arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"You never know. Some people are destructive enough to be into something like that." Still, Ariel couldn't just look away from the mess the boy was creating; it was almost too destructive to do so. What was even worse was that the boy seemed to be doubling down on his litle skit, even if it was obviously not working. "Really? You don't want to become a total superhero and save the poor girl's day?" @aiylahq

" i highly doubt he's earning a second date with this performance," she declared with an exasperated huff. the relentless barrage of puns, one after the other, was clearly taking its toll on the poor girl, who seemed increasingly uneasy with each quip. aiyla waved her hand dismissively, signaling her reluctance to intervene. " oh, count me out of that comedy routine, " she added with a wry grin, unwilling to involve herself in the awkward exchange unfolding before them. // @arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"Then you're off on a great start, really making a name for yourself out there." Ariel couldn't help but grin at the other's boldness; it was admirable, really. "Ooh, definitely chocolate. They've got great flavours here overall, you're gonna have to try them all eventually. Although, I wonder if they taste even better when it's out of season." @mel-hart

"I arrived a few days ago actually." She admitted she hated being new in town and not knowing anyone around, but she was excited to make new friends. "Two ice creams, please." She ordered and paid for the treat before they moved to the person next to them who would get what they wanted. "chocolate, please."

@arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"Absolutely. Strawberries should overtake every other berry, because anything else just makes no sense whatsoever." Ariel agreed with a grin, despite the other just messing about. "Exactly! I mean, strawberries are sweet on their own, why turn them into an inedible sweet mush and flavour? I love it when they just bake strawberries into something instead, that's so much better." That was an odd hill to die on, but maybe she was too loaded up on sugar to care. "Oh, don't even go there. That's blasphemy." @theotanaka

"Oh, so you are just a strawberry sucker like me?" Theo's teasing attitude continued a small chuckle following. "I guess you've sort of got a point, and everything here is sweet and full of sugar, so strawberries do track for that. But like, it has to be real strawberry though right? We can't have any of that fake shit. And god forbid they mistake it for raspberry." @arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

@darcyxanthonyx

[arielxdavis]

Whilst their first run in many, many years was highly unconventional in the best-case scenario, Ariel still couldn't bring herself to be surprised. They've never been particularly conventional, and Ariel always loved that about their friendship, and then some more. Besides, she'd lie if she said that she hadn't missed Darcy.

So when an offer was made to meet up in a less weird setting, Ariel found herself agreeing to it. It was odd, still feeling jittery as she made her way over to their agreed venue. Almost too public, too full of people after meeting face-to-face in one of the unlikeliest places, yet it was the right choice. She had no idea still how to react to Darcy, how to be around her, and maybe being surrounded by others was a good thing.

Yet, when she showed up, Ariel still couldn't help but feel so wonderfully odd. "Hi." She managed a smile at the other's presence. "I can't recall the last time I've been here." @darcyxanthonyx

closed starter: @arielxdavis

where: any bar or restaraunt

Darcy had made a lot of mistakes but she believed the biggest one was leaving Aurora Bay without saying goodbye to her friends or family, especially not saying goodbye to Ariel.

Ariel was the one person who really stuck with her, the one friend that didn't drift apart from her somehow after the fire, and the one person who always understood her. Hell, Ariel was the first and pretty much only person she'd ever fallen for. Darcy still hated herself for leaving Ariel and she always wanted to make it up to her.

Running into Ariel and getting scared shitless in an abandoned building wasn't exactly how she'd dreamt of their reunion, but she hoped that after planning to meet somewhere like this they could talk everything out. Darcy just prayed Ariel would forgive her.

"Hey." Darcy breathed, walking up to her old friend and flame.

[arielxdavis]

"Wouldn't be the first time." Ariel couldn't help but laugh as the other teased her, genuinely accepting the obvious fact. If she wasn't someone who fell for marketing techniques, then who even was she? "See, that's the beauty of it all. I hate strawberry-flavored things. Strawberries? Give me all of them. Strawberry flavor sucks... unless it's in something heart-shaped." @theotanaka

Theo let out a small chuckle. "I think the marketing has definitely gone to your head," he teased, taking another bite of his pastry. Although maybe she had a point, things that looked prettier do taste better. "Unless you just like all things strawberry like me? it seems to be the theme, strawberry or raspberry and chocolate, or custard, in my case." @arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

[arielxdavis]

"Even?" Ariel repeated as she looked over at the other. She had been trying to pick out a pastry to eat, and if she was being honest, the choice was just too broad for her to pick anything. "I think it adds to the flavour, in one way or another. Might be just all in my head, but I stand by it." She couldn't help but make a face at her own words. "And I don't mean that whole 'love' nonsense." @theotanaka

open starter: @aurorabaystarter location: the vday markets!

“Look, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Theo begun to speak, stopping to take a bite out of a danish pastry he’d bought at one on the stalls. “I’m just here for the food, even if it is all heart shaped.” Theo insisted, it was a bit gimmicky for sure, but if all tasted the same.

[arielxdavis]

"I'll trust you on that, then. And not just because I'm going to rely on totally empty optimism in this case." Still, Ariel smiled, because really, all she could do was hope for the best. "do you have anything to recommend? I think it's about that time of the evening when I start switching up rinks." @wesxevans

"I'm sure that's not the case. I wouldn't have made the joke if I thought it was true." Wes huffed out a small laugh. "Don't worry, it's on me. What would you like?" He gave her a small smile.

@arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"That... is absolutely genius. I love it." Ariel's eyes widened at the realization of what exactly was on his shirt. It was silly, it was an awful pun, and it looked cozy - everything you ever needed in a t-shirt. "I could buy like a hundred if you told me where you got it from." @finn-brooks

OPEN STARTER out anywhere in town @aurorabaystarter

"Oh this? It's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?" Finn grabs the bottom of his shirt and pulls down, stretching the image flat so it can be see free of wrinkles. The shirt he pulled from the t-shirt grab bag for the night out celebrating his birthday. "It's Danny Dorito. Impeccable design, if I do say so myself."

[arielxdavis]

Ariel Davis ~ Valentine's Day blind date

@aurorabayaesthetic

[arielxdavis]

"Well, I didn't think about that." And yet, it was always a possibility. Or maybe, just maybe, Ariel was totally early because she was nervous, but who was she to decline a free drink? She was far too broke to say no to just about anything. "I'll definitely laugh at the joke if that drink's free, though." @wesxevans

open starter: @aurorabaystarter

where: neptune, working the blind date night (if your character isn't on a blind date they can totally still reply and we can say it's a different night)

"You don't think they've stood you up, do you?" Wes asked as he approached a table he'd yet to see anyone else come and sit at. He'd already brought them their drink and it looked like they were already due for a refill. "Bad joke? Yeah, sorry. Anyway, you want a free drink from the bar?"

[arielxdavis]

"Oh, I have no idea." Ariel frowned a little at the thought of that. Not that the question was an offensive one; she hadn't really thought about it, always hoping for the better-case scenario. Because hoping for the best case would be absolutely ridiculous. "Is it weird that I'm dreading it? Like, the idea's cool and all, but maybe I made the wrong choice by signing up for this."

Then again, at least everyone was getting something out of this, and a nice dinner was totally worth it... most likely. "What about you?" She asked the woman curiously, focusing her attention on her rather than the nervousness that was threatening to take over her. @delilahcarreno

for: @aurorabaystarter

where: neptune (night of the blind dates, but if not attending could be set at another restaurant another night! go wild!)

Delilah still couldn't decide whether or not it'd been a mistake to show up for dinner early.

It at least beat the alternative of anxiously counting down the minutes at home, where she'd have been sure to change her mind about her outfit, or her hair, or her shoes (again), picking herself and her choices apart until whatever small desire she'd had to go in the first place was snuffed out like a flame.

(And there was the fact that she'd run out of vodka, and was going to need more than a welcome glass of champagne to get her through this night.)

"Absolute worst-case scenario," she prompts the person at the bar next to her, seemingly not the only one with the forethought to pregame the jitters away, as she plucks the olive out of her martini, "who's waiting for you at that table, and what's your excuse to get out of it?"

Every first date, blind or not, needed a good escape route, she'd come to learn over the years.

[arielxdavis]

"Well, of course." Ariel nodded, pretending to be as serious as she could be as she observed the stall in front of her and the other woman. "I mean, what's the point of the whole celebration, no- of love- if you cannot eat heart-shaped candy, cookies and bagels?" @thewrenxharlow

status: open @aurorabaystarter

where: around all the vday booths in town square, feel free to choose your own adventure

Curiosity had, as usual, gotten the better of her and Wren found herself walking by all the various vendors and so many goddamned hearts. "I get the shtick and all but come on, did they really need to make that heart-shaped?"

[arielxdavis]

"No no no no, we're going back to what you just said! I need names. Who actually stays in their office like some creepy robot from Black Mirror?" As silly as it was, Ariel was now totally invested in that topic. Even if it was all jokes, she was always fascinated by what kind of gossip she could hear from actual professors. "Yeah, but think about it - a cabin in the forest would be so much nicer. You don't have to worry that a single wrong step might lead to you falling into the bottomless ocean." @charlcyboy

"Well, a few of us do, I just don't plan to be one of them. That being said, I do spend a lot of time there, just grading papers and ruining lives of people who refuse to learn." He tried to play it as a joke, but it could have been taken as something far more serious if someone intended it to be. "I don't know, that kind of sounds nice? No one for miles, no one to bother you, you get your own space forever? Cassidy would hate it."

@arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"Really? If it was, that would be so cool." For someone smart, Ariel wasn't always exactly street-smart, or whatever this was. Fact-smart? Either way, the other's knowledge was genuinely impressive, especially if it was true. "Well, yeah, airplanes are cool and all, but that's like comparing boats to surfboards. Sorta similar, but totally have different functions, you know? Even if it goes on the same surface." She argued back, even if the argument was a pretty reasonable one. "don't tell me you'd prefer the plane to an actual hoverboard though." @maverick-liu

"Wasn't the O.G. version of skateboarding called sidewalk surfing, because it'd been made for when it got too cold to surf?" Mav thinks so, but he hadn't put that much thought into it. Neither had been his forte despite being California bred-and-born. "oh, so you're thinking of Back to the Future. The hoverboards. Don't know if we'll see that invention in our lifetime, but for now — airplanes. Work just fine getting you all over the world, don't they? And you get complimentary snacks." Depending on the airline, there might be a catch there.

@arielxdavis

[arielxdavis]

"Who would ever say no to a free treat?" Ariel couldn't help but smile at the offer; she could use a little pick-me-up, and if it meant that she made a friend along the way, then it was the ultimate win. "Please to meet you! I'm Ariel. How long have you been in Aurora Bay?" @mel-hart

"Okay, I'm doing it." She nodded it. "Would you like to join me?" She offered. "My treat of course." She had been nothing but nice to her so it was the least she could do. "I'm Mel by the way."

@arielxdavis