[open mingle] it's festival time!

[luneminary]

Who: Ryoji, Minato, Whitey the Boar...and you!
Where: Dojo Area
What: It's time for a fun little festival to chill and party in!
Warnings: General shenaniganery, make sure to put warnings on your subject titles!

DOJO FESTIVAL!

1.

we are here to decorate...

Maybe you've spotted one of several flyers posted around Aldrip announcing an upcoming festival at a large dojo tucked away at the edge of Aldrip. And maybe you've noticed it wasn't just any old flyer, but it was a "Help Wanted" flyer. That's right. Minato's requesting help with sprucing up the dojo, and he's even encouraged you to bring something to help spruce up the place for the event. It's clear he's not picky about what kinds of items are appropriate for making the place look "festive," so long as it doesn't raise too many eyebrows.

There's no need to worry though if you didn't bring anything to make the dojo look the part! There are plenty of miscellaneous decorations brought by others. They're strewn about in piles: some colorful rocks, rainbow-colored streamers made of taped-together scrap paper, leftover flowers from the gardens at town center, and some items that are -- well, maybe some people used this event as an excuse to get rid of unwanted items. But surely they'll have their appropriate spot for making the place look more welcoming for future visitors!

2.

...and to celebrate!

With the help of some elbow grease, duct tape, and a lot of rocks, the festival finally opens to one and all! Everyone is invited, including the locals, to partake in the festivities — maybe there’s something that catches your eye, or maybe you just want to chill and enjoy the atmosphere. Regardless of how you want to enjoy yourself, there’s sure to be something to catch your eye: after all, despite the patchwork look of the entire thing, it’s all made with hard work and love.

3.

and then they stalled all over the place

Chosen and locals alike are encouraged to set up stalls in the dojo's courtyard. Each stand is nailed together with pieces of scrap wood from the earlier Aldrip clean-up. They're a little rough around the edges, but that just means the wares and food offered at each one stand out even more! Looks like some who've set up stands have gotten creative with whipping up tasty treats or fun little trinkets from items awarded at a recent egg hunt. There doesn't appear to be a coherent theme for any food or item being sold. If you're handing out anything weird, it seems both Minato and Ryoji will be looking the other way...

4.

the perfect groove!

There’s a makeshift stage by the dojo proper, propped up safely with some wood and stone. At the middle of it is a mic that can be used by anyone! Everyone is free to hold any performances for the crowd, whether it’s singing or dancing or even just telling a little joke. Your character a bit too shy or grumpy to step it up? Never fear! Every now and then, Ryoji would point at random people in the crowd to hype them up into participating, whether they are willing or not!

5.

the boar.

As the night begins to set in, there is one special event left for everyone to enjoy. The mascot of this festival, Whitey the boar, has come out to lead a fabulous marching band to play the most jovial of tunes. Everybody is invited the join the parade, and to help lead this memorable night into a fantastic close!

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elphelt valentine 🍀 guilty gear

[travailler]

💀 3 - FOOD!

[ Stealthily, secretly, subtly, Elphelt sidles over. She makes sure the people manning the food stalls can't see her. Right, then left--she coast is clear. Finally, confident enough that she won't be overheard, she leans in close, a hand to the side of her mouth. ]

Psst. Do you mind getting something for me to eat? They've got this ridiculous limit per person, and I am sooo hungry. I fasted just for this, and they hardly let me eat a thing!

[ That limit? Whatever the person manning a given stall decided when they realized Elphelt would, in fact, take everything they had. She whips out the puppydog eyes. ]

Pweeease?

💀 4 - SONG!

[ Too shy or grumpy? No, the difficulty here will not be getting Elphelt onto stage, but off it. The moment it is made clear they are looking for someone to get on stage and perform, Elphelt shouts-- ]

YEEES! OUTTA MY WAAAY!

[ --and weaves through the crowd, doing her best to keep the shoving and pushing to a minimum. In the process, she trips over a foot and faceplants, but she is back up just as quickly to finish her path to the stage. She is pleased to see there is no one else to fight for the spot, but there probably aren't many even considering getting up there just yet. Elphelt hops onto stage and nabs that microphone. Still clad in her performer getup, she does look like she belongs there. ]

HEEEY, ALDRIP! HOW YA DOIN'? C'MON, MAKE SOME NOISE!

[ Elphelt holds the mic towards the crowd. Whatever the reaction, she continues. ]

I might be down a band, but I'd be doing them dirty if Elphelt Valentine didn't get on stage to represent Speothos Venaticus! Who'd have thought I'd be on an interdimensional tour before I had my first world tour, huh? Anyway, here's my hit single, Extras, written and performed by yours truly--done acapella for the first time because I don't have a choice.

[ And she does just that (make sure to see it through to see Elphelt's full range, because text would not do that justice). She goes all out, as if compensating for her bandmates absence. She is carrying all their weight here and no way is she going to let them down.

Once she finishes, she throws up the horns and does a sick split. And doesn't leave. No, someone is going to need to shoo her from the stage now that she has claimed it, but she is likely to pull others up. ]

💀 5 - PIG!

