Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I still really don't get this whole thing. People wanna go off on a thing with a complete stranger and... romance?" Ganon frowned, rearing up to his full height to work on some last-minute repairs to the stage he had spent the last few days putting together for the party being joint-hosted by both of Eyris' popular clubs. "I'm just saying, do these people all even... are they all totally aware what they've signed up for? Aren't a bunch of the folks who signed up taken??"

"I'm not sure, but I think a lot of the people signed up with their... special person, I guess," Blossom knelt on the ground nearby, working on steadying the table they'd brought out to display... things. Whatever it was they would need to have readily visible to a large crowd. She frowned, biting her lower lip momentarily as she tested the strength of one of the table legs before rising up, rubbing the dust and dirt off of her white dress. "I mean, if anything, it's all in good fun, right? People aren't really expected to do anything too serious. It might be Valentine's Day but... I'unno. I think it'll be okay." She adjusted her headpiece, pinned firmly to her hair above her ear, and crossed the stage they had constructed over many days and a few late nights. If the Host Club and Hostess Cafe were going to join forces for something like this, it had to be impressive. Blossom held her arms out wide and spun in a circle, stopping next to Ganon to look up at him. "It'll be fine."

Ganon scratched his neck thoughtfully. "Yeah, I mean, sure, just... I dunno, do they realize the pairings are random?" He shrugged. "Yeah, you know, whatever, it'll all be fine. So what do we got left to do?" He straightened back up, scratching his chin. "Oh. Hey, where are the names?" He took a quick look around for the twin buckets of names-- sorted into male and female. He hadn't actually counted, but was pretty sure they were a few ladies short. Well... He'd just have to sneak off and use his dashing good (reptilian) looks to lure a few over at the last minute. Perfectly doable!

"I think we just have to get that table secured, so I need the hammer, and-- yeah, the names! Yeah, we need those." Blossom looked around the booth before returning to the table to search around it, lifting the tablecloth to peer underneath. No... not there. Why would it be there? She'd been under there just a second ago! Blossom dismissed the thought and got back to her feet, lips pursed. "Hm... did we leave them somewhere near the entrance? I know we carried them over here..." Blossom rolled her sleeves up and moved around Ganon to check behind the hanging black curtains, lifting her hair with one hand to get a better look. They had to be somewhere! The only question was where? Blossom tried to shake off the growing feeling of dread, brow furrowing. No, they were here onstage. The two of them had to just be overlooking them somehow. "Any luck?"

Ganon spun thoughtfully, pacing across the stage, and then stopped mid-stride. "No, uh, maybe with the--" He spun on one leg, and his tail whipped out around him, smacking against a floral display on the table-- which had been obscuring the buckets from their view. Ganon lunged, panicking, and managed to grab the vase before it toppled, but unfortunately failed to prevent the buckets from falling to the floor, scattering their contents into one messy pile! "C-crap!"

Blossom only realized what was happening a few seconds after it began; even as she rushed forward and dove to grab even one of the buckets, she only succeeded in crashing hard to the stage, fingers clasping around the handle of one of the containers.

...Which left its open side facing down. "s**t!"

Blossom slowly pulled herself back to her feet, rubbing her hip. Yeah, that... that usually hurt a lot less when you landed on grass and dirt. "That... aaaah. Are you all right, Ganon?" Blossom asked, wincing a little as she adjusted her hairpin. She stared down at the bucket in her hand, devoid of names, and then cast a glance to the pile of papers fanned out in front of them. "...we don't have time to sort these all out, do we?" Blossom carefully set the bucket down on the table, picking up the other and putting them side by side. "We better... better hurry, pick 'em up, something...!" She hurried off the stage and to where the names had fallen, scooping them up in great handfuls.

The snake rumbled, cursing under his breath as he snatched the other bucket back up, and could hear from the other side of the curtain, "Hey! Everything okay? We're starting in a minute!"

