[ open ] jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock

[lyingheart]

WHO: OPEN.
WHERE: De Chima.
WHEN: Saturday, December 13th, 2014.
WHAT: Earlier in the afternoon, there will be base-jumping in elf costumes. Later on is the charity silent date auction and different performances by USA celebrities fundraising for charity this holiday season. OOC information post here.
WARNINGS: None now, will update later. To avoid seeing all the silent auction threads, simply press on the (Hide ## comments) under the header comment for the auction section!

[ BASE JUMPING from TARTARUS TOWER ]
For those imPorts who volunteered to jump from Tartarus Tower, arrivals for fittings into their costumes begins at 2:00 PM sharp. Each costume comes with a name-tag attached, and make-up artists are on hand to help affix elf ears to participants and work on their eye make-up for the ease of the cameras catching all this live.

The jumps will start at 4:00 PM, and after all imPort elves have jumped and successfully reached the ground, they'll join the bus transporting presents and Malik to the De Chima children's hospital to deliver gifts to the children in the cancer ward (and elsewhere). ImPorts will then be transported over to the main facilities for the fundraiser event as a whole, invited to attend the Silent Date Auction as well as listen to any of the various performances occurring over the course of the evening.

[ CHARITY SILENT DATE AUCTION in DE CHIMA ]
Starting at 4:00 PM, the doors to the conference hall made available for the ImPort Charity Silent Date Auction will open. Live music will be provided, along with refreshments and catered hor d'oeuvres, and televisons displaying both the news stories and live coverage of the fundraiser events occurring over the course of the evening. ImPorts will be encouraged to attend any of these performances in person, but will not be required to leave the conference hall unless they wish to do so.

There is lounge seating available, and free wireless throughout the building. Different conference halls are hosting different events in this event center, and the largest productions are happening on a built stage outside. There's a massive lit tree in the central front courtyard of the event center, and many small stands selling hot drinks, good foods, and wares outside by the stage and surrounding streets, all with a portion of proceeds going to various named charities.

Please comment to this log with your own starters! Only the Auction Thread will be set-up under its own sub-thread, for ease of tracking. Auction Threads can be threaded in, but initial comments to those threads should be the bids that a character is placing on someone else (or themselves). Bidding will close OOCly by this time next week (or when a player states bidding is closed on their character - send me a PM to close that thread, or comment to close it on your own). ICly, all bids close at the end of the night.

Comments

[soldiarity]

[ Good job, Kaneki! That makes even Reiner pause, mostly because he isn't expecting it. Oh yeah, Ken?? ]

Well, it probably won't be necessary, huh? I bet you'll have a good time with whoever it is... decent, at least. If not, though, I can always keep my schedule free.

[anthropophagite]

Hmmmm... With so many dates I have had lately, it's hard to tell when I'm free, but I will let you know. [ he looks pretty amused actually, finishing his coffee with one last sip and putting the cup down ]

[soldiarity]

Get my phone number from Annie, then, all right? Since you'll probably be seeing her again sooner.

[ They hang out, right? Reiner assumes so, anyway. Nonchalantly he takes another bite of his chicken, pulling another piece off the kabob. After a moment he debates offering Kaneki some, holding the stick out. ]

Sorry -- are you hungry?

[anthropophagite]

[ ACTUALLY HE... is not sure.... because he may have admitted to Annie he eats humans... and things got pretty awkward.

But when he sticks out the chicken towards ken, it's bigger than him and he does a face, even if he really doesn't want to. ]

N-no!

... sorry, my stomach is... pretty sensitive with food, so I'm picky.

[soldiarity]

She'll -- oh. Sorry, that's my fault.

[ Brow raising, Reiner sits back a bit and withdraws the kabob back again, claiming the last couple of bites for himself. He chews, swallows, then discards the empty kabob aside into a wastebasket.

He looks apologetic. ]

There, it's all gone. In case the smell was bothering you.

[anthropophagite]

[ kaneki blinks as he watches him eat and at the end he just--- chuckles lightly. He isn't making fun of Reiner , it's not that at all.. ]

You really are a a kind person, Reiner.

Thank you. Though you don't have to worry about me.

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner looks mildly flustered by that, waving the compliment off. ]

Hey, I'm not worried. But I don't want you feeling sick, either -- then what kind of jerk would I be? [ Shrugging one shoulder, Reiner smiles sheepishly. ] Did you want anything else? I could get it for you.

[anthropophagite]

Hmm-mmm, but i'm fine if you keep eating as you like. It won't bother me.[ and he won't get sick, not really. Only if he actually eats, then it can be bad ]

And I'm alright. I already ate.

[ but it's amazing, kaneki isn't the only one feeling embarrassed wow, that's new. ]

Unless you want to go get something? I can tag along.

