spellbinders | [WORLD TWO | SUNSU FESTIVAL]

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[WORLD TWO | SUNSU FESTIVAL]

Who: All coven members, and more!
Where: Anmung Tower and about a mile radius from the base of the tower!
When: Day 174
Open/Closed: Open to All

For those coven members who come from worlds with Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, etc., they'll likely recognize Sunsu as a version of similar holidays. While there aren't any religious over or under tones, there's snow falling, a high level of merriment and cheer all around.

That isn't to say Sunsu isn't without a bit of meaning and lore. Certain stalls are focused on a minor history of Sunsu, a holiday stemming from the story of two lovers, Princess Xin and one of her ladies in waiting, who proved to the Princess' father that their love was worthy of marriage by blessing each other with a fabulous gift. Depending on your taste and place in life, Sunsu can be more romantic or more family-based. Sunsu is marketed as a holiday that focuses on blessing and giving to those that you cherish in life, and receiving a blessing or gift symbolizes uniting people together forever.

Because of this meaning, there is a certain romanticized overtone to Sunsu, though of course others celebrate in their own way. It's a holiday of togetherness, and everyone in Shehui seems to be in on the holiday spirit. There aren't as many monitors around, the streets around Anmung tower are packed with families, newcomers and couples alike. Are you ready to get into the spirit of the season?

personal shopper

As the day goes on, more and more festival decorations are going up -- which this may also be a job you've been roped into! With the sun falling steadily in the sky, the true beauty of Shehui can be seen as night creeps in. As per the request of the lottery winner, almost every structure in Shehui around the Anmung tower, including the famed structure, is illuminated with brilliant, twinkling lights in gold and red colors. Some areas are lit by different colors, like the nearby Huhu Coffee House that's building is wrapped in green lights, while Xi Park is filled with a soft pink variety on trees and fountains.

Streamers and banners are hung everywhere, with some offering simple seasons greetings, while others are making passers by aware of sales and wares to be sold.

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At midnight, the Sunsu event is supposed to culminate in a fireworks show -- and it does! To commemorate the day being over, fireworks of many different colors are being displayed all across Shehui, further illuminating the evening. It's almost as if it's truly daylight again, between the fireworks and Anmung tower.

What is going on?

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C - WANDERING THE MARKETS

[ call it being naughty and not getting a job, or a different set of priorities, but riza does not have a job and she does not seem to be working for any of the stalls or any other kind of shopper. instead, she seems simply curious to check out the things for purchase - turning down as politely as she can any pushy seller. she doesn’t necessarily seem to be shopping for anyone, either, but more so looking over what things are for sale and why.

christmas back home had always been a curious affair - a day for families, yes. a day for loved ones. but riza has skipped her fair share of the holiday due to work, and it’s not something she necessarily regrets so much as she’s aware that she probably should.

here, though, there’s not really a lot of work for her to be distracted by. so instead, she’s left to her own curiosity and need to know about this place, its customs, and it’s people. if there are any stories being told, or any presentations being given, there’s a good chance riza will be found somewhere in the back row, listening in without trying to look too invested. ]

CLOSED - FESTIVITIES

[ she'd received a message - a simple what are your plans tonight? from the brigadier general. a part of her is vaguely aware of how normal it feels, to have him checking up on her like that, and another wonders if he's simply bored. while one doesn't necessarily cancel out the other, it's enough of a collection of thoughts to distract her as she continues through one of the parks, lights surrounding her in such a way that she almost doesn't notice how the sun slowly is starting to set. she starts to type up a reply - I'm in the market now, but other than finding something for dinner, I didn't have plans - when she hears a familiar voice out of the corner of her hearing. when she looks up, it's to find roy there, by some twist of fate, and riza stops.

was he following her? or was it coincidence? either way, she decides not to press send on the message at all - pocketing her device and choosing instead to walk up behind where he's looking over a menu of brightly colored drinks, her voice flat and vaguely unamused when she does speak. ]

Drinking on the job then, Brigadier General?

