OPEN — FOOD TRUCK RALLY

[antagonize]

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: Peach Beach and the Boardwalk
WHEN: April 12th, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM
WHAT: A food truck rally for all our hungry selves.
WARNINGS: Sunburns?? Maybe.

THE FOOD:
With so many trucks, stands and kiosks, there's more than enough food to cater to everyone's tastes. Tables and chairs have been set up around the boardwalk, complete with patio umbrellas to shield customers from the sun and an excellent view of the ocean. It doesn't matter if you're a customer, a vendor, a swimmer or even one of the musical acts — it's hard to deny it's a nice day outside. The sun is shining, the temperature is pleasant, and the smell of delicious food fills the air. Vendors selling other wares and stands for face painting have also been set up around the area, so there's plenty to spend your money on throughout the day.

And for those poor, responsible saps who won't be able to join until later in the day (be it because they decided not to skip school or had to work a shift early in the morning), don't worry. The festivities won't end until 11:00 PM. There's plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, the food, and the beach.

Hope the queues don't stress you out, however.

THE BEACH:
The beach itself is equipped with a handful of volleyball nets. Some volleyballs can be found in the general vicinity, but should all of them be in use (or, you know, super duper squished), you can always bring your own — or buy them from one of the more opportunistic vendors in the rally. Those who are interested in making use of the nets are more than free to team up and get down to business. You all might want to be careful, however, to avoid accidentally smacking a passerby in the head with a badly aimed volleyball.

Or... a well aimed volleyball. It's okay. Nobody will judge. Probably.

Move past the volleyball nets and the sand, though, and you'll reach the waters. Today's weather is nice enough that no one needs to worry about getting dragged away by the tide, but just in case? There's likely to be a lifeguard nearby. That, or a good Samaritan. So don your best swimsuit and have fun.

THE MUSIC:
A small stage has been set out for the DJ and the live musical acts to do their thing. Music will be playing throughout the whole day, offering a nice mix of the latest hits and... questionable musical choices between acts. Some of the trucks and stands are outfitted with placards and flyers announcing this year's lineup, and there seem to be four (4) familiar names among the list:

Ainsley Menodora
Jade Wolf
A Lyrical Assassination
Yin Longwei
Feel free to grab a friend (or a stranger) and dance along to the music. Maybe relax after your performance. Or, contemplate throwing the DJ's equipment into the ocean when he plays the same diddly darn song for the 20th time in a row. It's not even the full version. It's only a infinite loop of the same 43 seconds. Please make it stop.

(We did say to be patient with the DJ.)

THE RAFFLE:
At 5:00 PM, there will be an intermission in the music in order to announce the results of the raffle. The tumbler drum is wheeled to the stage, where it's given one last spin before tickets are removed from it one by one. The winners will be called as their tickets are drawn, an announcer asking them to climb up to the stage via microphone. There, they'll receive their prize and will thus be free to gloat — or grimace at what they've been given.

The results are the following:

Dave Strider - Coupon book with $500 in savings at participating fast food restaurants.
Penelope Raban - $50 giftcard
Ranko Kanzaki - Novelty sunglasses
Izuku Midoriya - Free dinner for six (6) at some ritzy restaurant.
Ilia Trevelyan - A few dozen gourmet cupcakes, courtesy of The Confectionary
Noah Campbell - A selection of the latest games ÉcarlateSoft has to offer.
James Barnes - Two tickets for an hour's time at the Deadeye Shooting range, donated by Elizabeth Wolf.
Augustine Sycamore - $30 giftcard to Amazon, donated by Penpoint Productions.
Don Maxwell - Coupon for free slice of pizza with choice of topping and a medium fountain drink, courtesy of the Pizza Port.
Roxy Strider - A selection of character plushies from CUBEnix's flagship game series.
Minako Arisato - A month of free Zumba lessons at Dance!!! Studio

Enjoy your prize! And be sure to haul ass, lest the announcer decide you're absent and call someone else.

BONUS:
As the last few live musical acts play and the festivities begin to wrap up, it seems like this year's Food Truck Rally has come to a peaceful end. Most vendors have started to pack up in order to call it a night — save for two. Anyone who has been hanging around the local soft serve ice cream and açai bowl trucks might have noticed the growing tension between their vendors. It all comes to a head when, at the end of the rally, they both hop into the driver's seat of their trucks, rev their engines, and begin to race each other down the beach.

It's all too predictable when, in an attempt to avoid a prop that hadn't been packed up yet, the ice cream truck swerves and drives right into the ocean. The splash is big enough to soak anyone who happens to be nearby, the truck being pulled into the waters moments later. There doesn't seem to be any chance of saving the poor, innocent truck.

Almost appropriately, it seems like the DJ has time for one last song.

The haunting melody plays as the ice cream truck slowly sinks into the ocean, its mascot cheery and bright as it's all swallowed up by the water. The driver dog paddles away (thank god), but this is not the end of the chaos. On the other side, the açai bowl truck's driver momentarily turns to jeer at his defeated enemy — only to crash into a peach tree the next second. Anyone on that side of the beach might want to get the heck out of the way, because it's literally about to start raining peaches.

