melodiesofeternity | Event || The Festival of Light

Event || The Festival of Light

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He hadn't expected Keith's wolf to arrive so soon. But he shouldn't be surprised. The Black Lion is already here. He turns his hand and strokes over the soft dark blue fur.]

Hey there. Doing alright? [He kneels down to scratch at the wolf's ears with a smile that's turning quickly into a grin. Shiro glances at Keith and his grin grows wider.]

We're going to be the warmest people in the house if he's going to sleep on the bed too.

[It had been hectic since the moment he woke up out of his memory with his friends holding onto him. His smile diminishes. He should talk to him about the messages he got on his slate.]

...Keith. While we were all resting on the airship I read through all the messages you sent me.

[Shiro hadn't been the only one surprised to hear the whimper behind them as they boarded the airship and went to secure the door behind them as he made sure everyone was safe and accounted for inside. It was simply another happy surprise, considering.

The cosmic wolf leans into the pets and scratches, tail wagging. Keith smiles faintly at the sight until the wolf's ears droop a little. He can guess what's bothering the big guy.]

He's still upset he can't warp-tackle anyone. [He says for him, and the wolf's whine confirms it.] And considering he likes to sleep curled up against my back, I'd say it's likely.

[And, as if to confirm it again, the wolf nudges Shiro's hand one more time before trotting around and jumping onto the bed and tucking his head between his two front paws. Keith was tempted to tell him to stop pouting when Shiro speaks again and derails that train of thought. Instead, he gently pets along his companion's neck. He had a feeling it would be brought up at some point, so he makes sure the door is closed before speaking.]

...Some of them were Sven's work. [Granted, he had typed them, but not all of them were actually sent by him personally.]

I did notice that. [He glances to the moogles fluttering about and signals to Wimbledon. The stately looking moogle motions to Sven. Once they're gone he speaks,]

...You handled the team as best as you could given the circumstances. I'm sorry you had to, but I'm glad to see what you did.

[His hand stills on the cosmic wolf's back and he watches Keith's face very closely. What he has to say is about to get very personal. It tends to do that with them. Shiro steps closer, his voice lower.]

Keith, you don't have to lead them like me or connect them like Hunk. You're you. Lead and bond like you. There are five of you for a reason. It's just four right now but you all hold each other up.

That's what Voltron is. This is what you've been training for. You will never be alone again. Not as long as we're here. We'll stand with you. ...and I won't leave again if it's my choice.

[Sven looks between Wimbleton and Keith; the look in Keith's eyes is enough for him to follow. It's a relief when Sven closes the door behind them. His hand stills when Shiro's voice lowers.]

I know I don't. [His own voice lowers to match as he looks up to meet Shiro's gaze.] And I know you wouldn't leave without a word like that if you could help it.

[No one ever did, and it's that he didn't what got to him the most. Again. Without anything being an immediate threat, it was harder to push through and persevere. His brows knit together as he exhales. At least this time he didn't lead them into danger they couldn't handle.]

For the three of us, we'd just gotten you back. So when you, and then Hunk vanished without a trace, I- we all panicked. It was all I could do to keep Slav from breaking Lance and Pidge from withdrawing into herself.

[His gaze falters for a fraction of a second as the wolf whines. Even if he has a point, boy, you weren't even here yet. Shh.]

...Never said I felt alone, though? [He was just the only one of the three of them who could connect with a Lion and thus tried on his end to find them.]

I know I just... [He sighs, hand curling into the wolf's fur. How does he word this? He looks away, staring into the middle distance. Can he really make say what he's about to say? He turns it over and over in his head, that particularly focused look on his face.

He's in a dark place inside his own head. He had dealt with the worst of things by sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark. He hadn't wanted the team to see him like that. They couldn't. It would have fractured the hope that they held in their hands.]

...I saw both videos. [It's a start. He continues his voice going softer as he treads lightly over a topic he hasn't ever had to discuss with anyone. He looks at him, eyes a little duller than before.]

You didn't want them to see you like that. If they saw how badly you were being affected it would have made them worse than they already were.

[He traces through his memories. One by one he spots the moments the others especially Keith held him up.]

But...maybe it would have helped more than it hurt. Not just for them, but for you too. I'm not scolding. [He adds, as he reaches out to touch Keith's shoulder.]

I just think we should all bed down in the living room for a day or two when we get home. We've been running from conflict to conflict for so long. A night just being people could help.

[Keith is quiet as he listens, but when he trails off like that, Keith's gaze returns to him. He calls out to him, questioning and concerned as he stares off in the distance.

I saw both videos.

Keith inhales sharply, shoulders shaking and glancing down and away. He thought he'd deleted those. Did it only delete them on his end? If so, then that's horrible design for a communications device. At least, that's what goes through his mind before he pushes the thoughts aside for now to focus on the present. The hand on his shoulder helps.]

...They already saw me at my worst. [He never spoke of this to him before. Not even the clone knew.] Technically, I guess Hunk and Lance saw it twice. Wasn't the best cadet when they officially ruled the Kerberos mission a failure due to "pilot error." And when you disappeared, I-

[He sighs, going back over those days in his head. How he scanned the area of their battle with Zarkon in Red, kept searching and refused to give up or replace the man next to him. And, when he finally did take up the mantle, he put all of their lives in jeopardy.]

I didn't want history to repeat itself, but, I think Lance caught on. He messaged me not long after Sven sent the last video. More like spammed at me, really.

[A tired smile tugs at the corner of his lips.] We'll see where everything falls once we get there.

We will. [He squeezes Keith’s shoulder. He leaves his hand there drawing strength from the contact. He hadn’t expected Keith to tell him so much. He’s glad he did. His heart swells with pride for how far Keith has come. Now the world will see what he sees in him.

