Summerwood (Monsterhearts 2)

Game Master neonblues

JJ smiles in appreciation of Kyle's direct attention. "Well, it started off rough, thanks to a little 'special gummy bear' a friend of mine brought along. Speaking of, if you see them around.. I won't say don't have one, but be careful of what you're getting into. Those things are strong..."

"But yeah, it's looking up right now. I managed to.. secure an opportunity, and it's really opened my eyes to new possibilities." JJ glances at Ashton, wondering at the implication of the flickering glow, but focusing on Kyle's steady signal. He looks directly into Kyle's eyes, but glances aside every few seconds, hesitant of trying to come on too strong.

Play it cool, man, don't try too much, too fast, or it'll all crash and burn around you... JJ thinks to himself, nibbling the inside of his lip. He's tempted to go for a secret from Kyle, but in this case, it almost feels like cheating...

Surprised.

She felt surprised.

And she wished Eva wasn't sitting right here staring at them.

The timing wasn't everything she could have wished for, but... "Dee... I like you a lot too." Her smile turned crooked as she added, "I feel like we haven't really gotten to know each other that well yet, but I'd really like the chance to change that."

"Oh, man, you still haven't told me how your trip was," says Ashton. "Anything other than alcohol stays in your system too long and the NCAA loves their randomized testing. But strong sounds good!

Ashton downs another beer from the robot as JJ and Kyle talk. Despite having a little more experience with drinking than the others, like most eighteen year olds he is simultaneously somehow underestimating and overestimating alcohol's effect on himself.

I wasn't that drunk when I saw that guy, he thinks to himself. Unless Cal's boozy gummies had a little something extra in them? That probably makes the most sense. Or I can see ghosts now? I guess dogs seeing ghosts is a thing, so that could be it. Man, I wish I had someone to explain this to me. I really need another drink. And JJ's right, none of this swill.

"You know what's really good for coming down off of a high? More alcohol!" he says with a smile. "Seriously, let's find that rich people alcohol. Gavin definitely has something stashed away that's worth more than my parent's house that we can split."

As he starts to walk away, he takes JJ by the hand, looking back at him and smiling before motioning for Kyle to follow them.

I will spend a string on JJ and offer him an experience point to do what I want: help me find rich people booze!

Kyle nods, smiling. "Sure, sounds good."

He moves to follow you. His expression doesn't change, but JJ notices that his glowing aura becomes slightly, almost imperceptibly dimmer.

Deirdre smiles widely at Hayden, and the sparkle finally returns to her eyes. "I'd like that chance, too!" She throws her arms around Hayden and hugs her tightly, warm skin pressed against the blonde's. She nuzzles against Hayden's neck and breathes deeply of the other girl's comforting scent. Eventually, she lets go.

Turn On, Lover Bonus: 2d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5, 2) + 2 + 1 = 10

I'll take the String, and you choose how to react.

Deirdre looks between Hayden and Eva. "It sounds like the party is still going strong. I'd hate to let this little incident ruin the whole night. Should we go back to the pool, or dry off and find something else interesting to do?"

Eva watches curiously as the others hug, apparently unaware that her presence is in any way awkward. "I would also like to get to know you both better." she adds. I have experienced swimming, but have not yet had a chicken fight, or been in a hot tub. Perhaps you could show me something we have not yet done?"

"Oh, the hot tub sounds like just what we need right now," Deidre says. "And we're already dressed for it... Shall we go, Hayden?"

Okay, string used, XP gained.

"Sure, let's see what we can find." JJ says, half-distracted and hiding his dismay at the drop in Kyle's aura.

Thinking for half a second, he over-emotes rolling his eyes for Kyle's benefit. Sorry, he's my roommate, he mouths to Kyle, ashe finds himself led off on the great booze hunt.

Impulsively, he grabs Kyle's hand in turn, making a human chain as they march off in Ashton's wake. He raises his eyebrows sympathetically, and strokes a thumb across Kyle's knuckles.

