Welcoming Cookout Mingle [OPEN]

[derplander]

Who: Warriors of Light, their Moogles, our esteemed NPC overlords welcomed
Where: Aqures Ixen, Old Observatory Grounds
When: March 10, from Noon till 9
What: Lots of Food
Warnings: Mark if it gets weird


It was a massive undertaking, but he had put out the call to everyone in the area. There were stoves set up with portable heat supplies, tables and a place for music and food. The Adventurer had literally invited everyone that he could think of. Even the trio of Wedge, Cid and Biggs were invited, to foster better relationships with them, as well as the merchants and the people of the land.

The Observatory was decorated as such and with the warmer weather out, there was still things to do, places to see and people to meet. Take this time to invest in that meeting you wanted. Maybe you saw this Hero or person from over the way but never stopped to say hello. It simply isn't possible to know everyone. Until now.

Go and talk with someone, play music or perform on the dance stage, and oh, save some food for those out hunting the ridiculous Gilgamesh Quest. They'll probably be starving.

Comments

Barkeep | OPEN

[forcegalactic]

Mordecai arrived early with a large, warm plate of paella and a platter of cheese and crackers for those with little appetite. He took great joy in cooking for dinner parties, indoors or outdoors, and he brought some extra plates from his saloon to serve his warm dish on. By the paella was a regular sized carrot cake and a makeshift bar.

The table wasn't stacked with all kinds of drinks: just lots and lots of beer and a few other things for mixing. A portion of the table was dedicated to juices for the young'uns. The table was his castle, and he was its proud defender. Which was why whenever someone came within one foot of the food, he watched them carefully to gauge their reaction.

[needsteaplz]

An all too familiar red-head came up to the table after some quick restocking. Saori waved to Mordecai and smiled as she approached.

"Hey there. By the way, that paella of yours was delicious."

[forcegalactic]

He responded with the energy of a young man who just heard that his favorite sports team made it to the semifinals. "Can't go wrong with my paella! It's a special recipe I got from one of the finest cooks on Earth, with my secret little twist on it."

Saori could be trusted with a bit of kitchen knowledge, so he leaned over the table and held a hand by his mouth as he whispered.

"It's the oregano."

[needsteaplz]

"Really now?" After Barkeep let her in on his cooking secret, she was genuinely surprised.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I make some myself. Oh, let me know if you want a break. I can help cover the bar if you like."

[forcegalactic]

"Yup! It balances it out the flavor of the plate if you get it just right. But I'm sure a cook like you would get that, right?"

He missed this. Talking over food was better than talking about the potential end of the world.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Gimme a couple hours before I need to sit down. Remember, I do this for a job."

[needsteaplz]

"A cook knows their herbs and spices but a master chef knows how maximize their full potential, am I right?"

Barkeep wasn't the only one who missed conversations of food and the like. Saori had a feeling he would have a field day if she showed him the kitchen of the deities back home. Not only was it a base of operations for gods who were associated with food, cooking and the hearth, but every single recipe ever recorded was archived there with access to even the most rarest ingredients. It was a chef's paradise to say the very least. Her poor husband had to pry her out of there when she stayed in there for several days straight when she first heard about it.

"I had a feeling you would say that. In that case, I hope you don't mind me sticking around here to keep you entertained. I'll start off with some beer, if that's alright."

[forcegalactic]

He picked up a bottle of beer and pushed a few discarded caps in search for a bottle opener. "Spoken like a real master of the kitchen. You own a restaurant back home, Saori?"

Home cooking was an underappreciated art, but chefs that cooked for others had more concerns with taste and presentation. Now, he was no gourmet artist, but he learned most of his advanced cooking techniques from his time serving customers, not his wife.

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[derplander]

As host of the event, Meteor was welcoming people and looking around for others. Noticing that Barkeep had set up a table, he wandered over, raising a hand in greeting "Barkeep, good to see you today!"

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[forcegalactic]

"Afternoon, Mr. Adventurer!" The Barkeep waved back, holding two glasses in his free arm. "Looks like you got one heck of a party ready." He set the glasses by the others, which formed a tight pattern of circles across half the table.

"How's the meat doin'?"

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[derplander]

"I aimed to make it as cheerful as possible, and its working out," said Meteor in reply as he grinned at Barkeep.

"The meat is doing fine. I can take a moment to mingle with people before returning to the grills."

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[forcegalactic]

"Good, good."

He pulled out some beer bottles, one of each brand he bought, and lined them on the table to make a display. "Seems like we're gonna get a crowd, if my judgment on the folks already here is correct, and I am usually correct."

