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]

[ 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.

[inaurare]

The first is sad...

[leaning back in his seat, setting down his glass carefully. Of course, he knows the first all too well - he has an impression of his father, but it's possible that all his 'memories' of his mother are just fancy, just imagination...]

The third, you could easily be switching your country's name with another, and I would be none the wiser. So I am tempted...

[a little tip of his head]

But the second. If I may venture, that drawl in your voice, that wasn't like you.

[chickenhearted]

[ He shrugs a little. ]

It is what it is.

[ He watches Linneus closely, seeing if he will guess. He figured using the name of a country would throw him a little, but it seems it wasn't good enough to misguide him completely. He shouldn't have said the second one the way he did! He slumps a little. ]

Hn. That's right, it is the second one.

[inaurare]

I never knew mine, either. [a gentle smile] ...that one I can give away for free.

[sitting back a moment. Playing this game before, he has had the slight advantage of people knowing what he is, what he did. He can escape that, here, and people don't need to know. It's freeing, but it also feels like a secret he has to tiptoe around, sometimes.]

Hmm. I enjoyed school, as a child. And also as a child, I had to be regularly reminded to wear shoes and socks. And as an adult... [maybe he's skirting too close? But he sells it with a smile-] I'm wildly expensive.

[chickenhearted]

I don't know if that's a good thing to have in common though. [ he gives a weak smile of his own.

then listens to the choices, considering them carefully. He can't help but to lift his eyebrows at the last one. Wildly expensive? That would imply he was for sale. And if he's for sale, he's either some kind of slave or.... oh.

He blushes a little. ]

From what you've told me about you as a child, I'm guessing the second one is true. Now the first and the third, I ... [ He has no way of knowing which is true, really, or even if he's on the right track. But he tries to deduce it. ] The third is so ... random yet specific, I can't help but to think it's true. So I wonder if the first one is a lie?

[inaurare]

But it’s true.

[and a shared truth is no bad thing.

That shift in expression tells Linneus he may have skirted too close, that Waver may have pieced something together. But, well. Linneus never specified that his time was expensive. He tried not to be too specific at all.

He can glide blithely on though, softly clapping his hands as Waver’s choice-]

The first one, yes. I imagine I might have enjoyed it, but I never went at all.

[chickenhearted]

I suppose so.

[ Aside from a light blush, he doesn't betray what he's thinking about Linneus now. He doesn't say anything aloud either, sensing that perhaps Linneus doesn't want to talk about it in great detail. Not with the way he skirts around that and focuses on the correct answer instead.

Besides, school is a much easier topic anyway. ]

You never went? Ah... studying is basically all I ever did for...most of my life.

[inaurare]

Servants don’t really need to know much beyond their numbers and letters - even those aren’t strictly necessary.

[he learned, of course - and more besides. Other bits and pieces Xanthe shared with him. A little piano, a little horse riding...

His fingers toy at the stem of his glass]

But if they have to learn there’s no need to send them to school to do just that - imagine the expense if every master educated each of their servants...!

[chickenhearted]

[ Waver has to remember that 'master' and 'servant' has a very different meaning here than what he's been used to lately. He nods a little, even if he thinks it's silly that servants weren't really allowed to learn. ]

I suppose. You have a point. But I think everyone should have the opportunity to be educated, no matter their background!

[ Poor backgrounds are kind of a sore spot for Waver. He gets a little passionate, and then calms himself again, taking a drink. ]

[inaurare]

[gently-]

It wasn't my choice.

[he would have been, if he could have. He likes to imagine he would have loved school...]

Where I'm from it's not something one can choose - whether they are born into enough money to allow for such a thing...

((I'm sorry, I really thought I got to this last week!))

[chickenhearted]

(( it's all good! ))

...I know. It's still like that in some places I'm from too. But I still think everyone should have opportunities, no matter where or what they came from.

[ he gives a firm nod, clearly passionate about the topic. He hates being the little guy, that's why. ]

[inaurare]

They're something more easily-come by where you came from then? Opportunities?

[in Linneus' experience, generally people are born into their status and that's it.]

[chickenhearted]

Well, you can study pretty much anywhere if you work hard enough.

People might still look down at you though...if you aren't from some famous or wealthy family.

[inaurare]

If one has the literacy skills in the first place?

[it is the only way, in Linneus' experience. If one wanted to learn, one had to read. Of course if one wanted to read, one had to have the time to do it in - hard come by, for a servant.]

[chickenhearted]

Well...yes. I suppose. But to get those, they have public schools now. Different ways for lower classes to learn as well. At least in my world...it's easier to get literate if you desire to.

[ Though he supposes it would still be difficult for a servant to find time. He has no idea, he's never had servants (not those kind of servants anyway). He wants to believe there'd be a way though... ]