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AUGUST EVENT PT 1
premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation
→ 8/3-8/4 School Cultural Festival
Good morning!! The crows start cawing at the crack of dawn and they're really noisy, but while they're usually a nuisance on the best of days, perhaps the wake-up call will be appreciated this weekend, as the school gates are open over the weekend for the annual cultural festival the students have been hard at work on for the past few weeks. It's an open event for family and friends to come enjoy themselves, or perhaps get dragged into helping out in a booth or two, as some of the students have called in sick or can't be reached at all. Either way, the general commotion centered around the school is probably even loud enough to be heard all the way over in Castle Ouma if you're quiet enough. I don't know how else to get you guys who still live in the castle ruins over here... Hopefully you've been hearing people talking about it all of last month? Or maybe you're a newcomer who's just woken up in the castle ruins, spent ten seconds with Kokichi, and decided to leave the forest and never return, that's also very plausible.
Involving the elementary, middle, and high school buildings on their shared campus, all the typical sorts of booths can be found, including a school play performed by the elementary school students in the auditorium in the morning, and various concerts or performances held throughout the day. In the classrooms, food stalls and cafes are common, along with haunted houses for the braver souls. Rumors say that sometimes people who enter the haunted houses never come out the other side... but never mind that. It's fine. Sports clubs hold friendly competitions outside on the field, and many cultural clubs have displays of their work to show off in their club rooms, so there's plenty to do and see and eat all around campus. Despite all the preparation, however, some of the stalls appear to be empty, others with students frantic about not having enough people to keep things rolling smoothly. Looks like the strange illness going around town last month hasn't completely resolved yet, but maybe it's best for those who are ill to stay home in a crowded place like this.
For those seeking something quieter, tucked away in a corner of the high school building next to a struggling yakisoba stand is a fortune telling tent which doesn't seem to be getting many customers. The line is short and there's no fee, so why not give it a shot? Inside, a hooded figure sits, head bowed and face completely obscured in shadow aside from their chin, illuminated by a cheap looking crystal ball placed in the center of the table. A stack of cards lays on their left, a bag of something smelling faintly sweet and spicy sitting on their right. Without prompting, the fortune teller speaks in a low soft voice, greeting you by name. Weird. Weirder yet, they go on to address you by the arcana on your omamori, be it The Fool or The Hermit or what have you, and rather than answering any questions you may have about your future, the fortune teller instead offers one of two messages:
『To return to where you hailed, you must return to where you arrived. Take with you that which bears the name of the being you have banded together to defeat, and restore what once was.』
or
『When the moon's face shines full and bright, at the cusp of night and day, return to the place of beginnings. Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai must be played, to return two lost souls to this world.』
Huh... Before you can ask any questions, however, your time is up and the next person in line is already pushing you out the seat to the exit. You can always return to the end of the line to have another go, but... curiously, when you enter the tent any subsequent times, a high schooler in uniform greets you, bright and chipper. Home? Souls?? She has no idea what you're talking about if you repeat the messages from before, but never mind that! She can read your fortune!! Maybe you'll let her show off some palmistry and— oh... your life line is rather short... Unfortunate. Never mind, we'll try tarot instead and- hm. That sure is The Tower. Oh well, time's up, next person please!
On Sunday evening as the festivities wind down, a bonfire has been set up in the middle of the field, adding to the unnaturally hot summer night. It's still pretty, though, with the sky dark and bright stars starting to peek out, blankets laid out across the grass and sweet potatoes being passed around to be roasted by the fire. Take the time to relax and breathe... because it's un/fortunately a festival month and the villagers are hype about their festivals.
→ 8/6-8/8 Tanabata Festival
- While the students had been hard at work setting up the school festival, the rest of the town had been preparing for the tanabata festival, with stalls set up encircling the entire lakefront at the center of town. Yukata can be bought or rented, along with traditional hand fans to ward off the heat of the summer, and many of the typical food stalls and carnival games can be found, including stalls where you can test your luck in scooping goldfish/yo-yos/other small plastic toys, shooting targets with cork rifles, attempting the rigged ring toss that's impossible to win without cheating, or playing the lottery with tickets for free food from the stalls as consolation prizes. Maybe your luck sucks and you just want to buy stuff and that's fine too. Come with full wallets and leave with full stomachs filled with yakitori skewers, sweet or savory dango, roasted sweet potato, and the seasonal favorite: shaved ice. It's seasonal because it's summer and summer is so hot. This particular summer feels like hell and halfway through the last day, they run out of syrup, but cups of plain ice are still selling very well, so... yay...
