genessia | 2017 Winter Holiday Party!

2017 Winter Holiday Party!

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.

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[At last it's time to start! Minako takes the stage, wearing a knee-length yellow dress with a white sweater tied around her shoulders. She beams at the crowd, holding her auctioneer notes in her hands.]

Good evening and welcome to our holiday auction! Most of you know, but those who don't, the donations you give tonight are going to the public schools for their extracurricular programs. Thank you so much for lending them a hand! I'll explain how the auction works, since it's probably a little different than you're used to.

[She tips a finger toward the place where the tickets are being exchanged for donations.]

As long as you donate at least one dollar, then you get 100 bidding tickets! You can donate more if you like, and as often as you want, but you only get a maximum of 100 tickets. You can get more from your friends if they're feeling generous or want to trade them, but other than that? The limit is 100! This is so everyone has a fair shot at winning a date tonight!

[Her finger swings toward the boxes against the wall.]

You might have noticed that there are boxes in front of each person's portraits. You can use your tickets here too if you have any left over, and at the end we'll have a drawing for one more chance to win a date with the people you like! So it's up to you how you use your tickets, but at least they won't get wasted!

[She resists the urge to take a breath, and instead raises her arm in the air.]

That's it! Go grab some tickets, and let's start the bidding!

[If you're dropping tickets into someone's box, put BOX in the subject line within the appropriate character's thread and specify how many tickets your character is dropping in.]

Edited 2017-12-15 06:51 (UTC)

[The rules of this game are simple! Stand up on the stage under the mistletoe with your partner, kiss each other, and put your hands on the passion-o-meter to get a rating! The kiss doesn't have to be on the lips -- it can be the cheek, or forehead, or top of the head. As long as it's above the shoulders! A d100 will be rolled for each kiss to randomly determine the meter's passion rating. Whichever couple has the highest score wins the arcade game! Only one kiss per couple will be rated, but the same person can try their luck with multiple partners since it's per couple, and not per person. Good luck, and may the best PDA win!]

[Just because Minako is the emcee for the auction and the official party organizer doesn't mean she's going to hide in the shadows. If anything, she's one of the most avid participants. If the music is lively enough for dancing, then she's dancing. If there's a fresh tray of appetizers being served, she's sampling everything that comes out.]

[She's a whiz at the bowling lane. She's yelling at the rubber ducks for constantly giving her the rubber finger puppet prize when she really wants the nail polish set.]

[And if you need encouragement to stop being shy about this or that...whether it's making a move on the person you like, or trying out the kissing contest...she's there to give a nudge, either metaphorically or outright literally shoving people if they don't seem like they'd do it on their own. SHE'S HELPING!]

[It's a mystery as to where she's getting all of this energy, it doesn't seem like it's running out. Even after the party when she's cleaning up, she's as vivacious as she was at the beginning.]

[OOC: Open to other starters too if there's something specific you want to do!]

A. General Mingling & Games (Sort Of)

[Apparently Winter's idea of casual dress is to show up in her usual military uniform. It's what she's comfortable wearing anyway. And while she doesn't go out of her way to corner people for small talk, she's perhaps a little less brusque and a little more approachable. She'll at least say 'greetings' before walking away if she doesn't like someone.]

[She'll even watch some people play the games, but doesn't seem interested in playing any herself unless directly challenged.]

B. Auction (Prior to Bidding)

[She makes a sizable donation, even though she has little interest in the tickets she's given. She holds the roll of bidding passes as if it were a foreign knick-knack, eyeing it with a little curiosity and a touch of what might be disgust before carrying her glass of eggnog to the table and seating herself primly.]

[That's when she spots her picture on the wall.]

[To her credit, she doesn't spit out what she's drinking. Her glass is set down calmly as her brows descend, and she gets up, approaching the ticket boxes for a better look. She and Weiss do look an awful lot alike, after all, and there are many women here with white hair. It could be a mistake.]

[It's not a mistake. And the description written up about her makes her blood boil. Her eyes narrow and her lips curl back to show her tightly grit teeth. Angrily she storms back to her table, fists clenched, and practically flounces into her seat.]

[Someone isn't happy to be here.]

