Event || The Festival of Light

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: August 18th - 25th
Where: The Empire
What: The Festival of Light is here! Feel free to use any of these prompts. NPCs tag will come sometimes this week. Please mention it in your top-level if you'd rather not be tagged by a random NPC.
Warnings/Notes: N/A

EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
— Third District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00 to 23:00 —
The museums in the 03rd District are open to visitors and are home to many relics predating written history. A lot of those old relics are items of archaeological interest or look like they could be really advanced technologies if they weren't broken beyond repair. Prototypes for Magitek Armor of a new age are exposed, alongside fragments of what are believed to belong to the legendary WEAPONs, machines that belong to the same category than Ultima WEAPON.

The section for Eidolons has all the Eidolons the characters have met so far as well as others yet undiscovered displaying on a gigantic wall-covering painting. The largest Eidolon on the painting appears to be a dragon some characters may recognize as Bahamut, he is so big he dwarves the other Eidolons and should one pay attention, his wings are actually the background of the painting.

Interestingly, someone has doodled something that looks like Ultros over Leviathan on the painting...


SUNNY STARLIGHT
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
Do you really believe because it’s summer, you can escape the beauty and magnificence of Christmas? Think again. There is one thing all the nations on Vaikuntha are of one mind on: the wait from the December 26th of a year to the December 24th of the next is too long. This is why a band of Moogles, Lalafells, Bangaas and Zoras from all across the Empire have occupied half of the Ninth District. Decorated trees, Christmas music, people dressed as Santa Claus (and probably dying because of the heat), fake gift boxes as well as a very large and pretty box for donations all await you!

Kids below the age of 15 will all receive a gift if they come: plushies made in the likeness of the main villains of numbered Final Fantasy games! And when you press the button hidden on their stomach, they speak a random line. Who doesn't want a Sephiroth plushie saying "You are a puppet" or a Jecht one repeating "Cry, cry, cry" all day long?

It's like a dream come true!


MIDNIGHT AIRSHIP
— Twelfth District || August 20th – August 24th || 23:00 to 06:00 —
For the late sleepers, it is possible to board a special airship prepared by Hypellos to party up in the sky. The Airship flies all around the Imperial Territories and should characters so desire, they can ask to stop by one of the two other cities. Whether they want to dance, to eat or to enjoy the view, it might be a very fun and relaxing activity. It is also a very good place from where to watch the fireworks… Or to scout for an incoming Tarutaru and her weapon toy.

Note that all the personnel onboard are Hypellos. They are very serviceable and nice, but can try the patience of those not used to their accent. Of note, one Hypello is green and appears to be angrily stalking anyone heading for the "Sunny Starlight" event. He is quite sneaky though and will always manage to get away before being approached.


MOGNET EXPOSITION
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
The half of the Ninth District not occupied by Christmas fanatics is occupied by the Moogles working for the Imperial section of Mognet. Split for the regular Mognet for a decade, Imperial Mognet has managed to thrive. Imperial iMog Slates have all sorts of functions other iMog Slates could only dream of, such as games, grammar check and that kind of stuff. All of those things can be visited at the exposition! Not only that, but the Moogles are also putting on display things that have nothing to do with Mognet but more to do with Moogles themselves.

Come and visit the exposition to discover the rich and amazing culture of the Moogles! Kupo Nuts, Fur Dye, Fake Kupo Nuts, Pom Shiner, Carved Kupo Nuts, booklets titled "How to Use Your Cuteness to Exploit People," Mognet Bags, Deluxe Kupo Nuts, Sheets to Prepare Future Strikes, Mog Beds, Explosive Kupo Nuts, Kupo Champagne—

There is no end to what might be learned from Moogles!


CHOCOBO RACES
— Sen Riqeaux || August 23rd || 15:00 to 20:00 —
A Chocobo Race will be held all around the city! Will you compete? Shall you win? There are no prizes as all the money earned through the race is given to the Safety of Sparks Golsaucia movement. Those participating can bring their own Chocobo or get a temporary one from the people organizing the race. It will be a very bad Chocobo though, so they shouldn’t expect to win… Beware the Hamsters and Marlboro during the race though. It’d be a real shame to end up getting eaten while racing.


