Scene #9221: The Fast Forwarded Festival

Owner	Pose
Futaba Nuki	YESTERDAY Numerous people are gathered in the temple's courtyard, almost all of them dressed in formal black clothing for a somber affair. A priestess with brown hair and a prominent green leaf on her forehead leads the ceremony, ensuring that every step of the rituals throughout the day goes off without a hitch. TODAY Numerous people are gathered in the temple's courtyard, almost all of them dressed in colorful clothing for a day of many celebrations. A priestess with orange hair and a prominent green leaf on her forehead leads the festivities, passing out dolls and small pouches to visitors while flipping a microphone around her head every which way as she goes with her tail. For visitors' sanity, the microphone is just half-buried in her tail today rather than her tail having a freaky hand coming out of it or something. "Welcome to the big day of festivals, folks! We've got a boatload of events goin' on today to make sure you get your money's worth, so make sure to get those offerings in and enjoy yourselves!" Futaba bellows through both the cheap speakers arranged atop stalls and right at those unfortunate enough to be close enough to hear her directly. No spot is safe from the tanuki priestess' voice, either, as her rapid pace to make sure nobody's left unattended for long. She wasn't lying about the quantity of events, either, should anyone want something to do or something to eat. In addition to usual food stalls that are all over the place during festivals, there's stalls with games to play, matchmaking services to find that special someone, and traditional-looking dolls made to order from scratch or customized from a set base. There's even a takoyaki stand manned by an elderly couple directly facing a bubble tea and karaage stand manned by a young girl, somehow competing directly with each other despite no similarities in their menu items.
Meresankh	Meresankh is usually easy to cajole into attending a foreign cultural affair, but after the recent battle in Sotenbori she's been hard at work repairing the battle damage to the Necron soldiers and mechanized artillery that accompanied her. It took a little pressure from her herald, Iseptah, to convince her to leave the workshop. "Do you see, your Majesty?" says the blue-robed seneschal to his queen. "The people welcome us! It is important that their champions walk among them." Meresankh sighs just a little. If she had flesh there'd be bags under her eyes, but with a tireless robotic body the fatigue is entirely performative. "I suppose it is rather nice to get out, yes." The queen finds herself near Futaba herself, and stops to speak with the tanuki. "What is it that you are commemorating, on this occasion?" "Your Majesty~," calls Iseptah from across the way. "They have matchmaking~!" Meresankh turns briefly with an indignant sound. "Need I remind you, Iseptah, that I am still married. Perhaps you should try this activity yourself?" "Very well, I shall indeed, your Beneficence!" As Meresankh listens to Futaba's explanation of the ceremonies, her seneschal settles carefully onto a little bench at the matchmaker's stall. "I am ready," he says, voice dripping with grandiosity just as if he were speaking before his monarch.
Tamiel Luxis	If it weren't for the wings and the halo, you'd be forgiven for mistaking Tamiel for anyone else in the sizeable throng of people. Her little red head, pushed up above the throng of the crowd here and there, to try to get a good grasp on the festival. She felt prayers whizzing over her head, but without the offputting aftertaste of urgency or desperation that so put her on edge. Everyone was happy, and the energy of it all was just...Infectious. For her part, Tamiel was wearing a colorful tunic--black, with fracturing lines of green and gold and red--that hung so long on her body it covered up her shorts. She wasn't quite sure what she'd expected, but it wasn't this--and she was happy to be surprised. "Oh...Octopus...?" She hovered over the takoyaki stand, slowly being convinced to part with some of her week's pay. "It wouldn't hurt to try...I think..." In time, inevitably, she found herself bullied into retreat into an area of low traffic, taking a seat with her takoyaki, people-watching while people milled about in front of her. When approached by Futaba, Tamiel offered the tanuki a--somewhat harried--smile. "I like it...Um...What would you recommend...?" She asked, after taking another swallow of octopus.
Calvin Nash	Calvin is here in a faded sky blue, short-sleeve snap-button western shirt that strains against his biceps and pectorals, with brown boot cut jeans and beige square-toed cowboy boots. We've got a boatload of events goin' on today to make sure you get your money's worth, so make sure to get those offerings in and enjoy yourselves! His COMP, still situated on his right forearm, gleams in the sun when he pumps his fist in time with a "WHOO," and again when he claps excitedly. His black cowboy hat provides plenty of shade for him as he browses the stalls. He's gotten one of those little pouches, and after providing some encouragement for Futaba, has found himself ordering a pair of dolls--one from a preset, one custom made. "He's got them big coke-bottle glasses like this here," he says, pantomiming thick-lensed glasses. "Short, curly hair. Grey. He's an old-timer. Well--okay, you can go darker than that, we'll be a little generous. Heh heh." "He's darker than that. Maybe a little bit of red? That right there. Yep, just like that." The preset is for one of the kids in town, but the custom job is for the old priest that runs the Shadowed Tabernacle.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia is not sure what a proper offering is for this sort of thing, so she just goes with something most every being in the Multiverse can appreciate. A dinnerplate-sized gold coin. The princess leaves it wherever is appropriate, probably an altar or shrine or something, then heads out into the festival. And since this area seems to be heavily inspire by Japan (or maybe actually Japan, Sarra isn't sure) Sarra arrives in a proper Japanese kimono. Black, as is her usual lately, with a large silver sash tied around her waist into a large bow at her back. Her hair is done up in a long ponytail, with small braids starting at her temples leading into it. Her crown sits atop her head along with her burgundy metal lotus hairpin. Silver stockings keep her feet and legs covered, and on her feet are tall, traditional, solid wood shoes painted black with a shark face on them like a Bullet Bill. Sarra is interested in many of the festival activities, but...matchmaking immediately draws her attention. She finds herself joining Iseptah at the booth. Though when Futaba happens to get close Sarra waves to her. "Hello Futaba!"
