[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

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?

[trollophoroi]

No! It was meant to just give us ears!

[ And tails but that's pointless to add at this point. How he would even get ears from a bird, he doesn't know, although since the wine has done something entirely off-brand, maybe the normal effect would have given him something else.

Who knows! Who cares! He's a stupid bird now! ]

Can I even fly?! It took five attempts to get from my chair to the table and I barely made it then!

[ He spreads his wings, flapping them angrily as he caws at Tywolfific, though he goes nowhere. ]

Pretend this is a wolf icon

[tylorific]

Aw, really?

[ Tylor tilts his head at that, tail slowing, before he steps even closer and tries to sniff at the curious little bird.

Then his tail starts all over again-- ]

Hey, I've got a great idea. Want to ride me? It'll be way easier than hopping and fluttering around!

*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?

[tylorific]

[ Tylor blinks after Morgan, standing as he makes it across the table. Directly across, as a matter of fact. And his surprise is audible at the bite, the exchange, and the bloodied Morgan that returns to his side. But there is no judgment here. He sits as Morgan does, reaching for his hand to lace their fingers and laugh lightly.

He leans over to joke into his ear-- ]

Remind me not to get on your bad side.

[ A beat later, genuinely reconsidering any romantic ideas-- ]

Do you not like flowers?

[tablescraps]

( Throws himself back into his seat and doesn't bother pull it in again. He wasn't really eating so he doesn't care about being divorced from the table.

Mutters: )

Flowers are fine. But he sent them to annoy me.

( :T )

[gluttoning]

[well

this is a lot to happen directly in front of his salad

After a dazed moment and the splatter of red, one hand reaches out to grab Mithrun by the sleeve, as though to tug him away.]

Morgan.

[tablescraps]

( You are just barely holding back a growling animal that wants to lunge and bite!!! But, it does work. Mithrun glances at Barrett only briefly, eyes narrowed, before he turns his attention back to Fandaniel. Though still hostile, the confrontation doesn't carry onto further violence - and Mithrun rips his head free and turns to stride away, likely coming free of Barrett's touch, as well.

He looks down at Barrett for a split second like he means to say something - but he doesn't, in the end. He turns his gaze forward and continues his quick stride down, back to his seat. )

[ganymed]

Uh—

[ Ganymede is frozen in place as this occurs while he's seated...

It was supposed to be something fun, Hani said. Nothing in what they said indicated people trying to potentially kill or hurt each other in the middle of a peaceful meal. ]

What the hell?

[ Dear lord have mercy, there also goes his (virtual?) appetite. ]

[tinged]

[ when hani catches his eye: ]

Isn't he beautiful?

[tablescraps]

( After a bit more vitriol, Mithrun strides back across the table and back into his seat, not looking at Fandaniel, but clearly not happy about him. He's one short diagonal away from Ganymede. Hi. But he doesn't seem to mind nor care about Ganymede's apparent judgment. )

[tinged]

[ hani sighs adoringly.

and then continues their meal, very pleased with the circumstances of everything. feral mithrun is such a treat. they hope everyone appreciates him as much as they do. ]

[fluorite]

[ Oh, wow. Dinner and a show, huh?

Fai is glad that he's far enough away to avoid getting directly caught up in this, his eyes widening as Mithrun takes a bite right out of Fandaniel's neck. ]

...

[ Despite the scene, he has nothing to say. ]

[trollophoroi]

[ Unexpected, that's what Mithrun's actions are. While Fandaniel isn't a complete fool — as much as he enjoys playing one — he hadn't anticipated something quite this public. Still, he makes no effort to get to his feet when Mithrun's throne screeches back and he steps up onto the table, approaching in the most direct way possible.

There is, at least, a slight jerk of surprise when his hair is grabbed and his head dragged to one side to leave plenty of room for Mithrun to sink his teeth into his neck. Oh. Oh. If Mithrun had been hoping for a poor reaction, he and everyone else are about to find out what this freak's into... ]

Mm, is that all?

[ He asks once the initial shock from the teeth breaking skin and drawing blood fades. He doesn't sound mad nor upset, no, he sounds amused. This is the funniest way Mithrun could have handled this. A gloved hand flashes up to grab the hair at the back of Mithrun's head before he can draw away, black leather curling in strands of silver, and he keeps him close despite what he says being loud enough for everyone to hear. ]

You have my deepest apologies, my love. I did not realize you hated flowers. Shall I send chocolates next time?

[selfconcept]

[ Hien's only saved by the Busty Lamia Assassin plush that's sitting between him and Fandaniel when that happens as he continues to quietly munch on his food and watching. He's not very amused by the spectacle, but smelling blood during dinner is bound to make some people lose their appetites, so.

Hien fully heals Fandaniel right in front of Mithrun's nonexistent salad and resumes munching on his food like nothing happened. ]

[gluttoning]

[WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN FRONT OF HIS SALAD

maybe god will smite him so he doesn't have to watch this]

[fluorite]

[ S I G H

Maybe he would be more shocked if he didn't know that Fandaniel was very much into this sort of thing, but... he's incredibly aware and so he was expecting this reaction. ]

When is the next course coming out?

[weaseled]

[Yael rolls up to Telophoroi dinner with expectations of gritting his teeth through idle chatter and enduring a meal in the presence of bastards like Fandaniel. Will there be drama? Infighting? Arguing? Sure. Fandaniel keeps some spectacularly bad company, but maybe that's being generous.

Maybe he should've expected twink-on-twink violence, stepping in like Troy delivering pizza to see Mithrun's teeth sunken into the side of Fandaniel's neck. Ah. In front of everyone's goddamn chawanmushi with matsutake mushroom and everything. Yael suddenly realizes he left his oven on, his mother is dying in the hospital, and Fai has gone into labor. Amazing how all these urgent matters have come up at once.

Whatever y'alls kinks are is not his problem, so just as quickly as he came, Yael does a 180 and bails. No amount of free digital food is worth enduring this.]

eating... but

[selfconcept]

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

Really?

[trollophoroi]

[ And Fandaniel merely looks back at Hien and smiles. ]

Yes? I believe you've met my wife already, Hien. I don't believe you need to be introduced again.

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?

[trollophoroi]

Who? I thought you were already familiar with Misteaks.

[ He knows that isn't who they meant at all and yet! Look, he's going to spend this entire night teasing people. Barrett isn't safe. He does, however, amend himself by adding, ]

Ah, unless you meant my dear wife. [ He puts his food down mid-bite and lifts a hand, gesturing to the life-size plush toy seated at the table. ] Tabibito, this is my dear wife, Lamia Assassin.

[ Busty and plush are omitted though it's definitely both. ]

She's usually watching the meeting room for us, so I am surprised you have not met before.

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... ]

[trollophoroi]

[ The kookaburra shakes out his feathers, ruffled, and turns to eyeball the cat. Who's that? Ganymede? ]

A cat? I would have expected something more yellow... [ Since he has so much blonde hair usually! Ah, but no matter. He clicks his beak, still annoyed. ] I only put that potion that gives people cute ears and tails into the wine, nothing more!

[ He's innocent! He was only trying for a bit of silly fun for once, gosh! ]