"Aaaa yeah no everything's fine! It's cool! Bugger bugger bugger," he added under his breath. "Look there's no time just... come on, just, like..." Without regard for gender, he started dropping handfuls of names into the bucket, gathering up what he guessed was about half and stuffing them in. "Get the rest, this, uh... this is gonna be..." He took a deep breath, then grinned a nervous grin. "Another interesting Valentine's day, huh?"

Blossom laughed sheepishly, putting the rest of the slips into the empty bucket. "Hah... yeah, it... it's gonna be interesting, I can tell that much already." Blossom rubbed a hand against her forehead, taking a deep breath and adjusting her hairpin one last time before looking back to Ganon. "Ready?" She stood next to the table, waiting patiently with a smile.

Ganon vaulted onto his stool just moments before the curtain opened, and began to pluck out an upbeat tune on his mandolin as the stage was revealed to the waiting crowd of participants!

A winning, sharp-toothed smile spread as he plucked a few more notes, whipping his head to the side to toss his hair over to drape down the other side of his face and neck as he gazed out at the gathered crowd. "Welcome, welcome! Welcome one and all to the first annual Host/Hostess Club Valentine's Day Party! We have some... very fun stuff planned for all of you, so let's get this under way! And I do believe I have a... lovely assistant here to give you the run-down," he all but purred, turning his gaze toward his darling nagini!

Aruna slithered on stage and gave an alluring smile as she passed her dearest reptilian bard. Turning to the crowd, she waved like a newly crowned beauty queen. “Thank you all for coming out here today. Like my darling Ganon said, we have quite a surprise planned out. When you hear your name called out, please come forward to the stage. You’ll be given a secret slip of paper and a gift then be directed to a very special place,” she said enthusiastically.

"As a reminder, you need to stay with your date the whole time, from when you two meet up at the special place to sunset. No skipping out now, that wouldn't be very nice to your partner." said Roy, picking it up from there. "That's the rules. We're gonna start calling you guys up now, so pay attention!" He then glanced over at Ganon.

The snake grinned, fluidly slithering up out of his seat and setting his mandolin down on its stand as he crossed over to the table, where he took the first name Blossom handed him!

"Now, if you would please come to the stage when I call your name, and Ms. Riddick here will brief you..." He unfolded the note and held it up!

[We're obviously not gonna do this here. You'll receive a PM with instructions for your character in a little bit, and everybody has one match! Your character will receive an item to wear or carry so they'll stand out to their date, who will have the same thing, so when you get the PM and post your location, try to make it clear exactly where you are and what you're holding!

Feel free to start posting now, in any case!]

Edward walked into the cafe, his dusty brown cloak covered most of his body. A single blade strapped across his back. His brown hair swayed as he hefted the . . . axe onto his shoulder. It was such an awkward weapon, how did those fighters and bandits use something as clunky as this? Edward usually wasn't so eager to sign up for something like a Valentine's Day event, but he thought that life needed a little bit more . . . zest.

He took off the cloak and put it in his bag, folded neatly and carefully so it would fit snugly in. Edward was dressed for travel and battle. Something as a swordsman like himself would do to further increase their skill in their blade. The myrmidon looked around, the first person he saw was a man in a red top hat. "Ah." He said out loud. He did not mean to, but it just . . .kind of came out. Edward turned away from him quickly and sat down in a nearby chair. The axe he carried was . . . decorated with many red hearts. He too stuck out like a sore thumb.

Edward set it on the table and stared at it. It was so . . . what was the word? . . . . Glamorous? No . . . Eh whatever.

Saifer

"'Give it a try,' they said, 'it'll be fun', they said," Saifer murmured darkly, dragging his teddy bear along on the ground. The congregation of less than regular people earlier had dashed his already poor hopes of having a decent Valentine's day. Then again, he could have just refused to sign up, but...well, he'd kind of been rushed into it.

And so, wearing a very visible frown on his face, the young thief made his way to the north gate. "Hell, no one here's even my age...I'll probably get some dumb b***h who'll just up and leave." He was not aware of the dreadful possibility of getting a male partner, a factor which might have given him the courage to resist agreeing to this in the first place. Then again, it's not like that had been planned.

