YEAR OF THE TIGERDRAGON

[vengaboy]

No matter what language you speak, no matter what country or universe you reside in, a mysterious letter has found its way to you. Those who can read it will recognize it as an ornately scripted Japanese new year's invitation; those who don't might not even know these elaborate squiggles mean anything at all. Either way, when you look up from the neatly folded paper, you're probably nowhere near home anymore.

Where is this?! When is this?! Welcome to Japan as it was kinda, sorta, just shy of the year 1600, esteemed guests! If it somehow feels like it isn't even the right month anymore, that's because local time and date is still on the lunar system. It's fine. New Year's parties are New Year's parties.

And those parties mean alcohol! Music! Dancing! Feasting! Don't be shy! There are a number of attendants in colourful livery nearby, eagerly expecting an influx of new guests. They're all friendly enough, but they don't seem to bear the crest of any particular clan and sharp-eyed visitors may catch the briefest glimpse of a striped fluffy tail or a foxy grin... or is it a trick of the light? If you want nothing to do with any of this, they might pout a little but will send you home without any problem. But if you choose to follow them beyond the gates, get ready for one hell of a night. The only kind of explanation you get for what's going on is that the Takeda and Date clans have set aside their rivalries for a night of PEACE AND PARTY and everyone's invited. What does that mean? Go find out for yourself.

Of course folks from all over have been invited to this thing, but outnumbering the other guests by far are a bunch of rowdy samurai types, some in their armour, many in more formal robes, several proudly bearing banners of red or blue. Nobody appears to have any weapons on them, but if any guest takes that as an opportunity to start some shit they're going to be swarmed in like two seconds, so... maybe don't do that. However! There is plenty of space outside to spar in, if that's your thing! Or you can stay inside and drink, eat, enjoy the music, exchange raunchy stories, be an awkward wallflower, drink some more, witness some weird and kind of horrific family bonding, watch the unique display of gun- and canonfire alongside the fireworks, explore the scenic countryside outside of the compound, listen to some smug asshole in an eyepatch and some kid in red scream really loud at eachother, get playfully bullied into taking part in a ceremony you know nothing about, drain a bottle or two, flirt with famous historical figures, or... whatever you want!

All fandoms, all mediums, AUs, doubles, OCs, etc are all fair play here! Invite your friends! Invite your dog! Go nuts! Just slap a warning up if any threads take a particularly violent or sexy turn. Or both. I ain't judging.

LET'S PARTY!

Comments

[alloutoflove]

Ueeeeeeee...

[ Listen, Chisa has seen a lot of Big Appetites in her time, both as a student and as a teacher as Hope's Peak, and this is still pretty impressive even by her standards. It's probably at the tail end of Ibaraki's food rampage, so she's probably not quite as distracted by food as she'd be at the start of it.

And of course Chisa is dressed cutely for tonight. What do you take her for?

Though she's not quite ladylike in her tone as she mutters. ]

You're gonna make yourself sick that way...

[ooeshii]

[She's at least slowing down on the konpeito, though it may be out of boredom more than being full, and she's possessive of the bowl anyhow, curling one arm around it. How can anyone eat this much pure sugar?]

Hmm? You wish! I can't be taken down just by sweets! You're jealous!

[alloutoflove]

Ehhhhhhh, no way!

[ If anything, she takes a half-step back. That's so much sugar... just watching it makes her feel a little ill... ]

For one thing, I could make wa~~ay better than the stuff here! Why settle for second best?

[ooeshii]

[Uh oh. Full recovery! Ibaraki sits up straighter in her seat (she really had been flagging a little) and swivels to face Chisa, with a wide, wicked grin.]

Bold words! If that's true, what are you doing out here? You should be making yourself useful in the kitchen! I'll even come along with you to supervise! . . . I'm bored anyway . . . no one can keep up with me . . .

[And so she swings down off her seat like a kid at a restaurant, clawed feet tapping on the floor. It probably sounds familiar to anyone with a pet.]

[alloutoflove]

[ She wants a pet soooooo badly. Sooooooooooooo badly. But she has yet to broach the topic because who knows what mishmash au place she and her people have wound up in before she came to attend this party, and it would not be fair to a pet to subject it to something like that.

But she manages to fix a smile on her face, if slightly bemused, and follows. It's like following a dog... no, no, more like a cat, imperious and demanding... kind of cute... ]

Ehhh, was it supposed to be a contest? Did anyone else know that?

[ooeshii]

I announced it at regular intervals!

[She sounds so huffy. It's not her fault that no one took her challenge seriously. They would take it seriously if she started killing people! But then she'd have no more food or anyone left to toy (play) with, so . . .

