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

a!

[fixtures]

[ She's actually passing by him with a platter delicately balanced on one hand, as she sees him stir and take one of the offered appetizers. It just so happens that there's an empty space for the plate to be set down near him, so she decides to answer his blearily asked question — while she's doing this chore, of course. She feels safer, safely within the confines of her role. She's still wearing her uniform, after all, apart from a lacy headband pinned into her hair instead of her usual headdress. ]

Resolutions... that is, what goals you wish to set to accomplish before the new year's end.

[ She responds, helpfully, smiling at him from the corner of her eye as she fusses with table settings. ]

Surely you must have one?

[liongeneral]

[He hums, uncertain...]

A year is such a short amount of time... I'm not certain... [He leans back a bit so not to get in her way as she sets down a plate, his gaze flickering to her as she speaks. She's always in the same attire. (So is he.) So much so that he'd almost suspect her to just work here along with the rest. But there's something a little different today.]

Is that a new head piece? It's quite pretty.

[And while he means what he says wholeheartedly it's best to turn the attention of future plans away from himself by whatever means.]

[fixtures]

[ Short, yes, but maybe longer for someone who's time is inevitably coming to an end. She'd thought he might think about it more, after what they'd talked about earlier...

But he does seem the carefree sort. So, when he deflects, she doesn't think overly much of it. ]

Oh, yes. Thank you. It was a gift from Sumina — have you had the pleasure of meeting her? She is an innkeeper with hair the color of ripe peaches. Eyes like the night sky.

[ Her smile widens, a touch warmer than it might usually look. She's still feeling quite cheered up by it, and by her "friend's" kindness... enough to let it bleed through the slightest amount, even if her description of her is more factual than outright affectionate. ]

She has a very good eye for things of this nature, I've found. Perhaps her work aids her in having a talent for aesthetics.

[liongeneral]

I have had the pleasure of meeting Miss Sumina. She got me tea for the holiday that was celebrated. It was quite delicious and I've spoken with her at large about her inn. it's one of the places I'd like to visit when I'm given a chance.

[He turns to talk to Giselle a bit better.]

Surely you don't intend to work the entire time? Come sit and eat with me. I would enjoy your company.

[fixtures]

[ It's tough, because if this really was work, it'd be easy to decline and have actual obligations that would prevent her from staying with him. Since she's technically not employed, though, it would come off rude if she outright said no, just to retreat back to the kitchens, which is what she selfishly thinks of doing, at first. ]

...A maid should ensure each and every guest wants for nothing, [ Her eyes skim down the table, briefly looking for an unfilled glass, a plate that needs clearing, something, but none of the sort are there. ] But I may spare a moment with you, if that is what you wish.

[ Her smile still comes easily, and she's graceful as she settles in to the seat next to him — though she makes no motion to begin filling up the plate that's set in front of her. No, her hands just fold neatly in her lap, before she returns to making direct eye contact with him. ]

I appreciate the invitation. Have you eaten your fill already, my dear?

[liongeneral]

[He shakes his head at her question.]

Admittedly, I am not at all familiar with many of the dishes on the menu so I've been taking a moment to consider. I don't consider myself a particularly picky eater but you can never be sure when it comes to the complete unknown. [He flips through the little menu again before glancing her way.] Do you have a recommendation?

[Word at the table is that she helped make everything so perhaps asking her would be for the best. Maybe it might even make her happy if he picks her selection? A genuine sort of happy not... the performative service worker happy.]

[fixtures]

[ Well, that's a simple enough question to answer, so she politely raises a hand to gesture to one of the uncarved birds on the table. ]

Roasted quail is a staple in the traditions of the French. It is similar to other poultry, like chicken, though it has a notably gamier taste. If you are fond of rabbit, venison, or wild boar, you may enjoy the flavor. [ Then, her hand moves to one of the deep-welled dishes. ] But if you are partial to lighter tastes, like those associated with seafood, I would recommend the braised oysters.

[ There's a sureness to the way she talks, as though she has made recommendations like this thousands of times. Perhaps noticeably, she never says anything like "I like eating this," or "this is my favorite." And yet, she's clearly very knowledgeable about each dish's flavors and composition, having had a hand in most of the dishes presented. ]

The bread was also baked this morning, if you would simply like to eat something comforting. There is plenty of fresh butter. Or, chestnut soup with thyme and nutmeg, to pair with it.

