VII // VOICE

[tiersdes]

[Silence at first.  But it's not quite silence, per se---there's the obvious sounds of a crowd, and particularly large one, at that.   People talking, glasses tinkling, music; it creates quite a din.  Then a more familiar voice arises, in the form of Seth giggling in response to a male voice saying (in an attempt at sounding suave), "you know, Miss

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[voice]

[rapturescreed]

[And he's in his office right now, otherwise he'd go and kick her out right now.]

What are you doing in my club?

[voice]

[tiersdes]

[.....Whoops. Busted? Not by a longshot! Time to put those acting skills to good use.]

It's not as if I'm doing anything wrong. Besides...

[If this were video, he'd see that one of the young men in the crowd has been eyeing Seth ever since she first got in (somehow); now, she's taking advantage of that. So there's a bit of a pause as she gets to talking to the young man, apparently for a dance. Thusly, she giggles at Raul.]

...I'm on a date!

[voice]

[rapturescreed]

You're causing trouble in my club. Date or not, if you continue this, I will personally come down and throw you out.

[voice]

[tiersdes]

But I'm not. What gives you that idea?

[She's sounding childishly hurt, and the young man asks, "what's the matter?" in the background.]

---I'm being accused of something I didn't even do!

[And back to Raul, at which point her voice becomes colder, sharper:]

Well, then. I suppose you'll just have to...find me, now won't you?

[voice]

[tenxsquared]

We didn't really have a holiday like it back home. I've noticed there's a lot of... pink around the city now though.

[Ew, mushy feelings!]

Seems like just an excuse for candy, not that I'm complaining. Is it really a big deal though? Would it be weird not to celebrate you think?

[voice]

[tiersdes]

...Ah, that's really interesting! You see, it's more of a human thing back home, but the rest of us decided to just roll with the fun and romantic elements of it in celebrating it as well.

I don't think it'd be weird, really. Like I told someone else, it's not for everyone, and it's not really necessary to participate in the romantic aspects of it. Although I agree that the candy doesn't hurt!

[tenxsquared]

You're not human? [Doesn't really bother her though, she's met enough people here that weren't.]

I guess if I was interested in all this romantic stuff it wouldn't be so bad. [Pause.] No, actually, it would still be kind of gross. Just seems dumb, I mean if you care about someone why would you show it by giving them giant stuffed animals which are useless and not practical at all. Those conversation heart things are good though! I've got a few boxes of them laying around...

Um... heh. [She's kind of in rant mode, all this mushy stuff is really not her thing but...] I guess it is kind of a nice gesture though, letting people you care about know and all. The gifts just all seem so silly, would guys even want some of this stuff? Especially if they don't like sweets...

[tiersdes]

Nope! Most people would call someone like myself a "vampire," but I'm at the same time completely different from most of the legends.

[An understatement, and if Tenten presses for more details, Seth is going to be vague about it. She lets the former rant, however, and laughs---she's immediately reminded of Esther and her gung-ho attitude.]

I think people are just really theatrical about romance because romance has kind of been hyped up by the media. So people try to emulate how dramatic it is---it explains the silly trinkets. Still, there are more sincere ways of showing someone that you love or care for them.

[A laugh.] No, I don't think a guy would really fall over himself if he received a teddy bear---is there someone you'd like to get something for?

Video.

[excellentviolet]

Celebrating Valentine's day on my end would be so unfair to all the ladies I've loved.

Video.

[tiersdes]

Another ladykiller?!

[A theatrical gasp, then a laugh.]

Still, it doesn't hurt to have fun with it, Lee.

Video.

[excellentviolet]

[He laughs]

Indeed. I'm just curious to how I should be celebrating it. I can't make the ladies jealous, after all. I wouldn't want them to gang up on me.

Video.

[tiersdes]

Well, that's what conversation is for!

[Seth laughs as well; she pauses for a moment as one young man asks her, "can I buy you something to drink?" and she giggles, nodding and saying, "I'll be with you in a second!" Then, it's back to Lee, all smiles. Someone's having fun.]

Simple conversation with pretty girls and handsome boys is the best way to have fun on a holiday like this without getting yourself in trouble!

[She should know. Flirting is what she's been doing ever since she managed to get into the club.]

[tiersdes]

Come on, you have to at least enjoy the chocolate!

[voice]

[soldiershin]

How is Valentines typically celebrated? I've never experienced a holiday like this before.

[voice]

[tiersdes]

[There's a pause for a moment before Seth's actual response. The sound of rapid footsteps is all Jomy'll hear for a moment, followed by more footsteps, but these are slower and more cautious, as if people are searching for someone. What follows is Seth's giggling, and then her response, though she sounds a little breathless.]

---Oh! Well, in my world, people who either are in love with one another or just fancy another person either exchange gifts or spend some quality time together. There's a religious aspect to it; apparently, the holiday was named after a saint by the name of Valentine, who secretly married couples under the Christian tradition despite the Romans being in power, but the Terrans more readily acknowledge that.

The rest of us just remain in tune with the romantic and fun elements of the holiday.

[voice]

[soldiershin]

[ He's not on duty right now, and Raul's responded, so... ]

Ah, I see. I suppose that explains the choice in decorations.

[voice]

[tiersdes]

What did you think of them? I thought they were rather cute, if a little on the gaudy side.

It's generally a really gaudy holiday. It lets people get all sentimental and touchy-feely without making fools of themselves since everyone else is doing the same thing.