Isolation

Bonus: PPPE

He looked down at the buffet table, content with his efforts. A freshly prepared cut of ham, a collection of homemade fried chicken, and a various assortment of side dishes to pick and choose from. Weiss would be departing soon for Beacon and Winter for her headquarters in Vale. Tonight needed to be perfect or he would never forgive himself.

The entertainment room had been meticulously prepared to ensure he had everything they could possibly want on hand. Near the buffet table rested a mini-fridge filled with a variety of soft drinks. A folded table in the corner of the room contained a plugged in coffee maker, a hot chocolate filled slow cooker, and a countertop popcorn machine. A newly purchased video game rested next to the console by the television.

Jaune had done his research on party based games. The type of game he needed was rather specific. He needed to find a game simple enough for someone unfamiliar with video games. The game also needed to offer up to six player support with a mix of local and online play. Last time Winter saw them playing games in the entertainment room together, she mentioned she knew someone who would be thrilled to participate. Weiss also seemed to have made some online acquaintance she wished to invite to a game night.

Only one title managed to fit all the necessary requirements for their game night. The console released "Pumpkin Pete's Party Extravaganza!" managed to meet the needs of the group. From what he could gather, the point of the game was to gather ten golden pumpkins before anyone else. Golden pumpkins could be earned through mini-games or through interactions with the board game style environment of the game. Enough ideas seemed to be blended into the game that he was sure everyone would find at least one aspect to enjoy.

Jaune booted up the game console in preparation for their festivities. The Pumpkin Pete jingle blared through the speakers, sung by a chocolate bunny, as he opened up the console menu interface to the friends tab. Only two usernames filled the sparse list. He sent a quick reminder message for when the party would start to Winter's friend, P3NN4, before messaging Weiss's friend Firecracker. With that out of the way, he pulled out the other three controllers and four wireless headsets. With his preparations made, Jaune made himself a cup of coffee before lounging on the L-shaped couch.

Whitley was the first to arrive, "What on earth is that racket? Have you taken a leave of your senses, Jaune? What possessed you to put the Pumpkin Pete jingle on repeat?"

Jaune sat up from the couch, "Sorry, it's the title screen repeating. You don't watch much television, do you? The commercial plays once nearly every advertisement break. You learn to embrace the madness. Accept Pumpkin Pete as your chocolatey deity!"

Whitley grabbed the television controller from the coffee table, muting the jingle, "I would rather huff fire dust, thank you. The only reason their dull mascot is relevant is because of their massive marketing push. Speaking of said marketing push, please tell me the reviews for the game were at least acceptable."

"Ah, define acceptable? The usual places gave it a solid five at least."

Whitley's face morphed into confusion as he took a seat on the couch, "Are you telling me this game got a full five stars in reviews?"

"An entire five out of ten! Don't worry, it's going to be great fun. I got everything set up already. Food is on the table if you want to grab anything to eat before things begin," he was grinning.

"I truly worry about you sometimes. I will go see what you have prepared, keep my seat for me."

Jaune placed his controller on the couch next to him to save Whitely's spot. As he placed the controller down, Weiss and Winter entered the entertainment room speaking together.

"I would appreciate it if you tried to make friends with Penny during today's festivities. I hardly have time to invest in this hobby, but you seem taken with it. See if she seems like someone you would enjoy playing future games with," Winter spoke at Weiss's side.