BON⋆VIVANT

With his hands in his pockets, Sebastian was minding his own business as he walked down the sidewalk. As he was about to turn down a side street he had caught a glimpse of something falling out of someone's pocket. The individual that lost the item seemed to have not notice and they were continuing their way down the street. Sebastian ran after the item that was dropped before someone else was going to pick it up and steal it. He then wiped it off with his hands and approached the individual who had dropped it. "Excuse me I think you dropped this." Sebastian spoke out as he tapped on their shoulder.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ⋅✯⋅ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 starting off right, and Phoenix is coming to realize that. First, his favourite pair of socks were nowhere to be found in his sock pile so he had to settle for another pair. Then, he burnt his toast. Not wanting to waste any more time with his obviously failed breakfast, he tosses both slices into the bin and headed out of his apartment. It also didn’t help that he was running late for the appointment with his new client. A new client! Talk about good first impressions. 

And now this.

Phoenix turns to face the stranger, looking at him in confusion. The stranger who seems to have… his wallet in his hand. Quickly reaching behind to pat at the back pocket of his jeans, Phoenix immediately notices the very apparent emptiness and feels his heart stop beating for a few seconds. “That’s—” He reaches out for the wallet and inspects it. Sure enough, there were initials of his name engraved at the bottom corner and a family picture during their trip to Monaco five years ago sitting perfectly in its holder. “Shit. Thank you. Really. God, I can’t thank you enough. Can I please buy you something? Lunch perhaps?” He presses both of his palms together with a pleading look on his face. “Please allow me. I insist.” ⁺₊

And, of course, she was stumbling straight into an event that required a group... or at least one partner. Thankfully, she noticed another table with a single contestant, and just before the host started talking, she asked if she could join.

"I am, but I'm not sure if I'll be any good with movie questions," she offered, moving her bottle of beer left and right. The enthusiasm was almost contagious. And the number of people in here tonight made her feel like she was back home with the bustle. "I will do my best to help you win, promise. But... don't hold it against me too much if we fail, please. I promise, there are some topics I'm a pro at."

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ⋅✯⋅ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 like these is that you don’t really know what to expect. It’s like opening a Kinder Surprise. His companion for the evening wasn’t quite the movie-holic. So what? No problem. Quickly chirping in, he assures her in a mild playful manner, “No, I got you. I’m a pop culture king. You’ll be in good hands.” Glancing at Natalie, a soft laugh of amusement leaves his lips. God, he was really out here putting his partner in a spot, wasn’t he? “Oh, no. Is the pressure finally getting to you now? I’m kidding. Hey, let’s just focus on having fun, okay? I’m no sore loser.” He finishes his sentence in a whisper, “If we did lose tonight, that is.”

The host steps up to the front once more to remind everyone that there would be twenty questions in total and only twenty seconds for discussion. “Being quick to raise our hands is important but getting the right answer is what’s worth.” Phoenix notes to himself, lightly snapping his fingers. 

‘Is everybody ready? Here comes our first question. What is the main ingredient in hummus?’

Phoenix immediately casts his gaze at Natalie and leans closer in excitement, “That has to be chickpeas. Right? God, suddenly I’m craving for a plate of hummus and pita.” ⁺₊

His gaze dropped briefly to Phoenix’s drink, then lifted his own beer in a small mock-toast. "I do respect the passion and commitment. I'm pretty sure I have about twenty of those t-shirts from over the years, unworn, so if we lose and you still want one, I'm sure I can dig one out for you." Rowan was naturally competitive, so he had trouble turning down any opportunity to win. "Okay, I’m in. But if we don't win I'm blaming you for believing in us too much," he teased lightheartedly. "What are your trivia strengths?"

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ⋅✯⋅ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ 𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐘 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍 but fails anyway when the corner of his lips start curving upwards. “I don’t know~” He starts off with a sing-song voice before shrugging his shoulders in a playful manner. “You seem like the sort who does amazing under pressure.” Then he pauses for a few seconds before leaning in close, “Unless I was wrong to assume that?” Pulling away with yet another cheeky grin, he nods his head in acknowledgement of the other’s words. “Alright, impressive as hell. I'm sold. Now if there is going to be something on quantum physics, there will only be one. It’s fine, we can lose a point.”

Phoenix is quick to flash a smile at the toast. “I think if we win this, I’d still want one of those t-shirts from you.” The enthusiasm coming off from the other was evident and it makes him just as fired up. “Hey, there can never be too much believing-in-us. If we did lose, it’s probably because this trivia night’s rigged.” He was obviously joking and would never act like a sore loser, a big party pooper. “Right, I would be pretty okay with ice hockey and… pop culture, maybe? And really random facts like octopuses having blue blood and three hearts.” 

The host steps up again and breaks the chatter in the room to remind everyone once more that there will be twenty rounds in total and a maximum of fifteen seconds for discussion. Phoenix takes this chance to slip in a remark, “I hope they’ll have ten questions of fire safety and ten questions of ice hockey. All shuffled, of course.” He scratches the side of his head, feigning ditziness. 

“Get ready, this is your first question, everyone! What are the three distinct flavours used to make Neapolitan ice cream?”

Getting the right answer was obviously important but being the first to answer was the real challenge. Phoenix immediately turns to Rowan with a whisper, “That’s… Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate. Yes?” ⁺₊

What made this trivia night even more interesting was that the teams and pairs put together were made by the luck of the draw, completely randomized according to table seats. Even though Minho was separated from their original company because of it, they were perfectly happy about it, for now they had a chance to meet someone new and pleasant to spend the rest of this trivia night with until a winner was determined.

Beaming a bright smile at the other person, his obvious excitement contagious and amplifying Minho's own, they nodded their head vigorously, making themself appear very confident in their response. "Yes, I am very good!" They actually didn't know if they were, the explanation of the rules had lost Minho's focus very early on and they still had questions about what trivia actually means but all that would not stop them from throwing in their absolute bestest.

"No problems, we will win!!" A fist was clenched up in a gesture that further solidified Minho's burning resolve. They were not in the least competitive in their nature but this was already fun and that was enough to get them fired up even though they did not always know what was happening.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ⋅✯⋅ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ 𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 came naturally for Phoenix. It was usually the others that he was worried about but seeing the enthusiasm coming from the other puts him at ease. The host reminds everyone once more that there will be twenty rounds in total and a maximum of fifteen seconds for discussion. “I’m Phoenix, by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier.” Of course, his excitement took full control and gave him early tunnel vision that he forgets his manners. 

“First question, everyone! Which two primary colors can be mixed to make green?” 

Phoenix immediately turns to look at Minho and whispers, “It has to be Blue and Yellow, right?” Getting the right answer was obviously important but being the first to answer was the real challenge. “When the timer hits zero, we have to raise our hands immediately. Are you ready?” He braces for the perfect timing to catch the host’s attention and tries his hardest not to get distracted by anything else at at that very moment. 

When he hears the bell, Phoenix’s hand shoots up excitedly, flashing the sweetest smile at the host in hopes of enticing her to pick their team to answer. When she beckons him to do so, he doesn’t hesitate to yell out the answer, earning them a point right away. “Brilliant! You should get the next one, Minho!” He encourages the other, giving them a gentle nudge. ⁺₊