nihilizm

[ 0. FOOL ] - What was your muse's point of view during their (humble) beginnings? (Feel free to specify which aspect)

[ I. MAGICIAN ] - What was your muse's dream or ambition? Do they have a role model that inspires them?

[ II. PRIESTESS ] - Does your muse keep a lot of secrets? Do they have anyone they were confident enough to tell these secrets?

[ III. EMPRESS ] - In what place or situation makes your muse feels most comfortable? Do they prefer to share it with someone?

[ IV. EMPEROR ] - How often does your muse act on impulse? Do they get into arguments or fights when they do?

[ V. HIEROPHANT ] - Does your muse often follow rules? Or do they have their own standards that ignore or contrast those rules?

[ VI. LOVERS ] - How does your muse express their feelings to those they deeply care for? Do they prefer to be close with those people or keep some distance?

[ VII. CHARIOT ] - Does your muse always aim for victory? Do they act tough or strong to hinder their possible weakness?

[ VIII. JUSTICE ] - Does your muse feel inferior or not treated fairly by the majority? Do they attempt to be equal or above others?

[ IX. HERMIT ] - Does your muse prefer to be independent? Do they often distant themself from others?

[ X. FORTUNE ] - Does your muse rely on their luck? How often do they get lucky?

[ XI. STRENGTH ] - Does your muse take challenges that could be risky for them? How often do they get courage to face danger or fears?

[ XII. HANGED MAN ] - Has your muse been in a dangerous or difficult situation wherein they were able to survive or make it through?

[ XIII. DEATH ] - In what situation your muse went through which completely changed their life? How did it affect them?

[ XIV. TEMPERANCE ] - Does your muse have any traits that contrast each other (like being kind at someone but not to another)? How often is one trait shown compared to the other trait?

[ XV. DEVIL ] - Does your muse often give in to their temptation? Do they let their desire choose their path?

[ XVI. TOWER ] - Has your muse experienced a great downfall when they were at their peak or was about to reach their goal? How do they deal with losses?

[ XVII. STAR ] - How optimistic is your muse? Do they try to be positive to hide their inner struggles?

[ XVIII. MOON ] - Does your muse usually blame others for the bad situations occurred to them? Do they attempt to correct their own wrongdoings?

[ XIX. SUN ] - Has there been instances in your muse's life wherein they reevaluated their morals? Did they knew what they truly desire for themself?

[ XX. JUDGEMENT ] - What part of your muse's life do they understand the most? How did it affect their character?

Which position makes you feel the most powerful during sex?

Do you prefer to be in control, or do you like letting someone else take the lead?

What’s the one spot on your body that drives you wild when touched?

Have you ever faked an orgasm? Be honest.

What’s your favorite way to tease a partner before things get serious?

Are you satisfied with your body, or is there one feature you’d change if you could?

Do you like dirty talk? If yes, what kind of words get you going?

What’s the most public place you’ve ever been intimate, or wanted to be?

Do you prefer slow, sensual sex or fast and rough?

What’s one fantasy you’ve never told anyone?

Do you like being watched, or do you prefer total privacy?

What’s the sexiest thing someone has ever said to you?

Do you enjoy giving or receiving more?

Have you ever had a one-night stand? Would you do it again?

What’s your favorite piece of lingerie or lack thereof?

Do you like using toys in the bedroom?

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sex, and how did it affect your mood?

Do you prefer morning sex, midnight passion, or something in between?

What’s one thing you’ve done in bed that surprised even you?

Do you like leaving marks on your partner or having them leave marks on you?

What’s your biggest turn-on that most people wouldn’t guess?

Have you ever been caught in the act? spill the details.

Do you like role-playing? If so, what scenario gets you going?

What’s the most sensitive part of your body that isn’t obvious?

Do you prefer eye contact during intimacy, or do you like to close your eyes and feel?

What’s one thing you’d never try in bed, no matter what?

Do you like being praised or degraded during sex?

What’s the best kiss you’ve ever had and what made it so good?

Do you enjoy foreplay more than the main event, or is it just a means to an end?

If you could have sex with anyone (real or fictional, past or present), who would it be, and why?

Which scent on a lover makes you lose control instantly?

Do you prefer silk sheets, leather cuffs, or nothing at all?

What’s the one sound you make that you hope no one ever records?

Have you ever used your powers, or lack thereof, in bed?

What’s the riskiest text you’ve ever sent mid-foreplay?

Do you like your hair pulled, or are you the one doing the pulling?

