[WORLD ONE] SPEED DATING EXTRAVAGANZA

[spellbindmods]

Who: Participating coven members
Where: The Palai marketplace
When: Day 49
Open/Closed: OTA

[ Any and all who are in the marketplace will find that there is suddenly a mysterious barrier around the marketplace (that may be eerily familiar to some) -- specifically one large portion of the marketplace with a large number of tables and chairs, perhaps purposefully set out for nefarious reasons.

A few Palai are ushering coven members to chairs, and everything seems about normal. As normal as the Palai can be when they're putting on a show anyway. It's not until a sizable portion of the coven members are seated (and also supplied with breadsticks and small shrimp), that things get a bit more bizarre.

Thanks to the power of the Eltos, a small band of energy keeps coven members stuck to the chair (magic can interfere, of course), but that's not the end of it. On each table, next to those delicious smelling breadsticks and shrimp, is a bowl of scraps of papers. Every five minutes, a strip of paper will pop out from the bowl.

If you ask the Palai, they'll be inclined to explain speed dating to you. Asking questions, getting to know a person, then being shimmied off to the next potential mate -- this is made possible by Elto magic yet again, through flying chairs that transport their holder to a new table at standard intervals.

The Palai are extremely invested in this exercise? Will you let them down? ]

[ OOC: In the spirit of speed dating, each character will have a top level. All who want to respond to this top level can with questions from this post, but the threads have to end at 10 comments from each character. After this last tag, the characters can be assumed to have been whisked to a different potential match. You're free to have characters make up their own questions, interact with Palai serving food, etc. ]

Comments

[potentite]

[Oh sweet merciful god no. Jake can't help panicking and trying to think of what could be the best route out of this.]

I, um— I'm not— taken but, um— W—Well I'm not looking, so, um... maybe... friends...? We can talk about anything you want! Just... please don't get interested in me romantically, I'm begging you.

[He is, hilariously, not being conceited to think this could happen. Back home he literally hadn't met anyone who didn't find him hot and it is traumatizing.]

[p_mortem]

[ "he literally hadn't met anyone who didn't find him hot" <-- understandable tho

Today, Minato's goal is to fill up on bread sticks, not find himself in a relationship, so he's alright with this. The request, though, still make him pause. ]

Romantic feelings aren't really something you can control, though, right...?

[potentite]

[Minato understands how terrible the harem route ending really is.]

Ah... That's true, yes. I can't really have anyone shoulder that blame. [And, really, part of why everything was so complicated.] It's a shame, since I imagine it would clear up quite a lot of problems.

[p_mortem]

[ How to interact with girls without being blindsided by confessions... Maybe there is something to be learned from this speed dating exercise: learn what people talk about that gets them dates, and then avoid all mention of those select conversation topics. ]

The only way I know to prevent it is by being rude and dismissive, but... I can't do that.

[ He needs to unlock those Personas. Also be a considerate person, etc. etc. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

I...would ask the obvious question here, about whether you're having relationship troubles, but that seems like a bad thing to do, so: if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

[NAILED IT, NAILED THE TACT]

[potentite]

You're a saint among men, Mikleo. [He's so relieved.] Umm, hmm, actually, I think I would pick... fish, maybe? You can cook'em a lot of ways!

[oneandmikleonly]

Boiled and baked and grilled and stewed, wasn't it...? I think that's how the rhyme goes.

Fish is very good; we didn't eat it too often growing up at home, though. You can get some in the streams, but prickleboar is a lot more common around the area and easier to catch.

[thatdamnknight]

[someone as flustered as himself? yeah, flynn is a-okay with both this and the idea of no romantic shenanigans involved. he immediately offers up an understanding smile.]

Friends sounds nice. [so so nice.] Perhaps you can tell me about your world while we wait for our turn to end?

[chatting about their worlds could pass the time nicely. nothing romantic or awkward involved!]

[potentite]

[All things considered, he's not entirely sure that's actually a better topic but oh well, at least it's not romance. Mostly. He can cut out those parts.]

Oh, goodness, well... I'm under the impression my world is a bit of an oddball compared to most? It's... we were, um, part of a... a game, actually? That would eventually create a universe, uh, assuming we won anyhoo. [Which they. Did not, but that's fine. It's fine.] But before all that I lived on an island with monsters?

[thatdamnknight]

[it ends up sounding a lot more interesting than romance, that's for sure. but uh, it also ends up a little more confusing than romance. flynn tilts his head curiously.]

How could a game create a universe?

[because that has to be one of the crazier things flynn's heard since arriving.]

[deem]

[This would be all well and good, except that 9S cuts in shortly after the taken part]

Where would you be taken, though?

[Not having read the circumstances as they're intended, 9S' tone is colored by concern, leaning forward in this seat. Does this human expect that something would happen to him? Does he need protecting?

As a YoRHa unit he's obliged to protect every human, so-]

[potentite]

[Oh. Is he... asking what kinds of dates he's been on? He guesses?]

Uh... generally to tombs, I guess? To plunder their riches. But I don't think that's a common date.

