epidemiology | EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

Thanks to your help, repairs to the flood wall are complete. The Nalawi are still largely without their Gifts, so they are thankful -- without the aid of ALASTAIR recruits, they would have surely drowned or been eaten by sea monsters.

Despite the barely averted disaster, the residents of Komo have decided to go along with their lives as planned, perhaps to bolster morale instead of giving into despair. By chance, their annual fishing contest is scheduled for today! As honored guests, recruits are invited to participate.

FISHING CONTEST

Dugout canoes are provided for all participants, patterns that suggest fish scales burned into the wooden sides. Curiously, no fishing rods are offered; if a recruit requests one, they will be given a strange look, but the harbormaster will acquiesce.

Due to the rough seas, the passage between Komo and the other islands is still inaccessible. Contestants are reminded to stay behind the reefs or venture east toward open ocean for their quarry. It’s only when the contest begins that the quarry in question is actually announced . . .

Sharks.

You are fishing sharks. And, judging by the lack of equipment (or the puny fishing rod you requested), you’re expected to do this by hand.

The tiny deer people don’t seem bothered by this predicament at all: the goal is to catch the biggest shark, by length and poundage. Better not embarrass yourself in front of the locals.

GET PUMPED

Mettaton has announced over the jewelry that he will be hosting a celebration in tandem with the fishing contest, in order to help the native Nalawi and the ALASTAIR recruits get to know each other better. This includes singing, dancing, and all sorts of different performances -- and, of course, reporting on the actual fishing.

If you aren’t the fishing type or maybe you just need a break from chasing sharks around, this is a good chance to bust a move and show your teammates how you can get down -- or just sit back and watch! It’s bound to be entertaining one way or another.

Plot for the stage here!

Olivia will be the final performer in the showcase. Anyone who witnesses her dancing may feel themselves super-charged by the spectacle . . . with possibly unexpected results! Characters may feel even more determined to win the fishing contest, or perhaps they’ll take this surge of optimism to help rebuild some of Komo’s destroyed buildings before the day winds down into night.

THE FEAST

After the fishing contest, the sharks will be collected and prepared. Grilled shark, fried shark, shark caviar, and shark jerky from the results of last year’s contest. There are fruits and vegetables and breads available as well, but if you want some protein, you’d better go native.

During the feast, some of the Nalawi perform dances and song. The subjects range from their goddess Nalanni to love songs. Want to show off your talents again? Now’s the time! Or, if you’d prefer to step away from the excitement, the beach is quiet and empty, and the baths are unoccupied since the whole of Komo is at the gathering.

As the feast winds down, the Nalawi will pass around their very potent alcohol for a toast to Komo’s health. Someone shouts, interrupting, wondering what good that will do if Nalanni has abandoned them. Concerned murmuring fills the gathering, spoiling the mood. ALASTAIR recruits may attempt to put them at ease -- otherwise, the feast will disperse on a sour note.

OOC INFO

If you would like your character to win the fishing contest, please sign up below. You must thread out fishing in order to participate in the drawing. There will be only one winner, decided by RNG. The winner will be contacted on April 1st. The prize is a necklace of shark’s teeth, which has a one-use spell that will make all sharks in a one mile radius sleep for 30 seconds.

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[Well, he definitely thought more about the stomach than most of the recruits, because many of the people she's talked to haven't even known about chambered stomachs... Let alone the tiny creatures within that aided in digestion. It likely didn't help that she called them that instead of bacteria but. She grew up with a witch's education as a scientist, things came out... Strange.]

Well, yes, but if these Nalawins are as cervid as they appear then I propose that it is that stomach which allows them to-

[A well-time hiccup made her pause in her speech momentarily, clapping a hand over her mouth in momentary surprise... Before she just ignored it and kept going. What's a little tipsy-ness between... Comrades?]

To drink this concoction without fear of easy intoxication.

[ Ahad usually avoided using his stomach entirely. It was one of the benefits of being a god. ]

That's an interesting theory. There would be other signs of it as well, beyond their tolerance for drink.

[ Signs such as chewing cud. ] I suppose it would be rude to ask?

Perhaps... But never fear, I am watching intently.

[And occasionally spacing out, but that was merely a side effect of partaking in the drink herself, and could no longer be helped. One of the best ways to know something was by doing it oneself... Observation helped as well, but.]

By my estimate, if they regurgitate for a second chewing it will be perhaps an hour after eating... Dessert.

[Wait a minute. Sieglinde looked down at her mostly devoured platter of shark, then fixed Ahad with an inquiring look.]

Do you know if dessert is on the menu?

You're that fascinated by the idea?

[ Ahad assumes it must be the drink talking, in part. No one could be that interested in digestion, especially not in regurgitation and all that went with it. ]

I have no idea what dessert would pair with shark.

[ But he has begun to think of it. Perhaps the alcohol has begun to go to his head, too? ]

One benefits from being fascinated by many things, you know.