What’s the most unexpected place your hands have wandered?

Do you keep a secret toy hidden somewhere no one would guess?

What’s one rule you’d break for the right person?

Do you prefer whispered promises or loud commands?

What’s the fastest you’ve ever gone from “hello” to skin on skin?

Have you ever left a lover begging for more and walked away?

What’s the one body part you’re secretly obsessed with on someone else?

Do you like tasting yourself on someone else’s lips?

○○○○○ | ATTRACTION ○○○○○ | AFFECTION ○○○○○ | INTEREST ○○○○○ | LOYALTY ○○○○○ | TRUST

“I wouldn’t know, Lord Holton.” – she smiled – “After all, here in Britain, it is you who represent high society.” – of course, Nunnally was teasing him; perhaps even enjoying it a little too much – “If anything, back then I would have been considered a husband hunter: a rich American heiress marrying into the peerage. We would probably both have ended up unhappy…”

The moment the words left her lips, she realized how improper they sounded. Or rather how easily they might be misinterpreted, given the rumours she had heard about him – “It is a lucky thing for both of us that such times are well behind…” – Nunnally smiled again, attempting to cover her embarrassment, though it was plain she had not thought through what she had said. What was meant as a joke, an admittedly foolish one, might well have been taken as an implicit jab.

“But in all honesty, it was only my maternal grandmother who held any title. My grandfather was merely a wealthy American businessman, and while my father’s family does have obvious links to the French aristocracy, and even a recognizable crest, it is all in the distant past. Of little importance to where I come from.” – Nunnally was not sure how widely known it was that her grandmother had long regretted marrying her grandfather and leaving her former life behind, nor how firmly she had intended to see her granddaughter married to someone with a title. For many reasons, that ambition had also suited her father. The heir and the spare; he would take the spare and be perfectly content with it.

Nunnally felt a quiet pride in that, perhaps more than she ought. Then again, it might simply have been how she defined her grandmother: a woman devoted to etiquette, decorum, and the intricacies of the peerage. Those values had been instilled in Nunnally from an early age, yet she still wished for something more; at least for a time, before returning to New York.

“I shall wait for it most impatiently.” – she added, offering another polite pleasantry. In truth, she didn’t expect he would ever invite her again, nor would she be the one to pursue such a connection. She asked after his parents, as courtesy required, and when he returned the question, she laughed again. Perhaps a little too brightly, drawing more attention than she intended (again).

“You are quite mistaken about my grandmother…” – she continued lightly – “I cannot imagine she would ever choose to rest. Nor would she consider me ready to manage without her guidance. Though I might disagree. So you may count yourself fortunate that your parents are more inclined to share their responsibilities… unless, of course, you prefer to devote your time to other pursuits.”

She tilted her head slightly, her tone shifting to one of curious interest.

⊳   Hm. If only. I am merely a baron who has yet to even inherit the title. ⊲

The lack of a formal title aside, his parents' and grandparents' connections are more than enough to have him immersed around people from the upper échelons. Surely, the other knows what it is like as they are in the same circumstances. Though, if the marriage she is talking about were to be a real proposal, it wouldn't be Welkin the one getting married but his grandfather, or more recently, his father, who isn't all that young either. There would a huge age gap between them. Not that the lecturer is any younger to be quite frank. The Brit held his tongue, this joke clearly did not need to be worse than it already is, even if it was to clear up that misunderstanding. The thought of Nunnally being his mother definitely would make both of them unhappy.

⊳ ... Representation... certainly a heavy weight on one's shoulders. ⊲

Welkin bit his tongue after that. Truth be told, he was out of touch with parts of the circle he once shared with Nunnally when they were very young. Some refused association with someone like him who married a nobody and worse, it was a gay marriage. Yet, the Brit did not regret it as painful as the divorce is. The damage to the family's asset were negligible, but the damage to his personal wealth and the family's reputation? It might be bigger than anyone letting on regarding it.

⊳ Indeed. The past is behind us. ⊲

That remark left him to be terse, his lips pursed. Even if she knows of his marriage and divorce, the blond could not gauge her thoughts on it and decide to be cautious. Yet perhaps it is the familiarity they had during their youth and that the other is not a fellow Brit, Welkin is much more direct and less conflict-avoidant than usual like how he was during his lecture. This frankly leaves the blond feeling a little uncomfortable out of the bounds of his comfort zone but it certainly does not feel right to approach her like any other even if he felt tempted to do so. Too much time between when they last met, even with a connection of families between them. Though there is still hope for what there is between them to warm up eventually, just not as quickly as one might hoped.

