OPEN ♔ The One and Only Treasure World

[priforprince]

Who: CelePara Talent Agency & guests
When: November 1, evening
Where: Temple of Apollo
What: In the spirit of Halloween, Hibiki holds a masquerade party the same night as Hak, to be a jerk. But her party is the cover for an even more important (?) announcement....

[ I. Masquerade (Pass through the gate of dreams, arms linked, and laugh) ]

[ Apollo's temple seems wreathed in shimmering mist, though even that can't quite obscure the golden statues of the resident god on either side of the door (that now appear to be wearing masks and vampire capes). Everyone inside is wearing a mask, as well, and a tiny bird spirit in an eyepatch directs guests down a dimly-lit hallway to a ballroom decorated in dark jewel tones with lots of drapes and tassels. The floor is a marble chessboard of white and black tiles. Fires glimmer on the candles in the candelabras above and in ornate wall sconces. Ballroom music drifts from somewhere, though its origin can't be pinpointed.

On one side of the ballroom, there's a banquet table at which guests can sample full lobsters, asparagus, foie gras, caviar, salad, an unnecessarily wide assortment of French chocolate pastries, and their choice between flutes of champagne or sparkling water, stacked in towers. Another wall is completely occupied with a stage, but the curtain is drawn. Hanging above the stage is an analog clock. Instead of numbers, however, it features a gold laurel wreath with a small crown emblem where the number 12 should be.

The clock appears to be ticking down, second by second, towards the crown.... ]

i. [ Did you happen to arrive without a mask? The tiny bird that led you to the ballroom will be happy to fetch you one, but you don't get to complain if it shows up with a strange role for you to play. Dare you risk it?

There's another animal underfoot, too: a cat in a dark green bandana with a skull and crossbones on it. And underfoot is meant quite literally. In fine cat fashion, the animal seems determined to sits whereever the guests most wish to steps. It will not move.

Or perhaps mingling with the humans is more your forte! Not to worry. There's room at the outskirts to help yourself to some food and discuss how wonderful and atmospheric this all is. If you explore the room, however, you'll discover something odd: anyone trying to touch any of the decorations will find their hands passing straight through. The interior design in this room is an illusion.

Including, perhaps, the stage. ]

ii. [ Shall we dance? A number of different basic ballroom dances will be played throughout the evening. Dance the evening away with each other. Don't worry about restraining yourself - in these masks, everyone is perfectly anonymous! Right? So just relax and enjoy a delightful evening spent in elevated pursuits. ]

iii.

May I intrude?

[ A vampire in a golden half-mask offers their hand to you, smiling. Yes, they have fangs. No, it doesn't look like a prosthetic. (Because it, too, is illusion.)

The vampire's brilliant green eyes glitter behind the mask. How INCREDIBLY ANONYMOUS they are. ]

Your beauty called me forth from my eternal slumber. Let us dance.

[ II. Performance (Without advance notice, a dramatic development!) ]

[ Second by second, the clock ticks down towards the crown. And when it finally strikes that hour -



All the lights go out. At once. And then come up on the stage as the curtains draw back and a spotlight illuminates the vampire, flanked by two shadowy figures on each side.

The vampire bows. A jaunty tune strikes up. The vampire smiles, flicks aside their mask, and unveils themselves as the party's host, decked out now as a pirate captain. The light illuminating them spreads out to their companions, revealing the four members of CelePara Talent Agency - and keeps going. Apollo's temple is revealed in all of its golden glory, from its shops to its amusement park to its banks and banks of PriPara arcade machines. The stage itself turns into a giant parade float, decorated with a pirate ship and a giant golden sun.

As the lyrics begin, the parade float begins moving forward, through the temple. Following the float, guests will be able to see the whole of Apollo's temple - as well as the whole show. And it is. Quite. The show. With the other members of the talent agency providing back-up singing, dancing, and an occasional dance solo highlight (especially for Wendy), Hibiki puts every type of dancing she knows on display, flitting around the parade float in a combination of athletics and strategically-placed teleportation. She spins! She moonwalks! She does ballet! She tap-dances! She lifts her leggy up real high! She teleports off the float and onto the balconies - always making sure she's above her audience, lifted and lofty, but keeping things interesting.

She may even single out individual audience members towards whom to address certain lines....

When the song finally ends, the float is back where it began. Hibiki throws her arms in the air as her proteges all pose around her (jazz hands here were optional, but encouraged.) The lights go down again briefly - and when they're back up, Hibiki is standing here with a microphone in her hand.

