1104/The Days' Off Festival

The Days' Off Festival
Date of Scene:	08 December 2014
Location:	Galianda
Synopsis:	An informal festival is held at the Odindome, and everyone is invited to attend! However, a conflict brews over the disposition of cookies...
Cast of Characters:	Maya, 626, 627, 628, 633, 635, 642, 646, 647, 652

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Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     GALIANDA
     ALEXANDER ACADEMY
     THE AL RAUNE EVENT WING

     Donated by the Al Raune family nearly ten years ago, the Al Raune Event Wing - or, as most people call it, 'the Club Building' - is a staple of Academy life. Teachers and students alike frequent the massive building and its dozens of rooms for a wide variety of purposes, ensuring a constant flow of people throughout the day.

     The building itself is quite large, though squat, taking up a large amount of space in the central neighborhood of the campus. It stretches almost to the edge of the campus proper, and behind it, the tall buildings of Chocobo rise, looking over it with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Inside the building, one can find club rooms dedicated to almost anything imaginable appropriate for a school - and more than a few unofficially-leased rooms engaged in wholly inappropriate activities.

     But today is not a day for such things.

     Today is a festival day.

     In the center of the Al Raune Event Wing is what is affectionately known as the Odindome - a large, flat, circular space, surrounded by bleachers. The Odindome is used for all manner of sporting events...and today it is being used for an unofficial festival.

     The 'AL RAUNE DAY'S OUT FESTIVAL' is not an approved festival. No such holiday as Day's Out exists on Galianda, except within the unique school subculture of Alexander Academy. Still, every year, near the end of the semester, teachers and faculty look the other way from the Event Wing as the students set up a massive, sprawling unofficial festival throughout its halls. Booths stretch from the Odindome all the way to the main doors, lined with every sort of good imaginable. The ticking noises of the various Machinery Club's intriguing ideas, the singing of the musical clubs, the delicious scents of local foods from no less than *twelve* different competing cooking clubs...while it pales in comparison to a real festival, or even a proper school festival, it's still a sight to behold. Games, contests...the whole nine yards, all stuffed inside a three-story building.

     Landon al Cid has a very formal state dinner tonight. He is going to sit around with some very boring people, pretend to be entertained by some very predictable women, and generally be bored out of his skull around eight tonight.

     So he figures he might as well enjoy himself at the festival. The Prince has acquired from one of the various stalls a shishkebab made of animal parts he can't immediately identify - he's fairly sure there's catcus in it, but that's what happens when you eat from the Ifrit/Shivan Fusion Cuisine Club's booth.

     He also has a broad smile on his face as he walks through the halls, delighted just to be around people his own age who *aren't* trying to move up the social ladder.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    "This is against regulations. All of them," says Audrey, with her best NO FUN ALLOWED face on. Unfortunately she is neither in a position of authority nor would the faculty staff care. Wearing her KIRIN uniform, which is a downright odd thing to always be wearing (except hers is basically a Grammaton Cleric uniform which means it is AWESOME to wear), Audrey slips into the festivities, complaining to herself this is some sort of horrible breach of protocol and you can't just INVENT a holiday damnit.

    Her mood is quickly replaced by glee as she spots the Machinist booth and kind of slinks over towards it to poke at the new toys they are cooking up. If there's any particular group in the Academy she keeps a positive intimacy with it is the gadgeteers and similar-minded technofreaks.

    They never did like that she won't let them examine her gloves, though. It's a custom Murasame, nothing to scoff, and definitely not something she'd hand over to people who might just be able to reproduce them.

Maya has posed:
Maya has been trying to take thing easier lately also the fact this new world has grabbed her by the collar with how much it semed to share with her own world. Only Arcadia remotely came close to her home so far as she was aware. She wonders if this is the sort of level of prosparity her would might grow into someday with the rebuilding.

Long blue hair? For once that didn't stand out, not in this place. The tattoso visable on her arms and face might get some noticve but other than the morganrote logo on the shirt ther wasn't too much making the cargo pants and shirt itself seem out of place as she started to wander with some food on a stick in hand. So many cultures, so much food, so much to do. Maya was grinning almost like a /kid/.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji isn't moving up the social ladder much.

That's because he's basically at the top already and going higher would require some... regrettable things happening to certain people present.

He wouldn't complain.

Souji has not yet approached the al Cid Prince, but this is because one of the cooking clubs has approached him with a creation of their own, a braised Levitani fish dish with a heavy cream and a Ramuhan-style rice accompaniment.

Souji did not take the first bite himself. There was an instance where someone thought it would be funny to disguise Kyra's lunch. After three people were hospitalized in the ensuing results, aSouji has been able to efficiently allow for a tester t accompany him to efficiently test for both shenanigans and food-based assassination attempts.

Today's lucky winner is Quentyn. Souji is currently watching him intently for signs of poison or someone slipping Malboro into the sauce.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    Today Quentyn's actually in his school uniform (and without his full adventuring kit, for once), apparently having just come from class before being conscripted as a taste tester. There... couldn't be anything in these foods that Esuna or Erase or similar spells couldn't fix, right? ...Right?

    Free food for the little white mage, at least. And... so far so good. Quentyn looks back to Souji with a tentative, nervous smile, but he fidldes with his glasses and gives a thumbs up. "Um... seems OK, sir..."

