le reveillon

[cardsharked]

WHO: French people and you
WHERE: The restaurant complex industrial kitchen floor/a random ballroom and entertainment floor
WHEN: Nebulously between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
WHAT: The Who Pudding Cook-Off Le Reveillon dinner
WARNINGS: Alcohol and boozing; maybe there will be an actual physical fight over the food? Mistletoe shenanigans possible. Let me know if I need to add new warnings.

ALLEZ CUISINE

Anyone interested in contributing food to the dinner will have a place to cook in the giant industrial kitchen. Just a few weeks ago, sentient shadows were stabbing unsuspecting guests in the back here, but today it’s lively and bustling. There may even be a handsome, empty-headed blond vampire wandering around to kick off each round of oven preheating with a hearty catchphrase. Before hopping into the fray, consider grabbing an apron or team varsity jacket from the wardrobe hanger. The old staples are there – “Kiss the Cook,” “I Love You a Latke,” “Sugar and Spice” – but there are also some unusual standouts, like jackets with an extra sleeve attached or aprons that have fashioned the lyrics of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” into death threats.

The kitchen has been incredibly well prepared and stocked, and anything necessary to cook a fine holiday meal is available. Of course, some ingredients may have been shuffled around during the procurement. Maybe cooks need to cross team lines to borrow a cup of sugar, apples will be in the onion basket, or paprika will mysteriously pop out of nowhere in a cloud of spice. Working together is the easiest way to make sure the meal goes smoothly. As a reminder, anyone is welcome to throw a dish or two into the mix regardless of their national cuisine of choice. Get cooking!

FRIENDS AT THE TABLE

Here to cook, or a cook who’s finished their rotation in the kitchen? An adjacent ballroom space has been furnished to hold the dining party, with decorations and ambiance supervised by Sumina. As for the food, there's a plethora of options, with Team France(?) alone providing traditional staples like roasted quail, braised oysters, acorn soup, fennel salad, foie gras and pate with crusty bread wedges, creme caramel, and buche de noel. Menu placards at each table list the dishes on offer, but the full menu information can only be unlocked by answering a discussion question over appetizers – “What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Why? How can we help?”

Alcoholic and virgin bubbly drinks are available for all guests. The effervescence of these drinks is contagious! These drinks have a slight, but pleasant, uplifting effect. Drinking one might make attendees chipper and outgoing enough to chat more openly than normal or literally light on their feet, allowing them to float an inch or two off the ground. No one will be forced to experience sensations or feelings they don’t want to; they are purely opt-in, like the joy that comes from smelling a warm homegrown memory.

In addition to any other decorations, Polaroid-style pictures dot the wall. These snapshots contain representations of happy memories of guests throughout the previous year but can only be viewed by people who want to see them, and only memories of people who are willing the share them will appear. Otherwise, they might contain potential futures, hopes, dreamscapes, aspirations, or other talking points for those who are willing to see them.

SMALL BITES

If anyone truly wants to turn this meal into an epic showdown, feel free to start a rousing debate over different dishes or fashion a scorecard out of the menu placards. Golf pencils are mysteriously available for any and all ranking needs.

Though it’s only nebulously New Year’s Eve, guests who stick around until midnight will see the ballroom dim to a warmer, soothing color, lights twinkling down a countdown the last few minutes to the end of the day. As the time ticks over, guests can hold on to indoor-safe sparkle fireworks or take the floor to give a toast to the upcoming year. Insert other preferred New Year's traditions at will.

The mistletoe is still rumored to be out and about, so take care when mingling.

If asked about any of the weird dinner happenings, Odette hasn’t got a clue. She’s just here for the food. Must be more hotel shenanigans, or maybe someone else put their twist on things.

Comments

[crimsin]

( obligatory fit check! )

i ⚜️ allez cuisine!

[ Did someone mention a handsome, empty-headed blond vampire? It’s him, he’s the handsome, empty-headed blond vampire!! And he is indeed wandering around between cooking stations. Even if no one is treating this strictly like a competition, he’ll still breeze by to check on everyone.

Or to like. Mooch. ]

Ooh, what are you making? May I have a taste?

[ Alternatively, he leans over to take a big whiff of whatever’s cooking on the stove. ]

Délectable! Is there garli– ah, ah– ACHOO! [ At least he turns away so he doesn’t sneeze in the food, but it is Very Loud. Maximum dad sneeze. ] It is fine, I am fine!!

ii ⚜️ friends & resolutions

[ This menu sure does seem short, doesn’t it? At least anyone with a passing familiarity with the hotel’s tricks will know what’s up, and start looking for a catch. And sure enough, there it is.