Meresankh	Meresankh perks up a little at a face she'd been hoping to see - Calvin! Waving to catch the Demon Marshal's attention, she beckons him closer. "While the paint on your doll dries, Chevalier... Nash, it was? Why don't you tell me about that truck I saw you in the other day." Ah. Her real interest comes to light. "It seemed a simple construct like any other Earth car, but you handled it well, in battle no less. Have you performed any... modifications?" She says that last word like it's an innuendo, but for what isn't clear. She really does seem eager to hear about the contraption's specs... Meanwhile Iseptah finds himself next to an elegantly dressed lady... with a cool eyepatch! "Cool eyepatch!" he says, perhaps a little too excited to make a new friend. "Where'd you get it?" Who knows, maybe it's a Necron custom to start conversations by inquiring after major injuries. (It isn't.)
Natsuki Nuki	Festival days are always important in Sotenbori to gather people, get some foot traffic through the businesses, provide time for the commemoration of events, and commemorate events. The last big festival season had to be cancelled due to an overwhelming winter season storm wet storm that made getting out and enjoying a little spirituality absolutely miserable. Luckily for an unpolished 'nuki, her debut in doing it all herself was put off another few months. Now, and also yesterday, the walking talking one-woman army debut of the local temple's priestess as a centerpiece of the cultural event was as megaphone loud as one might expect. . . By the megaphones, today. Yesterday, in somber setting, it had been a different sort of loud - pressure to perform. Today, the performance was more about shownukiship, and at least in that Futaba had some apparent skill. This apparent skill was observed by a scattered crowd of various toughs in suitjackets and pants, wearing one dot leaf pins and unseasonal sunglasses and badly hidden tattoos. Most of them have recklessly unbuttoned the top two or even three buttons of their shirts! It's a local style. Many of them have also paid in their respects to the temple coffers and bought some souvenirs because they're actually locals, while others hang out in throngs talking to each other and drinking from alcohol they brought in from outside. Natsuki, wearing a black tank top and tight white puffer jacket, has her black serpentine tail tumbling from the back of the jacket and down to hook just above the ground over her black short shorts. She accessorizes with a white baseball cap with gold folds and a black rim whose forepatch depicts Hello Kitty with a bloody knife and spattered overalls lifting a vague satellite phone to her ear and the charactertext 'shikata ga nai', and a pair of aviators, which appear to be all anyone needs to completely miss the local girl. Standing in front of the karaage stand, ordering a second tray, the 'disguised' (fake) Osakan-humanoid wrapping of the eyemasked chimera woman turns after paying to watch Futaba bounce around and wave her microphone tail at people. "So this is how you're doing it, huh...?" She asks from at the stand, tone dry, and tsks while reaching up to accept her order. "You might have to find a garage to get a good look at it around here. Those big [Yankee American] trucks don't fit down a lot the roads around here." She addresses, walking up on Meresankh and Calvin with her fried chicken.
Futaba Nuki	"What is it that you are commemorating, on this occasion?" Recognition flashes on Futaba's face as she spots Meresankh among those joining the festivities today, and she stops by to greet her with a broad grin. A few of the locals even seem to recognize Meresankh, if not necessarily her herald, and wave lightly from afar. "Oh, hey! We've got a whole bunch of things going on for... Uh. Playin' catch up, you know?" She admits with a laugh, gesturing around towards all the stands and events going on. "We've got stuff for Seijin-no-hi. That's the Coming of Age Day that passed 'bout a... Two months ago?" She gestures at Iseptah and the matchmaking stand. "And the Setsubun festival, 'bout a month and change ago that's all about tossin' beans to ward off bad vibes, 'specially for folks turning 21 or a couple of other age breakpoints." A beat, and then Futaba taps her chin. "Say... How old're ya now, anyway, if you don't mind me askin'? And.. You were around the other day, weren't ya? Thank for the hand! Would've been even worse if you and the others didn't show up when ya did." Iseptah, meanwhile, is given a form to fill out that looks like a survey asking for plenty of personal information including salary, ambitions/career prospects, and family health history bordering on the invasive. "It wouldn't hurt to try...I think..." Tamiel's wings certainly grab attention as she heads into the festival, but not for just being visibly not-a-human. Although the bulk of the attendees today are human, plenty of them (including the ones at the stands) are youkai, including straight-up talking animals complete with little jackets. The old folks at the takoyaki stand even provide her with a fresh serving of the little fried balls, sprinkling plenty of the dried fish flakes and drizzling sauce all over the food while keeping it nice and crisp somehow. If she watches the flakes, they'll even wiggle a little from the heat coming off the food! No, the attention Tamiel draws is more the fact that she's got the halo at all. There's some visible tension from the youkai in attendance at first, but a fair bit of it fades as Futaba greets her with that easygoing smile. "Like that, eh? Looks like we've got plenty of good food around, but I've always been a fan of of karaage. That's fried chicken-over there." She gestures at the young girl's stand, pausing to wave at those youkai still watching Tamiel warily to get them to ease up a little before clapping a hand on Tamiel's shoulder casually. "Don't worry, they just ain't used to angel-y folks. Metal Priests, you know?" She explains without explaining anything, then adds. "Uh. Right? Not that they're not allowed in here, just as long as... Y'know. No pot-stirrin' here, while there's kids around." "He's got them big coke-bottle glasses like this here," Calvin's pouch (along with the other pouches being passed out) are filled with beans for today's Setsubun-related festivities! There'll be times when Futaba dips out of sight, and then horned balloons with Japanese words for things like 'doubt' and 'self-deprecation' and the like start floating around. That's when the audience starts throwing those beans at the balloons, and each impact is followed with a satisfying popping noise and a vocalized grunt that's clearly just Futaba putting on a deeper voice (badly). The doll he gets is a well-crafted one even before the customizations are made, handled by an apparent expert that's got spools of thread of varying colors in shades that would be hard to tell apart at a glance. He slides a finger across those grey spools, pauses when Calvin mentions being generous, then goes several shades darker for one that would be flattering without being outright patronizing.