Welcome to the Food Truck Rally, everyone! The OOC post for this can be found over here, and a thread for questions is here. Mingle, don't drown, and try not to get a sunburn while splurging on food. Or totally let your character get a sunburn, if that floats your boat. Either way, I hope you all have fun!

Comments

[true_noir]

"Yes, but I suspect that there will still be some justice to do, regardless. There were quite a few people who were frightened by it, and it was endangering." She shook her head a little gravely before sighing. "But as you said, at least nobody was actually hurt other than their pride and finances." She suspected that both would be recovering from the losses for a while.

"And I was. It has been... nice to be off of the network for a few days, mostly. Not exactly promising in some things, but still pleasant to not have to see various attempts to figure things out all the time." She tended to get embroiled in those easily.

[standalonehuman]

"I know what you mean," Togusa has to laugh at himself. "It almost feels like I'm pulling double-duty, keeping up with my job here, and trying to look into Retrospec all the time. I'm not usually somebody who is so tied in to the net," he shrugs helplessly. "It's been easy to shift back into unplugging."

"How do you fill the space in the meantime?"

[true_noir]

"Oh... well...," she started before sighing and laughing. "I have recently felt some ... I guess we'll call them changes. I've been down at the local gym I have a membership a lot in. Practicing mostly. It has been a nice change of pace, even if I am not quite sure how to feel about it. I feel like I finally have my legs, though, under me in ways I never had them before."

She wasn't going to mention that she also hadn't been drinking. No way in hell she was going to fool a cop about fake ids and the like. Her life had been full of some different diversions lately certainly. She couldn't do her usual thing of going to nightclubs that her id worked at to vent a little stress with trusted friends. It had forced some creativity.

[standalonehuman]

Togusa hesitates, and looks down a little. Chloe is too young to have to put up with this sort of thing. Whatever burden that Retrospec is trying to put on them all? Why does it keep landing on the young? "Changes," he echoes.

"I suppose it's good that you're trying to keep up with them, then," Togusa shakes his head. But the look he gives her is still full of sympathy. "But I'm guessing that you're talking about a little more of a sudden- change, than you'd expect to come out of natural training?"

[true_noir]

"I was always able to jog well before," she acknowledged, nodding to him when he asked that. "Yesterday, I was on a gymnast's horse, and moving around it like a young gymnast, whipping about with relative ease. Nobody gets this good, this quickly." It had literally been an overnight change.

[standalonehuman]

"But-!" There's an objection, deep in Togusa that wants to let itself be known. "You didn't know that before. But, let's say for a second that the going theory is right. These are memories from another lifetime. You did the training that you need to get that good. At some point. Gymnastics?" Togusa shrugs. There is something that greatly unsettles him about this entire idea.

[true_noir]

"I prefer not to think of it as that, because that would me that I am her," Chloe said, shaking her head. "The idea of that is more bothersome than that of them changing me to look like a stranger. But, if we are to say that, she did it yes. I have my suspicions as to why, but it ... isn't important, not really."

[standalonehuman]

"You're assuming, then, that these memories belong to someone else entirely," Togusa insists. "Whether we are banking on this idea that it's a previous life or just someone unconnected to us? But these aren't truly your memories that you're seeing?"

"If so, then I see your point that the reason behind it isn't important." Togusa nods. Maybe this isn't as important as everyone is making it out to be. But it's hard for him to get perspective on it.

[true_noir]

"It's an assumption, and I know that it is increasingly one that is difficult to back up, but it is the one that I prefer," she said, frowning some. "I am not sure I can keep it up for that much longer. But, if others are right and it is somehow me, should it matter why I did it in this past I cannot remember? In a way, she is still not me." And she was pretty sure she didn't want to go down the same path as that girl.

[standalonehuman]

"It's one I can respect," Togusa holds out a placating hand. "And, from a philosophical standpoint, you're absolutely right. These aren't the things that you've done in your life, therefore, it isn't describing you."

Togusa quirks up a corner of his mouth in a half-smile. "Once I catch up to the rest of you, whenever Retrospec decides to come after me harder? I hope I can keep up the same perspective."

[true_noir]

"It helps a lot that I do not especially like this 'other me?'" She nodded back to him when he spoke. She could be stubborn, but she wasn't necessarily mad about it anymore. Really, she could understand why some would rather this be a past life or something similar. "I think it will help you, if you know how you feel about the things you see. That will tell you how you decide to react."

[standalonehuman]

Togusa quietly nods. It is some sound advice. Something that he has been circling back around to when giving advice to others who feel somewhat lost by what they are seeing.

There is a loud grinding sound as the truck hauling the ice cream truck out of the water begins to move, chains dragging on metal as they tighten and start to pull. Togusa looks up, as if just now remembering what he is actually doing here. Oh, right. "Looks like we're going to be out of here shortly. Thanks for stopping to talk. And for giving me some things to think about."

[true_noir]

"You're welcome, officer. I'm certain we will speak again soon. But until then, take care," she said. As the truck was being pulled out, she knew he had work to do, so she would take her leave respectfully and head away. If they needed her for anything she was not hard to find.