My fair faire

[sunflowerfields]

Who: Erryone
When: Day 170, right before leaving for Heartstone Manor
Where: The cookhouse
What: dinner and a show A crash course in table etiquette, and/or your chance to get your bad behavior out of your system.
Warnings: Watch your damn language.



With the threat of behave or die hanging over their heads, Hinawa is feeling very nervous. She's only tangentially familiar with the rules and regulations of formal dining and mingling, having only experienced it for the first time during the Celebration, and for the most part she's just a simple country gal. The last thing she wants is to get everyone in trouble because she used the wrong fork, and she can't help but feel like she's not the only one, so she comes up with a plan!

She only hopes it'll be enough.

[This is a mingle-ish! Jump on in!]

Comments

Joker and Strange's Lesson On Etiquette

[pipers_son]

A sharp whistle cuts through the cookhouse and, if that isn't enough, Joker's well used voice calls out. As someone in charge of the performers, it's not hard for him.

"Alright folks, listen up!" He's standing right on stage, where a table has been set up. Also notable is that Joker isn't wearing the flamboyant fashion he's so often known for. Even when he's at a formal event, his choice of wear tends to be brightly colorful. Today, however, he's wearing a simple blue waistcoat over neatly pressed slacks. There's not even makeup, which is probably the weirdest thing of all. Trust him, he doesn't like it either. Once he's sure that everyone is sufficiently quiet enough (although he could talk over all of them if he wanted), Joker continues.

"Since most of us could use a refresher on the kind of manners one uses in high society, Mister Strange and myself will be givin' one. Since this is a bit last moment, do yer best ta remember as much as ya can. If ya have questions, feel free ta ask 'em at any time. If ya forget, just come find me while we're stayin' at the castle."

He gives a nod to Strange. "Anythin' ya want ta say?"

[ooc: We're going to be playing it pretty loose, so feel free to have your character theadjack if they have a question.]

[kingsroads]

Strange's appearance is equally noticeable, as he's swapped his normal look of 'borderline unwashed hobo' to something decent. His waistcoat is in a dark green and he's wearing an expertly tied cravat as well. He's even shaven and brushed his hair (though it's obvious he's still in need of a haircut). Despite the fact that this level of cleanliness is so unlike Strange, he looks perfectly comfortable in the clothes.

As Joker nods to him, Strange gives the other man a smile. "And if you can't find the stage manager or he's otherwise occupied, seek me out instead." There's a pause, before he continues. "I suppose the first thing to do is cover the absolute basics of what to do and what not to do—things like proper forms of address or using your napkin, for example."

Because Strange has already had to explain 'you can refuse food you're allergic to' to someone today. He's a little bit worried that they'll need to go over the basic rules of table manners and polite conversation before they get to different tableware and the intricacies of class structures.

[tacosgay]

Taako cuts in, only very briefly, with a wolf whistle aimed squarely at Strange. He then clears his throat, smiling sweetly at him.

"Just had to get that out of my system, go on."

[kingsroads]

Thanks Taako, now Strange is spending the next ten or so minutes answering questions while blushing slightly.

"But I'm married," he grumbles, more to himself than for the sake of anybody else.

[pipers_son]

It probably doesn't help that Joker immediately snickers into his hand the second he hears that whistle.... Or that he nudges Strange a couple of times before moving on.

What? He needs to get it out of his system. Lord knows they won't have much time or cause to laugh when they're in that damn castle.

literally this is something my grandma says, I need everyone to know that

[tacosgay]

"Hey, there's nothing stopping married men from taking compliments, right?" Taako smirks, waving a hand idly. "You're married, you're not dead."

a+ to your grandma

[kingsroads]

Strange is still bright pink as he tries his hardest to calm down and somehow remove the flush from his face. It isn't working. He looks so embarrassed.

"In that case, erm, thank you for the compliment, Taako." Despite the fact that he's thanking him, Strange's tone is pure 'and don't do it again!'

[textsfromhotland]

Alphys slowly raises her hand, feeling self-conscious being the first one to ask a question.

"Uh, s-so... i-is it rude not to finish everything on your plate?" Having lived on microwavables and instant noodles for so long, her palate is... questionable.

[kingsroads]

"It depends," Strange answers, trying to give Alphys a reassuring smile. "Ideally it's best if one cleans their plate, but it's not terribly rude if you don't eat everything. But no matter what, at least try everything on the plate and make an attempt at eating what's offered--unless you're allergic, of course. Then politely explain and refuse."

Which again, Strange has already had to explain once before, he has so little faith in the carnival to get things done.

[textsfromhotland]

Phew. "O-okay, I guess that's r-reasonable. I mean, I just wanna make sure nobody's gonna blast me with magic because I didn't f-finish the salad, you know?"

Alphys has never eaten a salad in her life.

[kingsroads]

"Blasting you with magic for not finishing a salad would be ruder than not finishing the salad in the first place—especially if they used the magic at the dinner table!"

Strange is halfway joking but also halfway serious. Don't use magic at the dinner table everybody, that's rude, you can do better than that.

[textsfromhotland]

And Alphys is exactly the type to take even a half-joke completely seriously. "O-oh, good. I've never really been around fairies before, so I don't really know what to expect..."

[kingsroads]

A small frown passes over Strange's face. There's really no way to impart just how potentially bad news the fae could be without having someone live through it in the first place.

