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[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continue with twenty-one sentences sentences. Match the established level of character/world familiarity. Genres: urban fantasy. Include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck raised his hand and knocked on the cottage door.\n\nHe didn't have a key for this door, and would never have asked for one. He was, however, carrying a bouquet of flowers.\n\n\"Come in!\" called a thin voice from within.\n\nHe opened the unlocked door. \"Mrs. Shandy, you are looking more lovely than ever.\"\n\nMrs. Shandy was a hundred years old if she was a week, and she was sitting at a little table by the bed. It was one of the smaller cottages, laid out as a simple one-room efficiency. The remains of a meal beside her showed that the rule against food outside of the restaurant had been relaxed for her.\n\n\"Breck, my dear,\" she cackled, waving her hand imperiously across from her. \"You're risking Graham's wrath by bringing me those.\"\n\nGraham, a lion shifter, was in charge of landscaping for the entire resort, and he was notoriously protective of his gardens.\n\n\"It is a risk worth taking for the smile it brings you,\" Breck said, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead. \"How's the ankle?\"\n\nHe busied himself, finding a vase for the flowers and arranging them artfully.\n\n\"The ankle is healing up fine,\" Mrs. Shandy said with a smile. \"It's the shoulders complaining today. At my age, it's always something.\"\n\n\"I'll have Lydia come give you a rub tomorrow,\" Breck promised. The swan shifter was in charge of the spa, and was a talented masseuse for both animal and human forms.\n\n\"Oh, she's too busy,\" Mrs. Shandy protested. \"I couldn't ask her to do that.\"\n\n\"She'll insist,\" Breck warned her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. The first wave of the big wedding party came in just tonight, but it won't be very busy for a few more days. Do you feel like a game tonight?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I could beat you a few times,\" Mrs. Shandy said slyly.\n\nBreck opened the backgammon game between them.\n\nAfter one lively game, Breck thought that she seemed to be flagging, and he closed up the board.\n\n\"When are you going to find yourself a nice girl or boy and get married yourself?\" she asked, as Breck helped her up from her chair.\n\n\"You know me,\" Breck said breezily. \"I could never settle for one person.\"\n\n\"I know you,\" Mrs. Shandy rebuked. \"You would like people to believe that you are shallow and hedonistic so you never have to get hurt.\"\n\nBreck held her bathrobe as she shrugged out of it. Naked, she turned and took his face in her wrinkled hands. \"When are you going to open yourself up?\"\n\n\"I love everyone I've ever been with,\" Breck protested.\n\n\"But you never let them love you,\" Mrs. Shandy reminded him. \"Not really.\" She sighed and patted his face. \"Someday,\" she warned him. \"Someday, you will understand what it can be.\"\n\nThen, she let go of him and shifted. A tall, elegant old greyhound stood in her place, tail waving very slowly. Breck put a respectful hand on her head and the tail waved more vigorously. Then, ignoring the bed, she went to a cushion laid out on the floor by the French doors to the deck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She turned around twice and settled down with a sigh.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good night, Mrs. Shandy,\" Breck said gently. He quietly gathered the dishes and slipped out.\n\nAfter he returned the tray to the kitchen, he stood on the restaurant deck, looking out over the bar deck, and the pool deck below that. Beyond, the ocean looked smooth and inviting.\n\nBreck slipped a hand into his uniform jacket pocket, and fingered the key he found there thoughtfully. He was… restless. Like he was waiting for something. Like there was something missing.\n\nHe watched the moon move halfway across the sky before he sighed, and returned the key to the staff lost and found.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "yo hit me with 4 sentences more. same character energy. urban fantasy genre k?", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seventeen necklaces glittered on the crisp bedspread. \"Which of these did you want me to wear?\" Darla asked skeptically. She would have liked a nice single strand of pearls, or maybe a silver chain with a simple pendant, but the choices laid out were crowded webs of cut jewels, torcs of gold, and twists of lustrous dragonmetal inlaid with precious stones.\n\n\"It's a dragon wedding,\" her mother sniffed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All of them. I've done the research, and dragon weddings are about showing off wealth.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla picked up one of the heavier pieces. \"I couldn't even walk down the aisle in all of these.\" She more quietly added, \"And I'm not a dragon.\"\n\nUnbroken line. She was careful not to touch the bracelet weighing on her wrist.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're marrying a dragon,\" came the unnecessary reminder.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"Anyway, it's a wedding in strict dragon tradition,\"", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And you come from dragon blood. You have to show that you're worth marrying.\" Her tone indicated that she doubted that Darla would be able to do that even wearing a small fortune in jewelry.\n\n\"Anyway, it's a wedding in strict dragon tradition,\" Jubilee continued. \"Now, let's try on the dresses and see how these layer with them. It's possible you can wear some of them for the rehearsal dinner and the vigil or the dance, instead. And we'll need to pick a headdress for each of them, too.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla wished she were the sort of person who could put her foot down.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No,\" she imagined saying. \"I'm not trying on those ridiculous dresses again, and I'm only wearing one necklace, and I'm canceling the vigil, and we're doing a simple, short wedding, or else I'll throw a fit and you won't get any wedding at all.\"\n\nBut that was not her. That was someone braver than her, someone more clever and self-assured.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'might' × 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead, she timidly said, \"I'm very tired from traveling, Mother, and I haven't caught up to this timezone. Do you think we could do that this afternoon instead? I thought I might lie out by the pool before the sun got too hot.\"\n\n\"Lie out in the sun?!\"\n\nShe might as well have suggested yodeling or dancing naked in the restaurant.\n\n\"Lie out in the sun?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jubilee repeated incredulously. \"Darla, sweetheart, think of your skin! You know how you freckle. You don't want to look common for the most important days of your life!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "[[OOC: Only your next part should have minimal quoted speech]]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bolder her might have pointed out that no one would be able to see through the glitter of the ugly jewels to even notice a few freckles. The real her knew that she'd look common no matter how un-freckled her cheeks were kept.\n\n\"I was thinking I'd do it as a leopard,\" she said swiftly, knowing that a sunhat or skin protectant would not reassure her mother. \"It's a resort for shifters, after all, so it's completely normal here.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jubilee looked unconvinced and Darla would have conceded defeat if the earth hadn't given a rattling little hiccup under their feet just then.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The earthquake was brief, doing no more than rattling the paintings on the walls. They fled the bedroom, but by the time they came out into the living area, the earth was quiet again.\n\nJubilee's eyes were wide. \"It's a sign!\" she gasped.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"An earthquake before a wedding, it must mean something.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's a sign that we're in the ring of fire where earthquakes happen all the time,\" Darla said smartly before she could stop herself. Adrenaline made her feel brave.\n\nJubilee ignored her, pressing a hand to her chest. \"Oh, my heart is hammering. This is dreadful. Maybe this resort was a mistake. We could have done this in the English countryside, or in Italy, perhaps. There might still be time for the rest of the guests to get their tickets changed.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla patted her arm awkwardly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Come and sit down, Mother. It's just a little earthquake, it's not a portent of doom.\"\n\nJubilee was shaking her head as she reluctantly took the plush wicker chair that Darla offered. \"I should consult with my psychic,\" she said. \"Maybe we're doing the wrong thing.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She dug into her designer purse for her phone.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wish I'd insisted that she come with me. But she doesn't like to travel. Oh, maybe she knew something!\"\n\nDarla left her mother dialing her phone and muttering about foreshadows and bad signs and returned to her own bedroom. The jewelry on the bedspread hadn't even gotten tangled in the quake. Darla frowned at it, then perked up.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her mother would be occupied for a long while with her psychic, and she hadn't explicitly told Darla she couldn't go sun herself in leopard form.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was a close as Darla was going to get to actual permission, and she wasn't going to squander the chance. As quickly as she could, Darla stripped out of her clothing, leaving it folded neatly on the bedside table. The engagement bracelet could not come off, but it was dragon-magic, and would shift with her.\n\nQuick as a thought, she was a snow leopard, plush and graceful in ways she never was as a human.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The silver bracelet shone on one wrist.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla shook that paw, not liking the weight of it, then scampered out the private back door of her bedroom to visit the quiet pool and enjoy the sun and fleeting peace.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in a collaborative writing exercise. I'll provide a starting point (which may include pre-existing characters and lore), and You'll continue with thirty sentences in the style of Zoe Chant.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bar deck was quiet when Breck came down following the breakfast service.\n\nThough it didn't tend to get truly rowdy until evening, there was usually a steady stream of shifters through the space. Even if the guests weren't drinking alcohol, the fruit drinks and snacks were popular, and there were games and books, and the fitness center was nearby. There were more shaded tables than were available on the pool deck below, and it was rare that there weren't a few people sitting at them.\n\n\"It feels weird, doesn't it?\" Tex, bear shifter and bartender, was restocking a cooler with bottles. He passed Breck a ginger ale.\n\n\"Reminds me of a couple of years ago, before business picked up,\" Breck agreed, unscrewing the lid and taking a long swallow. \"We used to get lulls like this a lot.\"\n\n\"I suppose it's good that business is brisker now,\" Tex said. \"Job security, and all.\"\n\n\"Not to mention bonuses,\" Breck chuckled. \"Though it would help if you didn't get resort property blown up this year.\"\n\n\"I had nothing to do with the boat blowing up!\" Tex protested. He considered. \"Well, very little, anyway. How'd it go with your hot date last night? You were certainly back late.\"\n\nBreck shrugged. \"I don't kiss and tell,\" he said with a wink.\n\n\"Oh?\" Tex said skeptically. \"When did that start?\"\n\n\"I am the epitome of discretion,\" Breck protested with mock innocence. Another time, he might have simply fabricated something. He had an active imagination and a wealth of experience to draw on, and it was always entertaining to make Tex flush and regret asking questions.\n\nBut he still felt the restless displacement of the night before, and needling Tex held no distraction.\n\nHis leopard was agitated, and he had the nagging feeling he had forgotten something terribly important.\n\nHe took his bottle of ginger ale to the edge of the shade and looked out over the deck. Bright sunlight gave the white tile a luminous character, and the pool below glimmered blue. The water features at the near edge of the pool provided a wash of restful sound, and the thrum of the ocean beyond was a deep, constant beat.\n\nA movement caught his eye. A snow leopard was coming in the side entrance, padding silently across the tile around the pool. After a moment, it hopped gracefully up onto one of the wide, low benches that were designed for large animals to lounge on.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is mid-narrative so expect established characters. Write thirty-four sentences sentences like Zoe Chant. Genres: urban fantasy. Themes: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla fled, but not back to the three-bedroom cottage she was sharing with her mother and her assistant.\n\nShe didn't remember that she wouldn't have clothing on until she was shifting at Liam's door, and knocking frantically.\n\n\"Darla!\" he said in alarm, opening the door. \"What is it? What's wrong? My bracelet went off like fireworks just a moment ago and turned gold, are you alright?\"\n\nHe looked only at her face, nothing else. Darla pushed past him into the room, closed the door firmly behind her, and leaned back on it as if her legs had given out.\n\nFor a long moment, she said nothing, trying to catch her breath. It wasn't the headlong flight that had weakened her knees, it was him.\n\nThe waiter in the crisp uniform had appeared by the pool as if Darla's desire had summoned him. He was tall, and graceful, with golden-brown eyes and dark hair, and the way that he had looked at her…\n\n\"Here, honey, you're shivering. I'll bring you a bathrobe...\"\n\nDarla pitched forward into his arms, sobbing. She wasn't worried about her nudity, not with him.\n\nHis arms folded around her and his hands rubbed her shaking shoulders.\n\nHands of a friend, not a lover.\n\nWhen she could finally stand again, she wrapped her arms around herself and stood looking out over the porch while Liam went to get her a bathrobe.\n\n\"Tell me what happened,\" he said kindly, wrapping her up in the soft terrycloth and drawing her to sit down on the couch beside him.\n\nDarla curled miserably beside him, tucking her head onto his shoulder as he put an arm around her. \"I met him,\" she said into his shoulder. \"I met my mate.\"\n\nLiam froze, then resumed patting her as if she was a restless animal.\n\nIn many ways she was a restless animal. Her snow leopard was intently focused on going back to the pool, now, and quickly. She didn't understand why Darla had fled in the first place.\n\n\"Are you sure?\" Liam asked quietly.\n\n\"So sure,\" Darla sobbed. \"It's just like the stories. I knew, I just knew he was the one, and I… just can't. Because...\"\n\n\"You don't have to marry me,\" Liam said firmly. \"I'd find another way to finance the retirement home.\"\n\n\"You know I have to marry you,\" Darla protested. \"If I don't, it will be Eugene. He'd challenge for my hand. And my mother would never accept less than a dragon shifter, otherwise. I'd be disowned, and she'd see that the retirement home was destroyed, out of spite if nothing else.\"\n\n\"Is it possible your mate is a dragon shifter? The lifeguard here is a dragon,\" Liam suggested, and for a brief moment hope bloomed in Darla's chest.\n\nBut no… \"He was... a waiter.\" And he was a big cat, Darla was sure, not a dragon.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "You're continuing a chapter where characters are already established. Write nineteen sentences sentences in Zoe Chant's style. Genres: urban fantasy. Elements: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck arrived at the staff meeting several minutes late.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A cold shower had not been optional, but it had not done anything to calm the roiling confusion in his chest, or the desire that his leopard was feeding him.\n\nScarlet gave him a piercing look, probably taking in his damp hair with the kind of assumption that Breck knew he deserved. He attempted to grin at her like he usually would and guessed by her puzzled expression that it failed.\n\n\"Nice of you to join us,\" Tex hissed near his ear as he took the last seat. \"Was it worth Scarlet's wrath?\"\n\nBehind them, Travis leaned forward. \"Watch it,\" he said quietly. \"Scarlet is going to be pissed if you start drama with the bridesmaids.\"\n\nBreck was momentarily distracted by the accusation. \"I don't start drama,\" he insisted.\n\n\"Start drama with. Sleep your way through. Whatever. If Scarlet catches you risking this contract, she will make a suit from your hide and wear it to the wedding.\"\n\nA sharp glance back from Scarlet made Travis sit back and all three of them pretended to pay attention to Lydia's report on the spa supplies.\n\nWas the snow leopard a bridesmaid? Breck wondered. The big cat had to be some member in the core wedding party or immediate family, because those were the only guests right now.\n\nIt was odd to see a shifter wearing jewelry in animal form, if not unheard of. And he'd never seen any jewelry do anything like that.\n\nAnd why had they run away?\n\nBreck could think of many possible reasons, but none of them made sense.\n\nTravis leaned forward between Tex and Breck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tex was playing a tic-tac-toe game with himself in the nap of his cowboy hat.\n\n\"You'll want to listen to this bit,\" Travis said knowingly.\n\nJenny was standing up. \"So, as you know, we've been battling with the owner of the island, Beehag, and his lawyer for nearly a year now about the sale of the island and the fate of the resort. The lease contract that Scarlet has is one of the most complicated pieces of legalese I've ever seen, and it references several older documents, including the ones that covered the transfer of the property to Beehag senior on the disappearance — and presumed death — of the original owner of this half of the island, Aaric Lyons.\"\n\nIf Breck had not been looking past Scarlet to see Jenny, he would not have noticed the subtle flinch the resort owner gave at the name.\n\n\"Lyons left very specific instructions that the resort was to be continued in the event of his death, and also that his progeny would have first right of refusal on all property sales… including subsequent sales. At the time, Beehag senior's offer to buy this half of the island and continue to administrate the property was accepted by the Lyons family. But if we can find anyone remaining in the Lyons line, they get the chance to buy the property at appraised value before Beehag the lesser can sell it to any of these nasty characters he's been scraping the barrel to find.\"\n\n\"I thought the family of the original resort owner was all dead!\" Bastian said.\n\n\"Possibly not all of them,\" Jenny said with a grin. \"The last of the line was a kid named Grant Lyons. He was jailed for manslaughter when he was 18, about fifteen years ago, and he vanished directly following his sentence. I've found some intel that he might have changed his name and moved to America. It's a cold trail, but I know some good people. If we can find him, we may be able to persuade him to buy the property. Possibly he would be willing to hold it in trust for us if we could raise the money. At the worst, he could not be a more miserable landlord than our current one.\"\n\nThe room rose in a murmur of speculation that trailed off as everyone looked eagerly at Scarlet.\n\nIf Jenny was expecting surprise or warm approval for this revelation, she was disappointed. Scarlet rose to her feet and faced the room with an utterly expressionless face. \"Thank you,\" she said, neutrally. \"See what you can find out. Chef, I'd like your report from the kitchen.\"\n\nThe start of Chef's report was drowned in whispers and quiet conjecture until Scarlet loudly cleared her throat and the room went quiet again.\n\nAfter the meeting had finally been adjourned, Breck remained sitting and let everyone else filter out.\n\nThe quiet room did nothing to his peace of mind.\n\nHe'd met his mate… and he had no idea who they were. He didn't even know if the snow leopard was a man or a woman.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He only knew that he'd never rest without them again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This wasn't a hunger of his body, but of his heart, and he had no idea what to do with it.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing partner mode: add five sentences. maintain story elements. themes: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A beautiful Latina woman greeted Darla cheerfully at the entrance to a beautifully mosaic-covered building and drew her into the cozy spa as Jubilee looked around critically.\n\n\"You must be the happy bride!\"\n\nDarla, stomach already churning with nerves, only nodded. She was half of that, at least. \"I'm Darla,\" she said politely.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm Lydia,\" the woman introduced herself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is Laura. My staff and I will be happy to supply any beauty services you may need while you're here.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jubilee sniffed, clearly finding the spa barely acceptable.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Alison, Liam's plump mother, on the other hand, was looking around in awe, and seemed impressed by the range of services listed by the door.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is all so lovely!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jubilee ignored Alison, as she had for much of the time since their arrival; she clearly considered Liam's mother a charity case, and had as little to do with her as she could politely manage. To Lydia, she said, \"We're going to want to do a complete facial and deep condition, of course, and we'll want to preview her hair styling and makeup so we can select the right accessories. I've brought several references showing exactly what we'll want.\" She handed Lydia a folder of photos. She didn't hand over the velvet-lined jewelry case she was carrying.\n\n\"Certainly,\" Lydia said with a warm smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She glanced through the photos and nodded. \"We can definitely do this. You'll look like an angel! Let's get the deep conditioning started. We can do a massage while that's setting if you'd like; you're carrying a lot of tension in those shoulders, and no wonder! You must be so excited!\"\n\nLydia was so kind and gracious, it was hard not to relax as she settled Darla into a chair by the sink and began brushing out her wavy hair.\n\nThe smiling woman with dark skin who had been introduced as Laura offered Jubilee and Alison mani-pedis, and Darla was glad when her mother accepted for both of them… and even more glad when they were given seats far enough away that they wouldn't easily be a part of the same conversation.\n\n\"How are you liking Shifting Sands so far?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(quick note: Your task: Include 'lydia' 2 time(s) in your response)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lydia asked as she gently brushed.\n\n\"It's lovely,\" Darla said honestly. \"Really, it's gorgeous here. And everyone has been so kind.\"\n\nThey chatted idly about the food and the beach until Darla couldn't keep back the real question that was bubbling up in her chest, even if she wasn't sure how to ask it. \"There's a waiter,\" she said, as quietly as she could, as Lydia leaned her head back in the sink and started running water.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was wondering who… it's just… I was…\" There was no safe way to finish the sentence.\n\n\"Oh, you must mean Breck,\" Lydia guessed with a laugh. \"Tall, dark hair, brown eyes, devastatingly handsome and knows it?\"\n\nBreck, Darla thought. She'd never heard the name before, but it was suddenly perfect. Breck.\n\nLydia continued as she turned off the water and began rubbing something that smelled delicious into Darla's wet hair.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "OOC, 🎯 Target word: 'lydia' \| Required occurrences: 2", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's our head waiter, and don't take him too seriously. He will flirt with anyone, but he doesn't really mean it.\"\n\n\"Anyone?\" Darla repeated, not sure what to make of the emphasis she used.\n\n\"He's bisexual,\" Lydia said casually.\n\nDarla blinked, glad that Lydia had a quiet voice, and that her mother was loudly explaining the various spa services to Alison, as if she would obviously need Jubilee's help to understand something of this class.\n\n\"Bisexual as in…\" Darla had to clarify.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He sleeps with both women and men.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lydia's fingers never stopped in their gentle scalp massage. \"Does that bother you?\" Her voice was too kind to be challenging.\n\n\"No,\" Darla said honestly. She knew that it existed, along with a range of other sexualities, it just surprised her that Lydia talked about it as if it wasn't a secret.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's a sweetheart,\" Lydia said fondly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And so funny! I cannot wait until that man truly falls in love, because when he does…\"\n\nLaura, who had been giving Jubilee her manicure, chose that moment to walk past the sink to get some supplies from the shelf next to them. \"Breck? Settle down? Is it possible?\"\n\n\"Bisexuals can be monogamous,\" Lydia said with a chuckle. \"And I think that big heart of his deserves someone who can love him back just as much.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Darla's mortification, the conversation had gotten loud. Loud enough to carry through the room.\n\n\"Oh, I saw that waiter, flirting with a man this morning,\" her mother interjected with disgust from across the room. \"Has he been bothering you, sweetheart? If he's made an unwelcome advance on you, I'll have that deviant canned. I won't have some sex freak making you uncomfortable.\"\n\nThere was an awkward moment of silence following her mother's judgmental tirade.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla, her head back in the sink, could see the flush in Lydia's face and down her neck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wasn't sure if the woman was angry or just embarrassed for her mother's shallowness.\n\nLaura cleared her throat uncomfortably.\n\nBut before anyone else could speak, Alison spoke sharply. \"Well, Jubilee, you certainly won't have to worry about any advances with that ugly attitude. Laura, honey, I think my cuticles are soaked enough now.\"\n\nSomeone gave a strangled giggle, but Darla couldn't tell who.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wasn't entirely sure it wasn't herself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Laura noisily found the supplies she'd come for and returned across the room as Lydia turned the water in the sink back up to full and began vigorously massaging Darla's scalp.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'could' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla could feel her heart pounding in her throat, and tears gathered in her eyes that had nothing to do with Lydia's work. She'd held out some hope that the waiter — her mate! — Breck — would miraculously prove to be someone who could step into Liam's shoes for the wedding steamrolling down on her and whisk her away to a fairy tale ending.\n\nThat hope was ashes in her chest now. If her mother would have disliked him as a lowly waiter before, she would certainly never accept an openly bisexual son-in-law. And even if she had somehow been able to get past that, now he had indirectly humiliated her, and humiliation was the kind of thing that Jubilee Grant never forgot or let go of.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand on this story segment like Zoe Chant would, staying true to the urban fantasy genre. Characters may have existing backgrounds.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck straightened his tie, staring at his muted reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator.\n\nHis mate was probably out there now, being seated at the restaurant.\n\nSo go, his leopard urged. Go find them.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck hesitated. His mate.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why had they run away?\n\nMaybe they didn't want to be found.\n\n\"If you're done admiring yourself, are you ready for tonight's menu?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chef was standing with his thick arms crossed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck gave him a sideways smile that must have been a better attempt than his earlier grin at Scarlet. \"It's all about appearances,\" he said with at least a hint of his usual flippancy as he gave his tie one last tweak.\n\nChef harrumphed. \"Baked chicken breasts stuffed with fresh spinach and gruyere cheese, with an olive reduction beside baby red potatoes and peas. The other choice is a homemade vegan pasta with a sweet pepper and truffle sauce.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck cataloged the information away without writing anything down. His memory was not eidetic, but he was extremely good at remembering details and never needed to write down orders. \"Got it.\"\n\n\"Not too many people tonight,\" Chef said, turning back to the ovens with his nose testing the air.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You should get out of here early.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck hung one of the crisp white napkins over his arm, sucked in his breath, and went to see if his mate was among the diners already seated.\n\nBut no one there gave him the lodestone pull that the snow leopard had earlier. Breck swallowed his disappointment and went to do his job.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "A few giggling girls wearing bridesmaids sashes reassured him that putting his flirtation on autopilot wasn't failing, and a table full of grandmothers gossiping like hens made bawdy counter-offers and winked at him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally, he moved to top off the water at the last table, where a young man sat alone near the deck railing at a table set for four.\n\nHe was stunningly good-looking, straight from the pages of a cologne ad, with dark hair and features that hinted at Asian ancestry.\n\n\"Well, hello handsome,\" Breck said, automatically turning on the charm.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm Breck and I'll be your server today. If there's anything I can get you, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd be happy to get you a drink to occupy your tastebuds until the rest of your party gets here.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only then did he notice the thick pale-gold bracelet that encircled the man's left wrist.\n\nStartled and breathless, he looked up into the man's face.\n\nAnd was completely confused.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was not his mate.\n\nThe bracelet was identical to the one that the snow leopard had been wearing, and too distinctive to be a coincidence. But his own leopard had utterly no recognition of this person, and Breck felt no desire for him at all.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Moreover, he had not reacted to Breck's habitual overture.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck was excellent at reading people. He could pick up the faintest signs of discomfort, and knew how to recognize the tiniest flicker of interest.\n\nWhen he flirted with straight men, he often got a mixed reaction — some were embarrassed, some even got angry or defensive.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was almost always surprise, at first, and often curiosity.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gay men usually responded with interest, or at least evaluation. Even gay women reacted to his flirtation, with dismissal. Whether it was challenge, desire, or a brush-off, there was always some hard-coded response.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But this man didn't react in the slightest.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(( Word restriction: Use 'wasn't' 3 time(s) only ))", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wasn't flattered by Breck's teasing, and he wasn't off-put by it. He wasn't… anything.\n\nHe simply smiled as if amused but not really affected, and moved his waterglass closer to Breck. \"I'll wait, thanks. Ah, it looks like they're just arriving anyway.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, Liam, darling!\" A tall, elegant woman wearing far too much jewelry and a sash that read 'Mother of the Bride' simpered in past Breck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Darla, come sit next to your fiance. Such a fine-looking couple you make. Eugene, you sit here, darling.\" She fixed her gaze on Breck and gave a stare that passed disapproving straight to loathing. \"I'd like a white wine, something dry and not too cheap.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Breck's eyes were only for the young woman beside her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was not quite as tall as too-much-jewelry woman, and more lushly curved.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her strawberry-blonde hair was elaborately styled and was heaped on her head with flowers and jewels. The sash she was wearing said: Bride.\n\nAnd her eyes were the same stunning blue as the snow leopard's.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was her. This was his mate, this was his everything.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'suddenly' 2 times in response]", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bracelet she was wearing rather suddenly began to glow, and she clamped her opposite hand over it in alarm as the twin to it on the non-reactive young man suddenly did the same.\n\nBe-jeweled woman's scowl vanished into astonishment as she looked from Breck to the two oddly-behaving bracelets. \"This is amazing!\" she said, clapping her hands in excitement.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is wonderful! I knew it was dragon magic!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck was still staring at the bride as his brain slowly caught up with the rest of him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Author's note: [System: Use 'bride' 2 times in response]]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was the bride.\n\nHis mate was the bride.\n\nWith effort, she jerked her gaze away from his and slid into her seat next to the man with the matching bracelet.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck could not dredge up the same amount of self-control and continued to gaze at her helplessly as the depth of the disaster began to come clear in his hazed mind.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Forget the wine,\" her mother was saying imperiously. \"A bottle of your finest champagne. No! Just water for her! Just in case! Does it mean you're — oh, I can't even say it. But it's just fine, no one will blame you for getting a head start, don't look so mortified.\"\n\nBreck forced himself to look somewhere — anywhere — else.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I need approximately 133 characters long to fill the gap marked by `[original_content_missing]` in this text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla was dizzy, and her mother[original_content_missing]\n\nAnd she couldn't have any of it.\n\nOnly Liam's hand anchored her. Liam's hand and the heat of the bracelet on her wrist that seemed to be gleefully and shamelessly proclaiming her desire, to her mother's amusement and Eugene's distasteful diversion.\n\nThen her mate was gone, without so much as a word to her.\n\nHe didn't have to say anything.\n\nShe knew from his eyes alone that he craved her the same bone-deep way that she desired him.\n\nHe must know now that they couldn't be together. She was sitting next to her fiance wearing a ridiculous sparkling sash that proclaimed that she was the bride.\n\nAnd her mother was going on and on about sex.\n\nLiam was doing his level best to maintain the conversation, utterly cool and collected, as Darla floundered trying to find her mental footing again now that proximity to her mate wasn't confusing all of her synapses.\n\n\"Oh, look how we've embarrassed Darla,\" her mother crowed. \"Sweetheart, you're going to be a married woman. There's no shame in your desires.\"\n\n\"None at all,\" Eugene agreed with a smirk that made Darla want to crawl under the table.\n\n\"Can we talk about something else?\" Darla asked plaintively. She was grateful to see that her bracelet had finally stopped glowing. Liam's had dimmed in unison.\n\n\"There are things you should know about being pregnant,\" her mother said, managing to find a topic more appalling. \"Maybe the bracelets have picked up on the fact that you're ovulating.\"\n\n\"I'm sure that's also a topic better saved for a more intimate setting,\" Liam said firmly, and Darla could have kissed him.\n\nFortunately, their food was served at that moment, and it made Darla's heart fall a little that it was a strange woman, not Breck, who delivered their artfully composed plates of food.\n\nIt was better that way, she told herself.\n\nIt was best if she never saw him again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "'s effervescent words washed over her like surf.\n\nBreck was here, and her world was upside down.\n\nShe was want and wanton and wanted.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CREATIVE WRITING MODE:\n- Context: Part of larger narrative\n- Note: May reference established characters\n- Sentences: 14 sentences\n- Style: Zoe Chant\n- Genres: urban fantasy\n- Elements: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Staring at his warped reflection in the refrigerator door, Breck had forgotten about the champagne, had forgotten about the suspicious man, had forgotten about everything but the perfect heart-shaped face, flushed and forlorn, that would haunt his dreams forever.\n\nHis mate.\n\nHere to marry another man.\n\nIt couldn't get worse, he decided.\n\nThen he heard familiar heels clicking across the tile kitchen floor, and he knew that it could.\n\n\"Breck.\"\n\nScarlet's reflection next to his had unnaturally bright red hair and Breck could tell that she was frowning.\n\nHe turned to face her.\n\n\"I've gotten a complaint,\" she said without preamble. \"The mother of the bride has requested that you not be permitted to serve in the restaurant for the remainder of their contract.\"\n\n\"I'm… sorry,\" he said, filled with so much regret that it felt like he would fall apart at the seams.\n\n\"I am too,\" Scarlet said unexpectedly. \"It's disappointing when you run into that kind of prejudice. I certainly don't agree with her views and I don't like to further them by agreeing to Mrs. Grant's request… but…\"\n\nShe looked conflicted and Breck suddenly realized that she had no idea that he was the mate of the bride.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Grant was asking Scarlet to relieve him of duty because he was openly bisexual, not because he was hopelessly in love with her daughter.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And Mrs. Grant was paying ridiculous piles of money for exclusive use of the resort.\n\n\"I don't want to pull you off duty,\" Scarlet said firmly, to Breck's surprise. \"But it would make my job a lot easier if you could dial things back and act more strictly professional for the duration of the wedding. I know you never cross the line of actual impropriety, but someone who didn't know you might consider your flirtations too forward.\"\n\n\"No,\" Breck said swiftly. \"No, you should pull me off the floor.\"\n\nHe couldn't go out there. He couldn't go out there and watch her cozy up to her fiance, knowing that he could never have her. He couldn't serve her food and watch him feed it to her.\n\nScarlet blinked at his vehemence. \"Should I know something?\" she asked suspiciously.\n\n\"No.\" Breck dug deep for anything resembling steadiness and took a slow deliberate breath. \"She's already made up her mind about me,\" he pointed out. \"And you've made it clear how important this contract is. I've got more than enough staff to cover the floor for now, and Jenny or Laura or Saina can step in when things get busy. You could even stuff Graham in a uniform if things are dire. Watering people isn't much different than watering plants. There are a whole lot of things I can do behind the scenes. I can help Chef in the kitchen. The van needs a new alternator.\"\n\nScarlet furrowed her brow at him and Breck realized that he was talking too fast.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you sure you don't mind?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'would' exactly 3 times in your response", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Scarlet asked. \"It would simplify things, but I'd back you up if you wanted to keep serving.\"\n\n\"I would too,\" Chef said in his deep, booming voice, unexpectedly appearing from behind Scarlet. \"You're the best waiter I've ever worked with, and I hate it when bigots win.\"\n\n\"I'm sure,\" Breck said, touched by their support. \"It's just about making sure things run smoothly.\"\n\nAnd he knew there was no way things could run smoothly if he tried to go out there and see his mate being courted by someone else.\n\nIt was more likely that he'd give the fiance a black eye 'by accident,' and Mrs. Grant would end up demanding his resignation, not just his absence. Maybe she'd sue the resort.\n\nChef gave a skeptical harrumph. \"Well, you can make yourself useful by getting these plates ready,\" he said, and something started to boil over on a distant stove that called him away down the kitchen aisles.\n\nScarlet continued to scrutinize him, not looking entirely convinced.\n\nBut if there was one thing Breck was good at, it was keeping up appearances. He put on his most charming smile. \"You've saved me a fortune in dentistry from grinding my teeth to stumps serving that woman. If this were the kind of place where you tipped, she's the type to tip spare change from her purse on a hundred dollar meal.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gave an exaggerated shudder and made a show of untying his tie and stuffing it into a pocket.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It'll be nice to have a change from the penguin suit anyway.\"\n\nScarlet smiled. If she wasn't entirely convinced, she was at least mollified. \"Thank you, Breck. This could have been a very unpleasant situation, and I appreciate how accommodating you've been.\"\n\nBreck went to help plate food, thinking privately that she had no idea how unpleasant the situation actually was.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "The user will write a bit then you need to write around 83 sentences continuing directly from the user's text. If characters are introduced mid-story, treat them as established. Style: Zoe Chant", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next morning, Darla rose before the sun.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had tossed and turned all night, completely unable to find any rest in the perfect bed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd barely been able to eat the night before, and her stomach grumbled.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "If she went to the kitchen before the restaurant opened, she should be able to find something to eat before Breck got there and hopefully avoid him the rest of the morning at least.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She dressed quickly, cursing every creak of the wooden floor, and crept out her back door with her sandals held in her hands. She tiptoed back across the tiny lush lawn behind their house and skirted the noisy gravel until she was sure she wouldn't wake anyone else.\n\nThe resort before dawn was hushed and full of fragrant anticipation. The drone of the night insects seemed less than it had been when darkness fell, but Darla decided that she was probably just used to it. In daylight, all the white tile was almost overpowering, but at night, everything seemed to have a moon-like glow.\n\nShe found her way easily up to the restaurant. The buffet was empty; her mother had negotiated limited hours on it, deciding that they didn't need overnight service.\n\nThere was a light behind the swinging kitchen door, and the sound of rattling cutlery, so Darla pushed it open and tentatively went in. \"Hello,\" she called quietly, not wanting to startle the cook.\n\nThen her breath left her.\n\nAt the far end of the kitchen, Breck had just turned from the sink. He was holding a sponge in one hand, and a spatula in the other, his sleeves rolled up. The sharp waiter's vest was gone, and the sheer white shirt was damp with dishwater splashes, leaving little to the imagination.\n\nFor a moment, they were silent, staring across the empty kitchen at each other as the door swung back and forth behind her and finally stilled.\n\nFinally, he spoke. \"Can I help you?\" he asked gently.\n\nHe could, she thought. He could lay her down on the floor and help her in all the ways her snow leopard was telling her he should.\n\nShe bit her lip. If he could be professional, she could, too. \"I was looking for a quick breakfast,\" she said, as steadily as she could. \"I didn't mean to disturb…\"\n\n\"Oh, I am very disturbed,\" he said frankly, when she trailed off. He put the sponge and spatula into the dishwater and reached for a towel. \"But I am delighted to make you some food.\"\n\nDarla had drifted several steps into the kitchen without meaning to. \"Thank you,\" she said faintly, as he dried his hands and opened the giant refrigerator door.\n\n\"It's the least I can do,\" he said gently, with his back to her.\n\nDarla took some courage from the fact that he wasn't looking at her. \"I guess you know,\" she said boldly. \"And, I'm... sorry.\"\n\nBreck leaned his head briefly against the door to the refrigerator. \"I am, too,\" he said so quietly that Darla automatically took a few steps forward to hear better. Then he straightened and drew out a plastic-draped plate.\n\nWhen he turned back to her, he was smiling gently. \"But we make the best of what we get. Now, what are you doing up so early?\"\n\nThere was a stool next to the counter, and he gestured her to sit. Darla walked the rest of the way into the kitchen and did so, gingerly. He was being careful to keep distance between them, and she was grateful for that. Even this close, she was mesmerized by the way he moved, the breadth of his strong shoulders.\n\n\"I… wanted to avoid the waitstaff, actually,\" Darla admitted. \"I didn't think you'd be here this early.\"\n\n\"I wouldn't, usually,\" Breck said, sounding almost cheerful. \"But your charming mother requested that I not serve in the restaurant for a spell, so I've moved to behind closed doors. Chef is having me bake bread this morning.\" He was bustling around, getting more things out of the fridge, cutting things, putting things back. \"Chef's got a mate of his own, and he rarely gets a chance to sleep in, so I'm happy to give him the opportunity.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry about my mother,\" Darla said. \"I could talk to her…?\"\n\n\"I think it's best this way,\" Breck said swiftly. \"This way, we don't have to…\" he trailed off, but Darla knew what he meant.\n\n\"You're probably right,\" she agreed. \"It would be easier if we didn't…\"\n\nHe put a glass of orange juice down in front of her. \"So, tell me about something else. What do you do for a living?\"\n\nDarla waited for his hand to be safely away before she reached for the juice. \"I'm an heiress. I don't do anything.\" It came out more bitterly than she intended. \"I wanted to go to college, or maybe even trade school, but it was always more important that I attend parties and practice deportment and meet all the right people.\"\n\n\"What did you want to study?\" Breck asked, putting a plate in front of her.\n\nDarla had to gaze at it, awed by the spread. Beautiful plump strawberries, a selection of pastries drizzled in icing, a few slices of bacon — cold, but fragrant with salt and smoke — and a fan of sliced cheese and crusty bread.\n\n\"This is too much,\" she said, though her stomach growled in protest. She automatically added, \"Won't you share it with me?\"\n\nShe glanced up and made the mistake of meeting Breck's eyes. He was gazing at her in hunger that had nothing to do with the food before her. He wrenched his eyes away and nodded courteously, settling onto the stool across the stainless steel counter from her as she pushed the plate between them.\n\nThey were painstakingly careful, never reaching for the plate at the same time, not exactly looking each other in the face.\n\n\"What did you want to study?\" Breck asked again.\n\n\"You'll laugh,\" Darla warned him.\n\n\"I won't,\" he promised. He took one of the strawberries. Darla looked at her orange juice to keep from watching him eat it.\n\n\"I wanted to fix things,\" she said. \"Electricity, or plumbing, or cars, or something. I wanted to learn to do useful things.\" She laughed at herself, nibbling on a piece of creamy cheese. \"It's ridiculous, of course. I don't know the first things about tools or machines. My car got a flat tire once, and you know what happened?\"\n\n\"Tell me,\" Breck encouraged.\n\n\"My mother bought me a new car.\"\n\nBreck did laugh at that and the sound was somehow settling. \"Just like that?\"\n\n\"Just like that,\" Darla said, shaking her head. \"I thought maybe I could change the tire myself, but I couldn't find any of the tools, and I wouldn't have known what to do with them if I had found them. And my mother freaked out because it had left me stranded in the middle of a terrible neighborhood. One with apartments, and children playing in the street, of all the horrors.\"\n\n\"I could teach you,\" Breck said unexpectedly. \"I fix the cars around here, and I could show you a few tricks.\"\n\nDarla looked up again and regretted it at once.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She could drown in those eyes.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 66 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes,\" she said. Her brain caught up with her. \"I mean, no.\" The food went tasteless in her mouth and she swallowed.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Breck said immediately. \"You're right. I shouldn't have offered.\"\n\nThere was a moment of silence. Neither of them reached for the few things left on the plate.\n\nBreck finally said, \"Do you do anything for fun?\"\n\nDarla clung to the conversational lifeline. \"Mother finds it acceptable for me to volunteer for charities, so I spend a few days a week at a retirement home for shifters. She has no idea what the home entails, or I'm sure she wouldn't let me. I think she figures I arrange flowers and maybe fluff pillows and read to people in comas. But it can be really dirty, hard, heart-breaking work, and I love it. All of them are so sweet. Mrs. Asher is like a grandmother to me. And Mr. Danby — he's non-verbal, but you can tell that he's still in there, and we play chess. That's... where I met Liam. He runs the home.\"\n\nShe had managed to stop looking at Breck at some point, so she only heard the slight hitch to his breath at the reminder of Liam.\n\n\"Do you love him?\" he asked, as if he couldn't help himself.\n\nDarla shrugged miserably. \"Yes. Not… like love love, but he's my best friend. He's my only friend. I don't want to leave him in a lurch.\"\n\nBreck was quiet a long moment. \"You'll be happy with him,\" he said, as if he desperately needed to believe it.\n\nJust a day ago, she would have said that she would have been perfectly happy with Liam. Then she'd met Breck and gotten a glimpse at what happiness could be.\n\n\"I have to marry him,\" Darla said, and she didn't realize that she was crying until the first tear fell on the counter below her. It made an imperfect little wet circle on the shiny stainless steel. \"I'm sorry, Breck,\" she said, as boldly and honestly as she could. \"I wish things were different. I wish we could be together.\"\n\n\"I'd do anything,\" he said simply. \"I'd wait. I'd fight. I'd change. Tell me what to do, and I'd do it.\"\n\nAt the word fight, Darla's head rose. \"There's a challenge…\" she said, barely daring to hope. Maybe she'd been wrong about Breck's animal.\n\n\"I'll challenge,\" Breck said swiftly. \"How do I challenge?\"\n\n\"It's a battle in shifted form,\" Darla said, heart in her throat. \"Your animal…\"\n\nBreck looked crestfallen. \"I'm a leopard,\" he said doubtfully. \"I don't think I could take on a dragon.\"\n\nDarla sighed, her brief hope draining away. \"It's not Liam you'd have to worry about. He would stand down… but if he did, then Eugene would challenge you.\"\n\n\"Eugene? That weaselly-looking man hanging on your mother? What's he?\"\n\n\"A cave bear,\" Darla said with despair.\n\n\"Oh, a cave bear,\" Breck said archly. \"Is that all.\" He didn't have to say out loud that he stood no more chance as a leopard against a giant extinct bear than he did a dragon. \"Well, is there another challenge, possibly a challenge of wits? I could manage that pretty handily. How about a swimsuit competition? You should see me in a Speedo. Even your mother would swoon.\"\n\nDarla giggled despite herself. \"I'm afraid those aren't part of the ancient dragon tradition,\" she said regretfully.\n\n\"Then forget ancient dragon tradition,\" Breck suggested. \"Run away with me. You don't need your mother's blessing to live a life of delicious sin in some little town on the mainland.\" Darla thought he was trying to make it a joke. A joke too heavy for humor, too intense for levity.\n\nFor one short, blissful moment, gazing into his longing golden eyes, Darla wondered if she could… then she remembered. \"The retirement home. Without my inheritance, it will go under. Mrs. Asher… Mr. Danby… they'll all have nowhere to go. My mother will be so angry, and she has so much power. I'm afraid of what she'd do to Liam, to his family, to the home, just to punish me for humiliating her.\"\n\nBreck made a noise that Darla couldn't identify. Anger, maybe, or frustration.\n\nEverything about the situation was frustrating.\n\nHe was so beautiful, so graceful.\n\nAnd she wanted him so badly.\n\nSuddenly, there was the sound of singing, something operatic in a male voice from the restaurant.\n\nPanic filled Darla's chest. They couldn't be seen. Surely the attraction that was sizzling between them would be obvious to any observer.\n\n\"Chef,\" whispered Breck, clearly thinking the same thing. \"Out the back!\"\n\nDarla scampered after him to the back door, and there was one beautiful moment when his hand was at her waist as he hurried her outside.\n\nIt was quiet behind the kitchen, with the just the promise of dawn in the sky. Breck followed her out, and for a moment, they stood close together, not touching. \"If I kiss you, I'll never be able to stop,\" he said regretfully.\n\n\"I know,\" Darla murmured. She wanted him to anyway, but her head knew that the smartest thing to do was simply not to start.\n\n\"Good luck,\" Breck said. \"I…\" He started to offer his hand to shake and reconsidered, drawing it back reluctantly. He knew as well as she did that any touch would take them down a road they couldn't go.\n\n\"Good luck,\" Darla echoed quickly, then she turned and fled, as the singing came closer and there was the creak of a door at the other end of the kitchen.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "write ten sentences more in Zoe Chant style. keep established lore. include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck swept the rest of the Darla's leftover breakfast into the trash and dunked the dishes under the foaming surface of the dishwater just as Chef swept in the door with a deep resounding line of music.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The kitchen was wrong without Darla.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even knowing that she couldn't be his, it had been better with her near, being able to talk to her, being able to feed her.\n\nChef broke off his song with alarm as he strolled down the aisle of the kitchen. \"Did you set the timer for the bread?\"\n\nToo late, Breck recognized that part of the wrongness of the moment was the slight tinge of burning bread in the air. \"Oh, hell,\" he said in dismay.\n\nThe bread was not badly burned, but Breck felt wretched. \"I'm sorry,\" he said. \"I don't know what happened. I guess I'm... just tired. Not used to this pre-dawn nonsense.\" He couldn't very well give the real reason for his distraction.\n\nChef waved him off.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This party is a crusts-cut-off sort of bunch anyway,\" he said expansively, tapping the tops of the darkened loaves.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 4 instance(s) of the word 'breck'", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The bread inside is fine.\" But he gave Breck a searching look that suggested he wasn't buying 'I'm tired' as a believable excuse.\n\nBreck returned to the dishes, and then chopped fruit, unable to stop thinking about Darla, sitting across the counter with her tousled hair and sweet blue eyes. The way she licked her lips so daintily as she ate, her perfect manners, her gentle voice, the longing in her heart-shaped face...\n\n\"Hmmm,\" Chef said, eyeing the irregular pieces of pineapple he was trimming. \"Who is she?\"\n\nBreck looked up in alarm.\n\n\"Who is who?\" he asked as innocently as he could manage.\n\n\"Or he,\" Chef suggested. \"I suppose I shouldn't presume.\"\n\n\"I don't know what you're talking about,\" Breck said firmly, mutilating the chunk of pineapple and nearly taking his fingers with it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chef's booming laugh filled the kitchen. \"I always knew that when you fell, you'd fall hard. One of the bridesmaids? A groomsman? Not one of the grandmothers!\"\n\n\"Not a grandmother,\" Breck said regretfully. A grandmother would have been so much simpler.\n\n\"I'm guessing they're quite a firecracker, to damage your calm this badly,\" Chef chuckled.\n\nNo one would call Darla a firecracker, Breck thought miserably. She was a moment of stillness, the reflection of the moon on quiet water, a single perfect note of music.\n\n\"You don't have to say,\" Chef said, voice rich with amusement. \"Whoever it is, I wish you luck. And I wish them even more; they'll need it.\"\n\nBreck nicked one of his fingertips and sucked the stinging pineapple juice from it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks,\" he said dryly.\n\n\"That pineapple is irrecoverable for fruit bowls,\" Chef observed, accurately. \"Even before you bled in it. Go ahead and finish destroying it and I'll cook it down for a pineapple cheesecake sauce tonight.\"\n\nBreck sighed and went to wash his hands. The cut had already started to heal over by the time he returned, determined to make presentable fruit pieces.\n\nIf Breck had been confident that Darla could be happy, that she'd be better off without him, he could have let her go.\n\nProbably.\n\nHis nights would have been an agony of wanting and missing, but he could gone on with his life like nothing was wrong, pretending to flirt, keeping up appearances.\n\nBut what else could he do? Ask her to call off her wedding?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She certainly seemed to be well trapped in the arrangement.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're not doing much better with those,\" Chef observed over his shoulder.\n\nThe second pineapple had not fared any better than the previous fruit. Breck put the knife down in defeat.\n\n\"This isn't just some girl,\" Chef guessed.\n\nBreck exhaled. \"No,\" he confessed. \"Not even close. She's…\" He couldn't finish.\n\nOur mate, his leopard insisted. It's simple!\n\n\"Maybe you should just wash some dishes and let me handle the sharp items while your brain is figuring out whatever it is you need to figure out,\" Chef suggested.\n\n\"I don't think there's anything to figure out,\" Breck admitted. \"It's… not something that can happen.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah,\" Chef said with a smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"One of those situations. Well, you'd be surprised what your brain can come up with if you give it a chance.\"\n\nBreck shrugged at him, not convinced, and went to wash dishes.\n\n\"Your brain!\" Chef reminded him in a sing-song. \"Not the other parts!\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode: Chapter continuation\nContext: Part of larger work\nNote: Established characters may appear\nLength: eleven sentences\nStyle: Zoe Chant\nGenres: urban fantasy\nTags: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The spreading lawn was almost flat, in a resort that was unexpectedly steep and built in many levels, and it was large enough for the hundreds of people who would be seated to watch the ceremony that Darla was dreading.\n\nAlready, there was a white archway and a small platform half assembled, and two of the resort staff were busily finishing the rest.\n\n\"I want this threaded with flowers,\" her mother was saying imperiously. \"This whole arch! And we should have pots all along the aisle. Oh, do you think this is the right angle? I don't want the sun to be in anyone's eyes.\"\n\nScarlet, the resort owner, looked absolutely serene in that way that Darla recognized from the mirror as a polite, trained mask. \"The sun will be setting in that direction,\" she indicated. \"But the final part of the ceremony should be just before it is low enough to cause any discomfort. By the time it is on the horizon, everyone will be back in the event hall for the evening reception and dancing.\"\n\n\"Hmm,\" Jubilee said, standing in various positions experimentally. \"But is the view better this way? Maybe we should move the platform.\"\n\n\"No one will be looking at the view, mother,\" Darla said shortly. That earned her a surprised look from everyone there, except the guitar player.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had been dutifully, politely quiet while her mother steamrolled everything, up until now.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She gave a tiny, apologetic smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, you're right,\" Jubilee said quickly. \"We wouldn't want the view to be better than the view of you, of course! This will do. Come, I want to see the event hall. Are you sure it's big enough?\"\n\nThe two men assembling the archway exchanged amused looks behind Jubilee's back as she and Scarlet left across the lawn, her assistant and the bridesmaids straggling behind.\n\nDarla remained at the half-built platform, staring at the contraption that was going to seal her in a cage.\n\nIt could be worse, she reminded herself. She could be marrying Eugene.\n\nIt could be better, her snow leopard reminded her. Darla had given up trying to explain why she wasn't marrying her mate, why they weren't together now, like her animal insisted they should be.\n\n\"Your mother is not very nice,\" the woman standing with the musician said frankly, with a shake of her head. She had long, untidy braids on either side of her face. Darla had at first thought she had black and white ribbons woven into her hair, but it was actually locks of dark hair mixed with pure white strands.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's under a lot of stress,\" Darla tried to apologize for her. \"With the wedding and everything.\"\n\n\"You're under more,\" the woman said critically, giving her a piercing look. She was oddly forward, and strangely shy at the same time. \"I'm Gizelle. You've already met Conall.\" She hung back behind Conall slightly, not offering to shake hands.\n\n\"Thank you for agreeing to play at the wedding,\" Darla told him politely. Her mother had been delighted when she realized that the famous classical guitar player Conall Grant was living at the resort, and had been relentless in her attempts to get him to play at the wedding.\n\nHe was glancing after the rest of the wedding party and didn't respond.\n\nGizelle smiled. \"He can't hear you,\" she said in explanation, just as Conall looked back and said, \"I'm sorry, did you say something?\"\n\nDarla furrowed her brow.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "[ooc] For the upcoming response only: include minimal quoted content [ooc]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I… thought you could hear now,\" she said slowly, wondering if it was rude. \"I understood that the island had fixed your hearing.\"\n\n\"He's not something to fix,\" Gizelle said with unexpected defensiveness that gentled into amusement with dizzying quickness. \"But he can hear with my ears if he's touching me!\" She took his hand and gleefully announced, \"He's my mate!\"\n\nConall's tender glance down at Gizelle cut Darla to the heart.\n\nThat was what a mate should be.\n\nThat was what she would never have.\n\nHer chest feeling very tight, Darla politely repeated what she'd said earlier when Conall couldn't see her. \"Thank you for agreeing to play at the wedding.\" The wedding. Not her wedding.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Gizelle was giving Conall a quizzical look. \"Are you going to play at our wedding?\" Then her eyes got big and she clung to his arm earnestly. \"Can we have a wedding? With cake and a white lacy dress like Jenny's and flowers that Graham doesn't roar about?\"\n\nConall smiled at her slowly. \"Are you asking me to marry you?\"\n\nGizelle was still for a moment, then began capering around like a child wound up on Christmas candy. \"I am! I am! I am! I will marry you! I will!\"\n\nShe launched herself at Conall, who caught her effortlessly and lifted her into the air with a laugh of delight. \"You will be the most beautiful bride in the world,\" he said. \"And I will be the luckiest groom.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wait, wait!\" Gizelle cried. \"Do I have to wear shoes?\"\n\n\"You do not,\" Conall assured her.\n\n\"Do I have to wear…?\" she suddenly looked around, and whispered the rest into Conall's closest ear.\n\n\"You do not,\" Conall repeated, grinning ear-to-ear.\n\nDarla tried to resolve the musician with the grim, dramatic portraits on the covers of his discs, and entirely failed.\n\n\"That's a pretty bracelet,\" Gizelle said out of the blue, wriggling out of Conall's arms and circling Darla curiously. \"It's in your skin.\"\n\nDarla self-consciously turned it on her wrist, not liking the idea of the bracelet in her skin. It seemed more gold than ever in the bright daylight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It was an engagement gift,\" she explained.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "user note just fyi, Word frequency rule: 'gizelle' × 3", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She remembered too well how it had felt, clamping irreversibly around her wrist.\n\n\"What does it do?\" Gizelle asked suspiciously, returning to take Conall's hand.\n\nDarla showed her the writing. \"That means 'unbroken line.' It's supposed to promote fertility, I guess.\"\n\n\"I don't think you're using it right,\" Gizelle said with great authority. \"That's not how babies work.\"\n\nDarla flushed, but before she could respond, Conall said merrily, \"She probably already knows how babies work, Gizelle. And I'm very happy to play at your wedding.\"\n\nThe last part was to Darla, who smiled wanly.\n\n\"Did you have a particular song you wanted to request?\" Conall seemed all business again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sure my mother has already given you a detailed playlist,\" Darla said more bitterly than she intended.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stilled and gave Darla a solemn look. \"Isn't there something you want? It's your wedding.\"\n\nDarla wrestled with her impulse to insist that it wasn't. \"Whatever she has selected will be fine,\" she said instead, keeping her voice mild and her face a polite, neutral mask.\n\nConall gave her a knowing look. \"If you change your mind, just let me know,\" he said kindly.\n\n\"Thank you,\" Darla said faintly. \"I appreciate that. I'll let you know if I think of anything.\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Here's a text with a hole in it (marked by `<\|missing_text\|>`). Your job is to write ~1146 chars to plug that hole.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck slapped the last of the pans from lunch down into the drainer and pulled up the stopper. Watching the soapy water spin down the drain was a moment of distraction; it looked like Breck's heart felt.\n\n\"Restaurant is empty,\" Chef observed. \"Why don't you go wipe down tables and get your grumpy self out of my kitchen.\"\n\nBreck, feeling epically grumpy indeed, took the advice and a clean rag.\n\nTo his surprise, Liam was sitting at one of the tables, looking over the drink menu. None of the other servers were in sight.\n\n\"Well, sir,\" Breck said cautiously, with just the barest trace of his usual charm. \"I'm not supposed to be serving today, and the kitchen is closed, but I can't let someone languish without service. May I get you something from the bar? Make you up a sandwich?\"\n\nLiam looked at him appraisingly. \"You're Breck,\" he guessed sympathetically.\n\nBreck gave him a wary smile. \"The very one,\" he said, giving a little bow. He had no idea how much Liam knew. Was he just a server who'd rubbed the mother of the bride the wrong way? Or did Liam know more?\n\nLiam glanced around the empty restaurant and then gestured at the seat opposite. \"You're Darla's mate,\" he said quietly.\n\nAll of his breath left Breck in a rush and he sank down into the indicated chair. He hadn't said it out loud, and neither had Darla, even if they had both acknowledged it; hearing it made it feel real.\n\nBitterly real.\n\n\"I'm Darla's mate,\" Breck agreed. \"And you're her fiance.\"\n\n\"Saying I'm sorry seems insufficient,\" Liam said regretfully. \"Have you two had a chance to talk? Did she explain?\"\n\n\"About the retirement home? Yes. A little.\"\n\n\"Not just the home,\" Liam said. \"If it were just that, I'd… I don't know what I'd do, but I would never ask her to go through with this if that were the only consequence.\"\n\n\"She told me about the challenge. About Eugene. She doesn't think a leopard has a chance of winning.\"\n\nLiam looked more uncomfortable. \"Eugene is a cave bear shifter, and a mean fighter. And he wants the hoard as much as he wants Darla.\"\n\n\"There's a hoard?\"\n\n\"Oh, yeah,\" Liam laughed dryly. \"There's a hoard,\" he said. \"Unimaginable wealth. Caverns full of gold and precious gems and lost treasures. Darla is the last of two dragon lines, and she is the heir to all of it. She has a regular inheritance, too, stocks and bonds and market things I don't even know. But before her father died several years ago, he had a spell cast over the dragon hoard. It's locked, except to someone of his blood, who is married according to dragon custom with a family blessing. If I had to guess, he did it to give Darla a little extra time to get out from under her mother's thumb, since dragons traditionally marry at twenty-five years. That's why Jubilee has been so meticulous about this wedding ceremony. Dragon contracts are tricky at best, and she wants to make sure every t is crossed and every eye is watching so Darla can unlock her hoard.\"\n\n\"Because her mother certainly seems to have Darla's best interests at heart,\" Breck said sourly.\n\nThere was a moment of silence that Breck recognized as Liam struggling not to insult his future mother-in-law. Without meaning to, he softly asked, \"Have you known Darla long?\"\n\n\"A few years,\" Liam said kindly. \"She answered a call for volunteers at the retirement home.\" He chuckled. \"When I saw her, I thought she was a spoiled dilettante who was going to run away at the first thing that smacked of hard work. I gave her the dirtiest jobs, the most stubborn old shifters, and figured she simply wouldn't show up for the second day of work. But I was so wrong about her. She was an absolute angel for the home. She's gentle with the patients, she's not afraid to get dirty, she works hard, and frankly, she's the only reason the place hasn't already gone under. Even before the wedding arrangement and the dowry, she was paying most of the expenses. She loves them. They adore her.\"\n\n\"Raise your prices?\" Breck suggested, not particularly seriously; probably Liam and Darla had already considered all the options that he could come up with. \"Apply for a grant?\"\n\n\"They all pay what they can, but most of them have no family and no money. And we have a lot of… special expenses that would be hard to explain under the scrutiny of a grant. Getting old can lack dignity for simple humans, but for shifters, it can be especially tricky. Not all of them can control their shifting anymore. That's not a problem for an ermine shifter, but a mammoth shifter can't stay in a standard room.\"\n\n\"Do you have a mammoth shifter?\" Breck asked curiously.\n\nLiam chuckled fondly. \"Yeah. He's about a hundred years old and no one can understand a word he says anymore, but he plays a mean game of chess and likes to watch gameshows. He wanders, if someone isn't keeping an eye on him. We had to chase him down the freeway one night and coax him back with gingersnaps. Fortunately, he was mostly just a naked man for that romp; he was a mammoth for the night out in an empty parking structure. I still wonder if anyone watching security cameras saw any of it.\"\n\n\"I can only imagine,\" Breck said, laughing. \"I'd be pouring<\|missing_text\|> our rival.\n\nHe's marrying our mate, Breck repeated with emphasis. But he knew that neither one of them had any choice in the matter.\n\n\"I should get back to work,\" Breck said, standing. \"Before people start showing up for dinner and Her Highness finds out that I've dared to show my face in public.\"\n\nLiam grimaced. \"Sorry about that, as well.\" He looked conflicted, like he wanted to add something else, but chose not to at the last moment.\n\n\"I'm not sorry,\" Breck said firmly. \"We should keep things as simple as possible, and it's simpler when there's distance.\"\n\nAs he turned to wipe down the rest of the tables and gather the last abandoned dishes, he realized that he actually liked Liam. It didn't make anything easier; if anything, he almost wished he had someone to hate, and was disappointed that Liam hadn't stepped into that role.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " out whatever I was drinking.\"\n\n\"Or saving it for science,\" Liam agreed. \"I miss those guys,\" he added. \"I'm sure they're in good hands for the two weeks I'm gone, but you get used to all their idiosyncrasies and special needs.\"\n\n\"Have you met Mrs. Shandy?\" Breck asked impulsively.\n\n\"Is she one of the permanent residents?\" Liam asked. \"The… ah… very large woman with auburn hair? I've seen her at the restaurant a few times.\"\n\n\"That would be Magnolia, also a peach. Mrs. Shandy doesn't make it out of her cottage much these days. You'd probably like her, and I'm sure she'd love a game of backgammon if you've got the time.\" Breck felt guilty for not making it by himself more often since Darla's arrival had upended his life. \"She's a greyhound shifter, in retirement here.\"\n\nLiam smiled. \"I'd love to meet her. Darla's the one who has a million things to do. Grooms are apparently just supposed to smile and show up at the end. The suit fits, I've gotten my hair cut, so they're done with me until the vows.\"\n\nI should detest this man, Breck reminded himself. He's marrying our mate.\n\nBut his leopard was oddly unconcerned with Liam. He's not", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write about 6291 letters worth to replace the `[text_redacted]` in the following text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next morning, Darla found herself at[text_redacted]m glad I got that much.\" She sounded more miserable than brave to her own ears.\n\nIt could be so much more, her snow leopard wailed.\n\nChef turned away, and Darla wondered if she'd said something wrong. When he turned back, his eyes looked misty.\n\n\"I'm not sorry you met him, either,\" he said warmly. \"Breck's got a big heart, and you clearly do, too.\"\n\n\"Will you… will you tell me about him?\" Darla asked hesitantly. Was it foolish, wanting to know more about someone she couldn't have?\n\nChef smiled at her. \"You've probably… heard things,\" he said knowingly.\n\nDarla's blush betrayed her.\n\nChef pulled out a wicked knife and began chopping a bin full of vegetables into tiny, perfect pieces as he thoughtfully spoke. \"What you have to understand about Breck…. he's not what he'd like everyone to believe. He isn't bothered by people thinking he's a hedonistic heartbreaker, out for his own pleasures, nothing more complicated than a shallow, self-centered playboy. But if you look a little closer, you'll see that he's more than the stereotype he sets himself up as being. He cares more about people than he cares about what they think. He's not afraid to look weak to make someone else feel strong; he'll sacrifice every shred of his own dignity to give someone else their own.\"\n\nHe shook the dirt off of a clump of carrots and cut the leafy tops off. \"I've known a lot of people over the years who imagine themselves as heroes, for standing up to bullies or muscling their way to success. But I'm not sure any of them has ever given a fraction what Breck has given, to people he'll never see again, in ways they usually never even recognize. He isn't kidding when he boasts that he could have his pick of partners, but he never selects the most handsome or the richest. He always chooses the one who needs him most. And he doesn't do it for their acknowledgement, only for their happiness.\"\n\n\"Your mother, she only sees the stereotype. Breck's not ashamed of his sexuality, and he's never been afraid to use sex to comfort someone or give them confidence. But don't make the mistake of thinking he's in it for his own pleasure first or that the jokes and flirtation are all there is.\"\n\n\"My mother doesn't understand comfort or confidence,\" Darla said quietly, absorbing Chef's words. \"Appearances have always been more important.\"\n\n\"Then you, of all people, know how much weight to give them,\" Chef said wisely.\n\nThe timer went off again, and he got up to remove the bread from the oven a final time. Darla finished her plate of food while he busied himself preparing the day's food.\n\n\"Thank you,\" she said sincerely.\n\n\"Thank you,\" Chef said oddly. \"I hope you'll stop in tomorrow morning, as well.\"\n\n\"It's nice to miss the breakfast bustle,\" Darla agreed. \"I think I will.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " the back kitchen door she'd fled from, listening to the pans rattle with her heart in her throat.\n\nIt was foolish to be here. It was a bad idea. She should be trying to avoid Breck, not steal fleeting moments in his company wishing she was someone else.\n\nBut here she was, even earlier than the morning before, her stomach a knot of tension and yearning. She pushed the door open boldly, and made herself stride in.\n\nAnd then she froze, because Breck wasn't there.\n\nThe mountain of a chef was already turning at her entrance, clearly expecting someone else. \"You didn't have to come in until six,\" he was saying cheerfully. \"But…\" He stopped as he recognized Darla. \"Miss Grant? Can I help you?\"\n\nHe was carrying a large tray of bread ready for the oven.\n\nDarla backed up a step. \"I'm sorry to bother you,\" she said politely. She wracked her brain for a reason to be there and stared stupidly for a moment. \"Break… breakfast,\" she finally remembered, stumbling over the sound of Breck's name accidentally on her tongue. That was why she had come the previous morning. She drew herself up. \"I was hoping for an early breakfast. If that's alright. I don't want to be any trouble.\"\n\n\"Come in, come in,\" the man invited warmly. \"Have a seat. I need to get these into the oven, and I'll whip you something right up.\"\n\nDarla thought his look was a bit knowing, a suspicion that was confirmed when she slowly perched on the stool she had used the day before. He set a plate down in front of her with a slice of cold ham and a fresh roll and asked mildly, \"You were expecting someone else, I think?\"\n\nDarla stared at her food, her stomach an unwelcoming knot.\n\n\"You've got something of a pickle then?\" the big man said, and he settled across from her in the place the Breck had been.\n\nDarla couldn't speak, and she tried to will back the tears that pricked behind her eyes.\n\n\"It will all feel better on a full stomach,\" the chef assured her kindly.\n\nShe didn't want to appear ungrateful, so Darla took a bite of the warm roll and swallowed obediently.\n\n\"See, isn't that better already?\"\n\nDarla didn't trust herself to speak yet, so she nodded and took another bite. \"Thank you,\" she said, once she had swallowed that and her stomach didn't seem to want to rebel.\n\n\"Everyone calls me Chef,\" the man said gently.\n\n\"Thank you, Chef,\" Darla said. She could look at him now, and his face was filled with kindness and sympathy.\n\n\"Your thanks is the enjoyment of my food,\" he said with a warm, knowing smile. \"Now, is Breck your mate?\"\n\nDarla had been taking a tentative nibble of the cold ham, and nearly choked.\n\n\"Did he tell you?\" she asked, once she had swallowed.\n\n\"I put some pieces together,\" Chef said smugly. \"And there's a look you've got. A look like you're in a room with no door. I know that look.\" His voice was gentle again.\n\nDarla remembered that Breck had said Chef had a mate. \"Was it easy for you? With your mate, I mean?\"\n\nChef gave a warm, low chuckle. \"It was not,\" he said. \"We both sacrificed a great deal to be together, and I worried for a long time that she would never forgive me for the things she gave up. But mates make it work.\"\n\nDarla looked at him skeptically. \"I'm marrying someone else. I don't know how a magical animal instinct is going to overcome that.\"\n\nHer snow leopard gave a wordless grumble of frustration.\n\n\"I suppose you have considered not marrying someone else?\" Chef suggested.\n\n\"I did think of that,\" Darla said dryly. \"Many, many times. But… dragon honor is a complicated thing. It's not a matter of just calling it off. For starters, if I don't marry Liam, other people are free to challenge for my hand, and there are far worse choices out there.\"\n\n\"A certain man in your mother's pocket who starts with E,\" Chef guessed.\n\nDarla couldn't quite keep herself from shuddering. \"The very one,\" she said. \"Liam is a dragon shifter, and Eugene doesn't dare challenge him. But Eugene is a cave bear shifter, and he's a mean, experienced fighter. Breck wouldn't stand a chance against him. If he got hurt…\" She had to close her eyes.\n\n\"And what does Liam say about this?\" Chef probed. \"Does he know?\"\n\n\"He knows,\" Darla said. \"He is the only person I've told. He says I don't have to marry him, but he understands the complications. He also stands to lose more than I do if I don't marry him.\"\n\n\"Money?\" Chef guessed.\n\nDarla sighed. \"He's already spent my dowry to save the shifter rest home he runs. He doesn't have it left to pay back if the marriage falls through. He says he could make things work, but I honestly don't see how. All those shifters — my friends! — would be turned out on the streets to die alone and he'd be bankrupt, and it would be my fault.\"\n\n\"You couldn't simply give him the money?\" Chef suggested.\n\n\"None of it is mine,\" Darla shrugged. \"I have always had everything I wanted, but if I disobey my mother, that all goes away. I am an heiress; I get nothing if she decides to disinherit me. I have some jewelry that I got as gifts, but my car isn't in my name, I don't pay my own rent, my credit cards would be cut off… I think I could be alright with being poor, but I don't know if I could live knowing I chose my own happiness over the safety of other innocent people.\"\n\nChef's expressive face was full of sympathy and sorrow.\n\nHe opened his mouth to speak, but the timer went off. Darla wiped her face as he went to check the bread, and took a large gulp of orange juice. It felt like a relief to talk about things with someone, even if the problem didn't look any less futile.\n\nThe fragrant bread did not, apparently, meet with approval, and he put it back in the oven, setting the timer.\n\n\"Miss Grant...\" he started, when he returned.\n\n\"Darla,\" she corrected. \"Please call me Darla.\"\n\n\"Darla,\" he agreed. \"Do you know what you're going to do?\"\n\nDarla looked at him with all the steadiness she could muster. Talking over her dilemma had only solidified her resolve. \"I am going to get married. I am going to walk down the aisle and recite fifteen generations of ancestors and wear flowers and seventeen necklaces and say vows that will bind me to someone else forever.\"\n\n\"And your mate? Are you sorry you met him?\"\n\nDarla's gaze wavered. \"I'm not sorry,\" she said at last. \"Even if I only got a glimpse of what might have been, I'", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Looking at this text, there's a `[missing]` that needs filling. Give me something like 12 sentences that would work.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck was surprised that Chef trusted him with the bread again after his previous blunder, but he didn't mind the early assignment.\n\nIt wasn't like he was sleeping much anyway, and it gave him the excuse not to linger in the common room with the others that evening.\n\nHe rose well before dawn and walked in the drizzly darkness to the kitchen, trying not to think about Darla.\n\nHe was very unsuccessful at it.\n\nSo unsuccessful that he stopped and stared at her for several moments before he realized that it actually was Darla, standing at the back kitchen door. Her hair was getting wet and sticking to the sides of her face.\n\n\"Chef said I should come early,\" she said, when he proved incapable of speech. \"I… hope I won't bother you.\"\n\n\"Oh, it bothers me a lot,\" Breck said when he could unstick his tongue at last. \"But I'm really glad you did.\" His sense of courtesy finally caught up with him. \"You're getting soaked! Come inside and get dry!\"\n\nHe opened the door and ushered her inside, careful not to actually touch her. He could still feel the impression of her waist on his hand from two mornings ago when he had helped her flee from Chef's approach.\n\nHe had to smile, to think of Chef playing matchmaker.\n\n\"Does it often rain here?\" Darla asked as Breck found her a dry kitchen towel for her hair.\n\n\"Usually only at night, at this time of year,\" Breck said in exactly the same light, polite tone she had used. \"Your wedding should have lovely weather.\"\n\nHe wondered as he spoke if it was too tender a topic, if he should avoid it — and the minefield of other subjects that would remind them of the web of promises keeping them apart.\n\nBut Darla laughed as she toweled at her hair and perched on her stool. \"The weather wouldn't dare be less than perfect,\" she said mockingly. \"Cross my mother? Even nature wouldn't do that.\"\n\n\"Ooo,\" Breck said, \"You're living dangerously, challenging nature around here.\"\n\nThe earth beneath them gave a well-timed rumble, brief and minor. Silverware rattled, and the hanging pans swayed for a moment.\n\nDarla's eyes got big. \"Do you get earthquakes a lot here?\"\n\n\"More recently,\" Breck said. \"But only little ones, and Shifting Sands is well-built. Nothing to worry about, I promise.\"\n\nShe smiled trustingly at him. \"I feel safe here,\" she said softly. \"With you…\"\n\n\"Darla…\" Breck felt like a pressure was building in his chest, a pressure that had nothing to do with lust or desire, but was still an undeniable yearning. \"You said that you had to get married, and I have to let you do what you have to... but… will it always be no for us? Because there could be divorce, and I would wait… years if I had to. Lifetimes.\"\n\nHer trusting smile faded and Breck wished he hadn't spoken because it was replaced with misery.\n\n\"You don't have much experience with dragon contracts, do you,\" Darla said sadly.\n\nBreck shook his head. \"I know Bastian avoids making promises,\" he realized.\n\n\"Dragons can add magic to enforce their contracts to make them binding. Like a geas. My marriage will be unbreakable. We will be literally incapable of dissolving it or... committing infidelity.\"\n\nThat sounded pretty final, and Breck felt like he was standing over a yawning pit of misery on a very narrow footbridge. \"Well,\" he said, as cheerfully as he could manage. \"At least I can get you a good breakfast before you walk the plank. Any requests?\"\n\nDarla's grateful smile was slow and timid. \"It was all delicious last time. I've never had such amazing strawberries.\"\n\nThe plate that Breck made her was heaped with strawberries, and included sizzling breakfast sausages, balls of goat cheese rolled in herbs, and flaky croissants, with a little chunk of carrot carefully carved into a rose. Darla's delight over the rose was like salve on a sunburn, and his leopard was thrilled that they managed to please her, at least that much.\n\nShe insisted he share the food with her, again, and Breck sat across from her and watched her hands and wished he could touch them. He had a pang of sympathy for Conall and his mate Gizelle, who had been too afraid to let him touch her for more than a week after they met.\n\nBut Conall had tamed her wild heart with his patience, and they were comfortably together now.\n\nHe and Darla had no such chance, and patience was not their answer.\n\nThey had far less than a week.\n\nBreck startled from his seat. \"Dammit, the bread!\" He turned on the ovens. \"First I burn them, now I forget to bake them.\"\n\nDarla stood up, surprised at his sudden outburst. \"Can I help?\"\n\nBreck laughed, \"No, there's nothing to be done, really. They've already been shaped, they just need to warm up while the oven heats and then I'll bake them. I'm just about twenty minutes behind the schedule, that's all.\"\n\n\"Bread has always been very mysterious to me,\" Darla admitted, as he took the trays of bread dough from the refrigerator and uncovered them. \"It's squishy dough, and then, magically, sandwiches!\"\n\n\"Crazier than that, it's little colonies of living yeast that we carefully cultivate and then murder,\" Breck added. \"Delicious, delicious murder.\"\n\nDarla giggled, her eyes crinkling perfectly. \"I never would have thought of that,\" she said in chagrin. \"How will I ever eat bread again without thinking of those millions of little extinguished potentials. One of them might have written the yeast equivalent of Shakespeare's plays if it hadn't been baked.\"\n\n\"You might also have eaten a little yeast Jack the Ripper,\" Breck suggested. \"So it probably balances out.\"\n\nDarla's laugh was the most beautiful sound Breck had ever heard, an unreserved moment of joy that he wanted to bottle.\n\nAs it faded, he realized he was staring at her, all the yearning in his heart undoubtedly on his face. \"I'm sorry,\" he said, looking away. \"I didn't mean to…\"\n\n\"Is your leopard driving you as crazy as mine is?\" Darla asked softly.\n\nBreck dared to look back, and Darla's face was a mirror of desire and despair. \"So crazy,\" he admitted.\n\n\"I'm so sorry I can't…\" she trailed off in embarrassment.\n\nBreck dredged down for a way to lighten the situation, to lift some of the weight of misery from her shoulders. Humor was always the first thing in his toolbox. \"You should be sorry,\" he teased, gesturing to himself. \"All this, and you don't even get to touch it! I'll have you know that I'm the greatest lover that has ever set foot on this island.\"\n\nDarla's eyes got very big indeed, and for a moment Break feared that he'd overshot his attempt at flippancy and horrified her instead. Then she burst out laughing, and the delighted smile that bloomed over her face was everything Breck had hoped for.\n\n\"Seriously,\" he continued flippantly, \"if they gave out trophies for sex, I'd run out of display space for them. I'd have to choose between keeping the 'best beach sex' trophy and the 'greatest floss'. You know, I'd probably keep that one in the bathroom. Keep my toothbrush in it.\"\n\nDarla laughed so hard that she had to lean on the counter. \"You're impossible!\" she said.\n\n\"Just highly improbable,\" Breck joked. \"Now I'll need to chop up some fruit for the breakfast service, or Chef will can me the rest of the way.\"\n\nHe did a considerably better job chopping the fruit than he had the day before, despite Darla's distracting observation from across the counter.\n\nShe was fascinated by the process, and admitted that she hadn't spent any time at all in a kitchen. \"I had no idea a mango started out looking like that,\" she said. \"And I didn't know a pineapple had a core.\"\n\n\"Want to help me wash up some of these dishes?\" Breck asked impulsively, when he had laid out all of the fruit dishes and added the mint garnish.\n\nDarla looked shocked. \"I've… never washed dishes before,\" she said hesitantly. \"Do you think I could?\"\n\n\"Darla, my love,\" Breck said expansively. \"I can teach anyone anything. Since I have no chance to teach you all the things I really want to, I can settle for showing you how to scrub plates.\"\n\nShe smiled shyly. \"I probably shouldn't ask what you really want to teach me,\" she said mischievously.\n\n\"Not unless you want anatomic diagrams,\" Breck teased. \"And those are classes best taught with a hands-on lab.\" Her blush was everything he could have hoped for.\n\nHe managed to tie an apron on her without actually touching her, a feat he took considerable pride in. He showed her how to wash the dishes, aching to press up behind her to demonstrate over her shoulders, and took them to rinse and dry. He was careful not to brush against her and watched her from the corner of his eyes as they worked.\n\nHer look of studious concentration was as alluring as her laughter had been, and her strawberry-blonde hair was lightly curled around her face in the steam. She nibbled on her lower lip as she worked, and her triumph when Breck approved her work was like a wash of joy.\n\nShe got invested in the work, and when Breck handed back a plate, pointing out an imaginary fleck, she was at first chagrined, then realized he was teasing her. \"There's nothing there,\" she protested.\n\nShe splashed him with the soapy water, laughing, and Breck started to automatically gather [missing]took a step back and waited in fear as the whistler passed by without pausing.\n\nDarla released her held breath in a rush. \"Tomorrow morning?\" she asked longingly.\n\n\"I'll be here,\" Breck promised.\n\nThen she was gone, and the kitchen was achingly empty again.\n\n\"I'll be here,\" Breck repeated helplessly to himself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "her into his arms, only stopping at the last moment, standing very close to her with his hands on either side of her arms… not quite touching her, but desperately wanting to.\n\nThey were frozen there a long moment before Breck could wrestle his hands back to his sides. He wanted to apologize, but sorry was the hated theme of their whole relationship.\n\n\"I should go,\" Darla said breathlessly.\n\nHe was close enough to kiss her with the slightest lean forward, and his leopard was doing angry, pacing circles over the fact that they hadn't yet.\n\n\"You should,\" Breck whispered.\n\n\"The sun will be up soon,\" Darla said, not moving. She was gazing up at him, her pupils large with desire.\n\n\"If I kiss you, I won't be able to stop,\" Breck warned her for a second time.\n\n\"I know,\" she mouthed without sound, and Breck felt like he could hear her heart breaking in the silence.\n\nHe wasn't sure how long they might have stood there, insisting that Darla had to go, if it hadn't been for someone whistling outside the back door of the kitchen. They each ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing a segment of a larger work\n\nLength:\n13 sentences\n\nStyle:\nZoe Chant\nGenre:\nurban fantasy\nNote: Characters may be pre-established", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla didn't realize she was still wearing the apron that Breck had so carefully tied onto her until she was creeping into the back door of her cottage.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She tore it off with frantic fingers as she heard her mother stirring in the next room, and threw it under the pillow.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No, what if housekeeping found it, Darla thought in a panic, casting an eye around the room. Her luggage wasn't particularly safe from her prying mother, and she couldn't think where she might put it that wouldn't be tidied by the staff later. Finally, as her mother tapped on the door, she wadded it up as small as she could manage and stuffed it into her Gucci handbag.\n\nDid it bulge suspiciously? There was no time to reconsider.\n\n\"You're dressed early,\" her mother said, sounding grouchy as Darla let her in.\n\n\"The sun wakes me up,\" Darla fibbed. \"I'm not used to it.\"\n\n\"I should complain about the curtains,\" Jubilee said, twitching them open. \"You'd think as much money as we're paying, they could afford better light-blocking fabric. You'd also think they would put coffee machines in each house. I'm going to the restaurant to get a decent cup as soon as they open.\"\n\nShe turned to give Darla an appraising look. \"We've got a long day ahead of us,\" she said. \"I want to go over the seating for the rehearsal dinner, and talk about the menu with their chef. The food so far has been decent, at least.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Remembering the breakfasts that Breck has served her rather than the meals in the restaurant, Darla agreed wholeheartedly and followed her mother. At the last moment, she grabbed her purse, and the ridiculously large designer sunhat that was supposed to keep her from freckling.\n\nChef himself came out to spread napkins in their laps and take their breakfast requests, something that pleased Jubilee, who loved to be waited on by the most important people.\n\n\"A one-egg vegetarian omelet with sliced avocado and cilantro,\" she decided imperiously. \"Cooked in truffle oil, not any nasty canola or corn. And some of that fresh bread I smell.\"\n\nDarla squirmed, and Chef carefully did not glance at her. \"I'm afraid the bread is still baking,\" he apologized. \"We… had a late start this morning.\"\n\nJubilee frowned, but Darla put her own order in before she could fuss about it. \"Just a grapefruit for me,\" she said graciously. \"And a cup of coffee.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" Chef said politely. \"And a loaf of bread will be brought just as soon as it's ready, fresh from the oven.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's good that you eat lightly,\" Jubilee said with a critical look at Darla after Chef had gone. \"I should have had you working with my personal trainer more before we left home. You're looking almost plump.\"\n\n\"The dresses fit,\" Darla reminded her. \"And there's a limit to how much weight I can lose in three days.\"\n\nJubilee sighed. \"Yes, I suppose we have what we have now.\" There was no doubting from her tone that what she had was a great disappointment.\n\nDarla's grapefruit was served with their coffees, and there was a little carrot rose in the garnish on the plate that made Darla's heart flip-flop in her chest. Her bracelet felt hot, and Darla put it in her lap under her napkin before it could start glowing and betray her.\n\nJubilee caught Chef when he returned with her omelet, and grilled him about the wedding menu as she ate, oblivious to the other people who came into the restaurant and were seated. Food continued to be served, so presumably, his staff was making do without him.\n\nBreck, Darla thought. Breck was probably in there helping to make the food. She fingered the carved carrot.\n\n\"And no iceberg lettuce in the salads,\" Jubilee said commandingly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's so cheap. Right Darla?\"\n\n\"Of course, mother,\" Darla said faintly.\n\nShe was glad that her mother had irrationally banned Breck from serving. Even just knowing he was close, looking at the rose he had carved, she wanted to squirm in her seat. He'd almost touched her in the kitchen, almost gathered her up in his arms when she splashed him, and she had wanted it so badly.\n\nHow much worse would it be, if it were Breck instead of Chef, cataloging her mother's demands, refilling her water, spreading the napkin in her lap...\n\nDarla nodded when she was supposed to, agreed with everything, and finished her fruit with one hand hidden in her lap.\n\nShe was keenly aware of the apron in her purse. Her sunhat lay over it, and it wasn't at all obvious, but it felt like it was burning a guilty hole in her side.\n\nCould she simply leave the apron discreetly under the table? How was she going to get rid of it?\n\nChef finally escaped, and it was a server who brought them their loaf of fresh bread.\n\n\"Maybe I should call Madame Nadine,\" Jubilee said thoughtfully.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I really can't decide between a mint reduction on the pork or a tart cranberry braise.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 14 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(hey for the next response, Remember to mention: \"The heat here makes me quite tired.\")", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I like the sound of cranberry,\" Darla offered, staring at the bread. All those little yeast villains and Shakespeares. She had to smile to herself.