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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.
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[ He's always been morally gray in general, but now he has anchors that will keep him steady.
He wonders if he needs to make a better example of himself because Leon still calls him by senpai. ]
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[ He nods to himself, very content with what he came up with. ]
So you shouldn't go off by yourself next time!! I'll come with you!!
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[ Terry is also known for doing things on the spot, so he can't exactly promise Leon, but... he'll make a compromise. He quietly breathes out and looks around. They're still in the empty classroom and he got everything out of his system. He's not sure if he's still up for entertainment, but he can always be influenced to go and have his mind changed anyway, so. ]
How has work been? Are you having fun? Are you getting paid a lot?
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The sudden series of questions kind of catch Leon off-guard, but he figures Terry's just trying to ease back in to things after what just went down between them. ]
Mm, it's a lot of fun! It's... been lonely without you, though. Everyone else's there too, but. It's not as fun when you're not around. [ He smiles meekly. ] I think I'm paid okay! I don't know, but I can eat three meals a day!
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[ Services.................... Would Leon even ask. ]
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What kind?
[ It doesn't sound anything like his usual inquisitive, cheerful tone, but there's an obvious hint of concern. Good job Terry, you've made even an easy-going idiot like him a worry-wart. ]
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Oh, I can locate things for people. It's not straining at all and... I guess in comparison, it feels natural as breathing?
[ But yeah, Terry doesn't want to worry Leon, even though what he said is pretty much true. ]
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[ He's still unsure, but he's not gonna stop Terry from doing what he seems to be excited about. ]
But, let me know if I can help with anything, okay? ...Do you use some kind of supernatural powers for that?
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... ]
I'm not sure about supernatural powers, since they're... pretty natural to me. [ He laughs a little. ] Kinda like how haunted houses is your favorite ride, so... do you think we should go now? I'd like to go with you, Leon.
[ He'll take Leon's hand like how he's asking for a dance in a ballroom or some shit, but in actuality, he's gonna lead him to the haunted house. Finally leaving the classroom full of emotions. ]
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So he pulls a smile, not an incredibly genuine one because he can't manage that yet, but it's a good enough smile - a business smile that he uses for the camera. He can feel that his eyes aren't probably showing much sparkle as it usually would, so he narrows them. He may not think about a lot of things, but he's a professional when it comes to performance. ]
How did you know that? Are you an esper, Terry-senpai? [ He chuckles, grasping Terry's hand in his, tighter than he usually would. ] Do you like them, too?
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[ And in they go! The area is pretty dimly lit with purple lights and nothing else. He doesn't shake off Leon's hand either. ]
And that's my power. I can find out things like that.
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[ Don't do such a calm commentary on it, Leon... that's business interference! ]
Ah! 'Locating things'... so you find things like secrets out, too?
[ And just as he says that a rectangular box opens from the floor before them, red light disperse as a man with tengu mask come up, trying to surprise them. Leon's easily surprised and has a big reaction on things in general, so he yelps when that happens and out of reflex, almost steps on the tengu. ]
That scared me...
1/2
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Yeah... let's keep going.
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That wasn't so good, huh? I almost stepped on him... so dangerous. They should think about the safety of the staff too!
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[ Like someone getting murdered in their own haunted house. ]
But as for your question, I can locate it as long as it exists somehow--
[ This time, a head lands on the floor with a thunk and rolls at their feet.
...
Terry just stares at it. ]
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[ Leon's genuinely surprised, jumping back to prevent from stepping on it, but if you look at his face - that's not the expression of someone who's scared. He's smiling wide when that happens, feeling excited that his heart is going badump-badump with the surprise. ]
Now this is what I'm talking about!
[ Slowly, the genuine Leon smile is returning to his face. He looks at Terry, then. ]
As long as--?
[ Haunted house sure isn't a good place for conversations, because there's always something to surprise them the further they go. A telephone rings all of the sudden, followed by the sound of baby crying. The dark path lights up in green when they step further, revealing racks of creepy Japanese dolls, while giggles of little girls are played in the background. ]
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[ Terry knows that nothing in this place is real, so he doesn't really scream. If anything, he gets a startled jolt if there's something like a real life equivalent of a screamer, but he doesn't scream.
Well, that changes when they finally enter something that looks like a room, but it resembles a dark hospital room. When Terry takes a step inside, one of the bed curtains suddenly reveal a disfigured hospital patient in a wheelchair. Terry makes a startled yelp when he sees them.
When they try to walk away from them, they start... to follow... ]
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Wa, wah!! It's starting to follow us... Let's run, Terry-senpai!!
[ He'll move on to the next room, where the lighting was mostly red or pink-ish, looking very much like a darkroom. The door slides shut by itself, and they can find that the room's pretty much empty, save for a camera on the table, and photographs that are being displayed in one side of the wall.
On the wall, there was an instruction written with what looks like blood smeared over the finger, something like a dying message: "Take a picture with the wall of photographs as your background, one person at a time." ]
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The door suddenly closing startled Terry again, but he makes no sound this time--just jumping a little in place. When he calms down, he looks at the instruction and can only think of how much red paint they must have used to create a semblance of realism with that message. ]
Well... alright. Leon, can you take a picture of me? My selfie game sucks, so I'll leave it to you.
[ The atmosphere in the room is weird, but Terry goes to stand in front of the photographs, facing away from them. He's not really posing happily, but it's mostly because of how awkward he feels in the room lol. JUST TAKE THE PICTURE, LEON... The sooner, the less he'll have to fidget in place!! ]
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Fufu, I'll show you the skills of an Instagram-proficient high school boy!
[ Is he calling Terry old, maybe...
Anyway, he'll pick up the camera and oh-- it's an instant camera! That's nice, he hopes he can keep the photos for keepsake! ]
Say cheese~!
[ Making sure he frames Terry well and aesthetically, he presses the button without much hesitation. After a flash, the camera immediately prints the image out, but they gotta wave it dry to see the result. Nothing out of place seems to be happening either... yet. ]
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Wow, is this a Polaroid?
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[ Leon has no idea Terry comes from the future so there's no surprise regarding Terry recognising it. He's... older to him, anyway. ]
Okay, me next!!
[ He will stand in front of the photographs walls, checking out the pictures before facing his back towards them. There are creepy stuff there like bleeding doll head and such that make him go 'uwah!!' but the one that catches his attention the most is the picture of a wall with hands coming out of them.
He doesn't say a thing about it though, facing Terry and smiling while doing v-sign with both his hands. ]
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[ Terry carefully adjusts the camera and is about to take a picture, but he thought he saw something strange behind Leon.
...
He lowers the camera to get a good look, but it's kinda dark, so it's hard to see. ]
I thought I saw something... Can you move a bit to the side?
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[ Without thinking much, Leon moves as Terry instructed, and poses. He'll stay there, waiting for Terry to click the shutter.
Just 3 seconds after Leon does move, though--
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