[GRAM ORP] Kiss Kiss Fall in Love

[Blood_Goddess]

[[ This ORP is linked to the Valentine Gram event. From now until the end of February 14th, you can earn the special edition Plusle&Minun valentine by posting in this RP. You'll earn one gram for every 5 posts you make, and you can earn additional grams by fulfilling certain requirements (will be posted occasionally in crimson red). You'll know you've earned your card when an NPC approaches your character and hands them a valentine. Please allow up to 24 hours after you complete a requirement to be awarded your card.

Plusle&Minun valentines can only be claimed, i.e. sent to a recipient, when ORP valentine slots are open. See page 2 of the main thread, linked above, to check on slot status as well as to read up on other details about grams.

This ORP is open to any kind of character, trainer or Rocket, but please take care not to cause some kind of disaster, e.g. attacking someone or trying to steal someone's pokemon, etc. Also, if your Rocket character is known to and wanted by Kodo law enforcement, they should disguise themselves well or keep their distance. When posting, please include your character's location and who they're talking to (if anyone) at the top of your post. If your character isn't talking to anyone and you'd like someone to approach them, you can put "open" along with the location. ]]


The KSO issued an open invitation to the trainers and civilians of Kodo to join them in the celebration of all kinds of love and the effort it takes to build strong bonds. Welcome to the Valentine's Ball!

The Pokemon League had always been run by people with a knack for glamorous and over-the-top styles, and today the KSO was showing that they too were a part of that same League. A formal invitation was made public in advance, inviting all willing individuals to the convention center hall smack in the middle of Camphoreon City. As clarified by the invitation, pokemon were encouraged to join their trainers as well - the holiday the KSO was celebrating wasn't just for romance but for the hard work and close bonds required to form a partnership between a trainer and their team.

Although the weather outside was still chilled by snow and wind, the atmosphere inside the conventionls hallways was warm and inviting. Brightly lit without a single tacky decoration in sight, the entire front hall leading into the main ballroom was elegantly decorated in pinks and reds, and the doors to the main room were wide open, inviting in anyone who wished to join the mingling.

At the door they were likely to meet a KSO member standing at attention, greeting guests as they entered. Officer Pyre, a man of average height with slanted purple eyes and a kind expression, his long white hair worn in a ponytail, awaited guests in a standard KSO uniform with a pink rose tucked into his breast pocket. The ballroom beyond the door was much more colorful than the pink and red hall; each of the walls and tables were elegantly decorated in every color of rose imaginable, perfuming the air with the scent of the flowers. The high ceiling was draped with sheer fabric, and delicate paper lanterns glowed in every shadowed crevice. A portion of the ballroom was cleared to act as a dance floor, complete with a DJ who currently had a mix of appropriate music thrumming throughout the hall. There was even a buffet table prepared, although it was stocked only with appetizers rather than with anything that would constitute a proper meal - and, alas and alack, no alcohol in sight.

[[ AREAS: Outside, Entryway, Ballroom, Dance Floor, Buffet Area, Restrooms ]]


When making your first post, include what your character is wearing, as well as what pokemon is currently with them (if any). Keep the theme in mind - hit on the right thing and you'll earn a valentine!  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Sao Kasai

[Entryway: Waiting for Izumi]

Izaya waited in the front hall with a pair of pink pokemon - his heart-patterned Chingling, Delic, and his newly-caught shiny Sneasel, Psyche. All three boys were going around ogling the decorations of pink and red in the entrance hall itself. They might have already entered the ballroom but for Izaya, who had told his pokemon that he was waiting for his date.

The man still wore a fur-trimmed coat like he used to often wear, but it was white with fuchsia pink buttons instead of the usual black parka with a zipper. He wore pink contact lenses to match, a pink shirt under his coat, white dress pants, and white shoes with pink undersides. He even had fuchsia pink nail polish. The most unrecognizable thing about him, though, was not his appearance but his demeanor.

