middaeg | VALENTINES CHARITY

VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

♥ THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE ♥

"At the Festival of Love: Shine like thunder
At the Festival of Love: Cry like rain
At the Festival of Love: Hear my calling
At the Festival of Love: Hear my name"

...wait, who prepared this poster? The vibe it gives off is totally wrong... ah, well, it will do! ♥

I. Welcome! ♥

On Feoveuer 14th regulars of DiplomaTea will immediately notice that the place looks different. Fresh flowers, garlands and paper decorations are everywhere, all in lovely shades of pink and red. Heart-shaped confetti is falling from the ceiling, magicked to disappear shortly after touching the floor so it would not make a mess. Quiet music is filling the whole cafe, one of the many masterpieces of Amadeus Mozart and a particual favorite of Marie who picked this particular song to play. Even those who have missed Marie's flyers and announcements about the upcoming event would definitely notice that something joyous is going on inside, why not check it out and join everyone?

If you haven't heard before, the posters will explain everything. Today's event, The Festival of Love celebrates the holiday known as Valentine's Day some Mirrorbound might be familiar with. This is the day to celebrate love in all shapes and forms. Spend a wonderful, romantic evening with your partner... or your friends and family, because these kinds of love are important too! Or get some sweets and eat them all by yourself, because self love is also important! All money collected during today's event will go to aid the refugees and help those who have been affected during last month - celebration of love for your fellow woman, man and everyone else.

a. Preparations ♥

Of course an event this big cannot happen without the help of many. Making and putting up the decorations, enchanting the confetti and music, building the booths, preparing the tables, all of this and much more took almost the whole previous day. Everett will also defintely need part-timers to help tending to the increased number of custoers during the event. If you visited DiplomaTea during that time, you probably couldn't enjoy your drink in peace... or maybe you were roped into helping? Marie gives you a pleading look. Every pair of hands is useful, you know!

II. The Festival of Love ♥

Kissing Booths ♥

Two hastily made but lovingly decorated wooden booths have been placed on DiplomaTea porch. For supporting the cause with a small fee of 100 cunes the person inside will gladly give you a lovely kiss... though you are, of course, welcome to throw an even bigger amount into the donation box! The Mirrorbound staff the booths in shifts so nobody will be forced to sit out the whole event and more volunteers are always welcome... come on, don't you want to support the charitable cause? Marie is quite persuasive, she might find a way to convince you even if it's not something you would have usually agreed to ♥ Or maybe your crush is currently in the booth and this is your big chance? Either way, thank you for your support, good people!

Bake Sale ♥

Are you skilled with the cooking appliances? Would you like these skills to serve a good cause? The tables just next to the main entrance of DiplomaTea have been filled with cakes, pastries and other kinds of sweets donated by Mirrorbound - help yourself to some! You have to pay for it, of course, but all the money collected helps the charitable cause! For those who are not fond of sweet things, savory and spicy snacks are also found on the table.

Did you bring a dish? Would you like to buy something? Or maybe you are just staffing the tables and helping with the bake sale itself? All kinds of help are appreciated! Are you culinarily challenged but refuse to admit it? Thank you for your donation anyway, it is going on sale! Did anyone see the Fae who donated these cupcakes? These appear to be enchanted and eating one will cause you to say the opposite what you mean for fifteen minutes. What do you mean, Marie, we are putting these on sale as well? Could it be... that Fae was... No, impossible!

Auction ♥

Want to support the cause with a bigger sum? As a part of the main event, a couple of items will be auctioned. To show their support, the Coven donated several valuables that could definitely be of use for both Witches and Monsters:
an ornate golden ring Fae-blessed to provide the wearer 12 hours of invisibility (which does not have to be used consecutively, it's 'turned on and off' by rubbing the stone set into it, and does not conceal the wearer from other Fae)
a suit set and a dress that will both transform magically to fit whatever Monster form the wearer has (and will also take on the wearer's color and design preferences)
a book on imbuing baked goods with minor luck spells - good and bad both.
Place your bids now! But that's not everything that will be put on sale today - donations from Mirrorbound are also accepted and will be auctioned! Do you have any items you no longer need and could contribute? Maybe it's something you have crafted yourself? Or a voucher for any kind of services you can provide? Whatever it is, thank you for your donation! Yes, even if it's enchanted. Especially if it is enchanted!

