Valentine's Post-Event

For the last time, the band faded away, Luka and Fidalio walked up to the podium again. The restaurant’s lights went back to their normal brightness instead of a soft glooming glow. The owl clapped his feathered hands and then spoke into the microphone. “Well ladies and gentlemen, that’s it! This is the end of the wonderful speed dating session! I hope you’ve all found a great partner to share a drink with afterwards on this lovely Valentine’s day. “

The fox scratched the back of her head. “As for the ones who didn’t find a soulmate, we still hope that you’ve had a great day today and that you’ve had a lot of fun! Now don’t go running out of that door yet! The bar’s still open and food is still being served, so you can also hang out here with your ‘new date’, or just like even, meet up for a moment and share phone numbers before leaving. That’s also pretttyyyy important y’know.”

The owl nodded. “Yes yes. So now we’d like to ask you to stand up from your seats and go to the people you still want to hang around with after this speed dating session. It’s your choice if you stay or not, but the official part is over. Our kitchen staff is ready to help you…” The band members in the back were staring in the distance, then suddenly realised that they were called. “Oof!” “Ack” “O-oh” “Ah damn…” They all jumped up and walked towards a door leading in the kitchen, coming out moment later in their restaurant uniforms.

“Okay then! Well get up then! It’s time to start getting the girl! Or ehm…guy of course!” She winked.

It seemed like it was becoming kind of late in the afternoon. Through the pink see-through windows you could see that it was already sunset. A beautiful time to look at each other in the orange coated sky.

(This is the end of the event. As it’s just been said, now’s the choice for you and your character to interact with any of the people that are there, or just leave the restaurant, choice’s up to you! I hope you’ve all had a good event and I hope to see you participating in the next event!)

((Post courtesy of Bou, who is away. IT DREGAN TIME! Though seriously, throwing this on as a big thanks to Bou on the event, and I hope you guys all enjoyed it too! Make sure to send him your praises!))

Kelina's ears pricked up as he heard the announcement. Well, for the last bit of the round she had just been sitting there, staring into space while thinking about the entire event.

Thinking about how... incompatible she is with most folk, but really that didn't bother her, infact, she found that quite assuming. No, what was on her mind even more so is how she managed to actually feel emotions for someone. It was driving her insane, how one cute manticore had flipped her entire composure. 

She raised up from her seat, walking away from her table and approaching a wall at the café, leaning her back against it, her bright yellow eyes scanning the room. She awaited Rag to finish her conversation up, idly standing as she had hoped she would approach her soon. Surely she didn't make things awkward with the whole ruckus? No, not possible, she didn't even start it, no. Well, she had convinced herself she was right pretty quickly... so she continues to wait, a giddy lil smirk on her face...

Sadly enough the third and last round had come to a rather fast halt. Or so it felt at least. Dione's ears drooped slightly and the smile on her face faded away to make place for a slightly confused and sad expression. She had had fun at the event, way more than she had anticipated. She'd met some really nice people and got to know Yukiko slightly better. 

However, there was another girl who, as they both had promised, she was to meet up with after the event. If Dione remembered correctly, it was someone Yukiko had been paired up with, so the wolf sat up straight again and smiled brightly. "What do you say we stay here for a while longer? I was supposed to meet up with Sweetie, I think you were paired with her too actually, after this!"

She stood up and waited for Yukiko to get up from her chair, picked up her now empty glass and made her way over to the snack table, trying to figure out what she would get. There were so many things to choose from, so she went with something she knew she would like. Cookies. These particular cookies were heart shaped and pink frosted. The canine took a bite and audibly sighed. 

"Mmmmm so good.." she said before even realised what she was doing. Her face grew slightly red and she looked down when it occurred to her. "These uhm.. they're really tasty." While all of that was happening, she kept an eye out for the yellow fox as well, hoping she wouldn't just run off after the event. "You should try one, Yuki!"

"Games...?" Ragnilde echoed Keandra's curiosity with surprise. Was that genuine interest or bafflement? Yet before she could respond or speak a single word, her attention had drifted away to elsewhere with a turn of her head. The speed dating had come to an end! The music dimmed, the lights returned, and the owl spoke grandly upon the podium.

