[open] Run for charity!

[theearth]

Who: Everyone!
What: Run for a good cause!
Where: Locke City
When: throughout the 18th of December

Each year, there is a Christmas charity run in Locke. Businesses from the area (from large ones like Thunder Corp to tiny ones like the Italian pizza place around the corner) pay a set amount of money for every participant that finishes the run. Everyone may participate. There tend to be two or three causes that the money that is earned through it will go to, one local and one (inter)national one. This year it is research for medical engineering and local NGOs that work with people who lost friends or family to the various catastrophes of the year.

Tents and little stalls have been set up along the run's route by businesses that donate, selling food and drink to everyone (most of them donating their earnings to charity as well) and using the moment to advertise for themselves a bit. But churches and various NGOs have stalls or tents as well, selling food and beverages and informing about their cause, and it generally has the atmosphere of a little fair.

Though the curfew will cut the festivities short in the evening, people are in a happy, light mood, enjoying the break from the dire atmosphere and displaying a "our spirit may not be broken" attitude. The run has way more participants this year than usually, despite the slight decrease in residents that Locke has seen over the last year. In the dispute about the run, if it should happen despite everything or not, the opinion that it should prevailed, and clearly people are fully behind that decision.

It must however be noted that the military and also the police are very present, not intervening but simply standing in streets and corners, watching over the proceedings.


Notes:
- Any business, number-run or not, may have sponsored between one and as many as you want runners and have a tent or stall somewhere. Many of them have hired students or other extras for their stalls/tents, but regulars will work there as well.
- Characters might spot Geoff in the crowd sometimes, talking pleasantly to local politicians or owners of large businesses.
- Any character of any age may run! Children up to 15 years of age must only finish half the run to be counted.
- One of the organizers is secretly numbered in case issues appear or someone wanted to help with the run.

Comments

[ghostly_heiress]

Before things changed, Danielle had always made it a point to watch the charity run. Or most any local televised charity, particularly thing for medical research. It helped. Not that she could pinpoint why for a long time until she realized it kept her from becoming too jaded, too bitter. She didn't get to see enough people without it involving 'professionalism,' making things always questionable and skewed.

But these events, these events were all about the kindness in people's hearts. People wanted to help, that was how they are, and that's what Danielle wanted to continue believing.

It also helped that the charity run was around her birthday AND Christmas, which meant her father was home. That he'd even watch it with her.

For the first time, she wasn't having to watch this in a bed. Now...now she was healthy. She knew she could take something as heavy as mouse no problem, play all day in the snow without getting winded, and maybe, just maybe, she could actually do this run. She could help the people who were always helping her do the good they wanted.

So she signed up. She wasn't explicit about being Numbered, but she was a little girl with stark white hair. It was enough that some might wonder and....and that was enough for her in regards to that. Overall, it made her happy.

Then it happened.

She was talking to some of the representatives of the NGOs, learning more about what they do, and had turned to leave the tent only to run into the person she least expected.

Her father had been looking around intently. Poised, calm to the casual observer, but Danielle had seen the intensity in his eyes. When he focused on her, she had to stop herself from jumping. Her face was different, he wouldn't know.

"I don't suppose there's another child who was just here." His voice was calm, polite, but that intensity was still there.

"N-no sir," she said before she could think better of it.

Then, surprise. A brief flicker. Then disappointment, as the intensity faded, and he became more aloof, distant. He offered an apology for bothering her and turned to go.

"Are you looking for someone?" She couldn't help asking. Wanting to know, wanting confirmation-

"Just reminiscing about a tradition," he had said vaguely and walked away.

Danielle watched him go, and as casually as she could, moved somewhere out of the way. She would still run, she promised herself she would still run, but she would need a few minutes before she could force the mask of calm to be something more solid then a thin pane of glass.

[dragon_blossom]

While Marina would love to cling to Jasmine 24/7 until she's back in perfect shape, that's probably not healthy for any of them. Mostly. Anyways, the causes for this charity run are good ones, and she hasn't done it since she was like eleven years old. It feels more relevant, now that she's involved in what they're raising money for, and now that Marina has started to care about her city a little more than her former teenage apathy.

Marina's in good shape too, what with all the running around she does anyways; it'll be easy to finish, and she made a point of looking for a business that was shelling out good money for its finishers, what with not having any really strong connections to any sponsors.

So she runs. And uses what spending money she has to buy a few little snacks and drinks, and while she's a little tense, and maybe not as smiley as she could be - Jasmine's still not in any kind of good shape - she's still probably more sociable than she would've been a year ago.

[stefanged]

If someone had told Stefan that he would someday assist with organizing the charity run he had adored, he wouldn't have believed them. Him, running with the big leagues? It didn't seem possible - except, of course, this year, he had made enough connections to secure an organizer's position. While he's not participating in the race, Stefan's all over the place today, from ensuring that volunteers know their positions to checking on random participants to ask how they're doing.

He doesn't have a moment to stand still - not since the run was in dispute. The members had argued over holding it, and while the run prevailed, Stefan feels the responsibility to make this year even better than before. Although he's younger than the other organizers (and not actually Christian anymore), no one's questioned the organizer badge he's wearing yet.

Well, all except one. The unruly idiot was about to make a scene when Stefan stared straight into his eyes and demanded that he fulfill his duties. The guy's eyes dulled, as he verbally agreed and fulfilled his duties, even though he complained about Stefan's "weird mindgaze" the whole time.

"Huh." Stefan has to stare at the guy as he watches the other leave, trying his best not to furrow his brow. "Did I just... do that?"