Speed Dating

[selfhelp]

Who: Anyone who wants/is forced to come
What: Speed Dating!
When: Saturday at a vaguely-afternoonish time period
Where: The Rec Center
Summary: Details here, Roster here!
Rating: PG/13/T/R/god I don't know there's too many people



[The rec center today is colourfully decorated, with posters and directing signs here and there to make this whole process easier. The main floor is peppered with a bunch of tables and chairs pilfered from various locations (primarily the school) with two chairs facing each other per table. There's a couple of bigger tables off to the side, one for food (carrying drinks and various snacks, including Teddy and Ororo's homemade rainbow cookies), and the other with a few chairs and piles of paper everywhere. And a checklist. The checklist is important.

The desk is Billy's, and he's handing sheets of paper out to anyone who comes in and was signed up for the speed dating. Give your name, get a sheet and a name tag, go to the first desk or mingle until it starts- that's what people will be told when they arrive. Teddy's not far from the desk or the door depending on where he's needed, directing people to follow the signs, get comfortable, try some snacks- whatever they want.

Finally a lounge area has been set up with cushy chairs, couches, and the rec center's supply of games and whatnot in the corner. There is a sign for the area that says, "If you find yourself on a turn without a date, come hang out!" It's also got a picture of a weird-looking potato man hanging out, but never mind that.

When everything is ready and people are good to go, Teddy steps up and calls for attention, with Billy sitting on top of the table behind him for moral support (and unhelpful interruptions).]

Hey, guys – Hey! Can everyone hear me? Everyone? [...] Great!

I'm sure everyone knows why they're here. Or, you know, not, since a few of these sign-ups look a little suspicious... [He raises an eyebrow at that, but his smile remains good-natured, and his brow smooths over soon enough.] On behalf of Alliance, welcome to Luceti's very first -

-We think.

- speed dating event! [Though Teddy glances at Billy for that interruption, he'd paused as if he expected it to come.] I'm Teddy, and this is Billy, and we're your hosts today. I'll try to be brief for those of you who just want to get this started already, but let's go over the rules and regulations first.

If you happened to get dragged into this without knowing what you're getting yourself into, it's basically exactly as it sounds. You might remember one of us handing you a list of numbers. Well, when Billy gives the signal, everyone will head to the table with the first number on their list, which will pair you off with someone in the room you just might not have met before! You'll have five minutes to talk to them and get to know them, just enough time for a good – or bad – first impression. After that, one of us will blow the whistle, and you'll go to the next numbered table. And on and on, until it's all over! By then, you might have found someone you're interested in, either as a friend, a potential love interest, or even just someone you really don't want to see again.

To keep track of it all, there's a space beside the number to write down the name of the person you're talking to and anything else you might have learned about them. And maybe by the end, you can write down a no, a yes, or an oh yes.

Try not to be too vague about it and we'll give you your matches at some point in the future.

[Teddy grins after that, a happy and excited one.] Remember, this is all about having fun and meeting new people! If you want to take a break, get bored, or don't have a partner, refreshments are on that side of the room [He gestures to the side, showing off the assorted foods and the cookies that he and Ororo spent a good part of the night baking.], or you can come up and talk to us! We're just the supervisors here, after all.

[He takes a step back after that, his attention going to Billy, his way of telling him to give the signal.] Billy?

[Billy gives a small wave, remaining on his table. Teddy did the hard part, after all.] There's a lounge, too, if we're not interesting enough. You might meet somebody there you're not paired with and find a new friend, so give it a shot.

That's pretty much it, so everyone can go on and head to your first table, and we'll blow the whistle in one minute. Thanks for coming, and try to have fun!


(( ooc: directions are as follows:

1) check your roster
2) make a top thread for your character with their name in the subject line
3) tag and be tagged
4) THERE IS NO QUESTION MARK ONLY PROFIT ))

Comments

[twinlionfists]

No, my friend from home did so for me.

[neverplaysfair]

Did you decide to come on your own, or did they have to convince you?

[twinlionfists]

A bit of...both? Ino-san admitted that she signed me up for...romance, but that I should use this opportunity to meet new people and make friends that are not from our village.

[neverplaysfair]

... Are you not intending to use this for romance?

[ Sadface! ]

[twinlionfists]

I...I....I do not know? I am not making any plans for romance at this point in time, but I don't know what can happen in the future.

[neverplaysfair]

But you are using this just for friendship.

[twinlionfists]

Not...entirely? I cannot say what will happen in the future, but I think that most relationships are better if there is friendship first.

[neverplaysfair]

But what if one of you thinks it would be better as friendship, and the other thinks it would be better as something more serious? Have you ever experienced something like that?

[twinlionfists]

[That is the story of her life, Joshua. Thanks.]

Then it is best to be as honest as you possibly can about the situation, is it not? Besides, one cannot expect to change another's feelings just for one's own comfort. Life does not work that way.

[She would know.]

[neverplaysfair]

[ No problem! :> ]

Ah, but which way does it go? In the end, what's to say one set of feelings is more right or more acceptable than the other?

[twinlionfists]

Forcing your feelings on another person is never acceptable. Ever.

[Oops, hit a sore spot, he did.]

[neverplaysfair]

But having their feelings forced upon you is just fine?

[twinlionfists]

I cannot agree with that either, but I have not had that happen to me so I cannot safely say how I would react.

[She doesn't count Masaomi's flirting because she's aware that the older boy doesn't mean it at all.]

[neverplaysfair]

Yet a decision has to be made, and one person's feelings win out over the other. That's the nature of any conflict of interests, not just romantic. What makes one set more "right" than the other?

[twinlionfists]

The one that causes the least amount of pain to all parties involved, I would say. In conflict, of course one side will be unhappy, but there is no honor in harming innocents.

[neverplaysfair]

Those are pretty words, but in practice they can be quite difficult follow. How can you weigh how much pain either side would feel when you can never understand both sides?

[twinlionfists]

I would rather be the one in pain if that is the case. I would not wish for anyone else to suffer if I had a chance to stop that from happening. I...I only wish for those I care for to be happy.

[neverplaysfair]

Yet you'd deny them the happiness of knowing you were not in pain. Additionally, they would shoulder the burden of being a cause of your pain.

[twinlionfists]

I...I...

[Hinata has no answer for that. Ko-san and Neji-niisan had said that if she'd died during the invasion of the village neither of them would have been able to forgive themselves, but she hadn't been able to sit back and do nothing while Naruto was in danger. She couldn't keep herself safe while the boy she loved could have died. She...hadn't thought about how her death would have effected those around her—her clan, her sister, her cousin, her teammates, her friends. She'd only seen Naruto in danger and reacted accordingly.

And she is trying hard here to think of a reply, but is saved from doing so by the sound of the bell ringing to switch partners.]

[neverplaysfair]

Hmm? Ah, time passes so quickly sometimes. [ Joshua giggles. ]

Thank you for the interesting conversation.

[twinlionfists]

Thank you very much. [She gives him a strained smile as she attempts to bend her mind around what he's given her to think about. Perhaps, she should take some time to reconsider a few things she's done so far.] It was a very... enlightening conversation, Joshua-san.

[neverplaysfair]

[ He gets that a lot. ]

Have fun with the rest of your time here.

[ And he stands to leave. ]