when the moon hits your eye... [Valentine's Day Date Night]

[ayes]

Who: You Watanabe (ayes) & lots of folks!
What: Valentine's Day Matchmaking: DATE NIGHT
When: The evening of February 14!
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): Some mild druglike effects, and probably some NSFW stuff in threads?

Earlier in the week-- about the night of February 12 or so-- you received a letter in the mail. Upon opening it, you found an invitation, hand-written in a sort of looping script.

Hello [YOUR NAME HERE]!
You're invited to a really great night!
On the evening of February 14, please come join us in Olympia for a special surprise!

Your friend,
You

P.S. "You" is my name. I'm not saying it's from you!

She's drawn a little smiley face on the invitation, and you may remember her from her earlier post to the network. For some of you, this invitation isn't surprising. You signed up for her party, after all. For others, though, this may come as a surprise.

[I: The Message & The Arrival]

Nevertheless, you decide to go anyway. She's listed an address in Olympia, and the night of the event, when you show up, it's a decent-sized dining hall. There are pink and red ribbons and balloons and lacy heart shapes everywhere.

You may catch sight of the young woman scurrying around, looking a little harried. Or you may just find other people who seem confused to be here. Did your name wind up in the drawing list? Did theirs? What's going on?

[II: Dinner...]

Be it as it may, you go inside. Inside, you can find more of those ribbons, and balloons, and hearts, as well as dozens of small, round tables for two, each covered in a white tablecloth and with a pair of candlesticks. Approaching the tables, you find that each seat has a small nametag, written in that same looping handwriting. They're names you may recognize: Reinhardt Wilhelm, Isabela, Mikazuki Augus, and more.

One of these names is yours. And across from you is another name. Maybe you recognize them, maybe you don't.

Either way, it's not long before someone comes by to light the candles and take your food order. You've got a date.

[III: ...and a show!]

Maybe half an hour after your meal order is taken and has been served (it's delicious, by the way) a spotlight cuts through the dim light, illuminating a small raised stage off on the side of the room. The young woman, You, is standing there, wearing a short dress that almost looks like that of a ballet dancer, her hair pinned up. She has to reach up to bring the microphone down. She's not very tall.

"Ah... um, hello? Is it on? Hi!" she says, her voice fast and a little nervous. "I'm You Watanabe, and... happy Valentine's Day! I hope you're all having a wonderful time, and maybe the person you're meeting tonight, um, I don't know, something could come out of it, I hope!"

She pauses, like she's not sure what to say. "Anyway, uh, I thought I'd perform some songs while you're eating, so listen if you want!"

You takes a breath and then steps back before gesturing to someone in the darkness, presumably who then starts a music track. She begins to sing and dance, performing a number of different songs. Some of them are sweet and slow, others a little more upbeat, and there's even one that's kind of... sensual in a rockin' way? Still, while her dance moves are well practiced and her voice pretty and clear, you get the sense that these song and dance routines were meant to be performed with way more than just one person. There should be harmonies or other parts there that are missing.

Still, there's an empty dance floor in front of the stage, and there's something catchy and almost strangely inspiring about the girl's singing-- even if this genre of music isn't your particular favorite, it's somehow encouraging. Why not ask your partner to dance?

[IV: Sin and Sweetness]

Eventually, You leaves the stage, thanking everyone, and the night continues uneventfully. As your dinner wears down, you may be drawn to a cart off to the side, piled high with desserts, pastries of all types and color. Eventually, a pair of waiters begins pushing it around from table to table. Do you want some dessert, they ask.

These pastries have been baked by your hostess, You herself, based off a book of recipes she'd found in some of the... seedier parts of the Entertainment District. There's another one of those handwritten notes in that looping script, written on thick card stock folded in two to make a simple sign:

Tonight's a night of excitement!
If you want a little help feeling romantic, try the pastries!
They'll definitely spice things up! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

The various pastries themselves have similarly handwritten signs on them, notifying you (if a little obliquely) of some potentially interesting effects...

• Strudel: "Find beauty in the world!" (For whatever reason, other people look a little more attractive.)
• Baklava: "To tell them how you really feel!" (You'll feel more likely to be honest, if not overshare.)
• Cannoli: "Because love needs laughter!" (Everything other people say is somehow funnier than usual.)
• Cinnamon Roll: "The nose knows!" (The first person you look at smells oddly like your favorite smell.)
• Blueberry Scone: "For a bit of courage!" (This will make you feel bolder, intensifying emotions you already feel.)
• Mooncake: "To feel like falling in love!" (Every time you look at the first person you see, your heart beats a little faster.)
• Taiyaki: "Try to see someone else differently!" (Every time you look at the first person you see, there are little sparkles around them.)

The effects themselves aren't designed to be overwhelming or all that powerful, and can be resisted with just a little effort. However, You's recipe only dealt with one effect at a time. Mixing and matching multiple pastries? Who knows what might happen...?

There are also plenty of non-magical desserts, for anyone looking to sate their sweet tooth without chancing an odd experience.

[V: Singles Mingle]

You's spent most of her time arranging the couples event, of course, but if you didn't sign up, there's still a place for you! (Or maybe your date went terribly and you're here early.) There's a bar off to the side where people are welcome to sit and drink and meet other folks.

That said, they're bringing the pastries around here, too...

[VI: Wildcard]

Didn't see a prompt here for you? Write your own! The night has plenty of dancing, food, romantic moonlight, and plenty of places you can sneak off to be alone.

((OOC: As always, please label your threads if they turn NSFW, and make sure your thread partner(s) are okay with whichever pastry effect you're getting!))

