Bakers, start your baking!

[indigo_league]

Who: Everybody!
Where: Riegfried and Soy's mansion
When: January 15th; day time for the cooking part, evening for the mingle part.
Summary: Come one, come all to the newest contest hosted by Riegfried and Soy. Today's theme: cooking!








[Daytime - The kitchens]

Throughout the day, the kitchens will be open to all contestants, though any casual onlookers --human, pokemon, or otherwise-- will be shooed out to prevent any cheating.

Each contestant will be directed to a gleaming counter, where they will be able to find everything from your basic whisk and spatula to gleaming kitchen machinery fancy enough to make any cook feel faint with envy. Each counter comes complete with a small fridge (should you need to chill any of your ingredients), an oven, a stove, a microwave -- really, anything you can imagine and it is there. Riegfried and Soy clearly didn't want anyone to run into the issue of not having the right equipment for the job.

At the back of the room are the fridges: tall, imposing fridges made of gleaming metal stocked full of every sort of ingredient you could possibly think of. And next to the fridges, contestants can find rows and rows of shelves, each nearly bowing under the weight of the products placed on them -- from fresh fruit, to spices, to rice and noodles. If you need it, you can find it.

Riegfried and Soy will be flitting around the room like a pair of extravagant Butterfrees, happy to engage contestants in small interviews. Everything for the camera, baby! Because those are also there; they are clearly trying to stay out of everybody's way, but small, Rotom-powered cameras flit around the room for close-ups, while cameramen and women with heavy-duty equipment get the distance shots. Hopefully, you haven't got an issue with stage fright.



[Evening - The show]

And when all is said and done, and the last dishes have been cooked, it's time for the actual show. There is some time between the actual cooking and this part of the evening, during which contestants have a chance to change their clothing and freshen up, but before too long, the mansion's doors open to the guests, who are herded by the cheerful hosts to an enormous hall.

The hall itself is set up with all manner of comforts. There are some small tables and chairs for anyone who wants to sit down for a while. Long tables line the sides of the room, absolutely laden with all manner of refreshments. There is even a special table set aside where the dishes the contestants made (at least the ones that made it to this part of the evening) are displayed and ready for tasting.

The schedule for the night is rather straightforward.

After some meet-and-greet and time for every last guest to arrive, the day's events (cut and edited by a very exhausted camera crew) will be projected onto a huge screen for all to enjoy. The votes will be tallied afterward and awards and prizes will be handed out. The rest of the evening will give the winners a chance to celebrate, the losers a chance to commiserate, and everybody else to clear the buffet of everything edible.

Comments

[rollstoseduce]

[Jaskier does take that seat, thank you, and he laughs again at Cecil's answer. If he's teasing or being serious doesn't matter to Jaskier, because he can appreciate the comment either way.]

Any kind of lonely night, no matter the season, is a vexation always to be avoided.

[Lightbringer doesn't bother him, Geralt has a sword Pokémon of his own - in fact, Jaskier smiles at how even a sword manages to be comforting while lacking actual hands or face. The wonder of these creatures!]

You mentioned challengers, so I'm assuming you're a Gym Leader? But now you say you've been trained for a different kind of show - what kind was it, pray tell?

[This is one curious bard!]

[paladinlost]

I'm a Gym leader, yes. There are a handful of us among our little group of expatriates, and a few more people who would have the right to open one of their own, should they wish to do so.

[Cecil loves his job, and it shows in his smile. Even if it does come with a self-imposed shifted schedule and the occasional lonely night. When he moves on, said smile does not quite dim, not exactly, but it looks more polite than sincere.]

I was trained in battle and court politics. Battle as court politics, also, though at that point I suppose subtlety goes out the window. When dealing with such crowds, I keep expecting the locals to request support or funds for their pet projects.

[rollstoseduce]

So have I heard - an impressive accomplishment to be proud of in any circumstances, made more impressive by ours.

[Then the man mentions court politics and what can Jaskier do other than laugh? Especially when the slight shift of that smile is telling him more about Cecil's thoughts on the whole deal than his actual words - and they are thoughts Jaskier can agree with.]

Battle rarely isn't court politics, unless you're including tavern brawls in your definition of battle. [He looks around the room, taking all the participants and visitors in.] There isn't begging the nobles for funds in this realm, I've noticed. Everything is so easily available. Oh, coin is still needed, but there are simpler means to obtain it. It's outstanding, to say the least.

[paladinlost]

It is less impressive than it could have been. Hundreds upon hundreds of us were sent home before we were even allowed to challenge the Elite Four, after all, and many among those had the teams and the talent necessary to win.

[Once upon a time, that thought would have come with a twinge of sadness, but now it comes out simply neutral. Time heals all wounds and all that, or at least it covers them with a thick coat of paint.]

You might be surprised by the sort and number of opponents that are completely removed from the context of court! Or not. Plenty of worlds are filled with monsters that hunger for human flesh, after all, and there's always good coin to be made by those willing to deal with them.

[Lightbringer laughs in delight at his words, perhaps imagining himself slaying lamias and basilisks to fund his sweets purchases. That earns him a few gentle pats from Cecil.]

The ease with which anyone can gain sufficient money to support themselves, without depending on a good harvest or a profitable trade, is truly astounding. Why, the only time I needed an additional source of money was when I had the Lunar Gym built, and that was only a matter of submitting a budget and receipt, no begging or flattering needed. I'll have to look into streamlining the process and making it similarly accessible, once I return home.

