Book Party [ota]

[myblueskies]

Who: Romeo, Elfnein and literally everyone in the heavens. Even if you weren't personally invited every invite came with a +ALL YOUR FRIENDS and there's also a sign. Strangers are just friends these two haven't met yet.
When: 29th April. Afternoon onwards
Where: Temple Smol (Gegute's library)
What: Just the cutest book party the heavens has ever known! Bring your best book!



Arrival

You might have received an invitation, or perhaps you are just passing Gegute’s library but there is an brightly painted sign outside.

Book Party today!

Everyone welcome! Bring your best book or dress up!

Lots of tasty food!

The doors of the temple are open and once you arrive in the lobby there are more bright arrows pointing the way into the library. If you are still stuck mister Goat is at the help desk, he’ll direct any one who needs it!

Activities

The layout of the library hasn’t really changed at all, except a few tables being moved to accommodate activities and all the comfy reading cushions have been brought to a central location. All the shelves are decorated with colourful paper chains and streamers.

Romeo had really enjoyed Yuna’s birthday party with the activities to do so he had copied the idea for Elfnein’s book party! On one table there is material for making bookmarks. You might want to recut the card strips, they are a little wonky. There is ribbon and glitter and colouring pens and glue.

On another there is a cardboard box puppet theatre, painted in a riot of colours with colourful strips of material as curtains. There is some felt and other material, as well as scissors, glue and wool to make puppets with. A sign reads in childish Hirigana. Show your best book!

Food

The invitations had promised lots of tasty food and there sure was a lot! A whole table filled with tasty treats, Romeo had been very very busy! There was a whole tray of chopped fruit, another of vegetables like carrots and cucumber.

There was bread and cheese and two bowls of pasta with different sauces. Another bowl of noddles with meat and vegetables. There was a huge bowl of rice too with a tray of grilled fish and a bowl of broccoli and asparagus.

An entire part of the table was taken up by apples and things with apples in them, apple turnovers and even an attempt at an apple pie, it was a bit smushed but probably tasted fine.

There was a tray of very misshapen cookies with messy icing and another of even messier cupcakes with far too much buttercream. There were also churos and a chocolate Gateaux, these seemed to have been bought rather than made, Romeo hadn’t even known where to start it making them!

There was an attempt at making books and other shapes out of rice and vegetables packed in the two bento boxes Ebisu’s temple had given him for Christmas, but they were a bit crumbly, misshapen or just plain strange. In the centre of Romeo’s bento attempts was his magical bento box, every time it was opened there were different fancy bento creations, if the children’s attempts left a lot to be desired.

Have fun!

Comments

[priforprince]

Oh...

[ "Not really a contest", hm? ]

As befits a library. Then, I'll grant you my participation.

[ It'd normally be beneath her, but this is a special case: Hibiki must do all she can to cultivate Elfnein's propensity both for Entertainment and for doing things Worthy Of Her Specific Godhood. After all, none can save the Far Shore but Shikyoin Hibiki alone!

She raises a hand, and half a dozen spygoats roll up, each in their own costume (The Maaa-rlet Pimpernel, the Count of Maaa-nte Cristo, the Three Maa-sketeers, etc). Each bears a tray weighted down with elegantly-bound antique books. The books are in surprisingly good condition given their age, and each bears a famous title. ]

Here. For me, any number of first editions can be easily procured.

[ hibiki why

did you already have these ]

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein is amazed, how did Hibiki manage to get all those first editions copies? Not even her own temple had those copies and the heavens had given a pretty good selection from the get-go. ]

Those look almost brand new!

[priforprince]

Heh.

[ That gets your attention, does it? And it pleases you. Hibiki, gratified by this response, tips her chin up even further - the better to smirk, ah, majestically down at Elfnein. ]

I'm bestowing these upon your temple as a donation for you. Refusing them is impossible.

[alchemists]

You're serious ??

[ There's no wriggling out of this, Hibiki's not going to take no for an answer or any other response besides taking them. ]

[priforprince]

Bien sûr.

[ Elfnein is learning how Hibiki operates. ]

With this, your library is guaranteed to be the finest in the Far Shore. A member of CelePara Talent Agency should dwell in nothing less.

[ and thus, the benevolent god apollo shines the rays of the sun upon this dwelling, blessing it with her munificence

CLEARLY THIS IS THE ULTIMATE APPROACH TO FULFILLING ONE'S GODLY DUTY ]

[alchemists]

I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for this.

[ Elfnein doesn't have anything near the total value of these books. ]

[priforprince]

Hmph!