Not donating or buying anything? You could certainly help with the organization part! That pile of items over there... Mind checking out what we even have there and assign starting bids?

A Word from our Sponsor ♥

DiplomaTea is offering a couple of special offers on this special day, all proceeds will be donated! Extra large mug of cinnamon cocoa you can share with a special person to warm up your bodies and hearts. You can also drink it yourself if you want to, nobody will judge you and certainly not Everett. However, even if you came here by yourself... Are you sure you can finish it by yourself? How about splitting the cocoa with someone who also came alone? That's the spirit of the day!

For those interested in a drink that can provide more thrill than simple cocoa, Everett is offering a tea blend called Ardric's Warmth. In his own words, it tastes like a live firecracker and has enough caffeine to raise the dead. And yet, this blend seems to have its dedicated fans in Aefenglom, especially among Dragons. Dare to try it? Or maybe someone tricked you into drinking some?

Inkchanted Corner ♥

Caster Cú Chulainn is doing a promotion on behalf of his and Waver's tattoo shop, Inkchanted. Still undecided if you would like to visit their place? Unsure about a permanent tattoo? You can try it out here and help the cause! For a low fee you can have Caster draw a small, enchanted painting on your skin. It can make you give off a charming aura, perfect if you are still looking for someone to spend the evening with or trying to grab the attention of that particular person. Or maybe you are celebrating self love and just want a spell that will allow you to eat a lot of sweets without consequences tonight? Perfect! Another idea? Be sure to communicate it well, you would not want to end up with an enchanted painting that gives a different effect you originally wanted... though even if you do, the magic will only work for a few hours. You can wait that long, can you?

Magic Show ♥

Trucy Wright, one of the recent arrivals to Aefenglom is on stage and about to perform her splendid magic show! Huh, that's nothing special in Aefenglom, you might think. Magic is an everyday thing for every Witch after all. However, this young lady here is not a Witch, so how does she do it? With totally real magic, of course! Get your seats and pay close attention to everything she does, but you are not very likely to notice anything - this girl is a professional, after all. In using real magic, of course! Or maybe you have similar skills? You are welcome to join her on stage and perform your own well-practiced trick. If it's not as well-practiced as you thought... well, at least you made the audience laugh? In need of a charming assistant? Just pick someone more or less willing from the audience!

III. Cleanup ♥

Tired after a busy day? Congratulate yourself on a job well done, we managed to collect a nice sum that will certainly help a lot! But before you can rest in your bed, there's more to be done. Taking off decorations, removing the confetti enchantments, washing the dishes, collecting the trash and cleaning the whole place. We cannot leave Everett alone with this mess after he was so nice to allow the usage of DiplomaTea for today's event, can we? You can stay and help, can you? Maybe there are some leftowers from the bake sale to sweeten the deal?

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I. Kissing Booths

[Of course Momiji--never one to let a sense of shame get in the way of his own amusement--has volunteered for a shift at one of the Festival's kissing booths.

He's set up early on in the day, while the crowd is still getting into the festive mood and shaking off any wallflower jitters. It's a good slot for him! He sits with his hands folded on the table in front of him and his long rabbit-ears twitching eagerly overhead. Really, what could be more non-threatening? He'll offer an easy way out to anyone looking to just play along and get it over with, cheerfully delivering a peck on the cheek in exchange for your donation.

But, well, he is still a puca, and after he's been required to sit still for over half an hour one must expect at least some degree of mischief.]

Mm, are you waiting to kiss somebody else? [He'll oh-so-innocently ask anyone who seems to be observing the festivities from a distance.] Who are you looking for, maybe I can find them for you!

