lucetilogs | Speed Dating Year 2

Who: Anyone who wants/is forced to come
What: Speed Dating!
When: Today (Saturday) afternoon-ish
Where: The Rec Center
Summary: Details here, Roster here!
Rating: PG/13/T/R/god I don't know there's too many people

[Much like last year, the rec center is decorated and freshly cleaned, with a plethora set up throughout the main floor. Each set includes a small table and two chairs facing each other. Along with number plates to help direct people to their partners, there is a small pile of coloured paper cards, stacked down, and pencils on every table.

Further back there is a collection of couches forming a lounging circle, as well as a couple of tables with drinks and snacks all set up and ready to be eaten. And yes, the fantastic rainbow cookies from the year before have made a reappearance. No doubt they'll disappear just as fast. The lounge area has a recycled sign from last year that says, "If you find yourself on a turn without a date, come hang out!", and this year, a new weird-looking potato man is hanging on the wall. ...But whatever.

All in all, the whole place looks ready for a big event, and when enough people have gathered - and the clock ticks to the agreed starting time - Teddy and Billy step forward to get things moving at last.]

Hey, hey! Announcement time here! Can everyone hear me? [...] All right, good!

So, some of you may remember this from last year. If you didn't come then, or if you're new, or happened to get roped into this by one of your friends, then on behalf of... uh...

[He glances down at Billy and, taking the cue, his partner speaks up.]

...We'll call the name a work-in-progress for now. Kurt says he's got it covered.

[His response is a raised eyebrow, because really, Kurt? But Teddy gets right back on track with a smile after that.] … Welcome to the second annualish speed dating event! I'm Teddy, this is my fiancé Billy, and we'll be your hosts for today. I know you just want to get started already, but unfortunately, we've got to go over the rules and stuff first. Everyone should have a list of numbers. When Billy gives the signal, everyone will head to the table with the first number on your list, where you'll either wait for or meet up with the person you're paired with. You'll both have five minutes to talk and get to know each other, for better or for worse, and leave with some sort of impression of them. Hopefully good, but can't win 'em all, right? After those five minutes, one of us will blow the whistle, and then you'll head to the table with the next number on your list. Repeat steps one through whatever, until we've reached the end! Hopefully by then, you'll have a new friend, a potential date, or hey, you might have just met the new love of your life!

[Teddy looks to Billy then, who speaks up next to him.]

The tables have conversation cards, in case you're not sure how to get things rolling, or if you're feeling shy- it has topic ideas, questions to ask your partner, whatever we could come up with. As you go through the list, try to give a little 'yes' or 'no' to the people you speak to- yes for wanting to see them again, no for it not being a good match. Once it's over just hand in your papers and we'll let everyone know - discretely, of course! - who gave and received a mutual yes. You don't have to wait for us, though- if you hit it off with someone really well and you both want to hang out right away, don't let us stop you. We have games and stuff set up over in the lounge area-

[He gestures to aforementioned lounge, complete with couches, a couple of tables, a stack of assorted games, and a snack and drink table.]

-Or you could just sneak off to keep yourselves entertained. We don't judge.

We totally do judge, just so you know.

[Billy elbows him. Gosh, boyfriend, behave.

Teddy just laughs a little, waving his hand as if to dismiss a joke.]

Okay, okay, we don't. Anyway, that's about it. We're going to give everyone one minute to get to the first table, then we'll blow the whistle and let everyone start. Thanks for coming, have a great time!

[They go back to sitting at their host table, and then, after the minute passes and everyone's settled, the whistle is blown. BEGIN!]

(( 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) MAKE AWESOME NEW CR FOR GREAT JUSTICE ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It has.

[She indicates the seat opposite her.]

You can sit down, you know.

Oh... right.

[He quickly sits down. How embarrassing.]

[She smiles in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. She can tell he's embarrassed, and this is supposed to be fun, right?]

So...how have you been?

[Zuko rubs at the back of his neck with one hand.]

