Autumn Festival (OPEN)

[stringmods]

Who: EVERYONE
Where: Virgo Ward
Summary: Autumn Festival Log! You're all invited!
Warnings: MELONS
Ahh Autumn. The time for harvest, and the normal national holiday that falls on the 24th and 25th. Demons? Angels? Magic? Well nothing's been put on pause, but even the Anoli need to relax once in a while...

With that free time, what's a newcomer like you to do?

Well Hinoto-Ri has much to offer! As they seem to be the only standing city in...well, anywhere, they've tried to merge and adapt as many festivals around the world as they can.

Ergo this Fall festival is a mixture of everything the world could offer. Corn on the cob, Pumpkins, Yaki Imo (Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes), Ramen stands, Falafel, caramelized apples...

A giant dragon is tied down in the middle of the waters. At night, you can see a few pixies hover close to it, keeping other monsters at bay. The streets have been decorated as well.

But most importantly, the upper Virgo Ward has been turned in a giant festival area...even more so than usual! Now the millions of stalls don't just try to sell things to you, they sell things to you thematically with this fall! Giant pumpkins and fresh produce made in Libra and Capricorn..did you know that Capicorn has an amazing giant apple orchid, protected by the office of Wands and Swords? Try out some free samples! One taste is enough to convince you that having Persona to irrigate the fields ass a crispness to the fruit..right? Winter outfits...hats are in this year! Listen to some of the new music groups, and get pumped for the upcoming movies!

There is giant mooncake in the middle of all the tents and stalls. Don't worry about the money! Everything's free today! It is a time for sharing and family and...

...being thankful for what you have. No matter how small it might be.

For a city of survivors, Hinoto-Ri is certainly trying to have a good time.

You should join them.

Comments

[travelingtheworlds]

Upon seeing a fellow enthusiastic soul, Sasha just sort of sauntered on up to Rune, a cheerful spring in her step. "Enjoying it here?" she asked, raising one hand in a friendly wave.

[pistolsakimbo]

So... random strange person in this new strange place? Obviously perfect person to strike up a conversation with!

"Oh, absolutely!" Rune exclaimed happily. "Everything here is... is so different and amazing and... just wow!"

[travelingtheworlds]

"I know, right? This is one of the biggest cities I've ever been to, and there's some things that... I just haven't seen anything like them." She extended a hand in greeting. "I'm Sasha! Who might you be?"

[pistolsakimbo]

"'City'? I've seen really old signs that call places a 'city', but this is my first time at one."

Towns... really didn't get that big out in the wastes. Rune grinned brightly, accepting the other girl's hand and giving it a shake.

"Rune!"

[travelingtheworlds]

"Pleased to meet you, Rune!" Sasha did her part of the handshake, then began to fumble around with her notebook. "Really now? Old signs...? Can I ask you a few questions, if you have time? We can walk through the festival while I ask."

[pistolsakimbo]

"Likewise, Sasha!"

Rune folded her arms behind her head, watching curiously as she pulled out the notebook. Oh... maybe she was taking notes on different people from different worlds. That seemed like a good idea... except it sounded too much like homework, and she had enough of that before she left the Domes.

"Sure! What do you want to know?"

[travelingtheworlds]

"Well, let's start with the basics. Can you tell me a bit about the world you're from? You said you'd only seen signs of cities before... why is that?" Sasha had finally managed to get her notebook and pencil stable and not in danger of randomly falling somewhere.

[pistolsakimbo]

Sasha, are you ready for a long explanation? Because talking about the Great Collapse is one of Rune's favorite topics, and she likes to ramble.

"Well... two thousand years ago, there was this thing called the Great Collapse," she began. "Basically, civilization collapsed, and people started fighting each other. The fighting got so bad that humans... basically destroyed themselves, and then these monsters started waking up from under the earth, and they started killing people to.

"So, anyway, to protect themselves, humans built these large Domes, and hid inside of them, leaving the people they didn't want to protect outside in the wastes to figure out how to survive for themselves. The Domes are really boring; I mean, I can see why they're necessary, because some people just really can't learn to protect themselves, but everyone has to be the same and..."