As Fidalio informed this audience of the current affairs of free food and light chatting, Ragnilde stared outwards into the distance with her head in her hands. Here, she thought back to her night, and what a night it had been! Her date partners, the drama, she couldn't say that she regretted it, but it could have perhaps went more smoothly.

First, she had conversed with Tofa. A black-furred firedancer who was raised away from city civilisation. Ragnilde originally thought she was quiet and reserved, perhaps a little too sensitive compared to Rag. They hadn't exactly had a back-and-forth, and Rag had struggled to keep up the conversation and keep it flowing. In this way, she saw a lot of herself in Tofa. She evidently came here to find someone to get close to and at least befriend - Rag knew the feeling well. 
Of course, discovering she was a wanted fugitive had altered her opinion pretty quickly. Nor did Rag expect her to say this sensitive information to a person she only knew for a few minutes. She was evidently a sweet girl wrapped up in a lot of issues, and Rag... couldn't handle that. She had hew own to conquer, after all.

Now while Ragnilde saw parts of herself in Tofa, her next partner was someone she aspired to be. Smart, intelligent, sassy, sexy. Kelina had confidence, Kelina was attractive, Kelina had motivation and didn't let anyone bring her down. Rag struggled with self-love and care, but the badger she had met was full of it. 
She had flirted, batted her eyelashes, and called Ragnilde cute. She hadn't been called cute in years. Her voice was silky and reduced the manticore lass to a mere puddle. Her gaze made Rag's knees weak. She was amazing. And she'd even offered an actual date, she'd shown interest! In her of all people! It went well, extremely well! And Ragnilde was happy! She didn't just want to be her, she wanted to be with her. It was a bold statement to make in such a short span of time, but the attention that Rag had received during that small time frame was something she so desperately craved. It was pathetic, but she'd accepted that she was long ago.

And, from that encounter that made her heart beat out of her chest, had come the final date. Now her heart had stopped at the sight of her final partner, but not for the reasons one would expect. Now, Ragnilde worked at Dragon Corp - a large organisation. The issue was that Keandra was from Dragon Corp. And they both knew each other were. And entering a sudden date with a work colleague and debatable superior was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. She didn't know Keandra well enough, and she didn't want to date her. Thus the encounter had revolved around small-talk and awkward mutterings without any direction. Sadly, the one direction they did have was cut short...

And to make matters worse for everyone including this sad little manticore was that a fight had broken out. Between her previous date partners - Tofa and Kelina. Whatever they were arguing about, Kelina had obviously upset the woman. Upset her enough to force her hand and try to set her face on fire. Ragnilde, being ready for action at any time, flipped her internal switch and put a stop to it before Tofa burnt the place down in her fury. Thankfully, it was over before it truly began, but she didn't expect her opinions to change about her old date partners in the middle of another round.

Kelina hadn't said anything mean to Ragnilde. The most criticising comment was that Rag didn't look intimidating, which was more of a compliment to her than an insult. Beyond that, she had flirted, initiated the conversation, and even asked about her! She'd shown interest, and was pleasant!
Yet she's said or done something to annoy Tofa. Her face scrunched up at the thought of what it could be, but there was no way she could no. The firedancer's response had made up her mind on who was in the right and who was in the wrong. It was all she had to go off on, after all.

Summarising all that in her head, Ragnilde blinked as the hum of conversation started in the room.

Right, meeting up! Right, meeting Kelina! Of course! She was... oh. Oh man she was nervous. She was going to talk to an attractive woman of her own accord and get her number. And possibly probably date. In her excitement, her eyes had immediately lit up, and she started to scan across the room. A nervous smile immediately crawled onto her face, and her blush had eagerly returned for a second round. This was going to happen! She was so genuinely excited! Her hands both pressed against the table, and she prepared to stand up-...

She turned to Keandra and immediately felt terrible.
She had almost forgotten she was there.