Futaba Nuki	Unlike the doll-crafter, however, Futaba isn't nearly as quiet, and she drops by to clap her arm over his shoulder. "Yo, Calv! Thanks for comin' by the other day, and today. Been takin' that advice of yours and... Whadda ya think? Should only be one or two more catch up days, and then we'll be right on time with later festivals. Should help with the.. Eh. Rebuildin' efforts, too." She pauses briefly, looking just a little distracted before grinning at Calvin again. "Anyway. Who're the dolls for?" "Hello Futaba!" The massive gold coin gets plenty of attention from the staff managing the temple itself, some of them sniffing the coin and a few of them nudging the sniffing tanuki before explaining that it could probably fit into the box specifically intended for oversized offerings. Sarracenia will easily find that this is just straight up Japan, too, complete with all the familiar setpieces common to a toku series visible from almost any rooftop! Every rooftop also looks like The Rooftop. "Yo, Prin-S! Prince... Sess..." Futaba greets Sarracenia with a quick wave as she swings on over nearby, testing that greeting a few times in her mouth before shaking her head. "Nah, that one was a miss. Princess S. Anything catch your fancy here? The food's real good, and..." She grins mischievously as she gestures at Iseptah over at the matchmaking stand. "Dunno if that one's into the same kind of stuff, bu-uuut... Who knows? Maybe lookin' outside that box might be fun, eh?" "So this is how you're doing it, huh...?" The girl handling the bubble tea and karaage is exactly the kind of child that would be in 'that one episode with the kid that didn't suck', quick on the draw when it comes to taking Natsuki's order while marveling at her style. "Whoa... You look really cool, miss! Is that a custom job?" She asks, peering at that Hello Kitty hat like someone that's either just seen this sort of style for the first time, or really good at pretending like it is. She's even quicker on the draw trying to get those toughs to come over the stand. "I've got half-filled drinks for a discount, too! Perfect for water fountains or your own drinks!" She calls out, smiling sweetly at those toughs without a hint of fear. Spotting Natsuki, Futaba eventually makes her way over to her sister with an excitable grin, almost diving right on her in her haste to actually-not-figuratively bound right over. She quickly settles down with a quiet cough, noticing that she's disguised today and keeping her voice slightly down to not draw too much attention their way. "That I am... Heh. Was either this or the old way, and you know I wasn't about to catch up on any of this doin' it... That way." She replies with a rare calmness and awkwardness in her tone, trying to keep her cool and not be too excited over Natsuki being here today. "Just me and some of the younger ones today, so... Ehm. Got any tips on how you'd do it, siii-tranger?"
Calvin Nash	Why don't you tell me about that truck I saw you in the other day. Calvin spots the wave out of the corner of his eye and turns to face Meresankh. "Meresankh, right?" He offers her a hand to shake. His handshake is firm and brisk, unfaltering despite hers being made of metal, without veering into 'squeezing so hard it'd be rude.' That's probably because she could crush his! "I'd be right happy to," he says with a nod. "Found that light bar a few years back after I had to take the back roads on the way back from Macon," he says. "Some shut-in had a whole heap of shit he died with. Damn near brand-new. Now sometimes we'll lift 'em if we feel like it ain't gonna get enough clearance," he says, gesturing with one hand over the other. "But the one I got assigned to me right now ain't been." "Standard issue brakes, suspension, transmission, if you can believe it," he says, one hand on his hip, the other rattling off with his fingers. "Replaced, obviously, but, y'know, as close to the factory as we could get it by hand. Them old Toyotas are in high demand, 'cause you can beat the shit out of it and it'll still run. Hell," he says, gesturing vaguely towards the Warpgate, "I got a buddy in Townsend says he worked with a guy had a tree fall on it. Sumbitch still ran," he says, in the same tone one would describe an encounter with a wild animal. "They say some of 'em even start without no touch-ups from the motor pool." "The tires, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, even batteries, we gotta make ourselves, and we get by. Big thing's the fuel pump, the injection system, and the engine. Earth cars ran on gas. And we don't got nobody runnin' no oil rigs out in no ocean, and couldn't work 'em no more even if we did. Everything we been able to get running's been converted to use magnetite cells." Those big [Yankee American] trucks don't fit down a lot the roads around here. Calvin chortles and slaps his thigh in amusement. "I'd be lyin' if I said it wasn't a tight fit, here and there," he admits. "But it ain't so hard to make do if you got a map and some elbow grease." Having practice with 'tight fits' at highway speeds probably doesn't hurt a country boy's efforts to make do. "Besides, it's just a lil' ol' 93 4x4!" It's only little by the standards of modern American trucks.