You might want to interrupt her while you can...

[travelingtheworlds]

"I see, I see!" Sasha was writing everything down with great enthusiasm. "Wait, slow down just a bit... why does everyone have to be the same?" She found the story satisfying enough, and her question about everyone needing to be the same probably encouraged the rambling more than stopped it. Hey, for Sasha, someone who knew the history of their world and was willing to disclose it was something of a gift; the people back at home would probably love all these fresh reports of worlds they hadn't been to yet.

[pistolsakimbo]

"Well, if everyone's the same, then there's no reason to fight, you know?" Rune replied. "But being the same and not having your own opinion is boring! And I'm sure people can get along with different people if they just try, you know?"

[travelingtheworlds]

"Oh... do they have a mind police or something where you come from?" That aspect of Rune's story was reminding Sasha a bit of a book she'd read, though damned if she could remember the title. "But trying is hard for some people... and some just flat-out don't want to try. It's hard to adjust for those people to make a peaceful situation."

[pistolsakimbo]

"But it's better than just conforming," Rune muttered in protest. She let out a sigh, before continuing. "But no, there's no mind police anything like that. They can't arrest you for a thought unless you vocalize it, and even then they rather 'rehabilitate' you if you're a teenager."

[travelingtheworlds]

"It is... I wish people would try, too." Sasha nodded in agreement as she wrote some more information down. "Do you know anything about the rehabilitation process? It's not... torture or anything, is it?"

[pistolsakimbo]

"No, it's more like education therapy. Just as boring as normal school and just as annoying," she answered. Been through several sessions herself? Possibly. "Like I said, I'm glad I was exiled."

[travelingtheworlds]

That pinged Sasha's interest. "You were... exiled? Why, may I ask?" She turned to a new page in her notebook and got ready to write down the explanation.

[pistolsakimbo]

Rune fell quiet for a moment.

"...some bandits broke into Warren Dome," she explained softly. "Because I was 'such a public nuisance', they blamed me for it."

[travelingtheworlds]

"They used you as a scapegoat?!" Sasha's voice was rife with indignation. "That's awful... I've seen a lot of things like this, but that doesn't make them any less awful." Clearly, Sasha was not the type to be numbed to things she had seen a lot.

[pistolsakimbo]

Rune shrugged. "It doesn't bother me as much as it did when it first happened."

[travelingtheworlds]

"When it first happened? So they've done this to you before?" Sasha scribbled some notes down then continued to give Rune that inquiring look.

[pistolsakimbo]

"Er... no, I mean, just after I was exiled..."

She paused, rubbing the back of her neck. Lucas used to scold her for not being clear sometimes...

[travelingtheworlds]

"Oh, that's what you meant. I'm sorry." Sasha erased something this time, then wrote the new information down. "Let's see... what should I cover next... oh! What's your Persona?"

[pistolsakimbo]

Rune turned away at that, trying not to make a face.

"...I don't know," she replied. "My Persona's not talking to me or anything."

[travelingtheworlds]

"It isn't? Hmm, that's a little odd. I thought most people had a sort of 'sense' when it came to the details of their Persona... what it was, what its weaknesses are, so on and so forth," Sasha said. "For example, my Persona is Phaeton, and he specializes in fire and agility buffing! The fire skills are a little redundant for me, but I'm sure there's a reason."

[pistolsakimbo]

"Ah... heh... that's cool. I guess mine just isn't very chatty."

She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a little guilty about lying; but there was no way she was telling someone she just met that she had a bio genetically engineered creature of mass destruction in her head as a Persona.

[travelingtheworlds]

"Ah, I guess that happens. Do you at least know what kinds of skills yours has, though? That way, maybe we can cover each others' weaknesses if we team up!" Sasha paused, tapping her cheek with one finger. "I really do wonder why mine has fire skills, though... I have fire magic naturally, so like I said, it's a bit redundant."