FEBRUARY 2021 EVENT: PART ONE

CHAPTER TWO, PART 1: A LIGHT LUNCH

Good times, great olives, Uliveto's.

INVITES AND INSISTENCES | BISQUE AND BREADSTICKS | FONTINA AND FOCACCIA | MUNDANITY AND MISHAPS

INVITES AND INSISTENCES

After a fairly low-key January, you start hearing the buzz on February 1st: The Happy Homes Association is inviting you to a luncheon on Friday! Stylishly dressed women in coats and hats are inviting everyone they know in the neighborhood, coming up and knocking on your door to invite you personally to come along. “Noon on Friday at Uliveto’s,” one of them tells you with a bright smile. “There’ll be food and drinks, and the whole community can get together and mingle a bit!”

Whether you’re home to answer the door or not, you’ll receive a small card advertising the event — it’s a fundraiser, after all, and they need your help! Pay just $3 and your food and as much as you’d like to drink are covered.

But some of the HHA members are a little more insistent, roving the neighborhood in search of anyone who’s just moved to Santa Rosita in the past few months. Their almost too-wide smiles and slightly-vacant eyes are a dead giveaway that these neighbors aren’t all at home, and they aren’t willing to take anything less than a “Yes” when they ask you if you’re coming. You’ve got to wash your hair? They know a hairdresser over at the salon on Main Street who can fit you in today. Groceries? Why, their daughter can take care of that for you in a jiffy! No excuse will fly with these Robbies; they’ve always got an answer and a way for you to make an appearance.

It won’t end once you’ve agreed, either (even if you just agree to get them off your back!). With the promise of another guest at the luncheon, the Robbies are quick to suggest that you should help them! There are so many people in the town, after all, and with more people volunteering to spread the word, they can make this the most successful fundraiser ever! (Or, well, at least the most successful since last year’s Little League candy sales!) Look, there’s another of your new neighbors over there — why don’t you go and invite them now? Your new friends from the HHA will be right here to support you and help you out!

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BISQUE AND BREADSTICKS

On Friday, February 5th, Uliveto’s is easy to find — just follow the train of cars headed to North Santa Rosita, where the restaurant sits just off of Main Street with a parking lot that’s packed full. Hopefully you’re willing to walk, because it looks like the luncheon is in full swing! But as you get closer, you see that the ladies of the HHA have things down to a science as they welcome neighbors, invite them to join one of the many tables set up in the half of the restaurant they’ve taken over, and integrate newcomers into conversation.

“Oh, hello!” one of the ladies gushes as she spots you. “I’m so glad you could make it! It’s a little cold today, but you should try the tomato bisque — it always warms me right up! Come with me and Betty can get you all set up with your meal voucher; have you ever been to Uliveto’s before? It’s just divine; the salad and breadsticks are all you can eat and the pasta — golly, my mother never even tried to outdo it. We’d just come here instead!”

Before you know it, you’ve paid your entrance and have been shown to one of the large party tables (or maybe they’re multiple tables pushed together? What restaurant normally has tables that seat 20 people?), a waitress offering you the drinks menu and asking if you’d like to start with a glass of (nonalcoholic, of course!) wine. Once she’s gone, you’ll finally get a chance to look around the interior of the restaurant. The walls are a warm yellowed beige, and fluted columns break up the space with clinging ivy and grapes hanging from planters near the top. A mural is painted on the far wall of a terrace looking out over rolling hills and vineyards, and the soft music of an accordion reaches your ears…

“You all right, hon?”

One of the ladies at your table is looking at you expectantly. Don’t forget, you’re here to mingle and socialize! Time to break out that small talk!

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FONTINA AND FOCACCIA

As the luncheon continues, you may be able to notice some of the HHA volunteers scurrying back and forth, taking turns manning the doors and the small table where Betty’s taking donations and issuing meal vouchers. Watch long enough and you’ll be able to see that all of them are ultimately reporting to three ladies who confer at a smaller table set back from all the mingling, talking amongst themselves and from time to time making notes in a small ledger.