Turn Kyle On: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (3, 3) + 1 = 7

When 'straight' girls fell for Hayden there were really two ways to avoid heartbreak: F##@ them all night until they weren't curious anymore and slip out in the morning, or definitely, definitely don't sleep with them until they'd had enough time, and had been out and about together enough that they knew Hayden wasn't going to be dragged back into the closet.

For reasons good and bad, slipping away after f%@!ing Deirdre into a limp pile was a poor plan.

But for a moment, god Hayden wanted to.

Her fingers tightened, her lips parted, her eyes blazed, but Eva was still just - There!

Good thing too. Because staying undressed and hopping in the tub wasn't a good idea either, but Hayden still heard herself say, "Of course! Can't wait to see what the jets are like here."

Eva smiled. "I would like to go to the hot tub." she said, "Perhaps you can show me how my lung capacity will enable me to become more popular?"

"It's kind of a special kiss..." A cartoon devil and angel were practically visible on her shoulders as she continued "... But it's one that for now you probably shouldn't give people unless you like them a lot. And you know they'll reciprocate."

Ashton and JJ:

Kyle’s aura returns to its original brightness, but he gives JJ an odd look—a mix of confusion and mild panic.
JJ gains a string on Kyle.

There’s a dining room nearby with a cabinet where you might find some more expensive liquor hidden away. A house this fancy is also likely to have a wine cellar somewhere. Either way, you’ll probably need to deal with a lock.

"This seems promising," says Ashton as they find the cabinet in the dining room. He lets go of JJ's hand and starts to search for anything that looks like it might be drinkable.

I don't know if I need to roll or not and what to roll if I do need to roll.

The cabinet is locked.
No need to roll, just describe how you’re planning to get in—pick the lock, break it, etc.

It wasn't something that came up a lot in conversation but Ashton does actually know his way around a lock or two. Growing up where he had, knowing how to pick a lock could be a pretty useful skill, like if you wanted to drive up to where the rich people kept their vacation homes and see if they had anything nice you could 'borrow', or maybe if you just wanted something to do because there wasn't really anything else to entertain yourself with.

Which was why Ashton kept a couple of hairpins on him most of the time, and he pulled one of them out of his pocket as he leaned up against the glass of the cabinet and pushed it into the keyhole. Of course, his wolfish senses helped him out here--it made it much easier to listen to the pins as he tapped away with his makeshift tool until they were all in place--and then the cabinet opened, as easy as if it had never been locked int he first place.

"Alright, who wants first shot," he says as he reaches in, looking for anything that seems potable.

"Interesting," Eva responds to Hayden's explanation as they make their way back towards the pool past the various partygoers who seem peculiarly interested in the three of them, especially the two half-dressed girls (although Eva, in her now very wet t-shirt draws her own fair share of attention.) "Thus far, kissing has been the most pleasurable activity I have experienced. Is this 'special kiss' as pleasurable as kissing is? I do not know very many people, and have only kissed you and Deirdre. You have just said that you like Deirdre a lot, and she has said the same of you. Will you 'special kiss' in the hot tub? If so, I would be very interested to observe."

Turn on (Hayden): 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 2) + 1 = 7 (String or reaction)
Turn on (DD): 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 4) + 1 = 11 (String and reaction)

Deirdre blushes when Eva asks about the special kiss, both from the thought of sharing one with Hayden and the thought of Eva nearby watching them. Perhaps maybe even joining in later...

"Well, um... I mean, I'm not sure if that would be appropriate..."

She raises an eyebrow at Hayden as if to say, "I'm game if you are..."

"Nah. Dee's gotta at least buy dinner for the two of us before we eat out in a group. The more special a kiss the fewer people get to watch. If you give me your phone, I can find some videos for you to learn from though."

Have a string, Eva.

Hayden was pretty surprised Deirdre had even given her The Look. She'd been giving off such sweet innocent vibes before tonight. I mean I knew Dee was thirsty, but I didn't think she had the balls to just grab a straw...
Should I just ditch Eva and find a room that locks? I think it'll be more meaningful for her if we wait at least a little...

"Here, this video's even of a couple in a hot-tub - basically the same thing, enjoy."

