[closed] meanwhile, at telophoroi tower...

[trollophoroi]

WHO >> The Telophoroi guild and their +1s.
WHAT >> A dinner party that will surely be calm and enjoyable for all involved.
WHEN >> 9/15, evening.
WHERE >> Telophoroi @ home.
Content Warnings >> May make you hungry, more added if needed.

ARRIVAL

[ Welcome! Welcome to the Telophoroi Tower, as the guild leader likes to call it, even though only the interior itself will give that impression. It is, after all, instanced like every other guild @ home. The interior is... curious... at best. It's ominous, not even a little bit friendly-looking, all sharp corners and metal floors and walls. Metallic alien-like tubes curl around the walls and the pillars, crisscrossing the high ceilings, and creeping along the edges of walls; it could easily be a dungeon interior, provided it had actual monsters inside.

Greeting the guild members and guests alike is the Guild Grunty with a bowlcut and, just for tonight, a purple butler's outfit instead of its usual cultist robes. It still wiggles its hooves at people as they enter, though, as proclaims, ]

OoOoOo! Welcome... to your doom! [ Wait, that isn't right. It visibly sweats for a second during a pause, then remembers to add, ] And your dinner! Yes, and your dinner, hehehe~

[ It will also offer to take coats if needed, then lead them to the meeting room (now masquerading as a dining room); it's only slightly less intimidating than the rest of the tower and that's only because the lighting is nice, candles have been added, there's some very low classical music playing somewhere in the background, but it is still definitely part of the tower with the table being wicked metal with thinner imprints of those alien-like pipes running wild in the design, and the chairs are massive metal thrones, difficult to move, although green and purple cushions have been added to offer some comfort.

They will also find that there are, in fact, assigned seats.



There are some little Coronation Chicken Pies and Blue Cheese and Pear Appetizers for snacking while they wait as well as Cultist Grunty offering to pour them either champagne or, if they aren't interested in alcohol, some sparkling lemonade.

If asked about where the guild's leader, Fandaniel, is, Cultist Grunty will assure them that he's only putting the finishing touches on tonight's meal and will be with them shortly. ]

IT'S TIME TO EAT

[ And after about a half hour of arrival, the lights of the room... flicker, flicker, and then shut off, plunging the party into pitch darkness. Even the candles go out, though only long enough for people to exclaim or react.

When they come back on, Fandaniel, dressed up in his own butler skin (although it doubles quite well as merely looking fancily dressed), has made his appearance at the head of the table, where his seat had been left empty right up until now. He's standing, arms spread out wide, a grin on his face, and the starter course set out on little plates before them. ]

Hello! Hello, my dear friends. I am so glad that you could all join me for our little dinner party. I do hope you have been enjoying yourselves thus far. Now! [ And lowers his arms so that he can clap them together upon saying that word. ] Let me introduce you to our meal for the evening.

[ And he'll go over what they'll be having tonight! The menu is as follows:

Starter Course: Hot Tofu, a simple dish of tofu and dashi kombu with a little bowl of sauce to pour over it.

1st Course: Chawanmushi with Matsutake Mushroom, a savory egg custard flavored with dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin, steamed in a cup.

2nd Course: Unadon, grilled eel brushed with sweet and savory unagi sauce and served atop a bed of rice.

3rd Course: Shoyu Ramen, made with a flavorful pork-bone broth with wavy noodles and topped with bamboo shoots, meltingly tender pork belly, and thin-sliced green onion.

4th Course: Tempura Vegetables, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, Kabocha squash, lotus roots, and eggplant deep-fried in a crispy, crunchy tempura batter served alongside a dipping sauce.

And every time a course is finished, the lights will, once again, go off and, when they come back on, the course will be swapped out. It's quite a bit of showmanship, but only possible thanks to Cultist Grunty changing up the room's configuration on the fly as well as the timing it had worked out with Fandaniel. Still! It offers a very mysterious bit of ambiance to the meal. ]

Bit of a Beastly Dessert, Isn't It?

[ Then comes the last course, the dessert course. Once again, the lights go off, they come back on, all the dishes are cleared and new plates and utensils sit before them all. There's more on the platters set across the table but each dish has a serving of sweet potato pie, done in the Japanese style, which is a far cry from what more Western types may expect from a pie like that. It's a flaky pastry, nice and sweet, but not overly so.

