Multicoloured kindnesses, met by chance, one by one

[yoshinocherry]

Who: Yuna and EVERYONE. No CR? No problem, drop on by to make new friends!
When: March 21st, all day
Where: Shinju's Temple
What: Hanami birthday party yayayay

[With a blanket invitation delivered, the only matter of business left is ensuring the temple is set up nicely for a gathering!

The main attraction of the day, of course, being flower-viewing in the temple's courtyard. With light snacks and refreshments lined up at tables inside the building itself and blankets and pillows available to pick up for lounging under the flowering branches, the 'viewing' part of the day should be set. As winds blow lazily through the area, blossoms in an array of colors are occasionally shaken free from the tree, falling in gentle showers to the ground below, creating a serene, relaxing atmosphere. A handful of paper lanterns have been strategically placed around the grounds as well, ensuring that anyone who happens to arrive or stay as the sun sets can still have a good view.

Elsewhere in the temple, the room Yuna uses largely for crafts appears to have spilled over somewhat. There are a few stands set up with origami paper, watercolors and brushes arranged at a table with a few chairs, card stock, glue, colored pencils, stickers, ribbons, and most importantly, there are flowers. There are flowers everywhere. Some arranged tastefully in vases, some dried and pressed and left alongside the other craft supplies, clearly for use in tandem with whatever you feel like making with the other things left out in such a tantalizing way. Go ahead. Make some stuff.

And, while the invitation had been extended to pretty much anyone wanting to drop by, should any of Yuna's friends decide to stay a little longer, she'll let them know of a cozy hot spring bath in one of the back rooms of the temple. Towels will be provided, of course, so why not stay and have a soak to wind the day down with?

The hostess herself will be roaming about the party in high spirits, ready and willing to top up beverages, share a snack, or just have a nice chat. So - kick back! Enjoy the sights!]

Comments

Jen | ota

[timeforpink]

[ How can she say no to an invitation to a party whose focus is a cherry blossom tree? Jen loves the flowers, their color soothing to her, like she belongs in a bed of sweet-smelling petals, with blankets in white and shades of pink. She doesn't know Yuna, but she had to come here. Jen feels comfortable in her god's temple, but the colors here... she feels a sense of peace and happiness that don't compare to anything else she's felt since opening her eyes in Takamagahara.

As for what she does — the craft stands get her attention. Jen tries a little bit of everything, but she has the easiest time with the origami paper. Simple things like boats and cranes are soothing to make, and she decorates them with flowers. These are going in her room and a few common areas in Nyx's temple.

At some point, she'll try to find Yuna to thank her, but if that fails, she'll send her a message on the phone network.

And, of course, Jen is here for the main event. Throughout the few hours she's there, she'll be staring at the blooming tree — sometimes sitting, sometimes lounging on a blanket, sometimes standing. But always awed, a little smile on her face. When the wind blows petals off the tree, she smiles wider, like the gentle rain of petals is magic.

Thank you, Yuna. Jen is living in bliss while she's here! ]

[yasei]

[ Obi noticed her because it's not difficult to notice her. She's spending a whole lot of time just staring at the tree. ]

You look enraptured, Miss.

[yoshinocherry]

[There are plenty of new faces around, and Yuna's doing her best to keep up with her hostess duties. Dividing her attention between chatting with guests, keeping the refreshments stocked up, making sure everyone's enjoying themselves... there's plenty of work to be done! Still, she wants to be able to greet any potential new friends just as much as she'd want to catch up with old ones, and being in charge of the gathering means she's going to find time sooner or later to mingle with as many people as she can...!

It's at a time where Jen's decided to flower-gaze that Yuna finds herself with the right spot of free time to visit with her.]

Are you enjoying yourself?

Obi | ota

[yasei]

[ Obi enjoys people to a degree, so he's bound to show up wherever there is an invitation. After all, he can show up even without invitations. He brings some food to be polite (and food is the best gift right?) and his pies are actually tasty, for all it seems a bit rustic in style.