[Alternatively, whenever business dwindles, he might just try to flag down any passers-by to plead for them to bring him a cocoa or a sweet from the baked goods tray, while he's stuck on-duty! Anyone foolish enough to oblige (and not visibly likely to murder him) will get a very gracious smile when they return--and then, before they can escape, a sudden and eager smooch on the lips.]

100 cunes, please!

II. Ardric's Bad Life Choices / Clean-up

[Someone has made a grave mistake. Maybe it was an innocent error or, equally likely, a mild prank by some other festival volunteer, in revenge for earlier shenanigans. But, shortly after he finishes his shift at the booths, he stops to get a refreshing drink, takes a big, excitable swig without looking at what he's been handed...and practically breathes fire as Everett's tea lays waste to his tongue and sinuses.

One big gulp is enough to have an effect when you're already fun-sized, apparently. Because, come the end of the day, he's still, well--vibrating. When he stops long enough for anyone to notice, at least, which is not often! The rest of the time, he can be found eagerly popping in between helping with every chore left to be done in the shop.

Almost literally: One minute he's helping sweep up confetti, and the next he's back in the kitchen trying to butt in to help dry dishes--and then, just as suddenly, he can be found pulling down streamers hung high on the ceiling, a newly-sprouted pair of Cupid's wings fluttering hummingbird-like behind him. Absolutely none of these things are getting done. But at least he's burning off the energy, somehow?

The crash after this will not be pretty.]

Edited 2020-02-15 21:46 (UTC)

[ At first Asahi is wondering she's she suddenly feeling so restless. Almost weirdly energized, except she doesn't feel like she has tons of energy either? It feels weirdly distant, like it's coming outside from her body, and after a few moments she seems to realise that oh god, that must be Momiji. And while it's natural to feel a lot of energy radiating from him, this feels like a little bit too much. It's almost unnatural.

So she immediately starts wandering around the festival in search of the boy. It should be made easier by her being able to sense him, but with how much he's moving all over the place, it's really hard to keep up with his exact position.

It feels like a huge relief when she finally manages to spot him sweeping up some confetti. Asahi just wraps her arms around his shoulders from behind, resting her head by putting her forehead down on his shoulder, and letting out such a deep breath. She almost seems out of breath, really. ]

Finally. What are you doing?

Ah...!

[He's just taken a break from speeding across the tea-shop with his broom, so he can try to herd together some of the scraps he actually managed to catch, when Asahi catches him from behind. He jumps immediately--he's wound up and still not used to hugs that don't end in him exploding into a cloud of smoke.

But then he hears her voice and relaxes (as much as he can right now), wriggling back into her grip with a laugh.]

Oh, hey! I was just helping out with the festival. I'm cleaning up the decorations--

[The initial energy surge has passed its peak, but he's still not really able to keep still. He does, though, pause when her head drops onto his shoulder.]

Are you okay? Were you running around...?

Yes!

[ She easily admits as much to him. She promised Momiji that she'd never lie, after all, and although the idea of her stupidly chasing him all over only to barely miss him like some dumb comedy skit is kind of embarrassing, it's not the worst thing ever to have to admit.

Just give her a few more seconds to catch her breath here while leaning on him, please.. ]

I was.. geez. I was trying to find you! But you were all over the place! [ From what she could feel, anyway. ]

Aww, sorry!!

[Only sheer willpower is keeping him planted firmly-enough in place for her not to topple off of him. He fidgets, twisting his head around to shoot her an apologetic glance, but somehow manages not to turn outright to face her.]

I was just checking out the festival! And helping clean everything up--[This does not explain why his fur's practically standing on end or his cottontail's seeming inability to stop twitching behind him.]

There was so much to do, I didn't want to take a break.

[ Maybe it's because he's so fidgety and therefore doesn't make for a very good resting spot, but Asahi finally lifts her head off the boy's shoulders and lets go of him, instead moving around him so she's standing in front of him. ]

Are you sure that's all? [ This is not even an "I know you're lying" kind of annoyed. Or any kind of annoyed, really, since she figures Momiji might just not be aware of his current condition. Or maybe it's normal for him and she just never noticed until they literally shared half a brain? ]

I mean, you're awfully energetic. Moreso than usually. No one did something weird to you, did they?

