[MINGLE] Fishmaggedon

[crushed_pearls]

who: Erin Peters, this fucking fish, and YOU (please, there's so much fish, please for the love of GOD)
what: Eating an entire sunfish, somehow
when: December 6th probably??? Time is fluid here
where: Tauva
warnings: cooking/fish cleaning probably, someone might eat the fish guts?? And whatever you bring with you





It starts in Tauva. Near lunchtime Erin moves just about everything up against the walls that can possibly be moved while texting Johnny for help. Over the course of the afternoon flyers go up, announcing the event. Cooking surfaces (read: just about every bit of metal Erin can get her hand on that might safely contain a small fire) and clean wood are brought in and stacked on the bar ahead of time, and then Erin must face the awe-inspiring might of what is either Gal Friday's generosity or her sense of humor.

Possibly both.

Erin's first attempt to move the sunfish she received gets absolutely fucking nowhere. Her second attempt, buttressed by the might of Stone, gets it about three feet and knocks over several displays in Sundries.

It is at this point that she sends a helpless Come to the Promenade I am being defeated by a dead fish to both Dimitri and SecUnit. You might catch the three of them pushing this fucking car of a fish into Tauva, Erin keeping up a litany of both encouragement and swear words as she spends Glamour like water just to keep up her ability to help.

Stone Sayeth: Bet you wish you'd signed deeper onto our deal now huh?

After that it's setting up towels in thick layers all around the sunfish, which looms in the center of Tauva in all its glory, and then the containers for the fires in a ring around that so people who can't eat their fish raw can get at it.

Dinner time. Come have a ball! All guests under the aegis of Erin Peters, who will brook no violation of her hospitality by violence.

Comments

Cooking [Tauva]

[crushed_pearls]

Unless someone else changes it, the Muppets are playing in Tauva where the sunfish is. It's bring your own utensils but Erin did steal a selection of forks and knives from Windjammer just in case, and at the start of the party can be found scaling the fish so her guests can like.

Access the meat.

Want some scales? Want the bones? Here to cook fish and chat while you do it? Welcome to the world's most inverted kebab party, here's your not-grill-pit.

OTA

[crushed_pearls]

You know who's learning that impromptu social events cause her stress? Erin. She's in Tauva for most of the night to welcome guests. Catch her tending to the tiny fires, welcoming you to the party, and suchlike. She could use a hand early on cleaning the fish too, getting the guts into buckets to be dragged to the Tommy Bahama for Siffleur; if you want some, take some.

She's Fretting(tm).

[teethoftherisk]

Siffleur has been offered buckets of guts and so here he is to help with the transportation of buckets of guts. It seems only right. They looks and smell absolutely delicious, so fresh that they smell more like blood and saltwater than that fishy smell that lets one know that they have sat out of the water for too long.

This fish came here very, very fresh, and he is grateful for it.

He is also dressed in a mishmash of clothing from Tommy Bahama, with a brightly patterned romper dress for a top, and a pair of cargo shorts beneath because the romper dress is a little short on his overly long torso. Siffleur has no problems with nudity but this is Erin's event, and politeness would be a good thing, and people do not like exposed genitals beside their meals.

The good thing about being an overly long person is that he also has very long arms for reaching inside of a gutted fish to help clean it out. It's as he's pulling out bits of it that he glances sidelong at Erin and the undeniable tension she's carrying.

"If you need a moment to breathe, you can step out. The others will make sure things are handled." This is a ship full of people who love to organize. Siffleur is certain one of them will step up if Erin has a moment to herself.

[ss_buttcrack]

"I didn't think there were any fish in the ocean to catch," he says as he joins her at her side to observe this massive fish she's attempting to descale.

"'the hell did you even get this thing out of the water?"

[hadnoright]

Daisy is brought to Tauva less by the fliers then by the stench of fresh fucking fish which, as you can imagine, is not a normal smell on the ship that does not even have marine life in the ocean around it.

So here's the tiny hunter, standing in Tauva's entranceway looking between the fish and the fires with her arms splayed and wrinkles of confusion in her face, all of which matches the tone of her voice as she says: "Erin, what the fuck."

[tempingainteasy]

April sees the flyers, and then making their way to the promenade, they smell the smell and see the evidence of the transport, and very casually they follow it all to Tauva, right to who, if she isn't the cause of this or otherwise overseeing (phrasing), then she's at least informed.