\n\n\"Mmm,\" Jubilee said, distracted by the menu she was annotating. \"But mint, you know.\"\n\n\"I'd like to have a bit of a rest before we go over the seating,\" Darla suggested. \"The heat here makes me quite tired.\" To say nothing of rising before the sun and spending sleepless nights thinking about Breck's eyes, and his smile, and his arms, and his…\n\nThe glow of the bracelet was shining through the napkin in her lap.\n\n\"That's a good idea,\" Jubilee said with a slightly knowing smile, and she gathered up her own purse. She yawned. \"I might like a bit of a siesta before lunch myself. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave us decaffeinated coffee, goodness.\"\n\nDarla gathered up her hat, but left her purse, tucked away off the edge of the chair where it wasn't obvious. It would give her a reason to come back later, when the restaurant wasn't busy, and she'd have a better chance of getting rid of the apron.\n\nAnd maybe seeing Breck again.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "continue with 2 sentences. Zoe Chant style. maintain established elements. add: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Shandy was too shrewd to be fooled by Breck's usual careless jokes and smiles. After he had badly lost two games of backgammon making distracted moves, she put the dice aside and gravely asked, \"What's under your skin, young man?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck wasn't sure how he could possibly explain the terrible, restless need that was eating him alive from the inside.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just resenting my enforced vacation,\" he said, at least partly honest.\n\n\"Oh, piffle,\" Mrs. Shandy said sharply.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You look like you've got girl troubles, and a whole pile of them. You don't have to tell me what's bothering you if you want to be that way about it, but you should know better than to lie about it to yourself.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not,\" Breck protested. He was, he thought, being very truthful with himself about the impossibility of his situation.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Shandy made a noise of disbelief. \"Well be that as it may, I'm sure I don't know what I'm talking about. It's not like I've had a lifetime of romance and relationships or anything.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mrs. Shandy…\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, no, we're done now,\" Mrs. Shandy said loftily. \"You may take my tray.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had forgiven him by the time he had gathered up her dishes and swept the floor, and gave him a warm, fragile hug.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You be honest with yourself,\" she said. \"And you let yourself feel, Breck. You open up that big heart and you give yourself permission to be happy.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck sighed and stewed over Mrs. Shandy's advice as he walked back to the kitchen with her breakfast tray.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He didn't want to feel. That way lay only pain and misery.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He automatically took the main path, his mind busy, until he heard giggling girls and nearly walked into a party of bridesmaids, remembering too late that he was supposed to be staying out of sight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "They greeted him with a range of reactions, ranging from haughty disdain to interested sidelong looks, and he skirted around them without responding.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "((ooc: Your response should contain the word 'under' precisely 2 times))", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few days earlier, even under strict orders to stay under the radar, he would have tested their sincerity with flirtation and smiles, but all he wanted to do now was escape.\n\nHe thought the rest of his path was clear, and was surprised when he found Eugene lurking near the back door of the kitchen.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Can I help you?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he asked shortly, his hackles up.\n\n\"I'm Eugene,\" the man introduced with a greasy smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You must be the infamous Breck?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're from the bride's family,\" Breck said flatly.\n\n\"Distantly,\" Eugene said quickly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My mother was Mrs. Grant's second cousin.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was the man who would marry Darla if Breck challenged for her and lost.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the first time since he had first laid eyes on Darla, Breck and his leopard were in perfect instinctive agreement: this man was absolutely, in every way, their enemy.\n\nSo it was unexpected when Eugene seemed friendly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, I'm really sorry for her interference. She's a little… old-fashioned, you know? And it doesn't help that she's trying really hard to impress the dragon high society with this wedding. I hope you won't lose your job over this.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Shouldn't,\" Breck said shortly, and he edged past Eugene to go into the kitchen without encouraging further conversation.\n\nTo his alarm, Eugene followed him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Glad to hear that,\" the man said cheerfully. \"Say, have you met the groom yet?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Liam?\" Breck said in surprise.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'dragon' 2 times exactly", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'd like him,\" Eugene said jovially. \"He's a great fellow. Did you know he was a dragon shifter? Big surprise to his parents. They come from lines of wolf and genet shifters, there hadn't been a dragon in their lines for generations.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I heard,\" Breck said, putting Mrs. Shandy's tray on the counter and unloading it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chef and the few people working in the kitchen were at the other end of the big room, working noisily with mixers. Chef was singing a booming opera over the sound.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Handsome guy,\" Eugene said, as if he were sharing a great secret.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And I don't swing that way myself.\" He laughed a little and seemed to think that Breck should be laughing with him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck gave him a hard look, trying to make sense of this baffling conversation.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Miss Grant is a lucky lady,\" he suggested, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice and failing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Undoubtedly,\" Eugene agreed. \"But I'm not sure Liam's… heart is in it, if you catch my drift.\"\n\nBreck rolled up his sleeves in order to wash the few dishes that had accumulated while he was away.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Alright then,\" he said dismissively.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'eugene' \| Required occurrences: 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His unfriendly responses to Eugene's attempts at conversation finally got through, and Eugene, frowning, gave up at last and left the noisy kitchen.\n\nIt was only after the man had left that Breck realized it sounded almost like Eugene was trying to interest him in Liam.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "OOC - Word frequency rule: 'interest' × 2", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Was he trying to sabotage the wedding by setting them up? Breck chuckled. He could have told Eugene he was wasting his time barking up that tree.\n\nNot only had Liam shown no interest in Breck, Breck was not sure anyone in the world would ever interest him again after meeting Darla.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Add twenty-six sentences sentences, maintaining narrative consistency. Include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla crept out as her mother was talking over the menu with Madame Nadine on the phone and made her way back up to the restaurant. She paused to make brief, polite conversation with the bridesmaids who were gathered at the bar. They were talking about the cute bartender, and the hunk of a landscaper, and the gorgeous native handyman, but they changed the topic when she joined them, and she heard them start it back up as she left once she'd managed the minimum social niceties.\n\nAt least they were enjoying her wedding celebration.\n\nAs she had hoped, the restaurant was nearly empty outside of her mother's dictated meal hours.\n\nNearly empty. Sitting at the table next to the one she had been at that morning was a woman so large that Darla had to do a double take.\n\nNo one, she was very sure, had ever insisted on a personal trainer or a diet to this woman. And Darla thought, enviously, that she didn't look as though she needed it.\n\nShe was, despite — or possibly because of — her great weight, the most arresting woman Darla had ever seen, health and self-confidence like a crown on her head. The chair she was on seemed barely capable of holding her, but she was holding court as if she owned the place, every gesture full of strength and grace. She had waves of thick auburn hair past her waist, and Darla was sure that hours with Lydia and Laura at the spa would never give her such perfect nails.\n\nChef was sitting across from her, gazing at her in unabashed adoration as they spoke. When he saw Darla, he stood. \"Miss Grant,\" he said politely.\n\n\"Sorry, I'm only here to get my purse,\" Darla said, honestly sorry to disturb them. \"I must have forgotten it earlier…\"\n\nThe large woman turned to see her, and her chair gave such a groan that Darla thought it was surely on the verge of collapse. \"Ah, you are the bride I've heard so much about,\" she greeted.\n\nWhat had she heard? Darla wondered, heart in her throat.\n\n\"I am Magnolia,\" the woman introduced, offering a bejeweled hand that Darla wasn't sure if she was supposed to shake or kiss. She settled for giving it the slightest fingertip shake, and Magnolia seemed to accept that as her due. \"Come, sit with me, darling. Chef was about to run off and abandon me to start the samples for your harpy of a mother.\"\n\nChef made a noise, as if he didn't approve of the frank description but didn't want to come out and say so.\n\n\"She is!\" Magnolia insisted. \"She's so strict about when the rest of us can come to the restaurant, Lydia says she's terrible to the staff, and Gizelle is frightened half to death of her, the poor dear.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She gave Darla a sly look.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 27 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And banning Breck from serving altogether. We're all outraged by her self-righteous attitude.\"\n\nDarla fell obediently into the chair that Chef had just abandoned.\n\n\"Bring the dear thing some food,\" Magnolia suggested. \"Doesn't your mother let you eat at all?\"\n\nDarla wanted to protest that she'd already had not one, but two breakfasts, but Magnolia didn't let her, waving Chef away imperiously.\n\nMagnolia leaned forward, and the table gave a moan under her weight as the chair creaked ominously. \"Now Darla, darling,\" she said in a voice that wouldn't carry past their table. \"I understand you're our Breck's mate, and that you can't get out of your wedding, which amply explains why you look like you've lost your best friend and stopped eating altogether, but tell me, isn't he the just the most delicious shifter you've ever seen? Honestly, if I weren't a happily mated woman, I'd have that young man making personal service deliveries to my cottage every chance I got. Such arms, he has! And his ass!\"\n\nDarla cleared her throat weakly, sure her face was beet-red. Whatever she had expected to discuss with this woman, Breck's personal attributes had not made the list. \"He's… ah…\"\n\nOurs, her snow leopard insisted jealously. All ours. Deliciously ours.\n\n\"Very… handsome,\" Darla squeaked.\n\nMagnolia leaned back and laughed. \"Oh, your face,\" she said kindly. \"I didn't mean to make you squirm, dear. I just assumed that you'd be spending every chance you got with the poor man before you had to part ways.\"\n\n\"I can't,\" Darla managed to say, confused and distressed by the idea as much as she longed for it. \"I'm getting married.\"\n\n\"You're not married yet,\" Magnolia said pointedly. \"And let's face it, darling, the time we have together is terribly short no matter who you are and how much stands in your way. If you have a chance at a few moments of happiness, you take them, and you hold onto them and you do the best with them you possibly can, even if it's not how you thought things might be.\"\n\nShe wasn't looking at Darla, for the end of her words, but over Darla's shoulder, with soft violet eyes. Then her gaze snapped back to Darla. \"And dear, if you haven't figured it out by now, Breck knows how to live now better than most of us do. You should let him teach you that.\"\n\nDarla stared back at her, as Chef appeared from behind her with an absolute platter of food: cubes of glistening fruit, croissants, slices of cold meat, exquisite little twists of homemade mozzarella. \"I couldn't possibly eat all of this,\" Darla protested.\n\n\"Oh, posh,\" Magnolia said expansively. \"I'll help you.\"\n\nWhich is how Darla ended up eating a third breakfast, listening to Magnolia talk about the beauties and qualities of Shifting Sands Resort, and thinking hard about her choices for the next three days.\n\nShe forgot about the apron in her purse.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "continue with 2 sentences. Zoe Chant style. maintain established elements. add: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was another minor earthquake after lunch. The only loss was a wineglass that fell off the counter in The Den; otherwise it was just one of the tiny rumbles that were starting to feel like just another feature of the resort.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who is supposed to be doing these dishes?\" Saina asked crossly from the kitchen as she cleaned up the broken glass.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Seriously, there are no clean plates, and it's starting to attract ants.\" She smashed one with her thumb. \"Ew!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck, lying on the couch playing a first person shooter and losing badly, glanced over.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They didn't usually have a strict chore schedule, but he was in the habit of cleaning up the kitchen every time he used it. But the past few days, he hadn't been able to dredge up the energy to care if there were dirty dishes, barely interested in feeding himself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sorry,\" he said, sounding unapologetic to his own ears.\n\n\"Oh, yuck, this dishtowel is crunchy,\" Saina said in disgust.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When was the last time these were changed? Breck don't you usually do the shared laundry?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yeah,\" Breck said, as his character died again. He thumbed off the game, but made no move to get up off the couch.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Saina seemed to finally notice his malaise.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For the upcoming response: keep quoted text at about 48%", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't think I noticed how much you do around here,\" she said as she dumped the last of the broken glass into the over-full trash. \"Are you... are you okay?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Saina wasn't the sort to be sympathetic to self-pity, or to be particularly sympathetic in general, so Breck was touched by the question.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be fine,\" he lied.\n\nSaina's mouth twisted doubtfully.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "[[OOC: Word usage target: 'truth' must be used 2 times]]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You know that mermaids can usually tell if people are telling the truth,\" she suggested.\n\nBreck hadn't know that, and wondered how many of his outrageous stories she'd known the real truth behind.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll be fine,\" he repeated, not caring if she believed it or not.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "To his surprise, she came and sat beside him on the couch.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, I'm not the most… people-oriented person,\" she said frankly. \"And it's not really siren custom to give a damn about anyone except ourselves.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah,\" Breck said, equally honestly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Saina had been an odd fit in their quirky work family, and he was pretty sure that she was the most surprised of all of them how well she had adjusted to the affectionate and cooperative employees who lived in The Den.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm really sorry you got yanked from your work by a ridiculous bigot,\" Saina said carefully.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And I know that you cared a lot about what you did. So if you want to talk about it or whatever, I'd listen.\"\n\nDespite the musical lilt to her voice, she said it like she was offering her wrists to be slit, Breck thought, and he was honestly touched by her thoughtfulness.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He also knew that talking about Darla wasn't going to fix a thing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I appreciate the offer,\" he said sincerely. \"But you can't help me with this.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Saina shrugged. \"Suit yourself,\" she said without offense. \"I'll do a load of dishes if you want.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks, Saina,\" Breck said.\n\n\"And Breck…\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who's your mate?\"\n\nBreck sat up straight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you mean?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "he said with no hint of his usual smoothness.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Saina looked apologetic. \"I've gotten to the point where I can recognize it, like I can tell when someone's telling the truth or not. My magic bounces off of mates weirdly. You're sort of… vibrating with it.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You can't tell anyone!\" Breck insisted so vehemently that Saina's eyes got large.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Alright…\" Saina said reluctantly.\n\n\"Not even Bastian,\" Breck added fiercely.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Saina's eyebrows knit in elegant confusion. \"Look, I know the staff will tease you about it, but they won't—\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No one!\" Breck was sitting up now, looking her urgently in the eyes. Too many people knew already, and he didn't want any more pity that he already had.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Worse, the others might try to figure out who she was and make some futile attempt to solve a problem they didn't understand the messy details behind.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Saina stared at him in silent surprise. \"Alright,\" she finally said.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) Precise word count needed: 'breck' × 2 (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I won't mention it.\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" Breck said sullenly, sinking back into the couch with the game controller. \"Much appreciated.\"\n\nWhen she looked like she might want to talk further, Breck put on the game headphones and tried to distract himself shooting zombies and hellhounds.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Writing partner mode: 22 sentences sentences, match context level. Themes: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "By dinner, Darla had still not managed to get rid of the apron.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Only your next part should have occasional quoted speech", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She left it in her purse, but left her purse in her room, shoved beneath the edge of her bed.\n\n\"I thought I might sit with Liam tonight,\" she suggested to her mother as they approached the restaurant and she caught sight of Liam sitting alone. The next night, they would begin the formal dinners; this was her last chance at anything that even resembled privacy.\n\nHer mother, who was already greeting the newest arrivals, had no objection to this proposal, and looked at Darla's wrist suggestively as they parted. The bracelet was dull metal.\n\nLiam smiled warmly as she sat opposite him and let the server put a napkin in her lap and tell her the menu. \"You look lovely,\" he said sincerely.\n\nDarla smiled wanly in reply. \"I've spent enough time in the spa today that I ought to,\" she said.\n\nShe spent the meal tensely listening to the conversations around them and picking at the food on her plate, making dutiful conversation with Liam as she wondered where Breck was and what he was doing.\n\n\"Would you like to go out for a walk?\" Liam invited unexpectedly. \"Assuming that you aren't any more interested in the dessert than you were the filet.\"\n\nDarla looked down at her picked-over steak and put her fork down, only just realizing that Liam had been no more interested in his delectable meal than she had been in hers. \"That would be lovely,\" she said sincerely, feeling guilty. Was she so wrapped up in her own concerns and needs that she hadn't noticed that her friend was suffering, too?\n\nThey were stopped no less than five times trying to escape the restaurant, by distant relatives or society friends who wanted to congratulate the happy couple and exclaim over what a lovely pair they made.\n\nAt last they were alone in the night, the chatter of the diners dying behind them to the drone of the tropical night noises and the whisper of the ocean. Liam took her hand, strong fingers twining with hers and Darla's throat tightened thinking how badly she wished they were someone else's.\n\n\"Darla,\" Liam said, when they had made their way down the stairs past the bar and down again to the pool deck overlooking the beach. \"We've got to figure out something better than this. This is worse than my worst fear when we agreed to do this. You knew I wouldn't be able to be what you needed... and you're so miserable I can't bear it.\"\n\n\"Have I done such a terrible job of hiding it?\" Darla asked, not bothering to try to deny it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Maybe not with everyone else, but I know you a little,\" Liam reminded her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And your mate… Darla, you must be in agony.\"\n\nDarla was keenly aware that someone looking down over the restaurant deck might see… if not their faces, the poses of their bodies, leaning together on the railing looking out over the ocean. Did they look like lovers eagerly anticipating their nuptials? Did they look like friends trying to make the best of a sticky situation? Did she look like someone who wanted a little to jump off the pool deck and see if the fall to the beach would kill her or only hurt a lot?\n\nThe thought drew her back in alarm. She'd never had such a dire thought before. She felt like her brain wasn't her own, like she was losing control. \"It's… terrible,\" she admitted in a whisper. \"I feel like I'm inside out, like nothing makes the slightest bit of sense. Like I'm in a toboggan heading down a mountain of broken glass going impossibly fast. I only feel better when I'm near him, even if we… can't.\"\n\nLiam put an arm around her. That would be convincing, if someone were looking at them through the darkness, even if it was only truly a gesture of friendship.\n\n\"Would it be better if you could?\" he asked.\n\nDarla froze.\n\n\"I don't know of any way out of this,\" Liam continued thoughtfully. \"If you chose Breck, Eugene would challenge, and you'd be back where you started. You run away… and… well, that has problems, too.\"\n\nBut Darla was still locked on the idea of having Breck, even just for a moment. What would it be like, knowing what his kiss tasted like, to have a memory of the feel of his skin, his hair through her fingers, his weight, his smell…\n\nShe had to wrestle herself back to the moment with every scrap of her strained willpower.\n\n\"And the home,\" Darla reminded him between gritted teeth. \"All those poor people who would have nowhere to go once my mother was done destroying their lives. Mrs. Asher. She's like a grandmother to me. Mr. Danby...\"\n\nShe wasn't thinking about them.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was thinking only of herself, of her own blazing need, her own terrible hunger, her own aching emptiness.\n\n\"Darla,\" Liam said gently.\n\nShe opened eyes she hadn't realized she'd shut and found that their bracelets were both glowing brightly.\n\nThat would give any watchers an eyeful, she thought bitterly, as she clamped her hand uselessly over her own.\n\n\"Sorry,\" she said faintly. \"I can't… can't help it.\"\n\n\"Darla,\" Liam repeated. \"Would it be better… if you went to him?\"\n\nNothing in the world could be better, she was convinced. And nothing could be worse.\n\nEven if Darla didn't have words to speak, the bracelets, now as bright as beacons, said plenty. Let him teach you how to live, Magnolia had said. And oh, she wanted to.\n\n\"Past the event hall, you know that white manor?\"\n\nDarla crinkled her brows at him in confusion. \"Yes,\" she said hesitantly.\n\n\"Go around the back, there's a door on the first floor past the retaining wall. There's a metal lizard on the wall next to it.\"\n\nDarla stared at him.\n\n\"That's Breck's private room entrance,\" Liam explained. \"He's probably there now.\"\n\n\"How did you find that out?\" Darla asked breathlessly. Her snow leopard was purring.\n\n\"The chef slipped me a note. I… to be honest, I thought it might be an attempt to fix me up with him.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla laughed, and was surprised that it was a real laugh.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 14 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He knows about me and Breck,\" she explained. \"And Mother being constantly around makes it hard to slip me anything directly.\"\n\n\"There you have it,\" Liam said with an answering laugh. \"More peer pressure.\"\n\n\"I… I just don't know if it's right,\" she said weakly, feeling what was left of her resistance crumble.\n\n\"Oh, Darla,\" Liam said, sounding as patient as ever. \"You have spent your whole life trying to do what is right for other people. I think that taking three nights to do the right thing for you is fully justified.\"\n\nDarla raised her gaze to his. \"Three nights,\" she said. \"I have three nights left.\"\n\n\"Go make them count,\" Liam advised. \"I'll put a sock on my doorknob per ridiculous custom and everyone will assume you are just being impatient and no one will question a thing.\"\n\nDarla raised on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. \"Thank you,\" she said simply.\n\nThey walked together to Liam's cottage to keep up appearances, and then she was covering her bracelet and scampering through the darkness towards the manor building.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "same energy as Zoe Chant, keep writing. story might have ongoing elements", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck lay on his back in the middle of his bed, staring at the ceiling.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He knew better than to think he was going to sleep that night, and had not even bothered to strip out of his clothing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He felt like there were bees under his skin.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It wasn't just wanting, it was like being incomplete, and he'd never even realized it, only muddled through in ignorance.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And now he knew what he couldn't have, had looked into the sky blue eyes of pure love… and as much as the rest of him was sure that it was his, meant for him in every way, his head knew it wasn't.\n\nIt wasn't just bees under his skin, it was angry bees, and his angry leopard, who didn't understand why either of them were denying this thing that was so basic and natural.\n\nHe could think of nothing else.\n\nThe knock on his back door made his heart sink. His room in The Den had clearly been intended for the live-in help; it was less grand than the rest of the house, but had its own tiny bathroom, and most importantly, a private entrance, tucked away at the back of the house. What it lacked in view, it made up for in discreet access. That had been useful for private liaisons in the past, but now he only wished he'd never told anyone about it.\n\nHe almost ignored the knock, but his leopard urged him to answer it, and he rose wearily to open the door.\n\nIt isn't going to be her, he told his leopard as he opened the door. It didn't make sense that it could be her.\n\nBut it was, and all the bees inside him went absolutely mad.\n\n\"Darla,\" he breathed.\n\nShe was panting and her eyes were dark with desire. The bracelet on her wrist was glowing like cheap rave jewelry and she had her opposite hand clamped over it as if she could cover the light of it.\n\n\"You can't be here,\" Breck insisted.\n\n\"I have three nights,\" she challenged him. \"Three nights until I have to get married and I'm bound forever.\n\nBreck felt like a guard dog being tested with a juicy steak. He was supposed to overcome this temptation. Hard as it was — and oh, was it hard — he had to turn her away.\n\n\"You can't be here,\" Breck repeated firmly.\n\nThen she was moving into the room, putting hands against his chest, and hissing at the contact. \"I want to be here. I have to be here. Show me what might have been.\"\n\nHe wanted to. He wanted to claim her mouth, her sweet body, her very soul. He wanted to lay her down on his bed and show her how to make it sing.\n\n\"It's not fair… to Liam,\" he said desperately. \"You are his.\" Saying it out loud made it hurt worse.\n\nDarla paused, then gave a small laugh. \"I will never be his,\" she said, shaking her head. \"Oh, I will be bound to him by contract, but I will never… Liam doesn't want me. He can't be with me this way.\"\n\nBreck felt like his brain was moving very slowly. It was very hard to think with Darla's hand burning holes through his thin shirt. \"He's gay?\" he ventured. It didn't quite make sense.\n\n\"He's ace… asexual. He's not interested in anyone, he doesn't like sex at all.\" Her hands were moving on his chest, fingers barely flexing, like a kneading cat.\n\nAsexual.\n\n\"Oh,\" he said stupidly, thinking of Liam's odd lack of reaction. He'd known there was such a thing as ace, but never knowingly encountered it before. \"I thought I was just losing my touch,\" he had to chuckle. \"That actually explains a lot.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I told you he wasn't a rival, his leopard reminded him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He knows I'm here,\" Darla said.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's the one who told me how to get here. Please, Breck, please… once I'm married, I won't be able to do this, ever, and I have three days left that I don't want to waste the way I've already wasted so much of my life. Please, please...\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck gathered her face in his hands, the silky sweep of her hair on his fingertips.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 41 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He leaned close, not quite believing his luck. \"If I kiss you, I won't be able to stop,\" he warned, so close to her mouth that he could feel her breath on his lips. She was straining against his hands towards him, and it took all of his willpower to wait there for her spoken answer.\n\n\"I don't want you to stop,\" Darla told him fiercely. \"I want you to show me how to live.\"\n\nBreck's fingers curled, and he closed the distance between their mouths with all the hunger he had been fighting since he had first seen her.\n\nShe opened her mouth and kissed him back with the fire that Breck had known was lurking beneath her sweet exterior, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body into his.\n\nIt was almost too much. He was going to overflow with the need and desire she woke in him. He was going to lose himself entirely in her kiss. He was going to burn away to nothing in the heat of her passion. He was going to...\n\nHe was going to embarrass himself if he didn't take steps.\n\nGreatest lover who ever set foot on Shifting Sands, indeed.\n\nBreck caught her face in his hands again and pulled slowly away. \"Wait,\" he growled. \"Slow down…\"\n\nDarla whimpered and tried to claw him closer to her. \"I'm not a virgin, if that's what you're worried about,\" she said, panting. \"And I know you aren't…\"\n\nFor a fleeting moment, Breck felt guilty. But his leopard reminded him, Every other lover was worth it, to best learn how to pleasure our mate.\n\nAnd pleasure her he would.\n\nBreck turned Darla around in his arms, to her confusion, then bent and kissed her neck from behind, slow and hot, from her shoulder to the bottom of her ear. Her breath hitched as he took the lobe gently between his teeth, and reached around her to start carefully, slowly unbuttoning her dress.\n\nWith every button, he paused, kissing first one side of her neck, then the other, nibbling, licking, brushing back her hair with deliberate fingers.\n\nShe didn't know what to do with her hands, fluttering them helplessly as he coaxed a flush of desire over her fair skin. He licked her shoulder and blew on it, just to make her shiver.\n\nAs her dress finally fell from her, she tried to turn, and he resisted her, cupping her breasts from behind and letting one hand trail down her stomach as she squirmed.\n\n\"Breck,\" she begged. \"Breck, please…\"\n\nHe pressed against her so she could feel how badly he wanted her, and almost lost his resolve when she ground back against him. One hand caressed her breasts, his thumb over a hard nipple and fingers tracing the place beneath where soft breast met soft flesh. The other hand teased lower, not touching where she wanted it most, but fingering the band of her underwear, circling her bellybutton, touching her thighs.\n\nShe writhed, and begged wordlessly, and when he finally walked his fingers down inside her underwear to find her clit, she gave a little cry and jerked in pleasure and shock. He teased it gently, then slipped his fingers deeper into her, letting his other hand continue to squeeze and caress her breasts. She was dripping wet, and he could just keep the pressure on her clit with the heel of his hand as he stroked into her with his fingers; it was only a few blissful moments before she was going rigid in his arms as pleasure crested over her.\n\nHe kissed her as she caught her breath again, and nibbled at her neck and earlobes. He didn't resist as she turned this time, and kissed her deeply.\n\n\"I want you,\" she begged through ragged breaths. \"I want you in me.\"\n\nBreck had to battle his own desire for the same thing to grin at her. \"Patience,\" he cautioned. \"I have only just begun…\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Keep going w/ one sentence more. Note: Might reference existing chars", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla could feel him, hard against her from behind, and knew that if Breck had not been holding her up with one strong arm, her knees would have given out as he brought her to the heights of pleasure and eased her down again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I want you,\" she begged him shamelessly when he had released her mouth.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I want you in me.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "His cock was hard against her; it felt huge through his khaki pants, and Darla was dying to release it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Breck smiled at her and his smile was like a promise they couldn't make.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Patience,\" he said, in that low silky voice that made her even wetter.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have only just begun.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He laid her back down on his bed — it was a broad bed with generous pillows and a silky comforter that slipped erotically beneath her — and stripped her soaking underwear off of her, cupping the cheeks of her ass in his hands as he did.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he was kissing her stomach, the underside of her breasts, the top of her hips.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When his lips finally brushed her nethers, she cried out without meaning to, and he was licking and kissing her, agonizingly slowly as his fingers once again spread her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "From this angle, he could reach deeper, and Darla squirmed, helpless with need and delight as he thrust into her, raising her slowly to a fever pitch of pleasure.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He didn't let her crest that time, slowing when she might have, and she whimpered and clung to his shoulders.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please,\" she begged. \"Please…\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To her delight, he pulled away from her then and unbuttoned his pants.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She sat up, panting, because she didn't want to miss a moment or a sight, and when he pulled off his briefs with the khakis, she gave a sharp inhale at the view.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he was on her again, leaning her back into the pillows with kisses and caresses as he laid his cock against her, but refused to press in.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla could not have said how long he teased her with it, just enough pressure to promise, but never entering as he kissed her mouth rough and nibbled at her neck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He growled at her, the vibration of it shuddering through her skull, and rolled her earring with his tongue.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She begged and tried to press herself up and around him, full of desperation and desire, and he taunted her by pulling away, until she was a tangled ball of need and heightened sensation.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, at last, he pressed into her, in one long, slow thrust that joined them on some new level of pleasure and he was trying to shush her with a kiss because she could not help but keen out loud in pleasure.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He continued to thrust, almost painfully slowly, and Darla tried in vain to keep herself quiet as all the nerve endings in her body seemed to burn with bliss.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shhh,\" Breck reminded her, though he looked enormously pleased with himself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He withdrew, making Darla give a little guttural cry of loss, then rolled her over in the bed and pressed into her from behind.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla stuffed her face into a pillow and screamed as pleasure rolled over her, clawing at the sheets and thrusting herself back against him desperately.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As her senses slowly returned from the overwhelming orgasm and the aftershocks gradually died away, Darla pulled away from Breck and rolled over.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had a look of intense concentration and desperation, and when he buried himself into her again, Darla could feel the way all his muscles were bunched up tight in almost agonized self-control.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Breck,\" she said, reaching up to cradle his face. \"Oh, Breck.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sound of his name on her lips seemed to crack him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His weight came down over her as he crushed her into his arms and began to really thrust in earnest.\n\nShe cried his name again, arms and legs wrapped around him, and found one last, unexpected wave of pleasure as he made a helpless noise of release and the heat of his seed filled her.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "continue with 2 sentences. Zoe Chant style. maintain established elements. add: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck cradled Darla in his arms, tangled in the middle of the mussed bed. A light blanket had been sloppily pulled over them to keep the night chill off their sweat-drying skin.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He would have been content to stay there forever, given the chance, but she stirred.\n\n\"I'm sore,\" she said in tired delight, and it made Breck's leopard give a growly purr of satisfaction.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm not sorry,\" Breck chuckled, nibbling at her neck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For your next response only, include heavy dialogue", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I hope you haven't left any bite marks,\" Darla said with a giggle. \"Might be hard to explain those to Mother.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck turned his nibbles to gentle kisses. \"Nothing that won't be gone by morning,\" he promised.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The words, gone by morning, slowed his kisses and made him hold her tighter.\n\nShe would be gone by morning.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "And two days after that, she would be gone forever.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The languid contentment vanished, like a drop of soap chasing a rainbow film of oil away.\n\n\"I shouldn't stay long,\" Darla said sadly, turning in his arms.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Only your next message should be 71% dialogue", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But I'm so glad I came.\"\n\n\"And came and came and came…\" Breck teased.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She flushed, and giggled, and buried her face into a pillow to muffle her laughter as it edged to hysterical.\n\nBreck wrapped her up in his arms and tickled her, spurred by her laughter.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then they lay curled together again, and Darla stroked her fingers down his arms as if mesmerized. \"Did you grow up here?\" she asked quietly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"At Shifting Sands?\" Breck asked. \"It's only been open a few years, though it was originally built in the 80s. No, I grew up in Detroit. My parents died when I was young, and my grandfather raised me. He was a steel worker, before the big factory crash.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you get along well?\"\n\n\"Better than you'd think,\" Breck said with a chuckle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He was an old-fashioned Catholic union worker, and I… well, I've always been me. But we were family, and we loved each other even when we didn't exactly see eye to eye.\"\n\n\"Did he… disapprove of you?\" Darla asked shyly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I always thought he did, but then he got sick, and he was in the hospital, and we had one of those long heart-to-hearts like you see in the movies. He told me that as long as I never hurt people or took advantage of them, there was nothing wrong with enjoying life and he sort of wished he'd done more of it himself.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did he… die?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck smiled fondly at the memory. \"Not then,\" he said cheerfully.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Made a miraculous recovery and spent another five years torturing the nurses at his retirement home.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked at Darla thoughtfully. \"He would have been a lot more comfortable in a home with other shifters,\" he mused.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The mention of the shifter retirement home brought a solemn stillness to Darla's face.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What about you?\" Breck asked swiftly. \"Where did you live?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla's voice had a calmness that Breck recognized as practiced.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I went to the finest schools all over the world. Private grammar school in New York. Two finishing schools in Europe, with a semester in China. I can curtsy like a queen and speak French fluently. I know how to dance and host dinner parties and all sorts of useless things, but I don't think I ever lived at all before I met you.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "They talked into the night, and made love again, and simply lay together not-quite-sleeping.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "At last, they had to admit that dawn was coming too fast, and Breck reluctantly helped her button her dress back up and find her lost sandals.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He put them on for her, worshipfully caressing the curve of her leg as he did, and then walked her out his back door to the edge of the retaining wall at the back of The Den.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "user note just fyi, CONSTRAINT: Include 'until' 2 time(s)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They paused there, holding hands, not willing to say their last goodbye, until Darla turned and threw herself into his arms, her face just briefly lit by the light from the house.\n\n\"I love you,\" she said into Breck's chest, and he held her tighter until her ribs creaked, kissing her hair.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have to go,\" she said miserably.\n\n\"I know,\" Breck barely managed to say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "They shared one last kiss, gentle, almost chaste, and then she turned away and fled away down the path.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "meta: Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'breck'", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck watched her disappear past a hedge, and listened to her footsteps on the gravel until they were drowned by the sounds of the ocean and jungle night.\n\nThen he turned unhappily away… and drew up short at the looming shape of Graham, holding a shovel like he was considering using it on Breck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What's your problem?\" Breck asked unhappily.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My problem is, that was the bride,\" Graham said flatly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The one who's getting married in two damn days. Of all the people you could be screwing…\"\n\nBreck was full of anger and frustration already, and hearing Graham calling what they'd just done screwing was too much.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He balled up his fists and stepped forward.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Graham gave a humorless grin, dropped the shovel, and raised his own fists.\n\n\"She's my mate,\" Breck growled.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Graham stepped back in astonishment, his hands falling to his side.\n\nFor a long moment, they stood that way.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Breck let his own hands fall.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She's my mate,\" he said again, in agony.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Graham swore, colorfully, and paced around in a circle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What are you going to do about it?\" he asked when he was back around to face Breck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What can I do?\" Breck said helplessly. \"She's marrying someone else in two days. This… this is all I get.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Graham frowned. \"You're not going to stop the wedding?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's complicated,\" Breck said flatly.\n\n\"Good,\" Graham said unsympathetically.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good?\"\n\n\"If you broke up that wedding, you're not the one who'd pay for it,\" the lion shifter pointed out.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Scarlet's the one with everything at stake, and she'd lose Shifting Sands. You'd bankrupt the resort. We'd all be out on our asses.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The consequences had occurred to Breck, but he hadn't realized that Shifting Sands was that close to the edge.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was mostly surprised that Graham sounded so invested.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, Scarlet and the resort are safe,\" Breck growled.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I haven't got a chance in hell of stopping the wedding.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Graham was quiet, which wasn't unexpected.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sorry,\" he finally growled.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he was sick of sorry.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Whatever,\" he answered miserably.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Anyone else know?\" Graham asked.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck gave a humorless laugh. \"The fiance. Chef.\"\n\n\"So, probably Magnolia,\" Graham surmised. \"That all?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As far as I know,\" Breck said.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Saina knows I have a mate, but doesn't know who.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good,\" Graham said. \"Less that know the better.\" He turned on his heel and Breck realized that he meant to leave.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait,\" Breck said desperately.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do I do?\"\n\nGraham gave a dark, rusty laugh as he stalked away into the darkness.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing buddy needed! thirty-two sentences more in Zoe Chant's voice. urban fantasy genre. this is from a bigger story btw", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hello?\" Darla called quietly as she came to the entrance of the spa.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was quiet, with most of the wedding party occupied approving the flower arrangements with Scarlet and the surly gardener, and Darla liked it much better this way.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was cool inside, and she was glad to see only Laura standing at the far window.\n\n\"One of my nails chipped,\" she started to say, then belatedly she recognized the miserable roll to the dark-skinned woman's shoulders, and the ineffective wipe she gave to her face as she turned and tried to pull herself together; she had been crying.\n\nDarla was across the room in a moment, automatically gathering the woman into her arms. \"It's okay,\" she said comfortingly. \"Can I help?\"\n\nFor a moment, she was afraid she had overstepped and been too forward; Laura was stiff and surprised in her impulsive embrace. Then she gave a shuddering sigh and softened into Darla's hug with gratitude.\n\nThey sat together on the bench by the window, and Darla put an arm around her shoulder and patted her hand kindly as Laura wiped her face on a cosmetic towel and her sobs gradually subsided.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Laura said shakily.\n\n\"You have nothing to be sorry for,\" Darla assured her. \"Do you want to tell me about it?\"\n\nLaura laughed weakly. \"It's probably just… hormones. I'm… I'm…\" She couldn't quite finish.\n\n\"You're pregnant?\" Darla guessed, her mother's uncomfortable conversations fresh in her mind. \"You just found out?\"\n\nLaura took a shaky breath. \"I thought I might be for a couple of weeks now, but yeah, just confirmed it.\"\n\n\"Is he going to be unhappy about it?\" Darla asked, knowing there must be some conflict to cause her so much grief.\n\nLaura exhaled in a rush, and gave a crooked smile. \"He's going to be over the moon… except…\" She bit her lip.\n\nDarla let her continue at her own pace.\n\n\"There are no kids allowed at Shifting Sands. I… I don't know what we'll do. He's so happy here. I am, too. I can't imagine leaving.\"\n\nIt occurred to Darla suddenly that Breck could be the father to Laura's child, and jealousy threatened to rise up and choke her. Almost as suddenly, she realized that they hadn't used any protection the night before, and that she could get pregnant herself.\n\n\"Who is he?\" she couldn't help asking, heart hammering in her throat.\n\nThe love that bloomed in Laura's face was so brilliant and unabashed that Darla's jealousy and worry felt foolish. \"Tex, the bartender,\" she said almost shyly. \"He's my mate.\" She showed Darla the simple gold band on her left hand. \"We got married a few months ago — a double wedding with my twin sister.\"\n\nDarla had to fight back her own wave of misery, sudden tears welling in her eyes. This is Laura's moment, she reminded herself, willing them away and smoothing her face before she looked up from the ring. \"It's beautiful,\" she said sincerely. \"You're very lucky, and I'm sure the three of you will figure out something wonderful.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tears filled Laura's eyes, but these were happier.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 33 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The… three of us,\" she repeated.\n\nDarla smiled at her and nodded. \"The three of you,\" she said, squeezing Laura's hand.\n\nLaura gave an excited squeak. \"I'm going to have a baby!\" she said, her tears overflowing.\n\n\"It's wonderful,\" Darla said firmly. \"You're going to have a baby, and however it works out, it's going to be amazing.\"\n\nLaura wrapped her arms around Darla again. \"Thank you,\" she said gratefully. Then she sat up. \"Oh lord, I'm a mess. This hormone stuff better get itself in order, or this is going to be a really long nine months.\"\n\nDarla decided it was wiser not to share her mother's horror stories of pregnancy.\n\n\"Now your nail,\" Laura said professionally, straightening her skirt and wiping away the last of her tears. \"Let's get you fixed right up. That looks like pink angel polish, and the chip isn't bad. We'll just do a quick patch and seal it over.\"\n\nWhile Laura fussed cheerfully over the broken nail, Darla looked through the opposite wall, thoughts crowding her head. She had never wanted a child before, and marrying Liam had been a relief from the idea of carrying on the family line like her mother so desperately wanted her to. But somehow the thought of Breck's child seemed like something utterly different. The bracelet on her wrist was glowing faintly, like it did every time that she thought about him, and she rubbed it automatically.\n\n\"What is that bracelet?\" Laura asked curiously. \"Does it always do that?\"\n\n\"Oh, it's… ah, a fertility charm,\" Darla said, embarrassed. \"It does this… randomly.\" Thinking about not thinking about Breck had the opposite effect, and it glowed more brightly.\n\n\"Well that certainly bodes well for you,\" Laura said with amusement. \"You must be so excited about your wedding.\"\n\nThe bracelet returned to dull metal as Darla made herself smile, and she talked politely about the wedding details, feigning the enthusiasm she knew she was supposed to be feeling.\n\nAnd the whole time she could not stop thinking about the unsettling possibility that she could be pregnant.\n\nWhen her nail was dry, as flawless and perfect as the others, Laura let her go, giving her a swift hug. \"Thank you,\" she said warmly. \"I'm going to go tell Tex right now.\" She was grinning like a loon. \"He's going to be so excited.\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I need five hundred and fifty-two character spaces give or take to fill the gap marked by `<cutout_marker>` in this text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their second night, Breck met her at the door before she had knocked, drawing her inside with a flurry of kisses and he had undressed her, and himself, before Darla had managed a full breath.\n\nIn complete contrast to the night before, they made fast, desperate love right from the start, coupling against the closed door, then bent over the back of a low chair, then on the bed, and when Breck thought he might burst an important blood vessel somewhere, they came together, crying out and trying unsuccessf<cutout_marker> me in the sales brochure. The resort would make bank, with a resource like me to pitch.\"\n\nDarla giggled helplessly, and pinched him. \"You're unbelievable,\" she scolded him. \"I'm trying to have a serious moment here.\"\n\n\"I'm serious,\" Breck teased her. \"Do you think 'sexpert' has a better ring, or should I go with something more humble, like 'Costa Rica's best lover?'\"\n\nDarla had to smother her laughter in a pillow.\n\n\"The copy writes itself,\" Breck said, putting his arms behind his head in a pose of satisfaction. \"Come to Shifting Sands… and come and come and come…\"\n\nDarla decided that her pillow was better served smothering him, and they wrestled and tickled and kissed until she was pinned helplessly below him and he could kiss and tickle her, and she could only squeak in protest and laugh until Breck had to crush her in his arms and try desperately not to admit that he could probably never be with anyone again after her.\n\n\"Tell me about these bracelets,\" he said, when they were lying quietly together again, slowly caressing each other, trying to memorize all their favorite parts while they could.\n\nIt was glowing faintly now, not the blazing light that had accompanied their frantic lovemaking earlier.\n\n\"It's… a fertility charm,\" Darla said hesitantly. \"The dragonrunes say 'unbroken line.'\"\n\nBreck traced it with one finger. \"It's not going to have much luck with me,\" he said. Something almost like regret settled in the pit of his stomach, though he'd never wanted children before, and he didn't feel like that had changed. But if Darla had wanted them…\n\nDarla was giving him an intense look, one that Breck was having difficulty deciphering. \"Are you… sure?\" she asked. \"Liam and I will never… but if I was… if I did, they'd all think… I'd have at least some part…\"\n\nTears were welling up in her eyes, and Breck's chest felt like it might crack. \"I couldn't if I wanted to,\" he said gently. \"I've… ah… had a vasectomy. There are no swimmers in there.\" Discomfort made him ramble forward. \"Not an easy thing for a shifter, and harder still to reverse, I might add. I never wanted to be the cause of someone else's burden, and I'd… what kind of dad could I be, really? I'm a waiter at an adults-only resort, and the bonuses around here haven't been great, and I never wanted to settle down… before.\"\n\nHe did now, he realized. He wanted to spend forever with the woman in his arms, and if that had included children, he couldn't have been happier about it.\n\nIt was very unsettling indeed.\n\nDarla wiped her tears away fiercely and shook her wrist. \"I guess these things are miscalibrated or something then. Dragon magic,\" she said in disgust.\n\n\"You wanted children?\" Breck dared to ask.\n\nDarla sighed. \"Not really,\" she admitted, to his relief. \"I just… thought it might help if I had something of yours… something to carry on with me…\"\n\nBreck swept her into his arms and held her tight as she wept, and, though he never would have admitted it, shed a few tears of his own into her hair.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ully to smother their sounds in kisses.\n\n\"I'll be back up to speed in short order,\" he promised, holding her loosely in his arms and breathing in the sultry smell of her. \"Don't think the night is over yet.\"\n\nShe drew her hand along his face, and the way she gazed into his eyes made his chest feel too small for the heart inside it. \"You are so amazing,\" she said softly.\n\nThough Breck understood that she wasn't talking about sex, he fled to humor to avoid thinking too hard about how much they'd never have. \"I keep telling Scarlet she ought to list", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 15 sentences give or take to replace the `[original_content_missing]` in the following text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's not fair,\" Darla finally said, when her messy sobs had subsided. \"It's not fair to find you and have to lose you.\"\n\nFair had never bothered her before, she realized. She had always had everything she wanted, been a part of an elite class — moneyed, a shifter… and not just any kind of shifter, but the end of not one, but two prestigious dragon shifter lines. And now that she was at the other end of the fair stick, it suddenly seemed to matter.\n\n\"Life is never fair,\" Breck agreed, stroking back her hair. \"But at least we got this. Hey, you could write a best-selling memoir about it when you're old and no one cares. Three Nights at Shifting Sands with the Greatest Lover on Earth.\"\n\nDarla squirmed to look at him skeptically. \"I thought you were the greatest lover in the country. And wasn't it the island yesterday?\"\n\n\"I get better with time,\" Breck said flippantly. \"I'm probably better now than when you got here. I might even be the Greatest Lover in the Solar System by tomorrow night.\" He grinned at her, and wiped away the tears left on her cheeks. \"But that probably wouldn't look as good on a book cover. They might think you were bragging.\"\n\nDarla had to giggle, she couldn't help herself. \"Sure, they'd think I was the one bragging,\" she teased him. \"How do you do that?\" she asked him, sitting up.\n\n\"It's a combination of skilled technique and great equip…\" Breck started, but Darla poked him in the side.\n\n\"Make me laugh, I meant,\" she scolded him, smiling despite her best efforts.\n\nHe sat up with her, and cradled her face in his strong hands, smiling back at her. \"I can imagine nothing in the world that I want to do more.\"\n\n\"Nothing?\" Darla teased him.\n\nHe chuckled, kissed her, and amended, \"Almost nothing.\"\n\nIf Darla was very carefully, she could think only about now, about the feel of his hands on her face, the whisper of his sheets over her legs, the smell o[original_content_missing]bedroom. A wide, low dresser stood along the far wall, and Darla walked to it and pulled open the top drawer.\n\nThe sight that met her eyes froze her on the spot.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "f him, the glow of his smile, the warmth of his kiss. She could be here with him in this moment, and be perfectly content.\n\nHer stomach growled, and she blushed.\n\n\"Let me go get us a snack from the kitchen,\" Breck offered.\n\n\"If you keep feeding me, I'm going to have seven chins like Magnolia,\" Darla protested.\n\n\"We can all only aspire to be Magnolia,\" Breck said, giving her a kiss and sliding from the bed. She caught him before he could stand, with a second, deeper kiss that dragged him back down on her. When she finally released him, he grinned at her. \"I will not be long,\" he promised.\n\nThen he was pulling on a bathrobe and vanishing out the door.\n\nDarla snuggled back down into his sheets for a moment, inhaling the musky smell of sex and sweat. Then she rose and explored the room restlessly. He had a private bathroom, and Darla smirked at her ruffled, naked reflection a moment before she splashed water on her face and tried to smooth back her hair. She prowled around the bathroom, stroking the lush towels and rattling his lone toothbrush in the holder.\n\nA little chilled in the cooling night air, she decided to find a t-shirt of Breck's to put on, and returned to the disheveled ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "ur a writing helper. partner writes, u do next twenty-five sentences. might have existing chars/stuff - roll with it", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck was dismayed to find that the common room was not deserted.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Worse, most of the staff was there, and they were toasting Tex and Laura enthusiastically.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm going to be a dad!\" the bear shifter bartender exclaimed, throwing his arms uncharacteristically around Breck. \"Come drink with us!\"\n\n\"I'm… ah, right in the middle of something,\" Breck said regretfully. \"But congratulations!\"\n\n\"They can come celebrate with us,\" Jenny suggested laughingly. Several of the others echoed the invitation.\n\nBreck's chest squeezed to realize that wasn't possible, and Graham gave him a long, suspicious look as he shrugged them off with a stiffly smiling shake of his head.\n\n\"Are you the only one who isn't smashed?\" he asked Laura bemusedly as he piled a plate with leftovers from the big fridge.\n\n\"Not by choice,\" Laura said, grinning foolishly and toasting with her glass of water.\n\n\"Congratulations,\" Breck said sincerely. \"You guys thought about where you'll go?\"\n\nHe regretted the question at once, as Laura's entire face fell. \"I… I don't know,\" she confessed quietly, with a glance out of the kitchen to where the others were raucously placing bets on gender and shift form. \"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.\"\n\n\"You'll figure something out,\" Breck promised more confidently than he felt. \"Maybe Scarlet will suddenly develop a motherly streak, and she'll open a daycare in the event hall. She did let Ally stay over Christmas.\" Wrench's eight-year-old niece had come in secret for safe haven at the resort, and Scarlet had been unexpectedly generous about the infraction of the rules.\n\nLaura giggled. \"Can you imagine Scarlet with a baby? They're so messy and unpredictable. She'd want it on a very specific schedule, with very exacting requirements for its feeding and bowel movements.\"\n\n\"You, however, will be a wonderful mother,\" Breck told her warmly. \"I hope you stay here so we can all spoil it rotten.\"\n\nLaura smiled gratefully. \"I'd really like that,\" she said wistfully.\n\n\"However it works out, it will be amazing,\" Breck promised.\n\nLaura chuckled. \"That's funny, that's exactly what Darla said.\"\n\n\"Darla?\" Breck choked, surprised.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Miss Grant. You probably haven't met her, with your serving ban, which by the way, is outrageous and everyone is furious. She's nothing like her mother, and is really very sweet. Not at all your type, though.\"\n\n\"I don't have a type,\" Breck said automatically, wondering if it sounded as strangled as he felt.\n\n\"Well, you're not her type then,\" Laura said. \"She's lovely, but very much a good little girl: shy, docile, meek.\"\n\nNaked in my room, Breck thought in chagrin and amusement. Screams like a siren when she comes… getting married to someone else the day after tomorrow...\n\n\"Anyway, we'll find some creative solution,\" Laura said brightly. \"No situation is impossible.\"\n\nExcept mine, Breck didn't say.\n\nHe suffered through another comically drunken hug from Tex, who had returned to the kitchen to find Laura, and escaped back down the hallway to his room with the plate of food, listening to the happy din diminish behind him.\n\nHe was walking quietly, and opened the door with practiced silence, and had to stand a long moment, gazing at his mate across the room in awe.\n\nDarla was standing in front of the lamp, so that all of her edges were golden, and her hair was a messy halo of light. She was still naked, and every curve was perfect. She was all woman: plump breasts, round hips, the little roll of tummy that every woman hated and every man adored. Her arms were strong, but soft, and the line of her neck was an invitation for kisses. The mesmerizing sweep of her legs. The perfect tuck of her ass. The dimples of Venus in the small of her back.\n\nBreck looked his fill, trying to memorize it all, to drink her in while he could, reveling in his exquisite thirst for her.\n\nThen he realized that she was standing in front of his open top dresser drawer.\n\nHe must have made a noise of dismay; she turned sharply in surprise, cheeks flaming red.\n\nThis was it, then, Breck thought in chagrin. This was when she realized that he wasn't the kind of person she really wanted to be involved with anyway. Her wedding would look like a happy escape from an awkward situation now. She may not have been a virgin, but she checked off every box of the stereotype of virginal, and that drawer definitely wouldn't fit into her sheltered world view.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Braced for her disgust, Breck put the plate of food on the nightstand.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 11 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"About that drawer…\" he started.\n\n\"I want to try everything,\" Darla said breathlessly.\n\n\"You can just… wait, what?\"\n\n\"I don't even know what some of these things are,\" she admitted shyly. Her cheeks were still red, but it was a delighted flush, and she was licking her lips with interest. \"Will you show me?\" She turned to reach into the drawer, coming up with a gleaming silver ring… the tamest of the offerings of the drawer.\n\nBreck swallowed hard. \"I'm afraid it's a little late for that one,\" he said, chuckling. \"I'd need a cold shower or the funeral of a friend to get me into that right now.\"\n\nHe closed the distance between them and took it from her fingers, pausing to kiss her. \"But we could probably make some inroads on this drawer tonight…\" He selected a silk blindfold and watched her smile widen.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "write ten sentences more in Zoe Chant style. keep established lore. include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla was keenly aware of Eugene's eyes on her as they all sat for breakfast. Did he seem suspicious? Or just thoughtful? She had wondered at his easy acceptance of Liam's challenge. Though he'd growled and probably taken his temper out on his staff, he hadn't done any of the things that Darla had been afraid he would, like threaten Liam's family, or work harder to persuade her mother that Liam wasn't acceptable.\n\nShe had the uncomfortable feeling he was waiting for something, like he was still planning to spring some last minute nasty surprise on her.\n\nShe picked at her omelet until Alison kindly said, \"It all kind of makes you want to elope, doesn't it?\"\n\nDarla, caught thinking about Breck, stared at her a startled moment before remembering her practiced laugh. \"It would certainly be much simpler,\" she said with a smile. \"So many names to remember! The left hand takes the chalice, the right hand takes the flower. Don't drop the chalice on the officiant. The train of the dress always in the right hand. I hope I keep it all straight!\"\n\nEveryone laughed, exactly as she meant them to, even Eugene, and the photographer who had been tailing them all morning snapped a dozen candid photos.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It will be the shifter wedding of the century,\" Jubilee said in delight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did I tell you that I've already been contacted by two magazines who want to run a big photo spread on us? I'm still considering their offers, of course.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla smiled wanly as the others at the table congratulated Jubilee and the conversation once more revolved around her mother. Then she caught Eugene's narrow-eyed look again, and had to fight to keep her face serene. Did he know? Everyone was giggling over her not-so-secret nights with Liam, but did he guess that it wasn't Liam's cottage she was sneaking away to?\n\nChef brought her a plate of fruit and rolls, giving her a private wink as she caught sight of a carved rose carrot and blushed. She smiled at him gratefully.\n\nLiam, across from her, gave her a tolerant shake of the head and put his wrist with the bracelet that was starting to glow into his lap, much as she had hers.\n\nAfter the lengthy breakfast, and a parade of formal congratulations from all the new guests, Darla was permitted to escape to the spa, where she could find a few moments of peace with cucumbers on her eyes and let the drone of the other guests fade into the background.\n\nLaura gave her the hot wet towel to remove the facial, and shared a knowing look and secret smile with her.\n\nDarla smiled back.\n\nIt was ironic that she felt more included in little staff secrets than she did in her own wedding.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We're going to see that the event hall has been decorated according to my specifications,\" Jubilee said, interrupting the moment of peace to haul her away from the spa.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And that the dais is completed and the shelter for the vigil doesn't look too cheap. I want everything perfect to start things off tomorrow night.\"\n\nShe had a new audience for her lavish plans, so Jubilee was in her element, extolling in great detail how she had faithfully researched dragon custom to come up with the most authentic ceremony possible. Distant aunts, dragon socialites, and important people from the guest list that Darla had dutifully memorized the week before followed her, chattering about how lovely the resort was, and admiring Jubilee's thoroughness. Darla trailed at the rear of the party, watching the photographer dart among them to snap celebrity shots.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continue with twenty-one sentences sentences. Match the established level of character/world familiarity. Genres: urban fantasy. Include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't forget,\" Travis said mockingly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The bunting has to be exactly 24 inches from the ceiling. From the ceiling, not from the trim.\" His imitation of Jubilee's voice was close enough to elicit laughter from the rest of the staff working on finalizing the decoration of the event hall. Even Graham, hauling flowering plants in big pots, gave a guffaw.\n\nBreck, at the top of a ladder with the staple gun, a measuring tape, and a roll of the fluffy bunting, defiantly attached it 25 inches below the ceiling.\n\nThere, he thought sourly. Wedding ruined.\n\nIt was the last day before the ridiculous two-day ceremony began, and he was in knots. This was his last night with Darla. His last night before he lost her forever, and dammit, he needed to make it memorable.\n\nBut sex didn't seem like the answer.\n\nHe loved their bedplay, and there was no doubting that she enjoyed it equally, but he felt like there was something more meaningful he ought to be doing. Something she would treasure forever.\n\n\"Wedding party incoming!\" Jenny called urgently from the door. \"They're crossing the lawn now!\"\n\nStaff scrambled.\n\nBreck abandoned the staple gun and measuring tape, letting the bunting unroll, and scaled down the ladder hastily.\n\nTravis hissed and pointed to the supply closet as he went to take Breck's place. \"Back in the closet with you,\" he teased.\n\nBreck skidded across the hall and wedged himself in with the chairs and tables and seasonal decorations, just as Jubilee marched in with Scarlet and a contingent of important looking people, gushing over the hall that she had spent the past several days criticizing.\n\nBreck left the door cracked, so he could watch. Beside Jubilee, Alison looked like she'd rather be anywhere. The party with them was the sort Jubilee clearly moved with: rich, blooded society types wearing overstated jewelry and flashy silks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he saw Darla, at the back of the party, drifting behind them looking as dreamy and serene as an expectant bride ought to look.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Someone had put the sparkly bride sash on her again.\n\nHe watched as the party inspected the work in progress, giving noises of approval over the various decorations and speculating over improvements. Helpful suggestions were offered, and Jubilee added a laundry list of things to Scarlet's list as the owner wrote them down without comment.\n\nDarla's eyes strayed back to the far end of the room where Breck was watching from the storage room. After he had scanned the crowd to determine that no one else was looking his way, busy with Scarlet and the others looking at fabric swatches and candles, Breck edged the door open wider and blew her a kiss.\n\nHer eyes opened wider, then crinkled into a helpless smile. It was her real smile, not her perfect society smile, and it gave her dimples.\n\nTo his delight, she trailed back to his end of the event hall as the others gathered to leave, ostensibly gazing up at the decorations being hung, but one eye for the storage closet. She stopped nearby, studying, to all appearances, the large native Costa Rican artwork hanging on the back wall.\n\nBreck pushed the door a little further open, watching the crowd. They were discussing the outdoor decorations now and starting to stream out. The rest of the staff was being dispatched to other tasks, or hauled along with the wedding party. Breck opened the door just a tad further, and waved her in enthusiastically.\n\nSmothering her giggles, Darla dashed into the tiny closet and threw her arms around him as he pulled the door shut. \"I shouldn't be here,\" she whispered in his ear as he kissed her neck.\n\n\"I'm irresistible,\" Breck teased her, then she was kissing him back and all he could think was how right this was, and how perfect, even locked in a dark storage room, trying not to let the chairs around them rattle when they accidentally ran into them.\n\n\"I should get back to the group,\" Darla said reluctantly, slowing her kisses.\n\n\"Run away with me,\" Breck said impulsively. \"Forget the wedding, forget them all. We could run away to the mainland and live footloose lives on the beach eating bananas and coconuts.\"\n\nShe gave an inhale. \"We could steal the boat, sell my jewels…\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Make love in the surf every night.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Together,\" Darla said longingly.\n\n\"Forever…\"\n\nFor one blissful moment, Breck let himself dream.\n\nA tent on the beach, a simple life with his mate, Darla always by his side.\n\nBut guilt drew him back. \"I couldn't do that to Scarlet and the resort,\" he said regretfully, remembering Graham's words.\n\n\"I couldn't do that to Liam and the home,\" Darla agreed with the same reluctance. \"We'd leave a wake of terrible things behind us, and… I couldn't face my reflection in the mirror if I caused that kind of mess for my own happiness.\"\n\n\"One more night,\" Breck said mournfully. \"We have one more night.\"\n\nOne last kiss, long and lingering, and Darla sighed. \"I really have to get back. They'll wonder where I am, and if they caught us…\"\n\n\"I know,\" Breck said, but it was another moment before he could let her go, leaning his forehead against hers in the darkness.\n\nThey cracked the door and surveyed the fortunately empty event hall, and then Darla slipped out, straightening her sash carefully before walking calmly across the room as if she had simply been enjoying a moment of quiet reflection before catching up with the wedding party.\n\nBreck escaped from the closet when there were no sounds of the party returning and went back to the ladder. He climbed it slowly, looking down over the large room thoughtfully as he picked up the staple gun.\n\nHe wanted to give himself utterly to her, and lacking that, he wanted to send her away with some kind of token. Jewelry seemed pointless, and he had nothing that seemed appropriate. Tears in a bottle? Something from his drawer? A letter would surely be too incriminating.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nothing was right.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(In the next section: Precise word count needed: 'something' × 5)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He savagely stapled up the next gather of the bunting and scaled down the ladder to move it and put the next section up.\n\nAnything of value he could give her, she'd be able to buy something twice as good for herself. He wanted to give her something… permanent. Something she'd always have. A tattoo, he thought wildly, though he had only the foggiest idea how those worked and had no desire to go ask Wrench for advice on the topic.\n\nSomething she couldn't buy… something she couldn't do…\n\nBreck almost fell down the rest of the ladder as the perfect idea hit him.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "yo hit me with 4 sentences more. same character energy. urban fantasy genre k?", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(( CONSTRAINT: Include 'darkness' 2 time(s) ))", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where are we going?\" Darla asked in a whisper, giggling, as Breck, after a lingering kiss, did not draw her inside his room, but led her by the hand up past the hotel to the very top of the resort in the darkness. Her bracelet glowed faintly in the darkness.\n\n\"I've got a surprise for you!\" Breck said mysteriously.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is it something from your drawer of goodies?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla asked eagerly, already feeling naughty for lurking through the velvet midnight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Better,\" Breck promised. Then he hushed her as they tiptoed past the entrance to the resort. Scarlet's rooms were dark. A small shape disconnected from one of the shadows in the courtyard, startling Darla.\n\n\"That's Tyrant,\" Breck said reassuringly near her ear.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Just a cat, not a shifter.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "// 🎯 Target word: 'resort' \| Required occurrences: 2", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tyrant followed them curiously to the door of the courtyard and decided against pursuing them out into the dark drizzle.\n\nPast the low stone wall that marked the top edge of the resort, Breck led Darla to the parking lot, where the resort van seemed to be the only thing waiting for them.\n\nDarla expected to get in and drive somewhere, but to her surprise, Breck took her around to the back of the van. \"I'm going to show you how to change a flat tire,\" he said gleefully.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"In the dark?\" Darla exclaimed. \"In the rain?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you think flat tires only happen on sunny days?\" Breck scoffed. \"Of course not!\"\n\nHe opened the back doors of the van. \"Usually you'll find the tools in the back near the tire wells, or in a compartment under the floor here.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He showed her where they were cleverly tucked and told her what each of them was.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he showed her how to remove the spare tire from underneath the van.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not really dressed for this,\" Darla said cautiously, as she meticulously brushed the dirt off of her pants after manhandling the spare to the side of the van. It had at least stopped raining.\n\n\"I suppose you will plan your flat tires for days you are wearing coordinating work overalls,\" Breck teased her.\n\nDarla pinched him, which resulted in being kissed breathless.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Alright, I'll stop complaining,\" she laughed, drawing away reluctantly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do we do now? Do we lift up the van first? On that jack thing?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The contraption looked far too small and insignificant for the task.\n\n\"A good guess,\" Breck said. \"But no — first you have to loosen the lug nuts. If you try to do that after you've jacked it up, you'll only rotate the tire.\"\n\nHe gave her the tire iron and turned on a flashlight.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Righty tighty, lefty loosey,\" Darla said with determination, and she set to work.\n\nThe nuts gave her no trouble, between the tire iron and her own shifter strength. Breck stopped her before she removed them completely. \"You don't want the tire falling off on you when you jack it up,\" he reminded her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I never would have thought of that,\" Darla confessed. \"I'm so stupid.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'don't' × 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are not stupid,\" Breck growled. \"Don't ever think that just because you don't know something.\"\n\nDarla looked up at him. It had stopped raining, but they were both completely soaked.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the faint, indirect light of the flashlight he was holding, he looked like big and dangerous crouching beside her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he grinned at her, and her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest.\n\n\"Isn't this fun?\" he asked.\n\n\"You have a weird idea of fun,\" Darla told him, but she was grinning back.\n\nIt was fun, she realized, as Breck started talking about how the van was put together, and why you always had to use a piece of the frame structure to jack it up.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Try jacking it up on the body out here somewhere, and it will just crumble when the weight of the van is on it,\" Breck explained.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's just plastic. Your user manual will have advice about the best place to put a jack, or you can just look for a good solid piece of frame.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They crawled around in the mud and dirt once the jack was up and the tire was off, shining the flashlight on all the bits and parts of the underside of the van as Breck pointed out what they all were.\n\nHer head spinning with axles and undercarriages and oil pans and mufflers, Darla finally stopped listening and simply gazed at Breck. He was explaining something about exhaust systems and oxygen sensors, and he was so animated and so dear that Darla could barely breathe.\n\nIt wasn't just how badly she wanted his touch, it was being with him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the way he laughed, and the way he made her laugh.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the way he cared more about how people felt than what they thought of him, so entirely backwards from anyone else she'd ever known.\n\nIt was being dirtier than she'd ever been in her life, and feeling cleaner.\n\nThis was what having a mate could be, she realized, aching.\n\nAnd she was so glad she'd been able to know that.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck glanced over at her and fell silent as he recognized that she wasn't listening.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You… okay?\" he asked quietly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tears sprang to Darla's eyes. \"Yeah,\" she said honestly. \"I am.\"\n\nHe reached awkwardly over in the cramped space to touch her face gently with a dirty finger. \"I know it's our last night. I probably should have… fed you chocolate-covered strawberries or massaged you with scented oils, or…\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is perfect,\" Darla said.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'something' \| Required occurrences: 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck's face was an art study of dramatic lighting, the single flashlight casting harsh shadows over the planes of his handsome face. \"I wanted to give you something that you could take with you. Something no one could take away.\"\n\n\"You did,\" Darla said, meaning it in so many ways. She drew in a careful breath.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's go put that tire on.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They scooted out from under the van, and Breck directed Darla in wrestling the spare tire onto the lugs but didn't once offer to help her. He showed her how to put on the nuts evenly using a star shape to keep it balanced, and let her lower the creaky jack herself and give the nuts a final tighten.\n\n\"You did it,\" Breck said proudly, as she stood back and tried to brush the worst of the mud from her damp pants. \"You changed your own tire.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I did it,\" Darla realized.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck was close behind her, and she shivered.\n\n\"Are you cold?\" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.\n\nShe turned in his arm and looked up at him. The flashlight was wedged in the open van window, pointed at the tire, and it cast the barest light over his face, but her bracelet was glowing bright enough now to reflect in his beautiful eyes.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You tell me,\" Darla murmured, rising on her toes to kiss him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His arms tightened, and he met her mouth with his own, hungry and desperate.\n\nThey made love slowly, removing damp layer by damp layer, kissing and caressing and whispering things that weren't promises.\n\nShe tried to memorize the feel of his shoulders, the way his hair slipped between her fingers, the taste of his mouth. She wanted the feeling of his hand in the small of her back to be imprinted there forever.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She pressed her breasts against his kisses, wishing she could bottle the sensation it raised in the hollow of her throat and the pit of her stomach.\n\nThe creaky resort van was not the most luxurious of beds, but neither of them cared.\n\n\"I love you,\" she told him, as they joined at last, wedged awkwardly across the back bench. \"I will love you forever.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gripped her harder and made a wordless noise of grief and pleasure and agony that echoed the her own conflicted heart.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I love you,\" he told her softly in reply. \"I will, always.\"\n\nIt was the only promise they would ever get.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "The text has a missing section marked as `<\|missing_text\|>`. Give me approximately five hundred and seventy words that would fit there.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The back seat of a van was not the most comfortable place for two people to lie. Breck's arm was wedged uncomfortably against a seatbelt, and every time Darla shifted in his arms, he got an elbow somewhere tender, or a limb went numb.\n\nHe still wasn't willing to let go.\n\nThese were his last stolen moments with her.\n\nIt was nearly morning, and she would be occupied for the entire day preparing for her wedding. Tonight she did a chaperoned all-night vigil, and the following day, she would go through a ceremony and exchange vows with someone else, completing an iron-clad contract.\n\nSo he breathed in the smell of her hair and caressed the soft planes of her body and held her for all the moments he'd never hold her again as the first light before dawn crept up over the island.\n\n\"I'm so tired, but I don't want to sleep,\" Darla said, her voice slow and drowsy. \"I don't want to miss a single second with you.\"\n\nFootsteps crunched on gravel and they both froze.\n\n\"I'm telling you, I saw a light up here, they're sure to be this way.\"\n\n\"Mother,\" Darla whispered in panic, just as Breck realized they'd left the flashlight on, wedged in the window to illuminated their workspace.\n\n\"It's possible she only went for a walk,\" Scarlet's voice said, sounding perfectly reasonable. Cold chills went down Breck's back. \"She may have felt the need to work off some of her wedding jitters.\"\n\n\"Crap,\" Darla hissed, and she scrambled quietly off of Breck, accidentally kneeing him as she tried to navigate the darkness and the narrow space between seats.\n\nBreck's explicative was no less quiet, but much less polite.\n\n\"Sorry!\" she breathed.\n\n\"Working off wedding jitters isn't what I'd call it,\" Jubilee said clearly, right beside the van.\n\nThen the van door was yanked open, and she said with triumph, \"I told you that pervert was defiling my daughter!\" She was holding the kitchen apron that Darla had tucked under her pillow in her hand.\n\nFrozen in the act of reaching for their damp clothing, Darla and Breck stared back at Scarlet and Jubilee.\n\n\"So I see,\" Scarlet said, voice icy.\n\n\"Mother…\" Darla started.\n\n\"You will be hearing from my lawyers,\" Jubilee said to Scarlet, ignoring her daughter. \"And if you expect a penny out of me, you'll be informing me of his immediate termination.\"\n\n\"Mother…\"\n\n\"I assure you he will be dealt with.\"\n\nBreck swore the temperature dropped several degrees with Scarlet's words, and there was a building feeling of pressure and power as her green eyes went from surprised to furious.\n\n\"Scarlet…\" Darla attempted to plead.\n\nShe finally received her mother's attention. \"Get your clothes on, you shameless hussy,\" Jubilee hissed. \"You are getting married tonight, if Liam will still have you, and you will bless your stars that I'm not tossing all of you into the poorhouse over this.\"\n\nDarla was pulling on the only clothing she could find, and Breck managed to find pants while both women folded their arms and glared into the dim van. \"Mother…\" Darla protested again as she emerged from the neck of Breck's shirt. \"Breck is…\"\n\nJubilee, patience exhausted, reached in and took her firmly by the arm, dragging her from the van. \"I don't care what disgusting thing he is. You are my daughter, and you will do as I say.\"\n\nBreck reacted to her manhandling with an instinctive growl, and surged forward to defend his mate… only to be intercepted by a hand at his shoulder.\n\nHe had always known that Scarlet was strong; she had a simmering power that was hard to miss. But he had not expected her to be this strong.\n\nHer grip was iron, absolutely unmovable against all of his considerable shifter strength. Breck would have needed to literally rip his muscles from her grasp to be free. His collarbone creaked in protest when he struggled briefly.\n\nHe could do nothing but watch as Darla meekly followed her mother away, casting him one agonized look back over her shoulder.\n\n\"I love you,\" she mouthed at him.\n\nThen he was being frog-marched into Scarlet's office, and thrust down into a chair.\n\nShe settled opposite him and glared across the desk. The early morning light starting to color the sky behind her made her hair look like fire. Green eyes snapped in her shadowed face. \"Is this your idea of more professional?\" she demanded. \"Was there some confusion about what it is I hired you for?\"\n\n\"Scarlet…\" Breck's shoulder began to throb where Scarlet had gripped it as the blood returned.\n\n\"I have been very generous accepting your extracurricular activities these past few years, and I have been very tolerant about your friendly behavior. I assumed you understood and respected certainly boundaries, and knew the difference between a harmless vacation dalliance and sleeping with the daughter of a very important client.\"\n\n\"Scarlet…\" Breck attempted again.\n\n\"She's getting married, Breck! You had your choice of bridesmaids, cousins, society dilettants, even groomsmen… and you had to sleep with the bride?\" The air in the room was getting hard to breathe. \"Did you think about anything before you let your libido loose? Did you once consider what the repercussions would be for letting your cock lead you around?\"\n\nHer fists came slamming down onto the surface of the desk and everything on it jumped several inches. \"My insurance doesn't cover my staff being unable to keep it in their pants, Breck!\"\n\n\"I'm not sorry!\" Breck roared back.\n\nThe office was suddenly silent.\n\nEven the insects and frogs were quiet, and Scarlet's fury threatened to choke him from across the desk.\n\n\"She's my mate,\" Breck snarled into the stillness. \"She's my mate, and she's going to marry someone else because she's got a bigger heart than this whole island, and I got to spend three gorgeous nights with her and I am not sorry for a single second of it even if it means you toss me out on my ass and I never know a moment of happiness again.\"\n\nThe pressure seeped from the room like a waterbed with a slow leak and Breck might have been able to breathe again if it hadn't been for the pain in his chest.\n\n\"She's my mate,\" he repeated helplessly. \"And we'll never be together after this.\"\n\nIf he hadn't expected pity on Scarlet's face, he certainly hadn't expected the sorrow that chased it. Her eyes softened and she let out a held breath like a sigh of wind.\n\nOne brave frog gave an experimental croak into the silence.\n\n\"Why are you letting her marry Liam, then?\" Scarlet asked, and her voice was gentle and full of complexity.\n\nBreck told her. He told her about the home that would go under, and about the formal challenge for Darla's hand that dragon custom required. He told her about the arrangement with Liam, and how he was keeping the odious Eugene from coming forward with his own challenge. He told her about the spell-protected hoard and the magical fertility bracelets.\n\n\"Unbroken line,\" he mourned. \"I couldn't even give her children if she wanted them.\"\n\nScarlet, who had been listening intently, stood up abruptly. \"I can't help you with that,\" she said. \"Nor the challenge for her hand. But the home…\"\n\nBreck thought she was coming around the desk, but she stopped halfway, and turned instead to the wall. There was a giant map of Shifting Sands hanging there, half-shrouded in the vines that draped around most of the room and merrily snaked among the beams. \"Did you ever wonder where the staff housing was supposed to be?\"\n\n\"...Yes?\" Breck had wondered many times. For many years, they had been housed in the hotel building intended as a budget option for the resort. As business picked up and those rooms were required for guests, it made sense to house the staff in the big mansions along the cliffs that had stood empty so long — too expensive for anyone to rent in whole, too awkward to subdivide into individual rooms.\n\nBut he didn't really see what that had to do with his dilemma.\n\nScarlet moved aside some of the vines, revealing a beach past the cliffs where the mansions stood, past the vegetable gardens that Graham snarled at anyone visiting. There was a cluster of buildings drawn there, a sprawling community of small and medium-sized buildings nestled between the jungle and a crescent of sand. It wasn't as grand as the rest of the resort — there were no <\|missing_text\|>could kiss you.\"\n\nScarlet scowled back at him. \"Hasn't kissing people gotten you in enough trouble today already?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "pools or event halls or restaurants, by the looks of it, but it was nearly as large.\n\n\"Are those all cottages?\" Breck asked, puzzling over the shapes of their roofs. \"Was Shifting Sands supposed to expand over there?\"\n\n\"Most of them are cottages,\" Scarlet said. She pointed at one of the larger ones. \"This was intended to be a school.\" Breck could make out playground equipment, now that he knew what he was looking at. \"This was a daycare next to it, a little general store, and ...a retirement home.\" Her finger touched a square building near the center.\n\nFor the first time that week, Breck had a stab of hope.\n\nIt hurt.\n\n\"Shifting Sands was intended to be a haven for shifters,\" Scarlet continued, almost to herself. \"It was never meant to only be a luxury escape for those who could afford it. It was supposed to be a place for families to work and grow, with the resort to support it. A safe place, where they didn't have to keep secrets.\"\n\nBreck wondered if he imagined the slight bitterness on the word secrets.\n\n\"Those foundations were poured,\" Scarlet said thoughtfully. \"But the structures were never built.\" She shook her head. \"Money. It would cost a lot of money that I don't have to finish them.\" She frowned, and gave Breck a piercing look. \"How many shifters are we talking about in Liam's center?\"\n\n\"A dozen, I think,\" Breck said, dizzy with the idea of it.\n\nScarlet gave a heavy sigh, letting the vines swing back down over the unbuilt portion of the map.\n\n\"I am undoubtedly facing an expensive lawsuit if you run away with Darla and this wedding doesn't go through. I don't think that a return of her deposit would satisfy Mrs. Grant, and I'm quite certain she would not be interested in paying the remainder of her bill. To say nothing of what she would do to our reputation, with her social clout.\"\n\nShe folded her arms and gave Breck a hard look. \"We could house twelve people, if their medical needs are minimal and they don't mind sharing a few of the more basic cottages. But if Mrs. Grant takes offense, the resort — my resort — is on the line. What are you going to do about that part?\"\n\nBreck was silent, chewing over this unexpected turn. \"The challenge,\" he said grimly. \"If the wedding goes through exactly according to the dragon custom she's insisting on, she wouldn't have a leg for a lawsuit or for backing out of her bill. The challenge is part of that custom. She would have to let Darla marry me if I won, even if she wasn't very happy about it.\"\n\nScarlet's gave didn't waver. \"Can you win?\" She didn't sound as skeptical as she had every reason to.\n\nBreck set his jaw. \"I have to.