Noiela (647) has posed:
Faced with a mounting tab and dishwashed raw hands, the local stranger had fled her spartan room to join the unofficial festivities. All on the enthusiastic recommendation of a passing student.
Hood up and hands securely in pockets, Noiela wanders the line of booths to savour the sights and smells in the gaily decorated hall. Inhaling deeply, she lingers a moment to eye up the Rolanberry cheesecake on sale at one booth, before another promoting slabs of crisped bubble chocolate catches her interest.
A smile sluices across the visible part of her pale face. "So much...where next?"
Then, a familar bespectacled face draws her attention, as does the tense young gentleman who seems to be busily engaged in eyeballing the healer like a dragon might the foolish squire. All that is absent is a curl of smoke emitting from one flared nostril. Plus, scales.

Quietly, efficently closing the space between them and her, the tactician blithely overlooks Souji until she has ascertain Quentyn is not about to spontaneously combust, then grants the Murasame heir a polite nod.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
To Quentyn, it probably tastes pretty good, actually.

Quentyn's assurances as well as his own observation seem to bear out the initial assumption that the food is in fact not poisonous. He nods, picks up the utensils, and takes one bite.

Souji chews ponderously, his expression impenetrable as steel as he contemplates the myriad flavors and textures. Finally, he speaks. "The fish is overcooked and has lost flavors. The damage to the consistency of the flesh and meat is almost overcome by the cream sauce, but the sauce is too heavy. The spices in it overwhelm the palate, serving to weigh the meal down. The rice is similarly overcooked. It lacks a defined character and the grain does not compliment the meal properly. The seasoning fights against the spices in the cream, creating disharmony."

Souji's expression is stern. "You have disrespected this food with your inadequate preparation and lack of skill, and brought shame upon your club. I would not feed this meal to my chocobo. Begone."

He turns away, businesslike as the thoroughly chastised cooking club members scatter in the face of epic levels of scorn damage. It is at this point that he nods to Noiela in response. "Greetings. I apologize that you had to witness that. Discipline, talent, and skill are required to properly prepare food, and they lacked in all of these things.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    One might almost picture the thoughts playing across Quentyn's face once the boy spots Noiela. Potential dungeon team recruit! Quentyn perks up. 'Thunder.' Quentyn freezes in place nervously. Just to be on the safe side, well... after a second or two of aether gathering around him, a green glyphic shell forms around the white mage, before simply fading out of existence. Presumably he's already got stoneskin up. "...H-Hi." Nope, no awkwardness here.

    Souji just gets a... well, a kind of odd/'it tasted pretty good to me' look from Quentyn. Fortunately it's a very brief look.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
There is one booth that is not quite like the others. One booth that, through no fault of its own, is kind of left by the wayside by the hustle and bustle of other clubs that have crammed themselves into this space for this unofficial festival of festivals. It doesn't have super-delicious foods, or ticking devices, or anything of the sort.

It has /science/.

The booth in question is a bunch of folding tables, a few chairs, and a banner strung between a couple of poles. (The poles might be spears.) It has displays on it, showing wonders from beyond Galianda, featuring strange planets made of dirt and rock, suns and stars that are supposedly each some kind of mass of incandescent gas, and many other wonders... OF THE EXTRAVERSE!!

The banner, incidentally, reads 'LIGHT WARRIORS'.

Kamon sits behind the tables at one of the chairs. There is a bottle of Fire Red ETHER in front of him. Nearby is a tray of lumps of what is probably dough, with a little sign. The sign reads 'COURAGE COOKIES: Free! One per Visitor' and is somewhat near the WONDERS OF THE EXTRAVERSE displays.

Kamon himself has not touched the cookies once, save to hand them out. He won't say why.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    SCORN SENSE TINGLING.

    Audrey abandons the Machinists and whatever revolutionary wi-fi toaster they have come up with today. Don't get her wrong, her toaster is wi-fi too, but she just sensed something far more important.

    The next time Quentyn turns around, if he does at all, he will notice the girl standing behind him, arms crossed, her eyes locked on Souji. If he does NOT turn around he's about to get a jump scare when she breaks her silence with:

    "Sir."

    She considers small chat like 'I see you are enjoying the festivities'. She also just considers saying 'this is dumb and stupid, we could be doing important things'. She does not say any of those things.

Hywnd Eblan (646) has posed:
Suddenly, Hywnd Eblan!

The Levitani ninja is clad in a longsleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans, as she approaches the COURAGE COOKIES table. She stares at the lumps of dough that someone called cookies, and grabs one. "Seems like a challenge. I'll take it." She has no clue what to expect as she bites into the cookie, and it probably will not be good.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     "You ought perhaps to try the Ifriti Cuisine Club booth, then, Mr. Murasame," Landon observes as he rounds the corner. He has a broad smile on his face and the strange shish-ke-bob in hand, and he appears totally unaffected by Souji Murasame's casual scorn. "It might suit your sensibilities better. I hear they imported some Sweet Cactus Fruit."

     The actual translation of this in Noble-ese is probably something along the lines of YOU ARE A DRY AND ARID PERSON WHO HATES EVERYTHING, GO EAT FROM THE DESERT, but Landon is possibly too nice a person to mean it that way, maybe? Who knows?

     "I understand the Light Warriors also have cookies, amongst our Wonders Of The Universe Presentation. It's really quite lovely. You should come see it."

     Landon takes a moment to look at the others gathered. "Ah, and good afternoon to each of you. I am Landon al Cid. It's a pleasure to meet any friends of Mr. Murasame; he's quite well-known. He's a good person to know in the world."

     He offers his hand to Quentyn for a firm handshake, the sort of handshake that only a swordsman might have; for Audrey and Noiela, unless he's prevented in some fashion, he takes their hands to his lips for a brief, courtly kiss. Last, but not least, he grabs Souji's hand for a similarly tight, polite handshake.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     This display took a little bit of work to make in a hurry. Fortunately, Soan knows people. People that helped set up quick their little corner of EXTRAVERSAL MYSTERIES AND SCIENCE.

