abraxaslogs | [ OPEN ] i know some places and i've seen some faces

[ OPEN ] i know some places and i've seen some faces

WHO: sam wilson and anyone/everyone.
WHAT: captain america cookout.
WHERE: sam's horizon domain
WHEN: third saturday of september (aka, about 3 weeks after the jailbreak)
NOTES: see below!

HELLO ALL AND WELCOME TO SAM'S CAPTAIN AMERICA COOKOUT!!!!

Over the last week or so, Sam has been going out of his way to contact as many people as he knows to invite them to a cookout at his place in the Horizon. He knows that after the jailbreak, a lot of people were separated, and this was his first thought on how to bring people together. The purpose behind it is simply because Sam thinks that the one thing all of them have in common, opinion on the Singularity and their situations aside, is that they were all brought here and can actually access the Horizon. He sees merit and use in coming together when they can, especially in ways that don't involve the politics of the land they're now living in. So, what better way to do that than around food?

The long and short of it is - this is a peace meal. Leave your issues at the door. Sam has very few rules and there is very little he will give in terms of what this cookout will entail, but three things he will make very clear:

1.) There will be no fighting at his home. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances. Don't be an ass.
2.) There is no meeting or serious reason for this cookout. Literally, he just wants people to come together who may no longer be able to see each other due to the travel constraints. It's meant to be fun. Come have fun. (he knows y'all know what that is, even when some of you pretend you don't). Bring food if you want to! There is also a kitchen (if you know what that is) and places to crash. Hope you like seafood!
3.) Anyone who can come into the Horizon is welcome. He'd love it if everyone came, so spread the word.

The cookout itself is set up out front, with picnic tables and chairs and fire pits and lights abound. There are tables set up near grilles if anyone wants to do any actual cooking outside, and a table (probably multiple) set up with sides and napkins and utensils. There are a variety of different places to go and sit and hang out while you're eating. Anything and everything you can want is available - food, drinks, yard games, music playing from out in the trees that will remain consistent unless someone tries to find the speakers and hijack the playlists, etc. If you can't find something outside, you're more than welcome to check the house.

All throughout the party, too, there will be a new friend. Red, as Sam fondly calls him, is a blood-red hunting hawk with silver in between the feathers. He can be found circling around Sam quite often, or perched on his shoulders, but also if you are out and about you can often see him checking up on anyone and everyone. He's a very curious little bird, and also pretty sassy, if you want to interact with him.

If you haven't, or have, been to Sam's domain before, feel free to take a look around. Anywhere is open (save for one locked bedroom) so everyone has open access, but most of the cookout itself will be located in the front yard.

OOC: This is mean to be an OPEN LOG, so leave your TLs or closed threads below! This party will last basically as long as people want it to, but the idea is for it to be an afternoon into the evening. Y'all have free reign save for destroying Sam's home, but if you have any questions, hit me up on plurk (disarmingly or disco (dai#3757). Sam's TL is below, and he will be bouncing around like the good host he is, but lets get a little party started.

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[It is easier for Alucard to enter the Horizon at night. He has chosen not to dwell on the reason why (he knows it isn't vampire nonsense), only take advantage of what it allows. He travels outside of his domain rarely, choosing instead to curl up in his depression hut in a pile of soft furs, a singular fire, and a terribly advanced kitchen for 1400s Wallachia.

He's not there tonight. Tonight he is slipping into Sam's domain to leave something and then withdraw. There's no interest in the actual party or anything of the sort, but the dhampir is well aware that Sam's work in the tunnel deserves some kind of recognition. The part of Alucard that was still raised right, that understands the need to be polite about these things, wants to acknowledge and thank him for it.

Which is why he's in the house now, dressed in a dark grey tunic and a black coat with embellishments, the veritable goth teenager at the family gathering. His eyes glance around the kitchen, most of it familiar. Electric lighting. A stove. The dishwasher is a total novelty, but it is nice to know that humanity gets to develop what he grew up with.

Alucard is in the process of placing a small bundle wrapped in a simple linen cloth (plăcintă cu brânză, a sheep's cheese pie, good at any time of day but with jam, an excellent dessert) with a small note pinned to it on the table when Sam walks in.

His response is immediate but measured. If nothing else, Alucard is on a far more even keel than the last time they saw each other.]

No, thank you.

[ sam had a couple of things in mind when he went about inviting people to this party - for some, he wanted it to be a kind of get together, sure, but in a lot of ways a kind of draw to bring everyone in one place. there are people he wanted to check up on, people he was too busy to catch during the jailbreak itself, and alucard had been one of them.

but, in addition to that, sam was well aware that this wasn't the scene for a lot of people. and he set his expectations as such. that means ( for better, or for worse ) that when he catches sight of people he hadn't actually expected to come, there is a kind of rush of...well. excitement isn't exactly the right word. but relief. he's glad to see alucard, okay? plus, yes, sam definitely catches that alucard seems a bit more...settled. together. ]

You planning on leaving a dish and dashing? [ sam goes ahead and approaches the other side of the table, very curiously inspecting the package. ] What're you leaving?

