[WORLD ONE] SPEED DATING EXTRAVAGANZA

[spellbindmods]

Who: Participating coven members
Where: The Palai marketplace
When: Day 49
Open/Closed: OTA

[ Any and all who are in the marketplace will find that there is suddenly a mysterious barrier around the marketplace (that may be eerily familiar to some) -- specifically one large portion of the marketplace with a large number of tables and chairs, perhaps purposefully set out for nefarious reasons.

A few Palai are ushering coven members to chairs, and everything seems about normal. As normal as the Palai can be when they're putting on a show anyway. It's not until a sizable portion of the coven members are seated (and also supplied with breadsticks and small shrimp), that things get a bit more bizarre.

Thanks to the power of the Eltos, a small band of energy keeps coven members stuck to the chair (magic can interfere, of course), but that's not the end of it. On each table, next to those delicious smelling breadsticks and shrimp, is a bowl of scraps of papers. Every five minutes, a strip of paper will pop out from the bowl.

If you ask the Palai, they'll be inclined to explain speed dating to you. Asking questions, getting to know a person, then being shimmied off to the next potential mate -- this is made possible by Elto magic yet again, through flying chairs that transport their holder to a new table at standard intervals.

The Palai are extremely invested in this exercise? Will you let them down? ]

[ OOC: In the spirit of speed dating, each character will have a top level. All who want to respond to this top level can with questions from this post, but the threads have to end at 10 comments from each character. After this last tag, the characters can be assumed to have been whisked to a different potential match. You're free to have characters make up their own questions, interact with Palai serving food, etc. ]

Comments

[songbird_slayer]

Hahah, essentially! Some would call it foreplay. You can learn a lot about someone when you see how they fight, according to many of my kin.

I mean, if you truly think about it, favorite colors? Favorite food? Hopes and dreams? Not exactly the priority. Not when there's a tribe to help grow.

What of your kind? Does a lady throw you a bone, as it were...?

[mech_and_mutt]

Well, cuttin' straight to the chase is one way of doin' it, I guess... [Really, Red almost thought she was joking. You'd think someone so elegant wouldn't do things... well, like that.

Still, he laughed off her followup question.] Nahhh, guess we're the romantic types. We get to know each other, maybe take a coupla dates together... Y'know, real dates. Not stuff like this.

[...Nope, the thought of brawling-to-bedding was still giving him better questions than anything on the card.]

...But doesn't all that other stuff help you two get along afterwards...?

[songbird_slayer]

I've seen much affection between the pairs when I visited my homeland after so long, so you may have the right of it. The wooing does ice the cake, as it were.

But I'm not... er... that is to say, I didn't grow up among my kin. I was raised among humans and elezen, so I'm something of an odd duck among my own kind. I personally enjoy the romance and the show of it. I relish in it!

But I also wish the palai would just... it's- it's tiring, is all.

[mech_and_mutt]

Hah! Figures. You don't dance and sing like that if you don't have a little bit of love for the romantic stuff.

[Don't be tired. Here, have the breadstick basket nudged over.]

No, I know what'cha mean. Every time the Palai want me to get romantic I have urge to punch 'em, too.

[Nnnope. He can't keep a straight face as he says it.]

[songbird_slayer]

[The smile was back, softened, as she helped herself to a breadstick and picked off the first piece.]

So what you're saying is that we show them a little love sometime, xaela-style? I'm sure I've got my frying pan lying around somewhere... cast iron. Well-seasoned.

[mech_and_mutt]

[There's a laugh... but it soon folds inwards and into a groan.]

Ugh, speakin' of well-seasoned, about time we had somethin' on the table other than kelp, right? ...even if the meat is just weird bug things.

[songbird_slayer]

Shrimp, dear. Lovely when subjected to white wine, a little butter and a touch of garlic. I'll take plain shrimp over the sea vegetables any day.

Wait... don't tell me- you haven't had lobster, have you?

[mech_and_mutt]

Never even heard of it. If it's from the ocean, remember that was off limits for pretty much my whole life.

But you're just makin' everything sound delicious now! [AND IT'S NOT HELPING.] What, are you a cook too?

[songbird_slayer]

Oh, that's right! I'm sorry. We'll get you one sometime.

[She nodded.]

Ah, I've learned from the finest culinarians in Aldenard! I know my way around a kitchen and it's... made me itchy since I haven't been able to make a proper meal since I arrived to answer Qri's call.

[mech_and_mutt]

[Hell-LO, gourmet cook who can free him from this kelp-y torture.]

I've got a kettle back at the coven's island. And a stomach. Ain't much, but a kitchen starts somewhere. Maybe they'll bring that junk cart back around and I can grab a fryin' pan or... something.

Then I'd just need some meat other than boar. That got old quick, huh?

[songbird_slayer]

Terribly. We could catch some fish, at the very least. As for other meats, perhaps the sea-faring birds around here make a decent meal...

I can't imagine gulls are very good, however.

[mech_and_mutt]

Can't be any worse than kelp and boar, again.

You know any way to keep 'em, though? My beach hut didn't come with a 'fridge.

[songbird_slayer]

That... is a fantastic point and I'm stumped. Surely they have ice. Dig a pit, lay it with ice, pack the meat tight?

Perhaps that might work for a day... two, tops, as primitive as that sounds.

[mech_and_mutt]

And then it's back to the boar jerky. [He didn't even want to THINK about the crabs. Or about all the vomiting.]

Maybe the next world we visit will have a hardware store.

[songbird_slayer]

Perhaps. Or it'll be a place like Limsa Lominsa, with the finest dining any could ever hope for!

Candlelight, wine, and the most scrutinizing of kitchen staff ensuring a steak just melts in your mouth simply rich with the stray sprinkle of bleu cheese left upon it during its rest period. A soft, tender baked popoto, and a cool endive salad with tend'rest pears...

[mech_and_mutt]

Stop it stop it STOP IT!! You're doing that thing again! I don't even know what that is or where you're talking about but you're making me want it!!

[songbird_slayer]

[She nearly doubled over laughing.]

I'm sorry, I can't help it! But for the record, I'm not sorry at all!

[Overhead, a bell jingled. Well, fishsticks.]

Oh, goodness, is it nearly up already? Well, sorry to sling food porn at you, but do hit me up sometime. I'll make you a meal.

[mech_and_mutt]

I'm collectin' on that, Maddie.

[And maybe he could figure out SOME way to get a kitchen set up before his stomach concaved.]

Hope your next one's good, but try not to punch 'em in the face to check, yeah?

[songbird_slayer]

I'd be disappointed if you didn't!

[She waved her farewell.]

I can only behave so much, Red! But you take care.

[And away the chairs go!]