it’s time for a cookout!

[indigo_league]

Who: Everybody!
Where: Poco Path
When: April 26th
Summary: Arven welcomes you to experience Paldean customs and food, and share the food of your own homes, in a unique take on Calçotada!


Arven and his helpers have set up Poco Path as the perfect spot for a cook-out! Tables and benches line the route, and there are also baskets holding picnic blankets around for those who prefer that experience. The weather is finally playing nice again, after all, so why not?

There are grills for anyone who may need them, as well, and Arven - along with his Toedscruel and Gargancl - will be making the rounds to assure everyone has any needed equipment... And that no one's putting the cook-out at risk of going up in flames, of course. But whether or not you're making or even brought food, the host is happy to see you here. And so is his Mabosstiff! The gentle old pokemon will be making his own rounds of begging for table scraps!

When it seems like the arrivals have slowed to a stop, Arven takes a moment to address his guests. While he starts off nervously, he keeps a hand on Mabosstiff at his side, and as he goes on his bashfulness fades more and more.

"I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came here today! When I heard about how you lot aren't, er, from around here... Well, I knew had to do something like this. It's important! You're all far from your homes in more ways than one, after all. Food can go a long way to bring people together!"

Mabosstiff gives a gruff bark in agreement, and Arven laughs heartily.

"Thanks, bud. And thanks again to all of you! I'm seeing some dishes I just can't wait to dig into. If you aren't eating already, what are you waiting for? Bon profit!"

Comments

Min-Gi Park | OTA

[outofsynth]

a

[Although he's not cooking, Min-Gi has acquired a small gathering from where he's sat off to the side of the path. His audience isn't comprised of people, however, but a group of local Pokémon. The Surskit around him are fascinated with his minisynth, and he's taken to entertaining them with the various bleeps and oscillations it can make, experimenting with which sounds they like best. He might have been playing an actual tune at some point, but now he's more or less being guided by the Surskit.

They dance and sway when he plays, retreating back into the grass whenever Min pauses to fiddle with the dials of the synth so he can try out something new. They don't go far though. They're peeking out curiously while he adjusts, and surrounding him again almost before he can put the stylus back to the metal.]

SWEET OR SPICY

[When it comes to seeking out food on offer, Min's two self-appointed helpers have opposite goals in mind when it comes to the kind of food they want. Which means when one of them is especially excited by a dish on offer, often the other is visibly less so.

Beat, the Baxcalibur, is a bit more polite about it. His tail thumps the ground enthusiastically when they encounter anything spicy, eager but waiting for permission. If it's sweet, he doesn't want to seem ungrateful, but he tries to keep back, doing his best to avoid notice so he isn't offered something he doesn't like.

The Noivern is upfront in either scenario. Echoes loves sweets, and will loudly call for them whenever he spies them. Spicy food on the other hand... he has no qualms voicing his distaste there.

Both scenarios come with their own frustrations, and no matter what it's likely Echoes that Min-Gi is trying to quiet down.]

Ignore him. He's spoiled.

[Echoes counters with a sulky grumble, slinking behind him with a pointed look.

See? Look how good he's being. How could anyone accuse him of being spoiled?]

WILDCARD

If you have any other ideas you'd like to play feel free to PM this journal or contact me at thlayli on plurk.

A.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley pauses to listen to the "concert" and watch the Pokemon. He's also being followed by some local Pokemon: an entire Eevee colony. Some of them decide to join the dancing. Evie does too.]

It looks like we've both acquired quite a fanclub.

[outofsynth]

[The Surskit are surprised by the sudden swarm of Eevee, disappearing off into the grass. Min falters, stylus stuttering on the metal keys. For a moment he thinks they're gone, but then he spies the boldest one peek its head up, squatting back down again when it sees him looking.]

Yeah. They seem to really like it.

[He resumes with something soft and gentle, hoping to coax them back out from their hiding spot. If he's not afraid of the new Pokémon, maybe they'll realize they don't have to be either.]

sweet or spicy

[nastyboy]

[The good news (??) is that Dimitri hasn't indulge in any spicy food himself for what he's brought to the metaphorical and literal tables. Oh, he likes spicy food, certainly. It is actually one of the few foods which actually makes eating a neat experience instead of something of a slog.]

[However, well. Apparently Claude and Dedue don't trust him with spices. They might not trust him with a lot of things. It's fine. Dimitri can follow a recipe very carefully and well, and so he has brought out some berry-stuffed pastries for this particular outing.]

[That means, unfortunately, one of the Pokemon here is going to sulk.]

[At least Dimitri doesn't take it too seriously, instead just chuckling.]

No, it's fine. Sometimes these things happen. How fortunate, at least, that there is a variety of things that will hopefully suit his taste.