Edward looked up, a blue haired man approached him, asking if the axe was for the event, "Yes, yes it is." His gray eyes wandered to the wooden axe in the man's hand. "Ah . . . same?" He scratched his head. Did they mix something up? As far as he was concerned, and the last time he checked, he was not attracted to other men. He shrugged it off, perhaps things could change. Edward looked at the man again, it seemed that he was a little bit older than he was. "Well . . . my name's Edward, I'm a traveling mercenary. I stopped in Eyris to get a new sword forged and maybe get repairs on my special one. Umm . . . I guess I signed up for the event to experience something . . . . interesting?" Edward realized that he hadn't had a normal conversation with people for a long time, the words felt heavy as they came out of his mouth. "Umm . . . .what about you?" He was a little curious now, what this man did, who he was. In the back of his mind, Edward felt the feeling of confusion as he pondered why they mixed it up, or if they did this on purpose, why?

Well, this was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

Amelia was vaguely unsure as to why she'd even come at first, hand resting on her hip as she waded through the crowd behind Tibarn. The Hawk King had found her at her desk (as always), scribbling away at her ever-growing stack of paperwork. Even this long after reconstruction had begun, it seemed like the work would never end. Just trying to list it all would've made her head spin, and it also would've made this post trail awfully far away from the original point! In the end, Tibarn had shown up early that morning to find her already there and spirited her away to clean up and get ready to 'have some fun, because you have got to take a break sometimes, Amelia.' I mean, Tibarn had insisted, but I could have said no...

Oh, who was she kidding? There was no way she could have said no. She owed him too much to not oblige him this.

The dress seemed... out of place, somehow? It certainly wasn't her usual style. Too many frills. Vah had helped to pick it out, though, insisting that Amelia really get into the Valentine's Day spirit. It had the same sort of design of something the little Branded might've worn - well, had she been about 15 years older and Amelia's size, but that was a given. The hairpieces were nice, at least. They rustled with her hair as she walked with Tibarn to the event that the Hostess Cafe and Host Clubs were presumably holding; Amelia hadn't paid enough attention to any of the gossip to know what was happening.

And... it was a blind date event. Of course. Amelia rubbed at her temple with two fingers, closing her eyes. She really didn't need to be here. She really, really didn't need to be here. Amelia could just imagine getting back to her office after sunset and finding that her stack of work had doubled in her absence. And then, before she could get going, no, wait, Amelia, go out to one of the border towns to help them organize their rebuilding, then you'll need to go to Theris to

Wait, where was Tibarn going? He was already being called? Amelia panicked for a moment, one hand gripping at the fabric over her sternum. She watched him receive his instructions from a short brunette Amelia vaguely recognized; she'd seen her, while doing rounds, around the Guard house. The General planted her feet firmly on the ground to resist the urge to flee, watching Tibarn until he disappeared from sight.

This was a bad idea. This was such a bad idea. I have work to get done and I don't even know if this is really proper I mean I'm a ******** widow Rhys hasn't even been gone a year is this even appropriate I don't think I need to be doing this it... wait.

Amelia paused, realization dawning across her face. In her panic, she hadn't realized right away that her name had been called. Well? They're waiting on you! The blond cleared her throat anxiously and moved over to the stage, skirts trailing behind her. The girl onstage with Ganon looked friendly enough as she handed her a slip of paper and a small wrapped item.

"Follow the instructions on the slip. It should tell you everything you need to know. And remember, until sunset, okay, ma'am?" She smiled encouragingly, earning a slow nod from Amelia.

Amelia turned away in a daze and left the stage, glancing at the note as she moved through the crowd. She opened the note as she went, scanning over it before picking up the pace and setting off at a brisk jog.

The Church of Paggy wasn't very far from the meeting area, and it was there that Amelia sat. She had located a bench next to the building and waited there, holding the monocle in her hands. She wasn't entirely sure of how to wear the strange thing, but keeping it readily visible was the next best thing, right? She bit her lower lip and waited, staring at her feet. Hopefully Tibarn's having a nice time. That'd be one of us...

