Sibling Rivalries: Chili Edition

[brave_heart_verity]

Flyers have been going up around the Forum and Commercial District for the last week or so. This morning,the lights in the VSW Meadhall came on. By noon, anyone getting close enough to an open door would know: chili's on!

Inside, everything's set up and waiting for the hungry and the curious: Clint's cooking in one corner, and Verity's in the other. Between them, tables are laid out with the necessities: bowls, plates, spoons, and plenty of napkins. There's beer and iced tea, some lovely tres leches cakes provided by the Nexus' favorite Japanese detective, and various toppings for the chili: bottles of sriracha and sweet Thai chili sauce, red pepper flakes, green onions and red, lime wedges, diced bell peppers and jalapeños, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cornbread and tortilla chips round things out.

Long tables with a mix of benches and chairs fill the hall on either side of the fire pits. One has board and card games stacked neatly at one end (they were neat when they were put out, at least). Another has two boxes, one wrapped in purple paper and one in pink, for depositing voting slips.

Poll #17301 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

View Respondents

Who gets your vote?

View Answers

Clint--Avengers Assemble!
3 (42.9%)

Truthfully? Verity.
4 (57.1%)

The fire pits are lit, the food is waiting, and there are games in want of players. What are you waiting for?
((There will doubtless be further Cupid-based shenanigans, but this weekend, it's all about the platonic relationships. Bromances, BFFs, and family ties rule the day! Let's celebrate! Threadhopping, tangents, games, and mischief are all encouraged. Just don't start a food fight or Verity will have to yell.))

Comments

[beyond_my_limits]

[Chili? Contests? Mewtwo just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he wanders into the hall curiously. He doesn't really get what's going on, but it seems like a lot of people have gathered here for this event, and getting a chance to watch other people is a unique instance.

The purple cat-like pokemon approaches Verity's table, looking over at her cooking with an inquisitive stare. He's about to say something, but stops since some people don't like telepathic creatures sending messages into their brains. Instead, he frowns a little, before waving one appendage to her.]

[brave_heart_verity]

She waves back with a little smile. "Hi! Want some chili?"

What? He's no stranger looking than Pikachu, and she's buds with the little... lightning rat?

[beyond_my_limits]

[The pokemon nods yes politely, and without trying to, he accidentally does send a message to Verity via telepathy. At least she strikes him as a nice person.]

Thank you. I appreciate your kindness. [It's at this point that he catches himself and sighs.] I apologize for my means of communication. If it offends you, I will stop.

[brave_heart_verity]

The telepathy gets a confused look for a moment, but after a little shake of her head, she starts ladling up the chili. "It's okay. It's uh, you're not going to snoop around, right?"

It's a legit question, considering where she's from.

[beyond_my_limits]

No. That would be terribly rude. Your mind will not be disturbed.

[Maybe a few years ago when he was evil, he might have had the urge to go poking around in a person's brain, but not now. He's a much kinder pokemon, thankfully. Mewtwo watches her ladle the chili, but his eyes glance down at the drinks being offered, before finally reaching down to grab a bottle of water. None of this fancy beer for him.]

How long have you been cooking, if I may ask?

[brave_heart_verity]

"Okay then." Given her own curse, she's in no position to complain about other people's abilities. "Since I was little. My mom worked so much, cooking sort of fell to me. But I like it. Have you ever had chili before?"

When he's settled on his drink she offers him the bowl; the chili smells spicy, but not painfully so, and many of the ingredients remain identifiable.

[beyond_my_limits]

I haven't. Pokemon, unless trained by humans, rarely receive cooked meals.

[The comment about a mother gets Mewtwo thinking for a moment, but he stops, and takes the bowl gently with his psychic powers. He lifts the spoon and samples the chili for a few minutes, taking time to savor the taste.]

This is very good. Warm, filling, but not too heavy. I could get used to this type of food, in moderation.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh, then I should warn you, it can be spicy."

She has a sip of her beer while he's trying the food, watching him while trying not to stare.

"I'm glad you like it!" There's a grin there, behind her bottle of beer. "Would you like a piece of cornbread to go with it?"

[beyond_my_limits]

It has a little bit of heat to it, but that doesn't seem to be overpowering the food. The flavor reminds me of a type of berry from home.