C. Mistletoe

[At some point, because it's unavoidable, Winter has to pass beneath one of the doorways decorated with mistletoe. Were you thinking about coming up to steal a kiss?]

[If so, Winter's eyes lock onto any hopefuls, and she bites off one venomous word.]

Don't.

[Winter has no patience for these holiday shenanigans.]

[Jim isn't really around the party for the first part; he was concentrating on the auction. So other than getting a plate of food and a drink, that's about all anyone sees of him.]

[But AFTER the auction, Jim finally emerges in all of his holiday splendor. Just look at him with his hands in his pockets, being stupidly sexy in his ugly, ugly sweater. No one can say he didn't have a good time tonight if his grin is any indication.]

[He won't dance on his own, but if someone looks like they're waiting for a partner, he'll gladly indulge and ask. He's also eyeing that kissing contest. Pretty brazen, even for him, but if someone really wants to give it a go for the sake of an arcade console, hell, it's mistletoe! Who is he to turn his nose up at such an infamous tradition?]

[The good captain can also be found stubbornly trying to win VIP passes to the premiere of the VR suite, because he absolutely wants to run through a room shooting things with a laser partner. He aims carefully at the tiny gold balloon, hefts his dart, throws...MISSES AGAIN AGH okay one more try...]

Edited 2017-12-15 21:20 (UTC)

[ Dressed for the occassion, Ayame can be found just relaxing and having a drink while walking around with her trusty camera to take pictures of people (with permission, of course), content in basking in the jolly ambiance and watching the party-goers have fun. She didn't plan on staying after having a relaxing time at the baths since she has other work that needs doing, but whether through peer pressure or the lure of holiday themed cocktails, Ayame is here for a bit ]

Say cheese.

[ Ayame readies her camera, aimed at her target and her itchy trigger finger is ready to press the button to shoot if the other person seems compliant about having their photo taken ]

[Seems a certain superficially busy deputy guardian decided to take a break from literally everything she normally does this evening to stop being a hermit long enough to do something.

Well, sort of.

Over at the small stage, a group of Alice's dolls were dancing together. Where's Alice? Standing over there.

At the bowling alley, there was yet another group of dolls. Two of them carried the bowling ball while a third kept score. As the two dolls set the ball on the ground and pushed it into the lane, only for it to almost immediately roll into the gutter. The score-keeping doll shook its head and marked a miss. Where's Alice? Over there, at the punch stand.

There were two dolls at the wall for Pin the tail on the unicorn. One doll blindfolded the other and spun it around. The second doll floated like a drunk bee towards the wall, but accidentally pricks a random party-goer. Whoops! Where's Alice? Being the culprit behind these semi-autonomous dolls.

Perhaps you come under a mistletoe and what do you see? A lone doll. It's soulless eyes staring back at you. You're both under a mistletoe. You should probably give it a kiss. Where's Alice? Definitely close by, watching.

Seriously, Alice. Are you even going to do anything? The puppeteer has simply been hiding in plain sight to see what kind of reaction she can get by having her dolls have all the fun.]

[It would be hard for Erza to avoid something like this! Given how well this particular outfit went over for the Christmas calendar photoshoot, she figures that there's no harm in wearing it again for the party.

She's at ease thanks to the bath house party earlier, and mingling with the guests. Alternatively, she could be found near the kitchens, sampling the desserts. After all, they need to make sure that they turned out all right! At least, that's what she tells anyone who asks.

When it comes to the games, she'll be quite enthusiastic about taking part in the cake walk and bowling. ...Perhaps a little too enthusiastic about the latter - she has trouble controlling her strength, so anyone nearby might want to look out for flying bowling balls.

She'll be avoiding the date auction, not wanting to enter it accidentally (again), and eyeing any sprigs of mistletoe with suspicion. For all she knows, they've been enchanted to keep people stuck under them, and she doesn't want to be ensnared in such a fiendish trap!]

[This little lady was all dressed up for the occasion complete with white stocks, black mary-jane slippers, and her long, blonde hair up in a ponytail secured with a shiny green ribbon. She can be found in several places.

The first game Anastasia tries is the fishing game, tossing the clothesline over to see what happens. And she waits. And waits. And waits... Is she even doing this right?