He has wanted so much for his best friend to find his place in the universe. Shiro turns to him and tugs him towards his chest. If Keith goes with it he wraps his arm around him.]

Keith...history won’t repeat. You’ve come too far. All of you have come so far from that day in the desert.

[He hugs him a little tighter.] Have you looked at yourself lately? Really looked.

[Keith leans into that squeeze, finding himself orienting himself at the simple gesture. Drawing strength from his best friend as he calms. Not completely; he still has the awareness to remember where they are, but enough to think rationally.

He does more than just go with it; that tug is the only thing he needed to pull him in and he wraps his arms around Shiro. Firm, but mindful of the bruising he left. He knew deep down that it wouldn't, but hearing it meant so much. Yet the fact they needed to talk about how he'd withdrawn from them once before eventually had hung over his head the entire time, and if it had come up again while Shiro and Hunk were gone...

He wasn't sure where that would leave them. For all that he's grown and changed, he still doesn't know how to handle being scared without fighting back. And he had been very, very scared.]

Hard to do that while marooned on a giant space creature for two years with a long lost parent. One who just so happens to have trained a large percentage of the Blades and is very keen on refining instincts and skill when we weren't bracing for the next glimpse into the past and future.

[Oh. Someone picked up their best friend's sense of humor. He squeezes a little tighter, smile becoming more genuine.]

I have, and you don't know how much hearing that means to me.

[He holds Keith close, mindful of how bruised he is. The armor kept it from being serious damage and his own healings have helped some. It makes him seriously consider picking up White Mage. They all could have benefited from a healer.

The more he thinks about it as he smoothes his hand down Keith's back...the more the idea appeals to him. He huffs with laughter at his friend's joke as the hug gets a little tighter. He missed this while part of the Lion and at the same time far from him.

Shiro pulls back enough to smile at Keith.]

I think I have some idea. That doesn't change how much you deserve to hear it.

[He's not the only one who's considered picking up a healer asterisk. Keith has too, especially after having seem him on the edge again. They don't have the luxury of a healing pod or Altean magic here. The team could sorely use one.

He buries his face in Shiro's neck for a moment, before meeting Shiro's gaze as they pull away just that little bit. He smiles back, and it reaches his eyes.]

I know I've said it before, but it's good to have you back, Shiro.

[His smile grows wider, eyes bright with affection.]

It's good to be back. [He said the words before but saying them again is nice. It feels like coming home. He releases Keith and sighs.]

We should do a sweep for bugs and any sort of listening devices. I...don't want to leave that to chance. [He will do a sweep with Dragon sight for any possible listeners that aren't otherworlder.]

[He doesn't want to let go, but Shiro has a point. He'd been about to suggest that himself.]

Alright. [He gets to work immediately, running through his head the best places to hide any sort of listening and recording devices. After, he goes down the list for each room.

He finds none in their room, though he looks at his iMog on the table from the corner of his eye. He's been concerned by those devices for days now, ever since he watched the Curti Center workers (interns, he corrects himself) tried to contact the oddly named user on the mognet. He frowns slightly.]

All clear here. [Yet his gaze still lingers on the device.] You?

[It’s a lot harder to check for bugs when you only have one hand. Shiro does his best. He goes through each room and carefully checks the areas most likely to have them. He checks the least likely areas as well.

Nothing turns up. Shiro enters their room to find Keith eyeing his iMog. He shuts the door again and leans against it. He mouths,]

iMog ?

[Henods before turning off his iMog, opting to write down on a slip of paper he thoroughly intends to use as kindling later for a fire (along with the page below it) when they are back in Arito:]

Been worried they're bugged since CC tried contacting the weird name on LS.

[Because, if it were him or the Blades, they would plant listening malware and compromise not just the network, but the devices using it as well.]

[He mirrors Keith, turning off his iMog and setting it down on the table. He takes the pen from him and writes,]

Hunk tried to contact them on a day the network was glitching. They filled his device with spam.

[He takes the pen back, nodding.]

Makes sense. The workers tried to privatize the feed but they completely disabled it on the network for the duration of their talk. Whoever it is knows the mognet completely.

Do you remember what was said? That could be a clue. ...the question is what does this hacker stand to gain?

[He has to wonder. It could be just tracking their movements to manipulate them. It could be for a goal. It could be for a number of reasons.

They complained that it was a bad time- they were busy and there wasn't a good time to message them. They were happy that we "let them" look at our conversations the past couple months. That it made things less "boring."

Responded two days after the initial contact. Responses were sparse. From the texting pattern, I'd guess they're female.

[There sure was enough cute "emogi" spam involved.]

Did they say when a better time to meet with them was? We need to know who it is. Or at least what their objective is.

[A woman. Or a girl. Either way it bothers him when they have a ghostly girl and a purple-eyed woman in a lab coat. And the Goddess.]

No. Only that they were responding then because it was the first time anyone did that wasn't comic sans day?

[Welcome to the club, ~~captain- wait we don't know about that i can't make the joke QUIZNAK~~ Shiro. He's been a member since he saw the post.]

Did anyone ask them for a better time?

[He may have to bite that bullet and see what exactly he can learn.]

No. Though Futaba asked where they learned 'that code' and why they chose that name.

They haven't responded since.

[Whether they just don't want to answer that, or there is something else going on... it doesn't bode well with him.]

Edited 2018-08-31 05:59 (UTC)

We'll keep an eye on that. And look for any suspicious activity. I'm wondering if the strange glitches we've had on the network was their testing the system in order to gain complete control of it.

Either that, or the moogles are that incompetent. I'm thinking a combination of the two.

[He reaches out and touches Keith's arm. He leans closer to him and says in a low voice.]

It could be both. Let's head out and get a look around.

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