     Soan is very near the booth, just a bit ahead holding a small pile of paper sheet, lavishly printed with nice decorations, filled with large text that plainly explains the content of their wonderous booth. He's clothed as he usually is, giving the Levitani that JUST APPEARED a look, giving her a grin.

     "Oh, take that of what you will! Hello!" He says, handing Hywnd one of his fliers. "Feel free to ask questions!"

Maya has posed:
Maya takes note of Quentyn and Noi whom she starts gravating trowards them with a grin on her face. She seems to be taking in eveyrthing and calls out.

"Hey should /have exoected to see you both here."

She pauses at the prince for a moment and says

"Hello to you again Prince Landon."

Humm cookies huh? That sounds wonderful.

Noiela (647) has posed:
t "Perhaps soured cream and a more pulse based rice would have improved the quality, if not covered for the usual tendancy to overcook." Noiela quietly adds, "Not that I am seasoned in the art of harmonizing flavours to produce...favourable results." The cookies. Her mouth twists faintly as Quentyn shifts from frozen terror to mild anxiety, whether from amusement, dismay or simple perplexity at the extreme reaction to her presence, she stoically soldiers on as per usual.
Audrey she glimpses in advance to give the almost imperceptible nod. Banter is hardly her speciality, after all.

Then, just as she has opened her mouth to possibly hold forth, there is yet another person. Upon registering the familiar voice, identity backed up by the blue haired Maya apparating from the sidelines the pale haired mystery gives a light shudder, mentally locking up. Gingerly, she extends a gloved hand for the Prince from the depths of a voluminous sleeve.

"I...would refrain from tasting the cookies. Truly, your grace-I ah, tasted one earlier. An unprecedented level of baking soda."

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
The COURAGE COOKIES are not so much terrible as they are dry, crumbly, and /really weird/. They taste strongly of... of... /something/ sweet, maybe chocolate? Maybe? What they /do/ do is dry out the eater's mouth almost immediately, and more or less shut down their taste buds as they go into overload. How long that lasts tends to vary between person to person.

This is probably not intentional. It is also likely that each batch is a little worse than the last, instead of better. Neither Soan nor Kamon can actually bake, even with Tactician-granted instructions. Noiela did her best.

"Hi." Kamon raises his hand in greeting. He leans to the side, picks up a bottle of water, and slides it across the table.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    The festivities have a lot to see and while he is distracted for a moment, there's plenty to look around at. And next time Quentyn looks that way, he straightens up when he sees Audrey. And actually flashes her a quick smile. "Hi Audrey. Um... pretty neat festival isn't it?" It... it looks like Quentyn actually means it.

    Then the prince of Ramuh himself? Social overload for the poor white mage. He straightens up even more than before, freezing in place for a few moments before he manages to stammer out a quiet "Quentyn Westwind, nice to meet you, sir." Surprisingly, once the handshake starts some instinct seems to take over and Landon gets a Shivan handshake in return... or as much as a small mage type can pull it off anyway. Also surprisingly (for an associate of Murasame), Quentyn seems to be just as sincere at trying to be respectful to Landon as he was trying to be friendly with Audrey moments before.

    Quentyn gives a polite nod and wave and a small smile in greeting to Maya.

    Quentyn takes a breath, fiddling with his glasses again, and then its out, long and slow. Then he works up the courage to speak to Noiela, complete with a flicker of a smile even. "U-um... about before... it's that, um. My class team fell apart and the qualification is really soon and um, if you clear the qualification you get the license and rewards too. And... I need the license to graduate to the next level here..." Quentyn just explains all at once. "And we could use someone good with tactics if you're, um, interested..."

Hywnd Eblan (646) has posed:
As soon as Hywnd bites down into the cookie and chews the bite, she's immediately tossing it at a wall, as she chokes on the taste. "What the hell kind of cookie is this!? My entire mouth is numb and I can't even guess what the hell was in that!"

Her hand lunges for the bottle of water, which she quickly cracks the top off and begins to pour down into her mouth. "There should be a law against this. It's almost completely inedible." Though, to be fair, Hywnd has a stronger sense of taste than most.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    Audrey will take the handshake, actually. Unless the prince absolutely wants to kiss the sleek technogloves for the sake of being polite. She wouldn't stop him! But it's obvious there isn't much effect on her. Could it be the girl has no particular respect for the royalty of Ramuh?

    "Al Cid," she does say, though. A sort of nod and half-assed salute. "Stormfist. I work for mister Murasame." And, obviously, she is a student here, but that goes without saying.

    Her answer to Quentyn is a shrug. "I have only minimal interest in the made-up student holiday. If we permitted everyone to just invent holidays any day they so please we would never get anything done."

    Well isn't someone FUN and PARTY-LOVING.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     All things considered, the cookie could have been a lot, lot worse. Soan watches curiously as Hywnd takes a bite out of the cookie... and promptly flip the hell out. Wow, they're strong, they even SMELL strong to his hyper developed sense of smell, but that's kind of ridiculous. "The kind of cookie made of many Extraversal ingredients." The Thief explains, rather proudly. It's not pride born out of the quality of the cookies. "Much like the extraverse, theses cookies shatter expectations!"

     Soan grins, turning his attention away. "Besides, you've shown /great courage/! Kamon, give her the tour!"

