kokuyoyo: (And the cops are back.)
Chikusa ([personal profile] kokuyoyo) wrote in [community profile] thenearshore2018-02-05 07:18 am

[closed] it's not a nutritional dinner

Who: Chikusa, Ken, and all the people invited to Hakkai's temple
When: October 12
Where: Li Tieugai's temple in the Central District
What: Having recently lost their other god, Ken is sad by yet another loss.... so Chikusa is fixing this with his dog's favorite things: people he likes and copious amounts of meat.

Unless people actually ask, Chikusa.... doesn't exactly tell what time the dinner is actually going to be at. At least he'll probably tell them that Hakkai's temple moved? One would hope.

The temple of Iron Crutch Li doesn't really seem all that impressive upon approaching it, despite being in the Central District. The walled gardens are certainly large and lovely enough, if a little wild, but the building itself is rather plain at its two stories. There's a small sign attached to the front door that simply says 'come in'. Chikusa isn't going to bother answering the door for visitors. It's not like Hakkai locks that thing anyway.

The inside of the temple is about as sparsely decorated as its outside, but, today, the overwhelming smell wafting from the kitchen has overtaken any medicinal smells that might normally be about. It adds a certain warmth to the room.

Until dinner will be served a little later into the night, people are free to do whatever- hang about the gardens, go bother Chikusa in the kitchen, or otherwise find the other residents of the temple. Chikusa won't care to stop anyone, although Hakkai might.

As for dinner? Chikusa is serving so much meat: rabbit stew with olives and rosemary, swordfish, curried chicken, veal marsala, and a more traditional spaghetti served with meatballs. Fortunately, at least there's garlic bread and stuffed mushrooms, so there's something that isn't meat.... And for dessert? Zeppole, cannoli, and an apple ciambella with almond cream.
reformedsinner: (mister manners)

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-05 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Before Dinner

[Hakkai's not precisely welcoming guests. He is sitting in the front room, with the lights on and spilling a warm golden light through the windows, but he has a mug of tea, his reading glasses on, and a red pen as he goes through a stack of math workbooks.

Everything's in the oven -- as the delectable odors of tomato, cheese and roasting meat suggest -- and at this point, he'd just be a bother hanging over Chikusa's shoulder in the kitchen. He's decided to get some work done instead.

There are several sofas and armchairs in the room, and he won't object if someone drops in, although he can't guarantee he'll stop grading.

The white dragon curled up on the back of the couch looks more enthusiastic about company, raising his head and cheeping if anyone stops by the door.]



After Dinner

[Most of Hakkai's temple is a little old-fashioned. The bulky old TV and DVD/VCR player he's recently purchased are no exception; while he can deal with DVDs, theoretically, he has a certain fondness for the more familiar magnetic tape. And screens that aren't flat.

He's fiddling with the television cables, trying to get a nice clear picture, and calls over his shoulder cheerfully.]


I have some monster movies, and a few kung fu films... Ken, which would you like best?

[Once they've picked a video, he may have to make popcorn.]
junkyarddog: (And love is a word you never heard)

The guest of honor

[personal profile] junkyarddog 2018-02-06 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
A) Before Dinner

[Anyone who knows Ken - which is pretty much everyone attending the dinner - will be able to observe that the usually loud and rambunctious boy is distinctly subdued. His usual energy seems to be absent; in fact, the way he's slouching around, he seems more like Chikusa than himself. (Perhaps Chikusa has stolen all his energy to be able to make tonight's feast.) He can be found either in the kitchen, or in the room where Hakkai is grading papers; he seems to drift back and forth between the two rooms, unusually non-disruptive, simply following their movements - his partner's and his god's - with his eyes.

Roy's loss has hit him hard. The fear of losing his other god, and of losing his partner, is that much stronger right now. And no one he's cared about has ever disappeared while he's looking right at them, so maybe if he watches them enough, they won't vanish.

Still, since he's minding his own business, there's plenty of opportunity to talk to him. And you may want to do it now, because...]



B) At Dinner

[...Ken at a table full of meat and sweets is possible to approach, but most people probably wouldn't attempt it. You might lose a hand.

Ken may be grieving, but he doesn't see any reason for that to affect his appetite. Or perhaps he's actively using the food to distract himself from it. Either way, Chikusa's energy output isn't going to waste, so Chikusa can at least feel gratified about that.

Ken's also leaning against the chef, who looks like he might just slither out of his chair to puddle on the floor without Ken propping him up.

