Date Wanted on Library

Theo Spurn

October 07, 2021 9:44 AM

Date Wanted by Theo Spurn

Not all relationships involved being utterly gross. Anya's didn't. Tommy didn't do anything more than cheek kisses with Rosalyn. Theo still wasn’t so sure why everyone was doing this instead of just being friends. He would have cheek kissed any of his friends if they’d said it was important to them. None of them had, and instead they’d just gone off with other people. He had a good mind to be mad about it, except being angry made him feel hot and he didn’t like it. He’d tried deciding that they were all stupid instead, but that was mean.

So, the only logical thing to do was get himself a cheek-kisses-friend (he didn’t care whether girl, boy or other, so long as they were not gross). Tommy and Anya both still hung out with him, so he assumed he would be allowed to continue seeing all his regular people too, he just wouldn’t be left out of this new thing they were doing.

He had decided that, rather than go around and ask everyone individually, it was easier to just make a poster, and then wait for interested candidates to come to him. He hadn’t asked the librarian about putting it up because lots of things went on the library notice board, and he’d never really thought about there being an intermediate step you were supposed to go through.

He had hand-written it, and then charmed the letters using various texturising charms so they were a variety of different, pleasing feels. It had fuzzy hearts in the corners, a velvet title, and cotton-woolish text.

Date Wanted

Do you want someone to go to the ball with? Do you think kisses* are gross?
Go with me!
I would like someone to date. You must like soft things. I will make you pancakes.
Gender unimportant. Just no gross stuff. Lack of gross stuff VERY IMPORTANT.
They will have chocolate chips.

Apply to Theo Spurn.
*small, dry cheek kisses acceptable.

He stood back, stroking his handiwork for a minute.

13 Theo Spurn Date Wanted 1476 1 5

Constance Melcher

October 09, 2021 10:34 PM

Potential applicant. by Constance Melcher

Constance Melcher was, in all likelihood, one of very few who actually checked the notice board in the library with much regularity. She liked to remain in the know regarding any events that may be occurring within the library, either to determine interest or to plan days to avoid potential crowds. But Theo Spurn’s notice was not an ordinary one, and not one she had anticipated seeing that morning. She noticed the texturized spots, and without thinking, her pale fingers reached out and traced the fuzzy hearts in the corner. They were… pleasant.

That evening, after completing her homework, Connie remained at her desk and spent a good hour or so compiling a very professional looking resume. It included a cover letter detailing why she was interested in this date (mostly, in essence, because the ball was likely to be boring if she went on her own, and she did not really have any friends with whom to spend the night, and also because she found Theo himself to be quite interesting, from what she could tell), as well as the standard information. Her name, age, and House were featured quite prominently at the top. Further down, Theo would find all relevant experience - Constance was raised in pureblood society, so she had spent quite a few nights at these types of events, albeit on the children’s side. That was why she included references and their contact information, including her dance instructor, Billy Newburgh (with whom she had danced at a ball just last summer), and her mother. She felt these could provide any additional information Theo might request.

The next day, she passed Theo in the hall on her way to class, and she handed him the paper-clipped document, further protected by a manila folder. “Hello, Theo. I think you should find this satisfactory,” Constance stated. “Please let me know what you decide, and thank you for your consideration.” With that, she did not bother to wait for a response and continued on her way opposite him.

12 Constance Melcher Potential applicant. 1523 0 5

Theo Spurn

November 27, 2021 1:27 AM

Very intetesting by Theo Spurn

Theo had received a response to his advert. It had been a very professional looking response to the point of being scary and confusing. He definitely didn't object to Constance, and she had certainly made a good case for herself. He was definitely willing to take it further, he had just needed some time to work out what that meant. He had initially imagined that someone would just come up and tell him they wanted to go, and he would say 'yes,' and maybe they would have pancakes because he had promised. Constance seemed to be treating it like a job application. Therefore, he had talked to Mr. Row about what a typical hiring process looked like, and then gone back again to check it wasn't any different for volunteer situations. He hadn't gone into the specifics that this was for a date, as certain things were private, but he had at least established that he didn't need to contact her references before interviewing her. That stage typically came later, if at all. For some jobs, they might not even check. The point was to have them, and that they might.

His next step was to work out interview questions, and he had thought about that for a while. Most people were not helpful because they had either already told him that this was not how you got a date to the ball (so, they were wrong because this was working) or because they didn't seem to know what they wanted or did know but it was very different to what he wanted. But he had a few ideas, so he was probably ready.

He wrote her a note on his favourite stationery, which had a fuzzy border of swirls and which was reserved for Very Special Occasions/People.

Dear Ms. Melcher,

Thank you for your application to be my date for the ball. It was, indeed, very satisfactory.

I am pleased to offer you an interview on Xth November at 7pm in the library.

Yours sincerely,
Theo Spurn.

P.S. I only use this stationery for special letters so I hope you appreciate it.

He was a little late to the library on the appointed day because time didn't work how everyone else said it did, but he wasn't too far off, and he spotted the same red head that had pressed the manila folder into his hand a few weeks before (research took time).