Mmmm--no-o. Not really!

[The drawn-out tone and immediate qualification pretty much give the game away. But it's true! He doesn't know how he ended up drinking the firecracker tea that had set this off. Probably it was just an innocent error, and then nobody really did it to him.

But fine:]

I did drink some of that weird tea they were selling, by accident! And then it tasted super gross, so I had to get a hot chocolate to get rid of the taste.

[That would be one of the ginormous cocoas the teashop was also offering today, of course. Because clearly the one thing that Ardric's Warmth was missing was lots of sugar.]

So, I maybe got wound up after that!

[A perfectly reasonable explanation.]

The weird tea?

[ Oh geez. Good thing that Asahi didn't have some of that then. But at least that explanation does make sense, kind of - only in a place as weird as this would that even be the case though. But it's a good thing that it's just something Momiji accidentally did to himself rather than anyone else doing something to him, or Asahi would have to go have Words with that person. ]

Geez.. That explains it. You're lucky it didn't do anything worse, you know! You should be careful with all the weird stuff you can find around here.

[ That sounds way too soft to really be chiding in any way. How could Asahi preach to Momiji when he's so cute and nice, okay. It'd be like kicking a bunny. ]

Mmhm! It tasted like somebody lit my mouth on fire, but with really bad tea.

[Though it's not really a scolding, he does his best to look appropriately contrite, clasping his hands together at his front. (Though, it would be more effective if he weren't still half-grinning and bouncing on his toes in between words.)]

I know, sorry! Could you feel it through the Bond, too...? [That would explain why she'd come running and looked so relieved.] I was still distracted from my turn at the kissing booth, and I didn't notice 'til I'd already taken a big drink!

[ She nods. ]

Yeah, it felt so weird. I'm used to feeling a lot of energy from your side, but this was.. [ Asahi makes a vague chaotic hand gesture as if to say "too wild" without actually verbalizing it. ] So I just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong, you know? You never know for sure in this place.

But I guess in the end it turned out to not be anything too bad. You just look like you're going to keep bouncing for the rest of the day.

[ Don't think she can't see that! ]

Mm, sorry...! [He giggles a little at that hand-wavey summary, but he is apologetic! Which, combined with his present mood, sends him bouncing forward to give her a quick hug.] I still don't know what stuff you can feel like that! So, I didn't think about it--I'll be more careful!

[He declares after letting go. And then he excitedly launches on:]

Did you still get to have fun at the festival, though...? Did you kiss anybody?

[He's far too wound-up not to be a brat. And, also, you never know...! Maybe he was too hyped up on caffeine and missed Asahi psychically melting into a puddle!]

[ The last bits of concern that might have lingered in her mind fade away like snow melting in the sun the moment he hugs her. Apparently Momiji hugs are just that powerful - it reassures her instantly that he really is alright.

And she wants to reassure him that it's fine, that he doesn't have to mind her that much and she's just the type to fuss a bit too much about these things.. but then.

But then. He says the k-word.

Asahi's face grows as red as a beet. Psychic puddle melting coming up right now regardless! ]

W.. W.. W-W-Why would you ask that?!

[ God, just the thought of kissing anyone feels like murder! ]

[Oh no. He was not prepared for that much of a reaction! Of course, he figured Asahi'd probably blush--but not that much.

Nor had he factored in the shiny, new empathic link between them. Before he can say anything, there's a flood of borrowed nerves, and then he's blushing, plus quivering in place from a mix of caffeine-high and (literal) secondhand embarrassment.]

'Cause of the kissing booths...! Everybody was in line for them, and it was just for the festival--

It's okay if you didn't want to, too!