[ Finally, her hand returns to her lap, green eyes flicking back to him. ]

Does any of that sound to your liking? Or shall I prepare a separate dish for you?

[liongeneral]

No, please don't trouble yourself. It's simply a lot to consider... On the Lufou we eat a lot of extraterrestrial creatures that we find in space. Shantankmoas, Vlsorpl, and Sea Anemone but... the space kind. Oh... and as a Cloud Knight we ate a lot of-- [From the pocket of his attire he pulls out what appears to be a wrapped granola like bar. But if she opens it she will find this inside with leaves sticking out of it and everything.] It tastes like smoked meat but the kind of meat has always been a mystery.

[Mystery meat. No big deal.]

Hmmm.... I suppose sea creatures are the closest thing to space creatures.

[Before he finalizes his choice he glances her way.]

Since you know so much about the dishes what would you recommend. I'd prefer to go with your favorite over a guess.

[If she chooses to take a bite of that bar the flavors are: smoked mystery meat, honey, candy. Straight from the item description.]

[fixtures]

[ One might guess that a servant to a noble house like her might just recommend the fanciest thing on the table, or the thing that took the most effort to create. The foie gras, maybe, or the braised oysters that he's already pointed out. Instead, as she takes the bar from him, her eyes drift to the pot of bright, creamy chestnut soup, using her free hand to gesture to it. She also makes no motion to open or eat the bar yet, though she doesn't outright refuse it, either. ]

In that case, I would recommend the soup. The herbs are very pleasant for the holidays...

[ She has the faintest recollection of eating it around the holidays — or at least, more of a memory than she has of eating the other dishes. She's not sure why, though, as all memories of having human urges like hunger and tiredness remain completely hazy. Still, there's the faintest note of truth in her recommendation, just a step closer than her usual distance. Giselle quickly thinks of a secondary reason, continuing on after only a beat.]

That, and the texture may not be so foreign to you, if other soups of this nature are common in your travels. I know not how extraterrestrial meat may compare to those of Earth... space travel is an unimaginable feat in my time, hehe.

[liongeneral]

[Soup it is... He takes his bowl and begins helping himself to the recommended dish.]

I do enjoy a good soup... It's a comforting and warm meal. And it's not difficult to make. [He stirs the soup with his spoon and peers at its contents with genuine interest.] I ended up taking on a promising young ward who had lost his parents due to the war we faced some thirty years ago. Soup was always an easy thing to make and feed him for someone with no skills in looking after children or cooking.

[He at last helps himself to a spoonful, humming his approval at the flavor. Different than what he's used to but quite tasty with the herbs and spices.]

This is quite delicious...

[fixtures]

[ Yes, he's right. It does sort of ring a bell — soup being something kind of homey, or something that's easy to fill the belly with while not having any particular kind of skill. At the edge of her mind, she briefly remembers boiled vegetables in plain water, the worst soup she'd ever had the privilege of trying. ]

I am glad that it is to your liking.

[ Her eyes crease, smiling fully and nodding her head once politely in acknowledgment of both his comment and his story. ]

It is a dish I have made many times, for several masters. And it is only possible for it to be made at this time of year, which makes it special. [ The time when chestnuts are harvested, she means. ] Should you have any lingering interest in cooking after taking care of your charge, I am sure that you could learn a similar recipe, if you wished.

[liongeneral]

[His spoon pauses at her final words, hovering just above the broth. After he takes care of Yanqing, hm? There's a gentle ache about a future that will not be his. Of planting seeds that you will never see grow.

He was quite old when he took in Yanqing and he will likely never see him grow proper. He does not dwell on their future overmuch. For it will have a grim ending as all who are inflicted with mara do. But there is a sorrowful note that Yanqing will again be left alone. In a better place than found but... There is no future where he gets to experience the young boy coming of age and leaving the nest to forge on his own.

Problems for tomorrow, as always.

After a lengthy pause he looks up and offers her a smile.]

I suppose I could. Something to investigate in my free time...