THE DINNER

06[14:46] * Amaryllis steps up to the front and nods toward the kitchen door where the servers start to bring out bowls and spoons for all the guests. "Greetings everyone! My name is Amaryllis Middleton, and I am your chef for this new year's night. Some of you may remember me from the last celebration at the palace, and some of may remember me from my time growing up in this very city in the Aitchison House. To everyone else, I'm glad to meet yo
[14:47] <Amaryllis> *to meet you and hope you enjoy our party."
[14:49] <Amaryllis> "As you may have noticed already, we've brought the spirit of Lindblum into our celebration. The industry, the theatre, and - the theme of tonight's dinner, an event I am sure many of you are looking forward to, the Festival of the Hunt! And of course, what marks the beginning of the Festival but the release of the monsters into the city?"
06[14:50] * Amaryllis nods to the servers, and they all lift the covers to the bowls at once and set down a teapot of hot water next to each bowl.
[14:51] <Amaryllis> In each bowl, little discs of root vegetables and fang meat are arranged like the tiled ground of the city. Stalks of wild herb stand up between the cracks, and a ring of them is arranged on the edge of the bowl.
[14:52] <Amaryllis> Most notable, however, are little cages made of frozen stock, within each a mu sculpted of gelatinzed consomme.
[14:53] <Amaryllis> "The first course for tonight is a fang consomme with wild herb. I invite you all to pour in the hot water and open the cages to your dinner tonight!"
01[14:53] <Jasper_Jules> Adenine: "This is almost overly fancy." she comments to Theta. "It boggles the mind how nice everything is."
[14:54] <Amaryllis> The cage and mu, of course, dissolve once the hot water is poured over them, and a quick stir turns the bowl into a rich and flavorful soup.
06[14:54] * Theta prods at it with a utensil as he replies to her. "Is it bad that it feels like I'm destroying art if I eat it."
01[14:55] <Jasper_Jules> Inspiration and awe seems to be the flavor of the night as the diners begin pouring water over their meals.
01[14:55] <Jasper_Jules> Adenine: "No kidding."
01[14:56] <Jasper_Jules> Adenine dissolves her soup anyway.
06[14:57] * Lenore dissolves her soup and then quietly consumes her soup, making sure she gives off good manners as she does so~
06[14:58] * Amaryllis shuffles back into the kitchen with a bow, having to continue preparations for the remaining two courses and dessert.
02[14:58] * Carbuncle (Giantree@7AD5684E.CD457675.4F42EFCE.IP) Quit (Ping timeout)
06[14:58] * Theta pours and nibbles.  "How do you even -prep- this for so many people without a small army."
01[14:59] <Jasper_Jules> Adenine: "The regent actually has a small army, mind you."
01[14:59] <Jasper_Jules> Adenine: "...so who knows how many people she has back there."
06[14:59] * Bunky tries dumb shit that would make Ammy cry if she were paying attention, like 'biting into it without pouring hot water' or 'trying to dissolve it with a laser beam instead.'
[15:00] <Amaryllis> The reflection illusion cries for Ammy.
[15:00] <Bunky> Good.
[15:23] <Amaryllis> The next dish is taken out to the guests on a series of what seems like pads of grass, with a single plate on them. On the plate rests a few small slices of roasted trick sparrow breast, flavored with thyme. A small drizzle of morel mushroom sauce coats the meat, and a mix of mushrooms is arranged to the side, with slices of parmesan cheese laid atop.
[15:23] <Amaryllis> "The next course is trick sparrow breast, beautifully roasted and coated with a light sauce made from morel mushroom." Ammy walks out to address the crowd once more. "Mus, Fangs, and now Trick Sparrow. You might be noticing a pattern here, yes?" She says in a light sing-songy tone.
[15:23] <Amaryllis> "Just as important as the flavor of a dish is its aroma, and more broadly speaking, the feeling the dish gives you. I want you to bring yourself back to the origins of the Festival for a moment, taking in the fragrances as you imagine the hunt in the wilds. I hope you enjoy this dish!"
[15:23] <Amaryllis> The servers all step forward at this point and pour a hot trick sparrow stock, with an herbal note, over the pads of grass. The dry ice underneath, well-contained this time and hidden from the guests, melts into a thin mist that drapes itself over the tables, sliding onto the floor. The air fills with the aroma of the stock.
15:32] <Amaryllis> The final course before dessert is wheeled out by a team of team of cooks on a large table. On it are models of two figures - the White Mage who won the last Festival of the Hunt and the Malboro he defeated to do so. The two are animated by Ammy's opus, and they exchange blows for a time until finally the White Mage overwhelms the monster with a dazzling spell.
06[15:32] * Amaryllis walks out after the small performance, waiting for a few moments and glancing around, beaming, for effect. She leans in slightly, toward the crowd. "...You don't think I'm serving you malboro tonight, do you?"
[15:32] <Amaryllis> She takes a step back. "The last course before dessert is stuffed zaghnol, served with a fresh mint pesto. The traditional climax of the Festival of the Hunt in recent years has been the Zaghnol, and it shall be no different for our themed dinner. Enjoy!"
[15:32] <Amaryllis> The malboro cracks open, and the smell of baked stuffed zaghnol chops wafts over the dining room. Waiters and waitresses rush out with plates to serve the guests, placing generous cuts of stuffed zaghnol atop a bed of green beans, with a mint pesto spread around the dish.
[15:42] <Amaryllis> Finally, the dessert is brought out, a set of personal size fondue pots filled with chocolate, caramel, a creamy vanilla mixture, some fruity dips, etc. Ammy walks out to greet the crowd again. "Hellow again! I hope you have all enjoyed your meal?" She waits just a second for the crowd to react before moving on.
[15:42] <Amaryllis> "Brilliant!" Ammy clasps her hands together. "We shall end off with dessert, of course. With every new year, one remembers the last and the years that came before. As we greet this promising day together, let us remember all the tales that came before us and celebrate history as well."
[15:42] <Amaryllis> The servers begin to bring the second part of the dessert forward, a series of skewers shaped like the weapons of previous winners of the Festival of the Hunt. Swords, what looks to be a tiny replica of Freya's spear, a single white mage staff, etc. Each skewer has on its end a small, finely crafted dessert item.
[15:42] <Amaryllis> Some are fruits, some are fancy pastries, and some are elaborately decorated truffles of chocolate. One is a miniaturized version of her tiramisu recipe from the demonstraion dinner, the other PCs might recognize, though shaped into a cake ball sort of thing.
[15:42] <Amaryllis> Attached to each skewer is a small flag with recommendations listed on it for what sort of dip to use for the particular item.