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Quentyn's response causes a faint tightening of the eyes from Souji. His expression is placid, but the response is there. He measures Noiela with a slightly different weight to the gaze, nodding faintly as if seeing something he might have expected to find. "The art of cooking is one that many strive their entire lives to master. It is a celebration of life. A well-prepared meal can nourish the soul, while a poor one can drag a man down. It is a person's obligation to themselves to choose wisely."

He turns towards Aubrey as he is addressed. He does not appear surprised in the least. "Stormwind." He greets in the clipped, businesslike tone he uses for practically everyone. He does not, however, seem to have anything else to say at the moment. Or perhaps there is a case of Prince Interrupt.

Souji turns and gives the Prince a short bow, precisely the amount required in formal occasions. The al Cid heir and the Murasame heir are like night and day. Where the Prince is easygoing and casual when possible, Souji is formal and businesslike. Even their mode of dress and appearances are almost the opposite. "I shall have to take your recommendation under advisement, Prince." Souji replies smoothly, returning the handshake with a fraction more pressure than it normally expected. "You have ever been known to enjoy the fruits of the salt of the earth." You won't even need a Noble Translator for that one.

Souji frowns as he hears the Light Warriors have baked cookies. "It it altogether wise to allow that... club... to furnish food of any type at a gathering, Prince? This seems like it would contribute towards an unpleasant situation." Like another Kyra Event. "You flatter me with your praise, Prince." Souji responds to the last, his tone neutral like a knife's edge.

Maya has posed:
Maya gets one of the most formal greetings she's have been given in some time she looks a bit stunned and says "Thank you!"

A decade ago maya snaps out of i a bit when Noi seem to have her attention for a moment she kinda give her a I'm not used to this either too kinda of look. Seriously most of hte interactions with noblity on her world has often been her either throwing her blood line in thier face or the business end of a rifle. Even now it's still something to get used to.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon offers Noiela a distant, slightly knowing, smile. He asked over the Light Warriors radio. He's a cautious sort of man, sometimes. "I'm afraid I already had one. I actually found it quite an interesting taste. Certainly unique. Not bad on its own...though I might advise a healthy drink."

     He still kisses Audrey's hand, because it's polite. The fact that it's coated in machinery is irrelevant. Landon is a man who stands on courtly manners like Murasam stands on money - it's a foundation of what they do, wired into their character. "A pleasure, Miss Stormfist. Ah, you're not a fan? I rather think it's a lovely tradition, myself...granted, not entirely within the rules, but, well...it's harmless." He smiles. He is probably thinking of another strict, rules-loving, pale-ish-haired lady. Audrey and Cirra would either get along swimmingly or want to murder each other instantaneously.

     "A pleasure, Mister Westwind. I look forward to seeing your team in action." He shifts his gaze to Souji.

     His smile literally never wavers. It doesn't even turn icy. Landon is either completely dense, or genuinely kind-hearted, or both. "I do, yes. It's a very honest sort of meal. To be honest, I think I like the mistakes more than I do the well-cooked meals of a family chef...the mistakes make it feel more..." He purses his lips.

     "Real, somehow, I suppose. I'm aware that that's silly, but..." He waves his hand in front of his face and laughs.

     "Ah, well, as you well know, I don't have any authority over the school. I could no more ask them to stop doing this than I could demand anything else. Besides, it's not as if this event is wholly regulated by the school...and I'm certain we have plenty of White Mages and accomplished Chemists on hand in the event of another, erm..."

     He waves his hand.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
"It's a Courage Cookie," Kamon says, probably unhelpfully. "You eat one to test your courage. And, if you want," he nods slightly at Soan, "we tell you about weird Extraverse stuff." He gestures at the standing displays on the tables. It's kind of like a science fair exhibit, except with less cool things flashing and more posterboards.

"Like the planets made of dirt," he offers. "And lava. And lots, and lots, and lots of water." There is so much water. It's like Leviathan /everywhere/, except with marginally less pirates, he thinks.

Noiela (647) has posed:
"Indeed." There seems little the tactician desires to add on to Soujis minor speech expounding upon the importance of a refined palette, what use is superfluous contribution?

Wincing visibly from the invisible blow of pride as the cookies are first hurled and then embellished into special nibbles ported straight from another universe altogether by the duo, so it is with a gratitude bordering on effusive she twists round to regard the timid Quentyn and his question.

"If permitted, yes...I hardly imagine you would require another warrior...your people seem exceptionally capable when it comes to combat. Especially in the field of magic." A strained note when magic is uttered, plastered over with a hasty quirk of the mouth originally intended to be smiling.

A meaningful look between Maya and her when the two diametric opposites amount to what is a veiled standoff, chill night and warm day bound to be the cause of more than a little mental whiplash. Rather than waste breath on conversation, she retreats to the position known intimately; observer and firmly in the stranger camp alongside Maya, with whom she shares a meaningful look.

Hywnd Eblan (646) has posed:
"So the payment for eating that garbage, is learning stuff I could learn by going out there myself?" Hywnd seems to grimace, before she speaks again. "Most interesting thing you have seen in the Extraverse. I want to know what it is.". Hywnd impatiently taps her fingers on the table, she's going to get something out of this.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    Audrey just gets a kind of puzzled Quentyn-face for a moment. "Thanks, sir," Quentyn gives Landon a smile that's still a bit shy, but encouraged. "Um, I'll try that food you recommended too."

    Quentyn looks around at the various stalls, and he particularly perks when he spots the Light Warriors one. Looking back to Noiela, "Thanks! Umm, it's this Whyday, and..." He looks back at the stall, then back to the tactician, then to Souji and Landon and et al. "Wanna go look at the other stalls?" the white mage asks in a low murmur, starting to drift away from the political grouping and seeing if he goes unnoticed.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
"Odin," Kamon replies immediately, "with an enormous black sword, fighting a dozen people without breaking a sweat."

