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

[chickenhearted]

S-sorry!

[ He lets his hand be taken, but it only makes him go a bit redder. He tried to play it cool and failed in less than a second, basically. ]

I've never ... This is my first time doing anything like this.

[ He does feel the need to impress, despite what Linneus says. Because Linneus is obviously way out of his league. ]

[inaurare]

Then enjoy it. It's all right to feel shy, or nervous, but please don't feel pressured. Just enjoy the evening.

[releasing his hand and drawing slowly back-]

And know that if you don't want to be here, that is entirely all right, too. Though I do enjoy your company.

[chickenhearted]

I'll... I'll try.

[ He nods slowly, tugging on his collar a little bit. Then he blinks. ]

No, I do want to be here! I mean... I just thought... you might not want to. [ He reddens, but does feel marginally better when Linneus says he enjoys his company. ] Thank you.

[inaurare]

Good.

[that is all he wants to hear, really, that waver will try. Settling back properly to fix him with a warm smile]

I want to. And if you're willing, I would like to know more about you. I think we were too busy climbing last time to ask each other many questions...

[chickenhearted]

[ He releases a big breath, like he's been holding it, and slumps in his chair a little. But when he glances back to Linneus, he gives a nod. ]

There's not a lot to know about me. Probably. I'm more interested in hearing about you...

[ What kind of person is Linneus? He's so beautiful and kind and graceful, he must be royalty or something. Then again, Waver knows better than most that some royalty can also be obnoxious and loud too. ]

[inaurare]

But there isn't much to hear about me, either.

[that he cares to tell. He finds it easier to skirt around his past - it gets too sad, the more one looks into it.

A delicate lift and drop of his shoulders]

I... was sold to a large house when I was just a child. I lived there ever since.

Will you have anything to drink? It needn't be alcohol...

[chickenhearted]

I can't believe that...

[ Basically everyone ever has a better story to tell than Waver. That's what he thinks, anyway. His past is a little sad too, with the exception of meeting Iskandar. But even that turns a bit sad toward the end. ]

You were... sold? I'm sorry. That must have been difficult.

[ He fidgets a little, trying to think of what you would sell a person to a household for. Servitude? Some weird adoption agreement? ]

Ah, um, I'll have whatever you have!

[inaurare]

Oh-- no, not at all. I was such a small thing, even among the servants I was doted upon terribly.

[it changed, later, but he doesn't need to go into that. His hand alights on the menu, drawing it closer to check over the drinks list]

Alcohol... it tends to affect me very quickly, so if you wouldn't mind something like this?

[there are a few sparkling drinks on the list - apple, elderflower, a non-alcoholic white, and a rose]

[chickenhearted]

Really? So it was a good thing...

[ He seems a little relieved. Even moreso when Linneus points out a non-alcoholic drink. To be honest, he was 100% sure he wouldn't be able to handle the alcohol either and would make a (bigger) fool out of himself. ]

That's fine. Perfect, actually.

[inaurare]

It was for the best.

[but Linneus can't call it a good thing. Or a bad one, really. It was what it was, and there was little point him him trying to comprehend the decisions made about him as a child by men who had long since died.]

Which do you prefer? [gently-] Don't leave me making all of the choices.

[chickenhearted]

I see.

[ He gives a nod. If Linneus doesn't want to give further details, Waver's not really one to insist otherwise. He's still curious though. ]

Ah! Um... this one, then? [ He points to the apple one. That seems safe. ]

[inaurare]

[quite safe provided it shares no ingredients with the apple strudel.

He'll join Waver in the drink, then, discreetly flagging down one of the serving staff to lean in and make the request. The drinks will be with them soon enough, but he smiles lightly as he sets down the menu, smooths the table cloth just a little. Now, how to get this one talking...?]

May I learn something about you? Or we can play the Lie Game...

[chickenhearted]

[ ah yes, that... hopefully they'll be safe.

He sits awkwardly while they order drinks and wait for them to arrive, looking down at the glass once it does get there. He shifts a little, peeking a glance at Linneus. ]

About me? Oh...umm...I guess, but what's the Lie Game?

[inaurare]

You tell two truths about yourself, and one lie. The other player must discern which is which - though some players choose to tell all lies...

[and some players use it as a route to parts of Linneus he would rather not share, which is why he tends to avoid it. But for Waver, it is likely for the best to keep the talk to more frivolous subjects, and Linneus is quite happy with that.]