"Hello," he said, walking up to her. They already knew each other's names so he didn't bother with that. Instead, he laid several fabric samples on the table in front of her. "Which of these do you think has the best texture and why?" he asked.

13 Theo Spurn Very intetesting 1476 0 5

Constance Melcher

December 04, 2021 10:13 PM

The interview by Constance Melcher

An interview. How delightful. If this was anything close to what dating was like, then Constance was already far more thrilled by the prospect of boys than she had ever imagined herself to be. What could be more romantic in a letter from a boy than the promise of an interview?

She contemplated her outfit very seriously in the days leading up to the event. Connie knew it was a good practice to sort of dress for the job you were interviewing for, but she didn’t think it was exactly appropriate to bound through the halls of Sonora on a random evening in November. That would simply not do. So instead, Constance went for a more subdued but appropriately formal attire. She wore a navy dress with a dropped waist that her mother had hemmed to the knees when it began to be an awkward mid-calf after a recent growth spurt. The dress had long sleeves and flat shoulders with no trace of coat hanger bump, as Connie was very meticulous with her things. Beneath she wore white tights and sensible black Mary Jane shoes.

It occurred to her that a desirable female would probably wear makeup, but that was a field in which Constance held no expertise. She debated asking Professor Wright if he had any thoughts on it, as her default state since arrival at Sonora had been set to “when in doubt, ask Professor Wright,” but she decided at the last minute that perhaps he would not be a suitable option. She recalled that her House did have two female Prefects, so she made her way in search of them and happily found Ellie Alperton. The older girl was more than willing to assist, although she did seem a bit puzzled when Constance explained her ball date interview process. But Connie was used to people giving her that vaguely confused look, so she thought no more of it as Ellie helped her apply eye shadow and lip gloss.

Connie arrived at precisely 6:59pm in the interest of being early but not too early that it was inconvenient, but Theo had yet to arrive himself. She didn’t have to wait long, though, before he entered. She would have returned his greeting, but he was immediately into the interview. It was serious time.

She ran her pale, curious fingers across the fabric swatches he had laid before her. Then she paused, pulling her hands back. She pulled a ribbon from a pocket hidden in the sleek fabric of her dress and used it to tie up her long, red hair so that she could think better. Her fingers again danced slowly across the fabrics, two hands exploring separately, until they convened on one near the middle. “This one,” she said firmly. “I like the velvet. It’s soft, but not so soft that it actually hurts your skin like microfiber does. And it’s firm. I like the fluffier ones too, but sometimes fluffier ones aren’t very firm, and you can move through them too easily. This one will stay put.”

OOC: Mentions of Ellie approved by her author.

12 Constance Melcher The interview 1523 0 5

Theo Spurn

December 07, 2021 3:50 AM

A good start by Theo Spurn

The main thing Theo noticed was Connie's dress. It looked very soft. He kept his hands to himself though - or rather, occupied them by playing with the fabrics she was evaluating. There were probably some clues as to what he deemed the correct answer based on where he lingered.

"I like the velvet too," he said to her and the table, his hand lingering on the same piece of fabric. "Though it usually only really works one way," he said, being careful not to brush it back against its pile, which didn't feel nearly so good. "Please explain the too soft thing you mentioned?" he added. He didn't think he knew the thing she was talking about, but he had difficulty imagining something so soft it hurt. He was a little alarmed by this suggestion, and was not sure how much he could agree with anyone who thought like that. But she had chosen the velvet, and she had given good reasons why. She seemed to think a lot about texture too, which was better than most people. And he could investigate - that was the point of an interview, to ask lots of things. "And may I touch your sleeve?" he added.

13 Theo Spurn A good start 1476 0 5

Constance Melcher

December 27, 2021 2:17 PM

I intend to remain on a positive track. by Constance Melcher

Constance paused. It was difficult sometimes to put into words how textures attracted or affected her, but she was grateful for the intellectual opportunity to do so. She loved a good mental exercise, and this challenge could be classified as such.

“Sometimes with microfiber textures,” she began slowly, choosing her phrases carefully as she constructed them, “there are so many little fibers that you feel each one instead of one big fabric, and then it gets a bit prickly. And if your hands are a bit dry - winter weather and what not - it can be especially unhappy. At least, that’s my experience. I find the velvet to be much more pleasant, regardless of season. It is a constant softness.”

He asked if he could touch her sleeve, and she nodded. “You may,” she added to give formal, verbalized consent. Connie held out her arm to him to make it a bit easier as well. “This dress is made of satin, which is one of my favorites,” she continued. “It’s very smooth, even on the folded parts.”

“Velvet would probably be a bit heavy for a gown at the end of the school year like the ball,” she admitted. “So if you’re at all partial to the silk, I was thinking I might do a dress of a similar variety. It would be much cooler for me. Lots of girls wear dresses that have tulle layers, but I think those are scratchy and not at all worth the poofiness they provide.”

12 Constance Melcher I intend to remain on a positive track. 1523 0 5