🌸 sunshine, she's here, you can take a break

[mistsplitter]

WHO: Everyone!! :D
WHAT: A get-to-know-you-together!
WHEN: end of August
WHERE: shinrin-yoku, Sunwaning
WARNINGS: None for now!


[ The past week, Ayaka and Aether made an announcement on the network, inviting everyone interested to make friends and meet new people to the shinrin-yoku teahouse the following weekend. Well, this is it! The time has come! ]

Welcome
🌸 shinrin-yoku seems like a simple tea house upon entering, with a large wooden sliding door that's already opened for guests to enter.

Ayaka will be the one to personally greet her guests, offering three possible areas for seating– the traditional Inazuman set up, the space for where you can let your legs down and not kneel while seated, or outside in the gardens. Familiar faces may be abound, and guests may like to walk around and see the interior, perhaps even say hello to the manager who is walking around and sniffing people here and there.

For future endeavours, Ayaka informs guests that they may use the shinrin-yoku for business gatherings and meetings. Members of Ayato's committee are more than welcome to use the shinrin-yoku, and may even become a place for exchanging information and the like. The tea house promises to be a safe place to all.

And for this particular gathering, Ayaka is not only serving tea, but also sake. It never hurts to make things more fun!


Konpeito, Truth, or Dare
🌸 All guests, upon entering, will be given a small clear glass container. They will also be presented with a giant bowl containing konpeito. They must take at least one, and as many as they could possibly want, and put it inside their own container. They are told not to eat any for now, but no one's really stopping them from doing so!

At some point during the occasion, a game is announced. Everyone is told to check their konpeito and count how many they have! Now, they must pick a partner and play a couple of rounds of truth or dare with them. Every time they get a turn, whether they pick truth or dare, they can eat a piece of candy! Or eat three or five at the same time Once they've had five rounds, though, then they have to choose another partner and start over until they've finished their konpeito bowls.

There is an added rule to the konpeitos, but not necessarily required to be followed! A white konpeito must have a truth or dare related to family, green for a "favourite", yellow for love or sex, orange for childhood or childlike-ness, and pink for "hate".

Ringo (Ayaka's Eevee) and Taroumaru will be watching people and make sure they aren't cheating! Though sometimes, they may not be looking, and can even be bribed with snacks. Participants who can finish their konpeito in an hour (which we'll conveniently handwave) will receive a box of sakura mochi to take home.


Introduction Bingo
🌸 Guests are given bingo cards to fill up at some point during the afternoon! Pens are also provided, or if they have their own, then that's cool!

Participants may put someone's name twice on any of the squares, but more than that, and it won't count. The objective is to get a blackout by filling out names of people who fit the description! How one does this is completely up to them. They could even slip it into their conversations during the truth or dare games, or just randomly walk up to people and ask them things.


Two Twists and a Lie
🌸 A card is given to participants for them to write two truths and one lie on it, then they have to pin or stick it to the back of their clothing. When someone wants to play, they must first challenge you to a game of janken. If you win, you get to turn the game around and guess which is the lie on their card. If they win, then they're entitled to one guess! If they get it wrong, you have to play janken again.

So, what happens when the person gets it right? The person can now make a rule that the other person has to follow. Whether it means they have to call you "Master", end all their sentences with "yes, please", or some other rule that you can think of! And in case you can't think of anything, there's a box nearby with cute props that you can make the loser wear: cat ears, a cat tail, bunny ears, a bunny tail, a raccoon kigurumi, and some goofy glasses.


---

( OOC: Feel free to play around with the prompts. Get creative! )

Comments

[demondelic]

Colors to avoid...? Ah- let me see.

[They were smart (for once) and wrote the use of the colors down in a note on their phone, so that gets pulled out of their robes - magically, floating through the air - so they can read it over.]

Hmm... if you don't mind a bit of specificity, perhaps dares related to yellow candies? I am still adjusting to a realm that requires touch after going thousands of years without.
But I do not mind discussing such topics, even though my answers will likely be quite boring.