What does he prefer?

[outofsynth]

[It's a little harsh, but it's easier to deal with Beat's sulking. At least he isn't as loud when he doesn't get his way. He just looks like a very sad dog. Min would feel worse about that if he didn't already have his hands full, trying to keep Echoes from demanding pastries without any attempt at politeness.

Honestly? He's not that fussy except when it comes to sweets, but he does like spices.

[The Noivern screeches in protest, earning him a pointed look.]

Not him. He'd eat nothing but sweets if I let him...

[The Baxcalibur, on the other hand, is eyeing the pastries with poorly disguised concern.]

Pieck Galliard (Finger) | OTA

[warriorworkhorse]

At the cookout:

She'd spent time cooking before even arriving - food that didn't exactly match with the whole 'island' theme. No, she'd cooked food from home, and had brought it in a large dish. The ingredients, she'd discovered, wasn't anywhere near as expensive here as it was at home.

Something to think about. But until then, she placed a pan - aluminum, disposable, but held in a cardboard tray - onto the table and peeled off the foil covering her offering. Carefully made spaetzle, nicely tender and dressed with a mushroom-onion gravy. It smelled rich and filling and would taste much the same, the onions having been caramelized with a practiced hand, the mushrooms cooked to a balance of tender and toothy. In fairness, the gravy might be a little rich, especially as she'd been able to buy as much butter as she'd wanted and hadn't quite been able to pass up the chance.

This world kept surprising her - even to the point that something as simple as cooking with all the ingredients she wanted left her stunned. But it made a beautiful pan of spaetzle that she took the first bowl of.

Eating:

With a rookidee, a sentret, and a bellibolt of a different color sitting near her, Pieck was nibbling on an assortment of the food she'd found, handing a little out to her audience. "You know better than to try to eat chocolate," she gently admonished them. "It's not good for you."

But after a pause, she admitted, "Or I don't think it is, at least."

The bellibolt, at least, does not look convinced.

Cookout

[crystalmaster]

Radley is definitely drawn by the delicious smell and comes to get some. "Wow, this looks amazing," he says appreciatively. Will she remember him from the mirror incident?

[warriorworkhorse]

"Spaetzle," she said, looking at him with a small but contented smile. "Like my father liked."

She'd cooked for him on the occasions she'd gotten to go home, using recipes her mother had written on cards until she'd learned them for herself. Spaetzle had just been the easiest one to do. After all, milk and eggs and flour were pretty universal. Being able to find butter and onions and mushrooms? That had been a little unusual. Less the butter than the onions and mushrooms.

Her father would've loved it. But she knew Porco would, too.

"A little messy and a little rich, but food from home is part of the idea."

Did she recognise him? Yes - but that was a subject that could wait for a little bit.

Cookout

[outofsynth]

At this point Min-Gi isn't sincerely looking for food. There's still plenty of time, he just wants to see the options. However, when she smells the fragrant gravy, the Fuecoco that had been hanging limply in his arms begins to stare. First it's her nostrils twitching, then she starts to squirm, doing her best to steer her trainer towards Pieck. He gives in quickly, but that doesn't stop her wriggling as they approach.

"Woah, hey. We're here. See?" he tells her, which does calm her to an extent. Enough he can address Pieck without accidentally dropping the Pokémon. "She's really excited by the smell."

cookout

[nastyboy]

Dimitri doesn't necessarily have fond memories of eating anymore. For a long while, it's been something mostly reduced to a mere necessity. Yet the smell of food, at least, is a little more reassuring. A little more targeted to his sentimentality.

All the moreso with Dedue around, seeing him make the things that he loves. Dimitri adores seeing him happy and, in turn, he cannot help a fondness for the look and smell of good cooking.

To smell something more similar to some of the foods from home that he can remember certainly draws his attention, and so Pieck will soon find herself with company not long after unveiling the new dish. A Sirfetch'd is following at his footsteps, considering all the tables rather critically. Dimitri is a lot more relaxed, smiling and perking up as they approach. "Hello. I take it that is the dish which you made? It rather caught my attention."

Shiro | OTA

[shiro2hero]

[Shiro hasn't been out and about much during this whole adventure. A lot of things have been happening. A lot of things that have made him just want to keep his head down and keep an eye on his pokemon. Now that he's actually leaving his room, he has a hat pulled down over his head, trying to look inconspicuous...]

[At least until the party starts.]

[Then, someone grabs his elbow, and steers him over to one of the grills. Shiro tries to protest. He really, really tries. But the grill's owner waves him off, saving something about having waited for him to show up, his hat is a new touch, etc. Oh no.]

[Oh no.]

