22 - Harvest Moon Viewing

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Harvest Moon Viewing
When: September 10, 6 PM
Where: The Meeting Hall grounds
Summary: The Heavens are throwing a moon-viewing party!







Party Games

Children are dashing all over the moon-viewing grounds in the early evening, flying kites or playing tag and other games. Many of them are wearing cute seasonal rabbit masks made of paper, or sporting ink curlicues and scribbles drawn over their faces, if they've lost too many games.

Card games and spinning top battles, a few practice archery butts towards the edge of the park, poetry-composing competitions, and even badminton: there's something for everyone, and anyone who doesn't look too busy may find themselves offered a rabbit mask and a game to play. Or perhaps you'd like to try your hand at drawing people into your own game?

Moon Viewing

The moon rises not long after sunset, looming over the garden in hazy golden and red splendor thanks to the volcanic fumes in the atmosphere. The games are winding down as darkness falls, and the faint scent of burning incense fills the air as people settle to view the moon rise. Shinki in their festival best, adorned with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum, are serving the guests. They set out trays of fresh seasonal fruit (Japanese pears, persimmons, and chestnuts) and plates of mochi, serve sake, and light portable grills to cook sweet potatoes and skewers of meat.

Mazed & Confused

Part of the grounds have been rearranged into a hedge-maze made of tall, plumed grasses packed close together. A sign at the entrance reads, "Bring back my ribbon from the center of the maze,
and I'll give you a special prize!"

Unfortunately, that's harder than it sounds. The maze is full of dead ends, confusing turns, and twisty little passages, which all look alike. It's almost magical how easy it is to lose your way inside, and the tufted grass will prove to have painfully sharp edges if anyone tries to cheat by pushing their way through the "walls" of the maze.

Those who successfully find their way to the center will find a white ribbon fluttering from the top of a tall pole. If they can climb the pole, pull the ribbon free, and make it back to the entrance, they will hear the sound of a child's laughter, and the ribbon in their hand will disappear to be replaced by a round cake of mochi. Enjoy the prize!

Wild Moon

One of the children participating most energetically in the games of tag and dashing around the party is wearing an oversized gray hoodie with the hood pulled up right to the edges of his happy rabbit mask. He's not being very careful, either: he keeps bumping into other party attendees and barely taking the time to mutter an apology before he sprints away.

Although nothing noticeable happens at the time, anyone who's been tagged or bumped into by that particular child will begin to feel more emotional, quicker to react, and less self-controlled as the night wears on. Those who he only brushed by won't be too powerfully affected, but the more times that he has run into someone, the stronger the effect will grow.

(Note: This won't cause anyone to have emotions that they wouldn't feel otherwise, but both ongoing moods and temporary reactions could be amplified.)

In Summary:

• Play party games
• Relax with snacks
• Try to solve the hedge maze
• Go wild
• Have fun~

Comments

A

[challengesfate]

Ah-

[...Well that sure is the weird mochi thing going right off of her plate. Lucina blinks, then looks up - oh! It's Chikusa.]

...You could have asked for it, if you wanted it.

[The mochi frightens her...it's so mushy...]

[kokuyoyo]

...Were you going to eat it?

[Pausing to make sure that none of his skewers or any of their bounty will fall off, he blinks up at Lucina. Oh, this woman again.]

[challengesfate]

...No. It was...not something I'm used to.

[How is a mochi so...mochi-like]

[kokuyoyo]

....You've ever eaten dough before?

[Don't mind him as he raises it up to take a small bite out of it himself. Ah, red bean paste.]

[challengesfate]

Is that what it is? Just...dough?

[Why would you not cook dough]

[kokuyoyo]

No. But it has similar texture....

[Just like that, he finishes the mouthful. This will block him from saying anything else for a minute, whups. Hold.... please....]

It's made from rice... I think.

[challengesfate]

Dough from rice...?

[She's just. Going to look at where that mochi used to be, stunned at the prospect. You're blowing her mind here, man.]

And that doesn't need to be cooked?

[kokuyoyo]

Ah.... I think it needs to be steamed...? Or that's the traditional way....

I haven't made it yet...

[...Although now that he thinks about it, he's pretty sure he's seen something about making mochi at home. Hm.]

[challengesfate]

...Is there a book on making it somewhere? Or, someone I can watch make it?

[Now she's got to know how they make this weird shit.]

[kokuyoyo]

....Phone.

[Lucina, he told you about this!!]

[challengesfate]

...Oh! Right! I could look for it on the phone!

[SHE FORGETS SOMETIMES OKAY]

[kokuyoyo]

...Any time you want.

[JUST.... TO MAKE SURE.... SHE REMEMBERS THAT PART...]

[challengesfate]

...Oh. Like right now.

[o o p s]

[kokuyoyo]

Mhm.

[One day, she'll learn.... Probably... Chikusa continue to nibble at his food and watch her, curious to see what she can pull up. While he's no longer the exemplar to a hearth god, well. It's now become a habit.]

[Besides, food is always good. Him and Ken both like it.]

[challengesfate]

[Yeah she's going to...pull up something on it...

After a minute or so, she blinks, and then turns her phone around so Chikusa can see the video she found.]

They...colored it green, right? Rice is not normally green colored, I know that.

[kokuyoyo]

[Chewing on his own mochi, Chikusa leans a little closer to get a good look at the video playing. Cheeks still stuffed, the best answer he can give is a kind of head-cocked one-shouldered shrug.]

[That's a "probably" for an answer. When he swallows, that's when he can add the word to it.]

Or another ingredient... mixed in with the rice...

[challengesfate]

...Perhaps like...matcha? I know what that is - that makes green tea. Is that something people do sometimes?

[kokuyoyo]

Mmm. Possibly. They do like it here...

And I know there are other colors of mochi...

[challengesfate]

Oh? I suppose...if you can derive it from a food, you can make it into many colors and flavors. I wonder if fruit is popular.

[kokuyoyo]

....I think... red bean paste is most popular... With what I've seen for fillings, anyway.

[challengesfate]

...Red beans.

[It feels like this concept has been explained to her before, but every time she hears it, it's still...dang unbelievable.]

[kokuyoyo]

[...Okay, you know what, he's going to do you a solid, Lucina. Sighing, he just spears another piece of mochi and then forces it onto her plate.]

[Fuckin eat it, Lucina. Rob the Heavens of food.]

[challengesfate]

[. . .

Looks at mochi.

Looks at Chikusa.

Well, she can't not eat it now. Let's...nibble on it, enough to get some of the bean in her mouth...chews, swallows...]

...That's...a very unusual texture.

[kokuyoyo]

I told you...

[Chikusa's done his duty as far as he's concerned. Staring blankly at her, he takes another bit of some mochi of his own.]

[challengesfate]

And this is widely enjoyed?