2017 Winter Holiday Party!

[sailor_v]

WHO: OPEN TO ALL!
WHAT: Holiday party! Date auction! Shenanigans.
WHEN: December 15th, 2017 - Evening
WHERE: Fairy Tale HQ - Fayren
NOTES: The auction and the kissing contest are time sensitive! Bids close and the last kiss will be accepted on Friday, December 22nd, at midnight PST!

Fayren didn't have electricity, but it had something even better.

MAGIC!

There were twinkling colored lights that burned, flickered, and floated in an ethereal way, enchanting the building in a way that fluorescent lights never could. Branches of evergreen were hung here and there to give the air a fresh pine scent. There were also pinecones doused with cinnamon and nutmeg near the doorways.

Except near the kitchens, because the food smells were more than enough to entice the senses. There were mini-sausages swimming in a thick and spicy sauce, sweet and tangy meatballs on toothpicks, vegetables and dip, bite-sized cream puffs, iced sugar cookies, cheese and crackers, mulled cider, and eggnog in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.

The main room, expansive as it was, had plenty of room for music, dancing, and mingling. There were some tables and several chairs set up, and a small stage where musicians were welcome to perform to their heart's content. To the side was an even smaller stage where a sprig of mistletoe was suspended on a loop of scarlet ribbon, with a sign that reads: "Test Your Passion! Win This Arcade Game!" And next to that was a full-sized arcade game version of Alley Brawlers. Might be worth checking out!

But there were more games than that, and more than a few maps set up on easels of the headquarters and where to go to play certain games. A single lane bowling alley (with manual set-up of the pins), a "fishing" booth where people toss a clothespin on a fishing line over a curtain to have a little prize attached by someone hidden on the other side, a ring toss for cans of soda, a cake walk (with full-sized cakes for the winners and cupcakes for the losers), ornament decorating, pin-the-tail-on-the-unicorn, face painting, a pool of rubber ducks with numbers corresponding to prizes on the bottom, goldfish scooping... Almost anything one would find at a carnival was sure to be found here.

As for the auction? Step right up, right past the gauzy white curtains into a big room lit with twinkling golden lights. Anyone was welcome to come in, but if someone wanted to participate as a bidder, they'd have to make a donation at the door. In return, each donor would receive a packet of 100 red tickets with the same number assigned to the bidder name: one roll of tickets with 101 for the first donor, a roll of tickets with 102 for the second donor, and so on.

Cookies and punch were available in this room, with several tables and chairs set up before a large stage with a microphone. Along the wall was a line of clear plastic boxes, with slots on top, set in front of each auction date's face. A card that indicated the name of each person, their age, and a brief description of what they were all about was pasted onto the front of the boxes. People were welcome to look at the line-up if they wanted, or even use some of their tickets prematurely if they wanted, as they were clearly for a drawing. Until the auction starts, soft piano music plays from a stereo running on batteries.

Comments

[his_queen]

[Riza had gotten a call to leave a bit early from work, dress nicely, and head to the Holiday Party/Charity Event in Fayren.

That makes sense, it was a holiday event after all, so she put on a simple dress, and arrived at the event...

...to be put on stage.

And from the description, she immediately knew who put her up to this.

She was not amused.]

[princeliers]

Oh please do not fret over this! You look stunning! Think of this as merely a way to get to know more friends! Have a little more confidence in yourself, you can do it! I believe in you!

[and the sidon cheer squad continues as he waves to her in the crowd.]

[his_queen]

[Deep breaths. Focus.]

It's not for lack of confidence, it's because I didn't sign myself up. And I can't exactly leave. It's for a charitable cause after all.

[mouth_breather]

Ten tickets.

[Given the look on that guy's face, Jim has a pretty good idea as to what's going on here. He's not crazy about playing the antagonist, but it's not like this is the first time he's had to do it.]

[And if he wins, well, Riza is his type. They'd probably get along well enough to make a night out pleasant.]

