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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think you're scaring off more people than what I was.

[ Just throwing that out there, old man. In the end, Van is here for similar reasons as the Ascian. Right now though, he has treats from other tables in hand. Even Vanitas can't follow their Dark Knight everywhere, correct? ]

More for us the less that are sold, I guess.

[ Though would it be a blow to Mira's pride? ]

Yet the ones who buy do so very quickly.

[Which meant the least amount of bother. But what do you mean staring at customers as though warning them off was bad for business? His reasons for being there at all were the same as Vanitas'; ensuring Mira didn't collapse in the middle of her tarts. Selling them was a distant second.]

But I fear we may be living off of these for a time.

[Why did you make so many, Mira.]

Maybe because they think you might set them ablaze if they don't.

[ Van chuckles even as he takes another bite of this cookie he had purchased. It's true. Selling Mira's wares isn't really high on his priority list either. ]

I'm not going to complain if we have to. Are you?

[ At least Van makes something of an effort to learn how to cook things from time to time. What of you, Emet-Selch? ]

Who knows? They may be right.

[It was true that the few things he'd sold were to people who looked rather daunted, perhaps even frightened. Whatever worked, right?]

Well, if I get bored of them, I'll pick up a meal or two from K'rihnn. He'll always fix me something, whether I ask or not.

[Yeah he's gonna sponge off the goodwill of others, what of it? Emet-Selch knew how to cook (it'd be impossible not to learn after this long), he just didn't care to unless he had to.]

See, you say that and I might actually believe that you'd follow through with it. If not for Mira, then at least so you don't have to continue standing here.

[ Ah. The dragon-cat. Vanitas snorts. ]

Of course you'd bother that guy. Isn't that really because he wouldn't be able to say no regardless?

[ The guy does come off as pretty timid, after all. A genuine "do-gooder" from the times that Vanitas has chanced upon him. ]

Violence can be quite convincing. Unfortunately, I fear Mira would disapprove....

[And so here he was. Here they both were, somehow, minding her tarts.]

Hm, he's quite mild, isn't he? Though I wouldn't underestimate K'rihnn- he's capable of the same things as the rest of those heroes from my star.

[He has to stand up for the miqo'te a small bit.]

Of course she would. However since we are here and she is not... How will she ever know?

[ Food for thought there, old man. Mira never has to find out. It's not as though either one of them are overly inclined to share such information, right? ]

He is a little ball of anxiety. Of course I did see something of a fire there once, but I wasn't impressed.

[And he does actually stop to consider. Something that causes several passersby- perhaps overhearing their conversation- to hurry past with exceptional speed.

But in the end he just shakes his head, a trace ruefully.]

It would probably attract too much attention. Someone would end up maimed and cause a fuss over it.

[And Mira would totally find out.]

But I hope you weren't too cruel to him, Vanitas. Not all of us are used to your sort of friendly banter.

[But he's not at all surprised that Vanitas had met him; the kid seemed to be collecting them, somehow...]

[ Vanitas watches them go with a bit of a chuckle on his part. Oh the old man is probably right. To create too much of a stir would likely be more of a detriment than anything else. And, of course, Mira would eventually find out. ]

Oh you're probably right. Guess we'll just have to get rid of these things properly.

[ He says this like he is disgusted by the notion. Oh well. They all know Van just doesn't really know how to be anything less than himself, for better or worse. ]

I wasn't at my best, if that's what you mean.

[It was truly unfortunate, being held back by things like 'people would be upset at wanton killing in the middle of a bake sale'.]

You could consider just buying them all yourself. I'm sure you'd have no problem finishing the lot.

[Your sweet tooth was hard not to notice, Van.]

And what is your best? Have I ever witnessed such a thing?

[The everyday levels of snark were fine with him, honestly.]

Too bad I'm not a fan of stomach aches from being overly gluttonous.

[ He knows he has a problem, okay? At least Vanitas has some self-restraint. He can walk away when he's tempted. For the most part. ]

Oh come on now. You saw it, even if I was enraged myself. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if I were more in control at that time.

[ He is speaking of the Masquerade. Emet-Selch can't deny that Vanitas had really gotten under his skin that night. ]

No one's saying you have to finish them all at once, merely purchase.

[Then they could cart them all up and grab Mira and leave.]

Oh, that sort of best....

[A somewhat amused tone; of course Vanitas wouldn't have meant good behavior, on reflection. And looking back on that time... yes, he'd been rather unpleasant. It wasn't the brightest memory of what had been a complicated evening.]

Though I wonder how K'rihnn would react to that... whether he would crumple, or demonstrate that inner fortitude. T'would depend on what you focused on, perhaps.

Just where do you think my money comes from old man?

