VALENTINE'S DAY EVENT - BLIND DATING [OPEN]

[tarotcards]

WHO: Anyone and everyone! Even those who didn't sign up for the event!
WHERE: Anywhere in Recolle
WHEN: Valentine’s Day - Feb 14
WHAT: The log for the blind dates event! Awkward dates and disasters within.
WARNINGS: None!

It’s finally the fated day: Valentine’s.

Some of Recolle’s citizens might be going out, spending the day with their loved ones, while others might be sitting in bars, crying into their drinks. For a number of “lucky” ones, they might have gotten dragged into a blind date!

The Narukami twins have done their jobs. All the matches have been released. Partners have been assigned. Messages have been sent out. Now all that needs to happen are the actual dates. So, run free, everyone. The entire city is there to be their playground. They can go on their own respective dates, join up with other couples, spy on others, sabotage some, anything is fair game. After all, it’s not really fun if someone’s not crashing on another person’s party, right?

( ooc: As promised in the OOC sign-up post, here is the IC post for all the blind dates and related events to occur. This is an open mingle post, so multiple threads can happen anywhere and everywhere. Indicate if the thread is closed if you’d like to keep it private, however! Feel free to use the post as a general mingle as well. Anything is free game here! For any questions, please direct them over here and we’ll try to get back to you ASAP. Have fun! )

Comments

you're fine! i was out of town this weekend

[catsudon]

( what in the world. someone is stepping out of a fancy black car and Yuri feels himself frowning. no... oh come on. he straightens up out of his slouch, offering the sprig of forget-me-not to Iris. he doesn't manage a smile, but he does manage to not frown. he shrugs his shoulders. )

Five minutes, give or take thirty seconds.

( he hadn't come that early, and he hadn't spent overmuch time getting ready. which may or may not be evident. this is casual for Yuri either way. tipping his head back toward the walkway into the office, he asks: )

Ready?

( may the chocobo riding adventure begin? )

[borntoolate]

All set! I even called ahead. They should have everything ready for us.

[And when they enter, the staff all smile and greet Iris by name. Clearly she's been here before.

They get escorted through the office and into the stable area in back, where an employee is holding the reins of two chocobos. One jet black, the other standard yellow. In addition to her own chocobo, she asked them to saddle up one of the more agreeable birds they had. She figures Yuri will appreciate a calmer ride.]

Hey there, Night. Miss me?

[She reaches out to pat the black chocobo's beak. The gesture is just a little hesitant, because she is entirely more used to this animal being a horse. But he still seems to recognize her either way, and leans into her touch. The employee holding the reins smiles at Yuri.]

This is Goldie. She's a bit lazy, but very friendly.

[Goldie tilts her head at Yuri for a better look. Perhaps he has treats? Or maybe some pets for her?]

[catsudon]

( It's curious, and he tries to keep himself from frowning as he follows after Iris, taking in how this is very much a space she's Known within, and how he's very much the outsider. All in all, it doesn't bother him much. He's used to it; cultivates it with his attitude, and accepts it as it is. This isn't the crowd he needs to impress; not yet.

But it's different, and he's curious enough at heart that he's looking around and keeping a more neutral expression than he might by reflex elsewhere. He still looks like a punk, or like one definition of it; better dressed and lacking ragged edges, put together and wearing almost as much black as Night.

He's been near chocobos a handful of times, and those experiences were largely... unusual. Goldie looks at him, and he stares right back at her, not sure if birds did staring contests for dominance or even cared. All he knows is he's going to get through this.

Lazy would bother him in a person. In an animal? It sounds like a fine quality indeed. He only reaches out toward her shoulder once he's sidled close enough, fingers hesitating before touching the plethora of oddly pliant feathers. )

Hey, Goldie?

( She bends her head down, beak opening as she makes for his pulled back knot of hair. Yuri shoves his hand up to intercept, catching her enormous beak (as far as he's concerned) and firmly pushing her head away. )

No. Where are we riding, anyway?

