Open ♔ Let’s Go! CelePara!

[priforprince]

Who: Hibiki Shikyoin priforprince, Hibiki’s ego, and you
What: Choose your own adventure with the Best Prince.
When: June 7, 2016
Where: Apollo’s temple; out and about in the Near Shore
Summary: Hibiki attempts to set the stage for her next big role.

[ I. Resting On Her Laurels ]

[ If you accept Hibiki’s invitation and head over to her temple, you’ll find it’s a giant white castle with purple turrets. Feel free to enjoy the meticulously-kept grounds outside, but steer clear of the goats. They have a tendency to follow people around.

Once inside and away from those…unpleasant side-effects, those interested in the exhibit Hibiki had advertised will find the route there is very well-signed. The signs happen to be hung on giant gold statues of Hibiki herself, but well, this is a self-introduction, after all…

It only gets worse in the exhibit itself, though. After one room of artifacts and informational placards about the god Apollo in mythology, the next room contains countless pieces of movie and stage memorabilia about Shikyoin Hibiki’s career as a movie star, actress, model, and something called a “PriPara idol”. A whole trophy case of awards is on display, as well as several fancy, glittery tickets with pictures of various outfits on them, newspaper clippings, movie posters, et al. Apparently it’s possible to be crowned “Mr. Handsome Universe World Prince of the Year.” Who knew?

And where is Hibiki herself? Who knows. She intends to surprise you if you won a prize.

But if you get lost in this temple - and it is huge - you may find that, in one of the back hallways, a woman with silver hair is leaning on the wall and holding a hand to her head. The temple itself was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but she had to do the exhibit herself.

And maintaining an illusion of this complexity is rather tiring for a god with so few followers. ]

[ II. Urban Gobi Desert ]

[ Right, that’s one thing off her to-do list: take care of the inconveniences anonymity brings. Now for the real problems: is this really not her universe, and if so, where is its closest PriPara entrance? All PriParas are connected, after all. Hibiki is not about to look a gift godhood in the mouth, but being brought her sans her butler Ando and various other accoutrements grates somewhat. She’ll pop back home for everything she needs, have Ando load it all up, and return to her temple.

Maybe she’ll bring her teammates, too. Her sitting room feels strangely empty. It’s bizarre.

So here Hibiki is, out and about on the streets of the Near Shore. She’s frowning at various street signs, wandering almost at random, when - it happens. She passes a fish stand called the “Cat’s Meow Big Catch”. The young lady working it has a pair of cat ears on her head, and paws the air with her fists. ]

”Fresh fish! Fresh fish for sale, nya!”

”We fillet your way, nya! Sales on scales - it’s a limited time offer, nya! Nyab it while you can, nya!”

Hrk!

[ Hibiki staggers. She bumps into the nearest storefront. Eyes wide, hands clasped over her ears, she looks around for the nearest means of escape - but this is a busy street. She has nowhere to run. ]

”Limited time only, nya!”

Huaaghh…

[ III. Visitor’s Choice ]

[ Want to come bug Hibiki for something other than the exhibit? Stop on by!

Just don’t expect her to be as welcoming as if you’d done this her way. ]

Comments

Resting on her Laurels

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri's own temple was a simple thing, a library, with a small river that ran by it and a bath house, nothing of this scale. Still a mess as it seemed every day there were new books, but that wasn't why she came. Ruri was curious if the temple was a manifestation of the god or the person, so she had come to feel out this newcomer. Walking in and looking at the statue, then the exhibits she tilted her head and pondered.]

"Hrm, my texts say Apollo was a sun deity and gold and flash are in going with that but I'm still not sure."

[priforprince]

That isn't all.

[ Ta-da, it's the master of the house (and house, and house, and house), hands folded behind herself curator-style. Hibiki takes a few steps forward, happy to narrate the exhibit for her guest. ] Prophecy and performance also fall within his scope. A jewel-like, multifaceted deity.

[ Or well. Her scope. But who's counting? ]

Welcome, mademoiselle.

[hontobakabaka]

"Ruri. You can call me Ruri, or Omoikane if you are a slave to the divine offices we replace. It is a pleasure to meet you Apollo-san."

[With that Ruri bows in greeting, though her tone is deadpan and her face still unimpressed.]

"Is this your design, or the classic Apollo? I apologize, French isn't a language I have proficiency outside of a basic level though."

Laurels!

