paixaorpg | Foundation Day Festival: Food Tent

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Foundation Day Festival: Food Tent

Character(s): everyone in the food tent
Content: food, and lots of it.
Setting: Joco da Crianca Fairgrounds, food tent
Time: all day~
Warnings: Multithreaded posting format (please include time of day and sub-location in your comment's subject line)

The food tent is the second biggest structure at the fair, next to the Ferris wheel. It's a large white tent set up near the far end of the grounds. Inside, the majority of the tent is filled with long tables (with white plastic tablecloths) and benches for seating.

The food, along one side of the tent, is set up buffet-style. They have a wide variety of hot and cold dishes, and it's all good stuff, having been catered by Café Ersesat. It's always well-stocked, too, somehow; if they run out of anything, it's replenished within a few minutes. There is also a small bar, where alcoholic drinks and cocktails are available upon request to anyone who looks old enough.

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"... into a vat of hot oil and fried. Then they put cinnamon and sugar on it and serve it hot," Chizuru was saying as she tugged Alice toward the food tent, looking for the telltale vats where chubby ladies would be preparing the festival delight known as funnel cakes. "Fattening and sugary and not in the least bit healthy, and they're usually only sold in theme parks and festivals..."

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(OOC: Sorry about the short post, everybody! I didn't want to godmod Alice's reactions any...)

Alice looked amused, and part of her did want to laugh a little. My, but Chizuru had a very odd way of describing things! She herself hardly thought of eating healthy anymore, as the idea of living long was a strange one indeed. Nonetheless, Alice felt she should partake in this sugary treat, as she had been feeling nothing but an almost kind of bliss at being around this girl. In that sense, she would willingly try anything.

"Please make that too," Alice said apologetically to the food vendors, who were happy to oblige. Alice watched how they took their time carefully pouring the mixture into a kind of silver molding plate, careful to make patterns that would not result in a heavy funnel cake nor an incomplete one. Alice found herself strangely hypnotized by the whole affair. She turned to Chizuru and offered a smile.

"I do hope its to your liking."

Cinnamon and sugar and batter, fried to a crisp outside and a delightfully fluffy inside. There was nothing that screamed "festival" like a fresh, tongue-searingly hot, sweet funnel cake, out of the oil and onto the plate and carried to a table. Unfortunately, there was also nothing else that quite brought out the nostalgia of past festivals, and Chizuru felt lonely for a moment, even surrounded by the locals and in the company of a girl she really liked, munching on one of the most divine desserts in existance and getting powdered sugar on her nose.

It just wasn't the same as back home. The heavy beat of Paixaoan music wasn't the same as the tunes she'd grown up to, the blonde people all around weren't the same as the dark-haired, dark-eyed people she knew best, and Alice... nice as she was to be with... wasn't the same as Orihime. Couldn't be the same as Orihime, despite the air of being distant from reality, despite being friendly and sociable. Maybe she was a little more like Tatsuki, she thought, recalling the plethora of weapons Alice carried around and the deadly efficiency she'd shown in that one fight, but that comparison failed as well because Alice was a lady, and Tatsuki was just a reckless tomboy.

Chizuru tried again, unsuccessfully, to bury the homesickness. They'd tried to leave Paixao already, they'd gotten chased by those monsters and the men in the black coats. And even after that, the Mayor and whomever was in charge of him had probably placed even more guards by the gates to keep anybody from trying to duplicate the experiment.

But if everybody in Paixao was at the Festival today, who was manning the gates?

"I've talked enough about the kind of place I come from," she said aloud, keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself as high-school girls often did, "how about you, Alice?"

Alice blinked, tasting this funnel cake. It was actually quite good, so good that Alice almost recoiled from that taste. There was certainly nothing that gave her taste buds a challenge, remembering with distaste the filth they called food at the asylum. A bleak place, with nothing but despair, people with notes, and those loathsome twins who took great delight in torturing her. No, there was nothing in THAT particular part of her time line she would tell Chizuru about. She would spare the cheerful girl such gruesome stories.

