[open] he ate my heart

[journaler]

Who: Leia & anyone, especially anyone bitten by the love bug (or even if they haven't been--)
When: 02/03 - 02/14 (Valentines' Day!) IC.
Where: Over the network/in front of the Game Center
What: Heart candies for everyone -- aka an IC hearts meme, modified from here! Come get 'em and give them out to anyone and everyone to tell them how you feel!
Rating/Warning: none

a.) actual tv star (video)

Hey, everyone! Wow, I'm really recording, huh...?

[Leia's face appears on the camera. She might look a little bit nervous, because wow--you can't take back something you say live on video as easily as you can on paper, but don't be fooled. She's determined, and since signing up for a blinde date, she's far more into this Valentine's thing than she ever expected.]

So I know there's a lot going on right now, with everyone recovering and exchanging information. The last thing I want to do is interrupt all that, but it's a new month, and I think Mabel's got the right idea. We need cheer in our lives again, and we need a little romance!

I'm going to be helping her out by selling these adorable heart candies I found. [She holds up one between her fingers before the camera pans to show a small bowl of various colors.] They're color-coded with meanings, so you can tell your friends and loved ones exactly how you feel--and you can even make up your own meanings if you want to.

I'll have them available starting today all the way up until the big day, so be sure to stop by the Game Center and see me! The name's Leia.

Thanks for listening!

[WIPES SWEAT drinks juice really fast. That was a lot of talking she just did. Hopefully she made sense.]

b.) but what if you're color-blind (action)

[Later on, just like she said, Leia can be found behind a booth near the gaming center. She's set up with little jars of the aforementioned heart candies, as well as small fancy-looking pouch bags coming in white, pink, and red. There are also two neat piles of tags with string attached so they can be tied to the pouches: with one side having the standard To: and From: labels, and the other containing a legend of various colors corresponding to the hearts.

In one pile, the meanings are spelled out; and on the other, they're blank, in case anyone wants to write their own, as she promised.

At the end of the table also, there's a copy of the latest issue of the Cerealia Times for anyone to pick up and read, as well as fliers for Mabel's blind dates. She hopes you've signed up! She isn't shy about inviting people over, either, so if you're passing by, even without having seen her video, you might hear her calling out to you.]

Hi! Need some special candies for your special someone? Maybe a friend?

[She'll give the explanation as many times as she needs to, and talk about all of the different meanings if that's what your character wants! Anyone is welcome to try a couple pieces from the free sample bowl as well, to see how they taste (spoilers: sweet as hell).]

(( ooc: Interact with Leia or amongst yourselves (top levels are welcome)! This mingle log is dated all the way up til Valentines' Day ICly. You can expect the booth to be set up for at least a couple hours almost every day, likely after her work shift (so if you want cat costume shenanigans, just say the word).

Backtagging and forward dating (with discretion) is encouraged! ))

Comments

[rebelia]

Mabel?

[It's an unfamiliar name. IV looks up in a gesture for Leia to elaborate, though not before he adds:]

It's not a bad thing. Valentine's is a day to celebrate relationships. Why limit it to romance?

[journaler]

[Ah, he doesn't know... On a list of surprising things, that actually ranks pretty low. She's already reaching for one of Mabel's fliers, feeling totally reassured.]

I like the way you think.

[She winks as she holds it up.]

Anyway, Mabel's a friend of mine who's matching up people on blind dates for the big day. I saw her video. She mentioned how not everyone has someone like that to spend the day with.

[Which is where she steps in.]

I think sign ups are about to close, though.

[rebelia]

[Now that he thinks about it, he recalls an announcement like that on the CereVice. He didn't pay much attention to it, but the details are vaguely familiar as he looks over the flier.]

Oh? Did you sign up?

[journaler]

[......On the list of surprising things, that really should have ranked lower. She doesn't know why answering this should make her feel embarrassed, but nevertheless, she finds it hard to look at him in the eye. She grins sheepishly, idly tucking a stray tuft of her hair behind her ears.]

I mean, yeah.

[She shrugs like it's no big deal, and also is a really bad liar, so it's a good thing she didn't try here.]

I don't know a lot about romance, but it's kind of exciting, not knowing who you'll get paired up with. It's just for fun.

[rebelia]

[He regards Leia's reaction curiously – defensive, isn't she? Setting the legend down, he straightens back and perches his hands on his hips.]

That's the point of the blind date, isn't it? What do you think? Will some of the participants find a lover once it's over?

[journaler]

[At least she recovers quickly. She'll look at him again at being questioned, though she really isn't sure how to answer.

It's best to be positive, probably.]

Who knows? It could happen.

I think we'll at least walk out of it all with a new friend.

[rebelia]

[Since they've established friendship between themselves, it's become apparent how Leia seems to be that kind of person. "With a new friend" isn't something that would have crossed IV's mind on his own – not that he's negative, but she's just that optimistic – and he allows a wry smile.]

Making friends comes easy to you, doesn't it?