Oh boy. Now she's going to talk. ]

i. [ What do you do during the performance? Do you follow the float, or gather others to explore something else, now that the whole temple is open to you? Or perhaps you know one of Hibiki's talent agency members better than you know her. This is the place to show your support! ]

ii. [ Stands selling cotton candy and gourmet popcorn in entirely too many flavors can be found in the parade's wake. If dinner didn't fill you up, what about a carnival snack? What about a carnival snack with a cat watching you? What do that undulating tail and those unblinking eyes mean...? ]

iii. [ During the performance, Hibiki's eyes meet yours. It may only be for a line or two, but you'll get pieces of the song dedicated....just to you.

Remember this day for all eternity, as you shall never feel this special, ever again. ]

[ III. Announcement (Starting from now, it's Show Time!!) ]



Ladies and gentlemen.

[ Hibiki has waited until any applause died down before resuming the evening's program. When she does speak, her voice carries throughout the entire temple. ] Welcome to the CelePara Masquerade Party. Have you delighted in dancing behind the veil of secrecy?

[ Pause for effect. ]

I have a secret to reveal, myself. I, Shikyoin Hibiki, have put a plan into motion. Unlike those of other invididuals whose thoughtlessly unscientific speculations are completely devoid of useful progress, it's already borne fruit.

[ TV screens appear, floating in the air. The words BASED ON TRUE STORY fill them. ] I plan to film the Far Shore's first original motion picture. And, by releasing it -

[ The TV screens switch to images of various girls singing and dancing. Anyone who's met a peppy blonde girl named Mirei here may recognize her, dancing in a golden dress with a tiara on her head alongside two other girls. But the image switches rather quickly from her to a girl with long, trailing curly green pigtails. ] I shall become a God of Fortune and unite both Shores with idol paradise PriPara, ushering in a brilliant golden age! This is my greatest plunder, the true Treasure World. This is -

[ Her crown of golden laurels finally appears on her head, gleaming around her pirate hat. ] - my


[ Cannons of confetti burst from the corners, scattering papers into the air. Hibiki takes the moment to teleport off the stage. Anyone who catches the confetti - they're...tickets. ADMIT ONE tickets for A Shikyoin Hibiki Production.

Congratulations. Your presence here has guaranteed you get a seat at Hibiki's movie. There's no end to the reasons you should be glad you came here tonight! ]

i. [ Such a momumental announcement may very well leave everyone speechless. But perhaps you'd prefer to discuss your excitement amongst each other? Feel free! And please do ignore the small stuffed purple toy goat standing off to the side watching your conversation. It's just shy. It won't even interact with your thread unless you choose to interact with it first. ]

ii. [ There's so much to do in Apollo's temple. Whether you want to go on an amusement park ride, relax with more sparkling water at a cafe, or try one of the PriPara arcade machines to imagine a world after Hibiki's revolution, the entire temple is your oyster, longing for you to harvest its pearls. The host may approach you; she may not. Feel free to all have fun together. ]

iii. [ Back in the private areas of the temple, Hibiki can be found hunched over her desk pressing a cold compress to her head. She's breathing heavily, and looking unsteady. But her ragged voice is full of purpose. ]

Not...yet. There's an...encore.

[ Illusions like the ones she'd put on the whole temple always leave her with a backlash. She looks like she could sleep for weeks.

In fact, if you reach out and touch her - she will fall over. But she's fine. Everything's fine. Enjoy the party! ]

[[ ooc: Needless to say, Hibiki is being an idiot. Making a movie will not make her a God of Fortune, nor will it provide her with a way to unite the game with her home puniverse. All it's going to yield for her is...a movie. A very bad movie. Stay tuned for more logs about it.

But she is a generous idiot, so for tonight, go to town on her pollar in her equally idiotic temple! Or try to find her to deck her one for her incendiary language. Or any other reason, do you really need a reason to deck Shikyoin Hibiki? HAVE FUN. ]]

Comments

CLOSED ♔ to Zelda and Caster

[priforprince]

[ At some point during the evening, even if they show up wearing masks as requested, the little bird spirit will show up in front of Zelda and Caster carrying a small white envelope sealed with a real, red wax seal.

Within the envelope is a notecard, bearing an individualized message. Zelda's reads Linger afterwards. I've a present for you. Caster's says The stage has been set. Stay late.

It seems the show has only just begun.... ]

[sageprincess]

[Well, Zelda said she would stop by the masquerade for a little while, so here she is, and though she wasn't prepared enough to bring a mask of her own, the little bird spirit was kind enough to provide her with a suitably elegant one because of course it did. She doesn't do much in the way of mingling, still a bit tired from the meeting of the gods and the minor disaster that followed, but she does watch Hibiki's performance and... is actually rather impressed! The music and dancing isn't like anything she's ever seen, but Hibiki has a very nice singing voice, and it's clear she's put a lot of thought and work into this performance.