Cultist Grunty goes about a glass of a dark dessert wine for all. This time, there is no alternative, but seeing as dessert wines are meant to be savored in a small amount, those who want less will certainly get less. The reason why they're insisting everyone has wine will be apparent soon enough when Fandaniel raises his glass to offer a toast to them. ]

And this is where we end the night, I fear! Our last course, our dessert. Fai was kind enough to lend a hand in the kitchen with it. I would also like to thank him and Hien both for making the little treats we had before the dinner began. They were quite good, were they not? Ah, and, of course! [ He'll nod towards Cultist Grunty in his cute little tuxedo. ] Our dear Cultist Grunty has been an infinite source of aid during the past two days in getting this all set up. He handled all those little light tricks and all the dish swaps.

[ And then to the rest of the party. ]

And to the rest of you, for better or worse... [ At this point, probably worse, let's be real here. ] We've been having an interesting time in this game but I am glad you all took the time to humor me and my desire to hold a little dinner party like this. So, to all of you!

[ And that's the cue to drink and... now for the real reason he wanted everyone to drink the wine. See, Fandaniel has laced it with one of the game's potions, only! Only, well, originally the Potion of Fang and Claw, which should have given them nothing more than some cute animal ears and tails, ends up doing something wildly different.

Everyone who drinks the wine will find themselves turned completely into an animal.

Glasses will tumble to the floor, breaking and spilling wine everywhere. Armor and clothing will pop off as items, unequipped, as they no longer fit their bodies. Surprise! Enjoy spending the next 24 hours as a talking animal! ]

Comments

QUESTIONS?

[trollophoroi]

oh right also if u have questions, shoot

MISTEAKS

[gluttoning]

[At arrival, Misteaks is noticeably low energy, picking through appetizers and refills of lemonade like he hasn't eaten in days. Maybe it's just that delicious? Who's to say. He doesn't seem to stay on his feet for long, looking more physically uncomfortable than socially, but he'll still mingle from his seat while they wait. Hopefully with more people than the plush that is sitting directly across from him. Why is there a plush directly across from him. He is so uncomfy.

And that's about the only time one will get a word from him easily. Once the food starts, Misteaks has a laser-sharp focus on one thing - picking apart every dish with vigor, eating every crumb and drop of every dish presented to him, more visibly enthralled over every new dish that rolls in than the presentation and showmanship itself. Eh, you can't win em all, Fandan. He might even look a little too long at people if they're not particularly fond of whatever course is in front of them, like a dog trying to be sneaky about begging.

He avoids alcohol the whole night, and dessert is no exception, hesitating when the grunty insists on at least a small portion for the final course. Someone might need to encourage him a little, though he is obviously curious for how he takes a whiff of the open cup.

When he finally caves for the toast, the chair underneath him breaks under the weight of a full sized lion, which looks to the glass (and the immense amount of equipment) that drops to the floor with an almost saddened expression. Oh. What just happened. He's fuzzy now.

The lion licks its chops, nonetheless. Compliments to the chef.]

arrival

[tablescraps]

( As the guests filter in, Mithrun is in his red riding hood outfit, probably because he was encouraged to dress up, anyway, unimportant. As he enters with Tylor, he does a quick glance about, looking for a certain gentleman he holds in low regard, but what he finds, instead, is Barrett.

He doesn't hesitate, despite everything. With a brief word to Tylor, he strides off to Barrett's seat and grabs his wrist, probably interrupting any appetizers Barrett may be enjoying. )

Come with me. I just need a minute.

( "I just need a minute" may not be a phrase we should trust Mithrun with given the last time he used it and its outcome, but maybe it'll will work out better this time? )

[gluttoning]

[He's partially through another appetizer when he sees Morgan step into the room, eyes finding the bright red and then growing surprised at who's wearing the outfit.

His eyes immediately travel straight back to his plate, assuming there would be some need for space. So there's a jolt of surprise when the exact opposite happens, the redhead blinking at the grip on his arm, before looking towards Morgan.

Many words come and fall away faster than he can grab them, his look growing deeply apologetic as he quietly pushes his chair from the table.]

...Okay.

[Morgan has him, for the moment. Barrett isn't about to say no after the morning they just had... even if all Morgan has to give is anger.]

lion

[tylorific]

[ They're so far away and preoccupied with their own sides of the table that through the food and the drink that Bear probably only got a parting greeting and smiles from across the way.