Sarracenia	'Cool eyepatch! Where'd you get it?' Sarra blinks her one visible, dazzlingly blue eye and a hand moves to that eyepatch self-consciously. She seems uncertain at first. But, it was called cool so she ends up smiling lightly. "Well...I was kicked in the face with an axe, then slashed by a magical feather." she says, then lowers her hand and holds both politely in front of herself. "I am glad someone other than myself can appreciate its 'coolness'. While the loss of vision is unfortunate, having another lovely accessory to wear is almost worth the trade." she says, then...rather than doing a Japanese greeting, she does a more European one. She curtseys lightly. "I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. And you are?" 'Yo, Prin-S! Prince... Sess..." Sarra ends up raising an eyebrow until Futaba shakes her head and admits it's a miss. Sarra giggles, then looks at Iseptah. "It is always possible. But, the most important thing is his heroism. A Pipeland princess is supposed to end up with a proper hero, you know?"
Tamiel Luxis	It helps some of the tension bleed from her body, aseeing Futaba engaging so enthusiastically and friendily with her. Her wings emoted more than her face did, drooping with ease where the wing-shards had previously pulled close to her body. "Thank you...I'm Tamiel...Aaa!" The pat on the back takes Tammy by surprise, leaving her wings to flail briefly before she gets them back under control, scratching behind her head. "Um...I don't know what metal priests are, so, I don't know if I count...? Sorry." "But, I know. Some people like me aren't..." Tamiel considers how to approach the prospect, before settling on... "...Always nice. Um...I'll try the fried chicken..." On the way, she offers a shy wave and a 'hello,' to some of the youkai, before navigating the hazards of obtaining chicken. A large, metal woman standing to the side catches Tamiel's attention while she tracks Futaba through the crowd, and she bobs and weaves her way through the party until she is haunting near, but not quite with, Calvin and Meresankh. She simply blinks for moment, trying to navigate her way to next steps, before just stepping forward and offering some of the food she'd bought to Meresankh. "Karaage...?"
Calvin Nash	"Damn," Calvin exults gleefully, clapping and bending at the waist to look at the little doll from a perspective closer to the stall's counter. "He's gonna love that! Thanks, boss," he says, standing upright and reaching into his jeans for his simple, unadorned wallet to pay. While the particulars of that are handled, he answers Futaba. "Hey there, partner," he says, returning the gesture in spirit if not to the letter; she gets a hearty clap on the back, because he's a big man and there's less landing room on her shoulder than there is on his. "It looks good," he says. "Lots of smiling faces 'cause you put in the effort." Anyway. Who're the dolls for? "One's for Ms. Tiffany," he says. The playfully lofty air he puts on her name must mean she's a kid. "Begged and pleaded for a souvenir when she heard I was headed for the gatehouse. I reckon she's got me figured out--'we'll see' didn't hardly faze her." He chuckles. "The other one's for Pastor Fred, down at the Tabernacle," he further elaborates. "He's, ah... by himself, these days, and I figure maybe he appreciates knowin' he's thought of." After they're paid for, Calvin stows his wallet in his pocket and the two dolls in his COMP, whisking them away in a swirl of green binary digits and pixels. Karaage...? Calvin looks between Meresankh and Tamiel, visibly unimpressed with the latter on their first meeting. Rather than make a scene out of it, he turns his attention elsewhere. The smell of food is heavy on the air, and the choice Calvin finds himself faced with is formidable indeed. Does he go and visit the sweet elderly couple, or the cute, scrappy kid? In the end, the couple wins out, and he strikes up a conversation. "...Octopus? Like--" He pantomimes the deep sea creature. "Well, damn," he concludes, when his suspicion is confirmed. "They must be good eatin'! Smells delicious. Let me get some of that, if y'all two don't mind..." During a pause, he asks Natsuki, a local, about the balloons and what's considered acceptable for popping them. "Can we flick the beans? Or do we gotta throw 'em?"
