[OPEN] Every way you look in the city

[unlucky7]

Who: Open to everyone!
When: November 22nd and onward
Where: Around the Near Shore
What: An open shopping log for people to use for all their shopping needs! Winter and holidays are coming so it's a good time to get a winter wardrobe and think about gifts for other people. Or yourself. Nothing wrong with buying gifts for yourself. Free to shop wherever and whenever, but some prompts are included under the cut if you need ideas.


Raffle Rush
To drive up business, several local shopping streets are holding raffles! Each purchase at a store earns you a ticket. The grand prize of a hot spring vacation package is already claimed in a few areas, but maybe you'll be one of the lucky winners in some of the remaining spots? Or if not, there's always the second place prize of a cozy new kotatsu, or other prize packages including coupons or local goods.

You're the Piano Man
Various pianos have been set up around the Near Shore with signs encouraging passersby to play. Do you dare sit down and play a few notes? Maybe encourage someone shyly watching from a distance to play. Or maybe you'll sit down and enchant everyone with an impromptu concert.

Winter Illuminations
Multiple shopping centers and shopping streets are alight with winter illuminations. Thousands of twinkling lights strung overhead, covering bushes and trees, or in the shape of snowflakes, snowmen, and other festive shapes light the night. Enjoy the sight alone or walk through with a loved one, these displays will be around through the end of the year.

Always Ayakashi
Packed shopping malls, not being able to find the shirt you want in your size, frustrated shoppers, there's a lot of negativity brewing around and minor ayakashi eager to feed. Help lighten the mood for everyone around and take some ayakashi out as you browse between stores?

Comments

OTA - Any date except 11/24

[unlucky7]

Shopping
[With winter approaching, t-shirts aren't cutting it anymore and her motorcycle jacket is showing some wear. Heading to Shibuya 109, Ginia takes her time going through the stores, looking for warmer outfits. Unfortunately, fashion and style isn't quite something she's figured out, so anyone who wants to give advice (good or bad) is absolutely welcome to do so.]

Piano man
[The piano set up at the bottom floor of 109 has had an endless string of people playing. Whether it's giggly teenagers plunking on keys or a trained pianist sitting down to play a few songs, Ginia spends an hour listening. Between players, Ginia moves closer to the piano, always backing down as someone else takes the seat.]

Winter Illuminations
[With multiple illuminations across the Near Shore, Ginia tries to go to as many of them as possible. Some she finds by accident, wandering through them wide-eyed as she admires the displays. Others she looks for deliberately, discovered through word of mouth and travel guides. No matter the weather, Ginia spends her nights at the different illuminations, taking pictures with her phone and finding a spot to sit and admire.]

Shopping first!

[letteropener]

[The advantage of being two tall women in a store means always being able to see each other, so Celestia leaning over a rack with a smile should be no surprise.] Hello, Ginia!

[Already in her voice there's some semblance of change -- the unreserved joy of Capypa Land would always be associated with Ginia in Celestia's mind, and as such it had dealt quite a blow to her reservoir of calm and reserve around the other woman. No serene, regal restraint in her voice today -- just a real smile and a sincere delight to see her.]

[unlucky7]

[There are times when being tall is useful; reaching for items on the top shelf, seeing over crowds, it's great! Today, Ginia's height (and buff arms and shoulders) work against her as she has trouble finding clothes that aren't too tight across the shoulders and have the right fit.

She smiles and waves at Celestia as she sets a shirt back on the rack, noting she seems much more relaxed today.]

Looking for a winter wardrobe too?

[letteropener]

I do need a few things, I think. Human bodies get much colder than I would have expected. [The lack of fur really makes a difference after all, it seems. Though Celestia smiles slyly, tipping her head over towards the sale section.] But my temples are south of the equator, so the seasons are the opposite down there. So I'm going to take advantage of some out-of-season sales up here, too.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia looks over at the clearance racks, the last bastion of summer hanging on. There are a few fitted t-shirts that seem promising, but so do the swimsuits and summer dresses.]

