#colheroesstarter

[yourstruly-rachael]

As Rachael stepped up to the podium, the lights shine on the stage blinded her view of the crowd. This was not the first time she had run an event, and knew better than to squint. It was better to just ignore the fact that the big yellow blob in her field of vision blocked out all of the people she would be addressing. A smile crept up onto her face, as it always did when she got nervous on stage, but at least it made her seem professional and genuinely interested in the event.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to welcome you all to the fundraiser and thank you for coming out to join us tonight!” Pause. She wanted to let the guest take everything in for a moment before she pressed on. “I would like to invite you to mingle before the formal event starts. This would also be a good time to take a look at the fringe awards that we have posted for the evening. You are able to place votes for the fringe awards by donating. With the donation, you are able to submit your votes, and at the end of the evening we will tally the votes, announce the winners of each award, and reveal the total sum from all of the donations. We will also be honoring some of the unspoken heroes that contributes to their services in the great time of need during and after the Belgravia attack. Thank you all again for coming, and I look forward to an exciting night with you all.”

[amirdawar]

Though he wouldn’t admit it—to himself, or anyone else, for that matter—he was struggling.

Did people always talk over each other this much?

At least, he supposed, he could get away with nodding along quietly, with a few interspersed smiles of agreement he hoped were in the right places. Most people still seemed surprised that he was even there. It seemed unlikely they would judge him for not being entirely present in other ways. Drumming his fingers against the side of his water glass, he found himself wishing that present company was discussing anything other than business. The inability to work was crippling him. He didn’t need reminders that he still wasn’t up to par.

When he caught a figure approaching out of the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help himself from turning to see who it was. Once in earshot, he mumbled under his breath, “On a night for good deeds, I don’t suppose you fancy rescuing me from this conversation?”

[alexislarsson]

"Yes, you can hand your ballots and your donation to me or any of the collection staff in the plum velvet coats. They'll be roaming around well into dinner, so take your time in casting your votes," Alexis explained when a guest clarified how the fringe award donations worked. She had been making rounds to ensure that everyone had received a ballot, understood the mechanics, and learned the purpose of the entire awards. The event, after all, was part hers, and nothing would make her happier than to see all the hard work she, Rachael, and everyone involved in organizing this evening come to a lovely fruition. "Hello! Thank you so much for coming. Do you already have a ballot?" Alexis automatically greeted with a smile when another person came her way.