[ Just like the Ascian, Vanitas doesn't have a job! Though every now and then he offers to enchant something for a sum. That usually works in his benefit. However, he isn't going to buy them all goodness.

Though he may agree to the grab them all and Mira and then promptly leave plan. That sounds so appealing right now. ]

Now as for the dragon-cat... I don't know. In order to see which I would get, I'd have to get inside his head. People like Rose are easy. That wasn't really much of a challenge at all. K'rihnn... I might have to watch him more.

How should I know? Though I have a reasonable sum available myself... apparently being tortured pays well.

[One alternative to getting a job. Perhaps he should buy them all so they could leave....

Or maybe they should all leave anyway. It wasn't as though they were going to sell much considering the amount of Welcoming that they were manifesting between them.]

Anyway, I'd be curious to see what you could manage with K'rihnn. [Encouraging this for some reason.] But I'm not surprised Rose is an easier target... the prickly ones like her often are. Then again, she did return the favor.

[Remember that, son.]

Just don't make a habit of it, okay? It was enough of a pain the first time.

[ Of course Vanitas makes the entire affair sound like it had been Emet-Selch's doing. Like it had been something of a chore to go after him. Though they probably both know that he legitimately just doesn't want that to happen again. Probably the closest he'll admit to not actually liking ha situation at all.

As for Rose? Van makes a face. Yeah she had returned the favor. ]

Yeah well it's not like I could have predicted she'd say that, you know.

I'll do my very best.

[That was alarmingly close to something resembling caring, Vanitas, despite phrasing. Emet-Selch wasn't entirely sure what to do with that either. That whole experience had been a mess, in ways he was still unpacking (or rather, refusing to unpack, the boxes shoved to a corner of his mind where he put things he'd rather not deal with; it was a large corner).]

But I don't think anyone would have predicted that. 'Tis nonsense, of course.

[Just a strange coincidence. Nothing more. And yet--]

--Despite us both being here when I doubt either of us has any particular interest in this event, nor holiday.

[ Maybe your silly little Dark Knight is rubbing off on him. Or Sora is. Hard to tell anymore isn't it? Either way, what is said has been said. There is no taking it back now anyway. Not that Vanitas is the type. ]

Nonsense you fed into, even if it was only a little bit.

[ Mira and Vanitas had been rather taken aback by the comments. Emet-Selch just stood there oh so amused by the entire thing. ]

Eh. That's probably true. I still don't get the point in doing this.

[All these heroes are being a bad influence. With their... grotesque positivity.]

Why not? It wasn't as though it meant anything.

[The only reason to be so shocked and offended was if you found it to be at all true.]

Perhaps there's no point, at least for us. For others... well, even if we asked, would the answer ever satisfy?

[ Watch it. It's probably contagious. Next thing you know, Emet-Selch might be doing something nice like carry Dark Knights to their rooms. ~~Oh wait...~~ ]

Suppose not.

[ It had been a little jarring is all. Yet don't they all still continue to tease each other about it? ]

I still think you'd grasp the concept, even if you rejected it. There are a lot of things that I can't even do that for. So in that sense? I suppose no reason provided would satisfy.

[He needed to tell her off, okay, and it's more comfortable to do that in her room.

...it was a bit jarring though. Not immediately, for the Ascian, but afterward? It wouldn't be an effective tease if they couldn't find some small bit of truth to it. And that was weird. It was a lot easier to pretend there wasn't any sort of connection there.]

...The conclusion I'm getting from this, is that whatever supposed meaning there is, it isn't worth knowing.

[They could be the arbiters of what had value.]

[ One day all that pretending may catch up with him. ]

Do take notice that I'm not going around from person to person to ask. Even with as curious as I am, I don't think I really care to find whatever perceived value these people could have.

[ However, Vanitas does finish off the cookie that had been in his hand. ]

But I won't complain about the food.

[Of course it won't, it's not like he can actually care about these mortals or anything.]

It does seem too trivial to bother with....

[Though he snorts at the mention of food.]

At least you found your value for it.

Hey, I won't lie. I like food and being able to actually choose what I will and what I won't eat. It's a novel concept.

[ He's never explained Prize Pods before and he probably won't. Not unless the subject of why he likes sweets comes up. ]

Again, you could have contributed.

So you're enjoying your time in this world?

[Questioning why Vanitas would like sweet things wouldn't even occur to him. Most people liked sweets, and he was still a kid, it was to be expected.]

And I'm contributing my presence. Is that not sufficient?

[ What a question to ask, old man. Vanitas tenses just a little bit. He can't help but be slightly defensive, as if the Ascian might be judging him. ][ Is that wrong? To find something in this world? He huffs. As for Emet-Selch's contribution? Well. Van's silence on the matter should be telling enough. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

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