#TOADevotedStart

[serraic]

a starter for day of Devoted Hearts

    May unending love and devotion find you...! 

   Really, Pelleas nailed it. For all the feathers he ruffled by telling her she looked like someone else ( Hilda, dang you!!! ), he absolutely pulled it back in the end. That’s exactly what she was looking for — unending love and devotion. 

     And maybe, just maybe, it was on the horizon today... 

    Today, Serra looked her best. She was wearing a long, lilac dress with yawning sleeves and a small train, and a pearl necklace, situated above a high neckline. Hair was tied up in her usual pigtails, but it was braided a bit before it was tied off, giving it a really charming look.

    And, most importantly, of course, she had a crumpled note with a line of poetry on it, in her hand. 

   Well... maybe it shouldn’t stay in her hand. She put it on the white-clothed table in front of her. Smoothed it out a little. Really, why did it have to be crumpled? It looked so bad, so ugly! It made her look all messy, and stuff! Ugh...

    But... if this was what was going to help her find her one true love... she’d do it! 

   Saint Elimine, please... let someone cute come by! 

[sharpscion]

𝐀 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐎 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 – 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐂𝐇 & 𝐁𝐘𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐇

   There the swordsman found himself, in the midst of an explosion of decoration and Day of Devotion cheer. Thanks to an awkward encounter with a fellow classmate, he was given all the instructions he needed to participate. He tried to play it cool, but it was nearly impossible to not feel awkward when everyone was looking you up and down. He couldn’t blame them though, it was merely apart of this silly game he had been dragged into. 

   Scathach shuffled rather ungracefully to an empty table to assemble what had been asked of him in the card. Like Pelleas had echoed, the card called for ‘  a stuffed animal friend with you on your shoulder ’. He looked into the empty beaded eyes of the plush and wondered just how this could get any more embarrassing. With hesitance, he attached the furry friend onto his shirt with a safety pin. It sat tall upon his shoulder, surely proud to be there, but Scathach could not have dreaded it more. 

   With all preparations complete, he and his stuffed friend found their place at the refreshments with haste. Though he wanted to hide away, he could not find it in himself to ruin the event for the person searching for him. As he took small sips of his drink, Scathach idly watched the swarm on people looking each and every person over. As he watched pair meet pair, he silently hoped that whoever he was paired with would be at least somewhat easy to get along with. 

[princessmacedon]

you tell me spring has come

So begins another of these seek-and-find events, and as she had been so brightly told: love abounds! From where she sits in the courtyard, Maria can see the hustle and bustle of Garreg Mach begin to grow, envoys flitting from place to place and leaving hallways and classrooms all a-titter in their wake. For her part, she holds a number of white clovers in her lap: ten, just to be sure - or rather, there had been ten; they number seven now. Three of them now twine about her fingers, one each tied to her index, ring, and pinkie, a soft contrast to the lone ring upon her middle finger, silver with a gentle blue stone. 

It holds the spirit of her instructions, at least -- so she hopes, elsewise she has enthusiasm largely beyond her means. She simply does not have nine more rings to wear! Nor can she borrow any from Michalis, liable as they are to fall right off of her... and that is assuming he has enough to cover the rest! But flower rings must surely count... right? Or perhaps they didn’t, and she would be interfering with someone else’s secret signal. 

She twists the metal ring on her finger subconsciously, as if to emphasize it to anyone who may be looking: she would wear one of these on every finger if she could! But alas, she can only return to her work of tying the remaining six clovers to sit upon the rest, the very last of them now tucked behind her ear. Five rings, six rings, they count slowly down... Seven rings, eight rings, two more to go.

[cursedbluebird]

Mortal of the Frigid Heart, Will You Meet The One To Thaw It?

There were too many people in the ballroom. Some were searching for their mystery partners, others were doing or wearing... odd... things.

Marianne was told to do an odd thing. Which, judging from what some of the others were told to do... could have been worse? She was thankful that she wouldn't have to go around speaking to others to try to find her mystery partner.

She also wasn't quite certain how she felt about being called "mortal of the frigid heart." Perhaps it was best not to look into the eccentricities of Odin... He did have an interesting habit of... well approaching things.

Marianne took a deep breath. Perhaps her partner would enjoy a nice stroll outside? Away from all these people? It would give them an easy out to leave, and they wouldn't have to be seen with the cursed girl.

She took a seat at one of the tables. It was set up in a lovely way. The flowers were nice and the lace was delicate.

