middaeg | feb catch-all

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feb catch-all

Who: Mettaton & open!
When: Throughout Feoveuer
Where: Various
What: Mettaton, a robot, learns to live, laugh, and love......... No, he learns to sleep and taste, as a biological necessity. He takes full advantages of these mortal splendors by sleeping! in! beds!, and eating your Valentine's chocolate while asking you on the date you deserve. There's also a prompt to follow up on his pursuit for a cure to metal weakness. Plus some closed prompts! Feel free to get in touch via MTT's plotting comment if you'd like a custom prompt.
Warnings: usual MTT drama

1. Fact: Mettaton owns a bed. He's never needed it.

A. A Refrigerator Blocks The Way

[First of all, I deceived you. There's a prompt where Mettaton is sleeping... but not in a bed.

Mettaton has developed a peculiar new... ability. Truth be told, it was something he tapped into starting in Iuneril, when he found himself desperate for energy while in the Rathmore's dungeon and slipped into dreamland. He shouldn't have been able to last that entire stay in his EX body, exerting himself as he did! So how did he do it?

In any inappropriate area of your choosing, there is a big metal box. These inappropriate areas may include, but are not limited to...
the middle of the street in the Entertainment District,
blocking a doorway to the Coven,
or even in your front yard.
The metal box kind of looks like it could be a game machine, or some other kind of puzzle-deploying apparatus...? But it must be broken. Its screen is off. Closing in on it suggests further that it must be broken, for it's emitting some kind of repetitive noise...]

ZZZZZZZZ...

[This robot keeps saying "Z" out loud repeatedly, sincerely asleep. Move it with force?]

B. If You're All Alone...

[How incredible! Mettaton's realized it: he's truly able to sleep, just like people do. Most surprisingly, he hasn't needed to recharge in weeks, so sleeping has its obvious benefit.

This time, Mettaton EX sleeps with far more purpose, though he still does so in inappropriate places with more intent. The TV star sleeps in places where he can be noticed, as if drawing attention to the fact that look, he's asleep! Really! While I leave this to your decision, a few ideas include...
sleeping in a reclining position atop a desk,
invading your very own HOUSE and occupying your COUCH or your BED, my GOD,
or... cradled in the palms of a statue with its arms outstretched, in the center of an ornate fountain, like he's god's gift to mankind.
All I'm saying is that you really couldn't come up with a location too ridiculous for Mettaton to be sleeping in. He'll sleep atop a piano, or on a chandelier and tell you it's like he's in a music video! But no matter where he sleeps, he does so peacefully with a satisfied smile.

But he should definitely be stopped. He's a menace, he might break something with how heavy he is, and therefore he's a hazard.]

2. Fact: Mettaton enjoys feeding himself grapes seductively atop pianos.

[It's edging close to the 14^th, and though Aefenglom treats Valentine's Day like a foreign concept, many of the Mirrorbound still seem determined to uphold their own traditions. With the full moon having come and gone, Mettaton's discovered a surprising, unique new sensation that has him floored, and overwhelmed: taste.

There's so much in this city to try that it's dizzying. That Mettaton EX him rushing up to the next Mirrorbound he finds carrying food, be it chocolate, a croissant, or an indeterminate abomination of un-food. It doesn't matter. His golden eye is bright with curiosity, his smile brimming with excitement.]

Hey there, beautiful! I see you're indulging in the wonders of edible delights. Care to share... with me?? Ooh, what a fabulous opportunity for some intimacy, as Valentine's Day hovers so close by! Could it be... A date??

[A date where Mettaton eats your food, and rates it.]

3. Fact: Mettaton's GOing To Patent This Enchantment As MTT-Brand Metal Benadryl

I DON'T FEEL IT ANYMORE... THAT PERSISTENT BURN, THAT AGONIZING CORROSION. IT'S LIKE I'M A BRAND NEW ROBOT!!

[Mettaton carries with him two different things related to his latest appeal for help: spells pre-loaded onto thick slips of paper for any Monster weak against various metals, and the actual alchemical enchantment's instructions and requirements for the curious Witch. His screen blinks yellow and red with his brand new relief, and he spins around.

When he notices somebody nearby, he wheels up to them and...
if they appear to be a Witch, he will pull out the technical instructions on how to conduct the enchantment.
if they appear to be a Monster, particularly of a Puca, Vampire, Turnskin, or Fae persuasion, he'll pull out one of the slips of paper.]

DARLING! PERHAPS YOU'D BE INTERESTED IN THE LATEST IN ENCHANTMENTS. IF IT CAN WORK ON ME TO THIS DEGREE... I'M SEEING A PROMISING FUTURE FOR THIS BREAKTHROUGH SPELL!