At about half past noon, one of the women stands, calling out, “May I have your attention, please?” She has to repeat it a couple times to be heard, but after a minute or two everybody settles down. The woman nods toward all of the guests, then turns back to the table, allowing one of the women to stand and make herself known. Tall, graceful, and neat, she takes a look around the room as she speaks — does her gaze linger a moment on you?

Good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who may not know me yet, my name is Rosemary Craven, and I’m the head of our local Happy Homes Association.

A small wave of applause breaks out from some of the ladies; Rosemary seems to indulge them for just a moment before she lifts a gloved hand to quell it.

Please. I can only manage what I’m given, and the fine women of the association give me plenty to work with. Their efforts to organize this luncheon for all of us today showcase the dedication we should all strive for. Ladies, please stand and be recognized.

Today’s fundraiser is to benefit our town as Founder’s Day approaches in April. We’ve got big plans for the funds we raise — who knows? Perhaps we’ll be able to afford some yummy treats for the children. Who doesn’t love an ice cream cake?

Your generosity today makes all of this possible. You’ll forgive me for not giving you hard numbers, but I’d hate to be so gauche in such a lovely restaurant. Let me assure you, though, that the Happy Homes Association is here to help you in whatever way we can, whether that’s by helping you redecorate your homes, bringing over home-cooked meals, or teaching you some new skills — and speaking of new skills, I’d like to invite all of our new neighbors to talk with me personally if you think you might be interested in helping us out from time to time. Sewing might not be your forte, but everybody’s got something they’re good at, and we can always use the extra hands.

I’ll let you all get back to your meals. If you have any questions for me, please seek me out. I’ll be sitting just over here with Maude.

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MUNDANITY AND MISHAPS

After the luncheon, things in Santa Rosita continue on as normal. The weekend comes and goes, the work week begins, and the cold February wind blows…

But when you wake up on February 10th, some of you are missing.

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OOC INFO

Welcome to the first part of February’s event! You can use this entry to top-level for the event, but feel free to utilize the log and network communities as well. Sign-ups to have your character abducted are located here; please fill out the form provided along with any other pertinent details.

You may play with the townsfolk NPCs as necessary in your threads; non-Robbied neighbors will be cordial and happy to make small talk and will try to maintain the pleasant atmosphere. Robbies will, as always, be mindlessly optimistic and complimentary about everything—you may find that most of the Robbies have congregated at their own table and are bubbling with excitement over just about anything.

There will be a top-level posted for Rosemary below. If you would like to have your character interact with her, comment with your starter there. The mods will respond to tags for Rosemary until February 15th.

Any questions can go in our FAQ thread below. Try to check and see if your question has already been answered on the plotting thread first here.

Remember — part 2 of this event is coming February 15th!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I would love for all of us to meet within the month! [ noelle tries not to push too hard. the sooner she gets a better understanding of who else is in this mess, the easier it'll be for her to know who she can work with and who she needs to avoid.

a lot of the people here in this luncheon are an obvious keep away but if claude and his 'father'(?) are here, surely there are others in their situation who are poking around here too. identifying the would be great.

so she amps up her cheer, adding with an optimistic chirp, ] The sooner we work together, the sooner we can work out all sorts of problems.

[ she looks away now, making sure to hunch up her shoulders in a nervous tic, her expression sheepish but relieved. ] I admit, I was pretty... um, you know, pretty nervous when I found myself here. The idea of having to start up from scratch, and seemingly all by myself too, really scared me.

(Ah, and the facade starts to slip, from cheer to something shyer. It makes Claude's eyes soften just a bit. He's sympathetic; it's difficult keeping up an act, especially when that act involves pretending everything is fine when everything in the world feels off,)

Moving to a new place is always stressful. (He says, like they had a choice at all. They didn't. But if anyone else is listening, they'll never be able to tell from him.) Figuring things out, learning how things are done, making friends... all of that takes time and it feels like forever when you're just getting started from nothing.

