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Who: YOU, MY FRIEND & The friendly staff of Thistle Do Nicely, a humble flower shop.
When: IC: 29th January to February 14th (OOC: Starts 3rd July, full month log.)
Where: Thistle Do Nicely, Shopping District.
What: It's nearly Valentine's Day, so there's sales and events! Want to learn how to make chocolate? Look here! Cashing in your coupon for the upcoming Blind Date player event? That's here too! This is a mingle log, so everyone come mingle to your hearts content, and come in anytime, there's no such thing as late.
Rating/Warning: Nothing so far. There might be some future nightmares.

NOTE: There are some forward-dated prompts/part of prompts in this log. This is to coincide with the Blind Date Player Plot this month! More links and updates will be posted here once they come up.

Also if you wanna know how this works, it's just a mingle! An example here, our previous open mingle log. Treat it however you like, open and closed options welcome.

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Welcome to Thistle Do Nicely! Make yourself comfortable and browse the grand selection. In spirit of upcoming Valentine's Day, the store is decorated in pink and red, hearts scattered here and there. Sweet soft toys are on display, and there are bargains to be found. The tea shop is also decked out, but there seems to be something extra special happening on that side too.

A: ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE DISCOUNTED

[Are you here for the flowers? Sure you are, it's a grand tradition that all Valentines must share: the giving of flowers to loved ones. Roses are a definite favourite, but maybe you're after something more unique? Then look no further! Ask one of your friendly staff about it. Or maybe they're coming to you! But if they do, some may have the misfortunate of being told by the mysterious NPC boss to repeat the following: "What can Cupid's assistant do for you today?" Yeah, it's pretty embarrassing.

Or maybe you've bumped into a friend! In that case, buying flowers for Valentine's Day? Are you proud of this, or are you so embarrassed you must hide all evidence.

Alternatively, time has passed and you're now here because you have coupons for an additional price cut on your flowers if you are taking part in the Blind Date event. Blind dates can be particularly nerve-wracking, so let this store make things a little easier for you. You'll thank them for it.]

B: ANYONE WHO HATES CHOCOLATE IS A MONSTER (no we're kidding we still love you)

B.1: KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

[In all walks of life, chocolate is a very popular gift for Valentine's Day. And in some places, even more importance is placed on whether it's homemade or not. A section of the tea shop has been cleared just for this: earthy tables now have small stoves on them and ingredients set out. It's time to learn how to make chocolate. These classes are lead by head chef Shokudaikiri Mitsutada and his (reluctant) chef's assistant Ookurikara, but you can be sure that all the other reliable staff of Thistle Do Nicely are getting in on the action to help out (or learn themselves) too! Maybe Mitsutada and a handful of staff will make this great. The other half...

Everyone interested in these classes will gather round each of these tables, and together you will learn how to make chocolate. It's a team effort, so discuss with each other and work together to perfect it! In the end, you will be given cute little boxes or bags to put your chocolate in so you can give it to those intended. Or yourself, you can eat them too. Alternatively, you were forced into this mess, or have no idea why you're here but you're going to roll with it because it's chocolate.

The classes are free, happening a couple hours a day, but the ingredients require a small donation to keep the classes going. These classes are ongoing, so by the time you've gotten your Blind Date, you don't have to donate if you show them your coupon.]

B.2 CHOCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

[Or maybe you're not here for the classes, you're spending time on the other half of the tea shop where it's still set for customers. The tea shop half of the entire store is not actually that big, so you might be finding it a bit cramped.

That being said, a treats bar has been set out as a complimentary offer. There's a chocolate fountain in the middle of this bar, and you know you wanna dip some heart shaped marshmallows or fruits in that sucker. There's also these flower shaped gummies. No one actually knows how they got there, but maybe for the sake of science, you want to coat it with chocolate and eat it.

Do it.]

C: WILDCARD.

[Because there's so much more to explore! Or maybe you're just here to visit and laugh at them. Or maybe you wanna use the tea space as a PLACE FOR A DATE, AYYYYYY in which the scene from Lady and the Tramp could happen and there will be a cute musical number (look, I'll have it arranged, I'm not even kidding. Too bad I can't get an Okiayu character to do it though, you might have to make do with a loser girl). Or maybe you've MESSED UP THIS ENTIRE PLACE Vietnam will kill you with her bare hands (unless she likes you, then you will live).]

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[ ooc: I will be a bit slow due to rl obligations, please bear with me! ]

b - 1;

[ If you're here to attend the chocolate making class, Mitsutada will be hosting it! He's actually a pretty good teacher, having prepared the ingredients precisely and going through each step in detail. The recipe used is the simpler version, with cocoa powder and milk instead of raw beans - though he did spend the previous night making enough cocoa liquor to improve the product's taste.