He glances up at the person seated nearest to him. ]

“New Year’s Resolution”, eh? I have not made one of those in centuries. Perhaps now is a good time to start! Do you have anything in mind, friend?

iii ⚜️ friends & photos

[ Some of the photos belonging to Nico are of his time at the hotel, such as ice skating with Figue, an aurora of colors spreading across the ice under their skates. One can also see images of he and Sumina playing the piano together, or he and Jing Yuan curled up together for a nap as well as a few others. Perhaps you’re up there yourself?

The rest, though, are images of his home. Photos of a cottage nestled in the countryside, and an indigo-eyed woman elbows-deep in a flowerbed. Or pictures of weary-looking men and women sharing a happy moment around a campfire, and a few closeups of some of those people. There’s also a picture of Nico chasing a child splattered in paint, and then another picture of that same child, along with four or five more dogpiling him and sitting on his back while he lays in the dirt.

Nico can be found nearby, looking at the photos fondly. ]

iv ⚜️ wildcard/dinner aftermath

[ Hit me up with w/e, I’m easy! You can definitely assume Nico got his hands on something garlicky before the night was over, and can be found passed out on the floor somewhere. He did this to himself.

If you want something specific, feel free to ping me in the discord. ]

ii!

[boneface]

[ Empty-headed blond vampire meet empty-headed blond teenager. Ryuji looks a bit startled when he's addressed and then grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. ]

I dunno, man! It's kinda weird doin' this without going to the shrine or something. I guess... I dunno, maybe I should try and get better grades?

we doing the floor option

[refiguered]

[ That is to say Figue absolutely suspected this would happen, has been doing her best to keep a surreptitious eye on him, and nonetheless has looked away long enough for this tragedy to occur.

There's a muted sigh as she lets her fingers glow with a green light to begin healing. ]

For someone so caring of others, you're certainly awful at taking care of yourself...

iii

[airdnd]

[ Sumina finds Nico at the peculiar wall of photos, which was definitely not part of her decorating plan, but she's less surprised when she finds Nico looking rather fondly at the photos. He seems like rather a sentimental man, after all.

She lifts a tray full of small bites and a beverage refill or two when she comes to stand next to him by the wall. ]

Good evening, Mister Nico. Fancy another drink or something to eat?

[ She's standing right next to the photo of the two of them, but hasn't realized it or even what these photos have been showing. ]

I

[staffcocked]

Uh-hyahyahya! ★ I see that you're in awe of my devilish awesome Tonkotsu Ramen! Onions are a part of the ingredients that bring the whole meal together.

[Smugly, he takes out a fan from his pocket and begins to fan himself. He might've not looked like the type, but he was quite skilled in the kitchen.]

Though did I add a little too much onion to the dish? Looks like you're havin' one hell of a reaction to it.

ii

[liongeneral]

[He glances Nico's way, cheek resting on his palm as they wait for the dinner to be served. He was maybe only nodding off a little but conversation with Nico always rouses him.]

Mmm? [He blinks slow before shaking his head, sitting upright.] No, I haven't either... I've made promises to myself that I knew I intended to keep over the centuries but nothing like a yearly intention. We've lived for so long that a year comes and goes before we know it. I couldn't keep track of all the little promises to myself.

[He looks down at his menu, slowly putting it together.]

But it looks like we'll have to if we wish to eat.

ii !!!

[laevateinns]

Ha. No. [ akechi snorts in answer before he thinks about it, not even looking up from his menu.

a pause.

he looks up, perhaps thinking to try and say some bullshit answer or something (he may need to try that uplifting drink before he'd take the question seriously), but, then- ]

Centuries, hm? [ he's. not even surprised anymore. ]

iii

[cardsharked]

[At a certain point in the middle of his mooching, Odette probably slapped him out of the kitchen with a spoon or gave him a task to accomplish while locked inside a cabinet or sent him off on a wild goose roast goose chase, for everyone's sanity.

So they're meeting again at the party proper when there's a much less likely chance of someone dying. There's nothing of Odette's noticeable on the wall of photographs right away, either because her pictures are more abstractions or because they're just not looking at the right ones or because she's walled something off she won't acknowledge.]

You like kids, huh? Seems like even you ain't got the energy to keep up with that many of them. [She sips at her sparkling wine, grinning at the lip of the glass.] They've got some sass... think I like them.

i.

