Conversing with the guests, Theodore discovered they're associates of Mr. Brody. Colonel Kraft knew Mr. Brody from the war as Colonel Kraft was his colonel and Professor Rose used to be his psychologist (granted he never said it explicitly due to his oath, but Theodore found out through other means) he consulted after he'd been discharged from the military due to injuries he received from his time.
Scarlet, she's an enigma, never gave a straight answer and it's driven Lila mad because Scarlet dug under her skin more than once about her looks. Theodore spent more time trying to defuse the situations sparked by Scarlet's snarky responses and Lila's temper than he did understanding Scarlet, but she's definitely not someone he wanted left around Lila.
He didn't exactly come here with a lead to keep Lila from acting out and she wouldn't hesitate using it on him if he if he tried putting one on her.
The conversation turned on Lila and Theodore and they came up with answers that came to mind that made sense in context. Theodore's an associate of Mr. Brody who helped him and Lila's his assistant.
Had to keep her from swatting at Scarlet the moment she let out a snark. With his telepathy, Theodore reminded Lila to be on her best behaviour and that they're not exactly flushed with money that they're able to pay off the damages borne from Scarlet catching Lila's hands.
"She started it first!" Lila protested Theodore putting his foot down and he unrelentingly told her that Scarlet's just getting a rise out of her and Lila's letting her.
"Behave," Theodore gave his final word and Lila agitatedly shifted in her spot as she tried to bite her tongue while Scarlet talked amongst the other guests.
Alfred returned once again, but this time he stated that dinner's ready, and for everyone to join him in the dining room.
Everyone got up from the couches and went with him out of the study.
With his hands behind his back, Alfred walked with them towards the doorway of the dining room where there's a long elegant table visible from afar with several chairs seated around it.
Filing in, the party took their respected spots with Lila sitting in front of Theodore as he adjusted his stitched vest.
On the table, there's silverware, empty glasses, and white plates
A cook came through the side door near the mantle with a cart rolling through the dining room as she sat down the first course of the meal. It's a deep burgundy soup in a deep bowl and she sat each one in front of the guest until the last one before Alfred poured alcohol into everyone's glasses.
With their spoons, the guests dined on the soup, various reactions between them.
Lila sipped on the deep burgundy soup and her brow raised in confusion as she tried to understand the taste.
It wasn't tomato soup, wasn't anything mom woulda made, and it perturbed her that soup's the first course, considering, but there's a reason Lila's never invited to these fancy dinner parties. She'd have issues with the portions of the appetizers and the fact that everything's elegant.
Maybe that's why Hammond never asked for her help in the dinner parties hosted by the library, since he's the one who goes all-out with those, and maybe that's a good thing, because Lila's not interested in loitering around food trying to keep up conversations with a dozen people...
Focus!
This soup's got a weird taste and Lila couldn't comprehend what it is, but it had a faint mineral taste, and it's definitely not from the spoon.
She tried to sip on another spoonful, but she couldn't even push herself to do it, and she ended up resting her spoon in the bowl, content with her glass of brandy.
Although, brandy's not her favorite, considering the soup, it's the lesser of two evils, and Lila's trying to remain polite for Theodore's sake.
Colonel Kraft ended up asking about the host and Alfred said he should arrive at any moment, he left to stay by the door, and left the guests to eat the soup.
Lila ended up asking Theodore what he thinks of the soup, but seeing his bowl half-empty, she's getting the idea that he's not exactly someone to ask.
"Tastes fine to me," Theodore shrugged his wide shoulders as he lifted another spoonful of the soup.
Scarlet wondered what it is and Professor Rose mentioned that it doesn't taste like any soups he's had before with Colonel Kraft agreeing, saying it's weirder than the soups he had in his RATT packs.
"Guess not everyone's a fan of it, then," Theodore shrugs as he gulped down the spoonful of soup.
Lila raises her brow at him as she asks, "Er, Doc, what are you talking about?"
She immediately stopped herself before adding, "If you say it's monkey brains, I'm revoking your access to the cookie jar in the break room. Don't think I won't!"
Hey, it's all fine and dandy when Indy did it, but this is real life and Lila doesn't wanna deal with hospital visits and the chance she's just consumed a live viral of prion and god knows what else's scuttling around the brains of monkeys.
Theodore lowered his spoon as he looked across the table at her before he innocently said, "It's not monkey brains, Lee."
Okay, good, Lila won't have to make an appointment after they get back and have to explain to the doctors how she managed to consume an illegal dish without explicitly saying that she took a time machine to do it and not get sentenced to a mental institution!
Not like that'll go over well!
"It's liver soup," Theodore tells her the identity of the soup and she's eying him with wide eyes as he casually sipped on his soup before she felt the bubbles in her stomach as it's gotten the news and it's not taking it well.
It's going for the barf bag and boy, it's not looking too good!
Lila sheepishly asked, "You're just pulling my leg, right?"
Theodore got her more than once, so Lila's hoping that he's messing with her, that's all.
She's mortified when Theodore shook his head as he affirmed it's liver soup and Lila had to ask him how he knew.
