[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]So! Aly had been tasked with setting up this speed-dating event which was only a little incredibly daunting. She was just not equipped to handle this kind of potential drama - and y'all know there was gonna be a ton of drama involved in this. Nonetheless, she was putting forth the effort to set up an excellent event that everyone was likely to enjoy or, at least, think looked classy if they were so incapable of having fun. Some people were just grumpy like that, you know?
The chosen venue was a lovely restaurant-slash-bar where the numbered tables had been set in two long rows, one chair on either side of each table. Another table sat by the entrance to the room, a bunch of stickers and pens for writing names lying on it, and sheets of paper for ticking or crossing matches. Aly wasn't exactly sure whether or not these people knew how to use pens but, to be honest, she wasn't going to be bringing out a bunch of special styli and wax tablets for them. Pens were pretty straightforward; they could figure it out.
Okay, so, the venue was set up, the bar was open, and reasonable rules had been set up. This was probably going to go alright, right? Had to have hope things would work out. Had to have hope that Aly could host an event to save her life, especially when JD had, for some unfathomable reason, entrusted her with this. Everything would be fine. All they needed now was the attendees to get here and get things going.
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[attr="class","ic_ooc"]If everyone who wants to show up shows up, I'll get this started Sunday night I guess? <3 And drop the rules and everything then. (Read: lowkey I haven't totally figured everything out yet). Also, this is like feelings in that your characters should show up all Ancient Greek and that, no need for an AU version thing.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Stephanos walked into the restaurant, looking around. He liked the look of the place. Spotting Aly, he gave her a nod but didn't approach her. Instead, he walked over to the table with the pens and name cards. Though he'd never used a pen before, and the white paper looked foreign, he worked out what it was for.
"Hey, uh," he didn't know Aly's name but didn't want to just shout 'girl' at her either so he waited until he had her attention before continuing with, "Do I just...oh this is for my name? Oh...ok. Sure."
He picked up one of the pens and looked for the inkwell. "Hey um...there's no ink for this." Once he was informed to just write, he nodded and muttered, "Yeah, ok. Witch."
But the ink flowed from the pen and he was delighted that it was so smooth and didn't threaten to smear. He wrote STEPHANOS on the card. And then began to draw flourishes until there wasn't anymore room.
"There we go," he said and took the pen and several other tags with him, wandering over to the bar and sitting down so that he could draw some more.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Speed dating? Emilia can't say she's ever heardof the term before, but rumor had it that it was supposed to be a festival of some sorts to find love? Always a sucker for anything remotely related to the matters of the heart, it did not take long for Emilia to decide she had to go no matter what, and dressed in her finest too.
A red chiton trimmed with gold threads on the edges was her choice of the day, allowing her maids to pin it up in just a way that allowed the pleats to enhance her petite figure. Around her small waist, sat a gold woven belt, its buckle in the same of a folded swan's wing. Her maids had curled her hair just so, brunette ringlets soft and looking silky to the touch, falling in a dream-like manner around her shoulders. Any stray strands that would mar her vision was pulled back, secured to the back by gold filligree strands, making her honeyed locks look as if they sparkled.
The soft slippers of her feet meant her steps were cat-like, almost silent upon the floorboards of the restaurant they had been instructed to arrive at. Golden eyes took in the surroundings with curiosity and surprise at every turn, many things she could not recognize.
Catching sight of a strangely dressed girl (did they have those types of clothings in Athenia, Emilia must find them!), the princess contemplated against approaching her when she recognized how busy she looked. Instead, the brunette noted... parchment?
Her brows lifted in puzzlement, as she picked up a blank piece to examine it. Smoother then parchment, and whiter as well. There were odd, stick-like things scattered around with opened nibs at the ends too. Were they quills? Styli?
Curiously pressing one of the stick-like things to the parchment, she made a small gasp of surprise when the ink flowed. Writing her name with a flourish, shcok and delight was evident in Emilia's looks when she wrote with seemingly no inkpot in sight, and not a smudge was seen. A small smile now curled her lips upwards once she picked up her named-tag, and then headed inwards.
Wandering towards the bartender when he smiled and waved her over, the young girl showed obvious bewilderment at the decorations, and then the shock turned to the bartender when he pushed a glass of orange liquid at her, ice clinking within, garnished with a paper umbrella. Wearing a shy smile as she took a sip, Emilia immediately flinched when the strong alcohol touched her tastebuds, making her make a face that simply made the bartender laugh.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]The ever sheek and modern Byrony had persuaded Evie to give this a try. It was… how had Byrony put it… something that Cosmo magazine said that every girl had to try at least once. So, here she was… tottering through the door of this restaurant… bar...um… restaurant/bar in ridiculously high, pointy heels that had added at least five inches to her height. She had to admit… that was… Awesome! Well, except for the walking part. The pint-sized Leventi was walking with all the balance and coordination of a toddler just learning to walk while wearing awkward booties but at least she looked damn good doing it.
