34 - Love is in the Air

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: An enterprising pair of shinki is trying to spread love throughout the Far Shore with exciting blind dates.
When: February 14
Where: Hot romantic spots throughout Tokyo
Summary: Blind dates on Valentine's Day? Sounds like fun (or possibly a disaster, but everyone needs some good disaster stories.) That's not all that's going on, though. Ayakashi are looking to chow down on the negative emotions that a romantic holiday can generate, and those who aren't busy with their own dates might be sucked into helping out followers who need help to make the day go well.






The Dates

Blind Date Matchups

Those who have signed up -- or whose friends and colleagues have signed them up -- for dates will get cards with specified times and meeting places inside for the big event. The cards don't list their dates' names, but instead have a matching symbol to allow everyone to find their proper partner. If anyone tries to stand up their date, they can expect a small and angry owl to harass them until they give in.


• Date One: The Romantic Brunch.
  Couples will find themselves with reservations (and pre-paid coupons for the prix fixe menu) at a swanky French restaurant with a wide balcony overlooking the lake in a central Tokyo park. They can dine on dainty pastries, sweet milk coffees, bowls of grapes and hothouse strawberries, and a selection of fancy chocolates and petit-fours-- plus, some of the trees in the park are blooming in holiday-appropriate red and white!



• Date Two: The Aquarium.
  Couples scheduled for this date have tickets to a rooftop aquarium in Ikebukuro: brightly colored fish, animals including penguins, seals and pelicans, a small petting zoo and plenty of shadowy, secluded nooks to cuddle in make for a fun lunchtime date. The tickets even include admission to the one o'clock penguin and seal show!



• Date Three: The Amusement Park.
  This date sends couples to spend the evening enjoying themselves at a seaside amusement park. Ride the roller coasters! Take selfies with the costumed attendants! Share an overpriced ice cream cone while you watch the fireworks after sunset, then wind up the night with a ride on the colorfully lit Ferris wheel with a romantic view of the Tokyo skyline.

Ayakashi Menace

There's more than just romantic couples out to enjoy themselves today. Romantic holidays can be tough for those whose love lives aren't so rosy, and as always, those negative feelings draw in ayakashi who are ready to ruin everybody's day.

All across the city, besides the usual ayakashi, characters might encounter the following:

Flocks of dove ayakashi whose mournful call induces self-doubt, suspicion and paranoia in everyone who hears it. Are your friends really your friends? Is your lover betraying you? Shouldn't you hurry up and stab them in the back before they can do it to you? These ayakashi are small and agile, difficult to catch but easy to destroy once they're caught... if you can overcome the urge to turn on your allies first.

Long-fingered shadow ayakashi, large and powerful, and capable of sneaking around by blending into genuine shadows. These ayakashi draw those who are alone into their clutches, filling them with resentment and despair. Anyone battling them needs to watch out for the humans they might already have influenced, who may become unpredictable and violent as the ayakashi influencing them grows more desperate.

Cute teddy bear ayakashi, that influence anyone they cling to into greedy obsession: they need attention, affection and gifts, and they can never have enough. When attacked, the teddy bears turn out to fight a little more like a grizzly bear than a stuffed toy, so gods and shinki beware!

Praying for Love

Those who aren't busy with their own dates might find themselves busy taking care of other people's instead. On a day like this one, everyone's praying that things turn out perfectly! Prayers gods might hear include:

"He's just got to ask me out! I made him the biggest box of chocolates... please, let senpai notice me!"

"Does she really like me? Please, give me a sign."

"I got concert tickets for our date, but it's supposed to rain. Please let me find a way to make this work out anyway!"

"The restaurant I wanted to take him to isn't taking any more reservations for tonight. What can I do? I can't cook!"

Wild Card -- players are free to make up their own romance-adjacent prayers for their characters to fulfill.