So, into the kitchen with them.]

Don't disappoint me, human. We'll see if you live up to your talk. Your entire species is on the line, by the way.

[alloutoflove]

Yes, yes, it always is.

[ What's another humanity-destroying threat when you've lived through Despair? If there's anything she can take away from that, it's that humans are always more resilient than anyone or anything might give them credit for.

So she takes the threat, however serious it might be, in line. More pressingly is tying back her sleeves and gently (gently!) bullying the kitchen staff to give her room to work. This is not her beautiful home, with her beautiful kitchen, but it's well-stocked and while she might not be able to tell you anything indepth about their more esteemed historical hosts and guests, she can figure her way through the kitchen, no matter how archaic it is compared to what she's familiar with. ]

So~! Oni-san, tell me what you'd like to eat.

[ooeshii]

[It always is?! What does that mean?! Except that's pretty true in Chaldea at least, isn't it . . . humans are always on the brink of disaster, it's so annoying . . .

Ibaraki hops easily up onto one of the counters, a side one that Chisa isn't likely to need the space of, to swing her legs off the edge and watch from a front row seat. Depending on how interesting this is, she may end up encroaching on the cooking space after all.]

The Sengoku period is okay, but what I really want is a mille crepe cake! That shouldn't be a problem for you, big-mouthed human!

[alloutoflove]

Mille crepe, huh...

[ Do they even have the right kind of pan? The right sort of flour? It's not going to be a huge issue if they don't, but it would be easier. She's the Ultimate Housekeeper, not the Ultimate Chef!

So she goes digging through the supplies, though... ]

Eh, Sengoku? Seriously? I'm surprised you could tell just by the food.

[ooeshii]

[The flour, probably. The pan . . . she'll probably have to make do. It's a challenge! One which Ibaraki watches with amusement, swinging her legs.]

What kind of oni wouldn't know Japanese history? Of course I can tell. The food just helps! This is after the time I was alive. The humans sure are boisterous these days.

[alloutoflove]

[ It's not that much of a challenge for her compared to a layperson, but she's still testing things first, hmmm. ]

They're boisterous all the time! It just depends on where you go.

[ While it's true enough that her best people are not wild party types, that doesn't extend to the rest of their class. Or her other class of students. ]

So does that mean our host is famous or something?

[ooeshii]

You really just came to their party not knowing . . . that's so careless . . .

[Once in a while, she can be the straight man. Ibaraki sighs, sounding older and more sober for a moment there.]

These are nothing less than the great stars of the Warring States! That over there is Date Masamune.

[alloutoflove]

It's not like I had much choice in the matter.

[ She shrugs, keeping an eye on the pan as she starts to pour the first ladle of batter. The name does not have as much dramatic impact as it probably should, especially for a Japanese woman. ]

Hm? Ah, is that so? Good for him.

[ooeshii]

It's okay for him, I guess. I did expect you to be more impressed, though . . . maybe you're smart, for a human.

[Or it could be the opposite. It's so hard to say with humans. But also, she's making crepes now, and Ibaraki's attention is instantly on that pan; she leans forward to get a good look.]

[alloutoflove]

He's not my husband.

[ She's a good discreet girl; she won't insult her friend's man in his own home. But listen, (not so) secretly, she thinks there's no way he could compete with her "great stars."

But the cooking is the part that's important. In spite of the less-than-ideal tools and setup, she's pretty deft in getting the first crepe out, laid neatly onto a plate so that she can start with the next one. ]

[ooeshii]

[She opens her mouth to pick on that, but then her mouth just keeps opening when she sees and smells the crepes. They look sooooo good! So good! This is terrible!]

Ahhh! Maybe you should just put them right in my mouth! But then I don't get the frosting! Ohhh, what do I do?!

[alloutoflove]

Only you can decide that, oni-san. I'm just the cook.

[ There goes another one. Oh no, oh no, what will she pick? ]

[ooeshii]

You . . . tricked me! You tricked me into having to choose!

[Even she knows it's not true, so it doesn't come out as a violent attack so much as a drunken wail of grief.]

I'll eat just one! That's right, I have to test them anyway! If I let you get away with making a dozen of them and they're all bad, I can't forgive either of us.

[alloutoflove]

If you think you can~ ♥

[ Can you do it, Ibaraki? Can you eat just one single paper-thin crepe? For now, Chisa holds up the plate, smiling brightly. ]

[ooeshii]

Ooohhhh, I know this is a bad idea . . .

[She's not an idiot. Surprisingly. But then again, maybe she is, because even as she laments her actions, she takes them anyway. She manages to roll up just one crepe in her claws and stuff it into her mouth.

It's sooooooooo good!!]