[Apparently, the man has mistaken Shiro for the famed barbecue chef - Bobby Flaygon.]

[Please help him.]

Re: Shiro | OTA

[crystalmaster]

[Radley is more amused than he should be, but also very worried for the food. He goes over with a smile.]

Hi. So what's happening here?

[He can either point out Shiro's true identity or just help with the grilling, whichever works best for the situation.]

[phdepression]

[Jotaro wanted to come to the party to see his daughter. However, he too had been roped into monitoring a different grill because 1) he didn't bring anything to the cookout himself and 2) he looks like a dad. He looked like he could cook a steak.

Thankfully he IS a dad and he can grill just fine, and was just letting his beef rest when he sees Shiro. Good grief, what was happening over there. He should ignore him but Jotaro finds himself walking over.]

... Oy. [He says to the grill owner,] You sure this is your chef? He looks way too lost to be who you want. Are you an idiot?

[Thanks, Jotaro.]

Huey Duck | OTA

[goingbythebook]

A. Cooking

[While Huey has definitely brought some usual camping and cookout staples he's familiar with- hot dogs, burgers, and a hearty homemade coleslaw -what he's really focusing on is something sweet. He's got an open flame of his own going (with his Quaxwell at his elbow, just in case) and for anyone who wanders by he'll have two options: grilled Tropius fruit wrapped in foil or what he's calling The Perfect S'more, geometrically and flavorfully balanced in every way. There's toppings available for both savory and sweet, and of course Huey is also nearby for any special orders, conversation, or so on.]


B. Hanging Out

[When not manning his cooking station or talking to Arven and others, Huey's got himself a spot at one of the picnic tables, with his entire team hanging out in the vicinity. Besides Quaxwell by the fire and Tropius in the sun, there's a Meowth snoozing underneath Huey's seat, a Phanpy and a Sawsbuck making mock charges at each other, and a Castform atop his head, bobbing lightly whenever he moved but otherwise sitting tight.

Huey himself has not one, but two different spiral notebooks alternating between sitting open on the table or being spread out in his lap. It looks like he's making assorted notes and observations, perhaps even journaling? He'll eye a Pokemon around for a minute or two, be it his or another's, then write for a bit. Cross reference with the other notebook. Back to writing. Rinse and repeat. Every now and then he'll remove a small guidebook from under his hat (Castform just riding said hat up and down with nary a blink), read a passage, then back to writing.

And on the offchance someone looks to be going by without any other interaction, Huey has a question (or three).]

Excuse me! A moment of your time? [And barreling on whether yes or no.] What was your first partner on arrival here? Have you ever left here, then come back and gotten assigned a new one? And have you caught any Pokemon while here yet that you'd like to show?


C. Wildcard

[Anything goes! Feel free to hit me up at zumidotexe to plot something specific, or feel free to go ahead with whatever]

B.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley is amused by the rapid-fire questions.]

Hi. This is Evie, my first partner.

[He indicates a sweet Eevee with a dark blue bow perched on his shoulder.]

I haven't ever left and come back, no. And do you mean "here" as in the Pokemon world as a whole, or Paldea in specific?

B

[phdepression]

[Jotaro's was standing around, watching Huey's Pokemon from a distance. He recognises the Tropius (he's fought one before) and Meowth (He used to have one) but the others are unfamiliar, and had just been curious. Similarly, he's been curious about the frantic journalling but he's not one to strike up a conversation. In fact, he's surprised any conversation starts between him and the tall man just stares at Huey for a long moment as he's barraged with questions.]

... Star Platinum. [Jotaro tosses a Pokeball up and a fully levelled Palafin appears with a flash of light.] I only got here a few months ago... so he's my only starter.

[There's another question but-]

... Are you related to Louie?

Luisa Madrigal | OTA

[neverbreaks]

[ When Luisa had heard about the cookout, she had been both excited and nervous about the idea of sharing her food with others. While she had been practicing cooking at her Olivine home, the only ones who really eat her food was her sister and their Pokemon. She still couldn't cook anywhere near as good as their mother, but she likes to think that she's improved a lot since she first started.

But this is the first time she's sharing her cooking with a lot of others, and she can't help worrying a bit as she finds a cooking station for herself. She can only hope that it's even good enough that people would like it.

Since she figured this would take place mostly outside, Luisa decided to make simple foods that would be easy to eat. Empanadas, premade beforehand but would be easy to cook with the provided equipment, as well as arepas as well as things to fill it with such as cheese, egg, and meats.

She mostly sticks around the cooking station, nervously working on her food. But if she spots someone she recognizes she'll give a friendly wave. ]

[outofsynth]

Hey, Luisa.