Sure, Rag had struck incredible luck despite it being.. her, but Keandra was gorgeous, and she hadn't any! She didn't have any progress with her dates or found anyone that stood out to her, and Rag's ears tilted back against her head. She deserved someone, deserved far better than Rag did. The most Rag could do was extend a hand and offer a small smile.

You don't handshake on a date, you never handshake on a date. But it never really was one, was it? If it wasn't a date, she may as well confirm it wasn't. With a handshake.

Point is, the manticore didn't want to just leave it here. She didn't want to get up and move away without a word. She... Rag wanted to give her something out of this. It wasn't a date, but...
"H-hey, um..." she began, using her other hand to scratch the back of her ear, "I uh... today was..." The hybrid had looked away with a small awkward ahem, but that was probably the worst time to do so. She immediately and coincidentally locked eye contact with Kelina who was standing by the cafe, the badger giving such a gleeful grin that it made her lose her track of thought. Entirely, in fact. She had removed her handshake before it had even connected to use it as the chosen hand to wave back.

"I-sorry! I uh...! Ah!" Thankfully, she'd caught this and turned back, that sheepish and bashful smile turning into a look of pure, awkward panic. Of god, had she really just done that! Had she really just dismissed Kelina for Keandra in front of her?
"I mean- sorry! I didn't...!" no, no. stop apologising. She needed to stop that. Apologising always brought a conversation to a halt - it always created a pity loop. She shook her head, her handshake actually shaking, "I... listen. I... I think you're... cool. Um. Really cool," Too cool. She still couldn't believe she was doing this. She always thought everyone at Dragon Corp was too amazing for her. She still thought that! At the moment, pure pity was giving her the confidence to say this. And she felt terrible about that. "And wanted to... ask maybe... if you wanted to.. actually. Talk. And go to. Drinks. Next week. Maybe. When I'm- when we're both free...?"

Even as she asked, her eyes would shift over to the waiting badger for a few seconds. She didn't want to keep her waiting, but she also wanted to talk to this vixen more. Hopefully it was evident to Kelina that the handshake offer confirmed it wasn't a date thing.

...And so that was it then. With one tiny announcement, the night was over and well... it had been a night.
Not that it had been terrible in any way. Indeed, it had been a pleasant evening for the most part, with a string of dates with three relatively nice individuals. It was just.. a shame in many respects.

Nang had been nice. In many ways, he almost seemed to have the most potential of the three tonight. He was genuine, open, definitely had his passions. Their meeting had been.... good.
At the same time, as had been the case for her many times before at these events... she was too old for him. She had no doubt that even if she went to him now, heee probably wouldn't be so interested himself.

Then there was Bast - an unusual individual. He had a lot of thoughts when it came to the world, when it came to his interests. He was interesting, a travelling man! And whilst she could definitely sit by and listen to their stories... it was evident that the world she lived in, and the one he existed in, were entirely different worlds to each other.
He had been... nice. If perhaps not a little eccentric and uncomfortably over-enthusiastic at points. Still, she'd enjoyed the brief time at least.

And then, of course, there had been Rag.
And to be honest... well, that like the two before, had been pleasant. They'd... talked. Awkwardly, uncomfortably, slowly. But they'd talked!
But, well, they both knew it wasn't going anywhere. They were workmates, they literally already KNEW each other BEFORE this. Well, not knew-knew but... well, they certainly weren't strangers. They ALREADY weren't dating, they weren't gonna suddenly randomly start NOW.
On top of which... well, it was evident Rag had already made her mind up. She'd already met her date for the night - and had spent their time together distracted by more than just the fight breaking out.
Still, it seemed they were at least finding some sort of path to making a breakthrough? Something to talk about?
...Or at least they had been 'til it was all called to an end.