[very_goodman]

[Barry's never heard of this Apollo before, but an open invitation is an open invitation, and a free gift is a free gift. Who knows, maybe it would be some super rare piece of merchandise. He whistles, impressed, as he strides through the exhibit, looking closely at everything.]

Damn, this place sure is fancy.

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki has been watching Barry look at everything, and is encouraged by the attention he's paying her exhibit. Out she comes from hiding. ]

I trust you're enjoying yourself.

[ God of performance. Lives to please. It's all for you, dear audience. ]

[very_goodman]

Whoa!

[Barry jumps back a step, hands up in front of him, as she emerges. He wasn't expecting so sudden an entry.]

Heheh... uh, yeah. This's a hell of a temple ya got here.

I

[kokuyoyo]

[Well, now he's here. Chikusa takes his sweet time going through it all, mostly because that's the kind of person he is but also partially because he's going through the Apollo room carefully. He's already taken a peek into the next room and completely realized that he's not going to learn anything of worth there.]

[So that's what he's doing now: carefully reading over what's been provided for him on Apollo. It's unsurprising that there's a lot more on him as a god than anything else.]

[priforprince]

[ The Useful Present Person has appeared. Hibiki doesn't approach him immediately, preferring to gather information - and collect her wits; she's maintaining the illusion of these exhibits through sheer force of will, and he'd thrown off her groove with that request.

But she'd succeeded. Of course she'd succeeded. All that remains is to impress the happy guest.

She takes a deep breath. She adjusts the package she has hidden on her person.

And she approaches him from behind, all smiles and hospitality. Curtain - up! ] You really stopped by. I'm honored.

[kokuyoyo]

[Oh. Well, he supposes this would happen sooner or later. Straightening up- well, for a given value of it, as his default is ‘slouching’- Chikusa turns to face the god whose temple he’s currently taking space in.]

...It’s merely my duty.

[Which he guesses he should explain.]

I’m Kakimoto Chikusa… shinki to Hestia, goddess of hearth, sacrifice, and home.

[So basically a much less flashy title than the one Hibiki is currently boasting, but he’s more than fine with that right now. He’d thought Axel’s temple was strange and ‘too nice’ when he’d first stepped inside of it, but being here? Well, now he’s more thankful than he already was for the god that chose him.]

I

[savemeomi]

[ Ouka had been stuck between not wanting to seem too eager but still wanting to be one of the first 100. In the end, curiosity won out and she'd found herself hurrying toward the destination, and then slowing significantly as she got close and meandering in as if she'd somehow found the place by chance.

Not that there'd been anyone to see her come in.

She passes the massive gold statues and enters the room dedicated to Apollo. She pauses to read the information. Because why not. ]

[priforprince]

Have you come to set me free?

[ For this young lady, Hibiki has altered the illusion of the clothes she's wearing. Instead of being a museum curator, as befits the average guest, she's.

Um. Well.

Removing the rose she'd had held between her teeth, she offers it to her very special visitor. ]

Princess who captivates with a glance.

[savemeomi]

[ Oh gosh. She's unsure about the choice of clothing. It's... it's nice, but so over the top.

Who's she kidding? Everything about this is very over the top. But Ouka can't deny that the attention is certainly nice. She takes the rose and admires it. ]

Do you say such things to all your visitors?

[ Can't hide the light blush that's flushed across her cheek, though, as she holds the rose up to her nose. ]

Resting On Her Laurels

[pure_radiantics]

Am I in the right place?

[She knows practically nothing about the mythology Artemis and her brother are from, but she knows what Artemis's temple looks like and it's... not like this. Not even a little bit.]

Hello?

[She calls out while pulling her phone out to check the BBS to see if maybe she misunderstood something.]

[priforprince]

Waiting for someone?

[ Kairi's phone screen will suddenly say "WELCOME" with a little crown and a trumpet fanfare. And when she looks up, Hibiki will be standing there, setting aside a purple laptop with a blue crown emblem on the back.

Yes, she had a laptop on her person when she got here. Doesn't everyone carry a laptop? At all times? Think of all the PriPara TV they'd miss otherwise!

Not that she's gotten a signal since she came here, but, not currently relevant. ] Welcome to the temple of Apollo.

[pure_radiantics]

[She sees the fanfare and looks up at the greeting.]

Oh! You're the one who made the announcement, right? You're Hibiki, and this is your temple?

[She takes an appreciative look around.]

It's really... different, isn't it. Do gods get to design their own temples?

