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

[apodictic]

[ angelo raises an eyebrow. where's that goofy personality chucking snowballs the first time he met him? he drinks his non-alcoholic wine thoughtfully, and says, ]

Well, well. You sound like a professional where food is concerned.

[righthandstand]

[The breadstick is dunked into the bowl of marinara sauce. Don't worry, he's sticking the uneaten end in.]

Hey, I'm just sayin' what I think. Food's important enough to have opinions on.

[apodictic]

[ he's watching carefully! he's satisfied with his behaviour though, and he allows this to pass. ]

What's your favourite cuisine?

[righthandstand]

Apart from normal Japanese food? Italian. [Chomp.] It's not Tonio's cooking but it's close enough to feel Italian. It's got that green stuff in the sauce, anyway. Basil, I think. Or do they use oregano?

[apodictic]

[ angelo takes a look at the sauce for him. ] Oregano, for this one. Though I'm sure if you want fresh basil, the ladies would be happy enough to offer to you.

[ angelo adds pepper to his soup. ] If they had some wine available, that would complete everything.

[righthandstand]

But they have wine.

[He doesn't drink, despite his appearance. Being drunk isn't cool.]

Although...you need an actual meal to pair with a drink. I haven't tried the pasta yet. Is it good?

[apodictic]

Don't make me laugh.

And I haven't tried it, though the ladies do take pride in their work. I'm sure it'll be pleasant to eat.

[ angelo will try out the bread now, with the soup. it's delicious, though he's not really expecting anything otherwise. the town and its regular inhabitants, creepy as they are, will do their roles as tasked as best as they can, after all. ]

Have they done a luncheon before? [ has he attended one they've held before? ]

[righthandstand]

[That's enough for Okuyasu to get out of his seat, dump two spoonfuls of pasta onto his plate, and slide back onto his seat licking his lips and poking at the pasta.]

You mean the Christmas party? That was more of a weird dinner. The food sucked. Everything was in gelatin.

[He picks up his first sample of the dish and happily plops it into his mouth.] Mm! This is-- huh. [He finishes chewing.] The flavor's bold on first taste, I'll give them credit. Vegetables are a bit soft, but that can be fixed with a bit more dry herbs on them.

[apodictic]

[ more gelatin? disgusting. though all that tells him that for all of the scary things that could happen in this world, there are breaks in between that allow people to enjoy their lives. ]

Oh? I'll give it a try after.

[ there is nothing unusual, he thinks, about such a way of living. one can even argue it mimics the natural cycle of life. ] If it's easy enough to make, maybe I'll try to copy it for dinner sometime. I'm sure one of the ladies wouldn't mind giving me a recipe.

[righthandstand]

I think they only think the girls can cook. [That's the 60's for you.] But hey, just say it's for your fake mom and it should be cool.

[He takes another bite.]

Man, I should get the recipe, too. I deserve it.

[apodictic]

My 'mother' can't cook or clean to save his life.

[ hm. well, anyway, ]

He tries. I am, of course, ever dutiful.

[ what a joke. angelo says the words lightly but he truly dislikes being forced to live in a family, and it's not nie huaisang's fault; huaisang's been pleasant. no, it's the idea of it. the absolute terror of having to bear one when all of his experiences with it have been so terrible, and now this.

he takes a deeper drink of that non-alcoholic beverage and wishes it was actually wine. ]

We can both try it out.

[righthandstand]

Then it's done!

[He slams his fork onto the table.]

We should compare our dishes later and see who did it best! I'm gonna win, buuut I'll give you a chance. [Okuyasu's already a home cook. How difficult can this be?]

[apodictic]

[ goodness. angelo pulls him back. ]

You're way too exuberant for the table.

I look forward to it.