Thanksgiving Extravaganza [Open Mingle]

[helpdesk_hero]

WHO: Everyone listen, just because he intended this for his CR and their friends doesn't mean there aren't gate-crashers, please feel welcome.
WHERE: De Chima Banquet Hall
WHEN: Thursday Nov 28 (Forward Dated)
WHAT: American Thanksgiving PLUS World-Didn't-End Feast
WARNINGS: None Anticipated. Please tag individual threads if something happens.


Ain't No Party Like A World Saved Party, Because A World Saved Party Don't End. Except It Really Was A Close Thing There


The prospect of a festive dinner that David Alleyne had proposed had, quite quickly, grown out of proportion to the size that he had available at his new home. He hadn't expected the sort of positive feedback he had. To that end he'd had no choice but to rent out a banquet hall, complete with a rather expansive kitchen, for the whole day. Everyone previously invited will receive a text two days before providing information for the when and where, with additional details for when people who are helping prep the site or cook should arrive. There's even breakdowns of when people cooking should arrive based on the sorts of things they intend to help with. Needless to say the people helping with the meats are expected a bit earlier than those who are whipping up salads of various sorts.


The Preparation

Two sorts of preparations are ongoing for most of the day. On one side there are those who are caught up in the practice of cooking. For them there is a rather expansive and state of the art kitchen. There are a whole FIVE ovens, many stove tops, fridges lining an entire wall, and counter space as far as the eye can see. Bring your own tools, pre or partially pre-cooked dishes, the ingredients you need, or just your own hands. There is tons of work to be done this morning. Between preparing stuffing or dressing whatever you choose to call it, making little relish plates of nicely arranged cheese slices and pickled foods, and making recipes handed down in families, the kitchen is busy from the word go up until and sometimes even through the serving of dinner itself. Of course that means the kitchen smells divine. Come in and help, talk, or try to steal bits of food from people cooking. Though really, if they get annoyed at you and brandish a spoon in your direction, well, that's your own fault.

The other type of preparation is in the dining room. Sure, David arranged for tables and chairs and tons of cheap and non-matching dish wear and utensilssorry, he just couldn't live with anything short of reusable, but that doesn't mean any of it is set up. Tables need to go out, chairs placed, disposable table cloths rolled out and cut to size. Hell, there's probably even a bag of decorations somewhere around in the pile of stuff that David brought in early this morning. It's up to you to make the place pretty as a picture for this world-surviving celebration. Just remember to try and not break the tables or chairs because those are rentals. And if you break the plates, well, sweep up after yourself. Thanks.


The Feast

About two hours before dinner some light snacks and appetizers are brought out on trays to a serving table, so feel free to mingle about then. About five minutes after the scheduled dinner time, dishes start to be brought out to the buffet style tables. There's all the traditional Thanksgiving fare: turkey and several forms of stuffing/dressing, potatoes in several different varieties, rolls, different dishes of cranberry sauce, and that green bean casserole that maybe your grandmother has been trying you to get to try for YEARS now. But there's other things too. Anyone who gave David information about their favorite Thanksgiving staples, or who brought their own offerings, will see fun dishes here. There's collared greens cooked with turkey meat and red peppers, there's pearl onion casserole, there's this really amazing spicy potato curry served with pieces of roti, harvest risotto, Brussel sprouts, beets marinated in rosemary, just option upon option upon option a full third of which David has spent the week pre-cooking and setting aside for all your foodie needs, be sure to thank him for that. And later in the evening another table will be filled with pies, pumpkin and jelly rolls, tarts, and all sorts of other sweets.

The seating itself is a first come-first served sort of situation. Which mostly means either you want to swoop in early to get one of those coveted seats by someone you really want to talk to. Or, of course, you can just go find someone random and get to know a new person. Just be careful about moving your feet, so to speak. Someone might slip into your unoccupied spot so that they can talk to your table partner instead. But don't worry, there should be enough seats for everyone. David, after all, seems to have rented more tables and seats and bought more tableware than really seems to line up with the number of people he actually invited. Perhaps he realizes that heroes are just gossipy by nature, and that some of the more nefarious members of the imPort community might just choose to gate crash. So frankly, there is room for anyone who shows up.


The Clean-Up

Hero or Villain, Invited Guest or Gate Crasher, everyone is expected to contribute to the feast today. If you didn't help set up or cook, or chipped in financially for all David has done here, you're part of the clean up crew. Which is not to say that people who helped in other ways can't clean up too. In fact, everyone that can be spared to wash dishes, sweep floors, fold away tables and chairs, they're appreciated. We're all powered here, surely this won't be too onerous of a task. Trying to slip out? Well, David himself is at the door, giving a less than amused look to anyone who tries to slip out without having helped do SOMETHING today. You probably have an immunity to dark looks that are meant to shame you into some amount of effort, right? Just remember, you might get banned from future events like this if David throws them, which carries a bit more weight when he's no doubt got heroes around to help reinforce the banning for him.