He takes a sip of his ETHER.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    The brief exchange between Souji and Audrey is basically all she wanted! It is short, conveys many things in a simple word and nod, and everyone around them immediatly understands these two have a deep bond that has transcended words.
    TRANSCENDED. WORDS.

    Get that Quentyn? You haven't transcended words.
    You're the food tester.
    You're the body we stand on to reach the top shelf.

    Her extremely megalomaniac train of thought is derailed by the fact she has to answer the prince, her eyes turning back to him with a brief, far less respectful and definitely not word-transcended, nod. "I prefer efficiency. I don't mind the occasional celebration, it is good for morale, but there is always a lot of work to do and an impromptu unofficial holiday slows everything down."

    She wonders how Souji does it, kissing up to royalty. He should hire someone to do it for him. An Orator or something. That'd be very efficient.

    The matter of the Worst Cookies In Existence is left be, probably because she thinks she might be enjoying the sight of Hywnd choking on them.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Almost on cue, Soan produces a tablet out of nowhere, flipping it around to show a rather dark-looking, Odin in middle of a fight with a dozen people, including Kamon.

     Soan is not in the frame. He seem to have taken the photo.

Hywnd Eblan (646) has posed:
"That...what. Extraverse is strange. What about location-wise? Strangest terrain? Strangest creatures? I'm going to need to see some of this stuff." Hywnd actually starts to grin. She also kind of wants to go punch Odin because that sounds like a good challenge. "Where is this Odin?"

Maya has posed:
Maya is very mucha noutsider here wioth Noiela, when all is said and done she's still learning a lot ab out here after all but in a strnge way there's a lot in common here. She gives Quentyn a look and pauses for a moment "Might there be any local food you'd suggest Mr. Westwind."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji simply assumes Landon has an exceptionally good poker face. Someone who doesn't generally doesn't last long amidst Ramuhan high nobility. "Despite you having no authority over the school, your influence is still felt. These... 'Light Warriors' are given undue allowances due to your own patronage that would not be afforded others, and this callous disregard for serving substandard food..." Souji frowns. "I see I will have to attend to this personally. If you will excuse me, Prince." Souji turns, and begins approaching the ramshackle setup of the Light Warriors. Uh oh.

"Lionward. Sagittarius. What absurdity are you attempting to foist upon the Academy this time?" Souji says as he approaches. His eyes narrow as he observes the COURAGE COOKIES. "And dispose of those... things... before someone harms themselves attempting to consume them."

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    Quentyn stops in his tracks, "Umm..." He looks around at the various food stalls, curling a finger and tapping its chin. Then he nods decisively and points out the Ifriti/Shivan fusion club's food stall. "Yah, I bet that's good." And yet... Quentyn doesn't take a single step towards it. He looks back to Maya. "And just Quentyn is OK," he gives a quick smile. Maya, afterall, looks more like an adventurer than those stiff political sorts.

    And, oh, Souji's going where this particular student wanted to go anyway. Maybe he'll stay with the big boss afterall. Buuuut... Quentyn winces at the words Murasame dishes out to the pair, and he gives them an apologetic look. "Umm, they organize parties to explore the outworlds, sir." Quentyn explains, trying to be helpful and get Souji to back off them a little. He doesn't say anything about the cookies, but instead gives them a curious look. To Kamon and Soan, "...Are those the cookies Kyra talked about?"

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     It's true. Lacking a Poker Face in Ramuhan high politics is as good as being useless and or dead. It makes you weak - and as much as a lot of the nobility believes that the al Cids are weak common-lovers, there's a reason the al Cids are still in power. Landon surveys Souji without betraying a thought, but as Souji moves over to the booth, it's basically out of his hands. To pursue Murasame would make him look pathetic. He'll just have to trust in his friends.

     He offers Noiela a broad smile. "I imagine that such matters will be tended to soon enough, in regards to Extraversals joining school clubs. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Lady Noiela."

     "Ah, well, Miss Stormfist...it's nearly the end of the year, after all. I'm certain there's no real harm in a bit of relaxation." The Prince's smile widens. It's a very pretty smile. He's a very pretty man.

     He shifts his attention towards the booth. This may soon become...ugly.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
"Oh, show her the one with the mountains," Kamon mutters to Soan, who is currently in possession of their actual electronic device. Everything else is still photos on things like posterboards.

And then Souji happens. Kamon visibly steels himself for the encounter. He looks up at Souji, smiling at him in a pleasant manner. It's entirely fake, but they have to be polite to everyone, even Souji Murasame. "Hello, Souji." He looks at the COURAGE COOKIES and then at Souji again. Quentyn gets his attention before he addresses the rich kid who is scorning in their direction. Your time is soon, Souji Murasame.

"There's nothing wrong with them. Kyra's probably just exaggerating," Kamon says, a little defensively. He looks back to Souji. "We got an extraversal recipe, that's all. Here, look." Kamon reaches out, snagging a COURAGE COOKIE. He pops the misshapen lump in his mouth whole, biting down with a dry /crunch/. "Shee?" He chews and swallows, straight-faced.

Kamon picks up a second one, taking a bite. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. "Totally safe," he says to the approaching group as a whole. He enunciates clearly to make up for the total lack of sensation in his mouth. "Kind of chocolatey. We just made too many."

Kamon picks up a third and very deliberately locks eyes with Souji. He puts it between his teeth and bites down. Crunch.

        Crunch.

                /Crunch/.

