If love is red

[ineptus]

Who: All the good people participating in the Blind Date Event
When: February 5th and 6th
Where: All around the city!
What: Blind dates galore!
Warnings/Rating: Pg-13 for at least language, I'm sure, and also bars/nightclubs are involved. Will be changed/updated as necessary. Please let me know if anything needs to be added here!

[You've got a location, you've got a time, you've got a mission: Date. It's as simple as that! Sure you have no idea who you're about to meet, but there is definitely no harm in trusting the expert skills of a 12 year old girl! You're going to have the time of your life, woo that date of yours and spend Valentine's Day with someone special, no doubt about it! So get out there and enjoy yourself!]

~~

Below in this handy dandy table is a link to all top levels. Top levels are posted in chronological order! If you have questions or need anything, you can PM this account, reach me on aim at breedslilacs or hit me up with a PP therapeuticGuns and I will be there to help asap! I should have gotten all the proper tags in there, but please make sure you're included! I may have missed a name or two!

Kagemitsu and Mia	Ryouga and Akashi	Ai Thao and Edgeworth	Taroutachi and Turkey
Tadashi and Milla	Nonon and Cyrus	Butch and Katsura	Kashuu and Atem
Roxy and Jaune	Jade and Manfred	Dotanuki and Masamune	Yogi and Shishou
Trucy and Leon	Hawke and Larry	Aura and Oona	Sousei and Kevin
Peko and Soramaru	Myriam and Shiho	Lapis and Phoenix	Gongenzaka and Ruca
Zara and Gintoki	Jungo and Haru	Rasu and Labrador	England and Chibi
Fuyuhiko and Veronica	Jaco and Nagasone	IV and Pearl	Vector and Yuto
Rio and Leia	Cain and Gundam	Weiss and Trunks	Integra and Ricther
Mizael and Patchouli	Rock Lee and Maya	Kousetsu and Souji	Levi and Wolfwood

Comments

no worries! take all the time you need. i'll backtag forever

[unionjackoff]

[if Chibi actually gets to see his Goddess, then he is quite lucky indeed. the gods of his world are not so forthcoming]

Haa. [he lets out a bitter laugh, in complete agreement with his date] Money, and, perhaps CERES. I am convinced that those people working there think they are as close to godly as they come. Even their presence is elusive, most of the time!

[manolia]

A concept that's changed hands and value so much it's become worthless in everything but name... Yet it still holds the key to our immortal souls. Well, or our mortal souls, for those of us less fortunate.

Now which one am I talking about: credits, or CERES? [SIPS TEA... well, lemonade actually.] Either way, I have trouble believing they're as scarce as they seem. But to be fair, I'm fairly new, so I'd not know.

[unionjackoff]

[England sips at the lemonade as he listens. he firmly believes that CERES is watching everything they do somehow. at least their messages are probably monitored.

he wishes he was good with technology. he kind of wants to go back and erase his post from a few days prior]

How long have you been here? [and then the sandwich. well, it certainly tastes like tuna]

[manolia]

[Chibi noms down on the sandwich - surprisingly good, for Mystery Fish that's probably tuna but who knows! Politely, he waits a second and finishes chewing before he starts talking.]

Aah... A month, two, something like that? A drop in the bucket, really. [When you're ancient, at least??] How long is typical, of the people you meet?

[unionjackoff]

[a drop in the bucket, huh? sometimes, with how long England has been here, it seems like ages, even for someone as old as him. mortality can do that to you]

It varies. Sometimes I talk to people who have been here as long as I have, but most of the time they are newer, have only been here for a few weeks. [he finishes off his sandwich, too] I, myself, have been here since... Mm, October, was it? Halloween.

[manolia]

[A quiet snort, and he stretches behind his back.] If Halloween was nearly as much of a shitshow as Christmas was, you must have come in to quite a shock. I come from a generally peaceful world, without much of... Well, without many things trying to kill me. Usually.

Surprised we're not all dead yet, honestly - though I suppose that is CERES' job, to protect its 'assets.' [You can tell the 'yeah, right' in Chibi's tone, even now.] While we're stuck here, though, it's our job to protect each other, yeah?

[unionjackoff]

[England smirks bitterly behind his lemonade. he had found another person to bitch about CERES with. this was turning out to be a great afternoon!]

As much as we can, I agree. [he nods a little, but then England drops his gaze, and he thinks back to the tour. the guilt weighs down on him heavily] Though, sometimes that proves to be difficult. There are monsters, and ghosts, and sometimes we're pulled in into ViViD while it is malfunctioning. [for a place that was meant to be a safe haven from alien invaders, Cerealia certainly had a lot of dangers!]

[manolia]

So I wasn't the only one with that little ViViD issue! You have to wonder why that keeps happening.

[Chibi chuckles. There are implications for that, that maybe they're all in some simulation themselves, merely perceiving physical sensation that is not there... But right now, there is another thing weighing on his mind.]

But... Do you ever think that perhaps, if we look to the souls of all these monsters and ghosts, they're not so awful? Or that they were not, once. [The unspoken: that maybe CERES changed them. That maybe they have a common enemy.] Maybe they're just as scared as we are. Nothing happens without reason.

