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]

I am Angelo.

[ blossom. such a strange name. ] And you don't have to, but I won't stop you.

[ angelo walks stiffly in the cold, though one can argue he's always been like this. stiff, with his chin raised even in the cold as he makes his way through the cold. ] Where are you from? Before Santa Rosita, I mean.

[inpersonation]

[ noelle tilts her head to the side, as if trying to recall her last location. ]

Hmmm... I was in San Francisco. It's a pretty new city where I am but honestly? The last thing I remember before coming here was being in a hospital, recovering from some injuries. [ she smiles and looks away, wincing at the recollection. ] It's why waking up here, perfectly fine, threw me off so much. I mean... Mr. Constantin is nice and all but... This is all so weird for me.

[ a fucking understatement but blossom is nice. ] I hope you were in a better position than I was, Angelo. Before coming here, I mean.

[apodictic]

[ he has to actually think as to where that is, his knowledge of earth geography is pretty bad but hey, that's why he's got school. ]

No, I was not. And this is no better.

[ he's a rather straightforward guy, albeit blunt.

he has, however, heard of san francisco. it's quite popular. there was a colony drop there under operation stardust, which lead to the creation of the titans. LA was occupied by zeon federation during the one year war and was garma zabi's playground for a while. the california base changed hands so many times, producing their submarines after capturing it from the federation until the federation took it back at the end of the one year war.

all of that knowledge just filters in to angelo briefly, though it's not something relevant to her. it's simply a way to place things geographically in the history he's more familiar with. ] Sorry about your injuries. I hope you're doing better now.

I haven't heard of a dysfunctional household in which all of us new people are thrown into, though a shared sense of suffering is probably helping to smooth personalities. Though I must say, I grew up as an orphan. [ it's not quite the truth, but it's not a lie either; in any case angelo says it without much change in tone because it's not really a that big of a deal to say to a stranger. ] Finding myself in a family is ridiculous to me.

[inpersonation]

[ noelle tenses up when angelo so easily admits to his background. it’s not something she’s used to, people being so willing to reveal bits about themselves. especially if it’s rooted in their pasts. she tells herself that he’s merely making smalltalk, working with what she had given to him earlier.

still— she needs to keep in mind she’s acting as blossom right now, so she masks her suspicion with a look of surprise then nods her head in quick agreement. ]

I— I have to agree. It’s new to me as well. Having a family to call my own. [ she looks away and her expression softens, looking vulnerable and nervous as she’ll allow herself to be. ] I’ve gotten used to having to depend on myself and few others I chose to trust.

It’s... It’s easier, you know?

[ not having to rely on someone, putting yourself at their mercy so they have power over the dynamics between you and them. fuck that noise. she learned the hard way prior to coming here and would have the marks to prove it if not for whatever the hell they used to patch her up again. ]

But I suppose I’m lucky at the moment. Mr. Constantin, my... my 'father' is nice enough. [ she smiles up at angelo, perking up as if remembering something wonderful. ] When I first woke up and we met each other, he made me eggs! That was so kind of him to do!

[apodictic]

Is it?

[ angelo raises an eyebrow. ] It's different, though I'm not sure I'd say it's easier.

[ angelo, in his bitterness, knows that his captain still needs to rely on humans to get the work done. it delays their goals and that's unacceptable. ]

For the most part everyone has been kind to one another, which is good. Not all families are happy.

[ then again, that's also the name of the game. ]

SLIDES IN HERE, SUPER LATE, SORRY ABOUT THAT

[inpersonation]

... Yeah. That’s a good point.

[ noelle now looks away, unable to hide her grimace because she knows the feeling of how fortunate and lucky one could be if they met someone semi-decent. the only thing keeping the group she's stuck with in-check is the fact they're outnumbered. if the tables were turned-

she tries to change the topic and, thank fuck for her, she looks up and sees one of the many strange fuckers smiling at her and angelo as the woman hurries by them for something. one of the women at uliveto's, she realises, because she was trying to ask why noelle had so many breadsticks in her pockets. ]

Angelo- Can I ask you something? [ to both change the topic and to bring up an observation she and another kid had spoken about, she asks all the same, ] Did you notice how the people in the restaurant were, um, all focused on one table in particular?

that's ok!