[rollstoseduce]

[Cecil comments on how things used to be and Jaskier hasps, eyes widening.] You've been here for years! How long exactly, may I ask? I've been meaning to find travelers that know the history of our people.

[Jaskier laughs both at the coincidence found in Cecil mentioning killing monsters and at the fact the Pokémon laughs as well - Geralt's doesn't do that! How curious and fascinating... kinda cute, too. Can swords be cute? Jaskier guesses they are now.]

As someone that comes from a realm plagued with monsters and not enough monster hunters- [He waves a dismissive hand at Cecil.] Trust me: lords will always try to make anything happening on their lands a political thing.

[And then Cecil mentions streamlining things at home, and Jaskier offers a genuine, soft smile. It's not every day that he can find a lord ready to make things easier for their subjects.]

Part of me wants to say I'd also love to take many a thing back to my homeworld, but to be completely honest... the more time I spend here, the more I don't want to return. Has it been achieved, though? Taking advancements from here to other realms?

[paladinlost]

[Ah, the curiosity of new arrivals! It's enough to make Cecil smile, even if he knows that his words might be more upsetting than he wishes. Being an outlier has its disadvantages.]

I celebrated, so to speak, my first decade here last August. That makes me the third earliest arrival still present here, as far as I know. I assure you, if you could see our presence in this world as it was at the time, you'd be shocked. We were hundreds more, yet we were also far less integrated and respected. Reaching Goldenrod was considered an impressive feat, unless the world itself warped to make our travels easier.

And the Pokémon themselves! There weren't half as many species to be found, even for those who reached the farthest cities. This one- [Here he gives Lightbringer a friendly pat.] -was one of the first members of his species to be caught in Johto and Kanto, you know.

[Jaskier's next question, as it happens, is a particularly interesting one. It takes a moment or two befoe Cecil can answer it properly, considering the number of potential scenarios it involves.]

We've had people go home and return to this world later, with or without their memories. We've had people arrive from the same world but from different times, be they weeks or centuries apart. We've had people fall into comas and wake up with new memories of their home. However, we've never had people confirm that they remembered this land when they went back, or that their loved ones suddenly woke up one morning with strange memories and ideas that they understood only now.

Thus, either it has not yet been achieved... or those who find a way to do so are not called back by this world. Which is hardly a reason not to try, mind you.

[rollstoseduce]

[A freaking decade. Ash had said something of the sort, but it's still staggering to hear. Will he make it that far, Jaskier wonders. He meant it when he said he doesn't want to go back. This world makes it so easy to build a life from the scratch after all...]

The third earliest... There aren't many of the originals still around, are there. [He can't stop his face from falling a bit - he would've loved to chat with all the early travelers. But he needs to remind himself that some people actually do want to return to their homes.] It sounds like the routes would've been extremely crowded - I can't imagine what finding a free room at the inn was like. It's also hard to think the environment would take such a sudden influx of travelers well, but then again, these pocket fellows are exceedingly sturdy, aren't they?

[The patting of Lightbringer makes him smile - Geralt has one of these too, and Jaskier can tell how important it is for him to have a sword in his hands again. So this (not so) little guy wasn't around back then, huh? Well, one good thing about arriving late then, Jaskier decides.

Jaskier had heard about some of the shenanigans involved in going home and changing times, but Cecil goes into more detail than he's been expecting and honestly? It's a bit overwhelming - but he nods along anyway.]

Oh, I absolutely agree! Can't hurt to try, it's not like there are any consequences for it other than the plan simply not working. It's still rather curious to observe this pattern of no information about this place to be allowed in another realm. The gods are rather protective of this world of theirs, aren't they? Or shall I say, "Legendaries". Part of me can't blame them - it is rather utopic. A prime spot for potential invations.

[paladinlost]

[Cecil shakes his head. No, there really aren't.]

I believe the two that precede me arrived with that first late May crop, or close to it. There should also be a smattering of those who are approaching their first decade left. Still, while we could hardly take a step without meeting each other back then, we also rarely had the pleasant surprise of meeting an acquaintance on an unexpected route. For those who did manage to travel further, the roads often felt eerily empty instead.

[Even if it may be difficult to believe, with so many people gathered from each corner of Johto and Kanto at once. After all these years, he still remembers the difficulties of early travel well.]

This land has been invaded previously, to tell truth. By creatures that were... not quite Pokémon, yet not quite monsters either. They live on Cinnabar Island, these days, though we're not allowed to visit or catch them. And then there was... the beast. The one that wished to consume all light. It's barely been more than a year since we managed to drive it away, but thankfully everyone has recovered from its... side effects.

[That was a very unpleasant experience for everyone involved. Cecil stops himself from shuddering, but only just.]

[rollstoseduce]

...and now they feel eerily empty at the beginning too, don't they? [He replies with an almost gloomy tone as a realization hits him.] I hadn't thought of that - I arrived together with a friend from home. I wonder how many people are traveling alone because of true choice instead of extenuating circumstances.

[Another thing to be grateful for. After all, Jaskier hates being alone. Would he have managed to get a travel party the first month or so? As much as he loves his Pokémon, the thought of spending those cold nights spent camping in the snow with no other person by his side is terrifying.]

Side effects? Something I should worry about? [He asks with raised eyebrows.] Distant Pokémon cousins still sound like something in the confinements of this realm. I meant invaders from our lands - you said you know court. Can you deny the fact this world would be a land desired by many a man, men that would only taint it with their mere greedy presence?