While Eva was distracted, if only for a moment, Hayden pulled Deirdre aside, "So here's the deal. We're in the same dorm, we're in classes together, we're even in a study group, and those are sacred. I'm all for getting freaky, but you've seemed like maybe you're just being pushed into things tonight, and I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and never want to see me again.

"If you just want a no-strings-attached hookup? F#+@ it, you're gorgeous as hell, sounds great. We can find a room,;we can strip you down and f**~ right here, whatever. But I get the feeling you'd maybe like more. I promise I won't think you're chicken or a prude if you want to pump the brakes a little." She gave a wicked smile, "Not that that means we wouldn't do anything tonight..."

Deirdre's heart beats fast as Hayden finally takes her aside for some Real Talk. When the blonde talks about f!!$ing, her throat goes dry. That's exactly what she wants--at the moment. But the rational part of her mind knows that she'd end up regretting it later.

"I'm sorry if I've been giving off mixed signals. Everything just feels... heightened tonight. I don't know if it's the drugs or the drinks or the party atmosphere or what. Ever since we met Eva, I feel like my feelings have been tugged in all sorts of directions.

"The truth is, I don't just want to hook up. I want to be with you. In more than just a physical sense. And I get the feeling that you would like that, too. So... No f&$$ing tonight." It sounds like Deirdre is telling that to herself, not to Hayden.

"But... What sort of other things did you have in mind?"

Eva takes the phone and curiously watches it as the others talk. When the video ends she looks up and then politely waits util they are finished. "Thank you Hayden," she says. "I found that most interesting. The women in the video seemed to be enjoying themselves but I still do not understand why my lung capacity would make me good at it." she thinks for a moment. "Unless 'special kissing' can take place underwater too?" she asks with a bright look.

"C'mon Dee! No spoilers! How'm I gonna make your naughtiest dreams come true if I don't give you time to marinate in 'em?" But as she said, it, she slid a hand around Deirdre's waist, tucking about half her fingers underneath Deirdre's waistband. Then with her new leverage Hayden started nudging her towards the jets and bubbles.

***
Back with Eva
"And circle gets the square. If you really want to try it, I bet someone in the hot tub would be up for it, but you might want to find somewhere private instead..." Hayden tilted her head questioningly, "Hey, Eva, you do know what sex is, right?"

"Certainly." Eva replies as they once again enter the pool area. "Sex can refer either to the process by which two gametes fuse to produce a zygote. More colloquially, it refers to the physical process of intercourse. I believe another term for 'special kissing' is oral sex, but I did not realise that oral sex was particularly associated with hot tubs. I have not had sex or oral sex. Oral sex looks enjoyable, perhaps I will find someone who would like to oral sex with me?." This last, she says as they approach the hot tub itself, and is clearly audible to its occupants.

"Great! Have fun, be safe!"

Deirdre bites her lip as Hayden slips her fingers into the waistband of her panties. She lets the blonde guide her to the hot tub, wincing a bit when Eva announces her desire to find an oral sex partner. "We'll be here if you need us," she tells the redhead, worried for the literal girl. But she puts those worries aside for now as she and Hayden slip into the warm, bubbly water.

Once they are settled, she leans her head on Hayden's shoulder. "So, tell me more about yourself. Where are you from? What were you like before Summerwood?"

Eva blinks, "Why would I not be safe? It did not appear to be a dangerous activity, other than a minor chance of slipping on wet surfaces." At Deirdre's words she nod. "Thank you for the offer Dierdre, but Hayden has told me that you should not take part in kissing or anything more tonight. If 'special kissing' is a kind of kissing then you should not do that until morning."

Edited because DD ninjad

"Oh, I'm from Berkeley. Well, Richmond, but if you say you're from Richmond you have to say Berkeley anyways. Umm... I was a theatre kid in highschool, if you hadn't guessed, more Shakespeare than Broadway, but whatever gets me on stage is good. I used to work on my mom's 'farm' for pocket money." As she talks about pocket money, she slides her hand further down the back of Deirdre's panties, cupping her cheek with a quick squeeze. "I wasn't super popular in highschool. I mean, it's never really hard to find a party, but I didn't have like a ton of close friends. I had some really good ones though..." her smile turns wistful. "They're still all out West though."