[ Hibiki sniffs away the idea of "repayment". ]

Shine more brilliantly than ever before. What I require of you - is that alone!

[alchemists]

I'll try my best to put on a show for you then if that's all it takes.

[priforprince]

Such an attitude is satisfactory.

[ Oh no, praise. Another wonderful gift. An embarrassment of riches, here. ]

[alchemists]

[ What bizarre world are we in... ]

Maybe, we can use one of these books for the show? It'll be good material for showing off good books!

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki nods. ] You may use any inspiration you please.

Just don't disappoint me.

[ She's curious, now. What sort of show will Elfnein create....?

The prospect of new and shining entertainment! Ah, she lives for this. This is why she watches so much TV.... ]

[alchemists]

I hope I won't disappoint you. This is meant for fun so it's not as grant as your normal stage.

[ Only so much you can do with a cardboard puppet theater. ]

[priforprince]

[ Yes, yes. Hibiki's brain switches over to Adprinistrator Mode. ]

You've a stage prepared here, have you not? I'll await you in the box seats.

[ .....given that it's a cardboard theater, are the box seats

1) present

2) literally a box? ]

[alchemists]

[ Beanbag chairs will have to do for now, since Elfnein didn't really plan on Hibiki making this into a big showing. ]

It's just a puppet theatre.

[priforprince]

Exceed your surroundings.

[ Hibiki is expecting great things.

The spygoats, meanwhile, are in the process of piling and maneuvering the beanbag chairs into something suitably resembling a throne. ]

[alchemists]

I'll try my best to make it worth watching! I've been reading a lot of books related to folklore with Romeo.

[priforprince]

Oh...?

[ A classic story, then! Excellent.

The goats drape a tapestry over their maa-sterpiece. Hibiki’s new throne has thus been properly maa-pholstered.

She takes a seat. And is immediately served tea, as well as a slice of the cake Romeo’d provided with her in mind. The thought that anyone else might want some cake, so she shouldn’t keep helping herself, never surfaces. ]

In that case, you may begin at your leisure.

[alchemists]

[ Well, Elfnein's not really ready for this but she has two puppets made out of lunch bags. The one story she really liked was the Moon Princess, even if the ending was a bit sad. ]

There was once an old man and his wife that wanted a child of their own, and one day while cutting the bamboo in the nearby grove they stumbled on a tiny girl in the reed that was cut.

[priforprince]

[ Oho. Not only a classic, but a classic about a Princess. While Hibiki performs with the same pomp and grandeur regardless of which stage she adorns, knowing one’s audience is also a possible approach to Entertainment. Her eyes narrow, intrigued to see how this scene shall be executed.

How shall Elfnein enact the various roles....? Or is she the sort who prioritizes the narrator’s voice?

The Perfect Beauty Knight is absorbed in this puppet show. Every inch shall be scrutinized! ]

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein pulled a string that was on top of the booth and a few drawings of the forest dropped down along with what would be the baby in the grove. ]

They took her in as their own and many years later when she was grown up people from far tried to ask her to marry them. But, the father didn't want that and set a difficult task for each of the men.

[ Another pull of the string and more drawing dropped down to show a passage of time. ]

But the tasks were to get items that weren't real, the father thought it would be enough to drive them away.

[priforprince]

[ The kind that values stagecraft, then. As befits a scientist - stage crew is her forte. Hibiki shall remember that.

She crosses her legs, settling into her makeshift throne. The back beanbag threatens to fall out of place, but a bunch of goats skid into place to prop it up.

Maaa-de it! ]

[alchemists]

They came back empty handed and in the end the girl didn't want to marry any of them but then the heavens came down and took the girl back to the moon where she truly belonged.

[ It's a really bad way of saying the ending to the tale but Elfnein didn't want to take up all of the time with her own story telling. ]

The End

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki claps her hands. Thrice. ]

Beguiling construction. Your strengths do entirely lie in design.

Does it intrigue you?

[ ....A thought. Thus far, Hibiki has created radiant spectacle by using her illusion powers. But if her attention could be subsumed elsewhere because a genius set-builder was on staff....

A THOUGHT, INDEED. ]

[alchemists]

[ She wasn't expecting Hibiki to clap at her little story telling. ]

I find it interesting, though for this I just wanted to make sure the visuals would help me tell the story.

[priforprince]

[ She clapped for the set, mind. Which has given her ideas grand enough she’s willing to overlook...other matters, about which she is more judgmental. ] Naturally, spectacle must be thematic.

I have a marvelous assignment for you.