In Summary:

• Enjoy your dates
• Fight some ayakashi
• Make sure to answer prayers for a good Valentine's Day
• Have fun~

Comments

Event Rewards

[godsoffortune]

Comment here with links to threads of 10 or more comments in which characters are fighting ayakashi or answering prayers! The threads do not have to be complete to receive the reward, only above the minimum comment number.

For each thread:

Gods will receive 200 followers.
Shinki will receive 20 exp.

[unlucky7]

[The Romantic Brunch]


[Ginia definitely didn't sign up for blind dating. It's a bit of a shock when she heads to her desk ready for a full day at work and is instead dragged off by her fellow at Ebisu's temple to change into attire suitable for a day of dates. The outfit of choice is a tried and true one: a teal sweater dress with boots and a light scarf and purse. They braid her hair back, put on her makeup, then drag her off to the first location.

Embarrassingly, they remain close by, making sure she doesn't run. They remain near the entrance of the restaurant. Ginia fidgets as two shinki dressed in Ebisu's black suits flank her, a third shinki patrolling for cards.]

You can let me go. I'll see this through. It's only two dates.

"Yes, but we're curious who your first date is."

"Oh, what about that person? They look like they could be from the Far Shore. Kasumi! Can you check for us?"

"On it! Hello! Excuse me! Are you here for a blind date?"

[Ginia pinches the bridge of her nose as her fellow shinki/coworker runs up to yet another person. Please help?]

[The Aquarium]


[Free of her coworkers and the first date finished, Ginia is a little bit more relaxed at the next location. Perhaps even a little giddy as she waits in the welcome center at the entrance, pouring over the map of the aquarium and noting the must-see exhibits. Definitely the penguin and seal show, the jellyfish tunnel is a must too. Her date card is hanging out of her hand, but with how she's holding it, the symbol is slightly obscured.]

[The Aquarium - II]


[After her date is finished, Ginia hangs around the aquarium a little longer. She takes a second leisurely lap through, keeping an eye out for people she knows - she won't disturb any dates unless someone waves her over though - and enjoying the exhibits again. Her posture is a little more relaxed than it usually is and she observes the tanks with a contemplative silence for minutes on end. Come say hi?]

[Ayakashi Menace - I]


[As promised, Ginia puts in her time fighting ayakashi. In between her dates, or in the late afternoon/evening, Ginia can be seen chasing down ayakashi with a flurry of borderline slashes, splashes of blessed water, or shielding people with borderline walls. She's fast, agile, and if she spots you, quick to whistle and tilt her head toward the threat for assistance. No time to stand around with ayakashi on the prowl!]

[Ayakashi Menace - II]
[And sometimes, there's a borderline appearing out of the blue to wall ayakashi off, or a flurry of slashes sending ayakashi scattering. Maybe it's a rescue that comes in time, but with no benefactor around. Working under the cover of an umbra spell, Ginia bolts around, an invisible force of destruction to ayakashi, doing the best she can solo. Perceptive people might hear the sound of footsteps or sense someone watching them.]

[Wildcard]
[As always, up for wildcard ideas! Feel free to PM me or contact me through plurk at cordially if you want to plan something specific, otherwise have at it!]

[revolutionfalcon]

[A: Ayakashi Menace I]

[The dove ayakashi are having enough of an effect on Shun that he can absolutely recognise how dangerous they are, but thankfully he has willpower to spare. Especially since he has a much better method of chasing them down than a lot of other people.

A flock of the shadowy doves flash through the sky, closely pursued by Shun on the back of a person-sized robot bird, blue and silver and with powerful-looking engines under its wings. It makes speed advantage the doves have non-existent, but actually boxing them in to rend them is a little more annoying, so Shun's definitely keeping an eye out for people on the ground to call on.]

Do you have a way of blocking these things in?