Second game is tries is Alley Brawlers! Of course, having never actually played a video game, much less a arcade machine, it was no surprise she was doing world record-breaking bad.

Next, she can be found by the snacks and drinks. She'll be targeting the fruity punch drinks as well as any fruits she can find, strawberries, mostly. But then she sees chocolate-dipped sweets as well, but there was another party-goer there. So, she'll just...wait.

Finally, Anastasia can be found at the dance floor, having a grand ol' time with a cute mix of ballet moves and more casual steps. The music was quite easy to move to.]

[Eleanor's usual Exorcist uniform is quite glitzy enough for a holiday party like this. However, all of this was almost overwhelming for the young woman. So many things and no idea where to start.

Eleanor first stops by the refreshment table, examining the spread. Instead of actually grabbing anything, all she does is just stand there and muse to herself.]

Huh... If Rokurou and Eizen had been here, who knows what would happen... A brawl, probably...maybe if Zaveid was here as well... Or Velvet... Nah, Velvet has more control than that...

[She hopelessly does not get men sometimes.

Eventually, Eleanor wanders away from the snacks table and stops again to do more thinking to herself...out loud, where people close by can hear.]

So this is the Fairy Tail guild? Supposedly made up of magic users. I wonder if they know of the Malakhim? Regardless, they sure know how to throw a party, but I don't get what's up with that dating auction... Maybe... I should have signed up?
... ...
Nah, I mean... Why? It's not like I can find anyone special here. I suppose it is for a good cause if it's for charity. It's too late now, anyway.

[Little did she know, she happens to be standing under a mistletoe...]

[Kunzite actually came to a party, what a surprise!

And he came looking somewhat festive. He stuck two fuzzy reindeer antlers on the two horns of his helmet and wore a glowing red nose.

That's about it. The rest was still his usual armour.

The tall mechanoid stood by the refreshments table, holding a cup of punch, but wasn't drinking.]

Probability of this festive holiday party being a success is approximately ninety-two point eight percent.

[Was this his idea of mingling?]

[Alright, he's not on the auction block this time, but he is wandering the area. He might be circling a bit. He donated the money, sure, because it's for charity and all that, but he circles a lot, fretting a little bit and hovering somewhere between numbers 6 and 9.

He's fidgety, fiddling with his fingerless gloves, like he's trying to decide if he wants to bid or not.

That's the problem. Does he want to? Yes. Should he? Probably not. Because then he'd have to go on a date, and Belle is an angel.

This seems like a dumb way to ask for a date, but he doesn't have to ask. That's the point isn't it?

He wanders away, he'll wander back and away again.]

[Belle is wearing a simple light blue dress to the event. She isn't sure what to expect but she's open to new experiences.

As she wanders through the party she sees a few people that she knows and offers them a pleasant smile and a wave. She doesn't want to interrupt anyone however there is an undeniable question teasing at the edge of her thoughts.

What exactly is a 'date'?

She's heard a few renditions of the word and it's clearly meant to describe an event but the accounts of such an event vary from person to person. The year that she knows doesn't have anything as contrite as dating. The man purposed to the woman and they were married. Belle is the exception to that though compared to others she is uncommon.

It sounds as if dating is a lovely alternative though it feels as if she's missing an unspoken social detail.

Her thoughts are completely consumed by the thought as she continues to weave her way through the crowds of people. Belle grabs a cookie and something light to drink and then goes to the auction which she's been signed up for by a friend. She isn't sure how all this is going to go.]

[now, ryuji thought this entire party was a pretty sweet deal. after he had a talk with futaba and realized that this place wasn't a palace, he was feeling a bit more relaxed. at least there wouldn't be random shadows that would want to kill him! he could just have a good time!

so, there he was, eating all the food he could pile on to his plate, just stuffing his face. he would get up and mingle, he would! but he was a little busy right now.

come and talk to him and watch him struggle to eat? maybe?]

[Mavis wouldn't be happier if it was actually Christmas Day. She's wearing an outfit specifically for the occasion.]

A. Presents!

[Mavis has brought a basket full of presents. Who knows, maybe there's one for you?]

B. Mingling

[Mavis can be found by the snack table, piling up way too many snacks on her plate.]

