altimit | [closed] meanwhile, at telophoroi tower...

[closed] meanwhile, at telophoroi tower...

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! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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. ]

Edited 2023-09-16 03:04 (UTC)

[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?

Edited 2023-09-16 03:15 (UTC)

[ All these players getting special equipment with more devastating effects is giving Hien a headache. He casts a complete cure on himself, and while it works for a split second, his mind feels just as cloudy after. He figures this must be an area effect... ]

... Change your outfit to something else.

Oya?

[Matoba's grin curls. With the slightest tilt of the head, his eye glints up towards Hien, and he pitches his voice just loud enough for the table to hear without being untoward,]

Am I just too tempting for you like this, Hien-kun? Last I knew, you enjoyed a certain state of dressing.

.......Am I wrong?

[ Hello????????

Hien tries to slap his hand over Matoba's mouth. Shut up!!! No one needs to hear that?! ]

[Ufufufu! Matoba's tongue runs along along Hien's fingers with a playful flick as he holds his eye, then clasps his hands over the one Hien slaps over him like he's delicately taking the hand of a lover, except that the grip he laces his fingers with is a little too harsh.]

[Not that a harsh grip had been unwelcome either, huh??]

So now you want to have shame? I suppose you ought to have thought of that before tonight. Where have you been running away to all week?

[ Hien is internally screaming about this and he grabs Matoba by the back of his... kimomo? Robes? Thing? As if he's plucking an unruly kitten and drags him out of the dining area. His head still feels cloudy with everything, but fuck this. He is a private person and there's nothing like being needled in this way that has Hien almost bristling in front of everyone. ]

[Just call it what it is Hien, he's wearing a dress.]

[Matoba can't say it's the first time he's been snatched up like this by a flustered beaux, so he's guessing it won't be the last... But it's pretty satisfying to see the sheer panic on his face that has Matoba laughing all the way through the guild hallways until he's whisked through a door into one of the guild's member rooms.]

[Ah, that's right. Hien got one, as well.]

[His has a real dearth of cats by Matoba's estimation.... Or, of anything, but that wasn't really surprising, considering Hien had his own little space already, hm?]

[As soon as they're locked inside, and as soon as Hien stops strangling him by his collar, he grips onto Hien's collar and roughly grinds out,] You'd better have a good explanation for me.

[ He just came to dinner to eat!! And pet the animal versions of everyone!! And now he's being held by the collar for reasons he doesn't understand. ]

For what?

[ He has a hand over Matoba's, trying to pry it off. ]

Oh, dear. [Softly, dangerously. Matoba's fist tightens, as if in defiance of Hien's attempts to detach it.] Have we forgotten? Are you having trouble remembering, Hien-san?

[Maybe he actually is. But that has a bit of disappointment staining his expression, a tinge of something painful that he represses quickly as his eye flicks away from gazing into Hien's.]

Do you remember where you were, Monday?

[ Hien has been staring at Matoba's face, wondering what he did to deserve this (probably many), so he notices the quick change on his face, but not exactly sure what the change is or what it means. ]

With you in the room...?

[ When Matoba's grip tightens, Hien doesn't try to get him to loosen his hold more, but he still keeps his hand over his. ]

Edited 2023-09-16 19:53 (UTC)

Well, you're not so brain-addled, are you.

[Of course, that doesn't mean he remembers all the details. It doesn't mean Matoba remembers all the details... That's the "fun" little thing about this armor, isn't it?]

[Feeling cautious, Matoba decides it wouldn't be a good thing to just tell him anything outright and instead decides to take a 'wait and see' approach.]

I asked you a question. Where have you been? You never replied to my message after kicking me.

I logged off for the day after kicking you. You didn't send a message...

[ Hien is in the middle of checking his inbox, yes, right there, in front of Matoba's salad even if the UI is invisible to everyone else, and. Oh. There is a message! Wow. He sighs so, so deeply. ]

... never mind, I see it now.

[Unimpressed. That's what Matoba is right now. He hopes Hien can feel all the withered scathing of that raised eyebrow.]

And?

[After a whole week of being left not-even-on-read, he's expecting an explanation for being booted!]

Edited (repeated words) 2023-09-16 20:27 (UTC)

What else do you want? You rejected me.

[ He's just standing there with his collar grabbed onto. He's had his collar grabbed so many times for violent reasons. Once more won't affect him. ]

So why should it matter?