Even if the announcement afterwards is a little... illogical, to her ears? But that's Hibiki for you.

Seeing the little bird spirit return with a message reminds her that their gracious host did tell her to look for her after her performance, but she hasn't the faintest idea where to begin looking in this giant mansion of a temple. So Zelda grabs herself one of the remaining champagne glasses, finds a relatively unoccupied table to hole herself up at, and waits to be found and ushered away for this "present."

... She's a little nervous about it, honestly, but hey, that's what the champagne is for.]

[futhark]

[ The stage has been set. Stay late.

Perfect.

Caster watches people slowly leave after the performance. Well, not always literally leave, since there is a lot of ways to amuse yourself in this temple. Like that amusement park ride- It's stage area is what empties, and that's where the plan, The Plan, is going to take place. Now it's only to accidentally intercept the princess and deliver her into the right location, so- ]

My fair lady, is there a chance you'd share some of this champagne if asked properly?

[ See, his glass is empty, and he could use a drink.

Caster is not really good at the whole masquerade thing, in fact, it's incredibly easy to tell that it's him, since he's in the same suit he attended past two formal parties. The mask crafted to resemble a leaf being the only addition- as per masquarade requirements. ]

[alchemists]

Pre-Performance

[ Elfnein is dressed in a cape over her normal clothes, along with a standard mask that was given to her by Hibiki. ]

Halloween isn't as scary as my research indicated it to be.

[priforprince]

Anonymity doesn't thrill you?

[ Hibiki you gave her the mask. And she knows your costume. Heck, she's seen you in a mask before. ]

[alchemists]

Well it's easy to determine who is who even with masks.

Announcement - iii

[papillonprincess]

[ Being a free shinki means she's pretty much her own woman by now and that's fine. Let's just say this week is when she's decided to situate herself in Chez Apollo. Or at least for a day or so. Someone had to make sure the priparations didn't go out of hand, after all.

Naturally, she's started to notice how all those bombastic illusions tend to take a toll on her benefactor's constitution so naturally, she has to go and make sure the prince is still standing.

It's with a resigned sigh and the smallest smile that she approaches, one hand placed on the doorframe. ]

You've both outdone and overworked yourself, Hibiki-kun... but congratulations, nontheless. I'd say the evening was a rousing success.

[priforprince]

That much was inevitable. [ Breathing. That is a thing she requires. Hibiki pushes off from her desk to try standing up. She wobbles. ] All that remains is a successful denouement, and my triumph will be compl--

[ HEADACHE

Both hands press against the compress now. ]

I-iii

[disciprined]

[On the one hand: Hibiki Shikyoin, apparently, has a sentence ender allergy.

[On the other: Mirei is not a party person. Mirei is.

[It's Halloween, and you can't go wrong with a cat costume. Besides, it works with her hair. She's not exactly difficult to recognize even with the mask on, but why else would an idol craft an image? Still, she wants to stay out of her host's way at least for a little, and spends a careful while mingling, chatting, discreetly listening in. There's not a lot Mirei can do about the advantage Hibiki has over her, but gathering a little more intelligence of her own about who exactly she is dealing with apart, unaccountably, from another girl. Or maybe 'woman' is the better description for someone like Hibiki, pri?

[Neither of them seem to sit entirely correctly. Hibiki, Mirei is coming to suspect, defies simple categorization.

[She is coming to suspect that one of the simplest ways to deal with Hibiki is having dealt with her before. After incorporeal confetti and instant changing rooms with suspiciously insubstantial curtains, Mirei finds herself calculating exactly how much of anything she's seeing right now can be taken for granted and decides to form up those calculations by conducting a quick field study. The food is real enough (she tests the macarons twice, just to be certain, and leaves the champagne for an adult to confirm) but her hand passes straight through the drapes and when, nothing ventured nothing gained, she repeats the experiment with the wall sconces she can tell by the absence of heat on her palm that the candles are illusory, too.

[Mirei is an idol: she is no stranger to brilliantly sparkling artifice. But even the dream of song needs a sure and solid foundation of good, hard work.]

Is any of this real, pri?

[There's an entire purple Barbie Dream Castle out there. Surely one of the rooms would have been suitable?]

[papillonprincess]

No... not likely.

[ And here is a creature just as purple as Hibiki could be... except she's more of the black and purple aesthetic. That vampire coord Hibiki has is a perfect color match to that sleek dress and the lady with long black hair that approaches.