"How about you? Same questions, but one more for spice - What's the most trouble you've ever been in?"

Deirdre smiles as Hayden starts to get "cheeky." She answers her first question in much the same manner as she answered Eva earlier. "I was pretty popular in high school, but that's easy to do when your class is so small. Honors society, student council, all that sort of thing."

She pauses and thinks for a bit. "Trouble? Well, I stayed out past curfew one time. My mom was totally pissed." She gives Hayden a helpless shrug. "Sorry! I was a good kid! And there wasn't much to do in Pleasantville to get in trouble about!"

Hayden cocked an eyebrow, "You really think I couldn't have found trouble in Pleasantville? Okay, so tell me - back in Pleasantville, is there a student vice-president or someone you knew who hasn't graduated yet - someone who's still back in that town? What would they be most surprised you did tonight?"

"Oh, I'm sure you could have found trouble. You're a lot more creative than I am!" Deirdre laughs.

"Carrie Sanders. She was my V.P. She'd probably be surprised that I... did some drugs. I've had drinks before, obviously, but never drugs. It was an... interesting experience."

Eva sits in the water of the hot tub, curiously and unashamedly watching her new friends talk.

"And the Deirdre she knew wasn't going to try them once she got here right? Well Madame Butterfly, let's show one of your caterpilly friends your cocoon! I want you to call Carrie up, right now, and tell her or her voicemail about having a special gummie: Why you did it, and what you liked the most about it.

"Then you get to figure out my half of the bargain. Some things are already off limits from earlier arrangements, but let's get you some practice at finding 'trouble'. What're you gonna make me do for you?"

Turn On: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6, 2) + 2 = 10

Gain a Stiring. I'll promise what I think you want.

"Okay, I'll call her. And it return, um.... You have give me a back rub! Deal?" Deirdre smiles up at Hayden.

"Dee. You're supposed to get me in trouble." Hayden rolled her eyes, "I'll accept the deal - Done and pacted: the call and that smile for a back rub - But one extra condition since your price was in Pleasantville's coin, instead of what we're minting tonight. You have to tell me something you're nervous that I'd do. Good nervous or bad nervous, whatever puts flutterings in your tummy." She slid her other hand over to play with Deirdre's navel, as if feeling for where the butterflies would take flight.

"Yeah something like that, had a friend that was into suspension, but that stuff is a bit much for me. We should get back to the party, that is... unless you want to stay here, just us two, for a bit longer? Fahed leans back into the couch eyeing Gavin.

Deirdre moans softly as Hayden tickles her tummy. She whispers in Hayden’s ear, ”Right now? I’m nervous that your fingers might slip down a little lower... Good nervous...”

"See? Now that sounds like trouble. You think you can be patient a little longer? For me?" Hayden's fingers hooked so that her close-trimmed nails scraped gently along Deirdre's skin, not quite an inch lower. "'Cause you've still got a call to make."

Ashton and JJ:

There’s a good selection of expensive-looking liquor inside the cabinet: scotch, whiskey, brandy, and so on.
Kyle takes a peek inside. “I’m game. Anything good?”

Fahed:

Gavin fidgets a bit. ”I should probably get back. Can’t hide away all night.” He stands and starts to leave the room.

"Well you could... but probably shouldn't," Fahed said with a sly smile as he stretched on the couch, his shoulders on the back and his feet on the floor as his hips rose up causing separation between his shirt and pants leaving a portion of his midsection exposed.

Turn On: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (5, 6) + 1 = 12

Fahed catches Gavin looking back at him as he stretched and got up from the couch. Catching up with Gavin at the door Fahed puts a hand and his back and whispers in his ear, "perhaps another time, when there are fewer guests to meet and greet." As Fahed pulls away their cheeks brush and he drags his arm along Gavin's back and then gives his tricep a squeeze as he reaches for the door.