The sales lady at the store this morning had informed her that she looked more prepared to be going to a costume party than a speed dating event. Well, only after Evie had produced a small sachel of coins. After that, the sales ladies had swarmed her like bees to honey. They’d coerced her into buying things that she hadn’t even known existed… Did you know that they make this kind of underclothing that…. Evangelina was hardly a prude but some of it had seemed deliciously wicked.
After an afternoon of buying things that she’d probably never wear, she’d found her dress. A thigh length black satin cocktail dress with a twirlable A-line skirt and low-cut halter top bodice. When she’d twirled in front of the mirror in it and the scarlet red underlining of the skirt became visible, she’d known. Evie believed there were three things in life that a girl should know were a perfect fit for her in an instant. The right horse. The dress. And the right man. Maybe that made speed dating perfect.
Inside the establishment, she glanced around happy enough with the place. Her eyes landed on Aly and her face looked up and she smiled and waved before heading over to the table with cards to fill out. The man in front of her had his back to her, she’d have recognized him instantly if she’d been paying attention… but instead, her eyes were everywhere else… taking in as much as they could while she waited for the person in front of her to finish. It wasn’t until he turned around, that her eyebrows shot up a little… Quickly, she feigned interest in her shoes and pretended not to notice Stephanos. Gods, was it too late to quietly slink back to the door and make an escape? She really didn’t want to have to think about explaining anything to Pia? In fact, she didn’t know what was worse, that she’d seen him here, or that she’d have to explain to Pia that she, in fact, had decided to try speed dating. It wasn’t like she stopped men in their tracks like Theo and Cici and even Pia. Dating options were difficult…
After he passed and headed towards the bar, she inched forward. Maybe she’d give it just a little bit of a try? Her lips twitched, and she eyed the table weighing her options in her head. Byrony would just drag her back if she got back to early… She stared at the table for a few moments longer then bent over to fill out her own little card but not nearly as impressed with the pen has she had been the lady’s lingerie department of the store. This world was full of surprises…
When her name was written, she left the card on the table. Better there than her carrying it around with her, she deduced. A quick glance of the room and she decided to simply wait at the bar as well. She tottered towards the bar bearly missing a couple of the wait staff before she finally she finally made it. Hopping into the stool, she crossed her legs and leaned a little on the counter. The man next to her was drinking a glass with amber colored liquid. She smiled at the bartender, “I’ll have what he’s having.” With a nod, the bartender, poured her a bourbon on the rocks and passed it too her.. Finding that the chair had the ability to swivel, she turned the swivel chair and let her eyes drift from the entrance to the table and back again as she waited to see what would happen next.
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[attr="class","ic_ooc"]>.< My first A/U thread, if I need to change anything just DM me.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]So, Rafail knew he could most certainly get any woman he liked easily, but he was always happy for any opportunity to meet more ladies. Easy fucks were better than the hard ones, after all. Everybody knew that.
Making his way into the room with an amount of swagger and arrogance that was quite honestly impossible for any other to match, he winked in the direction of the organiser, flashing a smirk. She looked about twelve but, hey, you have to get into the good graces of every lady, right? He moved over to the table where everyone seemed to be scribbling their names down on some paper with some fancy writing utensils he didn't think he'd ever seen before. It was a little hard to use at first, if solely because he didn't understand it. The thing didn't seem to require any ink! Still, Rafail wasn't so stupid that he couldn't figure it out, and he managed to write his name on one of the labels with an added flourish on the R.
Princess Emilia was seated at the bar but, for once, as Rafail approached, he wasn't exactly interested in her, instead, taking a seat for himself and requesting a glass of wine from the man serving the drinks. There was plenty of time for the women later.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Belen had never been one for dating, hell he wasn't one much for social interaction. It didn't help with the fact he wasn't all too proud with who he falls in love with, yet what especially didn't help was the face he wasn't the softest looking person out there. With the multitude of scars that littered his body, and of course the icon lack of his right eye. Even too this day he still wasn't so proud of that little pirate wound. Quite evident by the fact that when he walked into the restaurant/bar amalgamation, he still had his hood up, casting the majority of his face into shadow... Or it would of if it wasn't for the modern lighting that lit up the establishment. Still, it provided some minor cover for his face.
Although Belen's mind was quickly taken off the alien building he found himself in, as he looked down at the table. He cocked an eyebrow at the parchment that was as smooth and white as marble, he was also slightly stunned by the strange device know as a... Pen. Of course it didn't take the archer long to figure out it's use, that wasn't were the problem stemmed from.
No, the problem was the fact Belen didn't know how to read or write. Which lead to him standing there for a few moments, just starring at the paper, feeling rather intimidated. After a few moments, Belen attempted too write his name, yet it was rather fruitless, as it came out as just a few scribbles.