Making the chocolate involves first mixing the cocoa powder and butter together, then adding flour, milk and sugar. Once the mixture is bubbling nicely in the small cooker on the table, it's time to fold in the liquor and maybe a little essence or flavouring if it's to your taste.

Once everything is mixed well and achieved proper consistency, then the fire is switched off and the chocolate left to cool. There are complimentary molds for the taking, so you just need to let it cool for a few hours and tada, it's done! For the more impatient ones, there is also a freezer in the kitchen for your use. Just ask nicely and Mitsutada will put it in for you. Just remember to collect it, or it might end up in someone else's stomach entirely.

If you have any questions, he's here to answer them. Or maybe you just want some conversation, maybe after the lesson has ended - because he is in an apron, after all, and doesn't seem to mind.

Didn't he say he was a cool person? ]

b - 2;

[ So, a certain someone has sliced some melons and set them aside in a special porcelain plate. It even has flowers on the edges, like those sort of dainty plates from tea sets. Each one of them bite-sized on a stick, which would otherwise be completely innocuous and blend in with the large array of other sweets on offer... if not for the fact that it was most likely planted there just to get on his nerves. ]

This again?

[ Surely this joke has gone too far?

But he isn't going to let the lapse in his coolness show just like that, so he quickly picks one up, dips it expertly in the fountain and chills it with a quick douse in the nearby iced water bath.

Holding it out to you now, with his usual confident smile as if nothing had happened at all. ]

Here, this is for you.

c;

[ Throw me anything and I'll roll with it! ]

Edited 2015-07-03 05:52 (UTC)

[honestly- with the way minatsuki works at this spot it's really amazing she still even has a job. she's amazingly good when it comes to working with the flowers, tending to them and even giving out all sorts of information about them- but as for customer service....

well she's awful at it. and today it's as though she's upped her game.]

a; what a dumb saying

[gross, so gross! minatsuki definitely can't stand this sort of holiday, it's just so... sappy and disgusting to her. she especially can't stand the amount of people asking for roses- it's just so cliche she can barely take it. along with that- having to say such an embarrassing phrase.... she's not having any of it.

so whenever she is approached by someone, she says the phrase in the best way she can.]

Hey, what can Cupid's asshole do for you today? [ah....] Want roses? Everyone's getting 'em, these ones are especially filled with thorns.

[don't believe her smile, she's overly bitter, of course.]

b.2; "Let's have some nice, hot, UNSANITARY, CHOCOLATE!"

[instead of being over at the station for making chocolates, it seems as though minatsuki has wandered over to the customer area. she's sitting down at one of the tables, obviously avoiding having to talk about the stupid holiday with other people, and eating from the chocolate fountain. she should be helping out, but it seems like she's decided on a break.

....she briefly considered having a "freak accident" with the fountain. knocking it over or breaking apart a piece of it with her branch of sin would surely make for a fun afternoon. burning hot chocolate everywhere? yes please. so now she's just eating slowly, staring at the fountain, and her frown grows into a sadistic smile. maybe someone can convince her not to act... who knows.]

c; GET WILD

[honestly minatsuki is just around to laugh at the idiots who claim to be in love. romance is deaddddddddd. if anyone is there to roll their eyes and laugh at any morons in love, it's definitely her. so, trying to enjoy a date or just looking for more goddamn roses? she'll be off to the side, scoffing. hopefully vietnam isn't too angry with her attitude today but BRING IT ON!]

Edited 2015-07-03 05:56 (UTC)

A

[Vietnam does the meet and greet just as she's instructed, even though it's EMBARRASSING and she wants to die. But a job is a job, and she has to set an example.

But if you located her while she's putting things out, then maybe you are watching her put this enormous plush bear in a corner of the store, complaining to herself about how this is taking up TOO MUCH SPACE. It's not that heavy, but it's certainly an inconvenience.]

Would anyone even buy this?

B

[She'll be hovering from either end, really. With Mitsutada and Ookurikara taking on the classes, she needs to help out with the normal customers who are here for food more so than usual.

Still it doesn't stop her from hovering over by the tables with the classes to see what is going on.]

That looks lovely.

[Or maybe she actually is by the chocolate fountain, giving it a good look. Should she do the gummy experiment? Is she allowed to while she's working? Oh...nope here she goes, she's doing it.]

WILDCARD

[Whatever you want!]