Marianne took one more deep breath before beginning to read her book upside down. Or, pretending to read it upside down. Really she just held the upside down book open and looked around the room, watching others, trying to figure out who her partner was and to quell the anxiety that rose every time someone passed her for someone else.

[lionsword]

Binding Blade of Love

Starter for someone totally normal :)

Roy adjusted his sword pin, making sure it was prominently displayed on the front of his uniform. His instructions had been delivered in a rather dramatic manner, and he had no idea if it was a hint as to who his destined partner was, or a side effect of the deliverer.

Either way, he stood in the center of the party, awkwardly rotating a few degrees every few moments to let people see his pin and to seek his match.

He hoped it was Lilina, but whoever it was, he’d have a good time, he was sure of it.

He ate a chocolate pastry as he waited. May as well enjoy the refreshments, right? His noble presentation battled valiantly against the onslaught of flaky pastry, and it was as he brushed off his uniform top that he raised his eyes to lock onto a matching sword pin.

Um.

“Hi.”

[pridelessdaydreamer]

jarring, perhaps-?

A Devoted Hearts Starter

Linhardt actually arrives at a decent time.

Of course, he is by no means early, and it’d be charitable to say he arrived at the stated time, but he’s not horribly late, so. That’s worth something, isn’t it?

At the very minimum, it’s not like he just woke up from a nap and then left. Today was a special occasion (to most), and so, out of some mild respect, Lin decided to actually dress up. (That isn’t why he was late, of course. He’d simply taken his time getting there.) His gaze glides across the room, and he notes almost everyone else looks nice as well. That’s nice.

Then he finds a spot to sit and take a nice nap.

He doesn’t do so, however, without first setting out his clue. Normally, he would have a white ribbon as a part of his outfit, — and even now, he had one tied around his wrist, — but the prompt asked him to bring a treasured item in a jar, and this was the closest thing he had to that. A white ribbon in a jar. A compelling conversation starter.

Lin yawns, stretching out in his chair and letting the time pass by.

[amitieos]

tickled pink

Heels clack against the hardwood flooring as Elincia makes her way to the monastery’s ballroom. Her heart speeds up slightly as she hovers near the entrance. Her fingertips graze the handle as light, giddy laughter fills the air. Nervous excitement pushes her forward, into the waiting arms of destiny.

The festival is already in full swing. An explosion of petals litter the floor in various shades of pink whilst live music plays along to the rhythm of conversations held at every table, upon the dancefloor and perhaps a little more hushed behind the grand pillars holding the painted ceiling above them. Elincia had almost forgotten her previous shyness, any timidness having to be left behind in childhood. Yet it resurfaces today, bubbling up in her chest as she tries in vain to straighten out the skirt of her dress. After all, she must look her best for such an auspicious meeting.

Yet when she catches a glance at her reflection, she cannot help but frown. Biting her lip, Elincia attempts to adjust the large, frilly pink bow behind her head. Was it too ostentatious? Did it clash terribly with her hair? Owain had instructed her that it was a mark of untold power. One prophesied to bring her and her beloved together. She had no desire to doubt him, not any reason really. Elincia was sure he was telling her the truth - or at least, the truth as far as he knew and believed it to be so. Such an honourable man would never attempt to deceive her.

Her doubts still linger however, that this must be some kind of mistake. A flush that matches the bow makes it’s way to her cheeks as she crosses the ballroom to the drinks table. Tries not to read malice into every look sent her way. Even if she did look a bit silly, surely everyone has much more important things on their mind today. Right hand clasping a cold flute of champagne, she takes tentative sips, eyes roaming the ballroom. Heart skipping a beat each time someone met her gaze and came over; deflating a little as the grabbed a drink for themselves and returned to the evening’s festivities.

[oceansgaywaves]

How… macabre.

Azura sits at a table, chin in her hand. I show up at the eleventh hour, so I get it, but he gave me a… bone? She holds a small chicken bone between her finger and the table, wobbling it side to side in boredom. Maybe my partner already left? Ugh, how embarrassing.

Little does she know, someone Azura would never expect approaches…

[gentlenekomata]

a petal of love, for you | event

devoted hearts starter ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

She has been nervous since the day before and she would certainly would be nervous as well even during the meeting: it was her first time participating in such gracious and beautiful event and since she received all the instructions from Prince Pelleas, she kind of felt a bit anxious if she wasn't able to do what she had to do, for making her mysterious partner recognize her as its ‘devoted heart’ person. Since time was running pretty fast and lunch was approaching in a blink of an eye, she decided to quickly put on her favourite dress: a very cute short sleeveless kimono with some pink decors, a big bow on the back as a final touch to this apparel, which was quite simple, yet delicate. Lastly, before exiting her room, she picked up with her a small purse full of colourful markers, in order to perfectly follow the instructions given by the charming prince of Daein.