C. Mistletoe

[As she spots the mistletoe, she starts looking for Zeref. Since he couldn't go to the bath house party and he categorically refused to take part in the auction, Mavis had gotten him to agree he'd come to the party with her. But where was her date? Mavis smiled at the thought. Even if she missed the life she thought she had during the event, her life in Genessia was definitely not so bad.]

Edited 2017-12-17 14:29 (UTC)

1.

{ Well, there was no getting out of this. Mavis even went the extra mile and had gotten all dressed up. He couldn't go to the bath party (not that he would have even if he could) and she didn't force him to participate in the auction, but he couldn't bring himself to say no to this.

But that didn't mean he had to be the life of the party, either. He was used to making a few token appearances at major celebrations in Alvarez, but he never stayed long.

That wasn't going to be an option here, however. While Mavis mingled with guests, Zeref decided to head to the buffet table. Just because he couldn't die of hunger didn't mean he couldn't feel hunger, and, well, this food looked delicious.

Especially those sausages in spicy sauce. }

2

{ Zeref had no intention of joining in any of these games, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy watching. Especially the bowling. He quickly came to understand the concept of the game; you had two turns to try to knock as many of the pins down as you could. If you got them all on the first try, it's called a "strike." If you get them all on the second try, it's called a "spare." If it goes off the sides, well, tough luck.

He took a sip of his glass of his coffee and continued watching. This game did look fun... }

Edited 2017-12-17 14:24 (UTC)

[Orihime's got to try every last game, with the exception of the kissing contest. An arcade machine would be really fun, especially in the bakery, but she's not really sure she's up for that with...pretty much anybody. She'll happily try to win a can of soda, though, and she's got her sleeve rolled up as she tries to scoop a goldfish. She can't quite get the hang of it, though, and the paper nets keep breaking.]

[Which is fine, she wouldn't know how to take care of a goldfish anyway, especially if she goes crazy again and hides in a hotel for a week. No fish deserves that kind of neglect!]

[But win or lose, she's definitely having fun. And if she's not giving a game a go, then she's loading up on more of the delicious food, and happily seeking out people she knows or wants to know, especially after the conclusion of the date auction.]

A: Everyone's still so young.

[Uncharacteristic for him; Arro can be found brooding near one of the windows for part of the night, without a smile on his face. While all are free to assume it's because of his number of bids at the auction; the reality is that he's disappointed with everyone's frankly childish behavior over the auction. Being unimpressed as he was with everyone forgetting that dating hardly implies a relationship he actually felt a great regret in even coming. Not that it had stopped him from depositing some tickets into boxes as opposed to actively bidding.]

B: Candy is dandy, but Liquor is quicker

[After his small spell, Arro has a smile back on his lips once more as he is walking around passing out candy or a vintage wine(where appropriate) to the guests that had not cut out early during the party. Don't worry, he brought more than enough for everyone.]

C: Dance

[Since it is hard for him to stay away from the dance floor, he appears here again at various points, searching for anyone that might be partnerless and looking.]

[Certain dark and unfriendly events had given Ted second thoughts about being here. But he gave Minako his word he'd meet and hand off the rival dating device, so he would!

In a disguise. A stupid one; the kind that makes him far more conspicuous than if he'd worn the gaudy clown clothes he usually does. He simply had to meet the hostess, make the exchange, then get out, like the world's pettiest heist movie.]

"Hi Minako! Here you are! Good evening!"

[Then he's out like a shot. It's too bad; everything looked really fun. The socializing, the games. The dancing. Good heavens, the dancing. He could stand to do exercise that was actually fun for a change. Winter.

But that's not in the cards for tonight. Being a weirdo in a dark hood who's running out like the building's on fire, apparently, is.]

[She might be mentally freaking out a little, and definitely drinking after the auction. Mentally she can hear Amy yelling at her telling her to grow up, but --]

[There is no right way.]

[She wants to run and hide behind 12.]

[She would do the fishing, but now she's a little too freaked out.]

[Anyone calling her name will just get a startled squeak in response. And dancing is just going to have to wait until her head is screwed back on properly.]

[Except for Patchouli. At least she'd been in control there. ??? Somehow????]

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AUCTION