SHOPPING
— City's Outskirts || August 18th – August 25th || 07:00 - 20:00 —
On the city's outskirts are all manners of stalls by shoppers eager to make some money. You can find everything there: plushies, food, clothes, souvenirs, books and even cosmetics. Why, one of the merchant is even selling contact lenses covering nearly all of the rainbow's spectrum aside from green while another sells all kind of swords, even the supposed legendary Excalibur! This might be the perfect place to take on O'aka's Quest if you so wish!


MINI SPARKS GOLSAUCIA
— Eleventh District || August 19th – August 24th || Anytime —
Specially for the festival, stallholders from Sparks Golsaucia were invited and brought a few attractions to display what they can do. Noticeably, there is a shooting stand—Once again, a treasure chest game where characters are presented with ten chests and can open only one-- Prizes range from one Gils to gigantic plushies. The novelty this year is something called the "Kupo Boxes," Boxes you punch open and you get something: perhaps something wonderful like a 1 million gil ticket, more often than not though absolutely nothing. Will you try your chance? Be careful, your wallet might not survive it.


TOURNAMENTS
— Tenth District || August 19th – August 23rd || 10:00/15:00/20:00 —
There is a Blitzball Competition taking place during the Festival of Light! Characters are free to go and watch the matches, so long as they can pay for the tickets. At the same time, a Triple Triad competition is taking place. Characters are free to enter the Triple Triad tournament if they so wish. Characters who know Triple Triads have decent chances to win. And even if your characters lose, what matters is trying, right? There are no prizes to be won, as all money goes to the Triple Triad For Everyone associations.


CULINARY ATTRACTIONS
— Second District || August 18th – August 25th || 12:00 to 13:30 / 19:00 to 21:00 —
What would a festival be without free food and banquets? Not really a festival. In the fourteenth district, there is a banquet and many stands held by people from all over the Empire. All kind of food can be found here-- Refined food, pastries, cakes, cooked meals, etc. It's virtually impossible not to find something to like in all of this, and it's all free! There are, however, guards standing around on the lookout for Gourmands who would be tempted to ruin the fun for everyone. After what happened two years ago, better be careful.


THE OPERA
— Ninth District || August 18th - August 24th || 22:00 —
There is an opera every day for all to see for free, titled "A Goddess's Tears." It is a retelling of the creation myth, but shown from the (presumed) perspective of the Goddess of Death. The play depicts the Goddess as someone who started out as a rather sweet person, but whose life took such terrible turns she wished to die and resented life. Yet, death was too scary of a prospect for her and she couldn't choose what was better, Life or Death. As the play progresses, she decides both are equally terrible and resolves to create a world where those very notions shall no longer exist.

As the play unfolds, toward the ends the story becomes what people are more familiar with. However, rather than letting her die wordlessly, the four heroes appease the Goddess's soul by singing. As the four heroes sing, the Goddess smiles and sheds a single tear before passing away. It is said the play is very emotional, sensible people might want to pass on it.


HOUSING
— Fourteenth District || August 17th - August 27th || Anytime —
Before, after and during the Festival of Light, the characters will all need a place where they can rest. Thankfully for them, people coming with the Curti Center delegation are all given the keys to stay in one of the abandoned houses in the 14th District. Truth to be told however, those house look anything but abandoned. Why, it's as if people had been living in them up until very recently, given how either clean and ordered they are for some, or chaotic and neglected they are for others (Characters who were present in Melodies of Life will be able to notice the houses are nearly identical to what they were just before the time skip during endgame, though there are a few eerie differences).

At least, it's a good place to sleep!


ARDYNIAN DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Ardynia! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Wizard and Jester Jobs. It is a thriving city with people from all over the Empire, and it appears to be something of a shopping center for the imperial region.

And most importantly, discover the official headwear of Ardynia: the Fedora! It is said Archaeologists have imported this fashion trend to Ardynia when they pass by, but none know whether this is true or not. While most citizens have enough senses not to actually wear this dreaded hat, those who do wear it really look dumb doing so. And those who don't look dumb look like they'd make jokes about your pet's untimely demise while you're still crying about it.

Perhaps is is best to stay away.


PARASRAYA DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Parasraya! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Archaeologist and Catmancer Jobs, as well as the Weapon Master Association. It is a technologically advanced yet small and cozy city...