Welkin politely nodded as he listens to what she has to say about her grandmother. If memory serves, her grandmother's ancestors were nobles from the Huguenots who were living in Britain until hostilities for Calvinists in France went away. The blond does not recall whether her grandmother was the British who to reclaim her French nationality or was the great-grandparents that did that instead?

⊳ We'll see. Let's just enjoy what we have for today now, shall we? ⊲

Hm... said grandmother seems to be just fine with retirement far from planned then. Welkin is painfully aware of that since her grandmother is quite similar to his own grandfather. It took a major health deterioration for him to even consider and then another for his grandfather to finally delegate to his father.

⊳ How about I answer that over a cup of coffee? Chop chop now, off we go. ⊲

“You really think so? Do you mean anyone would break it for me, or that anyone could do it so cleanly it’s almost comfortable to walk?” – Nunnally looked at Seikin with interest now; genuinely curious about what he meant. She assumed it might be both, but it would be better if he explained himself. Especially since the way he spoke now was harder to follow; was he trying to discourage the conversation? Even if he was, Nunnally would try to keep it going a little longer. There was no particular reason: just a whim. Though if he continued to seem cold and distant (and she couldn’t quite hold that against him), she would leave.

“Though, honestly, I find it much more difficult to interact with strangers here than at home…” – in fact, that wasn’t entirely true, but it wasn’t a lie either. She lived two different lives: one here and one at home. Here was more relaxed, yet she had forgotten how to be, how to feel at ease. So maybe it was her fault the conversation wasn’t flowing. Still, to her surprise, Seikin accepted the invitation for a drink (or perhaps just a drink?).

Did he notice her brief look of surprise?

“So, is Sakura coffee something like a cappuccino?” – she asked lightly – “…Not something you’d drink outside breakfast?” – in truth, she missed Europe; she would have preferred to be there rather than here in Japan, though it had never been her choice – “Is it very sweet?” – she added. Nunnally might try it, but she didn’t like overly sweet drinks, and adding milk to coffee wasn’t usually her preference. Still, she shouldn’t criticize him; or rather his choice. That wouldn’t be polite.

» 「 Oh you know, men. They probably would break it for you. 」 «

Whether those men would break it as cleanly as the blond did, nobody knows. He is pretty sure some of these men are so deep in their toxic masculinity that they probably have never touched a pair of stilettos before. Yet Seikin have probably eaten enough of those straight and dl men to know they would turn head over heel for the opposite gender whenever they asked. The blond? Hmph, she's just lucky he is in a good mood and would rather be cordial than let this ruin his day.

Hopefully that one line sufficed. Seikin returned her whim with one of his own to be frank. Hearing Nunnally saying that it is hard to mingle here than at home gave the blond an impression that perhaps this one here is a little bit too sheltered and honestly if he was an heiress instead of the heir of a big family that he is right now, he would understand why. In the end, it's none of his business to probe.

» 「 Is that so? Perhaps changing your approach might help? 知らんけど。 」 «

There it is again with the Kansai dialect. Though this one is a well-known one for sure. Talk to anyone from Osaka and they would tell you all sorts of things, only to tack a shirankedo in the end so they aren't responsible for what was said. Doubled down with a 'perhaps' and a 'might' thrown in to leave no room for ambiguity. That this is merely an advice to be taken at one's own risk. The blond noticed the fleeting expression of surprise but decided to play dumb instead.

» 「 It's another coffee shop, actually. They serve coffee and toast for breakfast, but also more drinks when it is not breakfast. I don't know your tolerance for sweetness, so we'll see. There's always ordering it black and then adding to it, y'know? 」 «

The blond glances at his empty mug. Yeah, he could use another mug of coffee with some red bean paste toaster after this bland mug of tea. He didn't really notice how bland it was when he was talking with his tutor. Only realised it when he took the last sip while talking to uh... whoever this is that he has to take to somewhere else now. Since she's paying, might as well go for another round of refreshments.

Oh right, he has yet to answer that obvious question. Who in their right mind speaks the Kansai dialect when at the grand capital of Tokyo, right?

» 「 No, I am not. And sure, will do. 」 «

    "Sure thing!" Vivian nods. "I'll try my best to pick something good... though, even if it doesn't turn out delicious, I'll make sure to take responsibility with my stomach!" Of course, by that, she meant she would eat all the pizza slices with the topping she specifically selected.

