[open] BIRTHDAY PICNIC

[tinged]

Who ꕤ EVERYONE
What ꕤ zelkova's picnic-birthday bash!
When ꕤ oct 3
Where ꕤ Holzig Camping Grounds
Content Warnings ꕤ some grief, probably



PRE-PICNIC

[ The invitations have all been sent out, but there's still prep work to be done. The food and drinks have to be made, the decorations crafted and set up along with the tents and such. An eclectic mix of players are organizing this event: Mr_Misteaks, tylorific, Vogel, Mithrun1, and tabibito. Hien (!) has kindly (tabibito's phrasing) volunteered to help them set up. Though in the end, it's more like four capable adults and two problem children (who have stringent orders to stay AWAY from the knives).

Should anyone else choose to come early to help out, they'll be welcomed with smiles. There's joy in the air, though loss tinges it at the edges.

Before the party starts, however, Hien will be gone. And before that, the group presents Hien with a small "cake" of his own: a savory spring galette. ]

HAPPY, SAD BIRTHDAY

[ At noon is when the guests are told to arrive, with the party lasting until sunset.

Holzig Camping Grounds looks a little different! The decorations are simple and colorful; banners of varying quality hang over the tents and weave through the trees. Most notable are the silver and gold balloons that read: Happy 0 Birthday! There are thick logs for seating and some foldout seats for those with sensitive bums around the lone campfire, lit and flickering wildly.

The tents are also set up for some reason! (They're for naps.)

There are multiple picnic tables. The first and smallest provide finger sized portions of tamago sando and fruit sando. The next couple of tables are bigger: build-your-own bars for sandwiches, salads, hotdogs, burgers, and s'mores! There is, of course, a table for alcohol and other drinks.

At the center table is a cake, German chocolate and winter-themed with five little fondant ornaments placed by five different hands, and strangely enough, there is a dish of roast pork with parsley sauce right next to it. If asked what the dish is, tabibito will answer with something that sounds like "Steak Flakes Persimmons" at first before they pronounce it properly and fluidly: Stegt flæsk med persillesovs.

Eat up! Have fun chatting! And don't forget to dedicate a toast to Zelkova! ]

A BREAK

[ A little out of the way, in a small clearing, guests will notice there are a couple of ugly pinatas strung about: there are exactly three of them and they're all the letter C in a putrid green. Guests are encouraged to use their own weapons, though a wooden stick is provided.

If piñatas aren't their thing, there's also a giant watermelon, a blindfold in the design of an angry pomchi, and a wooden baseball bat. Ok, so watermelon smashing is a beach thing, but why not take their anger out on something right? They've all been through a lot. ]

SHE DANCES ON THE WIND

[ Midway through the party, tabibito calls for a moment of remembrance for Uta. tabibito will toast to her memory with a quiet smile because she was all smiles all the time and so full of drive - but everyone is free and welcome to honor her memory as they wish. ]

Comments

[deto]

In what way though?

[ does he look that incompetent? and is nanashi rabbit nibbling his sandwich, wow ]

That's fine. I guess it would be rude of us to dine and dash, or whatever it's called. Whose birthday is it anyway?

[ he pushes the plates toward nanashi, saying in a low murmur, "point at what you wanna eat next." there's stuff from every table, so ]

[justonezero]

[He can eat big bites he's a human ok. But he doesn't devour things as fast as Deto, either.]

Well... everyone's in danger now, so if you can't get food you won't have strength to protect yourself. It might even kill you?

[Is there a starvation death here... let's not find out.]

I don't want anyone else to die. Plus, I'm one of the only healers available right now. So I want to help as much as I can.

[Simple as that! And once he's finished up the sandwich-]

Maybe the roast pork? Oh, and I have no idea whose birthday it is. It looks like it's for a zeroeth birthday though, so I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean...

[deto]

[ deto's just a 5'8" teenage boy that needs to eat lots so he can grow to his full potential at 6'1" in the future. ]

Oh, okay, but I only have one fork. You go first - here.

[ passing the fork over. ]

Zero-what? Did you just baby sneeze??

[justonezero]

[Accepting the fork for food. Yum!

And pointing at the HAPPY 0 BIRTHDAY sign while he eats.]

[deto]

[ looking at the sign like ? ? ? ]

Doesn't that mean... newborn?? Did someone have a baby in this game?!

[justonezero]

...

[Okay food is now on pause.]

That shouldn't be possible... right?

[deto]

[ that's... what the 0 usually means...

deto just shrugs and shakes his head slowly. don't ask him. he doesn't know anything, anything at all ]

Anyway. I don't think I'm gonna die, so you don't have to be super worried about me.

[ using the pause to take the fork and have a bite himself before passing it back ]

Feels like we should be more worried about you.

[justonezero]

I'm a level 50 healer with gear that makes my recovery spells two times more effective! I can just heal myself if things get nasty.

But I want to keep leveling up so I can help more and more people, so we should do some dungeons anyway!

[Taking another bite and passing it back.]

[deto]

Not that part. It's everything else.

[ mm. he's never had a dish like this before, but it's pretty good. at any point one of them could get up and get another fork, but why bother. here's the singular fork back ]

Running stuff together isn't a question. Friends do stuff together all the time, yeah?

[justonezero]

[Taking the fork and almost immediately pausing again.]

...oh.

Um, yeah. That's right!

[Haha look he is a pro at this friendship stuff he definitely knows and remembers a normal amount of Friend Activities(TM).

Also, nom. And handing the fork back.]

[deto]

[ ... ]

Don't make this awkward.

[ using the fork to shove more roast pork into nanashi's mouth ]

Guess this means I'll have to put in extra to catch up, though. If something happens to you, I won't be able to do anything at my level.

[justonezero]

Sorry, I'm still not used to it.

[Readjusting to friendship is hard...]

I told you, my healing's really strong. As long as we're at a good level for you, it should be okay!

[deto]

[ around the fork: ]

And outside of the dungeon? Like if someone’s trying to PvP you and stuff…

[justonezero]

Why would someone try to PvP me?

[deto]

It’s just an example. What if.

[justonezero]

If they're high level, I'm probably dead.

[deto]

Wrong! [ shoving more food into nanashi’s mouth. stop smiling like that while saying this crap…! ] We’d probably be dead because I’ll be right there with you.

[ friends remember? ]

[justonezero]

Mmphgh?!

[DISTRESSED BUT EATING FOOD NOISES?!]

[deto]

[ deto eats the next piece calmly and quietly. oh, he should pass nanashi the fork. here ]

I’ll need to get some tips from the other tribal grapplers in this game if I’m gonna be any good at this. How’d you level up? Only dungeons?

[justonezero]

[Swallowing and accepting the fork back with a gasp for air.]

U-um... yeah, pretty much...

[Slowly... forking up another piece to eat before passing it back...]

[deto]

Wait.

[ he squints around the next bite. ]

Didn’t you imply on my post that you’re also kinda new? What, did you spam dungeons back to back? Did anyone go with you??

[justonezero]

Oh, yeah! When we first got trapped, a bunch of people helped me out with dungeons!

But then I didn't want to keep bothering people, so I did a bunch on my own too.

[deto]

[ he sighs. ]

Okay, that’s good that you weren’t alone all the time.

[ well, the roast pork is basically gone. deto tilts his head at the food like what’s next nacchin? ]

[justonezero]

Hmm... the chocolate marshmallow thing?

[S'mores what's that.]

[deto]

Oh, s’mores? Uh, okay, first we have to do this…

[ deto reaches for one of the 2-prong forks by the campfire and slots in the marshmallow. ]

Here. Take this and kinda… toast it over the fire real quick.