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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Well, you brought it up first, didn't you?

[ Seems like someone who knows exactly what they like going for, and is aware of the means they'd go about to do so. Judar's familiar with those kinds of people- spent enough time doing the same- Which is why there's an odd, almost coy, expression to the smile he has. ]

You don't need a heart to know how to act around those that do. All you need is to be smart and observant enough to learn.

What an excuse... [Again, the dramatics give away that Momo's mostly just complaining for the sake of comedy. The coy expression he gets back is something he notes, though, and those words remind him unpleasantly of someone in his own world who was equally convinced of his wiles and decidedly less interested in using his observations to learn how to act like he had a heart.]

I'll take your word for it, then. Momo-chan is practically made of heart, so if you want to learn how to act, just look at me!

[He makes a heart shape with his fingers over his chest and winks, like that's a thing everyone does as casual behaviour and not just him.]

[ Momo, are you always like this? You and your weird love-hearts and things. ]

I think I've already got it all down, thanks.

[ He's already dramatic enough, without extra influences. ]

Really? I think people with big hearts usually want to learn more about things... [Momo makes a heart-breaking motion with his fingers and a deep, dramatic frown before springing right back up into that bright energy. So the answer to that question is yes, he's always like this.]

Oh well. Momo-chan's throne as the king of cuteness is extra safe, then. [He spreads his hands under his cheeks and pokes his tongue out just a tiny bit before grinning.]

Well, with no heart, I'm fine with learning the minimum.

[ He can get away with just barely passing. ]

I don't think anyone's going after that kind of throne, anyway. Sex is too fun to aim for 'cute.'

[ The word's often linked with something like innocence or whatever, and he's far from that. So instead he'll reach to the crutches that he's kept to the side to get situated so he could pull himself up. This was probably long enough of a break for his ankles and muscles. ]

That's not good acting, though? You're never going to fool anyone that way! [As if Momo needs more heartless people getting others to buy into them, but hey, that's not the sort of thing he says to people's faces. To people's faces, he's cheerful until they do something so blatantly lacking of empathy he can't ignore it.

As it is, he gets distracted pretty quickly from his minor dramatics by that second remark, his brows threatening to disappear into his fringe with how high they arch. He looks halfway between confused and amused.]

Do people not have sex with cute people where you come from, or is that just a personal taste thing? [Mildly questionable Momo has been activated.]

Fooled you for a little while.

[ In fact, part of him doubts that you even believe that he's one of those heartless kinds of people. But he's using the fact that he's visibly injured as a way to see how far he can go with some behaviors. May as well, if it helps pass the time. ]

A little cute is fine, but for some 'throne' is too ridiculous. I'd be tempted to bully someone like that. My preferences go towards other directions.

Momo-chan's head is full of flowers, though! [Momo says that cheerily, as ever he does when someone decides he's genuinely a dumbass and doesn't just act like one. It's not a perception he shies away from encouraging, because really, the only people whose opinions he genuinely cares about are his friends and his fans. So the implication is that fooling Momo isn't anything to be bragging about.]

It's not nice to bully people just because they're cute, anyway. That just makes you look jealous, so it's a lose-lose, right? Though I guess acting like a teenager about it lends you a certain flavour of cute, too. [Momo holds a hand under his chin, as if considering this definitely intentional scheme of cuteness on Judar's part.]

... Sure it is.

[ He'd press X to doubt more directly, but this isn't exactly the time or place for that. He has better things to direct his energy towards than voicing his doubts that someone's as dumb as they act. He knows plenty of people who're idiots that weren't really- more than he knew idiots that were pretty damn useless most of the time.

Flavor of cute, though... Ugh. ]

Less jealous and more predatory. Maybe it's become something different in your world, or time, or country.

[In contrast, Momo's expression of pressing X to doubt in response to that claim of bullying being predatory and not just jealous is a lot more exaggerated, and comes with a lengthy and doubtful hum.]

"Predatory" sounds like too much credit for petty stuff, though...bullying usually comes from people who are kinda bitter about something, so as long as you're confident and stand your ground, then the bully will just get mad about it instead. I feel like treating someone badly because they're proud of something you think differently about wouldn't really change much world to world.

[That's a bit of an oversimplification, but Momo's had it impressed on him from very young that bullying like that is the recourse of weak people, so he's as cheerful as ever in outlining why bullying just sounds petty to him. As far as the behaviours his upbringing in sport drilled into him, good sportsmanship is one of the better ones.]