But the best thing to do is take things one step at a time and keep our eyes and minds open. It's how we'll find each other.

(And he smiles lightly, encouragingly.)

We'll have this plcae all figured out in no time.

I hope so. [ she looks away and smiles sheepishly, doing her best to look forlorn but hopeful. ] I guess it's because I can't help but feel worried for some people back at home. While I know they'll be fine without me-

[ she winces at that bit because oh fuck. that's too close to home right now, given the circumstances she had been in prior to waking up in this weird-ass place.

maybe she should dial that back and she does, looking back at him with a trying-to-be-positive! smile. ] -I can't help but worry about them. Hopefully, we'll figure it out in record time so we don't cause too much fuss while we're gone.

[ time for a quick change of topic before she makes another mistake: ]

So I take it you're also going to Frederick Loren High too? We could look for each other after lunch or before classes next week. Maybe see if there are others interested in this too.

[ because noelle sure as hell isn't going to spill these details on the device she found in her room. not when there's a chance it's bugged or rigged to share certain things if keywords or phrases are triggered.

better to do it face-to-face and keep the information between parties she knows are in the same boat as her. ]

(What was that? She was rambling away one moment and the next, she cut herself off. He doesn't say anything about it and only meets her smile with his own.)

That makes the two of us.

(He never loses that airy and lighthearted tone to his speech but he does lower his voice just a tad, speaking gently, almost thoughtfully.

He has people back home who are relying on him. There are things he needs to do, plans he needs to set into motion, and sooner than later, responsibilities that he needs to rise up to. )

I am. In my last year, actually. (Apparently.) I usually get to school early. I'm kind of an early riser.

(Rise and fall with the sun. That's him.)

[ she perks up when he mentions he's in his last year. lucky her- ]

Me too! [ she points at herself and noelle forces herself to blush in apparent excitement. ] I guess we're in different classes at the moment. I've been run ragged by math and science.

Say... Do you think we can compare schedules before school begins? See when we can meet one another and others before class? [ with how noelle is planning to get a job to earn herself income, she won't be able to easily sneak away from adults - both the weirdos here and her 'dad' - or be away for too long if she can slip away. ]

(Ah, he lights up too. It feels like things are falling neatly into place,)

Hah! Maybe we were meant to meet today. (It's not luck, it's fate.) Honestly... I feel like I've been trying to catch up with the lessons since I got here. There are things I can get easily enough but other things....

(All of them, to be honest. He's just a Ye Olde Fantasy in the modern world. No matter how dated things might be for others here, Santa Rosita is way ahead of Fodlan. In every class, there were things he could grasp and things that seemed completely foreign to him.)

Math is one of the easier ones for me.

(Some things are constant no matter where you are. The applications might be different but the methods are easy enough to translate from what he already knows. For everything else? The sciences and history? He'll have to really brush up.)

Yeah, we can get together. Maybe even copy each other's homework while we're at it.

(Where do they fall on the "Hey, can I copy your homework?" scale. )

[ considering this is blossom he's currently speaking to, noelle flashes a friendly smile and nods in agreement. blossom is the type to jump right into, 'of course!' scale if she thinks she made a friend. ]

Of course! [ she cups a hand over her mouth, purposefully trying and failing to look sneaky. ] You're more than welcomed to copy my homework if there are a few problems you're struggling with. We have to help each other in all the ways we can.

I'm pretty good at math too- [ to the point she got condescended pretty hard by her math teacher but she holds her tongue on that for now. ] -and sciences are a breeze for me. Things like history and literature? They're not really my strongest subjects so look at my notes with caution! [ they bore her to tears, personally, so noelle has a bad habit of zoning out in those classes even when blossom should be an attentive and dutiful student. let's hope she and claude don't share future classes in those subjects. ]

I'm usually pretty good at history and science but here...

(His voice trails. He'd noticed pretty quick that he's behind here. He suspects most of them are on the same level with the history here but science...? There are things he can grasp easily enough after making a few connections but other things are completely out there for him.)

