( open ) happy moonsgiving, everyone! (forward dated to 11/15)

[crocodilesmiles]

Date & Time: All Day, November 15th, 3313
Location: Focused centrally on the Moon Base Cafeteria.
Characters: Any and all!
Summary: It's a feast on the moon under the guise of being a new sort of Thanksgiving! Food, drink, merriment, food comas... lend a helping hand, fill a few plates of goodies, and meet friends new and old!
Warnings: None right now. Please PM this account should anything go beyond a "my grandmother is also reading this and that is okay" level of appropriate.
Notes: Tag in action or prose, and please specify a time of day, location, or activity your character is participating in! (Set-up, the feast, clean up, etc.) Feel free to offer multiple prompts, as your heart desires! Also, Collette is asking for people to write something they're thankful for on butchers paper on the wall before getting their first plate of food. This is 100% optional!

In the morning, the setting up begins. It's hard to say what's a morning versus what isn't on the moon, but using the lighting system as a sort of guide, those who offered to help set up the feast or continue on with the cooking will all be there bright and early.

After things are cleaned, the cooking continues on while further set up of plateware and silverware and hard to break glasses are left to those helping hands with a mind for arrangement details. The whole of one section has been converted into a sort of buffet-style lineup, waiting for the dishes to be complete and set at ready. All varieties of the usual dietary fare have been offered, some in greater quantities than others.

Then comes the time where people stopping by or trickling in aren't just turned around or co-opted into assisting; it's feast time, though not before an announcement that each person getting a plate of food must write at least one thing they're thankful for on a large sheet of butcher paper taped up to the wall. There's a variety of colored markers and pens provided, from someone's personal (and eclectic) collection. It's a soft price to pay for free food and plenty of it!

When the feasting has wound down, so begins the clean up. Tired, drunk, well fed, over fed, or simply content, people will be shuffled out or dragged into helping turn the cafeteria back into working, normal form. What decorations were added will need collecting (or stealing), plates and dishes and cooking implements and pots and pans will need washing, and floors a good sweeping and waterless mopping before things are all back in order. Leftovers, if there are any, will need to be placed in sealable containers and put into refrigeration.

And then, blissfully unaware of anything impending on the horizon, to bed, or different haunts, for the night.

Comments

During the feast

[ready_to_bloom]

[Caspian had arrived early, to help as needed with setup, since he had nothing to bring, and wanted to do what he could to earn his meal. He hasn't had a chance to speak to Collette yet, so when a seat opens up next to her during the feast, he slips into it, with a full plate.]

Hello Collette! This is a delightful meal. Thank you for doing all the organizing.

[crocodilesmiles]

Caspian!

( She grins, waving, even though he's right next to her, so it's hardly necessary. )

Have you had any of the tofurkey? It's pretty good! Anyway, don't thank me. It's definitely been a group effort! I just put out the word, that's all.

( She's one step away from glowing, happy and pleased with everyone who has shown up. It's just a nice... moment. everything about being here right now is a nice moment in time, one she hopes to treasure. )

[ready_to_bloom]

[He glances down at his plate.] I don't know what tofurkey is! Perhaps it's something I have here. I don't know what all of this is. [Takes a large bite.] But it's delicious.

[He can practically see the glow, and her happiness is contagious, and he can't help giving her a large grin in return.] You look very nice tonight.

[crocodilesmiles]

( The compliment catches her off guard. Caspian's just not one of the people she expects to be so kind, and the unexpectedness makes her cheeks turn a darker shade than the rest of her face. It's so good to be around good people who enjoy good company. This is all one big pleasure for her; she's glad to see it's the same for several others. )

Thank you! You're looking pretty good yourself.

( And it's with a light laugh and a wink that she flirts, not at all serious with the flirtation, if honest in her estimate of how he looks. )

I'd say the moon is agreeing with us, but I think it's more the occassion is!

[ready_to_bloom]

[Not-at-all-serious-flirtation is just about Caspian's speed, since he's an enormous failboat with any kind of real flirtation.

But he does blush at her compliment.]

Thank you. It means much, coming from a lovely lady such as yourself.

