date auction! forward dated to Wednesday lunch

[wrnpcs]

[The quad's all set up for the date auction! A handsome-looking blonde guy - one of the native cadets on the GFC - is center stage with the list and a mic, auctionees (and Headmaster Cid, sipping on a drink supervising) ready behind him. (Alas, Pinkie is out campaigning or something, and Mikuru is doing some last minute work elsewhere and doesn't like the stage anyway.)

[He flashes a smile.] Gooooood afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else! I'm Russell Drake from the Garden Festival Committee, and I'd like to welcome you all to the GFC's second charity date auction! Once again all proceeds will be going towards the Centra orphanage, so please be generous with your bids! Bids start at 1 gil and we do not take rain checks or IOUs!

We have a fantastic bunch of volunteers for your dating pleasure today, so without further ado, let's get started!

Each person has their own thread. Please put your bids in the subject lines so people can see them! Threads collapse after fifty comments, so using the subject lines will make the bids easier to see.

Bids close and winners will be posted on Friday before the carnival post goes up. IC-ly, the winners will be announced Wednesday afternoon.

If you missed signups, PM wrmods and we'll squeeze them in as an IC "saw the auction on the day, hopped onstage and harassed the GFC to auction them off" auction. Just characters who would willingly sign up at this point, please!

Comments

[elementofloyalty]

[No. She doesn't even want to kick him in the face. Now that she thinks about it, she's honestly a little sad for him -- she has earth ponies and unicorns as her best friends, she's used to gryphons and dragons and doesn't think twice about them. Humans were a small step for her.]

I just wanna know...

What do I sound like to you? Different somehow? Because I know you're human, but if my eyes were closed, I wouldn't be able to tell just from your voice.

[rewritethis]

[Eh, he doesn't need his eyes shut to answer that.] No, there's no difference. And the way you act, the stuff you talk about - there's not a lot of difference there, either.

[The unspoken next word crystallises in the air.]

[elementofloyalty]

[And she waits for it. She knows it's coming.]

[rewritethis]

[It isn't, apparently. Maybe he lost his nerve. He just seems to deflate a little.]

Sorry. I know I shouldn't take it out on you. Like I said, it's not your problem.

[elementofloyalty]

[She blinks, because she can't imagine him breaking down for anything less than -- oh no. She sinks a little (literally) because she's just been metaphorically punched in the gut, as thinking (long after she acted) leads her to a conclusion that makes her feel like an absolute heel.]

...does it bother you so much because your brother's hasn't got a human body either?

[rewritethis]

No! [Entirely too fast, and somewhat sharper than he was intending.

He stops, shrinks back and wills himself to get a grip. She doesn't care about his moping. He can do it in his own time.] ...No, that's not it. Not exactly. But I already told you, don't worry about it. It doesn't have anything to do with you.

[elementofloyalty]

[Yeah, she's not exactly sure she believes him. And she's sorry she brought it up. She's kinda sorry she started this whole topic of discussion.]

Of course it has to do with me. I'm the one who's the pony. And if I lost a friend just because of what I am...

[Come down to it, she's not as good at hiding her feelings, or putting up a bold front, as she'd like to be, because when she lowers her head at the thought, her expression is misery personified. There's a sad and lonely pony under that bold exterior that just wants to be loved and wanted, after all.]

[It's a testament to how much she likes Ed that she IS so upset over the thought, not that he would realize that.]

[rewritethis]

Hey... [She looks so pitiful, anyone with a heart would want to rush up to her and give her a hug. Ed, on the other hand, just takes an uncertain step towards her, seems to change his mind and stops again.] Don't say that, okay? I mean it. It's not about you.

[elementofloyalty]

I just TOLD you, it IS about me if I lose a friend.

[...Self-centered much, Dashie? On the other hand, maybe her feelings are understandable. She never really talks about it, but she doesn't really have a lot of close friends around here, and two of the missing ones were Fluttershy -- one of her oldest friends -- and Applejack -- one of her best friends and much more of a solid rock for her than she'd ever admit.]