--

[B: Ayakashi Menace II]

[Meanwhile, the shadow ayakashi are much more Shun's speed, because if there's one thing that he's never had an issue with, it's dealing with violent humans. It does make getting to the actual ayakashi incredibly annoying when it's moving around so much, though, and Shun's halfway down an alleyway and letting out a sharp sound of irriation as he scans for the creature while almost instinctively ramming his elbow up into the solar plexus of a human the ayakashi is influencing, causing them to drop bonelessly to the ground.]

That's a pathetic way to operate, even for a monster.

--

[C: Prayers]

[This absolutely is not Shun's area of choice, but he's long learnt that people will make prayers regardless of what his actual domain as a god is supposed to be. There's also the point that his boyfriend is a love god (among many other things) and thus extremely busy today, so he feels like he should probably take what comes his way for solidarity's sake.

Thankfully, a lot of it involves adding some additional flourish to people's gifts, and if nothing else, Shun has a hell of a lot of flowers at his disposal. Still, he looks singularly unimpressed after leaving yet another considerable bough of them on someone's doorstep, leaping up onto a nearby power cable with a sigh of annoyance.]

I don't know how he puts up with doing this sort of thing all the time...

A

[abgrund]

[ Ain is dressed remarkably harmlessly for the occasion as he takes a walk through the district. The effects of the doves are not so much felt by him but by his cat, who has taken up a permanent perch on his head and burrowed its claws into what passes for his cranium. ]

I could. I can't promise it won't draw attention, though.

[ Surely Shun knows enough of his powers to guess at what he means. He could easily construct a dome; a slowly contracting net to ensnare the ayakashi. ]

ayakashi menace

[abgrund]

[ Ginia might come across Ain supposedly taking a stroll in Tokyo's suburbs. No doubt they're both here because they're homing on the dove ayakashi; though he takes a rather unconventional approach to them. Once he spots some roosting in a tree, he raises a hand in front of himself, and a black bow materializes in his grasp.

The bow lacks a bowstring; but he makes the pulling motion anyway and a dark spear shoots from the handle and into the tree. However, it doesn't quite hit the birds as they immediately fly upward and out of range. The arrow itself disappears a second later. ]

Hmmm.

Aquarium I

[wildguardian]

[Zhao's dressed up for his dates -- not formally, as he's not a suit kind of person, but nicely, in a buttery brown leather jacket over a green shirt with an open collar, skinny jeans and boots to match the jacket. He's holding an invitation too, but more casually, flashing the symbol on it to anyone who cares to look.

He breaks into a smile as he spots Ginia with the map, and heads her way with a signed greeting.]

You're out doing these too, huh? Who's your lucky date for this one?

[wildguardian]

A. Romantic Brunch - Closed to Nephenee

[Zhao's showed up with a good-natured grin, a yellow rose with a spray of baby's-breath around it, and an invitation in hand. His style is a little casual for this breakfast spot: leather jacket, green shirt open at the collar, skinny jeans and boots, but he's carefully groomed enough to make the casual look appear deliberate.

(Mostly, he's just refusing to wear anything that would require a tie.)

If anyone pauses to look at him, which he's learning is a clear sign they're someone from the Far Shore, he lifts his invitation to flash the symbol at them with a grin.]

Am I who you're looking for?

B. Amusement Park - Closed to Shen Wei

[Flowers are a good date gift when you're sitting at a table, but less good when you're about to go ride roller coasters. Zhao, in a moment of something that he hopes was inspiration and not bad judgment, had bought a satiny red ribbon in the best Valentine's-day wrapping style, and tied it around a small handful of his lollipops. Candy's a perfectly reasonable unisex gift, right? The ribbon makes it more thoughtful and less cheesy, right?

Also, he has seen the way Shen Wei watches him eat lollipops, which adds just the right amount of plausibly deniable come-on to the gift choice.

He's overthinking this.

He leans one shoulder back against the pillar at the entrance of the amusement park, applies a cheerful and careless grin, and watches the crowds, searching for a familiar face. His invitation's held casually in one hand, symbol visible.]

