[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

[fluorite]

[ For Fai, it was such an instinctive action that Hien's surprise ends up surprising him. ]

...Do you dislike this dish?

[selfconcept]

[ To that, Hien immediately shoves the food into his own mouth.

He likes it. Do not ever question him regarding food.

... But he's also trying to say that he likes it and appreciates that Fai gave it to him. This version is not very good with words. ]

[fluorite]

[ At least Fai is able to pick up on it easily enough. Eating the food like that tells him that this gesture is appreciated, even without having it told to him straight out. ]

Wow~ Our admin is shockingly cute.

[selfconcept]

[ To that, he immediately scowls. ]

'm not cute.

[ Hmph............ ]

[fluorite]

[ He points whatever utensil he happens to be using right now at Hien. ]

I'll be the judge of what I find cute~

[selfconcept]

[ Don't point utensils at him?? Those are some fighting gestures-- ]

You should at least check on your...

[ ... ]

... whatever that guy is.

[ Yael. ]

[fluorite]

[ Yeah, meet him outside and fistfight him!! ]

My boyfriend?

[ Fai shrugs. ]

I think it's for the best he left. He doesn't like being part of scenes like the one we just witnessed.

[selfconcept]

... That's a more normal reaction than I expected.

[ Because, yeah. People would normally just walk out after seeing that spectacle. ]

Thought he'd ignore it and eat like the rest of us.

[fluorite]

He's not that kind of man. I don't think he even likes gatherings like this much anyway. The fact that he even arrived at all is a miracle.

[ Though Fai invited him because he thought Yael might actually like the dinner. Alas. ]

[selfconcept]

[ aka telophoroi is a guild where all the fucked up people go. Sounds about right. ]

Guess you'll just have to count your blessings then.

[ ... ]

But you're not offended on him leaving?

[fluorite]

[ Fai shakes his head. ]

Maybe I would have been a few weeks ago, but I'm not now. He'll probably send me a text later apologizing for leaving anyway.

[ He looks back at Hien, tilting his head. ]

It's better for him to leave and not have a miserable time.

[selfconcept]

[ Hien doesn't understand. If Yael was going to have a miserable time anyway, then why invite him? Though, that could be just be jadedness speaking in his head. ]

... It's not to collect favors, is it?

[fluorite]

[ Yael was a little sad and wanted the food despite his best interest, unfortunately for Yael himself. ]

Favors...?

[ Please explain, Hien. ]

[selfconcept]

To make him owe you?

[ He doesn't mean anything malicious by it, but this is how he lived. So it's hard to get the mindset out. ]

[fluorite]

[ Oh.

Hm.

Yikes? ]

I don't need to make up situations to get him to do what I want.

[selfconcept]

[ fai is the last person i ever want to see a "yikes" from LMAO ]

Wow... he's so whipped already.

[fluorite]

[ WOW??????? ]

I wouldn't say that, not exactly. We just like doing nice things for one another.

[selfconcept]

[ GESTURES TO EVERYTHING THAT HE IS??? (affectionate) ]

... That's it?

[ He looks surprised. Wow. Imagine that. Couldn't be him. ]

[fluorite]

...Yes?

[ He shoots Hien a slightly concerned look. ]

I don't think it should be more.

[selfconcept]

[ What is this--a fabled healthy relationship?? ]

... I thought those sorts of relationships were fiction.

[fluorite]

[ glances at fael's last thread. hm. maybe, maybe not ]

No, they're not. Or at least, they shouldn't be.

[ He thinks he's starting to understand why Hien is so standoffish, though. The puzzle pieces are slowly fitting together. ]

[selfconcept]

[ :worry: ]

"Reality is often different from fiction, but fiction is based on reality."

[ Something like that. He heard it from his roommate. ]

... Some smartass spouted that at me. I guess you'd understand it more than I do.

[fluorite]

A smartass?

[ He laughs, kind of wanting to meet said smartass. ]

I understand it. Healthy relationships in fiction wouldn't exist without them in reality.

[selfconcept]

... That's what it means? He should have just said that.

[ Baka. ]

Never understand why people talk so confusingly when the point of talking is to understand each other.

[fluorite]

...Is it that confusing?

[ Sorry, Hien. The truth sickness isn't the nicest. ]