[ which is, in its entirety, a joke. dry and delivered impeccably. when he does turn back to her, she may even break into a small smile. maybe. he'll have to turn and see. ]

I - CHAOS AT CHRISTMAS

[ it's not that riza doesn't know how to turn off the soldier in her, so much as the fact that explosions are a distinct and unforgettable noise. something that you hear, and you don't question, jumping immediately to training and habits and what she knows before she even thinks about it. people are scattering, screaming and scared, and riza doesn't think twice before she's jumping into action to help. ]

Back to your homes! [ she yells in between the announcements, watching the masses scatter and doing her best to try and direct them - helping anyone who needs the aid amidst the chaos, and directing others. this she is used to, this is no different than war. than home. and while she hates how easy it is, that doesn't stop her from jumping directly to it. especially if she sees anyone getting tripped up in the waves of people, reaching out to grab at their elbow and bring them back to their feet. ]

Are you okay?

[ riza doesn't respond to him, which is fine. she's likely busy exploring the city and figuring out what to do while they're all trapped here, but roy has a pretty large amount of faith that she'll track him down without much difficulty. she tends to just know where he is, which would be worrying, if it weren't riza.

he is, indeed, examining a menu. it's more morbid curiosity, and roy isn't entirely sure if he's going to buy anything. the language is a bit foreign to him (almost like xing), and roy is definitely more of a whiskey-on-the-rocks guy versus whatever this is, but the curiosity is beginning to kill him, and then he hears -- ]

I don't think this constitutes drinking on the job, considering we aren't in Amestris.

[ mildly, and roy turns to riza, eyes bright, amused, and he inclines his head toward the backdrop of bottles against the back of the bar. ]

Purple, red, yellow, or blue?

[ this is obviously an important matter. ]

[ well, yes. if riza needed to, she can always track him down. though that gets easier and easier, knowing that roy never really strays too far away from her - showing up at her door more and more often here than ever before. which, she knew, had most to do with a sudden, incredible lack of military work for either of them to do.

riza has busied herself where she can, but this is also roy mustang they're talking about. there's no possible way he'd take the easy route.

and she was, indeed, probably going to have to find him later tonight. make sure he was eating, was getting into trouble, etc etc etc. and this did save her time. even if she wasn't necessarily planning on taking part in any of the...well. whichever festivities these seemed to be.

but it was christmas. or- whichever this new planet celebrated. and there's a brightness in how roy looks at her, so she scans the menu for any kind of idea what the colors even meant before shrugging easily. ] Blue. But yellow would be my second choice.

Green, then.

[ mildly enough, and he raises an ungloved hand (not seeing much point, really, in wearing them, and riskng the wrong people ruining them) to point toward the green colored bottle. blue plus yellow, after all. and he holds up two fingers, to indicate that riza, indeed, is also having one, before turning to rest his back against the bar, to watch the chaos of the crowd.

there's a silence. ]

There seems to be quite the celebration, in the city. [ with the air of someone who has Talked To The Locals ] A princess is getting married.

[ and she very much rolls her eyes at that, because that is so very roy she can't really be surprised, before crossing her arms over her chest comfortably. ]

To her handmaiden, the stories say. After having proven their love for each other through gifts. [ she looks off towards the masses - couples and families alike, wandering hand in hand through the snow, laughing over their own private conversations. she finds herself smiling, watching a child push through the legs of some of the other natives, a red letter in hand. some kind of game? she wasn't sure. ]

It's pretty interesting, actually.

Who knew that buying copious amounts of presents was the true solution to finding love.

[ but it's said with amusement, not without any skepticism or dismissiveness, and roy glances over at the two jolly green drinks that have been placed at their disposal once they've been served, but he doesn't reach for them quite yet. his eyes find the child pushing through as well, with the red envelope, and roy watches him vanish into the crowd before commenting: ]

Did you see the horses? -- or what passes for horses here, anyway.

Anyone with a shop.

[ another joke, one that actually has her smiling back to herself as she turns towards the bar. watches the brightly colored drinks get set on the stand. she very much wishes he'd just ordered the blue ones, looking at them now, but she can't really be picky. ]

I did. [ she huffs light, more frustrated than anything. ] Too many limbs.

If "magic" [ the sarcasm on his tone is not to be missed, thank you ] weren't disallowed here, I would assume they were an experiment gone wrong.

[ they obviously aren't, but the sight gave him something of an uneasy . . . hesitance, and roy turns slightly to collect one of the drinks, eyeing it for a long moment before glancing at riza, arching his eyebrows. ]

Am I going first? [ but before riza can respond, roy takes half a sip of the drink, experimentally allowing it to roll around his tongue before swallowing. and there's a pause, before he wrinkles his nose slightly. ] It doesn't taste poisonous. Sharp and bitter, though.