She regards the confetti and everything else, head tilted ever so slightly as if trying to pick some detail out. ]

As expected of Hibiki-kun... our dear Apollo has likely overdone it with her illusions again. While the outcome certainly is impressive, I can only imagine how taxing keeping it up can be.

[ There's a sigh as she shakes her head before offering the other girl a smile back. ]

I don't recall seeing you here before.

[priforprince]

[ As if in answer to Mirei's question, the whole place....ripples....shortly after her "pri" finishes p-ringing out. Everything gets back in place almost immediately, but there was indeed some sort of pristurbance. Also a faint shattering sound.

Meanwhile, behind a prillusory column, Shikyoin Hibiki puts a hand to her heart and sighs. She can. She can do this. She has her sentence ender cutphones, after all! Now that she has confirmed Minami Mirei is on the primises, handling her is a primple matter...

But first, a fortifying glass of sparkling water. Something appears to have befallen her champagne.

(Careful where you step, Mirei. There's an invisible polteageist you might walk through, trying to decide whether or not such cases call for solidarity or relief it was not true brethren that suffered.) ]

III

[justclaws]

[Betrayal. So this is what it feels like.

[He is there in time for the announcement, after all, shunning the charms of popcorn and whatever those curious soft pink pillows (court cakes?) on sticks are, to give Hibiki his Undivided Attention. It would have been sooner, if his time with Hak hadn't necessitated a bath, a lie-down and a complete change of clothes. At least no gathering Hibiki had planned could ever involve, quite intentionally, an entire house crawling with bugs, Kija thinks, then immediately feels guilty. Hak is his brother and his comrade-in-arms, a man he would gladly entrust with the life of their Princess. Hibiki, for all her refinement and charm, could never be that to him.

[And yet Hibiki is a friend, and a good one: a guide, a tutor, an exemplar. Shunning her is almost as unthinkable as shunning Hak. There is nothing for it but to be in two places at once.

[So here he is. Catching a ticket - well, okay, spearing it on one nail - and frowning over it.]

Revolution... I suppose the arts are an agent of ideas? When properly conveyed, of course.

[He hasn't forgotten that puppet show. Such disrespect!]

[priforprince]

Ideas - and ideals.

[ Oh, she's so clever. She's so clever you're definitely going to ignore the fact that she has a cold pack taped to her head beneath her bangs. She can force you to ignore this fact by being otherwise absolutely stunning.

Behold. The party host. Willing herself into extra sparkle. ] More on display here than elsewhere, I imagine.

[ She knows you know the other party guy. Hah hah hah. She wins. ]

Masquerade.iii

[boneofsword]

[Archer is wearing a completely black suit adorned with a red scarf and white half-mask. His whole outfit is carefully selected to one purpose - Hibiki's masquerade. He's well aware how easily recognizable he is thanks to his height and coloring, so Hibiki the vampire merely gains a polite incline of his head. What, he can play along just fine.]

How charming of you to offer, my lady. I'm honored. [he extends his hand, waiting for Hibiki to decide how she's going to raise herself to his full height, since he's not planning to make it easy.]

[priforprince]

[ ....really, sir. Really.

Hibiki deigns to not even try, stepping up into position with her usual regal bearing. She can make up for this height difference with aura alone. Such is the power of a natural-born Celebrity. ]

You may safely leave the lead to me.

[ In other circumstances, she could point out this is only right, given his proclivity to being good at servant things. But this is a masquerade. She shall observe the mystique. ]

<3

[unlucky7]

[Ginia shouldn't be at the masquerade; with the injuries she sustained from the fight in the city, she should be doing nothing but resting at the temple. But it's a masquerade and it's being hosted by Hibiki and while others might find the god's nature trying, Ginia finds amusement and entertainment in the her charms.

And so Ginia is at the masquerade in a very dashing suit combination, doing her best to take it easy and sit when she can. However, once the music starts up for dancing, it's hard to resist the pull to move about. After observing the people around, she spots her exemplar and approaches him. She smiles at him and offers a bow and her hand. Care to dance?]

I hope this is okay I just wanted to do all the things..

[purr_ince]

Masquerade - ii
[Adrien has arrived but he's not alone, his goddess is at his side her hand resting gently in his because well they're something of a set. He is golden, warm, and bright where she is cool, dark, and mysterious - the moon to his sun.

His costume is a suit, sharp crisp white from his jacket to his shoes. The collar of the jacket is gold and there's embroidery at his sleeve cuffs and a sun takes up the center of his chest. There's a flowing cape over his shoulders - bright shimmering fabric that fades from gold into orange, red, yellow then white from shoulder to the bottom hem. He's wearing a gold mask that frames his eyes.

