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

[manolia]

[Aw, he's nervous! ... Is what Chibi would think, if he actually noticed that England was nervous. Instead, he just sees a nice-looking young (???) man with an... Interesting accent. He's not heard that one before; he briefly wonders what it will sound like, curling around a proper conversation.]

[He shakes Arthur's hand firmly - no limp handshakes with this guy - and then pulls back to bow in a more familiar, Eliatrope greeting.] Just Arthur, then. I'm Chibi, as doubtless you've seen on my badge. [It gets easier to not introduce himself as "Prophet Chibi the First-Born" every day!]

These are for you, as well. [He presents the flowers in a fluid motion; the green plastic surrounding them rustles loudly and shifts.] Truth be told, I debated on the wisdom of bringing flowers to a garden full of them, but it's a gift of good-will regardless.

[He made chocolate, too, and... then ate it all..... SORRY DUDE, THE MUNCHIES STRUCK HARD]

[unionjackoff]

[England is fairly good at bluffing when he wants to be. it comes from years of experience, knowing how to hide one's hand, knowing how to plan strategically. and besides, the nerves fade once the flowers are presented.

how chivalrous! it's been ages since he's gotten flowers. ...not that England keeps track of that sort of thing. because why would he?!

he takes them and admires them, though, more admires the thought behind them. and it brings a small, pleased smile to his face. if anything, this man would probably make a good friend. he's so polite! even if he did eat all the homemade chocolate]

Thank you. They're quite lovely. And I did see the name, though I didn't know if it was a nickname. I've only ever heard chibi used as an adjective before.

[manolia]

[Chibi just smiles, warm and open, when England accepts the flowers; he's satisfied in the job he did picking them out.]

No, no, just my name. An adjective, though! [There's almost a tone of realization in his voice, along with the confusion and wonder.] To describe what, exactly? Now you have me curious.

[If it means something weird in a common language, that would certainly explain some of the strange looks he's gotten when he's introduced himself. Now he wants to know what it means - something inappropriate??]

[But even as he talks, he's trailing off to find a nice spot to settle down, beckoning England to follow. It's only a few steps before he's reached a patch of grass near enough to a pond that one can see the fish and plant life beneath its surface, in a constant movement... But, blessedly, far enough that they don't have to worry about anything coming out and nipping their fingers off.]

[unionjackoff]

[England is a bit wary of the Gardens. for one thing, they have the word CERES in them, and that word only leads to trouble, as far as he's concerned. but he follows along, listening, and then taking the blanket out of his basket]

To describe things, actually, or nouns. [he sets his basket down and unfurls the blanket] In the language I'm thinking of, it means small. [hardly inappropriate. sorry, Chibi]

[manolia]

Small--

[Chibi tries to catch his mind as it tumbles instantly into the gutter, without success. So that's why people have been giving him strange looks upon hearing his name!! He lets his shoulders shake in quiet laughter, pinching the bridge of his nose.]

Goddess, that's not really... Well. [WELL, SOMEDAY MAYBE YOU'LL FIGURE OUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE, so says Chibi's wounded pride] For the most part, all the people of my race, and most from others, shared a common language... So the concept of a language barrier is something to get used to.

[He steps aside fluidly, to let England spread the blanket.] The closest to your name we have in Draconic is probably Arturos [and he extends one finger to write it out in the air in the appropriate alphabet, letting the lines of blueish wakfu hang in the air for a moment so he can read them] - "noble."

[unionjackoff]

[England looks up just in time to see Chibi writing in the air. magic. he knows magic! suddenly England wants to be his best friend.

he relaxes, grinning at the symbols. he might have to ask Chibi to write that out on paper for him later. maybe even the whole alphabet. "noble," huh? he likes that a lot]

You know magic? [he asks as he takes a seat on the blanket. England keeps his eyes trained on the other man while he starts setting up the silverware from his basket]

[manolia]

In a sense, I suppose you could call it magic - my people just call it the manipulation of wakfu, our name for the cardinal force of motion, from which all life is birthed and to whose shores all life will someday return. [For a second, Chibi sounds like he's about to go into a full-on sermon... It wouldn't be uncharacteristic for him, to whip up some poetic words about the Goddess Eliatrope and some spiritual bullshit.]

[But instead, he pops up a ring of aqua blue beside him, then another just a meter away. If England's watching, he'll see Chibi jump into one and out the other, landing on his feet on the blanket. He sinks to sitting on his heels, setting the basket-full'o-food down gingerly next to him.]

We can use it to open little tears in space-time, just like that. Cool, yeah?