"Want one?" He holds up the tray. He's probably fighting off the Poison effect as he speaks.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    --> IF <-- Souji actually moves to bite one of those things? Quentyn will speak up rapidly, "Um, sir, as a white mage I *really really really* think you shouldn't eat those. I talked to someone and it's a kinda, um... hazing? thing or something like that. But um, I don't know what they do to those and you could end up in a hospital for a day or two depending on what is in there, um, sir. And food related effects can include vomiting and diarrhea."

    But if Souji doesn't make such a foolish move, Quentyn will leave it well enough alone.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon, a broad and knowing smile on his face at both Kamon and Noiela, slides over and picks up a cookie for himself. He glances at Murasame thoughtfully, fingering the cookie in his hand.

     He takes a bite.

     And he just keeps eating.

     Yes. Kamon did the challenge. Yes. That will infuriate Murasame. But now, with the Prince in play, if Souji falls back on Quentyn...well.

     *Well*.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan Sagittarius does just that, flipping on the tablet to show a breathtaking view of a mountain top, frozen from the altitude and with a clear over view of a strange thing for any Galiandans eyes: a desert, vast and wide, streching out all the way to an ocean, barely visible at the edges. It's a sunset, with a great deal of colors in the air.

     Then Souji comes. Soan remains mostly silent, remaining quite pleasant with his smile as he watches Kamon take care of himself very well. He knows a bluff when he sees one, but Souji. "He's right." Soan chips in, keeping his tablet to be in clear sight for everyone that wants to see the beautiful sights. "We made too many. The recipe made quite a lot of it, so here we are."

     Then Kamon bets it all. Soan can admire that level of guts. This is kind of insane. In fact, he will assist.

     Soan reaches out for a cookie, smiling over at Quentyn as he comments his vehement disapproval, taking a large bite out of it. It's painful. It's dry. Oh gods the taste. But he chews and go through it.

     "Well?" Soan asks.

Noiela (647) has posed:
If Quentyn spoke up, Noiela would throw out a lopsided smile for the Prince and his pretty, criminally goodlooking self. Briefly flustered, standing strong against the tide.

Endevouring to discreet smother the white mages mouth with a bright, "Bit of crumb sticking to your cheek-let me address that for you..." Gabbling at high speed, her other arm attempts to snake round and jerk him closer. Forced onto her tiptoe to rely the message in a hissed whisper close to his ear. "Stay out directly-no implicating anybody. Best to intervene and render them inedible. As in...fragmented inedibility."

Maya has posed:
Maya looks at the cookies for a moment she has to ponder about going for them she's not sure to be perfectly honest, after he encounter with mokuba? She's going tohold on of being as daring at this point. She loks to Quentyn for a moment and has to wonder about these cookies now. she's intently watching Kamon at this point.

"I admit I'm curious about the school as mine was to put uit mindoly primative compared to the resources you have here."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji remains storm-faced as he looks upon Kamon's antics. He continues to watch as Kamon eats one. Then a second. And a third. He can see the effect it's having on Lionward. For a moment, it seems like he would just turn away and snark about Kamon's obvious lack of taste and cooking talent. Same with Soan. They aren't part of his accepted peer group, he isn't required to...

But then Landon takes one. Souji freezes mid-scorn, his eyes flicking towards Landon, watching him for a moment. His eyes flash for a moment with delicious, dark hatred. He will remember this, al Cid.

Souji turns back to the plate. This will require an appropriate response. His hand begins to move towards the pile of cookies, when Quentyn does the honorable thing and warns Souji about how horrible an idea this is.

He knows it's a horrible idea. There is no part of him that wants to do this, but now he must. And he must move decisively.

With his eyes upon Kamon, Souji picks up a cookie and takes a bite. There is a crunch, and the heir's expression almost cracks as the flavor hits his tastebuds. However, he chews and swallows, then finishes the first.

    Then he takes a second.

    And then he picks up a third. He bites into it, his face going a little pale as he works his way, parched, through a third.

And then he does something completely insane. He picks up a fourth. His hand shakes slightly as he does so, and he puts it in his mouth. The sound of him chewing is something akin to listening to someone throw gravel into a clothes dryer. By the time he is done, his complexion is pale and expression stone dead.

But the eyes still burn as they stare directly at Lionward. If Souji was a Blue Mage, he'd probably be manifesting eyelasers by now. Or maybe Level 5 Death. He trembles slightly, perhaps from the wrath of his digestive tract.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    Why is everyone so inclined to commit suicide by cookie?
    Audrey grimaces.

    She looks at Souji. "Sir. If you're really hungry, I can go get you real cookies. From a reputable, very expensive sto--"

    NOPE. He's eating. She cringes.

    "Westwind. If he dies, you are not leaving this room alive either."

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    Quentyn might not be good with nuances. But Soan adds to the pressure. Landon, looking at Souji, eats one too. Even Quentyn can figure out it's a prank or something. The kid gives each of them dark, reproachful looks (not very intimidating coming from Quentyn)--interrupted only by the sudden hand over his mouth. He starts to pull away but, caught off guard and off balance, it's not much of an attempt. He reluctantly listens, but... Noiela actually has kind of a point.

    Quentyn makes a second attempt to pull away from her (though he's not exactly strong if she's really determined) and, if successful, tries to slam a hand down on the edge of Kamon's tray and send the cookies flying! The white mage isn't exactly subtle.

    Audrey gets an absolutely lethal look.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The Prince, meanwhile, actually picks up a second cookie and takes a bite. He's past this contest, now; his role is done. He's legitimately enjoying them!

     Freak.