"It has been a long time," Alice said slowly, "that someone ever asked me that question. Before the fire...I remember long walks in the glen with my sister, daydreaming for hours. And the, Wonderland was such a curious place! There was confusion, of course, but so many sights and races and croquet with the Queen and Cheshire-puss and the chessboard! Oh! I even remember the day I became queen myself when I went through the Looking Glass! Such marvelous times!"

At this, Alice felt something happened that was quite unexpected: a tear slowly fell from her face as she thought of those times. If only they had stayed, and there hadn't been a need for the rest: the fire that consumed her parents and her old being so that all that remained was a memory of the girl she had been. The fire, the asylum, and the visit back to Wonderland: the mines, the subjugation, the beheading of the White Queen...

Such a wonderful world, one she felt responsible to fix.

"But that was a very long time ago. I suppose the time for those thoughts are over. Now then, there seems to be something on your mind Chizuru. Penny for your thoughts?"

That still seemed like a strange expression. What WAS a penny anyway?

"...yeah, one of those. And that one! One of those, too! No, two of those, too!"

Happy to take a small break from his session at the Stage, while the music continued to buzz uncontrollably about in his ears, Luffy excitedly leaned over the edge of one of the popular food stall counters and guided the bewildered vendor as to which of his wares the kinetic young man wanted. Since he had gotten in trouble during his last meal out, however, Luffy made sure to make adequate payment for everything he ordered this time around; that Long-Sword might've been anywhere nearby, after all.

Hungry as ever, Luffy ordered up a storm, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of being able to eat his fill with the veritable sea of junk food at his disposal. Even before the vendor had time to hand over all the food, Luffy was already eating, popping entire scoops of cotton candy and whole pretzels into his mouth.

"Mmmph, this place is so great..." Luffy muttered aloud between bites, smiling contentedly to himself. "They might as well just call this place 'Paradise'!"

Timon's mouth slowly stretched itself open allowed a long yawn to escape. His lips smacked together shortly after as he curled himself up tighter into a further comfortable position. Not one worry could be found in his mind. Why, not even Pumbaa's loud snoring could get to him. It didn't matter what was going on in Paixao today, he was going to sleep it through. Rain, shine... May or may not, who cared?

He frowned. May or may not? Something was starting to itch at his brain. Those words must have triggered something. What though was completely beyond the meerkat. All he wanted to do was sleep, not figure out some likely unimportant 'word scramble'.

May or may not... May or... Mayor. ...Mayor? What about the- !

The redhead's eyes snapped open in realization. The mayor! Oh great kings of the past, the mayor! He was supposed stay awake till the mayor appeared and interrogate him. That was the entire reason he had Pumbaa bring them to festival so early that morning, so he wouldn't miss the man. He must have fallen asleep...

"Pumbaa, you were supposed to make sure I didn't fall sleep!" Sitting up, he looked down at his friend who he happened to be currently sitting on. With no response other than a loud snore, he quickly realized the warthog must of dozed off as well at some point.

Giving out a groan, Timon climbed onto Pumbaa's snout. He took hold of the pigs tusks, pulling himself in closer to meet his eyes. "Hey, wake up! We ain't got time to sleep for The Mayor awaits! ...that is if he's actually still here."

"Just homesick and missing my... my family, I guess," the lesbian replied quietly, nibbling her cinnamon-sugared treat. "It's been happening a little-- well, okay, it's been happening a lot lately. It sounds like your life has been very different from mine."

Quaint, different, but perhaps not altogether worse (except, if Alice had mentioned it, the part about the loony bin). Chizuru wondered if it was true, what some people had said over the journals about whole different worlds and that was why everybody was so strange.

But that didn't explain why now she felt the need to say good-bye, to stretch her legs and run from the city of Paixao, so fast the guards couldn't catch her. Didn't explain why she felt like she could just start running now and be back home by nightfall.

Don't be silly, she scolded herself. Remember what happened last time we tried "just running"? Monsters and creepy men in black coats and Sora getting kidnapped and-- change the topic. Change the topic.