They stroll unbothered, like it's a normal goddamn day on the Serena Eterna, right into Tauva, right up to Erin, and very pleasantly they say:

"Hey Erin, why?"

chase collins | ota

[bastardofipswich]

Is Chase going to torch some people's fish while their guard's down?

Yes.

Come on, what's the point of having so much magic if you're not gonna use it to prank and annoy people without provocation?

"Ohhhh..." He makes a show of wincing apologetically, so exaggerated that there's clearly nothing sincere about it. "Sorry. I thought you wanted it blackened."

OTA

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri is never happier than when he can get his hands dirty. The pheasant(?) on the island remains one of the brightest points of his time as a passenger. This thing? This massive, bizarre thing? Dimitri is having the time of his life skinning and boning it. He's absolutely coated in fish blood and skin scraps, and he got to help carry a big heavy thing! This is a great day for Dimitri.

He's even humming to himself, tunelessly but with enthusiasm, as he peels off three-inch-thick chunks of skin several square feet at a time. It's nothing anyone from Earth would recognize; it has the steady, repetitive cadence of a song meant to pass the time during long chores.

Every so often he forgets himself and slips into the lyrics, only to scrunch his nose and curse under his breath as his tongue tangles around the translator. He may comment to someone passing, "I saw a whale being butchered once, but I was too young to help." Or, "Are we sure this is a fish? Where are the scales?"

Or maybe you catch his good cheer faltering, as he looks up from his work and casts an uneasy, darting glance around the Promenade.

OTA

[inhairently]

a.

[ here's the thing. when you're gifted an indiscriminate amount of weed, you smoke it. steve hasn't been going too wild with it. every day isn't a weed party. he's not walking around in a blazed stupor 24/7 or anything like that. just, occasionally, he sneaks away to tauva on his own or with eddie or with whoever he runs into on the way who might be up for a smoke session, and he gets a little high.

that's the plan today as he strolls in with a joint in his pocket. he just wants to have a quick, quiet smoke. maybe have a snack and take a nap on deck. something like that.

he has no idea he's walking into fishmaggedon. he missed the memo.

he's also never seen a sunfish before. sometimes, when someone hails from an era pre-google, when local tv didn't make a habit of showing nature documentaries, when science class was for flirting with pretty girls and not for learning, people can miss out on important details about the world like, uh. sunfish. just as an example. sure, steve had done his share of flipping through the encyclopedia to look at random facts like any pre-internet kid but if he'd ever landed on the sunfish's humble entry he'd promptly forgotten it.

so that's where one might encounter him first - circling the setup with a look of plain disgust on his face. perhaps channeling cardi b while he's at it.

(the joint has since been forgotten, still tucked safely away in his pocket.) ]

Gross, [ comes his expert opinion, relayed to anyone who might be listening. ] There's no way this is sanitary. It's disgusting.

b.

[ eventually he's coaxed into giving it a try.

now, steve didn't grow up with a father who took him hunting or fishing. he's never cleaned an animal in his life. he's gone to fancy dinners with his family, sure, but his idea of a fish dinner is heating up some fish sticks and dunking them in ketchup. maybe some tartar sauce if he's feeling spicy. he's never even ventured so far as trying sushi here on the boat.

basically, he's lived the life of a small-town wealthy kid with very hands-off parents. he swears by the power of the microwave. he barely knows how to carve a thanksgiving turkey, let alone a giant slab of fish.

despite his culinary inexperience, though, he does a pretty decent job of cutting a chunk of meat, which he's focused on cubing and spearing with a skewer he found god-knows-where. he'll pull double duty and cube fish for anyone who asks, too. ]

If anyone ever accuses me of making this place smell again, remind me to bring this up, [ he says as he carefully skewers another cube.

this is, of course, a reference to the infamous weed party in which he was told more than once that tauva smelled bad blah blah blah. it's not like it even smells nice on a good day, and it definitely smells its worst now. fresh fish may not have that classic fishy odor, but a big raw fish combined with the usual cigar smell isn't really an alluring mix.

something else is weighing on his mind, besides the various tauva stinks: ]

What do you think the odds are we all get food poisoning?

c.