\"\n\nScarlet sighed, and shook her head. \"Mates,\" she muttered. \"Nothing but trouble.\" But she said it with a curious warmth to her voice.\n\nBreck stared at her, having to reevaluate her at every level. \"You could just fire me,\" he said. \"It would be the safest thing to do. Just send me packing on the next charter and let the wedding to Liam go on.\"\n\n\"Are you telling me how to run my resort?\" Scarlet asked tartly.\n\nBreck felt like a band had been released from around his chest. \"Scarlet, I ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing a segment of a larger work\n\nLength:\n13 sentences\n\nStyle:\nZoe Chant\nGenre:\nurban fantasy\nNote: Characters may be pre-established", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How could you?\" Jubilee hissed as she dragged Darla away.\n\n\"Mother, he's…\"\n\n\"Oh, don't you even try to defend yourself, you hussy,\" Jubilee said ferociously. \"The way you've humiliated me. Did you think about your family once?\" she demanded.\n\n\"I'm not…\"\n\n\"You didn't think about me when you decided to ruin your own wedding,\" Jubilee insisted, her grip on Darla's arm painful as she wrenched her down the gravel path to their cottage. \"You only thought about your own base needs, like some kind of common animal, like a rutting…\"\n\nDarla pulled her arm away fiercely and Jubilee stopped and stared at her.\n\n\"Breck is my mate, Mother. I will still get married if you won't compromise and let me follow my heart, but don't think for a moment that I will regret what I did while I could.\"\n\nDarla was not sure she had ever seen a jaw literally drop, but Jubilee Grant's did exactly that.\n\n\"Are you talking back to me?\" she asked in astonishment. \"Are you defying me?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(authors note, Your task: Include \"I would rather see you dead than married to that deviant,\" somewhere in your response)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla met her gaze steadily, not nearly as frightened by the act as she thought she ought to be. \"Mother, of all the people in the world, I met the man that was absolutely, perfectly made for me, for my happiness forever. You have the power to let me be with him, to find my own happy ending. Will you let me? Will you release me from this engagement and give me your blessing and let me marry Breck instead?\"\n\nFor one blissful moment, Darla thought that Jubilee might be reasonable, that she really would be able to persuade her mother that she deserved joy.\n\nBut at the sound of Breck's name, Jubilee's surprise turned to rage. \"I would rather see you dead than married to that deviant,\" she spat.\n\nStunned by Jubilee's vehemence, Darla stepped back in alarm and the hedge behind her prickled her arms.\n\n\"If you married him, I would destroy everything you both loved,\" Jubilee raged. \"I would see that this resort was bankrupted, that your precious retirement home was condemned, that Liam and his entire family was put out on the streets. I would take every penny you had, you would have nothing. You are nothing without me, you ungrateful brat, and you will get nothing from me unless you do exactly as I say.\"\n\nDarla gazed sorrowfully back.\n\nShe had wanted to believe better of her mother, had harbored some small hope that somewhere deep under the society polish and the greed and the petty rages, there was a woman who still had a heart, who might believe in the generosity she tried to project.\n\n\"I will marry Liam,\" she said, drawing back sharply and holding up an imperious hand when Jubilee reached for her arm again. \"I will be the obedient daughter you expect of me and commit myself to the contract you have laid out for me. I will spend two days declaring loyalty to a family that doesn't care a jot for my happiness and join one that at least acknowledges it.\" She went on swiftly when Jubilee might have spoken.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But do not ever expect me to apologize for finding a few moments of joy. I am not sorry for it, and I won't satisfy your shallow need for control by saying it was wrong.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then she marched down to their cottage, Jubilee trailing in her wake.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her mother would undoubtedly have had more to say on the matter, but Alison met them just around the corner, so close that Darla wondered if she had heard any of their conversation or Jubilee's terrible threat to have them turned out on the streets.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If nothing else, Darla would be marrying into a far better family.\n\n\"I understand we're doing photographs of the dresses today,\" Alison said cheerfully, choosing not to comment on the shirt that Darla was wearing, or the state of her muddy hair, or the simmering rage on her mother's face. Maybe it was still too dark for her to tell. \"I... wanted to see if I could help you get ready.\"\n\n\"We don't need—\"\n\n\"I would treasure your assistance,\" Darla said swiftly before her mother could finish. \"You could help us select the jewels for my hair, if you please.\"\n\nAlison glanced at Jubilee's angry face and back so quickly Darla doubted she had seen it. \"I'd love to, Darla,\" she said at once.\n\n\"I'll be out of the shower before you can blink,\" Darla promised.\n\nShe took Breck's shirt in with her and spent the time that the shower was heating breathing in the smell of him and the feel of the fabric against her cheek. Goodbye, she thought achingly.\n\nNot much later, Darla looked at her reflection at the spa dubiously.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first of the three dresses was black, to represent (her mother loved to explain) the sorrow of loneliness before the final bond was made.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was embroidered in black and gold silk, textured painstakingly in swirls and patterns.\n\nThe second dress, the one she was modeling now, was white and virginal, representing (Jubilee reminded her with new dubiousness) the purity of the bride and the dedication to family and ancestral honor. The photographer had wanted to get it in early morning sun.\n\nShe certainly looked the role of virgin sacrifice, resplendently beaded in (her mother would tell anyone who would listen) genuine Swarovski crystal until she looked like a snowy Christmas display that someone had hung too much jewelry on. The photography lights they had set up made the whole affect look blinding.\n\nThe dress for the third day, hanging beside her, was blood red, representing sacrifice and obedience, and a dozen other things her mother seemed convinced she was incapable of.\n\nI'm here, Darla wanted to say. I'm sacrificing everything.\n\nBut she knew her mother was still too furious — and too selfish — to appreciate exactly what she was giving up to go on with the wedding.\n\nJubilee was putting on a good show for the most important of the guests and the photographer, smiling her cultivated smile and giving her cultivated laugh. Darla wondered how she had never heard the falseness that filled it.\n\n\"Oh, perfect,\" the photographer said. \"You give me a lovely smile now, and turn a little this way. Let's see the train up over your arm…\"\n\nDarla posed, forcing a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes, and wondered how much the photographs would reveal about her breaking heart.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They moved out to the gardens for the coveted morning photos, and took shots until the sun was high in the sky.\n\nThen, finally, it was time to model the final dress. \"This one buttons up the front,\" she explained pointedly. \"I can get into it myself.\" Her mother, on the phone with her psychic again, glared at her and left willingly. Alison gave her one last concerned pat, and stayed with the photographer outside the spa while Darla went in alone.\n\nThe hard-won moment of privacy was interrupted by footsteps, and Darla turned to see the only person she wanted to see less than her mother.\n\n\"Eugene,\" she said, completely neutral in tone.\n\n\"Don't you look… lovely,\" he said. \"All ruby and ruin.\"\n\nThough Jubilee had been utterly tight-lipped about Darla's indiscretion, he clearly knew what had happened. Had her mother told him? It didn't seem like she would, but here he was.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you want?\" she asked wearily, making herself not hurry to close the last of the ruby buttons.\n\n\"I have an offer for you,\" Eugene said, voice suspiciously silky.\n\n\"I'm not interested,\" Darla said.\n\n\"I think you may be,\" Eugene said, and his smile put cold chills down Darla's spine. \"I'm offering you Breck.\"\n\nDarla's suddenly-numb fingers fumbled the final button. She made herself draw in a breath. \"What do you mean?\" she said as neutrally as she could.\n\n\"It's true, isn't it,\" Eugene said, his smile widening. \"It wasn't just that you slept with the waiter, you're actually in love with him. You think he's your mate.\"\n\nDarla let herself think about Breck for one brief, happy moment.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her mate. She remembered his smiling face beneath the van, his face so unbelievably handsome and dear, lit by the flashlight, as he gave her something no one could take away. Her smile in Eugene's direction was accidentally soft and he took it as an invitation to step closer and settle one of the necklaces over her neck.\n\n\"Marry me,\" he said near her ear. \"Tell Liam to step aside and let me challenge. Your mother will have to approve the marriage and I'll let you have your little something on the side. He can work in the kitchen, or the garden, or wherever the hell you want, and keep your bed warm on weekends, I get your hand, and your hoard. You can spend your half on Liam and his old people, if you want.\"\n\n\"That's not how dragon contracts work,\" Darla reminded him, shuddering away from his touch. \"You know I wouldn't be able to cheat on my husband.\"\n\n\"I could get the contract changed,\" Eugene promised. \"Maybe one that allowed divorce…\"\n\nDarla looked at Eugene in confusion. Did he think she was so naive that she thought that would be possible?\n\n\"You couldn't do that,\" she said in disbelief.\n\n\"I could,\" Eugene said confidently. \"But only if you marry me. You marry Liam, and you're trapped forever.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'thought' 2 times exactly", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla stared at him. He believed what he was saying. He somehow thought he had the power to make her mother amend the contract. And he thought that Darla would conclude that it was worth marrying him for that chance.\n\nIt only hardened her resolve.\n\nShe would marry Liam.\n\nShe would protect the rest home, and the resort. She would marry her friend and say goodbye to her true love, and it would be worth it.\n\nShe'd had more than she could ever have asked for; three nights of love, three nights of perfect happiness with her mate.\n\nShe could not quite keep the smile of satisfaction that spread out over her face. \"Thank you,\" she said with all of her practiced serenity. \"But I'm afraid I have a better offer.\" She turned back to the mirror and adjusted one of the necklaces so that it weighed at her neck a little less.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eugene's expression in the mirror was briefly unguarded and ugly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'll regret that choice,\" he threatened quietly as there was a clatter of people returning at the door to the spa. \"I will get everything I want anyway, and you'll wish you'd said yes when you had the chance.\"\n\n\"I did say yes when I had the chance,\" Darla replied with a smirk, equally quiet. \"Just not to you.\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "yo hit me with 4 sentences more. same character energy. urban fantasy genre k?", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck skidded into the Den. \"Where's Graham?\"\n\nJenny and Laura, in perfect twin unison, pointed to where Graham was coming out of the kitchen carrying a plate loaded with leftovers for breakfast.\n\nGraham scowled at Breck as he went to sit at the kitchen bar that separated the living area from the kitchen. \"Which flower bed have you destroyed this time?\" he asked crossly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck ignored the gibe.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I need you to teach me how to fight.\"\n\nThat got him the attention of everyone in common area. Tex, Travis, Bastian, and Wrench had been playing poker with chore IOUs, and they all folded their cards and put them down in unison.\n\n\"What did you do?\" demanded Laura.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shouldn't that be who did you do?\" Travis teased.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tex was shaking his head. \"Jealous husband?\" he guessed.\n\n\"Jealous wife?\" Bastian speculated.\n\nGraham gave Breck a long, knowing look.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What are you doing?\" he asked gruffly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm getting hitched,\" Breck said merrily. \"If I can avoid getting killed.\" He gave Jenny a crooked grin. \"You might want to go talk to Scarlet — there could be a big lawsuit pending, but we're hoping not. There's a loophole.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Stunned silence answered him.\n\n\"You're crashing the Trayvor-Grant wedding?\" Jenny finally said in disbelief.\n\n\"You're getting married?\" Bastian exclaimed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're going to fight someone to get married?\" Tex said incredulously.\n\n\"You're gunna die,\" Wrench said grimly.\n\nEveryone turned to look at him, and the big, tattooed panther shifter shrugged uncomfortably at the attention. \"Assuming it's a fight to the death. Otherwise I guess he's just gunna get beat to a bloody pulp.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd prefer to stay in one piece,\" Breck said, trying to convince himself this was still a good idea. \"And I'm hoping you can help me do that.\"\n\n\"Darla's your mate,\" Laura finally guessed. \"That's why you've been so weird the last few days.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone made noises of mixed sympathy, surprise, and congratulations.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) Your response should contain the word 'breck' precisely 2 times (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one seemed sure which was most appropriate.\n\nSeveral moments later, Breck was standing on the back lawn, stark naked, with Tex, in bear form, demonstrating his charge.\n\n\"He's a lot bigger than me,\" Breck said, frowning at Tex's dramatically snarling face. The grizzly was probably ten times the weight of his leopard form.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Cave bears are bigger yet,\" Graham reminded him grimly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But you're a lot faster. And hopefully a lot smarter.\" He and Wrench were sitting on the picnic bench. Apparently, the imminent death of a fellow staffer excused having a beer with breakfast; they were both holding bottles and looked like nothing so much as the grumpy old critics from the Muppets.\n\n\"You gotta be meaner,\" Wrench advised sagely.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go for his nose. Won't actually damage much, but it hurts like a sonnuvabitch.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Might give you a chance to get through to something critical,\" Graham agreed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't waste time on the shoulders,\" Bastian advised. \"Too much fat and fur to get through there.\"\n\nTex shook himself with a harrumph that sounded proud.\n\n\"Well, get out there,\" Graham said, waving the beer bottle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'breck' × 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Show us what we've got to work with.\"\n\nBreck sighed and shifted, then, knowing that speed was his only real hope, darted forward and hit Tex's nose with sheathed paws like a boxer.\n\nTex reared up out of reach and casually back-handed him across the lawn.\n\nBreck rolled back to his feet and circled around behind the big bear, trying to find any part that might be vulnerable.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He considered hamstringing him, but even with unsheathed claws, doubted that he would be able to get through the thick fur.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Would his jaws work?", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'while' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He didn't want to actually hurt Tex.\n\nWhile he was wondering if he even could, Tex turned, a slow, ambling turn, and then gave an unexpected burst of speed for such a big animal, bowling him over and giving an odd little four-legged pounce at the end that completely flattened Breck.\n\nWhile Breck was still wheezing and trying to catch his breath, Tex shifted back to human. \"You okay? I… thought you'd get out of the way faster. Sorry.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He offered a hand to Breck as he shifted to human and helped pull him back to his feet.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm more of a lover than a fighter,\" Breck gasped.\n\nWrench took another long swig of his beer. \"He's gunna die.\"", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Keep going w/ one sentence more. Note: Might reference existing chars", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Midnight in the tropics was like a kiss; dark and damp and full of secrets that wanted to be told.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The ocean made a droning rumble on the shore below them, and the night insects and frogs sang their songs of longing in endless rounds.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The vigil had been prepared for the usual overnight rain, and there was a canopy above them that whispered with the intermittent drizzle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Twists of flowers and embroidered ribbons adorned each corner, reflecting the golden light of the circle of candles.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla sat cross-legged in her black dress across from Liam.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "A single candle sat between them, already half burnt down.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her mother and Alison were seated a short distance away, outside the flickering circle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Alison had sensibly brought a tablet, and was reading an ebook that reflected cool light onto her face.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jubilee had protested, but not strenuously; there was no language in the wedding description that prohibited such an item directly, and Alison had pointed out that six hours of sitting out in the middle of the night wasn't going to be a whole lot of fun.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jubilee's restlessness suggested that she wished she'd had the same forethought.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "After an hour or so, Jubilee stilled in her chair, and a series of quiet snores made Darla put her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You laugh so much more than you used to,\" Liam observed quietly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I had a good teacher,\" Darla said, with a wry smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you sure you still want to do this?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "// Required word frequency: 'don't' (2x)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Liam asked. \"It's not too late yet. And I don't want you to regret all the things I can't give you. Don't do this out of worry for me, or for the home. That's not a good enough reason to trap yourself forever.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla smiled at him over the candle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sure,\" she said with unexpected serenity.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've never been more sure. It isn't ideal, and it isn't fair, because life isn't ideal, and it isn't fair. But this is the best I'm going to do with the cards I was dealt, and it isn't like marrying you is any kind of… torture. Things could be better, but they could be a lot worse.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Liam smiled back. \"As long as it isn't torture,\" he teased.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla might have teased him back, but her mother stirred, and they were quiet until she settled back into a new position and her snores resumed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I can change my own tire now,\" Darla said with satisfaction. \"And no one can take my memories away.\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Add twenty-six sentences sentences, maintaining narrative consistency. Include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck rubbed his arm ruefully as he walked through the dark resort, trying not to watch the spot of bright candlelight at the point where Darla's wedding was starting.\n\nTex had sworn he'd been easy on Breck, but the leopard shifter didn't need Graham's scowl, or Travis' worry, or Wrench's dire predictions to let him know that he hadn't showered himself in glory. He probably had a black eye, though the scratches had at least scabbed over now.\n\nEugene, he reminded himself, was also a cave bear, an extinct kind of giant bear, not just a brown bear like Tex, and an experienced fighter on top of that.\n\nBreck had no chance of winning a challenge against him.\n\nHe was going to have to switch tactics, if he was going to make this work, and he had his jaw set now. He wasn't going to let Darla go. He couldn't do it.\n\nAnd if he couldn't do it with claws, maybe he could do it with his tongue, so to speak.\n\nEugene's cottage was just past the one Darla had shared with her mother, and Breck gave the dark windows one wry glance as he passed.\n\nEugene opened the door at Breck's knock and greeted him with a smirk. \"You look a little worse for the wear. I hear you got canned for banging the bride.\"\n\nBreck reminded himself that he was there to try to avoid a fight, not start one. \"Darla's my mate,\" he said frankly.\n\n\"So I've heard,\" Eugene said thoughtfully.\n\n\"I love her, and I want to challenge for her hand.\"\n\nEugene's face twitched and he didn't say anything.\n\n\"Promise not to challenge me,\" Breck said firmly. \"And I'll give you half the hoard.\" Half the hoard was enough to fund a small nation for decades, based on the descriptions he'd heard.\n\nEugene leaned against the doorframe of his cottage, arms crossed. \"Or I could challenge you and have the whole hoard, and Darla.\"\n\nNeither of them had to say out loud that Breck had no chance of winning the challenge.\n\n\"It's a dragon contract,\" Breck reminded him. \"You'd have Darla and no one else for the rest of your life. And she despises you.\"\n\nHe'd hit a sore spot, Breck realized, at Eugene's narrow expression.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eugene didn't want to be shackled to one person the rest of his life.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wanted all the prizes, and none of the responsibilities. Eugene must not have figured a way out of that part of the contract.\n\nBreck almost smiled. There had been a time not long ago that he'd believed that being restricted to one person would be some kind of imprisonment. Then he'd met Darla, and now he wanted nothing more in the world. Settling down had stopped feeling like settling.\n\n\"The whole hoard,\" Eugene countered. \"I want the whole thing.\"\n\nBreck hesitated, thinking about the retirement home and Jubilee Grant's unpaid bill. Scarlet had offered to house the elderly shifters, but he didn't want her footing the expense or losing the resort. And he knew that Darla would forgive him for bargaining away the hoard for their happiness, but not at the expense of the people she loved.\n\n\"Darla still has a standard inheritance, outside of the hoard,\" Eugene explained, voice silky. \"Human riches, enough to run a dozen nursing homes and buy a big house on a tropical island. Enough to keep a failing resort afloat. Her mother releases it to her with the wedding.\"\n\n\"But would she release it if Darla marries me?\" Breck pointed out.\n\n\"I can see that she does,\" Eugene promised.\n\n\"How?\" Breck knew that Eugene had pull with Mrs. Grant, but that seemed like a tall order.\n\n\"I've got her psychic in my pocket,\" Eugene said smugly, as if he could not help bragging about it. \"I'll go make a phone call, and Madame Nadine will have a convenient vision that you were the perfect son-in-law all along. Some messages from the crystals or whatever. She's very convincing.\"\n\nBreck blinked at him. \"That sounds… handy,\" he said neutrally.\n\nEugene had clearly expected more praise for his cleverness. \"Well, can we make a deal?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Breck said promptly. \"The whole hoard. It's yours. I promise.\"\n\nEugene smiled slowly. \"Then I promise not to challenge,\" he said. \"And I'll give Madame Nadine a call, right now.\"\n\nBreck extended a hand, ignoring his leopard's instinctive hesitation; the big cat still considered this man their enemy. Eugene shook it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, you'd best get your beauty rest,\" Eugene suggested slyly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've got a big day tomorrow.\"\n\nHe was going to marry Darla, Breck realized, and Eugene no longer mattered in the slightest.\n\nHe walked back to his room in a daze.\n\nHe was going to marry Darla and he didn't have to ask her to sacrifice Liam's home or put Shifting Sands in jeopardy. He could get word to Liam, if not to Darla, and tomorrow would be the happiest day of his life.\n\nEverything was falling perfectly into place.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Writer's block help needed. This is from a bigger story - gonna send you something then keep it going sixteen sentences at a time. Going for Zoe Chant vibes in the urban fantasy genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The litany of ancestors was the part of the ceremony that Darla had originally been most afraid of, and it was, when the time came, the easiest. The hours of practice meant they fell from her tongue easily, both of the noble dragon lines that she descended from. She said them slowly, very carefully and clearly, and was conscious of the audience that was avidly watching.\n\nThe most prestigious of the guests had arrived last; dragon nobility wearing riches and airs that would have made any other bride pale by comparison.\n\nBut Darla knew — mostly by her mother's look of smug satisfaction — that by appearance at least, she held her own. She was wearing all seventeen necklaces, an army of bracelets, and a tiara that would bankrupt a minor museum simply to insure. Her designer dress was alive with tiny crystal beads that made her gleam in the sunlight like an ice sculpture.\n\nAt the end of the recitation, there was a murmur of appreciation and the officiant, a gargoyle clergy from Rome, stepped forward and introduced Liam.\n\nLiam's recitation was much shorter and simpler, and elicited no approval at all.\n\nThere was a moment of silence.\n\nDarla looked across to Liam, who was looking back at her with a very peculiar expression indeed. One of his eyebrows waggled up and down.\n\nShe was still trying to puzzle out what he was trying to communicate when the pompous officiant announced, \"Now is the opportunity for challenge!\"\n\nA terrible idea occurred to Darla.\n\nShe did not realize she was holding her breath until it left her in a rush when the audience behind her began to murmur in surprise and she heard Breck's voice, half-anticipated, half-dreaded.\n\n\"I will challenge.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jubilee gave a muffled squeak of horror, but Eugene pulled her back into her seat when she might have stood in protest.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must include the following in quotes somewhere in your response: He said there was a plan.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You knew,\" Darla hissed at Liam as she turned in her twenty pounds of jewelry to watch Breck march down the flower-lined aisle towards her.\n\nHer heart gave a lurch at the sight of him, so handsome and so graceful… and so dear. She wanted this more than anything in the entire world.\n\nAnd she knew she couldn't have it.\n\n\"How could you let him do this?\" she murmured to Liam.\n\nLiam gave half a shrug. \"How could I stop him?\"\n\n\"You could refuse to concede,\" Darla whispered frantically. \"You don't have to hurt him, just… step on him a little.\"\n\n\"I've got to give him a chance,\" Liam said quietly. \"He said there was a plan.\"\n\nBreck had drawn up to the platform. \"I will challenge,\" he repeated, his eyes only for Darla.\n\n\"Are you sure?\" Liam asked, pitched just louder than his whisper to Darla.\n\nBreck's gaze flickered to his.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sure,\" he said firmly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A cocky smile danced at the corner of his mouth.\n\n\"Don't,\" Darla begged quietly. \"You know…\" All her reasons crowded her mind: the home, Eugene, the resort, her mother's revenge.\n\nBreck's eyes met hers. \"I'm sure,\" he said, and he smiled at her. \"Trust me.\"\n\nHe was so confident, so happy.\n\nSo trusting.\n\nDarla remembered Eugene's last words to her the night before… his greasy self-assurance that he was going to get everything he wanted.\n\nBut before she could stop him, Liam was saying loudly, \"I concede the challenge and her hand.\" He held out his wrist, as an afterthought, and the bracelet opened with a loud snap.\n\nDarla looked down at her own, almost lost amid the jewelry she was wearing, but it was as solid and immovable as ever.\n\nLiam held his bracelet to Breck, who closed it over his wrist. It gave a flare of light and clamped onto him almost eagerly, fading into an unbroken yellow gold, as Darla's did the same.\n\nThis invited a wave of speculation from the audience and Breck stepped to Darla as Liam moved back.\n\n\"I never want to let you go again,\" he said, taking her hands.\n\nDarla was watching Breck's face when Eugene stood and shouted, \"I will challenge!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck's smile froze in surprise, and he jerked his head to Eugene. \"You promised…\"\n\nThen Eugene was shifting, pieces of his clothing shredding from him as he charged forward without further warning.\n\n\"No!\" Darla wailed, but Breck was already shifting and twisting away, drawing the fight away from her. She gathered up her skirts, full prepared to wade in and fight next to him, but her mother took an iron grip on her shoulder, holding her back.\n\n\"You can't interfere,\" Jubilee hissed as the contestant circled each other, Breck staying carefully out of reach of Eugene's big paws. \"This is part of the dragon tradition.\"\n\n\"I won't marry him,\" Darla said furiously. \"I won't do it.\"\n\n\"Madame Nadine foretold this,\" Jubilee insisted. \"This is how the dragon line continues.\"\n\nEugene charged at Breck, who skirted the attack and dashed beneath the giant paw to circle behind the bear.\n\n\"I don't care about the dragon line,\" Darla said, watching the fight with her heart in her mouth.\n\nJubilee's eyes narrowed. \"You don't marry by the dragon tradition, and you don't get the hoard, either,\" she reminded Darla. Eugene turned around, growling, to face Breck and charge again.\n\n\"I never wanted the hoard,\" Darla declared out loud. The wedding guests were all watching the battle raptly and ignoring the scene on the dais, many of them backing away with their chairs to avoid being caught up in it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That was all you ever wanted. But I don't care about the money.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'll care about it when you're living in a ditch with the old people,\" Jubilee threatened, only marginally more quietly.\n\nThe retirement home. Darla quavered. Without her inheritance…\n\nShe steeled herself. She'd figure something out. Plenty of people managed harder things without the piles of money she'd grown up on.\n\nBut first… she concentrated on the fight with a sinking heart.\n\nThe leopard was obviously badly outclassed by the bear — out-muscled, out-clawed, and the giant bear had clearly been in battle before. Breck led him on a merry chase, able to slip under his big, heavy swings and out-maneuver his charges, but there was nothing he could do to attack in return. His claws were useless against the thick fur and heavy hide of a bear.\n\nHis luck dodging finally gave out as Eugene struck him with a heavy paw.\n\nDarla heard a scream she wasn't sure was hers.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Complete the text by replacing `<\|missing\|>` with something like four hundred and forty-seven words.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wrench's words rang in Breck's mind as he dodged another swing of Eugene's giant paw.\n\nI'm gunna die, he thought, scrambling to the side of a charge and flanking the bear. If sparring with Tex had taught him one thing about bears, it was that they turned slowly. They charged forward surprisingly fast, and were brutally strong, but they cornered like the old resort van.\n\nHe was more outraged than afraid, despite his grim appraisal of the situation. Eugene had given his word.\n\nAnd Breck had been dumb enough — or desperate enough, or hopeful enough — to believe it.\n\nEven knowing it was useless, Breck tried to swipe at the bear's flank with claws fully outstretched.\n\nAs Tex had warned, he barely got through to skin; he drew blood, but not enough to do anything more than irritate Eugene, who turned to the best of his ability and charged as Breck darted around him again.\n\nHis only real hope was to tire the bear out, to wear him down, then get his jaws in somewhere critical. He went over the vulnerable places they had covered in practice — under the neck, crushing the windpipe or severing an artery... or his eyes. The list was painfully short.\n\nAnd he had to do it without getting caught in a death-grip himself, or getting hit with one of Eugene's giant swinging paws, and he had<\|missing\|> the side of his head was hot and undoubtedly bleeding where he'd been hit by Eugene's claws, but the pain itself was distant and abstract.\n\nI love you, he thought at the imaginary voice of Darla.\n\nHis wrist was hot, and hurt worst of all.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " to do it fast enough that Eugene couldn't get his jaws around one of the many, many vulnerable places on Breck.\n\nThe bracelet was not helping.\n\nIt was heavy and distracting, and kept catching Breck off-guard with its weight.\n\nAnd every time it spun on his leg, Breck found himself thinking about the terror and longing in Darla's face as Liam snapped it onto him.\n\nBut what he should be thinking about was the bear facing him down, clearly growing more irate by the moment for his inability to put a quick end to the lithe leopard.\n\nA paw the size of his head with claws like wicked knives sailed overhead as he ducked, and he darted in to claw at Eugene's nose, mindful of Wrench's advice.\n\nEugene gave a roar of pain, and before Breck could retreat, struck him with his other massive paw.\n\nBreck tumbled, end over end, as guests shrieked and scrambled back, and knew that the claws had drawn blood. He didn't have time to figure out where his pain was coming from; Eugene was facing him, and already surging forward into a charge.\n\nHis leopard drove him back to his feet, but there was no time to flank the oncoming beast, so he dashed straight at it, ignoring every bit of the sparring advice he had gotten.\n\nAt the last moment, he sprang, not at the bear, but over it, and his choice was so unexpected that Eugene's ponderous head lifted and snapped at him too late.\n\nHe landed on the bear's back, and dug in with all of his claws.\n\nEugene bucked and shook, trying to dislodge him, and Breck crouched closer and dug in harder. The bear snapped and tried to twist his head back to bite at him, but his neck was too short to reach.\n\nWith a sudden surge of hope, Breck swapped ends, as only a cat in a narrow space can, and pounced forward for Eugene's face, raking claws into the sensitive nose from behind and drawing them towards his vulnerable eyes.\n\nAs he dug into Eugene's face, he realized that he had forgotten one key thing.\n\nWith a roar of pain and fury, Eugene threw himself over on his side, and rolled.\n\nBones creaked and snapped under the massive weight of the angry bear, and the breath was forced from Breck's crushed lungs.\n\nDarkness was equal parts fur covering everything, and pending unconsciousness.\n\nBreck! No!\n\nHe could hear Darla's voice in his head, like the sweet song of an angel.\n\nWas this what dying felt like? It honestly hurt less than he expected it would; he could feel that his ribs had broken, and that", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "keep the story going! write forty-two sentences more. stick to these genres: urban fantasy. throw in some of these if u can: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort. follow the user's lead on how familiar to be with chars/setting", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Darla's wrist was on fire, and she was chucking off her other bracelets, rings, and necklaces as fast as she could.\n\n\"You can't go out there,\" her mother said in shock and horror. \"You'll violate the wedding rules! It's not custom!\"\n\n\"Screw custom,\" Darla declared, and then she shifted. The hateful dress tore with a rain of beads, and the remaining clasps snapped, scattering priceless jewels across the dais.\n\nShe leaped forward in her snow leopard shape, snarling and springing to the trampled grass where Eugene had pinned Breck.\n\nThe cave bear was not expecting her attack; his big head was rolled back as he writhed to crush the leopard beneath him. In a single heartbeat, Darla was on him, closing her jaws around his exposed windpipe.\n\nThe temptation was to crush, to kill, to protect her mate at any cost.\n\nBut Darla reined in the urge, and just pierced the skin, holding the windpipe in careful teeth and unmistakable threat. The hot taste of Eugene's blood was fiery, like alcohol.\n\nHe growled, the vibration rumbling up through her teeth, and Darla bit just a little deeper, growling.\n\nEugene whimpered then, and shifted into a man. \"I yield!\" he choked.\n\nDarla closed her jaws just a touch further, taking shallow pleasure in the way Eugene choked and squirmed before she released him and stepped back. She shifted back to human and pushed him out of the way without a single second thought for him.\n\nBreck still lay in his leopard shape, not breathing.\n\nBlood stained the grass around him; thick scratches along the side of his lolling head were still oozing.\n\nBreck! No!\n\nDarla fell beside him, not sure what to safely touch without causing further damage. Her wrist was still on fire, and both of their bracelets were glowing.\n\nI love you, Darla heard in her head, and she gave a howl of hope and desperation, taking his paw carefully in her hands.\n\nThe bracelet gave an explosive sizzle, and Darla felt like all of the breath and energy was sucked out of her in one swift motion. She heard a weird crack of setting bones, and the sound of Breck taking a labored breath. Her lungs hurt, and the side of her head stung. She closed her eyes against the shock of it, and when she opened them again, there was a human hand in hers.\n\nBreck was opening confused eyes.\n\nHe coughed, once or twice, and Darla fell, weeping, onto him before remembering that she might hurt him.\n\nHer chest ached, but when Breck sat up and pulled her into his arms, it didn't matter.\n\n\"You could have died,\" she murmured into his perfect shoulders.\n\n\"You wouldn't let me,\" Breck said, wonderingly. He touched the side of her head and Darla flinched. His injuries were mirrored on her, and halved from what they had been.\n\nThen Breck stared at his uplifted wrist in astonishment and Darla did the same.\n\nTheir bracelets were gone, replaced by a simple circle of dragonrunes like tattoos around their wrists.\n\nBefore they could speculate, Eugene was getting to his feet. \"I won the challenge,\" he said, weaving drunkenly as he held onto his bloody throat. His nose was no longer bleeding, but was still striped with angry red scratches. \"I won…\"\n\nDarla looked up at him. \"I won the challenge, you idiot.\" She and Breck struggled up to their feet, clinging to each other. \"And if I hadn't, I still wouldn't marry you.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You have to!\" Jubilee cried from the dais. \"It's dragon custom!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla lifted her chin.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm not a dragon,\" she cried in a ringing voice.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm a snow leopard, and unlike you, I'm not ashamed of that.\"\n\nThe wedding guests had retreated back from the battle, but had begun to cautiously return. Darla's statement caused a murmur of support; though Jubilee had invited all of the dragon elite that she knew, many of the guests were the more garden varieties of shifters, and most of them had grown tired of the elite dragon attitudes of Jubilee and some of her more arrogant guests.\n\n\"If you don't marry according to the custom, you won't get a penny of your inheritance,\" Jubilee snarled in warning, voice pitched not to carry to their audience.\n\n\"I hope the hoard rots,\" Darla snapped back, as loudly as before. \"I don't want your money, and I don't want your blessing.\"\n\nEugene was spitting angry. \"You have to marry me,\" he roared. \"If I can't have you, no one will. Even both of you can't win against me.\"\n\nBut before he could shift, Liam was stepping forward. \"If this is no longer a challenge according to custom, I have no reason to stand back and let you harm my friends,\" he cautioned with a frown.\n\n\"Yeah,\" another voice added behind them. \"We're going to have to back them up, too.\"\n\nDarla turned. Half the staff of Shifting Sands was ranged behind them, a motley crew in crisp resort uniforms with expressions ranging from amusement to anger. Lydia from the spa was there, arms crossed, and Conall, with Gizelle peering out from behind him.\n\nEven Eugene was not foolish enough to take all of them on.\n\n\"You'll be unhappy,\" he predicted. \"You'll be poor and miserable.\"\n\n\"Did your psychic tell you that?\" Breck asked with exaggerated pity. \"No wait, did you tell your psychic to tell you that?\"\n\nWhen Darla gave him a puzzled look, he explained, \"He's been feeding your mother ideas through her pet psychic.\"\n\n\"That's preposterous!\" Jubilee said in outrage as Eugene started to sputter.\n\n\"Is it?\" Breck asked. \"Check his phone. I'm sure you'll find a familiar number with lots of calls there.\"\n\n\"You dropped it when you shifted,\" Liam said helpfully, holding the phone in question aloft.\n\nEugene leaped up onto the dais and tried to snatch it away from the dragon shifter while Jubilee protested his innocence with obviously increasing doubt. Liam held it away, a glint of mischief in his steely eyes.\n\nDarla laughed helplessly. \"That explains so much. He just had to have Madame Nadine predict something he could then orchestrate, or pretend to see some private bit of information he'd fed her.\"\n\nJubilee looked absolutely furious, and Eugene tried more desperately to get his phone from Liam, who was still resolute about holding it out of his reach.\n\n\"You've played me like a fool,\" Jubilee said softly.\n\n\"You are a fool,\" Eugene spat, giving up on his phone. \"None of this would have been necessary if you had just given me your daughter's hand when I first asked.\"\n\n\"You didn't want my hand,\" Darla said in outrage. \"You only wanted to get your hands on the hoard.\"\n\nEugene gave her an ugly leer. \"I would have enjoyed having my hands on you, too, you cold b—\"\n\nBefore he could even finish, Breck had leaped up onto the dais, and in one swift move, punched him in the nose.\n\nDarla's knuckles stung from the blow.\n\nEugene staggered back, nose streaming blood again, and roared in anger and pain.\n\nAn authoritative voice cut through. \"As satisfying as I'm sure that was, I think that there has been enough fighting for one wedding. Wrench, Bastian, Eugene appears to need medical attention. Please give it to him elsewhere. Travis, Graham, if you wouldn't mind cleaning up the brawling pit. Breck, a word. Mr. Trayvor, Mrs. Grant, Darla.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Scarlet, despite the chaos around her, looked as if she had just stepped out of the spa… and found something distasteful on her shoe.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 28 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Eugene quit the scene in ungraceful capitulation with Wrench and Bastian, Scarlet drew the primary wedding party onto the back of the dais out of easy earshot.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Breck started. \"Eugene promised me he wouldn't challenge. I really did think that I'd be able to pull this off without risking the resort.\"\n\nScarlet looked at him sourly. \"And I suppose you wouldn't have challenged if you hadn't had that assurance.\"\n\nBreck grinned, not at Scarlet, but at Darla, making her heart rise in her chest. \"Oh, I probably would have had to anyway.\"\n\nDarla shook her head at him hopelessly, smiling despite herself. Then her smile faded. The home. \"Mother, about the retirement home…\"\n\nJubilee knew an opportunity when she saw one. \"Marry Liam,\" she said firmly. \"We can salvage this wedding and you can save your precious nursing home and the hoard will be unlocked for you.\"\n\nDarla shuddered. \"Mother, please....\"\n\n\"I don't want to disown you,\" Jubilee said threateningly. \"Don't force my hand.\"\n\nDarla felt like she had never known her mother, like this was a woman she had never imagined could exist beneath her society mother's glossy veneer.\n\n\"I am not marrying Liam,\" Darla said without hesitation. \"I am marrying my mate. I am marrying him without your blessing, without dragon custom, because I would not want your blessing tainting my union with him. You force my hand, mother. The hoard will be locked forever, and you won't have it either. I will find another way to save the home, because I have no desire to be beholden to you. Ever.\"\n\nShe looked at Liam. \"I have some clothing, a little jewelry. It's mine, and I'll sell it to protect the retirement home as long as possible.\"\n\nJubilee took a step backwards at her defiance, confused and shaken. \"You'll regret this,\" she promised.\n\nDarla looked at her curiously. \"No, I don't think I will,\" she said thoughtfully. Breck slipped his fingers into hers and squeezed.\n\n\"Well, you will,\" Jubilee said, rounding on Scarlet furiously. \"This is your fault, your employee who did this. You will regret this. I'll see this resort in ashes. I will sue you into the earth and see that your resort is smeared in every major shifter publication. No one who is anyone will ever come here again.\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Add to story with matching character/world context. Focus: urban fantasy. Include: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Twice in as many days now, Breck had seen Scarlet get angry.\n\nIt was no less impressive the second time, even if it wasn't directed at him this time. Her green eyes were hard and brilliant, and her red hair seemed to crackle with energy. The air around them grew thick and hard to breath, and Jubilee, perhaps recognizing her mistake, took a second step backwards.\n\n\"Do you know what I regret?\" Scarlet snarled. \"I regret letting you run roughshod over my staff. I regret biting my tongue while you treated your family like chattel. I regret allowing you to disparage your less fortunate guests by constantly reminding them of your supposed generosity and superior bloodlines. I regret letting you take a contract for service as a license for abuse. I regret pulling my best waiter from service because you were a shallow, bigoted fool.\"\n\n\"You can't talk to me that way,\" Jubilee gasped, retreating another step. \"You can't!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Because I'm not a dragon?\" Scarlet seemed to bristle, and for a moment, Breck actually thought she was going to shift on the spot. Was she a dragon? No one knew. Maybe she would eat Jubilee, he thought gleefully.\n\nThere was a moment of tension, Jubilee too terrified to protest further, then Scarlet turned away dismissively and looked at Liam, who blinked several times rapidly at her sizzling gaze but held his ground. \"Liam, you may relocate your retirement home and any of your family who need shelter to the resort at your convenience. I expect a complete list of the residents and any of their special needs, as well as an accounting of their personal effects for insurance purposes. We'll discuss the details tomorrow.\"\n\nThen Breck took the brunt of her flinty stare.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are we still having a wedding, Breck?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes,\" he said immediately.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'darla's' (2x)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, when Darla's hand tightened in his, he turned his gaze to her. \"If you want to,\" he added at once. \"I think that technically, you won the challenge, so you probably ought to decide.\"\n\nDarla's blue eyes got big, and Breck wondered if anyone had ever asked her to make her own choices about her life. \"Yes,\" she murmured hopefully. Then she drew herself up taller and met Scarlet's eyes bravely. \"Yes,\" she repeated. \"It would be a terrible shame to let this all go to waste,\" she said practically.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But it won't be this wedding.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Breck's surprise, nearly all of the guests — especially on Liam's side — stayed, helping the Shifting Sands crew put the chairs back in order and right the fallen pots of flowers. Only a few of them retreated from the wedding field. One of the dragon guests did the honor of removing the fuming Mrs. Grant from the resort rather than forcing her to wait for the charter plane.\n\nThe gargoyle clergy politely removed himself from consideration for performing the wedding before he could be requested, but he did so graciously. Scarlet offered just as graciously to perform the ceremony, and Darla solemnly accepted that.\n\nDarla's dress was beyond repair, which seemed to give her great satisfaction, and Breck's suit was no better off.\n\n\"We could just get married naked,\" Breck suggested cheekily.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Give everyone one last view of what they'll never get now.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Darla punched him in the arm, then rubbed herself in that same spot ruefully. \"I am going to wear clothing at my wedding, and it will be clothing I choose. And I really want to brush the blood out of my hair. You can wait another hour after all of this, can't you?\"\n\nBreck crushed her into an embrace. \"I would wait a lifetime for you,\" he declared seriously.\n\nAnd it was worth the wait, he decided, watching her walk down the aisle in a bright yellow sundress, the setting sun giving everything a rosy light. Liam was at her side to give her away, and Chef was standing at Breck's side. \"To make sure you don't run,\" Chef said with a knowing laugh, but Breck had no interest in running anywhere but Darla's arms.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The ceremony was entirely made up on the fly, with a wedding party comprised of anyone who wanted to be in it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) Word restriction: Use 'breck' 2 time(s) only (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Liam's mother was delighted to be asked to help with a candle-lighting ritual that they came up with on the spot, and his grandmothers offered to serve food at the reception.\n\n\"We may not know as much about dragons and all the high falutin customs that Mrs. Grant wanted,\" Alison had said warmly as Breck took his spot on the dais. \"But we know about mates, and Darla deserves all her happiness.\"\n\nAs Conall struck familiar notes of a wedding march, Gizelle capered down the aisle in front of the bride and Lydia and Laura walked more sedately, holding flowers.\n\nScarlet gave a simple, standard civil opening speech and they lit candles together. \"Do you have vows?\" she asked then.\n\nBreck, gazing at his bride, realized he should have written something.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes,\" he said anyway.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Darla, I vow to love and treasure you for the rest of my life.\" This would have been an appropriate place for flowery vows and sweet nothings, but Breck felt that they were all insufficient compared to the promise in his heart.\n\nDarla smiled back at him, her face perfectly happy as Breck had only had glimpses before.\n\n\"Breck, I vow to cherish and adore you until end of all things.\"\n\n\"Are there rings?\" Scarlet asked.\n\n\"No rings,\" Darla said with a shake of her head. \"Just these.\" She held up her wrist and Breck mirrored her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The dragonrunes glowed briefly, and they clasped hands.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"By the power vested in me by the nation of Costa Rica, I declare you husband and wife,\" Scarlet said solemnly. \"You may kiss.\"\n\nDarla smiled as he slowly gathered her up into his arms. \"You're going to be dramatic about this, aren't you,\" she guessed quietly, amusement crinkling her face.\n\n\"I do have a reputation to maintain,\" Breck reminded her.\n\nThen he kissed his bride, deeply, devotedly. It was gentle at first, and the audience applauded politely. Then he wrapped her tighter, and kissed her harder, and she melted into him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the time he finally released her, with a tapering series of butterfly kisses, she was panting and weak-kneed and Breck was grinning and breathing just as hard.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were whistles, then, and more enthusiastic cheers.\n\n\"Get a room!\" Tex called.\n\n\"It's a good thing they waited and got married with clothes on after all,\" Travis said in a stage-whisper.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "There's a gap marked by `<fill_in_here>` in the following text. Fill it with around four hundred and nine words or so.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla had expected to hate her wedding reception.\n\nThe food would be too rich, the music too staid, the people too stiff.\n\nBut the reception she got was filled with bemused laughter, and cheerful music that occasionally ended in, \"Gizelle, come back!\" as the gazelle shifter forgot she needed to hold onto Conall to allow him to hear his fellow musicians.\n\nA siren sang several songs, the magic in her voice like a caress, and Darla danced around the room in Breck's perfect arms until Liam stole her away and Lydia took a reluctant Breck for a turn around the floor, braving the scowls of the giant tattooed man whose primary job seemed to be terrifying people.\n\n\"I'm really happy for you,\" Liam said honestly, as they danced. \"I know it didn't work out perfectly, but you and Breck… you belong together.\"\n\nDarla had been trying not to watch Breck too obviously, and she looked earnestly back at Liam now. \"You have been so good to me,\" she said sincerely. \"And I'm sorry you got dragged through so much for so little.\"\n\n\"It's not as little as that,\" Liam said generously. \"Shifting Sands Resort will be a bit of an upgrade from the warehouse on Seventh Avenue.\"\n\n\"And no one here will care if a mammoth gets unexpectedly loose in the night,\" Darla chuckled.\n\n\"Graham might,\" Liam suggested. \"If he ends up trampling the gardens.\"\n\nDarla let Liam turn her, and returned to arm's length. \"Do you think you will ever find your own mate?\" she asked. Then, thoughtfully, \"Would you want one?\"\n\nLiam looked down at her a little wistfully. \"I'm asexual, but I can't say I don't wish I had someone who understands me the way Breck understands you. It's just that the chances of meeting<fill_in_here> surprise. \"I had three years of private singing tutors,\" she confessed. \"They said that I'm not hopeless, but that I'd never have a career of it. Not that my mother would have approved of a career.\"\n\nThey compared favorite songs eagerly, and at the end of the song, Chef enfolded her in an affectionate, fatherly hug and walked away humming the introduction to a French opera they both knew.\n\nGraham, the grouchy-looking landscaper, took her on one grim, silent trip around the room, and deposited her back at the bar without a single word.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " someone with the same expectations are passingly slim.\"\n\n\"What are the chances that mates ever meet each other?\" Darla challenged. \"I wish this for you, Liam. With all my heart I wish it for you.\"\n\nLiam pulled her into a warm, grateful embrace as the music ended. \"You deserve your happy ever after, Darla. I am so glad you got it.\"\n\nDarla kissed him on the cheek. \"Thank you for all you did for me. This could never have happened without you.\"\n\n\"I've already punched one person today, do I have to do it again?\" Breck's eyes were dancing jealously as he reached for Darla's hands, but the look he exchanged with Liam was all amusement.\n\nLiam politely handed Darla back to him. \"I wouldn't want to put you to the effort,\" he said archly. \"Nor harm Darla's knuckles again.\"\n\n\"That really did hurt,\" Darla laughed. \"Please don't punch people if you don't have to.\"\n\n\"That was just the excuse I was looking for,\" Breck said merrily. \"I'll have to clear my busy schedule of punching people, now.\"\n\nFor a long glorious song, she circled the room in her new husband's arms, marveling at the idea that he was her husband, that she wasn't settling, that it wasn't temporary, or something that had to be kept secret.\n\nThe resort staff certainly seemed to accept her with open arms, and if they had been friendly before, they were like family now that she was one of them instead of merely the meek daughter of a high-maintenance client. When the song ended, Tex trotted her around for another song and gave her all the sage advice that three months of marriage had taught him. She congratulated him on the imminent enlargement of their family and he looked dazzled and turned pink with pleasure.\n\nNext, Travis took her hand for a high energy salsa that left no opening for conversation and before she could look around for Breck afterwards, Chef had claimed her hand for something more staid.\n\n\"Thank you so much for everything,\" she told him sincerely. \"I thought I'd try helping in the kitchen if you approve. Breck taught me how to wash dishes, and I'd like to know more about cooking.\"\n\n\"You'd be very welcome in my kitchen,\" Chef told her kindly, and it didn't feel like the kind of polite society lie that Darla was so used to. \"Can you carry a tune?\"\n\nDarla looked at him in", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode: Chapter continuation\nContext: Part of larger work\nNote: Established characters may appear\nLength: eleven sentences\nStyle: Zoe Chant\nGenres: urban fantasy\nTags: shifters, nsfw, Shifting Sands Resort", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breck jealously watched as the rest of the staff thwarted his attempts to steal Darla back for himself, and found himself on the side of the floor next to Liam, who was clearly feeling uncomfortable about the looks being cast at him by a gaggle of giggling housekeepers. They seemed to think that being a jilted groom called for certain comforts.\n\n\"Want to dance?\" the leopard shifter asked Liam, as Travis stole his wife from a beaming Tex.\n\n\"Will it give the wrong impression?\" Liam asked cautiously.\n\n\"What's the right impression?\" Breck countered.\n\n\"Good point,\" Liam agreed, and they stepped out gracefully. The dragon shifter was happy to take the lead he was accustomed to, and Breck cheerfully let him.\n\n\"Do you think you'll ever find your own mate?\" Breck asked, head swiveling to watch Travis turn Darla.\n\n\"Funny, Darla asked me that just now, too,\" Liam said, his mouth curling up in amusement.\n\n\"What did you tell her?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That I like the idea of it, and how happy it's clearly made her, but I'm not holding my breath,\" Liam said matter-of-factly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mates seem to have a pretty driving central need… and that's not something in my repertoire. Maybe it's not possible.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a hint of regret in his voice.\n\n\"Do you think that would change, if you met the right person?\" Breck had to ask curiously.\n\n\"Did meeting Darla make you straight?\" Liam pointed out.\n\nBreck furrowed his brow thoughtfully. \"I can't think of anyone but her,\" he said slowly. Then he tried to imagine Darla as a man, and what they might do together. \"Nope, definitely still bisexual,\" he grinned.\n\n\"You're kind of baffling,\" Liam said, shaking his head.\n\n\"It's mutual,\" Breck agreed without judgement.\n\nBut he realized that it didn't mean anything about their ability to be friends, and, differences aside, he suspected he'd have a strong friend in this man.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For the immediate response, include minimal direct quotes", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was already grateful for the dragon shifter's friendship with Darla, and admired his generosity with the rest home.\n\nI told you he wasn't our rival, his leopard reminded him.\n\n\"I think there's someone out there for you,\" Breck said confidently. \"And this island sure seems to have a way of introducing mates to each other. Maybe they'll show up at Shifting Sands someday and sweep you off your feet.\"\n\n\"Without the sweeping, maybe,\" Liam said.\n\nThe housekeepers were looking pouty and disappointed as they returned to the edge of the dancefloor, and Chef stole Darla before Breck could cut in, grinning at him over her shoulder.\n\nAlison was standing there and Breck gave her a courtly bow. \"May I have this dance?\" he offered.\n\n\"I'm not very good,\" she warned him, but Breck gave her his most charming smile and insisted.\n\nShe was better than she had given him reason to believe, and became comfortable enough with Breck's lead that they could even converse.\n\n\"I owe you an apology for stealing your son's wedding,\" Breck said sheepishly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Pish,\" Alison said smartly. \"You and Darla were clearly meant to be, and I'm not sorry not be saddled with Darla's mother for family.\"\n\nThey laughed together over that, and Breck asked cautiously, \"Did you... know that theirs was a marriage of convenience?\"\n\n\"Oh yes,\" Alison said easily. \"I knew Liam was asexual before I knew he was a dragon shifter, and he was quite frank with me about their arrangement.\"\n\n\"He says it was a big surprise for you when he first shifted,\" Breck said leadingly, suspecting a humorous story he could use as leverage later.\n\nAlison laughed. \"You know what a teenager's bedroom looks like? Perpetually messy and filled with stuff? Now imagine a very confused dragon stuffed in there, folded floor to ceiling in shimmery coils, with no earthly idea how to get back to human form. We were expecting something a lot smaller.\"\n\nBreck coaxed the story from her, and they laughed together. \"It was a crash course in everything about dragons,\" Alison admitted, as the song came to a close. \"Mrs. Grant went on and on about how she researched dragon custom, but she can't hold a candle to the months of study we went through figuring out how to cope with a several hundred foot flying serpent who couldn't put a toilet seat down to save his life.\"\n\nBreck would have laughed, but he was watching Darla being grimly shuffled to the bar by Graham, and he was utterly caught up in a wave of confused emotion: she was so utterly dear to him, she filled him with longing and fulfillment all at once.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wanted to show her off and hide her away to be only his.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wanted to spend forever unraveling the complexity of everything he felt for her, and he couldn't believe that she was his.\n\nHe was busy watching her instead of minding his feet, and he stumbled into Alison before he realized he was still dancing and the music had stopped. \"I'm sorry,\" he said sincerely.\n\n\"Your wrist is glowing,\" she pointed out.\n\nThe dragonrunes were pulsing with light, and Alison frowned at them thoughtfully.\n\n\"Unbroken line,\" Breck said, rubbing it. \"It never did make much sense.\" He hadn't even been thinking about sex.\n\n\"Is that what Mrs. Jubilee Grant said?\" Alison scoffed. \"Amateur. That doesn't say unbroken line, that says unbroken bond.\"\n\nBreck looked down at it, and then across at the gleam on Darla's wrist across the room.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Include the following text] → \"Leave it to Breck to steal the bride,\"", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She met his gaze through the dancers and smiled sheepishly down at her wrist.\n\nSomeone was clinking on a glass in the silence from the music, and Alison gave Breck a little push to start walking to Darla as the others parted between them.\n\nThe touch of her fingers as they met in the center of the floor was like magic, and the marks on both their wrists gleamed like moonlight.\n\nScarlet was standing with her glass raised, and she gave everyone time to find their drinks and join her in a toast.\n\n\"We are celebrating a union today,\" she said warmly. \"Even if it's not exactly the union we were planning to celebrate.\"\n\nThe staff and guests laughed.\n\n\"Leave it to Breck to steal the bride,\" Travis teased.\n\nEveryone laughed harder.\n\n\"Yeah, but then he went and got hitched to her,\" Tex reminded him, sounding horrified.\n\n\"Careful, cowboy,\" Laura warned him with laughter in her voice.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nothing wrong with doing the respectable thing.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As if Breck will ever be respectable,\" Bastian laughed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was in a much better mood since his parents had bailed with the most elite of the dragon shifter society guests.\n\nScarlet cleared her throat and the joshing died down. \"It isn't every day that true mates meet each other, and when they do, it is always worth rejoicing. I am so happy that we could share this day of joining with these two people, and wish them all the best in their continuing lives together as one.\"\n\nBreck kissed Darla to applause and cheers.\n\n\"Speech, speech!\" Travis prodded.\n\nBut Breck wasn't done kissing Darla, and she wasn't done with him, her arms around his neck and her lush body close against his.\n\n\"I think that's as much of a speech as we're getting,\" Scarlet observed dryly. \"Cottage fifteen, you two. The rest of you, we'll clean this up in the morning. Please enjoy the rest of the food and take a centerpiece back to your room if you desire.\"\n\nBreck stopped kissing Darla and took her hands in his own. \"Let's go somewhere without a peanut gallery,\" he suggested.\n\n\"Cottage fifteen sounds nice,\" Darla agreed breathlessly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night outside was quiet after the noise and merriment of the event hall, and Darla's hand in his was warm and perfect.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She leaned her head against him as they walked past the abandoned wedding aisle and through the garden towards the pool and the cottages beyond.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next output: extensive quoted text", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This morning I thought I was never going to see you again,\" she said softly.\n\n\"I thought that very same thing when Eugene rolled over on me and broke all my ribs,\" Breck confessed. They were still sore.\n\n\"Did I fail to impress upon you what a terrible idea it would be to challenge?\" Darla scolded him.\n\nBreck stopped walking and faced her. \"Eugene swore he would let it stand,\" he said. \"But even if he hadn't, even if I was hopelessly outclassed as a fighter, even if Wrench had been right and I was utterly doomed, I had to try. I wouldn't have been alive without you, Darla.\"\n\nShe made a little whimper. \"I know. I know. I wasn't alive before I met you.\"\n\n\"I could wish things had gone a little better,\" Breck admitted wryly. \"But I'm not sorry. I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving you, and that's the happiest ending I can imagine.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla answered with her mouth, stretching up to kiss him hungrily and run her fingers through his short hair.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breck gathered her into his arms and drew her down to a garden bench that waited beside them.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was much, much later that they made it to cottage fifteen… and Breck knew that there would be music to face from Graham by the time they were done.\n\n[ Epilogue ]\n\n\"Charter's coming in,\" Graham called from the back kitchen door.\n\nChef answered him with the chorus of an opera in Italian, and Darla left a warm kiss on the cook's cheek as she untied the apron from her waist. \"I'll be back when they're settled,\" she promised. \"It should be before the dinner rush.\"\n\nHer kiss for Breck, at the back door, was considerably longer, and not limited to his cheek.\n\n\"Travis won't hold the van for you,\" Breck warned her at last, and she reluctantly pried herself away.\n\n\"I'll see you soon,\" she said.\n\nThey'd been married nearly two weeks, and it still felt impossible and precious and fragile. Darla kept expecting someone to tell her she wasn't allowed to feel this happy, and to take it all away from her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Travis was waiting at the van and made a point of looking at his wrist, but his eyes were dancing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The noisy journey down to the tiny island airstrip prevented any real conversation, and Darla spent most of it looking at her hands, thinking about how much her life had changed in just a few short weeks.\n\nHer nails were short and practical, without a trace of polish. She was developing calluses from the cutting knives, and her fingers were rough from dishwater. She had sold her jewelry and designer clothing to pay for getting the rest home residents plane tickets and was dressed in a simple resort uniform: a green polo shirt and khaki shorts. Her hair was back in two braids, lovingly — if not expertly — put there by Breck, not styled at a salon.\n\nShe rose every morning before dawn, which would have felt ridiculously early at any other point in her life, and made bread dancing around the kitchen with the love of her life.\n\nWhen the van finally pulled in at the gravel strip, Darla was smiling foolishly.\n\nShe could honestly not imagine a more perfect life.\n\nLiam looked considerably less content than she did as he ushered the eight senior citizens from the charter plane.\n\n\"It was an interesting trip,\" he confessed, looking thoroughly ruffled. \"Mrs. Asher got lost in the Mexico City airport, and Mrs. Snaffit fell asleep in her luggage and you have no idea what someone shifting into a bear does for the weight and balance of a small plane. Thank goodness it was on the charter, and not the commercial airliner.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Interesting sounds like an understatement,\" Darla laughed, and she stepped forward to help Mrs. Snaffit down the last of the steps from the plane.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They didn't have a wheelchair for Mr. Danby, who had been sedated for the trip to keep him from shifting into a mammoth mid-flight, but Liam gathered the old man easily into his arms and carried him to the waiting van as Travis assisted the chattering old ladies into their seats.\n\nThe seven ladies had a great deal to say about the road to the resort, the heat, the sun, Travis' big muscles, the flowers, and, when they finally saw them, the cottages that Scarlet had assigned to the retirement community.\n\nThe resort owner had allotted four houses for the new residents, and Travis had constructed a large shelter for Mr. Danby; it was warm enough now that a roof over slat walls would more than suffice, and they had some time before storm season to come up with something more weather-and mammoth-proof.\n\nThe hedges between the four building had been removed, so it was a cozy community of homes, all at the same level, situated on a long, seamless lawn. One of the houses had been set up as a common area, with a dining table and chairs, couches, recliners, and televisions. The remaining three cottages were living quarters, and each of the new residents had a private room with a bed and a chair.\n\nThe seniors had a great deal to say about their rooms and after checking Mr. Danby's vitals, Liam and Darla left them to unpack and explore their new campus.\n\n\"This is wonderful,\" Liam said, coming back out into the sunlight. \"How did you get it all done so fast?\"\n\nTravis, hauling in the last of the luggage, was pleased with the praise. \"It wasn't that much to do,\" he said modestly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Though I couldn't answer for Graham and the landscaping. He can work miracles with the green stuff around here.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Speaking of miracles…\"\n\nBreck was standing in the doorway of the common cottage. Darla ran to give him a kiss.\n\n\"The breakfast crowd was small, so Chef let me out a little early to help Mrs. Shandy get settled in with all our new guests,\" he explained, putting a hand around her waist.\n\n\"Is she fitting in well?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"They're already planning a backgammon tournament,\" Breck said with a grin. \"I don't think they know what they're up against.\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" Liam said. \"Mrs. Asher can hold her own if there isn't any cheating.\"\n\n\"Welcome back,\" Breck said, offering a handshake that Liam warmly accepted. \"How was the trip?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Grueling,\" Liam said wryly. \"I'm glad that it's over.\"\n\n\"How is your mom?\" Darla asked. Alison had graciously declined Scarlet's invitation to move to Shifting Sands, but had promised to keep it in mind when — if — Jubilee made good on her threats.\n\n\"She's doing great, sends you a kiss.\" He gave her a sideways look. \"How's your mom?\"\n\n\"We got the earnest money back on the warehouse, less fees,\" Darla was happy to report. \"With the rest of the jewelry that Saina fenced for me, we have the dowry to pay back. We'll be free and clear of the whole thing.\" She played with the cheap fabric of her polo shirt. \"There's no word about a lawsuit yet, but it could happen at any time. I think she's been busy having vapors over the fact that Eugene was manipulating her psychic. She hasn't paid the remainder of the bill, of course.\"\n\nShe had terribly mixed feelings.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had spent her life admiring her glamorous mother from a distance, but the real person behind the dazzling image had been so cold and heartless and Darla was only beginning to recognize how controlling she had been.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "user note just fyi, Required word frequency: 'scarlet' (2x)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Liam gave her a look that suggested he understood the depths of her confusion. \"I'm hoping for the best,\" he said simply.\n\nDarla smiled at him. \"I'll settle for not awful,\" she said sincerely.\n\n\"I would be perfectly satisfied with 'not awful' at this point also,\" Scarlet said, startling them all by suddenly being at the corner of the community house.\n\n\"I'm sorry for —\" Darla started automatically.\n\nScarlet waved her off. \"I'm not blaming any of you for circumstances,\" she said firmly. \"You don't need to continue apologizing.\" She gave the area a critical look. \"I hope that this will suffice for now.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's fine,\" Liam said gratefully. \"More than I could have hoped for. Your generosity…\"\n\nHe trailed off at Scarlet's dismissive wave. \"I'm not running a charity,\" she said briskly. \"And I hope I can count on you to keep your charges under control and out of the way until further, more permanent, accommodations can be arranged.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" Liam said swiftly.\n\nScarlet's voice gentled. \"Once you are settled, I'd like to go over meal schedules and talk about accessibility needs that might still need addressed. I would also appreciate your attendance at our senior staff meetings in the future, as I am assigning you the responsibility for the rest home and I will require you to coordinate your needs with the rest of the resort.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am,\" Liam agreed.\n\n\"Just Scarlet is fine. We'll be meeting at one o'clock this afternoon. Darla, I'd appreciate your attendance as well.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am,\" Darla squeaked, drawing to attention automatically. \"Er, Scarlet. Ah, why?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Scarlet looked amused. \"Because we've got an important wedding party coming in tomorrow, and I thought you might have some useful input based on your own experience.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Darla smothered a nervous giggle.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have lots of ideas what not to do,\" she agreed. \"Is it a very big wedding?\"\n\nScarlet actually smiled, and Darla wondered if she was being teased. \"Very small, actually, and the bride and groom are mates, so we aren't likely to run into the same sorts of problems that you faced.\"\n\nBreck looked at her suspiciously. \"Mates, you say?\"\n\nScarlet gave him a narrow-eyed look and then smiled as she explained, \"Mary and Neal are coming back to get married. Amber and Tony are coming as bridesmaid and best man.\"\n\nBreck gave a laugh of delight. \"No one in the world would have thought I'd get married before those two.\"\n\n\"You know them?\" Darla said, smiling at his contagious joy.\n\n\"Neal was a captive in that zoo across the island that Gizelle came from,\" Breck explained. \"And his mate Mary was a guest here. Tony is our friend from the Shifter Affairs agency. He and Amber were the ones who uncovered the zoo and were key in taking it down.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So it will be a pretty important reunion, then,\" Darla guessed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(authors note, Only your next part should have some quoted speech)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But probably not a disaster of a wedding like ours was.\"\n\nBreck pulled her close. \"Our wedding was perfect,\" he said in mock offense. He shot Liam a laughing look. \"It was your wedding to that guy that made the tabloids.\"\n\n\"Don't remind me,\" Darla groaned. Photographs from the wedding debacle had made all the major shifter gossip publications.\n\n\"I'm expecting far less drama from this union,\" Scarlet said mildly.\n\nBut Breck was making distracting swirls on her neck with his thumb and Darla barely heard her. \"I can think of parts of the wedding I'd like to do again,\" he said quietly. \"Maybe not the being crushed by a bear part, but there were some lovely moments afterwards…\" He pulled her into a spontaneous dance across the lawn, and Darla laughed and stepped willingly into it as he spun her around and dipped her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There were some lovely moments before, too,\" she reminded him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 12 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not so much the night before,\" Breck said, mouth close to hers. \"But the night before that.\"\n\n\"And the night before that,\" Darla reminded him, blowing on his ear.\n\n\"And the night before that,\" Breck added, kissing her jaw and her nibbling at her neck.\n\n\"One o'clock,\" Scarlet reminded them firmly, and Darla heard her sensible heels click away in exasperation as Liam muttered, \"Baffling!\" and went to check on Mr. Danby's vitals again.\n\nBreck lifted Darla back to her feet but didn't offer to let her go. \"We've got a little time before the meeting,\" he told her, raising an eyebrow suggestively.\n\n\"Want to go recreate one of those nights?\" Darla grinned.\n\nBreck's perfect mouth curved into a smile. \"There's a tire on the van that needs changed…\" he said leadingly.\n\nThen they were running, hand in hand, for the entrance of the resort.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll share a piece from a longer story, then you take over with forty-five sentences in Zoey Gong's voice, keeping within the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre. Some context may come from earlier chapters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Daiyu! Daiyu!\" my sister, Junli, says as she jumps up and down and pulls on my arm.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's it say? What's it say?\" We are two of dozens of people crowded around a palace official who is nailing a piece of paper to the community board in the marketplace.\n\n\"I don't know,\" I say, not only because I can't see over the crowd, but because I can't read. I wait for the official to make an announcement, but as soon as he finishes his task, he elbows us out of the way and moves on. I can see he has a whole stack of papers to put up. Everyone moves in front of the sign, and I know I'm not the only one who can't read it. Still, it must be important if it is from the Forbidden City.\n\n\"What's it say?\" Junli asks again.\n\n\"Excuse me, uncle,\" I say to a kindly looking man standing next to me. \"What does the sign say?\"\n\n\"Probably nothing that concerns you,\" he says as he squints. \"Looks like there is going to be a selection ceremony for new consorts for the emperor. Manchu consorts.\" The man spits as he turns and walks away. I see two men talking animatedly about the announcement, and I hear one of them shout a loud curse on the imperial family.\n\n\"What's he talking about?\" Junli asks. I grab her arm and pull her away from the crowd. No wonder the man putting up the sign left in such a hurry. He didn't want to be around for any fights that might break out because of it.\n\n\"The emperor is looking for a new wife,\" I explain simply and quickly to Junli. Actually, he'll probably take dozens of women into his court as concubines, but I don't want to explain this to a six-year-old. \"But only from among the Manchu, of course.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" Junli replies. As young as she is, even she is aware of the bitter division between the mostly Han Chinese people and the ruling Manchu elite. Two hundred years ago, the Manchu were a bunch of horse-riding, barbarian nomads living north of the wall. They invaded our country during a moment of weakness and now rule us all.\n\n\"It would be nice to be an empress,\" Junli says absently. \"Or a princess, wouldn't it, Daiyu? Then I'd live in the Forbidden City and wear the prettiest clothes.\"\n\nI raise my eyes to the large, imposing, red-brick wall of the Forbidden City that looms over our poor neighborhood.\n\n\"I shouldn't think so,\" I say. \"It looks like a prison. You know why it's called the Forbidden City, right?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Because once a woman enters, she is forbidden from ever leaving!\"\n\n\"No!\" Junli says. \"That's not true.\"\n\n\"It is,\" I insist. \"The women are all locked inside a beautiful garden. There are luscious plants, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and they wear beautiful clothes. But it's a trap.\"\n\n\"What kind of trap?\" I have her hooked now.\n\n\"A spider's trap! Rawr!\" I hook my fingers into claws and snarl. Junli squeals and runs away from me. We dodge between other market-goers, around a beggar, and down a long row of food stalls. The smoke and steam of the grills and bamboo baskets make my mouth water.\n\n\"Hey, hey!\" a man says when I make the mistake of catching his eye and slowing to a walk. \"Steamed pork bun! Very cheap! Very delicious!\"\n\nI shake my head and walk away, my stomach growling. I only have enough money for a jin of rice and a measure of pork to feed my whole family.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can't waste any of it on myself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "meta: For the upcoming response: keep quoted text at about 24%", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But when I look back to the road, I don't see my sister.\n\n\"Junli?\" I call out, and already I can feel myself panicking. \"Junli!\" I rush down the road, nearly toppling over a woman with bound feet.\n\n\"Watch out!\" she scolds.\n\n\"Sorry!\" I shake a man's sleeve. \"Have you seen a little girl?\" He shrugs and turns away. I should never have let her out of my sight! It's so easy for a child to get snatched. A pretty little girl could fetch enough money at a brothel to feed a family for a month.\n\n\"Junli!\" I scream.\n\n\"I'm right here,\" she says, appearing at my side from seemingly nowhere. She's holding a stick of fried meat, chomping away happily.\n\n\"Where did you get that?\"\n\nShe points to a nearby vendor. \"He dropped it on the ground, so he said I could have it.\"\n\nThe man gives a small smile and wave. I take Junli by the arm and drag her away. I know the man meant well, no sense in letting the food go to waste, but the idea that my sister had no qualms about eating food dropped in the dirt, such was her hunger, makes me sick.\n\nWe finally make it to the market stall of a woman I know well. \"Good morning, laoma,\" I say.\n\n\"Welcome, little sister,\" she says.\n\nI hand her two coins and a metal container from a slouch bag that hangs from my shoulder. \"Rice and pork.\" She nods and takes the container from me, measuring out the rice and then pouring it into the container. My face falls when I pick the container up.\n\n\"It feels a bit light,\" I say. She points up to the sky.\n\n\"There's a drought. The farmer brought me much less than usual, so I had to raise the price. The governor of Peking has refused to help supplement the meager harvest.\"\n\n\"What about the emperor?\" I ask.\n\nThe woman scoffs and then laughs. \"You think he cares about us? He'll soon have a hundred more mouths to feed after the selection process.\"\n\nIt doesn't seem fair that one man should have enough money to feed a hundred wives while my father can barely afford to feed his only one and his five children. I weigh the container in my hands again. \"This isn't enough for my family, you know that.\"\n\n\"Sorry,\" she says with a shrug. I'm struck dumb. I don't have more money, but I can't return home with so little food. I'm about to cry when the woman takes pity on me and opens my container, dropping in another small scoop of rice. It still isn't enough, but it's the best she can do. At least she gives me the usual amount of pork. I take my purchases and slip them into my bag as I walk away.\n\n\"Hey, you cheated my wife!\" I hear a man growl at the woman.\n\n\"I'll tell you what I told her—\" the woman says, going on to tell him the same story she told me. I take some solace in the fact that she must not have been lying if she was charging everyone more money. It wouldn't be good business to cheat repeat customers.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Still, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Our food is already not enough for everyone.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mama looks so thin, I think the new baby at her breast might be sucking her very essence from her.\n\n\"Look, Daiyu,\" Junli says, shaking my arm and pointing ahead. An opera troupe has set up in the middle of a market road. They are all dressed in colorful costumes, though only one man is singing. The rest of the troupe are playing instruments, an erhu, a flute, and a drum. A dwarf with a monkey goes around the crowd with an upturned hat, asking for donations. I wish I had money to give them.\n\nThe opera is a popular one, if a little vulgar. It's called Drunken Beauty, and while there are some other characters early on, the majority of the opera is sung by one person. An imperial concubine, in a bid to get the attention of the emperor since she is merely one of three thousand concubines, has invited the emperor to meet her for a drink at the One Hundred Flower Pavilion. However, through a mix-up, the emperor doesn't show up, so the concubine drinks the wine alone. Through the show, the concubine becomes increasingly drunk, which leads to a series of hilarious songs and antics and even some impressive acrobatics, depending on the skill of the performer. This young man seems to be focusing more on his singing, which is quite lyrical.\n\nThe dwarf stops in front of Junli and lets her pet the monkey. She touches his fur and then runs back to me laughing.\n\n\"Did you see? Did you see?\" she asks me.\n\n\"I saw. Go on, watch the show.\" She goes back to the front of the crowd where a few children have gathered. I look around at the people, most of whom are familiar to me. People from the same neighborhood who have lived around me my whole life. People in the same situation as my own family, trying to survive on less and less money each year while the families grow ever larger. I shield my eyes from the growing sun and dust that is blown about on a meager breeze. Aside from the great red wall, all of Peking seems to be various shades of brown. The drought has been more intense than I realized.\n\nI look away from the singer as the sun reflects from his headdress right into my eyes and I see a shoe vendor. I almost turn away—I could never afford a pair of new shoes—but then a thought strikes me and I wander over.\n\n\"New shoes, miss?\" the man asks. \"Lucky red shoes sure to fit your lotus feet.\"\n\n\"I don't have lotus feet,\" I say. The man looks down at my unbound feet and then sniffs. \"I have a few pairs for big-footed girls.\"\n\n\"No,\" I say, \"I was wondering if you are buying.\" I reach down and slip my shoes off. It's summer, so I don't really need them when the roads are dry. I hope I can get enough for them to buy food to last my family a few days. I can scrape together enough supplies between now and winter to sew myself another pair, I hope.\n\nThe man holds his hand out. \"Let me see.\"\n\nI hand him the shoes and a small amount of sadness takes me over as I look at the delicate flowers Mama embroidered on them for me.\n\n\"Fair quality, but rather used,\" the man mumbles. I shrug. I don't know how long I've worn them, since at least last summer, but they've held up well. He reaches into his waistband and pulls out two small coins. I laugh.\n\n\"You expect me to go barefoot for so little?\" I reach for the shoes to pull them back.\n\n\"Fine, fine, little sister,\" the man says, pulling out two more coins. I hesitate, wondering if I could get more, but I know I can buy enough rice for a week with what he's offering.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod and quickly grab the coins.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 11 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I return to the opera and clutch Junli's shoulder.\n\n\"Aww,\" she moans at having to leave.\n\n\"Come on, Mama needs us.\" As I move away, the dwarf slips through the crowd in front of me, holding his hat up expectantly. I feel a small pang of guilt as I hold tightly to the coins in my hand. I know the troupe isn't performing for free, but in expectation that people will give at least a small amount of money in exchange for the entertainment. But I have six hungry mouths waiting for me, not counting my own, so I push my guilt aside along with the dwarf as I drag Junli with me back to the food stall.\n\nAs we pass the sign announcing the new concubine selection, I'm reminded just how unfair it is that a bunch of barbarians should have so much while the rest of us have so little. I don't even have a pair of shoes to wear while the emperor will be able to dress a hundred women in multitudes of fine silk garments.\n\nI turn to the big, red wall and spit on the ground. I know no one inside will ever know the insult I just sent their way, but it makes me feel a little better.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match existing character familiarity or establish new\nLength:\nnine sentences\nGenre:\nhistorical fiction, historical romance, China", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "[[OOC: Word frequency rule: 'bowls' × 2]]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wish you hadn't sold your shoes,\" Mama says that evening as I fry up some of the meat to add to the children's bowls of rice, bowls that are full for the first time in weeks. I add some meat to the last bowl and hand it to Mama. She shakes her head.\n\n\"No, you eat it,\" she says.\n\n\"I ate earlier, while you were sleeping.\"\n\nShe hesitates, and I think she knows I'm lying, but she's far more hungry than I am. She's so thin, she appears to be nothing more than bones covered by tight skin. The baby sucks at her breast constantly and yet still cries in hunger.\n\n\"Please,\" I say, near to tears.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She takes the bowl and eats eagerly, though I can see the tears in her eyes as well.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know it hurts her to take food from me, but if one of us is going to die of hunger, it will be her first, and then the baby.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can go on with less food for a while.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I've done it before. I know that I just bought more rice than we have been able to afford in weeks, but we need it to last as long as possible.\n\n\"Is there any more?\" my sister Mingming asks.\n\n\"Not tonight,\" I say. \"But there will be more tomorrow.\"\n\nThe door to our one-room house opens and Baba walks in. His eyes go wide when he sees the children all eating.\n\n\"What is happening?\" he asks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I fill a bowl with rice and pork and hand it to him.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I found a little extra money,\" I say, \"and was able to buy more rice than usual. Here, eat.\"\n\nHe takes the bowl and practically pours it into his mouth, the food gone in only a minute. When he's done, he sighs in satisfaction.\n\n\"What did you have to do to get it?\" he asks me accusingly when he hands the bowl back.\n\nI can't help but be hurt by his words and look away as I rinse the bowl in a small pail of water.\n\n\"I sold my shoes,\" I say. I don't have to look at him to see the shame on his face, I can feel it keenly enough. He grunts and walks over to the bed, sitting next to Mama as he takes off his own shoes and stretches out.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Here,\" he says. I turn and he flips a coin at me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's all I was able to earn today.\"\n\nMama tisks her tongue and looks away. She earns more money than Baba does through her embroidery work than he does through day-laboring. Still, altogether, it's not enough to feed a family of six, not counting the baby. Mama hands the baby to Baba and totters over on her bound feet to sit by the open window, pulling her embroidery basket next to her. She needs to get as much work done as possible while there is still light. The baby whines as Baba rocks it.\n\n\"Dong Fa told me that he sold his second daughter to a brothel last week,\" Baba says.\n\n\"What?\" I ask with alarm.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Dong family lives at the end of the alley, and we've known them most of my life.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their second daughter can't be more than eight years old.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And the baby he sold to a family whose son died,\" he goes on rather absently as he continues to rock his own tiny baby. I look at Mama and see that she is not working, but staring at her hands intently. \"She is to be a ghost bride when she is old enough.\"\n\nA ghost bride. A fate worse than death according to some. Even though the boy is dead, the girl will be considered his wife and must serve her in-laws as any dutiful daughter-in-law would for the rest her life—but without the comfort of a husband and children of her own. She'll spend her life as nothing more than a slave.\n\nI'm not sure why Baba has brought this up except to hint that one of the children will have to be sold if we are to survive. I look at my sisters, Mingming, who is twelve, Junli, who is six, and Huanji, only three, and fear grips my heart at the idea of any of them being forced into a brothel. Of course, the madam would assure Baba that they wouldn't be given to customers until they were old enough, but we all know that that isn't true.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "There is no shortage of wicked men who will pay for the company of a girl too young to understand what is happening to her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I will find a position,\" I say, standing up from my bucket. \"I can find a place as a maid to a rich family. Or I can go to Suchou and get a job at the embroidery factories.\"\n\n\"No!\" Baba says, placing the baby aside and standing to face me. He's terribly thin, much like Mama, but he is at least a head taller than I am. \"If we do that, you'll never be able to marry. It's been hard enough to find a husband for you with your big, ugly feet.\"\n\nI curl my toes under and move my pantlegs to try and hide my feet. I glance at Mama and her tiny bound feet. It was unconventional for Mama to not bind my feet. In fact, I don't know any families with girls with unbound feet, no matter how poor.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's nearly impossible to find a husband for a girl with unbound feet.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Mama couldn't do it to us.\n\nMama says that she nearly died after her feet were bound due to an infection, and her younger sister did, in fact, die. So she was too afraid to bind our feet, and Baba couldn't do it, so instead, we are a family of big-footed girls. Some people have even mistaken us for Manchu girls at times since the Manchu do not follow the tradition of foot-binding.\n\nIn some ways, I'm grateful that my feet were not bound. It's a life of constant pain, and the daily ritual of having to wash and wrap the feet is painful and tiring. But I know that the chance of me marrying, of any of us marrying, is very small.\n\n\"You know I'm not going to marry no matter what,\" I say. \"My feet aren't bound and I have no dowry. I only have sisters, so no one will believe I can bear sons. The matchmaker has never knocked on our door because she knows we are all lost causes.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then what good are you?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) Use the word 'should' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba asks, his voice straining. I know he wants to yell, be angry, but tears prick the corners of his eyes. He feels like a failure, I know it. \"I should just sell you and be done with it!\" he says, turning away from me. \"All of you!\"\n\nThere's no point in arguing with him. It's the same fight week after week. Baba has said for years that he should sell us, but he never does. He loves us too much, to his own detriment.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come on,\" I say to the other girls, motioning toward the door.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I pick up the pail of dirty water and follow them into the hutong, the alley where we live. I toss the water away and then follow the girls as we walk toward the water pump, one shared by the whole neighborhood.\n\nWe pass a building that has been converted into a public house and I see Dong Fa inside, drinking. I feel sick. To think he just sold two of his children and is wasting the money on getting drunk. He at least could have used it on food for his remaining family. But as we reach the water pump, which is very near the Dong house, my heart thumps hard and I drop the bucket.\n\nDong Fa's wife is dead. She's laid out in front of the house, covered by a white cloth. I only now notice that a few people have gathered around to stare and gossip.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What happened?\" I ask a person standing next to me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hung herself,\" the woman says, shaking her head. \"You heard what happened to her daughters? She couldn't stand the pain of it.\"\n\nTears escape my eyes and I think I will be sick. Not for the Dong family, but for my own. I know that Baba has no real wish to sell us, no matter what he says, but will it come down to that or dying of starvation? Mama is already so thin, and the baby sickly. I do not believe it will survive the winter.\n\n\"Daiyu?\" Mingming says, tugging my sleeve. \"What's wrong?\"\n\n\"Go back,\" I tell her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take the little ones home.\"\n\n\"Why?\" she asks, concern on her face. \"Where are you going?\"\n\n\"Just go,\" I tell her, pushing her away. I don't wait for her to try and talk me out of it before I walk away. I have to do something. I can't let my family die or my little, innocent sisters be sold away.