[Said with the air of a lecturer despite her small size... Even if she destroyed any credibility that mature statement might have brought her by sticking a bite way too big into her mouth just because why pace yourself? Once she gets her chewing back under control though, helped along by a few hearty thumps to the chest, she ponders the problem of dessert.]

Neither do I! It is my first time to eat of these sea fish, and they are unlike anything I've ever had!

[But she certainly doesn't seem to let that get her down or stop her gorging on it.]

Digestion only holds a momentary fascination, and even less when it no longer becomes personally necessary.

[ Her antics get nothing more than a raised eyebrow, but he's amused under the surface. He's drinking, but hasn't bothered with any of the food. Not even thoughts of dessert. ]

Perhaps something light would pair well with it?

But in that moment, one should lea-

[Sieglinde paused, half convinced for a moment that she saw a deer about to regurgitate and potentially begin chewing cud, thereby proving her theory... but he only burped.]

- rn.

[Blink blink.]

Something light... like Kirschwasser cherries?

[Was that light?]

[ He'll follow her gaze to the deer, then shake his head. Mostly at himself. It's not that he's interested on his own, but Sieglinde's interest has him wondering, too. ]

What? [ Cherries he knows, but the Kirschwasser part must be from her own universe. ] I wouldn't know if that counts.

It's a... hmm.

[She reached for the term, having only had the drink once when a merchant had stumbled into the Witch Forest back when she'd been much younger than she was now...

And by that she meant maybe two years past.]

Fruit brandy? Do you drink those?

[She supposed he didn't have to drink at all, but. Surely one wouldn't choose to forgo the finer drinks, even if one did not have to eat to sustain one's body?]

I assume it must be alcohol of some sort? One served as a dessert?

[ It seems like a fairly safe assumption to make. The terminology is very likely different, but Ahad recognizes spirits when he hears about them. ]

Yes, yes, that is right.

[Sieglinde tentatively sniffed her native drink a moment, nodding to herself.]

What do you drink in your... world?

[When he... drank?]

Personally? Wine, for the most part. I am partial to the darker varieties of reds.

[ He drinks quite often, actually. Ahad has never been one to deny himself pleasure, and he finds wine to be very pleasing. ]

Beyond that, strong spirits. When I am in the mood.

A shame one needs so much land for grapes.

[Wine was a favorite in her texts, as well, but she'd never really tried it before Chantes- her village was deep in the woods, which was no place for a vineyard.]

What is "the mood", then? Celebratory or brooding?

One could always have it imported. [ Cost may be an impediment, but never a lack of land. What land couldn't supply, money could often buy for those who possess some wealth. ]

Could it not be both?

My village did not keep contact with the outside world- there was no such thing.

[They lived off only what could be actually grown in the area, or what was abandoned by merchants scared off by the rumors of werewolves and the witch's curse.

... She guessed she understood, then, how it could be both.]

- I suppose so.

Ah. May I ask why?

[ Ahad's always aware that prying may not be invited. She can answer if she wishes to. If not, he would not be offended. ]

It was a village formed by witches, and full of their descendants

[Sieglinde is not the best of liars, but these lies she tells to other recruits about her past and about her home ring truer than most. After all, she'd believed it to be the truth herself most all of her life- until the night ALASTAIR had taken her in. It's easy on the tongue, even if she doesn't look at him when she talks, concentrating on putting more food on her plate.]

The forest was cursed to prevent humans from entering it, and the guardians stopped most of those foolish enough to try.

[ Lying to a god is generally difficult, if they're paying attention. It's only an impression, however, and he cannot see the truth of a thing unless he puts more effort into it than he would normally. Honestly, Ahad doesn't care that much. ]

Ah. You could have said no.

[Her first reaction is confusion- "no" what? It brings her gaze up from the food, fork half raised, as her expression shifts slowly to suspicion. Ah. That was right. God.

It was easier to forget with Ahad, as opposed to those whose names she'd grown up reading about. They appeared as mortal as any of the rest of them, here, but at least there was name recognition. Could he tell, then?

Most didn't call her on it, so it left her grasping for something to say.]

... That is the easier version.

[Usually simply believed, and less difficult to explain compared to having to say that her entire life had been an elaborate lie, her village built and kept running just to make her believe in something long enough to finish her parent's work and formulate a chemical weapon that could kill millions.

The more palatable version, too.]

[ In Ahad's case, he intentionally lived very much like a human. He had his quirks, but most were easy enough to explain away. Who notices that someone never eats or sleeps? Only those who become very close to him would, and he doesn't often allow that. ]

Whatever. [ He pauses long enough that one would almost wonder if that was it, before sighing quietly. ] I apologize. It was not my intention to pry.

... It is fine.

[As if to illustrate just how fine it was, Sieglinde proceeded to stuff some of the food from her plate into her mouth and swallow it down with a swig of alcohol... and choke a little from trying to swallow too fast, but she pounded it out herself with a few thumps to the chest.]

- I am not offended.

[Just a bit red in the face.]

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EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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