The Charity Benefit (9) : A number of the local businesses in the area have come together to organize a charity benefit. In addition to a silent auction, there is also an evening charity ball. The community has been wanting to raise funds to fix up a few public areas for some time now and in the spirit of the Star Festival, these businesses have donated several prizes to the event to encourage people to attend. Some old warehouses and estates have been cleared out by the city, so there’s a wide variety of strange antiques and hidden treasures. As one of the local residents you have been kindly invited to attend! Formal attire is encouraged but only required if you plan to attend the Ball. It’s a good opportunity to dress up, meet new people, and maybe go home with something neat. Who knows what you can find to trade with Almadel, anyway? And, he’s always back in town for the Star Festival.
Roxxanna wasn't one for parties, and while she didn't remember who she was before she purified, she strongly suspected that she was a homebody then too. And so, when word of a gala came about, Roxxy was less than thrilled with the idea. Getting dressed up, going out... mingling. It all sounded so unappealing. However, she reasoned, it also gave her the opportunity to spend time outside of Brigade work with her dear friends. And besides, who said they had to mingle outside of one another?
Julian had been the only one to bite at her offer, but Roxxy was more than pleased to have anyone familiar by her side.
And while she'd never ever admit it, once she was all dolled up she did enjoy it. If you ignored everyone else, it felt like a fancy night out with friends. And it also gave her an excuse to go shopping for something suitable, because while Roxxy had built up a significant wardrobe of clothing suitable for every day, she didn't have anything formal. It took her all day, but she eventually found the perfect dress. Once that was on and her face was done, she couldn't wait to get out and show it off. Just a little.
"Julian," she called gently once within ear shot. "Julian, darling, you look fantastic."
Once she reached them, Roxxy immediately curled one arm though Julian's as had become her custom with the rest of her Brigade.
"Do you want to hit up the antiques or the food first?"
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:15 pm
Julian probably should have gotten used to the affection and terms of endearment by now, but his face still scrunched up like he'd bitten down on a lemon upon being called darling, and it took a second for him to relax after having his arm taken. He had on a floral-patterned vest he favored for events like these, and therefore should have reasonably expected to be complimented, but he still did not know how to respond to a compliment.
"I thought we'd decided to eat before coming here," he replied. "I'm not here to party, Roxxy, I'm here to find something to sell for a high markup on eBay."
He, of course, had neglected to eat before coming to the ball, and his eyes kept darting to the tiny sandwiches, but no. He would not be tempted. This event was an obvious place for a Negaverse agent to sneak some energy-draining trinkets out to the masses, and he wasn't going to let food distract him from seeing any sign of that happening.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:31 pm
She sighed and released Julian after a moment, apologizing for the discomfort she'd caused with her grabbing him. She'd forgotten no everyone was as into contact as she was. She'd just been starved of it for so long...
But Julian was right, he had told Roxxy to eat before she came. And she did. It was just that the little plate of hors d'oeuvres was absolutely calling to her. She wasn't sure what they were, but they looked divine. Like maybe salmon and some kind of mousse? Roxxy loved savory mousse. Capers? Was that a fancy lox? God she wanted that so bad. But Roxxy was also vaguely worried that this was the perfect place for the negaverse to incapacitate and ambush them. So she kept her hands at her side and made a mental note to find out a recipe when she got home. She would have salmon and creamy mousse if it killed her.
She did, however, reach out and run her fingers over the colorful star charms, laid out beautifully on a table nearby. She knew that Julian would probably call these a negaverse trap too, but the golden one was so beautiful and so sparkly... She'd seen these all around town. The Negaverse couldn't possibly plant that many all over, right? She quietly thanked the attendant and popped it into her purse. If anything happened she could always ditch it anyway.
"See anything of interest," she asked lightly, moving then to the auction table to finger an antique brooch that caught her interest.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2022 4:47 pm
Julian turned to face Roxxy at her question and answered, flatly, "I have no idea." He shrugged. This was out of his area of expertise entirely. "I thought you'd be able to spot something." Roxy had been able to make some impressive funds appear through the odds and ends she initially had to work with, so Julian had figured this place piled with odds and ends would be a lucrative treasure hunt for her. Hopefully he was right.
"I'm meeting someone here later, by the way. He said he donated something..." And now he was getting into his nerves about that, and he gritted his teeth while staring into the eyes of a china doll as if he could will a reasonable starting bid on Ebay into existence. His attempt to focus on the mission objective at hand to still his anxiety ultimately failed, and he sighed a bit forcefully up at the ceiling. "Would some food help you sharpen your focus?" he asked. "I can't concentrate."
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:54 pm
Roxxy shrugged as she regarded an end table and hurricane lamp with some scrutiny. As though she knew anything about the value of such things. True, she'd watched a few youtube videos on appraisal, and she did notice a few scuffs on the hurricane lamp that she may not have otherwise seen but... as got how much that did or did not decrease the value of the piece, she was lost.
"My meager expertise lies in stocks and trading, and even then it's only meager, as I said. When it comes to evaluating something of worth in the real world..." She flipped the tag of the lamp over and then dropped it in disgust. 150 for glass? "I'm afraid that I'm out matched darling."
It was, she had to admit, discouraging. She had come to the party with grand ideas of being part of Antiques Roadshow or something and here they both were floundering.
At the mention of food, however, Roxxy perked back up.
"I mean a little something to nibble on can't hurt, right? And besides, look at it this way," she tossed over her shoulder on her way to grab some of those fancy lox, "if it doesn't sell, then we have some cute decor. Or else there is an antique shop or dozen in town that I'm sure we can sell it to. Law of numbers, we're going to find some busts."
Roxxy would never be sure if Julian took her absolutely wonderful advice and loosened up, but she had a lovely evening herself. She was with one of her very best and closest of friends, they both looked amazing, and they did, in the end, leave with a few treasures that would hopefully add to their slowly growing account of emergency money for the Brigade.
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Finned here because Cib went on hiatus indefinitely