Is that the term for it? [The question's tone is mild, eyebrows lifting ever so slightly. Good to know, but there's a more important question on the table. ~~literally.~~

Rather than just given an explanation, Alucard reaches towards the linen wrapped bundle and opens it properly. What sits inside is a rounded pastry, made perfectly golden brown and sitting in no container at all. Vents have been carved into the top, simple but making the most of the need to air out the pastry - they swoop and curve from the center to the edge, showing off just a little bit of the cheese inside. There's a slight salty tang to it once one gets close.]

The best translation is that it is a cheese pie. Plum jam or other sweet spreads go well with it.

[He doesn't quiet nudge the package over to Sam, but Alucard does take a step back in a way that's as close to an invitation as he's going to get. It came out good. That much he knows by scent and color alone.]

It's meant to keep well without refrigeration, but I don't expect that will be a problem.

[ sam shrugs - he's not necessarily sure if it's an official term, but hey. he used it. that's enough of a reason to have one. and if alucard is willing to take it and then move on, so will sam.

as the other moves to unwrap the pastry, sam leans in a bit closer, getting a good look and also a nice smell of the cake itself. pie? whichever. sam very obviously looks like he's ready to dive right into it, even if he's never had it before, but alucard makes a suggestion and there's a look of a sudden idea crossing sam's face. ] It looks freaking delicious, is what it is. Oh, actually- [ and then, without much by way of explanation, he'll move around the table further into the kitchen, opening a couple of cabinet doors and pulling out a few plates, a couple of forks, a large knife, and a mason jar that definitely has some sort of jam in it. he comes back to where he'd been standing across the table from alucard and sets it all down. ]

Is it ready now or does it need to sit? [ he probably should have asked that before grabbing all the stuff but oh well. ]

Edited 2021-09-22 03:44 (UTC)

[There's always a little bit of pride that wells up in the dhampir when a compliment is given to his cooking. The skill was meant to be practical when he was younger, as what he could and couldn't eat was a mystery, but it grew into a hobby he genuinely enjoyed, as well as a means of working through problems. Stuck with an engineering question? Pound it out by kneading some dough and get bread along with an answer.

It hasn't worked as well in the Horizon, food not being real and all, but the pride remains.

His eyes track Sam's movement towards the cabinet, and-- goodness, that's a lot of stuff in there. Alucard thought his family was spoiled by the castle's advanced equipment and ability to purchase spices. Some things about the future are better than expected, it seems.]

It's sat for as long as it has needed to already. [Sam he isn't going to deliver food you can't eat. That'd be rude. So the dhampir gestures at the pie instead.] Please, cut away.

[ listen, they don't need to talk about the technicalities about how none of this is real or necessary. sam has been grilling all day and yet for nothing, really, when he could just imagine the food as it needed to be. but it's the effort that matters, or if not the effort, the thought.

and that's what sam will take, as he grins and moves around the kitchen - collecting plates, knives, jam. he pulls out more than he needs, he knows that, but he gets a bit caught up moving around the kitchen. he's noticed that more often than not, around this house - how habits, are seeping into his thoughts. things he doesn't need to do, since this is all magic, but he can't quite help himself.

and listen - he has to ask. baking is one thing he's never going to really get a handle on, as much as he might try. ]

Hell yeah. You want some? [ sam looks....way too excited as he cuts into the cake, serving two slices, whether or not alucard answers him. you're going to sit and eat with him, right? ]

[Alucard watches Sam carefully, interested not in the movement, but the organization of the kitchen. It is the sort of telling thing that no one thinks about, but is terribly reflective. Where pots are, how someone arranges their utensils, all of it speaks of how they cook and organize.

In Sam's cabinets, there are unknowns. Labels that Alucard can read but not understand what the food is. (Nutella? He has questions.) There's a spark of delight for that though. Sam's home is a world of improvements on what Alucard grew up with. A little reassurance that humanity gets better, even if is just by a little.]

Somhow, I suspect that even if I let you know that I made a second for myself that's in my home, you'd insist. I was also raised not to fight over matters of hospitality.

[That said, Alucard's eyes search around for salt. It isn't actually needed, but it is instinct in him. Welcoming a guest back home means bread and salt, no matter what. It's---

Oh.

Right there on the table, huh?]

Perhaps not that large a slice though. I can stand to have it cut in half. Which jams did you find?

[ sam can tell alucard's eyes are on him, but he doesn't pay it much mind. between people who have never seen a house before to people who don't know their way around a kitchen. whether or not either of those apply to alucard doesn't matter nearly as much, seeing as it's what sam tells himself to stop worrying about it. let people explore, let them be curious - and if alucard wanted to, sam would even let him go on a full exploration event of the kitchen itself.

just in case he wanted to. ]

Oh, perfect, cause you're right - that saves us both effort.

