[open + mingle] at least let's sing "i love you"

[declamando]

Who: Maria and anyone who wants to come to the karaoke bar!
When: August 7th, evening to late
Where: A karaoke bar in Shibuya - details were provided in a public network post here.
What: Open karaoke night mingle! All welcome for singing, drinks and general mingling shenanigans.

[The place that Maria has settled on for this outing is a fairly simple, but neat karaoke parlour on a major street in Shibuya. It shouldn't be difficult to find for anyone interested in joining in the karaoke night she suggested on the BBS a few days ago, and there are a variety of options to choose from once there.]

[Single Booths]

[Shy singers have the advantage of being able to take a room to themselves, where they can practice for a while before getting the confidence up to sing in a group later on. Try not to spend too long in there, though - someone might be inclined to come encourage you into a group song on the way out.

On the other hand, if you just want a particular person as your audience, that's an option here too. After all, it's unlikely the staff are going to notice a second person joining any Far Shore resident in the rooms, and sometimes you just need that extra reassurance that you can sing in front of someone else.]

[Group Singing]

[Of course, there's also the option of gathering together a bunch of friends who want to sing together and going all-out with them instead of doing it alone. No matter your skill level, there's no shame here - especially not from Maria, who'll be standing by to flesh out any groups who might need an extra person or two to get rolling.

Though taking up the stage too long with just one person is frowned upon, that just means it's encouraged for every member of the group to get a go. Pick your song (there's a variety of English songs as well as Japanese on there, for anyone who's more familiar with those) and pretend you're belting out a performance of it where nobody else can hear you. Or pretend you have an audience of thousands, if that's more your speed.]

[Refreshments]

[Unsurprisingly, there's a restaurant and bar area inside for anyone who wants to sit things out for a while and unwind with some food and drink. It's not too expensive, but the food is good and the service is quick once you can actually catch the attention of the waitstaff.

The bar has drinks for all ages, soft drinks for younger participants and a variety of alcohol for anyone older. Anyone who wants to get a little buzzed before taking up the microphone isn't going to have too hard a time of it as long as they're old enough.

Later in the night, Maria retreats there herself for a while for a late dinner. Anyone who approaches her will get a soft smile and a gesture to join her at the table.]

[Wild]

[Something else you want to do in the bar? There's a lot of options, so feel free to make up other prompts and scenarios to your liking!]

Comments

[declamando]

[Unfortunately, while Maria is very aware of how long both her names are, there's not really much she can do about it. Rather than linger on that, though, she reads over Celty's message with an understanding smile.]

I see. Apologies if it's a rude question, but would I be right in guessing you're not human?

[They're technically not obliged to eat and drink here, but Celty mentioned it specifically.]

[lookingforhead]

[It's potentially rude, but Celty doesn't mind what she is and she appreciates the polite way that the subject has been broached.]

Yes. That would be correct. I think normally I'd be expected to be a little more careful about that but it seems pretty normal here.

Still, I don't want to frighten anyone or call too much attention to myself.

[She gives her helmet a gentle tap with her finger at that last bit.]

[declamando]

[Maria nods a little in understanding. It does explain a few things, and Celty definitely isn't the first non-human she's met here.]

I've certainly encountered a few people who aren't human here already, though I'm not sure how many are still here, other than Dust.

[The helmet must be some kind of disguise in that case.] I can understand that. I'm fairly used to unusual things and people from my own world, but there are quite a lot of people here who seem to have come from fairly mundane worlds as well.

[lookingforhead]

[Celty nods and then takes a moment to consider things. Based on her words the odds are fairly even that she'll either be asked about what she looks like under the helmet or Maria will be too polite to ask. Not actually minding for her own part Celty decides to take the initiative. She's sure that Maria will be understanding at this point but she types up a prelude.]

Promise not to scream?

[She trusts her not to but it feels to her like a fair warning.
Once she has confirmation she reaches up to remove her helmet, revealing the stump of a neck beneath, the top of which is partially obscured by curling black smokelike shadows.]

[declamando]

[Celty's message surprises Maria a bit, since she wasn't expecting her to offer more information so easily, but after a moment, it clears up and she nods. It's only respectful to make sure she handles this with some decorum, if Celty's having to make sure of something like that beforehand.]

I promise.

[Especially since Celty's got her prepared for something quite bad now. She watches her remove her helmet, and though her eyes widen very briefly at the missing head, she puts the image together very quickly. She's been doing research into the mythology of the god she's representing, after all.]

...You're a dullahan, aren't you? A headless horseman.

[lookingforhead]

[When you're surrounded by the supernatural eventually you have to question the point of hiding. Even so, Celty's shoulders perk up at Maria's response. She hastily tucks her helmet under her arm and types up a new response.]

That's exactly right. I think you're the first person I've spoken to who's known that on their own!

[By the lift of her shoulders she seems happy about it. Hopeful maybe? With the Shinki memory loss it would be nice to meet someone who might know more about her as a What if not as a Who.]

[declamando]

[Since it seems she's eased Celty's tension a bit, Maria is glad for that much, and she smiles a little at the happy text. It does feel a bit like taking too much credit, but if it's relieved her a bit, it can't be that bad.]