Deirdre moans again, then dries her hands and fishes her phone out from her purse, which fortunately is in arm's reach. She dials Carrie and, once it goes to voicemail, leaves a message:

"Hey, Carrie! It's Deirdre! I know it's late, but I'm just calling to say that Summerwood has been great so far. I did drugs tonight! A special gummie drug... I saw all sorts of colors and chased a pink butterfly around. I did it because I wanted to see what it would feel like... and to impress somebody special." At this, she glances at Hayden and smiles. "I liked how it loosened up my inhibitions. I even kissed a girl I just met! Okay, well, that's all. Bye!"

She hangs up and turns back to Hayden. "How was that?"

Hayden's smile looks very satisfied. "Your head humming? Your heart racing a little bit?" For not quite a full second her gaze dropped to Deirdre's... heart, "Then I'd say you've more than earned that back rub. So, here with the jets and the bubbles? Or somewhere else where you can stretch out?"

Deirdre nods, heart indeed racing. "I'd like to stretch out. Somewhere more... private."

"Okay - so," Hayden turned to the probably discretely ogling hot-tubbers and gestured demonstratively, "This is Eva. She's from Iceland where they do a lot of things very differently. She is absolutely lovely, and you will be nice to her while we're gone, okay? Eva, here." She pulled a baggie of green gummies out of Deirdre's purse. "These are not-quite-as-special gummies, but I think you'll really like them anyways. Don't have too many, but you can share them with people as a reward for them being nice. We'll come find you in... a bit."

Hauling herself out of the water, she walked over to where she'd most recently heaped clothes, and grabbed an armful, including Deirdre's dress and new sweatshirt.

Not pausing to dress or let Deirdre do the same, she pointed her head towards one of the doors, "Let's go, Dee. Backs to rub and all that."

Eva nods at Hayden's words. "Thank you Hayden" she says, looking down into the water, her eyes betraying her dejection at being abandoned by her new friends. "I will wait here for you whilst you rub Deirdre's back. How long do you think it will be before you come back to find me?"

"Shots! Finally. Okay, I'm pretty sure it's 'beer before liquor, all clear, liquor before beer, never sicker,' so we should all be in the clear," as Ashton picks a bottle pretty much at random, sniffs it and then takes a quick swig of its contents, visibly grimacing as he swallows it. "Okay that stuff is strong. Definitely going to be hanging on to this. But it might be a little much for you two. Oh man, I wish we had some playing cards, I know some killer drinking games."

Ashton finds a couple of glasses and using pouring skills that are a bit shocking for an eighteen year old to have mastered already. He pours Kyle something from the bottle he initially tried and JJ something from one of the weaker liquors before handing them their glasses. "All right boys, time to drink. JJ, that's a one gulp drink, don't sip it. Ready? One, two, go!"

Hayden gave Eva a dazzling smile, "Don't worry, we'll both be back soon enough. But you'd better be ready to introduce me to the friends you make in the meantime!"

"You'll be alright, Eva. See you soon!".

Deirdre heads off with Hayden.

JJ downs the liquor in one go, but coughs immediately after. "Oh god, that was horrible!" He continues to sputter, feeling the taste continue to wash over his tongue, even after swallowing.

"How do you drink that swill?

"It, uh, gets better the more you drink it. By the time you're a couple in you won't even notice the burning sensation," says Ashton as he pours himself another shot. "Anyways, the point of drinking is to get drunk. The taste of the drink doesn't really matter. Liquor gets you there faster than beer, so liquor it is."

Fahed:

Take a string and a promise.
Gavin stops, raises an eyebrow at Fahed, and smiles. "That could definitely be... interesting. Come find me later." With that, he leaves the room.

Ashton and JJ:

Kyle takes the shot from Ashton, sniffs it, and downs it. He makes a face. "Vile. Give me another." He laughs a little to himself, seeming to have relaxed a bit.

Eva:

The hot tub does have a few occupants, all of whom gave your loud request for oral sex an odd look. A boy-girl couple shrug at each other and return to making out.

A heavyset, slightly drunk guy sitting alone stares at you shyly. "Hey. Uh, are you, like... Where are you from?"

I think that Eva would, most likely be taking social cues from Hayden, as she's the least like herself.

Not sure who would have noticed that she's not quite right.

Should Eva already be at the party as an way to introduce her? Invited by some jock who's wandered off to play beer-pong?