Otherwise he's going to curiously inspect that crafts room. What is this, what it this, let him see and peer over your shoulder or something? ]

[yoshinocherry]

[Food is the best gift, Yuna will never dispute the value of a tasty meal or snack! She'll have to make sure to thank whoever left them, given that she can find out who the guest in question ends up being.

She does run into Obi when she goes to check in on how the craft supplies are faring, and with how curious he seems despite not digging in to anything yet, she can't help but speak up.]

Looking for anything in particular?

[futhark]

[ Caster feels curious eyes somewhere nearby, but he elects to ignore it (pretending he's not noticing) at least until he's finished with a kitten origami. That's when he turns and offers it to the curious observer ]

If you want it, you can keep it- [ Oh, a familiar face ] Good day, Obii~~ I'm that interesting to watch?

[ Because he still remembers how to be a little shit on greeting ]

[beyondtheblade]

[One peering over is liable to find a pile of origami cranes sitting next to Tsubasa as she works diligently, but silently on them. It may seem like the simplest thing to possibly make, but they are without a down very crisply and evenly folded. Very precise, really.

There's only one thing different, what appears to be a small folded sword done so tightly it looks like you could probably actually cut someone with it.]

Chris Yukine | OTA

[trustheart]

[Chris didn't know Yuna, but... she wanted to have a good relationship with her fellow gods, so she resolved to show up. She felt a bit nervous though, because... again, this was an entirely new person, and social anxiety was a thing.

But when she arrived, Chris was impressed with the way everything had been set up. The goddess of this temple had definitely put a ton of work into her party. Chris collected a drink, and began walking across the grounds, stopping to show particular interest in the flowers and crafts that were on display.]

Man... it's like an actual festival here...

[futhark]

[ Caster admittedly skipped several recent new arrivals gathering, so he got to start picking up again. Once everything stops exploding (metaphorically of course) he might even get to return to the "offering training" routine.

Chris is one of the "unfamiliar new faces" so when she makes circles around the displays and comments on it, Caster takes a note. And promptly responds. ]

Birthdays are meant to be big celebrations, no?

[yoshinocherry]

[For a building only meant to house a handful of people at best, there certainly is a good deal of things set up for the visitors who are coming and going through the day...! But, most importantly, mingling with the people who are here to enjoy everything is how Yuna herself wants to spend the day.

As Chris lingers around the crafts, Yuna happens to spot her - a person she hasn't gotten the chance to meet one on one yet. With an open, approachable smile, she makes her way over.]

Are you enjoying everything so far?

[beyondtheblade]

That hopefully turns out better than the last one we attended.

[Have senpai suddenly appearing behind you with a drink in hand.]

Yukine.

Mordred | OTA

[roundtablerebel]

[ With Yuna's party well underway Mordred has taken the opportunity to slip away from the busier parts of the temple. As weird as it is to have strangers traipsing around her home it hasn't detracted from her enjoyment of the festivities. Up until a few minutes ago, she'd been cheerfully chomping down on the delicious goodies they'd prepared or that had been brought by their guests and she'd even spent some time at the crafts station trying to hone her flower-pressing techniques.
No, the reason she's seeking some solitude is because of events that transpired weeks ago— the stupid boats and the apparition of Kanade. Watching Yuna celebrate her birthday makes her happy but it also brings up some unwanted emotions that she'd rather bury in private.

Of course, such seclusion can't really be found today so Mordred has settled on the courtyard steps. She occasionally switches between observing anyone in the vicinity like a small blonde watchdog and being uncharacteristically lost in thought. ]

You'd better actually be dead...

[myblueskies]

[Romeo had come to help celebrate Yuna's birthday! Yuna was a good friend and they had had a lot of fun together, they had made a good team in scavenger hunts and other training activities.

The temple was full of people and things to do and Romeo was currently looking for the birthday girl herself so he could give her his present.

Instead he found himself in a courtyard and blinked at the words.] Um? I'm a shinki miss if that's what you mean!