[ sam laughs a little, already picking up the knife and going in for slices. it's probably not as small of a piece as alucard would like, but it's not a big piece either.

he points with the knife to the mason jar, and then to a couple of others he managed to bring along. ]

That one's my Nana's recipe, blueberry bourbon pecan. She used to- [ sam exhales, suddenly aware how out of place that jam is. whatever, this place is magical, he moves on. ] Anyway, then we've got honey, I think that one's fig, and...that one is probably plum. [ he's plating both of their slices, making it obvious that the jams and spreads are now in alucard's court. ]

Just a smaller portion then, so I'm not hogging it.

[Alucard might take a second look in a little while, curious about the evolution of food and kitchen equipment in his own quiet way. ~~He's going to love stand mixers.~~ For now, jam.

Blueberries, pecans, bourbon. All new words, and with that, curiosity that spills out before Alucard can cut it back.] Bourbon being...?

[He can probably figure out the rest, but bourbon is a mystery. Who cares about out of place jam when there is novelty?] If there's truly no way to choose, the easiest is to simply cut what's on the plate into smaller portions and apply the jams accordingly.

You're not hogging anything. If we need more, I can always ask you for the recipe.

[ he says, not at all worried, as he puts the regular sized pieces on each of their plates. there are no small pieces in this house, no matter what being polite or manners would technically call for. as long as there is enough, they are fine.

sam smiles a bit at the curiosity that spills out of alucard, nodding, encouraging. ] It's like whiskey, or scotch, but made in Kentucky rather than... [ he gestures, like alucard will know what that means.

at the suggestion, though, sam pauses - looking at both of their plates and then the options of jams, before nodding some more. ] You know, fantastic idea. Here- [ and he does just that - cutting each slice into three pieces, a little tester plate for each of them. ] Want to put some on each of those?

[A recipe indeed. There's a quirk of the lips on the dhampir's face, the question of what recipe? It is something made from pure feel and look at this point, practiced from years and years of the work.

But to the newer culinary wonders. Alucard is careful as he takes a sniff of the blueberry-bourbon-pecan concoction, and while it doesn't knock him down entirely, there is a total exhileration in the new. The sweetness undercut with acidity, the smokiness from the bourbon, and sharp tones from the pecans. All new ingredients, because knowledge regarding North America is about two decades away. It is wonderful.]

The barrels the spirit is aged in would be...oak, I imagine? [That was the only familiar scent lurking in the jam, and finally, he takes a spoonful out and places it onto a portion of his pie. The bottom most part, against the crust, with the biggest surface area. He does the same to Sam's plate, and then applies the other two jams as well.

There's care with volume. Not enough to overwhelm or drown out the cheese's delicate flavor, just a thin spread to accent the sweetness.]

That should be sufficient. But I will insist you try it first, since this is an offered dish.

[ the worst part is that that look is something sam knows well, the kind of small, conspiratorial glint in his eyes. ah, okay, so that's how it's going to be. sam shakes his head, giving up on that idea before it even begins to take shape. ]

Or I just call you over to make more.

[ still, sam watches as alucard all but lights up at the exploration of the jams and just nearly takes a step back so he can investigate to his heart's content. it ends up with sam standing there, arms crossed over his chest in more of a show of letting alucard take the lead than anything else, watching when he finally decides to spoon out some of the jam. sam nods at the observation, though, agreeing with the assessment.

he blinks when the attention is shifted back to him, before sighing once more and taking the plate and slice and looking only mildly put out by it. ] Only because I get the feeling you are as stubborn as I am and we'll be here all night.

[ he's going to take a bite at that point, his eyes widening in delight. ]

This? Is incredible, holy shit.

Probably easier in the long run. I have no doubt that measurement standards are different between my time and yours.

[Whatever medieval Wallachia was using, it sure wasn't cups and pounds.

The tables turn, gently and with the sort of soft joy that only culinary exploration can take. Alucard knows damn well what he's made is perfect, and he nods gently to confirm that Sam's right about the stubbornness. A polite war could ensue.

But it doesn't. There's the satisfaction of a dish well made, and Alucard brightens just a little for the compliment.]

Thank you. Let's see about this bourbon thing then.

[Novelty is novelty, after all, and something new to Alucard's palate is always welcome. He's not sure what to expect, being equally unfamiliar with scotch and whisky but-- goodness. It is a lot. The oak mixed with headier notes of caramelized sugars against the full of the mash bill for whatever bourbon this was, the acidity and sweetness of the blueberry working in perfect, equal measure. The gentle crunch of the pecan. An entirely American jam, and stunning.]

I'm afraid I'll have to ask for a jar of this jam. If only to deconstruct it properly for my own canning.

[[I actually think we can wrap it here or with one more tag from you to close it out!]]

[ ooc; coming back here to say that I think this is a good place to end it but I would love to do something as a follow-up and/or something else with them! c: ]

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[ OPEN ] i know some places and i've seen some faces

The House

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me, the worst ever. please feel free to drop if you'd rather!

No worries, there's lots going on and making geralt and yen suffer is very important!

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