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[Isn't she just charming, in an ensemble so suited to their surroundings... Mettaton nods, pressing his fingertips against his chest.]

My attention's all yours, darling. I'm Mettaton! No need to be shy... I thought it would be a great way to know some new faces.

[But there's another motive yet, aside from company. He adores being in the presence of others, but there's more to choosing her than his curiosity in her. He glances at her cream puff.]

And, well... I'll be frank with you. I seem to have developed a sense of taste, which I've never had before! With so many sensory bouquets to indulge in, I thought it best to take this as a grand opportunity to share it with somebody else... On a date. Just my luck that it's with someone so lovely!

[When you suddenly are more vulnerable to cold than ever before, fashionable layers take on a whole new value.]

Oh. ...Oh! Papyrus told me a little about you, not long ago. It's nice to meet you; I'm Hakuno.

[Papyrus didn't tell her nearly enough, good gracious.]

I... sort of get what you mean. Before I came here, I think I only ate maybe a grand total of ten or fifteen foods, some of which were soul crushingly horrible and a majority of which were packaged or limited-time offers.

[So, with great magnanimity, she holds the cream puff out.]

You don't have to butter me up so much, really. I don't mind sharing.

[Of course she's been told about him already! He expects as much, and nods along with her introduction. Had Papyrus spoken at greater length about him, the likelihood of him portraying the wrong physical impression he has right now would be higher, though not inaccurate. Monsters are simply more accustomed to his other form.]

Butter you up...? Do you mean to say you think my desire to treat you in turn is inauthentic? [He quirks his eyebrow, fixing his attention on the cream puff. Which he takes between a finger and thumb, his distal finger raised high like he's classy.] But thank you, beautiful. When I say I'd share it with you, I mean that I'd love to expand your own library of experienced foods from fifteen to hundreds, of course...!

[He has to think about that, honestly. He does so, the cream puff hovering close to his lips.]

...Ten to fifteen. That doesn't sound right, even to me. Are you that picky of an eater...?

I hadn’t quite realized that was actually something on the table. ‘A’ date seemed pretty singular,though, well... it’s not like I’ve really been on one before, so I suppose I wouldn’t know. I’ve certainly never been praised quite so much, though.

[Cream puff successfully transferred, Hakuno reaches back into her little carry-out box and pulls out a fresh one, before she’s sidetracked on another tangent.]

I think I’d like that, though it would probably take a lot more than a single date to tally up all that.

[She taps her cream puff against his in a tentative facsimile of a toast.]

I only had the food you could buy at the commissary and the really rare home made lunches to choose from, before I came here. I’m spoiled for choice, now, but I have had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember.

Edited 2020-02-13 21:02 (UTC)

We can be ambitious and shoot for more. If we end up having a good time of it... There's no end in sight for this venture, spoiled for choice as we both are.

[To borrow her phrasing. He's only just met her, sure, but that's part of the thrill! It gives frame and meaning to this new relationship: Hakuno, one of the new Mirrorbound who, though she appears human, hasn't enjoyed humanity's food that always enamored Mettaton. He returns her tapping gesture, filing it away as something he'll definitely do again in the company of others.

As he speaks, his eye's bright with familiarity.]

Besides! If you come from a background of such limited choices, then you and I were meant to make these discoveries together. Wouldn't you say, Hakuno-darling...? What's the likelihood that I would have met somebody else with such constraints, matching my own?? I have to say, I'm amazed at that chance!

[She makes not of his praising, which he hardly regards but continues anyway. It's just how he is.]

I like the sound of that.

[She's a bit startled by the continued, effusive praise on his part, but she's beginning to accept that this may in fact just be a quirk, rather than food-acquisition strategies at work. His enthusiasm is magnetic, honestly.

She can't help but smile.]

Hakuno-darling, huh? Should I be calling you Mettaton-dear, or something?

Mett-

[His eye widens, but he's still smiling big. Then, he laughs.]

Oh, my. Well... It wouldn't be the first time I was referred to with such affection! But it's interesting. Having it be done in a casual situation, shared between the two of us.

[His smile grows, warmth in his gaze.]

Yes! I like it. If it's in that vein... You can call me what you'd like, sweetheart. I don't mind a bit of return affection! Now... Shall we?

[Please, there are cream puffs and etc. to be had. Mettaton raises it to remind her, because it looks like they both have to try it. He seems to be waiting for her to do the same, a playful smile tugging at his lips. He'll pop it in his mouth as soon as she does, but he's signaling his readiness.]

[It was either going to be that or Mettahoney, but that seemed a bit too flirty for something mostly said in jest.]