"Delic, Delic, look at those hearts! Aren't they cute? Oooh, Psyche, did you see that cloth? It matches you! They placed it so nicely." He was more energetic than ever and seemed to radiate a playful and childish aura. He seemed innocent enough, but he kept his voice down and tried not to be too conspicuous especially when anyone from the League was near. Other than acting like a frightened little boy around said League officials, though, there was no indication that this was the same man who had been declared a Rocket to the public a while back at the PokeCon.  

[Sao Kasai]

lZAYA ORlHARA

[Entryway: w/ Izaya, potentially open]

Izumi had spent a little more time than she meant getting ready, part of which involved doing research on what proper attire for a ball even was. Then there was make-up, jewelery, her hair, and then she had to get Max ready.

The girl that walked through the doors would be nearly unrecognizable if it weren't for her distinct tattoos and prosthetic arm. Izumi's light blue hair, normally tied up in a messy ponytail, was left free and flowing in a gentle wave around her shoulders. She pushed the hair on one side behind her ear, revealing a dangling pink gemstone. Her shoulders were bare, save for a silver chain that hung around her neck with matching pink stones fixed in the charm. Her arms were adorned by long opera style pink gloves, one of which did not cover the entirety of the shiny metal prosthetic that started just below the joint that connected the arm to the shoulder. Her dress was a soft pink color, matching her accessories. It fit snugly to her torso, dipping slightly in the back, a bow tied around the waist. The skirt was loose enough to flow with her steps, with enough fabric to flare out if she were spun. There was a second layer of fabric flowing from the waist of the dress--A long sheer skirt that lay atop the rest of the gown.

Max, a large blue and white scyther, was adorned with a lovely pink bow tie around his neck.

To say that Izumi looked uncomfortable would be an astute observation. She held her hands together, close to her chest, as she walked rather shakily on heels. Had she over-dressed? Under-dressed? Were people staring at her? What if she fell? Everyone could tell that she didn't know what she was doing. Did they all think she looked ridiculous? These thoughts flitted around the poor girl's head as she scanned the hall with wide silver eyes, looking for the person she was meeting.

The scyther walked behind his trainer slightly. He wasn't sure what to make of all this. This gathering of humans and pokemon. His human changing skins and colors. And why was she acting so... weird? Why did she decide to drag him along with her? She had so many other pokemon that would know what they were supposed to be doing!

((Reference for Izumi Appearance))
 

[TawnyAngel]

Gwennythe

Aulus - Ballroom with Tambery

This sort of thing was not usually his thing but he'd fancied getting off base and Tambery was going so hey - free food and potential hilarity in watching hapless people get rejected by an unrequited object of their affections.

Drawing attention to himself was not to of his to-do list tonight, he wasn't a 'known face' as far as he knew but he also knew he had a face that looked like trouble and so Aulus had opted to just get a normal rented tux with the simple addition of a pair of white gloves to cover his prosthetic hand. So far he was not very impressed the suit, it was quite close around his shoulders and the collar rubbed his neck in an unfamiliar way but he could hardly have showed up in jeans so he was just going to have to put up with it. Something Aulus had to admit he was a bit impressed by was the venue, the league really had gone all out in decorating it but it wasn't gaudy or tacky like he'd been expecting in fact it was pretty classy.

Paul stared around himself from his perch on Aulus' shoulder with nervous awe; there were so many people, pokemon, and so much of everything! It was a bit scary but he knew he was safe with Aulus and so while he was a little bit nervous he wasn't so nervous that he couldn't enjoy the sights. A close observer of the small spidery pokemon would notice that he too was dressed for the occasion; a pale purple bow was tied around the back of his abdomen and might have had something to do with his excited mood, he didn't remember ever wearing anything before and he found that he liked it!