[Because of the whole "thousands of years without touch" thing, of course.]

[hometown]

[ Reiner nods in acknowledgment, then starts plucking konpeito from his bowl. ]

No yellow is easy enough. I'm Reiner, by the way. Reiner Braun.

[ He holds out nine konpeito—none of which are yellow—to deposit into the person's bowl. ]

Here. This way, you'll have enough for a few rounds with me and someone else. [ Then: ] Do you want a handshake or anything before we start? I don't want you turning to stone.

[ No matter how odd this person may look to Reiner's eyes, they seem perfectly nice. If they're not accustomed to touch, they may not be getting enough in this world—hence the offer. Besides, Reiner isn't shy about physical contact. ]

[demondelic]

I am Purple Mage, though just "Purple" by itself suffices.

[... Yeah, that wasn't just a username, that's their actual name.
And they give Reiner a polite dip of their head as a nod in thanks, bowl held out (also via magic) to take those little sugar stars.]

That won't be necessary, but thank you for your concern. Thankfully, while it is still difficult for me, I have made friends who will not allow me to turn into stone.
It is as stressful as it sounds, but I recognize it is also for my own good.

[Though, that's followed with a brief pause in thought.]

... Unless you need it? Humans do have an interesting habit of offering things that they need, themselves, rather than asking directly.

[hometown]

[ Reiner recognizes Purple Mage's name from the network, though he doesn't immediately recall every detail of their conversation. Bored immortals, a world destroyed—things that stood out even among all the strange things he learned that day.

He smiles a little, then shakes his head. ]

We do, huh? No, I'm all right. I'm a pretty physical person.

[ He fishes in his bowl for another konpeito, holding it up without looking at the color. ]

I'll start with truth.

[ The konpeito's color is orange. ]

[demondelic]

Ah, a truth of orange. Let me think...

[They'll have to think on this kind of hard; Everhood had no children, so things regarding childhood and the like isn't an easy topic.
And they mostly just want to avoid asking something impersonal and boring.]

... Hmm. What activities would you say were most important to you as a child?
From what I understand, childhood is a time in which those who age gain the building blocks needed to become who they are later in life, after all.

cw child soldiers

[hometown]

[ Thankfully, Reiner recalls enough of their network conversation to understand why a question about childhood might prove difficult. Although, it does raise a few questions on his end. Do people from Purple's world materialize as fully-formed adults or something?

He puts his curiosity aside to focus on answering the question. ]

For me, it was training. That encompassed many things: running, shooting, studying, hand-to-hand drills—just to name a few. I was set on becoming a Warrior from an early age; I had to work hard to achieve that.

[demondelic]

Hmm... is that so?
I will have to inform Green Mage I was incorrect... we were under the assumption children were kept from such dangers due to their frailty.
I suppose, then, not all children are frail? Or, perhaps some realms require children to go through such dangers...?

[The questions are both rhetorical, despite the way they ask them - they'd rather learn more about the idea later, when they aren't taking time that Reiner could be playing these games with - but they make that known well enough by turning their attention to the candy once their questions are asked.
Their magic dips into the bowl and selects a candy, pulling it out from the pile -]

... As if on cue. It is green.

[- And then it hangs in the air for Reiner to take. Since they can't eat it and all.]

Why not a truth, myself? To keep things even at the start.

[hometown]

[ Reiner wouldn't mind answering those questions, though he knows that his world's view on such things is apparently markedly different from what others have experienced. However, he recognizes that they're rhetorical and saves such explanations for later.

He accepts the green candy, odd as it feels to pluck it from midair. Does Purple Mage have hands? He considers the question but doesn't ask; it seems like it could be rude. ]

Green, huh? All right: what's your favorite thing about living in this world so far?