Meresankh	MERESANKH "Tossing beans," Meresankh repeats, doing her best to follow along with the unfamiliar customs described to her. "I am twenty-seven, though I was born much longer ago than that. Most of my existence was spent in hibernation, or in death - so I do not count it as part of my age." A pause, an awkward shift in posture; longevity and age must be a touchy subject for Necrons. "What are the offerings for? Perhaps I should leave one myself." Calvin: Everything we been able to get running's been converted to use magnetite cells. Meresankh listens with rapt attention to Calvin's account of his truck's condition and development. "Developing the appropriate parts and chemicals from near scratch is quite an accomplishment," she remarks. Nobody tell this woman about modded Minecraft, you'd never see her again. "I do sometimes miss the earliest days of my renewed reign, when the realm was in disrepair. Never a dull moment when everything needs to be remade! Ah, but I'm sure I remember it with more fondness than I felt at the time. We had only recently recovered from a number of... infestations, by the time I awoke, and there was much cleaning to be done." Tamiel: "Karaage...?" "Yes, it is." Meresankh's gaze shifts from the chicken to its unfamiliar bearer. If she's waiting for an introduction, she's evidently not asking for it aloud. ISEPTAH Iseptah would furrow his brow in concentration, if he could. He quickly writes out what details he knows in the Necron demotic script. (Thank goodness for the Understanding!) His occupation is noted down as "Royal Herald and Majordomo to Ingenuity Herself, Queen Meresankh of Oryx" followed by half of another epithet for the queen ("reforger of"), scratched out to save time and writing space. His salary is a respectable proportion of Meresankh's Chevalier stipend, and his theoretical assets are vast but of sometimes dubious accessibility. Barring any change in Oryx's governance ("I'd never dream of such a thing!") he is at the apex of his career, which may not be a good thing if advancement is worth more than present station. As for family health history, that's harder to say. The records are sixty million years gone, and he's not been strictly alive for just as long. He ultimately settles on writing in 'cannot die or reproduce'. Finally he signs his name at the bottom of the sheet in formal Necron, cartouche and all, plus some curlicues on a couple glyphs for extra flair. Sarra: "I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. And you are?" "Iseptah, Herald to Queen Meresankh of Oryx, at your service, Princess." Futaba: "Dunno if that one's into the same kind of stuff, bu-uuut... Who knows? Maybe lookin' outside that box might be fun, eh?" Sarra: "It is always possible. But, the most important thing is his heroism. A Pipeland princess is supposed to end up with a proper hero, you know?" "To tell the truth," Iseptah admits, a hint of sheepishness in his voice, "I am more used to recounting great deeds than performing them. But, I have not been a Paladin for long, and perhaps that shall change! Only time will tell~"
Natsuki Nuki	'Whoa... You look really cool, miss! Is that a custom job?' Natsuki laughs, 'hyoo-hyoo-hoo' in birdsong amusement at the girl at the boba and fry stand, knuckle bumping up the rim of her hat. "That's right. It's ex~clusive!" Natsuki pleasedly preens, chomping on chicken. "It'll get a drop soon if you know the right sites for baseball caps. If you've got any friends in fashion, ask them about the design? It'll be hot in a few months." She tips off the concession girl, smirking as she carries on into Calvin and Meresankh. 'I'd be lyin' if I said it wasn't a tight fit, here and there,' Scoffing around an eyetooth-held chicken chunk, the loud crunch and opacity to her aviator lenses hides the full amount of her eyeroll, but Natsuki doesn't drive the issue into the ground because she 'likes' Calvin - he was a man who could say something nice if his life depended on it. It was a rare quality. "You'd get more distance if you'd try a smaller truck - you want to buy a bulletproof Toyota truck cut down for the roads you'd actually ride around, you let me ask around and I can ask some friends who work in cars what they're looking at for the rugged models. Since you're a fan of the Japanese trucks." The ease which she speaks oozes the kind of confidence that someone backing their smirks with 'oh no big deal I'll just get you a new car' can front. 'They must be good eatin'!' "And I thought Osaka was country. You Marshalls are double country." Natsuki whistles, musically tweeting in amusement. Then, the more-fated engagement. . . 'Just me and some of the younger ones today, so... Ehm. Got any tips on how you'd do it, siii-tranger?' Natsuki, who was issued beans, index finger flicks one at Futaba's forehead when she starts the 'siii-' to interrupt her sister and expel the negative feeling. "Don't make me do 'expel my evil' to stop you from blowing this. Isn't this what you wanted? All the responsibility and dance-around? To be beloved?" The tone she takes is a sotto-voiced passionate, certainly too hot for a casual meeting or conversation. Taking a moment to steady and cool her tone, Natsuki shrugs and shakes her head. "If you're going to toss the traditionalism, you're not going to see me complaining. But I wonder if it's really that easy, priestess? Do you think the old ways were done for no reason?" "Do you really think that your half-baked way of doing neither and sort of muddling through will work out?" She asks, pointedly. "That's my 'advice' - to figure that out."
Tamiel Luxis	"Yes, it is." Tamiel wilts a little more with every second that passes by, her wing-shards pulling close to her again. Eventually, when it becomes clear that Meresankh isn't going to share anything more. "That's. Right. Can't get anything by you." "Sorry, it's just. This festival is fun, but it's a lot? And I don't know anyone? And you all seemed like other multiversals too, and cool, and..." A long sigh, and she repeated. "I'm sorry. I'll leave if I'm bothering you."
Sarracenia	'Iseptah, Herald to Queen Meresankh of Oryx, at your service, Princess.' "Oh? I am unfamiliar with Queen Meresankh." the princess replies, seeming appreciative of Iseptah's proper manners. When told that he recounts deeds instead of performing them, Sarra smiles. "Perhaps. I always say a hero can come from anywhere. I can picture a story of a heroic herald understating his heroic prowess so as not to outshine the monarch he serves." Sarra fills out the matchmaking forms as well. Name: obvious. Occupation: Princess and Aspiring Heroine. Income, net worth of a small nation. Ambition: become a shining beacon of hope for the Multiverse. Family health history: I am a princess I am not taking the time to answer all of this!! I am healthy and my family has no medical history of note!