    With that being the case, she'll then emerge to her feet while gripping the underwear she had previously worn over her head. "Alright-y, I think it's about high time I take a shower! Feel free to monopolize the living room, Gigi. Since I already had dinner, I'm just gonna be chilling in my room later," Vivian informs him before flashing him a quick thumbs up gesture using the hand not holding the panties and wandering off towards the door leading out into the hallway.

※ You don't need to worry about pineapple on pizza by the way, I am fine with it. ※

No matter the topping or crust picked, it could not go wrong if it's pizza, right? Zdzisław has never heard of a bad pizza, especially if it's delivery.

※ Sure thing, guess I'll watch the news through the big screen then. See ya. ※

Though Zdzisław may seem reliable right now, he isn't perfect. As if it's retaliation for Vivian wearing underwear over her head while watching questionable anime in the living room, here he is in the same living room come Wednesday dawn, watching the first semi-final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Though he has the decency to be wearing headphones at first, he was making stomping noises dancing to the first song, threw his headphones off with how good the seventh song is, leading the music to go off via the TV from that point onwards. Crisp violin and Finnish male vocals went off followed by him cheering his lungs out when the song ends. It was the bookie's favourite and he can see why with this performance!

Yet, he fell asleep on the ninth song (It's 5:10 am after all!) and only woke up in the middle of the song that he planned to watch, his country's entry in the song contest. Second last and fourteenth. What a gospel, it woke him up pretty quickly. Lady has amazing vocals and that long note at the very end, goodness!

Such is his focus on his country's entrant that he forgot the last song of the semi-final. Zdzisław swore some ghost must have possessed him cause he ended up screaming along to the song. In fluent Serbian (he speaks the language). Who cares if it's not even 6 am? You do not stay still during a screamo song, much less so during a Slavic one.

He definitely woke Vivian up. Either him or the TV. A miracle there's no noise complains. Loudly cheering that his country qualified for the final at the very last available spot at the end, Zdzisław also left the TV on, forgetting to turn it off, leaving a bright blank screen as he heads to bed right after the contests end.

Regardless how much sleep he had, Zdzisław showed up to the watch party with bags under his eyes. He tried acting like nothing had happened, only for his voice to uh, well, it works. It's just that it is obvious he was screaming stupid hours ago.

    "Hm... I was thinking more along the lines of onigiri because Japan's 7/11 sells them at ¥138 a piece, but pizza is actually the better choice, as it would be filling enough to completely eliminate the need for us to prepare dinner," she ponders aloud.

    "Why don't you get a corn mayo one, Gigi?" Vivian went on to suggest. "Other than that, welp... matcha KitKats are an absolute must; however, I was gonna buy that along with some JagaRico, Boss Coffee, and Aloe Vera juice, so if you still have money to spare following your pizza purchase... get some Cheeza Crackers, green apple flavoured Hi-Chew, and yakidango."

    Granted, the remaining snacks and refreshments could have been matcha flavoured, but for a watch party comprising of only two people, Vivian figures it would be best for the selection to be more diverse; besides, she's sure Zdzisław wasn't as much of a matcha enthusiast compared to her. Due to this being the case, she made sure to pick out options that were relatively cheap on a university student's budget.

※ Those... at 138 yen? I guess it would be that price when they have those 50 yen off stickers. It's still edible even after expiry time anyways. Definitely the first thing to eat during that party though. ※　Zdzisław made a silent note to buy specifically those onigiri the night before. The other stuff Vivian said she is getting is probably better off from a supermarket than the konbini or vending machine, much cheaper. The remaining three items would be bought after uni a few days before that's for sure. In fact he had no intention to leave his bed on Wednesday until the watch party.

※ Let me know the day before if you did not get what you want, I'll buy it. ※

Zdzisław isn't really particular when it comes to food, even much less so if it's for an event. No complaints even if it is all just one flavour but he sure would stop eating and drinking from the pile of monotony food after a while.

※ I plan to order a few pizzas actually, how about you pick one for the party? ※

The Pole was thinking about ordering like three of those things. Not that he loves pizzas, if anything he only likes the crust, but they do make good leftovers and he could always recycle them into pierogi fillings if he didn't feel like having leftover pizzas.

Truth be told, Zdzisław has been working long hours for a while now, taking care not to breach the 28 hours a week limit and also careful enough not to earn too much to end up in a higher tax bracket but it is definitely enough to splurge just this once on this.