And Rag was evidently already eager to get going - and all Keandra could really do was offer a sad smile as the manticore moved to stand. Still... they had at least paused for a moment - with a hand offered for a shake.
"..." she grinned, "I'm off over next weekend - Friday evening too if you want. Come up with a place and we'll catch up..." She nodded. That'd be nice. But for now...
"Right!" she stood up, shaking that hand abruptly, before turning Rag at the shoulders towards Kelina, "You're eager to go talk to the girl, and she's eager to get talkin' to you! We'll chat next week, but for now... Don't keep the lady waiting!"
With a little push of encouragement, Keandra gave a final little 'Good luck!' before dashing off to give them space.

Aaand from there she headed straight to the bar. She was wanting a drink.

Nang will hear the announcement as he gets up ' Well Miss Stella would you like to check what they might have available for the snacks or drinks?' He will this time wait till Stella is ready to go this time around.

And so it was over.

Several people to talk to, get to know and take an interest in. Some leading to long-winded conversations covering a fair number of topics, others barely getting so much as a 'hello'.

Both gals had different expectations from the event.

Ana was looking for someone who'd fall for her and she'd fall for, too. Love at first sight sounded like a dream come true for a girl that never experienced any.

Finding Aaron in the group of people that participated, she approached him with a warm, confident smile and a confident walk.

Perhaps he'd be her one and only.

---------------------------------------------

On the other hand, Stella was soul-searching, not just looking for love, but for true love.

First, it was Bastion, with his ability to keep up the pace of the conversation, but his dismissal of her and his belief she shouldn't fall in love with the first person she'd met during the event soured things.

Then, there was Nang. Unexperienced, somewhat lacking in confidence, yet she was drawn to him nonetheless. All of their future endeavors would be completely based on trust, understanding and discipline.

Stella would turn her gaze back to Nang after she was done thinking everything over.

"Sure," the cat would get up, a devious smile on her face. "Or we could buy junk food and crash at one of our places. Watch a movie or two."

Kelina's gaze drifted around the room, she didn't want to just stare at Rag, as much as that would make things even more awkward, to her enjoyment. Yet as she did so, she eventually did make eye contact, still grinning as she did so. In fact, that grin became even wider when she saw poor Rag's struggle to get out of her little situation.

She giggled under her breath, watching the event ensue. Deciding to quickly focus once more, she would fix up her hair, adjust her outfit, just kind of, idly moving around. She took in a deep breath, before folding her arms again.

Kelina just wanted to keep her cool, she couldn't let herself break more than she already had, she had to be strong. Although... it was undeniable that she was excited, that was evident from the loud pounding in her chest. She kept talking to herself in her head, reminding herself of her composure. 

In fact, in order to kill a few seconds, she took a small piece of paper she still had left from earlier. She swiped a pen from the counter which she stood near by, scribbling down her number for later, along with a few kisses.

"Well that's-" Before Rag could get a single sentence out in reply, Keandra was already pushing her towards her obtained date! With a small 'whaah!' she stumbled forward, took a final glance back at the departing vixen, then stared back at Kelina. Immediately, her heart flew out of her chest. Unlike the badger who had time to adjust themselves, Ragnilde was still a bit of a mess. Jumping into the fight had made her fur a little frazzled and her excessive redness didn't help the heat on her face. She adjusted her collar with a tug, moving forward with another wave.

She had said this to herself over and over in the last two rounds, but she couldn't believe that this was still actually happening. That this pathetic and sad mess had managed to get a date with an attractive, confident woman. The last time she had done such a thing, it had been a disaster. And the confident flirtatious personality reminded her of Lia. But! She was getting into this to forget her ex! And Kelina was a different person!

Speaking of... "H-hey there...! Kelina!" she called out, practically skipping over to her side. A wide, cheerful smile was on her face - honestly she hadn't stopped smiling since they made that eye contact. Her tail was raised happily, her ears were perked and alert, and she couldn't stop fidgeting with her hands. It was such a nice feeling, "How uh... how're you doing?"

Obviously she was fine. She looked fine, probably felt fine. Still, it was usually a way to start the conversation. Rag didn't know how to do it otherwise - she'd never succeeded at this sort of thing. Up until this point, she'd always left empty-handed with mass-dating events. This was a new experience for her.