[ohthehughesmanity]

[Hughes really hadn't expected Roy to let anyone else bid on Riza when he signed her up, but it certainly makes things a lot more interesting. He'd came prepared to be the only person fighting for her against Mustang (just because he knows Roy will up the ante to whatever it takes), so he's wearing a jacket with the collar popped and a baseball cap pulled down. Just in case, he's taken the liberty of shaving his face, hoping that a quick glance will throw Mustang off his scent.

He's also forgone his glasses, realizing that they're one of his distinguishing marks. He's only half certain he's looking at the right person.]

15 tickets.

[his_queen]

[It almost happened all at once.]

Colonel. [She nodded to Roy, slight relief at seeing him, and anger at her situation in her voice.

Then a young, handsome man appeared, and the bidding began.

Riza was not one to blush, but there may have been a slight tinge of pink from embarrassment at the bidding, especially when the next person bid against the good looking man.

There was something about that man- his voice sounded all too familiar, but she wasn't completely positive it was him.

She gave Roy a look that almost said, "I need a little help here," and stood defiantly.]

[mouth_breather]

[It started out fun, but Kirk's smile fades when he hears Mustang speak to Riza like that.]

I think the lady can make her own decisions about whether or not she wants to stay, pal.

Thirty!

[ohthehughesmanity]

[Whoa, hey, this was supposed to be the kick-off of Roy and Riza's relationship. Hughes wasn't expecting things to get hostile.]

[He faces Kirk and whispers to him so only he can hear, the collar blocking his lips from sight.]

Calm down; he's just being protective. He won't force her to leave if she doesn't want to.

[And back to the masses.]

50!

[He turns and whispers one more thing to Kirk.]

They're into each other - they just won't admit it.

[his_queen]

[She had nodded to Roy, but was taken aback, and slightly impressed by the handsome man's words.

She opened her mouth to speak up about how she wasn't being told to do anything she didn't want, when the baseball cap wearing person's voice registered to her.

There was a glare in Hughes' general direction.]

I'm fine, and I would much rather have this embarrassment over with as soon as possible.

[Her words were firm, but polite, as she DID appreciate the chivalry shown by the unknown person.

It seemed as though her Colonel's protective side was taking over however, and honestly, she was grateful. Not entirely happy with his attitude towards the other men, but when his hand was extended, the opportunity to leave by taking his hand with an almost apologetic look to Kirk, and an almost death glare to Hughes.

Once she was close enough to Roy, she whispered.]

Thanks for saving me, but don't you think you could have been a little less... passionate about this? It is a charity auction after all. He didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

[mouth_breather]

[Kirk is not impressed. If anything, he's even more worried for Riza, because from his point of view, it's a superior officer abusing his position. There's a BIG reason why he hasn't pursued a relationship with any of his own crew.]

[His head tips in Hughes's direction when the man whispers to him. Jim frowns, shooting him a skeptical look. That sure doesn't look like a healthy relationship to him.]

There's a difference between 'protective' and 'controlling.'

[It looks way more like the latter to him. So he looks to the real authority on this matter: Riza. He studies her face, her body language, if there's any hint of hesitation on her part when Roy flings his tickets on the stage and holds out his hand. What a childish jackass! Kirk folds his arms and lifts his eyebrows to Riza, posing the silent question -- is she really okay with this? Because he can make it NOT over just by snagging a few more tickets from a friend.]

[ohthehughesmanity]

[Yeah this is not going as smoothly as he had hoped. He really just wanted this to be the night where Riza and Roy finally admitted that they liked each other so maybe they could work towards something. From what he's heard, they're here for the long haul and with no Amestris regulations to stop them, there's no reason that they can't finally be together. Goodness knows they've waited long enough. But it looks like he's just made a bigger mess of things.

He speaks to Kirk again, but this time it's not a whisper.]

Look, Roy's a really great guy, okay? I know how this looks on the outside, but he can tell how much she hated this whole thing. He's been through hell and back and lost his best friend about along the way. Riza is the single most important person in the world to him and he's just watching out for her because he doesn't want to lose her too.