[ the sarcasm in his tone is certainly not missed. not even in the way she smirks lightly at the sound of it. ]

I would probably agree with you. [ if not for how many of them there are, or how simply they've been accepted and used as a part of society. still, it gives her an uneasy feeling. experiments, unnatural creatures...

but then there's the drink, and roy looking at her holding his own. her eyes go from his, to the drink in his hand, then back to him - very faintly holding back a smile. ]

They are rightly yours. [ and then he takes a sip, and thinks it over, and she snorts lightly and reaches for her own glass, smelling it for a moment before wrinkling her own nose. ] Should I wait to see if you turn into one of those horses?

Very funny.

[ dryly, though roy did drink his first for a reason. better test to see if it's legitimately dangerous before letting her drink it. but tasting nothing but the sharp taste of apple and vodka, he sort of shrugs a shoulder, nonchalant and unbothered. ]

Not dead. Seems safe.

[ it's pretty easy to satisfy his standards when it comes to liquor. or so it seems, before he inclines his head down the bar, toward a group of individuals drinking the same green beverage. ]

That, and they didn't turn into horses.

[ and okay, she'll ease up and actually let herself chuckle lightly for a moment or two, smelling the drink a second time as she waits for his final opinion. ]

Well. We'll see, then. [ she could probably make a joke, here. something about following him wherever he goes. but she'll take a drink anyway.

and then when he looks off down the bar, riza does actually snort - quietly, and she pulls herself together quickly after, like she hadn't just let that slip, before she takes her glass and steps away from the bar.

the drink itself isn't bad. vodka, and apples, but little else. it's not her favorite (she prefers darker liquor, or a well mixed martini) but it's not nearly as bad as she thought. ]

Have you tried any of the others?

No, not yet.

[ mildly enough, and roy too takes a step away from the bar, to move with her, for a slightly more private conversation. ]

Most of the people here seem partial to the one that almost looks like champagne, but no one seems to be able to explain what it tastes like in a way that I can draw a connection. [ amestris, following the war with ishval, and the following conflict with father and the homunculi . . . alcohol is growing to be a luxury for the rich, and while roy is definitely among those people, he also knows that this world's selection makes central look drab in comparison. ] The brightly colored ones seemed to be the most exotic, but it was more difficult to see people drinking them from the same bartender. Less ordered, apparently.

[ off duty or not, they're in a strange place, and he's not aimlessly drinking something he's served without seeing someone else take it first. ]

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efface - 2017-12-28 00:23 (UTC) - Expand

[The assigned gift exchange had left Waver absolutely at a loss of what to get for people. It was purchasing for perfect strangers, and in truth, he wasn't sure why the government was even doing this. It seemed too..he didn't have a word for it. It just sat uneasily with him, and caused him to wander up and down the markets, staring at things and making aggravated noises every so often.

There were faces in the crowds he knew though. Those people got nods or polite waves, but little else.

Presentations were generally passed by, until Waver's feet began to protest and one of those presentations seemed to be offering seats in a makeshift theatre area. That there was a familar face was a relief.]

Is there anyone sitting next to you?

[ riza had actually gotten a little caught up in whichever this presentation had been - something about the way it was given, the comfortable seating, but she was pretty happy where she was to sit and listen to the rest of it, however long it would be.

which is the only reason she so much as tenses at the voice next to her, turning and seeing waver and relaxing immediately. ] You are welcome to it, if you'd like to sit. [ she'll even scoot a little more over to make it obvious the seat next to her is simple. ]

How have you been?

Yeah, thanks. These markets are massive.

[Waver's glad for the seat, and that the little area is a hair warmer in comparison to everything else. He's gotten warm enough boots that his feet feel snug, but it's still nice to feel a little glow of heat in the midst of all the winter...stuff.]

Okay, I guess. How long have you been walking the markets?

[ she nods in agreement with him, glancing back as if to make sure that the presentation wasn't broaching into anything important (it wasn't) before her attention is back to him. ]

Massive, and difficult to understand. Definitely easy to get lost.

[ she shrugs, almost as though she herself has already gotten lost during her exploring (which is possible, but she will never admit to). ] And not long. An hour or so? I wanted to see what it was like. It's similar enough to how we celebrate holidays back home, but also very different. Have you been walking long, yourself?

Edited 2017-12-24 05:40 (UTC)

[In Waver's opinion, the presentation overall is in fact unimportant. So much of this is just...crap with no point.]