[ That is... quite a unique insight. One that gives Judar a better idea of how the other guy's world works. It sounds a little exhausting. Not that Judar has found much that wasn't, when it came to the way these 'modern' worlds were, and what little he's heard. He'd imagine it was just as confusing for him as it'd be for people from those worlds to hear about his. ]

That's... Not really the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say 'bully.' It's more political than what you're describing, and not based on personal views. Though maybe that's just how it goes when you're usually around royalty? It's always political when it involves royalty.

[That sounds even less interesting to Momo, honestly, and he tilts his head a bit. Not least because he doubts any sort of political thing that could be labelled as bullying is an objective matter.] What, like political intimidation and posturing and power tactics? That sounds even worse...people do plenty of that in my world, we just usually use stronger words than "bullying" for it. And it's mostly politicians, not royalty.

[Not to say that it never happens with royalty, there's just comparatively a lot less royalty holding actual power to be doing that sort of thing on the world stage.]

And given that most of the politicians in my world are royalty, you can see just how different our worlds are.

[ Maybe the scope of how potentially different they are is a little clearer. Though it seems he's not about to clarify that while all of this was political stuff he was talking about, he wasn't royalty, despite what he said. Then again, he's not clarifying or confirming what he meant by political bullying. ]

If you see all of that as even worse than what you first thought, then just deal with someone being really horrible in the city, or something.

[ Not that he's been doing that here. All of that was really in reference to a life he had about four years ago. ]

Yeah, royalty started going out of fashion a while ago in my world. [Royalty who are largely there for ceremonial purposes is what he's more used to, considering the state of things where he comes from. Still, even that's a stretch for some places (though, oddly enough, he is friends with a prince, so there's that).

Momo tilts his head at that remark, like he doesn't quite get Judar's phrasing.] "Just deal with that" sounds a little weird, doesn't it? Are you telling me to go out and get bullied?

[Momo's only thin-skinned when it comes to the opinions of people he actually cares about, otherwise he's built up quite a tolerance for having hate slung at him considering how much gossip rags love Re:vale for being incredibly famous but under the hand of an agency with very little influence otherwise.]

Are you the only one in the city?

[ You're really making him want to go out and get a hard drink. Not that it's hard for a faun to want that... In fact, most of their moods and any changes are a good excuse for them to find something to enjoy. ]

Deal with that, as in the fact that there's some people who're gonna be horrible by your standards, or act in a way that's not usual for you. Everyone's from a different kind of world, so what's normal or acceptable is going to be different to everyone. Most aren't going to change or adapt to your standards. So- 'Just deal with it,' because I'm not going to look at you for an example of anything, or to 'learn how to act' from.

[Oh, that's what he meant. Momo's been adapting pretty well to the other world stuff for the most part, but the overall angle of Judar's remark makes him arch a brow, like he's trying to puzzle something out.]

You know people can disagree on stuff without forcing each other to change, right? It doesn't really make a difference to me as long as someone isn't being really harmful to others. [A rather broad, easy shrug comes with that. Momo's courted some truly awful people in his career, and has only outright cut off one once he started resorting to things like blackmail and kidnapping. He does tend to keep the particularly nasty ones at arm's length, though, more of a mutual usefulness relationship.] If you don't want people to give you funny looks, though, maybe use a more political word than "bullying"...? I feel like that'd get misinterpreted by a lot of people.

[Gentle suggestion. Momo still sounds good-natured about the whole thing, but he does find it a little funny.]

Purposefully misinterpreting what people say they're doing is a tactic to get them to change. That or to irritate them.

[ Which Momo had been doing earlier. ]

And what I'm talking about isn't really a big enough deal to count as more political or important sounding. Bullying is about as serious sounding as it is.

[ Implying that for his world, it's a step above teasing, but a few below more the serious stuff that proper political words do. ]

It's also a really good way to get people to clarify. I wasn't sure what you meant when you put it like that.

[He'd argue Judar's point about the way he brought it up earlier, since he was the one who introduced it as political, but it's not something that bothers him enough, so he just shrugs. It's typical for him to let things roll off his back, even if he'll engage in some good old-fashioned complaining when he feels like it.]

If you say so. Like I said, as long as you're not treating people badly here, it doesn't make a difference to me.

[Unless someone's done some really reprehensible things for no reason back home, but that's more of a theoretical.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

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