[journaler]

[Her hands lock at her hips too. She's actually proud of this ability, so she'll agree without much fuss this time. His smile is of course met with her own.]

I'd like to think so.

[She's learned, of course, that he can't say the same thing about himself. Maybe she should help him, but she isn't entirely sure how much he'll appreciate that. Surely there'll be something she can do, though... maybe in the long run.

She'll stick by him.

And on that thought:]

...You didn't sign up, did you?

[rebelia]

[A quiet but explosive chuckle spills from his lips, and he shrugs widely.]

I wasn't interested. I'm still not.

[It's one of those network announcements he skimmed past. If the announcement couldn't catch his interest, he doesn't see how the blind date itself could. Even now, he doesn't think it's his cup of tea, much.]

[journaler]

...

[She tilts her head. The chuckle is contagious, but he is so lame.]

Don't tell me you're shy. [Even if he did, she wouldn't believe it.] You didn't even think about it?

[rebelia]

No, and it's not because I'm "shy." [The quotes are terribly audible.] Why should I sign up for a blind date? I've got other things to do.

[journaler]

[Now who's defensive?]

It's just one day. Even less than that.

[rebelia]

If I want to have fun on Valentine's, I'll visit Ryoga.

[Rio, being a pretty girl, might have a date or some other lined up then. That leaves Ryoga.]

1/2

[journaler]

[WOW... wow. Leia's a pretty girl, too???

One who almost forgot that he and Ryoga knew each other. Not that they had much of a chance to talk, with ViViD going crazy then.]

Ryoga, huh...

[She hadn't really made the connection until now. Maybe he's the "only friend" he mentioned; but then he's also mentioned someone else before who's a girl.]

[journaler]

[......Ugh. This vague feeling of being rejected makes no sense--buuut the idea of those two on a date at all, let alone with each other, is enough to keep her spirits up.]

If that's what makes you happy, I can't really argue.

[Beneath those words is definitely a sense of "I didn't know you swung that way," if only teasingly.]

[rebelia]

[It is what would make him happy. While there's something suspicious about Leia's tone that dampens IV's natural smirk, he doesn't quite catch onto the implications of what she means.]

His little sister's probably going to be busy then, so I should keep him some company, right?

[journaler]

[He asks like she would know what Ryoga wants... but it's not a bad sentiment, so Leia sees no reason to disagree. "Little sister" ...that does make sense now.]

Sure.

[......]

No one should be alone on a holiday like this one. I wonder if the reason Mabel's planning the dates so early is so that it would give us time.

[To plan something, get to know each other... (Is she actually nervous?)]

[rebelia]

["Sure" is an affirmation as good as any other, and IV's smug all over again.]

What, for the actual day of the holiday? It's possible, although I doubt you'll have any trouble finding company on the day of.

[journaler]

[...The truth is, she doesn't know. Planning has never really been her strong point, but what IV says is actually pretty encouraging and even kind of sweet.

Who would have thought.]

Me? [...] Guess I'll find out.

[The next couple weeks will fly by... She knows it.]

[rebelia]

[She won't know for sure until the actual day, will she? IV looks down, doubling the action as a nod while he looks over the booth's contents again. He considers the idea for another brief moment, then takes his hands off of his hips.]

Since you went through all this trouble, I guess I'll take a few.

[journaler]

[--that pulls her back down to Earth a bit (or wherever they are). She notably perks up, since his support is possibly the last thing she expected...

Almost.]

Sweet! [LITERALLY--] I appreciate that a lot... like a lot a lot.

[SILLY HAND GESTURES--what is she doing. Anyway.]

You're sure you don't want a little jar?

[Not that she can really imagine IV giving these out but it doesn't hurt to ask.]

[rebelia]

[He makes a slight face – amused and confused – that she would offer him something like that. Is the excitement of him taking a few pieces of candy home making her stranger?]

Why would I want a jar? Hand me three of the pouches – two pink and one white.

[He'd grab them himself, but he's preoccupied with the legend.]

[journaler]

[Why are boys so dumb. (But Leia is always a little strange, so maybe that can be forgiven.)]

So you can just grab a variety and separate them yourself, of course.

[But whatever!!! She's already reaching for the two pink punches and the one white one before offering them to him. Apparently red is Too Much for him.]

[rebelia]

[He waves before accepting the pouches and opening up the white one, into which he deposits several blue candies of both hues. Then he throws in some lavender, followed by the neon pink.]

I don't need it. I know exactly what I'm getting, so it won't take long.

[Standing off to the side, he takes a blank legend and procures a pen from his pocket to write.]

[journaler]

[Oooh! She likes his decisiveness.

For a moment she just watches him while the stall is kind of slow, intending to read along with what he writes out of curiosity. Then she realizes that might be kind of rude or something, so she glances away and suddenly finds straightening the tags and fliers to be very interesting.

Her eyes still wander in his direction, but she catches herself--

And at that angle, it's difficult to make out what he writes anyway.]