[unionjackoff]

[England lifts his head when Chibi speaks again. he considers the implications]

You know, now that you mention it, I recall the monsters and ghosts during Halloween. I had several encounters with them, and some weren't scary at all.

[manolia]

Really? You... Came in much earlier than I did. Perhaps you caught them before they were, ah... Corrupted in some way? Like what we have all seen with that LILITH AI.

[At least, what he has seen with LILITH... The tip of the iceberg, he guesses. But there will be other mysteries to solve.]

Everything I've encountered here, save my fellow other-worlders, has been nothing short of jarring. [The bitter laugh is offset by something in his eyes: a twinkle of optimism as he looks skyward.] But I get the feeling that it doesn't have to be that way.

[But all of the sudden, Chibi seems to remember himself, and chuckles.] --Ah, I hope I'm not getting into discussion too heavy. [Lucky of you, to get stuck with mister life philosophy!!]

[unionjackoff]

[England is not troubled by the discussion. he doesn't find it awkward, or too heavy. after all, this predicament they are all in, is something they have in common. wasn't there a saying about people who suffer together will bond?

he is finishing off his lemonade when Chibi chuckles. then he shakes his head in response] Not at all. I find this sort of discussion necessary. I believe you and I think similarly. [a beat, and then he looks away, smirking wryly] Though, if you'd like to change the subject, we can do that, too.

[manolia]

No, no, that's not it. [INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT... Chibi's much more used to parts, how to fit them together, how to synthesize them into something larger. (Once, Mina told him that's exactly how interpersonal relationships work. He was not convinced.)] It's simply that...

Well, I find most people want to distract themselves from a problem when it crops up, rather than tackle it. [He pauses to finish his lemonade, then to grab an apple from the bag, turning it over in his hand restlessly as he speaks.] But I find the greatest bonding to come from solving problems, together.

This place is just a new problem I haven't remotely figured out how to tackle yet.

[unionjackoff]

I've already been doing a lot of distracting myself lately. [England's gaze falls onto the nearby pond, where he can see a fish jumping out of the water. it looks so peaceful, and yet something like that here could attack at any given moment. you just didn't know, and the not-knowing is what drives England crazy about this place.

well, one of the things]

Meeting people, getting a job, practicing in ViViD. Playing the good guest like I'm supposed to be doing while I'm here. It's... difficult, because I would much rather tackle the larger problem, but I also don't know how to go about doing that.

[he finally turns back towards Chibi and the picnic, and picks up some grapes to add to his plate] Back where I came from, I was in... well, I suppose you could call it a position of power. And because I was in that position, I knew everything that was going on in my country. I was privy to any changes that might be happening, or to new ideas my boss might be entertaining. Now, here... [he pokes at the grapes, smiling sadly] I'm just like everyone else. I'm completely helpless.

[manolia]

So, you as well? [Surprise, you're talking to another guy who was in charge of a religious hippie commune society!] It still takes effort not to introduce myself as "Prophet Chibi," sometimes. That's how everyone referred to me, back home - kind of gets burned into your brain after awhile.

My Goddess gifted me with Visions [you can practically hear the capitalization] of the future, and I passed those on to my people, which afforded me some level of... Influence. But now, all I hear from her is silence.

[But Chibi seems much more at peace with the whole thing, and it shows in the relaxed way he leans back, the way the horns on his hat slouch.] It's strange, but simply another circumstance. Nobody is truly helpless; after all, a plant ripped from its soil won't necessarily wither where it's replanted.

[unionjackoff]

[what the... those horns moved? England was sure they were part of the hat, or some decoration. it appears he is not dealing with a human at all. or, at least, not the kind he is used to.

...how very interesting. and Chibi sees Visions, as well. or, at least, used to. England's fascinated now, moreso than before]

Maybe "helpless" isn't the right word. But it's certainly how I'm feeling. [now he pops a grape into his mouth, eating it before continuing on] I don't like being uncertain about the future. That leads to vulnerability. [and England is a man who hates to look vulnerable]

[manolia]

[yea wait until he finds out they're fuckin' wings sprouting from his head, i hate this canon]

I... Can't say vulnerability is something anyone likes. At least, the idea of vulnerability; the reality of it can be different. [Things like friendship, love... Much less life-threatening things. Probably. But Chibi tries to think the best of people, as much as he can.] What it does is open the door for collaborations - you show one person your vulnerability, and they show you theirs, and you cover each other.

[What Chibi would like to say is you seem like a lovely person to collaborate with. Too forward, though?? He honestly cannot tell, at this stage, so he takes a bite from his apple instead. It's a bit dry, doesn't taste entirely like an api should, but not off or anything.]

But someone once told me I see everything as a puzzle to solve. Makes life a lot more fun, I can tell you that.

[unionjackoff]

[ah, yes. collaboration. sometimes those didn't quite work out the way he wanted. sometimes you try to show your vulnerability to people and they don't give back anything. see: America. and people need not wonder anymore why England is so guarded.

he doesn't mention this though, because he's not ready to yet. but he does smile at the idea of Chibi trying to solve the world's puzzles]

Yes, I suppose it would. [he decides to open his water now, still thirsty because of the dry February air] Perhaps you will be able to solve the CERES problem, eventually.