     "You know," Landon observes after a moment, "This could make some very serious money, in the right market. Lady Noiela, this is your recipe, yes? Would you mind terribly if I spoke to my father tonight about purchasing it? I have a few ideas."

     "Don't you think these would be quite fantastic at a wine-taster, Murasame?"

     Landon, in the intricate dance that is this conversation, shifts his foot forward, taking the lead, as he brings up the idea of /profitizing ths horrible crap/.

% He glances at Audrey and coughs, politely, into his hand. "I doubt very much that a few cookies are going to kill him, unless he's tremendously sickly. It's not as if they're *poisoned*. I'm eating the same thing he is, you know. Are you...feeling unwell, Murasame? Should I tell them you won't be at tonight's dinner?"

     He does not duck the flying cookies. Instead, like the proper, gallant knight that he is, Landon simply takes the tray to the face. Better he than someone else!

Noiela (647) has posed:
The damage is dealt. Noiela releases Quentyn limply from her grasp to go smash. Let loose the dogs of war for plan B where regardless of Quentyns own success the tactician slides one hand into her pocket to lightly finger a clinking bottle, the last of her vulneraries brought unfathomable miles overseas to approach the two as they duke it out.
She flinches when Landon fingers her as the culprit, turning a ghastly corpse white as wavering, she surprises herself by only stuttering once in response.
"W-what? Yes, tis mine...with a few additions." A wrathful glare is transmitted mainly at Soan, being the closest target to pour her smouldering rage over. Choking down her pride, she sidles closer to the tray, "I suppose they do possess a certain...unique piquancy."

Fingers trembling, she leans with her back to the tray and one hand planted for balance as she juggles the bottle. Speaking louder to disguise its quiet gurgle.
"Perhaps, we could merge the uh...dinner you mentioned with this business proposal?"

Ack, incoming white mage. Diving away, Noiela ungracefully hits the floor with a loud thump. The glass bottle? It rolls away, leaving a dribbled stream of fluid as it is swallowed by the booths table cloth.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     This is such a spectacle, Soan thinks, trying to ignore the terrible, dry pain he's feeling as he tries to swallow the cookies, a hand gently adjusting something on the glasses on his jacket, making sure that he is /recording/. This is precious, after all. This is the best. This went far too badly than he could have imagined, but this... also did not go nearly as BAD as he thought it has, so far anyway.

     Souji ate four. It's impressive, all by itself. Quentyn's attentions are very well intentioned, Soan grabbing a few cookies as he slam his fist down on the plate. Good lord.

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    Cookies successfully scattered, Quentyn moves to stomp them into dust one by one. Would be better and more dramatic if he had boots rather than the school uniform shoes, but they will have to do. Somehow, he seems to miss that Noiela made them. Probably more focused on the task at hand than conversation.

    "You all think you're super manly and impressing everyone here?" Stomp on cookie. "Who do you think has to work overtime in the infirmary fixing your sorry asses??" Stomp on cookie "*TRY* working a week in the infirmary and see if you still want to pull this shit after you see what happens to some of the people there!" Final, dramatic stomp on cookie. Then he settles for silently glaring at those presently.

    Lastly... he walks off angrily to go find some water bottles. Then returns and offers them resentfully to anyone that ate a cookie.

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    Audrey is half-impressed.
    Not so much she flinches and backs away, but enough that once Quentyn's little fit is (mostly) contained, she smiles. "Where have you been hiding that backbone all this time? You should use it more often. But don't forget your place. Watch your tongue around mister Murasame."

    She's not THREATENING him anymore, at least. "What foul ingredients even went into making those cookies? How do you even butcher cookies so much they become a biological hazard?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Did somebody say 'people going to the infirmary?" an excited, eager voice sounds out as Kyra sliiiiiides her head over to peer through the doorway. "Who? A student? An /extraversal/???"

    She seems especially excited about treating an extraversal person for some bizzare and probably worrisome reason.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji cannot immediately respond to Landon. His mouth seems to be incapable of producing sound for the moment. He stares at Quentyn's angry outburst, and waits for him to complete it. A hand is held out, and a water bottle is placed in it. He takes a long drink of water, saying precisely nothing to Westwind /or/ Stormfist regarding their interactions. Instead, he looks directly towards Landon. Souji's jaw clenches slightly in a betrayal of his opinions of the matter. "I would advise against such an action, Prince. Your tastes appear to be... /unique/ in this matter." There is a burbling noise for a moment. Souji pretends studiously his gut didn't make that noise. "I will be fine, Prince. Thank you for your concern."

The next few hours are going to be hell.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     "Ah, well. If you need to see a White Mage, you appear to have a most spirited and commendable one on hand," Landon observes, patting Quentyn on the shoulder, "His concern for us truly speaks well of you, Murasame! And, besides; between he and Lady Hyral, I have no doubt that they can cure anything. Good day, Lady Hyral. Mr. Murasame appears to be suffering from a sick stomach. Have you any remedies?"

     He smiles at Souji jovially. "Besides! I should hate for you to miss tonight's dinner, Murasame. It would be really inconvenient!" He needs Souji to help him tank the gaggle of inconvenient women.

     Landon bends over and offers a hand to Noiela. "Are you quite alright, Lady Noiela? You took a bad spill there. I should very much like to turn our dinner into a business meeting, I think, though I must postpone until...mmm, say, tomorrow?"

     "And, really, I don't think /biological hazards/ even comes close to these. They're just *dry*. Goodness! Biological hazards." Landon laughs, a merry, jovial laugh. "Just needs a good drink on hand to bring out the flavor."