"Alice, did you ever think about romance, back then? About growing up and settling down with someone?"

"I see," Alice said softly, taking a bit more of the fried dough. It really was quite good, and although she was sure its nutritional value was quite low, that didn't stop her from indulging. "My life was a long time ago, dear. It was a time where peculiar things didn't matter so much, and there were so many ideas in my head I thought I would break. You could call it, I suppose, a time in which I experienced bliss."

Alice was quiet now. There was certainly something chewing at Chizuru's heart, but she would have to be patient and wait to see if the girl would tell it to her. Pushing for information was only necessary if she wanted immediate results, and with Chizuru, this wasn't business. Everything was personal.

"Honestly?" Alice pondered the thought a moment. "No. The idea seemed like a grown up one, and at the time that seemed terribly boring. To me, grownups assured the world stayed on an axis, whereas children were the thinkers, the creators, the ones who began sparks of innovation that would change the world. Settling down was a very taboo thing in my mind: it meant lack of freedom to think and be more than just the being embodying a body and going through the motions. I wanted to create worlds, to experience the continuing lures of what the mind had in store for me."

Alice laughed. "As you can see, those ideas did not end well all the time. They take a toll, like everything in life."

Chizuru's mind was indeed elsewhere; it was trying to keep her body from acting on the impulse to run and go home (but I can't go home, this is Paixao, the trap). She brought herself back to the conversation only slowly, and even then missed most of what Alice said.

"When I was really little, I wanted to be the hero in fairy tales. I'd find a nice princess, inherit a kingdom, and... it never really happened," she finished lamely. "Countries just don't seem to work like that any more. And my princess..."

She nearly swore. After changing the topic three times so she wouldn't think of 'Hime...

"... I'm sorry, Alice. My princess is back home waiting for me, and I have to go back to her. Our relationship was wonderful, but... I can't stay here any longer. Give Sora my apologies when you find him, okay?"

Chizuru placed what was left of her Paixaoan money on the table and ran for the exit of the festival, her funnel cake falling to pieces in her hands as she fled the city that was a trap and a cage, praying that her sudden flight wouldn't cause Alice any more trouble, she'd been enough trouble already...

Alice slowly raised her head at Chizuru's words, and then watched helplessly as the redhead made her exit, her hand wanting to reach out. There was something in Alice's heart that begged the girl to stay, to hold on, to please nor go...

Could she listen? Would she let her go?

"CHIZURU!" Alice called. "Please, I..." but the girl was gone. Alice's hands was outstretched, her heart in her hands, but it seemed inevitable. The girl... wanted a last day with her. She lowered her head, looking at the money left on the table, and with a sweep of her hand, knocked the money off the table.

Currency was useless. She had to find Sora. It's what the girl asked, and she'd honor that, even if there was someone else...

But Alice was tired. The hotel was accessible. She'd go, wash the last of her wounds, continue on. The idea of love was nice, but if it was gone, mission was her only other option.

She'd find Sora.

"I'll miss you," Alice whispered, holding up a hand as if expecting Chizuru to run back to her. She looked at the remains of the funnel cake and grabbed a bit for herself.

Souvenir...

"Huh... Whaaaaa?" Pumbaa groaned as he was stirred awake and opened his eyes to find Timon extremely upclose. "Oh... Timon.... W-what is it?" he asked as he yawned widely and smacking his lips a bit. The warthog tried to wake up enough to understand what Timon was saying to him, but failed completely to comprehend. He lay there looking a little baffled till he suddenly remembered himself why they were there.

"Oh! The mayor!" he suddenly cried, jumping up to his hoofs, startled.

"Is it time to go see the mayor now, Timon?" the warthog questioned, utterly unaware they'd waken up so late and that it had been up to him to keep them awake.

((Jumping threads; possibly returning at a later date!))

There was so much food! It was absolutely fantastic!