I

[thirdbeauty]

[An educational exhibit? That's not exactly the draw for Natsuru, though she rationalizes the trip as something Lara might approve of on those grounds! She knows other people in the roles of Greek gods here too, so of course she'd want to learn about Apollo regardless of who it was.

But it's Hibiki. The gorgeous, princely Hibiki she met and was able to spend time with at the beach party! She's very interested in what kind of place Hibiki lives in! She even came straight from a short shift at work, which means... Hibiki's going to see her in all her ridiculously saccharine finery, hair styled in lightly curled twintails and all. She didn't choose the outfit, but she does know it's cute. And she totally didn't want Hibiki to see her at her cutest at all. She didn't spend any time refreshing her makeup and fixing her hair. Nope. All lies.

She follows the exhibit in rapt awe, somehow ignoring the giant warning signs that the object of her fascination might be a tad narcissistic. The stuff about Apollo is interesting, but it's when she gets to the Hibiki parts that she's really invested.]

He's done so much...

[She muses to herself, a tone of wonder in her voice. Apparently, she has yet to notice anything that might make her doubt her assumptions of Hibiki's gender. Like how feminine some of those outfits are, despite always involving pants. Or how the rest of the PriPara idols around her all seem to be girls.]

[priforprince]

[ Well, look who's here. A moth to the eternally unquenchable flame, flying back into the inferno time and time again on charred wings, incinerating herself on the pyre of Hibiki's glory and her own infatuation.

That's what Hibiki likes to see!

She sneaks up behind Natsuru and tries to cover the girl's eyes with her hands. She keeps her mouth nice and close to Natsuru's ear as she murmurs: ]

Guess - who.

[ This is immature. But the encounter with Natsuru is the only part of Hibiki's experience here thus far that makes any sense to Hibiki. She'll indulge. ]

[thirdbeauty]

[Nonsense, this is only the most mature and rational thing Hibiki could do. It's certainly effective with Natsuru, who gasps in surprise when her eyes are covered. She tenses up for just a second, quickly relaxing as she hears that unmistakable voice. Her own tone is soft and a little breathless when she answers.]

Hibiki-sama...

[This is embarrassing. The spell of her fascination with the princely figure has had some time to cool off, just enough for her to be aware that she should be embarrassed at how infatuated she is. But not enough to stop it from affecting her behavior.

She doesn't even try to turn, waiting for Hibiki to move her hands first. You can bet she'll whirl around to face Hibiki so fast once she does, though. Unless Hibiki has another idea for how to continue to charm her admirer.]

II

[missingache]

[Roxas likes to walk around and find new things for his somewhat large family. They all seem to like fish (except him), but instead he finds Hibiki.

Seemingly panicked about something. Even if their first meeting was a slight disaster, it's good to get along with 'family.']

....... Are you afraid of fish?

[Either way, he actually is quite curious.]

1/2

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki is irritated enough to not realize who's addressed her at first. She turns around, intending to put them in their place. ]

Who could relax when confronted with such poiso--

2/2

[priforprince]

[ OH NO IT'S YOU

Hibiki sucks in a breath and jumps backwards. Actually, physically jumps backwards. She still has both hands over her ears, too.

And now she's looking around even more frantically. Eyes wide. She might even be shivering a little.

She needs to get out of here!! ]

[missingache]

Pois? [What's that supposed to mean? Roxas blinks and looks around for a moment.

.....

He stares at Hibiki.]

Are you afraid of cat girls?

I

[smilingbullet]

[ He was not wrong in that it might take a little time. After all, he has far from explored the entirety of this world, or even peeked at all the temples yet (that's a thing that's on his to do list; he does know his own god's temple fairly well already though). But eventually he finds his way to the correct temple.

This sure is an exhibition alright... He's more and more...amused? yes, amused is about right. the further along he gets. ]

Amazing.

[ A narcissist, huh? ]

[priforprince]

I'm glad to hear that.

[ And here she'd started to think you might never show up. People don't normally keep Hibiki waiting. But perhaps you just didn't know what an incredible sight would await you here.

Anyway, here comes the host with the most (...the most something, for sure). She smiles at her guest. Better late than never. ] You made it, I see.

[smilingbullet]

Oh, hey.

[ When he said it's amazing it wasn't entirely meant as a compliment...But he supposes that pointing that out might just be meaningless. ]

Yeah, I got a bit lost I guess? There's a whole lot of temples around here and all.

[ Well, duh. ]