With a rather embarrassed look on his face, he shifted his eye around, catching the girl who had set up this thing. Even for that brief moment she could probably see the embarrassment in his eye, along with the pure fear of actually doing something like this.
Slowly removing his hood, he wandered up towards the bartender, keeping his eye on the floor as he made his way up. Belen made it a point for everyone to leave before he even spoke. "Liquid courage..." Belen asked, his index finger nervously tapping on the wooden bar as he looked to his left, keeping the lack of his right eye away from the bartender. When rewarded with strong alcohol, Belen took his glass nodding respectfully, before moving too a free table. Sitting down rather awkwardly, he looked away from the door occasionally sipping on his drink, and flinching from how it burnt his throat. How the hell did people do this stuff?
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]He felt like a giant walking into the place. By appearances, it was designed to be a food hall with individual tables for only two diners a piece. But the separated seating in a single chamber caused most of the furniture to be closely packed together. And Vangelis was not a small man.
At six foot two and broad in the shoulders and powerful in his stride, he entered the room like a tall cut of shadow. His entire frame was clad in black for it was, he had been told, the appropriate outfit to wear to such an event: black boots sturdier and harder than his own back home but not at all dissimilar in the feel wrapped around his feet; black pants of tough and durable material known as jean were perhaps a little snug in the rear but far looser in other areas to his normal riding pants and his shirt was soft against his skin, also black with open collar and sleeves rolled to the elbows, exposing strong and tanned forearms.
He had been given by his manservant what was apparently called a tie in this realm, a long piece of material designed to be worn around the neck. The strip was in the darkest of blues and felt like a noose as it hung a little beneath his open collar, pulled free by his finger on the journey over here.
Vangelis had drawn the line at the goop a slave had tried to put in his hair. He didn't care who use to own it or who produced it, he wasn't putting that gunk on his head. So, instead of the tousled look that the male on the tub had been sporting, Vangelis had simply tied his hair back into a small knot on the back of his head that a young woman he had passed had on the way to the venue had commented on as a "man bun". A few strands fell around his face and neck but he paid them no mind.
Feeling decidedly uncomfortable with all the prep and polish, but feeling the familiar weight of his pendants around his neck, Vangelis put his awkwardness aside and instead decided to be curious as to what event it was that Stephanos had dragged him to. All he had been told was to wear the clothes his servants had found and to attend at a particular address at a particular time.
So, here he was, trying to negotiate around the smallest dining tables he had ever seen and reach a desk that had little pieces of parchment laid out.
Having witnessed several before him perform the same task, Vangelis was able to complete the writing of his name without much difficulty and avoid any embarrassment. It was only after he had successfully done so that he then made his way over to the bar - the only piece of furniture that he might have recognised in a tavern - and, when asked for his choice of poison, he simply selected water.
Not a drinker by nature, Vangelis certainly wasn't going to break habit now in a realm of strange customs and stranger hair products. Water was the safest bet.
When presented with a tall and perfectly smooth and clear glass filled with the purest of waters, Vangelis was pleased at the fresh taste and then eyed down the length of the bar spotting several familiar faces.
Leaning into the woman beside him - a striking young lady in a black dress with auburn hair - Vangelis murmured low.
"I've been brought here under enigma and duress." He told her, keeping an eye on Stephanos down the other end of the bar. "Care to enlighten me on what I've signed up for?"
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]People trickled in slowly, filling out their name cards and then venturing to the bar. It seemed to be a pattern being set. Evangelina wasn’t complaining though, it gave her the opportunity to observe them in a more candid fashion. Whether she was interested in them on a more personal nature or not, she loved simply sitting back and watching the way people interacted with one another. There was a lot that could be learned from the watching, listening, and just letting the world around you happen.
There seemed to be more men than women at this event, so far. Was it possible the ladies were hoping to make a fashionably late entrance? Should she have waited? Worrying on her bottom lip, she glanced down at the drink in her hand. It wasn’t wine. That much she knew.
Out of the corner of her eye, a large form came in looming in the door frame and filling it almost entirely. She couldn’t quite help how her gaze fell on him for a long moment. His posture was different and almost in an instant she was able to peg him for a soldier. They all stood the same. Walked the same. Each step was a mixture of loose-jointed, confidence and carefully coiled power. They didn’t employ a courtly walk, their steps were efficient, and formed with the sole purpose of not wasting energy.
With one more once over, she swiveled in her chair to turn back to the bar and set her glass on the table debating whether to taste the concoction or not. The thin black straw in held her interest as her fingers played with it, moving the melting ice around in the tumbler. The drink looked more like an amber colored magic potion. She’d heard the man down the bar asked for liquid courage. Was this liquid courage? Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she worried on it as she studied the drink.