Quentyn Westwind (635) has posed:
    If one pays very close attention to Quentyn's expression... they might already see the beginnings of guilt and embarrassment pulling at his face as he finally comes down. He just doesn't look at Audrey. Nor at Noiela. Not even at Landon when he gets patted. And when Kyra appears, he justs ort of seems to deflate and shrink a little. Hurrying past her and towards the exit, the other white mage mumbles just as hurriedly, "You take care of them. Food poisoning. Self inflicted. They'll pretend to be fine." Was his face a little red?

Noiela (647) has posed:
Nursing one scraped elbow, Noiela draws in a sharp breath upon witnessing mild Quentyn rage and stomp like a madman, hand lightly patting her forehead. "No fever." Woozily, the girl clambers up with additional assitance from Landon from her crounched position, hood flopping down in the sudden movement. Instant she is upright, his hand is dropped like a hot potato and he recieves a pinched 'smile' for his gentlmanly behaviour.
"Westwind." It feels as though her tongue has stuck firmly in place, denying her any means to vocalise. Instead, she shoots an incredulous look at Audrey and tries to communicate via the long neglected art of mime with Kyra. Mainly by jabbing at approximately the main victims in one rather bumpy sweep of an arm.
Just in case Quentyn was not sufficently clear with his outright scorn what occured.
Then, without more than a gulped farewall, she excuses herself to dash after the likely humilated Quentyn. Her expression more than a touch suffused with pink.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Man, food poisoning is serious business! You shouldn't cover up food poisoning." Kyra lectures, stepping past Quentyn as he exits in a flurry of blushing. "I would know!" Yes, yes she would know since she causes food poisoning on a regular basis.

    (Unintentionally.)

    "But yes, I do have several remedies for it that I keep on my person at all times." She pauses, reddening just slightly as she catches the implications of this preparation. A vial is pulled from beneath her hoodie. "-it neutralizes the bacterial strain that causes the most discomfort and expells the offending matter before it can wreak anymore havoc. Um. You might want to be near a bathroom before taking this, just sayin'."

    She waggles the vial in the air. "Or I could cast esuna. That'll probably work."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan has been remarkably quiet during most of this, munching simply on the remains of the cookie, looking around and about even as Kyra comes about. The thief gives her a small, friendly wave,.

     yeah, he's quiet, still showing off some breathtaking photos on his table of a tall, tall mountain overseeing a desert and the beach of an ocean.

Maya has posed:
Maya has been keeping back out of this dispute but it seems there are others who can help wth it she looks to Westwind for a moment she's not sure how best to intermeix with this there is wquite a bit of going on she looks at the cookies for a moment.

"To be fair the last time I was invited out for dinner the person tried to posion me and several others."

She makes a bit of a face, she's not going to forget Mokuba's antics there or ... the fact had she died it would have brought a war down upon that boy's nation. Thankfylly she focuses abck on thing.

"...it should in my esperiance do that I had to do the same for someone who'd had too much to drink."

Audrey Stormfist (652) has posed:
    Situation seems to have resolved itself.
    That's when Kyra arrives, and Audrey frowns.

    "Sir. I'll be in contact range if you need me. There are studies I need to tend to as well," Audrey tells Souji, her eyes glaring at the rebel of a Hyral just ever so subtly.

    There is probably something going on there.
    But the two likely don't have any actual bad blood! Audrey has just always been especially cold towards Kyra in their interactions (if any), for no discernable reason.

    She excuses herself and takes off.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
    Souji further notices Audrey's existence by nodding to her, and then turns. He turns to looks directly at Kyra as she offers to give them all laxatives to solve the problem. "It will not be necessary." He says in a level tone to her.

He then announces, "I have business to attend to. Do not think that my objections are satisfied, Light Warriors."

He turns towards Landon, and gives a short bow, before he turns and begins to leave, the burbling of his gut following him out.

Kamon Lionward (628) has posed:
Kamon seems unmoved by the displays of bravado and cookie-crushing. He chews very slowly throughout it all. When the cookies go everywhere, he jerks forward and to the side in his seat, as if trying to catch the tray. He doesn't really get anything at all, as far as most people can tell. He frowns when things get turned into crumbs and a huge mess both.

When people start to disperse, Kamon slowly gets up, silently. He smiles at Kyra, and then picks up a broom he had nearby for mess-related reasons. Kamon starts sweeping up around the booth, slowly and evenly.

The keen-eyed (and Souji) will notice him chewing on a fourth. His coat pocket bulges slightly. There are not enough cookie-bits on the floor to account for all of them. Did he catch some after all...?

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Sweep. Sweep. Sweep.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Are you sure you don't need it?" Kyra calls after Souji pleasantly. "It might help with the stick up y-wait, what objections?" She whirls to look at Kamon, Landon, and Soan, "What is he talking about?"

    There is a brief pause accompanied by perhaps a spark of electricity as Kyra makes eye contact with Audrey Stormfist. Ever so slightly, Kyra narrows her eyes at the monk before turning away with a huff. She's never been entirely sure about the ongoing coldness from that girl; Kamon and Soan might have heard her remark about its strangeness every now and then.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan is recovering from his cookie, taking in a deep breath as he can feel some saliva coming back. This is not worse than breathing fire, he keeps telling himself. It's not worse than that.

     "The Club's existance and purpose, I bet he means." He says to Kyra, closing up the tablet as people are starting to disperse. "You know he don't like it."

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon heaves a sigh. "He objects largely to the way you've been permitted to interact with the extraverse at large, I imagine."

     "I wouldn't worry about it. The club was approved long before I joined. If need be, I'll excuse myself from it. I'll make certain that my presence doesn't cause you any trouble."