Okay, so it wasn't GREAT food, but it was a pretty wide variety and it wasn't half bad. Remy was picky, but he wasn't THAT picky. He enjoyed the more casual party foods too. It was just a shame that he hadn't been able to help in the preparations of the meal. He would have loved to contribute in some way. Maybe he could help out on the next festival, assuming he could get some of the humans to let him have a shot at cooking something. He thought it would be easier, now that they understood him, but he wasn't about to assume that he could just go out and get a job anywhere he wanted. He still expected there to be some lingering species resentment somewhere.

Or maybe not... Nobody had really given him any trouble at the food table, even though he was rummaging around all over the place. He'd have wondered if he'd died and gone to heaven if he hadn't already been assaulted the other day. Still, that had turned out okay, and most people didn't seem eager to kill him, so Paixao rated far better than most cities, including Paris.

Paris still had better food, though. And it was home. Both of those facts caused it to remain Remy's favorite city, although he had to admit that Paixao was currently running a close second.

He took a broken piece of cookie off of a tray, since he was getting full and wanted to try some dessert before he left. That was when he spotted them. A meerkat and a warthog... two creatures that were even more out of place than he was. Those definitely weren't city creatures! But they were animals, which was a rare sight in Paixao. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. He hopped off the table and walked over on his hind legs, the cookie still gripped in his front paws, "Hey there! Mind if I join you two?"

Naruto was just in front of the tent when Itachi asked his question. Just hearing Sasuke's name spoken caused him to pause in his steps and his shoulders to stiffen ever so slightly. The name still was a 'taboo' ( as Kakashi called it) around him but of course Itachi didn't know.

So instead of brooding he quickly looked over his shoulder at Itachi with a smile, "I doubt it. He isn't really much of a festival person." And with that he ducked into the tent and in the hope of avoiding any further talk about Sasuke.

Once inside he let his eyes scan the entire tent and despite not catching sight of his beloved ramen, he still kept his hopes up. "ANY RAMEN!?" He shouted and didn't even wait for anyone to answer before bouncing off once more.

Itachi shook his head. He should have figured that Sasuke wouldn't be much of a festival person. The boy's behavior from the night before was clear indication of that, even without memories to confirm or deny the thought further.

"No," he said softly, "I guess he wouldn't be."

Itachi followed Naruto into the tent and looked around at all of the food. He supposed it would be good to find something to eat. Some of this food looked so strange. Naruto's shout startled him and he ended up having to chase after the blond as he disappeared among the people within the food tent.

Able to keep steady balance once releasing hold of his friends tusks, the meerkat firmly planted both his paws onto his hips. His foot tapped impatiently as he waited for his friend to come to his senses and fully awaken. It wasn't as much of a race as it would have been three hours ago, but it still left Timon feeling eager to get a move on and catch the mayor, wherever that man was. He was determined to give the elected official a piece of his mind as well as a taste of the competition that he would be facing in the next election.

Hearing Pumbaa's question, he brought his tapping foot to a hault and peaked a brow that spoke in a particularly dry tone before Timon even opened his mouth. "Yes, Pumbaa." he began, raising his arm to look at his invisible wristwatch. "It was time to see him about... Oh, I don't know. Maybe... Three hours ago! You know, if I remember correctly, there was a certain someone who was supposed to make sure we didn't fall asleep, wasn't there? Hmm... Now I wonder who that could of been."

His stomach growled, interrupting him angrily with equal frustration for the fact it had been ignored for such a period of time. Giving a groan of his own, the redhead gave into his stomachs argument that there were more important matters at hand.

"Alright, alright. I guess we can put this who's fault this is thing behind us for now. There's bigger things to worry about right now; like lunch! The last thing we need is for your stomach to cause an earthquake, eh, Pumbaa?"

Rubbing his paws together, Timon was about to jump onto one of the tables before hearing a voice that unlike the rest of the ones roaming around the tent, seemed directed toward Pumbaa and himself. He looked around questioningly, then slowly brought his glance downward.

"Uh..." It was odd, but after being accused, mistaken, and called a rat so many times, he found himself surprised actually to meet a real one in the city. It was almost ironic. However, it did not cause him to think any differently of the rodent than if he hadn't adopted the title of 'rat' himself. A warm welcome would still be delivered.