[ Somehow it feels even more embarrassing to see her own blush mirrored on Momiji's face. Especially since she knows it's since he can feel her emotions when they're this strong. Asahi quickly slaps her hands onto her face to cover up her cheeks, trying to take some deep breaths and calm down. (Mostly by trying to think of anything but kissing right now.) ]

N.. No, of course I didn't. I'm not just into casually doing that sort of thing.. [ At least she's speaking a bit more calmly now, despite still looking flustered. ] Besides, do you think we could.. you know.. feel it? If the other did it? Did you kiss people?

That's alright, I was just asking!

[He blurts hastily. This is kind of surreal, trying to catch his breath and calm down from emotions that aren't even his. He clasps both hands to his chest, feeling his heart racing, and shakes his head emphatically.]

Umm, I volunteered at one of the booths for a little while, but I just got donations and kisses on the cheek and stuff, mostly! I don't think you'd be able to feel a kiss--

But, um, maybe just how you felt about it?

[...sooo, he'd bet like every cune to his name right now that he'd be able to tell.]

Hmm, that'd make sense then.. I don't think I felt anything like those kisses you got. [ So that sure spares Asahi a lot of embarrassment, thank god. She wouldn't be able to live with random feeligns of kisses, thanks! Not even kisses on the cheeks! ]

I just felt a lot of happy and bouncy feelings, but I feel that from you often ever since we did that ceremony.

[ Honestly, she's more concerned during any moments when she might not feel those. It instinctively makes her worry if something is up. ]

[All things considered, he's glad that the Bond doesn't extend to phantom kisses, too! It'd be pretty embarrassing in general, and also he suspects Asahi would just violently avoid kissing anyone forever.]

Mmhm! So, I think we're both safe for anything kissing-related!

[He's calmed down enough to risk declaring that in a chipper, playful tone.]

So, I feel "bouncy?" [Yeah, okay, accurate.] That's good, right? As long as I don't overdo it like today!

Edited 2020-02-21 21:58 (UTC)

[ Sshhh, she's going to violently avoid kissing anyone forever regardless.. ]

It's definitely good. [ At least there's no hesitation in answering that. Momiji's emotions and the general way he feels across their bond isn't nearly as embarrassing as the idea of kissing or anything love-related is. ] If anything, I'm kind of glad for it! I feel like I used to feel energetic way more often back home than here.

[ Maybe since you waste all your energy on these dumb needless freakouts, Asahi! ]

But you're kind of giving me that feeling back now.

[Ah, it's been a while since he last saw Momiji and he never did catch the young man's name, but he recognises him immediately as he all but buzzes from one thing to the next while never actually finishing anything. Not to know the tea is to blame but somewhat suspecting it, he leans on his brush and watches Momiji pass by in a flurry of movement... not for the first time.]

You should drink some water. [He advises mildly, tapping his fingers against the handle of the broom.]

Or... sit down for a few minutes. If you can.

Mm?

[Momiji stops on a dime when a hand sticks out towards his broom, pausing from where he was overenthusiastically shooting its brush underneath some of the cleared-out tables, trying to force any stray confetti hidden there out into the open.

He almost starts as if to go straight back to work once he hears Red Wine's advice (because that's silly, he's great!)--but then he actually gets a good look at the vampire and at least forces himself to slow down. He's never run into this particular social situation before, but probably you don't get to just ignore someone once they've let you palm an entire night's worth of stolen goods off on them?]

Oh, no thanks, I'm fine! I already had a lot of hot chocolate. [It's like water, but better!]

Plus, there's still a bunch left to clean up!

Edited 2020-02-16 21:04 (UTC)

[It's interesting that they haven't managed to have another conversation since then, but evidently Momiji came to no harm after his evening spent dipping his hands into other people's pockets. Red Wine had, eventually, managed to reunite the pilfered trinkets to their owners.]

Are you sure hot chocolate is all you've had?

[He puts Red Wine in mind of certain excitable, younger Food Souls that he knows.]

It looks like you're planning to clean up the entire place by yourself.

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VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

Momiji Sohma | Puca | ota

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