...well, my friends used to call me Hakunon, sometimes. That's about as close to it as I'm used to.

[She's not counting being called a cute little squirrel or "Senpai~" in this. Absolutely not.]

If you like it that much... I'll keep it up, I guess.

[She takes a quick bite of her puff, before she can lock herself into something else potentially embarrassing.]

Hakunon... Yes. Do keep it up. You know I will, always.

[Having repeated that cute name simply, Mettaton mirrors her action with maintained eye contact, sharp and engaged. But as he tastes it, he looks up and away in wonder, trying to sort the chaos of flavor that comes from eating something composed of more than three ingredients. Food is very complex for somebody who has never tasted before, but it renders him almost starry-eyed at its novelty.

It takes him a good moment before he swallows it. His attention is fixed on Hakuno anew, curious. Describing food is such a remarkably difficult experience when everything hits him all at once! Looks like there's a learning curve to it.]

For being called a "puff", it was not what I would call puffy. The exterior, sure... But it's so much thicker. And... Well? Does this suit your taste for sweets, beautiful?

I guess that makes you one of my friends, then.

[Funny how easy it is to make them when you aren't locked in a kill or be killed conflict.

But, enough of bitter thoughts. This is the time for sweetness, and it hits Hakuno like a truck with that first, crisp bite.

She's not specially expressive, at first glance, but there's no hiding the bright, almost childish happiness as she munches away. It's not the first one she's had today, but it's not uniformly the same as the previous one, either; it's something carefully crafted, not copied off a template code ad nauseam.]

Ah, it's called that because the shell is "puff" pastry. It's hollow until you put the cream you want into it. I like them a lot, honestly. What about you?

[Hakuno's enthusiasm for it is contagious regardless of Mettaton's feelings on the matter, and it might very well be what shapes his first impression of cream puffs: the company he keeps while trying them, and the association he makes with them. He's far too early on in his experience to define foods that he likes and dislikes, as all food ends up tasting like a lot to somebody with a freshly developed sense of taste.

But, like her, his eye's bright, and he nods.]

I love it. What an interesting concept, besides! And... thank you, for sharing it with me.

[Disclosure: Mettaton still fails to consider, at times, that some of the new arrivals might be among the Fae or Puca. It's only when he notices features that he keeps his distance, but looking upon Hakuno, he gets no impression that she should be any kind of Monster. He reaches for her free hand, taking it in his — fortunately for her, they're gloved in black. (Underneath, they hide an unsightly concoction of metal and tissue made worse by the previous month's events.) He beams.

Yet he's so close to making careless contact with her.]

Let me return the favor, now. I'd like to treat you to something! Just as I said. What do you say, darling?

The shell is mostly there for a pretty presentation, and to cut back some of the richness of the insides.

[Sound familiar, Mettaton-dear?]

Well, I never say... I almost never say no to a free meal. What did you have in mind?

[She shakes off the tendrils of culinary trauma and shoves them back from whence they came, along with any other recollection of Elizabeths heartfelt attempts at cooking.

Beneath the thick, heavy shawl wrapped around her arms and back, her small, new wings flutter in excitement at the thought.]

[CALLING HIM OUT LIKE THIS... DON'T THINK HE DOESN'T MAKE THE VAGUEST ASSOCIATION IN THE BACK OF HIS MIND ABOUT THAT PRETTY SHELL

Though if he indeed makes this association, he doesn't show it. Just something he'll probably end up thinking about every time he sees a cream puff. Nice! ★ He's smiling just as much as ever, tapping his cheek in thought about the topic of "recommendations."]

With such a sparse record of experience, I can't say I have any recommendations to give. Though there are plenty opportunities, here in Aefenglom! I'm sure you understand. So... How about we pick something together, on a whim?

[He offers her his arm by letting go of her hand, and turning his body slightly with the intent to lead her along.]

Who knows? Maybe we'll love it. Or maybe, it'll be terrible...

[Everyone knows the insides are the most delicious part, so really, it's a compliment! ...a very oblivious compliment!]

I think that would be fun. I've only ever had one really bad experience with food before, but it...

[She pauses for a shiver, and slips her arm into his in the interim.]

As long as we don't end up eating something that damages us on a spiritual level out of sheer revolting taste, it can't be as bad as that. And hey, good company is one of the best ingredients of a meal, I'm told.

[Oh? What a reaction! Mettaton regards her with a blink.]

Is bad food really so bad? Ooh, my curiosity only grows for all edible experiences by the second, good AND terrible. But, yes. Let's look for something that won't drain our very souls from our bodies... As it were. Ha-ha.