C. Ayakashi - Open

[Zhao Yunlan's got some time between his afternoon at the aquarium and when he's supposed to show at the amusement park; he's killing it hanging out in a park near the aquarium, enjoying the slightly warmer weather and watching the wind raise little whitecapped ripples on the river.

Or he had been, until he spotted a bizarrely colored little teddy bear waddling on its own towards a young human couple.

That bear has real, sharp teeth.

Zhao's on his feet in an instant.]

Hey, teddy! Pick on somebody your own size!

[The bear's head swivels around, and its mouth gapes to show off a very good view of those real teeth as it croons, You smell nice....

Zhao suppresses a shiver -- fuck, that's creepy -- and throws his hands wide in a come-and-get-me-then gesture.

The moment the thing commits to coming after him? He is going to run.]

Wildcard

[Got a different idea? Go for it!]

[reformedsinner]

Dates - Closed

Romantic Brunch - Petra Ral

[Hakkai doesn't look particularly pleased by his presence at a frilly, airy, lovely French buffet on a sunny Valentine's morning. His expression hints at distant storms, his arms are crossed, and he's holding an invitation between two fingers as though it's been dipped in something vile.

There are visible talon scratches on his forehead and hands, and he's dressed in aggressively teacherly style: his usual slacks and collared shirt, his usual reading glasses, with a charcoal gray argyle sweater vest added as a concession to the weather. The scarf around his neck, also gray, hosts a small white dragon who has managed to snuggle down into the knit fabric so well that only a nose, tail, and two wing tips protrude.]

Aquarium - Takashi Shirogane

[By the time he arrives at the second location, Hakkai looks less annoyed and more long-suffering. Jeep has surfaced from his scarf, and he's purchased a bag of roasted chestnuts, which he's alternating eating, feeding tidbits of to the dragon on his shoulder, and throwing to the large and cawing flock of crows he's collected around his ankles in front of the aquarium entrance.

There's an invitation protruding from the pocket of his sweater vest, but only a sliver is visible; potential dates will have to brave the flock of carrion crows to find out if he's the one they're looking for. It's possible this is deliberate.]

Amusement Park - Chinatsu Hiyama

[Three dates? He's been set up on three dates? Chikusa is going to be doing double chores for a week. The resigned patience of Hakkai's afternoon date is wearing visibly thin as he waits at the amusement park entrance. Jeep is back at the temple, he's holding yet another invitation, and there are several new owl scratches on his face.]

Late Dinner - Sha Gojyo

[The Korean barbecue restaurant Hakkai had picked for their date is a cozy family-run place, big enough for privacy but small enough not to be a hot Valentine's spot. He's running a little late when he arrives at the front door, still in his sweater vest and scarf ensemble, thoroughly owl-scratched, smelling faintly of amusement park ride funk (one-quarter popcorn, one-quarter sugary snacks, one-quarter sweat, and one-quarter old vomit ill-masked by disinfectant) and, overall, not nearly so put together as he'd hoped he would be.

Well, he's here, anyway.]

[alchemists]

Blind dates

1a - closed to Joscelin

[ Elfnein was waiting at the front of the aquarium for her blind date. She ended up borrowing clothes since she didn't own anything that would work for a "date". Thankfully she managed to make an outfit out of a cardigan and skirt with leggings and boots. Just enough layers for the this time of the year but not over the top to were she'd be over heating. ]

1b - closed to Hat Kid

[ It was later on in the day but still plenty of time for the amusement park. Elfnein had already been here before so it wasn't a big deal if she didn't go on every ride; what really mattered right now was meeting up with the second blind date. ]

2 - Praying for Love

((ooc: If there's a prayer you'd like to do with Elfnein go for it! I'm just putting down wildcard for now. ))

[swordofzero]

Blind date: Closed to Ross

Suzaku was very surprised when he received his card, stating he was to turn up for a date at an amusement park. He was vaguely aware that it was Valentines day and that there had been talk on the Bulletin boards about blind dates. But he had not signed up. He had no idea why he had received the invitation. Dating and amusement parks were not things he had ever thought to try.

