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

[liongeneral]

That helps the people... Quite an important and prestigious position you have.

[There's more he'd like to inquire about but she turns it quite quickly onto him.]

I suppose you could say that. I am one of seven Arbiter-Generals and one of the six Charioteers on the Luofu itself. The Xianzhou is a fleet of once nine ships, now six, that soar through the cosmos seeking out the enemies of our Aeon and destroying them. My ship is the Luofu and I helm it along with the other Charioteers that run the other parts of the Luofu.

The best way to describe any Xianzhou ship is that it is a large city flying through space. We have quarters where people have lived for generations and a market. It flies slow enough that traders come and do business there quite easily. We have a false sky that allows day and night cycles and some geography and even a small ocean that was gifted by the Vidyadhara. It's a vast space meant to care for humans for lifetimes upon lifetimes and has.

[He pauses there and takes a small bite from his appetizer.]

As for what I do specifically... These days it's a lot of paperwork. My most recent foray into the field got me injured which is why I'm here to begin with. Forced rest and relaxation until further notice.

[shardshot]

So the Xianzhou is a fleet...and there's no land? A false sky, an ocean that moves with it...?

[ That's a very detailed explanation, one that's a lot more lengthy than what she gave to Jing Yuan. She'll have to remedy that sometime. His explanation is incredibly fascinating. ]

Incredible. I've never heard of something like this before, and it's almost like I can't fathom how it'd be possible...but people will always adapt, no matter what the circumstances are. Especially when you've had lifetimes to do so, as a whole.

[ She places a hand over her chest and smiles. ]

Thank you for satiating my curiosity. It's been very exciting to learn about where other people are from. It's a great way to start off the new year, I'd say.

[liongeneral]

That's it more or less... And I concur. One of the best parts about staying here is speaking to everyone from all these different places and worlds. We get a decent amount of travelers on the Luofu but rarely do I get to engage with them. So this has been a breath of fresh air.

[He takes another small bite of his appetizer before gesturing to her.]

Please, tell me about this homeland of yours. You said it was called... Fontaine, yes? Tell me about this world of yours.

blanket spoiler warning for 4.0+

[shardshot]

I agree. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little, right? What better way to do that than to participate in some interdimensional travel?

[ She says it with a little chuckle, but his request gives her pause. Fontaine...oh, how she loves it so, but they've all been through so much lately. It shows in the way her demeanor becomes more serious, in how her back straightens, and her gaze lingers on her drink for a moment longer than she would've liked. ]

But of course. Let's see... Fontaine is a nation predominately dedicated to the Hydro Archon, the God of Justice. It's large, elegant in its architecture, and if the "Hydro" part didn't give it away already, it's surrounded by a lot of water. There's plenty that I love about it: The food, the people, the landscape... And I reside in a fishing village there named Poisson, which is where the Spinda di Rosula base is located.

[ There's a lot she isn't saying, but that doesn't seem appropriate for this discussion just yet. ]

I'm staying on the fifth floor of the hotel; it's based on the ocean. ... I picked it because it reminded me of home.

[liongeneral]

Oh... [He cants his head as she talks. Hold on... He's heard some of this before. Not anything about Fontaine, of course but...]

Archons... I've heard a great deal of conversation about Archons since coming here. [What was it again...? The young architect was speaking about it--] Dendro... Archon, I think it was. They came from a place called Sumaru. Is that, perhaps, a part of the world you live in? And Inazuma has been mentioned too...?

[So many people from the same land if his hunch is correct. But Archons and the term Hydro to describe water seems a bit too coincidental.]

[shardshot]

Dendro Archon...from Sumeru! Yes, that's right! Inazuma is a nation in Teyvat as well, home to the Electro Archon, so...

[ Her eyes go wide. She was aware of other people from Teyvat here, but somehow, she wasn't expecting Jing Yuan to have encountered them. Just how long have the rest of them been here...? ]

Oh, you're familiar, then. That's good to know -- you must have ran into the others here, haven't you? I've heard there are several of us here.

[liongeneral]

I think those from Sumaru have checked out for now but there is a very lovely young woman from Inazuma still here. If you have not met her yet I highly recommend her company. She's remarkably charming.

[Needless to say, he's quite fond of the fellow General.]

I feel like I've heard so much about your world and every place I'm told of is remarkably different from the next. I sincerely hope to travel there one day. But I did not mean to distract. Tell me about this Spinda di Rosula and what it does.

[It sounds so fancy and honestly... a little fun to say. She says it with such flair he can't help but do the same.]

[shardshot]

Is there? Well, I'll have to introduce myself the moment I see her, then. I'll be sure to do that per your recommendation!

[ Navia hopes she'll have a Vision or something on her person. It'd make her easy to spot. ]

As for Spina di Rosula...simply put, it's an organization that assists the everyday people of Fontaine. We've contributed quite a lot, actually! There's a system known as the aquabus that takes people to and from various places in the nation; Fontaine's a very large place, after all. We're always willing to take on other things like investigations that the city simply won't do themselves.

I'm proud of it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

[liongeneral]

[His smile can only grow as she speaks of her work with such pride.]

I see... That sounds like very rewarding work. Separated from the government, it sounds like? That means you're free to do much more as you lack your arms being tied in a lot of ways. As a government and military official myself i often find there's not a great deal I can do to help the common people.

Such groups can be dangerous with the wrong leadership and you can risk coups but those simply willing to help those that can't normally be I'm sure is a great boon to the community. You also sound quite proud of your work... It's hard not to also feel enthused by what you do having no concept of Fontaine or your organization.

[shardshot]

Mhm. We aren't a government-funded organization; we're just...people trying to do the right thing.

[ Her family is extremely notable, and it's not like there's a shortage of money, so she's not exactly the most ordinary of people. Still, their methods were always different. ]

Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands -- matters that those in power can't address, or turn a blind eye to. [ There's something she has in mind as she says that, but that's in the past. Things are better, now. ] The perspective of everyday people can often times prove to be quite valuable.

Speaking of perspective, though...why do you feel it's difficult to help the common people?

[liongeneral]

Well... [He hums, thoughtful.] I'm what's known as a long life species. A people that were given immortality with a catch. And that catch is, to put it simply, the deterioration of a person's mind.

I can't help my people with that. Not the soldiers who fall to it quicker nor the every day person that it comes for. My position in general is that of a military perspective. I provide peace and win the wars. But there are other aspects and sections of the Luofu that do more to help the people. I have no say in what happens there. I can't keep the markets running or ensure the newest medicines are being produced and handed out as needed.

It can sometimes feel like a very helpless position to be in sometimes.