[...she's afraid of being alone. She's afraid of being lonely.]

[rewritethis]

[His impatience flares. If he can't get away with moping, then neither can she!] And I told you to stop saying that! Who says I'm going anywhere?!

[It's only a couple of seconds later that he realises she might not interpret that in the most comforting way, given how vocal he normally is about trying to get home... He's not great at this.]

[elementofloyalty]

[Ed is technically correct, if only because she assumes he's being deliberately stupid or obtuse, and her anger flares in turn. She glares at him over his shoulder.]

Yeah, except when you decide you're fed up with ponies, there are plenty of humans here who you can hang out with, who won't try to get you to fly or go see dragon migrations or hover in midair on pure wingpower!

[rewritethis]

[Oh, so it's a glaring contest she wants, not a moping contest? He can do that too!]

Is that all you got? If you've been itching to throw baseless accusations at me this whole time, why not go all the way? Tell me I secretly enjoy strangling puppies or something. Go wild. [And hey, if it'll make her feel better...]

[elementofloyalty]

What does THAT have to do with ANYTHING!?

[Congratulations, Ed, you have banished Rainbow's mope and replaced it entirely with anger. ...did you really want this trade?]

[rewritethis]

[At least now they're on more familiar territory! Never mind the fact that he isn't any better at dealing with it...]

About as much as your idea had to do with reality! Unless you're gonna tell me you meant it as a suggestion...

[elementofloyalty]

No! I didn't want you to do it. I just...

I don't know why you wouldn't do it. [Down goes her head again.]

[rewritethis]

[Damn, not more moping... And here he was braced for her to yell back at him.

He folds his arms.] Yeah, well... there's a lot you don't know. But assuming things isn't gonna help.

[elementofloyalty]

Then why would you stick around us talking magic flying ponies when you could have friends that don't offend you just by being them?

[She just sounds... tired. Because she knows she ought to be better than this. She's cool, right? She's awesome, right? Of course anyone would want to be her friend, right? She just...]

[...can't believe it.]

[rewritethis]

[It's his turn to hang his head and stare determinedly at the floor. The only answer coming to mind is something stupid, and he doesn't want her to notice that it's also... well, sincere.]

...Equivalent exchange. What else is there?

[elementofloyalty]

[Rainbow Dash blinks, trying to figure this out, and finally comes up with a comprehensive and logical response.]

...huh?

[rewritethis]

You don't even know what that means? [He must have mentioned it at some point...] It means... well, you don't owe me anything. So... as long as you're gonna stick around, why wouldn't I?

[elementofloyalty]

No, I --

[She's about to say she knows what it means to HIM, which is all about alchemy and reactions and physics, and then...]

[Well. Congratulations, Ed, you just schooled the element of loyalty on friendship. She sort of rocks backwards in surprise. because, in that particular fit of insecurity and fear, she'd just... not even thought of the fact that friendship doesn't depends on differences and similarities, so long as both the people wanted to be friends.]

[It's so obvious now that she knows she'd be writing a letter to Princess Celestia this second, if she were back home.]

[She's not exactly sure how to express this, or even if she should, but her thoughts are not terribly well-concealed by her expression.]

[rewritethis]

[He finally meets her eyes again... with, despite whatever he just said, a glare. Go on, Rainbow - just try telling absolutely anyone else in the future that he has actual emotions apart from crankiness, or that he can't express them without sounding like a total loser. He dares her.] What? You got something to say?

[elementofloyalty]

Yeah.

Um...

Sorry.

[She smiles hesitantly and sheepishly.]

You're right.

[rewritethis]

[His expression doesn't really change, but the rest of him visibly relaxes somewhat.] 'Course I'm right! When am I ever wrong?

[...are you sure you want to hang around this guy after all, Rainbow?]

[elementofloyalty]

[She stands up, and if she seems to be back to her old self, well -- it's not entirely an act, but don't think it's not one.]

All the time. So I guess you were bound to get SOMEthing right eventually.