At least reading's the same.

(This conversation sure is normal, all things considered, right?)

Of course, we have other things to worry about but... we can probably learn something from these lessons. (Directly or indirectly,) You can learn a lot about a place from what they decide to teach. (And more quietly,) Or don't.

[ taking her time to look puzzled for a second, noelle makes a tiny gasp when she 'finally' gets what he's trying to imply and nods enthusiastically in agreement. ]

Yeah! That's a really good idea. [ she pretends to have her voice pitch in excitement and needs to reel back her excitement, looking around to make sure no one noticed what she had said.

adding in a quieter voice, ] I was thinking of getting a job at the drive-in. That's one of the few places I bet a lot of us teenagers will congregate, right? So lots of gossip and information might be there. Not to mention rumors or stories about the town or the people.

(Please, Noelle... don't act so genuinely surprised. It's very convincing!!)

Ah, I was thinking of trying for one of the teams here.

(Where, again, a lot of teens will get together and talk? Add in that extra element of team spirit and how the town seems to really support the sports teams here... he's more or less expecting the same thing as Noelle. As for getting an actual job? That part gets him to make a face, bringing his eyebrows together and a frown,)

Don't take this the wrong way but I've never really had to get a job before and most of the options here are... well, different from what I'm used to.

(Where are the horses and wyvern to take care of? The weapons to help make??)

[ well now— that’s a weirdass confession to make. where the hell did he come from? the middle ages or something?

noelle makes sure to nod in sympathy all the same because hey— it’s been a pain in the ass for her to find something to get her out of the house. one too many condescending pats to the head as she’s cooed that she’s much safer/better at home. ]

Would you like some recommendations? [ she looks up at the ceiling like she’s trying to remember something from much earlier. ] I was looking through the morning newspaper with my dad and I spotted some job openings.

None of them were a good fit for me, for one reason or another, but maybe you could look at them? It wouldn’t hurt to try!

(Things Claude can do: Hunt, stable duty, mediate for a noble council, scout from atop a wyvern... Things he sure can't do here! He's not just a medieval boy, he's a fantasy medieval boy.)

I was thinking of something at the library, actually.

(Crossing his arms while he speaks,)

Quiet, easy... and it doesn't seem too different from home. If anything, the librarian seems a lot nicer.

Oh! The library? [ huh. she never thought of getting work there herself. considering access one could get from the records and documents kept there... ] That sounds like a good idea.

I was thinking of the Starlight Drive-In myself. Seems like a, um, happening place for people our age! [ that's the lingo of this fossil place, right? ] It should be a good place to hear the latest gossip and rumors. [ and, in turn, things happening behind the backs of adults and authority figures. if there's one place where kids like her and claude are allowed to cut loose, it's usually around other kids.

she smiles up at claude, adding, ] If I get the job, I'll make sure you get a discount at the snack stand if you ever drop by! One way to show my support to you guys.

You know, putting books up, reading a few on the side... (Mostly reading books when he can, though.) Maxine looks like she could use some help.

(Seeing how forgetful and everything she is? Poor Maxine... let her retire.)

Let me know if there are any good shows, too.

(Shows? Movies? Same thing.)

I promise I will! It's the least I can do for a friend.

[ coming off strong, she knows, but noelle needs to cement blossom's friendliness and naivete somehow.

and she doubles down on it when she pretends to jolt, realising something. ]

Oh- I need to get going now! [ she smiles at claude apologetically, adding, ] I promised my 'father' that I'll be back before the evening. It was so nice speaking with you, Claude, and I look forward to the study group with our future friends. It'll be exciting, I'm sure.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

FEBRUARY 2021 EVENT: PART ONE

CHAPTER TWO, PART 1: A LIGHT LUNCH

Good times, great olives, Uliveto's.

INVITES AND INSISTENCES

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BISQUE AND BREADSTICKS

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FONTINA AND FOCACCIA

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MUNDANITY AND MISHAPS

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OOC INFO

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