015 | Sky Full Of Stars

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Tanabata Festival
When: All day July 5
Where: The Near Shore
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a party and you're invited!

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!



With Tanabata drawing close, the Heavens have decided that there is nothing wrong with a little celebration for the annual occasion. So they have invited everyone on the Far Shore as well as a large number of people from the Near Shore to attend a festival for Tanabata. Tanabata festivals are not uncommon in this area, so the Near Shore residents are none the wiser, though some of them are a little uncertain about where this street they've never heard of popped up from...

Tanabata is a festival held to celebrate the one time a year that the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet across the vast expanse of the Milky Way. Many birds have been working their tail feathers off to create a bridge for the two lovebirds and that bridge - perhaps unsurprisingly - touches down on this street, in the middle of the festival.

The Heavens have prepared entertainment, food stalls, and as many tanzaku as might be needed for everyone to write down wishes, along with plenty of bamboo stalks to hang the wishes from.

New arrivals will find themselves ushered to the festival and offered traditional clothing after their normal briefing at the Meeting Hall.



Stalls

There are festival stalls of every kind present, all run by shinki dressed in white robes and bearing the golden chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. Many of them seem a little bruised still, but they are happy to smile for anyone who comes to the stall they are running. There is food, games, and drinks available of all kinds, so feel free to roam around to your heart's content sampling everything that you can.

Performance

A large stage has been erected at one end of the festival street. The Heavens know that there are many talented gods and shinki present, so they are more than willing to clear spots in the scheduling for those people to perform. Anytime a Far Shore resident isn't on stage, there are plenty of Near Shore acts to go on, ranging the gambit from traditional music and instruments all the way to a rock band that has somehow found themselves here for the celebration.

Wishes

Pieces of paper called tanzaku have been strewn about a number of bamboo shoots all over the festival. There are brightly colored decorations on the bamboo and the papers themselves exist in every color of the rainbow as well. Attendees are encouraged to write down any wishes they may have and hang them from the bamboo, a normal Tanabata tradition. Wishes can range from 'I want a soda' to 'World peace' and anything in between. Obviously, some of these wishes may not be able to be granted during the time of the festival, but gods and shinki alike are encouraged to answer any wishes they can as well.

NOTE: Please report any wishes your characters answers to the first comment on this post along with a link to where the wish is answered. There will be small bonuses awarded for answered wishes.

The Bridge

As stated previously, the bridge that will allow Orihime to meet her lover touches down in the very center of the festival's street. It may be made of tiny pieces, but the bridge itself is sturdy. While it may not be able to take just anyone who sets foot on it across the Milky Way, you are allowed to walk along the bridge yourself, though you will always find yourself turned around after a short time and heading back towards where you stepped on. Lovers in particular are encouraged to walk the bridge together to deepen their bonds, but be cautioned! If you walk onto the bridge with someone, you might start feeling affectionately towards them even if they are your sworn enemy! Such is the power of love on this day.

In Summary:

• Enjoy the festival
• Watch some quality entertainment
• Make and/or answer wishes
• Meet Orihime
• Traverse the bridge
• Have fun~

Comments

Uh huh.. sure...

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto remains unconvinced that she hasn't somehow done or said something to upset the small girl, but for now she's willing to play along and not press the matter. Whatever had apparently caused the shift, the little girl apparently did not want to dwell on it. Naoto returns the girl's smile with a more sympathetic one of her own.]

I did, yes. I found myself outside of a "Meeting Hall" and was then promptly directed towards this festival. How do you think I will know who my god is? Or will he perhaps have to be the one who has to find me?

[Naoto sighs. Honestly, this whole orientation system Heaven has could use a bit of a touch-up. Though, perhaps they were just especially busy with this festival going on. On that note, Naoto's smile grows a little warmer as she notes the young girl's yukata.]

That is a very pretty yukata you are wearing-- ah, I just realized I've forgotten to ask you your name. You have me at a bit of a disadvantage as you already seem to know mine.

/looks innocent

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako hums softly at that, fingers fidgetting behind her back where Naoto couldn't see. ]

Ummm.... He'll probably find you? I knew my shinki the moment I saw him, maybe it works that way for everyone? [ She's not actually sure, it's only happened to her the once.

Still, at the compliment, she glances down before smiling brightly at her. ] Thank you! My friend Kanji made it for me for the festival! He's really good at stuff like that.

Oh! [ Looking surprised and then sheepish at the reminder, she ducks her head. ] Sorry, I forgot. I'm Nanako! It's nice to meet you.

/is definitely not crying internally

[fortune_detective]

Well, that's as good a clue as any other I've received thus far. He will know me when he sees me, and I him.