[ once he has a proper kabob done, he holds it up so he and whoever his companion may be can admire his handiwork. ]

I guess I should probably, like... season it or something.

[ salt? pepper? both? that's what he'll go for unless his fish-skewer buddy has any better ideas. ]

d.

[ and if said skewer buddy doesn't have a skewer of their own, steve will offer his. ]

You want this one? I can do another.

ota!

[originalshen]

[Shen Qingqiu...does not know how to cook. Sure, he can kill and roast a rabbit if pressed, but actual cooking technique? Absolutely none. The fact that the meat in question is some sort of demonic giant fishthing doesn't help the situation much.

But still! He's showed up with his hair up in a nice simple ponytail, he's realized how this party is actually going to work, and has seated himself alone somewhere that still has a view of the movie. (What is a movie? What are those creatures on the screen?? Why do they keep singing???) While the smell does make him scrunch his nose somewhat, he's surprisingly adept with the knife, cutting the meat into nice little slices, staring dubiously at the fire...using the knife to hold a fish slice over it...?? He's doing his best here, guys.

Please come bug him over his awkward attempt at cooking, or his fascination with the musical children's movie, or the fact he keeps pausing on occasion to make faces at his fishy hands.]

OTA

[hadnoright]

Daisy did say she'd stick around, but she's still a little... wary, of actively trying to make friends with most of the current population of passengers. Like it or not, there's a reason she's gravitated mostly towards Erin since coming back.

But she doesn't just fuck off. She perches herself in Tauva, cooking and eating what is, honestly, more of the fish than you'd think someone her size could put away—she's not going to make sure there's none left to go around, but clearly the woman's got a big apatite.

Any looks, whether spurred by her eating or by the rather public tense-conversation-that-became-kissing with Erin, will be met with raised eyebrows and a simple, "What?"

Otherwise... come say hi, those teeth and nails looks sharp but she won't actually bite. Probably.

Cooking (OTA)

[glassaxolotl]

When Dedue FINALLY gets to the cooking station, he is immediately in the zone. His mood has vastly improved over the past hour, and he is ready to get cooking.

Fish is his absolute favorite. His family lived very close to the bay, so most of his meals growing up involved fish.

He’s never seen a fish that looked quite like this one before - ocean sunfish is a very odd creature - but he can think of a few Duscur dishes that might work better for it than the Fodlan options.

He settles on making a fish curry with tomato, cilantro, and onion. He does have to grab some of these ingredients pre-cooked from the buffet, but he makes it work.

He’s making a lot of it because he wants to spread the food around. Feel free to ask him for some or just watch him work.

Wash Station [Promenade]

[crushed_pearls]

Out near Tauva is as many buckets as Erin could lay her hands on, filled with water and with towels, paper towels, and those little alcohol swabs for chicken wings stacked near them. This fish business is gonna get messy. Can you clean by magic or science? Would you be willing to help here? Otherwise meet a friend while your hands are covered in blood why don't'cha?

All Things Considered There Are Worse Ways To Talk About The Breakup [Dedue]

[prince_of_beasts]

Sometime on the fifth: If you want to talk, we can meet.
I don't know how much more there is to say. I will not change my mind, but I should have told you to your face to begin with.
I'll defer to your choice of time and place. Otherwise, I'll be in -- Dimitri does some hurried calculus -- what's someplace quiet, less-trafficked, neutral ground -- Mikabo between 3 and 4 pm tomorrow.

If you don't wish to see me, or have nothing to say, you're under no obligation to do so. All the same, I felt that I should offer.

The morning of the sixth:
Or I will be in Tauva most of the day instead
Erin has requested help with a very large fish?

Some time thereafter:
I have assisted as requested, and will remove myself if you prefer.
This is a VERY large fish

Main Dinner [Promenade]

[crushed_pearls]

There are no tables unless you bring some out, your esteemed host is a bit busy Fretting. Still, given that Tauva is only so big the Promenade itself is the main show of the dinner. Swap notes on how you tried to cook your fish. Catch up with friends! Throw failed attempts at making your fish taste good at the statue of Lord Quincy! Just try to remember that if you leave Tauva with anything on fire, Gal Friday is gonna be after your ass with a fire extinguisher and no pity.

