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

[thirdbeauty]

Okay! Open wide~.

[And she gently slips another piece of fruit past Patchouli's parted lips. This time, her fingertips may have brushed Patchy's lips as she withdrew.]

Hey, we should do something together again tonight! What do you think?

[She pops a piece of the fruit into her own mouth, humming pleasantly at the sweet taste. She doesn't even ask before plucking a second from the tray and holding it close to Patchouli's mouth, expecting her to either accept or decline the gesture.]

[heptagram]

[Give her a second after she swallows the piece of fruit.]

Well, that's a bit sudden, but certainly. What would you like to do, Natsuru?

[She'll open her mouth again, letting Natsuru feed her once again.]

[thirdbeauty]

Well...

[She blushes, a new emotion welling up along with the cheerfulness she's displayed thus far. Suddenly, she's a little more self-conscious about this whole inviting Patchouli to spend time together thing? (She still feeds her the fruit, though, even as she blushes and glances away.)]

I mean, this is a party. I just... want to do something fun together...

[heptagram]

That's fine, but... I'm not sure what we should do. I spend most of my alone-time reading and researching, but most people don't think that's very fun.

[thirdbeauty]

[Hm... that sort of thing does sound fine for when Patchouli's alone, but she's right. It's not exactly a thing they can do together.]

I don't know if it really matters...

[A small smile traces her lips, as her eyes meet the other girl's again. This thing that's affecting her is making her so much more forward than usual.]

We could play one of the games, or try the maze. If we're together, it'll definitely be fun!

[heptagram]

Hm...

Well... why don't we play one of the games, then? I guess I'll let you pick. [If they get lost in the maze, she imagines there's no flying out and she'll just have to torch it and that would just be a mess.]