But once they are animals, Bear seems to be the only one comparable in size to this incredibly happy, but very large, grey wolf that trots over. His tail is still wagging. Before he speaks he makes a bark of a sound with his head lowered, but it's raspy like a dog whisper. ]

Wow, you're a lion, how cool! What's that feel like?

food~

[trollophoroi]

[ Fandaniel is more than happy to offer Barrett food off of his own plate once he begins making sad puppy dog faces at everyone else's plates. He's been trying the food on and off throughout the day as he made it, so it isn't as if he'll be missing out. ]

Here, Misteaks, would you like some more of this?

[ He's plucked a piece of beautifully cooked pork belly off the top of his ramen with chopsticks (although forks and spoons were available for those who are unable to use those). Rather than place it in Barrett's empty bowl, however, he's holding it out directly for him to eat from Fandaniel's own chopsticks.

Open wide~. ]

gao

[selfconcept]

[ Oh, Misteaks is a lion... Cute...

He holds out a bit of the sweet potato pie on a spare plate. Eat, young one. ]

[tinged]

[ since they’re all arriving with different people, it only makes sense for hani to seek him out early on.

because they’re friends!

and hani is a good friend who would platonically (?) feed a whole chicken pie into bear’s mouth like it’s nothing. ]

What do you think, Bear-kun?

FANDANIEL; FEEL FREE TO THREADJACK ALL THREADS

[trollophoroi]

It's time to eat!

[ Fandaniel might be absent during the first thirty minutes as everyone arrived and was seated, but he's here now, seated at the head of the table and digging into whichever course they're on. He'll be right there going forward and seems to be in a fantastic mood.

Could be he's the only one in such a good mood considering the plague going around but someone here — aka Fandaniel — sure doesn't seem to have it. That might be the cause of the good mood. He can actually have one!

If anyone wants to make small talk with him during the meal, he'll happily do so, no matter where they are at the table. It isn't that big of a group, after all.

Items of notes during the meeting: why yes he did seat his snake wife (the plushy) at the table with them, he also spends a good chunk of his time trying to keep Misteaks' attention to himself and even offers him food from his own plate, and if anyone is misbehaving, he'll interrupt them to remind them to mind their manners but he'll be obnoxiously polite about it. ]

A Beastly Dessert

What!

[ A shrill shout comes from just under the table as Fandaniel is now too small to see over it. He drank the wine the same as everyone else, expecting only some silly fun, but now he's so small! And... and feathery?! He lets out a squawk and flails his arms, no, wings. Wings?!

After some trial and error and a series of chaotic bird sounds, he manages to flap his way up to the table, flopping down on it in a very ungraceful landing.

Behold, Fandaniel the Kookabura, and he is no longer in a good mood. ]

What! [ Squawk, squawk he says! ] What, this wasn't what was supposed to happen!

beastly dessert

[tylorific]

[ The danger in putting Tylor directly across from Fandaniel is that Tylor can make happy eyes across the way all night. Between feeding Morgan or Hani or any number of cute behavior between the three molecules, Tylor tosses Fandaniel plenty of smiles and raises of his glass in cheer.

Once they're animals, Tylor is having even more fun. Beside Fandaniel, he is massive as a happy grey wolf that trots over. Tail wagging, he tilts his head at Featherdaniel. ]

Oh, it wasn't? But this is so much fun! And you can even fly, isn't that cool?

*causes a scene*

[tablescraps]

( Mithrun's been glowering at his end of the table since Fandaniel's arrival, dressed in his little red hood outfit he, coincidentally, won from Fandaniel's little tourney. However, he did work out some of his aggression when he got Fandaniel (at the consequence of himself, too) over that bridge, so he's not actively murderous. He'll tell Fandaniel off, but he doesn't need to do it desperately. It will happen when it happens.

But then the meal starts, and the people about him begin to eat (Mithrun doesn't ever have an appetite, so any food or drink he's consumed is solely what's been placed directly near his mouth, probably by Tylor), and Fandaniel gets into feeding Barrett - which Mithrun notices, because every so often his gaze lingers on Barrett to watch how he eats (leave Mithrun alone, shut up). And it feels like every time he looks back, there's Fandaniel doing it again, a little longer, a little more gratuitously, a little more directly - or so it seems whenever Mithrun looks over.