"Nah. I don't mind. Pumbaa doesn't either, do yeah, big guy?"

After finally getting into the festival, his intention had been to find food. Splitting from the other's hadn't been too hard, but Flonne had insisted on coming along with him, so they went in search of food. Finally when he'd tracked down the food tent, Laharl had convinced her he'd be fine if she wanted to go do something on her own, or whatever. He wasn't sure she'd listen to him and actually go all that far, but at least now he'd have at least a few minutes to himself. To not have to keep his 'I'm feeling fine!' mask on.

Piling a plate of food and grabbing a cup of some sort of juice or something, Laharl made for the backcorner of the tent, setting his plate down at a spot at the end of a empty table. Letting out a quiet sigh, he sunk down onto the seat and stared for a moment silently at his food. So would he find Larxene here? Was he ready to face her this soon? What would happen if they did? He didn't know the answer to any of these things, but he was going to have to ready himself, because it could happen.

His stomach then rumbled, interupting his thoughts. He was really hungry, and the food looked delicious, so he let go of his worries for now, turning his attention to the food. So Laharl started to eat, doing his best to keep his make-shift cloak around him. He definitely didn't want Larxene or one of the other Organization members to find him now, while he was eating, after all.

Making his way from the Pumbaa and Remy, the little meerkat weaved his way between the sea of feet with ease. For the time, the tent wasn't as full as one would expect. Sure, there was still a fair amount present, and at least two times that Timon found himself almost stepped on, but other than that, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Naturally, he would have brought his friend along with him to his desired destination, making it easier to get where he wanted to go. This time though, it seemed more appropriate to go alone. The warthog appeared all to wrapped up in conversation with their newly acquainted comrade Remy for the meerkat to drag him away. That, and the cloaked stranger whom Timon had taken note of four greatly stretched tables away struck him as one trying to keep a low profile and leave their presence unknown. He couldn't help but feel curious.

It wasn't until the redhead found himself roughly a few meters away from the cloaked being he recognized him as the demon he had first been traveling with from what seemed liked such a long time ago. How bizarre he looked, fashioned in a hooded cloak, hiding himself when being so well known to be the opposite, announcing his superiority and title whenever given the opportunity. Timon was unsure how to approach the overlord.

Now standing beside the feet of Laharl's chair, he shook his head, deciding to go with the first thing he could think to say. He could be there stuck arguing over his thoughts as to how he could start a conversation for awhile if it were otherwise.

"So much for worrying about over dressing." Timon began, deciding to start out with a dry joke. "Under dressing seems to be in. Who are you supposed to be, Little Blue Riding Hood?"

As Naruto bounced past the tables, he paused every now and then to make sure Itachi was still near. It didn't take long for him to figure out there wasn't any ramen but seeing so many strange but delicious-looking food softened the feeling of disappointment.

There was so much food around he hadn't seen before and he wanted to try them all out. Now, the trouble wasn't his appetite...but where to start. With that thought in mind he returned to Itachi's side with a troubled look.

"What should we take? There's so many kinds of food I've never seen before!"

Laharl very nearly choked on what he was eating a the time, when Timon's voice suddenly rung out from below. He coughed a few times, and managed to swallow before turning his gaze downwards, with a surprised expression. He knew that voice and type of joking anywhere. "Timon!" the Overlord exclaimed, as he beheld the small creature he'd met when he'd first arrived on Paixao. Funny how that seemed so long ago now, even though it hardly was.

"W-what the hell are you doing here?" he questioned, although in hindsight it was rather obvious - the food. Undoubtedly Timon was here for the same reason he was.

Trying to regain a little bit of his dignity, he then out a hmph. "Oh and for your damn information, hiding like this wasn't my idea," he added, not having any plans to admit to the fact that he had given into hiding himself a bit far more easily than he ever would have once been.

A brow rose at not only the overlords question, but his reaction to the furry critters voice as well. Had he really surprised Laharl that much? He wasn't even that loud. -well, at least what he thought he didn't. And that question, he wasn't expected to actually answer that, was he? After all, they were in a food tent. That stated the reason of his presence so obviously it was almost painful to hear asked.

