FEBRUARY 2021 EVENT: PART ONE

[robbies]

 

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

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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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Comments

Post-luncheon A

[bowfaire]

(He grimaces as he downs the last of his wine and sets the glass down neatly on the table. He'd lost track of the time and barely noticed it was time to go until everyone was already starting to leave.)

Everyone's sure in a rush to get out of here.

(Is he snatching a few breadsticks from the basket? A couple of after dinner mints to tuck away in a napkin for later? He sure is.)

I didn't think it was that bad.

(It was honestly kind of... uneventful?)

[apodictic]

[ angelo clicks his tongue. ]

How shameless. I'm sure if you ask them they'd bring food for your pantry, if you need it so badly.

[ as for it being uneventful - ] And that's the problem.

Though it took us away from school and work, so I can't really complain that much.

[bowfaire]

Why ask when there's already food here? It'd be a shame to let it go to waste. (Some people come from worlds where food is a precious, Angelo!) It's just a snack for later.

(This will go well with a good meat and onion stew.)

Right, the way some people talked about this... I thought it would be like some of the formals back home. (Longwinded speeches and a lot of pretending to be good friends with people who'd rather you just disappeared. Here, the speech had been rather short and too the point and... well, the association had gone through such lengths to make sure they all came and enjoyed themselves, he didn't really get the impression they wanted him to conveniently go missing or anything? Hm.) I'll pick a banquet over class any day. We should have them more often.

... Maybe next Monday, even.

(Yes.)

[apodictic]

[ you're not exactly bereft of resources! this is ghastly. ]

You're only saying that because it's a welcome break from our schedule. I highly doubt having a luncheon every day would benefit anyone.

[ he narrows his eyes at his jacket and angelo just marches up to him and starts brushing off his shirt. ] I can't abide this mess.

[bowfaire]

(Judge him all you want, it's water off his back!!)

Hah! You sound like someone I know.

(Someone who once told him that having a feast every day would probably get old fast. Feasts are special because they're rare.

Ah, but then the next thing he knows, Angelo is fussing.)

... But you act like someone else entirely.

(Someone who always fusses over appearances and how one presents themselves to others. Hm... that's it. He's decided he likes Angelo.)

[apodictic]

So which one is it, then?

[ rhetorical question. done fussing, angelo steps back, pleased.

to that, he replies: ]

I am always who I need to be.

[ maybe that's a bit clearer. ]

[bowfaire]

(He brings his hand up to his jacket, adjusting it just slightly after Angelo's stepped back. Comfort over appearance, that's always been his style, but he's not so inconsiderate he would undo Angelo's work right away.)

How convenient.

(He says the last word dramatically for emphasis... which makes him sound like he isn't taking this seriously at all, wow, )

In that case, why don't we head out together?

[apodictic]

[ rather patiently, ]

It is not a matter of convenience.

You do not dedicate yourself to be who you should be, unless you have a purpose you are willing to commit yourself to out of necessity.

[ angelo sounds like he's paraphrasing someone; perhaps he is. ]

You're free to accompany me.

[bowfaire]

(...

Paraphrasing or not, it's something that seems to sit with Claude all the same. He doesn't comment on it immediately, though. This isn't really the place when so many people are still milling about. Maybe when they're on a quieter stretch of street on their way home or something, he'll bring it up again.

But off they go, out the restaurant, Claude with breadsticks hidden away in his pocket or something. Once they're outside and a little further away,)

So... (Soooooooo...) What did you think?

(Besides it being short.)

[apodictic]

I have several theories, nothing worth mentioning at the moment.

[ that is the reality of things. it's a short encounter and there's not a lot to draw from that at all. ]

I understand that Santa Rosita is supposed to be nightmarish, but the efforts to integrate into society is a lot more difficult at the moment ....

[ angelo runs a hand through his hair and tucks it to the side. ] In any case it was good to see who the others are. [ in their same boat, that is. ]

[bowfaire]

There're a few of us.

(In the same situation which seems to remind Claude of someothiing and he gives Angelo a smile, friendly and warm,)

Some of us were thinking of starting a study group at school. It's a great way to help each other get through the year.

(And his voice tilts just a bit towards the end. There's an implied invitation there.)

[apodictic]

A study group ...

[ well, it's interesting. and it points to a group that he can easily pitch ideas to, even if it's not the royal guard. it's better than nothing, and angelo doesn't quite trust the adults around him either.

if nothing else it points to an excuse he can easily have if he intends to hang out at inopportune times. ]

... why not. It could be useful. Who else is in it?

[bowfaire]

So far? Me and Blossom.

(Thanks Noelle for giving a fake name.)

We're just getting it started.

[apodictic]

[ oh? a real club for liars is what it is.

angelo nods. ]

That's fine. Have you figured out a place for us to meet?

[ a pause, and then he adds, ] It shouldn't be in the school. It should be a place we can all discuss freely, away from the other adults in our lives.

[bowfaire]

(Claude is a sweet, innocent, and honest deer?)

Good point. You can bring it up at the first meeting. At school, bright and early in the morning.

(And pretend Claude told him what day or something because #ongoingthreads.)

[apodictic]

[ citation required ]

Why me? You're the one who came up with the idea.

[ hey man, he's just the redneck #problematic friend. ]

[bowfaire]

It makes sense to have our first meeting at a place we have in common like the school but if you have any better ideas, you should share them with everyone.

(This is a collaborative project. Everyone is encouraged to speak up.)

I'll think of some places over the weekend too.

[apodictic]

[ angelo shrugs. ] It will become clear as soon as we see the size of the group that we're dealing with.

Of course, any group should clarify their goals first before pushing forward to whatever objectives we want to achieve. [ just so they're all at the same page. ]

I'll see you at school, Claude.