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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[Oh. Oh no, Mikasa's eyes close. It's not an actual smile. More of a relaxed gesture than that, but it's as close as she can manage. She hadn't meant to cause worry. ]

I'm fine. I've had to eat much worse. [Reassuring... Yes. ] I'm still earning money for supplies and couldn't make food for other people there.

[AKA I'll give myself food poisoning, but not risk others. ]

[Guess who has given a similar excuse in the past? Though in her own defence, she's only said that regarding food that isn't great rather than food poisoning, so Mikasa is getting to see the SSR Cross Leslie.]

That doesn't mean that you have to eat like this now! If your kitchen doesn't work, you should find another place to live.

[The housing can be free, after all. She puts both hands into her bag and comes out with a chocolate muffin in each, thrusting them towards Mikasa.]

You should start with these!

[Reassuring has failed.

....For some reason. Mikasa wasn't sure. She was eating fine. She had tons of porridge oats, they were healthy. The house just had that much dust and cleaning supplies going on that people couldn't really visit. Other than the loaf-of-maybe-bread that Trucy had found. That might have been there long enough to have grown legs and return after they'd tossed it.]

I have oats and the house is still messy- [But then the cakes there. And she's blinking at them.]

It's okay. You can eat your food. I'll be fine.

[Nooo child eat your food. You still have growing to do.]

[Oats...that's a normal food thing. And since Leslie doesn't know much about balanced diets, so all she knows about that is that all oatmeal would be boring. (How is her house messy already...? She won't ask that one.)]

I made these to give out to -- [people she wants to be friends with...but Leslie is much too shy and uncertain about the idea that people would want to be her friend, so instead] -- people who I'm grateful to know. You aren't taking food away from me. Please?

[She doesn't realize she's turned on puppy eyes.]

[Oh no puppy eyes. Her weakness.

Mikasa's crouching, enough for one of her knees to brush the ground. Not moving her level gaze away from the girl. Frowning slightly, lip turned down. ]

Listen. There is no reason for you to be grateful to me, understand?

[The point had gone straight over her head. ]

[Leslie, in a moment of extremely lacking self-awareness, doesn't understand how someone could be that reluctant to let someone acknowledge gratitude.]

It's not that I felt like there needed to be something you did to earn it. Only -- if I hadn't come to Aefenglom, I wouldn't have met you, and I like you, so that makes me glad to have the opportunity to meet people here. Does Valentine's Day need more of a reason than that?

[Apparently, in Leslie's mind, this is much, much less embarrassing/scary than saying that someone is a friend.]

Oh... [For a moment, Mikasa thinks of a blonde haired girl who'd showed her gratitude before still frowning. But then she's looking away, the frown not lightening, even if her cheeks were turning red. ]

Why would you like me enough to go to such effort?

[She'd been offered random gifts from people before. Out of gratitude for saving them or having the very rare trait of surviving going outside the walls multiple times. It had always been awkward. But she understood it.

Here? She couldn't understand why someone would like her without her doing something big to help them. Not without expecting something in turn. ]

[Why? Leslie is confused by the question. Sure, they might not know each other very well, but she also doesn't think that being taught how to make chocolate muffins is much effort. And in those few short interactions, Mikasa had shown her more care than anyone had ever shown her before a couple of months ago.

But, well, Mikasa seems against the idea of Leslie giving her a gift to show gratitude or affections, so it doesn't feel like she'll be able to convince her that it's okay like that. If there's a reason besides those, it would be:]

I wanted to try taking part in a celebration like this.

[When she tried to participate in Faiolleach, the closest she got was advertising for DiplomaTea, which isn't really a part of the festival. Akko said that no one would get offended by being offered chocolate, but....]

Is it a bother?

No. Its not. Its just... Different. [It's slow. But Mikasa reaches out from where she knelt for the cakes. ]

Thank you. Though I have nothing to give you in return.

[She's getting something though. ]

[She smiles when Mikasa takes them, relieved that the gifting has worked out.]

I don't need anything. I did it because I wanted to do it. [She nods to herself.] And I got to learn a little bit about how to bake.

[She doesn't know why things like this and the sale get called baking instead of cooking, but apparently that's how it is.]

No. You're getting something.

[It didn't feel right not giving something back. Not when the girl had thought about her enough to make enough for her. ]

You might have to show me somewhen. There are so many ingredients that I've not heard of here.

Edited 2020-02-23 04:50 (UTC)

[Leslie looks a little uncertain, even if she's certainly not put off by the suggestion.]