[ Elphelt waits vibrating in anticipation for the final part of this night. Today has been one of the most interesting days she has ever experienced--her world included--and she wonders what the capstone could possibly be. A parade, sure, but just what does that entail? She has never seen one, so she has no point of reference for what this could involve. The quiet but high-pitched 'eeeeeeeeee!' emenating from her like a kettle is replaced with a shout as she hops up and down, frantically waving. ]

HI, PIG!

[ Wow, a pig! That is really weird! But, hey, she knows nothing about parades, so this could be the norm for all she knows. At any rate, that is the coolest pig she has ever seen! There may not be any competition, but the sentiment remains. The rest of the ensemble is impressive and all, but how can one's eye not be drawn to the boar? Leading the procession with such a noble, stately aura that a leader of any band cannot help but admire.

Elphelt punches her fist into her palm and nods. A look of determination is plain to see. ]

I need to work harder if I want to have even half the swagger of that pig.

4

[despitethenora]

[Aloy sticks to the fringes of activity for a while. It wasn't so long ago, she's quite aware, that the hunter was a fish out of water with all the noise and bustle of entering a Nora settlement. She's come to understand since then that this was nothing compared to the celebrations a larger, or more advanced population can put together. She'd simply left the one in Meridian...

Well. She'll try to stick this one out.

It's a little easier when there's something to focus on. Such as the oddly-dressed woman tripping onto the stage and demanding some noise. Aloy makes none, watching Elphelt with eyebrows up. And then the singing?

Fascinating, actually. But Aloy's idea of modern music is amateurs recording themselves shouting metal while banging on pipes, so...

She thinks it's good. This is totally the music for her. So after Elphelt throws horns and drops into splits, and simply...doesn't leave the stage? Aloy eventually speaks up, with simply:]

Another?

closed to Jinx

[rebellions]

[ Leave it to Jinx to be a completely unpredictable typhoon of emotions and ideas. One moment she asks to meet him, and the next thing Ragna knows he's being dragged off to some kind of festival (?) put together in town. At this point, it should go without saying that the man is no party animal, so the prospect of socializing and being around other people is akin to torture to him. The promise of free food, on the other hand, is enough for him to begrudgingly agree to follow the girl to the dojo grounds.

Once there, Ragna picks up some snacks from the food stalls, figuring he might need them if he's to suffer through whatever Jinx has in store for him. He joins the girl near a stall filled with various knick-knacks the purpose of which he couldn't even image, though he supposes if there's anyone who could figure out a purpose for them, it'd be Jinx. ]

The hell would you even use these for...?

[ He wonders out loud, popping a piece of takoyaki into his mouth. ]

[opheliac]

[with all the items lying before them, it's hard to distinguish exactly which object he's referring to. but jinx takes a wild guess and grabs the nearest thing to her, which are these rubber monsters.]

What are you talking about?

[to demonstrate, she slips them onto her fingertips then wiggles her fingers quickly at her counterpart's view.]

You just put them on your fingers and go blehblehbleh...!! Sheesh, you never had toys as a kid?

[rebellions]

[ Ragna raises his eyebrow at that, tilting his head to the side as he watches Jinx's presentation. ]

Nothing beyond a bunch of sticks and imagination.

[ He doesn't seem too bothered by that, though ─ in fact, the corners of his lips turn up ever so slightly as he remembers his childhood. Some may think it was rough, what with them living in the middle of a forest away from everything, but he had his family with him back then, and that's all he's ever really needed. That's not to say he doesn't understand the point she's making, as evidenced by the fact he doesn't dismiss that idea immediately. Still, this can't be the reason he got dragged here, can it? ]

Don't tell me we're here for these...?

[opheliac]

Well, I'm getting these babies, yeah.

[and whether she is supposed to pay for these things or not, doesn't matter because she simply pockets them and pats her sack for safe keeping.]

But if you have to know, we're here because I want you here. I want to do something fun, and we can turn this place upside down.

[rebellions]

[ Ragna rolls his eyes, but doesn't comment on her behavior, and hands the person manning the stand a couple of coins for the toys. It's not that he's too concerned by the theft itself, but there's no way he's letting Jinx get into trouble with Jerry and the Council for something silly like this. You never know who's watching, after all.

The man follows her, letting out a soft hum. He can't blame the girl for wanting to relax and get away from... all the depressing stuff they've been through lately. And if he can help with that, his mild discomfort with being around people is a small price to pay. ]

I'm honored you think I'm capable of having fun. [ Many would argue he's not equipped for it! And, quite frankly, he's fairly sure her idea of "fun" isn't up his alley, either; but he'll worry about that later. For now, it feels pretty nice. ] The food's pretty good, too.

[ He moves his plate towards Jinx, offering her some of the snacks he's picked up. ]

cw: slight schizophrenia

[opheliac]

[if jinx were an animal, her ears would perk and flick at the mention of food, and she takes the snack that's being offered to her. while crunching and munching, her focus quickly shifts to the left of her, side-stepping closer to ragna as if she's moving out the way of someone. except, there is no one in their perimeter.]

Sheesh, that guy was in a hurry. ... I should had tripped him for almost bumping into me.

[she scoots the plate back his way, then resumes back to their previous conversation.]

And you're loads of fun...!! You're just too chicken to show it.