[velluminous]

[ so here's the thing. if a tall, handsome, empty-headed blonde vampire is going to wander over to Sprezzatura's messy, but savory-smelling, corner of the venue, he's going to be greeted with a certain ... briskness.

the briskness of a fantasy Eastern European granny. ]

If you are having time to slip your fingers into everyone's pots, you are having time to put on apron and help.

[ she looks to be in the middle of putting together cabbage rolls. and yes. there's garlic. ]

[hexensabbat]

i. allez cuisine!

[Listen... Ringo is here. She's wearing a "kiss the cook" apron. She's... helping, theoretically.

Mostly she's making a menace of herself by taste testing any of the dishes she can get away with sticking a spoon into. At least she's not being unsanitary about it, but still. Ringo, please!]

ii. friends at the table

[Ringo can mostly be found lingering by the polaroids, though. If she notices someone nearby, she'll wave them over eagerly, beaming.

She's looking a picture of one of these three, usually hanging around a shoddy looking hideout, all gathered around the table or around Figue at a computer.]

Look, look! These are my friends!

iii. wildcard me

[LIKE IT SAYS ON THE TIN hit me with whatever tbh]

II

[staffcocked]

[A cute girl singling him out!? Well, Yeyasu wouldn't be himself if he didn't see what she was excited about. As he takes a look at the picture... There was one girl who stuck out the most there.]

Whoa, hold on...! I know that purple hot mama by the computer there! Ain't that Figue!?

[How could he forget with how she installed the Fear of God into him?!]

1

[frankish]

[ Charlie, wearing the worst apron of all time, suddenly blocks her path while holding up a spatula. ]

En guarde!

[liongeneral]

[He wanders over at Ringo's excitement and looks over the photographs with a small smile but taking particular note of the blonde woman.]

Oh? Tell me about her... Is she an AI as well?

ii

[refiguered]

Ah, it... somehow feels like it's been a while.

[ Even though it's not like it's been years or anything?? Look at these nerds. ]

ii

[unliminal]

[ Leaning forward to peer closer at her pictures, his hands casually in his pockets: ]

Would, would, would not.

[ Also, what's with that hideout? Is that where people who save the world hang out where she's from? Sheesh. ]

[airdnd]

( my dress-up innkeeper! )

i ✨ table talk

[ While chaos inevitably goes down in the kitchens, Sumina is more focused on making sure the dining aspect of the evening is going swimmingly!

In addition to the table decorations, she has also prepared little cards at the table to prompt guests to offer their opinions on each dish they try, but also, let's be real, that's pretty boring. Luckily, she has prepared also bowl full of little slips of paper, each with a conversation starter for those awkward lulls in conversations! Whether you're bored or shy or something else, she'll approach with the bowl nestled in the center of a tray full of your next beverage or small bite. ]

Fancy a little chat with me?

[ Go ahead and roll me a number between 1-100 or just pick something from this list! Feel free to use this in other threads too! ]

ii ✨ polaroids

[ There are several snapshots on the wall of happy memories which feature Sumina interacting with travelers staying at her inn, in all sorts of constellations. Serving a tired adventuring party with food and drink, or conversing with a wizard copying spells into their spellbook, watching a bard perform at the tavern, doing the old 'polishing a glass behind the bar' thing while someone tells her their tragic backstory... There is also a snapshot of Sumina and Winter, with the latter leaning against her front desk while the former examines a pile of gemstones on the desk.

Where Sumina seems to linger, however, are with photos of her with her cousins and siblings, where her bittersweet expression might clue one in to the fact that these particular photos aren't quite real. She'll spend time looking at others' photos, too. ]

iii ✨ small bites

[ Shocking precisely no one, as the evening starts to wind-down and the lights dim, Sumina busies herself by getting a head start on cleaning up, but also packing up little take-out boxes for people to take leftovers with them back to their suites! Feel free to take one, or call her out for doing things that literally no one asked her to do, or just shove a sparkler at her, she'd probably love that. ]

✨ wildcard
( as ever I am also down for whatever, feel free to hit me up on the game server or DM me! )

iii

[liongeneral]

I see that as an esteemed inn keeper you are not one to let go of your duty so easily.

[He's hardly one to chide for not being able to shake their positions. He knows that very well. So instead of insisting she shouldn't and relaxing he has a better idea.]

Here, let me help you with all of that. It's late after all and you'll be here even later if you do this all by yourself.

ii

[unliminal]

[ Quick fit check! He has a lot of questions to ask about her photos, only guessing who some of the figures in them are based off their similarities to her own features. However, the easiest place to start is, of course: ]

Say, Momo...you knew Winter pretty well before coming here, didn't you?