[Matoba stands for a long moment. His mouth opens. Then it closes again.]

[Then it does that, again.]

[He should have known. After everything that happened that day, after everything that happened at Indieglut Lugh. He really should have known.]

[Hien is terminally stupid.]

[Maybe he just needed to be told?]

Hien-san, I told you I like you, [In the most 'wtf' tone humanly possible,] Are you stupid?

[ ... ... ...

Hien stares at Matoba with the same dead look as he always gives him, but. What did he just hear? His head feels a little foggy. Guess what he's forgetting right this moment? Yup, the fact that Matoba told him that he likes him like. Five seconds ago. ]

... What?

What??????

[Matoba's tone is increasingly annoyed. Why are they even here??? Shouldn't he be doing something more worthwhile right now, like dungeons or crafting or--]

[A hand raises to Matoba's face and pinches the bridge of his nose.]

Do you not understand what that means? You truly are a lost cause.

Very well. [With the grip still on his collar, he yanks Hien down into a kiss.]

[ And now he's yanked down. Hien is so incredibly confused. What is happening right now? He doesn't know and now he's being kissed? Hold up. Hold on--Hien breaks the kiss and tries to back up. He doesn't get very far with Matoba still holding onto his collar. ]

What are you trying to say? Does kissing even mean anything to you--you were interrogating me right after you tied me up. I don't know what this means from you--

[Hien pulls away and Matoba looks even more baffled. How much clearer can he be? Annoyance threatens to spull over into violence, but he carefully tamps it down, although there's the flare of it quietly burning in his eye.]

First you want to complain that you are rejected, and now you want to play stupid even about this...

[A ragged laugh escapes him, and he finally releases Hien's collar.] Do you even know what you want, Hien-kun?

[He looks at him, unsmiling bitterness in his eye for a long moment before the smile returns to his face again. Easily restored, his fake, calm little grin. He brushes past Hien, and lays a hand on the door handle.]

[Frustrating, indecisive men. Why did he always end up gravitating to them?]

Feel free to let me know when you find the answer.

[ Ohhh no you don't. Hien grabs Matoba by the arm and pulls him in away from the door. No leaving allowed right now. ]

I'm not playing stupid. I mentioned it to you before, didn't I? I want to understand you, but I can't. You say one thing and do another that contradicts what you just said. What am I supposed to think? You asked me what I wanted and I answered. Then you said that I must be joking or something. How was I supposed to take that? Tell me, Makoto.

[Matoba shoots a glare as he's grabbed backwards, but perhaps the truth is clearer by how he doesn't fight it.]

[Instead he gazes up at him as his frustrations bubble out, and it's not like he can't remember- no, unfortunately, he remembers quite well the look of disappointment that had crossed his face then.]

You're very earnest, Hien-kun. [His eye flutters shut for a moment, corner of his mouth curling. Then, simply,] I was being sarcastic about my own prospects. When I said that I liked you, I meant that.

Are you going to doubt me again? Is that more convenient than believing me? I can't really fault you for that, either.

[No one would ever think of Matoba as a trustworthy person.]

... I was repeatedly told that I never deserved anything good for me--that I was lucky, just to have the basic human needs and that someone would provide it for me out of obligation. And I lived with that for years, so I hope you'll give me another chance. I still have a difficult time accepting it--that I'm allowed to want things and that I can have what I want.

[ His grip loosens, but he's still holding onto Matoba's arm. ]

I'm sorry, for not believing you.

[A long, awkward pause. They have lived very different lives, even as men who understood the same world; one in which the downtrodden lived and power was king. He can't fault Hien's worldview for that. And so he sighs, reluctantly understanding how the man could have become like this.]

[It was unfortunate that he could not put his trust fully into Hien, who was far too earnest for his own good, but so long as he had admitted to him his true aim in this project, that thing he's here to "protect"....]

[He reaches slowly, still held in Hien's grip, to touch his face, a brush of fingers that moves some of the bangs out of his eyes, like he'd done before, and then his cheek.]

Learn to take a joke. [His tone is teasing, his eyebrow raises slightly.] You're surprisingly a little easy to panic, aren't you?

[ Hien grumbles a little, his gaze stuck to the floor. ]

... Shut up.

[ But he doesn't move Matoba's hand away nor does he move his head either. Instead, he leans a little into the fingers that brush against his cheek. ]

[closed] meanwhile, at telophoroi tower...

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