He doesn't need an angry owl to pester him though. It would be awkward, Suzaku had no idea about dating, but he would not stand someone up. He could imagine how embarrassed and upset they would be if they ended up alone.

So here he is, at the entrance to the park, invitation in hand. He is alert, looking for danger as well as keeping an eye out for anyone who may be his date this evening.

Ayakashi: earlier in the day. OTA

It seems that Valentines day is the perfect time for ayakashi to be out stalking. Emotions are high.

Seeing the flutter of a shadow that seems too solid to actually be a trick of the light Suzaku chases after it, into an alleyway.

He recognises the danger seconds before he is attacked but all that does is give him enough time to react as two men and a woman rush at him.

He dodges the first punch and twists round, grabbing one of them. They are yelling, furious. Suzaku doesn't want to hurt them, but he focuses on trying to subdue them.

[OOC: I'll match formats! Let me know if you would like to plot something else!]

[myblueskies]

Date: Aquarium, closed to Hat Kid

Romeo was very excited! It was valentines day and he was going to go on a fun date and make a new friend! Minako and Chikusa had been really nice to organise this for everyone and Romeo had been looking forward to it since talking to Minako on the BBS.

He had found his way here, luckily there was a shrine to Gegute not too far away! He even had a heart balloon. There had been a man in a park handing them out, it had been a little tricky to get noticed by him but he had been nice once he had seen Romeo and told him he was giving balloons to everyone to spread happiness on valentines day. Romeo was not sure if you were meant to give presents on valentines day like you did at Christmas but he was sure his date would like the balloon nonetheless!

Ayakashi: OTA

"Hey! Bad bear! Leave them alone!"

Romeo might have done better with a plan. But he had seen the teddy bear hanging onto a young woman and she was getting more and more selfish. He had been sat in a tree in one of the parks of the Near Shore when he had heard the woman telling a young man that the chocolates he had gotten her were not enough. That she had expected more from him. That had sounded mean and Romeo had peaked down to see what was going on.

They had argued and that's when Romeo had seen the bear clinging to her leg! He had acted without thinking, jumping down from the tree. He backs away a bit as the bear turns towards him, but at least it had let go of the woman. The couple looked confused and hurried off.

Leaving Romeo with a bear chasing him! "Line!" Time to fight a bear then! Before it went and tried to ruin anyone else's day!

Yona | OTA

[darkestbefore]

A. Blind Dates

1. The Aquarium; Closed to Zetta
[ Yona has never been to an aquarium before - in fact, she'd never even heard of such a thing, but upon arriving, she clutches the invitation she'd received and glances around her with wide eyes, trying to take in everything at once. And potentially more caught up in taking in the displays of colorful, exotic fish than looking for whoever she's supposed to meet here. Oops? ]

2. The Amusement Park; Closed to Ren Amamiya
[ The second card had sent Yona to an amusement park late in the evening and she shows up at the gate, invitation clutched in one hand and using the other to bundle into her cloak a little more warmly, the chilly February air making her breath puff visibly in front of her. But her cheeks are rosy and she glances around her with quiet excitement, wondering who she will meet here tonight. ]

B. Ayakashi Menace

[ It was no surprise to hear that there were ayakashi out taking advantage of all the hopes and wishes of those searching for love and romance on this particular holiday. but that just makes her more determined to protect those who are out and about today. Meaning she's patrolling the Near Shore quite intently - sometimes on her own but often with the aid of a companion or one of her shinki, just in case she lands herself in trouble. Which, it's Yona; this is more than a little likely. ]

C. Praying for Love

[ This might not be Yona's season, but she still does have a hand in matters of love and romance, despite it not being the height of Summer. Therefore, she's very attentive to each prayer she receives, weighing their need and urgency before glancing around to see who might be nearby to assist her. ]

Excuse me, might I borrow your assistance for a bit?