That's a good idea. I should look at swimsuits while they're on sale. I don't have one yet.

[letteropener]

That was my plan too! I think some swimming at a nice warm beach would really go over well right now, don't you?

[She's barely begun her shopping -- all she has is a belt, which happened to catch her eye because of its intricate braided appearance.]

I would be very glad of your advice. I don't think I'm poor in fashion, but there are still occasional quirks of dressing that I miss.

[unlucky7]

[The weather has been quite nice, but also it's beyond the season for swimming. Ginia hasn't tried it herself, but all the movies with people lounging on a sandy beach, swimming in a warm ocean, it certainly looks nice.]

You don't want my advice.

[Ginia blushes and quickly shakes her head. Her own clothing choices are so plain and simple, she wouldn't even know where to begin with choosing something for Celestia.]

Shopping

[lookingforhead]

[Celty has something of an advantage in the fashion department. She's able to make her clothing out of her shadows, and she's a bit more resistant to temperature than most, but a fair few of the friends she made have tried to encourage her to branch out into more colorful outfits and alternate materials. She's a bit loathe to spend the money, but for once she feels inclined to treat herself.

But as she stands in the middle of the mall she finds herself a bit overwhelmed. She stands between two stores, one with more feminine fashion on display and another with more varied but simple styles. She can't choose which way to go.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia is in the store with feminine fashion, looking at some of the dresses toward the front. It's becoming the right season for cute sweaters and laying up and the sweater dresses at the front of the store certainly fit all sorts of fashionable possibilities. As Ginia pulls one off the rack and studies it against herself in a mirror, she notices a flash of yellow outside the store.

Turning, she grins at Celty and waves a hand in the air.]

[lookingforhead]

[Celty jerks a bit at the sudden focus of attention on her. She waves back, a little gingerly, part of her tempted to just walk away and pretend none of this ever happened.

But after a half step away she stops herself and shakes her helmet, chiding herself for being so self conscious. A moment later she's walking into the store and weaving through it to join Ginia.]

Hello Ginia. Doing some shopping?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods, cellphone already ready in her hand.]

I don't have a lot of clothes good for cold weather so here I am. What about you?

[lookingforhead]

Ah. The cold doesn't bother me so much, but some people were saying my wardrobe could use more color. My shadows don't do much outside of black and dark tones.

Or at least maybe I could find some new designs to copy.

Shopping!

[sing_for_me]

[ The few pieces of clothing Alex did own definitely weren't going to help her survive the winter season, so some shopping was required. Maybe just fine a jacket and a few sweaters to wear over her clothes? What else would she need...

As she ponders her options, she catches sight of someone familiar. Was she maybe on the same mission? Weaving through the crowd, Alex eventually gets close enough to tug at her sleeve. ]

Hey.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia turns at the tug of her sleeve. With the only people who can see her others from the Far Shore or children, Ginia wagers toward the former while preparing for the latter. At the familiar face, Ginia beams brightly. There's a shopping bag in her hand, large enough to hold a jacket or something similar. She shifts it to her shoulder to free up her hands.]

Hello. How are you today?

[sing_for_me]

I'm alright.

[ Alex returns the smile, noticing the bag in her hand. ]

Are you winter shopping too?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods and opens up her bag to show Alex what she bought.

It's a large fluffy white hoodie with cat ears on the hood and paw prints on the inside of the sleeve cuffs.]

What do you think?

[sing_for_me]

[ That was not what Alex was expecting her to pull out, and yet she could picture her in it. ]

How cute...!

[ She leans in to get a closer look. ]

It looks so comfy..!

i typed "piano" as "paino" here and you know what, legit

[priforprince]

[ There is a crashing noise behind Ginia as an overeager kid misses a chord completely. His fingers plonk down on the three wrong keys, dissonantly. And for his pains, he receives this percussion accompaniment.

And Hibiki receives an instant pain in her head. ]

[unlucky7]

[There's been a lot of missed notes and discordant plunking on the piano; expected given the very public location. Ginia doesn't mind and might have continued on, but oh, hey there Hibiki. She waves and walks over to the god.]