"So," Aulus turned to Tambery and gestured towards the expanse of the party before them, "you want to grab something to eat? Free food is good food. Oh, you look nice tonight by the way. New dress?" He didn't remember seeing it before - come to that he wasn't sure when he'd last seen Tam in a dress at all - but he had to admit that remembering clothes wasn't really his forte. She did look nice in it though, sort of... dressed up. Wow, real intelligent thought there Aulus, ten out of ten for eloquence.  

[TawnyAngel]

Lural

Outside: Citrine

Parties! Dith loved parties, not usually the fancy ones - more just informal gatherings of friends - but he was pretty confident that he was going to run into plenty of friends tonight and.... Well it was kind of nice to dress up once in a while wasn't it? He thought it was.

"Well, how do I look?" - This was the question he'd asked of Lovelace before leaving the house but she had simply tutted, shaken her head, and muttered something on the edge of mental hearing about the silly whims of humans.

But that was okay because Dith thought Dith looked quite nice but that was the suit mostly, it had been made for him by his friend Kirk a few months ago for a wedding and served very nicely tonight too! It was powder blue, made from some kind of fine wool or other, and most importantly it fitted! There had been some explanation of a British cut, a longer jacket because of his heavy build and thin notch lapels? It had been something like that anyway, he'd tried to keep up but honestly he had totally failed and he certainly hadn't retained the knowledge. Anyway the suit had a matching bowtie, a matching eyepatch, a matching ribbon to tie back his (for once) tamed curls, and was very comfortable as well as very smart. The black dress shoes he was wearing were slightly less less comfortable but oh well! Better than heels.

Viktor was slightly less thrilled about his outfit which consisted of a bowtie and four little 'cuffs', one for each ankle. He had at least stopped walking strangely and threatening to pull them off but only after Dith had bribed him with the promise of a solid half hour of grooming tomorrow. Thinking of scratching fingers and brushes the Espeon trotted along just ahead of his trainer on his blind side to make sure he didn't step on any heel-clad feet or the ends of any sweeping dresses.

Outside the venue Dith came to a halt and scanned the crowd for anyone he knew, a task made really rather easy by his height. It was unsurprising therefore that he spotted somebody almost immediately; Dith grinned and headed towards the green-haired girl. "Citrine, hi! I wondered if you might come tonight, how are you?"  

[Gwennythe]

(Ballroom - with Aulus)

(([Click for Tambrey in a dress.]))

Aside from the incident during the mission to Kalos (where she was wearing goggles, it was dark, and she was dressed in a ranger's uniform), Tambrey was confident that she still wasn't 'known' to law enforcement in Kodo. This was likely helped by all the time she spent working on base, in the labs, more than going on regular missions.
This meant that she was fairly happy to come to the event, despite the League presence, and she was going to enjoy herself.

Once or twice she'd been to fancy, or fancy-ish venues inside, or outside, of work, and where once she might have been shy about it, and what she wore, today she almost reveled in her pink dress, red heeled shoes, necklace of volcanic stone, and a white sash holding her pokéballs while belonging to the outfit. Her glasses were, of course, present- it was just easier than contacts- and her hair had been coaxed into a style involving loose curls.

Oxytocin, Gallahad, Ella, Treestar, and Pygi occupied five of the six balls on her sash.

Ashbel, one of Tambrey's newest, but reliable, pokémon- a Delphox- accompanied the three of them (Aulus, Paul, and Tambrey), outside of her ball. The colours of her coat seemed to make her a good fit for the occasion, and the fact that Tambrey could understand her added another reason for the fox-like pokémon's presence.
She'd smiled at Paul upon first seeing him, and now chose to compliment him, while Tam' was talking with Aulus.
<< I like your bow.>>

"Oh! Yes, um, food. Food's a good idea." The scientist agreed with a pleased smile, pulled from a bit of people watching, to respond, grinning and blushing just a little as Aulus made a comment, and asked about the dress.
"Well. Yes," she admitted "I hadn't gotten a new one for... a long while, and um, well, this was happening. You look really nice too! Um, I wouldn't expect to see you wearing that, but you wear it well." She glanced at Paul, and nodded his way as well. "And Paul, too, of course. That's just adorable."  