Theodore said that his father once ate it when he was a small child due to a bout with anemia. It was the only way for him to recover without having to resort to the standard liverwurst or the nasty shots that the doctors gave.
Seems as though Mr. Brody might've gotten the recipe from someone familiar with Theodore's father, presumably because he also suffered from anemia at points, and gotten the taste for it.
Not the first time it happened.
... Maybe eating monkey brains wouldn't be so bad, after all...
"Is that what we're eating?" Professor Rose overheard them as he looked at them as he held his spoon. Scarlet looked at her bowl while Colonel Kraft couldn't decide which was worse, the RATT packs he sufficed on during the war or liver soup.
"I think I lost my appetite, thank you, Doc," Lila pushed her bowl away from her as she decided that while drinking alcohol on an empty stomach's not a good idea, it's better than eating liver soup.
Of course, the giant across from her took her bowl and ate from it, the man's already classified as a weirdo, and the fact he willingly ate the soup's enough for Lila to wonder if they're in Wonderland.
Unable to eat anymore, the guests except Theodore resorted to drinking their alcohol while trying to get the taste of iron out of their mouths while the giant ate his bowl like it's chicken soup.
Why does a man like Theodore want to eat the soup, Lila won't ever know, and she's just trying to keep her stomach from revolting out of fright.
"Are they here?" Lila heard a distance voice and footsteps coming towards the dining room as there's another voice telling the first voice that the guests indeed arrived.
There's a man coming through the door with Alfred trailing behind him and he's wearing a fitted stitched peppermint red suit with a white dress shirt underneath.
Alfred moved ahead to pull the front seat of the table out for the man as he thanked Alfred before pushing himself towards the table with eyes on him.
Hannah came through the kitchen door with a bowl of soup and sat it in front of the man with a glass of brandy as he thanked her before Alfred called attention and gave the identity of the man as the host of this dinner party, Mr. Brody.
"How's the soup?" Mr. Brody causally asked them as he took the spoon in his hand and dipped it into the burgundy red before bringing the spoon towards his mouth.
Lila wouldn't watch a man eat liver soup and she's already seen Theodore consume two bowl worth of the soup as it is!
Consuming the soup, Mr. Brody acknowledged that it's missing something and he asked Hannah to bring him the salt and pepper. She does this as her frilly apron fluttered in the breeze while retrieving them for him.
With them, he shook a bit of the salt and then some of the pepper, before stirring the soup and sipping on it again, before he determined that it's palatable for him.
He looked up at his guests as they stared at him before he finally talked to them and asked how they all are on this dreary day.
"Dreary?" Lila blinked as she looked towards Theodore with confusion before looking back to Mr. Brody. "It wasn't dreary when we came here."
The other guests agreed as they affirmed what Lila said. It wasn't until they suddenly heard a clap of thunder that they realized that a storm rolled in while they were in the mansion.
"So, why'd you invite us, anyway?" Professor Rose inquired the reasoning behind their invitation to the dinner party. Rather random getting an invitation by a former patient and Professor Rose had some interesting patients in his thirty-odd years of working as a psychologist.
Smiling at him, Mr. Brody informed him that he thought it'd be nice to catch up with them and see how they fared over the years after seeing them last.
"Strange you haven't invited anyone else from the garrison," Colonel Kraft pointed out the absence of the other soldiers from their garrison.
Mr. Brody informed him that they declined coming and that he's the only one who accepted the invitation. It's as that.
Looking down at his bowl of liver soup, maybe the others not coming's a good thing, because Colonel Kraft's looking forward to those RATT packs he once hated eating to the point of dousing everything with the hottest sauces he could find on base.
"Dig in," Mr. Brody smiled as he continued sipping on his spoonful of liver soup. He could tell instantly that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but he enjoyed the soup so much, he couldn't help but request it's appearance at his dinner party.
He finished his bowl and had another helping from Hannah as she collected the bowls from the others and as he sipped on his second helping of the soup, Lila asked him a question regarding what he does now, since he's no longer in the military.
"Oh, well, I'm a mix of everything, here and there, you know. I can't quite put my finger on it," Mr. Brody had a difficult time pinpointing what exactly he's doing now, but he assures her that it pays well, and she settled in her seat while the cook returned from the kitchen with the cart with the second course.
Thankfully, it's something easily recognizable and edible as they're handed plates of the beef Wellington with the works before the cook returned to the kitchen.
With their second courses in front of them, the guests finally took bites of their beef wellingtons and it's enough for them to dig in with ease.
No liver taste or anything else, enough for them to take the taste out of their mouths, and Hannah came over with a new drink poured in a separate glass, aged whiskey.
Everyone ate silently as the thunder rumbled and the dinner passed by within an hour of two with the last empty plate taken up by the cook.
Dinner concluded, everyone retired to the study where there's presents by a lounge chair where Mr. Brody sat with his leg over the other as he looked at the guests sitting around the couches.
Quizzical, the guests looked at Mr. Brody as he sat quietly with his presents near him and Professor Rose asked about them.
Mr. Brody inquired, "Anyone up for a game?"