It was also a question to ask after the last round. While at first she was worried that Kelina would find someone better and forget about Rag, instead it had devolved into a fight. Not having that worry was fantastic, but it had also tensed things up. The question of 'what did you say to her?' still lingered heavily on her mind, but that wasn't a question to ask right now. That didn't matter.

What mattered right now was the fact that she was getting a date.

Kelina raised her head so that her gaze could meet with Rag’s as she approached. That gleeful little smile on her face made her grin right back at her, a clear look of excitement in her eyes. 

“Well hello again~” She would say, having a few minutes to prepare certainly made her calm, her voice made that clear from the cool, smooth tone.

She would move her arms from being folded so she could place them on her hips, her eyes quickly darting up and down Rag, who she could clearly see had been having... well quite the time here.

“Oh? I’m doing just fine, since you came in to rescue me~” She would tease, obviously, she didn’t need saving, but she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a comment.

“And what about you? I hope you didn’t find someone better than me?” She would say in a playful, sarcastic tone, w little pout from her lips followed by a small giggle under her breath.

Why was her voice so nice. That smooth tone, that seductive purr, she could listen to it all day and each time it would just make her melt. The anticipation was killing her, and Ragnilde couldn't help but let out a very tiny, very quiet giggle. She wasn't a giggling type, but she was so elated that it just left her mouth without even realising it. A small laugh followed, and she covered her lips slightly with a hand.

Oh god, she'd looked her up and down. She probably looked like a complete mess. As Kelina did so, Rag's hands shifted upwards to adjust the quiff of her mane, gliding her fingers back to run a hand through it and smooth it out. She didn't want any stray hairs taking away from this! This movement came to a sudden halt at the badger's small comment.

"Oh- uh..! Saving?!" she echoed, eyes wide. Rag knew that Kelina didn't need saving. Kelina knew that Rag knew that Kelina didn't need saving. It was a playful ploy to reference the previous round and make a flirtatious move towards her. Now the question was how she should respond - play along this to showcase her ability, or deflect it to reference Kelina's superior experience? She went with the former. "I mean... it's... hah. It was. Nothing. I've fended off bigger things than her!" She puffed out her chest, also putting her hands on her hips to mirror her partner. That comment was true, she'd dealt with groups before. A small girl with a fire glove wasn't an issue. But she was totally going to ham it up to seem more confident.

And thankfully, Rag actually managed to catch on to the playful tone. She grinned in turn, gently swinging back and forth on her heels as she spoke, "I uh. Hahah. I don't think. That's. Possible. ...Obviously," she responded. Which was entirely true. This entire event, Rag had eyes for only one person, and that was the woman in front of her. However, this didn't stop her from babbling about it. Even if it meant talking about her other rounds to heighten Kelina's importance. It was perhaps a bad play, but she couldn't stop herself. "B-besides. First round I had Tofa and... uh... hah. Yeah," she didn't need to say much more than that, "A-and the last round there - that was... someone from work. Which. Was awkward. We uh... kinda caught each other out on coming here."

She was originally going to deflect the accusation and ask why she'd chose Rag of all people, but that line of curiosities would just lead to severe self-deprecation on the manticore's part. Even now, she was still expected to make an impression. There was still the chance of Kelina just walking out after Rag having said something which annoyed her or bothered her. This battle of obtaining a girlfriend wasn't over yet.

She paused. Her face showing a slight hesitance. Not over Kelina, bu instead if she should make the first move. The first offering to... go somewhere, and do something. Tonight, even. The sun was setting, and a few places were still open. Rag had no plans, hopefully the same was for this woman.

"So... Kelina do- do you..." Oh god, asking this was a lot more difficult than she thought. Easier said than done, as the saying goes. Her words died in her throat, her own nerves caught up to her like a freight train catching up with a fleeing deer. She wasn't confident enough for this! Instead, her eyes drifted away and she tapped her fingers together, "want... um..." Why was this so goddamned difficult?!

Kelina grinned from ear to ear, seeing Rag puffing out to stand proud. It made her giggle once more, moving her own hands from her hips to stand idly. She certainly was interested in Rag's career and any excitement it could bring.