"The simplest way to phrase it is expect the unexpected. Fae are mercurial creatures, shifting from one emotion to the next at the drop of a pin. At least all the ones I've dealt with have believed they were innately superior to any non-fae, a fact that we could use to our advantage."

[pipers_son]

"It's the kind of things we'd assume was common sense," Joker says dryly, "if it were anywhere that wasn't here, which is lackin' in common sense even if we don't think about how most of us are from at least half a dozen different places."

Gems, he's looking at you. Literally. It's subtle, but it's happening. A couple other people, too.

"I suppose the most basic stuff would be ta sit straight and proper in yer chair. Don't tip it back, don't lounge about, and don't let yer feet go besides or underneath your chair." A considering pause and he adds, "Unless yer anatomy can't be helped. If our host is a proper one, hopefully he'll be understandin' about that particular issue."

[espigeon]

"I can sort of use a chair like this, but not like normal!" Julien calls out from his bird self. "Like, I can lean part of my chest against a seat? That's about it. Is it better if I just stand, sit on the floor, or lay on my chest?"

Julien's bird self is way past furry into full on feral territory. He's kind of hoping this part of him will just get kept with the animals, since apparently the menagerie is coming too. It'd make things easier on everyone. "Secondary question: can I pretend I'm part of the zoo? I feel like this doesn't come up in normal etiquette."

[kingsroads]

Strange frowns slightly, looking Julien over. How is he supposed to answer this question, nothing prepared him for giant birds asking if they can use chairs!

Thankfully, the second question is asked and Strange looks downright relieved. "You're a person sometimes, aren't you? Honestly, it would be easiest if you were a person as often as you could be during this trip." If only for the poor servants' safety as well. It's one thing cleaning up after a bunch of people, it's another thing cleaning up after a giant friggen bird.

"It's better if you stand, by the way. Sitting on the floor or laying down would just get you dirty."

[espigeon]

"I'm always a person, but I've got to be a bird all the time and a human optionally. It's uh, it's sort of like that's my dæmon? If I had a dæmon who could just pop in and out of like existing, and didn't have to stay close, and could touch people." It's so much easier contextualizing the two bodies thing after having been to Greysol! Of course those locals' secondary 'bodies' are completely different and he's only got the one, non-divisible personality.

"Literally dirty, or taboo dirty? I guess it doesn't matter."

[pipers_son]

"Literal dirty," Joker clarifies, raising his hand partially as if to rake it through his hair before he pauses. Right, he wants to try to look as put together as possible upon first arrival. First impressions are important.

"I'm not sure if we could say yer part of the zoo and get away with it, but that doesn't mean we can't do it at all. So long as a part of ya is still with all of us goin' actin' as normal, it might not be a problem. If it is, well, we can deal with it as it happens, I suppose." They are going in a bit blind.

[espigeon]

Julien manages not to say gross out loud, but his translucent inner eyelids flicker and show, as if to protect his eyes from something noxious. "Oh. Yeah, I'll already be barefoot, I'll keep that in mind."

He nods.

"I want to try, anyway. It'll be easier on everyone if I don't have to try and waltz this through formal activities." He trembles his folded wings to indicate this - himself, this body, something that has to use a beak for fine manipulation, has wings for arms, and can't engage properly with most furniture. "Way fewer faux pas, way less attention."

[pipers_son]

"Oh, I can imagine." It's been pretty to just observe things here, after all. A good couple of years in the Carnival has given him a good knowledge of the various trials the more changed workers have to deal with. Julien... isn't exactly that, but it all works out the same in the end anyway.

"Anyway, give it a shot, and let me know how it works out, alright?" A smile flickers across his face. "If nothin' else, I can try ta fast talk 'em. I might be able ta stretch the rules of etiquette in our favor, bein' all knowledgeable and the like, although we shouldn't push things."

[spaghettimonster]

There sure are plenty of people for Joker to subtly look at. Between the people who aren't human, the people who are literally rocks, and the people who literally lived under rocks while also not being human... Well, any glance shot Papyrus' way is just a cue for him to raise his hand and offer a question.

"That sounds like... strict teacher seating ettiquette! If the chairs are anything like desks... there's openings perfect for tails"

[pipers_son]

Sharply, unable to give a satisfying snap, Joker taps his fingers against his thumb. "That's good considerin'! Dependin' on the chairs, there's a good chance the style might work well dependin' on the size of the holes and the size of yer tail."

And yet... "Still." Joker places his hand on his hip. "You'll want ta keep in mind that the style might not allow for it. In that case, you'll have ta discretely position yer tail so that it curves ta the size. Name of the game is not raisin' a fuss or bein' too noticeable."

[spaghettimonster]

He shifts in his seat, testing moving his tail so it's kept next to his leg. That'd be discrete, right?

"It's not a very fun game," Papyrus admits. "The very opposite of so many of our jobs... why, noise and flashiness is the carnival's unofficial byword!"

[kingsroads]

"I'll agree with you on that," Strange chimes in, with a little laugh. Unsurprisingly, he enjoys noise and flashiness as much as the other people.

"However, it is what it is. For the length of our visit, it would be best if the noise and flashiness would be kept to a minimum." And, as he looks over at Papyrus's tail, Strange gives the skeleton a little nod. It's discrete enough for him, it should hopefully work for the Prince.

[pipers_son]

"It's because we're goin' ta a fancy noble's house," Joker says dryly. "They hate noise and flash, a real borin' lot."

A pause, and he nods to Strange.

"No offense and all."