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

[ It's definitely looking sketchy.

But on the other hand, Asahi is so surprised that that is his reaction to what she said that thoughts about how sketchy it is are moved all the way to the back of her mind. There's a lot of other thoughts taking precedence over it right now. Like.. well, why this, mostly. ]

.. huh?

[ Hence why she looks baffled. She's never been good at understanding small gestures of kindness from other people, let alone from strangers-- wait, no, is this the tea party guy? ]

W.. Why? I mean, n.. no one is bothering me!

[ Then why do you look so bothered and flustered, Asahi.. ]

But you're clearly distressed.

[Lorenz responded quickly, gesturing with a hand up and down her person as if to indicate her everything.]

There's clearly something bothering you, so please. Sit.

You have my word as a gentleman that nothing will happen. Besides...

[He picked up the kitten.]

Claude has a talent for making people feel better.

[ Oh no. He's offering her some kitten comfort. There's nothing more powerful than the comfort and adorableness of cute things when it comes to Asahi, and so somehow the very mention of Claude's talent promptly makes her shut up before she can freak out even further.

(Her cheeks are still kind of red from how worked up she was though.) ]

D-Does he?

[ But despite her question, she's staring at the kitten with clear interest in her eyes. ]

[And the kitten, with it's brilliant green eyes, stared back with the intensity that only a kitten could muster. Even separated by the space between them, his purrs were a comforting undercurrent to the din of the fundraiser.]

He does. He's comforted a dear friend of mine a number of times since we've arrived.

What a good boy...

[ Yes, now Asahi is totally mesmerized by the kitten as well. Claude is the most powerful wizard around, clearly. It's almost as if stars are slowly starting to appear in her eyes.

Maybe Lorenz will get some attention from her again sooner or later, but for now? Claude's hogging all of is. ]

Who's the cutest little boy in the entire universe, huh? It's you..! Yes, it's you! [ .. or maybe she's forgotten Lorenz' presence so much that she even dares to openly coo at the kitten while he's there. ]

[Lorenz just sat there in silence while she doted on the kitten, quietly pleased that his intuition that bringing Claude along would be beneficial to Marie's end goal of donating the proceeds to charity.

Claude, meanwhile, ate the attention right up. Closing his bright kitten eyes, he stood on his soft paws and brushed his face along her fingers in glee. The purring steadily grew louder, more confident.

It seemed Asahi had found a friend.]

[ The one friend she has trusted instantaneously..

For a few moments she seems content with just cooing over the creature, but as she seems to calm down, the realisation that she's not exactly alone here - even aside from just Claude - slowly seems to dawn upon her. ]

.. ah. Sorry. [ For ignoring him? For blowing up at him earlier? Who knows. Maybe she's just apologizing for everything at once to Lorenz. ] I must be looking pretty stupid, huh?

[Lorenz heaved a sigh of relief as Asahi calmed down under Claude's gentle influence. He would have to reward the little kitten appropriately later on, however-- they still had a show to run.]

Stupid? Hardly; you reminded me of some of the more rambunctious people I knew while we were in school.

School?

[ At least that's a good distracting thought, since she's trying really hard to imagine Lorenz younger and at a school now.. With his fabulous hair and penchant for tea parties..

It's kind of hard to imagine. ]

Were you friends with those people? [ There's a difference between 'knowing someone' and 'being friends', after all. Asahi of all people could know that with how sharply she draws that line. ]

[He looks at her, brows lifted in surprise.]

We shed blood and faced death beside each other. I should hope that we are friends.

[ There's an odd sound coming from Asahi. Despite the comfort that the adorable kitten brings, there's something about the suddenness and directness of his statement that makes her sound like she's choking on air. ]

W.. What did of stuff were they teaching you at school?!

[ Literal bloodsports?! Is Lorenz okay? ]

The art of war.

[He explained simply, as if the Officer's Academy at the Garreg Mach Monastery could be comparable to learning a trade.

Because, in many ways, it was.]

The Officer's Academy is where the children of royalty and the heirs of noble houses go to learn the skills that they will be called upon to use when it is their time to lead. It's only natural that the students take on requests from local territories to resolve problems with bandits and the like.

[The war that broke across the continent before any of his compatriots could graduate was... another issue.]

Besides the combat and magic training, it is otherwise like most other academies. Mathematics and history are taught alongside horsemanship, music education is encouraged, and the libraries are... diligently curated.

...

[ Asahi stares at Lorenz as if he just told her he comes from the circus or something like that. Sure, schools aren't anything weird to Asahi. But that's regular high schools. Not schools full of royalty and nobles where they actually fight.

It takes a few moments before she can even try to form an intelligible answer to that. ]

Your.. world sounds very different than mine. [ Understatement of the year. ] I don't think anyone would think it's a great idea to let a bunch of teenagers fight where I'm from.