[TawnyAngel]

[[Ballroom >> Buffet area - With Tambery]]

"Oh! Er, thanks!" Aulus grinned sheepishly at Tambery, shrugged, and reached up to fiddle with his collar for a moment as they set off towards the food; it was nice to be complimented, perhaps even more so because it had been unexpected.

"I would have stuck out like a sore thumb without a suit, right?" he continued. "I feel kind of like... Err... like something that's been squeezed into something too small for its shoulders but there you go. I'm glad it doesn't look awkward anyway. Heh, and Paul didn't want to feel left out of the fancy clothes, so adorable bow it is. I think the ribbon came from a chocolate box or something?" Aulus shrugged expressively, there was a small hoard of random crap in his room that his pokemon had accumulated and so long as it didn't get in the way or stink it could stay as far as he was concerned.

"Anyway, the food," Aulus peered around at people who already had plates and things before adding; "I don't see any booze, but I guess this thing is open to all ages and they don't want to have to card anyone. Oh well, it being a fancy thing they probably have some nice veggie things to eat with it being fashionable these days and everything."

Paul waved down at Ashbel and gave a happy wriggle. <>  

[Gwennythe]

(Ballroom >> Buffet Area - with Aulus)

"Er..." Tambrey hesitated and then found herself forced to nod, with a bit of a sheepish smile of apology and amusement. "A little. Maybe. Yes." She agreed; Aulus likely would have 'stuck out like a sore thumb', but she was sure he'd be able to tell she didn't think it a bad thing... except for the obvious suspicion it might have brought on him.
"But no, it looks good, and, um, Paul has good taste. It's a lovely fancy ribbon. Ashbel certainly seems to like it on him." Tambrey smirked at the Delphox, watching her tilt her head curiously as Paul explained about his accessory; she could only hear one half of the conversation, but it was enough to get the gist of it.
<< It /does/ match your markings, that was a very good find.>> Ashbel agreed, following the humans- because of Paul's location, and she was trying to make sure to stay close to Tambrey- toward the buffet area.

Tambrey was scanning the food options.
"That would make sense. Don't really, uh, need booze for this anyway; it's fun, right? Quiches? I bet there are quiches."  

[Shaddaling]

[Outside - open to interactions]

Lex arrived in sensible flats and a sassy cream and delicate gold vintage dress. Gold had never been his favorite fabric, but the cream evened it out so it didn't over power his own complexion. He had choose thigh high stockings and garter belts instead of pantyhose because hose was horrible. It itched. His only accessories was a heavy clip, pulling his curls away from his good eye, a tiny little diamond stud for his dermal, and a purple stud for his tongue.

His normally fizzy hair had been tamed and was back to their natural white blonde magnificent. He had swapped his prosthetic for grey, giving him an odd eye gaze.

Yoketron held his coat, the Zoroark, relaxed with a neatly tied cravat around his neck, and Nickle, the Misdreavus floated lazy, giving little bits of commentary about certain individuals dress sense.

(Lex is keeping to his love for vintage dresses and fancy hairclips  

[wasluxy]

[ Restrooms - Open?? ]

Luxury was /p*ssed/. She hated Valentine's Day, hated dresses, hated balls, and hated people. But where was she now? At a Valentine's Day ball, in a dress, surrounded by people.

Alone.

Because her stupid little sister had run off to find people she knew the second the girls walked in the door. Past the KSO guards. The ones that wanted Rockets caught and dealt with.

Why the flying eff were they there, again?

