sees the tattoo on his arm, glancing up at his cursor to realise who she’s dealing with. circus has always been a bit... intimidating, and while mooncake will do - and has done - work for its members, the pause in her enthusiasm says a little too much. nonetheless, her smile slowly (and a little hesitantly) returns as she picks up the weapon to inspect it closer. “uh, q-qui-quick work, it’ll be. chip’s not deep - could grind it out! won’t lose much - blade’ll handle the same. that sound okay?”

Blue followed the woman inside, taking her request for him to continue helping as permission to enter the workshop. She was undoubtedly kind, evident in her words and in the way she avoided burdening him. However, Blue was more than willing to help out another player. He began to take some of the items and set them on the shelves of her workshop, but immediately realized that she likely had a system of organization she preferred. So instead he offered, “Why don’t you let me take them, and you can put them away?”

his offer contains more foresight than she’d had, and she’s quick to perk and accept, “o-oh! yeah, that’s - that’s smart. smart cookie, you. thank you!” she transfers everything from her arms into his, careful not to let stuff drop. truth be told, her workshop isn’t the tidiest place: scrap metal is scattered across every available surface, and what’s reminiscent of train tracks circle much of the open area, transporting a small wheeled cart carrying her tools. but it’s an organised sort of chaos, and she sorts through her newly acquired materials with surprising care. while she works, she introduces, “mooncake - ah, i mean, that’s me! i’m m-mooncake, and it’s... nice to meet you?”

rose was confident in mooncake’s ability to help her out, considering her broad knowledge of weapons, and her kindness didn’t go unnoticed by rose either. “i think it’s mostly balance and weight. i guess it could just use a little tweaking. it’s far more weighted than my old one.” she explained, hoping mooncake understood what she was getting at. “oh yeah, snacks! i can definitely make that happen for you.” rose smiled, knowing that she’d be happy to repay the girl in any way. “no, no. i think i’ve had enough practice for today.” she laughed, gesturing to the arrows littered around. 

snacks. good, brain fuel. mooncake nods fervently as she thinks; she can’t tell straight off the bat how the bow is supposed to feel - she’s not an archer, after all - but she knows enough about the technical aspects to think up a fix. “want balance, b-but don’t want it heavy! can’t add weight; so take away?” she balances the bow’s grip in the centre of her palm, watching to see if it tips. “sturdy, ooft. could partially hollow it out...?” she turns to rose, then, with the suggestion, trying to gauge if the other is willing. she beams wide as the blonde gestures at the arrows, letting out a small laugh. “okay, no more practice, then. the bow - do you want the bow done now? we could wait - share a break, first.”

♛ sharing a dessert.

“you, uh - do you wanna go ‘rock paper scissors’ for it?” mooncake blinks, staring at the other player as they both eye the last slice of cake in the bakery’s display case.

she’s already holding out her fist to prepare for a round when she stops to consider, “or, or we c-could split! i’ll give - you can even have the h-h-half with the strawberry!” her smile is wide and hopeful, eyes pleading. she was second to the counter, after all, so she has a little less claim - but maybe the other’s feeling generous?

a handful of minutes later, they sit at an outdoor table together, sharing the cake and a small pot of tea. mooncake laughs at something the other says, back of her wrist on her mouth to stifle a laugh, helping her refill her ceramic teacup. the sun cracks shards of light across the crisp-aired streets, and a tentative bond is forged over a sweet dessert.

♔ finding your muse wearing their clothes.

“hey, that’s - is that mine?” mooncake’s smile is brightly lit with amusement as she sees icarus wearing a pair of her mittens. she’d suggested braving the wintry weather to head to one of the restaurants in the centre of town; she supposes it only makes sense to bundle up as well as possible. she nearly stumbles over herself as she skips over to stand right in front of him, clapping both her hands over his. “if your hands were cold, you could’ve just asked,” she tells him with a giggle, rubbing her palms against the back of his hands, warming them up for a moment before lacing their fingers together. “ready to - ready to go out n-now?”

♧ your muse playing with their hair.

her hands shake, her smile stretches. her eyes dart from the edge of the horizon to the ground in front of her, and she bounces on her feet. “can you believe? it’s like a diff - whole different universe! the things i can use! the things i can make! oh! i could get batteries.” to say that mooncake is enthusiastic over nova is something of an understatement - she’s gasping in shallow breaths of air between her rambling, cheeks aching from her excited smile.

somewhere at the back of her attention, she hears a voice - icarus - telling her to slow down, breathe, but it isn’t until she feels his arms wrap around her that she calms. like clockwork, mooncake relaxes, slowing. “mm?” she mumbles as icarus holds her still (is he laughing?) and she finds it easier to soften and simply take in the moment. a deep breath. when his hand comes to pat at her hair, mooncake giggles, lifting her arms to return the hug.