[edit]:

When I say she believes she's human, its more that she doesn't realise she's different from everyone else... She knows she has to go and be examined by her 'fathers' and 'mother' once a month and that she's a bio-synthetic life form. She just doesn't know what the difference is between that and other people (except in an abstract way).. She has been instructed not to talk about that though, although she doesn't know why (and doesn't question it).

Appearance:
Eva appears to be a good looking girl, with red hair cut into a neat bob. Her skin is pale and free of blemishes and she has perfect teeth. Eva talks a quite a lot when engaged in conversation and, if left alone for a while, will seek out people to engage with. She speaks with an icelandic accent (think Bjork). Eva's clothes are always clean and neat, though her choices are often a bit strange - she doesn't understand what is and isn't appropriate to various situations and her clothing choices often reflect this.

Man, social cues from Hayden is going to be a trip lol

Tell you what, the person who has noticed discrepancies in your background is Gavin. He sees you as a curiosity, which is why he invited you to the party.
So, take 2 strings on Hayden and Gavin will get two strings on you.

I’ll make a post soon that works you into the scene!

Thought it'd be funny/interesting to be emulating Hayden :)

With the strings sorted i think i'm good to go?

I will give my 2 strings to Jess

That works. How did I save you? Ideas?

Thats a good question...

I have an idea! It'll be in the gameplay post coming in just a moment.

Not ignoring JJ by the way. His side of the conversation sounds like a weird, slightly unpleasant trip, and it's weird that she can't hear his dream-guy talking, but it's not until he says something about Deals or Contracts that she'll realize something's gone real weird.

Trying to keep my mental picture clear despite an inevitable pronoun pileup. Deirdre is Lucky Pierre in this dance, right?

Yep.... Hard with 3 'hers' to juggle.

Yes, lucky indeed! Post forthcoming.

Fahed: I guess we should establish what vampire blood actually does here. Is it True Blood style where it's just like a euphoric drug, or are you attempting to turn Gavin into a vampire?

No, just being weirdly erotic, this will still likely end in him getting bitten though, are there actual rules about turning people, I don't have the full book?

Also, never seen True Blood

S'all good, it's kind of up to us to decide how vampires work; the book's very vague and flexible in terms of lore. We don't necessarily need to establish all of your vampire rules with regard to crosses/garlic/etc. (especially since combat is rare in this system) but I guess we should at least establish how your particular breed of vampire turns people.
Also, is sunlight a weakness for you? i.e. Can you go outside during the day?

I figured its a can but it is incredibly uncomfortable, like probably super photosensitive, always wearing long sleeves and sunglasses, sunscreen but he doesn't burst into flames if he is naked outside in day light but would likely take some harm.

What about turning? Do you see it as like a Vampire The Masquerade-style Embrace where you drink each others' blood, or something else?

If it's fully drain, then feed some blood it means that you don't have to worry about accidentally turning people.

Which can be good or bad, but it's probably important to figure out if that's possible.

Yeah kinda, but I think you actually have to drink to the point where it is they either die or you "save" them with your blood. Like the simple blood play going on here wouldn't cut it.

How does Tempting someone with a string work?

For PCs, they get an XP if they go along with what you want them to do. For NPCs, I believe the GM will tell you what you have to offer to bribe them into compliance.

I have to spend a string and then bribe them :\

Depending on what you’re asking, it might not necessarily require a bribe. Spending the string basically compels the GM to tell you: what would you have to do to convince this person to do the thing? And the answer to that could very well be “ask nicely.”

Any issue if I add a couple people hanging out near the pool who weren't quite daring enough to get down to their skivvies?

Sure, no problem.

Ugh, I was typing a post, went to control-c to make sure paizo didn't eat it...and I hit x instead, so I lost the post anyways

Hate that. Hate that soooo much.

Will post later after Eva. For reference, is Hayden topless?

Thought about it.... You know, sure, the bra was really only for that outfit. Without the extra padding, she's quite flat-chested, beestings at best.