Kanji... Nanako...

[A weird sort of feeling tells Naoto that those names carry a kind of significance to her, but she cannot figure what exactly that could be. She shakes her head, writing it off as simply them being gods and her a shinki. Thus, there names must hold some extra weight to them.]

It's very nice to meet you too Nanako-chan. [She blinks for a moment, the honorific seemed to fly out of her mouth on its own.] Ah, I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound so informal.

slides you a box of tissues. or three. 0:)

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako blinks for a moment before she breaks into a bright smile at the other girl, shaking her head to reassure. ]

It's okay. You can call me Nanako-chan. I like it. It sounds nice when you say it.

[ And before they dwell too long on why that's okay, Nanako reaches out and catches Naoto's hand. ] Have you been exploring the festival?

Sheepishly takes a box... then a second... and then a third...

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto had worried for a moment that she'd perhaps Nanako uncomfortable with her informality, but when she sees the young girl beaming up at her, she relaxes and her worry melts away. She returns Nanako's smile with one of her own.]

All right, if you're sure you're okay with it, Nanako-chan.

[Naoto then looks a little surprised with Nanako reaches out and takes her hand. It's less that Naoto has a problem with the young girl holding her hand, and more that, from Naoto's perspective, she still felt more or less a perfect stranger to Nanako despite the earlier peculiarity of Nanako already knowing her name. Naoto looks up and around for any guardian who might be keeping an eye on Nanako and might take umbrage with her holding the hand of a stranger.]

Um, well, a little. I didn't get very far before you called out to me.

/pets consolingly

[welcome_home]

Yeah! I'm okay with it!

[ Nanako is quick to reassure her and doesn't so much as comment on the uncertain glance Naoto shoots around. Or maybe just doesn't notice it. ]

Oooh. Do you want to look around, then? I can show you some of the places I found? There's really good food here, and some games, and some shops with cute things. Would you like to see?

[ She remembers her first day here which had, ironically enough, also been a festival. it had been overwhelming and a little scary on top of the whole finding herself in somewhere strange and unknown and surrounded by strangers. She's had Souji-oniichan to make it less scary, at least, but maybe she could help Naoto until he got here? ]

/tries not to cry... cries a lot...

[fortune_detective]

I- I would like that, but...

[Naoto's still scanning the crowds looking for that possible guardian figure.]

Are you sure it'll be okay for you to wander off with me? Aren't you here with someone? A guardian of some kind?

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako blinks at the question before giggling and shaking her head. ]

It's okay. I'm here with my big brother, he's around here somewhere. So is his shinki, and Kanji-oniichan too. They won't mind. [ She's with Naoto, after all. ] I can introduce you later, if you want?

[fortune_detective]

Uh, sure. That sounds nice.

[Naoto tries her best to smile convincingly, but yeah, she's still nervous about how this big brother, his shinki, and this Kanji person will respond to Nanako traipsing off through the festival with a stranger.]

Should- should you maybe let them know where you're going to go first? I wouldn't want them to worry if you'd suddenly seemed to have disappeared.

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako glances up at her, catching her uncertainty this time and looking thoughtful for a minute. ]

I can do that. But is it okay if I can take a picture?

[fortune_detective]

[She smiles, very much appreciative that Nanako understands Naoto's trepidation.]

A picture?

[Naoto supposes that would demonstrate a certain amount of accountability, as Nanako's guardians would then have an easy way to identify Naoto should they come looking for the two.]

Sure, a picture would be fine.

[welcome_home]

[ It would also let Souji know Naoto was here if he wanted to come find them quicker. Still, she's quick to tug out her phone and hold it up before she realized this was more complicated than she anticipated. She glances up at Naoto with a sheepish look, because there's no way she can angle the picture to get both their faces in it from where she's standing. ]

I'm too short! Do you want to take it instead? Or can you come down here?

[fortune_detective]

[Naoto, silently amused, watches Nanako for a moment as the young girl attempts to frame the photo herself. Naoto's smile grows warmer as Nanako looks up at her and requests her to take it instead.]

Here. [Naoto crouches down on one knee to better get into frame for Nanako.] It only seems fair that you should be the one to take it since it was your idea.

[welcome_home]

Okay! [ Nanako giggles when Naoto crouches down to join her and now it's easy to take a picture of them both, snapping one that manages to be pretty good even! She might have been practicing since Prompto told her about them. ]

There! How's that? Now I just have to send it to Souji-oniichan! [ Which she does with a few presses of the buttons on her screen before turning to grin at Naoto again. ] All done! Should we go explore now?

That icon is cheating ;A;

[fortune_detective]

[Continued on the Tanabata Overflow.]