... If it wasn't for a tragedy plaguing the city: cats, cats everywhere. If the meowing doesn't kill you, the constant flow of cats asking to be pet, fed and to sit on your lap might. You may even encounter a few tired citizens paying you money to take care of the cat infestation around their house. Others however are really defensive of the cats and will hunt anyone trying to bring harm to them. Of course, the source of all these cat-related troubles can be traced back to the origins of the Catmancer guild.

But, perhaps it is a story best left for another day.


FIREWORKS
— First District || August 18th – August 24th || Midnight —
Fireworks will be launched from the Castle starting 00:00 and will end at 01:00, everyday of the Festival. No matter where you are in the city, anyone should be able to watch them with ease if they so wish. Unfortunately, it means falling asleep before midnight may be a bit hard with all the noise. On the 25th, characters will be with dining with the Empress as the fireworks happen.

Comments

OTA *

[rivieran]

I. HOUSING // FIREWORKS (*EXCEPT THIS ONE. LOCKED TO MONIKA.)
BANG.

The sound of the first firework going off jolts Ena out of her sleep. For a moment she forgets where she is, wonders if they're being attacked, but the second bang quickly reminds her where they were. The third, fourth, and fifth bangs quickly tell her that she won't be getting back to sleep any time soon so begrudgingly, she gets out of bed.

She makes her way through the house—which she was sharing with Monika because they were housemates at the Curti Center anyway—but it's quiet. She wondered briefly what Monika might be up to, but she wasn't going to wake her. That would be rude.

She finds herself standing on the porch of the house, the serendipitous layout of the city in front of it allowing for a clear view of the show. So she leans forward on the railing, gazing groggily out at the display of lights.

II. MOGNET EXPOSITION
"—Alvin!"

Ena shouts into the sea of people and moogles, but it's no use - her moogle is gone. The moment he saw the stalls and displays he slipped into the crowd without so much a word, and it didn't seem like her angry calling of his name would bring him back.

So she huffs, crosses her arms, and vows to stay planted to the spot until he comes back. Even if she is standing right in the middle of the path and in everyone's way. She's staying put.

III. CULINARY ATTRACTIONS
The expression on the wine stand proprietor's face was rather troubled. After all, there was a tall elf lady holding up the line, small samples of each of his different products lined up neatly before her.

In her hand was a bag of potato chips. She would take one chip and daintily bite into it, then a moment later bring one of the samples to her lips to taste it. An expression of dissatisfaction crosses her face and she reaches for a grape to cleanse the palate. Then again, she takes a bite of the same chip and reaches for the next sample...

How long is this going to take???

IV. MIDNIGHT AIRSHIP
Ena finds herself up much later than her bedtime and on the airship one night.

Unusually, she's not mingling with the crowd as she usually would be during events like this. She's not talking to anyone, actually. But she's on the deck, staring out at...the city? The stars? Either way, it was clear she wasn't interested in the fireworks.

And even more unusually, she was hugging a bottle of beer. But not just any kind of beer—the large bottles often meant to serve multiple people. About a third of it was empty. And it didn't look like she was going to share.

V. WILDCARD
[ Anything else you fancy? Come at me! ]

Midnight Airship

[righthandstand]

[She has booze. Okuyasu has none. It's the middle of the night. Anyone can guess where this is going.

He stands a few feet away from her, hands in pockets and not looking suspicious at all. No one will think he's up to something as he takes large sliding steps closer to her until she's withing whispering distance.]

Got any to share?

[rivieran]

[ Ena doesn't even look over when he approaches, and doesn't even so much as glance at him when he speaks. He knows you're there Okuyasu Nijimura.

Without a word, she takes the large bottle in one hand and just gives it to him. Take it. ]

[righthandstand]

[He mentally thanks her for enabling underage drinking and swipes it from her hands. Though it's best not to drink all along in case someone is out hunting for rulebreakers (Sparks Nevada...) and returns to her side.]

What's in it? [And without waiting for an answer, he takes a swig.]

[rivieran]

[ Luckily for Okuyasu, her brand of elves don't count ages. As far as she's concerned, he can drink what he wants. ]

Just shitty beer. [ There's a sting to her words when she says shitty. ] Nobody seemed to mind when I took the whole thing.

[righthandstand]

[Oh, gross. This is nasty. Okuyasu fights the urge to spit it out, but he braves the taste and swallows it with just a bit of a contorted painful look on his face.]