[yasei]

Perfectly dead!

[ Said way too cheerfully. He's pretty sure she wasn't talking to him....probably. ]

Why is that important, Miss?

[reloves]

[ Wow, Mordred, you can't just threaten invite people to come to a birthday party and then totally ignore them! Not that Minako doesn't like birthdays, and Yuna seems pretty sweet, so she sure doesn't mind being here.. But she also definitely wants to see Mordred when she's the one who invited her.

And Mordred being deep in thought gives Minako - for once - the opportunity to sneak up behind her and quickly try to put her hands over the other's eyes. It's Minako, so it still might not work, but hey, a girl's got to try! ]

Guess who! [ She sounds so enthusiastic, it sounds like she doesn't even realise it might be kind of startling. ]

[yoshinocherry]

[In all honesty, it's a bit of a relief to see Mordred enjoying the party as much as she is - it wouldn't do well for her shinki to be phoning in her cheer while there are a bunch of guests to contend with. It's better for the both of them if the cheer is genuine, right? Less stress for both god and shinki, the easier it'll be to get through the day.

When Mordred finally does slip off for a little solitude, it isn't too surprising. Yuna is more than happy to let her have some time to herself, but it also doesn't hurt to check in and make sure there's no trouble, either.]

Still holding up okay? Not too overwhelming, is it?

[futhark]

[ For all the threatening that happened that made Caster come here, Saber indeed is pretty reclusive. Once he spots the culprit he approaches from the blind-side. Just so he can get a sudden double poke under the shoulder-blades ]

Yo!

[ That's not how you greet people ]

Romeo | OTA

[myblueskies]

[Romeo had seen the invitation on the BBS and he was really excited to celebrate Yuna's birthday! He had spent much of the afternoon before making her present, a drawing of the two of them playing with kites. Yuna was a good friend and he had lots of happy memories about her!

He still hurt quite a bit from his bee stings but he wasn't letting it get him down. How could he? Especially considering the dream he had had about the blonde boy again. There was no other day like today so he had to make the most of it!

So he could be found in all the craft supplies, making a collage with flowers and ribbons and other craft things. He seems pretty focused on his work but he grins at anyone around him.] Could you pass the glue please?

[It's in the centre of the table, too far in for him to reach even if he stretches his arm as far as it can go!]

[yasei]

Yeah sure..

[ Obi has no idea what he's doing with these crafts things, he's mostly observing at the moment, trying to pick up on what all of these things are meant to be used for.

But he can at least reach the glue and pass it along to the boy. ]

What're you making?

[yoshinocherry]

[Birthdays are meant to be spent with people you're friends with, so when Yuna spots Romeo about the temple, she knows she has to take at least a little time out of playing hostess to see how he's doing! And doing crafts, too, she can't help but want to take a break and indulge a little bit with this...]

Of course. [The glue is slid on over into his reach.] Are you having fun?

Rita Mordio | OTA

[blahblahblah]

[The video had immediately gotten Rita's attention yesterday; of course she knew about Halure's tree barrier, said to be beautiful when in bloom, as short as that period is. Whether or not she'd seen it in life, as she walks into the temple and sees the cherry tree, she imagines it has to be amazing to compete with this. She'd debated, for a while, whether or not to come - she didn't know this person (or really many people here at all), but it'd been an open invitation, and the tree had decided her. She feels peaceful, safe, and she walks in with a gentle expression. Whether or not that lasts, well. That's another question.

Rita spends a fair bit of time alternating between wandering the grounds and sitting to watch the petals. She gets entranced a little more readily than she perhaps intended, but she's not complaining. When she's not doing that, she does wander by the craft tables, debating if she could do anything that wouldn't look out of place in their temple, hesitantly working on a few things on and off. She also keeps an eye out for Yuna, who seems to be all over the place, and Rita smiles at the energy. She should probably greet her, but she just seems so busy... she'll wait for a free moment, if there ever is one, and maybe force it a little if it gets too late.