[unionjackoff]

Very cool! [he is impressed. actually, England has completely forgotten about his original plan by now. he hadn't expected to actually enjoy his company. then again, he is a fairly cynical person.

as it is now, he would probably chinhand so hard if Chibi went into a speech about his world and this wakfu. ahh, England loves learning about other worlds!]

We can't do anything like that in my world. Some people try, but magic isn't all that prevalent. At least, not anymore.

[manolia]

Ah... Anymore? [Now Chibi is curious; the seems strangely similar to his own dreams, the ruin of stasis. That a world without magic might be able to support life is a curious new idea to him.]

[He opens the picnic basket as he speaks, revealing some fruit, mini-sandwiches (tuna and egg salad, it seems; they're cut into little hearts. amazing), and the Cutesy Heart Cake, along with some water and lemonade. With quick motion, as though he's unable to stop moving, he sets out the food in a spread.]

Has your magic reservoir dried up, by chance? I spoke to someone else here for whom that was the case. For an Eliatrope, that would be unthinkable. [It is unthinkable, and barren, and dry. Chibi has seen it.] But for every weakness, we find some workaround to fill it in; I had no idea you could use electricity to power machines until I came here.

[unionjackoff]

I wouldn't say it's dried up... [England is eyeballing the heart shapes. how very silly! the girl who planned these dates put a whole heck of a lot of effort into them, so he is glad his has not turned out awkward. at least, not yet. he probably shouldn't jinx it...] It's more that most people don't believe in magic anymore, the same way they don't believe in unicorns or fairies.

[he... looks a bit sad, as he says this, but only for a moment. then England's shrugging it off like it's no big deal] Nowadays, science is the big thing. Electricity is everywhere, a lot like in Cerealia, only the technology isn't as advanced.

[manolia]

That... That's a shame. [England might shrug it off easily, but Chibi pouts slightly in his stead.] You would think that they wouldn't discard magic so easily, not when it is all around us, in the air, interwoven with the very fabric of life.

[As Chibi relaxes into the situation, he brings a mechanic's multi-tool from inside his hat to fiddle with it: flipping it open, closed, open again.]

The art of it - of technology, of magic - is in synergizing the two. See here- [he starts to gesture, multi-tool still in his hand, talking with his hands like he often does] -It is the will of wakfu, or magic, however you call it, that will bring us to technological heights yet unexplored. And through those technological heights, we will come closer to nature, and the Goddess of my world who rules over it.

At least, that's how I see it, everything meshing together. [A gentle smile, like he's made his peace with that cycle.] But I suppose some people, from your world and mine alike, just... Don't want to see.

[unionjackoff]

[England's eyes light up when Chibi suggests that magic is life. yes, someone is speaking his language!]

People [humans, he wants to say] find all sorts of reasons for explaining how things work, though. You say it is the will of magic that will bring us to more technology. Others will say evolution or science, while more still will say belief in a higher power. It all depends on who you ask.

[manolia]

[In this case, it's... quite literally life - to the point where you can quite literally suck it out of planets and kill entire civilizations to power a spaceship--]

[--not saying his people did that in their past lives or anything......]

All terms for the same thing, in some way. Either way, it's like a river erodes at its shores: inalienable, constant movement. [He cracks a lemonade and takes a sip, as if to accent his talk of fluidity... But really, it's just because he's thirsty.]

An Eliatrope might say that the only reality is that movement. It's the force that brings people together, indeed that which forged our entire Krosmoz. But you, personally - to what might you attribute the 'way things work'?

[unionjackoff]

[England makes a thoughtful noise as he collects the other lemonade for himself. might as well try one of those heart sandwiches, too. hopefully there are no aphrodisiacs or tiny monsters in them. if it was CERES planning these dates, that would be a realistic threat!]

Oh, I don't know. [how to put this in a way where he won't admit how old he is, or that he's not even human?] Tried religion for a while, tried science for a while. In the end, I suppose I believe that things simply happen because of reasons I am unable to explain. [ha, philosophy on the first date, is it?] I believe in magic, but I find that I am partial more towards actual facts than faith.

sorry for the delay, the Cold From Hell has captured me

[manolia]

[Chibi takes another heart sandwich gingerly, biting off the tip. Quite good, and no tiny monsters to be spoken of... Well, no live tiny monsters. Who knows what this tuna's made of?? is it the bitey piranha things in the ponds]

That's understandable. You can't really have faith in something you have no reason to believe exists. [The Goddess is different; you can see Her all around, see Her influence everywhere. Chibi's spoken with Her, or he attributes his dreams as such.]

[Maybe he's just crazy.]

The machinations of every world are different, I'm learning. My Goddess generally showed Herself in works, even revealed herself to me a few times, but the only god I can see here seems to be money.

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!!]