( Why did the horses he'd never ridden have to leave... somehow they seem so much more reasonable than a giant riding bird. )

[borntoolate]

[Iris giggles as Goldie goes for his hair. It looks like 'agreeable' doesn't necessarily rule out 'mischievous.']

They have riding trails in the back. There are also trails in the park, but I figured this'd be easier for a first time.

[And not just his first time either. Iris has been riding horses since she was ten, but that may not help too much on a giant chicken. She'll have to see. She's short enough that they've gotten out a mounting block for her which does make it easier to pull herself into that saddle.

It's a little less steady than she would've liked, but the bird feels less awkward than she thought it would.]

Don't worry, we'll take it slow.

i'm so sorry for that html fail!

[catsudon]

( he fends off the hair nibbling, sidling around to the side and listening to the workers when it comes to mounting off the mounting block. it's easier than the flying leap on the back of a chocobo to outrun the superstring ball, or being pulled up behind Jade and left wandering in circles.

riding giant birds still feels so immensely wrong. )

I'm not worried about the speed...

( he says under his breath, holding the reins and staring at them before Goldie shakes herself and Yuri goes stiff in her saddle. he doesn't drop anything; at least he has that going for him. glancing to Iris, he manages to not look like a completely stiff idiot. only a most stiff one. )

Why couldn't we have been left with horses?

( ignoring the face one of the employees makes a confused sort of sound, he holds the reins down low and tries to ignore the feathers everywhere. )

The last time I rode one of these, we were trying to escape a giant ball of string. Anything has to be better than that.

( don't speak too soon, Yuri. either way, he does manage to keep Goldie from wandering off to see what she might eat and instead waits for Iris to take a lead with Blackie. the less guiding he has to worry about, the better. )

no worries~ I should be apologizing for the slowness. orz

[borntoolate]

[It is weird. The saddle is different, the balance feels off, and the feathers are distracting. Iris manages to keep up the illusion that she knows what she's doing, but only just barely.

She giggles at his comment, and throws him a little wink. Just to confuse employees a little more.]

Would've been waaay too easy.

[And then she clicks her tongue and tugs the reins lightly.]

C'mon, Night. Let's go.

[She's relieved when he responds to the cue, turning toward the trail. At least she doesn't have retrain him. It's also further proof that this actually is her horse.

Except he's a bird now.]

You're lucky. I had to escape the ball of string on foot. Totally not fun.

LAUGHS no you're fine <3 we're getting this done

[catsudon]

( He's at a loss for words when he realises this was actually easier to do with someone else in the saddle. Possibly because then he'd been so busy also escaping balls of string and trying to keep him and Anya both in saddle?

As it is he's too stiff, he's not relaxing into Goldie's stride, he's not sure how to properly hold the reins, and he's not relaxing. Goldie notices, craning her head around to look at him and quarwk in question, shaking her head and fluffing up the feathers on top of her head. An experiemental sidestep and dance to the side has him leaning forward and holding on firm to the saddle, reins barely caught before they fall down.

Goldie finds this amusing. Lazy or not, she's pegging Yuri as an easy ride: his is about to get Interesting as time goes on. )

It wasn't much better — woah! On chocobo-back?

( He's gritting his teeth and looking ill at ease. )

One of them even stole my phone that day... don't go getting ideas, birdbrain.

( Goldie hops, leading to Yuri pulling back on the reins with a yelp. )

Woah! What are you doing?

[borntoolate]

[Iris is finding that once she got the hang of the differences, chocobo riding isn't that hard. Which is why she can't help but giggle at the trouble Yuri is having.]

Heehee~ She's really giving you a run for your money, huh?

[She moves Night Sky closer, just in case she needs to try to grab Goldie's reins for him.]

I guess they aren't that different from horses after all.

[catsudon]

Were horses as pig headed?!

( He finally manages to get a firm seat and calm Goldie down into the odd yet still smoothish walk of a chocobo, finding the different sounds of taloned feet hitting the ground weird after endless memories of hearing clip-clop for hooves is jarring.

Still, this is probably not horrible. He still knows next to nothing about riding, and less about chocobos, but he's been on one twice, so this is fine. )

How do you make them listen to where you want them to go?