Comments

[panzersoldat]

[ He'll happily push her chair in once she sits. He'll stand until then. A gentleman doesn't sit until a lady sits. He is glad that she accepts the roses though. He'll hold onto the broach until he's sure she'd accept a gift. ]

You are looking very lovely this evening, Ma'am. I look forward to sharing this dinner with you.

[ His flattery, while being exactly that, is also the truth. Reinhardt doesn't lie if he can help it. So he does think she looks very nice. ] I wonder if this is another of those traditions that your world didn't have. Like Santa.

[wallofbriggs]

[Sitting is much easier to do, and she places the flowers down on the table to do so.]

None of this is necessary if you want to join me for dinner. Only a big appetite.

[Seriously. There are worse ways to spend her time than being with someone she enjoys. So many worse ways...]

Depending on your position, we missed out on a lot of these traditions. [She doesn't necessarily think so, however.] But no, we didn't have a day to celebrate love. Although speaking with Miss You, I couldn't get an explanation as to why anyone needs one specific day for it.

[panzersoldat]

[ He laughs a little when he sits as well. His chair makes a pathetic little creak, like it's protesting having to hold up his bulk. He pretends he didn't hear it. ] Well, I'm sure you'll find that I have a huge one. Not that I'm sure that's all that surprising to you. You know soldiers. We'll eat anything and as much as we can.

Still, it's very necessary. It's tradition to bring the person you are going to meet flowers or other gifts to express your gratitude for them choosing to meet you. Even more so when it's a stranger. It's about good impressions and being polite.

[ Reinhardt settles a little more and considers what to tell her about the holiday. There are so many different stories. ] Well, it's another Saint's feast. For a man who was beheaded after he brought together couples. These people were in love but the powers-that-be thought they shouldn't be together. But he did it and he was punished for it. So we celebrate him by showing our love for others on this day. Usually with cards and flowers and chocolates. But true romantics don't need a single day for this. For us, we would give you flowers because they reminded them of you any day we wished.

[ But he is also a hopeless romantic, so he knows he doesn't count. ]

I'm afraid I don't have chocolate for you, but I do have a small gift if you wish it. If not, I'll just be pleased with enjoying your company and eating as much as we can.

[wallofbriggs]

[There was a reason the food storage area at Briggs had taken up an entire floor of the fort. In general, they would go through a lot of food, but it was also necessary for keeping morale up. Plus it took a lot of energy to stay warm when you spent a portion of your day out in the freezing cold.]

Wouldn't it have made more sense to punish those couples, not just him? They were all breaking the law. Still seems like a silly reason to celebrate, but I'm sure there are worse.

[The idea of celebrating a criminal isn't unusual as far as she knows, it's all in who wins and tells the story in the end.]

Somehow I'm not surprised. [Netiher that he counts himself among the romantics or that he has a gift. From what she's learned it's exactly what she'd expect.] It would be a shame to let a good gift go to waste.

[panzersoldat]

[ He really has no answer for this. He doesn't know why the couples hadn't been punished too. But that's not the part of the story he cares about. And at least he's not telling her about babies in diapers shooting people with magic arrows. ]

They were breaking it for love. How would you feel if you met someone that you loved very very much, but your parents or your society said you couldn't be with them? He thought that love was most important.

[ Reinhardt laughs just a little and shifts to dip into his pocket for the little brooch he had carved. It's so delicate in such huge hands. ] Well, I'll let you decide if it's a good gift or not, but please accept it.

[wallofbriggs]

I'm the eldest daughter. My parents would have been thrilled at the prospect, even if it was someone from Drachma.

[And she didn't really give a damn what society thought. If she had Miles wouldn't have been at Briggs and she would have been out on hell of a fine second-in-command.]

I get the point, though.

[It's not so small in her own hands as she takes it from him. Of course, this is when the waiter comes to check on their orders. She wastes little time in ordering a steak and wine, before returning to the brooch.]

I accept it with the intention that it was given with. Thank you.

[panzersoldat]

Ahhh. I see. So it's like that. [ It's the one thing he hadn't really liked about the stories of nobility. In a way, he was glad he had been born in the time he had been. He knows had he been there in the time of knights, he would never have had the chance to be a knight at all. He might not have ever had a chance to meet this woman. Nobility and commoners didn't mix. ]

I think it's best that we all get to make our own choices. Though perhaps not so much this night. Not that I would wish any other person at my table. I know you to be quite a fun young woman, Major General. Even if we're not fighting each other this time around.

[ His order is ridiculously large, and that's with him trying to hold back a little. ]

You are welcome. Now all we can do is hope that the food is as good as the company.

[wallofbriggs]

Nothing like that. They love each other very much and want the same for all of us. It's just once I was settled my mother could focus on my sisters and brother.

[It had only taken twenty-some years, but Olivier was sure she'd almost accepted that her daughter was more committed to their country than she'd ever be to any man.]

Please, if any of my men wake up, don't let them hear you say such things. They have plenty of reason to argue that I'm neither fun, young or a woman as far as they're concerned. I'd like to keep it that way.

[panzersoldat]

[ He gives her a laugh and then his face goes serious. He places one hand in front of him and the other goes over his heart. ] I swear it. I swear on my honor that I will not say such things to your men. I understand that a general requires discipline and respect. I would never dream of saying something that might alter that.

[ He drops his hand ] However, I will say it to you. I think you are both. Fun and a lovely young woman. I really look forward to the next time we spar. I just hope we'll both be fully dressed when we do.