I don't know if I am the best person to show you. There are many ingredients that I didn't know about before, because I never knew how to cook before. But, if you wanted, I would do my best! I took very careful notes when Bernadetta was teaching me.

We're both learning then... I know how to bake bread and make chocolate. But we never had enough to buy things to make sweets.

[But then she frowns. Thinking ]

I know that name... If its who I think it is, she knew about the strange sweets at the festival too.

[Note to self: bread also falls under "bake," but chocolate is "make."]

Bernadetta seems to know everything about sweets. I've been very lucky to be able to live with her.

[Most of the time. Bernadetta is living the fae dream of flitting from house to house. But when she is at the Black Eagle House, Leslie is getting a comparable quality of meals as she gets at the Salvatore mansion where the chef dotes on her.]

I don't think baking muffins like this would be very different from baking bread...I guess. I don't know how bread is baked.

That's good... That you have someone you can learn these things from. [Nice little things. The little things were the most important, she found. But she rarely cooked. Not in the way they were talking about, sharing cooking duty was completely different to making individual things. ]

I'm not sure what muffins are. But bread is pretty easy, it just takes time.

[Gotta wait for that to proof.]

Then — if you show me how to make bread, I’ll tell you what I know about muffins. Chocolate muffins, at least. Would that be okay?

[There’s a pause as she considers something brought up earlier in the conversation.]

And I could help you to fix whatever is wrong with your kitchen.

[It sounds like it’s messy and lacking ingredients. She’s learned about buying things lately and, while she’s never cleaned a kitchen outside of helping to tidy up sometimes like after the muffin baking, surely it can’t be that different from cleaning other rooms?]

[There's a nod. Mainly for the first part. ]

Make sure you have enough energy to knead the dough.

[That had never been an issue for her. But Leslie was small. Even smaller than Mikasa had been when she was a half-starved (double) orphan after the fall of Wall Maria. But... Leslie was a lot better dressed than Mikasa had, even before the fall. She probably hadn't gone out in to the woods for firewood or plowed.

... The kitchen though. Mikasa reaches for her collar before her hand drops. She had nothing to hide the small quirk of her lips at that. ]

It's not that bad. Just we haven't had much time.

[Once things settled down, they'd be able to do a deep clean. ]

[Leslie’s expression is serious and determined as she nods.]

I’ll do my best.

[It’s going to be difficult. It was still only a month or two since she stopped being half-starved as well, and two weeks since she stopped spending basically all of her time indoors. She doesn’t have the energy or strength to knead dough as long as is needed for bread, but she is also so stubborn that she might do it anyway if not stopped, and then spend the next day unable to move her arms for cramps.]

With both the bread and the kitchen. If the kitchen isn’t in too bad of shape, it won’t take long to get into order, right?

[Okay. Mikasa does let a small smile slip in there, even if she closes her eyes to try and hide it. But Leslie was so serious about it. ]

I'm sure you will. Even if you don't, the ingredients are cheap enough here.

[An oddity in itself. One she shouldn't let herself get too used to. But a small bit of flour possibly going to waste was fine. ]

[Leslie does notice there's a smile, but she misinterprets it positively as looking forward to the baking session. She starts to smile, but after Mikasa's statement, she looks like she's having an epiphany.]

...That's right. When it comes to this kind of thing, it's okay if I make mistakes here.

[It's not a thought she has...pretty much ever.]

-- It's not that I intend to try to make mistakes or anything like htat!

[Mikasa gave a small nod, not that there was much to agree to. Yes, you can make mistakes. Then Mikasa's moving to stand again. Carefully holding her cakes. ]

I've already said you don't have to worry. It's hard to make bread inedible. I have a housemate too.

[Trucy has no idea of her new role as taste tester. ]

Oh, does she bake, too?

[She...doesn’t realize Mikasa means taste-tester.]

I'm not sure. But she eats. [completely deadpan. Like there were people who didn't eat out there... Though Mikasa had met one here. But it definitely wasn't normal.]

What time do you finish working?

[Because whoever her boss was would probably want her to be hurrying along. As lax as these people seemed to be. ]

[Oh, to share the results with. As for the question, the meaning doesn’t immediately click.]

I don’t know exactly. It mightn’t be until the evening, because I want to help with the cleanu — oh!

[Now she’s twigged.]

I’m sorry, Mikasa, but I think I should go and continue advertising. Not that I wasn’t happy that you talked to me!

I won't keep you then. I'll see you once I have the ingredients.

[Mikasa nods. And Leslie, you've convinced her to go in. Even if it's just to try and fail to get a return gift.]

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foundfamilies - 2020-03-08 04:05 (UTC) - Expand

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