[network and log options] My charade is the event of the season

[motherserpent]

Network Option:
Day 383 | @curiouschloride | text | My charade is the event of the season [open]

You are invited to
Mother Serpent's Winter BBQ!!

Moldy bunkers got you down? All work and no play in a shitty snowy hellscape? Join me outside the bunker tomorrow, day 384, for a day of food around the fire. Too busy exploring the bunker's glowing depths (please don't die doing that)? I'll bring food inside at the end of the day and it will be delicious but stone cold and that is your own damn fault.

Be there or be square.


Log Options:

Characters: Tess and bunkerfolks
Location: Outdoors, near the bunker entrance
Date: 383 (day and evening); 384 (daytime)
Summary: It's a cookout!
Warnings: None at present

[Day 383]
[Tess shows up at the bunker on the evening of day 383, where she stops by each of the safe rooms to spread the word. She literally goes around each room to ask people:]

Hey, did you see my thing? I'm going to make food tomorrow and you should eat it.



[Day 384]

[It's still too fucking cold outside and the sky has been spitting light snow on and off all day. It's warmer by the fire, though. The snow around the flames is slushy and there's an unfortunate lack of places to sit, but at least the air is somewhat warmer than the surrounding area. Tess's supplies are piled up nearby on top of a spare coat that will need drying out later, including a postal carrier's bag with a moderately grumpy feathered snake curled up inside.

Early in the day, the flames are high and there are few signs of any cooking happening as Tess tends the fire, looking a little bored. Later, when it burns down to coals, she gets to work wrapping the ingredients she'd cut up in the bunker the night before in packets of aluminum foil that she tucks among the coals. There's a large, abused-looking cooking pot planted in there as well, more foil over its top in place of a lid. It smells like fruit. The packets smell mostly like beef, potatoes, and bacon.]

Comments

@noone; text

[slapthelibrarian]

Is everyone invited to join you for this?

[ She'd just assume that's the case, but assumptions can and have bitten her in the ass. ]

text

[motherserpent]

Everyone, yeah, if you're in the area. I can try to hold something back if it'll take you longer to get here.

@fifty; text

[fifty]

look out cause big groups mean lots of monsters a lot of the time

text

[motherserpent]

Seen any around the bunker? Seems like there's been a lot of people there for a while now.

action;

[armoured]

[Al is in one of the safe rooms when Tess pokes her nose in, and he lights up as much as a suit of armour possibly can.]

Hey! I haven't seen you in a long time, you're looking good. And that's a really kind offer, but-- I'm not sure it's sensible. Big groups tend to attract anomalies a lot more than smaller ones, I'm sorry.

[motherserpent]

It's good to see you too, man.

[She smiles when she sees him; she's a lot less lost nowadays than she was when he rescued her, but she hasn't forgotten.]

Yeah, no, I've been told that. Today, even. You don't all have to come outside the whole time, you know, it's just I'm going to be out there for a while....

@Spoiler; text

[spoileralert]

What kind of food do you have?

text

[motherserpent]

I'm going to do foil packet hobo dinner things since I've only got one pot and I need it for something I already promised someone. I've got a bunch of hamburger, potatoes, vegetables, hot dogs, bacon, cheese...it's not going to be fancy but I can make different combos. I could theoretically make pancakes if someone lends me a skillet, otherwise I'll use the flour and stuff to try to make something like foil packet cobbler.

@PetertheGreat, audio

[zunesareawesome]

This is so great!? Me and Gamora are so there! You have any bacon? I want her to taste all the awesome earth food!

audio

[motherserpent]

Pfft, do I have bacon? Of course I have bacon; who walks all the way from the grocery store and doesn't bring bacon?

So she's never had any kind of earth food? No pressure.

Action, Day 384

[zunesareawesome]

A. For Tess

[It doesn't take them too long to arrive, and Peter puts his stuff in the bunker entrance before going back out in the snow to see what Tess is up to. It looks like she's still stoking the fire, food probably won't be ready for a bit? He's not sure, he hasn't been to a legit barbecue in a long, long time.]

Hey. Need any help?

B. For Gamora

[Peter stands before her in the snow, near the fire, holding the precious cargo in his hands as he offers it to her. God, it smells so good. It's been...how long since he's had one of these?

He's going to cry.]

Gamora, I would like to introduce you to one of the natural wonders of my home planet.

This? This is bacon.

