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

[boneface]

I'll keep you in mind if I find one!

[ And then Nico says that and well. Hm. What? ]

... Huh? You're not that old though.

[crimsin]

Not for my kind, no, but compared to a human? I have been around a long time.

[ Then, by way of clarification, ]

I am a vampire!

[boneface]

[ ...................................... ]

Vampires aren't real though.

[crimsin]

Maybe not where you come from. We make up the majority of the population where I come from.

[ He opens his mouth, pointing out his fangs with one hand. ]

See?

[ Only he doesn't actually close his mouth to make the "s" sound properly. ]

[boneface]

[ His immediate first thought: does that mean vampires can have babies?

Second thought: probably should not ask that. ]

So, you have pointy teeth but you're here eatin' normal food. [ He's still not convinced. ] Can ya do somethin'... vampire-y? Oh! Can ya turn into a bat?

[crimsin]

Oh, that—

[ A beat, during which he remembers to close his mouth and talk like a normal person. ]

Oh, that is because I still quite enjoy normal food, even if it does nothing to sustain me! But, if you are that curious, I can oblige.

[ Without further warning, a flash of red light ripples across Nico's form, and left in his place (sitting on top of the table), is a dark brown vampire bat with a little blond crescent moon on its forehead. It lifts a wing to wave. ]

Bonjour!

[ Oh, tiny squeaky Nico voice. ]

1/2

[boneface]

[ Ryuji is taking all this in and contemplating it because, well. It sounds silly. A vampire that enjoys normal food? That's never in the movies! Clearly, Nico is wrong, not the movies.

But then there's a flash of red light and Ryuji looks completely shell shocked after there's a. Bat. Sitting there. A whole ass bat. ]

2/2

[boneface]

[ And then, after a moment of awkward silence where it seems Ryuji might not do anything but stare, he bursts out with — ]

That's the cutest shit I ever seen!

[ Why are you so loud, Ryuji? ]

[crimsin]

[ Help, it is loud to his little bat ears, but it's also flattering so after a brief wince, Nico practically preens. ]

I am incredibly adorable, oui? No one can resist my charms!

[boneface]

[ Uwah... look at him preen... what a cute lil guy. ]

I just wanna put you in my pocket and carry ya around! You're so tiny an' cute. What the hell. I didn't know bats could be so cute.

[crimsin]

I am no so sure about your pocket but I would ride on your shoulder.

[ Raises his lil bat wings. Uppies!! ]

[boneface]

[ Uppies!! He's going to get up from his seat to go over and bend down for Nico to get on his shoulder. C'mon, new best friend!! ]

This is so cool, I've never even seen a bat in real life before. Now, here's one and he's ridin' on my shoulder. Crazy!

[ He's going to lift a hand to pet Nico on the top of his head with a finger. Cute little thing...! ]

[crimsin]

[ This is so precious. Nico settles onto Ryuji’s shoulder, and leans into the pets easily. ]

Come, new friend! Let us take a tour of the kitchen!

[boneface]

[ Uwah... so cute... best bat friend. ]

Yeah, let's do it! We'll taste all the dishes available!!

[ And off they go. Ryuji is more than happy to carry Nico into the kitchens while on his shoulder. ]

[crimsin]

[ Odette kicked him out of the kitchens earlier, so this is a great way to sneak back in undetected. Brilliant. Genius. No way this can backfire. ]

What are your favorite things to eat? I wish to try some if it is available!

[boneface]

[ NO BACKFIRING HERE. ]

Uh, ramen! Ramen is my fave. I also like takoyaki and monjayaki and yakiniku.

[ Because they're going to find any of that here at the. French. Dinner. ]

[crimsin]

[ They definitely are not, but... ]

I am familiar with ramen, a little, but the rest is unfamiliar to me.

[boneface]

[ Ryuji considers this, trying to think of how to describe his favorite foods. ]

Takoyaki is... fried balls of dough filled with octopus. Monjayaki is like a cheesy seafood pancake. And yakiniku is just grilled meat.

[crimsin]

Oooh, those all sound delightful! But I do not think that we will find much of that here. The cuisine seems much closer to my home than anything.

[boneface]

[ A questioning noise here. ]

Where are ya from? What's your home like?

[crimsin]

I am from Montécarlate, on a world called Adelphe. Some other guests have called my native language French, so if you have something like that in your world, that would be a place to start.

[boneface]

[ Those words go over his head except for "French" which he totally knows where that is. It's in Europe! It's on the other side of the world. It is not America. He is failing geography. ]

Oooh, I've never met a French person before. [ He has literally talked to Odette on the network. ] Is it true you eat snails?

[ He also asked Odette the same thing. Ryuji, please. ]

[crimsin]

I am not French. I am from Adelphe.

[ Keep UP Ryuji!! ]

But if you are talking about escargot, then yes. Some people do. Surely it is not any more strange than eating octopus.

[boneface]

[ ........ :D? Ok? ]

But they're snails! [ . . . ] Is eating octopus that weird?

[crimsin]

It is a little weird! Imagine what a person who only eats beef or chicken might think. All they will be able to think of is squirming, slimy tentacles!

[ Somewhere, a certain warlock has started sneezing. ]