The Twenty-Eighth Trial

[joybound]

Who: trialgoers
When: Day 60 all day
Where: the trial zone and elsewhere

[Sometime this morning (morning? there's still no sun, so what's the difference), you feel the call to a new Trial.

The entrance to the Trial Zone is a new one: a tower has sprung up in the clearing, like a bit of a fairytale castle. It's made of a sparkling pink granite and has lovely star-themed carvings -- if you can see them behind the excess of neon and lights its been decorated with. If the fairy godmother made a dance club, this would be it!

Rather than a disembodied "come hither", your call is a video on a big screen above the entrance -- a young man in a masquerade mask and a flashy, witchy costume (including a big hat) stands... on top of the tower?? It's hard to see up there, but on the screen you can tell he's got twinkly star-filled hair and a black cat with blue eyes perched on his shoulder. He's also striking a pose.]

Heroes of Distant Stars, gather 'round! I, the mysterious and handsome witch of love, have a Trial for you! Come into my party tower and prove your love to me! If you're not a weenie, that is...

[Upon entering the tower, you find yourself in a vast ballroom. Lit with rainbow lights, magic sparkles, and an excess of blacklights and glowing things, it really does look like a club. Bubbly electronic pop blares over the speakers, though there are several tables and curtained-off booths if you'd prefer to avoid the dance floor. One table includes infinitely re-filling glasses of fruity soda, which lower inhibitions incrementally as you consume them (though only for positive urges). If you wish to get even more in the mood, there's a changing room with costumes -- all hybrids of fantasy and neon pop, just like the decor.

Time to get your love on!]

Rules ☆ Turn-in ☆ Winners & Endgame

Comments

[bowtiedbones]

We can stick to just a peck.

[daydreamshimmer]

Probably for the best, that.

[bowtiedbones]

Shall we?

[daydreamshimmer]

...right.

How does this...start?

[bowtiedbones]

Oh, I can start it. Just hold still for a second?

[daydreamshimmer]

Sure.

[She will wait.]

[....also maybe hunch down a bit because she's hearing heels and Eliza is a petite girl. Heads being about the same place is probably important.]

[bowtiedbones]

[leans up and gives her a quick kiss. mwah!]

There!

[daydreamshimmer]

[She does try to peck back.]

[She does seem to know what she's doing a little bit, at least she's not doing anything weird.]

...well, you make it seem so easy that I feel silly. [She's blushing, but smiling.]

[bowtiedbones]

As long as you're not hitting teeth or noses, kisses aren't really that difficult. There's a lot of ways to kiss!

[daydreamshimmer]

...there is?

[bowtiedbones]

There's as many ways to kiss are there are occasions and moods for it. There's different ways for different greetings or farewells, there's differences for if it's light or passionate, and there's differences for if it's romantic, platonic, or familial.

[daydreamshimmer]

I always thought there was like two. Light pecks like parents do for kids or romance.

[Listen]

[She didn't do romance until she fake dated Flash enough to get Actual Feelings and that's all sorts of confusing when one is a horse crushing on a human.]

[bowtiedbones]

[eliza can't judge, she's only kissed 2 boys ever without a trial]

Even with romance there's going to be differences. And sometimes it's just fun to kiss someone.

[daydreamshimmer]

[CONSIDERS.]

Well, it certainly didn't feel bad.

[bowtiedbones]

That's because the lips are one of the most sensitive parts of the human body! They can be as sensitive or even more sensitive to touch and warmth than hands are.

[daydreamshimmer]

Really? Why is that?

[bowtiedbones]

It's useful for eating, vocalizations, and facial expressions.

[daydreamshimmer]

....how does sensitivity help with that?

Like I can see the use of lips for that stuff, but the sensitivity part...

[bowtiedbones]

Aren't lips one of the most sensitive spots on a horse, too?

[daydreamshimmer]

....you know, I don't actually know? I'm not sure if I ever paid attention to that?

[bowtiedbones]

Whether an animal is picking apart something like a seed or just ripping up greens, flexible lips or fingers help a lot. If they're sensitive, the animal has better control and can collect more information.

[daydreamshimmer]

Maybe we do then. Without magic, the most fine motor control is a pony's mouth.

[bowtiedbones]

Right? Plus the face has a lot of nerve endings in general.

[daydreamshimmer]

Well, that's a little harder to be sure of with fur. Everything feels weird without it.

[bowtiedbones]

I can confirm that it’s true from an anatomical perspective. The cranial nerves are among the first to develop in a vertebrate and the facial nerves are some of the most extensive.