You're welcome.

C. Open to All

[This is one of the few times he's been ridiculously happy in Norfinbury.

Look, the man hasn't had bacon in 30ish years. Please excuse him. He points at whatever you're holding as he talks through a mouthful of food.]

You gonna eat that?

D. After the Obits, also Open to All (cw ptsd, character death)

[The happiness can only last so long in this town. Later on in the day, Peter's making a terrible racket inside the bunker entrance, clearly trying to destroy his tablet in a fit of rage. He makes his quiet pleas for Stephen's return, and sits down by the open door, feet in the snow, his face red.

He's fine.

He's fine.

Sorry about the noise.]

A

[motherserpent]

[Tess looks up from where she's jabbing at the fire with a longish piece of metal she found among the rubble. She brightens at the sight of another person; so many people had been hung up on the possibility of anomalies that she'd wondered if she'd just be taking a bunch of cold food into the bunker at the end of the day.]

Actually--there're two rolls of foil over there; you could get one out and start tearing off squares. Like...yea big?

[She gestures in a vaguely rectangular shape.]

C.

[clowngirl]

[With one quick as hell motion, Harley proceeds to stuff all of her food in her mouth at once, providing the least subtle answer to his question. She doesn't care how long it's been since he's eaten Earth food, she got to it first.]

Thowwy.

[If her half-hearted full-mouthed apology doesn't do any good, she's ready to make with the faux innocent doe-eyes.]

B

[alivingweapon]

Gamora looks up at his obvious elation, and must admit that it smells a hell of a lot better than what they've been eating. She reaches out and takes a strip, biting off a small bit and chewing thoughtfully. "It's very greasy." Another small bite. "But it's good."

Under normal circumstances, she might not appreciate the flavour, the heavy way she can tell it's going to sit in her stomach. But it's food, it's hot and it's nourishing and it's not processed or half frozen or tasteless. So, yes, she likes it. She likes it very much, and scoots over a little so that Peter can sit next to her. "Is this one of the things you miss?" she asks, taking another piece.

@godsend, text

[termineur]

Hey, great idea. But maybe not the 'everyone outside the bunker' part. There's a lot of us here, and the anomalies can reach us outside. Seems like they've been around less, but that's still just asking for them to munch on us. Maybe have a gofer to bring food from outside to people in the two side rooms? We can take turns doing it.

And hey, just so you know, I've still got a ton of eggs and bacon. And some flour, sugar, salt. And apples, although those don't really cook with everything else. You're welcome to all of it. We should probably eat them up before they go bad, anyway.

@curiouschloride | text

[motherserpent]

Not a bad idea. Believe me, I've been warned. You think you just don't get them because they can't go inside the bunker? Because there are already a lot of you over there.

I'd take all of that. Brought some of the same stuff but I've got enough foil to cook everything and we might as well feed everyone rather than let it spoil.

Action; Day 384

[clowngirl]

1. For Tess

Soooo, is it ready yet?

[Harley leans in, eyes darting from Tess to the pie that the woman has agreed to make for her. She appreciates Tess going to the trouble, especially since her own cooking skill level is fairly low. Pie is certainly a luxury food that Harley didn't think she'd be eating anytime soon in the snow-wilds of Norfinbury. And it's clearly testing what little patience she already has. She barely gives Tess time to answer before trying again.]

How 'bout now?


2. OTA

[Harley spends most of the day by the fire, enjoying the sweet tunes of DJ Star Lord and trying to keep Lou the hyena a safe distance from Roy the flying snake... thing. (She's still not sure what the heck he's supposed to be.) It's a pretty nice get-together and she's happy to be here, passing time while waiting for the Joker to catch up with her. She helps herself to a good amount of food, along with a slice of the pie that Tess made for her. If you don't watch your food closely enough, she might even try to steal a bite out of yours.]

2

[slapthelibrarian]

[ Nicole's been alternating between mingling and trying to get a bit of rest after trekking a ways to get here. The lure of food was strong, and she'd decided the diversion would be nice.

She spots Harley sitting by the fire, and she approaches. ]

Harley, is that a hyena?

[ How on earth did she get that? ]

1

[motherserpent]

Not quite? I think it's--

[Harley she was trying to answer you.]

You know it's just going to be a big pot pie, right?

[She gestures to the foil-topped cooking pot. Get it? Pie in a pot? Pot pie?]