[ Then he pops both the green and his orange candies into his mouth. Apparently, he has no reservations about eating something Purple's magic touched. ]

[demondelic]

[Such questions will come in due time; they recognize Reiner as someone to ask about that sort of thing, now, and they're not the type to forget when there are questions they want answered.
But right now, though, they're playing a game - it's better to focus on that for the time being.

... Though they're also jotting down a mental note that Reiner seems to be pretty trusting. Hmm.]

Ah - what a good question. Thinking on this now... I am not sure I will be able to pick a single thing.
There are many things I enjoy about this realm, especially as compared to my last.

... I can whittle it down to two, at the very least.
The personal freedom I have gotten to experience in this realm, as well as the many kindnesses shown to me by those stuck in Ellipsa like myself.
No matter how hard I try, I don't believe I could pick between those two... I am sure you understand.

[hometown]

[ Reiner smiles, noting the use of "stuck in Ellipsa." Not everyone feels that way, but Reiner can sympathize. ]

I wouldn't ask you to choose between those two. They're both wonderful things in their own ways. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten to experience them.

[ And then, it being his turn, he fishes in his bowl for another candy. It is yellow.

Reiner hesitates, looking up at Purple. ]

No dares related to yellow candies, right? [ He isn't sure if that was just for Purple or if it extended to himself. Either way, ] Let's go with truth.

[demondelic]

[To be fair to Purple, they are kind of "stuck" here - going back home would cause them to, uh...
Cease to exist. Entirely. So it's either Ellipsa or bust!
But their use of the word was honestly more just using what they've heard others say. It's probable that they and Reiner feel similarly about the whole thing.

As for the candies -
Their white light eyes widen a bit, almost like you might expect had they any eyebrows to raise, but they give him one, solid nod in response. Somehow, they didn't expect him to limit himself, either -
It feels somehow... friendlier? With him accepting the same limits as their own.]

Yellow... hmmm. I must admit, the topics that yellow pertains to are ones I am not very familiar with. I had forgotten of the existence of one entirely, over the last few ages, while the other...
You, ah. You do not... see a lot of love in the sort of position I served.

[If he's spoken to Evangeline enough, Purple's almost - almost - comparable to an Arbiter.
Making great friends here, Reiner.]

I will still ask a question of you, of course. However, if it sounds a bit naive... do you promise not to laugh?

[hometown]

[ Reiner listens attentively, feeling a pang of sympathy as Purple says they weren't in a position to be loved. It's not an unfamiliar concept for Reiner. He's loved back in his hometown (at least by his own people). But in other places, he's despised—especially by those whose trust and friendship he had to betray.

(Making great friends, the both of them.)

He nods, finding it an easy promise to make. Even if he does find the question humorous, he's practiced in controlling such reactions (although he's not an expert by any means). ]

Sure, I promise. Ask away.

[demondelic]

Thank you.

[That's said with a little nod, a gesture of accepting Reiner's promise - but honestly, promising anything still won't prepare him for what they plan to ask.]

... Have you felt it before?
Love, I mean.

[It's clear from the way they ask that they have no idea how sad that question sounds.
Especially since they really aren't asking it in the spirit of the game - otherwise, wouldn't it be better to pick something a little more... goofy? Scandalous, maybe? - but rather, it's purely out of curiosity.
They don't know what that feels like. But humans are pretty good at just loving whoever's around, right? Surely, Reiner must have some idea.]

[hometown]

[ True to his word, Reiner doesn't laugh. It isn't a question he would laugh at even if he hadn't made a promise. He treats it seriously, nodding an affirmative. ]

Yeah, I've felt love.

[ Then, because it seems silly (or maybe cruel?) to leave it at that, he explains. ]

People talk about there being different types of love. It manifests in different ways, so I guess they're onto something by sticking labels on it. But it's all love in the end.

There's the love I feel for my family. The love I feel for my comrades and friends. The love I feel for people I'm romantically interested in. The love I feel for my pets. [ He smiles. ] That's a new one; I never had a pet before coming here.

For me, it comes down to what I would do for them. How much I want to protect and take care of them.