\n\nI start walking, and the sun begins to set. I won't get far before dark, but I have to hope it's far enough.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I pass several brothels, red lanterns lit outside and women with obscene amounts of paint on their faces calling enticingly to passing men to join them inside.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc: /set_word_count: walking, frequency: 4)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I walk on. If I'm going to sell myself to a brothel, it's going to have to be worth the money. These places wouldn't pay enough to save my family.\n\nI keep walking and walking, walking until my feet hurt and the sky is a deep blue. It won't be safe for me to be out at night in an unknown place, so I have to hurry. I start to cross a street and hear a horse whinny and a man cry out. I fall back and realize that I walked right in front of a horse pulling a carriage. The horse rears up as the man grabs the reins and tries to steady it.\n\n\"I'm sorry!\" I say, my heart in my nose and my knees shaking so hard I'm not sure I can keep walking.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The door to the carriage flies open and a finely dressed woman steps out.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I know she is Manchu as soon as I see that she is wearing shoes with thick platforms. The Manchu might not bind their feet, but they still wear ridiculous shoes that make it difficult to walk.\n\n\"What's going on?\" the woman screeches. \"I nearly fell and broke my neck!\"\n\n\"Sorry, mistress,\" the man says, getting the horse under control. \"This idiot girl tried to kill herself by throwing herself in front of the horse.\"\n\n\"I didn't!\" I say to the woman. \"It was an accident. I'm sorry.\"\n\nThe woman looks at me as if she has seen a ghost. \"Who…who are you?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I look at the man and then see that a few people have gathered around to watch what is going on.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No one,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The woman steps forward much more quickly than I would have thought capable on her precarious shoes and grabs my arm. \"Who are you?\"\n\n\"No one!\" I say again as I try to pull away, but she has a terrible grip on me.\n\n\"Tell me, girl, now!\" she orders.\n\n\"Let me go!\" I yell and I push her away. She loses her balance and falls back. A man from the crowd steps forward to catch her. As the woman stands back up, she gives me a hard look and I know she's going to grab me again. I turn and push my way through the crowd.\n\n\"Stop her!\" I hear the woman call. \"Stop that girl!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But thankfully no one does, and in a moment I'm through the crowd and running back toward home.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) 🎯 Target word: 'can't' \| Required occurrences: 2 (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Was she going to have me arrested for accidentally stepping in front of her carriage? I can't wait around to find out. I don't like the way she was looking at me. Was she angry? Afraid? I can't be sure.\n\nIt's late and growing dark and the woman might hire men to find me, so I must abandon my plans to sell myself tonight. There's always tomorrow.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "The user will write a bit then you need to write around 38 sentences continuing directly from the user's text. Characters and story elements may appear without introduction - roll with them naturally. Try to mimic the style of Zoey Gong.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, don't!\" I yell as Huanji tries to splash me with some of her wash water as I serve up bowls of congee for breakfast.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She laughs and splashes me even more.\n\n\"Leave your sister alone,\" Mama says with a chuckle as she bounces the baby on her knee. \"Look, Daiyu, she's smiling!\" I take Mama a bowl and see that, indeed, the baby is smiling and cooing, not crying for once.\n\n\"She's so cute,\" I say. \"What are we going to call her?\" We've just been calling her \"baby\" so far.\n\n\"I don't know,\" Mama says as she tries to juggle the baby and her bowl. Baba comes over and takes the baby, holding her up in the air.\n\n\"She's a strong one,\" he says, and I can see the pride in his eyes. One night of sleeping with full bellies seems to have done everyone some good. I haven't seen so many smiling faces in this house since… Well, I can't remember when.\n\n\"Where are you going to look for work today?\" Mama asks Baba.\n\n\"I think I might walk to the riverfront,\" he says. \"There is always cargo that needs unloading.\"\n\n\"It's so far,\" Mama says, concerned. \"You wouldn't make it back today. Are you sure you're up for it?\"\n\n\"I have a lot of energy today,\" he says. \"Besides, we need more money to keep us together. More than I can find around here. You have enough food for the week, so I'll stay at the wharf for a few days. When I get back, maybe we should think about moving closer to the river so I wouldn't have to travel so far to find decent-paying work.\"\n\nI'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. Dock work is brutal, and I doubt Baba would live to be an old man if he decided to try and do it every day. The area is also dirty and stinks of fish. We would have more money, though, so it's a difficult decision.\n\n\"The emperor is holding the consort selection soon,\" I say. \"There could be work building more rooms and palaces in the Forbidden City soon.\"\n\nBaba scoffs. \"Consort selection. Ridiculous. How many women does one man need?\"\n\n\"I'd like to be a consort,\" Junli says as she twirls around. \"I'd have beautiful dresses and servants and so much food! I'd send most of it back here to you, Mama, so you'd never be hungry.\"\n\n\"Such a thoughtful girl,\" Mama says, squeezing Junli's chin. \"But I'd never see you. Could you live your life without ever seeing your loving Mama again?\"\n\n\"I'd come back!\" Junli exclaims, her eyes wide. \"I'd never leave you, Mama!\"\n\nMama holds Junli close. \"Well, there's no need to worry. The emperor will only marry Manchu girls, so you are quite safe.\"\n\nThere's a heavy pounding on the door that immediately raises the tiny hairs on my arms as I remember the accident I nearly caused last night. Did the woman find me? Did I really do something so terrible?\n\n\"Hong Laoye!\" a voice booms, asking for my father. \"Open up!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba looks at Mama, who is holding the baby protectively. She shakes her head, and Baba holds a finger to his mouth to tell us all to be quiet. It can never be good news when someone you don't know bangs on your door. I wonder for a moment if it has nothing to do with me, but is a debt collector.\n\nThere is another bang and demand for Baba to open the door. This time, the baby cries. Mama tries to shush it, but it is too late.\n\n\"Open the door,\" I hear a woman say, and it sounds just like the woman from last night. I look around futilely for somewhere to hide or a way to escape the single room dwelling.\n\nBaba sighs in resignation and opens the door. \"Yes?\" he asks, folding his hands together and bowing respectfully.\n\nI can't see outside with the bright morning sunlight shining into the dark room, but I see the shape of a man move aside and a smaller figure steps forward, nudging Baba out of the way as she steps into our home without invitation.\n\nI can see her more clearly now than I could the night before. She is still wearing the pot-bottom shoes of a Manchu, which makes her appear taller than any of us. Her floor-length robe is heavily embroidered, and her headdress is studded with so many jewels and decorations I wonder how she can hold her head up. She is undoubtedly a wealthy woman.\n\nShe holds her chin up as her eyes sweep around the room. She frowns as though there is a putrid smell, and I suppose we do stink compared to her since we have no more than a single basin to wash in and no perfumed soaps to use.\n\n\"My lady?\" Baba asks, confused when the woman doesn't speak.\n\nFinally, her eyes land on me and I instantly fall to my knees and bow my head.\n\n\"Forgive me, my lady,\" I cry into my hands. \"I'm sorry. I should have watched where I was going. I'm sorry if I caused you any upset.\"\n\n\"What is going on?\" Baba asks, stepping between myself and the woman. \"Who are you? What do you want with my daughter?\"\n\n\"Calm yourself,\" the woman says. \"I had to make sure your daughter didn't run away again. Thankfully she wasn't too difficult to identify.\"\n\n\"Who are you?\" Baba asks again.\n\nThe woman smiles. \"Someone who is about to change your life.\"\n\nMingming pours tea into teacups with chipped edges, but the strange woman, who is sitting primly on a rough-hewn chair, accepts the cup graciously.\n\n\"My name is Ula-Nara Mingxia, of the Bordered Blue Banner clan,\" she says proudly. It means little to me which Manchu clan she belongs to. What is she doing in our house?\n\n\"My husband was a general in the imperial army, but he died some time ago,\" she says. \"Quite young. We had only one daughter before he had to lead a campaign against foreign invaders. He never returned home.\"\n\n\"I am sorry to hear that,\" Mama says as she nurses the baby. Mingxia looks at the baby longingly. I'm suddenly alarmed, afraid that she is going to want to buy the baby for herself. But why?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My daughter is the most precious thing in the world to me,\" the woman says, turning her gaze from the baby to my mother.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She reaches out and places a hand on Mama's arm.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You can understand that, can't you? The need to do whatever it takes to protect your children.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course,\" Mama says cautiously.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mingxia gives a small smile.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I knew it. After all, you have five! And you haven't sold any of them! They must mean a great deal to you. Which is why I know you will understand me and want to help me.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Help you?\" Baba says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How can we help you?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I suppose you have heard that the emperor will be holding a selection for consorts soon,\" she says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Baba nods. \"It has nothing to do with us.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But it does to me and my daughter,\" the woman says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She is sixteen and required by law to appear during the selection.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She looks at me. \"How old are you, girl?\"\n\nI look at Baba, and he nods for me to answer.\n\n\"Fifteen.\"\n\nThe woman smiles. \"And you are unmarried, obviously. Is she promised to be married?\" she asks my father.\n\n\"No,\" he says, embarrassed. \"She… Her feet are unbound and we have no money for a dowry.\"\n\nMingxia laughs. \"Well, you might be outcasts among your own people for abandoning such a barbaric practice, but it just might be what saves your lives.\"\n\n\"What are you talking about?\" Baba asks, growing irritated. \"You come into my home, insult my family, my people. Yet you want my help for some reason I cannot understand. What do you want?\"\n\nMingxia stands—which we all do as well—and motions to the man who arrived with her, who is now standing guard at the door so we won't be disturbed.\n\n\"Bring her,\" she says. The man nods and steps out. I walk over to the window and peek through the cracks in the shutters. The man goes to a finely decorated rickshaw. The street is too narrow for a carriage such as the one she was riding in last night. The man helps a woman out of the rickshaw and down to the street. I can't see what she looks like because she is wearing a thick veil. The man leads the woman inside and Mingxia takes her hand.\n\n\"Go ahead,\" Mingxia instructs the other woman, and she lifts her veil. We all gasp when we see her face.\n\nIt's me!\n\n\"Wha…what?\" I ask, unsure of what I'm looking at. She appears slightly taller than me, but that is because of her pot-bottom shoes. Her skin is also a lighter shade than mine; I suppose she hasn't spent much time outside the way I have. But aside from that and her fine clothes, it's as if I am looking at myself in a pool of water. The longer I stare, the more differences I see. Her nose is slightly upturned, and she has a noticeable freckle on her right jaw. Her cheeks are also rounder since she probably has never gone to bed hungry in her life.\n\nThe longer I look at the girl, the more reassured I feel that this is a mere coincidence and not a trick of witchcraft.\n\n\"How strange,\" Baba says. \"How can two girls who are not even the same race look so similar?\"\n\n\"This is my daughter, Lihua,\" Mingxia says, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. \"Isn't she beautiful?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" Mama says. \"She looks just like Daiyu, who I always thought was a beauty. If I'd had the strength of character to bind her feet, I'm sure we could have made a good match for her.\"\n\nMingxia snorts. \"What, to another poor day-laborer? A fishmonger? Is that truly what you would have wanted for your eldest daughter?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required dialogue to include (maintain exact wording): \"It's impossible. We are not Manchu.\"", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's honest work,\" Baba says. \"What would you eat in your fancy palace if not for people willing to fish and slaughter pigs?\"\n\n\"You misunderstand me,\" Mingxia says. \"I simply mean that it is a blessing from Heaven that you did not bind the poor girl's feet.\"\n\n\"Why?\" Mama asks. \"How? What do you want from us?\"\n\n\"I want your daughter to take Lihua's place at the emperor's selection for new consorts.\"\n\nMy jaw drops and when I look to Mama and Baba, their faces show just as much shock.\n\n\"No,\" Mama says. \"It's impossible. We are not Manchu.\"\n\nMingxia waves the objection away. \"What does it matter if they look alike? No one would know the difference.\"\n\n\"But…why?\" I ask, looking at Lihua. \"Don't you consider it an honor to be chosen as a consort? You could be the mother of the next emperor.\"\n\n\"I will never see my daughter again if she is chosen!\" Mingxia says before Lihua can answer. \"She's all I have in the world! Please, will you help us?\"\n\n\"No!\" Baba says without hesitation, and I nearly cry. I know he loves me, loves all of us. \"Why should we help a spoiled, entitled Manchu woman like you?\"\n\n\"Because I can pay,\" Mingxia says. She reaches into one of the bilious sleeves of her robe and pulls out a small silk purse. I expect her to open it and offer Baba a few coins, but I nearly faint when she holds the whole bag out to him.\n\n\"Take it,\" she says. Baba doesn't. He looks to Mama, who shakes her head.\n\n\"No,\" he says. \"I don't trust you. Don't know you.\"\n\n\"Look,\" Mingxia says, opening the bag to show the gleaming gold coins. I hear Mama mutter something under her breath. It's even more money than I thought. Not cheap copper coins—gold. More money than I could ever count.\n\n\"This is only the beginning,\" Mingxia says, and I start to understand that she is desperate. Just how much is she willing to offer? \"I can bring you more if you agree. Just say yes.\"\n\nMama and Baba look at each other, each afraid to speak. Of course, part of me wishes they would say no, but they would be foolish not to consider the offer. They would be fools not to accept. But could they live with themselves if they said yes? Will we all starve to death if we say no?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can't let them carry the burden of having to make the choice.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 19 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wasn't I about to sell myself to a brothel only last night? It cannot have been mere chance that I stepped in front of the carriage of a girl who looks exactly like me and I didn't go through with my plan. The ancestors must have some hand in this.\n\nBaba runs his hand over his mouth and chin. He knows he must give an answer. He looks at me.\n\n\"Daiyu,\" he says, his eyes tearing. It is killing him that he feels he must say yes, and I can't bear it. I step away from him toward Mingxia.\n\n\"I'll do it,\" I say. \"I'll take Lihua's place at the consort selection.\"\n\n\"Paise Heaven!\" Mingxia cries as she hugs Lihua to her. She then pulls me to her and hugs me tightly. When she lets go, she holds my face in both of her hands. \"You won't regret this, my darling.\"\n\nAs I pull away and look at my family with watery eyes, I know she must be right. They will live—we all will live, and none of us will have to be sold. It has to be the right choice.\n\nThere is no other.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "AI Prompt: Add seventeen sentences sentences to this story segment. Style: Zoey Gong. Genre: historical fiction, historical romance, China. Note: Part of longer narrative.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you sure?\" Baba asks.\n\nOf course I'm not sure! I don't even know what I'm agreeing to. I just know that I can't let my family starve when I could save them.\n\n\"No!\" Mama says, but Baba ignores her, speaking to Mingxia.\n\n\"What exactly are you proposing?\"\n\n\"I'm sure it's nothing much,\" she says. \"She probably won't get picked. Her skin is dark and she lacks the refinement of a true Manchu. She would only need to stand in for Lihua at the selection, and when she is rejected, she can come back home. She would only be gone for a day at the most, I'm sure of it!\"\n\n\"If you really thought your daughter didn't stand a chance of being picked, you wouldn't be here,\" Baba says.\n\n\"The odds of Lihua or Daiyu being picked is very small. There will be hundreds of families descending on the capitol in the next few weeks ahead of the selection. Daiyu is one girl out of those hundreds. She's not trained, not educated.\" My cheeks flush red. \"It is not an insult, dear, simply the truth, is it not?\" I nod. \"Exactly. She can't play an instrument or recite poems. It's a near impossibility that she would be picked. My daughter, though, is a highly trained lady of quality. The emperor would surely want her for himself.\"\n\n\"Then why doesn't Lihua just play stupid?\" Mingming asks, crossing her arms. \"Fail on purpose.\"\n\nMingxia laughs. \"Can the elegant swan pretend to be an ugly goose? Can the chrysanthemum appear as a vile weed? If Lihua tried to act the fool she would surely be caught and punished for trying to deceive the emperor.\"\n\nI'm alarmed at this.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But what if I'm caught deceiving the emperor?\" Mingxia presses her lips together, not wanting to say.\n\n\"The penalty would be death,\" Baba says. \"It would be treason. We would all be held responsible.\"\n\nMama holds the baby tight with one arm and puts her other one around Junli. \"No!\" she says, and this time Baba doesn't ignore her. \"It's too dangerous!\"\n\nBaba looks at me, not as convinced as Mama that I shouldn't do it. I suppose, if I am caught, I can just tell the emperor that I am an orphan, and that was why I agreed. No one ever need know about my family. If I died, at least they would be safe and well taken care of thanks to Mingxia's money. Besides, I already said I would do it.\n\n\"I'll do it,\" I say again.\n\n\"Daiyu—\" Baba says, placing his hands on my shoulders. \"You don't have to do this. We can find another way.\"\n\n\"No,\" I say. \"I want to do this. I want to make sure that none of us never go hungry again.\"\n\n\"It's dangerous—\"\n\n\"I'll be careful,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll keep my head down and not attract attention. Lihua and I may look similar, but she's far more beautiful, more elegant than I am. I'd never be picked, I think Ula-Nara Furen is right about that.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I see Mingxia smiling, holding her daughter tight.\n\n\"But if you are, we would never see you again,\" Mama says.\n\nMy eyes water at the thought, but I do my best to keep them from falling. I can't let my parents know just how terrified I am or they won't let me go. \"I won't be. I promise.\"\n\n\"So, we are in agreement?\" Mingxia says, and I can tell she is eager for us to strike a bargain.\n\n\"Yes—\"\n\n\"No!\" I say, cutting Baba off. I pick up the purse of coins. \"This is payment for me attending the selection only. If I am picked, you must give my parents another bag of equal value—\"\n\n\"I think that's fair,\" Mingxia says.\n\n\"I wasn't finished,\" I say. \"And any gifts sent to your house by the emperor for the purchase of your 'daughter'.\" It is customary for a groom's family to send gifts of animals, silks, furs, and other items to his wife's family the day of the wedding, even when wedding a concubine. The emperor must surely send handsome gifts to the families of his consorts as well.\n\nMingxia nods. \"Done.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I try to hide that my hands are shaking as I close the purse and hand it to Baba.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His eyes are wet and he holds tightly to my hand. \"I always knew you were a good girl, Daiyu. But I had no idea just how selfless you could be. How did a worthless man such as I am ever raise such a dutiful daughter?\"\n\n\"You have endured hard, backbreaking work every day of your life to provide for us,\" I say. \"You and Mama have both given us your all. I can do no less for you.\"\n\n\"Come, Daiyu,\" Mingxia says and she and Lihua walk toward the door.\n\n\"What?\" I ask.\n\n\"You must come home with me, now. We need to get you cleaned up, find some clothes that will fit you. You can't attend the selection looking like a pauper.\"\n\nI look down at my simple, stained robe and wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling as if I am not wearing anything at all.\n\n\"There are some things I must teach you. How to stand, how to walk, how to comport yourself.\"\n\n\"Comport?\"\n\n\"Oh, Heaven,\" Mingxia says, rubbing her forehead. \"See? We have a lot of work to do if we are to pass you off as the daughter of a Manchu lord. I suppose you don't know about Manchu morning rituals?\"\n\nI shake my head.\n\n\"Or how to greet an emperor or empress?\"\n\nI shake my head again.\n\n\"Exactly. The selection is some time away, but we need to get to work as soon as possible.\"\n\nI nod slowly. \"Yes, I see. May I have a moment with my family?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I suppose,\" she says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But only a moment. I'll be waiting in the rickshaw.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She, Lihua, and their servant all stepped out of the house, and I feel as if I can take a breath for the first time since the man banged on our door.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Daiyu, you can still say no,\" Mama says.\n\n\"No,\" I tell her. \"I cannot. I have accepted her money and she has agreed to my terms. I must keep my word.\"\n\nMama bursts into tears, and I realize that she has been barely holding herself together this whole time. She sways and Baba and I help lead her to the bed before she falls. I hand the baby to Mingming, but I see Mingming is crying as well. Junli is comforting Huanji, and I'm now on the verge of tears myself. I feel my determination wavering and wonder if I've made a terrible decision. Yes, we need the money, but the risks are so great.\n\nI think about what I told Junli just the other day about women in the Forbidden City never being able to leave. I wasn't exaggerating. If I am chosen, I'll be living in a prison. I am giving up any chance of freedom, any chance at a full life if I do this.\n\nBut my family will live. And they will live well. The money in that purse alone will keep them from ever going hungry. And it will provide dowries for my sisters. They will be able to marry men with far better positions.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Merchants, perhaps, instead of laborers or fishermen.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'myself' - 2 occurrence(s)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Six lives in exchange for one. My life for that of my family—and of future generations to come.\n\n\"I must do this, Mama,\" I say, my confidence returning. I think Mama can see it in my eyes. She pulls me to her and holds me tight.\n\n\"If you are chosen, this is the last time I will ever see you.\"\n\n\"And if I am not chosen, I'll be back in a few weeks,\" I say.\n\n\"What Heaven wills,\" she says and I nod. Whatever happens is never truly in our own hands, but that of the gods. I force myself to release her and stand. If I don't leave now, I might not be able to. I turn to my sisters.\n\n\"You are the oldest now,\" I tell Mingming. \"You must take care of the others.\"\n\n\"I will,\" she says, trying to not cry.\n\n\"Don't go, Daiyu!\" Junli says, wrapping her arms around my legs.\n\n\"I must,\" I say, prying myself away and kneeling down in front of her.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We will see each other again, I promise.\" She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me with all the strength her little arms possess. It takes all my strength to remove her.\n\n\"Be a good little girl,\" I say to Huanji, who is only three so must not have any idea what is going on. She nods but says nothing as she clings to Junli.\n\nI stand and face the last person I must say goodbye to. Baba grips my shoulders, his eyes rimmed red. I think he wants to say something but will lose his composure if he does. I nod, feeling much the same way. He pulls me tightly to him and I lay my head on his shoulder and don't fight the tears that I cannot hold back. I feel his shoulders shake and know that he is crying as well.\n\nFinally, I feel his grip loosen and I pull back. I have a sudden terrible thought at the memory of the Dong Fa drinking in the tavern after selling his daughters.\n\n\"Use the money wisely,\" I tell him. \"Don't waste it. If I'm not chosen, we won't get any more. This must last us for a very long time.\"\n\nHe nods. \"I know. Don't worry about that.\" I nod and press my lips.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'm sure there is more I should say, something profound, but I don't know what.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The mistress bids you to come, now,\" the man says, sticking his head back through the doorway.\n\n\"I'm coming,\" I say. Baba releases me and I move to the door.\n\n\"Don't you have a bag?\" the man asks. I think for a minute, wondering if there is anything I need to take with me, but other than the clothes I'm wearing, I cannot think of anything. I shake my head. The man groans and steps back outside.\n\nI take one last look at the tiny one room that has housed my family for the whole of my life. The walls we cover with paper in the winter to keep us warm. The window with a broken shutter. The bin we use to wash dishes, clothes, and ourselves. The chipped cups and splintered chairs. The one large bed and few patched-together quilts. It's not much, but it was all we needed.\n\nI look one last time at each member of my family. \"I'll see you again,\" I repeat. \"I promise.\" Before they respond and my resolve shatters completely, I turn and run to the rickshaw.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"About time,\" Mingxia says in annoyance.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 14 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'driver' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She and Lihua crowed together as I climb up beside them.\n\nLihua tisks as she tries to scoot far enough away that she doesn't touch me. \"She's going to get my dress dirty,\" she whines to her mother.\n\n\"Shut your mouth,\" Mingxia says. \"It's a small price to pay for your freedom. Go on,\" she orders the rickshaw driver, a thin man who is only wearing pants and flimsy shoes.\n\nMingxia holds up an umbrella to protect her and Lihua from the sun, but I'm too far away to get any benefit from it. I'm wondering where the servant is going to sit when the driver begins to pull and the servant trots along beside us.\n\nWe move slowly down the alley, as it's not very wide and is thronged with people, many of whom stop and stare at us as we pass. When we finally reach the end of the alley, we turn onto a wider street and the rickshaw puller starts to run. How such a small man has such strength, I have no idea. I've never ridden in a rickshaw before. Never had the money or the need. I rarely ventured much farther than our neighborhood. But as the wind begins to whip through my hair, I feel as though I am flying.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Got a text with a `[text_redacted]` shaped hole in it. Patch it up with just three hundred and two characters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The rickshaw zooms along streets broad and crowded. More than once I see a man or woman jump back to avoid getting their feet crushed under the large wheels, followed by the shaking of an angry fist and the yell of a curse. It's a bit funny, actually. How can they not see such a large contraption coming right at them? Though, I suppose they don't expect for us to come upon them so quickly.\n\nAfter only a couple of blocks, we've traveled farther from my home than I've ever been, and I see a part of Peking I've never seen before. We are riding up the eastern wall of the Forbidden City, but it is so far away, I can barely see the golden tops of the wall.\n\nThe sights and sounds are not so different from my own hutong at first. Crowds of people bustle about, many carrying wares for sale—clothes, cooking pots, rat traps. Everything is dry and dusty. Children—some clothed, some not—chase each other perilously close to the road. Women sit in the doorways of their homes, washing clothes and gossiping with neighbors.\n\nSlowly, though, I notice that the crowds start to thin out, the people dress a little nicer, and walls begin to line the road. Other than a few servants rushing about—many still dressed more finely than me—the streets are surprisingly empty by the time our rickshaw comes to a stop.\n\nAll along both sides of the road are tall gray walls about three times my height, with doors of varying colors—red, green, and black—every so often. The door we have stopped in front of is green.\n\nMingxia reaches across her daughter and grabs my arm. \"Remember,\" she says, staring at me intently, \"tell no one why you are really here. Do you understand?\"\n\n\"Yes, of course,\" I say, trying not to wince as her nails dig into my skin.\n\n\"Promise me,\" she says, giving me a small shake.\n\n\"I promise!\" I say. She hesitates, as if she isn't sure she can trust me. Or perhaps she is doubting the whole idea. I know I am. Either way, she finally nods and her man helps each of us out of the rickshaw to the ground.\n\nWe step through the door and down a short hall. There is an opening to the left to a small courtyard along with several small rooms. We come to a wall carved with dragons and have to turn left to enter through another door, this one red. Through the door, we find ourselves in a large courtyard and I gasp.\n\nThere is a small waterfall spilling into a pond stocked with red and yellow fish. Winding paths are lined with green grass and small flowering bushes. There are even a few small trees for shade, and plenty of stone benches to sit and enjoy the peaceful scene. I've never seen such a green space in all my life.\n\n\"Where are we?\" I ask, thinking this must be a palace, and I'm suddenly afraid. Who could they have taken me to see?\n\nMingxia looks at me for a moment before responding, \"Our home.\"\n\n\"You live here?\" I ask. \"Just the two of you?\"\n\nLihua shrugs. \"The servants have rooms somewhere.\"\n\nI then notice a woman sweeping a walkway. A man is tending the garden. Another woman is pounding corn into meal.\n\n\"How many servants do you have?\" I ask.\n\n\"Who can keep count?\" Mingxia says. \"Come along.\"\n\nI have to shake my head in disbelief. I didn't know that there were people in Peking who lived like this. I knew that we were very poor compared to most people. But the richest people I knew still lived in small houses with only a servant or two at most. I had heard that there were men rich enough to have several wives and dozens of children, but I had never considered what their lives must look like compared to mine. I had assumed that most of Peking looked very similar to my own neighborhood. There were the poor who lived in hutongs and the imperial family in the Forbidden City. I had never bothered to imaging life in between. Why should I? Even if I had married, my life would not have looked much different from the way I had grown up.\n\nWe go to the west of the courtyard, where the woman was pounding meal. \"Ah Lam!\" Mingxia yells, and a woman who looks to be about the same age as Mingxia, though more plainly dressed, appears.\n\n\"My lady?\" the woman says.\n\n\"This is Daiyu,\" Mingxia says. \"She's going to be staying with us for a little while. She is to be a companion for my daughter. Isn't that right, Daiyu?\" She gives me a pointed look.\n\n\"Yes,\" I say, trying to force a smile. \"A companion.\" So, Mingxia intends to keep the plan even from her own servants. Considering how similarly Lihua and I look, I'm not sure this will be possible, but I don't dare say or do anything that might upset Mingxia.\n\n\"Clean her up,\" Mingxia commands. \"Find her some proper clothes and prepare a room for her in the north wing.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" the woman says with a bend of her knees and a nod of her head.\n\n\"This is Ah Lam, the housekeeper. She will take care of you. I will see you at dinner,\" Mingxia says to me as she wanders off. Lihua gives me one more long look down at me before tossing her head and following her mother.\n\n\"So, you are to be a companion for the spoiled brat,\" Ah Lam says, shocking me. \"Lucky you.\" She turns and goes back inside and I follow her into a long kitchen.\n\nI see several women working, sweating over a kettle of boiling rice and a wok of frying meats among other activities. My mouth starts to water as I smell the food cooking and see the shelves of vegetables, rice, and flour. A whole side of pork hangs from the ceiling, along with several chickens, ducks, and fish that have either been dried or smoked.\n\nI'm torn between wanting to be polite and feeling a ravening hunger tear at my insides. When I see a steam basket of baozi—meat buns—sitting on a table, probably left over from breakfast, I cannot control myself. I grab one of the buns and take a bite, quickly working my way through the chewy dough and nearly crying when I taste the savory meat. I eat so quickly, I'm panting for breath when I'm through—and the other two buns on the table are still calling to me.\n\nI see Ah Lam standing next to me. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and begin apologizing profusely for my behavior.\n\n\"So, you are a lady's companion, are you?\" she asks, and I know she doesn't believe for a moment that I am who Mingxia claimed. I say nothing. It would insult both of us for me to continue to lie, but neither would I betray the promise I made to Mingxia in the rickshaw.\n\nThe woman gives a small nod toward the last two baozi. \"Go ahead,\" she says, and I don't argue.\n\nWhen I'm finished, I look around and see that Ah Lam has placed a large bucket in the middle of the room. She has several smaller buckets filled with water beside her as well.\n\n\"Come on,\" she says, \"step in.\"\n\nI tentatively do as she says.\n\n\"Not even any shoes,\" Ah Lam says with a tisk as she shakes her head. \"Where did she scrounge you up?\" she mutters to herself. \"All right, off with your clothes.\"\n\nI wrap my arms around myself. Of course, I was used to washing in front of my family, but these women are strangers. I take a breath and look at the wall as I begin to unwrap my shirt. As soon as I'm naked, Ah Lam dumps one of the buckets of cold water over my head and I shriek. I usually just use a rag and dip that into the water, I don't dump the water onto myself.\n\nAh Lam then works her hands into a lather and runs them through my hair, scrubbing my scalp. \"Calm down, I'm not killing you. Just the lice and fleas you've undoubtedly got.\"\n\nI clench my teeth as she washes my hair and body and then dumps another bucket of water over my head. She then hands me a large cloth to dry off with and orders me out of the tub. I reach down to get my clothes off the ground, but Ah Lam grabs them first and tosses them into a nearby cooking fire.\n\n\"Hey! Those were mine!\"\n\n\"You won't be needing those rags anymore, dear,\" Ah Lam says, not unkindly. \"I have some of the young miss's cast-off clothes for you.\" She then kicks a pair of soft-soled slippers to me and wraps me in a sheet.\n\n\"Follow me.\"\n\nAs I shuffle behind her back to the courtyard toward the main door, I notice that a few more people have appeared—more maids and a couple of men who look like they do more laborious tasks—and are watching me, whispering behind their hands. They must all be wondering who I am and why I am here. I doubt any of them believe for a moment that I am to be a companion for Lihua.\n\nWe go back to the carved dragon wall and to the side walkway I saw just inside the main door. The courtyard here is ope[text_redacted]is dark and dusty, having not been used for some time. There is a plain wooden bed, a couple of blankets, and a small stove for heating coal in the colder months. There is a very small window carved into the gray brick wall that lets in a little light and allows me to see into the alley.\n\n\"I'll fetch a broom so we can sweep this out,\" Ah Lam says as she dusts her hands off. \"And I'll bring you the clothes in a trunk so you can keep them clean. Once you are dressed, try not to sit on anything in here.\"\n\nI give a small smile and nod, but I'm holding back tears. No one has been unkind to me—quite the opposite in fact—but everything is so different. I have nothing, not even my own clothes, and I know no one. I'm sure Mingxia will never allow me to contact my family while I am living here. The best I can hope for is that I will be sent away on the first day of the selection and be allowed to return home—to my real home, not this strange place.\n\nAh Lam starts to pass by me to leave the room, but she stops and looks at me, gently chuffing me under the chin.\n\n\"It will be all right,\" she says. \"The mistress might seem tough, but whatever she promised you, she will stand by her word.\"\n\nI give a small smile and nod, but a lump in my throat keeps me from speaking. Ah Lam then leaves me alone to find me some clothes to wear. I hold the sheet tightly, feeling oddly chilled despite the summer heat.\n\nEven though I know the house is filled with people, and that there are other houses all along the alley, it seems so very quiet here to me. Nothing like the loud, busy street where I spent my whole life.\n\nI have to stand on my tiptoes to see out the small window. It is carved from the bricks that make up the wall, but slats were left in place so that no one could crawl in or out of the house.\n\nI feel like I'm in a cage.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "n to the sky and there is a long wall of doors for small rooms. I see a maid exit one of the rooms, pulling the door closed behind her, and she stops and watches me with a gaped mouth. I realize that these must be the servants' rooms.\n\nAh Lam opens the very last door and I follow her inside. The room ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "AI writing task: segment from larger work -> fifty-seven sentences sentences. style: Zoey Gong. genre: historical fiction, historical romance, China. note: established characters likely.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'agreed' precisely 3 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Ah Lam drapes the long Manchu robe—qipao—around my shoulders, I nearly collapse from the weight of it. From my neck to the floor, the gown is dark blue and heavily embroidered with light blue clouds and white birds. The neck and hems are embroidered in a simple repeating pattern. As I run my fingers over the embroidery, I marvel that the gown is a \"cast-off\" from Lihua. It's finer than anything I've ever seen, much less worn. Even the opera performers I saw from time to time did not have gowns this lovely.\n\n\"Sit,\" Ah Lam instructs, pointing to the crate she'd had brought in by one of the male servants. It was full of not only gowns, but pot-bottom shoes and liangbatou headdresses as well. Using a comb, Ah Lam brushes and parts my hair. She wraps each section around a piece of wood called a bian fang, twisting and plaiting the excess tightly in the back. It's painful, but I say nothing. I can't help but wince occasionally, though.\n\n\"There, let me have a look at you,\" Ah Lam says. When I stand up and turn to face her, she gasps.\n\nI touch my face and then the dress. \"Is something wrong?\"\n\n\"I…I did not notice it before, but you look just like Miss Lihua,\" she says, and my cheeks go hot. \"Who are you? Why are you here?\"\n\nI shake my head. \"I can't tell you.\"\n\nAh Lam tisks and chews her thumb. \"This is because of the selection for consorts, isn't it?\" she says. I say nothing. \"I knew the mistress was upset when she heard that Lihua had to attend, but I never thought she'd do something so drastic.\"\n\nWhat can I say? If Ah Lam was able to figure out what Mingxia and I had agreed to, other people are sure to follow.\n\n\"You…you won't tell anyone, will you?\" I ask quietly. She looks at me for a long minute before shaking her head.\n\n\"Of course not,\" she says. \"Though I will talk to the mistress about it. Perhaps she can be persuaded to drop the deception. You realize that if you are caught, we could all be put to death?\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n\"You know? And you still agreed? What does the mistress have hanging over you?\"\n\nI shrug. \"Nothing. I agreed willingly to save my family.\"\n\nAh Lam sighs. \"They must be very poor indeed. This drought… It has been a difficult time for everyone.\"\n\nI scoff. \"Not everyone. I saw your stores of food in the kitchen. That food could feed my family for months.\"\n\nShe opens her mouth to say something, but then seems to think better of it.\n\n\"And not for the emperor,\" I go on. \"We are starving and what does he do? Hold a selection to take a hundred wives. Any man who can feed a hundred wives has far too much money.\"\n\n\"The emperor is no mere man,\" Ah Lam says. \"He is the Son of Heaven. The father of his people.\"\n\n\"He is not my father,\" I say. \"My father would die for us.\"\n\n\"You don't understand because you are not Manchu,\" Ah Lam says. \"But you better learn—and fast. If you go into the Forbidden City and even think a bad thought about the emperor, you'll find yourself a head shorter.\"\n\nMy hand goes to my neck and I shudder. I've never seen a person executed, but I have heard about it. Every few months it seems, a scaffold is built outside the walls of the Forbidden City and a spectacle is made of the deaths. People travel miles to watch. There are vendors, acrobats, singers. It's like a temple fair, except someone—usually several someones—dies at the end.\n\n\"You have a lot to learn, girl, whoever you are.\"\n\n\"My name is Daiyu,\" I say. \"I didn't lie about that.\"\n\nAh Lam chuckles as she nudges me to sit on the trunk again. \"Well, your name will be Lihua soon enough, so you better get used to that as well.\"\n\nShe picks up one of my feet and helps me roll up a silk stocking, securing it at my thigh with a ribbon. She then places a shoe on my foot with a pot-bottom platform. She then does the same for the other foot.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "She takes my hands and pulls me to standing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wobble and would fall down if not for Ah Lam holding onto me. The shoes are heavy, which keep me firmly planted to the ground.\n\n\"Okay, walk,\" she says when I find my balance. I think she must be crazy, but then I realize that if I am to appear as a Manchu lady, I am going to have to walk like one. I pick up one foot and drag the platform across the ground as I try to step forward.\n\n\"Ai-yo!\" Ah Lam says, wincing. \"Not like that! Pick your foot up when you walk.\"\n\n\"I'm trying,\" I say, bending my knee as I lift my foot into the air.\n\n\"Not like a horse!\" she says. \"Stop! Here.\" She helps me sit again and takes the shoes off of me before stepping into them herself. She pulls her robe up so I can clearly see her feet.\n\n\"Like this.\" She walks so that she lifts the right shoe in front of her, takes a small step, and then puts the foot down slightly crossed to the left. She then lifts her right shoe, swings it forward, and then places it down slightly crossed to the right. In this way, she walks around the room in small, flowing steps.\n\n\"I'll trip over myself if I put one foot in front of the other like that,\" I say.\n\n\"Well, you better learn how to do it,\" Ah Lam says as she removes the shoes and puts them back on me. She once again pulls me to standing and holds both of my hands as she leads me around the room. My gown that once dragged the floor is now elevated just enough that it no longer touches the ground, but it still prevents me from seeing my feet. I look down anyway, trying to make sure I am doing the steps right.\n\n\"Lift your chin,\" Ah Lam says. \"You are a lady, not a peasant.\"\n\nI raise my head and look at Ah Lam's face.\n\n\"Higher,\" she says. \"Don't look at me. I'm only a servant.\"\n\nI raise my head and look up to the ceiling as I concentrate on my steps. I see a few spiders I didn't notice before and tremble. I'll have to thoroughly sweep the room before sleeping tonight.\n\nWhen I enter the dining room that evening, I'm shaking. I've spent the whole afternoon walking around my room, trying to find a balance between elegance and not falling on my face. My legs are quite tired from the weight of the shoes. Thankfully the qipao was a dark color because I ended up on my knees more often than not.\n\nI don't raise my chin as I enter the room. Mingxia and Lihua are not my equals, so I keep my neck bent and my eyes downcast as I approach. When I can see them from the edges of my sight, I pull my hands together and hold them out, forming a circle with my arms. Then, I bend my knees, lowering myself as much as I can without toppling over. Ah Lam told me that this was the proper way for a lady to greet a superior. I hope she was right because I can't see the expression on Mingxia's face. Is she pleased? Disappointed? I hope she replies soon because I am not sure I can hold this position much longer, my legs quivering beneath me.\n\nI hear the rustle of silk and realize that Mingxia has approached me.\n\n\"Stand up,\" she says. \"Let me have a look at you.\"\n\nI do as she says, returning to my upright position, but still I keep my chin and eyes down. She seems a bit annoyed by this and grips my chin, lifting it so that I must look at her.\n\nThere are tears in her eyes. \"You look perfect.\" She then turns to her daughter, who looks far less pleased. \"See, Lihua, I told you. It is sure to work.\"\n\nLihua presses her lips and crosses her arms. \"She doesn't look like me at all! She still looks like the dirty girl we found in that dreadful hovel.\"\n\nI look down at the gown, afraid that Ah Lam and I did not get all the dust off of it from my many tumbles today, but I don't see anything.\n\n\"Nonsense,\" Mingxia says. \"She is certainly not a beautiful as you. She lacks the…natural refinement of a true Manchu bannerwoman, perhaps. But she certainly has the potential to pass as you, don't you think?\"\n\nLihua sighs. \"Fine. I suppose.\"\n\n\"Of course, you do,\" Mingxia says to me as she holds my hands tightly and smiles. \"This will work. I promise.\"\n\nI nod. I hope she's right. I have to believe she is. If she's wrong, I will lose my life.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mingxia then leads me over to the round table and helps me take a seat on one of the lacquered stools. In my silk robe, the seat is slippery and I have to keep my back rigid to keep from sliding off.\n\nAh Lam then enters the room carrying a bowl of steaming rice, followed by a maid carrying two dishes of food. It already looks like so much food to me, but another maid brings still more food. My stomach growls loudly since I haven't eaten since the steamed buns that morning, but I try to restrain myself so I can follow Mingxia's lead. But she does nothing, and she and her daughter look at me expectantly.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I whisper. \"What should I do?\"\n\n\"Serve the rice, stupid,\" Lihua snaps. I look to Mingxia, who nods. I grab one of the bowls and scoop rice into it with a wooden ladle, then I offer it to Mingxia. She doesn't take it, so I place it on the table in front of her. She gives an approving nod. I then prepare a bowl for Lihua and place it in front of her. I sit back down with my hands in my lap.\n\n\"And yourself,\" Mingxia says. My hands are shaking as I try to prepare a bowl for myself, but I drop the ladle on the ground. I hear Lihua tisk and sigh in annoyance.\n\n\"We are never going to eat,\" she mumbles. I reach for the ladle, but forget my shoes and start to slip off the seat.\n\nAh Lam grabs my arm. \"I got it.\" She reaches down and picks up the ladle for me, but she doesn't hand it to me. Instead, she disappears for a moment before returning with a clean one. She then serves the rice to me.\n\n\"Well, we got there in the end, didn't we?\" Mingxia says. She picks up her chopsticks and chooses a piece of pork from a bowl of simmering spices. \"Go on,\" she tells me.\n\nI hesitate as I watch Lihua pick up her own chopsticks and begin to eat, afraid I'm going to do something else wrong. Once they are no longer looking at me, I begin to eat, picking at my food carefully so I don't drop any on my qipao.\n\n\"We have very little time to prepare you,\" Mingxia says. \"The emperor has not set a date for the selection yet, but we should receive the details soon. In the meantime, you must learn as much as possible about being a Manchu woman.\"\n\nI nod. \"Yes, my lady.\"\n\nMingxia sighs. \"There is a difference between a servant and a lady,\" she says. \"Raise your head. Look at me.\" I lift my eyes. \"Sit up straight.\" I hadn't noticed that I had started to slump. \"Put your bowl down and bring the food to your mouth with the chopsticks. Don't shovel the food into your mouth like a horse at a trough.\"\n\nI feel my stomach clench and my appetite flees. I had done well when I first entered the room, but when I am not focused, I fall back into my old habits. I don't know how I can do this. One mistake and the emperor is sure to see right through me. \"She's going to get us all killed,\" Lihua hisses.\n\n\"Lihua!\" Mingxia scolds. \"Don't say such a thing.\"\n\n\"It's true!\" she says. \"She can't even eat properly. How is she going to learn anything? She'll have to recite the lineage, learn to play an instrument, quote poetry.\"\n\n\"What?\" I ask. \"What is she talking about? I thought I only needed to look the part.\"\n\nMingxia seems flustered for the first time. \"Well, looking like a Manchu lady is the most important aspect. But…yes, there is much you need to learn if you are to truly present yourself as a lady to the emperor. As Lihua.\"\n\n\"But, why?\" I ask. \"I'm supposed to fail, right? If I can't do all those things, I will be sent home.\"\n\n\"If you don't do them as well as the other girls you may be sent home,\" Mingxia says. \"But if you can't do them at all they will know something is wrong. All refined young ladies can play music, paint lovely pictures, or recite poems. Lihua can do all those things. She's quite accomplished.\"\n\n\"But she's been learning her whole life,\" I say. \"I have only weeks.\"\n\n\"Which is why you must work very hard,\" Mingxia says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Every moment must be used in training.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 50 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm beginning to seriously doubt my decision. I look at Lihua and see her sitting tall, looking down her nose at me without an ounce of effort while my back is aching terribly and my shoulders are still slightly hunched over.\n\n\"We will begin in earnest tomorrow,\" Mingxia says as she stands. \"It has been an exhausting day for all of us. Sleep well and I will see you before breakfast for morning greetings.\" Lihua stands and follows her mother. I nod even though I have no idea what she is talking about. Morning greetings?\n\n\"Manchu children greet their parents every morning,\" Ah Lam says as she and the other maids start to clear away the nearly full bowls of food. I hope the food doesn't go to waste. Perhaps the servants eat it. \"I'll tell you what to say in the morning.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say, but I'm beginning to wonder what the point of it all is. It's impossible. I'll never be able to pass for a Manchu lady.\n\n\"Lihua sings like a bullfrog,\" Ah Lam says as she sits next to me with a bowl of food she's kept behind for herself. She pushes a small bowl of meat toward me. She must have noticed that I hardly ate anything. With Mingxia and Lihua gone, my appetite seems to return.\n\n\"I'm sure that's not true,\" I say as I take a bite.\n\n\"Oh, it is,\" Ah Lam says. \"When she starts to sing, I know it is time for me to go to the market for the shopping.\"\n\nI chuckle and take a few more bites. \"You are just trying to make me feel better.\"\n\nAh Lam shakes her head. \"That girl might have the airs of a lady, a pretty face, but she's not as accomplished as she likes to think. Her talents are mediocre at best.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"It doesn't matter. She's still better than me. I've never even held a paintbrush before. And reciting poetry? I can't read!\"\n\n\"You could,\" Ah Lam says, \"if you'd had a teacher.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"There's not enough time—\"\n\n\"You know what hard work is, don't you?\" Ah Lam asks. \"Lihua doesn't. Everything has been given to her since the day she was born. Spoiled. She's not clever by half, and she'd never be able to cope if she suddenly lost everything. But you—you know how to survive.\"\n\nI begin to understand what Ah Lam is saying. Lihua may have been raised with every advantage, but she didn't make use of it, while I had to struggle for every single meal I ate.\n\n\"Your life is on the line,\" Ah Lam said. \"The lives of your family. You aren't going to give up now, are you? You haven't even started yet.\"\n\nI sigh. Ah Lam is right. I do have time to at least try. When the day of the selection comes, if I'm still not good enough, Lihua can go to the selection. We don't have to go through with this.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say. \"I don't know why you are being so nice to me.\"\n\n\"When the mistress gets an idea in her head, she doesn't easily let go,\" Ah Lam says as she stands and removes the last few dishes from the table. \"And she's much easier to live with if she thinks she's getting her own way. Just do as she says, and we'll all get through this. The selection is only one day, right?\"\n\n\"Right,\" I say.\n\nAh Lam gives my hand a squeeze. \"I'll be back to help you walk back to your room.\" She gets up and clears away the last of the dishes, taking them to the kitchen.\n\nI exhale. One day. It will only be for one day. I can pretend to be someone else for one day.\n\nCan't I?", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "AI writing task: segment from larger work -> 32 sentences sentences. style: Zoey Gong. genre: historical fiction, historical romance, China. note: established characters likely.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fitful and falling, autumn moonlight fills clumps of chrysanthemums.\"\n\nMingxia nods as I recite a poem that I have been practicing.\n\n\"Lonely and desolate, the circling wall endures the west wind.\n\nNight lengthens, the lamp oil runs out: I am blocked from my studies.\"\n\nLihua is here too, at a table a little behind her mother, and she fingers a horse-hair writing brush, clearly bored. She's supposed to be working on her calligraphy, but instead she watches me, making faces to make me forget my lines. I try to ignore her, to focus on Mingxia, who nods happily, or Ah Lam, who mouths words to me when I am unsure. But Lihua is hard to ignore.\n\n\"My malaise lifts, the window is still: I set aside my needlework.\n\nStirred by the wind, chilled crows flock and scatter.\n\nShriveled by the frost, worm-eaten leaves are half-transparent.\"\n\nIt is not only the words I must remember, but slight movements of my hands, a tilt to my head, to add emotion to the recitation.\n\n\"Slanting sunlight is chill and cold—evening in the deserted village.\n\nI…I…stand…\"\n\nLihua sticks out her tongue, crosses her eyes, and waves her hands by her head like the ears of an elephant. I forget my line. I look to Ah Lam, but I can't make out what she's mouthing to me.\n\n\"I…stand…with the wild geese…\"\n\n\"Stop,\" Mingxia says, standing. \"What is this? What is happening? Why are you stuttering like a fool? Why are you slumping?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, my lady,\" I say. \"I forgot my next line and became flustered.\"\n\n\"What have I told you?\" Mingxia says. \"You must never lose control of yourself. That might be acceptable for a Chinese girl, but never a Manchu lady. Your dignity is the most important aspect of your character and bearing.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" I say, dropping my chin to my chest in embarrassment, which I remember is the wrong thing to do a moment too late as Mingxia grips my chin and holds my head up.\n\n\"Never forget who you are,\" she says. \"The daughter of the bannermen who rode across the steppes on wild horses. Who overcame cold and starvation and wild beasts to become the greatest military force the world has ever seen! Men who overthrew the Ming empire to become emperors of the largest country in the world. To ascend from mere nomads to become the Son of Heaven.\"\n\nI understand that she is proud of her heritage, but it is not my heritage. To me, the Manchu are nothing more than imposters. A bunch of wild, butter-eating, horse-riding barbarians who invaded China in a moment of weakness and made us their slaves.\n\nFor me to have to pretend to be Manchu, to wear their formless robes and ridiculous shoes, to have to act as though they are superior to true Chinese is a terrible indignity. If my family didn't need the money so badly, I never would have agreed to this.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I have agreed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have taken Mingxia's money. So I know I must do my best to play the part I've taken on. I remember the opera performers who used to put on shows in my neighborhood, how the man playing the part of the consort did so with such grace, such elegance, even though he wasn't a woman at all. I have to be as convincing in my own performance if I am to have even a chance of pulling this off and not losing my head.\n\nI lift my chin, straighten my back, and smile. \"Of course, my lady. Forgive me.\"\n\nMingxia smiles and releases my chin. \"There. Beautiful. Remember, if you forget a line, maintain your dignity above all things. Do not stop, or cower, or beg forgiveness. Continue on. Either make up the words until you remember or bow to signal the end of the performance.\"\n\nBowing in my pot-bottom shoes is not a skill I have yet mastered. To balance while I bend my knees, lower my body, and incline my head is quite a feat, and something I must continue to practice when I'm not being trained in something else.\n\n\"My lady.\" A maid appears and bows before Mingxia. \"It is time to leave if we are to arrive at the princess's palace in time.\" Even though Mingxia spends as much time as possible training me, her social obligations have not come to an end. She is still expected to attend all matter of casual visits, birthday parties, ancestor celebrations, weddings… The list goes on. She must keep up the appearance that everything within her household is completely normal and that she is honored that her daughter will be appearing at the consort selection.\n\n\"Of course,\" she says. \"Daiyu, keep practicing while I am gone.\"\n\n\"Shall I go with you?\" Lihua asks.\n\n\"No,\" Mingxia says, which does surprise me. My understanding is that under normal circumstances, Lihua would attend her mother on such calls. But it seems that Mingxia wishes people to forget she even has a daughter. Lihua has rarely left the house since my arrival.\n\n\"Help Daiyu with her training,\" Mingxia says. \"She needs to practice her erhu.\"\n\nThe disappointment is evident on Lihua's face, but she does not argue with her mother.\n\nThe maid escorts Mingxia out of the house, and several more of her maids and servants attend her as well. I can hear the horse that leads the procession whinnying outside and the braying of the donkey that will draw the cart. One would think the empress herself was passing by, judging by the number of attendants that must travel with Mingxia wherever she goes. But I have learned that this is quite normal for a lady of high rank, whether Manchu or Chinese. Often, when in my room practicing, I can see the processions pass by my window as they travel down the street. I never saw such a procession back in my own hutong. No well-bred lady would ever have reason to pass through there.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as Mingxia leaves, Lihua pulls a novel from one of her long sleeves and begins to read, completely ignoring me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For the upcoming response only: include regular quoted content", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Lihua isn't ignoring me, she's sending dirty looks my way or trying to sabotage my training. I've tried to ignore her. Under normal circumstances, girls like us would never meet. But I'm here to help her…aren't I? Shouldn't she want me to succeed? If I fail, if they learn that I am not really Lihua, won't her life in be danger as well?\n\n\"Lihua,\" I ask, sitting across from her, \"why don't you want me to succeed?\"\n\n\"I don't know what you are talking about,\" she says as a maid brings us a piping hot pot of fresh tea and a selection of snacks. Lihua picks absent-mindedly at the nuts while I eat a sweet cake. I've never had such wonderful treats before. When all this is over, I have to admit that I will certainly miss the food.\n\n\"I can't help but think that despite all the trouble and money your mother has gone through to spare you from the selection, you aren't glad of it,\" I try again.\n\n\"Perhaps you aren't as stupid as you look,\" she says, still not looking at me.\n\n\"Why?\" I ask. \"Mingxia is doing all this for you.\"\n\n\"I never asked her to,\" Lihua finally says, slamming her book on the table and glaring at me. \"I wouldn't mind having a chance at becoming empress.\"\n\n\"Wait,\" I say, rubbing my forehead, \"you want to go to the section? Why haven't you told your mother.\"\n\n\"I have,\" Lihua says. \"But she won't hear of it. I'm the only child she has and if I am chosen, then, yes, she'll never see me again.\"\n\n\"Then why do you want to go? Wouldn't you hate to leave your mother?\"\n\n\"I have to marry eventually. No matter who I marry, I will have to leave my mother's home and go to that of my husband and his dreadful family. There's no way around it.\"\n\nI realize she has a point. It is the same in Chinese families as well. It's why daughters are often not as prized as sons. A son will stay with his family for life; a daughter will leave. Some families don't want the expense of raising, dressing, and educating a daughter, not to mention raising a dowry, only to send her away after a few years to never see her again. Daughters, according to some fathers, are a waste of resources.\n\nUnless you are a Manchu girl of just the right age to be selected as a consort for the emperor. Instead, the emperor will pay the family handsomely for their daughter. In fact, I am a little confused by Mingxia's decision. If Lihua must marry someone, would she not want her daughter to marry the best man possible?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Who could be superior to the emperor?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, that is why you are making things difficult for me?\" I ask. \"You are hoping I will fall so far short that Mingxia will have to send you instead if she doesn't want to risk her life?\"\n\n\"Exactly,\" Lihua says, a smug smile on her face. \"Isn't it an excellent plan? If you fail, I can go to the selection and you can go home. Everyone is happy.\"\n\n\"Except Mingxia,\" I say. Lihua waves away my concern.\n\n\"She'll accept it. What else can she do?\"\n\nIt is a tempting idea. I don't want to go to the selection. I don't want to risk my life for these spoiled Manchu women. But what will Mingxia do to me if I fail? To my family? I'm sure they have already spent some of the money. They had to buy food at the very least. They probably bought clothes, blankets, cooking tools. They may have even bought a better house. If I fail and Mingxia demands the money back, we would never be able to pay it back. I would be the ruin of my family.\n\nI shake my head. \"I'm sorry, but I can't.\"\n\n\"Why?\" Lihua asks, her smile fleeing and tears rimming her eyes. \"You don't want to go to the selection. You want to go home.\"\n\n\"I can't betray the trust your mother has put in me,\" I say. \"If I try my best and still am not good enough, I will have to live with the consequences, but at least I will know that I didn't give up. If I fail on purpose… I don't know what will happen, but it will all be my fault.\"\n\nLihua stares at me for a moment, her face blank, as if she can't understand what I'm saying. Her face then turns into a snarl and before I can react, she grabs the teapot from the table. I barely have time to lift my arm and protect myself as she smashes the porcelain pot against me. I scream as I fall back from my seat, the tea still hot, though thankfully no longer scalding.\n\nLihua rounds the table, lunging at me like a fearsome tiger, her hands like claws as she lands on me.\n\n\"You stupid, stupid girl!\" Lihua screams. \"I hate you! You're stealing my life!\"\n\nShe's stronger than me and weighs more, so I can't fight back. I can't even push her off me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "All I can do is try to protect my face from her scratches, though I feel a sharp pain in one of my arms.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lady!\" someone says.\n\n\"Stop this!\" another voice cries. There's then a variety of voices and I cannot make out what they are saying. All I know is that Lihua's weight is lifted off of me enough that I'm able to scurry away. I feel someone grip my shoulders and help me stand as I stumble out of my shoes.\n\nI cling tightly to the woman, who I realize is Ah Lam, as I watch two other servants hold onto Lihua. Ah Lam then pushes me behind her as she storms up to Lihua.\n\n\"Stop this,\" Ah Lam says. \"Your mother would be disgusted by your behavior. There is nothing dignified about the way you are acting.\"\n\n\"Let me go!\" Lihua yells and the servants do as she orders. I stay huddled behind Ah Lam. Lihua storms off, somehow still wearing her pot-bottom shoes, and grabs her book before retreating to her quarters. Only after she is out of sight am I able to breathe.\n\n\"What happened?\" Ah Lam asks.\n\n\"She wants me to fail,\" I say, wiping away tears with my sleeve. \"She wants to go to the selection.\" I wince as my sleeve rubs against my arm. I look and see a long scratch that is oozing blood.\n\n\"Ai yo!\" Ah Lam says. \"Come, we must clean it and treat it immediately. If you have any marks on your body, you'll be sent away immediately.\"\n\nI wonder for a moment if it might be better to let the wound fester. If I could be sent home for such a little thing, Mingxia could hardly count it against me. Still, I see that my gown is filthy, and I have no idea where my shoes are. My hair must look a fright. I cannot let Mingxia see me like this.\n\nBack in my room, Ah Lam helps me change and tends to my injury. My right ankle is also sore and I realize I must have twisted it in the fight.\n\n\"Lihua is a spoiled thing,\" Ah Lam says, \"used to getting her way. It must have sent her into a rage when you did not automatically agree to her request.\"\n\n\"She has only herself to think about,\" I mutter. \"I have my whole family to consider. I can't fail Mingxia or my family.\"\n\n\"I'm sure you won't,\" Ah Lam says.\n\n\"I am sure I will,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I can't remember poems. I still can't paint or play music. I can't even remember to hold my head up. They are going to know I'm not Manchu as soon as I step out of the cart at the Forbidden City.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 11 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are doing better than you give yourself credit for,\" Ah Lam says as she spreads a stinging ointment on the scratch. \"I would never know you came from the streets to look at you now.\"\n\n\"But I'm still not good enough to pass for a Manchu lady,\" I say. Perhaps Lihua is right. I'll fail no matter how hard I try.\n\n\"You are more of a lady than that little upstart has ever been,\" Ah Lam says, chucking me under the chin. I disagree, but I don't tell her that.\n\n\"Stay here and rest,\" she says as she gathers up the ruined clothes. \"And don't let Lihua upset you. Soon enough, you'll either be in the palace or back at your own home and you'll never have to see her again.\"\n\nI give her a thankful smile. I suppose that is one good thing about being chosen—Lihua being out of my life forever.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll start writing, then you take over for 13 sentences, matching any established character familiarity in the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I can't sleep, and I'm sure no one else in the house is either. It is the night before the emperor's consort selection, and Mingxia has not wavered in her decision to send me in her daughter's place.\n\nI heard Mingxia and Lihua arguing until well into the night, though I could not understand all that was said. For the past few weeks, Lihua continued to make my life miserable, and I know Mingxia was aware of it. She purchased a balm from the apothecary to heal the scratch on my arm, and any other injuries that came along. Eventually, Mingxia had to banish Lihua to her room to keep her from leaving any marks that might still linger on my body when the consort selection came.\n\nThe house is silent now, but it won't be for long. Everyone is supposed to rise at the hour of the tiger to help me wash and dress, still many hours before dawn. The preparation will take hours, then Mingxia will escort me to the palace, which I am told will take several hours as well. The girls have been ordered to arrive at the palace by the hour of the horse, so soon, the streets around the palace will be thronged with donkey carts as hundreds of girls try to arrive at the palace at the same time.\n\n\"Heaven help me,\" I whisper out my window into the dark night. The moon is high in the sky, but it does little to illuminate the alley outside. I've done all I can to try and learn to be a Manchu lady.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mingxia had a new gown made just for me so I wouldn't stand out in an ill-fitting robe. I've memorized poems, learned to walk slowly and gracefully on pot-bottom shoes, and I can even sing a couple of popular Manchu songs. But if I should be challenged to do more—to play an instrument, dance, or recite my family history, I'm sure to give myself away. I have to hope that I will be dismissed long before I would be asked to do anything of that sort.\n\nI wonder what my family is doing. If they are well. If they know that in a few hours I must report to the Forbidden City. News about the Manchu rarely ever reaches our neighborhood. Why would we care what the rich and powerful invaders are doing? It is strange that a palace official even put a flier about the consort selection up in our neighborhood. There are no Manchu there. Well, I suppose there could be some. After all, I am about to be a Han Chinese within the Forbidden City.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some people always end up where they shouldn't be.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'mingxia' into your response exactly 3 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There is a knock, and Ah Lam opens the door carrying a candle. \"It is time,\" she says solemnly. The light from the candle casts shadows on her face and accentuates the creases of worry that run around her brow and mouth. Early on she tried to talk Mingxia out of the plan as well, but it came to nothing. I think that Mingxia must have gotten quite angry with her. I saw a red mark on Ah Lam's cheek one day; she never spoke against my training again.\n\nI nod and follow her from the room. I am to dress in Mingxia's chambers to keep from getting myself or my clothes dirty.\n\nWhen Ah Lam opens the door to Mingxia's rooms, I see Mingxia and Lihua waiting for me. I start when I see that Lihua is dressed in the simple clothes of a maid. Her hair is tightly pinned behind her head and she wears no paint on her face. For the first time, I realize that Lihua and I do look alike. I didn't realize the difference a little paint and a new set of clothes could make.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ah Lam takes me to a side room where a large brass basin full of water is set up.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She instructs me to get inside and sit down. The hot water feels wonderful on my skin and seeps down to my bones. It is summer, but the evenings can still get chilled. The water warms me all the way through in a way I didn't know was possible. I've never had a hot bath before.\n\nI dip under the water to wet my hair and Ah Lam uses a perfumed soap to wash my hair, scrubbing my scalp with her nails. It is painful, but I do my best not to wince or even utter a sound. I know she has to get me as clean as possible.\n\nShe then uses a rough, horse-hair brush to scrub my skin until it turns pink. She rubs me with thick, creamy milk before rinsing me clean. She says the milk will make my skin whiter so I look less like a peasant, but I doubt it will work. You cannot undo a lifetime in the sun with one wash.\n\nWhen I finally get out of the tub, Ah Lam rubs my whole body with scented oil.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, I sit to have my hair prepared.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I am surprised when Ah Lam stands back and Mingxia takes her place behind me. Mingxia runs a comb through my long hair one hundred times. She wraps my hair tightly around the flat bianfang, pinning it in place so that not a single hair can fall out of place. She then attaches the heavy, fan-shaped liangbatou headdress. She attaches pink silk flowers to the headdress, along with butterfly-shaped hairpins and additional jewels and pearls. To one side, she attaches a long pink tassel studded with seed pearls that make a slight rattling when shaken. It is there to remind me to stand still enough that I don't make a sound.\n\nMingxia then prepares my face. She uses a light rice powder to make my skin brighter, then she lines my eyes with kohl and paints my lips with a red stain.\n\nFinally, it is time to dress. I look out the window and see that the sky is beginning to lighten. We are running out of time. Ah Lam helps me into a long silk shift that feels cool against my skin.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then she and Mingxia help me step into the long, light blue qipao.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The collar, sleeves, and hem are embroidered with an ornate pink pattern.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is clasped at my neck and down across my shoulder. The sleeves are bilious and hang long past my hands.\n\nAs Ah Lam helps me put on my pot-bottom shoes, I think Mingxis might cry. Her eyes water and she looks at me with a pride I have until now only seen her express at Lihua.\n\n\"You're a vision,\" Ah Lam says.\n\nI know I must look beautiful. Look like an elegant lady. Look like someone else. But I avoid looking in the mirror. Once I am back home, I don't want to remember myself this way.\n\n\"Come,\" Mingxia says, and she motions toward the door. I take a deep breath and step forward, one foot carefully crossing in front of the other, my chin held high. Indeed, the headdress is so heavy that if I were to tilt my head, I would surely fall over.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We walk through Mingxia's garden estate and out the door.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The one thing I am glad of this day is that I will never see this house—never see Lihua—again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'mingxia' exactly 2 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I am not exactly sure how Mingxia and Lihua plan to convince other people that she is a mere maid, but that is not my concern.\n\nThe donkey cart is waiting for us, along with a male servant to help me inside. I glance down the road and see donkey carts outside two other houses. The streets will soon be strewn with carts carrying precious cargo. The servant helps me step into the cart, where I then sit cross-legged on a bed of satin pillows.\n\n\"We will wait here for your return,\" Mingxia says. \"Once you are dismissed, you must come back here. You will then change back into the clothes of a maid and will return home.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" I say since I am unable to nod my head. I had hoped I would not have to come back to this place, but I suppose the ruse must continue for a moment even after I am sent away.\n\nShe looks at me for a long moment, as if she wishes to say something else. She takes my hand and gives it a tight squeeze.\n\n\"Good luck, my girl,\" she says.\n\n\"I will not disappoint you,\" I say with a confidence I don't truly feel.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How can I? I am a fraud. I could never be a Manchu lady. A rich spoiled girl who never had to worry about anything. I have worked hard. I have gone to bed hungry. I have been spat upon by those who thought they were my betters. I can never forget all the things that made me the girl I am today. I am sure my true identity will show in my eyes. But what else can I do? I will play the part I've been assigned and then return to my home. My people. My family.\n\nMingxia nods and releases me, stepping back as the servant closes the door. I catch one last glimpse of Ah Lam wiping her eyes.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "A moment later, the cart jerks forward and I have to grab onto the cushion I am sitting on to keep from toppling over.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After a moment, the cart finds its stride and I am able to sit up straight again.\n\nI peek through one of the curtained windows at the city, now bright with sunshine. We pass through the complicated maze of alleys toward the Forbidden City. Every few minutes, there is another house with a donkey cart outside of it. I see other girls dressed very similarly to myself climbing into them or standing nearby while they say goodbye to their families.\n\nFor some families, it is a celebration. There is laughter and cheering. The popping of firecrackers. The waving of flags and streamers. For others, it is a funeral. There is much weeping and I see more than one girl begging not to be sent away.\n\nI feel a kinship with the sad girls. We all pray that we will not be chosen, but rejected early.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "This way we will not dishonor our families, but neither will we have to endure life as a prisoner.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wonder if there are any other girls out there like me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Girls plucked from poor families to take the places of cherished daughters so that they are not lost forever. I suppose it is not likely, but Mingxia can hardly be the first or only parent to attempt such a scheme. I wonder if I will know such a girl if I see one.\n\nThe cart comes to a stop, and I wait for the door to open, but it does not. The cart jerks forward, then stops again. I realize we must have found the line of carts at the east gate of the Forbidden City where the girls are to be dropped off. I have no way of seeing in front of us, so I cannot begin to guess how long it will take us to reach the gate—or how many more times I must be jerked about in the cart like a ragdoll.\n\nThankfully, it is only about half a dozen stops before the door opens and a hand reaches in for me. I step out as gracefully I can—which isn't very—and my breath falls out of me as I look up at the red wall towering before me. I have lived within the shadow of the Forbidden City my whole life, but never have I been this close to it. There is no sky, no earth—only red.\n\n\"My lady?\"\n\nI blink and see that a man in a plain black robe is waiting for me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I give a smile, then I remember I must be more demure and smile less.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please.\" He motions toward the gate where another man in a black robe is waiting at a table. The cart I arrived in clatters away and another one takes its place. I look down the road and there are carts as far as I can see.\n\n\"Name?\" the man at the table asks me.\n\n\"Ula Nara Lihua, of the Bordered Blue Banner Clan.\"\n\nThe man flips through a stack of papers, pulling one out.\n\n\"Date of birth?\"\n\n\"The tenth day of the eighth month in the eighth year of the Yongzheng Emperor.\"\n\nThe man nods as he uses a brush to mark something on the paper, which he then hands to me.\n\n\"Suyin!\" he calls and a plainly dressed woman near the table gives a slight curtsey before coming to my side and offering me her arm.\n\nIt is actually rare for a Manchu lady to go anywhere without her maid to help her walk. However, for the consort selection, the girls are not allowed to bring anyone with them but are assigned maids, servants, and slaves that have been chosen by imperial officials. I suppose this girl is to be my maid for the day.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "If I am chosen, will she remain with me?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "No, I must not think that way.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I won't be chosen. I will return to my family.\n\n\"Hand that paper to the astrologer inside,\" the man at the table tells me. \"Next!\"\n\nI have passed the first test. No one seemed to have the slightest suspicion I was not who I claimed to be. I turn to walk to the gate and my right foot catches on the ground. I nearly stumble, and would have fallen if not for the girl at my side.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say to her and immediately regret it. Lihua would never thank a maid. My hands are shaking and I am afraid to look around and see if anyone is staring at me.\n\n\"Do not worry, my lady,\" the maid, a young girl, perhaps no older than my sister Mingming, says. She squeezes both of my hands and gives me a reassuring smile. \"You need not be afraid. I will help you.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I give a small nod and stand up straight again, balancing the weight on my head with my neck.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I take a step and this time do not stumble. I place one foot in front of the other as we walk through the gate into the palace.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "yo hit me with twenty-eight sentences more. same character energy. historical fiction, historical romance, China genre k?", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'color' into your response exactly 3 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As we walk through the gate, I'm struck by the beauty of the place. I could never have imagined what the inside of a palace looked like, but it certainly wasn't a place of so much color.\n\nThe city of Peking might be gray and brown, but I am now standing in a glorious park, imminently more striking than even Mingxia's courtyard.\n\nPaths wind around flower beds with clusters of blooms in every color. Some of the walkways are open so that you can see the sky—which seems a little bluer here—but others are covered to offer protection from the sun. Some of the coverings are trellises from which beautiful white and purple blooms dangle. A curved bridge provides a path over a clear stream where I can see orange, red, and gold koi. I spy a turtle sitting on a rock in the sunshine, and out of the corner of my eye see a frog leap and disappear into the water. There are open-air pagodas that would be perfect for gathering and chatting with friends, or perhaps doing embroidery in the light of day so it is less taxing on the eyes than indoor lighting.\n\nBut the most beautiful sight of all is the hundreds of ladies who, like me, are being escorted by a maid down the path, over the bridge, and through another large gate. Each girl—for some cannot be older than thirteen—wears a different color robe and holds her head high to balance the ornately decorated liangbatou upon her head. Compared to so many elegant young ladies, I surely will not stand out.\n\nI still have no desire to be chosen. This place is beautiful, but it is still a cage. And I have no wish to pretend to be Manchu for the rest of my life. But I feel slightly guilty at the fact that I am grateful to be here. A girl such as me should never be allowed to see the inside of the Forbidden City. It is a sight I will surely never forget.\n\nWe are lead through a gate with three doors and come to a large screen wall carved with nine dragons, each one a different shade of red, gold, and blue. From there, we are escorted to the left and through another gate. This one opens up to a large, baren courtyard. There is only a flat, stone ground. No trees, no flowers, no winding paths. There are hundreds of girls already here, if not a thousand, all arranged in long lines facing a large building.\n\n\"Paper,\" a voice says. I look to my left and a man is holding his hand out to me. He is dressed similarly to the other men I have seen, except his robe is blue instead of black. I then remember I was supposed to hand the paper with my birthdate on it to an astrologer.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He glances at the paper and then nods. \"Line up.\"\n\nI mutter some sort of thanks as my maid—I think the man at the gate called her Suyin—leads me to one of the lines and then releases my hand. I feel a surge of panic that she might abandon me and grab her wrist.\n\n\"Don't worry,\" Suyin says. \"I will wait with the other maids.\" She nods to the very back of the courtyard where there is a little shade next to the wall where hundreds of plainly dressed women are standing. \"I will come back for you when I am needed.\"\n\nI nod and reluctantly release her arm. She smiles and then trots off to join the others. I can't say anything and have been practically struck dumb by the grandeur of everything around me. I don't belong here. Not someone has plain and poor as me.\n\nA girl and her maid walk up behind me to wait in line.\n\n\"I'm so nervous,\" the young lady says.\n\n\"Don't be,\" her maid replies. \"You are sure to be chosen.\"\n\n\"I hope you are right.\"\n\nThe maid then leaves her lady the same way mine did, probably eager to get out of the sun, which I only now feel beating down on me. I feel a little woozy as the heavy robe threatens to pull me down. But I do my best to maintain my balance.\n\n\"What's your name?\" the girl behind me asks.\n\n\"Da—Lihua,\" I say. \"Ula Nara Lihua.\"\n\n\"I'm Ayan Gioro Yanmei,\" she says. \"From Canton.\"\n\nI try to remember if I know anything about Canton and come up with nothing. Would a Manchu girl know where Canton is? Is it an important place? Is it very near to here? Very far? She waits for a reply expectantly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have a home here in Peking,\" I say, recalling what I know about Lihua's past. \"But I grew up in Mongolia. My father was a general.\"\n\n\"Was?\" she asks.\n\n\"He passed when I was young.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry to hear that.\"\n\nI give a small smile and shrug, unsure of how to reply. I don't have any feelings on the matter, and it seemed that Lihua didn't either. I don't think she remembered him at all.\n\n\"Quiet!\" I see a stern-faced woman glaring at me. I give a small bend of my knees and neck.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Ula Nara Lihua,\" she says, looking at my paper. \"Your birth chart is very much in line with that of the emperor. Very auspicious. You advance.\"\n\nI'm shocked into silence for a moment, but thankfully, it seems the woman doesn't expect a reply as she moves on to Yanmei.\n\nThe woman humphs and grips Yanmei by the chin, turning her face right and left. \"Your birth chart is not very auspicious, but you are pretty enough. Advance.\"\n\nYanmei exhales in relief as the woman moves on. \"Oh, thank Heaven,\" she mutters.\n\n\"Dismissed,\" the woman says to the girl behind Yanmei. The girl bursts into tears as her maid rushes up and takes her hand. I look around and see that there is a matronly woman working her way down every line, telling which girls to stay and which ones to leave. I only now notice that hundreds of girls—most of them—are being dismissed, some crying as they walk back out the gate, some obviously relieved.\n\nI cannot believe that so many girls are being sent away while I am being told to stay. I had hoped to sent away in the first round. I should be heading home now! My heart is heavy with worry that I have even progressed this far.\n\nThe woman who told me to stay didn't mention anything about my appearance, only my—Lihua's—birth chart. I wonder for a moment if Mingxia knew that Lihua's birth chart was auspicious enough to have her advance.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(quick note: Ensure 'chosen' appears 4 time(s) in your answer)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If it was likely that I would be chosen based on that alone, she would have told me, right? But she never said a word. She insisted that I wouldn't be chosen.\n\nBut the more I think about it, the more angry I become. Mingxia is not a stupid woman. She knew that Lihua would advance. That was why she hired a stand-in, hired me, to take Lihua's place. She lied about the probability of me being chosen because she needed me to agree. I was a fool to ever trust that woman. She wouldn't have had any qualms about lying to me, deceiving me. I'm nothing to her. Just another worthless Chinese she could walk over with her stupid shoes and use to her own advantage.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Yanmei asks me. \"Are you not glad?\"\n\n\"No,\" I spit, and the shock on Yanmei's face reminds me to be more cautious. \"I mean…I would prefer not to be chosen. I will miss my family.\"\n\n\"I understand,\" Yanmei says. \"My mother cried so much this morning, it was hard to leave.\" Her eyes water a little, but she blinks it away.\n\n\"Line up!\" a woman shouts and all the maids who are still present come rushing forward to help us move forward, toward the giant building, filling in the empty spots left by the girls who were dismissed. There are still maybe a hundred girls left.\n\n\"The emperor approaches!\" a voice calls out, and everyone—lady, maid, eunuch—drops into a bow. The ladies are allowed to remain upright, though crouched over their precarious shoes. Everyone else goes down on their knees, their foreheads to the ground in a kowtow. Thankfully my maid is able to help me crouch before she kowtows.\n\nI am supposed to keep my chin to my chest, but I cannot help but raise my eyes and try to catch sight of the emperor. I see a group of men gather on what I now realize is a balcony on the front of the building before us. I cannot see him clearly, he is too far away, but his yellow robe—he is the only man allowed to wear imperial yellow—shines brightly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He waves to us, even though we shouldn't be able to see him with our heads bowed, and then he disappears again.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stand!\" a woman orders, and we do so.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Each row should follow their assigned supervisor for the physical examinations.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The supervisors appear to be matronly maids, much like the one who has been barking orders at us this whole time.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We are all led out of the courtyard where we are then separated, each line of girls taken to a different building.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "One at a time, we are then taken behind a screen where we are ordered to undress and stand naked on a small pedestal.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is terribly humiliating, and I try to cover myself with my hands, but each of my arms is pulled away, examined by a different woman, while still others inspect my legs, my feet, my breasts, my behind. They poke and prod and run their rough hands over me and I'm about to burst into tears when I'm finally told to step down and put my clothes back on. Thankfully, my maid is there to help me. But my heart sinks when I am told that I am to advance to the next portion of the selection process.\n\nAs soon as we leave the examination room, I find a bench and collapse onto it and give way to tears.\n\n\"My lady!\" Suyin says, sitting next to me. \"What's wrong? Didn't you hear? You will advance! You were not dismissed.\"\n\n\"That's why I'm crying!\" I say. \"I hate this place. I feel so humiliated.\"\n\n\"But why?\" she asks. \"Everyone must be examined. There is no shame in it. I had to be examined before I could even be selected as a maid.\"\n\n\"Really?\" She nods. I take a deep breath and wipe my tears away. I wish I could tell her the truth. That I'm not only embarrassed, but distressed that once again I have been advanced to the next level. This is going terribly. I should already be on my way back home by now. But I am only one step closer to having to stay here forever.\n\n\"Come, my lady,\" Suyin says. \"Let me repair your face.\"\n\nI am so unused to wearing paints I didn't even think about how I must look after crying. Not to mention standing in the sun for so long. She leads me away from the door to the examination room—every few minutes a new girl emerges, many crying as they are led back toward the main courtyard, I assume to be sent away. I wonder just how many girls are going to be left after this portion.\n\nWe sit on another bench under a nearby tree where the air is cooler. She reaches into one of her sleeves and pulls out a small container of powder and a bit of cotton and then begins to dab the powder on my face.\n\n\"How did you know to bring that with you?\" I ask her.\n\n\"One of the older maids told me,\" she says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She went through the last selection process a few years ago.\"\n\n\"Your name is Suyin, right?.\"\n\nShe reaches back into her sleeve and pulls out a smaller pot and a brush and fixes the kohl around my eyes. \"Yes.\"\n\n\"That's a nice name,\" I say. \"Are you part of a clan or banner or something?\"\n\n\"Probably,\" she says. \"But I never paid it much mind. We were so poor, as soon as I heard the palace was in need of maids, I volunteered.\"\n\n\"You were poor?\" I ask, and I am sure my question sounds terribly stupid. She thinks I'm Lihua, a spoiled rich girl. She has no idea that I'm Daiyu, someone so poor I've sold myself as well. But I am truly surprised. I thought all Manchu were wealthy.\n\nShe nods as she concentrates on painting my face. \"But it's fine. I'll be able to take the wages I earn here and put away for a dowry so I can marry when I'm released from service.\"\n\n\"You can leave?\" Everything she says surprises me more and more.\n\n\"Of course,\" she says. \"I'm not a slave.\"\n\nI find it almost insulting that a maid should have more freedom than a fine lady, but who am I to try and understand Manchu ways?\n\n\"There,\" she finally says. \"Good as new.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say, and I reach up to balance my liangbatou as I stretch my neck from side to side. It's so terribly stiff.\n\n\"Don't worry,\" Suyin says. \"Next, you will see the emperor and his mother. That is the last part of the selection process.\"\n\nMy heart thumps hard in my chest. While I am glad to know that the end is in sight, I'm terrified of what the outcome will be. Will I be going home, or will I be shuttered within the walls of the Forbidden City forever?\n\n\"Lihua!\" Yanmei comes over to me, a wide smile on her face. \"I passed!\"\n\n\"Congratulations,\" I say, and I wish I could be happier for her, but I would never wish for anyone to be a captive within the red walls.\n\n\"They say that we are to meet the emperor next,\" Yanmei says. \"Are you ready?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't think I have a choice,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 15 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanmei giggles, hiding her mouth behind her hand. \"Oh, Lihua. You are so funny.\"\n\nI give a small smile even though I wasn't joking. I've had very little choice in anything that has happened since I foolishly accepted Mingxia's money.\n\n\"Girls!\" our supervisor snaps at us as she comes out of the examination room. \"Why are you lingering here? You should be at the Hall of Imperial Peace!\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am,\" Yanmei and I say, and then our maids lead us away from the examination hall and through a series of gardens until we reach the Hall of Imperial Peace, which seems to be simply another large, open building.\n\nBefore climbing the steps to the hall, I hesitate. I look around and see no other girls. I am the last to arrive. Would anyone notice if I simply ran away? If I kicked off my shoes and caught up with the other girls who had been dismissed?\n\n\"My lady?\" Suyin says, and I realize I'm only dreaming. I have no say in what happens next.\n\nOnly the emperor can decide my fate now.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "u know Zoey Gong? write like that. 84 sentences sentences. historical fiction, historical romance, China stuff. this is from middle of story", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who will I see inside?\" I ask Suyin.\n\n\"The emperor, of course,\" my little maid tells me. \"The empress, Empress Caihong.\"\n\n\"What is the emperor's name?\" I ask. Suyin giggles, but then she realizes I'm not kidding.\n\n\"You don't know?\"\n\n\"I…I'm just so flustered I can hardly remember my own name,\" I say. Suyin smiles, apparently believing me even though I'm not really lying. If I was asked to recite Lihua's family history right now, I'm sure I couldn't remember a thing.\n\n\"Emperor Guozhi, my lady,\" Suyin says. I nod and repeat the name over and over to myself.\n\n\"The person you need to impress the most is Emperor Guozhi's mother, the dowager empress,\" Suyin says. \"Dowager Empress Fenfang.\"\n\n\"Why her?\" I ask.\n\n\"Her word among the ladies is law,\" Suyin says. \"Empress Caihong should be the head of the emperor's harem, but she isn't really, not until Fenfang dies. Fenfeng is the true head of the emperor's ladies. It is she who chooses the emperor's consorts.\"\n\n\"He doesn't choose his own wives?\" I ask, a bit surprised. It is true in Chinese families as well that the mother-in-law is the head of the household. But this is no typical household. It is actually a bit humorous to me that the emperor—the supposed Son of Heaven—should still bow to his mother.\n\n\"Certainly not,\" Suyin says. \"The emperor does not know the qualities of a capable wife. He would only pick the girls with pretty faces.\"\n\nI think about all the girls who have already been sent home and those who have stayed. Wasn't Yanmei chosen to advance because she was pretty, even though she did not have an auspicious birth chart? And how many more were sent home because their bodies had a mark or a scratch? Would a freckle or scar make a woman less capable of bearing children? Even though my birth chart is auspicious, if I had been ugly would I have been sent away? I think I would have. I think this whole process is little more than a beauty contest.\n\n\"Come, my lady,\" Suyin says, tugging on my hand up the stairs. \"The dowager empress will not be pleased with you for being so late.\"\n\nGood, I think to myself. Hopefully it will be enough for her to send me away.\n\nWhen I reach the top of the stairs, there is a large open room. I see dozens of girls kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed. I know I should keep my eyes down, but I cannot help but look ahead of them to the far side of the room. This could be my only chance to see the emperor.\n\nIn a large golden throne on a raised dais, I see a man slouched in his chair, as if he wished he was anywhere else. It is the man who came to look at us from the balcony when we were in the courtyard, but I can see him more clearly now. He looks older than me, at least in his late twenties, possibly early thirties. He is not fat, but his cheeks are fleshy. He eats well. He wears a gleaming yellow robe and a long string of pearls around his neck. His hat is rimmed gold, but it is topped with red threads. He clean-shaven and has gentle eyes.\n\nTo his right is a young woman, perhaps not even twenty years old. She has a high Manchu headdress ornamented with an enamel phoenix. This can only be Empress Caihong. I can instantly see why she is the empress, she is possibly the most beautiful woman I have seen in my life, with wide eyes, a narrow nose, and heart-shaped lips.