OTA - the consequences of my own actions

[businessorlibation]

Between bites of fish (cubed, skewered, seasoned with soy sauce from Mikabo and treated not completely unlike a proper marshmallow), Johnny may be heard inquiring of his fellow passengers: "I say, you don't happen to know what a furry is, do you?"

[Promenade] OTA

[ss_buttcrack]

"So... guess we are having fish for dinner." He sounds bemused but not unhappy about the situation.

"Can I get anyone a cut to throw on the grill while I'm going? I'm not touching the eyeballs, though. You're on your own for that one."

OTA

[tossmealifeline]

That was a lot of fish, honestly. He certainly couldn't pinpoint what kind it was, but apparently it was dinner and everyone was making their own.

"Okay fish..."

Yato was blanking. He didn't cook that much, actually, and what he did make had directions. He didn't have any for fish, and with the size of it and everything he was a bit hesitant to just eat it raw dipped in soy sauce.

"Well, I mean, I guess I can't poison myself to death." He had a piece of the flesh in front of him and he just shrugged slightly before putting salt on it.

Whether he got assistance cooking or not, eventually he'd just be leaning against a wall with a plate in hand, mostly observing. Easy to talk to if people noticed him, but just as easy to miss as he wasn't really trying to get attention at the moment.

Main Dinner OTA

[be_seeing_you]

"I've brought the malt vinegar if anyone would like it," Number 6 announces to no one in particular.

He stole a bottle of the stuff from the Drunken Sailor on his way here because you can't have proper fish without this. He will not be taking any criticism of his condiment choice at this time, thank you very much. (So feel free to heckle him anyway.)

Vengeance On The Landwalkers [Wildcard]

[crushed_pearls]

Party going into another bar, one of the stores, need to go on a wild adventure to retrieve tables or argue about what you can pillage from Windjammer to really set this fish off? Put it here!

[Closed to Johnny] Describing An Elephant

[crushed_pearls]

Late in the party, after ensuring her hands and arms are scrubbed clean (downright raw, really), Erin approaches Johnny with her new clothes, off to the side of the Promenade, and lays them out on one of the tables that dots the Promenade.

"...You got any idea how this might look? I felt up the stitching, these aren't mass-produced. I think they're for me."

[businessorlibation]

"Stunning, certainly. Right, so the ruffly skirt-like thing with the layers? That's a petticoat. It'll go under the skirt of one of the dresses. It'll definitely create a silhouette."

He looks at the outfits. "The style borrows elements from military uniforms, but the overall look is more feminine. Not feminine in the sense of a femme fatale or anything...sexy, but a girlish sort of feminine. Lace trim, exaggerated skirt, the tights and shoes. I'm very intrigued by what the overall look would be like."

OTA

[actuallyawolf]

1.
Ylva knows a great many things about forests, jungles, swamps, and related terrestrial ecosystems, as well as the freshwater habitats of lakes and rivers. Deserts are less familiar, but she knows a bit about them too.

She does not know very much about oceans.

She has certainly never seen a sunfish, or even imagined such a thing.

So she stares for a long moment, squinting thoughtfully, before at last she shakes her head and asks, whoever might be listening, "Is it supposed to look like that?"

2.
After the initial shock, Ylva is attempting to cook a piece of fish using a bit of fire magic. This is not terribly effective, and also she's not a really good cook, though she does have the sense to have peppered and salted it.

Not that she's above eating it raw, but cooking seems to be part of the whole deal that's going on right now.

2

[crushed_pearls]

Erin sidles up to Ylva with her own small plate of fish; it's not her first, but she's mostly staying in Tauva to eat so she can supervise the flames. Ylva's magic is visible to her, which has Erin's interest just in itself, but not quite as much as the scent of burnt meat.

"You don't need to cook it if you don't want to," Erin offers, companionably. "...Or, well, if you don't have to as well. The rest of us with thumbs don't really have options to digest raw fish. But...how're you doing that? Is it the same fundamentals as, y'know...crow time?"

1

[prince_of_beasts]

"I have no idea. I'm not convinced it's even a fish." Dimitri gestures demonstratively with the chunk of skin he just removed. It flops like a slimy flag, with an unpleasant squelch and smack as it slaps back onto the flesh. "No scales, and the size of the thing -- maybe it's some kind of whale?"