While some of the stalls are already heavy with decoration, others are pretty sparse, with the lack of people running them. Which is fine, or intended, because there are workshops held all around for teaching and encouraging people to make decorations meant to improve different aspects of one's life: paper kimonos for artistic ability, strings of a thousand paper cranes for long and healthy lives, paper purses for wealth, colorful streamers for handicraft, wastebaskets for cleanliness, and of course, tanzaku- paper strips hung up on bamboo trees for a wish to be granted by the gods. Decorations are judged for artistic ability, with a small prize given to the best decoration judged at the end of each night.
In the evenings, stages set out along the lakeside feature folk dance performances, and decorations are collected to be lit on fire and sent off in small boats in the lake, the collection of flames giving off a soft light as the paper burns down and turns to ash, reclaimed by the lake as they sink. A reminder from the townspeople to anybody who stands too close to the lake: please do not touch the water. On the very last evening of the festival, a fireworks show is held, shooting up overhead above the lake and is visible anywhere around town, raining down sparks of gold and red, hell fire from the sky.
...Also hell fire in the woods. It's been windy and dry all month, and a small forest fire has started at the edge of town, be it from arson or by accident. The villagers cut the evening short to go help, as there is no established fire fighting service, so any and all assistance would be appreciated. Somewhere nearby, a child starts to cry, unable to find his mother. With the villagers pulled away, the night ends with the stalls left empty. Nobody comes to clean up the next morning...
→ MOD NOTES
- ⬥ As mentioned in the OOC plotting post, a heat wave befalls the town and NPC villagers start disappearing until the daitengu from last month is defeated. 2 more dungeon threads must be submitted before 8/11 to secure the ofuda. Lockdown continues to occur each midnight, with the school transforming into the dungeon; details can be found on last month's event log.
⬥ For the cultural festival: characters will receive a hint about either 1) how to return home (take the ofuda received after beating the dungeon boss to the castle ruins), or 2) how to summon the Velvet Room attendants (playing Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai at the castle ruins during the full moon), and are highly encouraged to discuss both messages amongst themselves. Characters may learn more about how to play Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, date of the full moon, etc. by asking around town.
⬥ On 8/12 (ICly dated on 8/15, the night of the full moon), a mini-log will go up encompassing both of these findings.
⬥ For the tanabata festival: each character may claim one small wish pending mod approval at any time this month (comment below) for writing their wish down on a tanzaku, and 3 characters will be randomly chosen on 8/12 as winners for the decoration judging, and will be contacted at that time for the option of receiving an additional wish.
no subject
[ Leon's imaginary dog ears droop. ]
We won't buy any other snacks with mayonnaisse in it! Just this one!! Promise!! Right, Suzume-tan, Hayato-kun?
no subject
No.
[ "Aru-taaaaaan!!" Oh no. The nickname caught on with Suzume. It doesn't make RO budge on her stance though. ]
N-o. You can have the choco bananas instead.
no subject
[ Then again, Leon's quite an obedient kid in general, so after a few 'eeehhh's... he'll try to bargain. ]
Then... can we at least get takoyaki after this?
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[ The kids (and Leon) can get choco bananas and takoyaki in exchange for not eating the mayonnaise-ridden food... even if the other two are pretty out there themselves. RO ends up paying for bit, since she's loaded and doesn't mind paying for little things like this. ]
Take your pick. You too, Leon.
[ "I want Anpan Man!"
"I want the pretty one over there!" ]
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[ He'll give her a one handed hug, before yelling at the stall their orders. No chill!! The gangster-looking old man manning the stall laughs at his excitement, carefully handing him the four choco bananas he ordered. ]
This one is for Hayato-kun [ Anpanman! ], this one is for Suzume-tan [ Rainbow! ], and this one is for Aru-tan [ She did say she didn't need one, but!! It's cute and he thinks Aru-tan will likes it! ]!! Mine is this one!!
[ Ah, festivals are the best!! He doesn't wait for long before chomping off the head of his choco banana. ]
Mmm! It's yummy!
no subject
Despite not wanting one, she got one. And all the more, she has to pay for something she didn't want.
...
Well, that's fine. She takes the one that's for her and she looks at it. They really do make all sorts of designs for these, don't they... She doesn't quite understand the nuance of it, but she pays for all of them and casually bites off the head of the choco banana.
Delicious rations.
The kids are very cheerful with their own choco bananas, cheering before they gobble theirs up.
""I wanna play!""