"I see, I'd love to hear any stories you have from work sometime~" She said, giving a little wink as she grinned. Hearing Rag go on about her other rounds. Although confident, Kelina was slightly more content knowing that she was by far the best in all of the rounds.

Her ears then flicked as Rag began to trail off, she was trying to say.... something? Oh dear, it must be very embarrassing, she had seen her trailing off and stuttering before, but this time it was a little extra. Kelina leaned in a little, eventually managing to hear at least "Do....you...want.." And that was enough for her.

"I'd absolutely love to~" She said, slowly moving a baby step closer, her eyes locked firmly on Rag's, a sly, seductive little grin upon her face.

The bell rang once again, and just as a last question was asked. Now she couldn't fully answer Diones enquiry which made her ears lower slightly. 
The mention of meeting up with Sweetie perked them right back up again, however, so she followed the green canines lead and stood from her seat and followed her over to the plate of cookies. She watched on with anticipation as Dione lifted a pink covered treat to her lips and took a healthy bite, making an almost sultry noise of enjoyment, which made both their faces flush, one for embarrassment, the other for finding it cute and in a very adorable way. 

Dione recommended the cookies to try herself, which brought up a smile again to her face while she reached for a sugary treat. Opening her mouth to taste with a nibble, the flavour filled her mouth and she too, made an involuntary noise of satisfaction. Whomever made these cookies knew what they were doing. 
Taking a small glass of water, Yukiko turned around to face Dione. 
"Alright, shall we find Sweetie?"

'Well ummm. I do know a good pizza place that we could order one, and they have many crusts, sauce, cheese, and topping options for your preference... ' he would pause a bit. He didn't even ask what movies she likes. He should ask her now ' Oh... I do want to ask what type of movies you do like. I want to make sure it's one of your preference? I do like watching historical, and modern war movies, but I am open to anything cause I do like seeing a good story.'

Aaron waited around. so far he didn't wanna see that first "Date" and he didn't get to know Ember well, but he'd probably see her in the future If he saw Caen again. He did wanna meet up with Ana though.

Not a moment after he the event ended and everyone had started milling around, he found Ana walking up to him.

"Heh... you seem happy. Whats on your mind little miss?"

"I find I really enjoy martial arts movies," Stella would tell him. "The choreography is oftentimes simply stunning."

But the true beauty wasn't just in the movements, but what those movements could do.

One of her favourite scenes of all time was one master going against a small army of foes.

And he won, beating each and every one with just his fists.

The movies never explorer what his limits were, but they made it fairly clear that he was holding back.

Good stuff.

-------------------------

The girl was pulled from her daydream, mumbling. "N-nothing. I'm just so happy I met you."

The thought of skipping school crossed her mind - she was that excited to spend time with him.

'I think there's a channel dedicated to Martial Art movies. We can watch one if you like. I like ones from Mackie Chan. He is my favorite martial artist.' Nang would encourage it. He would love to watch something that made Stella happy. He would also get a text from Dyson.

'Excuse me for a sec.' He will answer the text letting Dyson know he has plans tonight, and he can leave if he wants to.He knows in the morning Dyson going to grab him and ask all about it and the good job he did.

Stories from work? Admittedly, Ragnilde didn't have many. The manticore sounded far more impressive than she actually was. Most of the time, things didn't happen in work - security was just a precaution and most people had the sense to just keep to themselves. There were a few key adventures that she'd had, but those were probably nothing compared to what Kelina had probably encountered. Still, to impress this lovely lady, she could once again ham it up a little bit.

Sadly, her inability to outright ask if Kelina wanted to go somewhere else was lost on her tongue. It's funny really. She was rarely this timid and nervous, Rag was more just socially inept. But being part of a speed dating situation where impressions count had brought out her internal panic. Knowing that she just... wasn't as good as everyone else, not important as everyone else, more bland and boring compared to everyone else... that had shot her confidence down. It was a knock-on effect that led to her being a quivering mess. Her lack of experience in succeeding didn't help.