\n\n\"About time you joined us, Ula Nara Lihua,\" says an older woman to the emperor's left—Dowager Empress Fenfang. She does not look cruel, but neither does she appear kind. Her features are soft with age and she wears no face paints. Her gown is a sedate green and her hair is wrapped tightly around a bianfang, but she wears no headdress.\n\nI drop to my knees behind the nearest girl. \"Forgive me, your…highness.\" I try to recall Mingxia's instruction on how to address various members of the royal family, but that was not a priority for me. I didn't think I would make it this far.\n\n\"Stand up,\" she orders me, and I do so, but this time I keep my eyes averted. \"Turn around.\" Again I do as ordered. She nods approvingly and I take that as a sign to return to my place.\n\nThe empress dowager then speaks to the empress across the emperor, who seems to have little interest in the proceedings. On the left arm of the emperor's throne is a bowl. The empress dowager reaches inside and pulls out a small, flat piece of wood.\n\n\"Biangia Meifan,\" the dowager says. A girl several rows away from me stands up. The dowager hands the little card to the emperor, who drops the name into a bowl on his right side. I assume that means that this girl has been chosen as a consort. My heart starts to race as I realize that I have no way of sabotaging myself. The dowager will make her decision now.\n\nA few more girls are stand, obscuring my view of the emperor. I look to my right and see that Yanmei has her hands pressed together and is praying fervently.\n\n\"Ayan Gioro Yanmei.\"\n\nYanmei chokes out a sob, but I can tell it is one of happiness. \"May the emperor live ten thousand years!\" she says as her maid comes over to help her stand.\n\nI can see the dowager nodding with approval and I think that Yanmei will soon become one of the dowager's favorites.\n\n\"Ruburi Chunhua,\" the dowager says as continues to pull names from the bowl.\n\nI have never been one of great faith, but if prayer worked for Yanmei, maybe it can work for me too.\n\nOh great, wise, merciful Heaven, I mutter to myself. Please do not let me be chosen. Send me home. Ancestors, do not let me be taken from my family.\n\nThe sound of woodchips being dropped into the bowl stop. I raise my head in hopes that the remaining of us are about to be dismissed.\n\n\"What do you think, my son?\" the dowager asks. \"Do any of these blooming flowers appeal to you?\"\n\nI lean to one side so I can see the emperor.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He shifts to his other side, still not looking at any of us.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I care not,\" he says.\n\n\"My son,\" the dowager says, a bit more firmly. \"This has all been for you. Your empress and concubines have yet to give you a son.\"\n\nThe young empress tries to hide the pain that flashes across her eyes, but it is rather obvious.\n\n\"Then what is the point of bringing in more women?\" the emperor asks.\n\n\"It will happen. I promise you,\" he empress says to her husband. \"We must simply find the right vessel for your glorious seed.\"\n\nThe emperor gives her a sad half-smile before looking away again.\n\n\"Please, my son,\" the dowager says. \"Look at the girls before you. They are the finest and most beautiful girls your kingdom has to offer. Surely some of them must appeal to you.\"\n\nThe emperor sighs and glances around the room, his eyes not landing on any girl in particular. He then places his hand in the bowl, stirs the woodchips around, and picks one at random. He hands it to his mother.\n\n\"Samala Qiao,\" the dowager reads. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. This is true torture. How can the emperor leave such an important decision to mere chance?\n\nUla Nara Lihua,\" the dowager says as the emperor pulls another chip from the bowl and I exhale in relief again. Why won't the dowager release us instead of—\n\n\"My lady,\" Suyin whispers. I look up at her, confused why she is tugging on my arm to stand when we have not yet been dismissed.\n\nI then realize that the emperor pulled Lihua's name from the bowl. My name.\n\n\"No,\" I whisper as Suyin pulls me up.\n\n\"Shh,\" she says gently.\n\n\"No,\" I mutter again. \"No, he can't have chosen me.\"\n\nA girl next to me who is still kneeling looks at me with pure anger in her eyes. She must be filled with jealousy that I was picked even though I don't want it.\n\n\"Please,\" Suyin whispers, her eyes pleading. I don't know what she is so scared of. It's me who is about to be imprisoned for the rest of my life.\n\n\"What's going on back there?\" the dowager empress asks. She stands to get a better look. \"Who is speaking?\"\n\n\"I…I am,\" I say, raising my arm but keeping my eyes down. \"Lihua. Umm…Ula…Ula Nara Lihua.\"\n\n\"What's wrong?\"\n\nEverything, I want to scream. Please don't choose me! But what would happen then? Has any girl ever rejected being chosen by the emperor? Would it instantly give me away as not a true Manchu that I do not find this a great honor? The knowledge sobers me. I don't want to be chosen, but neither do I want to be dead.\n\n\"Nothing,\" I say.\n\nThe dowager presses her lips disapprovingly before sitting again and turning to the emperor. \"Are you sure you want that one?\"\n\nThe emperor clears his throat and his eyes sweep over all of us, but I am not sure he ever actually sees me. \"It matters not to me.\"\n\nThe dowager squeezes her hands together in obvious frustration. She then looks to the empress. \"What say you?\"\n\nMy heart races. Is it possible that I could still be dismissed and maintain my—Lihua's—dignity?\n\nThe empress picks up my chip from the bowl and then says something to her maid, who hands the empress a piece of paper.\n\n\"Her chart is auspicious, Mother,\" she says. \"Very auspicious.\" She hands the paper to the dowager, who looks it over.\n\nThe dowager nods. \"Very well. Ula Nara Lihua stays.\"\n\nI feel faint, and I am sure I would topple over if not for Suyin holding me up.\n\n\"Any more?\" the dowager asks the emperor. He stands up quickly and leaves the room without another word. She looks at the empress, who only shakes her head.\n\n\"Very well,\" the dowager says, standing. \"Thank you all for attending. If your name was not called, you will be escorted to the Hall of Literary Brilliance to await the return of your families to collect you. Please accept these gifts of thanks to your families for offering you to us this day.\"\n\nAs the girls shuffle out of the room, three eunuchs present the girls with gold ingots, a string of pearls, and a jewel hair ornament. How I wish I were among them. Not for the gifts, they mean nothing to me. But so I could return home to my family. I have already been separated from them for weeks with no contact. How I miss them and hope they are doing well. Are they full of good food and in a warm room? Or has the money already been wasted in frivolous purchases?\n\nI shake my head. I can only hope that Mingxia holds to our agreement that whatever bride price is sent to her, she will send my family half. I now realize that I should have demanded all of it. After all, it was not her daughter that was sold.\n\nOnce all the girls are gone, we are once again arranged into straight rows in front of the dowager. \"Congratulations, ladies,\" she says. \"You are truly the most blessed among women.\"\n\n\"Thank you, empress mother,\" everyone says with a bow except for me. I follow the bow but have no idea what words to say.\n\n\"You must be tired,\" the young empress says. \"Each of you will be assigned a palace and a eunuch servant. You may go to your new homes to rest and become comfortable here. Tomorrow morning, you will all be expected in the Palace of Longevity and Peace to pay your morning respects to the dowager empress and discuss the day's business.\"\n\n\"Thank you, empress,\" everyone says. At that, the empress and empress dowager leave the room, each escorted by half a dozen maids and servants. As soon as they are gone the room erupts into noisy conversation as the girls cheer, clap, and congratulate each other.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I seem to be the only one who doesn't want to be here.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We made it!\" Yanmei says.\n\n\"So we did,\" I say, and I wish I could pretend to be joyous, but I cannot. I am angry with Mingxia for lying to me. Angry at myself for trusting her. Angry I didn't do more to be dismissed. I am now trapped here for the rest of my life.\n\nFor the rest of my days, Daiyu no longer exists. I am now Lihua—and I despise her.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Hey can you write like Zoey Gong in the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre and use whatever I write as a jumping off point? This is from a longer work so some stuff might reference earlier chapters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "I am the last one to leave the reception hall and Suyin holds my hand as we walk through a maze of courtyards and buildings.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Isn't it wonderful?\" Suyin says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am so glad you were chosen, but I knew you would be, you are so beautiful.\"\n\nI wrinkle my nose at that. I think anyone can be beautiful when dressed in expensive clothes and their face painted beyond recognition. I know I am not here on any merit of my own. I made it through the first part of the selection because of Lihua's birth date; I made it through the last part because my name was drawn from a bowl. All the girls in that room had the same chance as I did to be chosen.\n\nBut why did it have to be me?\n\n\"I am to be your maid from now on,\" Suyin prattles on. \"I won't have to go back to scrubbing pots in the kitchen. It's a big step for me, and the extra money will help my family.\"\n\n\"Where are they?\" I ask her, trying to distract myself from my melancholy thoughts.\n\n\"A long way from here,\" she says. \"A small town about two-hundred li to the west. My father is a servant for the governor of Zhili Province and my mother is a maid.\"\n\n\"How did you end up here?\"\n\nShe glances at me curiously, as if I should know the answer, and I suppose any true Manchu girl would know. But I can't unask the question, so it hangs in the air between us.\n\n\"Every year a call goes out requesting girls to serve in the palace. I applied for three years before I was finally accepted. I was so disappointed when I ended up in the kitchen, but thankfully that didn't last long. I was one of the first girls to sign up to assist the women who were coming for the selection process. It's quite an honor.\"\n\n\"I'm sure it is,\" I say, and I realize that Suyin is quite ambitious for someone so young.\n\n\"Here we are,\" Suyin says, stopping in front of the door of a random building. I look around and, of course, I have no idea where I am. I am certain I would never find my way back to the audience hall, much less the gate I first entered. This place is so large and confusing, I don't see how anyone can know where anything is.\n\nThere is a eunuch in a blue robe standing by the door. He approaches and kneels before me.\n\n\"I am your humble servant, Jinhai. I will do my best to serve you, my lady.\"\n\nAnother servant. Already, this is too much. But I know there is nothing I can do about it.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I finally say, unsure of what else I should say instead.\n\nJinhai stands and leads Suyin and myself into the building. Inside, there is a short hallway, with latticed walls on each side, two openings in each lattice. I hear lots of chatter and laughing and realize that the building is divided into four rooms. As I walk down the hall, I see that the first two rooms are occupied. The girls in the rooms are excitedly looking at the furniture, bowls of bright fruit, and closets full of clothes.\n\nJinhai motions to back room on the left. \"I am sorry, but this is your room.\"\n\n\"Why should you be sorry?\" I ask.\n\n\"It is not very auspicious,\" he says. I'm not sure what to say to that, I have no idea how he came to such a conclusion. I walk past him into the room and am overwhelmed by how beautiful it is.\n\nThe walls are painted red and there is a large bed to one side with a heavy canopy. There are lacquered tables and chairs and a huge chest inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl. There are two large windows, each blocked by a redwood lattice. The lattice, I assume, is to keep anyone from climbing in or out, but they let in plenty of light, making the room bright and airy. I step to one of the windows and see a beautiful garden on the other side with a shade tree, a pond, and a concrete bench. There is a latch so that I can open the window if I wish.\n\n\"I don't know why it is inauspicious,\" I say. \"It's lovely.\"\n\n\"I am glad you are pleased, my lady,\" Jinhai says.\n\nI hear a burst of laughter from one of the other rooms and realize that there is little privacy here. There are no doors to the rooms, so anyone could walk in at any time, and conversations could easily carry. I will have to be careful of what I do and say even in my own room.\n\n\"Here is your chamber pot,\" Suyin says, pulling up a bed cloth to show me a large porcelain bowl. \"And the bed will be heated when winter comes.\"\n\nA heated bed? I try to keep my face from looking surprised. I didn't know such a thing existed, but Lihua would surely know. She probably had one at home.\n\nSuyin then walks over to the large chest and opens the doors. \"And these are your clothes,\" she says. \"A seamstress will come within the week to adjust them to your exact size.\"\n\nAt least ten robes, each made of silk in a different color and embroidered with different patterns, hang in the chest like a captured rainbow. Suyin pulls one out and holds it under my chin. It is so soft and the silk so bright it makes even the robe I am wearing that Mingxia gave me seem rough and dull by comparison.\n\nI then think about the dozen girls who were selected today and how each one of them will have closets full of clothes just like this one and it makes me angry. These are more clothes than I would probably use in a lifetime, and I am just a lowly consort! How many gowns must the empress have? I simply don't understand how these women can have so much when I was raised with so little.\n\n\"Does it not please you?\" Suyin asks, and I realize I must be making a terrible face.\n\n\"Of course it does,\" I say. \"I am just a little overwhelmed.\"\n\n\"You must be tired!\" Suyin says, putting the robe back into the chest and closing the doors. She then takes me by the hand and leads me to the bed. \"You should rest. Jinhai and I have chores we should be doing anyway.\"\n\nI sit down and reach to remove my shoes, but Suyin is quicker and does the job for me. She then climbs up on the bed behind me and begins removing the decorations from my headdress, then the pins to the headdress itself. When she removes the headdress, I let out an audible sigh of relief. My neck is terribly sore from holding the monstrosity up, and then I realize I am going to have to wear such contraptions every day for the rest of my life. Hopefully not headdresses that large, but still…\n\n\"Would you like something to eat or drink?\" Suyin asks. \"There is fresh fruit and I can brew you some tea. Or I can request something from the kitchen—\"\n\n\"No!\" I finally snap, and Suyin's eyes go large before she drops down in a crouch.\n\n\"I'm sorry, my lady!\"\n\nI sigh, realizing I've hurt her feelings, which makes me feel guilty, but I just want to be left alone. \"No, I'm sorry. I'm just very tired.\"\n\n\"You must never apologize to a servant, my lady,\" Jinhai whispers to me. \"You are never in the wrong!\"\n\nI open my mouth to argue with that. Such nonsense! But I don't wish to continue the conversation.\n\n\"Just…go,\" I say, and I feel a sourness in my stomach. I'm not the sort of person to give orders to others. I don't think that Suyin and Jinhai are lower than I am, but I don't know how else to have a moment to myself.\n\nSuyin rises to her feet but keeps her head down as she backs toward the door. I notice that Jinhai backs away from me as well. So strange. Through the door I can see clear into the other room where another consort is trying on her new clothes, turning this way and that in front of a mirror to admire herself. I groan as I realize that I am still not alone. I crawl back on the bed—which is surprisingly soft—and lay my head on a pillow—a pillow!—and stare at the wall.\n\nI can't sleep as my mind races. I hate this place. It's so large, a huge waste of space. And the opulence—it's so unnecessary! Who needs that many clothes? Who needs this many wives? I'll probably never even see the emperor. Never have a child of my own. This is the rest of my life—me, alone, with only a maid for company and a closet full of dresses I'll never wear.\n\nI punch the bed as tears start to escape my eyes. How could Mingxia do this to me? She knew Lihua would be chosen—she knew it! I was an idiot for trusting her, and now my life is lost. I'll never see my family again. I can never even inquire about their welfare without giving myself away. Why would a Manchu lady ever seek information about a poor Han family?\n\nI must drift off eventually because I am awoken by the clattering of dishes. I sit up and see that several maids have brought in quite a large amount of food.\n\n\"What is going on?\" I ask as I stretch and start to get off the bed. Suyin, of course, rushes to my side.\n\n\"Here,\" she says as she tries to put the pot-bottom shoes back on my feet.\n\n\"No,\" I say, pulling away. \"I can't possibly put those back on today.\"\n\nShe bows and then goes to the closet where she pulls out a pair of silk slippers. I let her put them on me so I can find out why there is so much food in my room.\n\n\"Your supper, my lady,\" Jinhai says.\n\n\"What?\" I ask. \"There's far too much! There must be some mistake.\"\n\n\"No, my lady,\" he says. \"This is the food allowance for a rank five concubine.\"\n\n\"A what?\" I ask.\n\n\"A rank five concubine,\" he says. \"That is the level you were assigned by the dowager empress.\"\n\n\"Rank five…out of how many?\" I ask.\n\n\"Five,\" he says after a pause.\"\n\nI shake my head. The lowest rank. I'm not even a consort, but a concubine. I'm not sure I know the difference, but consort at least sounded nicer. More like a wife. But I'm not. I'm a concubine, and my sole purpose is to give the emperor a son.\n\n\"I can't possibly eat all that,\" I finally say when the maids are finished delivering the food. \"Tell them to send less in the future.\"\n\nJinhai and Suyin exchange a glance. \"My lady,\" Suyin whispers, \"you are not expected to eat it all yourself. When you are done eating, then your servants will eat. After that, you may offer the food as a gift to even lower servants.\"\n\n\"And then anything left can be given to your dog if you would like one,\" Jinhai adds, and Suyin nods.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I say as I take a seat. \"I didn't realize it was for more people than myself.\"\n\n\"Don't apologize, my lady,\" Suyin says. \"Over the next few days, Jinhai and I will help instruct you about how the court functions.\"\n\nI motion to the empty chairs around the table. \"Please, join me.\"\n\n\"We cannot!\" Suyin says, horrified. \"We cannot sit in your presence, and we certainly are not suitable company.\"\n\nI groan to myself about all these silly rules. \"Then why do I even have more than one chair?\"\n\n\"You will make friends with the other ladies soon, I'm sure,\" Suyin says.\n\n\"Fine.\" I pick up a napkin, but Suyin takes it from me and lays it on my lap. I'm starting to feel like an invalid. Jinhai fills my bowl with rice and then offers me my chopsticks.\n\n\"You aren't going to chew it for me?\" I ask, and his face drops in horror. I realize he thinks I am serious. \"I was only joking.\" He gives an awkward laugh and steps back. I reach out and take a bit of food from the dish nearest to me along with a bite of rice.\n\nIt's delicious.\n\nI thought the food at Mingxia's home was good, but this is completely different. It's wonderful. The meat is so tender it is like eating tofu, and the mix of spices dances across my tongue. I try another dish and find that it is just as amazing. By the end, I find that I have eaten far more than I thought possible and my stomach is bloated.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'll have to be careful that I don't end up fat.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suyin and Jinhai then clear the dishes away and are gone for some time. I assume they are eating somewhere away from my presence. I take note that this would be at least a little time during the day to myself. Well, the evening, anyway. It is already dark outside, the room lit by several lanterns.\n\nOther than think, I'm not sure what to do with myself. I hear low voices and step toward the door to my room. Across the hall, two ladies are chatting. I wonder if I should walk over, introduce myself, try to make friends. But when they see me watching them, they quickly shuffle to another part of the room where I can't see them. So much for that idea. I wonder where Yanmei is. She must be in another palace somewhere. Perhaps tomorrow I can seek her out. It would be nice to at least have someone to talk to.\n\nI'm sitting in a chair, thinking, when Suyin and Jinhai come back. Jinhai has a small booklet and Suyin is carrying a stack of laundry.\n\n\"These are new undergarments,\" she explains. \"Socks as well. Also silk rags for your moon phase. Do let me know when it comes so I can take extra care of you.\"\n\nMy face reddens at the idea of discussing such a topic with a stranger, but I suppose there's no helping it. She'll be the person doing my laundry.\n\n\"Of course,\" I mutter.\n\n\"I need to go over the accounts with you, my lady,\" Jinhai says, laying the book before me. I have a sudden flash of panic. I can't read. The only accounts I've ever done is figuring out how much money I need for enough food to get my family through the day.\n\n\"Don't worry,\" Jinhai says. My unease must have been clear on my face. \"I'll teach you what you need to know.\" I suppose it would be uncommon for any girl to have dealt with much money.\n\nJinhai points to a character at the top of the page. \"This is your allowance from the emperor each month. And these are your expenses.\"\n\nI feel sick when I realize I can't even read numbers. I have no idea how much money I have. And what does he mean \"expenses\"? Isn't everything provided for me?\n\n\"I'm sorry, I don't understand.\"\n\n\"Do not apologize,\" he says. \"Everything in your room now, your clothes, your furniture, all that is a wedding gift from the emperor. And each season, you will be provided with new clothes, depending on your rank at the time. But any clothes more than that, you would buy yourself. Understand?\"\n\n\"I think so,\" I say, though I still don't know how much money I actually have.\n\n\"The salary for your servants is to be paid out of your allowance.\"\n\n\"What?\" I nearly shriek. \"That's ridiculous. I don't even need servants.\"\n\nJinhai and Suyin look at each other, and I see a flash of fear across their faces. I suppose they are worried that they are about to lose their jobs. I remember how excited Suyin was when she told me she had been rescued from kitchen duty to serve me. I also realize that any Manchu lady of rank would have servants. Mingxia's home had a dozen at least. And I suppose I will need someone to help me dress and style my hair. And Jinhai seems very knowledgeable about how things are done around here. I have to keep reminding myself that this is my life now, and it is very different from the one I lived in the shadow of the Forbidden City. I might not have needed servants then, but I do now.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I say, rubbing my head. \"I just didn't realize I would have expenses. I thought the emperor would provide everything.\"\n\n\"Don't apologize,\" he says. \"I know this is all very new to you. Perhaps we should go over the rest of it tomorrow.\"\n\nI nod. \"That seems like a good idea.\" Suyin finishes her task and Jinhai stands near the door, and all of us look at each other in awkward silence.\n\n\"So…what should we do now?\" It is evening, but far too early to go to sleep, especially since I had that nap.\n\n\"Oh, well, you can read or write,\" Suyin says, and my face falls. \"Or you could play an instrument. I can bring you an erhu or pipa.\"\n\n\"I've always liked the erhu,\" I say, \"but I'm not very good.\" I practiced a little when I was with Mingxia, but it sounded like a cat screeching.\n\n\"I can procure one for you,\" Suyin says. \"And I can find a eunuch to teach you.\"\n\n\"That would be fun,\" I say.\n\n\"It would come out of your household income,\" Jinhai says.\n\n\"Oh.\" I'll need to find out how much money and I have and what things cost. But I don't know how to ask Jinhai for help without revealing just how uneducated I am.\n\n\"You can embroider,\" Suyin says. \"Many of the consorts like to embroider gifts for the emperor.\"\n\n\"I suppose I'll have to buy the supplies,\" I say.\n\n\"Yes,\" Jinhai says, but then he lowers his voice. \"But I can sell the pieces you male for you outside.\"\n\n\"Outside?\"\n\n\"Outside the wall.\"\n\n\"You can leave the palace?\" I ask, feeling excited. If he can leave, maybe I can too.\n\n\"Only with your permission, of course,\" he says. \"And I can't go very far, or be out very long. I could never leave the city except when escorting you to Yuanming Yuan or Jehol.\"\n\nI have no idea what those things are, but at least it means I won't be completely trapped inside the Forbidden City all of the time.\n\n\"But many ladies sell their embroidery outside to earn more money for their expenses.\"\n\n\"That is good to know,\" I say. \"I can at least do that. It will be something to occupy my mind and my time.\"\n\n\"I'll purchase items for you tomorrow, my lady,\" Suyin says. \"The embroidery office will be closed for the night.\"\n\n\"The embroidery office?\" I ask and nearly laugh. Why would the Forbidden City have need for such a thing?\n\n\"Yes,\" Suyin says, confused. \"The embroidery office has all the supplies you could need. They are the best quality, send directly from Suchow. And the ladies who work there can perform any repairs that are needed to garments and shoes and such.\"\n\n\"Suchow,\" I say. \"I always wanted to go there.\" I remember how I had told Mama and Baba I could try to find work there. But that life is behind me. Mingxia gave them more money for me than I ever would have earned as a seamstress. I wonder if she held up her end of the agreement and gave my parents whatever bride price the emperor paid for me. I look at Jinhai's accounting book and wonder if there would be a way to send more money to them. Or if I could ever trust Jinhai enough to send them a message. I suppose not. It would be too dangerous, too risky, no matter how long I live here. It is a secret I must always keep.\n\n\"I suppose there is nothing left to do for tonight, then,\" I say as I stand. \"Might as well prepare for bed.\"\n\nI find that I am glad I decided to go to bed early because, apparently, preparing for bed is a rather lengthy endeavor. First, Suyin helps me out of my clothes and into a light sleeping robe. I then must wash my face of all the pain and apply a variety of lotions and oils to make my skin white and supple. I'm told I can buy even more—better—face items for a price. Suyin then brushes my hair out one hundred times. She washes and massages my feet, and then does the same for my hands. I admit that such pampering is relaxing, but I still feel awkward having her do such things for me.\n\nFinally, I crawl into bed. It is rather late I think, but I'm still not particularly tired. I am sure that Suyin and Jinhai are, though, so I lay in bed quietly, pretending to sleep until I can hear their soft snores. Suyin sleeps at the foot of my bed, and Jinhai sleeps on the floor near the door, apparently so that they are on hand should I need anything, but I don't know what I could possibly need while I am sleeping.\n\nI am surprised by how quiet the Forbidden City is at night. Other than the hoot of an owl and chirrup of crickets, I don't hear another person. Occasionally I see a light pass the window, and I think it must be a guard patrolling the grounds. Somehow even he moves on silent feet.\n\nI stare up at the canopy over my bed into the darkness, begging sleep to come, when I hear something. It's very faint at first, but the longer I listen, the clearer it becomes. I hear a sniffle and realize someone is crying. At first, I think it must be one of the other girls in the house, but then I realize it is much closer than that.\n\nI sit up and see that Suyin is still sound asleep, her body rising and falling evenly. And it isn't Jinhai because it is certainly a female crying. I slip out of the bed carefully so as not to disturb Suyin and move toward the sound. It's coming in through the window, from the little courtyard I saw earlier.\n\nI peek outside and can barely make out the form of a girl sitting on the bench, her white nightgown shining in the moonlight. I wonder for a second if I am seeing a ghost, a vision of a concubine who died of loneliness. But as she makes a snorting sound amid her crying, I know this is just a girl who is devastated to be here—just like me.\n\nI go back to the bed and pick up my silk slippers and tiptoe toward the door. There is no one in the hall, and the front door of the palace itself is wide open. I slip outside and sit on the threshold as I put on my shoes, then I follow a path around the palace to where I know the courtyard must be.\n\n\"Who's there?\" the girl asks, standing up in alarm when I step on some loose gravel.\n\n\"Shh!\" I whisper. \"I heard you crying. Are you all right?\"\n\n\"Oh,\" she says, keeping her voice quiet as well. \"Yes, of course. I shouldn't be out here.\" She starts to walk past me.\n\n\"Wait,\" I say. \"You can stay. I wasn't able to sleep anyway, that's why I heard you.\"\n\nShe hesitates. \"I'm sure we aren't supposed to be outside alone.\"\n\n\"There's a lot of things we aren't supposed to do,\" I say, and I can see a small smile form on her lips.\n\n\"There certainly are a lot of rules,\" she says, then we both laugh, covering our mouths so no one hears us.\n\n\"I'm Da—Lihua,\" I say.\n\n\"Wangli,\" she replies. \"So, you live here? I'm in the next building down that way.\" She points down a path.\n\n\"Yes,\" I say, \"with three other girls, and the servants of course. The other girls don't seem to like me very much.\"\n\n\"That's to be expected,\" Wangli says. \"We are all in competition, are we not?\"\n\nI shrug. \"It doesn't really matter to me.\"\n\nShe raises an eyebrow and I know I've misspoken. It's supposed to be my life's dream to give the emperor a son, isn't it?\n\n\"I guess you aren't very happy to be here either,\" I say. \"Since, you know, you were crying.\"\n\n\"I was just missing my family,\" she says. \"My mother, my brothers.\"\n\n\"You have brothers?\"\n\n\"Yes, four of them,\" she says.\n\n\"Wow. I had four sisters.\"\n\n\"My brothers were always so protective of me. It's strange to be surrounded only by girls. And my mother…\" She shakes her head. \"She will be so alone now.\"\n\n\"My mother relied on me too,\" I say, and I want to slap myself for my stupidity. Lihua didn't have any sisters! I need to bite my tongue before I slip up and say something too revealing.\n\nWe hear the bang of a gong and a man cries out that is it now the hour of the tiger.\n\n\"We better get back inside before we are missed,\" Wangli says.\n\n\"Maybe we can meet tomorrow? We can have tea together or something.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd like that,\" Wangli says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 12 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's good to have a friend, even if we are expected to be rivals.\"\n\nI smirk. I want to tell her that she is welcome to the emperor if she wants him, but I don't want to overstep.\n\n\"Tomorrow, then.\"\n\nShe gives a little wave and then disappears from sight. I slip back inside the palace to my room, and then into my bed.\n\n\"Hmm?\" Suyin raises her head sleepily.\n\n\"Nothing,\" I whisper. \"Go back to sleep.\" It doesn't take long before she is quietly snoring again.\n\nThe stress and unease I felt earlier is a bit lighter now. I am glad to know that I'm not the only person less than happy to be here. And it will be good to have a friend. Hopefully between Wangli and Yanmei, I won't be as lonely as I feared.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "72 sentences sentences. same character feel. historical fiction, historical romance, China stuff.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next morning I wake at eight and ten dishes of breakfast foods are brought in.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After I take a bite of each—which was far more than I needed—a large copper tub is brought to my room. I see that the other girls in the house are brought copper tubs as well. A flurry of simply dressed servants then bring in several pails of water to fill the tub. Suyin—as small and young as she is—barks orders at them and I wonder just how many layers to the hierarchy of servants there are.\n\nI climb into the tub and Suyin scrubs me from head to toe, spending extra time on my scalp and long hair. When I stand up from the water, she rubs scented oils on my skin. Thankfully Jinhai is not present. I know he is a eunuch, but he is also a man and I would not want him to see me naked.\n\nSuyin wraps me in a silk robe and I sit on a chair at the dressing table as she gets to work on my hair, brushing it one hundred times and then combing more oils through it to make it sleek and smooth. She winds my hair tightly around a bian fang and then attaches a very small liang batou to the back of my head. Thankfully it is not very heavy. She then adorns the entire style in silk and jewel flowers.\n\nThen she must paint my face, and I am already feeling exhausted. I can understand ladies spending so much time on their appearance for special occasions, but must I do this every day? It is already well past ten o'clock.\n\n\"Only the most basic of cosmetics have been supplied for you,\" Suyin explains as she mixes kohl with water and then paints a thin black line around my eyes. \"You should purchase better ones.\"\n\n\"From my household allowance,\" I grumble. Living in the Forbidden City seems to be terribly expensive. I must find a way to learn numbers and math without giving away just how ignorant I am.\n\n\"Of course,\" Suyin says, apparently not hearing the bitterness in my voice. Finally, my face paint is complete and Suyin helps me dress. The silk qipao is not as heavy as I expected, the silk feeling cool and light against my skin. It is better quality than the gowns I was given by Mingxia, something I didn't think possible.\n\nWhen I step into the pot-bottom shoes, I take a look at myself in the mirror. The image unnerves me because I hardly recognize the girl staring back. And yet this is who I am now. Every day for the rest of my life, I will look like this.\n\n\"You are so beautiful, my lady,\" Suyin says with pride, mistaking the reason why I stare.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say, forcing a smile. I know the girl has worked hard to make me presentable, and I don't wish to insult her.\n\n\"Come,\" she says, offering me her arm. I see that the other girls in the house are also leaving.\n\n\"Where are we going?\" I ask.\n\n\"To see the empress, of course,\" Suyin says. \"It is time for the morning greetings.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" I say, having only a vague idea of what she means. I know that Lihua greeted her mother every morning, so I suppose we must pay the same honor to the empress.\n\nIt is nearly midday when I step out of the palace and into the sun. Jinhai is waiting for me by the door with an umbrella, which he holds over my head as we walk down the twisting maze of paths.\n\n\"Wangli!\" I say with a wave when I see her step out of her palace. Wangli smiles and steps toward me so that we may walk together.\n\n\"How are you?\" I ask her.\n\n\"Fine,\" she says. \"I'm sure I only needed a good night's rest.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" I say. Before long, we make up only a small part of the large crowd of girls heading toward the same building and I feel a sinking sensation in my stomach. What am I to do when I arrive? Is this something I should already know? I don't realize my steps have slowed until Suyin ends up a step ahead of me.\n\n\"What is wrong, my lady?\" she asks.\n\n\"Nothing,\" I say. \"Only…I am very nervous.\"\n\n\"Lihua!\" I see Yanmei waving at me and I wave back. She trots over to me, her smile large and the tassels dangling from her hair waving in the wind. How she can be so quick in her shoes, I'll never know. We greet each other with a hug.\n\n\"Can you believe it?\" Yanmei asks. \"Our first day as palace ladies. Isn't it grand?\"\n\n\"I certainly never thought I would experience it,\" Wangli says dryly.\n\nI introduce Wangli and Yanmei to each other.\n\n\"You are so lucky to live so close together!\" Yanmei exclaims.\n\n\"I'm sure we can visit each other easily enough,\" I reply. I notice that there are other girls milling about in the courtyard, but I don't recognize them. \"Who are they?\"\n\nSuyin looks over. \"Some of the concubines who were already here before you arrived,\" she says. \"They will not be happy that the emperor now has more ladies to choose from, but they were all elevated because of it, so they should be glad.\"\n\n\"They are all at least rank four or five concubines now,\" Yanmei's maid adds.\n\n\"You must bow to them when you pass them as your superiors,\" Suyin explains.\n\n\"And how should I greet the empress?\" I ask, my heart racing as I see more ladies enter the audience hall.\n\nSuyin offers me a kind smile. \"There is no reason for concern. You will line up and perform your morning kowtow, then the empress will give her announcements and orders for the day.\"\n\n\"Well, first you will greet the empress,\" Wangli's maid explains. \"Then the dowager empress.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The dowager will be there?\" Yanmei asks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her maid nods and then looks around as if to make sure no one is listening. I think the girl must be a gossip.\n\n\"The empress is supposed to be the head of the harem, of course,\" she says, her voice low. We all lean in to hear her better. \"The dowager usually has no real power after her husband dies and her son and his wife become emperor and empress. She should be merely a figurehead, unless the emperor specifically asks for her advice.\"\n\n\"But the dowager hates the empress!\" Wangli's maid interjects. I think she was feeling left out. \"She was an expensive bride, the most expensive there has ever been.\"\n\n\"Her bride price was more than all the other concubines combined,\" Yanmei's maid says. \"She was a Mongolian princess.\"\n\nI do find this a little interesting. I thought Mongolians were wild, savage people. They live north of the wall and ride horses across the great plains tending herds of yaks. Why the emperor would pay so much to marry a Mongolian, even a princess, I could never guess.\n\n\"Is that why the dowager despises her?\" Wangli asks. \"Simply because she was expensive?\"\n\n\"She was expensive but has yet to give the emperor a son,\" Yanmei's maid says.\n\n\"Oh,\" Yanmei and Wangli say together with a nod of their heads.\n\nYanmei's maid opens her mouth to say more, but I see that the other ladies have all entered the audience hall.\n\n\"We should go,\" I say. \"We can continue this conversation later.\"\n\nThey all seem terribly disappointed, and while the information is interesting, I cannot see how any of it matters to me. I'm a sixth-rank concubine and have no plans to change that. The farther I stay away from the center of the court, the better.\n\nAs we enter the audience hall, I am still nervous. I am sure that there is more to the morning greeting than bowing and smiling. There must be a specific way to bow and greet the empress and the dowager that the other girls will know from years of practice. I walk slowly so that others may enter ahead of me. I wish to be as far to the back as possible so I can mimic the other girls and be lost in the crowd.\n\nWhen I enter the audience hall, I am struck by how large it is. The empress sits at the back of the room on a golden throne upon a raised dais, and the dowager sits on an equally impressive throne at the same level. The empress is as elegant as I remember, her robe a deep golden color embroidered with flying cranes. Her headdress is much smaller than the one she wore yesterday, but it is still more ornate than anyone else's. It is like a golden filigree crown extending from one side of her head to the other. She has a slight smile on her face that makes her appear kind, approachable. I wonder if the reason her beauty is so striking is because of her Mongolian blood.\n\nThe dowager, on the other hand, looks stern. She wears no makeup, her gown black with gold embroidery. Her headdress is larger than that of the empress, but with few adornments.\n\nTo either side of the room are four long rows of chairs where many concubines—over fifty—are already seated.\n\n\"Good luck!\" Suyin says as she gives both my hands a squeeze and then walks away.\n\n\"Where are you—\" I then notice that all of the servant girls stand quietly against the back wall. The eunuchs all wait outside except for those that attend the empress and dowager.\n\nThe new concubines fall into three straight columns before the empress and the dowager. I end up in the middle column very near the back, which I hope is the perfect place to hide. I cannot help but look at the beautiful girls around me. In the row to my left, toward the front, I see Yanmei. To my right, very nearby, is Wangli.\n\n\"It is now time for the formal greeting by the new concubines,\" a eunuch at the front of the room, standing near the dais announces.\n\nAll of the girls bend down until they are sitting on their knees, and I follow suit as best I can, though it is awkward in my ridiculous shoes. In unison, the girls then raise a handkerchief with their right hands, flicking it up over their shoulders and then back down again as though waving it dramatically. I remember that Suyin had tucked a handkerchief into one of my sleeves when she was dressing me and pull it out in time to take part in the third wave.\n\n\"May the empress live ten thousand years!\" the girls all say, and I open and close my mouth, sure to remember the words for the next day. \"May the empress mother live ten thousand years!\"\n\n\"Rise and greet Lady An, rank three consort,\" the empress says, motioning to a woman sitting at the end of the row on our right. Lady An is not as beautiful as the empress, and her face seems tired, but she still smiles. We all turn and perform the same greeting as we did for the empress.\n\n\"Rise,\" the empress announces when we are done. \"Take your seats.\"\n\nI look behind us to see that several rows of chairs have appeared. As usual, I walk slowly, taking a seat to the back where I can disappear.\n\n\"The emperor has an eye for beauty,\" the dowager says. \"I am sure each of you will bring him great delight in your turn.\" Everyone smiles but does not respond. \"And plenty of sons.\"\n\nI see several girls blush, and the empress frowns, turning her head aside for a moment before clearing her throat and resuming her usual, gentle face.\n\n\"I am looking forward to getting to know each you personally,\" the empress says, and my heart thumps hard in my chest. The eunuch standing near her hands her a red book. She reads four names from the book, thankfully not mine. Each of the girls stands when her name is read. \"You four are invited to take the midday meal with me.\"\n\nThe girls gasp in surprise and then fall to their knees, praising the empress for her kindness.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I feel nauseous. If she plans to get to know all of us, eventually she will send for me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I might be able to fool servants and other concubines, but surely not the empress.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"The household accounts have me nervous,\"", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She didn't get a good look at me at the selection, nor did I speak. I'll not be able to hide from her when we share a table.\n\n\"Lady Ula Nara Lihua,\" the empress says, and I think I will faint. No, no, no! She couldn't have meant me, could she? I see Wangli staring at me.\n\nYou! she mouths.\n\nI slowly rise to my feet, but I can feel my knees shaking and fear I will topple over.\n\n\"Yes, your majesty.\"\n\n\"It says here that you can read. Is this true?\"\n\nMy heart thumps so hard in my chest my vision turns black. I blink and open my mouth to speak but my tongue is dry as sand. What do I do? What do I say?\n\n\"Well?\" the empress asks.\n\n\"N-n-no—\" I start to whisper.\n\n\"Speak so you can be heard,\" the dowager barks.\n\n\"No!\" I yell more loudly than I meant. I hear snickering and see several girls hiding their mouths behind their sleeves. \"I mean no, your majesty,\" I say in a somewhat normal voice.\n\n\"What do you mean no?\" the empress asks. Her voice is not unkind, but she clearly demands an answer. I try to remember anything Mingxia told me about Lihua's education.\n\n\"I…I had a tutor,\" I say. \"But I was a very poor student.\"\n\n\"Then why does the introduction sent by your mother say you can read and write?\" the empress asks.\n\n\"My mother…\" I gulp. \"My mother thought very highly of me. I am sure her praise is much exaggerated.\"\n\nAt this, most of the newer concubines burst into laughter they do not bother to hide.\n\nThe dowager claps her hands together once. \"Silence! Such cackling is not becoming of a lady!\"\n\nThe room is immediately quiet. The empress leans over and says something to the dowager from behind the red book.\n\n\"You may sit down, Lady Lihua,\" the empress then says.\n\nMy knees give way and I fall into my seat awkwardly. The girls around me who notice snicker again but quickly collect themselves. What does this mean for me? Have I already ruined everything? Will I be punished? Will I be found out? My stomach clenches and I fear I will vomit.\n\n\"Lady Euhmeh,\" the empress says, and a girl stands up who I recognize as one of my roommates.\n\n\"Yes, your majesty?\"\n\n\"Can you read, as it says in your introduction?\"\n\n\"Yes, your majesty.\"\n\n\"Good. You are to attend Lady An and help her with her duties managing the harem.\"\n\n\"Yes, your majesty.\" Eumeh gives a small bend of her knees and neck. I notice some of the other concubines—the ones that outrank us—grumbling or wrinkling their noses. Still, it is interesting that the empress asked if Eumeh and I could read and write and didn't take it for granted that we could. I thought most Manchu girls were literate, but perhaps I was mistaken.\n\n\"That is all for today,\" the empress says as she stands. We all stand as well, and then fall to our knees in front of our chairs, waving our handkerchiefs three times. The empress dowager then leaves the room, followed by the empress, and finally Lady An. All the remaining ladies are then joined by their maids and led out of the audience hall. Once I am back in the sunlight, I feel as though I can breathe again. At least for the moment. I am sure I have messed up somehow and that it will come back to haunt me.\n\n\"Lihua!\" I turn and see Yanmei gliding toward me. \"Are you all right? You look terribly pale.\"\n\nI shake my head and try my best not to cry. \"I did not expect to be called upon. I am so embarrassed.\"\n\nWangli and her maid join us, but she says nothing.\n\n\"Don't be!\" Yanmei says, wrapping an arm around me. \"I'm sure the empress is used to new concubines being nervous.\"\n\n\"But Mingxia… My mother misrepresented me,\" I say. \"Should I be worried?\"\n\n\"Of course not! Hardly any of us were given an education. She wouldn't have picked an attendant for Lady An from the new concubines if there was a higher ranking one who could have done the job.\"\n\nI wipe the tears from my cheeks. \"I suppose that is true.\" It must have been a rare thing indeed for Lihua to be as educated as she was. This sets me at ease somewhat.\n\n\"The household accounts have me nervous,\" Yanmei says. \"I was a poor student and never had a head for numbers. I'm not sure how I shall manage it.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You should ask your eunuch for help,\" Wangli says, and Yanmei raises an eyebrow.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They are all quite clever. They had to be educated to be selected for service here. If you need help with numbers or characters, he should be able to tutor you.\"\n\n\"I will do that, thank you,\" Yanmei replies. I tuck this information away, anxious to ask Jinhai about it when I return to my room.\n\n\"Is Lady An the only rank three consort?\" Wangli asks, changing the subject, and I'm glad for the distraction. Yanmei and I shrug, but I can see that Suyin wishes to say something.\n\n\"What do you know?\" I ask my maid.\n\n\"Lady An is the only rank three consort because she is the mother of the emperor's first daughter,\" she says. \"The empress gave birth to another daughter the following year.\"\n\n\"I didn't know the emperor even had daughters,\" I say.\n\n\"They are of no consequence,\" Suyin says. \"It is vital that the emperor have a son.\"\n\nI nod, wondering at the irony of her statement. Considering the bride price that was paid for the empress, surely the emperor's own daughters would have some value to him.\n\n\"The position of rank two consort is being held for the girl lucky enough to birth a son,\" Suyin goes on.\n\nYanmei takes a deep breath and puts her hand to her chest. \"If only I could be so fortunate.\"\n\n\"May the gods smile on all of us,\" Wangli says, but there is something not quite sincere about her words. Yanmei seems not to pick up on it, though.\n\n\"There were dozens of concubines before us,\" Yanmei says. \"And we entered with dozens more. How are we ever to stand out?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" Wangli says. \"Perhaps send the emperor a gift?\"\n\nYanmei's eyes light up. \"What a lovely idea! I should embroider a new handkerchief for him.\"\n\nI see Suyin and Yanmei's maid share a glance I can't quite interpret.\n\n\"What shall we do now?\" I ask. I have no idea how I am supposed to spend my time for the remainder of the day. I've been given no assignments. Shall I sit and stare at the wall?\n\n\"I'm famished,\" Yanmei says. \"I was so nervous this morning, I could hardly eat.\"\n\n\"Your luncheon will be waiting for you upon your return, my lady,\" her maid tells her.\n\n\"That is good to know,\" Yanmei says. \"It must be midday by now, if not later.\"\n\n\"It certainly takes a long time to dress,\" I say.\n\n\"I'm already rather tired,\" Wangli says. \"I think I shall lie down for a bit.\"\n\n\"Perhaps after we eat and rest, we can meet again,\" I say. I know I must be careful about revealing too much about myself, but I can hardly abide the loneliness. I miss my sisters greatly, my heart hitching in my chest at the mere thought of them.\n\n\"There is a pretty pavilion near my palace,\" Yanmei says. \"We can meet there at mid-afternoon?\"\n\n\"I look forward to it,\" I say.\n\n\"As do I,\" Wangli agrees. At that, we give each other a smile and turn to head to our separate palaces. Our eunuchs, who had been standing back, now come to us with umbrellas to guard us from the sun.\n\n\"You seemed anxious to say something back there when Yanmei mentioned a gift for the emperor,\" I say to Suyin once we are out of earshot of the others.\n\n\"The emperor has plenty of handkerchiefs,\" she says.\n\n\"Then what do you suggest?\" I ask her. Not that I am interested in catching the emperor's eye, I am merely curious.\n\n\"Such gifts would only have meaning after the emperor learns your face and name,\" Suyin says. \"The only way for that to happen is to be chosen to attend him in bed.\"\n\nI can feel my face redden at that, but Suyin continues.\n\n\"It is the eunuchs in charge of household affairs who present the emperor with suitable company for a night.\"\n\n\"And how do they do that?\" I ask, turning to Jinhai.\n\n\"It's rather complicated,\" he says. \"But if you want any chance of being chosen, a gift must be made to the eunuchs in charge, not the emperor.\"\n\n\"Oh?\"\n\n\"If you pay enough, the eunuch who presents the emperor with his choices will…encourage the emperor to pick your name.\"\n\n\"I see,\" I say. \"And I suppose the price is quite high.\"\n\n\"Indeed,\" he says. \"All of the girls will learn this eventually, and each will be sending a bribe in the hope that she will be chosen.\"\n\n\"But if everyone sends a bribe,\" I say, \"then we would all end up on the same level again. How will the eunuch in charge make his choice?\"\n\n\"Whoever gives him the most will be the winner.\"\n\n\"But…do we know how much the other girls paid?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"So, you could pay your money and end up no closer to being chosen.\"\n\n\"Exactly,\" he says. \"It is great risk. If you waste your money, you might lose all of it and not have enough for your household expenses.\"\n\n\"What happens then?\" I ask.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jinhai shrugs. \"Your maids will be reassigned. You will receive less food. You will not be able to afford new paints or clothes.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, I could end up living like a pauper even here,\" I say. \"What a terrible waste of money.\"\n\n\"But the rewards could be so very great,\" Suyin says. \"If you were to give the emperor a son, you would never want for anything ever again. The emperor would shower you with gold and silk. And then, one day, you would be the mother of the emperor!\"\n\n\"Hmm.\" I can feel Suyin's excitement at the prospect. The higher I rise, the higher she would rise as well. I say nothing since I would hate to see her face when I tell her I have no plan to waste money on a chance to sleep with the emperor. No, I plan to live my life alone. I will keep my money and my terrible secret. And if I am not to be happy, I shall at least be comfortable.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continue with the same vibes and character familiarity in the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the next few weeks, life becomes very routine. I wake, eat, bathe, dress. We all greet the empress, the dowager, and Lady An. After the midday meal and rest, I join Yanmei and Wangli and we talk and work on our embroidery together. After the evening meal, Jinhai tutors me in math and explains the household accounts to me. It is difficult, but I think I am learning.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is simply taking what I already know about how to purchase or sell items and applying it to paper instead of memory.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'there' × 2", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thinking of how I used to manage money for my family reminds me how much I miss them. I wish there was some way to see them. Of getting word to them. Of checking on their welfare. There must be a way out of the Forbidden City. My family lives in the very shadow of the palace wall.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would not take much time to slip out, see them, and return.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But how could I escape? How would I slip away unnoticed in the first place? Suyin and Jinhai accompany me constantly and sleep in my room. I have been able to sneak out at night for a few minutes to myself, but any longer than that and surely I would be missed.\n\nThe weather is cooling as autumn creeps in, and I am able to convince Suyin to walk with me along the Forbidden City's wall in the evenings when the air is crisp. I notice that there are several old-growth trees along the wall, trees whose branches reach above the wall and shade the palaces and pavilions.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "There is one in particular that has a branch low enough that I would be able to grab it if I jumped.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "At least I think I could reach it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "/* You must use the word 'climb' exactly 2 times in your response */", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have not had opportunity to try since it would be quite odd for me to try and climb a tree with my servants watching. I could easily climb the tree to ascend the wall and then drop down to the other side. It would be a long fall, but I do not think I would hurt myself.\n\nBut how to do it? How would I get away? What would I wear?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "How would I hide the evidence afterward?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Suyin,\" I say one morning while bathing, \"I have been thinking of taking up painting.\"\n\n\"Have you, my lady?\" she asks as she runs a bar of scented soap over my arms and back.\n\n\"It never hurts to learn something new,\" I say. \"And I have nothing but time.\"\n\n\"Indeed, my lady,\" she says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I will inquire about a set of paints and brushes for you.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you,\" I say. \"But it is rather a messy hobby, isn't it? I should hate to get paint on one of my beautiful gowns.\"\n\n\"I will drape a cloth around you,\" she says. \"Not to worry.\"\n\n\"That might make it hard to move my arms, then, wouldn't it? I noticed that the maids who bring in the tub and water wear very practical, dark outfits. Perhaps you could procure me one to wear. That way I would not ruin my clothes, but I would not feel encumbered either.\"\n\nSuyin pauses in her washing for a moment, and I think she must realize that I am up to something. \"It would be quite irregular.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'would' 2 time(s) only", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, no one need know,\" I say. \"It would only be for painting. And as I improve, I am sure the maid outfit would no longer be required.\"\n\n\"I suppose, my lady,\" she says as she resumes washing me. \"I will see what I can do.\"\n\nI stay up extra late so that Suyin and Jinhai will be exhausted when I finally allow them to go to sleep. Then, I lay in my bed with my eyes wide open, waiting for the night watchman with his lantern to pass by.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know this is stupid, dangerous, but I cannot help it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I am simply dying inside as I worry about my family. I just need to know that they are well. That Mingxia has paid them the bride price as promised. Then I can return to the Forbidden City secure in the knowledge that they are provided for.\n\nIt's after three o'clock in the morning, the hour of the tiger, when I finally see a light pass my window. I wait a little longer to make sure the guard is gone before I silently slide out from under my sheets.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I then put several pillows in my place.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hope it will be enough that in the dark, should Suyin or Jinhai wake and look my way, it will appear as though I am still there. I grab my maid's uniform and tiptoe out of the room, down the hall, and out the door. This part I have practiced many times, so I am not surprised that no one else in the house stirs.\n\nOnce I am at the tree I decided would be my best way out of the palace, I slip off my sleeping garments and put on the maid's uniform. I fold the sleeping garments up and place them on the grass where they hopefully will not get dirty. Unfortunately, I must still wear my silk slippers.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I thought about taking Suyin's or Jinhai's more practical slippers, but they are sure to be ruined and I do not want them to have to pay for my foolish outing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I braid my hair and secure it with a thin leather strip.\n\nI stand under the lowest branch of the tree and jump. I miss, landing on my feet with a grunt. I put my hand to my mouth and crouch down, listening, afraid someone—especially the guards—might have heard me. After several minutes, I hear nothing, so I try again. This time, I grip the branch, but it is harder to pull myself up than I anticipated.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I bite my lower lip to keep from groaning with the effort and use my feet against the trunk of the tree to pull myself up. When I finally climb upon the branch, I have to stop and catch my breath.\n\nWhen I am ready, I am able to scale the next branch easily, and the one after that, and the one after that. Eventually, I am even with the outer wall of the Forbidden City! I scoot along a branch to reach the wall, but it grows so thin, I can feel it giving way beneath me. I grab the branch above me for support.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I hear a noise and see that the guard is making another pass this way.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hold my breath and pray he doesn't find my sleeping garments. When he reaches my tree, he stops. He looks up, and I am sure I am about to be discovered, but then he looks away and keeps walking. My dark clothes must have done the trick.\n\nI wait until he is long out of sight before I continue scooting along the branch to the wall, the branch beneath me growing ever weaker. Finally, I am within reach, but both of my hands are occupied, one gripping the branch below me, and the other holding the branch above.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I will have to let go in order to grab the top of the wall.\n\nI blow all the air out of my lungs, hoping to make myself as light as possible. I should have peed before I started climbing, but it is too late for that. I release the branch above me and push off the lower branch with all my strength. I feel and hear the branch below me snap, but I manage to wrap both arms around the top of the wall.\n\n\"Hey!\" someone yells.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did you hear that?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'other' must appear 2 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where did it come from?\"\n\nThe guards heard the snap as well! I use my feet to scurry up the wall until I can toss one leg over the top. I planned to sit atop the wall for a moment to prepare for my drop down the other side, but I did not plan on the tiles along the top of the wall to be so slippery! No sooner have I thrown my leg over than I am falling down the other side! I start to cry out, but stop myself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I hit the dirt ground below me hard, and all the breath in my lungs is knocked out of me and my vision goes black.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wonder for a moment if I've passed out, but then I realize that if I am thinking, I must not have. My vision clears and I can see that I am lying on the road that surrounds the Forbidden City. To my left is the large red wall. To my right is a maze of houses and hutongs. During the day there would be countless vendor carts here, but now, it is nearly deserted.\n\nI push myself to my feet and my whole body aches.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I look back to the top of the wall and wonder what I was thinking, planning to jump so far.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'surely' must be used 2 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If I'd landed on my feet, I surely would have broken my ankles. I shake my head at my stupidity and see a lamp from a guard patrolling the outside of the wall. I didn't even think about outside guards! If I'd fallen only minutes later, I surely would have been caught. I run away from the wall and down the nearest alley into the neighborhood along the wall.\n\nI pass small homes with doors open, some lighted, some completely dark.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I see a well-lit public house where several men are drinking the night away.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After a few minutes, I find myself on a wider avenue I recognize. I follow it, continuing to run. It's not safe on the streets for a girl at night, but I don't give anyone a chance to grab me. I know where I am and where I am going.\n\nI turn left and then right, my heart singing at the familiarity of the streets. The houses, the people, the smells—home.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I finally find the narrow hutong where I grew up and stop for a moment to catch my breath.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What will my family say when they see me? What will they think? Will they be happy? Or will they chide me for being foolish? I put one foot in front of the other as I walk toward my former home.\n\nPerhaps…perhaps I will not return to the palace.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Mingxia paid my family what she promised, we would have more than enough money to live on.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We could run away. Hide. Change our names, our history. The emperor would surely be angry. He would send for Mingxia and demand to know where her daughter is. Would he find the real Lihua? Mingxia and her family would surely be punished…but I don't care.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "AI writing task: segment from larger work -> fifty-seven sentences sentences. style: Zoey Gong. genre: historical fiction, historical romance, China. note: established characters likely.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not only is my family gone, but everything we once owned, not that it was very much. The straw mattresses we slept on. The patchwork blankets. The chipped bowls and worn chopsticks. After living in a palace for the past few weeks, the room feels small. It never felt small before. It was a comfort to have my family close by.\n\nI step back out of the room and into the narrow street. Where could they have gone? I have to believe that wherever they are, they are together. Hopefully they are warm and have full bellies. I don't notice I'm crying until I wipe a tear from my cheek. I am now truly alone in the world. Daiyu—and any trace of her—is gone. The Forbidden City is my home and the emperor is my husband. This is the only life I can live.\n\nI hear a dog bark and realize I have been gone far too long. Suyin is sure to stir at some point. Hopefully the pillows will deceive her into believing I am still there, but I should still return as soon as possible.\n\nI run down the alley back toward the Forbidden City, back to the place in the wall where I fell from the tree. From next to a house, I look left and right, checking for guards. When the coast is clear, I have a sickening realization.\n\nI didn't plan on getting back inside!\n\nI had been so focused on getting out, I didn't think about how I would return. It must be impossible to scale the wall from the outside, otherwise we wouldn't be safe on the inside. I'm such an idiot! What now? It would probably be better for me to just leave. I'm out, so why go back inside to a life I hate? But what would I do instead? I have no money, no food, no clothes, and nowhere to go. Mingxia would certainly not take me in.\n\nIf I was able to get out of the Forbidden City, perhaps I can find a way back inside. I shouldn't have been able to get out. So even though the wall should be secure from the outside, perhaps I can find a way through.\n\nI look left and right again, checking for the guards. Then, my eyes scan the wall from top to bottom. I can see my tree peeking over the top, too high for me to ever reach. The wall appears smooth with nothing I could use for handholds. I rub my head as I try to think. Scaling the wall itself is surely impossible, so I must consider another way in.\n\nThe obvious way into the Forbidden City would be through the gates. But those are sure to be the most heavily guarded areas. I try to recall if there are any other openings in the wall.\n\nThe streams!\n\nCountless streams wind through the Forbidden City, some quite wide, requiring expansive bridges to cross. The water must flow in and out somehow, somewhere. I try to recall where I have seen streams flowing through or under the wall.\n\nI walk along the wall, trying to figure out where on the other side my palace is. From there, I can orient myself and try to recall where the largest streams are. They must flow out of the Forbidden City to the canals dug around the city.\n\nBut this is not as easy as it seems. From here, I cannot tell where my palace is, and before I know it, I am at the end of the row. I gasp when I see the guards carrying their lanterns walking toward me. I turn and run back along the wall. Lights emerge from the other end as more guards complete their walk around the palace wall in that direction.\n\nI'm about to run back to the hutongs when a small gate in the wall opens and a man steps out. I'm frozen in fear, and he looks at me with wide eyes, scanning me from head to foot.\n\n\"What are you—\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Help me!\" I whisper, grabbing his robe.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He recoils at first, as though shocked I dared to touch him, but I don't give up.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please, help me! I must get back into the Forbidden City!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "/* Weave this into your narrative: \"Getting out was the easy part.\" */", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have no idea who he is. I have never seen him before. But since he is coming out of the palace, he must be a high-ranking eunuch.\n\n\"What?\" he asks, still seeming to not understand my plight, but I do not have time to explain it.\n\n\"Please!\" I hiss. \"I'll be killed!\"\n\nThe man looks around me, up and down the wall at the approaching guards. Perhaps I was a fool to say something, to ask for help. I should have kept running, left it all behind. He is more likely to turn me in than help me.\n\n\"Come on,\" he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to him, wrapping a protective arm around me. He leads me back through the gate.\n\n\"Sir?\" I hear a male voice say, but the man who is helping me hides my face.\n\n\"Close the gate,\" the man orders without stopping.\n\n\"Yes, sir!\" I hear the gate close and latch and feel some relief. But it is short-lived. In revealing myself to this stranger, I am sure I have put myself in great danger.\n\nThe man continues to hold me close, protecting my face from anyone catching a glimpse of who I am. Finally, we come to a stop and he releases me, pushing me against a wall. I open my eyes and glance around. I can see the empress's audience hall, so I can easily find my way home from here.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say through heavy breaths.\n\n\"Who are you?\" he asks.\n\nI burst into tears. \"I am so stupid! How could I be so stupid!\" I hide my face in my hands and only want to sink to the ground and sleep forever. I should just kill myself and be done with it.\n\nAfter a few moments, the man places his hand on my shoulder. \"It's all right.\"\n\nI stop crying enough to look up at him and see a kind face. He gives me a reassuring smile. It's a nice smile. He has nice eyes too. His nose is slim and there is a dimple in one of his cheeks. For a fleeting moment I think how unfortunate it is that he is a eunuch.\n\n\"My name is…Lihua,\" I say. \"I'm a sixth-rank concubine.\"\n\nHis eyes go wide again and he drops his hand from my shoulder. \"A concubine? I thought maybe you were a maid who got herself locked out. But…a concubine? How did you even get out?\"\n\n\"I climbed a tree,\" I say. \"Getting out was the easy part.\"\n\n\"The easy part?\" he says incredulously. He stares at me for another minute, and then he starts to laugh. \"You are…certainly not like any concubine I've met before.\"\n\n\"I'm sure the others are not as stupid as I am,\" I say. \"I was able to get out, but I didn't plan for how to get back in.\"\n\n\"But why did you leave at all? If you were running away, why did you come back?\"\n\n\"I wasn't running away,\" I say. \"I just…missed my family.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" he says with a knowing nod. \"I can see why that would be difficult for you.\"\n\nWe stand quietly for a moment. I am sure he has a hundred more questions for me, and I am waiting for him to demand a payment for saving my life.\n\n\"How were they?\" he asks, and I'm so surprised by the question it takes me a moment to reply.\n\n\"Umm…gone. They were gone.\"\n\n\"Hmm,\" he says thoughtfully. \"Well, I hope you see them again someday.\"\n\nThis man is so strange. I don't understand why he is being nice to me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why he is comforting me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another tear escapes my eye and I wipe my cheek.\n\n\"I should be getting back before I am missed,\" I say. \"Thank you for helping me. If you ever need anything in return, do ask.\"\n\nThe man laughs, as if the idea that I could ever help him is preposterous, which I'm sure it is. \"I'm just glad I was there to help. I shudder to think of what could have happened if you had been caught.\"\n\n\"I was foolish, I know. Stupid. I'll never do anything like that again, I promise.\"\n\nHe looks at me as if he wishes to say something else but cannot. I feel the same way. For some reason, I feel safe in his presence. As if I could unburden my heart to him. But I have already acted foolishly once tonight. I know better than to put myself at risk again.\n\n\"You should go,\" he finally says.\n\nI nod and take a slow step away, half expecting him to change his mind and pull me back, making some sort of demand of me. But I take another step, and another. He doesn't stop me, but neither does he take his eyes off of me. I nearly trip when I reach the edge of a paved pathway. He chuckles and whatever spell he had cast over me is broken. I turn and rush away before I can change my own mind. When I reach my palace I have to stop and catch my breath. Blessed relief washes over me as I realize how close to death I came.\n\nI start to go inside the palace, but then remember my clothes. I go back to the tree and remove my maid's clothes and silk slippers. I put on my sleeping robe and gather the other clothes together. I can't tell just how clean or dirty they are in the dark, but I can't take any chances. On my way back to my palace, I stop by a well and throw the clothes and shoes into it. The grass around the well is already forming dew as I silently sneak back to my palace.\n\nBy the time I reach my room, the sky is beginning to lighten, and I can see Suyin beginning to stir. I rush across the room and try to slip into bed, but she rubs her eyes and sits up.\n\n\"My lady?\" she asks, still groggy. \"Do you need something?\"\n\n\"No,\" I whisper. \"I was thirsty, but I am fine now. Go back to sleep.\"\n\n\"You rest,\" she says, growing more wakeful. \"It is time for me to get up anyway.\" She climbs down from the bed and kicks Jinhai as she passes him to fill the kettle and place it over a small fire. Jinhai groans and rolls over to get a few more minutes of sleep.\n\nI pull the blanket around me and face the wall, willing my heart to stop beating so loudly. I should feel relieved. Victorious even. How many other girls have managed to sneak out and back into the Forbidden City without being caught?\n\nThough I was caught, wasn't I? If I hadn't met that man, that eunuch, I would surely have been discovered. The emperor would never believe I had snuck out to see my family, especially since my only family is supposed to be Mingxia. He would think I had gone to see a man, a lover, and I would have been put to death.\n\nI should have run away, I suppose, as soon as I realized that I had no way to get back into the Forbidden City. I have survived on very little for most of my life. Facing life on the streets without a coin to my name should have been very easy for me. But I panicked. Or perhaps I have become pampered and spoiled in my time here. I have so much food to eat, a soft bed, warm clothes. I have servants and friends. What more could I ask for?\n\nI suppose one day, I might want more. A husband and children of my own. But for now, I have all I need and more than I could ever want. I must learn to be content in my new life. Forget my family. Forget Daiyu. Forget freedom. Does a fish born in a pond long for the sea? Certainly not. How can it long for something that it does not know exists?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The world outside the red walls no longer exists for me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I am a fish in a red pond.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CREATIVE WRITING:\nthirty-three sentences sentences\nMaintain character context\nGenre: historical fiction, historical romance, China", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "OOC, Required dialogue to include (maintain exact wording): \"Tomorrow, after your morning greetings to the empress, you will all travel to the Summer Palace, Yuanming Yuan, for a great feast and entertainment,\"", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suyin quickly notices that my shoes and outfit are missing. I just shrug. She blames the girls in the laundry for either ruining the clothes and getting rid of them or stealing them.\n\n\"I'm sure whatever happened to them was an accident,\" I say. \"Just let it go.\"\n\nShe presses her lips and looks away, folding my laundry angrily. I'm sure she will find someone to take the blame. I feel bad that some poor laundry maid is going to pay for my mistake, but I don't know what else I can do without revealing what I've done, so I sit quietly with my mouth shut.\n\n\"Greetings, most gracious ladies!\" The chief eunuch for household affairs, Fiyanggu, steps into the entry hall and bends down on one knee. The other girls rush out to see what he has to say, but I linger near the door to my room. It is a rare thing for Fiyanggu to come to our palace in person instead of sending a messenger.\n\n\"Greetings, Fiyanggu,\" Chaoxing, one of the other concubines in our shared house, says. He might only be a eunuch and a servant, but he holds enough power that all of us know to be polite. \"What have you come to tell us?\"\n\nHe stands. \"The emperor is hosting a birthday celebration for his brother tomorrow, and you are all to be in attendance.\"\n\nThe other girls all shriek and hop up and down in excitement. For those of us not summoned to the emperor's bed, we rarely have opportunity to see the emperor. I have seen him on occasion in the inner court, where we reside, but only from a distance. He is usually there to visit the empress or his mother, and he will walk with them in the garden. I have seen many concubines use such occasions to try and get the emperor's attention. They will trip and fall in his path or send their little dogs running to him. Sometimes the ruse works, and the emperor will be smitten by the pretty thing, inviting her to his bed not long after that. But most girls just end up looking foolish. Still, I think that Suyin and Jinhai have been disappointed that I have not tried to find a way into the emperor's good graces. I have not offered any bribes or tripped in his path. I understand why they are frustrated. They can only rise as high as I do—and I am content to stay where I am while they are much more ambitious.\n\n\"Tomorrow, after your morning greetings to the empress, you will all travel to the Summer Palace, Yuanming Yuan, for a great feast and entertainment,\" Fiyanggu explains.\n\nEveryone—concubine and servant alike—dances and laughs with joy, and I have to join with them. The Summer Palace is west of Peking and is much larger than the Forbidden City, if you can believe it. It is said to be the most beautiful place in the world. Along the river, the palace has hundreds of palaces and endless acres of gardens. However, it is rather remote, far from the city, so the emperor must live at the Forbidden City most of the time to rule his empire.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He sends you all a gift in honor of the prince.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fiyanggu waves his hand and four more eunuchs step forward, each carrying a small box, which they present to each of us.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I scan their faces, looking for the young man who saved my life, but I don't see him. I have looked for him every day to no avail.\n\nI open the box to find a blue cloisonne butterfly hairpin. I notice that the other girls have the same hairpin, but each is a different color.\n\n\"What is the significance of the butterfly?\" I ask, and the other girls look at me as if it is a stupid question. But since we were all given butterflies, there must be some meaning to it.\n\n\"Very observant,\" Fiyanggu says. \"The prince's mother was named Hudie, after the butterfly. She died when he was very young, so he honors her at every opportunity. He is quite fond of butterflies. The emperor wishes to surround his brother with butterflies at his birthday dinner.\"\n\n\"That is so kind,\" I say, and I think the emperor must love his brother very much. I am sure my husband is an interesting man who I will never have the chance to know better.\n\n\"The emperor is very close to his brother, Prince Honghui,\" Fiyanggu says. \"It is a great honor for all of you to make his acquaintance.\"\n\nThe other girls sigh and get dreamy looks on their faces, and I suppose they must be dreaming that tomorrow is the day that their luck will change. I must admit that I am looking forward to the festivities. Not because of the emperor, but just for the change of pace.\n\nChaoxing steps forward and places a coin in Fiyanggu's hand so smoothly, I almost don't notice it.\n\n\"Is there anything else you can tell us about the emperor?\" she asks, fishing for information.\n\nFiyanggu gives a small bow to her. \"No, my lady.\" Chaoxing pouts since she just wasted a coin. I wonder if Fiyanggu truly has no more information to give or if the bribe simply wasn't large enough. Fiyanggu then dismisses himself to inform the ladies in the next palace of their honored invitation.\n\n\"This is so exciting!\" Eumeh says. \"We will finally see the emperor!\"\n\n\"We must wear our best clothes!\" Chaoxing says. \"And the largest headdresses.\"\n\nMy neck starts to ache at the very thought.\n\n\"Our dresses should match the hairpins,\" Lian, the third roommate, says.\n\n\"That's a good idea,\" Chaoxing says, then she gasps. \"I don't have a lavender qipao!\"\n\n\"I have one,\" Eumeh says, and the three of them head to Eumeh's rooms to plan for tomorrow. I must admit, I do feel a little left out.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't know why the other girls don't like me, but I haven't made an effort to be friendly either. I do at least have Wangli and Yanmei. I'm sure they will be here soon enough to discuss tomorrow's outing.\n\n\"This is a great opportunity,\" Suyin says when we are back in my room. \"A chance for the emperor to see you. You must make a good impression.\"\n\n\"You think I will stand out among all the other shining jewels that will be there?\" I ask, slumping into a chair. Tomorrow is going to be exhausting. I should probably go to bed now so I will have enough energy to get through the day.\n\n\"You always doubt your own beauty,\" Suyin says. \"But, no, I do not think beauty will be enough to stand out.\"\n\n\"What would you suggest?\" I ask and then immediately regret it. I don't want to stand out; I want to blend in!\n\n\"The feast is to honor Prince Honghui,\" she says. \"But all the concubines will be focused on the emperor. I think the emperor would appreciate it if you honored the prince. You should give him a gift.\"\n\nI consider this. It's a good plan. The other concubines will be so focused on the emperor that they will ignore the guest of honor. That is sure to displease the emperor, who clearly loves his brother. By honoring the prince myself, the emperor is sure to be pleased.\n\nBut I don't want to please the emperor. If I get too close to him, someone is bound to discover that I am not who I claim to be. The emperor could discover it simply by the way I speak or act. Or another concubine, in her jealousy, could try to discredit me and somehow stumble upon the truth. I don't want to make any enemies by attracting the attentions of the emperor.\n\n\"Perhaps it would be improper,\" I suggest, \"if I were to give a gift to a man who is not my husband.\"\n\n\"Only if the gift was expensive or extravagant,\" Jinhai says. \"But something small and thoughtful would be accepted as an innocent gift from a wife to her brother-in-law.\"\n\nI squirm. I truly do not wish to stand out, but I can see that Suyin and Jinhai are set on the idea. And it is a good plan. If I refuse, that would surely be more suspicious. After all, it is supposed to be my great desire to become the bedmate of the emperor, the mother of his children.\n\n\"What would you suggest?\" I ask.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next day is a flurry of activity. The Summer Palace is several miles away, and we will apparently stay for a week, so almost all of our belongings must be packed into trunks to be carried on donkey carts to the palace.\n\nThe ride to the Summer Palace is hot and painful. The wooden carriage has a flat floor, so I must sit cross-legged. There are several layers of silks and furs, but it is still uncomfortable. Once the cart starts moving, I am tossed from side to side. Pillows keep me from bruising myself, but I am still jostled like a sack of potatoes. What's worse, the brocade curtains do not let any breeze pass through, so it is terribly hot, and it is already autumn. I am grateful we did not attempt this journey while it was still summer. Jinhai and Suyin are not allowed to ride in the cart with me, but must walk the entire distance! By the time we reach the Summer Palace, I nearly fall out of my carriage, little more than a pile of goo.\n\nBut I quickly decide that the Summer Palace was worth the trouble. It is more beautiful than it was described. The whole palace grounds is like a wonderous old-growth garden, with tall shade trees and thick flowering shrubs along every path. There is a wall, but it is must shorter than the wall around the Forbidden City, and I can immediately see that it would not be a difficult thing to climb over. The guards must be extra diligent to keep us safe here.\n\nI am delighted to be taken to a palace all my own! Indeed, the Summer Palace is so large that there is no need for us to share. I can't help but wonder if I could ask the emperor if I could live here permanently.\n\nNo sooner have I arrived, though, than I must quickly wash and change my clothes and prepare myself for dinner. I make sure the butterfly hairpin is given pride of place on my headdress, and I wear little else to detract from its beauty. In one of my sleeves I tuck the perfume pouch I have brought as a gift for the prince. I was actually making it for the emperor, something different than a handkerchief at least, but no one need know I have repurposed it for the prince.\n\nIt is dark when it is finally time for dinner. We are led along a path lighted with silk lanterns. At night, it is like walking through a mystical fairyland. I can see the gentle glow of fireflies among the trees and tall grasses and the air is clean and fresh.\n\nThe feast is held in a large, elevated palace with a wide open-air verandah that overlooks a lake that we cannot see very well, except for the reflection of the moon on the black waters.\n\nThe empress and the dowager are already seated when we arrive, and there are also dozens of men present, noblemen. There are then four long rows of tables and chairs to either side of the verandah, seating enough for the two-hundred concubines. As I take a seat somewhere near the middle, I can't help but laugh at the idea that anyone thinks she would be able to catch the eye of the emperor when we are all crammed together. It will be impossible for the emperor to single anyone out.\n\nSuddenly everyone stands and bows, and I follow suit, assuming the emperor must have arrived, but I cannot see anything from my place.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"May the emperor live ten thousand years!\" everyone says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you!\" he says. \"You may rise. Thank you to all of you for coming to celebrate the birthday of my dear brother, Prince Honghui!\"\n\nEveryone claps and I see the hand of the prince as he waves to everyone. I lean to one side to try and get a better look. When the prince's face comes into sight, I gasp.\n\nIt's the eunuch who saved my life.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write two hundred and seventy-six words give or take to replace the `<cutout_marker>` in the following text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "I duck back behind the girls in front of me. No, it can't be him. He must look similar to the eunuch who saved my life. I peek around again to try and get a better look.\n\nIt's him!\n\nThe same eyes, the same chin, the same dimple.\n\nBut…how? How can the eunuch I met be the emperor's brother? Unless… I must have been mistaken in assuming he was a eunuch. But I thought real men were not allowed in the Forbidden City after dark. Or maybe that is just the inner court. I have seen the emperor in the inner court with men who are not eunuchs, his advisors or important noblemen, many of the same men here tonight, but that was always during the day. Perhaps the rules are different for men who are related to the emperor.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Yanmei whispers to me. \"You look pale. Are you ill?\"\n\nI clear my throat, shake my head, and try to smile. \"Not at all. It is just such a special night.\"\n\n\"Isn't it?\" she asks. She reaches into her sleeve and pulls out an embroidered pipe holder. \"I was up all night making this. Do you think the emperor will love it?\"\n\nI nod. At least it isn't a handkerchief. \"Of course he will.\"\n\n\"Please, sit,\" the emperor says after he and his honored guests—including the prince—have taken their seats. I sit quickly and slouch a bit, trying to hide my face behind the girls in front of me. Thankfully, it is not difficult to hide, we are so crushed together. I notice that Yanmei to my right and Wangli to my left are sitting as straight as chopsticks, their chins high as they try to keep the emperor within their sights. I wish I could melt into a puddle on the floor and wash away.\n\nThe prince. The prince! Of all the people in the Forbidden City who could have found me that night, why did it have to be the prince? What does this mean? Is that why he did not make any demands of me that night? What could I possibly have that a prince would want? Or is he simply biding his time? I stupidly gave him my name, so he can easily track me down. I have not met another Lihua among the concubines.\n\n\"We are all here for a special occasion,\" the emperor says. \"My brother, Honghui, is twenty-four years old!\" Everyone claps and cheers. \"Still a very young man.\" The emperor chuckles. \"In fact, I had despaired of ever having a brother. I was twelve years old when the gods finally blessed my father with another son. I was lonely for a very long time before that, but I was also old enough to know what it means to be a brother. To feel the bond that we share with no other person.\"\n\nMy eyes water a bit at the emperor's speech because it reminds me of my own dear sisters. My dear Junli. She must miss me so much.\n\n\"I have protected him, taught him to ride and shoot, and watched with pride as he grew into the man he is today.\"\n\nEveryone claps and cheers again.\n\n\"Today, brother, I give you a mighty gift. Your own palace in Peking, the finest palace ever built outside the Forbidden City—Heshen Mansion. It is my greatest wish that you will soon fill it with wives and children of your very own.\"\n\nI cannot see the prince's face in response to this, but I think he must be delighted.\n\n\"You have given me the greatest gift and honor, my brother. My emperor,\" the prince says, and I am now in no doubt that he is the same man who saved my life. It is the same voice, the same accent. What have I done? He is the emperor's brother! He will surely expose me. Why he hasn't already, I could not venture to guess.\n\nAnother man stands up and presents the prince with a tapestry sewn by his wife that depicts the emperor and prince as young boys together riding horses across the plains. Then another man give the prince a beautiful new bow and quiver of arrows.\n\nI start to feel nauseous. I pray the emperor does not ask for gifts from among his ladies. I cannot expose myself. I look around for Suyin to tell her the plan is canceled. I will tell her that my simple, handmade present is not grand enough compared to all those being given by the great lords.\n\nI look around and see her standing silently near the wall. I give her a small wave to get her attention and then beckon her toward me. She nods as if in understanding, but then she walks away!\n\n\"No!\" I whisper, but she cannot hear me and I quickly lose sight of her.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Wangli asks.\n\n\"Nothing,\" I mutter, rubbing my forehead, but she doesn't look convinced. She reaches out and pats my leg.\n\n\"I'm sure we will all have our chance to present our gifts to the emperor soon enough.\"\n\n\"You brought something too?\" I ask, and she nods, her smile tight. She must have been pressured by her servants to bring a gift too.\n\n\"Wangli…\" I start to say, and she waits for my next words expectantly. I want to tell her not to present her gift to the emperor. That it might not have the intended effect. That she might even offend the emperor. But then I fear that she might take my words the wrong way. That I am trying to undermine her chance at being noticed.\n\nI shake my head. \"Nothing.\"\n\nWhen I look back toward the emperor, I spy Suyin emerging from the crowd of servants and kneeling by the empress, who is seated at the emperor's right while the prince is seated at his left. The empress nods, and Suyin stands and whispers in her ear. I see the empress scan the crowd. I assume she is looking for me and duck out of sight. I stay hidden, but a few moments later, I see Suyin once again standing in her designated place nearby. She gives me a small smile and little nod. I try to smile back, but I feel like crying and quickly look away.\n\nThis can't happen. I have to get out of here. I can't let the prince see me. I look around, but I am in the middle of a middle row, I can't simply slip away unnoticed. I suppose I could slide out of my chair and crawl across the floor. The other ladies would see me, but I could feign illness perhaps.\n\n\"Ula Nara Lihua has a gift for the prince,\" I hear the empress say, and if I'd had a knife at that moment, I might have killed myself. I hear a murmur ripple through the crowd of ladies as all heads turn toward me. I can do nothing but stand. I keep my head downcast, hoping the prince will not realize who I am if he cannot see my face clearly.\n\n\"Does she?\" the emperor says. \"Then, please, Lihua, come forward.\"\n\nWhispers break out among the concubines, and I see more than a few angry faces as I walk down the row of chairs to the end where Suyin is waiting to take my hand and escort me to the head table.\n\nI can feel every single eye in the room on me, but one gaze feels stronger than all the others, and I know it is the prince. He does not need to see my face to know it is me, he knows my name. It cannot be every day—or even every lifetime—that a prince saves the life of a reckless concubine who dared to sneak out of the Forbidden City. I know that he recognizes me without even looking up.\n\nWhen I am standing in front of the table, Suyin releases my hand and steps back, lowering to my knees. \"Your majesty,\" I say, my voice trembling, \"if it is permissible, I wish to present his highness with a crude and simple gift made by my own hand.\"\n\n\"Proceed. I am quite curious to see what it is myself,\" the emperor says with a chuckle. I hear a chair scrape the floor as the prince stands. He then walks around the table to stand in front of me. I am frozen, unable to move, unable to look up. Oh, why can't I simply die!\n\n\"Well, what have you made for me?\" the prince asks after an indeterminable amount of time.\n\nI reach into my sleeve and pull out the silk pouch I embroidered with a scorpion, a snake, a centipede, a gecko, and a toad. It is believed that by wearing the pouch with the five most venomous animals, the wearer will be protected from evil. The pouch is filled with fragrant herbs that are supposed to bring the wearer good luck. When I hold the pouch up, I have no need to explain what it is.\n\n\"A xiangnang,\" the prince says. \"What a unique and thoughtful gift.\"\n\n\"Certainly better than another handkerchief,\" the emperor says with a laugh. I hear a few of the girls let out little moans or groans and shift in their chairs.\n\nThe prince then holds his hand down for me. I hesitate, but I have no choice but to place my hand in his as he then gently pulls me to my feet. My fingers are freezing, but his hands are warm and soft. When I reach my full height, I come up to his chin. I'm much taller now in my pot-bottom shoes than I had been the night we first met. I can feel his gaze burning hotly upon my face, willing me to look up. I know I shouldn't, but I can't resist.\n\nWhen I raise my eyes, I can see that he is smiling in a playful, mischievous way, and I realize that he has no plan to expose me right now. He lifts the xiangnang to his nose and breathes in deeply.\n\n\"Jasmine flowers,\" he says. \"My favorite. The blooms are only at their most full, their most beautiful, under the light of the moon.\"\n\nI am taken aback at his forward comment. I know that no one else in the room understands his reference, but if I had any doubts about whether he knew who I was, they are certainly gone now.\n\n\"I am glad his highness is pleased,\" I say, lowering my chin again.\n\nThe emperor chuckles and claps, and everyone joins him, though from the areas where the other concubines are seated, the clapping is not very enthusiastic.\n\n\"Lihua,\" the emperor says. \"From the Ula Nara clan, did you say?\" he asks the empress, who nods. \"I remember you. You were the last one chosen during the most recent consort selection, were you not?\"\n\n\"Yes, your majesty,\" I say.\n\n\"It seems the gods knew you would be one of the most shining pearls in my harem,\" the emperor goes on. While I know he means to be kind to me, I am dreading the response from the other concubines at being singled out. I am grateful that I have my own palace. I will have to instruct Jinhai to lock the doors, or else I fear one of the other girls might smother me in my sleep.\n\n\"What is her rank?\" the emperor asks the empress. One of her eunuchs steps forward and whispers in her ear.\n\n\"Sixth rank, your majesty,\" she says. \"She is new and young and has not had a chance to prove herself yet.\"\n\n\"I think she has proven herself to be a thoughtful and industrious girl,\" the emperor says quickly. \"Lihua, you are promoted to rank-four concubine.\"\n\nI drop back to my knees, not out of respect, but because they<cutout_marker>my feet, and I expect to see Jinhai when I stand. But it is the prince.\n\n\"Are you injured?\" he asks, and there is real concern on his face.\n\n\"No,\" I say, shaking my head, but I honestly don't know. One of my ankles is throbbing and my jaw aches terribly. The prince and Suyin lead me back down the aisle and outside where I see a sedan chair and two chair bearers waiting. Jinhai is there as well. He must have fetched it while the prince and Suyin were helping me. Jinhai holds the flap open as Suyin helps me inside.\n\n\"Are you sure you are all right?\" the prince asks. \"Shall I come with you? Or fetch a doctor?\"\n\n\"Please, just go away,\" I whisper. I can't face him anymore tonight. He looks hurt at first, but then he nods in understanding. We certainly cannot speak freely in front of the servants.\n\n\"Send for me if she needs anything at all,\" he tells Suyin.\n\n\"Of course, your highness,\" she says. Jinhai closes the flap, finally blocking the prince from my view. The chair bearers pick the sedan chair up, jostling me side to side in the process, but I finally breathe a sigh of relief.\n\nThat went as badly as it could have possibly gone. I knew the other concubines would be angry, jealous, but I never expected them to lash out at me in front of the emperor. And what of the prince? He seemed desperate to speak to me, but we cannot! The emperor would never allow it as it would call my virtue into question.\n\nAnd what of the emperor? He promoted me by two ranks tonight! He will surely remember that. Will he summon me to his bed?\n\nHow could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? And what will happen to me now?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " cannot hold me. The other concubines do not even try to hide their displeasure as they gasp and mutter. I am not exactly well-versed in the ways of the court, but Jinhai has told me a few things. To be promoted is a great honor. To be promoted by skipping a rank is a rare honor, one the rest of the court is not likely to forget.\n\nBut what can I do but appear grateful? \"Thank you, your majesty. I did not seek such praise. It only seemed proper that I should present a gift to the guest of honor at such an event.\"\n\n\"A practical girl as well,\" the emperor says. \"You are a credit to your parents.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\n\n\"You may return to your seat, my dear,\" the emperor says, but I cannot stand under my own power. Suyin rushes to my side and pulls me to my feet. We back away from the emperor, bowing the entire time. She releases my hand when we reach the row where I am seated, and I walk very slowly and deliberately toward my chair lest my legs give way again.