Yeah, no wonder they're givin' it away.

I

[peninhand]

"Hey there! Fireworks woke you up?"

Following those words, Ena would be able to find Monika right behind her— Nearly as if she had appeared out of nowhere. And unlike her roommate, Monika didn't look as though she had been sleeping. As a matter of fact, she was more awake than ever! Perhaps, just perhaps, she had hoped the fireworks would wake Ena up.

It might not have looked like it, what with Monika looked as cheerful and relaxed as ever... But she was more anxious than she had ever been before on Vaikuntha.

Regardless, she took a few steps forward and leaned against the railing as well, looking up at the fireworks.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

[rivieran]

"Yeah."

Ena's voice is that slightly gravelly, groggy one from just waking up. She clears her throat lightly, then turns to look at Monika. Her smile is oddly reassuring - not that she needs to be reassured about anything - and she ends up smiling slightly in return.

She turns back to look at the fireworks. "Did they wake you up, too?"

[peninhand]

"No, I couldn't fall asleep so I got up to come see."

It took her a lot more than she'd ever admit to keep playing it cool and normal. But she couldn't fail now. She had to keep a facade of confidence and certainty. It was important, especially since she was going to... Well, time would tell.

"You know, I still haven't told you. The thing I mentioned on Mognet the other day."

[rivieran]

Luckily, Ena didn't suspect anything in her tired state.

"Ah, that's right." She glances over to Monika, then back at the fireworks. She's almost tempted to ask her to save it for another day, but she brought it up. And it wasn't like she was going to get any sleep until the fireworks died down, so why not? Now was a good a time as any. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

[peninhand]

"It... It's gonna be long so bear with me, okay?" She smiled sweetly and turned to look at Ena. "Do you remember my memory? I thought you were someone else— Someone I loved yet had never even seen or spoken with before. Of course, now I know what I felt wasn't love but desperation. My conception of love was so messed up..."

She had already explained her the whole situation with the player, so she didn't have to explain that part in detail. But she wanted to be honest. No lies, no half-truths.

"Quite a few people got entangled in my memory. Some, I thought they were the player. Others, I was terrible to... And then it ended thanks to you." She marked a pause. "When we came back though, something strange happened. The emotions I had experienced in the Dream Width... They didn't go away."

That was it, no turning back now. She took a deep breath.

"You know that fuzzy feeling when you wake up from an amazing dream? You just want to close your eyes and get right back into it. But time passes and you forget about it entirely. That's how I felt... And I figured after a bit of time, it'd all be over. ... No. The emotions didn't go away. And I felt them toward multiple people. That is so wrong, something must be wrong with me. So I resolved to keep quiet."

"But then... I saw your post on Mognet. And when I realized you'd have to leave soon... It hurt." She looked down. "It hurt so much I wanted to scream. It hurt so much I wanted to cry. It was different from anything I had ever felt before. I contacted you and spoke as if I was doing fine, but I was devastated. Those emotions, I had never felt them toward anyone else. And so I decided I had to do something."

She finally stopped. She wasn't done yet, she actually had to go ahead with the proper confession. But she needed a pause.

iii

[twomeals]

Yue isn't here for wine - he's happily eating a pastry right now, in fact - but seeing such a long line of people at this stand, he couldn't help wandering over to the front, to see what everyone's lining up for.

....Didn't quite expect to see a potato chip drink thing going on, though. What is she doing, exactly? Might as well go up and ask.

"Do the drinks not taste good?"

[rivieran]

Ena looks over, and a cross expression briefly flashes on her face. I'm sorry, did this person just cut the line? She's about to give him an earful when she realizes she vaguely recognizes the boy as another outworlder. Outworlders had a strange habit of going up to one another and investigating their business, didn't they?

"Oh, the drinks are lovely, don't get me wrong." She flashes a polite smile to the proprietor, who just gives her a troubled and strained smile in return. "I just can't seem to find the right one to match with these delectable treats." She holds out the bag for Yue to take a piece. "Why not see for yourself?"

[twomeals]

Is it an outworlder thing? Yue's never been particularly familiar with normal people manners. He offers an innocent smile to counter her cross look, happily ignoring the trouble that might be going on. Delectable treats, huh?