"Well well. Fancy meeting you here," murmured a voice-- familiar, dark, and smooth-- into Isadora's ear. A yellow rose to match the one she held in her own hands tipped down to tap the blue-haired paladin on the shoulder, and a pair of enormous, brown, feathery wingtips slid into the periphery of the Dame Knight's vision. Before she could fully respond, the King of Hawks, dressed in a fine coat and pants with a dark, but appealing red and black theme, simply climbed over the bench and slid down to sit beside her, his infamous chest and stomach displayed as prominently as ever, washboard muscles criss-crossed with myriad battle scars.

"It would appear," he murmured, cocking his head to turn his piercing gold eyes onto Isadora's, "That we've been set up. Now, I admit I've missed seeing you around the castle, but... I didn't expect us to meet up quite like this." Chuckling quietly, he sniffed his rose and sat back to raise his head to the clear blue sky. Spring always came early in the southern country of Learania, and the warm temperatures had him itching to stretch his wings and fly.

It had certainly been a long year. The destruction of the siege was mostly repaired, but he couldn't say the same for his relationship with his ex-wife. Without her fussing, he had let his hair grow out considerably, and kept most of it tied back so that it fell in a long tail down between his wings, and was even sporting a small, neatly-trimmed beard. It really felt nice to let his hair grow out long enough to really feel the wind in it. His return to the crew certainly kept him well enough occupied throughout the reconstruction, and taking Amelia under his wing, so to speak, had been a fulfilling, if perhaps somewhat exhausting endeavor. He was just thankful that she was happy to help him with his daughter, whom he cared for most of the time.

Today, though, she was with her mother. Which meant it was time to have a little fun! And, after forcing Amelia to drag herself out of her shell, he not only had the first nice, warm day of the year ahead of him...

And a pretty little beorc bachelorette to spend it with. The day was lookin' up!

His face split into a smile. "What d'you say we ditch this place and go flying? I know a cozy little bakery out near Bad Noving with some of the best damn beignets you will ever find, anywhere," he purred. And then he added, "Or I could take you somewhere more private and you can have something a little more... made to order," with a wink.

A blind date event. One of the few things Alex was not expecting this thing was going to be when he signed up for it. Thinking back actually, when did he sign up for this? Juggling through his memories he vaguely remembered walking through the streest of Eyris trying to find his way back, since he got lost again, and signing up for this event. He thought it seemed interesting enough, he didn't really have much to do here anyways besides working with the Guard. He's still somewhat new to Eyris so he didn't really know anyone either besides people he worked with. Overall Alex is looking forward to just getting a day off and relaxing and hopefully having a good time.

He skimmed through the note again saying where his meeting spot was. "...I think it's over...this way?" he thought to himself as he started walking on one direction. Alex has gotten lost many times when he walked out and about in Eyris. Though he has been here for a while now, he's still not fully confident with his directions in this place. Eventually he reached the spot where the note said to meet up at with his blind date. "Whew," he said glad that he didn't get lost this time.

As he was about to take another step when he stopped and looked at himself. Did he present himself in a nice matter? He double checked his attire making sure his clothes didn't look all messed up. Alex wasn't wearing anything flashy and amazing, he preferred something simple and that's what he wore. A simple dark blue suit..."I hope I'm not too overdressed," he thought. It was too late now to change his mind. Gotta commit.

As he walked closer, he noticed a girl sitting on a bench near the building of the Church of Paggy, his destination. Alex assumed that this person was his date, there was only one way to make sure. Taking a deep breath first, he walked towards the lady sitting at the bench. It seemed as though she didn't notice him getting closer as she kept on staring down at her feet. He stopped a few steps away from her and noticed the monocle in her hand, exactly like the one he held in his hands. It seems as though she was his blind date.

"It seems I have made a lady wait, and here I am telling myself I'd never let that happen again. My apologies," he said with a slight bow. He then dropped the monocle out of his hands as he held it by the string attached to it, allowing the monocle to hang in the air allowing the lady on the bench to see. "It seems as though we'll be spending our day together," he said as he extended his other hand to her, offering to help her get up.

((I'll maybe throw in some tektek of Alex in some nice looking clothes later, for now off to class!))