Few minutes and she reached the place where their meetings have been organized, the delightful garden near the church, the one with several tables made of metal in white and at the centre of the zone, a small white gazebo with some trolleys of food and beverages, especially placed there for ‘The Petal Party of the Day of Devoted Hearts’, the thrilling event that Sakura and many others would be attending with a special someone matched with their preferences.

Quietly, the petite priestess walked through the many tables, until she found a position that was quite adapt for her and gently sat on the chair, already rummaging in her bag to find a cute colour to begin her drawing: she wasn’t quite sure at the beginning, but after a bit of thinking, she ended up drawing one of her favourite subjects – cherry flowers. In no time, she immersed herself completely in the making of the drawing and within few minutes, she finished the little piece of art, with a pleased expression on her face.

I really hope they’ll find me and this cute drawing, she thought to herself, now looking around with a small smile on her lips.

[carefreemonk]

more like day of devoted farts

The monk frowned at the striped headband in his hands. Did they think he wore his own headpiece merely for laughs, or because he thought it was stylish?

(It was indeed stylish, but that was a little beside the point.)

No! It was an important religious accoutrement!

Oh well. Off it went!

What was it that young lad had said? That wearing this accessory would ‘bless his soul with eternal fortune’? Tch. Perhaps the spirited youth might have done better in approaching the charlatan from Izumo instead if he wanted to be taken seriously in any measure...

...

None of that was in the spirit of today’s event though, and so, Azama donned his usual smile and carefree attitude. Oh yes. He was going to make a friend today. He was sure of it.

Dapper as can be, the monk sauntered his way into the ballroom,

and made straight for the confections, plucking himself up a rosy flute whose contents he thought, after a sniff, somewhat dubious. (Again: oh well.)

Humming to himself as he picked his way down the refreshments tables, Azama paused now and again to readjust his very visible, very striped headband.

He was ready for his blessing of eternal fortune to fall into his lap aaaaaaaany second now. Truly.

[maligknightsthorns]

Aphrodite's Roses Still Have Thorns

It was once said that all stories could be told in two ways

Comedy

or Tragedy.

Camilla supposed that depending on the view, her story could be a tragedy or a comedy.

She wasn't quite certain what to make of this particular moment however.

The ballroom was beautifully decorated. People milled about trying to find their partners. She only hoped she wasn't paired up with a student...

She had make up removers in her purse. The moment her partner found her, it was coming off. Pelleas was lucky Camilla had developed a soft spot for him after the arena. If anyone else has asked her to go about with half her face painted like a grin and half her face in a frown she would have had some... Colorful... Words for them. And that was if she decided to be nice to them about it.

At least Corrin had gotten her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The purple hyacinths and deep red roses tied together with a lovely gold ribbon did bring a smile to her face. She'd have to dry them out and save them later.

[lycianlynx]

a spoonful of sugar // devoted hearts ♡

Primary motivator, check. The party venue indeed has a decent amount of the promised treats, cupcakes and cookies and other foodstuffs, sweet or otherwise, set out on the various tables. In fact, the lad's snacking on a cupcake with pink icing as they wait, fighting the urge to bounce their leg — Which brings us to the secondary motivator...

Friends. Chad's been given a signal, and he's quietly glad that it didn't involve anything too silly or embarrassing; And even happier it's something he can do while snacking. The problem is that while other people have to wear a huge bow, or have little pins glinting in the sunlight (and he's sure he's seen the weird priest guy with their shirt inside-out), his signal he needs to keep up until whoever he's paired up with finds him, if they haven't ditched or something.

A little 'tsk' leaves them through their mouthful of cupcake, easily misconstrued as a smacking of lips. Their leg's bouncing, despite their best efforts, hands pushing unused cutlery around on their section of table, playing at rearranging it — At some point, they get bored enough to start adding little flourishes to the constant, a spin of a spoon here, a bit of sleight of hand to let a fork roll over the back of their hand there.

Honestly, it's starting to get kinda fun, idling like this. And the cupcakes are good. Maybe they don't mind parties too horribly, actually, especially if there's no way to feel underdressed; Enough people've showed up in their uniforms for them to not feel too self-conscious... They’ve gone for a white shirt instead of their usual grey, too, at least, and heavier boots.

... He hopes he’s been paired with someone nice.