...He doesn't actually know what delectable means, but hey. "Ah, sure!" The harpy carefully pulls a chip out of the bag, eats it, puts on a thoughtful look. "Mm, it's pretty tasty, but...if none of the drinks match it, maybe you need a different kind of drink? Like tea, or something."

[rivieran]

"Hmm." That wasn't a bad point. Tea, or even a harder drink might go better with these. "You may be right. But they're just so good, you know? I'd be delighted to find a style of my favorite drink to go with it."

She takes another dainty bite of a chip, then picks up the middle glass to take a sip. After a moment, she glances at Yue. "The second or third might go best with it. What do you think?"

[twomeals]

What's that? An invitation to free tastes of stuff? Yue gives a cheerful "Okay!" before going to take the glass, taking a quick, small sip and--grimacing. Swallows it, though!

"...It tastes kind of weird...what kind of drinks are these, again?" He hadn't actually checked before trying.

Mognet Exposition

[eternitynpc]

Moogles are stubborn, aren't they?

[ A man addressed Ena as she stood her ground and waited for the Moogle. He was playing music: indeed, he had an oud in hand, an instrument looking like a weird guitar. The tune he was playing was sad and melancholic. ]

[rivieran]

[ Ena tenses when she hears the plucking of the instrument. For a moment, she thinks it's Jehu, but she scolds herself. Don't be silly, he's not here. It still causes the unpleasant reaction nonetheless. ]

Do any of them listen?

[ She taps her foot impatiently, then turns to the musician. Hmm, she didn't recognize him, but no matter. ]

And is the sad music really necessary? Can't you play something more... [ she waves her hand in a vague motion ] Angry? [ If he was going to play by her, then he should at least pick something that fit her mood! ]

[eternitynpc]

Music should be used to soothe the soul. Never to feed it negativity.

[ Alas, the sad tune doesn't stop. Instead it gets even more melancholic! ]

Do you so happen to sing?

[rivieran]

[ Nooo! That was exactly NOT what she wanted! ]

I do not. What on earth makes you think I do?

[eternitynpc]

Well, you have the look of someone who should sing.

[ Finally, his music stop. ]

Melodies are everything. People who can properly sing, well, they could do anything really. But few have the innate ability to do so.

II

[spaceforged]

"Well, this is a bit of a chocobo's tail feathers." A stately looking Moogle tugs on his mustache as he peers about him. His little wings flutter as he turns a small circle. He brightens at the sight of her. "Ah, good lady! I remember seeing you once before. Have you seen Shi-"

"Maybe you should hold onto my shoulder next time. These crowds are pretty rowdy." Says a familiar voice and Shiro steps out of the crowd. He joins them and casts a sheepish smile Ena's way. He catches sight of her expression and raises an eyebrow. Wimbledon drifts closer and grips his right shoulder, feet visible since there's...no arm on that side.

"Everything alright?"

[rivieran]

Ena doesn't realize that Wimbledon is talking to her right away, but by the time she does, Shiro has already made himself known. She turns to him, her expression briefly changing to that of surprise before it settles to a more neutral one.

"Oh, Shiro. Hello there." She glances at his Moogle again and does notice something...amiss, but she's too angry at the moment to really register it. Or his new hair.

"I'm...fine, I suppose. My blasted Moogle flew off and now who knows when the naughty thing will be back!" She extends her arm out into the direction Alvin flew off in, almost hitting a passer-by in the face in the process.

[spaceforged]

"Do you know what they'd want to see? Or what their interests are?" Shiro ventures as he tosses an apologetic look to the passer-by. He's sorry, she's just angry. It will be alright. "That's a good way to narrow things down. And if they've done this before."

Shiro glances around and adds, "We should move to the side to prevent blocking traffic. If they come back they'll see both of us." At the very least, him. He's a tall man.

[rivieran]

Ena is tall as well, just much more oblivious. "Oh," is all she says as she takes a step to the side. She ignores the dirty looks people give her for blocking the way.

Being brought out of her head and back into the real world seems to have softened her frustration a bit, but she still huffs and crosses her arms. "I don't know. What do Moogles like? He likes fiddling around with my Slate so I can barely use it, and he likes to hide my daily essentials to make my life harder. He's... probably off to buy some kind of, I don't know, trip wire, so he can get a cheap laugh!" Obviously not true, she's just...venting. That's it.