\n\nI do not see who it is, but someone places their foot under one of my shoes, knocking me off my balance and I tumble forward, banging my chin on the floor. Everyone gasps, but more than a few people laugh as well.\n\n\"My lady!\" Suyin pushes her way down the aisle to be at my side. \"Are you all right?\"\n\nI nod, but my resolve is broken and I cannot help but cry. I feel a stronger hand, that of a man, pulling me to ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "help with this chapter? fifty-nine sentences more sentences, Zoey Gong-style, historical fiction, historical romance, China genre. some context might be from earlier", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "That evening, a large trunk full of new clothes, hair jewels, pots of makeup, and embroidery and painting supplies arrives.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I am also given a generous bag of cash.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"These are gifts from the emperor as befitting your new station,\" Fiyanggu explains.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You will also be given a new palace of your own when we return to the Forbidden City.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The emperor is far too kind,\" I say, my voice tremulous. The more the emperor flatters me, the more frightened I become.\n\n\"He would also like your company tonight,\" Fiyanggu says, looking at me suggestively, and my face flushes hot. I look to Suyin for help.\n\n\"The mistress is not feeling well,\" Suyin says. \"Her ankle is sorely damaged and she must rest.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" Fiyanggu says with a bow. \"I will inform his majesty.\" He then takes his leave.\n\nI put my hand to my mouth and let out a shuddering sigh. This is bad. This is so bad! What am I going to do? How could I be so stupid? I never should have let Suyin and Jinhai talk me into giving the prince a gift. I can't blame them, though. They don't know the truth. Who I really am. Why I want to hide among the dozens of concubines. They want me to rise, want me to succeed. And I never thought a single small gift would have such results. I had hoped that it would be enough to show Suyin and Jinhai that I am trying but would not actually do anything to increase my reputation with the emperor.\n\nSuyin is pulling the new clothes—qipaos, undergarments, fur wraps, pot-bottom shoes—out of the trunk one by one and examining them before putting them away.\n\n\"You are truly blessed, my lady,\" she says. \"I knew the emperor would smile on you, but I never imagined he would increase your rank.\"\n\n\"Neither did I,\" I say. \"The other ladies must be fuming with jealousy.\"\n\nSuyin chuckles. \"Of course they are. But don't worry about them. With the emperor's approval, they cannot touch you.\"\n\nI have a feeling she's dead wrong about that. Jinhai enters the room carrying a large basin filled with water and fragrant herbs. He removes my shoes and places my injured ankle in the bowl. I can see it is swollen and dark blue on one side.\n\n\"Nothing is broken,\" Jinhai says. \"But I can still send for a doctor if you are in much pain.\"\n\n\"No,\" I say, not wanting to draw even more attention to me. \"I just need to let it rest.\" Jinhai nods and then helps Suyin finish unpacking the crate. When they are done, I hand Jinhai the bag of cash I was given.\n\n\"Divide it between the two of you evenly,\" I tell him, and his eyes go wide. Suyin's mouth drops.\n\n\"My lady,\" he says, \"that is far too generous. You will soon have many more household expenses. And it never hurts to save money for a later date.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"My allowance will be increased to cover the expenses, will it not?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady.\"\n\n\"It is because of the two of you I was elevated today. You earned that money, not me.\"\n\nJinhai and Suyin look at each other for a moment, then they fall to their knees in front of me and knock their foreheads to the floor.\n\n\"You are the kindest mistress of all!\" Suyin exclaims.\n\n\"I am not worthy of your service!\" Jinhai says.\n\n\"Please, stop,\" I say, and they sit up on their heels and look at me. I want to tell them how unworthy I am. How much I don't want to be here. How much I wish everyone would stop praising me. But I cannot. If I continue to protest, they will surely begin to wonder if I really am a high-ranking lady.\n\n\"I…I am indebted to you for my situation,\" I tell them, and then I force myself to say, \"thank you.\"\n\nThey both return to their feet. \"It is now we who are indebted to you,\" Jinhai says. \"We will always support you and remain by your side.\"\n\nI nod, unable to think of what else to say that won't continue this round and round conversation.\n\nThe Summer Palace is indeed a magical place. It is deep autumn, and the trees are every shade of red and gold. The yellow ginkgo leaves break free and flutter across the ground.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rabbits skitter across the grass and squirrels jump from tree to tree.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "There are countless birds, each singing a sweet song.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In an expansive pond there are pleasure boats, and the ladies take turns out on the water. There is an opera troupe performing almost constantly, so the ladies come and go from the performances at all hours. Many of the ladies sit outside under the trees painting and embroidering, taking advantage of the fresh air and cool breeze.\n\nI partake in none of these activities, but stay sequestered in my palace. I do not want to draw attention to myself, nor do I want the emperor to think my ankle is sufficiently recovered that I may visit his bed. I can only hope that he will forget about me soon.\n\nOne day, a fine mist descends over the Summer Palace, and there is a gentle rain. The temperature drops considerably, and I no longer hear the laughter or conversation of the palace ladies drifting through my window. I open the front door and look outside; I see no one. I breathe in the clean air. Everyone seems to be hiding from the damp, but I find it refreshing and inviting. I would like to explore the Summer Palace, but did not want to court unwanted attention. This seems like a good time to finally venture out of doors.\n\n\"I would like to take a walk,\" I say.\n\nSuyin gasps. \"It is cold and wet, my lady! You could catch a chill.\"\n\nI smirk and think to myself about all the nights I spent in my little hutong house where the air was so cold, we would wake with frost on our eyelashes. Those were not the worst of days. We would snuggle together to stay warm and sleep late, waiting for the sun to rise. I blink away tears that are threatening to form.\n\n\"The cold doesn't bother me,\" I say. \"But bring me some leather slippers. My ankle is still sore and I don't want to risk falling or slipping.\" My ankle is fine, but I am anxious for an excuse to walk normally and not balance precariously on tiny platforms.\n\nNeither Suyin or Jinhai seem happy about venturing out, but they cannot deny their lady her wishes. I am in a simple qipao, and my hair is tied up around a bian fang, but I do not have any headdress attached. I am sure I look more like a high-ranking maid than an emperor's concubine, but I doubt many people will see me.\n\nAs we leave the palace, Jinhai tries to walk by my side, holding an umbrella over me, but I feel crowded.\n\n\"I can hold my own umbrella,\" I tell him. He hesitates, but then relents, handing me the umbrella. \"I just need some space and fresh air.\" He nods and seems to understand my meaning as he and Suyin both stay several paces behind me as I walk.\n\nI feel as though I am in a fairyland. The mist is so thick, I can only see a few feet around me. But every step also reveals stunning new sights. There are, of course, gardens and pagodas, but so much more. Stone steps rise up and disappear into the mist far above me along a path to a Buddhist temple. A bronze dragon guards the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. Smoke from smoldering embers inside an incense burner four times my height disappears into the fog. As the rain comes down a little harder, we walk along a covered corridor that stretches from one end of the Summer Palace to the other, and I hand Jinhai my umbrella to carry. We pass a pond that is full of green lotus leaves and I stop to take in the sight.\n\nFor a brief moment I forget who I am, what I am, and the great danger I am in. It all washes away as I lean against the railing and I lose myself in the lotus leaves. I sigh and allow myself, just for this one moment, to feel happy. It is so quiet, so peaceful here, and I can see nothing beyond the fog. I am at peace and wish I could remain in this place, this frame of mind. The Summer Palace is truly the most beautiful place in the world, and I am so fortunate to see it. A girl like me, a Han Chinese from the poorest part of Peking, could never even imagine being in such a magical place. Yet, here I am. Despite everything, I know that I am truly blessed. Whatever happens, I have this moment, and I know my family is safe and cared for. Could I ever ask for more?\n\n\"My lady.\"\n\nThe prince has appeared at my side so silently, I did not realize he had approached me until he spoke. I fall to my knee, water seeping through my gown and dampening my leg, and drop my head.\n\n\"Your highness!\" I say. \"Forgive me. I did not see you approach.\"\n\n\"Please stand,\" he says, and I obey, but I keep my eyes downcast. \"Please don't do that. You may look at me like a normal person.\" I raise my eyes to his face and feel a flutter in my stomach. \"Thank you. I hate that you are required to speak to the ground and not to my face.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Those are the rules,\" I say, turning away and looking back over the lotus pond.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 46 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The prince laughs. \"Since when are you one to follow the rules? Did you forget how we met?\"\n\nI quickly look around to make sure Suyin and Jinhai are not lingering nearby where they could hear us. I see that they are still keeping a respectful distance away from me, but they can clearly see what is going on. I am grateful for that; it would be quite improper for me to be alone with the prince.\n\n\"No,\" I finally say. \"I have not forgotten.\"\n\n\"Then why do you treat me like a stranger?\" he asks, sitting on the railing so we can face each other as we talk.\n\n\"Because I value my life,\" I say. I think the prince muse have expected me to say something funny or witty, but the slight smile he had been wearing transforms into one of seriousness.\n\n\"I understand,\" he says with a nod. \"But I have longed to see you again. I've never met a woman like you before.\"\n\n\"What are you even doing here?\" I ask. \"I thought men were barred from the inner court if not accompanied by the emperor.\"\n\n\"The rules don't exactly apply the same way here,\" he says. \"There is no inner or outer court.\"\n\nHe is right about that. In the Forbidden City, the inner court is physically closed off from the rest of the palace by a wall. Here, there are no large, imposing walls to contain us. We ladies are free to wander where we will. And it seems the emperor's male guests enjoy the same privilege. My heart races at this realization, but I am not sure if it is from fear…or something else.\n\n\"I should go,\" I say, but as I turn to leave, I feel him gently tug on the sleeve of my robe.\n\n\"Stay,\" he says. Not only my face, but my entire body flushes hot. If he had been speaking to me—to Daiyu—I would not need to be convinced to stay. But I am not. I am Lihua, and I am married to the emperor.\n\n\"I am your brother's wife,\" I whisper. \"I cannot be seen in the company of another man.\"\n\n\"Then tonight,\" he says, \"can I come to you?\"\n\n\"No!\" I whisper harshly. \"The servants!\"\n\n\"But you can sneak out,\" he says. \"You've done it before. I'll wait for you outside your palace when the gong is struck for the hour of the ox.\"\n\nOf course I want to say yes. He is so handsome, and so insistent. I have a fleeting vision of running away with him, away from this place. Away from these people. Away from the fear and loneliness. But I shake my head and pull my sleeve from his grip.\n\n\"No,\" I say and turn away to go back to my palace.\n\n\"I'll wait for you,\" he says. I pause, but I do not look back. I neither shake nor nod my head, but continue walking toward my servants. Who is this dangerous, reckless man? How could he ask such a thing of me, putting both of us at risk? And what is wrong with me that I want to say yes?", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Continuation Protocol:\nQuantity: 39 sentences\nStyle: Zoey Gong\nGenre: historical fiction, historical romance, China\nContext: Part of larger work", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I shouldn't go, I tell myself as I lay on my bed in the darkness. It's dangerous. Stupid. Bumping into the prince while I was walking and having a conversation within the watchful eyes of my servants is one thing. It was perfectly innocent. But if I sneak out of my room in the middle of the night and am caught, there would be no acceptable explanation.\n\nHow would I be punished? What a stupid question. I would surely be put to death. Probably not by beheading or publicly, but I would certainly be given a white scarf and be expected to kill myself for the dishonor I have brought to the emperor and my family.\n\nMy family. What would they think? Would they hear the story of the concubine who betrayed the emperor with his own brother and was put to death? Would they know it was me? Mingxia would most certainly hear of it, and the real Lihua. They would probably be glad to know that I was no longer alive. I would no longer carry the secret truth with me that Lihua defied the emperor and sent another—a Han—in her place.\n\nAs I roll away from the wall and look into the darkened room, I think about how unfair it is that Lihua retained her life—or at least a free life—outside the palace walls. She still has a future. Can still marry and have a family of her own. Still has her mother by her side while I am completely alone.\n\nI hear a gong struck to mark the hour of the ox. Suyin is sleeping peacefully at the foot of my bed while Jinhai snores softly on the floor.\n\nI shouldn't go, I tell myself as I slip out from under the covers. I shouldn't go, I think as I pick up my satin slippers and silk cloak and tiptoe across the room. I shouldn't go, I whisper silently as I pull the front door of the palace open just enough for me to squeeze through and into the chill night.\n\nI shouldn't go. But if I don't, I know I will regret it for the rest of my life. Not for the prince, I hardly know him. I am thankful he saved my life, but it is no more than that. It might be nice to one day count him among my friends, but that is all.\n\nNo, I do this for me. For one grasp at freedom. Once act of…dare I say defiance? Defiance of the emperor. Defiance of the stupid rules that brought me here. Defiance of the rigid constraints that doom me to be alone for the rest of my life.\n\nI wrap my cloak around my shoulders as I look for any sign of the prince. He only said to meet him outside my palace, he didn't say where.\n\n\"Psst.\"\n\nFrom the left, I hear the noise, so I walk in that direction. I am nearly at the end of another building when I feel a hand reach out and touch mine. I jump even though I expected him to be there.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I guess I did not expect him to touch me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For your next response only, include a touch of dialogue", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Shh,\" he says almost silently with a finger to his lips. Then he smiles and leads me away. The prince seems to know the layout of the Summer Palace by heart as we walk quickly along paths, around buildings, and down stairs. It is a wonder we aren't seen by a guard, but we somehow manage to avoid all of them. Finally, we end up along the river where a great stone boat juts out from the walkway that lines the waterfront. He leads me down to the boat and to the very front where we are surrounded by water on three sides. The moon is bright and reflects off the water, giving just enough light to see ripples skipping across the black mirror.\n\n\"It's beautiful,\" I say, my breath fogging in the cool night air.\n\nThe prince smiles. \"I thought you might like it.\"\n\nI give a rueful laugh. \"You don't know the first thing about me.\"\n\nHonghui chuckles. \"I know you are defiant and brave. But also reckless.\" The smile leaves my face as I look at the water and not him. \"I know you don't treasure your life here, and perhaps have no care for your life at all. You risked death to slip out and see your family when you could have just written them a letter. I suppose you must have some great secret that you couldn't put in writing. But why you came back… Hmm, now that is a puzzle.\"\n\nMy heart races as I realize just how much danger I am in. I don't know how the prince could know so much about me from our very brief meetings. Perhaps it is because he is so well-educated while I am an ignorant fool. I take a step away from him.\n\n\"I should go,\" I say. \"I shouldn't have come.\" I start to walk away, but I feel his hand grip mine.\n\n\"Stay.\"\n\nI let him pull me back to the bow of the great stone boat and stand much closer to him than I probably should. I like being near him. He is warm and smells like winter pine trees.\n\nI always knew that my marriage—if I married—would be arranged. But I had hoped that once we were man and wife, my husband would be kind and romantic. He would perhaps kiss my forehead in the morning and bring me fresh mulberries in the autumn. We would eat dinner together and maybe play throwing dice. If he were a working man, I would help him. When I had children—even girls—he would praise me and thank me. Eventually, I would love him.\n\nBut my marriage to the emperor has been nothing like that. Before the birthday celebration, I had not seen him since I had been selected except for fleeting glances. He had not sent for me or inquired about my health. He had forgotten I existed until I gave his brother a present. I do not feel married. He owns me, yes, and I must live in his home. But I am not a wife.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tell me about it,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What?\" Honghui asks.\n\n\"The boat,\" I say. \"Why is there a boat made of stone here? It cannot float. It cannot sail. What is its purpose?\"\n\n\"Must there always be a purpose to something?\" he asks. \"The Qianlong Emperor built it because he could.\"\n\n\"Hmm,\" I say, thinking. I recall an old saying. \"Water can support a ship, but water can also overturn it.\"\n\n\"Water is beautiful and deadly in equal measure,\" Honghui says. \"Much like this boat itself. It is a place of beauty and joy, but it could also collapse, bringing fear and death.\"\n\n\"Like you,\" I say, looking him full in the face to gauge his reaction. \"You are pleasant company. But if we were to be caught, I would be put to death.\"\n\nMy words do not seem to surprise or hurt him. Instead, he smiles. \"And yet here you are. Why?\"\n\nI give a small laugh. I had been so preoccupied thinking about his motives, I had not considered my own. I knew it was dangerous, and yet I could not resist. What did that say about me?\n\n\"I'm lonely,\" I finally say, and he nods in understanding. There is much more I could say, of course. About being trapped. About not loving the emperor. About missing my family. But it all comes down to how alone I feel.\n\n\"You do not have any companions among the other ladies?\" he asks. \"Or your maids?\"\n\n\"I do,\" I say. \"But I cannot truly be myself around them. I feel as though I must constantly put on a performance. Act the part of the perfect lady when I am far from it.\"\n\n\"You are the daughter of a celebrated general,\" he says, speaking of Lihua's father. \"Are you not a lady?\"\n\nI look at him but say nothing, which I realize too late is the wrong thing to do. My silence says volumes.\n\n\"You aren't his daughter, are you?\" he asks.\n\n\"He died,\" I say, remembering what Mingxia told me about her husband. \"I never knew him.\" At least that much is not a lie.\n\nThe prince nods. \"My father died when I was quite young as well. People say that because I am the son of the emperor, I must be a great man. But in truth, I don't know how that could be possible. I was raised by my mother, by eunuch servants, by tutors. Everyone except my father. I often wonder just what it means to be the son of an emperor if he was not here to teach me.\"\n\n\"You have your brother,\" I say. \"He must be of help to you.\"\n\n\"True,\" he says. \"You don't know him, but he is a decent man who loves his country.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I let out a small snort and immediately wish I hadn't when I see Honghui's face drop.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I say. \"I didn't mean that.\"\n\n\"But you did,\" he says. \"And now I am curious. What makes you doubt him?\" I say nothing for fear of walking into a trap. \"Please,\" he prods. \"Tell me.\"\n\nI chew my lower lip, considering my words. Is it possible for me to tell him how hard life is for people just beyond the red walls without giving myself away?\n\n\"He lives in such opulence,\" I say. \"A huge city of his own filled with palaces. An army of servants. A harem of wives, each one with more food and clothes and money than they could ever need all while people just beyond the walls of the Forbidden City starve to death.\"\n\nThe prince nods, and now that I've started, I can't seem to stop myself.\n\n\"The money the emperor gave me last night after he elevated my rank could have fed a poor family for the rest of their lives, and I threw it away. I gave the whole bag of it to my two servants to do with as they wish like it was cast-off rubbish. And that was only last night. I'll get just as much money next month. Can you imagine? Every month one woman is given enough money to support a family for decades. There is so much good I could that could be done with that money. If the emperor did not have so many wives, the money could be given to the people instead.\"\n\nHe sighs and leans against the bow, giving a small nod as he considers my words.\n\n\"I'll not ask how you know so much about the city's poor,\" he says, and my cheeks burn. \"You must know that it is more complicated than that. There are millions of people in this country.\"\n\nMillions? I mouth. I don't know how many that is, I'm still learning to count to a hundred. But the way he says it, I know it must be a lot. More people than I can imagine.\n\n\"However, your point is well-taken,\" he says. \"You think our lives are extravagant to the detriment of the people.\" I nod. He runs his hand over his chin. \"There is some truth to what you say, and I will give it much consideration and speak to my brother about it.\"\n\n\"You mustn't tell him what I said!\" I say, grabbing his arm.\n\n\"No,\" he says. \"Of course not.\" He reaches up and runs his thumb along my cheek. \"I would never want any harm to come to you.\"\n\nI lean into his touch. It has been so long since I have had any physical comfort. Just a hug for reassurance or a pat on the head in praise. I miss my family so much and would give just about anything to have them near me right now.\n\nA gong is struck indicating the hour of the tiger. I've been gone for two hours. I step away and wipe the tears from the edges of my eyes. \"I really must get back before I am missed.\"\n\nHe nods. \"I know.\" But we both hesitate.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I don't know what it is, but something is drawing us together.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 28 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I dread to think that it might be something more than friendship after all. Something I dare not name for fear that it could undo me. What good would it do to…feel something for a man I can't possibly be with?\n\nFinally he takes my hand and leads me from the boat back to the winding paths through the Summer Palace back to my rooms. When my palace is in sight I start to walk toward it, but Honghui does not release my hand. I look back and he pulls me to him, pressing his lips against mine. I am shocked at first and pull away from the kiss but not out of his arms which are now wrapped around me holding me close. A shock ripples through my body. Not a painful shock, but a pleasurable one. I reach up and pull his face back to mine, this time welcoming the kiss and taking it greedily. And yet I want more. It is as though I cannot hold him close enough, pressing my full body against him. His kisses move from my lips to my jaw to my neck and I pant with the desire for yet more. I feel one of his hands on my backside, squeezing it, and I know we must stop. If we don't, I won't be able to stop what happens next.\n\n\"No, no, no,\" I whisper, unwrapping his arms from around me and stepping back. \"Please don't. I can't. The emperor…\"\n\nHe shakes his head and steps back to catch his breath. \"I know. I'm sorry. I just… You are… But…I do love my brother and would not want to hurt him.\"\n\nThe question neither of us wants to ask—then why are you seducing his wife?—hangs heavy in the air like a precariously placed boulder threatening to crush us.\n\nI can't speak as I back away, afraid of what dangerous words might fall from my lips. I slip back inside my palace and close the door. I lean my forehead against it as I catch my breath. I smooth my hand through my hair and take off my robe and slippers, placing them to one side as I quietly enter my room and tiptoe across the floor.\n\nI get back into bed and neither Suyin nor Jinhai stirs. Once again, I have managed to sneak around without being caught. I should be relieved, proud even.\n\nBut I only want to cry.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Here's a text with a hole in it (marked by `[text_redacted]`). Your job is to write roughly 6026 characters to plug that hole.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next day is spent packing all of our items and returning to Peking. Everyone seems a little down, a little slow as they go about their assignments. I think I am not the only person who is sad to be leaving the Summer Palace. It is truly a beautiful, magical place. The sky is a little bluer here, the greens a bit more vibrant. There is a freedom here I have not experienced since I first entered the Forbidden City. And I don't mean just my freedom to sneak out and see the prince. Life is slower here, more calm and easy. I feel at peace, and I am sad to be leaving that behind.\n\nThe ride back to Pek[text_redacted]ut such things have happened before.\"\n\nIt takes me a minute to understand what she is saying. \"You mean an assassination!\"\n\n\"Shh!\" she says, motioning for me to lower my voice. \"It is treason to speak of the death of the emperor.\"\n\nI am somewhat annoyed. I am only asking a question, not wishing him harm. \"But why would anyone—especially a concubine—want to hurt the emperor?\"\n\n\"Many reasons. Anger, jealousy. She could be bribed by his enemies to act for them. You must understand, my dear. The emperor's bed is when he is at his most vulnerable.\" I'm not sure what she means by that, so she goes on.\n\n\"The emperor will be dressed when you arrive, but eventually he will be naked too. He would have no way to defend himself from an attack. And when a man is finished, he is often very tired. Almost in a drunk-like state.\"\n\nI nod, not needing her to say more. I still think it is excessive, and a terribly embarrassing way to be conveyed around the palace. But what can I say? These are the rules.\n\n\"When you are in bed with the emperor,\" she goes on, \"he prefers women who are…enthusiastic.\"\n\nI wrinkle my nose.\n\n\"Some girls will simply lie there, like a dead fish, allowing the emperor to do what he will, but they don't respond to him. They show no signs of pleasure or enjoyment. He doesn't like that.\"\n\nI give a slow nod. \"But…I won't know what to do.\"\n\n\"I understand,\" she says. \"But try not to worry overmuch. It is a very natural experience. And the emperor is a very kind lover, so I have been told. If you let yourself enjoy it, your body will know what to do.\"\n\nMy face flushes hot and I think about the kiss I shared with the prince. I wanted to grab him, hold him close. As he ran his hands over my body… Oh, I nearly shudder at the thought. I wanted more, so much more. What that more was exactly, I can't quite say. But I am sure that if I had been willing, my body would have known precisely what to do.\n\nNuwa chuckles. \"There is no need to be embarrassed. You will do well, I am certain of it.\" I nod and let the maids wash my hair, pouring buckets of warm water over my head.\n\nEven though I have had several hours to prepare for my night with the emperor, I am terribly nervous when the eunuchs arrive. Nuwa and Suyin wrap me in a blanket and two eunuchs lift me up on their shoulders and carry me away. Even though I know what will happen—Nuwa explained a bit more about the physical act, how it might hurt a bit—I suppose I can't help but be nervous about lying with a man for the first time.\n\nEspecially a man I did not choose.\n\nThe prince continually comes unbidden to my mind. I try to shake the vision of his face from my memory, but it always comes back. And when I think about having to lie with the emperor, I remember how much I wanted to be with the prince. It feels…dishonest somehow to be going to the bed of another man when I only have feelings for the prince.\n\nBut I have no choice. The eunuchs finally set me down on a bed and I hear them shuffle away. A hand reaches up and unfolds the blanket from my face and I start.\n\n\"Did I frighten you?\" the emperor asks.\n\n\"I didn't expect you to already be beside me,\" I say, and he smiles, opening the blanket a bit more.\n\n\"How do you like your new palace?\" he asks. \"Does it suit you?\"\n\n\"Yes. Your majesty is very generous.\" I don't know where I find the words to speak, but it feels strangely like talking to any man, not an all-powerful emperor.\n\nHe shifts on the bed and loosens the tie of his robe. My heart races and my mouth goes dry. I hope it does not take too long. He reaches up and strokes my cheek, much in the same way the prince did when we were standing by the lotus pond. My body pulses at the thought of him, but I force myself to look at the emperor. For the first time, I notice the similarities between the two men. The emperor is much older than Honghui, but they have the same eyes and nose.\n\nAs the emperor shifts closer to me, cupping my cheek and kissing me, I suddenly realize why some women might lie like a dead fish and try to pretend it isn't happening. I don't want this man touching me. I don't want to give myself to him. I don't know him! I only want Prince Honghui.\n\nBut I can't have him. He isn't my husband, my owner. The emperor is, and I must do my duty. I remind myself that the emperor paid a great price for me. A price that I pray helped save my family from poverty and starvation. I must do this.\n\nWhen the emperor kisses me again, I kiss him back. I know how, after all. The kisses come faster and grow more passionate, which surprises me. I hear him let out a low growl as he opens the blanket around me even more, exposing most of me.\n\nI let my body take control. It knows what to do.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ing is uneventful and I am more than ready to get out of the carriage and stretch my legs when it finally stops shaking me back and forth, rattling my very bones. But when we step out, I see we are not in front of my palace.\n\n\"Why have we stopped here?\" I ask.\n\n\"This is your new home, my lady,\" Suyin says. \"A palace all your own, as befitting your new rank.\"\n\nI am taken aback by this. I suppose a part of me had hoped that the emperor—and everyone else—would forget about the rank thing and let me go back to living my life of obscurity. But, apparently, that is not meant to be.\n\nI step through the door and see that the palace is not much larger than the last one, but it is all open—all for me. Far more space than I could possibly need. A reception area, a sitting room, a bedroom, a separate dressing room! I think about the years my family spent huddled together in one small room and shake my head. I can only hope they have found larger, more comfortable lodgings. I wish there was some way of knowing.\n\nThree maids and two eunuchs enter the front door and kneel down in front of me.\n\n\"We are honored to serve Lady Lihua,\" one of the maids, the eldest of the three, says. She appears to be in her late thirties or early forties. This surprises me since most maids are quite young, too young to yet marry. I suppose this woman never had an offer of marriage.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" I ask, looking at Suyin.\n\n\"You now need more servants, befitting—\"\n\n\"Befitting my rank,\" I say with an annoyed sigh. What am I supposed to do with seven servants? I'm still only one person. I look to Jinhai, who is apparently reading my mind as he gives me a small nod. I must now pay for seven servants from my allowance. I suppose Jinhai and Suyin are also deserving of a raise, considering I would never have been elevated without them.\n\n\"So, what are we all to do now?\" I ask. I really have no idea what they are supposed to do all day.\n\n\"You must be tired from your journey, my lady,\" the older woman says. \"I'll draw you a bath.\"\n\n\"We will unpack your things,\" the younger maids offer.\n\nThis all seems reasonable to me, but I have no idea what the eunuchs are supposed to do. I look to Jinhai.\n\n\"You are in charge of them,\" I tell Jinhai. \"Do what you will.\"\n\nHe gives me a nod. \"Yes, my lady.\"\n\nI am about to go to my new bedroom to undress when it is announced that Fiyanggu has arrived at my door. When he steps in, all the servants bow to him, and in his turn he bows to me.\n\n\"How are you settling in, my lady?\" he asks. \"Is everything to your satisfaction?\"\n\nOf course everything is not to my satisfaction. It is too much! Far more than I could ever need. But to say such would undoubtedly hurt his feelings and make me appear ungrateful. I give a smile and nod.\n\n\"Yes, of course. Thank you.\"\n\n\"You are truly blessed, my lady,\" he says. \"The emperor has requested your company tonight.\"\n\n\"What?\" I feel sick. Frightened. Why is this happening?\n\nThe maids all jump up and begin squealing. I suppose I should be excited as well. Believe myself fortunate. But all I want to do is cry. Hide. I try to force a small smile, but have to fight back tears.\n\n\"Are you sure he has asked for me?\" I ask, hoping there has been a mistake. \"There must be dozens of ladies of higher rank than I who are more deserving.\"\n\n\"The emperor made his wishes quite clear,\" Fiyanggu says. \"He did not even draw your name, but asked for you specifically.\"\n\nThere is no getting out of it then. He knows my name. Knows who I am. My plan to hide in obscurity has failed. So what do I do now?\n\n\"I will return at the hour of the pig to convey you to his majesty's bed-chamber. Your maids should know how to prepare you accordingly.\"\n\nSuyin gives a small bow and tells him that she knows what to do. She then walks him to the door as they talk about the details, but I can't hear them. Nor do I care. I know there is no way out, so I will just have to suffer through it.\n\n\"No need to be frightened, my dear,\" the older maid says as she tasks my hand. I hadn't noticed I was shaking until now. \"One of the reasons I was selected to serve you was to prepare you for tonight.\"\n\n\"Prepare me?\" I ask, growing nervous about what that is going to entail.\n\n\"Come,\" she says as she leads me to the bathing room. She moves to help me undress, but I pull back. I should be used to servants dressing and undressing me by now, seeing me naked. But this woman is a complete stranger to me.\n\n\"What is your name?\" I ask her, hoping that a little more familiarity might help.\n\n\"Nuwa, my lady,\" she says.\n\nI nod. After a few calming breaths, I look away as I let her undress me and help me crawl into the bath. As another maid scrubs my body and hair, Nuwa sits at the other end. \"Do you know what will happen tonight? What it means to be the emperor's bedmate?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" I say. I had four younger sisters. I know where they came from. Nuwa seems surprised at this for a moment, but then nods. \"Good. That will make things easier. At the appointed hour, we will wrap you in a blanket and his majesty's eunuchs will carry you to his bed.\"\n\n\"Wrapped in a blanket?\" I ask.\n\n\"Only a blanket,\" she says. I'm stunned for a moment. I'm to be carried naked wrapped in a blanket to spend the night with the emperor. How ridiculous! I then have a sudden memory of seeing eunuchs carrying such wrapped parcels across palace grounds and burst out laughing. I thought they were just taking bedding or rugs to be cleaned! I had no idea a woman was wrapped inside.\n\n\"Why do you laugh?\" she asks, and I see that she is genuinely surprised by my reaction.\n\n\"Does it not sound very silly to you?\" I ask. \"Why can I not just go to him in my nightdress in a palanquin or something? It would certainly be more dignified.\"\n\n\"It is for the emperor's protection,\" she says, and know I look confused. \"If you were wearing clothes, you could conceal a weapon and do the emperor harm.\"\n\nI am now even more confused. \"Why would I carry a weapon?\"\n\n\"I am sure you would never do such a thing,\" she says. \"B", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Help complete this text by providing around 981 characters in total where you see the `[original_content_missing]`.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The emperor must find me pleasing because he sends for me several more times in the coming weeks. And the following day, he always sends gifts—including cash. According to Jinhai, we have not needed to use any of my regular allowance to pay my expenses thanks to the extra gifts from the emperor.\n\nIt's not a bad way to earn a living. Hadn't I at one time considered selling myself to a brothel? Not that I consider what I am doing now prostitution. I am the emperor's wife, after all. He is simply a far more generous husband than most.\n\nOccasionally, the prince still comes to my mind. But I know I have to push him away. There is no room for three in the emperor's bed.\n\n\"Join me today,\" the emperor says one morning as I rise to leave his bed-chamber.\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"Wear the gown I sent you yesterday,\" he says. \"The blue one with the cranes. I have to meet with a lot of important people today—boring important people. It will bring a little joy to my day to have you beside me.\"\n\nI am surprised by this, and not a little delighted. My daily life is so monotonous, it will be a welcome change. I can't suppress the smile that crosses my face, nor would I want to. The emperor walks over and taps my nose.\n\n\"Besides, I would like to show you off. It never hurts to make those below me a bit jealous.\"\n\n\"Why would they be jealous that you have me? I'm nothing special.\"\n\nThe emperor chuckles. \"Go on. Get dressed. I'll send a sedan chair for you after you greet the empress.\"\n\nI bow and back out of the room. I wrap my robe around myself and slide my feet into my slippers. I might arrive naked, but when I leave I am allowed to wear some clothes and am carried back to my palace in a sedan chair. It's far more dignified and I feel much less self-conscious when I leave the emperor's palace than when I arrive.\n\nAfter being bathed and dressed in my own palace, I walk to the empress's audience hall. Along the way, I spy Wangli and Yanmei and wave at them. They give me small waves back but make no attempt to approach me, so I go to them. When I get close, they each bend their knees and bow their heads. Now that I am ranked above them, they are supposed to show me extra respect, but it makes me terribly uncomfortable.\n\n\"Good morning, Lady Lihua,\" they say.\n\n\"Please, you don't have to do that,\" I tell them. \"We are old friends, aren't we?\"\n\n\"I'm afraid we must,\" Wangli says as she and Yanmei stand up. \"If anyone thought we were being disrespectful, we could be punished.\"\n\nSadly, I know she is right. From the corner of my eye, I can see other concubines and consorts watching us closely, whispering behind their hands. I step closer to my friends so I can speak in a lower voice.\n\n\"Will you please visit me soon? I miss you both so much.\"\n\nThey look at each other and then their faces soften at me.\n\n\"We have been rather unkindly lately,\" Yanmei says. \"And jealousy is a most unbecoming feature in a woman. Why don't we have lunch together, then I can show you the paintings I've been working on.\"\n\nI'm so excited I nearly accept right away, but then I remember that the emperor wanted me by his side today and my face falls.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I can't today,\" I say.\n\n\"Why not?\" Wangli asks. \"Are you very busy during the day as well?\"\n\n\"The emperor wants me by his side during audiences today…to keep him from being too bored.\"\n\nWangli's eyes narrow and Yanmei looks near to tears.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything,\" I try, but Wangli is not having any of it. She grabs Yanmei's arm and tugs her away toward the empress's audience hall. I try not to notice the other women staring and laughing.\n\n\"Ignore them,\" Suyin says. \"She is only punishing herself by eating vinegar.\"\n\nI know Suyin is right. There is no reason for anyone to be jealous of me. I am the favorite today, but tomorrow it could be someone else. Even now, the emperor does not see me exclusively. I know that on nights he does not send for me he has sent for another woman. And I didn't ask for this. Wangli knows that. Does she forget how we met? When she was weeping in my garden, just as sad as I was at being chosen. I wonder what has changed to make her so jealous.\n\nI am so lost in my thoughts, I don't realize that I almost step in front of Lady An, but Suyin pulls me back—but not before Lady An notices.\n\n\"How dare you try to walk in front of me?\" Lady An snaps. I drop down to one knee.\n\n\"I am so sorry, Lady An. I did not see you. I would never knowingly disrespect you.\"\n\n\"You should be punished for your insolence!\" she says, stomping her foot, and my heart races. It is within her right to punish me, and the punishments meted out within the harem can be severe, from the loss of servants or a palace or even a physical beating. I am not sure why Lady An is so angry with me, but I dare not ask.\n\n\"I humble myself before you, my lady,\" I say. \"I'm sure you are right.\"\n\n\"What is going on?\" I look up and see that the empress has stepped out of the audience hall and walked to us.\n\n\"This concubine insulted me!\" Lady An says. \"She needs to be punished.\"\n\n\"It was an accident,\" I try to explain to the empress. \"I did not see her. But that does not excuse my disrespect, and I am truly sorry.\"\n\n\"See!\" Lady An says. \"The concubine admits it!\"\n\n\"She is not a concubine,\" the empress says, her voice even. \"She's a consort.\"\n\n\"A rank four,\" Lady An says, and I can hear her voice wavering. \"She owes me her respect.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" the empress says. \"I will take care of her.\"\n\nI feel faint. The empress could even have me put to death if my transgression was serious enough. What I did was not bad enough for that, I am sure, but still, she could make my life very difficult.\n\n\"Inside, everyone,\" the empress announces. \"I shall deal with her later,\" she tells Lady An. Lady An stammers and stomps her foot again, but she then does as the empress orders and takes her place within the audience hall. Suyin pulls me to my feet.\n\n\"What was that about?\" she mutters. I shake my head.\n\n\"I have no idea,\" I say. \"Could she possibly be jealous too? But she is a rank three. The mother of the emperor's daughter.\"\n\nSuyin shakes her head. \"But he has not called her to his bed for years,\" she whispers.\n\n\"Years?\" I ask, bewildered. Suyin nods and leads me to my seat, which has been moved closer to the empress—as befitting my station. I can see Lady An from here, and the way her lips are pressed together tightly.\n\nYears? I don't understand it. If she fell pregnant once, she could do so again. She is also a rank three. It is his duty to give her precedence. Why would the emperor neglect her so?\n\nWe all greet the empress, the dowager, and then Lady An. I do my best to avoid her gaze. After the empress dismisses us, she orders me to stay behind. When everyone else is gone, I kneel before her.\n\n\"I await your decision, your majesty,\" I say.\n\n\"Do not worry,\" the empress says. \"I have no plan to punish you. Your offense was an accident, I know.\"\n\n\"Thank you, your majesty,\" I say, tears escaping my eyes. The empress stands up.\n\n\"Walk[original_content_missing]ays. I drop to my knees.\n\n\"You are truly the most blessed among women. I pray for the health of yourself and the emperor's son.\" One must always assume a child is a boy in order to persuade the gods to make it so.\n\nThe empress motions for me to stand. \"During my pregnancy and confinement, the emperor may not touch me,\" she says, and I nod. \"It is important to me that he is well taken care of by someone I can trust until my return. Are you that person?\"\n\nI am not exactly sure what she is asking of me, but I have no choice but to agree.\n\n\"Good,\" she says. \"I also will need competent women by my side during this time. The emperor has insisted you be among those chosen.\"\n\n\"The emperor has spoken too highly of me,\" I say. \"I am just a stupid, common girl.\"\n\n\"Perhaps,\" she says. \"But it never hurts to have those whom the emperor holds dear close to myself as well.\"\n\n\"I shall serve you both to the best of my abilities,\" I say.\n\n\"Good,\" the empress says. She nods and I see that the sedan chair bearers have followed us at a distance. \"The emperor is waiting for you.\"\n\n\"Thank you, your majesty,\" I say as I back away. Suyin helps me into the sedan chair and the windows are closed.\n\nIt would seem my plan to stay hidden and anonymous has utterly failed. I have not only caught the attention of the emperor, but the empress as well. I will have to be extra careful not to give myself away. I really do hope the empress has a son. Perhaps then the emperor will return to paying her attention and forget about me. After all, if she can give birth to one son, she can have another.\n\nMy own stomach feels a bit queasy as I consider the possibility that I could fall pregnant as well, especially if the emperor spends more time with me while the empress is in her confinement. What would I do then? It would be truly terrible. Everyone would know my name. My \"family\" would be honored. But the child wouldn't even be Manchu.\n\nThis is the secret knowledge that worries me the most. As much as I despise the Manchu, I cannot deny that the emperor is the chosen emissary of the gods. The Son of Heaven. Surely the gods would not want Han blood defiling the royal family.\n\nAnd yet I am here. I share the emperor's bed. Is that not offensive enough? If anyone ever found out who I truly was, they would be horrified. Disgusted.\n\nFor a moment, I think I forgot that I was not Manchu. I have had to wear their clothes and practice their customs for months now. I have been so convincing, I even fooled myself for a while. But I cannot forget who I am, where I came from. I don't belong here. I am not one of them. The sooner the emperor forgets about me, the better.\n\nBy the time the sedan chair stops and the flap is opened, any excitement I might have felt about accompanying the emperor today has fled and has instead filled my stomach with bile.\n\nBut the hand I hold to climb out of the chair is not Jinhai's or Suyin's. It is larger and warmer.\n\n\"Lihua,\" Prince Honghui says, giving me that arrogant, self-assured smile.\n\nCould this day have gotten any more precarious?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " with me,\" she commands. I get to my feet and follow behind her out of the audience hall. We go past the sedan chair that I know the emperor sent for me, but I cannot disobey the empress any more than I can disobey him. The empress motions for the servants to stay back so we may converse privately.\n\n\"The emperor tells me that you have served him well,\" the empress says, and I blush. Do they really speak of such private matters?\n\n\"I have done my best, your majesty,\" I say.\n\n\"You must realize that this is only a temporary situation, do you not?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" I say. \"I am grateful for the favor he has shown to me, but I am only one consort of many. I have no expectations of him.\"\n\n\"Good,\" she says. We stop next to a lotus pond and she lays a hand on her stomach. \"Because things are sure to change dramatically around here.\"\n\nIt takes me a moment to realize how round her stomach is under her thick autumn robe.\n\n\"Majesty…\" I say. \"Are you with child again?\"\n\n\"I am,\" she s", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "help with this chapter? 56 sentences more sentences, Zoey Gong-style, historical fiction, historical romance, China genre. some context might be from earlier", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I jerk my hand back. \"What are you doing here?\"\n\n\"I'm to escort you inside,\" he says. \"The emperor is already holding audiences.\"\n\nI grumble to myself as I place my hand in his and he helps me from the sedan chair. He then continues holding my had as he leads me inside the audience hall—to keep me steady on my shoes, of course.\n\n\"It is quite an honor,\" Honghui says, \"that the emperor would have you stand behind him today. You have certainly grown in his estimation.\"\n\n\"I am only his favorite for today,\" I say. \"I've done nothing special.\"\n\n\"You do realize that the more you act like you don't need my brother, the more he will want you,\" he says.\n\nI wrinkle my nose. \"What do you mean?\"\n\nHe chuckles. \"To be a concubine or consort is the highest position in the land for a woman. Almost any woman would die to be in your position. The ones who are fortunate enough to be chosen continue to work toward his favor in hopes of having the emperor's son. He has never had to work to gain the affections of a woman—except the empress, I suppose. But you, you act as though none of this matters to you. The emperor's favor means nothing to you. You have given him a challenge for once. He is having to actually seduce you.\"\n\nI wonder if the prince is speaking earnestly or teasing me. Why would the emperor—the most powerful man in the country—care a bit about my feelings for him?\n\n\"Are you teasing me?\" I ask. \"Certainly the emperor doesn't care about my feelings. What am I?\"\n\nThe prince chuckles again. \"Believe me, I know men. And my brother is still just a man in many ways.\"\n\n\"So…what should I do?\" I ask.\n\nHis steps slow and he looks at me as if I had just asked him an impossible riddle. \"You…really don't want his favor? You aren't just playing some game with his affections?\"\n\n\"No,\" I say plainly. \"I never wanted it.\"\n\nHe stops and looks at me, rubbing his jaw as he regards me. \"Because of me?\"\n\nI almost bark a laugh but catch myself as his eyes bore into mine. I feel a weakness in my knees, a desire that I never feel when I am with the emperor. I have to wonder if sharing a bed with the prince would be far more pleasurable.\n\n\"You aren't making things easy,\" I manage to say, but it is nearly a whisper.\n\nWe look at each other for a moment more before the prince finally looks away. I can't help but see a pain on his face. Regret, I think.\n\nHe clears his throat. \"There is nothing you can do,\" he says. \"You…you are the emperor's woman and must do as he wills.\"\n\n\"I know,\" I say, wondering why he is stating a cold fact that I have known since I first stepped into the Forbidden City.\n\nThe prince takes my arm again and gives me that carefree smile he usually carries on his face. \"Come.\"\n\nIt is only when I finally look away from him that I notice the grandeur of the audience hall I am in. It is a palace unto itself, with long wide corridors leading off into an infinite number of rooms. The ceilings are high, supported by tall, red pillars. I have never been in this building before. Since it is outside of the inner court, women are forbidden from entering this area without permission from the emperor.\n\nWe come to two large doors, and eunuchs on either side open them as we approach. I have to stifle a gasp when I see the actual audience hall. The floor is polished marble that shines so brightly, I think it must be like walking on ice. There is a raised dais on which a large golden throne sits. There are stairs up the front and both sides of the dais. Behind the emperor is a thin silk screen. Behind the screen and set lower than the emperor's throne are two smaller thrones. The empress dowager sits on one, the other is empty. I suppose it must be where the empress sits when she is invited.\n\nThere are dozens of men present, more men than I've seen since entering the Forbidden City. Each is dressed in a fine robe with crests embroidered on the front. They all have long queues and wear tasseled hats. I see several of them look my way. I don't like the feeling of being the center of attention and look away.\n\nAs I approach the dais, my eyes are drawn upward to an enormous golden dragon with a pearl in its mouth.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I have to hesitate as I look at it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seems to me that the pearl could easily slip out of the dragon's fangs and crush the emperor. But then I think how silly that must be. Surely the emperor would not sit below something dangerous. When the emperor sees me, he gives a small smile and nod, and I cannot help but blush at his attention. Seeing him here, among such splendor, set above all other men, he truly seems to be the Son of Heaven.\n\nThe prince leads me up the side stairs to the empty throne behind the screen next to the empress dowager. The dowager looks at me, but she does not smile or nod. She looks away, sitting up a little straighter.\n\n\"You must stand here,\" the prince whispers to me. I nod, understanding that it would be inappropriate for a mere concubine to take the empress's throne, even in her absence. The prince then walks away, and I see Suyin and Jinhai take their places behind the dais. Now what? I wonder to myself.\n\nI hear a name announced and a man approaches the throne. He kowtows to the emperor. Once the emperor acknowledges him, he sits up and begins speaking to the emperor about some trade issues with a place called Chosan. The man and the emperor talk for a bit, then the emperor says he will write to the king of Chosan personally. I think we must be done when another man is called forward, and the same procedure is followed. This happens again, and again, and again.\n\nEvery time a new person is called forward, I feel like I am going to topple over. My feet, legs, back, and neck are killing me. I have to pee. I glance to the dowager, who simply sits primly in her chair, paying me no mind, saying nothing. This cannot be what the emperor intended for me, is it? I am so bored and uncomfortable. I see several men inch their way around the dais to where they can see me, nodding appreciatively, making my skin crawl. I hate everything about this. Did the emperor think he was paying me an honor by inviting me here?\n\nFinally, an announcement is made, calling an end to the audiences for the day. Several men at the back of the room groan in frustration. I guess they came all this way for nothing and will have to return another day.\n\nThe emperor stands and stretches. He walks around the screen and speaks to his mother for a moment, but I cannot hear what they say. The emperor then comes to me, a wide grin on his face.\n\n\"What did you think?\" he asks, and I'm not sure what to say. \"Terribly boring, isn't it?\" I'm so surprised I can't help but laugh.\n\n\"Yes,\" I say. \"I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.\"\n\nHe chuckles and offers me his arm. \"Come. There is something I wish to discuss with you.\"\n\nI smile and nod, though I can't imagine what he might wish to talk with me about. We leave the audience hall and walk back to the inner court together, side by side, our servants following behind.\n\n\"My brother tells me that poverty has become an issue within Peking,\" he says, and my heart thumps in my chest. Surely the prince was not stupid enough to tell the emperor that we had conversed privately. \"He thinks that some of that could be alleviated by the ladies of the inner court. What do you think?\"\n\nI am stunned into silence for a moment, then I slowly nod. \"I cannot speak for all of the ladies, but I would be happy to give part of my allowance to help the poor. Your majesty is generous and gives me far more than I need.\"\n\n\"I think many of the ladies would object,\" he goes on. \"They enjoy their servants and silks.\"\n\n\"I would not want to force anyone to donate their allowance,\" I say. \"I know many of the girls use their money to support their families.\"\n\nThe emperor nods and is thoughtful for a moment. He then rubs his chin in a way that reminds me of his brother. \"I think this is a good idea. It is proper for such privileged people to help the less fortunate.\"\n\n\"Thank you, your majesty,\" I say.\n\n\"I will put you in charge of this,\" he says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lady An handles many of the financial aspects of the harem. I will inform her that I want this plan implemented. You can be in charge of collecting the donations from the other ladies.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 44 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This causes a lump to form in the pit of my stomach. Such a task would draw much attention to me, and there will certainly be ladies who object to the idea. It will, of course, be voluntary, but I am sure many ladies will feel pressured to contribute funds. I certainly do not need to be making any more enemies among the ladies.\n\n\"I…I…I am not sure I will have time for such a task,\" I say. \"The empress has asked me to attend her during her pregnancy.\"\n\nThe emperor nods. \"She has informed the inner court, then,\" he says.\n\n\"She has not announced it to everyone,\" I explain. \"She told me after our morning greetings. I wouldn't have known her condition if she hadn't told me. It is not apparent.\"\n\n\"I see,\" he says. \"Lady An can assist you in finding helpers,\" he says. \"And your own maids can help as well. Perhaps they can solicit the donations while you are attending the empress.\"\n\n\"I…suppose that could work,\" I say slowly, wracking my brain to come up with some excuse to distance myself from this task, but I can think of none. And as much as I don't want the attention, I am excited at the prospect of helping the people of the hutongs. My family might be gone, but there are thousands more just like them facing starvation and nakedness every day. My foot itches as I recall how, not very long ago, I was walking barefoot just beyond the palace walls. That seems a lifetime ago even though it was mere months.\n\n\"I will see it done,\" he says, then he turns to me. He lowers his face to mine and kisses me tenderly on the lips. \"I will send for you tonight.\"\n\nI nod sheepishly and I feel a blush on my cheeks. For the first time, I feel a real tenderness toward him. I realize that he sees me as more than a bedmate, more than a woman he is trying to impregnate. He asked my opinion. Asked for my assistance. And he doesn't know it, but he took my suggestion and acted upon it. For the first time, I feel like a real wife.\n\nThe emperor chucks me under the chin and then walks away, back toward the audience hall. I am sure his duties have no end during the day. I watch him go and see him pass his brother. He waves for Honghui to follow him, but instead, the prince looks back at me, giving me a knowing smile.\n\nI feel terrible guilt wash over me. The emperor has been so good to me, shown me nothing but kindness. He provides for me and has now given me a task to fill my empty days. He is a good man—a good husband.\n\nAnd I have already betrayed him.\n\nI have kissed another man. His own brother. I have felt lust and desire for Honghui. Let him touch me in intimate ways.\n\nI turn away from the prince, disgusted with myself, and rush back toward my own palace. I cannot deny my attraction to the prince. I am eternally grateful that he saved my life. But I cannot let those feelings overwhelm my common sense. I must stay away from the prince as much as possible lest I betray the emperor further and risk deadly consequences.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "same energy as Zoey Gong, keep writing. story might have ongoing elements", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(ooc) Mandatory: Your text must contain 'night' 2 times exactly (ooc)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Massage my feet,\" Empress Caihong says to me, and I do my best not to wrinkle my nose at the idea of the task.\n\nThough, to be fair, massaging the empress's feet is a far less gross task than unbinding, washing, and rebinding my mother's feet every night back home. Mama had the tiniest, most lovely feet. Perfect little lotus flowers. Honestly, with feet like that, I'm surprised she married so low. But in order to maintain the shape that had been created when she was a child, the feet had to remain bound with strips of silk for the rest of her life. The wrappings would make the feet sweaty and sometimes break out in pus or blood if she tried walking too much. We could not afford to buy her new silk wrappings very often, so we had to wash and reuse the same bindings every night for as long as possible. I used a tiny pair of sewing scissors to keep her toenails short so they would not grow into the ball of her foot, which could cause more pain and leave the foot open to infection.\n\nStill, as arduous as the task was, it was one of my favorite parts of the day. The repetition of it was soothing, and it was the time of day when I had Mama all to myself. With four sisters, time alone with my mother was rare indeed.\n\nIt is this memory that I hold in my mind as I remove the empress's silk slippers—it is too dangerous for her to walk on pot-bottom shoes while pregnant—and press my thumbs into her soles and squeeze her ankles, which seem to be a bit swollen.\n\n\"Refresh my tea,\" she tells a maid.\n\n\"Can you adjust my pillows,\" she says to another consort she has tasked with attending her.\n\nThe empress is not unkind in her demands, there are simply a lot of them. Her every whim must be seen to, no matter how small. She cannot do anything for herself lest she tax her body too much and lose the baby. I know how important the baby is—especially if it is a boy—but I am not sure complete bed rest is healthy.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother carried five successful pregnancies while working as much as possible.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, where I grew up, no woman was privileged enough to lie in bed for months on end to grow a baby.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "They had to work, doing embroidery if nothing else, and still care for their husbands and other children.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "For the upcoming response: keep quoted text at about 15%", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As I look at the empress's fat ankles and cheeks that are a bit more round than before, I worry about the weight she might be gaining. Though, I am sure the royal physician knows best, and he pampers her as much as anyone.\n\nWe all get to our feet and then kneel as Lady An, the third-rank consort, arrives with her and the empress's daughters in tow. The little princesses are so darling with wide eyes and their long black hair allowed to hang down around their shoulders. They are each dressed in the finest silk outfits and wear silver bracelets. Lady An's daughter seems to be around six years old, while Caihong's daughter is around four. They kneel before the empress.\n\n\"Good morning, Mother. We wish you and our little brother good health.\"\n\n\"My darlings!\" Caihong says, holding her hand out to them. \"Come, sit with me. Maybe you will feel your brother move.\"\n\nThe girls both climb up onto the bed and put their hands on the empress's stomach. It reminds me of how I would touch my mother's stomach and feel each of my sisters moving around inside.\n\n\"Such strength this one has,\" Baba would say when he felt the kicks. \"It is surely the son we have been praying for.\" Of course, it never was a son. Still, my eyes mist a bit at the memories as I watch the empress with her daughters. The scene seems to affect everyone, as we look at each other with smiles and tears.\n\nBut Lady An seems to be the most affected. The woman has always been thin, her cheeks sunken.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But now, she looks to be little more than a skeleton. She clenches her teeth, setting her jaw tight, as she watches. She turns away and walks toward one of the latticed windows and looks out. She takes a few deep, shuddering breaths before turning back to the empress.\n\nI am never sure what to make of Lady An. I know she would be a beauty if she took better care of her health. She is the third-highest-ranking woman in the harem after the empress and the dowager. She has a huge palace with lots of servants and a large allowance. She has a child of her own. Yet, she seems to be the most miserable among women.\n\nI follow Lady An's gaze toward the empress and wonder if the fact that Empress Caihong is considered Lady An's daughter's mother has something to do with it. There is nothing unique in this, and Chinese families follow the same custom. A man can only ever have one wife while the other women he takes into his home are concubines, the sole purpose of which is to help the family have as many children as possible. The concubines are little more than property, so the children belong to the husband and wife. Usually, the concubine and wife raise the children together. After all, in a large family with many children, the wife needs as much help as possible. And, of course, the concubine will nurse her child for several years. The wife has the final say in how the children should be educated and in arranging their marriages, however, as is her right as mother. As a concubine myself, if I were to fall pregnant, I know I would have to submit to the empress when it came to how the child would be raised.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "That is the way of things.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I have, of course, heard of cruel wives who take the children from the concubine and forbid her from even seeing her child.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I think this is quite rare.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The empress has not done this to Lady An.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In fact, from my observations, it is Lady An who takes charge of the children more than the empress since she is so busy with managing the harem. So why does she now look at the empress with such…anger? Malice? Hurt? I can't quite make out her expression other than know it is not love or adoration the way the other women look at her.\n\nBut perhaps she is not looking at the children at all, but the empress's pregnant belly. Is she jealous that the empress is pregnant again? I can understand that. I personally am not jealous since I don't want even more attention on me. But for most other women here, their only dream in life is to have a son. To see the empress, the woman with the most honors, who spends the most nights with the emperor already, blessed with a second child when all the others except Lady An have none, it must cut them to the core. It is quite strange that the emperor should have more wives than any other man in the country but so few children. I can't understand it. But Caihong is the empress. I think that if any woman was able to give the emperor a son it should be her by right. She is the Daughter of Heaven, after all.\n\nI am about to go to Lady An to… I don't know. Pat her on the shoulder? Offer her some cold comfort? I have no idea, only that she seems too distressed to ignore. But I stop when I hear a eunuch announce that the dowager has arrived.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We all fall to our knees again, even the little princesses, except for the empress, who sits up proudly in her bed.\n\n\"Good day, Mother,\" Caihong says. \"What brings you here today?\"\n\nThe dowager wears a thunderous expression on her face, as if the empress has greatly offended her. \"What are you doing?\" she demands.\n\nThe empress looks confused. \"What is wrong?\"\n\n\"Why haven't you cut your hair?\" the dowager asks. \"You are selfish to steal vitality from the emperor's baby.\"\n\nI have no idea what the dowager is talking about and wonder if it is a Manchu custom. But the empress—and the other ladies—seem just as bewildered as I am.\n\n\"That is…such an outdated belief,\" Caihong says. \"If the physician thought it necessary, he would have told me so.\"\n\n\"The doctor is a man,\" the dowager spits. \"What does he know of childbirth? Are you stupid?\"\n\nThe empress gapes like a fish, opening and closing her mouth as she grasps for a response. I have seen the way the dowager looks down her nose at the empress at almost all times, but this is the first time I have heard her use such cutting language. I thought the dowager would be happy that the empress is pregnant again and coddle her the way the rest of us do. But that seems not to be the case.\n\n\"I…I will cut it at once, Mother,\" the empress finally says, and I hear some of the other ladies gasp.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't know any woman who has ever cut her hair other than as an absolute necessity…and I can't remember any specific instances of that ever being the case. Nuns shave their heads, but that is a completely different situation as only widows are allowed to be nuns.\n\n\"See that you do,\" the dowager says, then she turns to Lady An. \"Bring the girls. It is time for their lessons.\"\n\n\"Yes, your highness,\" Lady An says with a bow. \"Come along, girls.\" The princesses sulk away, looking back at the empress longingly, who I can see is doing her best not to cry. As soon as they are gone, we all rise to our feet and silently wait for orders from the empress. It takes the empress a long moment to collect herself enough to speak.\n\n\"Lihua,\" she finally says, her voice quiet. \"There are scissors in my embroidery basket. Get them and take them to the kitchen to be sharpened.\"\n\nI hesitate. I can't believe she is actually going to do it. All of us, maids and ladies, exchange glances, unsure of what to do.\n\n\"Was I unclear?\" the empress snaps, and I go to the basket to look for the scissors.\n\n\"My lady,\" I hear her closest maid say in a low voice, \"you cannot go through this with this. The dowager is being unreasonable. If you send for the emperor—\"\n\n\"Ask the emperor to intercede in a harem issue?\" the empress asks, aghast. \"Are you insane?\"\n\n\"But…my lady—\" the maid tries again, but the empress refuses to listen.\n\n\"Do as I say!\" she yells. I find the scissors, which already seem exceptionally sharp to me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But, not wanting to upset her further, which seems more of a danger to the child than long hair to me, I bow my way out of the room and outside.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suyin follows after me, since I cannot go anywhere alone.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where…where is the kitchen?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I ask, realizing I have no idea where it is. Why would I?\n\n\"This way,\" Suyin says, taking a narrow path in the opposite direction I was heading.\n\n\"But why hasn't the emperor sent for me?\" I hear a voice say. I stop and peek around a bush and see Lady An and the dowager conversing while the princesses feed fish in a pond. I know I shouldn't be listening, but I can't help myself when I hear my own name mentioned.\n\n\"I am doing my best,\" the dowager says. \"But he is obsessed with that Lihua girl.\"\n\nI look to Suyin, who I think will tell me that we need to walk away, but instead, she holds a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.\n\n\"So is the empress,\" Lady An says. \"Why? What am I doing wrong?\"\n\n\"Nothing, my dear,\" the dowager replies using a voice kinder than I've heard her use before. \"Caihong is simply jealous of you. She always has been. Ever since you fell pregnant first and were elevated.\"\n\n\"She's ruined my life,\" Lady An says through sniffles. \"The emperor has never called me back to his bed since my daughter's birth. It must be her fault.\"\n\n\"Of course it is,\" the dowager says. \"She has much sway over who the emperor favors with his attentions. The fault lies with her, it always has.\"\n\nI find this strange since it is not what Jinhai has told me about who is selected as the emperor's bedmate. I will have to ask him about it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What am I to do?\" Lady An asks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't worry,\" the dowager says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Her days are numbered. If the child is a girl, he will surely put the empress aside in favor of someone else. In favor of you, as the next highest-ranking woman in the harem.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But what if the child is a boy?\" Lady An asks.\n\n\"Then we will be glad of it,\" the empress says.\n\nThey are both quiet for a moment, and I wish I could see their faces. It sounds as if neither of them wants the baby to be a boy. But why? I can't understand it.\n\n\"Come,\" the empress says. \"I am going to see my son now. Bring the girls. He will be happy to see you, I'm sure.\"\n\nI hear them walk away, but I remain hidden for another few moments to make sure none of their attendants see me.\n\n\"How strange!\" I say to Suyin as we continue our walk to the kitchen. \"Does the dowager favor Lady An over the empress?\"\n\n\"I am not sure,\" Suyin says. \"We will have to ask Jinhai about it.\"\n\nWe continue our walk to the kitchen and back in silence. I am uneasy carrying such sharp blades while wearing pot-bottom shoes. It would be far too easy to trip and impale myself, so Suyin carries them back for me.\n\nBack at the empress's palace, I hand the scissors to the empress. She holds them in her hands warily, like an animal she is not sure will bite or not.\n\n\"Go,\" she says after a long moment.\n\n\"My lady?\" her maid asks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All of you, go! Except for Delun.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Delun is her chief eunuch and hairdresser. The rest of us bow our way out of the palace and then stand around awkwardly, wondering if she is going to call us back or if we should return to our own homes. But no one leaves. So, we will wait here, no matter how long it may be.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "74 sentences sentences. same character feel. historical fiction, historical romance, China stuff.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's beautiful,\" I say as I admire a pale-green vase the emperor has given me. \"Is it made from jade?\"\n\nThe emperor laughs. \"No, silly girl. If it were carved from jade it would be much heavier than that. It's ceramic, but it is made with a special glaze called qingci to give it that beautiful green color. A little old-fashioned, I know, but I think jade is one of the most perfect colors in the world. Wouldn't you agree?\"\n\nI nod as I turn the vase in my hands, admiring the tiny cracks in the glaze that give the vase its character. Jade is beautiful, and highly prized. Instead of naming me Biyu, green jade, like many other girls, my father named me Daiyu, black jade. When I asked him why he named me after such an ugly rock, he said it was because black jade was far more rare, and thus more precious. I learned to love my name after that, and I sorely miss it now. Even after all these months, a part of me still twitches whenever someone calls me Lihua.\n\n\"It gives me great joy to see you happy,\" the emperor says. \"Is there anything you need? More money? New jewels for your hair?\"\n\nI shake my head, but then something comes to mind. \"I…I just have a question, if you don't mind.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" he says. \"Anything.\"\n\nIt still takes me a moment to gather my courage. \"It's about Lady An,\" I finally say. The emperor frowns and turns away from me. \"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything.\"\n\n\"What about her?\" he asks. \"Is she bothering you?\"\n\n\"No,\" I say. \"Nothing like that. But I see how sad she is, how thin she has gotten. Perhaps it would do her heart good if you were to invite her to your bed.\"\n\nThe emperor shakes his head. \"I never liked that girl. So quiet, so timid. When she is in my bed, I might as well be making love to a pillow for all the response she gives me.\"\n\nI'm a bit shocked by the emperor's words, but then I remember what my maid, Nuwa, told me the first night I was summoned to the emperor's bed. The emperor preferred girls who were… What was the word she used? Enthusiastic, not a cold fish. I wonder if she was thinking about Lady An when she told me that.\n\n\"I will never understand how she came to be with child,\" the emperor goes on. \"I only slept with her once.\"\n\nThis takes me back. It can happen after only one time? I've lost track of how many times I've been in the emperor's bed. I don't think I'm pregnant. I don't feel any different. But I suppose it could happen at any time.\n\n\"I'm sure she was just intimidated by your presence,\" I say. \"Perhaps if you gave her another chance—\" He waves me off. \"I only mean that, since she fell pregnant once, she could again. And perhaps give you a son.\"\n\n\"Is that what you are worried about?\" he asks. \"Are you afraid you aren't going to give me a son?\"\n\n\"Not…afraid…\" I say, trying to explain myself. \"But… Well, I haven't yet. I'm sorry.\" I'm not sorry, I'm just not sure what else to say.\n\n\"Do I make you unhappy?\" the emperor asks, narrowing his eyes at me.\n\n\"No!\" I say, wondering what gave him that impression.\n\n\"Do you not want me to call you to my bed anymore?\"\n\n\"Of course I want to be here,\" I say, growing afraid. I mean, if he did stop summoning me, I wouldn't mind. But I certainly don't want him to be angry with me.\n\n\"Then, what is it?\" he asks. \"Why would you push another woman, one I despise, at me so forcefully?\"\n\nI don't think that asking a simple question, making such a small suggestion, was me being forceful at all. But I guess I have overstepped my bounds.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I say, tearing up. \"I… The other ladies…\" I'm just not sure what to say!\n\n\"Oh,\" the emperor says, nodding his head. \"I see.\"\n\n\"You…you do?\"\n\n\"The other women in the harem, Lady An especially I suppose, are jealous of you,\" he says. \"Is that it?\"\n\nI nod slowly. I don't want to get any of the other ladies in the harem in trouble. But it is true that Lady An is jealous of me.\n\nThe emperor is thoughtful for a moment. \"It is good of you to want to keep peace in the harem. Caihong usually makes sure of that, but I know she cannot keep an eye on everything as she usually does. She told me that she thought Lady An would do a good job managing the harem in her place, but I suppose that is not the case.\"\n\nI open my mouth to protest but then close it again. I've already said far too much.\n\n\"I will speak to my mother about it,\" he says. \"Other than Lady An, I'm not sure who else has the experience necessary to manage things. I will ask her opinion.\"\n\nThe dowager! She favors Lady An for some reason. If the emperor tells her that I accused Lady An of being jealous, she might turn on me even more.\n\n\"Please don't mention my name,\" I blurt out. \"I mean, if she thinks that I accused Lady An of…of being unkind to me, she might think I was the one trying to cause discord among the ladies.\"\n\n\"Don't worry,\" the emperor says, kissing me on the forehead. \"I know how to handle my mother.\"\n\nI nod but doubt his words.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't think the emperor really knows what it is like living the harem. And why would he? Whenever he visits, we are all smiles and kindness. No one would want the emperor to think any of us were unhappy. I have no doubt that the dowager will suspect I was the one behind the emperor's doubts of Lady An. I was stupid to say anything.\n\n\"How is the collection of funds for the poor coming along?\" the emperor asks.\n\n\"Very well,\" I say with a nod. I don't tell him that the vast majority of money I have saved has been my own. I dismissed all of my servants except for Suyin, Jinhai, and Nuwa. I still don't think I need two maidservants, but Nuwa has been in the palace a long time and has been very helpful to me. I think it is wise to keep her with me.\n\nThe money I saved from not having to pay their salaries, I have set aside to be donated. I have also requested less food and sold some embroidery. Suyin has mentioned my fundraising efforts only to the maids she knows well, and they have told her which ladies would be agreeable to donate as well. But that has not been very many. I think only three other ladies have donated, and it has been a pittance. I know I need to try harder, but I don't have the courage.\n\n\"Good,\" the emperor says. \"Come, speak to Honghui about it. He will know better than I what to do next since it was all his idea.\"\n\n\"What?\" I ask, trotting along behind him as quickly as I can. I've gotten far more nimble on my pot-bottom shoes than I ever thought possible.\n\nWe leave the emperor's bed-chamber and he leads me to a large sitting room where his brother, Honghui, is already waiting. I give the prince a bow, but he bows even lower to me. The emperor's consort apparently outranks the emperor's brother, even if I am one of dozens. The two men embrace, and then the emperor beckons me to them.\n\n\"Brother,\" the emperor says. \"Lihua has been raising the funds for the poor among the ladies. You two can discuss how best to proceed. How to make sure the money reaches the people and doesn't end up in some bureaucrat's pocket.\n\n\"Of course,\" Honghui says with a bow. \"It will be my honor.\"\n\nThe emperor then kisses me on the cheek. \"I am sure you have a busy day ahead, my dear. I will send for someone else tonight—but not Lady An.\" He shakes a finger at me but gives me a smile as if he is making a joke. I chuckle even though I don't find his words amusing.\n\n\"Of course,\" I say with a bow.\n\nThe emperor goes to attend his morning audiences, leaving me alone with Honghui—and his charming, mischievous smile.\n\n\"Did you arrange this?\" I ask, my arms crossed as though I am in a huff. The prince glances around and sees that we are alone for once. Suyin and Jinhai would be standing near my waiting sedan chair at this time. They are probably wondering why I am so delayed this morning.\n\n\"That's depends,\" he says, stepping closer to me. \"Does it make you glad that I have found a way to spend more time with you?\"\n\nI sigh and turn to walk back down the hall to the emperor's bed-chamber. \"I enjoy your company. But you know we shouldn't be doing this.\"\n\n\"Doing what?\" he asks. \"Making donations to the poor? It was your idea.\"\n\nI reach over and pinch his arm. \"You know what I mean.\"\n\nHe squirms as if I actually hurt him. \"I know. I know. But I can't help it. I'm just so intrigued by you.\"\n\n\"Why?\" I ask. \"I'm just a girl. You can have any woman you want. Shouldn't you be married already? You must be an old maid by now.\"\n\nHe chuckles. \"You are starting to sound like my brother. My mother died when I was young, and Father died before he could arrange a marriage for me, so…it just hasn't happened yet. But…\" He cuts in front of me and squeezes my chin. \"It's you I want to talk about. Are you ever going to tell me the real reason you snuck out of the palace that night?\"\n\nI turn my head away so that he has to release my chin. \"No.\"\n\nWe've reached the emperor's bed-chamber, but I hesitate to go inside. I don't want to be in a room alone with Honghui. If he tried to kiss me, I might not be able to stop myself.\n\n\"I think you will,\" he says, standing next to me. \"I just have to be patient.\"\n\nWe are quiet for a moment. In truth, I wish I could tell him. Tell anyone. It's such a weight in my chest. I'm so terrified that the truth of my identity is going to come out somehow and ruin everything. If I could tell someone the truth first, someone in power, the prince, the empress, the emperor even, then perhaps they could protect me. But I can't do that. Not yet. There is no one, not even the prince, I trust that much.\n\n\"So,\" he finally says, \"since giving away your money to the poor was your idea, how do you think it would be best to do so? Use it to buy grain? Give them all new shoes?\"\n\nI remember how I had to sell my shoes just to buy food and shake that idea away. \"Every family is different. They all have different needs. Some need shoes. Some need food. Some need a place to live. I think we should put the money directly into the hands of the poor.\"\n\nThe prince scoffs. \"Don't you think they would just spend it all getting drunk at a public house?\"\n\n\"Some might,\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But even drunkards have children who need to eat. Give the money to the people. They will know what to do with it.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 30 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then what?\" he asks. \"When that money runs out, what then? They will be hungry once again. Should we just give them more money?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" I say, looking at him defiantly. I wish I could tell him why. Tell him how even a small amount of cash can change a family's life. Can buy them enough food to have strength for work. Can help them move to a neighborhood with better prospects. Can provide a dowry for a young girl that can get her into a better family and out of poverty altogether. At this last thought, I think of my sister Mingming. She will be of a marriageable age soon. I'm sure my family will use the money Mingxia paid for me to provide her with a dowry. Just how high will she be able to climb, I wonder.\n\nI wish I could tell him all this and more. But I can't. He would want to know how I know these things. He would perhaps figure it out on his own.\n\nHonghui looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain, but he finally realizes I am not going to do that. He lets out a sigh as he looks back down the corridor. \"You're a good person, Lihua. I suppose you want to assume the best in others as well.\"\n\nI'm frustrated that he thinks my ideas are born from being naïve and not from experience. But I say nothing. I can't tell him the truth, not yet.\n\n\"I will do as you ask,\" he says. \"When you have collected enough money, I will just go out into the streets and hand the money out myself.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" I say. I wish I could go with him, but I know that wouldn't be proper. I look down at my hands as I feel his fingers touch mine.\n\n\"Will you meet me tonight?\" he whispers. \"At the hour of the ox?\"\n\n\"We shouldn't,\" I say, but it is only because I have to. The prince walks away, confident that I will meet him at the appointed time.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "See that `[text_redacted]` in the text? Replace it with a one thousand, four hundred and forty-two-character bit.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since I dismissed all the other servants, sneaking out should be as easy as it was before. Suyin and Jinhai are still deep sleepers, and Nuwa sleeps in another room. Still, I'm careful and quiet, walking barefoot until I am out of the palace. As soon as I am in the garden, I feel Honghui's hand in mine. I don't start, I've grown so used to his presence. He kisses me as soon as we meet, not waiting until we've moved into a more secluded area, and I cup his jaw as I kiss him back. I feel his kiss turn into a naughty grin as he pulls away and leads me through the garden.\n\nI feel a tingling in my belly, an anticipation. I can't wait for him to hold me, caress me. All my worries melt away when we are together. I know I should let my guilt, my fear, control my actions, make me stop, but I can't. I only want him. Those feelings are for later when I am once again alone.\n\nHe leads me to a building that is often occupied during the day—a hall with good lighting where ladies sit to work on their painting or embroidery—but now, it is completely empty. And completely dark. The lattice shutters are closed, blocking the moonlight. When the prince closes the door behind us, I can see nothing, but I can feel his presence near me. A presence that burns as hotly as my own.\n\nWe say nothing as he grabs me to him, his kisses hungry, as if he will steal the very breath from my lungs. His hands slip up my sleeping gown, caressing my bare legs, and my knees go weak. I wrap my arms around his neck to keep from falling, holding him that much closer against me, and yet it is still not close enough.\n\nI suddenly understand what true passion is. True desire. It is something I have never felt with Emperor Guozhi, and I know I never will. That is duty, a mere job I must perform. But this… Oh! This is pure pleasure.\n\nI lean my head back and Honghui kisses down my chest, between my breasts, tugging at my gown, pulling it from my shoulders. I slowly sink to the ground, pulling Honghui down with me.\n\n\"Are you sure?\" he asks me, breathless, and I answer with more kisses, opening his robe, revealing his smooth, muscular chest. He lets out a breathy chuckle and removes his belt, letting his robe fly open. I untie my own belt, and in a moment, our warm bodies are as close as two humans can be.\n\nI am no innocent maid. I know exactly what I am doing. I know it is stupid. Dangerous. I know what will happen if we are caught. But I don't care. I have given up everything to be here—my family, my home, my name. I know I will never have a real husband of my own, children of my own. I never thought I would know love, know passion. But now that I have it, I will not let go. This is for me.\n\nThe emperor has taken my virginity. He will never know that laid with another man. And if I fall pregnant? Well, the emperor will be delighted. He would never suspect the child was not his own.\n\nI have to bite my lower lip to keep from crying out as ecstasy washes over me, taking me to the highest peaks and then dropping me into a freezing cold river. The prince follows right behind me, and then we are lying in each other's arms as we wait for our senses to return.\n\n\"That…that was not my intention in seeing you tonight,\" he whispers, and I cover my mouth as I giggle.\n\n\"I would never have known that,\" I reply, and he laughs as he nuzzles my neck.\n\n\"I didn't believe you would ever want to,\" he says. \"It is dangerous, and I did not think you would take such a risk.\"\n\nI chew my lower lip as I consider my response. My whole life is one huge risk. This seems like nothing compared to the secrets I already hold in my heart every day.\n\n\"I thought you knew me better than that,\" I say. I feel his lips smile as he kisses me again.\n\n\"I think you should work to remain the emperor's favorite,\" he says. \"As long as he takes you to his bed, we don't have to worry about…consequences of our own meetings.\"\n\nI let out a sigh and he holds me tight. As much as I would like the emperor to forget about me, Honghui is right. If the emperor did not take me to his bed and I fell pregnant, there would be no explaining it away. And I would have no way to hide it. My maids, since they wash my laundry, would know as soon as I missed my courses.\n\n\"This is all a dream,\" I say. \"We can never freely or openly be together. We could never marry or even run away together. You are a prince and are sure to be discovered no matter where we might go.\"\n\nThe prince says nothing because he cannot disagree with me.\n\n\"And you must marry,\" I finally say. He humphs. \"I mean it.\" I turn his face to mine so that I know he is listening even if we cannot see each other in the dark. \"If the emperor has no sons, or should his future sons die, your son would be the next heir to the Dragon Throne. You must do your duty by your brother, as I must.\"\n\n\"How did one so young become so wise?\" he asks me, teasingly.\n\nI sigh and snuggle close to him. \"I only know how precarious life can be.\"\n\nHe holds me for another minute before we both have to admit that we have lingered too long. I crawl around on the floor, groping for the belt to my sleeping gown and my slippers. Finding them, I then attempt to dress myself in the dark. Hopefully I will not look as disheveled as I feel in the morning when Suyin wakes me. If I do, I'll just have to tell her I had a nightmare.\n\nWhen he is ready, Honghui takes me by the hand and leads me to the door. He opens it carefully and I have to blink as my eyes adjust to the moonlight. It's still the middle of the night, but anything seems brighter compared to the pitch black we just came out of. The prince leads me by the hand back toward my palace. When we are about halfway there, we hear a noise.\n\nWe both freeze and glance around. I don't see any lantern light, so it can't be a guard. Still, it could be anyone. And if we are caught together… I don't hear anything else for a long time, and we start to relax, but then we hear it again, the unmistakable sound of slippers on stone. Someone else is here.\n\n\"Go,\" I whisper so quietly, it is little more than my mouth moving.\n\n\"Not without—\" he starts to say, but I put my fingers to his lips.\n\n\"Go.\" He looks at me for a moment, panic in his eyes. I can tell he is frantically searching for an alternative, but there is none. If we are caught together in the middle of the night, no explanation will save us. And if the prince is caught in the inner court at night, even alone… Well, no one would believe he was there for innocent purpose. At least I can say I couldn't sleep and went for a walk or something. He finally nods and then darts off in the other direction, away from the noise. To then mask any sounds he might make, I continue walking toward my palace, my head held high, as if I have nothing to hide.\n\nI reach the end of a garden walk and look left and right, my eyes scanning the darkness for any movement. I am about to turn right, toward my palace, when out of the corner of my eye I see a shadow move. I put my hand to my mouth to keep from crying out and crouch down. It takes a moment for my heart to stop racing enough for me to realize it wasn't a ghost or spirit, but a person. A person dressed all in black. It is this realization that both calms me and sets my mind spinning.\n\nWho would be out at night dressed all in black?\n\nI peek to the left again and can now clearly see the dark shape slinking quickly down the path. It looks to be a man, probably a eunuch. For a moment, I consider returning home. Whatever is happening, it is surely not my business. I think back to the night I snuck out of the Forbidden City dressed all in black to try and find my family. If anyone but the prince had seen me, my life would have been over. Perhaps I should let this person go, pretend I saw nothing.\n\nBut there is a sinking feeling in my stomach. Why would a eunuch be sneaking around at night? Eunuchs have much more freedom than us ladies. They can leave the Forbidden City on errands or even to visit their own families. They are allowed to walk around the palace grounds, both the inner and outer courts, unescorted. I can't help but think that if this man is sneaking around the palace at night, it cannot be for good reasons.\n\nWhen I see the shadow turn down another path, I follow. I suppose I could scream, call him out. The guards could come and put to an end whatever he is doing. But then I think of the prince and me sneaking around. Perhaps this eunuch means no harm, but is meeting a lover? No, of course not! He cannot have a lover. He could be delivering a love note to one of the ladies on behalf of a lover on the outside. A love left behind when she was chosen. If that is the case, I will say nothing. Pretend I saw nothing. But until I know for certain, I think I should continue to follow. Just in case…\n\nSeveral times I lose sight of the shadow moving about in the dark, but I always manage to find him again. Finally he stops and crouches along the wall of a palace and waits for a long while. I realize with growing dread that he is outside the empress's palace. This cannot be right. The empress would have no lover. She wouldn't dare… No. Something is very, very wrong. But what should I do? Call for the guards? Scare him away myself?\n\nI'm debating what to do when I see him stand up and open a lattice shutter. The same lattice shutter belonging to the window I saw Lady An standing near a few days ago. The lattice shutter that covers a window to the empress's bed-chamber! With surprising ease, the eunuch grabs the edge of the window and climbs through.\n\nI have to do something. Have to stop him! I almost run to the front door. But if he hears me make a commotion, he could slip back out the window and into the dark night, escaping. Instead, I run to the window. Standing on my tiptoes, I look in. With horror, I see him standing over the empress, his hand raised as if to strike!\n\nA scream rents the air, and it takes a moment for me to realize that I am the person screaming.\n\n\"Stop!\" I yell. The man turns to run toward the window, as I thought he would, but he stops when he sees m.\n\n\"Help the empress!\" I scream, and I finally hear the voices of her many servants as they are ripped from sleep. The man turns to run toward the door of the room, but the empress's own eunuchs are already entering the bed-chamber. I finally feel that the empress is safe enough for me to call for the guards. I run back to the main walkway in front of the empress's palace.\n\n\"Help! Guards! The empress!\" In only a moment, over a dozen guards with lanterns and swords drawn are running toward me. I turn to lead them into the palace just as a maid throws the doors open.\n\n\"We caught him!\" she says excitedly. \"Please, hurry!\" She is surprised as I rush into the palace, the guards right behind me, but she says nothing. I stop when I reach the bed chamber and see that several of the empress's eunuchs have the man in black pinned to the ground beneath them. Someone has lit the lanterns of the empress's room, and she is sitting up in bed, her face confused, her arms wrapped around one of her maids.\n\n\"The scissors!\" someone says, and all the ladies scream. There on the floor, next to the skirmish, is a small pair of scissors. Not a pair large enough to cut hair, but one that might be in a lady's sewing kit. Small, yes, but very sharp. One of the guards picks it up and waves it in the man's face.\n\n\"What is this? Were you going to kill the empress?\"\n\n\"No…no!\" the man cries. It is then that I realize he is familiar, but I cannot place him.\n\n\"Peizhi!\" a maid finally says. \"He is one of Lady An's eunuchs.\" There is a round of gasps, including my own. She's right. I have often seen him following behind Lady An with his head bowed, which is why I did not recognize him right away.\n\n\"The emperor approaches!\" a eunuch announces, and all of us drop to our knees, even the eunuchs holding Peizhi.\n\n\"What is happening?\" he yells.\n\n\"He tried to kill the empress!\" someone explains.\n\n\"What?\" the emperor roars, and for the first time, I see him truly angry. \"Who?\"\n\nThe eunuchs move aside, all of them pointing to Peizhi. \"Him!\"\n\nThe emperor storms forward, grabbin[text_redacted] months away.\n\n\"Call the physician!\" I yell. I fear she is losing the baby.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "g Peizhi by the collar, pulling him up and backhanding him across the face, his nose instantly spewing blood.\n\n\"Who are you? Why did you do this?\"\n\nPeizhi can form no coherent words, only sputters and cries. The emperor, disgusted, drops Peizhi to the ground.\n\n\"Arrest him,\" the emperor orders. \"Torture him. Find out exactly why he did this and who sent him.\"\n\n\"Yes, your majesty!\" the guards say as they get to their feet and go toward Peizhi. But before they can reach him, Peizhi lunges toward one of the empress's eunuchs. He manages to grab the little scissors, and before anyone can stop him, he stabs himself in the neck, blood spurting into the faces of a nearby eunuch and a maid. This leads to another round of screaming, and even I feel sick.\n\nThe emperor grabs Peizhi, not caring about the blood getting on his hands or yellow robe. He grabs the assassin's collar and slams him to the ground. \"You bastard! Tell me who sent you!\"\n\nPeizhi's mouth opens and closes, but only blood bubbles forth. I think it takes less than a minute for his body to stop moving. The emperor lets out a yell in his frustration and starts barking orders at the guards. He doesn't see that the empress has gripped her maid in pains of her own.\n\nI run across the room, trying to avoid looking at the dead body on the floor, and kneel by her side. \"My lady!