A Well Earned Celebration

[bravenewmods]

[The battle was over and the god Reshiram defeated, driven away by the aid of Union and its allies. The city was safe, by and large, and as the news spread throughout the peoples of the tundra, they began streaming back into the settlement in droves. Dirty, ash-coated faces were filled with relief and gratitude when they saw that it wasn't just a rumor and that their home had indeed been spared. Not everyone was so lucky, but they'd weathered worse, of course. The people of Glacier endured, as they would always endure, and they were also a people that repaid their debts. And they most certainly all agreed that they owed their rescuers a debt.

So, as night fell after the battle, a great celebration was prepared in the center of Glacier. A wide square was cleared away in a matter of hours, and the people gathered what they could in a show of thanks. Tables of food, bonfires towering into the night sky to keep out the autumn chill, and throngs of cheering wellwishers lined the area. Warriors of glacier, men carrying swords and women all bearing axes offered enthusiastic handshakes and claps on the back. Music of all kinds was played, though tribal tunes full of horn and percussion, chanting and yodeling, and even some brass groups dominated the soundscape.

A platform for various elders was set up, and they offered speeches, of course...but those were somehow dwarfed by the presence of the divine beings that were waiting silently for the proceedings to end. Some of the gods that had come to the aid of the war parties had apparently decided to stay, though their reasons were as mysterious as they themselves. The humans would have their time, and the Servants would mingle freely throughout the evening.

Food, of course, is set out in piles. Meat, fish, arctic berries, and various pastries and the like line table after table. A smorgasbord of Glacier specialties, each with a new and unique flavor all their own, and some (such as the stew) possessing a smell that only a native could probably endure. Akutaq in particular seems to stand out among the worst offenders, but the Glacier natives seem rather fond of it, and offer it to their rescuers with great gusto.

And the rewards do not stop at simple meals. either. As the speeches begin to wind down, a woman some might find familiar walks up onto the stage carrying a singularly massive trunk and dropping it down onto the wood with a heavy thud.]

Southerners! You have done a great deed this day! We, the people of Glacier, would like to thank you and honor your sacrifice! Few would do as you have done, coming to the aide of strangers against the might of that dragon...and you have accomplished something we did not think possible. To that end, we would like to present you with the first of many gifts, a token of our gratitude and a promise that should you need it, we will come to your defense in a time of need!

[And then with a sharp kick, she cracks open the trunk and reveals a veritable treasure trove of three different stones to be distributed by her subordinates.]

Rest well, and enjoy the festivities! You are welcome here, for as long as you like! Eat, drink, and be merry within our halls!

Comments

[untalented]

And who was the idiot who told you to chug it? Because I certainly didn't hear anyone.

[He takes yet another sip-- a longer one this time, as it to silently prove.....some point that really didn't matter. The heat rising to hic cheeks from even what he had just partaken of was indication enough that the drink would serve it's purpose.]

[punchesyu]

Uh, duuuuuude, you were the one who insulted my fragile pride here!

[He was very sure that's what that meant. He peers at Waver, eyeing his drink as well. Like come on. Just gunna sip on it like a wimp?]

[untalented]

That's only because someone is a scared of a little fried Magikarp.

[S T F U

He's drinking, he's drinking...]

[punchesyu]

I'm not scared!

[He protests. He doesn't want anyone to think he's scared of fish!]

Fish is just totally gross, okay? They're all slimy and their eyes bug out...

[He shudders.]

[untalented]

[Aaaaaand Waver finishes his drink!]

Come to Sanctuary some day, and I'll give you a reason to complain about your dinner staring at you.

[Stargazy Pie was a delicious and terrifying thing.]

[punchesyu]

Uh, yeah, no. I'll pass. It was seriously already creepy enough at the fair. Half of the food is alive.

[He seems pretty set on it. After all, he did see a dish from there move all on its own.]

[untalented]

It's only alive because it's not cooked right.

[A shrug. He had nothing against fish heads poking out of his food, so long as they were raw...]

I'm going to guess that you can't stand it fried either. How disappointing.

[punchesyu]

Yeah, I don't even want to talk about it.

[Just the thought was grossing him out even more.]

I'm pretty sure I just lost my appetite.

[untalented]

Another round, then-- we're going to desensitize you to other cultures.

[And, with that, Waver gets them more drinks. While he didn't mind Yosuke's opinions, he wasn't in the mood to deal with someone complaining about food that actually tasted better than it looked.]

[punchesyu]

What the hell do you mean by "desensitize to other cultures?"

[He complains at Waver, taking another glass. His face scrunches up again, not very willing to drink another cup.]

[untalented]

Just enough so that you don't complain when our hosts are kind enough to share with us what's important to their culture. No matter what excuses you come up with, it's rude.

[He took down half his drink in one go with those words, firmly believing in what he was saying. Even if he had some complaints about the local food, there were concepts such as 'self control' and 'decorum' that still needed to be followed....and it was unbelievably rude to turn down a dish without trying at least a bite of it, to give it a chance.]

[punchesyu]

Man, I only turned down some fish, and now I'm getting a ton of crap for it!

[Watching Waver down that drink like that eggs him on a little to tag a huge swig of his own, but he's a little more careful about it this time and swallows it quickly, more like a shot so he doesn't have to suffer the consequences of his tongue taking a flavor beating. It's still gross, but it's strong- and the effects of the first one are starting to hit him, making his cheeks turn red.

He also starts to relax a little, some of his own anxiety seems to leave him, though he is still very conscious about being embarrassing in public. Or at all.]

[untalented]

[Waver could feel his cheeks burning-- and his tongue loosening-- from the strange yet weirdly familiar drink as well. He rattled onward:]

I just don't want people getting the wrong idea about Union like they did about Sanctuary. It doesn't matter if you're from Citadel, you're still here under Union's banner, you know.

[punchesyu]

I think you're taking this food thing way too far, bro.

[He stares down at the rest of his drink. He could finish it. He's sure he can. So he counts down to himself, and finishes the rest of it in one go.]

[untalented]

You would too if you grew up eating stunlutefisk every winter.

[And that was a point he was not going to budge on. Instead, he just drained more of his drink.]