There. Beer bottles ranging from Aqures Cactuar and Trano Golsaucia's Golden Chocobo were now visible for all.

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[derplander]

Oh good, he brought some of his spirits. While Meteor didn't drink too much, it was nice to kick back after a large meal with one of those. "It does. The event seems to be more successful than expected. Even for short notice."

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[forcegalactic]

"'Course it is. You got an awful start to a new year, and everyone will wanna relax and party jus' to forget all that." He may not have been part of the vision, and he recognized no one from the group of Mysidian heroes - despite what Hibiki insisted - but he could tell the past two months were wearing thin on the Heroes.

"It's about time we had a quiet month."

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[derplander]

"Indeed. No one should be burdened for long, it dulls the senses and the spirit of those who endure." Picking up a soda, he looked at it. "I have not seen this before. This is one of those fizzed drinks, is it not?"

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[forcegalactic]

"The soda?" How long ago were those invented? At least 1000 years in the Barkeep's past, but it was difficult to judge the Adventurer's relative time period by sight. "Yeah, carbonated water with sugar and some other flavors. I got cherry and lemon with me."

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[derplander]

"Pray, I will try the lemon," said Meteor. As for his relative time period, it was 1572 when he first vanished from Carteneau, and due to the Eorzean clock after the Calamity it was Year 5. Maybe a few months in between that too.

Re: Barkeep | OPEN

[bloodypast]

The Barkeep probably didn't expect this person. Then again, Vincent was attempting to be more social. Noisy, crowded, and why was he doing this again? Oh yes, it was part of that whole 'learning to be more friendly' thing; mostly Yuffie's prompting to be more open and friendly.

Which meant he wanted a drink. One drink only, but social drinking was a thing. Nice change from tea and water, anyways. "Only the one type?"

[forcegalactic]

Even the least social of people need a drink once in a while, and that was what the Barkeep assumed was the primary reason for Vincent to come. Nothing brought in people like free food and beer.

"There's the Aqures Ixen Cactuar brand and Tonberry brand," he said as he leaned behind the table and pulled out a bottle of each type from the cooler. "But I got different kinds imported from the area. Ran out of Golden Chocobo a few days ago, sorry for the inconvenience."

[bloodypast]

Not really an inconvenience, as Vincent would make do. Less of a fan of beer in general too, although he knew well-enough what he liked. "Tonberry brand please." And while food and drink here was 'free', he knew enough to recognize Heroes providing from their own stores. Several Gil were passed over as well, for Barkeep, as appreciation in lieu of fee.

[forcegalactic]

The Barkeep eyed the money with a raised eyebrow. "You don't have to donate anythin'. My saloon's doin' just fine as it is." He pushed the offering back towards Vincent before pulling out a Tonberry and a cap remover.

"This ain't a charity event, Vincent Valentine. Normal folks get together like this just to enjoy each other's company and share what they made, that's all."

[bloodypast]

Well, if the other insisted. Vincent certainly hadn't meant any offense, and took it back before taking the opened-beer with a nod of thanks. "The only time I've seen this happen before was during festivals, rarely, growing up." So yes, this is kind of a new thing for him Barkeep.

[forcegalactic]

"Really? What happened after you grew up? Shinra?" That name seemed to cause trouble all over Vincent's world. It created Sephiroth, Yuffie despised that name. It wouldn't surprise him if Vincent had a connection to that military organization disguised as an energy company.

[bloodypast]

That prompted a raised eyebrow, and Vincent was amused at the way the other said the name. Somehow he wasn't surprised. "Not much, except I was often too busy working." A pause, taking a drink--not bad. Not great, but beer wasn't Vincent's poison of choice usually. "What do you know about Shin Ra then?"

[forcegalactic]

"Only what I heard," he shifted his arms and puffed himself up, proud of the information he got through his gossipy nature. "That they're posin' as an energy company, but they're workin' on makin' super soldiers like Sephiroth and all that other business that comes with controllin' and entire planet. They got some real mad scientists in there, if you ask me."

[bloodypast]

Hmm, now where would Barkeep have heard things? Probably Yuffie, if Vincent were to guess; she certainly had no love for the company. Not that anyone who delved too deeply did, but still.

"ShinRa Inc is more commonly known as the ShinRa Electric Power Company." His voice calm, not sure why he was bothering. Aside from that sloppy information gathering bothered him on some level. (Maybe it was left-over pride from when part of his job had been to gather information.) "They are and were actually an energy company, bringing electricity into the realm of efficient and more easily affordable. They also were the sole providers of Mako energy, produced through reactors that tapped into the planet's resources."

Pausing for another drink, and to see how this information was being taken and whether he should continue or not.