[Another blessing, that Hakuno's wearing sleeves and gloves so as not to come into direct contact with Mettaton's very metal arm. There's iron aplenty in that sucker.]

Would you mind sharing that experience that makes you shudder, darling...? It's for the hunger of mine, known as curiosity.

[Æfenglom's antiquated propriety and fashions had a hidden benefit—who could have ever guessed?]

No, hers was just... extra, exceptionally, beyond-belief-bad. And I had to choke down three rounds of it, give or take, to open up a series of magic doors. I blanked out for most of it and just went through the motions but I felt terrible. I needed so much stomach medicine... And start to finish it was all colored a bright, ominous, eye-searing red.

[She shivers and scooches a bit closer as they move forward at his sauntering stride, completely oblivious to the danger she is mere layers away from courting.

When she speaks, it's with the soft, grim gravitas of somebody telling a ghost story. Or... telling a ghost a story, as the case may be.]

...It started with a spaghetti bolognese made with ostrich meat. It had... an incredible flavor, and I mean that in the sense of being beyond belief. Nothing as simple as sweet or salty; it was chaos itself. My stomach turned, I broke out in a sweat, and my whole body rejected that substance. But, with teary eyes, I pushed forward and finished it. I'll tell you what I told the chef herself.

[She shudders again at the memory.]

"It was terrible. That’s not even a judgment of flavor, delicious or disgusting. This is more like an act of war than food. It’s terrorizing. If I were to compare it to something—it’s impossible to compare it to anything, but if I had to—it’s like if you put a piece of candy in your mouth, only to find it was turpentine…times one thousand. No, that’s still not enough."

[Even those words feel lacking.]

After that, there was a specialty stew. She called it “Bon Voyage Unto the Crimson Sea.” ...I only took a bite of it, and the rest was deposed of by an effigy, but it was... it was awful. Disgusting. Repulsive. Terrible, but I found some small salvation in how tender the ingredients were, like it really was carefully handmade.

[She falls quiet again.]

Then came what she called the Dracul’s Dinner dining table. The full course meal. That pure white table overflowing with red, red food.

Edited 2020-02-25 18:04 (UTC)

[As he listens, he notes her body language, even pulling his arm tighter to his body as though to soothe her shiver. She has a way of conducting herself, doesn't she? Her bearing isn't lost on the idol, and over something as recalling the horrors of edible experiences, of all things...

Honestly, it's fascinating. Things he's never heard of, and to have such an impact on her body...? Could that truly happen? Mettaton was always under the impression that humans could eat just about anything. This testimony throws that right out the 78th story window. So much... Red. Hakuno prefaced the story with that herself, but why? Do red foods truly portend bad flavor?! He'd always thought that it was a good color for marketing intent, something to stoke one's appetite when contrasted against, say, yellow.

Well, her ghost story told to a ghost is certainly effective. Mettaton glances away and spots a vendor selling sweets, a bright red candy apple, and he makes the association with her story. Like it should be wretched to eat. ...If anything, he marvels at her talent for affect, rather than recoiling.]

...This is all quite damaging, as you say. I'm impressed. Please, do continue, but also... Why? Why would somebody put in so much effort into creating food reviled by the recipient? And to make it all deliberately red, as though to sear it into your memory... Talk about an impression made.

[A fascinating one, even if it was traumatizing for her. It's wild, that can't be denied.]

[The red wasn't a cause of the epicurean assault, so much as a strange and ominous symptom.]

That's just it.

[She shakes her head slowly.]

She was doing her best. She was totally confident that it would be delicious because of how hard she worked, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.

[But no, the story's not over, MTT. Steel your heart and brace yourself.]

I told myself, "All I need now is preparation, determination, and the reckless courage to forget pain," and I picked up my fork. ...at the first bite, my partner told me my soul went off color, but I pressed on. It was... marinated salmon, garnished with a jelly made from the lifeblood of a soft-shell turtle. I'll never forget that, but for the rest of the meal, my mind went blank and hazy—to protect itself from the memories, I guess. I... vaguely recall her bragging about roasted octopus, so I must have eaten that too, at some point.

But I emptied my mind and just moved my fork and spoon. I tried to focus on a happy memory, instead.

[She sighs.]

When I came out of it, I had just one bite left. A single, blood red, spoonful of mint ice cream. The inside of my mouth was already numb, but the intensely bad taste spread through it all the same. And I... was done. I survived it.

[Even her very soul changed color? Even more peculiar, a detail that has Mettaton's eye widening a mark out of recognition for the concept.

Not only does it all sound like a lot of awful, but it sounds like an awful lot of food for one poor girl to go through on her own. That in itself would earn sympathy.]