And she feels the same way about him. She's risked her neck for him more times than she had to, rank be damned. They're both crazy about each other and would never do anything to hurt the other one, not intentionally.

[He turns to face Roy and Riza, sighing as he removes his cap.From the look on Riza's face the jig was up anyway.]

Sorry, you two, I- [no, wait, that's not them... There they are! Man, he really shouldn't have left his glasses at home. He can't see a thing.] I just thought if you finally went on a date together you'd relax around here and finally get to be happy. No politics, no homunculi, just...

[Someone here deserved to be with the one that they loved.]

I'll see you guys at home.

[And he's walking in the opposite direction from the exit. It's okay; he'll find his way to the doors eventually. It just might take a while.]

[his_queen]

[Any anger or irritation towards either of the men she lived with disappeared. With Roy, it was when he whispered his selfish intent- that was unexpected, and made a shiver go down her spine despite the situation or environment they were in. She mentally reprimanded herself for feeling that way, but he held her hand so casually- that was starting to be a normal thing for them wasn't it?

But in public?

Riza still stood her ground, fighting off the slight pink on her cheeks, and noticed Roy's demeanor change- she was about to say something when he stepped forward towards their friend, letting go of her to address him.

She supported Roy as he spoke, standing to his side, but only just behind him- her way of supporting him for as long as she knew him... but felt like this was more of a private matter.

She gave another apologetic look to Kirk, but it was obvious that the words Roy spoke were affecting her as well. She turned her attention back to them, and her breath caught in her throat when he used her first name. Besides his time as her father's apprentice, there were only two times in the many years they knew each other that he did that- one, an emotional, hectic, and sleep deprived night in Ishval where death was so close to their doorsteps, and the other...

..the other when he showed his emotions to her when they returned from the funeral of the man standing in front of them.

She smiled at the both of them.]

Of course I'd say yes. And of course you're welcome to join us.

[mouth_breather]

[All right. Okay. He's starting to relax a little now that he sees just how tightly knit the three of them are. Looks like the bidder had planned this all out right from the beginning. A shame Jim hadn't been aware of those plans, but hey, at least things seemed to work out okay. Riza looked happy at the outcome, so he knew better than to drop some tickets into her raffle box.]

[Good job, Kirk, you were the meddling interloper in this situation.]

Hey.

[He doesn't know Mustang's name, but if he's going out of his way to interpose himself between the woman and Kirk, either he's still bristling and hostile, or he really wants to be the person Kirk lovingly gazes at with his too blue eyes.]

No hard feelings, all right?

go win the man with those freakishly blue eyes

[ohthehughesmanity]

[Hughes really isn't that surprised that Mustang followed after him,  but he certainly hadn't expected the emotional rollercoaster that came with it. It only takes a moment to return the hug, a sad smile on his face.  it's good that he's finally getting this out there,  but it hurts, knowing that he's the cause.]

I'm sorry.

[There's really nothing else he can say because god is he sorry that he's made his best friend go through this. He can feel a few tears of his own escaping.  He knows that he dies. He knows that he'll never see anyone else again unless they come here as well. But those words... "We buried you"...That really put the nail in the coffin.It's a slap in the face, the brick wall of reality slamming into him and telling him that his life is really over.

But now is that really the time or the place for him to come to terms with that.  He can deal with that later. For now, he releases  Roy when he does and wipes his eyes with one hand, plastering a soft smile back on his face.]

Thanks, you two, but it's not really a date if there's a third wheel. I'm fine, really. You two kids have fun.

[He turns to Kirk, or at least he thinks it's Kirk-even without his glasses he's certain that no one else in the room has eyes as startlingly blue.]

Sorry you got wrapped up in that; I hadn't expected anyone else to bid.

[Not that Riza isn't  catch. He  just assumed that Roy would scare anyone away that came to close to his Queen.]

[sailor_v]

Going once!

Going twice!

SOLD -- to Roy Mustang!