[Hahahaha, Melonslasher. Look, fruits are a popular choice, you can't even deny. But she walks past just as he's question the existence of the well slashed melons just sitting there. Probably in the middle of the plate, no less.

She didn't expect to be offered one.]

Ah...do you not want to try it yourself?

That's not very nice. Do you know how many hearts Cupid craps out of the bathroom once per year?

[If she was going to joke, then he'd raise the bar.]

Talking about his asshole like that isn't very lovey dovey.

[ Of course he's giving it to you, you're the only one he can trust not to make fun of it!!! ]

You'd think??

[ Pressing it into Vietnam's hands. His smile flashes into embarrassment for just the slightest of seconds before it returns with full force.

Just take the thing. ]

[...WHAT?! oh good god.]

Do you think I give a shit about "lovey dovey"? Please. You want the roses or not?

You started shit by talking about where it comes from, soooo... [A beat.] Do you have any other flowers around?

Edited 2015-07-03 06:23 (UTC)

[WELL, yes it's true, she's promised she won't.

And she swore she caught something before he smiles again. Now she's embarrassed as she takes the chocolate coated melon.]

T-thank you.

[Though she's not eating it yet. She stands there, considering something before she picks up a strawberry with a pick and dips it into the chocolate, repeating the process. And then holds it out to him.]

I believe in an equal trade.

[Goddamnit Mitsutada he's not a kid anymore. (Even though his age is only in the double digits.)

His attention is focused on that strange looking brown substance. Way too runny to be red bean paste, but it had a nice fragrance to it.

The Date lord takes it nonetheless.]

The hell is this? Some kind of Nanban confectionery?

► B.1: Who Let Him Cook
[Ever since he heard about it, Sayo decided to try learning how to make chocolate. It would make for a nice present to everyone he knows, like his brothers, Haru and the residents in the Kumonji household.

Standing on a stool to give himself a boost (he's quite short, after all!), Sayo is dutifully following the instructions on how to make the chocolate.

But at some point, the smell doesn't just seem right...?

Oh god, the chocolate is burning.]

Is this right...?

► B.2: A Fountain of Goods
[Sayo is at the chocolate fountain, looking up at it in fascination. People can just dip food in it and eat it? How nice.

He goes to check out the marshmallow and fruits, looking at what's available. Obviously, the first thing he looks for is his favourite fruit. He turns his attention to the nearest person, who is also looking at the fruit selection.]

...Are there any persimmons?

[Help him, oh most likely taller than him person. Or if they're not that tall, maybe someone with a better perspective than him.]

► Wildcard
[Run free with your prompts, people.]

Edited 2015-07-03 10:17 (UTC)

a

[This new Blind Date "tradition" is nothing but scandalous. As a proper priest and angel of the Lord, Kevin would very much like to advise every single costumer about the need of a guardian's consent and a chaperone. Too pity that would be bad for business.]

"What can Cupid's assistant do for you today?"

[As usual, he is standing right in front of the store in all his bishouneness, exactly where Miss Vietnam enjoys displaying him for reasons unknown. Today, the flower print suit is purple and so matches his eyes. A perfect gentleman who knows very well that calling cards must precede any bouquet or - God forbid! - any chocolate box. With a sincere prayer of forgiveness for the powers beyond (they do not know what they are doing), Kevin forces himself to smile warmly and bow to the lunacy of youth and paganism...which just happens to be so terribly lucrative.]

Edited 2015-07-03 10:33 (UTC)

a:

[Let's say that he's come in a little later in February, closer to actual Valentine's time.

HE JUST CAME TO LOOK AT FLOWERS...

And, oh boy, is Naoki ever looking. He's staring at the types of flowers, his brow crinkled, his mouth curled down. It might be a weird sight, this guy with a horn and glowing tattoos with a hand at his chin as he slowly shuffles from flower type to flower type. (Yes he does have a shirt on don't let the icons fool you.)

And oh you can bet he'll be here for a good going-on-an-hour or so.] ...I should've picked up a book on these first, [you might catch him muttering to himself. man why are you agonising over flowers so much]

[MMMMM the fresh smell of...

...burning?

Vietnam (who was making the rounds right now to see if the others needed help) smelled burning chocolate and quickly rushed over, switching off the stove immediately first.]

A-ah, let us slow down, just a little.

[He looks up at Vietnam with a blink.]

...Did I do something wrong?

[DID HE MAKE A MISTAKE SOMEWHERE]

[Meanwhile, here Anna was just looking at Mina and raising an eyebrow at her]

I can tell you're definitely into the holiday! You're going to need a lot more than that it you want to sell some flowers!