[ A pointed pause, as he tilts his head, expression turning almost conspiratorial as he reaches over to poke a finger to her cheek. ]

What business does an innkeeper have with a thief, ehh?

[ Does Sumina have a secret, illicit side hustle??? (If so, hot.) ]

[healbuff]

(Fit check! He's always a casual boy.)

🩺 allez cuisine

[River's contribution comes together relatively quickly. If it's the winter season, that means cool to cold weather, and that means hot stews. What better way to indulge than hot pot, specifically, Budae Jjigae? He might not be an amazing cook like his friend back home, but he knows how to whip up a few good dishes. He's cracking open a can of mysterious meat and he grins at whoever happens to look skeptical.]

Trust me, the spam is key. Also, can you grab me two slices of cheese? The yellow stuff in plastic, not the fancy kind.

[And after he's done he'll take a small white bowl and ladle the stew into it, serving it to whoever's closest.]

Here you go! Eat it while it's hot.

🩺 friends at the table

My New Year's resolution?? Huh...

[The healer's gotta think on that for a bit after he swallows down an oyster and sips a glass of fizzy apple cider.]

Other than me, if you wanna meet some fitness goals, then you're talking to the right guy! See that?

[He points to a Polaroid picture of a young boy in his adolescence sitting in front of a birthday cake next to a dark-haired and dark-eyed girl.]

That's me! Er, the boy not the girl. That's my friend. The point is, I wasn't always fit and I was the last person you'd ask to run a mile, much less the stairs. But I got into lifting and working out and never looked back! So if you need a workout buddy in the mornings, hit me up in the DMs.

itp sumina learns about spam and sliced cheese

[airdnd]

[ Sumina is doing a walk-by, really, just to check in on everyone and make sure everyone's got something to drink or eat, but she stops when she sees that luncheon meat come plopping out of a can. ]

S...Spam...?

[ She glances down at the proffered bowl. He just... put the meat in there? Without cooking it...? Still— ]

A sort of stew? It smells good...

[ ... Okay. She's going to have to take a little break from being a busy bee to eat this, huh? she slowly sets her tray down before taking a seat... ]

Friends at the Table

[staffcocked]

Heeeey! Digging the self-improvement story, bro! We all gotta start somewhere, right?

[As for him, he was more on the lithe side of things. No muscles to be found since he leaned more to be the squishy wizard, see? But even he knew how important it was to stay physically fit on the battlefield.]

I do know some fighters in the Netherworld who've got a insane work ethic themselves. What's your usual training regimen?

allez cuisine

[crimsin]

[ Nico doesn’t seem to realize he’s being addressed at first, he’s too enamored by what’s going on in the pot. ]

Who, me?

[ Well, okay. He reaches for the cheese, but even as he’s handing it over, he can’t help but ask: ]

You are going to put cheese and spam in your soup?

[liongeneral]

A - Resolutions: [Look whose dozing at the dinner table... It's the General. Arms folded on the smooth surface and cheek resting against his puffy sleeves. He's being asked to stay up till midnight. That's pretty late for him!

It's just nodding off, of course, and he dozily reenters the conversation that's happening around him.]

Resolutions...? [He lifts his head up, blearily looking at the appetizer plate that's being offered and takes a small bacon wrapped something or other. Nom. Oh. That's quite good. But back to the conversation at hand.] What sort of resolutions are we making?

B - Look at this Photograph: [For having lived such a long time there's , of course, no shortage of pictures on the wall to represent the happier moments that the General has experienced. There are four notable pictures that are in the center and make the shape of a diamond. There are a scattered few around them but these four are the most prominent. They are, after all, the foundation for everything else.

At the top of the diamond: A silver haired woman teaching a young fluffy haired youth. At the bottom: A purple eared Foxian woman cheerfully drinking a cup of rice wine. To the right: An older blacksmith working tirelessly at his forge. To the left: A stern horned individual standing beneath the moonlight.

Around the four main pictures are others: a young boy being trained by the general. The often spoken of Master Diviner in all her glory. A quiet and thoughtful looking young man. A playful looking dragon lady. A large dark haired man in regalia not so different from Jing Yuan's (but has no official artwork yet). And lastly a large fluffy lion and a young looking woman.

The general stands before the images in quiet contemplatives.

Pick your photograph.]