[soldiarity]

Ah, it's all right -- I'm not that hungry. I'll be fine.

[ Reiner shakes his head, his smile a little more naturally friendly now -- the embarrassment is wearing off, at least. He holds up his cider glass, signifying that's all he needs for right now. He's not a bottomless pit like Sasha, after all. ]

We can just sit for a while, if you want. I don't have any place to be. [ And Kaneki isn't bad to hang out with. ] Anyway... I'm sorry you got mixed up in this. I figured you wouldn't do it on your own.

[anthropophagite]

[ >Ken smiles and nods, finally taking his seat besides Reiner. While he does look generally out of place in social gatherings, around people he speaks to often he isn't so terribly awkward.

Kaneki shakers his head ]

My ex roomate wanted to mess with me. So, I suppose this is his type of prank. [ besides breaking Kaneki's house, finding out he is a cannibal and such...... ]

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner sits back comfortably, moving over to make a little more room. He takes up more than his fair share normally, and it's probably better their legs not be crowded against each other. ]

That's too bad -- at least you're taking it in stride, though. I know I wouldn't care too much if someone had put my name in, but I'm not as quiet as you. Or self-conscious. Or... [ ... He's just making himself sound kind of boorish, huh. ] I guess that's progress, huh?

[anthropophagite]

Aha, sorry for being like that. [ yeaaaah kaneki really is like that. The description given about him by the auction wasn't that far off and thank God Nishi hadn't been the one writing it or it'd be something like "enjoys great meals" ]

But I'm trying to, yes. To be more social and less awkward. just talk to others, right?» [ like reiner told him to do ]

[soldiarity]

Don't worry about it! I don't mean it as a bad thing, all right? But it's true, so I don't mind saying it.

[ He nods, though. Maybe it's pushy of him to encourage Kaneki to be more social, but Reiner really only wants to help him stop feeling nervous around people all the time. He exhales slowly, to add: ]

You don't have to do something just because I told you.

[anthropophagite]

I don't- [ Kaneki touches his own cheek ] I think it helps me, to try to socialize a bit. it won't feel so lonely to be here in a whole new world with no one from mine.

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner's quiet for a moment, then nods in agreement. ]

As long as it does help... I'm not trying to give orders or anything. I know for me, meeting other people here did do a lot for any loneliness. The feeling doesn't go away, but you don't think about it as much.

[anthropophagite]

I know, I know. Please don't worry about it, I didn't take it as an order. [ he really didn't ] But you are right. It helps not to think about it.

[soldiarity]

All right, all right. I'm over it.

[ Reiner laughs mildly, sitting back in his seat and taking another sip of cider. He shouldn't get so worked up over nothing.

He breathes out slowly. ]

It's too bad it doesn't get any easier. But you get more used to it.

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki shakes his head ] I'm used to it. [ being alone. Back home he had ONE friend. He misses him terribly here, but Kaneki is indeed used to being alone. ]

Uhm- would you rather be in your world, Reiner?

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner pauses, frowning slightly -- it's the question he never knows quite how to answer. Did he even have an answer? ]

Sometimes I would. I think about seeing Bertholdt, or finally going home again... but the truth is it's not a good life we'd be returning to. It'd be better if he was here.

It's useless to think about, though. You're right about that.

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki nods softly. He sort of understands both positions, though annie was more on the side to stay. In any case, he understood the desire to want a new life just like he understood the desire to see the ones they've left behind. ]

Yes, I guess you are right. it's not like the Porter will listen to our requests.

[soldiarity]

[ It's not a point of contention between Reiner and Annie, but certainly a vague... conflict, in a way. Reiner isn't opposed to staying while he's here, but forever? That depends on so much else. ]

Not so far, anyway. [ He sighs in mild frustration. ] In the meantime, we might as well make the best of the situation.

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki looks back at Reiner and smile wider, nodding after. ]

Hm! I have been trying. [ given kaneki's terrible life, he sure has! ] Though dates aren't exactly what I had in mind.

[soldiarity]

Hah, me either. But better here than home, maybe -- at least as far as I'm concerned. There's more opportunity for downtime now.

[ And where he's from, many don't consider dating a priority when their lives are all on the line, when surviving even to 25 isn't a given. ]

So dating can't be that bad.

[anthropophagite]

[ that's because your date never tried to eat you Reiner. ]

Ah, I wonder. [ kaneki touches his own chin ] It does look like you are comfortable with it. <small<[ a hell lot more than kaneki is ]

[soldiarity]

[ Not as far as either of them remember, at least, but one of their friends tried once. Water under the bridge, though. ]

Ah, well... I figure, why not, right? I didn't get to much before, so I won't reject the idea. But I'm not really going out of my way, either.