The open place next to her soon filled. Sliding a curious glance to the soldier boy she’d been watching moment ago, her lips curled up on one corner. Had he felt her watching him? He ordered a glass of water and it helped decide what she was going to do with her own glass.
He leaned in murmuring lowly to her. Pushing the glass lightly away from her, she turned slightly to him. Evangelina’s brow arched only a moment before she ducked her head to hide her smile, it might have worked too if she’d prevented herself from slanting her laughing brown eyes over to him.
“Enigma and duress, you say.” Her brow arched. Dropping her eyes, she swept them over the solider, her lips curving into a smile in one corner. “You don’t seem the type.”
She didn’t blink for a long moment, then offered a dimpled smile and sighed. Swiveling the chair a little more, she pointed her finger at Aly. “That one there.” With a sweep of her long lashes, Evie glanced at the soldier's face again, “Has organized a way for people to determine whether they are attracted or compatible in...uh… a breakneck sort of fashion. You’ll have a certain amount of allotted time to ask questions and get to know the other person before you rotate to someone new.” She’d glanced back at Aly as she spoke but now that she’d explained, she looked back then to the man next to her. “It seems like a rather ingenious sort of experiment.”
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Taking a sip from his water and finding it to be bubbly for some reason, Vangelis found he enjoyed the sensation on his tongue and took another draw from the glass. He glanced down the bar at the other patrons but his gaze and attention were drawn back to the woman in the black dress beside him. She was elegant in her speech and confident as she chastised him for not seeming the type to be able to be duressed. He felt the corner of his mouth quirk upwards at such an observation.
When she then explained what the event being held actually was he held back his groan. The questions he could manage easily enough - the answer and revealing about yourself? Not so much.
The fact that it was an event for meeting potential romantic or sexual partners did not surprise him at all when he considered the fact that it was Stephanos to have forced him to such a thing.
Noting the balance - or lack thereof of genders, Vangelis wondered how the event was going to be handled without the inclusion of other patrons but it was as he was thinking this that more people came in the door, so perhaps he had more concerns regarding that than he should have.
When the young woman held out a hand, Vangelis set his glass down, rubbed his fingertips - damp with the perspiration from the glass - on his black jeans and reached out to shake hers, the ends of his digits still cold against her warm skin.
"Vangelis." He answered simply, offering his own name in exchange for hers.
Being polite, Vangelis glanced at the woman in an objective sweep from head to toe and then winced one of his eyes in thought and confusion as he turned his head.
"You, ma'am, do not appear to need help deciding whether someone would be attracted to you."
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]How exactly this event was going to turn out, Persephone did not know. She had been told by her sister that such an event was important, that she needed her Sissy there as emotional support and yet, after the girl describing exactly what it was, Persephone had only offered a half promise that she would possibly attend. As the days had drawn closer however and as her sister has spent an inordinate amount of time preparing her appearance for such a thing - clearly nervous of her reception within the gathering - Persephone felt her heart waver and, without her sister's knowledge was determined to attend, leaving just after she had finished her work and only a few minutes behind her sister.
As such, however, Persephone had done little to impress her appearance upon others. She wore a simple pair of soft bootleg "jeans" as Emilia called them, intent on her sister dressing fit for the realm they were in. The jeans descended down over most of her "all-star" shoes as well, the white tips of the boots peaking from beneath the light blue hem. Her top half was clad in a fitted top with long sleeves that sliced across the top from shoulder to shoulder, exposing the almond tan of her décolletage and the slim dips either side of her neck. Her hair, Persephone had allowed to hand loose. Emilia had straightened it for her earlier in the day, keen and quick to pick up on the manners and tools of this world and eager to impose control on Persephone's locks until they hung on either side of her face as long and black and gloss as two sheets of water or glass. Her only form of adornment was her mother's wedding ring which she wore on the ring finger of her right hand as she had done every day since she died.
Arriving at the restaurant and suddenly feeling underdressed upon seeing the other guests, Persephone bolstered her courage nonetheless and went to sign one of the notecards offered to her. She signed her name in an italic cursive and then, following the example set by the man beside her, placed it on her shirt, at the bottom near her hip.
Uncertain what to do next, Persephone worked out how the room was laid out and expected that they would all be taking seats at the one on one tables organised down the room and so hovered with a quiet and demure aura near that area of the venue, ready to take her seat as soon as they were instructed to do so...
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]The way the corner of his mouth lifted was reply enough that she was quite correct in thinking that he wasn’t the type to be duressed. Her eyes swept downward as she hid a small, victorious smirk of her own at being right. Maybe ladies were supposed to be humble but that was something Evie struggled daily with. When she was right… she was right. When she was wrong, it was usually in a big and embarrassing sort of way.