Since Hayden doesn't think breasts go with everything, it's definitely not the first time Deirdre's seen her without padding. How much she's thought about the vagaries of Hayden's bust is obviously up to you :-)

I mean, at some point, something tonight has to count as a blatant problem to ignore - not sure if this was what I'd call blatant, but there's certainly a case to be made for this (or other moments)

Maybe just 1 XP for the whole night. :)

Yeah I’d say gain 1 XP for now, we’ll see how things progress.

Marked it, thanks. ;)

Hey Ashton, wasn't quite clear: is he out, publically? Is the "who he is" more about the werewolf bit, or the gay bit, or both? Character-knowledge ambiguity is fine, but player wants to clarify since I don't recall you specifying how much "out" he was.

He is not, at all, and keeping that knowledge from people who know him is pretty important to him. That knowledge filtering back to the rest of the team or his family is a major worry for him. The 'who he is' was deliberately ambiguous, but is a little of both.

Since Deirdre's roll failed, the only thing I know for sure is that she didn't get away clean. But leaving her pile of clothes behind seemed like a good start...

I figured aroused would tag in because Hayden was trying to play up the whole "If you'd just kept it in your pants everything would be fine!" angle.

Yep, that works.

I could see Two-Faced - though (whether they're cues Eva would pick up on or not) that whole 'Ok, sure, we'll see what happens' wasn't meant to be read as her actually saying she was fine with it, especially coming on the heels of reminding Eva of her promise.

But since Hayden is profoundly Two-Faced that one's hard to argue.

Ok, maybe not fine with it,.. but Hayden certainly had the opportunity to say that 'tonight' did not end at 12:00 and that Eva should not kiss DD - Eva was pretty clear that her interpretation of the promise she had made meant no kissing till midnight.

Hmm... my understanding is that Hayden definitely said that night didn't end at 12:00 (first through implication, and then explicitly) - Eva just chose to assert otherwise.

Though for what it's worth, I count the promise as broken when Eva tried to get Deirdre naked and 'rub their erogenous zones' (even tempting her with a string). No matter what definition of Night the faerie contract uses, that seemed pretty far from helping to give Deirdre a break from 'kissing or doing more.' :-p

LOL.... Eva and Hayden's interpretations are somewhat different,... Eva is very literal. So, whilst Hayden thinks the promise was broken, Eva thinks she kept it.

Eva's interpretation (based on what Deirdre told her) was that 'tonight' is not the same as 'the night' (on her assumption that both were telling the truth, this is the only logical inference). 'Tonight' ended at 12:00 (any implication went totally over Eva's head).

Dancing and kissing can go together, but they don't have to. You can dance without kissing, and you can kiss without dancing too...

It should still be fine to dance with her, but could you not kiss her or do anything more, at least for tonight?"

Eva did not (according to her understanding) do anything more than dance with DD until 'tonight' was over. Her understanding of 'dancing' explicitly included rubbing against each other, as that was how dancing had previously been defined for her (she does not know what 'anything more' would include:

"Do you want me to show you how to dance? Here, move like me."

Oh, I totally understand that Eva doesn't feel like she broke the promise (whether counting down the minutes til kissing counts as helping to give Deirdre a break is, I feel, a difficult stance to take regardless, but Eva clearly simplified the promise to Don't Kiss Deirdre in her head)

My take is that willful intent isn't required to break a Promise or Contract, for what it's worth.

Oh, I totally understand that Eva doesn't feel like she broke the promise (whether counting down the minutes til kissing counts as helping to give Deirdre a break is, I feel, a difficult stance to take regardless, but Eva clearly simplified the promise to Don't Kiss Deirdre in her head)

My take is that willful intent isn't required to break a Promise or Contract, for what it's worth.

Totally agree... Fairy contracts generally work however the fairy wants to interpret them in the stories.

Ha! True enough.

Just wanted to make sure that whether or not Eva felt jerked around by Hayden, that you didn't feel like I was jerking you around :-p

Neither Eva nor I feel jerked around by Hayden... Eva's confused though.

Well, that's only fair :-p

Also, definitely amused by the ambiguity of exactly who's included in all those We's and You's...

Wasn't meant to be all that ambiguous,.. edited slightly for clarity.

Poor Hayden - kissed and forgotten!