[OOC: Everyone is welcome here. Either you're here because you've got CR with David and have been specifically invited, you're a friend of a friend and got dragged along, or you're one of those people willing to gate crash any kind of party. No matter what it is everyone is welcome to this slightly more somber celebration of survival, because really, the Swear-in after Jeopardy wasn't everyone's taste.

Feel free to make your own top levels and tag around. After all, the whole point is to celebrate being here and being alive. Raise a glass with your fellow imPorts. Just remember, no violence. David's running a carefully tight ship here, and violence isn't welcome.]

Comments

[made_up_names]

[ How's that working out for you, David. ]

Damien? Why not tell him now? Since the world isn't ending any more.

[helpdesk_hero]

[David's hand comes unconsciously to the suppression bracelet under his shirt sleeve.]

I'm not ready to lose him and what we have. I'm not... strong enough.

[made_up_names]

[ Oh. That. Peter winces. ]

Okay, that's a good reason. Actually.

[helpdesk_hero]

[He tends to be full of them.]

Life is busy enough in other ways too. Getting the house set up now that we’ve making space for more people to use it. And Josh got us into a reality home make over show. Be sure to watch.

[made_up_names]

[ Wait. Peter brightens instantly. ]

Seriously? What’s it called?

[helpdesk_hero]

Honestly? I don't know. Josh was the one who did the whole thing. They're showing us off because we're busy imPorts. So there you go. I'd say you should get on it with Marco but that would mean giving up...

[Yeah. That's just a thing, right?]

[made_up_names]

[ Ah. It sure is. Peter’s face falls instantly. ]

Marco’s been ported out.

[helpdesk_hero]

[Oh god. Immediately David moves to pull Peter into his arms. That must be why he's so down in the dumps. The poor kid.]

Oh Peter, where... where are you staying? You can stay with us tonight, or as long as you need. I'll go... I...

[What do you do when this happens? Offer ice cream? Booze? Food? David doesn't know.]

[made_up_names]

[ Oh. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that until right now? He clings back to David hard, with a grip that ought to be crushing but is just regular ol’ teenaged strength. At least he manages to avoid crying, though he’s definitely choked up. ]

I - I’m not homeless yet. Rent’s paid through the end of the month for sure. I dunno past that.

[ Marco being Marco had of course set things up in advance for like six months. But the port out had messed some things up. ]

If you don’t mind me borrowing the couch or something, that would be amazing.

[helpdesk_hero]

A couch? No. Not at all.

[Peter's having HIS bed. David will take the couch. He just wants to be there for Peter. And he KNOWS Josh won't complain. At all.]

Please, you're my friend, and we both know that Marco would smack me for not being here for you however I can.

[made_up_names]

[ Peter - is a little confused by that? David’s care is obvious enough, but Peter hasn’t quite made the leap to assuming he’d get David’s bed. ]

Oh. Um - floor is great too, trust me. I was homeless for a while after the whole New York invasion thing, so I’m super not picky.

[helpdesk_hero]

[They already gave away their guest room, but he'll talk to Josh.]

You're sleeping in my bed, Peter. Shut up.

[made_up_names]

I -

Wait, don’t you need that? Where are you sleeping?

[helpdesk_hero]

Peter, don't.

[Peter's a teen on his own who lost someone he loved. He gets the bed.]

[made_up_names]

I - uh - okay. You’re helping me, so you get to decide.

[ He still thinks it isn’t fair to David but. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

My couch and my bed and my home, Peter. Let me do this for you.

[made_up_names]

[ He nods, finally. ]

Thank you. That makes everything way easier.

[helpdesk_hero]

My home is your home, Peter. And it always will be. I'll let Josh know.

[Don't worry, Peter. In David and Josh's home you can come and go as you please, just make sure to wash your hands before dinner if you're around for it.]

[made_up_names]

[ He ducks his head at that, incredibly grateful. ]

Look, I can still say thank you. I'll clean and stuff. And I don't eat as much now so that'll be easier too.

[helpdesk_hero]

Peter, I absolutely do a chore wheel. While you're there, you're definitely helping out.

[Wait a second, let him back up here.]

What do you mean you don't eat as much now?

[made_up_names]

Okay good. I'm here for it.

[ But also. Dammit. He hadn't quite meant to bring this up now, but David would notice pretty quickly anyway with Peter living with him, so ... deep breaths. ]

I lost my powers. In that hall of justice thing.

[helpdesk_hero]

[This place... took everything from Peter then. And he gave it because he was a good person that wanted to protect people. And David wants to hug him again.]

You're braver than I am. I... didn't have the courage to offer that.

[made_up_names]

[ He bows his head a little. Look, it's kind of been an awful week or two. ]

It was probably stupid? But - but it was my last sacrifice, and I could tell if I didn't offer that, I'd lose Ben. Or Stark. Or May.

[ Or he could have refused, but. Well. They both know that was never going to happen. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

{David doesn't even remembered what he offered. Doesn't remember that, to save lives, he gave up the memory of his little sister.]

There are lives out there that you KNOW are still there for what you gave.

[made_up_names]

... Yeah. Yeah, there are.

So - I guess I shouldn't regret it too much.