"You sound like someone's broken your heart," Beau points out, despite having vague knowledge that Art's currently seeing someone, "trouble in paradise?" He's personally indifferent to the holiday. His last real relationship had been with Gen and that was nearly two decades ago, though someone like Alex may have a different view of things.

"Mmm." No he didn't, but he wasn't going to point that out. "No trouble whatsoever." Art didn't want to talk about his relationship with Beau though. It was better to change the subject. Just because he didn't want to celebrate in public, didn't mean they were having problems. "Why are you here? This doesn't seem like your typical haunt."

"Nobody's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. You're free to do or celebrate however you want." Javier points out, brows raised slightly. He hadn't expected to get into a debate, though he supposed he knew better than expect the expected. "There's nothing wrong with everyday romance, I'm not disagreeing with you here." He adds, a half amused chuckle escaping before he takes a sip from his drink. "It's all about the effort, regardless of the day."

"Not really. I mean to some degree, but if my fiancée wants to do something, I can't stop her." He could make suggestions, but really she was calling all the shots. It was more comfortable that way honestly. "I think the effort is the most important part of a relationship. So is knowing your partner." Not that he didn't think Claudette didn't know him, but he didn't love the forced celebration of Valentine's Day. "Exactly. The effort is the most important part."

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Just because it's not a holiday doesn't mean your partner wouldn't enjoy a gift or something sweet. You've clearly got the right idea." Part of Layla wondered if he thought he deserved a medal for buying flowers, but that kind of sarcasm probably wouldn't land well with a somewhat stranger. "No one ever wants to kill the Romans. What can you do? Maybe I'll get an officiant's license, do the other part of the holiday." She mused, taking a sip of her punch. It was a mix of different fruit juices and vodka, which worked for her. She wasn't usually picky about alcohol. "If I ever get a boyfriend, I want presents every week and Valentine's Day! Maybe not flowers every time, maybe like a cool rock, or like LEGOs. Ooh, or a glittery eyepatch that looks like an egg!"

"Yeah, I try. I mean I'm probably the worst since I barely know what I'm doing most of the time. I try." He did his best in his relationship, even though he was not the smartest person in the room. "The right idea and the right motivation, I hope." He did his best and that was all he could do. "I have a feeling that is not exactly true. A lot of people wanted to kill the Romans. I've heard that's pretty easy to do. There's like a fee you pay online and then you can marry people. Seems kind of fun if you ask me. Saves people from having to do the big fancy church thing." Not that he'd mind that. "I want random gifs too. Could be anything. Some new socks would be nice. The dryer keeps eating my favorite ones."

☆ﾟ*·ﾟWho's idea was this Valentine's event? Kiran wasn't entirely sure that this fit who she was in the slightest. She hadn't wanted to attend, but when her friends texted her saying she had to attend, she found herself wearing the only red shirt she had, trying to at least seem like she cared enough. The fact that this required dancing made her nervous. Kiran wasn't a dancer and never had any desire to be. Standing off to the side, she crossed her arms over her chest, scrunching up her nose. "It's not bitter, it's smart. I think it's more of a show off to everyone how happy you are?" Kiran shrugged, looking out at how happy everyone else was. "It's a stupid Hallmark holiday anyway. And dancing? that's even worse. I don't know why I agreed to this."

While Art wasn't a huge fan of Valentine's Day, he still liked participating in town events. He missed all of them in the years that he was away in college. Maybe because he wasn't into those things as a teen. He felt like he had to make up for being the menace he was before he left. Even if he was in a relationship, that didn't mean that the holiday was any less annoying to him. He wished that he hadn't shown up tonight. "Right," he nodded. "It's not that I'm not happy in my relationship. It's just I think this is the worst holiday. I shouldn't have to spend money to show my fiancée I care about her. And it shouldn't be a requirement one day of the year that I have to shower someone in gifts to show how much I do care. I'll buy her gifts when I want to buy her gifts." Art sighed and maybe he sounded ungrateful. "You don't like dancing?"

Layla was taking a much needed break, her face a little pink from dancing. She couldn't wait to take her shoes off; she'd forgotten how uncomfortable these were. She looked at her neighbor, clearly trying to stay out of the festivities. He was a bit tall, so she didn't know how successful he'd be. "Maybe, but I think you're allowed. Valentine's Day is touted as this major holidays for people in love, and when you're not... But I think we should go back to the more original meaning of the holiday. By marrying people in forbidden ceremonies and committing acts of martyrdom. Maybe kill a few Roman soldiers for the hell of it." Layla suggested with a shrug. Very few people agreed with her, but that's because they were cowards. If they were really in love, they'd be okay with sacrifice. "But I think it's nice to have a dedicated day to show love for others. Granted you could say that about any holiday. Shouldn't we keep the spirit of giving and peace inside us, even when it isn't Christmas?"

Arthur did have a stable relationship with his fiancée and wasn't unlucky in any sense of a romantic relationship, but he still didn't like the holiday. It had always felt more like corporate bullshit to him than anything else. Although he'd never let his fiancée hear that. He did try to stay positive about it for the most part. "I really is. They act like it's this huge thing, a big ordeal for couples when really I think we should focus on the smaller interactions that show love. Maybe because I bring home flowers every few weeks just because." He didn't feel like he needed to do anything big for it. "I'm fine with all that, but not the killing Romans part. I don't think my job would appreciate that all that much." Or well, anyone for that matter. "Sure, but the holiday feels so fake. Like why should we only buy our significant others flowers one day a year?"

"While it's definitely become a capitalist sort of money grab, it's nice to see everyone get together. Plus, it's not the actual holiday, so you can still spend Valentine's with your loved ones." Javier points out, shrugging slightly. "We should be celebrating the people important to us all of the time, though I suppose a little extra attention on a specific day never hurt anyone." It was akin to celebrating a birthday, he thought. "Not a fan of the holiday then, I take it?"

Arthur wasn't a huge fan of the holiday for a lot of different reasons, but he really hated how capitalist a lot of holidays felt. He wanted to spend time with his significant other and not feel "forced" because of the holiday. "Is it? A lot of it feels very forced. I've seen people only get together because of the holiday and then break up a few months or even weeks later." Okay, that one sounded a bit bitter, he thought. He'd been in that situation before. "I don't know, I find that the little things matter more to me. A chore that's usually hers or buying something that's been chilling in our Amazon cart for months. It doesn't have to have a specific day that feels forced." Art shrugged. "I think it's either too material or shows off red flags. What's stopping someone from getting flowers for their girlfriend on a random Wednesday?" He might have his life together, but Art was not great at being romantic on purpose.

starter type: open (capped at 0/5) location: kiln and clay

where: the jasper valentine's mingle event, by the food table with: OPEN 0/4