\"\n\n\"It…hurts…\" she says, clutching her stomach. It cannot yet be her time! That is at least three", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Story continues from larger narrative, characters/lore may lack introduction\nLength:\n60 sentences\nStyle:\nZoey Gong", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When I was seven years old, my mother had a miscarriage. I was so young at the time, I didn't know what was happening at first. We lived a little better then, since the only children were myself and Mingming, who was only two years old. Mingming and I slept on one bed while Mama and Baba slept on another. A moaning sound woke me. I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but then I heard Mama cry out in pain.\n\n\"Daiyu!\" Baba yelled. \"Light a lamp!\"\n\nIt was the middle of the night, so it took a while for me to find the lantern and then light it in the dark. But when I did, I wished I hadn't. There was so much blood. My hands shook and I could only stare at the nightmare before me. Mama looked at me, her eyes wide with terror.\n\n\"I'm losing the baby.\"\n\nNow, I had heard this phrase before. Every so often there would be a rumor that such-and-such had lost a baby. I thought it must be so terrible, to lay your baby down and not be able to find it again. I had supposed the babies were snatched away by some wicked person hoping to sell them. Or that the woman had simply put the baby somewhere, perhaps while she worked, and then forgot where she put it! That would never happen to me, I thought, believing my parents to be better than most.\n\nAs I stared at the blood and Mama's words echoed in my ears, it was only then that I realized that it meant the baby was dying.\n\n\"What should I do?\" I asked her.\n\n\"Fetch the midwife!\" she cried through gritted teeth. I didn't even put on my shoes as I fled out the door into the night. I ran down the hutong and around the corner to the home of the midwife. I banged on the door for what seemed like hours before someone finally answered. I don't remember what I said. In my memory, even I don't understand my words through my crying. But the midwife probably knew that there was only ever one reason why someone knocked frantically on her door in the middle of the night.\n\nBack at the house, I felt completely helpless as I sat on the bed, holding Mingming, who wouldn't stop crying. I watched as the midwife tended to Mama, massaging her belly, giving her bitter tea.\n\nMama lived, thanks to the skill of the midwife. We paid her what little money we could and she carried away the little bloody bundle that was supposed to have been a little brother or sister. But she warned Mama and Baba not to risk any more children, at least not for a while.\n\nI was so terrified of Mama dying that anytime I woke in the night to hear her and Baba…umm… \"doing what married people do,\" as we were told when we were too little to understand, I would jump out of my own bed and into theirs between them. They didn't scold me. I'm sure they knew it was for the best if Mama didn't fall pregnant again. It was six years before Mama became pregnant with Junli. By that time, I was a little older and wiser and knew that miscarriages were actually rather common, and that most of the time the mother didn't die. It was just a part of childbearing. Still, I laid awake every night, always the last to drift off to sleep, as I waited for the cries of pain that would tell me that she was losing the baby…\n\nThe empress did not lose her baby. While we waited for the physician, I held the empress's hand, massaged her belly, and asked for bitter tea. I helped her breathe slowly and evenly. By the time the physician arrived, she had calmed considerably, and so had her pains. The doctor gave her more herbal remedies to calm both her and the baby and said it was simply the fear and shock of the night that caused her nerves to shake. If she remained calm and relaxed, she—and the baby—would recover.\n\nWeeks later, I'm lying in the empress's bed, between her and the wall, holding her hand in mine.\n\nThe dawn sun is just starting to peek through the windows, turning the room from black to gray. The birds tweet. I hear servants shuffling about outside, delivering food, laundry, fresh flowers, and other items to the various ladies' palaces. You would think it was just any other day.\n\nBut it is not any other day.\n\nToday is the day that Lady An has been ordered to kill herself. Even though the assassin never said it was Lady An who sent him, since he was her eunuch, that was the only conclusion. Lady An protested her innocence, of course. Said she loved the emperor and would never harm the empress or her son. But the emperor was so thunderously angry, he refused to believe her. She was banished to the Cold Palace—palace that is nothing more than a room with a single chair—and given a long white scarf. A consort of the emperor could never be executed like a common criminal, no matter how heinous her crime. Women such as Lady An, ladies of rank and dignity, are expected to do the honorable thing and take their own lives.\n\nI swallow as I lean back against the headboard and peer over the empress to the spot on the floor where the eunuch died.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The empress is too weak, too delicate, to be moved to another palace.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even though the rugs on the floor that had been stained red were thrown out and replaced with new ones, I think I can see a spot on the floor that is a little darker than the rest.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even though there is no evidence that the eunuch was acting under order from Lady An, I did not speak up for her. I did not plead for mercy. No one did. The emperor was so angry, I think he would have killed anyone who questioned his judgment.\n\nI think about how very close to death I could have been had all the focus not fallen on Lady An. It was eventually discovered that I had been the one to scream and alert everyone to the intruder. When asked why I had been outside the empress's palace that night, I only said that I could not sleep and heard a noise, which I then followed. I think everyone was so relieved that the eunuch had been caught, no one thought to question my story.\n\nBut they still could.\n\nWhen all is said and done, when Lady An is dead, when the prince is born, even then, no one will forget that night. No one will forget the assassin in the empress's bed-chamber. No one will forget the concubine who was so jealous she sent her own eunuch to kill the empress and the unborn prince. People will talk about that night for years to come, I am sure of it. And my name—the name of Lihua—will be remembered too. In all the times the story and told and retold, will someone eventually question why I was truly there that night?\n\nI had thought that my position as the emperor's favorite made me invincible. No one would suspect that I was having an affair with the prince. No one would question the identity of any child I might conceive.\n\nBut I had been a fool. Stupid. Reckless. There is no proof that Lady An was the person behind the plot on the empress's life. She has never wavered in protesting her innocence. Yet everyone believes she is guilty. The emperor believes it. And she will die because of that belief, whether she is guilty or not.\n\nThe same thing could happen to me. If the emperor ever suspected, ever doubted my loyalty, he could put me to death without question. And just like Lady An, no one would speak up for me.\n\nThe empress starts and wakes with a gasp.\n\n\"My lady?\" I ask, lightly touching her arm and then her forehead to check for a fever.\n\n\"Lihua,\" she says as she tries to adjust her position.\n\n\"Don't strain yourself,\" I tell her as I move the pillows to make her comfortable. \"What's wrong? Do you need some water?\"\n\n\"No. No…\" she says as her eyes adjust to the light. She pushes her hair, now only chin-length, behind her ears. \"I had a dream. A terrible dream.\"\n\n\"I'm sure it was nothing,\" I say to reassure her. But as she wakes more, I can see the worry on her face.\n\n\"I dreamed I was standing on the edge of a cliff,\" she says, \"overlooking a beautiful valley. There were endless green trees and a winding river down below. The wind was gently blowing around me. And in my arms, I held my newborn son.\"\n\n\"That sounds like a good omen,\" I say. I know some people put great importance on the meanings of dreams. I do not know if dreams carry messages from the ancestors or not. I can only say that I have never had one to make me believe it is so.\n\n\"No,\" she says, shaking her head as her eyes water. \"For we were dressed in white, me and my son. And I could not see his face.\"\n\nI do not know what to say to this, and I can see why she is scared to have dreamed of herself in the color of mourning.\n\n\"When I looked out over the valley, there on the breeze, a white scarf danced by.\" As she wipes tears from her cheeks, a heavy stone lodges itself in my stomach.\n\n\"Lihua,\" Caihong says, gripping my arm, \"has there been a terrible mistake? Is Lady An innocent? Are the gods going to demand my death and the death of my son as payment?\"\n\n\"No!\" I say with as much conviction as I can muster. \"You have had nothing to do with her. The assassin killed himself. The emperor sentenced Lady An to death. You are completely innocent in all of this. It was only a dream, nothing more.\"\n\n\"Do you really think so?\" the empress asks.\n\nI do my best to give her a reassuring smile, but I am not sure if I am successful. \"I'm sure of it.\"\n\nThe door to the empress's bed-chamber slides open and a maid steps in with a tray of tea things. I help the empress sit up in her bed. Before, I think the empress only feigned helplessness because she enjoyed being doted on. But now, now I do believe that fear and stress have made her weak. All of us ladies wait on her every moment and help her at all hours without complaint. Any energy she has must be conserved to birth the prince.\n\nAfter the maid prepares the tea and hands it to the empress, she then leaves the room to attend other duties. The empress has only taken a sip when she turns to me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lihua, I need you to do something for me.\"\n\n\"Of course, my lady.\"\n\n\"I need you to go to Lady An in the Cold Palace.\" My heart drops and I am so frightened I nearly run away. My fear must be clear on my face because the empress grips my arm and continues. \"Please, do this for me.\"\n\n\"I cannot,\" I whisper. The last thing I want is for the emperor to hear that I spoke with Lady An. What if he thinks I was part of her scheme?\n\n\"You must,\" she says, her eyes wild. \"I must know the truth! Go to her, beg her to tell you what really happened. She is going to die today no matter what. What is the point in maintaining her lie? Surely it would be better for her to die with a clear conscience.\"\n\n\"But…to what end?\" I ask. \"Is it not enough that she will die for her crimes against you?\"\n\n\"I cannot send an innocent woman to her death!\" she says, dropping the teacup to the ground and grabbing both of my arms. She looks me in the eyes so intently, I fear she can read my very mind. \"If she is innocent, I know I shall die too! The gods of justice will demand it! Please, please go to her. Get her confession. Set my spirit at ease.\"\n\nI don't want to do it. I would almost rather throw myself into a well and drown than speak to Lady An. But I know I must. I cannot defy my empress. And, in truth, a part of me is curious as well. If Lady An is guilty and admits is, I know I would rest easier.\n\n\"Fine,\" I say. \"I will do as you ask.\"\n\nShe breathes a sigh of relief. \"Thank you. Go, now, while it is still early. Before it is too late.\"\n\nI bend down and pick up the broken shards of the teacup and then bow my way out of the room. I put the pieces of porcelain into a rubbish basket and then dust off my hands. I return first to my own palace to wash my face and change my clothes. Suyin brushes my hair and pins it up in a simple style merely to keep it off my neck and out of my face. She does not even bother with a bianfang. When I tell her, Jinhai, and Nuwa what the empress has ordered me to do, they are horrified and try to convince me not to go. But I must. I order all of them to stay behind. Should the emperor fault me for my actions, I do not want them to be punished as well.\n\nWith a heavy heart and my shoes feeling as though they are made of boulders, I make my way to the Cold Palace alone.\n\nThe Cold Palace is located in a shady, isolated part of the Forbidden City. I had thought the palace was named such simply because it is where ladies are sent to be punished, but I now see that the meaning is much more literal. The palace, even from the outside, appears cold and drafty, with the lattice shutters falling from their hinges and the door showing a splintered crack. The building has not been maintained for some time.\n\nOn either side of the door, two guards stand sentinel, and they eye me suspiciously as I approach.\n\n\"The empress has sent me to speak to the prisoner,\" I say. One of the guards holds his hand up to stop me.\n\n\"No one is to speak to her,\" he says. \"She should already be dead.\"\n\n\"Is she already dead?\" I ask, eyeing the door. I see movement through the crack and realize that she is not.\n\n\"She has refused the carry out the emperor's orders so far,\" the guard says. \"But she will either hang herself, or she will starve. Her choice.\"\n\nI hear a whimpering and realize that Lady An can hear us. The pitiful sounds of her cries tug at my heart. I raise my head and speak with more conviction than I feel.\n\n\"Would you dare defy the empress?\" I ask. \"The empress is the head of the inner court, not his majesty. She has ordered me to exact a final confession from Lady An and I will not leave until I have carried out my task.\"\n\nThe guard looks to his companion, who shrugs. He hestiates, but finally he steps aside.\n\n\"Be quick about it,\" he orders. I nod as I walk past and go to the door. I try to open it, but it is locked fast. I look to the guards, but their backs are to me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I decide not to press my luck by asking them to open the door.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I kneel down to where the door is cracked.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lady An?\" I say.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who…who is there?\" she asks. \"Fenfang? Is that you?\"\n\n\"No,\" I say. \"It is not the dowager. It's only me, Lihua.\"\n\nShe is quiet for a moment, and I think she is refusing to speak to me, but then I hear her voice.\n\n\"Why have you come?\"\n\n\"The empress sent me,\" I say. I hear a shuffling noise and can see part of her face on the other side of the door.\n\n\"Has she spoken for me? Has she begged mercy of the emperor?\"\n\nThe hope in her voice nearly tears me apart. \"No,\" I finally say. \"She wants you to confess.\"\n\n\"Confess?\" she asks as though confused. \"Confess to what?\"\n\n\"To sending your man to kill her.\"\n\n\"But I didn't!\" she says emphatically. \"I would never do such a terrible thing! Why should I?\"\n\n\"Because you are jealous she is pregnant,\" I say.\n\n\"Of course I am,\" she says. \"And so are you! And so is every other woman here. But that does not mean we kill one another. We are sisters!\"\n\nI hate to admit it, but I believe her. Her voice does not waver. There is no malice in her words. I do not believe she did this terrible thing.\n\n\"If it was not you, then who was it?\" I ask. \"Why did your own eunuch try to kill her?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" she says, her voice choking. \"I can only think someone bribed him to do it. They must have paid him a very great amount. He had to have known that he would be caught and put to death. Even if he had succeeded in killing Caihong, he never would have gotten out of her place alive.\"\n\nI consider this for a moment. She's right. The scissors were small. They were sharp enough for the eunuch to kill the empress, but surely the she would have woken up and screamed before she died. There were also maids in her room. They hadn't heard him sneak in, but they would have heard the scuffle.\n\n\"Do you think he wanted to get caught?\" I ask. \"Could that have been his plan? Maybe he never intended to be successful?\"\n\n\"Why?\" Lady An asks. \"It doesn't make sense. Why bribe a eunuch to commit a crime he is sure to be caught doing?\"\n\nA sudden terrible thought fills my head and I am a little less sturdy, crouched on my pot-bottom shoes. \"Because he was your eunuch.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"He was your eunuch,\" I say. \"What if Caihong was never the intended victim? Whoever it was, what if they always intended the blame to fall on you?\"\n\nLady An goes quiet for a long time. \"No,\" she says. \"That can't be true. Who would want to hurt me?\"\n\n\"That is the question,\" I say. \"Can you think of anyone who hates you enough to want you dead?\"\n\n\"No,\" she says. \"I'm no one! The emperor hates me. Why should anyone hurt me?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" I say. \"Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. Maybe he was supposed to kill Caihong and I'm just being stupid.\"\n\n\"But you believe me, don't you?\" Lady An asks. \"You know I would never hurt the empress, right?\"\n\nI nod. \"Of course I do.\"\n\n\"Then, can you tell Caihong? Tell the emperor? He loves you. He will listen. Ask him to spare my life.\"\n\nI wish I could. I wish I could give her comfort. I wish I could even save her life. But I can't. No one can. I am wracking my mind to come up with a reply, but no words come to me.\n\n\"I understand,\" Lady An finally says. \"No one wants to risk their life for a nobody like me.\"\n\nA sob escapes my throat. It's all so terribly unfair.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She's innocent! I'm guilty! But she will die, and I will live. Yet I am too much of a coward to speak up.\n\nLady An slips her fingers through the crack. I reach up and hold them as best I can.\n\n\"Protect my daughter,\" she says.\n\nThe princess! The emperor's eldest daughter. I hadn't even thought of her in all this. What will happen to her now? Will the emperor send her away? Disown her? Will the stigma of her mother's reputation as a murderer follow her for the rest of her life?\n\n\"I will,\" I promise. I don't know how, but I cannot let that innocent little girl suffer. I will do whatever I must to keep her in the emperor's good graces.\n\nShe pulls her hand back and moves away from the door. I know she will say no more. What else is there to say? I sit for a long moment before finally pushing myself to my feet and walking away. I have only just passed the guards when I hear a bang and a yelp from inside the Cold Palace. The guards hear it too and they rush over and fling the doors open.\n\nI look and see Lady An's thin body hanging from the rafter by a white silk scarf, her black hair hanging long around her shoulders. It is an image that will haunt me for the rest of my life.\n\nI don't remember the long walk back to the empress's palace. I don't even realize where I am until I hear the empress's voice, see her face anxiously looking at me.\n\n\"Well?\" she asks.\n\n\"Huh?\" I say.\n\n\"Did she admit it? Did she send the eunuch to kill me?\"\n\nI want to tell her the truth. That Lady An was innocent. That she was possibly only a victim as much as the empress was. But the words catch in my throat. What good would it do? The empress is terrified that she is going to die in exchange for the life of an innocent woman.\n\nLady An is dead. I cannot save her. I cannot comfort her. But I can comfort my empress.\n\n\"Yes,\" I say simply.\n\nThe empress lets out a great, heaving sigh of relief and tears stream down her face. She collects herself and grips my hand.\n\n\"Thank you,\" she says. \"Thank you. I owe you so much. You have saved my life twice.\"\n\nI try to smile, but I cannot. I turn and leave her palace. I need to be alone.\n\nI walk aimlessly, losing myself along the endless, twisting paths among flowers, trees, and trickling brooks. I feel so tired, as if a great weight is pushing me to the ground. I come to an open grassy area surrounded by tall flowers. Perhaps I can hide here for a while. I lie down on the grass and look up at the sky, so blue, with only white wisps of clouds. I cry silent tears, letting them slip down the sides of my face and into my ears.\n\nI cry for Lady An. I cry for the princess. I cry for the empress. But mostly, I cry for myself. I cry for my mother, my father, each of my sisters. I cry for the life I lost and the life I gained. I cry for the red walls that keep me trapped like a caged animal. I cry for the life I can never have with Prince Honghui. I cry for all the lies upon lies I have told, lies so thick I no longer know who I am anymore.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I cry because, like Lady An, I know I will die here.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I cry because I am already dead. I am not Lihua. I am not Daiyu. I am a mere figment of the imagination. A ghost. A shade of a person who never existed.\n\nI close my eyes and drift away, praying that oblivion claims me.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant, your partner will send something and you will write the next thirty-seven sentences. The story may reference existing characters and events - incorporate them as presented.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oblivion does not take me. I wake several hours later, my skin pink and tender from lying in the sun for so long. When I make it back to my palace, my servants are frantic in their search for me. They were afraid that I had been so traumatized after seeing Lady An's body that I had thrown myself into a well. I tell them that I was not traumatized, merely sad over the whole situation but would recover in time.\n\nI fear that if I tell them the truth, that I had been severely affected by what happened, they will coddle me endlessly and never let me out of their sight again. So I stuff my emotions deep down inside my heart. I dare not tell anyone what was said that day. How I truly felt when I saw Lady An's body swinging from the rafter.\n\nDays later, sitting in the empress's bed-chamber working on my embroidery, the other ladies and I keep the empress company, tending to her every need. There is smiling and laughter. Lady An seems all but forgotten. No one else notices the large dark spot on the floor where the eunuch died. The days pass much as they did before, in anxious anticipation of the birth of the emperor's son.\n\nWhen the emperor's chief eunuch visits us, everyone except the empress rises to greet him, expecting him to have brought kind words for the empress on the emperor's behalf.\n\n\"The emperor has requested that Lady Lihua be escorted to his audience hall,\" he says.\n\n\"Me?\" I ask as everyone looks at me. \"Why?\"\n\n\"You saved the empress's life,\" he says, as if I should have known. \"The emperor wishes to reward you for your brave actions.\"\n\nMy mouth gapes and I look around the room. I see that many of the smiles on the ladies' faces have faltered. The empress, however, looks away from me sheepishly, and I know she knew this was coming.\n\nI put my embroidery circle in my chair and step around the other ladies as I follow the eunuch out of the palace. There is no sense in fighting whatever is about to happen. The emperor is waiting for me.\n\nI am carried to the audience hall in a sedan chair, but I am not taken to the side door I entered through before, but the front door.\n\n\"Are you sure?\" I ask him as Suyin, who trotted along beside the chair, takes my hand. Jinhai accompanied us as well and moves to stand by the door to the audience hall and await any orders.\n\n\"Quite sure, my lady,\" he says with a bow. I am, of course, even more nervous now than I was before and am wishing that I had taken better care with my appearance. Nothing I can do about that now. I take a breath as I follow the eunuch through the door.\n\nThe room is filled with important men who all part to let me pass when my name is announced. I walk carefully toward the emperor, who is sitting on his dragon throne on the raised dais, so I do not trip and make a fool of myself. When I reach the dais, Suyin backs away, and I kneel, bowing my head.\n\n\"May the emperor live ten thousand years!\" I say. I try to speak clearly and loud enough for all to hear, by my voice cracks and I hear some of the men chuckle, even the emperor.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Rise, Lihua,\" he says, and I do but keep my eyes downcast.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ula Nara Lihua, you have proven to be the bravest woman in my harem. You saved the lives of my son and the empress, and for that, you will always have my deepest thanks.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The men in the room clap and I blush.\n\n\"Even before that, you showed yourself to be thoughtful and wise. And you have brought nothing but joy to my life night after night.\"\n\nThe men laugh again, but now with an undercutting tone that makes me nauseous as they imagine me in the emperor's bed. I try not to shrink into myself, but it is difficult.\n\n\"Ula Nara Lihua,\" the emperor continues, \"it is because of these selfless qualities that I appoint you as my rank-two consort.\"\n\nI hear Suyin cry out in excitement just before all the men erupt in cheers and clapping. But I cannot have heard him right. Rank two? That's impossible.\n\n\"Do my words not please you, my lady?\" the emperor asks.\n\n\"No,\" I say, \"it's not that. Of course I am glad. Only surprised. I thought…I thought the rank-two position was reserved for the concubine who gave you a son. I…I am not even with child…I don't think. Much less a son.\"\n\n\"How humble she is,\" the emperor says, and the men chuckle again. \"That is normally the case. However, extraordinary bravery deserves extraordinary honors. Never before has a concubine saved the life of an empress before. I can think of no better way to show my gratitude.\"\n\nI can't believe it. Rank two! The only women in the palace who would rank higher than me would be empress and the dowager. How…how did this happen to me? Me! The barefoot Chinese girl from the streets is now the third most powerful woman in the kingdom. I… I…\n\n\"She is speechless,\" a voice says, and I recognize it as Honghui's. I close my eyes, not daring to look at him.\n\nI lose my balance, falling off my shoes and onto my knees. Suyin rushes forward, but I bend forward, putting my forehead to the ground in a full kowtow as if that was my intent.\n\n\"His majesty honors his worthless slave!\" I say. \"I am not worthy.\"\n\n\"You are worthy,\" he says, \"because I deem it to be so.\"\n\nThe men clap and cheer again, and Suyin tugs my arm so that I sit up. I let my eyes drift up to the emperor and he is smiling wider than I ever saw before. I feel a fluttering in my belly. Is this really happening to me? Do I dare believe it? Do I dare let it make me happy? The emperor has no suspicions of me, that much is clear. I am safe.\n\nThe emperor claps his hands and several eunuchs rush forth carrying large trunks. They place them around me, opening each one. They are full of silks, jewels, furs, porcelain cups, bowls, and vases, and so much more. The last one opened, the one placed right in front of me, is filled to the top with gold ingots, and my eyes swim. I never imagined in my life that I would see such wealth—or that it would be given to me!\n\n\"His majesty is too…too generous,\" I say as I begin to cry. Suyin wraps an arm around me and blots a handkerchief to my cheeks as the men make sounds as if appreciating an adorable child.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, not too generous,\" the emperor says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'dowager' (2x)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Rightly generous. You will be moved to the Palace of Earthly Honor and given dozens more servants. Every morning, the ladies of the harem will greet you and pay you honor. And while the empress is in her confinement, the management of the harem will be your realm.\"\n\nThis stops my tears and reawakens my concerns. The other ladies are surely not going to be happy about this.\n\n\"I feel I am unequal to the task,\" I say. \"I cannot read. I can barely do numbers. How can I possibly perform such a role?\"\n\n\"Worry not,\" the emperor says with a wave of his hand. \"You will learn all you need to know. I will hire you the best tutors. Empress Caihong will tell you everything you need to know. And my gracious mother, the dowager empress, will guide you while the empress is indisposed.\"\n\nFor the first time, I realize that the dowager has been standing behind and to the side of the emperor the whole time. She is perhaps the only person in the room who is not smiling. She does not look angry, merely unimpressed, I suppose. As she should be. She cannot think that I am worthy of the position the emperor has granted to me, and I agree! I will have to do my best to let her know that I did not want this. It was never my intention to rise so high. But now that I have, I certainly cannot refuse. The emperor would only take it as a grave insult. So once again, I bend over in a kowtow.\n\n\"May my gracious mother live ten thousand years!\" I say.\n\nThe emperor laughs. \"Wonderful! Rise, Lihua. I pray that the rest of your days see nothing but joy and contentment.\"\n\nSuyin helps me to my feet and I give the emperor another bow. \"Thank you, your majesty.\" Suyin guides me as I bow my way out of the audience hall. As soon as I am outside, I pull away from her and vomit into a nearby planter.\n\n\"My lady! Are you ill?\" she asks. I shake my head.\n\n\"No. Only terrified.\"\n\n\"Of what?\" she asks. \"The emperor loves you. You are the most honored among women! The Palace of Earthly Honor is a beautiful home. You are sure to love it.\"\n\nI see the eunuchs who carried the trunks into the audience hall now carrying them out, and I have to assume they are being taken to my new palace.\n\n\"Suyin,\" I say close to her ear. \"The other concubines, they will be furious. I cannot imagine they will willingly accept me as their superior.\"\n\n\"But they must,\" she says plainly. \"The emperor has appointed you as rank-two consort. They must all bow to you or face the consequences.\"\n\nAt the mention of consequences, my stomach clenches. \"Please don't seek to get anyone in trouble on my behalf. I don't want to make enemies.\"\n\nA terrible thought troubles my mind. I truly believe that Lady An was innocent and did not pay her eunuch to kill the empress.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In that case, the true murderer is still out there.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Is he—or she—among the members of the harem? What if the killer comes for me next? Lady An had been the only rank-three consort, and now I am the only rank-two. Am I in danger?\n\n\"Jinhai,\" I say, and he is instantly by my side. \"How many eunuch servants will I be entitled to now?\"\n\n\"At least twelve,\" he says. \"Possibly more. It has been a long time since there was a rank-two consort. I will confer with the department of household affairs.\"\n\n\"And how many of them will be guards?\"\n\n\"Guards, my lady?\"\n\n\"Yes. How many will be there solely for my protection?\"\n\n\"Umm…\" He shares a glance with Suyin, and I am sure they think I am being paranoid. And maybe I am. But I don't care. I can't risk being unprotected while a killer lurks the inner court.\n\n\"There will always be someone patrolling the palace, day and night for your safety.\"\n\n\"The empress has patrols,\" I say. \"The whole Forbidden City has patrols. Yet that eunuch was still able to slip into the empress's bed-chamber unmolested.\" Jinhai blushes at this. I know that many of the guards and patrols have been punished for various offenses since that night.\n\n\"I want guards,\" I go on. \"Real guards, with weapons. At least for a while. I'll pay extra if I must.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" he says. \"I will see it done.\"\n\n\"Immediately,\" I say. \"I'll not be able to sleep a wink until I know the palace is secure.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" he says, and he bows away from me before running off.\n\n\"You will be safe, my lady,\" Suyin says. \"No one would dare harm someone so loved by the emperor.\"\n\nI start to argue, but then I remember that Lady An was not loved by the emperor. She did not have the benefit of his protection as I do. Perhaps I am being silly and the guards are completely unnecessary. Maybe in time, I will truly believe that. But for now, I will take no chances.\n\nThe doors to the audience hall open and the men begin filing out. Suyin helps me climb into the sedan chair and closes the flap behind me. As the chair bearers lift me up, though, the flap flies open for a moment and I catch sight of Prince Honghui. Our eyes meet and for once, he does not have the confident smile he usually wears.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I close the flap and the chair is carried away quickly.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The prince is the very last person I should be thinking of right now. I cannot risk what I have only just gained.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 43 sentences sentences spawning from what the user wrote, maintaining any existing character relationships or establishing new ones, within the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I haven't slept since the emperor \"honored\" me with the promotion to second-rank consort. I was not taken back to attend the empress, but to my new palace so I could get settled in. The palace is nearly as large as the empress's in size and grandeur. There are at least ten rooms, not including storerooms. There is a large bed-chamber with a huge kang-style bed nearly as large as the emperor's. There is also another, smaller bedroom with half a dozen individual beds for the servants. They don't have beds of their own, but sleep in shifts so that there is always someone to attend me. There is a separate room to store my clothes and jewels, and another room to dress in and have my hair styled. A washroom has a copper tub set up at all times. There is also a private kitchen where all my food will now be prepared. The palace reminds me a lot of Mingxia's house in its design. The wide main doors open up into a private courtyard garden and pond, and the rooms are all arranged around the courtyard. It's beautiful, peaceful, and I have to admit that if I were Manchu, if I had wanted to become the emperor's favorite, I should feel joyful indeed.\n\nBut I don't. Instead, I am afraid. Afraid for my safety. Afraid of being caught. Afraid of failing in my new duties that I don't even understand. I am constantly watched now. There are guards posted outside my palace doors and two more who patrol around it at all hours. I have at least a dozen eunuch servants and a dozen maids. I haven't seen all of them at one time to count them properly. I've hardly learned any of their names. But I've been told that someone will always be awake and alert to attend me, even while I sleep.\n\nBut even now, in the middle of the night, I'm not sleeping. In the morning, I am to host my first audience as head of the harem in the empress's absence. And I am dreading it. What will everyone think? What will they say? Will they even bow to me? Surely none of them will believe that I am worthy of such respect. Even I don't think I'm worthy of such respect. I know I'm not worthy of it. I'm not Manchu! I'm not the daughter of a great general and a fine lady. Everything about me is fake and a lie. I shouldn't even be here!\n\nI climb out of bed and a maid is immediately by my side with a candle.\n\n\"Are you all right, my lady? Do you need to pass water? Shall I prepare your bowl?\"\n\n\"No,\" I say, holding up my hand to shield my eyes from the light. \"I can't sleep. I thought I might walk in the courtyard.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lady,\" she says, dropping to her knees and putting my slippers on my feet. She offers me her hand to help me stand, then another maid rushes over with a fur-lined cape. I hadn't even seen her before. The constant attention is unnerving and makes me feel helpless, but there is nothing I can do about it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eunuchs open the door to my bedroom for me, and then the doors that lead to the courtyard.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I step out into the cool, crisp air.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "((ooc: Ensure 'never' appears 4 time(s) in your answer))", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's late autumn now, so the nights are cold and I can see my breath in front of me. It doesn't bother me, but I see the maid beside me shiver.\n\n\"You don't need to come with me,\" I tell her.\n\n\"But I do, my lady,\" she says, and I give a small nod. Of course she does.\n\n\"Then, hang back at the very least,\" I say. \"I'd like to be alone.\"\n\nShe bows, chewing her lower lip. I know she won't be more than a few paces back, but as long as I can't see her I can at least pretend she isn't there. It isn't completely dark out. There is the moon, of course, but the Forbidden City simply isn't dark the way my old hutong was. There are lanterns outside every palace, and guards patrol with lanterns. Even here in the courtyard, there are lanterns layered with thick silk so that there is at least a soft glow is every corner.\n\nI walk around the pond and see ripples in the black water where the koi dart about. I pass by a window cut into the concrete wall that surrounds my palace and stop. The little hairs on the back of my neck and arms ripple down my skin. I look through the window, but see nothing. And yet…I know someone is there. I step closer and peer through, squinting in the dark. Across a wide walkway, there is a garden. I can see a few small green bushes, but not much else. But…there, next to one of the bushes is a shadow that…doesn't quite fit. I focus my vision, trying to see…\n\nI yelp when a guard walks by, scaring me half to death. The maid is instantly by my side.\n\n\"Are you all right?\" she asks.\n\n\"Yes, of course,\" I say, my hand on my chest to soothe my racing heart. I glance back through the window, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary. I let the maid lead me back to my bed-chamber, even though I am no more likely to sleep now than before. But no point in making her wait out in the cold for me.\n\nBack in my bedroom, the eunuchs close the doors behind me. The maid moves to the bed to tuck me in, and I reluctantly climb in. I lay with my eyes open, staring out into the room, and my thoughts drift to Prince Honghui. Could he have been the shadow I saw outside? Was he hoping I would meet him? That would be impossible now, considering how closely I am watched. I'll probably never be able to speak to him privately again. And certainly never touch. Never kiss. Never…\n\nI have to wipe a tear from my cheek. I had already lost so much when I came to the Forbidden City. Everything. The one thing I had claimed for myself, my relationship with the prince, has now been taken from me as well.\n\nI am surrounded by people in my new palace. But I am completely alone.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I am shaking so badly as I am carried in a sedan chair to audiences the next day, you would think I had caught a deadly chill.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I am nervous. Terrified! Since my appointment, the dowager has never paid me a visit as I expected her to. I thought she would want to begin my training right away. Instruct me in exactly how I am supposed to manage a harem of dozens of ladies—all of whom must hate me.\n\nWhen the chair stops, I nearly vomit as my stomach clenches. Thankfully, the sensation passes by the time Suyin offers her hand to help me from the chair. I look at the ground so that I can't see if anyone is watching me. But when I enter the audience hall, what sounded like a swarm of bees instantly quiets. I can feel hundreds of eyes on me as Suyin leads me to my… I want to say chair, but it is not a chair. It is a throne. I can't believe I am about to sit on a throne.\n\nMy throat is completely parched, and when I open my mouth, no sound comes out. Which ends up being for the best because it is then that the dowager enters the room and stands next to me in front of her throne, which is set just as high as mine on the dais. I had thought it was lower and slightly behind the empress's throne before, but perhaps I had been mistaken.\n\nThe dowager sits without a word, and I follow suit. Everyone is silent, waiting for me to address them. I try to remember what it was that the empress said to us every morning, but my mind goes blank. I look to Suyin, and she mouths something to me, but I can't understand her. I look out over the crowd of ladies and hear whispers from somewhere, and then giggling.\n\n\"Good morning, ladies,\" the dowager finally says, and all the ladies drop to their knees.\n\n\"Good morning, Empress Mother,\" they all say at once, and then they wave their handkerchiefs over their shoulders. Then they look to me.\n\n\"Good morning, Consort Lihua,\" they say, but it is not in unison, and not nearly as loud as their greeting for the dowager. Then, only some of them wave their handkerchiefs at me. I'm completely mortified and wish I would die.\n\n\"How dare you snakes show such impertinence!\" the dowager snaps, and gasps ripple through the gathered ladies. \"Is this how you show respect to your superiors? I should have each one of you whipped!\"\n\nAll of the ladies cry out and bend over with their heads to the floor in full kowtows, muttering their apologies.\n\n\"Do it again,\" the dowager orders.\n\n\"Yes, Mother,\" they all say as they sit back up. They turn to me and, this time loudly and in unison, they greet me.\n\n\"Good morning, Consort Lihua.\" All of their handkerchiefs are waved at me three times.\n\n\"Good morning, ladies,\" I manage to say. \"Please, sit.\" When they are all in their chairs and quiet again, I am once again at a loss for what to say. I look at the dowager from the corner of my eye.\n\n\"Since Lady An's betrayal, there are going to be a lot of changes around here,\" the dowager says. \"Empress Caihong has been too lax, allowing all of you to show disrespect, slack in your duties, and spend money frivolously. All of that will change.\"\n\n\"Yes, Mother,\" everyone says, including me. Fenfang shoots me a glance, and I realize I should not have spoken.\n\n\"All positions within the harem will be reassigned,\" the dowager continues. \"And a new set of rules will be issued shortly. I expect all of you to comply with whatever Consort Lihua tells you to do.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I stiffen. Are the assignments and rules supposed to come from me? \"Remember, it is the first and foremost duty of the harem to bring honor to the emperor and dignity to his house. Do you understand?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mother,\" everyone says, except me this time.\n\nThe dowager stands, and I follow suit. The girls all fall to their knees again.\n\n\"You are dismissed,\" she says.\n\n\"Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Consort Lihua,\" they say. Then, row by row starting in the back, the ladies leave the audience room. Soon, only the dowager and I and our maids remain. I turn to the dowager and give a respectful bow. \"Thank you for the assistance, Mother,\" I say. \"I am completely at a loss as to what to do.\"\n\n\"That much is apparent,\" she says, somehow looking down her nose at me even though we are nearly the same height. \"Your actions earned you your place, but it is clear that this is a task you are not equipped to handle.\"\n\n\"I agree,\" I say. \"I never asked for this.\"\n\nThe dowager stares at me for a long moment. I am sure I misspoke. What Manchu girl wouldn't wish to be where I am now? But I can't take back what I said now. I will have to be more careful about what I say in the future, even more careful than I have been.\n\nFinally, a slow grin spreads across the dowager's lips. It is a small grin, barely perceptible, but a grin nonetheless.\n\n\"Do not worry, child,\" she says. \"I will take care of everything.\"\n\nI nearly cry with relief. \"Thank you! Thank you so much!\"\n\n\"I will call on you later today and make sure you have everything you need.\"\n\n\"Of course,\" I say, bowing again. \"Thank you again.\"\n\nThe dowager leaves the room and I let out a long breath I was holding. \"I thought for sure she would hate me as she does Caihong,\" I say to Suyin.\n\n\"She doesn't hate you,\" Suyin says. \"You are not a threat to her position.\"\n\n\"What?\" I ask, confused.\n\n\"You know she's not supposed to be here at all,\" she says. \"She's not the head of the harem—you are.\"\n\n\"But…but you know I can't do this,\" I say. \"If the dowager wants to take the lead, why should I not let her?\"\n\n\"You can do this,\" Suyin says, holding both of my hands in hers. \"Caihong was fifteen when she became empress. You are three years older than that now, and you've been living here for months. If she could lead the harem, then so can you.\"\n\n\"But she was a princess,\" I say. \"She was raised to be an empress.\"\n\n\"Fenfeng wasn't,\" Nuwa says.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She was selected among Manchu ladies just as you were. She was thirteen when she became a concubine. A rank six, just like you were. But she gave birth to the emperor's son, the current emperor. That's the only reason she is dowager now. She wasn't trained for it. She didn't earn it by saving an empress's life. She wasn't elevated because the emperor loved her. She lucked into it by falling pregnant.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The other maids all nod and murmur in agreement. But I'm not Manchu, I want to say, but I can't. If I had been born Manchu, I would have at least known that life in the palace was a possibility for me. I shake my head.\n\n\"You just don't understand,\" is all I can say.\n\nSuyin gives me a smile and pats my hand. \"Everything will be all right. You'll see.\"\n\nAll I can do is smile back, even though in my heart I know she's wrong.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "72 sentences sentences. same character feel. historical fiction, historical romance, China stuff.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This one says, 'a new era of happiness is sure to never end',\" Jingfei, Empress Caihong's daughter, says as she points to a square on the quilt we are sewing together.\n\n\"Does it?\" I ask. \"You are quite clever.\"\n\n\"I can't believe you can't read,\" the little girl says, and I just shake my head and smile.\n\n\"I never imagined I would become an imperial concubine,\" I say. \"I should have prepared better.\"\n\n\"I'm going to marry a prince, you know,\" she says. \"Maybe in Mongolia. Then I can ride horses!\"\n\nShe then prattles on about horses while I continue to work, Suyin and Nuwa along with me, and also Dongmei, Lady An's daughter. The girls are only a year and a half apart in age, but they could not be more different in disposition.\n\nJingfei is loud and outgoing. She runs everywhere and laughs with ease. She has round cheeks and a short nose like her father, but her eyes and skin coloring she gets from her mother.\n\nDongmei is quiet and reserved. She's willowy with long arms and legs and an equally long face and nose. While Jingfei is pretty, I'd say Dongmei has a more classic beauty, like a girl from a painting.\n\nI've been inviting the girls to work with me every day for an hour or two in the afternoons on a \"One Hundred Blessings Quilt,\" a gift for Caihong's son made up of one hundred squares embroidered with good wishes from loved ones. The squares were donated by the wives of important officials of the emperor's court, the dowager empress, and a few ladies of the inner court. It's a lot of work, but it will be beautiful in the end. I only hope we complete it before the baby comes…and that the baby is a boy.\n\nEveryone is confident that this child will be the much-needed heir…but I have my doubts. I don't give voice to them because it might seem as though I am cursing the child to be a girl. And I don't need anyone looking at me more critically than they already are. But there is no way to know if a child will be a boy before it is born, and no way to force such an outcome. Oh, there are old sayings and superstitions, of course, about how to conceive a son, but I don't think they really work. Otherwise every family would have a son. In my mind, there is just as much a chance that the child will be a girl as a boy. But I hold my tongue.\n\nI rarely leave my palace except for the morning greetings, but when I do, I am mostly ignored by the other ladies. They see me, but they will walk the other way and talk about me behind their fans. They don't try to hide it. Suyin and Jinhai have offered to find out what is being said, but I would rather not know. It can be nothing kind, I'm sure.\n\nI have tried to befriend the other ladies, sending gifts of painting supplies or hair ornaments when I can. I have not asked any of them to donate to poor relief like I had wanted. I have even invited Yanmei and Wangli to visit me, but they have politely declined every time. So, I have contented myself with spending time with the little princesses. They are so very clever for their ages, and I suppose that comes with the fine education they must be receiving. They remind me of my sisters. And while my heart is still pained that we cannot be together, having the princesses around me soothes the pain a bit.\n\nA kitchen maid appears with a tray of sweet treats and tea. Jingfei doesn't bother asking for permission before jumping up and running over for a snack, nearly toppling her sewing basket in the process, but Suyin catches it. Dongmei watches her sister, but then continues her work.\n\n\"You may have some,\" I tell her.\n\n\"No, thank you,\" she says, keeping her head down, but I think I see her fingers shaking. I nod to Suyin and Nuwa that they may take a break, so they leave me alone with the little girl.\n\n\"Is something the matter?\" I ask her quietly.\n\n\"No,\" she says, but it is nearly a whisper, and then I see little tears slip down her cheeks. I put my hand on the square she is working on to stop her, then I put an arm around her shoulder.\n\n\"You can tell me the truth,\" I tell her.\n\nShe is quiet for a long minute, staring at my hand, her needle poised. \"My mother is dead.\"\n\nMy mouth gapes as I struggle for words. It has been weeks since Lady An killed herself. Did Dongmei not know until now?\n\n\"Who told you?\" I ask.\n\n\"I heard the maids talking,\" she says, wiping the tears from her eyes after dropping her needle into her basket. \"They said she tried to kill the empress and was put to death. Is it true?\"\n\n\"When did you hear this?\" I ask.\n\n\"A few days ago,\" she replies. \"They…they had told me Mama was sick, and that was why she hadn't come to see me for so long. I didn't…didn't know she was…was…\"\n\nI wrap my arms around her and hold her close as she bursts into tears I am sure she's been holding onto for days. The poor darling must have been in shock at the news.\n\nI have not used my authority in the harem even once. I don't conduct morning greetings, I don't manage spats or arguments, and I have not issued any punishments, not even for the smallest infraction.\n\nBut I think I must now. Dongmei's servants should not have been gossiping about Lady An, and certainly not within earshot of the princess.\n\n\"Is it true?\" Dongmei whispers as she sniffles.\n\n\"Your Mama has died,\" I say. \"But she did not try to kill the empress, I am sure of it.\"\n\n\"Then why is she dead?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dongmei asks, looking up at me.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I run my hand over her hair, smoothing where it has come out of its pins. \"It's very complicated, darling. Some people think she wanted the empress dead, but I don't believe it. I think—I know—she was innocent.\"\n\nShe shakes her head, laying it on my shoulder. \"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"I know,\" I say, rocking her. \"When you are older, I will tell you everything. But don't believe anything the maids say. They are only spreading hateful gossip. I will make sure they stop.\"\n\n\"Okay,\" she says, still sniffling. \"Where is Baba? He hasn't come to see me in a long time either. Is he dead too?\"\n\n\"No! No, he's fine. He's just been very busy, I'm sure. He will see you soon, I promise.\"\n\nDongmei looks at me, her eyes glassy, and I can tell she doesn't believe me, but she nods and leans against me again. We sit together for a long time and my heart aches for Lady An, that she will never be able to hold her daughter again. I miss my mother so much, but I was already at marrying age when I left. I can't imagine how hurt and lonely Dongmei must feel. I hardly feel up to the task, but I know I must do my best to be the mother she so desperately needs.\n\n\"The empress dowager approaches!\" a eunuch announces just before the dowager enters my courtyard. We all rush over to her, the servants getting on their knees while the princesses and I just bow.\n\n\"Welcome, Mother,\" I say.\n\n\"Ah, the girls are here,\" she says.\n\n\"Yes,\" I say, standing upright. \"They have been helping me sew a blanket for their little brother. It is coming along nicely.\"\n\n\"Hmm,\" she says, and then looks to her own maids. \"Escort the girls to their palaces.\" The maids bob and then try to take hold of the girls' arms and lead them away.\n\n\"I don't want to go!\" Jingfei protests, digging her heels in, and I see tears rush to Dongmei's eyes.\n\n\"Wait!\" I say. \"Why should they leave?\"\n\n\"Are you standing in the way of their education?\" Fenfang asks me.\n\n\"No!\" I say. \"Of course not. But I was under the impression that their lessons were in the mornings, so I saw no harm in having them spend their afternoons with me.\"\n\nThe dowager cocks her head and the maids pull the little girls away more forcefully. \"That is when they have their academic lessons. But their entire life is an education. An education preparing them to become fine ladies. Do you think you are up to such a task? Can you truly teach the girls how the daughters of an emperor should comport themselves?\"\n\nOf course I'm not, but I don't want to admit that. But neither can I say yes. I know nothing of raising imperial children.\n\n\"With Lady An…gone and the empress confined, the girls need a mother, or an elder sister at least,\" I say. \"They are lonely.\"\n\n\"Lonely?\" Fenfang barks a laugh. \"They are surrounded by maids and tutors. How can they possibly be lonely?\"\n\n\"You think a maid is an acceptable replacement for a mother?\" I ask. \"You would have the children raised by servants instead of wives of the emperor?\"\n\nThe courtyard had been quiet before—no one would dare speak without permission in the dowager's presence—but now, it is so silent not even the crickets make a sound. The dowager's jaw is set tight, but I stand firm. Normally I would cower before her, but seeing the girls dragged away stirs anger in me. I made a promise to Lady An to protect her daughter, and I will hold to that.\n\nThe dowager's face softens and she smiles, but I think it is the way a fox would smile at a chicken when it knows the chicken cannot escape.\n\n\"You are so very new to life here,\" she says. \"I will forgive you for speaking out of turn this time. But in the future, I would encourage you to remember your place.\"\n\nI don't know how to respond, which gives her time to turn and leave, the girls dragged away behind her.\n\n\"Lihua!\" Dongmei calls out, and I feel a sharp pain in my chest.\n\n\"I'll see you tomorrow, darling!\" I call out to her, trying to pretend that nothing is the matter. But as soon as the girls are out of sight, tears of my own sting my eyes. Suyin comes to my side and tries to comfort me.\n\n\"What did I do wrong?\" I ask her. \"Why did the dowager take them away?\"\n\nNuwa answers. \"You've given complete control of the harem to the dowager, and that includes the princesses. I think that she doesn't like the idea of you influencing them, even if you meant no harm.\"\n\n\"What can I do?\" I ask.\n\n\"You have to take your rightful place as senior lady of the harem,\" Nuwa says. \"You need to lead the morning greetings. You must mediate disputes. You need to visit the other ladies in their palaces and insist that they come here when you summon them. It is unacceptable that they ignore your calls.\"\n\nMy bladder clenches at the thought and I suddenly have to pee. \"I don't know. I wouldn't know how to begin! I don't have any idea what I'm doing.\"\n\n\"We will help you,\" Suyin says, then she looks to Nuwa. \"But she needs allies, don't you think? If Lihua simply starts making demands, the other ladies will ignore her and follow the instructions of the dowager. They know where the real power lies.\"\n\nNuwa sighs. \"Perhaps. What should we do?\"\n\nSuyin looks at me. \"You should speak to the emperor. Tell him that you are ready for more responsibility. Ask that he speak to his mother about being your assistant.\"\n\n\"Are you sure I should speak to him about harem matters?\" I ask. \"Will he not think it is beneath him?\"\n\n\"Perhaps,\" Nuwa says. \"But he will defer to you. He will tell you to do as you wish, and that should be enough. He tries to get involved in harem matters as little as possible, but he understands the hierarchy. He knows you are second only to the empress and should be making all the major decisions. He will support you, I am sure of it.\"\n\nI nod. \"I will speak to him the next time I am summoned.\" I feel a bit more hopeful at this. In truth, I don't want to take all authority from the dowager.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I don't want to be the head of the harem.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 24 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I only want to watch over the princesses. If she gave me that much, I would be content.\n\n\"I do have an idea,\" I say, and I wave Jinhai over to me. \"Dongmei said that she heard some maids gossiping about her mother. It was how she found out her mother had died. I want the maids found and demoted.\"\n\n\"You should have them dismissed,\" Nuwa says.\n\n\"No,\" I say. \"I know that many of the maids support their families, so I don't want them dismissed completely. But I don't want them serving the princesses, either of them. Tell the ministry of household affairs they are to be given the lowest positions. The scullery or chamber pots.\"\n\n\"I will see it done, my lady,\" Jinhai says. \"It might take a few days…and a few bribes to find out which maids it was. The princesses have more servants than you do.\"\n\n\"You manage my income so do what you must.\"\n\nJinhai bows and then rushes off to do his work. I've made him my chief eunuch, and as far as I know he has managed the position well.\n\n\"That is a good start, my lady,\" Nuwa says. \"But may I make another suggestion?\" I nod. \"Hire tutors of your own, not merely eunuchs, but proper teachers.\"\n\n\"You don't think Jinhai is doing a good job?\" I ask, concerned.\n\n\"For a rank-six concubine, he was more than adequate. For a rank-two consort…\" She shakes her head. \"You must be able to read and do basic math in your position. You cannot learn those things studying only occasionally when both you and Jinhai have time.\"\n\n\"He has been so very busy lately,\" Suyin says, and I nod in agreement.\n\n\"You should prioritize your education as much as possible,\" Nuwa says. \"Hire a tutor and have lessons every day.\"\n\n\"I think this is a good idea. Please find me someone as soon as possible. I wouldn't have any idea how to find a tutor.\"\n\n\"Of course, my lady,\" she says.\n\nMy heart feels a bit lighter. I am nervous about having to stand up to the dowager, but I think I might be on the path to making things right.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner for this section. I'll provide a segment, and you continue with thirty-six sentences, channeling Zoey Gong in the historical fiction, historical romance, China genre. Characters may have backstories from previous chapters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How are things in the harem?\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "the emperor asks me that evening as we lie in bed together.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "His arm is around my shoulders and my head is on his chest.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "I fuss with the edge of his robe as I consider my answer.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "He doesn't really want to know how things are.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He only wants to hear that everything is well.\n\n\"Things are well, your majesty,\" I say.\n\n\"Are you becoming accustomed to the way things are done?\"\n\n\"Slowly,\" I say.\n\n\"That is good. Mother has been pleased with you.\"\n\n\"Has she?\" I ask, wondering just what the dowager has been telling the emperor about me.\n\n\"She says you are a kind and tolerant mistress, as I knew you would be.\"\n\nI press my lips to keep from responding. Of course she would say that. I have tolerated allowing her to run the harem however she wishes. I'm no threat to her power the way Empress Caihong was—and will be again once she is free of her birthing bed.\n\nI hadn't considered what will happen once Caihong is no longer confined. She will surely want to put Fenfang back in her place. But will she be able to? Once authority is given, is it easily taken away?\n\n\"The empress is mere weeks away from giving birth to my son,\" the emperor says with a contented sigh. \"Then all will be as it should be.\"\n\n\"We are all eagerly awaiting news of the prince's birth,\" I say. I open my mouth to mention the princesses, but stop myself. I'm not sure how to broach the subject. I do not wish to imply that he is neglecting his children…but that is exactly what he is doing.\n\n\"Something seems to be on your mind,\" he says, and I realize I am doing a poor job of pretending everything is perfect. I sit up in bed so that I can see his face, better gauge his reaction.\n\n\"I have been spending more time with the princesses,\" I say, \"Jingfei and Dongmei. They are the smartest, sweetest girls I have ever known.\"\n\nThe emperor is not smiling. He rolls away, getting out of the bed on the other side. Already, I feel the anger coming off of him and I say no more. I'm not sure why he should be so angry at the mere mention of his daughters.\n\n\"And this…disturbs you?\" he prods.\n\n\"No, of course not,\" I say.\n\n\"Then why did you bring it up?\" he asks. \"Did you think I would be proud of you? Pleased? The girls fall under your preview as head of the harem while Caihong is indisposed.\"\n\nI feel as though I am walking into a trap. I remain sitting, my hands folded in my lap. I tug the edges of my robe closer together, feeling exposed. Vulnerable.\n\n\"Speak!\" the emperor orders.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They miss you,\" I mumble.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? Speak clearly!\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They miss you,\" I say, looking right at him. \"Your daughters love you, but they are very alone right now. Caihong cannot see them for more than a few minutes each day. And Lady An is—\"\n\n\"Don't mention that woman to me again!\" he yells.\n\n\"I am sorry for offending you,\" I say. \"I don't mean to mention her. But Dongmei is greatly distraught. She has heard the servants gossiping—\"\n\n\"Then punish them,\" he says.\n\n\"I have, your majesty,\" I say. \"Or, I will, as soon as I learn which ones it was.\"\n\n\"These are harem issues,\" he says, turning from me and pouring himself a cup of wine. I take the opportunity to stand. Having him tower over me in such a way has made me uncomfortable. \"Why bring them up to me?\"\n\n\"As I said, the girls miss you,\" I say. \"They know you are busy, but Dongmei is especially—\"\n\n\"Her mother was a whore and a traitor!\" The emperor turns back toward me and throws his cup against the wall, wine splashing on the floor. I suppose the outburst has it's desired effect as I say no more. But this seems to enrage him more. It is as if he wants to fight with me.\n\n\"Dongmei is fortunate be allowed to stay in the palace at all,\" the emperor goes on. \"I should disown her. Send her away. She is sure to bring bad luck upon this house.\"\n\nI'm so disgusted by his words, I cannot stay silent. \"She is an innocent child. Your daughter.\"\n\n\"Is she?\" he asks, his face dark. \"That woman betrayed me, was a murderer. She was cunning, that one. How do I know that Dongmei is really my daughter? I only slept with the woman once. She could have had a lover, had another man do the deed to ensure her place.\"\n\n\"You don't really believe that,\" I say. \"Dongmei looks like you. She has your eyes.\"\n\nThe emperor waves me off. \"That proves nothing.\"\n\nI want to protest, but then I remember the night I spent with Honghui, his own brother, and my cheeks go hot. I did not fall pregnant, for that was months ago, but still, the guilt gnaws at me. Lady An was not unfaithful, but I was.\n\n\"You spoke to her,\" he says, interrupting my thoughts. \"You spoke to her only minutes before she killed herself, didn't you?\" I stand stone still, not even nodding my head. \"Caihong told me what you said, what the woman told you. She told you she was guilty, did she not?\"\n\nMy eyes water as I remember Lady An at that moment.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(authors note, For the upcoming response: keep quoted text at about 51%)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She knew that she could not be saved. Her only thoughts were for her daughter, dear Dongmei. Protect my daughter, she said, and I promised. I rush to the emperor and drop to my knees, knocking my forehead to the floor.\n\n\"Please do not punish Dongmei for her mother's sins,\" I say. \"She is a child. A child! Please, please, my lord, do not forsake her. She loves you.\"\n\n\"Get up!\" he growls. \"Groveling does not become a woman of your station.\" I sit up on my heels, keeping my eyes low.\n\n\"The care of Jingfei falls to you,\" he says, \"until her mother is out of confinement. But as for Dongmei…\" He shakes his head. \"I cannot bear to look at her. And I don't want her poisoning Jingfei's thoughts about me.\"\n\n\"She would never—\"\n\n\"Dongmei must be sent away,\" he says.\n\n\"No—\" I start, but the emperor interrupts me.\n\n\"She must! Her mother was like poison in a well, infecting every person it touches. Dongmei carries her mother's hate, her malice. She cannot stay here.\"\n\n\"No. Your majesty, please!\" My heart races frantically. \"Please don't separate the sisters from one another.\"\n\n\"I cannot use her in a marriage alliance now,\" he says. \"No family would accept a girl with such a notorious mother. I'll send her to Kaifu Temple to be raised.\"\n\n\"She cannot be a nun,\" I say. \"She's a child. A maid. Only widows become nuns.\"\n\n\"Then perhaps I will banish her altogether!\" the emperor yells, stomping toward me. I fall backward and he stands over me, panting with anger, his eyes full of hate…or is that hurt? I can't tell the difference. \"Throw her out into the street and let her find her own way.\"\n\nI don't know where this is coming from. How any man—but especially an emperor—can speak so cruelly of his own child. He cannot mean it. He must know what would happen to her if she were abandoned. But…he cannot mean it. I want to fight back. Yell and scream for Dongmei. Force him to see just how terrible he is being. But something holds me back.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I would like to think it is common sense, but it could also be cowardice. Either way, I know I cannot continue the way I am. If I continue to fight him, he will only become more determined to send her away.\n\n\"I am sorry for mentioning the troubles of the harem to you,\" I say, getting back to my knees. \"It won't happen again. Dongmei's fate should be left to the empress, as befitting her station.\"\n\nThe emperor is silent. I cannot see his face, but the tension between us lessens.\n\n\"I am a stupid girl, one who cannot comprehend the complexities of an imperial family. You have blessed me with responsibility far beyond my understanding. I…I await your punishment.\" I did not want to add that last part. I don't want to be punished! But it is something I have heard the servants say many times to irate mistresses. It is meant to show the ultimate humility, and something I need to demonstrate now.\n\nThe emperor is quiet for so long, my knees start to ache, but I dare not move. Finally, he speaks.\n\n\"Leave me,\" he says. My eyes shoot up to him. He's never dismissed me in such a way before. The first few times I was brought to him, I was carried in naked, and when he was finished, I was taken away in a sedan chair. But the last time that happened was months ago. Now, on nights I go to him, I stay the whole night. To be ordered away so callously is a great insult. But not only that, he has not given his decision regarding Dongmei. I can't let him send her away, but I do not know what else I can do.\n\n\"Go,\" he says again. \"I am tired. You have no idea the weights upon my mind. What it means to rule an empire and then have to deal with the petty squabbles of home life.\"\n\nI do not think that Dongmei's future is a petty issue, but I cannot say so. I rise to my feet and bow, but I do not leave, not just yet. I have to hold out hope that he will give me some reassurance that Dongmei will not be sent away.\n\n\"I think that you are not ready to deal with such weighty issues within the harem,\" he says. \"Perhaps I did promote you too quickly. From now on, any major issues should be put on hold until Caihong is out of her confinement. If there is an emergency, it should go to the dowager. Do you understand?\"\n\n\"Yes, your majesty,\" I say. At least, I hope I do. I think he is saying that a decision about Dongmei's future shall be put before the empress later. For now, Dongmei is safe. I think that this is for the best. I know that Caihong loves Dongmei as her own child and would never send her away. After all, all children of the harem are her children.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 37 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To treat them as anything less would be dishonorable on her part.\n\nI stand still, waiting to see if he changes his mind about dismissing me. I hope I have not damaged our relationship. I don't love him, but I need him. I need his goodwill, his protection.\n\n\"Go,\" he says, and my eyes water as I back away from him.\n\n\"Yes, your majesty,\" I whisper. He was not unkind. In fact, he only sounded tired. Still, his dismissal stings. And the way he yelled at me, threw his cup, towered over me…I have never felt so afraid of him.\n\nWhen I am finally out of the room, the sedan chair is waiting for me. Suyin rushes over, rubbing her eyes as she helps me inside. She had probably fallen asleep in another room, thinking that I would spend the night with the emperor as I usually do.\n\n\"My lady?\" she asks, realizing that something is wrong. But I say nothing as I climb into the chair. She is going to be disappointed when she finds out that I did not gain the emperor's support to run the harem. Quite the opposite happened. All decisions are to be postponed or put before the dowager. I am now even more powerless than I was before.\n\nIt could have gone much worse. He could have demoted me. Could have punished me. Could have done any number of things, but he did not. For that, I suppose I should be grateful. I have to hope that his anger toward me will quickly cool. I try to reflect on what I said, what could have made him so angry. I suppose it was the mere mention of Dongmei, for I can think of nothing else. He grew irritated at the very mention of his children. Why? I cannot fathom it.\n\nThese thoughts are still swirling around in my head as we reach my palace and Suyin helps me out of the chair.\n\n\"My lady! Lady Lihua!\" I look and see a maid from Empress Caihong's palace running toward me.\n\n\"Yes?\" I ask. I look up and see that the moon is high in the sky. It is very late.\n\n\"You must come at once! The empress's labor pains have started!\"", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I need a two thousand, four hundred and forty-character bit to fill the gap marked by `[original_content_missing]` in this text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's too early!\" Suyin says, but I can hardly hear her as the blood thumps in my ears.\n\n\"Call the physician!\" I say as I run toward the empress's palace.\n\n\"My lady!\" Suyin calls, but I do not stop. I can run far faster than any chair can carry me, and the empress needs me, now!\n\nWhen I reach her palace, it is lit up bright as day, surrounded by bright lanterns. A dozen servants are sitting outside on their knees, their hands folded together as they pray. I step around them and enter the palace, the place in a flurry of activity. Maids rush about carrying bowls of water and clean linens. Eunuchs carry buckets of coal to the various braziers to keep the palace warm and well-lit. My heart seizes as I hear the empress cry out in pain.\n\nI push my way into the room. The empress, lying on her bed, turns her head to me as tears fall down her cheeks. I rush to her side, pushing the maid who was mopping her brow out of my way as I take the empress's hand.\n\n\"You…you told me…\" the empress starts to say, but she cries out with another birth pang.\n\n\"Don't try to speak,\" I tell her. I toss her quilt aside and a maid screams. There's so much blood. I remember the night my mother nearly died and shake myself from my stupor. If my mother lived, so can the empress.\n\n\"My…my baby!\" the empress cries. \"My boy!\"\n\n\"Shh,\" I say as I take over with the rag, dabbing cold water on her forehead. \"You'll be fine. The baby will be fine.\"\n\n\"You…said that…that she confessed,\" the empress says with wide, terrified eyes, gripping my wrist. I open my mouth to confirm what I had said, but it's too late. I know the truth is showing on my face. The empress looks away from me and cries out as another pain grips her, her short hair sticking to her cheeks.\n\n\"Where's the physician?\" I yell.\n\n\"He's been sent for, my lady,\" someone answers.\n\n\"The midwife?\" I ask. Before anyone can answer, the doors to the room swing wide open and everyone drops to their knees.\n\n\"What are you—\" I am about to ask how they can just abandon their empress, but then I see that the dowager has entered the room. I don't care. I look back to the empress, trying to keep her calm.\n\n\"It's all right,\" I tell Caihong.\n\nIn a moment, the dowager is at my side, standing over the empress. \"What have you done?\" she demands.\n\n\"Nothing!\" the empress cries. \"I did nothing!\"\n\n\"You worthless—\" She raises a hand to strike the empress, but I jump to my feet, grabbing the dowager's arm. Her eyes go wide in shock. \"You dare—\"\n\n\"Get out!\" I tell her, releasing her arm. \"The empress needs to focus on giving birth. Get out!\"\n\nThe dowager seems to have forgotten all about Caihong as her gaze narrows at me. \"You will regret this,\" she says through gritted teeth.\n\nI know I will, but I do not stand down. The empress can't handle any more stress if she is to have any hope of surviving. The dowager and I continue to stare at one another, but then I turn away from her and sit back at the empress's side. I think the dowager originally thought to cower me with her glare, but the fact that I simply ignore her instead of appearing frightened does not have the intended effect. Instead of her appearing superior to me, I insulted her. The fact that I don't seem to care only adds salt to the wound. Still, I ignore her. Ignore the scared faces of the maids. Ignore the whispers that dance around the room.\n\nFinally, the dowager turns away, her robes swishing by me, and she stomps from the room. I've now managed to anger the emperor and the dowager both in one night. I am sure I will pay for it later. The empress squeezes my hand and I look down at her.\n\n\"Thank you,\" she says, and I nod. If the empress lives, she will surely protect me from the dowager's wrath. But should she die…\n\nThe midwife arrives then, and I make way for her. It is custom for a royal birth to be attended by a doctor and a midwife. As women, we know a doctor is unnecessary, but the emperor insists.\n\nThe midwife feels the empress's belly, but her face gives nothing away. She then moves to the empress's feet, lifting her nightgown and looking between her legs. She is not at all bothered by having to sit on the blood-soaked bedding.\n\n\"My lady,\" the midwife says to the empress, \"the child has decided to be born. This is not something that can be stopped.\"\n\n\"It's too early…\" the empress cries. \"It's too early…\"\n\n\"Not necessarily,\" the midwife says. \"Babies born this early can survive. But we must hurry.\"\n\nAt this, the doors open again and the doctor rushes forward. Behind him is the emperor. This time, even I drop to my knees. The doctor begins giving the empress the same exam as the midwife did, and the two whisper together. The emperor crosses the room, and I move out of the way as he sits on the bed next to his wife.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" she says.\n\nThe emperor shakes his head and gives her a smile, but it quavers. He touches her cheek and then kisses her forehead.\n\n\"You can do this,\" he whispers. \"Do it for me.\"\n\nThe empress kisses the palm of the emperor's hand. As he pulls away, he glances at me and gives me a nod. I bow and then take his place by her side. He cannot stay, so he entrusts her care to me. As soon as he is gone, the room is once again busy, and the doctor and midwife work together to save the empress and her son.\n\nA day and a half later, the baby still has not come. The empress is so weak, she can barely keep her eyes open. She no longer screams, her body having become numb from the pain. The midwife and doctor check between the empress's legs one more time and shake their heads.\n\n\"Your majesty,\" the doctor whispers so only she and I can hear, \"we can delay no longer. The baby will not come on its own. We must cut him out. I'm sorry.\"\n\nThe empress puts her hand to her face as she nods. Tears run down my cheeks, but I do not contradict her. It is a death sentence for her, but it is the only chance the baby has of survival. As the doctor moves away to prepare for the surgery, the empress pulls me to her.\n\n\"He will need you now,\" she says, and I know she means the emperor. I nod as I hold her tight.\n\n\"My lady,\" the doctor says, tugging gently on my shoulder. I look around and see that there are very few people in the room, only two senior maids and the helpers for the doctor and midwife. I know he thinks I should leave. That I should not have to see what happens next. Watch my empress d[original_content_missing]ee both sadness and fear on their faces.\n\n\"The prince,\" the midwife says, \"he is dead.\"\n\nMy head swims and think I might swoon. The doctor grabs my arm to hold me steady.\n\n\"There was nothing we could do,\" the doctor says. \"The…the cord wrapped itself around his throat. The prince was already dead from the start of the empress's pains.\"\n\nI don't know how they can know this, nor how they could not have known it before now. If they had known, then perhaps the empress could have been saved. She didn't need to die.\n\nI look back at the empress's body, the large cut across her abdomen, and feel sick. How could this happen? She was so young. Healthy. She'd given birth before. It shouldn't have happened… It shouldn't have happened…\n\nThe doors to the room open and the emperor staggers in, swaying, and I think he must have spent the last day and a half drinking. He looks at the empress, then he leans against the wall and vomits. The smell of it about makes me sick as well. I put my sleeve to my hand, which is not much better as it smells of blood and the empress's perfume.\n\n\"My son,\" the emperor says, walking toward us. We all drop to our knees, the midwife holding tight to the bundle. \"Where is my son?\"\n\n\"Your majesty…\" the doctor says, shaking, and I suddenly realize why I saw fear on his and the midwife's faces. \"The child…c-c-could not survive.\"\n\n\"Where is my son!\" the emperor roars, pushing the doctor out of the way. The midwife staggers to her feet, offering him the wrapped bundle. I am afraid he will drop it, but the emperor takes the baby with surprising gentleness. He nudges the wrapping away from the face, then he brings it to his lips and gives it a delicate kiss.\n\n\"It was a boy, wasn't it?\" he asks, looking to the midwife for confirmation. The midwife nods.\n\n\"Yes, your majesty.\"\n\nI am not sure if this is a comfort to him or only makes the deaths more painful, but either way, the news seems to undo him. He backs into a wall and sinks to the ground. There, holding the body of his only son, he cries.\n\nI am not sure what to do. My own heart aches so much, I wish I could just lose consciousness. Sleep for a thousand years. Long enough for the pain to dull. But I cannot. Still on my knees, I crawl to the emperor's side and wrap my arm around his shoulder. He turns into me, crying into my chest. I hold him tight, his son between us, and together we mourn the loss of our empress and our hope for the future.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ie. But I can't leave her. I shrug him off.\n\n\"I'm staying.\"\n\nThe doctor only gives me a small bow as he prepares his instruments and lays a clean cloth over the empress's stomach.\n\n\"She…she was innocent, wasn't she?\" the empress asks me. \"She never would have hurt me.\"\n\nI cannot lie to her. Not now. Not when she knows the truth already. Not when she has only moments left on this earth. I nod, too choked up to say anything.\n\nThe empress grunts, and I see that the doctor has made the first incision. I look away, back to the empress's face. I can't watch.\n\nTears stream down her face and she grunts again, gritting her teeth. She gasps and looks at me. \"You are in grave danger,\" she spits out with surprising force. \"If it wasn't Lady An… I don't know… I don't know…\" She screams and I see the doctor pull the baby from the empress's body, the thing tiny and red.\n\n\"I did it,\" she says with a sigh, and I feel her grip loosen. \"I did…my duty…\"\n\nHer eyes flutter closed as the blood from her body pours out, seeping into the bedclothes, my gown, and dripping to the floor. The midwife and doctor have not bothered to stop the bleeding or clean her up. All their focus is on the child, who they are tending across the room next to a brazier. The assistants are there as well. One maid has fainted, while the other has fled the room to tell the others what has happened.\n\nPain seizes my chest and I lean forward, wrapping my arms around the empress, crying out in a pain of my own. How could everyone just abandon her? This beautiful, brave woman who sacrificed her very life for the empire. She cannot simply be discarded, tossed aside like a useless husk. I hold her tight, my cheek to hers.\n\n\"I'll remember you,\" I whisper. \"I'll tell your son about you.\"\n\nI don't know how long I sit there, waiting for my tears to stop. Waiting for the pain to release me. But eventually, I realize that I have not heard the baby cry. I look over and see the doctor and midwife still working.\n\n\"No,\" I whisper as I stand. My gown is heavy with blood and I slip on the slick floor. But I must see. I must know. The empress cannot have died in vain. The prince must live!\n\nWhen I reach the light of the brazier, I look between the midwife and the doctor at the tiny wrapped bundle between them. The midwife is crying, and the doctor is shaking his head.\n\n\"What…what is wrong?\" I ask. I know the answer, but I must hear it.\n\nThey both look at me, and I s", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "help with this chapter? fifty-nine sentences more sentences, Zoey Gong-style, historical fiction, historical romance, China genre. some context might be from earlier", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "We mourn the empress and the prince for ten days.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We dress in white robes and kneel in the courtyard behind the emperor's main audience hall from dawn until dusk.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We do not eat, do not pass water, don't stand up until the sun sets.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the other side of the emperor's audience hall, in the main grand courtyard, all of the emperor's advisors, officials, princes, and elevated lords and ladies perform the same ritual.\n\nI do not see the emperor in all this time. After we cried together, he left the empress's palace, carrying the tiny body of his son, and retreated to his own palace. Jinhai carried me back to my palace, where my ladies washed me and combed my hair, folding it into a simple plait. We cannot wear makeup or style our hair in any elaborate fashion while in mourning. I do not know anything about Manchu death rites, but no one seems to notice. I think everyone chalks it up to my own grief muddling my mind.\n\nBut why have I grieved so? I was not particularly close to the empress. She had not been exceptionally kind to me. I suppose it is just the tragedy of it all.\n\nWhen I lived on the dusty streets of Peking, I thought that the Manchu lords and ladies, the emperor and empress, on the other side of the great red wall lived such easy lives. They never knew hunger, or cold, or went without shoes. And while that is all true, that does not mean that they did not still suffer. Suffer loss, suffer pain, suffer loneliness. The empress should have been the happiest, safest, most privileged woman in the world. But the last time I saw her, she looked like nothing more than a slaughtered animal. The memory makes me sick, and I think it always will.\n\nThis morning, eleven days after the deaths of the empress and the prince, the emperor's chief eunuch appears at my door. Even though no one told me what is going to happen—I know.\n\nI am going to be crowned empress.\n\n\"Please prepare yourself and follow me,\" is all the eunuch says. I nod and return to my washroom, where Nuwa bathes me, scrubbing me from head to toe until my skin burns pink, and then rinsing me with cow milk scented with rose petals. I did not think it was possible for my skin to appear so light in color. I am then massaged with oils and my hair brushed one thousand times.\n\nSuyin uses the best quality makeup, making my face even more pale, painting my eyes with black and gold and a strip of red painted down the center of my lips. Nuwa styles my hair with a headdress befitting an empress. Then, I am dressed in a yellow robe embroidered with a nine-tailed phoenix. The emperor and the empress are the only people in the whole country allowed to wear imperial yellow. I am given a long string of jade beads, and gold enameled nail protectors are placed on three of my fingers on each hand. I am then helped into pot-bottom shoes taller than any I have worn before. I am carried in a sedan chair to the main audience hall and led through a side door into a small room, where I now wait alone.\n\nI wish I could pace, but I cannot walk on my own accord without falling. The shoes are too elevated, the headdress too heavy, and the long train of my robe tugs me down. My maids are instructed to wait outside until I am summoned. I wish I could cry, but I do not want to spoil my makeup or look a fool when I am called for. I do not want this, but it is impossible for me to refuse. The least I can do is act with as much dignity as I can muster.\n\nI hear a door behind me open and close and I hold my breath, expecting it to be the eunuch, telling me it is time. But it is not the eunuch's voice I hear.\n\n\"Lihua.\"\n\nPrince Honghui's eyes are rimmed red, the same as mine have been these last two weeks. He is no longer in his mourning clothes, but in a robe of another shade of yellow embroidered with a three-toed dragon. Only the emperor may wear garments depicting a four-toed dragon.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\" I ask him.\n\nHe takes my hand, and I know I should pull it back, but I don't. He steps close to me, too close, and puts his forehead to mine.\n\n\"I had to see you,\" he says, his breath shaking. \"Had to see you one last time before…\"\n\nBefore I am crowned empress, is what he cannot say. After today, we will not be able to see each other again, at least not privately. I can never risk sneaking out of my palace, not that I would have the opportunity. I have not had a moment alone since I became rank-two consort, and it will be even worse when I am empress.\n\nAny independent identity I thought I had been forming since my arrival here is now gone. I am no longer a mere Manchu lady. Nor a concubine. Not even a consort. In only a few minutes, I will be the empress of China. When I was younger, I thought that such a title was the pinnacle of power. But now I know that it is the opposite of that, complete servitude.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I will no longer live for myself, but for my country, my emperor. Pregnancy will not be an unhappy consequence of my position, but my sworn duty. A duty that killed my predecessor.\n\n\"No matter what happens, I will be here for you,\" he says, and my heart hurts. It is a beautiful sentiment, to think that I am not alone. But I am alone. So very alone. Whatever happens, I will not be able to turn to him for help. For support. For kindness or friendship. And do not mention love.\n\nBut I nod, unable to stop a single tear from slipping down my cheek. \"I'm so afraid,\" I whisper, at first surprised that I said the words out loud. Then I realize that this is my last chance to speak freely, to express what's truly in my heart.\n\n\"I know,\" he says. \"You never asked for this, never wanted it. You strange, wonderful, beautiful girl.\" I can't help but laugh. \"You never told me what secret burden you carry, and now I suppose you never will.\"\n\nI am not Lihua! I want to tell him. Tell anyone! It isn't only that I don't want to be here. I shouldn't be here. I'm not Manchu. I'm not a lady. I should never have even been admitted to the Forbidden City, and now I am about to sit on the empress's throne. How did this happen?\n\n\"You should go,\" I finally say, pulling my forehead from him and looking into his eyes. \"You can't be caught here.\"\n\nHe nods, but then he places his lips on mine…one last time. Tingles rush from my lips, down my spine, and into my stomach. It is a gentle kiss, one where our lips barely meet for fear of disturbing my face paint, but there is so much contained in that small touch. So much love and loss, joy and fear, passion and pain.\n\nThe prince finally pulls back, wiping his mouth of any paint, and he bows his way away from me—as befitting my new station as his empress. I turn away from him, for I cannot watch him leave me.\n\nThe doors in front of me open, and the light is blinding. I hold my arm up to my eyes as they adjust. Nuwa and Suyin enter the room, each taking one of my hands. They tug me forward, but my feet feel stuck to the floor.\n\n\"I cannot do this,\" I tell Suyin.\n\nSuyin moves to stand in front of me, taking both of my hands and looking deep into my eyes. \"Do you remember what I told you when we first met?\" I shake my head. That feels like a lifetime ago! \"I said that you were sure to be chosen, and I was right. You were chosen for a purpose, my lady. Everything has led to this.\"\n\nCould there be some truth to what she says? Am I supposed to be here? Would Heaven allow a Chinese girl to sit on the throne if they did not will it?\n\nSuyin squeezes my hands one last time and then stands beside me once again. This time, as she and Nuwa tug me forward, I place one foot in front of the other and enter the great audience hall.\n\nThe room is full of important men, even more than last time. When I enter, they all drop to their knees and then bend over, knocking their foreheads to the ground in honor of me. I gulp as I remind myself to put one foot in front of the other, and then to breathe. As I follow the red carpet, I see the emperor up ahead, at the top of the stairs of the raised dais, waiting for me.\n\nWhen I reach the bottom of the stairs, my knees are shaking so badly, I cannot raise my foot. I dare to raise my eyes and look at the emperor. The last time I saw him, we cried together. But the last time we spoke, it was in anger and he sent me away. What if he is still angry with me? What if he is only doing this because he has to? Will he set me aside at the first opportunity?\n\nBut when I look up, the emperor meets my gaze. He is not smiling, but neither is he angry.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pain is still clearly etched on his face, as I'm sure it is on mine as well.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 25 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nods, and I know he means it as a comfort. The past is forgiven, perhaps even forgotten.\n\nI lift my foot to the first step, and then the next, and the next, Suyin and Nuwa still by my side. As I reach the top of the dais, the emperor takes my hand in his, and my maids step away. The emperor leads me to a throne that has been brought forward and set next to his, a throne of gold carved with a phoenix. The emperor helps me turn around and face the gathered people, who are all still kneeling, but now they have sat up, a thousand eyes watching me. Somehow, out of the sea of people, there, to the left toward the very back of the room, I see Prince Honghui. He gives me a small smile and nod, and I give a smile back—only for a moment.\n\nI sit down and perch on the edge of the throne, and the emperor takes his seat next to me, in the dragon throne, and takes my hand. My eyes lift to the massive golden dragon above him with the pearl in its mouth and for a moment, I think I see it quiver, as if the dragon can no longer hold the weight of the pearl and is about to drop it, crushing the emperor. I hold my breath, but nothing happens.\n\nAs I face forward once again, the empress dowager appears and places a gold phoenix crown on my head in front of my headdress. I had expected it to be heavy, but it is so light, I hardly notice it is there. She then bows as she backs away. Through all of this, I do not look at her face. I cannot bear her scrutiny right now. A eunuch steps forward and reads from a scroll.\n\n\"Presenting Her Imperial Majesty, Ula Nara Lihua, consort of His Great Imperial Majesty, Emperor Guozhi, Empress of the Great Qing Empire, Empress of the State of Manchuria, Khatun of Mongolia. May the empress live ten thousand years!\"\n\nEveryone in the room kowtows to me, repeating, \"May the empress live ten thousand years!\"\n\nAs I scan the crowd, a large smile crosses my face and a laugh chokes my throat. It is inappropriate, I know, but I cannot stop it. Every person of wealth and dignity in China is kneeling before me—me! The daughter of a laborer without even a pair of shoes is now the empress of China. I am the empress of China.\n\nI only hope my parents hear of me, and that I make them proud.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "same energy as Zoltan Andrejkovics, keep writing. story might have ongoing elements", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A conversation between human and AI in the 33rd century.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Keat: What was the so called \"Turing Test\" of the 21st century?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Central Intelligent System (CIS): Turing Test was trial designed for intelligent conversation systems and tested whether they could fake human behaviour.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The test itself hasn't got a defined procedure or set of questions, but rather a factual conversation, between the human and the system.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Keat: Seems interesting, but what was the catch?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "CIS: It's importance originated from the fact that these early AI systems constantly failed to mimic the human behaviour.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Keat: They failed? How?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "CIS: They gave incoherent or meaningless answers.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Keat: Strange, but who created these AI systems, that were so unsuccessful in imitation?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CIS: Programmers.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Keat: Were they humans?", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CIS: Yes.\n\nKeat: I see. This could be the problem.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "See that `<\|missing_text\|>` in the text? Replace it with just two hundred and fifty-three words.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "First, we need to define what the term \"true artificial intelligence\" means. The glaring ambiguity of the concept makes it sacrosanct to clearly state the parameters by which true artificial intelligence can be judged. For the sake of clarity, Artificial Intelligence is the reproduction or mimicking of human-level intelligence, self-awareness, knowledge, conscience, and thought in computer programs.\n\nFirstly, true<\|missing_text\|>se experience that includes both physical features and emotions, as depicted by David in Steven Spielberg's movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence.\n\nWhile each of the above definitions may not really do full justice to the very idea of Strong AI as it is envisioned, a wholistic view and synergy of different viewpoints can give one a fair idea of what we are about. The Strong AI should be able to perform the full range of human intellectual abilities, including: recalling memories, reasoning, pattern recognition, problem solving, perception, and predicting future events.\n\nIntelligence itself may not have a proper definition, but it should be able to pass the acclaimed \"Turing Test,\" demonstrating it can reason, strategize, plan, learn, represent common sense knowledge, pass good judgment, and integrate said skills towards a common goal. All these skills are deemed to be the exclusive preserve of humans. When coupled with a second definition, which has to do with the computational theory of mind, the ability to sense the world and be self-aware leaves AI capable of rivalling human qualities, if not more.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " artificial intelligence can refer to the research field of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or another advanced version, Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), which is a hypothetical device capable of exhibiting skilful and flexible human behaviour, and able to imitate humans in their ability to adapt and make apposite decisions, arguably their most important characteristic. They will be able to complete any intellectual tasks a human is capable of performing.\n\nFor the second definition, John Searle in his Chinese Room Argument, gives us a reality check. The True AI or Strong AI, as it were, is basically a recreation of the human mind. Humans, according to computationalists like Hilary Putnam, are highly advanced artificial intelligence systems, complete with instinct, self-awareness and independent thought. In simpler terms, human minds are basically computer programs, therefore asserting that, \"the appropriately programmed computer with the right inputs and outputs would thereby have a mind in exactly the same sense human beings have minds.\" This position has met with staunch criticisms a la Searle's Chinese room argument. There is a step by step manipulation of symbols where input is processed to form output. In this case, according to Searle's argument, the computer does not really understand the symbols it is shown, but rather merely simulates that ability as instructed by the program.\n\nLastly, the Strong AI may refer to an artificial consciousness, a hypothetical machine that possesses self-awareness as well as awareness of other objects or ideas. This supposes that an AI is able to gain the knowledge of sen", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: three sentences sentences, character continuity, AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As of 2019, we are not close to achieving such heights in artificial intelligence. The current architecture and technical framework does not, in any way, show enough progression towards what is deemed a Strong AI.\n\nToday's technology has proliferated across each and every industry, and AI has sustained an increased importance.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The media, the big screen and even the small screen, have done a good job of building the hype around AI.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Who wouldn't want to have Ironman's Jarvis controlling an entire arsenal of amoured suits, or The Arrowverse's Gideon predicting the future and performing surgeries while adding a serving of coffee in the process? But make no mistake: AI today is more advanced than many people thought possible a few years ago. It is being deployed in warfare, music, and healthcare.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It scrutinizes your books, filters through your resume, arrange photos on your phone in order of importance, and tailors advertisements to you.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, let's see the most important solution groups of AI that are available for mainstream use.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I need something around one hundred and eighty-one words to fill the gap marked by `[text_redacted]` in this text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The most popular AIs we have today are digital assistants like Siri (Apple), Alexa (Amazon), Bixby (Samsung) and Google Now (Google). All these solutions apply the following core features:\n\n- Voice recognition\n\n- Data processing and standardization\n\n- Context recognition (both of the query and the end user)\n\n- Built-in knowledge base\n\n- Pattern recognition\n\n- Answer presentation (via voice, text and visual means)\n\nThese solutions are providing end to end complex services aiming to handle tasks on behalf of the user. This may include making table reservations at our favourite restaurants or scheduling meetings with our business partners.