[Min-Gi waves back as Luisa greets him, making his way over to her cooking station. It's always good to see her in person, so he'd be happy even if she wasn't cooking today, though of course he won't complain about the chance to taste some of her food too.]

[senorita_perfecta]

(Isabela has been busy keeping an eye on Cappy the Scovillain and Mira the Tinkatink with Esmeralda the Tsareena for a few minutes since arriving at the cookout to make sure that they don’t cause a lot of trouble at the event. She did wanted to contribute to the cookout but with her recent new Pokémon catches and her travels around Paldea, she didn’t have the time to prepare any food on time.

Thankfully Luisa happens to be busy at the cooking station, preparing empanadas and arepas for the people at the party so that is great to see. While Esmeralda is having her eyes on Cappy and Mira, Isabela decides to head over to the cooking station to see how Luisa’s doing so far and see if she could help her out for a moment.)

Hey Luisa. How is the food looking so far? I can’t wait to see everyone’s reactions to tasting your food today.

Re: Luisa Madrigal | OTA

[crystalmaster]

[Radley soon comes over with Pokemon in tow.]

Hey! Everything looks delicious.

[Evie gives a very happy warble.]

Fluttershy | OTA

[shiningkindness]

[ Fluttershy herself isn't much of a cook, so she wasn't entirely sure what to bring to a cookout. Eventually she settles on a dessert, since she's helped enough with baking and making sweets. Chocolate chip cookies are always a safe choice, as well as different flavored cupcakes (chocolate, vanilla, lemon blueberry, and even strawberry shortcake). She also brings jars of no-bake cheesecake, as well as different toppings for people to customize their own desserts.

And since the desserts are free for people to grab, it frees Fluttershy to hang out with the friends she knows, or even to shyly meet new people. ]

Hi...are you having fun?

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine doesn't know many people at the cookout. She's mostly just lingering on the fringes, with a large tray of lembas bread squares, wrapped in banana leaves. She's not sure which table to bring them to, as they're not really an appetizer, or a main or side dish... In the end, she decides that the dried fruit in them makes them closest to maybe a dessert, so that's the table she heads towards.

She looks up with surprise when someone asks her if she's having fun, and then her eyes go a bit wide when she recognizes the girl, from when she'd gone a bit mirror-mad in her vision of Sylvaire. ]

Oh—! Um. Y-yes, I'm enjoying myself. [ She looks around, unsure of what to do in this new awkward social situation. ] Would you... Do you want some lembas bread?

[phoenixwiz]

(Harry has not been known to be an excellent cook back at home, but ever since coming to Jotho via the Hisui time travel shenanigans, he has been slowly but surely working on getting his cooking skills to up to stuff. While the cooking did improve, he did have some initial trouble trying to figure out what to bring to the cookout. This is the first time he could show some people some food special to the UK entirely and there are plenty to choose from for him to make.

Eventually he decided on bringing a box of Cornish pasties (of the traditional and vegan versions) to the party and he hopes to see if anyone is interested in trying them out. As he brings out the box onto one of the tables, he is then asked if he is having any fun at the moment and he turns to Fluttershy’s direction.)

Oh hey Fluttershy! Yes, I’m already having so much fun right now and Bonn has been helping in carrying this box of savoury treats with me today.

Cycl! Cyc-lizar, Zar!

[pennyloafer]

Fluttershy, hey! Yeah, I am, this whole thing is pretty cool.

[It happens to be one of the cupcakes that Fluttershy brought to the cookout (chocolate, to be specific) that Louie is eating when she approaches. It's a particularly portable food, too, which works well for Louie. He gestures with his free hand for Fluttershy to walk with him as he keeps talking, and starts making his way closer to the lighthouse, where fewer people are gathered right now.]

What about you, how are you liking it?

Jotaro Kujo | OTA

[phdepression]

Jotaro doesn't socialise much but he heard his family may be making a surprise visit later to the cookout. So he's trudged out of Tagtree Thicket (there is a non-zero chance he's actually come straight from there) and has found himself at the grill. While Arven said that people didn't have to bring a dish, Jotaro doesn't feel right not contributing. At least by cooking steaks and manning the grill, he's doing something useful.]

Don't ask me about what I'm cooking. I don't know what it is. [It's grilled to perfection though. Jotaro can, in fact, man a grill as only an American dad can.

If you're not interested in barbecued meat of questionable origin, on a nearby table Jotaro's Alcremie is icing some plain biscuits. If you have ANYTHING on your plate, she'll lift her hands up and wave you over. You want dessert? You want icing? Icing with that cookie?

But later when Jotaro is away from the grill, he may come up to you and ask you a question quietly, regardless if you're a stranger or not.]

"... Oy. Do you know what happened in Tagtree Thicket? Or anything happening in the North-East?"