Futaba Nuki	"A Pipeland princess is supposed to end up with a proper hero, you know?" "Nothing wrong with setting those sights high, that's for sure! I you're gonna aim at all, might as well, yeah?" Chuckling eagerly in response to Sarracenia, Futaba resists the urge to do creepy neck-stretching things in favor of sliding over to Iseptah and be a little nosy there. "Hey, hey. Don't turn too fast, but I think the princess over there might be interested~" She whispers to Meresankh's seneschal, hooking one hand in front of him to point at Sarracenia. She's doing at an angle so it's hard to see where her hand is pointing, but it's extremely obvious that she's doing it. "I'm Tamiel...Aaa!" Holding in a snicker at Tamiel's reaction, Futaba eases up a bit, but not without watching the wing flailing for a few more seconds. "Cute... Heh. Anyway. Nah, you don't have to worry about bein' one of those guys. completly wrong vibe for that." She asserts, pausing to look towards those still eyeing Tamiel and mouthing 'she's good' to disperse (most of) the cautious looks still directed her way. "Plenty of 'em ain't nice, that's for sure. At least, not to youkai or magic folks or... Anyone that ain't human, really." She explains, taking a quick look around before reaching over to... Wait. No excessive contact, or that'll scare the poor lady. "They're local... 'Heroes' like me and a whole bunch of the transformin' fighters around here, but they're all about that human purity business. And... Well." Futaba gestures around at the festival, particularly at the youkai, animals, robots, and other non-human attendees. "Ain't the most popular, depending on who you ask. A shame, too, because they snatched a cool name..." She adds, sighing dramatically while leading Tamiel to the fried chicken stand. "Pretty..." The girl at the stand murmurs, strategically tapping an index finger near her mouth before snapping her fingers. "I know. I'll pack plenty of the fluffier pieces for your, ma'am. Then you don't have to worry about being too heavy to fly!" She offers 'generously', definitely not just selling her airier and puffier chunks of the fried chicken bites with less overall food in them. "He's gonna love that! Thanks, boss," The crafter nods firmly at Calvin's approval, smiling ever so slightly for a moment before grunting once and returning to that stoic expert vibe as he puts the finishing touched on the customized doll. Once that's done, he puts both of Calvin's orders in little pouches, complete with one more piece of string tying them up so Calvin can give the recipients one more little surprise later. "Lots of smiling faces 'cause you put in the effort." "Heh... Yeah, sure has been a lot of effort. Been plannin' this one for... Hooo boy. Two weeks now?" Futaba laughs at the clap, wobbling for a moment before steadying herself with tail girth. "Bet those two'll love these dolls. Ain't the biggest ones around, but that just makes 'em easier to fit into a pocket or shelf or wherever. 'specially that custom one for the Pastor." A beat, and then Futaba snickers lightly while glancing around. "Could always invite him to come to the next one of these. Being alone too long's pretty rough. Even comin' out to something more serious like..." She pauses, recalling yesterday's work before shaking her head quickly to clear her thoughts.
Meresankh	Sarra: "Perhaps. I always say a hero can come from anywhere. I can picture a story of a heroic herald understating his heroic prowess so as not to outshine the monarch he serves." Iseptah seems taken aback, but only a little. "Oh, but my Queen is herself a hero to our people! Every day she works to better our lives and restore more of us to life," he explains with glowing tone. "Perhaps I could arrange an introduction?" "Hey, hey. Don't turn too fast, but I think the princess over there might be interested~" "But oh, most gracious host," Iseptah says, barely lowering his voice at all (let alone matching Futaba's whisper), "Am I not supposed to let the matchmakers do their work, instead of taking it upon myself?"
Futaba Nuki	"Let me get some of that, if y'all two don't mind..." "That they are, young man! Order of four? Six? Nah, you look like you could use some quality meals... Let's get him eight, love. One for each leg!" The old man at the takoyaki stand goes straight for the upsell, smiling widely in a way that might look similar to the scrappy kid's smile while we waggles his fingers to mimic Calvin's pantomiming. "Eight pieces, coming up. Well-done or softer inside?" The old woman asks somewhat brusquely, handling the pan with an expert's flourish while the old man gets up to prepare the fixins with both of their strengths and weaknesses on full display right there. "I am twenty-seven, though I was born much longer ago than that." "Yeah? Huh. We got a few of 'em like that around here." Futaba starts, pauses, then snickers lightly before clearing her throat at Meresankh's pause and mentioning her death. Even she can recognize social cues once in a while! That, or she's just reeling from yesterday's rites and having to answer the question about the offerings sooner rather than later. "Ah... The offerings. They're to help with rebuilding after all that... The hospital incident the other day." Futaba explains, rubbing her neck lightly while trying not to look too down about it. She even distracts herself briefly by waving at some guests coming in through the front. "Not the hospital itself because the city's got money for it, but... Couple of folks didn't make it, havin' to get moved or getting caught under... All that." Futaba tries really hard not to look at any of the stands in particular as she explains that, instead distracting herself with Mersankh's offer and smiling with a more practiced look on her face. "That'd be real kind of you. Nothing required, o' course, but the families would appreciate it. "Royal Herald and Majordomo to Ingenuity Herself, Queen Meresankh of Oryx" The matchmaker peers over Iseptah's writing closely, scanning it with a tablet before taking a copious amount of notes about what he's submitted with a dizzying series of screen taps and swipes. She pauses every now and then to repeat some of what she's hearing, too, murmuring "military" and "travel" a few times while entering those notes in as well. She doesn't seem fazed by the more outlandish/all of it, either, as though she's used to seeing this sort of thing on a regular basis. Anyone capable of reading minds will know that she isn't, but she's heard and seen enough about Elites in the past decade that it's better for her blood pressure not to let it get to her. "Okay... Mister Iseptah. I think we've got a good match for you! One that's used to traveling for work, in case a long-distance relationship is needed. One with combat experience, too, so you could even work each other's jobs in well. And if you were looking for someone with a similar flair..." The matchmaker pauses as Sarracenia and Iseptah introduce themselves to each other. She opens her mouth, shuts it, then whispers "hold" into her mouthpiece while watching to see how that all turns out. "If you've got any friends in fashion, ask them about the design? It'll be hot in a few months." "Wow.... I've always wanted to get in on the inside. That's so awesome!" The girl beams, apparently excited over the prospect of getting her hooks in on a potential market early from such an early age. She couldn't be any older than twelve, maybe even ten, but she already sounds like she could be a real schmoozer once she grows up.