The girl let out a sigh as she stood in front of the full-lenght mirror, trying to act like she was adjusting her dress but really she was just avoiding the crowds. If she'd had her way, she'd have worn a black suit with deep purple pinstripes and put her hair in a ponytail, since it'd grown enough to do that now and she hadn't bothered to cut it yet. Unfortunately, Calico had caught her getting ready and stuffed her into a dress... A deep purple dress at least, floor length, with a black/purple corset on top that had a fur halter on it. Calico did her make-up as well, so her lips /were/ a deep red (before she washed it off in the bathroom), eyes lightly smokey, and she'd styled her hair to have a little more volume and flow. Fishnet gloves, a black lace choker, and a pair of her sister's thigh-high black boots completed her look, and a brass-colored chain that hung crooked from one hip to down around the other held her Pokeballs. Chora and Trae were her obvious choices, and she'd brought Nos along as well in case a distraction was needed at some time or another. The Crobat was a clutz, and sure to be majorly confused and in the way were he to be released into the crowd.

Hopefully, though, this day will be alright... Taking a deep breath, Luxury decided it was time to go back out into the festivities... Even if she really didn't want to.  

[TawnyAngel]

Lural

Outside: Citrine / still open for interactions though.

"Ha! Well hello to you too!" Dith beamed, leaning down to return the hug. "I am not waiting for a ladyfriend," no, still single, reminder much appreciated(!) "but thank you! It's a good suit eh? One of two that I own, I am lucky enough to know a tailor or I would have to buy awkward semi-fitting things from the internet probably." There were plenty of tailors in Kodo probably - he'd been taken to one once, a few years ago now - but he didn't really have the time to seek one out or the knowledge to pick a good one anyway. "But what about you?" Dith continued with a grin and a raise of his eyebrows. "Are you waiting for somebody?"

Viktor meanwhile nodded up to his fellow psychic type. <>  

[wasluxy]

[ Ballroom - Open!~ ]

Oooooh, I love Valentine's Day!

Calico may not have ever had a valentine, but she did love the holiday. It was full of stuffed animals, candy, and flowers! Oh, and dances! Growing up, she'd always tried to go to every dance event she could, even as a criminal. Masquerade were her favorite, both because she could hide from the cops and because the mystery was exciting, but any dance at all would make her happy! Of course, she had to practically stuff her sister into a dress and drag her here, but now they were here! She felt a little guilty, though, as she'd left Luxury alone the second they got in the place, but she knew Luxury was a big girl and could handle herself. Besides, she needs to interact more on her own!

While it had been fun playing dress-up with her sister, Calico had the most fun dressing up herself! Naturally, she wore a pair of thigh-high black boots, but on top of that she chose a silky black high-low dress that hit above her knees in front and swept low in back. The dress was also strapless, and had deep red floral patterns detailing it. Her accessories of choice? A black lace choker like her sisters, only with a red rose hanging from it, and black silk gloves that she'd cut so there was just a triangle over the top of her hands, leaving her palms and fingers uncovered. Around her hips, slung a bit crooked like her sisters, too, sat a red plastic-coated chain that her own Pokeballs hung from. Chevy, Demi, Avery, and Zin waited inside those 'balls, just in case they were needed.

Better safe than sorry...  

[TawnyAngel]

[Buffet Area - with Tambery]

"I suppose he does - Paul I mean. I think he looks adorable, but don't tell anyone I said that. And yeah, booze is not required but I wouldn't say no to a free glass of bubbly if some garçon in a suit were to proffer a tray of them at me," Aulus grinned. "Probably is quiche though, nice quiche I bet. This place is way above chunks of pineapple and cheese on sticks level, I expect everyone serving here tonight has been taught to pronounce the accent on canapé and everything. Maybe an evening class a night a week in the run up to the event?" He was being silly which was one of the (many) reasons he enjoyed Tam's company so much, because he could be silly. "At least it's not a sit down dinner, that would have involved a six week course on forks alone."

<> Paul replied cheerfully, turning slightly on Aulus' shoulder to better address Ashbel. <>