[ulircursed]

day of reluctance

     Stalking into the ballroom, Andrei makes a beeline towards the nearest empty table without taking in any of his surroundings, annoyance steeped into his every motion. He’d come purely to avoid further damage to his reputation, but now that he’s actually here, with the bustle of festivities and laughter all around him...

     ...Honestly, he’s beginning to regret not overpowering that blue-haired man when he had the chance. Perhaps using Rienfleche would’ve been overboard, but with how pathetic he’d looked, it probably wouldn’t have taken more than a few arrows in non-vital spots for him to reconsider the egregious threat.

     Damn him. And damn Ethlyn, for that matter.

     Arriving at an empty seat comes with another mental hurdle all on its own; the bow knight glares down at the chair as though it had done him a personal wrong, before very, very slowly pulling it out... and flipping it around. Drastic measures, Pelleas had threatened in a feeble tone. He will know drastic measures next they meet. Gripping the seat-back with white-knuckled fury, Andrei sinks down upon the chair, sitting backwards upon it with an air of someone awkwardly attempting to do this for the first time. He closes his eyes, simmering with a tangible aura of irritation.

     Ridiculous.

[aimlessarchery]

manufactured destiny

a starter for Day of Devoted Hearts 

Python doesn't actually remember signing up for this thing in the first place. Either he has an oddly specific case of amnesia—possible, but highly unlikely—or a certain meddlesome busybody has decided to continue making his life part of her business. Dunno how a blind date is supposed to be helping with his partner he already has, but he's never claimed to understand the workings of a noble woman's mind. At least his instructions were simple enough. He hasn't read any action novels with cool, toothpick-chewing guys in 'em, but he figures there's probably not some special method to it. Owain can correct him on his form later if he's wrong. He gravitates toward a similar perch to the one he'd chosen during much of the Ethereal Ball—a table at the side of the dance floor where he can watch the crowd in relative peace. His fingers drum at the side of a glass, and he notes that the toothpick in his mouth does create some logistical problems if he wants to sip at his drink. Hopefully whomever he's been matched up with can free him from this little conundrum soon.

[crowntess]

LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS UNFORTUNATELY — & who tf knows

mikoto's heart stutters helplessly in her chest.  she is too kind to place the blame entirely on odin, but she can't help to entertain the thought. after all, the promise of him becoming her savior if the festival proved to be a disaster to her is sweet... and concerning. was her partner a force of chaos? too much? or were they simply not enough? but the reminder of odin's speech pastes itself in her head, behind her eyes. he is a man of too many words and little time to speak; there is a chance of his misguided opinion!

a flute of champagne taken graciously from a passing server's platter, mikoto busies herself with focusing on the festivities around her rather than wallowing in her own anxiety. the stage, right now, seems to be quite empty. earlier, she remembers seeing a performance occur to greet the participants of the festival. there is a faint idea that comes to her— it has been some time since she's danced before an audience. ( you do not think about the reason why. it always relates to a loss you were forced to bear. )

she sips her champagne and raises her left hand to check the stability of the accessories clipped or braided in her dark tresses. when her hand rises, the three bracelets on her wrist clink against each other. each connected to the next by a thin, beaded golden chain. shiny, as odin had instructed. this would be the reason behind the day's triumph.

or, in odin's words, it would help her 'attain the sweet nectar of heaven' and whatever else his imagination had created for her.

" calm yourself, mikoto, " the hoshidan queen murmurs to herself, the rim of the glass flute inches from her lips. she takes a moment to hype herself up, holding her hand to her chest until she has calmed down. ( you almost tried to slow your heartbeat until realization struck that your heart would always be still. ) " alright; smile, do your best, and live. onwards! "

it is what arete would tell her, anyway.

starter for @ you know who you are !

[arcaeda]

do you believe in love?

the day of devotion was a wonderful day indeed, one that she wholly thought was meant to be celebrated by everyone. it didn’t matter if you were married or single, there surely was someone that you were devoted to! a friend, a family member, maybe even just the people you see around you every day.

there was a reason for everyone, and so she was happy to join in on the day of the devoted celebration that the monastery was apparently holding. it was a pleasant surprise to be certain— and after signing up python and kris knowing they wouldn’t join otherwise, she’d signed herself up as well! with the mission code given to her by oberon the dark (she’d have to ask him later about the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma thing) she went directly to mingling! her outfit was simple of course, but a little fancier than what she’d usually wear. a red dress with a flared skirt and a halter neck. fancy but nothing that would scary anyone off.

she hums, plucking one of the flowers from one of the many vases on the tables and tucking it near her ear. hopefully this would quickly catch the eye of her partner.