Well, I'm representing a Celtic god, so I've been looking into the mythology around that area. So I've come across information about dullahans before.

[And the motorcycle helmet had been somewhat of a giveaway on her being a rider of some description.]

[lookingforhead]

Ah I see. I've been doing the same. It's odd being Celtic Mythology and not remembering much about it. Mostly I've just been going by what feels right.

Which god do you represent?

[declamando]

Yes, I can see how that would be strange. It seems going by what feels right is what works best for shinki, though. [Feeling things out rather than thinking too hard alleviates the risk of stumbling over fragments of their past, which is really the main risk when it comes to shinki.]

Nuada Airgetlám. He doesn't seem to have a particular domain, but he was the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

[lookingforhead]

[Celty crosses her arms and her shoulders and neck shift to the side. She holds that pose for a moment but then shakes a 'no', just her neck twisting, but the cloud of shadow moves too and somehow it's clear what she's doing even without the head there.]

Sorry no. It doesn't ring a bell. But I'm sure you do good work for the name.

[declamando]

That's fair. I'm not sure how well he was known even within the mythology - it's hardly a household name, like some other creatures and people in Celtic myth.

[Maria's encountered plenty of more obscure legends in the reading she's done since taking up this role, but then there's the more common ones like leprechauns and even things like sidhe that people not familiar with the myths might know.]

That's all I can really hope for here. That I'm living up to the name I've been given.

[lookingforhead]

If that's what you're hoping and you're doing your best then I'm sure you are.

[Celty really has no way to know for sure, but Maria seems earnest and honest enough that she believes she's making a difference.]

[declamando]

I appreciate the vote of confidence. It's a little hard to tell how much good you're doing here, sometimes.

[But after that moment of overt seriousness, Maria figures it's time to switch to something a little less heavy.]

Who is your god, if you don't mind me asking?

[lookingforhead]

I don't. I'm one of the Shinki for the Goddess Aditi. You might know her better as Sharak.

[declamando]

[Maria mulls on the name for a moment before shaking her head a bit.] I don't think I've met her, though I'll keep an ear out now. Does your god just have one other shinki? I had three at one point, but having more than one doesn't seem too common.

Can't quite remember based on the timing of this post so I'll go with current count

[lookingforhead]

I was her first when I got here. Or at least, she didn't have one at the time. Two more have joined us since then. I get the impression they're from the same....place?

[She hasn't pried into their backgrounds but it's just an impression she got from the argument she overheard between Sharak and Gojyo. Not to mention the way they dress.]

It's probably none of my business.

[declamando]

[That's certainly quite a few shinki, and Maria looks surprised briefly before figuring she can't really talk. She might've only had three for a short time, but she did still have three once.]

I'd say it's more a matter of not prying for the shinki's safety. But I think that's the first I've heard of a god other than myself having three - it's really not common, I've found. And unfortunately, one of mine disappeared not too long after he started working with me, so now I just have Natsuru and one of the local shinki they pair with newcomers from time to time.

[lookingforhead]

I think one of the other two used to serve another god before joining us. I don't know the details. Myself and the other arrived here at the same time. I've just not really thought about asking about it.

Is there something I should watch for in case she starts to overextend herself?

[Sharak is definitely the sort to try to hide it if she is.]

[declamando]

Yes, both the one that vanished and Natsuru came to me after serving other gods. It's a shame that so many of them seem to disappear, but there are plenty of gods willing to open their homes here as well. [Maria sounds somewhat grateful for that much, considering she doubts the safety of shinki trying to make a home without a god.

Reading the question, Maria considers for a moment.] I'm not sure myself, honestly, because I've never seen it happen. I'd just guess normal exhaustion symptoms - bad focus, physical weakness, tiredness, that sort of thing.

[lookingforhead]

Where do they go if they vanish? Do they move on?

[Celty can't remember if she heard or ready anything about this before. She certainly hopes nothing bad happens to them.]

[declamando]

I don't think anyone is sure yet...I'd certainly like to know myself, I'll admit. It's a harder question for gods, considering most of them aren't already dead.

[Or at least, that's how it is to her knowledge. She doesn't doubt some are considering this is the afterlife, but that does still seem to put people more in the shinki category.]

[lookingforhead]

Ah, I see. I guess if nobody's sure then at least nothing bad has happened hopefully?

[At least, if it was a flashy sort of badness she assumes most people would know something more about this than they do.

....unless aliens are involved maybe?]

[declamando]

I don't think so. It doesn't seem to be traumatising for anyone involved, anyway, because I think I've heard of people disappearing and then coming back.

[There's a slight uncertainty to her tone, given she can't remember when she heard that or who from, but she does vaguely remember it coming up. And she has met at least one person who went from shinki to god, which would presumably incorporate that to some degree.]

[lookingforhead]

I see. Probably best not to pry but I'll see if I can learn anything. Do you want me to let you know what I find out?

[She won't push this too hard but she thinks it's a thing worth looking into. Carefully.]

[declamando]

It's something that would be nice to know, so if you do find out anything, I'd be interested in hearing it.

[She doesn't want to pressure about it, but it's definitely something worth knowing. Especially considering Maria's lost people in this world before.]