Yeah, I have. I'm...I've never met the people I've been asked to buy presents for, so hell if I know what to get them. So, walking the market. Lots of it.

[ there's a point if you're trying to understand the place you're staying and the people you're living amongst. but riza won't argue that point, not really. no one really has to do anything, here. ]

Did they not give you a list of things they wanted?

...Nope. And I don't know much about them, so--

[Waver is cut off by a cheerful little explosion from the presentation. There are, in fact, streamers coming out of cannons, and there's clearly been a great deal of care and money put into this. He blinks as a stream lands on him.]

Guess they went all out on this.

Ah, that does make it harder.

[ riza is not much of a gift giver herself, so the idea of getting something for someone she doesn’t even know is hard to wrap her head around. but right as she opens her mouth to say as much, the explosion from the stage happens.

she tenses, at first, before relaxing into something of a small smile. ]

Yes, they seem to take these presentations very seriously. Have you watched any of the others?

[Waver shakes his head no on the matter of presentations.]

First one. That....the whole thing's really over the top though. I've seen commercials that are shorter and don't try as hard.

[The explosion, and Riza's reaction to it, goes over his head. Literally in one case, thanks to the streamers, and only metaphorically in the other.]

And don't include streamer cannons.

But this is supposed to be a presentation, explaining something they think is very important to a lot of us who have no idea what it is.

[ but she is smiling a little - in that way that means she's trying to hold back a laugh. ]

Okay, I could probably do without the streamer cannons.

:> Perfect

teratias - 2018-01-25 23:48 (UTC) - Expand

c:!!!!

efface - 2018-01-26 00:01 (UTC) - Expand

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teratias - 2018-01-26 00:08 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

efface - 2018-01-26 00:10 (UTC) - Expand

[Riza's not the only one searching for a place to hang back from the press of traffic and listen to a particularly engaging speaker. the woman is really getting into her description of how the grapes that make the wine she's selling are from an unbroken lineage back to those mythical earlier periods of history. unfortunately, it might be hard to tell that the alley Riza backs into to listen is occupied. it looks like it's simply dark and shadowy, from the outside and in the variable lighting of the festively decorated streets, but as she takes up her spot against the wall, something in the shadows speaks:]

Umm--

[that's a... larger voice than she might have expected. and are the colored lights in the main square glittering off of scales?]

I don't think you saw me from out there, but don't be surprised, okay? I'm just listening.

[oh. the alley isn't very shadowy at all. there's just an absolutely enormous creature taking up most of it, to the point where it's difficult to perceive him as a separate mass from the outside. and now that he's spoken and shifted so his head is more visible, Riza can see the gleam of eyes and teeth.

that's probably fine!

(Geir hopes she doesn't yell and run, like some of the Shehui residents have been doing. it always makes the speakers stop talking.)]

[ unfortunately, she does tense at the sudden voice - the movement and the presence of someone else not something she necessarily expected. she almost reaches for her gun, actually, but something about it does make her pause.

maybe it’s the sound of the voice, maybe it’s the catch of scales in the shadow. she’s seen her share of things she originally though impossible, so this isn’t…too much to wrap her head around. especially now that she can see it’s a creature, and not some moving shadow.

okay. alright. sure. riza feels a little…out of her element, but she manages a small smile anyway. ]

Sorry, am I in your way? I can move.

[ just a dragon, it’s nothing. ]

[Geir notices the move for the gun. he doesn't recognize the weapon so readily (he's seen them, but he's hardly familiar with them...), but he's an observant creature, and not much gets past him -- especially not the distinctive cross-body shift towards a weapon.

but she doesn't complete the action, and he doesn't hold it against her. for all that some of the coven have seemed remarkably all right with this presence, he knows that he's very likely a terrifying creature to many. so he keeps his voice soft and smiles back instead, his tactful smile-for-strangers; the one that displays just a glint of teeth without opening his mouth enough to show the sharp edges.]

Noooo way. You're way shorter than I am. And she's not talking about anything exciting enough that I'd be bothered.

[now, some real Shehui history -- that he would nudge a stranger out of the way for, but that's precisely what they're unlikely to get.]

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[WORLD TWO | SUNSU FESTIVAL]

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C

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sorry for the old tag! feel free to ignore ;-;

You're cool! Do you want to keep going or wrap this up neatly?

we can wrap them up to leave more room for the event going on rn! c:

:> Perfect

c:!!!!

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C

sorry for the old tag! feel free to ignore ;-;

no problem!