[borntoolate]

Sometimes. But you've just gotta show 'em who's boss.

[As if in answer, her own chocobo stops to fluff up his feathers indignantly.]

Ni~ight....

[A scolding tone. She holds the reins a little tighter and gives him a warning tug.]

When they're not being spoiled brats, you can usually just use your feet. A little tap will tell them which way you want to go. Don't tug too hard on the reins or they might get fussy.

[catsudon]

... With both feet?

( he doesn't like not knowing, but he sure as heck won't pretend he knows this when it's going to be blindingly obvious to someone who does ride he's clueless. he taps both heels against Goldie's sides, prompting her into lifting her head and turning to look at him, going... exactly the same speed as before.

fluffing her feathers, then settling them down again. yes, human. what did you want? to be ignored? she turns her head forward and slows down in her ambling stride. )

Okay, that didn't work. Let's go left. Left.

( but he taps with his left heel and ends up getting Golding turning right instead, surprised and pulling back on the reigns to stop her from careening that direction, right.. possibly into Iris and Night. )

Woah!

[borntoolate]

No, just one.

[But then of course she realizes a second too late she should've been specific about which one for which direction.]

No, the other- Watch it!

[The chocobos collide, but it's not as if they had any real speed going and it's just an awkward bump. Night squawks and ruffles his feathers little.]

Whoa there...

[But Iris is grinning as she pats his neck.]

Never a dull moment, huh? I think chocobos might actually be more sensitive than horses. It usually takes a sharper tap to get that kind of reaction.

[catsudon]

( On the bright side, he manages to get Goldie to veer away with a fluffing of feathers on the crest of her head and some light flapping of her nonfunctional wings. Stamping feet, he rides through that at a bounce, gritting his teeth. Once Goldie has settled back down, he uh, clarifies what Iris had been telling him: )

Ugh, maybe? I never rode horses either. ( no time, too expensive, no particular drive to try. ) So... the foot on the side you want to turn toward, or turn away from?

( This could be going worse.

He could be dangling from the saddle under Goldie, somehow. )

[borntoolate]

Use the opposite foot. If you want to go right, tap with the left. Think of it as nudging them in the direction you want to go.

[She clicks her tongue and Night starts walking slowly down the path.]

I've been riding since I was ten. It was my dad's idea.

[catsudon]

( He takes her advice, testing it out as subtly as he can: which is not so subtle at all. Still, it's enough he feels some satisfaction in how Goldie responds, predisposing him into actually trying to maintain conversation that is, on some level, weird for him.

Whose father makes them start riding? Did she need the leg strength? The core? Huh. He guesses that's pretty smart, but seriously, that's an expensive workout routine...

He's entirely missing the point. )

What was the reason behind that? Riding seems like a kind of... out there thing to decide, "Yeah, my child is taking on this challenge."

( He tugs Goldie's head around when she attempts to snap at a branch of something unappetizing to him, but utterly appetizing to her. She relents, fluffing her wings gently once more and squawking. )

[borntoolate]

[She laughs and shakes her head.]

No, it wasn't like that.

[Iris takes a minute to try to figure out how to explain this so it doesn't sound silly. Except it is a little silly, so..]

It was more like... a bribe, I guess. I wanted to take judo. But my mom was totally against it. Said it was 'unladylike.' I was stubborn, she was stubborn and we fought about it a lot.

[A small shrug.]/small>

But then Dad said he'd buy me a horse if I gave up on the judo.

[And a small sheepish smile.]

It was a pretty good bribe.

[catsudon]

... Think you'd try doing it on your own these days?

( He admittedly doesn't get that kind of family dynamic. Bargaining with parents, perceptions about what was appropriate? Sure, don't be criminal if you can avoid it, but it seemed to him being able to wrestle people into submission was a fairly useful ladytrait.

Then again, he might be used to Anya being more than a little well trained in martial arts. For someone who has no experience in these things past movies and stage tumbling and falling, it's kind of a different realm altogether. )