Likely enough. It seems as if my realm has different standards than many represented here.

[Lorenz twisted a lock of hair around a finger, mulling over the multiple different people and cultures that were represented in Aefenglom.]

....Then again, my homeland and the lands surrounding lack certain conveniences that many here have. Such as....hm, what did Lapis say it was again?

['Camp Pining Hearts' she had said, complete with descriptions of what the plot and characters that went along with it as well as commentary about how Percy and Pierre were the superior romantic thread that the writers had not followed up on.

Lorenz sighed.]

'TV.' That's what she called it. My world lacks these 'TVs.'

[ In itself the fact they don't have TV isn't.. too surprising. The whole war school part is much more surprising than them lacking certain pieces of technology - there are probably a lot of worlds out there that are either in the past or just not as advanced, so they're missing technology that's common to Asahi.

But still.. ]

You guys have to fight wars and you don't have TV. It sounds like you're getting pretty much every single short end of the stick.

[ It makes her freaking out over having to kiss someone feel kind of dumb in retrospect. ]

Can't the same be said for everyone?

[Making up for the mistakes of generations passed seemed like a universal theme, and Lorenz didn't begrudge his role in his life or in the world.]

None of us live in isolation, Asahi. Even people who have lived in the most gilded halls have something dark lurking behind them. No one's life is perfect.

[ That.. isn't something she expected to hear in response. Yet it seems so oddly Lorenz-like, when she thinks back on their conversation before.. Somehow he's good at saying those weirdly profound things out of nowhere.

And somehow Asahi is so bad at dealing with them. She turns back to the kitten. ]

Claude, just listen to this. Can you believe he's implying that I have anything less than a super perfect life?

[ She's being obviously just dramatic though - it's audible in her tone. There's no way Asahi would ever seriously claim her life is perfect. ]

Oh-- forgive me!

[He dipped his head in a subtle bow, his tone that of good natured jest with a touch of his own drama.]

I had no idea that my dear Lady Asahi stood so far ahead of us lowly, ordinary people who face troubled waters every now and again in our lives.

Tell me, what is your secret?

[ Him joking right along makes her smile just a tiny bit again. At least it shows that he isn't too bothered by his own situation back home, huh? Sure, that could just be since he's used to the circumstances, but still.. ]

Coming from a world where the worst thing you have to worry about is what kind of Iris you're born with. [ Which actually is much tougher than she's making it sound, but she still thinks it's nowhere even near having to deal with battle. ]

...Did you mean the flower or the color of your eye?

[Lorenz asked, curious about what Asahi was even talking about.]

If it's something you're born with, it sounds like you hardly have a choice in the matter.

[If this Iris was anything like the Crests in Fodlan, he knew that concept all too well.]

.. oh, right.

[ At least his reaction doesn't seem to surprise her. As weird as it is to have all these people around who have never even heard of an Iris before, she's slowly grown used to it. ]

It has more to do with eyes than flowers. It's a kind of power you can be born with where you can see things that usually can't be seen. Everyone who has one has a different one though, so some are more useful than others.

[ So, yes, kind of like Crests.. ]

Ah, I see.

[Lorenz nodded quietly, feeling his stomach tighten at the very idea that there were other people in other worlds who had to deal with the chaos that such circumstances wrought unto the world.]

There is something similar where I come from, but it doesn't affect our ability to see-- only the magic that exists in our blood. Those born with Crests, as their called, are often part of noble houses or gain status quickly in their lives. Contrarily, those born without are often overlooked and pushed aside despite their talents in other areas. They have their uses... but they seem to cause more problems than help with anything.

[ Honestly, despite the differences she can glance even from such a short explanation, Asahi can at the same time see the similarities. ]

Yeah.. It's like that for us too. I mean, we don't have nobility or anything like that. [ Not Iris-related nobility, anyway. ] But people tend to get admired or picked on depending on what Iris they have. And people without them end up becoming total outcasts.

[ She pauses, remembering the time she was the cause of such a thing. Asahi tries to push down the guilt quickly to speak on. ]

Even though it's not like anyone can help what they're born with, right?

No, they can't.

[That was a lesson he understood easily as a child-- it was overlooking the differences entirely rather than basing his judgements upon them that was much harder.]

...I'm sorry you need to live with such circumstances. People have made awful decisions that ruined the lives of even their children because of matters like this in my world. Hopefully, it isn't the same for you.

Well..

[ Her facial expression says it all. But even though it's a heavy matter - she knows it is in her world, and she can tell it is in his by what he's saying - Asahi does her best to shrug. ]

I guess that's just part of the nature of humans, huh? If our Irises or your Crests didn't exist, people would probably just find some different reason to ostracize others.

VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

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