But really she's just content, and for today, she can forget about everything she doesn't know, everything she can't do, about the future. For today, everything's okay. Everything else can be a problem for tomorrow's Rita.]

[yasei]

[ Obi doesn't really know anything about crafts, but he's curious. So he's observing what others makes and he takes a peek at what this girl is up to as well. ]

What're you making, Miss?

Caster (Cú Chulainn) | OTA

[futhark]

[ Caster had seen the blanket invitation, but it wasn't until Saber (of Mordred variety) threatened invited his household personally. Suffice to say he dragged Archer here, Archer might have made some food too- because that's what Archer does, and so the mingling begins.

He will definitely start by trying to find the hero of the day, Yuna, so they both can hand her a selection of small gifts (Caster doesn't know the goddess personally, but it is a must to bring gifts on the birthday, right! so he goes for simple things like sweets- with an additional secret bag to be shared with Mordred)

Caster appears to be in a quite jovial mood, but he is also a tad more alert than he usually appears. Eventually, he finds himself immersed in the art of origami- he'd seen those creations in action, but until now he rarely attempted them on his own. At first he follows the instructions he finds, but as he grows more confident in his skills he starts to improvise.

Eventually, he makes- a horse, a cat, and lastly, he makes few attempts at howling wolf- failures scattered around. Should someone linger interested he will offer gesturing at the origami ]

-if you like anything go on, you can take it.

[ofnovalue]

Actually... [ Ovelia's body language and tone spoke to the volumes of her shyness, only really just now summoning the courage to approach the oddly familiar looking man. She almost wondered if he could be Balor's twin, but thought it rude to ask. Besides, she had another question in mind, anyways, stammering slightly as she spoke. ]

D-do you know how to craft flower crowns from these?

Shikyoin Hibiki ♔ CELEBRITIES ONLY (nah it's ota)

[priforprince]

[ Someone is finally holding a proper flower viewing. Hibiki isn't opposed to such an event, and she's in particular need of distraction today - though never mind the reasons why.

Thus it may be that while people enjoy the flowers, they may find some rose petals mingling with the cherry blossoms drifting down around them. The petals can be traced back to Hibiki, who has laid out what looks like a Persian rug as a flower-viewing "blanket" and is enjoying some tea atop it. A variety of Japanese sweets have come along, too - she at least knows to make the refreshments thematic.

She has deliberately set up camp with her back to everyone. But is leaking roses onto them anyway.

She's that good. ]

[yoshinocherry]

[If there's going to be anyone bringing so much extravagance to an event like this, there's only one person it could be. Ah, to have someone of such high esteem to be attending her birthday party...! Surely, anyone would be honored.]

You brought an awful lot with you.

[Yuna, for her trouble, seems more intrigued than either offended or honored by such a grandiose display and weighty presence. Just as long as her guests are enjoying themselves, that's what's important, but.... goodness.]

Tsubasa Kazanari | OTA

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa had been somewhat disappointed to have arrived in spring, but only to end up sweeping up ruined cheery blossoms on her first day there. (Amazingly somehow not making the mess of them worse than when she started.)

So, seeing the invitation, she's at least a little curious. Especially after the mess of the last few days. Noticing a particular friend and her own shinki heading there, that just sort of seals it.

Although not the greatest at picking up on chit chat, Tsubasa does find herself at the crafts table. She finds herself just kind of absently folding origami, initially instinctively forming a sword, giving a distasteful look, and then just forming a long series of intricate birds.

But otherwise she wanders a bit, trying to get some of her equilibrium back and otherwise admiring the sites. She has things to think of, least of all the fact she blew the whole "song powered battle armor" thing in front of a lot of people and she's not usually used to having to actually answer QUESTIONS about it.]

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein spotted Tsubasa at the crafts table making all the complex origami birds, she had tried to make a crane but kept folding it in wrong ways trying to figure out the best way to make it. ]

Tsubasa, can you help me with this crane?