Calvin Nash	Eight pieces, coming up. Well-done or softer inside? "Softer," says Calvin, figuring it's like steak. He bounces on his heels and takes in the aromas. I can ask some friends who work in cars what they're looking at for the rugged models. "If they're all as stubborn as them 4x4s, you better believe I'll talk to Director Moore 'bout that," Calvin enthusiastically offers. "That's real nice of you to offer, Ms. Natsuki. Thank you." And I thought Osaka was country. You Marshals are double country. That draws a grin from Calvin. "You miss the 'Southeast' part of 'Southeast Assembly?' Swing by again sometime, try some of our cookin'." Sorry, it's just. This festival is fun, but it's a lot? And I don't know anyone? And you all seemed like other multiversals too, and cool, and... "You couldn't'a led with that?" asks Calvin flatly. If he weren't occupied with takoyaki he'd probably have his arms crossed. 'Instead of offering food to a lady that can't eat it' is unspoken. "Calvin Nash," he says, after a pitying sigh. "That there's Meresankh. And this here's Natsuki Nuki. Ma'am, you gotta learn how to talk to people."
Futaba Nuki	"Isn't this what you wanted?" Natsuki flicking the bean at Futaba's head gets a snicker out of the saleskid, too, especially when the bean rebounds off Futaba's head with a satisfying thonk and a dramatic recoil. "Guh..! Mrh. It's.. Kind of, yeah." She answers, quietly at first. "Kind of, yeah..." She repeats, a little more confidently as her thoughts start to come together more concretely. "It's... It feels a lot better than I thought it would. Really... Putting all this together. Doing it for real and being watched, instead of just..." Futaba cricks her neck lightly and winces, then smiles with a hint of somberness still on her face. "... Getting it just because. Hell of a lot more work than before, though, that's for sure." "Do you really think that your half-baked way of doing neither and sort of muddling through will work out?" She pauses for another moment to rub the growing welt on her forehead, then shakes her head. "No... Uh. Nah, nah, they had their reasons for the old ways. Can't say I agree with all of 'em, but..." Futaba presses her palm against her forehead, then lowers her arm. No more welt! "Gotta figure out why I don't before I start throwing any of it right out. Then I'll know for sure what I can change and do it all up the right way instead of just..." Another pause, and then Futaba sighs and rubs her neck. "Half-assin' it like before. Makin' a mess of everything and not..." Futaba's mind goes back to a few nights ago, and coughs into her hand. "... Yeah. Thanks, Naaauey." Wait. Crap. That's not subtle at all. "Am I not supposed to let the matchmakers do their work, instead of taking it upon myself?" The matchmaker, perhaps sensing apprehenshion or just hearing Iseptah normally, shakes her head slowly before smiling at Iseptah. "Don't worry. Fate works in mysterious ways to bring people together. Whether it's new love, friendships, rivalries, or enemies... You'll find something from this." She answers, smiling politely while handing the herald a business card with the matchmaker's contact information. "You can always contact us here, if you ever feel the need to seek another blessing." "Softer," The old woman nods, and she gets those takoyaki cooked right up! Perfectly crispy on the outside, molten-gooey on the outside, and with plenty of fresh octopus chunks inside. The old man is the expert at toppings of the two, getting more of that airy flakey fish and sauce all over the top of Calvin's order.
Sarracenia	'Oh, but my Queen is herself a hero to our people! ...perhaps I could arrange an introduction?' Sarra seems intrigued. She isn't dismissing Iseptah as a potential hero completely, but he seems quite adamant that he is not. Or at least, not as heroic as his queen. "Another heroic royal? I have yet to meet another who was both royal -and- heroic. It would be a privilege to meet her!" Is she aware that Futaba is a princess? She thinks the funny 'nuki is just a ninja. Rita is a 'queen' but more in the queen of a hive sense as far as Sarra can tell. But, the meeting might have to wait. As they are talking a piranha plant in a butler outfit comes up to Sarracenia. "Princess, your parents are insisting you return immediately. There are apparently preparations for your upcoming bir-" Sarra gives him a Look. "Gregory..." The piranha plant coughs. "...the upcoming event that require your immediate attention. It is only two weeks away and there is much to do." Sarra sighs, then looks to Iseptah. "Forgive me, noble Herald. But, royal duty calls." She curtseys again. "Thank you for your kind words and your proper manners. You might be surprised just how rare proper manners toward a princess are these days." Sarra smiles to him, then turns to follow Gregory the piranha plant butler. "Thank you, Futaba!" she calls out, confident the tanuki will hear her.