C - Fireworks: [It's hard staying up so late but it's kind of fun with everyone here bringing in a new year. Especially after all that delicious food and wine. He settles back into his seat, resting his chin on his arms as he watched the twinkling lights count down the last hundred seconds or so. But not before flicking away a mistletoe from his vicinity.

Can't take any more chances... unless.

Despite the buzz around him there's a lazy contentedness to the goings ons around him. But he does lift his head up at someone sitting next to him, wanting to appear attentive to new company.]

Any big plans for the new and upcoming year?

c

[shardshot]

[ Navia's chosen to pour herself some sparkling cider, which seems to be a way to celebrate the new year. It's exciting to be part of so many celebratory things, and in an attempt to make a new friend (being a newcomer and all), she takes a seat near Jingyuan. He's quick to say something, at least. Navia meets his question with a little smile. ]

Big plans? Well, if you're asking about plans in the hotel, then all I'd like is to meet new people and relax. I...haven't gotten to do the latter in a while.

How about you?

[staffcocked]

[Shogun drip for New Years!]

I. Allez Cuisine

[If there was one unexpectedly good thing about Yeyasu... It was the fact that he was actually a good cook. Sure, he usually had servants make him meals or he'd take walks over to the convenience store to buy the portable ones sometimes.. But there was something more satisfying about making food himself whenever he had the time.

That being said? There's a large bowl filled with tonkotsu ramen with some sets of (unusually big) rice balls and egg rolls. Small bowls for the ramen and napkins for the other food is set! He's also wearing a frilly pink apron as he lets out a prideful little laugh.]

Hyahyahya! Alright, peasants! Gather 'round for a devilish good meal made by yours truly! [And some assistance with the Prinnies.] Fingerlickin' good tonkotsu ramen along with rice balls and egg rolls. Let me know if you want me to add anything and I'll see what I can do.

II. Polaroids

[One of the pictures that Yeyasu is looking at happens to be a group shot of this jackass alongside with various other people! This one holds great significance for the shogun as it was the moment where he united with some unlikely friends to get his world back. There's an fond look on his face before he starts to cackle.]

Heeeey... Glad the photo here captured my good side! Everyone else is lookin' badass for our grand final stand against tyranny!

[And there's going to be another photo of a man who looks exactly like Yeyasu, but his colors are much darker and he has a more serious and dignified look on his face. For a moment, Yeyasu's expression looks taken aback before he clears his throat to speak more respectfully.]

Ahaha... Hope I'm making you proud, Dad. It's hard to fill in the hole you left behind, but I'm doing my best everyday.

III - Fireworks + Resolutions

Let's see... You got any New Year's Resolutions, buddy?

[As he was watching the indoor fireworks, the shogun himself was taking a sip from a sake cup with the bottle next to him. Whoever was sitting next to him or was close by, Yeyasu points the question at them with a friendly little smirk.]

It's funny! Whenever you start these kinds of things, you kinda forget about them as the year rolls on. Heck, I forgot what I put on my resolutions list for the last year.

IV - Wildcard

[Hit me up with whatever else! Feel free to DM me if you've got an idea or we can wing it.]

i

[shardshot]

...Um...

[ "Peasants"? Who does he think he is!! Navia is caught off-guard by how bombastic he seems, but the ramen seems pretty good. Very good, actually. And if it really is as delicious as he says it is – well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there? She'll see if he's good as he says he is!

Navia will sample some of the ramen using a bowl of her own. She slurps up some of the noodles, and... ]

Oh, that's delicious... [ And before she can eat another mouthful: ] Are you a chef, by chance? This is amazing!

[frankish]

[ his cursed fit ]

I.

[ Over at the polaroid wall, Charlie's expression is one of quiet, fond nostalgia as he looks over the pictures of his paladins, slowly morphing into something a little more inscrutable when he comes across a shot of a rather regal looking man... and into sudden alarm as he slaps his hands over the top of one particular image. (nsfwish) ]

Whoa! [ To the closest person: ] Grab something to cover this up, quick!

II.

[ Or, maybe you're sitting near him as he hmmmm's over the question a few times, before setting his menu back down with a laugh. ]

New year's resolution... nope, I'm good. I'm not the sort of guy who thinks that far ahead!

III.

[ You can also wildcard me with whatever. ]

I

[staffcocked]

Wait, wait, wait! [He's going to stop and drape an arm over Charlie with a bit of a lustful smirk. Whenever it came to women, Yeyasu's got a one-track mind.]

Before I do that... Why do you tell me more 'bout the two cuties in the first pic?