[deem]

Aren't those locations, rather than times?

[Dating's sure a novel concept he's got zero familiarity with.

Sure androids have relationships, sometimes romantic ones, but dating?]

[yancat]

Why do you assume that I would be interested? It isn't so often that one encounters a man with magnetizing charisma.

[Jake has an attractive face, sure, but where's the coiffed hair and refreshing personality? That isn't to say Jumin is unaware of what he means, though. Too much attention does no one any good. He looks down at the strip of paper in his hand and places it back in the bowl.]

And there's only one of them at this table.

[potentite]

[That would be insulting but frankly Jake agrees that he is not worth any sort of attention like this. There is nothing to see in him and thank god Jumin understands.]

Oh. Well. You do seem very put together! I mean, um, appearance wise, yes, but you're keeping your cool in a very umm... kind of mature way I guess! I just, um, had a small friend group and they all sort of... It was complicated. My apologies for assuming.

[yancat]

[Jake baby no. Jumin just thinks it's only natural that Jake agrees.]

I see. I had experience with that once, too... But I wasn't the object of everyone's affection.

[He adjusts his cuffs.]

Make your boundaries clear. That's all the advice I have for you. [Beat.] Ah, no. Didn't I say you should have more confidence when you speak?

[probablynoteren]

[Whoa, he went an entire stuttering few minutes without using any words he didn't recognize, he's gotta be real flustered--

Anyway, it's a little hard to make sense of Jake's flailing, but it's not like Lenka can blame him -- the Palai are so bad at giving up or interpreting continuous human mortification he's just thanking everything that's holy there's no merch involved. If there was merch involved he might have had to resort to drastic measures.

But let's not think about that. First:]

Uh... I don't get it, but -- we just have to do this so they'll let us go? [his tone is almost preternaturally calm; even if it looks like they're not being let go without a round robin of some kind and why are there so many coven members] We can talk about something else.

[What's a topic other than war, food or flailing, though.]

[potentite]

[Lenka is a lifesaber. Jake relaxes, embarrassed by his own reactions but just glad they can move past though.]

Well, um! What's your home like?

[probablynoteren]

[This isn't ideal for him at all either; but it does help that he'd already steeled himself to consider this something else they need to do while they're living here -- the price of hospitality, so to speak, and he's gotten used to swallowing things like that. At the end of the day... they're just talking.

So, yeah, they can do this!

Lenka thinks about that for a moment. The last time he described his home to someone, they didn't believe him, did they?]

Hmm. It's 2071, and we live in Japan. What used to be Japan. I work for Fenrir as one of their God Eaters. [there, that should be a good overview without getting into anything too confusing (no it's not)] You?

[secrowtary]

F-Friends. Friends is good.

[ Someone can't even form a full sentence despite being rather smooth-tongued usually. Could it be that being flustered is contagious? Definitely. ]

Begging? [ Who hurt you, Jake... ] I-I promise...?

[potentite]

[Since he's only ever seen Hibiki seeming pretty put together, it's funny in a way.]

Um, thanks. It's fine, really! I just— It's better this way, so phew. We can be excellent chums this way!

[secrowtary]

I can't blame you, really...this whole romance thing is still a mystery to me. [ Hand holding??? Scandalous ] Besides...being friends isn't as embarrassing. What do you like to do in your free time, by the way?

[ Since they're supposed to ask questions...it's important to follow the rules, even under such circumstances. ]

[drizzle]

[Well, that recognisable voice and plea was one she didn't really expect to hear while it should be unexpected due to the owner of the voice. It was more than enough to encourage Nike to stare at him.]

As long as you promise to do the same for me, then I'll comply. Do we have a deal, Jake?

[Hopefully she guessed the right person, but then again his manner of expressing himself was rather unique to be mistaken.]

[potentite]

[He assumes she's sincere about it, so he nods eagerly.]

Of course! No need to fret there. [A beat. Wait, fuck, that must seem insulting.] I only mean that um— It's nothing to do with you! You're beautiful and I'm sure you're lovely, I just—

[That feels like it made it worse.]

Erm, sorry!

[drizzle]

[She felt more at ease when he agreed with her the first time. It was enough for her shoulders to loosen up from all the stress, but…..he had to compliment her, didn’t he? Not just compliment her, but do it in a way that she can’t get upset over this betrayal. This complete and utter betrayal!]

...somehow, I’m having a difficult time finding a way to respond to… [Wide hand gestures] all of that!

[What should she do? Tell him her urge to punch him or offer her gratitude for the compliment? It was a tough call, but.]

I think I should give you a proper lesson about noticing what actual beauty is. As much as I appreciate the compliment, it isn’t necessary. I know where I stand on that subject.

[Her sisters will always be the true beauties and divas of her world. Second to her mother, of course. No one can ever compare to any of them.]

So, again, you don’t have to try too hard. [With a small, playful smile.] Unless you’re actually interested about that beauty lesson I just offered after all?

[Was there a light threatening undertone to her question?]