He was watching everything in that subtle way that someone who had seen battle had. If she had to guess, he knew were ever exit here was located and had already determined how quickly he could get to any one of them. Maybe he’d already even picked his path should he need it. He could probably tell her how many men were at the bar in comparison to women. Yes, he was watching everything and Evie was watching him having grown more curious.
Vangelis. The name haunted a far away spot in her mind but at that moment she couldn’t place it. She’d never met him, she was almost certain of that but the name, not something one would forget easily.
His long-lashed, sweeping gaze flicked over her and she couldn’t help tilting her head a little to make sure there wasn’t a tag poking out from her dress or something stuck to one of those unreasonably tall heels.
‘You, ma'am, do not appear to need help deciding whether someone would be attracted to you.’
She blinked her dark doe eyes for a long moment, then her face scrunched up and the corner of her eyes wrinkled. Dipping her head to hide her grin she laughed softly, “If you believe that then maybe I am making the right impression.” Slanting her eyes sideways, she smirked. “Shall I let you in on a tiny secret? I am positively terrified.”
Leaning a little closer to him, her finger-waved downwards towards her pointy shoes. “If I have to get off of this chair… and walk anywhere… I am going to fall.” Her puckish eyes shifted back up to him, “And there is absolutely no way to fall and still maintain your attractiveness.”
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]The strangeness of his surroundings was nothing to the odd mixture of people in the room. This didn’t look at all like the tavern he’d been searching for. He glanced at the table with the smooth white paper and bypassed it completely. He didn’t need that noise.
Several people sat along something that looked suspiciously like where he could get some alcohol. He walked up to this, eyeing Stephanos at the end of the bar and then looked to the other end where Vangelis and Evangelina were speaking. None of those people he knew, nor did he wish to speak to them.
He ordered a drink and then turned around. Persephone hovered a little ways away, appearing as awkward as he’d ever seen her. And then, of course, there was the archer, sitting at a table. Alone.
Huh. Not dead. Interesting.
After a moment’s indecision, he decided not to go to either Persephone or to irritate Belen. He simply stayed where he was at the bar. This wasn’t a tavern but it was close enough and anything that interested Belen but made Persephone uncomfortable was something he intended to stay for. It had to be entertaining, at the very least.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Was she late? She felt late as she rushed down the street and glanced at the note she had in her hand. This hadn't been her idea. This was her friend's idea to get out into the world again. It had been almost a year since her husband had passed away and her best friend insisted that she needed to find love this time. Or at least give a look for herself instead of allowing her mother to dictate her life again and again. Her eyes glanced at the sign of the bar and back to the paper. This was the place.
She paused a bit longer before finally working up the confidence to press open the door. The people appeared to be scattered and not quite paired up yet, was that how it worked? Aikaterine wasn't even sure. This definitely wasn't something she would have ventured upon on her own. But, she promised. With a hard swallow she took the paces necessary to go to the table where it seemed nametags and other things were.
"Thanks." Was mouthed silently as she wrote her name down and then pushed it over her heart. She turned around and probably appeared like a deer in the headlights as she only took a few seconds to examine each of the other people in the room. She thought about running away. She could do it. Right now, she could just run back out the door and no one would know anything different. No one would know what a mistake this was.
But, she promised. And her friend always knew. Aikaterine was a terrible liar and she knew it.
The next step must have been to get a drink in her hand. That seemed to be what the others were doing. She was good at going with the crowd. Aikaterine moved towards the bar and stood to wait her turn and wait to receive something, anything. She wasn't even sure what was good here. Her bottom lip sucked in as though she might ask, but was happy to receive anything - really.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Vangelis smiled at the woman when she commented that she was making the right impression. While he wasn't the kind of man to leer nor to stare when his gaze was excessive or unwanted, he was at least male and could confirm for her - if she so wished - that her efforts were certainly working in the correct direction if attracting a partner was her aim for the evening. Which, apparently was everyone's aim for the evening in just such a set up. Except for his. Because he hadn't been informed of the nature of the event beforehand. Which meant he was most certainly intending on punching Stephanos before the day was out. A man he could see keeping to himself down the far end of the bar in a way that had Vangelis wondering if it was his own presence that the man was avoiding. Smart move.
As another man entered the facility - one that seemed as comfortable in his environment as a fish out of water, Vangelis' eyes narrowed at the presence of the - to him - nameless Lukos of Magnemea. He had not associated with the man before but was surprised to see a look of familiarity cross his features as he looked towards the princess of Athenia to suggest that she had. His impression of Persephone was one of propriety and chastity. An association with a man like this one who appeared to advertise that he was everything but such noble qualities did not seem to sit well with him.
Distracted from his inspection of the newcomer when the redhead beside him leaned in to offer a secret, Vangelis could only offer his half smile again as she commented on her complete and total terror of the situation. He would have tried to offer some words of comfort but, in all honesty, had little to give seeing as he was new to the whole process and had no idea of abject terror was, in fact, the appropriate reaction to have.