But regardless of her stuttering, Kelina had not only agreed, but she'd moved closer. There wasn't a table separating them now, and her date partner was clearly taking advantage of this. That suggestive grin spread across her face, her gaze directly at her... was this room getting hotter, or was it just Kelina?

"G-great!" she quickly responded, clasping both her hands together with a grin of her own. The badger immediately agreed without actually knowing what she said - looks like she was really eager, "I mean... I was going to say if you. Wanted. To go out- I mean...!" Could she say 'go out' in a date sense? Or was it still too early? "...Maybe... head to a bar... and uh. Chat. A little more. Is that okay? Do you-... I know you said 'yes' but... uh... are you freeee? Now?"

Truth of the matter is... she felt bad being here. While these two had certainly hit it off well, there were people here like Keandra who didn't have any luck tonight. She didn't want to shove this victory in anyone's face like an egotistic maniac - she wanted to spend it away from the hustling crowd and have a nice, quiet time elsewhere.

Something about Tangerine's reply seemed to have made Bastion pause and mull over his thoughts for a bit. It must have been something... concerning, perhaps? Just based on the brief, subtle expressions on his face. Whatever it was, he seemed to dismiss the thoughts with a shake of his head. And then the conversation continued on, but about her travels. She realized the more appropriate thing to do would have probably been to ask a question about him in return. Oops.

Deciding to just roll with it, the dragon had shrugged her shoulders. "Following the road, really. It's mostly road-trippin', seeing sights, some..."

The dragon trailed off when the lighting changed. She peered upward, then over towards the now-silent band, and finally to the two hosts who had stepped up again to announce the end of the final round and the availability of food and refreshments for all.

Tangerine exhaled a little. She hadn't been too fond of having a timed conversation so now she could relax and not try to force any chit-chat. At the same time, the round felt as though it had passed much faster than she expected. But it wasn't bad at all, even if just a bit awkward for the socially-inexperienced dragon. Bast seemed plenty interesting and sociable and talking to him for a while could be a nice option for spending her time until the twins came back to get her.

That is, if he hadn't already met someone during a previous round that he was more keen to get back to.

She'd been silent even as others began to rise from their seats, somewhat lost in her thoughts before shaking her head and letting her tail tap briefly on the floor beside her. "Right!" The reptile looked back to Bastion. "Well, that was quick, huh?" she commented. Might as well make sure she wasn't going to cling to him. "If you need to grab some cutie's number, don't let me stop ya." A little smirk crossed her muzzle and she added in, "I might go check out the food in a little bit."

Kelina’s grin would stretch from ear to ear as she nodded, turning her shoulder to look at the exit briefly before turning back to Rag, tilting her head slightly before letting out a small chuckle.

“Mhmm, I’d love to go somewhere with you~” She said lowly, calmly while looking at her, maintaining how close they were.

“I’m sure there must be somewhere near by where we can talk, just you and me~” She ended her sentence with a wink this time, she wasn’t just relentless with this whole flirting thing, and every reaction Rag gave just encouraged her to keep it up, she found massive enjoyment in seeing Rag blush and stutter... mainly because she found it absolutely adorable.

She then turned to stand directly beside Rag, her shoulder brushing up against her as she smirked.


“Shall we~?” She asked, preparing to head of with her date, a sense of pride and content dwelling inside of her.

Again, Ragnilde's anxiety bubbled at the pit of her stomach, but she suppressed it with a tense gulp. This still felt too good, too convenient, too perfect. She was half expecting some sort of twist to this whole event where it's actually some sort of sick prank show. When was the part where Kelina was going to slap her in the face with pie and proclaim it was all just a big jape? Thankfully, that never came.

She took a few seconds to analyse her surroundings for a final time. There was the gentle sound of chatter in the air - people getting to know each other again and for the first time. The clinks of glasses, the shuffling of people reaching for the food. There wasn't anything malicious, this event was legit. Outside, the sun was setting. Standing before the entranceway, Rag could feel her fur ruffle as she felt the last remaining beams of sunlight caress across her.