But not everyone is comfortable with that kind of game, and that’s quite all right.

[chickenhearted]

Hmmm...

[ He considers for a moment, and then shrugs. What does he have to lose? Aside from boring Linneus to death.... which he hopes doesn't happen. He'll try to make it interesting as he can, and he takes a deep breath, trying to get into the spirit of a game. ]

Then three things about me. I was an apprentice magus at the Clock Tower in London. I was the top of my class. And I fought in a Holy Grail War right before coming here.

[inaurare]

[He's pleased that Waver jumps into the game, at least, though the selections make him laugh]

Ah - all three I know little enough about to be able to decide for sure, I fear!

[while he learned quickly enough that many worlds had their own magics, in his own world magic was only a fiction; only appeared in children's stories. And he hasn't encountered enough of schooling to be able to tell a good student from a bad one.]

...forgive me, but I cannot imagine you going to war. I choose the last.

[chickenhearted]

[ He knows they were mostly kinda specific to his world, but he couldn't think of anything generic enough to be interesting. Except the being the top student part...which coincidentally is the lie.

He shakes his head, trying not to ruffle a bit. Yeah sure, he knows he doesn't look the type to go into any war. ]

No, that one is true. I really did fight in a war before I came here.

[inaurare]

That's--

[his eyes widen a moment, startled surprise - but he's so young...]

You strike me as much too young to be a soldier.

[chickenhearted]

Not... really a soldier in the usual sense. It's a magus's war...and we summon heroes to fight on our behalf.

[ A small huff and he glances off to the side. ]

I had a strong partner.

[inaurare]

A strong partner...?

[he raises his hands before Waver can reply - that's unfair. Of course he wants to encourage Waver to talk about himself, but he's derailing. That's not the game]

No, no, those aren't the rules, I'm sorry.

[a pause to consider his options, ordering and reordering in his head]

Mmm. I am ambidextrous. I can make perfect bird-calls. I've a phobia of beetles and spiders.

[chickenhearted]

[ Waver gets half a nod out before Linneus is raising his hands, getting him to stop. Ah, right. The game. He doesn't know how he would have explained Alexander the Great quite yet anyway. ]

It's alright. It's fine.

[ He does a full nod this time and then sits to listen to Linneus's choices. They're all kind of general. Interesting, but general. He's not sure how to pick the lie out of them. So he may have to make a blind guess. ]

I'm going to say... the lie is the second one!

[inaurare]

[Hopefully his choices tell Waver that he can be superficial, if he wants to be. Linneus isn't after his deepest secrets, or anything he feels uncomfortable sharing.

A hand rises to stifle gentle laughter, then cups with the other to amplify a series of little trills and hoots. Owls are the easiest, and mourning doves.]

Sadly, no, I'm sorry. I was given a lot of garden jobs, as a child, the groundsmen showed me. I'm sure you can imagine I encountered plenty bugs and the like, working the flower beds - so I've no phobia as such, I'm afraid.

And my hands I tend to use interchangeably. I favoured my left, but I was told off for using it...

[he smiles though, reaching for his glass.]

So that is nil-nil so far. It's possible neither of us is very good at this game...

[chickenhearted]

[ Waver raises his eyebrows at the bird calls, surprised by them but impressed. They really are very good. ]

Ahh.

[ So he was wrong. Though suddenly it does make sense that Linneus had garden jobs. He knew how to climb that tree so well, he really must have spent a lot of time around trees and plants. He looks down, smiling slightly as the answers are explained. ]

I see. I think it's purely luck, and luck is not on our side today.

[ He takes a sip of his own drink and then sets it down. This all has served to get him to relax a bit though, so at least there's that? He tries to think of other things to tell Linneus about himself. ]

Do we... try another round?

[inaurare]

[there are few jobs in a big house for the reach of a five-year-old. But he was able to put himself to use in the garden, dibbling holes for seeds, pulling up weeds...]

If you would like? Of course.

[another of those smiles over the rim of his glass]

I'm hardly a competitive person but I should like to try to get one right...!

[chickenhearted]

Alright...

[ He tries to think of things that aren't so specific to his world. Though it's hard. He's not that interesting, he thinks. ]

Then try these: I never knew my parents much. I've always been reallllly popular. And I'd been living in a place called Japan until I was brought here.