Enough.

Without warning and without explanation at some point during the meal, Mithrun stands up suddenly, his metal throne of a chair screeching violently from the sheer force he's applied to scrape it back against the metallic floors. He steps up onto the table in a rapid stride - sidestepping all the food and dishes with particular agility - and crosses the length of the table in a blink.

He drops into a kneel and grabs Fandaniel by the hair with particular violence, yanking him up (not by much, Mithrun's not that tall, especially kneeling) to get them eye to proper eye. It lasts only a split second before Mithrun jerks in against his neck, teeth bared - and bites down.

Unlike the bites some at the table may be familiar with (shhh), this is more a viscerally feral bite: a bite that rips into the flesh and bleeds and drags from the side to the front, leaving torn skin in its wake. It's the sort of thing that would leave an awful scar, if wounds in Fragment didn't heal upon changing zones. )

Don't. ( He's not going to elaborate on if that's a separate statement, or a build into his next: ) Don't send me flowers again. Understand?

eating... but

[selfconcept]

[ Hien looks at Fandaniel, then at the Busty Lamia Assassin Plush, and then back at Fandaniel. ]

Really?

eats

[tinged]

What a delightful menu, Master.

[ hani digs into literally everything with enthusiasm. they’re no misteaks but they do put away everything somehow? their stomach must be a black hole. ]

And who is that beautiful person next to you?

a beastly dessert;

[ganymed]

[ Who is this small black cat? It's just Ganymede, who has been probably wearing the expression even before he got turned into a fluffball. ]

What exactly was supposed to happen, anyway?

[ Sitting gracefully because he is used to ridiculous things happening, so what else can he do... ]

[sicklysweet]

dinner;
[Owen arrives to the dinner party... late. Not incredibly so, as he still gets there in time to hear Fandaniel's little speech before their meals get brought out to them, but he's definitely one of the last to sit down.

He was really considering not showing up, is why, but he's here gracing everyone with his presence anyways. Consider yourselves blessed.

He picks at the food, not eating much, but he'll gladly (unfortunately) engage anyone in conversation. He might even ask unfortunate ice breakers if there's a lull in the conversation.

Also, for anyone who's sitting across from him, they might end up getting kicked or nudged as Owen adjusts his spindly legs. It's totally not intentional or anything. Matoba and Hien can't prove anything.]

a toast;
[Then when night ends and he takes a sip of wine with Fandaniel's toast... At least he ends up cute, even if of course something ridiculous like this happened.]

Well, at least it wasn't poison.

[He's going to jump onto the table without a care for what he knocks off, though, because if things are going to get chaotic he wants a good vantage point.]

dinner

[worldbent]

[Every time Owen's foot touches him, he will find a tiny bit of food flicked at him.]

[Sometimes, it might be a tiny bit of crushed nut from the pear appetizer! Sometimes, a grain of rice. Perhaps at some point in the dinner, Matoba may be emboldened to begin launching larger, wetter foods.]

[This is a war of attrition; and he does not intend to lose.]

A toast

[tylorific]

[ Seated as far apart as they are, Tylor is spared the footsie drama. But once he's a wolf the seating chart no long matters and there is a cute cat on the table.

He is now a massive grey wolf that comes to rest his head on the table before said cute cat. Tylor's furry head cants to one side, as if he is tilting his head but the table is in the way. ]

Wow, you're so cute.

[ tail wag, tail wag. ]

dinner

[selfconcept]

[ Hien brushed it off the first time Owen's foot bumped into his leg and continued eating. He does the same for the second, third, fourth... By the fifth time, he finally raises his gaze from the food that he's eating and and rests them on Owen. ]

I'm not playing footsie with you, Owen.

[ He's not flirting??? Let him eat. ]

dinner;

[tinged]

Owen-kun, it’s been a while. Hello, hello.

[ just the brightest smile, too bright for this murder tower. ]

How are your dogs?

dinner

[gluttoning]

[Unfortunately for Owen, his tablemate immediately to his left is having about the exact opposite of an appetite problem. His eyes are constantly flicking to Oeen's unfinished plate. Wondering. He'd love more.]

...Do you not like the food? [It's about the only word he's spoken that hasn't been a nod or a mumbled agreement, given that he's been solely focused on consumption.]

closed;

[selfconcept]

[ If anyone wants a thread with Hien, let me know and I'll make a closed starter for you or threadjack one of your existing threads!