“can - can we go exploring soon?” she asks, hopefully. her voice trails off toward the end as she yawns, the gentle, rhythmic stroking against her hair drawing it out.

mm-hm.

“and go look for batteries?” 

sure.

“batteries…”

yes, batteries.

♔ : Finding your muse wearing their clothes

♕: Holding hands

♖: Having their hair washed by your muse

♗: Your muse falling asleep with their head in my muse's lap.

♘: Cuddling in a blanket fort

♙: Sharing a bed

♚: Head scratches

♛: Sharing a dessert

♜: Shoulder rubs

♝: Reading a book together

♞: Caring for each other while ill (specify which party is which)

♟: Patching up a wound

♤: Taking a bath together

♧: Your muse playing with their hair

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

♢: Forehead or cheek kisses

♠: Your muse adjusting their jewelry/neck tie/ etc.

♣: Back scratches

♥: Your muse crying about something

Blue was already on his way to assist mooncake, without even being asked, when she actually asked. “Of course!” Blue answered easily, approaching without hesitation. Most players were much more cautious than he, most players might worry that this was a trap, but Blue didn’t second guess her for a second. He stooped down to pick up her keys, then carded through them until he found the right one and unlocked her door. He opened it for her, but stepped aside to let her through first. “Do you need help carrying anything in?”

she tries to peek around her things to give the other player an appreciative smile, but she still can’t really see anything - so instead, she bounces on the spot and mutters a fervent, “thank you! thanks! lots!” she hears the keys turn and beams brightly as he opens the door to her workshop. there’s the ring of her overhead shopkeeper’s bell, accompanied by a soft, faint buzzing from inside - no doubt her hummingbird lurking somewhere in the rafters. “mm, could - i could use some help setting things down; b-but only if you’re okay with it. wouldn’t wanna busy - wanna keep you if you’re busy, no sir!”

her expression drops, and she fidgets with her hands. “i do.” a pause, dragging on until it seems that’s all she’s going to say - but eventually, she continues, “i m-mean, that’s not - i know it’s not logical, to do that. i know, i know. there are t-t-tons of other variables to consider, after all. but… but that’s weird, isn’t it? thinking of life and death like a variable? like it can be measured, or or or categorised. we can’t know for sure if better armour or weapons would’ve ever helped, but… it could have. and that ‘could’ is always going to be on me.”

“ooh! …oh. i wouldn’t - wouldn’t really know, s-s-sorry, but i hope it’s nice, whatever it is! more florias and fewer crystallises - crystalli? crystallus? - p-p-please. do you think it’s too much to hope - too much wishful th-thinking to hope for a nice rocky, mineral-rich terrain? prefer - preferably not a mine or a cave, because that’s… creepy. but somewhere i can get more stuff to work with!”

“honestly? i’m - i’m afraid of a lot of things. heights. public speaking. failure. chickens. getting hit with a stray sports ball. but i - i’m rarely af-f-fraid of people. they can do things that aren’t - you know - aren’t good, aren’t kind, aren’t nice, but i just… that’s not scary, that’s… upsetting? frustrating? painful? to that, um, to that effect, i haven’t met anyone yet i’m really t-terrified of, in game or out.

“…oh, unless you count my dentist.”

          noir was just about to leave the first floor when she heard the other player asking for help. for a moment, she contemplated whether she should help or just continue on her merry way. in the end, her conscience won the battle, the blonde jogging over to help the person she assumed was behind all the stuff. “ uh, yeah. ” bending down to scoop the keys up, noir spun the key ring around her index finger, hoping the noise would allow the person to know they had been retrieved. “ do you need me to, like – open it ?? or help you inside ?? ” 

mooncake hears the keys jingle and immediately brightens, knowing her pleas into the void aren’t just bouncing around to no one. “thank you!” she chirps instantly, even before the other even does anything. actually, come to think of it... they could probably run off with all of her keys and she wouldn’t even know until she - ah, they’re asking her a question. which means they’re still here. nice. “c-c-could you open it for me? that’d be terrific! key - key’s the brass. sorry, meant: brass key’s the right key. orangey gold. heaviest one, can’t miss it!” she waddles and turns so she’s standing side-by-side with the other, craning her neck to be able to see who it is she’s meant to thank. a grin. “hi.”