Thanksgiving Service

[Jonokuchi]

Back in his homeland, many rikishi would give to charity organisations for honorable reasons, part of the stipend from their winnings that was a necessary sacrifice to provide to the weak and to the poor, to clothe and to feed those that required it more than the wrestlers who were housed and fed as part of the stable they belonged to.

However, at Asp's beckoning Thanksgiving would now be more than simply giving money; it would be a way for Jonokuchi to give something much more precious. Time.

Standing behind a rather large vat for stew, the sumo wore a pair of large black pants and dark blue hoody as he ladled spoonfuls into bowls for any poor soul that came to him next. He offered a small nod once he had done, eyes moving down the line before catching Asp's eyes, offering his sister a small smile.

This was a good night.

[Teeramus]

So apparently they were dishing out food. Striker knew the deal. He'd been on the other side of the table once or twice. It wasn't that he was too proud to take charity, it's that he worked his arse off so he didn't have to. But even then, sometimes you needed a hand. And it was the charity folk who were there to make sure you lasted the night.

He came in, noticing that three of the Arrows were already there and wondered briefly about those who weren't and if they'd show up. There were a few Arrows he wished he could locate.

He took over from someone serving potatoes next to Mace and gave her a genuine smile. "G'day mate. Good to see ya again." He said to her as he loaded up a plate with steaming spuds, glad to find something he could dish out with one arm.

[Pepper]

Pepper showed up. Not is a suit, just... Showed up. It was weird, not having anyone with her when she did, but hey, that was how things rolled. It was time to do something Immediate to help people get long, just for the Day.

She waved to Mace, and nodded to Asp and let her know - "Avis invited me." And briefly passing close to Jonokuchi, who she said hi to with glowing happiness. Then, she slipped to the back of the kitchen, to help them keep up with the front. She let the veteran volunteers steer her work and set he up where an extra pair of hand were needed.

As much as it felt best up on the serving line? Pepper could put that aside for the more anonymous service in the back.

[Star]

There was shopping to do, last minute things, and cooking, and...

Well, it was a Thankgiving. There were tons of things to get Hearthtastic about. But a hearth isn't just a hearth -- it's a Hearth. It's an idea. True fact: when half your Totally A Cabal is doing something, it's A Thing. That doesn't count Arrow things, though, because Arrow. He wasn't chasing killer teddy bears in haunted houses or whatever it was they'd been Arrow'ing about at.

Shelter? Check. File that under Leave Wallet(s) At Home. Not his first rodeo, yo. On either side of the serving tables.

A wave was offered to those he recognized, a longer one at Asp along with a curious look. There might have even been a hint of relief. The first, for his Favorite Arrow, the second, for his Least Favorite. In short order, he had a volunteer name badge on. He'd already peeped the crowded serving station. Get in where you fit in.

Table service, yo.

He set to clearing trash off table and seating people. Shoulder to shoulder. Make room. Everyone sits.

[Avis]

This was fucking awkward. Had she made it that way, yes, or rather, she'd made it more so. It always would've been awkward. She'd been in places like this a lot before. Stood in the line, shuffling forward slowly, wondering if she should worry about leaving before that guy, two people behind her, giving her looks. Then there were the looks the stupid sheep gave her, dull eyes crawling over her unwashed clothes, stupid phrases bleating from between their too straight, too white teeth as they handed her a tray she'd been dreaming about since the night before when they'd run out of food. She hated these fucking places, because she'd hated the fucking people behind the pots, but what they offered she couldn't ignore.

And...now she was one of those people. Showing up one time to hand out food as though that would change a life, as though that would fix the fucked up society that let people sleep and starve while they drove their cars, wore their designer clothes, and watched shows about people who were even richer, and even more worthless...and, ok, it was obviously more complicated than that. Did the kitchen need volunteers? Yes, yes it did. Was doing something better than nothing. Yes, yes it was.

And yet, doing it just once was bullshit. It was just a false gesture. A futile action that would lead to nothing. It was a Lie. If she was going to walk through those doors and do this today, and if she wanted it to be more than just a selfish engagement with appearances, then she would have to make a pact with herself. A pact to try and change something that she knew was wrong in the world. Hence one of the reasons why she had invited the Ladder. They were the experts at building steps, at manipulating infrastructure in ways that would help raise people up higher than the Lie would otherwise have allowed. Hopefully, after today, she could partner with them on something. That would mean something good would actually come out of this. Because, honestly, her motivations for inviting the ladder hadn't just been selfless.

They had been selfish. Just as selfish as she suspected the blonde cheerleader's motivations were. With their 'club president' gone there was suddenly a position to reach for and Avis knew Asp was going to reach for it. Had the Arrow's intent really been just inviting a bunch of friends to help the poor, to perform a service? Fuck no. If that was the case she wouldn't have just invited the military branch of their Consilium. She would have paid attention to the fucking banner she was supposed to be carrying. Their cabal was based around inter-Order cooperation, and the Arrow, the fist of the Awakened nation, was not the Order best suited for aiding the sleepers like this. Did it mean they couldn't, no, but they weren't the best at it. The Ladder was, so why hadn't they been invited? If Service was what Asp was wanting to depict today, why hadn't she included the other orders, emphasizing Service alongside the other Orders, Service alongside the rest of the Consilium?

Avis was pretty sure she knew the answer: the Snake was posturing. She was trying to show the Arrow that she knew what Service was about and that she was the one bringing them together to serve, and that was just another feather in her fucking cap, another achievement that made the royal Asp fit for leading their Caucus. It was a political fucking move.

Again. Just like what the Ladder should be doing.

So, again, Avis had brought them along.

Such were her thoughts as she headed to the kitchen, eager to take out some trash, wash some dishes, and do whatever she had to avoid looking like one of the sheep.

[Animus]

Service is Mastery.

The Adamant way was a guidepost. Perhaps the last guidepost, when all else seemed to have blown away. And yet, as the shaman stands behind the table, he wonders.

Asp's words. That it'd be good for him. Helping people, providing sustenance. He still felt cold, despite the warmth of life surrounding him. They would have full bellies for a day. But what of tommorrow? The day after? Nature taught her own lessons, and had little regard for those who failed to learn in time.

The people here were thrust into an unforgiving world. Others could debate the rightness or wrongness of the situation, but to do so was to distance oneself from what was. And to feed them for a day ... it taught no useful skills, taught nothing of survival. If anything, the artificial dampening of nature's goad risked setting them up to fall farther, when it was removed.

A splash of soup into a bowl. A few quick words, with another face he'd be hard pressed to recognize five minutes from now. Dark thoughts, and kept entirely to himself. After all, giving voice to the doubts could hardly change outcomes, at least not for the better. So he would play his part. After all, wasn't that what he was best at? Changing his skin to suit the world's needs, while his own blew away on the wind? He was beginning to wonder who "Animus" even was.

Perhaps being here was fitting, after all.