middaeg | VALENTINES CHARITY

♥ 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

[Kaden's immediate wariness of him is surprisingly refreshing. He'd lived so long with his tarnished reputation that coming to a new world with a clean slate was honestly a little disorienting. Ultimately he likes it of course, but there's comfort in that familiar distrust. He leans into it, his smirk one full of undeniable mischief and ill intentions.]

Well I'd never turn down an offer of full service.~

[His tail swings around him, landing squarely in Kaden's lap. If he hadn't noticed the wicked scorpion stinger partially covered by the fur at the end of his tail it was unmistakable now, although thankfully it's covered in a sturdy leather sheath. He's not being threatening, just smug and demanding.]

[ and now that smile wanes, replaced with a little bit of confusion and hesitation before the tail flops heavily onto his lap. he jumps in his chair, ears and tail staying stiff, while his nerves are being tested by the fact that there's something on the end of niles' tail that is distinctly not... fluffy. nope. it's covered like a sword might be, and it makes him very curious and worried at the same time.

putting his hands on the tail itself, kaden's eyes widen. it is indeed soft and furry, but in a completely different way that his is, and the longer he drags his fingers through it, the more he know that his brush is perfect for it.

he is an expert in the art of tail grooming, after all. ]

Is there anything you won't turn down? [ and he means it innocently enough as he begins to brush, short ones to start. ]

[Kaden's little jump warms his heart, although he was expecting some amount of resentment or gloominess to follow afterwards. Niles tended to assume the worst of people, and so he'd assumed that Kaden would be more vain and competitive. Oh well. His eye trails down from Kaden's unexpectedly cheery face to where his hands are working on his tail.]

Hmm, I suppose a few things. [Anything new he'll try at least once, but there's definitely things he's done he wouldn't repeat. But absolutely none of them are fit for a public conversation.] But I probably shouldn't describe them. I wouldn't want to make you queasy.

[ maybe he should be thankful for that, because whatever niles has in mind surely deflates some of that curiosity, only to be replaced by some mixed feelings. ]

... I should probably ask: what do you normally do to your tail that makes it so soft?

[ it's not that he's jealous or anything, nor was he to begin with when he first set eyes on it, but that he's clearly a very mature kitsune! totally not narcissistic or shallow in any way possible. he bites back the urge to rub his cheek against it, though with every brush... he's going to have to test it at some point, right?

kaden switches from short strokes to long ones, doing his best to avoid the tip. ]

Maybe it's magic... maybe magic can do something like this.

[ thinking out loud at least helps him think of the more outlandish possibilities... ]

[Ah, there it is. Niles tilts his head and makes just a liiiittle show of making himself comfortable. He ends with his head laid sideways on folded arms propped on the back of his chair. Under Kaden's hands the tip twitches just a little.]

I have my own brush at home, and...[Well honestly stalking Linden gave him plenty of down time to absently brush his tail while watching an emaciated nerd do a whole lot of nothing.] I put in the time.

[As for the defensive excuse, well Niles doesn't let that fly.]

Hmm, no magic in this world is reserved for the witches, isn't it? All my new parts are naturally and truthfully grown.

[If it had been magic it wouldn't have been so uncomfortable and itchy. But he doesn't add that. Doesn't really fit into his whole 'effortless beauty' thing he's going for.]

[ frustrating. simply frustrating! one of his ears flick as one of the corner's of his lips twitch, small tells of a kitsune who can't tell of niles is just pulling his tail or not at this point. the fur is almost too perfect, too silken and smooth, and he can see why it might be a viable alternative to the kitsune's pristine one.

there's no way kaden can see niles' tail as equals to his own. no, it's just impossible. ]

Yeah? How much time? Can't be more than a quarter of a day...

[ but even though kaden's brows furrow with growing grumpiness, another urge starts to surface. continuing to brush, he starts to raise it up closer to his face. ]

[He shrugs. Project effortlessness, casual perfection.]

Maybe, I've got an inconsistent schedule, so I don't have a strict or timely routine.

[Niles' eyebrows begin to arch as his tail is lifted. Is he really going to...? Another cat hybrid had groomed him au naturale shortly after he grew his tail. Was Kaden sincerely going to lick him, knowing the kind of comments Niles would surely have in response? He waits, consciously stilling even the small movements of his tail, subtly encouraging Kaden to make his move, whatever it might be.]

[ ugh, his words hurt! he can just brush wherever and whenever and still come out with a tail like this? what a travesty; kaden does his best to groom at the same times during the day, no matter what happens to be going on. but there's one thing for sure, and that kaden isn't exactly sure what he wants to do here other than get a good eyeful of what he's been handling this entire time.

and he stops brushing entirely, putting the tool in his lap. a part of him wonders if he could 'ruin' the fur by getting it wet in some way, but just using his tongue seems awfully minor in comparison. finally, that part (the childish one) wins and he opens his mouth to calmly place it inside.

this might earn him a stern talking to and a reminder that a leader shouldn't be doing this if he were home, but this is not home, and he is now very pleased with himself.

take that, tail. ]

[That is. His tail tries to flick in an automatic reaction, but Niles stifles it to just a twitch. He's fine with this happening it's just. Not what he expected. He sits up a little and blinks a few times....]

[But he can work with that. His smirk returns, and he spreads his legs a little wider where he's straddling the chair. He flicks his tail again, this time with enough force to pull it back behind him, still elevated. The stinger hangs above them in an obvious strike pose, for a deliberate moment, then he slowly lets it droop. He keeps the last third or so curled up to avoid contact with the floor. During the whole motion his expression and posture had stayed relaxed, casual, and blatantly flirty.]

How about we take this somewhere private and I'll show you a few more things we could put in that mouth of yours.

[ niles' tail... it's special, and not just from how it felt oddly comforting when he had it in his mouth. no, it's way faster and now it dawns on kaden that whatever that sheath is covering is probably some level of dangerous that he suddenly understands as it raises. the kitsune's instincts kick in as he tenses up, ready to react if for any reason niles decided to strike.

thankfully, it doesn't but kaden doesn't immediately settle down. no--- there's now a different kind of problem, and it takes every fiber of his being to not sigh so hard that his soul leaves his body.

doesn't fix the part where he blushes anyway. he's not that naive. ]

Yeah? [ frown! ] Better not be something dirty.

VALENTINES CHARITY - Feoveuer 14th

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