Well. Congratulations on powering through an ordeal comparable to a fight for your very life! So it was all out of love... A painful dedication. And that you survived it.

Why did you eat it all, anyway? To soothe her feelings? To prove something?

[She looks at him, a little surprised.]

Well, yes, actually. To both. In part, there was a series of doors that wouldn't open until the plates were clean. As for the other... well, I had an ability to gather secrets buried in a person's heart, before, which could lower their defense in a conflict. When I finished, I got one of hers. She was cruel and quixotic and a very dangerous enemy, but...

[She's silent again for a moment.]

"Fond of Cooking" or "The Wish to be a Beloved Wife," is what I'd call it. Though she said she likes cooking, it wasn't a simple fondness for the act of preparing food; it came from a desire to be praised by or to monopolize the person she likes. To... confirm her beloved’s love, I guess. In her mind preparing food was a method keep a husband’s attention, but it didn't come from an “equal relationship.” She would “bestow meals” to her chosen husband, as a noble. In the end, it’s no different from feeding an animal. It's something that doesn't contain any of the “romance” she longed for.

[Such was the nature of Elizabeth Bathory.]

...let's just say, I'm used to fielding some very dangerous affections.

[That was not at all the answer Mettaton was anticipating, and he stares upon her, baffled. What an interesting life, this Hakuno has lead...! It's absolutely marvelous, and over something so mundane as meeting a woman with a proclivity toward cooking horrendous meals.]

So she weaponized her cooking... with the intent to draw the appetite of a suitor. How insidious. And for eating it all, for enduring, you were granted a secret from her very heart... You must have a way with people. To persist, to draw out their very core.

[He smiles at her, bright and interested.]

Consider me charmed. Though, not dangerous, as your other affections trend! You won't have to worry about that, coming from me... Pleasures are my inclination, after all.

[Speaking of that, and his earlier declaration that he'd be willing to try bad food.]

In fact. We can try to find something you like, instead. We'll make that our aim, gorgeous.

[It's not an answer any sane person should anticipate, so that's for the best, frankly. Still, she can't help but smile back, her phantom indigestion fading in the face of such a... face.]

Well, she didn't actually realize she was a terrible cook, but I don't know if that's better or worse.

[As to the danger...

Well, they're both going to feel a little silly, once they realize the metal/fae issue in coming weeks.]

I'm not too hard to please, I don't think. But thank you all the same, Mettaton-dear.

[He nods. Though she weaponized it, she likely didn't realize she was doing any such thing... He's not entirely sure he gets the whole ordeal, but Hakuno tells it like an enchanting story nonetheless.

Truly, the metal has and will continue to cause many a problem among his fellow Faefolk. What a depressing danger, the inability to come into close contact with such darling creatures. He breathes out a short laugh.]

I imagine that many things must be a delight, in comparison. It must give you a unique take on food... And what's truly considered bad.

Now. What haven't you tried... That you've always wanted? For me, I'm thinking of soda... But I don't know if they'd have such a fizzy favorite here. A shame. I've had it, but I've never tasted it!

[Mettahoney. Your friend's girlfriend set her house ablaze trying to cook. Literally none of this should surprise you.]

Hm... well, I don't know when carbonated water was created, come to think of it, but they might have something like it here. If you just want something fizzy... there was a queen who once famously drank wine with crushed pearls in it, to get that effect. It's, uh, more than a bit pricey and decadent and I can't say it would be just the same, but that might be an option...?

[Oh, wait. He asked her first, didn't he?]

Well... I really like sweet things, but I already indulged quite a bit today. Something... warm and cheesy, maybe.

Edited 2020-04-01 02:25 (UTC)

[Cooking be like that! It's those MTT-Brand Ovens. Fires in the kitchen is a perfectly normal experience. Nasty food is not. Especially because these rank among his first days ever tasting a thing. Sequins and glue were, at some point in his life, a delicacy. (Taste-testers agreed because they were paid.)]

If it's fit for a queen, then it's fit for me! [This queenly drink is a very exciting prospect to Mettaton, who has never heard of the concept regardless of its resemblance to actual soda. But!] But. Warm and cheesy it is.

[Fortunately, at least cheese exists... But of course it would. It was a matter of finding something that was also warm. All that comes to mind for Mettaton are just some quality shit that would be acceptable if it also wore his brand. Or, if it were made by humanity, maybe.]

Pizza, mozzarella sticks, melts... Not as though I expect the ages to be caught up with my knowledge of the warm and cheesy. Oooh, but maybe fondue... [He regards Hakuno more pointedly.] Surely that exists. What are you thinking, Hakunon, darling?

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