[She's trying to see where he went wrong, only because she didn't get to see everything that happened. It was more than likely to be the heat, though.]

Hmm, the stove may have been too hot.

[He looks at the pot again, tilting his head.]

Maybe. How can you tell if it's hot enough?

[That is a good question, but since they have time here, and she'll let him stay for longer--]

As long as there is heat, it will be hot. Start off gently first if you are not confident. Also, you can always try measuring it with this. [Voila! Cooking thermometer.] You do not want a strong heat because it will burn, or one that will boil the chocolate. Do you have still have some mixture left?

[He nods in understanding and reach for a bowl of mixture. There's still some left inside it.]

Yes, I still have some left.

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES!

[Valentine's Day is very important to Minako, and since she and Rei are kind of sort of dating right now, she wants to try her hands at making chocolates for her. Minako's cooking isn't all that great, but maybe this year, things will be different! maybe the power of ~*~*TRUE LOVE*~*~ will make her cooking better.

so she eagerly is awaiting for class to start, leaning on one foot, then the other. she's wearing a bright orange apron and has her hair tied back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way (though it should probably be in a bun, honestly). feel free to talk to her before or during the class]

This is a great place for a chocolate-making class! It smells so nice in here.

( A )

[ Well there sure is one sword standing amidst the flowers today. He...is just debating on which ones to get. Blind dates aside Kousetsu just likes flowers?! He is really staring very seriously at them though. What is his deal?! He doesn't know what to get and this is clearly a very important holiday so...help him. In the middle of his rather deep thoughts and inner debates he might accidentally hit into your character's arm. He'll just bow in apology then. ]

...I apologize. I was not watching where I was going. [ He was too focused...on the flowers. ]

( B2 )

[ Kousetsu is not here for the classes today at least. Today he's here for the free chocolate and is seen readily enjoying it, though not really because what is emotion?, as he stands by chocolate fountain tasting and trying an assortment of things. It's pretty tasty and he's certain he never thought to dip fruits in chocolate before maybe because it defeated the purpose of fruits being healthy. Either way he will be sitting in the corner with a plate of chocolate covered goodies, munching happily away on them as he people watches. Don't mind the priest sitting and eating chocolate, totally a normal occurrence in Cerealia to be sure. ]

[It had occurred to William recently that he hadn't really checked out Kevin's place of employment beyond stopping by to pick him up on occasion. A bit of an oversight on his part, though in William's defense he was busy with his own job and studying. But still, it was William's duty to make sure that Kevin's place of work was respectable.

After a bit of looking around, William had concluded it was... well, a flower shop. As to be expected. The strong scent of flowers and even more so, herbs was making him spacy feeling as it often did.

Maybe sitting a spell and having some tea to clear his head would be a good idea?]

[He's been staring from a distance and watching Kevin utterly debase himself. William is so glad he stuck himself in the library where his job doesn't rely on his own unique charms.

After a moment or two, William decides to approach.]

You know, it really is a shame you were not a student back home. Otherwise I could have used you in that maid cafe.

[Not that Camio and Sitri hadn't more than pulled their weight.]

a:

[ Kogitsunemaru always liked flowers. No, seriously! Although most of the time he saw them during more important times, like say a sortie, an expedition, or when tending to the soybean crop and just couldn't find time to really enjoy them. However... this time will be different! He'll finally get the opportunity to look at all the different shapes and colors and they all have very nice scents.

This time will also be different because he's not buying them for himself! You see, he has a few folks he wants to buy flowers for, but he can't really decide what colors and kind to buy. This is why you'll find him bent over some of them, seemingly frozen in place because he's paralyzed with too many decisions and oh god what if he picks something someone doesn't like and aaaaahhhHHHHHHHHH

He just wants special people to feel special, that's all. ]

b-2:

[ You see, he works at the udon noodle store Kitsune Udon ("Served By a Fox" --- unless he's in timeout from eating all the stocked tofu ~~again~~ so sometimes, when he's not being punished for testing the goods, he takes some with him to the apartment. Of course, his plans completely change when he hears about the chocolate fountain from someone talking in the restaurant and he must investigate.

Kogitsunemaru is happy to stroll up to the unattended chocolate fondue with a bag in hand. He looks around, puts the bag down, and grabs a spare wooden skewer so he can stab whatever he has with him.

And what does he pull out? A skewered, golden brown, crispy fried piece of pocket-shaped tofu. He's gonna dip it into the chocolate! Is that... a good idea??? ]

c:

[ Live the dream! Do the things! ]

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