What he could at least help her with was her next topic of conversation regarding her ability to walk.
Vangelis had never seen such creations tied to the bottom of her feet and despite the fact that they made her lower leg look defined and very elegant he had no idea why a woman might attach such height beneath her heel in order to throw off her balance to the point where she couldn't walk. Where on earth was the use in that?
"You could always take them off?" Vangelis offered, probably unhelpfully and definitely unchivalrously as he realised that others in the room were wearing just such shoes and that to remove them might be considered inappropriate or indelicate.
When Evangelina then commented that were she to walk anywhere she would fall, Vangelis managed to save his boorish comment with - to his own surprise - a humorous tidbit.
"I think I lot of people would consider a woman falling for them to be attractive." He offered her with that little twist to his lips that never seemed to breech into a full smile. Curiouser and curiouser... now he was making puns.
Sliding from his stool, Vangelis wiped the condensation from his water glass onto the rear of his jean pants and straightened out his shirt with a few plucks here and there to the material, before turning to stand with an arm out to the lady before him.
"Perhaps you'll allow me to escort you to your seat, ma'am." He told her with respect and care. "Just in case such a falling is more indelicate than one might wish."
When she took his proffered arm, Vangelis did exactly as he had gestured to do - he escorted her to one of the pairs of seated chairs around the room and, despite a moment where she appeared to lose her balance for a second - perhaps a piece of uneven floor, perhaps a twist of one of those ridiculous shoes - Vangelis was able to support her weight through the arm he had looped with his own and kept her upright with barely a wobble noticeable to the people around them.
Guiding her to one of the chairs, he made sure she was comfortable within her seat before taking the space opposite her. He didn't sit down until he had looked around uncertain as to whether he was yet supposed to but, in the end, he simply raised a shoulder at his partner in a gesture that offer "oh well, let's try this on for size" and then pulled back to the chair to settle into it.
It appeared that their movements and ascertain in sitting down despite not being told had had a leader and follower effect on the rest of the room and, slowly, everyone else began to move towards their own seats. Some moved singularly and ended up opposite someone they did not know, others sat before the other member of the congregation whom they had been speaking to until now. It seemed instinctive with most for the woman to sit on the same side as his redheaded friend and a man to site on the opposing side.
Vangelis military intellect and ability to notice patterns told him that there was no coincidence in this and that he would be being expected to move.
He was also curious to note that the young princess of Athenia - or rather, the elder young princess of Athenia moved to sit before the pirate man that Vangelis did not know but instantly distrusted. Perhaps there was something in that that he felt a need to explore perhaps not, but they were too far down the rows for him to overheard any potential conversation between the two. If he were right and he was expected to move down the row of little tables he would have to wait until he was facing the princess himself to find out what was happening there. Regardless of the fact that it was no business of his on a personal level, as a man he disliked any young woman of that background showing preference to any male of that apparent nature. It brought out the protective instincts he felt with regards to his sister Asia.
Realising that he had left his drink on the bar, Vangelis had only to turn to have a serving gentleman bring him the glass, for which he was thankful, just in time for the runner of the event to gently thump a small gong in front of her with a padding stick. It was clear that the instrument and the striking thereof was designed to get their attention and - appropriately - everyone looked up as the dull note echoed around the room, ceasing conversation and turning heads in the direction of Aly.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]Alrighty. It looked as though a fair amount of people had entered the room and were already getting started mingling, a few having taken some drinks once they had figured out the complicated ancient art of writing their names on paper. Time to get things going. Aly picked up the stick - was that what you called it? - for the gong, banging it against the instrument in order to get everyone's attention and then once more, because gongs were entertaining and she couldn't resist. Once they all appeared to be looking her way, she waggled her fingers in a semi-awkward wave, smiling brightly at the group.
"Hi! Welcome to speed-dating! I know there's not too many of us, but I swear, it's gonna be lit," she informed them, only half wondering if any of the slang she had used made sense to them. If pens and paper were troublesome, she could only imagine the struggle of words like 'lit'. "Anyway. You all - most of you - wrote your names on these little slips for me..." Aly gathered up the selection as she spoke, dropping the papers into an overturned hat and rifling through them for random selection. "So when I pick your name, come and get your slip, and meet your partner! And then y'all can go sit down opposite each other at one of our tables over there. I'll give you guys five minutes to chat, and then at the end of that time, you'll hear my gong again and if the men could shift down one seat to their next partners, that would be amazing." She waited a moment to see if anyone had any complaints or questions, then nodded once more, pulling out the first name from the hat.