Day 384; near the bunker entrance

[snowblindmods]

[They don't come from the bunker at all, but they circle round little by little, as if drawn by the scent of food. Crawling, pathetic creatures that blend with the snow as they drag themselves through it, pieces of limbs and bits of torso crackling in and out of existence.

It's difficult to tell how many of them there are. Four, perhaps. Maybe five or six. No less than four.]

this is fine

[motherserpent]

[It's Roy-Roy the Wonder Boy who first takes notice, rearing up out of the nest Tess built for him in his carry-bag and hissing in alarm as he circles in the air. Tess stands bolt upright when she sees what has caught his attention, dropping a foil packet full of beef and potatoes in the snow in her surprise. Are these the anomalies she's heard so much about? Hel, there are more of them than she'd thought there would be if any came. To anyone still outside with her, she hisses:]

Get inside. Look for a break in their line and get your ass inside.

[Tess stoops to grab up the piece of rubble she's been using to stir the coals, but something makes her pick up the packet of food instead. Opening it at the top, she creeps just close enough to one of the crawling...things...to toss the food at it, then steps hurriedly back toward the fire.]

@superbia; text; day 383

[sharktrash]

Hey, any chance you could tuck away one little piece of bacon for me? Or not so little? Can't make it but you did promise me a breakfast date like last year and I'm sure I've been missing out.

[ Sure, he also kind of definitively cancelled it via being a dick but you were A PRICKLY DEATH GODDESS at the time, so surely that doesn't count. Pls don't bring it up and maybe he won't either. ]

[ Also, spoilers, it's not for him. It's for Xanxus. Dude loves his meat. But having witnessed their exchange he's pretty sure his chances of actually acquiring bacon are astronomically higher if he claims it's for himself. It's not like anyone really knows they're travelling together at this point. ]

@curiouschloride

[motherserpent]

Sorry, but I don't have anything like that in my personal planner. You sure we set that date? Like, ever?

[Yeah she remembers and you can fuck off, but also she's not going to go into details if you aren't because ugh, that whole murder goddess thing.]

You show up you can eat, same as anyone else.

@Mnemonsyne; text; private

[bookofnope]

Be careful not to attract any ants.

[Yeah he. Wants to ask if she'd save some for latecomers. But he figures he should test the waters first what with not exactly being in anyone's good books at the moment.]

private

[motherserpent]

You saying I shouldn't bring any back to the bunker?

[Yep, time to be deliberately obtuse. She's Not Thrilled with this guy. Fucking vampires, man.]

action

[godsspeed]

I (closed to Tess)

[ Whether or not it's a good thing that Castiel manages to make it to the bunker sooner than expected is a matter of perspective, but between catching a patch of relatively favorable weather and the pair of snowshoes he picked up some time ago, he does. The image he cuts as he wades through the blizzard - hunched under the weight of his heavy pack, frost-crusted cloak billowing in the wind - might even be majestic, if the cloak weren't made of a brightly colored shower curtain stolen from the house that seemed to be stuck in the 1970's and he weren't still keeping the silk robe he has wrapped around his head for warmth affixed in place with a baseball cap.

He makes a beeline for Tess, reaching into his tan overcoat and pulling a cheap, disposable pepper grinder full of black peppercorns out of one of the inner pockets, which he presents to her. Only his eyes are visible behind the bathrobe, but even that sliver of facial expression and the way he holds it out as far as possible makes it clear that he's regarding her with suspicion, or as something unclean. ]

This is for your cooking. Take it.

II (OTA)

[ After his conversation with the little goddess he wastes as little time as possible heading inside. He has a plan in mind, and unfortunately it's going to involve a lot of sitting around and waiting. Anyone waiting in the bunker's entrance, the safe rooms on either side, or the hallway may have the chance to pull him aside and talk to him - otherwise, he'll be headed straight for room eight, where he intends to stay until he's certain his lungs are clear enough for him to safely make his next move. ]

I

[motherserpent]

[Tess can't tell who it is at first under all that clothing and plastic, so when she first straightens up from the fire it's with a friendly greeting on her lips. Then he comes close and it morphs into distaste and not a little wariness; she actually takes a step back when he reaches into his jacket. She looks at the pepper grinder, then at what she can see of Castiel's face.]

O...kay?

[There's some kind of trick here, right? She reaches out cautiously, trying to take the grinder without actually touching him. The disgust is mutual, buddy.]