Tamiel Luxis	As Futaba goes on into talk about the 'human purity business,' Tamiel's smile grows more and more pained. "Yeah...I know some people like that...But, who counts as a human, who counts as a monster, and who counts as something else...Someone decided that. And sometimes the reasons they did...Aren't great." "At least, that's something my teacher told me..." She said, looking over the various youkai, mingling with the mass of humanity. Just a different kind of people. "I think she's right about a lot of things..." "I know. I'll pack plenty of the fluffier pieces for your, ma'am. Then you don't have to worry about being too heavy to fly!" "Ah...Thank you, I'm not as good at flying as some..." The poor girl is utterly disarmed by the child's flattery, and too busy trying to undersell herself to notice that she's being scammed. She takes the food with a grateful smile. "Speaking of offerings...Um...If there's anyone who's still hurt, I could always come by..." Divinity was good for something, after all. "I can't do anything for anyone who's...Not with us, anymore. But. If they're still here, there's not much I can't fix." "You couldn't'a led with that?" "Thaaaat would have been better..." The angel admitted, taking the scolding with a grimace, clasping at her left wrist. "Sorry. I'll do better. I'm Tamiel."
Natsuki Nuki	'If they're all as stubborn as them 4x4s, you better believe I'll talk to Director Moore 'bout that,' "You start talking to the Toyota Group, they'll want to hear about those magnetite engines, but they'll get you whatever trucks you want. If your director wants some wheels, you just let me know if you want something nimbler than those Yankee hogs you roll around." Natsuki carries on, unhurried. Drilling her sister with questions and talking trucks with Calvin is free - she's picked up a fondness for loud trucks and motorcycles recently for obvious (and present) reasons. 'You miss the 'Southeast' part of 'Southeast Assembly?'' "You miss where we are in Japan? This is the fancy part of the country. Lil' sis is trying to be the spiritual queen of the hicks. Grand for her, isn't it? Grand lot of work, being that kind of queen." 'Hell of a lot more work than before, though, that's for sure.' At Futaba's essential echoing of her exact point, Natsuki just turns a perfect black-nailed hand over towards her sister while 'undercover'. "Eactly that. A hell of a lot, and you're not even in charge. But you're getting what you want, so I'm sure it's better than not." Natsuki carries on lightly barbing at her sister while cronching on chicken. Having been the traditionalist before bucking that yoke and sprinting off, now that Futaba was taking up that mantle fully it was her turn to be among the people. "Still," Lifting chin and looking out among the crowd, Natsuki's lips turn from smirk to faint smile. "People want their ceremonies, and someone needs to do them. Coming of age traditions are important to let people prepare to fully enter life, important milestones. Skipping them means there's something missing in people. A part of the soul that's never formed fully. Traditional or not, they're important." The romancing about the ritualistic ends with a returning-to-Earth moment of blinking behind her sunglasses, and a fingertip hooks down the rim of her baseball cap. "I might've been looking forward to whole ass Futaba. Does she only show up for festival days?" She jokes, and sighs, and plucks the last piece of chicken out of her tray to crunch down on, savoring the last bite. "Or is she a year round thing?"
Futaba Nuki	"Forgive me, noble Herald. But, royal duty calls." Futaba looks over at the matchmaker, and the matchmaker looks over at Futaba. They both flash each other a quick thumbs-up in unison, and the matchmaker drifts back over to her stand to continue her usual work. "Someone decided that. And sometimes the reasons they did...Aren't great." "You get it." Futaba nods slowly in approval of Tamiel's quick assessment of the underlying tensions surrounding those Metal Priests, reaching up to pat the angel gently on the shoulder instead of clapping her like earlier. "Heck, when they're even excludin' human ghosts just because they're not in their bodies any more..." There's a longer pause as Futaba closes her eyes, trying not to let her thoughts about that faction within the city spoil her mood too much. Once she sets that out of her mind enough, she gives Tamiel a light nudge to keep mingling with the group. "Anyway. You have fun now! If you want to help more with the recovery..." The smile remains, but it seems warmer when Tamiel offers her aid. "The folks at the hospital are still getting people back in, but I bet they'd love to see you swing by." "But you're getting what you want, so I'm sure it's better than not." "People want their ceremonies, and someone needs to do them." "That, they do... Can't really say it's exaclty how I'd want it, but it's... Better?" Futaba doesn't even sound certain as she replies to Natsuki, still rubbing her shoulder with the opposite hand going past her neck. "I mean, it's better than before, but it's not what..." Some of that doubt starts creeping in, and Futaba looks up. She spots a stray balloon, then flings a bean up at it and pops it. She forgets to make that grunting noise for herself, although a few attendees vocalize their own versions out of habit. "Yeah, it's like you said. Someone's got to keep the candles burnin' in people's souls., or get them started once they get old enough." Futaba agrees with a slightly deflated chuckle, then puffs right back up with a bit more performative bravado and a slap of her tail against the ground (completely with a moment of feedback that gets most of the attendees cringing). "You're looking at a WHOLE new, fully rounded Futaba ass." She brags, visibly regretting what she's said as she finishes that sentence. Futaba groans lightly as she rubs her face with her palm, then manages a snicker a second later. "One that's gettin' worse at throwin' out the lines and the japes, even."