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

[tearmeanewone]

[Really, given Elizabeth has never had any real-life experience regarding women never asking men on dates, she's completely unaware that she's done anything strange. She wants to spend more time talking with Gai--so obviously she has to ask, right?]

Why? [She raises an eyebrow and looks around the room again.] I haven't promised to spend time with anyone else after this. And isn't the point of this entire event to meet someone and decide you want to spend more time with them? Technically, no one knows we met before this moment.

[voidseeing]

[Gai makes a soft sound that might almost be a laugh, though it's hard to tell. Even he has to admit that she's got him there. To everyone else who WASN'T listening in on their little porn read-aloud, this most likely looks like a first meeting.

He's just hoping that the majority of the people here weren't in fact listening.]

Spend more time with them on a real date, you mean. So in other words, you're asking me out.

[This is more fun than it really should be.]

[tearmeanewone]

I am, I suppose. [Elizabeth frowns slightly, wondering if this is supposed to be more monumental than it seems to her. Yes, Gai is the first person she's ever kissed, and the first person she's inviting on a date, but past that it's normal, isn't it?]

If you're busy though, we could meet and talk some other time. [She doesn't even sound tense or hesitant. Elizabeth doesn't know enough about dating to be nervous. If Gai doesn't want to go somewhere with her, it would be disappointing but not the end of her life...]

[voidseeing]

[She's so very earnest about all of this that teasing too much is making Gai almost start to feel bad. He knows she has absolutely no practical experience in this area beyond what she's read and that he's pretty much serving as her guide into the world of romance right now. And, really, in his time it is just as normal for a girl to ask a guy out as it is the other way around; it would only be somewhat unusual in her era.

So as fun as it may be for him, he'll put the brakes on his teasing for now.]

Yeah, I'm busy with going back to my apartment and hoping there's something interesting there that I haven't read yet.

[tearmeanewone]

[...oh, that... does smart a bit more than Elizabeth had anticipated. The excuse is a little confusing to her (hoping there's something...?), but she puts her smile back on after a moment.]

That sounds like a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. I like to do the same, sometimes--just sit in a comfortable chair and read until I realize the sun is going down.

Maybe another time then, I wouldn't want to disturb your plans...

[voidseeing]

[... she took it seriously. She actually took it seriously. Well. Um. Gai is not quite sure how to respond now, and if he was feeling vaguely guilty before, this just cranked that feeling up about five notches. He'd meant for that to be a joke...

Time to be very clear about exactly what he meant by that, which means reaching down to take her hand in his.]

I meant that I don't actually have any plans at all. I'd like to go with you, whatever you had in mind.

[tearmeanewone]

[Wait, what?]

[Elizabeth looks down at their hands, eyebrows pulling together in confusion. Not because Gai's holding her hand--that's very nice, actually--but because of the sudden change in Gai's plans.]

None at all? Why didn't you just say so? [She laughs, looking slightly relieved.]

[voidseeing]

I was trying to make a joke, but it seems like the message got lost in translation.

[Which is the truth, in a way. While their backgrounds might be similar in some ways, Gai has had far more social experience than she has, a fact he's starting to realize that he needs to be mindful of. What was an obvious joke to him clearly came across as him being completely serious to her.]

[tearmeanewone]

...I thought that sounded a little strange. [Elizabeth laughs, embarrassed that she didn't pick up on the joke. Of course it was a joke. ...though honestly, to Elizabeth, reading made up quite a bit of her daily plan before Booker fell through her ceiling.]

But to be fair--the majority of my life was reading before I came here, you can't blame me for taking that seriously. [Of course now that he's agreed to go with her to 'whatever' she had in mind, Elizabeth had to figure out what that was.]

Well, nothing against the cookies here, but I think I'm going to be hungry after this. What about you?

[voidseeing]

If you're asking me to cook, you're going to be very disappointed. But the restaurant sounds like an excellent idea.

[He deliberately doesn't address what she said about reading for the simple reason that this isn't really the time or place to be having heavy conversations about the past. Between the two of them, he suspects there will be plenty of those in the future, but not now.]

Or would you prefer Good Spirits?

[tearmeanewone]

I... don't know! I haven't been there yet! [She leans forward on the table, still holding Gai's hand. This is exciting--she's going on a date!]

Have you?

[voidseeing]

[Her excitement is contagious, and he can't help but smile at her.]

Yeah, every so often when I'm in the mood for a drink.

[He notes the fact that she's still hanging onto his hand, but neither points it out nor makes any motion to remove it. He is totally down with this, man.]

I will warn you that it is a bar, though, which means that it has all of the things that go along with that.

[tearmeanewone]

And what sorts of things are those? Bar fights? [She grins, trying to imagine people with wings punching one another.]

[voidseeing]

And loud drunks and bad singing.

[Honestly, he has yet to see an actual bar fight take place there, though he doesn't want to squash her dreams by saying that.]

Do you think you can handle that? Some of them can be painfully off-key.

[tearmeanewone]

It sounds amazing. [Elizabeth grins, clearly very excited at the prospect of seeing something she hasn't experienced before. Loud drunks and bad singing, maybe someone will even dance on a table!]

[voidseeing]

[Gai is quickly coming to the realization that it isn't so much him being a bad influence on Elizabeth as it is her being a bad influence on HERSELF and him just egging it on. He can live with that if it means she can't blame him for anything that happens.]

Good Spirits it is, then.

[tearmeanewone]

[While here, Elizabeth will try just about anything if it sounds new and different. And with no one there to tell her to rethink things, prevent her from doing it, or giving her disapproving looks... Elizabeth is experiencing a lot recently.]

[She's about to verbally agree when the whistle blows. Apparently their time is up, and Elizabeth looks a mix of disappointed but still excited. Even if she was going to go talk to someone else, she and Gai still had a date after.]

Don't go making dates with any other girls, now. I beat them all to the punch today.

[voidseeing]

[Ugh, that damn whistle. In every other scenario this evening, that was the sound Gai had been looking forward to, but in this case, he'd like to take whoever was blowing it and dump them out the window. Oh well, at least there's going to be this evening to look forward to.]

The same goes for you. Don't think I haven't seen some of the other men here with their eyes on you.

[tearmeanewone]

Oh that's an exaggeration. [Elizabeth feels the same, if not a little less violent, about the whistle. It seemed like this five minutes simply flew by... Which makes her anticipate the end of the event even more.]

I'll wait for you outside?

[voidseeing]

[Not an exaggeration at all; Gai notices everything, and the other guys weren't exactly being subtle about checking her out.]

I'll escape as soon as I can, even if I have to chase the other girls away in the process.

[Okay, he can't resist a little bit more teasing.]

[tearmeanewone]

[And Elizabeth is just oblivious. Or thinks they're being friendly. 'Checking out' isn't something she's at all aware of.]

[She scoffs and puts her hands on her hips.] Not if I chase them away first.

[Elizabeth turns and walks away, but she can't help turning back and grinning at Gai.]

[voidseeing]

[Gai has to admit that he would like to see that, even if he won't say so out loud. He has no doubt that she actually WOULD do it, too, which is what makes the idea that much more amusing.

Though he hates that he'll have to suffer through a few more far-too-innocent girls first, when Elizabeth turns around to grin at him, he smiles right back. Looks like this day ended up not being a waste after all.]