The kids really have no end to their energy... RO isn't even done eating hers yet. ]
no subject
Ahaha! Nice, you're going right for it!! Well done, Aru-tan!! I approve of your eating style!!
[ Who are you to judge, Leon.
Anyway, he cheerfully turns to the kids who already gobbled up their snacks so fast that you'd think they dropped it. Then again Leon's finished his about the same time as they do so... three kids on sugar rush, good luck, RO. ]
Yay!! Okay, what shall we play? Who's up for haunted house?
[ Leon raises his hand, trying to buy time as RO finishes her choco-banana. ]
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"I-I'm not scared at all!" Hayato is trying to put on some kind of bravado.
Thanks for buying her time, Leon. She eats the choco banana with haste, doesn't choke, and pretty neatly too. All done. ]
There seems to be a display of human skills outside. I wonder if the children would want to watch that.
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Human skills? [ Leon tilts his head. ] Like acrobatic?
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[ What does that even mean?? RO looks at Leon as if wanting him to explain. ]
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[ He looks around him to make sure there's space, before doing a backflip. ]
...this, but with skateboards.
[ Asking Leon to explain anything will only result to sound effects or practical example like so. What are words!! But does RO even know skateboards... Leon just assumes she does because who doesn't? ]
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If there is amusement in such a thing, they should go see it.
[ Hayato and Suzume look pretty excited.
"I wanna do flip tricks too!"
"Me too! Me too!" ]
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[ Hearing Hayato and Suzume's excitement, Leon smiles. He puts his hands over his knees, bending down. ]
Those people go through soooo many practices to be really good, and it's very dangerous! I can teach you guys next time, but only after we get you safety gears, okay? And only if your parents say yes!
[ Oh! How was that? Didn't Leon sound a bit like an oniichan? He feels proud of himself. ]
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Your safety is very important. No one wants to get hurt, so it's best if you two think about what he said.
[ suzume and hayato: :T fiiiine ]
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Hey hey, if you guys are being good kids and listen to us today, maybe we'll give you something later~
[ He tilts his head at RO. ]
Right~? ♡
[ What is he planning....... he's not actually planning anything... ]
Let's go!! The performance is waiting for us!
[ He straightens his back up, holding out his hands for whoever wants to take them! ]
no subject
[ Hayato and Suzume take a liking to Leon and hold each of his hands while RO only follows suit, because the hallway isn't wide enough for four humanoids side by side. They look excited to see the performance either way while RO doesn't bother to hide her poker face, since she still doesn't know what to do with the kids other than follow Leon's subtle lead. ]
I wonder how it would be... a group of school children doing flip tricks.
no subject
Ha! That's a nice idea, Aru-tan! They can start from simpler moves!
[ He can teach them! That's something to keep in mind for after the performance. He needs to remember to take mental notes for any inspiration!
The walk doesn't take too long, but just from the line in front of them, it's easy to tell that it's gonna be pretty crowded. Gotta be careful not to get separated! He grasps the kids' hands tighter as they enter the venue, making sure RO's by their side too.
The venue's unfortunately not a place with steps so it's hard to see if you're small and not in the back. So Leon suggests: ]
Okay, so who wants a shoulder ride?
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RO has no idea who Hayato is talking about, but. Whatever. RO doesn't mind being able to see the stage, since she's of pretty average height, and gives a look at Leon that she doesn't know who Hayato is talking about. ]
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He's pretty sure he can't just pull them up the ground from the standing position, so he'll squat down and carry them up with sheer willpower, grunting as his face turns red. They're heavier than he thought...
He manages to get them off the ground, trying his best to shift them around so they can sit comfortably on his arms, but he's dying squirtle. He'll turn his head to RO, eyes trying to communicate to her that he needs help... He truly regrets declining Daiya-san's offer to train his muscles back home. ]
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RO quietly takes Hayato off Leon's hands, so that he can carry the lighter Suzume instead. Hayato seems disappointed, but RO seems to be carrying him with no problems. ]
Is that better, Leon?
no subject
Mm... Sorry, Hayato-kun. I'll get stronger so next time I can carry you both on my arms!!
[ He turns to RO. ]
Sorry, Aru-tan. Thank you.
[ Oh! It sounds like they're gonna start with the performances. Leon readjust Suzume on his arm so that she can see better. ]
How's it, can you see them, Suzume-tan?
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Meanwhile, RO lifts Hayato like the infamous scene from the Lion King because she is not that tall enough for Hayato to see over people's heads, so this is the only option, apparently. Hayato looks like he's gonna scream any minute now. ]