I think it's the occasion. We have an Autumn festival in my country, but not one specifically devoted to giving thanks. I like the idea. It reminds me of good things. [All this is said between mouthfuls of food, pardon him, he's just so hungry. He's not been eating much here on the moon.]

[crocodilesmiles]

( The compliment game makes her grin, and she nods her head toward Caspian, figuring it looks gracious enough. Right? Probably -- she's a gracious person, but not so much outwardly seeming.

Or not at all when yammering her mouth off! )

What kind of good things? I'm glad, since that's what I was hoping for. People get bogged down in the big scary stuff, or the small everyday worries, or just in feeling like there's nothing they can do. Having a moment to like, think about what you appreciate is good!

[ready_to_bloom]

[Very gracious indeed! And he thinks she seems so outwardly!]

Oh, well. [He slows down on the eating to consider this and answer honestly.] I guess I have been feeling like you said, like there's nothing I can do. Especially with what happened with the bombing back down on earth. [He scowls briefly at this.]

But of course, I am lucky because I am here, and we were all able to escape. And I have been making new friends, such as yourself, and learning new things. At least new to me, because things here are very different than in my world.

And I think - even though I am not there - how many good things I had in my world. How I was able to unite my kingdom, and how I have good people I can trust as my advisors, and how my people are happy, and there is no war. So even though I am not there, I think it's good that things are probably going well without me.

[crocodilesmiles]

( All of this is -- really great to hear. Collette's smile is warmer than ever, because it sounds all like honest, true things, and even if they weren't, she chooses to believe they are. A place where people are generally happy, where there isn't a war being fought that they'll be dragged into at the front or in dark alleys as they walk home at night. People he's confident in and trusts.

Those are all precious, wonderful things. )

Your home sounds like a pretty great place, when you put it all like that. I'm happy you're not worried that even if things were going on back home, it'll all be bad! It's nice knowing there are good places out there with happier endings, and good people who watch over the rest.

( Which is where she gives him a thumbs up, because that is, indeed, quite awesome. )

[ready_to_bloom]

[Caspian is being honest - he does miss his home, but he has great faith all is well without him, and he has to admit, this adventure, as hard as it can be sometimes, is one he is glad to be on.]

It is a wonderful place! It was summer when I left, and the land was peaceful - no wars, nor worries, and the people, for the most part, were happy. [Of course, he's not naive, and he knows that no land is ever entirely without trouble, but he's quite certain Narnia was in good shape when he left it.]

I hope there are happy endings there, although, for my part, my story is still right in the middle.

[He grins as she gives him a thumbs up - it's not a gesture he's familiar with but he assumes it's something good, and he makes a somewhat clumsy attempt to return it.]

[crocodilesmiles]

( She giggles at the attempt, mostly because she enjoys that he makes it. )

It's called a thumbs up. You're supposed to do it for things that are good, or to show you've heard and understood something.

( And yet far off in Roman times it was a sign to let someone live.

... Hah? )

Middles are good places. You've got all the excitement still coming in all that big long rest of the middle leading up to the end!

[ready_to_bloom]

Thuumbs up, ah I see. [He tries it again, until it looks right because that's appropriate, right?]

And you, Collette? How is your middle coming?

[Oh, Caspian, not so good with turns of phrase.]

Er, I mean. Is there a happy middle in your home? Or here?

[Yeah, that maybe was worse.]

[crocodilesmiles]

( She laughs, wiping her fingers on her napkin. )

I'm hoping for a happy middle someday in this place.

( Either painting a dire portrait of her life back home, or glossing over the fact there isn't a middle there, only an end. She's no less bright and chipper -- it's hard to say if she isn't almost teasing. )

For as many people as can stand one different from the middle that just came crashing down last month.

[ready_to_bloom]

That was a pretty bad middle.

[This metaphor may be getting away from him]

Let's hope for some um, better middles, coming soon.

[crocodilesmiles]

( She end sup laughing again, shaking her head. )

Way better middles. Way better authors for our stories, that's what we need! Thoughts for after tonight, okay? When we get down to figuring out the best way for this story to continue.