"So, first off we've got Persephone and...Stephanos! Who, I guess, is a bit of an artist." Cool, cool, that sounded fun. Artists were fun. Aly would have preferred some kinda skinny, dark-haired Mx Miller looking dude but apparently, no one of that description had seen this event as neat enough to show up to. "Next, Evangelina and..." She was forced to squint to try and read the scribbled name, eventually coming out with, "Belen...? Evangelina and Belen!" One eye, tough guy, that was pretty sexy. The girl seemed a little more delicate but opposites attract, ya know?
Next came the tall blonde who had drawn the 'R' in his name with far too much fuss, dotting the 'I' with the tiniest heart. Aly briefly wondered if he was batting for the other team, so to say, and if she should have been pairing him with one of the men who were present, but the name that followed his was obviously female. "Rafail and Emilia! And, for our last couple of the evening..." The penultimate name to exit the hat was that of a pretty brunette who had entered later than most and who had seemed ever so slightly nervous. "Aikaterine and...Vangelis." Who, who would have their child suffer from a name like Vangelis? Either way, it was the last name she had plucked from the hat, and yet there was still one man at the bar who had not been picked. And, since this whole place was dedicated to the speed dating event, there wasn't any reason why he shouldn't be attending.
As Aly set up her timer for five minutes and everyone moved to take their seats and begin their mini dates, she approached the guy who was just standing there in silence. He was a big guy but, also, Aly was in charge, so she didn't exactly care. "Hey, dude. You don't have a partner or a name so, uh, you can either awkwardly sidle on over and make one of them pairs into a threesome or you can sit here and chat with me for five thrilling minutes before I shove you into a pair with someone else. Your choice."
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]He didn’t want to be here. The feeling only increased as Aly read out the names and paired up the other people in the room. They all seemed to know exactly what they were doing here but he’d only come because………………………………………….well he just had. Call it an inkling that he truly had no choice in the matter. Though if pressed for a reason he wouldn’t be able to give one. Still.
So when his name wasn’t called, and he watched the others take their seats, he wasn’t entirely sure whether or not to feel relieved or annoyed. Aly came up to him and he eyed her as she approached. Clearly there was something the matter with her face if she had to hide her eyes behind those strange squares.
“What are these?” he reached out and plucked her glasses off her face, holding them up high enough that she wouldn’t be able to jump to get them. “What do they do?” Tapping the lense with his fingertip, he noted the distortion as he looked through the lenses at the ceiling.
Ducking away from her, he put her glasses on his own face. They were too small but he laughed immediately as his vision blurred. “Woah!”
“Guys you have to see these things,” he said, stumbling over to the table where Belen and Evangelina sat. “Here, you. Take a look at this.” Coming up right behind Belen, he took off Aly’s glasses and settled them on Belen’s face instead, holding out his arm to keep Aly away if she tried to get them back.
[attr="class","ic_message_scroll"]A long stemmed glass with white wine was pinched betwix her fingers as she pushed away from the bar just in time to hear Aly begin making the announcements. It was beginning. It was going to be too late to scoot out the back door and she would need to attempt to be impressive. Getting out there after the loss of a husband was hard enough, but the pressure she could feel on behalf of her best friend pushed all the way into the establishment. She had to stay.
The anticipation was drilling as she looked from one set to the next as all the names were called. One after another they were paired up. There were only two men left that hadn’t acknowledged their assignments. She had to admit that Lukos looked intimidating and lucky for her it was Vangelis that was chosen to be the first man she would talk to. Her jaw tightened at the thought of polite conversation, what was she even supposed to talk about? Her lip pressed against the glass again and took a sip to stop thinking about it.
Her free hand moved to press into the soft folds of her free flowing dress. She had purchased the garment for just this evening. Rather, she had been forced on a shopping trip with her best friend and then encouraged to try on a multitude of options until her friend approved something they could both agree upon. Aikaterine did not want anything too tight however her friend insisted on a low cut V to expose the goods. You are there to at least turn a head and gain some confidence. She insisted. Aikaterine rolled her eyes at the time and at the bar she had to resist to urge to pull the neckline up to cover what she was showing.
It wasn’t only the men that caught her eye. The women were all so confident and extroverted. Or at least they appeared to be so. This was like a nightmare for a hermit like herself. At least she didn’t have to stroll up to someone on her own. She was assigned her own person for five long minutes. Silent prayers that Lukos didn’t approach her pairing as Aly gave him the option. She was sure that she would absolutely die if she had to entertain the questions of two men at once… and there was something about him.
Instead, attention returned to the tall one. Kat moved towards him and gave a nod. ”Vangelis?” She quietly questioned just to be sure. ”Have you done this before?” An easy first question, maybe a predictable one.
Vangelis had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
What even was this thing? Some kind of court etiquette that had to be done at high speeds? While he found the entire thing ridiculous, his lack of inane chatter and polite conversation skills was pleased that they had such a small allocation of time to talk to one another. Hopefully that would mean that actual conversation with take place, instead of the shallow and complete uninteresting tete-a-tete that most folk partook in when approached by someone they were determined to seek a romantic connection to.
