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

[drakenguard]

Unfortunately for Daichi, when he looked away to stare at something no doubt awesome and flashy, he bumped right into Yamato - who was also looking away from his path to frown up at a group of giggling fairies.

Yamato stopped, shifting his weight to prevent himself from stumbling backwards, and turned to deliver a frightful glower at the plebeian who dared to run into him - although the glare eased at the sight of Daichi. Ah, perfect timing.

"Shijima."

[hetried]

Daichi wasn't so smooth or stable however, and almost completely fell back and recoiled when he bumped into the person-- in fact, he did completely fall back after a flailing attempt to stop himself, landed sitting on the ground.

"S-Sorry abou--" And then he cut himself off when he saw just who he had run into.

O...ops......

"Yamato--! Sorry! Are you OK?! I didn't mean it--!"

Why no, he's not going to get off the ground.

[drakenguard]

Yamato frowned down at Daichi.

"...get up off the floor," he ordered, almost rolling his eyes at the older man's skittishness. He wasn't going to have a conversation with someone sitting on the ground like that.

[hetried]

His brain was kind of really failing him at the moment, but after that moment, he finally scrambled to his feet, abandoning the apple he had been snacking on because, it fell on the ground and was probably covered in dirt now anyway. Eugh.

"Sorry... about that..."

[drakenguard]

"I heard your apology the first time, Shijima, there is no need to repeat it," Yamato said exasperatedly. At times Daichi's skittishness was amusing, at others, it drained him... "I am not going to punish you for a simple accident."

[hetried]

"Uh--!" Well, now he felt kind of stupid.

The lack of a threat of punishment was a relief, though he was still a bit...tense. And nervous. And you know what nervous means for Daichi Shijima--!

"Sorry, it's just, I always got the feeling you were going to yell at us or something bad like that if we so much as stepped out of line. I guess it was for the best, but it was still a bit terrifying sometimes... I suppose I'm still not used to seeing you outside of JP's..."

Yep that's right. Rambling.

[drakenguard]

Yamato could feel a migraine coming on.

He lifted a gloved hand to stall what else the nervous Daichi might babble out. "Quiet. I have an important question to ask," he said abruptly, waving his hand about them with a faint frown. "What is the meaning of all this?"

[hetried]

"Huh?" The abrupt interruption and the question both caught him by surprise, and he followed Yamato's motion to look around at their surroundings.

"You mean the festival? It's just celebrating the new season. Y'know, lots of food from the fall, festivities, fun for the whole city! Lots of places do it around this time of year, though I think other places usually hold it later."

[drakenguard]

"To celebrate the new season...?" Yamato repeated, frowning in thought. Ah, yes, he knew some festivals in the past were done in thanks, or to welcome, the'Gods' (in other words, demons), but their religious aspects declined with the modernisation of the world.

But to throw something this grand...

"Isn't this quite wasteful...?"

[hetried]

There's also the fact that Daichi probably wouldn't remember any of the divine or religious aspects if you slapped him in the face.

"Nah, I don't think so! I've seen festivals just as big as this back home before. Some people can come make money here, and a lot of people have fun! So I don't think it's a waste if people are enjoying themselves."

[drakenguard]

Yamato thought on that. "I see. Yes, perhaps it is profitable for civilian merchants to set up temporary shop here..."

Still, it just seemed...alien to him. The crowds, the energetic atmosphere, the decorations and activities...it left him feeling a bit disorientated. Truthfully he was thinking about going home...

[hetried]

Sure, the economic route. Yamato would probably understand that more, so why not roll with it!

"Yeah; it's a lot easier to find customers to buy your stuff out and about around here, where there's people walking around and looking to buy stuff to celebrate the festival. They can make a lot of money just doing this for a few days!"

[drakenguard]

Yamato nodded. He could understand that - and indeed, it seemed quite a smart business move. In a large gathering like this, there were bound to be people who would by unnecessary things due to poor impulse control - may as well profit from those kind of people.

However...

"There are many giving out free samples. That does not seem very profitable." Especially as there'd be people who'd probably just take free sample and purchase nothing.

[hetried]

Daichi just going to subtly kick away the apple he had been eating that had been a free sample while he spoke, ahahahaaaa

"True, but if people like the free samples, then they know they'll be happy if they buy their stuff I guess! It's better than people passing it up because they're not sure. And they're usually pretty small, so I guess it's not that bad for business.

[drakenguard]

"I see," Yamato frowned. Daichi was a bit knowledgeable about the ways of business. It was a slight surprise. "Why are all of these decorations necessary for it, though? It seems a bit, hrm, over the top."

[hetried]

"Mostly, I think it's just for fun!" He said, grinning and gesturing to the giant dragon decoration in the middle of the water. With the added bonus of having some cool Pixies float around!

"Plus, it's more likely to attract people's attention if it's interesting, isn't it?"

[drakenguard]

"Fun?"

Yamato looked about himself once more. It was bright, it was loud, and it was crowded. What about that was fun? Although he acknowledged that the dragon decoration was quite nice, and the lanterns a pretty aesthetic...he still didn't see the appeal though.

Civilians had a strange sense of what was fun.

[hetried]

"Yeah, fun!"

Daichi thought it was pretty fun! Really, silence was weird, and all of the different colors and people were interesting, even if they were still stuck in some weird, foreign city.

"Come on, you know fun don't you? Don't tell me they raised you just on demon studies and calculus."

[drakenguard]

"No," Yamato frowned, "I also did advanced sciences, languages and physical education. Besides," he added, "I had no time for recreational activities."

[hetried]

"S...seriously?"

He really shouldn't be surprised, given everything he learned at JP's but... seriously? "You didn't even get to play on a playground or anything? Didn't you ever get stressed out?"

[drakenguard]

"Playground...?" Yamato looked a bit puzzled. "Of course not. My duty was to be JP's Director, that is all. I was to do nothing else but that."

[hetried]

"But-- kids are supposed to have fun! Go to the part, watch cartoons, play games-- that's the whole point of being a kid!"

Really, he's kind of getting distressed here! "Come on, haven't you ever heard of 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato's expression flattens a little.

"I was never a child. From my birth I was treated and regarded as an adult, and therefore assumed the responsibilities of one. There was no - no need for me to participate in such useless activities."

[hetried]

We're on full-on frown mode here.

"Of course there's a need! Everyone needs to have fun every now and then, even adults. Otherwise you just get stressed out and you could actually get really sick...! Plus you wouldn't really be very happy, would you...?"

[drakenguard]

"Happy?"

What did happiness have to do with this? Yamato could feel his thoughts tread a dark path. With the Hotsuin family there was never any happiness, only duty, and the drive to complete that duty even at the cost of one's life. Ahaha, that was right, his life and happiness was sacrificed for an unworthy Japan, and the only thing that did give him happiness...

Tch.

"Happiness is unnecessary."