[myblueskies]

Elfnein! Elfnein!

[A pattering of feet as Elfnein's ever excited shinki comes running into the part of the library Elfnein is working in.]

We got a prayer! A man wanted to take his date to a restaurant but it's all full! So he needs help making a meal! We can help right!

[Romeo's culinary skills are still pretty limited. But he can make pretty awesome coffee.]

Chikusa "i don't know how this happened" Kakimoto - ota

[kokuyoyo]

A - Brunch

[For anyone who has known him for even a passing moment, organizing such a huge event with so many people for something like romance, well... It might almost seem out of character. (Unless you're one of two people who know for certain the true identity of the romance writer on the BBS, anyway.) Still, he was dragged into that promotional video anyway and he is, in fact, here at the restaurant.]

[As one of the organizers and also someone who already has his romantic life neatly in order (an apparent rarity in the Far Shore), Chikusa isn't participating. Instead, he's seated himself comfortably over at a table with his laptop, a couple of books on romance, and his phone. Apparently he bought a table for himself, since there's food available with him which he's lazily picking through while reading. He's dressed in decent enough attire which is obnoxiously red and pink colored, and almost definitely can be blamed on Minako, so... He stands out, a little bit.]

[Every now and then, a white owl with brilliant blue eyes manages to find its way inside, whether hopping along the floor or smoothly gliding, and always inevitably gliding. For those who've been reluctant to come, they might recognize it as the same douchebag bird which forces the unwilling to attend the dates they've been signed up for. Chikusa seems to be rewarding the creature for its determination, feeding it grapes or bits of pastry. Can owls eat food like this? Don't worry about it.]

[Regardless, whether they're waiting for a date or it's in the moments afterwards, people are free to approach Chikusa or his prick of a pet. Just to chat? To complain about their date? They can really do whatever they want, although there's no guarantee that Chikusa will ever humor anyone.]

[Although he does seem to disappear for some reason at one point...]

B - Aquarium

[Listen, it's halfway through the day, now. He's tired. The aquarium is nice and exactly his speed. Chikusa is technically here as the co-manager of this whole event, but it's hard pressed to see that when he's apparently locked himself in place near the tide pool where he can dip his hands into the water and pet rays.]

[Honestly, he doesn't think he's ever been in an actual aquarium before. It's... nice? He thinks he might like it.]

[If anyone he recognizes from the Far Shore comes along, whether separating from their date or after the event itself, he obligingly looks up at them.]

....So?

[That sure isn't a clear question at all!]

[But it's fine. He's mostly waiting for his boyfriend to show up anyway. He told him where to go....]

C - Ayakashi

[Chikusa actually is doing his job instead of just lazing around, as it turns out, at least where it concerns the restaurant and aquarium. Occasionally, something seems to catch his attention...]

[And that's how one can find him almost anywhere around those areas, hunting down or outright fighting ayakashi away from "his" current territory. Considering it's Chikusa, when the opponent's aren't tricky (like the shadow ayakashi), his type of borderline fighting style tends to involve... dismemberment.]

[Constant dismemberment, honestly. What? It's just effective when he doesn't have either of his gods with him.]

You're going to regret this...

[He won't let them have a quick death, no. He's going to catch these pains in his asses, and make them into a poison. That sounds like more suffering than just killing them...]

[....So yeah, should someone.... stop... him? Or maybe help.]

D - Wildcard

[I'm good to throw Chikusa into any other ideas that people might have! Just let me know.]

Menace I

[myblueskies]

Line! [Romeo is... perhaps not who Ginia was whistling for. But it is who she gets and in his defence the borderline that springs up between the ayaakashi and it's target is solid. He's improved a lot in his couple of months in the heavens.

