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 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.

[Keith nods, putting down the pen but takes the papers they were writing on and folds them, sticking them in his pocket. He replies quietly:] Yeah. Let's go.

[The cosmic wolf stands up, hopping off the bed in the process as Keith heads for the door. The wolf growls. Blinking, he opens it to two moogles falling to the floor, busted. Sven in particular looks panicked before he flutters away and down the hall. "V-very sorry-!" Don't threaten him with the cargo bay again, kupoooo...!

Keith blinks.] Okay...

[Wimbledon flutters his wings and gives Shiro a knowing look he can't quite puzzle out. He raises an eyebrow as the moogle tugs on his mustache as he flies away while muttering. 'Very interesting, yes, very interesting, kupo...'

Shiro crosses over to the door and peers out into the hall.]

...He's not usually an ease dropper but, I did look pretty terrible when he saw me again. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been worried.

Edited 2018-08-31 08:17 (UTC)

[Keith stares at Wimbledon's retreating form, recognizing that look from when Futaba gave him that knowing look before Shiro woke up. He can hear the gossip already and he isn't saying a word about it. Because if they're going to do that to a man who's recovering, then his opinion on the moogles will tank severely.

He sighs, stepping out into the hall and heading for the outside. Taking point, just barely, until they get out in the open due to space in the halls. Especially since the wolf is keen on staying by both of them.]

I wouldn't, either. [Please don't catch on that he caught onto the real reason...]

Edited 2018-08-31 08:28 (UTC)

He's been a big help when it was just Hunk and I. I've learned a lot from him. [Wimbledon is a wisened moogle who takes his job in assisting his adventurer very seriously. Once they're outside Shiro glances around. No sign of Wimbledon.

Just when he thinks he won't see him the moogle flies over to them and pats them both lightly on the shoulder.]

Sorry, sorry, I was a bit busy looking up healers here I went to knock and well, you were a little busy as well. You didn't get a chance to get fixed up at the center. It would be a good idea to get patched up as much as you both can before any serious meetings. You have to present a strong front!

[He can't deny that. It all sounds quite reasonable. His head is a mess but Wimbledon as always is a help. Shiro glances at Keith.]

He's not wrong. We need to look capable and it's respectful to show our best.

[Keith nods, but pauses when the moogle in question shows himself. He pauses, frowning slightly though there is one thing that needs to be pointed out because, while they didn't stop at the Center...]

Futaba also spent a good hour constantly healing you when we got you aboard the ship.

[He feels the need to point that out, even though it doesn't go unnoticed that Shiro could use a few more healing spells at least.So he doesn't argue it; on the contrary, he agrees with the moogle. So, he looks to Wimbledon.]

What did you find? [~~Six seasons later, still a problem.~~]

...then what's wrong is probably my body and soul synching up. [He says, his voice low. Wimbledon goes pale and grabs his face in both of his small furry hands. His voice takes on a bit of a shrill edge. He's surprised by just how like Coran he sounds.]

Soul and- Shiro! What in the name of the Tidemother's scales have you been up to?! You can't go risk-

[Shiro gently breaks in, his voice measured and calm. He had meant to break this gently to him. But he'd been distracted and that's never good for his foggy mind.]

I didn't risk it. Things...happened. I'm alright.

[The Moogle falls quiet. He sighs and looks at Keith then back at Shiro.]

Let's have a healer look you both over. They're around the corner. They're glad to aid anyone they can.

[Shiro, his name is literally Wimbledon. How are you still surprised by how Coranish he sounds? He even has the 'stache! Granted, Sven also has the poof of hair Shiro and the Sven from that one alternate reality had, but s t i l l...

Keith steps up, squaring his shoulders and adopting a slightly gentler tone.]

We can talk about it later. Shouldn't make this healer you found wait.

[It'd be rude. Plus, it will give Shiro some time to come up with a way to break it more gently to his moogle friend. ~~At least it wasn't the atom bomb he got inside Black, he'll give him that.~~]

[He watches his moogle flutter away and takes a moment to just breathe. One breath in and he follows. Wimbledon waits for them at the corner and beckons them along. Shiro hasn't been moving very fast partly because he's tired and partly to let Keith keep pace with him.]

[Shiro didn't have to worry too much about Keith keeping up with him. With both dragoon and ninja asterisks, he has an SS rank in speed. If anything, he's the one slowing down; keeping pace with Shiro as they follow Wimbledon to this healer of his.

Keith is obviously fine, if still a bit tired from the week of little sleep. Shiro's hunch proves to be right, and he pauses only to make sure Shiro can keep up on the way back.

Taking it easy for the both of them: healers' orders. But if they think he isn't going to do as much recon as he can, they're sorely mistaken. It's there in his gaze. (Honestly, he's fairly certain they said "both of you" more for Shiro's benefit.) Besides, there's something he needs to check because it's been bothering him this entire time.

It's not long after they're back in the room they'll be staying in that he turns on the iMog again and starts scrolling through the text conversations from that day last week, eyes glossing over.

Two taps of a pen on the same notepad they'd been writing on before he scrawls with his free hand.]

I was wrong. They did respond further.

[Shiro blinks and leans over to get a look. As he reads through it his heart freezes in his chest and dread drenches his mind in a torrent. He goes still as a statue. The calamity isn't gone.

He'd thought it but he hadn't voiced it. All he can think about is clawed hands reaching for him as a voice commands him to give in. The Black crystals...would they come back too.

He won't press Takeshi about this. He'll talk about it when he's ready. His breath escapes him in a rush. He waits for a moment until he can trust his hand and writes back.]

I'll drop by the Mognet representative's office at the Cutri Center and alert them to this user. They'll get them out. Even if they come back we can monitor exactly when. It would give us time to find a way to track them instead.

[Keith is quiet the entire time, realizing that Shiro knows something about what's said but waits for him to pull himself together slightly. He rests a hand on Shiro's shoulder, concern etched across his features as he watches Shiro write. It's a sound idea.]

I'll talk to Pidge later. If she hasn't started prodding at the coding for the slates, I'd be surprised.

[It should be obvious why: she's the one who managed to hack into his arm even before she could read Altean or Galran, and Lance told him about how she kept the teludav from exploding on them when the clone's virus had shut down everything else in the Castle.]

Shiro, while we are missing Allura, Coran, Mom and Romelle- we have each other. We have allies. Whoever this is, they'd have to go through all of us.

[And he'd fight the same fight over and over again to keep his friends alive and of sound mind. No matter what happens, he'll always have their back. Especially Shiro's.]

Event || The Festival of Light

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Cw ptsd, mind control mentions

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