In any case, Ken can be talked to during this time, if you don't mind his mouth being almost perpetually full.]
junkyarddog: (As if I'm just being used)

After Dinner

[personal profile] junkyarddog 2018-02-06 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Ken doesn't look like he's long for this world in any case. He's stretched out on the same couch as Chikusa, essentially using his partner as the world's boniest body pillow, and after gorging himself at the feast he already looks sleepy. But he's still awake enough to have a preference.]

Kung fu sounds cool, byon. [Monster movies don't interest him much. Most of the monsters tend to look like one of his own channels, and it always makes him a little uneasy.]
junkyarddog: (But I never lose hope)

C

[personal profile] junkyarddog 2018-02-06 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
[At least Chikusa's been sufficiently rewarded for all his efforts today. Not only did Ken devour a considerable amount of the food Chikusa made - to the point of practically making himself sick - but now Ken is stretched out with him on the couch. Well, more accurately, Chikusa is stretched out on the couch, and Ken is stretched out on Chikusa.

Ken hasn't explicitly thanked Chikusa for everything, but the way his head is tucked under Chikusa's chin, nose pressed up against his neck and breathing in his scent, may be thanks enough. (Hopefully it is, because it's happening either way.)]
junkyarddog: (Who was fitted with collar and chain)

[personal profile] junkyarddog 2018-02-06 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
What? The food? [Chikusa's lack of explanations, and Ken's own lack of analysis, means that he's managed to completely miss that all of this was done for his benefit. As far as he knows, people were just coming over and Chikusa was making a bunch of food, and it happened to be a lot of food that Ken likes. (And, to be fair to Ken, since Ken likes most foods, the fact that the foods were all things he really likes that doesn't explicitly prove that Chikusa was making it all specifically for him.) As far as Ken knows, it's just been a regularly day that happened to go really well. At least as well as anything can go, with Roy and the ranch gone.]

It was good. You made a lot today...
junkyarddog: (And love is a word you never heard)

[personal profile] junkyarddog 2018-02-06 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
It was all good. [Ken closes his eyes.] I liked the stew a lot...and the cannoli, but they were messy. [They were messy because you're messy, Ken.]

I wish Roy-sama could've come... [Except that the fact he couldn't is the reason that the entire party was necessary.]
reformedsinner: (foundling)

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-06 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Somehow, Hakkai's not surprised. Martial arts have a certain appeal to teenage boys, after all, whereas the amusement of very bad monster costumes may be one confined to those who have a taste for irony.

He slips in the cassette of Drunken Master he'd picked up at a flea market, hits play, and sits back on his heels as he fast-forwards through credits and warnings.]


Kung fu it is. You may like this one-- ah ha ha, it even features the Eight Immortals.

[As drunken martial arts forms, but still.]
doodlebuginette: (heheh)

Dorkinette has arrived.

[personal profile] doodlebuginette 2018-02-06 08:31 am (UTC)(link)
Before Dinner

[For as eager as she'd been to be here, Marinette had never actually asked what time they needed to be here. Instead, she'd just made sure to get Adrien and herself here somewhere around dinner time. It turned out that her guess had been right this time, as they were greeted by the overwhelming mix of many types of food as they walked in.

The soft cheeping noise that accompanies their entrance makes her smile, and then she's turning to smile and wave at Hakkai. She doesn't actually recognize him, but she figures it's a good idea to be polite.]

Hi!

[And it's at that point that she realizes he's busy, so she's more than willing to leave it at that in favor of taking a seat on one of the sofas. Once she's settled, she's turning to smile at Adrien.]


After Dinner

[Chikusa had genuinely surprised her with both the sheer amount of food he'd made and the amount of effort that must have gone into organizing something like this. Thinking about what little she actually knew about him, it was certainly surprising.

She'd been eager to try a little of everything, and she was now bordering on being uncomfortably full. But she was satisfied at the effort she'd made to sample things she might not have otherwise had the chance to. Maybe she'd try asking Chikusa for a list of everything he'd made, like she'd done at the banquet. It was a thought.

For now, she's parked at the end of a sofa and she's casually leaning on Adrien as though she does this sort of thing all the time.]

I ate so much... but I have no regrets!
welcome_home: (002)

Before Dinner!

[personal profile] welcome_home 2018-02-06 11:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's the dragon's greeting that has Nanako pausing and poking her head more fully into the room, a shy smile on her face. ]

Hello, Hakkai! Hello, Jeep! Are you busy?
welcome_home: (002)

A!

[personal profile] welcome_home 2018-02-06 11:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nanako stops short when Chikusa turns towards her with a knife, blinking up at him for a moment with wide eyes when he looks at her like that. Then, uncertain, she ventures... ]

Do you need any help? Is there anything I can do?
welcome_home: (002)

A!