He runs towards her, face scrunched in concentration as he focuses on keeping up his barrier.]

Nanako | OTA

[welcome_home]

Ayakashi Menace

1. Taking Wing
[ Nanako stares up at the flock of doves perched overhead, eyeing them suspiciously, but even from here, she can tell they're not right. She frowns, hands propped on hips, as she regards what to do about it. ]

We can't let those birds ruin everyone's Valentine's Day!

2. You're Not My Teddy
[ She'd seen them in a window-front and even Nanako had been drawn to the cute appearance of the cuddly teddy bears waiting to be gifted to unsuspecting partners. Except coming closer has given her a weird feeling and she turns to see someone walking away with one of them in their arms. But was that... was that a claw she saw wrapping around the unsuspecting human's side?

Her eyes widening, Nanako is quick to run after them, despite the fact that she might be running straight into danger herself. ]

B. Praying for Love

[ Nanako is flitting here and there around the Near Shore, listening for prayers coming in for people wanting help conveying their feelings or finding the courage to give their gifts. She is a delighted little cupid, bobbing her way on feathery wings as she chases down the tug of prayers that call to her, dropping down to assist wherever she can. She might not be old enough to have dates of her own, but she's delighting in making sure those who are so desperately praying for assistance or good fortune have just the right nudge they need to succeed in their efforts.

And she might be watching the fruition of any of her efforts with a delighted little giggle, peering to watch the various humans offer chocolates and confess their feelings... ]

C. Chocolate Delivery!

[ While Nanako is still small enough not to take part in many of the traditions of this day, she does still put a lot of effort into one aspect of it. The morning of Valentine's Day itself, several of her very close and precious friends will find little packages of homemade chocolates wrapped up with bright paper and colorful ribbons and bows. The chocolates are obviously made by a child's hand, but Nanako had done her best and put a great deal of effort in making sure her friends got something special today of all days. ]

[swordofzero]

Of course, Lady Yona. [Suzaku smiles at her, he's not seen Yona for a while. He had been meaning to check up on her, he worries about her and has not forgotten how kind she was when he was Kuja's shinki.

He is only too glad to help her.] What do you need?

[myblueskies]

Another one? [What is it with teddy bears in this park! These ayakashi are bad and trying to ruin everyone's fun day!]

Line!

[A borderline slashes out at the bear and Zhao has a small child running alongside him.]

[unlucky7]

[As a solo shinki, there's only so much she can do to deter shinki. Borderlines have a limit and while the doves scatter enough easily, they come back. She's been tracking them through the area, hoping she can scatter them enough that they'll leave the area.

She spots Ain and raises a hand toward him, watching as he materializes a black bow and takes aim at the birds. Flying out of range, that's the problem she's run into as well. Ginia moves closer to Ain, keeping an eye on the birds as they resettle.]

By any chance, can you create a net or something similar?

[unlucky7]

[It's always good to see a familiar face and she can't deny it's a good look for him. Ginia returns the smile, eyes looking down at the invitation. Her smile widens and she raises her own invitation, the symbols a match. What are the odds?]

Guess it's you.

Yata | OTA

[thevanguard]

A. Ayakashi Menace

[ Valentine's isn't exactly Yata's favorite holiday. In fact, he kinda thinks the entire thing is ridiculous and unnecessarily stressful.

But also, he can ignore all that gross lovey-dovey stuff to go zooming through town and pick fights with all the dumbass ayakashi who are treating this like an all-out buffet. So really, at the moment, for him it's a win/win?

...At least until he comes across one of the evil killer teddy bears and then all bets are off. ]

B. Praying for Love

[ Yata can't hear prayers himself, but he is here to assist any gods that need it. Even if he is regarding the whole thing with a rather skeptical expression on his face. ]

Wait, people are seriously praying for shit like this?