Vangelis sighed when his name was called - not in an impolite "dear Gods" kind of manner, but in a steadying way that seemed to say - "Well, I'm here now - let's try this on for size."
When the woman he was supposed to be paired with came over to introduce herself, Vangelis' good breeding came to his rescue despite his awkwardness over him even being in the room, let alone attending an event such as this. With a quick taking of her hand, the man offered her his arm politely before escorting her to a vacant one-on-one table as they had been instructed by the girl with some sort of speech impediment (for he only understood about half her words in that vernacular and accent).
Not seating himself until the lady had done so, her drink in hand, Vangelis offered her a polite nod and awkward tension; for that was all he had to give - before she started speaking, asking if he had engaged in such an activity before.
"Not at all." He commented. "I was, in fact, brought here under false pretences by someone else." Someone who had just been paired with arguable the most attractive woman in the room - so Steph would likely be seeing this all as worth it already, and they were only a minute in. "So, you'll have to forgive me that my social interaction skills leave something to be desired." He told the woman, at least polite enough to keep his eyes on her face, instead of the gown she wore or the legs she had on display. Some of the other men in the room were not being nearly as conservative in their appraisals of their partners.
When her name was called correctly, Persephone was pleased that her writing had been up to par, despite the strange implement with which she had had to recreate the letters of her name with. That was at least one way in which she had not embarrassed herself yet this evening.
The first had been her choice of outfit.
While all other women in the room had clearly known the event to be a formal affair - one that involved gowns that seemed more nighttime garments than daily dresses - and had dressed accordingly, Persephone had not been informed such, and her clothing choice for the event was going horrendous marked by her own perspective if no-one else's. While the top - cut across the chest - gave a slight element of occasion about it, her jeans screamed a casualness the event just didn't seem to be promoting.
The female in her was determined to comment, however, that at least her hair was pretty. Straightened to a point of a fine gloss and hanging around her face like silk.
She knew this because she'd been fiddling with the ends of it since she'd settled herself in the corner of the room.
When she was called forwards, however, paired with a man whose reputation was known even to she, who had never left Athenia, but had yet to be someone she had met the persona acquaintance of, Persephone stepped forward promptly, not wanting to hold up the process of the event and took her seat at an open table, hoping the man in question might join us to avoid her looking quite foolish.
She didn't notice the eyes of those around her as she moved with the same grace she had been blessed with back home, nor did she consider the effect her snug clothing had on the impression it gave others to her body. Instead, she was focused on pulling the sleeves of her top down over the backs of her hands, exposing a touch more of her shoulders in the process and trying not to blink too rapidly against the cosmetic liquids and powders that her sister had rimmed around her eyes a few hours earlier...
When the man to be her partner took his seat opposite her, Persephone found herself sitting up into her natural good posture and smiling with a friendliness she wasn't sure she yet felt.
"Good evening..." She offered him blandly, wishing she had something more to offer in conversation to the handsome man before her.
"You. Are. Nuts!" Nafretiri was so angry she wanted to smack Joelle in the face. "For the sakes of the gods! I haven't even found love in my real life yet! What makes you think I would do any better here?"
Joelle shrugged. "Okay, maybe you won't. But you might. It's a different universe, after all. I just wanted to give you a chance to see if you could. Now get in there! And Naf?"
"Yes?"
"Do not, I repeat do not eat all the snacks."
"Can I drink all the bubbly stuff. then?"
Joelle gave Nafretiri a glare. "You know what I meant."
Yes, Nafretiri did know. But she dreaded it. Dating was hard enough in the ancient world, and she wasn't entirely sure she would ever find someone who completed her. But as good an idea as meeting other people from other countries was, she couldn't quite wrap her head around this "speed dating." Could you really find the love of your life in a few seconds? (Okay, that was exaggerating a bit, but perhaps not by much.)
Joelle read Nafretiri's thoughts. "I admit, I'm skeptical too. But if nothing else, you'll probably make a friend."
Nafretiri began walking inside the building.
..."Or an enemy."
She stopped.
"But hopefully a friend," Joelle decided finally.
"I hope this works. But for Aneksi, I'll try anything."
"Ummm, Naf? This may not be for Aneksi. What I mean is, even if you found someone to be with, they might not even be from the same kingdom you are, and that will make it harder to-"
"Stop right there," Nafretiri interrupted. "Then if we may not be together in the real world, what is it for?"
Joelle grinned. "Me."
"You're evil!" Naf accused.
"No. I mean me imagining that you could be happy... somewhere. Wouldn't you like that?"
Nafretiri nodded. "I suppose. But I still think this alternate universe thing is weird, even though I look up at the stars in my world and wonder if one exists somewhere inside them."
Joelle nodded. "I understand. Now get in there. And not too much champagne. You're my driver, remember?"