[Mewtwo seems to perk up at the word 'bread'. You don't find that out in the wilds. He nods his head with a hint of excitement.]

Of course. I appreciate the meal as well. It's very rare to finds humans who willingly want to help others.[He manages a small smile of his own.] So this meal is a contest of sorts?

[brave_heart_verity]

"A berry? Sounds interesting." Now she's all kind of curious. A spicy berry would be fun to experiment with.

Reaching over to the toppings table, she takes a piece of cornbread from the plate and offers it to him. "It is. My brother made his version of this stew too. So the idea is that everyone tries some of both, and then votes for the one they like best. It's just a friendly little contest between us. And we were both stuck here for a while when we first arrived. We know how hard it can be. It's nice to be able to help people. Oh, and there's some cakes my friend Katsuya made, so if you want a break from the spicy food, you should try some of that too."

[beyond_my_limits]

Yes. Many types of berries exist where I'm from, some easier to find than others. Cheri and Leppa berries have a spicy taste to them and are very similar to your chili.

[He listens intently to what Verity has to say, while nibbling on the offered cornbread, occasionally dunking the bread into the chili for an additional type of texture.]

It sounds like a very friendly content then. What does the winner obtain? [Cake? Mewtwo makes a mental note to try that next, maybe after sampling Clint's chili. He wants to be a fair judge, after all.] And this is why I like the Nexus...It's very inviting and refreshing to be accepted here.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Cheri and Leppa berries..." yeah she's going to be asking around the markets to see if anyone can get those.

"If I win, my brother's going to make me a particular kind of food I like. If he wins, I make him something special. For the next time we get together." Do Pokemon family gatherings center around food as much as human ones? Do they even have families? She knows very little about them at all.

"Yeah, people here are really nice. I know I've been so lucky to end up here. My name's Verity, by the way."

[beyond_my_limits]

[Mewtwo says nothing more on the topic of berries, given he's not the type who completely feels comfortable offering help to other humans just yet. Instead, he focuses his attention on the other topics being discussed.]

What kind of food will you ask for? I must admit, I did not expect the reward to be so simple. Most humans want money, trophies, more concrete evidence of victory. [Some pokemon, those in herds or packs, probably enjoy meals together more so than a loner like Mewtwo.]

Hmm...[The pokemon sounds skeptical about humans being friendly, so only time will tell if he finds enough kind people to fully change his mind.] Mewtwo. That is my name.

[brave_heart_verity]

'Sfair, she'll work it out for herself, and if she can't, it's not that big a deal.

"Circus waffles. It's... a sweet sort of bread with bacon inside. Trophies don't really interest me. But getting to spend time with my brothers? That's reward enough for me." Yes, she really is that much of a sap.

"It's nice to meet you, Mewtwo." Does he know about shaking hands? Because there's hers, on offer.

[beyond_my_limits]

Circus Waffles? Bacon? I've never heard of such things. Then again, chili and bread are not normally available in the wild either. [He gives her a confused look. A human who's not concerned about monetary gains? She's definitely not like other people, that's for sure.]

... [And Verity might find the pokemon just staring at her hand for a few minutes, before one paw reaches outward.] Ah, forgive me, but I'm not used to human greetings.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Ah, I'll take you out for waffles some time if you'd like. Bacon is a kind of cured meat. There's some in that dish there." She points to the crumbled bacon on the toppings table. And no, she's not like other people. She was a democratic socialist before Bernie was cool.

"It's okay. Here, let me show you." She'll take his paw lightly and give it a gentle shake. "How do your people greet each other?"

[beyond_my_limits]

"Are you sure this isn't some sort of trick to capture me?" [He looks over at the bacon briefly, but his attention is firm on Verity. Is she a trainer in disguise? He gets a little defensive, but willingly allows her to shake his paw.]

"Pokemon greet each other in different ways. Nuzzling each other, shaking tails, the variations are endless." [His tilts his head a little.] "Are you a Pokemon trainer?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Welp, now she's a little offended. "No! Why would I do that?"

She's not sure she'd be down for nuzzling strangers, or even people she likes, in public. "No, not a trainer of anything. We don't have Pokemon where I'm from."