[ 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

[blondtactician]

[Armin grins, wide and bright.]

I don't thinks so. I don't know the name. They're probably just another book-lover or something.

You, on the other hand, know who I am and what I'm capable of, in pretty much every way. I'm a menace.

And yet you want to go on a date with me.

[Armin doesn't ask 'do you want to go?' because he doesn't doubt this, suddenly, though he wonders if Jean will deny it.]

[isaytheeneigh]

Who said anything about a date? You got some crazy idea in your head that I hated being in the same room as you.

[He doesn't need to deny it. This comes out more smoothly, though even Jean, who can be thickheaded about the wrong things, knows he's bullshitting it. He knows he's trying too hard here.]

[blondtactician]

Maybe I was wrong. [Armin's smile drops, and he's quiet, but he's not upset, just thoughtful. More dangerous than him being happy or depressed or embarrassed, really.] That day things were a little different. I was trying to show concern for you, but I didn't really think about how that would make you feel. I should've known you'd act like a total child. I shouldn't take it personally that you did.

[isaytheeneigh]

So I'm supposed to lie and say I like something as stupid as a hayride? [Jean already has justified his lack of gratefulness for the notebook. He doesn't understand why Armin would expect him to react with gratitude over something that he doesn't make a habit out of doing.]

[blondtactician]

[Armin stands up, placing his hands behind his back. The gears are still turning. His voice steady and clear, his chin slightly lifted.] The part I wasn't getting until just now was why go, then? Why keep my gift if you didn't want it? Why endure something if you found it so stupid? I thought it was because you pitied me, felt obligated toward me, and I hated that... but I was being foolish. You don't waste your time with such things.

[isaytheeneigh]

If I didn't go, then you'd be mad about that, too. And we'd end up having the same stupid conversation. [Jean might've not sounded as adamant and certain before, but he does now. He's certain of this point, if nothing else.

After all, that had been part of his logic then. It remains true.]

[blondtactician]

[Armin just shakes his head slightly, quietly laughing.] You are a complete ass! I can't believe I let myself believe for a second I'm as much trouble to you as you act. You're so inconsistent! You don't make any sense at all! If you worry about how I'm going to feel, why be so rude about it later on? You've had plenty of opportunity to drive me off for good, and here we are anyway.

I know you're not going to like this question, but I feel I must ask just the same. Forget the other person who bid, anyone else we know, and trust me that I can handle myself not to be devastated at whatever you say. Do you want to go on a date with me?

[isaytheeneigh]

[Jean counts to five before he responds. It's a quick count in his head, lest Armin think he's hesitating:]

No. Obviously not. But I sure as hell wasn't trying to drive you off at any point, either. That was all you.

[blondtactician]

I don't think it's that obvious. [Armin tilts his head, looking thoughtful.] You bid on a date for me, after all.

[isaytheeneigh]

Because what are the odds of someone being disappointed by a date with you? I'd say they're pretty high.

[blondtactician]

You're paying $45 for the opportunity to be disappointed. That seems like a poor investment if you don't even want the date.

But... if you say so, Jean, I'll believe it. [A very serious nod.] Maybe you can think of something fun for us to do, and it will be less of a disaster.

I'm going to go check on some of my bids. I'll see you around?

[isaytheeneigh]

[A few things could come out here, and none of them would be particularly good to say. He knows that. He knows that he can only go down from here when it comes to upsetting Armin. As such, he holds his tongue, motioning that Armin should just get going.]

Don't spend too much money. [Bids, plural, after all, implies that he's spent at least fifty dollars. Or intends to.]