Good... I guess. You know... just the usual thing. Hunting lessons... missions... shifts... nightmares.

[The list just seems to get more depressing as he goes.]

You?

Reading, exercising, training. [Eleanor shrugs.] Keeping busy, basically. What we all do, right?

[She hesitates, as more of the conversation she had with him before settled back into her mind. She couldn't really ask questions she already knew the answers to.]

Have you been...having fun meeting people tonight?

Not really.

[This is admitted with some degree of annoyance.]

My Uncle signed me up.

[Eleanor can't help but smile faintly at that.]

I managed to talk myself into it. Talked someone else into it too. I figured being here with someone else would be better than being alone, you know?

[Still.]

Your Uncle, he...probably just wants you to make some friends?

[Zuko frowns.]

He wants me to get married!

[And... he probably said that a bit too loud.]

[Eleanor's eyes go a tad wide at that and she can't help but look around as the other tables glance their way.]

Uh. [Just give her a second, Zuko.]

Well, I rather doubt he is expecting you to get engaged tonight.

[When everyone near them looks at him, he suddenly realizes his mistake. Ugh. Stupid! He sinks in his chair just a little bit and pinches the bridge of his nose. His voice now lowered a few decibels.]

Yeah. Sure.

[Eleanor was very much in 'flight' mode after that, but she forced herself to settle as he seemed to realize the embarrassment of the moment. Instead she leaned forward, tilting her head down so he could see her face despite his position.]

Look, you're...probably overthinking this. Quite a lot, actually and not probably at all. Uhm.

Instead of worrying about that just...try to make some friends? I mean, that's why I came here. The dating is rather awkward but the rest of it doesn't really have to be, right?

I imagine your uncle will be happy if you come home happy from having met people. Unless he's awful. I mean, I don't know him.

[Zuko is listening in his stewing silence until the very end. His eyes then go wide and he sits up, though he makes sure to keep his voice down this time.]

No! No he's not awful at all.

[The last thing he wants is for anyone to think that his uncle is a terrible person. Far from it. He knows he has his best interests in mind.]

[She leans back at his outburst, then smiles faintly.]

So...if all that happens is you come to this, and make some friends, he probably won't be upset?

[Zuko just rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.]

Yeah.

[He's not really worried about Iroh being upset... It's just... this is embarrassing.]

[She smiles again.]

Good. So I suppose we're supposed to ask each other some questions, yes?

Right... um.

[And now Zuko will be looking at those cards.]

What's your favorite animal?

[Eleanor blinks at that question, and then has to think about it before she smiles some.]

I love whales. I grew up watching them outside my bedroom window. What about you?

[He thinks for a moment too, but not because its difficult to think of something... but rather the memories attached to it.]

Turtle ducks. I used to spend a lot of time with my mother by the turtle duck pond.

[Eleanor felt a little pang of jealousy at that. Doing anything with her mother that hadn't been 'preparing her for the future' was just right out. But now wasn't the time.]

Mm. Were they...turtles combined with ducks?

[Zuko blinks.]

They're turtle ducks.

[He says that as if its completely natural.]

You know... ducks with shells.

Ah...huh. [She tries to picture that, and then just shakes her head.] I'll have to take your word for it.

[Birds with shells. Weird. She flips through her cards.]

Do you...have a favorite type of music? [She frowns at the card as she asks.] That's a rather dumb question...

No?

[He has to agree, that is kind of a dumb question.]

... I guess I kind of like the tsungi horn, but...

[They don't exactly have rock bands and stuff where he's from.]

I've never heard of that. [Which wasn't surprising.] People were playing a lot of jazz in Rapture when I was growing up, I remember I liked that. My Aunt Gracie was a singer, she sang things like that too.

[She's not much for listening to music.]

My uncle likes music, and he's always trying to get me into it.

[He sighs a little.]

Is jazz a kind of instrument?

Sometimes it's nice to listen to. [She shakes her head.] No Jazz is a style of music. I...I'm not really sure how to explain it though.

It's a lot of improvisation and singing?

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