[apodictic]

[ why do people keep stealing breadsticks. it is strange. there is a grocery, and people should not be stealing them. angelo will never get over this considering he saw one of his classmates do the same. for what purpose???? the bread wasn't even that good. earthnoids are so fucking strange.

anyway. he listens to her question and thinks about it. ]

On Rosemary's table, you mean? [ angelo pauses, and then asks, ] Have you spoken to her?

[inpersonation]

[ listen she has food insecurity but that's level three content of her frie-

noelle shook her head at the question, looking conflicted by the lost opportunity. ]

I didn't. A lot of people were already speaking to her and, well, I didn't think she'll be interested in speaking with a 'kid' like so many adults here. [ despite acting as blossom, noelle can't help but let some derision slip in.

she looks at him curiously. ] Did you? What was she like?

[apodictic]

[ it's ok he's a lieutenant and this is all against everything he believes in ]

That's no reason to not do it. We need all the information we can get if we ever want to get out of here.

[ he thinks about what he can say about her, and finally says, ] We didn't speak at length. I didn't want to take up her time, and anyway, it is not the venue to start asking questions that can easily get us in trouble.

What was clear to me is that she is just like us. She came from outside Santa Rosita but does not have a good sense of time spent in this place.

[ which is funny, considering she acts like she's been a part of it since forever, but that's just angelo's estimation of her. ]

[inpersonation]

She's like us?

[ noelle is... pretty suspicious about that claim, biting back the urge to frown in distrust. she's a pretty distrusting individual in general but this town has her on immediate edge if something too good to be true comes up. while she has a lot of questions and doubts - why hasn't she reached out to them when they all arrived here? why isn't she on the directory of comm. devices like them? is there a way for them to talk to her without her creepy group? - she makes sure to remember that blossom is the trusting type.

regrettably but she nods along, wide-eyed in shock and awe at this revelation.

she lets out a big smile, clapping her hands together in delight as she gasps: ] Oh wow! I had no idea. Poor Ms. Rosemary... Being here longer than us must be awful. I hope she knows she can work with us to solve whatever is going on here.

Hmmm... I wonder now... [ she looks around, painfully obvious in wondering if someone is trying to eavesdrop on her and angelo. ] Does that mean she can help us if we reach out to her?

[apodictic]

[ angelo looks at her incredulously. ]

"Help us"? I said she's like us, not that she cares for us. Please be reasonable. Just because you might have something in common with her doesn't mean you can start calling each other friends.

That's one way to [ get killed ] get yourself in trouble. Don't be foolish.

[ there's something in his tone that slips that sounds all too harsh, which angelo reigns in the end; the supremacy of a newtype, who feels himself above humanity. he has to remind himself he's far away from where he needs to be; there is a goal, and everything else must follow towards it, until such a time he can return to his captain. ]

[inpersonation]

[ holy fuck.



holy fuck.

holy fuck he has some fucking common sense. noelle bites on the bottom of her lip to hide her gleeful smile, glad to see someone has enough brain cells to find this setup sketchy as fuck.

but 'blossom', the trusting fuck, wouldn’t understand that and noelle acts accordingly: flinching in a visible fashion, pulling away a bit as if shocked physically by both the scolding and the idea that the woman wouldn’t want to help them out. ]

I— I didn’t think of that, [ she lied easily, looking down in what seems to be a display of embarrassment. ] Sorry, Angelo. I— I was so excited! Someone here who could let us know what’s going on? Or, better yet, help us find a way out of here? That’s a dream come true for a lot of us.

[ which is why you gotta be careful, she thinks to herself. ] Do you, um, think there’s a chance, at least? Like if we do a favor for her or something.

[apodictic]

I'm not in the habit of doing favours for anyone. If you wish to do so, go on ahead.

[ especially when he barely knows the npcs at all.

though he wonders what's up with blossom here because she sometimes looks like she's about to have an aneurysm depending on who's talking to her. angelo chalks it up to some conflict he's unknown to and breezes past it. ]