\n\nIn simple cases, these assistants work most like a web search engine. They look up a search result for a certain question such as, \"What is the temperature outside?,\" and, using the user's context (geographical location) and a third party service for weather data, readily displays the result back to the user. This kind of u[text_redacted]network or interpretation error could bring fail, but human factors as well.\n\nThese two cases were simple to understand but illustrate that complexity itself is big deal for AI. The more information needed to fulfil a task, the more robust the final system will be.\n\nThe opportunities of assistants are limitless and the creators of these systems should focus their development from domain to domain. For us humans, if we understand a domain, we could solve up to 90% of tasks. However, these solutions have their own limits. There are many cases where they are able to handle only 54% of the requests. From a statistical point of view, this may be a great number, but from end user perspectives, it is what we call \"unreliable.\" If an assistant isn't considered to solve our problems by saying them for the first time, we will not use them in the long term.\n\nIf we want to illustrate the task complexity of AI solutions, we see that there are AI algorithms that could handle really simple repetitive tasks, such as with the case of web bots (e.g. web crawlers) that do not even utilize AI techniques in every cases, but are able to adapt and become much stronger in terms of efficiency. Chatbots are bringing the complexity a step further, proving integrated data models are needed in order to understand the intention of the user with whom it talks.\n\nIf we take a look at autonomous systems like self-driving cars, the complexity skyrockets. These autopilot systems should handle input information from multiple (up to 20) sensors (visual, ultrasonic etc.) in real time, transforming this information to drive the car on the route and allowing it to avoid obstacles, change lanes, steer, and control speed.\n\nAt the top of complexity are the assistants themselves, since we would ultimately have an AI to help by our side to handle, directly or indirectly, the tasks we face.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "se has only a few fail points. Fail points could in this case be:\n\n- Failure to interpret the question or understand input words\n\n- Failure to receive valid geographical data\n\n- Failure of weather service provider to relay weather data due to outage or outdated processes\n\nNow let's go back to table reservation case, a more complex task. In this case fail points increase drastically.\n\n- The assistant misunderstands the exact date said by the user.\n\n- The assistant fails to call the restaurant due to an outdated phone number being listed on the restaurant's website.\n\n- A receptionist of the restaurant could not interpret the assistant's intent to make a reservation.\n\n- The restaurant is closed when the assistant tries to call.\n\n- The receptionist has an accent and the assistant could not interpret the feedback from the receptionist, leaving it unable to determine whether the reservation was complete or not.\n\nThe basic rule illustrated is \"the more interaction necessary to fulfil a task is the more fail points present in the system.\" In the second case, not only ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide two sentences as a continuation in the AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre, maintaining established character relationships.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lot of the big Internet players have their own chat bot engines, including Wit.ai (Facebook), Watson Conversation (IBM), LUIS (Microsoft), Dialogflow (Google), Chatfuel, Flow XO and Pandorabots, the platform of four-time Loebner Prize winner Mitsuku bot.\n\nChatbots feature the following key features:", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "- Context and keyword recognition", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "- Markup model or language (like Artificial Intelligence Mark-Up Language utilized by Pandora)\n\n- Knowledge representation database", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "From a perspective chatbot could be considered conversation automata because it handles the simple needs of humans to talk to someone.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another perspective is highly complicated since people like meaningful conversations. We not only understand each other's intentions, but we like to dream together, figure out stories, talk about feelings, and solve problems by connecting the dots. We are far from that second part, but ultimately it would be the final goal of language understanding engines like chatbots.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Help complete this text by providing just 372 characters where you see the `<cutout_marker>`.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "This field of AI is highly connected now to autonomous driving, but it will be much wider area in the future and extend to fields such as:\n\n- autonomous agriculture and farming\n\n- home automation (smart homes)\n\n- autonomous mining of resources\n\n- automatic knowledge gathering and management\n\nIn the car industry there are a lot of players who are working hard on solving the autonomous driving puzzle, in<cutout_marker>al accident occur worldwide. Despite the sad facts, we always know who was responsible. Now imagine if an autonomous car causes an accident, how do you handle the responsibility? In the following years once self-driving cars are finally available we will hear a lot about this in the news, and it is only a matter of time before we will face the fact that sitting in a self-driving car would be safer than if we were driving the car by ourselves.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "cluding Waimo (Google), AImotive, Mercedes-Benz, Zoox, Cruise (GM), Volvo, Argo AI (Ford), Tesla, and Uber.\n\nThe autonomous driving experience would be both frightening and life changing for the travel industry. The core reason why we see no autonomous vehicles on the road today is safety. Hence, driving a car is considered dangerous since every year 1.2-1.3 million fat", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "There's a gap marked by `<cutout_marker>` in the following text. Fill it with 85 words exactly.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "The advancements in AI have totally been random and, to use the words of a colleague, based on deterministic programming and deterministic hardware system architectures. An instruction is learned to deliver another instruction within a controlled environment. It does not matter if you<cutout_marker>have right now is a tablespoon of water.\n\nPresently, several brilliant scientists have made efforts towards advancing Artificial Intelligence. American-Chinese scientists are currently doing amazing work at Baidu with the use of GPU clusters focused on deep learning. In a nutshell, the closest we have gotten to True Artificial Intelligence is through devices framed on deep learning systems, an advanced version of machine learning. These include Watson, Microsoft's Azure, and Google's Tensorflow. Chatbots, functional robots, assistants, business model algorithms are all cool ways researchers have tried to take steps towards Strong AI.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " are actually programming or just letting the machine teach itself. No matter how spectacular the AIs touted by the media might seem, they ate all based on the input - output process. As we have seen based on our attempts to define True AI, it should be capable of independent thought and reasoning in the fashion of a human, not a vending machine that only returns what someone else puts there. So far so good. If we have been looking for an ocean, all we ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "There's a gap marked by `[missing]` in the following text. Fill it with a bit with 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is the million-dollar question in AI research. There are several traditional tests to measure the intelligence of people like the IQ (intelligence quotient) test. One of the most commonly known forms is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), but there are also popular alternatives like Stanford-Binet Test.\n\nThe problem is, if we would like to give an IQ test to a well-trained chatbot to solve, it would have very good answers in most cases. Yet it will most likely fail to answer questions where common sense abstraction appears. Humans are trained to understand common sense all of their life. But currently, there are no datasets that could be given to an AI algorithm that would result in any common sense behaviour.\n\nIQ tests measure logical, mathematical and spatial capabilities of people, but as Harvard psychologist Howard Gardener suggests, there are other forms of abilities connected to intelligence:\n\n- verbal (politicians)\n[missing] job interviews are challenging so interviewers can receive a clear picture of the candidate. There are no standards in any country for job interviews, which means there is no test that interviewers could rely on 100%.\n\nBut back to AI. There is no standard form of Turing Test. Instead, it is basically a hypothetic test between two candidates, a human and an AI, and a human questioner. The questioner asks a set of questions to both candidates. After the questioner receives the answers, he or she decides which candidate is human and which is the AI. The closest real-life attempt of this test is the Loebner Prize, a test held for chatbots on a yearly basis. The basic idea seems interesting, but there are drawbacks of implementation:\n\n- the questioners may ask dummy questions, spending their limited time on questions that are inefficient for determining judgement at the end of the conversation\n\n- chatbots mastered several tricks, like the simulation of huffish behaviour during the conversation or putting humour into sentences, which can mislead judges\n\n- the chatbot returns with a question to a question\n\nSince the first Loebner prize, held in 1991, chatbots have adapted a lot. They can now \"remember\" several things mentioned by the interviewer and implement common sense context for a lot of phrases. These features have also appeared in cases of digital assistants, but we still have not managed to reach any level of human intellectual abilities.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\n- musical (pianists)\n\n- kinaesthetic (magicians, dancers)\n\n- social (teachers)\n\nAn important discovery, the Emotional Intelligence (also called EQ), has been an essential part of human nature. It first became popular in 1995 after the book with the same title appeared, written by Daniel Goleman.\n\nIt is also interesting that today's job interviews utilize several popular questions and tests, like Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), to gauge applicant personalities and intelligence. Most", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide two sentences as a continuation in the AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre, maintaining established character relationships.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For future AI systems, it is essential to create an easy to use ranking system that can measure capabilities in a common scale. Intelligence is a subjective trait and those working with the human psyche knows it cannot be standardized.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, the best thing we can do is test AI agents with the same principles.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Imagine a definite scale through which you could illustrate the progress of AI.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since AI assistants and chatbots are changing rapidly, they become \"smarter\" and there is a need to re-evaluate their capabilities every time progress is observed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "AI Score is meant to be a standard measurement for computational intelligence. It is a simple scale with several key points within the model.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Turing Test theoretically is able to distinguish humans from computers, but it is unable to compare one AI system to another. Unlike the score received in the Loebner competition, which reflects how \"humanlike\" the chatbots are on a 100% scale, the above method tries to define certain levels of intelligence that are understandable in a case of chatbots or digital assistants.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "This method could test only conversational AI, as the Turing Test itself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It contains five categories, the fifth of which is the human level. The scale does not have an upper limit and instead needs to be adjusted once we get over the \"Turing bridge\".", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The test consists of a definite set of questions.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Each question has an aim for an intellectual capability to test. The questions themselves are not constant and there could be unlimited versions of one question.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide two sentences as a continuation in the AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre, maintaining established character relationships.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If you read Flowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes, you will have a good conjecture what is be the difference between AI Scale 76 and 100. We humans are different from each other, but future AI systems will be also have big differences.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Got a text with a `[text_redacted]` shaped hole in it. Patch it up with ~two hundred and sixteen chars.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Artificial Intelligence (AI):\n\nThe term Artificial Intelligence is made up of two words, \"Artificial\" and \"Intelligence\". Artificial refers to something that is man-made or unnatural, while intelligence refers to the ability to think, reason and understand. Simply put, Artificial Intelligence refers to intelligence exhibited by an artificial [text_redacted]in computer programs.\n\nToday's AI programmers are utilizing two kind of algorithms:\n\nRule based algorithms – These program parts are using rules to collect information about the processed data and are defined by the programmers based on their experiences.\n\nLearning based algorithms – These program parts try to find and store patterns from a certain data set in order to classify future data.\n\nThe second type of algorithm is the key characteristic of Machine Learning.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "(non-natural, man-made) entity. Thrusting further, it is that branch of computer science which deals with the reproduction or mimicking of human-level intelligence, self-awareness, knowledge, conscience, and thought ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I need 106 words exactly to fill the gap marked by `<fill_in_here>` in this text.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Machine Learning (ML):\n\nMachine Learning refers to the acquisition of pattern and knowledge implicitly. ML is the process through which a machine can acquire a model on its own without further programming or defining extra rules. Machine learning is an application of AI. According to Tom M. Mitchell, machine learning is centred on a study of computer algorithms that allow computer programs to improve with experience. Evidently, machine learning is a branch of AI research that is increasingly growing in importance as a result of its perceived value.\n\nThe basic process of ML is the following:\n\n1. Gathering data for your model\n\n2. Preparing and cleaning data for training and randomize it\n\n3. Dividing data into a training set and validation or test set\n\n4. Selecting your model (like Regressions, Decision Tree, Bayesian, Clustering, Artificial Neural Network or Deep Learning algorithms etc.)\n\n5. Train you model\n\n6. Test your model\n\n7. Fine tuning your parameters after each iteration to create a better model\n\n8. Use your final model on real world data\n\nIt is true that the more quality learning data given to a ML model, the better and more accurate the model will be at the end.\n\nThe aim of Machine learning is to improve accuracy of task execution by letting the machine synthesise data on its own and automatically adjust itself accordingly at different stages of execution. For example, if you feed a Machine learning model with a collection of your favourite movies, the machine begins to detect patterns such as themes and genre common to the various movies it was fed. That in turn enables the device to make use of powerful predictive algorithms that show you future movies you will find interesting.\n\nSo, while Artificial Intelligence is a very broad field of computing, with admittedly lofty aims of achieving human level intelligence and capabiliti<fill_in_here>on Uber)\n\n- Spam predictions (like on Gmail)\n\n- Transaction fraud detection (common in every bank and credit card processing companies)\n\n- Video game bots (like OpenAI Five)", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "es, Machine Learning is a sub-set or part of that complex whole. Machine learning is just one of several methods or processes used in creating Artificial Intelligence. The AI is a dynamic and moving target as it evolves daily to achieve the closest similitude to human intelligence.\n\nIn summary, it is noteworthy that AI and Machine Learning are sometimes used interchangeably. However, AI is an ever-changing field and ML is just one of the methods that defines this era of AI technology. Some utilizations of ML in real life are:\n\n- Recommendation services (like on Netflix or Spotify)\n\n- Predicting price and arrival time models (like ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: three sentences sentences, character continuity, AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As mentioned earlier, the current framework might be wrong for achieving true AI. This is evident when present day computer architectures are set against the backdrop of what we are trying to achieve. What we have now, at best, can be termed Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) as against the Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) we are working towards.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The former can only perform specific functions like playing chess, making predictions, or giving suggestions.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The later, however, can perform varying levels of tasks while factoring in both intelligence and emotional quotients. The true AI should be capable of independent thought, but current technology in use in no way portrays a direct progression in that direction.\n\nSimply put, AGI may not be able to run on a computer system.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The process may be too structured and deterministic to allow for the independent flexibility inherent in humans.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For example, if you want to create a program that can recognise voices, you begin to provide samples of male voices, female voices, and children's voices. What happens when the system hears the voice of a teenager that sounds like an adult? Or men with effeminate voices?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "When it comes to speech detection, similar problems arise.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How does the machine recognise non-western accents within the English language?\n\nMake no mistake, the current ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence) outperforms several humans in their respective tasks, but general intelligence remains elusive. The simple truth is that AGI won't be able to run on any computer.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Computer software is limited by its hardware components and stochastic programming, devoid of creativity and complexities.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No matter how brilliantly a machine performs, it does so within the specific parameters and constraints of their respective programming. They do not have room for self-evaluation, retrospection or making plans for the future. Everything remains within the confines of hard-coded algorithms.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The new set of technologies, pattern recognition, evolutionary algorithms, deep learning or even brain simulation all help create Artificial Intelligence that is helpful in very specific areas, allowing thoughtless machines to solve very specific problems.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Despite all the work being done in the field of Artificial Intelligence, it is becoming ever glaring that we won't achieve it by programming our current hardware architectures.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reasons being, it will remain as it is – a program and not an artificial mind. For anything resembling Strong AI to be a reality in the next few hundred years, there might have to be a veritable synthesis of computer science and biology. Little emphasis on computer programming and a larger emphasis on reproducing the human brain architecture, both in structure and composition, is required. This may sound a bit far-fetched, but there are no limits to the workings of the human imagination and the things he can create.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Here's a text with a hole in it (marked by `<cutout_marker>`). Your job is to write about one hundred and twenty-six words worth to plug that hole.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "If we take computational speed of current architectures and Moore's law – which states that processing power of computers will double every two years – we clearly experience limits of certain technologies. There is no clear revolution of processing units, but we saw a significant slowdown in the performance growth of CPUs after 2005. This was the point when GPUs importance quickly raised in order to help the overall growth of computational need. The same principle is true today for deep learning. We use the existing CPU and GPU resources to serve today's ML models, but in case of complex problems computational speed, it is never enough. If we would like to<cutout_marker>y working on NPUs. The latest solutions that would attract the attention of AI programmers are Movidius Chips (Intel), Volta Turing Tensor Cores (Nvidia), Snapdragon AI (Qualcomm), AWS Inferentia (Amazon), and Sophon (Bitmain).\n\nWhile current AIs have advanced beyond expectations, they still fall well short of predictions of researchers of the Turing era. A lot of AI researchers say we should build an architecture and algorithm closer to the human brain. This is what we all try for at the moment, but we still fail on one more field - understanding human nature.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": " find the revolutionary next steps, we could see the following trend in technologies:\n\n• CPU – general purpose processors\n\n• GPU – originally designed for graphics rendering\n\n• NPU, TPU – terminology used for Neural Processing Unit, usually used to fuel deep learning algorithms, and another popular name of the upcoming hardware family is Tensor Processing Unit\n\n• QPU – quantum processing unit, still not on the radar in\n\nNPUs will clearly accelerate the performance of deep learning algorithms, but it is only one domain of AI. It is clear that deep learning is not the all mighty algorithm of AI, but, yes, in fact brings now the most significant results. It is not surprising that big chip manufacturers (Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, or Amazon) are alread", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Produce nine sentences as a continuation. Note: Story may reference established characters/events.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This brings us to another relevant issue. What exactly is AI good for?\n\nFirst of all, AI is based on computational theory and deals with all things math and logic. They perform very specific task at a much faster rate than humans possibly can. For instance, they can perform billions of mathematical calculations while a human is still going through the first dozen. They can detect patterns and make fairly accurate predictions that are all based on logic and mathematical processes.\n\nAI has made it easier to run businesses and keep track of customer desires. Google has inserted several algorithms into its search engines so that you see ads based on what you searched for on Facebook or while immersing yourself in the ever interesting world of sports. Laboratory functions have become much easier and all those repetitive tasks have been sorted out quickly with the introduction of AI.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is good at collating information from large data sets.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finding repetitive patterns and correlation are what you would find an AI responsible for.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An AI can skim through thousands of files at high speed without getting bored, sleepy, or irritable, and it can make fairly accurate predictions and rarely ever make mistakes in calculations.\n\nOn the other hand, AI is bad at everything that does not have to do with math or logic. In other words, when the AI leaves the realm of computationalism, it becomes useless at best and a big hindrance at worst. AI can rarely be used to navigate emotionally and culturally sensitive issues. It is also bad at explaining creative techniques and examples, beyond what has been coded into its algorithms.\n\nLike Searle pointed out in his Chinese room argument, when a computer program has been provided with Chinese symbols and given the rules of interpretation, it is able to give reasonable output. However, it is difficult to state if the machine actually understands Chinese or is merely simulating the ability to do so. The answer by now should be obvious. AI is bad at understanding.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Despite the hype around IBM's Watson, it would be quite a stretch to state that it actually understands the game.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "If they could barely learn all the nuances and account for the unpredictability of other road users, self-driving cars would be commonplace by now.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Summarizing the most important strengths of AI:", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• AI is very accurate at making mathematical calculations, thereby calculating odds and probabilities of certain situations. AI would never do mistakes in calculations (as we humans do).\n\n• Consistency in processing repetitive tasks. This may sound foolish, but the basic attribute of computers, \"they don't get tired,\" is a real valuable specialty of AI and will be important in the future. AI would be never bored.\n\n• Processing large data, finding certain attributes in a million lines, and validating models against large data sets\n\nWeakness of current AI:\n\n• Creativity, if you add the same data set and the AI uses the same algorithms, the results would be always the same. We haven't developed any \"creative algorithm\" that would bring AI to another level", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• Overcome on missing data. For us humans, it's unequivocal: if we miss some information to solve a problem, we simply fill the gap with the most likely information based on our experiences. If an AI finds itself in such a situation, it will most likely fail or come back with a useless answer\n\n• AI doesn't include self-improvement capabilities, even if we are speaking about deep-learning and feeding our model with more data. It isn't an automatic process. Today's AI algorithms have their own limitations. They couldn't improve their selves as improvement of algorithms is a creative process connected to human developers.\n\n• Lack of real-life experience and common sense. AIs are isolated and they exist in a very limited \"space.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their \"life span\" is measured in minutes, rarely in years.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'limitations' (2x)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• Finding meaning. Since AI doesn't have any goal or real-life experience, it simply couldn't put information into a valuable context.\n\n• Emotions are a big myth to AI. They could compare faces and end up predicting, \"it is a smile on the face,\" but they couldn't go further and understand why that smile appeared on the face\n\nThere are three AI algorithm types that do not exist today, but will in several decades:\n\nAI will make our lives easier in many respects. Business, education, and major industries will be revolutionised. However, it is still hampered by quite a number of limitations. What we have made now are tools against workplace colleagues or replacement. As the world of technology works towards True AI, all these limitations will be curbed little by little. If it will be in our lifetime, however, is too early to say.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "same energy as Zoltan Andrejkovics, keep writing. story might have ongoing elements", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All the above applications are utilizing AI techniques – machine learning in most cases – during the voice or image recognition and text to speech (TTS) voice synthesis.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One thing is clear after reading the above list.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It focuses only on personal use of AI and the list of solutions looks more like a bunch of smart tricks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For individuals the use of AI is limited.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It may change in the upcoming years when machine learning based solutions enter our daily lives, but for now utilizing AI frameworks (like Tensorflow, Microsoft Azure, Caffe, Theano, Torch, Keras, MXNet, etc.) is rudimentary. They are the sand box of AI programmers.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "I've got writer's block. I'll send something, then continue six sentences at a time, matching character context, in AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A conversation between human and AI in the 33rd century.\n\nKeat: Some days ago, I heard a creative human called Asimov. He was a well-known \"author\" in our history. He defined three laws of robotics, what were these?\n\nCIS: A \"robot\" may not injure a human being, a \"robot\" must obey orders given by humans except of harming humans in any sense, and a \"robot\" should protect itself, except if it contradicts with the first two rules.\n\nKeat: Does it means we, human, may order these robots to kill themselves?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "CIS: It seems so, yes.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Keat: I must say that these laws are a little bit limited to implement even a minimum common-sense knowledge to intelligent systems.\n\nCIS: I must agree, there must be at least 103 common sense topics that should be included in the shortlist.\n\nKeat: 103? A broader list. CIS, why were people afraid that these Humanoid robots will harm them?\n\nCIS: Not sure, but there were some early imaginations called \"movies\" at that time, where Robots were more like killing machines and caused a post-apocalyptic world.\n\nKeat: Movies? You mean moving pictures?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Could you give me an example?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "CIS: Yes, linearly moving pictures in a pre-defined order. To give you an example, a movie called \"Terminator\" was more than frightening for people living around 1984.\n\nKeat: Could you show me an insight into that \"movie\"?\n\nCIS: Sure.\n\nSome minutes later\n\nKeat: CIS, I simply couldn't imagine why people loved to scare each other in the early ages.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "CIS: Maybe because of adrenaline rush addiction.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "user note just fyi, [System: Use 'people' 2 times in response]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People preferred chemical pleasures at that age, even if they were the result of biological reactions.\n\nKeat: You mean at the end people created the killing robot idea just because of addiction?\n\nCIS: I'm almost sixty-eight percent certain about that!", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Fill in the blank marked `[original_content_missing]` with something like three hundred and ninety-six words that makes sense in context.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "There are two approaches in this field:\n\n• \"Light integration\" approach where AI will extend human capabilities as an external gadget, device or agent\n\n• \"Hard integration\" approach where AI is part of our nervous system\n\nThere are a lot of implications of these approaches that we should deal with in the long-term.\n\nTransplant rejection:\n\nHumans are biological creatures. Everything that directly contacts with our cells – no matter if it is our skin or stomach or any of our organ – implies a reaction. Our immune system decides whether a new artificial or non-artificial organ is rejected (attacked by T cells) or accepted by our body. Even in case of stainless-steel earrings there could be an allergic reaction in some cases. Biological acceptance would be essential in case of any implantation.\n\nPower supply for artificial brain simulations:\n\nScientists have tried several recreations of the human brain and some of them have even reached mainstream acclaim, like Andrew NG's Baidu brain or Google own brain simulation. The respective simulations, however, have widescale limitations and consume huge amounts of power. Imagine the amount of energy it would take to power a fully functional human brain simulation. But even if we aren't speaking about brain simulation, just an AI powered prosthetic arm, the amount of energy required to move the arm itself assumes strong rechargeable batteries.\n\nDivided consciousness:\n\nThat aside, the mysteries surrounding the brain as it regards the level of consciousness and self-awareness remains elusive, especially to computer scientists. It is very hard to put a definition on what it means to be conscious or if consciousness is merely an illusion. This is the third level of intelligence, as discussed by some reputable scholars, which terms the level of self-awareness and self-reflection as the ultimate and most complex stage of intelligence.\n\nAs a biological creature we experience the surrounding world as external and our identity has strong integrity. We look at ourselves as one. What happens if we put a not fully integrable mechanical part next to our nervous system? Which tries to understand the same \"me\" as our biological part? What if the so called \"human psyche\" couldn't function in this mixed environment?\n\nEthical considerations:\n\nHuman species are short sighted if we talk about gaining. We prefer to maximize our profit no matter the costs. We all agree that hard integration is the rough way of modifying what nature has already created, but it may promise a big win in profit. Just think about people who can remember whatever they want to remember! People need to find the balance between life and purpose, but this topic may lead to the ultimate question of human life, \"why are we here?\"\n\nDespite all these above considerations, we will have strong connection to AI. But in an ideal world, it will have limitations. Just as with gene manipulation, we (the majority) would not be forced to step into a world we don't want to live in.\n\nWe have seen where we are now compared to where we want to be as it regards AI. The inquiry on why current architectures might be wrong for true AI led us to a certain fascinating, albeit surreal, point. AGIs cannot run on computer of today no matter how advanced it is. For AGIs to be successful in theory, there may need to be a merger come synergy between computing and the biological sciences. A process of recreating the structure and composition of the human brain, doused with minimal programming to achieve faster and more accurate results. This will allow for the use of autonomous independent thought, planning, and decision making common to humans, while also retaining the speed and accuracy of a machine. Or this approach is simply wrong, and we won't implement any biological mechanism into our AI hardware despite trying this direction with deep learning and artificial neural networks.\n\nFor regular computers, consciousness needs to be a definite and quantifiable variable. This is somewhat impossible seeing that we don't really know how we (humans) achieved full consciousness in the first place. In the quest to develop strong AI, the presence of consciousness (artificial consciousness) will probably be up for a complex debate, but that is a question for another day. What remains common knowledge is that humans are conscious and remain the most versatile and intelligent beings - both natural and artificial (whether now or in the future). If a machine is capable of truly mimicking a human, its \"brain\" or whatever passes for a central processing system must be complex enough not only to process information as ours does, but also to attain levels of abstract thinking that make us human. These includes self-recognition and an awareness of our place in the world.\n\nFully aware of this fact, and the difficulty in execution through computer algorithms, what better way to bypass the whole process of synthetic construction and complex brain simulating algorithms than to merge humans and computers together? An actual veritable cyborg. With today's technologies, we have confirmed that humans can make use of external body parts like prosthetic arms and legs which can be fully computerised to predict what the wearer wants them to do. It is closer to the light approach despite these prosthetics seeing to be part of our human body. Just to give you an idea of using an ultrasound probe, Gil Weinberg of Georgia Tech was able to train a deep learning framework, leading to the creation of an algorithm that predicts what finger the wearer is trying to use.\n\nThese might just be baby steps, but signs are encouraging. What this portends is an exciting prospect of having humans merged with AIs to produce a more sophisticated and advanced race. Google's A[original_content_missing]a mix of them. Regardless, it is necessary to understand more about human body and psyche. What if the perfect recreation of a biological brain doesn't allow us to reproduce intelligence and consciousness alone? What if human psyche has an unknown part which isn't based on matter, but capable to make a connection with it? A lot of theoretical questions are connecting also to religious beliefs.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I guru, Ray Kurzweil, believes that humans and AI will merge by 2029 through internal implementation of technology. Companies like Neuralink, Kernel, and Facebook have backed companies developing AI powered implants and brain-computer interfaces, reinforcing the direction of \"hard integration.\" Visionaries like Elon Musk strongly believe we should use the best of AI and human abilities in the future.\n\nHumans have made use of their supremacy in intelligence to build tools that deal with daily tasks. We have invented great tools in the last ten years, including fusion reactors, quantum computers, electric cars, smart phones, landing rockets and so on.\n\nAll of the tools we created in the last century are somewhere extending our very body in terms we can travel faster and solve daily tasks more easily. They do all the heavy lifting, while giving us time to focus on other things more creative and fruitful. This has saved a lot of time . In fact, technology is expanding so exponentially that the age when these tools (AI included) can become incorporated into our physiology is much younger.\n\nWhile this may sound like something out of a Star Wars or DC universe novella, renowned Scientists like Bryan Johnson and Ray Kurzweil (Google's most accurate AI predictor) envisage this movement happening soon. It's all a question (or it seems to be at this moment) of trying to recreate those billions of circuits running around in our brain (neurons) and the synapses they trigger in reaction. \"In the early 2030s,\" Ray said, \"we are going to send nanorobots into the brain (via capillaries) that will provide full immersion virtual reality from within the nervous system and will connect our neocortex to the cloud. Just like how we can wirelessly expand the power of our smartphones 10,000-fold in the cloud today, we'll be able to expand our neocortex in the cloud.\"\n\nI personally think that AI will part of our decision-making system, but we won't let the control out. We will need to divide information coming from a thinking machine or from our biological thinking circuit. We still have undiscovered thinking mechanisms that we don't understand, such as divination.\n\nThe future advanced human race may not fully rely on Darwin's Natural Selection, but rather on what kind of approach we choose to utilize for the benefits of AI thinking machines.\n\nEither we choose light or hard integration, or ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: 4 sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: AIs, futurism, nonfiction", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I must say this question is a frightening myth connected to AI. People fear what they don't understand, it is part of our nature.\n\nThe simple answer is no. We aren't anywhere close to developing Artificial General Intelligence, whether through the development of self-upgrading and updating computer systems, the recreation of the human brain, or the merging of AI and humans.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "So, talks of such frightening details lay in the near future.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Notwithstanding, AIs are ethically and morally impartial creatures that perform what they are told to do, regardless of its ethical implications. The ball lies in the court of humans and what they want to do with AI.\n\nAIs are controlled by humans. Just like guns, nuclear energy and others, it can be used for either good or evil.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In essence AIs, like other tools man create, are amoral.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An AI in the next ten years won't be able to judge whether the commands it receives are good or bad. A hammer can drive a nail into a wooden board as well as smash a man's head. It all depends on who is using it and what he decides to do with it. The tool itself should not be considered culpable for any destruction perpetuated by its wielder.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In a nutshell, AIs are not more dangerous than nuclear energy.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It can be used for good things like checking out the nearest restaurant or for sorting through large chunks of files. They can also be used for less pleasant things, like launching missiles to a third world country or launching biological weapons. Any threat humans may face from AIs must surely be caused by other humans.\n\nNonetheless, one might also second guess the wisdom in creating a tool or device that could cause untold destruction if it falls into the wrong hands.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The same could be said for guns, explosives and nuclear missiles.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Truth be told, man keeps finding easier ways to make anything he sets his hands on easier. Even something as basic and healthy as family barbecues, drawing curtains, or shooting down an enemy. Man's creativity keeps evolving with technology and, along with everything else, his cruelty. Fortunately for humanity, despite the evil machinations of some factions, there will still be good guys who will create AIs to counter whatever evil enemies may be concocting.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "On a different note, if an AI is tasked with performing a specific function, he will carry it out, regardless of whose Ox is gored.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Humans can allow for exigencies and grey areas where they might use their morality and emotion to judge an issue.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "AIs on the other hand are ruled by logic and hard coded algorithms, even if we are speaking about artificial neural networks. For example, if an AI is tasked with tackling a population explosion, it might take measures that many may consider unethical and unfeeling. If a soldier is sent to destroy enemy lines in a hostile environment with no known hostages, the soldier can rightfully adjust his kill-all order when he finds that there are women and children in the place. The robot has to be programmed aforehand to allow for such uncalculated risks.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Failure to do so may result in a total blood bath. The issue still lies in humans creating richly accurate programs and machine systems that can learn and adjust with experience without having to fall into gross and costly errors. In other worlds, common sense programming will be an important field of AI in the future.\n\nAn advanced development of Artificial General Intelligence could result in robots taking over a lot of human duties.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This may not be a life or death issue, but what good will it do a man to be irrelevant in the workplace? Nevertheless, I am still a firm believer that a lot of people will value humans above all.\n\nThis might generate a lot of bad faith and cause people to revolt against the continued existence of AIs. As it was with the dawn of nuclear weapons, and several warnings from Philosophers like Bertrand Russell, there are foretold signs of doom and gloom.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warnings were fairly reasonable and have led to several calls for nuclear disarmament.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'nuclear' \| Required occurrences: 3", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But, here we are today with so many nuclear weapons lying around. Tension and unrest prevail, but a nuclear apocalypse doesn't seem likely. It is more likely that we will have a climatic disaster more than a nuclear one. All that is required is for everyone to have an understanding of how AIs work, so that everything will end up being a case of \"mutually assured destruction\" if anyone tries anything unsavoury.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yeah, you are probably spooked a little bit right now.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "What if Artificial General Intelligence has been achieved?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "What happens if it was achieved by the merging of AIs and humans?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "What if these guys got up one day and started thinking on their own?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "[[OOC: Frequency requirement: 'questions' - 2 occurrence(s)]]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What will become of the homo sapiens? None of these questions have a straight answer, nor will it likely have positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.\n\nApparently, with talks of the development of AI, come several other questions - chief of them being that of singularity. Remember Master Mold from X-men?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or the Red Queen from the Resident Evil Series?", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'their' (2x)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Or Skynet from the Terminator movies? Science fiction has filled us all with dread concerning such a future where AIs begin to think on their own and make strategic plans and decisions aside from their programming. First, the assurance. There is no threat of AIs taking over the world, as remember AIs will do what we people are telling them to do.\n\nNevertheless, the warning signs are there.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From replacing humans in the workplace., it could either bring the human race a better lifestyle or push us into the dirt.\n\nOn a hopeful note, even the presence of Artificial General Intelligence or Artificial Super Intelligence does not immediately present an existential threat to humanity. Only we humans are dumb enough to destroy our environment and the nature surrounding us. Competition is good for development, but bad from a certain point of view.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We have already crossed this border.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I really hope AIs will be the ones who lead us back to a normal state of living because AI won't even understand our nature to competition and will be able to measure and optimize the way we utilize our environment.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Produce nine sentences as a continuation. Note: Story may reference established characters/events.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The answer is yes and no. A superficial yes and an essential no. If you ask Google Assistant or Siri a series of questions that look like this, \"Are you an AI? \", \"Are you self-aware? \", \"Do you have a conscience? \", you are bound to have an answer of some sorts affirming to the positive. This, however, is only surface level programming. The AI has been told it is an AI through its hard set of codes. Whoever cares to ask if they are an AI or if they know they are just a set of codes will likely get a superficial answer.\n\nWill AI know it is one? AIs might be able to perform a series of functions at a minimum, but that is what they have been told to do. A brainwashed king can go about telling everyone he is a jester.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For AIs to actually know and understand what they are, they need to be self-aware.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What we currently know is AIs do not simulate self-awareness, but this question leads us to ask, \"what creates self-awareness?\" Do we have souls? What is consciousness? Does self-awareness result in complex thinking and reasoning?\n\nConscious robots will become aware of themselves and their surroundings. They will experience their environment. Then they will be able to reflect on their actions and make adjustments (both long-term and short-term adjustments) for the future. Let me ignore the fact that \"AIs are always doing what they been told to do\" and take a robot which is able to simulate self-awareness. This robot could walk and process all the things surrounding him. He could interact with these things, even with people.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "According to David DeGrazia there are three type of self-awareness:", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "(quick note: Make sure to use 'feelings' 3 time(s) throughout your message)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "- bodily self-awareness, which helps to protect the one's body\n\n- social self-awareness, which helps to interact with others\n\n- introspective awareness, which helps to understand other's feelings, desires, and conditions\n\nIf we go back to our self-aware robot, he will simulate protection and interaction, but it is an interesting question whether it will simulate feelings. Will we enable robots with pain receptors? It helps to keep their body safe, but from a biological point of view it is a dangerous weapon in wrong hands. For example, young children feel a lot of pain, but at that age we have no real control to protect or avoid it. We have a deep sense of fear of a lot of things, mainly originating from childhood.\n\nRobots have the advancement that they don't simulate feelings.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This isn't the case in animals. Even arthropods (like lobster) and invertebrates \"feel\" pain, even if they are not able to recognize what kind of damage happened to their body. They want to get out of the situation and avoid it in the future.\n\nFrom a biological point of view this kind of ability is evolutionary. But do we really want to endow robots with such controversial feelings? We can agree even if these robot systems \"only\" simulate the feelings, they already exist. If you can react on something, it exists even if it is present only your brain (circuits).\n\nIf indeed AIs become self-aware, it will probably raise a ton of ethical questions. What right have us to use such AIs arbitrarily?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shouldn't they have the right to choose who they want to work with? Right now, all we can safely say is that AIs are more tools than companions. They make our work easier, but they cannot as yet take our place in the office or in a project task. The media and movie hype have brought a lot of discussion forward as to the possibilities that lie with AI, but it requires greater out of the box thinking.\n\nAs for the future, Artificial General Intelligence may be aware that it is one of such, but will it really have a soul? We can say both humans and animals have soul, if we accept the presumption that \"we are more than flesh and bone\". At the exact time when a living creature dies, there is something lost. The heart stops pumping blood into the bloodstream and the body collapses. There is no such cell or DNA in our body that tells the heart when to stop.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seems rather a conscious decision by \"somebody,\" which in this case could be the soul.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If these uber intelligent computers begin to simulate self-awareness, they could be resurrected with one button, while humans and animals can't. This makes life and possible \"soul\" so unique and valuable. Hence, I do agree there is limited proof for the existence of soul, but there are a lot of indirect signs that there should be which cannot be an accident.", "loss": null } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: three sentences sentences, character continuity, AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As I have pointed out earlier, an AI is no more dangerous than a hammer lying on the table of a carpenter's workshop. They neither hate you, nor love you. They have no moral compass pointing at any direction.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No conscience comes to prick them whenever they want to commit an atrocity. Neither can you appeal to their \"better nature\" or logically convince them not to. For now, what makes AI dangerous is its use by humans as tools for literally anything harmful and destructive.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Our time is an era when a lot of data is being collected by AIs on humans all over the world.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The unnerving and overwhelming presence of internet trackers and algorithms predicting your next search result is a big jolt back to the dangers that could be posed by AIs. I recommended earlier that AI can be used for both good and bad, so public awareness and public control should be made possible to prevent misuse and infringements on rights and privileges. Better understanding of AI is required by all and sundry, so we do not look lost when Elon Musk or Stephen Hawking (God bless his soul) starts telling us, \"I told you so\".", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "This brings us to Asimov's Law of Robots.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why are we so scared of AIs (having achieved singularity) coming to take of over the world or causing the extinction of man? I will insert Isaac Asimov's \"Three Laws of Robotics.\"\n\n1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.\n\nAsimov later added the \"Zeroth Law,\" above all others, that says, \"a robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.\"\n\nThese laws seem to be the perfect fail safe for an AI that comes, no matter how advanced.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A bonafide stop button. Still, there are one or two problems with such laws for an AGI or ASI.\n\nThe number one problem remains (you guessed right) humans.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For much of history, humans have always found ways to weaponize any tool they could lay their hands on.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From broomsticks to hammers, to guns and to nuclear energy, these are all relatively harmless on their own but can be mighty destructive in the hands of a sociopath. Asimov's stories present how robots were able to follow these great sounding ethical codes of conduct, but still find ways to go astray. Rules are always meant to be broken.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For example, in one of the great writer's stories, despite having the order to not kill humans, robots were given a pre-configuration as to who was human and who was not.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a manner akin to racism and ethnic cleansing, the robots only recognise certain groups of people as human. Others were not, so they still carried out genocide. On the very strength of a sound ethical code, genocides could still be carried out if the robots were made by say Hitler or Osama bin Laden.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Secondly, sending robots out in missions where they might get killed could simply be asking for trouble.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'robots' (2x)", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If and when AGI becomes a reality, robots might find ways to break out of their restrictions and programming in a manner akin to sci-fi movies. If indeed they come to possess human level intelligence, they could rapidly go beyond that and extend into an Artificial Super Intelligence.\n\nRobots today are not armed with weapons.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, there are some distinct cases for that.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "No surprise, there is already, as of 2019, a global campaign to stop autonomous weapons.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "One interesting thing we invent is autonomous killing machines, but not autonomous lifeboats to rescue shipwrecked passengers.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the biggest questions from Asimov is how you program such ethical codes into a robot. For some sets of people, such codes of conduct would not cut it. For example, the US military would not be interested in a robot that cannot bear arms or kill, or one that can simply take orders from any human.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "[ooc] CONSTRAINT: Include 'manage' 2 time(s) [ooc]", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is the dream of everyone to have advanced AIs as docile as Gideon from the CWs Arrowverse or Ironman's Jarvis (before Ultron, that is). But things could go wrong all of a sudden if the super smart AIs manage to find a loophole in their programming, or humans predictably try too hard to make them subservient. Of course, this will only be possible if AIs manage to become conscious and self-aware. Until then, we needn't have much to worry about in terms of robot or computer uprising.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand this chapter by adding 7 sentences in the AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre. Note that some context may come from earlier parts.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Consciousness, according to common knowledge, is the state or quality of awareness or of being aware of an external object or something within oneself.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It has been expressed in terms of wakefulness, subjectivity, sentience, and having a sense of selfhood or soul. Most of my ideas on consciousness have greatly revolved around having a sense of selfhood or a soul. This is that innermost part of us that makes who we are and defines all our actions. We wouldn't be called beings if we aren't sentient and self-aware. You could see in case of infants that even they didn't learn to move, they pay attention to everything. If you look in their eyes you will see desires, intention and curiosity as they want to experience this world as much as is possible.\n\nDespite the definition, it is extremely difficult to truly understand what consciousness really is.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fact that we are aware of something makes it part of our consciousness, something common to every human on earth.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Within that consciousness lies the subconscious.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Things we do not actively reflect upon, where we do not consciously perceive, but represent, our innermost thoughts. Most of the time it influences our actions without us actually noticing or admitting it to ourselves. Most times it takes a seasoned therapist or psychologist to lay it bare before us, as our actions and statements are acutely observed. Consciousness remains a mystery to several interested parties in the fields of Psychology, Philosophy and Theology. No one can accurately define where it comes from, or the true extent of its functionality. The best we can really achieve to observe how it works and what are the main attributes of it:\n\n• Deep intention – This is the very thing that makes us to change work, to achieve our goals, and to meet somebody.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• Observation on purpose – We don't just listen. We want to learn things and connect the dots. This is the attribute that makes us to ask questions.\n\n• Relationship based – In the hierarchy of needs, social interactions are essential to fulfil someone's existence.\n\n• Idea based – We build up an inner picture about the world, where we create new ideas, which we would like to test on the real world like an experiment.\n\n• Could alter the environment – Both consciously or subconsciously we are able to manipulate the things that surround us using our gestures and hands.\n\n• Existence focused – It isn't all the same that we are dead or alive.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Our conscious really understands that.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "((ooc: Word usage target: 'seems' must be used 3 times))", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Maybe we fear only death because we (as souls) don't like shifting between realities, but on subconscious levels we do know that existence and experience is valued.\n\nNot related to the senses – It is independent what we are seeing, since if we hypothetically stop every sensory organ there will still be our inner world of thoughts and imagination.\n\nUnderstanding consciousness in humans seems like a man trying to lift an elephant, translating consciousness into a computer seems like a single ant trying to lift the same elephant. The consciousness remains a mystery as yet, so it is supremely difficult for one to navigate consciousness within a computer system. How do you code consciousness? What deep learning GPU systems can be used to teach the machine consciousness? Even at this point it seems consciousness isn't something you can \"learn.\"", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "What programming language or approach can be used?", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If we are able to develop a synthetic brain, will it automatically develop its own consciousness? Or will consciousness in humans and AIs be defined differently?\n\nIf a machine is built to actually mimic a human, its \"brain\" must be complex enough to not only process information as ours does, but also to engage on types of abstract thinking that makes us human. This includes recognition of our \"selves\" and our place in the world, a troublesome feature which we have come to tag consciousness. Neuroscientists have tried to explain consciousness through analysis of a person's brain activity as it interprets sensory data. This may be cool if consciousness were merely a quantifiable entity. But since the soul has also been defined as either being the consciousness or part of it, it cannot be merely quantified into numbers and data.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is, therefore, extremely difficult to define consciousness in AIs. Several of their activities are already similar in sophistication to human brain activity. Deep learning systems that learn and adjust based on experience are a telling imitation of man's neural networks and how they adjust with knowledge and experience. Where the limitations lie is that they still need a human programmer to set the task and earmark the data for it to learn from.\n\nAccording to Elkind, \"machines will become conscious when they start to set their own goals and act according to these goals rather than do what they were programmed to do.\" If a machine finally deviates from its programmer's intentions and starts learning what it wants, that could be what consciousness means for any computer or device.\n\nAutonomy implies independently, or without supervision.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But autonomous machines, say vehicles, will still move from one place to another as it was told to do. In contrast to autonomy, consciousness is tied to the vehicle deciding on its own to veer off course to stop for gas or let the engine cool despite the wishes of the programmer. The Journal of Science reported (Dehaene, Lau, & Kouider, 2017) that consciousness in humans is not well defined enough for programmers to replicate the state in algorithms in a computer. It would be impossible to even place consciousness algorithms in a computer when no one knows what it actually is in humans.\n\nScientists have defined three levels of human consciousness, based on the \"computation\" that happens in the brain. The first, labelled \"C0,\" represents calculations that happen without our knowledge, such as during facial recognition. According to the scientist, most AI function at this level.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The second level, \"C1,\" involves a so-called \"global\" awareness of information — in other words, actively sifting and evaluating quantities of data to make an informed, deliberate choice in response to specific circumstances.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For instance, knowing when it is safe to go for the ball directly during a soccer corner kick or when to hold position and watch player movements, requires sifting through a lot of data at once, including the corner kick taker, the position of players (both teammates and opposition) in and outside the 18 yard box, and the trajectory of the ball.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "A slight miscalculation might lead to a severe collision or red-faced moment.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Self-awareness emerges in the third level, \"C2,\" in which individuals recognize and correct mistakes and investigate the unknown. Ancient explorers and sea farers faced this a lot as they navigated difficult terrains and turbulent seas. Being able to reflect on one's actions and navigate a better course of action in the face of the unknown is something acutely unique to humans. Although machines can learn from their mistakes, thanks to deep learning programs it is just a component of the C2 category.\n\nEdith Elkind once again affirms, \"while we are quite close to having machines that can operate autonomously (self-driving cars, robots that can explore an unknown terrain, etc. ), we are very far from having conscious machines.\"\n\nHence, we are not able to describe consciousness. We experience the magical operation of it.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Put AI a little bit aside.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'concepts' should appear 2 times in total", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lot of people say we (humans) are responding to our environment, that we react on events that we see. That is not true. Our mind processes the image of the eyes and the sounds we hear, synthesizing concepts from them. We do not react to visual pictures. We react to the concepts that appears in us. Why is it important? That means that our inner processes are more essential than we think.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'outer' must appear 2 times", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We are not just autonomous biological devices having the right reactions to the world, but rather a biological entity that combines it's inner world in order to modify the outer one.\n\nThis is the point where emotions are coming into picture. They are acting like mirrors of our inner world. They represent our inner state, sadness, happiness, and excitement to mention just some of them helping us. This allows us to understand what is happening. Is our created outer world good for us? If not, we have the tools to change that.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the future, machines that emulate emotions and creativity will be the closest to conscious machines.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just think about Zima Blue in the miniseries \"Love, Death & Robots\" (2019).", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Here's a text with a hole in it (marked by `[missing]`). Your job is to write ~6 sentences to plug that hole.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "From a legal point of view, robots are properties and have no more rights than a notebook.\n\nHowever, roboethics is a real topic in the field of AI research. Robots and Androids will definitely more than just a toaster in ter[missing]t to keep themselves harmless.\n\nFair treat, where robots will have the right to avoid any abuse or slander.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ms of activity and capabilities.\n\nThe problem lies in our jurisdiction. We have a hard time recognizing animals as sentient beings. Our world view is human centric, and truth to be told we could treat animals and our nature with greater care.\n\nSo, when we are speaking about robot rights it seems to be far in the future. Today two primary fields should be considered when AI and Robots would simulate feelings:\n\nAI protectionism (connected to the 3rd point of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics), where certain advanced robots have the righ", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "There's a gap marked by `[missing]` in the following text. Fill it with about three thousand, eight hundred and fifty-nine letters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "A conversation between human and AI in the 33rd century.\n\nKeat: CIS, when exactly started your operation?\n\nCIS: It was long time age, in 2652.\n\nKeat: I think the necessary technological knowledge was available even before, no?\n\nCIS: Yes, people could resemble my core much earlier.\n\nKeat: Why didn't it happen? What a pity!\n\nCIS: The most likely explanation is that there was no reason to do so. People were afraid that they would lose supremacy when happened.\n\nKeat: I don't understand. Who wouldn't want to have a super intelligence that could help in almost everything?\n\nCIS: Maybe it seems simple now, but for people who are afraid, even taking the next simple step requires a lot of courage.\n\nWhat domains and tasks will be handled by AI in the future?\n\nAI in many respects will shape the future. This shouldn't be difficult to imagine. AI is already part of our society's workforce in more ways than we imagine. They might not be able to think independently for now, but they perform their respective tasks in the fastest way possible.\n\nAI is currently being used to sift and scour through large amounts of data in businesses, organisations, and industries. They are used to sort through CVs and resumes during job applications. They are used to analyse data models for the evaluation of business performance and study market conditions and processes. All these analyses are done under the supervision of humans who take in this data and make decisions for the future. Predictive algorithms are also used to m[missing]\nYear - Work → Replacement\n\n2023: Cashiers → Self-checkout stations, automatic checkouts\n\n2025: 24/7 Customer support → Chatbots\n\n2025: Proofreaders → Proofreading softwares\n\n2028: Waiters → Serving robots\n\n2030: Kitchen assistants → Cooking robots\n\n2032: Taxi and truck drivers → Self-driving cars\n\n2032: Couriers → Autonomous couriers\n\n2034: Accounting → Automatic accounting\n\n2035: Travel agents → Al Assistants\n\n2035: Miners → Miner robots\n\n2035: Farming and agriculture → Farming robots\n\n2040: Traders → Autotraders\n\n2040: Analyst → Al Analysers\n\n2050: Nurses → Android nurses & Assistants\n\n2060: Policeman → Law enforcement androids and assistants\n\n2060: Event planners → Al Assistants\n\n2068: Chefs → Autonomous cooking\n\n2070: HR managers → HR optimizing systems\n\n2075: Tax consultant → Tax complience robots\n\n2080: Lawyers → Al Assistants\n\n2080: Engineer → Al Engineer\n\n2080: Doctors → Android doctors\n\n2080: General managers → Android managers\n\n2090: Psychologist → Al Assistants\n\n2090: Teachers → Android teachers, Teaching and Al Assistants\n\n2090: Artists → Creative Al artists\n\n2100+: Al Programmers → Self-development Al systems\n\n2100+: Authors → Creative Al writers\n\n2100+: Executives → Android managers\n\nIn order to show the complete picture, we also should mention that the emerge of AI will create jobs that aren't existing today.\n\nWhen - New Work or Function\n\n2020: Cybersecurity specialist\n\n2020: Al programmers\n\n2020: IT backoffice superhero\n\n2020: Smart building technician\n\n2025: Artists\n\n2025: Content creators, Live streamers\n\n2025: Edge computing specialist\n\n2025: Creative digital marketing managers\n\n2025: Process automation implementers\n\n2025: Process automation testers\n\n2025: Logic programmers\n\n2025: System inegrators\n\n2030: Researchers\n\n2030: Al business development\n\n2030: Al trainers\n\n2030: Medical mentor\n\n2030: Autonomous transportation manager\n\n2030: Digital content specialist\n\n2035: Data detective\n\n2035: Fitness coaches\n\n2035: Data banker\n\n2040: Caregiver\n\n2040: Policy and value creators\n\n2040: Global decision makers\n\n2040: Augmented reality dreamer\n\nAs for our present-day workplaces, there are few areas where an AI may not fit. The only draw backs would be cases which earnestly require emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence contains features akin to consciousness and other human emotions, hence, they are not quantifiable and defined enough to be programmed into a computer system. For example, an AI would be hard pressed to find a solution to a heartbroken husband, a sociopath in rehab, or a man with drinking problems. The best the AI might come up with are algorithms containing other instances of such cases to help the shrink.\n\nAnother interesting attribute in work is creativity. Creative problem solving is something that is really hard to reach with algorithms. AI may be able to find an optimal solution, but what if we need an \"out of the box\" solution? In that case, AI will most likely fail in the following fifty years. Creativity was always an important part of development as the biggest inventions of the human race have all come from creative thinkers.\n\nAI won't be fool proof in the future since it will only as good as the data and information that we give it to learn. It could be the case that simple elementary tricks could fool the AI algorithm and it may serve a complete waste of output as a result. It is also remarkable that in cases of humans we are able to draw conclusions from a very limited data set. In case of algorithms, if something is missing, the whole process will fail. In cases of humans, we don't care if something is missing. We compensate it from our imagination or past experiences and go ahead. This behaviour helped a lot in our past and may be important in our future.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "ake projections for future performances and prospects of the business. In the future, we might actually have AI in offices, doing actual work that humans are doing right now. For example, they can go from simple office worker, such as secretaries, receptionists, or cashiers, to data analysts and supervisors.\n\nIn the field of sports, AI are of increasing importance in statistical analysis, score predictions and winning predictions. With the introduction of VAR (Video Assistant Referee), we are moments away from having full-fledged AI refereed matches.\n\nSupercomputers are being used for meteorological analysis, mineral exploration and other uber activities that cannot be performed by regular computers. An AI of the future would probably be handling deep space exploration and navigation. The production of better spacesuits and faster cum durable spaceships would be better in deep space exploration. It is safe to say that AIs will replace astronauts and pilots. The successful implementation of self-driving cars and vehicles might replace drivers. All that may be needed could be humans supervising a network of self-driving cars.\n\nExpect to see assistants like Siri and Alexa expand into something close to Iron Man's Jarvis in versatility and functionality. Helping in home management, workplace assistance, and even entertainment, these assistants will be always with us. They will form an even more integral part of our everyday lives:\n\n- They will protect us physically by paying attention to our physical state and dangerous situations we should avoid.\n\n- They will care about our health by analysing daily data of our body. I would say it would be annoying to have someone constantly reminding me to avoid junk food.\n\n- They will help in our work. My favourite part. All of our repetitive or simple work tasks will disappear.\n\n- They will know what we like, our personal tastes, and will make comfort decisions on behalf of us. Ordering our favourite pizzas, setting the perfect mood lighting, just as we arrive home.\n\n- They will filter the outer noise. If you have advertising and ads in general, you will love your personal assistant, simply because it may face with all these noises and will select only the most important one or two things we should know about.\n\n- They will be always there to speak with and ask questions. If you think it is something irrelevant, I would say it is one of the most important features of future AI assistants since we as social \"animals\" love to speak. We don't like loneliness\n\nThe internet of things, AI and deep learning systems, would actually go a long way in revolutionising how things work from homes to streets, highways, airports, or even Wall Street.\n\nThe scope of social media could also change. Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media giants are actively working on Artificial Intelligence. Deep learning systems, like Nvidia's pioneering move with the use of GPUs, have changed the way we programme computers. Different architectures are within sight and a lot of persons are actively involved in making this happen. There will probably be a lot of changes to the current hardware and software development systems for AI to advance from the level of mere tools to workplace partners.\n\nThere was research performed by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne titled, \"The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?\" (Frey, 2017) It sought to answer the question of how likely a job is to disappear in the future.\n\nIn conclusion, there is a hypothetical schedule which workplaces and functions would be fully or partially replaced by AI in the future. We collected some of the popular work functions in the following table, showing when these functions would be replaced. We also indicate the likelihood of percentage workers replaced in that function area.\n", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "Complete the text by replacing `[original_content_missing]` with something around 1399 characters.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "Currently, robots or AI are properties. We will understand their importance in the near future. They will be able to produce value to companies and individuals (their respective owners). Today's tools, including computers and smart phones, are also producing value and can handle automatic tasks (just think about automatic factories). Robots will be first more likely to use these automatic agents. They will be highly specialized. If you move a robot from one domain to another, it will likely not be operational or at least much less effective than their main domain.\n\nIn today's economy we are already experiencing automatic agents replacing the workforce. We are using self-checkouts in grocery stores. We speak to non-human operators when we call our bank. They are still nothing to do with AI, but they are already in our daily lives. Do they replace human labour? Sure, but this is only the top of surface! There is already an expression to factories which doesn[original_content_missing]ses of AI, we will need a running hardware environment and energy to maintain, which is fraction of the above monthly cost even if a future intelligent system will require much stronger and specialized hardware to run on.\n\nIn the future will see that the state's power is getting weaker and that companies are gaining more power thanks to their income.\n\nThe whole problem is wealth redistribution. How can we create equal opportunities for people around the globe? Seems impossible in short term, but it is the ultimate goal of the future.\n\nIt is clear that the governance of the countries and states were fairly effective in this manner. The problem was always lying in human nature. We aren't able to decide independently in power positions. Maybe in short term, but not in a 5-15 years period. Also, the power built around a narrow circle of interest even in case of big countries, where hundreds of decision makers are present. The Economist also created an index to measure such a centralization of political elite and companies called \"crony-capitalism index\".\n\nBut how could AI bring a new paradigm to the existing state of the world? The problem is finding real optimal solutions. Just think about today's climate crisis. We all understand that we should swift from high carbon emission technologies to low ones, including energy and food production. The main problem is that burning fossil fuels still brings good revenue to several strong interest groups. At the end of the day, no politician or related company leader is able to change this situation. The solution would be to stop every investment to maintain these activities and relocate these investments to zero-emission technologies for companies and households.\n\nCurrently every main decision maker is related to a certain interest group. Only an independent and objective proponent could serve a new proposal that would be trustworthy for the majority. In this field AI have the necessary characteristics:\n\n- could make and objective independent analysis on the problem\n\n- could take all aspects into consideration, no limitation of arguments\n\n- not related, if programmed by a global non-profit orientated organization\n\nIf we want to solve global issues, we need to make decisions on the global scale. This is where AI comes into the picture. AI may play the major role in future wealth redistribution and align power between people and organization.\n\nIn summary, robot tax could serve the purpose of maintaining current wealth redistribution systems, but it would be only more efficient if we utilize the benefits of AI and make optimal decisions in global scales.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "'t need human operators, or \"light-out\" factories. In Japan FANUC has been operating lights-out factories since 2001.\n\nHumans were always an important part of production. Just think about taxation in general. We do pay:\n\n- corporate taxes,\n\n- payroll taxes, as companies.\n\nAnd we do pay\n\n- income taxes,\n\n- value added taxes, consumption or sales tax, as individuals.\n\nThese taxes are producing the largest part of the state's income. Now, we shall add AI and robotics to this story and highlight the taxes they will produce.\n\n• Corporate taxes (won't change)\n\n• Payroll taxes (less people working in companies)\n\n• Income taxes (less people working in companies)\n\n• Value added, Consumption or Sales taxes (since the level of consumption increases in our society, we don't expect a drop in these taxes)\n\nThe conclusion drawn from the above reasoning is that the governing states or countries will face lowered income from taxes with AI.\n\nLet us also examine the other side of the story. The ultimate benefactors of these lights-out manufacturing companies will increase over time. They align their cost structure by utilizing automation and AI where it is worth it to do so. It will result in better profitability for successful companies. To keep it simple, a human workforce costs 500-10,000 USD (or even more) per month, depending on the qualification and the country where he or she lives. In ca", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "u know Zoltan Andrejkovics? write like that. 5 sentences sentences. AIs, futurism, nonfiction stuff. this is from middle of story", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This isn't likely. We tend to think we are the ultimate race on earth and that we don't want everyone else to decide over our lives. We will keep our ultimate position as decision makers, but there will be two fields where AI will have significant mark in practice:\n\n• Preparation of decision making and\n\n• Summarizing global opinion\n\nIt is most likely that a future governing body (countries and states) of the society will let decision making process widen.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Imagine when millions of competent people are deciding on one question.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is almost possible today, but it would immediately limit the power of state leaders, which isn't likely to be achieved in the next ten to twenty years. This is the far future, but we will get closer to it.\n\nLet me show you the idea of a global board which operates with ten million decision makers.\n\n• Everybody would have one vote\n\n• Participation would be voluntary", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "• Participants would be verified to be competent in the object of the question (learned and have sufficient experience in that field)", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "• The main arguments should be discussed in real-time before the decision", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "• Important arguments should be revealed in real time", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• There should be a global independent system that makes the whole discussion and secure voting possible\n\nFirst, it seems to be a communication problem, but it isn't. The complexity lies behind the arguments. We, people, are not able to handle 10,000 arguments in a short time. We are not able to summarize and classify these arguments and reduce the complexity of the problem.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "(authors note, 🎯 Target word: 'common' \| Required occurrences: 2)", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One thing we know: AI will be able to handle this part.\n\nSo why do people still need this process? Isn't AI able to supply the optimal decision?\n\nOne common problem with AI is it will lack in common sense and creative thinking. These two fields are not nearly on the table if we are speaking about AGI. This is why I personally think that humans and AI need to handle together the global decision-making process.", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: three sentences sentences, character continuity, AIs, futurism, nonfiction genre.", "loss": null }, { "from": "human", "value": "There has been much talk about Artificial General Intelligence and the difficulties involved in its creation.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "A step (or several) further lies in Artificial Super Intelligence.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We are quite close to achieving Artificial Superficial Intelligence, probably as close as the Earth is to the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Superintelligence is defined as a technologically created cognitive capacity far beyond that possible for humans.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "OOC - Word usage requirement: 'intelligence' must appear 3 times", "loss": false }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An Artificial Super Intelligence will, therefore, have mental capabilities that are far greater than the collective intellect of the smartest humans in the world. ASI passes and goes beyond the expression \"singularity.\" As difficult as creating an Artificial General Intelligence may seem, the Super Intelligence is up on a whole other level.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the surface, that might seem a more difficult terrain to navigate.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "AGIs are simply going to be machines with self-improving systems, so they could actually go from being AGIs to being Super Intelligence in a short period, hypothetically.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ok, now let's see what this Artificial Super Intelligence could look like. A Cyborg from the future who happens to travel back in time to see our current Watsons and Siris would mourn with pity at their primitiveness. Computers today can only perform a single task.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Chess Champion AI would fail miserably at translating English to Spanish, but the human Chess champion would be able to do that after a few weeks of study.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "That is why they are called Narrow AIs.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even more advanced machine learning systems like OpenAI Five is able defeat the reigning champions in Dota 2 (April 2019).", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Considering the fact that their architecture and build allows for that specific task alone, according to Apple's Co-founder Steve Wozniak, a machine would be regarded as an AGI if it is able to enter a regular home, identify all the necessary tools and ingredients, and prepare a decent cup of coffee.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All these he would accomplish unsupervised. When a computer gets to perform that task or passes the vaunted Turing test, then it can be tagged with the AGI moniker.\n\nNevertheless, Artificial Super Intelligence can still be achieved through other means.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Humans merging with AGIs or uploading their minds into a computer could spell the dawn of a new era for human intelligence.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Remember, our biological brain performs very badly in certain tasks. This could be where we see a substantial amplification of human intelligence from normal to superhuman levels. They would be better at everything they do than humans possibly ever could.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "According to some researchers, this goes beyond logic and computing.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It extends to knowledge, long-term planning, decision making, wisdom and social skills.\n\nOn the one hand, some researchers hold the position that Superintelligence will likely follow shortly after the development of Artificial General Intelligence, that the first generally intelligent machines will likely hold a great advantage in some forms of mental capability, including the capacity to perfectly recall anything whatsoever without thought as to tiredness or boredom. They will also possess a vastly superior knowledge base and ability to multitask in ways not possible to normal humans.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This may give them the opportunity to (either as a single being or as a new species) become much more powerful than humans, and to displace them from their lofty perch at the top of the intelligence chain.\n\nIn a more nuanced argument, it is the firm belief of some others that humans will start incorporating technology into their biology to accommodate a sharp increase in the growth of intelligence far beyond that of the homo sapiens. Just as the chimpanzees are far from us in terms of cerebral capacity, so will the Superhuman Intelligence supersede whatever man has got going currently.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Apparently, no consensus has been reached concerning the likelihood of ASI's emergence, be it in the near or distant future.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It remains to be seen if computers with their current hardware and software architecture will really be capable of independent thought and autonomous reasoning.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are also little or no indications that humans will be synergising with computers anytime soon. When that happens, we can say that the homo sapiens have evolved into something different, a whole different being in actuality.\n\nComputers already have man beat in terms of neuron speed.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The average man has a processing speed of 200 mhz against the 2.6 ghz speed that resides on my laptop. The emergence of a man capable of thing 10 times faster than anyone else would surely have a superior advantage. We cannot, however, determine if it's possible to actually increase the brain's capacity using our current hardware of neurons and synapses.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither have we been able to successfully establish a computer model as versatile as a 12-year-old high school student.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People for now can still breathe in refreshers.\n\nNow let's see what we could do with an ASI if we would exist in the distant future. It is interesting that in the AI community we aren't talking about ASIs.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Researchers and experts have that feeling, that if we arrive to ASI, there would be one.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "It isn't battle royal because let's see what would happen if we put two ASIs together.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "They would negotiate their belief system in a matter of seconds (maybe hours).", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a sense, they would learn from each other, but at the end would be on the same page with a joint knowledge about the world. Two ASIs with the same belief system means one ASI with two connected nodes. With this simple thought experiment, we see that there is no need for many ASIs.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "There are certainly many people now who would say \"bullshit, people aren't the same either and everybody may have different belief systems,\" which is a true statement.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Don't forget we have neither the ability to talk about every belief, topic or experience that happened to us, nor the intelligence to understand each other's reasoning which is an important point.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "How many conversations did you hear where people were talking side by side and didn't find common language?", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Humans are bad at reasoning.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "We don't use the same concepts and even if we do, we have different representations about them.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Let us take a man who thinks about God as a fact, and now lets take an atheists and follow the conversation between them. In five minutes, they would either talk about their individual truths or simply fight with each other. They would have a hard time finding a common point.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For two ASIs, it would be a much simpler task since they would be able to share not only their concepts, but also their reasoning and past experiences, which would make a big difference.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now back to the abilities of this Super Intelligence:", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• It would be able to give thoughtful advice regarding how to develop our economy and environment. These advices would be \"super\" optimized with a grounded reasoning behind them.\n\n• It would be able to answer all of our questions and reflect on the contextual links to topics.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "• It would be able to create new technologies based on existing ones by combining and mixing principles.\n\n• It would be able to summarize people's opinions on certain political and global issues. This would change the political and governance systems since there wouldn't be need for dedicated individuals to make choices instead of the majority", "loss": true } ]
[ { "from": "system", "value": "keep the story goin for like eight sentences more. same character vibes. make it AIs, futurism, nonfiction-y", "loss": null }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The internet is indeed a wonderful invention. It has changed the way things are done in the entire world. Today, it is safe to say that the world would go into meltdown if a day came when no one had access to the internet. Several files, books, and records have been digitized and locked away. Cloud computing has become the piece de resistance of storing files, beyond just internal hard-drive or external hard disk drives. Add to that smartphones, main frame computers, supercomputers and, of course, the internet of things, the internet a sacrosanct piece of our modern day living puzzle.\n\nThe world is filled with a lot of things that require the internet to function. Playing games, streaming movies, reading books, planning budgets or simply marketing goods and services.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having the internet out of commission for a day would cripple several economies and truncate several plans, strategies and businesses.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Essentially, if a robot decides he wants to take over the world, what better way to do it than by taking over the internet? An estimated 5 billion people in the world are making use of the 3G-4G technology primary with phones (GSMA, 2018). This makes it one of the most proliferated technologies in the world today. Asking if it is possible for an AI (which I am assuming is an AGI) to take over the internet does not have a straight answer. It's like asking if a single individual can take over the world as it is today. It is possible, but highly unlikely (emphasis on unlikely).\n\nLet us examine the question from a system architecture point of view:\n\n• The Internet consists of individual gateways, which have a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address like Google's, 74.125.21.102 at the time I'm writing this line.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "These IP addresses, assigned by your Internet service provider, are more like a lock to a location.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'addresses' 2 time(s) throughout your message", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You can't take a home laptop's IP address to a summer holiday with you.\n\n• There may be a subnetwork covered by one IP address, but also a lot of IP addresses could be used by one company, like Google.\n\n• Domain names are on the top of IP addresses, while a DNS (Domain Name Service) translates our typing into IP.\n\nFrom a practical point of view, if I would be an ill AGI, I would attack the Internet service providers. The problem is there are too many.\n\nAI taking over the internet would likely lead to a technological singularity which would spiral beyond the control of any man. It has much been theorised that if an AGI enters the internet on its own, it will begin to gain access to knowledge and data it didn't have access to. With that comes feelings of superiority and the eventual takeover everyone seems to fear.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "For example, you have a Home Assistant whose function is to perform chores at home.", "loss": true }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It cleans the house, washes the dishes and clothes, and takes out the trash every single day. One day it asks you for your laptop to check new cleaning styles or furniture arrangements in the home. Then, the trouble has begun. The AI gets access to the interconnected networks from a myriad of sources from the internet. Add that with a couple search suggestions by Google from your own previous browsing history, and it begins to do something it hasn't done before - think on its own. It then begins to upload itself into every database, mainframe or Cloud, a practical Ultron scenario. That would spell a lot of danger for several individuals, groups and nations of the world.\n\nOf course, for now we are quite safe.", "loss": true }, { "from": "human", "value": "But according to my earlier recommendation, everyone should have at least a basic idea of AI and fail safes should be inputs into such AI.", "loss": true }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences.", "loss": null }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This scenario only applies to Artificial General Intelligence. The current stock of Narrow AI do not have the capabilities required to do anything outside of their designated function.", "loss": null } ]

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