And finally, she looked at her date - Kelina. It was weird to call her that, and she honestly didn't want to. Not yet. They'd only known each other for, what, 10 minutes? Maybe a bit more? Still, she was excited to learn more about her. She was excited to learn from her. Her smooth voice, her flirty mannerisms - Rag wanted to be able to bounce that back at her.

For the moment, however, she was content.

Still, content didn't mean she was invulnerable to the excessive flirting! She covered her mouth with her hand, turning away to hide her wide and giddy smile. "Hahahh..." she laughed slightly, coughing into her closed fist, "Y-yes! Ahem! Just- just us. Yeah. That..." lowering her head into her fur once more, she kept on smiling. She quietened her voice to just a shy murmur, "...that'd be nice."

And she immediately raised her head again, straightening her back! "We shall~!"
...Should she interlock arms here? She was- oh god she was resting her shoulder against her this was going so fast. ...Not that she was complaining, mind you. Her tail instinctively raised in her own happiness and that redness continued to stay plastered on her face.

Taking another small look at Kelina, Ragnilde gave a happy sigh, and walked out of the restaurant.

“Mmm, well! Nothing wrong with any of that!! Just following the road is an enjoyable experience in itself, and I’d be lying if I said a large part of my travels hadn’t been just that. There’s something… primal about it, I guess? Just seeing where it all takes you without too many cares to worry about~!” And to him, that was true! Ever since he’d left the confines of his village and the mire, everything seemed so much brighter, more heartening.

He’d never felt so alive.


He opened his mouth as if to continue, but the sudden shift in lights and sound [or rather, the now lack-of] from the stage caught his attention. He blinked a little as the abrupt ending of the event caught him off guard, and he realised now he’d allowed himself to be too distracted with his own thoughts.
He flashed Tangerine an apologetic grin, deciding that he’d perhaps not given the dragon the attention she deserved. At her comment though, he gave a small chuckle and a tiny shake of his head.

“Time really does fly when you’re having fun, huh? And uh…” he paused, glancing over in the direction of Stella, then at Keandra, then back to Tangerine. He felt conflicted – he’d enjoyed his time with the pair of them, it was true, but he wasn’t entirely confident either would appreciate him pushing further. Stella had been bold and smart, if a little… insistent. He couldn’t help but feel like he’d offended her with his casual comment towards the end of their date.

…And besides, she looked pretty interested in her final date, so he hadn’t exactly been wrong in his comment, had he?

As for Keandra… well! Again, she’d been smart and funny, and he’d be lying if thought of spending more time with her wasn’t appealing, but. He felt like he wasn’t the kind of person she was looking for, that if they were to spend any more time together it’d be as friends instead of lovers, which… well, honestly, he was perfectly ok with! He had, after all, come here to make friends, not to woo and seduce! And you didn’t need a phone number to be friends, right?

Which left the dragon herself. From what little time they’d spent together, she seemed nice enough. Like himself, she didn’t seem to have arrived with the idea of romance in mind, and whilst his conversation topics and been perhaps a little stilted, she’d been pleasant company none the less. Maybe not dating material, but certainly someone he wouldn’t mind spending further time with!
 
“…well, I think I might join you in that. Its only just dawning on me that I haven’t had a bite to eat all day, and I reckon a drink or two wouldn’t go amiss either…” He grinned lazily, his one eye twinkling mischievously as he glanced over to the bar.
“That is, if you don’t mind!”

Oof I didn't even notice this was here. ))

Tofa was at the bar of the place just thinking to herself. She watched as people went with people they were interested in. She looked down realizing what a fool she was to think anyone would even care. She stayed there, waiting.

"So... my place or your place?" Stella would ask

Either was okay, but of course, the cat had a certain affinity to the place she knew in and out.

Wow she hit that question quickly. Sadly his apartment is... needs some cleaning so it would be better he just goes to her house for this ' Sure... Let's just head to your place tonight. Did you get here by your own vehicle or by public transport? Currently I was brought by a friends so my car is back at my apartment which is pretty much a hike to it.'