But Hien has been surprisingly enjoying his time here, even if it started off weirdly (gestures to Mithrun vs Fandaniel), but he's here to keep the order. Most of the time. He cannot let the food here go to waste. They must be eaten one way or another. Fandaniel may be reminding others of their manners if they misbehave, and Hien might just kick them out altogether if that warning isn't heeded.

When the lights go off to reveal the last course apart from dessert, Hien reaches out to fork the tempura, but his hand suddenly forgets how to hold a fork and he ends up dropping the fork with the tempura onto the floor.

...

He tries to reach down to retrieve it, but his hand is still confused. How do you hold a fork?

???

Something's up and Hien doesn't realize until he looks at Matoba wearing something else.

...

His eyes narrow. ]

[worldbent]

[There Matoba sits, eye half-lidded as he gazes at a point on the table, now swathed in the silky, gauzey blacks of his "Special" Lv.50 armor.]

[Who was this lovely creature? Oh, just a persona Matoba had created some time ago; don't worry about the way the dress so nicely hides his figure, or the glint of a slight gloss on his smirking lips. Don't worry about how it all suits him so well. The real question you should be asking is how it got into the game.]

[He sure wish he knew. He can't seem to... remember. And now, if you're anywhere in his vicinity, you won't be able to "remember" either.]

[Which means that Hien, unfortunately, is stuck in that fog, too. So long as he wears this armor, if anyone tries to take advantage of his virus, they'll find themselves equally unable to cope. Mutually assured destruction was always a favorite of his.]

[After being ignored by the other man all night, and the scorned exchanges they may have shared, Matoba finally turns his face enough that his bad right side isn't blocking Hien out and smiles to him, a flutter of long lashes accompanying a sweetly poisonous smile.]

Having trouble, Hien-kun?

0koto, OTA!

[worldbent]

Arrival/Seating:

[Matoba arrives with his usual black kimono, initially; no coats needed, he drifts into the dining hall with a nice pat to Cultist Grunty's head before taking in the seating arrangements.]

[...Ah. Next to Hien-kun who has crimes to answer for, and across from a couple of his favorite targets? Really, Fandaniel, you've outdone yourself. He looks quite pleased as he plops himself down, and he's snacking on tasty pears in no time. What mischief shall he make tonight...?]

FOOD!:

[Small portions and a lot of variety, that was the spice of a kaiseki meal. Thank goodness Fandaniel has good taste in cuisine; a nice traditional meal for the most part that Matoba would enjoy thoroughly....... if the nasty virus going around hadn't caused him to lose his sense of taste. As it is, he looks thoroughly disappointed instead, morosely trying to munch through some of it.]

What a waste....

[The theatrics sure are... interesting. He squints a few times between the table and Fandaniel, then Cultist Grunty, trying to figure out how they're doing that. Customizations...?]

Dessert:

[Finally, Matoba's favorite portion. Although he can't taste it, which is really just the greatest tragedy of all, he tries to enjoy his bit of sweet potato pie anyway. Maybe he should just try to get drunk on the wine to make it more enjoyable....]

[...Or so he thinks, until sipping at his wine results in him going POOF, only for on his seat to be left a small Japanese sparrowhawk. He stands there for a moment, cocking his head to and fro, and sighs.]

Oh. I think I would have liked a kitty-cat better, but...

[With a few beats of his wings he flutters upward into the tower rafters out of reach from any of the dogs or cats. Bye, bitches.]

[trollophoroi]

[ Matoba the Sparrowhawk is soon joined by... a kookaburra. Caw, caw, motherfucker, or something like that. After some very wild and fluttering starts and stops and attempts, Fandaniel finally manages to make himself fly, and escaping the chaos below is the first thing he does.

Why a kookaburra, of all things, although anyone who knows birds will know about their famous laughing sounds. ]

This has gotten a little out of hand.

[ He complains in a coarse croaking bird voice that is still, despite the pitch change, definitely Fandaniel. ]

dessert

[selfconcept]

[ Good thing Hien didn't sip any wine (yet), but he's looking over at his seating neighbor who has suddenly turned into a bird.

...

He curiously stares at his own wine. Hm. Then he looks up. ]

You're small now.