"They really knocked yeah in the head good, hu?" the meerkat replied teasingly. "And who ever said anything about hiding? I just thought it was a cheep costume you picked up for the festival." Timon's smirk inched further across his features as he folded his arms across his chest. "You know, for someone who wants to keep a low profile, that outfit really does the opposite. You should have put on somethin' less suspicious."

The warthog was ready to question Timon's alegations that it was he who had been meant to keep them awake. Pumbaa couldn't remember agreeing to that, in fact he had been pretty sure it had been Timon's job, right? Or maybe not. He couldn't quite remember, but either way he was ready to deny it, but Timon cut him off before he barely had opened his mouth.

The mention of lunch quickly made him forget completely of the previous issue. Pumbaa was hungry, and food definitely sounded good about now. "Heh, that's true, Timon!"

Pumbaa blinked as a voice suddenly spoke out, directed at them of all people. Mirroring Timon's downward gaze and blinked seeing the rat there before them. It had been the first time he'd seen another animal, other than Kovu, here, and it certainly momentarily surprised the warthog, but quickly a welcoming grin formed.

"Oh, no! I don't mind at ALL!" Pumbaa replied, cheerfully.

Timon's expression made the Overlord frown back a bit. He just hadn't expected to suddenly have someone recognize him here, well, other than Flonne, Etna and Ivan. The other problem had been he'd been rather lost in thought before Timon's voice jerked him from it. It never had occured to him Timon could be here, but now a problem had become rather apparent to him - if Timon recognized him, what was there to stop Larxene from doing so? The whole point of this stupid cloak had been to avoid being obvious, but if it was failing... Could she be here watching him now? He shivered a bit at the notion.

"Tch... It was a long week..." he replied quietly, taking a bite of something from his plate again, as the shadow that still hung over him seemed to weigh down on him more so. He'd only woken up back in the hotel room yesterday... and so... it was only a couple days back he'd still been there. It still felt weird to think of, since it was a little like thinking of day and night, both being so different. The Overlord still looked as tired as he felt. His energy and mana were low, he could feel it and it bothered him no end. It was hard to hide, but of course he was still attempting to.

He then sighed at Timon's teasing. Laharl wasn't really in the mood for this. "Yeah? Like what? Blue hair isn't exactly easy to cover up... and I sure as hell am not going to wear something stupid..." Laharl muttered, keeping his eyes on the food on his fork.

Itachi was mildly amused to see Naruto bouncing here and there, scoping out the food to be found in the tent. The Uchiha was more leisurely about it, taking the time to actually look at what was being offered. He didn't have the chance to ask about what went into some of these strange foods, though. Naruto moved to fast, and he didn't want the blond out of site. After all, that would be when something bad happened, right?

Naruto returned, bearing a question that Itachi had to consider in order to answer.

"To be honest, I don't know," he replied. "Why don't we start at the end of the tent and work our way back to the beginning?" It was a sound idea, or so he thought. Most people start from the beginning, or at least that's what he had noticed. And when the food was free, they could always come back to it later, right?

Remy smiled, "Great! I'm glad to finally see a few other animals around here. This place doesn't seem to have anything besides a ton of humans and a random cat-person or two." Ahnassi probably wouldn't have been especially happy to hear him call her a cat again if she had been around, but Remy wasn't going to assume that anyone else had ever heard of a Khajiit before and 'cat-person' was a better descriptor for people who had never heard of her species. "Looks like they know how to throw a pretty good party, though. I don't often see this much food in one place, and I work in a restaurant!"

The rat took a nibble of his cookie, savoring the taste appreciatively. "So... Where are you two from?"

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Foundation Day Festival: Food Tent

Shortly after noon, looking for deep-fried pastries

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Entering from Stage Area, 11:30(ish)

Very Back Table, 12:30ish

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Re: Very Back Table, 12:30ish

Re: Entering from Stage Area, 11:30(ish)

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Around 10:25

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12:45ish

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