He's smiling brightly clearly delighted - his usually perfectly brushed and styled hair is left to do as it pleases though it's not as wild as a certain cat's fluffy locks. He's eager to dance either with his partner or someone else.]

Announcement -ii
[Well this... This has been something. He had to hand it to Hibiki she certainly knew how to throw a party. Bright green eyes are peering at the rides curiously. He's never been on one that he can remember. Has he? Heck he doesn't know but for some reason he's oddly fixated on them.

After a moment of consideration, He's reaching up to his cape and unhooking where it clasps to one of his shoulders and instead bringing the end up under his arm and across his chest turning it into a sash of sorts. He's pinning and clasping it into place so that it won't be in the way and nodding. Time to explore a bit more and ride a ride or two.]

Announcement -iii
[The evening done, he's moving to seek out their host. A pleasant kind of exhaustion settled over him. But he's got to do the polite thing and thank her for the invitation, praise her for such a wonderful party, and for her good work in caring for her newly adopted cat - especially considering where Hibiki had been when she'd picked the cat up at the cafe.

He pauses finding her slumped over her desk. Quietly, he's moving closer; his fingers working at the sun shaped clasps of his cape and freeing the fabric to drape it over his arm. Adrien didn't want to wake her but-]

Hibiki? Do you need help? Something to eat? You've done too much I think.

welcome welcome~ (announcement iii)

[priforprince]

[ Someone's here. That voice -

What is he doing back here? Hibiki doesn't lift her head. ]

This room is backstage.

[ She doesn't sound too good. ]

announcement -ii

[disciprined]

Adrien, pri~!

[Meeting people is all well and good, but there's nothing like spending time with someone you know. Okay, so maybe she knows Adrien only slightly, but there's only one way that's going to change and no time like the present to do it. Any chance to talk to someone less disquieting than Hibiki without working her way through hello-my-name-is first sounds absolutely brilliant to Mirei.

[So she waves, she darts through the crowds toward him. This is a party, right? Time to have some fun.]

I didn't see you here, pri! Are you having fun?

ii

[nopixiedust]

Don't go climbing anything!

[HEY THERE, BUDDY, WASSUP, there is a tiny girl in a very cute dress and matching mask calling out after you. Oh, wait, it's the girl who climbed through that window one time. She's not climbing anything right now, but he may have seen her dancing on stage not that long ago.]

You wouldn't want to mess up the decorations!

Announcement - ii

[unlucky7]

[The only thing Ginia should be doing today is resting, but the lure of Hibiki's party is too great. Dressed in a dashing suit, Ginia has been taking in the spectacle and glamour as best she can, largely hanging by the walls or sitting at a table with food (and lots of it).

But after the performance--wonderful, spectacular, the grandeur moved her to tears--and announcement, Ginia enjoys exploring the wonders of Apollo's temple. The faster amusement park rides are a bit much with her injuries, but she enjoys the carousel and the hanging swings or simply walking around, snapping pictures on her phone of everything and everyone.

She can also be found playing the PriPara arcade machines and doing quite well for herself. And when walking around is a bit much, Ginia takes it easy in a cafe, people watching and enjoying sparkling water.

Scratch that, the sparkling water is gross. She's drinking tea and lots of it.]

[priforprince]

Bonsoir.

[ RUN FOR THE HILLS IT'S A PIRATE oh wait it's just Hibiki, never mind. She's been keeping a close eye on anyone who approaches the PriPara machines, to see how they fare. They, after all, are the prelude to her revolution.

A nod to the machines. ] You've left your mark on my scoreboards.

[ Of course the machines, like any good arcade, are keeping track of who's doing how well. Hibiki herself is in the top on every single one, possessing a freakishly high score.

She spent a whole afternoon playing a children's arcade game A powerful opponent only fuels the determined, competitive spirit, correct? ]

[nopixiedust]

[Don't mind the familiar giggle that's nearby as Ginia makes her immediate switch from water to tea.]

No good, huh?

iii-iii

[nopixiedust]

[People who knew this was going to happen: Wendy]

[People who are here to help anyway: Wendy]

[Even as Hibiki starts to slide sideways, her shinki determinedly grabs onto her arm and digs her heels in to straighten her up. Come on, gravity, work in her favor for once!]

Hibiki! You need to go to sleep!

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki would try to assist Wendy, if she could. As is, however, she's sort of. Flopped. ]

The curtain...hasn't fallen yet. I can....

[ The compress slips and falls to the ground. ]