[personal profile] welcome_home 2018-02-06 11:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ When Ken had texted her, Nanako had of course agreed. And had made a quick trip to the Near Shore before arriving tonight. Once she's inside and greeted the others, she comes looking for Ken, a paper bag clutched in her arms as she pokes her head into the room, looking for him. ]

Ken?
priforprince: (lean)

plu amore ai

[personal profile] priforprince 2018-02-06 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ I. During Dinner, scene 1 ]

[ "Iron Crutch Li" is a god of medicine, are they not?

What's more, they're the god whose temporary but extremely inconvenient demise resulted in Hibiki contracting what can only be described as the "plu". She aches. She fevers. Occasionally her royal and priceless nose even leaks. The radiance of her eyes is dimmed by the illness racking her soul.

She also goes through headache medicine on a normal week like nobody's business, so when the necessity increases, her stores deplete alarmingly quickly. She debates sending Wendy, but Amaterasu has Wendy's cell phone. And going to the Near Shore herself is a trial not even a steadfast heart bent on revolution can withstand.

Thus there comes a knock on the door in the middle of dinner. Then, a more insistent one, followed by the door swinging open. ]


What? Why does no one answer --

[ The dinner party will be treated to the sight of Shikyoin Hibiki in her pajamas and bathrobe, carrying a mug of tea, stepping into the room and then dropping the mug.

That ridiculous invitation she'd forgotten all about was for tonight?! ]


[ II. After Dinner ]

[ Hibiki has curled up in a corner, sentence-ender-cancelling cutphones in place, unable to summon the energy to teleport just yet. She's picking at a cannoli as if deciding whether eating it is worth the effort. Or perhaps she's just wondering whether it's edible. But she's pretty subdued, all the same.

To think, atop suffering from illness, she should have stumbled upon a sentence ender party. ]
artificialrose: (salamandroid) (Oh shit I just realized the ropes are)

a

[personal profile] artificialrose 2018-02-06 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's more than a little awkward to arrive here, knowing how Komaeda and Hakkai's interaction had gone... but it had seemed rude to refuse, and, from what he'd been able to get out from this Chikusa, this was all for Ken. So he's here, a small plastic bag in hand, and goes to find the 'guest of honor' himself.]

[Of course... He's not expecting him to look so morose as he passes from the kitchen to the front room, and Garry pauses.]


Ken? Are you alright?
reformedsinner: (monkey business)

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-06 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, Nanako! It's good to see you found your way here. [It's a new location for his temple, after all. The Central District is, at least, a much safer place to walk around. He puts his red pen down and smiles at her.]

I was just getting a bit of grading done, so as not to be a bother to Chikusa.
artificialrose: (salamandroid) (I'm not really sure actually.)

before

[personal profile] artificialrose 2018-02-07 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[Garry feels a little awkward being invited to this for more than one reason... And that feeling only intensifies once he enters the temple itself, and spots who's right there in the front room. He lingers for a moment, smiling a little towards the dragon, before taking a breath.]

Hakkai...?
reformedsinner: (apologies)

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-07 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hakkai glances up from the workbook he's grading and smiles.] Ah, hello. Garry, isn't it? I'm sorry I didn't notice you there!

[It's a little bit of a white lie. He hadn't been sure that Garry was going to talk to him, rather than heading to the kitchen to meet Chikusa and Ken.]

Chikusa's just finishing up dinner in the kitchen. How have you been?
reformedsinner: (apologies)

Making dinner

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-07 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Did you need someone to mince the onions for the sauce?

[Hakkai points at a few yellow onions on the sideboard, smiling cheerfully. Chikusa seems to have a solid rhythm established in his cooking, but prep work is prep work, and the more hands on it the more smoothly things can go.]

It's an interesting cuisine, I must say. You'll have to teach me a few of these dishes.

[Maybe he can find a way to make them a bit healthier.]
reformedsinner: (oh myyy)

Before Dinner

[personal profile] reformedsinner 2018-02-07 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, hello! You must be one of Ken's friends?

[Hakkai's smile is a little blank. Who was it who he hadn't recognized, on the invitation list? Marinette...?

He'll wait for an introduction before he makes any guesses, just to be safe.]


I'm Cho Hakkai, his god. It's a pleasure.
nibelungvalesti: (hands clasped)

A

[personal profile] nibelungvalesti 2018-02-07 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
You look troubled.

[The Valkyrie doesn't speak with her usual harshness or cold imperiousness. She isn't even in her armor, which ought to be a warning or alarm to all concerned. But this isn't about her, especially not when someone looks so upset at a party.]

Page 1 of 18