C. This is So Cliche, Shoot Him; Closed to Saru

[ Despite his attitude all day about the holiday at large, he might be a little bit cagey a few days ahead of time and at some point during the day itself, Saru will receive a text invitation with a location and time on it for that evening.

The location itself is outside a restaurant Yata found in the city, something even higher-tech than an internet cafe, the entire place in neon blue lights and meant to make you feel like you were living in some hi-tech sci-fi future. It was the geekiest place he could find on short notice, but the place still looked pretty cool.

Even if he is lurking outside the door, cheeks flushed from the cold and hands shoved deep in his pockets and looking more than a little awkward as he nervously shifts and waits for his partner. ]

[monkeyblue]

[If Misaki thought Fushimi wouldn't check the address that he gave him, he was dumber than Fushimi thought. And if he thought he wouldn't check the menu and see that they were having a Valentine's Day special, he was really dumb. He was almost tempted to tell Misaki "no" and leave it at that. He hated this sort of thing.

...but Misaki obviously wanted to do something and they have a few dishes that looked good and anyway, Fushimi wasn't cooking tonight so it's with some grumbling to himself that Fushimi eventually joins Misaki outside the restaurant.]

You're not subtle.

[alchemists]

We can try

[ Cooking isn't a skill Elfnein is good at but at the very least there are simple things she can make, like rice. ]

All we have to do is make a meal right, nothing else?

[unlucky7]

[It's no time to be choosy when there are ayakashi abound. A shinki is a shinki no matter how old and the help is appreciated. Ginia throws down a borderline to create a corner with Romeo's borderline, cutting the large grasshopper-like ayakashi hopping toward a couple. It bounces off the walls a few times, trying to figure out where to go, giving Ginia enough time to drop next to Romeo and smile.]

[priforprince]

[ Romantic Brunch; closed to Nia ]

[ Hibiki is even later to her first date than she'd planned on being for effect, due to a rather...unfortunate...tech support call she'd had to place earlier this morning. No hint of that, or of shame at her tardiness, can be seen on her face as she comes up behind her designated date and touches one of those cat ears with a rose. ]

I've kept you waiting.

[ When Nia turns around, she will be presented with the sight of: their table, now surrounded by dozens - nay, hundreds - of identical, pristine, perfect red roses. And also Hibiki, smiling as if Nia had never tried to take over a private bath Hibiki had happened to be occupying at the time.

There's personal business, and then there's Romance. Never the two shall meet, for the Perfect Beauty Knight. ]



Depriving you of my presence is unforgivable. I hope this small gift eases the pain.

[ Aquarium; closed to Petra ]

Does the ocean please you?

[ A giant otter plush is talking to Petra!

Oh, no, wait, there was a person behind it. A charming person in a Prince costume, against whose silver hair the light from the aquarium ripples charmingly, attracting the attention of.....small children, and other teenage girls on dates, whose boyfriends don't understand what they're looking at.



Hibiki smiles as willingly as she can around the giant stuffed animal, completely devoid of shame. An aquarium isn't her...usual milieu...but there's nowhere she can't excel!

She shall prove once and for all why the aquarium is a Top Date Spot in films! ]

[ Amusement Park; closed to Celestia ]



Stunning as always, Princess Celestia.

[ Whether Celestia is in human or pony guise for this date is immaterial. Here comes Hibiki, suspiciously bare-handed. Delight in the anticipation of what this might portend.

She places one of those bare hands over her heart and bows, practically down on one knee. ]

Even the merry-go-round animals long to genuflect in your presence.

[ Praying for Love; open to all! ]

Tch. Now?



[ The spygoat who'd just brought Hibiki a platter full of prayer slips rolls in a circle, which is all it can do when asked a question. Hibiki picks through the slips. ] My next rendezvous approaches....

You. [ She just noticed you. Hooray. Picking a prayer, she stuffs the rest in her pockets, where they seem to utterly disappear despite these being form-fitting pants.

She's a genius. Don't question it. ] I'll have you assist me.