Here to shop or passing through?

[priforprince]

[ Watch your step, Ginia. There's broken china on the ground. ]

Is that unsightly chaos supposed to be music....?

[ Sorry, Ginia. She will remember her manners as soon as she can wrench her one-track mind off the horror being visited upon her eardrums.

It's bouncing off the walls of her brain!! ]

[unlucky7]

[Wow, rude, someone's going to have to clean that up, you know. Ginia carefully nudges the large pieces together with the tip of her boot.]

You could always play yourself.

[As the playful cacophony continues in the background. PLUNK SMASH PLUNK]

[priforprince]

My engagements are more exclusive.

[ Except when she, you know, invites everyone.

Her shoulders tighten with every missed note, resulting in a Hibiki who is trying to stand tall and dismissive but who keeps twitching in place. ]

OTA

[priforprince]

[ Raffle Rush ]



First place is claimed?!

[ And this kotatsu....isn't in a box?! Hibiki is trying to yell at the raffle attendant, but it's difficult when one considers her arms are suddenly full of blanket and heater. The tabletop is around. Somewhere. ] This raffle is canceled! Redo it! Immediately!!

[ Ah, here comes the table. Two people are having to carry it between each other....

They're sorry, sir. It was the display model. ]

[ Piano Man ]

Mm.

[ Hibiki is sitting up straight in a chair, the various parts of the kotatsu bundled on the backs of two raffle attendants as they continue to hold the table. They're carrying this....back to the winner's house, right? Where did the winner go again? Why did we stop?

Sipping at a hot cup of tea to fend off winter's chill, Hibiki closes her eyes and lets the melody from a nearby piano wash over her. ] For an award-winning concert pianist to hold a charity concert at such a time....my ability to draw the number 1 to myself is as strong as ever.

[ "And now," the pianist tells everyone, "some of my students will hold their very first recital!" ]



...Students?

[ Shopping ]

Achoo!

[ A cold wind? Blowing past her? This will never do. Hibiki touches her neck lightly, then turns to the guys carrying her kotatsu table. ]



My throat mustn't be permitted to chill. Procure a high-quality coat and scarf, quickly.

[ Um. Sir. While they're holding the table or.... ]

Should I care?! Figure it out amongst yourselves!

[ Ando would have had her bundled up somewhere warm by now. This is pintolerable. ]

Early December, OTA

[spes_phthisica]

a.

[Souji... hasn't really interacted with a piano before? They were not hugely a Thing back in 19th century Japan, and also he'd been a warrior, so there is just no reason. Not that he remembers why he's mystified by this strange object, he just wants to know more.

He laughs in delight when his random prodding manages to on accident produce a note. And another. And another. Honestly, it's kind of like letting a small child loose on the poor instrument (and surroundings).]

This is fun? Do you know what it is?


b.

[THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK AT, help him. He keeps getting distracted by colorful displays, and playing with random kids, and all the dazzling lights overhead. Finally he just... grabs an innocent bystander who is passing through.]

Hey, if you were a God of Samurai, what kind of gift would you want? [100% valid plan.]


c.

[Shopping for your god is haaaaaard, but Souji is gamely struggling on. He's found a tobacco shop and asked the staff to direct him to some good loose leaf tobacco, because it's not like he has any idea. It all just smells like smoke to him.

Now he's just outside the shop and slightly distracted by the warning label on it. This is news to him, okay?] This is supposed to be dangerous for you? I- [Congrats, he's walked right into someone. Good job.] Aaah, I'm sorry!

B

[unlucky7]

[Ginia stiffens as someone grabs the sleeve of her arm as she passes by, tensing as she looks at the unfamiliar person. She blinks at his question, relaxing only slightly as his question points him toward someone from the Far Shore.

A god of samurai? She smiles apologetically as she takes out her phone, typing up a message and holding up the screen for him to read.]

Sorry, I don't know much about samurai. But good food always seems to be a good gift.